Jolerie Tries again in 2018 :)

Hi Everyone! My name is Valerie and I am trying once again to see if I can keep LT in my life despite the craziness of chasing after 3 boys and reading at the same time. I am not picky when it comes to my reading (is that a bad thing??) so please drop by to chat about your favourite books or anything else under the sun. I made some wonderful friends in previous years with this group so I'm definitely looking forward to catching up with old ones and meeting new ones.
My goals this year is to simply READ and try to not get overwhelmed with staying caught up with the threads so that by the end the year, I'm still around..hah!

RATING SYSTEM:
5 Stars: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE??
4 Stars: So, so, very hard to put down...
3 Stars: Purr...I'm content...almost...
2 Stars: Anxiously eyeing the next book in my pile...
1 Star: Fire fodder...BURN BABY BURN!!

Currently Reading:

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware TIOLI #16 - Read a book with title word or author name starting with GOLDSILVERBRONZE in rolling order

Currently Listening ♫:

The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh

February Lineup:

OTS:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett TIOLI #1
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin TIOLI #2
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi TIOLI #4
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon TIOLI #12
The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window by Jonas Jonasson TIOLI #13
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein TIOLI #15
The Hundred Thousand Kingdom by N. K. Jemisin TIOLI #7 Book #1
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova TIOLI #11

Library:
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty TIOLI #16 Book #1
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan TIOLI #3
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware TIOLI #16
Amulet Book 5 by Kazu Kibuishi GN #5 TIOLI #18
Priestess of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley Book #4 TIOLI #17
Tool of War by Paolo Bacigalupi Book #3, Last in series TIOLI #16
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George Book #1 TIOLI #18

Favourite Reads of 2017:


1. A Memory of Light by Brandon SandersonRobert Jordan (Fantasy)
2. Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (Children)
3. Written in the Blood by Stephen Lloyd Jones (Suspense, Thriller, Historical)
4. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (Suspense, Thriller, Mystery)
5. Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips(Suspense, Thriller, Crime, Mystery)

Books Read:


January:
1. (L) The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer 3.5*
2. (L) The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman 4*
3. (L) The Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich 3*
4. (L) The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck 4*
5. The History of Bees by Maja Lunde 4*
Favourite Read(s):

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

February
6. (L) The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty 4.5*
7. (L) Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan 3.75*
8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 3.75*
9. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin 3.5*
10. (L) Amulet Book 5 - The Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi 4*

Ongoing Series List:

Alan Bradley – (YA) Flavia de Luce Mysteries (1/6) Next: The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag
Alastair Reynolds - (SF) Revelation Space (3/7) Next: Diamond Dog/Turquoise Days
Anne Bishop – (F) The Black Jewels Series (3/9) Next: The Invisible Ring
Anne Rice – (F) Vampire Chronicles (3/10) Next: The Tale of the Body Thief
David Whitley – (YA) Agora Trilogy (2/3) Next: The Canticle of Whispers
Diana Gabaldon – (FN) Outlander (6/9) Next: An Echo in the Bone
Jacqueline Carey – Kushiel’s Legacy (6/9) Next: Naamah’s Kiss
Jenna Black – (YA) Faeriewalker (2/3) Next: Sirensong
Jessica Day George – (YA) Twelve Dancing Princesses (1/3) Next: Princess of the Midnight Ball
Kate Mosse – (H) Languedoc Trilogy (2/3) Next: Citadel
Kazu Kibuishi – (GN) Amulet (4/?) Next: Prince of the Elves
Kiera Cass – (YA) Selection Trilogy (3/4) Next: The Heir
Marie Lu – (YA) The Young Elites (2/?): The Midnight Star
Marion Zimmer Bradley – (F) Avalon Published Order (3/7) Next: Priestess of Avalon
Paolo Bacigalupi - (YA) Shipbreaker (2/3) Next: Tool of War
Peadar O Guilin - (YA) The Bone World Trilogy (2/3) Next: The Volunteer
Pearl S. Buck – (H) The House of Earth Trilogy (2/3) Next: A House Divided
Pittacus Lore – (YA) The Lorien Legacies (3/4) Next: The Fall of Five
Ransom Riggs – (F) Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (1/3) Next: Hollow City
Stephen Hunt – (F) Jackelian (1/6) Next: The Kingdom Beyond the Waves
S. A. Chakraborty - (F) The Daevabad Trilogy (1/3) Next: ?
Ted Dekker – (YA) The Lost Books (4/6) Next: Lunatic
Terry Brooks – (F) Shannara Heritage Tetralogy (1/4) Next: The Druid of Shannara
Terry Brooks – (F) The Magic Kingdom of Landover (3/6) Next: The Tangle Box
Tom Rob Smith – (FN) Leo Demidov (2/3) Next: Agent 6

VALERIE!! It's so good to see you!!

Welcome back!

>6 scaifea: Amber!! It feels like home again. Now I have to figure out how to use the threads all over again and start hunting friendly faces again. :D

>7 drneutron: Thanks Jim! Of course you would be one of the first to say hello!

Welcome back, Valerie! I was so excited to see you posting - you have been greatly missed!

>8 jolerie: I'm sure it's a lot like the whole bike-riding thing - you'll be back on track in no time!

Valerie is here! Valerie is here! :)

A Ha! I found you! Welcome back! Did I just read you now have 3 boys?! Beautiful!! No wonder you haven't had time for LT. That's ok you've been missed and we kept your seat warm!

>10 scaifea: Just a few bumps and bruises never hurt anyone, right?? ;)

>11 ChelleBearss: Chelle is here! Chelle is here!

>12 Carmenere: You are impressive Lynda!! I guess having another baby is about a legit excuse for busyness if there ever was one. Thanks for such a warm welcome, my friend. :)

Well hello hello stranger!!!
So good to see you here :) :) :)

I love your goal of simply to READ. Sounds like plan to me!!

I have found you! Glad you got your thread going. : )

>5 jolerie: I knew you got me!! LOL

Hope your 2018 is filled with good reads!

Valerie! Welcome back! I am dropping off a star.

>14 LovingLit: Just reading sounds heavenly. Would you believe it there was 2 months last year where I registered ZERO reads!! Oh the horror! It almost sounds sacrilegious to write that here......

>15 Berly: Glad you found me Kim! I feel like I should have made it treasure hunt or something..haha!

>16 thornton37814: Thanks so much Lori. I am going to hunt down your thread.

>17 EBT1002: Ellen! So glad to see you again! Will need to do more thread hunting in the next few days. :)

What a lovely surprise Valerie!

Great to see you back my dear.

>18 jolerie: Don't feel bad about having some no book months here, no one judges. Last year I had zero in November, one in December and only two in May.

Congrats on adding another little monkey! How old are the kiddos?

>19 PaulCranswick: Paul, so wonderful to have you here! I will find your thread once I'm done being a chauffeur this morning. :)

>20 ChelleBearss: Definitely no judgement from this wonderful group. Love it!

My boys.....so crazy. Caleb is 7 and in grade 2. Joshua is 4 and will be starting kinder in the fall. And my baby....Silas...8.5 months. My hearts....they drive me bonkers but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Congrats on adding to your family as well while I was away!!! Your girls are beautiful! :)

Aw!!! They are so cute! You are a busy women--no further explanation needed. : )

>21 jolerie: SO much cuteness!! What a gorgeous group of boys you've got yourself, Valerie!

Valerie, it's so nice to see you here again! You've been missed. Your boys are adorable, and I can only imagine how busy they keep you.

Looking forward to following your reading again!

>22 Berly: Thanks Kim! I'm sure their cuteness is what keeps them alive most of the days..haha

>23 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! They take after their father in so many ways. :)

>24 katiekrug: Katie!! So wonderful to have you join along the journey!

#4 The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Source: Public Library
Genre: Historical
Format: TPB
Published: 2017
Setting: Germany/United States
Pages: 353
Series: n/a
Rating: ★★★★
Tags: WWII, women, survival, secrets, forgiveness, redemption

"Set at the end of World War II, in a crumbling Bavarian castle that once played host to all of German high society, a powerful and propulsive story of three widows whose lives and fates become intertwined - an affecting, shocking, and ultimately redemptive novel."

WWII stories are never easy to read when you know that the horrors are very real even if the characters are fictional. Hard to read, but hard to put down as you get caught up in the story, the lives and the ever constant reminder that our humanity can be so fragile and so resilient at the same time. A good book for those who prefer their war stories to be more implied and less graphic.

Up Next:


This is another case of I have too many books in my TBR mountain that I'm losing track...because I borrowed this from the library not knowing that it is also sitting in a pile of unread books downstairs in my basement....doh!

Valerie! You're back! And now there are three adorable boys to gush over! That's so exciting! Ok, enough exclamation points. So very pleased to see you back and I will obviously be checking in here regularly. :)

>21 jolerie: *There* they are! So. Stinkin'. CUTE. Please give them all a squeeze for me.

>26 jolerie: I've had my eye on that one. Hopefully I'll find it when I get ready for it.

Valerie, it's wonderful to see you back. Congrats on your third sunshine. Your boys are so cute.

>28 MickyFine: So great to have a fellow Albertan along for the ride. :)

>29 scaifea: Just don't mind all the slobber there, Amber. ;)

>30 thornton37814: I hope its a gooder for you Lori when the time and place is right!

>31 Ameise1: Barbara, so sweet of you to drop by even though I know your world is crazy busy right now as well!

Valerie! Welcome back! Great picture of the munchkins!

>21 jolerie: Aww, congrats! They are adorable!
Chloe is starting JK in September as well!

>3 jolerie: I also liked the book Before the Fall. Your boys are simply adorable! Many thanks for posting an image of them! Congratulations! And, may 2018 be a great year for you!

>21 jolerie: Gosh your young men are adorable! Hard to believe Caleb is already 7 years old. I can imagine you and your husband having a blast with them! Still, things are way off balance. Any female felines or canines?
>27 jolerie: "I borrowed this from the library not knowing that it is also sitting in a pile of unread books downstairs in my basement....doh!" LOL I nearly choked on my tea when I read that! Spoken like a true bookaholic ;0)

Welcome back Val! Three boys - no wonder you haven’t had time for us. My two give me the runaround quite enough, so I have no ambitions about catching up with you.

Happy reading!

>33 ronincats: Thanks so much Roni!

