bell7's (Mary's) 2017 Eclectic Reads - a 2nd runaround

Hello and welcome to my second thread of 2017!

I am a 30-something librarian living in western Massachusetts. I facilitate a book group (see the second post below for our 2017 reads) and my discussions will feature frequently here. Reading is how I spend a lot of my free time, but I also enjoy knitting and sports (tennis, NY Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Bruins especially). I am the oldest of five siblings, most of us living locally, but one married sister living outside of D.C. and the other youngest sister going to college in D.C. My married sister has one daughter, my adorable niece Mia who will be topping my threads all year and is due with her second child, a boy, in May.

I read an eclectic mix, though you'll often find I read my go-to genre of young adult fantasy. I enjoy fantasy, science fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, classics, mysteries; for nonfiction, books about books, essays, history and language are favorite topics. I am not a horror fan and am extremely picky about romance, but there's not much genre-wise I won't try. I like books with compelling characters, at least something of a plot, and descriptive (but not excessively so) writing. I typically read about 130-40 books a year. I welcome discussion on books and life, and I will star your thread though I tend not to comment unless I feel like I have something to say :)

The Mia topper:

Setting up all of her stuffed animals with a book to read – child after my own heart!

A bit about my rating system:
1 star - Forced myself to finish it
2 stars - Dislike
2.5 stars - I really don't know if I liked it or not
3 stars - Sort of liked it; or didn't, but admired something about it despite not liking it
3.5 stars - The splitting hairs rating of less than my last 4 star book or better than my last 3
4 stars - I liked it and recommend it, but probably won't reread it except under special circumstances (ie., a book club or series reread)
4.5 stars - Excellent, ultimately a satisfying read, a title I would consider rereading
5 stars - A book that I absolutely loved, would absolutely reread, and just all-around floored me

My ratings are totally subjective and about how much *I* liked a book. I try in my reviews to make it apparent why I didn't like it and if you would anyways.

*deleted duplicate post*

2017 Work Books:

Book Club
January - Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
February - Daughters of the Samurai by Janice P. Nimura
March - Accordion Crimes by E. Annie Proulx
April - H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald
May - The House Girl by Tara Conklin -
June - The Outermost House by Henry Beston
July - A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
August - The Eden Express by Mark Vonnegut
September - Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
October - A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre
November - The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
December - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Western Mass. Reader's Advisory Genre Study Round Table (aka Librarian Book Club) -
January - Historical Fiction, Tudor to WW2
Benchmark, everyone reads: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - DONE
2nd title, my choice: Regeneration by Pat Barker - DONE

March - Historical fiction vs. biography -
Two books about the same person
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain (fiction) - DONE
Straight on Till Morning by Mary S. Lovell (biography) - DONE

May - Alternate History
Benchmark: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
2nd title, my choice: Farthing by Jo Walton - Reading

2017 Movies watched and books read

Movie and TV show list ('cause why not?)
1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Jan. 1
2. My Neighbor Totoro - Jan. 3
3. All Quiet on the Western Front - Jan. 4
4. Finding Dory - Jan. 4
5. Casablanca - Jan. 11
6. Gilmore Girls, Season 2 - Jan. 13
7. Rogue One - Jan. 14
8. Sherlock, Season 4 - Jan. 16
9. Iron Man - Jan. 16
10. Gilmore Girls, Season 3 - Feb. 6
11. X-Men First Class - Feb. 8
12. X-Men Days of Future Past - Feb. 11
13. A Man Called Ove - Mar. 20
14. Gilmore Girls, Season 4 - Mar. 31
15. Moana - Apr. 23
16. Supernatural Season 12 - May 18

January
1. Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt - audio and e-book
2. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - reread
3. Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
4. Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
5. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
6. Under the Jolly Roger by L.A. Meyer - audio
7. Regeneration by Pat Barker

February
8. The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee - mine and e-book ARC
9. Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger - audio and reread
10. Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers - audio
11. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley - graphic novel
12. Daughters of the Samurai by Janice P. Nimura
13. March: Book One by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell - graphic novel
14. Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken
15. Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty - audio
16. King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard
17. On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
18. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
19. March: Book Two by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell - graphic novel
20. Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger - audio
21. March: Book Three by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell - graphic novel

March
22. Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money by Dave Ramsey - mine
23. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
24. Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer - audio and e-book
25. Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx
26. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
27. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson - audio and reread
28. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn - audio
29. The Hanging Judge by Michael Ponsor - e-book and book is mine
30. Words on the Move by John McWhorter

April
31. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
32. Straight on Till Morning by Mary S. Lovell
33. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - mine and a reread
34. No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor
35. Something New by Lucy Knisley - graphic novel
36. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger - e-book and audio
37. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
38. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
39. A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
40. Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Andersen - comics
41. Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels
42. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
43. Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

May
44. A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas - mine and a reread
45. A Court of Wings & Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
46. The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stewart - e-book
47. The House Girl by Tara Conklin
48. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall - audio and reread
49. Farthing by Jo Walton
50. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner mine and a reread

Currently Reading
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - ebook and a reread
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - mine
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen - audio and a reread

Next one's yours! I'll come back to fix the touchstones another time.

Happy New Thread :)

Seriously? Two duplicates?

Grr, I have absolutely no idea why my computer keeps duplicate posting! Happy New Thread again then!

Ha! Triplicate posting - impressive, Jenny. :-)

Happy New Thread, Mary. I got a big kick out of In a Sunburned Country. As I recall, he referred to an encyclopedia of all the ways Australian nature and wildlife can kill you, which ran to about 50 volumes.

>9 jnwelch: I do like to outdo myself in disastrous arrivals sometimes ;)

Happy new one, Mary! That Mia pic is adorable!

Good afternoon, bell7! I don't know why I haven't been here sooner, but here I am. Happy new thread!

>4 bell7: I love the move/tv show list. It is quite diverse. I liked seeing Rogue One in there, Casablanca, and Sherlock. My wife and I enjoyed Gilmore Girls and the recent revival was pretty good. In fact, I am inspired to try something like that myself. How interesting would it be track everything I watch.

I'm looking forward to listening to the first in the Carriger series you mentioned.

Dropping a star *

Happy new thread, Mary!

Happy new thread. I just watched the first lego movie as there was a deal on. Better than I was expecting - really funny.

Happy new thread Mary.

Lego land was opened in Johor in Malaysia. It opened three months late because apparently they were still putting it together!

>6 lunacat: through 8 - Thanks, Jenny! I had a duplicate post to start out because it took so long for the first one to go through that I clicked twice. That'll show me not to have more patience!

>9 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! I'm really enjoying the humor and descriptions of In a Sunburned Country. I'm hoping to go to Australia someday myself to see the Australian Open. Hard to believe Bryson wrote it almost 20 years ago.

>10 lunacat: *snort* Hey, I started my own thread with a duplicate post, so no worries :)

>11 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I laughed out loud getting that text. If she couldn't get the books exactly right, she had her mother fix it for her.

>12 brodiew2: Hi Brodie, thanks for stopping by! I don't watch a lot of movies, and when I watch TV I either go months without watching anything but sports or completely binge on a season in a week or two. I've been meaning to read the rest of the Carriger series since starting it 'way back when the first book came out, and it's good fun.

>13 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>14 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! I watched some of the Lego movie at my parents and wasn't super impressed but I can be really weird about what I find humorous. I might give it another go.

>15 PaulCranswick: Whoops, you sneaked in while I was posting, Paul! Hope things are going well for you as you get ready to move next month.

Happy new thread, Mary! Love the latest Mia topper!

Hi Mary! Happy New Thread! Thanks for the adorable-ness of Mia.

I'm frantically reading Clementine: The Life of Mrs Winston Churchill for tomorrow's library book club. It started out slowly, but is much more interesting now I'm in the part about WWII. It should make for some good discussion tomorrow, even if I don't quite get it done - which is the story of my life with the RLBC books lately.

>16 bell7: I read In A Sunburned Country a few years ago, Mary, right before we traveled to Australia's east coast. We were properly forewarned (!), and saw a good bit of what he describes.

>18 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! Couldn't resist sharing such a bookish photo.

>19 streamsong: Thanks, Janet, and glad you're enjoying the photos of Mia. Every now and again I ask them to text me more haha. Clementine sounds really interesting. I always come away with a different appreciation for the book we read after a discussion. This month's was certainly the case, as I found Daughters of the Samurai really dry, but others in our group loved it and their talk made me realize how much it could be liked, if that makes sense.

>20 jnwelch: Ha! Well I won't go wandering into the ocean on my own, that's for sure! (Not to mention a few other places, but the bit about the disappearing prime minister was enough to give you pause). I'd love to see a lot of what he describes. Despite his persona as a grumpy old traveler, he definitely loves Australia and its people so I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

Well the newsletter has been mailed out and the email is automatically going out on Friday so I can wipe my hands of it for another 3 months when it's time to tear my hair out over it again.

This week, I've already got a fair amount done that I needed to do at work, including all of our social media posts scheduled and sending out a press release for an event in March. I've also been working on information for our Thoreau group read and a Local Author Fair I'll be having in April, so I'm feeling pretty good about having what I need to ready for some time-intensive planning programming in the coming months. I have a couple of programs I want to follow up with my presenters on and start getting stuff together, but they're in mid-April so there's time. I have a few more press releases to send out for late-March events, but they'll go out next week. I've even started putting together a slideshow of local history photos for an event in June. That sounds far out, but I want to have the hard work done early because once summer reading planning starts I won't have time for many other time-intensive things. So I want to have the bulk outline of that in place and plenty of time to tweak.

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good about where I am in the work week. Tomorrow I'll work on adding a few more events to a statewide calendar that's trying to get off the ground, and sending out an email blast to our library's Friends group about their popular fundraising program tomorrow. Friday is a movie matinee, so a program but a fairly low-key one. And they I am off for a long weekend Saturday-Monday. I'm planning relaxing at home and reading, probably with some apartment cleaning/organization, cooking, and financial planning thrown in there for good measure.

I'm killing some time at work now, eating dinner and reading, because Easter choir is starting and it's easier (and saves gas) to stay here and drive the next town over than to drive all the way home and back.

Happy new thread! I did the same tonight - stayed in town after work until band practice time at church. But I get reading time over dinner! :)

>22 bell7: Wow, talk about productive! Congratulations!

That does sound like a very busy schedule.

Sorry about the Lego movie. I think I had relatively low expectations which helped.

How will the Thoreau events work? My library system has started promoting a read 50 books a year scheme through their catalogue. I love the way it let's me see what other people are reading.

>23 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! And yeah, it makes for a more relaxing evening overall, doesn't it? There's something about getting home - especially after dark - that makes me much less likely to want to go out again. And I'd rather take an extra half hour eating at work than driving all around any day.

>24 ronincats: I appreciate that, Roni. Part of why I wrote it all out was because I was feeling like I hadn't "gotten stuff done" and I wanted to remind myself what *had* been accomplished this week even if it was more of the invisible sort of planning work.

>25 charl08: Yeah, it's been pretty hectic. I have a lot of things that need to be planned right now and I'm trying to keep myself on task, both in writing up to do lists and reminding myself of what's been accomplished. I work in the kind of business where I make a lot of my own work by scheduling programs and events, and then have to follow through! The Thoreau events are a mix of programs that can be attended and book discussions. I'm going to buy about 20 copies of Walden and 15 of Walking for the discussions that weren't having at our library. The other two libraries have chosen Walden and a second title - Cape Cod and "Civil Disobedience." And then anyone in our communities, or even using our libraries if they're in neighboring towns, can join in for reading, programs - however many or little they want. There's really no "sign up" for the whole community, but it's a way for anyone to be engaged and joining in some small way. Your 50 books a year in the catalog sounds really cool! I love it when you can see other community member's reviews, but unfortunately it's not something our catalog allows (or, even when it did, got much use).

18. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Format: Timewise, I was reading it as an e-book for a longer stretch of calendar days, but the majority of the book ended up being paper
Why now? Between the Australian Open finishing up and one of my housemates mentioning this book, I guess Australia was just on the brain and I decided to read it at quiet moments on the reference desk (thus, the e-book). Then it turned out not to be so quiet, so I got the book out to supplement and ended up finishing it that way.

Just before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Bill Bryson travels across the country of Australia, mulling over its history, its various biomes, and the very dangerous toxic animals that you may come across.

