CassieBash's 75 (or so) Book Challenge, aka The Ecclectic Readings of a Librarian with Way too Many Interests

Hello, once again! This year's challenge to try to reduce the stacks of unread books (Hah! As if!) insulating a small section of my north wall continues. I'm starting with a lengthy historical fiction about Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, but other books in the docket include works by William Sleator, fairy tales, YA fantasy, a Ray Bradbury poetry collection, some short story anthologies, and nonfiction books on ancient history, forensics, medical topics, animals, and gardening. At work, I've set aside a book on the Salem witchcraft trials, and there's a scarcely held (in Indiana libraries) book in our storage area I'm eyeing that's on the nightshade family--those who've followed my critter threads know that the nightshade family plays host to certain hornworms (gardeners know what I'm talking about) that really can be easily "transplanted" from the tomato/potato/pepper plant onto another member of the family that's considered "undesirable", like horse nettle or Jimsonweed. In fact, I'll also recommend to any gardeners reading this (those who don't already do this, that is) that those caterpillars eating your carrots/dill/parsley/etc. should be moved unharmed to Queen Anne's lace. This allows the caterpillars to become adult pollinators, and if you're in an area like Indiana with few evening and night-time pollinators, those long-tongued Sphinx moth caterpillars (the hornworms) are very important and need to be encouraged. We don't have nectar eating bats up here, and our hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies are in bed by sunset. Not so the Carolina Sphinx moths....

Didn't mean to tangent like that, but oh, well, that happens sometimes. My usual rules apply: "chapter" books only, audiobooks are included as long as they fit requirement 1. This year I may do some re-reading; I have a fantasy book that I haven't read in over a decade and I remember it being good at the time but I honestly don't remember the plot. There's a short nonfiction on milkweed ecology I'd like to revisit this spring, but the vast majority will again be first-time reads.

I welcome lurkers and open followers alike; feel free to make suggestions of similar titles, or to say that you read that book when you were (fill in appropriate age here), or that you find my taste in nonfiction books to be particularly disturbing. (It won't change any of my reading preferences, but you're welcome to say it.)

Good luck and happy reading to my fellow 75-ers!

Welcome back!

Hi, Cassie!

Happy New Year! (dropping a star)

Happy reading in 2017, Cassie

I am part of the group.
I love being part of the group.
I love the friendships bestowed upon my by dint of my membership of this wonderful fellowship.
I love that race and creed and gender and age and sexuality and nationality make absolutely no difference to our being a valued member of the group.

Thank you for also being part of the group.

Early this year, I'll be taking a posting hiatus while I recover from a surgery that will take place on Jan. 30. I'll be doing a lot of post-op reading, though nothing too heavy (in a physical sense, anyway--not supposed to lift even a gallon of milk, which is around 8 pounds). So I'll have a stack of paperbacks, YA and juvenile fiction, and perhaps a slimmer volume of nonfiction or two pulled out and ready to go from my "to read" pile. Since I find it a pain to type long messages and create touchstones via the iPhone while in the best of health, I'll probably just stockpile my reviews until I once again have access to a full-fledged computer. Who knows? I may have 20 reviews to post by the time I get back here in February.

With luck, I will finish The October Horse, my first novel of the year, before the surgery, as it is probably pushing the weight limit, but there's so much to prep for that I'm not sure if it'll happen. I may have to come back to that one after my recovery period. It's a long novel about (mainly) Julius Caesar and (not so much) Cleopatra. Since Cleo is actually the one on the cover, I had hoped it would focus on her more, though McCullough depicts her as more spoiled child than dedicated queen--which is quite different from most historical fiction I've read. But mostly the book is focused on Caesar, who really doesn't love Cleo but only impregnated her so that her line would rule Egypt and there would be a political alliance there. In fact, most of the book is about political alliances, rather than the relationship between Caesar and Cleopatra. Judging by the picture on the reverse of the cover, the book will go up to at least Caesar's murder. I don't know how much further the book will go beyond that--will it mention Mark Antony's fling with Cleo or end before that, is hard to say. I can say that this book is less romance and more military and political intrigue, so those into historical romance expecting great things from this book will be disappointed--I'm almost halfway through and most of the book has been about war and Rome's state of affairs, and Caesar's already had his thing with Cleo and is back in Rome. While she does come visit him while he's in Rome, I'm going to guess most of the time they're together, he'll spend trying to teach her how to rule her kingdom, as he did the first time around. Not really the hot romance we tend to think they had....

I hope your surgery and recovery goes well! We'll be here when you get back.

>8 drneutron: And I'll have a lot of posts from other people to catch up on, so I also have something else to look forward to and to motivate a speedy recovery. Things should go well, but prayers are always appreciated.

Yep, what >8 drneutron: said - I'll be keeping you in my thoughts!

>8 drneutron: and >10 scaifea: Thanks!

Just an interesting author/title combination I came across while working with the books today; I have no intention of reading this but that's not because of any preconceived notions based on the author's name or anything. I'm just not into that subject. But a name like this must make publishers cringe.

A History of Experimental Psychology by E. G. Boring. Apologies to Mr. Boring; I'm sure the book isn't that bad. And after all, we did keep it in our collection. :)

First book of the year is an audiobook checked out from the public library's OverDrive collection. Usually I don't start with audiobooks so soon, but I decided I wanted some "reading" for my first Muncie trip to wish my honeywumpus a happy birthday.

Book 1: Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley: Ephraim Tuttle is dying, and he and the grandson he raised, Micah, are now under Gertrudis's--Ephraim's sister--control. And control it is--she has no fondness for Micah or her brother's fantastic stories about Circus Mirandus, a magical circus only certain children can find. A circus with an invisible tiger as its guardian, and a circus with acts like the Amazonian Birdwoman, who can fly and enchant birds, or The Man Who Bends Light, Ephraim's favorite, who can bend reality to make it seem that you're anywhere doing anything, from exploring jungles to witnessing an ancient Roman chariot race. Ephraim visited the circus long ago, when he was a child, and he tells Micah about how he earned a "miracle" from the Man Who Bends Light--The Lightbender, as Ephraim refers to him--and now he desperately needs his miracle. Micah isn't sure just how The Lightbender is going to find his grandfather, but he knows that miracle is going to save his grandfather's life. But how to get him to Circus Mirandus? When Ephraim writes a letter, The Lightbender's messenger comes for it, and when Micah learns that the messenger has been to his grandfather's room, he's certain the Circus will come. The Lightbender HAS to keep his promise to deliver a miracle--but will the miracle be what Micah expects?

SPOILER: It's not. Micah--and at first the audience--is led to believe that Ephraim wants his miracle to keep him from dying. But he never expected to not die. His miracle is something else. I won't go so far as to tell you, but the book is about learning how to say goodbye and realizing that death is a part of life. Micah IS able to let go of his grandfather's physical form in the end, though he always has his memories of his grandfather with him, in a physical reminder of a special knot he's made with his grandfather's old bootlace. It's also about true friendship, as Micah meets Jenny, a classmate, and ends up telling her about the Circus. Though skeptical by nature, she eventually is won over, though even when she didn't believe in magic, she was willing to "agree to disagree"--something that can be vital at times to relationships.

This might be a good read to help a child prepare for the death of a close relative; Micah's helplessness at times will certainly be familiar to children in similar situations; it is a gentle book and Ephraim's slow death to a respiratory problem isn't an uncommon one. There is little violence, and I can't recall any swearing, though Gertrudis is a piece of work worthy of a Roald Dahl evil aunt; she isn't going to cut Micah any slack, nor is she going to tolerate anything to do with the Circus (the reason for which is explained in the book, towards the end), and she comes across as about as uncaring of Micah as you could possibly imagine; she's the "villain" of the book.

Hoping to finish the Caesar/Cleopatra book this weekend, but we'll see. Preparing for the surgery--I'll be living downstairs, so this means bringing down some clothes and other necessities (including, of course, books) since I doubt stairs are in my foreseeable future after getting home. Though I've heard from many that the problem with laparoscopic surgery isn't that you feel bad, it's that you feel good. Good enough to do stupid things that make you feel bad again, as one person put it, so I'm going to try to remember not to do stupid things. :) One thing in my favor for finishing the book is that I'll be going through pre-op prep that flushes out my digestive tract, so I imagine I'll be doing a lot of reading in the bathroom. I'm also going to take home my nonfiction read on the Salem witch trials that I've been reading at work--close to being finished, but not quite.

I hope all the preparations for the surgery, and the surgery itself, goes smoothly and you end up being one of the people that feels good but remembers not to push their body too far too quickly! When my cousin had her appendix out via laparoscopic surgery she said the same, that she had to work hard to remember she was supposed to be resting.

Fingers crossed you've got a lot of good, light books lined up ready.

I'm home now; came home yesterday. They kept me overnight since they encountered more problems than they had anticipated, but I'm doing as well as can be expected. The doctor is still 99% sure there is no cancer; I'm to go back Friday so that he can check the incisions and generally assess everything. Probably go over the lab findings too, if they're ready.

I've been reading, of course, and have finished several books, including the Caesar and my non-fiction on Salem witch trials, as well as a humorous tween-aged book, and I've started a YA trilogy now. I have a stack upstairs but can't do stairs yet, but the YA trilogy will take some time and when I start to run out of reading material, one of my sisters can fetch me some more.

I'll do full reviews when I can get back to work and have a full-scale computer with a keyboard more conducive to typing.

Glad it's over, glad you are home, and hope the labwork confirms the doctor's opinion, Cassie. {{{{{Cassie}}}}}

amen to that.

Yes, what >16 ronincats: said! Welcome home!

Thanks, all. The labs confirmed I'm cancer-free. My biggest issue right now is being comfortable; my incision sites itch and pull and are really sensitive, though the nurses liked what they saw and said there's no infection and there are signs of healing. I have a hard time staying in one position for a long period of time right now, whether it's sitting, standing, or lying down.

Anyway, I realized if I don't post some of these books I've read soon, I'll get hopelessly behind. So despite how much I find typing long posts via phone frustrating, I will do so. I've got 8 books to post so I won't do them all at once, but if I do them in twos and threes, it won't be so bad.

Book 2: The October Horse: I've been reviewing this off and on already so you already know the jist. As noted before, Cleopatra's role is small and the book is more political than romantic. In fact, Antony never makes it to Egypt before the book ends, so don't expect romance on that front, either. But the power struggles between all the Roman factions are fascinating, and several points--including why Antony and Cleopatra were an item--are explained in the author's notes.

For those who enjoy political history and/or intrigue, this book delivers. The military exploits might also appeal to some--though if you like detailed, blow-by-blow accounts, this isn't for you. There is a lot of sexual innuendo, both heterosexual and homosexual, and swearing, including the "f" word--you've been warned. Not a keeper for me; I enjoyed it well enough but doubt I'd read it again.

Book 3: Delusion of Satan is my first nonfiction read as well as my first lunch-hour read (OK, I finished it at home during the "great purge" in preparation for the surgery). The author chose an interesting angle for this study; most of the books I've read about this subject focus on the afflicted girls and whether they were hysterical, spiteful, bored, etc. This book looks at this, too, but the author also looks at the culture of Puritan New England through a wider lens, looking at the court and criminal justice systems, the political ties and strife between the families of accused and accuser, as well as the religious atmosphere. While other books often point fingers at the black slave, Tituba, having taught the girls fortune-telling, Hill points out that the method the girls reportedly used--breaking an egg into a bowl of water and reading the patterns the whites make--is decidedly British in origin.

Those interested in this event in American history will enjoy this quick, well-researched book that includes direct quotes from journals and documents of key players in the trials.

Book 4: Who is J.K. Rowling?: An easy-to-read chapter book biography meant for youngsters just beginning to explore chapter books. Got it on credit from Derek's store back when I wasn't sure how extensively I was collecting Harry Potter stuff. This biography doesn't take up much room on my shelf but it is taking up space, along with two other juvenile Rowling bios, and by reading and discarding them all, I can make room for the more scholarly Potter works (or alternate editions). Being a very young reader's bio, this doesn't go much in-depth regarding her life story, but the youngest HP fans may find it enjoyable.

Sorry, all. I'll fix that last link when I get the chance to view it on a full screen. Touchstones are one of those things that sometimes don't work well via phone.

Oh, congrats on the cancer-free lab results!!

Book 5: Crows and Cards: Helgerson admits to the importance Mark Twain had on him growing up, and the humor of this tale that takes place in 1849 is reminiscent of a Twain comedy. Zeb's father is sending Zeb to his uncle, a tanner, to be apprenticed--despite Zeb's allergy to animal hair. But on the steamship, Zeb runs into a man named Chilly, a professional gambler who takes Zeb under his wing (as well as the $70 Zeb's father sent with him to cover the apprenticeship fee). At first, Zeb is pleased to be apprenticed to a professional gambler--especially one who gives half his winnings to orphans. But he begins to feel, more and more, that Chilly's cheating to win isn't right, no matter if it's "redistributing the wealth", as Chilly puts it. Zeb wants out, but he's taken an oath to belong to the Brotherhood of Gamblers--led by Chilly himself--and you just don't walk away from the Brotherhood. But Zeb has friends who might just help out: a slave, an Indian chief, and the chief's daughter.

This story has an old-timey feeling without being antiquated; Helgerson avoids dialect but does include some words and phrases that are either regional and/or from that time period, but fortunately he includes a dictionary. Written for upper elementary/middle school, the book has an even pace, with Zeb discovering new levels of shadiness among the Brotherhood as the story unfolds. Helgerson's humor as told first-person through Zeb is clean fun, and the illustrations by Peter Deseve add to the humor and quaintness. This book went to the hospital with me, as I wanted something light and humorous and it fit the bill. I'm keeping it for now--I think my family will enjoy this story.

Book 6: Shadow and Bone, Book 7: Siege and Storm, Book 8: Ruin and Rising

Not sure why the touchstones don't like the 7th book; another fix for later. Anyway, I'm going to do one review of this trilogy to save time, space, and to minimize spoilers. These books are complex and a lot happens in each one that builds off the one before, so I'm going to give the basics of the overarching plot so as not to give away too much.

Set in a fictional land with the flavor of tzarist Russia, the King and Queen rule tenuously over the people, including those people with special abilities known as Grisha. A man known only as the Darkling, a Grisha with the unusual power to control shadows and darkness, says he seeks to put an end to the Fold, an area of complete darkness populated only by the monstrous creatures called volcra that eat anyone foolish enough to enter their dark domain. Soldiers Mal and Alina, orphans who grew up together in the orphanage set up by the Duke, are to go into the Fold with the rest of their unit; when they're attacked by volcra, Alina drives the monsters back by summoning light. Dark summoners are rare enough, but a "sun summoner", as people start calling her, had never been. She begins training with the other Grisha; when she finally begins to discover how to call her powers consciously, she learns that the Darkling really plans to use her light to help him manipulate the Fold, rather than to destroy it, so that he can rule. Not wanting to be responsible for the deaths of innocent people, Alina is caught up in the political struggles of her country; alone, her powers aren't enough to stand up to the ancient Darkling, but with the trio of mystical "amplifiers"--relics taken from powerful creatures that amplify a Grisha's powers--she might have a chance. Can she and Mal collect the three amplifiers before the Darkling kills them or--worse--corrupts her?

Fast-paced, this YA trilogy is somewhat reminiscent of The Red Queen, with its own spin on the social castes of magic users versus the "normal" people. But the political power plays are a bit different--the rulers have no powers but instead order the Grishas as they would any other lower class. There is a lot of violence--the story evolves into a war, after all--and there's a lot of angst-y romance, especially further into the story arch.

The characters are complex, as is the plot; there are some interesting and unexpected twists. Recommend this trilogy to fantasy fans.

Book 9: Best of Gravestone Humor: Collections of humorous epitaphs arranged by broad categories such as "Family and Friends" and "Occupations". Some are actually more poignant, even sad, than amusing, such as this epitaph for a child's stone:

"Opened my eyes, took a peep;
Didn't like it, went to sleep."

But most are amusing, many as puns or play on words, such as this dentist's stone:

"View this gravestone with gravity
He is filling his last cavity."

Like a morbid Richard Lederer book, full of puns, amusing witticisms, and even poor English suitable for either of Lederer's Anguished English books, this collection is perfect for those with a dark sense of humor and who, like me, find all funeral customs fascinating. As more and more cemeteries turn to those small plaques rather than stones and monuments, epitaphs and tombstone art will, sadly, be more and more things of the past.

Very glad to hear about the absence of cancer in the lab results; I know that has to be a relief!

>25 ronincats: Very much so!

Book 10: Six of Crows takes place in the same world as the Grisha trilogy, but the events happen afterward. (This timeline is based on a couple of clues dropped in the text, but revealing them would be Grisha trilogy spoilers.) Kaz grew up an orphan in the Barrel, one of Ketterdam's roughest areas. As leader of the gang known as the Dregs, Kaz is always looking for a big score. And when one of the richest merchants in Ketterdam kidnaps Kaz and offers him a huge reward for a particularly dangerous heist, Kaz can't resist. The target is the insanely well-guarded and isolated Ice Court, where a scientist who has created a drug that enhances Grisha powers for short bursts of time--a drug that is highly addictive and that uses up the Grishas that take it--is being held captive, forced by the Fjerdan government to make the drug. And the country with the secrets of the drug will be able to enslave the Grisha.

Kaz gathers his best team members for the heist: the Grisha Nina, a Heatrender; Jesper, the sharpshooter; Matthias, a Fjerdan witch hunter sent to prison by Nina; Wylan, estranged son of the man who's hired them; Inej, aka the Wraith, who can climb walls and come and go as quiet as a shadow; and Kaz himself, pickpocket, sleight of hand man, the planner. They know they won't be the only team trying to get this score. They just want to be the only successful team....

Whereas the Grisha trilogy is political intrigue, this is more like a Mission Impossible. There is still romance involved but it's more in the back seat than in the trilogy, where the romance between Alina and Mal gets...complicated. Here, the romantic ties are more subtle and, in the case of Nina and Matthias, integral to the loyalties and choices of the characters in ways quite different from those in the trilogy. I enjoyed this book more than the trilogy--overall I liked the cast of characters better--and perhaps I'm a little tired of political machinations. Either that, or the romance was a bit too heavy in the trilogy. No matter which, I recommend this book, particularly if you're into action/adventure fantasy. There is a sequel to "Six" that I'll be starting soon, which is good since the end is a small cliffhanger.

Book 11: What-the-Dickens: Dinah, Zeke, and Rebecca Ruth are three siblings left in the presumed temporary care of their older cousin Gabe while their mother and father are gone during a hurricane. Left alone for a few days with Gabe, who to Dinah and Zeke seem woefully unprepared and unsuited for the job of caregiver, the two older children, raised by their parents to be good Christians, faith is encouraged but imagination is not. Anything remotely fantasy is squashed by their parents, despite Dinah's tendencies towards believing--or at least wanting to believe--in the typical childhood magic: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy. When food runs low and the storm's wind run high, leaving them in the dark, Gabe, a language arts teacher, tells the children about an orphaned "skibbereen", a fairy-like creature who discovers another of his kind, Pepper, who turns out to be one of many tooth fairies in the area. Gabe spins his tale out through the entire night; Gabe's story is interspersed with the occasional cut to what's happening with Zeke, Dinah, Rebecca Ruth, and Gabe, mostly from Dinah's perspective.

The book is a quick read and, like the children at the end, you can read all sorts of meaning into it, including the devout Zeke, who had been less than thrilled with the fantasy to begin with. So though it may at first seem to be down on Christian upbringing, keep reading--the ending is beautiful and uplifting.

There. I'm now caught up with just over a week's worth of reading. It's hard to believe that this is just now week 2 of my recuperation. I'm still taking it easy; aside from reading, I've been watching DVDs, coloring, embroidering, and catching up on my letter writing. Yes, I still snail mail.

So my older sister brought down books 12-15, an interesting mix, though 3 are fantasy, they are very different fantasies. I started with the second juvenile J.K. Rowling biography. I think Laura threw that in just to mix it up a bit.

Book 12: J.K. Rowling: The Wizard behind Harry Potter: This kids biography of J.K. Rowling is a much more advanced bio than the previous one. However, it clearly was published first, as the most recent events in her life was the publication of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, with no mention of her second husband. That happens, however, with biographies of living people.

What I liked about this one was that it went into much more details about Rowling's approach to writing; it covered as much about how she did her craft as lived her life. Older kids still Potter-crazy may enjoy this book, but for myself, I'm passing it along. Biographies are generally not my cup of tea to begin with, and my shelf space, even the section dedicated to Harry Potter, is too valuable to allow books I've read but don't intend on reading again to sit on them.

Book 13: Crooked Kingdom: The sequel to "Six of Crows". WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! Anything in this review might give away plot points to the first book. In fact, my first sentence in the next paragraph certainly will. You have been warned; continue reading as you see fit.

Kaz and his gang have been double-crossed by the man who'd hired them. Worse, Inej is his hostage and she's been hurt, the merchant threatening to torture her unless Kaz gives him the son of the creator of jurda parem. Kaz and his gang have new missions now:

1. Free Inej.
2. Get the son of the scientist safely to Ravka, where he can work on an antidote to parem.
3. Get the Grisha refugees safely back to Ravka.
4. Ruin the reputation of the merchant Van Eck, as well as getting the money they're owed from him.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Inej is weak and hurt, and Nina's powers aren't what they once were, thanks to the parem she'd taken at the Ice Palace. And Pekka Rollins, Kaz's nemesis, is somehow wrapped up in this trouble, too.

There is a death involved, and the homosexual relationship between Jesper and Wylan solidifies, plus Nina's Heartrender abilities no longer allow her to work on the living--she can now only work with dead matter, so those squeamish about such might want to sit this one out. I, however, once more enjoyed watching Kaz's group come up with complex schemes that once again second and triple guess their opponents.