>34 ChelleBearss: Interesting how difference provinces have different rules. Out west there is no such thing as Jr. K. Would be so much more cost effect as Preschool (what the kiddos go to before Kinder) is not covered by the government but it is also not mandatory.

>35 Whisper1: Thanks Linda! Here's to 2018 being pain free as possible for you!

>36 Carmenere: Nope, the only estrogen in his household is supplied fully by MOI. There are some days I'm sure there is more than enough of that for my whole family..haha!
I told me husband my little oopsies and he said at least you BORROWED and didn't BUY duplicate books, which sadly, I have also done before. :D

>37 humouress: Lovely to be back Nina. I'm hoping I can manage to ride out the year this time and of course do lots of reading while I'm at it.

^I have always wanted to see a white moose, but this might be the next best thing.

Happy new Thread, Valerie. It is sure nice to see you back. Congrats on little Silas. He is adorable. The Holy Trinity, right? Such great looking boys.

Happy New Thread, Valerie! It's great to see you back and congratulations on your third child! What a wonderful looking bunch! My two son are now 33 and 27 and the son that is 27 is now 2 1/2 year married and they are expecting a daughter this March. I'm going to be a grandma!

Great to see you back! And already pumping through the books for January. :)

Happy new thread, Valerie. You have some beautiful boys there.

What a lovely surprise to poke my head into the group and discover that you have created a thread. Welcome back, Valerie!

>21 jolerie: - What a lovely picture of your three boys!

VALERIE! So glad to see you back here, and with THREE MONKEYS!! Congratualtions, and happy, happy reading - when you can!

>39 msf59: Oh Mark! Look at what I've missed all these years. Exotic moose, mooses(?) meese(??). If you mean the Holy Trinity of destruction, then yes, you are absolutely correct..haha!

>40 vancouverdeb: Deb!! You are going to LOVE being a grandma! All the fun and cuddles and then you can leave when the responsible stuff needs to get done..hehe. I look forward to hearing about all your adventures with this grandbaby. :D

>41 The_Hibernator: Rachel, there is definitely a motivational aspect about being in this group. Surrounded by people who pump out double the amount of reads in the same amount of time makes you want to keep up!

>42 BLBera: Thanks Beth!

>43 lkernagh: Lori! Don't tell me you don't have a thread this year... :(((

>44 AMQS: Thanks so much Anne! Their bedtimes are my ticket to freedom. I try to squeeze in as much reading time as I can before my eyes betray me and I start to nod off. ;)

>21 jolerie: I knew if I hung around long enough there'd be pictures :)
They are gorgeous!!! 8.5 months, what a great age. And with 2 big brothers to lead him astray too....

I love my local public library, but there was a period of years where I avoided because of the few instances where the books I borrowed had less than desirable items smeared across it. I'm happy to report that since using it again, those instances are far and few in-between.
I remember walking to the library after school by myself. Finding a quiet little corner tucked away in the back, piled high with giant cushions where I would just read the afternoon away until it was time to get home for dinner. My hope is that one day my kids will come to understand this privilege of having so many books readily at their fingertips, realize that each book is a open door or window to wherever their imagination takes them, but most of all really understand what a blessing it is!
Any one else have fond or maybe not so fond memories of their libraries? Bonus points for pictures!

>47 jolerie: On this forum? No ;0)

And, to be honest, I don’t agree with Ray about sniffing library books; often, not the best thing to do.

Oh, yeah, libraries have always been my main source of books. My favorite was the St Mary's County library in Leonardtown, MD, when I was growing up. It was a restored old mansion with lots of rooms and staircases. After we moved away, they built a nice new one, which is cool, but it doesn't have the same feel. 😁

>46 LovingLit: There is a lot of a straying going on in this household. There is also a lot of mom going "is that a good choice"? "can you see your brothers are watching you?" One of these days I'm sure he's going to have some mouthy response other than his standard "uh huh"..... :/

>48 humouress: Good call Nina! I don't think many librarians would encourage that sort of monkeyish behaviour - climbing, spreading germs and all that jazz. ;)

>47 jolerie: Have you gone down to the shiny new central branch in Calgary, Valerie? It looks gorgeous in pictures I've seen.

I work in libraries so obviously I'm super fond of them. :P

>49 drneutron: Jim that sounds like a lovely place! It is such a balance between updating and modernizing and completely doing away with places that hold so much memories. There is something about "old" architecture and books that go so well together.

>51 MickyFine: Micky, I can't wait till the new central library opens. It looks so snazzy. I actually never visited the old one in our downtown so thats a little bit of a regret.

>38 jolerie: So did your little fella turn four in 2017 or just in January? Our kiddos start school in the year they turn four and go to JK. It recently changed to a full day program, 5 days a week.
We have preschool here as an option as well for ages 2-4 but, like yours, it is not a free program. Chloe went last year but we kept her home this year to keep Elissa free from germs before her surgery. I am starting to look for things to entertain Chloe with now as she is in serious need of little friends. She had fun at the library today so I may start taking her every week.

>47 jolerie: I have always loved getting library books when I was younger but I went through a stage as an adult where I refused to use them due to boogers and germs. Same reason I could not buy used clothes from our Salvation Army store. I have grown out of that thankfully. While I still prefer to purchase and hoard keep books, I will use the library to discover new authors and for children's books.

^I sure love seeing you posting around. Hooray for the Holy Trinity of Destruction! As long as they live at someone else's house, of course.

Welcome back!

Welcome back, Valerie! When we last communicated, you only had the 2 boys .. so that's what you've been doing during your LT hiatus ... having a 3rd! What a treat to see the photo of your current troop of cuties.

>53 ChelleBearss: I confess. Me too.

>50 jolerie: I’ve volunteered in school libraries and club libraries and the first thing I do as I leave is wash the grey film off my hands. On the one hand it’s really good to see kids being enthusiastic about reading but on the other, it leaves me in despair to see how they (and this includes my kids, to be honest) treat them. There is a smell about books. New books are great, but the smell in our club library tended towards mildew. :0)

Found you Valerie and have you starred. The Holy Trinity huh? My hubby used to tell friends we were coming over with the two house wreckers lol.

>45 jolerie: - I am taking a break from having a thread on the 75er group. Found myself being stretched a bit thin with all my groups so this year my home base in the Category Challenge. Here is the link to my thread in that group: https://www.librarything.com/topic/268995

I love my local library, mainly because they have done such a wonderful job with their online presence that my only interaction with any of the branches is to pick up and return some holds and to make use of their Ancestry account using their in library computer terminals. All of my other library activities are online through the services I can subscribe to as a library patron: Hoopla, Lynda.com, etc.

I grew up on a farm out in the middle of cornfields, and we lived too far out of town to be eligible for a free library card and couldn't afford the luxury of the yearly fee to purchase one. So I grew up without a public library. From my very first day at school in kindergarten, though, I fell in love with the school library and spent as much time there as my teachers would allow. I started taking Charlie to the public library from an infant on and he is a *big* fan. We love spending time there.

>47 jolerie: Such nice memories of your library, Valerie! Sadly, I have yet to visit a library with giant cushions. There's still time, my local library will be constructing a new and larger building soon. I'll suggest to the library gods that these are essential items to include in their plan.

This was my childhood library. We kept going there even when we moved to another town across the state line - not sure how my mom arranged that!



Scoville Memorial Library in Salisbury, Connecticut

I remember it as big and bright, though that may have just been because I was a kid. The picture makes it look small and those windows don't seem like they'd let in much light... There is, I believe, a more modern extension on the back...

My clearest memory is the two long shelves of bright yellow Nancy Drew books that I inhaled one summer :)

Hi Valerie, it's great to see you back posting on LT. Congratulations on the birth of your son, Silas. Your boys are all adorable. I am looking forward to following your reading again.

>53 ChelleBearss: Yes, Josh turned 4 in 2017 so we had the option of putting him in preschool this year but I opted not to because the thought of ferrying 2 different kids to 2 different places while having a newborn was intimidating and chaotic..haha!
I remember when I went to kindergarten it was full day school but here in Alberta they only offer half day kinder which is only 3 hours. I can't even imagine how my kids would handle being in school all day. I think they would be a wreck by the time they get home, but for parents who both work, it definitely is easier schedule wise to have the kids in school the large part of the day.
That is so good that they offer that option versus having to pay for preschool. With multiple children, the cost racks up!!
Ugh....germs and school. The stuff Caleb brought home when he first started...*shudder*. But it made Josh a tank as a baby and now Silas when he gets a cold it barely registers..haha!

>55 foggidawn: It's the same with babies crying Mark. Other people's babies cries and screams just don't hurt the ears the way your own does....haha

>56 cameling: Thanks for dropping by Caro! Yes, busy chasing after runaway train is the theme of my life for the last little bit and I imagine it will be the same for a number of years yet. ;)

>57 humouress: Oh yes Nina...that kind of "sharing" of germs, or whatever else was a large part of why I couldn't touch library books for the longest time. Now I just try not to think about it when I'm reading them. I figure adult books might be better treated than the younger variety. I might be in denial..haha :/

>58 brenzi: Haha...well now I can say with pride that I have 3 house wreckers. They definitely do a number on mine. I try to reign them in when we are in public tho....emphasis on the try. :)

>59 lkernagh: Well Lori, I'm definitely going to star your thread in the Challenge thread!
I am constantly amazed at the resources available at the library and now with all the technology, I love how they try to stay current and relevant. There is a section in my library where you can borrow pedometers for people who want to stay fit, which I think is super cool!

>60 scaifea: So wonderful that you are sharing that love with Charlie, Amber! Based on his recommendations of books you should read (ahem War and Peace), I'm going to go out on a limb and say you are doing a fantastic job instilling the love and appreciation of the written word to him!

>61 Carmenere: Wow that so exciting Lynda! You will have to share pictures when the construction is completed! Comfortable chairs and cozy nooks should be mandatory for all libraries. :)

>62 katiekrug: Love that building for a library, Katie! Is it still around?
I remember inhaling Nancy Drew books as well. I tired one Hardy boys and it just didn't have the same magic for me. ;)

>63 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I was looking for your thread over here and realized that you only have one in the Challenge group as well. Thanks for finding me again! I definitely will pop over there and star you and Lori over there since you guys are BB monsters for me!

>65 jolerie: - Oh, yes, the library is still there. It's protected for its historical status, I believe.

