FamilyHistorian Reading in 2016 - thread #7

My name is Meg and this is my fourth year in the 75 challenge. I live in Canada close to Vancouver. I read mysteries and history and a lot of other stuff that strikes my fancy and follows me home. That is probably why I am surrounded by so many books! I love to do research, which is a plus for a genealogist but all those tomes take up a lot of shelf space. I am hoping to participate in a few challenges this year and intend to read books from my personal library so maybe those books will be read in my lifetime.

Challenges I will do my best to partake of in 2016

American Authors

January: Anne Tyler - The Accidental Tourist DONE
February: Richard Russo - Nobody's Fool DONE
March: Jane Smiley - Private Life DONE
April: Poetry Month - Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins DONE
May: Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun DONE
June: Annie Proulx - Postcards DONE
July: John Steinbeck - The Long Valley DONE
August: Joyce Carol Oates - Jack of Spades DONE
September: John Irving - A Widow for One Year DONE
October: Michael Chabon
November: Annie Dillard
December: Don DeLillo

British Author Challenge

January: Susan Hill, Barry Unsworth - The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill DONE
February: Agatha Christie, William Dalrymple - Endless Night by Agatha Christie DONE
March: Ali Smith, Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy DONE
April: George Eliot, Hanif Kureishi - Gabriel's Gift by Hanif Kureishi DONE
May: Jane Gardam, Robert Goddard - Caught in the Light by Robert Goddard DONE
June: Antonia Fraser, Joseph Conrad - Tartan Tragedy by Antonia Fraser DONE
July: Bernice Rubens, H.G. Wells - Yesterday in the Back Lane by Bernice Rubens DONE
August: Dianna Wynne Jones, Ian McEwan - Saturday by Ian McEwan DONE
September: Doris Lessing, Laurie Lee
October: Kate Atkinson , William Golding - Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson DONE
November: Rebecca West, Len Deighton
December: Yorkshire writers
LADIES
RUMER GODDEN
ELIZABETH TAYLOR
ROSE TREMAIN
MEN
GEORGE ORWELL
PATRICK HAMILTON
MICHAEL MORPURGO

Canadian Author Challenge

January: Robertson Davies, Kim Thúy - World of Wonders by Robertson Davies DONE
February: Helen Humphreys, Stephen Leacock - The Reinvention of Love by Helen Humphreys DONE
March: Farley Mowat, Anita Rau Badami - Tell it to the Trees by Anita Rau Badami DONE
April: Margaret Atwood, Michael Crummey
May: Michel Tremblay, Emily St. John Mandel - Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel DONE
June: Timothy Findley, Joseph Boyden - Spadework by Timothy Findley DONE
July: LM Montgomery, Pierre Berton
August: Mordechai Richler, Gabrielle Roy - Cocksure by Mordecai Richler DONE
September: Miriam Toews, Dany Laferrière - A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews DONE
October: Lawrence Hill, Jane Urquhart
November: Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Laurence
December: Alice Munro, Rawi Hage

Non-Fiction Reading Challenge for 2016

January: Biography/Memoir/Autobiography - Newspaper Titan: The Infamous Life and Monumental Times of Cissy Patterson by Amanda Smith DONE
February: History - The Long Road to Change: America's Revolution, 1750–1820 by Eric Nellis DONE
March: Travel - Agatha Christie: Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery edited by Mathew Prichard DONE
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson DONE
April: Religion & Spirituality (Easter/Passover)
May: The Arts - The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson by Anne Newlands DONE
June: Natural History/Environment/Health - A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 by Simon Winchester DONE
July: Current Affairs - The Age of Aging: How Demographics are Changing the Global Economy and Our World by George Magnus - DONE
August: Science and Technology - The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape our Identities and our Futures by Christine Kenneally - DONE
September: Philosophy/History of Ideas - The Uses and Abuses of History by Margaret MacMillan - DONE
October: Politics/Economics & Business/Commentary
November: Essays
December: Quirky/Who Knew?

I'll keep track of the reads I have finished on this post so I can see how successful or un I am in keeping up with any of these. I am also participating in Reading Through Time. I just hope lots of the books I read will count in more than one category!

Acquisitions for August

The Blackhouse by Peter May
The Illusionists by Rosie Thomas
Delusions of Gender: How our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine
The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
The Widow Waltz by Sally Koslow
Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry
Artifact by Gigi Pandian
The Grell Street Mystery by Frank Froest
An Untimely Frost by Penny Richards

Books from the little free library in August

The Martian by Andy Weir
Night Whispers by Judith McNaught
On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
Bell, Book and Scandal by Jill Churchill

I have been keeping track of my acquistions for a while but since a Little Free Library moved into my neighbourhood I have been steadily recycling books (I am leaving more than I am picking up, honest.) I have started keeping track of the numbers that I off load.

Books read in May 2016

Human Genetics: Race, Population and Disease by Russ Hodge
I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
Life as We Have Known It: The Voices of Working-Class Women edited by Margaret Llewelyn Davies
The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson by Anne Newlands
Regina's Terrible Tornado, June 30, 1912 by Frank W. Anderson
Storm of the Century: The Regina Tornado of 1912 by Sandra Bingaman
Ten Second Staircase by Christopher Fowler
Bucking the Sun by Ivan Doig
The Murder of Tutankhamen by Bob Brier, Ph.D.
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel

Books read in June 2016

Genetic Twists of Fate by Stanley Fields and Mark Johnston
Tartan Tragedy by Antonia Fraser
Adam's Curse by Bryan Sykes
The Women's Land Army by Neil R Storey & Molly Housego
Dying for You by Geraldine Evans
Once was a Time by Leila Sales
Postcards by Annie Proulx

Books read in July 2016

A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 by Simon Winchester
The Secret Place by Tana French
Old World Murder by Kathleen Ernst
Bookmarked to Die by Jo Dereske
Spadework by Timothy Findley
Yesterday in the Back Lane by Bernice Rubens
Every Trick in the Book by Lucy Arlington
The Sandburg Connection by Mark De Castrique
In Love with a Wicked Man by Liz Carlyle
The Long Valley by John Steinbeck

Books read in August 2016

The Weather Experiment: The Pioneers who Sought to See the Future by Peter Moore
Down on the Farm: Childhood Memories of Farming in Canada by Jean Cochrane
Jack of Spades by Joyce Carol Oates
The Hellfire Conspiracy by Will Thomas
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson
Royal Escape by Georgette Heyer
The Age of Aging: How Demographics are Changing the Global Economy and Our World by George Magnus
Strong Female Protagonist book one by Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag
Forbidden by Jo Beverley
Cocksure by Mordecai Richler

My blog is currently about Living without Mod Cons and soon to be starting onto Pubs and the Publican. Check it out at A Genealogist's Path to History

My vacation/staycation is over. It went by quickly and it doesn't feel like I have much to show for the three weeks that I was off. I did buy a new car and renew my passport (I can see travel in my future). I also helped to install the latest exhibit at PoCo Heritage. I had to get another criminal record check down for volunteering (that is the third year in a row!). This time they had to pull out the old ink pad for the fingerprints as the electronic machine didn't like me. Now I know what a criminal felt like in the old days! What else did I do – well there was reading and miles and miles of walking!

81. Run Down by Rick Blechta

When two hit and run deaths happen in Toronto within weeks of each other the police believe there is a connection between them. Detective Pratt ends up with the case as he stayed behind to finish up a report. Soon Pratt's partner young Ellis is on the case and the men turn up more crimes they believe are the work of the same killer. Once they start to piece everything together, they realize there is another murder about to happen. Can they stop it in time?

The Pratt and Ellis mysteries are Rapid Reads; short and quick moving. What is especially good about them is that the background, the characters and the police procedures all have a Canadian flavour.

82. A History of the English Public House by H.A. Monckton

This is an older book about how the English Public House came to be and the transitions it has gone through over the centuries. The history will help with my research into pubs but some of the current day stuff (1969) was a bit dry and confusing and probably not relevant now anyway.

83. Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide by Emily Brightwell

Mrs. Jeffries is the housekeeper of a Scotland Yard Inspector who gets called in to solve murders. Unbeknownst to him his household are working behind the scenes to make sure that the right person is caught for the crime. Mrs. Jeffries is the brain behind the solutions but she has many helpers to do the leg work.

In Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide it appears that it is an open and shut case when all the clues point to a particularly disliked individual. But when her sister-in-law pleads his case, Mrs. Jeffries and the others start looking at the case with new eyes. This book was another fun cozy read in this ongoing Victorian mystery series.

Nice shiny new thread, Meg! You have read such a variety of books this year. I'm impressed with all the challenges you're keeping up with.

Happy Thursday.

Happy new thread! Lovely thread topper!

>12 Familyhistorian: That one looks interesting! I'm definitely adding it to my "wish list."

