Fieldnotes: On Staying Clam & Reading in 2017 ☽ Part I ☾

This is a continuation of the topic The Clam After the Storm - Reading in 2016 - Part II

My first read of the year was a beauty!



I can't even remember who recommended The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet first. I came back to LT after a longish break and saw several people posting about this one and I was intrigued by the premise. Being cheap frugal I waited until the Kindle version went on sale at Amazon and then I snapped it up. I am so glad that I did because I'll want to read this one again. If you are at all a fan of the series Firefly then this might be just what the medbot ordered.

Edited to add a bit from the book on one of the character's experience with loss:

"He did not run from his grief, nor did he deny its existence. He could study his grief from a distance, like a scientist observing animals. He embraced it, accepted it, acknowledged that it would never go away. It was as much a part of him as any pleasant feeling. Perhaps even more so."

>1 clamairy: Happy 2017! I've heard of this but haven't read it! Maybe it's a sign?

Whenever I find a kindle sale I feel like I've just found treasure. Have you used BookBub? It keeps a list of ebook sales and sends out notifications for certain books/authors you set. Total budget killer, but a wonderful fuel for the book habit :)

>2 thehawkseye: Yes, I use that site, and a bunch of others.

We have a dedicated bargain thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/238986
Anyone can post a link to sales they find. Be careful!

>1 clamairy: I’ve heard a lot about that book too, and I want to read it eventually. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much!

>1 clamairy: happy new year - starting with the crew of the Wayfarer sounds like the best sort of start to it. I can also highly recommend the not-exactly-sequel A Closed and Common Orbit.

Happy 2017.

I was hit last year by The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet but have not yet to read it. Soon. Maybe not today; maybe not tomorrow; but soon.

Hippo gnu ear

Happy New Year! I hope that all your reading is as satisfying as Small angry planet!

Happy New Year, Clam. Oh dear, now I have to move Small Angry Planet up in the reading order....

>5 imyril: Yes, that's on my wishlist at Amazon. Happy to hear it's also a good read.

>4 YouKneeK:, >6 pgmcc:, >7 hfglen:, >8 Sakerfalcon: & >9 majkia: Thanks for stopping by. :o)

Yup, Small Angry Planet's a keeper. I've got the sequel downloaded...

>1 clamairy: Happy new year! That one is on my TBR list to read this year too. It has gotten so many great reviews.

Happy New Year!

>9 majkia: I was just thinking the same thing. I also claimed it from the Kindle sale pile. Contemplating the Audible add on as well...

>5 imyril: *adds to my shopping list*

Happy New Year. May 2017 bring you many happy hours of reading and other good things.

Glad to hear you enjoyed The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - it's on my wishlist. I'll get to it one day!

Staying Clam sounds like the best thing you can do this year!

I'm reading Small Angry Planet on my iPad with my Kindle app. It's my "waiting in line, killing time" book so it's been a bit slow to get through it. I might start reading it a bit more at home because I am enjoying it.

Just stopped by to say 'Happy New Year'! Hope it brings you good things :-)

(I'm adding my 'Yay! Me too!' praise for Small Angry Planet. Discovered it towards the end of last year and LOVED it. I have the almost-sequel on my bedside table waiting for an appropriate moment to dive in!)

>17 klarusu:!!!! LTNS! Hope all is well. Happy New Year to you, as well. :o)

Be sure to come back and let us know if you enjoy the semi-sequel!

Hmmm, if you're still posting here and there on LT perhaps I should venture outside the walls of The Dragon more often.

Happy new year, Clam! I too read Small Angry Planet last year and loved it.

>19 bluesalamanders:!!! Happy New Year to you as well. :o)

I'm pretty sure this one will make my best of 2017 list, and might in fact make my best of the decade list.

>18 clamairy: perhaps I should venture outside the walls of The Dragon more often

Don't make any rash decisions ... it's quite scary out there ;-)

I've only managed to keep my ROOT Challenge thread up-to-date for the latter part of this year, although I dip into other places when I can. Work and life got in the way a bit this year ... in mostly good ways ... my daughter started a great new school but I have to get up at 5.30 to sort everything out for the bus and oh lordy, the homework, the homework! I am not a morning person. There isn't enough coffee for 5.30 starts. I'm trying to get back into the habit of taking some time back for my fun things now we've got the new work and school routine sorted (although I have to train my husband out of the hungry puppy look when I'm occupied by the interwebs :-D )

>21 klarusu: Ugh, I am not a morning person either. That sounds rough. But if your daughter is enjoying the school I'm sure it's worth it, especially since you know the hours won't stay the same forever. I had a similar situation when my daughter attended a magnet school for four years, but I was only forced to get up at 6:00.

I will seek out your ROOT thread(s) at some point!

(quietly hides the fact that his alarm clock goes off at 4:15 am)

>18 clamairy: I'm finding it a stretch just to get things read in the pub! Although I'm sure it will settle down after we all get the winter blahs after the New Year threads. :P

My second read was also gem.



I cried several times while reading When Breath Becomes Air. This one cut a bit close to the bone for me, but not entirely for the reasons one might think. I can only begin to imagine the depth of this man's anger & grief and I'm amazed at how he overcame them to write such a beautiful book with the last of his fading strength. Though part of me wishes it were longer, in actuality I doubt I could have handled it as a 400 pager. Mainly I wish he'd found the time to write other things, since his plan was to be a surgeon for the first part of his life and a writer for the second.

