ffortsa retires to read in 2017

Ah, I had such lofty goals last year! My shelves are as full as ever, and my two face-to-face book clubs totter on taking up my time. But that's ok with me. I got to 66 books - 67 if I count The Shipping News, which I finished listening to this morning.

I retired last May, but it didn't increase my reading time by much. I had a lovely summer vacation, topped by a trip to Alaska, a rather busy autumn and end of year, and here I am, ready for another round.

So what do I plan? Aside from the aforementioned f2f groups, I hope to participate at least part-time in some of the challenges (British, Canadian, American, Non-Fiction, etc.) as well as some of the group reads. I'm still working on catching up with my vast New Yorker collection, too. I'm all the way up to March of 2009.

And I hope to keep up with a few more of my fellow LTers this year - I lost track of so many of you in 2016! Of course, I'm already behind on that plan.

My ticker, as always, will be




(although at the rate I'm going, maybe I should have switched to the snail!)

1. The Five Books of Moses translated by Robert Alter - Genesis
2. @Erewhon - Samuel Butler
3. Love Songs From a Shallow Grave - Colin Cotterill.
4. @The Bible: A Biography - Karen Armstrong
5. The Dance of the Seagull - Andrea Camilleri
6. @The Last Coyote - Michael Connelly
7. ♬Sad Cypress - Agatha Christie
8. Better Than Before - Gretchen Rubin
9. ✔NIghtwood - Djuna Barnes
10. @Trunk Music - Michael Connelly
11. ♬October Light - John Gardner
12. The Ghost Runner - Parker Bilal
13. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd - Alan Bradley
14. @Buried (Twisted Cedar Mysteries) - C. J. Carmichael
15. @Talking To the Dead - Harry Bingham
16. Written in Stone - Ellery Adams
17. The Master Butchers Singing Club - Louise Erdrich
18. The Redeemer - Jo Nesbo
19. ♬Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right - Hochschild

I'm carrying over the icons from last year to denote ebooks, library books, off the shelf, etc. which Bianca kindly provided.

♬ audiobook
✔ off the shelf
@ e-book
✨ shared TIOLI
✿ TIOLI
✗ slow read

Here's to another fine year of reading for us all!

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.

Paul, how did you do that??!??!?? I just hit enter, and there you were, all splashing about! Now I have two #1 posts! Thanks for the prompt welcome, you sly fellow. And I do agree with all the sentiments you cite. Lovely to be among friends.

Situation as of right now:

I've finished The Shipping News but will count that as last year's read. My reading group meets tomorrow to discuss. The reading, by Paul Hecht, is lovely, and although I read the novel before, I was amazed at all the details I'd forgotten. It was well worth listening to.

My second f2f club is reading Erehwon, which I have not read before. That's due January 18th, so I have a little time, and an airline trip planned to San Antonio that might be just the right time to read it.

In other news, I just applied for my social security payments. Ooof. I did the math and decided it wasn't worth waiting until I'm 70, and it will forestall the savings spend-down a bit. It doesn't even make me feel old. Much.

I've found several volunteer opportunities that I'm testing out. More on that as they come up. Although I always thought I'd be bored when I retired, I don't see much chance of that in the near future!

>3 ffortsa: No immortal hand or eye, Judy, I just happened to refresh the group page just as you had set up and legged it on over tout-de-suite. xx

Dropping by to set a star and wish you a happy new year!

Dropped a star. Hapoy New Year and happy reading 2017, Judy.

Happy New Year, Judy!

Happy reading in 2017, Judy!

Dropping off a star! Happy New Year :-)

Hi, Judy!

Welcome back!

Happy New Year, Judy.

Dropping off my star!

Hello Judy--Thanks for visiting my thread. Isn't retirement great?

I mostly lurked last year, but I will try to comment once in a while this year. Here's to a great 2017 reading year!

ooo - visitors! Thanks, all.

A wand'ring minstrel I,
A thing of shreds and patches,
Of ballad songs and snatches,
And dreamy lullaby.

My catalogue is long,
Through ev'ry passion ranging
And to your humours changing,
I tune my supple song
(He tunes his song)
I tune my supple song!

Waving

One more Happy New Year's greeting, Judy, and a regret that I missed hearing Naki-Poo while he was here tuning his supple song.
I look forward to hearing about your reading and retirement...... I love that so far the government continues to pay me to breathe. I intend to keep it up.

Happy New Year, Judy! Sorry for the late greeting, but I've finally finished with my Christmas and New Year's Day work stretch and now have time to make the rounds. I hope to meet up with you and Jim in the spring.

Appears I just missed Jim warbling away most melodiously. Drat! Hoping all's well there with you. John sends his regards and joins me in hoping we will see one another F2F soon.

Wishing you a wonderful 2017 full of reading and happiness.

>19 michigantrumpet: Happy New Year to you and John, and lots of great reads.

I've gotten so busy in my so-called retirement that reading is now a stolen pleasure. Among the titles these days:

The Five Books of Moses translated by Robert Alter

The Bible: A Biography by Karen Armstrong

The Unwinding by George Packer

The Sense of an Ending by Frank Kermode

City of Thieves by David Benioff

Erehwon by Samuel Butler

These last three I haven't started yet, but deadlines approach.

I'm also volunteering to teach literacy (that starts tonight!), volunteering to proof recorded books at JBI (formerly Jewish Braille Institute), helping out various friends in various states of health, clearing my desk (endlessly), waiting for a class to learn the software package a friend of mine uses in her non-profit, trying to exercise (ha), and otherwise keep up.

I discovered through Jim (Magicians_nephew) that our MoMA membership entitles us to low-cost tickets to their 'contenders' series, where they show movies that may be in contention for awards this season. Last night, for a dollar a piece, we saw 'La La Land'. Great fun, and we had a talk with the director afterwards. It's not quite the Astaire-Rogers or Gene Kelly musical it aspires to be, but the jazzy music is really nice and some of the songs quite good, and the way it can spoof itself, especially in the beginning, is great fun.

Next year, I think we will live at this place from November on!f

Happy New Year, Judy!

We just saw La-La Land, too (at a bargain place, but not for a dollar!), and loved it. I was impressed with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Nice, easy chemistry. Wasn't her successful audition a knockout?

The Sense of an Ending = Julian Barnes, not Frank Kermode? Great book.

Kudos to you for all the volunteer work!

>21 jnwelch: Joe, the Barnes book takes the title from the Kermode set of lectures, and really seems to deliberately embody Kermode's analytic thrust. That's how I found Kermode's book - by looking for reviews of the Barnes.

As for La La Land, I liked the music more than the chemistry, which Jim and I found a bit lacking. The scene you mention (and the song in it) was the absolute knockout in the film. The director discussed the film a little with us afterward, and said Gosling didn't have much facility with the piano before he was cast, but worked like the devil to be able to play the numbers shot, and the 'piano double' was completely superfluous and never used.

I must say the film made LA itself seem much more appealing than I ever thought it could be.

I realized I didn't have a copy of City of Thieves yet, and the Strand had one copy, so I scooted over there to grab it. A lovely young lady took me in hand to find it on the shelves - and it had only arrived the day before! What luck.

Of course, it's always a terrible trip to the Strand, because I want to take ALL the books home. Depressing to think I won't live forever and read them all.

>23 ffortsa: My library has got a copy of it. Put it onto that list.

Kudos to you on the volunteer work, especially teaching literacy. That's going to open such a world to your students. You'll be a marvelous teacher. So, do you get to pick the books they get to read under your tutelage?

The jury appears to be out on La La Land. I've read mixed reviews about this movie so I think I'll wait to watch it on Netflix or perhaps on my next long flight .

>20 ffortsa: There's no grass growing under your feet! You've taken to this 'retirement' concept in a major way. You are my hero -- very inspiring. Love that your MOMA membership has such nice perks. I'd be there constantly!

Have a great weekend, my friend!

>25 cameling: Caroline, many of the students are right at the beginning of literacy training, and there are workbooks the program follows. And when I say 'at the beginning', I mean they have to learn their alphabet and the sounds associated with the letters. I sat in on a couple of lessons Thursday night, and felt a combination of thrill when the student 'got it' and sorrow that it is so hard to learn later in life what we learned in grade school - or before. It must take great determination to come back week after week and struggle to spell out basic words like 'world' and 'time'. I hope I don't find it too discouraging.

Tuesday I'm going to sit in on some English as a Second Language lessons, as this place teaches both literacy and English.

Now if I could only find some time to read!

I just went through all my mystery series lists and pulled out the next title for each I cared to follow. Too many of the existing entries have no review, and since I sometimes go through them like popcorn, it makes it hard to remember the gist of each. Sigh. Some are way older than my time here, and some I must have just neglected to post to my book page. Oh well. Serves me right for ignoring the books I have on the nightstand.

>28 ffortsa: and which series did you pick out? I love mystery series.

>29 Ameise1: What? I have to pick one??

I made the list so that when I'm at the library or in a bookstore I can pick up the 'next' of any of them. Actually I think I missed a few I wanted to start or have started. C.J. Box, for instance - I don't recall his name on the list.

If you're interested in what I've read, you can look at my mystery category in my catalogued books. I've been quite fond of the Joe Gunther series, by Archer Mayor, but I o-d'ed on them a while back, and need to start up again. Dr. Siri and Montalbano are great and funny books, and I need to get the next of each of these, and I generally have to request the specific title from the library - I don't think they have a lot of individual copies.

Some of the books I've catalogued are titles I've picked up but not yet read, since they weren't the next in line. The Commisario Brunetti books fall into this group - I've got a few saved up.

What series do you like?

eta: after a quick look at your bookshelf and what titles we share, I see we have very similar taste. Goodie!

>30 ffortsa: Took a quick glimps. We have indeed a similar taste. :-)

>22 ffortsa: Wow, Judy. First, so cool that you got to talk to the La-La Land director. Second, my wife thought that had to be Ryan Gosling actually playing the piano. Major bonus points to him - I can't even imagine learning to play that well in a short amount of time.