Book 14: The Spirit House and Book 15: Dangerous Wishes: These two are a set; " Spirit" is the first and sets up the problem for "Wishes"; in "Spirit", you meet an American family who opens their home to a Thai exchange student--only the student isn't quite what he seems. The first book introduces the concepts of Thai spirits, who can grant wishes--but in a less-than-pleasant way (think The Monkey's Paw. The end is abrupt and leaves you hanging, so I recommend reading the sequel immediately after. In fact, I was initially disappointed, a few years back, when I'd first read it, before I knew of the sequel. "Wishes" does a better job of being a stand-alone, but you'll definitely get more out of it, both for the back story and one event at the end of the book. The overarching plot between the two books is that the boy from Thailand who visited the Kamens had gone to a spirit house in Bangkok and wished to go to America, promising the spirit in return a jade Buddha pendant. The boy forgot to leave the pendant at the spirit house at the shrine, and has earned the spirit's wrath; this anger follows the family as bad luck into the second book, where the son must try to find the pendant and place it on the shrine.

"Spirit" is from the daughter's perspective and "Wishes" from the son's; "Spirit" is more intrigue and "Wishes" more action-based. Written for tweens/young teens, boys will probably like the adventure of the sequel, while girls will probably like the hint of romance in the first. Like much of Sleator's YA fiction, there's an element of horror in the spirits, especially the doppelgänger spirit in "Wishes". Sleator says that some of these events really happened, either to him or friends; Sleator had spent some time in Thailand, and these two books are clearly steeped in the Thai culture.

Hmmm. These sound good. I need to add them to my list!

>32 drneutron: Are you a Sleator fan? If so, keep an eye out for future reviews of Strange Attractors, Others See Us, and The Night the Heads Came. My two favorites by him so far, though, is the sci-fi/mystery Interstellar Pig and the psychologically disturbing House of Stairs.

But for now, I have book 16 to report on: Competability: A Practical Guide to Building a Peaceable Kingdom between Dogs and Cats. The author of this nonfiction work starts the book with the evolutional history of cats and dogs as the start of the differences between the two: the dogs with their pack mentality and the smaller cats as being solitary hunters. From there, it goes into the history of their respective domestication, how breeds came to be, into health issues, including reasons why non-breeders should spay/neuter, into behavior and language differences-in short, a good general guide for owners of either species. Honestly, even if I have friends who only want to keep one species, I'd still recommend this, because you can easily pick out the sections specific to your chosen preference, and the health information alone is worth reading. But even if you only plan on having multiples of just one species, this book still has good ideas on introducing new animals into the home. I highly recommend to anyone owning a dog, dogs, cat, cats, or both. It will help give the average pet owner insights into their animals' behaviors and has a good guide on what signals to look for in a sick dog or cat, along with appendices for quick medical references.

Only half-way through February and I've already read 16 books. My reading will be slowed somewhat now as I plan on going back to work half-time starting this Monday. However, I am still under my lifting/pushing/pulling anything heavier than a gallon of milk (approximately 8 pounds) ban so I will still be unable to do many of the chores for another 3 weeks, so I anticipate more afternoon reading sessions yet. Though if the weather stays this nice (unseasonably warm and--sadly--dry), I may at least do some reading outside.

Book 17: Dragonworld: Two very different races clash when each believes the other responsible for the deaths of their children. The small Fandorans are simple people--farmers, fishers, tradesmen. The Simbalese are tall and more technologically advanced, with great windships based on lighter-than-air tech. The Fandorans believe that the Simbalese are a race of sorcerers; the Simbalese believe the Fandorans envy their luxurious lifestyles and their wealth from their mines. In reality, neither is true, but when children are found slain, each country jumps to the conclusion that the other is responsible, when in fact, neither is. The children were killed by monstrous dragon-like creatures called coldrakes. The coldrakes themselves are a dying race; they are simple creatures overall, living by the last edict given them by the dragons, their smarter and stronger cousins who looked after the coldrakes. But it has been a long, long time since the coldrakes have seen a dragon, and the lone black coldrake--an illicit offspring between a coldrake and a dragon--leads them now, and he's preparing to fight both countries. Can little Amsel, an inventor hermit from Fandora accused by his own people of being a Simbalese spy, stop the war he feels responsible for?

There is a lot more than this going on in this 500+ (in paperback) book; it is a complex world with several plots: the war between the countries, the Simbalese royal intrigues and power struggles, Amsel's quest, the secret histories of the coldrakes and dragons. Preiss does a good job in bringing both countries and their inhabitants to life. He also does a good job cautioning against rushing to war without all the facts, and how working together to solve a common problem is sometimes the only solution. While I won't lie and say there are no deaths, the ending is uplifting and positive, and while it works as a standalone, it also had a hint of further adventures. While I haven't looked for any sequels, that doesn't mean they aren't out there. If anyone knows of one, please let me know. Also, the illustrations throughout--black and white line drawings--are complex and interesting in their own right.

I'd read this book back in my college days and had kept it; it had been so long since I'd read it, I couldn't remember why I had. So I decided this year that I'd refresh my memory. It's still a keeper.

Book 18: The Night the Heads Came is another twisted and weird YA read from William Sleator. Tim is obsessed with his drawings of science fiction creatures and landscapes, and he's got an appointment with a publisher in New York to which is friend, Leo, has agreed to drive him. Unfortunately they are waylaid by aliens (as in extraterrestrial). Leo is returned but Tim isn't, but Leo doesn't remember anything about the abduction. A police officer suggests that Leo see Dr. Viridian who can hypnotize Leo into remembering what happened. Yet afterwards, Leo is suspicious and begins to investigate; his investigation really takes off when Tim is returned by the aliens they call "the heads" (because they just seem to be large, inhuman heads). The heads have taught Tim some wonderful art techniques and the drawings he's made of alien worlds is fantastic--and the heads claim they don't want their enemies, The Others, to see them. Can Leo and Tim trust the heads, or should they trust The Others--or can they trust either?

Typical of Sleator's work, there is a twist or two at the end. There's also a social slant to the book at the very end, and is part of the twist--to tell you what the slant is would spoil the twist, so I'll stay mum on that. Not a bad read, but not Sleator's best, some of which I've mentioned above. But it is short, fast-paced, and is an easy read; with the male protagonist combined with the other points here, this is a good high-low book for boys, especially ones who are into science fiction and aliens.

So I was taking it easy and watching a "Secrets of the Dead" episode about the Salem witch trials and the possibility of ergot poison, and the researcher said she carme across a book about this town in France that had an ergot poisoning problem shortly after WWII and I thought, "Hey, I think I read that book!" Those of you who followed my last year's 75 thread may remember The Day of St. Anthony's Fire. I believe this was the book the researcher was referring to.

Book 19: Cold Hand in Mine: Strange Stories by Robert Aickman was supposed to be my first true horror read of the year, if you count the last one as science fiction, as I do. (Not that you can't have crossovers--Sleator is good at that.). But I was expecting this to be a collection of creepy, old-fashioned horror stories--the really good kind that creeps you out without being gory. Instead, what I got was 8 stories that often leave you thinking that the author quit writing just a lift too soon. I didn't even get the slightest shiver. And the writing is very dated (and also British, though that doesn't bother me.). In fact, the stories have elements of racial and sexual stereotypes and may offend blacks, women, Jews, homosexuals, and possibly others (I gave up tracking offenses after awhile.). Whether this reflects the author's true feelings or whether, as many of these stories are first person, they were intended to set the character as unlikeable (which I found to be the case in a couple of them), I don't know.

After reading and being completely disappointed by the first story, "The Swords", and then being let down by the end of "The Real Road to the Church"--which turned into an interesting metaphysical/spiritual thing but certainly not the horror story I was looking for--I nearly stopped. But the third story, while still not scary, was really good and told about a young girl's meeting with a stranger at a party, and her subsequent turning into a vampire. If you get the chance to read "Pages from a Young Girl's Journal", I recommend taking the chance. I found the fourth story, "The Hospice", to have a good start, a really promising beginning to be a good, creepy story, but again the end was a letdown. " The Same Dog" had a fittingly supernatural ending but still lacked the scary element somehow. "Meeting Mr. Millar" had too much buildup, which slowed the pace to a snail's crawl for awhile. The last story, "The Clock Watcher", while again somehow lacking the "scary" element (maybe I'm getting harder to scare?), was at least a good story about a British man whose German wife is obsessed with cuckoo clocks, and the story suggests that her very life may be somehow tied to them; the only problem with this story was that the narrator believes that not treating the Jews well was "where the Nazis went wrong. There was a great deal to be said in favour of the Nazis, of course, in many other ways." Yeah, right. Tell that to all the other people he was trying to exterminate (we sometimes forget Jews weren't the only "race" Hitler tried exterminating) and that little matter of repressing freedoms, especially freedom of speech (book burning, anyone?). Again, it was hard to like this narrator, even though the elements of the story were good. Maybe that was part of why I wasn't scared; if a cuckoo from one of the clocks had come to life and pecked his brains out, I'm not sure I'd have cared.

Honestly, skip this read if you're looking for a good, classic horror, and definitely skip if your horror tastes run to the gory side. You'll definitely get no description of blood and guts--but neither will the stories give you that chill up your spine and the desire to turn on all the lights. And except for the "Girl's Journal" story, the protagonists are often uninteresting or offensive or (the real horror) both. This is obviously not a keeper.

I have started a rather thick paperback nonfiction on pirates; a collection of works by writers on the subject collected, compiled, and edited into one convenient package. For my next fiction, I think I'll go back to a novel; this book has killed my mood for short stories, which right now is mostly what the horror in my convenient "to read" stack is. (I still have about 2 weeks of the "no lifting 8+ pounds" ban, so rummaging through the stack of bigger books seems like asking for trouble.) I have a medieval mystery, however; I generally like those.

An addendum to today's post: I guess in some ways, it's fitting that I reviewed Mr. Aickman's book today. He was listed in today's deaths here on LT.

Sorry, Mr. Aickman. I call 'em as I read 'em.

Book 20: Death and the Chapman is a medieval mystery as told in recollection by Roger "Chapman"--so called because of his profession (a chapman was a type of peddler). He recounts how he had turned away from the monastic life for the independence and adventure of being a traveling salesman (the medieval equivalent anyway), and how he solved his first mystery. (I don't know if the author wrote any other books about Robert; usually I'm not lucky enough to find the first of a series before finding others, but statistically it's not impossible.) A chance encounter (though Roger suspects, as he does with other events throughout the book, that God "arranged" this) with a woman in Bristol leads him to learn about a young man of the woman's household who has disappeared outside of The Crossed Hands inn in London. Promising the father and sister that he would investigate when he arrived in London, he then finds out about another mysterious disappearance at the same inn. Upon arriving in London, Roger follows the few clues he has in an attempt to solve the mystery.

A good read for those who like Cadfael mysteries, though a bit lighter and less complex (though there is a nice "B" plot mystery, too). Not a keeper even though I liked it; I generally don't re-read mysteries. This one will go to Muncie, or rather back to Muncie from which it came. The price sticker Derek uses is still stuck to the cover, so I know exactly where it came from and how much credit it cost: $3.00 and worth the trade-ins!

Book 21 May Bird and the Ever After and Book 22 May Bird among the Stars: Like the Sleator Thailand spirit pair, these two are so closely tied together--book 1 is a cliff-hanger--that I can't give you two distinct summaries without giving out spoilers. The two books are about how May and her cat, Somber Kitty, go through a portal to the land of the dead, and in true hero quest fashion, May and Kitty must find there way back. As they journey, May acquires something she never felt she had before--friends. A fantasy for 5th grade readers (or advanced younger ones--the vocabulary is higher-level), and a good read-aloud. There are a few monsters that might distress some more timid youngsters (the Bogey Man is a main character, after all), but the language is clean and there's not even a hint of romance.

I'm taking a break from youth lit to read another historical fiction that takes place in Elizabethan England. I'm also still reading the pirate non-fiction--aarrr! Once done with pirates, I'm thinking of quickly reading the third and last Rowling juvenile bio and then tackling another of my infectious diseases books-- should I read about Ebola, smallpox, or the bubonic plague? Any preferences out there? I also have Parasite Rex to add a little variety to the medical conditions reading roster....

I just looked through last year's challenge and realized that I'm no further along, based on number of books read, than I was last year. That was somewhat depressing, until I did a less cursory comparison and figured out why. The reason? I've been reading lots more longer books. Ironically, it doesn't appear that my time off has helped me reach the 75 book goal any faster...but it has given me the opportunity to count longer books, instead of feeling tied to the smaller, faster reads, which doesn't help my secondary goal: taking down the "to read" pile. And I'm no worse off than last year, so 75 for the year is of course quite manageable, especially with some shorter reads still on the docket. Unfortunately, in the next year or two, I'll probably read so many of my slimmer volumes for this challenge that my pile will consist mostly of larger tomes, some of which are quite scholarly. I enjoy such reads but they do tend to be slow going, because I tend to read nonfiction more carefully.

My count so far:

1 audiobook
3 adult fiction
13 YA/chapter books
3 nonfiction (adult level)
2 nonfiction (child level)

Current reads are both larger books--adult nonfiction and two adult fiction--and I'm guessing it will be about a week or more before I'll be able to post any of them.

Since lots of people have countdown tickers, I thought I'd go ahead and design one for myself. Now all I have to do is remember to update it! :)



Somehow it doesn't seem as daunting, seeing how close the horse is to the half-way mark (which would be 37 1/2 books). Only 15 1/2 books until I'm half-way there! :O

Book 23: Conversations with J. K. Rowling: OK, I know I have other books started but Mom and I went to see the local high school musical and I wanted a book for that time when you're finished looking through the program but the show hasn't started yet and intermission, but didn't want too thick a book. Knowing this would go to Derek, it seemed the obvious choice. So I read this quickly which is quite doable since once more it's a juvenile bio. The nice thing about the format of this one is that it's in interview form. But most of the information is a rehash of stuff from the other bios, and it only goes up to book 4. The book is half interview and half synopsis and almost an academic (albeit on a youth level) analysis of characters. Recommend to younger readers who can't get enough of Pottermania.

Because we went to Derek's today and he had to watch the shop, I took the opportunity (with his blessings of course) to buy books from him (my trade-in credit is below $300 again). Most are fortunately smaller books but I'm afraid that the "to read" pile has grown again. *Sigh.*

Now back to pirates and my historical mystery, and I'll be on track again.

Book 24: The Goblin Emperor (in audiobook form): Goblins and elves share a ruling court, though traditionally, the elves have always held the highest offices, and goblins are often seen by the elves as "lesser" citizens of the empire. Maia, whose goblin mother had been the wife of the elf emperor, is a half-breed and is the youngest of the emperor's sons, begotten by other wives. No one could have foreseen that the explosion of the airship on which his father and half-brothers had been riding would make him emperor. Raised in isolation by a guardian who bullied and abused him, and who merely did basic court training, Maia is unprepared for ruling, especially in a court full of intrigue and whispers about the "hobgoblin". And it becomes clear that the "accident" with the airship that brought him to the throne was no accident--and Maia can only speculate that there may be those who would see an "accident" happen to him.

And that is the plot. The subtitle for this book could have been "How I Became Emperor with No Background or Training", as much of the book is simply Maia having to adjust to his new situation. While not told in first person, Maia is the focal character and you are always with him in the narrative, never straying from his side. Other characters are introduced through him, so you always have his perspective, even if it's not in first person. But you genuinely like Maia, because despite his faults he is a good person and a good ruler, and so while there isn't much action, you want to find out what happens to him. His day-to-day life at the court as he learns all the protocols (and often breaks them, even if only inadvertently--emperors aren't supposed to apologize to anyone, for instance) are quite enough for him, and you feel his embarrassment and awkwardness. The reader was good at doing voices--maybe not Jim Dale good, but still impressive--and it helped us to keep key characters in our head, because many of the names are similar and in this I think reading instead of listening to it might have helped. I loved the author's use of their ears as signs of their emotions: flattened back, lowered, drooped, erect--they each mean a different thing, and ear stance features prominently in the book.

I'd recommend this to fantasy readers who don't mind a book that doesn't have:
1. an action-based plot,
2. a lot of magic and spells,
3. a lot of fantasical creatures running around.

But if you like character-driven fiction and political intrigue, this is a good read.

I'm hoping to finish the pirate book this week; I've been working hard at getting it done since I'm so close, rather than reading my fiction. My work read is again underway--this time I'm tacking Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, which is based on the true account of a man who escaped from aboard a pirate ship (I read the account in the current nonfiction read, and it's reprinted in the back of this edition of Crusoe, as I recall). So I will have had my fill of seafaring adventures for awhile, I think.

Book 25: The Mammoth Book of Pirates is a compilation of works written by authors such as Daniel Defoe, Howard Pyle, Charles Ellms, and others, most if not all contemporaries of the pirates they write of. Most of the works are from the "golden age" of pirates--the 1500-1800s--and feature works about Drake, Calico Jack Rackam, Blackbeard, Anne Bonney, and more. It also has small sections that are more like trivia lists about pirates in movies and literature, small essays about things like the Jolly Roger, and in the back, it has Lord Byron's epic poem-story The Corsair.

Now because this is a collection of multiple persons' writings, there is no unifying or standard "voice". Some of the writings are drier than others, simply because of the author's style. Some are written very much as a narrative, others are just the facts. Some are more about the pirate and some focus on the campaigns, or a specific campaign, that the pirate did. Thus, I found myself more interested in certain sections than others; frankly, some of the works, especially the blow by blow campaign (I've mentioned before that I don't like drawn-out, detailed battle plans) I found almost boring. Others were lively and very interesting. I'm not a big seafarer and the vocabulary in the glossary could have been expanded a bit, but the glossary did help out a little in places. This is definitely an adult work--some of the pirates were downright nasty with torturing their victims, as some of the works go into details on this--and the often archaic language (remember--this was written by people contemporary with the pirates, and sentence structure alone is sometimes odd) would probably make it a challenging read for even high school students, unless they are avid readers who love the classics. I'm not keeping this, as many of these writings, old as they are, can likely be found in the public domain and I must keep shelf room for more modern works. But I recommend to those adults who are into nautical works, history, or who are obsessed with pirates.

I'm beginning to think, as I look at my nonfiction titles in my "to read" pile, that I should rename this thread to "CassieBash Reads and Reviews All the Gross Books So You Don't Have To" thread. The parasite book is fascinating and may even be a keeper (for me), but I'm not sure how much appeal it would have to the general populace. It's gross indeed yet interesting how parasites come up with ways to not only evade our immune systems but actually, in some cases, utilize it. And then there's the scary way they modify behavior as well.... In fairness, not every parasite in the book gets into humans; he covers several that stay within the animal kingdom, like the hornworm/wasp relationship or, like the Toxoplasma gondii that has a cat/rodent lifecycle, if it gets into us it can't do much harm (if you have a healthy immune system) and it goes into a dormant state, hoping we'll get eaten by a cat of some sort. Not likely in Indiana; my toxoplasma are likely out of luck. Then there are the books on plagues (a couple specifically on "the" plague--the Black Death), ebola, mummies, bog bodies...the list of "gross" goes on. I'd say I was morbid if it weren't for the Tinkerbell book waiting its turn in the fiction pile. ;)

Book 26: Heresy is an historical mystery set in Elizabethan times and touches on the war she held against the Catholics at the same time that Rome had its Inquisition. The main character is Giordano Bruno, a monk who just barely escaped Rome when he was caught reading banned books in the privy. Excommunicated from the Roman Church, Bruno flees first to France and then to England, where he becomes entangled in the politics of the Elizabethan court and is expected to turn over any information about secretly practicing Catholics at Oxford, where he's been invited to debate against the rector. But when a man is mauled to death by a strange dog in a locked garden, Bruno's sense of justice kicks in and, despite the heads of Oxford trying to cover up murder and make it look like an accident instead, he investigates. When even more people are murdered--and in ways that no coverup can explain--things get dicey as clues point more and more to someone else who's routing out--and killing--the Catholics at Oxford.

A good whodunit for those who like historical mysteries; the book is definitely more mystery than history, however, and while the politics of the game factor into the plot heavily, not much detail is given about the time period. But it's still a good book for mystery lovers, and I would recommend giving the author a try if you are into this genre. There is a sequel called Prophecy which I will get if I come across it, either at a sale or at a used bookstore, but while this book hints at a sequel the book can certainly stand on its own.

I'm close to finishing Parasite Rex; in another day or two, depending on how my evenings play out (and therefore how much time I have for reading), I should be done with it as well. I haven't yet thought about what fiction book to read next, or even the next nonfiction, but with a Derek trip coming up next weekend, I might tackle a short fiction that I'll likely take to his shop. I'll see what I can find.

Apparently, S. J. Parris has a whole lotta books with Bruno.

One of last night's parasite chapters were about how parasites might have helped shape evolution and sex; it's a fascinating and complex theory that has shown some success in experiments and observations. Apparently, the concept is that a parasite of a general host family, like deer, develops in such a way that certain subtypes of the deer family (white-tail, roe, elk, etc.) are favored. The parasite can then spread quickly and easily and may start to make that subtype rarer, and then the parasites have to adapt to a new version of their host (this can even be different areas of deer--white-tails in northwest Indiana may have some genetic differences from those in southeast Indiana, for instance) in order to continue to thrive in a declining population. So the parasites then develop new abilities to survive in the next subtype, and so on and so on--and they may eventually return to favoring the original subtype. Any deer from the first population that has a strong enough immune system to fight off the invaders will survive to mate; if it comes across deer from the second subset population and the two mate, their offspring will be more likely to have an immune system that can handle the original parasite. The author describes it as shuffling a deck of genetic cards in order to confuse or fight off the parasites--thus the need for sex, because a clone would be an exact duplicate, and the offspring would have less of a chance of survival if the original organism is easily overcome by parasites. (This includes diseases--bacteria and viruses--which the author says are basically as much parasites as tapeworms, since they depend on a host organism to reproduce and survive.) But, of course, many parasites also are capable of shuffling the genetic deck and therefore can also adapt to their hosts' various defenses, and so on and so on in a continuous cycle.

