Ronincats targets Books off my own Shelves for 2017: Sector Three

Balboa Park in February--spring has arrived in San Diego!

I’m Roni in San Diego and I’ve been a member of the 75 book challenge group since 2008. I have a husband, 3 cats, 1 dog, a garden, many books, and am retired. I spend my time reading, gardening, crocheting, and making pottery and wire jewelry. Last year I did miserably on my reading goals, not meeting a single one. This year I want to focus on reading books already on my shelves. My main focus in reading is in speculative fiction (science fiction and fantasy) but I also try to read at least a dozen nonfiction books per year and am keeping up, more or less, with 4 mystery series. Welcome to my thread. If you are a speculative fiction reader, comment on my thread and I’ll come visit you. I follow those members with similar tastes or that I forged friendships with back in the days when this group was smaller--there is no way I can keep up with everyone, although I would love to be able to.

Goals for 2017:

I will continue my goals to read 150 books and 50,000 pages, as I have met that goal 6 out of 9 years, but amount is really not a focus.

Previous goals have included limiting the number of books acquired to fewer than the previous year and to de-acquisition as many books as acquired. This year I will set a goal of limiting acquired books to 85 and to send at least 50 books on their way out of my house.

I have done very poorly on my goal of reading unread books already on my shelves, but I really want to highlight that this year, and so I’m setting an all-time high goal of 50 books. I did read 40 such books in 2013, but only 41 in the last three years combined.

Books read in 2017:

January:
DNF Daughter of Gods and Shadows by Jayde Brooks (135 pp.) (2015)
1. The Kindred of Darkness by Barbara Hambly (248 pp.)(2016)
2. Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by J. R. Rowling (42 pp.) (pre-2011)
3. The Story of Charlotte's Web by Michael Sims (305 pp.) (2015)
4. Starship's Mage by Glynn Stewart (299 pp.) (2016)
5. The Heart of What was Lost by Tad Williams (222 pp.) (2017)
6. I Shot the Buddha by Colin Cotterill (342 pp.) (library)
7. Linesman by S. K. Dunstall (372 pp.) (2016)
8. The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman (361 pp.) (library)
9. Everything is Miscellaneous by David Weinberger (260 pp.) (pre-2011)
10. Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire (192 pp.)
11. The Iron Tactician by Alastair Reynolds (94 pp.) (2016)
12. Dawn by Octavia Butler (256 pp.) (pre-2011)
13. Spoiled Harvest by Leah Cutter (222 pp.) (2016)
14. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire (352 pp.) (reread)
15. Where Shadows Dance by C. S. Harris (342 pp.) (library)
16. Where Maidens Mourn by C. S. Harris (341 pp.)
17. Evicted by Matthew Desmond (420 pp.)
18. The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud (445 pp.)

February
19. The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (298 pp.)
20. Deeds of Honor by Elizabeth Moon (152 pp.)
21. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (265 pp.)
22. Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt (360 pp.)
23. Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina (90 pp.)
24. Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (447 pp.)
25. Why Kings Confess by C. S. Harris (340 pp.)
26. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (388 pp.)
27. What Darkness Brings by C. S. Harris (353 pp.)
28. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (106 pp.)
29. Wanderings: Chaim Potok's History of the Jews (431 pp.)
30. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (243 pp.)
31. Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (312 pp.)
32. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (467 pp.)
33. Mortal Fire by Elizabeth Knox (436 pp.)

March
34. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan (333 pp.)
35. Mira's Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (87 pp.)
36. Magic for Nothing by Seanan McGuire (368 pp.)
37. The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (514 pp.)
38. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (478 pp.)
39. Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer (249 pp.)
40. Heartstone by Elle Katharine White (337 pp.)
41. The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (479 pp.)
42. Borderline by Mishell Baker (392 pp.)
43. Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice (619 pp.)
44. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit (160 pp.)
45. Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire (338 pp.)

Books acquired in 2017:

January:
1. The Heart of What was Lost by Tad Williams (Kindle)
2. Evicted by Matthew Desmond
3. Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger
4. Zeroes by Chuck Wendig
5. Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire (Kindle)
6. Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman (Kindle)
7. The Unwinding by George Packer (Kindle)
8. Rough Crossings by Simon Schwama (Kindle)
9. The Inkblots by Damion Searles
10. The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (Kindle)
11. Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina (Amazon)

February
12. City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett (ER)

March
13. Mira's Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (Kindle)
14. Magic For Nothing by Seanan McGuire (Amazon)
15. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (PBS)
16. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt (PBS)
17. In Other Lands by Sarah Brennan (ER)
18. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (MG)
19. Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor (MG)
20. A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab (MG)

challenges--this will take a while as I haven't collected this data in one place before.

British Author Challenge
February - Terry Pratchett: Wyrd Sisters
June - Georgette Heyer:
October - Jo Walton: Necessity
December - Neil Gaiman: Odd and the Frost Giants

SFFCAT Challenge
January: "Read an SFF you meant to read in 2016, but never started/completed" - Starship's Mage by Glynn Stewart
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/243698)

February: "Space Travel!" - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/246706)

March: "Religious Themed SciFi/Fantasy" - Lamentation (Psalms of Isaak) by Ken Scholes, The Gospel of the Knife by Will Shetterly

April: "Dystopian/Apocalyptic theme" - On Such a Full Sea

May: "Alien contact" -

June: "Series Month" -

July: "Award Winners/Nominees" -

August: "Humorous sci fi/fantasy" -

September: "Steampunk" -

October: "Near Future SciFi" -

November: "Historical SFF" -

December: "Magic Systems" -

Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prizewinners - Evicted by Desmond Morris

February: Voyages of Exploration - Wanderings by Chaim Potok

March: Heroes and Villains - Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice

April: Hobbies, Pastimes and Passions

May: History

June: The Natural World

July: Creators and Creativity

August: I’ve Always Been Curious About….

September: Gods, Demons and Spirits

October: The World We Live In: Current Affairs

November: Science and Technology

December: Out of Your Comfort Zone

Obama Reading List Challenge http://www.librarything.com/topic/247375

February--Non-Fiction Titles: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
March--All-time Favorites: The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois
April--Excellent Novels and Poetry Collections
May--Books About Other Presidents
June--Summer Reads 2016
July--Summer Reads 2015
August--Independent Bookstore Purchases
September--Childhood Classics
October--Additional Authors and Philosophers
November--Informative Reads
December--Books for Daughters

Happy New Thread!! Well, it is kinda under construction. But I'll be back!!

Welcome, readers! I'm going to post the Nebula info from the last thread.

I've gone from two weeks with no library books to probably library overload now, which means my BOMBs will undoubtedly take a hit. I brought home Bliss (recommended by Morphy), The Bookshop on the Corner recommended by several LTers but most lately Kathy (archerygirl), and the second and third books of the Tearling trilogy, warbled by Benita and seconded by Joe. So, four books. Not too bad, right? But then there are the books on hold, still trickling into my local library:
The Skill of Our Hands-not LT's fault, a new Brust
The Dark Days Club--Kerry's (aviatakh) fault
The Dark Days Pact--ditto
Men Explain Things to Me--another with multiple LT recs
Heartstone--this is the fault of one of my booky e-letters

And then, the Nebula Award nominees came out this week. Five books nominated for best novel--I've read All the Birds in the Sky and have The Obelisk Gate on my nightstand. And 7 books nominated for the Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult SF or fantasy book, of which I just read the Newbery Award winner, The Girl Who Drank the Moon. And every single one of the others is actually available through my library. So, two are on my hold list and the other 10 are on my For Later bookshelf on the library website, as I can't handle more that 8 books on hold at once. They are:
Borderline
Everfair
Ninefox Gambit

The YA
The Star-Touched Queen
The Lie Tree
Arabella of Mars
Railhead
Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies
The Evil Wizard Smallbone

And they all sound good! These are the awards voted upon by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, while the Hugos are voted upon by fandom. Hopefully there will be some overlap when the Hugo nominees come out next month. But if not, I have lots of good reading to look forward to.

Happy new one, Ron. I love the spring topper and the photo (>7 ronincats:) is so true.

Happy weekend.

Happy new thread, Roni! Love the very tall and very smart kitty :)

Happy new thread! I just copied my review over to the book page for Ninefox Gambit.

Happy new thread, Roni. That cat in >7 ronincats: looks very pleased with himself!

Oh yes, I love that cat too.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread! Love the topper. Makes me feel so nostalgic. Wish I were moving back to SoCal.

Happy new thread, Roni! I love that blue sky.

Happy new thread, Roni - What a beautiful picture for your topper. I am looking at a foot of new snow today. :(

Happy new thread!! Spring seems to be trying to come to Southern Ontario. We are alternating between warm, sunny days and mild snow days. Confused.

awesome new thread :)

Hi, Kimmers (early bird), Barbara, Katie, Jim, Judy, Kerry, foggi, Mary, Susan, Beth, Chelle and Melissa! Welcome to the new thread. I've been off to the pottery since I set this thread up early. Early to the studio, too, because my Jayhawks are playing now. Here's what I brought home.

And here's everyone's favorite kitty.

And off to concentrate on the game.

>19 ronincats: Sorry about that sneakin' in early thing. I thought I had waited long enough--not!! Love the pottery! Is the second one see-through? How did the Jayhawks do?

>20 Berly: Yes, the second pot is a see through. The bottom was too thin and broke through when I was trimming it so I took the bottom out, used a saucer I had thrown the previous week for a bottom, and it's a candelaria, to have a candle inside to shine through the holes. And the Jayhawks are ahead of Texas 26-20 with 8 and a half minutes left in the first half. ;-)

Happy new thread, dear lady!

>1 ronincats: Balboa park? Is it rocky there? (sorry)

>19 ronincats: That is one inquisitive kitty!

Howdy Ro! I've meant to ask if you Pin or Instagram your pottery?

>22 PaulCranswick: Not THAT Balboa, silly. Vasco Nunez, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_Núñez_de_Balboa

>23 luvamystery65: I don't do Instagram, Ro. I do do Pinterest--should I pin my own pottery there? I have a board of inspiration and how to's for pottery.



Book #31 Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (312 pp.)

This delightful Newbery Honor book was recommended to me by David (tapestry100) and given to me by Linda (whisper9) when she was my LT Santa. It's a middle school mystery set in rural North Carolina with a scrappy heroine and a full cast of characters in the other sense of the word. Thank you so much, Linda.

Happy new thread, Roni. Love the blue bowl and the kitty closeup!

>21 ronincats: Love it!! A most fortunate accident.

Great kitty photo! And I love that blue bowl.

Happy new thread, Roni and lovely pottery as always. How did the Jayhawks do?

Good morning, Meg, Kim, Lucy and Reba. A chilly (54 F.) and damp morning here, good for staying inside with a good book. The Jayhawks won, not comfortably as they were going from 10 to 6 and back to 10 points ahead, which, with the 3-point shot, is not that much, but they maintained that lead to the end. We are now undisputed Big 12 champions, and conference champions for the 13th year in a row, tying UCLA's record in the Wooden years. Two more regular season games this week. And Gonzaga (#1) lost to BYU last night. May or may not shake up the rankings tomorrow. We've been #3 for a while now, a good place to be.

Okay, more than you wanted to know, right?

>29 ronincats: Thanks for that information, Roni. I can talk basketball with my daughter-in-law now! We are going to our third BB game for this weekend later today. My favorite was Haley's game yesterday morning. She dribbled the ball the entire length of the court without losing control. Just when she's catching on, the season ends. Soccer is up next.

Happy new thread, Roni!

Love those trees in your topper. We have some cherry in our street and I am always so pleased when the blossoms come out.

