Caramellunacy's TBR excavation resumes in 2018

Following an end of year visit to Egypt and a rally in terms of last year's excavations, I have decided to keep the digsite goals limited this year, but to focus on curating the collection and dedication to dig fieldnotes (or in plain terms - goal low, actually de-accession those I won't re-read and try to review more).

Excavation!



Spoils Heap!
Artefacts Deaccessioned:



1. Deadly Sins - Kylie Brant
2. The Secret Place - Tana French
3. A Match Made in High School - Kristin Walker
4. The Unknown Woman - Laurie Paige
5. A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
6. Mozart's Sister - Nancy Moser
7. Das Sterben der Bilder - Britta Hasler
8. Shadow of Night - Deborah Harkness
9. Shelter in Place - Nora Roberts
10. Camino Island - John Grisham
11. The Body Farm - Patricia Cornwell

Books Read in 2018
Titles listed in italics are loans (library books or books borrowed rather than TBR) and do not count towards the total. Numbered entries do count toward the challenge.

January
1. The Visitors - Sally Beauman
2. A Paris Year - Janice MacLeod
3. Deeply, Desperately - Heather Webber
4. Pride, Prejudice and Popcorn - Carrie Sessarego

February
5. Crocodile on the Sandbank (AUDIO) - Elizabeth Peters; narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

March
6. In the Name of the Family - Sarah Dunant
7. Deadly Sins - Kylie Brant
8. Sharpe's Escape - Bernard Cornwell
9. Royal Player - Katie McCoy

April
10. Act Like It - Lucy Parker
11. The Secret Place - Tana French
12. The Alice Network - Kate Quinn
13. On Basilisk Station - David Weber

May
14. Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink - Stephanie Strohm
15. I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella
16. The Boy is Back - Meg Cabot
17. The Shakespeare Curse - J.L. Carrell
18. The Coincidence of Coconut Cake - Amy E. Reichert

June
19. The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
20. Making Up - Lucy Parker
21. Sharpe's Gold - Bernard Cornwell
22. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart - Sarah MacLean
23. A Match Made in High School - Kristin Walker
24. My Grape Escape - Laura Bradbury
25. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

July
26. Manga Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing
27. Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins
28. The Unknown Woman - Laurie Paige
29. Under a War-Torn Sky - Laura Elliott
Alex, Approximately - Jenn Bennett
30. Slow Heat - Jill Shalvis

August
31. Because of Miss Bridgerton - Julia Quinn
32. Mozart's Sister - Nancy Moser

September
33. Das Sterben der Bilder - Britta Hasler
34. The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang
35. The Squad: Perfect Cover - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
36. Lethal White - Robert Galbraith

October
37. Shadow of Night - Deborah Harkness
38. Tempests and Slaughter - Tamora Pierce
39. The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson
40. Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me - Ellen Forney
41. On Basilisk Station - David Weber

November
42. A Noble Masquerade - Kristi Ann Hunter
43. Bridge of Scarlet Leaves - Kristina McMorris
44. Camino Island - John Grisham

December
45. Love a la Mode - Stephanie Kate Strohm
46. The Body Farm - Patricia Cornwell
47. Night After Night... - Kathy Lyons
48. The Moon and More - Sarah Dessen
Artemis - Andy Weir
49. ...And Then You Die of Dysentery: Lessons in Adulting from The Oregon Trail - Lauren Reeves

Good luck with your 2018 rooting!

ooh I will be following your "de-accessions" (and everything else!)

Welcome back, CL! Happy ROOTing.

Welcome back and have a great reading year! I love your fieldnotes.

Hi, have a great year of ROOTing in all its incarnations!

Thanks all! I am looking forward to spending more time here on LT in all of your fine company (and trying to dodge book bullets as best I can). I am very excited to see what you're reading!

glad you're back!

Happy reading in 2018!

Oh, how lovely to see the excavations ongoing! Happy digging!

Great dig theme! Good luck with dodging book bullets and happy ROOTing in 2018!

