Katie K's 2017 Book of Books (and Shenanigans and Beverages and Friends) - Chapter 13

(Painting by Laurie Pace)
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Hello, Old Friends, and Welcome, New Ones!

About me: I'm in my late 30s and besides reading, I love to travel, try new wines, indulge in shenanigans, and spend time with friends and family. Other things I love: Pimm's, snark, the New York Giants, the New York Yankees, sports in general, Cards Against Humanity, and "ethnic" (i.e. non-American) cuisine. But I like American food, too. I just like food. :) My husband and I recently moved from Dallas, Texas to the New York City-area.

My reading is primarily fiction, though I love nonfiction, too. I'll read almost anything if it has a compelling narrative - from great literature to tawdry romances. This is a judgment-free zone. Unless you use bad grammar, and then I judge you. A lot. (Ooh, look, lots of sentence fragments; I'm judging myself now...)

Other characters who occasionally make an appearance on my thread:
The Wayne - husband
Louis - The World's Best Dog (who is currently being taken care of by my sister-in-law because my mean landlord won't let us have a dog in this beautiful house...)
Leonard - a cat that thinks he's a dog, which is why I find him acceptable
Olivia, Peter, and Abby - my cousins (11, 7, and 3) on whom I dote
Noname and Can'tdecide - my next cousin (due late March) and my nephew (due late January)
Charlie - my baby nephew born January 24!
Benjamin - my baby cousin born March 15!

CURRENTLY READING
.

BOOKS READ TO DATE
57. The Family Man by Elinor Lipman (4 stars)
56. D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire (audio) (3.5 stars)
55. The Governess Club: Sara by Ellie Macdonald (2.5 stars)
54. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (4 stars)
53. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (audio) (3.5 stars)
52. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (4 stars)
51. Ruby by Juliet James (2 stars)
50. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (4 stars)
49. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan (3 stars)
48. Song Yet Sung by James McBride (4 stars)
47. The Geography of Genius by Eric Weiner (3 stars)
46. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (audio) (2.5 stars)

BOOKS READ TO DATE
45. Strangers on a Train by PAtricia Highsmith (audio) (4 stars)
44. The Devil and Webster by Jean Hanff Korelitz (4 stars)
43. Now May You Weep by Deborah Crombie (3.5 stars)
42. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (4.5 stars)
41. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (3.5 stars)
40. Love Life by Rob Lower (audio) (3 stars)
39. The Whole Way Home by Sarah Creech (2 stars)
38. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (4 stars)
37. How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse by Cressida Cowell (audio) (3.5 stars)
36. Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben (3 stars)
35. The Assistants by Camille Perri (3.5 stars)
34. Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea by Sophia Nash (3.5 stars)
33. Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes (3.5 stars)
32. Lust and Other Stories by Susan Minot (3 stars)
31. Long Lost by Harlan Coben (3.5 stars)

BOOKS READ TO DATE
30. As Good As Gone by Larry Watson (4 stars)
29. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (audio) (5 stars)
28. The Lauras by Sara Taylor (3.5 stars)
27. Flight by Sherman Alexie (audio) (3 stars)
26. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (4 stars)
25. The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam (4.5 stars)
-- Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison (audio) (DNF)
24. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (4.5 stars)
23. Holy Cow by David Duchovny (audio) (3.5 stars)
22. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (audio) (4.5 stars)
21. When She Said I Do by Celeste Bradley (3 stars)
20. Sugar on Top by Marina Adair (2.5 stars)
-- Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (DNF)
19. Purity in Death by J.D. Robb (3.5 stars)
18. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley (audio) (3.5 stars)
-- Sophie's Choice by William Styron (DNF)
17. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (audio) (4 stars)
16. Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan (3.5 stars)

BOOKS READ TO DATE
1. And Justice There is None by Deborah Crombie (3.5 stars)
2. Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas (3 stars)
3. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (3 stars)
-- In Twenty Years by Alison Scotch Win (DNF)
4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (audio) (4 stars)
5. The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer (audio) (4.5 stars)
6. The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang (4 stars)
7. Kindred by Octavia Butler (3.5 stars)
8. News of the World by Paulette Jiles (4.5 stars)
9. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (audio) (3.5 stars)
10. Everyday People by Stewart O'Nan (4.5 stars)
11. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (4.5 stars)
12. The River of Doubt by Candice Millard (audio) (4 stars)
-- Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life by Yiyun Li
13. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths (4 stars)
14. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (4.5 stars)
15. You Can't Make This Up by Al Michaels (audio) (3 stars)

RATINGS

Ratings: I've stolen my star scale from Ellen and slightly modified it.