Dropping a star, Judy. Thanks so much for visiting my thread. Your first post mentions The Shipping News - I love that book, and I am wanting to reread it soonish. I will be interested in your series reading as I am trying to do the same thing this year. From your upcoming titles, I loved City of Thieves, and one I am planning on rereading for Ellen's Reread Challenge.

I did not know that about Barnes' Sense of an Ending, and now you have me curious about the lectures.

Hoping that your Sunday is full of fabulous!

>33 Crazymamie: Paul Hecht is the reader for The Shipping News, and he's terrific.

In other news, Jim and I just watched 'Hell and High Water' courtesy of Amazon Prime. Terrific movie, with some wonderful acting. Jim took a look online and discovered that one of the towns used in the film is the same one used for 'The Last Picture Show', which of course also starred Jeff Bridges.

Hi Judy! Just found my way here and have starred you for 2017!

Best wishes for a lovely 2017 full of all good retirement-y things.

Found you!! Starred again. Happy reading and best wishes for 2017. : )

>34 ffortsa: - I hadn't heard of 'Hell and High Water' until last night, during the Golden Globes. I've put it on the list to watch...

Back in the saddle, so to speak. I've read up through chapter 30 in Genesis, and I've also started The Unwinding, which is after several chapters very engaging.

The news, however, is more and more disheartening.

Hi Judy!

>3 ffortsa: My entitlement date is January 1, and I'll get my first check around Feb 22nd. Great minds! I created a spreadsheet a while back and realized that if I waited until I was 66 and collected more per month, it would take until I was 78 for the actual $$ paid to me to be the same. Who knows what will happen in the next 2 1/2 years, especially now, politically?

And, you and I are tied on Genesis. I'm going to start Chapter 31 tomorrow.

I agree that the news is more and more disheartening. *sigh*

However.

A book that I'm halfway through that is NOT disheartening but relates to the Terrible Results of the 2016 Election is The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Religion and Politics by Jonathan Haidt (pronounced height). A friend recommended it to me on Election Day as we were being poll watchers for Our Party, and I am finding it fascinating. It's heartening in the fact that it explains why liberals and conservatives are so very different from one another when it comes to why they vote and behave as they do in general. It thus might be a guide to helping the Democratic Party regain their traditional core constituencies without losing the new constituencies they've gained. Just a thought.....

>39 karenmarie: Yes, that kind of arithmetic is always enlightening, isn't it? When I next heard from SS, I was given the option of backdating my application to July and getting a lump sum, in exchange for a fairly modest reduction in monthly payment. I did the same arithmetic on that and decided that, as I am very lucky not to have to live on my SS benefit exclusively, I could afford that. So a nice fat check is winging its way to me, in a year where my tax bite will be very low. I think of these things. Don't know why, as I'm no accountant.

Thanks for the book rec. I don't think this one is in the list that Rachel (the_Hibernator) grabbed for the group read inspired by the Times list, but I'll keep it in mind.

The literacy volunteering sounds amazing! Where are you doing that?

The MoMA contenders series sounds great as well.

We're just at the start of discovering arts opportunities around here; we're hoping to see Broadway Utica's production of Motown later this week, and I really enjoyed seeing an exhibit of Steve MuCurry's photographs at the Munsen-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute a couple of months ago. I only knew him based on his famous Afghan Girl photo from the National Geographic cover, but his other work is equally impressive.

I think Rachel already read The Righteous Mind last year.

>41 _Zoe_: How far are you from Woodstock, Ithaca, etc?

>42 ffortsa: Close enough for day trips!

>40 ffortsa: Good for you. A lump sum in addition to SS that satisfies you.

Getting closer and closer to Pink PussyHat day..... it happens to be the day of my Mom's Memorial, too, and I'm not at all unhappy that the two will be tied together for me.

I'm flying off today to San Antonio to visit my sister. And I seem to be all packed and prepared. That feels very weird. I'll probably think of six things I forgot before I get to the airport, but San Antonio is not outside the perimeter of civilization, so I should be ok. Does anyone from our crowd live there?

>45 ffortsa: Safe travels Judy. Enjoy the time with your sister!

>45 ffortsa: waving goodbye

Have a happy visit and safe travel, Judy!

Have fun, Judy! I'm sure San Antonio has some of the amenities of civilization.....

>49 karenmarie: at the moment I'm drinking incredibly smooth coffee at a Marriott hotel and spa, before my extravagant massage and manicure. Civilization indeed.

Wow. Yay for you.

>50 ffortsa: Is that the one on the Riverwalk? Nice hotel - I stayed there a few years ago.

>52 drneutron: nope, it's the one in hill country. Really beautiful hotel and spa, although the serenity of the outdoor whirlpool is a little disturbed by traffic noise. Still, lovely.

>50 ffortsa: Sounds like great place to stay, Judy, enjoy!

Have fun Judy!!

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig, as I think the rhyme goes. Great flights, except that I couldn't see anything of the ground either way, as I had a night flight out and the nation was completely clouded over on the way back. Both flights landed half an hour early, and my only transportation grief was on the E train on the way back from Queens. Of course.

San Antonio was a lot of fun, more social than trips to my sister normally are, and both of us wanted to hide out on Monday - which we did quite successfully. I got to play loteria, a sort of Mexican bingo, which involves a lot of laughing and trash talk in two languages. We visited the San Antonio zoo, but didn't have time to feed the giraffes. They looked pretty happy, but some of the residents didn't share their goofy comfort. I'm almost finished with my deep pink pussy-hat. And I had some reading time. Aside from being afraid to get on the scale when I got home, the vacation was very successful.

In other news, I've arranged to walk with the League of Women Voters in the protest march in New York on Saturday, and I start my tutoring gig tomorrow.

And, I have finished some books.

1. The Five Books of Moses (Genesis) translated with commentary by Robert Alter

I'm going to list at least the first five books of the Bible individually, even though by itself Genesis is pretty short, because Robert Alter's commentary is not short, and I'm reading it as I go. Comments, however, will probably be reserved for the group read thread.

2. Erewhon by Samuel Butler

Read for discussion tomorrow, after which I
might wax expansive.

I'm still reading the Armstrong book on my phone, and I can now return to the Packer and Kermode, which I wasn't about to pack for the journey. The City of Thieves that I was so happy to find at the Strand has vanished from my desk or bedside table or wherever I put it, so I'll have to get another copy by next week. One of these days it will turn up in some completely unexpected place. So frustrating.

Time to sneak in a mystery, methinks.

So glad you got the quiet day with your sister on Monday.

I'm envious of your marching on Saturday. Will we get to see apicture your deep pink pussy-hat?

Lots of good reading, and it's always a good idea to sneak in a mystery, IMO!

>56 ffortsa: Good luck on the march on Saturday. My city is having a rally (icy sidewalks would make a march inaccessible for a lot of people) and I plan to go. Just need to find some wool for a hat...

>57 karenmarie: I promise I'll post a picture of the hat.

I'll be flying to Dallas on Saturday, so take a few steps for me during the march, please?

Glad you had a good visit with your sister! San Antonio is a great city.

So, I get a notice today that Simon & Schuster are holding a Book Club Matinée at the Ed Sullivan Theater on March 11 in NYC, featuring Anthony Doerr, Isabel Allende, Lisa See, Lisa Genova, Ruth Ware (author of the maligned title, The Woman in Cabin 10 :-)), and Megan Miranda, as well as a couple of others. Might be an interesting use of time for those of you in the area. Ticket is $55 but you get a DELUXE canvas bag with 6 bestselling novels from these authors plus one advance copy. So the cost of the books is far more than the ticket. Who else is in the NY area who might want to know about this?

Hm. Magicians_nephew, Vivian, chatterbox (sometimes), kidzdoc, sometimes. Must be more.

Hi - sounds like something I would love! I'll tell Katie to stop by and take a look. Any idea how to get tickets? Thanks!

I tried Googling to find the event Roni mentions and had no luck. I'm going to see if she can forward me the notice she got. I would be interested in going...

So far, Jim and I have no conflicts and of course we are game. Roni, would you post the info? Maybe we can list it was a meet-up on the wiki page.

I saw it in my "Off the Shelf" newsletter. The link to the announcement was at:
www.simonandschusterpublishing.com/presents/

The ticket info is there as well. Have fun, it sounds like a good one.

>65 ffortsa: - Vivian and I have both gotten tickets, too!

So I did what a good citizen is supposed to do and I watched the inauguration.

Then I thought I'd distract myself with a Dr. Siri mystery, and it's the one all about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

Now I've put dinner in the oven and poured some Remy Martin. Maybe my stomach will unclench before the NYC march tomorrow.

BTW, the hat is finished. I'll post a picture tomorrow. Definitely not my most flattering style, but that's ok.

>67 katiekrug: I'll talk to Jim tonight and if he's interested, I'll get tickets for both of us. But that means we'll have two sets of books. Well, we'll share with our friends!

Judy, let me take advantage of time zones and be first to wish you a very Happy Birthday. xx

Happy birthday, Judy! I hope your stomach unclenches in time for you to enjoy your day. It would be a real shame for 'the orange clownfish in office' to spoil your day.

Which Dr Siri are you reading now? I love that series and am waiting most impatiently for the next in the series.

Happy Birthday, Judy. May all your wishes come true.

Happy birthday, Judy! I hope it turns out to be the best one yet!

Happy Birthday, Judy! Marching on our birthday - good for you!

Happy Birthday, Judy!

While we await the photo of your hat, here's one of the Boston Make Way For Ducklings statue, ready for today's march:

>76 michigantrumpet: Oh, that's excellent!
>68 ffortsa: Awaiting the hat. I almost bought a pink hat that I happened upon at the grocery store on Friday, then figured I'd never wear it again in my life. Kinda regretted that decision yesterday. I doubt anyone noticed my pink socks.