>13 Familyhistorian: I've read one or two Mrs. Jeffries books. I have to be in the "right mood" to enjoy them.

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy New Thread, Meg. I like that topper. You are still on vacation, right? If so, continue to enjoy.

>14 karenmarie: Hi Karen. I am trying my best to keep up with the challenges but I think a lot of them are getting away from me.

>15 tymfos: Thanks Terri. When I saw that interesting looking sky I just had to take that shot.

>16 thornton37814: It is a good book to read for the history of pubs, Lori. A newer book about pub history is The Local: A History of the English Pub which I am reading now.

I think I have read most of the Mrs Jeffries books but I only read a few a year as I couldn't handle them as a steady diet.

>17 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. Are you on the road now or still comfortable at home?

>18 msf59: No, sadly my vacation is over, Mark. I went back to work this week.

>19 Familyhistorian: I'm actually participating in a challenge read right now - the AAC John Irving Challenge - and enjoying it very much, but usually challenges start feeling homework and I stopped homework after I got my bachelor's degree in 1975.

Happy new thread! And YUCK for the ink pad.

Happy new thread, Meg. I love the drawing of the girl reading.

Hi Meg, sorry your vacation is over. It looks like the weather is about to change and we could be in for a rainy weekend. :(

>24 karenmarie: The AAC John Irving challenge is a tough one, Karen. I took The Water Method Man out from the library but got a chapter in and had to take it back. It just wasn't for me. Problem was it was one of the shorter Irvings and its replacement A Widow for One Year is more my style but it is pretty chunky. It does start to feel like homework after a while. I got my degree a few years before you (1973) but I must like homework because I kept taking courses. But I don't like my reading to feel like homework and it is starting to.

>25 The_Hibernator: Yuck for the ink pad is right, Rachel. It took a lot of scrubbing to get the ink off my fingers.

>26 BLBera: That is a good sketch isn't it, Beth. The artist has really captured the feeling of someone lost in a book.

>27 DeltaQueen50: At least it seems like my timing was right on the vacation weather-wise, Judy, although there were a few rainy days while I was off. I am not too sad about the vacation though because I am off again in October just in time for the Vancouver Writers' Festival. Do you ever go to those sessions? I booked tickets to a few of them this week, I can't wait.

Happy new thread, Meg!!

Happy Saturday, Meg! Boo to returning back to work but it sounds like you had a lovely holiday. Enjoy your weekend.

Happy New Thread! I expect it will rain today, though I am not sure . It did rain overnight and I think they are expecting rain today, but I have not yet checked the forecast. I was reading your book about " Mod Con's. Really interesting. To my memory, my grandparents had the expected " Mod Con's when I first recall them. A wringer washer for one of my grandma's - and she used to let us try using it with great supervision . As both sets of my grandparents lived in Winnipeg, I do recall my grandma putting out the wet laundry to freeze outside ? and then bringing it in to hang in the basement. Mind you, back in those days, the milk man came several times a week , as well as the breadman, who also brought cakes and cookies. That I could deal with! :) My grandparents always had proper fridges, - in my memory. TV's too. My paternal grandmother lost her husband very early in life - I think my grandpa was just 45 - I never met him - but my grandma went back to work full time to support my dad . She did have a couple of brothers and a sister she lived with following the death of my grandpa, so she had a lot of help with housework etc.

Hi Meg! Happy new thread!

Happy new one, Meg! Hoping that your weekend is full of fabulous!

>32 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I hope that you enjoy the Birthday Party today - have fun!

>33 msf59: The holiday was a good break. Weekend started off well. We finally got to go out for our dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year. It was all set for around the right time when the guy who was arranging it ended up in the hospital and had to have an operation on his back. The good thing is that we will get to do this over again in about 4 months! Food was good and it was good to get together with co-workers, some I haven't seen for a while.

Hope you have a great weekend planned, Mark. And maybe some good weather to go with it. Here it is raining like it is trying to make up for lost time.

>34 vancouverdeb: There is no maybe about the rain here, Deb. It is coming down heavily. I just hope there might be a break or two so that I can get out there.

I never got to operate a wringer washer but I know they could be dangerous - no wonder the supervision. I think we had a dryer fairly early on when living in Montreal as I don't think my mum wanted to wrestle with frozen laundry - we did have one of those umbrella clothes lines in the back yard.

I remember the bread man - wonderful cakes but we usually only ended up with bread. The milk man seemed to come often and he would leave the milk on the doorstep. When it was really cold out the milk would freeze in the bottle (remember those glass bottles with caps on top). When the milk froze it would come out of the top of the bottle in a column and the cap would be sitting on top.

>28 Familyhistorian: My Irving challenge book is Until I Find You, which is totally holding my interest. I've read 178 of 820 pages and simply adore the story of Jack and his mother searching for Jack's elusive father - an organist, tattoo lover, and womanizer. It's told third person, but Irving originally wrote it in first person. It was too close to his own experiences however, and he re-wrote it. I may not finish it by the end of September, but it's definitely worth the read for me.

I saw another Irving book at the Friends of the Library Sale today, one I don't have, but as soon as I saw the word 'bears' in the description, I put it down. I'm done with Irving's bears..... :)

>36 Crazymamie: Thanks Carrie, I hope you are having a relaxing weekend.

>36 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, I don't know about fabulous it seems like the weekend is full of rain! Perfect time to get in some reading but maybe not so many steps. Hope you have an enjoyable weekend!

I remember the frozen milk! We still get our milk delivered in glass - supposed to be greener. But it doesn’t freeze (or I've missed it!)

Happy new thread.

My parents lived with my grandparents until I was about 3 or 4 years old, so I imagine that put quite a strain on the " family finances', thus the lack of a dryer in the very early 1960's. But once we moved to Vancouver, my mom had a dryer right away. I suspect one could not even put laundry out to dry with the weather here, plus my parents had 3 of us in 4 years . A lot of diapers on the go.

I confess I don't remember the milk freezing - but it was a long time ago. We've had a rainy morning and early afternoon, but right now it is dry. As for the breadman, being a grandchild in an extended family had it perks. My great aunt would call me and my sister to pick out a cake " for we kiddies" :)
I recall when the fourth and and second to last child was close to being born in my family. I had not noticed anything, but my mom said " I have news. A new baby is arriving, but we are getting a dishwasher." LOL! My sister and I did the dishes every night from grade 1 on. We were thrilled about the dishwasher, but we soon discovered that we had to load and unload it . Still, much better than fighting over who dried vs who washed every night after dinner. Oh the memories! :) Oh to be a youngest child instead of the eldest.

I love the opening image, as well as the image on post #7.

>44 vancouverdeb: What a great story regarding the dishwasher acquisition and a new baby arriving. My sisters and I were all two years apart, almost to the date. Actually, we were two years and two days apart. We also fought over who would wash and who would dry the dishes..We also fought about just about everything.

>43 charl08: There were weeks of freezing weather in Montreal, Charlotte. It only took a couple of hours for the column of frozen milk to form. I am amazed that you still have milk delivery - I thought that went out in the '60s.

>44 vancouverdeb: As it was Winnipeg maybe they had some way to deliver the milk without it freezing, Deb. Maybe there was a small door to get deliveries into the house. A dishwasher - wow. My parents didn't have a dishwasher until I left home.

I went out for a walk around 3:00 and there was no rain, then it pounded down and about an hour later there was sun. Hard to know how to dress for that! While I was out I visited Chapters my excuse being that I needed to get a card for my brother's birthday. I bought a couple of genealogy magazines and Snorri Sturluson, the thirteenth-century Icelandic chieftain who gave us Odin, Loki, and Thor, was as unruly as the Norse gods he created."

>45 Whisper1: Thanks Linda. Those are both images taken at my local park. It is great having a little free library so close (image in #7).

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy Sunday, Meg! We went the Cubs baseball game yesterday, (they lost) and I am attending a friend's going away party today. She recently retired from the USPS and is moving to Arizona. So, the weekend has been good and the weather has been perfect.

Hope you have a great day.

>49 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl. I am surprised that you have enough time to get around to the threads with all the stuff you are getting up to on your wonderful vacation!

>50 msf59: Sounds like a busy and social weekend, Mark. I am having a fairly productive weekend. Yesterday I ran errands in the rain and sun and got in my steps to keep up with the Fitbit LTers. Today it is just noon and I have supper in the slow cooker and am about to make a trek to the library after I figure out where to put my garbage. A bear trashed our garbage enclosure and I don't think I can use it now.

I think my grandma was likely always home to get the milk delivery, Meg. She had two younger kids at home besides my mom , and did not drive. My other grandma did work, as she lost her husband to a stroke when he was in his very early 40's. But my grandma and my dad lived with extended family, and I suspect my great aunt was mainly home. My great aunt Grace suffered some brain damage in her young childhood from meningitis, secondary to the mumps, so she was never able to work. Instead, she lived with her siblings and helped with the housework. Thus the lack of frozen milk.