Happy new thread, Roni!
>7 ronincats: That cat is looking so proud :-)
>19 ronincats: Lovely blue bowl and I like the flower in gaps in the other picture & hi kitty!

>29 ronincats: Thanks for the Jayhawk info. Hubby's a Jayhawk, although he isn't much of a sports fan so we don't watch games or keep all that up-to-date but I do enjoy knowing how they're doing.

Happy new thread, Roni! The pottery is fabulous, and the kitty close-up made me laugh.

Good morning, Donna, Amber, Charlotte, Anita, Reba and Mamie! It's a rainy one here, and no, we still are not tired of it. Although the schools may well be--rainy day schedule is always a hassle for recess and lunch duties. I have replaced the picture of the lumenaria in >19 ronincats: with a picture with the candle lit in it, and here is the back of it. My husband has decided he wants to keep it. He has candles going all the time.


Gonzaga's loss to BYU Saturday ruined their perfect season and dropped them to #4 in today's new rankings, even though they still have the best record overall--probably due to strength of schedule issues. For the same reason, my Jayhawks are now ranked #1, a spot I'm always uncomfortable with because everyone is gunning for you then. We play Oklahoma at Oklahoma tonight--wish us good fortune. Of course, in conference play, everyone is gunning for us anyway. UCLA moved up to #3 with their win over Arizona, and Villanova stays at #2.



Book #32 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (467 pp.)

And this book certainly qualifies for the SFFKIT February Category Challenge: Space Flight. Lots of people have loved this book and I can certainly see why. Not a fast-paced action adventure as some science fiction is, this uses the structure of a spaceship voyage during a slow year in real time to allow us to learn about and identify with a diverse crew of characters and their universe, so that when push does come to shove, we are deeply invested. Looking forward to the next book.

>23 luvamystery65: I have Pinterest but I don't really use it. I would imagine you could post all your pottery there. I was thinking it would be nice to see all your pottery in one place but it may be too much work.

>19 ronincats: What a clever idea to turn a lemon (bottom breaking of your pot) into lemonade (a candelaria). I don't blame your husband for wanting to keep it — it looks great, and the holes are big enough to let a good amount of light through.

And the pic of your kitty getting up close and personal with the camera just cracks me up. She is definitely ready for her closeup, Mr. DeMille!

>37 luvamystery65: I use it to store ideas for my jewelry making and pottery and sewing and crochet, as well as for organization and recipes and exercise and more crafts.

>38 rosalita: Hi, Julia. The neat thing is that almost any error in throwing can be used somehow. Some people LIKE the pieces with the collapsed walls.



Book #33 Mortal Fire by Elizabeth Knox (436 pp.)

This is a YA fantasy book set in the Southland of Knox's Dreamhunter duet but much later, circa 1959. I found it more accessible and equally original in concept. Its tone reminded me of Alan Garner's Owl Service, rather eerie and yet down to earth at the same time. The pace is definitely slower than many modern YA books, also evocative of Garner's time, but there are several twists and turns as well as a lot of world-building going on.

>39 ronincats: Hmm. I adore The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, but none of his other books have worked for me - not even the sequel to the Weirdstone, with the same kids. Not sure I've ever read Owl Service, though I keep trying one and another of his, because Weirdstone is _so_ good.

I do want to read ...To a Small, Angry Planet - so many people have recommended it. At some point I'll get to it.

And that wraps up my books-in-progress this month. The last five books have all been BOMBs (books off my own shelves) and I am up to 15 for the year toward my goal of 50, although the last one was just barely--I got it from my LT Christmas Swapee Nancy. But of my 7 BOMBs this month, 4 were pre-2016. I have more BOMBs planned for my March challenges in >5 ronincats:, now updated, but for now need to address the 5 library books at home and the 4 on their way to my local branch!

>40 jjmcgaffey: Owl Service is a retelling in modern times of an old Gaelic legend, so not an upper in any way. I prefer the Brisingamen books definitely, but the Knox book's atmosphere reminded me of that book.

Good morning, all. It rained steadily and heavily all day yesterday, for a full 24 hours. Our rain gauge shows 4 inches for the last 48 hours, which is amazing. Remember, our average in a non-drought year is just under 10 inches for the full year. All the low places in the county are flooded, but we are on top of a mesa so no flood worries here. The sun is out, the sky is a brilliant blue, and we are supposed to be in shorts by the end of the week.

There usually is a bit of overlap between Hugos and Nebulas. I'm still trying to narrow down my novel nominations for the Hugos and I think I can squeeze in a couple more books before they close, just to make my decision even harder.

Out of the Nebula list, I've only read The Obelisk Gate, which I loved even more than The Fifth Season. And Every Heart a Doorway, which is on my Hugo nomination list because it's amazing.

Oh, and the Wong novelette, which is fantastic and on my Hugo list. And the Yoachim short story, which is brilliant and I highly recommend it. I really need to do a big catch-up on my short story reading before Hugo noms close.

On the Norton front, I read The Star-Touched Queen last month and I loved it, so that's a good place to start if you're looking for somewhere. I'd originally been thinking 2016 seemed like a slower year than 2015 for amazing fiction, then the list started coming out and I take that back. It crept up on me and I've been scrambling to catch up!

>43 ronincats: The weather is certainly showing some interesting trends with climate change starting to fully establish itself. It fills me with great unease but alas, there is nothing we small people can do except try and live in the kindest way possible to the planet whilst also living our lives. I hope the extreme rain doesn't cause too many problems and that it is a small step towards replenishing things after the drought.

Whoa! That's a lot of rain! I know L.A. has been hammered too. It's been a weird winter here too, what with days of warm, sunny spring temps interspersed with short bouts of cold and snow. I blame myself in part: Last month I bought a set of new ALL-WEATHER tires to handle the snow, so of course were haven't had much snow since then. :)

It was indeed a lovely rain yesterday. I wasn't feeling well whenI woke up although I got better as the day progressed. In spite of that, I used it as an excuse for a pj day and read all day. It was just heavenly!!

Happy new thread Roni!

>7 ronincats: I'm also quite excited about the Nebula nominees list - especially as most of the nominees for best novel are available in the UK (doesn't always work that way). The Andre Norton nominees also look good though they are less available - I will probably wait to see if they get released here.

>19 ronincats: Love the blues in that bowl and the candelaria. And the photobombing cat!

>36 ronincats: Glad you enjoyed TLWtaSAP. I loved it and ACaCO.

>43 ronincats: Wow, that's a lot of rain. Glad to hear you've stayed dry but feeling for those on lower ground.

>1 ronincats: It is looking lovely, spring in San Diego. Much better than here in Amsterdam, where the weather will be rainy and cloudy all week.

Love your pottery, the blue bowl, and the candelaria. That's a new word for me:)

#39
I have been looking at Mortal Fire for a long time because I enjoyed the first two of the Dreamhunter series. Glad to see your review. I will certainly move Mortal Fire up on my reading list for this reason.

>44 archerygirl: You are a bit ahead of me, Kathy. I often don't get the shorter stuff read, but of course have read the McGuire. I'm scrambling too, but don't have to meet the Hugo nomination deadline.
>45 lunacat: Hi, Jenny. I read your posts about the weather there, and Susan's too, in London, and am glad you both came through with no damage. There was flooding in the valleys today even more so, with several rescues of people too dumb to stay out of moving water.
>46 Storeetllr: Clearly YOU were the jinx, Mary. ;-)
>47 RebaRelishesReading: Oh, Reba, it was just so soothing hearing the rain beating on the roof for the whole day. And my roses!
>48 souloftherose: Heather, we'll have to read through the nominees together! And I put my purse together--I just have to decide how I want to do the handle as I'm not sure I want the chain.
>49 EllaTim: Well, it was definitely cloudy and rainy the last two days, but brilliant sunshine today, Ella.
>50 benitastrnad: Hope you can find a copy, Benita.

Last book for February:



Book #34 Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood (374 pp.)

Someone, maybe Morphy, recommended this middle-school fantasy to my attention and I ordered it from the library. It's light and fun, dealing with the insecurities of a 12 year old girl feeling unappreciated in her family, dealing with a crisis with parents absent, and throw in a batch of cooking magic and an evil aunt. I haven't decided if I want to go on to the other two books, especially with all the Nebula nominees on my list right now.

I also learned I won another middle school fantasy from Early Reviewers today. The protagonist is a young teen boy who falls into magicland but is appalled by the level of technology and the physical fitness needed to swing swords. I'll look forward to getting it.

February Summary Statistics

Books read: 16
Pages read: 5062
Average pages per book: 316
Average pages per day: 181

Re-reads: 2
New reads: library - 4, BOMBs - 6, new purchases - 4

Genre: 1 science fiction, 5 fantasy, 6 children's, 2 nonfiction, 2 mystery
Format: 3 Kindle, 10 hb, 2 tpb, 1mmpb
Author Gender: 10 female, 6 male
Country of origin: 12 USA, 2 England, 1 New Zealand, 1 Colombia

Books acquired: 2

The other day I updated my spreadsheet completely for books out the door, including the 7 books I am taking to my old elementary school this Friday when I go down to Read Across America AND saved it, and today everything I've added is GONE. It ain't FAIR!

>42 ronincats: I will have to object! The Owl Service is the retelling of a Welsh legend (Brythonic Celtic - could come from Cumbria, Northumbria or Southern / Eastern Scotland or Cornwall too) as opposed to a Gaelic legend (which would be Irish or from the Scottish Highlands). These distinctions are important y'know ;)

Specifically it is based on the story of Blodeuwedd (a name meaning Floral Countenance) from the story Math ab (son of) Mathonwy in the Mabinogion (very old and famous Welsh literature that also inspired the King Arthur legends, Lloyd Alexander and many others). Having said that, its about as similar as West Side Story is to Romeo and Juliet - i.e. heavily reinterpreted.

The story is set very close to where I live, but despite that I too prefer the Weirdstone of Brisingamen, which is definitely his best. I also loved the Moon of Gomrath (the sequel) but was not so fond of his return to the subject in the recent Boneland. I agree with you both on the general assessment of Garner's work.

>51 ronincats: I tried and failed to finish Bliss a year or so ago. I've learned I have a short leash for middle-school-level YA, I think.

>51 ronincats: I always figure that if I'm registered to vote, I might as well use my nomination rights, too. And every extra voice helps to make the finalist list better for everyone, right? Plus, this year I'm going to actually be at Helsinki Worldcon so I'll be able to see the awards presented! It's also helpful if I can have at least a couple of nominees already read by the time the list comes out--gives me a better chance of getting through most of it :-)

I have a subscription to Uncanny magazine, which helps a bit with increasing my short story intake. When people on Twitter start buzzing about a short story, I'll try to make the effort to hunt it down and read it, which is how I read the Yoachim short last year. I think that one got a lot of attention because the structure is so unusual and it's so damn entertaining!

Hi Roni - Love the blue pottery. Three Times Lucky sounds good. I am also anxious to read the next Chambers. Maybe over spring break.

>52 sirfurboy: Actually I knew all of that, Steven, but it's been a number of years since I last read the book and I was lazy and didn't go check my facts before posting. Bad me. And I thought Gaelic was a superordinate category to Celtic. My bad. I liked both Weirdstone and Moon of Gomrath, can't remember if I tried Boneland yet.

>53 rosalita: I like really good middle-school level YA, Julia, but this one was just average for me.

>54 archerygirl: That is really neat that you will be at Helsinki, Kathy! I'll be expecting blow-by-blow reporting from you!

>55 BLBera: Hi, Beth.

