Avanders' 2017 ROOTs

Welcome!
This is how my TBR feels:


In actuality, it's around 1000 unread books, including a handful of ebooks (I haven't really switched over, and it seems unlikely that I really will...).

Over the past few years, I've read approximately 50-90 books a year... unfortunately, only a percentage of that is ROOTs. What I'd like to do is read a higher percentage of ROOTs, regardless of the # of books I'm actually reading. Since I read (and write) for a living (law job, not the glamorous author life you may be imagining ;)), my brain's not always primed for more reading in the evenings.

Also, in 2017, we're looking forward to Baby #1! Since I imagine that will change my life dramatically, I have kept a modest ROOT goal for this year of 12. I hope to read quite a bit more than that, but so as not to be too hard on myself if it doesn't work out, my goal will be 12..

update: I am updating my ROOTs goal to 18 since I am already at 10 and I think reading 8 more ROOTs this year is still doable! New goal reflected in ticker :)

ROOTS Read in 2017 (goal of 12 18 (changed 4/26/17))



Total Books Read in 2017 (goal of 24)

And here's where I will post/update the details throughout the year.

JAN (4)
XX 1. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders (Mueenuddin) (256) (ROOT 1), January 5, 2017 (give away)
XX 2. Cloud Castle (Stilton) (320) (ROOT 2), January 5, 2017 (keep for permanent collection/kids)
XX 3. Anywhere at Once (826Chi) (263) (ROOT 3), January 7, 2017 (keep for permanent collection/kids)
XX 4. Everything I need to Know About Love I Learned from a Little Golden Book (Muldrow) (96), January 27, 2017 (borrowed from friend)
Ave Page #s read/book in Jan = 233.75 (total pages 935; 30.16 per day)

FEB (3)
XX 5. Sea of Silver Light (Otherland #4) (Williams) (1069) (ROOT 4), February 2, 2017 (give away)
XX 6. Grief is the Thing with Feathers (Porter) (114) (ROOT 5), February 13, 2017 (give away)
XX 7. Fate of the Tearling (Johansen) (496) (audio library book), February 16, 2017
Ave Page #s read/book in Feb = 559.67 (total pages 1,679; 59.96 per day)

MAR (0)
Ave Page #s read/book in Mar = 0 (total pages 0; 0 per day)

APR (8)
XX 8. The Roanoke Girls (Engel) (279) (ROOT 6) & LT ER, April 2, 2017 (give away)
XX 9. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore (Sloan) (286) (ROOT 7), April 6, 2017 (delete)
XX 10. What to Expect When You're Expecting (Murkoff) (656) (ROOT 8), April 15, 2017 (keep for now (permanent collection))
XX 11. Baby Wise (Ezzo) (279) (ROOT 9), April 15, 2017 (throw give away)
XX 12. Ajax Penumbra (Sloan) (65), April 23, 2017 (delete)
XX -- (short story). Wrong Plane (Sloan) (10), April 23, 2017 (online)
XX -- (short story). Writer and the Witch (Sloan) (23), April 23, 2017 (online)
XX -- (short story). Julie Rubicon (Sloan), April 23, 2017 (online)
XX 13. All the Little Pieces (Hoffman) (504) (ROOT 10 & RL book group Apr), April 26, 2017 (give away)
XX 14. God Help the Child (Morrison) (178) (RL book group Apr), April 29, 2017 (give away)
XX 15. The Importance of Being Ernest (Cline) (84) (ROOT 11), April 30, 2017 (give away)
Ave Page #s read/book in Apr = 291.38 (total pages 2,331; 77.7 per day) (not counting the short stories)

MAY (6)
XX 16. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage (Murakami) (386) (ROOT 12 & RL book group Apr), May 8, 2017 (give away)
XX 17. Spare and Found Parts (Griffin) (384) (library ebook), May 8, 2017 (DNF)
XX 18. Paper and Fire (Caine) (354) (library ebook), May 15, 2017
19. Reading The End of Oz (Paige) (304) (ROOT 13)
20. Reading The Cottingley Secret (Gaynor) (416) (ROOT 14 &
LT ER)
21. Reading Lincoln in the Bardo (Saunders) (343) (audio library book)
Ave Page #s read/book in May = (total pages ; per day)

JUNE ( )
Ave Page #s read/book in Jun = (total pages ; per day)

JULY ( )
Ave Page #s read/book in Jul = (total pages ; per day)

AUGUST ( )
Ave Page #s read/book in Aug = (total pages ; per day)

SEPTEMBER ( )
Ave Page #s read/book in Sept = (total pages ; per day)

OCTOBER ( )
Ave Page #s read/book in Oct = (total pages ; per day)

NOVEMBER ( )
Ave Page #s read/book in Nov = (total pages ; per day)

DECEMBER ( )
Ave Page #s read/book in Dec = (total pages ; per day)

AND Extra Tracking Notes:

# of Books IN, in 2017:
Jan (18): +15 (TOB books - see >68 avanders:) + 1 (Dark Humanity kindle) + 1 (what to expect the first year kindle) + 1 (Night Bird Kindle first)
Feb (1): + 1 (In Farleigh Field - Kindle first)
Mar (1): + 1 (Roanoke Girls - LT ER)
Apr (32): + 1 (God Help the Child (RL Book Group)) + 1 (Crimes Against a Book Club (Kindle First)) + 1 (Ajax Penumbra Kindle short) + 11 (birthday gift from MIL) + 1 (End of Oz) + 7 (more bday books) (see >184 avanders: for deets) + 1 (And Then There Were Nuns (from SIL)) + 1 (OwlCrate: Upside of Unrequited) + 2 (Book Riot BookMail - Invisible Library & Long Division) + 4 (used: Last Policeman, Murder Off Miami, In the Mother's Land (Maerlande), & Ring of Solomon) + 1 (A Boy Called Christmas - OwlCrate Jr.) + 1 (Caraval - OwlCrate)
May (70): + 1 (LT ER - Cottingley Secret) + 3 (used: Cyteen (BB), The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, & The Sooterkin) + 1 (Great Passage - Kindle First) +1 (Charlie the Choo-Choo) + 5 (used: Suffer the Children, Tale of Two Biddies, Holmes for the Holidays, More Holmes for the Holidays, A Monster Calls (BB)) + 1 (Mr B's Emporium selection: The Honours) + 2 (Nocturnal Reader's Box: Borne & Normal (Ellis)) + 2 (Blue Spider's Attic Box: The Vengeance of Hera & The Black Hole) + 1 (OwlCrate: Eliza and her Monsters) + 2 (BOTM: The Love Interest and Into the Water (Hawkins)) + 0 (Wonder Weeks - permanent collection) + 9 (from Novel Cure, Used/Kindle: Island of Doctor Moreau (k), A Far Cry from Kensington, Life: A User's Manual, The Millstone, The Debt to Pleasure, The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Little Girl and the Cigarette, Our Spoons Came from Woolworths) + 4 (new B&N: Beauty (Pinborough), Everland, Double Feature (King), The Thing Itself) + 5 (new Amazon: City of Miracles, The Library at Mount Char, & How Not to Hate Your Husband; used Amazon: What Was Lost (O'Flynn) & Remainder (McCarthy)) + 29 (Library Clearance Sale: Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold, And Then There Were None, Dead to the Last Drop, Crooked House (Christie), Murder for Christmas, Valentine Murder, 14 kids books (d/n count - perm. collection), Boomsday, Diary (Palahniuk), American Pastoral, Little Green Men, The Adrian Mole Diaries, The Best American Mystery Stories 2007, How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents, The Stone Raft, Goodbye Columbus, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Midnight's Children, Winter Garden, I Feel Bad About My Neck, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, The Abduction (Boone), Matched, The Thief Lord, Shiver, The Holly Tree (Dickens), Eats Shoots & Leaves (d/n count - perm. collection), Home Game (Lewis), Early-Start Potty Training, I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids, Your Baby is Speaking To You) + 1 Bringing Up Boys (gifted in Dec., but never catalogued) + 3 (Spark Joy, Button Holed, Chili Con Carnage - from 2016 but never catalogued)
Jun: + 1 (Kindle First: ) + 1 (Mr B's: ) + 2 (NRB: ) + 1 (Owl Crate: ) + 1 (BOTM: )
Jul:
Aug:
Sept:
Oct:
Nov:
Dec:

Thus, my TBRs:
(Total books from prior month, plus books IN, minus books Read (unless otherwise noted))
as of 1/1/17, total books in personal library = 964
as of 2/1/17, total books in personal library = 981
as of 3/1/17, total books in personal library = 980
as of 4/1/17, total books in personal library = 981
as of 5/1/17, total books in personal library = 1006 uh...
as of 6/1/17, total books in personal library =
as of 7/1/17, total books in personal library =
as of 8/1/17, total books in personal library =
as of 9/1/17, total books in personal library =
as of 10/1/17, total books in personal library =
as of 11/1/17, total books in personal library =
as of 12/1/17, total books in personal library =
as of 12/31/17, total books in personal library = ____

(Not counting permanent already-read books, cookbooks, or other reference type books, but yes counting e-books (not duplicates))

Welcome back and good luck with your goal, as well as with the changes that Baby will bring!

Good luck with your goal and your new little one. And thank you so much for helping me with the ticker!

Thanks to you both! :)

Hi Aletheia! Yes, a baby will change your life dramatically. *smile*

You know, you can count books you read to Baby. Of course, I remember reading the same book over and over and over and over and OVER, so perhaps counting a book once a month is more fair than the 30 or 40 times a month you'll read it. You won't get a lot of pages out of most of them, but it still should count.

Looking forward to tagging along on this year's Adventures of Aletheia!

Good luck with your goal, Aletheia, and with the sweet baby :).

Welcome back! Looking forward to following your thread this year. =)

Here's to a great 2017 with lots of ROOTing. Good luck with the baby and keep us posted with all the changes this new time of life brings.

Hey. How did you get into my house to snap a picture of my library? (criminy, that's what it feels like anyway)

Happy to see you back again and I hope that you get lots of reading accomplished. You should be due fairly soon? I wish for you a baby who sleeps through the night so you can read and rest.

What was your gift box from Santa THing filled with? Mine was Bleak House (seeing you reading Dickens made me want to read him too) and two from Murakami (another new to me author- I was excited to see those because he had actually been recommended to me recently).

So Happy New Year and good ROOTing!

Welcome back and happy ROOTing 8-)

Having a baby is indeed a life-changing event which might ever so slightly affect your reading. But it's wonderful - congratulations!

Welcome back! And congratulations on the upcoming baby. You're right - it will bring changes to your life, and it may make it difficult to get much reading in for a while (except, as noted above, the repeated kids' books). But things do get better later on.

Just started listening to the first Otherland book, City of Golden Shadow on audio. Unfortunately, it won't count as a ROOT, but it's been on my list for a while, so I'm glad to finally get to it.

Glad to see you here - you're in for quite a dramatic year! I joined this group just after I had my baby (she was born in Nov 2013, I joined up in the 2014 group), and although some months I hardly read anything, I was able to get a fair bit read in those times when she slept and I was physically incapable of anything as demanding as housework ;)

Happy to see you back! Just dropping by to leave a star and to wish you the best of luck with your goal and the little one!

What a fun place this thread of yours will be in 2017! Cheers to all of it!

