SuziQoregon's 2016 Reading and occasional other nonsense (part 2)

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy the view of one of my favorite spots the Oregon Coast, grab a book and stay a while.

I took this photo several years ago at one of our favorite places on the Oregon Coast

I'm Juli and this is my third year with the 75 Books group. I kind of disappeared the last few months of 20156 but I'm back and ready to get back in the swing of things around here. I plan to be a regular for as long as the group and I are both around. I've met some great folks here and they cause my TBR list to explode in a wonderful way. This year I hope to get to some of the threads of folks I haven't had a chance to get to know yet.

I'm an avid reader and blogger (at Whimpulsive). I live in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon with The Hubster and two very spoiled cats.

I read a mix of audio, paper and ebooks. I tend to read mysteries and thrillers more than other genres. I also read a lot of graphic novels.

My blog is where I post reviews of all the books I read and my reviews here are pulled from that. If you want to check out the blog just click on the image below.

These images we “see” when we read are personal: What we do not see is what the author pictured when writing a particular book. That is to say: Every narrative is meant to be transposed; imaginatively translated. Associatively translated. It is ours.

Peter Mendelsund
What We See When We Read

Books read January through June
January
1. Chew Vol. 2: International Flavor by John Layman
2. The Infernals by John Connolly
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling with art by Jim Kay
4. Dry Bones by Craig Johnson narrated by George Guidall
5. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
6. Sunset Express by Robert Crais
7. Hawkeye Vol. 4: Rio Bravo by Matt Fraction
8. Drinking in America: Our Secret History by Susan Cheever

February
1. Chew Vol. 3: Just Desserts by John Layman
2. The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny narrated by Robert Bathurst
3. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
4. The BFG by Roald Dahl
5. A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear

March
1. I Must Say by Martin Short narrated by Martin Short
2. Watchmen by Alan Moore
3. Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence by Nick Bantock
4. Sabine's Notebook: The Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues by Nick Bantock
5. The Golden Mean: The Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes by Nick Bantock
6. Dead Wake by Erik Larson

April
1. Lady Killer by Joëlle Jones
2. The Gryphon: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Is Rediscovered by Nick Bantock
3. Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi narrated by Padma Lakshmi
4. Triggerfish Twist by Tim Dorsey
5. Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Unfolds by Nick Bantock
6. Chew Vol. 4: Flambe by John Layman
7. The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine is Illuminated by Nick Bantock
8. Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble by Daniel Lyons
9. The Pharos Gate: Griffin & Sabine's Lost Correspondence by Nick Bantock
10. Fables Vol. 14: Witches by Bill Willingham

May
1. Jack of Fables Vol. 8: The Fulminate Blade by Bill Willingham
2. Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman narrated by Stephen Hoye
3. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
4. Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters
5. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
6. Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson
7. Trillium by Jeff Lemire
8. Chew Vol. 5: Major League Chew by John Layman

June
1. Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman
2. How to Steal a Dragon's Sword by Cressida Cowell narrated by David Tennant
3. The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh
4. The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini narrated by Christina Moore

Books Read July through . . .

July
1. Paper Girls Vol. 1 by Brian K Vaughan
2. Room by Emma Donoghue
3. How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel by Cressida Cowell narrated by David Tennant
4. Jack of Fables Vol. 9: The End by Bill Willingham
5. Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell narrated by Xe Sands
6. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
7. How to Betray a Dragon's Hero by Cressida Cowell narrated by David Tennant
8. Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham

August
1. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson narrated by the author
2. How to Fight a Dragon's Fury by Cressida Cowell narrated by David Tennant
3. The Highwayman: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson
4. Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield
5. Masked Ball at Broxley Manor by Rhys Bowen narrated by Katherine Kellgren
6. Other People's Baggage by Kendel Lynn, Gigi Pandian and Diane Vallere
7. Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse narrated by Jonathan Cecil
8. In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
9. Chew Vol. 6: Space Cakes by John Layman

September
1. The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood narrated by Stephanie Daniel
2. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
3. An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson narrated by George Guidall
4. Bloodline by Claudia Gray

October
1. A Gentleman's Game by Greg Rucka
2. March Book Three by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin
3. Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
4. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman narrated by Cassandra Campbell
5. Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