March Plans

Liz's (lyzard) Heyer read: Charity Girl, also meets the Unregulated REREAD Challenge
SFFCAT Challenge: "Religious Themed SciFi/Fantasy" - Lamentation (Psalms of Isaak) by Ken Scholes, The Gospel of the Knife by Will Shetterly
Nonfiction Challenge: Heroes and Villains - Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice
Obama Reading List Challenge: All-time Favorites: The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois

Either here or coming in from the Library:

The Invasion of the Tearling and The Fate of the Tearling- read the first of the trilogy last month and enjoyed it, Benita and Joe warbling about it.
Borderline by Mishell Baker- Nebula Award nominee
Everfair by Nisi Shawl- Nebula Award nominee
Heartstone by Elle Katharine White- fantasy retelling of Pride and Prejudice
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman- Regency fantasy recommended by Kerry in New Zealand (aviatakh)

Currently reading: The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan- warbled about by Kathy (archerygirl), light fiction

So this morning has been spent gardening in the 70 degree sunshine. Pulling up weeds, adding soil to one of the raised beds, putting wire fencing over it to discourage the feral cats from littering there, planting more carrots and beets, harvesting carrots and peas, and I forgot to put on my Fitbit for any of it!

Here are the raised beds; I was working in the far one but harvesting peas and carrots and lettuce in the near one.

Everything has been loving all the rain, especially the weeds. But just to refresh your memory, this is what my water-saving yard looked like last fall and then now.

And ditto for the other side of the path, in front of the porch.


And finally, a picture of the put-together purse as well as the scarf I knitted during Monday night's basketball game. I still have to work out what I want to do for a handle--the pattern uses a large chain but I don't think I want that.

Perfect day for gardening!! Hope you got to spend some time in that inviting pink chair though :)

Your carrots look nice! The purse and scarf are too.

It's nice to see pictures of your garden to remind me of what will eventually come here. I just hope it is sooner rather than later.

>58 RebaRelishesReading: Switched to the chair on the deck in back to finish this next book--it has a cushion!
>59 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori.
>60 Familyhistorian: Eventually, Meg, it will. Count on it.



Book #35 The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan (333 pp.)

I heard about this one from Kathy (archerygirl) also, a sweet finding one-self story with lots of book love and some romance and love of country life. Very relaxing and charming.

Happy Friday, Roni. I love your garden photos.

Happy Friday, Roni. I love your garden photos. I'm looking forward to your comment on Colgan's book. I've never read a book of her but saw that our library has got nine books of her.

>56 ronincats: I will do my best! At least to do a write-up after I've been :-) I'll try to remember to post links to my Twitter before I go, because that's the most likely place to find any on-the-spot reporting I might do :-D

I was at London Worldcon a few years ago and it was amazing, so I'm really excited about Helsinki. It's possible that I'm losing my mind and filling out the form to volunteer as a panelist...

>63 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. I did enjoy the Colgan; it was sweet and undemanding.
>64 archerygirl: Definitely post links when the time comes. I don't use Twitter but do have an account so theoretically at least I could follow you!

Spent the morning reading Juana & Lucas to two third grade classrooms to celebrate Read Across America, and then donated that book and 8 others to the school library. I think the reading went quite well.

Good for you, Roni!! I didn't know about that event but it sounds like a nice contribution to our poor, beleaguered schools.

Great garden pictures, Roni. It's so lovely to see so much green at this time of the year.

>66 RebaRelishesReading: San Diego City Schools did it yesterday, but National School District celebrated it today, Reba.
>67 DeltaQueen50: After all our rain, there is nothing BUT green here, Judy, and we are loving it.

>64 archerygirl: Have fun! I've been to two Worldcons in quick succession (Renovation in 2011 and Sasquan in 2015 (and ConJose in 2002, and BucConeer in 1998)) and loved them. I volunteered at both - not panelist but behind the scenes, which is fun. I've been doing that, and panelist, at Baycon for the last several years too (and Worldcon is coming back to San Jose in 2018!). Do pace yourself - the usual con thing of "too many things I want to do in this hour" gets amplified when it goes on for a week!

I don't think it was me who recommended Bliss. I thought it was just average, too. Unless you were asking for a specific type of book?

>36 ronincats: Love the candelaria and it isn't even blue!

Just catching up here. Happy weekend!!

>65 ronincats: Thanks so much, Roni. I will put it on my library list.
Happy weekend.

Glad you liked Small Angry Planet!

The purse looks wonderful!

Roni WOW! Look at all the books you read so far this year. I am amazed.

Much Love to you.

Here is what it would look like if all members put our books together!

>69 jjmcgaffey: Hi, Jenn! Jenn??
>70 Morphidae: Then it probably wasn't you, Morphy. You were the only name I recognized that had it in your library; that was why I thought it might have been.
>71 Berly: Hi, Kimmers!
>72 Ameise1: Hope the ribs are doing okay, Barbara.
>73 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana. I am trying to think what that might be like...
>74 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy.
>75 Whisper1: Much love back, Linda, and I think you may be woefully underestimating our group. Although if we put your books and my books together, that is probably about right.

Brought home one large mug from the pottery today, threw three pieces, glazed one piece and trimmed a jar and its lid. Then I knit the turquoise scarf during the last regular season game of the season, which KU won against Oklahoma State to remain the top-ranked men's basketaball team in the nation. Bring on the tournaments!

I hope Sunday treats you well Roni!

>57 ronincats: Love the garden produce pics : ages to go before I get to that point I've just bought some seeds, going to try chard and some new lettuce varieties. Should be fun.

You've got carrots already!!! So jealous. We've got melting snow. Not much, but I can find some. I think. Maybe not today.

>77 lunacat: Same to you, Jenny!
>78 charl08: Good luck with the gardening this year, Charlotte.
>79 cammykitty: Well, I am a wee bit south of you, Katie.



Book #35 Mira's Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (87 pp.)

This is the fourth novella about Penric's adventures in the world of the Five Gods and continues directly from the last one. Very much an in-between story.

Everything looks so green, Roni. I love the purse and scarf.

Hello, Roni!

>81 BLBera: Everything IS green, Beth! Thanks.
>82 alcottacre: A Stasia sighting on my thread! *swoon*

One of my friends pinned this, Book Dancer by João Fazenda.

*garden envy*

Hi Roni! I hope you have a wonderful week.

>57 ronincats: I love the pictures of the garden, Roni and I am quite amazed at how well you got that armchair to grow!

Have a great week, dear lady. xx

Love your garden photos! It must be lovely to be able to garden all year round!

>83 ronincats: I love the book dancer, Roni.

>83 ronincats:, >88 rosalita: Me too!

Oh dear, I am behind. I love that cat in >7 ronincats:!!!!

>57 ronincats: "...this morning has been spent gardening in the 70 degree sunshine..." I am SO jealous! It has been unseasonably cold here and folks are getting grumpy about it. The sun is shining today but we haven't ye seen 50F in 2017 that I know of. We have crocus in full bloom and the daffodils are on their way but we haven't been able to spend any time in the p-patch. No peas in the ground yet.

Your garden is lovely.

>83 ronincats: - LOVE that!

We normally don't see 70s until May but the way things have been going this year I wouldn't be surprised to see them here in March in Minnesota.

Checking in, Roni! LOVE the garden!!!!! Don't envy at all the time and effort it takes. I have a master gardener cousin, but I missed those genes completely.
Love the book dancer too!!!
I am willing myself not to complain anymore about our roller-coaster weather because I know when it calms down, it will settle on hot.

HI, all. I wasn't around on the threads yesterday because the new Seanan McGuire showed up in my mailbox in the morning, and I had to read it right away!



Book #36 Magic For Nothing by Seanan McGuire (352 pp.)

This book deals with the aftermath of Verity's challenge at the end of Chaos Choreography and features her younger sister Antimony for the first time in the series. It also connects this reality with Sparrow Hill Road for the first time in a novel. (I understand this had been done in a short story but I haven't read many of the short stories.) Entertaining and original urban fantasy, but don't start here.

>76 ronincats: Yes? If you're asking about my name, yes Jenn is right.

>80 ronincats: Whoopee! I seem to be very slow in noticing new Penrics - I only read the previous one a month or so ago. I'll be grabbing this! I was hoping she'd continue and say what happened next. I'm hoping eventually there will be a book of all the novellas.

>94 ronincats: Yep, that one's already on my list. And yes, Sparrow Hill has been connected via short story - if you're at all interested, nearly all the short stories are available on seananmcguire.com. Verity visits various ghosts on her honeymoon road trip...

I've just read Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day, another McGuire novella - it says it's a standalone, and it presents things from quite different angles, but it _could_ be Sparrow Hill Road's world. Not sure if it's supposed to be in the same world, or it's just a reflection of how Seanan thinks. Good story, of course.

I'm doing a little bit of gardening - just pots on my balcony this year, it looks like. My pea vines are about two foot high but no flowers yet. The fava beans I grew from starts, on the other hand, are taller than I am and flowering wildly. I just got two starts, from a plant sale (free gift with purchase) - planning to harvest the beans and plant more next year. I'm not really sure why - it's kind of silly, in pots - but still, that's my plan. Carrots sprouting too, and spinach; New Zealand spinach is coming out of winter hibernation; I've got a couple grape hyacinths blooming, and both my blueberries are berrying (one is early season, one late - they are _not_ supposed to be producing at the same time, especially this early!). I should be starting tomatoes (indoors), but I haven't yet.

And I've got a better excuse than usual, right now - I was bitten by a cat (client's cat) day before yesterday, and spent last night in the hospital under observation and IV antibiotics. No fever, though my hand swelled up quite a lot; they sent me home at noon, with a prescription for oral antibiotics. And my hand now works well enough for me to be typing ten-fingered - I was planning to baby it but forgot. It's still a bit swollen and hot, but not too bad - but not planning to dig into dirt for a bit.

>65 ronincats: Noted! I'll definitely be throwing some links around before I go. Over the years, I've had a habit of posting a photo of the t-shirt I'm wearing each day (to help people trying to find me in the crowd) and babbling/squeeing about all the cool stuff I'm doing :-)

>69 jjmcgaffey: This will be my second Worldcon - I did Loncon 3 in 2014, volunteering on the ops team and as a panelist. Pacing myself is always the hard part, and I learned that it's even more important at a con this length. There was a day when I was working the radio desk for six hours until 2am and then had to be manning the door for a 9am opening, which was really not good. I ended up going back to my hotel for an afternoon nap! There's always so much to do at cons, and Worldcon is even worse than usual because there are so many tracks to explore. I've put my hand up for panelist, but I'm going to try not to over-commit to other things, so I have time for a little Helsinki exploration.

>7 ronincats: Love that cat! and the >19 ronincats: blue bowl and the photobomb!

And the garden - oh my! I love your reading spot. Did you stencil the table?

I have two huge pine trees that sweep down to the ground and hide my house entirely from the road. There is an archway cut through for the door and some branches removed that would make a nice shady, reading area. I haven't found quite what I want to put there, but I love the look of your chair and stenciled table.

Most of my snow is gone. I plan to plant a few things indoors soon. I'm thinking about trying to train vines of zucchini, beans, and sugar snap peas around my garden window. Way too many deer to try any of them outside. I would love to have a small greenhouse or garden room!

>96 archerygirl: Cool! I missed Loncon - couldn't afford the time or the fare, though I'd have loved to go (I lived in London for several years, would have loved to revisit). Yeah, you know what I mean about too much going on. And ouch on that short night - an afternoon nap sounds like it was an excellent idea. Have fun!

>94 ronincats: I'm on the wait list for it at the library but I'm pretty high up so should get it as soon as the library processes it. I think from your comments I'll need to quick reread Chaos Choreography first though!

