Cameling's Reading Nook 2

After a year's hiatus, here I am again, filled with renewed optimism that life will continue to be filled with unexpected pleasures, challenges, strong friendships and delightful reads. I look forward to more LT Meetups in 2017, sharing more food and travel photos in addition to reviews of books I've read. I have been considering a book challenge for 2017, but I didn't do so well on the challenge I had set for myself in the previous year, so I am leaning towards just letting the book fates lead me where they will.

I'm glad to be back among the fold! :-)




Female Authors:33
Male Authors: 24

Fiction: 45
Non-Fiction: 12

January - March Reads
Real Food, Fake Food - Larry Olmstead
The Perfect Meal : In Search of the Lost Tastes of France - John Baxter
Doctor Who Psychology - Travis Langley
A Great Reckoning - Louise Penny
A Robot in the Garden - Deborah Install
When Falcons Fall - C.S. Harris
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper - Phaedra Patrick
When There's Nowhere Else To Run - Murray Middleton
The Art of Choosing - Sheena Iyengar
This is Life - Dan Rhodes
By Its Cover - Donna Leon
The Never-Open Desert Diner - James Anderson
The Existentialist Cafe - Sarah Bakewell
A Doubter's Almanac - Ethan Canin
Do Not Say We Have Nothing - Madeleine Thien
Echoes in Death - J.D. Robb

April - June Reads
Algorithms to Live By - Brian Christian
The Guest Room - Chris Bohjalian
The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro
My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante
The Boat Rocker - Ha Jin
Hag-Seed - Margaret Atwood
Angel Catbird - Margaret Atwood
The Summer Before the War - Helen Simonson
Flight Vol 2 - Kazu Kibuishi
Monstress - Majorie Liu
The Lion in the Living Room - Abigail Tucker
Imprudence - Gail Carriger
Arctic Summer - Damon Galgut
Moonglow - Michael Chabon
Savage Theories - Pola Oloixarac
Maestra - L.S. Hilton
A Voice in the Night - Andrea Camilleri
Absolutely on Music - Haruki Murakami
Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant - Jenni Ferrari-Adler
Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman
Down the Rabbit Hole - J.D.Robb
Butter : A Rich History - Elaine Khosrova
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows - Balli Kaur Jaswal
Hell Fire - Karin Fossum

July - September Reads
The Golden Calf - Helene Tursten
Police at the Funeral - Margery Allingham
A Geography of Oysters - Rowan Jacobsen
The One Hundred Nights of Hero - Isabel Greenberg
Manazuru - Hiromi Kawakami
A Climate of Fear - Fred Vargas
Cat Stories - James Herriott
The Spy - Paulo Coelho
The Reader - Traci Chee
Cockfosters - Helen Simpson
DeKok and Murder on the Menu - A.C. Baantjer
The Schooldays of Jesus - J.M Coetzee
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk - Kathleen Rooney
A Few Right Thinking Men - Sulari Gentill
Another One Goes Tonight - Peter Lovesey
The Lost City of the Monkey God - Douglas Preston
Cathedral - Raymond Carver
Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami

16. by J.D. Robb
Echoes in Death

I didn't think I'd continue to enjoy this futuristic crime series for as long as I have, but what can I say? Ms Robb continues to enthrall and entertain with the stalwart Lt Eve Dallas and her colorful team as they fight the baddies of NYC in 2061.

In this one, Eve battles some old demons when one victim's circumstances cuts too close to her past life. As the murderer gains confidence and a growing taste for the kill, Eve and her team struggle to find commonality between the victims before the killer strikes again.

3.5 stars

ETA to add review.

Happy new thread, Caro!

Hello, Caro!

Happy new thread!

You were missed. I am so glad to see you back! Much Love to you!

Happy new thread, Caro, dear. That is one psychedelic camel up top!

>4 scaifea: Hi Amber, what a star you are for being the first to find my new thread. :-)

>5 alcottacre: Stasia! How nice to see you again. I think you're the top student among all the LT members. Well done!

>6 drneutron: Hi Jim, thanks for stopping by.

>7 Whisper1: Linda, I've missed everyone too and am glad my year of hiatus is over and I'm able to get back into the swing of things. Mostly lurking on threads most days, but occasionally when I have time, I'll add my little two cents here and there.

>8 PaulCranswick: I thought the thread could use a little bit of colour. Did it work? :-)

So here I am in Hong Kong. Fortunately I sleep like the proverbial log on planes because apparently it was a 15 hour flight with a fair amount of turbulence which I slept through. My seat mate informed me when I woke that everyone was holding on to their drinks as the plane bumped along like a car on a road full of potholes and I never woke. Go figure.

I did get to watch a fun Korean movie on the plane ... all the american movies were either ones I'd already seen or had no interest watching. Titled Luck-Key .. it's about an assassin who falls in a public bath and loses his memory. An out of luck bit player actor takes over his identity without knowing what the amnesiac's real occupation is. Entertaining movie.

>10 cameling: Hope the turbulence on the way back doesn't impact too much. It looks pretty cold right now in Boston.

The fact that you didn't link your thread via the continuation thinggy is making it hard to find you!

A lot of travelling I guess still from our lady of the jet set.

Wherever you are this weekend, Caro, I hope that you'll have a splendid time.

>9 cameling: Thanks, Caro. Now trying to decide if I should go back for my Master's.

Hi Caro - I haven't been keeping up so much this year but you sound incredibly busy.

Hope you have a great Easter weekend!

>11 PaulCranswick: >12 PaulCranswick: What continuation thinggy, Paul? I thought I did ... I must have missed a step somewhere.

>13 alcottacre: Stas .. and the decision is? Do you think you'll enjoy doing your Masters in Law?

>14 avatiakh: Ha! You haven't been keeping up? I've been absolutely fried for the last month and haven't had any time at all to even log into LT.

>15 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle .. thanks for posting all your lovely photos in Instagram.. it's one way for me to keep up with all the fun things you're doing with Chloe who is growing into a big beautiful girl!

Sorry folks ... I've just come out from a ridiculously hectic month of travel, work and a partner conference.

My travels were extended and I was out for 3 weeks going to Hong Kong, Seoul and Taiwan. The trip was good in terms of being productive workwise, but I was also on a very tight schedule which coupled with having to work late in the night to catch up on the day's emails, meant I was somewhat sleep deprived for 3 weeks.

I got back with a week to prep for a global partner conference we were hosting in Plymouth, MA. I was the project manager for the conference and thankfully had a brilliant team to help me with pulling things together so that the whole event went off smashingly. The president of the company was well pleased, our partners who came from all over the world left feeling they had made a worthy investment in time and money, and I managed to come under budget. Whooohooo!

That ended a week before Easter and I had post event follow ups with some partners to complete, evaluation forms to consolidate, and of course, regular work to conduct.

We went down to Long Island and I cooked Easter lunch for the whole family before we had a lovely Easter Egg hunt for the kids.

Spent a week in New York with the in-laws ... not fun and really stressful because my MIL has dementia and has become paranoid about almost everything and everyone, so looking after her and my FIL to give my SIL a break for a week was pretty tough. The hubster interviewed an agency while we were there and the good news is that they now have 24x7 care and help. Best news is that my MIL actually likes the woman who will be living with them for 4 days. We are keeping our fingers crossed she'll also like the other woman who will take over for the next 3 days of the week.

Happily, I'm back home and back in the regular work routine.. and back on LT. :-)

17. by Brian Christian
Algorithms to Live By : The Computer Science of Human Decisions

For all the decisions you've made which are gut reactions or deliberated decisions, computer algorithms can be designed to help us make better decisions. Some of the chapters were more interesting than others. The title makes it sound a little more intimidating than it actually is, and while there are some mathematical examples in the book, they're not too excessive.

4 stars

18. by Chris Bohjalian
The Guest Room

Sometimes the best laid plans can go horribly wrong. But when Richard agrees to host his younger brother's bachelor party at his house while his wife and young daughter are in Manhattan, he never thought the evening would end with 2 dead Russian bouncers and 2 strippers escaping into the night.

A single night's party unravels the lives of Richard as his wife throws him out of the house, he is being blackmailed by one of the party planners, and his investment banking company makes him take a leave of absence.

3.5 stars

19. The Buried Giant

There's something strange that's enveloping some villages in Britain. Villagers are gradually forgetting their past. Axl and Beatrice, an elderly couple have forgotten why they're not allowed a candle in their cottage when everyone else is, resulting in their having to spend nights in darkness. They decide to leave their village, setting out to cross mountains to visit their son in another village. But can they find it? Do they know where it is And how do they come by meeting a Saxon warrior, a young boy and a knight along their journey and how do their lives connect with each other?

It's a moving tale of love, war and the power of memories.

4 stars

20. by Elena Ferrante
My Brilliant Friend

The first of 4 Neopolitan novels traces the lives of 2 girls in a little rural village of Naples. We follow them through their childhood to adulthood. One, lively, exotic and precocious, and the other, bookish and shy. While they stay close during childhood, circumstances forces one to go into the family business while the other is given advantages that allows her to go on to higher education. Their relationship changes as they journey through childhood to teenage years to being young adults.

3.5 stars

21. by Ha Jin
The Boat Rocker

When Chinese immigrant, Feng Danlin, a journalist for a small online news agency popular among the Chinese, is given the task of investigating a book his ex-wife has written, he uncovers untruths in what was supposed to have been a memoir. He exposes her as a fraud and unwittingly sets off a string of events, making him realize that while he is now an American citizen, he is not beyond the reach of the Chinese government.

Dark and funny, this was a page turner.

3.5 stars

22. by Margaret Atwood
Hag-Seed

Revenge abounds in this tale of a fallen Hollywood director who finds himself now working with inmates at a correctional facility after having been betrayed by people he was close to. When the opportunity arises, 12 years later, where the very culprits will unknowingly be viewing a play at the facility, he plans a very special viewing for them.

4 stars

I am glad to read that you have ben AWOL from LT, cos I thought I must have managed to avoid you in my own sporadic attendance! Not glad that you are fried by busy-ness though....I hope things settle for you soon.
Is Margaret Atwood's book new? I hadn't heard of a new one from her!

Lovely to see you back dear lady.

Hi Caro - good to see you on the threads again.

>16 cameling: Seeing as I am having no luck finding a job using the degree I currently have, I cannot see paying more money to get another degree I may never use, so no Master's for now.

>19 cameling: The Buried Giant looks like one I would enjoy. Into the Black Hole it goes!

You might have disappeared on us, but it looks like you've done some good reading!

Good to see you back, Caroline!

BTW, will you be in the NYC area in the first half of May?

>21 LovingLit: Happily work-wise, things have calmed down a little. Plus Monday is a holiday for most countries so it will be a very light day for me ... it's not a holiday in the US though. Our Labor Day isn't until September. *sigh*

Hag-Seed was published sometime in the latter half of 2016, I think. I didn't know Atwood had a new book either, and spied it at the library on the new fiction shelves. It's a good read and I'm glad I chanced upon it.

>22 PaulCranswick: Lovely to be back too and see all the familiar peeps again. I do miss this little community when I'm not able to log in regularly.

>23 avatiakh: Thanks, Kerry. It's so good to be back again. Now all I have to do is try and figure out why my photos aren't posting in the threads properly like they used to.

>24 alcottacre: I'm sorry to hear of the job hunting challenges, Stas. Are you looking for a position as a paralegal? I hope things will turn around for you soon.

>25 drneutron: Jim, I didn't get to read as much as I would have liked but I'm very glad I didn't go through the whole month without at least getting a little reading done. It's awful when work disrupts precious reading time.

>26 kidzdoc: Good to be back again and catching up with everyone again, Darryl. Hope you have a good flight back to Atlanta.

Alas, I won't be in NYC in May .. I will have to miss Mother's Day this year because I'll be out traveling again. I head out to HK again week of May 8 then I'll be in Nanjing and Beijing for the following 2 weeks.

So I was having a lovely morning yesterday on my drive to work, listening to NPR, windows slightly opened because the air was nicely cool and about 5 miles before I arrived at work, my car started to sound odd ... I switched off the radio and hear some rattling coming from the front. I thought I may have driven over a branch or something which must have gotten stuck underneath ..but then just as traffic was backed up going over a bridge, my car started to slow down even as I was accelerating to the point of almost stopping and then it jerked forward. It did this a few times and I was petrified that my car would break down in the middle of a 2 lane bridge during rush hour. I had visions of a few hundred drivers cursing me if that had happened. So fingers crossed and with many many many prayers said .... i somehow managed to get across the bridge and stopped at a gas station. Couldn't see anything under the car so since my office was by then just about 3 miles down the road, I cautiously drove and made it to the parking lot, now with a definitely odd rattle and with some clunking jerks.

Called AAA to get my car towed to the nearest dealer's service center and .....received news later that my transmission is dead and needs to be replaced. The car's only 2 years old!!!! :-( Just got the quote for repairs from the dealership and my jaw dropped. Thankfully it's still under warranty so dealership will waive a major chunk of the cost and now I just have to call a company I purchased repair insurance from to get them to cover the balance minus my deductible. Hopefully transmission stuff is covered under the plan. Grrr....

>27 cameling: Monday is a holiday for most countries so it will be a very light day for me ... it's not a holiday in the US though. Our Labor Day isn't until September.
Monday is actually a teacher-only-day at my kids school, so it is a day off for me as a I cannot find anyone to look after the kids. Not a public holiday though. This comes directly after the school holidays during which I have struggled to get to paid work, and have completely neglected uni work.. Its a pain.

Incidentally, our Labour Day is in October.

Oh, and thank goodness the car is under warranty! I'd hope so with it being only 2 years old. I am so glad for you that your car didn't break down on the bridge - in rush hour!! What a pain that would have been.
I got a flat tyre in the middle of the Lyttelton tunnel once, which is nearly 2km long. I simply had to put on my hazard lights, go as slowly as possible and not care about traffic baking up behind me. Luckily the tunnel control people noticed it on the cameras and stopped the traffic coming in from the other end, and a driver drove right next to me (on what had been the other side of the road) and "talked me out". I didn't really get why he thought I might freak out until we got to the end, when he praised my calm demeanour saying he'd had a few people flip out in the tunnel since the earthquakes.

>29 cameling: Scary! I'm glad you were able to get to work instead of being stuck on a bridge. Good luck with the repairs!

Yikes! Sorry to hear about your car's underperforming transmission. What make and model do you own?

>30 LovingLit: Oh I thought you had Monday off as well for Labour Day since so many other countries do. I thought it was only us in the US that had Labour Day in a different month. Still, it's nice for me today since it's light and I get to catch up on some minor work stuff I'd been putting off because I didn't have time.