>77 qebo: I have a coworker who's been wearing her pussyhat daily—no need for it to be a one day affair.

deleted by author

Judy on the march !

As usual, I had a little trouble posting my picture, but magicians_nephew came to my rescue. You might notice that in order to make the ears stand up a little more, I took a couple of strategic tucks between them.

I was carrying the banner for the League of Women Voters, and also one of the balloons that served as the group beacon. That, plus my shirt and hat, seemed to attract photographers. One of them said I had a great hat face. I think that's good!

There were so many people on the street that there was no way to make the march orderly. After waiting an hour on 48th St. to make the turn past the UN, we decided to reverse direction, marched to 5th Avenue and joined the full stream of people there. It was a great crowd, really good signs, as I'm sure you've all seen on Facebook.

Now, of course, the real work begins.

>71 cameling: I tried a variety of techniques to unclench my stomach, including swimming, reading, etc. Finally, at dinner, I pulled out the Remy Martin - did the trick!

The Dr. Siri is

3. Love Songs From a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill.

Dr. Siri gets involved in a series of deaths by epee, but as he tries to determine the killer's identity, he is invited to join Civilai on a diplomatic mission to Kampuchia, formerly known as Cambodia. Naturally, Siri being Siri, things go wrong.

I found the structure odd and ominous, and the observations about the Khmer Rouge and Phnom Penh horrifying. A sad reminder of what happens when a society splits along lines of ignorance and knowledge.

I promised more about Erewhon after the group discussion, but oddly, there weren't any particular insights that came along. The book itself follows the pattern of other political satires, setting up a visit to a strange land (the journey there is interminable!), and then allowing the reader to discover the society through the education of the narrator. After the set-up, the narration moved along very well, thankfully.

I found that the seemingly illogical rules of this society are not so very far from our own, only more explicit. For instance, criminals are punished daintily but allowed to continue to operate in society, as they have undergone 'straightening'. The sick and unlucky, however, are treated much worse, often executed, sent to hard labor, and otherwise blamed for all their misfortunes as if having willed them. Although we acknowledge bad luck in our own society, how many of us edge away from the unlucky to avoid contagion, responsibility, the impulse of charity, the fear that such things could happen to us?

As for Butler's comments on machinery, the vision of the machine taking over our world is not so far fetched now as it might have seemed in the age of steam, is it? Would we ever deliberately smash ourselves back to an agrarian age? I think not. But our machines are getting a little more scarily independent of us every year, and much of our science fiction explores that possibility in one way or another.

Add banks as centers of mindless worship, children considered a misfortune to their burdened parents, true knowledge and reason as dangerous things - in other words, a completely artificial society governed by fear. An interesting book to read now.

>80 magicians_nephew: Great, Judy!

>80 magicians_nephew: Good looking!

>80 magicians_nephew: Excellent!

Judy--Love the shirt and the hat! And a slightly tardy but very sincere

Great photo! Thanks for marching!

Two of my sons and daughter-in-law were at the NYC march--not sure where they were though.

Judy - thanks for marching and for sharing the picture. Even tho I didn't march I've been busy gathering phone numbers, email addresses, etc to put in my speed dial - we just have to build on the impetus of the group power. If we don't it's gonna be a long four years

I love your outfit!

An echo of my reading of Erewhon. I'm reading The Unwinding now, and not very far into it. A section on Oprah Winfrey in the 1984 section struck me as very close to Butler's satiric observation:

1984 – Oprah
“Her most ardent supporters remained the aging lower-middle-class women from Rockford and Eau Claire who lined up for hours outside Harpo Studios on the Near West Side.

They had things that she didn’t – children, debts, spare time. They consumed the products that she advertised but would never buy– Maybelline, Jenny Craig, Little Caesar’s, IKEA. As their financial troubles grew, she would thrill them by selecting one of them and wiping out her debts on the air or buying her a house, or ramping up Oprah’s Favorite Things at Christmas to give away luxury items like diamond watches and Tory Burch gray flannel totes. But being instructed in Oprah’s magical thinking (vaccinations cause autism; positive thoughts lead to wealth, love and success), and watching Oprah always doing more, owning more, not all her viewers began to live their best life. They didn’t have nine houses, or maybe any house; they couldn’t call John Travolta their friend; the laws of the universe left them vulnerable to mugging; they were not always attuned to their divine self; they were never all that they could be. And since there was no random suffering in life, Oprah left them with no excuse.”

Bold emphasis mine.

>90 ffortsa: Thanks for posting that quote; it encourages me to get on to The Unwinding sooner rather than later.

>88 tututhefirst: There's an app you can download courtesy of the League of Women Voters, from a link

the app is called Voices.

You can permit the app to send you action alerts, and it will have buttons to allow you to easily send your representatives tweets or email, or even call them. I got this info from the New York City chapter, but I think it works everywhere. I haven't downloaded it yet, but you probably have to put in your address to get the correct association for elected officials. Of course, it doesn't include non-elected officials, or officials not in your district or state.

Let me know if you have any trouble with it.

>80 magicians_nephew: I just adore the hat, and the shirt, but mostly the model. Yay for Remy Martin. I say whatever works!

>90 ffortsa: Love the extracted long quote. That'll keep me thinking for a few days.

>93 michigantrumpet: Looks like your team is going to the big game. What a couple of games they were. Can we all say 'defense'?

>90 ffortsa: Echoes of Phillip K. Dick's future world s in this also.

>94 ffortsa: Shall we gather at R & J's for a Super Bowl party? They were our good luck charm before!

>96 michigantrumpet: you mean Rich and Kate? Afraid not - we have a matinee on Sunday - oh, good thing the game doesn't start until 6:30. I'd love to watch with you dedicated fans, though. Maybe I'll call you at half-time.

Nice outfit. Happy Wednesday, Judy.

Hi Judy! I love the pic of you that @magicians_nephew posted! And the shirt is great.

Happy Late Birthday and thank you for marching.

You're right, the real work now begins.

4. The Bible: A Biography by Karen Armstrong

This book is more or less a survey of the history of all the various components and possible authors of both the Old and New Testament, along with the various Jewish commentaries. I found it interesting, but now I'll need to go into some of these subjects in more depth.

One set of ideas, however, was VERY interesting. Armstrong talks about the clash of religion and science that generated the Scopes trial for teaching the theory of evolution, and states that the literalist fervor with which some fundamentalist Christians endow the story of creation came as a reaction to this trial, and thus created a great divide in the United States that is very much in evidence today. Although Scopes lost, the ferocity of the prosecution (by William Jennings Bryan) and defense (by Clarence Darrow) caused people to adopt more radical, unbending positions than they had had before.

She also talks about the American fundamentalist support of Israel as much less benign to Israel and Jews than it might appear. Some of the communities of faith believe that at the end of days, which the existence of the state of Israel precedes, 75% of all Jews will be slaughtered by the forces of the second coming.

There and elsewhere in the history of the bible, the forces of polarization recapitulate the effects of the story of the Tower of Babel, and keep us from peace.

Tom Paxton said (sang?)

"When people get lost . . . . they start building a cross"

>92 ffortsa: How awesome! I'm all for having an app that will help. Must check it out and I'll let you know how it works.

>102 tututhefirst: oops - my html needed some repairs. Please try that link in post 92 again.

5. The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri

Ah, the delights of Sicily, and our favorite Inspector. Equal parts slapstick and mystery, this episode begins with a vacation plan for Salvo and Livia, but instead finds Fazio in trouble, Salvo stalked by a beautiful nurse, and the powers that be beautifully manipulated as usual to do just what Montalbano needs.

And just what I needed to remind me that some parts of the world, at least in the imagination of a writer, are more messed up than ours.

Can someone tell me why, when I look at a list of books I've read in a series, some of the checkmarks are grey and some blue?

Hi Judy!

Happy Belated Birthday. And, Amen that you marched. Your outfit is adorable.

Happy 2017. May it be filled with many great books that take you to magical places.

Purple means it's in your Wishlist.
Blue is Read But Unowned
Green is Your Library
Gray is any other collection.

>105 ffortsa: The blue ck marks are books you've put in the category "read but unowned"
grey checks= a book in "any other collection" - i.e., NOT in Your library or on your wishlist or read but unowned.

Not sure how the powers that be came up with those checks, but at least when I look at a series page, I know if there's some color checkmark, then I have it in my library.

BTW, >104 ffortsa: - I love Inspector Montalbano, in print, in audio (the narrator is yummy) and in video. Every time I read one, I want to go right back to Sicily.

>104 ffortsa: BTW Sicily is a beatiful island and when reading this series I can see the places I visited and smell the simple but fabulous food.
Happy Sunday, Judy.

>107 drneutron: and >108 tututhefirst: oh Thanks! that was a quick response. I couldn't find the explanation. But that makes sense.

>108 tututhefirst: and >109 Ameise1: OK Sicily is on the travel wish list.

>100 ffortsa: That is on my TBR. Your review makes me want to shift it nearer the top!

6. The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly

Harry has gotten himself into trouble again, of course, causing mayhem at the precinct when his Lieutenant interferes with a suspect's questioning. For that, he's put on stress leave and sent for therapy, which of course he is anything but cooperative about.

But he's beginning to face what is driving him - the unsolved murder of his mother a long time ago. And this leads him on a typical Harry Bosch chase through layers of evidence and history in search of his mother's killer.

It's one of those mysteries where every time I thought the knot had been untied, the author says 'but wait! There's more!' and we are off and running again, on one of those canyon roads that keeps doubling back on itself, with no rail on the right. I don't know whether to give it 4 stars for determination or dock it one for frustrating the reader. Take your pick.

>112 ffortsa: The Harry Bosch series is one I've dabbled in off and on over the years. My husband loves these books, and I suspect has all of them buried back there in his man cave. I think I will look into this when I finish a couple other series.