Have been meaning to read another McGuire after really enjoying Sparrow Hill Road but I forget which one you said I should start with (if, in fact, you did recommend one; I forgot that too). Which should I start with?

Wonderful garden pics! I've really missed having a garden. When I move, that's the first thing I'm going to start working on, after I get the birds settled and my bed, books and coffee-makings set up. Everything else can wait. (Priorities.)

I'm settling in for the day to watch 4 straight games in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tourney today (next Thursday and Friday I'll be watching 16 games per day, so this isn't a biggie), and going back a couple of days to catch up with all my visitors.

>84 AMQS: Spring is coming, Anne. Really, it is!
>85 PaulCranswick: Very funny, Paul. That's our equivalent of garden statuary, for an interest point. The comfy seating is up on the porch.
>86 lunacat: Hi, Jenny. Loving all your activity this year.
>87 ChelleBearss: Chelle, that's one of the things I think I would find difficult about being as far north as you are--the short garden season.
>88 rosalita: Me too, Julia.
>89 brenpike: Me three, Brenda.
>90 EBT1002: Welcome, Ellen. It is good to see you having time to get around the threads again. Do you know we don't have daffodils or tulips naturalized here--they need a cold season to bloom?
>91 katiekrug: Isn't she gorgeous, Katie?
>92 Morphidae: The weather has been so weird I would not be surprised, Morphy.
>93 LizzieD: Peggy, quite true. You have changeable or hot and humid, and I would take changeable too.
>95 jjmcgaffey: No, Jenn, I was saying hi because you popped in for a comment to another visitor without hi to me--just ragging you a bit. ;-) Enjoy Penric. I actually have downloaded a batch of the McGuire stories but I can't put them on my Kindle and I haven't taken the time to read them on my computer, although I will one of these days. I don't know if D4 will connect up with other series--it doesn't seem like it at this point, but the next is coming out soon. Congrats on the gardening and I'm glad you got so much done before the cat bite--I was reading the whole thing about the bite and your treatment on your thread and it's rather horrific! Hope it heals quickly and cleanly.
>96 archerygirl: That will be fun, to follow you at WorldCon, Kathy. I'll look forward to it.
>97 streamsong: Janet, I did paint and stencil the table. I found it in unpainted condition at a thrift shop for $20 and it was just what I was looking for. I've been seeing (and I don't remember in what context and I'll post it if I see it again) an ad for a garden enclosure that basically is 2x4 frame and wire box to protect your garden against animals. Not a greenhouse, just a wire cage, basically. A big one.
>98 jjmcgaffey: You did it again, Jenn!
>99 Morphidae: Really, it just deals with the consequences of the last scene of CC where Verity kills the snake god on live tv and then challenges the Covenant before shooting out the camera, so you don't need to reread the whole book if you don't want to.
>100 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary. Hope your trip to Pueblo is fruitful. I'm not sure I recommended anything, but my favorite is the October Daye series and the first book is Rosemary and Rue. The Incryptid series is fun (see above) urban fantasy, lighter, and starts with Discount Armageddon. Either is a good place to start.

Starting the last section of The Invasion of the Tearling. It is interesting and creative but I'm having trouble becoming immersed in it. I'm reading my nonfiction bathtub book, Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton. 20 pages a day has me finish it within the month, and that's about the pace I'm maintaining. I'm halfway through my reread of Charity Girl for Liz's Heyer read-through and have The Souls of Black Folk on my Kindle. I just brought home four more library books yesterday, making 8 I have at home. They are The Fate of the Tearling, the second book of Brust's Incrementalist series which I will probably let go back to the library for later, The Dark Days Club recommended by Kerry, and then from yesterday, Heartstone (P&P fantasy), Men Explain Things to Me, and two Nebula nominees, Borderline and Everfair.

The most interesting and creative part of the Tearling series is the last book. But I agree with you that they certainly are a twist on the genre. I had no trouble getting immersed in Invasion of the Tearling and was so engrossed that I had to go purchase the third book instead of wait for the library to get it. I can't wait to hear what you think about the series as you progress through it.

AND my husband just brought in the mail, with two books from PaperBackSwap: Finnikin of the Rock and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. I'm drowning in books, but what a way to go!

Sounds like you're having a pretty great day...even though the sun is shining and you're inside. Enjoy!!

>101 ronincats: I can always use an excuse for a reread of a (near) favorite author.

>101 ronincats: LOL! Yes, I do do that - I feel like a thread is a party you're throwing, with interesting conversations going on, and I'll read it all and comment where I have something to (brain fart...what's the word I want? con...something) give to a conversation. Which is not always a reply to the owner of the thread, but is hopefully interesting to them. It's what I'd like to happen in my thread, but it mostly doesn't.

My hand's much better today, thanks - still slightly swollen, but fully useful. Whew.

And it must have been another thread where people were talking about calibre - free and open-source program that's very good at converting from one type of ebook to another. Including text to something a Kindle can read. More of a pain than getting stuff direct from Amazon, of course, but it does make it possible to read things that would otherwise be computer only. The only thing it doesn't handle well is PDFs - those never work, and they drive me nuts (just got one from ER...grrr!).

Ah, the word is contribute! Appeared in my brain the instant I hit Post, of course.

Hi Roni, you haven't even read them yet but I'm taking BBs for both Finnikin of the Rock and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy!

>83 ronincats: ooooh, clever!!

#103
Lucky you! Both of those books are really good. I have had Finnikin of the Rock on my TBR list for a long time. Lizzie and the Buckminster Boy was on lots of the library lists a few years back. Happy reading to you.

>102 benitastrnad: I just finished the second book, Benita.
>104 RebaRelishesReading: I was out too, Reba. Nothing to match your excursion today--it was beautiful out today.
>105 Morphidae: Ah, yes, definitely, Morphy.
>106 jjmcgaffey: I downloaded Calibre but don't know how to use it. Can I convert epub files to mobi files with it? From what you said, seems so, so I guess I need to figure it out.
>107 DeltaQueen50: That's funny, Judy! Of course, they were on my PBS wishlist because of other LTers...
>108 LovingLit: I didn't create it, but it is a lovely image.
>109 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. They'll have to wait until I clear out the library books, I fear.

I've had my nauseous migraine today--woke up with it and have been discombobulated all day until the last hour or so. Groggy and drowsy. But I did pull it together enough in the last hour to push through and finish my book.



Book #37 The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (514 pp.)

There are flashbacks in the book that interfere with the flow of the story bigtime, but they are necessary to the conceptualization of the story. The problem is that the tone of the flashbacks (temporal and of a previous character's life) are completely different from the current story and so it really disrupts one's immersion. I'm looking forward to the final book but I'm going to take a break first.

>110 ronincats: I never finished the first book in this trilogy. I treated myself to a copy of Marissa Meyer's Heartless today, so I hope it's a good read.

Finnikin of the Rock was good, I've read all of Marchetta's books apart from the other two books in this trilogy.

>110 ronincats: I'm glad you got out. Our excursion was fun and longer than we really expected. We were both really tired last night which I find so strange; pretty much all we did was sit in the car, how can that make one so tired? For actual exercise, however, I walked over to the post office this morning and came home "glowing" (as befits a lady lol). I seems like a good walk but it only clocks up a little over 4000 steps :(

Enjoy your Saturday.

Hi Roni, and happy Saturday! Hope you are migraine-free today.

>110 ronincats: calibre's pretty easy once you're used to it, but I'd recommend waiting until your migraine is completely gone before starting for the first time.

Open calibre.
Find an epub file - the actual file, in a folder somewhere on your computer. Drag it to the calibre window and drop it - calibre will think for a minute (with a progress bar) and add the book to its own catalog.
Make any changes you want, to title or author or whatever. If it looks good, no need to do anything.
Right-click on the book, and choose Convert Book and then Convert Individually. A screen will open; tell it you want the book to end up as a mobi (top right corner, "output format". Click OK.
Again, calibre will think for a while - this time there's no progress bar, just a circle in the lower right corner (Jobs: 1). When it finishes, you'll have the book in both epub and mobi format.
Select the book in the catalog. On the right side should be a panel with info about the book (if it's not there, look in the View menu to add it). In the middle of that panel is (approximately) Path: click to open. Click that link and it will open the folder with both book files; then you can do whatever's necessary to get a mobi file from your computer to your Kindle.
It's also possible (I think) to plug in your Kindle and have calibre see it as a device and load books on it. Not sure - I know it works with straight Android devices, but I don't have a Kindle so don't know about it.

Same thing with a text file, .lit, whatever. Put it into calibre, then convert. There are all kinds of options in the convert screen - if something comes out wrong, you can fiddle with those. But the defaults are pretty good, usually.

Oh - DRM is a problem, of course. Plain calibre can't do anything with a DRMed book (try something from Project Gutenberg, or the Baen Free Library). There are tricks, but you don't want to start with those.

Great tutorial on Calibre, which is my go-to program for converting books to read on my Kindle. Great program!

Too bad about the flashbacks in Invasion of the Tearling. Makes me wonder if there was an earlier book in the world that didn't quite make it. Here's wishing you a 5 star read soon.

>114 jjmcgaffey: Yes, calibre will connect kindles effortlessly. They should just appear as connected devices when you plug them in.

#110
I agree with you about the flashbacks. They can be very jarring as they are completely out of the frame of the story you think you are reading. However, they turn out to be very necessary in the long run. The first one of the flashbacks caught me completely by surprise but by the end of the book I wondered what the author was up to. I couldn't wait for the library book (I was very far back on the waiting list) so I went to Barnes & Noble and purchased it.

I am just on the verge of entering good old Kansas. I am in a Starbucks that is very close to Royals Stadium. It is now only 4 hours to home and less than an hour to the home of your Jayhawks.

I do hope that you migraine will subside Roni. xx

>119 benitastrnad: Wishing Benita a safe journey.

>111 avatiakh: I may have first heard about Finnikin from you in 2010, Kerry. I read two-thirds of The Dark Days Club last night and will probably finish it tonight. Enjoying it a lot, thanks to you.
>112 RebaRelishesReading: Mountain riding and driving wear me out a lot, Reba. Did you go to the Borrego Springs area? It's a long day trip even without the traffic.
>113 AMQS: I did wake up migraine free, Anne, although I had to take some ipuprofen when I woke up at three for a normal headache--caused, I think, by the dryness of the air concomitant with high pressure ridge that probably caused yesterday's migraine. All good by the time I woke up this morning, though.
>114 jjmcgaffey: Thank you for the tutorial, Jenn. I will try it out tomorrow. I have several books that are the free ones offered by the Chicago Press each month, plus one ER book I won and the McGuire stories, so it would be really nice to have them on my Kindle.
>115 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary. Sorry you didn't find anything this weekend in Pueblo but at least you ruled out some areas.
>116 cammykitty: The flashbacks were essential to the plot development, and I understand why the author did it, but the two styles were SO diverse!
>117 sirfurboy: Good to know, Stephen. I'll have my Kindle connected when I run Calibre.
>118 benitastrnad: I was able to get both the 2nd and the 3rd at once from the library, Benita, fortunately.
>119 benitastrnad: 45 minutes from Lawrence, two and a half hours from my childhood home, and I'm sure you are at home now, Benita. Rather chilly there, isn't iy?
>120 PaulCranswick: It did, Paul! Thanks.

I brought home the front two pieces from the pottery today. One is a vase with an irregular rim, and the other is a red jar shape. I glazed three bowls that I will bring home next week, trimmed a pitcher and another bowl, and threw three more pieces.



And this is the rose of the week from my garden. I need to get out back and do some weeding and watering, since we aren't due any rain for the next 10 days. It was 78 degrees here today, so things are drying out.