I bought this in hardcover form because I thought I would probably want to read it more than once, and I hope to have my kids each read it at some point. That made it much harder to save my favorite passages, though. I was stuffing little pieces of paper in it to mark pages, but sadly some of them fell out. But here are two short ones. One with some with humor:

"The good news is I've already outlived two Brontës, Keats and Stephen Crane. The bad news is I haven't written anything yet."

And one without:

"It occurred to me that my relationship with statistics changed as soon as I became one."

There is another I loved about hard decisions when one's loved one's quality of life has ebbed, but it is quite long and rather depressing. I might come back and add that later, or I might just keep that one to myself.

>23 gilroy: Are you okay with that or do you long for the day when it will not?

>24 MrsLee: Yes, it will calm down in a week or so I believe. I'm having trouble keeping up as well!

>26 clamairy: Wouldn't mind another hour sleep.

>25 clamairy: I've been looking at that since it's been on some "best of 2016" lists. Your comments are bumping it higher and qualify as a paint-gun splash if not an actual bullet ;-)

>28 Jim53: I'm glad to hear it. It's well worth the short time it will take to read it.

Magnificent new dragon photo on the group's home page! :)

I second @MrsLee!

>30 MrsLee: >31 hfglen: Thank you! Had trouble getting it centered, which is kind of impossible given LT's coding restrictions. So it looks pretty good to me on FireFox, and kind of askew on Chrome. Oh well...

It's lovely, Clam!

>32 clamairy: it's a grand dragon picture!

>32 clamairy: For what it's worth, I use Chrome 95% of the time, and the dragon picture doesn't look askew to me. Meanwhile, happy new year (a week late) & happy birthday (a week early). Like everyone else, I've woken up in the new year and am trying to get things back to normal AND ITS NOT WORKING!

Smile and pass that cheese...

>33 majkia: >34 klarusu: >35 jillmwo: It was time to remove the cute dragon & mistletoe picture and I was looking for a beastie who's looks were a little more in step with my inner soul. ;o)

>25 clamairy: Glad we saw that one the same way, clammy.

And another angry planet reader... I'm enjoying it greatly so far.

>37 stellarexplorer: Me too!

>38 reading_fox: Glad to hear that.

I am three for three! I just finished Old Man's War and thoroughly enjoyed it. Okay, so it's not quite on the same level as Angry Planet, but it was still great fun. Plus Scalzi tries very hard (successfully, for the most part) to explain the scientific theory behind much of his technology. That's a huge plus, in my book.

Can the trend continue? Well, not indefinitely I'm sure. But I have high hopes for the immediate future as I am already a few pages into Witches of Lychford and I've found myself cackling gleefully.

>40 clamairy: I love all the Old Man's War books. I've read the first one multiple times, and I've listened to the first 3 on audio and intend to listen to the rest as well. I'm hoping to get my hands on an ARC this week of his new book in the series that's coming out in March.

I think my favorite thing about Scalzi's writing is the way his characters which always seem so relatable.

One of my favorite books of his is Fuzzy Nation which is a reimagining of Little Fuzzy and is just a blast.

>40 clamairy: This one's on my 'really should have read it by now' list so I think I shall bump it up the pile! I'm sort of in a a sci-fi mood right now ... potentially because I'm so busy with work that I need the reading to be a bit of an escape from the day-to-day.

>40 clamairy: Ah, to have the time and reading speed to already have three books read. :)

Old Man's War is on my wish list. Will probably kindle that one, get the audible file with, and read/listen to it. :)

>40 clamairy: I like it when there’s some actual attempt at explanation in a science fiction book. I’m glad you enjoyed this!

>40 clamairy: Good, you're reading Witches of Lychford. It's a fairly fast read. And there's a sequel to it that's already available.

*takes aim for the shot of second book bullet*

>40 clamairy: I enjoyed Old Man's War quite a bit several years ago. One thing I remember clearly is the jelly beans--a great moment of recollection and characterization. I saw Scalzi on his tour for Red Shirts (hilarious reference in that title); he was very entertaining. I also read a collection of entries from his blog, Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded. I haven't managed to keep up with the blog lately. I read the first sequel to OMW but haven't kept going with the series.

I think I've read three of Scalzi's works and enjoyed each of them.

clammy, you are killing me here. You make me want to drop the books I'm reading and jump in to read the ones you are reading!

You did get off to a good start! The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and When Breath Becomes Air were two of my favourite books last year. I hope the trend keep up for you.

>41 tottman: Uh oh. I knew nothing of these Fuzzy books. Yes, I agree. He seems to write actual humans.

>42 klarusu: I hope you like it. I understand the escape thing. I'm not trying to escape work, though. Just reality. (Probably because I only work a few hours a week.)

>43 gilroy: Well, I was halfway through the first one when the year turned. The second one is a short book. Plus I was sick with a bad cold for the first week.

>44 YouKneeK: It definitely helps!

>45 jillmwo: Yeah, I've already been eyeing that one.

>46 Jim53: I follow him on Twitter and love his sense of humor. I have to be honest, I don't remember any jelly beans in the book. When I googled "Old Man's War" & "jelly beans" together the first thing to pop up is a comment from you two years ago making virtually the same statement. (And none of the results revealed anything about jelly beans in the book.)

>47 MrsLee: So sorry! It's not just the books, I've been in a better mood since my cold started to fade away. :o)

>48 SylviaC: Me, too. So glad you're back, btw.

