Fieldnotes: On Staying Clam & Reading in 2018 ☽ Part I ☾

Here goes!



My reading of Hidden Figures straddled the end of '17 and the start of '18, but I'm putting here. I enjoyed it, but it didn't thrill me as much as the movie did. (Probably because it was much drier.)



I did enjoy A Closed and Common Orbit but found myself rooting much more for Pepper than I did for her AI sidekick. Does this make me a speciesist? No, that wouldn't be it. An animate-ist? Either way this book was quite good, but I wasn't as sucked in as I was with A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.



I read I'll Take You There for my book group. It was fun, but not as intense or as satisfying as She's Come Undone or I Know This Much is True.

I did read Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, but I can't say a word with violating the group's rules. Not even going to post the cover because I don't want to keep seeing it when I come back to post again. ;o)

:o) Accidental double post! (o:

Nice to see you back before life gets crazy again...

>1 clamairy: I’m happy to see your 2018 thread. :) I hope the upcoming chaos is less chaotic than expected.

>3 Marissa_Doyle: >4 YouKneeK: Thank you!

I'm going to try to come in here to escape reality. It's worked for me about half of the time in the past.

Good to see you, my dear. We'll be glad to provide various sorts of unreality.

>6 Jim53: Not the chemically induced ones from your Beatles book, I hope. And thank you. Good to see you all again.

I am deliggted to see your thread. You have reminded me of A Closed and Common Orbit. I have it somewhere and it might just be the book that pulls me out of my reading slump.

I finished A Closed and Common Orbit a few days ago. I agree that it wasn't quite as lovely as Small Angry Planet. I really enjoyed Pepper's story, too.

Clam is in the pub and all is right with the world. At least until Spring chaos is sprung.

Starred and following along.

Great to see you here.

I’m just sorry about the radio silence on Fire and Fury. Would be happy with just a “worth reading” or “did not enjoy”. BTW, I thought there was some wiggle room when reporting on a political book, as long as one is discrete and not seeking to make overtly political points. At least that’s been my working approach. Hope you won’t be a stranger!

Thanks peeps. I'm happy to be back

>12 stellarexplorer: Oh, it's definitely worth reading, at least from where I stand.

>12 stellarexplorer: That would be my understanding too.

>13 clamairy: Has anyone got you a drink yet? What are you having?

>10 AHS-Wolfy: My sentiments, exactly. :)

No one complained about my thoughts on Ellen Pao's book, Reset : my fight for inclusion and lasting change, in my thread.

*waving* Glad to see you here!!!

Glad you were able to find time to post, and to read! I'm still pretty much offline, except for keeping track of new journal threads. Hope all your plans go smoothly.

Lovely to see you here Clam! It's not the same without you. I hope you find plenty of good reading this year.

Popped over to your thread for a return visit and found myself accidentally time-shifted to your first 2017 thread, flat on the floor with book bullets whizzing overhead. I’ll check later to see if I’ve been hit; a holey memory is wondrous armour.

Um. So, hi *waving*

I am quite sure that I won't be able to find enough (or the right) superlatives for this one. Maybe I should just settle for one: perfect. No, really. This is the best thing I've read in a long time. It seemed like it went on forever, but I still didn't want it to end. :o(

I don't think any other fiction would measure up right now, and luckily for me You Don't Have to Say You Love Me appeared on my Kindle before I had even finished the Towles. So it's on to that one.

>15 pgmcc: I'll have some of your best gin, tarbender!

>18 jillmwo: >19 SylviaC: >20 Sakerfalcon: & >21 humouress: Thank you for dropping by!

>17 jjwilson61: I'm sure it's not true, but I somehow feel like the rules are bit more exacting for me.

That’s is exactly how I felt:

http://www.librarything.com/work/17697728/reviews/144565448

>23 stellarexplorer: Beautifully stated! I wish i could remember who recommended this one first. Was it @jillmwo or was it @pgmcc?

I believe I recommended it to Jill, and pgmcc at that time indicated he had heard many good things and intended to read it.

I could be misinterpreting but try this:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/269061#6264002

Post 68

>26 stellarexplorer: The LibraryThing echo chamber at its best. :o) Well, thank you for finding this gem, @stellarexplorer. Do you remember how you found out about it?

>22 clamairy: So glad you loved it!

>23 stellarexplorer: Glad you put that link here, because I hadn't read your review before, not wanting any foreknowledge of the story. Lovely summing up, and I wholeheartedly agree.

I recommended this book to a friend for her book group, but when she suggested it, three of the five had already read it! When I was finished, I had to jump to a completely different genre because I'm still treasuring it. Although, I just realized, that my other book also had "Gentleman" in the title. I wonder if there was a subtle influence in my head to bring that particular book off of my TBR shelf at this time to read.

>28 MrsLee: Thank you, Mrs. Lee!

>27 clamairy: I remember distinctly. Two events clinched it. Last March, someone I work with was effusive about how wonderful it was, making reference to the perfect little gems on every page. It went on my list. Then a nonLT friend of mine emailed sometime last spring or summer, saying drop everything! You have to read this book! I took it with me on vacation in August, and the book is more memorable than the vacation!