Oh the dishwasher - I was pleased to get that . I think it would have been the later 1960's when we got it.

Happy New Thread, Meg!

My mum was at home but we still ended up with frozen milk. I think we must have had very early morning delivery. Late '60s sounds very early to get a dishwasher, Deb.

Thanks Ellen.

I guess my mom must have struck a deal with my dad! :) LOL! They'd try for that last 4th child ( the hoped for son , for my dad ) , and in exchange, my mom got her dishwasher. And indeed, my mom did have a son. But then they had another son 18 months later. My sister and I were born in the same year, me in January and my sister in November. All told 5 kids in 9.5 years. Me - 2 kids in 5. 5 years! :)

>57 vancouverdeb: I think your mom needed a dishwasher with that many people in the family, Deb. It probably cut down on the squabbling too. Wow, two kids born the same year. I wonder how often that happens.

Hi, Meg! Sorry to hear about the bear incident. What do they do about that? Just try to make it more secure?

Good morning, Meg!

I can't imagine frozen milk, having grown up in Southern California, USA. If anything, you had to make sure you brought it in so it wouldn't sour from the heat. The milkman brought it around to our back porch. I think he also left a pint of cream for my dad's coffee.

We had two bread trucks drive through the neighborhood, but we kids only bought doughnuts and candy from them. My mother either bought wheat bread at the grocery store or baked bread fresh - she didn't make the bread fresh but she bought frozen Bridgeford bread, let it thaw and rise near the pilot light on the stove, then baked it. It was pretty yummy, as I recall.

We had the umbrella-type clothes line in the back. When we moved in 1967 we finally got a dryer. And a dishwasher. My mom had 3 kids in 3.5 years - I was 2 when my brother was born and 3 1/2 when my sister was born. Phyllis Diller had a joke about there being a rainbow over the play pen because she had so many little kids in diapers..... I don't remember it but it must have been so at our house, too.

>59 msf59: Well, no doesn't look like anyone did anything about the garbage enclosed as the door was wide open and the container was outside the enclosure on its side where the bear had dragged it when I came out this morning. At least there weren't bags of trash thrown about this time. I think something will have to be done and I know that my neighbours are filling up the strata management company's email in box. I decided to use the garbage station in the next set of townhouses over.

>60 karenmarie: I remember we also bought bread at the store but I really liked it when my mum bought a cake from the bread truck.

We got our dryer earlier probably due to the weather in Montreal but the dishwasher came after I moved away to school. Hmm, I wonder if there is some correlation there.

There were three kids in our family too, Karen. I am the middle child but my younger brother came 10 years later.

Oh, the dreadful irony of parents getting a dishwasher after a child has left the nest! When my husband and first married, we rented an apartment for the first 4 or so years and it did not have a dishwasher. As soon as we had our first child, we purchased a portable dishwasher. My husband came from a family of 6 , 4 children, but I'm quite sure his parents never got a dishwasher. Given that the first three of the the kids in his family were boys, I'm not sure who helped with the dishes! :) I'll have to ask him.

I'm not sure what to wear on my walk today. Shorts or pants? Yesterday was certainly a pants day, but today it is sunny and relatively warm.

Sorry about the bear activity in your area. That is a hassle and rather scary.

As for having a sister born in the same year as me, I can't speak for my mom, but as one of the pair, it was a real hassle when we both started grade 1 at the same time. The schools kept us separated class wise, until we hit high school. The hassle is that other people presume that you must be twins, but you are not, or else they assume the eldest of the pair must have failed a grade. Plus as the more outgoing of the two of us, I ended sharing my friends with my sister. But , overall, not a big deal. My parents may have felt differently. I don't remember life without a sibling, that much I can say.

>62 Familyhistorian: My mother has taken eccentricity to a new level in that she has a dishwasher in the house, but it hasn't worked in over 30 years. I think it's a matter of (misguided) principle now. Even with just the two of us at home with daughter living about 2 1/2 hours away, we use the dishwasher most of the time.

>63 vancouverdeb: By the time my parents got a dishwasher I had moved out and couldn't afford a dishwasher of my own *sigh*. Now I can't imagine being without one. It was a nice day today, Deb, but very chilly in the morning.

Yes, the bears here are a hassle. There was footage of a bear in a Port Coquitlam residential area on the news tonight. I keep a wary eye out when I am out and about.

>64 vancouverdeb: I never thought, but of course you would be in the same grade at the same time. I think it would have been more annoying to be the second child myself - but what do I know, I was never the eldest child!

>65 karenmarie: I remember that friends of ours took over the rental house that we had when we moved into the co-op, Karen. They were very proud of the fact that they were saving money by not running the dishwasher - I didn't get it, I ran the dishwasher all the time. I had limited dishes so we ate according to the dishes that were available until the dishwasher was full. I was sad that I didn't have a dishwasher in the co-op house but then again it probably would have used all the hot water anyway as our the amenities in the co-op house were very primitive.

Busy week. I have been reading but other things have gotten in the way of my reviews. Found a bit of time to catch up with some threads today because it is raining and I didn't get my usual steps in. Seems that I was wearing leaky shoes all day - not sure why that made me feel cold and tired but it did. Good news is that it is supposed to clear up tomorrow so I can walk to the museum opening tomorrow afternoon.

My latest blog posts are about pubs and publicans. As I am using my grandparent's history to help tell the story, I have been doing some genealogy research as I go along. It takes time but writing about the stories opens up more avenues of research which gives more depth to the stories. Now if only I had more time. I hope to get to those reviews this weekend.

Happy Saturday, Meg. I hope you have a nice weather day, so you can get all those steps in. Enjoy the museum.

Hi Meg! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

>69 msf59: I got lots of steps in today, Mark. I walked to the museum and went the long way around so that I wouldn't be too close to any wooded areas. It was nice out - much better than yesterday. The museum opening was good. I really enjoyed the talk that was given by a conservation officer/historian. We have a totally different mind set about how we treat animals now, before the emphasis was on making sure there was game for hunters.

>70 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. Right back at you with the wonderful weekend wishes!

84. A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain

Kendra Donovan is a smart young FBI agent more at home with profiling that taking down the bad guys in action. Her first big operation in the field doesn't go well as there are many casualties on her team including Kendra herself. Modern medicine pulls her through but the taste of action was so bitter that she heads out on her own to set things right. She gets a lot more than she bargained for when she goes through a wormhole and ends up in the 19th century. There she tries to fit in as a servant until a body is found. Suspecting murder her training kicks in but can she convince the lords and ladies around her that a murder has been done and that she should be in on the investigation?

A Murder in Time was a fun read which kept me interested. Recommended as a good read for lovers of historical mysteries.

85. The Uses and Abuses of History by Margaret MacMillan

Once something becomes history, it is studied, interpreted and understood because we all agree on what happen and what it meant; after all that is the way that history is taught in our schools. But how wrong that is. In her book, The Uses and Abuses of History, Margaret MacMillan shows how much of a fallacy it is to think that history is agreed upon and written in stone.

Everything is open to interpretation. It can be slanted to support one side over another, one group's right over another's. History should be treated carefully not casually. Questions should be asked and evidence evaluated before accepting something as historical fact.

There was a lot of information packed into this slim volume – highly recommended for history lovers.

Just stopping by to say hi, Meg. Looks like you've been up to some good reading.

>75 jnwelch: Hi Joe, good to have you back and visiting around the threads.

86. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

A hungry, homeless girl sees her chance of a life with shelter and meals when the British Navy is recruiting ships boys. All she has to do is swagger with the best of them and make a good impression. They take her on board but can she keep her gender a secret?

Bloody Jack is the first story in the adventures of Mary “Bloody” Jack, a girl from London's gritty streets. Jacky, as she is known, has survived as one of London's unwanted children. Will her street smarts help her as she navigates a new life, or will they hold her back?

Meg, I am a little late making it over here with all my travels slowing me down somewhat. Better late than never though eh? xx

>68 Familyhistorian: Seems that I was wearing leaky shoes all day - not sure why that made me feel cold and tired but it did.

Oh, I can believe that! Nothing like wet feet to make for an uncomfortable day! I'm glad your next day was drier.

Uses and Abuses of History sounds interesting

Hi Meg - Murder in Time and The Uses and Abuses of History both sound good. I might even take a look at Bloody Jack. Great comments. You've done some interesting reading lately.

>77 Familyhistorian: I'd say that sounds a bit farfetched as a plot, but having just read a biography of Dr James Barry, maybe not so much!

>78 PaulCranswick: You have had a busy time of it lately, Paul. I hope your latest venture is going well and that you will have some time to relax soon.