Very much in keeping with the theme above (and in line with our recent trip to Egypt), I am currently in the middle of the following:

Paper:
The Visitors- The novel begins with an elderly woman dodging questions from a young documentary presenter about her acquaintance with Howard Carter and his discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings - the story then moves back in time to the 1920s and Lucy Payne as an 11-year-old child sent to Egypt to recuperate from the typhoid outbreak that left her weak, foggy-headed and motherless. She soon makes friends with the forceful young Frances Winlock - daughter to the Metropolitan Museum's resident Egyptologist - and is brought into the elite circle including the Winlocks, Howard Carter and his patron Lord Carnarvon, and the (fictional) flighty flapper socialite Poppy d'Erlanger.

I am about two-thirds through and Lucy is heading back to the Winter Palace in Egypt - just in time for the fateful final winter season!

Audio:
Crocodile on the Sandbank - the first in the Amelia Peabody mysteries. I have read this before, but never listened - I am very much enjoying the narrator. Our intrepid heroine is currently lying in wait for the skulking mummy apparition intent on dissuading their archaeological excavations. She may brandish her parasol at it...

>13 Caramellunacy: The Visitors sounds lovely!

>13 Caramellunacy: ok first BB of the year, added to my wishlist - thanks!

I managed my first de-accession this past weekend. Mr. Fox & I did a major cleaning/decluttering/unpacking from the holiday trip endeavour and I came across a duplicate - that I have ACTUALLY removed from the house and placed in a book recycling bin. Small victories...

Bit of a setback on the de-accessioning front as I succumbed to the lure of fresh books PLUS a trip to Shakespeare & Co. required a few.

Funny story in Shakespeare & Co., actually, a man was looking for a copy of Les Miserables, which I obligingly pointed him to as he was trying to climb all over me to look (do not work there...). And the following exchange occurred:

Huffy Man: But this is in English!
Store Clerk: Yes?
Huffy Man: I am in France. I want it in French!
Store Clerk: We don't have books in French. We're an English language bookstore...
Huffy Man: BUT I WANT IT IN FRENCH. WE ARE IN PARIS. I WANT TO TAKE A COPY HOME IN FRENCH. WHY DON'T YOU SELL FRENCH BOOKS.
Other Patron: This is Shakespeare & Co.? Possibly the most famous English language bookstore in France?
Store Clerk: You could go to any other bookstore here in Paris? There is one not far from here...
Huffy Man: MY PLANE IS IN TWO HOURS. I DO NOT HAVE TIME. I WANT YOU TO HAVE IT IN FRENCH!

I don't know why he thought they could magically produce a French copy for him...

>17 Caramellunacy: lol! what is that? a reverse of the usual demand by people with English as their first language! what a plonker though... :)

I visited Shakespeare & Co last August for the first time - love Paris ❤️

>17 Caramellunacy: "fresh books" - yum!
That exchange is hilarious.

>17 Caramellunacy: LOL, love that conversation.

>17 Caramellunacy: That is bonkers! It reminds me of a great series of books, which starts with Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops and continues with More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops. That conversation would fit right in!

>17 Caramellunacy: Haha! Wow.

>17 Caramellunacy: Oh your plane is in two hours? Well then of course we have a French copy for you.
Psh. People.

>21 Jackie_K: I've spent a lot of years working in bookstores and found those books funny and accurate. :)

Wow, so I haven't been here in a while.
*dusts off some cobwebs*
*straightens glasses*
*waves*

I haven't been reading and even less writing the last little bit - a lot of stressiness with work being particularly brutal, family health issues and just y'know...adulting. Or trying to. BUT, I present to you some fieldnotes (though without verdict as of yet):

Artefact: Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm (Living History, Book 01)

Trove: Paperback

Status: Sequel to be Read (if available); To Deaccession



Fieldnotes:
Camden Harbor Living History Museum, Maine, Contemporary

1 History Nerd with a Solid Love of Fashion
1 Historical Re-Enactment Internship
1 Fashionist(o)? Best Friend with Excellent Sewing Skills

Welcome to Girls of Long Ago Camp!