Funny how beloved this book is. I read it when it came out in 2106 and have been pining for another novel from this writer. I may have to reread the two I have!!

>30 Bookmarque: "I read it when it came out in 2106..." An impressive feat! :o) Well, I have little to no recollection of 2016 in general, so I'm not surprised I missed your review.

>29 stellarexplorer: Thanks for the info.

>30 Bookmarque: The author’s personal story is intriguing as well: always wanted to be a writer, had promise in a prestigious writing program, realized writing isn’t a reliable source of income, went to the financial sector where he became wealthy first, now free to write. That’s long term planning!

Unfortunately I think that's true of pretty much all writers these days if they're new to it. I like his dedication though in making it work. From what I can tell he practiced and polished a lot while working that full time job.

2106 hahahahaha!

You will never learn my secret! Never!

>26 stellarexplorer: There was a storm of recommendations of the title, but I must credit others on my thread who had praised A Gentleman in Moscow. For example, @suitable1 had pushed hard for it earlier in 2017 (#40 on that thread you've linked to) as had @pgmcc on the previous thread https://www.librarything.com/topic/254196 at #26. You were the third in the process, but your review was certainly persuasive. Lots of people buzzing about it. @Bookmarque appears to have been one of the early ones here in the Pub.

*fireworks* *applause* *masses cheering* A grand time had by all.

>34 jillmwo: It is fitting that due credit is awarded. I knew I might be seeing only a small piece of the elephant.

>34 jillmwo:

I'm giving copies as gifts.

>36 suitable1: Many thanks for being one of the first to set this particular ball in motion. I didn't get hit directly by your spray of bullets, but the eventual barrage that followed it certainly nailed me. Thankfully!

I believe that it was @stellarexplorer or @bookmarque that fired the bullet that got me.

Edit: Definitely @stellarexplorer. See https://www.librarything.com/topic/270463#6196622

>38 suitable1: That’s perfect. It’s almost the serpent swallowing it’s tail. Maybe the book recommended itself?

>38 suitable1: I almost thought you were kidding! Excellent detective work -

>40 clamairy: more than suitable! ;)

I finished off You Don't Have to Say You Love Me yesterday. This was my first Sherman Alexie book. His writing is very powerful stuff. He's hilarious, irreverent and completely enthralling. Oh, and heartbreaking. (As in ripping out your still beating heart and serving it up on a platter for your inspection.)

I'm already halfway through The Lathe of Heaven thanks to a mercifully short illness that kept me on the couch much of the yesterday.

You should pick up his Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian when you have a chance, clam. More good stuff.

>43 Marissa_Doyle: Yes, that one is definitely in my future. Plus I want to see some of the movies he's written. I think I have a bit of a crush on him now. :o)

His writing is pretty powerful stuff.

>42 clamairy: Another Sherman Alexie fan here. Ray Minnick is the one who turned me on to him!

Sorry about the sick, glad it was short lived.

>45 catzteach: Heartbreaking and uplifting simultaneously.

>46 MrsLee: I didn't realize that!

The Lathe of Heaven is my first Le Guin in a decade, at least. (The last one being The Left Hand of Darkness which I read in 2004, apparently.) I got sucked right into this one, and about halfway through I thought it would make a great mini-series.* The ending was slightly murky, but enough was revealed to sort out most things. Over-all I really enjoyed it because I became so completely absorbed in the tale.

*Turns out PBS made a movie version in the 1980 (7.2 stars on IMDB) and A&E made a version in 2002 (only 5.9 stars.)

I'm already completely immersed in The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin. It's amazing so far!

>48 clamairy: I’m glad you enjoyed The Lathe of Heaven! My reaction was a little more mixed, but I really enjoyed the premise.

I’m hoping to get to The Fifth Season this year. I tentatively have it planned as my first shorter series after I finish The Wheel of Time. I’m glad you’re enjoying ti so far! I keep hearing good things about it. I read her Dreamblood duology in late 2016 and was pretty impressed.

Never read it, but I remember being quite taken with the 1980 PBS series.

And I should really get to Jemisin.

>48 clamairy: I remember being totally sucked in by The lathe of heaven when I read it, too! It's very different to a lot of Le Guin's other work, more like PKD, but a great read.

Glad you are enjoying The fifth season so far - hope that continues!

>48 clamairy: The Lathe of Heaven is one of the few of UKL's that I haven't gone back to multiple times. I thought it was a great idea, but the implementation was kinda murky and didn't have her usual sharp focus. I liked the way she used dreaming in The Word for World is Forest, although the story overall seemed full of anger. I suspect she was getting Viet Nam out of her system.

I just read my first Jemisin, The Killing Moon, and liked it a lot. I'll be looking for more.

How does Fifth Season compare to the hundred thousand kingdoms which I wasn't that impressed by. The writing and characters were good, but the plotting and motivations let it all down. I liked the imagination enough to try another work if it makes a bit more internal sense.