Bryson's travel books are some of my favorites of his. I enjoy his humor unless he's at his most grumpy, and in this one he isn't much because he really loves Australia. Sometimes he's just sitting back in wonder enjoying something, and it makes for fun reading. He makes me want to travel the continent and see if everything's as wonderful (or as disappointing) as he says, nearly 20 years later. As is typical of his books, it tends to tell you where he went and then digress into the things about the place that he finds interesting, whether it be the treatment of Aborigines or how an Australian Prime Minister went for a swim and was never seen again. Your mileage may vary, but I had a grand time reading. 4.5 stars.

19. March: Book Two by John Lewis
Format: Graphic novel
Why now? I read the first book earlier this month, and actually had all 3 graphic novels ready to go, so the reasoning is essentially the same: book 3 won a lot of ALA awards this year and it was a matched TIOLI read.

John Lewis's story continues, this time focusing on the Freedom Riders going to Birmingham and challenging the practice of not letting black and white people sit together, and finishing with the March on Washington and both his and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches.

I didn't know much about the Freedom Rides before reading this book, and I would like to read more. I thought he does a nice job of sharing his memories, exploring differing opinions even within the leadership of the Civil Rights movement, and not overwhelming with a lot of detail. The illustrations are extremely powerful and heartbreaking as you see the way racists respond to the nonviolent protests of Lewis and his friends. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars.

Planning this weekend, looks like I'll have a fair amount of time to relax and read. Today I have to go back to work because I left my phone behind last night. I figured I'd do a quick grocery shopping and drop my dad's birthday gift off while I'm at it (I wrote two checks last week and swapped the envelopes, so he has yet to get it even though his birthday is past).

I work every other Saturday now, and take the following Monday off (both shifts are 5 hours, so it's a comparable swap) to give myself a "weekend" of two days in a row off. This changes every so often based on my program schedule, and since I'm both working March 4 and have a program on March 6, I took this Monday off instead giving me a three-day weekend. Other than errands today, all I have planned is laundry, budgeting work for March, and cooking. I am looking forward to knitting and reading quite a bit. My library stack is getting ridiculous again, so I very much want to whittle it down and start tackling some of my own books, including a backlog of ARCs on my Kindle. I have the new Fredrik Backman book that comes out in April and I'd really like to read it rather than miss the release date (like I did with Neal Shusterman's Scythe and Hidden Figures).

>27 bell7: That is a Bryson I haven't read yet, Mary, your review makes me want to read it! I hope to get to it next month.

>29 bell7: My Saturday was busy but rounded off wth a surprise birthday party for one of Hani's friends - her 50th. I don't know why it was such a surprise as she knew already it was her birthday!

Have a glorious weekend, Mary. xx

>30 FAMeulstee: Oh great, Anita, I hope you enjoy it! Looking forward to reading your thoughts.

>31 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! Sounds like a fun Saturday & hope the rest of your weekend was just as good. Do you know I asked for (and received) a surprise birthday party on my 10th birthday - and was still surprised?! ;)

20. Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger
Format: Mostly audio, with a little bit of help from the paper book to keep track of where I was or review parts where I was nodding off
Why now? I've been listening to the series to finish it off, and this was the next one and available

Continuing her adventures at Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies, Sophronia and her friends are looking forward to her brother's engagement ball and find themselves embroiled in events far beyond one country dance.

As the third book in a series that basically reads like one long, episodic story, it's really hard to actually explain what this book is about without giving something away. There are several discoveries and plot twists but no real resolution, as there is one more book to go. I think I would've liked a little more at the school and a little less bumbling around, but all in all it was a fun ride. 3.5 stars.

I'm going to make sure I take a longer break before reading the fourth book just to make sure I'm not getting sick of having the same thing. That's a danger when I read too many series books close together, even if it's something I would really enjoy otherwise.

The latest knitting projects have been a couple of quick hats. First, for Mia:


I'd originally started this as an adult hat, but my tension was too tight and I realized it wouldn't fit on my own head (which is small) never mind most adults. So I modified it and it's a new hat for Mia who really liked the first one I made her but is growing out of it. It's actually a dark navy blue (the same colors as the sweater I did last year, for those that recall), but I couldn't get the light right for the true color to show. I'll give it to her a couple of weeks when they come up here for a wedding.

Second, a chemo cap for a relative:

I'm very pleased with this. I used a really soft yarn recommended by a website for people who have lost hair due to chemo. The color I had was a lovely off-white. The shape is hard to see in the picture when it's not, well, on someone's head but it's a slouchy hat so it turns out kinda loose and fun. This is for a cousin - technically my first cousin, once removed, a woman about my parents' age who has a blood cancer that keeps her body from making red blood cells. If you're the praying sort, please feel free to do so.

Aw, cute hats! Well done.

>35 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! I love hats. A very simple pattern can take me only days, and I'm thinking after I finish the projects for my nephew I'll just work on a bunch of baby hats to have on hand. Soooo much easier than blankets, which I can reserve for close friends and family.

So I'm pretty sure I've decided I've given enough time to Kissed by an Angel. 80 pages into it, I couldn't care less about either main character in this romance-y (sort of) with angels the girl collects/prays to, cookie cutter characters and meh writing style. It was a really, really quick read and I wanted to like it because one of the young women who works at the library highly recommended it, but it's just not working. I'll count is as a book off the shelf, anyway, and add it to the donation pile.

I might've tried to push through longer, but I got Caraval from the library today and after reading through the reviews of Kissed by an Angel I am not feeling compelled to keep going.

Will be back later to do a proper "February in review," but for now just wanted to note that I did finish the third volume of March by John Lewis last night. I haven't quite decided if I'm going to finish A Step Back in Time or not, since I was only reading it for one journal that I've already completed. It's a fairly short book, though, and I did get an extension on it (it came from Santa Barbara, California) so I should have time to finish.

I'm stealing your movies watched idea, too.

:D

>39 Morphidae: Steal away! Somehow it doesn't surprise me that so many of us love lists ;)

Finished Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money yesterday. Decided not to finish A Step Back in Time. I was mainly interested in the first part, Minnie Waters' diary of living on San Miguel island which was part of the basis for the book San Miguel by T.C. Boyle that I read with my book discussion group last year. I'd read all the portions on San Miguel and wasn't really as interested in the diaries about camping on the other islands, so decided to move on to other things.

21. March: Book Three by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell
Format: Graphic novel
Why now? Last one in the series

The third part of John Lewis's story begins with the Birmingham bombing that killed four young girls in 1963 and the aftermath.

The frame of Obama's inauguration day with Lewis's memories of the civil rights movement in the 1960s is effectively done in these graphic novels, with black and white illustrations enhancing the story. Lewis doesn't shy away from describing different leaders' disagreements and points of view, and shows admiration for many even when they didn't agree with his own ideal of nonviolence. The story is by turns heartbreaking and inspiring, and I highly recommend it for teen and adult readers interested in the topic. 4.5 stars.

By the way, I don't think you have to politically lean one way or the other to really like these books. It's much more about human dignity and speaking up for being treated well than it is about a political standpoint, and I thought Congressman Lewis was exceptionally fair in the way he treated people throughout the story.

I have Stride Toward Freedom out from the library today, though I don't expect to get to it until later this month or next.

>27 bell7: Particularly liked this one. I've read quite a few Bryson, but not this one. His travel books are among my favorites, too. Hope you have a great weekend lined up!

February in review
8. The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee - mine and e-book ARC
9. Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger - audio and reread
10. Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers - audio
11. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley - graphic novel
12. Daughters of the Samurai by Janice P. Nimura
13. March: Book One by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell - graphic novel
14. Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken
15. Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty - audio
16. King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard
17. On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
18. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
19. March: Book Two by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell - graphic novel
20. Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger - audio
21. March: Book Three by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell - graphic novel

Books/e-books: 6
Audiobooks: 4
Graphic Novels: 4
Adult/Teen/Children's: 5/8/1
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry/Plays: 7/7/0/0
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 13/1/0

Standouts: A lot of good reading this month, but probably the ones that will stick with me the most are John Lewis's graphic novel memoir trilogy. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen was also excellent.

Thoughts: Well, my reading certainly picked up pace this month. Even *not* counting the graphic novels (this is the first year I've included them in with books as opposed to counting them separately), I read or listened to 10 books. I also read a fair number of books for teens and children. It was also a "good" reading month in terms of enjoying what I read, though I did find myself rating the "young" books lower. Maybe I'm getting too old for YA? Or just getting picker in my old age... :) Interestingly, I read as many nonfiction as fiction, but that's because all four graphic novels were memoirs otherwise I never would've had enough time to do such a thing.

>43 michigantrumpet: Thanks, Marianne! In A Sunburned Country is up there as one of my favorites of Bryson's, along with A Walk in the Woods. I'm working this weekend so I don't have much planned but I'm hoping to clean my apartment and make progress in my book club book (I started it yesterday and I've read 2 pages). Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

22. Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money by Dave Ramsey - mine
Format: Paper book
Why now? Going through Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace" in my church's Sunday School class, this is the book that goes along with it

Dave Ramsey essentially takes his "Financial Peace University" videos and lays it out in book from, running through his seven "Baby Steps" for financial peace, from putting aside $1,000 in an emergency fund, to paying off debt, to building wealth & giving it away and everything in between.

I am decent with money, but friends of mine who have taken the class and swear by Dave Ramsey convinced me I would still learn more. Even if you can't take the "Financial Peace" class, this book is basically the series of videos distilled. Ramsey comes from a Christian perspective, will often quote Proverbs, and makes the argument that building wealth isn't anti-Christian - it's wise, as long as you have the attitude of a manager and don't look to money for your security. Keep in mind that it's a little easier to read if you have his voice in your head, because he writes like he talks, exclamation points and all. I will also add the caveat that some of his "getting a job" advice is extremely out of date and caution that you will want to check out other suggestions or you will appear really aggressive and out of touch (unless you're in sales, I suppose, it will probably be perfect). That being said, this is really solid information overall and a great starting point for getting your feet wet in finances, from savings to investing to retirement. I highly recommend it to folks in their 20s and 30s just starting out, but someone will be able to find useful information at any age and stage in life. 4.5 stars.

I knew or had done some of his recommendations before. I'm out of debt, and I had money saved up. But I definitely had some things to tweak. I'm working on a zero-based budget every month, I put aside 3-6 months of expenses as an emergency fund, and I'm really excited about learning more about retirement options (I'm putting 15% of my income in a managed account right now). Basically it's just left me with confidence that I can do this stuff. I know people who don't do absolutely everything exactly as he says, and that's okay - I probably won't either. But I think the habits I am creating will be very helpful as I look to buy a house in a couple of years and my budget gets more complicated.

Good for you for being debt-free! That's a major accomplishment! And so true about developing these skills as early as possible. As someone told me ages ago -- it's not so much what you earn as what you save. Nice review!

>46 bell7: mrsdrneutron and I did the Financial Peace University course a few years ago. Like you, we were mostly doing what he recommended, but it helped us tweak a bit. I do think he's a little too enthusiastic about aggressive stock investment - he uses the old adage of 12% growth over the long term for the stock market. My experience over my retirement investment with Vanguard mutual funds is more like 8%, mostly because I tend to more balanced investing I suppose.

Just stopping by to say hi, Mary! I love the Mia thread topper!

>47 michigantrumpet: thank you! I'll eventually have a mortgage, but that will be it since I paid off my student loans two years ago. My parents were not well off and had five kids, so I've learned saving and some form of budgeting from an early age. I really credit them a lot for that.

>48 drneutron: that's good to know, Jim, as retirement investing was something I wanted to learn more about. My retirement is in a managed account for me and because I'm young it's a much more aggressive account than I would have done myself, being very risk averse. I have 457b and Roth IRA funds coming out of my pay check I adjusted the Roth so more is coming out per week, but I don't plan on changing any of the actual mutual funds and accounts until I've done more research. All the projections I've been looking up seem to indicate I'll be doing just fine at retirement if I keep on doing what I have been so I see no need to change it at this point. (And apologies if it's TMI, but I've discovered I'm a total nerd and really enjoying this stuff.)

>49 tymfos: hello, Terri, so glad you stopped in! Mia just delights me. She spends much of her afternoon reading books with her mom, or at least flipping pages while my sister reads about half the story, so I'm having fun planning her library as she grows.

>50 bell7: sounds like you'll do just fine. The main thing is to not tweak too much, especially reacting to market conditions. You've got a while before you'll have access to the money, so even something like the 2008-2009 recession won't overly affect you. I picked a set of funds I like, and the only real adjustments I've made are to lower the stock to bond ratio as I get older.

John Bogle - the former chairman of Vanguard -has written several books on investing that were pretty good. I read Bogle on Mutual Funds when I first began investing, been following his advice ever since.