5 stars = I connected with this book in a special way. It may not be perfect, but it was perfect for me.
4.5 = A great read, among my favorites of the year.
4 = A good read and one that I recommend; truly enjoyable and/or worthy.
3.5 = Pretty good, with a few things done very well.
3 = Good for what it is.
2.5 = Average, and life is too short to read average works.
2 = A bit below average. A waste of time.

Anything worse I probably didn't finish and so wouldn't give a rating.

MISCELLANEOUS

Some of the challenges I am following/wanting to participate in:

American Author Challenge (75ers)
Nonfiction Challenge (75ers)
Monthly Themes (Reading Through Time)
CultureCAT (2017 Category Challenge)
Why the Hell Did Donald Trump Win? (not sure of actual group read name :) ) (75ers)

I also want to save room for random/serendipitous choices, so I need to give myself permission to dip in and out of the challenges. I may bring back my LT Folly book selection or some other random means of selecting at least one book a month.

Welcome to my 13th Thread!

Happy New Thread, Katie! Hooray for the 13th! I like the Pace topper! I hope you are still having a lovely time with Olive. She's a hoot, ain't she?

Hi Katie! *wave*
Are you liking Olive? I read it with a RL book club years ago, and we had very mixed reviews. I thought she was great though.

>8 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! I am still enjoying Olive, though I seem to enjoy the stories where she is less central.... But I think I'm only 4 or 5 stories in :)

>9 nittnut: - Hi Jenn - I am liking Olive, though she hasn't yet attained Mark's "hoot" status yet!

Happy new thread, Katie. Very fall-like topper. Are the trees there getting close to those colours yet? Leaves started dropping from our trees way back at the beginning of August because it was so dry for so long.

Happy New Thread, Katie!!

Happy new thread!! Glad you're enjoying Olive. I liked it but wouldn't call her a "hoot" I'm afraid.

Happy new thread, Katie :-) I liked Olive Kitteridge, although I don't remember that much about it now. But I liked it at the time.

Hi Katie - love the topper of your shiny new thread. I'll be interested to hear what you think of Olive when you're done.

Morning, Katie! Happy new one!

>11 Familyhistorian: - Good morning, Meg! The trees here haven't really started to get too much color. But I am really looking forward to experiencing a real autumn again after so many years in Texas :)

>12 ronincats: - Thanks, Roni!

>13 RebaRelishesReading: - Thank you, Reba! Olive is an interesting character and I am enjoying the stories, but not to pile on Mark too much, a "hoot" she definitely is not!

>14 susanj67: - Susan, that's about all I can usually remember about books I've read. Liked it or didn't like it. The end.

>15 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth. I shall report back but probably only in a couple of sentences because I hate doing reviews ;-)

>16 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie!

>1 katiekrug: Lovely opening picture! Very autumn-y!

Hi Katie!

I've had Olive Kitteridge on my shelves for 7 years and keep forgetting about it. "Interesting" and "enjoying" are not superlatives.....

Hi Katie. I did not love Olive Kitteridge as much as some (many?) others did. I reread it last year to see if I had just missed something about it. It was good but it did not change my life.

I finished Home Fire today and that almost changed my life.

Happy New Thread for autumn!

>19 karenmarie: on my shelves for 7 years and keep forgetting about it.
I am the same with of Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. I keep thinking once I get to it I will never forgive myself for not reading it earlier!

>18 ChelleBearss: - Autumn is my favorite season, Chelle :)

>19 karenmarie: - Karen, I've had it knocking around for several years, as well. It's really very good but it's not going to get 5 stars or change my life, as Ellen says!

>20 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen! I think we are mostly in agreement about Olive. I still have about 70 pages to go. I'm enjoying it but it's not a WOW for me. Thanks to you and a few others, Home Fire is firmly on my wish list :)

>21 LovingLit: - Oh, I LOVED Interpreter of Maladies, Megan! Read it, read it, read it!

Katie, are you going to attend any of the Brooklyn Book Festival sessions on Sunday? They've had some run-ups this week, but Sunday is the big day. Check them out online and let me know if you do plan to go.

I'm not planning to go, Judy - unfortunately. This is my second to last weekend before I leave for a big, stressful trip and I have a bunch of errands and chores to do :(

Happy new thread, Katie. Crossing my fingers you'll be home to enjoy some of the fall foliage at least.

Agree with your thoughts on Olive Kitteridge - I was not a huge fan. I've really tried all the Strouts, and did enjoy Amy and Isabelle a while back, but the whole Lucy Barton thing didn't work for me. Enjoy the weekend! I have to squeeze Gary into a suit for a wedding - daughter of a book group pal - and he's not pleased about it. Food will be good but we don't know anyone else and so we'll just hang out in some corner.

Oh I love Olive. As much for the way the book messes with expectations about what a 'lead' character in a book does. (Imho of course!)