>53 reading_fox: I too was very disappointed with The hundred thousand kingdoms, finding the characters and their motivations to be quite unconvincing and shallow. I thought The fifth season was excellent - great characters and worldbuilding, a good balance of action and character growth, and the plotting - specifically how the three plots are linked - was very well done. It is dark, though not grimdark - the world itself is geologically violent and people have to focus on surviving in it. I was really glad I gave Jemisin another chance.

>53 reading_fox: Fifth Season is orders of magnitude better than 100,000 Kingdoms, in my view. It's a very mature work, great characters, well paced, excellent world building.

Not sure where to start with The Fifth Season. Loved N. K. Jemisin's world building. It reminded me of Brandon Sanderson, since that is what he does best IMHO. But her characters were also believable and relatable, for the most part, which Sanderson can't always manage. As >54 Sakerfalcon: mentioned the plotting is first class. I did NOT see that coming. I knew I was following multiple time lines, but I thought they were farther apart. I enjoyed the descriptions of the different ethnic groups*, and was intrigued by Syenite always trying to figure out not only where people were from but what their 'place' in their comm (community) might have been. I've gotten attached to this world, so I've decided to dive right into the second book. Also, it feels good to support a LT author, even if she doesn't drop in anymore.

*I think I'm going to start describing my hair as 'ash blown.' *chuckle*

Oh yeah, one more thing. I've been extremely lucky to be reading so many good books so far this year, but I am having trouble getting shit done because I don't want to put my Kindle down. I've been taking it onto the treadmill when the weather is crappy. So at least I'm not just sitting!

>56 clamairy: I’m glad you enjoyed it so much! I’m looking even more forward to trying it now. :)

>56 clamairy: I am delighted you have found your reading rewarding so far this year. I hope the quality keeps up for you.

>56 clamairy: This comes up in my recommendations a lot. All your positive reviews... I'm going to call it a graze, not a direct hit just yet ;)

I really have to get back to SF. I’ve read so much less of it over the last few years, compared to my usual. I guess partly because I’ve found a lot of other good things, but I have some catching up to do.

>56 clamairy: Glad you enjoyed it so much!

I'm noting that The Fifth Season has been recommended by you (and others) which means its worth adding to my very long list of material to be read.

>56 clamairy: >62 jillmwo: Hah! Already have it. So there (no BB).

... Or, rather, I’ve already taken that hit. Phooey.

>56 clamairy: One of the cool things about reading a review of a book you've already read and loved is being reminded of why you loved it. That whole series was great, especially the stuff under your spoiler tag in book 1.

PS, how do I do spoiler tags in LT again, I forget...

>64 littlegeek: Start with the word Spoiler in angled brackets. End with /spoiler in angled brackets.

I hope that helps.

ETA: I agree with you about the experience of reading reviews of books one has already read.

wondering about "Trump's White House". We here in Europe are following all his activities with great interest.

edited to remove political opinion - whoops! got carried away there. sorry!

>66 misskate: & >67 Darth-Heather: Psst, probably best to keep this topic in private messages and not in the Pub. Thanks.

>67 Darth-Heather: Ha, you edited while I typed. :)

>66 misskate: So glad to see you here again!

>68 MrsLee: yes, I realized just as I pressed "post" that it is uncool to go political, especially on someone else's thread.

Sorry Clammy - don't mean to cause a ruckus in your space here :/

I was tempted to post “deleted”, but realized that could be read as political, so I refrained.

>65 pgmcc: Thank you! Let me give it a try:

Spoiler text

>71 littlegeek:
Full marks!
I am glad my comments were comprehensible.

>69 Darth-Heather: Dagnabbit, there was a ruckus and I missed it? I try to get most of my rage out of my system on Twitter. Sometimes I let a little leak over onto Facebook.

>73 clamairy: Actually, it was hardly even a kerfuffle. :D

I enjoyed The Obelisk Gate as much as I did The Fifth Season, so I jumped right into the 3rd book in the series. Have to admit this one is going a bit more slowly than the other two did. It seems to be getting there, though. S-l-o-o-o-w-l-y.

>74 MrsLee: Did you turn it into kerfuffle butter? :o)

>75 clamairy: I just started Jemisin’s TFS, so far very good.

>77 stellarexplorer: I'm so happy to hear that.

>76 clamairy: lol (I am no good at making emojis that work with the programming on this site, but a groan and a laugh is what I was trying for) :)

Finished off The Stone Sky a day or so ago. I enjoyed it, but not quite as much as the first two. I probably should have taken a break between the 2nd & 3rd books, because I had a bit of author fatigue in the middle of this volume. Enjoyed the ending, though.

I've already started The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher which was an Amazon daily deal last week. Love her twisted sense of humor.

I’m two thirds through the first one. Really enjoying. She’s a good writer. And she clearly thought through a complex plot carefully, which I appreciate!

The Princess Diarist is tempting, just for the title.

>81 stellarexplorer: So happy to hear you're enjoying this one.