So happy to see you here again. Good luck with your new life!

>6 karenmarie: Hello! And, oh, good point! I will probably count books I read to Malachi ... but, yes, only once ;)

>7 readingtangent: >8 Amberfly: >9 Robertgreaves: >10 enemyanniemae: >11 Henrik_Madsen: >12 LoraShouse: >13 Jackie_K: >14 Caramellunacy: >15 detailmuse: >16 MissWatson: Welcome to my thread & thanks to you all!!

>10 enemyanniemae: lol I know, it feels overwhelming sometimes! & I know that there are readers on here who make my library look small! ;)
Yep - due in just 2 months -- 3/2! Thanks for the wish - I also wish that!
& Ooh, SantaThing was lovely this year -- I got Neverwhere, a Neil Gaiman that I somehow didn't own; Watchers, a Koontz I'd not heard of but looks really good; In a Dark Dark Wood, a thriller that I'm very much looking forward to devouring!; City of Blades, the 2nd in a trilogy that I started & enjoy; and Brilliance, a first in a trilogy I'd never heard of and am very excited about!
Your 3 books sound great too! I've not yet read Bleak House, but hope to one of these days in the not-too-distant-future! And I love Murakami... even though I've only read 1 book by him so far... I have plenty on the shelves!

>12 LoraShouse: Oh, I do hope you enjoy that! I started that as a sort of mini-online-book group read with Connie & Maggie (Ipsoivan) .. they both finished the series, but I have just about 700 more pages in the final book to read ;)

>13 Jackie_K: that's good to hear that you had time to read... I suspected I would have some time when baby was sleeping, but since I'm brand new at this, I didn't want to be overly confident ;D

>17 avanders: It wasn't all plain sailing though - sometimes she would only sleep if she was in the pram being pushed, which did mean that I got lots of fresh air and exercise, but not so good for the reading (or sleeping myself!). Other times I really wanted her to sleep (so I could too because I was so tired!) and she just wouldn't! It's difficult to say how much reading was down to circumstances of being on maternity leave, and how much was feeling I ought to because I'd joined this group!

And copying MJ (@detailmuse), here are 18 ROOTs I'm very eager to read in 2017 :) (see how I haven't tied myself to this list? ;))
(oh and ROOTs are books I've owned as of the prior month... so for now, those are all of the books that I own)

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

And also this:

>18 Jackie_K: no I hear it's not... but as someone who loves reading... glad to know it's still possible ;)
& I will welcome fresh air & exercise!
& In the end, whatever works for motivation, I'll take it! ;)

>19 avanders: nice! And wow what an evocative final photo -- what is it?

>19 avanders:,
Oooh, I have Lost in Austen on my TBR somewhere. I keep wanting to pick it up, but want to have something on hand to keep track of my points and Poor Relations and what-not, so not an ideal commute read (same goes for Romeo and/or Juliet, which I picked up late last year.

I am also really excited to see what you think of The Rook - I really enjoyed it, in fact, that may be due for a re-read as I have the sequel Stiletto sitting around pining to be read...

And finally - I have to echo >21 detailmuse: - colour me intrigued. what pray tell is the final photo?

Yay, In the Woods! And yay, Neverwhere! Loved both of those. I hope you do too (but won't be offended if you don't :P).

And jeez, I keep meaning to request The Rook, but never end up doing so...

>10 enemyanniemae: and >17 avanders: - we had a group read of Great Expectations last fall which was wildly successful with 11 of us participating to a greater or lesser degree, and I more than halfway promised to have a group read of Bleak House as soon as February this year. It's in the 75 Books Challenge group, and once I get it up and running, late January, I'll try to remember to invite both of you.

Here's the Great Expectations group read so you can get a flavor of it: Great Expectations Group Read

And Wow! March 2nd. How exciting.

>21 detailmuse: >22 Caramellunacy: oh! The final photo is a book called S. Sort of. It's an "illuminated book" where there's the story (something about ships, I think), and then the story overlaying that one, which is I think a relationship story between two people who "meet" through reading the ship-story. Their notes and conversation and other things (like maps, pics, etc.) are interspersed throughout the book, as if you discovered a book with someone else's notes, etc. in it. I don't know how to describe it better.. hold on...

Here's Amazon's synopsis: The chronicle of two readers finding each other, and their deadly struggle with forces beyond their understanding--all within the margins of a book conceived by Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams and written by award-winning novelist Doug Dorst.
The book: Ship of Theseus, the final novel by a prolific but enigmatic writer named V.M. Straka, in which a man with no past is shanghaied onto a strange ship with a monstrous crew and launched onto a disorienting and perilous journey.
The writer: Straka, the incendiary and secretive subject of one of the world's greatest mysteries, a revolutionary about whom the world knows nothing apart from the words he wrote and the rumors that swirl around him.
The readers: Jennifer and Eric, a college senior and a disgraced grad student, both facing crucial decisions about who they are, who they might become, and how much they're willing to trust another person with their passions, hurts, and fears.
S. contains 22 inserts and will be delivered in a sealed slipcase.

I had to have it... ;)

>22 Caramellunacy: oooh good point. I'm going to need to read that one w/ pen and paper, aren't I! I've not heard of Romeo and/or Juliet - same concept? Exciting!

>23 rabbitprincess: That's what I keep hearing! Actually, when I was talking to my husband about Neverwhere, he said he was shocked I hadn't already read it because it was right up my alley ;)

>24 karenmarie: Cool, thanks!
I participated in the LT Group Read for Slade House, but haven't done a member-organized one yet!

Yes, it's ... all-of-a-sudden so soon!

Hee hee, I keep looking at that pretty depiction of the books I want to read (>19 avanders:) and ... well, now I want to go read!
I have a couple from last year to finish up first though.. Just have to find time.....

Congratulations on your impending new addition!
Just remember to enjoy whatever you find time to read!

>25 avanders: That sounds really, really cool... I am adding to my wishlist (but am trying very hard to curtail book-buying for now until I clear a little bit of space). Please let us know how it is!

Apparently Romeo and/or Juliet involves a choose-your-own adventure approach where an option is that Juliet runs away to become a pirate...
I am IN!

Hi Aletheia, So glad you are joining the ROOTers again.
Reading to baby! You can read your own books to them. I did for the first few months anyway. They don't mind as long as they hear your voice. After a few months they want you to read their own books (over and over and over).

I looking forward to hear all baby news. So exciting.

>25 avanders: how interesting! I really enjoy experimental approaches.

>27 cyderry: thank you! And I sure hope I do! :)

>28 Caramellunacy: I will definitely share my thoughts once I get to it! I'm so excited for it.... :)
I'll have to add Romeo and/or Juliet to my wishlist now too! ;)

>29 connie53: Oh that's a good point too! Reading my own books, for at least a little while, is both productive and baby-engaging ;)

>30 detailmuse: Me too! I love all the thought that goes into those types of books :)

Quick life/baby update:
I had a doc-appt today and Baby is growing well and quite active still.. he's 4 pounds, 9 ounces (a little chunky ;)), 16.3 inches long (average), and his head is a little big (unsurprising as his dad's head is also quite large)... he also has his dad's lips! Here're 2 pics from the ultrasounds....

He looks very contemplative in the second one! Dreaming of all the books his mom will read to him :)

Aren't babies supposed to be aware of their mother's voice while they're still in the womb? Perhaps you could start reading to him now.

>33 Robertgreaves: Yes, that's a good plan too. Or play music or sing to them.

>31 avanders: Ahhh lovely.

>31 avanders: It's amazing what modern technology can do!

What a sweet, innocent face! He's beautiful.

I read out loud to daughter before she was born. I don't remember what I read.

I read somewhere that reading a page of the Bible and a page of Shakespeare out loud every day would be good for kids. I tried it for about a week after daughter was born, but was too whupped. Instead, I made up stories on the fly to tell her and also read out loud whatever book I was reading.

>31 avanders: awesome images! (Really. I'm in awe.)

Happy rooting! I read In The Woods last year and .....meh.

>24 karenmarie: Sorry to jump in, but Bleak House is on my root list this year (again...), if there's going to be some group effort to get through it, please count me in!

What a marvelous bonus -- baby with books. If you read aloud regularly, I wonder if he'll spring forth "fully formed" and literate! Congratulations and bet wishes to you and Daddy. Your lieves will never be the same -- babies are forever after, hopefully happily.

I will be following your thread with anticipation of all kinds of surprises, both human and literary.

>39 nerwende: Hi @nerwende, @avanders and @enemyanniemae!

I've just made a list of potential Bleak House group read candidates. There are 9 so far. I won't create a thread til mid-month but I'll let you all know then!

Great pics!

>41 karenmarie: Read Bleak House a couple of years ago, it is probably in my top 10 of all time!

Those are very clear photos, Ava. Congrats on impending motherhood. Yes, you will end up reading the same books over and over (seeing the same movies, too). It was kind of scary at one point when I could say the words in the book and not even have my brained engaged.

>43 Familyhistorian: Haha, yes. The two books both my husband and I can recite word perfectly without even opening the pages are There was an old lady who swallowed a fly and Zog (Zog is our daughter's favourite, she asks for it EVERY bedtime without fail). We're getting pretty good at Zog and the Flying Doctors too.

Beautiful ultrasound photos!

I didn't know there was a book of "There Was An Old Woman". The song was a staple on the radio and kids' progammes when I was growing up.

>46 Robertgreaves: I'm not sure if the book or the song came first. Whenever I read it I always sing it.

>31 avanders: What amazing pictures!! Things have come a long way since my "little" one was born (over 2 decades ago.)

>46 Robertgreaves:
>47 Jackie_K:

I always sang it and taught it to my children as a song!

Jackie, if you are looking for a couple of good books for your daughter, my grandchildren LOVED Diary of a Spider, Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Fly. The art work is stupendous and the text is just plain funny, although the little ones don't get the subtlety. I've kept the books and even the older grandchildren (11-12) pull them off the shelf when they come over and read them.

>49 Tess_W: Ooh thank you for the recommendation, I will have a look at them! We have got some beautiful and fun books for our daughter, many of which she likes and others of which we appreciate much more than her, but we keep them in the hope that she'll grow into them!

Oh hello everyone!! So glad to see you all here :)

>32 rabbitprincess: sounds about right to me ;)
>33 Robertgreaves: and >34 connie53: yep - I think he hears a lot of my talking, singing, laughing (which he also feels), etc. ;) I haven't read books out loud, per se, but I think he hears plenty of my voice either way ;)

>35 MissWatson: and >43 Familyhistorian: and >48 Sace: I *know*!! So crazy to see such detail! Even just in the past several years it seems that things are advancing quickly...
& Thanks Meg -- I think I'm okay with reading the same books over and over if it brings him joy .. I'm sure that's why all parents seem to do it! :)
>43 Familyhistorian: >44 Jackie_K: lol that's funny... but also seems to be how children learn to read a lot of the time, too... my sister could recite books verbatim before she could read, but it helped her recognize the words before she was officially taught :)
Zog sounds interesting.. I'll check it out... :)

>36 karenmarie: thank you! He does look innocent, doesn't he.... ;P
lol I wonder if there's a cadence to the Bible/Shakespeare that makes people think those books, in particular, would be "good for kids," before such kids can even understand the words... ;) But I think that just talking to/reading to/etc. the kids in general is good .. it's attention and familiarity, I would think...