Hi Katie, I love how we all have different reactions to books. I loved Olive Kitteridge but can certainly understand that other people may not feel the same as I did. That's the joy of books, they strike everyone differently. It's been awhile since I read Breakfast at Tiffany's but I suspect I had a higher opinion of the book than you did. I do however try to avoid the movie as I cannot get over the horrible casting of Mickey Rooney!

I swear I posted, but there's no evidence! Oh well, here I am again. Happy new thread. Looking forward to more shenanigans.

>25 MickyFine: - Hi Micky! I'll be home for it, I think. It would be a bummer to miss out my first year back here :)

>26 vivians: - I read Amy and Isabelle ages ago and remember liking it, but that's the only other Strout I've read. I liked Olive enough to read something else, though. I hate weddings where I hardly know anyone... The only wedding I have on the horizon is for a "cousin" (my cousins' cousin, not mine, but we all know each other) next May on the Cape. Just got the save the date card yesterday... Looking forward to that one, as we'll turn it into a bit of a vacation, I think :) The worst part of it will be convincing The Wayne he needs to buy a suit and then shopping for one :-P

>27 charl08: - Charlotte, it is interesting how Olive is not always central to the story but still plays a part. Overall, I liked it, just wasn't totally wowed by it like I know some people were.

>28 DeltaQueen50: - Totally agree, Judy! About the joy of different reactions to books and Mickey Rooney in BaT :)

>29 Berly: - Hi Kim! Not too many shenanigans lately - we'll have to do better!

Happy new thread, Katie!
>7 katiekrug: I like that quote :-)

>32 FAMeulstee: - Thanks, Anita!

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

I often felt like I was the last person on LT - or in the 75ers - to read this one, and with all the praise I had heard, my expectations were pretty high. I ended up liking this collection of connected stories, but was not as wowed by it as some. I did appreciate how Strout succeeded in making Olive a complex and interesting character and in portraying the quiet, mundane nature of most lives, but I felt some of the stories were lacking... *something.* Still, I'm glad I read it, and will read more Strout in the future.

4 stars

"Had they known at these moments to be quietly joyful? Most likely not. People mostly did not know enough when they were living life that they were living it." (page 162)

Ruby by Juliet James

I wanted something short and mindless, but short and mindless doesn't have to mean bad. This historical "romance" about a mail-order bride was just not good. At all. In any way.

2 stars (and that's being generous)

You are not the last one, Katie - I have it in the stacks. I have started it twice but abandoned it both times as it just didn't grab me. I do like that quote, though.

Hi Mamie! I thought the first story was one of the best, so if it doesn't grab you, the book may just not be one you'll connect with. Too many good ones out there to keep trying....

Good to know. Thanks, Katie!

I'm glad you enjoyed Olive Kitteridge, Katie. I'm about to start a book with only one review -- and it's yours! The book is Cleopatra's Sister, by Penelope Lively. I am a Penelope Lively fan, and your review is an extra incentive to read it.

>34 katiekrug: I thought this might end up being a 5 star read but I will take 4 stars, a bit begrudgingly, of course...grins.

>38 Crazymamie: - You're welcome :)

>39 lauralkeet: - Oh, that's a good one, Laura! I hope you like it. I am also a Lively fan.

>40 msf59: - Sorry, Mark. But it's not like you wrote it, so you shouldn't take it so hard ;-)

Katie, next year I hope you can join us for the Brooklyn Book Festival. Very compact, so not much walking, a zillion stalls of booksellers, book presses, etc., and some great guests. I'll tell all tomorrow.

>41 katiekrug: Yes, I can be unreasonably protective about my favorite reads. It is one of my many character flaws...

>42 ffortsa: - I hope so, too, Judy! Sounds great.

>43 msf59: - "character flaw" LOL. Mark, it would be so *boring* if we all felt the same about every book :)

Hi Katie and happy Monday to you!

The only wedding I think I could force husband to get dressed up for would be our daughter's - and then only with threats, cajoling, and bribes. Good luck with The Wayne and The Suit.

I've pulled Olive Kitteridge off shelf S15. It's staring me in the face. I may read it after A Gentleman in Moscow, which is looking like it will tie for my best book of the year with Lincoln in the Bardo.

Yesterday was a mind-numbing day of Panthers and Cowboys. Panthers won, my team, yay. Cowboys got wiped out 42-17, which made husband sad.

Hi Karen! The Wayne is okay with occasionally getting dressed up, mostly because I go all gaga when he's all bright and shiny ;-) If it were a day wedding, he could get away with a coat and tie, but it's an evening one, so suit it is!

I took great delight in the Cowboys loss (sorrynotsorry). I'm a Giants fan and spent 12 years in Cowboys territory - ugh!

