RebaRelishesReading in 2019

Welcome to my thread! I'm looking forward to following the reading and lives of many friends here in the 75ers for the 8th year and celebrating my 12th Thingaversary in May. I love meet-ups and (if my count is correct) have met 16 of you at least once.

I'm a very happily retired city planner. My husband and I live in San Diego but have a little townhouse at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state where we spend much of the summer and some of the fall. I travel a lot, read a lot, and volunteer some.

What I've read this year:

JANUARY
1. Georgia by Dawn Tripp****1/2
2. The Library Book by Susan Orlean****
3. Cinnamon Gardens by Shyam Selvadurai****
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling****
5. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (audio)****
6. Snobs by Julian Fellowes ***1/2
7. Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes**** (audio)
8. The Chosen by Chaim Potok****

FEBRUARY
9. If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? by Alan Alda***1/2 (audio)
10. Night in Bombay by Louis Bromfield****
11. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley***
12. Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue by John McWhorter****(audio)
13. The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons*** (audio)
14. The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand** (audio)
15. The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton****1/2 (audio)
16. Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O'Connor** (audio)
17. A Little History of Philosophy by Nigel Warburton**** (audio)
18. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley** (audio)
19. Feeding the Dragon by Sharon Washington*****(audio)

MARCH
20. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman****1/2 (audio)
21. A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain**** (audio)
22. That Month in Tuscany by Inglath Cooper**** (audio)
23. The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton****
24. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling****1/2
25. Elephant Company by Vicki Constantine Croke*****(audio)
26. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling****1/2
27. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling*****
28. Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday**

And now I'm up and ready to receive visitors (I hope there will be LOTS of them) ...

Dropping off a star for now. I'll be back next week.

Welcome back!

Happy new year! Hope 2019 is a great one for you

Happy new year and new thread, Reba!

Hi Juli, Jim, Kim, Chelle and Susan! Glad you found me. I've got you all starred and ready to go :)

Cheers to a new year, Reba!

Gorgeous rainbow, Reba! I've starred you.

Happy New Year & New Thread!

Thanks Katie, Jennifer and Rhian! Cheers to you all and looking forward to the coming year on LT.

Hi, Reba. I’m looking forward to your thread(s) in 2019.

>15 Matke: Thank you Gail. I'm looking forward to seeing you around here too :)

Happy New Year Reba!

Lovely topper photo Reba. Wishing you a great 2019, I will be following along.

Happy reading in 2019, Reba!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2019
A year full of books
A year full of friends
A year full of all your wishes realised

I look forward to keeping up with you, Reba, this year.

Happy New Year Reba. I’m going to try harder to keep up with you this year.

Dropping off my star, Reba!

looking forward to following your reading, etc, in 2019!

Happy New Year, Reba.

Happy 2019!

Hi Reba! Beautiful rainbow topper.

I am looking forward to keeping up with you this year.

Thank you Rachael, Charlotte, Anita, Anne, Paul, Bonnie, Roni, Rhonda, Karen, Anita and Beth! Happy New Year to each of you too! You're all starred and I'm looking forward to sharing your reading adventures in 2019.

It was an "interesting" end to 2018! It started on the 22nd. Pseudo (no, not psycho) d-i-l had done a wonderful job of putting together a sweet-16 party for my granddaughter. There were two huge bunches of balloons, flowers, cupcakes, veggie dip, fruit salad, slider sandwiches, sparkling apple cider, presents, goodie bags, etc. The party was at an "escape room" venue upstairs on a very crowded street near our house. Hubby and I got there first and just as they texted that they were parking a block a way a parking space right in front of the building opened up and I decided to hold it for them. I stepped into the space and texted them to keep driving. A second later a man stopped in front of the space, asked if I was holding it, and when I explained about all the "stuff" that needed unloading there he glared, said "bad karma" and drove off.

The party went wonderfully. Granddaughter and her 5 friends had a wonderful time. But then things started happening that make me wonder about that "karma" threat (;>). On the Saturday before Christmas our car started leaking oil so badly we couldn't drive it. We got ripped off by Payless Car Rental when we got a replacement for the holiday weekend (I'll spare you the story but advise against renting from them). A fire alarm in our building resulted in a long wait on the sidewalk until the fire department determined nothing was actually on fire. And then finally, on New Year's Eve I was reporting my end of year reading when my (1 month old) laptop suddenly flashed a test pattern on the screen, died and couldn't be revived!! That being New Year's Eve I couldn't get an appointment with the Geniuses until yesterday. The curse may be lifted now, however, because when I went to the Apple Store yesterday the laptop started up immediately and diagnostics show no problem with it.

That explains my brief absence from the boards and here are my two last books for 2018.

Trajectory by Richard Russo**** Russo is one of my favorite authors and I enjoyed this book a great deal even though it is a short story collection :). In these stories Russo moves away from his usual blue collar heroes to write about a young professor, a realtor, a professor ready for retirement, and a novelist with the understanding and bit of humor his work always displays.

Sisters First by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush****(audio). I was not a fan of the Bush presidency but the family seems like kind, caring people. The audio book is read by the twins and presents a collection of anecdotes about the family's life before, during and after the White House. It's charming, entertaining and well-read.

I got very nice presents from my family for Christmas this year, but not a single book!!! So I guess that's why I went a little crazy the other day...

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton
Snobs by Julian Fellowes
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
The Library Book by Susan Orlean (The L.A. main library was one of my favorite places on earth when I was a child...still is actually)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.L. Rowling

and I'm currently reading:

Georgia by Dawn Tripp because Katie said it is wonderful and she's right!

"Georgia by Dawn Tripp because Katie said it is wonderful and she's right!"

*preens*

Hi Katie!! Hope you're having a good new year :) Please keep making such good recommendations.

Sorry to see you've had a bad go! Glad that your laptop ended up working in the end!

Yay to seeing HP books on your purchased list! :)

Love your topper, Reba! Sounds like 2018 went out with a bang. Here's hoping that 2019 is full of fabulous!

>29 RebaRelishesReading: Wow, that was a mess! Hope everything is sorted now and you can get on with stuff.

>33 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle. Some of the later HP books are HUGE though -- I may have to take them slowly.

>34 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie -- nice to see you. I hope your carpel tunnel is better and that 2019 will be good to you.

>35 Matke: Hi Gail -- Yep, you need to take it seriously when someone threatens you with bad karma lol. Nothing new has happened in the past few days so hopefully we're over it now.

Oh, and one more book came today:
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight

Georgia by Dawn Tripp****1/2

I've read a biography of Georgia O'Keeffe and a biographical section of a book of her art and this fictionalized account of Georgia O'Keeffe's life seems to be closely based on fact. She was a most interesting person as well as a magnificent artist (IMHO) and it seems to see that Tripp has done an excellent job of capturing her struggles to be a strong woman, to have charge of her own life, as well as to succeed as an artist. A really lovely read. Thank you Katie for recommending it.

>29 RebaRelishesReading: Wow I don’t know about karma but that was certainly a lot of bad stuff Reba. Hope everything a going smoothly for you now.

Hi Bonnie -- just left you a message so obviously we're on line at the same time. Yes, things seem to have quieted down now and I even managed to get a few electronic things working (or working better) this week. I hope things continue to cooperate for a while now :)

Dropping off a star...looking forward to your posts

Certainly hope the bad karma is gone! Yikes. Georgia sounds really good. : )

Hi Victoria -- I've looked you up and dropped a star. Look forward to seeing you around the threads this year.

Hi Kim -- It seems to be gone, thanks:) Georgia was great. Just dropped you a note re meet-up.

Hi, Reba! Happy New Year! As I was reading about your computer woes, my screen went suspiciously yellow. Yikes. Then I checked the plug into the computer, found it loose, and pushed it back in. Whew. All right.

I hope your travails of the New Year use up that bad karma and the rest of 2019 is trouble free and filled with books.

Hi Judy -- wow, glad I didn't transfer some of that bad karma cross country to you!! I hope you have a great 2019 too...full of good health, fun activities and great books!

Happy New Year!!

Hope it's much better than the ending to your 2018.

>37 RebaRelishesReading: - :)

I hope you are over the bad Karma now, Reba. So you liked Georgia too. I really am going to have to find that one on my shelves and crack the covers.

>45 SuziQoregon: Hi Juli -- hope to see you in a couple of weeks :)

>46 katiekrug: Hi Katie!

>47 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. Bad Karma seems to be gone. Hope you enjoy Georgia

Hi Reba!

Yikes about the bad karma, glad your laptop was only playing possum and not really dead.