>51 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! I'll have to add that to the ever-growing TBR pile. A couple of other people I've talked to since watching the video have also indicated that his 12% is really high and thought 7-8% was more realistic.

For now, my retirement is in a managed account. It's slightly more complicated (and aggressive) than his recommended 25%/25%/25%/25% split between different types of mutual funds, but I'm not feeling inclined to mess with the numbers at this point. If I so choose at any time, I can tell them to adjust things or can completely change over the account so I have total control, but right now I'm simply paying attention while letting someone else do all the legwork. And I know much of that will be adjusted as I grow older and closer to retirement.

The weekend has been good but busy, and I'm sorry to say I've gotten behind on everyone's threads again.

Yesterday I was working and my mom had a reception for a photography display she and a friend are having this month in the meeting room at my library, so a few relatives came in to say hello. I came home and stayed moving, cooking up some soup and baking banana bread, and cleaning my apartment. I finally crashed for the evening, making some progress in my book discussion book and knitting my nephew's baby blanket. Today was the normal busyness of Sunday - church, visit the parents, youth group.

Tomorrow before I go into work, I have a Financial Peace video to watch (there are actually two weeks left, I just finished the book early), some reading to do in Accordion Crimes for book group, meeting with a couple about dogsitting for them in June, and work - with a program, since I have an actor coming out to portray Thoreau and read from "Walking." I think I'll get a good turnout, as there have been a few people interested and some high school teachers have told their kids they could go for extra credit.

Besides Accordion Crimes (which I've also been listening to as I knit, and it almost works better for me as an audiobook because of the writing style), I started Caraval last night. It's too early to tell if I'll love it, but the pages sure turn fast! It'll be my reward after reading the have-to book. I've also been reading/listening to Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (yeah, I know, of all the teen dystopias I've read, I never read this post-apocalyptic tale that came out ages ago...). Of all the books I've read, it reminds me most of Alas, Babylon, but in this one instead of nuclear war, the moon is hit by an asteroid and is moved closer to earth, wreaking havoc on the tides and more.

>46 bell7: That book sounds really useful Mary. Should have come across it a few years ago and I would never have started my businesses.

>54 PaulCranswick: I found it really practically useful, Paul.

I checked my credit report for the first time ever today and found that two out of three had a couple of things that needed updating, so that was a "fun" morning getting it all straightened out. They had a wrong previous address (two house numbers that would be across the street from each other, and only one was right) and still had one of my parents' credit cards listed even though I'm no longer an authorized user on the account. The third was a-okay (thank goodness!) and I now have all 3 on file and won't have to deal with it again until next year.

The thing that really makes it a pain is even though I think of it as my having three student loans, technically there were multiple loans owed to three different companies, so one of my reports ended up being 50 pages long because, even closed and paid in full, those loans will still be listed for some years. This adulting stuff is hard work, y'all.

I got everything I'd hoped to done today except reading in Accordion Crimes. That'll have to be after work, I'm afraid. At some point this week, I'm going to have to do a grocery shopping too.

>46 bell7: We learned that the hard way, Mary, when we lost 70% of our income. We kept barely out of debt, but have a more solid financial planning now.

>55 bell7: Luckely retirement funds is taken care of, over here the pension funds get directly a percentage of your income. The payments aren't as good as they used to be, but we will get more money to spend when Frank retires.

>56 FAMeulstee: Oh ouch! I had school loans from college, but I was better off than many people my age because the majority of my loans were from grad school and I could afford to pay them back at the standard payment or a little more. I'm very fortunate to be in the position in many ways. I do get a pension, but the percentage I get depends on how long I work for the same town, and there's no guarantee that retirement will be the same in 30 years (about when I'd really be seriously looking), so I'm diligently putting money away almost as if I wouldn't be getting that pension back.

23. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Format: Paper book
Why now? new teen book that looked intriguing and wanted a fast-paced book to read alongside Accordion Crimes

Scarlett and her sister Donatella have always been close, banding together against their abusive father. Scarlett has been writing Master Legend of the magical Caraval game to see if he would come to their island and they could win a prize, but to no avail - until one year when he responds. Will she join the game and enjoy the magic her grandmother always told her about, or will her fear win out?

I enjoyed the premise and the characters in this story, but unfortunately felt that it didn't quite deliver on its promise. It's hard to point to one particular thing that didn't work for me, but we see things mostly from Scarlett's perspective, and she's one dimensional with her dual qualities of fear and love for her sister - there's nothing new or unexpected about her character while there is, perhaps, a small amount of growth. The love story was predictable and some parts rang truer than others, but mostly it was just... fast. The action takes places over only a few days and the pages turn fast. When you sit back and look at it, though, the plot was a smoke and mirrors for me as the magic of Caraval turned out to be. Some revelations are very abrupt and didn't work for me not because it's unbelievable - this is a fantasy, after all - but because the world-building was more convenient than inevitable to the unfolding of the story. There's a bit of a cliffhanger and I might read the next book, but it won't be a drop-everything-and-read kind of series. 3.5 stars.

It may be a case of my expectations being too high, so if anyone else has read it and was less lukewarm than me (love it or hate it), I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I'd like to see one of those financial planning books for those who are low income where it can take a year or more to save up one month's emergency savings.

>59 Morphidae: Yeah, there's no easy answer to that, Morphy. I would have to look at the video I did this week again, but he does mention how long it takes the "average" family going through the class to get to that point, and it's definitely not a short-term commitment even though having "7 steps" makes it seem short and quick. I found a paper recently where I'd calculated my debt at the end of my college career, and what I was making in a given year (underemployed with a 20 hour a week job that went down to 17.5 the following year). I had twice as much debt than what I made in a year, which is a scary, scary prospect. It took me seven years and a few job changes to get out of debt and another two years to save up that emergency fund. I have a lot of patience and not a lot of bills, so I can only imagine the difficulties another household might have with marriage, kids, medical bills, and more.

24. Life as we knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Format: Mostly audio, helped along by the e-book that I could read at work and home (love the lightness of an e-reader for reading in bed!)
Why now? It's been on my list for awhile because our teen librarian read it years ago before dystopias were cool...and I got it mixed up with the title How I Live Now, which I own so I thought I'd knock a book off the shelf. Oops.

When an asteroid is going to hit the moon, nobody took much notice because it wasn't supposed to do much - but, in fact, the asteroid was dense and knocked the moon off course, bringing it closer to earth. Within hours, the tides are wreaking havoc with tsunamis across the world, the electricity is starting to fail, and Miranda and her family find themselves in survival mode.

My reading tends more to the fantasy and teen dystopia side of science fiction, so this post-apocalyptic tale was a different sort of read for me and reminded me a bit of Alas, Babylon. Except, instead of a nuclear war that might have been preventable, we see the aftermath of a natural event that was absolutely no one's fault. I would have to read up on the science behind it, but I couldn't help but wonder if the fallout of one thing after another was an accurate "what could be" or a perfect storm of terrible events that have almost no chance of happening. While I liked Miranda for the most part and enjoyed her growth as she's forced to do things she never would have thought herself capable of, I questioned whether her family's complete isolation was necessary or even beneficial. In a way, the book raised more questions for me than it answered and it's hard to call such a bleak tale enjoyable, though there is some hope throughout, since it was such difficult reading. I'm not sorry I read it, but would only guardedly recommend it. 3.5 stars.

That is such a cute picture of Mia with her animals and her books. Go, Mia! And how exciting that she will be a big sister later this spring. Are you knitting a blanket for your new nephew? The hats are lovely. That bow on Mia's is a fun addition, and the chemo hat looks so soft and comforting.

I am looking forward to seeing how you and your book group like Accordian Crimes. I think I liked it better than the others in my group when we read it a few years ago. I am a big Annie Proulx fan.

>37 bell7: Oh, Kissed by an Angel is a blast from the past! I read that book maybe two decades ago. And my 11- or 12-year old self definitely enjoyed it, but I wouldn't want to attempt a rereading now.

>50 bell7: I feel like the general concept of financial risk is somewhat misguided. When you're looking at a 30-year timeframe, the "risk" of random stock market fluctuations isn't really relevant. The far bigger risk is just not having enough money saved up for retirement, and losing a big chunk of your savings to inflation, by investing too "cautiously".

>61 bell7: Are you planning to read any other books in that series? I actually loved Life as We Knew It, but I wasn't a fan of the next one at all, so I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

>61 bell7: I also enjoyed Life as We Knew It, and the second book in the series was also decent, but books three and four were awful.

>62 Donna828: She's very into set ups. The last time I was Skyping them, while I talked to her parents she was busily putting things just so on a little corner table they have. When I started asking my sister about Mia's little friend Ryan at daycare, though, she suddenly perked up and exclaimed "Ry Ry!" so she definitely listens in and pays attention to our conversation even when she appears to be ignoring me entirely. It's pretty nice to be able to keep up with them this way and have her recognize me when she sees me in person only a few times a year. I'll let you know about Accordion Crimes. It's interesting to me learning about the accordion and realizing how many genres of music and heritages that one instrument is a part of. I think it will make an interesting discussion about identity, immigration, and more.

>63 _Zoe_: Ha, yeah, I think I definitely would've had to have been the right age for it to work somehow.
About financial risk, I don't know as I know enough to comment which is why I'm not messing with the actual funds until I've read up on investing. I'm not being too cautious and I'm saving a fair amount now.

>63 _Zoe_: and >64 aktakukac: Since I was rather lukewarm about the first, I think I can safely not read the rest and not feel like I'm missing out.

My cousin has a wedding this weekend and family is up visiting, so I'll have a busy weekend made even more so by having my car in the shop. I ran over something that in the dark last night I thought was just a plastic bag until it was underneath me and made a decided "CLUNK." I reached home without noticing any issues, except perhaps a little smoke? I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with it today in any case... and it turns out it's leaking transmission fluid. So AAA towed it from my work to my mechanic's and a co-worker is giving me a ride to my parents' house where I'll spend the night. Since I was planning on spending as much time there visiting with my sisters, niece, etc. They just swung by the library to see my mom's photography display and say hello so I'll enjoy the excuse to get as much time with family as possible. I'm just hoping the car trouble turns out to be just the cover on the transmission and no worse!

Fingers crossed for the car trouble being minor. The plot of the moon dystopia book reminded me of the plot of one of those space films. Maybe Armaggedon (can't spell that)?

Good luck with the car trouble, Mary! Hope it turns out to not be too bad.

>66 charl08: Is Armaggedon the one with Elijah Wood? If so, yeah, it reminds me of that too!

>66 charl08: and >67 tymfos: Thanks for the well wishes on the car troubles! I had the car in the shop all weekend, but got it back Sunday night with a fairly minor $400 bill. I'm very thankful for that, considering if I'd done major damage to the transmission I'd be car shopping right about now. It's back, running fine, and even my mechanic told me someone was looking out for me 'cause it could've been so much worse. Even the timing turned out not to be so bad - I was spending a lot of time with my family over the weekend for the wedding, so it was only the minor inconvenience of staying overnight one day and borrowing a car the next.

Will be back sometime later today to write up reviews on Accordion Crimes (finished yesterday) and Another Brooklyn (finished today).

25. Accordion Crimes by E. Annie Proulx
Format: Mostly book, though I did occasionally listen to the audio while knitting
Why now? Book discussion choice for tonight

A Sicilian makes a two-button accordion and then goes to La Merica with his son, Silvano. There, they encounter racism and suspicion, are lumped together with all "Italians" and find themselves competing for jobs with black men. The story then unfolds following the accordion's travels to German immigrants in the midwest, to Mexican Americans in Texas, through time and various immigrant experiences.

This is probably one of the most complicated stories we've read for my library book club. The one story is essentially eight longish short stories detailing the lives of many characters, moving back and forth in time to tell individual's stories, all the while the accordion features in some way, small or large, sweeping through almost a century. There are moments of humor, but most of the tale is bleak and does not shy away from horrors of death or reversals of fortune. By the end, I was bracing myself for the next awful thing to happen. The writing is lovely, descriptive, and keeps you reading at a slower pace pondering these characters and their lives. WE will have plenty to discuss from the immigrant experience to the power of music to the intricacies of the plot. 3 stars.

I'm going to read up more on Annie Proulx and her writing, though from what little I've read so far seems to indicate the bizarre and horrific deaths (or just bad luck, but just about every character I can think of ended up dying) is fairly representative of her style. Between that and the bleak tone, I'm not inclined to read her other books.

26. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Format: Paper book
Why now? After I finished my book group book last night, I wanted another fiction title before buckling down and reading Straight on Till Morning. It's been on my radar for awhile, I took it out of the library when it came off the new shelf, and it was due soon - plus it's the only fiction book I had checked out from the library. So it all added up.