November
1. Fables Vol. 16: Super Team by Bill Willingham
2. Cinderella: Fables Are Forever by Chris Roberson
3. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith narrated by Lisette Lecat
4. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
5. Chew Vol. 7: Bad Apples by John Layman
6. Chew Vol. 8: Family Recipes by John Layman
7. Chew Vol. 9: Chicken Tenders by John Layman
8. Chew Vol. 10: Blood Puddin' by John Layman

December
1. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes narrated by Cary Elwes and other cast members.
2. Chew Vol. 11: The Last Suppers by John Layman
3. The Founding by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
4. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
5. May Day by Jess Lourey

Currently Reading



Currently Listening To

My Rating Scale

I realize that I've gotten a bit sloppy with assigning ratings over the past couple of years. This year I have resolved to make more thoughtful ratings. This has been my rating scale as posted on my blog since 2009 but I'm posting it here not only as information for others but as a reminder to myself to look at this carefully before assigning a rating to books I read.

- No stars – I couldn’t even finish it

- 1 star – I didn’t like it but I managed to finish it. I probably finished it out of some sort of misplaced sense of obligation due to having the book on a challenge list.

- 2 stars – It was OK. Not good, but seriously just OK. I probably kept reading hoping I would like it better or there was some plot point I had to know the answer to even though getting to that answer was maybe more work than pleasure.

- 3 stars - I liked it. I didn’t think it was great, but I thought it was good entertainment. Many of the series books I read are in this range – they’re enjoyable, but not great literature. These are books I might recommend, but only if I really know that your reading taste meshes with mine or if you already have an interest in the subject.

- 4 stars – I really liked it. I really think you might like it too. These are books I’d recommend but maybe with a caveat that ‘it’s not for everyone’. Many of these I pass along to The Hubster. I’m more comfortable recommending these books to a wide audience.

- 5 stars – It was amazing. I’d recommend this to just about anyone. These are the books that really made an impression and I’ll remember them for a long time. I’ve probably handed my copy to someone or said “you really should read this”.

Saving this one too - just in case

All yours now - Thanks for stopping by!

Fun meetup on Saturday with Mark and his lovely wife and daughter, Kim and her husband as well as Rhonda and Mrs. Banjo.

Great food, great beer, great company.

Definitely a highlight of the long weekend.

I did manage to squeeze in some reading time and by the end of the weekend had finished more books than I read in June.

Finished Room by Emma Donoghue despite my trepidation about the child narrator I ended up lliking it more than I expected. She did a very good job of telling the story through Jack's eyes.

I read a couple of GN's
Paper Girls by Brian K.Vaughan was wonderful. I don't think I can wait for the next collected volume. I might have to subscribe to the digital individual issues.

Jack of Fables Vol. 9: The End by Bill Willingham was the last of this spin-off series from the main Fables storyline. I'm glad to be done with the Jack books. He was so obnoxious. There are parts of this sideline series that were funny but they were usually the parts that didn't involve Jack. The "Shakespearean ending" was appropriate.

We also finished listening to How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel by Cressida Cowell narrated brilliantly by David Tennant. These are just fun road trip audiobooks for us and we ran out of road trip before we ran out of book with this one so we had to finish it up together at home. I've already got the next one on the ipod for our next trip.

Last night I started Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer it's been a while since I read one of his family sagas. This one is the first in a series.

I think the halfway point in the year is a good place to start a new thread.

Happy New Thread, Juli!

Beautiful photo up top.

Looked like a great meetup.

So glad you liked Paper Girls! Me, too.

> Thanks - I definitely loved Paper Girls another winner for the "Mark's Fault" tag.

Happy new one, Juli!

Beautiful topper image. I like the sound of Paper Girls.

Happy New Thread, Juli! Love that coastal topper. Bummer, I missed my coastal visit this time around.

Glad you loved Room. I am reading and enjoying her story collection, Astray.

Go Paper Girls! Go Paper Girls!

Lovely opening photo.

Happy new thread, Juli.

>12 scaifea: Thanks!

>13 charl08: It's really a lot of fun.

>14 msf59: Maybe next trip. I love the Oregon Coast - we're headed over for a week later this month. Can't wait.

>15 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul

It's a busy week so my reading time is getting nudged away by things to be done for a big family get together this weekend at my brother's.

The errands involved in that are giving me some good audiobook time with Hexes and Hemlines so that part of it is fun.