>112 ffortsa: I love Harry Bosch. I've read every one except The Crossing and The Wrong Side of Goodbye, which I just realize came out in November and just ordered. I'm from LA, so all the streets and little towns and LA vibe are familiar to me, providing an extra joy in reading them. I like the Mickey Haller ones too and of course the more recent ones with Harry include Mickey.

Hi Judy--Just checking up on things here. I have't had the pleasure of reading about Harry...yet. : )

7. Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie

I owe this book bullet to Karenmarie with thanks. David Suchet reads the audio, and all I can say is that his lush voice makes this Christie fare delicious. It features Christie's usual array of upper class money, extended family, mysterious origins, village environs and red herrings. My only quibble is who gets murdered - I always hope it's going to be someone I don't like.

>116 ffortsa: I'm so glad you liked it, Judy!

Interesting point about wanting the people we don't like to get murdered. Unfortunately, it rarely happens.

>116 ffortsa: David Suchet doing the audio! Heaven! *happy sigh*

>112 ffortsa: I came over here to see what you're reading and ran into Harry Bosch. Why do I love that series so much? I just generally like police procedurals and series (I blame imprinting by Nancy Drew at a young age). I particularly like a series that emphasizes "place"--and I don't even care what place it is.

I listen to a lot of audio books, and I'm always looking for good narrators (current favorite: Simon Vance). So thanks for the tip about David Suchet. I went to Audible.com to see what else he's read. Ha--The Complete NIV Audio Bible, unabridged, 83 hours. I'll have to give him a try on something shorter--like Sad Cypress.

>119 labwriter: 83 hours? Oh my.

I too like police procedurals and a good sense of place. Joe Gunther comes to mind. Also the Nevada Barr books, as they are so distinctly about place in the Park Service.

8. Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin

Subtitled 'Mastering the Habits of our Everyday Lives'.

Well, it's so appropriate that I read this now instead of the books I'm supposed to be reading! It did get me to the health club today, however. It caught my eye at the library when I was looking for another book on habit-forming, one that it turns out was an Amazon self-published ebook. I found this instead.

I think Rubin's approach is very sensible and also amusing. She talks about four types of people, Uprights (always do the right thing), Questioners (they want some objective proof or reason to adopt a habit), Obligers (doing for other people or for the approval of other people), and Rebels ('you can't make me!'). Sigh. I seem to come out as a Questioner, but the kind of test that determines this is one I'm inclined to answer as the mood strikes me.

She has some great observations about how to approach habits, problems that might be solved by habits, and how to stick to habits. It seemed to me much better than a straight self-help book, which I loathe (and that would make me more of a Rebel, I would think.) It's an easy read and she has a nice, breezy style - I went through it in a couple of days

Hi Judy!! I like your latest not self-help book. I wonder which I would wind up being? I am thinking a blend of the first two. And I think reviewing habits every now and then is a good idea. Sounds like a winner.

>123 DianaNL: why, thank you for stopping by.

You are on my must-visit thread list. Alas, it's hard to keep up.

Hello? Am I chopped liver? ^^

Happy Valentine's Day. Say Hi to Jim for me. : )

Ooh, I love the Harry Bosch series. Honestly, I read some of them before LT and I got totally confused about which ones I had read. I can certainly identify several that I have so I probably need to just pick a probable place in the series where I think I might have left off and just give it a try. The worst that can happen is that I realize I've already read that one and then I either bail or finish reading it again!

And if you're reading them in order, Trunk Music is up next for you. It's the first I read -- picked it up in an airport and started reading it. Could not put it down. That was my introduction to the series. :-)

>125 Berly: As I recall, you bear NO RESEMBLANCE AT ALL to chopped liver. I'm glad you stopped by.

As for the not-self-help, I'm trying to understand my inner rebel, the one who decides three weeks of a habit is quite enough and pouts.

Thanks for the Valentine's Day wishes. Sorry you were under the weather, as I recall. We went out for Japanese at a place we thought would be nice and quiet, and it was not quiet at all, but the food was good.
Then the next night we went to see Michelle Wolfe at the Village Underground. Very cool.

>127 EBT1002: Trunk Music it is. I have it on loan from the library through Overdrive, and I'll listen to it on my phone while at the gym or outside.

Sigh. I did not expect retirement to be challenging in quite this way. Although I'm only scheduled for things on Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday midday and Thursday for a couple of roving hours, I feel completely crowded. Partly it's the electronic addiction, partly the current state of affairs with the Cheeto. I might have to take an electronics and activity break and just read. Sounds sweet, doesn't it?

Hi Judy! Happy Harry Bosch-ing. I went on a binge and read The Crossing and immediately after read The Wrong Side of Goodbye. Enjoy Trunk Music and the fact that you have 16 more in the series, all of them very good IMO.

You posted just before I did!

Ha. The Cheeto.

I listened to part of his press conference today and cringed multiple times.

Just reading is good - that's pretty much what I did yesterday. And, since we're retired, We're Allowed!!!!!

>129 ffortsa: Just reading? JUST reading? "JUST" reading? Perish the thought! Reading is the most soul-stirring, enriching, entertaining and mind-stretching activities one can undertake. Just reading! Pshaw!

It's not easy but I am trying to titrate my media/news time. After the first two weeks of this madness, I was feeling completely overwhelmed. I may even dedicate one whole day each week to NO social media (although I would make an exception for LT), no news, no nothing out of the t administration. Hard to do, though, as I want more than ever to keep up with what is happening.

I am finding The New Yorker to be my best on-line source.

And, well, Marianne is right of course.

>129 ffortsa: I've been working on limiting the electronic addiction to certain hours. I've managed to stop using the computer by 9pm for 10 out of the past 14 days, and yesterday morning I didn't do any random internet browsing until noon. Small steps.

For readers who avoid the Mystery genre because of gruesome and horrific murder details,
Nevada Barr's first book, THE TRACK OF THE CAT, is great reading, real life and with humor.

>129 ffortsa: Seems a number of us are having similar trouble. I'm sitting at the computer all day and I could close the RSS and FB feeds but then there's sooooo much to catch up on. I haven't been watching TV which keeps me a bit removed from constant agitation. I've made more use of Netflix in these past few months than in several years prior. I spent seven hours in political meetings on Saturday, and on the plus side emerged with some focus but at the price of having no break.

Like Katharine, I'm in front of the computer most of the day for work, and it's hard not to peak at the news. But like Zoe, I'm trying to find small ways to cut back. I stopped taking my phone upstairs to the bedroom at night. Now I just bring my book :)

Unfortunately for all of us, the bloviating orange gasbag is like a train wreck - you want to not look but you just have to. I personally have become addicted to Morning Joe, but watch it on Youtube in the evening. I never watch news on TV, but of course have my cell phone, tablet, and computer. Sigh.

How nice to see you all, Karen, Ellen, Marianne, Katherine, Zoe, Marianne, and Katie! Excellent advice and sympathy from you all.

>130 karenmarie: Karen, if you listened to part of the press conference, you have stronger nerves than I have. What a jerk.

>131 michigantrumpet: Alas, I didn't get much reading done, except for the book I will note below, and a little of Exodus, finally. Today is so beautiful that I'll probably take my latest Harry Bosch audio out for a walk.

>132 EBT1002: Titrate - oh we are a literate bunch! And it's a good idea. I'm ashamed to say I get too much news from Facebook, and have limited even my NPR time, as it's not always productive to wake up to the latest outrage. If I listen to the daily junk less, maybe I'll read the New Yorker more.

>133 _Zoe_: Excellent progress, Zoe. I usually don't do random stuff on the web, except that as I said above, I start my days with Facebook. Boo. Just the thing to keep the adrenaline and cortisol flowing, isn't it?

>134 m.belljackson: Ah, I've been a devote of the Nevada Barr books for some time, although a few of them did hit nerves I'd rather not get signals from (the cave one in particular). Not sure if I read the last couple, though. So many books, ...

>135 qebo: SEVEN HOURS?!?!?! I bow down before you. Was it helpful, informative, etc?

I keep saying I will start volunteering with LWVNYC, but scheduling among my current commitments is a little awkward, and I don't know yet which to sacrifice. There is a voter registration training session in March that I hope to attend, with an eye toward joining various volunteer efforts they conduct around the city. And I'm on the email list for my community board, but so far, not much of interest on their agenda.

>136 katiekrug: Not taking your phone upstairs is, to my mind, a kind of heroism, since the phone is the closest thing to heroin I've ever tried. I should restrict myself to Words With Friends and the occasional actual phone call. I'd get more reading done.

and now:

9. Nightwood by Djuna Barnes

My uptown f2f group will be discussing this on the 28th. In the meantime, all I can say is: WHAT????

and an update on my other reading:

- I've gotten into Exodus, with all Alter's footnotes that both slow me down and delight me. From time to time I look at the commentary books I also have, but they might fall by the wayside.

- Trunk Music is cued up on my Audible.

- Kermode's The Sense of An Ending is still in progress - sometimes dense material.

- I'm about to start October Light - yikes, that's due in March! Maybe I should cue that one up instead of Harry.

- I have the latest Bilal mystery checked out from the library, but I don't know when I'll get to it.

Happy reading, folks.

>138 ffortsa: SEVEN HOURS
Yeah, it was a bit much. Some was keeping up with activities of local organizations. Some was background education on a local issue with an eye toward getting involved. I'm trying to find a balance of productive effort in limited time, and this in itself is time consuming.

I'm listening to October Light, and after a slow beginning it's really captured me. The lovely weather has allowed me to walk a lot, and listening to the narrative has been fun so far. Lots more to go (16 hours, according to Audible), but I have until March 7th,

And Jim and I finally began a rather involved rearranging of bookshelves. We've had these press-poles on the floor for a while, leftovers from the living room redo, and we have lots of wood shelving to use with them. So today I unpacked the cheap bookshelf units that were stacked in the bedroom, in preparation for the poles. One two-tiered shelf went under the window in the bedroom, at least temporarily, and the other is now nestled next to my desk in the livingroom. Oh, for a two-bedroom apartment, or maybe a three! Space is at such a premium. But it's hard for me to get rid of physical books I already have just to put them on the Kindle.