>82 Jim53: I'm a mediocre Star Wars fan, at best, but this is quite funny.

Took this one early this morning. I believe @pgmcc can tell you all about it. ;o)

>84 clamairy: beautiful!

>84 clamairy: so peaceful!

>84 clamairy: For those of us in the know, we now know what clammy wears to confront the bears.

ETA: At least when the bears are hibernating.

>84 clamairy: >87 MrsLee: I feel like I’m missing something. :0)

:-)

>88 humouress:

What do you think about folks who go outside in their jammies?

>88 humouress: To make a long story short I was teased a bit on Facebook for admitting to trekking across my back yard in my sleepwear (yoga pants & hoodie) and snow boots to get a close-up of the pond as the sun rose. Some folks found it shocking (not really, they just felt they had to say they did) and some wanted photo evidence.

>87 MrsLee: Haven't seen one yet, but others in town have posted video of them prowling already. Just a matter of time. Might pull my feeders in soon.

>90 suitable1: *gasp of horror*

In the snow? I’d stay under the duvets.

>91 clamairy: Ah, got it now :0)

But philosophically speaking are sweats the same as 'jammies? If I wear sweat pants and sweat shirt in my office working from home, is that the equivalent of clammy walking out in yoga pants and hoodie? I have excused my wardrobe on the grounds that I don't leave the house, but technically, clammy isn't leaving her own property.

I have lost track of what polite society accepts these days so guidance might well be in order....

We may also have a language issue here. Are yoga pants in the US the same as yoga pants on this side of the Atlantic?

I wear ones like this, and I do not wear them when I leave my property. I do often see people out and about wearing these, but I am a denim wearing woman. (Or khaki shorts in the warmer months.)

>95 clamairy: They are much more modest than what passes for yoga pants here; positively demure by comparison.

>95 clamairy: *thumbs up* We're in the same ball park then...I am relieved. I had visions (albeit briefly) of you wandering out after the bears in flannel 'jammies with bathrobe and camera.

>95 clamairy: Around here that would almost pass for "smart casual".

>95 clamairy:

You would stay warmer if you cover up on top.

I read Carrie Fisher's memoir The Princess Diarist as a bit of a palate cleanser and it did the trick. Poor Carrie. I'd read her Postcards from the Edge back in the 90s, so I knew she'd had a bit of a tough childhood. She had a brief couple of scenes in Hairspray, but her first real starring role was in Star Wars when she was 19, and she ended up having quite the affair with her co-star. The book made suspect she had trouble moving past it. Not that she was still carrying a torch for Mr. Ford, but I think it did a bit of lasting damage. She already had trust issues because of her dad dumping her mom for Liz Taylor, and this didn't help. Her great sense of humor shines through most of it, though much of the poetry is heart-wrenching.

I've already polished off the first two books in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy, and I pounced right into the third one. I'll wait until I'm done and post of review of all three at once.

I just read this too, Clam--it was a bargain on my Nook. It was both funny and painful.

>101 Marissa_Doyle: Exactly. And much more poignant than it would have been (for me at least) because of her passing. :o(

I am now waiting to hear more about this Grisha trilogy. Is it sci-fi or fantasy or something else?

>103 jillmwo: It's YA fantasy, jill.

I too am waiting to hear what you think of the Grisha trilogy. I'm loving the Six of Crows duology set in the same world.

I really enjoyed the Grisha trilogy! So much so that I waited in line for an hour and a half to meet the author.

>103 jillmwo: I think you'd enjoy these books, Jill. I can't think of what I know you've read that I could compare them to. They're pretty dark, but there is quite a bit of humor in them as well. I really wish I'd read these before I read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. Still not done with the 3rd one. Was hoping to knock it off tonight, but I watched Coco with my son instead. *sniff* Awesome movie. About to go read in bed, but I doubt I'll be able to stay awake long enough to finish it.

>104 Marissa_Doyle: :o) Yes, YA Fantasy, which has become one of my favorite genres.

>105 Narilka: Those two books are pretty awesome, too. Maybe a bit heavier than these. I won't say darker though, because they're all dark.

>106 catzteach: Oh! What was she like?

>106 catzteach: & >107 clamairy: I just finished the duology and absolutely loved it. That ending!! If Grisha is anywhere near as good I look forward to reading it :)

>108 Narilka: I thought it was as good, if not quite as complicated. I read all three of these in a row, and I waited a while between the two books in the other series. I think I might have forgotten some stuff between the volumes.

I did stay up until I finished third book in the GrishaVerse trilogy (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm & Ruin and Rising) last night. I really enjoyed how well these three books managed to flow together. I didn't get trilogy fatigue at all. (And that is rare for me!) I'll avoid spoilers, but on the surface this tale seems likes it's been done to death. A young person finds out they have special powers they were unaware of, and has to learn to use them. Somehow this seemed relatively fresh to me. There's a lot of humor balanced with some truly awful events in Bardugo's writing. (I think there's a bit less humor in the duology, but I may be misremembering.) Her 'magic' system reminds me quite a bit of Sanderson's in Mistborn. Not that it's the same, but that it's grounded in what is somewhat plausible, versus wands and incantations. What Bardugo does better than Sanderson is relationships. There's a big love square here instead of the usual triangle.