August, Gigi, Sylvia and Angela. As preteens growing up in Brooklyn, these black girls were inseparable, but eventually they went their separate ways. After her father's death, August reflects back on their friendship and her childhood.

Woods's spare prose belies the complexity of this novel. Written in short vignettes, almost dreamlike in memory and weaving back and forth in time slowly revealing August's story, the novel has a rhythm all its own. It's easy to read in a sitting or two, yet will stay with me for a long time. 4.5 stars.

I wavered between 4 and 4.5 stars, but ultimately came to the conclusion that I would probably read it again and most likely get even more out of it when I do so.

>69 bell7: I read Accordian Crimes a while ago, and thought that it just went on a little bit too long. And not a cheerful read!

Armageddon is the asteroid one with Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Billy Bob Thornton. They have to go and drill a hole for a nuclear missile to blow up the asteroid. Deep Impact is the one with Elijah Wood but I've never seen it so I don't know if it has anything to do with a moon or not.

Hope that helps!

>71 SandDune: Definitely not cheerful! It was interesting seeing the variety of opinions on the book, which basically came down to which of us preferred uplifting reads versus having a high tolerance for sad stories. We had a great discussion, though, ranging from immigrant experiences, the American Dream, and the structure of the story.

>72 lunacat: Ah, yet it does, Jenny. So I've seen Deep Impact which kind of reminds me of the storyline though I think it was just an asteroid/comet headed to earth and may not have involved the moon. I don't remember if I've seen Armageddon or not but it sounds really familiar and it came out when I was a teenager so the likelihood is somewhat high.

26. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - mine
Format: Paper book
Why now? Because the next book in the series is due out in May, and I wanted to.

I finished my fifth read of The Queen of Attolia late last night. Here's the review I wrote a couple of reads ago:

The Queen of Attolia catches Eugenides sneaking around her palace. Eddis sends her people to negotiate, but the situation does not look good for the Queen's Thief - until Attolia decides to invoke an older rule in which thieves were not hung, but lost their right hand. How can Eugenides continue in his role one-handed?

Once again, this story reads beautifully whether the first time or as a reread, where I catch small hints here and there that I passed over the first time reading. Though I'm a little sad that this book does not have Eugenides' first-person narrative, I will (albeit grudgingly) admit that the story would not work as well without the distance created by this method. On the other hand, this story is incredibly satisfying and, despite the fact that this is my third time reading it, I still had trouble putting it down.

Looking over my reading dates, it's never taken me longer than four days to read this book. Two or three days is about average.

Happy weekend, all!

Book discussion was Wednesday. I didn't love the book Accordion Crimes, but as always learned a lot from the discussion and the ladies there. We had a variety of opinions, and as you might guess lines were pretty much drawn between those who prefer uplifting, hopeful tales (me included, though for this one I tried hard to bridge the gap rather than being too forthright with my opinion) and those who loved her writing and accepted the bleakness as fitting to the story.

Since then, I basically gave myself the treat of rereading The Queen of Attolia. It's going to be all I can do to hold off and not read the rest right away... but I want to spread them out and enjoy them a little before Thick as Thieves comes out in May. I have Straight on Till Morning and I'll try to focus on it most over the weekend, since I'm supposed to have read it for Tuesday morning at my librarian genre study group. But as long as I've made a good dent in it, I'll be fine.

The last few days, I've been a bit busy putting together some of the Bell genealogy for a great aunt of mine. I have a bunch of photocopies of the research I did that I stuffed into folders and now have to organize so she can make some sense of it. I wrote out a record of the descendants of both the Bell and Talmadge side (my great-grandparents), which was very revealing of where there are still gaps in my research and how terrible I was about keeping track of where I found information. I'm going to have to go back through with a fine-tooth comb and compile the evidence. Any genealogists out there have recommendations for that when I'm really just starting? I read one book years ago but it was really over my head and seemed more useful for people who have been immersed in genealogy for years. Anyway, it was really fun to put it together and I think she'll enjoy what I send. I'm hoping to also send her questions about the family and start up a bit of a correspondence. Since the Bells and Talmadges moved here from England (by way of Philadelphia) and New York, there's been family here for nearly 100 years so there's lots of potential right in my own backyard to follow up on sources and history.

27. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson - reread
Format: digital audiobook
Why now? my audio-before-bed Kitty and the Midnight Hour was getting too intense for before bed, so I went with this classic kid's story instead

The Herdmans are trouble with a capital T: smoking cigars, swearing, setting things on fire. The six kids are basically outcasts, and our narrator tries her best to avoid them. But when her mother gets assigned the Christmas pageant and the Herdmans worm their way into the six main parts (no one wants to get beat up for challenging them for a part), the pageant is sure to be...memorable.

I really enjoyed this tale the first time I read it, and rereading it as an adult it loses none of its charm. The audio version I listened to leaves something to be desired. I would've liked someone to sound young - even though the narrator (her name has completely slipped my mind, which just indicates how much more of a main character the Herdmans seem to me instead) is looking back on events, she's still young and the narrator for this production had a much older quality to her voice. Still, it's entertaining, humorous and poignant and I very much enjoyed revisiting the story. 4.5 stars.

>75 bell7: So interesting - we have a Bell family background, and they emigrated to Canada sometime in the early twentieth century, but I think most of them came back again. Certainly my great greatgrandparents, and my great-grandmother returned. Not sure about any others. Of course Bell is a very common surname, and yours went to America and not Canada, but it made me smile anyway.

>77 lunacat: Oh how interesting! It is a very common surname - I even had a class where one of the students was a Bell from clear across the country, and as far as either of us knew we weren't related. "My" Bells included three brothers that emigrated to the U.S. in the late 19th century and all went to Philadelphia (either together or separately, I'm not sure - I never found the original ship record). The family lived in Kidderminster and Halifax in the 1800s, and as far as I know most of them stayed in England. Where are your Bells from?

>79 eclecticdodo: I know quite a few Bells here in the UK. Do you know the root of the name? My married name (Elms) comes from living close to Elm trees, and my maiden name (Hicks) is someone who lives in the country, so they're both also ridiculously common

Hello, Mary!

>69 bell7: I recommend trying The Shipping News by her before dismissing her entirely :)

>79 eclecticdodo: Here's what they have on Ancestry (originally taken from the Dictionary of American Family Names):

BELL: Scottish and northern English: from Middle English belle ‘bell’, in various applications; most probably a metonymic occupational name for a bell ringer or bell maker, or a topographic name for someone living ‘at the bell’ (as attested by 14th-century forms such as John atte Belle). This indicates either residence by an actual bell (e.g. a town’s bell in a bell tower, centrally placed to summon meetings, sound the alarm, etc.) or ‘at the sign of the bell’, i.e. a house or inn sign (although surnames derived from house and inn signs are rare in Scots and English). Scottish and northern English: from the medieval personal name Bel. As a man’s name this is from Old French beu, bel ‘handsome’, which was also used as a nickname. As a female name it represents a short form of Isobel, a form of Elizabeth. Scottish: Americanized form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Mhaoil ‘son of the servant of the devotee’ (see Mullen 1). Jewish (Ashkenazic): Americanized form of one or more like-sounding Jewish surnames. Norwegian: habitational name from a farmstead in western Norway named Bell, the origin of which is unexplained. Scandinavian: of English or German origin; in German as a habitational name for someone from Bell in Rhineland, Germany, or possibly from Belle in Westphalia. Americanized spelling of German Böhl or Böll (see Boehle, Boll).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press

I haven't been able to trace "my" Bells further back than Kidderminster in the mid-1800s so I'm not sure if it would end up being Scottish or not. There's some talk in the family that my paternal grandmother's maiden name, Combs, is actually derived from Macomber and that we're Scottish on that side, but I haven't been able to trace it back through any such spelling changes or to Scottish ancestry. Not every state kept birth records and they weren't required 'til about 1840 or so, so when my ancestors were born in New York and New Jersey, I haven't been able to find all the records.

>81 bell7: hi, Stasia! So glad to see you! I may try The Shipping News someday as it's her best known and an award winner, but I'll definitely have to be in the right mood when I pick it up.

>81 bell7: Thanks!

>83 eclecticdodo: You're welcome! I'm guessing one of my ancestors was a bell-maker, bell-ringer, or just lived near a bell. By the way, my direct ancestor is Arthur Bell born in Kidderminster, England in 1865. His brothers John and Abraham (or Abram) both came to the U.S. but the other siblings, so far as I know, continued to live in Kidderminster or Halifax. Their parents were Richard Bell and Louisa Bruton according to the death and marriage certificates I found, but I haven't been able to get any further back and probably won't until I travel out to Kidderminster myself and start digging into church records.

28. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
Format: digital audiobook
Why now? I thought it looked interesting and started listening to it as an audio before bed. It soon became a little to intense for that, so I switched to listening while knitting and other activities.

Kitty is a radio DJ in Denver who just happens to be a werewolf. When someone calls in and she starts giving otherworldly advice, a late-night show for vampires, werewolves and the like becomes "The Midnight Hour." But Kitty's new show isn't popular with everyone - a bigwig vampire named Arturo talks her pack leader Karl into telling her to stop, and someone's out for Kitty's life.

I'm not sure quite what to make of this first book in the series, though I think much of my trouble comes from listening to it as an audiobook. I'm just not an aural learner, so it takes longer for me to "read" through and I miss more details. The premise was interesting, the story compelling, and explaining werewolf pack and vampire family dynamics was decent worldbuilding, though at the same time entirely messed up. I liked Kitty as a character and seeing her come into her own, though some of the scenes were too violent for my taste. A promising start for fans of urban paranormal fantasy series. 3.5 stars.

I can't decide if I want to keep going. Anyone read it and have thoughts? How does it compare to the Patricia Briggs series? (I've also only read the first)

>85 bell7: I gave the Mercy series mostly 8/10's with some 7's. I gave the Kitty series mostly 7/10's with some 6's.

>86 Morphidae: Thanks, Morphy! Looking back at my own review of Mercy Thompson, I rated it a little higher than Kitty (4/5) and sounded more interested in reading on in the series. I'll probably stick with that one then. Not that it has to be one or the other, just that I figure I'll stick with the one that appeals to me more.

Fascinating discussion on the roots of your name and the actual roots of your family tree, Mary. My own family is largely of English and Irish ancestry. My maternal great grandparents eloped to Yorkshire from County Donegal in the 1880s. One of them was Catholic and one Protestant which put their love affair beyond the pale in that part of Ireland at the time.

Have a lovely weekend.

Hi Mary - I love the discussion of your family tree and your surname. I was just talking to a friend who is trying to organize a local genealogy group. I think she'd like me to join, but I know nothing, nothing, nothing.

I reread The Best Christmas Pageant Ever every few years at Christmas time. Quick and easy, it definitely puts me into the Christmas spirit.

I also loved The Shipping News, so I would join in with Stacia's encouragement.

Have a lovely day!

>88 PaulCranswick: Oh, that's fascinating, Paul. My mother's is a little more straightforward - her father was of French Canadian ancestry, the only one in his family born in the U.S., and her mother was just about all English, but going 'way back in some branches to the 1620s and 30s, including the Mayflower (Stephen Hopkins). My dad's is more "American mutt" and on his maternal side, we had the son of Irish Catholics marry the daughter of German immigrants at a Protestant church. I always wondered how Charles Rogers and Mary Raisch managed that with their families. Even my maternal parents marriage of Catholic/Protestant was a bit of a rough patch with their families. I imagine in Ireland it would be even more challenging.

>89 streamsong: Thanks, Janet. I find it really fun and interesting, though I'm very much learning as I go and don't really know how best to organize or cite or have proof for my research. Added to that, my grandmother did a lot and I inherited some of her papers and books (my cousin and I were both told to take it, so she took the Moores and I took the Meserves and Blaises). So now I have a bunch of stuff and no time with a full-time job to really feel like I can organize it and make a dent. It's one of my future projects for retirement (yes, I know, it's 30 years away and I'm already planning what to do). The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a fun read. I always mean to read something seasonal and only ever have time for a yearly reread of A Christmas Carol, but it too puts me in the Christmas mood. I haven't crossed The Shipping News entirely off my list, and I'll definitely take yours and Stasia's recommendations into consideration.

29. The Hanging Judge by Michael Ponsor - mine
Format: E-book, though I own the paper book since the author came to my library and I bought a signed copy
Why now? Times on the reference desk have been fairly quiet, so I went through available ebooks that I own to kill two birds with one stone and this one looked good

Judge David Norcross is young and a little new as a federal judge in Springfield. He has his work cut out for him when a gang shooting in Holyoke gets tried in his court, and the accused may face the death penalty if found guilty.