Clam, as I recall, near the beginning of OMW, Perry walks by a place where they have various edibles for sale and notices a bag of black jelly beans. It brings back a strong memory of his daughter, who, unlike many people, really liked the black ones. I thought it was a nice use of a trivial detail to jolt his memory and show us how the jolt affected him. So not really a plot point or anything; I just appreciated the technique.

>50 Jim53: Now you're testing my memory, but I think the jelly beans are from the second book, Ghost Brigades and have to do with Zoe and the soldier who had Boutin's consciousness, not John Perry.

>51 tottman: Thank you! I thought I was losing my mind, especially after reading >50 Jim53:. LOL I started to wonder if they gave the nickname 'jelly beans' to those little tiny aliens that Perry has to battle at one point.

>52 clamairy: Happy to help:) Fortunately I listened to the audio of that book last year so it jogged something in my memory.

>40 clamairy: So glad you enjoyed it!

>49 clamairy: I recently finished listening to Fuzzy Nation on audio, read by Wil Wheaton. I enjoyed it Very much!

>55 MrsLee: So I don't need to read any of the other Fuzzy books to appreciate it?

>40 clamairy: Good to see more love for Old Mans War. Glad you enjoyed it and I hope your good run continues.

>56 clamairy: I read Fuzzy Nation without having read any of the others and enjoyed it. It's sort of a retelling more than a sequel. I've both read and listened to it and agree that the Wil Wheaton narration is outstanding.

>57 AHS-Wolfy: Many thanks! I know it can't last but I'll enjoy it while it does.

>58 tottman: Thank you. I'll try to find the audio. I loved Wil's narration of Agent to the Stars.

>59 clamairy: I haven't read any of the previous Fuzzy books.

Awaiting your verdict on Witches of Lychford...

>61 Marissa_Doyle: Loved it!



Another one. That's four gems in a row! My only complaint about Witches of Lychford is that I wished there were more of it. Fortunately for me there is that sequel. :o)

I loved Judith, Autumn and Lizzie. I will say that Judith and Lizzie seemed to have a bit more depth to them than Autumn did. Maybe because we get to spend a bit more time inside their heads, so to speak.

I already snagged The Lost Child of Lychford and will most likely be diving right in. Interestingly enough my current audio book is A Hat Full of Sky and there's some common ground here. I think Granny Weatherwax and Judith are kindred spirits.

Witches of Lychford is just short, right? And only $2.99 on Amazon.ca. So not a big commitment of time or money, right? You do realize that I'm trying to catalogue the last month's worth of real and virtual book acquisitions, and don't need to add to the pile?

>63 SylviaC: That's right. Short, cheap , and a great read. A novella, really. I read it very quickly.

You know you want to!

>63 SylviaC: Is The Lost Child of Lychford going cheap too?

>63 SylviaC: Same price. Are you implying that I should stock up?

>66 SylviaC: I simply asked a question?

>67 pgmcc: Well, I did. You never know when the price might go up.

Grab it now and it is only 2.99 USD! As to length, Witches of Lychford in paper is 144 pages. As @pgmcc put it (so elegantly, I might add), the book is short, cheap and great read.

>68 SylviaC: I got the two of them for £3.32 on Amazon.co.uk. (Kindle versions)

Remarkably good value.

As we say in New England. "It's a bah-gain."

I will not, WILL not be hit by a book bullet. This is purely my imagination that anything even vaguely bullet shaped passed by me - it wasn't even close... it wasn't. Who am I kidding? That's what a wishlist is for, right?

>72 Peace2: Trust us when we say you will want to be hit by this particular set of book bullets. Seize the day and buy the two tiltes and save them for later. I'm sure you have another DNBR Day in the offing.

>63 SylviaC: >69 jillmwo: thanks for the tip, I bought both for 5.98 yesterday. I've already started The Witches of Lychford.

I wish I could tell whether I'd like these.

>75 stellarexplorer: It's up in the air for you, dude. Honestly. It's not just the copious amounts of red wine, cheese & pâté talking here. Okay... maybe the wine is talking a bit more than the rest. Can't you do the 'sample' thing? And if you don't have a British Isles appreciation thing happening, then run away as fast as you can.

Nah, I've got the Anglophile thing going -- and admittedly this is after a nice California cab, a plate of manchego and some outstanding burrata -- but the sample seemed appealing. But I'm not especially into what often gets called "urban fantasy", and I see that tag attached to this a little. But from what I glean, it's more "low fantasy", i.e. fantasy set in the real world, than that Jim Butcher stuff I don't care for. Which should work for me.

Uch, there I go again. {headbang}

>77 stellarexplorer: it definitely doesn't read like urban fantasy. And not just because it's set in a market town that feels very very rural. It's much too cosy.

>77 stellarexplorer: What @imyril said in>78 imyril:.

OKAY! OKAY! I give up! Purchased both on Kindle for $5.98. Are you happy now?

I realize no one was even aiming for me, I just got caught in the crossfire. Serves me right to come toodling into this thread.

Hey, @Marissa_Doyle, @jillmwo, & @clamairy, it worked. Look at post >80 MrsLee:.

:-)

>81 pgmcc: I know. She didn't think anyone was AIMING. *snicker* *snort* That'll show 'em.

*Check the dings and dents in his science fiction shield*
Glad Mount TBR is so tall I could hide behind it and miss the shots. :)

>77 stellarexplorer: I can't help you here. Our tastes to overlap quite a bit, but not entirely. Who's do? (Actually I sometimes wonder how there is as much overlap as there seems to be with some of us!)