Along the way I managed to deaccession some guidebooks from prior vacations, some very prior, and some other books that were just not of interest anymore. A few others, needed only if a new project appeals to me, will go in the storage locker if need be. The downstairs swap shops are richer for my housecleaning.

In the meantime, I'm dead tired, between the long walks and the furniture and book moving. We're planning on a movie tonight, if we can stay awake. We saw 'Hidden Figures' yesterday, and liked it a lot, although the movie itself is not, in our opinion, headed for an Academy Award.

And just like that, the three-day weekend is gone. Alas.

Just catching up here. Good job cleaning out the books and setting up shelves. I really have to watch Hidden Figures. I either need more hours in the day or a clone.

My daughter and friend have invited me and friend's Mom to join them at Hidden Figures and I'm trying to decide whether to make the long drive or to wait for the video:

what would have made it Oscar worthy for you?

Thank you.

>142 m.belljackson: It's a very nice story, told with some really nice performances, but aside from the fact that the story really needs to be told, nothing extraordinary. I would say a highly competent job all around. And very enjoyable.

How long would the drive be? If you have a large enough TV to watch movies comfortably (we have a 40" flat screen), I don't think it would lose anything on the smaller screen. If you're planning to watch on an old 27" tv, you might want to make the trip.

>144 ffortsa: Further comments on seeing movies in theaters rather than on your TV - see the movie Arrival in the theater!

Jim and I just saw it on demand, and it was really striking and beautiful and captivating. We stopped it midway to get some take-out for dinner, and I swear my apartment hallway looked different to me, and the elevator felt different. It's a truly mesmerizing film. See it on the big screen.

Thank you - I'll look for Arrival at theatre nearby as soon as roads are clear after next Wisconsin storm.

TV screen less than 40"... drive will either be 20 or 40 miles. Ordinarily no problem, but heel spur acts up after long drives in my Tacoma.

We were going to see Lion this morning, but I had a major insomnia attack last night and we decided not to go. Jim went out to Queens to visit his apartment and collect his mail, etc. And I moved books!

We had been planning for a while now to put up some press-pole standards in the bedroom, to expand our shelf space. They had been in the living room, and then on the floor of the bedroom waiting for inspiration. So this week we got inspired and took the books out of the ratting shelves that had been in that corner and put up the first set of 3' shelves.

Then, of course, I had to move the books back onto said shelves, along with more theater books than any sane woman would own. How did I get so many? I know, actually. When I was studying acting, I just bought any bargain plays I could find. That was a long time ago, and most have been so undisturbed that I should have called in an archaeologist to dig through the dust. I'm going to have to deaccession a bunch of them, but I'm not sure which ones to choose or where to dump - I mean donate - them.

I'm also reading the next Harry Bosch book, Trunk Music, which I'm finding a bit long and convoluted. It's more fun to listen to October Light, but I can only do that when I'm walking, otherwise I'll fall asleep. Especially now.

In spite of fatigue, we have dinner and a concert tonight, and a play and the Oscars tomorrow. I think I'll take a nap.

Judy, your October Light leeds to The Littel Prince.

Happy weekend and I hope you can sleep better.

>147 Ameise1: Oh thanks. The right title came up on top when I went to correct it. I wonder how that error happened. All fixed.

And thanks for the hopes for my sleep. I'm certainly tired enough now.

Shame you weren't able to see The Lion yet Judy as I have heard great things about it. You could have gone to see one of the Tom Cruise, Reacher films as a cure to your insomnia.

Have a great weekend.

>146 ffortsa: it occurs to me that some of my longer posts are in the nature of TMI, or at least snooze-worthy. It that's true, my apologies.

On to books.

10. Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

Well, this was, as I said above, a bit long and convoluted. Harry is such a hard-ass, and the bad cops are so nasty, that it gets wearing. I may take a break from this for a little bit, although some of the plot points might be interesting in future stories.

>150 ffortsa: not TMI, but sharing your life with friends - even if we've never physically met. One of the coolest things about the 75ers!

What Jim said!

>150 ffortsa: I like reading about people's lives, especially as it relates to their books.

>151 drneutron:, >152 katiekrug:, >153 karenmarie: thanks for the reassuring words. I've been suffering of late from the endless, unnecessary and often inappropriate details of other people's lives, and I didn't want that to be what I sound like.

Judy--I like it when my friends tell me what's going on in their lives. Don't get me wrong, I love hearing about the books, but my FRIENDS are the ones telling me about them, and I want to know what's up with my friends, too. Besides, you were talking about putting up bookshelves--how could you go wrong with that here?! : )

I think I have to face the fact that reading more than one book at a time is not for me. I get so intensely involved with some of them that having to turn my mind to another story is jarring.

That said, my audio reads get spread out because they just take too long, and my paper reads get interrupted when my eyes get too tired. So I'll have to choose very different types of books to read together, otherwise, it's just too confusing.

I'm halfway through listening to October Light, and will finish by Tuesday evening, when my downtown book group will discuss it. For physical books, I may try to catch up on the Bible read that Rachel is hosting - I'm SO FAR behind. In a sort of wry luck, our uptown book club scheduled a book we are not interested in on an evening we are already scheduled, so that's one less 'required' reading in the spring.

>156 ffortsa: I'm with you, Judy. I can't do multitask reading. I have always an audio which I use when I'm on the way (on foot, by bus, tram and train, even when driving by car) or when doing chores as ironing, cleaning etc. The book I use mostly at home. So I have two reading at the same time and that is enough for me.

I know that there are lots of people who are able to read several books at the same time but that isn't it for me.

Hapy Friday.

>157 Ameise1: Ah, a fellow reader. How nice. Some of us LTers have plans that make me dizzy!

For some of us, it's not a desire to be a Master of Multitasking, but rather a way to deal with limited concentration
from getting older (73) or using certain medications or general any-age challenging focus problems.

After exercising and playing with cat: Online headline & interesting article check of NYT, Washington Post, & Yahoo,
Emails, along with a DailyLit Chapter > Heart of Darkness today

Kitchen table breakfast warm-up: Read a couple of Page a Day calendars, then a page of Intellectual Devotional,
the day's LOVE, SEX, DEATH, AND WORDS entry, and a page of Sibley's Birds.

Couch: every day, I read a couple of Bartlett's Quotations from a DISCARD Library book, a poem or two
(Yeats & Anne Bradstreet today), a half page (writing is very dense) of Emerson's Essays, a paragraph in
Science of Breath, sing a song from THEN SINGS MY SOUL, and am ready for real reading...

until starting two LT Challenges for March
(Obama = Moby-Dick and Villains = MACBETH and non-fiction backstory),
I was reading ARCTIC DREAMS for non-fiction and Caught in the Web of Words for fiction
(yes, it is a real life biography, but it reads like a novel!)

Not to make anyone dizzy, just to clarify what might sound like a competition...

Ah, Judy, never fear - I love hearing about your life! Especially intrigued by your bookcase/deaccessioning issues. I feel the need to be more organized and to cull out some of the dead wood (see what I did there?) I get started, find some book or another -- Hey, look! There's that book! I'll just take a quick peek... -- and then the afternoon is gone. I keep telling John: if he wants the office cleared out, he should arrange for my early retirement. Please don't tell him that retirement is only the *start* of the process! :-D

So what did you think of the Djuna Barnes? I've read a lot about her, but never anything by her. I have Ryder kicking around, but it never seems to make it to the top of Mt. TBR.

Hi Judy!

Everybody's reading style is unique. Before I retired, I could only keep one book going and one audiobook in the car for the commute. I'm finding, however, that I can juggle three now, with one being the Bible for the year-long Literary read (6 pages a day), my fiction read and my non-fiction read. Sometimes if I get a bit bogged down in something I'll find a very light short book to break up the cobwebs, then go back.

My only reading plan, though, is to be reading something I'm enjoying. I abandon books when they don't meet this criterion.

Hi Judy! I can't recall if you decided to get a ticket to that Simon & Schuster event next Saturday at the Ed Sullivan Theater that Vivian and I are going to. I was thinking lunch beforehand might be fun.

>162 katiekrug: I completely lost track of that. There so many things to do in this town! Let me take another look at it and I'll get back to you.

Eta: well, whatever I intended, they are sold out now, and I have a conflict as well. When are you and Vivian meeting for lunch, or brunch, or whatever. I or we might be able to join you for that, at least.

>159 m.belljackson: wow, that's more organization than I could ever imagine for myself. Not that I haven't drifted through Bartlett's from time to time, but in no orderly way.

>160 michigantrumpet: it might be better if he invited the book burglars in when you weren't at home. You and I would never get through the task on our own.

>161 karenmarie: your 6 pages a day plan for the bible read is far better than my occasional binges.

Happy weekend, Judy.

>163 ffortsa: - I haven't suggested it to Vivian yet so there aren't any plans. Let me see what her thoughts are...

I was mostly missing around LT in February, but I've caught up now (okay, I admit I skimmed). But I did see that you read Nightwood, which I read last year, and that it was for your book group. Did I miss how that discussion went? I found that skinny little book slow going.

Happy weekend, Judy!

Thanks for comment on reading so many books > as I read through it again,
it sounded BORING,
so I'll try for a funner (4th grade teacher for 20-plus years) version.

Hello, Judy!

Oh, look at all the visitors!

>165 Ameise1: and >166 DianaNL: and >169 karenmarie: thanks for the weekend wishes (great infinity picture!). As of now, having gathered all my tax stuff for my accountant, I have NOTHING ON THE SCHEDULE. YAAAAY.

>168 ursula: re Nightwood, the discussion was sort of desultory, since not many of us could make sense of it. We agreed that the doctor's rambling monologues were hard going, and the work, while in some ways pioneering, was no fun read.

We left early, and it seems, as a palate washer, I suppose, someone chose The Graduate for a book and movie night, and picked a date we can't join them. That's ok with us.