I don't read a lot of courtroom thrillers, but I'm the daughter of a lawyer and can say the courtroom scenes were some of the most believable I've read - and you'd hope they'd be authentic, because the author is a judge. The tension of the case is palpable, and the stakes are high. Readers know more than any character because the points of view shift between several characters. This meant I didn't really feel connected to any one, but it was an entertaining read and kept me wondering what would happen. The local setting meant I could picture a lot of the locations, and interspersed with the trial was an account of an historical trial in Northampton of two Irishmen accused of killing Marcus Lyon in the 1800s in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. 4 stars.

30. Words on the Move: Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally) by John McWhorter
Format: Paper book
Why now? I've wanted to read the book almost since it's come out - I find language fascinating and took a college-level introductory course in linguistics - and finally got to it with the library due date approaching

Linguist John McWhorter investigates different kinds of language change, including meaning shifts, the "grammarization" of words, syllable emphasis changes, shifts in pronunciation, and yes, the way "like" is used and what it means in various contexts.

Languages change. It happens naturally - after all, the English we speak has changed significantly since Shakespeare's time so we need copious notes to know what even "simple" words meant at the time - yet people on the street will tell you that it's degrading and that everyone using "literally" figuratively is just plain wrong and ignorant. McWhorter's point of view is one of wonder at our language and the way it lives and breathes through the changes we make in it through the generations. I found his discussions fascinating, though somewhat repetitive in his making the point that it's natural and not a devolution of language. He uses some examples from other languages, but his main focus is American English. His accessible, engaging style makes this fun reading for anyone interested in language even if you don't have a linguistics degree, yet there was still plenty there that I could glean even more on a reread. 4.5 stars.

I have another book of his called Doing Our Own Thing that I'm now definitely moving up the to-read list and also want to read Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue.

Nice review of Words on the Move, Mary. I own three of McWhorter's books, including Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue, but I haven't read any of them yet.

>89 streamsong: Genealogy "done right" isn't just time-consuming. It's expensive. I had to quit after sending yet another $20/$30 fee for an ancestor's pmarriage license/birth certificate.

>93 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! I hope you enjoy them when you get to them.

>89 streamsong: >94 Morphidae: Yes, it can get expensive. I do as much as I can online and I'm spreading out the forays that cost me money. I've paid for photocopies from the National Archives as well as a couple of death certificates.

In case you were wondering...

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but between choir and work life is suddenly really busy. I have a program a week not just for the next month but, in fact, till I go on vacation in June/July. Now, that's not as bad as it sounds - those programs range in how intensely I'm involved and how much planning goes into them. But it does impact my work week and make things hectic.

I'm reading away in a few books that I should be wrapping up soon. I haven't had a ton I could do on the reference desk at work, so I read a lot in the e-book The Girl Who Drank the Moon this week, and finished up the book today. It's a lovely story and I'm hoping I can get my thoughts together for a review soon.

Oh, and speaking of genealogy I got a call from my great aunt last night who had received the packet I'd sent her with information and was absolutely thrilled. She said she'd sent me along birth dates I didn't know and fill in the information about her kids and grandkids to fill out those generations. My grandfather (this is on my maternal side now) gave me a bunch of documents of naturalizations of his family (all but he were born in Quebec) and other stuff that I haven't even begin to go through. They don't even have a place at the moment - all I've done is stick them on my end table. I'm afraid this is going to be a lifetime project just to organize what my grandmother had on her side of the family - and I only have part!

>92 bell7: Adding that one to the BlackHole!

>96 bell7: I am glad to know that you haven't fallen off the face of the earth :) Looking forward to the review of The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

Family history discoveries sound great. My aunt and my dad got keen a few years ago and found some lovely pictures and family stories. Fun stuff.

>97 alcottacre: Always happy to move books off my ever-growing TBR list and in to your BlackHole, Stasia!

>98 charl08: It can be a lot of fun, and a very rewarding sort of detective work, Charlotte.

March in review:
22. Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money by Dave Ramsey - mine
23. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
24. Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer - audio and e-book
25. Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx
26. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
27. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson - audio and reread
28. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn - audio
29. The Hanging Judge by Michael Ponsor - e-book and book is mine
30. Words on the Move by John McWhorter

Books/e-books: 6
Audiobooks: 3
Graphic Novels: 0
Adult/Teen/Children's: 6/2/1
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry/Plays: 7/2/0/0
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 7/2/0

Standouts: For sheer practicality, Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money. For writing style and thought-provoking reading, Another Brooklyn. For the most fun and entertainment, Words on the Move.

Thoughts: My reading was all over the place. Right smack in the middle of the month, I had to read Accordion Crimes for work, and it was sloooooow going because I didn't like it. It's surrounded by books that may have only taken me days to read in contrast. Much of the month was also spent reading a book that I only just finished, Straight on Till Morning (also work-related). It was the kind of month that was just so busy with life that I look back on the list and wonder if it was really only a month ago I read it.

31. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
Format: Mostly e-book with a little help from the paper book
Why now? It was the Newbery award winner this year, and when I was looking for an e-book to read on quiet moments on the reference desk it was available.

In the Protectorate, every year at a certain time the youngest child in the village is left in the woods. The story is that this sacrifice appeases the Witch of the forest, who in turn keeps them safe from the evils of the forest. Young Antain, an Elder-in-Training, watches over a baby and does indeed see a Witch take her. But what he doesn't see is that the Witch isn't evil at all - she takes these unwanted babies to other towns on the other side of the forest and there they grow up happy and healthy with adoptive families, fed on their journey by starlight. But this baby... well, Luna just turns out different.

I hate to give much away because one of the beauties of this story is the way it unfolds, each thread weaving together a poetic fairy tale. Stylistically it reminded me somewhat of The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, having that same feel of otherworldliness and the desire to read it out loud and roll the words on your tongue. It's also a reflection on the power of story, both to tell the truth and to obfuscate, and the power of love. A truly lovely tale that adults would love just as much as kids. 4.5 stars.

32. Straight on Till Morning: The Biography of Beryl Markham by Mary S. Lovell
Format: Paper book
Why now? Inspired by my read of Circling the Sun in January, I decided to read this as my biography to compare to the historical fiction for my librarian book group in March. I didn't finish it in time for the discussion, but I did finish it in time for its library due date, today.

In this comprehensive biography, Mary S. Lovell details the life of Beryl Markham from her birth in England and move with her parents to Kenya to her death in 1986 just before the book was published.

Lovell draws primarily on interviews with Beryl herself and family & friends. The result is a sympathetic portrayal of a woman who didn't always play by society's rules, had multiple tumultuous or tragic relationships, and was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west (the hard way). The book has a gossipy feel, partially because interviews were such a major source of information and partially because expatriates in Kenya were a close knit and gossipy bunch. Lovell tries her best to separate fact from rumor, and it makes for entertaining reading. 4 stars.

I have yet to read West with the Night or Out of Africa. I'm now also curious, because one of those instrumental in republishing Beryl's book after it was out of print mentions it, about Mrs. Bridge by Evan Connell.

33. Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas - mine and a reread
Format: Paper book
Why now? The final book in the series is coming out in May and I wanted to prepare myself with the reread.

I finished this up yesterday on my break at work - at the end of my lunch break I had, annoyingly, 10 pages left. I managed to get back to work and took a few minutes' break later in the afternoon (legitimately) to finish it up. Here's my review from the previous year:

Feyre (pronounced Fay-ruh) is the youngest of three daughters, but she has been the primary breadwinner and hunter for her family ever since her mother died and her father lost her entire fortune. When she accidentally kills one of the Fae, a terrifying prince of the fairies Tamlin comes to claim her life in return.

If you were to describe this story as Beauty and the Beast with faeries, you wouldn't be far wrong but you wouldn't quite be doing this story justice. If I knew nothing about the original tale - and in fact, it's one of my favorites - I still would have read obsessively to find out what happened next to Feyre and Tamlin. It's at times violent and at other times a pretty sexy love story, and it stands on its own as a story regardless of the nods to the fairy tale. While there are a few threads I expect will be developed in future stories, there's no maddening cliffhanger leaving you annoyed and yet I'm still impatient to read the next one.

For those of you who enjoy reading and keeping up with the Newberys, you may enjoy this School Library Journal article featuring a conversation between Adam Gidwitz (winner of a Newbery Honor with The Inquisitor's Tale and Kelly Barnhill.

34. No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor
Format: Paper book
Why now? I was in the mood for a fun, easy read in a series I enjoy before I get down to some of the more serious and "have tos" on my nightstand stack

The time-travelling historians at St. Mary's are back, this time with Max finding herself going back in time in multiple locations and trying not to, well, mess up history. Markham sees a ghost that no one else sees, and hijinks ensue after they observe history playing out not exactly the way it was handed down in the books. They're only meant to observe, but Max has a way of getting involved no matter how she tries not to.

This wasn't my absolute favorite, mostly because you're pulled from one time jump to another and I felt like this book had a little less continuity than some of the tighter plotted entries in the series. Still, I really enjoy any time spent with Madeleine Maxwell and her compatriots. They are fun and they make me laugh and enjoy the ride, and there's really little else I can ask from a book. 4 stars.

I am back to work today after a delightful three-day weekend. Saturday included so many hours of Candy Crush that I felt terribly lazy, but I did get some tidying done in my apartment and go to an art reception in town where my mother had entered two photographs. That was fun, but an hour walking in a cramped house with a lot of people was long enough. Sunday was as busy as usual, and I'm pretty sure my parents and I both napped in front of the Masters after visiting my grandfather. Yesterday I had planned on a day as relaxing as Saturday, but ended up doing quite a bit of cooking and some laundry. I should be set for food for the week, and if I cook at all on Thursday it will be because I want to, not because there aren't leftover options.

This morning was a dentist appointment. I have good teeth, I'm told, which is nice because not paying for dental insurance is lovely. I only have to get x-rays every two years, and that was today. And now I am off to start my work week... we'll only have two of us on tonight, so wish us luck that it's a quiet night after this gorgeous day in the 80s!

35. Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley
Format: Graphic novel
Why now? It fit the TIOLI category "graphic novel memoir" and was on my to-read list. I felt like this one over the more serious memoirs I was thinking about.

If you'd told Lucy Knisley a few years ago she'd be getting married, she'd probably have looked at you like you had two heads. In this graphic novel memoir, she talks about the surprising way in which she and her husband ended up together, the whole crazy process of the wedding, and her own mixed feelings about traditions and history and social expectations all bound up in marriage.

I like Lucy's style in all her graphic novels and the way she lets you into her life. In a way, this one is the most personal of them all, because you see her relationship with friends and family as they come out in the wackiness that is planning a wedding. Even as a single person, I've reached a certain age where many of my friends are married or marrying, and I can see the ways in which the day that is "all about you" is really about much more than that. Lucy's relatable, almost bemused attempt at navigating that minefield while making the wedding her own make you smile in recognition. 4.5 stars.

I'm a little sad as I think this means I've read all of Lucy Knisley's graphic novels.

Hi Mary! It sounds like life is treating you well. Yay!

I just picked up Relish, my first Lucy Knisley graphic novel from the library yesterday. Can't remember who recommended it, but it might well have been you. I've had it on the 'rec's by LT' list for far too long now.

>108 streamsong: Hi Janet thanks for stopping in! Life is good. Busy, but good, and at least at the moment not exceptionally overwhelming (though I've had a few days...). I hope you enjoy Relish. I read that in February and liked it quite a bit, but if I don't misremember I think both Mark and Joe are fans of Lucy Knisley as well.

36. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger
Format: Started as an audio, but I was falling asleep so quickly that I started reading the e-book primarily
Why now? Finishing up the series and the audiobook was available when I was looking for one

The fourth book in the Finishing School series finds Sophronia and her friends in the midst of another adventure. Picklemen came on board their floating dirigible school, but no one believes what Sophronia saw. What nefarious scheme are they up to now?

Threads from the previous three books are tied up nicely in this final book. Sophronia is fun to follow, though not infallible, and the wry, witty silliness abounds. If you're a fan of the series, you'll get the kind of story you're expecting and won't be disappointed. 4 stars.

I enjoyed it but find myself with very little to say about it.

>111 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana! I hope you had a wonderful Easter as well.

37. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - mine
Format: paper book
Why now? rereading the series in preparation for the newest book coming out in May

Review from one of my earlier reads:

Costis, a member of the Queen's Guard, expects to lose his life because he has punched the King in the face. Everyone knows he's just a swindler from Eddis who stole their queen, but obviously, even if you hate your sovereign hitting him is dangerous business. But Eugenides doesn't kill Costis; he promotes him. The new lieutenant instead sees the King at his finest - half asleep during the morning sessions, bored during lessons on history and languages, practicing sword drills in first position. This is the King of Attolia?

The first time I read this book, I was a little disappointed that, with third person narration and mostly Costis's perspective, the reader is even more distant from Gen than with just the switch to third person in The Queen of Attolia. But Turner really uses this to her advantage, as she now focuses in more on court intrigue now that Gen is king - and suddenly finds that, yes, he wanted to marry the queen of Attolia, but he didn't actually want to be king. You see both his brilliance and his petulance, and poor Costis the guard doesn't know what to do with him. I find myself appreciating it more with every reread - and I've read it five times now. It makes me hopefully for A Conspiracy of Kings because I didn't love it the first time I read it either.

38. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
Format: Paper book
Why now? Book group selection for this month (tomorrow)

When Helen's dad, a photographic journalist, dies suddenly she is devastated. An experienced falconer who has loved raptors since childhood, Helen decides to go out and train a goshawk. It's a way of removal to the wild and dealing - or not dealing with her grief, and while she trains Mabel, she also reflects on T.H. White and The Goshawk, in some ways mirroring her own experiences.

I expected a story of going to nature to deal with grief. But Helen's story is much more complex than that. She's reflective, she's hard on herself, and she doesn't necessarily think that her relationship with Mabel was a panacea for her hurts. Still, her experience and that of White's makes the reader reflect on how we deal with pain, what relationship we have with both people and the natural wild world, and what it means to truly live. There are so many aspects of this story that will be fascinating for book discussions and it's the kind of book I look forward to rereading because I will have a different experience every time. 4.5 stars.

Happy Tuesday, all!

As you can see, I've been reading away and have already finished 8 books this month. I'm hardly on my way to a TIOLI sweep, but so far all of my reads have managed to fit a category.

Easter weekend was very busy with choir bookending Friday night and Sunday morning. On Saturday, I worked 9-2 and spent the morning in a town cemetery for a gravestone rubbing program. It was a fun program and gorgeous weather, though only two of us showed up. If I did it again, I would change the date away from a holiday weekend and maybe tweak a few things - permits were necessary, and a difficulty I think in "one more thing" that people had to do. My rubbing got a little torn but it's a stone with iconic art of its time and an interesting epitaph (a misquotation of a poem) and possibly a distant relative. I have to poke around on that one...but the last name is Lyman, and I have a lot of relatives with that name, in any case.

Easter was nice. After church services, I went over my parents and visited with my brothers and grandfather. We had dinner and watched the Red Sox.

Yesterday was Patriot's Day (the remembrance of the start of the Revolutionary War in Massachusetts and Maine), so I had the day off from work. I was able to get a lot done with laundry, tidying, and finishing up H is for Hawk for book discussion.

Now I'm back to work and jumping right into things with the busyness of a Tuesday after a holiday. One of my co-workers is out sick, which meant 6 hours on the desk. I'm just trying to get what has to be done today finished, and I'll have time later this week to work on press releases and such for upcoming programs. Tomorrow is book discussion and Thursday is a movie matinee, but fortunately the movie will not take much set up time. I'm going to spend quiet moments looking over the questions for tomorrow and finish book club prep tomorrow afternoon. My ladies always impress me with what they come up with, though, which makes my job facilitating easier.

Mary! I somehow missed your thread continuation. Glad to see life is busy but good. :)

I need to hustle with a re-read of the Turner books, too. Gosh, I love those so much.

Hi Mary! I admit to skimming a bit to catch up on 50 posts, but it seems like you've had a string of pretty good reads. I really loved Another Brooklyn, too, so I was happy to see it was a winner for you.

But really? The Red Sox? I am sooooo disappointed in my Giants-loving friend ;-)

>116 MickyFine: Glad you've found me again, Micky!

>117 scaifea: YES they're so good, and just as good - if not better - on a reread. I can't wait til the next one comes out! Fortunately there's plenty to read in the meantime...

>118 katiekrug: Hi Katie! No worries on skimming, I have definitely been guilty of that (and of skipping entire threads) when I get behind. I have been reading some good ones lately, pretty much since mid-March. It's nice to have that kind of a streak going! And yes... the Red Sox and the Bruins are my sports teams of choice in non-football teams. My family has lived in western Mass a good long time and my grandfather was a Giants fan because that was the local NFC team. When the Patriots were added in the NFC/AFC merger, my dad's family stuck with the Giants. And since my mom didn't really get into sports until after they got married (her dad is a Patriots fan) all us kids just fell in line... and most of us are pretty rabid Giants fans :D

>113 bell7: I do love this book, too. I think it works so well told from an outsider's view, learning about Gen, and I love the relationship between Gen and the queen so much. After a slow start, I enjoyed the fourth book as well. I am so excited for the new book to be coming, even though it isn't directly related to these!

>120 ronincats: It really does work, and even though I miss the "closeness" of a first-person narration, I get that she couldn't do what she wanted to as an author if she'd kept going that way. I'm really looking forward to Thick as Thieves, and I was excited to find out who the main character was once I reread The Queen of Attolia and remembered him.

You guys, my children's librarian just gave me the most adorable book: Bunny's Book Club by Annie Silvestro illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss. A little bunny discovers the fun of reading when he overhears storytime outside, and then he sneaks into the library one day to get some books for himself. Everything from the story to the watercolor illustrations to the entire design of the book make this a fantastic read with little ones on your lap. Can't wait to share it with my niece!

>122 bell7: That does sound very cute. :)

That sounds lovely. Very sweet. Hope your niece likes it.

>115 bell7: and >118 katiekrug:. Stick to your guns, Mary. No shame in rooting for the teams you grew up with. I'll root for the Red Sox, as long as they aren't playing my youthful passion - the Dee-Troit TIGERS! Just to make you really sad for me, I'm also grew up rooting for the Lions.

So happy you enjoyed H Is For Hawk. Me, too. Happy Friday!

>114 bell7: I have that one and have not gotten around to reading it yet. I need to pull if off my shelf!

>123 MickyFine: and >124 charl08: It was so cute. I won't be going to DC until the end of June (after the nephew is born and a few weeks old), but when I do I'm hoping to bring it with me.

>125 michigantrumpet: Oh dear, Marianne, that's a rough combo. I happen to know someone who was a Lions and a Cubs fan, and up until last year I just had to shake my head at the poor guy. Glad to see another fan of H is for Hawk!

>126 alcottacre: It's a good one, Stasia. I hope you like it too when you get a chance to read it.

Well, it's a nice weekend here chez moi, kind of rainy but I'm off work today and enjoying puttering around. I dogsat the last few days and spent a leisurely morning there, walked the dog, and decided it was time to come home (I mean, they arrive back today, but exactly what time I left was up to me). The couple I live with has guests over for lunch who got a tour of the whole house (it's a big ol' place first built in 1820 and expanded since then, in which I rent an in-law apartment), so I said hello to about 17 people people who traipsed through - they'd asked/warned me ahead of time, so I wasn't surprised.

So now I'm just relaxing. I read a paper I offered to proofread for a college student and am dipping in and out of The Sand County Almanac. I may finish a few essays in that, then either make progress in Strange the Dreamer or knitting the nephew's baby blanket (I've been calling him Sammy in my head even though I have no proof of names they're considering). I'm going to my church tonight that's a chicken dinner while we watch a presentation on a Passover seder, so that should be interesting.

Tomorrow after volunteering in nursery is a little more up in the air, as I'm not sure my parents will be around to visit. Either way, I'll be working in watching the Bruins game (yes, of *course* I stayed up through double overtime last night!) and helping out at teens that evening.

Happy weekend, all!

Almost forgot I'd promised Darryl I'd post this recipe to my thread and the Kitchen:

Hainan Chicken and Rice with Ginger-Lime Dipping Sauce (from Quick & Easy Vietnamese):

For the Chicken:
3 lb. boneless chicken breasts
6 c. chicken broth
10 slices fresh ginger
2 t. salt
Ginger-Lime Dipping Sauce or Lime-Pepper-Salt Dipping Sauce (Sorry - I ran out of time trying to make this before work and neither used a dipping sauce nor copied the pages that had them!)

For the rice:
3 T. vegetable oil or rendered chicken fat
1 T. chopped garlic
5 thin slices or 2 T. finely chopped fresh ginger
2 c. long-grain rice, such as jasmine (I only had plain ol' brown long-grain...)
1 t. salt

In a 3-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, combine the chicken with the broth, ginger and salt. Bring to a boil over medium head, and then adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, skimming the broth now and then to remove any foam that rises to the surface, until the chicken is cooked through but still tender, about 25 minutes. While chicken cooks, prepare the Ginger-Lime Dipping Sauce and set aside until serving time.

When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a bowl or platter to cool. Measure out 2 1/4 c. of the chicken broth and set it aside for cooking the rice. (You can serve any remaining broth alongside the rice, in small bowls, garnished with slice green onions, or save it for another meal.)

To prepare the rice, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, tossing once or twice. Add the rice and salt and cook, stirring often, until the rice is shiny and white, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the reserved chicken broth and bring to a lively boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring now and then until the rice is done, 20 to 25 minutes. remove from the heat for 10 minutes or so. Meantime, chop the chicken into cubes about 2 x 1 inches.

To serve, place the chicken and the small bowl of Ginger-Lime Sauce on one side of a serving platter, and mount rice on the other side. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

I kind of ran out of time while I was making this, because I was trying to do it before work. I ended up taking some of the chicken broth from the chicken and cooking it and the rice at the same time. But cooking it in the broth with ginger and garlic made the rice very flavorful, and I enjoyed the leftovers for a few days after making this.

>114 bell7: I loved H is for Hawk, I must reread it some time.

>128 bell7: Sounds like a lovely weekend off, Mary. Hope you get just the right combo of reading, knitting, and hockey watching in today.

Thanks for posting that recipe, Mary! I may try it later this week.

I did find an online recipe for Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Mam Gung).

>130 eclecticdodo: I could definitely see it being worth a reread, Jo.

>131 MickyFine: Hi, Micky! It was a good weekend, which helps starting out my 40 hour week (35 hours is considered full-time, but because of Saturday schedules I've elected to switch working 40 hour and 30 hour weeks to get two days in a row off whenever I work a Saturday). Unfortunately, the Bruins lost but it wasn't unexpected.

>132 kidzdoc: You're welcome, Darryl! Hope you like it, and thanks for linking to the Ginger Lime Sauce as well. I see the website advertises The Pho Cookbook as well, which I was hoping to take a closer look at but I've only copied a quick & easy version of Chicken Pho Soup to try sometime in the next couple of weeks.

>133 bell7: Ouch. Long weeks are tough. Hope it feels fast. :)

>134 MickyFine: Thanks, I hope so too! I'm finishing up with a rather involved program on Saturday, so I'll end the week ready for a nap, I'm thinking :)

39. A Sand County Almanac with Essays on Conservation by Aldo Leopold
Format: Oversized paper book
Why now? One of my patrons recommended it after a program we had on Henry David Thoreau - the actor as Thoreau was going to a conference where there would also be someone portraying John Muir and another as Aldo Leopold - one person recognized the name and was very enthusiastic about it. This is what she recommended.

A series of essays in this posthumous collection takes you through a year in the 1940s at Aldo Leopold's farm in Wisconsin, followed by an essay on "The Land Ethic" exploring making conservation part of our social, rather than economical, consciousness.

Leopold's style has much in common with Henry David Thoreau, and it could also be argued that his ideas about conservation, forestry, and being close to the land are a natural outgrowth of much of Thoreau's ethic as well. I think I would've liked it better if I could dip into and out of it at the right times of the year - as it is, in fact, organized from January to December with one to three essays on each month - instead of rushing for a library due date. Too many essays in a row and it got a little run together and harder to focus. The particular edition I had was a 50th anniversary edition with oversize pages and lovely photographs of the farm where Aldo lived. 3.5 stars.

Edited to add - it was pretty impressive to read "The Land Ethic" this morning and realize how prescient he was and how many of the issues he brings up are still relevant today.

40. Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Andersen
Format: Paper book
Why now? I'd really enjoyed Adulthood is a Myth and when I saw it on the library new shelf, I grabbed it knowing I could polish if off in a day when I was tired and in need of something light

Comics from "Sarah's Scribbles" continue with an introvert's take on life, humor, a look at potentially crippling social anxiety and how she managed to get over her tendency to dislike anything popular and fall in love with a cat.

