Lunacat is staying alive for 2017 (3)

Inspired by Joe: Some art that I love.









Alexander Jansson

Welcome to this corner of the world. I'm a country girl from the east of England who has too many animals, too many books and not enough concentration for any of it! Because of currently spending a lot of time on the road between home and my boyfriend, I am addicted to audiobooks but I do still read paper ones, if rather more sporadically and only when my struggling brain will allow.

I mostly read history, historical fiction, fantasy, YA fiction and short literary fiction, but I'm always trying to expand my reading.

Other interests currently are baking, gardening (mostly vegetables) and making homemade gifts. I'm also looking in to beekeeping, though I'm not sure if I'll get round to it this year!

The only challenge I'll be even attempting to do is the bingo card:



January

1. The Secret Library by Oliver Tearle (BINGO - book about books)
2. More Than This by Patrick Ness
3. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
4. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (BINGO - set in a time before you were born)
5. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
6. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
7. The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys (BINGO - short stories)
8. The Girl of Ink & Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (BINGO - debut work)
9. A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig (BINGO - set in a country you've never been)
10. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

February

11. Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray (BINGO - book or title about an animal)
12. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
13. The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian
14. A Plague on Both Your Houses by Susanna Gregory
15. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
16. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson (BINGO - published in the 1940s-60s)
17. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (BINGO - next book in a series)
18. Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson

March

19. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
20. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
21. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
22. March: Book One by John Lewis
23. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

Currently reading:

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Whoo hoo! I'm first! I'm first!

(I'm never first.)

ETA: You know what sucks about migraines/headaches*? Things that would comfort you - wine, cheese, chocolate - are big no-nos.

*I have what's called daily persistent headaches. Basically I've had the same headache for about two years. I've gotten used to it so it doesn't come to my attention unless someone asks about it or unless the pain increases (usually runs from a 1 - 2/10.) But getting stressed in anyway (tired, anxiety, hungry, crying, etc.) can quickly bring it to a 5/10.

Happy new thread, Jenny, hooray for the toppers, the third is cute!
I have the first two of your currently reading list on my library wishlist, hope to get to them soon & have already read the last two :-)

>4 Morphidae: Hooray Morphy! Yay for first place.



Thankfully you're not ever alone around here.

I'm attempting to deal with the headache with lots of water, and painkillers, but wine will definitely be required by the weekend so I'm hoping it doesn't last till tomorrow. If so.........well, avoiding wine won't have helped so I might as well drink it ;). Sorry you have to deal with headaches so much. I've often got a low level one but I suspect it's my own fault as I'm almost permanently dehydrated.

>5 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Excellent choices of reading all round then. I'm sure you will love the first two when the library gets them to you, they are both such good books.

>6 lunacat: Whoo hoo! And it's my favorite animal even...

Eh, like I said, unless someone asks me about it, I hardly notice them. I did for the first four to five months, of course! But now it's like, whatever. But it's really easy for them to jump from a 1 to a 5 if I'm not careful. Crying can be especially explosive. So if I start to cry because my knee(s) and/or back are especially painful, my head starts to hurt - just adding to the pain. Totally sucks.

No problems with water here. I average 2 liters a day. Is there a reason you don't drink water?

Happy new one, Jenny. I love the topper.

Happy new thread! I love that artwork!

>7 Morphidae: Totally sucks indeed. How rubbish that nothing gets rid of it. I'm sick of this one after only one day.

My main problem is I don't really like water - it makes me feel sick. I assume that it is psychological - what kind of person feels sick with water?! I also think it started because our water is extremely hard (full of limescale) so it has a quite distinct taste to it. I can drink water if it's bottled and extremely cold, so abroad with bottled water is fine as it tends to have been chilled and served over ice. But other than that? Nope. I mostly drink lemon or lime cordial at home but I'm not in a good habit of drinking a lot. I can easily go all day without a drink, only having a glass of something with dinner in the evening, which isn't healthy but it's a bad habit now. I keep working on it! The only time I really glug down fluids is the morning after an evening of rather heavy alcohol imbibement..............also not a good habit!

>8 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. It was fun trying to think of artists that others might not have come across.

>9 karenmarie: Thanks Karen!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread and love the top images!!

Happy New Thread! I love your toppers!

>11 lunacat: That is hilarious.

Happy new thread, Jenny.

>3 lunacat: Some pretty hefty and serious reading there!

Happy new thread, Jenny! I LOVE the topper images, especially the first one.

Happy New Thread, Jenny! Like those toppers. How is that headache?

>3 lunacat: yuh, ha! Me too, most nights :)

>11 lunacat: no way! No, really, is that something I need to know, or a meme to dismiss ;)

Edited #252 last thread: my lovely other reckons that too much exercise (which would depend on how much you exercise in general I suppose) can make it tough to sleep as well! It's a minefield.

>12 drneutron: Thanks Jim

>13 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle. Always nice to have it colourful around here.

>14 EBT1002: It certainly made me chuckle, Ellen. I love unnecessary trivia like that.

>15 PaulCranswick: Alas, the hefty reading isn't getting very far Paul, I keep getting distracted. There are just too many interesting things in the world!

>16 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie, I really enjoy the range of art he does, and the whimsical feel it all has.

>17 msf59: The headache is ongoing, but it'll all be OK. I hope your Thursday progresses well.

>18 LovingLit: *sigh* a minefield indeed. I did very little exercise yesterday (apart from 30 minutes riding Connie) and finally dozed off around 1am with some chemical aid. I'm playing badminton tonight, so it will be interesting to see how quickly I can fall asleep this evening.

>11 lunacat: How on earth did you find that? It's hysterical!!

I can trade sleeping horror stories now that I have started my Prednisone-induced lack of sleep. Yup, dozed off right away and woke up at the ungodly hour of 4:30AM. My alarm is set for 7. Sigh.

>21 Berly: I'm so sorry :( at least the prednisone is making you feel better and you know it is for a limited period of time. Does that help at all? Nope, I thought not. I know I was awake (or sleep moving) at various points last night because things were moved, and I was wearing different pyjamas. I don't recall anything though.................

Glad I could add some hilarity to your morning. My sources will have to stay secret, I might have a few more to share at some point ;).

Oops. After my disappointing haul earlier in the week, I seem to be responding to chemical adjustments by buying books. This may end up a problem! All came from the the charity shops and all were £1.25 or under.



The Private Dining Room by Ogden Nash
Gin Glorious Gin: How Mother's Ruin Became the Spirit of London by Olivia Williams
The Quick by Lauren Owen
Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
A Place of Refuge: An Experiment in Communal Living by Tobias Jones
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (I own this but can't find it anywhere)
Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

The Shape of Water
The Voice of the Violin
Excursion to Tindari
August Heat
The Wings of the Sphinx all by Andrea Camilleri. I know these are odd ones of the series but when I saw the first, I figured I may as well buy the others cos if I really enjoy it, I'll curse myself if I don't. And if I don't like them, I've only lost £5 which is annoying but not the end of the world.

Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
The Medieval Underworld by Andrew McCall *so pleased with this find!*
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
The Hobbit: A Graphic Novel by J.R.R. Tolkein, illustrated by David Wenzel

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (I restrained from paying £2.99 for The Cuckoo's Calling as I'm currently listening to it on audio, and I see enough copies around that I can probably get it for less than £1 if I wait - hopefully I'll see The Silkworm as well, but I'm likely to get it on audio as well as I'm enjoying the performance).

I'm most thrilled with The Medieval Underworld, because that type of popular Medieval history never shows up in charity shops - it might occasionally in a secondhand bookshop but it would be priced close to the RRP, not at £1.25. And the graphic novel version of The Hobbit as I've never see it before, and it is in near mint condition and was again, £1.25!

I also got a box set of the Horrible Histories books (20 of them) that I adored as a child, for the bargain price of £15. My plan is to embrace my inner child, read them all again, then pass them on to family members' children once they reach the appropriate age.

A certain black young lady felt the need to inspect them.

Hi Jenny! Books and kitties! Two of my favorite things. My Kitty William is sitting on top of Ross Poldark looking hopeful - I just had some bacon for breakfast and I usually let him lick the bowl. He moves quickly indeed when the bowl makes it to the floor.

Excellent haul. I'm glad to hear that you're listening to The Cuckoo's Calling and will be interested in hearing what you think about it. And of course Career of Evil popped as soon as I looked at the photo.

I'm sorry your headache is still there.

Yay for books!! Glad to see Atwood, Galbraith and Camilleri in your pile! Enjoy

What a lovely haul, Jenny - you did good! I think you will like the Camilleri - they are fast and fun reads.

That's a great haul! Happy new thread :-)

Yay for book splurges! Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is on my list of favs.

>24 karenmarie: Isn't it amazing how a seemingly dozy cat can move at the speed of light when food looks likely to be on offer! We are terrible for letting our cats lick the bowl - it has led to them creeping up on us while we're eating. They know the limits but they still try and push them.

>25 ChelleBearss: I was thrilled by my haul today, it was a very pleasant pre-birthday treat for myself. Of course, now I need to get round to reading them.

>26 Crazymamie: I'm almost hoping I don't like them *too* much Mamie, as I don't have numbers 2 or 3...........I might have to hold off for a while to see if I come across them, as I hate not having the next book in a series I love!

>27 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!

>28 Morphidae: Yay indeed. I've never seen or heard anything about Snow Flower and the Secret Fan so I'm pleased to see it's a good book. I'll move it up the TBR pile a place or two thanks to your comment.
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Connie was feeling a little put out that she hasn't made an appearance yet this year. She thoroughly enjoyed her paddle in the brook today. It was knee high and she had a whale of a time splashing around.