Right now I'm trying to get enough other stuff done so that I can spend some of my lunch break reading Only Time Will Tell. I've only read the first three chapters so far.

Hapy new thread! I have Paper Girls sat on my shelf. I am looking forward to reading it.

I can recommend Neil Gaiman's new GN, How to Talk to Girls at Parties, too, Juli. It's based on the award-winning short story I hadn't read before, and illustrated by the Daytripper brothers, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. Really good.

Happy new thread, Juli!

>1 SuziQoregon: I took a picture of that rock!

Juli! It's great to have you back and I love love love the Oregon coast!

Congrats on the new thread! And it was so much fun to see you and your hubby. I am sure you will have a great time at the coast.

Happy new one, Juli. I love the topper. It's gorgeous.

Have a great week Juli.

>17 BBGirl55: I loved Paper Girls - hope you do too,

>18 jnwelch: Oooh - good - I'll make note of those and put them on my library list. Thanks

>19 banjo123: Well I feel bad about kicking off the new thread and then disappearing for three weeks but thanks.

>20 thornton37814: It's a beautiful part of the coast.

>21 EBT1002: Thanks Ellen - I do love the coast - I always feel refreshed and rejuvenated after a visit.

>22 Berly: Thanks Kim - we had fabulous weather at the coast last week. Never even wore our jackets.

>23 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara

>24 GeezLouise: Thank you Rae

Hi there - Since I last posted we spent a weekend up at an annual family gahering and BBQ. Then a week later we headed out again and spent last week on vacation at the coast. This week has been busy with trying to catch up on things and get ready to take off again. We're heading down to Ashland tomorrow. We'll see Timon of Athens at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival on Sunday afternoon and then head home.

I feel like my head is spinning but even though I'm busy it's all good stuff.

As usual I didn't read nearly as much as I expected on vacation. The weather was wonderful so I did lots of walking and hiking. Even when I was at the house it was hard to read without getting distracted by this happening off the back deck.



As for reading -
All the being away made for some decent audiobook time. I finished Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell, It's the third in a cozy myetery series that is set in San Francisco and features a woman who runs a vintage clothing chop and just happens to be a witch. It's a fun series and I enjoy the audios.

I'm almost done listening to Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. As with her first book it's a mix of tough topics and hilarity. People either enjoy her or strongly dislike her. I happen to enjoy her. I think I need this quote of hers on a T-shirt

I’ve tried many torturous techniques to make my outsides fit the ridiculous standards society has set but it never ends well because my body lives in reality and it’s a reality that has too much cheese in it.

or this one:

I just told him that I wasn’t a fan of paying money to inject paralyzing poison into my face and that I was actually quite proud of my laugh lines, which I view as a badge that tells people I’m not an asshole.

The Hubster and I are partway through our current road trip audio How to Betray a Dragon's Hero by Cressida Cowell narrated brilliantly by David Tennant. This is the penultimate book in this series so once we finish this one and the final book we'll have to find another road trip audio series.

In print I finished Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer. It's entertaining historical fiction - this first in a seven book series covers 1920-1939 in a family saga that begins in England and continues in New York.

Yesterday I started Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield. It's the first in yet another cozy mystery series about a haunted Florida souvenir shop. It's just the right kiind of thing for me right now because I'm too busy to read anything thinky.

Have a great weekend Juli.

>26 SuziQoregon: That looks so fresh, Juli.

Have a great weekend.

Love those quotes. Sounds like I must find a copy of Jenny Lawson's book.

And what an amazing view from the deck. I would be distracted too!

>27 GeezLouise: Thanks Rae

>28 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul

>29 charl08: She's a tough one to recommend but I enjoy her books

Yes it's been another busy couple of weeks.

Weekend trip to southern Oregon to see Timon of Athens at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Wasn't impressed with either the play or the production but at least we checked that one off our Canon Checklist. Now the only one we haven't seen there is All's Well That End's Well.

Luckily we had a really nice dinner the night before the play so the weekend wasn't at total loss.

Then this past weekend we did a bit of an Explore and took a road trip through parts of Central Oregon that neither of us had visited despite living here all (The Hubster) or most (me) of our lives.