>37 detailmuse: I know, me too! These were BY FAR the best pics we've had throughout the pregnancy, and it was so weird to see features!!

>38 Tess_W: thanks! Hmm.. I've heard such good things about the whole series, and I've owned that book for SO many years, I figured I should eventually get to it ;)
>42 Tess_W: and thanks here too! :)

>39 nerwende: >41 karenmarie: Thanks for keeping track of all of us! :)

>40 Limelite: lol that would be amazing ;)
Thank you! I know, I am excited and sometimes very nervous about all the changes that are coming! My husband and I have been together for almost 18 years .. without a child.. it will be quite the change to add baby after all that time!

>45 billiejean: Thank you! I tend to agree... ;)

>46 Robertgreaves: and >47 Jackie_K: and >49 Tess_W: I don't know that I heard the song on the radio, but we definitely sang it a lot!
And I'll have to check those books out too, Tess... :)

And book update...

I've actually finished 3 ROOTs!
I finally finished In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, which is a series of somewhat related (peripherally) short stories set in Pakistan. The writing was beautiful, but each. and. every. story. was depressing. So... it took me a while to get through ;P Overall,

And I finished Cloud Castle right after that... which is a very colorful kids book that helped restore my mood ;) It's cute enough and I'll keep it for the permanent kids collection... overall,

And I also finished Anywhere at Once, which is a ... novel'ish written by 106 2nd through 8th graders through this project.. it is sort of a series of short stories in some senses, and sort of a novel in others. But there's not really a narrative arc (not surprisingly). I enjoyed it, especially the 2nd and 3rd graders stories ;)), but I confess I was a *little* annoyed that the 3 characters didn't even come *together* as expected until more than halfway through... But again, written by kids .. I think the people organizing the project just should have either been a little more clear with the kids OR with the readers ... In any event, and I'll either keep for future kids OR send to my goddaughters who's getting into writing and may enjoy this... (she's 9).

SO that leaves me with my chunky root from LAST year that I am trying to focus on and finally finish! Sea of Silver Light (Otherland #4)
I'm also slowly reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, which is also pretty chunky at 656 pages...

Nice effort! I usually like tragedies most, but it can be too much.

>40 Limelite: Limelite: lol that would be amazing ;)
Thank you! I know, I am excited and sometimes very nervous about all the changes that are coming! My husband and I have been together for almost 18 years .. without a child.. it will be quite the change to add baby after all that time!

Just keep telling yourself that life with Baby is the New Normal.

And congrats on finishing 3 ROOTs!

>53 Henrik_Madsen: thanks! I will say that 2 of the people in my RL book group loved the book... they love books that are sad like that. Perhaps tragedies also fits their preferred genre :) For me, I definitely don't mind some realism, but when each story has the same bleakness to it, it gets to me after a while...

>54 karenmarie: good advice! It is the new normal.. it just doesn't feel like it quite yet... ;)

& Thanks!

>54 karenmarie: >55 avanders: For the first several months it didn't *feel* normal to me! But that's normal! (did you see what I did there? ;) ). I found it hard to adjust to being 3 of us from 2, and moving from spending my days using my brain and contributing to society to feeling like I'd achieved something if I'd done the washing up and managed to clean my teeth by the end of the day! That feeling doesn't last, but is horrible at times while it is so strong in the early days. Just remember in the tough early days that it really *does* get easier and less intense! And you do get your sense of self back eventually!

I am so excited for this baby coming! I am actually a little bit jealous that you get to experience this whole getting to know a new mysterious little person from scratch, even when it's tough it's also magical!

(>56 Jackie_K: no mysterious small human knowledge here, but coming from a bit of a depressive family - you have DEFINITELY achieved something if you've done the washing up and cleaned your teeth!)

>55 avanders: good advice! It is the new normal.. it just doesn't feel like it quite yet... ;)

Believe me, after a few weeks you can't imagine yourself without this new baby.

>58 connie53: yes, that is so true! I keep trying to remember what it was like before, and can't quite!

Life is change, Ava. You will be going through one of the more positive and dramatic of those. It is a bit of a stretch at first, especially for an older mother who is used to being able to do things on her own time - that will change and will become normal. You may miss that time but there are other rewards for the time given to parenthood.

I now think older motherhood is better than early 20s motherhood the way I did it back in the day.

I really needed infant care and parenting instruction but was too arrogant/self-confident to read baby how-to books. Too bad for me -- I could have used an owner's manual! I don't know how Kiddo rose above his gene pool to become the fine and productive citizen he is today. Must have been Lime Spouse's influence.

I think it's easy to beat ourselves up whatever age we are mothers! I had my daughter at 44, but in my line of work where I am working with new families, many of the mums are late teens/early twenties and their mums (ie baby's granny) are around the same age as me now. They often do a double-take when I tell them how old my daughter is! Partly I'm glad that I left it so late and had the chance to do so many other things in life first. And partly I'm knackered all.the.time. The older I get the more I think we just have to deal with the circumstances we find ourselves in. But I think that's because being so tired has made me too lazy to think anything more profound!!

>62 Jackie_K: I think there are pluses and minuses for having children early, late, and in between. I had mine at 23 & 24. I was a grandmother at 43 and not really so tired. I have enjoyed my grandchildren and often when I take them places people think they are my children--I'm ok with that!;) But the flip side is, if I had known then what I know now, I think parenting would have been somewhat easier for me.

>61 Limelite: Lime Spouse Totally excellent!

>62 Jackie_K: I had my daughter when I was 40.

>63 Tess_W: Parenting is always going to flummox (most of) us.

I think that we do the best we can. Each person is a combination of nature AND nurture, IMO, and all we can do is hope that our children are healthy, happy, and live good lives.

I was 30 when Jeroen was born and 32 when Eveline was born. Not really an 'old' mum. But not that young either.
And I was a reading mum. My kids were very nice and quiet kids that liked to play together so mum could sit down and read. Now I think I should have played with them more, but then I needed that time with my books to keep up with two little ones and Peet gone to work from 7.00 till 19.00 (this included travel time to and from his work). He hardly saw the kids during the weekdays, especially when the kids went to daycare and elementary school. Then we had to have a more sensible schedule with bedtime.
But I have lovely kids. They have had their bad moments. Jeroen gave us problems in college and such. But they turned out great.

Here they are. The picture is a bit blurred because it was made of a canvas painting on our dining room wall.



Peet, Eveline, Cyrille, me, Jeroen and Rianne

>56 Jackie_K: lol, oh, I saw what you did ;) and that's good to hear!
Aww, it's nice to hear such good feeling associated with this beginning time... :)

>57 Caramellunacy: I've heard this sentiment from lots of new moms!

>58 connie53: >59 Jackie_K: I bet... I passed that one on to Mark.. it makes sense, but it's nice to be reminded :)

>60 Familyhistorian: so true! And we've led a very... change-filled life. Just not with this change.... ;) That makes sense too -- that there's a trade-off -- appreciate the reminder & advice!

>61 Limelite: You know, being an "older mother," I tend to agree.... but I think there are pros and cons to both, for SURE. E.g., what you do in your 20s and 30s with or without children versus what you do in your 50s and 60s with or without children... I think the "calmness" and maturity that (apparently) comes with age is really nice ... but in your 20s, your brain, body, and soul seem to have more energy.. to deal w/ pregnancy/baby/etc. ;) And you're right -- in your 20s, pride can get in the way of asking for much-needed help... but in your 30s/40s... well, everyone's going to give you help and advice (and toys and clothes!), whether you actually need it or not ;) So, in the end, I guess, whatever works for each person is what works for that person!

>62 Jackie_K: yep, I agree w/ all of that :)
>63 Tess_W: >64 karenmarie: that and that too! lots of us on here seem to have similar thoughts ;) (yet not always similar tastes in books! ;D)

>65 connie53: sounds like a dream - having quiet kids who liked to play together so you could read! ;) I'm hoping to have a nice mix -- play w/ them but ALSO have them be self-entertained so I can also be ... self-entertained with books ;) *I* was a BIG reader as a kid... but also a big player ... I think it's all good :)
Yeah, good kids will still have hard days/weeks/years... I know I did! ;)
& love the picture! beautiful family :)

book update
No new ROOTs pulled, BUT I'm finally making progress again on the Otherland book! I was on page 171, apparently, when I picked it back up this weekend... and now I'm on 411... just ~650 more to go.... ;p
Fortunately, the book/series continues to be good and interesting. Although my attention span for reading was .. challenged for several months there, I'm happy that I'm able to get right back into the Otherland book... I am VERY eager to FINALLY finish the series and see where this is all going!

Also, I'm really excited to finish the series because I'll be able to start picking new books to read again ;) (I put a moratorium on my starting new books until I finished that one ;))

very brief baby update
Well, time flies. I'll be 34 weeks on Thursday! Malachi is doing very well still, heart strong, lots of movements, and healthy as far as they can tell :)
And I'm actually still doing pretty well too.. I know a lot of people are in rough shape by now, and I'm very grateful that I feel ok most of the time. Sure, there are pains and creaks and tiredness, but it's not that bad - quite manageable!

Oooooh, PS. Book acquisition update.....
So have you heard of the Tournament of Books (TOB)? It's a ... well, exactly what it sounds like it is. It's a tournament of books put on by this small, independent journal (I think that's what it is!)... they select 16 books (that they think are excellent/stand-outs, but that aren't always as publicized/known/bestsellers as some others), and then they compete. The judges are various writers/bloggers/others and we, the audience, follows along.

Last year, a few friends & I did a sort of "fantasy football" w/ the TOB ... and this year, despite telling myself I wouldn't do it...
well, when the shortlist came out, I bought almost all the books on the list :-o
(there were actually 18 on the list because, with 3 of the books, there will be a further narrowing to 1 ("high brow sports" theme) before they get to 16)

http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-2017-tournament-of-books-shortlist-and...

I did *not* buy The Vegetarian, because I've already read it...
The Throwback Special because I'm hoping the price is dramatically reduced soon... and because it didn't sound amazing to me, though I've heard it's great from a LOT of people since then...
And The Sport of Kings because I do not think I will enjoy that.

I bought the other 15. so. yeah. There's that...
1. All the Birds in the Sky
2. The Mothers
3. Moonglow
4. Sudden Death
5. We Love You, Charlie Freeman
6. Homegoing
7. The Nix
8. High Dive
9. Sweet Lamb of Heaven
10. Version Control
11. Grief is the Thing with Feathers
12. Mister Monkey
13. My Name is Lucy Barton
14. Black wave
15. Underground Railroad

(pictures & brief synopses found at the link, above)

Hi Aletheia!

I'm so glad you're doing so well this late in the game.....

It was always important to me that daughter could keep herself amused and not be bored by herself. She was great in groups and also great just playing by herself. Of course, we played a lot together too, and she spent lots of time with her dad outside talking to Mr. Bat in the evenings from the hammock and catching cicadas. I think balance and the ability to be comfortable in most if not all situations are critical.