Roni--So much going on here!! I have a thing for roses, and mine are just now beginning to push out the red new growth so it will be awhile before I have blooms like that^^!! Thanks for sharing. I'm happy now. Hope your head behaves and that you enjoy drowning in the books instead.

Happy Sunday, Roni. I love your pottery works and what a beautiful rose. We're still in spring and its flowers. I love it especially after the long cold and dark winter season.

I love your book dancer, Roni!

And your rose!

After a mild Feb. and start to March, we are back in winter mode with sub-freezing temps. Sigh. I am so ready for spring.

The rose is stunning - the ones in the garden here are also (like >123 Berly:) just at the new growth stage. I do love the promise of spring.

>122 ronincats: Beautiful red jar and beautiful red rose!

>122 ronincats: We had a spring day here. But for a rose like that we'll have to wait a couple of months.

You can tell Calibre that you're using a Kindle, and it will use the right presets for a Kindle. Very useful program.

>122 ronincats: Fabulous rose, Roni! Yes, we went to Borrego Springs but first out 8 to Plaster City, then up to the gypsum mine , then to Borrego Springs and finally to Julian before back down to the 8 and home. It was about 9 hours which is much longer than we do in a day when we drive across the country.

>122 ronincats: Love both the shape and color of the red jar - nice rim, too.

Oh, a lousy night's sleep last night, due to unwise eating of sweets too late in the evening! I didn't get to sleep until 2:00 am PST and slept very poorly until about 6 in the morning. So I've been low energy today. About the only thing I've done is bake a loaf of chocolate banana bread because I just happened to have all the ingredients. And checked out the brackets for the NCAA tournament. KU ended up right where it was supposed to, #1 seed in the Midwest regional.

Fortunately, I managed to finish a book last night before not falling asleep.



Book #38 The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (478 pp.)

This is a fantasy set in London's Regency England, recommended to me by Kerry (aviatakh). The author pays homage to Georgette Heyer and does a good job of representing the streets and households of the times. The fantasy elements are fairly mundane--the orphaned young girl coming into her powers at 18, unaware of what they are or how they are used, and not sure who to trust or how to control her powers while constrained by the mores of polite society. Still, the milieu is good and the story moves along, ending at a natural break in the tale. I have the second on order when it comes in at the library.

Sorry you didn't sleep well. Maybe it was something in the air because neither Hubby nor I slept very well last night either. Hope you do better tonight (although note the hour at which I'm writing this :( ... he, however, has been asleep for 2 hours and I hope you have been too). Hooray for KU's bracket.

>131 ronincats: I did the recommendation before reading The Dark Days Club, mainly because I remember you enjoying the Shades of Milk and Honey books and this sounded similar. I liked the slow burn of the story and will also be reading book 2.

>122 ronincats: Lovely red jar! The vase is nice, too, but I love the jar.

>131 ronincats: Huh. It sounds a bit like Patricia Wrede's Mairelon the Magician series - if so, I definitely want to read it. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Yeah, sweets late at night will do the same thing to me! and it usually takes a couple days to get back onto a reasonable sleep schedule. Trying not to do that tonight...

Hope you slept better last night, Roni.

>122 ronincats: 78 degrees
And roses and butterflies too... Sigh. We were getting spring early, then a blizzard arrived last night.

So, the cherry trees are blooming and so is our apricot tree, above. This is its most profuse bloom ever, and I am hopeful that we have finally had a winter where enough nighttime lows got low enough that it will bear fruit this year. It has the most delicious apricots when it does bear! And that monarch is doing its bit.

So, today it was 87 degrees Fahrenheit today here at the house. Only 86 yesterday. I watered yesterday, and weeded and did laundry. Today I did linens.

I did sleep well last night, thank you, Reba. I liked the book, Kerry, and am glad you pointed me in its direction. A little darker than the Mairelon books, Jenn, but I think you'd like it. Spring is on its way, appearances there to the contrary, Katherine.

And earlier, I appreciated the visits from Kim, Barbara, Beth, Charlotte, Julia, Ella, Reba and Morphy!

So, no visitors today. Twelve games under my belt and 4 more in progress as I write. I finished my Heyer reread last night,



Book #39 Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer (249 pp.)

One of her last books, this one never has the sparkle for me of some of the others. I think part of this is that Desford is on the move so much and so there is relatively little interaction between him and Hetta. His relations with his father, mother, and brother, however, are topnotch, as are his characterizations of the miserly Lord N and the cardsharp son. The end moves quickly and wraps up in quite satisfactory fashion.

Got an email from HumbleBundle yesterday about their latest ebook bundle, women of science fiction and fantasy. This is a set-up where the more you pay, the more books you get, and $15 will usually get you the entire batch--well worth it. These are the ones announced so far, with more to come.
A HumbleBundle that is well worth the money for the top tier:

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/women-of-scifi-and-fantasy-book-bundle

Current authors & titles with more to come:

Jo Clayton: Skeen's Leap
Katherine Kurtz: Lammas Night & Camber of Culdi
Octavia E Butler: Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents, Unexpected Stories
Elizabeth Hand: Wylding Hall, Black Light, Saffron and Brimstone
Kate Elliott: Jaran
Diana Pharoah Francis: Path of Fate
Robin McKinley: Sunshine, Beauty, The Hero and the Crown
Pamela Sargent: The Shore of Women
Jane Yolen: Sister Light, Sister Dark

Morning, Roni! Happy Friday! I was here yesterday, but I just lurked. I should have commented on how very beautiful your latest pottery and that rose are - wow! I really love the vase with the irregular rim.

We have been enjoying some cooler weather, but today is our last day of it. *sob* Mercy will be happy because then she can have her bird watching window open again in the early morning hours.

Hoping that your weekend is full of fabulous!

Beautiful photo, Roni. Love the monarch. Fog is clearing and I'm thinking I need to get dressed and get to Costco. Hope you have a lovely day.

P.S. I visit pretty much every day but often only "lurk"

122 That is a very beautiful rose, Roni!
I wondered, as there is no cold time at your place, when do you cut back the roses? Over here we cut them back in March.

>139 Crazymamie: Howdy, Mamie! Why, thank you. We are still in a warm spell, up to 15 degrees above normal. Currently 74, quite comfy.
>140 RebaRelishesReading: I was surprised to see the monarch feeding on something other than my milkweeds, Reba. But glad to see something pollinating the apricot blooms. We've had no fruit off it for at least 3 years because our winters have been to warm to stimulate it, but all the blooms are giving us hope for this year.
>141 FAMeulstee: Anita, January is the month to prune roses in Southern California. They have a big get-together of volunteers then at the big rose garden in Balboa Park and cut all the bushes back. I haven't made it to one of those although I always intend to.

Big 12 went 1 and 1 this morning, with Baylor winning and Oklahoma State losing. My game is coming up in a couple of hours...

>138 ronincats:

I gathered from Peggy's thread that you'd finished---well done! :)

I always come away from Charity Girl agreeing with Desford: "Fond of her? He must be nutty on her if he's willing to marry her now he's met her father!"

>143 lyzard: How true! And thanks for speaking up--I was going to go over to your thread to let you know I'd done some additional analysis on my reaction to Charity Girl.

Ooh, please do!

>145 lyzard: DONE.

Okay, KU is safely into the second round, beat 16 seed UC-Davis 100-62.

> Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Roni!

Happy weekend!

Love all the red a lot higher up in the thread!
I'm not watching round ball --- My Heels have moved on pretty decisively.
Charity Girl is my least favorite Heyer. All the cant does me in.
Read on, my friend, read on!

Hi Roni, where did the week go - hard to believe tomorrow is Saturday. My hubby and I went out to lunch today at a restaurant set in a garden with a great view of Vancouver, but you could sure tell that Spring is slow to come this year. The flowering trees are usually in full bloom now but today, there was nothing but bare branches to been seen!

Have a good weekend!

Happy weekend, Roni.

Howdy Ro! I've been scarce due to a respiratory infection. I still can't shake this cough. Your garden looks amazing.

>147 alcottacre: I'm not sure which book went to the Black Hole, Stasia, but glad to be of service!
>148 LizzieD: I'm so familiar with the cant at this point, Peggy, that it just washes over me and doesn't really register. So you are a Heels fan; should have figured. We Jayhawks love Roy, of course--such a classy guy--but that doesn't stop us from beating him whenever possible.
>149 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. You've been reading up a storm. Hope your spring gets there soon.
>150 Ameise1: Have a relaxing one, Barbara, after dealing with those not-so-stellar student teachers!
>151 luvamystery65: Ro, sorry to hear that infection is still lingering on. Sending good health mojo your way!

Took a break from the basketball today and brought these bowls home from the pottery. Trimmed two bowls and a pitcher and threw 4 mug bodies, all different on purpose.

Lovely as always, Roni!

>152 ronincats: I especially like the bowl on the left, with the glowy yellowish streaks.

--- and my favorite is the little one in the rear.
Roy is great!!!! Of course, I date from the golden Dean Smith years. My cousin always claimed that he was kin (our mamas were Smiths). Her proof? Look at the nose!
A propos of which, I was reminding my mom today of what my daddy told me he thought the first time he saw me: "I looked at that mouth and thought, 'O Lord! If she's ever caught in the rain, she'll drown. Then I saw that nose and thought, 'No. If she's standing up, she'll be all right." *grin* (with very wide mouth!)

>155 LizzieD: Well, both Ray and Dean came from Kansas, so...

ETA Thank you to Reba and Katharine!

Lovely bowls (or is the back one a cup?). Very different blues!

I've read quite a few in that humblebundle -- interesting that people are finding ways to move e-books around.

Fascinated by the calibre tutorial. I have it -- thought I was going to get into e-books, but then I didn't, so it languishes in my computer.

It is rather sad when the gardening season ends, but on the other hand, you put the garden 'to bed' and then don't have to think about weeding or anything for many long months, more time for other things.

Roni, just catching up on your thread after a few weeks' absence. I was in San Antonio a week ago and loving the spring redbuds and lilacs out the train windows during the trip.

>152 ronincats: Gorgeous as always! I am a lover of all things blue, though the red stuff up top was pretty too.

>138 ronincats: That bundle is quite a hook. I've read most of the stories by Clayton, Kurtz, Butler, McKinley, and Yolen. All lovely, but the Clayton and Yolen books are both the start of trilogies, and the Kurtz and McKinley stories involve whole series...leaving the reader wanting more. Not familiar with the other authors, beyond an anthology edited by Sargent that I picked up a few years ago.

>152 ronincats: Love the looks of those bowls!

I think that you have made more bowls than you have read books this year and both are very impressive in their own right, Roni.

Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday.

>152 ronincats: I love those colors.

And the Monarch butterfly is so beautiful! 86-87F sounds too hot, though. It was sunny and low 50s here today and I saw dozens of people outside when I went for my mid-day run: walking their dogs, working in their yards, etc.

I hope you have a great week ahead! And, having just enjoyed a delightful LT meet-up, I hope there is a meet-up in our future one of these days.

>157 jjmcgaffey: It's a bowl, Jenn, a small tall bowl I'll grant you!
>158 sibylline: I've read a number of them as well, Lucy, but they are ones I wouldn't mind having e-copies of, and the money does go to charity. Haven't essayed the Calibre yet, but plan to. I've done it both ways, and I do love my winter garden.
>159 justchris: The blues are always popular with my customers, and the interior of this one is simply beautiful, if I do say so myself. Since I've already read most of the series, these are books that, as I told Lucy, I wouldn't mind having on my Kindle even if I already have paper copies, and the quality seems exceptional.
>160 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia.
>161 PaulCranswick: Not quite, Paul!
>163 ronincats: Hi, Ellen. Safe travel today, and enjoy New Orleans. We've cooled back down to normal for this time of year, mid-60s, which is much better. Loved the Portland meet-up pictures--Powell's is on my bucket list!



