scaifea's thread #19

Welcome to thread XIX!



Below you’ll find an explanation of my reading habits, which, I warn you, is a bit crazy. Usually I have about 10-15 books going at once, one each from the following groups (and occasionally other books slipped in there, too):

1. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

2. A children's book, for Charlie's library. I'm trying to collect books from various award lists, and I like reading them before reading them to Charlie or deciding to add them to Charlie's shelves. For this category, I’m currently working through three lists:
a. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die
b. The CYOA books
c. The Newbery Honor books
d. Cooperative Children's Book Center list

3. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

4. A book for the Presidential Challenge. Books for this category are read in chronological (presidentially) order.

5. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

6. A list I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob: The Hugo/Nebula/WFA/Bram Stoker (and other) lists (combined, in chronological order)

7. For this category, I cycle through 7 different stacks:
a. A book from my shelves which I haven't yet read
b. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
d. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
e. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. The NEH Timeless Classics list
g. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
h. The Pulitzer list (in alpha order by author)
i. John Boyne bibliography (in chronological order, sort of)

8. A read-aloud-to-Charlie-at-bedtime book.

9. An unread book from my shelves.

10. A book from my Classics shelves.

11. A book from our Science Shelves corner.

12. A book on Buddhism or from the Dalai Lama's bibliography.

13. Book-a-year challenge: Two years ago, along with a few others in this group (*cough* Paul *cough*), I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've decided, again, to follow Paul's lead and try to fill in some of those blanks, and so I'm adding an entry here to my lists.

14. An audiobook for the car.

15. A full-on re-read through Shakespeare's stuff.

16. This slot is reserved for books that just grab me and shout that they need to be read Right Now.

And on top of these, there will be a multitude of picture books and easy readers, which Charlie and I read together. I've decided again this year also to list our re-reads, but I'll just list them each day and not number them.

So, now you've got a glimpse of just how neurotic I am.
Please feel free to post comments, recommendations, or whatever else strikes your fancy. And Happy Reading, everyone!



What I'm reading now:
-Andersonville (Banned Books)
-The Coral Island (Newbery Honor Book)
-The Well at the World's End (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy)
-Franklin Pierce (Presidential Challenge)
-My Brother Sam Is Dead (audiobook, Newbery Honor Book)
-The Knight of the Swords (BFA award)
-Collected Stories and Other Writings (Pulitzer)
-The Sandman and the War of Dreams (Charlie's bed-time book)
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (another Charlie bed-time book)
-Don Quixote (an unread book off of my shelves)
-The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian (from my Classics shelves)
-Introductory Astronomy & Astrophysics (from the Science Shelves)
-Old Path White Clouds (Buddhism list)
-A Lear of the Steppes (books by year, 1870)
-Dropped Dead Stitch (series that my mom wants me to read so we can chat about it)
-Prairie Tale (from the Read Soon shelf)
- (everyday audio book in the car)
-The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare re-read)
-War and Peace (because Charlie wants me to)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1

Books Read:

JANUARY

1. The Quaint and Curious Quest of Johnny Longfoot (Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
2. Slaves of Quentaris (audio book/1001 Children's Books) - 7/10 = C
3. Runner of the Mountain Tops (Newbery Honor book) - 7/10 = C
4. The Blue Cat of Castletown (Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
5. Princess Academy (Newbery Honor book/ audio book) - 8/10 = B+
6. Olive's Ocean (audio book/Newbery Honor book) - 7/10 = C
7. The Wanderer (audio book/Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
8. The Terrible Two (potential Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
9. The Puppy Place: Scout (Charlie's bedtime book) - 8/10 = B
10. A Daughter of the Seine (Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B
11. Roller Girl (Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
12. Abe Lincoln at Last! (Charlie's school library chapter book) - 8/10 = B+
13. How I Live Now (audiobook, 1001 Children's Books list) - 8/10 = B+
14. The Terrible Two Get Worse (loaned to me by a school librarian) - 8/10 = B+
15. Ella Enchanted (audiobook, Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
16. Echo (Newbery Honor book) - 9/10 = A-
17. Bone Gap (Printz award winner) - 9/10 = A
18. The Ghosts of Heaven (Printz Honor book) - 8/10 = B-
19. George (Stonewall Award winner) - 9/10 = A
20. The Return of the Native (audiobook for the car/book-a-year challenge, 1878) - 9/10 = A
21. Hoot (audiobook, Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B
22. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A
23. Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B+
24. The War That Saved My Life (Newbery Honor book) - 9/10 = A
25. Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Abraham Lincoln (public library book) - 8/10 = B+

FEBRUARY
26. Crenshaw (public library book) - 8/10 = B+
27. Noah Barleywater Runs Away (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A-
28. The Midnight Dress (Blind Date with a Book) - 8/10 = B+
29. Twilight (audiobook, 1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A-
30. Don't Break the Balance Beam! (public library book) - 8/10 = B
31. Hattie Ever After (sequel read) - 8/10 = B
32. A to Z Mysteries: Secret Admirer (Charlie bed-time read) - 8/10 = B
33. A Good Night for Ghosts (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B+
34. The Brilliant World of Tom Gates (audiobook) - 8/10 = B-
35. Zachary Taylor (Presidential Challenge) - 8/10 = B-
36. Books Can Be Deceiving (series I'm reading with my mom) - 8/10 = B+

MARCH
37. The Magic Tree House: Leprechaun in Late Winter (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B
38. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (school library book) - 8/10 = B-
39. Bink & Gollie (school library book) - 8/10 = B+
40. The Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning (school library book) - 8/10 = B
41. The Spoonflower Handbook (just because I wanted to) - 9/10 = A-
42. The BFG (Charlie's bedtime read) - 9/10 = A
43. Circus Mirandus (audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
44. Mr. Pants: Slacks, Camera, Action! (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
45. Hour of the Olympics (school library book) - 8/10 = B
46. Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B
47. The Puppy Place: Patches (Charlie's bedtime read) - 8/10 = B+
48. Black Boy (Banned Books list) - 9/10 = A-
49. The Religions Book (Charlie book) - 8/10 = A
50. The Boy Whom Swam with Piranhas (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
51. Blizzard at Black Swan Inn (CYOA list) - 8/10 = B
52. The Nest (audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
53. Belle Prater's Boy (audiobook/Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
54. Pax (potential Charlie book) - 8/10 = B+
55. Fleece Navidad (series I'm reading with my mom) - 9/10 = A-
56. Dandelion Wine (NEH Children's Classics list) - 10/10 = A+
57. The Crystal Cave (Mythopoeic award list) - 8/10 = B+
58. The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A

APRIL
59. Stay Where You Are and Then Leave (Jeffers/Boyne bibliography) - 9/10 = A
60. The Naming of Tishkin Silk (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B+
61. Minn of the Mississippi (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
62. High Tide in Hawaii (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B
63. The Apple and the Arrow (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
64. My Side of the Mountain (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
65. Rascal (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
66. Millions (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B+
67. The Magic Tree House #10: Ghost Town at Sundown (Charlie's school library book) = 8/10 = B+
68. Davy Crockett (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B-
69. To Be a Slave (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
70. Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (Charlie's bedtime read) = 10/10 = A+
71. Serafina and the Black Cloak (book fair purchase) - 8/10 = B+

MAY
72. Detective Gordon: The First Case (CCBC list, easy reader) - 8/10 = B
73. Grimpow (audiobook/1001 Children's Books list) - 7/10 = C
74. Magic Tree House #24: Earthquake in the Early Morning (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B
75. Enchantress from the Stars (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
76. To Your Scattered Bodies Go (Hugo Award) - 9/10 = A-
77. Millard Fillmore (U. S. Presidential Challenge) - 8/10 = B-
78. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (audiobook for the car) - 10/10 = A+
79. The Arrival (1001 Children's Books) - 10/10 = A
80. Finding Serendipity (book fair purchase) - 9/10 = A
81. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (bought as a potential Charlie book) - 8/10 = B
82. Magic Tree House #44: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time by Mary Pope Osborne (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B+
83. Ollie's Odyssey (William Joyce bibliography) - 10/10 = A+

JUNE
84. E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core! (Charlie's bed-time read) - 10/10 = A+
85. The Knight at Dawn (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B
86. Moby Dick (audiobook) - 9/10 = A-
87. The Three Muskeeters (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A
88. Memoirs of Hecate County (banned books list) - 7/10 = C+
89. The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection (audiobook) - 10/10 = A
90. A Fine White Dust (audiobook/Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
91. The Sonnets (Shakespeare re-read) - 10/10 = A
92. Five Days at Memorial (from my Read Soon shelves) - 8/10 = B-
93. The Light of Asia (Buddhism reading list) - 8/10 = B+
94. The Centaur (National Book Award) - 8/10 = B
95. The Sign of the Beaver (Newbery Honor Book, audiobook) - 9/10 = A-

JULY
96. The Amazing Spider-Man Storybook Collection (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B+
97. Nimona (checked out from the Lancaster public library as part of our Library Visiting Adventure) - 8/10 = B+
98. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Charlie's bedtime read) - 10/10 = A+
99. The Waters of the Wondrous Isles (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy list) - 8/10 = B
100. The Sandman: Overture (Gaiman bibliography) - 10/10 = A+
101. The Kalahari Typing School for Men (series I'm reading with my mom) - 8/10 = B+
102. Not My Father's Son (audiobook) - 9/10 = A
103. Graven Images (audiobook, Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
104. Far from the Madding Crowd (Book-a-Year Challenge) - 9/10 = A
105. The Fledgling (audiobook, Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
106. The Gods Themselves (Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards lists) - 8/10 = B+
107. Danny the Champion of the World (audiobook for the car) - 10/10 = A+
108. Dear Committee Members (Read Soon Shelf) - 10/10 = A+
109. The Silver Dream (Gaiman bibliography) - 9/10 = A
110. Eternity's Wheel (Gaiman bibliography) - 9/10 = A
111. Phoebe and Her Unicorn (75er recommendation) - 9/10 = A
112. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (audiobook, The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy list) - 8/10 = B-
113. The Path to Enlightenment (Buddhism reading list) - 9/10 = A
114. Attack of the Monster Plants (CYOA list) - 8/10 = B
115. The Miss Liberty Caper (CYOA list) - 8/10 = B
116. Clues in the Woods (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
117. George's Marvelous Medicine (audiobook for the car) - 10/10 = A+
118. A Necklace of Raindrops (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B+
119. Inside Out and Back Again (Newbery Honor Book) - 9/10 = A
120. The Boy at the Top of the Mountain (Boyne bibliography) - 10/10 = A+