I enjoyed these so much that I'm having a difficult time deciding what to start next.

>107 clamairy: she was super nice! She was one that chatted with me a bit. (Most of the other authors signed the book with a short hello and moved me on.) I got the feeling I would love to hang out with her.

>110 clamairy: After finishing up the duology you could have angled the books in my general direction for a solid BB ;) Those are now in my To Buy list.

This was a book I requested from Overdrive after reading Big Little Lies, and by the time it finally showed up I wasn't terribly interested in reading it anymore. I did give it a fair shot though, and found it pleasant enough. It's about a woman who loses all memory of the last ten years of her life after a blow to the head, and how unhappy she is to discover how much she's changed after ten years of raising kids & enduring the stresses of real life. It wasn't as dark or as satisfying a read as the other Moriarty book, but it was still fun. I think it would be a great beach read.

Now I've moved on to The Housekeeper and the Professor. Awesome stuff so far!

I'm going to have to keep an eye on you if you keep reading books by Moriarty.

>114 MrsLee: There were no murders in this one. ;o)

>113 clamairy: I read The professor and the housekeeper last year and adored it. I hope you love it too!

>110 clamairy: - I preferred the longer and more developed duology than the trilogy, even though they're set chronologically first. I'd re-read six of crows but not he the others I think. Love to know what she's working on now.

I enjoyed this one, and in fact I gave it an extra half of a star for the sublime mathematical interludes. My only quibbles are that it seemed a wee bit repetitive in places, and that I believe the translator might have taken a couple of liberties with some of the professor's dialog. Example: When speaking of some of his prize winning calculations the professor says they might have been copied out of "God's notebook." There a couple of other references to God in mathematics as well. If Yoko Ogawa is Shinto, as most of her nation, then the correct translation should be gods, small g and plural. Which is a completely different connotation than the translator gave it.

I'm planning to seek out more of her writing at some point.

>118 clamairy: I enjoyed that book, too. It was very sweet.

Finished off a quickie. I wanted something that didn't involve a lot of brain power. This fun and only slightly gruesome* whodunit fit the bill. This is the fourth in the Tracy Crosswhite Series by Robert Dugoni. All four of these were free to borrow with Amazon Prime.

* Starts off with a body in a crab pot!

I'm already very engrossed in James Comey's A Higher Loyalty.

Edited to add: Forgot to mention I bought a new Paperwhite while they've been on sale. My five year old one was working fine, but the wireless connection seemed sluggish when I was on the second floor (or in the basement.) Plus I had heard the lighting in the newer ones had improved. I'm very happy so far. And yes, the lighting is better. This one has the same number of brightness setting, but the lowest setting is much less bright than my old one. (Which is much better when I wake up at 4:00 and decide to read for a while!)

Really enjoyed James Comey's A Higher Loyalty, and had some trouble putting it down at times.

Adding a link to my review due to political content: http://www.librarything.com/work/20584142/reviews/155110030

Aw! I think one could be excused for giving a reaction to a book with political content here, as long as the intent was to inform, and the delivery was intentionally non-inflammatory. I have done so without complaint. But I defer to your good judgment.

Ok, so maybe the word “throttle” would have to go! :)

>123 stellarexplorer:. I love the editorial tone.

:-)

Breaking News Flash!! This exhibit (currently at the Bodleian Library) will be coming to the Morgan Library in New York City in January of 2019. I think it might be right up your alley!

https://tolkien.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/

>123 stellarexplorer: :o) Never. It stays!

>124 pgmcc: As do I, but it still stays.

>125 jillmwo: OH!!! I must see this!!! Perhaps we can arrange a meet-up event!

>125 jillmwo: NOT FAIR! Why not in June, when I have a chance?

>126 clamairy: JRRT meetup: I’m in!

I will have to try and get to Oxford to see the exhibition - any UK or EU folk want to try and meet up?

>129 Sakerfalcon: I'd love to - not sure when I'd be able to get to the UK though (have just booked two trips to la Belle France - one in May and the second in July) although I do still have some days left as holiday. Also would have to look as to where nearest place to get to would be.

Sorry I haven't been dropping in much. I was helping my son get his stuff packed up and then he moved out about 10 days ago. Since then I've started sorting through more of my own stuff and getting more items ready to donate. I am officially an empty nester, and my biggest complaint is that it now takes about four days for me to fill the dishwasher! I don't recall it taking that long when he was away at UCONN. But my memory is very dodgy.

I've got multiple books going* and I have only managed to complete an audiobook since the last time I checked in. It was one that I'd been working on for many months. I tend to listen more in warmer months when I'm gardening. I don't really listen when I walk because I'm afraid of getting nailed by a car. (We have no sidewalks here. And though I stick to residential areas I have little confidence in my fellow humans when it comes right down to it. LOL)



I enjoyed this one, but apparently it's been 4 years since the last time I finished listening to the previous book in the Outlander series. Not sure what that means. LOL (Probably that while I like them I'm not obsessed with them.)