Horse in a brook! That is wonderful! (The two daughters of my very horsey school friend just appeared on the front cover of their local regional newspaper, on the back of their pony, it was very cute, and is really completely irrelevant, but just popped into my head)

>30 lunacat: Connie was right, I am very happy she finally appeared in your thread!
I love the pictures, in this perspective I can almost feel like riding myself again :-)

Hello to Connie, beautiful girl!

I hope your headache has completely gone, Jenny, and that you are having a lovely weekend.

>23 lunacat: Ogden Nash and the Montalbano books. What a splendid combination.

Have a great weekend, Jenny.

Happy New Thread!

I love the Connie photo. She has such a soft, sweet eye.

Hooray for the book haul! And for the book inspector!

>31 evilmoose: She was very happy in her brook, it took a lot of effort to get her out of it! An unfortunate side effect of her being scared of water initially so I gave her huge praise for going in and halted her in the water. Now she likes to splosh around so much, it's slightly inconvenient at times.

>32 FAMeulstee: I shall do my best to post some more photos then, so you can get that feeling.

>33 karenmarie: Headache is still here but I'm having a lovely weekend, thanks. There was a lie-in this morning, then a manic session of badminton, and now TheBF and my best friend are busy concocting an Indian feast for this evening. We're having another couple of friends over for a birthday meal, and I suspect a huge session of eating and Cards Against Humanity will follow.

Sounds like a great day, Jenny. I just recently played Apples to Apples but like the idea of Cards Against Humanity better!

>34 PaulCranswick: I'm looking forward to dipping in and out of Ogden Nash at some point. I hope your weekend is going well Paul.

>35 streamsong: Hooray all round, thanks Janet. She is a very sweet horse - the main problem is that she has strong opinions (like any mare!) and is a greedy beast, so it can sometimes be difficult to get her attention. She also adores her work, which is great, but does mean I get my arms pulled out a lot and she is sometimes difficult to control! Hence the double bridle! She's an absolute delight *in* it so it becomes a temptation to ride in it all the time. Ah well, it's all good.

>37 karenmarie: We're going to have a fantastic gang of people playing so it should be a lot of fun, thanks Karen :)

Hi, Jenny. Happy New Thread. Love those toppers.

>23 lunacat:. What a great book haul. I'm a big Montalbano fan.

Wishing you a fabulous day, Jenny. May all your wishes come true.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY from little ole me too, Jenny. xx

Happiest of birthdays to you, Ermintrude!

Happy Birthday, Jenny!

Happy Birthday Jenny! I love the 'slightly inconvenient' descriptor for being stuck in a brook with a horse that doesn't want to move out of the brook.

Oh! It's your birthday!



Happy birthday, Jenny!

Happy Birthday!

^Hope you are having a great birthday, Jenny!

I'll be back to do full replies tomorrow, but thank you so much for all your birthday wishes. I've had a lovely weekend and am now sat with TheBF plotting a holiday for the middle of April - I can't wait! Am exhausted now after a lot of activity the last two days, so I'm signing off screens and will hopefully dream about trips away and exciting things to come.

Just stopping by to wish you a very Happy Birthday, Jenny!

Baby Maia wishes you a fantabulous birthday.

Happy Birthday!! Hope you had a lovely day

Happy belated birthday!

>40 jnwelch: Thanks Joe, I'm looking forward to trying Montalbano finally.

>41 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara, it was an extremely enjoyable birthday. Lots of dreams coming true all over the place.

>42 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul!

>43 katiekrug: Thank you Katie. It's good to be celebrated as the only Ermintrude around here. ;)

>44 karenmarie: Thanks Karen!

>45 evilmoose: At least it wasn't me that was stuck in the brook without the horse! Thankfully I've never had a full scale dunking but I'm sure it will happen at some point.

>46 Storeetllr: Birthday wishes and kind visits are all the presents I need, thank you Mary.

>47 SandDune: Thank you Rhian!

>48 msf59: It was a lovely birthday weekend, thank you Mark.

>50 ronincats: Thanks Roni, great to see you here.

>51 Morphidae: Awww, look at that tiny bundle of fluff! Thanks Morphy

>52 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle, it was really nice, and the celebrations continue :)

>53 banjo123: Thank you Rhonda :).

I have been thoroughly spoilt this weekend, and there is a lot more to look forward to for spring, which is getting me through the post-celebration comedown.

On Saturday night we had a lovely curry night with some friends, lots of food, and plenty of hilarity. Then came a quiet day on my actual birthday - various of us were feeling rather delicate in the morning thanks to the quantity of alcohol enjoyed, but TheBF and I snuck in a game of badminton in the afternoon.

Then yesterday was a lie-in, followed by afternoon tea with my best friend which was decadent and civilised in the extreme.



It was counteracted with starting a badminton course in the evening - 90mins of coaching for beginners. There were nine of us and it was a lot of fun but hard work.

And the day finished extremely late as TheBF and I booked flights and a few places to stay for our holiday in April! Andalusia here we come. We're renting a car and driving around for a few days.

We'll go to see the Andalusian horses



Drive down to the southern tip of Spain and Gibraltar and staying right next to this beach:



Then head up the coast to Ronda for a night



Before two nights in Granada and a visit to the Alhambra



And three nights in Seville



Hopefuly it's going to be amazing.

>23 lunacat: hehe, all those interesting new smells were too much for pussy cat :)

WOW! Your planned holiday sounds like it is going to be incredible. What a marvel to have all those countries so close (relatively) to your own.

>59 LovingLit: I hope so, it's just lots of organisation at the moment :)

We're also heading for a couple of nights to Pisa in March (if TheBF ever gets around to booking it - I'm skeptical currently). I really want to make the most of being in Europe and doing some city breaks this year.

Duplicate post (no idea why) so I should update my reading.

I've finished The Cuckoo's Calling on audio and moved immediately on to The Silkworm. Nothing else much has happened with books as I've been so busy, and so tired that it's fallen by the wayside. I need to try and get an earlier night tonight to recuperate, though I've slept a LOT today and doesn't appear to have made any difference whatsoever. Ah well, you only live once!

Oh, Andalusia is beautiful. Enjoy it. I've good memories of all the places there.

>62 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. I'm so excited. I hope your painkillers kick in soon - thinking of you!

I always think of that Cinderella movie, with Amy Adams, featuring the land of Andalusia. :)

It's a bit better, thanks so much, Jenny.

>58 lunacat: Wow, that should be a great trip, Jenny.

We're going to Barcelona in May. We've never been to Spain before. I really want to get t Seville some day.

>64 LovingLit: Oh yeah, I've seen it a couple of times but I'm not a fan of Amy Adams so I wouldn't choose to watch it - it has been on here with my housemate watching it though, so I have seen it. I had to look up the name of it though, Enchanted, so that shows how little attention I paid to it.

>65 Ameise1: I'm glad Barbara. If it's any consolation, ribs heal (in my experience) extremely quickly - I'm not sure how long it took for mine to feel normal but I was back riding in a couple of weeks. Of course one of mine never healed properly, which might be because I didn't rest enough, so make sure you keep your feet up! I hope you can get some sleep tonight.

>66 jnwelch: We're hoping to get to Barcelona at some point too Joe. It's on my wishlist. I'm so determined to take advantage of Europe while we're still a member of the EU (don't get me started). I hope you have a lovely time - I can't wait for our trip. It's the first time TheBF and I will have been away for longer than two nights on holiday, so let's hope we can tolerate each other for that long!

Hi Jenny! I'm glad you such an exuberant birthday!

Your April holiday sounds wonderful. Definitely something to look forward to.

You must have liked The Cuckoo's Calling if you've immediately gone into The Silkworm!

>67 lunacat: The doctor told me it will take up to six weeks.

>68 karenmarie: I think what I liked most about The Cuckoo's Calling is that it was extremely well narrated. I whizzed through it as it was wonderfully easy listening. Very enjoyable indeed.

>69 Ameise1: I hope yours heal to a point of comfort much quicker than that Barbara.
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As a sign of quite how 'out of spoons' I am this week, I slept for 17 of 24hrs yesterday and another 12hrs from midnight today - rather a change from the insomnia! I still feel very tired and 'flu-ish' today so I've cancelled most activities and will be hibernating again. The tail end of Storm Doris is supposed to come through this evening and tomorrow so it is a good time to hunker down.

I'm even hoping to make some progress with some books today if I can stay awake long enough!

14. A Plague on Both Your Houses by Susanna Gregory

Description:

Matthew Bartholomew, unorthodox but effective physician to Michaelhouse college in medieval Cambridge, is as worried as anyone about the pestilence that is ravaging Europe and seems to be approaching England. But he is distracted by the sudden and inexplicable death of the Master of Michaelhouse - a death the University authorities do not want investigated.
But Matthew is determined to get to the truth, leading him into a tangle of lies and intrigue that cause him to question the innocence of his closest friends - and even his family - just as the Black Death finally arrives...

The good: The scene setting, place descriptions and depictions of both the properties and the general feeling of the town at the time are extremely good. This is no sanitised 14th century, but one with the requisite dirt, death, pestilence and struggles for survival that feel realistic to the age. The variety of people introduced in the novel was also wide reaching and gave a good impression of the mixture that might be found in a small college town. The overwhelming sense of dread and terror that came with the Black Death were clear and apparent, and set the overall tone of fear well.