>79 tymfos: There is nothing like that cold squishy feel on your feet is there, Terri? The Uses and Abuses of History is a good one.

>80 BLBera: The books have been keeping me entertained, Beth. A Murder in Time is a recent one judging by the people ahead of me who were waiting for the library to dole it out.

Hi, Meg! glad to see you churning through the books. I hope most of them are treating you well.

>81 charl08: Not as farfetched as you'd think as the author got the idea after reading about girls who followed their men to sea by signing up as fellow shipmates by pretending to be male.

Hi Meg! Two books for my wishlist, A Murder in Time and The Uses and Abuses of History. I'm currently listening to America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation by Kenneth C. Davis.

I have MacMillan's Paris 1919 sitting on my shelves, so when I get back into a WWI frame of mind might read it.

When I look back at (all the crap I learned in high school...) how I was taught US history, I see how it was manipulated and tortured into what passes for the founding of my country. I've tried to make up for it somewhat with reading Joseph Ellis, David McCullough, Nathan Philbrick, and Sarah Vowell.

Apropos of Bloody Jack is the fictionalized account of the real female pirate Anne Bonny in Kingston by Starlight by Charles John Farley. I thought it a very good book. My original three-star rating would probably go up if I read it again. I'm still a bit stingy with stars but have gotten a bit more generous in the last several years.

>87 karenmarie: I didn't realize that MacMillan wrote Paris 1919. I will have to check it out the next time I see it.

The history we are taught sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. It really depends on where and when it is taught. I have an advantage over you in that very little US history was taught in school so I have less preconceived notions about what happened. I get to discover it for myself.

I think you would find a big difference in what you were taught and what is now taught in schools about history. I first learned about Canadian History in high school. When I took a course in Canadian history a couple of years ago a lot had changed most particularly how events were viewed. Attitudes sure have changed!

I must confess I don't recall much history being taught in school, unless I just tuned it out? I found what we learned to be dreadfully boring. Watching the CBC TV battles staged by plastic soldiers and moved around by the narrators hands - in grade 7. It was just called Social Studies. By grade 12 a history class was offered, but I was busy with Science courses, Biology, Physics, Chemistry , etc and history held no charm for me. Now as I am older I've learned a lot by reading , watching the news, reading the newspaper, and news magazines. Canadian history? I swear all we learned was about First Nations Tribes in British Columbia, but nothing about the abuse that happened. Just long houses, pemmican , totem poles etc. Dreadfully boring to me at the time.

>89 vancouverdeb: Hmm, that is a bit different than the history I learnt, Deb. We didn't learn about First Nations Tribes in BC, we learnt about the First Nations in Lower Canada and the Roman Catholic priests - but then, I was taught in Quebec. I guess history is taught regionally as well. History has always been one of my favourite subjects so I remember more about studying that and English and, of course, French which we started learning in grade 3.

Yes, I do imagine what we are taught as " social studies" does vary by region and by teacher. We learned nothing at all about Roman Catholic Priests, or anything about Ontario. It was mainly BC - focused and the dreadful battles with the plastic soldiers - I'm not even sure what battles were re- enacted. I have a lot of fun memories of that, as I still have friends from elementary school days and we get a chuckle out of it all. French was not offered until grade 8 and grade 8 French was mandatory, though I took it until grade 12. I'll have to ask my brothers , who live in Edmonton and Barrie ON what their kids are learning, as their kids are much younger. I do know my brother in Edmonton has his kids in immersion French, plus they are in the French Catholic Schools - so imagine the history they are learning is much different to what I was taught. Interesting topic.

>91 vancouverdeb: I am not sure exactly what "social studies" consists of but know that it includes history. When I was in school it was just called history. I recently took a few Canadian history courses at Douglas College. The focus was different because I am now in BC rather than Quebec and so much more has been discovered and primary sources are very accessible because of the online world.

I was hoping that the weather would just be cloudy today, Deb. It started out that way. Fall weather like we had on Friday isn't bad but I find the cold and damp depressing - and why does it always happen on the weekend?

It was a struggle to get to my challenge reads last month. I hope to finish a few more in the next little while as I start working on this month's challenges. October is shaping up to be a busy month so I am not sure how this month's reading will go.

I seem to find more and more ways to use my time. I love the Fitbit group but all those steps take a lot of time in a day. Doing the research and writing for my blog is fun but that takes a lot of time too. Right now I am running a series on Pubs and the Publican. A Genealogist's Path to History



I also discovered how to use the hold system in the Vancouver Library and have to visit there more often to pick up books in a hurry - wonderful but also eats up a lot of time. When I think about it it is a wonder that I have the time to read books at all!

I don't remember "anything" I learned in social studies/history when I was in grade school / high school either. Though some of it must have rubbed off on me because I'm not completely illiterate on the subject. Only mostly illiterate. I took an online quiz the other day and got all of the WWII questions wrong. Wars have never really excited me that much, I guess.

This conversation makes me want to read more history books!

Ha! This reminds me of when we learned (sort of) about English history. Took about a term to build a motte and bailey (kind of an early castle) from papier mache. Beyond that, I remember nothing...

Hi Meg! The Uses and Abuses of History sounds like a good one.

I hope you've been having a good weekend. Mine has been busy but good. I'm enjoying my current read, This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell.

>94 The_Hibernator: I have always loved stories and as you are a reader you must too, Rachel. History is basically stories that are set in the past which are based on events that actually happened. See, you are probably reading similar stuff already.

>95 charl08: Did you watch the programs about "Tudor Farm" and "Victorian Farm"? The same people did a program about building a castle in France using traditional methods - a bit more lasting than papier mache but the same kind of principle, I would think.

Bet you know more about history than you think, Charlotte. What about Henry VIII or the princes in the tower?

>96 EBT1002: I am having a good but busy weekend, Ellen. (When isn't it busy.) I am happy that yesterday's rain is over! I am off to the library in a few minutes to pick up my latest hold His Bloody Project. I am quite looking forward to that and hope the book gives me some insight into my Scottish research.

I hope your book is good and the rest of your weekend is too!

*lurk*

>100 katiekrug: Hi Katie, welcome back!

87. A Widow for One Year by John Irving

I read A Widow for One Year for September's AAC. It was long so it took until October to finish. I think that the length has something to do with how far the writer goes into the life of Ruth Cole, the main character. He starts with her parents Ted and Marian, their disintegrating marriage and the deblitating loss of Ruth's two siblings, the two brothers who died before she was born. Her mother was particularly devastated by the loss of her two boys and their loss makes her afraid to love Ruth.

The main supporting character for the family is Eddie a 16 year old who becomes Marian's lover, a role which will affect him for all of his life. Ruth's support after she grows up and becomes a best-selling author is her nymphomaniac best friend, Hannah. There are many other interesting characters in the novel which Irving mixes together. He throws in a murder and sets the action in different cities for good measure.

All in all it was an interesting tale with quirky characters to become invested in and a dash of humour to add spice.

Hi Meg!

Your review of A Widow for One Year is encouraging. I might bring it down off the shelves in a month or so. Having just read the doorstop Until I Find You, I'm temporarily Irvinged-out.

Happy Monday, happy week!

I really don't know what they are required to take in any state now. When I was in high school, we were required to take one semester of Mississippi History our 9th grade year and a semester of Civics (which would roughly be a political science type course). We were required to take a full semester of American history our junior year. The senior year had a state requirement of an American Government course and a locally mandated class for a semester called "Problems in American Democracy" (which really consisted of reading Newsweek). You could elect to take World History either your sophomore or senior year. I took it my sophomore year. The majority of those in the class were seniors though. I guess you could say we were required to take 1 1/2 years of history but I took 2 1/2.

I checked and " Social Studies" is still called Social Studies in B.C. It is mandatory until grade 10 and then it is an elective, mainly as history, I suppose. The same with the Sciences in B.C. You must take up to Science 10, and after that you can choose from Chem, Bio, and Physics etc. Social Studies is sort an all encompassing term - here is example of a grade 8 Social Studies class description. Social Studies 8
Social Studies 8 is an opportunity for students to learn about
our colourful and diverse cultural heritage. Students will
explore the intriguing Middle Ages by comparing the
civilizations of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle
East, India, China and Japan. They will examine the
tremendous changes caused by the Renaissance, the
Reformation, the Age of Exploration and the contact with the
indigenous peoples of the Americas. Relevant current issues
will be addressed and geographic skills will be integrated into
the program of studies. Students will begin to develop their
skills in decision-making, problem solving and critical
thinking and will practice their analytical skills."

Sorry I don't know how to format that better. Hmm.. sounds rather ambitious for grade 8. I'm not sure what the course was like back in " my day" :) Like Charlotte, for me , most of social studies has gone by the wayside. But now that I read of historical fiction and am a news hound , I've picked up a lot more history .