>170 m.belljackson: oh, don't fuss too much with being entertaining. Your rigorous schedule just amazed me.

>171 alcottacre: Stasia! You're back!

>164 ffortsa: There's such a thing as book burglars? A wave of cold dark fear has just overwhelmed me.

Judy--I tend to get more out of my books if I limit the number I read at the same time. I am having success with one of them being audio and the other print and it helps if they are very different. But all the LT recommendations and co-reads, have stretched me to frequently reading 3 or 4 at a time. Trying not to though! Have fun on your FREE day!! And can't wait to see you!

I'm so glad to hear you will be coming to Portland for the meetup. Looking forward to meeting you!

Some days you win, some days you lose. Know that feeling?

Yesterday was a winning day. I took my laptop to Microsoft's store on 5th Avenue to get some help with OneNote, because my Microsoft account had gotten messed up and I wasn't sure how to unmess it. The tech was very helpful, worked with all my devices (computer, phone, tablet) until the account was clean and OneNote appeared on all of them, and gave me a short course in OneNote as well.

Then I finished my audiobook October Light, which was wonderful and ended in a wonderful way. We'll be discussing it tonight, so I'll wait for other insights before commenting.

Then TODAY, right in the middle of some other computer work, my ergonomic keyboard died. Just died. I swapped batteries, swapped ports, rebooted the laptop. NADA. so I finally called Microsoft, which will replace it, so long as I SHIP THE ORIGINAL TO THEIR WAREHOUSE. Some nerve. I'll see if Best Buy will do the honors on my behalf.

So I'm back to typing on my laptop keyboard, very bad for my wrists, shoulders, etc. Total grump.

And how was your day?

I'm sorry about your keyboard, Judy. I use an external keyboard, too, and would NOT be happy if it died. I hope you can get it replaced soon.

Hmm. My day. My sister's asthma is worse and I'm worried about her but she's in CA and I'm in NC, husband's friend Carl seems to be having small strokes even though he's only 65, and except for getting some documents scanned for the Homeowners Association, I'm not doing some of the stuff I'm supposed to be doing today in favor of playing here. I'm going to have lunch in a bit then read.

Here's to having a better afternoon than morning!

Oh, dear what a day you had.

Yesterday (first day back at school) I needed the beamer in my class room but it wouldn't start. I couldn't find the person who is responsible for that so I went to the basement and brought an old overhead projector up to my class room (with my broken rib -hooray). At noon the student's (future teachers) didn't show up. Calling them was uneventful, sending a mail and response from them took its time. Bah.

Today it went well. Didn't have got a lunch brake due to a meeting, but the rest was good.

>177 karenmarie: Oh, I'm sorry your sister is still having problems, and the news of your husband's friend Carl is ominous. I hope both can find some relief soon. It makes my annoying little problems seem very small indeed.

>178 Ameise1: I read about your student teachers' behavior on your thread. Not very responsible of them. I hope they show more professionalism in the future.

Hi, Judy! Oh gosh, yes, when something technological stops working for no clear reason, it's so frustrating, isn't it? Here's hoping Best Buy will take care of things for you.

>189 PaulCranswick: Amber, how nice to see you.

For now, I'm working on a netbook on my kitchen counter. Somehow that works better than the bigger laptop on my desk, maybe because I'm standing, and the kitchen counter is a pretty good height for typing. We need to find out if Jim took the Microsoft mouse to his man-cave, because I need to return the keyboard and mouse together to get Microsoft to honor its warrantee and replace them. Here's hoping.

Now that I can type, back to books!

11. October Light by John Gardner

Oh, we lost such a wonderful storyteller when Gardner died. This book within a book novel is full of fine writing, exuberant writing, mock fiction, deep fiction, and wonderful characters.

The siblings James and Sally are sharing the Bennington, Vermont family house in their old age. James inherited the farm, and Sally came to live with him when her money ran out after being widowed. It hasn't gone especially well. James is hard, determined to reject all modernity, and Sally is equally stubborn. When James turns his shotgun on her television, the war is on.

Locked (and self-locked) in her upstairs bedroom, Sally spends her defiant isolation reading a tattered pulp fiction novel that she would never have touched in other circumstances. We read along with her, as she escapes from the domestic war into San Francisco drug running, sexual license and derring-do, constantly interrupted by missing pages. It is true escapist reading, but it's not only the room she is escaping from.

The Vermont story expands to include James's daughter's family, his friends at the local bar, the local minister and guests, other people in the town, even some Bennington girls. And it expands into memories of childhood, courtship, married life, relatives lost one way or another, and the work and beauty of the land. Ultimately, it is not only the bedroom door that is unlocked.

>181 ffortsa: very nice review of October Light Judy

12. The Ghost Runner by Parker Bilal

I was eager to get this newest Bilal from the library, but then had a bit of a problem pushing through it. I just wasn't that in the mood for a dark mystery set in a dysfunctional society, as well-written as it is. But it gradually grew on me. I'll certainly follow the series as it grows.

Hi Judy! I hope you're having a good weekend. Lots of good reading done, I see!

Jim and I had a lovely brunch with Katie and Vivian today before they trundled off to hear authors discuss their work. I hope to see a lot more of them.

>184 karenmarie: Hi. Thanks for stopping by and encouraging my reading. I feel so woefully behind these days. Still, 12 books in 12 weeks. If I can up the pace a little, I should be on track. That said, the real goal is to read what I want to, and in that regard, the titles are piling up.

>185 ffortsa: It would be nice to sit and listen to authors discuss Katie and Vivian's work! (kidding of course).

There is a chance that I will be in NYC at the end of April, Judy. When I have more details I will let you know as it would be nice to meet-up with you and Jim and some of the other pals from the Big Apple area.

Judy--Popping in to say Hi! Can't wait to see you. I will check in with you when you get out her. : )

>186 PaulCranswick: Oooh. Do send me the dates when you can. April is filling up, and I want to make sure we have time to get together. We will be visiting Chicago in the middle of the month to meet up with some of our fine folks there (Mark, Joe, et al) but we'll be back by the 18th, I think. My sister is visiting the very last weekend of the month. We'll shoehorn you folks in!

>188 ffortsa: I may be on my lonesome as I have been invited to Jacksonville for a business workshop and I thought to do it by stopping over a couple of days in New York and possibly Chicago if time allows.

>189 PaulCranswick: We'll take what we can get, Paul. I'm hoping that your change of home base means more visits to the US in the future.

Well, the Great Winter Blizzard doesn't look like too much fun from the 15th floor. I was hoping for lots of fluffy snow, and some of that happened, but there's a lot of freezing rain in the mix and it looks gloomy. It doesn't even seem windy, by the look of the trees at street level. Oh well.

13. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley

I guess Canada and Flavia were not meant to be. In this episode, Flavia returns to England only to find her father in hospital with pneumonia, denied visitors. Luckily, Flavia finds another body to distract her from the family drama, and in the process discovers a disconcerting tendency to become a socialized adult.

This was just what I needed, as opposed to the Bilal I recently finished, a period piece full of sly comedy and a can-do girl detective. It's pretty clear from the ending that Bradley intends another entry in the series, at least. Can't wait.

>191 ffortsa: Hi Judy! I came over to see how you are doing in the Great Winter Blizzard. Gloomy and freezing rain don't bode well. I hope you are staying safe and sound.

Sorry to hear about the awful weather. Sending you huge spring waves over the pond.

Ok, I suppose I should read another Flavia this year. I like this series but with all the other books I forget to read one of that too.

Hi Judy - 16 inches and counting here! And we're only about 35 miles from you....I just finished the same Alan Bradley and actually liked it much much more than the last couple of installments. It seemed less convoluted and very witty. Stay warm!

>194 vivians: - 16 inches! No fair! We have maybe 7 or 8 I think...

I like the Flavia series, but was not in love with the last one, so I'm glad to hear the most recent is a bit better. I do like them on audio, thanks to the reader.

>192 karenmarie: definitely a disappointment. I'd rather have been up at >194 vivians:. >195 katiekrug:, we agree!

>193 Ameise1: It was really just nasty. I would have relished a real blizzard - I've got big windows and would have watched it all day.

>194 vivians: As long as you can stay in, it's ok. It must look wonderful.

Yes, I'd say this book was much more enjoyable than the last one in that dopey boarding school in Canada. There is a kicker at the end, however.

I'm all packed and checked in for my flight to Portland tomorrow. And that's good, because I'm a lousy 'pre-traveler'. As soon as I'm on my way, I'm fine, but until then, I'm really jumpy. You'd think I was on my way to an installment of Survivor!

Judy--See you soon!!! Can't wait. : )

Have fun, Judy!

What karenmarie said, Judy - have a great time!

Hope you're having a great time in Portland, Judy!

October Light is now in the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Judy!

Happy weekend!

Hi Judy. It was great to meet you. See you later. :)

It was so great to meet you in person, Judy. I'm glad this one worked out since we couldn't make it happen in Alaska. Enjoy your Sunday in that lovely space and safe travels home on Monday.

Hi Judy--It was great to meet you yesterday, and wasn't Powells and dinner fun? We ventured over to Powells again this morning before we left for Seattle, so I bought a few more books, which I really, really needed!

I hope we can get together in New York when we're there at the end of May. Enjoy the sunshine today in Portland; it's rather rare this time of year.

Safe travels, Judy.

Enjoyed very much seeing your meet up photos over at Kim's thread.

Safe journey back to the East Coast.

Hi Judy! Hope you had fun at brunch today. It was great to see you in person again. And to meet your cousin, too. Safe trip back! What's your first read going to be?

HI Judy! It was so nice to meet you!

Safe travels back East, Judy!

Joining everyone in wishing you safe travels, Judy. Looks like it was a wonderful meetup. How did you like Powell's?

Hi, everyone! It was great meeting all of you. Deborah, it's so nice to know you'll be on my coast soon. I really hope you will have time to meet with me and Jim. Just let me know your dates and availability and we'll make time.