The second chapter I read was about how we are fighting against parasites with medicines and education, and how we came into contact with various parasites that didn't use to be "human" parasites--Trichinella spiralis causes trichinosis and is predominately a swine parasite, but because we began raising and eating pigs (the rise of agriculture), the parasites adapted to human hosts, too. Toxoplasma gondii (mentioned in a previous post) is a cat and rat parasite--but since we keep cats, many people have Toxoplasma in their bodies (but it does little damage to healthy humans). The Guinea worm can be avoided with clean drinking water, and lymphatic filariasis and malaria can be held in check with mosquito netting and education about standing water and mosquito breeding grounds; the first two are actually greatly declined through these efforts, while malaria and tuberculosis battle it out for the title of world's most infectious disease. (Currently, malaria is winning with numbers infected--though TB has resistant strains and the death rate is higher, thanks to anti-malarial treatments. TB is still one of the top 10 worldwide causes of death, and malaria no longer places until you take out the richer countries--then it's right behind TB.)

I'm thinking of returning to folklore/"true" hauntings--while at Derek's I picked up some ghost legend books, including one on Richmond, Indiana. So for fellow Hoosiers, that's the one I'm leaning toward reading next. If any Hoosiers or former Hoosiers read my review on the book, you'll have to let me know how "accurate" the stories are or if the book skipped some vital legend. From the look of this site, it seems there is a lot of possibilities. I do hope Earlham College is in there; always interested in the ghosts from other academic institutions! :)

Book 27: Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures: I now have a new-found respect for parasites and immune systems; the interplay between the two is fascinating. The last chapter looks at how we can use parasites to our advantage--and warns of the dangers of jumping in without all the facts. He cited an example of how parasitic wasps have helped keep cassava growing in Africa, yet cites the tragedy I myself have witnessed with parasitic wasps, originally introduced to control gypsy moths, attacking and reducing the native silkworm moths, like my beloved Cecropia, to rare treasures. He also puts forth a theory of parasitologists that because parasites are the norm in nature, they can be used like lichen as a sort of ecological health guide: "Once you know all the parasites in frogs," said a researcher, Daniel Brooks, "suddenly, if something's not there, something's wrong with the frogs or with an intermediate host. If you've lost a parasite, you have lost something in the fabric of the ecosystem."

Not for the faint of heart (or at least faint of stomach), the book validates the existence of parasites and gives them their due--whether we want to think about it or not, parasites outnumber us. While most are harmless to humans--and many are under control except in third-world countries--we cannot discount them, particularly if you consider, as the author's argument goes, that viruses and bacteria also count as parasites, since they require a host every bit as much as a hookworm, tick, or parasitic wasp. But the dissection descriptions alone may be distressing; for me the worst part of the book was at the beginning when the parasitologist killed the frogs to dissect, looking for the parasites. Unfortunately the best way to study parasites is while the host's body is still fresh--and the parasites are still alive. So approach this book with caution.

I still have a little time to read so I'll return to the new fiction read, Along Came a Spider, a slim supernatural horror from 1970 that the touchstones couldn't find. (It's by Elizabeth Davis, not James Patterson.) Tomorrow I shall start the new nonfiction, Haunted Richmond II.

Oh no! The Richmond haunting book is about Richmond, Virginia, not Richmond, Indiana!

The down side: no local(ish) folklore.

The up side: new folklore from another state! I haven't read ghostly folklore from another state since that book a year or two ago (I believe fuzzi knows the one) about North Carolina ghosts.

I am an equal opportunity ghost-legend reader so this is not as big a setback as one might think. However, I'm quickly beginning to question the writing skills of people in the paranormal field who self-publish. No offense to the author, but a proofreader would have been nice. There is a decent amount of tense switching (from past to present, for instance) and some awkwardly phrased sentences. But I stopped reading the Haunted Indiana series by Mark Marimen for similar reasons, plus Mark has big punctuation issues. Right now Elizabeth Davis's issues are not that bad, though admittedly I've just started reading it. I don't want to sound like a grammar snob, but when I have to stop after a sentence to ponder its phrasing and decipher what the author's intentions are, it can be distracting.

Book 28: Along Came a Spider must be an obscure work by Elizabeth Davis, who of course may or may not be any of the Elizabeth Davis's listed when you click the touchstone. My guess, based on titles, is that she's either the second or more likely the third one listed. Along came a spider is a slim novella of a mysterious girl, Anne, new to the neighborhood, who wastes no time in friending the daughter of the first person narrative hero, Eve, who takes an instant dislike to the polite yet somehow not-quite-right girl. Things turn sinister (and supernatural) as Eve seems to receive a warning from her beloved dead husband, Jim, warning her to take Laurie, their daughter, and leave. But when Eve hesitates and doubts her experiences, she finds that she and her daughter become too entangled in Anne's plans to leave now, and Eve realizes she must confront the girl and her evil or fall victim.

Not a particularly scary book, I thought, though I can't place my finger on why. It's not that you don't take an interest in Eve and her plight; she's a mother trying to protect her daughter, and you know her fears are well-founded. But I could have read this book in a thunderstorm with the lights off--well, if I could actually read in the dark, that is--and not feel the slightest qualm. Perhaps I'm jaded, or perhaps the horror isn't subtle enough; I do like a good psychological horror, where the ghostly activity builds. Or maybe the atmosphere the narrator gives isn't quite creepy enough. I'm not sure. It is a quick, easy read if you want a horror story that doesn't have a complex plot, I'm just not sure how scared you'd be. There is animal mutilation and death in this one, but while it was important, it also seemed somehow contrived, that the discoveries of the dead animals were there just to cement Eve's conclusions. Obviously, this one is going to Derek's; Mom read it before me and when I asked her last night about whether to keep it or not, she could barely remember the plot. My family has decided this is one of those forgettable plots, apparently.

I'm planning on finishing up Book 29, the Richmond haunting book, over lunch. Then tonight, I get to do something we all like to do...pick my new reads! :)

Book 29: Haunted Richmond II: Mrs. Kinney puts more emphasis on orbs and shadows as proof of ghosts than I would, but the background stories are more what I'm interested in, anyway. So I enjoyed the folklore behind each of her investigations, but wish she'd spent more time with the background stories, especially as her presented evidence was less than impressive to me. I'm not saying that every orb in her pictures was necessarily an insect or speck of dust catching the light, but it seemed as if whenever someone suggested another theory, she would discount it. It was the same with shadows. So while I'm not as impressed with her evidence as she would probably like, I did enjoy reading about some new legends.

As mentioned before, this is not the best example of writing but it wasn't as painful as others I've read, and if I ever came across a used copy of the first book, I might give it a try, too.

Book 30: Paint the Wind is a horse story written for upper elementary/junior high students about a girl whose parents are dead and who was raised by an overprotective grandmother. When her grandmother dies from a massive stroke, Maya is sent to live with her mother's family, who she hasn't seen since she was 4 and doesn't remember. All she knows is that her mom had loved horses and had a big brown and white Paint mare. That mare, Artemisia, and her colt, Klee, runs free in Wyoming, she learns from her Aunt Vi--but for how long? After Artemisia and Klee evade a roundup, Maya joins in the search to find them before another roundup or a mountain lion does. As Maya connects with her rambunctious cousin, Payton, and her grandfather, great uncle, and aunt, she also comes out of her shell, formed from years of sheltering and isolation with her grandmother. She discovers her family, love, and courage.

While the book doesn't describe horses mating, it does mention it and there's a detailed description of Artemisia giving birth to Klee, so depending on your personal views of what you feel your child should know about reproduction, you may want to avoid (or, on the other hand, embrace) this book. As a farm girl, I would have already known this stuff from a very young age and neither me nor my parents would have objected to this. There are no swear words and the book would actually make a good read-aloud in many ways if, as a parent, you're comfortable reading about umbilical cords and such. There are some darker parts--the grandmother's death and the death of a horse, as well as talks of what happens to the horses that are brought in from a roundup. That part reminded me a little of Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West, though instead of using tires they herd them with copters and horses. A good read that I recommend to horse-crazy girls in particular--it even comes with a glossary and the text has bits of information about riding and caring for horses.

Book 31: The Killing Sea is a novel that is based on a real event: a tsunami that happened the day after Christmas of 2004 that devastated coastal areas of several countries, but one of the hardest hit was a part of Indonesia, Aceh. This novel follows Sarah, an American whose family was visiting the area and who, along with her little brother, manages to survive. But her brother Peter wasn't as lucky as it seems; he swallowed a lot of sea water and becomes very sick. Separated from their father, their mother dead, Sarah needs to get Peter to a doctor. Befriending a native boy named Ruslan, who is also searching for his father, the two help each other in their quests to find their respective families. A great book of faith, love, hope, and family, but a dark book at times, with some disturbing scenes. I'm giving a warning for swearing and graphic scenes of death; not something for young children but good for the YA crowd and up.

Book 32: Run is an atypical Sleator book in that there are no aliens, no monsters, nothing supernatural at all. It was interesting to read a Sleator novel (actually more of a novella--it's quite short) where nothing too strange happens. The story takes place in a summer cottage near a beach (which beach, it doesn't really say) and Lillian, a teenage girl, is staying there by herself for the first couple of days during her spring break, apart from her parents for the first time. During her first day there, she's enjoying her freedom--not that there's much to do there, but she feels more adult, of course, staying by herself. Two boys, Jerry and Mark, are biking to a hostel and then to a friend's house, also enjoying some freedom from parents. But the boys, not being from the area, don't realize that the tide will soon turn the little creek meandering about into an impassible river--and they become stranded when they wade across the creek onto a large dune, don't pay attention to the swelling creek, and become separated from their bikes, and get caught in the rain. Lillian gets her family's rowboat and saves the boys; Jerry remarks that her house looks haunted, and Lillian, who thinks she sees a light on in the house when she's sure it should be off, gets spooked. As the day progresses, she works hard to convince the boys to stay with her, especially when she notices that the radio seems to be missing. The boys shrug it off; was the radio there to begin with? She's not sure, but she does know she doesn't want to be alone at night. When it does become clear that there is someone lurking outside, Lillian, Jerry, and Mark have to decide what to do.

This is one of his books that didn't age well; the language is dated and the end might seem preachy to a young teen--the target age of the book, I'd say. The buildup of the potentially crazy man hanging outside the house isn't bad but it wasn't exactly scary to me; it would be scarier if it was actually happening to you, I suppose, but some of the decisions they made were riskier than ones I think I'd make, even at that age where making bad decisions is pretty common. But I chuckled over the antiquated phrasing of "turn on" (which nowadays is almost always a sexual connotation) in reference to using marijuana, but what do you expect from a book from the early 1970s? I'd only recommend this book for older readers nostalgic for books from that time period, only because teens would probably be bored or roll their eyes at the language and lesson learned at the end.

Book 33: Pure is an apocalyptic dystopian science fiction story set after the widespread explosions of special bombs--not quite nuclear yet not unlike them. Instead of mutations caused by genetic damage from radiation, the bombs contained nanobots capable of repairing tissue and, more horrifying, fusing tissue with inorganic material. This creates people and animals with unusual fusings and "hybrids": people fused with sand and dirt are called "dusts", for instance. One of Pressia's hands is fused to the head of the doll she had been carrying when the Detonations occurred, when she was a little girl. Now 16, she is expected to turn herself over to the OSR, once an assistance group, now a group of soldiers trained to kill. And if she's found "unworthy" to be a soldier, then she may be target practice for the other soldiers. So she and her grandfather decide to try hiding her, dodging the OSR, and this might have worked, had it not been for the "pure", Partridge. Partridge comes from the Dome, a place that shelters those privileged enough to get in before the Detonations, so that they remain unscathed. Partridge's father has been working on Coding, which enhances the Dome boys' abilities to a great extent. When Partridge deduces that his mother is still alive outside the Dome from a comment his father makes, he escapes the Dome before his Coding is complete. When he meets Pressia, and through her a host of several others, Partridge finds out more about himself (as does Pressia) and he comes to learn that his father is responsible for the destruction of the outside world, and that his father's motives are more sinister than he could ever imagine.

An excellent and unique dystopia, I highly recommend to YA science fiction fans. The characters and plot are well-developed, but keep in mind this is a trilogy, and the book's end may leave you wanting the rest of the story. (I'll have to ILL or see if the local public library owns the other two titles--my OverDrive access shows only this one available through them--sigh.) This particular edition was audiobook and was read by several people; the book's chapters are divided up as to point of view of four main characters--Pressia, Partridge, Lyda, and Bradwell--and each reader had a different character's POV. There is a lot of violence and death, as one might expect from the harsh environment of the world in the story, which has definitely become a struggle for survival, with most people looking out for themselves rather than banding together. There are pockets of "groups" but they are few and far between, and not all are good.

Book 34: Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse is pretty much like what the title says--a whole lotta the population of Cincinnati get infected with a virus that gets loose (whether accidentally or on purpose, I'll leave you to figure out). Like all viruses, there are some in the city that are naturally immune, thought that population gets eaten, very messily, by the rest. With the exception of our heroes, of course: a no-nonsense black woman who is the (usually) calm and sensible one who puts her faith in God, the bank robber who'd held her at gunpoint and who swears a blue streak and acts the tough guy but is more sensitive than he appears, the runaway teenage boy who was sexually molested by his father and his father's friends, and the boy's mother, who turned a blind eye and denied that such a thing could happen, but who comes to term with it as the plot unfolds (especially when she sees what dad was like when he transforms into a werewolf). These people are immune but for three nights they must survive and, if possible, find the vaccine that cures the werewolf plague.

Not bad for the type of book it is, but it's much more a slasher/gore horror than a psychological one, so I didn't find it very frightening. The people who turn become very base in their actions and, frankly, act less like wolves (even the book makes a single mention of this, I believe) and more like a hedonistic orgy of feeding and sex. Don't read this book if gore and swearing isn't your thing (although it's funny to see Chesya, the black woman, reining in Rick the tough guy's swearing), and there's a lot of mention of sex (and usually the "f" word is used), though there's not a lot of descriptions of the act, just that the werewolves are mating everywhere. The cover looks like it's trying for the young adult age group; parents, you know your kids and values best, so read this one yourself first before letting them have a chance.

My car is going in for a major service--I seem to have a fuel line leak up front, so I anticipate a long day at the mechanics. This means I need to pick a good-sized book and, hopefully, one that will keep my attention. It's gonna be a long day of reading....

Well, I'd say a fuel line leak is worth taking time to get fixed. :)

>59 drneutron: They don't have the parts in stock so I ended up texting mom for a ride and went home after only a few hours. I did get over 100 pages read yesterday, however. I chose an historical fiction on Queen Elizabeth called Legacy. At a whopping 647 pages l figured that if they could have gotten the job done the same day, I certainly would have kept occupied.

For those interested in this genre, it won the Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize around 1985 or 1986, and so far I really like it. There is sex and more minor swearing, but it doesn't have the gory violence of the horror book above, despite the beheadings. But the sex is a bit more explicit, oddly--not pornographic as such but it's slightly more than saying they're doing it, which was mostly what the werewolf book did.

I think I'll concentrate on finishing this book some when I'm at home, and Robinson Crusoe at work. Once I'm done with Legacy, I think I'll tackle another nonfiction (not sure which one yet) and a short story collection, with the goal of reading a story a day. I'm getting the itch to read fairy tales and folklore and I just happen to have The Wonder Clock within easy reach....

Book 35: I finished Legacy this morning; a whopping 600+ pages of a novelization of Queen Elizabeth I's life. An excellent read for those who like well-researched historical fiction novels, particularly about the Renaissance. The book actually begins with the rise of Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth's mother, who was executed (yes, she was one of King Henry VIII's "less fortunate" wives) under the accusation of witchcraft. Some claimed that Elizabeth inherited that witchcraft, or was possessed by Anne's spirit, and through the more superstitious characters, the book hints at that possibility, but in a way that the reader can also choose to interpret as schizophrenia, insanity, or other mental illness. After all, the men and women living back then knew little of the human mind and madness (like we know that much more, but still), and even in the Renaissance, the belief of witches was still powerful. But if she did have a hint of madness, then she was also crazy like a fox, because the book also does a good job of showing how she strung all of Europe along with her plans, dangling first one powerful marriage proposal and then another as political pressures demanded--but accepting none, so that her nickname of the "Virgin Queen" remained, at least on the surface, unchallenged. The book is long because Elizabeth's life was long and complex; she lived far longer than most women in her day, and did much more than most as well. Like her or not, she is a fascinating historical figure, and while not always sympathetically shown here, that was historically part of her character. Be aware that sex does play into this and that, as mentioned above, it is described in a little detail, though not very explicitly. Everyone in my household wants their chance to read it, so it will stay put for a little while yet. Though I enjoyed it, I don't re-read much historical fiction as a general rule, so eventually it will be going to Derek's. Historical fiction readers in the Muncie, Indiana area may want to keep an eye on The White Rabbit's shelves (shameless plug!).

Book 36: Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand: I decided I needed something quick, easy, and fun after the last book, and decided to give Disney's fairies a chance. Overall, it fit the bill, but it left me a little confused here and there. I know there's another book that comes before this, as well as movies and other books and who knows what else, so perhaps if I had a better background, other than the classic movie of Walt Disney's Peter Pan, I'd have understood this Disney world of fairies better. (Fairy dust comes from a dove? Who knew?) The story was good and had a good moral about the dangers of easy power and thoughtless actions. This book (and others like it) are great reads for fairy-smitten girls in particular, but boys probably won't be interested, and unless the adult is smitten with Disney's fairies, it may not appeal, either, as without the background of the world, some things seem rather strange or unexplained.

Wishing you a splendid weekend. xx

>63 PaulCranswick: Thanks, and I hope yours was nice, too. I had a busy Saturday but a relaxing Sunday. No more weekend hours now until fall semester, and I've got a few days of upcoming vacation this week. If it's pleasant weather, it's garden time. If it's raining, it's reading and sewing cat and dog toys for the Humane Society's fall craft bazaar. Either way, it'll be both relaxing and productive--a win-win situation! :)

I seem to be a couple of books behind where I was at this time last year, but I should be able to catch up soon. I'm a little over half-way through Robinson Crusoe and my nonfiction, The Hot Zone, and am reading a collection of 24 short stories, making sure I have read at least one story a day. (They're fairy tale stories, so it's quite easy to do.) I'm taking some time off before summer session starts, so I'll have a little more time to read.

As many of you know, I've read some pretty gross books. I've read books on parasites. I've read true crime. I've read books about death and mummies, both natural and man-made. I've read about poisons and ergot and chemicals we put in food. And, of course, I've read about infectious diseases. There are some nasty diseases out there, but by far and away, the small filovirus family--the Ebolas--are the worst. This book is probably one of the most graphic and disturbing one I have ever read. Book 37, The Hot Zone, is how America and possibly the world narrowly avoided an outbreak. Through the importation of infected monkeys for scientific experiments, a new strain of Ebola was found. The army and CDC worked together to contain this emerging disease quickly, and through careful management and a lot of luck, the disease was successfully contained.

The book reads like a medical thriller and you may have to keep reminding yourself as you read that this actually happened and could easily happen again, which is what makes it scary. The parallels of how Ebola jumped into the human population and spread and how AIDS did the same thing at about the same time is quite alarming if you think about it. As man pushes further and further into rainforests and wild areas where exotic viruses and bacteria have developed, the more likely it is that these things are going to mutate to successfully inhabit the human body.

The descriptions of what the filoviruses do are very disgusting and are very graphic; the author doesn't sugarcoat just how destructive the viruses can be. You don't want Ebola. You wouldn't wish Ebola on your worst enemy (and if you do, I'm not sure I want to know you). Aside from this, there are a lot of animal deaths; the infected monkeys have to be destroyed, and of course most Ebola does to the monkeys what it does to humans (it's more complicated than this, but you bleed out). I recommend this book only to the strong stomached, to those interested in epidemiology and those interested in Level 4 (the highest level) diseases and disease outbreak control. There are some f bombs and other cussings, and men--cross your legs because Ebola loves to target the male reproductive system when it gets the chance.

I'll be taking this on to Derek's store in Muncie for those interested (he'll do mail-order for those not close to Ball State, if you pay the postage). The book isn't one I would read again, despite the narrative tone, which made it an easy (physically) read. But it was an emotionally draining read and the author keeps you in suspense as to who gets sick and if they die, so it can be exhausting, too. I'm running out of room and so must be more selective; I'm more likely to revisit mummification and funeral customs nonfiction than infectious diseases, and I'm more interested in the sociological and historical aspects of diseases, anyway.

>66 CassieBash: At the insistence of some of our number, Cassie, I am reading Connie Willis' The Doomsday Book which is topical to your post.

>67 PaulCranswick: Yep, that sounds like one I'll eventually read. Right up my alley. A lot of epidemiologists say we're overdue for another bad pandemic. The Spanish flu was probably the last one we had, if you're only looking at those that take out the population hard and fast. As horrible as AIDS is, it's a relatively slow killer (which in some ways makes it worse, especially on a personal level). Once, there was a time when I'd have put my money on another flu strain, but with so many new diseases popping up and with how (relatively) good we are at making flu vaccines, I'm not sure anymore.

Ooof, The Hot Zone sounds intense. Your review reminds me of an article I skimmed yesterday about how global warming is maybe causing old diseases to pop back up again - as the ice up top melts, really old animal carcasses are emerging and thawing, along with those old diseases those bodies are carrying. Not exactly comforting.

Wishing you a great weekend, Cassie. I am making steady progress with The Doomsday Book by the way.

>69 scaifea: Yes, the book isn't for hypochondriacs, let alone anyone squeamish. Add to the mix the anti-vaccine movement (they do not cause autism, people--that study was discredited!), and you could have all sorts of outbreaks. I was the last in my family to get the smallpox vaccine; my younger sister has never had one.

>70 PaulCranswick: Thanks, you too! Going to get some native plants today; going to get pond and annual plants tomorrow. Maybe I'll get another coneflower color, too.

Book 38: The Snow Spider was a quick and easy read. A young boy's grandmother is convinced that he's a magician; she claims they are descended from famous Welsh magicians. When she gives him 5 things for his birthday, he discovers he can exchange them for his heart's desire--to have his lost sister return. But one of the things--a broken toy horse--was never to be offered. When it is offered and something horrible is released, the boy must recapture the thing.

Pros: The book's overall message is a positive one--it's basically about accepting loss, familial reconciliation, and that there are other worlds better than this one out there (a hint of heaven).