Beautiful drive through amazingly varied landscapes and some gorgeous rock formations in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. We stayed at a historic hotel in the lovely little town of Prairie City. It was a great weekend and I have a ton of photos to prove it,

Just a few

Mt. Hood from the east side



The Palisades at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument



The Painted Hills at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument



As for reading over the past few weeks . . . not much. Too busy doing other things but road trips make for good audiobook time.

We finished listening to How to Betray a Dragon's Hero and How to Fight a Dragon's Fury by Cressida Cowell and brilliantly narrated by David Tennant. That finishes up that series for us so we'll have to pick another for our road trip listening.

I finished Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson narrated by the author.

I'm partway through The Highwayman by Craig Johnson narrated by George Guidall. It's a novella related to the Walt Longmire series and is giving me a bit of a Longmire fix while I wait for the next book.

I'm still reading Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield and maybe now that we'll be staying home for a few weekends I might actually finish it.

I also read Fables Vol. 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham. I always enjoy the Fables series.

Have a great weekend Juli.

Great pictures!

Happy Saturday, Juli! Love the gorgeous photos. Oregon offers so much. It truly is astounding.

Have a great weekend.

All caught up here, Juli. Gorgeous photos! I love those audiobooks narrated by David Tennant, too - they make great walking company for me. Sounds like you are having a truly fabulous summer - carry on!

>31 SuziQoregon: Impressive. I thought Oregon was lusher somehow - that looks like the South West.

>32 GeezLouise: Thanks Rae - we did

>33 banjo123: Thank you - it was a beautiful weekend for taking photos - the sky was just an incredibly clear blue.

>34 msf59: Thanks Mark - yes we have a wide variety to see around here.

>35 Crazymamie: I'm a little sad about finishing up the series - I fear that anything we pick for our next road trip series won't be nearly as fun.

>36 PaulCranswick: The western and far northeastern part of the state is rather lush. The other side of the mountains is quite a different climate.

We had a busy weekend - lots to do because we've been away from home for the past several weekends. We managed to find time for some fun stuff too. We watched a lot of the Olympics Track & Field competition. Saturday we went to a baseball game. Our local minor league team is a lot of fun even when they lose.

As for reading

I finished listening to The Highwayman: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson. I do enjoy the short stories and novellas just as much as I do the main books in that series. I've pre-ordered the audio of the next book due out in September.

I started listening to Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. I love me some Wodehouse and I really enjoy the way Jonathan Cecil narrates the audios.

In print I finished Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield. It was a fairly average cozy mystery and I probably won't read more of that series.

Today at lunch I plan to start In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides. I've had this one for a while and I'm looking forward to finally reading it.

Hi there - haven't been reading much this week. Too much going on. I've only read a few pages in In the Kingdom of Ice but right now I'm hoping it will help make me feel cooler with the 100+ temperatures we've got for the next couple of days.

I am making progress in listening to Right Ho, Jeeves and enjoying it.

Jeeves! And Bertie! Have fun, Juli.

Oh I love those painted hills of the John Day area.

In Denali, there are foothills that very much reminded us of the John Day painted hills. There is a spot along the road called "Polychrome Pass" because of the colors of the surrounding hills. I will try to post one photo from that area when I get around to posting photos.

Hello, Juli! I need to get back to Longmire - I was just binge watching the tv series over the weekend. Now I need to get back to the books.

>31 SuziQoregon: Hi Juli. Loving the OR pictures. Sorry the play wasn't better. I, too, enjoyed the Olympics but am glad they are over and I can get back to my books!

>42 Crazymamie: I am all caught up on the Longmire tv series, eagerly awaiting the next season which should start in September.

Hi, Juli! Hope you are doing well and finding more reading time. I have been singing the praises everywhere for The Hour of Land. I know you love the great outdoors and fine writing, so you might really like this one.

You might finally inspire me to start In the Kingdom of Ice. I have had it saved on audio, since it was released and I LOVE Sides too. Sighs...

>40 jnwelch: They're such fun.

>41 EBT1002: It was the first time we had been over to the John Day area and the Painted Hills. Downright shameful for two lifelong Oregonians. I'll have to look for photos of Polychrome Pass.

>42 Crazymamie: We have managed to catch up on the Longmire TV series this summer. We have one more episode to watch then we'll be ready for the new season later this month. I love the way the show is true to the books but still very different.

>43 Berly: Yep - at least with football season I can watch and read at the same time with all the breaks in the action.