>65 jolerie: That’s funny; I always felt that the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews had a very similar feel when I was reading them. Did you ever read the Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators books?

>66 katiekrug: Love it! A building with so much historical value and character should most definitely be protected. Fill it with books....all the better!

>67 humouress: Nina, for some reason I think when I was young in my head I associated Nancy Drew with "girl" books and Hardy Boys were for boys which is totally hogwash when I think about it now. My boys will also do this thing where they don't want to watch a certain show because it's a "girl" show so I've had to explain to them that it is a show with "girls" in it and not a show for only girls to watch. Anyone can watch it. Maybe one day I will revisit the Hardy boys to see how they read now.
I've never heard of Alfred Hitchcock. Was it similar to ND and HB?

I had a lovely picture of my library's return box, which has a face drawn around it complete with a tongue. But I can't find it. :(

I am afraid I don't use my library as much as I should. Now that I have moved in with Aaron, I will get a library card for a different library system, which means I'll have cards to TWO systems. Fantastic. :D I just found out my library now gives auto-renewals. Which I'm also excited about. :)

Ah, the solving of first world problems.

>68 jolerie: Fie upon thee, woman! ;0)

>69 The_Hibernator: Woo Woo! And then you can borrow e-books, too, and never run out of reading material. But, of course, you need time to read. Always a spanner in there somewhere.

ETA: >68 jolerie: Sorry - completely missed your question. The 3 Investigators had a more contemporary feel to them and used gadgets, I think, whereas ND and HB felt more like they were set in the '50s (I still don't know exactly what a jalopy is, though I made an assumption at the time). It's quite different but just as much fun. I was going to say they were all in my primary school library, but I'm not sure if I've got the timeline correct; the NDs and HBs definitely were.

>68 jolerie: Oh my stars, Valerie! I read both Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys when I was young. But I preferred Nancy Drew. But I had two brothers and two sisters, so I'd read anything I could get my hands on.

I agree with you on the full day kindergarten thing here. For me, I was happy to have my boys in a 3 - 4 day playschool until they reached half day kindergarten age, but I only worked part time with my first, so I did not have the challenge of needing much daycare.

>69 The_Hibernator: Haha that sounds like funny picture. Too bad you can't find it!
Auto-renewal would be sooooo useful. I wish we had that option here. 2 library cards means double the fun. Cannot complain bout that unless it is double the fines for late returns..boohoo. :(

>70 humouress: Nina, I will have to search and see if my library has any copies of those books. I bought a box set of those original ND books but I have yet to read one of them but they are so nice to just look at..haha

>71 vancouverdeb: Yes Deb, I can't imagine all the hassle it is for parents who both work and they have kids in kinder for only half day. That means they have to find childcare for the rest of time and care that is also willing to pick up their kids from school in the middle of the day too I presume. We are very thankful that I have had the option of staying at home after the birth of our eldest. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Me. Every. Sunday. Boo. :(

Same.

>73 jolerie: LIKE! Fortunately, I don't have to worry about that...this Sunday! Grins...

Happy Weekend, Valerie. I hope you are enjoying the time with your family and sneaking some reading in.

>73 jolerie: So that's what it is called! I am feeling it today. : ( I am doing my best to ignore it.

I moved around a lot growing up, but my favorite library was in Wellesley, MA.

>74 katiekrug: The only exception would be a long weekend or better yet when the hubby is off on vacation. Then the SMONDAYS are delayed for a week or two. :)

>75 msf59: Thanks for swinging by Marky Mark before you jet off on your tropical adventures!

>76 Berly: Kim, at least when Monday rolls around I can start counting down till Friday...haha
Love that building. Totally wouldn't be able to tell that it was a library if I just walked past it.

#5 The History of Bees by Maja Lunde
Source: OTS
Genre: Fiction/Science Fiction/Historical
Format: TPB
Published: 2015
Setting: United States, Europe, China
Pages: 337
Series: n/a
Rating: ★★★★
Tags: dystopia, nature, bees, extinction, survival

"Here is a story that is sweeping in scope but intimate in detail. Stepping lightly between a nineteenth-century British naturalist, a contemporary Ohio bee farmer, and a determined mother in a dystopian future China, Lunde dares to imagine the chaos our rapidly changing world invites, while finding order and hope in individual acts of care."

You would think that story about bees and people wouldn't really jive together but in this case, it is both fitting and fascinating. The risk with any story that jumps time and characters is that you can get lost with all the switching or you get invested in one narrative and care little for the others, but Lunde does a good job of quickly getting you settled and drawing you into each of the stories, leaving nothing behind. Recommended.

Up Next:

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

A fantasy set in 18th century Cairo sounds fascinating!

>21 jolerie: THREE BOYS!!!! You added a new one! How awesome! They are gorgeous. It's so good to see you back around LT.

I am having the SMondays right now. Sigh.

Yep, it's SMonday here right now as well. :(

I've taken a book bullet for The History of Bees and I am interested in hearing about The City of Brass as well. I see The City of Brass is the first in a trilogy, intriguing ...

>79 jolerie: Ooh, I look forward to your thoughts on City of Brass. I gave it to Marina for Christmas after seeing it recommended as a "best adult book for teens" in School Library Journal.

>73 jolerie: My son use to suffer from those but these days it doesn’t seem so bad. Usually it kicks in really badly just before the new School term starts, but this year he seemed quite excited to go back to school.

Hope you are having a good Monday with the munchkins!
Great reading! I'll keep my eyes open for your thoughts on City of Brass!

Valerie, I am so delighted to have you back in the groove. And with another cutie-pie in the fold! Congratulations on another darling boy. I look forward to hearing about the adventures of the CJS Trio. Lovely picture.

Here's to another week, but I'm truthfully I'm counting down to Friday already. :D

>80 nittnut: Hi Jenn!! Yes, we are officially outnumbered now. :D
I hope your Monday is going fantastic so you can kick the Smondays to the curb.

>81 DeltaQueen50: Happy Monday to you Judy. SMonday is officially over and we are out of the gates to start the week!
I think you would like the two books when you get a chance to read them. :)

>82 AMQS: Hi Ann! I'm about 100 pages in and I'm already noticing that the language and content is definitely not for the younger set of readers. By teen I would presume 18+?

>83 humouress: Haha, my son is the same about the school week starting. He would much rather stay at home if I gave him a choice and only because he said there is "a lot of work" at school. He is in grade 2. I told him life is going to be pretty sad if he thinks Gr. 2 is already too much work. :/

>84 ChelleBearss: So far so good Chelle! It's a chunkster for me so it will probably take me a good week to finish it off unless I can manage to offload the kids somewhere...haha

>85 Donna828: Lovely to have you visit Donna! I'm sure the CJS trio will get into their fair share of trouble this year. ;)

One of the joys of living so far from the equator is the joys of winter driving every year.... On top of that you also get the beautiful gift of cracked windshields. I'm not sure why the city refuses to find an alternate way of sanding the streets that doesn't involve laying pebbles and rocks on all the roadways. Sure I appreciate not sliding all over the place, but I don't appreciate getting windshield chips and playing crack roulette. Boo, all that to say, we lost and now we have this gigantic crack splitting along the bottom of our windshield. The most annoying part is this is only the second winter we've driven this car. :(
Question now is do we replace the glass and risk getting ANOTHER chip OR just leave the darn thing until we can't see anymore?? Fun times!

>88 jolerie: Wait until winter is over and then replace it. Unless you've got some rural road trips planned for this summer. Then I'd just wait until the world is invisible. ;)

>89 MickyFine: Most likely what will happens since it is not cheap to get them replaced. Too bad we can't get insurance to cover replacement. I think it should be mandatory in Alberta but it cost an arm and a leg to do so. Are your roads sanded the same way?

>90 jolerie: You know it. Happily, I've just got a couple small chips in my windshield. Every summer since I bought the car I mean to pop by one of those chip filling stands that crop up but I never actually do.

>88 jolerie: That looks about right. Boo to the windshield crack.

Valerie! Here you are! Glad you are back, and thank you for finding my thread and stopping by to say hello! I've had two broken windshields in my life - one was so bad I had to get it replaced; the other was a big chip right in the middle of the windshield toward the top. I drove with it that way for years. It annoyed me, tho, so I put a new rearview mirror right over the darn thing so I didn't have to look at it.

I've been thinking about readingCity of Brass and look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

>88 jolerie: >89 MickyFine: Probably would be best to get it done, once the danger of more chips is over. You don't want it shattering over the kiddos. Though someone told me that now they're made so they don't shatter, just fracture crazily but stay in 'one' piece.

Heya Valerie, welcome back! Sounds like you've been as absent as I have. And oh, that winter driving pic, I always prefer to bike if I can - it always seems quicker and easier to get out the door, and we've got solid winter biking setups. But sometimes I'm in a hurry, or need to drive for some reason, and end up doing that thing where you just scrape off a small section of glass so I can actually see out. I just got my first windshield chip for the season too :(

>91 MickyFine: Chips that can be filled I'm okay with. Chips that end up cracking. Not so much, but such is life and first world problems right? ;)

>92 BLBera: Thanks for the commiserations Beth!

>93 Storeetllr: Thanks for finding me Mary! I actually think if it's bad enough I could get a ticket because it's considered hazardous driving. I don't think I'm to that point yet but just give it a few more chips since we still have a couple months of winter driving yet...

>94 humouress: Yes Nina! I think I heard the same thing. Shouldn't really shatter. Can you imagine if that happened while you were driving. Yikes!!

>95 evilmoose: Impressive Megan! I always see people biking and running even in some of the coldest days and they always have my admiration. Haha..I've seen people trying to wipe the condensation off their windshield AS they are driving probably because their heating system must be broken (these are pretty old vehicles). Dangerous most definitely, but slightly comical.

This morning's alarm clock was not my usual preprogrammed gentle lulling music, but the soft whisper of "mommy...mommy" accompanied by the gentle tugging of my blanket. My middle one decided he couldn't sleep anymore (it was about half an hour before I would have woken him up anyways), so he came into our room looking for some comfort. He crawled into bed with me and we just snuggled under the blankets before the rush of the morning had us scrambling around.
I'll admit that sometimes I worry bout the whole middle child syndrome because in the chaos of helping his brother navigate this thing called school and every other spare moment is dedicated to keeping his baby brother alive, our middle guy can often get neglected in the shuffle. Thankfully he is blessed with an extra measure of charm and sweetness that is all his own. We call him our HAM because he is a total HAM. He is the one that will crawl into our bed on the weekends and say "Thank you for the cuddles". He is the one that always comes in-between us when Dad comes home from work and gives me a hug because being squished by mom and dad is his favourite. He is the one that says to his older brother, "You are my bestest friend in the wide whole world". He is always the one who pipes up in the backseat, "You forgot to buckle me again. You guys are so silly." So the GUILT is real but the GRACE is just as REAL.