I believe I am listening to The Shepherd's Crown next.

*I had three OverDrive loans show up at once, and have had to put my new Kindle in airplane mode to keep them from disappearing.

>131 clamairy:

Since you are by yourself, just let the dog lick and clean the dishes.

>132 suitable1: She almost always does the 'first rinse' with her tongue. I only keep my plate away if my meal was spicy or loaded with garlic or onions. I've learned that lesson the hard way!

Already shared this on Instagram and Facebook but many of you aren't on there. I don't know my butterflies & moths, except for the Monarch and the Tiger Swallowtail. (And the glorious Luna Moth!) So I did my best to sneak up on this lovely beastie when I was doing yard word yesterday. Apparently it's a Spicebush Swallowtail.

What a gorgeous shot!

>135 stellarexplorer: Thank you. There was no sun or the color would have been more spectacular. It was such a lovely thing to see.

Ooh a beauty!

>134 clamairy: that's beautiful.

Such a beautiful butterfly!

A beautiful and very lucky shot. (If there had been sun the butterfly would have been that much more active and made the shot MUCH more difficult to achieve.)

I managed to get a shot of a much smaller butterfly. This one would not hold still for more than a nanosecond. There was some blue on the back of this one, too. And no tails.

I find the most beautiful butterflies are the most difficult to photography; they are so flighty.

>134 clamairy: >141 clamairy: Gorgeous! Put them on the butterfly thread in the Garden group.

Wait, THERE's A BUTTERFLY THREAD? With pictures? What fun. I must go root about for it.

and theres a garden group? Where?

Beautiful pics! I love butterflies!

>144 jillmwo: >145 cindydavid4: Yes there is! Try here . The things you learn on LibraryThing.

Excellent, thanks! How did you find it?

Hmm; I can’t remember. Probably someone mentioned it and I went looking. Or sometimes I browse through and discover new things.

Thanks all. If I ever have a bigger chunk of free time I'll find that thread and re-share the pics.

But for now I need to log that finished two more audiobooks and bailed out on several reads. (Not because they weren't good but I ran out of time on the digital loans and I hated leaving my Kindle wireless off for the time it was going to take to finish them. LOL) I bailed on Moonglow which I definitely plan to get back to at some point. Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch I may not go back to. The early years were great, but then I started to lose interest.



The Shepherd's Crown made me cry for several reasons. I'll skip the spoiler-laden ones and go right to the Afterword which had me blubbering away while trying to weed my garden. I didn't realize this was Pratchett's last book. It seems fitting that it should be the one he was working on when he passed, though.



Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is exactly what it says, and I plan to listen to it again soonish. Maybe even right away. I don't think as much sank in as I wanted it to because I was distracted by the yard work I was attending to. And unlike listening to fiction I needed the same part of my brain for astrophysics as I was using for measuring and laying out hundreds of square feet of weed barrier.

I am reading Mansfield Park for the first time. It's the only Austen I haven't read, and I'm not seeing as much humor in this one as I recall in the others, but that could just be me.

I'll be scarce a lot the next, oh... three months or so. I made my first overnight trip to the house I'm moving into and it's a mess. There was a tenant with a copiously peeing dog in there. At this point I'm just hoping the hardwood floors can be salvaged. So it goes...

Oh, dear. Are you good with a floor sander?

It took me years to warm up to Mansfield Park, but once I did, I loved it. It's not in the least humorous, though (well, maybe a little bit here and there)--I love it for Fanny's unwavering character, most of all, and think that she deserved ending up with someone much better than prosy, inconstant Edmund.

>150 clamairy: Nature's Miracle makes a hardwood-floor-specific product that works pretty well. You don't want to know why I know that.

>151 Marissa_Doyle: I'll find one, I'm just not sure sanding will be enough. I'm sure at least some of the boards will have to be replaced.

>152 Darth-Heather: Good to know! Thank you. I have a gallon jug of their regular stuff left over from when one of my now deceased cats was 'having issues.' 😆

>150 clamairy: You are doing all that gardening even though you are moving? What a nice thing for the next owners, I hope they appreciate it. Also, good luck on the hardwood floors, if you can fix them they will be well worth it to you! And Shepherd's Crown, yeah, I had a good cry over that one.

>150 clamairy: Loved and mourned Pratchett when reading that book. Read a review that I think sums up why he is so beloved "But in The Shepherd's Crown, I've come to realize what it is about these books that makes them so special and endeared them so well to Pratchett's own heart: it's their compassion." He calls out humans for their foolishness, short sightedness, greed, and prejudice. But his world and humans in it are indeed filled with compassion, empathy. In all books people and creatures are coming together for the common good. The books make me laugh out loud, ponder, but more than that they give me hope for people and our world.

>155 cindydavid4: that's a nice tribute.

I'm not sure whether I 'enjoyed' SC but it was certainly a fitting end.