Cons: Dark in places, the book also has hints of Welsh legends, but doesn't go into enough details about them for me. While language is a G rating, the content of the legends and the creature that's released may upset young children.

Not stellar, so it's going to White Rabbit Used Books.

>71 CassieBash: I don't get riled very easily about stuff, but anti-vaxxers are on that short list. Stupidity is one thing, but stupidity that can lead to such harmful consequences for wee ones makes me very angry.

>72 scaifea: And not just their wee ones, but other people's wee ones (and not so wee ones, too). Part of the problem is that while the "vaccines causes autism" finding got played up by the media, there wasn't the hype to refute it when other researchers tried to duplicate the results. Fortunately, if you go to reputable sites like Autism Speaks and The Autism Science Foundation, they're very clear about vaccines not causing autism. Sadly, this myth continues and just doesn't seem likely to die. If you read the last link, please read the entire 4 page article--it has some very good points as to how much good vaccines have done overall and the risks children suffer (like death!) if they don't have them.

I use the autism/vaccine study as an example of the failures of peer-reviewed research--a warning to students that not everything they read, even in well-respected publications, is true. If you can't find research that verifies a finding in more than one study, don't take it for the truth! I had an MMR shot as a child (and I think I had a booster before going to college), and I've never been diagnosed with autism. And as for the "jump" in autism cases--we look for signs more often than we once did. My boyfriend's dyslexia wasn't ever officially diagnosed because they didn't have a term for it; he was just seen as "slow". It wasn't until after he'd left school that he'd heard about dyslexia and figured out that that was why he flipped words and letters. So the "rise" in autism may just be that the numbers are beginning to reflect the real numbers that were there all along.

>73 CassieBash: Cassie: Yes, that's what I meant and didn't articulate very well - those kiddos with immune systems that won't allow them to be vaccinated are the ones who suffer most, and they're at the mercy of these idiots who refuse to do the right thing.

>74 scaifea: Any child without vaccines is technically at risk, compromised immune system or not (though of course those with compromised systems are more vulnerable). We tend (as a society) to forget how deadly or dangerous the "childhood" diseases are for even "healthy" children; before vaccinations, these diseases killed or disabled their share of people. The WHO (World Health Organization, not the band) has fact sheets measles and rubella, two of the three vaccines in the "most" controversial vaccine, the MMR:

Measles Key facts
Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available.
In 2015, there were 134 200 measles deaths globally – about 367 deaths every day or 15 deaths every hour.
Measles vaccination resulted in a 79% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2015 worldwide.
In 2015, about 85% of the world's children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services – up from 73% in 2000.
During 2000-2015, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 20.3 million deaths making measles vaccine one of the best buys in public health.

Rubella Key facts
Rubella is a contagious, generally mild viral infection that occurs most often in children and young adults.
Rubella infection in pregnant women may cause fetal death or congenital defects known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).
Worldwide, over 100 000 babies are born with CRS every year.
There is no specific treatment for rubella but the disease is preventable by vaccination.

Mumps doesn't seem to have a fact sheet, but as the least deadly of these three, it still brings with it the possibility of hearing loss in children and more serious complications, including meningitis, if an adult catches it through exposure to an infected child or another infected adult.

Other deadly and dangerous diseases controlled by vaccination include diptheria, polio, pertussis (whooping cough), varicella (chicken pox) and more. Sadly, since smallpox is only extinct "in the wild", I think they cut the vaccination program for smallpox a bit early. While I still can barely see my scar, my younger sister was born just a little too late to receive any possible protection (and who knows if those of us who got ours would need a booster?). Exposure to the kissing cousin of smallpox, cow pox, is the best thing we've got now. Milking time, anyone?

Book 39: Milkweed is the story of a young orphan boy growing up in Warsaw, Poland, as the Nazi regime begins to take over. Told as flashback in first person, the boy is befriended by other orphan Jewish boys living on the street and is dubbed "Misha" by his first friend and guardian, Uri. Since Misha cannot remember his past, Uri makes one up for him, which Misha clings to until he meets Janina and her family, who unofficially adopt him when the Jews are forced into the newly created ghetto. There he continues to steal food from the outside world--Misha's small size lets him slip through drainage cracks in the wall around the ghetto--to bring to his new family. As the persecution becomes worse, Misha does what he can to protect his new family, but what he can do may not be enough.

I would say this book is a high/low read: high interest, low reading level. With the boy protagonist, this book should appeal to boys as well as girls. Not a lot of violence, but there is some; Misha is hurt a few times, and there is, of course, mention of the atrocities of the Holocaust and persecution of Jews and Gypsies. Misha doesn't end up in a concentration camp and so the ovens that burnt so many Jews, while mentioned, are never seen "close up". This would be a good introduction to the Holocaust for younger readers who may not be ready emotionally to handle the more gory details of what was done to Jews, and as the story has a more positive ending than one might think--from the beginning, since it's a flashback, you know Misha has survived, so this isn't exactly a spoiler--since Misha ends up OK. The title of the story is spiritual; Misha learns about angels and that there's an angel "inside everyone", and when he and Janina see a milkweed seed floating in the air, they see it as an angel. Spiritually, however, the book is neither Christian nor Jewish in its angle; the angel is a symbol of the good that exists in any person.

>76 CassieBash: Good review Cassie. I love reading books on this subject matter and will look out for it.

Have a great weekend.

>Book 40: The Day of the Triffids: This version is the original; what I listened to was a BBC Radio adaptation of the book, no doubt edited and cut up the wazoo.

When Bill Masen gets in on the ground floor of the scientific discovery of the age--a bio-engineered plant capable of producing large quantities of high-quality oil--he thinks he's on the road to success. But when one of the plants, known as triffids, strikes him temporarily blind with its sting, Masen misses out on what seemingly is the marvel of the age--a bright meteor shower. The day after the shower, almost everyone has become blind from watching the impressive light show; as his eyes were still bandaged, he missed the show and thus actually saved his sight. He meets love interest Josella, who isn't blind either because she'd gotten so plastered she slept through the show. With most of the human population now blind, the eerily sentient, thinking plants move in for the kill.

Most of the book is on the struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Kudos to the author for having a non-illness, non-war end to modern society. But the dramatization left me more irritated than enthralled; the volume was all over the place, which made it difficult to find a good volume when driving. Don't get me wrong--I'm not even talking about the actual dialogue. I'm talking the music, background sounds, and of course the screaming from the panicked people. Every time glass broke, be it a bottle or a window, it was so much louder than the dialogue next to it that it was a bit of a shock. I suggest that if you're a car trip audiobook listener, think twice about this one--you may find it jarring and distracting, especially in heavy traffic or construction sites, where you may have to really pay attention to your driving. (Backroad state highways, maybe not so much.)

This is also, of course, a classic sci-fi film. The one thing that this audiobook did was put me in the mood to watch the film--it's been so long since I've seen it, I can't compare the plot points for you!

I'm nearly done with my next nonfiction on haunted houses and my short story collection, and I've started a novelization of a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine by E. L. Konigsburg, famous for writing From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a Newbery Award winner. I purchased still more books from Derek this weekend (OK, most were got on credit), so I have to do some more sorting to decide what gets read after these two.

I've never read the original book, but have seen the movie - or rather, several movies. :) Nice review! I'll add it to my list.

Book 41: More Haunted Houses: As you might recall with book 29, Haunted Richmond II, I like my ghost books with a lot of background into the haunting, and this book delivers just that. While the authors did investigate, especially with psychics (whose validity is up to the reader, of course, to decide). But for me, the real enjoyment was reading about the histories of these places and the strange occurrences that happen there. The nice thing about this book is that it's also not limited to houses, technically; the authors write not only of Jayne Mansfield's mansion and the Indiana Hannah House, but also covers the haunting of ships, railroads, the Jonestown site, battlefields, and it even has a small chapter on animal ghosts. Some of the stories are scary, others merely interesting, but there was one big disappointment.

The authors talk about a tower in Chickamauga National Military Park; this tower, known as Wilder Tower, is supposedly haunted. The authors took many pictures, mostly black and white but some color, too and they claim to have taken a photo that showed an extremely intense beam of light shooting straight up out of the tower. While this shot was a color one and the photos in the book, as true to many of these kinds of paperbacks from the time, were black and white, I would think that a black and white photo of the color photo would still show the intense light (though admittedly not as dramatically). Yet the photo of the tower included is clearly just one of the black and white ones, as the sky above and around the tower shows no disruption or contrast in light, nor did they claim it was that photo. Why didn't they use this photo, if they were so sure that it showed evidence of the supernatural? (Pamela K. Kinney, author of the aforementioned Richmond book, had no qualms about putting in lots of black and white photos of orbs.)

Still, the histories, folklore, and stories of the supernatural events that happen at these sites made the book worth reading. For fans of this kind of nonfiction, this book is a good choice but as is always the case when dealing with the supernatural or unknown, it's up to the reader to decide how much truth lies in the pages.

Book 42: A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver is E. L. Konigsburg's uniquely fashioned tale of Eleanor of Aquitaine's biography. For, you see, Eleanor sits in Heaven, having died and spent some time "Below", as those in Heaven refer to it, for her sins. The book spends its time bouncing from conversations between Eleanor and her friends to each friend's flashback of her life, thereby creating an entire but brief novelized biography.

Because of the novelization approach, this book is probably considered more historical fiction, but like The October Horse, it's well-researched and in a way, every bit as much a biography (for younger readers) as any. Those children, say 5th grade up (due to vocabulary, not content), who aren't really into the nonfiction scene might still enjoy this book and it could be used as a springboard to get students interested in European history. My copy has illustrations styled after the medieval art of the time; you can almost picture them as tapestries or as illustrations in some ancient tome. Highly recommend it to historical fiction, biographical, or general readers of juvenile and/or YA works.

Hi, Cassie. Just found your thread and thought I would drop a star. I read a lot with my two sons, and you've given me a couple of good suggestions. I'm fascinated by WWII so Milkweed is definitely going on my list - we've read a couple by Jerry Spinelli.

I agree that the rise in the prevalence of things like dyslexia is due to the fact that we are now looking for them. I think as we hear more about these type of things, we become a little more educated and then know what to look for. My 12-year-old was diagnosed with dyslexia last year - he can read and was reading at just grade level. Fortunately, even though his teachers kept saying that he was an average student, I knew enough about his IQ to know that he actually had a very high IQ. So after 5 years of school and some unexplained issues, I finally figured out it must be dyslexia, and we had him tested. Up until that time, I thought that dyslexia meant that one had difficulty reading and reversed certain letters. It turns out, this is not necessarily the case, but the general public does not know this.

>82 rretzler: Yes, dyslexia and its cousin dysgraphia and there's another "dys" I can't quite recall right now are complex learning disorders. I'm glad that you've found some possible good reads from this thread. I read a lot of juvenile and YA--some of the best books I've read fall into the upper elementary through young adult age groups. Here's another if you're an animal lover....

So I took the day off, hoping that it would be nice enough to work in the garden some, but alas, last night's rain and temperatures in the lower sixties with a constant cool breeze made gardening impractical. Instead, I baked a pie and cooked dinner and did the dishes, but in between all that, I read book 43.

Philip Gonzalez had a great life, working construction jobs and making good money. Then a workplace accident left him with a right arm that had only 20% of its mobility. Depressed and ashamed, he secluded himself in his apartment until his neighbor, Sheila, told him he was getting a dog. He wasn't looking for a pet, and he told himself he didn't want the schnauzer cross, but he fell in love with her and adopted her despite his first intentions. When she began showing affection for the stray cats in their neighborhood, he knew his dog was special.

The Dog Who Rescues Cats: The True Story of Ginny is a heartwarming and sometimes heart wrenching story of a dog and her love for all the underdogs of the world. Her uncanny ability to pick out someone with a disability or who needs help--be it dog, cat, or human--and then want to help them is so uplifting and inspiring. Until he got Ginny, Gonzalez hadn't really had much time for cats. But Ginny loved cats, and her desire to help the cats in need led him to a deeper understanding and love for felines. As he and Ginny and Sheila rescue cat after cat, both cat and dog lovers will appreciate the spiritual aspects of both their work and their lives.

This is a must read for animal lovers! The book is a quick and easy read, though there are some sad parts, and the abuse that some of the animals go through will disgust and anger any animal lover.

Book 44: The Wonder Clock is a collection of 24 fairy tales (one for each hour of the day--thus the "clock" thing). While a few of them have strong similarities, the tales are enjoyable and from a child's perspective, the similarities won't matter so much, especially if you choose to use this as a read-aloud bedtime book--a story a night. It's perfectly suited for this, and Pyle's illustrations are worthy of being an adult coloring book. Each "hour" has a verse that forms a sort of story in and of themselves--the things that happen in a household in the course of a day (with a fantasy element; this house has a kobold living in it). Great book; I'm adding my copy to my fairy tale collection.

Book 45: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a re-read (of a re-read of a...you get the idea). What with our Halloween party theme being "Harry Potter Class Reunion" this year, I thought I'd read through the series again throughout the next few months. I'm going to intersperse other books between them, as I still want to keep the "to read" pile under some semblance of control, but you'll see me post more Potter books. Unless you really, really want an in-depth review of each one, I'm going to skip that, and just tell you that I'm a huge fan and I loved Snape's character even before Rickman and the movies. Nothing like a mystery and Snape was the biggest mystery in all 7 books (though my sister and I kicked around the whole "he's in love with Lily Potter" thing long before it was revealed.

Currently, I'm taking a short Potter break to read a Ray Bradbury poetry book and then another juvenile or YA novel before reading "Chamber of Secrets".

Book 46: A Chapbook for Burnt-Out Priests, Rabbis and Ministers isn't, strictly speaking, a poetry book, as there are a few essays and at least one very short story, but it is Ray Bradbury at his most spiritual. Though he admits in his preface that he never intended to be the inspiration for sermons, mass, funeral services, and other guidances from spiritual leaders, he had received lots of letters over the years from spiritual leaders, particularly in the Judeo-Christian beliefs. So he compiled a collection of these inspirations into this book.

A beautiful compilation to help spur either discussion or (even better!) inner reflection on God, faith, and what it means to be human. Yes, there is a science fiction/space aspect to much of it, but give it a try if you look up at the stars and think of a Heavenly Father of some sort, whatever your religion. Of course, this being Bradbury, it's a keeper.

Side note of possible interest on my specific copy: I ordered it used from Amazon. I knew it was a library discard and didn't care--a lot of my books are. This particular book, however, had more than just the usual library markings and barcode; it had a book plate. Anyone out there from the Bettendorf Public Library family, in Iowa? I have given this book, previously donated to your library through a grant "from Scott County Regional Authority with gaming tax dollars provided from Isle of Capri Casino" (so it says on the book plate), a good home! Thank you, Iowa, for helping me with my Bradbury collection!

Book 47: Juniper Berry is a fantasy/horror for younger readers that are ready for something more intense than the Goosebumps-type books, that can be a little on the silly side. There is nothing silly about the plot of Juniper Berry, though adults who are into the horror genre won't find this more than perhaps a little creepy. The premise is interesting for anyone, however, as the book is all about how far someone will go to reach their dreams of perfection.

Juniper is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Berry, who have become famous actors. Their life had been grand at first; the Berrys did everything together, joking and laughing and having fun. But then, slowly, Mr. and Mrs. Berry changed right before Juniper's eyes. They became distant and lost interest in her. They no longer joked and laughed. They became consumed with the need to stay on top--and Juniper wonders what's happened to them. She has almost convinced herself that this is just what happens with fame, when she meets the neighbor boy, Giles, whose parents have gone through the same changes. But Giles is convinced something beyond just fame--his parents are musicians--is warping them, and they soon discover an odd tree in Juniper's yard. A tree where no life can be seen, except for a solitary raven that sits in the tree, rarely leaving it. The raven shows them a place on the tree that opens a door that leads to a world underneath the tree, a world where a solitary man, tall and thin, can grant you your heart's desire. Simply blow into a special balloon upon which you write your name; he writes what you want on a balloon that he blows up. Then you swap, and you inhale the air from the balloon he gives you. The question becomes: what do you give him in the balloon you blow up?

While the answer is probably obvious to an adult, the concept is creepy regardless. *SPOILER*--The man under the tree harvests, "ripens", and eats souls (come on--you knew, didn't you?), but the catch is that one balloon isn't enough to hold a single soul--he has to collect them a bit at a time. That's not an issue, because for many, the process of going to see him becomes addictive; it's never enough fame, you're never beautiful enough, etc., etc. And this is what's happening to Juniper's parents. How will she be able to save her parents' souls?

It was a fast read, but that was because I found it difficult to put down. There are some eerie moments here--not so much scary, I-can't-read-this-before-bedtime kind of eerie (at least not for an adult, I would think)--but the imagery is suitably dark and strange, and the author does a good job of setting the mood. If you and/or your child can handle the Harry Potter series, I should think you'd be able to handle this book with no problems. But if your child found Harry too intense yet, wait a bit before tackling Juniper Berry. Otherwise, this book would be a great read-aloud--no swear words, no sex, and though there are a couple of fight scenes, the violence is minimal.

Over the weekend, I finished books 48 and 49.

Book 48: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: A re-read, so no real surprises for me, but a good refresher and always an enjoyable read. As this is the first re-read since the 7th novel came out quite a while ago, it's been neat trying to pick up on the various clues of the overarching plot nuances as well as the ones internal to the immediate book.

Book 49: Haunted History isn't as ghostly as one might think by the title. Most of the "hauntings" are actually spiritual visions (or lunatics hearing "God", as in the case of President Garfield's assassin), but all are relevant to actual historical events or have become so entangled in the real events as to become "truth" (such as George Washington's angel coming to give him a morale boost). Included in this are also some secret societies that are less supernatural and just more mysterious, such as the Knights Templar. Interesting reading, even if you don't believe that an angel told Joan of Arc, for instance, to fight the English--she believed it, and as far as her history (and many of the others in here), that's what counts. Fascinating how something many people scoff at did influence events. While you may not believe every story in here, it would be a good read for people interested in famous spiritual visions more than ghosts, so if you're expecting a lot of more "standard" hauntings, there's only really one or two in here. So depending on your preference of history and the paranormal, this book may or may not be for you. Personally, I found it interesting (though not enough to keep).

My next book is a collection of Grimm's fairy tales: Grimm's Grimmest. Apparently, these are some of of the more obscure tales that didn't "clean up" very well for kid's bedtime stories; the compiler chose to go back to the original text from the 1880s, when the Brothers Grimm actually published the book less for children and more for scholars, hoping to preserve oral German folktales from vanishing. These tales, then, are as much for adults as for children. Then I may read one more book before tackling the third Harry Potter novel.

Book 50: Grimm's Grimmest lives up to its name; with all the mutilations, deaths, cannibalism, and even one case of attempted incest, these are not stories suitable for goodnight stories for young children. Except for a couple, many of these are highly obscure on bookshelves unless you're a fairy tale aficionado, and most young children wouldn't recognize any of these tales, except for "Rapunzel" and Cinderella (though the stories are radically different from most sterilized versions). Jim Henson's The Storyteller brought two of these--"Hans My Hedgehog" and "The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was"--to life with their excellent puppetry, but even Henson cleaned up the stories, cutting out in particular when Hans uses his prickly back to wound a girl who's father had tried to cheat him. Other stories include:

"The Willful Child", a very short story where a girl refuses to obey her parents and basically wills herself to the grave, where even then she tries to have her own way, and sticks a hand up through the dirt, and won't settle to her final rest until her mother beats the hand with a switch.

"The Robber Bridegroom", which I know from an English version often titled "Mr. Fox", about a man posing as a gentleman in order to woo women, who he then kills and robs. I tell this one at the renaissance festivals if I think the audience can handle it.

"Allerleirauh" is a princess who must run away from her father (this is where the incest comes) to join her betrothed, but must do so in secret. It's a sort of Cinderella story.

There are others, and while most have happy endings, at least one has a huge death toll and the story ends with pretty much everyone dead ("The Death of the Little Red Hen"). Not exactly uplifting. But it was great to read some fairy and folk tales I'd never read before, as well as getting a refresher of several that I have. The illustrations are wonderful and except for a few here and there, the gore isn't really the focus of the pictures, and the illustrator instead captures the action either right before or right after the gory parts--the robber bridegroom hasn't yet cut off his victim's finger, the rooster is mourning on his wife's grave, Falada the talking horse's head (in "The Goose Girl") is already off and nailed to the walll, etc. My favorite is actually a pen and ink drawing of the two cats playing cards in "The Story of the Youth", and it's not remotely gross.

I'm going to take a break from fantasy reading before going on to Harry Potter book 3 and I think I'm going to read Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter, and maybe The Milkweed and Its World of Animals, a nonfiction re-read fitting for this time of year. I've never read Freckles before and I've been meaning to, so now's as good a time as any.

I'm now just past the 2/3 mark, with the review of Freckles by Indiana author Gene Stratton Porter. This is the second book of hers that I've read; Moths of the Limberlost is, of course, the other. This story is in many ways "type" for its era and genre; it's a boy-meets-girl story of the tragic hero starts with nothing and wins the day. One of the nice things about the story is that you have some strong characters that, for the time period, are a bit unusual: Bird Lady, a fearless woman photographer/naturalist; Angel, her assistant who lives up to the name, and Freckles himself, who started life as an orphan (not unusual for a protagonist of the time) with only one arm (more unusual). Freckles is looking for his place in the world, for acceptance and love, and he finds it working at a lumber stand in the Limberlost, a dense swamp that now is a state park in real life. Stratton Porter, a naturalist herself, writes some great descriptions of the Limberlost and the flora and fauna therein.

Some of the story seems contrived, but no more so than many similar titles of that era. The "in the nick of time" thing is frequently seen but again, many novels from this era have that. However, the story is gentle, the message good, the protagonist characters likeable. The younger spectrum of the YA crowd might get bogged down by the dialect--Scottish and Irish brogues run rampant in the dialogue--and the plot moves somewhat slowly compared to many modern YA novels, but those interested in classic literature and older readers won't mind. Since it's not a rare holding in this state--I'd be surprised if it's not in at least one public library in each county in our state--plus it's available on Project Gutenberg and perhaps also on Librivox--I won't be keeping this copy. Not sure if it is a title I'd re-read, but if I do, I'm sure it will be easy enough to get ahold of again.