The latter HP books are huge, but immensely satisfying to fans. I hope you love 'em all.

>49 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. All is well with my Karma now. As to HP, I think I'll space them out a bit but I will definitely read them.

>37 RebaRelishesReading: That one is already on the list, as Katie hit me with that BB, too. Glad you loved it.

Happy Sunday to you!

Thanks, Mamie. Hope your Sunday was happy too. I spent mine shopping with my 16 year old granddaughter. We had a lovely time :)

Reba, I’m glad to hear the “Bad Karma” curse has lost its whammy.

>30 RebaRelishesReading: I’m glad I’m not the only one who had to buy my own Christmas books! I’m looking forward to reading The Library Book. So cool that you have that personal connection with the LA Library.

Hi Donna, I think you'll enjoy The Library Book. While a lot of it is the history of the L. A. library system and facts about the fire it also has a lot of interesting information about the operation of libraries and large library systems that is pertinent to other than L.A. There's a bit of a who-done-it thread running through it which keeps it more generally interesting too.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean****

A most interesting book for lovers of books and libraries, The Library Book provides a history of public library systems in large American cities in general and the Los Angeles library system in particular along with a lot of interesting facts about how libraries operate. There is also a who-done-it thread running through it about the fire in Los Angeles Central Library in April 1986 that burned about 500,000 books, damaged more than 700,000 more and seriously damaged the beautiful building.

I felt a strong connection to this story because I grew up in Los Angeles and, although we had a perfectly nice neighborhood library, I have loved the Los Angeles Central Library for all of my conscious life. As a child I used to invent reasons why I absolutely had to go to the main library rather than the local one so my parents would take me. To me the building, built in 1926 and designed by Bertram Goodhue, was a beautiful temple of books. While I knew there had been a big fire the details of it had escaped me. The fire was April 29, 1986 when the world, and I, were distracted by other things. The Challenger had exploded a few months before. The Russians finally acknowledged the Chernobyl accident that same day. On a personal level, I had begun a new, demanding job a month earlier and was now working 50 hour weeks and commuting 1 1/2 hours each way every day. I learned a lot from this book including what happened on that terrible day when the L. A. Central Library burned.

>55 RebaRelishesReading: Welp, adding that one to the list.

>55 RebaRelishesReading: I have this out from the library right now. Very nice review - if you posted it, I will add my thumb.

*back to add that your touchstone goes to the wrong book

Thank you Amber and Mamie. I hadn't planned to post it, Mamie, but with the promise of a thumb maybe I will :) Is there something I can do to fix the touchstone problem?

If you edit your post, you can click on the touchstone out to the right-hand side and switch it - you want the third one down.

Found it :) Thank you.

*grin*

>55 RebaRelishesReading: Oh that one sounds good!!

I hope to get to The Library Book at some point too Reba. Great review.

>37 RebaRelishesReading: You hit me with that BB. . .

>55 RebaRelishesReading: But missed with with that one since it is in the BlackHole already.

Sorry to hear your new year got off to such a bad start, Reba. Here's hoping that the worst of the year is over already!

Hi Reba!

>55 RebaRelishesReading: ooh, BB - you got me!

>29 RebaRelishesReading: Yikes! A Greek would say he gave you the evil eye. Hope you've lost it by now (I could send a necklace, or someone could spit on you a la My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Seriously though, nothing like a curse to rattle you as you start a new year:( Glad the party went well.

>30 RebaRelishesReading: Glad you treated yourself! The past couple of years I have received several books I had already read, and I know sometimes family is reluctant to buy for me. Still, books are wonderful to give and receive!

Hi Julie, Bonnie, Stasia and Anne! Glad to have made some hits :) Katie should get the credit for Georgia though because she got me with that BB a while back.

The curse seems to be over, Anne, but thanks for the sympathy :)

Maybe family is worried about giving me books I already have except when Hubby was asking if there was anything I especially wanted for Christmas or my birthday I mentioned that I have a "wish list" on Amazon and he responded "ya, but they're all books" so that may not be it lol

Cinnamon Gardens by Shyam Selvadurai****

Even with my new info from Mamie about how to change touchstones I can't find the one for the English version of this book so I'll just leave it at the German. Thank you Anne for the BB that led me to this lovely book.

Set in Sri Lanka in the 1920's this book not only provides a lovely picture of upper-class life there, it also presents the challenges facing the country as they shift from colonial status to independence and the challenges to individuals as they cope with changing societal mores. It's also just a good story with interesting, attractive characters. For example, Annalukshmi, a young educated Christian woman, struggles to reconcile her family's pressure (and her own desire) to marry with her hope for a more independent life. Balendran is a subservient son to a domineering father who is comfortably married to a woman of whom he is fond but struggling to keep his homosexuality hidden. Miss Lawton, the progressive headmistress of the school where Annalukshmi teaches, is English and trapped between the expectations of society and her own feelings.

Well worth a read.

Thanks for the info about Dublin that you left on my thread, Reba. I read The Library Book towards the end of last year too. All the info about libraries was something a library lover could appreciate.

Reba, I don't know how to fix the touchstone for Cinnamon Gardens - maybe the English version isn't entered yet? BUT, I can tell you who recommended it: Anne

>69 Crazymamie: Thank you for trying to figure out about the touchstone AND thank you for telling me who recommended Cinnamon Gardens. I really need to keep better track of where I get BB's.

>67 RebaRelishesReading: Yay! I did read Cinnamon Gardens this summer and really enjoyed it! I left it in a beautiful B&B in Wales:) . Glad you enjoyed it, too! Great detective work, >69 Crazymamie: Mamie!

Hit with another bb: Cinnamon Gardenss sounds wonderful.

Weekend coming up soon; hope it’s a great one!

>71 AMQS: Thank you for the BB Anne and sorry I couldn't remember where it came from :(

>72 Matke: Thank you, I hope your weekend will be great too and that you enjoy Cinnamon Gardens

Happy Sunday, Reba!

>66 RebaRelishesReading: From now on I think I need to give my husband an exported spreadsheet of my books from LT and a wishlist of the top 10 books I want. He made a great effort for Christmas to try to make sure I didn’t have a book but he only looked on shelves in two rooms and didn’t realize that it might be upstairs. (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay)

My niece has a wishlist on Amazon for her son. It includes all sorts of things, not just books. I've used it before, just not this time.

>67 RebaRelishesReading: Added to my wish list!

Happy Sunday to you too, Karen. >66 RebaRelishesReading: I put things other than books on my Amazon wish list too but there just didn't happen to be any other things I wanted this year. He doesn't read as much as I do and I think he just doesn't understand how much I love books.

>67 RebaRelishesReading: Adding that one to the BlackHole!

>76 alcottacre: Hi Stasia!! It's all Anne's fault...don't blame me :)

That is so funny about your DH and the Amazon wish list, Reba. My husband just gives me an Amazon gift card and lets me buy my own. It works for us!

>78 Donna828: I'm guessing Hubby thinks I buy enough books on my own. He's concerned about space for them so that may it. I must point out, though, that about 1/3 of the books in this house are his (but he doesn't buy nearly as many as I do now). I just thought the comment was pretty funny.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling****

This fourth book in the Harry Potter series is a chunkster but it reads quickly and is as enjoyable as the others.

It's a rainy day today in San Diego :) We seem to be having a fairly wet winter this year HOORAY!!
In spite of the wet I ran some errands this morning -- gas, Costco, post office -- and then went to my first Zumba class. It was fun but, whew, that's quite work-out. I only made it through 30 minutes (I'd done 15 on a stationary bike before) and then made a run for the door. I think I'll try it again though. I'm hoping to make one "classic" class, one Zumba and one yoga per week my routine with walking on the other days.

>81 RebaRelishesReading: This made me laugh Reba. I am not hoping for rain here!

>82 charl08: Hi Charlotte. I can imagine you aren't because you get enough rain. Being from a water-starved area and loving "cozy" days, I'm always happy when it rains.

Congrats on making it through your first Zumba class. That's a workour!

>84 SuziQoregon: Well, I didn't actually make it through :) I left before it was over, promising myself I would keep coming back and get to where I could make it for the whole hour.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng **** (audio)

The Richardson family live a "perfect" life in upscale Shaker Heights, Ohio. Father is an attorney, Mother is a reporter and the four teenage children, Lexi, Tripp, Izzy and Moody, are all doing well in school...well, Izzy does set the house on fire in the opening chapter of the book but basically they're a model family. Flash back to when Mrs. Richardson rents a house to Mia, a single mother, and her daughter, Pearl. Mia is an artist and is dismissive of many of the "rules" of settled life. The lives of the families become entwined. As the story progresses we learn many secrets and see the impact of them on the individuals and families. The second main theme is motherhood, what makes a mother and what are the impacts of mother love. The audio version is well read by Jennifer Lim.