>80 MrsLee: Well, I happily share much of the guilt for this one.

>81 pgmcc: & >82 jillmwo: :o)

>83 gilroy: You might have avoided a direct hit for these books, but someone in some other thread will nail you for others. Rest assured.

I enjoyed The Lost Child of Lychford quite a bit as well, but not as much as the first. Perhaps I should have taken a breather between them.

I'm reading Wyrd Sisters as a palate cleanser. I've actually only ever listened to a few of the Discworld books, so I'm curious to see if I enjoy this one as much in print as I did listening to it. (Because I loved it when I listened to it back in 2013.)

clam, I agree re Lost Child of Lychford--I think it could have used a little more fleshing out. But I just love these characters so much.

>80 MrsLee: I think it's called "friendly fire." ;)

>80 MrsLee: I got caught the same way on Jill's thread last year. I don't regret it though.

I've been taking my dog a few miles up the road to a farm owned by the town to let her run on a soft surface. I missed a few weeks due to the holidays and cooler weather, but I was happy to get back up there today and watch her prance around like a deer. If our Winter days were like this more often I'd never want to leave CT.



Let me know if you can't see this!

That's a gorgeous pic! Oh, to see the ground again! We've had snow on the ground since December 6th. We don't salt the roads so they've been snow packed since then as well.

>89 catzteach: I think you're having our usual Winter. :o( How many days of school have you missed so far since the Holidays?

We've had a couple of unusually warm (for us) spells and lost all of our snow twice so far. The extended forecast has our highs well above freezing, so I can't complain. I think I would like to get to use my snow shoes at least once this year.

Beautiful. That CT is lovely.

That's a striking shot of the tree. Nice!

We had a snowy December, January has been more icy so far, but the forecast for the next week is all well above freezing. Unusual.

>90 clamairy: we've had a record breaking winter. Today is the 8th day off. We are now expecting freezing rain, then higher temps, so massive flooding. Good times. Hopefully the flooding won't be too bad, or not at all, and I can get back to work tomorrow. I miss my kids!

>88 clamairy: Love the stately beauty of that tree. Great photo.

Nice tree, Clam. I don't miss the New England heavy wet-cement snow. Here we get fluffy powder. It is going to be in the 30s and 40s for the next week or so, so me meltage will happen. Snowmobilers will be crabby.

>88 clamairy: What a great photo of a majestic tree! Love the deep blue sky too.

>88 clamairy: That's a tree I'd hug.

>62 clamairy: It might have been you or some of your cohorts who turned me to Paul Cornell last year, so I'm willing to take another bullet.

Clam, you have cohorts! :)

Nice cohort!

Talk about enforcers!

>97 2wonderY: Wasn't me. This was my first!

>98 majkia: Who knew?

>99 pgmcc: >100 Bookmarque: >101 pgmcc: Yowzer! I had no idea. :o)

Thank you all for the nice comments on the photo. Considering I took it with my phone I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I finished listening to A Hat Full of Sky today, and chuckled most of the way through it. I found myself looking up stuff about Sir Terry and wishing we hadn't lost him.



Not sure what audio book I'll move onto next. I'm only partially into Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and I find I can't listen to it all in one go, but have to stick to little bits here and there.

Finished another one. This was the first time I'd read a Discworld book. Up until now I'd only listened to a handful, including Wyrd Sisters back in 2013. Not only did the Suck Fairy stay away, I think I got more out of reading than I had listening to this one. Plus I could save stuff... like this gem. Death is a character in all of the Discworld books and here he is wandering around backstage observing humans during a play:

"There was something here, he thought, that nearly belonged to the gods. Humans had built a world inside the world, which reflected it in pretty much the same way as a drop of water reflects the landscape. And yet…and yet… Inside this little world they had taken pains to put all the things you might think they would want to escape from—hatred, fear, tyranny, and so forth. Death was intrigued. They thought they wanted to be taken out of themselves, and every art humans dreamt up took them further in."

Oh, and here's the flip side of that tree above, up close and personal. You can see just how old and scarred it is.

That tree needs a story written about it.

>106 catzteach: I think someone already did... The Halloween Tree ;)

That tree looks like something from Discworld!

Or Poltergeist...

>105 clamairy: I can't see the flip side. :(

>110 MrsLee: Try hitting refresh. Phone or PC?

>110 MrsLee: Me neither. All I get is a no-entry sign (laptop, firefox).

>111 clamairy: PC

Okay. I'll change it.

Can you see it now?

That looks like a good climbing tree. Get to a sturdy branch, settle in with a book...

oh good, you fixed it. I got the no entry sign earlier but can see the tree now

>105 clamairy: Nice!

>114 clamairy: Great tree! So yes, I can see it now.

That tree has so much character. You'll have to post a picture in spring so we can see how it changes with leaves.

Ah yes! As >107 ScoLgo: suggests, it is a very good model for The Halloween Tree!

>105 clamairy: I can identify ;-)

I know it looks creepy in the photo, but in person it is just very stately and imposing. :o)

I think I've got the first DNF of the year on my hands. I couldn't keep that lucky streak going forever, right? I'm 39% of the way through The Little Paris Bookshop and it's just not doing much for me. It's possible that it was hastily translated, or that I'm looking for something that isn't there. I saw someone posted a review stating that they suspected it was actually meant to be satire. Now THAT would make sense. LOL Either way it is not suiting my mood right now. It's on to Six of Crows for me.