AUGUST
121. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (because one must, of course) - 8/10 = B+
122. Puppy Pirates: Stowaway! (Charlie read-aloud) - 8/10 = B
123. A Newbery Zoo (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B+
124. The Bluest Eye (Banned Books, audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
125. Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies (Charlie's bedtime read) - 9/10 = A
126. Audubon (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B-
127. Justin Morgan Had a Horse (audiobook/Newbery Honor Book) = 8/10 = B
128. Due or Die (series read along with my mom) - 9/10 = A
129. The Catcher in the Rye (Banned Books list) - 9/10 = A
130. Gone-Away Lake (audiobook/Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
131. Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth (audiobook/Newbery Honor Book) - 9/10 = A
132. Red Moon and Black Mountain (Mythopoeic award) - 7/10 = C
133. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Charlie's bedtime read) - 10/10 = A+

The Charlie, Tuppence & Mario Toppers:

Charlie's Summer Books Read List:
1. Little Mouse Makes a Mess
2. Mr. Pants: It's Go Time!
3. Little Owl Leaves the Nest
4. Three Stories You Can Read to Your Dog
5. I Will Take a Nap!
6. Little Panda Gets Lost
7. Little Duck Finds a Friend
8. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
9. The Friendship Tree
10. Dinosaur Planet
11. Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
12. Little Puppy's Rainy Day
13. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!
14. The Knight at Dawn
15. Mona Is Missing
16. Haunted Harbor
17. Stuart Little: Stuart at the Library
18. Amelia Bedelia
19. What Pet Should I Get?
20. Red: A Crayon's Story
21. Stuck
22. Battle Bunny
23. Fly Guy's Amazing Tricks
24. Little Bear
25. HiLo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth
26. Lego DC Comics Super Heroes
27. The Book with No Pictures
28. The Great Paper Caper
29. The Incredible Book-Eating Boy
30. Puppy Pirates: Stowaway!
31. Guess Again!
32. Where Is the Green Sheep?

And the Bonus Question:

I had such a lovely birthday yesterday, with excellent presents and simple, relaxing and fun day with Charlie (and Tomm, too, of course, once he came home from work). Share, if you're willing, a favorite birthday experience.

I mentioned that Charlie is playing with his best friend today, the one who is moving soon. If you recall, there was a discussion earlier about getting the boys special stationery and such to write to each other, and Morphy had the inspired idea to include special pens. Here's what I came up with - Charlie gave his friend (whose name starts with an A) his stuff today:



They each get two of the pens, of course.

>5 scaifea: perfect!

Hi Amber! Birthdays weren't my favorite growing up, I was so shy I hated being the center of attention! The best birthdays were when I got older and my mom just started handing me cash. :P

My birthday was Sunday. For me it was the big 6-0 so I am now sporting some blue extensions in my hair since I have officially become a blue-haired lady. :-) If I have to be old, I'm going to have fun with it!

We had a wonderful dinner out. DS is heading off to grad school in California, so he was there with a copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. DD is back from her month of escorting kids around Thailand, so she was there with a beautiful bouquet and an equally beautiful Thai singing bowl. 89 yo Mom felt good enough to come and I know exactly what I plan to buy with the money she gave me. The meal was wonderful, the company grand (we stayed thee two hours talking) and a bit bittersweet since this may be the last birthday we share together.

Today is lunch with coworkers.

Tonight DD & I are taking a 'Chinese Street Food' cooking class.

Wednesday I have rented a fire lookout and will be staying there by myself to watch the meteors. This is sort of a bucket list thing - I've never camped by myself.

Perfect birthday week! If I were a cat, I'd be curled up purring.

>4 scaifea: Hmm, I love birthdays so all of them are usually pretty great, even if they're mellow. I did love the year my mom got me a TARDIS cake. But I'm also having fun plotting for this year's birthday (the big 3-0). I'm thinking a princess party because those weren't a thing when I was a kid and if you can't have a princess party when you turn 30, when can you?

>5 scaifea: Those are awesome!

Glad to hear of good birthday celebrations, Amber, your own as well as Janet's. Great, great, great. These events make me happy.

>6 lauralkeet: Laura: Thanks! I was pleased with the monograms and the monster pens. I kind of forgot about stamps, but I have time to remedy that, still.

>7 Ape: Stephen: I only had one birthday party that I can remember, the kind with friends over, because I was pretty shy, too. I loved just having my siblings and parents around for birthdays, and even then I preferred sneaking off with a book halfway through. Talk about nightmare for shy people - my wedding day was THE WORST. EVERYONE looking at me. Ugh. Hated it. Love the actual marriage thing, though.

>8 streamsong: Happy birthday!! And oh gosh, it all sounds WONDERFUL!

>9 MickyFine: Micky: Oooh, a TARDIS cake! Cool! When I was in grad school my friends made me a cake with a picture of Spike and me on it (the photoshopped my head onto Drusilla's). Best birthday cake ever. Ha! And I love the idea of a princess party!

>10 weird_O: And I'm happy that you're happy, Bill!

Renting a fire lookout? To watch meteors?! That is the best thing ever!!

>13 beeg: Sounds pretty great, doesn't it? I'm ignoring the part where there would be bugs and stuff.

The one I got to visit was really high and no bugs - I had forgotten all about that, thanks for the flash back :)

Some great photos! Especially Love the photo of Charlie and Mario together.

>8 streamsong: I am loving the idea of a fire lookout! That just plopped right onto my bucket list. :)

>4 scaifea: Best birthday? I honestly don't remember much about my childhood birthdays. There are photos, I had them, but I guess no real standouts. What I remember best was the year I turned 30. We were living in Oregon. My husband got a wild hair and decided to take me to the Olympics in Salt Lake City. It was awesome, and particularly because it was so out of character for him to do something so unplanned. I also remember that year being one where I was really, deeply satisfied with life. It's a good thing, because I was uprooted and moved the next year, Lol. Not that life got terrible, but it took awhile to settle again.

>15 beeg: Nice!

>16 nittnut: Jen: The Olympics! Wow!

happy new thread, Amber. loved the stories in the last part of the previous thread. i like it that you packed Charlie's lunch for today. and, exqueeze me, but you are so not 41. *indignant snort*

i also liked Ape licking the screen. i chortled.

hope trip prep and count down go as smoothly as possible.

toppers=massive doting and awwwwwwing.

>5 scaifea: Just wanted to be reassuring about the departure of Charlie's friend. J had his two closest friends leave his school when he was seven. We were really worried about it at the time as they were both moving long distances (one to Yorkshire, one to California) so there was no chance of any frequent meetings.. But after a month or so it was very much a case of 'out of sight out of mind'. I think adults sometimes worry about these things more than the children do.

>18 mirrordrum: Ellie: Oho, but I *am* 41. Just because I act like I'm 12 most of the time...
And yes, Stephen is generally chortled-inducing. And I mean that in the best possible sense, of course.
Trip prep is right on schedule and quite smooth so far - I'm an old hat at this sort of thing, and so is Charlie, as he's always lived at least 5 hours away from his Granny & Pa, sadly.
And thanks for the awwwing and doting. The subjects, of course, make the photo-taking pretty easy.

>19 SandDune: Thanks, Rhian. I'm pretty sure that Charlie will be just fine, as you say, but honestly I wish it were a different friend, as this one is just perfect for him. Charlie makes friends quite easily and gets along with every child he's ever met - honestly, it's almost strange, and even every teacher he's ever had has commented on how he acts as a calming agent in groups of children (he's been moved to different tables because of that calming effect - more than one teacher has soothed the actions of another student in her class by sitting Charlie next to them, I kid you not). But to find a friend who shares his inherent shyness, his affinity for quiet games instead of the normal roughhousing that boys tend to like, is not as easy, it seems. He may be good company for all kinds of kids, but not all kinds of kids are good company for him.

I don't remember much about birthdays either. I think I was happy so long as I got a book token. Love the topper pic of Charlie and Mario. Like an ad for a dog as a childhood friend (in a good way).

(The pens make me want to go shopping for school supplies, despite having no school to supply! )

My favorite childhood birthday was the year I got my first bike. I was 10, I think, but it's long enough ago now that I don't remember for sure.

As an adult, I love partying with my best friend. She's eight days older than I am, so we celebrate together, and usually not until sometime in October (our birthdays are in the first half of September), because we live in different states. Last year we didn't celebrate until November because I spent most of October with a misbehaving gall bladder.

>9 MickyFine: Happy early birthday from a fellow member of the "turning 30 in 2016" club!

>11 scaifea: My dad has offered to give me all the money he would have spent on a wedding if I would elope instead. Should I ever get married, I may take him up on it, as I hate being the center of attention.

>23 casvelyn: Thanks! Likewise. Mine is still several months off. :)

Happy new thread Amber, the photos are great my dear. Hope you are having a good day, sending love and hugs.

Happy New Thread, Amber! We went charter fishing off the Oregon coast, on my birthday, one year. We all caught a few salmon and grilling it up fresh, was to die for.

>22 charl08: Charlotte: Oooh, book tokens! Excellent. And yeah, that photo's a good one, isn't it? Perfectly sums up the relationship, too. A dog and her hooman.
Also, it was difficult for me not to buy a package of those pens for myself, I have to say.

>23 casvelyn: Ooof to the gall bladder thing. Suffered through that myself the year before I was pregnant. Not fun.

>24 MickyFine: Hi, Micky!

>25 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>26 msf59: Mark: Charter fishing sounds fancy! My brother used to go to Canada for two weeks every year on a fishing trip and absolutely loved every minute of it. He missed my wedding because he's already booked the trip and I told him not to dare change it!

>27 scaifea: Ooof is right. Mine didn't develop stones, it just quit working, so I had to have bunches of extra tests, because the gall bladders of otherwise healthy 29-year-olds aren't supposed to just up and quit.

>28 casvelyn: That's *exactly* what happened to me! Age, extra tests, and all! Weird. But, well, yeah.

Happy new thread Amber and a slightly belated Happy Birthday.

No real birthday stories as such as I am trying to blank the bloody things out to be honest!

>30 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! Ha! I don't care how old I get, I think I'll still love having a birthday. It's just nice to think there's one day a year that's a special day just for you.

Howdy Amber! My birthday was always the first week of school and this year my birthday falls on a Saturday, but I'll be working. No biggie. My two aunts on my Dad's side wanted to take me on a trip last year for the 50th, but my Granny was in hospice. They are taking me late next month to Seattle. I'm hoping for a lovely time although it will be a late celebration.

Happy belated b-day, Amber. Glad you still enjoy them!

Happy New Thread, Amber.