The Wayne was happy the Dolphins managed to scrape out a win. I doubt they'll be that lucky that often.

I hope you like Olive Kitteridge. It was a fine read, but I am slightly puzzled that it won the Pulitzer. *shrug*

I knew you'd be pleased that the 'Boys lost. *smile*

>46 katiekrug: I almost don't care who the Cowboys are playing. I want them to lose.

My Dad and I used to be great Dolphins fans back in the early days, especially during their 19 game winning streak (I did get that right, didn't I?). Since he's been gone, my appetite for football has faded. I'd prefer sports where people didn't addle each other's brains.

We are currently watching the Lions/Giants game. Not fans of either, particularly, but husband is a Ziggy Ansa fan and also Football. We were somewhere the other day and someone said they were Cowboys fans, and without thinking I said, "Why?" That was kind of awkward. Lol

>41 katiekrug: Laughing that Mark didn't write the Strout. It's a good point!

Also liked your review : "short and mindless doesn't have to mean bad. " Yes. Exactly.

Adding the Brooklyn book festival to the wishlist of book festivals. Probably time to buy a lottery ticket:-)

>47 karenmarie: - It was more fun having them lose before the Giants did last night :-/

>48 ffortsa: - The great Dolphins season was 17-0, back when there were only 13 regular season games. Or so The Wayne tells me :)

>49 nittnut: - Ansa was great last night (darn it!). ESPN had a pre-game story about him and it was very interesting. Not least because I am going to Ghana next year!

I love your reaction to the Cowboys fan. Why indeed.

>50 charl08: - The Brooklyn Book Festival sounds great, doesn't it? I hope I can go next year. I'm a big fan of mindless, entertaining books and see no harm in including them in my reading diet, but they have to have *Some* kind of merit!

Tuesday is the new Monday. The Giants lost last night (the final score doesn't really tell the whole story of just how terrible they looked) and today I have 5.5 hours of teleconferences scheduled. Blerg.

In happier news, I am reading Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and it's wonderful :)

>51 katiekrug: not to argue with the Wayne, who is probably the arbiter of all things football, but I think they won their first two of the next season as well. Anyway, the number 19 did stick in my head.

Ah! You may be right. I just asked him about the "perfect season" - didn't think of the next season :)

Ugh, your TuesMonday sounds dreadful! Hope you have lots of coffee to go with those teleconferences!

Wishing you much luck with the teleconferences.

I'll avoid gloating that this Tuesday is my Friday as I'm off on vacation tomorrow and not back at work until after Canadian Thanksgiving. Oh wait. Whoops. May have gloated after all. ;)

>56 ChelleBearss: - I managed to survive, Chelle. One call was much shorter than anticipated so that helped :)

>57 MickyFine: - Ha! Thanks for not gloating, Micky! I can't wait to hear about Nova Scotia. I'd love to road trip up there sometime....

Maybe you will give me the nudge to finally read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, which I have been meaning to read, since enjoying her excellent memoir, a few years ago.

Glad you survived the teleconferences.

>59 msf59: - It's an odd little book, Mark, but I am liking it. There is some good humor included amidst all the darkness and weirdness.

I really liked Oranges are Not the Only Fruit. Winterson is a very interesting person!

Hi Katie!

I tried reading Sexing the Cherry for book club in 2001 but abandoned it. I don't even remember why. Perhaps it's time to try her again.

(My husband loves the 'Boys because there were no professional football teams in NC or even in the surrounding states when he was young, so he latched onto Dallas. If nothing else, he's a loyal fan.)

>61 lauralkeet: - Laura, I'm not sure why, but the book is reminding me of a Penelope Lively novel in a way. Something about the structure and maybe the non-linear narrative?

>62 karenmarie: - I've never been much enticed by Winterson's books, but this one gets such good reviews around here, I figured I'd give it a try. I'm glad your husband isn't a fair weather fan - those are the worst. Loyal fans (even of the Cowboys) are a-ok with me ;-) I get skeptical looks when I say I'm a Yankees fan, as people assume I probably just hopped on the bandwagon, but I am a 3rd generation fan and daughter/granddaughter of Bronx natives, so I come by it honestly!

I finished Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and gave it 4 stars. Both funny and sad, it was an odd little book but I really liked it.

I should finish the audio of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie today - not loving it but they can't all be winners...

Meeting a friend in the city for dinner tonight and hoping she accepts my recommendation of Nirvana, a wonderful Indian place, because I am craving chicken korma :)

>63 katiekrug: After the recent three game sweep of the Twins I am forced to drop by and state unequivocally that I hate the Yankees. Carry on.

>65 Oberon: #sorrynotsorry

It looks like I should move Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit up in the stacks. I am way overdue.

Sweet Thursday, Katie.