>107 ScoLgo: I have only read a couple of Ray Bradbury. It was in high school and just a couple of short stories. That one looks good!

>122 clamairy: I didn't particularly care for The Little Paris Bookshop either. I kept waiting for more to happen and it just wasn't what I was expecting. I did, however, enjoy Six of Crows. I have a signed copy from when I stood in line for over an hour to meet her in San Francisco. :)

>123 catzteach: Oh, that makes me even more hopeful. It's got a rather high rating here on LT, too.

>123 catzteach: Bradbury is a favorite author of mine that I began reading early in life. I had not read The Halloween Tree until a couple of years ago when I scored a nice little hardcover copy. It feels shorter than its 160 pages due to the large type and illustrations. It is one of his lighter reads - although it does contain a few of his trademark darker elements. Definitely worth a look if you happen across a copy.

>122 clamairy:, >123 catzteach: I'm reading The little Paris bookshop now, because a friend gave it to me for Christmas, and finding it very "meh". I just don't do well with characters who do stupid things (Woman disappears without a word, leaving a sealed letter for lover; Lover doesn't open said letter for 20 years - honestly!). I don't feel strongly about the book enough to either like or dislike it.

>126 Sakerfalcon: Yes, exactly. And who keeps an entire room in an apartment locked up for 20 years? A giant house, maybe. I borrowed the ebook because of a blurb I read about the author, and I have no real qualms about bailing out. I do often feel more obligated to carry on if the book was a gift.

>127 clamairy: Wasn't there an article about a room in an apartment in Paris which was left undisturbed for something like 50 years? Or was it the whole apartment? I remember looking at photos of the extremely dust encrusted furniture and such. They were treating it like an archaeological find.

I'm sad about The Little Paris Bookshop. I'm not sure whether I have it or not, but it is a book I would buy for the title alone!

>128 MrsLee: You are right about the apartment in Paris. It was opened a couple of years or so ago. It was what I thought of when Clare mentioned a room not opened for 20 years.

I have the book on my TBR pile and am disappointed with the less than positive comments.

I found the article about the apartment in Paris: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323297/Inside-Paris-apartment-untouched...

>128 MrsLee: & >129 pgmcc: What a find! And, yes I'm sure someone with money would be able to afford to lock off livable space like that. Our protagonist is not such a man, but I'm sure it's meant to be symbolic of him sealing off a huge part of his heart. There are no light touches in this book. I'm not saying I won't ever finish it, but I have Six of Crows on loan from OverDrive. It's a much longer book than Bookshop and time's a tickin', as it were.

>128 MrsLee: >129 pgmcc: The vanity in that apartment is gorgeous! What a find!

>126 Sakerfalcon: I don't do well with characters doing stupid things either! I didn't like Gone Girl because I felt the man was an idiot! And I felt the Girl on the Train could've made wiser choices as well.

>131 catzteach: I liked both of those but I didn't love them for those same reasons.

I loved The Girl on the Train because I thought that having sunk into her horrible situation, Rachel showed a good bit of spunk in getting out.

>133 Jim53: Yes, I did appreciate the fact that she eventually got her act together. I was getting very depressed watching her constantly sliding back into the alcohol. Especially as she was drinking canned gin & tonic, which sounds like an abomination to this gin lover. LOL

Just checking in with you all as it's been a while since I finished something. I'm only halfway through Six of Crows but I am enjoying it. I'm also trying to spend a little more time on Tegmark's Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality. That one needs to be read in little bits and digested. I think when I'm done with that I really have to bone up on my string theory. Perhaps The Elegant Universe which has been moldering on my shelf for years.

>135 clamairy: The Elegant Universe has been on my shelves for years too. Your mention of it could be the prompt that gets me to finally read it.

>136 pgmcc: We will at least have this thread to refer to as we wade through it: http://www.librarything.com/topic/137545

All of Brian Greene's stuff is clear and readable. Tackling the Tegmark is an admirable undertaking, clammy. Look forward to a report especially on readability!

The Elegant Universe sounds very interesting. I hope you read it and let us know. I see a potential book bullet :)

>137 clamairy: Thank you! That looks interesting. I hope there are no spoilers in it.
;-)

>140 pgmcc: ;o)

You know, I'm so tired of all the 'Girl' books. Why do we keep calling grown women girls? I own a few of these but frankly am not very eager to read any of them other than the Stieg Laarson books.

>142 majkia: Yes, I would be very, very happy to see the end of that trend. Either that, or to start retaliating with "boy" titles.

>142 majkia: I hear ya. The only one that it fits for is The Girl With All the Gifts as she is an actual child.

>142 majkia: Cause there isn't as much draw to a title like "Gone Crone" or "Lady on a train"? I'm just throwing it out there... Personally, if we start seeing "Boy" books, I'm going to assume they're erotica novels... Then again, that may not be far from the truth right now...

>145 gilroy: oh I don't know, I think Gone Crone sounds rather intriguing - is that gone an adjective or a verb? It's hard to tell, but there's a story there all the same.

>146 imyril: Agreed!

"Gone Crone" sounds like a much hipper version of the Red Hat Society. ;)

*makes note* Figure out plot for book titled "Gone Crone" ...

The next book in Donna Andrews bird-themed cozy mystery series is titled Gone Gull.

>150 tottman: That is very clever! :o)

Finished another one.