>89 CassieBash: I remember Freckles fondly from my elementary school library. I think I read it several times. I never realized that it was a well-known book, until several years ago when I was helping my in-laws clear out a storage room. I believe both Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost were in the boxes of books they were getting rid of so I brought them home. I haven't been able to bring myself to re-read them, I'm not sure that the reality would hold up to my memory. I never thought they were the best books that I had read, but there was just something about both of them that made me want to re-read them even in elementary school.

>90 rretzler: Have you found a copy of Milkweed yet? If you still like old-timey, gentle romance, give Freckles a try again. For a romance, it's not bad, if you don't mind the contrivances and coincidences. (I found myself saying "Really?" to myself when I found out how Freckles lost his hand--a bit unbelievable, perhaps, but no more so than any other plot contrivance of this sort. Mostly I loved Freckles' discovery of nature--that wonder and overall gentleness with the creatures of the swamp was great.)

For my birthday celebration yesterday, my sisters found an old copy of The Keeper of the Bees, which seems to be a first edition. I might think about keeping Freckles if it were a first edition--though it's a battered ex-library copy, so the value would certainly be much less than otherwise. So now I'll have read (once I'm done with my next Harry Potter title) 3 Stratton-Porter books, which is probably 3 more than most Hoosier students nowadays have read. Since it was too hot to do much else, I did get a lot of reading done this weekend, and if next weekend turns out to be as they are saying right now (hot and rainy), I'll probably get still more progress done on my goal.

Now that I've reached the 2/3 point, I'm not worried about reaching my goal, unless something catastrophic should happen. I'll probably tackle some pretty big, non-Potter books towards the end of the year, maybe some large nonfiction, which takes me a little longer to read than a novel, because I actually concentrate more reading nonfiction, if that makes sense. After all, what's the point in reading a nonfiction book if you don't pick up and retain a little of the content along the way, eh? :)

>91 CassieBash: Thanks for the suggestion. I have not read Milkweed yet. My boys and I have enjoyed other books by Spinelli, and I am totally fascinated by WWII related books, so Milkweed will definitely go on my list. (Oh, I guess its already on my wishlist - I'll have to move it to the top!)

Book 52: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: SPOILER WARNING--SPOILERS BELOW! Read at your own risk.

I've always had a fondness for shapeshifters, and since this is the book that really starts looking at Animagi and lycanthropy, I always did enjoy this installment. Plus, the introduction of another great magical creature--the hippogriff--and the special cat, Crookshanks (though you don't really learn about his kneazle background just yet. And, of course, this is the beginning of final rise to power for Voldemort, and the start of the story arc taking a decidely dark turn. Am going to read a few books between this and Book 4; I'm already over halfway through The Keeper of the Bees and am leaning towards a horror story next, and perhaps that re-read of the milkweed nonfiction book. (The milkweed one will go fast; as I recall, it's written at a junior high/high school level, so nothing so scholarly as that big Victorian crime and murder book.)

Book 53: The Keeper of the Bees: While everyone (but me) thinks of Freckles when someone mentions Gene Stratton-Porter, I actually liked this one a bit better. While it's still "type" for a romance of that era--tragic injured hero (in this case a WWI vet), mysterious woman he falls in love with but can't be with, etc. But while I found the contrived ending of Freckles pushing the boundaries of what I could accept as believable, this one was slightly less outrageous, though still a bit contrived, perhaps, at the end. I also enjoyed learning about bees, an area of entomology that I'm less familiar with than, say, butterflies and moths (my insect specialty) and while I knew some of the information, it was interesting to pick up some tidbits about bee sight and smell, as well as apiary terminology and processes. It had a good tomboy in it for a strong, young female protagonist (nicknamed Scout), and towards the end it was advocating the Girl Scouts as a worthy organization, so that was kind of cool for a book of that time period. It was a bit preachy with the "evils of foolish youth" for me but then I'm 45 and can hardly be considered young anymore, and with no children, I'm not as worried personally about teen pregnancy. Probably the preachy parts would discourage modern teens, if the archaic language and occasional Scottish dialect (also found in Freckles) didn't first, unless they're into Christian fiction. While Freckles did have an element of spirituality to it, this book has enough of it that I would say this is Christian romance in its genre, with a bit of nature studies thrown in. So I'm recommending this to those who enjoy Christian fiction and the outdoors, especially if bee-keeping would interest you.

Book 54: Robinson Crusoe's premise sounds action-packed: young man stranded on an island, always alert for danger. In reality, it's not all that action-packed and the survival aspects are very much more like a how-to. I won't be picking up the sequel (yes, there is The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe). I did find this particular edition interesting, as it was written for literary scholars and was a reprint of the original text, which apparently Defoe really edited with further editions in an effort to correct inconsistencies (of which there were many, pointed out in footnotes in this older edition). Mostly, as the introduction pointed out, Defoe used this as a vehicle to preach the vices of a non-religious life, as Crusoe finds God on the island (in a spiritual and not physical sense, of course). In some places, the "how-to" aspects were very detailed; in others, it sort of just says he has done this, so there's not even a consistency in the narrative for that. It was so non-plot driven in huge chunks that I'm not even sure who to recommend this to, except for die-hard literature classics lovers, especially this edition, with its interesting (often more so than the actual book) footnotes.

Book 55: House is a Christian horror. When two couples end up stranded in an old house turned inn off the beaten path because of road traps that gave them flat tires, they become the pawns in a game with a homicidal maniac named White, trapped in a haunted house that White seems to control, they must play by White's "house" rules:

1. God came to my house and I killed him.
2. I will kill anyone who comes to my house like I killed God.
3. Give me one dead body and I might let rule #2 slide.

Things are complex here; the family who lives in the house seem to be working for or with White, and there's the mysterious girl named Susan who's also trapped in the house. Peoples' alliances shift as the clock ticks; the game never lasts beyond dawn, so they have until daybreak to decide if there's any point in sacrificing someone, or if White is likely to kill them all even if they do provide the dead body. Worse, the house can reformat itself, especially in the basement, so finding a way out isn't as easy at it seems.

This is a good v. evil story; I can't go into anything more than that because it would be giving away a plot point, which might become obvious eventually in the book but doesn't start out that way. So this is all you'll get from me. :) I'm recommending this to those stout-hearted horror fans who are also into Christian fiction. I liked the book though like most modern horror, I'm not likely to re-read it, though I've noticed there's an audio version on OverDrive and so I might decide to listen to it sometime down the road in a few years if it's still available.



My demographics breakdown so far is as follows:

4 audiobooks
13 adult fiction
25 YA/chapter books
10 nonfiction (adult level)
3 nonfiction (child level)

I counted books like Freckles that may once have been considered a book for the teen years as adult fiction, due to the shift in reading interests in YA. Every time I talk to a librarian in Indiana, they say it's in their adult section. I put the Grimm book in adult, too, though I could see the argument for YA. I have a few books like this that are either/or in some ways, so this count is rough with the breakdown but accurate up to this point in total count.

I'm feeling so very confident of reaching this goal early this year; I may try to hit the 90 mark, which would be 5 more than last year and 6 more than 2015. I'd love to say that I've managed to make a dent in the "to read" pile, but there have been too many additions--I not only went a bit crazy at Derek's shop in May (did OK this weekend--I brought more to him than I took away), but I needed to renew my Plymouth Public Library card and to do that, you have to go inside, where they have (gasp!) an ongoing booksale. Spent a whopping dollar and brought away 8 books. Could have done much more damage; they had some good stuff there. And sadly, I'm eyeing the Argos Public Library sale coming up next month....

It's a good thing for me that I don't work at a Barnes & Noble or, worse, a Half Price Books. Good for me, but probably a shame for them, as I would greatly boost their sales. :))

Book 56: Iron Trial: Another audiobook, this fantasy is for older Holly Black fans; this is definitely not The Spiderwick Chronicles. It's darker and more YA, and starts with a mass murder of a large group of mages, including the mother of young Colin Hunt, who's last act in her life was to use her knife to carve a message to her husband and father of Colin: Kill the boy. Colin, the only survivor of the group, is raised by his father to mistrust mages. Injured during the battle as a baby, one of his legs is weak and almost useless--growing up with the nonmagical peers, he's ridiculed and taunted. He has no friends and has been coached by his father to fail during "The Test"--a group of trials that are designed to determine how much magic a young person has. He does indeed fail terribly--and yet is still picked to be apprentice to Master Rufus, one of the most respected mages ever. In the Magisterium, where young mages are trained, Colin--Cole for short--finds his fellow apprentices under Master Rufus to be staunch friends. As he begins to discover more about his abilities, he loses his fear of magic and wants to learn more. But when he sneaks into Master Rufus's office to surreptitiously contact his father, he finds a message to Rufus from his dad, begging Rufus to bind Colin's magic so that he won't have magic anymore. Hurt, suspicious, and confused, Colin decides to try to figure out why his father would want to do this--binding magic erases your memory of it and leaves you with a deep, powerful ache for something you know is missing but can't remember what all your life. As events unfold, he learns more about what happened in the caves where his mother was killed, and more about himself than he ever wanted to know.

This is obviously the start of another series; the Magisterium is set up for students to advance their training much like any other school, so if Colin stays for the entire schooling process, he'll progress through many stages--the first being iron (thus the title of the book). Fans who grew up a bit after reading The Spiderwick Chronicles will likely enjoy this series, which in some ways is reminiscent of Harry Potter without being too much similar that fans of Potter will find it the same old, same old. There is death, I can't remember if there is some swearing, but nothing major (no "f" bombs and I don't remember them taking the name of the Lord in vain), nor is there sex. There's not even much romance--just a few hints of some possible future ones, perhaps. The focus is on Cole's need to know and learn about himself, and the friendships he forges. Enjoy, fantasy lovers!

I had to finish this quickly, as I put a hold on another audiobook through my library's OverDrive account--and it turns out I was next in line. I have it set to check the book out automatically to me when the hold is triggered--which works most of the time pretty well for me. Unless I'm in the middle of another book. Fortunately, I was already almost done with this one, since I listened to it for the 5 hour round-way trip to Muncie this past weekend.

Book 57: Three Rotten Eggs: Fans of Wicked and Son of a Witch may not equate Gregory Maguire with children's fiction, but the same author who brought you Lost and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister has written a series of books for younger readers--stories full of wit, humor, and weird happenings in The Hamlet Chronicles, of which this book is only one.

Miss Earth's class are going to be involved in a spring egg hunt turned fundraiser to buy the city a new fire truck. Two rival clubs in the classroom--the girls' Tattletales and the boys' Copycats--turn it into a boys v. girls competition. But internal strife within the clubs and the underhanded scheming of the new boy, Thud, results in an even bigger rift that can only be saved by the class's interest in three chicks that hatched from eggs found by Thud, Lois, and Salim. But like everything that apparently seems to happen in the little Vermont town, these chicks aren't what they seem--they're genetically engineered, fire-breathing birds that an evil scientist's henchman is trying to track down!

No bad language, no sex, no real violence, this book and its kin are probably geared for the 4th/5th grade level. My sisters found out who wrote this book (I confess that I didn't pay that much attention when I picked it up at Derek's; the cover and premise are what sold me) and they've decided now that they have to read this book, too. My older sis is a Maguire fan and may even decide to keep it; she's welcome to it. While fun and amusing, it's not a book I'd likely revisit, though if I come across any other Hamlet books, I'd probably go ahead and read those, too.

I'm going to read one more book before starting Harry Potter 4, a book I borrowed from Derek that I want to return to him in July, so I'm prioritizing it. It won't take long as it's snippets of weird events and sites in my home state, with plenty of photos and illustrations, so it should be a fast read.

Book 58: Serafina and the Twisted Staff: WARNING! Spoiler alert for the book Serafina and the Black Cloak, the first of the set!

Now that Serafina knows her mother, she goes into the forest around Biltmore estates to visit often. Being part catamount--human/mountain lion shapeshifters--she's been trying to change into a feline form for a long time, but nothing seems to come of it. While in the forest one night, Serafina sees the song birds and Luna moths leaving the forest en masse, an unusual event, even this close to Christmas. When a mysterious carriage, heading for Biltmore, pauses long enough to let a strange and sinister man and his pack of wolfhounds out, Serafina quickly finds herself up against a deadly enemy. Troubles mount as she finds out that even her mother is leaving due to this man, and Serafina's mother tells her she can't change shape because she's too old, and that she must live at Biltmore rather than follow her mother. Then a snobbish girl named Rowena seems to hog her friend Brayden's attention, and a police detective wishes to question her and Brayden about the suspicious death of Mr. Thorne, who was killed at the end of the previous book. Then otherwise harmless animals become dangerous and rats become obsessed with chewing electrical wires. Can Serafina and Brayden figure out what's going on before either of them are killed?

If you read and enjoyed the first book, you'll likely enjoy the second. I was about half a step ahead of Serafina figuring out some of the plot points, but there was one or two I didn't see coming. Fantasy fans who like a bit of dark mystery thrown in will love it. This copy was an audiobook, just like the copy of the first book, from OverDrive and the excellent reader was the same. If they come out with a third book, I hope they keep the same reader.

Nearly done with the print book, then onto HP4!

Book 59: Weird Indiana: As a native-born Hoosier and folklore enthusiast, I'm a sucker for any book that combines the two subjects. While many of the ghostly lore I'd already known (Stiffy Green, 100 Steps Cemetery, Dog Head Bridge, etc.), as well as some of the cryptozoology and unexplained events (giant snapping turtles, panther sightings, Odon fire poltergeist), there were actually some things in here that I hadn't come across: a man who committed suicide with a complex guillotine system (one of the more gory stories), a grave in the middle of a road, where the road splits to bypass it (all thanks to a relative of the deceased and his shotgun), and the world's biggest ball of paint (I drive through Alexandria to Muncie and never knew it was home to this). From the quirky to the bizarre to the spooky, this book gives Hoosier and folklore fans a bit of the wild side to Indiana. Best of all, the people who created this book had started in New Jersey and spread the concept, hoping to get at least one book for each state published! While I'm not sure if this ambitious plan ever got completed, I know there are other "Weird" titles out there. If I get a chance, I'll certainly read another state's version--interesting folklore and strange things are by no means limited to the Hoosier State. So never fear, those of you from Missouri or Arizona or Rhode Island--I look forward to the future possibility of learning what's weird in your states, too.

Book 60: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The fourth Harry Potter book, and the rising of the Dark Lord's powers begin. Many consider this the turning point in the series, with the deaths and Wormtail's sacrifice making this the first "dark" book of the series--though I'd argue that the dementors in book 3 makes that book pretty dark. What makes this read different from the others is that I started it as an audiobook--I own Jim Dale's versions of the entire series--but finished it in print. This allowed me, during the weekend when I was doing so much cleaning and cooking, to "read" while doing other things. I wouldn't have done this with a book I'd never read before, but as I'm quite familiar with the series, this worked well. In fact, I'm going to switch tactics on the HP series and continue the rest as audiobooks, to allow me to continue reading print books from my stacks.

Book 61: Pagan's Crusade: Pagan Kidrouk is in trouble--he needs money. But when you're an orphan on the streets of Jerusalem 1188, you have few options open to you, except to join the Knights Templar. Only Pagan doesn't get paid for six months. But as a squire to Lord Roland, he does have a certain amount of protection; Lord Roland seems to like him well enough, and he's a fair master. There job is to protect pilgrims on trips to the Jordan River and to help keep the peace in the city, but when the Infidels start taking over cities on their way to Jerusalem, Lord Roland and Pagan must rally the city to defend itself.

A good historical fiction for 5th grade up, boys in particular should like Pagan, whose snide and sarcastic commentary adds humor and a level of complexity to the character. The battle scenes are a bit gory in places, but not unrealistic. This is the first book of four (which, thanks to the Plymouth Public Library, I have the complete set), and I'll be reading the rest of the series.

I now have only 14 books left in the 75 challenge, and I'm thinking that I may be done with the 75 by the end of September. I'm still going to try for 90 by December 31.

Book 62: Pagan's Exile: After reading the second book, I'm going to give a parental heads-up on book 2, which has more gory scenes and some nasty violence and hate crimes, plus several references to male anatomy, homosexuality, and sex. Bumping the entire series to YA.

Warning! Spoiler alerts for book one may be below. You have been warned.

After losing Jerusalem to the infidel chief Saladin, Pagan follows Roland home; Roland wishes to convince his father to raise an army and join another crusade to take back the Holy Land. But Pagan learns that Roland's family are far removed from Roland in their fierce and war-like ways and their uncivilized manners. Only Roland's brother Jordan, who is about the only member of the household who treats Pagan with any respect, seems likeable. But is he? Roland, who's rivalry with Jordan is no secret, tells Pagan to stay away. In the meantime, a feud breaks out between some Cathar vassals under Roland's father's protection and the nearby abbey's monks, with a beautiful woman, Esclaramonde, in the middle. Roland is in love, but can he stop the feud before things go too far?

Pagan's hero-worship of Roland, who he sees as the father-figure/protector he's never had, is tested by Jordan's seemingly harmless interest in spending time with Pagan, as well as Roland's obsession with Esclaramonde. This book is a chance for the reader to see that Roland, who comes across as virtually perfect in the first book, has character flaws, too. In addition, with the introduction of Roland's unsavory, dysfunctional family, it makes Roland's rise to the clean and chivalrous knight quite an achievement.

Book 63: Pagan's Vows is book 3 of 4; I'm reading the final installment now. Once again, spoilers for book 2 lurk below, so read on at your own risk....

Roland and Pagan have left Roland's family lands to seek out a monastery removed from the bloodshed and horrors done at the hands of Roland's family. Roland desperately wishes to find God and to forget his love for the beautiful Cathar heretic, Esclaramonde. Pagan, though, can't settle to monastic life and when he accidentally uncovers corruption in the monastery, he hatches a plan to alert the Abbot of the monastery.

Like the second book, there is some vague discussion of sexual activity, particularly homosexual activity regarding one of the monks (and part of the corruption Pagan discovers). Pagan's loyalty to Roland is, as always, very touching but as Roland tries to distance himself more and more in his search for God, Pagan finds he's pretty much all on his own.

The fourth book takes place after Pagan has grown, and is the only one of the four not to be told from Pagan's POV. That review will be posted shortly.

I've finished a couple in the past couple of days, and should have a couple more by tomorrow's end.

Book 64: Pagan's Scribe: The 4th book in the series (there's apparently a 5th book, Pagan's Daughter, that I saw mentioned online, but I don't have a copy). I had hoped for some author's notes about the time period at the end of these books, but there haven't been. That's the only real disappointment. This book is the first not told from Pagan's perspective. I recommend the Pagan set for those young adults (and up) interested in historical fiction who are mature enough to handle the topics of war, religious persecution, homosexuality and sexual abuse of children (though these last two are not described in detail, so don't worry about descriptions of the acts).

Warning! Spoiler alert for the first three books! Read at your own peril.

Pagan has gone through university and has become an archdeacon, charged with the task of warning local towns where Cathars are living in peace with mainstream Christians that the crusaders are rallying for war against heretics at home. While passing through a tiny village, Pagan is forced to get a new scribe, an orphan child with epilepsy--though of course back then, the superstitious people think he's possessed. Like Roland did for Pagan himself, Pagan takes the lad Isidore under his protection. And like the other books, this one focuses on the relationships of the characters. Brought back in this book are the characters of Roland and his brother Jordan, and the epilogue ties up the story nicely, so even though there is a 5th book, I'm currently satisfied with reading this far.

Book 65: The Tiger Rising: Rob's mother is dead, and his father has urged him to bury his feelings of grief. Rob does just that, and more--he's a loner who loses himself in his drawing and carving at the new school in Florida where they now live, trying to go unnoticed by the bullies. But one day before school, Rob finds that the owner of the motel where his father works (and where they also live), Mr. Beauchamp, has a live tiger in a cage in his woods. That same day, a strange girl comes to school--a new girl who claims she's only there for the week because her father is coming to get her. Both Rob and the girl, Sistine, must learn to deal with their losses, and the tiger helps bring them together in their healing.

A good (and extremely short) realistic fiction about coping with loss (and not just loss through death) and the strength of friendship and family during these times, it's probably a bit emotionally heavy for those younger than 4th or 5th grade, and even some 5th graders might find it a bit much. The language isn't inappropriate but the situations are very real and it's not exactly a light-hearted romp through the daisies. However, for children dealing with the death of a parent, or a separation or divorce, this book may help them realize that trying to ignore their grief isn't a good way to heal. Recommend for parents and children coping with loss and for those who like sadder realistic fiction.

Neither this nor the Pagan series will be staying in the house, though I think that my younger sister will want to read the Pagan set before I take it to Muncie.

Books 66 and 67 will be posted either tomorrow or Tuesday; book 5 in Harry Pottet (in audio) and a juvenile nonfiction on Jack the Ripper.

Book 66: Opposing Viewpoints: Jack the Ripper is part of a junior series of Opposing Viewpoints, which is an ongoing series of books offering pro/con arguments on a topic. The more "grown up" versions cover topics like abortion, the death penalty, the health care system, and much more, but also includes titles on the paranormal (mostly whether these things exist or not). The series gives scholars in the field a place to publish essays on their beliefs, usually with some sort of fact (or facts) or evidence to support their argument. Like the title suggests, there's usually a set of polar opposite opinions.

Not so with this book--at least, not exactly. Instead of offering the scholars the space, an editor sort of compiled the views of "Ripperologists" (their term, not mine) into a more narrative and cohesive read. I suppose the theory is that tweens are less likely to read an entire book of short, scholarly essays than a book that almost reads like a story. (Well, they may be right.) They do have the bibliography at the end, so you can see the sources used in the writing of the book, which is always a nice thing with nonfiction of any sort--at least you know some research went into it and it's not just someone pulling stuff from thin air.