>97 jolerie: Aww. Hugs for you and for your little HAM. :)

>97 jolerie: Sweet little HAM! I never get cuddles in bed! Chloe is UP the second her eyes open and the only time she is willing to cuddle in bed with me is when she is really sick.

>62 katiekrug: What a beautiful library -- so pretty...so peaceful

>26 jolerie: Hi Valerie. I've wanted to read this book for a long time. Your review encourages me to see if I can get a copy from the library.

Thanks!

>97 jolerie: *meltmeltmelt*

>98 MickyFine: An extra cup of coffee for mom and a midday lollipop for the Ham got us through hump day. :)

>99 ChelleBearss: Chelle, my two older sons are completely the opposite. C takes forever to get up (like his Dad) whereas J is up the minute he is up, there is no middle ground for this kid (like his mom). Luckily for me since I have no girls, both boys are equally cuddly. Now we will wait and see how S turns out. ;)

>100 Whisper1: I agree Linda, it is a beautiful building with lots of character!
I hope you like The Women in the Castle when you get to it. Lots of strong female characters throughout.

>102 Storeetllr: Here Mary, let me grab you a towel..haha. ;)

>97 jolerie: Thanks for sharing both the moment and the child with us, Valerie. So lovely.

>104 Crazymamie: Thanks for reading and visiting Mamie! :)

January Roundup:



☛ Total Pages Read: 1,841 (5)

Non-fiction: 0
Fiction: 3
YA: 0
Children: 0
Classics: 0
Fantasy: 0
Science Fiction: 0
Historical: 1
Crime/Thriller/Mystery/Horror/Other: 1
GN: 0

Series: 0
Stand-alone: 5
Series started: 0
Series completed: 0

New to Me Authors: 2
Male Authors: 0
Female Authors: 5

OTS: 1
Library: 4

Favourite Read(s):

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

February Lineup:

OTS:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett TIOLI #1
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin TIOLI #2
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi TIOLI #4
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon TIOLI #12
The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window by Jonas Jonasson TIOLI #13
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein TIOLI #15
The Hundred Thousand Kingdom by N. K. Jemisin TIOLI #7 Book #1
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova TIOLI #11

Library:
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty TIOLI #16 Book #1
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan TIOLI #3
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware TIOLI #16
Amulet Book 5 by Kazu Kibuishi GN #5
Priestess of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley Book #4 TIOLI #17
Tool of War by Paolo Bacigalupi Book #3, Last in series TIOLI #16
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George Book #1 TIOLI #18

**By no means am I aspiring to finish the entire list. It is merely just a selection that I can choose from. I reserve the right to add and delete at whim. :D

>86 jolerie: that bad, huh?

>107 jolerie: while reading that list, my first though was, wow- she's going to finish all of that!!?? Then I read the disclaimer :)

>108 LovingLit: Actually Tuesday ended up being worst but I just don't like Mondays as a general rule..haha
Totally makes people impressed and then WHAM BAM, you get hit with a nice dose of reality. It makes me feel better about myself. ;)

Aw, HAM!! I love it!!

>107 jolerie: wow, that is quite a list! Good thing you added that disclaimer!

Morning, Valerie!! I love the stories of HAM! Perhaps a middle name of SCHMOOZER would be appropriate. hahaha. He knows just how to tug at your heart strings.

>110 scaifea: We love our HAMS here, Amber. ;)

>111 ChelleBearss: Haha right Chelle? There is no way I could plow through that many books with 3 kids hanging off my legs. Maybe in another decade or so....fingers crossed.

>112 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda! I am of course completely biased and he definitely knows how to bring a smile to my face. I suspect he milks it as often as he can.

Hey Valerie. Thanks for posting the photo of your three boys (in >27 jolerie:, I think?). They are adorable. I'm sure they drive you bonkers, as you say, but what a joy, as well.

You have an ambitious lineup for February. I'm still needing to choose a book to fit the AlphaKIT categories, P and J. I might need to find short ones. Heh.

>97 jolerie: Aw, great story, Valerie.

I've been eying Rules of Magic, glad to see you liked it.

Good luck with the February reads!

>114 EBT1002: Hey Ellen! Yes those 3 are all mine. :D They are good boys and I feel really lucky to have them but on days when they decide to go all jekyll and hyde on me.....no amount of coffee compensates..haha
Is AlphaKIT part of the Category challenges?

>115 BLBera: Thanks Beth! I might be in the minority because I read The Rules of Magic before Practical Magic so now I need to go find it and read it. :)

>113 jolerie: Yes, it can be rather hard to read with little ones running around! Perhaps once I go back to work I will get more reading done ;-p

Valerie, I'm no expert on the middle child vs the eldest etc, but as one of five kids ,and I'm the eldest, I'd have to say my middle sister #3 in the family of 5 kids is the best adjusted of us all, and she is happy to tell us! :-) She is quite easy going, really never gets down, works hard , has two successful adult children and has been happily married for 31 years or so. As the eldest I think I'm more self critical, get into a low mood more easily , but she has an easy confidence about life. I'd say the say the same about my youngest brother , who was number 5.

My two sons were separated by 5 1/2 years and so they've seemed to be somewhat like two only children ( except they used to fight quite a bit as children) . I had trouble getting and staying pregnant with my second, thus the big gap. But I'm really delighted that we managed to have two kids.

Like you, I've given up on ordering books from the UK for now . I'll wait awhile and see if Canada Post improves.

Here’s to snuggling! What could be better Valerie?

Welcome back Valerie! So lovely to see pictures of your three little monkeys :-D

I've seen City of Brass getting some good mentions so looking forward to your thoughts on that.

How is Alice Hoffman? I was turned off by Practical Magic - it wasn't anywhere near as good as the movie.

>119 brenzi: Few things are better and I guess there are much worse ways to be woken up. :)

>120 souloftherose: Heather! I need to hunt down your thread. I'm sure there are other people that I'm missing since the group is so big! I should be wrapping up the book today and all I can say is what a ride :D

>121 The_Hibernator: Rachel, I might be in the minority in that I didn't even read Practical Magic yet nor watched the movie, but I saw The Rules of Magic on my library's suggested reads and I so I snagged it. I typically quite like Hoffman's books as she is my kind of storyteller and her characters are memorable. You should try some of her other works and see if they work for you. I would recommend The Dovekeepers as a good one.

It's my favourite day of the week (despite it being insanely cold yet again..brrr).



The oldest has half day of school. Lunch with my SIL and nephlets. Dinner is usually take out. The weekend is just a few hours away. The BEST. :D Have a wonderful Friday folks!

Love that gif, Valerie! Just a few more hours.... I think I can, I think I can!

Huzzah for Friday! Have a great weekend with your boys!

Yay for Friday fun! Have a great weekend!

>124 katiekrug: I think he's a fantastic dancer. Too bad I have NONE of those skills and all the inhibitions haha

>125 MickyFine: Wishing you the same Micky!

>126 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle! I hope you have a stress free weekend with your family as well. :)

>118 vancouverdeb: Deb, sorry I totally thought I had responded to you! Must have been in between coffees and I was losing my mind. :)
It's good to hear how well adjusted your sister is considering she is a middle child. It gives this mama some comfort and hope!
I've always wondered the affects of birth order as well. My eldest is very similar to me in personality, more cautious and reserved and responsible, whereas Josh tends to be the wild one. Very sociable and fun to play with and MR. Personality. Silas is still too young but we wonder how being the youngest will affect him as he grows up. Maybe he will be like his Dad who is also the baby in the family..haha

Valerie, I'm hoping that your weekend is full of fabulous! And Practical Magic is one of my favorite books, just saying...

No worries, Valerie. It's easy to miss a post. From what I've read the middle child is supposed to be the best adjusted child. Have a great weekend!

Hi Valerie! >87 jolerie: Well, I think SLJ meant for like 16 and up. You'd be surprised at what teens read!

re: Alice Hoffman - I loved Practical Magic when I read it years and years ago, but I haven't had good luck with her other books. I like the elements of magical realism she often uses in her writing, but she throws things in her books that really upset me, so basically, I don't trust her. I read two books of hers years ago that pulled the rug out from under me (one was my fault - I should have stopped reading), but then I tried one of hers again a few years ago and DID stop reading. Now I'm done.

Stopping by to get caught up, Valerie and I came close to spraying my water on the keyboard, I laughed so hard at the wacky winter drivers cartoon >88 jolerie:! Yup, so true.

>97 jolerie: - That is fabulous!

Hope you're having a great weekend, Valerie!

Happy Sunday, Valerie. I hope you are having a R & R weekend. I am trying to tackle many neglected threads.

I am also reading Helen Oyeyemi this month...finally. We can compare notes. You have my attention with The History of Bees.

Howdy Valerie! Good to see you on the threads again. My thread is over in Category Challenge this year, but I'll participate in some group reads over here. Here is my thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/270737

Your boys are adorable!

Happy Sunday, Valerie! Hope you're all doing something fun!!

#6 The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
Challenge: TIOLI #16 - Read a book with title word or author name starting with GOLDSILVERBRONZE in rolling order
Source: Public Library
Genre: Fantasy
Format: TPB
Published: 2017
Setting: Egypt, Cairo, Middle East
Pages: 526
Series: First in Series, Daevabad Trilogy, #1 of 3
Rating: ★★★★½
Other Works: n/a
Tags: mythology, gods, society, class, historical

"Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, she's a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trades she uses to get by - palm readings, zars, healing - are all tricks, both the means to the delighted end of swindling Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive.
But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she's forced to question all she believes. For the warrior tells her an extraordinary tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass - a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound."