Six of Crows really exceeded my expectations. Because it's tagged as YA I had lowered the bar a bit going in. I suppose it's considered YA because the main characters are in their late late teens. But the world building was intriguing as is the system of magic. It reminds me a bit of Sanderson at his best. There was some humor in the dialogue, but it is quite dark in places, with a liberal doses of cruelty and what is certainly genocide visited on one race/nationality at the hands of another.

Thank you to @kceccato for the bullet recommendation on this one. (And to anyone else who encouraged me. I'm sorry if I've forgotten.)

I thought I was going to dive right into Frederica but Uprooted just landed on my Kindle with thud, so that's what's up next.

>151 clamairy: Six of Crows is in my TBR. I may have to bump it up now.

>152 Narilka: I did hit a rough patch about 1/3rd of the way in but I think that was my mood and not the book. There's a sequel, and I immediately put myself on the waiting list.

>151 clamairy: I've got a bunch of ARCS I'm trying to get through but I'm really trying to make room to squeeze that one in. It sounds really interesting.

I've got Six of Crows scheduled for a month or two from now. It has a heist so immediately caught my attention.

>154 tottman: & >155 majkia: I don't think you'll be disappointed. It is the first in a series so it doesn't end with a tidy wrap-up.

>151 clamairy: as you know, I loved this book! The sequel was enjoyable, too.

You will love Uprooted, too. It wasn't at all what I was expecting.....

>151 clamairy:, >157 catzteach: I too loved Uprooted - hope you do too!

>157 catzteach: & >158 Sakerfalcon: I've gotten so sucked in that I got nothing accomplished this morning.

>80 MrsLee: I think it's called "friendly fire." ;)
>86 Marissa_Doyle: I believe there is a Shina'in saying: Friendly fire isn't.

Shoot, have to go check the spelling on Shina'in...

Almost got it right. It's Shin'a'in.

> 160 It's Shin'a'in.

That's what I was thinking.

;-)

>161 pgmcc: Well, there clearly weren't enough apostrophes.
Hahaha hahaha!

>159 clamairy: I’m happy to see you’re enjoying it! :) It was a surprise standout for me last year; I really liked it.

Moving Uprooted higher up the TBR pile.

>159 clamairy: glad you are enjoying it!

>159 clamairy: Ha! It's definitely that sort of book!

Uprooted is up next for me - looking forward!

>167 stellarexplorer: Don't let the first bit put you off. Agnieszka tends to whine a little in the beginning.

I finished listening to Watership Down this evening and I'm having a hard time deciding how much this audio version detracted from my enjoyment of the story. The narrator wasn't awful, but I can't help but think it would have pleased me more with a different reader or if I'd read it myself instead. I did care about the rabbits, and even found myself attached to a few of them. But yeah... I don't think I can recommend this to anyone. And I'm rather sad about it because I'd never heard anything but praise for this book for decades. :o(

>169 clamairy: I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this one more. It sounds like your general reaction was somewhat similar to mine, although I read it in print.

>170 YouKneeK: I wonder if perhaps I'm too old to appreciate it. :o) I think I probably would have loved it if I'd read it in my teens.

>169 clamairy: That book (not the audio version) was a DNF for me about 15 years ago. About halfway through I have a vivid memory of saying, "Enough."

It's too bad to read a book beyond its expiration date. I too have always heard good things about that book, but never read it. I remember my mother loving it when I was a teenager.

I certainly loved it when I read it mumble years ago. Like many groundbreaking classics, perhaps it becomes less applicable with age.

>171 clamairy: - I read it as a teenager, and didn't love it. I didn't hate it either, but have never had any desire to reread it.

>174 reading_fox: I get it. Maybe the Suck fairy can visit even if I haven't read it before. It just hasn't aged well.

>175 NorthernStar: Okay, this makes me feel much better. Maybe it isn't just me, or my advanced age. :o)

>169 clamairy: I've read Watership Down a couple of times. The first time I was totally enthralled; the second time i was impatient with a few passages. But overall I'm still a fan. I tried a couple of his others, Shardik and The Plague Dogs, and didn't like them as well.

>177 Jim53: I read Maia back in the 90s and I enjoyed it well enough. That is the only other one of his I've read. (Though Shardik is sitting here somewhere collecting dust & fur.)

May I just speak up and say that I liked Shardik where I had never particularly cared for anything else by Adams. It's a fascinating imagination of how a belief system may flourish and then decline into corruption. Long but worth it.

It's been decades since I read W.D. and I've never been able to get through Shardik, but I did like The Girl in a Swing which I read in the last year or two. Surreal and surprisingly sexual.

Just finished the very charming Uprooted. It's not perfect, but being slightly off kilter actually suits this one well. I've been at a bottle of French red after a vigorous snowshoeing expedition in the woods behind my home, so I'm not going to try writing even the briefest of reviews now. I will come back tomorrow, while the snow is flying once again.

On to The Underground Railroad.

Uprooted was amazing, I'm glad you liked (?) it. The Underground Railroad is the biggest book of the year, I think.

>182 reconditereader: Oh yes, very much. I gave it 4 1/2 stars. I haven't had time to write a longer review. Or maybe I should say that I have found other ways to spend what free time I have had. LOL

>181 clamairy: My copy is still safely housed in the TBR/Unread box. But at least you give me encouragement that when I do get to it, I will likely enjoy it.

My apologies for staying away for so long. I never did write that review I promised in #181. I shall try to find some time in the next few days to at least scrape a few sentences together. In my defense my daughter was home for a week, and my son came to visit briefly while she was here. So I'm lucky I got to read at all.



In the meantime I did manage to finish The Underground Railroad and it is definitely my favorite Whitehead book so far. Heartwrenching, though.