The bad: I felt that some of the schemes and machinations that the characters got up to were a little overcomplicated, and I never got an indepth sense of any of the characters. Perhaps that is simply because it’s the first of a series, and the author didn’t want to overwhelm the reader with discussing each person introduced in detail, but I sometimes struggled to tell characters apart and follow the plot. It could be that this was a book better suited to print than in audio, though there was absolutely nothing wrong with the narration.

In the end, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the scene setting that were produced, and would probably read more of the series for that reason, but I found my attention wandering at times and because of this, I didn’t follow the twists and turns as well as I’d have liked. At the end of the novel, I’m still not sure exactly what happened, or why, though I have a general idea. All in all, this was a good historical novel but a mediocre mystery. I may well try it in print, in the hope it will allow me to pick up the intricacies that I missed by listening.

>58 lunacat: Great plans for a holiday, Jenny, I always loved the looks of Andalusian horses!

>71 lunacat: My library has got a copy of A Unholy Alliance. I suppise you haven't read that one because it's the second of this series.

I read about Storm Doris on @johnsimpson's thread, and hope everybody in the British Isles stays safe and sound.

>72 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. I am ridiculously excited about it.

>73 Ameise1: No, I haven't read it I'm afraid, though I might pick it up if it were to appear in a charity shop or be cheap on amazon. I wasn't enamoured enough to go hunting for the rest of the series, but I also wouldn't rule out reading them if they fall in my lap!

>74 karenmarie: It's incredibly windy out there currently so various plans have been changed. There has been at least one death directly related to the storm, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were more. A bridge near us has been closed so I'm glad I'm not trying to travel anywhere. The gusts are so loud they keep making the cats and I jump, even with the windows tightly closed.

The good of today: All the flights and accommodation for Spain is booked, now just to sort out a rental car and whatever tickets/tours we want to go on. And a few items of clothing need purchasing, as I'm hopeful for some sunny weather.

The bad: The wind! It's making everyone in the house (me and the animals) incredibly jumpy, and there is widespread damage occurring across the UK. Hopefully the winds die down when they are supposed to and there aren't any more deaths.

Happy Thursday, Jenny! Your upcoming trip in April, sounds wonderful!

Hope the week is going well.

>77 msf59: It's plodding on Mark, that's about the be all and end all!

Anyone look at this and wonder which owl they are?

I'm pretty sure I'm the one on the right... :)

On the plus side, I read Sapiens until my brain refused to take in anything intellectual, then read An Abundance of Katherines until my eyes hurt and am now listening to The Silkworm to entertain me in my insomnia (and yes, I know I should have silence when trying to sleep but I am far far more likely to drop off listening to a book than at any other time).

I'm sorry to hear that again sleep won't come. Gentle hugs, Jenny.

GO TO SLEEP!

Did that help? Maybe Im too late, and you are already fast asleep! I hope so. Maybe my posting now has woken you up! Aaaarrrggh!!!! Im outa here ;)

>82 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. It was a long night. I suspect you must all be sick of me whining about my insomnia! My brain sure is a muddle these days.

>83 LovingLit: Huh? What now? I heard............I must have been dreaming.........there was.............I was wandering round an imaginary kingdom and then someone shouted 'SLEEP' and a dragon fell from the sky and hit me...........and I woke up.............huh?

Oh hi Megan! So nice to see you here. I'm up and raring to go now ;).
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Off to the beach today - my (belated) birthday outing with my mum. We are sure to go for a walk down the pier.

You're aloud to whining as much as you like, Jenny. It helps.
Wishing you a lovely day at the beach.

Sorry to see your insomnia is visiting again!
Hope you enjoy your day at the beach!

Insomnia bad, day at the beach with your Mum wonderful.

Have a lovely time.

>84 lunacat: Is that Southwold? it's ages since I've been there.

That looks like a lovely beach and pier, are those shops all cafes with coffee and cake?

>85 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. It was a good day, and now I'm tucked up in bed with TheBF so all is well.

>86 ChelleBearss: I'm hoping I'll be able to kick the insomnia, at least for the weekend. Cuddles up in bed often help. It's been a long day so fingers crossed I will doze off OK. At least it doesn't matter so much if I sleep badly as there is nothing that has to be done tomorrow.

>87 karenmarie: The day at the beach was lovely indeed, thanks Karen.

>88 SandDune: It is Southwold! Enjoyable as ever and I couldn't believe how quiet the sea was, compared to how it must have been yesterday.

>89 LovingLit: One of the shops has coffee and cake, one has fish & chips, one is a trinkets/gift shop and one has bizarre automaton machines built by a crazy local man!

Southwold today:

Nice!

>91 lunacat: Looks like you had a lovely day with nice weather in Southwold today :-)

>92 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>93 FAMeulstee: It was such good weather after the awful weather yesterday. It started to cloud over later on but it was still pleasant, even at 4pm ish. And the drive down to TheBF's was smooth too, so the day was a plus all round :).

Great photos, Jenny and happy weekend.

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Jenny. I hope you get good rest this weekend and are having a lovely Saturday!

I'm glad you had such a wonderful birthday.

Your trip looks absolutely amazing!

Have a great weekend and hope you find some sleep.

>91 lunacat: I remember having some great fish and chips in Southwold. It's funny how fish and chips always taste nicer by the sea.

Beautiful photos!! Looks like a great day trip! And that fish and chip plate looks delish!!

>91 lunacat: Southwold looks great and the fish and chips if anything even better!

I am not too familiar with the Suffolk coast and I may put that right when I am back for good.

Have a lovely weekend, Jenny. xx

>95 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. It's been a bit of a wobbly brain weekend but the highlights have been two hours of badminton yesterday, a lovely roast beef dinner last night and now off to the pub to meet some of The BF's friends for Sunday lunch. Hopefully the brain will let me enjoy it.

>96 karenmarie: See above Karen re my weekend, thank you for the good wishes.

>97 streamsong: Thank you! Sleep has been intermittent but I'll take that :). My beach trip was certainly very pleasant.

>98 SandDune: Isn't it strange? Maybe it's something about the salty air! It was so nice to watch the sea while we sat and ate. I do love the seaside.

>99 ChelleBearss: It was delicious indeed Chelle. And very filling!

>100 PaulCranswick: The Norfolk and Suffolk coasts are a unique experience Paul, lots of beauty and interesting things to see, mixed with poverty and bleakness, along with a lot of it falling into the sea! Hope you've had a pleasant weekend.

Happy belated birthday! OMG that afternoon tea looks incredibly delicious!
And that planned trip spunds just wonderful, and thank you for sharing those beautiful seaside pics!

>79 lunacat: Love it! Love the owls, not the idiots!

>91 lunacat: The Southwold beach photos look beautiful. Sounds like a lovely time.

Happy Sunday, Jenny! Have you been riding regularly?

>103 Deern: Lovely to see you here Nathalie, I hope you're recovering well. I am definitely looking forward to our trip - currently shopping for comfy shoes that will be good for warm/slightly chilly/daytime walking/evening restaurants. It's a fairly tricky task but it's getting me in the holiday spirit!

>104 msf59: I reckon an idiotic owl might be the best of both worlds :) I haven't ridden in the last week as I've been utterly exhausted, having brain issues and 70mph winds weren't the ideal thing to be riding in. I should get back to it this week. Happy Sunday to you too!

So much going on here. I am super excited for your Andalusia trip!! Love that you are enjoying Robert Galbraith ( I need the next one to come out already!), laughed out loud at the owls, and envied you the outing at Southold! Goodness. Happy Sunday.

>106 Berly: It's such fun to plan trips to new places, and to share that planning with other people.

One of the places we are staying is a wooden hut/lodge about 10 metres from the beach, another is a cave, and a third is in something called a 'Corral de Comedias' or theatrical courtyard, from the 17th century. I can't wait!

>108 lunacat: Truth.

All caught up with you, Jenny. What lovely photos and your upcoming trip sounds full of fabulous.

>109 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie. I'm most looking forward to 8 days of nothing but TheBF and I chilling out and enjoying each others company without having to go along with what other people want. We don't really have that in our lives, as at mine we are nearly always in the company of my best friend and her husband (who own the house) and so have to consider what they are up to. And here we have TheBF's father to think about. Neither situation is bad, and we mostly all tick along perfectly happily and can find our own space, but it will be nice to only be beholden to ourselves.

That being said, we've never been on holiday together before so hopefully we don't discover we can't get along for that amount of time!

Happy Monday, Jenny! I hope you have a wonderful week.

My mum brought me one of my most precious belongings when I met up with her on Friday. It's a copy of one of my grandfather's books, specifically signed to me, and I nearly cried looking at it. I'm determined to finally read it this year.

However, it also comes with a whole mountain of bittersweet memories and regrets. I'm sad that he is no longer around to discuss it with, sad that I never read it while he was around, sad that my interest in his field of study has only begun to really materialise in the last five years and he's not here to share that with. I wish I could sit down with him, having read his works, and have some of the amazing conversations he was so renowned among his acquaintances for.

So I'm almost scared to read his book. Not only because it was written 55 years ago and so is probably extremely out of date, but scared that it will make his absence even harder to bear, and will make me miss him so much more.

>111 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. It's started out with rain and tears but hey ho, onwards and upwards! Badminton tonight so that should focus my brain a bit :).

I, too, have regrets about my grandmothers (one grandfather died before I was born and one died when I was 4 so I don't have memories of them), so a few tears, then gratitude that they had our parents who had us.