As far as the read itself, it was good for the age group it was written for. It wasn't a bad read, but those already somewhat familiar with the case of Jack the Ripper will not find any new or wonderful information or insight in this book. It's really a starter book for those who know little to nothing on the subject, or for those who collect everything they can on the subject. In fact, I learned more useful insights reading the last chapter of last year's big nonfiction read, The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime. But I did recognize much of the information and theories in this read from that one, so it's good to know that the information in this book can be verified in other nonfiction works.

I'm close, so very close, to finishing the Harry Potter book--about halfway through the last disc. I would have had it finished but yesterday afternoon/evening turned out to be not-as-planned, with car troubles (battery) and kitten issues (strays to medicate before finding them homes). I may be able to finish tonight. Since I'm taking a Muncie trip this Sunday, I'm going to have to look at OverDrive for a new, more portable audiobook (my silver Saturn Ion's CD player no longer works, so discs are impractical for a drive).

I decided to update my ticker to reflect my new 90 book goal. A bit of visual interest for this section of my page:

Book 67: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the 5th installment of the HP series, and the Dark Lord's rise finally becomes common knowledge (eventually). This book is where you meet Bellatrix Lestrange for the first time (not just referenced), and you find out why Harry has his scar. For those new to the plot, Snape is, of course, still a big question at this point of time as to his true alliance. And, of course, this is Harry's first romance. No real surprises for me, because of course I've read it many times, but it's nice to hear Jim Dale's many personas, and of course this is my prep for our HP themed Halloween party this year.

I will take a bit of a hiatus from HP; I've just started another audiobook since I have a Muncie trip this weekend, and I've got a collection of short stories to read, plus I might start a nonfiction again, just for kicks. I have some good stuff on infectious diseases lying around, though I think I may save the one on the common cold for later in the year--a more appropriate time, as it were.

Book 68: My Muncie trip audiobook this time was a murder mystery with cats. Lots of cats. Thus the title The Company of Cats. Annabel is an insider with a gossip column, posing as an interior decorator to get close to Arthur Arbuthnot, an eccentric British millionaire. When he's found dead in his study, Annabel finds the family retainer trying to lure the man's beloved cat Sally, hated almost universally by most of Arthur's family and staff, to her death. Fearful for the cat's life, Annabel smuggles Sally out to her place to stay. Then the lawyer informs the family that Arbuthnot's will has most of the money going to the cat and her caretaker--and suddenly everyone's looking for Sally--at least, only long enough to claim the money. When various family members "introduce" two new tabby cats, one by one, to the household in the hopes of fooling the lawyer, Annabel finds that she can't leave these unfortunate cats to their fate, and smuggles them away, too, leaving her to nervously await the lawyer's visit on Monday, when she hopes to show him the real Sally and secure a fortunate fate for her.

The reader was good--always a big plus for an audiobook. It's not a long book, so it was easy to finish quickly and not have to worry about getting it back on time. That being said, many of the Arbuthnot family members had the same personalities (unpleasant to varying degrees) and outside of Annabel and Arthur (who you admittedly only get to know from Annabel's perspective, as is true with all the other characters as well; it is her story), and the cats, of course, you don't really like most of the other characters, who are very self-centered and greedy as a general rule. The cats, however, are well-fleshed characters in their own right, each with their own personality, which as any cat owner will tell you, is as it should be. A good light mystery, it doesn't have a lot of grip-the-edge-of-your-seat moments, but it does have some humorous ones--and not just the smuggling of each successive cat, which almost becomes a running gag. Those looking for a quick read and who like mysteries--and cats--should put this on the read list.

Book 69: Storyteller: Elizabeth is a young girl who seems to mess up a lot. When her father has to go to Australia to sell his carvings, he leaves her with her aunt--her deceased mother's sister--and she fears the worst. She hasn't met her mother's family much, and certainly not recently. So what will her aunt think of her forgetfulness, her clumsiness, her mistakes? Yet she finds herself fascinated by the drawing on her aunt's wall of a relative, Zee, who lived during the American Revolution. Through flashback chapters, we learn that Zee, too, was forgetful and always seemed to mess up. But like Elizabeth, Zee is brave and strong, and special in her own way.

The book is told from both Elizabeth and Zee's perspectives; they each get their own respective chapters intermingled with each other, so that you get much more of Zee's backstory than Elizabeth finds out in her research. But Elizabeth's discoveries are in their own right special and exciting, and she discovers her special talent that sets her apart from many others.

I'm going to highly recommend this as a read-together, even though an accomplished 3rd or 4th grader could tackle it on their own. But with parental or teacher discussion, this book could open up the world of genealogy and history to the young and interest them in finding out more about their past. There are some dark parts in here, too--Zee loses her mother and then her father to violence related to the war, so it's not a light-hearted look at the past, but an accurate one. The book definitely also has the message that history is not only important to research and remember, but that it lives in all of us.

My newest count:

Audiobooks: 7
Adult Fiction: 13
YA/Chapter: 34
Nonfiction (Adult): 11
Nonfiction (Child): 4

I'm getting close to an adult short story compilation and am contemplating the next possible nonfiction, as well as the next fiction read. I'll probably start another Potter audiobook mid-August so that I'll have plenty of time to finish the series by the end of October. I purchased at the local Goodwill store a couple of CD-format audiobooks, an Avi one and (I couldn't pass it up) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Because you can never have too much Bradbury.... :)

Book 70: Alfred Hitchcock's Tales to Send Chills Down Your Spine: A collection of 29 short stories by various authors; like many of these sorts of anthologies, some of the stories were better than others. None were scary by my standards; no chills here. But some were quite good, and included mystery/detective fiction and non-supernatural suspense. One of my favorites was "The Glass Bridge", a good old-fashioned detective who dunnit (or rather "how dunnit", since you know early on who the killer had to be), and "Anyone for Murder", about a psychologist who's doing a study on would-be murderers by putting a special ad in the paper. Never Trust an Ancestor" is good dark comedy, and the ending of "The Running Man" is even deep and philosophical. Good choice for fans of the short story, providing they like their stories with a twist.

Book 71: Igraine the Brave I picked up at the Argos Public Library book sale this year, along with another book by the same author, Ghost Knight. Igraine wants to be a knight, though her parents and brother are all wizards. But when an evil man named Osmund wants to steal her family's magical books and her parents are rendered helpless due to a magical mishap, Igraine must quest to find the missing ingredient for the potion that will set her parents right. She receives help from the Sorrowful Knight, who feels he has lost his honor to another knight--one who is helping Osmund. Will Igraine manage to save the knight's honor as well as the day?

An excellent read-aloud for younger children, with short chapters and a fast, exciting and often humorous in places plot. Igraine is a strong female protagonist, and while she and her brother don't often see eye to eye, it's clear they love each other--and the same with their parents. This is a very close-knit family, ready to help each other out. There is one dark part, of a sort, that involves people turning into fish in the moat, and Igraine's pet cat probably eating a few, so be aware of that. This action takes place "off screen", so to speak, so there's no bloody description, so some children probably won't be disturbed by this.

Book 72 Ghost Knight: A more intense, dark, and mature story than Book 71; Funke definitely wrote this with an older audience in mind. Jon Whitcroft is being sent to a boarding school in Salisbury (England), certain that he's being punished for his dislike of his mother's new boyfriend (his father is dead). As if this isn't bad enough, Jon finds himself being hunted by a dead lord because his mother's family are Hartgills, and the lord's ghost has sworn to kill all male Hargills. When Jon meets Ella and her grandmother, he learns all sorts of things about ghosts--including one in particular, a knight by the name of Longspee. This knight has vowed to protect the weak and the innocent who ask for his help, and Jon does so. But he finds out more about Longspee than he bargained for; is the ghostly knight really responsible for the death of a choir boy? And if so, will Jon be next? And can even Longspee keep the angry lord from killing him?

There is some more minor swearing, and the descriptions of the ghosts are rather horrid for the younger crowd, but the tweens will like this if they're into minor horror and action/adventure with a bare hint of romance. Think of those kids who grew up reading things like the Goosebumps series, now a few years older, and you're on the right track for the audience. An OK diversion but not a keeper for me. Mom will probably read it and then off to Muncie it goes.

Book 73: Fairy Tales of Ireland by W. B. Yeats is a condensed version of his full work ( which I also own) but with illustrations! The stories chosen for this collection are fairly standard: Fin M'Coul, Donald O'Neary, the hunchbacks Lusmore and Jack, and Daniel O'Rourke, to name a few. And while the illustrations (done wonderfully by P. J. Lynch) may make you think that the stories have been tidied up for children, they really haven't. While not as brutal as many Grimm tales, there's still a lot of heavy drinking and drunkeness, as well as a couple of scenes of matricide and (albeit faked) infanticide. So parents should preview this read before deciding if it's suitable for their child--and admittedly, some stories are worse than others (Fin's is actually one of them). There's also dialects in some of the stories that might be hard for younger readers tackling this on their own. As far as an adult audience goes, I would recommend this for those interested in expanding their fairy tales beyond the typical Grimm, Anderson, and Perault ones so popular in our culture. Serious researchers will probably turn toward the full work, but for those interested in experiencing a taste of what the full collection will be like before diving in to the rather large tome, this is perfect.

I'm less than 100 pages away from completing my nonfiction on germ warfare, and am working on listening to my 6th Potter book. I have to choose a new fiction book and am thinking ahead to Banned Books Week; leaning towards Tom Sawyer this year (I've read Huck but not Tom).

Book 74: Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War: Well, this one probably comes as no surprise to those who follow my posts here; I was bound to read something like this, now wasn't I? :)

This book looks at the modern history (it mentions our giving the Native Americans blankets covered with smallpox as one of our first forays into germ warfare, but doesn't go into details), particularly focusing on the 1970s to the Clinton administration. In 1972, several countries, including (as well as us) the Soviet Union and Iraq, signed a treaty halting the development of biological weapons, though in both these countries and others, the development went on regardless, in secret. Clinton in particular was bothered by the prospect of a germ attack, especially against American civilians, and increased funding for defensive research (which was still allowed by the treaty). An interesting bit was that The Hot Zone, reviewed by me in >66 CassieBash:, as well as The Cobra Event by the same author, was part of what made Clinton sit up and pay attention to the possibilities of germs getting loose on a population of civilians, and what it might mean if our nation was unprepared for an outbreak of any disease. Though New York City responded to America's first cases of West Nile virus with unprecedented speed, it still showed gaps in our nation's health preparedness for such a situation. Most notable with the West Nile virus is that though the human cases were tracked and documented, tipping off to health care workers that some unusual disease was happening in their city, they ignored a Bronx Zoo vet who tried to insist that the cases of human illness were somehow connected to the deaths of crows and even some of the zoo's animals--that link wasn't made until after the health authorities incorrectly diagnosed the germ initially.

It was a little slow in places for my taste and a little too focused on the politics. You know me--I'm all about learning about the germs themselves, and while I did pick up some interesting things, particularly about anthrax, which is a bug I haven't really researched much--I found that the politics of the creation, tracking, spying, inspections, etc. was sometimes interesting, sometimes not. I found it fascinating that a couple of Soviet defectors were tipping off our scientists and politicians about the U.S.S.R's germ warfare program, and how when the Soviet Union collapsed, we worked with Russia to help support out-of-work Russian scientists (not altruistically, mind you--we didn't want them turning to Iraq or other countries for a livelihood). But other areas, especially regarding the laws and treaties themselves, as well as the military's and government's yes-this-is-a-problem, no-this-isn't-a-problem waffling, were a little less to my taste. But those interested in politics and military science/history may well find this book far more intriguing. If this sounds like your cup of tea, my copy is heading to Muncie, Indiana sometime in September.

I'm nearly to the initial goal; I'm reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at work during lunch and now I need another fiction read for home. Maybe it's time for another William Sleator book....

I could swear that LT took down my last post, of books 75 and 76. Grrr....

Well, I'll repost really quickly and see what happens with this one.

Both books are good upper elementary/junior high boy reads, though the Sleator one is darker and more serious, and the Coville one is funny and more or less light-hearted.

Book 75: The Monsters of Morley Manor is the story of how a family who willingly transformed themselves into monsters (with the exception of the family "were-human", a cocker spaniel named Bob) help two kids, Anthony (from whose POV the story is told) and his sister, Sarah, save the world from alien invaders intent upon enslaving Earth's ghosts and using them to power a secret weapon. Full of strange creatures, weird situations, and amusing dialog, Anthony has some tween-boy moments that show his age, particularly around Melisandra, whose figure apparently is alluring, even if her snake hair isn't. Not that Anthony goes into details; he merely hints at his observations, so I'm giving this a mild PG rating (not even a 13, since no slang, crude language, or specific mention of body parts is made) at worst.

Book 76: The Green Futures of Tycho is a darker but, towards the end, a similar themed book, but with time-travel involved as the main weirdness. Tycho is the youngest of four siblings, all named for great persons in the hopes that they will follow in their namesakes' footsteps. But Tycho's interests don't really focus on astronomy; right now, he's into plants, and he decides to make a garden. With the first shovelful of dirt, he finds a strange device that turns out to be a time-traveling mechanism, that he uses to change at first the past, which then changes the future. Unfortunately, when he goes to check on the future, each time he goes he finds a future that's less and less appealing, and that twists and warps him more and more. Can Tycho figure out how to fix the present so that his future isn't the darkness he's seen? A bit predictable for someone who's read more and seen more than their share of time travel books and movies, and who knows that in many of them, the future is fluid and ever-changing. But for those young readers capable of handling something a bit more intense than Book 75, but still wanting that (MINOR SPOILER ALERT!!!!) happy ending, this book is a pretty good choice.

The new ticker, now that I've hit the original goal:



This is how the totals so far stand, by genre/category:

Audiobooks: 7
Adult Fiction: 14
YA/Chapter: 38
Nonfiction (Adult): 12
Nonfiction (Child): 5

Congrats on blowing past 75!

Congratulations on reaching 75!

Congratulations on your 75.

Thanks, all. I've got another one to add towards my 90 books goal:

Book 77: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the audio version, once more lets not only Rowling's storytelling prowess show through but also once more highlights how great Jim Dale is as a reader. If you're not familiar with the series, the 6th book is where things begin to look really bleak for Harry--but no spoilers here! If you're a high fantasy fan, you should read this. If you're not big on fantasy, you shouldn't. Enough said.

One more Potter book to tie things up nicely; once more, I'll take a small hiatus on the series to allow me a little more time to work on other, print-based books of mine. Out of the 15 books needed to make up the difference between 75 and 90, I don't want any more than 5 to be audio. Since part of the goal of this challenge is to keep me going with the stack of print books I've got, relying too heavily on audiobooks to get me to my goal is not helpful. But I'll probably make at least 3 more trips to Muncie between now and the end of the year, and since audiobooks are my major source of breaking the monotony when driving long distances, I know better than to say the next HP book will be the last audiobook for the year.

Book 78: Power of Three: Gair, son of a Chieftain of the People, thinks he's ordinary, especially when his brother and sister have Gifts. To make up for this, Gair decides to follow in his mother's footsteps and become incredibly wise--he's already a quiet, observant type. But when the Dorig--creatures who live underwater and who are sworn enemies of Gair's people, flood one of the Moor's mounds where Gair's grandfather rules, forcing the two groups to crowd into one mound, Gair begins to get a strong feeling that something bad is going to happen. And his new interest in one of the Giants doesn't help--why does he find the Giant so fascinating? And can the Giant, who also lives on the Moor, help keep the Dorig from flooding the Moor and taking over?

An excellent YA read about what it means to be a person; the message in this book is a positive one. Well-written and engaging with language and content in the "G" rating, so parents don't need to worry if an accomplished younger reader gets ahold of it. In fact, I'd say this was written for the younger teens, based on the language, writing style, and age of the book's protagonists. Highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy.

Book 79: Mummies, Men and Madness: A nonfiction about funeral practices in ancient Egypt. Not entirely sure where the "madness" part comes in, but what the heck, I didn't write it so who am I to question the title? Most of the information herein I already know--I'd say 95-98% of it--but the last chapter was something I never really considered before regarding mummification in the Bible. And the wording may vary from one version to another, but in Genesis, the story of Joseph, it mentions that Jacob and Joseph are both embalmed. It seems that, at least at the time this book was written, there was a theory that Joseph's story took place during the Hyksos rulers--fellow Semitics--but this author places him in the Middle Kingdom, during a native Egyptian rule. Extrapolating from the various hints cited from Genesis, the author argues that he has used the references to the time it took for the funeral preparations (70 days), the reference to the Egyptian aversions to shepherds and eating with the Hebrew people (this would be strange with fellow Hebrews in charge), and how Joseph had to shave himself before meeting with the pharaoh.

But that one small chapter was all the new information in the book, and while fascinating, not enough so for me to want to keep this in my personal collection. I have far more detailed books on Egyptian funeral customs, and while I did find this snippet in Biblical archaeology interesting, it's not one of the topics I tend to re-read. Off to Derek's it goes!

Wow, I'm really breezing along. With only 10 more titles to read, even the 90 mark seems easy to reach. Of course, I'm going to be starting a huge anthology of short horror stories, so maybe that will slow things down some. After all, October is just around the corner, and I've begun feeling that urge to read some Halloween-ish. Most of my large horror titles are buried, though, so I'm not sure that my upcoming reads--again more YA and some shorter nonfiction--will take very long once I start them.

Book 80: Word of Mouse: I'm not a huge James Patterson fan; most of his stuff just isn't my cup of tea. But the synopsis sounded cool, and it's a lot different from his adult fare. I actually bought this thinking of my younger sister, to whom this book will be given. Isaiah is a lab mouse, born and bred (among other things, to be super-smart and have blue fur) in a laboratory, where he and his 97 siblings (all with oddly colored fur and high intelligence) live. When they attempt a break for freedom, only Isaiah manages to elude the captors. After a horrifying fight for survival, he's befriended by a beautiful girl mouse who takes him home to her mischief (a group or family unit of mice), where he helps out and eventually is adopted by them. But he can't help longing for his own family, and as his hopes that they will break out of the lab and find him diminish, his desire to take matters into his own paws and help them escape grows. With the help of his new friends, can he rescue his family? A mouse's word is, after all, a serious promise that can't be taken lightly....

Sometimes reminiscent of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH regarding the special abilities these lab mice have been given, the book seemed to me to be a little lighter in tone, though. Patterson doesn't make it as dark or menacing as sections of O'Brien's story are--though the mice do struggle against natural enemies and man-made devices like traps, overall the wild mice seem to have a pretty good life--they live in a house where the slobby people drop food everywhere, and it seems fairly easy pickings. Patterson also doesn't go into as much detail or description of exactly what the mice in the lab are suffering--though there is mention of injections, and one each of brain dissection and electrodes, the details are left to the imagination. But it's clear that Isaiah (and therefore, presumably, Patterson) thinks that most animal laboratories, if not all, are places of senseless horror and cruelty. If you're big on animal rights, and don't mind a book clearly meant for younger readers (think upper elementary/junior high), then you'll probably enjoy this. Not big on anthropomorphic animals? Skip it.

Congratulations on blowing past the 75 book mark! (Jim totally stole my phrase here up above.)

>123 ronincats: Thanks! It's OK; you can both compliment me about how quickly I breezed past 75. After finishing 3 books in a weekend (2 of them I started this weekend, too!), I'm beginning to question whether 90 will be a high enough goal challenge. I'm sticking with it for the time being, since fall is an extremely busy time for me and my family (the Halloween party, Thanksgiving, Christmas, not to mention the usual end-of-semester challenges and duties at work), and I'm thinking again about reading some bigger books. After all, size does matter in this challenge, as it's a lot more time consuming to read a thick book rather than a thin one--unless the thin one is extremely boring, in which case I'd give up on it and move on anyway. But with only 10 books to go in three months...well, I can always adjust my goal up, or just see how many more books I can read past my 90 mark.

Wow, a lot of time has passed since I've posted a book! I think maybe this is about the longest time span between postings this year. That short story collection of classic horror stories (most of which aren't really sending shivers up my spine, but they are a fun read) has indeed slowed me down. I did, however, finish an audiobook from OverDrive because, well, I've only got two weeks to finish an OverDrive audiobook once I've checked it out. I can't go into too many plot details, as it would spoil the fun of slowly learning the truth as Sylvie, the narrator, does.

Book 81: Help for the Haunted: Sylvie and her sister, Rose, live with their parents, who claim to exorcise demons and remove spirits who haunt others. Sylvie has always, mostly, believed in this, but after her parents are killed and she's injured by the glimpsed murderer, Sylvie must help to discover who is responsible for the death of her parents. This book does warrant some of my typical warnings: it does have the "f" word, mostly used by the surly Rose, Sylvie's guardian after their parents' death, as well as the standard curses of "hell" and "damn", and there are some sexual themes, including lesbianism, but there isn't any in-depth descriptions like I've come across in other books. You're left guessing as to whether the supernatural element is real or not until the end, but the supernatural events, while providing a creepy atmosphere, wasn't a grip-you-by-the-throat horror. I enjoyed the book, and the reader was OK (not the best but not the worst I've heard, either--she was loud and clear enough to be heard over the road noise while driving, but her different voices for each of the characters needed were sometimes too subtle to have much difference--she'd have done just as well reading it straight rather than trying to dramatize it). I recommend to people who won't be put off by the language and adult themes who like a bit of creepy mystery but don't want to read books that are likely to make them jump at every sound. There was one element in the book that I recognized as probably being taken from a supposedly "real" haunted object; if you want to know, read on.

WARNING: This is your last chance to turn back. I'm going to refer and link to pages about a haunted doll, similar to one in the book. If you like dolls and are open to suggestion, you may not want to read this. Especially if you like Raggedy Ann. On the other hand, I'm also posting a debunking link that argues that this is all made up; I take all of this sort of stuff with a bit of salt and healthy skepticism--I enjoy scary stories for fun but I've yet to be swayed into believe any ghostly folklore.

In the book, one of the supposed haunted objects is a rag doll described in such a way as to suggest a Raggedy Ann-type doll. There is, supposedly, a real haunted Raggedy Ann doll named Annabelle (apologies on the small print)--on which the doll of the Conjuring franchise is based. However, as pointed out by some, the Warrens are suspiciously the only ones with the "facts" on these cases they claim as their own.