Here's her online comic. Check it out - it's a lot of fun and super relatable.

41. Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels
Format: Paper book
Why now? To go along with the Bible study we're doing by the same name (video & workbook)

Bill Hybels takes you through prayer - knowing God is listening, how to pray, what happens when your prayers aren't answered, quieting yourself and listening, and finally how prayer becomes action and having a heart for others.

While much of what Hybels says is practical, his style is conversational and in my head he's writing the prayer book equivalent of Rick Warren's A Purpose Driven Life - lots of exclamation points, some Scripture, but more emotionally than intellectually driven. It's useful, good information but I found myself comparing it to Timothy Keller's Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, and not for the better. 3.5 stars.

Glad I read it, as it helped give meat to the bones of the video, but got much more out of the discussion portion of this Bible study than anything else.

Hi Mary! Happy Wednesday!

I also enjoyed H is for Hawk. It's one of those that I borrowed from the library, but wouldn't mind having a copy of my own.

I've copied the Ginger-Lime Chicken into my 'give it a try' file. It'll work on my low carb diet lifestyle if I substitute cauliflower rice for regular rice. Yum! I also put my name in line for The Pho Cookbook at the library. There are two copies in libraries in western Montana, and both are currently transferred to other libraries.

I read Sand County Almanac when I was in high school, since my biology teacher said it was one of his lifetime-favorite books. I wasn't terribly impressed then - I think I should reread it and see how it resonates now, forty years later.

>137 bell7: I really need to pick up Andersen's books at some point. I always love her cartoons when they come up on my Tumblr dashboard.

>139 streamsong: Hello, Janet! Glad to see another fan of H is for Hawk. I could see myself owning it and rereading it someday, but first I have to do something about the fact that I'm beginning to double shelve my bookcases. (Perhaps buy another one???) I hope you enjoy the chicken recipe...I have never tried cauliflower rice. When you cook it, do you really taste the cauliflower or no? (Cauliflower is one of the veggies I'm weird about and prefer raw) I'd be interested in seeing your thoughts on rereading A Sand County Almanac. It was a little dry at times, and I would've been hard-pressed to keep reading in high school myself.

>140 MickyFine: I think you'd enjoy them, Micky! I was just looking at the "series" page on LT and realized I never added Adulthood is a Myth when I read it last year. It's the second book I've come across this week that I'd neglected to add, which is really strange.

Happy Wednesday, all! It's been a long and busy day, and I'm looking forward to curling up with a book and going to bed shortly.

Work's been fine but busy. We've got spring programs (or at least, I do, having scheduled myself something fierce for the next month and a half), prep for summer reading... did I mention the server crashed mightily (the backup server completely filled up and no one knew, so unless we can recover stuff from the fried one, we lost everything saved since November of last year?)? I'm doing okay without the files, and have saved a bunch of things to a flash drive instead, but I'd done some summer reading work already and am really hoping that can be recovered instead of doing it all over again. Anyway, it is what it is. Today after work I went to the gym, got dizzy from only a half hour on the treadmill and not very fast, so I'm thinking maybe that's not for me. Got home around 7, put together some supper and just about crashed to finish Strange the Dreamer. I'll try to post a review tomorrow.

Now I'm ready to finish up getting ready for bed and start my reread of A Court of Mist & Fury. I'm *super* excited for book 3 coming out on Tuesday.

42. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Format: Paper book
Why now? The newest book by the author, I'd had it from the library since the day it came out and when my "have to" books for the month were complete, it was the next one I picked up

Lazlo Strange is an orphan, living with the monks in a drab city in a drab life where his only joy is to get one of the brothers to tell him stories of a city. This city figures in his hopes and dreams, but one day its name is lost and only "Weep" remains in its place. When Lazlo, a little older, becomes a librarian he spends all his free time researching stories of Weep or, as he likes to call it the "Unseen City," never dreaming that he might one day become part of its story himself.

It's really hard to explain what this story is about without giving, well, everything away. The story unfolds slowly - a bit too slowly occasionally - as Lazlo begins to untangle the mysteries of Weep and a second point of view is also introduced. The world-building is phenomenally well done, with a glimpse into history and religious systems and folklore without completely overwhelming the characters and story. This is definitely not going to be a standalone, and I found the ending particularly maddening. 4 stars.

>141 bell7: I've added it to my GoodReads Want to Read list (which is where I've been keeping The List lately) so it will come up in the shuffle one of these days.

>143 bell7: Foggi already hit me with that one, so I've skipped a BB. Kind of. ;)

>144 MickyFine: I finally got rid of GoodReads because I was having trouble keeping up with two accounts, but my TBR list lives in a notebook and, when I update it, a spreadsheet on my computer at home (I tried to upload it to my Google Drive to also be able to add to it at work, but apparently it's *ahem* too long). Do you choose randomly or have another method once you've added it to the list? Mine is to say, oh good now it's written down, and take years to get around to it.

Haha double hit? Depending on how cliffhanger averse you are, I might recommend waiting 'til the sequel is out.

43. Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Format: Paper book
Why now? scooped it up from the new book shelf at the library because I'd really enjoyed her We Should All Be Feminists and the TED talk by the same name

In a letter written to a friend, Adichie gives fifteen suggestions for raising her daughter a feminist: that is, a woman who is equal to a man and free to be herself rather than a stereotype.

I enjoy reading this author's thoughts because she challenges me to really think about my reasons for believing or believing something. She's insightful, thought-provoking, and witty. She acknowledges at the outset the difficulty in giving parenting advice, but she inspires me that, should I have a daughter, I would use many of these suggestions in raising her myself. 4.5 stars.

I'd be interested in having my sister read this and hearing her thoughts as a parent.

Edited to get the touchstones to work.

>145 bell7: I just started using GoodReads at the tail end of last year as I can share reading with my IRL friends (mostly librarians, unsurprisingly) and it makes for easier recommending back and forth. I also like how it manages To Read books over there.

I recently went clean slate with my To Read list. The Google Doc I had was getting unmanageable and had too many books that felt like "have tos" rather than "want tos". So now I'm down to a list of 60-70 (not including books I own but haven't read). I use random.org to generate a random number for picking next reads. Unless I want to read something from the list at that moment, of course, like I'm currently doing with the Shades of Magic trilogy.

>146 bell7: I want to read that one but I'm holding off until I read We Should All Be Feminists.

>147 MickyFine: Most of the people I know keeping track of their reading online use GoodReads as well. I've thought about a clean slate but... *shrug*. Maybe someday - we'll see. I haven't included books I owned (unless I bought them after they were on the list), and I don't have a way of reading the books on my list whether going through systematically or using a random number generator. I'm very disorganized when it comes to my reading, unless it's the have-to reading for work.

It makes sense that you'd want to wait till after reading We Should All Be Feminists. Either could be read first, I think, but since part of the reason her friend asked her opinions was because of the TED talk I think they work particularly well in that order, personally.

44. A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas - mine and a reread
Format: Paper book
Why now? The newest book in the trilogy came out yesterday, and I wanted to have all the details of the first two books fresh in my mind

First read in August 2016 - this is what I had to say about it then:

Having defeated Amarantha and rescued Tamlin from the kingdom Under the Mountain, Feyre finds that she's still struggling with nightmares and the fall out - she may have been gifted with immortality and changed into a faerie, but her heart is as human as ever. Tamlin clamps down into protective mode and starts never letting her out, while Rhys unexpectedly calls in the first of his weeks with her that fall under their bargain.

Oh goodness, where do I even start? You know, I find it easiest to review the books I'm lukewarm about. I like something enough to keep reading, but am distracted enough that I start analyzing it and picking it apart and can tell you exactly what I did and didn't like. This isn't one of those books. Sarah Maas has a way of creating a place and creating characters that I simply fall into and forget I'm reading. This book is a 620 page emotional rollercoaster, where I'd be nearly crying on one page, cheering on the next, and sitting with my shoulders all tensed while I read impatiently making sure that none of my favorite people were hurt. Added to that, there are so many twists and turns to this story that I can't wait to reread the first book with new eyes. Maas has become one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

I started A Court of Wings & Ruin last night at nine o'clock and allowed myself to read until 11 p.m. So I'm a little tired at work today (my normal bedtime is 10-10:30 and I'm super sensitive to getting less than 8 hours of sleep). I was still coming down on the high of the climax of the last book, and it started out a little slower than I expected, but I still managed to read over 100 pages last night. I've brought it to read on breaks but won't really be able to sit down with it until after dinner tonight.

I've been kind of sort of listening to Fire by Kristin Cashore before going to bed, but even though it's a reread I haven't been focusing on it and have barely listened to 1 hour after a week. I'm not really counting it as a "currently reading" because I'm just biding my time until an audiobook I can concentrate on becomes available through my library's digital catalog.

I've been reading The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise as my digital book on the desk when it's quiet. It took me almost two weeks to get halfway through because that's the only time I've been reading it. But when I've finished A Court of Wings & Ruin, I'm going to step it up and try to finish this next because I also have The House Girl ready to go both as a paper and e-book - and it's totally guilt-free reading on the desk because it's my next book discussion book.

That's about it in reading life. I did get my plane tickets to visit my sister after the baby's born, and I am planning on being in DC for July 4. We're going to a Red Sox game tomorrow, and I have a bridal shower on Saturday. So life is busy but good.

Glad to hear things are generally good over in your corner of the world. :)

>151 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! :)

Oh goodness, I've forgotten my monthly review for April! Perhaps I'll try to do that sometime this weekend and then start a new thread...

Hi, Mary! I picked up a book bullet here, but not one you reviewed on this thread -- you mentioned that you were comparing the Hybel's book on prayer here with another book by Keller, and it was the Keller book I put on my list.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Mary.

>153 tymfos: Oh excellent! I read that one last year, Terri, and really liked it a lot.

>154 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! It was busy but good. Hope you're having a good week!

I finished both A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas and The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart last night but can't quite summon up the energy to write reviews. This week is crazy busy at work since I have to finish the newsletter, write a couple of press releases, write letters to local businesses for summer reading donations, have a program tomorrow, and am working Saturday. I worked a split today because I had a program planners round table meeting this morning. Tomorrow I'm working another night with the program and am debating whether or not to tune into the webinar I signed up for or just to follow the link they send me and watch the recording after the fact.

Meanwhile, I've started reading The House Girl by Tara Conklin for my book discussion next week and Farthing by Jo Walton for my librarian genre book group also next week. I may or may not manage to reread His Majesty's Dragon before our meeting on Tuesday on alternative history, but my main focus this week will be these two books essentially meaning that even my reading is "work" even if enjoyable. I'm listening to The Penderwicks before bed, which is a fun re-listen for me. If I can finish up my books in a timely manner I'm hoping to start listening to more audiobooks while knitting instead of just before bed. I'm falling asleep too quickly.

Good luck with all the work things this week. Summer is always full of madness in public library land. Hopefully you get the weekend off.

Summer is always full of madness in public library land.
Indeed. I sent out letters asking for donations today, to be followed up with phone calls at the end of the month. So gearing up for the craziness, and in the meantime I have a lot of programs going on leading right into Summer Reading. But I'm taking it a day, a week at a time, and keeping afloat. I am working Saturday, but am off on Monday and looking forward to it. Fortunately I'm really liking The House Girl so fitting it in has been fun and not a chore.

I just had a chat with our local children's librarian yesterday, and we talked about how life is getting pretty crazy for her right now, too, with all of the summer program prepping, plus they'll be moving into their new building soon. Whew!

>159 scaifea: Hiya, Amber! Wow, that is a lot for your children's librarian to be working on at once! Thankfully we don't have any building moving to be adding to the chaos. We have flyers and promotion for Summer Reading heading to the printers as we speak, and I also sent the quarterly newsletter to the printer so that's two major projects off my back. I'm giving myself a bit of a "break" today with different types of projects, namely weeding fiction that hasn't gone out in two years or more and converting files of our local digitized papers from TIF to PDF. The latter is a low priority, ongoing thing, but it's nice and mindless for a Friday afternoon. Plus, we do eventually want to have a company take the files and make them searchable, so organizing it all and knowing what we have digitized already and what still has to be done needs to be ready for when we take on that project.