I hope you have fun at badminton.

>114 karenmarie: I'm trying to stick with gratitude that I had him, and for as long as I did, rather than anything else but my mind never chooses positivity when it has an option! Sorry you've had similar feelings.

A quick stop in a couple of charity shop yielded good results today. I got (short comments taken from the back to describe them):

Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson
..off the west coast of Scotland, Effie and her mother Nora take refuge in the house of their ancestors and tell each other stories. "Funny, bold and memorable" said The Times.

The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay
"It has an aristocratic setting, a dead earl, and a major suspect. The man who could have done it is Santa Klaus but what motive could he have for putting a bullet in Sir Osmond Melbury's noggin? There are loads of clues, red herrings, and twists in a truly classic Christmas mystery with all the Golden Age patina" said Globe and Mail.

One Night in Winter by Simon Sebag Montefiore
"A thrilling work of fiction. Montefiore weaves a tight, satisfying plot, delivering surprises to the last page. Stalin's chilling charisma is brilliantly realised. The novel's theme is Love: family love, youthful romance, adulterous passion. One Night in Winter is full of redemptive love and inner freedom" said the Scotsman

Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim
It is 2011, and all universities in North Korea have been shut down for an entire year, except for the all-male Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. This is where Suki Kim has accepted a job teaching English. Over the next six months she will eat three meals a day with her young charges and struggle to teach them to write, all under the watchful eye of the regime.

"Remarkable...A deeply unsettling book, offering a rare and disturbing inside glimpse into the strangeness, brutality and claustrophobia of North Korea... Kim's book is full of small observations that vividly evoke the paranoia and loneliness of a nation living in fear and in thrall to its 'Great Leaders'...Her portraits of her students are tender and heartbreaking, highlighting the enormity of what is at stake" said the Tribune

Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell
"Nobody in the world does this stuff better than Cornwell – action set six hundred years ago is a fresh and vital as six days ago, with rough, tough men at war, proving once again that nothing changes – least of all great storytelling" said Lee Child

And the purchase I'm most pleased with finding, a Folio edition (with slipcase) of Cautionary Tales by Hilaire Belloc, with some wonderful illustrations. This is RRP of £29.95 and I got it for £1.

I'm envious of your trip to Spain - the horses, the beaches, Alhambra, the courtyards, and the architecture. Have a fabulous time and take lots of pictures!

>117 Morphidae: I shall certainly take lots of pictures and make sure I share them widely! As long as we get some warmth and relaxation, it will be a good trip. And the Alhambra is definitely number one on my to do list when we're there.

Big step, holiday with BF! It sounds absolutely wonderful, Jenny.

Good haul, bookwise, too. I really like Kate Atkinson.

>119 karenmarie: Big step indeed! Eek. I'm sure we'll be fine and have a great time. Hopefully our ideas of holidaying and what to do etc will match fairly well.

I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying Emotionally Weird as I haven't liked any other Atkinson books. However it could be that I was trying too early - I picked up Behind the Scenes at the Museum when I was about 13 and didn't have nearly enough adult experience to like it. I found it confusing and boring. Depending on how this one finishes and whether I still enjoy it at the end, I may have to give her a new look. I only picked this up because I liked the title and then started reading it when I was stuck under a cat and it was the only book I could reach!

Serendipitous reading, the best sort!

>121 ronincats: Indeed Roni!
______________

A couple of photos of our village little library, a re-purposed red telephone box. It gets used a lot and is such a good idea, it would have been a shame to see the phone box go as it adds a traditional splash of colour to the area.

I just saw on Mamie's thread (thanks Mamie) that Audible have released a 'Definitive Collection' of Sherlock Holmes, read and introduced by Stephen Fry. I adore listening to him read the Harry Potter series so of course I've snapped it up immediately. Alas, it means I'll have to buy some more credits in order to get to the next Cormoran Strike book - though I could just read it instead of listening to it. With 71 hours of Sherlock Holmes to get through, I won't be short of listening material for a while! I hope he is as good with these as he was with Harry Potter.

>122 lunacat: that is awesome!! Is that run by the village or a private citizen? So awesome looking

>124 ChelleBearss: I'm not sure who it is run by actually - I think a small group of people to do with the parish council (a kind of village team that deal with things like hedge cutting, street lighting, grass mowing in public spaces, allotments etc). I'd assume it was set up and the refurbishment done by them but I could be wrong. Now it pretty much runs on its own, though there have been too many books donated for it - they often have to cycle books through!

It's one of my favourite days of the year - Shrove Tuesday. Also known in the UK as Pancake Day! Lemon and granulated sugar all the way on mine, I scoffed six in quick succession and am now feeling rather full.

>122 lunacat: Love this little library! And I got the Sherlock Holmes, too. : )

>127 Berly: Yay for everyone having Sherlock Holmes :)
___________

Yeesh, bad night. Didn't doze off till after 4am and then had some seriously dodgy dreams, including dreaming of someone committing a murder/suicide. At least I know why I dreamt that as one happened in a town near us a couple of days ago.

It's back to the doctors today for another drop in my antidepressants, although I'm seeing a new doctor so we'll see what she says. I'd certainly welcome a fresh approach to my insomnia.

I finished listening to The Silkworm yesterday and finished Emotionally Weird at about 2am this morning. I didn't feel like a new audiobook so I started listening to Ready Player One again. I find it a strangely calming book to hear!

Off to wrestle the terrible Connie beast soon. Here's hoping she is feeling as sleepy as I am!

>129 lunacat: Aw, how cute! *must read some of those again*
Happy March and good luck with the doctor's visit!

Happy Wednesday, Jenny! Go Piglet! Go Piglet!

I hope your week is going well, my friend.

Hi Jenny! I hope you and Connie have a simpatico day.

Did you like The Silkworm? Does it make you crave Career of Evil or leave it for a while?

Happy Wednesday, Jenny! I really loved Career of Evil - they just keep getting better, and I am trying and not succeeding to be patient for the next one to come out.

Hoping Connie is feeling sleepy, too.

>130 Deern: Happy March Nathalie. It's nice to revisit old friends sometimes isn't it? I hope Spring treats you well. The doctor visit wasn't quite was I was hoping for but hopefully things will get figured out in the end.

>131 msf59: Piglet is wonderful, isn't he Mark? It's plodding on - there was almost a hint of spring in the air today so I'll take that. I hope your day is a good one.

>132 karenmarie: Alas we didn't, she was VERY full of the joys of spring and I was...............not. She demonstrated it by trying to jump on my head which was not terribly helpful. She's got the vet tomorrow so fingers crossed she behaves better then.

I'm not sure about The Silkworm - I certainly wasn't as taken with it as I was with the first. I'll write some proper comments at some point but I haven't dashed towards Career of Evil. I'll certainly get to it in March though.

>133 Crazymamie: No sleepy Connie, Mamie, even after an hour of work! Little monster. At least I know she is feeling good about life, unlike me. It felt like I was moving through treacle all day. Ah well, I've got a few things done and now I'm tucked under a cat so it can't be all bad.

I can't wait for the next Robert Galbraith (ha!) to come out either. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on The Silkworm, Jenny.

>135 jnwelch: Thanks Joe. I'm very tempted to dive into Career of Evil now it's had so many good comments but I might give Cormoran Strike a rest for a couple of books.
_______________

I had an excellent acquisition session today, as reward for the visit to the doctor. All from the Oxfam charity shop, I found:

The Siege by Helen Dunmore - a book I've been waiting for find for ages
1215: The Year of the Magna Carta by Danny Danziger - in a lovely hardback edition
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen - after lots of people here have loved it, I was going to splash out with birthday money and get it new as I never thought I'd see it secondhand round here.
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae - I didn't expect to find this so soon either
Tudors: Volume II by Peter Ackroyd - I've got the first volume so I was pleased to find this
The English Medieval Town by Colin Platt

I really must be better about slowing down on the book buying, or at the very least I need to sort my shelves and move some out of the way, so I have places to put the new books. It's getting a little out of hand in my room!

15. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.

I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery. I didn't expect to get as caught up with it as I did, but Strike is an intriguing character. However, I was slightly frustrated by his assistant, Robin, and I'll be interested to see whether she can emerge from her rather timid and subservient status currently. The general premise of the mystery is well written and Rowling (Galbraith) is, as ever, extremely good at atmosphere and scene setting. Some of the coincidences were a little laboured and pushed the bounds of believable, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment.

Personally, I find the dramatic finale somewhat overdone and I'd like to see a crime novel where the flourish at the end wasn't so extreme, but I suspect I'm in the minority there. I haven't fallen in love with Strike, as some readers have, but Rowling certainly has the knack for page turners. I'll certainly label myself a fan of the series so far, though not an avid one.

The narration of this by Robert Glenister was absolutely wonderful, and I wonder whether I'd have enjoyed it quite as much in print. If you can get this on audio, I'd thoroughly recommend it. He brought a lot to the character and I was enraptured by his performance.

16. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson

This saga brings alive the world of the 10th century AD when the Vikings raided the coasts of England.

Acclaimed as one of the best historical novels ever written, this engaging saga of Viking adventure in 10th century northern Europe has a very appealing young hero, Orm Tostesson, whose story we follow from inexperienced youth to adventurous old age, through slavery and adventure to a royal marriage and the search for great treasure.

