Lori (thornton37814) Reads with Sherlock, Mr B, and Barney in 2018 - thread 3

Aren't my boys just adorable in their pose for the new thread?

Books Read thru February: 1-10

1. Where I Was From by Joan Didion - completed 1 Jan 2018
2. Pusserina the Wondercat by Kenneth B. Melvin; illustrated by Linda Albrecht - completed 1 Jan 2018
3. Raised Bed Gardening: How to Use Simple Raised Beds to Grow a Beautiful Vegetable Garden by Dane Alexander - completed 1 Jan 2018
4. The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg - completed 2 Jan 2018
5. Strawberry Yellow by Naomi Hirahara - completed 4 Jan 2018
6. Funeral Music by Morag Joss - completed 5 Jan 2018
7. Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates - completed 7 Jan 2018
8. The Toad Who Loved Tea by Faiz Kermani - completed 8 Jan 2018
9. Buried in the Country by Carola Dunn - completed 8 Jan 2018
10. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith - completed 12 Jan 2018

Books Read thru February: 11-20

11. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - completed 13 Jan 2018
12. Friends in High Places by Donna Leon - completed 15 Jan 2018
13. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale - completed 15 Jan 2018
14. Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - completed 17 Jan 2018
15. Mary and Her Little Lamb by Will Moses - completed 17 Jan 2018
16. My Teacher by James Ransome - completed 17 Jan 2018
17. The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper; illustrated by George & Doris Hauman - completed 17 Jan 2018
18. My Baby Blue Jays by John Berendt - completed 17 Jan 2018
19. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books by Lucille Colandro - completed 17 Jan 2018
20. The Balfour Declaration: Sixty-Seven Words, 100 Years of Conflict by Elliot Jager - completed 19 Jan 2018

Books Read thru February: 21-30

21. The Litttle Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien - completed 20 Jan 2018
22. Laughter and Early Sorrow: and Other Stories by Brett Busang - completed 20 Jan 2018
23. The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall - completed 21 Jan 2018
24. Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody - completed 25 Jan 2018
25. Hiding the Past by Nathan Dylan Goodwin - completted 27 Jan 2018
26. The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri - completed 29 Jan 2018
27. Life of Pi by Yann Martel - completed 1 Feb 2018
28. 'Over the Hills and Far Away': The Life of Beatrix Potter by Matthew Dennison - completed 1 Feb 2018
29. Planting Corn Belt Culture: The Impress of the Upland Southerner and Yankee in the Old Northwest by Richard Lyle Power - completed 1 Feb 2018
30. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters - completed 3 Feb 2018

Books Read thru February: 31-40

31. Creole Holiday by Phyllis A. Whitney - completed 3 Feb 2018
32. Little Poems for Tiny Ears by Lin Oliver; illustrated by Tomie DePaolo - completed 4 Feb 2018
33. Three Little Kittens by Jerry Pinkney - completed 4 Feb 2018
34. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter - completed 4 Feb 2018
35. Oh No, Gotta Go! by Susan Middleton Elya; illustrated by C. Brian Karas - completed 4 Feb 2018
36. The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck by Laura Murray; illustrated by Mike Lowery - completed 4 Feb 2018
37. Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Jan Brett - completed 4 Feb 2018
38. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats - completed 4 Feb 2018
39. The Puppy Who Went to School by Gail Herman; illustrated by Betina Ogden - completed 4 Feb 2018
40. Rhymes Round the World by Kay Chorao - completed 4 Feb 2018

Books Read thru February: 41-50

41. Keri Tarr, Cat Detective by Wendy Lement; illustrated by Jeffrey Scott Burrows - completed 4 Feb 2018
42. Involuntary Witness by Gianrico Carofiglio - completed 6 Feb 2018
43. From Jerusalem to Timbuktu: A World Tour of the Spread of Christianity by Brian C. Stiller - completed 7 Feb 2018
44. Sugar and Iced by Jenn McKinlay - completed 10 Feb 2018
45. The Undoing of Saint Silvanus by Beth Moore - completed 11 Feb 2018
46. Folly by Stella Cameron - completed 12 Feb 2018
47. Better Off Read by Nora Page - completed 15 Feb 2018
48. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor - completed 16 Feb 2018
49. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - completed 18 Feb 2018
50. A Necessary End by Peter Robinson - completed 19 Feb 2018

Books Read thru February: 51-60

51. Old Bear and His Cub by Olivier Dunrea - completed 21 Feb 2018
52. Destination: Antarctica by Robert Swan - completed 21 Feb 2018
53. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle - completed 21 Feb 2018
54. Ladybug Girl and Bingo by David Soman and Jacky Davis - completed 21 Feb 2018
55. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell; illustrated by David Catrow - completed 21 Feb 2018
56. A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard; illustrated by Alice Provensen and Martin Provensen - completed 21 Feb 2018
57. The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola - completed 21 Feb 2018
58. Plenty of Love to Go Around by Emma Chichester Clark - completed 21 Feb 2018
59. Just One More by Jennifer Hansen Rolli - completed 21 Feb 2018
60. Taking Care of Mama by Mitra Modarressi - completed 21 Feb 2018

Books Read thru February: 61-68

61. Good Morning, Digger by Anne Rockwell; illustrated by Melanie Hope Greenberg - completed 21 Feb 2018
62. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans - completed 21 Feb 2018
63. Luke Goes to Bat by Rachel Isadora - completed 21 Feb 2018
64. Murder, She Knit by Peggy Ehrhart - completed 22 Feb 2018
65. Grand Canyon by Jason Chin - completed 22 Feb 2018
66. Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith - completed 25 Feb 2018
67. In the Shadow of the Glacier by Vicki Delany - completed 27 Feb 2018
68. Slight Mourning by Catherine Aird - completed 27 Feb 2018

American Author Challenge
Jan - Where I Was From by Joan Didion
Feb - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

British Author Challenge
Jan - Debut Novels
Funeral Music by Morag Joss
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Feb - the 1970s
A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977) - by Ellis Peters
Slight Mourning (1975) - by Catherine Aird

Irish Author Challenge
Jan - The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien
Feb - The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor

Happy new thread, Lori! The boys look happy to be photographed.

>9 thornton37814: Yes - I could not ask for a better pose, especially from Sherlock!

Happy New Thread, Lori. Another great photo of the kitties!

I'll have to fill out the rest of these tomorrow. I need some rest tonight.

>12 ronincats: Thanks!

Happy new thread, Lori. Wonderful topper.
Big waves from snowy Zürich.

>15 Ameise1: It's rainy in Tennessee. A lot of folks are disappointed we didn't get at least one good snowfall this year. Of course, some of our largest ones arrived in April so we still maintain a slight chance of getting one.

Happy new thread, Lori!
You are reading fast this year :-)

The boys are so cute! We're currently under a winter storm warning in my neck of the woods. Could get up to 25 cm (10ish inches) of snow this weekend. Want to swap? ;)

Happy new thread - lovely photo of the boys!

Happy New Thread, Lori!

>1 thornton37814: Ha!

I probably missed it - how did you like The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher? Our daughter is a true crime aficionado, and that's one of her favorites.

>17 FAMeulstee: About half of those are children's books so they were quick reads. Still, even without them I'm ahead of where I normally am.

>18 MickyFine: If spring break wasn't coming up in 24 hours, I'd take you up; however, I want to get out of town!

>19 SuziQoregon: Thanks! They are so adorable.

>20 jnwelch: I liked it quite a bit. I gave it 4 stars, but I dinged it a bit because they employed those hidden footnotes I detest--the ones where you don't know they are present unless you look at the end first (which you don't do with e-books).

Happy new thread!

>22 drneutron: Thanks, Jim.

69. Walking on Edge: A Pilgrimage to Santiago by Reino Gevers

Date Completed: 1 Mar 2018

Category: Cornwall

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #9: Read a book first published in the last 10 years (2008 or later)

Other Challenges: Nonfiction Challenge - Far, Far Away: Traveling/Travel Narrative

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The author made a pilgrimage along Spain's well-known Camino. He tells about his guide and travel companions, other pilgrims they encountered, and experiences in towns along the way. While the author includes some religious reflection which is the pilgrimage's purpose, he doesn't really share enough about this aspect. Perhaps he considered it too private, but in a book devoted to religious pilgrimage, it seems he needed to share in enough detail what the experience did for him that others would want to follow his steps. The book needed editing. An overabundance of "be" verbs and passive constructions made readability suffer. I received the book through a GoodReads giveaway with the hope of a review.

Happy new thread, Lori! That topper made me smile BIG - so cute!

>25 Crazymamie: They are! I'm glad you smiled.

My current audiobook is the first in Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. I'm about halfway through the second section. No crime yet (except a suicide which isn't questioned). No Vera yet. I'm becoming impatient. I wondered if other readers complained about this. I found a review stating Vera doesn't appear until the 6th disc. I hope I can endure that long. I love Cleeves' Shetland series with Jimmy Perez, but I'm not in love with this book. Still the reviews make me want to try to stick with it.

70. Foreign Bodies edited by Martin Edwards

Date Completed: 1 Mar 2018

Category: Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #6: Read a book where the author's first name is also the name of a city or village in your state, province or the like

Other Challenges: MysteryCAT - Global Mysteries; AlphaKIT - F

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Martin Edwards offers short stories in translation in this volume. Normally I'll discover one or two real duds among a few gems and mostly mediocre to slightly above average offerings. Nothing really hit me as being a "dud" or even below average in this collection. "The Kennel" by Maurice Level became the first "standout story." I enjoyed the twist at the end. The introduction compared his work to Guy de Maupassant and Edgar Allan Poe. Perhaps that is why it resonated so well with me. I usually enjoy short stories by both of those authors. Told in the form of letters, "The Stage Box Murder" by Paul Rosenhayn provides the story of a murderer who lacks the cleverness he thinks he possesses. Although I guessed it, I still loved it. "The Mystery of the Green Room" by Pierre Very makes a statement about reading's importance, drawing heavily from The Mystery of the Yellow Room throughout. The author also mentions Poe's "The Purloined Letter." I received an advance copy from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

Hi Lori - waiting to hear what you think about the Cleeves series. Like you, I've really enjoyed the Shetland books so I was hoping to move on to Vera Stanhope.

Happy new thread, Lori.