Book #40 Heartstone by Elle Katharine White (337 pp.)

Okay, this is the fantasy with dragons that mirrors Pride & Prejudice and, Readers, it is alright! It's a good story in its own right, not a pastiche like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or a chick-lit retelling. It does not slavishly incorporate every little detail, freely adapting or throwing in a turn you didn't see coming, but the devotee of P&P can clearly see the bones underneath. This would be an entertaining little fantasy even without its provenance, and I recommend it!

And my Jayhawks made it through to the Sweet 16 in good order, although Michigan State was hanging tough for quite a while. 48 games down, only 8 next week. I also have survived! Today is a Costco run, some time for my poor neglected husband, the Voice tonight, and maybe some reading time.

Oooh, Heartstone looks really good!

Congrats to your Jayhawks and also to you for surviving! :)

(ETA your touchstone in >163 ronincats: goes to another amazing book by Sanson with the same title.)

Thanks, Mary. I've fixed the touchstone.

>138 ronincats: I agree with you about Charity Girl — I too wanted Desford to just stay put and banter with Hetta, but then we wouldn't have had that marvelous scene with Cherry's grandfather in Harrowgate, which would have been a shame. :-)

And thanks for the tip about the Humble Bundle, Roni. I'm going to wait until they release the last titles for the $8 tier, but you've never steered me wrong with sci-fi/fantasy recommendations, a genre I want to read more but am often at a loss as to what might appeal.

I caught the end of the Michigan State/Kansas game, and was hoping the Spartans would be able to pull off an upset. Oh well, maybe next year! Hope the Jayhawks continue to win for you :)

just stopping by to say what beautiful pottery, as always. If only you were in decent posting distance of the UK...

>163 ronincats: Adding that one to the BlackHole! Thanks for another great recommendation, Roni!

>166 rosalita: I never mind paying their bargain rate, Julia, as the money goes to a good charity.
>167 aktakukac: Thanks, Rachel.
>168 eclecticdodo: Overseas shipping really is ridiculous, Jo!
>169 alcottacre: Hi, Stasia!!

A quiet day at home. Cleaned out the refrigerator. We woke up at 3 in the morning and didn't get back to sleep until after 5:30 and then some idiot called at 7:30. Read in my Richard Francis Burton book. Read threads and played Farmville 2. Tomorrow is supposed to be rain.

>152 ronincats: Gorgeous looking bowls, Roni!

>170 ronincats: I'm currently waiting for a beanie baby* from America, it was $8 plus $21 shipping.

*My son's first toy, a monkey, which he had virtually from birth and was incredibly attached to. It got lost about 6 months ago and he's been devastated ever since, we still have regular tears. Annoyingly it seems to be a fairly rare one over here, hence getting a replacement on eBay all the way from America.

Lovely pottery, Roni! I love that tall bowl in the rear. Happy Wednesday to you!

Hi, Roni! My daughter's visiting L.A. this week and says it's supposed to rain or be overcast most of the time she'll be there. But I know the vegetation loves the rain, and, as long as it isn't snowing (or flooding), it's bearable, right?

Hi, Roni.

I'm getting a kick out of The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything. Thanks for the tip!

>171 kidzdoc: So glad you are finally getting a break from work, Darryl!
>172 eclecticdodo: Good example!
>173 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. Same to ya!
>174 Storeetllr: We've gotten a little rain, definitely a cool overcast day here. I'm putting it to good use.
>175 jnwelch: That book was by the way of being rather a cult classic back when I was in college. It's definitely fun.

So, today is spring cleaning day for the living room. So far I've gotten the ceiling, ceiling fan, walls, and window shades dusted. Still to come, cleaning everything lower (bookcase, dresser, chairs, sofa and tables) and moving all the furniture to one side of the room while I mop and put the refinisher on that side of the wood floor, then moving to the other side. I tried my ebony brown refinisher on the wood arms of the sofa and recliner (Stickley style) and it worked a treat on the cat scratches (from jumping up on the furniture). Taking a tea break right now before getting back to work--it's an all day job.

You are so hard-working, Roni. It seems like last week that you were doing this but I'm guessing it was really a year ago and time flies.

It was most likely THREE years ago when I was doing serious house-cleaning for my mom and sister's spring break visit! ;-)

So, the front room is done. I'll do the front hallway tomorrow, a much simpler proposition. And I did it all without my Fitbit, which was charging.

>178 ronincats: Oh, I hate that! You're getting stuff done and smugly thinking about all the steps and activity you're getting...and then you realize you don't have your Fitbit and none of it will count. Bah. Theoretically, I could walk extra and hit my Fitbit goal that day...but I never seem to actually do it.

>179 jjmcgaffey: Yup. You got it, Jenn.

I bought the Jerusalem Quartet, of which I've heard good things, for the price of $1.99 for all four books for my Kindle!! Also preordered the next Craft Sequence book, Ruin of Angels, due out in September, for the price of $2.99, beating the trade paperback price to pieces! Two good deals.

>172 eclecticdodo: I wish I had known. I think I have that one and would have sent it for the price of shipping.

>181 Morphidae: oh bless you! Don't worry, it should be here any day now. Besides, they did quite a few monkeys and it has to be the right one (Vines) from the right year (2007) with the small eyes. They certainly knew what they were doing with the "limited editions". Marketing genius

I'm downloading The Way of Kings free ebook from tor.com, available today and tomorrow. I have it in mmpb format, but it is 2 inches thick! I think ebook will be the way to go.

>182 eclecticdodo: I know it's Vines but not if it's from the right year. If it ever happens again, check in with me first.

>184 Morphidae: Thank you, that's lovely!

Well, well, well........ Would a Tar Heel/Jayhawks final be a possibility? I do believe I could live with that!
Hi, ((((Roni))))!

Love the Tar Heels!
I and my sister, my brother-in-law, my son, my niece, and my 2 nephews all went to UNC-Chapel Hill.

>187 nrmay: My kind of woman!!!! How 'bout Them Heels!!!!!!

>186 LizzieD:, >187 nrmay:, >188 LizzieD: Actually, a Tar Heal/Jayhawk final is not a possibility. We are on the same side of the bracket. A quarterfinal to see which gets to the final is definitely a possibility, though. First, you all have to go through Kentucky and we have to go through Oregon this weekend though.



Book #41 The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (479 pp.)

What an interesting way (deus-ex-machina) to resolve a completely untenable situation! Third and last book of the series, we learn more about the history of the Tearling as everything goes to hell in the present. An interesting series, sure to appeal to female teens, and fairly entertaining, but not recommended unless you like fantasy already.

Happy Sunday, Roni and congrats on your cleaning task.

Here to wish you a lovely Sunday, Roni. xx

Heartstone surely is tempting me.

In awe of your cleaning!

Book #42 Borderline by Mishell Baker (392 pp.)

I read this book because it was nominated for the Nebula Awards Best Novel for books published in 2016. I'm very happy it was because I would probably not have found it otherwise. This is urban fantasy at its best--smart, original, diverse, and tremendously entertaining. Yes, the protagonist is a double amputee following a suicide attempt with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. No, she doesn't wallow in it. Well, sometimes she does, but not for long. You'll learn a lot about BPD too. Did I mention this was entertaining? Try it out! Highly recommended.

Hi, Barbara, Paul, and Lucy. Happy Sunday to all of you, too! Go with it, Lucy!

Happy Sunday, Roni. Love the pottery, as usual.

I finished listening to the first Septimus Heap book Magyk by Angie Sage. I really enjoyed this children's fantasy and it was an excellent traveling companion. The production was high quality and the narrator was great! I recommend this for anybody traveling with or without kids. It will help you pass the miles in a pleasant frame of mind.

I plan on continuing to listen to the rest of this series on my periodic jaunts back to Kansas.

>195 BLBera: Thank you, Beth.
>196 benitastrnad: I enjoy the Septimus Heap series as well, Benita. Definitely at an intermediate children's level, but I found the fantasy original and entertaining. The capitalization and idiosyncratic spelling of words drove dear Richard mad, however. Not a problem at all in the audio version, and didn't bother me in print.



Book #43 Captain Sir Richard Burton: The Secret Agent who Made the Pilgrimage to Mecca, Discovered the Kama Sutra, and brought the Arabian Nights to the West by Edward Rice (619 pp.)

I've been working on this nonfiction all month; it's been my bathtub book and I knew that if I read at least 20 pages a day, I'd get it finished within the month. This is a hefty biography of the Victorian-era adventurer. It is no one's fault that the most interesting parts occurred when Burton was in India and the Middle East in his younger days. While his African adventures were prodigious, I think he never was able to assimilate and absorb the cultures there and that rendered his exploits more mundane. Very interesting. I see only one more recent biography, and that a joint biography with his wife by an author who sounds like an apologist for Isabel. That one is 944 pages--I think I'll pass.

Oh, and another BOMB (book off my bookshelf) for the year, my only one this month after such a good start. And this one will be deaccessioned--anyone want it?

>193 ronincats: I'd not heard of Borderline but it sounds fascinating. I have a soft spot for books where mental health features in the story so I'll look out for that one

>193 ronincats: Added to Mount Maybe.

Borderline looks good. I know what Borderline Personality Disorder is, but probably don't have the best understanding of it. I remember reading about it over ten years ago and they were saying then that it was a fairly new diagnosis that was being used a little indiscriminately and had earned the code phrase "B!tch pissed off doctor" so it will be interesting to see it through the eyes of a viewpoint character.

Sorry about the Hawks, Roni :(

>193 ronincats: I picked that up earlier this year and liked it a lot too. I notice the sequel came out last week ....

Wasn't that an interesting conclusion in Fate of the Tearling, Roni? I give her credit for doing something so different.

You convinced me on Borderline. Added to the WL.

Hi Roni! I am finally finding the time to stop by and get caught up.

>36 ronincats: - Love the candle holder and your >57 ronincats: garden harvest is envy inducing for us folks living in the northern parts.

>122 ronincats: - Love the pottery and the rose!

>131 ronincats: - Looks like I am taking a potential BB for the Goodman book. I do love books with a Regency period setting!

>110 ronincats: and >189 ronincats: - I have been thinking about starting the Tearling trilogy so now waffling just a tad as you mention the trilogy is not recommended unless one already likes fantasy reads. I guess my question is.... is the fantasy world one that will still appeal to someone who just dips into fantasy genre occasionally.

>198 eclecticdodo: They do it very well, Jo, so definitely check it out.
>199 Morphidae: Consider it seriously, Morphy.
>200 cammykitty: As above, the author treats it seriously and responsibly but doesn't let it interfere with the story.
>201 RebaRelishesReading: You behold a broken woman, Reba.
>202 swynn: Yes, I saw that as well, and just put a hold on it at the library. I should be first in line for Phantom Pains when it comes in.
>203 jnwelch: I'll give her credit for that as well, Joe, but also for painting herself into a corner. I think you'll really like Borderline.

Today has been another one of those lightly migraine-y days--I think there must be something in bloom that is triggering it, and EVERYTHING seems to be in bloom around here! I spent yesterday preparing to meet with the tax man today, and managed to have everything in order. I shouldn't have to pay that much this year as I actually made all my estimated tax payments during the year. Keep your fingers crossed.