This is not only a thrilling and interesting historical novel that gives a great overview of Viking age living, and has enough battles, fights, feasts and sailing to sate even the most greedy of warriors, but it is also exceptionally entertaining and funny. I chuckled many times while reading, and Red Orm is a wonderful character - a Viking warrior with hypochondria who despairs far more often than his situation would warrant at times. I loved both him and those around him: they felt incredibly real and with none of the mythical sense that the idea of Vikings can sometimes bring. This is nitty-gritty historical fiction (with literal lice) and while it is dense and intricate, it is also immensely readable.

The type of humour is characterised in this passage:...there was little room to spare. The young people managed well enough, for the girls were bedded in one barn and the boys in another, in good soft hay; and although a surprising number of them experienced difficulty in finding their right barn, or in remaining in it once they had found it, still no complaints were heard on this score. In the morning, the girls mumbled blushingly to their mothers of the strayings that had taken place, and of the difficulty of distinguishing one bank of hay from another, and were warned to take care that no other man stumbled over their legs on the following night, since to trip up two different men on successive nights was a thing that might damage a girl's reputation; after which, there ensued lengthy and amiable discussions between various parents, so that by the time the feast ended seven or eight marriages were as good as arranged.

With Arabian princesses, Russian wastes, galley slavery and an ever hopeful Christian priest attempting to convert everyone, this has it all, and is well worth the effort.

17. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days - as he has done before - and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realises. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published it would ruin lives - so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.

Alas, my immediate thoughts on this novel was 'just not quite as good at the first'. While I appreciated the character development that occurred, particularly as Robin stands up for herself a lot more, the basic plot was disturbing and unappealing in equal measure. For me, there were too many superfluous characters, too many unnecessary elements and threads that didn't get incorporated, and too much focus on Strike's disability rather than his skills. There are only so many times I want or need to hear about his knee or his leg. Don't misunderstand me, I can only imagine what losing a limb must be like and how different it makes your life, but the constant comments and extensive discussions on his pain felt tiring at times. Also, other than the newly emboldened Robin and the whimsical young woman with learning difficulties, most of the characters were intrinsically unpleasant and therefore difficult to care about.

That's not to say it didn't have its good moments. The expanding of a couple of his friendships, the interesting portrayal of Orlando, and the depth that was brought to his relationship with his brother were all enjoyable elements. And while the writing and scene description still made it a read I was happy to continue with, I'd say it struggled in the same way as second novels of series sometimes seem to, in trying to outdo the debut.

Good, but not great, and a book I'm unlikely to listen to again, though the narration was as skillful as ever.

18. Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson

On a peat and heather island off the west coast of Scotland, Effie and her mother Nora take refuge in the large mouldering house of their ancestors and tell each other stories.

Nora, at first, recounts nothing that Effie really wants to hear, like who her father was - variously Jimmy, Jack, or Ernie. Effie tells of her life at college in Dundee, where she lives in a lethargic relationship with Bob, a student who never goes to lectures, seldom gets out of bed, and to whom the Klingons are as real as the French and the Germans (more real than the Luxemburgers).

But strange things are happening. Why is Effie being followed? Why is everyone writing novels? Is someone killing the old people? And where is the mysterious yellow dog?

I approached this novel with some trepidation as I haven't enjoyed Kate Atkinson in the past, but I was pleasantly surprised. Jam-packed with quirky humour, bizarre yet believable characters, and various errant dogs and children that keep popping up in unexpected places, this was a very enjoyable novel. Effie, suffering with the usual self-doubt found in young adults at university, struggles more because of her unconventional childhood and her inability to pin her mother down on any details of her conception or father. Nora is seemingly hiding away from the world in the disintegrating house of her childhood. When they are forced to share that home, the stories that emerge are unexpected and surprising.

The structure of the novel is easy to follow even while it darts and dances all over the place, changing between present and past, different narrators, and interjections and arguments between Effie and her mother. The repartee is quick and amusing, the supporting characters (my favourite being the eccentric and forgetful Professor Cousins) well written, and the twists and turns are often unique and yet in keeping with the story.

This may not be considered a standout Atkinson novel, but for me the humour was irresistible and the serious moments both touching and emotional.

February roundup

Books read in February

11. Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray
12. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
13. The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian
14. A Plague on Both Your Houses by Susanna Gregory
15. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
16. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
17. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
18. Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson

8 books read = 3.5 days per book

37.5% male, 62.5% female
100% fiction, 0% nonfiction
50% paper, 50% audio, 0% ebook

Favourite book: The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
Least favourite book: The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

Year so far

18 books read = 3.28 days per book

55.5% male, 44.5% female
94.45% fiction, 5.55% nonfiction
61.1% paper, 5.56% ebook, 33.34% audio

Hi Jenny!

I have read the 3 Cormoran Strike novels AND listened to all three. To me, delicious in both formats.

I didn't particularly like Emotionally Weird, and even less did I like Life After Life. I'll stick with her Jackson Brodie mysteries. I loved the first and have 3 more to go on my shelves. I also really liked Behind the Scenes at the Museum but read it as an adult. There are quite a few books that I would have been better off to have read when I was older, but can't fix that now.

I hope Connie minds her manners tomorrow with the vet, too! And I'm sorry that you were out of synch with each other. She should not have tried to jump on your head. We used to have horses (daughter and husband's love, not mine) and I was amazed at how nasty they could be sometimes, just giving you the old stink eye before trying to bump you up against the side of the barn or step on a (fortunately well-booted) toe.

Good book haul, too!

>142 karenmarie: Hi Karen!

Having written the review, I'm now wondering if I was perhaps a little harsh on The Silkworm as I did enjoy it, just not as much as the first. I'll definitely get to the 3rd this month, though whether on audio again or on paper I'm not sure. Hopefully the series will pick up again for me.

I'm similar to you in that there are various books I should have waited to read. I foresee Kate Atkinson being rather hit and miss for me, though I might try Behind the Scenes at the Museum again at some point. It won't be top of my TBR pile though! I may well pick up her books if I find them cheap in a charity shop but I wouldn't buy them at full price.

Connie is never good for the vet :/. She has a deep dislike of being told what to do, or being poked and prodded, so I can see it all being a bit of a struggle! She's got to have her eyes looked at - what fun. I would have appreciated her not trying to flatten me, and she got thoroughly shouted at. I guess we'll see what mood Madam is in tomorrow!

>137 lunacat: I liked that one, too. Didn't find the time to go around the others.

I wish you a good night slerp.

Look at you being incredibly productive while I was napping!

>136 lunacat: Nice haul! I have The Siege and The Queen of the Tearling in my TBR stacks.

Very nice reviews, Jenny! If I did not already have The Long Ships in the stacks thanks to Lucy's warbling, your review would have sold me. And I like your thoughts on the Galbraith books - I love Cormoran more than you do, but I think you will really enjoy book three when you get to it. I agree with Karen that the books are good in both print and audio, but I do think the audio brings something to the table elevating the books a bit - I read them in print first as they came out, and then revisited them on audio, listening to them all in a row to get one continuous story arc, and those audios are just so fabulous.

You hit me with Emotionally Weird - I really love her Jackson Brodie books, and am still in mourning that I have read them all. "Jam-packed with quirky humour, bizarre yet believable characters, and various errant dogs and children that keep popping up in unexpected places, this was a very enjoyable novel." This makes me think of the Jackson books, so I'll give it a go.

A very nice round-up of February!

Good few books to end the month with! I enjoyed the Robert Galbraith books a touch more than you, I think.

>136 lunacat: Good book haul, Jenny! I loved The Siege, the Tearling and His Bloody Project. Enjoy!

I agree with you about the audio of the Comoran Strike series. I have also listened to the first 2.

>144 Ameise1: It was a very weird night, Barbara. Long, long dreams which culminated in me and TheBF watching a country singer perform at the Cadbury chocolate factory, a rhinoceros appearing as part of the performance, charging at me and catching my leg the first time and flipping me off my seat, before charging again and me blacking out. I then came round (all still in the dream) and discovered they'd had to amputate my leg (this is definitely related to the Strike books) but it was my fault as apparently you should hold your ground when a rhino charges you?! TheBF and I then had to go shopping for a disability-friendly home.

Apparently he dreamt he was a subversive resistance member in a dystopian future. I'm not sure what either dream says about us!

>145 Crazymamie: I'm not sure I was overly productive, but thanks Mamie. I hope you like Emotionally Weird and The Long Ships when you get to them. The Atkinson has some dark moments and I can see how it wouldn't be to everyone's taste but I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I hope your March is starting off well.

>146 ChelleBearss: I had a late surge in February it seems! I'm interested to see if I can reach the levels of enjoyment with Cormoran Strike that everyone else seems to, once I read the third one. I'm certainly liking them though.

>147 msf59: I was so pleased with my haul Mark. I think I'm in for a good spring of reading. I hope your Thursday treats you well :).

Madame Connie is not best pleased with me, as she got poked and prodded by the (very good-looking) vet this morning. She's had weepy eyes for a while and after a thorough examination it was determined she had blocked tear ducts. So three injections of sedation, the vet going back to the horse hospital for some different equipment, a lot of local anaesthetic and a very cross Connie, the ducts have been flushed! She did NOT appreciate having a tiny catheter threaded up her nose and into the ducts, or saline being flushed through them. She also didn't appreciate not being allowed food while the sedation wears off!

Now I have to give her eye-drops for the next five days, which again, she won't enjoy. But hopefully that is the problem solved and it will be nice for her to not have weepy, gungy eyes every day.

The vet said she was a good patient despite her arguments, so that's good :). I told her she has nothing to complain about - I'm the one that has to pay for it all!