It has been long time since I've picked a new series, read the first book and immediately after finishing it wished I could get my hands on the next one. In a genre filled with more books than you can ever read, The City of Brass stands apart as a gem. From the memorable characters, to the exotic setting, to the multi-layered story, all of it mixes together to form a page turning, binge worthy reading experience. The beginning is rather disorienting as you are dropped in the middle of a world filled with unusual characters, and a lot of them at that, and terminology that you are thankful a glossary at the back of book explains, but persevere and you will be duly rewarded in spades. Highly recommended for any fantasy fans.

Up Next:

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

>129 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! That pretty much seals the deal. I will need to get my hands on a copy of Practical Magic sooner rather than later. :)

>130 vancouverdeb: I hope you are having great weekend too, Deb. I will report back in a few years and let you know how the middle one is faring. Right now he has decided to regress and not use the bathroom when he needs to pee after being fully potty trained for months. What is up with that?!?!?

>131 AMQS: Anne, what were those other Hoffman books that you've read?
I've finished The City of Brass and even 16 seems young to me..haha. Maybe I think the teens nowadays are a lot more innocent than they actually are?!?

>132 lkernagh: I had a chuckle myself, Lori. I'm sure those who live in our climates are used it and wouldn't even bat an eye. ;)

>133 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel! Wishing you the same!

>134 msf59: Glad you are back safe and in once piece Mark. We will definitely have to compare our reading experiences as it will be the first time for me too. The book has been on my TBR mountain forever so I'm happy to dust this one off the shelf. Which one are you reading?

>135 luvamystery65: Roberta!! So glad to see you. I will pop over to the challenge group to star your thread. :)

>136 Carmenere: Thanks so much Lynda! Sunday is slowly winding down, but I guess the weekend had to end at some point right? :/

>128 jolerie: I am surprised more is not made of the order of siblings, and who that effects their outcomes. Maybe I need to look at some research papers and see!
As for me, I am the youngest, used to being talked over, ignored and trying to be sweet and nice to get attention!!!

>139 jolerie: They were Turtle Moon and Here on Earth. I started The Red Garden and abandoned it.

Hey Valerie. Yes, AlphaKIT is part of the CATegory challenge. I thought it would be easy but I need to remember that next year I want to do only challenges that don't have months imbedded within.

Here is the planning thread for AlphaKIT.

>137 jolerie: Oh, alright then. Yet another one for the lists.

> 139 I'm guessing your middle guy is jealous of the attention his baby brother is getting so he's trying to go back to being a 'baby'. (Been there, done that.)

Hope you are having a good start to your week!

>138 jolerie: I'll keep an eye out for your thoughts on Manhattan Beach. It's on my radar but I've been seeing mixed reviews.

>140 LovingLit: Yes I think the order of the birth does affect their personality to some degree! I know being the oldest in my family gives me some similarities to my eldest as well. How can anyone dare talk over or ignore our sweet and wonderful Megan?! ;)

>141 AMQS: Oh interesting Anne. I haven't read any of those books you listed but I'd be curious to see if I have the same reaction as you. I've read The Dovekeepers, The Story Sisters, The Museum of Extraordinary Things, and The Marriage of Opposites. They were all rated 4 stars or higher for me so I guess she's one of my go to authors.

>142 EBT1002: Thanks for letting me know Ellen! I told myself that I would take it easy and just READ this year but all these challenges are so tempting especially if they help me decide what to read off my TBR mountain. :)

>143 humouress: I hope you get a chance to read it Nina!
I was wondering if that was the issue but he has never expressed anything about insecurity or jealousy about the baby.... There were a few times where his older brother accidentally scared him while he was in the bathroom so my suspicion is now he's developed a fear of being in the washroom alone so he's just choosing to ignore it when he needs to use it. I guess we are starting from scratch again!

>144 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle! Week could have started better with Caleb home sick from school today but keeping my fingers crossed that he doesn't spread his germs everywhere and no-one else catches his cold. :/
I am about half way through Manhattan Beach and so far it hasn't blown me away yet....

Hi Valerie. I notice you are planning on reading Tool of War this month. I have enjoyed the first two books in the trilogy and I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of this one.

It would be discouraging to have a child regress and decide to not use the toilet. When I had our second child, our eldest was just finishing up kindergarten. At the end of the school year, the kindergarten teacher let me know that our eldest son had stopped speaking to him and any of the kids in the classroom. I had no idea, as he was talking at home and with his friends and family at home. The kindergarten teacher said it was likely the stress of a new baby , and the teacher did not want to add to our anxiety. But by the time that Daniel headed back to school in September, he was back to talking in the classroom again. I'd never heard of such a thing. For me, my sister was born a short nine months after me, so I have no memories of life without a sibling. It will all sort itself out. Hang in there , Valerie.

>137 jolerie: The City of Brass sounds really good Valerie - I do love a good fantasy novel especially one with a more unusual setting. I suspect, like you, I'll really wish I didn't have to wait for the second book!

Morning, Valerie. Back to the grind today, so my online time will be limited, as I deal with the job and the weather.

Sorry, to hear that Manhattan Beach isn't ringing your bells. I loved that one.

>147 vancouverdeb: My teenaged nephew was in diapers almost until he went to kindergarden. That was because his mom was in prison, and his dad was irresponsible. Mostly, my parents took care of him, but when they had him potty trained, he would go on a trip with his father and come back in diapers again. :( What a mess!

Sorry to see Caleb was sick. Hopefully no one else caught it! Is he in school today?

Don't be too discouraged by the potty training set back. Chloe did the same thing. She had been trained for many months and doing well and then all of a sudden we had many accidents and always had to have multiple clothes changes if we left the house. The worst was when we were at a hospital appointment and she said she did not need to pee right before we left and sat on the toilet and tried but said she didn't need to go. We got almost to the car and she yelled "need to pee" but it was too late and she peed her pants while Nate was carrying her. They were both soaked and we were an hour from home. Nate was less than happy that day!

>146 DeltaQueen50: I hope the third book will make sense Judy since it's been awhile since I read the first 2 books in the series. What I do remember is enjoying them so hopefully the last book in the series will be just as enjoyable!

>147 vancouverdeb: Oh that is interesting Deb. So even if he was not expressing any sort of issues around familiar environments, he was expressing it at school. Makes me wonder if J is not "telling" me what he feels or maybe he doesn't know what he is feeling, but his body is telling me that there is anxiety of some form. Every child is so different. C never had a regression so this is the first time we are dealing with something like this.

>148 souloftherose: Heather, if you enjoy a different setting, especially in your fantasy books, this one will be right up your alley. I really enjoyed it and hope you do too when you get your hands on it. :)

>149 msf59: Going back to work is never fun, Mark. That is pretty much how I feel every Sunday..haha. Hopefully the weather isn't too bad. Stay safe and vertical my friend.

>150 The_Hibernator: Well Rachel, given all those stresses, having a regression makes total and understandable sense. That is a lot for a little kid to have to process. :(

>151 ChelleBearss: Hey Chelle. C is home today as well but I think he should be good for school tomorrow. Looks like S caught it too as he has been sneezing all morning and has a runny nose. Life with multiple kids...you just need to take out one and eventually the germs will run it's course through the entire family. :/
It's odd because J can use the bathroom completely independently but he is just not going when he needs to go. So now I've just resorted to sending him to go every 2 hours to empty his bladder since he seems to have "forgotten" when he needs to go.....

>152 jolerie: Yep, same as Chloe. And when she would remember that she did need to go she gave us about 30 seconds notice to get her to the bathroom or else lol. It was a gross stage, but she got through it pretty quickly
Hang in there!

>153 ChelleBearss: Good to know it has happened to other parents as well. Did she just eventually "remember" again over some time or did you do anything to help her remember faster? So far we haven't had any issues outside but then again it's been too cold to go anywhere for any length of time. So maybe arctic temps is our saving grace right now. :D

No, I just basically drove her nuts by asking her to use the bathroom every 30 minutes and forcing her to sit there before we left the house and while we were out. We had some tears and tantrum and it took a couple months, but now she goes by herself. She even got to the stage where she refuses my help and undresses and dresses herself without me. She was potty trained around 2 years, three months and didn't stop having accidents until around a year later, but they got further and further apart over time.

It's been awhile (30+ years), but I do remember that my daughter trained herself, more-or-less. It was summer in SoCal, she was about 2-1/4, and I let her run around diaper-less in our backyard (which had high block fences all around it). She did her business once where she stood on the patio, which seemed to freak her out, so next time she used to the potty chair (which I had brought out too). After that, she stopped needing diapers and never relapsed. It was weirdly easy. I don't think it's usually that easy. (She made up for it when she was a teenager and drove me crazy with her angst and anger and very loud defiance.)

>97 jolerie: That was the sweetest. :)

Ugh to toilet training. I don't know if even college graduation will match up to the delight of the last accident/diaper.
My oldest pretty much toilet trained himself, so I was in no way prepared for the middle child, who would purposely wee on my foot if I wasn't giving her the attention she felt she deserved (like I was feeding the baby, for example), or when she was bored, have an accident at preschool so she could go home earlier. Talk about tearing your hair out.
My boys just had a hard time stopping what they were doing to go to the bathroom. It takes a while for them to feel it's worth taking that little break. Lol

I must confess I'd never heard of what the school called selective mutism or elective mutism until Daniel stopped talking at school . When we found out from his kindergarten teacher, we went to a child psychologist for quite a while. I think our eldest was just naturally anxious . I was quite shocked and concerned when the teacher told me. Apparently it started right around the birth of our second . But I don't think that is common really at all. As an adult, he does not seem anxious , or certainly not openly , but I still worry about him. He is a private person to this day. And he is 33.

>156 Storeetllr: I read about that method and I really wanted to try it, but never dared (we didn’t have a garden for my eldest, anyway).

>157 nittnut: I’m sorry, that made me laugh. Would have driven me batty if my kids did that to me; it’s bad enough when they play with the dog and then go straight into the kitchen to look for food without washing their hands.

>158 vancouverdeb: Lots of kids have some kind of reaction to the birth of a younger sibling. I have two kids. My eldest, who was five when his brother was born, was really looking forward to having a sibling to play with, but he said to me quietly one day “I don’t want you to stop calling me ‘baby’”. He’s fourteen and has been taller than me for a year but I still call him ‘baby’. As well as the younger one. And our dog (whom we’ve had for a year, so is technically the youngest).

But I did feel as an only child up till then he was quite mature for his age, but after his brother was born, not so much. Now, he’s so laid back it’s more a case of ‘mountain going to Mohammed’ when it comes to doing his chores.