We're off to Portland in an hour :) I'm not looking forward to the TSA lines but otherwise the trip should be fun -- 1st birthday party on Saturday, meet-up on Sunday, no plans on Monday, home on Tuesday. I'm not taking my computer so probably won't be in touch until we're home again.

Safe travels, Reba! Have fun!

>86 RebaRelishesReading:. I’ve wanted to read this one since it came out Reba. Thanks for the nudge. Enjoy your Portland trip!

Have a good trip, Reba! I hope your lines weren't too bad. Mine in Newark and Dallas were pretty normal...

Hope you had a great day with the little one!! I hope to see photos tomorrow!!

Sounds like a wonderful time, always excepting the TSA lines. Have fun.

>80 RebaRelishesReading: You inspired me to do a re-read of the HP books this year! I'm going to try them all on audio instead!

>86 RebaRelishesReading: I have this one in my work bag for the next time I need a book there. :)

Hope you are having a fun time in Portland. Anytime for bookshop visits?

Great to see you Reba! Safe travels.

Thanks Rhonda. I had a great time. Also fun spending time with our little guy. Home tomorrow.

Reba--It was so nice to see you again and like I said, I love the haircut. ; ) It was so much fun to talk books and theatre with you over lunch. You'll have to let me know when you get to Once Upon A River since I got that one, too. What else did you wind up getting at Powell's? Safe travels back home. Glad you had so much fun with your little guy -- he's so cute!

Hello hello! Can't believe I haven't visited you here more and sooner. Lovely start to your reading year and I love your xmas loot. -- Wharton is one of my writer goddesses, so enjoy. Susan Orlean's book is tempting as is Cinnamon Gardens. Michael Ondaatje wrote a lovely history/memoiry thing about his Sri Lankan roots. Running in the Family.

Snobs by Julian Fellowes***1/2

Anna Quindlen calls this "a guilty pleasure of a novel" and she's right. It was fun but not terribly weighty. The narrator of the story is a vaguely upper-class Englishman who makes his living as an actor. He has friends in both worlds and the story revolves around the mores of the upper-class and the upper-middle class and the interaction of the two. The main character, Edith Lavery, the daughter of a successful accountant, marries a man who is heir to an old title. Will she be accepted? Will she be happy?

Hi Mamie, Bonnie, Katie, Juli, Karen, Chelle, Charlotte, Kim and Lucy. Thanks for stopping by and for your comments. We arrived home a little after 9 tonight. The TSA lines (for pre-check) were quite short in both San Diego and Portland. The flight and airport were both very busy on Friday and we were a bit delayed going north. This evening the airport was quiet and the plan was about 2/3 full (so we had the middle seat empty between us) -- much nicer. The trip was very nice. We saw some people we hadn't seen in a while (about 15 year in one case) at the birthday party which went off very well and I thoroughly enjoyed the meet-up. I bought seven books at Powell's and read one that I had taken from home (report above). It's late and I'm up doing this because I was having trouble sleeping but I'm going to go back to bed now and will post photos tomorrow. Good night all!

Good morning! Here are some photos from my Weekend in Portland :)





The timing of the trip was driven by the 1st birthday of our grandson. His party was on Saturday and he seemed to have a great time :)



You may have seen this photo on Kim's thread but just to make my report complete -- here is meet-up photo (l-r Kim, Rhonda, me, Juli). It was great spending time with these lovely women again.



After lunch we, of course, made a trip to Powell's where I bought seven books and a new bag to carry them in. In case you can't read the titles, they are:

Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh
Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

Excellent book haul!!

Woot for meetups! They're just the absolute best, aren't they? And what a gorgeous photo of you all!

Morning, Reba! Welcome home. Love the photos - thanks for sharing. The grandson is a cutie, and that is exactly how Daniel ate his 1st birthday cake.

Most excellent book haul!

Hi Reba! Lovely photos from your trip - I particularly like the way that your grandson is eating his cake :-) And it looks like the meetup was fun too.

Hi Reba, Looks like I picked just the right time to finally stop by and drop my star. Your grandson is adorable and knows just how to eat cake! And such a lovely meet-up photo - it looks like you’re all having a great time. Not to mention a trip to Powell’s- it’s a bookstore I long to visit.

Hi Juli, Amber, Mamie, Susan, and Joanne. Thank you all for stopping by and for your kind comments :)

I started The Chosen yesterday and I'm loving it. Hope I'll find time to get back to it today although it isn't looking good at this point :(

Hi Reba!

So glad your trip went well - family, friends, books.

I've requested The Great Believers from the library and am next in line for their one (!) copy. Small library... *smile*

Hi Karen -- I look forward to hearing what you think about The Great Believers

Our beautiful new local branch of the San Diego Library opened today. The new one is about 6 blocks from the old one and a big part of the day was a (really symbolic because the collection was really already on the shelves) "book brigade" where over 1000 people lined the street to pass books one at a time from the old library to the new. It was fun and we were all rewarded with bright yellow scarves with the name of the library on it (not my color at all so I will never wear it again but it's a fun souvenir).

Can anyone tell me why photos that are top-side-up on my computer turn themselves sideways when I import them to my member gallery and is there anyway I can turn them once they're there?''





Side entrance to the building




About 1/12 of the book brigade.



A friend's grandkids who were next to me and our "block captain"

>101 RebaRelishesReading: it looks like a happy meet up Reba. And look at that little cutie pie celebrating his first birthday!

I loved Diane Setterfields The Thirteenth Tale so I’ll look forward to your thoughts when you read Once Upon a River.

Looks like a fun time was had by all. What was the library interior like?

>110 RebaRelishesReading: Cool day!

What happens with the pictures is, the picture has information that says which way is actually up for it - but not all programs pay attention. Whatever you're looking at it on your computer does, LT and most browsers don't. The only solution is to rotate it on the computer - which seems a waste of time when it's already displaying upright, but will make it right-side-up everywhere. If you use a Windows computer, an excellent freeware program that can do "lossless rotation" is Irfanview. Then you'd have to re-upload it to LT to make it show upright here.

Apparently Windows can now do rotation by itself - open the folder with the pictures you want to rotate, View them as icons (of any size), right-click and two of the options should be Rotate Right and Rotate Left. For a Mac, Preview has that option, under the Tools menu. You'll still have to re-upload it afterward, whatever you've used to rotate the image.

Reba, what a nice way to mark the move from the old library to the new one. I hope you found something to borrow on the historic first new day.

I love the pictures of the library move, looks like fun. The library at work did this as the new building was just down the central campus and invited local schools to join in. I was gutted I missed it.

>110 RebaRelishesReading: >113 jjmcgaffey: I've always wondered why this happened. I just crop the photo on my phone or computer (even just a little bit), and then save, and that version works. But nice to know why it does it!

>111 brenzi:, >112 ronincats:, >114 susanj67:, >115 charl08: Good morning Bonnie, Roni, Susan and Charlotte!

> 111 Hi Bonnie -- The meet-up was fun as was the first birthday party. He's a mellow, happy baby and seemed to have a good time at his party too :)

> 112 I haven't been inside yet, Roni. My back was having an unhappy day and started cramping up on me so I actually left before the book passing was completely done and then there were speeches, etc. before the public was actually allowed into the building. I'll go back this week to see the inside and share photos then.

>113 jjmcgaffey: Thank you Jennifer! So just to be clear. I took these with my Apple phone which was oriented vertically for the two photos that are on their side (and horizontally for the other two). When the vertical ones showed up on my Apple computer (wirelessly) they were properly oriented. So would I fix the problem for LT by rotating them a full 360 in the edit feature on my computer before importing them to LT?

> 114 Hi Susan! So you see I haven't actually been inside the library yet but hope to go soon. The books we were passing were paperback versions of classics which made it fun. Everybody seems to take the book, look it over, and then tell their neighbor if they'd read it and share memories of it. I had a friend on my left and a total stranger on my right but the routine was the same both ways.

>115 charl08: Hi Charlotte. When I was in college a new library was built and we did the same thing except that time it was for real and the entire collection. As I recall we had buckets and basket of books that we passed so it was a lot more work but still kind of fun.

>113 jjmcgaffey:, >116 RebaRelishesReading: Well, I tried the 360 rotation and that didn't work so...

Wouldn't a 360 rotation put you back where you were (full circle)? Maybe try 180?