I've had two more DNFs. One of my many brothers loaned me Dawn of Wonder for my kindle, and I really tried to give it a shot. It wasn't horrible. It just wasn't grabbing me like I needed it to. Plus I just knew I'd never be able to finish it in the two weeks you're given when another kindle owner lends you a title. I had two OverDrive books out already. One of those was Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, which was the other DNF. It was fine, I just wasn't in the mood for widows & widowers awkwardly finding love.

So I'm working on Notorious RBG and loving it, and I'm listening to Bleak House and also loving that. And a third OverDrive book, The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, landed with a plop on my kindle a day or so ago and I have to get to that one soon!

It's going to take me a few days to work through everyone's threads, so I should be around. :o)

>185 clamairy: Glad to hear that your absence was for a happy reason! I hope your daughter and son visits were enjoyable.

Glad you enjoyed The Underground Railroad. I was glad that the different characters' stories kept coming back to Cora, to give it a primary focus; otherwise it would have been a bit disjointed, tho still a moving description of a terrible situation. It was my favorite Whitehead too, since it was my first ;-)

I loved Notorious RBG last year. A Friend of mine has a shirt with that head shot of her that says "The Ruth Shall Set You Free."

Glad your kiddos were able to visit. I am longing to see my daughter, and trying not to put an onus on her. She has chosen so far to not own a car in the city, which I applaud her for, but it makes quick visits home difficult. *sigh*

A little late to the conversation, but I thought I'd share a little story. As a youngster (as in up into my early 20's) I was easily intimidated and impressed by "old" people (i.e. over 40). When I was joining the military I had an interview with a Major at the recruiting centre. We started off the conversation about our likes and dislikes, and I, of course, told him I loved reading. He told me he was reading this wonderful book "all about bunnies", called Watership Down. Naturally I was blown away that this really old man (he must have been at least 45) was reading fantasy. So I read it. And loved it. I've reread it a couple of times and read everything else Adams wrote, also loving The Girl in a Swing. The Plague Dogs broke my heart, there are some scenes from that book that still haunt me, and I got rid of most of his books. I keep wanting to read WD again and I sure hope the suck fairy hasn't gotten to it.

I really enjoyed Uprooted too. Delightful.

I'm glad you had a good visit with your kidlets too. One of our daughters has moved away to the west coast and the other one is soon following. I'm not looking forward to having both our girls so far away from us. It's tough.

>185 clamairy: It is wonderful when they come to stay.

>189 katylit: I'm not looking forward to having both our girls so far away from us. It's tough.

When my younger daughter moved to Boston from Ireland I was not looking forward to her move but I was consoled by the fact that Ireland to Boston is not much more than an extended bus ride (albeit a flying bus), while my sister's two daughters and their children are in New Zealand which is considerably further.

Technology has helped soften the blow. Between Skype and Whatsapp we are in daily contact.

Oh you're right Peter, I'm so glad for FaceTime and messaging. It definitely softens the blow. :)

I want to read Underground Railroad. Maybe this summer.

I have a kiddo in my reading class, his name is Malcolm. He asked me to call him a version of Malcolm that I couldn't wrap my tongue around. I told him I have a cyber friend who goes by Clam and I could call him that. He said ok. He's been Clam ever since. He's a great kid.

>193 catzteach: That's awesome. :o)

>188 MrsLee: >189 katylit: & >190 pgmcc: It is good fun having them visit and having them close enough to do so. My son will be most likely living back here after he graduates for at least a year or two while he saves some money. It will be an adjustment for both of us. I like my privacy and he is a very social guy so his friends are in and out at all hours.

>194 clamairy: When my daughter and her husband were over last week we just sat watching a box set of a comedy show one evening. It was lovely just doing something simple like that.

On other related news, my older son is moving out this weekend...for the fifth, no...sixth time. :-) He is just moving to the next village so I will probably have more contact with my daughter in Boston than with him.

>195 pgmcc:

Quick, fill the bedroom with bookshelves!

What an awesome lady! I would highly recommend Notorious RBG no matter what your political inclinations might be.
:o)

ETA: I've not made it terribly far listening to Bleak House, but I am enjoying it immensely. I've started The Last Painting of Sara de Vos.

>196 suitable1: That is what I was hoping to do but my wife needs a space to work so the plan is to turn it into an office for her. To paraphraes a term that became popular in recent decades, we shall turn it into her, "woman-cave".

>197 clamairy: I have been reading Bleak House for almost a month and am only just past half way. I am enjoying it a lot.

>199 pgmcc: So I shouldn't feel bad for only being about 25% of the way through?



I finished The Last Painting of Sara de Vos this morning, mainly because I couldn't get anything done until I did. It was grey and drizzly here anyway. (But I should have been cleaning.) I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and was quite glad that I took a direct hit with this book bullet from @Bookmarque. The language is about three quarters of the pleasure at least.

>200 clamairy: I think the important thing is that you are enjoying the book and will be able to correctly answer detailed questions about the plot and characters on a national TV quiz show. No pressure!

I'm glad you like it. not everyone liked the ending, but I thought it was consistent with the tone and pitch of the rest of the book.

>200 clamairy: You definitely shouldn't feel bad! It's a massive book that asks a fair bit of the reader. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it. ^_^

I think I am going to add The Last Painting of Sara de Vos to my wish list. That one really sounds intriguing.

>202 Bookmarque: It seemed a very fitting ending to me.