I am extremely thankful not to have broken down on the bridge, and also that the parts are still under warranty. Otherwise, I would be tearing an extremely large hole in my already thin bank account in order to pay for a new transmission.

I know some people who are slightly claustrophobic and if any one of them had a flat or broke down in a tunnel, they would most definitely freak out. When they have to drive through tunnels, they white knuckle the steering wheel and almost hyperventilate until they get out on the other side. Usually they try to avoid tunnels whenever possible but occasionally, they just have to go through them and it's a horrible experience each time. Once I was with one such friend and just before the tunnel, we got out and switched seats so I could drive through the tunnel and he could just sit in the passenger seat with his eyes closed and the music turned on LOUD.

>31 mstrust: Thanks Jennifer. I heard back from the service center today and they will have my car ready for me by Wednesday this week, so I'm very happy indeed. Actually I'm happier because I only have a $100 deductable to pay for the whole thing. The rest of the cost is being covered. Whew!

>32 kidzdoc: My car is a Mazda CX5, Darryl. Other than the wonked out transmission, it's been doing very well and I like the way it handles. If anything has to go wrong with it again, I hope it does so before the next 30,000 miles so parts will be covered under the warranty. After that, I may consider replacing it with another car if repairs end up costing more than the value of the car.

23. by Margaret Atwood
Angel Catbird

Mark shared this cool graphic novel with me and now I'm hooked and am on the wait list at the library for the following volumes.
I thought it might be a superhero GN from Atwood, but it's an interesting story about some humans who are have mutated genes that allow them to shape change into rats and cats. When a computer scientist is hired, he discovers a serum that, when splashed on him during an accident, allows him to change into a man cat with wings. In this form, he's able to speak to other cats and birds, but his challenge is understanding his powers. When a fellow colleague at work identifies him as another half-cat, he's introduced into a new world ... one that is being attacked by his boss, a crazed half-rat with a penchant to rule the world with his rat minions.

3 stars

24. The Summer Before the War

When Beatrice Nash arrives in East Sussex to take up the position of a Latin Master at the village school after the death of her father, she finds herself having to fight against governors of the school who think a male Latin Master would be more suitable for the school, a cantankerous landlady, a spiteful gossipy Mayor's wife and 3 local boys to tutor in Latin during the beautiful summer.

Beatrice does manage to develop a friendship with Agatha Kent, the woman of force, kindness and common sense who was behind her being hired as the Latin Mistress in the first place and 2 of her nephews, Daniel, an irrepressibly cheerful if somewhat reckless poet, and Hugh, a calm doctor training to be a surgeon.

The idyllic summer is brought to a halt with news of Germany's invasion of Belgium, the arrival of some Belgian refugees in their village, and the horrific devastation to families when Britain has no choice but to enter the war.

I preferred her other book, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, and there were a few holes in this book which I think the author may have forgotten to close. However, it was still an enjoyable read and one which caused me to shed a tear or two as well as laugh out loud in a few places.

3.5 stars

Dear Caro, wishing you a wonderful weekend. Are you on your travels?

>37 PaulCranswick: Yoohoo Paul, yes, I've been away on travels to Hong Kong, Nanjing and Beijing for 3 weeks in May, and then returned to a couple of weeks of sheer madness at work tying up the ends of a long project.

But I'm stateside now for a while ... and relishing in the fact that I don't have, as yet, any business travel planned for at least a month.

25. by Kazu Kibuishi
Flight. Vol 2

The 2nd volume of a collection of beautifully illustrated sci-fi short stories.

3.5 stars

26. The Lion in the Living Room

Terribly interesting look at how cats have been domesticated as much as have made humans change in the way we have allowed them to treat them differently from the way we treat other pets, diseases, cat stress and myths.

4 stars

27. Imprudence

The Custard Protocol steampunk series is a wonderfully fun romp through Rue's world except that this time she's in hot soup with Queen Victoria. Add to that, her werewolf father might just be going crazy and losing control of his pack while her mother continues to antagonize her. Her vampire father is acting very oddly and her best friend keeps getting engaged to unsuitable military types. It's just one adventure after another.

4 stars

28. by Damon Galgut
Arctic Summer

Historical fiction on the life of E.M. Forster, his travels through India, his relationship with his mother and sister, his British and Indian friendships and his internal struggles with his homosexuality.

3.5 stars

29. by Michael Chabon
Moonglow

In this novel, a dying man relates his life's adventures to his grandson. I thought this was rather slow going and found my mind wandering frequently. Although a novel, it's supposed to be somewhat autobiographical.

3 stars

30. by Pola Oloixarac
Savage Theories

Set in 1970s Argentina, this novel explodes with color and very energetic if complex characters in academia. Rosa is a narrator who's writing a thesis on violence in culture. Pabst and Kamtchowsky are an intellectual, couple who are exhibitionists and who study the mating rituals and habits of their peers, and then flaunt themselves sexually at parties, museums and academic gatherings.

There are multiple threads which, at first made it a little confusing for me, but eventually, things started to gel a little and the latter half of the book was quite enjoyable once I decided to just myself go with the chaotic currents.

3 stars

31. by L.S. Hilton
Maestra

My first loathsome book for 2017 and may it be the last. The author's trying too hard capture readers of multiple genres. There's quite a bit of graphic sex in the book, ala 50 Shades without the romance but it was written very baldly, almost like a technical manual. The thriller aspect of the novel fell flat because I had the sense the author was trying to think of the next scene while writing the current one.

It's expected that we're to suspend reality when reading novels, however, this novel was just too ridiculous, disjointedly written and without any semblance of even trying to make the protagonist a likable or believable individual.

Half star.

32. A Voice in the Night

Oh how I missed dear Inspector Montalbano, Fazio, Catarella and Augello. This continues to be one of my favorite crime fiction series. What's there not to like? It has humor, a great cast of characters, each with very unique characters, food mentions, and clever plots and twists. As the central cast go about trying to solve a supermarket burglary which resulted in the manager's apparent suicide, which later proved to be a clever disguise of murder, they also have to avoid the web of political intrigue and corruption that's spread their sticky threads all over the crime scene.

In addition, a young woman's been murdered and the man she was living with certainly knows more than he's saying. And what's with the sudden change in the Commissioner's personality? Has he taken one too many tranquilizers to deal with the stress or is this yet another strategy to throw Montalbano and his team out to the hungry wolves?

4 stars

33. by Haruki Murakami
Absolutely on Music

Haruki Murakami sets down a series of conversations he had with Seiji Ozawa, the celebrated former conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and they talk about music. With references to different classical pieces, Mr Ozawa shares his analysis of not just works by composers but also the interpretation of the particular work or part of the movement by different musicians and conductors. Anyone with an interest in classical music will really appreciate how the author has allowed us into their intimate conversations to understand the mind and passions of Ozawa.

I borrowed this from the library, but I'm going to buy a copy because this is definitely a keeper for re-reads.

5 stars

>43 cameling: What would we do without Inspector Montalbano.

Nice to see you back posting, Caro and that you are getting a bit of time stateside. xx

>44 PaulCranswick: Paul, I would recommend you purchase the DVDs for the series .. I think Hani could really get into this series as well. The Italian TV series is as good as the books.

It was a gloriously sunny day yesterday and I for one was pleased for the respite from all the rain we'd been getting lately, although the plus side of the rain has been very happy trees, shrubs and weeds. (I have no grass on my yard .. they've all been usurped by weeds and since weeds are also little green plants, we've decided since they've made such a determined invasion of our yard, they have earned the right to stay). Went on a 30 mile bike ride followed by a refreshing swim in a lake, after which I was very glad to be driven back home instead of having to bike back. Had some friends over for a cookout on the back deck. It was a good day.

Today started out with us at a bar, having breakfast and watching a very one-sided French Open with Nadal making a come back on his favorite court. Hail to the returned king of clay!

Bought some pots of herbs and plants for the house but it's too hot today to be digging holes. We did attempt a little mowing of the front yard so it would at least look neat and tidy. We're keeping the back for later in the evening when hopefully it cools off a little.

So with some time on my hands and hiding out indoors where it's a lot cooler, I'm catching up on my LT peeps. :-)

Caro!! I am so glad you posted on my thread! I had lost you somehow. Glad to be back. : )

Go Rafa!!

>46 Berly: Kim, I wouldn't be surprised if nobody in LT remembers who I am anymore, given how long I've been away. LOL ... so thanks for remembering me. It's good to be back again ... it's so annoying how work gets in the way of my being able to spend more time among my LT peeps. Still, with summer here and my work travel taking a back seat at last, I'm looking forward to being more active here again and also being able to read more.

The King of Clay Rules!! He looks like his old unbeatable self today. Wimbledon is going to be interesting.

Happy newish thread, Caro; I had your first thread starred and never thought to look to see if you had started another one.

Lots of good reading. The Murakami sounds like one to look for. I loved Moonglow, but can understand why it won't appeal to all.

>47 cameling: Silly woman. Everyone remembers who you are!! I am glad RL is cooperating and you can be here again. I cannot wait for Wimbledon. I just hope I can get more of the broadcasts than I did for the French Open.

>48 BLBera: >49 Berly: I did manage, at least, to get some reading in, not as much as I would have liked, but hey, better than no reading at all, right? :-)

I've been meaning to read more of Chabon. The only other I've read was The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay which I enjoyed immensely.

I missed the opportunity to be in London while Wimbledon is on, and I'm mentally kicking the hubster's friend for getting married the last week of the tournament. LOL

34. Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

This was a really delightful collection of essays by writers about , for different reasons, dine on their own, either making their own meals at home, or eating in restaurants. It's not easy for some to dine on their own and for some, it's a moment of treasured peace. Some cook gourmet meals and some dine solely on beans on rice. The essays share a range of emotions stemming from their solitary dining experiences from depression, sadness, glee, and contentment.

As someone who dines alone with regularity, especially during my business travels, I identified with a number of the challenges and joys of dining alone expressed in some of the essays.

4 stars

Of course everyone remembers you!! Hope you get some down time soon and more relaxing!

Good to see you back, Caro! You've been so busy.
I too am hiding indoors until the heat lets up. In October.

>52 ChelleBearss: You are all so great for my ego, Chelle. :-) The downtown was expected and a celebration for Father's Day was being planned ... but then my FIL was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon when the home nurse came over for a scheduled check up and found him extremely dehydrated and erratically breathing. So we rushed down to NY on Wednesday morning and sadly, my FIL passed away yesterday evening.

>53 mstrust: Hiding indoors is the only thing I do when the humidity and heat get too much for me. I am really more of a cold weather person. I like the Spring and Fall, and I kinda like summer .. except when there's humidity. I HATE humidity combined with high temps.

Unfortunately with all the rushing around trying to make funeral arrangements, calling friends and family, it's been quite a hectic day. One thing about keeping really busy is that most of the time, the busy-ness keeps us all from feeling too sad. But it's the small moments when you stop and do something simple like .. picking out a suit, shirt and tie for my FIL to be buried in, and you think of socks, underclothes and even which of his shoes he'd want to be buried in, that the familiar smell of his clothes and something mundane like a pair of rolled up socks from his drawer chokes you and you find yourself just having to cry.

Rationally you accept that death comes to everyone. Rationally you are glad the person has passed on peacefully and with no more pain. Emotionally though, it sneaks up and kicks you in the head when you least expect it.

First of all, I'm so sorry to hear about your FIL. Please let Edd and his family know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

I had started seeing you posting on threads in the last week or two and finally went to the Threadbook and found you here. I've got you starred now and may I say, it's lovely to see you spending some time here again. Even if right now isn't the best of times...

I'm also sorry to read about your FIL. Hope all goes smoothly in the next few days for you all.

I'm so sorry for you and your family's loss, Caro.

>56 ronincats: Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers, Roni.

It was tough when he was pronounced passed at the hospital, but yesterday and today hasn't been bad because we've all been so busy with funeral arrangements, church arrangements, getting things printed etc and general errands. The wake will be held tomorrow and although it's Father's Day here, I suspect there will be a number of people who will still come to pay their respects because he was quite the pillar of the community for more than 60 years and a lot of people always enjoyed having him around. I think the toughest will be on the day of the funeral and at the burial.

It is nice to be back on LT again, actually it's been a bit of a blessing because it's giving me a bit of a break and allows me to sit with my MIL and have something to do while she natters on.

>57 avatiakh: Thank you, Kerry. So far, so good. :-)

>58 mstrust: Thank you for the lovely flowers and condolences, Jennifer.

So sorry to read about your FIL's passing, dear Caro. Give Ed a warm hug from all of us and please accept our sincere condolences.

>55 cameling: Your post is beautifully put. It is in the mundane and the workaday that our loss is felt the keenest.

Take care sweet lady. xx

35. by Neil Gaiman
Norse Mythology

I've always enjoyed Greek and Roman mythologies but didn't know much about the Nordic gods and goddesses. The only Nordic god I knew anything at all about was Thor, and only because of comic books.

Totally enjoyed this book and the tales of the various Nordic gods, goddesses and frost giants. I know more about them now through each short story.

4 stars

Hi Caro--So sorry to hear about your FIL passing. But I am glad that you have rejoined us here on LT and I hope you know we are here for you as a place to vent and to cheer you up. Sending best wishes to you and yours.

>61 cameling: I really have to get to this one!!

>60 PaulCranswick: Thanks so much for taking time of your own troubles to spare a kind thought for Edd and his family during their time of grief.

The passing of a loved one is always sad and there is no grief greater or lesser from one person to the next. However, what sometimes makes the grief a little bit more overwhelming is when the person has been the central figure in the family and community, beloved by many and just a regular but awfully nice, generous and kind person. And when that person lives through his 95th birthday and still remembers everyone he's met, that is a special person and it's the abundance of memories through the years that make it more difficult not to expect him to come walking through the door, or to be sitting in his favorite chair at various times of the day. So if you have parents who live into their 90s, while it's great that you've enjoyed more than the average length of time with those people, I think it means you'll need more than the average time to get used to not having them around.

One interesting thing has come out of this life's moment and that is, Edd's brother, who had always been an irresponsible jerk who lives just 10 mins from his parents and never bothered to help them out with various situations, leaving it to Edd who lives 4 hours away, or his sister, who lives an hour and a half away, to change their schedules to come down and help their parents out, has suddenly gone through a minor personality shift. He's come round to the house everyday since his father's passing, has actually volunteered to help and then actually done what he said he would do (if you knew the guy, you will realize just how shocking him actually fulfilling a commitment is). He's even invited his mother to come live with him and his wife (i actually gasped when I heard him and Edd's sister, who was in the kitchen, rushed out and stared in disbelief) and said he wants to include her in all his family activities in the summer and beyond. IF he actually even does half of what he's offering, the siblings would all still be very grateful.