>118 katiekrug: Yes, it would put me back but I thought perhaps that was a way to get it to recognize where I wanted it to be (probably weird logic on my part but I suffer from that sometimes). Anyway, 180 should just put it on its other side, right? Maybe 270? I'll go try.

Math is not my strong suit :)

Well I got it to be upside down :) Tried turning to some other angles and have it on its other side in my gallery. I'm going to give up now (at least until I get more direction from Jennifer)

>119 RebaRelishesReading: 90 degrees is the usual - the options are either 90 and 270 or Rotate Right, Rotate Left. The problem is that Preview reads the data the phone put on the photo, and shows it right-side-up (right?) - but LT doesn't read it (possibly doesn't save it), and shows the photo in its original orientation. Which is sideways, if you took it in portrait orientation (yes, confusing).

So two problems - figuring out which photos are rotated to start with, and then rotating them so they're _actually_ upright, rather than having a code set to _say_ which way is up. Finder, I'm pretty sure, will notice the EXIF code that says which way should be up and will show them upright; I think Preview may show them in true orientation. (dang, I wish I had a Mac so I could test this stuff!). If either one will show the picture in true orientation, you can tell which ones need to be rotated.

Hmmm - in at least one version of Photos Rotate is under the Image menu; that has Rotate Clockwise and Counterclockwise. Looks like that one will show the actual rotation of the image. But it also looks like that's an old version; I don't know what OS you're using, and the utilities change a _lot_ over time. What are you using to view the pictures?

The advantage of using Preview (again, I think) is that it does a lossless rotation - it doesn't lose any data when it moves things around. Most of the other ones will degrade the picture - only a tiny bit each time, but it adds up.

Or use >115 charl08:'s trick, and crop it just a tad (while it's displayed upright), then save it. That should leave it actually rotated.

>122 jjmcgaffey: Thank you Jennifer. I'm afraid your discussion left this totally-un-geeky senior with semi-crossed eyes but I did try Charlotte's trick and now my photo is oriented correctly :) Thank you for your help Charlotte and for your explanation Jennifer!

Glad you got photos of the book brigade. That sounded fun when you were telling us about it at breakfast. Sorry your back was being troublesome.

Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes**** (audio)

The book starts with parallel stories of (1) an author/poet who has lived in Tuscany for 12 years and (2) three women in their 60's/70's who meet while attending an informational open house at a retirement center. The stories converge when the ladies become friends and then decide to take a year's lease on a house in Tuscany and end up being neighbors to the author. It's a delightful story of friendship and women finding themselves later in life. A lovely book.

My new Audible credits arrived today and I spent them to buy How To Build a Girl and How to Be a Woman.

>124 SuziQoregon: Thank you Juli. The Book Brigade was fun, except for my back, which is still being a problem. It seems it has to do this for a few days every couple of months. I try ice, heat, Tylenol, exercise, stretching, massage and nothing but time seems to really help. I'm sure it will be better in a few days.

On my walk today I went by the library and checked out the interior so here are the promised photos. Nice, eh?



View to the left from the entry



View to the right from the entry



Children's room -- theme is "Hobbit"

The Chosen by Chaim Potok****

Reuven is the son of an orthodox Jewish scholar who wants to be a Rabbi and whose father wants him to be a professor of mathematics. Danny is the son of a Hasidic leader who is expected to inherit his father's position but who wants to be a psychologist. Even though they live only a few blocks apart in New York, the two have never met. We follow the two through high school and college as each struggles to honor his father and tradition while making his own way in the world. An underlying theme is the struggle between fanaticism and piety. This is a most moving book.

>127 RebaRelishesReading: Lovely photos, Reba! It looks like a beautiful new space.

>129 susanj67: It is. Might make me into a library user :)

Hi Reba! Happy Saturday.

I'm absolutely charmed by the book brigade. Our new library opened 10 years ago and it is a sweet little library - I think I'll take a few photos and post them on my thread.

>125 RebaRelishesReading: I just took a copy of Under a Tuscan Sun by the same author off my shelves - if you're interested in having it PM me with your address and I'll be glad to send it to you.

>125 RebaRelishesReading: I didn't realise she had written anything else apart from Under the Tuscan Sun which I really loved (not the film: like they made up a different story entirely). Will have a look for it.

Love the look of the new library - hopefully lots of new patrons will find it!

>131 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen but I already have a copy. I read that one when it came out and really enjoyed it.

I would be fun to see everyone's local libraries, don't you think?

>132 charl08: She's written a lot more. I read another one shortly after Under the Tuscan Sun but then sort of lost track of her until I ran across this one on Audible.

The library was pretty full when I was there so hopefully it will stay busy.

Forgot to mention that we went to the movies last night (a relatively rare event for us) and saw The Green Book -- I loved it!! (as did son, his lady, 16-year-old granddaughter and Hubby).

We went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner afterwards. I ate too much, ate too late and had to much wine -- can't shake the headache and general "blah" this morning. UGH.

Just went over to Facebook and found this posted by our NY neighbor. Couldn't help snagging it for you, Katie.

>135 RebaRelishesReading: - Hello, Gorgeous!

Thanks for thinking of me, Reba :)

>125 RebaRelishesReading: You hit me with that BB!

>136 katiekrug: And hello to you right back, Miss Katie. So nice to see you. :)

>137 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Hope you enjoy it. I think you will.,

If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Fact? by Alan Alda***1/2 (audio -
read by Mr. Alda)

In this typically charming book, Mr. Alda discusses the importance of empathy in communication citing studies, observations, etc. He also talks about ways to become more empathetic including improv games. It's a thoughtful, interesting, good read.

Beautiful new library you have there, Reba! Bright and open.

>1 RebaRelishesReading: Lol!

Hi Joann -- nice to see you and glad you like Ikea books (and our new library) :)

Night in Bombay by Louis Bromfield****

Louis Bromfield won the 1927 Pulitzer Price for his novel Early Autumn. During his career he wrote 30 books all of which were best sellers and he was honored for his work in sustainable/organic farming during the second half of his life. Nevertheless, he is not a well known figure now. I own a set of six of his books which were my father's but had never read them until I "discovered" him while on my Pulitzer quest. It's too bad because he's really a most engaging writer.

Night in Bombay is the story of people turning their lives around. The three main characters are Bill Wainwright, son of the owner of an oil company, nicknamed "Good Time Charlie" who is trying to settle into a productive life as an executive in his father's company. We meet him on a ship sailing to Bombay where he runs into his ex-wife and his oldest friend. A love-triangle ensues as well as many complications in the lives of the minor characters in the story, all of whom are well drawn and interesting. Published in 1940, the book also provides a look at colonial Bombay of the era.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley***

Grandbaby's Mom mentioned this series when we were visiting last month and I mentioned I had never read any of them so last week a surprise package came for me in the mail with a nice copy of the first book. I dove right in as soon as the book I was reading at the time finished. I enjoyed it although I'm afraid I'm not as enthusiastic as she is. I prefer "detective" stories where there is a normal life story line along with the murder investigation. I will try a couple more from the series, however, and have purchased the next one from Audible.

For those of you who haven't yet tried the series, they are mysteries with an 11-year-old, VERY precocious girl as heroine. She loves chemistry and knows a lot about it (more than I have any interest in knowing) and seems to know no fear. She has two older sisters, one is crazy about books (she should probably be the heroine in my series) and one is interested only in boys and her own appearance.

>143 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, those books are fabulous on audio - it elevates the story, and I predict you will like the next one better just because of the narration.

>144 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! So nice to have a visitor :) I'm hoping I will like the next one better too. I didn't dislike this one, just wasn't as enthusiastic as I would have liked to have been.

Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue by John McWorter****

I'm not a linguist (and that's an understatement) so much of the discussion in this book left me cross-eyed but nevertheless, the overall discussion of the history of English was interesting and exceedingly well told in the magnificent voice of Mr. McWorter. It served to make me more tolerant of "bad English" and less likely to yell at the television when "grammatical errors" occur (although that yelling did net me a son who speaks English that is easy for me to listen to :) ).

Hi Reba and happy Saturday to you.

>146 RebaRelishesReading: I love John McWhorter's The Story of Human Language, so I'm sure I'd love this one too. I got a bit cross-eyed too, but like you I listened to Dr. McWhorter and it was quite wonderful.

>147 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Nice to see you and to hear I'm not the only one who can't keep up with Dr. McWhorter but still love to hear him. :)

The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons*** (audio)

Mostly set in England in the years leading up to WWII. The heroine, Elise, is a 19-year-old Jewish girl with a father who is an internationally successful novelist and mother a renowned opera singer. They live in a luxury apartment staffed with servants and want for nothing. The older sister is married to a scientist who finds work in America and the parents also expect to be granted a visa to emigrate to the U.S. but there is not yet a visa for Elise so she is encouraged/forced to seek a job in England where she is hired to be a parlor maid at a large estate, Tyneford. The story of her struggle to learn to be a servant rather than the one being served and to find a niche in a place where she is so out-of-place gives the book an interesting perspective. I would have rated it higher than three except I listened to the audio version and really disliked the narration.