It is good to see that you have well and truly gotten your reading mojo back.

>27 thornton37814: Yep. I started that one, too, because I loved the Shetland books so much, but ended up just setting it aside when page after page no Vera appeared. I'll be interested to see what you decide.

Hi Lori! Your boys up in >1 thornton37814: are getting big and so cute.

I have a friend who walked the Camino. She said it was an amazing experience. Also, it was hard on the toes. :)

>29 vivians: I will let you know.

>30 PaulCranswick: I hope to get some reading in next week, but I'll need to spend some time each evening evaluating where I stand in relation to the needs for my presentations. I may have less time for reading than I anticipate, especially in Raleigh where I'll be spending time with friends too.

>31 Crazymamie: I am glad I'm not the only person having the issue. I really was trying to decide whether to keep reading it or abandon it -- and if I did choose to abandon it, decide whether or not I wanted to give the second a try. Ratings seems to be okay, so I'll keep at it. I should finish it on my spring break meanderings next week.

>32 nittnut: The boys are getting big, but I hope they are getting a little smaller. The vet wants them to lose weight, so we put them on a weight control formula. One of our Spanish language professors walked the Camino last year and plans to do so again this summer. She loves it. She also wrote a book on her experience which I have not read. (Kindle version is $9.99; print is $28.99.) She also wrote a book which came out in January. The library should receive a copy for special collections. Perhaps I can read it before it is officially in the collection.

Hi Lori!

Long time no visit. Happy new thread, and your boys are really gorgeous.

From your last thread, I broke down and bought a very nice used copy of The Story of Lucy Gault. I'd had it on my wish list forever, but your review tipped it into the BB category!

>28 thornton37814: Good morning, Lori! That sounds like one of the better offerings among the anthologies in the series. I'll definitely think about getting that one.

>35 karenmarie: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

>36 harrygbutler: Perhaps it is better because he had more translated stories from which to choose. I really enjoyed this one more than some of the others.

Happy 3rd thread, Lori, Mr. B, Barney and Sherlock!! I hope, you all, have a wonderful weekend!

>38 Carmenere: I'm sure we'll enjoy Saturday. They might not enjoy Sunday quite so much as we'll be traveling, but at the end of the day, they'll be thankful to be with me instead of without me.

Happy new thread my dear and great photo of the boys as your thread topper.

>40 johnsimpson: Thanks, John. I really let the last one grow a bit longer than usual, but I kept thinking the new month would soon arrive so I should wait.

Happy New thread!

>42 figsfromthistle: Thank you!

Hi, Lori. Happy new thread. Love the pics of the boys at the top! They all look very happy and contented!

>27 thornton37814: I, too, have read all the Shetland mysteries and started on the Vera Stanhope series last year. I have a few more books to go in the Vera series and I haven't read them in order, but I enjoy the series. It is very, very different from the Shetland series. Jimmy Perez is a much more likeable character IMO than Vera, but I think that's intentional on Cleeves' part. We are meant to like Vera, but she does have a little bit of a prickly side at times. Also, I think the Shetland islands themselves play a large part in that series, and the locale doesn't play as big a part in Vera. They are just really different series. I've read a couple of books from the other two series that she has written and enjoyed both.

>44 rretzler: I still haven't reached Vera's first appearance yet -- and I'm on the 4th part. I guess I'll get to "meet" her on the way to Richmond. So far, I'm not impressed, but I'm going to give Vera a try. I suspect I like the location as much as Perez in the Shetland series. It will be hard for Vera to come close.

Hi Lori, nice photo of your cats! How do you get them to pose so quietly? My pictures are always blurry, my cat doesn't want to be in a picture.

I'm with you when it comes to the problems of notes in eBooks. My preference would be for notes directly in the text, something like a number or a sign you can click on and then the note would appear. Shouldn't be that difficult, should it?

>46 EllaTim: I'm shocked one didn't move. Well--acutally Sherlock did, but he only became cuter when he did. There is a "live" setting on my iPhone. I am pretty sure that is one I took with that setting so it snaps like 3 photos to come up with the one. Re notes: some books do just that. They number includes a blue hyperlink.

71. Death by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge

Date Completed: 3 Mar 2018

Category: San Diego

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #14: Read a book with water on the cover

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Liz Holt returns to Indialantic, Florida where her father runs the Indialantic by the Sea Hotel. We meet an odd assortment of characters who appear to find little to do other than drop names of old movies. (How many old titles can be fit into the book? Hundreds, it seemed.) Robbery appears to be the motive when a wealthy guest turns up dead about 40% of the way into the book. This installment failed to make me care about the amateur sleuth, detective, or any other character. I felt the author simply tried to show off her knowledge of old movies. I looked forward to a mystery set in this locale but came away disappointed. Other readers may find it more appealing. I will skip future installments. I received an advance reader's copy through NetGalley with the expectation an honest review would be written.

You haven't hit 50 posts yet, so it's not too late to wish you a happy new thread!! Hope you are all recovered from the extraction by now. Safe travels.

>49 Berly: Recovery took longer than anticipated. I'm still not able to eat things too hard, but I'm gradually able to handle things with a bit more crunch. Stitches aren't fully dissolved yet, and food likes to lodge under them. It drives me crazy!

My cats are becoming better travelers. They did well on the drive to Richmond. They explored the room, making frequent trips to my lap, when we arrived at the hotel. The room is quite dark though. The desk lacks a lamp. Two bedside lamps, a floor lamp, and the entry way light seems to be it. None are very bright. Not enough light to cross-stitch. Fortunately the iPad provides light so I'll just read in a bit. I'm relaxing and giving my eyes a bit of a break first.

Sorry to hear that your tooth extractions are still bothering you. I hope the stitches will soon dissolve and you are feeling 100 % .

>52 vancouverdeb: It's more of an aggravation with the stitches than anything, I suppose. I'll be glad when they are gone too.

Today was a good eating day. I started the day with a "Got Your Goat" biscuit from The Fancy Biscuit. The biscuit included fried chicken, goat cheese, and pepper jelly with balsamic drizzled all over the plate. I skipped lunch because I was stuffed. I read about the "Fresh Fruit Cake" from Shindigz (next to The Fancy Biscuit). I got a carry-out piece which I ate tonight in the room. Yummy! (I only ate half the piece so I get to enjoy it later too.) I also picked up donuts for tomorrow from The Sugar Shack. I remembered it from my last trip to Richmond where we made a run before they closed because a friend wanted to try their maple bacon one. I didn't get maple bacon, but I got a Butterfinger one that looks promising! I went to Buz & Ned's, a barbecue joint, for supper. I know I ate there with some others before, but I forgot it wasn't as good as North Carolina or Tennessee barbecue despite its high ratings. We leave for Raleigh in the morning but we can take our time. I think the trip will take about 3 hours, but we will sightsee along the way to kill time.

Hi Lori!

I've been reading about your dental issues and glad that you're on the road to recovery. Safe trip to Raleigh!

>55 karenmarie: Thanks. I'm a little surprised at the way it was routing me when I checked tonight. However, I think I'll go down I-95 instead of I-85 anyway now it suggested it. I had ancestors in Nash County so I can visit their old stomping grounds. Maybe not the exact location since I didn't bring the deeds, but the general vicinity.

Hi, Lori!

>1 thornton37814: Ho! Aren't they just totally adorable!!!

71 books already!!

Ann Cleeves: I love the Shetland series, but haven't tried Vera yet. I read her entire old Inspector Ramsay series, too. It's not as good as the Shetland series -- the books are much simpler -- but I enjoyed them.

>57 tymfos: I'm not in love with Stanhope yet. I'll probably finish or come very close to finishing the book en route to Raleigh. I needed my GPS more than the audiobook to navigate places I needed to be in Richmond, but I know my way around Raleigh much better.

72. Children of the Street by Kwei Quartey

Date Completed: 7 Mar 2018

Category: Amish Country

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #3: Rolling challenge: Read a book with a plural noun in the title, going up in alphabetical order

Other Challenges: MysteryCAT - Global Mysteries

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Street children in Accra suffer death at the hands of a man leaving them in trashy places. The killer leaves behind other clues which Inspector Darko Dawson and others of the Accra police must decipher before the killer's apprehension. In the meantime, Darko's son Hosiah needs an expensive operation. Quartey's series locale provides an atmosphere unlike most other detective series. While vocabulary differs somewhat from American terminology, a glossary helps readers with some of the nuances of the dialect.

73. The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves

Date Completed: 7 Mar 2018

Category: Bahamas

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #7: Read a book by a female author who has had at least 3 books published

Other Challenges:MysteryCAT - Global Mysteries

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Three women engaged in environmental concerns live together in Baikie's cottage in Northumberland. Rachel's close friend Bella commits suicide. Rachel wants to find out why Bella was driven to this deed. Much of the plot for half the book sounds much like a soap opera. When one of the three women is murdered, we finally meet Inspector Vera Stanhope. While the soap-opera-like drama continues, Stanhope investigates. The plot's multiple layers provide something for most readers. Aging detective Stanhope is likable, but provides a slightly different look and feel to a detective than what is usually found in the genre. Once Vera made an appearance, I began enjoying the novel more, but the lack of crime and long introduction put me off a bit initially. I plan to continue with the next installment, but I do hope we don't need to wait so long for a crime and detective. I listened to the audio version narrative by Anne Dover. I enjoyed the narration.

Ahhhh..fell behind Lori! Belated happy new thread congratulations..hehe

Your boys are super adorable and sure know how to prose in front of the camera. ;)

Happy new thread, Lori. Sounds like you have your March break well planned.

>60 thornton37814: Lori, it does seem strange that in the introductory book of the series, Cleeves waits so long to introduce Vera. She comes in much earlier in the other books I've read - some start out with Vera, and others introduce the mystery first, but none of them take as much time as The Crow Trap.

>61 jolerie: I love my boys! They've been hiding out a bit more in the new hotel room. It's not as large as the last one, but they can get under the bed and probably under the chest of drawers--at least Barney probably can. So far the bed is the only place they are hiding. Most LaQuintas put the mattresses on platforms where animals can't get under them (and push those back against the wall so there is no crawl space by the head. This one is open all the way under. Saturday may be interesting when the roundup to go home takes place. They are exploring the room at the moment. I hope they'll continue their explorations and decide it is safe.