>160 bell7: Ah weeding. One of my favourite productive but not particularly taxing activities. :)

>161 MickyFine: Yes indeed! It's incredibly satisfying to look at a pretty section all weeded and appealing, isn't it? :)

45. A Court of Wings & Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Format: Paper book
Why now? The newest book in the series had to be read *immediately*, of course

The third and final book in the trilogy that began with A Court of Thorns & Roses begins soon after the second left off, with Feyre back in Tamlin's court pretending to be docile but really, as High Lady of the Night court, planning her former lover's demise. Meanwhile, Hybern's plot to take down the wall between Faerie and humankind progresses and Feyre, Rhys and their friends will have to pull out all the stops in their gambit to defeat him.

I don't tend to read series books one on top of the other, but I made an exception for this one, starting it mere minutes after I'd finished me reread of A Court of Mist & Fury. The plot starts off methodically and builds until you get to the breakneck denouement and don't want to put the book down. I found it an incredibly satisfying end to the story, and look forward to seeing what the author has next. 4.5 stars.

46. The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart
Format: E-book
Why now? It was available when I was looking for an e-book to read on the reference desk

Balthazar Jones is a Beefeater at the Tower of London, where he lives with his wife Hebe and the tortoise that has been in the family for over a century. Ever since the death of his son, he and his wife have not been able to talk of Milo and Balthazar has the odd habit of collecting rainwater, much to Hebe's chagrin. But their lives carry on until the fateful day when the equerry gives Balthazar a new assignment: the queen's animals are going to be relocated from the London Zoo to the Tower, and Balthazar will now be in charge of their care.

This is a quiet sort of humorous story about quirky characters that kind of creeps up on you with how much their lives end up mattering to you as a reader. Several different characters - Hebe and her co-worker at the Lost Property Office, the chaplain Septimus, and Ruby Dore the landlady at the Beefeater's pub - have their own side stories that intersect with Balthazar's as he navigates the challenges of animal husbandry and grief for his loss. 4 stars.

DNF - Leviticus: an introduction and commentary by R.K. Harrison

I did not think it was possible to find a commentary more dry than Leviticus itself, but I did. I got through the pages that dealt with the first 7 chapters or so, and I'm done. It didn't have a lot that I couldn't have figured out myself, and the need to intersperse many comments about the Jewish sacrificial system with the differences in New Testament Christianity just started to feel old and repetitive. I did read a bit when I woke up in the middle of the night to try to tire out my eyes, though.

Oh well...if anyone has a recommendation for commentaries on the Pentateuch, have at it. I'm really looking for more of the history and background than I am a verse-by-verse commentary anyway.

>165 bell7: I did not think it was possible to find a commentary more dry than Leviticus itself, but I did Ooof. Sympathies.

Glad to see you had two good reads to balance out that one.

>165 bell7: I'm not surprised you didn't finish that one, Mary!

Have a great weekend.

>166 MickyFine: I didn't expect it to be thrilling, but it was rather disappointing. Oh well! Like you said, plenty of good reads to be moving on with.

>167 PaulCranswick: Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, Paul!

Hi Mary - happy Tuesday! Sounds like things are hectic but rewarding at work.

I'm trying to keep a list of books read on Good Reads- mainly because I like seeing all the covers of everything I've read for the year in the book challenge. :-) I do like the idea of keeping my TBR list over there - currently I use my library Home page notes which is very convenient, but not sortable. I can't keep up with LT, much less a second book site, so GR's is near the bottom of the list. FictFact is even lower.

You are doing much better keeping up with reviews than I am! Sounds like some great reading going on.

>169 streamsong: Hi Janet! Yep, hectic but rewarding pretty much sums it up :) Fortunately, I work either 30 or 40 hours and I'm done, so there's plenty of me-time for reading, knitting, volunteering... Is it weird that I plan what I want to do when I retire already?

I could see why using GoodReads for the cover and year in the book challenges works for you. There were things about both websites that I liked, but I never really got involved in GR the same way I did with the community on LT and it just became too much to try to maintain both, as you say. I started with FictFact but I don't think I've looked at it for at least a year.

Reviews... funny you say that, as I have two still to write one for a book I finished on Saturday and another yesterday, in addition to my "April in review." I do try to keep up, however, as I don't feel quite "finished" with a book now until I review it on LT... it's just become such a habit.

47. The House Girl by Tara Conklin
Format: E-book and paper depending on where I was
Why now? This month's book group choice

Josephine is a house girl, a slave in 1852 living with the Bells on a dying plantation with a dying mistress, and dreams of running away. In the present day, Lina Sparrow is a young litigation lawyer whose firm is representing a client suing for reparation against big name companies that profited from slavery in the 19th century.

I didn't exactly know what to expect when I picked up this debut historical fiction novel for this month's book club book. I was quickly sucked into both Josephine and Lina's stories. In alternating chapters, the story investigates the nearly unimaginable long-term toll that slavery has taken on an entire nation, while illuminating the lives of these two women with their own heartaches. There is plenty for a book club to discuss, and Conklin's writing has a smooth style that makes for compelling reading. I could have used a little more development of secondary characters such as Lina's boss, her father, and the potential love interest that shows up, but overall I really enjoyed this thought-provoking, challenging read. 4.5 stars.

48. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall - reread
Format: Audio
Why now? I was in the mood to reread by audio

First read in 2010 - here's what I said about it then:

Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty Penderwick are four sisters who go to a summer cottage on vacation with their father and the dog, Hound. At twelve, Rosalind tries to keep order and mother the youngest, Batty, who is four. The four girls meet a boy, Jeffrey, and get into all sorts of scrapes during a summer they will always remember.

Though set in the present day, The Penderwicks has a sort of old-fashioned, timeless quality to it. The words that kept coming to mind were cute, sweet, and funny. IPods and designer clothes aren't mentioned, and the themes are such that kids from all generations can relate to, like a child's relationship with a parent, so it's one that I would be willing to purchase and keep around to share with my own (future) children.

49. Farthing by Jo Walton
Format: Paper book
Why now? My librarian book club was reading/exploring alternate histories and this is the second title I chose

Lucy Eversley married David Kahn, not a popular choice for a deb of the Farthing set to do in the aftermath of World War 2. The Farthing set brokered a peace with Hitler, who on the Continent continues waging war with Russia. Even though England is free, Jews are not popular. Then at a house party her mother puts on, one of the guests - the very one who brokered that peace - is killed, and all the evidence points rather sloppily to David. Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard is called in, and in alternating chapters he and Lucy try to get to the bottom of who killed James Thirkie and who stands to profit.

Welcome to a world that could have been - where governments are corrupt, power is in the hands of the few, and there is one law for the rich and another for the poor. What are you willing to compromise to keep yourself and the people you love free? Who is guilty or innocent, and what are an individual's responsibilities in a society that couldn't care less about certain unpopular groups? I generally prefer books to have characters I can really get to know and get behind, and I spent most of the book wondering what on earth was going on. The ending will not be satisfying for traditional mystery readers, but certainly gives a lot of food for thought. I would be interested in seeing where the trilogy goes from here. 4 stars.

This was the kind of book that took me awhile to warm up to it, and even when I was finished I wasn't 100% sure what I thought of it. The more I think about it, the more I like it though.

>173 bell7: I wanted to like the book more than I actually did, Mary. Premise is a great one but the story was flat somehow. I loved both Among Others and Tooth and Claw so this one just didn't meet the same quality level IMO.

Have a great weekend.

>174 PaulCranswick: glad to know it's not just me. I was wondering if my disconnect came in part from being unfamiliar with British politics but perhaps it was simply a case of the message overwhelming the story.

Tooth and Claw is on my list to read someday.

50. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner - mine and reread
Format: Paper book
Why now? Thick as Thieves came out Tuesday and I was rereading the series before starting the newest

Unlike the rest of the Queen's Thief series, which I've reread multiple times, this is the first time I've reread Conspiracy of Kings since it came out in 2010 (!). Here's what I said about it back then:

Last we heard of Sophos, Eugenides receives intelligence that a group of rebels captured the heir of Sounis, and no one is sure whether he is alive or dead. In this story, readers get to learn Sophos' story, primarily told by him as narrator, when he is captured while in exile and sneaked off the island disguised as a slave.

Faithful readers of the series will remember Sophos as the young blusher, looking up to Ambiades and the Magus during their adventure in The Thief. Even while staying true to his character - and keeping readers on their toes by shifting to his perspective believably - this story explores how he grows into a man and king. Reading this today and yesterday, I was so full of anticipation and hurry hurry hurry, I need to know what happens, that I read the book over two days, taking a total of about four hours. I think I would have to reread it to really do the story justice and figure out how I like it in terms of the rest of the series, but I have no doubt I would read it again.

This was a funny sort of reread because it had been so long. I remembered that there wasn't as much of Eugenides, which disappointed me and still makes this not really my favorite in the series (though I still rate it at 4.5 stars, a book I'd reread). I remembered that Sophos had to kill somebody, but I'd completely forgotten who. I think because of that I was able to not rush through the story quite so quickly - though I still read it in three days, which is typical of how I've read and reread the series all along - and enjoy the ride a little more.

I'm trying to get well into Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides because a friend of mine and I decided to read and talk about it on Memorial Day, so I have a deadline so to speak. Thick as Thieves is next on my list.

To catch up on RL a little bit, I'm currently dogsitting starting Friday and through next Sunday.

Yesterday when I got to work I had a text from my brother-in-law that my sister was in labor. My nephew was born about 9:30 in the morning, 7 lb. 13 ounces and 20 inches long. He has not yet been named. I finished knitting his blanket this morning and I'm blocking it as we speak (at home).

Next week will be a bit of a weird schedule for me. I'm technically off on Monday, but will be driving out to Hyannis for the Massachusetts Library Association conference. I'm going to stay overnight and attend the conference on Tuesday, after which I'll come back to dogsitting (2 dogs, 2 rabbits - a new animal for me, and a hamster). Wed-Fri hours will depend a little bit on how many hours I end up working in total on Monday and Tuesday, so I might be going in to work late or leaving early a couple of times just to make the week's total work out to 35 hours, including the five hours I work Saturday. So we'll see how that all shakes out.

I had originally thought I'd watch some Gilmore Girls Season 5 while sitting, but I couldn't find a DVD player so I'm either watching the Red Sox or reading (or both) when I'm not working, which leaves me with LOTS of reading time. I'm hoping to drop off my laptop with a friend to get some work done, so I don't know how often I'll get to post this week, but we'll see how it goes. If nothing else, I can do a major review catchup on Memorial Day, but we'll see how it goes.

Congratulations on your new nephew!

Hope the conference is useful for you.

>178 MickyFine: Thanks on both counts, Micky!

I got to Skype with the family very briefly yesterday and see him. Mia was fascinated but doesn't really know how to be gentle yet and kept trying to touch his nose and eventually yanked his little hat off. Hopefully it won't be too tough of an adjustment for her, but she's a cuddly little one who loves her mom, especially when she's tired, so sharing her parents might be challenging.

Here's some catchup on the knitting project pictures I've been promising:


A hat for my cousin's son, whipped up quickly before our cousin's bridal shower so I could give her a gift... I did not have enough time for a baby blanket this time around!


Wide shot of the baby blanket for my nephew. It came out bigger than I had anticipated, but on the other hand it was a simpler pattern that I had for Mia so I guess that's sort of even.

Here's a close up of the rocking horse pattern:


I brought it home to block it this afternoon and probably won't be able to send it down 'til sometime next week. I'm pretty sure my parents have already left, and I'm not visiting 'til the end of June by which time I hope to have finished the Christmas stocking.

My very late but promised April in review:

April
31. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
32. Straight on Till Morning by Mary S. Lovell
33. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - mine and a reread
34. No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor
35. Something New by Lucy Knisley - graphic novel
36. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger - e-book and audio
37. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - mine and a reread
38. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
39. A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
40. Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Andersen - comics
41. Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels
42. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
43. Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Books/e-books: 10
Audiobooks: 1ish
Graphic Novels: 2
Adult/Teen/Children's: 8/4/1
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry/Plays: 7/6/0/0
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 11/2/0

Standouts: For very different reasons, I'd say the Newbery Award winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Dear Ijeawele.

Thoughts: Two of the thirteen reads in April included graphic novels/comics, and this is the first year I'm counting them the same as books so you might see my total year numbers looking just a little more inflated than last year's. My rereading usually sticks to around 10-15% of my total, and it's a little high this year at the moment with getting ready for newest books in beloved series so it will be interesting to see if that continues. (I'm sort of including May at this point - 8 of 50 are rereads). I also read almost as many nonfiction books as fiction, which is unusually for me even when I don't finish 13 in a month.

Whew! Well, with all that I may not be caught up on everyone else's threads on LT, but at least I am caught up on my own. Speaking of, please join me on my new thread. I put up a nephew photo!