Toilet training talk is taking my back :)
Little Len refused to let anything *solid* go into the toilet. I mentioned it to the Plunket nurse, who said calmly, Oh, I have a pamphlet for that! Fancy that, a pamphlet for everything.
It sorted itself out in the end, but was a bit of a conundrum for a while.

When my granddaughter started to have "accidents," my daughter started a reward chart. She got a sticker for each accident-free day, and when there was a week of stickers, she got to choose something fun to do. Her choice was bowling?! My daughter was a little confused; they had never gone bowling... Kids!

>155 ChelleBearss: J is a slow one. Took him longer to begin the potty training. I feel like we were doing it for a year..haha. Maybe it was just in my head, but I thought FINALLY, we made it and doh, back to square one again. This too shall pass I tell myself. :)

>156 Storeetllr: Mary I hope the opposite holds true in this case then. Difficult to potty train but a breeze during puberty! One can dream and hope. ;)

>157 nittnut: I had to laugh Jenn only because it has not happened to us yet. If any one of the kids did something like that, I don't know what my reaction would be?!? I've had to practice extreme self control every time I've found wet pants because we don't want him to feel negatively or give him anxiety because of the regression, but boy do I want to stuff my face with chocolates after all the clean up...haha

>158 vancouverdeb: Interesting Deb! I've never heard of selective mutism either. Our oldest tends to be the more anxious one so he never did very well when there is a lot of changes happening all at once. Ironically tho, the potty training was a breeze with him and we never had any accidents. My bull in the china shop of a middle child is a different story.

>159 humouress: I was scared to try that method too Nina. I've heard lots of moms talk about how it works and how fast too, but I was always too nervous to pull the trigger and just have boys running around naked..haha
I was expecting my boys to have reactions when each of the siblings came as they would show jealousy whenever I held a friend's baby but surprisingly each took to the new addition with love and fierce protection. The brotherhood is strong in my house. :)

>160 LovingLit: Thats so funny Megan because I JUST said to the hubby the other day, "Just be thankful it's pee and not that other stuff!!"

>161 BLBera: We did a rewards chart for him when we first started potty training and he did take to it quite well. In fact the chart is still on my fridge. Might have to use it again if this scheduled emptying the bladder doesn't see any improvement. :)

#7 Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
Challenge: TIOLI #3 - Read A book of which the title contains something that you love
Source: Public Library
Genre: Historical
Format: TPB
Published: 2017
Setting: United States, New York City, Manhattan
Pages: 433
Series: n/a
Rating: ★★★¾
Other Works: n/a
Tags: WWII, divers, gangsters, organized crime

"With the atmosphere of a noir thriller, Jennifer Egan's first historical novel follows Anna and Styles into a world populated by gangsters, sailors, divers, bankers, and union men. Manhattan Beach is a deft, dazzling, propulsive exploration of a transformative moment in the lives and identities of women and men, of America and the world."

There is no doubt that Egan can write and write well. Her ability to paint a moment in time, to give you a sense of a period, a snapshot of a world and the people living their lives is admirable. My only struggle was that I never felt connected to the people (questionable life choices aside) until the last hundred pages or so. As much as I wanted to like the book and as much as I felt like I should have liked it, overall it fell a bit flat for me, but that doesn't mean that I've given up on Egan either.

Up Next:

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

This one has been sitting on my TBR mountain for YEARS. Glad to get this one dusted off.

>164 jolerie: Such a good choice!

>162 jolerie: I hope so too, because that kind of in-your-face teenage angst from THREE boys would be more than I, at least, could handle. It was hard enough when my ONE daughter went through it. I've heard, though, that boys are easier during the teen years (at least in that way) than girls. (I heard boys tend to agree with whatever you say, then go to their rooms, close the door, and forget what you said rather than scream defiance at you.)

>164 jolerie:, >165 MickyFine: Oh, yes! Great choice!

>165 MickyFine: Well, glowing endorsements from you and Mary means it will be a winner!

>166 Storeetllr: So funny Mary and so true! I was the one who would have screaming matches with my mom during those teenage years, whereas my husband recounts the numerous times when he wouldn't say a word, slam his door, and just curse quietly under his breathe (because if his mom heard, it would be more fighting and nagging). Boy and girls do deal with their issues differently. Hard to imagine or maybe it's more I don't want to imagine the 3 boys with raging hormones right now...... :/

I felt I was really lucky in the toilet training department with my boys. I recall Daniel being toilet trained shortly after he was two years old and we did nothing special. We had a little potty for him and I'd let him sit in it and eat smarties, or play with things with him. He just seemed to catch on and was quickly using the toilet. I even remember when he was about 25 months old, I got him up in the morning and his diaper was dry. I was so surprised. I phoned my mom and asked her what to do from there. She said - leave him in a diaper at night for couple more nights and if he's dry in morning, than just leave him without a diaper at night and take him straight away to the bathroom in the morning.So that is what I did. Daniel was very quick talker too, so he could take in sentences at that age. I have no idea why, but he did not say much until he was about 18 months of age and then we were tossing a beach ball around and he said " I see a big ball." I just about dropped over dead of shock, as he has only used one word at time until then. That may have helped him with his toilet training. We also had a Mr Roger's book about toilet training that interested both of the boys and I give credit to Mr. Rogers too! :-)

William was a little slower with his toilet training and I remember him coming to me after he was toilet trained, but he would would not do any solids in the toilet. He'd go and get a diaper and tell me - mommy, I have to do number 2 and please put my diaper on. So that is what I did. When he got to be about 3 years old, I began to express a little distaste in having to change is diaper and gently encouraged him towards the toilet. So, no big trauma and it worked out. I knew he would need to be fully toilet trained for pre- school, so I was a little panicked. But for non- solids, he was trained at about ?? 27 months.

Poor souls, if they knew what I was writing here :-)

>168 vancouverdeb: Poor souls, if they knew what I was writing here :-)

Oh, my, yes! I'm glad my daughter will never see what I wrote about her and potty training on this thread!

>168 vancouverdeb: >169 Storeetllr: Ha! That's why I have hesitated to write about Charlie's potty training! Oh, well...

It took a FULL YEAR to train him. He picked up the peeing part fairly quickly, but not the pooping. Seriously, for a full year he would hold it in or go to the corner of the living room, squat, and then just low-key do it in his pants. *Sigh* And once he did start using the toilet instead of the living room corner, he would only poop just before bedtime and hold it all day. He still usually holds it during the day at school and immediately goes to the bathroom when he gets home (although I get not wanting to poop in public restrooms - I've had that issue all my life).

>168 vancouverdeb: I promise I won't tell anyone, Deb. You can tell your sons that their secret is absolutely safe with me. ;)
C was the total opposite from Daniel. He didn't really talk till after 2 maybe? We weren't concerned because we knew he fully understood us when we told him something but he was not talkative in the least. But then he started talking and he wouldn't stop..haha
J started talking much much easier and he is very vocal about his emotions being able to express to us his feelings where as C is still very much pulling teeth to get him to express the emotional side....
Together tho, those two are such chatterboxes and goofy together. I hope the bond they share right now will carry them through to adulthood. :)

>169 Storeetllr: Mary, same promise I made to Deb. We will keep this strictly private on the internet. No one else will know. :)

>170 scaifea: Amber, I had a friend who's son did the exact same thing. He would run into the pantry, close the door and do his business. It's interesting how some kids associate the whole thing with something embarrassing or something to keep secret and private......

Nothing like a winter storm to remind you that yes indeed it is still winter...just in case I forgot or something. :/
The schools are NOT closed today but I decided to keep C at home anyways because there is a high chance I would have gotten stuck at the end of my driveway anyways. Which goes to show, this city does not shut down for anything short of an apocalyptic snowstorm. Happy times.

>172 jolerie: Welcome to Alberta. ;)

>172 jolerie: Ha! Wow. It looks like your boys have some shoveling to do, too, before they can take their car anywhere!

>171 jolerie: And I find it oddly comforting that Charlie isn't the only weirdo who had a non-bathroom 'special' pooping place...

Also, Charlie was a late talker, too. Tomm wanted to take him to a speech therapist, but I knew he'd talk when he was ready (like you, I knew he knew what we were saying to him).

>173 MickyFine: It's a chilly and tiring welcome..haha. I've seen 2 cars now stuck on the corner of our street. Good thing I decided to just have a lazy, non-chauffeuring kind of day. ;)

>174 scaifea: It's only fair right Amber? I shovel the driveway..they can work on the porch. My guess is they will just wait for the spring thaw to do it's thing to get access to their "car".
Language acquisition in children is AMAZING how they go from not knowing anything to the explosion in comprehension. Especially watching C go from struggling with this letters to full blown reading is exciting and fascinating to me.

>175 jolerie: I quite agree that language acquisition is fascinating! I recall worrying a bit that Daniel only said a sound like " sq " for squirrel and something for daddy, yes and no, and the all of a sudden he said " I see a big ball" and that was it. No mix up with pronouns, partial sentences. He was about 20 months old and he went from barely saying anything to full sentences. William was more average with earlier speech, but he just put a couple of words together and mixed up pronouns etc for a while.

So glad I live on the B.C. coast No snow! A sunny day today.

Glad you decided to stay home today! Getting stuck in the snow sucks! I turned into a driveway today to turn around and found myself sliding (my own fault for wanting to turn around and show Chloe the turkey at the side of the road lol). Thankful I could turn on the four wheel drive to get out!

While Chloe was good with potty training we are still struggling with speech. She sees a speech therapist twice a week because she refuses to say certain letters. She can say them when she sits in class and tries, she just refuses to say them at home. It's hard to understand her sometimes.

My daughter had a book she followed I think for toilet training. Mia was 2 years 4 months and was trained in one day. I didn’t think it was possible and was very skeptical but it worked like a charm. A combination of lots of apple juice, no clothes, and stickers. And constant attention from Mommy.

Sorry Manhattan Beach fell flat for you. I really liked it last year.

Sweet Thursday, Valerie. Sorry, to hear about all your snow. We are bracing ourselves for our first major snowstorm, starting later tonight, through Friday night. Sighs...

I loved Manhattan Beach. Sorry, it didn't toot your horn. I hope you have better luck with The Curious Case of the Dog, which I also loved.