>62 Familyhistorian: I think the Family History Library's microfilm loan plan ending decided my spring break plans. I knew I'd need multiple repositories, and I'm glad I came up with an option with more minimal travel involved.

>63 rretzler: I'm glad to hear this! I'm sure I'll be glad the others don't take so long to get to the crux. At first it read more like "chick lit."

Happy newish thread, Lori. You are close to 75 already! Amazing.

Oh dear, I am late on wishing you happy new thread but better late than never.

You are doing some terrific reading this year!

>65 BLBera: Thanks, Beth!

>66 witchyrichy: It's okay. I'm way behind on threads because I'm out of town.

Murder at the Lake by Bruce Beckham is free today at the Kindle store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RU7SNP0. I recently entered a Giveaway for the 7th in the series and received a notification from the guy's marketer this one was free today in the Kindle store. It's the 4th in the series. It looks like ratings here on LT average 3.67. I thought I'd give it a try at some point when I get caught up with other reads so I snagged it. Thought other mystery fans might be interested as well.

As soon as I round up the boys, we're going to head toward home. Of course, loading the car will take a few minutes after the round-up! They have more luggage than I do -- two cat carriers, litter box, food bowls, food container with dry food, food and water bowls, treats, canned food (which is mostly gone now except for the extra can I packed just in case), cat litter box, gallon jug of water, large scratching post, covers for the sofas and chairs, etc. I had my small suitcase, my shoulder laptop case, and a tote bag with research, a few things that wouldn't fit in the suitcase, my Bible and devotional book, one more book, and a cross-stitch project I ended up not touching because of poor lighting in Richmond which is where I thought I'd get more work done on it. It's been nice to have them with me.

>69 thornton37814: you're a braver soul than I...my cats are homebodies, and howl when I put them in the car for a 5 minute trip to the vet!

>70 fuzzi: They gradually become better travelers. I discovered that with the last one. It's cheaper for me to take them than to board them. I don't have a neighbor I can rely upon to take care of them. I had someone who was taking care of them, but after I came home and it appeared she hadn't been in a couple of days, I decided I would either board them or take them.

>71 thornton37814: that's terrible (your cat non-sitter)! I've done my share of that job, would never consider abandoning an agreement.

>72 fuzzi: I board them at the vet's when I go. When I get back, all the vet assistants (and even the vets) tell me stories of what my boys did. I know they are in good hands there.

The boys sprang forward last night before I did. They seemed to know it was Daylight Savings Time. It challenged me to find a place to put my feet when I joined them.

>74 thornton37814: This post made me laugh out loud! Your boys are too cute!!

>74 thornton37814: I love how they all "get along". They're siblings, right?

>75 Crazymamie: I laughed when I got there too and saw they'd beat me to bed.

>76 fuzzi: Yes. They get along really well. The two gray boys often get into some heated wrestling matches, but they both know when to quit and seem to only be playing, for the most part. Occasionally one gets a little too rough, but the other lets him know, and they resume a more reasonable level of play. I used to find claw marks on noses, but they seem to not claw one another as much now.

I love the photo of the cats on the quilt and the sleepy "Hi Mom" looks. I'm impressed that they are such good travelers.

Both your global mysteries sound very good.

>78 streamsong: Thanks! I think I've read three to date which fit the global category and the Guido Brunetti book for the month which I am currently reading fits too.

>74 thornton37814: So cute!

>80 MickyFine: They are adorable, aren't they?

I've been weeding and reclassifying some psychology and counseling books today. Here are a few:

           

Hi Lori! I somehow missed when your new thread got created!

>74 thornton37814: Adorable!

>83 ChelleBearss: That's okay. I sometimes don't catch up on new threads until they are well-underway, and I've been known to be a couple of threads behind on some of the heavy posters.

74. Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon

Date Completed: 14 Mar 2018

Category: Cork, Ireland

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book in which the last letter of the author's first name plus the last letter of the author's last name spells a word

Other Challenges: MysteryCAT - Global Mysteries; Two Guidos

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Brunetti identifies a man found floating in a canal as an American military health inspector. Patta pressures Brunetti to accept a concocted explanation which will appease high profile persons in Venice. Vicardi, one such influential person, reports stolen paintings. A recently released criminal becomes the immediate suspect in the painting thefts. Brunetti continues to investigate the murder as he can but one person he plans to interview dies before he gets to do so. This installment's plot stretches the boundaries of belief, even for a country with as much corruption as the Italy portrayed by Leon. The ending does not completely satisfy.

I think your boys adjusted better than my boys! There was no springing. More like drag your butt, pull your teeth, kind of time change. ;)

>86 jolerie: I was surprised. Never expected them to beat me to bed.

>82 thornton37814: Only the latest and most up-to-date, eh? ;-)

>88 ronincats: Maybe 60 years ago in the case of some -- and 35 in others.

75. The Birds of the Innocent Wood by Deirdre Madden

Date Completed: 15 Mar 2018

Category: Charleston

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book in which the last letter of the author's first name plus the last letter of the author's last name spells a word

Other Challenges: Irish Author Challenge, AlphaKIT - I

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Madden weaves a dark story about Jane, whose parents perished in a fire when she was only two, and her two daughters. Raised by an aunt and sent to boarding school, Jane felt unwanted and unloved. She felt lonely and somehow isolated herself from society, even isolating herself from her husband. The daughters grew up loving their mother but frightened of her. The odd family dynamics contributed to strangeness in their own behaviors. The remote location plays into the novel's depictions of despair. The novel looks at loneliness, isolation, and secrets. Madden does a good job crafting the Somerset Maugham award-winning narrative. Although readers may not feel a personal connection to the characters, they may reflect on individual psychology and make comparisons to their own family dynamics.

76. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley

Date Completed: 15 Mar 2018

Category: Quebec City

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #10: Read a book that isn't a "book"

Other Challenges: MysteryCAT - Global Mysteries

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: Flavia, now part of an elite group known as the Nide, crosses the Atlantic in the company of a pair of doctors to attend Mrs. Bodycote's Female Academy in Toronto. On her first night, another girl scrambles up the chimney in Flavia's room to avoid being caught breaking curfew. She gets the fright of her life as she and a skeleton come crashing down the chimney. Flavia can't resist looking into the mystery although she lacks information access she might expect back home in Bishop's Lacey. She discovers several "missing" girls from recent years. Flavia, whose passion for poisons impresses, gets to study chemistry with a woman charged with murdering her husband but found innocent. This thrills her. Flavia does not know which fellow students are members of the Nide and which are not, so she must trust no one.

Flavia charms the reader as much as in previous installments. Jayne Entwistle's narration equally delights the listener, making him feel as though he sat and heard a great storyteller. I look forward to the next installment.

Good Flavia review! I really do mean to get back to that series someday!

>92 ChelleBearss: I've still got a few before I'm caught up, but I'm getting closer. I'm trying to space them between others. I really love the audio format for Flavia. Jayne Entwistle does such a great job with the narration.

>91 thornton37814: Nice review, Lori. Erika is a fan of the Flavia stories, and she's got my mother going on them now, too.

>93 thornton37814: I totally agree about Jayne Entwistle's narration. Somehow she inhabits the persona of a precocious 12 year old without being annoying. I just read the latest one, The Grave's a Fine and Private Place and it held up pretty well.

>94 harrygbutler: They are absolutely delightful.

>95 vivians: She's the perfect narrator for the series. She somehow captures her perfectly. I'll catch up with that one by the end of the year. I suspect Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd will be somewhere in the May-June time frame. I almost hate to get caught up!

Congratulations on reaching 75, Lori!

75!! Well, actually 76. Whoohoo!! I have not read any of the Flavia books...might have to fix that. : )

Congrats from me too - quick work!

Hi Lori!

>74 thornton37814: Very nice. I usually have to shift Inara when I want to get in the bed, but she doesn't seem to mind.

Congrats!

Congrats on reaching 75 and happy weekend, Lori.

Oh, I had missed that: congratulations on reaching 75, Lori! I hope you're enjoying your weekend.

76! Congratulations, Lori! Hope you're having a good weekend.

Congrats on reaching 75!

Lori, It is great that your cats can travel with you. I like that they have more luggage than you do…kind of like traveling with kids. Well, they are your furkids so that makes sense. Loved the picture of them in bed.

>85 thornton37814: I think the Donna Leon book will be next up for me. I have about 200 pages left in my current book.

You are reading up a storm. Congratulations on blowing past the 75-book goal!

>97 FAMeulstee: Thank you for being the first to notice, Anita!

>98 Berly: The Flavia books are delightful in print, but I absolutely love the audio versions.

>99 charl08: Thank you!

>100 karenmarie: Sometimes my boys will get off if I move them. I'd rather keep them with me.

>101 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>102 Ameise1: Except for the headache I've had all day, it's been pretty good.

>103 harrygbutler: I got some stuff down around the house yesterday and also managed to read and cross-stitch.

>104 jnwelch: Thank you!

>105 figsfromthistle: Thanks!

>106 Donna828: The Donna Leon book was good although that one isn't my favorite. With no one to look after them when I'm away, I either have to board the 3 of them at $50/day or find a place that will allow me to take them if I'm gone too long. With LaQuinta's pet-friendly policy, I can take them as long as the local hotel doesn't mind the 3rd cat. The chain's official policy is a 2 pet limit per room.

77. Murder at an Irish Wedding by Carlene O'Connor

Date Completed: 18 Mar 2018

Category: Cork, Ireland - It's actually set there.

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Read a book where the title includes at least two different words beginning with the same letter

Other Challenges: AlphaKIT - I

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Siobhán O'Sullivan brings bread to a Kilbane Castle wedding party just moments before a body is discovered. Since the murder occurred before she arrived on the scene, she is not a suspect, but her boyfriend who belongs to the Garda is, especially since his cap is discovered with the body. After he is excluded initially from the investigation, he jokingly makes a remark she's the next best thing to an investigator, she uses that as an excuse to insert herself into the investigation as she would have done anyway. I really don't think I'm the target demographic for this series. The novel is too chatty, too convoluted, and seems to be one which would appeal most to those under age 35. The pacing and interest do pick up somewhat in the last eighty pages or so. I plan to read (or at least attempt to read) the next one only because I read a review of it that indicates the author possibly matured a bit as a writer. If it does not draw me in sooner, I will likely give up the series.