>150 clamairy: Mansfield Park is not a particularly humorous Austen novel. She was trying something more ambitious. I love it but I know that lots of folks have no patience with Fanny Price as a heroine and can't understand why the views of Mary and Henry Crawford are rendered as morally corrupt. But I have to say that I do have a real fondness for MP. I will take Fanny with all her priggish awkwardness and root against the horrible Aunt Norris.

>154 MrsLee: No one wants to buy a house with a plethora of weeds and veggie gardens left fallow. I put a lot of black weed barrier down in many places. (Had to weed those beds first, too.) Plus I lost some plants because of our harsh Winter and they had to be dug up. I put most of my herbs in pots in the ground so I can just pull them up when I go.

>155 cindydavid4: Beautifully said. Thank you for that. I haven't read (or listened to) all of the Discworld books yet, but I've particularly loved the Tiffany Aching and the Witches books.

>157 jillmwo: I'm only about halfway through but I feel for Fanny, I just wish she had more faith in herself. Aunt Norris is indeed horrible. Her sister Lady Bertram isn't much better, but at least she's just passively horrible.

Ooops, I missed one from May.



The Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan Coyote is both heartbreaking and uplifting. (And eye-opening.)

Following up on your read of Mansfield Park, I thought I'd share this article with you by a Notre Dame professor who teaches moral theory there: http://churchlife.nd.edu/2018/06/14/alasdair-macintyre-reads-jane-austen-reading...

(Note ignore the name of the publication. The article is not particularly tied to that.)

>160 jillmwo: Many thanks! I should finish it this weekend, so I'll read your link after I'm done.

Finished Mansfield Park and while I enjoyed it, for the most part, I didn't love it either. It's definitely my least favorite Austen, falling a fair bit behind Persuasion.

>160 jillmwo: I appreciate the comments about the difficulties differentiating between genuine virtue and good manners. But I feel like I fall somewhere in the middle of that argument. I often only say and do the 'right thing' because speaking my actual mind or doing what I really want would cause much rending of garments on the part of friends & family.

Fanny seems just a little bit too perfect, IMHO. I'm just going to drape a spoiler veil over the rest of my comments. I did appreciate that Fanny didn't cave to Henry Crawford's charms, though. She could tell he was a schmuck. And she could see though his sister Mary, too, when no one else could. But I do admit I found the first cousin love affair a bit skeevy. I know it wasn't frowned upon in those days. Indeed it was encouraged. (What a great way to keep money in the family!) LOL But, it still bothered me. Aunt Norris was great fun to hate. So were Maria and Julia. And Fanny's father, too, now that I think about it.

I'll probably come back and add to this as I mull it over a bit more. I've already started The Dry and I was immediately sucked right into it.

>162 clamairy: I read The Dry last year and it was pretty good. I've got the sequel on hold.

>163 Jim53: Good to know! Severeal folks mentioned it over the last 18 months or so. I think I took a direct hit from a BB here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/245024#5883834

Sadly @tottman abandoned his journal thread. I see he's still adding books so that means he's still using LT at least.

>162 clamairy: I also really enjoyed The Dry when I read it late last year. Definitely looking out for further titles by the same author.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Dry by Jane Harper. I could almost feel the dusty drought-stricken atmospheric conditions of the place. Nicely done! There were quite a few well-placed red herrings. I'd like to add a perfectly appropriate quote from Dwight Schrute of The Office - the American version:

"It's never the person you most suspect. It's also never the person you least suspect, since anyone with half a brain would suspect them the most. Therefore, I know the killer to be Phyllis, a.k.a. Beatrix Bourbon the person I most medium suspect."

Okay, so I hid the name of a character from The Office. Not someone from the book. Hehe... But it was someone I only "medium" suspected, until a certain place in the book when I started to get very suspicious. And I'll leave it at that.

I'm already about a third of the way into Sharp Objects which I started because the mini-series starts on HBO soon. I probably should have watched the show first for maximum drawn-out suspenseful watching pleasure over several weeks, but oh well. I can't put this book down now.

It’s always (usually) much more fun to read the book first. Though, to be honest, I haven’t heard of either this book or TV series. :0)

>167 humouress: In general I'd say yes, but I knew nothing about Big Little Lies when I watched the min-series last Summer, and I enjoyed not knowing who had been killed, or who had done it and why. By the beginning of the last episode you pretty much knew who had died, at least you hoped you did. LOL It raked in a few Emmys, so it must have done something right. They used the same director for Sharp Objects and it's starring Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson. It's pretty dark stuff, though... a Southern Gothic, featuring a serial killer with taste for little girls.

>166 clamairy: The Dry was a good one - I enjoyed it when I read it last year (a definite keep on the shelf one!)

Finished Sharp Objects and it was okay, but paled in comparison to The Dry. Both concern murders in hometowns that draw back very conflicted former residents, interestingly enough. But the Gillian Flynn book was a Southern Gothic mystery, and maybe because of that it seemed a bit over-the-top in places. Plus the ending seemed horribly rushed, as if she was trying to meet a deadline or something.