>176 vancouverdeb: Isn't it crazy how kids learn language?? It is totally different from how we as adults learn it. They just absorb it, immerse themselves in it and voila, they just start using it...it boggles the mind. I wish I could pick up another language now just as easily.

>177 ChelleBearss: I got C to school today despite there being piles and piles of snow everywhere. I got the husband to drive the car out of the driveway last night several times to pack down the snow so I wouldn't get stuck this morning...haha. Neighbours must have thought he was odd but it beats just shovelling if you ask me. :)

>178 brenzi: Bonnie I've heard of that technique as well and it has worked for some of my friends as well. I had one friend who apparently got her kid to do her business at 6 months?!? I couldn't believe it!

>179 msf59: Sending you warm vibes, Mark! I don't know how you can stay out for so long. Just walking from the car to the school and I'm pretty much done.
I feel like I should have liked Manhattan Beach more the more I think about it but it might just have been the wrong time to read it. Either way I'll be on the look out for Egan's other works and see how those fly.

>166 Storeetllr: My 14 year old boy screams a bit first, then throws everything down and walks out and slams the door.

Regarding toilet training, much like >168 vancouverdeb:, he was dry overnight by himself. I confess I put off daytime training until he had to go to Kindergarten and we had to sort it out rather quickly.

>170 scaifea: I’m not a fan of public toilets either. My boys, fortunately or unfortunately, have no such problem.

As for talking, when my eldest was a baby, I happened to hear about Baby Sign Language. We did that and I think it helped him start talking a bit earlier and the same with my youngest. Of course, my husband didn’t come on board until he saw that it actually worked, even the second time around. I think we had about 10-20 basic words, but I met a family who had got up to several hundred; the hiccough there would be that I’d have to learn and remember them first ;0)

>180 jolerie:. got the husband to drive the car out of the driveway last night several times to pack down the snow so I wouldn't get stuck this morning...haha

We used to do that all the time. My hubby used to call it rolling the driveway. He had a 4wd vehicle so he’d clear the way for my car lol.

>181 humouress: I knew a Dad who was having issues with his son constantly slamming/locking the door every time they had a fight that he resorted to unscrewing the door and taking it down so the son was "doorless". Eventually he got his door back though I think...
We did sign language with our eldest too and they all say that it promotes talking earlier but I always wondered if there was any chance it would delay speech because ours was so content to just sign the basics that he didn't care to use words...
With our second, we totally just made up our own signs..haha

>182 brenzi: It was a brilliant move and I didn't get stuck today so woohoo. Now if only I could attach a plow to the front of our SUV and use that to shovel the driveway....think of the time I would save... :)

I was really lucky with Daniel - he seemed to " self train " with daytime and night time! Gah!

Valerie, I admire you sticking to the library. I went into a bit of a" book funk" in November, so I've had to " baby " myself along with purchasing books that really grab me. I prefer to use the library for financial reasons.
Sorry for your snow. One of my brother's used to live in Calgary and they received their fair share of snow. Now they live outside of Toronto ( he and his family ) in Barrie Ontario and they sure get a lot of snow. They really love Barrie and I'm not sure if they have purchased a snow blower, or if their neighbours still help them out. My brother works in Toronto as an airline pilot and while he says he does not mind the highway into Toronto, there sure are a lot of accidents on it. My niece plans to attend university in a few years - she is just 16, and my brother and his wife have said she'll have to live in residence as my brother says he does not want her on the highway in the winter. He''s okay with it, but not for their daughter. They have son aged 13 as well.

Happy Friday everyone!


Courtesy of: Sarah's Scribbles.
Just in case it is hard to read:
Groceries: Just the basics
Clothes: An occasional splurge but mostly necessities
Household items: Whichever brands is the cheapest
And well books is pretty self explanatory...high rolling baller. :D

>184 vancouverdeb: Deb, one of my husband's office is located in Toronto and he said the culture there is so different from ours in terms of commute. Here we are upset that we have to sit half an hour to get anywhere, but there that would be considered fast! They also tend to start work later and get off later to avoid all the traffic. I guess that comes with a city of that size.
Book ruts are no fun so anything that helps us get out of it is a GREAT idea. I have officially run out of bookshelf space so really had to curb how many physical books come into the house..haha
Living on campus for University sounds like such a fun experience! I'm sure in city of that size there will be plenty to see and do when she is not head deep in the books. :D

>186 jolerie: Vancouver is much like Toronto. But for us, we live just 20 minutes from the airport, so my husband's commute is nota big deal. But one of my sons works in Burnaby- Vancouver and his commute takes? 45 minutes each way in good traffic. But he can work from home quite a bit. My other son has about a 45 minute commute each way, and that is by highway and against the traffic flow. Vancouver is pretty spread out.

>185 jolerie: That is me! But not when our kids still lived at home :-)

>185 jolerie: Hahaha!

How's it going with The Curious Incident? I remember liking it pretty well, but it's been a while.

We did baby sign language with my oldest. I taught him "all done" so that we had a couple seconds to grab the high chair tray before he chucked everything on the floor. He learned "milk" and 10-20 other ones. My daughter turned her head away any time I tried to teach her any. That girl. I still feel relieved that she chose to learn how to read or anything at all. So stubborn. Love her.

>185 jolerie: Ha! So true!

That was a great idea to roll your driveway! I chose to not leave the house today so I don’t really care how much snow is out there. The dog is a little disgruntled about the amount in the yard though!

>183 jolerie: Doorless. Hmmm.... As for talking, there are (many, many) times when I wish my 9 year old would give me a break. Why snow plough when you have 3 (count ‘em) boys? Train them early - my eldest is starting to balk.

Singapore is so small it takes a bit more than half an hour to get from one side to the other and when we go overseas, the boys start to get restless after 10 minutes. Of course, as a SAHM, I don’t travel at peak traffic times (except getting the boys home after after school classes) so the altered traffic patterns when I have to go out early are a huge shock to the system.

>185 jolerie: That looks about right, Valerie. Have a great weekend.

>187 vancouverdeb: I remember the traffic in Vancouver being not one of my favourite things about the city but the public transportation is heads and feet above what we have here in Cowtown. I loved how I could basically get anywhere with public transport and you didn't have to wait too long. Here, I had to get my drivers licence because the public system here is no where near as convenient or reliable. :/

>188 nittnut: Hey Jenn! I finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and enjoyed it. Onto The Dispossessed in honour of LeGuin.
My children are of the strong willed variety as well but thankfully in different areas so then we don't come up against a solid wall of resistance all in one area. Right now S will wave bye and say all done which sometimes comes out as food spitting..haha. We are working not that one. :)

>189 ChelleBearss: You should try it when you guys get your next big snowfall Chelle! We are expecting a few more cms this week but nothing outrageous. Thank goodness. :)

>190 humouress: Haha, we definitely get them to help out when it isn't too cold outside but sometimes it's just fast to get out, power through, and then get back in. The boys will shovel the front walkway and then proceed to their snow playing.
I can't imagine sitting in traffic everyday so like you being a SAHM, means I don't have to commute too far for very long. Score!

>191 BLBera: Thanks Beth! There was a lot of Olympic watching in our house over the weekend. My boys favourite was the snowboarding and curling. Such opposite sports..haha. :)

#8 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Challenge: TIOLI #12 - Read a book with a word in the title suggesting darkness
Source: OTS
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: TPB
Published: 2003
Setting: Britain, London
Pages: 221
Series:n/a
Rating: ★★★¾
Other Works: n/a
Tags: autism, mystery, courage, families

"Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the colour yellow. This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighbourhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years."

Christoper's brief escapade and adventure as a detective is one that often times pulls at the heart strings. I found it both appalling and shocking the treatment he received at the hands of adults that he crosses path with in his attempts to find his mom. In a world of complex human relationships, Christopher copes with a courage that is uniquely his own. Stories with unlikely heroes will undoubtably cause readers to want to cheer the underdog on and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is no exception.

Up Next ☝︎:

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

Currently Listening ♫:

The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh

Hi, Valerie. Good review of The Curious Incident. I hope to revisit that one at some point. Funny, I have wanted to listen to the audio, of The Weight of Blood since it came out, but never got to it. Maybe, you will supply the nudge I need...

>195 msf59: It's going to be slow going since the only time I get a chance to listen to my audiobooks is on my stationary bike. Only about half an hour in bit it is shaping up to be a gooder!

I read part of - maybe all of The Curious Incident some years back on the recommendation of my sister.Great review! The Weight of Blood is one I've had my eye on. Let me know what you think of it. And yes, Flavia is fabulous! I've been avoiding my treadmill, Valerie. The days that I stay in from the rain ....some days I just can't get myself out into the rain and someday I can't myself onto the treadmill either. Maybe if I had an audio book... When I walk the dog, I like to be paying full attention to Poppy and my surroundings. Poppy is a bit like having a small child ;-) She looks to me to say - great walking , Poppy. And she pulls in different direction etc so I have to be on the ball. She jumps onto benches and looks at me to say " shake a paw " " roll over " etc and she expects a little treat for each trick she does. It's all my huband's fault. But really it is.

I purchased four different sorts of rattles for my granddaughter to be over the weekend. I am having fun! I can't wait to find out what her name will be . I've prepared myself for everything from " Little Wren" to " Siobhan" to Kayleigh" to " Joy " or maybe Ella. I really have no idea what their taste in names is. And they aren't giving out any clues.

Happy 9 months to this sweet baby of mine. He reminds me every day why I love being a mom. I am now treading that fine balance between being excited as he gets older and looking forward to the little person he is becoming while being sentimental and sad that my last baby is growing up. It's so hard to let go when you know everything he accomplishes, every milestone he achieves will be my last time experiencing it. Slow down sweet one...slow down. :)

Such a cutie, Valerie!!

>198 jolerie: Aw! Happy 9 months to Silas! What a great smile he has!

Happy 9 month’s day to you,
Happy 9 month’s day toooo youuuu....

I’ll shut up now, before I crack your screen.

Ah, bitter sweet. I’m finding with my (slightly) older kids that the joys and frustrations are less frequent but bigger (the joys of teenhood).

>198 jolerie: Awww!! Happy nine months, cutie pie!!

I know what you mean about firsts and lasts! It’s bitter sweet to see them growing up. Just holding Elissa now she is so big and heavy she doesn’t feel like a little baby any longer!

Nothing beats a 9 month-old for cuteness!

>198 jolerie: Oh my goodness, he’s adorable! I can practically hear him laughing!