>126 RebaRelishesReading: I certainly enjoyed the audio of How to be a Woman and now have to find How to Build a Girl! If Moran narrates I will get the audio again.

Love all the new library photos and the yellow scarf brigade transferring books from the old to the new is a very fun image.

>135 RebaRelishesReading: I want some tatertots!!

Happy reading and have a wonderful weekend. : )

>127 RebaRelishesReading: Great library pics!

And happy weekend, Reba.

>142 RebaRelishesReading: Adding that one to the BlackHole!

>143 RebaRelishesReading: I am in the minority here on LT as I did not care for that book at all. I never continued the series.

>146 RebaRelishesReading: Adding that one to the BlackHole. I have read McWorter's The Story of Human Language and enjoyed it, so that one sounds like a must read for me.

Happy Saturday, Reba!

I enjoyed McWhorter's The Story of Human Language as well, and I've gotOur Magnificent Bastard Tongue on my radar. It's a topic that I find fascinating. After reading The Story of Human Language I did find myself listening to the way I actually speak and realising that it's not so 100% 'correct' as I thought it was, after all! And as you say, becoming a lot more accepting of different English variants.

Hi Reba! I love your IKEA book at the top of the thread :-) They opened a new shop fairly near to me on Thursday (certainly very easy to get to compared to their others) but I'm waiting a little while for the excitement to die down before I visit.

>146 RebaRelishesReading: looks good - I'll have to see if I have any reservation slots left :-)

I've had Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on my shelf for years and haven't felt the urge to read it. Your review hasn't pushed me any closer Reba. The author does seem to have a penchant for quirky titles. Happy Sunday!

Wow! 6 visitors this morning. My day is starting with a smile!

Hi Kim. I've got both How to be a Woman and How to Build a Girl on my phone and plan to listen this fall. The book pass was a lot of fun.

Hi Rhonda. Thanks. Hope you stay warm this weekend!

Hi Stasia. I hope you like Night in Bombay. I really enjoy Bromfield.

Hi Rhian. I wonder if there's an audio version of The Story of Human Language. I think it would be a lot easier with him pronouncing the foreign/ancient words.

Hubby and I have started watching lectures from "Great Courses" (I can connect my laptop to the TV). We're watching a great series on Celtic history and next up is Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage with McWhorter. I'm really looking forward to it.

Hi Susan. Isn't that IKEA image a hoot!! They're fun stores to visit (we have one about 2 miles away) but we certainly don't need any furniture so there's little reason to go there.

Hi Bonnie. I might not have finished it except that it was a thoughtful gift from daughter and, of course, I needed to be able to share it with her. I have purchased the second one in audio version and will see if I like that better. Happy Sunday to you too.

Thank you all for stopping by! :)

Morning, Reba! Happy Sunday!

>146 RebaRelishesReading: I have this one in the audio stacks.

>150 Berly: Kim, you HAVE to get the audio for How to Build a Girl!! Moran does not narrate it - Louise Brealey (she of Sherlock fame) does, and she is just as fabulous as Moran. Maybe even better - I really loved it.

Wow, another visitor :)

Good mornin' Mamie! I don't think I would have made it through Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue were it not in audio because I would have had no idea how to pronounce all of the comparison words and sounds he talks about. It still wasn't easy but very interesting.

>157 Crazymamie: Oaky, okay. Audio it is for How to Build A Girl! ; )

Good morning, Reba!

We're leaving for the boat to Catalina now and I'm not taking my computer. See ya' all next week!

>156 RebaRelishesReading: I listened to the audio version of The Story of Human Language so it does exist! I wasn't too sure about some of the British accents that he was doing, but apart from that it was good.

Safe travels, Reba!

>159 Berly: My work here is done!

Re: The Story of Human Language. I’ve been listening a podcast called The History of English that starts with proto-Indo-European and works through modern day to show where English came from and how it’s changed. Very interesting stuff!

>156 RebaRelishesReading: Grump - _all_ I can find in the libraries around here is the audio version of The Story of Human Language. And I don't do audio - can't retain audio information nearly as well as I can written (also I can read faster than I can listen, with fuller comprehension). I want the epub version! I read Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue in paper, if I recall correctly; it was fun.

Ok, I can see how having an audio version to go _along_ with the written version to hear exactly what he's saying would be helpful. I think I recall puzzlement a few times. But not only audio, not for me.

Oh my goodness, did I take some hits coming here, Reba! You got me with Women in Sunlight, the Alan Alda book, the John McWhorter books (I majored in Linguistics at UCSD and I love this stuff!) . Whew - dangerous place! But great pics of Portland and your meet up, and of your new library!

>156 RebaRelishesReading: I noticed that some pronunciations of Dutch sounded a bit strange which I suspect is because he doesn't speak the language and was using the phonetic pronunciation which isn't quite the way normal speech sounds. Still, it made his point. Hubby and I have started watching classes from The Great Courses (streaming them onto our TV) and next up is Myths, Lies and Half-Truths of Language with McWhorter. I'm really looking forward to it.

>162 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie!! We had a fun trip.

>163 drneutron: Hi Jim! That does sound interesting.

>164 jjmcgaffey: Hi Jennifer. I will only remember a little bit of the mass of information he provided but that would have been true in written form too I'm sure but I agree I would have probably remember more in written form.

>165 AMQS: Hi Anne! Glad to be of service Ma'am :) They're very different but I did enjoy them all.

We had a great time in Catalina. It has changed a LOT in the 40-some years since I was last there (great surprise there, huh?). We managed to be there for the two sunny days between two storms which was wonderful. Only thing we noticed from them was a bumpy ride over and a wet arrival otherwise the weather was cold (by SoCal standards) and beautiful.



Clouds forming for the next storm just before we left the island yesterday afternoon.



Snow on the San Gabriel mountains in the distance from patio of the snack shop at the Airport in the Sky (we were there on a tour -- took boats both ways)

Well Catalina looks absolutely delightful Reba. I'm sure you had fun.

>168 brenzi: Hi Bonnie. It is very nice. It's always been a lovely get-away for locals but now cruise ships call (one each Monday and Tuesday we're told) which certainly adds to the activity level.

Happy Valentine's Day!! ❤️💚💗💙

Thank you Chelle :)

Hi Reba!

Yay for Catalina. I think I've got you beat - I was there in 1973, so 46 years... I can't imagine what it's like now.

Hi Karen. It was sometime in the '70's that I was there last too. It's really very nice now. They've made much of the road along the beach into a pedestrian walkway with benches and landscaping, taken down the old White Steamer pier and built a new one at the opposite end of the bay from the casino and continued the pedestrian area to that with play areas and seating along the way. Only down sides were that A LOT of the little houses are now vacation rentals and there are A
LOT of golf carts, Smart cars and Scion's. There is a limit of 400 regular/large sized vehicles (and it didn't seem like that many) but the streets are lined with the little ones.

We were notified that both elevators in our building would be out of service from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today for "annual inspection and maintenance". It's odd because we've lived here 9 1/2 hears and never been told that before but since there was nothing on my calendar I decided it would make a perfect "sea day" and I spent the afternoon listening to an audio book and working on an embroidery project. Purely delightful :)



The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand** (audio)

I think Judy would call this "bubblegum for the brain". The title refers to the main characters who are almost-40 year-old identical twin sisters and to Nantucket and Martha's Vinyard where they live. There are old grievances, new hurts, lost love, found love, struggling children, etc. Pure romance novel but good for listening to while doing something else. :)

Glad to hear that the Catalina trip was a good one!

>175 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia :)

I asked a young cashier the other day if the store accepted "Apple Pay". He said "no, but I'm so impressed that a member of 'the greatest generation' knows about that". OK, I'm certainly not young but "the greatest generation"?!?!?!

>177 RebaRelishesReading: YIKES!

>167 RebaRelishesReading: Love the pictures. The sea looks so blue!

>177 RebaRelishesReading: I guess he meant well?! Oh dear.

>178 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie. Yikes indeed!

>179 charl08: Hi Charlotte. The sea was amazingly clear. Interesting since the island is only 25 miles or so off the CA coast. > 177 I keep telling myself he just doesn't know what the "greatest generation" is.

>180 RebaRelishesReading: I am sure he didn't know. But how disconcerting.