My favourite birthday was when I turned 50, some 13 years ago. I threw a big party in the community house in my neighbourhood. And had about 100 people invited. Including friends of my kids. I did not think I would enjoy being in the centre of all the intention, but I ended up loving every second of it. All my friends, colleagues and family were there and they had songs made for me and we ended up dancing to all sorts of music. I still remember that evening and have fond memories of it.

Congrats on your shiny new thread, Amber.

Happy new thread, Amber :-) I love the photos, and especially Charlie's library t-shirt. Will he and his friend be able to Skye or Facetime one another? We moved away from my best friend when I was 9, but we're still in touch all these years later.

>32 luvamystery65: Roberta: Oh, that trip sounds wonderful - I bet you'll have a fantastic time! Charlie's birthday is usually the first of the school year in his class, since it's in the second week of term.

>33 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

>34 connie53: Connie: Your party sounds great! I'm so glad you had such a wonderful time!

>35 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>36 susanj67: Susan: We won that library shirt in a contest at the, well, library. He loves it, of course.
Facetime is a great idea, Susan! I bet we'll be able to set something like that up. And I love that you're still friends with your best friend from childhood!

On the agenda for today:
Once Charlie wakes up and gets dressed and such, the two of us will get in the car and start driving to Indiana (Tomm has to stay home and go to work, poor thing)! We'll come back on Saturday. We'll celebrate both of our birthdays with them while there (we likely won't be back before Charlie's, since it's more difficult to make the trip while school's on), which means Strawberry Cupcakes for Charlie (per his request), Butter Cake with Blackberry Sauce for me (per my request), present-opening for Charlie, and a trip to the bookstore for me, I suspect. Plus, just spending time with my parents is a fantastic gift itself. They're pretty amazing people - so loving and kind and fun and funny.

On the reading front:
I started in on Due or Die and before I knew it I was halfway through it last night. I just love cozy mysteries. So comforting. And this series is fun.

The calendar book today: A Circle of Wives by Alice LaPlante. Boy, this calendar loves the detective-led murder mysteries. And the thrillers.

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Elizabeth Enright wrote Thimble Summer (1939 Newbery Medal) during a drought. Unlike the book, rain didn't come soon enough to save her own family's crops."
Wow. Thanks, trivia book, for that happy tidbit. Yeesh. Did anyone else think of Debbie Downer when reading that one?

Morning Amber! Have a safe trip to Indiana, my friend.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Beyond the Pond by Joseph Kuefler (public library book, picture book) - 9/10 = A
A beautifully illustrated and beautiful picture book about a boy who explored the pond in his back yard and discovers that it's bottomless. Perfectly imaginative, and we loved it.

-Marvel Reading Rumble (an easy reader including 6 stories about Marvel characters) - read aloud by Charlie
-Chapter 3 of The Sandman and the War of Dreams
-The first half of chapter 15 of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

>39 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thanks!

Happy new thread, Amber!
Bonus question: I skip birthdays ;-)

Morning, Amber! Congrats on the shiny new thread.

As usual, great pics of the furry and non-furry family members.

Happy new one, Amber! I have loved every birthday I have had except for the last one where Daniel broke his leg and there was no dessert. Luckily, I got an unbirthday to make up for it.

Wishing you safe travels!

I think my favorite birthday "experience" was the year my Mom treated me to a trip to NYC, where I had never been (if you don't count the NY World's Fair, which wasn't really a trip to NEW YORK NEW YORK, if you know what I mean). I was in my late twenties, I believe. We went to the Radio City Christmas show, had lunch in a restaurant where we could watch the skaters at Rockefeller Plaza, and had a wonderful time.

Morning, Amber!

>5 scaifea: Awwwwweeeee! Sweet idea shared by Morphy!

What?! Traveling again! Safe travels to you and mucho fun. Speaking of Indiana, Will is showing some interest in Indiana University/Bloomington. It's been recommended to him by this Russian teacher as one of the few colleges, within 6 hours of us that, which has a Russian/International Studies major. Have you heard anything about IU?

Early January isn't a time that leads to great birthday memories. One day, maybe.

Hi, all! Charlie and I are happily ensconced Chez Granny et Pa, but as I've only my iPhone, please pardon the delay of individual responses until we get back. Happy Thursday!

Have a great visit, Amber!

Happy visiting, Amber! Glad you made it there safely.

Hey Amber love those toppers Charlie is so handsome.

Have a great trip, Amber! I can't think of any great birthday stories, but usually I am happy if there are friends and cake.

Okay, we're back! We had a fantastic time, as usual, of course, and I got a few books read. But first, a bit of catch-up:

>42 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

>43 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! Good photos are easy with subjects like these.

>44 Crazymamie: Mamie: Ooof, too soon, no? Sorry! May ever other birthday be way, way, WAY better!

>45 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Oh, excellent birthday trip! I saw the RCMH Christmas show when I was in high school and loved it!

>46 Carmenere: Lynda: I know I've already answered you in a PM, but I must make my love of Bloomington and IU public. I have nothing but wonderful memories of my undergrad years there. Excellent school and fantastic town. I'd move back there in a heartbeat.

>47 ursula: Ursula: Oh, nuts! Someday, maybe...

>49 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

>50 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie!

>51 GeezLouise: Thanks, Rae! No arguments here!

>52 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda! Friends and cake are pretty great, I agree.

127. Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry (Newbery Honor Book, audiobook) = 8/10 = B
Meh. S'okay, although I'm generally not a fan of the Black Beauty type horse books.

128. Due or Die by Jenn McKinlay (series read along with my mom, 293 pages) - 9/10 = A
I do love a cozy mystery, and one with a librarian as the main character are even better.

129. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (Banned Books list, 214 pages) - 9/10 = A
I enjoyed this one way more than I expected to. Holden is an excellent character and his story very well told, of course.

130. Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (Newbery Honor Book, audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
A neat story about two cousins spending the summer together and discovering a swamp that used to be a lake resort, and discovering a couple of new friends there, too.

131. Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth by E. L. Konigsburg (Newbery Honor Book,audiobook) - 9/10 = A
I haven't read a Konigsburg book that I haven't absolutely loved, including this one.

Happy New(ish) Thread, Amber!

>55 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl!

>54 scaifea: I'm a sucker for anything with a librarian in it so I might have to give that cozy series a try.

Hi Amber! I don't have any favorite birthday experiences, I guess. But I do have a particularly memorable birthday. When I was 5 I lived in a smallish city in Oklahoma. There was a huge rainstorm and the dam started to fill up. So they released it and flooded the whole city. As you can imagine, my birthday party was canceled. lol

>57 MickyFine: Micky: It's not high literature, of course, but it's a lovely little series so far. The first one is Books Can Be Deceiving.

>58 The_Hibernator: Rachel: Wow! That's certainly a memorable one!

On the agenda for today:
Grocery shopping this morning, then odds and ends around the house, followed by some work on the birthday party projects, I suspect. Mexican Casserole for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I read a couple of chapters in The Well at the World's End last night, which I think will be a good one, if a long one.

The calendar book today: This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral by Mark Leibovich. Anyone read this one?

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Patricia MacLachlan wrote Sarah, Plain and Tall (1986 Newbery Medal) for her mother, who had Alzheimer's disease."

What We Read Yesterday:
-Guess Again!
-The Little Engine That Could
-Chapter 4 of The Sandman and the War of Dreams
-The second half of chapter 16 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Morning, Amber! Welcome home!

Morning Amber! Happy Sunday! Welcome back. Looks like things are cooling off a bit, so your timing is good.

Morning, Amber!

I read the calendar book - it's very good, if you like "insider baseball" stuff on Washington, DC, the media, politics, and politicians :)

I am in awe of your creativity. It is priceless that you thought of giving stationary to Charlie's friend and, Morphy's idea of including pens is a good one as well.

Happy Sunday to you!

>62 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie!

>63 msf59: Morning, Mark! Ooof, it was HOT in Indiana these past few days. Ugh.

>64 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! Yeah, I'm not really, so I think I'll pass. I'm happy that you liked it, though!

>65 Whisper1: Linda: Thanks - I love the idea of them being pen pals and I hope it works.

132. Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant (Mythopoeic award, 255 pages) - 7/10 = C
Ooof. I really thought I'd like this one, because I tend really to like fantasy. But I couldn't get myself to care about the characters at all or what was happening to them. The language just didn't feel at all, um, vivid.

Glad to see you safely back home Amber. xx

>68 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! I love visiting my family, but it's always good to get home, too.

>54 scaifea: I haven't read the Justin Morgan book, but Henry also wrote Born to Trot, about a boy enthralled with harness racing who, under orders for bed rest, reads the story of the great trotter Hambletonian. It was a gift from my uncle when I was pretty young, and I still have it.

>70 ffortsa: I read Misty of Chicoteague when I was a kid and liked it well enough, but not really enough to seek out her other stuff. This one I didn't love because I don't like the 'let's follow an animal from owner to owner, some good and some awful' type of story.

On the agenda for today:
Charlie and I will likely work on the party projects, then I need to get some work done on the Latin book. I also may do some baking. And then I may take Charlie to the pool this afternoon (this is the last week that it'll be open until next summer). And I'll likely go to the knitting club at the library this evening. Rocky Ford Chili for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I read a couple of chapters in War and Peace yesterday evening, which I'm enjoying just fine so far - I wasn't prepared for there to be humor in this one, but there it is! Fun.

The calendar book today sounds pretty good: Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley. Anyone read this one?

And the Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "According to the attendees of the 1921 American Library Association Conference, if the Newbery Medal had existed one year earlier, The Story of Doctor Doolittle would have been the recipient. One of the book's sequels, The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle, received the 1923 Newbery Medal."

What We Read Yesterday:
-Clara: The (Mostly) True Story of the Rhinoceros Who Dazzled Kings, Inspired Artists, and Won the Hearts of Everyone by Emily Arnold McCully (public library book, picture book) - 8/10 = B+
-Chapter 5 of The Sandman and the War of Dreams
-The first half of chapter 17 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Morning Amber! Having Monday off, is a definite highlight for me. B.A.G.

I have a bike ride planned and then I hope to spend a large chunk of the afternoon with the books. I got zero reading in yesterday.

>74 msf59: Morning, Mark! Boy, that sounds like a fantastic day!

Morning, Amber!

>76 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!

Morning, Amber!

I just enjoyed reading Call it Courage, which you recommended? Great little story of Mafatu overcoming his fears and surviving in tough circumstances. It reminded me a bit of both The Island of Blue Dolphins and Swiss Family Robinson.

I've got Trumpeter of Krakow up ahead of me, another one I believe you suggested.