I also picked up all my pottery and jewelry from the consignment shop out at Grossmont Center today after my tax appointment. They are going out of business after many, many years. It will be nice to have all my inventory going into the start of the craft fair season (starting April 8) but I will miss working with the people at that store. I now have to get all my stuff out, organize and repack it and reprice everything from the consignment shop (I only got 60% of what it sold for so have prices higher than I would for my own booth) over the next two weeks.

I'm now rereading Midnight Blue-Light Special for my book discussion tomorrow evening, before picking up Everfair, another Nebula nominee. Men Explain Things to Me is my nonfiction read at the moment.

>204 lkernagh: Hi, Lori. You dropped in while I was composing. I'm considering what I meant by that comment. I think the faults in the story are probably more evident to those of us familiar with the genre, but what I think I meant is that there are other better fantasy books to invest with your time, such as The Thief series or The Curse of Chalion or The Midnight Queen or The Goblin Emperor. If you like the Regency period, have you read Sorcery and Cecilia or Shades of Milk and Honey or the above-mentioned The Midnight Queen? None of that means that you wouldn't enjoy the Tearling series.

>206 ronincats: I'll second the recs for The Curse of Chalion (which I liked better than Paladin of Souls) and the Sorcery and Cecilia trilogy. I haven't read the other ones yet. Goes off to add to list....

--- just getting back, Roni. I'm sorry about your Hawks, and when I thought about it, I realized that the pairings were wrong. I'm still wound up about the Heels. Oh my!
Is the R. Burton still up for grabs? I'd like it if I don't have to read it immediately. Is there anything of mine on pbs that you'd like?
Hope the meeting with the tax man went smoothly and that the migraine completely disappeared. (((((Roni)))))

>206 ronincats: Depending on my mood, either Curse or Goblin Emperor is my favorite from that list. It depends on whether I want a more dense or easier read.

Sorry to hear about your migraine. Get well soon, Roni.

>206 ronincats: and >207 justchris: - Excellent recommendations! Thank you both!

Book #44 Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit (160 pp.)

Several people have had this book mentioned on their threads and I'm not sure who stimulated my hold on this book from the library, but this woman is one of my new heroes. I'm going to buy this book for my great niece who is 14 and read The Handmaid's Tale in her English class this fall. Solnit's essay on Virginia Woolf was the most outstanding for me, but her ability to take the broad view on women as people and to endure the trolls on the internet are what impressed me overall. Thanks to whoever put this on my horizon--it was an excellent read.

>207 justchris: Hi, Chris. Did you see my review of Borderline up above? It's one I think you'd appreciate.
>208 LizzieD: Hi, Peggy. Stasia has requested the Burton book already, but she might send it to you afterward. My part of the taxes are done until I see the damage, but it shouldn't be too bad this year as I actually made all my estimated tax payments on schedule.
>209 Morphidae: Both are good for sure, Morphy.
>210 Ameise1: Migraine is gone today, Barbara. News keeps saying pollen counts are sky high.
>211 lkernagh: You are welcome, Lori. I could have gone on and on...

>212 ronincats: Here too, never had the pollens so early and high. Glad to hear that the migraine is gone.
Happy Tuesday, Roni.

You've done some interesting reading of late. The travels of Richard Burton sound interesting, though I don't think I could read a whole biography. I gave up on the first Tearling book at the halfway point. Borderline sounds good. I'll have to look into the Solnit book, I've seen it mentioned on various threads. The Goblin Emperor is already on my to read list, I'll nudge it a little higher.

>212 ronincats: Hit by a book bullet! I've got Men Explain Things to Me requested at my library. Thanks for the nice review. I love to see a strong "like" such as that--makes it so obvious that I should take a look!

Karen O.

Wow, sounds like a lot of work getting your stuff from the consignment shop back into your own inventory. Good luck with it.

>197 ronincats: I enjoyed that one. Glad you made it through it. Burton certainly had a unique life.

>213 Ameise1: Barbara, it's just that time of year, and all our rain this winter means that everything is really busting out all over.
>214 avatiakh: Kerry, I don't regret reading the Tearling trilogy, but while there were strengths, there were also flaws. I did really like Borderline. I looked at the sequel when I was at Mysterious Galaxy today, but decided to wait for the library copy.
>215 klobrien2: Glad to hear it, Karen. It's a strong book.
>216 RebaRelishesReading: Fortunately my inventory is not HUGE so I'll be able to manage it, just have to put the time aside for it.
>217 Oberon: Thanks, Eric. It certainly was interesting.

So we were out and about today, a little more than I preferred, but I had to finish a reread for my online book group tonight and I did.



Book #45 Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire (328 pp.)

I am enjoying the rereads of the first two books of this series because the first time through, not only did I gulp them down, but also I kept comparing them to the October Daye series. This time I am letting them be themselves, which is entertaining urban fantasy. Also, this time I caught the sentence that links this world to Sparrow Hill Road, which pleased me.

While we were out, I managed a quick trip to Mysterious Galaxy. I buy a lot of books from Amazon, especially hard-cover, but I like to buy my trade and mass market paperbacks from MG to support them, if these are books I'm likely to keep (I do make huge use of the library). Today I picked up the trade paperback of A Gathering of Shadows, the second in a series. My sister loved the first, and while I might have been content with a library read for the rest of the series, I'll buy them so she can have access to them. Then I also picked up Binti and Binti: Home in trade paperback. Together they make a thin trade paperback and cost $25. BUT...it's for a good cause and I want to read them and support both the author and the bookstore.

>211 lkernagh: Glad to help!

>212 ronincats: I did see the review of Borderline, and I am indeed interested. I am keeping LT open at home so that I can be sure to add various titles to my reading list (but haven't worked up the energy to actually do that yet).

>212 ronincats: I haven't read the book, but her online version of the title essay is frequently referenced in social justice forums: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-solnit/men-explain-things-to-me-_b_1811096...

It led directly to the term "Mansplaining" (and various iterations: whitesplaining, straightsplaining, cissplaining, and the more generic condesplaining):
http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Splaining

Glad to hear the headache is gone for now. I've been experiencing constant low-level headaches, occasionally ramping up to migraines with nausea. That was last night and this morning. Sigh. But hey, finally had a consult at the headache clinic and have a plan. And got diagnosed with sleep apnea, and appropriate treatment might make the background headaches go away. Wouldn't that be nice? Ie, I feel ya on the pain thing.

Those headaches sound like the same sort I get, Chris. They used to lead to cyclical bouts of non-stop vomiting back in the 90s until I was fortunate enough to find a medication that would interrupt the cycle. I spent too much time in emergency rooms before that time.

I haven't mentioned that my sweet peas (you all remember how much I love my sweet peas!) are finally blooming heavily enough that I can have a bouquet, and these others are from another one of my rosebushes.


This is the jewelry I brought home from the consignment shop, and look who is photobombing again!

Flowers are beautiful -- jewelry too.

#205
I think I liked the way Erika Johansen ended the Tearling series. I get aggravated with time travel series that don't take into account how things must have changed if you changed the timeline. I think it took courage to end the series the way she did.

>220 ronincats: The bouquet is gorgeous and the jewelry very lovely! Photobombing pretty things is a problem?

My headaches have never resulted in vomiting, or retreat to a quiet, dark room, so it took me a long time to realize I get migraines because my symptoms don't fit the popular narrative (like so many things in my life, really). If I ever write a memoir, I'm going to call it My Subclinical Life--all the things that are unpleasant that reduce my quality of life, but aren't severe enough for the pros to take seriously. Argghh. Glad you found meds that worked for you and make the pain tolerable.

Hi! Just catching up on all the books, pottery, cleaning, jewelry, kitties, and flowers. Happy Wednesday!

And I'm caught up! Woot!

Hi Roni :-)

>220 ronincats: I love the colors of the bouquet, Roni. The sweet peas are a beautiful background for the rose, is it a "Queen Elizabeth"?

Love the flowers, jewelry, and Men Explain Things to Me has just made it to my wish list.

>212 ronincats: I love Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. I read it last year and like you, my favorite essay was Woolf's Darkness: Embracing the Inexplicable. It made me want to read Virginia Woolf as opposed to feeling that I should read Virginia Woolf. I am currently reading A Field Guide to Getting Lost and I am loving it. I don't want it to end, which is why I am slowly making my way through this collection. It's brilliant. So far, every part has been top notch.

>220 ronincats: Your sweet peas are gorgeous!

Oh, what a busy week this has been! We had our renter move our last Thursday (the 23rd) and have been busy getting the rental in order for the new renter to move in on the 1st, with paperwork as well. Also had several routine doctor appointments in there and one removing a sebaceous cyst on my eyelid, in addition to general life.

>221 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba.
>222 benitastrnad: I think it took courage too, Benita, but I'm not sure she had much choice at that point! ;-)
>223 justchris: It took a long time before they figured out these nauseous migraines too, Chris. I never considered that it might be migraine. In my mind, that was my thunder-bombers splitting my head with pain; in these, my head didn't particularly hurt. I'm sure glad they figured it out, though.
>224 Berly: Hi, Kim!
>225 katiekrug: And welcome home, Katie. I'm so envious of your stay at the Library Hotel.
>226 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I forget what it is--I need to do some research in my tabs and records and figure out which roses are where and put it where I can easily lay hands on the info.
>227 BLBera: Thanks, Beth, and good!
>228 luvamystery65: Ro, I suspect it was your review that made me request the book from my library, and I thank you for it.

You mustn't think that it's been all work and no play, although I've not done much reading since Tuesday. Yesterday, for example, after the doctor appointment we stopped at Bolt Brewery. Eat your heart out, Joe!


Today I picked these up at the pottery. Only had one piece to glaze (a pitcher) and so threw a bunch.

March Statistics

Books read: 12
Pages read: 4354
Average pages per day: 140
Average pages per book: 363

New reads: 10
Rereads: 2
Library books: 7
Books off the shelf: 1
New purchases read: 2

Genre:
science fiction 0
fantasy 8
children's 0
nonfiction 2
fiction 1
romance 1
mystery 0

Author gender: 11 female, 1 male

Country of origin: USA 9, England 1, Scotland 1, Australia 1

Books acquired: 8
Books out the door: 8

Quarterly Stats: January-March 2017

Books read: 45
Pages read: 14,292
Average pages per day: 159
Average pages per book: 318

New reads: 40
Rereads: 5
Library books: 15
Books off the shelf: 16
New purchases read: 9

Genre:
science fiction 5
fantasy 22
children's 6
nonfiction 7
fiction 1
romance 1
mystery 5

Author gender: 30 female, 15 male

Books acquired: 20
Books out the door: 18

April reading plans:

I have a nonfiction out from the library, The Book That Changed America: How Darwin's Theory of Evolution Ignited a Nation. I must have gotten the title from a book review or newsletter as there aren't any conversations here on LT that would have cued me. From the title I thought it was about the Scopes trial, but no, it's about when the book was first published on the eve of the Civil War and how it fueled the cause of the abolitionists. So far we've been in Boston for the most part, but now in New York. Very interesting. It's my bathtub book, so a chapter a day on average.

The only other library book I have out is Everfair, one of the Nebula Award nominees. It's slow to get into, but I will persist. I am going to read two craft books for the nonfiction challenge, Crochet with Wire and Build Your Own Wire Pendants. For the Obama challenge, I will try to get to The Three Body Problem. For my online book club at the end of the month, I will be reading Congress of Secrets. I surely have some dystopian or apocalyptic books in my tbrs, but can't identify any at first glance, for the SFF category challenge. I need to read more from my TBR pile--I did well the first two months but only one book in March, and I want to continue with the Nebula Award nominees.

Sorry to hear that you were so busy. Here is hope for a relaxed Sunday. Lovery pottery, Roni.

Happy weekend, Roni. Hope you get to rest a bit and get out and enjoy this fantastic weather.