>66 katiekrug: My fingers are crossed that the one-game playoff for the AL Wild Card that is shaping up will finally break the Twins/Yankees curse. I will be making appropriate Yankee voodoo dolls for the occasion.

Bwahahahaha! May the best (pin-striped) team win!

>67 msf59: - I'd be interested in your thoughts on it, Mark. I will try to write something up about it this weekend.

I thought this looked like a great concept, although evidently there are no plans to release this in the US.

>62 karenmarie: Me too! Another abandoner here :)

Also, that, >71 ronincats: is utter genius!!!! I would so do that

>71 ronincats: I'd be willing to open the doors on Katie's behalf... :-)

>71 ronincats: - Love it, Roni! Apparently, I am synonymous with wine around here, as Laura (lauralkeet) posted the same thing on my Facebook :)

>72 LovingLit: - You'll have to get your own, Megan. No sharing!

>73 charl08: - You are *so* kind, Charlotte. Instead of opening the doors for me, just ship me one, darn it!

We had a fun night out last night, and I did get my Indian feast :) This restaurant doesn't have chicken korma on the menu, but they have lamb korma, and if I ask very nicely, they'll make it with chicken just for me (and probably anyone else who thinks to ask!). But we stayed talking very late, so didn't get home until well after midnight, and now I'm exhausted. But it was worth it!

Sounds like a fabulous evening, Katie, and hooray for getting your Indian food fix. Roni posted that wine advent calendar on my thread, too, and I WANT it.

What can I say? When I think of shenanigans and wine, the two of you are who I immediately want to share with! I don't know if Charlotte could find it--it was the chain Aldi, and I don't know what countries they are in in Europe.

ETA Here's the article: http://www.refinery29.com/2017/09/173006/wine-advent-calendar-aldi

And it will be available in, and only in, the United Kingdom! For around $69, which really isn't that bad.

Congratulations, Katie! I saw you were one of the Talk Like a Pirate Day winners — I'm happy but jealous, even though I can't remember what the prize was. :-)

>77 ronincats: Ooh! They do nice wine. I'll have a look in our local Aldi.

>76 Crazymamie: - I don't understand why it's not available over here. We have Aldi stores (though I hate them and never go in... I could make an exception for that!)...

>77 ronincats: - Hmm, I wonder if I can finagle a trip to the UK before Christmas...? Heh.

>78 rosalita: - I won a T-shirt! Guess this means I can stop buying Powerball tickets as all my luck has now been used up :-P

>79 charl08: - Do report back, Charlotte!

>79 charl08: Article says they will go on sale about November 1, Charlotte. Good luck and do let us know! Maybe next year.

Katie won a prize! Katie won a prize! 😀

I did! I did!

You can wear your new LT shirt to all your many LT meet-ups now!

Sounds like you had a great night out! I've never tried Indian food. Not a lot of options for trying new things when living in a small town :(

>84 rosalita: - *grin*

>85 ChelleBearss: - Ah, Indian is lovely, Chelle. Lots of people don't like it because of the strong flavors, but I'm a fan. Come to New York and I will take you to "my" place!

I love Indian food. They had great places in Wellington. We haven't found one we love here yet. Maybe someday...

>83 katiekrug: Talk like a pirate winner!! Whoohoo!



My favorites are "my kids are crazy" and "but first, coffee!"

Happy weekend.

>86 katiekrug: That would be wonderful! I've been to NYC many years ago but I could always use another trip! :)

Hi Katie - I also loved Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Did you read Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? I think you'd love that as well.

>71 ronincats: Great idea.

Congrats on winning a T-shirt.

Have a lovely weekend.

>87 nittnut: - Too bad about the Indian, Jenn. When it's not good, it's usually Not Good.

>88 Berly: - LOL, that's great, Kim! Have a good weekend!

>89 ChelleBearss: - I'll be standing by any time, Chelle :)

>90 BLBera: - Nope, this was my first Winterson, Beth. I have her memoir on my WL, though!

Dropping by to wish you a pleasant weekend, Katie.

Hope you're having a good one Katie. Your Indian meal sounds lovely. Recently had a dinner with a former colleague and they cooked amazing chicken, chickpea and courgette curries. Reminded me how much I like the veggie ones!

Glad you got to have Indian and congrats on your tee-shirt :)

Hi Katie - it's all good! T-shirts and Indian food, happy you won and got a fix.

Congrats, Katie, on being able to talk like a born pirate. That's some accomplishment. I'm sooo jealous.

I note that you like your wine. So when I ran across this accessory, I just had to alert you.

Congrats. on winning one of the "Talk Like A Pirate" prizes, Katie. Hmmm, I could really use that useful invention in #96 above!

>92 PaulCranswick: - Hi, Paul. Thanks.