Dress Code
Beautiful Period Gowns
No Make-up, other than Ashes/Soot and Beet Juice
Overly Large Polo Shirt & Short-Enough-to-be-Hidden Khaki Shorts

Roommates
1 Gratingly Superior Historical Interpretation Intern determined to impose her Worldview on everything from Proper Bedtime to Leisure Attire
1 Pleasant Librarian and Research Intern
1 Documentary Filmmaker very fond of Lighthouses, Kayaking and Radishes

Potential Suitors
1 Very Handsome Squaddie - Often Shirtless and Tan and Muscly from working on the museum's schooners
1 SciFi Geek Journalist - Fascinated with Sci Fi / Geek Culture and Eager to write Serious Journalism about the local ghost story legend
Bickering and Forced Proximity
1 Very Awkward Boat Ride
1 Excellent Non-Sea Shanty
Altogether Too Much Vomit

>25 This-n-That: I really enjoy the Amelia Peabody series - the mystery is often largely incidental to more of a comedy of manners / light romance / mildly Indiana Jones story. Amelia likes to act quite stiff upper lip, but she is not above prodding people with her parasol and has a not-so-secret romantic heart.

I definitely enjoyed the audio as well!

>26 Caramellunacy: I'd like to get to the Amelia Peabody series at some point. I'm not a big fiction or mystery reader, but both your review and @robertgreaves reviews from last year have made me want to give them a try when I need a bit of slightly silly escapism.

Oooh, field notes! Great!

I like your field notes - but watch out for that adulting, once you start, it's difficult to shake off.

Artefact: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Trove: Paperback

Status: To Deaccession



Fieldnotes:
London, Present Day (pub: 2012)
1 Handsome (But Perhaps a Tiny Bit Self-Absorbed) Fiance
1 Handsome (But Perhaps a Tiny Bit Oblivious to Social Graces) Inbox-Sharer
1 Meet Cute: "Singing Telegram" Incident Set to Beyoncé's Single Ladies (w/Dance)

1 Lost Family Heirloom Engagement Ring
1 Snatched Phone
1 Phone Inexplicably Found in the Trash

1 Visibly Reluctant Soon-to-Be Family-in-Law
1 Oddly Hostile Harried Wedding Planner (Friend of the Family Variety)
1 Scrabble Game (Somewhat Cheating Variety)
1 Very Fake Injury

2 Very Odd Messages
1 Shared Inbox
Several Far Too Curt Emails (Oblivious Variety)
Several Overly Accomodating Emails (Overcompensating Variety)
Too Many Cringeworthy "Helpful" Emails
Many Footnotes

>27 Jackie_K: I do hope you enjoy it if you get around to it

>28 MissWatson: Glad to hear from you, too :)

>29 floremolla: Adulting is definitely a tricky one. So much paperwork and simultaneously expensive, irritating and "necessary" things...

I love the Amelia Peabody mysteries! I started reading them years ago, and have kept up with new ones. I also bought a second hand copy of Amelia Peabody's Egypt as a reference.

Greetings from the digsite - I hope to have more field notes for you soon!

We are just back from an epic trip to Tanzania and (briefly) Kenya - which was absolutely wonderful, but not great for lounging about reading as there was always much to do. I took a fair amount of notes in my travel notebook for possible photobook/travel blogging and may share a link if that gets off the ground.

Welcome back!

>34 Caramellunacy: That's a great excuse! I for one love reading travel writing, so if you do go for it do share the link here, I for one would read it!

>35 MissWatson: Thanks :)
>36 Jackie_K: I am hoping to find the time (around various errands) to pull an initial post together and will definitely keep you in mind!