>68 avanders: I always enjoy the Tournament of Books, but most years, I've read few or none of the books in question (although I usually end up putting a few on the wishlist afterward). This year, when they announced the participants, I realized I actually owned five of them... but they were all sitting on the TBR shelves unread. Now I find myself thinking that I really should get them all read before it starts, but I've got so many other things I also want to read ASAP that I'm starting to have a little bit of an "Aaargh! So many books, so little time!" stress reaction. :)

Hi Aletheia! Hope you are feeling good--as much as possible! If you have slowed down, that's more time for reading! I used to follow the Tournament of Books, but about 5-6 years ago I bought 3 of the books on the list and they were terrible! However, I know that was just a fluke. I have one of the books on the list, My Name is Lucy Barton, I will move that up on my TBR list. I hope you enjoy!

>31 avanders: So cute! Glad to hear you're doing well at this later stage, too :).

>69 karenmarie: me too! ;) & thanks :)
Sounds like your daughter had a wonderfully balanced childhood - I hope to offer the same to our kids! (kid, singular, for now...)

>70 bragan: I first heard about TOB 2 years ago... followed it minimally. Then last year, I followed it but hadn't read any of the books (though I've since purchased/wishlisted a few of them :)). And this is the first year that i hope to actually read a bunch of them... we'll see how the timing goes though ;)
Awesome that you already owned 5 of them this year! Which ones do you already own?
(and I know the feeling... I experience it often!)

>71 Tess_W: You would think so... I feel slow but, unfortunately, my schedule hasn't quite caught up yet ;P Hoping form ore reading time in the weeks to come though!!
Oh that would definitely be a discouragement! If the first 3 books from the TOB list this year are duds, I will probably have difficulty reading more of them.... ;p

>72 readingtangent: Thank you! :) :)

And books...
nothing much new to report.. Made minimal progress on Sea of Silver Light this weekend... hope I have some good reading time this week!

Hope you get some good reading time in, and not too many distractions!

Congrats on having your first child! Hope you will continue to feel well these last days. And hopefully you will be able to still do some reading after he is born ;)

>19 avanders: replying a bit late, but S. seems really nice... I'm intrigued.

>73 avanders: I've heard of the ToB, know a number of people who try reading the books on the shortlist, but haven't gotten into it myself... Maybe some other year...

>73 avanders: The 2017 TOB books that I already own are: Homegoing (which I just finished), The Vegetarian, My Name Is Lucy Barton, Version Control and The Mothers. Several of the others are already on my wishlist, though.

>75 Jackie_K: thanks - me too! :)

>76 Britt84: Thank you! That's also my hope re reading... ;)
Re S. -- I really can't wait to have the time to sit and unfold it all... :)
I think whether you can really get into it is definitely a year-to-year decision... except I have a friend who reads so crazy fast she can just add it to everything else, no problem ;P

>77 bragan: Good ones! I can't wait to finally get to them... I'll be curious to hear what you think of The Vegetarian -- the only one I've read already.

Hi Aletheia! Just a quick hello after being in California for my Mom's Memorial Service Jan 19-23rd. Hope you're doing well.

>79 karenmarie: Hello! I posted in your thread too -- I was happy to hear you had such a wonderful time away, notwithstanding all of the circumstances. And of course that you had such a beautiful service to honor your mom.

Doing well myself... my left thumb is no longer functional (swelling, pain), but the rest of me seems to be doing well, and baby is doing great! :)

Your left thumb? Arthritis? Cellphone/keyboard-it is?

So glad Baby is doing great.

Visiting your thread to say congratulations! And also that I was worried, before I had my son, that I wouldn't have the time/inclination to read once he was born, but actually I read more than ever during my maternity leave.

Since I started working again I haven't always been able to read as many books as I used to before becoming a parent, but I've never not had a book on the go. If it's a priority for you to keep on reading, then I've no doubt you'll manage it :)

>81 karenmarie: it's "pregnancy carpal tunnel" ... basically, bc of all the extra fluid, nerves are pinched and pain ensues... I talked to Dr. a bit about it yesterday and she said, although it's probably not much comfort, at least my hands aren't very swollen -- she has patients with much worse situations!
And yes, typing all day at work very likely does not help!

>82 Rebeki: thank you! & nice to hear that you had a lot of time to read during your maternity leave! It will be interesting to see how it all plays out for me :)
And I think that will probably be the case for me as well -- always having a book on the go, even if it takes me longer to get through than it used to...
My RL book group recently asked me if we'd be disbanding since I was having a kid now.... I said no, but I do wonder how many of the books I'll be able to keep up with...

Book Update
I read a quick little fun book that a friend brought for me: Everything I need to Know About Love I learned from a Little Golden Book.. very cute! If you are familiar with Golden Books, it's a fun, very very quick read :)

I haven't yet finished Sea of Silver Light (Otherland 4), but I've made serious progress on it... I'm almost to page 800 (of 1069)... and just yesterday, I started adding the audio version (which I never even thought of before!) to my reading, so it's going even faster bc I can make progress while I'm on my way to and from work! So I hope to finish sooooon.

Then, other than my RL book group book (All the Little Pieces), I'm hoping to focus on the TOB books... Maybe I'll start small (page-wise) and work my way up. I also want to finish the baby books I'm reading (What to Expect When You're Expecting and Baby Wise), but hopefully at least skimming those will help me make progress w/o stalling on my other endeavors....

Baby Update
Baby's still progressing as expected -- he's big and low and I have just over 4 weeks until my due date!
I get 1 last full ultrasound this Thursday, so I may have another picture to post (not sure because he's a bit crowded in there and I understand pics can be hard).. but I'll also find out the current estimated size, which for some reason is one of those things I love hearing about!

I also fell for my first time in my pregnancy on Saturday afternoon (very bad placement of a cement storm drain in the middle of the sidewalk that was hard to see bc it blended in with the sidewalk) -- fortunately the brunt of my fall was on my left knee & left quad, and I landed on my hands, so no weight on the baby... but I was worried about this whole "placental disruption" thing I hear about and was a bit shaken up. Fortunately, nothing bad seems to have happened and baby is still moving and wiggling and acting like normal :)

That's about it!
Hope everyone's February is lovely!

Glad to hear you are continuing to do well, and that is a truly lovely picture :)

>83 avanders: I'm sorry to hear about the carpal tunnel, what a pain. I developed a similar condition called De Quervains a couple of weeks after having my baby, and it was a colossal PITA. I ended up having a couple of steroid injections in my wrist, and eventually (when that only gave short-term relief) had surgery. I was only thinking today how much better my wrist is now. But I still have to remember not to do certain repetitive movements that might irritate it and be careful when lifting my (not so) little girl.

>84 avanders: I'm glad no harm was done after the fall! It must have been a bit of a shock, but I hope that you have been reassured that baby is still doing his usual acrobatics!

Glad to hear you weren't seriously injured in your fall--whew!

Yeek, a fall! Glad to hear you and baby are OK.

Hi Aletheia! I've never heard of pregnancy carpal tunnel and am so sorry it's affecting you. I was scared when I read that you had fallen, but am glad it seems like everything's okay (except your left knee and quad!). Whew!

In about 4 weeks you'll be switching to What to Expect the First Year and other books like that. I poured over them endlessly after my daughter was born.

>85 Caramellunacy: thanks! :)

>86 Jackie_K: yeah it is no fun :(
Wow, I've never heard of De Quervains - sounds awful! Especially that it needed surgery! Glad your wrist is doing better now :)
It can certainly be hard to remember to not do certain things that you're used to doing .. like certain repetitive movements or lifting your little girl ;p Hoping my carpal tunnel issue disappears after birth....

>87 Tess_W: >88 rabbitprincess: Thank you - me too!

>89 karenmarie: There are so many things I'd never heard of too -- my sister experienced "pregnancy gingivitis" very early and had no idea that was a thing either, until the dentist told her! I think they just define more things than they used to... :)
Thanks - me too! And fortunately my knee & quad are 100% better today :D It's amazing how much that kind of pain can affect your mood....
And you're right! Baby will be here! Amazon gave me that book for free on kindle... so it's already locked & loaded ;)

>90 avanders: I don't avoid lifting her (I can't!!), but I have to think about it each time and slightly change how I would have lifted her, if that makes sense. Specifically I try to avoid lifting anything heavy with my right thumb outstretched, because that is now quite a bit weaker than it was before.

Pregnancy is SO WEIRD. There are all sorts of things that can happen - I remember my friend getting such bad itching all over her skin in the last few weeks that she was almost climbing the wall, and it turns out that's quite common too. That didn't happen to me, but in the first 24 hours after my C.section my face wouldn't stop itching and I thought I was going to scratch it right off. Luckily after that first day it calmed down! It was the weirdest thing. De Quervains was something else I'd never heard of, but when I talked about it on facebook it turned out that several of my friends had also had it (I'm the only one who needed surgery though, most of them managed either with the steroid injections or with physio). When I looked it up on wikipedia it said that it is really common, and in fact is colloquially known as 'mummy's thumb'!

>91 Jackie_K: right - that was my non-careful reading! Of course you don't avoid lifting her -- but even so, I can imagine it can sometimes be tricky lifting her without using your thumb -- it does make sense :)

You're so right -- pregnancy is SO weird! The itching -- that happened to me too -- it was TERRIBLE... it happened for probably about a month, about a month ago.. they tested to make sure I didn't have cholestasis (I didn't), but otherwise I just had to bare it... turns out, I was also a bit dehydrated, but didn't realize it.
And re your recovery - also so interesting! I haven't heard about a lot of recovery issues like that -- so weird how our bodies react. And glad it only lasted a day for you! And mummy's thumb sounds painful -- and actually a little similar to the whole carpal tunnel thing - just in a different location on the hands. So weird.... :)

Hi Ava! I just stopped in to see how things are going with you! I am so so so so happy baby and parents are doing well. The next 4 weeks are sure to fly by and Malachi (will that be his name?) can really come at any time, at this point. Is that ch like a k sound or like cheese?
I had my only child when I 38. Hubbie was 42. Our little guy will be 18 in April and I think I was a pretty young feeling mom. But ya, know, it just depends on your attitude. Everything will be as it should be.

So glad you treated yourself to a great book haul. I've read Sweet Lamb of Heaven, Grief is the Thing with Feathers, My Name is Lucy Barton, Underground Railroad and Throwback Special. Of those, I'd say Grief is the Thing...... is my favorite. It made me cry.

Take care :0)

So glad you and baby are fine after the fall. Four weeks! And soon after that, it will be spring and lovely to be outdoors. How long will maternity leave be?

Lovely reading your baby news, but sorry for your sufferings and fall! Late term pregnancy is when breath gets short, baathrooms are never close enough, and baby's heel somehow always gets caught under your rib cage. OW!

I remember constantly putting my hands on The Protrusion and moving baby around so that I was comfy. That never lasted long because baby was much more comfortable hanging by his heel from my ribcage.

Pregnancy stories - my daughter ALWAYS seemed to have the hiccups. It was a riot. And I became the best burper in the world for some reason. Championship caliber. Since daughter caused the burps, at one point I was going to name her Burpie Louise, but gave her a lovely real name instead. But I sure was tempted.

And since we didn't want to know the sex of the baby before birth, everybody had their own strange voodoo rules to tell me whether it was going to be a girl or boy. (carrying low, carrying high. carrying out, carrying in my hips. strings on pencils spinning clockwise or counterclockwise, etc. It was bizarre.) Except for one strange two week period when I was convinced it was a boy, I always was sure I had a girl.