So who knows.. perhaps FIL's passing is what was needed to finally make a man of his 50+ year old son. We should all think positive. :-)

>62 Berly: Kim, this is the best community I know.. everyone's just so supportive and kind. Thank you so very much too for your concern and kindness.

I think you would really enjoy this Gaiman book. I happened to see it in passing when I was at the library picking up some other books. Sooooo glad I did. It's such a delightful read.

Sad news in your family, Caro. Again, Im sorry to hear it, and I hope the funeral goes as well as can be expected.

I see further up you rated a book a half star. Ouch! Good to know though!!! I think my lowest rating has been 1.5. I feel like getting published is in itself worth a star. (Im too kind, maybe.)
Anyway, take care of yourself this week. ((hugs))

So sorry for your family's loss, Caro! Hope you are all doing ok!

>65 LovingLit: Thank you for your kind thoughts, Megan. I think most of us will be ok, but it's my MIL I worry about because she's already been suffering from depression and anxiety for about 2 years (but refuses to medicate), has dementia and is starting to drive her own kids a little nuts from some of her extreme demands. So the days post funeral will, I think, be challenging for her and her children in figuring out the best care for her. We and Edd's brother have offered our homes to her because yesterday she said she doesn't want to live in her house on her own, but I think she would prefer to live with her daughter to whom she's very very close ... except her daughter doesn't want her living with her.

I was hesitant in rating Maestra with just a half star and spent a few minutes weighing the merits (none) of the writing. So I felt it would only be fair to warn others that this book is likely not to entertain or teach you anything. There are just too many ridiculous situations the author expects the reader to accept. I question the publisher's decision to publish this ... maybe the author is related to someone in the publishing house? I wasn't even in a bad mood when I read the book, but I was really irritated after I finished it. Why didn't I just toss it aside like I've done to some books? I kept thinking it had to get better. *sigh* It was one of my sillier decisions.

Then again, perhaps there are readers out there who might enjoy this book. I think they would have to be readers who just want the explicit sex bits and give the rest of the story scant attention. Or perhaps there are readers who like a protagonist who gets away with murder despite having no malicious intent, very little planning, is a survivor and comes away at the end with the best of unaimed for outcomes. So now I'm reconsidering the half star rating again, but having given it more thought, I think I need to stand by my half star because it's my appreciation (or lack of) if the book. I have no doubt there will be some who will read and give it a higher rating, but that's why books are wonderful .... there's always someone somewhere who will appreciate them.

>66 ChelleBearss: Thanks for your support, Chelle. We are doing as well as can be. Life goes on. As I was saying to a friend, it could have been so much worse.. it could have happened unexpectedly without giving the family a chance to say goodbye. As it turned out, this really was the best way for my FIL to go, surrounded by the family he deeply loved and without pain.

So, I had brought some books down with me, and realized 3 of them are crime fiction with gruesome murders ... hmm... not quite what I think I ought to read during any downtime during a wake perhaps? I've just finished the Norse Mythology otherwise that would have been something I could bring to the funeral home. So the only thing left for me to bring with me later will be a book on the history of butter. As you can see, I didn't exactly plan my reading material for the trip down to NY very carefully :-)

Happy Father's Day to all the dads in LT!

My condolences on the loss of your FIL, Caro.

>70 cameling: Thank you, Caro. xx

Stopping by to get caught up and have read the very sad news regarding your FIL. My condolences to you and the family on this loss.

Caro, I'm so glad you are back with us. I was sorry to hear about your FIL. It sounds like the family is handling it well and the black sheep is beginning to come around and offer more help. I hope your MIL is able to fit into her new living arrangements wherever they may be. Change is difficult for someone with dementia. I will keep your family in my prayers.

>71 BLBera: Thank you, Beth.

>72 PaulCranswick: One of our nephews had been posted to KL for 2 years and after the funeral today, we were chatting and he was mentioning places he missed in KL, although after a few minutes, I realized all the placed he was mentioning were cafes and restaurants. Haha.. so in essence, he missed the food! He did come away from his posting with an Iranian girlfriend with whom he has a son. They are all back here in the US and he managed to obtain asylum for his girlfriend ...they decided not to marry when she came over but share custody of their son.

>73 lkernagh: Thank you, Lori. We will get over the grief... it will take time, but we are all remembering the good times and the fun guy that he was. There are no regrets that we left him without saying what we needed to say while he was alive. He was loved by many.

>74 Donna828: Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, Donna. I think my MIL will be alright .. she was better than I had expected her to be at the funeral and burial today. it was my husband who was a wreck .. a total opposite from how he handled the wake. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed the black sheep has been well and truly bleached so he can shoulder his share of the responsibilities, you know, nevermind his share ... even a portion of his share would be a welcome change. :-)

It's good to be back again on LT. My only issue is that adding more and more books to my overflowing wish list from my catching up on your threads. Yikes!

I met an old friend of my MIL's yesterday at the wake and somehow or other, got to talking about books ...what a strange topic for me to engage in... LOL... well, she turned out to be a reader too so I turned her onto LT. Today after the funeral, she sought me out outside the church to tell me that after she went home, she immediately logged into her computer, found the LT website, registered an account for herself and then spent the entire night cataloging her books and looking through groups to join. She's 85 years old and is thrilled that she's found a new fun activity. Yaaay... we have a new LT member.

Hi, Caro! How are you, my friend? Somehow I did not have your thread starred. Bad Mark?

So, nice seeing you back posting again. You were missed.

How are those books treating you?

My condolences on your FiLs passing, Caro.

>76 cameling: That's awesome! Hope she finds some great groups to chat in!

>76 cameling: That is awesome, Caro.

>77 msf59: Hey ho, Mark ... my world is bright and beautiful again now that you've found my thread. :-) I've missed being on LT for that spell too. It's such a lovely place to hang around in. So glad I'm back to my old tempo. *fingers crossed this will last*

I've been snatching bits of time to read, and I keep getting interrupted by chores (booo) and work (double booo). But it could be worse ... I could be getting no reading time at all. *gasp*

I still think it's funny when I hear people complain that they are bored ... I always want to say ... why don't you pick up a book and read? You'd never be bored a minute of your life! Maybe have a standby book just incase the one you picked up is a dud.

>78 FAMeulstee: Thank you for your kindness, Anita.

>79 ChelleBearss: Chelle, she's a member of the Auxiliary Club at church my MIL belongs to and she came over to drop off a banana nut bread so I had a chance to chat with her for a bit. She said she's found a group for art book lovers and is having a blast! She said she's loving all the conversations she's catching up on but that she's spending way too many hours on LT already ... LOL ... I told her it's a common affliction.

>80 BLBera: Yup, the more LT members, the merrier, I say. :-)

I was mentally casting my eye around the house for a take on where we have bookcases filled with with books, tables with book piles, parts of the floor with book piles, nightstands with book piles and the odd chair or 5 with book piles ... all of this because I was tidying up my MIL's family room (only a few books but plenty of magazines, papers and catalogs) ... and I think I really ought to do something about the books we have in the house. I'm terrible at culling bookshelves though ... I'll pack the ones I think I should donate to the library, then when I actually bring them to the library and start taking them out, I end up putting a good number back into the box and bringing them back home again.

>81 cameling: oh dear, glad she is having fun but it really can be an addiction!!

>82 cameling: isn't it terrible how the books can multiple in rooms just like dust bunnies! I was doing the same sorting a few days ago when I realized that the living room was being taken over by piles of my books, the odd Nate book and a million toddler books (that never seem to make it back on her shelves!)

>83 ChelleBearss: At least it makes sense to keep your toddler books for the new baby. I know I have books on my shelves or on the floor which would be better off in a new home, but even so, I find it hard to put them in boxes and deliver them to the library. I think I'm determined to at least make up 2 boxes this weekend and to deliver them on the same day to the library before my resolve dissolves yet again.

>84 cameling: oh yes, we sure won't need to buy any books for the new baby! We do, however, need to get her a book shelf for her room. Chloe has a small one that is full and our book shelf slash toy shelf in the living room is also full of Chloe's books. I'm due for a little bit of organizing

>85 ChelleBearss: Why does the mention of book shelves excite me. Haha..

36. by J.D.Robb and others
Down the Rabbit Hole

A series of short stories by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Elaine Fox, Mary Kay McComas and R.C.Ryan. Lt Eve Dallas starts the ball rolling with a medium who has a fascination with Alice in Wonderland, and the other authors follow with stories of things that aren't quite what they seem.

3.5 stars

37. by Elaine Khosrova
Butter : A Rich History

I eat enough of the stuff so when I saw this at the library, I picked it up .. and I'm so glad I did. It turned out to be a really interesting read. Covering when butter was likely made, how it was made, how the making of butter has evolved through the ages, why it was scorned by the Romans and Greeks, types of cows, sheep, goats, yaks, water buffalo and camels that have given up their milk for the making of butter. It also covers the different types of butter, uses of butter besides its use in cooking and the butter vs margarine battle.

4 stars

Good luck with the culling, Caro. I am the same way. I usually end by donating books one by one. My daughter always laughs at me when she sees one or two books on the donate pile. Baby steps, right?

Butter sounds interesting, as good as it tastes.

>88 BLBera: The culling had to be halted, unfortunately, Beth. I started to read the first few pages of some of the books I had thought to cull and ended up putting them back on the bookshelves again .. *sigh*

I thought Butter was a fascinating read ... despite not being a novel, I found it a page turner. :-) It's certainly given me a deeper appreciation of the butter I eat, and what I just used today to bake banana bread with. :-) I'm also keen to try out a couple of the recipes at the back of the book, all featuring ... of course, butter.

38. by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

A funny and yet sensitive story of Nikki, a modern Punjabi living in London, who is trying to find her passion in life despite her conservative sister's and mother's disapproval. Living above an Irish pub, she years for a proper career. When she accepts a job to teach Punjabi women how to write, she believes she's hired to help promote their creative writing but she finds some of the women are actually there to learn English.

Most of the women are widows and one masquerading as a widow and they really signed up for the class for something to do. When one of them finds a book on erotic stories that Nikki had bought for her sister, it caused a mini rebellion in the class, with the widows wanting to dispense with learning the alphabet in lieu of writing their own erotic stories.

Despite the title of the book, it's not all about graphic sex, but more about the lives of these women who are often cast aside and invisible in their Punjabi community because of their widowhood. While Nikki cautions them to keep the real activities in their writing class secret because of the more conservative young men in the Sikh temple who have pegged themselves as upholders of the moral standards of the community, some of the stories are leaked and a scandal ensues.

Light-hearted and fun.

3 stars

Hi, Caro. I hope your Monday went well. I started The Radium Girls. Another fine NNF. More warbling to come.

Hope your books are treating you well.

>90 cameling: This sounds entertaining.

Hi Caro--That's too bad your culling efforts were thwarted by...you!! LOL Good luck on THAT front. Love the story of sharing LT with the lady and how you created another addict. Good job!!

>91 msf59: So far, the week's zooming by, mostly because the end of the quarter's always a busy period for me, but more so this week because I had to attend an all day workshop and then had 2 days of back to back meetings. So with no time during the regular work day to actually get much work done, it's been long nights for me to keep up with work. But today's a good day as I did manage to get all caught up by 11pm last night. So today is a breathable day .. yaay!

Hope The Radium Girls is turning out to be a good one. I've had my eye on that as it sounds really interesting. Plenty of warbling outside the window this morning...which made for a very pleasant way to wake up. :-)

I'm in a little bit of a book funk right now, but I'm hoping to quash it with Hell Fire by Karin Fossum which I will start later today.

>92 BLBera: Beth, it was very entertaining. A very nice surprise read for something that caught my eye at the library.

>93 Berly: Kim, the attempt at culling shall recommence this weekend with renewed determination ...and wishful thinking. I think I may have tried to bite off too much the last time, so this time, the plan is to just confine my efforts to just 1 bookcase.

I've only just realized my company has given us Monday off as well, so it will be a delightfully long weekend holiday for 4 days! Whoohoooo!

What a nice surprise to discover a day off. : D Enjoy it!

Hooray for a sweet 4 day weekend! Enjoy!

I work Saturday and Monday but I am off Tuesday. Grins...

Here's to long weekends!! Enjoy. ; )

I've not been here for ages and finally get caught up to find you're culling books and enjoying a four day weekend. Hope you have a good break. I really should cull some books but instead I'm looking at alternative book shelf options...

>87 cameling: I love books that use *stuff* to talk about social histories. My lovely other brought back a book from the library the other day about chimneys in our city- only it was really about social history. The butter one sounds interesting too!!

>96 cameling: Have a great four day weekend, Caroline! What plans do you have for it (other than reading)?

I have to work all four days. It's so unfair.

>97 mstrust: Delightful surprise indeed, Jennifer. I picked up a box set of The Black Butler anime series from the library which I plan to binge watch tonight. My weekend is off to a good start, I'd say. I also made 2 buttery pound cakes today.

>98 msf59: Hope Saturday and Monday are light work days for you, Mark. Perhaps someone will bring in festive nibbles on Monday to share. My weekend has already started, I am delighted to say. The big cheese at the company said we could go home at 2pm if we've cleared our work for the day. Wheeee! So a couple of us went down to a bar for some drinks and chicken wings and mac & cheese.

>99 Berly: Thanks Kim, and a wonderful holiday weekend to you too.

>100 charl08: Charlotte, I would love alternative shelving options to if only I had room to add more bookcases or wall space to put up more bookshelves. So I guess the culling will allow me to *sniffle* bid farewell to the books I won't be re-reading in order to make way for new in residents that are currently piled on chairs, tables and the floor.

>101 LovingLit: Megan, I just picked up a book about oysters in North America which, I'm hoping will be just as delightful and informative as the Butter book. I like eating them, so I might as well learn more about them as well. As the Butter book gave me a better appreciation of the animal fat, I think this one will do the same for oysters. How's your chimney book?

>102 kidzdoc: Darryl.. you've just come back from a glorious month away in beautiful Spain and charming London, eating your way through some amazing food and quaffing down liters of various nectars of the Gods ... I think you're not going to find much sympathy in this forum for your having to get back to work :-p

My plans for the long holiday weekend involve culling 1 .. yes, just 1, bookcase, possibly cleaning out part of the basement and then lots and lots of lovely reading. Edd is still down on Long Island but hopes to come home for the 4th by train.