>93 charl08: - Some of my favorite vegetarian dishes (not that there are that many ;-) ) are Indian, Charlotte. I just love those flavors, I guess.

>94 RebaRelishesReading: - Thanks, Reba!

>95 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen!

>96 weird_O: - LOL, Bill - thanks for bringing those handy things to my attention. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on whether we care about my liver or not), I am more of a shower-er than a bath-er ;-)

>97 DeltaQueen50: - Hi Judy! I'm sure you could find those doo-dads with a quick Google search!

I am reading Home Fire, and it is excellent. I may have to stay up late tonight to finish it...

>71 ronincats: I NEED one of those this year!

I'm so glad you are liking Home Fire. It may be my favorite read of the year so far.

Hi Ellen! I still haven't finished it, but hope to today... Maybe while I am standing in line to pick up my copy of What Happened and have Herself sign it :)

I made a yummy curry last night and am super proud of myself (as anyone who saw my posts on FB can attest - ha!). I even improvised a little and didn't feel the need to follow the recipe *exactly* so maybe I'm finally getting more comfortable in the kitchen?

I leave on Saturday for 13 days - BLERG. Going first to LA/Pasadena for a few days of meetings for the professional group I volunteer for, and then to San Antonio for my organization's Board meetings and annual conference. I see exhaustion in my future...

Have a safe, uneventful trip, Katie. It sounds like a lot of work and not a lot of down time, but maybe you can squeeze in some wine and reading somewhere along the way?

>101 katiekrug: We're passing like ships in the night, Katie! I'm going to southern California on October 15th and San Antonio for an annual conference in early November.

>101 katiekrug: Recipe Katie?

I'm knackered just reading your schedule, so hope you'll have the KAK equivalent of energy bars stashed.

>102 rosalita: - Reading on the 5 flights and associated airport time, and wine EVERY DAMN night :)

>103 norabelle414: - Wish our paths were crossing, Nora!

>104 charl08: - The recipe was on the back of a spice mix so I don't have it exactly, but it was cubed chicken, onions, coconut milk, chicken stock, and the spice mix. I added yellow and orange peppers because I had some already sliced. The spice mix seemed to be mostly yellow curry powder. After browning the chicken and onions and peppers, you mix the liquids and spices and pour that in, and then let it cook for about an hour. I added frozen green peas right at the end to brighten it up. We had it over jasmine rice.

Looks really good Katie. Thanks for sharing. Hope your trip goes well.

Hi Katie!

>105 katiekrug:. Yum.

I hope your trip is productive, safe, and that there is at least some time for reading.

>106 charl08: - Thanks, Charlotte.

______________________________________

I drove over to my local indy bookseller yesterday evening and waited in line 3+ hours to meet Hillary Clinton and get a signed copy of What Happened. Normally I wouldn't have bothered, as I am not a *huge* fan-girl, but the more people keep talking about how she should just shut up and go away, the more angry I get, so I decided to go as a personal form of protest. It was kind of cool to see so many people there with their kids - mostly daughters - and how excited those kids were to meet her. As expected, they move you through super quick, but I had a chance to say a few words to her and she was very friendly and gracious (and gosh, I hope I look that good at her age!).

>107 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen. There is usually time for reading, it's just that I'm too exhausted to do any!

>108 katiekrug: So cool that you got to meet Hillary! I will look forward to your thoughts on the book. I have avoided pretty much every dissection of the 2016 campaign for now, but I'm curious. The excerpts I've seen were quite good.

>108 katiekrug: I had a very similar experience in getting a signed copy of Hard Choices. Good to hear that she was drawing a big crowd, but it is a shame that she is doing so as an author and not as President.

>110 rosalita: - I've read a lot of excerpts, too - hope it's not like a movie trailer where they include all the best bits and the actual thing is just meh...

>111 Oberon: - I found an article online that said there were over 1000 people, which for the little town it was in, was kind of a big deal. I know the bookstore was thrilled to be included on her signing tour.

I impressed the people around me in line by recognizing Huma Abedin - no one believed it was her walking down the street, but when we got inside an hour or so later, there she was.

How cool that you got to meet Hilary! I don't know much about American politics. What is she doing these days since the election?

>112 katiekrug: At least for this week Huma has had a worse week than Hillary.

>113 ChelleBearss: - She's been writing a book and now touring with it :)

>114 Oberon: - True fact! She was very smiley and said hello. I restrained myself from going all Grandma on her and saying, "You're better off without him, dear."

>115 katiekrug: Ha, thanks for that! I guess I had thought she had taken other work as well.

Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as snarky! I'm sure she's still involved with their family charity, and doing speaking engagements.

Nope, not snarky. Just pointing out the obvious :-) I googled her and realized that she stopped doing the Secretary of State ages ago.