I do enjoy John Irving. Great review!

>103 karenmarie: A Widow for One Year was my first Irving other than the one that I read less than a chapter of before taking it back to the library. So it seems to me that Irving's books are a bit hit and miss. The widow one was a hit. I don't think you'll be disappointed, Karen, but probably best to give Irving a rest for a while. It is a long one.

>104 thornton37814: Only 1 1/2 years of history doesn't sound like a lot, Lori, especially when only one of the courses was about the rest of the world. We started taking history in grade school and continued through high school. As I remember it was part of the core curriculum. Of course, I continued to take history courses in university and more recently in college. Never did take US history though and a course about US government would be handy - I really don't understand the American electoral system so don't really have a grasp on what happens there every four years.

>105 vancouverdeb: That grade 8 course sounds like it takes in a lot of history, Deb. Looks like they are trying to cover the backgrounds of all their students which is very inclusive of the school system - also very ambitious. I wonder how many teachers have knowledge of all of that history?

Enjoying the history discussion. I chose to study history at 14, 16 and then 18, so I've since specialised, but the British history we did (and it was mostly British) before age 11 was themed. A friend who teaches primary sometimes talks about her work and I realised that the teachers just use a history theme ("Ancient Egyptians" "The Tudors") to frame several weeks worth of teaching. So crafts (making those castles), writing stories about living during the fire of London, that sort of thing. It was all very interesting (I love history) but I don't remember learning dates (except for 1066) or very much social commentary (I'm not sure I realised *why* Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament) back then.

As soon as we got to choose, there was an awful lot of war and fascists (Italy and Germany). I've been quite envious of others who studied the Cuban missile crisis or apartheid when they were doing their A levels instead. (16-18)

>107 Familyhistorian: In spite of the fact that we are taught it, most Americans don't grasp the electoral system. Added to the confusion is that some states now divide their electoral votes instead of using the "all for one" system. We did have history in earlier grades. I'm just talking about high school requirements. The world history course was elective so the majority of students did not take it. I hope they actually do require world history now.

Hi, Meg. Good review of A Widow for One Year. I liked that one too. Glad your Irving pick worked out.

>109 charl08: Like Charlotte I am enjoying the history discussion.

I think that the teacher is just as much of importance than the course content for the younger students/pupils. I remember my english and history teacher when I was eleven years old inculcating a love of both subjects that has remained with me ever since. We started with the Romans and covered many ages and civilisations and the story of the same was used to broaden an interest in the subject.

>109 charl08: The history I studied in school went pretty much up to WWII as well, Charlotte. Interesting but not very au courant. Finding out the ins and outs of more currant history would have be interesting.

>110 thornton37814: I don't feel so bad if even US citizens don't understand the electoral system. It is very confusing. I was in high school for 5 years so the amount of history classes seems low to me. I am pretty sure that I took history every year I was in high school.

>111 msf59: I did enjoy the Irving once I found one that worked. Are you back at work now, Mark? I still have October vacation to look forward to.

Today is my day off, so back tomorrow. It has been a nice stretch.

>112 PaulCranswick: History can be deathly dull if taught that way, Paul. I can remember teachers that wanted us to memorize the dates of everything. Much more interesting were the teachers who taught about the events themselves. Learning about what the upper crust got up to was interesting but history came alive for me when social history became more prevalent. I could fit the stories I learned from my mother and father into social history.

>117 Familyhistorian: Agree totally. The story over the dates any day. I just happen to remember most of the dates too.

Have a wonderful weekend, Meg.

>118 PaulCranswick: Ha, you would remember the dates, Paul! That's probably due to your love of statistics. Dates usually make my eyes glaze over except when I can make interesting connections with them.

Have a great weekend!

>120 Familyhistorian: This is a long weekend here for Thanksgiving. It hasn't started out well for me as I woke up with quite a head (no booze involved, unfortunately). My lack of energy means that every thing takes longer and I haven't been even tempted to go for a walk in the pouring rain. So I won't get in my steps today but on the upside I can still read. I finished A Complicated Kindness today and I am now working on His Bloody Project and Len Deighton's Blood, Tears and Folly.

88. Mobbed by Carol Higgins Clark

The Regan Reilly mysteries are an entertaining series written by Carol Higgins Clark. They are simple fun reads unlike her mother's more complex novels.

This mystery centres around garage sales – high end ones. As usual there are people involved whose motivations are suspect. What would a good mystery be without some bad guys? Regan, her husband Jack and mother, Nora, are there to figure out what is going on behind the scenes and make sure everything turns out alright for the innocent parties.

89. a complicated kindness by Miriam Toews

Nomi, the central character of a complicated kindness, lives in a small Mennonite town. As a child she was taught the values and lore of her community and has tried to live by them but as a rebellious teenager she doesn't know which way to turn. It is hard when her family has been so affected by the unforgiving nature of her community. First her sister leaves, then her mother. Nomi has no idea where they have gone.

Finding out what happened to her family and finding out about herself are the main themes of Nomi's life. Inevitably they put her in conflict with her community. Should she leave? But how can she leave the only community she has ever know and the one remaining member of her family, her father who was also left behind.

A complicated kindness is a coming of age story and, at the same time, it reveals a different type of community which is part of the mosaic of Canada.

I've loved the Toews novels I've read, Meg, so will have to pick up this one. Nice comments.

Meg, I'm sorry you're not stepping out this weekend due to the rain and your headache but it gives me a chance to move up in the Fitbit group. Not that I'm doing steps to compete. I love having more energy! I just wish I had destinations to walk to like you do. I can go in different directions but other than a nearby trail I mostly walk in our neighborhood. At least the leaves are finally showing some fall color. It should be beautiful in a couple of weeks as I crunch through the leaves!

Nice review of A Complicated Kindness, Meg. I enjoyed The Flying Troutmans, and I hope to get to All My Puny Sorrows by the end of the year, so I'll keep this book in mind.

I just put All My Puny Sorrows on my to read list. Sounds like Toews has written some other interesting books as well.

>123 BLBera: It was a good one, Beth. Which books have you read by Toews?

>124 Donna828: Hi Donna, I mainly do the same circuit when I walk but it is pretty and changes with the season. There is a trail beside my place but I don't use it at this time of year because of bears. Of course, they also have been known to show up at the park where I usually walk but my theory is that they won't hang around when there are lots of people around.

The rain stopped and I feel better today so I got in my steps. Looks like you and I are competing for the third spot.

Hi! I'm enjoying the history/social studies discussion, too. I grew up in New Jersey, where we had "social studies" in the years leading up to high school. I'd call the "social studies" a mixture of history, geography, current events, and (to some degree) what would today be called "multicultural" education.

I remember 4th grade had a big focus on state history. No memory of what we learned in 5th, 6th, and 7th grade, except that we learned a bit of comparative world religions in 6th grade. In 8th grade we learned about different countries and cultures and geography, and had a great teacher. I remember events we had in the classroom where we were assigned recipes from different cultures to make at home and bring in for a big party!

High school: 9th grade was US History I (which I remember vividly -- the teacher was quite memorable). So grade 10 was probably US History II, but I have very little recollection of that. As a senior, I took AP (Advance Placement) World History as an elective.

Somehow, some of it stayed with me, because I love history.

>125 kidzdoc: When I saw Toews, she was promoting All my Puny Sorrows. I couldn't bring myself to buy that book at the writers festival because of the subject matter but from reading other LTer's reviews of the book apparently I was too hasty. I hope you enjoy it, Darryl.

>126 The_Hibernator: All my Puny Sorrows is one that you will probably appreciate, Rachel. It deals with how the mentally ill are treated, at least that's what I gather from other LTer's reviews. It is probably one that I should read too given the affect that mental health issues have had on my life.

>129 tymfos: I love history too, Terri. But my memory of the history I learned in school is hazy, just like yours. Your grade 8 teacher sounds amazing especially with the assigning of various regional dishes to bring back to share with the glass. That would make things memorable for the students. (Probably for the parents as well, when you think about it.)

I am not sure that what we learnt in school triggered my interest. It was more knowing that my family had come from somewhere else and wanting to know what they had been through to bring us to where we lived. I have always been nosy and wouldn't anyone have some questions if they had an English accent and lived in the suburbs of Montreal?

90. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

I don't usually read books that are on prize lists, long or short. But the buzz about this year's Man Booker longlist brought His Blood Project to my attention. The premise of the book sounded interesting but when I found out where the action was set I just had to read it. Culduie is a short distance from Kyle of Localsh, the main connection point to the Isle of Skye and, as such, is within reach of my ancestral stomping grounds.

The book was well done, with the various accounts of the events of the murders, examination of the prisoner and the trial giving the reader an experience similar to uncovering written records in an archive and piecing together what happened in a particular event. As with any such exercise, there were conclusions and unanswered questions.