Book 82: First, we'll start with my at work read, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: This classic read by Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clemens, follows the summer of the title character as he falls in and out of love, skips school, becomes a "pirate", witnesses murder, and more. Mr. Clemens/Twain was a fitting choice for my banned books week read--he's one of the few authors who have had their works seen as controversial from both sides of the fence: when first published, many found him to be too sympathetic towards blacks while nowadays he's often protested as a racist in schools because of the slavery and language Twain writes (he uses the"n" word). Instead of being allowed to use this as an introduction to that time period of US history and a discussion of the treatment and portrayal of minorities in literature of that time, many schools seem to find it easier to just remove it from the required reading list. The black folks in this book are portrayed as good people (as they are in others of Twain's works), but Native Americans don't fare so well, as the character "Injun Joe", who's not even a full-blooded native, is as stereotypical as you could get, and is the true villain of the book. Again, however, the book is a product of its time and could be used to teach about the wrongs of stereotypes and racial profiling, as well as how our views of different ethnic groups have changed.

Book 83: Gothic Ghosts: My home nonfiction read, Hans Holzer is a parapsychologist who writes about hauntings. I was hoping for something a bit scarier than this book, even if I thought the stories weren't true, but many of the hauntings described in the book were fairly routine (footsteps, doors opening and closing by themselves--stuff like that) and much of the background of the haunting couldn't be properly determined--Mr. Holzer puts a lot of stock in psychic intuition in these cases. I won't be adding this into my personal collection--the only story that really stood out to me was a nice ghost who, after the couple who buys her old home and repairs the overgrown, struggling garden to close to its former glory, pays a pleasant visit, chats and reminisces about the house with the lady, then suddenly disappeared. The lady learns from a neighbor that, based on the description of her mysterious visitor, she's been visited by a ghost.

I'm about halfway through the story collection and am going to start a new nonfiction--another ghost one but one with local interest, no doubt complete with background: More Haunted Hoosier Trails. This volume is slim enough to take with me this weekend to the Indiana Renaissance Festival to read at the hotel, unlike the short story collection, which has over 1000 pages. And I've started listening to Harry Potter's final book, so over the next week or two, I hope to have at least two more reads to add to the list.

Book 84: The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen is another Pals in Peril book--the follow-up to Whales on Stilts. Lily, Katie, and Jasper Dash decide to vacation at the mountain resort, The Moose Tongue Lodge, but a dastardly kidnapping plot and the theft of a priceless necklace means another mystery.

A note about this book: it sounds like a typical mystery from the above, but like all Pals in Peril books, the plot is a bit weird and the book is more humor than anything. Aside from two of the characters being spoofs of series (Katie's adventures are supposed to be akin to the Goosebumps series, while Jasper Dash is a Tom Swift type of character). The author makes several amusing side-notes and self-criticisms, and there are wonderfully wacky illustrations. I know a few parents with kids who are reluctant readers (and at least one of them is ADHD) whose children loved this set of books. I find them quite enjoyable but I like weird and think that the author's play on genres and series and his quirky writing style is fun and unique. (I love the lists of fake titles in some of the books hilarious.) But a lot of adults seem to find them a bit much for their taste so this is a book that may not be to your liking.

Book 85: More Haunted Hoosier Trails: A quick read about the folklore of some of the ghosts and hauntings in Indiana; the book is divided into the north, central, and southern counties, with each section containing a brief description of the county before launching into a quick summary of the haunted places and why they're supposedly haunted. Not every county is covered in this book (I hope that Marshall County at least was included in the first volume), and many of the stories are common ones that I've heard and read about before (Moody's Light, The House of Blue Lights, IU Bloomington's ghosts), but some were brand new to me, so that was a bit exciting. Many of these are places that are either now museums--open to the public and therefore "visitable"--or public right-of-ways or accessible, like roads and cemeteries. (Still, it's always wise to look into ownership and trespassing concerns before exploring areas--so any ghost hunters out there looking for ideas, even if you use this book, there are some places you will probably need to look into before you do any investigation.) For those interested in Indiana folklore and especially for those looking for ideas to investigate "haunted" areas--highly recommend.

I'm debating keeping it; I'm not really looking to investigate but I don't really have an Indiana-specific book on hauntings, and despite some minor editing issues, the stories are engaging and interesting. (Most of the editing issues were dropped or extra words, and they got worse the further into the book you got, as if the author/editor just stopped proofreading after a certain point.) Since Derek almost certainly owns a copy that he will more than gladly loan me, I'm leaning towards giving it back to his shop. While I do enjoy reading the stories, to me they're just that--stories--and not a reference or guide book that I'd want to keep on hand. However, Indiana ghost hunters more than likely would like to keep this for just that purpose, so if they could get more frequent use from it, they're welcome to it. I'll likely take it back, fittingly enough, the weekend before Halloween, so any readers from the Muncie area--keep your eyes open for it.

Book 86: Rosemary's Witch is a quick read written for tweens and while the cover and parts of the story may be a little frightening to the timid, the end is satisfactory for those who are worried about a bad ending (and that's all the spoiler you'll be getting from me!). The book's overarching theme is about family and home--and what it is that makes a home. A good theme with a good message, with no inappropriate language or adult themes. I recommend to parents with kids who can handle things like Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, or even more frightening tales, as it's really pretty tame by some of these books' standards, as there is no blood and gore as there are in the "Scary Stories" books.

OK, don't know why, but touchstones don't seem to like the link to the "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark"; don't know why, as I imagine these books are of the kind that keep finding new generations to read them. Alvin Schwartz's page has them listed; so who knows what's going on with touchstones? I've noticed they can be quirky.

I'm oh-so-close to my goal; however, I've started another adult fiction that's a decent size (and has fairly small print) and I'm still working on the short stories book (I'm a little more than half-way through the 1076 page whopper), so it may be a bit before I post another book, especially with the upcoming "Harry Potter" themed Halloween party to prepare for. Then, of course, there's Thanksgiving and Christmas, which also cuts into reading time as we plan family get-togethers, parties, and decorate accordingly. Then there's the cooking and baking, for us and for our Humane Society's bake and craft sale, as well as the Christmas cookies we distribute to our various friends and service industry people--the mail lady, the recycling and trash people, and the vet office all love us at this time. I'd thought about trying to extend the goal to 100 but am not sure that's not going to be too much of a stretch. I'll be impressed with 90.

I want to throw out a request for participants in a group read of one of my favorite but relatively unknown fantasy novels, God Stalk by P. C. Hodgell. The "stalk" refers to stalking gods, not a stem. It is the first of a still ongoing series, but it is a complete story and easy to walk away from after the first book if you wish--indeed, all of us had to wait many years after this one to get a sequel. I am looking at possibly November, December or January for the time frame, but the actual month will depend on what those interested work out. If you would be at all interested, please PM me or drop by my thread and let me know.
http://www.librarything.com/topic/270239

>129 CassieBash: Oh, look at that! Touchstones has decided to accept "Scary Stories" after all.

Book 87: I finished the 7th Harry Potter installment on CD: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in which the battle between good and evil comes to a head and people must, as Dumbledore once said, "choose between what is right and what is easy". As this is war, there are lots of deaths, and some favorite characters do die. Rowling's series grew with her audience, and so as the last of the series, this book is much more YA than the first, with more mature themes and events. The concepts of the horcruxes--which are inherently evil by nature--and the hallows, which despite their name (hallow means "holy" or "dedicated to the holy") are much more neutral (as they can be used for both good and evil, as shown in the book) are interesting concepts made even more interesting in that the hallows aren't necessarily weapons of good that can automatically trump or cancel out the horcruxes and bring about Voldemort's downfall, as well as Harry's having to decide whether to destroy the horcruxes (what is right) or actively collect the hallows (what is easy).

I've started the next audiobook; I've downloaded the Librivox app and am listening to The Hoosier Schoolmaster, considered an Indiana classic. I'm also still working on my large short story anthology and the last of my Halloween reads (which definitely won't be finished by tomorrow, but oh, well). After this last Halloween read, I think I'll read something light--probably some children's fiction--and maybe I'll squeeze in a last nonfiction yet, maybe the one on the common cold. It's been awhile since I've read an infectious disease book that didn't go into high mortality rates and war, and we're heading into that most appropriate of seasons for a book about the common cold.

Book 88: Another audiobook, this one from Librivox, which is a website (now with an app for phones!) that has recordings of public domain books. I chose The Hoosier Schoolmaster as my first Librivox app download.

Ralph Hartsook takes the job of schoolmaster in a rough-and-tumble Indiana district (Flat Creek) in the 1850s, and gets entangled in a web of intrigue, political scandal...and romance. While some of the characters are stereotypes and you can almost see Dr. Small twisting a Snidely Whiplash mustache around a finger as he plots about how to frame Ralph for his thieving, you generally end up liking the good guys, even the rough-and-tumble Bud, who's a good person at heart if a little coarse, and disliking those who are the bad guys. Of course, there's also a love interest, and there's a widow in the poorhouse, separated from her two children (a daughter who's an indentured servant and a young boy, sickly, but being raised by good people), and there's a lot of Biblical analogies and references regarding characters and situations.

It was a typical novel of its time, with one exception: it supposedly uses genuine Indiana dialect in use at the time, while most writers of that era kept with New England dialects. The Librivox version I downloaded had footnotes after many chapters that went into explanations about some of these words and phrases he used, and how they compared to other areas of both the U.S. and Europe. Like many classics, the language and pacing would probably not interest most of today's younger readers, unless they have a penchant for the classics, but older readers and especially Christians might appreciate the imagery, characters, and the generally clean and "innocent" story and plot that ****SPOILER**** ends so well, with all the happy endings one could want.

I'll be doing at least one more audiobook, since I'll be visiting Derek this weekend to guarantee some romance before the holidays and winter sets in. With Librivox as another option for the "phone book", I'm not sure yet what I'm going to choose; I've got a couple of titles in mind, including The Bears of Blue River or a few children's books written by a naturalist. The print books continue to advance, slowly but surely, with about 200 pages to go in the novel and a little more than that in the short story anthology. I'll definitely finish up the two by the end of the year, so I'm certain that by Dec. 31, I'll have met, if not exceeded by a few books, my 90 book goal.

Book 89: The Fifth Horseman seems to be the author's one foray into the world of writing, and considering that the publisher is based out of New York, I'm guessing this is a small press that focuses on local works, if it's not a true vanity press. The author states he's a local legend buff, thus the subject of his novel.

This is a re-read for me; like Dragonworld earlier, I couldn't quite remember the plot and decided to review it again to decide what to do with it.

First, let's talk about the strikes against it. It could really have benefited from a proofreader. Not an editor per se, but someone to catch the simple mistakes that riddle this book: dropped words, dangling commas and other punctuation issues, that sort of thing. The story itself isn't bad though some of it seems a little contrived and some of the characters, especially the villains, stereotypical. On the plus side, I don't want to give too much away because a lot of the fun with the book is not knowing what the heck is going on and trying to figure out what's going on and what's really supernatural or if there's anything supernatural happening at all. Some scenes are pretty gory--you do, after all, have a mysterious rider who seems to be the headless horseman from Sleepy Hollow legend killing people--but there's not a lot of gruesome detail for the most part, swearing and sexual innuendo is minimal, and it was nice to see the local Dutch Presbyterian minister and the local rabbi as long-time good friends, ready to unite for spiritual battle (with a little help from the local Catholic priest--too old to fight personally but willing to provide all the Holy Water and other religious weapons used to ward off evil spirits that he can. The big question is, of course, whether the horseman is really an evil spirit....

Part horror, part mystery, part action quest a la "Indiana Jones", with a fair amount of humor sprinkled throughout. If you think this is your cup of tea, give it a try if you can find a copy. I'm holding onto it still for the time being because I'm not sure how easy and inexpensive it may be to locate another copy if I wanted to re-read it again. Besides, I promised mom she could read it next. :)

I've reached the 90 mark!



Unless I make another Muncie trip (and that will be dictated by a combination of available time between the holidays and weather), I've probably listened to the last of the audiobooks with this latest posting.

Book 90: Among the Farmyard People is one of four or five books by the author that less about real animal life and instead are children's moral stories focused around anthropomorphized animals. Not that it's not an enjoyable book--like most books of its kind, the stories are mostly gentle, with a moral, virtue, or code of conduct as the reason for the story. Having grown up on and around farms, one farm life element that is, for the most part, missing is that of death. A couple of deaths are alluded to, the most obvious being that of a careless mouse who ignores his mother's warning and gets eaten by a bird (though it's worded more gently than that), and an ill-tempered boar is led "down the lane" and is never heard from again, but as these stories are supposed to delight and instruct in the gentlest way, too much morbidity would probably upset the targeted age group, especially during the time it was written. Unless, of course, the children were living on farms and were used to the yearly culling of livestock, in which case they might be questioning why all these animals seem to be so carefree. Still, for the type of book it is, it's a good one, and I would recommend it to parents who enjoy read-alouds with good moral values.

I do like Librivox but find one little thing annoying. At the beginning (and in this case, also the end) of each chapter, the reader announces who he or she is. You get used to it to a certain degree, but it's still annoying despite that. It breaks up the flow of the story. So far, this has been the case in both Librivox downloads, so I'm assuming it will be standard. I get the concept of attribution (Librivox recordings are, by the nature of the site, free of copyright, so this isn't a copyright thing), but please, Librivox volunteer readers, give yourselves credit at the beginning, when you give the title and author of the book, and not at every chapter!

With a month and a half to go, I'll probably be able to squeeze in a few more books, but I'm not going to set a goal. My holiday season this year is very busy, starting with an early Thanksgiving get-together with my uncle, to put flowers on my grandmother's grave (she passed early October), and a Thanksgiving with my dad, who moved back up here after he decided he wanted to be closer to his daughters, now that our stepmother also passed. Then there's our traditional Thanksgiving with mom and my sisters, so that makes 3 Thanksgivings, and probably 2 Christmases (mom/sisters and dad/sisters--our uncle's not a big Christmas person), plus our Christmas craft party, getting the tree (yes, we use a real tree--love the smell!), Christmas shopping with mom, and working the Sunday before Finals Week. Yep--I'm gonna be busy.

Anyway, the tally for the 90 book goal is this:

Audiobooks: 12
Adult Fiction: 15
Youth Fiction: 43
Adult Nonfiction: 15
Youth Nonfiction: 5

Comparison to last year's totals:

Audiobooks: 8
Adult Fiction: 16
Youth Fiction: 38
Adult Nonfiction: 22
Youth Nonfiction: 1

This year allowed me to read lots thicker books at the start, without worrying as much about whether they would slow me down for the overall goal, since I had three weeks off work to recuperate from the surgery. While I did listen to a few more audiobooks--an average of one a month--it's a lot less than the 2015 total, in which I listened to 30. I'd like to keep the audiobook total down to no more than 15/year, since I'm trying hard to read through my print stack, and relying too heavily on audiobooks to meet the goal is rather counterproductive. Last year was a big nonfiction year, too; looking back, I hadn't realized I'd read that much adult nonfiction, which tends to get put on the back burner much of the time. It doesn't surprise me that youth fiction (YA and chapter books) are up, as much of the newer books I have acquired fall into that category. I read more youth nonfiction this year, but that was to free up space on the Harry Potter shelves, since I was certain that, once reading those J. K. Rowling bios, I wasn't going to keep them.

I'm still working on the supernatural anthology, which I want to (and should) finish by the end of the year, and I've got one book checked out from Ancilla's collection that I should read and return; it should be a fast read, so it'll probably be book 91. Other than that, I have no immediate plans but will go through a pile or two to decide what's next when I get there.

Went to the local (Plymouth) public library sale yesterday. Unfortunately, virtually all YA and chapter fiction books were gone, and I found nothing to interest me in what was left of these. However, I did buy a few books off the "Last Chance" shelves--one of which looks like a good read heading into next year's gardening season: An Orchard Invisible, a book about seeds (I can't believe someone didn't want it--it looks fascinating). From the mystery shelves, I got quite a few by P. C. Doherty, a couple of ancient Egyptian ones but mostly medieval England. I do love a good historical mystery. Got a couple of audiobooks; one I gave to Mom: volume 12 of The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas. One of the best finds was after I'd taken my 2 bags of books, audiobooks, and DVDs out to the car and came back in to drop of the shopping basket they kindly let me borrow to carry my load, when what catches my eye but The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury, so for another 50 cents, I got this book, too. All in all, a good haul for the size of the library sale; it was much smaller than Muncie (Plymouth is a much smaller place, though, with no branch libraries) but a good sale nonetheless.

I bumped into a coworker on my way out (the first time) and she jokingly asked if I'd left any books. She knows me too well.... :)

Sorry that the YA books were all gone, but it still sounds like you did pretty well!

>136 scaifea: Oh, yes, I'm pleased. And really, I have stacks of books from Muncie, Ancilla, and Argos sales, plus Derek's store acquisitions, so I have plenty of reading material. And speaking of....

Book 91 is actually that huge supernatural collection, published by The Modern Library in 1944, Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural. I took it with me on a trip this weekend; since I wasn't driving, I was able to get a lot of reading in. A solid collection of classic stories, not all are scary or even meant to be scary, and with few exceptions, I found they really didn't, overall, send shivers down my spine. Many are powerful stories though; while "The Monkey's Paw", for instance, I've read so many times before that it no longer chills me like it once did, I still find it a great story. "The Celestial Omnibus", while not remotely scary, is a wonderful spiritual read about what heaven is like. And the humor of "The Ghost Ship" is as good a tall tale as any. The writers here are all big names: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Rudyard Kipling, M. R. James (whose "Casting the Runes" was made into a movie called "Night of the Demon"), Edith Wharton, Algernon Blackwood, William Faulkner, Ambrose Bierce, H. G. Wells, and so many others. A good collection of classic supernatural and unusual occurrence genre of stories; recommend to classic horror literature fans.

Book 92: Kenny and the Dragon is a very short and quick read that took me only a couple of hours to read. After all the heavy classic reading of monsters and ghosts, I felt I was ready for a lighthearted kid's chapter book, and this certainly fit the bill. Kenny is an anthropomorphic rabbit whose father comes home from the hill where the family's sheep graze in an obvious panic. Seems that a dragon has moved into the hill's cave. But unlike his exterminated ancestors, this dragon (Grahame) is friendly, and Kenny befriends him. However, to the townspeople, who panic at the thought of a dragon in the area, he is a menace and should be exterminated like the dragons who came before him. In fact, when the king himself finds out about the dragon, he brings his dragon slayer, the town's bookseller, out of retirement--seems that the old badger bookseller was once a dragon-slaying knight. Kenny is friends with them both; he doesn't want either hurt or killed in battle. But it seems as if the townspeople can only see one solution; can Kenny possibly save Grahame's life, especially if he won't fight? Reminiscent of The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame (see how clever the author of the book is with his names?), I would highly recommend this gentle story of friendship as a read-aloud--though be prepared to define words! There are quite a few, especially in the beginning, that younger children won't be familiar with. Also good for upper elementary kids who could read it on their own.

Book 93: The Language of Thorns: "Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns." This statement is printed on the back of this collection of stories fabricated in fairy-tale fashion, only darker and more adult than those made for children nowadays. While there may be endings that aren't exactly sad or end in tragedy (and some do), even those that end "well" usually have a melancholic or ambivalent ending. There are no "happily ever afters" in these tales, which are part of the Grisha world I first mentioned in >23 CassieBash:. Recommend for adults and young adults who like fairy tales written at a more mature level.

I've started reading the common cold book, which I think will be the last nonfiction read of the year; figure now's as good a time as any, since I'm likely to get at least one cold this season, and we're almost 2 months into the cold/flu season. Only in the second chapter, and I'm learning a lot about colds, especially about how little we really know about them....

Have a happy Thanksgiving, all!

This is a time of year when I as a non-American ponder over what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for this group and its ability to keep me sane during topsy-turvy times.

I am thankful that you are part of this group.

I am thankful for this opportunity to say thank you.

>140 PaulCranswick: Everyone, no matter what country they're from, should take at least one day of every year to reflect on things they are thankful for (I feel that more is better for this and one day isn't sufficient, but that's up to the individual to decide).

Thank you, Paul, for your dedication to this group--though if you think I'm likely to keep you sane--that's like the old saying about the blind leading the blind. I've given up on sanity long ago.... :)

And speaking of insanity, once more it's time to review another book on a disgusting infectious disease! Book 94: Ah-choo! The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold is actually pretty tame by my usual nonfiction disease choice in terms of graphic content. Unlike Ebola viruses, there's no extreme bleeding, and unlike plague, you don't get painful lesions and swollen lymph nodes. But there is a lot of references to nose picking, which of course is one way that cold viruses can be transferred to the various objects people handle every day, especially parents. In fact, some of the studies mentioned in this book include volunteers who "self innoculate"--don't think on it too long. But the author notes that the cold virus--especially those from the rhinovirus family (colds arise from members of 5 virus families, including parainfluenza and influenza, but the most common are rhinovirus) are the perfect balance between virulence and transmission; it's in the virus's best interest to not make us so sick that we can't get up and be around other people so that it can spread. (This is true of parasites too; it was mentioned in book 27, Parasite Rex, post >50 CassieBash:). The author also states that, unlike the destruction of cells that influenza causes, the rhinovirus doesn't cause our symptoms; these arise not from the cold, but are actually from our immune system doing its job. There are benefits to colds, too--as mild infections, catching a fair number of them as kids--especially during your first 6 years of life--can boost your immune system. There's an exceptionally interesting part about the T helper cells known as Th1 and Th2--or as my Seussian thinking automatically supplied, Thing 1 and Thing 2--and how our bodies start off producing more of Th2 while we're fetuses (to protect us from our own mother's antibodies) but that after birth, we start making more Th1 as we're exposed to illnesses, and that children who are kept cloistered from illness during those early years are more likely to develop allergic disease. Also, of course, are chapters about how to "kill" a cold (short answer--you can't) and chapters on how to relieve symptoms and maybe even shorten the duration (just barely). Parents, rest assured that chicken soup is still a good standby, whether it really does anything other than provide comfort--and that doctors have done studies showing that TLC may just be the best medicine around. So go ahead and read that extra bedtime story or give an extra hug to your kids--just wash your hands thoroughly right after!