Love the grandma comment as well as your restraint. What a jerk. I think HRC deserves a lot of credit for her loyalty to Huma, especially given that the scandal broke in the last days of the campaign. Ugh - so hard to relive all that.

So cool that you got to meet Hillary, Katie. I saw her on Charlie Rose and after months of our current president, it is so nice to hear someone who knows what she is talking about. Sigh.

Safe travels. Wine sounds like a great idea.

I'm waiting for your Home Fire comments. It will be a while before I get to it.

>118 ChelleBearss: - Yep, she gave that up before running again.

>119 vivians: - You are right about the loyalty, Vivian. Apparently, Huma is like a daughter to her. I wonder how Chelsea feels about that... ;-)

>120 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth, for the travel wishes. I hope it goes smoothly. It involves lots of moving parts which I find quite stressful, but I'm in pretty good shape (I think!).

I finished Home Fire last night. I liked it a lot but am wrestling with the rating (which is ridiculous since there is nothing that says I HAVE to rate it) - 4 or 4.5 stars. I had some issues with the ending and some other parts of the book. Still cogitating...

Et tu, Katie? Home Fire hasn't missed with a 75er yet, as far as I've seen. I've got it on my WL, but maybe I need to get to it sooner rather than later.

Way to go, hanging in there for Hillary. Sounds (on FB) like you had a nice exchange with her.

>121 katiekrug: I get the sense that Chelsea and Hillary have a pretty strong relationship which is a bit surprising given the environment.

>122 jnwelch: - It's a good one, Joe! As for HRC, it wasn't really much of an exchange given the limited time, but I said what I wanted to and she said "Thank you so much. I appreciate it." Which is probably a rote response :)

>123 Oberon: - Oh, definitely, Erik. I wasn't trying to suggest otherwise. More like I wonder what Chelsea's relationship with Huma is like... But really, I'm sure it's all fine. I just like to create drama in my head!

I've been waiting on several emails from people at work, without which I can't proceed on several fronts. So what better way to kill time than to do the "Book a Year" exercise (thanks to Jenn who told me not to worry about inconsistent data and to just proceed merrily on my way :) )

So here is a book (or several) I loved from each year of my life (not read in that year, obviously....)
1978: The World According to Garp by John Irving (fun fact: the movie was filmed at my prep school!)
1979: Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary
1980: Bellefleur by Joyce Carol Oates
Jacob Have I Loved by Katharine Paterson
1981: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
1982: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes
1983: Oral History by Lee Smith
The Bone People by Keri Hulme
1984: Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
The Camomile Lawn by Mary Wesley
1985: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
1986: Anywhere But Here by Mona Simpson
1987: Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
Beloved by Toni Morrison
1988: The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
1989: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
1990: Possession by A.S. Byatt
My Traitor's Heart by Rian Malan
1991: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
1992: Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
In an Antique Land by Amitav Ghosh
1993: The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo
The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
1994: Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
1995: Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
1996: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
1997: Snow in August by Pete Hamill
Straight Man by Richard Russo
Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
1998: The Mermaids Singing by Lisa Carey
Without: Poems by Donald Hall
Eucalyptus by Murray Bail
1999: Dreamland by Kevin Baker
The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif
2000: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Blackbird by Jennifer Lauck
2001: Atonement by Ian McEwan
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
Hell's Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
2002: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
2003: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras
2004: Old Filth by Jane Gardam
Little Children by Tom Perrotta
Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley
2005: Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago
The March by E.L. Doctorow
Misfortune by Wesley Stace
2006: My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time by Liz Jensen
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
2007: Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
2008: Song Yet Sung by James McBride
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan
2009: Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
2010: Room by Emma Donoghue
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
2011: Bright's Passage by Josh Ritter
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
2012: Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright
Heft by Liz Moore
2013: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
The Unwinding by George Packer
2014: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
Academy Street by Mary Costello
2015: Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg
If You Only Knew by Kristan Higgins
Black River by S.M. Hulse
2016: Nutshell by Ian McEwan
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
2017: The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Your last book Exit West is the one I'm reading now. Can't say I'm honestly loving it though, although it's certainly a decent read.

>125 katiekrug: Hooray for Bellefleur and Possession. Both are on my list - or will be if I ever get it finished.

>125 katiekrug: Sigh. I'm totally gone have to do this thing, aren't I? I thought I had aged out of being susceptible to peer pressure!

Your list is an excellent one, btw.

Love your list. I've only managed to read 10 from it

>126 SandDune: - I'm sorry it's not working for you, Rhian. It really clicked with me.

>127 majleavy: - I'm thinking of re-reading both fairly soonish. That was the dangerous part of this exercise for me - being reminded of books I know I really loved but not remembering much about them....