In the book the attitudes of the various parties are portrayed as they would have been in 1869. I especially appreciated the arrogance of the account of J. Bruce Thomson. It was a different time and I think that the writer has conveyed that well. It reminded me of the accounts of the murders of the Black Donnellys, which were written about actual events, so I think that the author has achieved his aim.

>133 Familyhistorian: Glad you enjoyed that one. It's one I've already read and seems to be one of the favorites among our LT friends.

So far I've not gotten To His Bloody Project. I'm hoping to eventually get it. Nice review! As far as course write -ups go, I think the schools aim to sound really fabulous But I do recall my son's teacher being very keen on history and currents . My son was a little less keen. The teacher was really a nasty piece of work. I shudder to say that, but my son was otherwise so easy going and did well in school , but by the time he had the same teacher in grade 9 and was in tears because she was so unreasonable and cruel, I went in to speak to her nicely. I left the classroom in tears myself and went straight to the Principal's office to make a complaint. Amazingly, the principal assured me he would be meeting with the teacher the next day and was going to advise her to bring her union rep. And even more amazing - she changed her behaviour almost completely and no blow back to my son. Kudos to her for that.

Agreed - the teacher makes all the difference. They certainly don't have to perfect, but picking on kids, calling down other teachers in the school - that is crossing the line.

Hi Meg, you've done some great readings. Unfortunately I couldn't find some of them in my local library. I was for too long absent on LT due to a busy RL but will do better in the future.
I wish you a lovely week.

>134 thornton37814: I thought it was well done, Lori. I had to read it quickly because there are other holds on it at the library.

>135 vancouverdeb: What a hard thing to go through, Deb. Kudos to you for seeing the complaint about the teacher through. It is wonderful (and amazing) that it had such a positive outcome.

Hi Barbara, good to see you back. I hope you have a great week too. This should be a good one for me because it is a short week because Monday was Thanksgiving.

Meg - I read The Flying Troutmans and All My Puny Sorrows and loved them both.

Wishing you well during the next couple of days of stormy weather. Let's hope neither of us loses power. The planes are using a different runway today, so it is a bit noisy here today. I forget the names of the different runways but usually we do not hear the planes at YVR, but today , I am hearing them off and on. I imagine it's not that easy to land in these winds.

Yes, I was quite amazed at the fact that a complaint about a teacher , no matter how well grounded, actually had a positive outcome. I tried hard during my kids days in school to tell my kids - you just have to put up with different personalities, because that is life - but every now and then I think a line can be crossed and then you owe it to your child to speak up. Most teachers are excellent, but like any sort of work, some are less suited to their work.

>140 BLBera: I'll have to keep a look out for them, Beth. Hope you have a happy weekend.

>141 vancouverdeb: I was supposed to go to a presentation in Burnaby tonight but I decided not to go because of the winds and the news of traffic woes. It is one thing to dodge hazards in the daylight but I didn't want to drive home in the dark with all the debris on the roads. I just hope that their predictions are wrong and we have better weather tomorrow.

It was a good lesson for your son about what should happen in a situation like that but the outcome was not typical, just what ideally should happen. That was so amazing about it, Deb.

91. A Dirty Death by Rebecca Tope

Rebecca Tope knows her way around a farm which is evident in A Dirty Death. The death in question takes place on a farm and is particularly dirty as the farmer is drowned in a pool of slurry – the liquid and otherwise waste from a dairy farm. Was it an accident or was it murder? The farmer's favourite and only daughter wants to know but she has her hands full keeping the farm going and the authorities are leaning towards accidental death. But then more deaths, obvious murders, start happening. Who is behind it all and can the farm keep going?

A Dirty Death was a good mystery and an eye-opening view of life on a working farm.

You are having a good reading month so far Meg while i still haven't finished anything. I cannot remember the last time i went over two weeks without completing a single book.

Have a great weekend. xx

>145 PaulCranswick: Ha, I was just over trying to catch up with your thread, Paul. I know that feeling of not finishing anything. I have 8 books on the go right now but nothing near the end (it does look impressive though when I finish a whole bunch at once.)

Meg, I wish you a wnderful weekend. Unfortunately, my library hasn't got a copy of >144 Familyhistorian:

>147 Ameise1: It was a good one, Barbara, but I think it is one of Tope's older ones. Perhaps your library has some of her new series set in the Cotswolds. I hope you have a great weekend.

Happy Sunday, Meg! Just checking in. I hope RL is treating you well and I hope the books are treating you even better.

>149 msf59: Hi Mark, I have just started another vacation so RL is going well at the moment. Now if only the rain would stop for a while. I hope you are having a great weekend.

Great comments about His Bloody Project, Meg. Of course, I share the Scottish roots and I'm looking forward to reading this one when my turn in the library queue comes up.

Have a great week!

I've started His Bloody Project, and I'm loving it.

>151 EBT1002: Do your Scottish roots come from the same area, Ellen? Each time I have gone to Scotland to do research the other members of my group seem to go to the same areas when they explore further afield and I am the only one who goes to the Highlands and Islands.

Have a great week and hopefully the rain will ease up soon.

>152 jnwelch: His Bloody Project is well done, Joe. It depicts the way of life quite faithfully, I think.

Meg, I actually don't know where in Scotland my roots are set. I'm a MacDonald but that is, of course, a huge clan. It's really all I know. My great grandparents immigrated when my maternal mother was a wee child. I can say that, when we walked the West Highland Way, it felt like home on some very visceral level (a friend of mine said that my DNA was vibrating as I walked across Rannoch Moor).

>155 EBT1002: I can see why it would be hard to pin down with a name like MacDonald, Ellen. The MacDonald clan is a Highland one with many offshoots. You could probably find out more about where your MacDonalds are from with a little detective work. My Scottish ancestors came to North American in 1843 and 1853 and I have been able to determine where they came from.

92. Canada on Wheels: A Portfolio of Early Canadian Cars by John De Bondt

As part of my research into early cars I read this short book. It is about Canadian rather than American cars so the history covers a short time period when the making of automobiles was different on either side of the border. The author has used early ads to illustrate various types of cars which show them to advantage.

93. Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

Behind the Scenes at the Museum is a story of family told from the point of view of one of the children. Atkinson conveys the child's-eye-view very well by telling the story that the child narrates in short episodes very much like a child sees things; living in the present, not knowing quite what is going on and having a sketchy memory of what has gone before.

There is also a back story about the family that the child's mother came from. It is interspersed throughout the child's story. Sometimes it was hard to remember which character was which in that story. But other than that it was an enlightening background for the mother character.

I enjoyed my first Atkinson read and will look for this author again in the future.

I am off work this week but will be very busy. Last Saturday I went to a day long genealogy seminar. It was great and wonderful to meet up with old friends. Today is the first day that I will be attending the Vancouver Writers Festival. I signed up for three sessions today and two more tomorrow. More about them later.

Hope the festival goes well - sounds exciting.

Enjoy your time at the Writer's festival, Meg. I really enjoyed Kate Atkinson and her Jackson Brodie series, as well Life After Life . I have yet to get to A God in Ruins, a companion book to Life After Life.

>160 charl08: The festival is very good, Charlotte. I saw three sessions yesterday which were all different and all good. I'll post more about them later. Right now I am off to attend two more sessions.

>161 vancouverdeb: Yesterday was great, Deb. The rain even held off for most of the day so I got some walking in between the afternoon and evening sessions.

Apparently Behind the Scenes at the Museum is Atkinson's first book. That's what Carrie said on the BAC thread. It is standalone and very good. There was also talk about the Jason Brodie series. Sounds like they are good. I'll have to look for them. I hope you are able to get your walks in during the lulls in the rain.

Hi, Meg! Sweet Thursday. I hope to read Behind the Scenes, (I love Atkinson) once I wrap up Someone Knows My Name, which might take awhile. I am loving it though.

>164 msf59: Hi Mark, sweet Thursday, indeed. I am sitting here waiting for the first session of the Writers Fest to begin. I started The Book of Negroes last night but it will take a long time as I have a few library books to finish and lots going on for the next four days. Hope the books are treating you well.

Hi Meg! Just purchased a new pair of hikers for my walks in the rain. Waterproof membrane and a big lug tread. Northface. I hope they stand up as advertised. I tried on so many waterproof hikers, but I purchased the most comfortable. Trying on shoes, - not fun. Almost as bad as trying on jeans or a bra. *sighs*. Not a shopper.

>158 Familyhistorian: I am pleased to see that Kate Atkinson was a hit with you Meg.

Have a lovely weekend.

>166 vancouverdeb: I hope the hikers are as good as advertised, Deb. I'm with you on the shopping. I can't understand the attraction that some peope have for hanging out at the mall. I am the person barrelling through trying to get in and out asap.