Artefact: Making Up by Lucy Parker (London Celebrities, Book 03)

Trove: E-book

Status: Added to Collection



Fieldnotes:
London's West End, Contemporary (pub.2018)

1 Cirque du Soleil-style West End Musical Extravaganza
1 Pink-Haired Aerialist recovering from
1 (ex) Emotionally Abusive Relationship
1 Very Sudden Promotion

1 Big Bearded Make-up Artist recovering from Terrible Publicity
1 High Stakes Special Effects Make-up Competition
1 Pygmy Hedgehog

1 Utterly Obnoxious and Ungrateful Younger Sister
1 Undeserved Internship
1 Handsome Aerialist with Angel Wings
1 Reality Show Filming
1 Showmance

Artefact: Sharpe's Gold by Bernard Cornwell (Sharpe, Book 09)

Trove: Paperback

Status: Collection



Fieldnotes:
Almeida, August 1810
Captain Richard Sharpe

1 Thwarted Provost
Several Not-Quite-Wild Chickens

Vague Orders from Wellington
1 Cache of Gold
Guarded by Sharpe’s Romantic Rival and Usurper
1 Fervent (Both Religious and Loyalty to the Spanish) Exploring Officer

1 Guerilla Leader in charge of the money
1 Sadistic Guerillero with Odd Prayerful Killing Quirks set to marry
1 Fearsome Fighting Daughter of the Guerilla Leader (Teresa)

Grave-robbing
1 Remarkably Rich Manure Pit

1 Clever Ruse
Transferred Loyalties
1 Unfortunate Midshipman (and Sandwich)

1 Misplaced Ladder
1 Hopelessly Mismatched Duel
Many Dangerous Wounds

1 Cathedral / Munitions Cache
1 Massive Explosion
1 Incredibly Fortuitously Placed Bread Oven

>39 Caramellunacy: Summed up like this, it brings me back very good memories!

Artefact: The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta, Book 5)

Trove: Paperback

Status: To Deaccession



Fieldnotes:
Black Mountain, North Carolina, Contemporary (p. 1994)
1 Medical Examiner (and Lawyer) with Sweeping Investigatory Powers
1 FBI Profiler
1 Investigator Living his way to a Heart Attack

1 Dead Child w/ injuries that just don't add up
1 Strange Discoloration
1 Exhumation
1 Very Brief Mention of The Body Farm despite that being the title

2 Instances where Kay's immediate unexplained dislike of someone means they are A VILLAIN
1 Notorious Serial Killer on the Loose
1 Dead State Investigator / Suspect
1 Spooked "Hillbilly"


Not!Autoerotic Asphyxiation (or is it?)
1 Terrible Car Not!Accident
Munchhausen by proxy


Fiscal Impropriety
Jealousy
Adultery

1 Decoy Same-sex Relationship
1 Aborted Stint in Rehab
Severely Dated Techno-babble

The Short Version:
This was my first of the Kay Scarpetta novels, and probably not a good place to start. We were plunged into the middle of Kay's relationship muddle with both Marino and Wesley, and (certainly without backstory) none of them come out of the situation particularly likeable. In fact, the bulk of the book seemed to be working through the muddle with Marino and Wesley or alternatively the subplot with Scarpetta's niece Lucy (none of whom I have any affection for) and on the back burner attempting to tie this round of murders to a roaming serial killer (who again, I must assume was a Big Deal in previous books).

Cornwall makes much of Scarpetta's training being as both an ME and a lawyer, and talking about her investigative powers, but relatively little seems to be done to actually investigate young Emily Steiner's death as the gang is far too consumed with living out their soap operatic drama, and I found essentially all of the characters unnecessarily abrasive. There is a fair amount of technical babble & jargon (your research is showing...) that, certainly on the technical front, is now largely outdated. As are the story's attitudes towards same-sex relationships ...

I don't expect I'll be picking up any additional Scarpetta novels on this outing.

>41 Caramellunacy: I used to love this series and I did start at the beginning. But I felt the same thing about the later books. They did not get any better. They went from 4 star book to barely 3 stars.