Lots of notes and bibliography--always something I like to see in a nonfiction read, even if I don't go through them carefully. It's nice to know that I could verify the information if I chose.

Bonus: the appendix was one of the best parts of the book, summing up what works best to treat colds (and more importantly for parents, what is and isn't safe to use on children), what doesn't work, some interesting products that are for anything from throat and chafed nose relief to "germ fashion" (rhinovirus tie, anyone?) to things that are supposed to kill viruses on various surfaces, to a few recipes (including 2 chicken soup recipes--one by the host of "The Splendid Table" and another by the wife of a professor of medicine who was inspired by his wife's insistence that her grandmother's chicken soup treated colds to experiment with this). Like most of my nonfiction, I'll probably pass this on, though I may copy a few recipes first.

Book 95: Rider in the Dark: In 1740 England, being a smuggler or, worse, a wrecker (a man or group of men who purposely wreck ships, kill any survivors, and steal the cargo), means at best exiled slavery in a faraway colony or, worse, death. Growing up in Dorset, England by the sea, Helena Roseby knows of smugglers only through stories told to her by her lawyer father and village gossip. She's much more interested in horses, particularly her father's new stallion, Oriel, who he won in a game. The stallion seems wild and her father isn't sure he won't sell the horse, with whom Helena fell in love at first sight. Smugglers seem like the least of her worries when compared to trying to convince her father to keep Oriel. After all, she doesn't know any smugglers--or at least she didn't think so, until the night she follows her childhood friend, Mamie the stable boy, when he sneaks off with two of her father's horses. Fearing that Jamie has turned horse thief, she follows him secretly and finds that he's only "borrowed" the horses instead to help bring in a load of smuggled cargo. She helps Jamie and several of the other villagers, and vows to keep their secret. After all, they aren't wreckers; they haven't harmed anyone and don't even carry weapons. But customs man Roger Chapman is sniffing about, and rumors are that there are wreckers in the area. Can Helena keep the smugglers' secrets? Are there really wreckers in quiet Dorset? And can she convince her father to keep Oriel?

An engaging read for horse-crazy girls--too much hints at romance that cannot be (due to social status differences) between Jamie and Helena for most boys, I'd wager, and the story exclusively follows Helena. This is a "G" rating for content and language, so while it's appropriate for the upper elementary/junior high girls who want a book they can read, younger children can listen to it as a read-aloud if parents think the appeal is there. There's not even a passionate kiss (that would be inappropriate for a young lady), but Helena makes for a good strong female character; for that time period, she's practically a tomboy! (Imagine--switching mounts with Jamie as soon as they're out of sight so that she can--**gasp!**--not ride sidesaddle!)

Enjoyable, but not a keeper, so this one's taking a trip to Muncie, along with book 94.

Book 96: Treasure Island: A classic pirate adventure that is quite enjoyable; still a good read-aloud for parents with children (young boys in particular) who can handle chapter book read-alouds and who love treasure hunts and pirates, with "G" rating for both content and language. Jim Hawkins is a young lad, living with his mother and father at the inn they run, when an old pirate, hunted by his once comrades, comes into their lives. When the old sea dog dies, Jim and his mother find themselves in possession of a treasure map--and because of the map, also find themselves in trouble with pirates! While Jim's mother stays on land, Jim and his friends, most notably Dr. Livesey, find ship and crew to take them to the Treasure Island. Unfortunately, a smooth-talking, one-legged fellow named John Silver is hired; turns out he's really a pirate himself, and he convinces much of the crew to mutiny. It's up to Jim to save the day!

This was checked out from the library, so it's got to go back, of course, but any bookstore selling new books that's worth its salt (OK, except for Christian bookstores--this is not necessarily in their scope--but all general bookstores) should always have a copy in stock. This is a classic that has held up surprisingly well, and is probably far more interesting than DeFoe's Robinson Crusoe for most people, because of the faster-paced plot and the more abundant dialogue. For children, I'm sure there are some editions with some good pictures to help hold their interest.

Well, reaching the hundred mark before the 31st is still do-able, if I choose fast reads. I have already started one that's a nonfiction; it's one of those quick facts that answer questions kind of book. I have a couple of short chapter books, including an animal fiction and a few William Sleator books that probably fit the bill, too. So for just one last small challenge, I'm going to unofficially try for the 100 mark. Trying for anything more than that at this point, with the Christmas holiday coming up fast, would be insanity beyond my levels. Not that it's not possible, but I think anything over 100 will just be the icing on the cutout Christmas cookie. Mmmm...cutout Christmas cookies....



(Thanks to Katie and the website Sweet & Delish for the image of the scrumptious-looking chocolate chip cutout Christmas cookies, iced.)

Book 97: How a Fly Walks Upside Down and Other Curious Facts is one of those science question and answer books like those written by David Feldman, only with a less interesting writing style (a lot of passive sentences) and with less details. Admittedly, he did write this for, I believe, a younger audience--but not much younger, because these questions were ones asked in his science classes while he was teaching high school. Some things are truly dated (mongolism for Down's Syndrome--ouch!) and of course since 1979 (when the book was published), we understand a lot more about some of these things that he either says we don't know much about it (admittedly, he often adds 'yet', so he acknowledges that there will be advancements in the field), or he keeps his explanations so broad and basic that anyone with any sort of real grounding in science probably knows at least as much as he's given to answer the question, if not more. Honestly, skip it. I'm not even sure if I'm going to bother taking it to Derek's, because I'm not sure if it would sell--I'll have to ask him. Otherwise, it'll probably go to Salvation Army or Goodwill; I can't bring myself to put it in recycling, because someone out there may enjoy it or get some sort of use from it. The only thing I can say positively for the book is that if you have a science-minded young kid, maybe 2nd--4th or 5th grade who hasn't gotten a lot of this knowledge in school yet, it might be a good read to give them ideas of topics of interest they might want to find out more about in more in-depth books, as it covers all the sciences, from astronomy to biology to chemistry to physics.

I've gone back to fiction now, probably for the rest of the year, and have just started a William Sleator book.

Book 98: Others See Us is a typical William Sleator psychological suspense, with the typical twist at the end. Jared is a teen boy who's smitten with his cousin, Annelise--but then, everyone loves Annelise, except for his other cousin, Lindie, who comes across as sullen and jealous at first. But then Jared falls into a swamp that's been polluted with toxic waste, and he finds that he's suddenly able to hear other peoples' thoughts. During the reunion party, he hears about local robberies and the death of a young girl...and then his journal, and Annelise's, are stolen. Seems that his domineering, unpleasant grandmother had also had a run-in with the swamp water, and she's a "reader" too. And grandma isn't fooled by Annelise's goody-good exterior; Jared has "read" for himself how Annelise contributed to the young girl's death, and more. So why does their grandmother so badly want Annelise to help Jared retrieve the swamp water?

The whole cousin crush thing is the most objectionable part of the book; language is clean and there are no sex scenes, but there are some suggestions that Jared's journal contains some juicy (and highly embarrassing) daydreams about him and Annelise (before he found out about her; in Jared's defense, as soon as he knows she's a narcissistic sociopath, he's no longer attracted to her). One Amazon review was wondering why Jared was attracted to his cousin, wondering why there weren't any unrelated girls around, but the plot is centered around family dynamics and control, and how well we really know our family members. Annelise has her whole family thinking she's perfection (with the exception of Lindie and grandmother, and later Jared), when in fact she's as monstrous as any creature in any horror story. (Grandma, in her own way, isn't much better.)

Like most of Sleator's work, it's a boy-oriented story, told first-person from Jared's perspective, and the vocabulary level is probably 5th or 6th grade. The horror/suspense is derived not so much from the supernatural element of mind-reading, but more from the inner psychology of the people in Jared's family.

Stopping by to wish my happily less-than-sane friend a wonderful weekend. xx

>146 PaulCranswick: Thanks! It was a snowy one, and there's potential for more of the white stuff. This keeps up, and we'll have our white Christmas for the first time in years.

Book 99: Fingers is another weird Sleator book, with hints at the supernatural, as is typical. However, it does keep you guessing as to who is really on the receiving end of the supernatural vibes.

Jared can't stand his half-brother Humphrey, who from a very young age was able to memorize complex musical scores. People flocked to see a toddler playing Beethoven or Bach, but once Humphrey hit a growth spurt, audiences began realizing he had very little talent. His mother and father concoct an idea to have Humphrey "channel" a dead gypsy musician by the name of Laszlo Magyar and create "lost" compositions. Jared ends up with the task of composing the music, while his mother gets and administers the drugs they use to dope Humphrey so they can plant the suggestions of this ghostly ability (which they later deny to make it appear more convincing). (At this point, I was amused mostly by the family dystopia that was so pervasive in the last Sleator work I'd read, too; honestly, not all of his families are this horrible!) Magyar's style was to take an old gypsy folk tune and embellish it with dramatic and often chaotic chords and notes, so Jared takes modern folk tunes and does the same. As the scheme works and people fall for the "channeling", Jared notes an old man who appears at every performance and who whispers things to Humphrey--things he can't possibly know about Jared's work. And while Humphrey plays his other pieces with his usual dull style, when he plays Jared's composed pieces--the faked Magyar compositions--he plays with skill and eloquence. Is Humphrey really channeling Magyar? Or is Jared? And what can the old man tell them about what's going on?

Like the last, this one is another boy-friendly plot, but the level is a bit more advanced. The horror/suspense part is derived from the supernatural element this time, as readers are kept wondering who's really channeling Magyar, if anyone, and what the old man has to do with the plot. Not a nail-biter at all by my standards regarding the horror factor, but an interesting and fun read.

I've started what may be my last chapter book of the year, depending on how quickly it reads and how much holiday life (and possibly snow) rearranges my schedule. We are shutting down between the 22nd and the 1st of January, so there's definitely some reading time potential. I don't think it will be that difficult to make it to the 100 mark at this point; my current read is going quickly.

Book 100: Geez, what's with me? This is the third book in a row with family issues, although that's admittedly not (directly) what the book is about. Jennie is really about cats. In fact, it's safe to say that Mr. Gallico one day noticed all the stray cats in London and their plight--having to find food, avoid being hit by cars or trampled by people and horses (the book is just a bit after WWI--some of the neighborhoods still have bombed-out buildings, so horses were still around), and those that once had homes but lost them to various circumstances, and he decided to write a book that would make the readers pause and maybe take pity on a stray cat or two. That, and he obviously also thought long and hard about what it would be like to be a cat, because that's what happens with one of the two main characters.

Peter is an eight-year-old boy living under the watchful eye of his nanny. Dad is an army man (a colonel) and is away much of the time, and mom is a social butterfly, attending this event and that, and seldom pays much attention to her son. Peter wants a companion other than his nanny (though he loves her very much, too), and really, really, really wants a cat. Every cat he sees, he wants to pet. So when the nanny is distracted one day, Peter runs across the road to pet a cat, and is struck by a car. Most of the rest of the book is, quite obviously to an adult reader at least, a fever dream of his where he's transformed into a cat. The book is told from Peter's POV and for younger readers, this may not be as obvious, as many children simply take the story as it unfolds. (This book gets a PG rating and would be suitable for a read-aloud; there are a couple of more intense scenes and one particularly brutal fight at the end where a discussion might be useful, but the language and general content is clean. The one aspect of cat behavior that the author doesn't go into is mating.) Most of the book is Peter learning to be a cat, lessons provided by the title character, a street-wise tabby who comes to love and rely on Peter as much as he loves and relies on her. A touching story of friendship and survival in the animal world, and though it turns out to be a dream, you get the impression that the love and companionship he learned from Jennie lasts through his lifetime.

So now the official totals for the end of the year:

Audiobooks: 12
Adult Fiction: 16
Youth Fiction: 50
Adult Nonfiction: 16
Youth Nonfiction: 6

I counted "How a Fly Walks..." as youth nonfiction, since the content was written at such a low level. "Jennie" I counted as youth fiction.

Now I'm at a dilemma. There's still half of December yet to go, but with a holiday coming up, and with the craft party this Saturday at our house, and wrapping of presents and general festivities, I'm not sure if I have the time to start too many books and yet finish them by the end of the month. It seems like cheating to start reading a book in December, but not finish it until January, and then claim it as the first book in next year's challenge. And without (hopefully) another medical issue that would keep me at home for awhile, I may need all the time in the year to finish 75 books--especially if I want to read some of the thick ones in my stacks. So here's what I've decided; I'm going to read some books that technically, by my terms, don't officially count towards the challenge. I'm going to read easy read children's books, and picture books, and cartoon compilations (I've been inspired by fuzzi's reading Prince Valiant). I haven't taken a lot of time over the past few years, since I've started the challenge, to re-read these sorts of things (except for the occasional title here and there), so I'm going to indulge this season. I'll post them here even though I'm not counting them, so you can share in the fun titles. So far I have read these:

My Crowd: A collection of Charles Addams's cartoons, many of which feature the most functional dysfunctional family of all, the famous Addams Family. In fact, those familiar with the two movies will recognize some of the gags used in the films in a few of these cartoons, including the festive opening sequence of the first movie, in which carolers get a surprise from above. But the collection also includes some non-Addams family cartoons as well.

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons: It's not winter without deranged mutant killer monster snow goons, now is it? Not if you're Calvin and Hobbes, at least. A collection of mostly winter-related comic strips from the classic Calvin & Hobbes collection.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas: The book that Jim Henson based the Christmas special on; Henson's version is pretty "spot-on", as the British would say, with a few exceptions. The book doesn't have the character development of the Riverbottom Gang in it; their band, The Nightmares, simply show up at the contest. A good story about taking chances, even when those chances don't pay off. And there's also a "door closes, window opens" sort of thing here, too. The gentle story and illustrations of family and friends in a community help make this a classic read-aloud during the holiday season.

Sir Toby Jingle's Beastly Journey: One of my absolute favorites to check out of the library when I was young; I snatched up a copy as soon as I could find one. In his young, Sir Toby Jingle gained a reputation among the nastier of the beasts roaming the countryside, but as he gets older, Sir Toby realizes that he can't keep up his knightly lifestyle forever. What to do? Why, go on one more quest--to find a griffon, tiger, bear, dragon, and troll to guarantee a perfect retirement plan! I love Wallace Tripp illustrations and the half-cartoon approach to the illustrations, with dialog in balloons, only add to the fun of the rest of the text and the illustrations.

Keep on keeping on Cassie.

Well done for reaching 100!

>149 PaulCranswick: Thanks!

The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book are large reprints of Sunday edition strips. At the end of the book, Mr. Watterson laments what Sunday comics (and comics on other days, too, for that matter) have been reduced to, and how a comic used to once span half a page or more. You can view some old-time comics and see what he means at this link to the Digital Comic Museum. "Little Nemo" is a great example of a multipanel comic that must have taken up a decent amount of space.

That's Not Chester!, because the Smith family left their cat, Chester, at Aunt Maude's house when they went on vacation. So how come, no matter where they go or what they do, there's always someone who looks like Chester? This is a silly easy read that kids will enjoy, and probably join in on the refrain of "That's not Chester." My personal favorite is Chester dressed up as a park ranger. He looks quite good in a uniform. I think it's the hat.

I'm a Bill Peet fan; he's a fellow Hoosier and he loved animals, so how can I not be? (Fans of his art will recognize his distinctive style in a few Disney films, too--most notably in 101 Dalmatians.) Usually, his stories have a moral or message but is delivered in such a way as to not be preachy, which can turn away some kids (and some parents, too). So I'm taking this opportunity to re-read those titles I've collected of his; I'll gradually be expanding my collection as I come across more titles I don't have. But for now, I have read the following so far:

The Wump World: Peet wasn't just an animal lover, he was also concerned about our treatment of the environment. This book deals with a race of aliens that pollute every world they come across--including the world on which the gentle wumps live. The aliens force the wumps underground, and there they stay as the aliens pollute their world topside. Will the wumps ever be able to come to the surface again?

The Whingdingdilly: Scamp the dog wants to be a horse like the famous, ribbon-winning Percheron at the farm across the road. One day as he sadly wanders into the forest, a witch realizes this dog is unhappy as he is, but instead of simply changing him into a horse, she creates a creature that's a hybrid of several animals, including elephant, camel, and giraffe, that she calls a whingdingdilly. But Scamp is as unhappy as ever, especially when he's captured by a carnival owner. Will he ever just become Scamp the dog again and be reunited with his boy? A good story about being--and appreciating being--yourself.

The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock: Prewitt has a pitiful tail, but when it begins to grow in an odd way, making a scary face and a set of feathery "arms", the other peacocks want him out of the flock. But being alone means having to deal with the old tiger by yourself. Can Prewitt figure out a way to stay with the flock without sacrificing his tail? The message here is another one about acceptance, but also has a message about turning what seems to be a setback or weakness into a strength.

Another Hoosier children's author/illustrator, Norman Bridwell didn't just write Clifford the Big Red Dog books. He also wrote a few that didn't involve the iconic dog, including these two:

How to Care for Your Monster is the first of a set of two monster books that he wrote; this one is all about acquiring and keeping one of four types of monsters: Frankenstein monsters, mummies, vampires, and werewolves. Puns, play-on-words, and a lot of visual humor make this a not-so-scary monster book.

Monster Holiday starts with the assumption that you have your monster, but the newness has worn off and maybe you need to rekindle (except maybe in a Frankenstein monster's case; we know how they feel about fire) your relationship with your monster. Bridwell suggests ideas about how to celebrate the holidays with your monster.

There's Treasure Everywhere and Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat are two more Calvin and Hobbes collections.

Smokey is a Bill Peet story in rhyme about an old switch engine who decides to go on one last adventure beyond the limits of the rail yard. His adventure was supposed to be the final journey of his life, but an accident leads him to a new career and a new lease on life.

Buford the Little Bighorn is reminiscent of Prewitt Peacock, with an animal protagonist with an out-of-control feature, this time horns rather than tail feathers. Unlike Prewitt, Buford's friends (herd) would help him out, but Buford realizes he's only slowing them down and endangering them. With bighorn season not far off, Buford must go it alone, struggling not to overbalance from his horns, until those very horns save his life and get him a very unusual job.

>148 CassieBash: Congratulations on hitting that 100 book mark! The book, if those not familiar with Paul Gallico's oeuvre, is Jennie or The Abandoned. I read it many times as a child, crying my heart out every single time and never thinking of it as a fever dream.

>153 ronincats: Thanks! Fever dream or not, however you interpret it, the plight of stray and feral cats is realistically portrayed. While I've not been able to find a definitive number of how many stray and feral cats there are, I've seen estimates as high as 70 million in the U.S. alone. It's estimated that 75% of kittens born on the streets die or disappear before they reach 6 months. The average life expectancy of these cats is 2 years, though this depends on which generation of street cat it comes from (3rd+ do better than 1st and 2nd generation strays/ferals). That can rise to up to 6 years if the cat belongs to a managed colony of cats (ones given food and are neutered)--the same average life expectancy as an indoor/outdoor cat. Mostly, death comes from trauma sustained in either traffic or from another animal, usually dogs, or from poisoning--I think poisoning is the one thing they didn't address in the book, but maybe that's because of the location (England v. U.S., for instance) or the time period. I would add traps to the list in certain areas of the U.S. at least. I will never have an indoor/outdoor cat again; if it comes inside, it's staying inside--I've lost too many indoor/outdoor cats. My last indoor cat lived to be 17 and my sister's previous indoor cat made it to 19, our current household's record. Peppa is going to try to break the household record, I hope!

The Secret History of Giants is along the lines of Dragonology, Egyptology, and the like, with a naturalist's approach to giants (the fairy tale kind), including little lift-the-flap notes. Giants in this book are, for the most part, seen as benevolent creatures of the earth, akin if distantly to faeries, elves, and the like. Like most books of this kind, a lot of the interest lies in the illustrations.

Monsterology is a spinoff of the Dragonology books, with "Dr. Drake" returning to write about creatures other than dragons that have long been considered "mythical". Like the giant book above, there are little lift-the-flap notes but it goes one further an includes "samples" of shed skin of salamander, griffon feathers, phoenix nest ashes, and more. More "samples" are in a collection in the back.

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

Wishing you all good things this holiday season and beyond.

Thanks to you both, and a Season's Greetings to all! Enjoy whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year, and stay safe.

Jan Brett's Snowy Treasury is a collection of 4 of her wintry tales, beautifully illustrated: Gingerbread Baby, The Mitten, The Hat, and The Three Snow Bears.

Treasures of Irish Folklore is another collection but this one is a bit darker; stories about mermaids, leprechauns, witches, pookas and other creatures of the faerie world of Ireland.

I Can Choose My Bedtime Story is a collection of two-page, simple stories with a pictorial index that lets a child choose, using the picture, what story is read to them. Really an innovative idea, especially from the 1970s. I remember enjoying the decision option as a child, and of course I had my favorites. The story about the robot who washed windows was probably my first introduction to science fiction.

Thanks, Paul. You posted while I was typing, so I extend thanks to you.

I came across my copy of The Wind in the Willows and, it being Christmas, remembered fondly the beautiful Christmas chapter in it and I just had to reread the book. So for my 101st book, I read "The Wind in the Willows", once more enjoying the friendships of Rat, Mole, Toad, and especially Badger, who ties with Mole as my favorites in the book. Anyone who has seen the Disney adaptation has gotten the gist of it, but as is almost always the case, the book is better. A good read-aloud except that there's a lot of use of the word "ass"--always in relation to being one (and Toad frequently is), rather than an anatomical reference or slur, and there might have been a damn or two in there, but when I was doing read-alouds to the young children on the afternoon bus ride home from school (back in the day), I always simply substituted more age-appropriate words. The older kids kind of suspected that I did this, but didn't mind or say anything. I was popular with the elementary students when I was in high school.

In case you're wondering about high schoolers sharing a bus with elementary students, I went to one of those rarest of rares: a K-12 school.