>148 lunacat: Yeesh. What an awful dream.

Sometimes I look back at reviews I've written and want to change them but let them stand as a reflection of my feelings at that time.

I hope you're having a good Thursday, Jenny.

Edited to add: Poor Connie, but glad it not worse. And I certainly remember the vet bills!

>148 lunacat: Goodness me, you're dreaming very vividly. I hope you got some rest after this dream.

Poor Connie! Good luck with the eye drops - I thought it was hard putting them in the kitties eyes.

Poor Connie! I don't think I'd appreciate having any of that done to me, either. Sounds like she'll soon be in good form for the upcoming competitions, though.

I'll be interested to hear how you manage with the eye drops. I've never had to do that.

>151 karenmarie: It wasn't the most pleasant of dreams but I'm used to some weird ones. I'm not looking forward to the vet bill but it is just one of these things that has to be done.

Thursday has been.....interesting. Our internet is broken and I fell down the stairs! Oh well, it's nearly over.

>152 Ameise1: My dreams are always vivid - it's no wonder I wake up tired so often! I didn't manage to go back to sleep so I'm rather grumpy today, but hopefully I'll sleep well tonight, thanks Barbara.

>153 Crazymamie: I suspect I'll be enlisting some help with Connie's eye drops - someone else to hold her while I put them in!

>154 streamsong: It is very strange as the dye he put in to check her eyes and then test her tear ducts was orange but turned green on contact with her eye. So now she has a green tinge for a while!

I'm hoping she'll behave herself for the drops, she was surprisingly good today considering the poking and prodding he had to do. She was sedated, but didn't have that much, and she put up with it well. I might have changed my tune after a couple of days of trying to get them in though! The worst bit was trying to get the local anaesthetic into the area around her nostrils, she disagreed that anything should go near her nose and was doing the most ferocious snorts. I suspect I didn't help by laughing at her.

Catching up here. I'm looking forward to eventually reading The Santa Klaus Murder and am jealous you found it at a thrift shop!

>155 lunacat: That is probably the same dye they use on dogs, Jenny, I have seen some green doggy eyes in my life. It was usely gone within hours. Good luck on putting eye drops on poor Connie. I have always managed to do dogs eyes on my own, even when they weren't cooperative. But a horse could be a challenge, I guess...

>156 thornton37814: I was very pleased with the find, especially as it ended up being free thanks to a loyalty card the shop runs where every 5th book is free!

>157 FAMeulstee: Yeah, the vet said it will be gone by tomorrow but it did look odd, particularly when he finally managed to flush the ducts and a spray of green tears came bursting out of the corner of the eye!

It's more of a gel than drops, so I'm hopeful I'll be able to run it along her lid line and she'll blink it into the eye, but there should be help around. The problem with horses is the height, she knows that if she doesn't want me near her face, she can stick her head in the air and there is no way on earth I can reach it! Fingers crossed.

This morning isn't happening. Woke up, muscle wobbles and fuggy head so bad I had to rest after a trip to the bathroom. So I've cancelled leaving the house and will be trying to recuperate for the morning and hoping I can treat my body well enough that it lets me join in on life for the afternoon.

Part of it is that I slipped down the stairs yesterday and banged my leg hard, so it's come up in the most amazing bruise and muscle swelling. Who knew normal life could be so dangerous?

I hope your Friday treats you well :).

Oh dear, get well soon, Jenny. Sending lots of healing vibes and gentle hugs.

Take it easy today, Jenny. Keeping you in my thoughts.

Thank you Barbara and Mamie, the thoughts are very much appreciated. I've just woken up at 1.45 having slept since about 10am and am feeling slightly more human. Today is simply one of those chronic illnesss days when my body put its foot down and said no!

I'll read and rest for another hour or so and then try to get up again. Hopefully more successfully this time!

I'm so sorry you're having such a rough day, Jenny! Take good care of yourself.

Sending hugs and healing thoughts.

Thanks Karen. I got up and did Connie this afternoon, and managed a shower before flopping back on my bed, so it's not all bad! And I've raced through my re-listen of Ready Player One so at least I've been entertained :).

I wondered about Connie - with horses they have to be taken care of every day, especially with treatments or medicines.

Yay weekend, and bed, and books and etc.

>165 karenmarie: It's ok, she's kept on livery so if I'm feeling ill or too exhausted etc, the wonderful girls on the yard will do her. I just have two DIY days a week, that I often split - I did Wednesday morning and this afternoon and that counts as one DIY day. There is no way I could have her fully in my care with how my health is, and TheBF living so far away. I know she'll always be well looked after and not miss me at all! I should think she sighs when I turn up as it means she actually has to do some work.

Looks like being a lazy weekend as both TheBF and I are exhausted and the weather is bad. I foresee lots of hibernating and quiet snuggles occurring.

>116 lunacat: holy moly. I have jealousy issues now, your edition of Cautionary Tales is amazing!! Friends of mine have had that book since we were all kids, and it was so fun to read, and equally shocking now as an adult as it was to us as children. What a find!!!

Also, re: weekends, I just posted this to you on my thread, but thought to say it to your face, as it were, seeing as Mondays are the worlds shortest horror story for you ;)
you know....weekends are the cause of much stress and bother around here. All child related of course. Already we have packed one off with the lovely other to go for fruit, and I am now seeking solace in my bookish pals :)
In short, I love Mondays. They bring calm and peace to my world. Weird huh?

>167 LovingLit: I've never come across Cautionary Tales before so now I'm looking forward to it even more. I shall actually have to read it instead of simply stroking it.

Actually, I don't mind Mondays, I just join in with the hatred. Being in some kind of weird, housewife limbo (not having a house or being a wife changes this somewhat!) I find Monday a restful day because TheBF is back to work and not dragging me off to socialise, do activities, cook etc. But having him around is lovely, so I'm rather ambivalent. Swings and roundabouts and all that!

Hi Jenny. A long overdue catch-up on your thread and also belated birthday wishes!

It looks like you have been doing some good reading - The Long Ships has been on my wishlist for a while and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

>169 lunacat: Ha! This was also me at 5am this morning....

Jenny--Your book reviews are wonderful! So sorry about the stairs mishap. I hope you recover quickly and I that you get a spare spoon or two. ; )

Good morning, Jenny. I hope you fell better and got some healing sleep.
Happy weekend.

I hope you feel better soon, Jenny.

>170 souloftherose: Lovely to see you here. I hope all is going as well as possible with Dan and yourself. Sorry you also had the insomnia strike! Thank you for the birthday wishes, and I have no doubt you will enjoy The Long Ships when you get to it.

>171 Berly: I woke up with slightly more spoons than yesterday but so far it's been a quiet-ish day so I'm not concerned. I was awake until about 4am and awake at 9am which isn't ideal! And we've got 2 hours of badminton this afternoon - I may be having quite a few breaks.

>172 Ameise1: The sleep that I got was reasonably good but there wasn't enough of it. Hopefully I'll be tired tonight and drop off quickly.

>173 DianaNL: Thank you Diana. Yesterday was a bad day but today is a little better. My brain hasn't got out of bed but who needs it anyway!

Sounds like you are having a rough week! Hope your leg isn't sore now.
I feel your pain about vet bills! Our dog Tempe has been sick for the last week so I took her to the vet yesterday when they could fit us in. They can't tell us for sure what her issues are but it appears that she ate something that hurt her tummy. Exam, X-ray, blood work and medicine = $$. Ugh

>175 ChelleBearss: The leg is fairly sore but I'm trying to keep it moving.

Isn't it always the way? That amount of money for not knowing quite what is wrong! At least I could see results immediately, and by the next day the eyes were completely clear so I'm pleased. Just dreading the bill! I hope Tempe begins to feel better soon.

This is the bruise.....not much fun!

I'm glad today is a little better. Ha. Your brain hasn't gotten out of bed.

>176 lunacat: - Lovely! Purple is my favorite color :)

Hope the rest of your weekend is restful, Ermi...

>177 karenmarie: The brain never got out of bed! I'm just as confused now as I was at 10am this morning. Roll on bedtime.

>178 katiekrug: Isn't it beautiful? I'm weirdly proud of it. I very very rarely bruise, it has to be a really solid hit in order to bring something out on me - for example, I have never bruised this well when I've been kicked by a horse. So I took quite a thump! My best friend bruises like a peach and often has amazing bruises simply from banging her leg slightly, so I'm showing this one off.

Badminton today wasn't restful but we're hibernating tomorrow so more sleep and relaxation will occur. There is NO way I'm being energetic.

Books acquired today:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - I've seen this around in charity shops so often, I thought maybe I should give it a go.

Mystery In White by J. Jefferson Farjeon - continuing my newly founded British Library Crime Classics collection.

Bread Matters: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own by Andrew Whitley.

And I realised I bought The Death Maze as a duplicate. Oops. Ah well, it was in a charity shop so it is my way of donating a small amount. Guess that will be heading into my next box of donations!

>176 lunacat: Owie!!! Glad you have rest ahead of you. Take care. And Read!!

I didn't comment on your bruise. Yeesh.

Hoping your brain has engaged with your body prior to leaving bed today.....

>176 lunacat: That is a large bruise, Jenny, I hope it heals quickly.
I bruise easily, but only had once a bruise of such a size on my shinbone, when a horse took me too close along a tree. It took a very long time to heal, and years before I could feel my skin there again :-(

A restful but annoying day today as I've been dealing with rubbish abdominal muscle spasms. I was nearly crying at one point. Not fun but things have settled down a bit now.