>177 RebaRelishesReading: I got a similar response from a young man who checked me out recently at Wegmans Reba but he wasn't naive enough to say greatest generation. He was just surprised that someone my age could use Apple Pay when most of his friends couldn't.

>177 RebaRelishesReading: Reminds me of the first time, a very long time ago, that I got called Ma'am.

>181 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. Yes it was a bit but mostly it has me chuckling every time I think of it. I wasn't sure when "the greatest generation" ended, actually, so looked it up and found it's 1910-1924, the ear in which my parents were born and they were both in their 30's when I was born. I tell myself he meant "the war generation" which is close but actually I'm an early baby boomer.

>182 brenzi: Hi Bonnie. Isn't it nice to be "hip"? I don't think I've used Apple Pay at Wegman's because I gave up a couple of years ago because it seemed no one took it. I got back into it Britain/Ireland last year where you can use it everywhere and now I'm on a quest. I can use it at Von's here (a Safeway branch and my favorite local store) but not at Ralph's (Kroger's). We pretty much only shop at Wegman in NY so I'm glad to hear they use it.

>183 karenmarie: Hi Karen. Ah yes, the first "ma'am" :( But actually that wasn't as bad and the "dear" I get from strangers occasionally now. I truly hate that.

I am finally getting caught up - won't last long. >1 RebaRelishesReading: made me laugh out loud.

>143 RebaRelishesReading: I am glad you made it through and liked it well enough to try the audio. :)

Gorgeous photos of Catalina. I haven't been there since 8th grade graduation, which was longer ago than I'd like to actually count up right now. I do remember it being a lovely place.

Hi Jenn! Nice to see you and hope you come back soon :)

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton ****1/2 (audio)

A young archivist in London opens a box that has been overlooked in her company for 20 years or so and discovers documents and photographs that relate to the artist whose artifacts and ephemera she is responsible for and which may have some relationship to her family. This kicks off a complex story that runs from the mid-19th century to 2017. It's well written, complex and has compelling characters that kept me involved. Highly recommended.

I will say that I listened to the audio version and I wouldn't necessarily recommend that because I found it very hard to keep up with all of the characters and time changes that way. I have to admit that I only listen to audio books when I'm doing something else (walking, embroidering, cooked, etc.) so it may have been more that I wasn't fully concentrated rather than that the book was just to complex for audio but I struggled for the first half at least.

I loved The Clockmaker's Daughter, Reba, and can see how listening to it might be confusing. Still, it sounds like you enjoyed it. I loved the narration of Birdie and thought it was really well plotted.

>167 RebaRelishesReading: Lovely pictures.

>187 RebaRelishesReading: I'm looking forward to reading this one at some point this year -- good to know about the audiobook. I also listen while I'm driving or cooking, so I try to stick to one narrator and one timeline books for that.

>188 BLBera: I did enjoy it, Beth and figured out what was happening, who was who, etc. by 1/4 or 1/3 of the way in.

>189 Cait86: Hi Cait! It's a good read but I think I might have enjoyed it more in visual form.

Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O'Connor** (audio)

The title describes it well, a murder mystery set in an Irish village. Siobhan was about 20 and had just about saved enough money to go off to Dublin to study at Trinity College when her parents were killed in a car crash leaving her to care for her five siblings and keep the family bistro going. A young man from the village is jailed for drunk driving and causing the crash when he swerved into the part of the parents' car. His brother comes back to town claiming he has proof that the accident was someone else's fault and looking for money to hire a lawyer. Death's occur and secrets are revealed in a fairly standard murder mystery. The thing that bothered me the most though, was that Siobhan insists on barging around asking questions and taking risks in the most ill thought-out, unsophisticated way possible.

Catching up to wish you a splendid weekend, Reba.

>192 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. Yours will be about over by now but hope it was great too.

Today I'm finally going to tackle our closet. We have a grand total of three closets in this place (well, 4 if you count the laundry closet) and two of them are TINY so the one off the master bedroom is where everything-we-don't-know-what-to-do-with goes. I also have not culled my clothes for years so-o-o hold me in your thoughts please, dear LT friends.

Good luck, Reba! I need to do that, too, so if you develop any helpful tips, do share them!

I need to do that, too. But I look at it, have a panic attack and then just close the door. LOL . Maybe I could just go through my shoes...Good luck, Reba!!

Ooh, I keep seeing good things about The Clockmaker's Daughter. I'm going to have to add it to my list!

I hope you had a good time with your closet decluttering, Reba. I do go through my closets about twice a year and weed out, although I keep far more clothes than I should, because I'm a pack rat.

I was with a group this morning and the subject of being called ma'am came up. It is a definite marker, isn't it? Looks like you had a good time in Catalina. Nice pictures, Reba.

>195 katiekrug:, >196 Berly:, >198 ronincats: Hi Katie, Kim and Roni! So, I have some days when I'm in the mood to get rid of things but mostly I'm a "saver" so my tip for myself is to pick a day when I'm in a culling mood. I did really well yesterday and Hubby even got into the act with his stuff and we took a car full (literally) to donate in mid-afternoon. Since that's our main storage place, the load included a lot of things beyond just clothes. Shoes would be a good place to start, Kim :)

>197 AMQS: Hi Anne. Hope you enjoy The Clockmaker's Daughter. Those flying BB's are why I read it and I was glad I did.

>199 Familyhistorian: Yep, Meg. You know you're definitely not a child any more when that happens :) I'm quite comfortable with "ma'am" by this point in my life but I still have a problem with "dear" (except from Hubby, of course).

Since you were all so nice to visit, here's some San Diego weather for your viewing pleasure :)



(professional photo from Channel 10 news)

Ooh, North Island with Downtown behind it and Mt. Cuyamaca behind that! I'm guessing the photographer was out at the Cabrillo Monument at the tip of Point Loma to take that. The photo I used was from Crown Point on Mission Bay. Something we don't see very often!

Nice ship! I went to UCSD (in La Jolla) and know perfectly well that that pretty blue water is COLD this time of year (we did snorkeling, in wetsuits because it wasn't happening any other way). But it's a lovely sight, anyway.

>201 ronincats: I think you're right Roni. I loved your photos with a great contrast in more detail. I think this one struck me partly because of the sailboat in the foreground.

>202 jjmcgaffey: You're definitely right about that, Jennifer. Actually, that pretty blue water is pretty chilly any time of year :)

Feeding the Dragon by Sharon Washington***** (audio)

A totally charming book perfectly read about an African-American child growing up in Manhattan as the daughter of a library custodian whose job includes the use of an apartment on the top floor of the library. It's short and wonderful.

A Little History of Philosophy by Nigel Warburton**** (audio)

I often wish I had taken more philosophy in college and/or listened better in the class I did take so this book jumped out at me when I was browsing Audible and I'm very glad it did. The title describes it well and I enjoyed the jog through philosophical thought over the ages. I may order a paper copy to make it easier to refer to.

The Weed that String the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley** (audio)

My second try at the Flavia de Luce series. I'm afraid they're just not my cuppa.

>205 RebaRelishesReading: BB for a little history of philosophy - my interest mostly triggered by this song: https://www.griffined.org/song/44-philosophers. Tim Griffin is great - and the best part is I learn something from most of his songs (if only that I want to know more). I got the book from one of my libraries, as an ebook.

>200 RebaRelishesReading: Ohhhh I need a vacation!! There! :)

>207 jjmcgaffey: Amusing song. If I could actually learn the lyrics I might not need the book :) Actually, I've ordered the book and it may arrive today.

>208 ChelleBearss: Come on down, Chelle. We would love to have you :)

>209 RebaRelishesReading: Ooohhh don't tempt me!!

Ooh, San Diego is looking beautiful! We're overdue for a visit. Marina might be interested in UCSD but I don't know that we can afford it. We loved our time there.

>210 ChelleBearss: :>

>211 AMQS: That would be awesome Anne. I would love to see you! Hope you come to visit even if Marina isn't at UCSD (I know out-of-state tuition can be very high).

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman****1/2 (audio)

This has been in Mt. TBR for a long time but turns out I also own it in audio (Oops!) so I listened to it. I wasn't that wild about the reading but I did love the book.

Hatred. Homophobia. After effects of rape. Violence. Lack of economic opportunity. Manipulative politicians. Love. Compassion. Acceptance. Support. Forgiveness. Loyalty. Us Against You has it all. A wonderful story about very human people.

It lost half of point for me because I thought the ending was a little too pat and drawn out. I listened to it in audio and kept thinking "OK, that's the end" and then another chapter would start. But it's a minor flaw in a very good book.