>44 msf59: Oh thanks for the recommendation. I'll have to check that out. In the Kingdom of Ice was wonderful. I have warned The Hubster that it WILL be his next book. I really didn't know about that expedition at all. I will absolutely be getting more of his books.

It's the afternoon before a holiday weekend and I have no interest in work so I may as well check in here,

So let's see . . .

I finished In the Kingdom of Ice and it was excellent. I will be hunting down more of Hampton Sides books.

I read a fun anthology called Other People's Baggage by Kendel Lynn, Gigi Pandian and Diane Vallere, It's three novellas connected by the story of the main characters inadvertently getting each others luggage. All three novellas are prequels to the authors mystery series. I already had the first book in Gigi Pandian's Jaya Jones series on my shelf so it was fun to read this first.

Then I read Chew, Vol. 6: Space Cakes by John Layman this series is just so wackily bizarre I can't stop reading it.

I've now started two new books this week
Bloodline by Claudia Gray is a story that takes place before the most recent Star Wars movie. I've heard good things about it and I'm enjoying it so far.

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig has been on my shelf far too long so it was time read it.

I had a bit of an audio binge and finished Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse narrated by Jonathan Cecil - simply delightful

I listened to a short novella that is a prequel to Rhys Bowens Royal Spyness series. Masked Ball at Broxley Manor takes place before the first book in the series and really doesn't add much. I only had it because it was a free audible extra at some point. It was short but not that worthwhile in the context of the series.

I am currently listening to The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood narrated by Stephanie Daniel. I thoroughly enjoy the Phryne Fisher series so it's good to be back to it. One of these days I need to watch the television adaptation.

Hello, Juli! Happy Saturday to you! We have finished with season one of the Longmire and are deep into season two. SO well done, and I love the casting. Rae has started reading the books now, so that is fun.

I love the Phryne Fisher tv series - it would be worth watching just for the costumes alone, but the show is fun, too. And good to know about the Royal Spyness prequel - I can safely skip that one.

>47 Crazymamie: Yay! Glad you're enjoying the series. I'm glad Rae is reading the books too. The Hubster is currently reading the third book.

I'm a devotee of the audios so even though I'll probably finish my current audiobook today I don't plan to start another one because the new Longmire is available Tuesday. I want to get started listening to that as soon as possible. Craig Johnson is doing an event at the Powell's location on our side of town on the 26th of this month. I think The Hubster is even going to go with me to that.

Weird week this week - between the holiday and two days of jury duty I've been all messed up on what day it is all week. I'm reoriented again and confident that it's Friday afternoon and I get to leave work soon. Yay.

I've been picking away at all three of my current books. I'll probably finish my autio of The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood during this afternoon's errand run. I do enjoy Phrynne Fisher.

In print I'm partway though both Bloodline by Claudia Gray and The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig, They're quite different from each other and both enjoyable.

Well I had every intention of coming here today and writing up a real post but then I got sucked into today's treasure hunt.

6 out of 16 so far.

Back after more treasure hunting!!

>48 SuziQoregon: Where and when is Craig Johnson appearing?

>51 Berly: Tonight at Powell's Cedar Hills Store 7pm

Not sure I am up to it, but a girl can try!!

Time for another one of my patented drive by posts

It's not a phase. It's my life.

Let's see - what's up? September hit and both work and life in general got busy. It's always a back to school feeling even without being in school or having kids. Football season means many weekends have us out with friends most of Saturday and then Sunday becomes the one day to get everything done before back to work on Monday.

Along the way The Hubster discovered that he was 490 miles short of hitting elite status on Alaska Airlines so I got a text that said "We need to go somewhere!" With limited vacation time we put together a whirlwind three-day trip to the Grand Canyon the week before Thanksgiving. We figured if we needed to take a trip it might as well be someplace we've never seen. I'm looking forward to it - I've wanted to go the Grand Canyon for ages.

I'm managing to sneak in a bit of reading time here and there but not as much as I'd like. That's pretty much going to be true until I retire I think.

In print I finished The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. It's the first of his books I've read and it won't be the last. The sense of time and place is just wonderful and the cast of characters is delightful.

I also read Bloodline by Claudia Gray. While I am a huge fan of the Star Wars movies (except The Phantom Menace of course) I really don't read that many science fiction novels. When I heard about Bloodline I was first interested because it's set in the time between The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The deciding factor for me was that it is focused on Leia. I enjoyed it a lot.