The worst thing for me became the commute - 45 minutes each way. I finally got a doctor's note to let me off 3 weeks before she was born.

>96 karenmarie: My mum was a championship burper too, and it was my fault :D Fortunately she did not think to name me after her prodigious abilities!

Glad you're doing alright, especially given the fall. It's always frightening to take a spill (I'm a runner and I've had a few) but I can just imagine how scary it'd be if you were pregnant. I hope the next few weeks are uneventful in that sense :).

>93 Carmenere: Hello! Glad to see you here! :) These last few weeks sure do seem to be flying by!!
And yes, Malachi is his name! The "ch" is like a K sound :)
I agree w/ you -- age depends on attitude! I still feel like a kid in many ways ;)
Oh I can see why you enjoyed Grief is the Thing so much.. I'm about halfway through and I reallllly like it!
Thanks for visiting!

>94 detailmuse: Thank you! Me too :-}
And you're right -- Spring is not only just around the corner, but here in New Mexico, it's basically already here ;) Highs in the 60s... 70s I think on Saturday! (But then we usually get 1 more cold spell before it's really spring...)
Maternity leave will be 12 weeks.... then my schedule will be full-time but with some work-from-home time built in :)

>95 Limelite: Thank you! And yessssss, short breath, bathrooms all the time, and this big ol' baby filling my entire torso! (probably doesn't help that I'm only 5'2"!)
Lol Malachi doesn't seem to be as open to being moved as other babies ;P Sounds like your baby agrees!

>96 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Oh man, the hiccups too! He's been having them a lot lately ;)
Hmm, Champion Burper .. sounds like something to aspire to! :)
Lol Burpie Louise would have been a great name...... ;D
I never knew what I had... except for about 12 hours... I had a dream the night before we found out the gender that it was a girl..... so much for that! ;p
Oh yeah, that's a rough commute for late pregnancy! Even my 15 minutes sometimes feels long....

>97 rabbitprincess: lol funny to think about being on the receiving end... ;)

>98 readingtangent: Thank you! And it was! I wouldn't have anticipated my reaction... just this "did I do something bad to the baby" dread :(
Fortunately it's generally quickly addressed by movements, etc. :)

Baby Update
Okay, last ultrasound was last week! So, here's my favorite pic from that set :)

I love how he's "posing" as if for a photo shoot ;)
Now just a few weeks until we see what he really looks like.. I mean, skin tone, hair color, eye color (well that will likely change :)), etc.
We're both still doing great! Can't believe due date is just 3 weeks away!

Book Update
Okay I read Everything I need to Know About Love I Learned from a Little Golden Book

because my friend walked into my office and essentially commanded me to read it that day ;) It was very cute and I loved how it brought together the pictures from so many little golden books!

Then, yes, That's Right I FINALLY finished Sea of Silver Light (Otherland #4)!! All 1069 pages of the 4th volume!

(ROOT 4!)
It was a very satisfying conclusion, overall. I agree w/ some of the criticisms that there were places (throughout the whole series, and including in this 4th book) where I felt the author spent too much time just world-building, especially for the "climax" of the story, but I really enjoyed the way everything came together in the final volume. Very satisfying read. And very satisfying being finally done!

So I'm currently reading Grief is the Thing with Feathers, a very short and, so far, very good book from the TOB shortlist...
And Fate of the Tearling (the 3rd in the Tearling series), on audio..
And I'll hopefully wrap up What to Expect When You're Expecting pretty soon here, which is also a ROOT...

Wow. Only three weeks. He's adorable. Just waiting to be part of your family!

>101 karenmarie: Thanks! It's really a great picture, I think ;)

>100 avanders: wow!

And excellent timing on Everything I Need to Know About Love... -- just ordered it instead of a card to give hubby on Valentine's day :)

Wow, ultrasound technology really is incredible these days. He really looks like a little individual.

>100 avanders: That's a great picture. I can't believe how clear they are now. Twelve weeks of maternity leave doesn't seem long. Here in Canada, the standard is a year now, but back in the day when I had my one and only I got 25 weeks which seemed like no time at all.

Only 3 weeks to go! I hope you are still doing well.

Here in the UK we are entitled to up to 1 year, of which up to 9 months is paid (not all at full salary though - I can't honestly remember the rates I had for mine but had a few options - I think I ended up with something like half salary, or just under that, for most of it). I always really feel for my American friends who have to go back so soon! I know that some people want it that way (legally I think we can go back after a few weeks, but pretty much nobody does that!). I spent most of my year's mat leave not wanting to go back, but then in the last month of it thinking just how ready I was to go back! (I was also lucky that we were in a financial position that I didn't have to go back full-time)

All the best for these final few weeks! You'll be meeting him face to face, and not just on the screen, in no time!

>84 avanders: So glad you and baby are ok after that fall!

>100 avanders: He's so handsome!!!!!!

>103 detailmuse: :)
Did you read the book? Did you like it? Did your husband? A great v-day gift! :)

>104 Robertgreaves: I know... it's amazing! My mom came to that ultrasound with me -- her first in 36+ years! She didn't sit the entire time ;)

>105 Familyhistorian: It's truly amazing what they can do now... I'm just waiting for actual color photos to come next ;p

>105 Familyhistorian: >106 Jackie_K: I agree w/ both of you... 12 weeks isn't really that long! Esp. since it's really only a "guarantee that they can't fire you," not paid leave of any kind... and only if you work for certain kinds of companies/organizations (which I happen to). I feel bad for people who work for other kinds of companies who get no guarantee that their jobs will be there when they return. :( Mine is very flexible with time in a lot of ways -- I could probably take more time if I wanted, but there's no pay associated with it... so we're just going to ride w/ the flexible schedule post-maternity leave and see how that goes :)

>107 Sace: Thank you times two! :)

Just a quick hello and Belated Happy Valentine's Day!

It's so nice that your mom got to come - very special. In April of 2015 I got to see the same kind of in utero pictures of my great-nephew and was stunned at the technology. We had nothing like that when my daughter was born.

Baby Update
Alllllllmost..... just 2 more weeks until due date! But it seems likely that I will meet him sooner for various reasons.... he's been "low and ready" for a few weeks already and both my body and his are indicating that he could come "any day now." We'll see what actually happens though... for my purposes, anytime after Tuesday would be great... just a few more things to get done first... ;)

Books Update
I finally finished Grief is the Thing with Feathers (ROOT 5), an unusual, sweet, odd, and lovely book about grief. Definitely recommended. Four stars.


And I started Version Control, which seems to be an alternative reality type book... I'm not that far in yet :)

I'm also almost done w/ Fate of the Tearling, the 3rd and final book in the Tearling Trilogy.... It's on audio (and a library rental), but I've been listening to it as often as I can get away with it -- i.e., not just in the car, but whenever I have down time at the house & I'm alone (so not bothering anyone :)). I really like the book and the trilogy and can't wait to see how it all plays out!


That's all to report for now...

>109 karenmarie: Well hello & Happy Belated Valentine's Day to you too!
That's great that you were able to see the pics of your great-nephew! The technology is truly amazing ....

>110 avanders: Just to wish you well in case we don't "see" you again before the happy event.

>110 avanders: Echoing Robert, best of luck in case next time you're here you're +1!

>110 avanders: best wishes for an easy time of it for you and baby - and dad of course, it's tough on the poor dears, if my husband is to be believed.

Best wishes, too, Aletheia, in case baby decides to arrive early. I'm happy for all three of you!!

Best of luck, Aletheia.

Wishing you an easy delivery, Aletheia! So excited for you!
PS. Glad you thought highly of GitTwF!

>108 avanders: Everything I Need to Know About Love... was sweet and hubby appreciated the thought :)

Every good wish to you in these coming weeks!

Hi Aletheia, just popping in to say I'm thinking of you! x

A quick hello from me, too, Aletheia! I hope you're doing well.

Hi Aletheia, your absence indicates something might be cooking. Wishing all the very best.

Those baby pics are amazing! Thanks for sharing. Thinking about you. Sending prayers and good thoughts your way. :)

Missing you Aletheia, but sending up prayers!

Aletheia!!!! Is it poop yet? Inquiring minds want to know! (hope you and all involved are doing well and are happy, healthy and not exhausted)

Last night just before my daughter's bedtime reminded me of a conversation we had earlier in this thread (from posts >44 Jackie_K: to >50 Jackie_K:, roughly). My husband was looking through YouTube, and found someone reading/singing "There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly". So you can hear the song, and I like this because it is the same edition of the book that we have (the LT touchstone goes to a differently illustrated one). Here's a trip down memory lane for anyone who remembers the song! (I still don't know if the book came first, or the song!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo7sQ6m3r44

>125 Jackie_K: Love that song. I think I heard it first on Captain Kangaroo--anybody remember him?

>126 Tess_W: Yes!!!! Captain Kangaroo! Mr. Greenjeans. The moose? Loved it all. :)

>126 Tess_W: I loved Captain Kangaroo!

>126 Tess_W: Of course I remember Captain Kangaroo. Bunny Rabbit! The Ping Pong Balls. Grandfather Clock. I loved that show. And how about The Banana Man? Of course I remember him in black and white, but here's a color version: The Banana Man

Hi Aletheia! We miss you! We hope you're doing well!

>129 karenmarie: I used to watch Captain Kangaroo religiously. Loved the show. When was Banana Man on it? I don't remember him at all. (maybe he was after my time?)

>129 karenmarie: I also remember Mr. Green Jeans

>130 enemyanniemae: I just checked and see that the show started in 1955. I was born in 1953 so I'm now 63 to turn 64 this summer. We had a television from as young as I can remember, so I probably started watching CK soon after it started. I would imagine that I stopped watching when I went to kindergarten, in 1959, but probably watched it over summer vacation for some number of years after that. The Banana Man was an irregular feature on Captain Kangaroo, but one I remember absolutely adoring. I just looked at The Banana Man article on Wikipedia, and see that the original "Banana Man" died in 1950. The performer I saw was Sam Levine, who bought all the props and gimmicks from Adolph Proper's (stage name A. Robins) estate.

>131 Tess_W: Hi Tess! I loved Mr. Green Jeans and the animals he always brought on the show.

Hello Aletheia!

>132 karenmarie: I never remember Banana Man at all and I'm about the same age as you! Do you remember called Lucy's Toyshop that followed CK?

>133 Tess_W: I'm glad I am not the only one who doesnt' remember Banana Man. Not Lucy's Toyshop for me. After Capt K, we had a local kids show called Romper Room. Miss Linda had a Magic Mirror and used to look through it at the camera and name all the good boys and girls she saw. She NEVER saw me. Not sure why because I'd stand close to the TV and yell/wave. There was also a srgment called Doo Bees, where the Doo Bees did something good and the Don't Bees got in trouble. (the song went: Do be a (whatever). Don't be a (the opposite)) My mother said that one day she got home from work. I ran up to her and said (quoting her) "Don't be a Berbrayter. Be a Berbrayter." We tried for years to figure that one out.

Aletheia!!! How are you? We miss you!!

Just wanted to say 'hi,' Aletheia! Hoping/praying all's well with you and your new little one

>133 Tess_W: and >134 enemyanniemae: - we didn't have Lucy's Toyshop but we did have Romper Room and I loved Do Bee. The one I remember is "Do bee a sidewalk player, Don't bee a street player". I just listened to it on Youtube, and it I immediately started singing along! that's funny, Berbrayter. I wonder what you meant?