Currently reading:

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
The Gathering Night by Margaret Elphinstone

And I finished The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.

>181 Berly: Restful yes, and indeed a bit of reading. I hope you're beginning to feel better soon Kim.

>182 karenmarie: Alas not. I'm starting to think that I didn't pack it when I left home on Friday to come to TheBF's. It certainly hasn't been much in evidence this weekend so I'm sure that must be it. Fingers crossed I find it when I head back tomorrow. Maybe it will have had a nice rest without me, and next week will be one full of brain power.

>183 FAMeulstee: I've got a patch like that on my leg - a horse trampled me and skinned a huge patch of skin off my lower leg, and it is now fairly numb! It also doesn't grow hair so it saves me removing it from that area.

Sorry you aren't feeling well, Jenny, and that certainly is quite a bruise. Glad Connie's eyes have cleared up, though.

Hello, Jenny!

>176 lunacat: That is some bruise!

>178 katiekrug: Hahaha

Have a great week, Jenny, when you are able to get about again properly.

Wishing you a good start into the new week, Jenny.

>186 ronincats: Connie's eyes are looking excellent, thanks Roni. Now it is a case of hoping the problem doesn't reoccur. It may because she's got a somewhat defective tear duct on one side that will easily clog. Her eye medication stops tomorrow and then we'll see what happens.

>187 alcottacre: Hello Stasia! Wonderful to see you here. Feel free to visit often. I love guests :).

>188 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. Apart from the first day, it hasn't really hindered me. I think playing badminton helped as it made me use the leg and everything got stretched out. I hope this week treats you well.

>189 Ameise1: Thank you Barbara. You too.

I've woken up in a strange mood - anxious but positive. It's peculiar. Perhaps it's the prospect of lots of holidays that will do it. The second one got booked over the weekend, which is a week in an old French farmhouse near Bordeaux. I have my nerves about it as it is with two of TheBF's best friends and their partners, and I'm still not totally relaxed around them yet, but the place looks wonderful. It's isolated and peaceful, with plenty of places where I can go and curl up with a good book.

Also, there are so many prehistoric sites around that I will be in heaven. And we're driving from the UK so we will have the use of a car for the whole time. It's looking to be a good year of holidays :).

>191 lunacat: Spain AND France, Jenny, that is a lot to look forward to :-)
I can imagine that staying with people you're not yet complete comforable with, can cause some anxiety.

Wow! The old French farmhouse holiday sounds amazing! I look forward to more info on the prehistoric sites....exciting! Your trip to Spain sounds just as awesome! We were in central Spain last year and I'd be happy to return in a heartbeat

Your holidays sound wonderful, Jenny! Places to hide out with a book are good. I'd be anxious staying with people I'd never stayed with before, even if I knew them really well, much less as people you're still getting to know.

I hope your week goes well. Hope Connie's coming along nicely, too.

>192 FAMeulstee: A lot to look forward to indeed, Anita. I'm certainly more looking forward to Spain as it will be blissful time, just me and TheBF, but I'm sure once I'm used to the idea, France will be lovely as well. Both of his friends are lovely and I feel fine with them, it's just their partners I'm not so comfortable with. I find one of them particularly irritating, though TheBF says I hid it well - he could only tell cos he knows me that much more.

Does anyone else have the situation that they almost unequivocally get on better with the opposite sex rather than the same one? While my small circle of friends is predominantly female, that's more to do with circumstance than my general preference. Mostly I find men a lot easier to get on with than women, and I always have done. Even as a baby, I was happier being held by a man than a woman, and I always played with the boys rather than the girls.

It led to a lot of difficulties when I hit my teens as teenage boys don't usually want a girl hanging round with them, and after so long with the boys I didn't have a group of girls to fit in with. I had been bullied a lot by the girls for being such a tomboy and that continued.

Even now, I will always relax around men more than women. So I'm slightly relieved to find out that one of the partners may not be able to go (she's the one I found extremely annoying), and another of the female friends may only go for the weekend.

I'm sure I sound horrible in saying that, and all will be fine! The weather in France will hopefully be warm, and there is plenty of space and nature to go and hide in, as well as a pool to chill out by.

>193 Carmenere: I'll be a lucky girl indeed if everything is even half as good as I hope it will be. It will beat getting pelted with hailstones anyway, which is what happened to me today! Roll on sun, food, wine and culture, not necessarily in that order.

>194 karenmarie: TheBF has done a good job of reassuring me there will be plenty of space and downtime where I can escape being social. I'm a thorough introvert but so are all but two of the others so it will be OK, I'm sure. And TheBF knows me so well that he'll be able to tell when I'm overwhelmed.

Connie got a duvet day today because it was hailing when I went to the yard, and I wasn't going to make her work in that! Her eyes are still looking fabulous and she was pleased to get her dinner and be left in peace to eat it :).

I've just discovered that the cave paintings of Lascaux will be within a 2 hour drive of the place we will be staying in France, so that is on my list as a must see. It's one of my bucket list goals to see them. While I'm disappointed not to be able to see the real ones in person as they are fiercely protected and only a few scientists a month are allowed in, seeing the exact replicas will still be awesome.

Yes, the real Lascaux paintings suffered a lot from human visits, Jenny, but I think it is awsome they made a replica that can be seen.

Where in France will you be?

>176 lunacat: Wow, that is an impressive bruise.

***

I think I'm the only one here on LT that wasn't impressed with Cuckoo's Calling. I didn't think it was better than the average mystery out there.

***

I knew they had restricted the Lascaux but not by that much!

Today is not shaping up for a good day - dentist for some work to be done and the internet isn't working at home so I couldn't distract myself last night! I hate the dentist.

Hi, Jenny! Just checking in. That bruise looks nasty. Are you feeling better?

>201 msf59: Love it! You're the first person to raise a smile from me today, Mark, so thank you for that.

I'm feeling surprisingly good physically but my brain is in a bad place, not helped by a bad dentist visit with bad news, and no internet at home. I'm currently hanging out in a starbucks, treating myself to a very large coffee and using their wifi.

I hope you're having a reasonable week and that it goes as fast as possible for you.

Sorry, about the brain, the dentist and lack of internet. Hey, it can only go up from here, right? Smiles...

>203 msf59: Thanks, Mark. It is just one of those days *sigh*. And I left my purse at home - thankfully I have TheBF's wallet with me as he left it at mine and I thought I might need to drive it down to him. I don't, so he's treating me to a huge mocha and probably some kind of wrap for lunch. I did ask him if I could use his card beforehand though :).

I happen to love Patrick Stewart so maybe his enthusiasm can help me through Tuesday as well.

No one should have to suffer both the dentist and a lack of internet in the same day, Jenny. Hooray for a huge mocha at least. Hoping the rest of your day is better behaved.

Yipes. No internet and the dentist. Two whammies. My husband has a dentist visit today, but it's only his 6-month visit and unless there's bad news he'll be fine.

I heard Patrick Stewart say on Stephen Colbert the other night that he was going to become a US citizen in order to fight Trump. I do not understand how doing that will help the fight, but more power to him.

It keeps getting uglier and uglier over here.

Bring out all your good luck charms and good luck people - Patrick Stewart included. I hope Tuesday is shaping up better than Monday for you, Jenny!

Hope your day gets better, Jenny. That BF sounds like a keeper. You deserve a treat or three.

My wife loves Patrick Stewart, and I get a kick out of him, too. We got to see him and Ian McKellen together on stage last fall, and it was obvious they are great pals.

Hallo, Ermi! Sorry about the dentist, but thanks for the reminder that I need to find one up here... I have a crown that needs replacing soonish.

This is me today:

Alas, today did not improve. Madame Connie bucked me off 3 times in 7 minutes. And every single time I slammed into the ground with the same part of my back! After the third time I gave up and decided to work her from the ground instead (basically involving making her go round a circular pen instead of riding her round a larger area). Judging by my pain levels now, I'll be calling my GP first thing and trying to get an emergency appointment for some decent painkillers.

>206 Crazymamie: As you can see, Mamie, it didn't improve! But I'm now chilled out on the sofa under a blanket so hopefully the last couple of hours will be incident free.

>207 karenmarie: Can you send wishes for Wednesday to shape up better than Tuesday, Karen? Your first plea didn't seem to get heard? I will be so glad when today is over.

>208 jnwelch: Ohhh, I'd have loved to see them together, Joe. I'm definitely much more a Patrick Stewart fan than a Mckellen one, but they bounce off each other so well.

I'm very much the kind of person who likes to show off the weird and wonderful stuff going on with my injuries. Much to the horror of others.

>209 katiekrug: Wish I could have done that, Katie. Perhaps my day would have gone better then! I hope you find a new dentist you like - I'm going for a second opinion at the end of the month as I think there is more that could be done to help my teeth. We'll see.

>211 lunacat: LOL ROTF!

I was all ready to give you loads of sympathy then you post that. How am I supposed to go, "Aw, poor you." When I'm laughing so hard? Hmm?

>212 Morphidae: I'll always take sympathy and laughter mixed together, it's the reaction I get from everyone IRL so I may as well embrace it.

One of my previous birthday presents was a sign from my best friend that now hangs from my mirror: "Best Friends. Always remember that if you fall, I will pick you up. After I finish laughing!".

>196 lunacat: On my bucket list to visit one of these centuries!

>214 alcottacre: I'm so excited, I can't wait. But first comes Spain - I need to look up the UNESCO World Heritage sites we might be nearby to carry on ticking off my list.

19. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight Judge Judy - loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

A story depicting the difficulties of being a child prodigy, of being a teenager, of being heartbroken, and of trying to make a difference in the world. This is not quite up there with my favourites of his, but the writing is often chuckle-worthy, the asides quick and telling, and Green knows how to write a good YA novel. I glossed over the maths (it's never been my strong point), but found the premise and execution fun.

TheBF is entertaining himself by idly job hunting, and has so far suggested the Falkland Islands (I said Connie would veto it as I doubt she'd like penguins), Ascension Island (Connie vetoes that because of scary turtles), and MI5 (I quite like this idea as it would mean he couldn't complain about work).

I think my madness has spread to him................

*snerk*

I just read an absolutely brilliant article by Caitlin Moran that was revisited for International Women's Day. Hilarious, yes, but oh so true as well. And don't worry, there is no 'womansplaining of feminism' in sight.

Things Men Don't Know About Women

Just discovered your 2017 threads - glad to see you back! How's Connie doing?

>220 DFED: Far far too well. Hence she bucked me off 3 times in about 7 minutes. And it wasn't because she has a bad back or any excusable reason like that, just because she was absolutely full of the joys of Spring and wanted to share it!

I took her in the lunge pen after the 3rd time, and she proceeded to happily canter round for ten minutes, just for the fun of running. I think it's safe to say she is a happy, healthy bunny currently.

She has just had her tear ducts unblocked, but that was all that was bothering her. Other than that, I could do with her feeling a little less well ;). Or at least my back could!

>216 lunacat: I liked An Abundance of Katherines, too, Jenny. He's a quality YA writer, isn't he.

>219 lunacat: Great article! I passed it onto my wife.

I'm sorry I didn't get to your thread early enough today to put the fix in, Jenny. I hope your THURSDAY is Good. Not better, not okay, not middling, but GOOD.

Happy Wednesday, Jenny! I hope the week has been improving, as it moves along.

>168 lunacat: Actually, I don't mind Mondays, I just join in with the hatred.
He he, that is hilarious. I don't hate Mondays at all either, but also find myself buying into the whole thing about Mondays.....that is funny that we are reinforcing the Monday-hater stereotype when neither of us actually hate it!!!! From now on Im going to stick up for Mondays :)

Mondays for me mean a return to routine and some calmness in my day that comes with going to work.

ETA: oh, and that bruise!! Woah!!

>222 jnwelch: I agree, John Green is certainly quality. Though I've liked some more than others, I've yet to come across a dud. I hope your wife enjoyed the article as much as I did.

>223 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. Today isn't bad, but I don't know that I would go as far as to say it is good either. Running at about middling I think. At least I have had a decent block of time reading this morning.

>224 msf59: It's been a rather 'meh' week, Mark. But perhaps it will manage to raise its game as we head towards the weekend. At least there are hints of spring outside.

>225 LovingLit: I may be forced to join you in sticking up for Mondays. I definitely appreciate the routine that comes with its arrival. The bruise looks to be sticking around for a while - it's now taking up a lot of my thigh! At least I am not likely to be strutting around in a swimsuit any time soon, so I'm not bothered now it has stopped hurting so much.

>216 lunacat: I really liked that one too! I have not read one of his books that I have not liked.

>227 alcottacre: It does appear he is incapable of writing a bad book!

Hi Jenny! How is the bruised bum? Hope the bruises are fading and causing you no pain!

Hi Jenny! I'm glad that even though it's a 'meh' week, you've been getting some good reading in.

Oh I am sorry you had to suffer because of Connie's joy, Jenny, I hope you feel a bit better today!

>229 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle! The bruised bum is...........well, still bruised but not causing me any trouble! My back on the other hand........turns out falling off Connie hurts a lot more now I'm old ;) If I hadn't had strong painkillers left over from previous injuries, I'd definitely have been off to the doctors. I think I'll be trying to wipe the last week or so from my memory!

>230 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. I've been awake since 6am, having only fallen asleep at 3am, so lots of reading has happened. I'm nearing the end of listening to Career of Evil, and am halfway through a prehistoric fiction called The Gathering Night which I'm thoroughly enjoying. I even managed a shower this morning - how's that for productivity?! (she chuckles ironically).

I enjoyed the article, too, especially, #8, "It's the Lord's way of saying, 'Go on, have a fiddle.'"

*snarfles*

>232 FAMeulstee: It was quite funny at the time, Anita. She is just SO happy when she does it, it's hard not to laugh at her. But my back has disagreed. I'm starting to feel more mobile now so it's onwards and upwards from here.

>234 Morphidae: Glad I could bring some amusement round here! I think my favourite bit was about periods.............it's true, you never quite get used to them and it's always such a bloody (pun intended) hassle.

Oops. I'm forced to hang my head in shame.

I went to try and sign up for Overdrive, and discovered that not only had my library card lapsed, but that I had £16 of late fees still on my account from 2011! I guess I'll be slinking into the library next week with my tail between my legs, to pay for a new card and pay the outstanding balance. Not looking forward to it, I'm mortified that it is that much and I never paid it.

Ohhh oops indeed, Jenny, at least you are going to pay your debts...

>238 FAMeulstee: I'm really quite upset with myself :/ might take a lot of plucking up courage to go in there, it's exactly the kind of awkward, embarrassing situation I find almost impossible.

I'm lucky. I can ay my fines online.

>240 Morphidae: Lucky indeed! I was hoping I could, but alas, it doesn't seem so. I shall simply have to be brave ;)

>237 lunacat: I am hopeless with library cards and seem to pick up fines as a matter of course. Look at it as a way of helping the beleagured library system.

Have a lovely weekend, Jenny.

>243 PaulCranswick: That's very true, thanks for that different way of looking at it. I'm sure they have plenty of people with worse fines :).

Hi Jenny! One of the reasons I stopped borrowing books from the library and expanded my purchases was exactly because I could never turn books back in on time and ended with irritatingly large fines and the embarrassment of having to pay them.

It's a great reason to own books, though.

Once you get through the embarrassment, think of the riches that await! And Paul's right, it brings in much-needed monies to libraries.

>245 karenmarie: Embarrassment over, the lady was lovely so it wasn't too bad. I have a clear account, a pretty new library card, and I treated myself by taking out 7 graphic novels. And I put their due dates in my phone calendar so it will remind me three days before!

Congrats on getting it over and having new books to read. Shiny. And, behold the joy of cell phones.

>247 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. I'm glad I got it over and done with instead of procrastinating like I usually do. And it means I can sign up on Overdrive as well - double positives.

20. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

In a dystopian future where the oil has nearly run out, and the majority of the world is living in abject poverty, most people choose to spend their time in the virtual reality called the OASIS. There, seventeen year old Wade Watts competes in a worldwide competition to find 'Easter Eggs' hidden by the OASIS' creator, James Halliday. The one who completes the competition first, wins Halliday's extreme wealth. But the controlling forces of a rival computer company are determined to win, and will stop at nothing to do so.

This is a rare Audible re-listen for me, but I find the geeky technology and video game references that I know nothing about, extremely soothing, and Wil Wheaton's voice is weirdly calming to me. I've enjoyed this in both print and on audio, and haven't yet got tired of it.

21. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

Lucy is recovering from an operation in a New York hospital when she wakes to find her estranged mother sitting by her bed. They have not seen one another in years. As they talk Lucy finds herself recalling her troubled rural childhood and how it was she eventually arrived in the big city, got married and had children. But this unexpected visit leaves her doubting the life she's made: wondering what is lost and what has yet to be found.

If it wasn't for the fact I've already got The Burgess Boys on my Kindle, this book would probably put me off reading Strout again. It isn't that it is badly written. I can see the skill on every page, and the language is both simple and lyrical. My main problem was that I didn't like any of the characters. The protagonist, Lucy, was all too fond of complaining and wishful thinking, and her mother was emotionally distant. I couldn't sympathise with either.

It's a pity, because my copy of the book is beautiful, a clothbound hardback with thick paper that gives a lovely feel while reading it. But I didn't get the same sensation from the story being told, so this will be heading off to be donated. All in all, this was a disappointing introduction of a new-to-me author.

Hi, Jenny. Happy Friday - we made it! >242 lunacat: = "Like"

It's tough when none of the characters is likeable. I remember the standout for me in that regard was the old Tom Wolfe novel, Bonfire of the Vanities. Couldn't stand any of the characters, and ended up not liking the book either.

Ready Player One is one I could easily re-read. I can see why you enjoy it.

Hello, Jenny! I hope you have a great weekend!

>251 jnwelch: We made it indeed. It's been a struggle this week. TheBF and I were going to spend the weekend starting to clear out my (hoarder) mother's house as she's been moved out of it for a while now, but my back and his exhaustion have postponed it. So the weekend should be much more fun than initially thought!

>252 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. See my reply to Joe, I'm looking forward to some downtime with TheBF :).

It's good that Connie's happy - even if your backside has suffered!! :)

Ugh, library fines suck. Glad it went fine getting your new card
My library emails a few days before the due date so it's easy for me to remember. Otherwise I would have large amounts of fines!

>254 DFED: Indeed, as long as she is happy, what does it matter about my state of pain ;) I'd rather have her this way than perfectly behaved at all times!

>255 ChelleBearss: I'm not sure if the library does now or not. I might look and see if I can put that option on my account. I'm just about to register with Overdrive - at least I don't have to worry about fines with that.

>251 jnwelch: My standout was Gone Girl but you were better than I. I couldn't finish it, I disliked the characters so.