Kim, I hope you're feeling better and better. I could tell you were fading after dinner, but Uber is a wonderful invention when necessary and I got back to Bonnie's in good time.

And to Ellen and Gil and Beth and Beth's sister (whose name I've forgotten - oh no!) and Juli, wonderful to meet you all and spend time breaking bread and buying books.

Brunch was good, Kim, at a place called Broder Nord in St. John. We were afraid it would be too noisy to talk, but they seated us in what amounts to a little yurt in the back, and it was blissful. Sort of a cone of silence, for those of us who remember that far back.

Surprisingly, the trip overall was exhausting. In addition to the time change on the way out, I was contending with my very entertaining but very talkative cousins, and didn't get much sleep. I had arrived in Portland on a late flight, and by the time I got to bed that night it was 4:30am NY time, and things went on from there. So nice to get home and to bed at my usual time, and wake up to a sunny day today!

I have pictures from our visits to the Japanese and Chinese gardens in addition to the museum, and pictures of Bonnie's work, which is all over her studio where I was sleeping. I promise to post them soon.

As you know, I only bought one book for myself and one for my hosts. Restraint took account of luggage space and space at home. But Powell's just has so much, I got overwhelmed with the choices and shut down.

In all that whirlwind, I did get some reading done!

14. Buried (Twisted Cedar Mysteries) by C. J. Carmichael

Not only forgettable but annoying. The only reason I might read the rest in the series is that Carmichael ends the mystery with a cliff-hanger! What nerve! And please, someone, protect us all from the misuse of commas. This book desperately needed a copy editor.

15. Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham

I can't recall who suggested this series, but this first book is marvelous. Fiona Griffiths is a fascinating character, at the start of her career in police detecting and with some unusual ghosts in her own life. I loved every minute of it, and can't wait for the next. Luckily, I have all the outstanding titles in the series on my Kindle. umptyseven stars for this mystery.

Next up, The Master Butchers' Singing Club by Louise Erdrich, which will be a reread for me for my Tuesday reading group, and Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild for one of Rachel's group reads. And the Bible for her other group read. And whatever else jumps up and demands to be read.

>212 ffortsa: I wish my local library had the Harry Bingham series because it sounds like one I would love.

You remind me that I need to get back to The Master Butchers' Singing Club which I started something like 2 years ago but made no progress on due to school.

Glad you made it home in one piece, Judy.

"umptyseven stars" means I need to check the library.

Hi Judy!

I'm glad you had a good meet up. I've never been to Powell's, but from what everybody says I just might shut down, too!

I love the Fiona Griffiths series and have read the first 4. #5 is waiting on my Kindle for when I exhaust my passion for Poldark for a while. I'm on book #6 of Poldark and can see that a bit of a break would be a good idea since I've read 4 in a row.

Trips are fun but it's always good to get back home.

>212 ffortsa: Yay for umptyseven stars for Talking to the Dead! Fiona is quite the character, isn't she, Judy. I've read the others in the series now, and I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

16. Written in Stone by Ellery Adams

a nice cozy with more than a little romance thrown in. This entry into the series has some Native American themes as well. Kim, you can pick this up at the supermarket or library when the mood strikes!

Hi Judy!

I'm glad you had a wonderful, if tiring trip.

Speaking of Fiona Griffiths: Harry Bingham has a prequel that's available as a pdf or e-book download. He says it won't come out in print, unfortunately.

Here's the link for the download: Fiona Griffiths Prequel

I've read 4 of the 5 books and will read the 5th book when I finish the 6th in the Poldark series, The Four Swans.

I hope you're having a wonderful Friday.

>219 karenmarie: Hi! Just posted on your thread, as it happens. Thanks for reiterating the link to the prequel on my thread.

I don't know that I could cope with a rural environment. First, I'm at the age where I need to think about how long I would be able to drive, which seems an essential ability unless, like your friend, you have interested and accommodating friends nearby. And Jim can't see well enough to drive, so he would be pretty much dependent on others in the country. Second, I've been completely spoiled by the availability of everything anytime in the big city. Having to even plan a week's meals before grocery shopping would be a big change for me. Third, the availability of music, theater, art, etc. is so vast I could never reach the end of it. And, of course, Jim and I have long-standing friends here as well.

What I would like, on the other hand, is the quiet, the opportunity to observe nature, a chance to have some sort of garden - veggies, fruit trees. We had fruit trees when I lived in the suburbs, and enough room for a tomato plant or two, and even a couple of chickens (although that was really odd in my neighborhood). In Portland, where I was just visiting, my cousins need a car, but they are pretty close to public transportation, and they have a double lot and grow their own fruits and vegetables. They fix and remodel their house themselves, too. It's definitely a lot of work, but they relish it, and have been doing it for over 40 years. They can be downtown in 20 minutes and the artist's community is excellent. Other cousins are in Ohio, in a fairly isolated area with 11 acres of land that they mainly lease out, but they save enough for themselves for a feeling of privacy, and they are not far from the nearest city. I really admire the independence of these folks, but doubt I'd be able to acquire and execute their skills at this point.

So I visit. It's a trade-off.

some days are definitely better than others. I received my replacement ergonomic keyboard, and this time it came with a mouse that runs off the same usb tranceiver, which will save me a port if I use it. It's sort of ergonomic in design as well, so maybe it will help. I'll keep my old one just in case.

It amazes me how little computer time I spent without the ergonomic keyboard.

Glad to hear that you got it. Happy weekend, Judy.

>220 ffortsa: Oh, Judy, after so many years in the city in Kuala Lumpur, I would like a sojourn in a more rural environment. No bookstores and poor internet will undoubtedly have me change my mind.

Good to see over at Deborah's thread that you recovered your kindle.

Have a lovely weekend.

>221 ffortsa: Glad to see you are back up and running again, Judy!

Merci to all. >222 Ameise1: It's definitely better to have the ergonomic board again. >223 PaulCranswick: I think many rural areas are better supplied with the internet than before. Not so with bookstores, of course. And luckily, it was a Fitbit, not my Kindle. Not that it's not tempting to buy a newer, lighter version of the latter. But so far, this works fine for me. and finally >224 alcottacre: Same to you, Stasia.

No reading today. We saw a spritely, funny revue based on Cole Porter songs this afternoon, just the laugh we needed. Last night we saw 'Florence Foster Jenkins', a sweet film that ultimately left me rather sad about the woman's life. And the Thursday before, we saw the NTLife broadcast of 'St. Joan', which was not as good as it might have been. Alas.

April is totally overbooked with theater and travel, concluding with a visit from my sister, after which I plan to collapse for most of the month of May.

I've been listening to Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right. So far, I haven't learned anything I didn't know before, but I do marvel on the deeply religious attitudes of many of my fellow citizens and how they are quite prepared to suffer in this world to gain the infinity of Heaven in the next. I'll see how repetitive it gets before I give up on it.

Wishing all a good week.

Hi Judy!

Our internet here in the wilds of North Carolina stinks. Any bad weather from the west can interrupt it, and we do not get the speeds promised. We are at the end of some older lines, which aren't economically profitable enough for CenturyLink, blast them, to upgrade.

I hope that the seriously overbooked April is all good stuff! Will you able to avoid overbooking May?

>226 karenmarie: You would think someone would attempt to set up a satellite alternative to crummy old lines. Phooey. Sorry to hear about your internet travails.

I'm hoping to hold the line about May, but I already have notice that several acquaintances are coming into New York, so I don't know how clear my time will actually be. As far as scheduled events, I'm quite prepared to kick up a stink if Jim starts filling in the calendar!

In the meantime, I've caught a fairly useless get-organized bug, useless because it doesn't address the bigger areas of life. I think I'll quit it for now and just read.

>225 ffortsa: Well, I'm sorry to tell you that I'll be in the city in mid-May and will attempt to see you then :P

I took a break from Strangers in Their Own Land and found that my interest is renewed now that I've returned to it. I'm still not very far in, though.

>228 _Zoe_: happy to collapse in your presence in May. Which, of course, is filling up, this time with visitors!

Hi Judy! Trying to make the rounds and visit friends. Sounds like life is enjoyably busy. Hurray for ergonomic keyboards! : )

17. The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich

I first read this before joining LT, and it was still on my shelf to read for my Tuesday reading group. We'll discuss it next week. I didn't recall a lot of the details, as per usual, but I did recall the immigrant experience, the family split by WWII, the life of a small town in North Dakota. More after our discussion, I hope.

Last night we attended a concert (violin and piano) which underwhelmed us, and today we had a theater date, so no reading as yet, although the evening is still young, and Jim is reading on the couch as I type. The play was "How to Transcend a Happy Marriage" by Sarah Ruhl, and I would give it a solid B for the play itself, and A for the acting. Ruhl is one of our favorite contemporary playwrights, based on several of her works and most of all her "Euridyce". A nice afternoon, in spite of the indoor-ness of theater on a spectacular spring day.

>232 ffortsa: Ahhh, that makes me wish I'd found time to see the student production of Eurydice up here last weekend. There's never enough time or energy to do everything I'd like.

I promised some pictures of the installation we saw in Portland, so here goes.



Hey, that worked! This is a picture of a three-story installation of small glass objects, each held in place by a glass rod. Each object is unique, created by hand.

Here's a closer head-on sample



and even closer



and



The artist is William Morris, and the work is titled 'Artifact Panel'. It's really terrific (better than some of my pictures, which look a little fuzzy).

Beautiful. Wishing you a lovely day, Judy.

>234 ffortsa: - Wow! Very cool.

>234 ffortsa: Facinating, Judy, I like the shadows of the glass objects on the ceiling on the close up pictures.

>231 ffortsa: Continuing my reflections on The Master Butchers Singing Club.

My reading group was lukewarm about this book, as I was too, ultimately. Some complained that the stories were well told but left holes in our understanding, some found it predictable (as I did). There were a lot of questions regarding how the main characters felt about divided families.