And Aletheia, I hope you are all doing well!

Welcome back to the threads, Aletheia. Can't wait to hear your news. I hope all went well.

Hi Aletheia!

What Robert said!

Hi Aletheia! Either you're reading a book you just can not put down OR the wonderful event has taken place.
In any case, I'm thinking of you and hope all is well!

Hi Aletheia! Welcome back! I hope all is well with you and yours.

Hi Aletheia. Welcome back!

So great to know that you are back, Aletheia! Hope all is well.

So great to know that you are back, Aletheia! Hope all is well. (oops! double post)

Hello All and thank you Everyone for stopping by, checking in, and all the well-wishes !!!
& I've missed you all too!!

>114 floremolla: lol there are some difficulties for dad, I suppose, but it's really not the same, is it... ;)

>124 enemyanniemae: lol is it poop? I ... don't think I know that expression! But I think the answer is yes? ;) (see update, below)

>125 Jackie_K: thank you for the trip! I loved that song :)

>139 Carmenere: lol I have read almost *nothing* in the past several weeks! But slowly starting to take in words again.... :)

And okay, here's the Update
Malachi was born right at the beginning of March! The delivery itself was ... erm, not ideal. There was a 27-hr labor followed by a decision that c-section was necessary... which turned into an emergency c-section.... but ultimately, Malachi & I came out of everything okay and essentially healthy (the "essentially" part relates to me -- he was/is healthy ;))

The first 2 weeks of life with newborn were challenging!! Mostly just figuring out nursing and sleeping and how to manage those things. We're now on a much better path and he's flourishing :) Plus he's adorable, which helps w/ everything ;)

Here're a couple pics!
Here he is around a week old:


And here, he's about 2 weeks:


And here, just about 3 weeks!

We also love the silly faces he makes:

And, finally, here he is earlier this week when we went for a walk! :)

Aletheia! He's absolutely gorgeous! Ya done good, C-section and all. (I had an emergency C-section after a long labor, too - so not fun but joy at the result!)

I hope the three of you are well, if probably a bit sleep deprived. Wishing you the absolutely best as you figure out the new "normal" and have joy, love, and fun.

Just beautiful!

YAY! What a cutie. So happy for you! :)

Congratulations! What a beautiful baby - and he already knows how to pose for the camera. I hope you are settling into your new everyday life and that all is well after all the drama.

What a wee darling! You just took me back thirty years - 27 hours/c-section, getting to grips with the practicalities - and the overwhelming sense of awe that this was what I'd been waiting for all these months and yet I'd really had no idea.... Enjoy this stage, it's so precious.

Welcome Malachi!! You're beautiful!!

So exciting to read your post this morning! Glad all of you are well and I wish Malachi a lifetime of happiness!

How can you read a book when he is so precious to stare at all day?! Enjoy every moment and capture it any way you can, they truly grow up so so so quickly!

What a beautiful boy - well done you, good job! I hope that you are feeling a bit more human now! I had a section too - mine ended up being elective, which I gather is very different from the emergency sections - it was very calm! - although I suspect that the recovery is similar! Glad to hear that nursing is starting to fall into place (if I read your post correctly).

I'm glad you're taking lots of pictures - you might not believe it now, but he won't look like this forever, and you will start to forget him looking like this! I look at pictures of my daughter at that age, and can barely remember!

Meanwhile - enjoy Mr Gorgeous Chops! x

Glad to see the end result was good even if there were a few sticky moments. Welcome back and welcome to the world for a reader-to-be.

Hi Aletheia, I'm glad to hear that you're doing well after such a complicated delivery. And your little man is absolutely lovely. All the best wishes for a happy future!

He's flourishing, yay! And wow, what a precious little guy! Congratulations to all of you!

Oh my, that is one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen. He looks so angelic in that first picture! I second MissWatson's sentiments. So glad that you both are doing well.

Congratulations! He is, indeed, adorable. :) And I'm glad to hear that all went, if far from ideally, then at least OK in the end.

Congratulations! He's so cute!!! And I'm glad y'all are both well :D.

Hi Aletheia! Just a note to tell you I'm thinking about all three of you and hoping things are going well. He is such a cutie!!!

Congrats on the birth of Malachi. Such a precious boy! He is really adorable!

>147 karenmarie: Thank you! & you're right -- joy at the result!
Yes, a bit sleep deprived, but figuring out "new normal" has actually been happening... despite my fear that I'd never figure it out at moments.... ;)

>148 Tess_W: >149 avidmom: >150 Henrik_Madsen: >151 floremolla: >152 Carmenere: >154 Robertgreaves: >155 MissWatson: >156 detailmuse: >157 enemyanniemae: >158 bragan: >159 readingtangent: >160 karenmarie: >161 connie53: Thank you everyone!!

>152 Carmenere: lol it's true... I read books in spurts... at least there's a little reading going on!

>153 Jackie_K: I have heard that elective c-sections are not nearly as rough.... but yes, I think you're right that the recovery is the same/similar!
& you're right -- it's hard to really understand how he'll be a toddler in "no time"... but already we can see he's growing!

Oh also, here's a new pic! We looove that he laughs & smiles so much! This one is Malachi w/ his grandpa -- grandpa is telling him a story, which is his favorite ;)

Oh, and I actually have read a couple books!
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel


Review based on ARC (Advanced Review Copy received for free in exchange for an honest review).

The Roanoke Girls is set up as some kind of mystery (by the book - from synopsis on back of book) -- Lane Roanoke's mother commits suicide, so Lane comes to live with her grandparents and cousin Allegra in a small town in Kansas. Lane "discover{s} the dark truth at the heart of the family" and runs away. Years later, when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing, Lane returns to figure out what happened to Allegra -- did she run? or "something worse"? Lane must now face the "secret" that made her flee while she attempts to discovery Allegra's fate and, at the same time, maneuver the relationships with her grandparents, friends, and ex boyfriend that she left behind.

Well, the "secret" is not really a secret -- although it is not explicitly discussed early in the book, it is fairly obvious what it *is* fairly early in the book. Although I don't give spoilers, I will say that this garners "trigger warners" for some readers. Fortunately, Engel did not feel the need to go into too much detail with her descriptions, for which I commend her. Although it is obvious what is happening, when, and with whom, the heart of the story isn't Engel's ability to shock her reader, but, rather, in her ability to explore one girl's response to such behavior.

I was impressed with the way Engel delved into a sticky and difficult area and show her readers how some would respond in such an extreme situation -- both the common and the uncommon responses. Although I thought some of Lane's thought processes were a bit repetitive and redundant at times (not so much in her *thinking* repetitively, which is likely, but in her presentation of the "shocking secret" as such to the invisible reader in an oddly redundant way), and although I probably would have liked a little more of the snippets we receive into the thoughts of various other characters, overall I thought that this was a great read. Uncomfortable at times, yes but worthwhile and definitely readable.

As for Engel's writing style, I found that I was immediately engaged in the story and found myself itching to return to the book until I was finished reading it. At a time in my life when I am otherwise rather preoccupied, this was a noteworthy feat! Recommended as a quick read with a touch of mystery (what happens to Allegra, not what the so-called "secret" is), a touch of romance, a touch of dismay, and a touch of hope. FOUR of five stars.

And Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

... which I didn't review. But it was engaging and entertaining, but not without its flaws...

another PS -- I meant to tell y'all:
I gave myself QUITE the treat today & signed up for Mr. B's Book Emporium 11-month book subscription!! Can't wait!!

See website if this means nothing to you ;)
http://www.mrbsemporium.com/

>163 avanders: aw, so sweet!

>164 avanders: possible BB, thanks.

>165 avanders: oh no, as well as BB's now we have BSB's (book seller bullets)! Joking aside, I can see myself losing hours in this virtual bookstore... :)

>163 avanders: Oh! So precious! I think grandpa's are a boy's first best friend. So much sharing between the two.
I've been tempted to request Roanoke Girls from librarything but have been hesitant until I read your excellent review.

>164 avanders: Mr Penumbra's 24 hour Bookstore is on my TBR (it was a BB from here a couple of years ago).

I think I need a couple of months off getting BBs to try and get my house in order! Although using the wishlist has very much helped, I must say.

>163 avanders: He's so gorgeous!

Hi Aletheia!

I love the dinosaurs on his shirt and his gorgeous little face!!

Good for you to get yourself something. Mr. B's Book Emporium 11-month book subscription sounds fantastic and I love the idea of your own personal bibliotherapist. Joy!

I love the idea of the reading spa! Now I wish Bath were closer... (I do actually have a friend who lives in Bath. Must try to work out a way to visit her!).

>166 floremolla: thanks!
lol you're welcome ;)
& yes, we really do need to worry about BSB's!

>167 Carmenere: It's so nice for him to have a grandpa that loves him so much - & vice versa! Though I think his aunty will fight for position of best friend ;D
I hope you enjoy Roanoke Girls -- as I state, it's a disturbing topic.. I'll look forward to your thoughts on it!

>168 Jackie_K: It has a lot of elements that I really like... I'll look forward to your thoughts when you get to it!
& I agree, using a wishlist helps a lot w/ the TBD :)
& Thank you!

>169 karenmarie: Thank you! He's already bigger than this pic... it's amazing how fast he's growing right now! He's a bit chunkier now... which we're happy about ;) Chunky babies are so cute!
I know - I'm looking forward to seeing how the process w Mr. B's really works... and I have a little concern about receiving a duplicate book... must try to update the ol' catalogue...

>170 Jackie_K: oooh I hope you get to go! Then you can pass on the experience to us and we can live vicariously through you :)

Malachi is sure adorable. :)

despite my fear that I'd never figure it out at moments....

I'm still trying to "figure it out" and my kids are both in college!

>172 avidmom: I work with families with new babies and have done on and off for years. But I still felt like Clueless McStupidface when I was presented with my daughter, and ever since I'm still largely making it up as I go along (so is everyone else!).

I never figured it out but I must have done something right. I have 2 sons, who are employed making really good money and are able to support their families. None of them have ever been in jail or in trouble. They are both Christians and really help people out--older people, their neighbors, etc. They wait on me hand and foot, all I have to do is ask. In fact, when I had knee replacement surgery, there wasn't a day they didn't stop by to check on me. I got so tired of them waking me up in the morning that I had to ask them to please STOP coming by so often! The only thing that "bugs" this momma is that one smokes and they both have huge bushy beards and you can't see their beautiful faces!

>173 Jackie_K: lol, "Clueless McStupidface" - ditto!

>174 Tess_W: producing humans who actually contribute something to this world is as much as you can hope for, imho!

>174 Tess_W: LOL. But so true! Mine are grown up too. Settled down, having partners and one even has a kid of her own, living in nice houses and all. But I just played 'mum' to them, I think. Never had a clue if I was doing it right.

>172 avidmom: thanks... we think so ;)
It's good to hear that -- my OB said the same thing the last time I had an appointment -- she said I'll never stop trying to "figure it out"!