Hi Lori!

>109 thornton37814: I was totally shocked the first time I heard dogs in a hallway at the LaQuinta Inn in Diamond Bar CA and called down to find out what was going on. They told me about their pet friendly policy. Next time I go there I'll ask if they have any non-pet halls or sections of halls. I wouldn't mind kitties at all, but the sound of dogs barking is a bit too much for me!

>109 thornton37814: what's an extra cat or two, hmm? :D

Congratulations on reaching 75, woo!

Congrats on reaching 75, Lori! Here's to another 75. :D

I too have to get back to the Flavia series. I only read the first one but I have a couple of the other ones sitting in my TBR mountain.

>111 karenmarie: I had dogs who barked in the room next to me the first night in Richmond, but the only time I really heard them was when I was approaching my room. Once I was inside, I couldn't hear them. In Raleigh, I had a couple next to me one night where the man was being verbally abusive to the woman. I'll take the dogs over that any night.

>112 fuzzi: The LaQuinta in Tupelo had changed its policy this past Christmas when I arrived. Fortunately the cats were in two carriers, I used one of the food bowls as a water bowl so it appeared I only had two cats. We all know how many there were.

>113 jolerie: At least you'll have some fun reads forthcoming!

Congrats on hitting the mighty 75, Lori! Any interesting birds in The Birds of the Innocent Wood? Grins...

>115 msf59: Birds were mentioned in the narrative, but once mentioned, they must have flown away.

78. In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War by Tobias Wolff

Date Completed: 20 Mar 2018

Category: Boston

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #4: Pangram rolling challenge: "How vexingly quick daft zebras jump!"

Other Challenges: American Author Challenge, AlphaKIT - I

Rating: 4 stars

Review: As a child, I sometimes watched the news, at least when passing the old television with the big antenna atop the house which picked up two stations--the NBC and CBS affiliates. Almost every night, at least from the age I remembered anything I saw, we heard news stories from some strange place with jungles where a lot of Americans engaged in war. The place, of course, was Vietnam. Tobias Wolff provides a first-hand look at his experience as an officer both before and during his being stationed there. The majority deals with time spent in the My Tho region. I enjoyed his sincere narrative which showed his development as an individual and as a soldier. He offers keen observations on both the Vietnamese and American forces. i want to read more of Wolff's work in the future.

Impressed Lori that you've whizzed by 75 whilst I wasn't paying enough attention.

Congratulations on really getting your reading mojo back this year.

>118 PaulCranswick: Well, it's slowing a bit because of life, but it hasn't stopped. I'm almost done with another audiobook, and I'll probably finish the Ethel Lina White book for MysteryCAT tomorrow. I'm about halfway through it. Carrie and I are heading north for a meeting tomorrow and will probably listen to about half an audio book on the way up. We plan to listen to the other half on the return trip. So I'll have a few more completions this week.

>119 thornton37814: I read The Lady Vanishes this month and it is quite enjoyable though very dated.

>120 PaulCranswick: I'm enjoying it so far but do agree with you some aspects are dated.

79. The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P. D. James

Date Completed: 21 Mar 2018

Category: Yellowstone National Park

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #7: Read a book by a female author who has had at least 3 books published

Other Challenges: MysteryCAT - Global Mysteries

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Compiled posthumously this short story collection features the work of P. D. James, including the title story, a couple featuring her best-known sleuth Adam Dagleish, and one other. All stories resonate with the mystery reader. It offers no "duds," a rare statement for any short story anthology. I listened to the audio version narrated by Jenny Agutter and Dan Weyman.

>122 thornton37814: Interesting. I have read most of James's novels featuring Dalgleish (my husband used to call him "dog leash" when I was first sampling her work). I may have to seek this collection out.

Having traveled with cats (never more than one at a time), I admire your courage doing it with three. When we moved home to PA in the '70's, after living in Louisiana for three years, we brought our "swamp cat" along, and it was quite an adventure. We usually set him up in the bathroom and closed him in there at night, because we were not accustomed to letting him sleep with us. Naturally, he wasn't always too happy with the accomodations, and one night I took the extra bedding from the closet and slept in the bathtub to keep him quiet. I was much younger then!

>123 laytonwoman3rd: I don't think I would ever sleep in the bathtub. My cats sleep with me every night. Last night two of them slept on top of me a good chunk of the night. It was okay until I needed to turn over. They were gracious and moved off me, but they weren't really happy about it. I miss them tonight. I'm on a business trip. I enjoyed the James collection. I really need to read more of her novels.

Congratulations on reaching book nr 75!

How nice to be able to take your cats with you while travelling. I left mine at home, but always came home to a stressed and unhappy cat. Providing for the cat became a problem spoiling a bit of every holiday. Your solution seems much better.

Wow, Lori! Way to zip past your 75 already, and so soon in the year! Congrats!!

Belated congratulations, too, Lori!

Yowza.

>125 EllaTim: It's not easy to take three. It was easier when I had one. However, the cats and I enjoy being together. They get to be better travelers as they gain experience doing so.

>126 tapestry100: Thanks.

>127 karenmarie: Thank you.

I'm thankful to be home with my cats. It's earlier than I expected to be home when I left on the trip, but if we'd waited, we might still be stuck. As we were in the first evening of meetings, the husband of the librarian hosting our meeting called to let us know of an 8-12 inch snow prediction set to begin the following evening. We rushed through the agenda for the evening and began working on the next day's agenda that first night. We were able to cancel the next night's hotel room. One librarian who had flown could not get the airline to change his flight, but we could at least get him to the airport where he could stay at a hotel nearer the airport offering shuttle service. We began yesterday's meeting a little earlier than originally planned and were able to finish the agenda by lunch time. We ate lunch together and then all began heading home. The expected amount of snowfall had been downsized butt we all wanted to get home. Even the librarian who had flown was able to get the last flight out that evening.

Carrie (cbl_tn) and I ran into traffic problems after crossing into Tennessee. The GPS offered us a "better route" so after taking about 30 minutes to travel the next mile to the next exit, we got off to follow its suggested course. The road on which it detoured us reminded me of a gravel or dirt road which was barely wide enough for two vehicles. It was "paved" but there was so much dust on it and so many potholes you sometimes questioned it. The bridges were all one lane bridges. We were fortunate we only met oncoming traffic a couple of times--at total of four or five cars. It was almost 3 miles to where one caught the road from the interstate, and then the road was 15 miles long. Fortunately it was just past the conclusion of the construction zone causing the traffic problems. Our estimated arrival had been around 10 p.m., but it ended up being 11:30 p.m.

I spent the night at Carrie's and came home to my cats first thing this morning. They were happy to see me, and I'm quite happy to hug and pet them as much as they want. I received my belated birthday gift from Carrie which included a copy of Brunetti's Venice which I'm looking forward to reading between Guido novels.

80. The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White

Date Completed: 24 Mar 2018

Category: Cornwall

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #2: Read a book where the author's middle or maiden name is included on the cover

Other Challenges: British Author Challenge - Classic Thrillers

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Iris Carr boards a train in Europe where she meets Miss Froy, an English governess. Soon Miss Froy cannot be found. The other passengers do not seem bothered by the disappearance and begin thinking Iris suffers delusions. An imposter appears, but Iris recognizes the facial discrepancies, and realizes a conspiracy is afoot and Miss Froy's life endangered. I watched Hitchcock's take on this several years ago, so the film came to mind as I read it. The book is as excellent as the film.

80 read already, Lori. You are just powering through those reads! I hope you are having a relaxing weekend.

>130 thornton37814: Hi, Lori! Thanks for the review of The Lady Vanishes. I haven't yet read the book, but it is good to learn from those discussing it on LT that it is worth reading for someone who likes the Hitchcock movie.

Hi Lori!

These late snows are really wreaking havoc, aren't they? I'm you and Carrie made it safely home. Kitty snuggles are the best, aren't they?

>131 Familyhistorian: When I added it to my LT, I discovered I already had a copy of The Wheel Spins, its original title. At least I didn't pay much for the second copy. I had not read it though.

>132 harrygbutler: Yes. I haven't watched the Hitchcock film in a few years, but I enjoyed the book.

>133 karenmarie: Kitty snuggles are the absolute best. I had multiple cats on my lap most of the weekend after I got home. I think most of us are a bit disappointed we didn't get at least one good snow day here in East Tennessee, but at this point, I'm ready for spring. I know one of the largest snowfalls down here occurred mid-April in the 1990s, so we may not be completely out of the picture for a snow day, but the likelihood of that happening is not that great.

81. Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough

Date Completed: 26 Mar 2018

Category: Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #18 : Read a book celebrating the special women in your life

Other Challenges: Non-Fiction Challenge - Travel Narratives

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and her friend Emily of Muncie, Indiana embark on a European adventure in the early twentieth century. Before they get out of the St. Lawrence River, the boat suffers a wee shipwreck. The girls' humorous adventures make readers laugh. They cover up a case of measles with the assistance of a doctor so as to avoid quarantine. They encounter bed bugs in some accommodations. The tale shows the life of the upper class at that time and place. While travel changed in intervening years, and this type of humorous memoir lacks the popularity it enjoyed at the time it was written, it still amuses. I listened to the audio book read by Celeste Lawson.

Congrats on blowing past the 75 book mark, Lori, and hurrah for being home with the kitties.

>136 ronincats: Thanks. I love my boys!

82. Macbeth by Jo Nesbo

Date Completed: 27 Mar 2018

Category: San Diego

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book in which the last letter of the author's first name plus the last letter of the author's last name spells a word

Other Challenges: MysteryCAT - Global Mysteries

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This retelling places Duncan has chief police commissioner in a once-important industrial city infested with drugs, organized crime, and corruption. All the major players have roles in the police leadership. When Duncan dies, Macbeth, the head of the SWAT team, succeeds him as commissioner. The Norse Riders fill the role of a gang. The setting did not work for me. I'm not a fan of gritty noir novels, and this take on the classic Shakespeare fit the category. I received an advance electronic copy through the publisher via NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

Congratulations on already making it through 82 books, Lori! Amazing. I'm glad you are home to your kitties! My mom was in Washington DC for a tourist visit, and she told me they had a lot of snow last Wednesday and they worried a bit about getting of the airport a couple of days later. She had hoped to visit a friend who lives in Pennsylvania, I think it was, but apparently the snow was too heavy for the friend to make the journey.