>78 jnwelch: Morning, Joe! Oh, yay! I knew you'd like that one! And I bet you'll love The Trumpeter of Krakow, too. I sure did.

>78 jnwelch: >79 scaifea: Have you read E. B. White's The Trumpet of the Swan? It really does have a trumpet in it.

>80 weird_O: Bill: Ha! No, I haven't.

>80 weird_O: Me either, Bill. I'm guessing the list of novels that feature a trumpet isn't a very long one, but what do I know.

Happy Monday, Amber! I'm behind on everything, bear with me :0}

>82 jnwelch: Joe: Oh, well, that makes me feel better, then. Ha!

>83 Carmenere: Hi, Lynda! No worries!

>79 scaifea: >78 jnwelch: amazing. i started to recommend that to you and Charlie. silly me. as i noted over at Joe's, it was a childhood fave read many, many times. it's so encouraging and, well, exciting, to find that you know so many of the books that i grew up with. don't rightly know why it's so pleasing but it is. :-)

have a lovely rest of the day.

do you also know Anne White's The story of Serapina and Junket? you surely won't know Scuttlebutt goes to war. another fave down to being in the WWII generation.

have a good one.

>82 jnwelch: This is going to bug me now. Books featuring trumpets...

Hey Amber. The last week of the swimming pool sounds like a great idea for a children's book. Just saying.

>85 mirrordrum: Ellie: I've read the first two that you mention, but sadly I've not had the pleasure of meeting Scuttlebutt. It has been noted, however.

>86 charl08: Charlotte: Ha! Yes, get cracking on that trumpet book list, please.

And we've just returned from the pool and had our snack of a Chocolate Chai Mini Loaf each (that was the baking that happened this morning). Charlie has, it seems, all of a sudden, discovered his inner fish: he went down the huge water slide over and over and OVER, was swimming (!!) underwater, and halfway through swaggered over to hand me his goggles and, with a sparkle in those gorgeous baby blues said, "I don't think I need these anymore." WOOT.

>87 scaifea: Charlie Rocks!!

>88 Carmenere: Lynda: Agreed! Ha!

>86 charl08: A Distant Trumpet by Paul Horgan.

That's great for Charlie!

Also, did you say chocolate chai mini loaf!?!?!? *Drools*

>87 scaifea: All RIGHT, Charlie! Maybe he's been inspired by the Olympics?

>90 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Oh, nice!

>91 Ape: Stephen: I DID! And they're delicious! I plan on having one for breakfast, in fact.

>92 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: He *has* been inspired, I think. We managed to catch some of the Olympics while in Indiana, and he was fascinated by swimming and gymnastics, of course.

Amber, I recently found a new (to me) illustrator. Have you seen any of the lush illustrations of Gennady Spirin? If not, I highly recommend his illustrated books!

>94 Whisper1: Hi, Linda! Yes, I have seen some of his stuff and I agree - it's lovely!

On the agenda for today:
It's Registration Day for school, so Charlie and I will go get him all signed up and photographed this morning. Then we'll head to the library for a bit before coming home to work more on the party projects (I got the first coat of paint on the wands and the spell books yesterday). I also need to do a bit of cleaning and get some writing done on the Latin book. Leftovers for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I started listening to My Brother Sam Is Dead (seems as if it will be interesting, although the narrator isn't my favorite - he's trying too hard to emote, or something), read a few chapters at the pool in The Knight of the Swords (my first Moorcock book and I'm excited because my best friend *loves* this guy), and read a few chapters in The Well at the World's End last night (good so far - knights and quests and flowery language and such).

The calendar book today is about Wall Street, and I got confused just reading the blurb: Flash Boys by Michael Lewis.

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Kate Seredy (The White Stag, 1938 Newbery Medal), didn't think about writing, only illustrating, until her editor suggested she try writing."
The White Stag is a good one, and I'm looking forward to another of hers, which is coming up on the Newbery Honor list.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Chapter 4 of Amelia Bedelia Unleashed (read aloud by Charlie)
-Chapter 6 of The Sandman and the War of Dreams
-The second half of chapter 17 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (We're nearly finished! Charlie audibly gasped when the truth was revealed! So much fun.)

Morning Amber! Good luck with registration day. I really like Michael Lewis but did not have much interest in Flash Boys.

>98 msf59: Thanks, Mark!
So maybe I should check out some of Lewis' other stuff, then?

Leftovers again?! Sigh...

>100 kidzdoc: Darryl: ... I don't even know how to respond to that. Maybe a classic?: How DARE you, sir!

Morning, Amber! Oooo, school registration day is so exciting! Will Charlie be able to visit his room or see his teacher?

>102 Carmenere: Lynda: No, it's not as exciting as all that. Registration for all district students happens in the high school gym. We'll get to meet his teacher, drop off school supplies and get a tour of the new (to him *and* really-really new, brand-spanking new) school building the day before classes start on the 7th.

>100 kidzdoc: Brave man.

Love the swimming story.

>90 laytonwoman3rd: Jackie Kay's Trumpet is very good. Story about a happily married jazz trumpeter who isn't the man he appeared to be.

I can't remember an actual trumpet in Barbara Trapido's The Traveling Horn Player...

>104 charl08: Charlotte: Brave? I think you've spelled it wrong; I'm pretty sure it's "foolhardy"...
And you've just reminded me - isn't there a jazz trumpet player mentioned in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books? And there's an award-winning picture book about a jazz trumpet player, too, but I can't remember the name right now...

Morning, Amber!

Precious's first abusive husband in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency was a jazz artist. Did he play a trumpet?

Gabriel plays a trumpet in the Bible, right?

>106 jnwelch: Joe: Yep, that's the character I was thinking of, and I think it was a trumpet.

I'm wishing Charlie a muy simpatico teacher this year!

>101 scaifea: But but but...that's what Tomm said!! He told me that you were serving leftovers for the 29th consecutive day, even though there is no food in the refrigerator or freezer.

I invited him and Charlie over for dinner. I'll be making Eggplant With Lamb, Tomato and Pine Nuts, along with Asiago Chicken Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach. I'll call you when it's ready. ;-)

>108 ronincats: Many thanks, Roni!

>109 kidzdoc: Darryl: Ha! Whelp, good luck with getting either of them to eat THAT.

>110 scaifea: Not even the pasta?!

Hi Amber, hope you are having a good week my dear, sending love and hugs.

>111 kidzdoc: Darryl: Tomm needs to be gluten-free. It isn't easy cooking for the Scaife Men, I'm afraid.

>112 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>96 scaifea: as usual, laughed through your entry. "the narrator isn't my favorite - he's trying too hard to emote, or something." i know what you mean. a fully-voiced book by a good narrator, e.g. Patrick Tull or Davina Porter, is a delight but some narrators do better with more subtle changes or just really good straight forward narration. no frills and flourishes.

i'm reading HP and the C of H as well. i hope i gasp. such fun.

>100 kidzdoc: >96 scaifea: i'll eat Darryl's leftover leftovers.

happy registration day.

beetling off to look for Charlie pics even though probably too soon.

>97 scaifea: I Love it when they are so invested in a story! *gasp!*

>109 kidzdoc: We'd be happy to stop by for dinner instead of the Scaife Men. :)

>4 scaifea: For my 16th birthday, my father brought me and my BFF to Disney World. We stayed at the Golf Resort and one night we had dinner at the Contemporary Hotel. My father pretty much handed us tickets and cash and let us loose for the weekend. (We had to check in a couple times a day, of course.) It was a blast!

>5 scaifea: Love it! If it takes off, let me know and I'll send stickers that Charlie can use and share with his friend. I know I've got Dora and the train character ones at the least.

>54 scaifea: Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was one of my favorites as a kid.

>74 msf59: B.A.G.? Books are Great? Bust a Gut? Bound and Gagged?

>114 mirrordrum: Ellie: The over-emoting is a common risk, I've discovered, when you listen to Newbery winners. Young narrators can be over-eager sometimes. *shrug* I'll endure somehow.

Charlie's gasp was so funny. He's been very confident that the Bad Guy was a particular person, and he was shocked to discover that another certain person was involved. Cryptic enough?

Registration is over and done, and he is en-formed, paid for, and photoed, although your correct that those particular photos won't be round for some time. School pictures tend to take a little while. I think you've already discovered the much less formal afternoon Charlie photo, though, over on the Book of Face. He's mastered the art of eating an ice cream cone in the sun before disaster strikes. That kid never loses a drip. Pro status, for certain.

>115 nittnut: Jenn: Yes! So fun to read to a kid who's engaged to that extent. Makes the dramatic pauses and silly voices all the more worthwhile.

>116 Morphidae: Morphy! Oh holy moly, what an amazing birthday present!! Love it.

And oh, you're amazing, lady! I'm pretty sure that Charlie will delight in the writing of letters, but we'll see if his friend is as tenacious as Charlie can be...

I was thinking as I listened that I wished I'd found Jennifer, Hecate et alii when I was a kid - I know I would have loved it, too.

Mark's abbreviation = Big Ass(ed?) Grin. (I'm never certain on the correct grammar of that particular big of slang, I'm embarrassed to say.)

On the agenda for today:
A bit of cleaning, a bit of laundry, some work on the Latin book, some work on the party projects, and possibly taking Charlie back to the pool this afternoon. Otherwise, I'm hoping for some sitting-in-the-rocking-chair-with-a-book time. We'll see.

On the reading front:
I started The Coral Island, which is another Newbery honor book and is about three shipmates stranded on a south pacific island, and I read a bit more in The Knight of the Swords, which is going okay so far.

The calendar book today: The Innocent Sleep by Karen Perry, which is an "emotionally gripping" read about a couple struggling to recover from the death of their 3-year-old son = nopenopenope. I can't handle that sort of thing, I'm afraid.

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "John O'Hara Cosgrave illustrated Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (1956 Newbery Medal), and his wife, Mary Silva Cosgrave, edited the book.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch remains one of my favorite Newbery winners. Such a surprising treat.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Chapter 5 of Amelia Bedelia Unleashed
And we finished:
133. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (Charlie's bedtime read, 431 pages) - 10/10 = A
We'll be watching the movie tonight...

I just go with Big Ass Grin, grammatically correct or not, it works for me.

Morning Amber! In regards to Michael Lewis, you wouldn't care for Moneyball but you might like The Big Short.

Nice to see Morphy stop by and say hi.

>121 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thanks for the clarification, Lewis- and ass-wise.
And I agree - it's always awesome to have a Morphy visit!

Good morning, Amber! The pasta turned out great, and it was very easy to make. The recipe indicates that gluten-free pasta can be substituted for penne, and, as Katie proposed, I think that roasted red peppers would be an acceptable substitute for sun-dried tomatoes. I posted a photo and the recipe on my thread, and in The Kitchen.