>105 cameling: Dang. I was certain that I would find a sympathetic ear here. Oh, well...

I hope that you have a productive book culling and get plenty of good reading in. I'm off for two weeks in the second half of July, and I plan to do a major book culling and decluttering of my place then.

Enjoy your weekend, Caro. Good luck with the culling. I always try to limit the scope, as well.

>107 BLBera: Looks like I'm going to need to postpone the culling of books, Beth. Why do I feel a wee bit relieved? Haha..

My poor hubster has been on Long Island the past week trying to sort through his dad's papers and not making as much headway as he had planned because his mother's been very demanding on his time and interrupting him by asking him to drive her to various hair and podiatrist appointments and to wait for her while she's being seen to, or to lunch with a couple of her friends. So now that his mother is going to his sister's tomorrow for a week, I'm going down to help him sort everything out by Monday. We have his dad's clothes to donate, various credit card bills to create online accounts for so that we can take over the paying of them as my MIL is increasingly incapable of keeping her bills straight, get rid of some of the junk in the house and of course, finish sorting through all the various insurance etc papers. It'll be easier getting everything done with his mother out of the house and the poor guy says he's desperate to come home. With a bit of luck, we should be able to accomplish them all and come home on Monday, Tuesday at the very latest, although I'd much prefer to come home on Monday because I have a meeting on Wednesday I need to prepare a presentation for and need the time to do that on Tuesday.

39. by Karin Fossum
Hell Fire

Scandi crime fiction is so wonderfully dark. They don't shy away from the darker side of human nature. 2 parallel stories unfold between the pages of this story. Bonnie, a home health aid, and her young son, Simon are both found brutally murdered in a trailer with no apparent cause or suspect. The hunt for the killer baffles Inspector Sejer and Skaare. In the meantime, Mass Malthe struggles to cope with her adult son, Eddie, who is obsessed with finding his father, a man his mother wants to forget.

3.5 stars

Caro--So much for the book purge!! Good luck with your new to-do list. It doesn't sound like much fun, but your hubster will be a much happier man if he can have your help. Best of luck managing and I hope you make quick progress!

Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you. Good luck with all the MIL plans, and with your presentation.

That's some good looking wings there!

>110 Berly: Kim, does it count that I'm purging books off the bookshelves here at my in-laws rather than my own at home? :-) Oddly, the culling here isn't giving me any pangs of guilt. Instead, I've been quite easily chucking them into boxes which the hubster will be hauling down to the Garden City library in a half hour.

I was stuck on the phone with a couple of their credit card companies trying to close accounts on which my FIL was the primary account holder, so the hubster made lunch! Wow.. the man doesn't cook, so him boiling tortellinis and throwing on some ragu sauce (Newman's) was quite an achievement. Hmm... dare I hope this might be the start of his culinary explorations? Probably not but one can hope.

>111 mstrust: Jennifer, a lot of work indeed, but it's going more quickly now that my MIL is not in the house but safely ensconced at my SIL's house .... and driving them rather batty because she keeps wondering if we're fine here on our own in her house and if maybe she should come back ... to keep an eye on us!

>112 drneutron: Jim, I was actually planning to eat something more healthy, but when the guy sitting next to me at the bar ordered extra hot wings ... well, so much for a goat cheese & beet salad ... I started salivating for extra hot wings and made that my order too. ;-)

40. by Helene Tursten
The Golden Calf

This is the 5th in the Inspector Irene Huss Scandi crime series and a huge puzzle it was too. A chef is murdered in his wife's house but no motive or suspect was to be found. As the police look to the wife for some answers, 2 of her past associates are also found murdered. When the 4th and later the 5th dead bodies are discovered, one about 3 years old, the investigating unit becomes frustrated trying to find a link to all of them that makes sense. Each time they think they're coming close to a link, another body turns up, which throws their theories out the window.

The investigations take them to Paris, Copenhagen and England as they wade through pyramid schemes, embezzlements, bankruptcies and a couple of paternity secrets.

3.5 stars

41. Margery Allingham
Police at the Funeral

I've always enjoyed the Albert Campion series and this light investigative murder mystery is as entertaining as the others I've read. Given the times she lived in, there are some racial references which would make readers shun modern authors if they used them today. But if you consider the type of characters Campion was dealing with, the prejudice is in keeping with the times, even if I don't agree with them.

3 stars

We seem to have made quite a decent dent in my FIL's paperwork and I set up online accounts for all my MIL's credit card and bank accounts so that we can manage them for her moving forward since she's admitted to be struggling these days remembering to pay her bills, or paying them twice because she forgot she's already paid.

We had a few friends over for dinner last night and we're going to a cookout for a while this afternoon to relax a little before heading back to Boston this evening, hopefully before the fireworks extravaganza.

It sounds like you're zipping through your to-do list, Caro. Good to get the culling urge out of your system at someone else's house!

^Have a fantastic 4th, Caro! Enjoy all those growlers. Sweet. Is this from a nearby brewery?

Did you see my PM, about Chemistry: A Novel?

Have a good one, Caro!

>117 BLBera: We actually managed to accomplish quite a bit on our to-do list, and even though there is still a lot more to do, it feels good that there is a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel. We couldn't have gotten through as much as we did if my MIL had been home. So although she's driving my SIL crazy staying with her for the week, it was good that she was out of the house so that the hubster and I could do as much as we did.

And we even managed to squeeze in a dinner with a few friends at the house on Monday evening and went to a friend's for a 4th of July evening cookout and watched the fireworks their neighbors were all shooting into the sky.... from relative safety inside our friend's house. :-)

>118 msf59: Mark, for some reason I replied to myself when I was attempting to respond to your comment on Chemistry so I've resent my PM.. this time I think it actually did go to you. :-)

The Trillium Brewery is in Boston. The next time you're in town, I'll take you there. In the meantime, http://www.trilliumbrewing.com/

>119 mstrust: Thanks Jennifer, although we were working all day, we took a break in the evening to go to a friend's house and had a marvelously relaxing time. Hope the holiday was a good one for you too.

42. by Rowan Jacobsen
A Geography of Oysters

I've been eating oysters and enjoying them ever since I can remember, but shamefully, didn't know all that much about them, other than to know I prefer cold water oysters.

This was a wonderful read. Not only informative about the different species of oysters available in North America, their distinctive qualities, taste differentials and where they grow, but also their breeding habits, when one should eat them, tools and how to shuck them without severing your thumbs or filleting your palms and how to eat them. Recipes are also included.

3.5 stars

>122 cameling: I've never eaten oysters, but that sounds like an interesting book. I like it when you get proper information about the food you're eating - what to look for, what to think about when deciding, etc. And recipes are always nice.

Nice review of A Geography of Oysters, Caroline. Sigh...now I'm hungry for them.

>113 cameling: That was the way Nate's cooking skills started! Now he can cook a simple stir fry and he is pretty great with eggs and of course BBQ! I can only ask for so much but I'll take it!

>123 PawsforThought: Paws, if you decide to read this book and you're interested in trying an oyster or 20, it gives you some suggestions as to which you should try first and which you should avoid on your first go around. :-)

I'm definitely game now to buy fresh oysters home and shuck them myself .... although with my penchant for accidents,I wonder if jamming a thin blade between the lids would be such a good idea after all...

>124 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl ... come up for a visit .. we have plenty of great fresh oysters here. But best to avoid eating the New England ones in the summer because that's when they're all spawning, so they'll be thin and gamey tasting. We should wait until September or October when they've already been feeding themselves up to plump succulence. But the Gulf ones have different seasons and of course there are the Australian ones on a totally different seasons too, so ..... oyster party? :-)

>125 ChelleBearss: Chelle, Nate's cooking skills must be coming in really handy now it's summer and you have Elissa to take care of. Well now that we are home, the hubster has lost all interest in making his tortellinis again (for which I am actually quite grateful.. haha) and is happily requesting meals from my kitchen again.

So the book culling exercise which was postponed last weekend, shall resume this weekend now that I'm home again.

I've already made a start this evening ... and so far, I have ......... 2 books in a box. It's a start, right? Might I mention that the 2 books are duplicates? LOL

>126 cameling: I'd love to try oysters but live far away from where there are any fresh ones available so it'll have to wait. But I'm definitely making a note of the book for future use.

>126 cameling: oyster party?

Sounds good to me. I'll be in Philadelphia and Chicago in September, but October will likely be doable for me, although I won't know what days I'll be off that month until my group's October work schedule comes out in August or September.

>128 PawsforThought: Thanks to improved packing technology and air transportation, you no longer need to live in a coastal state to enjoy fresh seafood, Paws. https://shop.islandcreekoysters.com/ Take a look at the bounties that await a single click of the mouse.. :-)

>129 kidzdoc: That's a good month to keep in mind, Darryl. I'm traveling in August and September and likely will do some travel in October as well, but I won't be putting dates together for the October and November travel until the end of August at the earliest. In the meantime, I'll test out the different local oysters ..... err.. purely in the interest of research of course, so that I'll order the tastiest ones for the oyster party. ooh... and there's a Singaporean oyster omelette I'll make when you're here which I think you'll like. Gotta keep adding to your ever expanding culinary repertoire, right?

43. by Isabel Greenberg
The One Hundred Nights of Hero

Shades of Scheherazade in the form of Hero, maid, friend & lover to Cherry, come alive in this delightful graphic novel. When Cherry's husband makes a bet with his friend, Jerome, that he would be unable to seduce his wife in 100 nights while he is away on a trip, Hero genius shines as she bedazzles and enchants the awful Jerome with stories every night. But when the bet is lost, a tragedy befalls the 2 women.... or does it?

4 stars

>130 cameling: Yeah, but I don't think they ship to small towns in northern Sweden!
There is a shop here in town that might possibly sell oysters. They have a lot of interesting things in their fish and shellfish counter. I'll have to check someday.

That website looks amazing, though.

>131 cameling: Yoohooo.. Paws.. look what I found. :-) http://www.tryswedish.com/from-the-ocean-to-your-plate/ Maybe it'll be worth a trip over to Grebbestad? The photos look amazing and I am very tempted to plan a trip to Sweden for 2018 just to see it all in person. The hubster has been to Stockholm and loved his visit, especially the Vasa Museum, which he continues to talk about 25 years later.

I really have been remiss in not visiting Sweden thus far, shocking, given the number of Swedish authors I so enjoy.

>133 cameling: Grebbestad is like a 10 hour drive away (if the conditions are perfect)! I haven't been to the west coast in over 25 years - it's a very long trip to make if you don't have a specific reason (and oysters are not really important enough for me to go there).
The Vasa museum is great; I understand why your husband liked it. There are plenty of good museums in Stockholm - and many of them are free entry now so even better! There's plenty to see in the whole country - the landscape is very diverse.

Two books in a box sounds like a great start, Caro. I was cataloging books last week and came up with A BOX of books to donate! That is a real achievement, especially as I see I am approaching the 2000 number of books I own and have not read.

I am another fan of The One Hundred Nights of Hero; I'm glad to see so many fans here.

Not a fan of raw oysters but an oyster omelet does sound tasty.

Have a great weekend.

Enjoy Wimbledon. Any favorites for the women?

there's a Singaporean oyster omelette I'll make when you're here which I think you'll like. Gotta keep adding to your ever expanding culinary repertoire, right?

Absolutely! That sounds amazing. I'd love to visit you in October, if possible, and I'll definitely let you know when my group's schedule for that month comes out. Once you decide on your travel schedule please let me know, and I can see if my partner who makes our schedule can allow me to be off then.

Two books! It's a start. And at least you had practice culling at your in-laws. Good luck...still. LOL Hope you have a great week.

>134 PawsforThought: Woah.. yes, I agree.. I love oysters but a 10 hour drive is much too long of a drive just for them. I had to go back and look at some of the other photos. You live in a amazingly beautiful country. Sweden is definitely on my bucket list for a place to visit.. I really can't understand why I've just not been there yet.

I'm familiar with only the works of Stig Larsson, Henning Mankell, Camilla Läckberg. Are there other Swedish authors you would recommend for crime fiction?

>135 BLBera: Beth, I managed to put 10 books in the box yesterday and then had to take a nap because it was just too stressful an exercise. Haha.. But I feel good about the box of 10. I will be dropping that off at the library later after work before I change my mind. I will tackle the next bookcase ... hmm... maybe the week after.

I just watched Federer make it to the quarter finals and they're trying to decide now if Novak should play since it's already 7pm tere, or if they should push his match tomorrow.

I'm not sure about the women's schedule. I find, apart from Serena who isn't playing this year, that most of them are very inconsistent that it's hard to get behind any one of them. And the screamers just drive me nuts! Who is catching your eye during this tournament?

I'll have to make the oyster omelette one of these days and post a photo up .. see if I can entice more folks who aren't usually into oysters to give the very slightly cooked version a shot first.

>136 kidzdoc: Darryl, you might like this Asopao I made yesterday. Turned out really good .. in Puerto Rico it's labeled as a soup, but it's thicker and more of a cross between a soup and risotto.



I will most certainly let you know what my October schedule looks like as soon as I am able. On the other hand, if you have your October schedule in early August, let me know and I will try to work mine around yours. :-)

>137 Berly: I've discovered that culling other people's books is a much easier exercise than culling my own.... especially when they own books I am not interested in at all. :-)

So I was happily going out to water my potted plants this morning when what do I see but a chipmunk merrily hanging onto my my jalapeno plant and munching away at the chilies and flowers! arrggghhhh.... I managed to chase it away and it did scamper off, but sat down the bottom of the deck looking up at me.

So now I'm left with just 2 jalapenos from a plant that had been quite heavy with them up until this morning. I'm harvesting these 2 even though the little one really should be left on for another few days, but there's no way I'm letting that marauding chipmunk eat all of my peppers! Grrrr...

>138 cameling: There's only so much time and so many places in the world to see; it's not strange you haven't made it over here yet.

I don't really read a lot of crime fiction, and I can't remember the last time I read one in Swedish so I can't vouch for quality, but some of the big names are Jan Guillou (more spy novels and historical fiction, though), Mari Jungstedt, Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö (started the scandi-crime genre), Mons Kallentoft, Anders Roslund & Börge Hellström, Karin Alvtegen, Jonas Moström, Kristina Appelqvist, Kristina Ohlsson, Björn Hellberg, Anders de la Motte, Carin Gerhardsen, Bo R. Holmberg, Lars Kepler, Åsa Larsson, Jens Lapidus, Håkan Nesser and Leif G. W. Persson.

And there are a few more.