Wow, your March was productive, Roni. I have been meaning to give The Three Body Problem a try as well. Maybe this month?

Have a lovely Sunday.

#232
I have moved Three Body Problem off of the shelves and onto the bedside table, but probably won't get to it this month.

Happy Sunday, Roni!

>231 ronincats: Good stats, Roni. You are going at almost exactly double my pace at the moment. xx

Impressive reading stats there, Roni. Hope they come up with relief for your headaches. I enjoy all your photos. It is good to see some colour!

Roni, I hope you don' t mind but I am thinking of copying your format for your Quarterly Reading Stats. for my own use. I like the information that you are keeping track of. Hope you are having a lovely Sunday!

>229 ronincats: Love that first bowl!

So, I spent half of yesterday accomplishing this:

and starting to update my inventory for the show this Saturday (Chula Vista Elks club, 9-4, Reba!) before we went out and ran errands later in the day.

>233 Ameise1: Not so relaxing, Barbara, but at least productive.
>234 RebaRelishesReading: See above, Reba. ;-)
>235 BLBera: Thanks, Beth.
>236 benitastrnad: Mine is on my Kindle, Benita.
>237 alcottacre: Hi, Stasia.
>238 PaulCranswick: You may, just may, have a little more going on in your life, Paul.
>239 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg.
>240 DeltaQueen50: I suspect that format is public domain, Judy, as I'm sure I've borrowed from others. Be my guest!
>241 foggidawn: Thanks, Misti.

Hi Roni! >101 ronincats: I'll definitely keep your stenciled tabled in mind - I love the look.

Hmmm - I have several long (20 foot?) wire cattle panels that might make a garden enclosure. I'd have to put a top on it to keep the deer out. It's definitely food for thought. It will be a while yet before it's garden planting weather here, so I have still have time to plot. :-) Cold weather stuff like peas and lettuce can be planted the first part of May. We had a few stray snow flurries yesterday.

Love all the pottery! And the rose - oh my!

You've definitely put Men Explain Things to Me on my want to read list. It looks excellent.

Have a great day - and enjoy all your wonderful warm weather!

>229 ronincats: I really love that top bowl with the different colors! What size is it?

>243 streamsong: Snow flurries, brrr! Thank you, Janet.

>244 Storeetllr: It was about 8 inches across. I made it for one of my husband's friends who had bought a similar one and wanted another to go with it. Of course, one could alway make another...

While about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday, it was perfect weather for gardening this morning in the mid to high 60s and I put 2 miles on the Fitbit before noon. We planted two tomato plants we bought while we were out yesterday, along with some basil and cucumber plants, out front. I picked sweet peas and roses in back and got all the grass out of my back garden plots, although not the herb bed yet. That was some serious grass, with all the rain we had. Now you can see the catnip and kale and arugula and the lone romaine plant that were actually in the beds. Here is what I brought in, apart from flowers, this morning. That's one beet, fennel, carrots, peas, and strawberries in the baggie.


We put one of the tomato plants in the raised bed that is slowly being cleared of lettuce and carrots and fennel and kale and will hold this year's tomatoes. (the other bed had them last year and you are not supposed to grow them in the same place two years in a row.)


Then we took peas that were slowing down production out of the one tub and put in the other tomato plant. The peas in the far tub are still producing.


And this is that bed of drought-tolerant plants we put in last June--remember how it looked a little sparse then?


Finally, today's sweet peas. They smell heavenly!

>242 ronincats: My goodness!! That's a lot to do in only 1/2 day!!

>232 ronincats: The Book That Changed America: How Darwin's Theory of Evolution Ignited a Nation sounds interesting, although I would be immediately a touch sceptical. It sounds, from what you say, that the thesis is that the publication of the theory of evolution on the eve of the Civil War fuelled the cause of the abolitionists, presumably based on an idea that it set them free from a church orthodoxy?

I am sceptical because, if that is the thesis, I do not see how it accords with the evidence that it was the evangelical awakening that saw abolition of slavery and the slave trade in Britain, and therefore evangelical Christianity already had a strong abolitionist current in it.

Still I am aware I say the above in complete ignorance of the book and its arguments, so I took a look at the write up on Amazon, and what people are saying about this, and see it is more than that and appears to be a careful but quite narrowly focussed history of the development of thought in Boston and New York, and how Darwin's methods put that in some disarray. In particular there appears to be a view held by some (but perhaps not by many) that there were different paths of human development, and different ancestors for the various races. One can see how that could be used to justify slavery, but would be refuted by Darwin's work - although the matter would not be settled at once.

It looks like a fascinating history, and a lot more than just a humanist polemic.

I would be interested to know what you make of it.

>245 ronincats: Great garden photos. It looks like you get a wonderful dinner with all these veggies.

>242 ronincats: >245 ronincats: Great accomplishments all around!

Happy Tuesday, Roni!

>246 RebaRelishesReading: I thought I was being pretty productive!
>247 sirfurboy: So far this is a very thoughtful history, focusing in on Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott, and other figures in Boston and using their letters liberally for sources. I don't find it polemical at all, and actually marked some passages for quotes for you today while reading. I'll wait until my final write-up to use them, though.
>248 Ameise1: I put the carrots and fennel in a chicken pot pie for dinner, Barbara, and it was tasty.
>249 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia.

So today I got price tags on all the pottery and got it all packed up for the sale, then marked the jewelry from the consignment shop and integrated it with the rest of the jewelry and put some of it on cards on one of the display racks, and finally repaired the box of crochet stuff, trimmed a couple of scarves I knit during the NCAA tourney, and need to sew a button on a hat. So I'm done pretty much with the prep for the show--Whew!!

I just saw that the Hugo nominations were up about 20 minutes ago and was on my way over here to post about it, but stopped by archerygirl (Jo)'s thread and she had already posted. I'll copy what I ended up posting over there along with the nominations here.

Best Novel (2,078 nominating ballots)

All the Birds in the Sky, Charlie Jane Anders (Tor; Titan UK)
A Closed and Common Orbit, Becky Chambers (Hodder & Stoughton; Harper Voyager US)
The Obelisk Gate, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Ninefox Gambit, Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris US; Solaris UK)
Death’s End, Cixin Liu (Tor; Head of Zeus)
Too Like the Lightning, Ada Palmer (Tor)

Of the novels, I've read All the Birds and Too Like the Lightning, have The Obelisk Gate on the nightstand still, have Ninefox Gambit on hold from the library from the Nebula nominee list, just read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet so need to think about the next book, and plan to read Three Body Problem this month so it will be a while before I get to the third book in the triloby.

Best Novella (1,410)

Penric and the Shaman, Lois McMaster Bujold (Spectrum Literary Agency)
The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, Kij Johnson (Tor.com Publishing)
The Ballad of Black Tom, Victor LaValle (Tor.com Publishing)
Every Heart a Doorway, Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
This Census-Taker, China Miéville (Del Rey; Picador)
A Taste of Honey, Kai Ashante Wilson (Tor.com Publishing)

I've actually read two of the novellas, it being a format I don't often get: Penric and the Shaman and Every Heart a Doorway.

Best Novelette (1,097)

“The Art of Space Travel”, Nina Allan (Tor.com 7/27/16)
“Touring with the Alien”, Carolyn Ives Gilman (Clarkesworld 4/16)
Alien Stripper Boned from Behind by the T-Rex, Stix Hiscock (self-published)
“The Tomato Thief”, Ursula Vernon (Apex 1/5/16)
The Jewel and Her Lapidary, Fran Wilde (Tor.com Publishing)
“You’ll Surely Drown Here If You Stay”, Alyssa Wong (Uncanny 5-6/16)

And one of the novelettes, one I won from Tor: The Jewel and her Lapidary. It had very interesting world-building but was terribly depressing, imho.

Best Short Story (1,275)

“Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies”, Brooke Bolander (Uncanny 11-12/16)
“Seasons of Glass and Iron”, Amal El-Mohtar (The Starlit Wood)
“The City Born Great”, N.K. Jemisin (Tor.com 9/28/16)
“That Game We Played During the War”, Carrie Vaughn (Tor.com 3/16/16)
“A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers”, Alyssa Wong (Tor.com 3/2/16)
“An Unimaginable Light”, John C. Wright (God, Robot)

I really don't get into short stories and haven't read any of these, although some may be available free from Tor.com

Best Series (1,393)

The Craft Sequence, Max Gladstone (Tor)
The Expanse, James S.A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The October Daye Books, Seanan McGuire (DAW; Corsair)
The Peter Grant/Rivers of London series, Ben Aaronovitch (Gollancz; Del Rey; DAW; Subterranean)
The Temeraire series, Naomi Novik (Del Rey; Harper Voyager UK)
The Vorkosigan Saga, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)

Isn't that a great list? The only series I haven't read, although the first book is also on my nightstand, is The Expanse. I never finished the Temeraire series, as it dragged in the middle and I gave up on it, but think the Gladstone, McGuire, Aaronovitch, and Bujold series all topnotch!! Hard decisions to make!

Best Dramatic Presentation — Long (1,733)

Arrival
Deadpool
Ghostbusters
Hidden Figures
Rogue One
Stranger Things, Season One

I was surprised to see Hidden Figures on the dramatic presentation-long nominees, but I guess because of its focus on the space program? I loved the movie, anyhow, and it's the only one I've seen.

There are more and you can see everything at
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2017/04/12103/

And wow, at 250 already! I'll need to set up a new thread shortly. And copy over the Hugo info.

I haven't read any of the novels, though I'm interested in three or four of them. I'd read the same two novellas you had, and...I think I'd pick Seanan's, though it's a hard choice. Haven't read any of the short stuff. And the series is going to be a hard choice! I haven't read either Craft or Expanse, but the other four are good - Temeraire the least good, but that still leaves it pretty high. McGuire or (I think tops at the moment) Bujold for that one. But it's tough. Thanks, I hadn't seen the list yet.

Roni, you have been very busy! And look at all the beautiful photos!! Your talents have you surrounded by gorgeous. And the Hugo lists were so interesting to read through - you have read so much more fantasy and science fiction than I have, but I'm learning. That series list is full of gems.

Of the nominated novels, I've only read Ninefox Gambit, which I liked a lot. I've read and enjoyed The Three-Body Problem, and I see the third in the series on the list too.

I've read All the Birds in the Sky, The Obelisk Gate, and Ninefox Gambit. The last two were on my nominating ballot so I'm tickled to see them as finalists. Two of my novella nominees also made it: Black Tom and This Census-Taker. Overall, I'm pretty excited about this ballot.

Now to go see what archerygirl said ...

Your little garden is looking good!

The garden is making me anxious for spring to arrive. I've heard of many of the Hugo nominees. Do you have any favorites?

Stopping by before you get a new thread set up, Roni. I continue to enjoy seeing all your great pottery and love the pictures of the vegetables fresh from your garden! You also caught my eye with Crochet with Wire.

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

>253 jjmcgaffey: I think I'd have to go with Bujold too, for the scope and longevity of her high quality work.
>254 Crazymamie: What is sad is how much I haven't read when the nominations come out each year, Mamie. So many books...
>255 drneutron: I'm trying to target The Three-Body Problem this month, Jim.
>256 swynn: It is an exciting ballot, Steve!
>257 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori.
>258 BLBera: I've got some more reading to do, Beth, but I would favor the Vorkosigan saga for the series (where I've read all but one. I still have lots to read in the novels. I wasn't thrilled with the Anders book, thought Too Like the Lightning amazing, and have to read the other novels.
>259 lkernagh: Ah, yes, I've been putting that off, Lori. Going to do something about that now.