Ellie and Jenn: Come on over! I'll start making the eggplant with lamb, tomato and pine nuts shortly, which should be ready in time for lunch.

Good morning, Amber!

I still need to get my hands on Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.

>123 kidzdoc: Darryl: Ha! I was kidding about the pasta recipe - I have a gluten-free version of that one already that we all really like, honestly.

>124 jnwelch: Hi, Joe! Yes, you do!

On the agenda for today:
Menu planning and organizing the grocery list for shopping tomorrow, a bit of cleaning, some writing, some work on the party projects (the wands are coming along very nicely, I think), possibly some baking. Charlie's best friend is coming over to spend the afternoon here, so I get to work with a background of giggles and discussions fueled by their amazing imaginations. Tomm leaves for another business trip this morning, so Charlie and I have the house to ourselves (well, plus the BF for a bit) until sometime Saturday.

On the reading front:
I listened to more of My Brother Sam Is Dead while cleaning, read more of The Coral Island while Charlie played at the pool, and more of War & Peace before going to sleep last night. The first two are fair-to-middlin' so far, but War & Peace is, of course, excellent.

The calendar book today: Nantucket Sisters by Nancy Thayer. Described as a girl friendship "beach read." Anyone read this one?

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "The 1949 and 1950 Newbery Medal recipients, King of the Wind and The Door in the Wall were both written by authors named Marguerite (Henry and de Angeli)."
The Door in the Wall is another of my favorites - so, so good.

Morning Amber! Sweet Thursday! Looks like we are having a little rain at the moment. Hey, as long as it clears out by the time I hit the route, right?

BTW- Stop beating me up on TC. What is this 5 or 6 in a row?

>127 msf59: Morning, Mark! Sorry that you've getting rain - I hope it clears up for you soon!
And apologies for the TC whipping; I just haven't landed on the Sports category much lately, I guess. Ha!

Happy Thursday, Amber!

>129 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda!

Morning, Amber!

>131 Crazymamie: Mamie: Morning, lady!

Morning, Amber!

OK, The Door in the Wall, got it.

>133 jnwelch: Joe: Oh gosh, you'll love that one!

>128 scaifea: The only one who will play TC with me anymore is Mary (bell7.) *snivels*

>135 Morphidae: Morphy: Oh! I'll play!! For some reason I though you weren't playing that one any more.

*scuttles off to start a game*

hullo Amber. Door in the Wall yes! fist pump.

>123 kidzdoc: oh, Darryl. i don't eat lamb myself for a number of reasons but i'm a great fan of baba ghanouj, alas no pine nuts. i was introduced to this by a friend of mine who came here from Egypt and from whom i learned how to make hummus bi tahini, baba ghanouj, tabouleh and incomparable lentil soup. ahhhh, how i do miss her cooking. enjoy yourself, my friend.

>137 mirrordrum: Hi, Ellie! Yay for good Newbery books!
I'm not a pine nut fan, I'm afraid. But I *do* love to say "baba ghanouj"! Such a lovely phrase. And lentils, oh, I do love lentils. Tons. One of my very favorite recipes involves lentils and brown rice, and is best eaten with stone wheat crackers and Havarti cheese...

I'm not crazy about pine nuts either...if I make the eggplant and lamb dish I'll improvise...maybe try walnuts, or leave out the nuts entirely.

>139 laytonwoman3rd: If I made the eggplant and lamb dish, I'd improvise, too. I'd leave out the eggplant. And the lamb.

>140 scaifea: - *snork!*

>138 scaifea: Havarti? as in cream Havarti? heaven in my Bezerkeley days: a picnic comprising a San Francisco sourdough baguette, cream Havarti, feta and 3 kinds of Greek olives from the Cheese Board, a bottle of appropriate wine, small sandwiches of date nut bread and real, fresh, homemade for-to-die cream cheese, and a salubrious spot at Point Reyes. and an apple, possibly. sometimes hindsight is happy-making.

>141 katiekrug: Katie: *grins* I'm waiting for a backlash from Darryl...

>142 mirrordrum: Ellie: Oooh, oh, YUM. Havarti and feta are a couple of my favorites. Oh, who am I kidding - I pretty much love all cheese.

>142 mirrordrum: Heavenly menu!

>144 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Agreed!

Just stopping by to say hi, Amber. Yes to cheese!

>146 BLBera: Hi, Beth! Yay for cheese!!

On the agenda for today:
Grocery shopping this morning, and then one last trip for Charlie to the public pool this year, which closes Sunday night after the annual Doggie Dip event. I also need to work through the weekly bills and organize the week's photos, plus do a bit of work on the party projects. Since Tomm's away on business, I think Charlie and I will make French Bread Pizzas for dinner tonight.

On the reading front:
I listened to some more of My Brother Sam Is Dead (Meh. Sam's brother is slightly irritating, I find. This isn't likely to end up on my list of NHB favorites), and read more of The Coral Island and The Well at the World's End.

The calendar book: Face the Music: A Life Exposed by Paul Stanley. Any KISS fans among us?

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "When Cynthia Rylant finished A Fine White Dust (1987 Newbery Honor Book), she didn't ever want to write another novel because it was such hard work. Six years later, her novel Missing May won the 1993 Newbery Medal."
I think that probably sums up a writer's mental roller coaster pretty well, actually.

Morning Amber! Happy Friday! Little rain this A.M. and then more heat and humidity. Ooh, how exciting!

Enjoy your day!

What We Read Yesterday:
-Elmer
-Chapter 6 of Amelia Bedelia Unleashed
-Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Morning, Amber! Hooray for French bread pizzas! That third Harry Potter book is my very favorite.

Friday Greetings, Amber! Thanks for the french bread pizza idea. Think I'll give it a go tomorrow!

>151 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Number 3 is a tie for second for me, alongside the first book. Goblet of Fire will always, I think, be my very favorite. It's so difficult to rank them, honestly.
And yes, Charlie and I love French Bread Pizza! So easy and tasty.

>152 Carmenere: Morning, Lynda! You're welcome!

Morning, Amber! Happy Friday!

Goblet of Fire is Rae's favorite. I love all of them, too!

>154 jnwelch: Morning, Joe!

>155 Crazymamie: Mamie: Ooh, go Rae! Excellent taste, that one.

Hi Amber, hope you are having a good Friday my dear and hope you have a really wonderful weekend, sending love and hugs.

>157 johnsimpson: Thanks so much, John!

What are you going to do when you get to Half-Blood Prince when Harry starts getting all angsty and... people start dying? :(

159: Well, then Charlie will have his mom to comfort him. Most of us had to suffer in silence! :P

>159 Morphidae: Morphy: We've talked with him about how things get more complicated and a bit scarier as the books go on, and we've all agreed that it will be up to him to tell us when things get to be too much, either too scary or to the point that he doesn't really get what's going on. He's in charge of how far and how fast we go. He's already stopped halfway through the second HP movies and told us that he's not ready for any more movies right now, and I suspect that he'll be able to judged pretty keenly when he needs a break from the books. But as far as people dying goes, he and I have had talks on several occasions about death (him asking questions and me answering as best I can), so I think it would just be another opportunity to talk about that stuff. So I'm okay with whatever he decides, although I suspect he'll take a break before the dying starts.

>160 Ape: Stephen: Ha! So true.

On the agenda for today:
A lazy day at home, I think, while we wait for Tomm to get back from his trip. I may bake some banana bread. And I may work a bit on the birthday party projects. Otherwise, some reading, maybe some knitting, and some hanging out with Charlie.

On the reading front:
I listened to more of My Brother Sam Is Dead (spoiler: he's not dead yet), and read more of both The Coral Island (spoiler: they're still stranded on the island) and The Knight of the Swords (spoiler: no sign of any swords yet).

The weekend calendar author quote: "Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who only dream at night."
This one come from Edgar Allen Poe

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Lois Lowry included one of her friend's most vivid memories - the shiny boots of the soldiers (easy to see form a child's perspective) - in Number the Stars (1990 Newbery Medal)."
I don't think I've read a Lowry work that I didn't really enjoy, including this one, of course.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Chapter 7 of Amelia Bedelia Unleashed
-Disaster Zone: Droughts by Cari Meister (public library book, easy reader) - 8/10 = B
-Rules of the House

Morning Amber!

>164 msf59: Morning, Mark!

>162 scaifea: hanging out with Charlie? reading? how terribly yawn-making. sorry you're in for such a dull Saturday. hope Tomm is home betimes.

still being grateful for the Madding Crowd and wishing i, too, could be far from it. school is back in at UT. we have reached true ridiculosity this year. the first football game of the year is next Friday. the University is cancelling classes for Thursday and the Knox County Schools will be closed on Friday. wtf?

Great minds Amber. Have just put the banana bread in! Hope you have a good weekend.

>166 mirrordrum: Ellie: Tomm is indeed now home and we've had a wonderfully lazy day so far, complete with homemade banana bread for snacking.
I'm so glad that you like the Hardy so much! And I agree that canceling classes for a football game is a special kind of nuts.

>167 charl08: Charlotte: Ha! Excellent! Great minds, or maybe just over-ripe bananas?

Mmm, banana bread. One of my favorites.

Happy Saturday, Amber!

>162 scaifea: I'm guessing EAP was hitting the absinthe a bit hard when he came up with that one. :)

>169 jnwelch: Joe: Banana Bread is so, so good, isn't it? We love it.

>170 drneutron: Jim: Ha! Very likely.

By the by, Mark's been warbling about a collection of short stories by Ken Liu - a mix of science fiction, fantasy, Chinese mythology. I think you'd like at least some of them - Tomm may like some of them too!

>161 scaifea: We had similar experiences with the HP books (the girls read them all before seeing any movies). I read the first two aloud when Callia was 8 and Marina 5. I was thinking I'd read the first three and then stop, but Callia was captivated, and could read by herself faster than I could read aloud. She read 3 and 4, and then "couldn't get into" 5. She was in 3rd grade. I took that as a sign that she wasn't ready for the heavier ones, and I was right. Another couple of years and she was back, tearing through them all. Marina did the same thin at the same age.

Hi Amber! It is very hard to keep up with you:) I will answer your bonus question, though. When I turned 16 I was on tour with the Chorale as a graduate assistant. The kids on tour were ages 11-14 or so. We were in Hastings, NE, and the kids were in homestays and the staff in a hotel. A couple of homestay parents drove their Chorale kids to our hotel, where the kids serenaded me under my window. It was the coolest thing ever. You didn't ask, but the best Mother's Day was the day when Stelios took the girls out for the whole day. I think I took a bath, read a book, lounged around... the kids were pretty little, so that NEVER happened! When they came back they brought dinner and a stack of books for me from the Tattered Cover. Best Mother's Day ever.