>142 PawsforThought: Wow, thanks for the recommendations, Paws. I'm going to have fun exploring a work from each of them and possibly adding them to the list of Scandi series that I follow. I had forgotten that I have also read the works of Åsa Larsson and Håkan Nesser.

And what good timing ... I have to go to the library to return some books this evening... :-)

44. by Hiromi Kawakami
Manazuru

Thanks to Paul mentioning his acquisition of The Nakano Thrift Shop, I was reminded that I had this in my TBR Tower.

This is a beautiful novel. Some novels don't translate very fluidly, but I'm happy to say that this one just flows poetically. The novel writes simply but is all the more powerful because of the simplicity.

Kei's husband, Rei disappeared 12 years ago, leaving her to raise her daughter Momo, on her own. Now living with her mother, this novel explores the relationship between Kei and her teenage daughter, the relationship between Kei and her mother, and the relationship between Kei and Seiji, the man she is currently dating. Kei makes repeated visits to Manazuru, a coastal town that causes he to remember things, but not very clearly. As her thoughts swirl, we're not sure if they're are real memories or if her mind is playing tricks on her. Does the past hold her back or will she be able to move forward and embrace life without Rei?

4 stars

>143 cameling: Ah, perfect timing! And no problem on the recommendations. Let me know what you think of them, because as I said, it's not a genre I'm very familiar with, and the only ones I know I've read books by (though not crime novels) are Jan Guillou and Bo R. Holmberg.
I highly recommend Guillou's Ondskan (Evil), which is a very difficult book (there's a lot of violence) but incredibly good. They made a film some years ago which is also excellent - I think it was Oscar-nominated even - with one of the Skarsgård kids playing a very nasty supporting character.

>139 cameling: Wow. That looks good! Any chance I can get your recipe?

Wo,w I am really behind, but I love that the boss let you all off early and that you went for drinks and chicken wings!

>144 cameling: and this one! The cover is gorgeous, and it sounds like you enjoyed it too :)

Hooray for The One Hundred Nights of Hero! This is such a terrific GN and I am glad to see it making the rounds.

Hi, Caro. I hope your week is off to a good start.

>141 cameling: Cheeky squirrel!!

>141 cameling: I never would have expected a squirrel to like peppers. Sorry you lost most of your crop to the greedy little thing.

>141 cameling: I'm very surprised that your little chippy friend liked the jalapeno!! I would have thought they would have skipped that one!

>141 cameling: A chipmunk who likes hot food. Who knew?

Good job with the ten books. Baby steps, correct?

Manazuru sounds lovely. Onto the list it goes.

>145 PawsforThought: Paws, it doesn't look as if Guillou's Ondskan has been translated into English or if it has, it isn't available in the US yet, or they may have changed the title. My library has Enemy's Enemy which I have on hold and I also see that he's written a trilogy on the Crusades, which I'm interested in. So thank you for recommending this author. It's always so thrilling to be introduced to authors I have not read.

Have you read Enemy's Enemy by Guillou? It sounds like a really interesting and thrilling work.

>146 drneutron: Jim. Absolutely. Here's the recipe I used to make the Asopao:

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp achiote

1/2 cup chopped large onion
6 jalapeños, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups tomato sauce
4 bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
32 oz frozen mixed vegetables
4 cups cooked white rice
36 medium shrimp, shelled
salt & pepper

In a large pot, heat olive oil and annato seeds over medium-high heat. Cook until the oil turns red and the seeds begin to release their aroma. Remove the oil from heat and strain into a small dish. Discard the seeds.

Return the oil to the pan. Add onion and jalapenos and cook until onion is almost translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add broth, tomato sauce, bay leaves and oregano. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the frozen vegetables, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the rice and shrimp. Cover and cook until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

>147 LovingLit: It is very nice when I get a little bonus mental health afternoon from my boss. :-) And to reward him, I submitted a report I owed him 2 days before the deadline. haha

Manazuru turned out to be one of those unexpected gems one sometimes is surprised with. The writing is so beautiful I am still thinking about the story.

>148 msf59: One Hundred Nights of Hero received a resounding applause from the friend I gave it too as well and will be handed over to yet another reader, this time, one who is new to the world of GNs this weekend. So the book is certainly building up some mileage.

Happy Hump Day! I've got Friday off and I'm really looking forward to clearing everything off my plate tomorrow so I don't have anything hanging over my head come Friday morning.

It's been really hot and humid though.. wouldn't mind the temps cooling down a little with a nice breeze, if possible.

>149 Berly: Kim .. cousin of the squirrel.. it was a chipmunk that went to town on my jalapenos. :-) It was still cheeky though and I am still annoyed with it. I hope with some TLC (is it even possible to rescue the plant I wonder) there will be more buds and hence chilies to enjoy this summer.

>150 mstrust: Right, Jennifer? I didn't think chipmunks ate chilies either and didn't think to put a wire mesh around the plant to protect it from marauding critters. I know better and have some spare chicken wire in the garage that I'll cage around the pot if I see it flowering again.

I thought it was just certain birds that liked to eat chilies and weren't negatively affected by the spicy seeds.

>151 ChelleBearss: Maybe this chippy has been digging through my compost and has built a tolerance for spicy chilies since I use them quite a bit, and so they do make it into my compost heap along with all my other vegetable peels and waste.

>152 BLBera: Beth, I'm pleased to say I didn't even go back to the library to get my 10 books back! Haha.. I I did that once when I got home and started to regret the donation.

I'm sorry to see Nadal not make it to the final 16, but Federer is currently 2 sets up and is looking really good. Murray is out (not upset because I don't a fan of his) and I'm looking forward to the Novak match this afternoon. I'm so pleased that I'm working at home on the days of the important matches so I get to watch as I work. :-)

I'm also amazed at the chipmunk's taste in veg! Mostly troubled by slugs here. Asapao sounds good - I've never come across achiote - are there particular kinds of cooking that use this, or is it widely used and I've just missed it?

45. by Fred Vargas
A Climate of Fear

Commissaire Adamsberg and his team are called in to help another colleague with a perplexing death. It appears an elderly lady, suffering from terminal illness, took her own life in the bath. But there is an odd mark that was drawn on the side of the tub which makes them suspect it might not be suicide. When another death is discovered, again, an apparent suicide, Adamsberg discovers an Icelandic connection between the 2 deaths but nobody seems to understand the significance of the small mark that's left behind, close to the bodies.

There's yet another surprising connection between the 2 victims and a 3rd victim, that of a secret society of individuals with an interest in the French Revolution, specifically Maximillien Robespierre and the more famous individuals during the period that culminated with the reign of terror. With the real identities of the 700 members of this society kept secret, how is the team to protect them from what appears to be a killer intent on depleting its members?

Is the Icelandic connection just a red herring? But questions still keep Adamsberg wanting to scratch that itch. Will he leave the murders of the members of the Robespierre society to the rest of his team?

The many twists in the plot kept this a page turner and one of my favorite of the author's works in this series.

4 stars

>157 charl08: Charlotte, my tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers have, in the past, been regular targets for squirrels and chipmunks who seem to consider my vegetable garden their personal buffet. It's an annual of wits between the critters and me. But last year, at least my chilies were safe, so I'm not sure if it's just this 1 crazy chipmunk with a developed taste for capsaicin.

Achiote can be obtained in paste or seed form. I like using the seeds and buy my supply from Hispanic grocery stores. It also goes by the name of Annatto. It gives out a glorious natural red coloring and gives off a musky peppery flavor to Latin American dishes. I know some people who use Paprika as a substitute, even though the flavor is pretty different.

I don't have squirrels or chipmunks in my area. Instead, I had to fight the Tomato Hornworm Moth, which eats the leaves and make the plant wither.

Thanks for the recipe! I've got to give it a try - it sounds great.

Happy Wednesday, Caro. Hot and humid here too, plus it is raining. I think I will just stay in and read.

Hooray for turning a friend on to a GN. Good choice too.

>158 cameling: I'm a Vargas fan as well, Caro. I don't see too many comments on her books here. I still have the previous one on my shelf, so I have something to look forward to.

Yes, I have been spending way too much time on tennis the last couple of weeks.

>159 cameling: Thanks! I've not cooked anything from the continent, so perhaps I should try branching out...

>160 mstrust: Jennifer, I think your moths sound more vicious than the squirrels and chipmunks that run amok in my neighborhood. When they're not eating all my vegetables and fruit, they are, at least pretty cute and funny to watch as they zip all over the place. We get wild bunnies, foxes, raccoons, possums and occasionally wild turkey and deer traipsing through our yard.

Is there anything you can do to prevent the Tomato Hornworm Moth? I had to Google it to see what it looks like ... eewww!

>161 drneutron: Jim. I gave some to my MIL and BIL , and they liked it. It's easy to make so I hope you like it too.

>162 msf59: Mark, it rained all yesterday afternoon and rained on my way to work, then stopped while I was in the office, then rained heavily on my drive home. Ugh! I hate driving in heavy rain ... especially when my commute is over an hour. Phooey. But on the plus side, it's nice a cool now that the rain's stopped. :-)

Books I got to pick up from the library today thanks to your book bullets:
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Chemistry

I hope to get to them next week.

>164 charl08: Beth, yes I had gotten the impression that Vargas doesn't have a large following in this group, which I find a bit odd because she's such a great writer and I love the Adamsberg series. Then maybe I find it odd not more people here appear to read her works because I like it so much. If I didn't, perhaps I'd be less surprised.

Who do you like for the Ladies' tournament? I am a bit bummed that I will be on the road tomorrow while the Men's semis are being played. I had gotten my days all mixed up this week because of work, and I was missing a day. I kept thinking tomorrow as Thursday .. which made for my work day really manic today when I realized I was short a day! Yikes!

I would like to see a Federer/Querry final on Monday.

>165 cameling: Hooray for branching out, Charlotte. I champion your quest for new culinary adventures. Do please share your food pics and experience on your thread, or here. All food pics/chats are welcome in my thread

I shall be away for the next 3 days. Off to Williamstown with Marianne (michigantrumpet), her husband, Judy (ffortsa), Jim (magician'snephew) and 2 other friends for the Williamstown Theater Festival. Whoohoooo!

>168 cameling: Oh I am so jealous!!! What fun! The Theatre and the Company. I like you too much to be mad at you. ; )

Have a wonderful time in Williamstown.

I am cheering for Venus. Since Rafa lost, I don't care so much about the men. It would be nice if Querry or Berdych could win one, but I have a feeling Roger will come through.

I do love the Adamsberg series - I try to save them because they are so good.

>165 cameling: Since I have just one tomato plant, though it's a very tall one, I was dealing with just one or two of the moths. The recommendations I found online were to provide another plant the moth likes as much. I think it was marigolds, which I don't have and can't grow in the dry heat. I found that simply disturbing the environment several times a day, raking up the soil with a fork and pouring water over the leaves did the trick. After less than a week of this I saw no signs of the moth anymore.
Have a fun weekend!

>158 cameling: & >167 cameling: I have the first commissaire Adamsberg by Fred Vargas at mount TBR for a while, Caro, but I have other mystery series I want to finish first.

>168 cameling: Have a good time in Williamstown!

Stopping by to get caught up, Caroline. Wishing you a wonderful time in Williamstown and now off to ponder the thought of a chipmunk eating jalapenos. I have birds eating my oregano but jalapenos.... nope. ;-)

Thanks for posting your recipe for asopao de pollo, Caroline! I haven't had that before, to my knowledge, but it looks delightful. One of my physician colleagues at Children's and her husband live in my building and both are from Puerto Rico, so I'll find out from Lily and Angel where they get their ingredients from.

Dang chipmunks!

Nice review of Manazuru.

Have a great time in Williamstown! Please give my best wishes to everyone.

>169 Berly: Aww... that's so sweet of you, Kim. When we met up with Judy and Jim at the hotel on Friday evening, she asked who spilled the beans that she was going to be in a MeetUp this weekend, because you commented on her thread. LOL ... nothing like the speed of the LT grapevine. :-)

I had a fabulous time (I would like to think the others did too, but I didn't want to speak for them) and here's the proof ... the MeetUp team at dinner on Saturday evening.



Starting from the left : Judy(ffortsa), Rich (non-LT friend), John (spouse of michigantrumpet), Edd (the hubster), Marianne (michigantrumpet), Jim (magician's nephew), Kate (non-LT friend), me.

>170 BLBera: Beth, I was really disappointed and shocked at Nadal's loss but am thrilled beyond belief that Federer won his 8th Wimby and 19th Grand Slam title. I watched his semi final match while in the car on the drive to Williamstown and our fellow passengers very kindly forgave my ignoring them for most of the drive up since i was glued to my tablet on which I was streaming the match ... except for moment where there was no cell coverage .. and wouldn't you believe it, no signal just at the match point! I could have died!!!!

I didn't get to watch the finals until the last bit because I had forgotten they were playing today and kept thinking they were going to play Men's final on Monday! Grrr...

Climate of Fear is the last in the Adamsberg series ... for now, I hope. Vargas has another series, The Three Evangelists which I haven't yet read, but I have the first in the series in my TBR Tower. I might possibly bump it up a little.

>171 mstrust: Jennifer, if only my chipmunk and squirrel solution could be as simple as raking up the soil around the plants and shaking the leaves about everyday. This evening I caught a squirrel digging a hole in the pot with my mint and then jumping in, turning on his back and giving himself a good rub all over! What the heck.. I have never seen them do that before. Do I just have the weird ones living in my backyard?!!

>172 FAMeulstee: Anita, having Adamsberg in Mount TBR is a nice problem to have. I cannot imagine a day when my TBR Tower is empty .. I think that would be a nightmare from which I would wake screaming and very very afraid. When you do get started on the Adamsberg series, I think you will be pleased.

Out of curiosity, what are the murder mystery series that you are trying to finish?

A very good time was had in Williamstown. *sigh of contentedness.*

Yay for the meet-up photo, Caro! Looks like a good time was had by all indeed.

>173 lkernagh: Lori, I've had birds eating other chili peppers I've planted in the past but never have I seen a chipmunk claim a jalapeno harvest before .... and it wasn't even that it ate just one and ran away gasping for water .. it ate one and then another and then another ....

Well, there are some new flowers on my jalapeno plant and I am guarding them jealously. Those critters are NOT getting at my jalapenos again if I can help it.

>174 kidzdoc: Darryl, I posted the recipe for asopao de gambas, not pollo ... :-) But I hope you will try it. I think you will like it. It might even *gasp* replace the lamb stew in your list of favorite dishes to make.

The Boston Book Festival is going to be held on October 28 this year. Judy and Jim usually come up for that, so maybe if you're looking to schedule some time up here, a few days in that week could work for you too?