>203 dovelynnwriter: Yes, it's a beast in size. A veritable doorstop, even... right up there with Middlemarch.

>204 jillmwo: I think it would be right up your alley, Jill.

The Last Painting sounds very good, another for the wish list.

I loved Bleak House too. I made the mistake of getting a beautiful edition of it, which weighs a ton, so I had to restrict it to my library reading only, where it could be supported by a pillow. Looks lovely though.

>198 pgmcc: I learned a new term for this recently: she-shed.

>208 Jim53: But she-sheds are outside!

My daughter loaned me Carry On, which is the book that's supposedly being written within the book Fangirl. Apparently the author got so attached to characters that she felt she needed to give them a book of their own. I for one am so glad she did as I enjoyed this even more than Fangirl. :o)

>210 clamairy: I haven't read Fangirl yet, but I intend to. I'll keep this in mind as a follow-up when I do.

>211 SylviaC: This was my third Rowell. Eleanor & Park is still my favorite of hers. I appreciate her sense of humor.

Crooked Kingdom is the second in the Six of Crows series. I did enjoy it, but it took me a while to get through it for some reason. Then again I was planning (and enjoying) a quick St Patty's Day get away for some of this time, so maybe it didn't take me as long as I thought it did.

After taking multiple book bullets from several members of the Dragon (you all know who you are) I've moved on to my first ever Tam Lin book, Fire and Hemlock. If you don't know what Tam Lin is then you're in good company. :o) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_Lin

>213 clamairy: Oh, I looooved Fire and Hemlock, but it's not your conventional Tam Lin retelling...just sayin'.

>214 Marissa_Doyle: Ah, that's fine. I'm sure I'll read more of them.

Interestingly, according to that Wikipedia article The Dogs of Babel is considered to be a Tam Lin book. I've read it but I have no recollection of anything even vaguely related to Tam Lin being in it. LOL

Fire and hemlock has been one of my favourite books since I was a teenager. Even though I don't think I understood much of it on first reading, it haunted me.

"Haunting" is a very good word for it.

>216 Sakerfalcon: I think it's very much a book you need to read multiple times to get the most out of it. Diana Wynne Jones' work always exists on so many different layers; it's beautiful to behold.

I hope you'll enjoy Fire and Hemlock, clamairy!

>216 Sakerfalcon: Ah, so I guess I'll be revisiting this one then.

>218 dovelynnwriter: I am about one third of the way through and I am enjoying it very much so far.

>213 clamairy: Ah, so Wee Free Men has that strong vibe, only, twisted as usual by Pratchett. He also brought in the shape changing battle and rescue in Equal Rites.

>220 MrsLee: Umm... not sure which post you were referring to, but I don't think it's #213. LOL Unless I just haven't had enough caffeine yet. :o)

>210 clamairy: I thought it'd be a good idea to begin with Carry On, and then go on to Fangirl. I'm totally impressed. These characters in the first book really do take on life, and grow on the reader. The author was right to give them their own book.

>222 2wonderY: Yes, I certainly think she was. I'd be quite happy if she made this the first in a series.

>221 clamairy: It made sense to me. She was comparing Wee Free Men to a Tam Lin tale.

>224 jjwilson61: I'm sure you're right, but I missed that entirely. Would the Nac Mac Feegle be Tam Lin, then?

>224 jjwilson61: Yes.

>225 clamairy: No, it was the Duke's (or some such royal personage) son who was kidnapped by the Fairy Queen, and he had rather a crush on Tiffany for her rescue of him.

In Equal Rites Granny Weatherwax had it out with the head wizard in a shape changing contest, while the young girl wizard tried to rescue a boy wizard from the thing-a-majingies.

Had a guest this afternoon. Third time in two weeks, at least. His/her prints have been all over my yard.

Very cool! Your reminder to take in the feeders!

No doubt if you asked what s/he is doing in your yard, the answer would be a bear-faced lie.

>228 Bookmarque: Yeah, this critter climbed that tree a couple of weeks ago. (The tree nearest the empty feeder.) I had that feeder at least 12 feet in the air. I haven't bothered to refill it since.

>229 hfglen: *groan*

How did the indoor beasties respond to the outdoor beastie?

>231 jillmwo: The cat didn't seem to notice the bear. She was too distracted by Sammie (the Boxer) trying to claw her way though the glass doors to get to the bear. When that bear was here a few weeks ago I didn't see it and let Sam out. My 52 pound dog scared the bear so badly that it ran into the woods. They are usually not aggressive unless they have cubs. In past years when I had two dogs they would often frighten enormous bears so much that they would attempt to climb trees. Once they reach a certain size climbing becomes problematic for them. I've never seen a bear lunge at my dogs or act aggressively towards them.

Oh wow! As cool as that is, do they damage your property at all? Besides being interested in the feeders.

Edit: I've had bunnies in my back yard all week and super excited over it since I'm near-ish the city. Bears are a whole other level!

Good to hear the bears are chickens. We have a loon in the back yard. Well, on the river. It was near the dock and it called once.

>233 Narilka: I love bunnies! The bears do occasionally knock over my garbage can looking for goodies, but that seems to have ceased since the litter box scoopings are in there now. (Understandably!) Aside from destroyed feeders and feeder poles bent into pretzel shapes the only damage I've seen is claw marks on tree trunks.

>234 Bookmarque: I am very jealous of your loon. Our wood ducks are back. So there's that, at least. :o) Sometimes I can see them from my kitchen window. This pleases greatly.