But if you are looking for a story of small-town life in North Dakota between WWI and WWII, of how the town coheres and how it handles or doesn't handle its secrets, I think it's pretty good. We've read a few other books with similar backgrounds lately: Main Street, which I found somewhat mean-spirited in the way it portrayed women in a stodgier, more settled and stratified social structure; My Antonia, also about the immigrant experience on the Great Plains, but much more rural. Each of these books was completely natural and concrete in the settings and people described.

The Erdrich book has more of a fantasy about it in the beginning, and maybe that reflects the feeling of bewilderment of the immigrant in a strange land. One of the characters is a 'balancer', running a sort of vaudeville routine where he balances on stacks of chairs (and a partner!), and everyone in this story is finding or losing their balance, at once insider and outsider, building the social platform on which they need to stand.

We had some extra luck in that one of our attendees had grown up in the upper mid-west, in a fairly rural area, where people may have had radio but certainly not TV, where they created bonds through activities like singing clubs and other associations - they made their own culture and entertainment. She found the portrayal of small town life in this book very real and very reminiscent of her own childhood.

I would venture to say that some of us in this group live in small towns or rural areas and have some experience in making their own culture. And you are all here too, aren't you?

18. The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo

Sixth in the Harry Hole series. This one is full of switchbacks. I was pretty sure who the ultimate villain was, until about two thirds of the way through, when the twists began to baffle me. Nesbo continually misdirects the reader, at least this reader, and maybe I should know by now that the obvious is never the answer in Nesbo's mysteries, but this one was a doozy. For the squeamish, there is only one truly bizarrely violent episode, although there is, shall I say, more standard violence, where people get shot or otherwise damaged.

Depending on how much you are likely to be misled, and how much you enjoy this, I guess this might rate three stars or four stars.

My fitbit saga continues! I replaced my battery as instructed by the handy-dandy email alert. But it was no longer talking to me (something I said?). After many repeats of the battery out, battery in thing, I had a chat online (wonderful invention). Upshot - I am getting a new fitbit! Free! Under warrantee! Yippie.

Even though my walk uptown to my hairdresser won't count. Boo.

Well, the walk uptown does count towards your well-being!

Nice to get a new one for free - well done :)

"...umptyseven stars" for Talking to the Dead. I don't remember who recommended it either but I have it on my Kindle. Now I'm super excited to get to it! And it's April and that means The Master Butcher's Singing Club too. But first I need to finish My Name is Asher Lev which is a bit slow but also wonderful.

Oh, and fitbit drama. I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing that. I got a new phone last weekend and now my Charge HR doesn't recognize that phone. My One does, though. I suppose I need to figure this out, perhaps tomorrow.

Technology. Hmph.

>243 EBT1002: humph indeed. Is it a Bluetooth pairing issue? I had some grief over that.

My f2f reading groups have come through for me this month. Usually I end up rereading something that someone has chosen, and that's fine with me, but I was getting restless. This time, the downtown group is reading Sophie's Choice, which I never got to, and the uptown group is reading The Garden of the Finzi Continis and preparing to watch the movie. I haven't read the book OR seen the movie, so it will be an all-new month.

>244 ffortsa: I don't know what it was but it seems to have resolved itself. On the other hand, my 9-day-old iPhone was having some mechanical issues so I had to go to the Apple store. They have ordered me a new one and, of course, now mine is working fine. But I'll still take the new one when it comes in. And then I'll have to go through the whole pairing thing all over again! Yikes.

Your f2f book groups both sound excellent for this month!

Judy--Hmmmm....underwhelmed by the Master's Butcher's Singing Club. Well....

I absolutely love the photos of the Art Museum up in #234!! That was so much fun. I miss you.

Glad you are getting a new Fitbit...for free. : )

Hi Judy, wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend.

Judy--enjoyed meeting you and Jim at Mark's today. I had a great time. Especially loved the discussion on book clubs.

I see you've read Julian Barnes--have you read The Noise of Time? It was one of my favorites last year.

Enjoy the rest of your trip and safe travels home.
Kathy from Chicago

Hi, Judy! I'm so glad I was able to meet you yesterday! Also, I'm adding my wishes for safe travels home.

Woo-hoo! Thanks again for making the long trip, Judy. What great fun to spend time with you and Jim.

You're inspiring - I really want to try to make some elsewhere-in-the-country LT gatherings. Portland is my #1 right now, and Boston and Denver aren't far behind. As you know, I'm dying to go to Powell's.

Hope you have a great Sunday. Sorry the weather turned for the worse, but I guess if we had to pick, we'd pick having the good weather yesterday.

>252 jnwelch: Portland is your #1!!! I am holding you to it. : )

Judy--You are making the LT rounds lately. Good for you!! Happy Sunday.

Happy Sunday, Judy!

Wonderful to hear what a great time you all had!

Hooray for another meet up, Judy. Great pictures of the Portland Art Museum. They really turned out much better than mine.

Lucky you that you got to go to another LT meetup--looks like it was a great one!
Hope you are now home safe and sound. I heard it was rather warm there yesterday.
I am back from my European travels, and trying to get caught up on LT.

Hi Judy, it was nice to meet you and your husband the other day at Mark's house.

At lunch, I finished Thomas Kunkel's literary bio of longtime New Yorker contributor, Joseph Mitchell. Man in Profile. Now I want to read other New Yorker books, as well as books by its many contributors over the years.

Anyway, I looked to see whether there is a New Yorker group on LT and there is but it seems dormant. I notice that you'd posted there. I love the magazine (it's one of my favorites) but tend to accumulate my copies and then sit down on a rainy weekend and read a large stack of them. Happily, I've discovered the archive section on their website and may use it to fill in the blanks on the copies I've misplaced.

>258 lindapanzo: If you've found my New Yorker thread, you also know that I couldn't possibly catch up over a weekend! In fact, I haven't gotten out of 2009 yet, and since that was Obama's first inaugural year, it's sort of hard to read. Maybe I'll just skip the politics and read the other articles going forward. And of course, I could read from the archive, except that I love to read the actual paper magazine, and take it with me wherever I roam. I used to catch up a lot when I spent summer weekends at the beach, but that was a long, long time ago.

>259 ffortsa: I tend to renew for a few years and then stop awhile. I think I restarted 2 or 3 years ago. I have two different stashes at home and a batch at work. I usually keep some magazines on the passenger seat of my car "just in case" but not usually New Yorkers. I think I have a book review magazine and American Scholar.

After reading Tom Kunkel's book about Joseph Mitchell, I want to track down the obituary issue, which I think was June 10, 1996, as well as the last time a Mitchell piece actually appeared in the magazine, which was in 1964, I believe.

Hi Judy - I know you and Jim are theater buffs so I just wanted to recommend "Oslo", at Lincoln Center. Terrific acting and a completely engaging script, slightly surprising given what could have been a dry political rehashing. It was very stimulating and a perfect venue too.

>261 vivians: Thanks for the recommendation. As it happens, we saw it last year in its first home, I think at the Newhouse downstairs. I'm glad it transferred well to the bigger space. And yes, the playwright and director and cast made what might have been dry history and politics into a vital process, even though the goal was subverted at the end.

I was thinking that we should plan some sort of meetup when the Brooklyn Book Fair is on, sometime in September. Interested? Of course, we could do fun things before that!

19. Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right - Arlie Russell Hochschild

I finally finished this treatise on the sociology of the Louisiana bayou area. The reader is quite good, so I didn't mind the length, but it was rather repetitious, especially at the beginning and again at the end.

Hochschild set out to learn about the group of people in the Louisiana bayou who were most affected by both the oil, gas and chemical manufacturing industry and the resulting pollution in a very fragile ecosystem. Why were they so staunchly anti-government? Could she see the world from their perspective? What she found, over many years of research and personal contact, was that below the tension of economics and ecology, these people were raised with what she calls a 'deep story' of what constitutes honor and independence, and that deep story, often supported by fundamentalist religious beliefs, stands in the way of appreciation of what they would term 'big government' seeking to protect the bayou and all the surrounding ecology. In addition, their self-definition of independence and endurance prevents them from most local campaigns to save their surroundings, and encourages them to associate with the most right-wing elements of the political spectrum, in spite of the damage their representatives, including and especially Bobby Jindal, have done to the economy and resources of their state.

I came away from this feeling that their deep story (and we all have a deep story, just not this one) is a huge barrier toward understanding other people's viewpoints. Hochschild did a remarkable and patient job of trying to get into the skin of these people, and clearly appreciates them, their generosity and hospitality, and by the end of the book, their point of view. But she offers no consistent way in to any sort of compromise with them, as they turn their backs on any remedies others may have for their situation. It's very sad.

Howdy, Judy! I've finally made my way over here to say how nice it was to meet you and Jim at the Chicago meet-up last weekend. I'm looking forward to following along on your reading adventures!

>263 ffortsa: I have had that queued up for a while now, and your review nudges me to get to it.

I'm a bit behind, but my Fitbit also ended up being replaced a couple of months ago. It was having various problems, but the one that convinced them to send a new one was the fact that it no longer gave any useful notice when the battery was about to die—from the time it started showing medium battery, it was dead within half an hour.

So, it lasted less than a year before being replaced. I was happy to get the new one while it was under warranty, but this system doesn't seem very sustainable—I suspect they won't keep providing replacements on a yearly basis, and I'm certainly not interested in buying a new one that frequently.

I did find it interesting that they offered either a free replacement of my current model or a slightly discounted upgrade—I wonder if they're actually making a profit on that upgrade.

Anyway, back to books, thank you for your review of Strangers in Their Own Land. It should give me some encouragement to pick up the book again once I have a bit of free time at the end of the semester.

>266 _Zoe_: Do you have a wrist device or the Zip one I have? My first one lasted a couple of years, no problem, until the threads on the battery door somehow jammed and I hit it with a hammer. Oops. I hope this one lasts for a while.