I started The Story of a New Name which is the second book in the Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante. It wasn't grabbing me, so I set it aside to start that Harlan Ellison Star Trek teleplay* that I just snagged for next to nothing yesterday. (Ellison passed away last week.) So far he has been skewering everyone, especially Gene Roddenberry, who I saw speak once back in the 70s, and I always suspected was far from saintly. LOL

*Ellison wrote the original script for that amazing episode of Star Trek called The City on the Edge of Forever.

I read that Ellison teleplay from the Kindle store a few years ago. Of course it was one of the great Star Trek episodes. But boy could that guy nurse a grudge! ;)

>171 stellarexplorer: I'm not sure he was just nursing it. I think he was force-feeding it, like a sad little goose destined for the pâté platter.

>171 stellarexplorer: & >172 clamairy: I read Leonard Nimoy's memoir a couple of years ago, and he also carried grudges from the whole Star Trek franchise. Interesting. Or should I say, "Fascinating."

>173 MrsLee: His was my favorite of all of the memoirs. Nichelle Nichols' wasn't bad either. Shatner's was much as I expected.

Poor Billy Shatner. Had his moment too soon, and spent 40 years with the Glory Days looming over him.

>175 stellarexplorer: I think he had a fairly satisfying epilogue to his glory days while starring in Boston Legal. Pretty sure he picked up at least one Emmy for that.

>175 stellarexplorer: >176 clamairy: And don't forget his stellar singing career! ;)

My husband had encounters with all three of them -- Nimoy, Shatner and Nichelle Nichols -- says Nichelle was the nicest of the three. Less ego associated with the stardom.

>176 clamairy: Even so, it’s hard to surpass the role of Captain of the Starship Enterprise. But maybe I’m being disrespectful of a show I saw maybe once or twice only.

>177 ScoLgo: How humiliating!

Did you have to use the word “stellar”? ;)

>180 stellarexplorer: Oh! I didn't even think of that! I just threw that pun in there because of the 'stellar' setting of Star Trek. Sorry! ;)

>177 ScoLgo: Oh, sweet cheeses. :P That just gets worse every time I see it.

Well, here's a little palate cleanser for those of you who need it:

https://youtu.be/xN-JCdM4or0

(My main man, Jonas Kaufmann.)

>182 clamairy: Fortunately for me, I've never seen it before.

Thanks for the palate cleanser; Herr Kaufman really gets passionate about his work.

>182 clamairy: admirable focus and intensity, but at first I thought he was on the phone while singing ;-)

>183 humouress: Doesn't he, though? I love how happy he was when he'd realized he'd nailed it. :o)

>184 Jim53: I think he's using his hand to mute the sound of the instruments just to the right of him. I've seen younger singers with fingers in their ears blocking the sounds of the voices around them. They can send you spiraling off into the wrong key. LOL

I know; made me smile.

Initially, I thought he had one headphone on so he could hear the right music (not block it out), until the end when I realised he didn't have anything in his hand.

Forgot to mention I finished listening to the late great Anthony Bourdain narrating Kitchen Confidential. I found it a very enjoyable if somewhat shocking tell-all. The best part for me was his epiphany as a youth eating fresh oysters as they were being plucked from the beds in France. Up until that Summer he'd been a picky eater, apparently. I too adore my oysters. And I am deeply sorry we lost Anthony. :o(

I've moved on to listening to The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels and so far it is wonderful. (Thoroughly depressing, but wonderful.)

>182 clamairy: Yes, thanks for that!
>187 clamairy: Very sad. But yes to oysters!

>187 clamairy: He is the one who gave me the courage and desire to try raw oysters with an open mind. I will be in his debt forever.

I have the Bourdain 'kitchen' books as audios, too and am glad since he narrates them personally. Not going to try oysters though...sorry...it looks like a close up of a cow's nose and no way.

Anyway...oddly I just finished an audio book with Better Angels in the title, too - The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker. Exhaustive and a lot of statistics, but eyeopening.

>190 Bookmarque: Oooh, that looks good! Will add it to my amazon wishlist so I don't forget about it.

>191 clamairy: It's good. Among other things, he posits that the rise of novel reading beginning in the nineteenth century led to an increase in empathy in society. :)

Blargh. I can't say I wasn't warned. The script part of The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay was excellent. The rest, not so much. I should have just skipped everything else, but it was like driving past a gruesome car wreck. :o( I did love the tidbits from some of the cast. I couldn't help but note that George Takei's writing at the end of the book was better (IMHO) than much of Ellison®'s in the foreword.

Registered his name so you had to use the R circle symbol thingie when referring to him in print. At l ast that’s my understanding and I saw it used that way in Locus magazine...

>194 stellarexplorer: Dear gawd...
Umm, does the ® go before or after the apostrophe?

>195 clamairy: back in the day I used to create dita entities that contained the name of the registered trademark (usually a company name) along with the ®. Punctuation would be outside the entity. So I guess the ® goes before the apostrophe.

>196 Jim53: So I appear to have intuited correctly, for once.

>195 clamairy: :0D