>140 scaifea: If I made the eggplant and lamb dish, I'd improvise, too. I'd leave out the eggplant. And the lamb.

Ha! I had it for lunch yesterday, and heating it on the stove top removed the excess water. It was fabulous! My salivary glands are in overdrive now, just thinking about it. Fortunately I still have six servings of it in my freezer, so I'll be able to enjoy it all next week. *happy dance*

>137 mirrordrum:, >138 scaifea:, >139 laytonwoman3rd: I love the pine nuts in this recipe. It gives it a nutty flavor that enhances the cinnamon infused lamb and the eggplant.

I talked to my partner Sara early this morning, and she is indeed an American born Lebanese, as I had thought. She says that this is a traditional Lebanese dish, although many people make it without cheese. It has a name, and she is going to look it up and tell me what it is. She has made this dish, but without pine nuts or cheese, and she and her husband love it too.

>174 kidzdoc: Wow, wherever the original recipe is, I'd love to have it! Would you mind sharing again, Darryl?

>143 scaifea: I pretty much love all cheese.

Does this include sheep's and goat's cheeses? I had several outstanding cheeses in Barcelona, Montserrat and Sevilla in June, none better than El PetitOt d'Alba goat's cheese I bought from Formatgeria la Seu, a tiny cheese shop run by a Scottish woman in the Barri Gòtic, the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona:



Somehow I expect that your taste buds will recoil at the mention of goat's cheese.

>175 AMQS: Gladly, Anne. The hyperlink I posted in >109 kidzdoc: takes you directly to the recipe, but here it is again:

Eggplant With Lamb, Tomato and Pine Nuts



That recipe was included in an article by Melissa Clark in the NYT that highlighted Maureen Abood's cookbook Rose Water & Orange Blossoms, which is where this recipe originated from:

Maureen Abood’s ‘Rose Water & Orange Blossoms’ Takes You to Lebanon

In looking at that article I just now realized that I had made Abood's Crunchy Roasted Za’atar Chickpeas last year, which I also loved.

*SWOON*. Thanks, Darryl!

>178 AMQS: You're welcome, Anne! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did. BTW, I also posted the recipe, and my photo of it, in The Kitchen.

I love the stationery set you got for charlie and his friend, what a cool way for them to keep in touch :)

>2 scaifea: those buildings in the background of Charlie's jumping photo, what are they? A school? I am only just getting used to two-storey schools, let alone more. *country girl*

Happy Sunday Amber.

>166 mirrordrum: They're canceling classes on Thursday for the Friday game? That seems weird. As much as I hate the idea of a football game interfering to that degree with classes, canceling classes on Friday for the Friday game would make sense, as the disruption to campus traffic and parking that a UT home football game causes would make regular running of campus/classes nigh on logistically impossible.

>172 drneutron: Thanks for the heads up, Jim! I'm usually not a fan of short story collections, but I may have to give this one a try.

>173 AMQS: Anne: Yep, I suspect that's what will happen to Charlie, too. We're a chapter and a half into Azkaban so far, and I think it likely we'll finish it, but he'll probably request a break after that.
And I love the serenading story! Lovely.

>174 kidzdoc: Darryl: I'm glad that you like it!

>176 kidzdoc:: Yep, goat cheese is one of my favorites. I don't, however, care for blue cheeses.

>180 LovingLit: Megan: Thanks! Those buildings are part of the local university (University of Wisconsin-Platteville) - the frisbee golf course is on campus. Charlie's new school this year will be two-storeys, though, too.

>181 johnsimpson: Happy Sunday, John!

>182 lycomayflower: Laura: Sports shouldn't at all interfere with classes, in my opinion, but I realize that this is not the most popular view. Clearly.

On the agenda for today:
I'll be working more on the birthday party projects, and then the rest of the day will be devoted to hanging out with the Scaife Men and also, hopefully, some reading time. This evening is the Doggie Dip at the public pool, so we'll be taking The Gals. Mini Burgers for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I managed to read a healthy chunk of The Coral Island yesterday, which has taken a pretty dark turn (native cannibals have arrived on the scene), and a couple of chapters of War & Peace, which is remarkably not dark yet.

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "As a child, Arthur Bowie Chrisman (Shen of the Sea, 1926 Newbery Medal) was disgusted by his unimaginative brother who couldn't 'see' the stories Chrisman told him."

What We Read Yesterday:
-Bayberry Bluff
-Chapter 7 of The Sandman and the War of Dreams
-The first half of chapter 2 in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Morning Amber! Happy Sunday! All the windows open. A nice breeze coming in. Yes, I am in heaven.

>186 msf59: It's gorgeous outside, isn't it? Wonderful!

>184 scaifea: Doggie Dip! That sounds awesome.

Also, as I skimmed through I thought I saw that Arthur Bowie Chrisman was digested by his brother. I'll be sure to get my prescription checked soon.

>188 ursula: Ursula: *snork!* Maybe because the paragraph above that one mentions cannibals...?

Subconsciously, maybe so! Consciously, I totally missed cannibals. The brain is a funny thing. (And I am pretty much the Queen of Misreading anyway.)

>190 ursula: Ursula: The brain is definitely a funny thing!

Happy Sunday, Amber!

I'm enjoying the discussion of how to deal with the Harry Potter books getting darker as the series goes on, when you have young kids. We didn't have to deal with that - our older daughter was Harry's age when the series started, and both kids aged along with the series, so that they were ready for the darker ones when they came out.

>192 jnwelch: Joe: That made it easy for you, then! As I said, Charlie's a pretty good judge of what he's ready for and what he's not, so I think it'll work out fine. And in the meantime we'll find some other good stuff to read with him, no doubt...

>168 scaifea: How did you guess about the bananas?!

Doggy dip sounds like fun. No summer pools around here otherwise I'd suggest it here.

>194 charl08: Charlotte: Ha! I'm a super-sleuth, clearly.
We love the Doggie Dip idea - you pay $7 per dog, and the proceeds go to maintaining the city dog park.

>166 mirrordrum: >182 lycomayflower: Well, it's also a first this year for Carson-Newman (just up the road from UT) to cancel Thursday afternoon classes for the first football game that will be late Thursday afternoon. We were all a bit shocked, but they are hosting a big block party before the game.

>183 scaifea: Ah! I'm glad that you also like goat's cheeses, Amber. At least there is something food related that we can agree on. :-)

>135 Morphidae: Oh goodness, I'm glad I was reading through this it made me look and it had been my turn for a day...

It's a little late to wish you a new thread, but happy Sunday, Amber! It's hard to pick just one birthday celebration. I rather like quiet days and have in fact had crazy busy birthdays the last couple of years... but my 30th was pretty neat. My family was there - I'm pretty sure my sister in DC even made it up - and my mom made a scrapbook of photos of me through the years, various things I'd written or colored or made when I was a kid, and letters from my parents and each of my siblings (except the youngest, who tells us that on her 30th birthday she'll write us all the letters she owes).

>196 thornton37814: Lori: Oh, well, if it's for a block party... Cripes.

>197 kidzdoc: Darryl: B.A.G.!

>198 bell7: Mary: Oh, the scrapbook sounds lovely!

>131 Crazymamie: & >132 scaifea: I will go back on TC and keep Morphy company a bit.

A weekend MIA for me as I was forced to go to Pinang to assist in a family wedding. A young Frenchman was marrying the daughter of Hani's cousin and as the other foreigner and the only one already in the family, I was wanted to smooth his passage. Malay wedding food is simply wonderful!

I only read the first HP but discussions like this make me want to continue the series.

On the flight home from Anchorage yesterday, P and I had the window and aisle seats. Sitting between us was a young woman clearly on her way to start her first year at Harvard. She had on a Harvard sweatshirt and we had seen her in the airport with a man wearing a "Harvard Dad" sweatshirt. And I saw her looking at the "Freshman Seminar 2016-2017" booklet and looking on line at a demographic snapshot of the Class of 2020. Anyway..., she was reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Which is not by JK Rowling?

>200 PaulCranswick: Paul: Yay for TC! I feel like I'd be much more competition if they'd only get rid of that ridiculous sports category.
The wedding sounds lovely!

>201 EBT1002: Ellen: Aw, how sweet! College First Years can be so adorable sometimes. My niece is off on her first year adventure this week, too, although she's staying much closer to her home. And no, it's not by Rowling, although I think most of the storyline is hers and the whole thing has her approval.

On the agenda for today:
Charlie and I have a busy morning, with trips to the library, post office and then to the park, where he gets to play with some friends and I have a PTO meeting. Then it's home to wrap some presents (it's Tomm's birthday today!), work on the birthday party projects (for the other upcoming birthday) and get some writing done on the Latin book. Tomm has requested Italian Sausage on the grill and baked potatoes for his birthday dinner, and then we'll take him out to the local FroYo shop, which has sorbet as well (his favorite).

The trip to the Doggie Dip was a bit of a disaster. We discovered that Tuppence pretty much hates the pool, as she would only go in up to her belly, and even then she tried to lift each paw completely out of the water each time as she walked and then proceeded to give us looks that left no uncertainty about how she felt about the water, her life in general and us specifically at that moment. And then Mario really surprised us: she's so friendly and gentle and kind with every person she's ever met, if a bit on the enthusiastic side sometimes, but apparently she really doesn't like other dogs (besides Tuppence, whom she adores) AT ALL. We kept her on the leash the whole 10 minutes (or less) we were there because she bared her teeth and snarled pretty viciously at every dog that approached her. Yeesh. So. No more Doggie Dipping for these two yahoos.

On the reading front:
I didn't get as much reading time as I had predicted yesterday, but that's okay, since I spent the afternoon canoodling with my book lists and using the library's online search engine to mark which books on the lists I can request on audiobook. I did, however, get a few pages read in The Well at the World's End.

The calendar book today: Skin Game by Jim Butcher. I need to get round to his stuff eventually...

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Jane Leslie Conly, daughter of Robert C. O'Brien (Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, 1972 Newbery Medal), continued her father's story with R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH and Rasco and the Rats of NIMH. Conly's book Crazy Lady! was a 1994 Newbery Honor Book."
I haven't read any of these sequels, nor have I read her own honor book yet...

Morning Amber! Looks to be another perfect late summer day. Makes a Monday more palatable...

Happy birthday, Tomm!