>175 cameling: I LOVE this Meet Up photo. What a wonderful bunch. The only thing missing from it, is me.

Any surprise packages arrive at your abode? Hmmmmmm?

A weekend in Williamstown in the company of fellow LTers and their spouses and 2 non-LT but reader friends with the additional common interests in art, music and theater made for a splendid time. Conversation was certainly not in short supply ...when we weren't held spell-bound by great performances in 2 plays, 1 reading of a play and a cabaret.

We watched Bill Pullman, Jane Kaczmarek and a few other actors do a reading of a play titled 'The Fit' about the cut throat world of venture capitalists.

Then there was a gritty and dark play titled 'Where Storms are Born' written by Harrison Davis Rivers about the courage of both the mother and younger brother of an incarcerated man who kills himself while in prison, and how they each deal with their grief, anger and questions around the events leading up to his arrest.

The 2nd play we watched as a delightful and extremely entertaining comedy with Jane Kaczmarek and Epatha Merkerson titled 'The Roommate'. Merkerson plays a somewhat ditzy and naive divorced housewife in Iowa and Kaczmarek, her new roommate from the Bronx who appears to have secrets. I've never seen Merkerson in anything except the TV series, Law and Order so it was such a treat to watch her in a comedic role.

It was the hubster's birthday on Saturday, but unfortunately he had to bring work with him and was thus somewhat distracted and unable to enjoy the whole weekend more. He had to forego visiting The Clark so he could do his work but he did at least enjoy all the plays and the cabaret.

>181 cameling: Mark, how about joining us at next year's Williamstown summer festival? :-) Judy was turning us all very green, telling us about the wonderful MeetUp she and Jim enjoyed in Chicago.

Hmm.... no surprise packages at Casa Cameling when we came home today. Why? Am I supposed to receive a surprise package? Oooh... I do like surprises ..... oh wait, I sometimes like surprises... sometimes I do not....especially ones that result in my leaping in shock and then falling over something when I land.

I would love to attend the Williamstown Summer Festival, especially if it includes wonderful LT folk. We are hoping to attend Booktopia in Vermont, next May, which, of course will involve a stop in Boston, so maybe we could do another Meet Up, then. Not sure we can do it twice.

No packages at Casa Cameling? WTH? Have you been good? No fibbing.

>181 cameling: How fun! Great meet-up photo, too. Can't wait to see what's in your mysterious package....

>177 cameling: This is a long answer to your question, Caro.
It all started when I got an e-reader last year and found the e-library. There I found the famous Dutch Inspector DeKok series by A.C. Baantjer, 70 short, average mysteries in Amsterdam, I am now reading book #40. I love long series, if I don't know what to read next, there is always the next book in a series.

Then came the three Cormoran Strike books, after those I found on Barbara's thread (Ameise1) the Nic Costa books by David Hewson.
After these two series I realised I did like mysteries, although I hadn't read much in this genre. I did read Janwillem van de Wetering's Amsterdam Cops books in my teens, but from my twenties until well into my fourties I had a long time I barely (could) read.

From then on I slowly expanded my mystery readings and finished:
all Erlendur Sveinsson books by Arnaldur Indriðason
the two Fiona Griffiths books by Harry Bingham, the others aren't translated yet
the Lewis trilogy by Peter May
all translated Yashim Togalu books by Jason Goodwin

I am working through these series:
Bernie Gunther by Philip Kerr
DCI Banks by Peter Robinson
Flavia de Luce by Alan Bradley
Konrad Sejer by Karin Fossum
Kurt Wallander by Henning Mankell
Rechter Tie (Judge Dee) by Robert van Gulik
Shetland by Ann Cleves

I have many more series waiting on Mount TBR, like Martin Beck by Sjöwall & Wahlöö, Ruth Galloway by Elly Griffiths, Commissario Brunetti by Donna Leon and Commissaire Adamsberg by Fred Vargas.

This is probably more answer than you wanted to know ;-)

>183 msf59: I've been thinking of doing Booktopia next year if I know the dates early enough to plan my travel schedule around it. I was almost going to do it this year but it was held in the first weekend of May and that's when I do a 20 mile Walk for Hunger with Project Bread. Hopefully they'll not hold it in the first weekend of May again next year.

I think I've been pretty good and our mail carrier came early today and delivered just 1 piece of mail.. a bill, wouldn't you know. Bleach! Was I to expect something other than a bill in the mail recently? I just asked the hubster and he said he's not seen anything unexpected last week. In fact, he's been expecting a package from a friend which hasn't arrived either. I have to go to the post office later, maybe I'll ask them if there is anything for us which may have fallen at the back or something. Hopefully they didn't deliver our mail to the wrong address (completely different street) ... it's happened before, but that time, the person came over and brought us our mail.

>184 Berly: Kim, me too! ;-)

>185 FAMeulstee: Anita, I have only read the first DeKok and I have that series on my list to follow. I had been meaning to get to the second, Murder on the Menu but forgot, so thank you for that little nudge. I will have to put it on my library list today.

I've always enjoyed crime fiction (don't know what it says about me that I'm into murder and dead bodies) but I couldn't get into Comoran Strike. I read Cuckoo's Calling and Silkworm and had to admit that while I really enjoyed the Harry Potter series, Rowling does nothing for me as Robert Galbraith. I'm not sure what it is though but the books just weren't the page turners I wanted them to be. So I didn't read the third in the series. I think I gave it a fair chance by reading the first 2 and don't feel guilty about abandoning Comoran Strike.

We share some series. I too follow the Erlendur, Shetland, Inspector Sejer and Kurt Wallander series as well.

Other crime fiction series I follow include:
In Death by J.D. Robb
Department Q by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Ian Rutledge by Charles Todd
Richard Jury by Martha Grimes
Inspector Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri
Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten
Hedstrom by Camilla Läckberg
Commissario Brunetti - Donna Leon
87th Precinct - Ed McBain
Sebastian St Cyr by C.S. Harris
Inspector Diamond - Peter Lovesey

I used to follow Dr Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill, but I got a little tired of it when I read the 11th book in the series. I haven't given up on it, but I'm giving it a rest for a while.

ffortsa was recommending the Fiona Griffith series over the weekend and I have that on my list of series to try soon.

>187 cameling: Thanks for reminding me of Montelbano, Caro, I loved the TV adaptions and hope the books are as good. Irene Huss and Erica Falck are on the radar for the same reason. I watched many crime fiction series.

Love Fiona! Just saying. And happy Tuesday.

I've added Irene Huss to the wishlist Caro! I really like the new series Colin Cotterill has done -Grandad, there's a head on the beach made me laugh out loud. I just discovered a South African series by Malla Nunn set in apartheid era which I like a lot.

In contrast to you I am seriously cross that the latest Cormoron Strike is Very Late Indeed. It was supposed to be out by now! (possibly I'm just impatient though...)

>188 FAMeulstee: Anita, have you watched the Young Montalbano TV series? They are different stories than the Montalbano books and has, of course, different actors .. in Young Montalbano series, he actually is quite trim and has a lot more hair. Haha.. but they are really good too. I think there are only 6 in the series. If you can get hold of the DVDs, you'll be in for a real treat. They cover stories when he first was assigned to the Vigata police station and works with Fazio's father, and we see how meets Livia for the first time, and how his team that we know in the books is formed.

I like watching crime fiction on TV as well .. currently I'm binge watching Midsomer Murders which should last me quite some time because they have 19 seasons! Yikes. i've also covered the Fisher Mysteries which is the TV adaptation of Kerry Greenwoods' Phryne Fisher series.

If you don't mind reading subtitles and seeing rather gruesome 'bodies', there's a new Chinese forensic crime series titled 'Medical Examiner Dr Qin' which is really enjoyable. Very clever murder mysteries with a brilliant forensics doctor with a troubled past, a forensics assistant with an interesting talent and a police detective with humorous personality. I've watched the 1st season and I hear it's so popular that they're going to do a 2nd season. Yaay!

>189 Berly: Kim .. ok, I get it ... Fiona Griffith will be the next new series I embark on .... is it possible to be following too many series? Then again, is ever possible to run out of books to read? :-)

>190 charl08: Oooh, thanks for the tip, Charlotte. I didn't know Cotterill had a new series. How does Jim Juree compare with his Dr Siri series?

I came home from lunch with friends today to find a lovely lovely surprise in the form of Chemistry waiting for me, a very generous gift from Mark. I love surprises, especially when they are books. ;-) I'm such a lucky (and very happy) person that not even thought of having to sit in on 3 conference calls tonight is ruining my good mood and I can't stop smiling.

>191 cameling: Thanks for recommending the Young Montalbano, Caro, I can get the DVD at my library :-)

I don't mind subtitles, all foreign TV series come with subtitles here. I am not very good handling gruesome/too thrilling. My husband handles it better, so I hide behind my laptop during disturbing scenes and my husband tells me when I can resume watching.

>194 FAMeulstee: Yay, that's great, Anita. Let me know what you think of Young Montalbano when you have watched them. I thought they did a great job with the character. I do so enjoy the books too. On one hand, I'm always eager for the next in the series, but on the other hand, I'm also glad that the authors don't release the subsequent installments too quickly so that I have the time and opportunity to read other books.

46. by James Herriott
James Herriott's Cat Stories

I've always loved James Herriott's books since I first read them in my early teens. They're ones I re-read from time to time. This wonderful caring vet in the Yorkshire Dales loves his work and has a special fondness for cats. This is a compilation of his cat stories and totally delightful. Some were a bit sad, some funny and all told with a great deal of heart and affection. The stories are as much about the different cats themselves that cross Dr Herriott's paths as they are about their owners.

5 stars.

So... a funny thing happened to me while I was listening to the book in the car and I think I should share the story.... It happened on my drive home from the office yesterday...

Listening to the cat stories on my drive home from work, I get pulled over by a state trooper. He comes round to my window and when I was about to hand my license and registration, he looks in, notices my teary eyes and asked 'what's wrong?' ..not thinking, I said 'cat died' .... meaning the cat story I was listening to. Trooper leans in, pats me on the shoulder, tells me to sit and cry it out, that my cat was probably in cat heaven having a grand time. He had stopped me because I had apparently (ahem, guilty!) been speeding but really, I was probably just doing 80, so it's not too too bad, I don't think. Anyway, he said he understood why I was probably not realizing that I was speeding, but I should slow down and drive home safe. Patted my shoulder again and walked back to his squad car, didn't even bother looking at my license and registration. He got into his car, drove out, passed me slowly and waved to me. Huh?!
I started laughing so hard I really cried. Aww.. what a nice state trooper.

And all thanks to this audiobook, I didn't get a ticket!

47. by Helen Simpson
Cockfosters

Humorous, wacky and touching short stories set in England.

3 stars

48. The Reader

First in a trilogy that just drew me in within pages of the first chapter. When Sefia's father is killed and then Nin, her aunt who looked after her is kidnapped, she has nothing but vengeance in her heart. To find her father's killers and the people who kidnapped her aunt because they wanted something, a secret something that Sefia has.... a book. In an illiterate society, the book contains secrets that some people will do anything for, even kill. When she rescues a mute boy who had been kept caged by men using him in fight competitions, he joins her on her quest.

As Sefia learns to read the book, she makes a startling discovery... the stories in the book appear to have relevance to real life.

3.5 stars

49. by Paulo Coelho
The Spy

A novel about the life of Mata Hari, the reknown spy, as told through a letter she wrote in prison. A little too shallow and it really didn't do justice to the fascinating woman she was.

2.5 stars

>196 cameling: Now that's a story! Good for you that you didn't get the ticket, that was a very nice trooper.

>196 cameling: 😂 Wow. Just, wow.

>196 cameling: ROFLOL!!! Who knew listening to a book had such benefits?!

>199 mstrust: Jennifer, I haven't (knock on wood) been stopped often for speeding but on the occasions that I have, the police have all been really polite and nice so I haven't yet had a speeding ticket. This particular trooper though, is at the top of my list for the nicest and most compassionate member of his profession.

>200 drneutron: I was lucky, what can I say, Jim? The cop must like cats too, maybe?

>201 Berly: Right, Kim? First time a book has saved me from a ticket though. Goes on my list of unexpected benefits of reading/listening to a book.

I've had 2 nieces visiting since Friday and after walking all day yesterday, I felt we deserved a sugary treat!

This little cutie is actually a chocolate cupcake in a pot, decorated with buttercream flowers and leaves. Tasted delicious, but I was loathed to dig in and spoil the whole picture. After the first bite though, to heck with how pretty it was .. it was delicious!

You're treating your nieces well.

>205 mstrust: They're good kids, and the older graduated from high school and will be going off to college in the Fall, so this might be the last summer we get to spend with them while they still like doing simple stuff. ;-)

We had a good time all weekend and they're on the train back to their parents this afternoon. The weather was very cooperative which allowed us to put in some kayaking (fortunately no accidents), a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Wonder Woman movie, walking around Boston, walking around Cambridge, cooking lessons from me wherein they made a strawberry cream crepe cake, steamed pork & leek dumplings and cold soba, and a great deal of walking.

50. by A.C. Baantjer
Dekok and Murder on the Menu

2nd in the Inspector DeKok series. Set in Amsterdam, Inspector Dekok investigates a puzzling mystery when a bookseller's son brings a menu on which a murder confession had been written at the back and left in a book his father had purchased. Unfortunately, the original owner of the book and author of the confession is dead, having died from a heart attack. When 2 other murders are committed, each with an association to the owner of the confession, a drug syndicate is identified. But who is killing off members of this syndicate and why?

3 stars

51. M. Coetzee
The Schooldays of Jesus

When refugees leave their old lives and start new ones, are their memories of their old lives dissolved during the journey so as to allow them to make new ones with their new lives on the land that has offered them asylum?

What do you do when you've assumed parental responsibilities for a precocious 6 year old boy, soon turning 7, who keeps asking questions to which you have no proper answers? How do you do your best for the child who really is the master in the family unit? How do you try to understand the world from your child's eyes? When the child shows more affection and respect for a dance teacher and a museum cleaner than he does for you, how does that affect your relationship with your child and for these individuals you have no fondness for? And when the child sees something terrible, how will you help him cope with the aftermath?

I did not like David, the young child in the book and felt a great sympathy for Simon, his father and narrator of the story. The story does a good job of shedding light on the struggle to understand their children some parents face and the lengths some will go through to do what they think is best for their child.

3.5 stars

>196 cameling: Great story! If you were going 80 mph in suburban Boston did the trooper pull you over for driving too slowly?