I loved all the Alice Hoffman talk up thread and the different reactions to her books. I used to read her books as soon as they were published and really liked most of them but it’s been a while now since I’ve read any. I never finished The Story Sisters but loved Turtle Moon, Practical Magic, and Blackbird House, among others.

>198 jolerie: Awe! Happy 9 months to your little cutie pitootie! I can tell Silas is just crazy about you and loves being with you!

Two great reviews for Manhattan Beach, I hope to squeeze that in this month and Curious Incident I read it many years ago and remember liking it but can't remember why! *sob* senior moment :o/

>193 jolerie: Glad to see that one was a hit with you. I saw the stage adaptation last year and I was hesitant going in because so much of the book takes place inside of Christopher's head but they do a brilliant job of making it work. It was really beautiful.

>198 jolerie: Such a cutie! You and your hubby make adorable kids. :D

Hi Valerie. Silas is adorable, and I understand how you feel about seeing him grow up. I remember the time seemed to fly by but there is a light at the end of the tunnel as your little ones grow up and then present you with grandchildren and you get to experience all those "firsts" again!

>197 vancouverdeb: Poppy sounds like such a delight, Deb. I imagine having a cutie like her would help with the motivation to get outside and be active. I'm just waiting for winter to do its thing then I can get out with the boys so they can blow out their energy outdoors instead of destroying my house. :)
You are going to be a fabulous grandma and it will be so much fun to have a little one to cuddle. Can't wait to hear your great news!

>199 ronincats: Thanks Roni!

>200 Crazymamie: I think he knows it too Mamie and so he uses it to his advantage daily. :)

>201 humouress: There is always something to look forward to at each stage. You are right Nina.

>202 ChelleBearss: Totally know what you mean, Chelle. Especially after a feed, I'm just whoa, you definitely aren't a newborn anymore. ;)

>203 LovingLit: Haha..I agree, but then again every stage I think to myself, this is the cutest! I'm sure when they are 18 and grown adults, I'll be like, yes this is the cutest. Mom bias. Totally guilty of that...haha

>204 Copperskye: Thanks Joanne! I don't think I've read a Hoffman book that I haven't enjoyed to some degree yet. I think her storytelling style just suits me personally and I find that I get lost in her characters and their worlds.

>205 Carmenere: It is definitely not just a senior issue, my friend. Mombie mode also can do quite a number of a person's memory. Yay for shared reads. Looking forward to your thoughts on Manhattan Beach. :D

>206 MickyFine: Thanks Micky! Oh I didn't even know there was a stage show but glad to hear that it was well down and stayed true to the spirit of the book. The beginning of the book was not at all what I expected but it all worked out in the end for me.

>207 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I can't WAIT to be grandma...haha. Let's just hope I get through their teenage years with my sanity intact first. :)

>198 jolerie: Oh, what an adorable baby. Congrats on the 9 month mark!

Hi Valerie!

Your kids are beautiful (you already knew that!). It's good to see you back.

My friend in Fort Macleod has had hugely humongous piles of snow and bone-freezing weather this year. I hope you are faring better!

>198 jolerie: Such a little darling, Valerie! Great pictures of him!

>210 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel! It feels like 9 months went by in the blink of an eye.

>211 streamsong: Hi Janet!! So lovely to see you here. Will have to track down your thread soon.

>212 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. :)

>198 jolerie: Happy Birthday, Silas! He is so adorable!

>198 jolerie: OHmygoodness!! That smile is EVERYTHING. Please give him a squeeze and about a thousand forehead kisses for me.

>214 msf59: Thanks Mark!

>215 scaifea: A thousand blowy kisses back at you, Amber. :)

Happy Valentine's Day Friends. Spend it with whoever and doing whatever brings a smile to your face and joy in your hearts. If it involves a man wearing diapers shooting arrows, I won't judge. Well, maybe a little bit. ;)
Courtesy of: Hedgehumour

😀 Love that one. It's mrsdrneutron and me this year...

>217 jolerie: Ha! That's us pretty much every year. Then I get sad when I see all the flowers and gifts that make it onto facebook.

>218 drneutron: So easier than panicking every year and trying to future out what to surprise each other with in my opinion. ;)

>219 ChelleBearss: You have the best gifts ever...E and C!! So adorbs! Although I do see how seeing other peoples romantic sides can be jealousy inducing, but then I think I would have to put effort into it if I expect him to..so.....nevermind..I like it how it is..haha.

>220 jolerie: Ya, it would be a lot of work that I'm just not interested in. I did get him a card and a small box of Turtles though so at least that's something.

>172 jolerie: Beautiful!

>217 jolerie: Love it.

>198 jolerie: Aww!!!

I'll be interested in your thoughts about The Dispossessed.

>221 ChelleBearss: A card and chocolates! That is A for effort. :D

>222 EBT1002: Thanks Ellen. I have about 1/3 left of The Dispossessed and it's interesting but I think I preferred The Left Hand of Darkness more. Are you reading any LeGuins this month?

The eldest has 2 days off school and then we have Family Day (holiday) on Monday which means a 5 day weekend for me. Sort of. I will have to get through 2 days with 3 kids ALL DAY LONG (until the hubby comes home from work) before some me time can kick in. Bring on the coffee. :D

All three kids home for 5 days?! You'll need an IV of coffee!!

>224 jolerie: I hear ya. Over here Friday was a public holiday for Chinese New Year and school has given them an extra day off on Monday. I've got 3 boys today, because my youngest has invited a friend over for a sleepover.

Gong Xi Fa Choi!

Happy weekend, Valerie! Looks like we won't be seeing you for a few days! Let me know if we need to send in reinforcements!!

>198 jolerie: What a cutie! Enjoy. Good luck with the long weekend.

Gong Xi Fa Choi, Valerie! My DIL and my husband are busy celebrating with her family this weekend. My husband went wild this year and purchased me some Purdy's chocolate hearts for Valentines .

>198 jolerie: He's so beautiful! I miss those days. As you know, it goes very fast.

>225 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle! I definitely needed the coffee on drip to get over the long weekend. Now I need another long weekend to recover..haha

>226 humouress: Thank you Nina! We had a wonderful long weekend spending time with family. I hope you guys had a restful holiday as well. :)

>227 Carmenere: I definitely felt the long in the the long weekend Lynda. Late nights with the Olympics probably didn't help either. ;)

>228 BLBera: Thanks Beth! Now we return to our regular scheduled programming.

>229 vancouverdeb: Wow, pulling out all the stops to impress the wife. Lucky you Deb. ;)
I hope your son and DIL had fantastic celebrations. Those usually involve lots of good food. Yum!

>230 AMQS: It has gone by way too fast Anne! I was telling my husband for some reason the nine months being pregnant felt so much longer than the last 9 months since his birth.

Happy Tuesday, Val.

#9 The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin
Challenge: TIOLI #2 - Read a book by or about Ursula K. Le Guin
Source: OTS
Genre: Science Fiction
Format: MMP
Published: 1974
Setting: Anarres, Urras
Pages: 387
Series: n/a
Rating: ★★★½
Other Works: The Left Hand of Darkness, The Lathe of Heaven
Tags: utopia, freedom, community, society, science, philosophy, government

"Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life. Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian mother planet, Urras, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change."

LeGuin is an astute observer of human nature, the intricacies of society and how people interact with each other and within a culture. Her mind, like her characters are intelligent, challenging our assumptions of boundaries and the nature of things. I appreciate when her storytelling focuses on the human side but her philosophical musings and advance scientific meanderings is often times over my ability to understand and somewhat distracting. A worthwhile read, although I did enjoy her other works a touch more.

#10 Amulet Book 5: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi
Challenge: TIOLI #16 - Read a book with title word or author name starting with GOLDSILVERBRONZE in rolling order
Source: Public Library
Genre: Graphic Novel
Format: TPB
Published: 2012
Setting: Cielis, Yarboro Prison, Frontera, Lucien
Pages: 199
Series: Book 5, fifth in series
Rating: ★★★★
Other Works: Amulet, Books 1-4
Tags: Manga, illustrations, friendship, courage



The story of Emily and her courageous group of friends continues with more of an emphasis on filling out some of the back stories. The complicated nature of the villain and his back story makes for an interesting addition to the story. Varying shades of evil is always more intriguing then bad men just doing bad things.

Up Next ☝︎:

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

>232 Ameise1: Happy Tuesday to you as well Barbara!

>198 jolerie:. What a cutie pie!

Ohhhh you’re reading the new Ruth Ware. I’ll look forward to what you have to say about that one.

...the nine months being pregnant felt so much longer than the last 9 months since his birth
Lolz. True!! I had morning sickness to really get that time really dragging.

Morning, Valerie! How's The Lying Game?

>237 brenzi: Bonnie it's my first Ware. I will have to go back and read her first book and see how it compares. :)

>238 LovingLit: I think maybe part of it was I was on bedrest for most of my last trimester made it feel THAT much longer. I was lucky with the whole morning sickness department. Happy to say that I didn't throw up with any of the boys but the gagging was a real threat.

>239 ChelleBearss: I have about 100 pages left. I have some plot issues but overall it's been an okay read. I cannot for the life of me decide how to pronounce Isa. EEE-sa? or Eye-sa? Or something completely different..haha What did you call her?

>240 jolerie: In my head I was calling her eye-sa. I recall she mentioned in the beginning pages that someone had pronounced it wrong and I think that was Iz-za. She bugged me anyway lol

ETA
I went back and checked and the mispronunciation was Izza.

>241 ChelleBearss: I remember that attempt to clarify her name in the book but I STILL had issues remembering it when I was reading so that got a bit distracting. Have you read her other books?

>242 jolerie: Yes, I've read two of her others (not sure if she has written more than that.) In A Dark, Dark Wood was ok but nothing to write home about and I had it figured out before the end. I didn't write down my thoughts on The Woman in Cabin 10 as it was right before Elissa was born but I don't think it was a top 10'er.

>243 ChelleBearss:. Ok, good to know! No rush to get to them anytime soon me thinks. :)

Oh dear, I haven't read any Ruth Ware yet but I do have In A Dark, Dark Wood on my TBR. Obviously I won't be rushing to get to it.

>245 DeltaQueen50: You and I both, Judy. Maybe it will be one of those books where you go in with tempered expectations and it won't be too bad. :)

New Thread is up. See you guys HERE