>139 vancouverdeb: Thanks for dropping by. This late in the season, we really don't expect snow-related travel issues. It's not really unheard of, but this is a season a lot of folks will remember.

83. The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis; illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon

Date Completed: 28 Mar 2018

Category: Amish Country

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #2: Read a book where the author's middle or maiden name is included on the cover

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Now 100 years old, Michael's great great aunt Dew comes to live with them. Aunt Dew cared for Michael's father John after his parents died. She often calls Michael "John" because he resembles his father. Michael's mother wants to burn Aunt Dew's hundred penny box in the furnace as she burned many other things Aunt Dew brought with her. The box was a gift to Aunt Dew. Each penny represents a year in her life and helps her recall what happened that year. Michael realizes the importance of that box and wants to save it from destruction. The book does not work as well for today's readers as it did for those in the 1970s. The book does, however, help young readers understand aging. It also helps them understand the value of tradition. The illustrations are all brown tones and underwhelming.

84. Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper

Date Completed: 28 Mar 2018

Category: Bahamas

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #17: Read a book that features a cat

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 5 stars

Review: I'm a sucker for cat stories, and this one pleased me very much. A big cat lived alone until a kitten entered the household. The big cat mentored the smaller cat. They were playmates for life until the older cat left and did not return. Then the cycle continues with the once younger cat mentoring a new addition. The black and white illustrations reminded me of a cat story I owned as a child entitled Rich Cat, Poor Cat. While my book may have had a little more color and grayscale to it, the illustrations were sparse, just like this one. The simplicity of the illustrations is effective. It's deserving of its Caldecott honor.

Aw, cute kitties and how fun that the first post on your thread and the last (to date) are cats!

>143 Storeetllr: That was a coincidence while it lasted!

Good morning, Lori. I appreciate the review of Jo Nesbo's Macbeth. I loved Hagseed from Margaret Atwood, but none of the other recent Shakespeare adaptations have called out to me.

>142 thornton37814: I'll keep an eye out for that one.

Have you ever read The Last Little Cat by Meindert DeJong? I stumbled across it at a used book store, and am glad I did. It's a good read.

>145 jnwelch: Hagseed remains my favorite.

>146 fuzzi: I've never seen the DeJong book. I see it's availability on Amazon, but I don't really want to pay that much for it at the moment. I'll see if I can find it in a library I visit sometime. It's description sounds wonderful.

>147 thornton37814: see if you can get it through ILL, I've been getting a lot of my more obscure reads by that method.

Sorry to see Macbeth didn't work for you. I've only read one from The Hogarth Shakespeare project Hag-Seed and I thought it was pretty good.

>148 fuzzi: I hate asking for a children's book through ILL. I'll eventually be some place that has a copy.

>149 ChelleBearss: Hag-seed is the best in the Hogarth Shakespeare to date IMHO.

Today is my 11th Thingaversary, so I got to order 12 books. Half arrived because two were ordered as Kindle books and four from Amazon. I'm still awaiting the six arriving from Book Depository. They've shipped so I'm hopeful they will arrive soon.

* indicates it has not arrived
+ indicates Kindle

1. + A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia by Clara Benson
2. + They Rang Up the Police by Joanna Cannan
3. * Say It with Poison by Ann Granger
4. * Swiss Vendetta by Tracee de Hahn
5. * Shepherd of Another Flock by David Wilbourne
6. * Murder, Mr. Mosley by John Greenwood
7. * With Our Blessing by Jo Spain
8. * Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym
9. The Hebrides by Paul Murton
10. Devotions: the Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver
11. The Family Tree Italian Genealogy Guide by Melanie Holtz
12. Discovering Tudor London by Natalie Grueninger

>147 thornton37814: there are more than ten copies of the DeJong book available for less than $4 (including s/h) through bookfinder: https://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&ref=bf_s2_a1_t1_1&qi=...

I love bookfinder.com! :)

>152 fuzzi: Thanks!

Congrats on reaching and surpassing 75, Lori. It's great you can travel with your cats, much easier than dogs, I'd guess.

Happy Thingaversary! Looks like a nice haul.

Happy Thingaversary, Lori!

Happy Thingaversary! Eleven years! Do you ever try to recall what life was like before LT? I do, and I cannot remember. lol

>154 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! I'm not sure if dogs or cats are easier. Cats have litter boxes, extra litter, scratching posts, couch covers, etc. that need to go along with them in addition to the food and water bowls, extra food, and toys.

>155 harrygbutler: Thanks, Harry!

>156 Storeetllr: I kept a notebook of what I read for many years, but I'd quit keeping it up at some point. Something I truly regretted! Now I can keep up again!

Happy Thingaversary, Lori! Enjoy your new books!

Happy Thingaversary and Happy 75!!

More importantly, Happy Easter!

Happy Thingaversary, Lori!

>151 thornton37814: You treated yourself well, I see :-)

>158 ronincats: Thank you! I'm sure I will.

>159 nittnut: Happy Easter to you too!

>160 FAMeulstee: I did. I have fun picking them out.

85. Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie

Date Completed: 31 Mar 2018

Category: Cork, Ireland

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book in which the last letter of the author's first name plus the last letter of the author's last name spells a word

Other Challenges RandomCAT - Ripped from the Headlines; MysteryCAT - Global Mysteries

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: When Naz Malik fails to show up for an appointment and the babysitter reports he's been out longer than expected, Tim Cavendish worries about him. Naz's wife Sandra disappeared a few months before, leaving her beloved daughter and husband. Tim calls Gemma. When Naz's body is found in a nearby park, the local officer turns the case over to Scotland Yard. Duncan is in charge of the investigation. With suspects ranging from Sandra's family to members of a private, but shady club headed by one of Sandra's friends, Duncan and his partner have their hands full. Gemma and her partner help unofficially. Gemma's main interest is in keeping Naz and Sandra's daughter Charlotte out of the hands of Sandra's family. Another story line involves the pressure of Gemma's family for Duncan and Gemma to officially "tie the knot." This is an excellent installment in a long-running series. It held my interest from start to finish. I listened to the audio narrated by Jenny Sterlin.

Half of the Thingaversary books coming from the UK arrived today--all in separate packages. I think the other 3 books shipped together. Hopefully they'll arrive Monday or Tuesday.

86. A Vicarage Reunion by Kate Hewitt

Date Completed: 31 Mar 2018

Category: Charleston

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #4: Pangram rolling challenge: "How vexingly quick daft zebras jump!"

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: The second installment of the series featuring the Thornthwaite vicar's daughters features Esther. Esther married Will, but a difficult circumstance drives a bit of a wedge between them. Esther moves home to the vicarage. At the same time, she accepts a package from her employer which allows her to make a completely new start. Esther's parents plan a move to China in the upcoming months, and the curate will move into the vicarage at that time. When Esther's father suggests turning a neglected garden into a community garden, Esther receives the curate's blessing to pursue the project. Much more happens, but to reveal more would give away too much plot. Perhaps the overriding story theme is the phrase Esther's mother utters which was the title of a best-selling counseling book by Frank Minirth and Paul Meier, "Happiness Is a Choice." This series is certain to please readers of the Miss Read books and other English village life books. I received an advance electronic copy from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.

87. The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma's Table by Rick Bragg

Date Completed: 31 Mar 2018

Category: Quebec City

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #18 : Read a book celebrating the special women in your life

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Rick Bragg relates family stories as he shares some of his mother's recipes. His mother, like most Southern cooks of that generation, did not follow recipes. She cooked by eyeballing things and getting the ratio correct based on practice. The family stories needed editing. They failed to draw me in, partly because of excess verbiage and lack of action verbs. Most recipes can be found in other Southern regional cookbooks. In the electronic advance copy, the recipe's conclusion often bumps into text following it, making it difficult for readers. The distinction between the recipe and stories about the recipe needs more separation as well. Perhaps his identification of his mother as the best cook in the world elicits the most contentious point of the book. Why? Because my mom in the neighboring state of Mississippi earned that honor. I received an advance electronic copy of the book through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

Happy Easter, Lori!

Happy Easter and Happy Belated Thingaversary!

Happy Easter!

>166 harrygbutler: Happy Resurrection Day to you, Harry!

>167 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle! Hope you have a Happy Easter too!

>168 witchyrichy: Thanks. I hope the dragonflies aren't an indication of a slithery monster nearby!

88. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney

Date Completed: 1 Apr 2018

Category: Boston

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book with at least three pages starting with the same word, but NOT the word “the”

Other Challenges: British Author Challenge - Folklore, Fables, and Legends

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: Irish author Seamus Heaney provides a readable poetic translation of the epic Beowulf. In the poem readers see a mingling of Christian and pagan traditions. Well-versed Biblical students may even notice parallels between Beowulf and warriors in the Bible. Although the Old English appears on facing pages, my lack of knowledge of Old English makes it impossible for me to determine Heaney's faithfulness to the originals. His introduction and acknowledgement provides some background. He admits to differing opinions with other scholars but the final product seems true to the version I remember from college days while being far more readable. Perhaps more readers will find this classic tale accessible because of Heaney's work.

Cooking Easter lunch without too many leftovers challenges those cooking for one. I think I stumbled upon the secret after years of eating leftovers. I purchased a few ham slices and a small amount of potato salad from the deli. I purchased asparagus and may tire of it before the bundle is gone, but I saved enough off the regular price with the sale price to not feel to guilty if some goes to waste. The big challenge for me was the banana pudding. Most places here put cool whip in banana pudding. I dislike that. My mom made a pure custard one which was wonderful. I went with Mom's custard-based one, but I found a container that ensured the bananas would not turn before I finished it. I layered it with the bananas and vanilla wafers and poured custard over the top to seep down in it. The extra custard went into individual pudding cups in the refrigerator to enjoy individually after the banana pudding is gone. I finally achieved a "no fuss" Easter meal. I can do leftovers of everything once, but I will not eat the same thing for a week!

>170 thornton37814: I've not read Heaney's translation, but I do need to think about going through the poem in Old English again. I did it for a course on the poem in graduate school, and while my Old English was quite weak at the beginning of the course, by the end, it was very good. It's great if his translation makes the poem accessible to a wider audience.