>173 Jackie_K: lol also good to hear... I was so sure I would know what to expect. Boy was I wrong..... ;p

>174 Tess_W: sounds like you definitely did do something right! I hope I can do the same.. ya know, something right. ;)

>176 connie53: sounds like that's par for the course... I'm still getting used to the "mum" notion... I'm someone's mom now. weird.... ;)

BOOKS
Finished 2 more ROOTs:
What to Expect When You're Expecting



I'll keep this one for now -- it's a good reference. I didn't read "enough" of it during pregnancy because the information was so readily available through the internet & apps... but, as I say, it's a good reference. I may give this away to someone down the line, but for now, I'll hold onto it.

And I finished Baby Wise



Really, I think this is a terrible book -- the author is at once defensive and condescending and provides, in my opinion, absolutely terrible advice. BUT there are a few good things and good information in there, so it seemed worth a couple stars.... Will definitely not keep this one, though.

Currently reading All the Little Pieces, a ROOT & a book for my RL book group for this month and Ajax Penumbra, a kindle novella to go along w/ Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore.

BABY
Malachi continues to do well! He's sleeping in his own bed pretty regularly -- not through the night yet (of course?), but in generally 4-hour chunks :)

Hi Aletheia!

Yes you are Malachi's mom. It really strikes home when Malachi is a toddler, somewhere with other children (daycare or a party or whatever) and the other children see you and say "There's Malachi's Mom!" Behold, a new identify! Adults will be calling you by your name, but to children you're only real in terms of Malachi.

You'll love it.

I hope all three of you are doing well and enjoying this exciting time.

>178 avanders: oh, lovely photo - aw, those big eyes! sorry, what were you reading...?

Malachi is such a cutie, Aletheia!

I see he's got the TV or DVD remote to hand. Shouldn't books come first? :-)

>179 karenmarie: oh man, that's going to be weird! Malachi's mom.... bizarre.. ;)
I'm sure I will love it! :)

>180 floremolla: lol ;)

>181 Tess_W: thank you! We've decided to keep him... ;D

>182 Robertgreaves: lol! That's actually my sister's house -- and she's single w/ no kids.. but she Looooooves being an aunt!
& yes, books come first!

books
So, I received a whole slew of books for my birthday! & I bought myself a couple other treats too ;)

New books:
1. Satanic Verses (haven't read this yet, but so highly recommended!)
2. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (can't believe it took me this long to get it ;))
3. The Bees (just found browsing)
4. The Shipping News (recommended by and bought by MIL)
5. Past the Size of Dreaming (found browsing)
6. Kindred (recommended by a friend)
7. Titus Groan (actually a BB from a fellow ROOTer a while back...)
8. The Gates (found browsing, though know of the author)
9. Garden of Stones (ditto)
10. Human Division (ditto)
11. Magician: Apprentice (another BB from a fellow ROOTer a while back)
12. End of Oz (bought myself! 4th in Dorothy Must Die series)
13. The Novel Cure (a BB from a fellow ROOTer a while back)
14. OrganicJesus (recommended by someone.. I can't remember who!)
15. Post Office (a BB from a fellow ROOTer -- recently)
16. Dorothy Must Die Stories Volume 3
17. The Book Of Three (this is apparently the series that the made-up series discussed in Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore is roughly based on)
18. Little Book of Hygge (recommended :))
19. The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter (steam punk found about a year ago while browsing in a store... had on wishlist and it was purchased for me :))

Phew! :D
Here, visually:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(which is the 3 novellas: , , and in 1 book)
. . .

I also signed up for Owl Crate (link to website) and for the Curious & Conundrum subscription through the Mysterious Package Company (link to website) (MPC) ... and was gifted the Weeping Box from the MPC as well!

Spoiled. ;)

A great haul! You will love The Bees and Kindred!

Wow, what a successful birthday haul - I liked The Shipping News, hope you do too.

Ooh, Mysterious Package Company!

I recently had Under the Ceiba Tree (and am quite intrigued by the pirate one) and quite enjoyed it - but it completely freaked out my Significant Otter.

You did very well for yourself on your birthday! Enjoy the reading!

Ooh, I've been looking at Owl Crate for a while, debating whether I should sign up. I've never done a monthly book subscription but it looks so fun!

Ooh you have done well there! The Shipping News is the only one of those I've read, but I really liked it.

>184 avanders: Happy belated birthday! Looks like you really cleaned up :).

Titus Groan is great but the second in the trilogy, Gormenghast, is even better.

That is quite a book haul! I'm just amazed that you mange to find time to actually read :)

The Bees sounds so interesting; I ran across it on someone else's thread somewhere around here.

Happy Belated Birthday, Aletheia!

Fantastic book haul. How's your reading time? Are you reading to Malachi?

Happy belated birthday, Aletheia.



Malachi is a very sweet boy! He looks like he is thinking great stuff!

Aaaaargh!! I just lost everything I'd already typed :( :( :(

ANYWAY...

>185 Tess_W: yay, can't wait!

>186 floremolla: >190 Jackie_K: Me too :) I hope I enjoy it as much as the rest of you have!

>187 Caramellunacy: Ohh that's so cool! It's such a cool concept :D

>188 MissWatson: Thanks!

>189 Amberfly: I loved receiving it! I know that some people question the value of these subscription boxes (and I can see that the tangible value might not be there always), but I find that it is fun to open the box and see all the fun stuff inside... even when I sometimes already know what's in there ;) I also recently received Book Riot's BookMail #3 and really loved it... and I am considering The Nocturnal Reader's Box (see here and here), but that will have to be my last one! for a while.... ;P

>191 readingtangent: Thank you! Indeed, I did... :)

>192 Robertgreaves: great to know! I almost bought the whole trilogy, but I am trying to actually read one book before jumping ahead and buying the whole set, just in case I don't actually like it... (e.g., I bought the 1st 2 in The Court of the Air, but then didn't like the 1st so felt the 2nd was wasted...)

>193 avidmom: lol it's all about priorities... I mean, who needs to shower when you can read? ;p (exaggerating of course ;))

>194 karenmarie: Thank you! Reading time is -- up and down :) Some days I allow myself more reading & baby-cuddling time (those can happen together :)) and some days I feel like I need to get a bunch of stuff done around the house. Also, we've had a lot of house guests! And yes, definitely read to Malachi .. he Loves being read to! Sometimes I read, sometimes I just pretend to (ya know, telling him a made-up story :))

>195 connie53: Thank you!!
& I agree - he always looks like he's thinking!

books

Finished the novella Ajax Penumbra -- I preferred it to the actual novel. It got me to read 3 of Sloan's other short stories (available on his website here) Wrong Plane which is fun - , The Writer and the Witch, also fun w/ a moral'ish (like a fable) , and Julie Rubicon, which I quite enjoyed :)

Still reading All the Little Pieces for my RL book group... about 3/4 done! Also reading Spare and Found Parts, an ebook from the library that was recommended in one of the many book newsletters I receive...

Next up is God Help the Child, also for RL book group this month-- hopefully I finish it in time!

I also received more books:

1. God Help the Child (RL Book Group)
2. Crimes Against a Book Club (Kindle First)
3. Ajax Penumbra (the Kindle novella discussed above)
4. And Then There Were Nuns (from SIL - she requested from Paperbackswap.com)
5. Upside of Unrequited (Owl Crate)
6/7. Invisible Library & Long Division (Book Riot BookMail)
8-11. The Last Policeman, Murder Off Miami, In the Mother's Land (Maerlande), & Ring of Solomon (used books from thriftbooks.com)
12. A Boy Called Christmas (Owl Crate Jr.)
13. Caraval (Owl Crate).

Also will be receiving: Cottingley Secret, probably next month... LT ER.

April's always a BIG acquisition month for me...
unfortunately, so is May with the Library clearance sale.....
Will have to figure out how to reign it in the rest of the year!!

Oh ok, baby too ;)

Here's Malachi, happy as can be!

>198 avanders: such a lovely smile, it's infectious :))

Edited to add that I'm glad to see you're managing to get some reading done (honestly, the cute baby pics are making me forget what I came here for)

>196 avanders: This is often the quandary with a new series. Do I buy an omnibus with 3 or 4 titles at once at a cheaper price than buying them individually or do I just buy one to see whether I am actually interested in the series?

>199 floremolla: hee hee, I get distracted too ;)
&thanks!

>200 Robertgreaves: Oh yes, I can definitely see that being a quandary! I generally actually prefer the individual books as less cumbersome to carry around, but sometimes I'm tempted by an omnibus anyway! Especially for a series I've heard a lot about!

>201 avanders: I was thinking more of ebook omnibuses

Hi Ava! And no...it wasn't you who compared Ready Player One with another book!

Cute Malachi! His smiles are contagious. I find myself smiling too.

Hi Aletheia!

Cute new baby pictures, and lots of acquisitions! Good for you.

When my daughter was little I started telling her about Herman the Little Green Tree Frog, who just happened to live at our house. His best friend was Hermanita the Black Snake. He had many adventures and lots of friends; she was enthralled for years and years.

Made up stories are good.

He is so gorgeous! I love that cheeky smile!

Our daughter is now at the age where she is able to recite favourite stories along with us. Last night we read "There was an old lady..." (see discussions upthread!), and it was SO cute to stop and hear her say "HOW absurd, she swallowed a bird!" I often stop mid-sentence and let her fill in the gaps with familiar stories - at least we know she is listening!

>202 Robertgreaves: oh yes... of course. Makes much more sense.... ;)

>203 connie53: good, I'm glad my half-broken brain hasn't let you down.... ;D
And thank you! I agree... I think I smile each and every time he does...

>204 karenmarie: Thank you!
That sounds like a wonderful tale! Lucky daughter :)

>205 Jackie_K: Thanks! (me too ;))
Oh that's so cute & fun .. I would love doing that too! Hearing what they remember and how quickly they learn .. :)

>206 This-n-That: Hello Lisa!
Thank you! ;) And yes... a bit worn down at times.. but I am very aware that this time is passing very quickly and trying to enjoy it more than the exhaustion that threatens... :)

And I've finished All the Little Pieces by (Hoffman)


It was ROOT 10 for the year and one of 2 books for my RL book group this month... It was a quick read and engaging and fast-paced and interesting... but nothing mind-blowing or shocking. It's a thriller where you know the what and pretty quickly the who, but you don't know how it will all play out in the end. There's legal drama and family drama and suspense as well. I would have probably given it 3 or even 3.5 stars, but then the end... ugh. No spoilers, but I did not think Hoffman made the best choices when there were better options available. I also had a friend note that she felt that Hoffman's writing indicated that she didn't have any actual experience with alcohol or alcoholism herself... I didn't feel the same way. I was persuaded by this experience as a type of experience that people can have. But I can see my friend's point that it was annoying how much it was used almost as a crutch. So overall, I gave it a super-average rating: It's somewhere between 2.5 and 3, but really, I did not like the ending. And aren't thrillers all about the ending?

Still reading Spare and Found Parts, which is pretty "meh" so far... hope it gets better!
And will hopefully read God Help the Child by Saturday morning when we meet! It's a short book, so it's possible.....

Oh, so I'll be changing my goal to 18. I think I can still do 18 ROOTs..... I'm at 10 already ;)

>209 avanders: Of course you can! 8 books to go this year sounds very doable.

Hi Aletheia!

The exhaustion will be a distant memory soon. Have fun, and enjoy every minute. The rule at our house was that when daughter napped, I napped. It helped.