>167 PaulCranswick: The Kate Atkinson went down a treat, Paul. I will have to look for more of her works. Hope you are having a relaxing weekend.

Whew, I have been going non-stop for the last three days. First the writers fest and now the Surrey International Writers Conference. All wonderful stuff. I have seen some interesting authors. More later!

October is an amazing month for readers and writers in the Vancouver area. This year the Vancouver Writers Festival runs from October 17 to 23 and the Surrey International Writers Conference runs from October 20 to 23. (Can you see any conflict there? But then, I was told that there always needs to be conflict in writing.)

>171 Familyhistorian: Nice picture of the entrance to Granville Island. Glad you are enjoying both the Writers Conference and the Writers Festival. A lot of driving! Yes, there always needs to be conflict in writing :)

Took the North Face Hikers out for a test run today. It was not raining nor slippery , so not a full test drive, but they are nice and comfortable on my feet. We managed to get our for our walk while is was not raining today. Today was not bad here.

Happy Sunday, Meg. Enjoy those festivals.

>172 vancouverdeb: No driving involved, Deb. Lots of waiting and running for buses instead. I did get a drive home one night when a friend met me for the evening sessions at the writers festival.

Good that your hikers are working out well. It is so nice these days not to have to break in new shoes. It looks like you will have wet weather to test drive them soon.

>173 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. The festivals were great. I hope your week is shaping up well.

My literary foray began on October 18. First up was a session by two children’s authors, Kit Pearson and Ellen Schwartz who were there to promote their latest books: A Day of Signs and Wonders, a day in the life of the young Emily Carr by Pearson and Heart of a Champion, a book about the Asahi baseball team and the Japanese internment by Schwartz. Yes, there were children in the audience; classes of them, grade 4 to 7 students. The adults were confined to three short rows and the rest of the theatre was filled with kids who got bored and started heading out to the washrooms, one, two and then groups at a time as the authors were interviewing each other. When it came time for questions the exodus magically stopped and the kids asked really good questions.

After a quick dinner at the Dockside restaurant, where I met my friend, we headed off to see a session called Wit Craft, featuring funny female writers: Marni Jackson, Amy Jones, Lisa Moore and Maria Semple. All of the writers read excerpts from their books; Jackson’s Don’t I Know You?, Jones We’re All in This Together and Semple’s Today Will Be Different. Moore read from one of her books as well but I don’t know if it was her newest, Flannery. She read a sex scene set in the back room of a shoe store and it was hilariously funny – I think she read it on a dare. It was the highlight of the session and I just have to find that book.

Then we trekked across Granville Island in the pouring rain to take in the last session which was called, This Really Happened: Coming of Age. This Really Happened is a series in which writers speak about a topic, in this case coming of age. The talks can be funny, sad or anywhere in between. http://carte-blanche.org/this-really-happened is their website.



Granville Island is where these bad boys are located.

>158 Familyhistorian: Since you enjoyed Behind the Scenes at the Museum, I recommend Life After Life by Atkinson.

>177 EBT1002: Did you enjoy Life After Life, Ellen? I am not too sure about the premise but I know that there were a lot of rave reviews on LT. I am thinking about trying to find a Jackson Brodie one. Did you read those?

I did enjoy Life After Life, Meg. I'm reading A God in Ruins now and enjoying it, as well. I have read the first two Jackson Brodie novels and will certainly continue the series (I'm just slow at reading series; I get too distracted).

My second day of the Vancouver Writers Festival started with a session at 10:00 am. This time the kids were in grade 10 to 12 so it was all good. The writers were Eileen Cook and Alice Kuipers and the talk was called, Setting the Hook for Suspense. The authors read from their latest novels. Cook’s With Malice opens with a teenage girl waking up in a hospital bed, not remembering the last six weeks of her life. What she finds out is that her best friend is dead, from there she tries to find out what happened. It sounded like a very interesting premise. Kuipers talked about an older one of her books The Worst Thing She Ever Did/"Lost for Words" which fit the session but her latest book is the picture book Violet and Victor Write the Most Fabulous Fairy Tale. The writers' YA fiction sounds like it is page turning stuff.

The evening session was A Good Way to Get Yourself Killed. It featured crime writers Sam Wiebe, Michael Kortya and Peter Robinson who talked about writing series fiction. Sam Wiebe is a relative newcomer who is the Vancouver Public Library’s Writer in Residence. Sam’s current novel "Invisible Death" (no touchstone available) is the start of a Vancouver based private-eye series. Michael Kortya is further along in his series about PI Mark Novak. His latest offering is Rise the Dark. Of course, the most experienced writer was Peter Robinson whose Inspector Banks series is very long running. When the Music’s Over is the 23rd book in the Banks series. It was interesting hearing the authors talk about writing series fiction. At one point Sam Wiebe was asking the other two writers for their advice so the audience got the benefit of the advice as well.



The view at the back of the Revue Stage where both of these sessions were held

>180 Familyhistorian: It sounds like an interesting and wonderful festival!

I just read Gallows View, the first in the Ian Banks series, on my Alaska vacation in August. It was a fun read.

YOur writer festivals always sound SO interesting. I'm definitely envious.

On both days I had a lot of time between some of the sessions which was dangerous. Not only were books being sold at the festival but I trekked out the Banyan Books and Sound on West Fourth. Good thing I only had a short time there because I found two books within about 10 minutes. On day two I went to the library which was good but then I headed out to the big downtown Chapters where two more books caught my eye. It was probably a good thing that I was busing it so had to carry everything with me or else more books might have followed me home.



Rain doused crows taking a break on a banner outside Chapters.

>181 EBT1002: That's an old book, Ellen. Peter Robinson said that he started writing the series in 1987. It has held up well if it is still going strong this long.

>182 ronincats: The writers festival was fun, Roni, but the writers conference was even better. I attended that from Friday until today, Sunday. I'll post about that later.

Wonderful pictures, Meg! You are so adventurous traveling from Coquitlam to Surrey by bus and I imagine by the West Coast Express? Will the Evergreen line help you out with your travels in future? Sounds like a great time!( except for the busing! ) . I have heard of Sam Wiebe - maybe looked at book by him. The hikers are doing well.

ETA - I thought I had a book by Sam Wiebe and yes I do - but where is it? It is Last of the Independents: Vancouver Noir. I purchased it in 2014 according my LT records. Hmmm- I'll have to look for it eventually.

The Surrey International Writers’ Conference ran from October 21 to 23. My ticket was for the basic conference only so just included the sessions, no meals or evening events. For those staying at the hotel with a full ticket it would have been an immersive experience but I had the luxury of returning home each night to regroup.

Friday was day one. It started off with a morning gathering hosted by Carol who gave the announcements for the day with her usual sparkle. She introduced the morning keynote speaker, Angie Abdou. After Angie's inspiring speech we were off to attend our chosen sessions.



Our host, Carol.

The sessions are mostly about the craft of writing. Susanna Kearsley got us to think about family shapes ourselves and our characters. Then Hallie Ephron talked about voice and viewpoint and how to decide which character should narrate your story. After lunch Jasper Fforde talked about his process in a session about the narrative dare; setting himself up with an odd idea and then trying to write his way out of it. He encouraged us to do the same. To end the day, I chose to sit in on a session by Daniel Jose Older whose theme was writing about those divergent from oneself. His basic message was that diversity should be included in our writing.



A double rainbow on my way home.

>186 vancouverdeb: You snuck in there Deb while I was downloading more photos. I took buses to get to Granville Island for the writers fest, Deb. I find it is easier to get downtown by transit that way I don't have to worry about parking and I can catch up on LT while someone else is doing the driving. Going to Surrey is more of an adventure though because the bus lets me off in a concrete tunnel area which is part of the freeway.

The Last of the Independents: Vancouver Noir is the first book in Sam Wiebe's series. I hope you are able to find it.

The writing conference sounds great, Meg(!) I like Fforde's idea of setting up an odd situation and writing your way out of it.

Great to see the street art on Granville Island in >176 Familyhistorian:. That's by the Brazilian brothers Os Gemeos, as far as I know. They're a lot of fun.

>189 jnwelch: Hey Joe not Deb - that's who I was addressing in my last post LOL. I am sure I've address the wrong person on threads too.

I think I saw that art on your thread before, Joe. It was fun to see it in person but hard to get a good photo because it is a working truck yard and riff raff, like tourists, isn't allowed beyond the gate.

Fforde is a master at writing himself out of strange situations. I have only read The Big Over Easy, but I can see that idea behind that book for sure.

>190 Familyhistorian: Meg! (Fixed - just back from a trip is my only excuse).

I read The Eyre Affair and I think the one after that, then I fell off the trolley. He's a clever guy.