>171 thornton37814: Congrats on the meal solution. We went out to a local German-American club for our Easter dinner for the first time: no leftovers, but no mess, either. We'd consider doing it again.

>172 harrygbutler: I've occasionally gone to a restaurant or someone else's, but I miss something a bit more like our family's traditional meal when I do. I think this year's solution will be the one from now on.

89. Bats in the Belfry by E. C. R. Lorac

Date Completed: 1 Apr 2018

Category: Yellowstone National Park

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #2: Read a book where something you could find in the sky is part of the title

Other Challenges: MysteryCAT - Classic and Golden Age Mysteries

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Bruce Attleton and Mr. Debrette disappear about the same time. Friends and family believe Attleton went abroad, but his luggage and passport turn up in a London studio called the Belfry. Inspector MacDonald investigates. Searchers find a mutilated body in a cleverly disguised location. Although slight doubts about its identity surface, it turns out to be Attleton. Blackmail, affairs, imposters, and more add to the plot. While the book itself suffers from being dated in writing style, the mystery's plot could probably still do well as a movie. It commands the attention of the reader. I received an advance electronic copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

90. Ice Cream Kitty by Nerina DiBenedetto; illustrated by Martha Houghton

Date Completed: 2 Apr 2018

Category Cornwall

TIOLI Challenge: None

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Tommy the cat gets lost when he visits the ice cream truck.The ice cream man takes care of the cat until a girl who knows the cat shows up, telling the ice cream man where he belongs. The illustrations are good but not great. The text falls a bit flat. I know my cats react to the ice cream truck's music, but fortunately our neighborhood lacks lots of children clamoring to get ice cream so they really only know the sound and not the contents. Young readers may come away from reading the book feeling cats may eat ice cream when dairy products can upset their stomachs. This disturbs me. The book contains activities for children, including coloring, connect the dots, a maze, and fill-in-the-blank at the end. I won an electronic copy of the book through Goodreads giveaways with the expectation of an honest review.

91. Collected Poems in English and French by Samuel Beckett

Date Completed: 2 Apr 2018

Category: Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #14: Read a book by an author who was born, or died, in April

Other Challenges: Irish Author Challenge, RandomCAT - April Loves Books

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: The book is divided into three sections--Beckett's English poems, Beckett's French poems (a few translated by the author himself; the remainder in French alone), and poems by French authors translated by Beckett. Beckett's poetry doesn't really "cut it" for me. It lacks the rhythms of favorite poets and uses a less polite vocabulary. While I enjoyed some of his shorter poems (in both English and French), the ones beyond about a dozen lines did not engage me. I enjoyed some of the other French poems but not others. Beckett's talent must lie in other forms of writing.

>171 thornton37814: we did a slow-cooker pot roast for Easter, and had asparagus as well! I love fresh asparagus.

The only leftovers were a little bit of the meat, a few spears of asparagus, and about six Spring potatoes.

Here's to more "no fuss" meals!

>177 fuzzi: Fresh asparagus is wonderful.

All but one of my Thingaversary books arrived. The last one was dispatched from the UK on the same day the two arriving today were. It amazes me they shipped all six books individually. At least the US shipper sent them individually. (They were mailed from Jamaica, NY.) Hopefully the last one will show up tomorrow.

92. The Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide: How to Find Your Ancestors in Archived Newspapers by James M. Beidler

Date Completed: 3 Apr 2018

Category: San Diego

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #13: Read a book that fits the "You Keep Missing the Target" challenge

Other Challenges: AlphaKIT - Y

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Well-known genealogist James M. Beidler discusses newspapers as a genealogical source. He covers most types of newspapers. Religious newspapers were omitted from separate treatment although a few titles showed up in a geographic sample in the book. He does an excellent job relating available databases, even acknowledging ethical questions about business practices of some. Beidler, best known for his German genealogical research, includes international newspapers, not limiting the discussion to the United States. The book's greatest flaw lies in the format of the otherwise excellent bibliography. It does not employ a recognized style manual such as Evidence Explained or Chicago Manual of Style. Since one chapter included information on citing newspapers following the recognized genealogical citation manual Evidence Explained, this surprised me. Beidler's work will become the most-cited "how to" guide on newspaper research in the genealogical community in the near future. All genealogy libraries with methodology collections should purchase a copy. I received an electronic advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

93. Endgame: a Play in One Act; Followed by: Act Without Words: A Mime for One Player by Samuel Beckett

Date Completed: 4 Apr 2018

Category: Amish Country

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #14: Read a book by an author who was born, or died, in April

Other Challenges: Irish Author Challenge, RandomCAT - April Loves Books

Rating: 2 stars

Review: In this play, the characters are bored with life, simply playing a game, until death. It's not my type of play. A short mime follows at the end. Mime is not something I really enjoy either. All-in-all, this was not a good read for me.

Hi Lori: I like the story of your Easter meal. I'm also a single. I've done holiday meals at friends, or the church or eating out, but like you, I'm also coming to the conclusion that I enjoy fixing a small meal at home.

I don't know what I was thinking, but a year ago I bought a 7 pound boneless ham on sale after Christmas for a very good price and froze it.

I finally thawed it out for my Easter meal, but I didn't have the energy to cook it on Easter. So today's it's in my crockpot and I will be eating ham, asparagus, a yam and strawberries tonight. And tomorrow I will be portioning it out to freeze for things like split pea soup and breakfast for dinner.

Leftover asparagus is not a problem since I love to throw leftovers in with other veggies for a stirfy or reheat the asparagus with a little sesame oil, soysauce and sesame seeds. I also like to use it wrapped with turkey lunchmeat to make a breadless lunch roll.

I suspect that a seven pound ham will fill all my ham needs through this next year. (Did I mention it was a really good price - ha!)

Hi, Lori.

I applaud your ambition in taking on Seamus Heaney's Beowulf, and Beckett's poetry and Endgame. Seamus Heaney provides a readable poetic translation of the epic Beowulf. Exactly. His translation actually engaged me, instead of feeling dusty and foreign. I've read Beckett's novels (which I liked, bizarre as they are), but not his poetry, and I'm one who actually likes his plays like Godot and Endgame. But my wife sure doesn't.

>182 streamsong: I sometimes buy a ham to cook and freeze, but I really need to get my freezer down to the point I can defrost it. That's why I opted for the deli version. A like asparagus. I may not use all of it, but there are a few ways to prepare it.

>183 jnwelch: I planned to read Waiting for Godot instead of Endgame; however, both of our libraries copies were not on the shelf and not checked out. I flagged them as missing so I can search for them later. I tried the usual places student workers misshelve things, but I didn't find them. I suspect they are victims of the video-only security on the back door. We told the administration it would be problematic, and judging by the increased number of missing books we're noticing, it is. They can just stuff them in a backpack and walk out--and no one is the wiser. I have a collection of Beckett's short stories at my desk to read as I have time during my lunch breaks. I'll see if I like his stories better.

Hi Lori!

Belated congratulations on your 11th Thingaversary and excellent 12-book reward.

>170 thornton37814: I read Beowulf, same edition, ten years ago to the month. I'm glad I read it once, don't anticipate ever reading it again.

>171 thornton37814: I dislike cool whip in anything, although will suffer it in an ickily-named dessert called Blueberry Yum-Yum. Other than that, no thanks.

Your mom's custard, bananas, and vanilla wafers sound like the perfect Banana Pudding to me.

>184 thornton37814: I hate it when people steal books from the library. It leaves many of us bereft, with few to no options.

>185 karenmarie: I really prefer freshly whipped cream. I'm not fond of Cool Whip either. Glad you approve of mom's recipe!

>186 fuzzi: I think we all hate it. Sometimes they show back up when a student leaves at the end of the semester or when s/he graduates.

>171 thornton37814: Good for you and the no fuss Easter Dinner. My husband and I went to my sisters , and they had a relatively no fuss Easter Dinner ( of course I did not have to cook it :-) A greek salad - cucumber, tomatoes, olive oil dressing, potatoes mashed with some sort of cheese and some bacon bits and a ham. It was really lovely and my sister had gone to the trouble of making place holders filled with expensive chocolates for each guests. My sister has a daughter - such an advantage when it comes to making placeholders and such.

Dave and I usually just cook a a chicken breast for dinner, plus a vegetable and a piece of good tasting seed bread for dinner. With just two of us and my husband working long shifts, not much use in fussing in the kitchen.

>188 vancouverdeb: My mom made a lot of stuff from scratch for Easter, including the rolls. I just need the "taste of home" once in awhile, and the banana pudding was the way to get it at Easter. Nice to have chocolate treats though!

94. First Love and Other Shorts by Samuel Beckett

Date Completed: 6 Apr 2018

Category: Bahamas

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #14: Read a book by an author who was born, or died, in April

Other Challenges: Irish Author Challenge, RandomCAT - April Loves Books

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Beckett's short stories display his affection for the run-on paragraph. Some paragraphs went on for pages. Overall I enjoyed his short stories more than other work sampled by the author. In the title story, Beckett opens with a cemetery scene--something to which I as a genealogist could relate. Of course, I chided him for not recording all the tombstone information on his first visit, but his purposes in visiting graveyards are different than mine. The story then relates the story of his encounter with the first woman he thought to marry. "Enough" was a little more sexually vulgar than my reading comfort level. "From an Abandoned Work" started off nicely and then got weird. I would classify "Imagination Dead Imagine" and "Ping" as experimental works. They go beyond the bounds of traditional literature. "Ping" reads like what you are seeing on a screen followed by the "ping" sound and the notation in seconds. Definitely a bit strange to read. "Not I" is a monologue featuring "Mouth", with performance rights managed by the Dramatists Play Service. The speech is broken, as if one is only hearing bits and snatches. I'm not exactly certain what to call "Breath." It's only a one page work and is rather strange. I certainly see why Beckett's experimentation earned him a Pulitzer, but overall, his work doesn't appeal to me.

>190 thornton37814: I think I'll skip Beckett as well...

>191 fuzzi: I can't really blame you. I gave him a try in three formats because the books were short. He's just a little too avant-garde for me.