On audio I finished The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood narrated by Stephanie Daniel. As always, an adventure with Phryne Fisher was a whole lot of fun.

I also listened to An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson narrated by George Guidall. It's the latest in the Walt Longmire series and one of the better entries in the series in my opinion. The timing worked out great because Craig Johnson was at Powell's while I was in the middle of listening to the book. He's funny and entertaining and worth going to see if he's at an event near you. It was definitely a better way to spend the evening than watching the Presidential Debate.

I'm currently reading A Gentleman's Game by Greg Rucka. I like his Queen & Country comic series and this book is a novel related to that series. It's a great spy series and the book is very good so far.

On audio I'm listening to Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman narrated by Cassandra Campbell. I've had the ebook for ages but never got around to actually starting it. I'd heard the audio was good and I had an audible credit available. I'm at the point where she's just reported to prison.

>54 SuziQoregon: Very nice (though far too infrequent!) update, Juli. xx

Happy Sunday, Juli! Glad to see you enjoying the books. Good news about The Whistling Season. I have that one on the list. I am a Doig fan.

And hooray for Longmire. I have read 9.

I thoroughly enjoyed An Obvious Fact, Juli. Way better than the Presidential Debate!

Hope your week is going well, Juli! I haven't been to the Grand Canyon either, and really want to go...

Hello Juli, wishing you a fabulous week.

Still battling finding reading time these days but what I am reading is all good.

I finished A Gentleman's Game by Greg Rucka it's one of three novels he's done related to his Queen & Country comic series. All around good spy fiction and even though it was written twelve years ago the story really doesn't feel dated at all.

I read the finale of Congressman John Lewis's amazing graphic novel series he wrote with Andrew Aydin. March Book Three wraps up the story of the early 1960's Civil Rights Movement. I highly recomment the trilogy.

I started Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl and I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

On audio I'm still listening to Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman narrated by Cassandra Campbell. This one is also very good and I'm glad I ended up going with the audio format.

Work's busy. Life's busy. It's been stormy. Looking forward to getting away for a long weekend getaway this weekend.

>55 PaulCranswick: I agree on the too infrequent part Paul, I'm working on getting her more often.

>56 msf59: I think you'll like {The Whistling Season. I definitely want to read more of Doig's books.

>57 jnwelch: I liked An Obvious Fact quite a bit too.

>58 banjo123: Things are going well thanks. Busy but good. This weekend we're headed to Reno. The Grand Canyon trip is next month.

>59 GeezLouise: Thanks!

Finished reading Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl. I thought it was fairly good. She certainly had an interesting life.

Today I'm starting Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart which I've had on my shelf for ages. It's an early reviewers book I got last September - oops. I figured it would make for good airport/plane reading this weekend.

I'm near the end of listening to Orange is the New Black. If timing works out I'll finish it while running errands this afternoon.

Happy Friday, Juli! I hope you have a great time with Girl Waits With Gun. It is such a fun read. I have the follow-up on, an egalley, so I am trying to bookhorn that one in.

Hope the week went well.

>62 SuziQoregon: Hani loves the TV series of Orange is the New Black. When she first was telling me about it, I thought to myself; "how can you make an entire series about colour blindness?!"

Have a lovely weekend, Juli.

>62 SuziQoregon: Tender at the Bone is on my wish list. Of course, I have no idea when I'll manage to get around to reading it. It's not a super high priority.

>63 msf59: I am definitely enjoying Girl Waits With Gun. Will be watching for your thoughts on the sequel.

>64 PaulCranswick: Now that I've finished listening to the book I've started watching the TV series. LOL on your reaction to the title.

>65 thornton37814: I liked Tender at the Bone I will be looking for more of her books.

I wasn't around much last week. We took an extended trip to Reno and then I had a very busy three day work week when I returned.

Reno trip was fun - glorious weather and lots of sightseeing. Saturday night we went to the Nevada Wyoming football game. On our way back to our rental condo after the game we were in the midst of Reno's annual Zombie Crawl downtown. It was a little weird and funny but too crowded.

The rest of the trip was less stressful. Managed a drive over to Lake Tahoe, visited the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City which was way more interesting than I'd expected. That was partly due to a fabulous volunteer who gave us a tour. The last day we were there we drove over to Pyramid Lake and the museum at the Paiute Reservation near the lake. Beautiful countryside and interesting museum.