I'd love to know how the Os Gemeos brothers got involved with that one, so far from their home base. What a canvas for them!

>191 jnwelch: I liked the Fforde that I read but, knowing myself as a reader, I would only be able to read his books sparingly. I understand you falling off the trolley.

Have a look at the following website http://www.vancouverbiennale.com. This organization is all about exhibiting the work of emerging artists in public spaces.

>192 Familyhistorian: Thanks, that explains it. The Brazilian brothers (Os Gemeos) talk about that one here: http://www.vancouverbiennale.com/artworks/giants/?tour=8814

>193 jnwelch: Very interesting, Joe. I wonder how they sold it to the cement company?

>194 Familyhistorian: Ditto! It must have gotten them some valuable publicity. Maybe someone there was smart enough to see the advantage of that.

Now on to day two of the Surrey International Writers Conference.

The message about diversity continued into Saturday, the second day of the conference. Jael Richardson delivered a rousing address about including stories about diversity in the morning keynote. Her latest work, The Stone Thrower is the story of her father, Charles Ealey, a football player who had to move from his native land so that he could play ball.



The first session I attended was Historical Research through a Feminine Lens. It was a panel discussion about the difficulties of finding the stories of females of the past. Did you know that the first paleontologist was Mary Anning who did ground-breaking work. Her writing was donated to a museum where it was deemed of little importance and given away. Panelist Mary Robinette Kowal brought up this issue a few times. The other panelists where Elizabeth Boyle and Susanna Kearsley who also brought up many interesting points.



Next was Tactical Social Media for Writers. The presenter, Jason Brick, gave us lots of how-to pointers but when asked about blogging he said it was better to do a long blog post every month or two weeks. I don’t believe that because I find long blog posts daunting so I will continue to make my post short and frequent.

After lunch author Owen Laukkanen let us in on the secrets of Crafting a Pulse-Pounding Thriller. The diagramming of the arcs for crafting a story that Owen showed us were underlined in the next talk, The Most Important Moment in Your Story given by Larry Brooks. He emphasized the need for a dramatic arc, that there must be a purpose behind the story.

>195 jnwelch: Or maybe there was a connection of some kind between the cement company and the Vancouver Biennale organization. Then again, as the company is on Granville Island they must be used to arty types.

Sunday, the third and final day of the SIWC, was only a half day so that people who had travelled a long way to the conference could make their ways home. The morning keynote was given by Cat Rambo. Her address was more low key than the speech on the previous day but fit the toned down feeling of a wrap-up day.



Because of my interest in things Scottish, I chose to attend a talk about The Scottish Identity given by Àdhamh Ó Broin who is Scottish Gaelic Consultant for Outlander. Adhamh was entertaining and very passionate about the Scottish identity. The following session was given by Diana Gabaldon who told us how she uses Underpainting to add live and detail to her work. She read passages from her work and showed how the details added to the work. I was interested to learn that she employs poetic devices to achieve some of her effects.

My vacation started on October 15 with an all-day genealogy seminar put on in a local LDS church. Then I had a few free days – are they ever really free with all the chores piling up? After that it was the Writers Festival for two days. There was time between sessions which I spent in various parts of downtown Vancouver. Fortunately, the weather cooperated for most of it. After that it was the Surrey International Writers Conference for three days. I admit at the end of all that I was quite exhausted and I was glad that I had taken a couple more vacation days this week to regroup. Unfortunately, it is back to work tomorrow.

Everywhere I went during those active days there were books. One even followed me home from Costco yesterday. This is the acquisition stack so far this month.

My goodness Meg, you have had a busy October and I see some great books in that stack! You managed to pack a lot into your vacation time and are probably looking forward to some quiet time once you get back to work. I find it hard to believe we are about to move into the last week of the month! It really does seem to be true that the older one gets the faster the time flies by!

>200 DeltaQueen50: It is flying by way too quickly, Judy. I was thinking how wonderful it would be not to have to go back to work after this vacation so I could actually use what I learned. I had been searching for the timing for my retirement next year and I think that this week next year will be it.

Quite the stack! Of the titles I can read, I'd like to the Charlotte Gray , I've enjoyed a couple of books by her, I think I might have The House Girl in the " stacks" and I'd like to read The Underground Railroad too. Great work!

>202 vancouverdeb: I have lots of Charlotte Gray's works on my shelves, Deb, as I have an extensive history section in my personal library. I haven't read any of them yet so I better get to it. Believe it or not I picked up her book at Costco. (There has to be some reward for braving the aisleways of people with shopping carts.)

>199 Familyhistorian: My acquisitions stack for the month is pretty much entirely genealogical in nature. I purchased a few titles when I could get fairly good discounts on them.

Hello Familyhistorian! I'm sorry I haven't kept up with your thread. I look forward to checking out The Underground Railroad, but first I am going to check out one I intended to read in the past, Song yet Sung. After reading this one, which is not my regular fare, it may be a while before I return to Whitehead. I read a previous McBride entitled Miracle at St. Anna's which was a very good book.

I hope all is well with you.

Hi Meg!

I was out of town on a family situation and just got back home.

I'm just going to draw a line in the sand and continue on from here - I hope you're doing well and I'm looking forward to checking in more regularly!

>204 thornton37814: You are lucky to get discounts on genealogy books, Lori. There are some genealogy books in my stack as well as some books for historical research that relates to my family research.

>205 brodiew2: It will probably take me a while to get to Underground Railroad, as well, Brodie. There is just so little reading time available and yet they all look so good.

>206 karenmarie: It must feel good to be on your home turf, Karen. I hope you got everything sorted out for your Mom.

Hi Meg!

Mom's safe and sound in a board-and-care facility. All her bills are paid. Those are the two important short-term items. I'm trying to get Wells Fargo to grant me Power of Attorney over her checking accounts, which they have refused to do so far. Mom says she thinks she'll be home in December - it may be so, but probably won't be - and we're trying to figure out how she can survive on the money she has. My parents were not especially good with money, and it's coming home to roost now, unfortunately. Thank you for asking.

It is a lot of work trying to figure out and set up things including finances for someone else, Karen. It is especially difficult when it is a role reversal with a parent. Good luck with the bank.

Wow, what a book-filled month you have had, Meg! Even with my Thingaversary haul this month, you've outdone me!

>212 ronincats: Congrats on your Thingaversary, Roni. It's too bad that my Thingaversary wasn't this month as well. I would have had no problem getting my books! It was great to have such a book filled month but I do wish things were a bit more spread out!

94. The Midnight Assassin by Skip Hollandsworth

Before Jack the Ripper began his murderous spree, there was a murderer loose in Austin, Texas. Like Jack, the Texas murder also targeted women but, while he killed some women, he left witnesses and injured parties behind. Still, no one caught more than a glimpse of the Midnight Assassin.

Through extensive research, Hollandsworth was able to piece together the story of the Midnight Assassin, an almost forgotten part of Austin's past. He has written a book that is part history, part mystery and part a resurrection of America's forgotten past. In doing so, he shone a light on how inadequate the law enforcement of the past was to dealing with such crimes.

95. And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

I am a mystery reader and also love history, so And Only to Deceive which combines the two worked very well for me. Lady Emily Ashton is young and newly widowed. She has to follow the dictates of Victorian society in observing mourning but finds that she has more freedom than she has ever had in her life. Because of her widowed status she is unable to take part in the social round which gives her the freedom to do what she wants. She becomes interested in Greek and Roman antiquities, which had been an interest of her late husband. Following this interest becomes a way to get to know the man she married a short time before he died on a trip to Africa. But what really happened to him, is he really dead and how was he involved with the fraudulent antiquities which are showing up? As Emily delves further into the mystery she doesn't know who to trust and what to believe.

This was a well written mystery that kept me guessing although I had my suspicions but then I have the advantage of not being a Victorian lady who has the realities of life kept from her.

Wow, that's a gigantic stack!

>216 The_Hibernator: It is pretty big isn't it? I added one more to the top. It's the end of the month so the stack comes down and gets recorded and then I have to try and find shelf space. Not sure if I will get to record it tonight with all the kids coming to the door. I am starting to put books in the little free library near me but I need to pick up the pace or stop buying books (like that's going to happen.)

>215 Familyhistorian: "I am a mystery reader" - I wonder who that mystery reader was!

Have a great weekend, Meg the Mysterious.

>218 PaulCranswick: I strive to be mysterious, Paul. It is much more interesting than being obvious. I hope you have a great weekend yourself!

>199 Familyhistorian: That's a verrrrry interesting stack of books, there, Meg. It looks like it wants to be TWO stacks, though---I think there may be toppling threat to beware of.

>220 laytonwoman3rd: I put another book on top of the stack and it still never toppled, Linda. I am safe now. The books are recorded and I am on to a new month of acquisitions. Now all I have to do is find shelf space for October's stack.