95. Fire in the Thatch by E. C. R. Lorac

Date Completed: 6 Apr 2018

Category: Cork, Ireland

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #16: Spring cleaning! Read a book to remove it from your bookshelves

Other Challenges: MysteryCAT - Classic and Golden Age Mysteries

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This clever mystery featuring Detective Inspector MacDonald sends him to a rural Devon community where Nicholas Vaughan, a very private man, burned in the home he leased. At first glance, it appears to be an accidental fire, but things don't add up in the death of the meticulous and well-liked man. A man who tried to lease or purchase the same property, known as "Little Thatch," questions the man's identity. MacDonald finds the missing pieces, leading to the murderer's motive and identity. This installment is one of the better reads in the British Library Crime Classics series. I received an electronic copy from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

>169 thornton37814: Aah...snake doctors! I wasn't aware of the link between dragonflies and snakes. Maybe I should edit the photo and add in a bit of a snake hiding in the flowers.

>194 witchyrichy: That's quite alright. I can't even handle looking at pictures of snakes.

96. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

Date Completed: 9 Apr 2018

Category: Charleston

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #13: Read a book that fits the "You Keep Missing the Target" challenge

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: A few days before Christmas, the Vanderbeekers' landlord, better known as "the Beiderman," notified them their lease would not be renewed. The five children grew up in the Brownstone and wish to continue living there. As their parents seek other affordable alternatives for a family as large as theirs, the children organize an effort to get Mr. Beiderman to change his mind. While some of it does not seem all that realistic, young readers may not notice as much as adults. The author's debut novel shows promise as either a stand-alone or as the beginning of a series featuring the Vanderbeekers.

97. Umbrella by Taro Yashima

Date Completed: 10 Apr 2018

Category: Quebec City

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #9: Read a book by an author where the second letter of the first name is the same as the second letter of the last name

Other Challenges: AlphaKIT - U & Y

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Story about a Japanese American girl living in New York who waits for a rainy day so she can use her umbrella. Not only is it the first day she gets to use the umbrella, it is also the first day she walks in the city without holding one of her parents' hand. Illustrations in this Caldecott honor recipient, while still nice and colorful, do not hold up well to today's standards. The author includes a few Japanese words and their translations for young readers.

My ER copy of How to Read Poetry Like a Professor arrived yesterday. I had three more book packages awaiting me today. One was the final book in my Thingaversary haul, which has already been reported. Another is the 9th edition of Turabian, which I pre-ordered. The final book is Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. It's been on my wishlist for a long time, but several genealogists are interested in doing an online group study of it, probably this summer, so I went ahead and ordered it. I'm not sure where we will do the study/discussion. It's being organized via Facebook. I suspect we may take it into something more like Google groups -- or we may just do group emails. Logistics and dates are still being determined.

98. The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits by Elizabeth Peters

Date Completed: 10 Apr 2018

Category: Boston

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #8: Read a book by an award-winning author, written earlier than the award-winning book

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Carol, on a break between semesters from an unnamed midwestern university, uses some of an inheritance she and her mother received to visit Mexico. Her drug-addicted boyfriend Danny accompanies her. She intends to visit her estranged father George after receiving anonymous notes about him. Her father lives with a Mexican family. Ivan invites Carol to join one of his tours of Teotihuacan, and she falls in love with the site. Following an incident, she moves out of the hotel and into the house with her father. Danny experiments with more dangerous drugs. Carol soon realizes something related to drug-trafficking is afoot, but she isn't sure whom she can trust. This book first appeared in 1971. The story fits that time and place and probably received an enthusiastic reception by readers. Today's reader will recognize the "preachiness" against using narcotics and respond less favorably. The audio version by Grace Conlin is not recommended. She reads more as a narrator than as someone trying act the parts with enthusiasm, fear, and the other range of emotions characters should be feeling. The voice did not fit Carol. This book differs significantly from other works I read by the author.

99. Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful: Poems by Alice Walker

Date Completed: 11 Apr 2018

Category: Yellowstone National Park

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book with at least three pages starting with the same word, but NOT the word “the”

Other Challenges: American Author Challenge

Rating: 4 stars

Review: The poems in this collection are generally short with fairly short lines. Many poems provide insights into the African-American experience or reflect on events of the 1960s and 1970s. I found the poetry enjoyable.

100. Revolutionary Petunias & Other Poems by Alice Walker

Date Completed: 11 Apr 2018

Category: Cornwall

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #11: Read a book which contains a word in the title that can be found in a garden

Other Challenges: American Author Challenge

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: While this collection of poems is not as developed as her later poems, many of the themes of family and church, particularly in the first section, resonated with me. Walker's form uses short lines and short poems.

>201 thornton37814: Ah, an Alice Walker book. I keep putting holds on her books at the library but it appears the books have gone walk about. I'm hoping if I try enough libraries I might come up with a Walker book before the end of April. You have been reading up a storm, up to 100 already! The newspaper book looks interesting.

>202 Familyhistorian: Both of these were on reserve here in the library, but I just grabbed one to read during lunch and one at the end of the day. I just kept getting interrupted toward the end of my lunch time because we were short-staffed and didn't get the lunch review posted until later.

Abandoned Book Alert



Abandoned Read #2: Flat Broke with Two Goats: A Memoir of Appalachia by Jennifer McGaha

Date Abandoned: 12 Apr 2018

Category: Harlan, Kentucky (Abandoned Reads)

Comments: I gave this book a chance, but it failed to keep me interested enough to keep listening to it. I debated switching to the e-book, but I don't think it would matter. I honestly don't care how an adjunct professor and her CPA husband found themselves owing over $100,000 to the IRS and ended up in a cabin in the woods, living off the grid. I ended up abandoning it. It's a great title, but it's not a book for me.

101. Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On by Lois Ehlert

Date Completed: 12 Apr 2018

Category: Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #3: In honor of Poisson d'Avril, read a book with the word "fish" or a species of fish in the title

Other Challenges: AlphaKIT - Y

Rating: 3 stars

Review: While the book is a colorful counting book, some black text appears on navy pages, making it difficult to read.

>184 thornton37814: Hope I didn't offend. I was laughing at myself for buying a huge ham. I probably won't go that way again. (no matter how good the price)! I also still have asparagus left in the refrigerator .... For some reason, I don't have much cooking mojo at the moment.

>204 thornton37814: With that title, I would have picked it up, too. I am interested in how people living off the grid manage, although I'm not curious enough to want to try it myself. Thanks for the warning to avoid this one.

102. Timothy Turtle by Alice Vaught Davis; illustrated by Guy Brown Wiser

Date Completed: 12 Apr 2018

Category: San Diego

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #4: Read a book that brings up the right title but the wrong touchstone

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Timothy Turtle, while sliding down the river bank, falls on his back and cannot turn back over. Other forest animals fail to find a way to turn him over, but the frog knows the solution. The illustrations are dated because of color, but the story probably still contains appeal for young readers.

>206 streamsong: I normally buy a huge ham, but I decided I didn't want to deal with freezing it. I need to clean the freezer out enough to defrost it. The book is featured on Overdrive at the moment and is "always available." Although I'd seen someone else with a similar reaction to the book, I thought I might like it better because of the local angle. That didn't help.

103. Timothy Turtle by Al Graham; illustrated by Tony Palazzo

Date Completed: 12 Apr 2018

Category: Amish Country

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #15: Read a book where the beginning of the title is following the musical scale, a rolling challenge

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Containing very dated illustrations, this book features Timothy Turtle climbing a mountain, ending up on his back, but rocking himself to an upright position and climbing back down where he is greeted and celebrated for his heroic efforts by friends. The book is basically a long poem with lots of repetition, similar words, and word variants. The story does not hold up well for today's readers.

104. Walking Out: Poems by Betty Adcock

Date Completed: 12 Apr 2018

Category: Bahamas

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Read a book whose title references a physical action a human can perform

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: This collection of poems, written by Texas-born but long-time North Carolina resident Betty Adcock, contains various styles of poetry. It includes one longer poem, a handful of medium-length poems, but mostly shorter ones. Some of the poems resonated more than others. Overall, though, the collection seemed to lack something.

105. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming

Date Completed: 12 Apr 2018

Category: Cork, Ireland

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #10: Read a book tagged both family and magic

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The Pott family takes a trip to France after Commander Pott restores an old car with seemingly magical powers. The adventures appeal to young readers. The books makes a great read-aloud. However, I think I will always prefer the film starring Dick Van Dyke. I pictured it as I read the book, even when the plot differs.

>203 thornton37814: Ah, the advantages of working in a library. I finally ended up with The Color Purple for the AAC but I had to go through another library system to get it.

>212 Familyhistorian: Yes. Definitely. I'm trying to go for a TIOLI sweep this time. As I searched for something somewhat short that began with "Ti" for the scale, I discovered we owned two books entitled Timothy Turtle and knew one of them would also be the one for which the wrong touchstone came up, so I pulled both. That covered two TIOLIs. I actually was trying to locate small books of poems since it is poetry month, but I managed to find those in picture books.

>204 thornton37814: You are the second person that I've seen a poor review for Flat Broke with Two Goats. I will be skipping that one. I wonder how that became the big Overdrive read.

>214 ChelleBearss: I have absolutely no idea. I saw the other review too. I thought maybe I'd like it better because it was "local." I didn't. Overdrive needs to find better Big Reads.

>215 thornton37814: Agreed! I will be skipping that one.

Hmm, I saw that book on Overdrive and, notwithstanding the admittedly great title, didn't feel the urge to read it. Glad to know I haven't missed anything wonderful.

>216 ChelleBearss: Can't say that I blame you.

>217 Storeetllr: You definitely did not miss anything. I hope they choose something better next time.

>199 thornton37814: I didn't know Elizabeth Peters wrote anything except the mysteries. The audio version of those are performed by Barbara Rosenblatt. Her harrumph for Emerson is wonderful! Having just a narrator would be a let down.

>219 witchyrichy: This was more "suspense" than mystery. I'm glad to know some of her other things are better.

And I should have said the Amelia Peabody mysteries as maybe she has others. They are set in Egypt in the early 20th century and feature British archaeologists. Lots of fun as they brush up against historical figures and events.

>221 witchyrichy: I enjoy most of the Amelia Peabody books, but others aren't quite as exciting for me. I read most before joining LibraryThing.