>213 RebaRelishesReading: I think my husband has that book? Or maybe my brother? One of them received it for Christmas so I might be able to get my hands on a copy.

>214 AMQS: It would be a good idea to read Bear Town first. This is a sequel.

>213 RebaRelishesReading: I was looking forward to Us Against You after reading Beartown last year, and now after reading your review even more!
I hope to get it from the library soonish.

>200 RebaRelishesReading: Ohhhhh I loved my time in San Diego when I was there about 13 years ago Reba. Really loved it. Siri just told me it's 12 degrees out. Blahech 😳

Reba, your new library branch is beautiful. As is the photo of San Diego. Silly me, I didn't realize the "nearby" mountains got that much snow on them. It certainly makes for a lovely photo shot. My daughter and family are visiting your fair city for spring break. I wish they would take me with them!

I haven't been tempted to read the Alan Bradley books. At least you gave them a fair shot. I am totally with you on the Backman books. Aren't they wonderful?

>216 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. I hope you get it soon too. As you can tell, I loved it.

>217 brenzi: Hi Bonnie. Well, come on out :)

>218 Donna828: Hi Donna. I wish they would too. Yes, even though daughter 2 loves them, I think I'm through with the Bradley books and I wish Backman would write some more (although I wasn't crazy about My Grandmother Asked Me Tell You She's Sorry).

A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain (audio) ****

This is a short little Audible original that I enjoyed a great deal. It's the story of Marie Curie as a student and her meeting with Pierre. Certainly worth the $1.99 it cost :)

Hi Reba!

I agree that culling is a timing issue, am impressed that you and your husband took an entire car load.

>206 RebaRelishesReading: I'm not a Flavia person either. I think we're in the minority, but that's okay.

Lots to catch up on!

Totally jumbled up and out of order -- I've loved the Flavia mysteries, love the narrator. I count on you for ideas because our taste is similar, I think, nothing too demanding, but nothing too stupid either, and a pleasant pleasing narrator. Bummed that you didn't like the Tyneford narrator, that sounded like a possibility.

OK -- so as for photographs -- I've come up with a dead-simple method that works. When you load a picture you have to take each one individually and turn it around, regardless of its position initially, to right side up and then hit SAVE and bob's your uncle. I fell over that method by happenstance but it does the trick. So often a photo looks fine but then when you try to put it up somewhere it goes sideways. I hope that makes sense? Just turn it and save, basically.

I too love the Ikea book at the top!

>221 karenmarie: Hi Karen -- thank you! We were right proud of ourselves too :)

>222 sibylline: Hi Lucy. Yes, I tend to look to you for ideas too but we can't agree 100% obviously. I'm afraid I have "a thing" about little girl voices on grown women...sorry, but there it is. You might try Tyneford in physical form though. Thanks too for the photo tip.

Hi Reba! Your decluttering sounds like it was successful.

I don't like Flavia either - I could barely make it through the first one. And I didn't even have the audio version!

I will read Bear Town soon, Reba. You have me intrigued by the author.

>204 RebaRelishesReading: Sadly not on a deal here but I've added it to my audible wishlist!

>224 susanj67: Hi Susan -- we're both happy about the new state of our closet. Hubby really has the bug now though. He wants to go through the pantry and eliminate all of the cans/bottles/ boxes that he thinks we won't use. I may get to that soonish.

Glad to have sympathy with Flavia. I feel bad because Daughter 2 loves it and went to the trouble of ordering the book for me. That's why I tried again with book 2 but, really, I'm done!

>225 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul I've liked all of the Backman books I've read. The Bear Town/Use Against Them are favorites, although I like the second one best. I also loved A Man Called Ove.

>226 charl08: I hope you can get it, Charlotte. Maybe the sale will spread to the U.K. :)

We have a group here called Adventures by the Book which sells (actually a few are free) author events. I went yesterday to a lunch with Alan Brennert where he presented his new book Daughter of Moloka'i. It was held at a Hawaiian restaurant with homestyle Hawaiian food (read...very heavy on carbs). The food isn't really my thing but the conversation at the table was pleasant and Mr. Brennert was just what I always hope for in an author. He told us about how he got interested in Moloka'i, how he works, etc. and read only the preface to the new book to us. Although I have a friend who has very strongly urged me to read Moloka'i, I haven't done that yet but I bought both it and the new one yesterday and plan to read them soon. He also spoke briefly about Honolulu which sounds very interesting too.

That Month in Tuscany by Inglath Cooper****(audio)

A somewhat standard romance but with some interesting twists to the plot. Lizzie has been married for 20 years to a man whose only interest seems to be in his career. At least he doesn't seem interested in her. In an attempt to reawaken the spark of their early marriage, she convinces him to travel to Italy with her for a month to celebrate their anniversary. The evening before they are to depart he tells her he is too busy at work to go so she decides to go on her own.

I bought this as a light book to listen to while walking but I ended up liking it much better than I expected.

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton****

According to the cover of the book "Edith Wharton's lacerating satire on marriage and materialism in turn-of-the-century New York features her most selfish, ruthless, and irresistibly outrageous female character." I certainly agree that Undine is selfish and ruthless but I didn't find her all that irresistible. She's spoiled, egotistical and silly as well as selfish and ruthless. The book however is an interesting look at New York society at the turn of the century as well as at Americans in Paris in the same era. Worth a read.

>200 RebaRelishesReading: I went through my shoes! And my purses. You are my inspiration! : )

>213 RebaRelishesReading: I love Backman's stuff and agree with your thoughts on this one.

>229 RebaRelishesReading: >230 RebaRelishesReading: Man, you are reading a lot of great stuff! Keep it up.

Good morning Kim!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you :)

I'm coming down with a cold -- grrrrr! I don't often get them and when they start I can usually make it go away with a zinc or two but this one seems determined.

I finally got the courage to start the 5th Harry Potter (an 800+ page tome) yesterday (Hi Chelle) though so I guess the good news is that I'll be able to make some progress on that today.

YUCK!! The cold is worse. I awoke with a runny nose, watery eyes and throbbing headache this morning and it isn't getting any better. I enjoy a day in pj's but wish my eyes would let me read. I would love to make some progress on Harry Potter 5 but it's a real struggle :(

Sorry the cold got worse, Reba, I hope you feel better soon!

So sorry you're under the weather, Reba. I hope the germs depart post-haste!

Get well soon, Reba. Hope you're drinking lots, and maybe listening to some audiobooks?

Oh dang, Reba. I hope you're feeling better soon!

Reba, sorry to hear that you have the lurgy. Don't these illnesses know that we're always supposed to be able to read?! I hope you can find something else to do if you can't.

Hi Anita, Katie, Charlotte, Amber and Susan -- I really appreciate your sympathy and having five visitors really brightened my day. I'm less drippy today but my voice is going and a cough is coming. I'm hoping this means the bug is moving through quickly and will depart soon :) I had a good Nyquil enhanced sleep last night which helped too.

Meanwhile, I made great progress on Harry Potter 5 yesterday. I also have a most interesting audio book going (Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II) so I can switch to that when/if my eyes start watering again.

Hi Reba! I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I hope you're on the mend soon.

You got me with >229 RebaRelishesReading: That Month in Tuscany. Also, I think I gave Callia Elephant Company after I think Joanne liked it. I'll have to see if I can find it and give it a go.

Hi Reba, hope your cold is on its way out the door and you're feeling much better.

>230 RebaRelishesReading: Ohhhh Undine! Wasn't she a piece of work??

Darn it, Reba, I cancelled our lunch so I WOULDN'T share my cooties with you but you got them anyway! No fair. Hope it doesn't last long.

Sorry to see that you have caught the plague! I hope it's short lived!

>241 AMQS: Thanks Anne -- My eyes are still drippy but at least my nose isn't running non-stop. So far it doesn't seem to have moved to my chest -- hope it doesn't.

I think you'll like That Month in Tuscany. I was ready to go and join them when I finished :) I haven't been walking, driving or doing much else with audio the past few days so I'm not very far into Elephant Company but I really think I'm going to like it.

>242 brenzi: Thanks Bonnie. I hope it gets itself over with soon too. My son and lady are moving to San Francisco leaving early next week and I really would like to see them before they go but I don't want to make them sick :( And yes, Undine was something. A most unlikeable character.

>243 ronincats: I don't really know where I got this but I'm quite sure it wasn't from you. Thanks for being thoughtful like that. Hope we can reschedule soon.

>244 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle, I hope so too. BUT, I have to say that being sick has meant a lot more reading and I finished all 870 pages of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in three days! Now I'm torn, I would like to just move straight on to Book 6 but there are other things I want to read too so...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling****1/2

You've probably all read this already so I'll just report that I read it and really enjoyed it. I'm now more anxious than ever to see how the whole series ends.