Too bad about the Doggie Dip fiasco. I never tried with my late lamented Odie because while he was very friendly with other people and dogs, it was only when I wasn't around. If I was with him he turned into a furry little bag of snarls. Dogs are weird. I still miss that little dope.

>204 msf59: Morning, Mark! I love these kinds of days (weather-wise, not day-of-the-week-wise)...

>205 rosalita: Julia: Dogs are definitely weird. We had people giggling at us, as I was saying to both dogs, "Seriously, you two? Look at the other dogs around you! (They were all jumping into the pool, chasing balls and generally having a blast.) Can't you be normal?! You have no idea how to dog, do you? Ishkabibble!"

What We Read Yesterday:

The Doggie Dip was pretty exhausting for, well, reasons (plus, we walked there and back again), and it's was late when we got home - well past Charlie's normal bedtime - so we didn't do as much bedtime reading as normal:
-How Do Animals Communicate? by Bobbie Kalman (public library book, easy reader) - 8/10 = B
-Drummer Hoff

Our dog is mostly unpredictable with other dogs. There are a few things we've sorted out: she normally hates other dogs when she is on her leash (although there are rare exceptions). If the other dog is on a leash, fine. If they're both off their leashes, fine. She doesn't like certain breeds essentially ever (boxers, pit bulls, German shepherds, border collies) and has some kind of weird, stalker-y fascination with others (beagles, pugs). When there's food around, all bets are off - she hates everyone. She usually doesn't like Morgan petting other dogs, but occasionally she could literally not care less.

I'm not sure how she would respond to a pool - she loves creeks but she doesn't always love it when she's surprised into having all four feet off the ground. Her last time near a pool was a little traumatic as Morgan's idiot best friend kept trying to drag her into it when she wasn't having any of it.

But anyway, the point is that I feel you about dogs reacting in totally surprising and displeasing ways.

Happy Monday, Amber! Sorry to read the Doggie Dip did not go well. Live and learn, right?
Happy birthday to Tomm. What time should we stop in for grilled sausages :0}?

>203 scaifea: So the Doggie Dip wasn't for your dogs ;-)

Mario showed natural behaviour! Accepting other dogs doesn't come natural, a dog belongs to a pack (your family) and has to learn by exposure to accept strange dogs (and humans).
I think Mario was exposed enough to other people, but not enough to other dogs...

>208 ursula: Ursula: That makes me feel better, although of course I'm sorry that you have some of the same issues. It won't usually be a problem, since clearly we don't generally have our dogs around other dogs.

>209 Carmenere: Lynda: Live and learn indeed. And we'll probably sit down to eat around 5:30 - you're welcome to swing by!

>210 FAMeulstee: Anita: Yep, we should have taken Mario to the dog park more as a pup, I guess. Oh well, she doesn't need to be around other dogs, really, so it's fine. And she seems to be okay around one strange dog at a time; I think the whole pool full of dogs was overwhelming.

Morning, Amber!

Becca's Sherlock yaps at other dogs, too - he's a rescue and got mauled by a German Shepherd, so he gets worked up. But he loves people. As we said to her, if it's got to be one or the other, better that he loves people.

I've found the Dresden Files books irresistible. I got started after surgery, when I was at home on serious pain meds for a while and couldn't follow anything challenging. They're lots of fun, IMO.

>212 jnwelch: Morning, Joe! I agree - I'm very happy that both of our dogs are people dogs. And thanks for the boost for the Dresden Files. I'll get there, eventually, I'm sure.

Aww, poor puppers! Louis is just super shy. When confronted with another dog, he tends to stand perfectly still, as if he's hoping he won't be noticed. Around strange humans, he barks ferociously from the safety of behind my legs :-P

Have a good Monday, Amber!

>214 katiekrug: Katie: Ha! There's something adorable about a shy dog, though. Oh, who am I kidding - all dogs are adorable!

We had one Sheltie who hated to get her "feathers" wet...we'd take her to the river, and where it was very shallow she was fine, but if the water started to come up to where her long hair dragged in it---NOPE. And of course that happened in about 4 inches of water, so... On the other hand, my brother's hound dog repeatedly let himself get out to where the current was so swift he couldn't get out of it, and he'd be swept downstream until he washed up on a rock or the bank, and my brother would have to go rescue the fool critter. But this is why. we. love. dogs!

>216 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Ha! YES. Definitely why.

good afternoon, Amber. i just saw your recommendation for The Fledgling on my virtually inactive thread. there are quite a number. is it in fact Langton's you have in mind?

>182 lycomayflower: & >196 thornton37814: folks, don't even get me started on what the University of Tennessee has done to accommodate football and football traffic, up to and including cutting the really beautiful Ag campus in half and violating a sacred Cherokee burial mound for a roadway that allows state Congressperson's a quicker and easier route to home games and having a person on staff to report players' sexual and other assaults to the head coach before anyone else gets them so players can be protected. pfui! sorry, Amber. i guess i got started.

>223 scaifea: laugh? oh law. nearly fell off me chair. wish i could write like that. such visuals. Casey can dog and human. you might just mention him as an example to your Mario. sort of in the manner of Mr. Stevens and famous butlers in Remains of the Day.

>210 FAMeulstee: eta well said, Anita. he was protecting his pack and, insofar as he knew, "giving his all" for you.

>218 mirrordrum: Ellie: Yep, the Langton one. I'm not sure why I thought of you while listening to it, but I sure did.
And UGH to the football business. The whole thing left such a nasty taste in my mouth when I was a grad student at OSU. Setting cars on fire and such after games, the players getting all sorts of passes in all areas of the university,...
Casey sounds like a winner. Maybe we should get them together. Oh, wait, Mario would likely misbehave. Sigh.

>219 scaifea: naturally, i passed the story on to JB who has to listen to my chronic Charlie, Mario and Tuppence tales. she's very fond of all but not as besotted as i am. we both, individually and conjointly, approved of you as a dog handler for keeping Mario on a lead. you have no idea how inconsiderate dog owners are. Casey is always on a lead with harness and we had him go through individual training when we first got him at about 5 years old. people think nothing of letting their dogs attack other dogs, including Casey the gentleman, and thinking it's droll. a rottie in the neighborhood is often left off-leash and one day he came after Casey in full attack mode. so JB, being JB, threw herself over Casey while the women half-heartedly said, "stop, stop" to her dog. this is not uncommon. you are a gem and we commend you highly! unwanted ("bad") behavior is never the fault of the dog. it is the fault of the human. there are no bad dogs only indifferent or piss-poor owners. dogs have to be socialized to life in the world of human values and general stupidity. oh dear. another rant.

>220 mirrordrum: Thanks for that, Ellie. We even keep Tuppence on a leash most of the time (well, for walks - in our own yard she's fine and never leaves our boundaries - that's a border collie for you - but even then we never leave her out there alone), even though we wouldn't need to: she walks when we walk and stops when we stop. She's a pretty amazing gal. But Mario? Yeah. She's even on a leash in our own yard, because she wants to make friends with everyone, even someone she sees two blocks away... I have to use a Gentle Leader with her; otherwise she'd likely pull my arm right out of socket. She's a strong one.

On the agenda for today:

A bit of cleaning, some laundry, some work on the party projects, maybe some baking (Cinnamon Cake), some Latin-book-writing, and hanging out with Charlie. Taco Soup for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I listened to a bit more of My Brother Sam Is Dead and read a few pages in The Knight of the Swords, but that's all I have to report for yesterday.

The calendar book today sounds interesting: Perfect by Rachel Joyce. A "moving...magically haunting...poignant horror story"... Anyone read this one?

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Mari Sandoz (The Horsecatcher, 1958 Newbery Honor Book) was shot twice in hunting accidents before she turned fifteen."
Um, whoa. Twice?! How do you go hunting *again* after you've been shot once already?!

What We Read Yesterday:
-Where Is the Green Sheep?
-Blue Chicken
-Chapter 8 of Amelia Bedelia Unleashed
-Chapter 8 of The Sandman and the War of Dreams
-The second half of chapter 2 in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Morning Amber! I have the day off. Always a nice event. Bike ride planned for later this morning. I am in the zone, with these rides and I have been exploring with different trails. Yes, I am in the western suburbs but we do have a terrific network of biking/hiking trails. Happy Rider!

Enjoy your day!

>96 scaifea: A few years ago when I went on a quest to read all Newbery award winning books, I had an excel spreadsheet and noted those I read, and those yet to read. I have to update that if I can find the spreadsheet. You are really clipping along with making a huge dent in the Newbery's. I enjoy the tidbits you post regarding specific ones.

Thanks for this.

I hope your day is a good one.

Good morning, Amber! I own a copy of Perfect, but I haven't read it yet. I'm not sure why I bought it, as I thought that her earlier novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was mediocre and forgettable.

BTW, the touchstone to the book in your message goes to The Kite Runner. I wish the LT powers that be would fix the dang things!

Morning, Amber! "...poignant horror story" made me giggle.

>224 msf59: Morning, Mark! Yay for days off! And for bike rides! I love that so many communities are creating and maintaining good bike paths - we have an excellent one here, too.

>225 Whisper1: Linda: I feel pretty good about my progress with the Honor books. I'll never read them all, as some of the old ones are impossible to find, it seems, but I think I can get pretty darn close.

>226 kidzdoc: Morning, Darryl! Huh. I've heard good things about Harold Fry. Oh well, you can't please all the people, and all that. As far as touchstones go, I bracket and hope for the best, but don't really spend time trying to fix them. I just like the pretty blue letters.

>227 Crazymamie: Ha! Me, too, Mamie! The blurbs on this calendar can be pretty ridiculous.

Good morning, Amber!

I do like "a poignant horror story". Maybe a "touching, sentimental tale of terror", too?

>228 scaifea: I remember that Richard's review of Harold Fry was much better than mine, as it captured my thoughts about the book perfectly. A couple of excerpts:

"The mildly humorous, mildly silly tone of the narrative is mildly pleasant, and Joyce makes every effort to be an engaging companion on Harold's walk with the reader. I got quite fed up with the book around p50, and soldiered on for one reason and one only: The MAN Booker people put it on the Prize list. It didn't win, obviously, but this got nominated? Why?

"Untoasted Wonder Bread with Velveeta, tuna salad, and cream gravy sound good to you? Here's you a book."

The only reason I read it was because it made the Booker Prize longlist in 2012. It was about as tasteless and saccharine as Jell-O topped with Cool Whip.

>229 jnwelch: LOL

>229 jnwelch: Joe: *snork!*

>230 kidzdoc: Darryl: Wonder bread? Velveeta? Tuna Salad? GRAVY?! YUM.

>231 scaifea: Wonder bread? Velveeta? Tuna Salad? GRAVY?! YUM.