106. The Spook in the Stacks by Eva Gates

Date Read: 14 Apr 2018

Category: Charleston

TIOLI Challenge: None

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Once again Lucy, the staff, and patrons of the Lighthouse Library, located on North Carolina's Outer Banks, find themselves in the midst of a murder. The victim,a former area resident who planned to donate his collection of valuable historical documents to the library, dies at a library event, and Lucy finds him. Until the evening of the murder, his finalists list for the collection also included Blackmore College's history department. His granddaughter and curator accompanied him to the Outer Banks, immediately becoming suspects. Lucy's boyfriend Connor seeks re-election as mayor, spending much of his time, campaigning. Butch, the detective, warns Lucy against detecting, but somehow the mystery seeks her out. Louise Jane enthralls guests with her haunting stories of local ghosts while Lucy spots her first one and some inexplicable happenings with a model ship on loan from Louise Jane. Although light and cozy, the book keeps the reader engaged. Some portions, particularly in the first few chapters, seemed a bit repetitious, providing details such as Lucy's living arrangements in more than one location. I received an advance electronic copy from the publisher via NetGalley with expectations of an honest review.

107. Society in Early North Carolina: A Documentary History edited by Alan D. Watson

Date Completed: 14 Apr 2018

Category: Quebec City

TIOLI Challenge: None

Other Challenges: Nonfiction Challenge

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Historian Alan D. Watson uses transcribed primary source materials to illustrate what life was like in North Carolina's earliest days. Sources utilized include legislation, court records, wills, estate inventories, road orders, diaries, journals, letters, newspapers, church records, and manuscript collections. Topics addressed include character, family, immigration, taverns, criminality and law enforcement, homes and possessions, health and mortality, towns, travel and transportation, religion, education, and recreation and entertainment. The unusual approach means it is less readable for a general audience, but historians and genealogists should enjoy it. While the author could not select every item fitting each category and those wanting fuller treatment of any subject still need to plow through the same source groups to ensure comprehensiveness, the book serves as a good introduction.

I seem to remember a feature on LibraryThing where one could see all the series they had begun reading. I can no longer find this. Am I dreaming? I'm doing this to try to find a #2 in series I haven't read and wouldn't mind reading that is available at the moment so I can read it for the April TIOLI.

Click "Home" in the brown bar above, then look for "Stats/Memes". On this page, there's a column to the left, one of the selections is "Series". That gets you what you're looking for.

>225 thornton37814:, >226 drneutron: Gee, I had no idea that feature was available. Thanks, Lori and Jim! I've been using fictfact.com to find nexts in series and get updates on soon-to-be-published books in series I have read, but this seems like it would be more convenient since I have my library including many books I don't actually own in the LT catalog, and I'm here a lot.

Hi, Lori! I loved the Amelia Peabody series but am not a fan of her Vicky Bliss mystery series, so I doubt I'd enjoy the suspense novel.

>224 thornton37814: Looks really interesting!

>226 drneutron: Thank you. I knew someone in this group would know!

>227 Storeetllr: Glad I could ask the right question to help you out. I think Peters developed as a writer more later. That suspense one was an early effort, I guess. If you are a history/genealogy geek, you'll probably enjoy Watson's book.

>223 thornton37814: I've been following the Eva Gates series as my family vacations on the Outer Banks and I started buying them at the independent bookstore when I was visiting. Glad to know there is another one.

>225 thornton37814: >226 drneutron: You learn things about LT everyday. Thanks for asking about series, Lori, and giving us the answer, Jim. I had no idea that I had so many series on the go!

>229 witchyrichy: It comes out soon. I've enjoyed the installments so far. I would love to vacation on the Outer Banks, but so far I have not managed to do so.

>230 Familyhistorian: I just remembered seeing it before and couldn't find it when I was seeking it. It is rather overwhelming, isn't it?

>231 thornton37814: Very overwhelming, Lori. I never realized that so many of by books are parts of series, the non-fiction as well as the fiction. I have 3 pages! You probably have more.

Ah, it looks like Crooked Lane revived Gates' Lighthouse Library series. I really wanted to like the first book, so I might pick this one up to see if the things I disliked have disappeared from the series.

Cute header photo of the kitties.

>232 Familyhistorian: Only 4 pages. It could be worse.

>233 libraryperilous: I don't think Gates/Delany will ever be a favorite author. She has some problems. Either some of the characters grew on me, or they are less annoying than they used to be. She leaves a couple of annoying people in the town, but they don't seem to be quite as prevalent as they once were.

Hi, Lori! I just responded to your post over on Karen's (witchyrichy) thread and thought I'd come by yours and see what you've been up to. Hope you're having a great week!

Getting caught up! You've been reading a lot of great poetry. I have some Alice Walker poetry in my pile for this month, we will see if I get to it. I am well in to Queens of the Conquest, which I am enjoying, but I haven't had a lot of reading time so it's going to take a while.

>235 Storeetllr: I'll have to check into Karen's thread to see what you said. Mostly I'm trying to make sure my presentations are ready before I leave for NGS. I think I'll finish the slides this weekend.

>236 nittnut: Since April was poetry month, I thought I'd sneak some in. I liked Walker's poetry.

108. The Hanging Valley by Peter Robinson

Date Completed: 19 Apr 2018

Category: Boston

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #12: Read a book in the library of a TIOLI challenger from January, February, or March 2018

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: A man's body is found in Swainsdale. Who is he? How did he get there? When it turns out to be Bernard Allen, who grew up in the village but resided in Canada, Banks must investigate matters in both England and Canada before resolving it. The murder appears to be tied to an unsolved case from five years earlier. There's a bit of an unexpected twist at the end. Inspector Banks is quickly becoming one of my favorite fictional detectives, particularly as narrated by James Langton. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Hello thornton37814! I hope all is well with you.

>24 thornton37814: I was quite surprised to a Camino book here or anywhere, but my past threads. I've read 3, 1 a year for the last three years, but I have yet to read one this year. My favorite was the first To the Field of Stars. It is written by a Catholic priest. Though not a Catholic, I found his spiritual musing comforting and compelling. Well written too.

>138 thornton37814: Yikes. Such a tragedy to begin with. I bet this was darker still?

>211 thornton37814: I agree that Chitty chitty Bang Bang is an excellent read a loud. I read it to my kids last year.

>239 brodiew2: One of our professors, Mary Baldridge, wrote a book on the Camino entitled Following the Ancient Path: Body/Soul/Spirit Transformation on the Camino de Santiago which I hope to read at some point. I don't know if Nesbo's book was darker, but it's just odd to be set in the narcotics division with a modern setting.

109. Mad Hatters and March Hares: All-New Stories from the World of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland - edited by Ellen Datlow

Date Completed: 19 Apr 2018

Category: Yellowstone National Park

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #7: Read a book with a title that is inclusive

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: We chose this book for our spring semester faculty book club, reading only a story or two per week. We had a fun time discussing the book. One professor was an "expert" on the Alice trilogy. Another was a great discussion leader who brought out probing questions to think about. Most of us agreed we enjoyed some stories more than others. Some stories follow the Alice books or draw more from them than others. We tended to like those stories more. We all felt the strongest stories were those at the beginning and end of the book and the mediocre ones were mostly in the middle. Poems served as "book ends." I especially enjoyed the poem shaped like a teapot. One of the more memorable stories depicts an elderly Alice and older Peter Pan in a discussion. It was a fun book for our book club.

>241 thornton37814: Aww, I love concrete poems. "You Too? Me Too?—Why Not? Soda Pop" is a classic of the genre.

>234 thornton37814: I didn't care for Delany's first Sherlock Holmes bookshop entry, but I might give the series another go later.

>242 libraryperilous: I haven't tried the Sherlock Holmes bookshop series yet. It's in my wish list. I've read a couple of her Constable Molly Smith ones. I think I started with the 5th and went back to the 1st. I liked the 1st better than the 5th in it.

110. The Sayers Swindle by Victoria Abbott

Date Completed: 21 Apr 2018

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #17: Again? Read a book that is second in its series

Other Challenges: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Jordan Bingham, a member of a family with a criminal reputation, lives in the Van Alst home with its owner, a woman who collects classic mysteries. Eleven stolen Sayers books were sold by a dealer who had no idea the books were stolen and who is suffering from the effects of head trauma. When they track down the purchaser, they realize something is amiss in the situation. The book goes downhill from there into an absurd plot with nothing to commend it. Audiobook narrator Carla Mercer-Meyer does a good job with the narration of this underwhelming installment.

>227 Storeetllr: I was missing out on a lot of LT features, including seeing the series you read. But, I talked about LT during a presentation to librarians earlier this year so spent lots of time exploring. When you have to teach it...

>245 witchyrichy: Yes - although I could probably do an hour on LT without even touching half its features.

111. Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell - completed 24 Apr 2018

Date Completed: 24 Apr 2018

Category: Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #6: Read a book whose LT average rating is more than 4.0

Challenges: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Julia, a British attorney with Inland Revenue troubles, travels to Italy and becomes the leading suspect in a murder case involving another British citizen. Some of her British colleagues begin to puzzle over the case in Britain, eventually traveling to Venice. While the writing style is more sophisticated than most, the attorney and tax themes held little appeal to me. Letter-writing played a role in the plot. Literature lovers will enjoy the allusions to several great literary works.

Note: The rating was 4.05, but my review should lower it!

Just completed my first ever TIOLI sweep:

1: Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
1: Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful: Poems by Alice Walker
2: Bats in the Belfry by E. C. R. Lorac
3: Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On by Lois Ehlert
4: Timothy Turtle by Alice Vaught Davis
5: Walking Out: Poems by Betty Adcock
6: Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell
7: Mad Hatters and March Hares edited by Ellen Datlow
8: The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits by Elizabeth Peters
9: Umbrella by Taro Yashima
10: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming
11: Revolutionary Petunias & Other Poems by Alice Walker
12: The Hanging Valley by Peter Robinson
13: The Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide by James M. Beidler
13: The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
14: Collected Poems in English and French by Samuuel Beckett
14: First Love and Other Shorts by Samuel Beckett
14: Endgame by Samuel Beckett
15: Timothy Turtle by Al Graham
16: Fire in the Thatch by E. C. R. Lorac
17: The Sayers Swindle by Victoria Abbott

congrats on the sweep!!

>225 thornton37814:, >226 drneutron:, >227 Storeetllr: edited to add- I didn't know about the series feature either! That is so useful!

>249 jennyifer24: I'm glad I thought to ask about it on my thread so others could benefit!

>248 thornton37814: woo!

>251 fuzzi: Thanks!