>128 rosalita: - Thanks Julia. And yes! Do. It. All the cool kids are ;-)

>129 ChelleBearss: - 10 is pretty good, Chelle! About a quarter of it!

Like Julia I'm feeling the pressure but, so far, I haven't caved. I am enjoying reading everyone else's lists though and found several on your list that would definitely be on mine.

I'm not caving (yet) either, but think this is the list I've seen the most from I've read (if you take account that some peoples' lists are, well, longer). Definitely in the anti- Nutshell camp though...

Hi Katie!

I've read 15 on your list, have another handful on my shelves.

>131 RebaRelishesReading: and >132 charl08: - Come on, DO IT! Heh.

>133 karenmarie: - Not bad, Karen!

I spent way too much time devising my list, Katie, and I had to do a lot more years than you. SO not fair!

Great list, Katie, but I am still resisting. I have MANY more years to do. What I might do is just wait until enough people have done and pick books that I loved from the years. I would probably have Moon Tiger and Possession on my list, to name a couple.

Happy Friday.

Great list, indeed. I've read 7, have a few more on my actual or virtual bookshelves. I'll have to investigate my own patterns now.

eta: Hm, this may take more research than I thought. The year of publication in my 'your books' list is definitely the year of the publication of the edition I entered, not the first edition. I assume you are looking at books that were FIRST published in the related year? Sigh.

Katie--Enjoyed your list very much. Not gonna do it!! LOL Happy weekend.

>125 katiekrug: Only have read 4 of your list, Katie, but I have 10 at mount TBR ;-)

Nice list, Katie! Our reading tastes are so much alike, I'm not surprised to see that I've read 21 of them!

Agree with 17 of your picks, Katie.

About 15 on The Monolith TBR.

Oh, and a bunch I've never heard of.

I bet it wasn't all that hard for you, was it. Cripes, you had so few years to cover.

Hi Katie, great list. I've read a good number of them but I also have taken a few BBs as well. So many people seem to have loved Home Fire that I obviously need to give that one a nudge up the ol' TBR!

Hello Katie!

>1 katiekrug: beautiful fall painting!

>35 katiekrug: I'm sorry 'Ruby' was just. that. bad. But your pain was my amusement. Thanks for sharing. :-P

>45 karenmarie: A Gentleman in Moscow is likely my best of year as well. Lincoln in Bardo keeps calling me but I have not heeded the call yet. Olive Kittredge is not my cuppa.

Hi All, thanks for visiting and keeping my thread warm. No time for individual responses. I'm finished with the first portion of my trip (Pasadena, CA which is lovely) and am now settled in San Antonio for the next week.

Reading and enjoying the delightful The Family Man by Elinor Lipman which is the perfect level of lightness without being total fluff.

>144 katiekrug: Are you staying on the River Walk, or in the hill country?

>144 katiekrug: Elinor Lipman is perfect for light without fluff. I remember liking The Family Man when I read it.

I hope your trip continues to be as uneventful as possible.

I like Elinior Lipman although it's been a while. I'll watch for your comments. I hope the rest of your trip goes well. Don't work too hard.

>125 katiekrug: I'm such a good influence! LOL
I've read 23 off your list. I'm so glad you made one. :)

>144 katiekrug: Glad you enjoyed Pasadena. I grew up about 10 miles from there. It wasn't very nice when I was growing up but has had a wonderful rebirth since then and, I agree, is lovely now.

I am impressed by everyone's life lists but it must take a long time to do! I hope you are finding some enjoyment in your trip and some reading time, Katie.

I think it's totally cool that you got to meet Hillary. She was the keynote speaker at my PhD graduation in 1994 but I didn't get to shake her hand. You might be interested in this collection, Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance and Revolution in Trump’s America that has just been released.

>150 Familyhistorian: I have had the same reaction. And the task just gets more daunting every year! :-)

Okay, but it's a great list, Katie. And it occurs to me that the years since one has started keeping track on LT would probably be easier to complete than some earlier years.

Enjoy San Antonio. I quite liked it there when I visited last spring. I hope you get out to the missions; they are rather interesting.

Also, there is a bar that is way outside the main tourist area, along the river walk, and it's on the 5th floor or so with lots of outdoor sitting space. I had a lovely cocktail there my last afternoon and the views are nice. Sorry I can't remember the name of it. Brightly colored chairs abound.

Hi Katie. I hope you are well....

Keeping your thread warm for you, Katie! I hope things are going well in ... San Antonio?

On my way HOME!!!

Whoot! Wishing you safe travels, Katie. And I love your list of books - I might add that to your Dirty Dozen to keep track of the ones I have read.

Yay for HOME!! That was a long trip.

Hope you got home safely, Katie. We have missed you.

Hugs, to my pal.

OK, I decided to just start fresh with a new thread, now that I'm home. Please come join me over there!