>197 cameling: Hmm. You described Cockfosters as "Humorous, wacky and touching" but it only earned 3 stars from you. Would you recommend it, or not?

I'm sure you know that most of the eastbound Piccadilly Line trains on the London Underground terminate at Cockfosters station. I've only been as far east as Finsbury Park, but IIRC Luci (@elkiedee) lives close to Wood Green, so I may go out there as early as next month. Are these stories set in and around London, or throughout England?



>208 cameling: I liked The Childhood of Jesus, but I haven't gotten around to The Schooldays of Jesus yet. What did you think of the first book?

>206 cameling: Sooooo, what did you think of Wonder Woman?

>204 cameling: adorable!! Glad it tasted as good as it looks!
Enjoy your time with your nieces!

>196 cameling: Ha, I have never been pulled over for going too slowly, Darryl. 80mph is quite forgivable unless you happen to zip past a trooper who's having a bad day and needs to take it out on someone cheerfully flouting the 55mph or 65mph zones.

Yes, I did like Cockfosters and the stories were mostly humorous, wacky and touching, but I did not love all the stories. Only the first story had anything to do with the train going to Cockfosters and I think that was the best story of the lot. Despite the title of the book, the 9 stories aren't all set in the UK, nevermind London. You'll travel around England, but also make a stop in Berlin, the US and Russia, but the characters are quintessentially British and all the stories are told in voices you'll easily identify as ones you've heard during your many visits to the country. I would recommend the book because it's a quick read and good for getting one of out a reading slump. There are only 9 stories so it's not a huge investment in time. Oh dear, I think I've made it sound even less appealing .... no, really, it's a fun read. Now I'm wondering if maybe I was a big mingy and I should have given it another half star... hmm....

On The Childhood of Jesus, I like that one quite a bit. Coetzee's style really draws the reader in. The story revolved around David a little bit more in the first book whereas, while he was still a central character, in The Schooldays of Jesus, I felt I got to understand Simón more. The philosophical propositions were what I enjoyed.

>210 PawsforThought: I liked Wonder Woman, Paws. I did question a few odd moments, but my nieces didn't notice those, so maybe it's just because I'm an (ahem) adult that I picked up on a few things which jarred. I just heard they are going to do a sequel. Did you like it? I have to figure out how to type in spoilers here without exposing the text for those who haven't watched the movie and don't want to know the spoilers, because there a few surprises for me in the movie. The next one I can't wait to watch is Justice League which will screen here in November. WW will be in that one too.

>211 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle. We had a grand time, and they left this afternoon to go home. Sweet things sent a text to thank us for giving them a good time and the food I gave them for their train ride home is all gone.Haha.

>207 cameling: Funny how books are translated, Caro, that one is book 33 in the Dutch series

>213 cameling: Just write the word "spoiler" (without quotation marks) inside pointy brackets just like you do with "i" and "b" when you want to make italics or bold text.

I LOVED Wonder Woman. I felt empowered for weeks after having seen it. Walked with my head higher and all. There were a couple of scenes I wasn't 100% happy with but could oversee because everything else was so great.

Hi, Caro! I hope you had a nice weekend and your Monday went smoothly. I am glad you are considering Booktopia in '18, but they usually run it, during the first week of May. As soon as I hear anything, about next year, I will pass it on to you. We would have a great time attending.

>206 cameling: Caro--Your nieces are truly lucky to have you! My daughter just got back from a trip out to MN to be with my family. The trip was a graduation present from my brother and she had a blast visiting with everyone. Highlights included a trip to the Mall of America with a nostalgic dinner at the Rainforest Cafe (a favorites since my kids were toddlers), a day spent zip-lining, and lots and lots of board games.

Yum for the desserts. It is so much fun to spend time with nieces and nephews, isn't it?

I've been meaning to get to the Coetze books. >197 cameling: also look like good reads.

The pancakes/waffles/pot cake thingy looks so yuuuuuumy!

>214 FAMeulstee: Anita, I always wondered how some books are translated in the order that the series was released in the original language and why some are translated out of order. I even tried to see if I could find the answer through Google, but it came up with a lot of interesting links, but nothing that provided a sufficient answer to my question. *gasp* Is there something that Google is unable to find?

>215 PawsforThought: Oh thank you, Paws for the tip for how to include spoilers in my posts.

So on my take of Wonder Woman, When she had to give her sword and shield to Etta Candy, how did she get them back when she had to fight? Also since Dr Maru developed the poison gas, when Steve shot at the canisters in the sky and caused the plane and all the canisters to explode, wouldn't the gas have spread all over and poisoned everyone underneath?
But I did enjoy the movie and now I can't wait to watch Justice League, which is going to be screened here in November. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, Thor, Superman and the Flash... how could I not be dying of anticipation?

>216 msf59: Mark, you were right about Lillian Boxfish. I just read it and I did enjoy this romp through NYC through the eyes of this delightful lady. Thank you for recommending this book.

Hm..the first week of May, that may actually work since the Project Bread Walk for Hunger will likely be held on May 6. So if Booktopia is held days before Sunday, that would work best for me.

>217 Berly: That's so sweet of you to say, Kim. They appeared to have a good time, and sent us a very nice thank you text message when they got home .. unprompted by their parents! We'll be seeing them again tomorrow because we're driving down to Westchester, NY for the elder sister's graduation party. My BIL was talking to the hubster during the week and he said the cooking lessons and eating what we made together must have had some impression on her because since she's been home, she's started watching the Food Network and she's shown no interest in cooking until now. :-)

>218 BLBera: Beth, there's always room for dessert, even when one thinks one is full. Odd, isn't it? ;-)

I really like Coetze's writing. The first of his that I read was Disgrace and that sold me on him ever since.

>219 LovingLit: Might the pictures have inspired a bout of baking in your kitchen, Megan?

52. by Kathleen Rooney
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

Lilian Boxfish at 85 takes us with her as she strolls over New York City one evening on her way to a party. Her walk takes her through neighborhoods that have changed and remained unchanged, meeting people from all walks of life who are at different stages of life, through musical changes in time, and who represent what makes New York City the vibrant, exciting city it's always been and likely will always be.

3.5 stars

53. by Sulari Gentil
A Few Right Thinking Men

The first in a series of Rowland Sinclair, an artist in Australia who is ultra-rich and has opened his house to other artists, including a sculptress, a poet and another painter who haven't 2 cents to rub together, much to the annoyance of his older brother. When his beloved uncle is murdered, Rowland is determined to find the criminals.

Being apolitical, he now finds himself at odds with both the Conservatives and the Communists, and his association with both groups may be placing him in more danger than he's aware.

If you enjoy Kerry Greenwood, you are likely to enjoy this murder mystery.

3 stars

>220 cameling: It's been nearly two months since I watched the film so I can't remember the small details and thus don't recall enough to give you any answer about the sword and shield.
But she did meet Etta after the "makeover scene" so maybe she got them back then? And I'm guessing the gas was flammable,
like some gasses are (hence the massive explosion) and it all burnt up before it could reach the ground. Maybe?

I don't care one iota about Justice League as none of the other characters in the film (Batman, Superman, etc.) interest me in the slightest. I didn't watch the Batman vs. Superman film either. I only care about Wonder Woman (this version of her, at least because I've had exactly zero interest in her before this film).

>223 cameling: Good review of Lillian Boxfish. Glad you enjoyed it.

Happy Friday, Caro. I hope you have a fine weekend.

>225 PawsforThought: I used to devour DC and Marvel comic books as a kid ...wait, who am I kidding, I still read them occasionally as an adult, so I do so enjoy many of the super hero/ine movies that are made. I may not watch all of them on the big screen but I will eventually watch them all. Even the much panned Green Hornet I found enjoyable, though I be in the minority. Pure escapism. The hubster isn't much into super hero movies, but he did willingly come to WW because he'd seen photos of Gal Gadot and she's admittedly hot.

Good points on the subjects in your spoiler . :-)

>226 msf59: Thanks again for the recommendation, Mark. You've not steered me wrong yet. :-) Hope your weekend is relaxing and cool.

A niece's graduation party is on the cards for the day down in NY, so not much reading time is likely. I did dust off my Kafka on the Shore for the August GR which I am so looking forward to. It's been a few years since I last read this book.

I've just confirmed my travel schedule for August and September. So my travel hiatus for the summer comes to an end and I hit the road again. Singapore and Myanmar at the end of August, and then Tokyo, Seoul and UlaanBaatar in September. Given that I've not been to Myanmar before, I'm looking forward to that leg of my trip.

>227 cameling: I've never read superhero comics. As a kid, the comics I read were primarily Disney or similar. As an adult, most of the GNs I read are of the Maus/Persepolis/Sandman variety. I just don't find superheroes very interesting. Wonder Woman was a genuinely well-made film, which is why I liked it. I quite liked the first two Nolan-directed Batman films as well, for that same reason (haven't watched the last one yet) and was very positively surprised by Guardians of the Galaxy when I went to see the first one on a whim with a friend - it was the only film showing that night that sounded remotely interesting and I'd never heard of the comics before that. Loved the second one too.

I've seen some of the Iron Man/Avengers etc. films but the only one I found remotely enjoyable was the first Captain America (not seen any other CA films). Thor was downright painful.

>228 cameling: Let's see whether I can get to Singapore if you have time for a meet-up - I could do with some time with good pals at the minute.

Have a lovely weekend, dear Caro. xx

Enjoy the rest of your travel free summer before your travels start up again!

Hi!

Mrsdrneutron and I will be in Cambridge Wednesday through Saturday morning. Want to try for a meetup? We have Wed and Friday evenings available as well as lunch on Friday.

Also pinging Marianne.

>229 PawsforThought: Paws, I ran the gamut of DC, Marvel, Archie comic books as a kid, and also the classics in comic book form by Classics Illustrated I think the latter should be considered GNs in its earliest form.
My dad had purchased them for my brother and they were then handed down to me. They certainly gave me a precursor to what reading the actual books as I got older would be like and gave me an early appreciation for the stories like The Three Musketeers, Nicholas Nickleby, Swiss Family Robinson, Count of Monte Cristo, Ivan Hoe, The Last of the Mohigans and many more. I remember a cupboard stacked full of them, and I think they're now with my brother. If I remember correctly, he assumed ownership of them and had them wrapped in plastic to protect them and his kids started to read them too.

I also read Beano comic books and then later the Mad comic books. I miss the Beano, but I still read Mad comic books from time to time, usually when I'm at a bookstore. :-)

With the newer GNs, not only do I like the stories, but some of them are beautifully illustrated as well, which adds another dimension to reading them.

Sorry you didn't enjoy Thor the movie. They're none of them likely to win an Oscar for best picture to be sure, but there's still something about them that I enjoy... most of them anyway. There are a few that have me annoyed that I wasted time on them... such as The Green Hornet

>230 PaulCranswick: Yay Paul .. if you do manage to find the time in your busy schedule to slip over the border in August, do let me know. I'd love to have a Meetup with you on a different turf besides Le Meridien Sentral in KL. :-)

>231 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle. Just another 2 weeks to go and then I'll be off to the airport again. I'm loving the photos you're sharing of beautiful Eli.

>232 Berly: Gorgeous camel, Kim. Thanks for the gif.

>233 drneutron: Absolutely, Jim!!! Let me text Marianne to see what her availability is. Can you PM me your mobile number and we can make arrangements through a group text if she's able to join us?

54. by Peter Lovesey
Another One Goes Tonight

A more recent in the Detective Peter Diamond crime fiction series. This one puzzles the team because at first it appears it appears an elderly man on a motorized tripod hit by a police cruiser and flung some distance away, is now in a coma and unable to give them any information about the incident. As the driver is dead and his partner hospitalized, there are no immediate answers. But what would the elderly man be doing out on a tripod that late a night, and why was he carrying an urn with him?

There isn't really a case for Diamond and his team to work on, but his gut tells him there is something strange about the incident, and they work under the radar, uncovering a network of railway enthusiasts, theft and more deaths.

3 stars

Wow, Burma! I think Barbara's daughter visited there recently. Will you get any time for touristy stuff?

>234 cameling: You seem to have been absolutely swimming in comics/GNs as a kid! How fun!

There was no equivalent to those Classics Illustrated here when I was a kid (don't know if there are now, but it's possible). The Donald Duck softcover specials often featured versions of legends and famous novels, though, and I loved them. That's where my life long love of Don Rosa started.

I've never heard of Beano before, and MAD has never really been that big here, afaik.
Besides the Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse there was a lot of Lucky Luke, Asterix & Obelix, Bamse (Swedish kids comic), Beetle Bailey, Tintin and a couple of others. I've revisited some of these in the past few years and really enjoyed it.

Part of the reason I detested Thor was how dreadfully bad it was as a movie, part of it was how badly they handled the Norse mythology. I don't expect it to be a history lesson, but you'd think they'd at least try to get the pronunciation of some of the names right. And the bifrost! I'm getting upset just thinking about it.

>237 charl08: Yes, Charlotte, I should get at least 1 day or if i'm really lucky, 1 1/2 days for touristy stuff. My business partner there seems quite determined to be joined at the hip and to show me around everywhere when we're not on official business, which while I'm very grateful for her kindness, I kind of like exploring places on my own and at my own pace as well. I always feel guilty when someone's taking me around, especially if I'm at a place where I would love to spend more time in since I remain conscious of taking up a lot of their time. I am looking forward to the trip, nonetheless.

>238 PawsforThought: Asterix & Obelix .. now you're talking, Paws. They're one of my favorite comics. I have the entire collection, and even had my nephew and niece sign them out in a little notebook because I didn't want them to 'forget' to return them after they'd read them, like they did with some of my fantasy books and Calvin & Hobbes compilations.

Ah, I can understand your being peeved with the less than accurate depiction of Norse mythology and mangling the pronunciation of names. I'm always a little irritated when I watch the news and some movies and the news anchors and movie cast can't pronounce certain countries and names properly either, offering instead, their mangled versions.

Love Asterix and Obelix!! I don't think we have the complete set anymore (bad loans!), but we have a number of them. About half of them are in French. : )

Someone told me about this cute restaurant in Connecticut near Sturbridge which offers each eat-in patron 3 free used books to take home. All the books are donated by other patrons and from Friends of the Library. Since Sturbridge is on our way back to Massachusetts following our visit to inlaws in NY, how could we not stop? After all, we did need a bite to eat.. :-)

>240 Berly: Kim, I stayed away from the Asterix & Obelix movies that had been made following bad reviews from a couple of friends. No sense ruining my appreciation of the comic books.