As for reading . . .

Well - there hasn't been much due to vacation and recovery from vacation.

Anyway I'm hoping to finish up Girl Waits With Gun today.

I did finish listening to Orange is the New Black I thought it was pretty good. This was my first time listening to Cassandra Campbell narrate a book. I wasn't sure at first because her pace seemed to drag a but but after a few chapters either she sped up or I got used to it. In this book she had to do a wide variety of characters and accents and did an admirable job of it. I would definitely listen to her again.

I started listening to The Woman who Walks in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith narrated by Lisette Lecat. This is part of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series and one of my favorite audio series.

I'm reading Girl Waits With Gun right now too and find it quite enjoyable.

Cassandra Campbell is one of the few narrators I recognize and I've actually borrowed audiobooks from the library only because Campbell is the narrator. Orange is the New Bkack is one I haven't listened to, but plan to.

>68 raidergirl3: Glad you're enjoying it too. Good to know Cassandra Campbell is a favorite of yours

I finished reading Girl Waits with Gun last night. It was quite fun. I'm glad I finally read it.

I started Fables Vol. 16: Super Team last night. I need to work through the pile of comics and graphic novels that I currently have out from the library.

Today at lunch I started The Founding by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. This one is a reread for me. I read it several years ago. It's the first in a ridiculously long historical fiction series. I have the second book on my shelf but decided to reread the first before continuing with the series.

Time to catch up
It's been a rough week and I'm gradually peeking out from my self imposed hibernation from the internet and social media.

I finished Fables Vol. 16: Super Team and also read Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love. Such fun all around. Cinderella as a super spy is one of my favorite parts of the Fables series and I'm happy that she got a couple of spinoff volumes.

I'm still reading The Founding I was due for some family saga historical fiction reading.

I'm almost done listening to The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine. I just love listening to Lisette Lecat read this series.

In an effort for even more escapism I started some middle grade fracture fairy tale stuff. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy is just what I needed right not.

Short week at work for me this week. We're off this weekend for a whirlwind three day trip to the Grand Canyon. So far the weather forecast is looking good so I hope that holds up.

I am thankful for your presence in the group, Janet.

How fun that you guys are "elite" now on your flyer miles!! So sorry you just HAD to take a trip to make it. : )

Hi Juli! hope you have a great trip.

>72 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul!

>73 Berly: It was a quick but great trip

>74 banjo123: We did - photos to follow

Hi there - between the quick Grand Canyon trip, a short work week and then a long Thanksgiving weekend I'm kind of looking forward to getting back to my routine.

The Grand Canyon trip was amazing - We flew into Phoenix on Thursday night. Friday morning we headed to the park. After a stop in a pub (of course) in Flagstaff we got to the park around 3pm. We explored and stayed until after sunset. Our hotel was just outside of the South Rim park entrance so it was easy access. Friday morning we were up early and on the shuttle bus by 6am to the place we wanted to see the sunrise. We spent the rest of the day hiking and exploring. We had to leave by about 3pm to get back to Flagstaff but we made the most of the 24 hours we were there.

I don't think we've ever said "Wow" so much.

Just a few photos.

As for reading - to catch up from where I left off:

I'm still reading The Founding. It's my bus and lunchtime reading.

I finished reading The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy. Fun fractured fairy tale middle grade escapism. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Over the weekend I had a mini binge of the Chew series by John Layman
I finished:
Chew Vol. 7: Bad Apples
Chew Vol. 8: Family Recipes
Chew Vol. 9: Chicken Tenders

and started Chew Vol. 10: Blood Puddin'.

I also have Volume 11 out from the library because I wanted to catch up with the series before the final volume is released in January. It's a darkly humorous, sometimes gruesome and increasingly weird series and I love it.

On audio I finished listening to The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith. As usual for this series it was enjoyable driving around entertainment.

I started listening to As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes narrated by Elwes and several other folks who were involved in the making of the movie. It's FABULOUS and it's just making me want to watch the movie again. I forced encouraged The Hubster to listen to it and loaded it up on the Audible app on his phone. I know he'll enjoy it if I can just get him to actually listen to it.