Loving the pics and updates, what a fun little guy!

>197 avanders: Happy to be balancing out the other side of the Friends of the Library sale ... just dropped off two boxes for next weekend's fest!

>210 connie53: Hopefully that ends up being true! ;)

>211 karenmarie: I've heard that a lot -- unfortunately, I'm not a day-napper. But he sleeps well'ish at night, so I'm doing okay. I think it's starting to add up, though, and I may need to take a day-nap one of these days... ;p

>212 detailmuse: Thank you!
Oooh, nice work!

Books Read

Okay, I did finish God Help the Child in time for my book group!

I went into this with no expectations and found a powerful, moving, and vulnerable love story. A love story within a family, with a lover, and above all, with oneself. Morrison has said so much, making elegant and eloquent points, without feeling the need to dive unnecessarily into weighty details. Instead, in under 200 pages, she manages to explore family dynamics in two different families, friendship, the evils of sexual abuse and the ignoring of it in our society, self-exploration and love, and human weakness and kindness. Really excellently done. 4.5 stars.

I also read a short poetry compilation, The Importance of Being Ernest by Ernest Cline

It was fine -- It was interesting and well-written (though not really poetic so much as it was little snippets of thought), but I didn't love it. Not incredibly original, but entertaining enough. I guess that's all I can really say ;p

Now I'm still reading Spare and Found Parts and I've started reading Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage for my RL book group :)

Books Received/ing

I've also received this month (May) already: The Great Passage (Kindle First) and Charlie the Choo-Choo (just couldn't pass up this Dark Towers companion) and Wonder Weeks about the baby :)

And I will be receiving:
- The Cottingley Secret (LT ER);
- 5 more used books from Thriftbooks.com: Suffer the Children, Tale of Two Biddies, Holmes for the Holidays, More Holmes for the Holidays, and A Monster Calls (BB))
- My first selection from Mr B's Book Emporium subscription
- 2 in the Nocturnal Reader's Box
- 3 in the Blue Spider's Attic Box
- 1 in the May OwlCrate box
- 1 from BOTM (bought my mom a mother's day subscription & got one for myself too :))
- a plethora from the library clearance sale!

I don't expect to do better than April's acquisitions, numbers-wise, but will need to do better starting in June!

I really need to read a book by Toni Morrison some day. I have one on my shelves, I think.

Wonderful pictures of Malachi. He is getting bigger as your thread grows. I am amazed that you have time to finish books - getting new books I understand. The book subscription at Mr. B's sounds interesting. Have you received any books yet?

>214 avanders: That was the pick for the library's book club this month too. I'm glad you liked it. Morrison is another one of those authors I haven't read but want to.

Hi Aletheia! Just a quick hello and best wishes for the weekend.

Can't catch up, but will start anew here! Happy reading!

Happy Mother's Day, Aletheia! I KNOW you're having a fantastic day!

Hope you had a nice Mother's Day, Aletheia!

>198 avanders: Cute pictures! That onesie cracks me up :). I used to collect giraffes and I still love seeing them on stuff.

>215 connie53: I felt the same way! I have heard that Beloved is a much better book... having not read any other of Morrison's books, I can only speak about the one that a lot of long-time Morrison fans don't seem to love as much ;p

>216 Familyhistorian: Thank you! I know, he is!
Lol -- well, it is MUCH easier to acquire more books than to read any, I will admit... ;p
And YES I have now received 1 book from Mr B's... so much to post! I will do that.... hopefully soon. I took "unboxing" pictures :)

>217 avidmom: yep, ditto until that 1 book :)

>218 karenmarie: hello & thank you! I can't believe how time seems to fly away from me in between posts... how has it been several weeks already?!

>219 Tess_W: I understand.. I am trying to do the same and it is ... time-consuming!

>220 Carmenere: Thank you! :)

>221 readingtangent: Thanks to you too! :)
Yeah I love that onesie! It's from my brother-in-law's mother - so nice! I've met her once!

(& a belated Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!)

So short on time....
Baby
Some pics from 2.5 months to 2.75 months'ish. :) Don't know why they are all sideways?!?! They are normal on my computer but uploaded sideways. Doesn't make sense to me :(

happy outside with his hat on

he had a rough week, there... growth spurt!

then back to his happy self! This is in a seat called a Bumbo -- never heard of it until someone gave one to me!


Here he looks very much like his dad!

I just love that outfit -- this is yesterday!

Lol he's just "chillin'" in this pic ;)

And books...
Oh my gosh, I acquired SOOOO many books in May! Some of these were anticipated, as mentioned previously, but a lot weren't!!

So, I have acquired Seventy new books in May:
1. LT ER - Cottingley Secret
2-4. used bookstore (just because): Cyteen (BB), The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, & The Sooterkin
5. Kindle First: Great Passage
6. Charlie the Choo-Choo (linked to Dark Tower series)
7-11. used (various reasons, but mostly just because - thriftbooks.com): Suffer the Children, A Tale of Two Biddies, Holmes for the Holidays, More Holmes for the Holidays, A Monster Calls (BB))
12. Mr B's Emporium selection: The Honours
13-14. Nocturnal Reader's Box: Borne & Normal (Ellis))
15-16. Blue Spider's Attic Box: The Vengeance of Hera & The Black Hole (there was a third, but I already own it -- The Passage)
17. OwlCrate: Eliza and her Monsters
18-19. BOTM: The Love Interest and Into the Water (Hawkins))
20-28. picked from The Novel Cure on a day where I was feeling very down (purchased from thriftbooks.com, except for the first, which was on kindle): Island of Doctor Moreau, A Far Cry from Kensington, Life: A User's Manual, The Millstone, The Debt to Pleasure, The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Little Girl and the Cigarette, and Our Spoons Came from Woolworths
29-32. new from B&N because I had some free time by myself and that's what I did!: Beauty (Pinborough), Everland, Double Feature (King), The Thing Itself
33-37. new from Amazon (uh... more "just because"... being house-bound and baby-occupied resulted in a lot of books "just because"...): City of Miracles, The Library at Mount Char, How Not to Hate Your Husband, and used from Amazon: What Was Lost (O'Flynn) & Remainder (McCarthy))
38-66. from the library clearance sale: Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold, And Then There Were None, Dead to the Last Drop, Crooked House (Christie), Murder for Christmas, Valentine Murder, Boomsday, Diary (Palahniuk), American Pastoral, Little Green Men, The Adrian Mole Diaries, The Best American Mystery Stories 2007, How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents, The Stone Raft, Goodbye Columbus, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Midnight's Children, Winter Garden, I Feel Bad About My Neck, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, The Abduction (Boone), Matched, The Thief Lord, Shiver, The Holly Tree (Dickens), Home Game (Lewis), Early-Start Potty Training, I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids, Your Baby is Speaking To You)
67. Bringing Up Boys (I was actually gifted this in Dec., but never catalogued it)
68-70. Spark Joy, Button Holed, and Chili Con Carnage - these were also from 2016, but never catalogued

Also added to permanent collection (not counted in TBR): Wonder Weeks, 14 kids books (can be seen in pictures below), Eats Shoots & Leaves.

The best way I thought I could show this visually was taking screen shots of the collection from the LibraryThing app ;p



As for books READ in May.... welllll, not nearly as successful ;p

I finished Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage

which was for my RL book group and a ROOT. Overall, It was engaging and I was drawn to reading it, and I found the characters and their stories very interesting. But, in the end, I was a little surprised that ... I guess that it was so realistic. I don't know, I expected a little more intrigue and mystique. A little more magic. A little more unknown. The story was very good and interesting, but the book just didn't impress me the way I expected it to. But I am definitely looking forward to reading more Murakami, especially after reading a lot of the reviews... which tout this as a not-as-good Murakami :) Anyone else read this one yet?

I also started (read about a third of) Spare and Found Parts


based on a recommendation in a newsletter... I did not finish it (and won't) ...
it wasn't terrible, it was just boring. It took that long (a third of the book is ~130 pages) to really set up what was supposed to be the premise of the book. And by then, I didn't care what happened or to whom. So I just decided to move on.

And I read Paper and Fire


the 2nd in the Great Library series. I enjoyed it, but I think it suffered a bit from middle-book syndrome -- you know, a lot of setting up and not as much moving forward. A lot of exposition, but not as much excitement. Definitely will read the third, though.

I'm currently reading The End of Oz


the last in the Dorothy Must Die series, and can't wait to finish it! I listened to the other 3 on audio, whereas I am actually reading this one... I'm finding the writing style a little simplistic and maybe just a touch more boring than I expected. I like Dorothy's POV, but Amy's is a little dry. Maybe the other three books read the same, but I wouldn't know because I listened to them. It's interesting to have switched like this. :)

I also started The Cottingley Secret


a ER that I received this month...
(Summary from Goodreads): The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home turns the clock back one hundred years to a time when two young girls from Cottingley, Yorkshire, convinced the world that they had done the impossible and photographed fairies in their garden. Now, in her newest novel, international bestseller Hazel Gaynor reimagines their story.

1917… It was inexplicable, impossible, but it had to be true—didn’t it? When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright from Cottingley, England, claim to have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when one of the great novelists of the time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, becomes convinced of the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a national sensation, their discovery offering hope to those longing for something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war. Frances and Elsie will hide their secret for many decades. But Frances longs for the truth to be told.

One hundred years later… When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript in her late grandfather’s bookshop she becomes fascinated by the story it tells of two young girls who mystified the world. But it is the discovery of an old photograph that leads her to realize how the fairy girls’ lives intertwine with hers, connecting past to present, and blurring her understanding of what is real and what is imagined. As she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, can Olivia find a way to believe in herself?

And I'm trying to finish working my way through the audio version of Lincoln in the Bardo


(with over 100 readers!). I like the variety of readers and there are interesting aspects of the story... but I'm not in love with it like the critics. Yet, anyway...

Okay.. no time now, but I will hopefully soon (1) start a new thread! and (2) visit other people's threads!!

wow! feel like I've been run over by an express train! So many - many - acquisitions and so many books read - well done on the latter (not sure I should be encouraging you on the former).

Malachi - I've just listened to an audiobook of The Name of the Rose so now I know how to pronounce it properly ;) - is growing so quickly, still gorgeous and clearly he's going to be a big personality! :)

>224 avanders: That is a seriously impressive haul! This probably isn't the point to say how smug I'm feeling because I've only bought TWO books in May, is it? ;)

I smiled at you mentioning getting Wonder Weeks - I didn't get it, but I have a few mum friends who absolutely swear by it! They got the phone app, and said it was amazingly accurate for their little ones, and helped them remember when they were having a hard time that their little one was at a point where s/he was bound to be cranky, but that it wouldn't last! I hope it does the same for you!

Hope you're having a good month. Your boy is just adorable!

>226 floremolla: lol me too!! That's a perfect way to describe it - being run over by an express train! & thank you! He does seem to have a pretty big personality already :-o

>227 Jackie_K: lol that's amazing you only bought 2 books in May! Maybe next month ... maybe some time this year I'll be able to say something like that ;)

Oh that's nice to hear about your friends -- already I'm enjoying the way the book is written & what it has to say ;)
Unfortunately, Malachi seems to be an early teether... so we're working on that ... :-/ But all around, a good month!

>224 avanders: Uhh!!!! 70 books in one month. Flabbergasted!