>222 cameling: well, the images inspired eating, but no baking this time ;)

>239 cameling: We only have a few of the A&O comics but I liked reading them as a kids (and watching the movies).
My brother gave the 30+ Lucky Luke albums for Christmas last year. I almost started crying.

I can understand mispronouncing things when it's a word/name you've never come across before or if there's a sound you're not used to (like French Rs or German "ach"). But when making a film you should check up how the names of the characters are pronounced. "Sif" is pronounced like "sieve", not "siff" (shouldn't be difficult for an English speaker).

>241 cameling: How cool is this! How was the book selection? How was the food?

>241 cameling: Looks just like my sort of place.

Now that is an AWESOME restaurant!

>243 LovingLit: Megan, at least I inspired some eating. That's good enough for me.

I made moussaka and blueberry pie. Didn't manage to get a pic of the pie before the hubster dug into it .. and he doesn't exactly slice pie, more like dig giant spoonfuls out, so it now looks like an excavation site.

>244 PawsforThought: Paws, you've hit a nerve on the topic of films. I don't understand why some filmmakers don't use local actors/actresses for roles when the movie is set in and about people of that country. I find American movie makers particularly guilty of this. Case in point .. Memoirs of a Geisha.. loved the book, hated the movie, not least because the main characters weren't Japanese, but Chinese. They spoke in English and couldn't pronounce Japanese words or names properly. I'd would have preferred the movie to be in Japanese and the audience can just read subtitles. It's another reason why I much preferred the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie over the American version.

All that talk about Asterix & Obelix had me pulling out Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield to read the other evening. Blisss..... Obelix's antics never fail to make me laugh.

>245 msf59: The food was ok, regular cafe type food. Nice wraps and my mushroom & swiss burger was good. Oh, they had good sweet potato fries and regular spiced fries. And my Sangria was good. The book selection was interesting because it was like going to a library book sale. All sorts of everything could be found. You were allowed to pick 3 books from the cafe floor to take home. Edd and I quickly made our food selection and then zipped up and went over to the books which were on shelves all over the cafe. Some over some of the side tables too, and the diners at this restaurant are mostly readers, all but 2 diners had books they were reading while they were eating. :-) And the diners at the side tables didn't mind you sort of leaning over them to grab a book of the shelf above them.

There are also books downstairs, older used books for sale. It has a lovely musty old books in a wooden shed smell about it.

I was happy. ;-)

>246 PaulCranswick: Paul, Kinokuniya it is not, but you probably own a copy of most of the books there except those on house repair, gardening and 3 books on tractors I spied.

>247 Berly: I know, right, Kim? Guess which spot is going to be a regular stopover now whenever we drive back from NY? :-)

>249 cameling: Yeah, the Americanization of films clearly set in other parts/cultures of the world is an issue that bothers me quite a bit.

>241 cameling: If only it wasn't on the other end of the country from me...
Awesome find for you though!

55. by Douglas Preston
The Lost City of the Monkey God

Absolutely loved this book. Thanks to Erik for recommending it, it covered the history of the lost White City in Mosquitia, Honduras, the adventurers who tried to find it and eventually the team that did. I was fine with the descriptions of the many poisonous snakes, bugs and narco-traffickers for whom human life had no value, but when he started to describe the leishmaniasis parasite that infected half the exploration team who returned from the expedition, that did it for me. I'm not goingt to explore virgin tropical jungles any time soon for all the promised glory and gold in the world.


It's an incredible expedition by a team of adventurers, photographers, journalist, ex-military, archaeologists, anthropologists and academics. I think I'll just enjoy the photos they shared and also go look for the issue of National Geographic in which their exploration and discovery was covered.

5 stars

>251 PawsforThought: We tend to watch quite a few foreign movies at home, so maybe we're just so used to it that we're not bothered by having to read subtitles. But I have some friends who don't watch foreign movies that aren't in English because they don't like having to read subtitles. Granted, sometimes the translations are a little off if you understand the native language it's filmed in, but on the whole, at least the subtitles afford me the privilege of watching some really good works by directors and actors/actresses in other countries.

>252 mstrust: Sorry Jennifer. But hey, look at it this way.. if ever you're over in CT..... ;-)

>254 cameling: I've been watching subtitles movies since I was old enough to be able to read. We don't dub movies here unless they're meant for young children (and usually in cinemas they show both a dubbed version for the little kids and an un-dubbed subtitled one for others). So watching anything dubbed just feels wrong.

Hooray for Monkey God! I loved that one too, but those diseases, at the end. Yikes! No jungles, for this Warbler.

So, first, great book! Second, great meetup! Caro knows how to show folks a good time. 😀

Seriously, thanks for setting the meetup up. And I'm so happy to make some new friends so easily! Looking forward to hosting in DC some time!

Ooooh, blueberry pie is my absolute favorite! *sigh*

And yay for meet-ups!

>255 PawsforThought: I find dubbed movies weird too. I watch quite a bit of Japanese anime and occasionally I forget to first change the language setting to Japanese with English subtitles until it starts and weird voices in English start speaking. I suspect you and I might be in the minority though. :-)

>256 msf59: I know, right, Mark? It made me think of all the different tropical jungles I've been to in the past, nothing as exciting as what these explorers went through of course, but certain tropical jungle parks with cleared paths for hiking with local guides, and I wonder now what parasites might be living in my blood. I occasionally get bites which take a long time to heal, never thought anything about them, but now ... ulp! Do I have a version of leishmaniasis?!!!

>257 drneutron: The hubster and I had a lot of fun with you guys yesterday. Sorry about the weather, but thanks for braving it and coming out for the Meetup. Hope your meeting goes well today and that you have fun tomorrow exploring Boston with Danita.

Proof of the Meetup.... from left Danita, Jim (drneutron), John, Edd, moi, and Marianne (michigantrumpet) :

>258 scaifea: My favorite is cherry pie, but I much prefer making blueberry pie because at least there aren't the hundreds of cherries to pit. I usually end up missing a few, so my cherry pie always comes with a warning to anyone about to have some to bite down carefully incase there's a wayward seed .. I wouldn't want them to crack a tooth.

>241 cameling: Love it! That alone makes a trip east worthwhile. :)

>248 cameling: Yum!

>253 cameling: The Lost City of the Monkey God sounds like one I'd enjoy. Onto the list it goes!

Enjoy your time at home before your heavy travel months.

>259 cameling: Yeah, if I start watching a cartoon on Netflix it sometimes automatically starts in Swedish mode, which feels a bit weird (even though I grew up with Swedish dubbed Disney films) - always switch over to English.
You might be in the minority among English speakers who dislike dubbed films, but I'm definitely not in a minority among Swedes (or Scandinavians). I don't think I've ever met anyone who wnts to watch dubbed films over here.

>259 cameling: Yay for a meet-up photo!!

And pie. Any pie.

>261 BLBera: Oh goodie .. may we expect you flying out East for a visit, Beth? We could have a Meetup there .. can you imagine having LT members there? I'm going to donate some of my books to them the next time I know I'll be able to stop over. I can't think of a more delightful way for some of my used books to get new homes. They really should have more book restaurants around the country.

It was so refreshing to see people reading while they were eating and chatting with their dining companions instead of staring into their phones like I do almost every other place I visit. Of course I can't complain too much since I am often guilty of using my phone pretty often as well, but I do so wish people would put their phones away and just talk at least to dining companions.

Yay to hitting you with a book bullet for Lost City of the Monkey God

>262 PawsforThought: Paws - It might be a US thing .. I know more people who prefer dubbed films over reading subtitles.

By the way, on a totally unrelated subject, do Swedes get frustrated with Ikea instructions when they purchase furniture from them in Sweden and find lots of extra nuts, bolts and at times, wooden pieces at the end of their furniture wrestling match? That appears to be a common and funny reaction here.

>263 Berly: Kim, chocolate peanut butter pie is on the cards for this weekend, I think, if I concede to the hubster's somewhat forlorn moan this morning that he can't remember the last time I made a choc pb pie. Haha. What can I say? When summer fruits are in, my mind only goes to fruit pies.

56. by Raymond Carver
Cathedral

A set of short stories, the common theme of which is that there are no real endings to each story. The reader is left to imagine the possibilities for each character.

4 stars

*touchstone doesn't seem to be working
*ETA : touchstone fixed. :-)

Dubbed films are rare in the U.K. If something isn't in English, it will have subtitles. I actually can't think of an example of something aimed at adults that has been dubbbed.

>267 SandDune: Rhian and >262 PawsforThought: I stand corrected ... Quite a few American and British movies are dubbed into local language in non-English speaking countries in Asia .. the more popular blockbuster movies played in the regular cinemas. But art house movies are generally left undubbed and subtitles provided.

>265 cameling: I don't know anyone who gets annoyed at IKEA instructions, and personally can't understand why anyone would be. They're made to be easy to understand (hence the drawings and no words) and I've always found them very easy to follow. And the only extra bits I've found in my flat packs were Allen keys.

I actually used to volunteer to put together IKEA furniture for my family when I was a kid (from about age 10 or so) because I thought it was fun. Don't buy much furniture from IKEA nowadays as it's not really my taste (I prefer older styles) so it's not something I need deal with anymore.

>267 SandDune: Yeah, when I lived in the UK I never saw any films or TV shows that had been dubbed.
I know France and Germany have traditionally been all about dubbing, but I don't know if that's true anymore. When I've been there on holiday I haven't really spent my time watching TV. Though when I was in Paris recently they had an open air cinema every Thursday-Sunday all summer and all non-French films were shown in their original language with French subtitles.

>265 cameling: >269 PawsforThought: Let me first say that I love IKEA stuff, but this made me laugh so hard.

https://twitter.com/golem_13/status/869276150970896384?lang=en

>269 PawsforThought: The instructions from IKEA don't bother me a jot either - I always get Hani to put all that pesky stuff together; DIY is more her suit than mine to be honest. I did put an IKEA lamp together recently for a friend and was utterly perplexed until I realised that she had thrown away all the connecting rods thinking they were rubbish. A trawl through the garbage and the lamp works fine now.

Have a great weekend, Caro.

>269 PawsforThought: It's funny... but I know more people who become really irritated when putting together Ikea furniture. Personally, I've not had any trouble but then I like putting things together and always have. Perhaps it's those who aren't regular DIY folks who find the instructions difficult to follow.

>270 Berly: Kim.. that was just brilliant! Had me laughing out loud. I had to share it with a couple of friends. Thanks for a great laugh today.

>271 PaulCranswick: I used to put together Tamiya and Airfix planes, aircraft carriers, tanks, cars and helicopters when I was about 10 and then graduated to putting together motorized cars and tanks. I never really played with them .. I just liked making them and painting them. They'd eventually go into a box and my dad would drive them over to the hospital and donate them to the children's ward.

I still like putting things together but these days, it's mostly just bookcases :-)

I'm glad you're joining us for the Kafka on the Shore read. It's my favorite Murakami and this is a re-read for me.

>272 cameling: I think it's a cultural thing about being used to very detailed (written) instructions or being used to more general instructions.

And if people are becoming irritated about putting together furniture I'm willing to bet that 99/100 times they haven't actually read/looked at the instructions.

>276 PawsforThought: I think you're right, Paws. Too much spoon-feeding, IMO. It goes so far as the work place. I have experienced staff, usually younger, who are dedicated workers and very smart, but when delegated a task, they prefer step by step instructions otherwise errors are prone to occur.

By the way, have you read Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami ? If not, a few of us are doing a group read in August. The thread can be found here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/265836#
We'd love to have you join us.

>277 cameling: Reminds me of how American fast food restaurants and coffee chains print "contains very hot liquid" on their coffee cups to avoid getting sued. Like, of course a cup of coffee is going to be hot!

No, I haven't read that one. I've never read any Murakami, actually (yet). Don't really have time to read it this month because I have quite a lot of books that are due back at the library, but I'll keep an eye on the thread anyway and see what people think about it.
Thanks for inviting me.

>278 PawsforThought: I've always thought it quite silly that coffee chains have to put warnings on their coffee cups. After all, if I order a hot coffee, why would I not expect it to be hot? I'm waiting for the day when they print a warning on their plastic cups for iced drinks that the contents are cold and may give the customer brain freeze.

I'm a big fan of Murakami and joining the group read for August is a re-read of Kafka on the Shore for me. I really liked it the first time I read it and reading it yet again hasn't diminished the fascination with each page turned. The story is as fresh now as it was when I first read it some years ago.

57. by Haruki Murakami
Kafka on the Shore

This is the 3rd time I'm reading this book. This time, because there's an August group read and I couldn't resist the call to join them. It's as much the page turner 3rd time around as it was the first time I read it.

There are stories running in parallel which can be a little confusing for some, but I strongly advice perseverance because it doesn't take too long before you realize there is some sort of reason why the author jumps from one character to another.

A 15 year old boy runs away from home because of a prophetic comment his father made when he was a child. A loner at school with a penchant for books, he finds himself developing relationships with 3 people who each have a separate but big impact on his life.

At the same time, an elderly gentleman who can talk to cats, is out looking for a lost cat when he meets a strange individual.

Oh and somewhere in the woods, 16 children out mushroom picking with their teacher, collapse without warning.

it's hard to write more without giving away so much about the story. All I can say is that it's a book that, to me, is still my favorite among the works by the author I've read so far.

5 stars

>272 cameling: Glad the Middle Ages IKEA link made you laugh. Honestly it is one of my favorites and I still go back to find it every now and then.

Can you believe we have to put warnings on coffee cups that they are hot?! So absurd. People--learn to take responsibility for yourselves and THINK!!!

So glad you enjoyed Kafka the THIRD time around. It is definitely a 5-star read for me so far. 100 pages left. I think I will be sad when it ends!

>278 PawsforThought: One thing I will say about IKEA in Malaysia is that they sell fantastic coffee and really good meatballs. There are no instructions given on how to proceed with either but I have never failed to enjoy them!

>282 PaulCranswick: I don't think I've ever had coffee at IKEA before so can't speak on the matter, but my mum always has a cup and she's very discerning in her coffee tastes so I assume it's good here too. And I'm glad to hear the meatballs are good. I eat enough of them at home so would feel a bit weird to have them when eating out (even if IKEA can't be considered fine dining). I know some friends of mine who have lived abroad used to go to IKEA on a regular basis to eat Swedish food and stock up on Sweidsh sweets. When I lived in London the closest IKEA was still pretty far away and tricky to get to from my flat so I never went.
If I moved abroad again I'd definitely go grocery shopping there on a regular basis, though. Their grocery section is really good. (They sell the only brand of gingerbread biscuits that are acceptable to eat: Nyåkers)