Just updated my books read and I'm at 74.
Maybe I'll manage to finish Chew Vol. 10 tonight

Go for it!

>79 drneutron: I did!

#75 done Chew Vol. 10: Blood Puddin by John Layman

Started Volume 11 last night. I'm already on the waiting list at the library for the final volume of the series due out in January.

I'm thoroughly enjoying listening to As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride. I've got The Hubster listening to it too. Once we're both finished we'll watch the movie again for the gazillionth time.

>80 SuziQoregon: Our daughter loved As You Wish, Juli. She's a big fan of the movie, too. (As are we, although we're not up to gazillions yet).

Congrats!

Congratulations on reaching 75!

Well I've been horribly remiss in keeping up lately. Partly because of an extended reading slump. I have enjoyed most of what I've read but I just haven't had anything that made me want to avoid putting it down or eager to pick it back up again.

I finished listening to As You Wish and loved it. After The Hubster finished listening to it we watched the movie again and it was fun to feel 'in the know' about certain things.

My current audiobook is A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny. It's good to be back in Three Pines again. I dearly miss the late Ralph Cosham but I think Robert Bathurst is doing a fine job of the narration of this series. He had a tough act to follow.

In print I finished my reread of The Founding by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. It's the first in a ridiculously long historical fictions series that I may never finish but it was fun to reread this before picking the second in the series.

I'm currently reading The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson. It's the sequel to The Name of the Star which I thoroughly enjoyed earlier this year.

I may finish the year with fewer books read than since I've been keeping track. Blergh.

Hi, Juli! It looks like I have not paid a visit in awhile. Bad Mark!

Congrats on hitting #75!! Always a milestone around here. And I hope you shake free of this book slump. Fingers crossed.

>85 msf59: Thanks Mark - I hope so too.

Lovely photos of your trip to the Grand Canyon, Juli! I've only been there once, the summer I turned 14. It's a fairly distant memory and I'd like to return.

Congratulations on hitting the 75 mark!!

Congrats on 75!

Wouldn't it be nice if 2017 was a year of peace and goodwill.
A year where people set aside their religious and racial differences.
A year where intolerance is given short shrift.
A year where hatred is replaced by, at the very least, respect.
A year where those in need are not looked upon as a burden but as a blessing.
A year where the commonality of man and woman rises up against those who would seek to subvert and divide.
A year without bombs, or shootings, or beheadings, or rape, or abuse, or spite.

2017.

Festive Greetings and a few wishes from Malaysia!

Congrats on reaching 75, Juli. Wishing you and yours

Merry Christmas, Juli!

Better late than never!! Happy Holidays : )

>87 EBT1002: Thanks Ellen - We lucked out with the mid-November trip. Not as crowded as the summer months and fortunately we had decent weather.

>88 banjo123: Thanks!

>89 PaulCranswick: Oh Paul, that's simply lovely and I support all of those wishes for 2017

>90 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara - that's cute!

>91 Crazymamie: Oh that's wonderful!!

>92 Berly: Thanks Kim!

The holiday weekend was just wonderful. Had a good Christmas day with my brother and The Hubster's sister. The four of us do Christmas every year. Nice and mellow - just exchange stocking stuffers and enjoy the day with each other.

Yesterday was a work holiday and we just relaxed and truly let it be a day off. I finished reading The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson. YA paranormal is definitely not my usual fare but I really enjoy this series. This one finished on a bit of a cliffhanger so I'll need to get the third book fairly soon.

I started May Day by Jess Lourey. It's the first in a cozy mystery series set in a small town in Minnesota. I met the author at the Left Coast Crime Mystery convention a couple of years ago and have had this one on my TBR list since then. It's fairly short so I might be able to finish it before the end of the year.

That sounds like a lovely way to spend a holiday, Juli! You hit me with a BB for that paranormal YA series - sounds like something the girls and I would like. Adding the first book to the list.

>95 Crazymamie: I really enjoyed it more than I expected to. Hope you and the girls like it.

Looking forward to your continued company in 2017.
Happy New Year, Juli

>97 PaulCranswick: same to you Paul!

I finished reading The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson. It was good and I'm looking forward to continuing with the series.

I read May Day by Jess Lourey. It's the first in a cozy mystery series but it was rather forgettable.

I'm ending the year with 80 books read. That's the fewest in a year since I started keeping track in 2004.

On to 2017