Seriously?!



I can only hope that Richard doesn't hear about this.

*goes back for a second serving of eggplant & lamb to drown sorrows*

>232 kidzdoc: Darryl: Potato, potahto, tomato, grossredthing...

Wonder bread, Velveeta, tuna salad, and gravy all have their place. Just not anywhere near each other :)

>234 katiekrug: Katie: I'll concede that point.

>233 scaifea: You're not throwing tomatoes under the bus, are you?!

>234 katiekrug: Wonder bread, Velveeta, tuna salad, and gravy all have their place.

Rubbish bin?

>236 kidzdoc: - *snork!*

Wonder bread makes good cinnamon toast; Velveeta is an essential ingredient to making good queso con carne; tuna salad is yummy on an open-face English muffin with melted Swiss; and gravy belongs on Thanksgiving turkey, a Sunday roast, or fluffy biscuits in the morning.

>236 kidzdoc: Darryl: I'm okay with cooked tomatoes in moderation, but raw tomatoes are gross.

>237 katiekrug: Katie: Yep, yep, yep.

>237 katiekrug: Yep...except I will pass on the Wonder bread, put my cinnamon/sugar on the English muffin, and eat my tuna salad in a pita.

Ooh, tuna salad in a pita brings back childhood trips to the town lake and a picnic lunch!

>237 katiekrug: I hate Wonder bread, along with Stroehmann's, which is popular in Philadelphia; they both taste like soft cardboard. I would much rather have white bread made by Arnold, Pepperidge Farm, or Publix.

Velveeta isn't cheese; it's dissolvable plastic!

I will concede on tuna salad; if it's made well I'll gladly lap it up.

Gravy definitely gets thumbs up, but not on tuna salad!

>238 scaifea: I'm okay with cooked tomatoes in moderation, but raw tomatoes are gross.



What?! I love raw tomatoes, especially garden fresh ones. One of our favorite sandwiches as kids was sliced tomatoes picked from our backyard garden, sprinkled with salt, pepper and basil, served in a toasted Italian torpedo roll with a mayonnaise/mustard dressing. Yumtastic! And tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad is equally good.

>239 laytonwoman3rd: tuna salad in a pita

Yes! Now you're talking. I'll take a slice or two of fresh tomato in my sandwich, please.

>240 katiekrug: Same here, Katie!

*grumbles over unwarranted slanderous comments about tomatoes*

I like raw tomatoes for about two weeks in the summer when they are perfectly ripe. Other than that, I won't eat them (except in things like salsa and such).

>241 kidzdoc: - For the queso, the Velveeta is used more for the consistency than as an actual cheese source... :)

>239 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: I've never gotten the hang of pitas. How do people actually get stuff to stay crammed inside of those things?

>240 katiekrug: Katie: I do like a good picnic...

>241 kidzdoc: Darryl: Oh for pete's sake, inside voices, please! So much screaming. So much drama. Yeesh.

>242 katiekrug: Katie: For some reason, your post made me think of Miracle Max and his Mutton Lettuce Tomato Sandwiches...

>243 katiekrug: Katie: Velveeta does make excellent queso. I will admit, however, that it can't really be a good thing that it's sold on the normal grocery shelves and not in the refrigerated section...

>245 katiekrug: Katie: YES.

On the agenda for today:
It's raining pretty seriously out there already, so I think it'll be an indoor sort of day. Cleaning, laundry, Official Party Business, writing, some book fair work, possibly some baking (cookies of some kind or other). For dinner: Velveeta-infused Tuna, served on a bed of toasted Wonder Bread and with a Cream Gravy Au Jus...

On the reading front:
I finished My Brother Sam Is Dead (more on that one later), but that's really all there is to report for yesterday. Lots of odds and ends got finished round the house, which meant no reading time. Will try to improve that today.

The calendar book for today is another interesting-looking one (two in a row! some kind of record!): Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything by Barbara Ehrenreich. Anyone read this one?

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Several Newbery winners are part of a series in which an earlier book was an Honor Book. Examples include Lloyd Alexander's The High King, 1969 and The Black Cauldron, 1966; Susan Cooper's The Grey King, 1976 and The Dark Is Rising, 1974; and Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown, 1985 and The Blue Sword, 1983."
All of these series are absolutely excellent.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Chapter 9 of Amelia Bedelia Unleashed
-Chapter 9 of The Sandman and the War of Dreams
-The first half of chapter 3 in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

*cancels plans to go to Scaife Manor for dinner*

Morning Amber! Looking a bit gloomy out there. I am loving my revisit with Mockingbird. Spacek could read me the phone book and I would be entranced.

>249 kidzdoc: Chuckles...

>249 kidzdoc: Darryl: Sooo, the company alone isn't enough to warrant the visit, then. Good to know. *ahem*

>250 msf59: Morning, Mark! I'm glad that you're enjoying your re-read/listen! I spent a chunk of the past couple of days going through my book lists and checking for which ones I can get on audio from the library. Conclusion: I'm set for listening material for a good, long while. Can I get a B.A.G.? Ha!

>251 scaifea: Au contraire, Madam Scaife. I cancelled my dinner reservation because of the inclement weather, not because of the mouthwatering menu.

Good morning, Amber!

We raised our kids on hearty, healthy dark breads - multigrain, wheat, rye, etc. The result: they love eating white bread. It's a big treat for both of them. Oh well.

>252 kidzdoc: Darryl: Oh, sure. Fine. It's fine. No, really.

>253 jnwelch: Joe: Ha! *whispers* Charlie gets mostly whole wheat breads, too. I never actually buy that Wonder stuff. If we have white bread, it's because I've made it from scratch. And Charlie and I both prefer wheat or rye.

Enjoying the discussion of food liked/disliked. I have been known to like a tuna salad sandwich with fresh tomatoes and cheese...just sayin' :)

Amber, I'm your exact opposite when it comes to tomatoes. I absolutely love fresh raw tomatoes and will eat one like an apple, in a sandwich (by itself or garnish), or sliced up and sprinkled with a tiny bit of salt. It's all delicious. Cooked tomatoes on the other hand... ew. I don't like it in soups where it's still chunky, I have been known to have it on a topping of pizza but only *lightly* cooked, and in spaghetti sauce I want it to be sauce, and even then I don't put much on my noodles. Give me a bit of pesto or olive oil and fresh garlic/tomatoes instead any day.

I'm with you on actually preferring wheat bread, though I tend to buy whatever's on sale for less than $2.50 a loaf. I have debated starting to make my own bread.

>203 scaifea: Loved Skin Game by Jim Butcher. Joe warbled enough to keep me interested in the series because I seriously wanted to knock Harry out at first.

Queso should be made with real cheese in my humble opinion.

>256 luvamystery65: - That's fancy queso, Ro! By which I mean, of course, authentic. I was talking about crappy Anglo suburban queso made in a slow cooker with Ro-Tel and ground beef to be consumed while watching football :)



YUM! (Don't judge. We all have our guilty pleasures...)

I'm backing you up, Amber! Raw tomato is just unpleasant, they really have to be cooked down to be palatable. For example, they becomes much tastier once they've stewed in a pot of chili all day.

>257 katiekrug: I've had my share of Ro-Tel and Velveeta Katie. I just prefer not to anymore.

>259 luvamystery65: - Smart woman.

Now I'm hungry!

>255 bell7: Mary: Oh, *do* try making your own bread! It's easy and wonderful, and the house smells *so* good while you're at it.

>256 luvamystery65: Roberta: Oh, there's no question that real queso is far superior.

>257 katiekrug: Katie: I agree with all of that but the football part. Ha!

>258 Ape: Stephen: WOOT! Yes to the chili!

>259 luvamystery65: Roberta: I don't make it often myownself. I prefer the real stuff at a real restaurant...

>260 katiekrug: Katie: Me, too!

Happy Wednesday, Amber! LOL so much talk regarding Velveeta, tuna and Wonder Bread!! I find them all acceptable in MODERATION!

>262 Carmenere: Lynda: Well, of course, everything in moderation. Except cake. I show no moderation in the presence of cake.

Hah! That's me and cookies! "Oh, what's one more little cookie?"

>264 Carmenere: Lynda: Agreed! Those cookies are always so small...

On the topic of bread, I never understood the argument that whole wheat bread is more flavorful than white bread. It's like saying cardboard has more flavor than styrofoam...which I suppose it technically true, but still not particularly tasty, unless you like the taste of cardboard. I personally don't find sliced bread all that appealing unless it is toasted, or french toast-ified. I'd much rather eat a sandwich on some roll or bun, and in that case I'd much rather it be white bread. I also prefer white bread for things like garlic/cheese bread, which is pretty much ruined by any kind of whole wheat.

With that said, if I'm forced to eat sliced bread, it's not a matter of white or whole wheat, it's more important whether it's freshly baked or. processed. I'll take ANYTHING from the bakery section of a grocery store over the "bread aisle." Also known as the "cardboard and styrofoam aisle."

>266 Ape: Finally someone in this food discussion who has TASTE!

Sorry folks, but tuna salad and eggplant are equally repugnant.

(She says with conviction, as she eats a pork banh mi with Sriracha mayonnaise, cilantro, and pickled radish on a baguette. A white baguette freshly baked as of Monday, when it was purchased at an actual bakery, in case inquiring minds (aka Stephen) want to know.)

(Kidding but not kidding. I still like you all, even if you make dubious food choices. Also, Velveeta + Ro-Tel forever!)

>266 Ape: Stephen: Agreed.

>267 casvelyn: Cilantro isn't allowed on this thread. GROSS.

The new thread is up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/230301#5702677

>161 scaifea: You're an awesome Mom.

>208 ursula: Maia is fine meeting dogs outside the house, if a bit submissive. Inside the house, she runs and hides. She's terrified.

>234 katiekrug: Tuna Melt! (minus the gravy)

>270 Morphidae: Morphy: Aw, thanks! Some days I do okay, I think. Others...? Ha!
It's funny that Maia is more scare in her house than outside. You'd think, especially a small dog, she's be fierce and protective!
And Yes to Tuna Melts! Woot!

Favorite birthday experience? My Dad was a great joker. Once he hid a marble in a marble cake. Once he nailed my mother's shoes to the floor. Once he hid them in the freezer. But for birthdays, it was his mother's 70th birthday at our house, 1970. I was 14. Dad put 70 candles on the cake and lit them all. Then he had her blow them out. Then they came back alight. They were trick candles he'd gotten for her birthday. And he filmed the whole thing on his Super 8 camera.

>272 jjvors: Jeff: Wow. Dad joking at its finest.