Hi Reba - I am envious of your lovely weather. On the other hand, it takes me ten minutes to get to work.

Feeding the Dragon sounds good. Onto the list it goes.

I read the first couple Alan Bradley books but they didn't work for me, either. They certainly are popular around here, though.

>247 BLBera: I hear 'ya Beth. I managed to live within 10 minutes of work much of my working life and I know how important that is.

Elephant Company by Vicki Constantine Croke*****(audio)

Oh my, how I loved this book! It's a fascinating tale of a young English man who goes to Burma to work for a teak company, learns to love elephants, and forms an "elephant company" of over 1000 elephants to build bridges helping the British forces in WWII in Burma. It's adventure and lots of great information about elephants. Well read too.

>249 RebaRelishesReading: I'm so glad you loved it, Reba! I forgot to check Callia's bookshelves, but I'm pretty sure I gave it to her. Now I want to read it!

Mornin' Anne. I hope you find it, read it and love it too :)

I spent yesterday afternoon sitting in the car in front of my son't recently vacated house waiting for the car transportation company to come and pick up his two collector cars. I had Harry Potter with me and made some progress but kept getting distracted by things going on around me. At the end of the day a huge semi arrived (in my mind it was to be a pickup and trailer) in the quiet neighborhood and blocked a huge part of the street for over an hour while the two cars were maneuvered, loaded and strapped down. Quite a process. Son and his lady, meanwhile, were checking in from San Francisco where they were busy exploring their new neighborhood. Here at home a crew is busy repairing our balcony so there is an inch of dust on everything and a constant stream of people coming and going...so I was better off being away I think. I hope/expect next week will be quieter.

You got me with two book bullets, the elephants and the tuscany romance.

Glad you got through the cold and golly life sounds hectic!

>246 RebaRelishesReading: Glad you are still loving the series! You are showing great restrained by now plowing right ahead to the next :)

>253 sibylline: Hi Lucy. For my retired life, things did get a bit busy last week. It's quieter this week although adding three scheduled exercise events per week has made a big difference in my calendar. Speaking of which, I must leave for my personal training session right now! Hope you enjoy the books.

>254 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle. I should finish Book 6 this afternoon and plan to move straight into Book 7. Thanks you for encouraging me to finally do this :)

Hi Reba!

Sorry you've been sick - I hope you're fully recovered.

Since I'm a huge HP fan, I'm glad that you are zooming through book 6 and are anxious to get through the last one to see how it ends.

Glad you are feeling better, Reba. Check out my thread to see what I was working on today.

>256 karenmarie: Hi Karen -- Thanks for your good thoughts. I'm feeling my usual self again. Starting Book 7 today :)

>257 ronincats: Good morning, Roni. I'll be right over :)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling****1/2

Six down and one to go. I'll start it this morning. I'm so glad I'm finally reading this wonderful series! Thank you again Chelle because you were the one who finally tipped me over the edge into Potter land :)

Reba, I confess that I am jealous of you getting to read the Harry Potter books for the first time.

>255 RebaRelishesReading: Yay!! Once you are finished perhaps you'll need more Potterverse and watch all the movies :)

>261 ChelleBearss: Me too! As much as I love to reread them you truly only get the absolute joy of a great book the very first time.

Reba--Well, I don't know if it was your lurgy, or Richard's but I caught something! Ugh. I hope you are over yours already. What new fitness class are you taking three times a week? And hurray for Harry Potter! Someday I'll do a reread. Glad you are enjoying the series and it's kinda nice you don't have to write a review because everyone knows it. Just stars suffice.

>260 AMQS: Sorry to make you jealous Anne :( I've been "sort of" interested in reading them since they came out (actually bought the first three once but loaned them to a daughter who loaned them to a boy friend and then they broke up and "bye bye" books) but never interested enough to actually start reading. The conversations here, especially Chelle's encouragement, finally tipped me over the point and I'm enjoying them a lot.

>261 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle. I'll be moving on to chapter 6 of book 7 when I finish here. Don't think I'll be wanting Potterverse (what ever that is) but Hubby wants to watch the movies so I'll probably be going there.

>262 Berly: Oh Kim, I'm sorry you're sick. Really I didn't send any lurgies your way!! I got over mine really quickly. To my surprise, it didn't go to my chest at all so I wasn't left with a cough that won't go away, thank goodness.

I joined the local 24-Hour Fitness on the Silver Sneakers program and usually go to "classic" on Tuesdays, (chair) yoga on Wednesday and I was going to "classic" again on Thursday but now I have personal training on Thursday instead. I've be a walker for several years now and that has dropped off now that I'm at the gym so much but I try to still get some good walks in on days I don't have a class or training and some of those days I stop in to use the machines on my way home. I'm pretty fit (from a cardio vascular perspective) but have been loosing strength and flexibility so I'm hoping to correct those with the gym activities. Besides, it's fun :)

Hooray for Harry Potter! I will always have a soft spot for Rowling, as it was the Harry Potter books that launched Banjo, Jr into being a real reader.

>264 banjo123: I agree Rhonda. I think Harry launched many young readers and that's a wonderful thing to have done. Soon as I'm done here I'm going to sit down with book 7 and hope to make some serious progress this afternoon.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling*****

TA DA!!! I have now joined the many worthies who have read the entire series :) What an imagination (both weird and creative) Ms. Rowling has!

>266 RebaRelishesReading: HURRAY!!!! So happy you ended up loving it!

>267 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle :)

Last night BFF, Hubby and I watched The Wife. We all loved it!

I want to watch "The Wife" as well, Reba. I just finished the book and loved it.

Every time I see your topper, I laugh.

>269 BLBera: Hi Beth. I love that topper too but I'm going to start a new thread this weekend and it will be gone. Enjoy The Wife, the movie :)

I do believe I saw you on TV the other night, Reba! Despite your apparent reluctance.

>266 RebaRelishesReading: Impressive stuff. I think I gave up around book 5 - but as >264 banjo123: and >265 RebaRelishesReading: it's an impressive legacy. I think it also had an impact on adults too - I remember when the first books came out and I caught the tube every day, you would see people reading them - it prompted me to pick the first one up.

>271 ronincats: Hi Roni! Saw me on TV?!? Don't think so. Isn't it beautiful lately? We're planning to go walk around Lake Murray today.

>272 charl08: Hi Charlotte Those last three are huge but somehow they read "fast". The type, page, etc. seems normal so I don't know why that is but it took much less time to read them than I expected. I read them from a combination of curiosity because so many adults report liking them and as a tribute to the legacy.

This isn't you?

http://www.cbs8.com/story/40207574/hillcrest-the-assistance-league-of-greater-sa...

Reba, congratulations on finishing Harry Potter! I don't think I read past book 4 but, like Charlotte, I remember when they first came out, and they were everywhere! I had books 1 and 2 before they even did them with grown-up covers.

Hi Reba, I read the first Harry Potter when it first cam out and I had a few unreasonable parents complain to me that we shouldn't have it in our school library. Witchcraft etc. so I read it to assure them that it was all make believe and fantasy like so many other books and no need for concern. I never felt the need to move on to the rest of them...did I mention that I'm very happy to be retired?

>274 ronincats: Well I was at the ribbon cutting (I used to be a member) but I didn't see myself in the first video and couldn't get the second one to play. I also didn't see a TV camera there but, like I said, it could have been me.

>275 susanj67: You should read on Susan. They're really quite entertaining.

>276 brenzi: Ah yes Bonnie, I know what you mean. Retirement is the BEST!!

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday**

I really wanted, and expected, to like this better than I did. It's divided into three parts, each considerably shorter than the previous one. The first deals with an affair between a 27 year-old editor and a 70-something writer. The asymmetry was easy to see there and the story held my attention fairly well. The second deals with Iraqi-American on his way to visit his brother in Iraqi who gets stopped for immigration check on a brief lay-over in London. It quickly got boring. The third section has the writer from the first appearing on Desert Island. It's quite short. Mostly, though the second and third sections bored me.

>278 RebaRelishesReading: Well, if you're bored, Reba, I'm fairly sure I won't like it either. I can get off the fence about that book! I just thought I'd check in to see if you had started a new thread yet. That's my project for today after I pay a few more overdue visits.

>279 Donna828: Hi Donna. Glad to have helped you off the fence.

I've been waiting to start a new thread until the "quarter" was over. I have the new topper loaded and ready to go so I'm off now to do just that.

New thread is up! Come and visit...please.