Morphy's Manor 2019 - Part 1

MARCH ON DECK

Shades of Wicked by Jeanine Frost (#1)
Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce (#3)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (#4)
Proof by Dick Francis (#5)
The Icebound Land (#3 Ranger's Apprentice) by John Flanagan (#6)
Aimless Love by Billy Collins (#7)
Connections in Death by J. D. Robb (#8)
White Night by Jim Butcher (#9)
A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter (#10)
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede (#11)
Wild Country by Anne Bishop (#12)
Trail of Crumbs by Lisa J. Lawrence (#13)

*Numbers are for the TIOLI challenges

This is my ninth year of posting in the 75th Books Challenge. I've been a member of LT for over twelve years. I am in my mid-fifties, been married to my husband, MrMorphy, for almost 29 years, and live in Minn-OhMyGodItsCold-sota.

Since November 2018, I've lost my Maia (12 year old Shih-Tzu/Pom I've had since she was a puppy), my SIL (brother's wife), and my (ex)stepfather (was still very close friends with my mom, they spoke daily.) And have been diagnosed with ADHD. I'm done now.

I mostly read fantasy, preferably urban, but also enjoy general and genre fiction (mystery, romance, scifi), classics, YA, popular non-fiction, and will honestly try any genre at least once.

BEST BOOKS OF 2019:

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
Monstress series (1-3) by M. Liu/S. Takeda
Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico

MY RATING SYSTEM:

10 stars - The book completely enthralled me. Could not put it down. Got something more out of it than just entertainment -- it enlightened or educated me in some way. Can definitely see myself reading it again. Will keep forever and never loan it out.

9 stars - Not quite perfect but almost so. I will actively push this book on my friends and family.

8 stars - A really great book in all respects with perhaps some minor flaws. Highly recommended.

7 stars - Better than average but with some flaws. Recommended.

6 stars - Average. An entertaining read but probably forgettable. Will not reread. Recommended for entertainment value to readers with similar interest.

5 stars - Slightly lower than average. Some aspects of the story, characters or writing troubled me. Probably will not recommend.

4 stars - Finished but did not like. Would not recommend.

3 stars - Had some redeeming qualities or else I couldn't have finished it. Nothing to recommend it though.

2 star - I can't believe I finished this book. What am I? A masochist?

1 star - No book ever gets this rating. If it's a 1, I can't finish it.

JANUARY

1. Betrayal in Death by J. D. Robb (reread)
2. Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews (reread)
3. Beyond World's End by Lackey/Edghill (reread)
4. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (4/10)
5. Rebel Hard by Nalini Singh (7/10)
6. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (7/10)
7. Year One by Nora Roberts (7/10)
8. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (7/10)
9. Becoming by Michele Obama (8/10)
10. Leviathan Wakes by James Corey (7/10)
11. An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris (5/10)
12. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
13. Seduction in Death by J. D. Robb (reread)
14. Beartown by Fredrik Backman
15. Archangel's Prophecy by Nalini Singh
16. The Big Year by Mark Obmascik (7/10)
17. The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
18. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
19. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
20. Minnow on the Say by Phillipa Pearce (7/10)
21. The Wicked and The Divine: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen (8/10)
22. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (8/10)
23. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (8/10)
24. The Bartered Brides by Mercedes Lackey (6/10)
25. Findings by Kathleen Jamie (4/10)
26. The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (6/10)

FEBRUARY

27. Reunion in Death by J. D. Robb (reread)
28. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff (8/10)
29. The Burning Bridge (#2 Ranger's Apprentice) by John Flanagan (7/10)
30. Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews (reread)
31. The Wicked and the Divine, Vol 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen (8/10)
32. Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico (8/10)
33. Transmetropolitan, Vol. 3: Year of the Bastard by Warren Ellis (6/10)
34. Matilda by Roald Dahl (reread)
35. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
36. Dance upon the Air by Nora Roberts
37. Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews (8/10)
38. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
39. Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts
40. Face the Fire by Nora Roberts
41. Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (reread)
42. Wildfire by Ilona Andrews (reread)
43. White Hot by Ilona Andrews (reread)
44. The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold
45. Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread)
46. Penric and the Shaman by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread)
47. Penric's Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread)
48. Penric's Fox by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread)
49. Mira's Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread)
50. The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread)
51. The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread)
52. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread)
53. Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread)
54. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (reread)
55. Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews (reread)
56. One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews (reread)
57. Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews (reread)
58. Purity in Death by J. D. Robb (reread)
59. Portrait in Death by J. D. Robb (reread)
60. Deja New by MaryJanice Davidson (reread)
61. Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy by Anne Boyd Rioux (7/10)

MARCH

62. Shades of Wicked by Jeanine Frost (7/10)
63. Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
64. Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce (7/10)
65. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (6/10, for younger audience than I thought, not authors fault)
66. Proof by Dick Francis (8/10)
67. The Icebound Land (#3 Ranger's Apprentice) by John Flanagan (8/10)
68. Aimless Love by Billy Collins (6/10) (it's poetry)
69. Connections in Death by J. D. Robb (7/10)
70. White Night by Jim Butcher
71. A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter (6/10, amateurish)
72. Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
73. Wild Country by Anne Bishop (7/10)
74. Trail of Crumbs by Lisa J. Lawrence (7/10)
75. Written in Red by Anne Bishop
76. Forfeit by Dick Francis (7/10)
77. Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
78. Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
79. Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop
80. Lake Silence by Anne Bishop
81. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
82. Starless by Jacqueline Carey
83. Imitation in Death by J. D. Robb
84. Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop
85. Shadows and Light by Anne Bishop
86. The House of Gaian by Anne Bishop
87. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
88. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce
89. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
90. The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
91. White Night by Jim Butcher
92. Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede (6/10)
93. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
94. Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh
95. Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh
96. Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh
97. Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh
98. Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh
99. Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

BOOK BULLETS

(I'm always forgetting who recommended what so this is the place for it.)

* The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (scaifea) - contemporary fantasy
* First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones (Berly) - paranormal romance/mystery (8/10)
* The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (alcottacre) - graphic novel/LGBT
* A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (alcottacre) - space opera
* Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (Berly) - heroic fantasy
* Flight into Danger by Alet Schouten (FAMeulstee) - children's (7/10)
* The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren (ctpress, FAMeulstee) - children’s
* The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer (richardderus) - Regency romance (Feb)
* Old Filth by Jane Gardam (CrazyMamie) - historical fiction (Apr)
* The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (PaulCranswick) - historical fiction/YA (Apr)
* The Thread that Binds the Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (ronincats) - urban fantasy (May)
* Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre (ronincats & others) - science fiction/post-apocalyptic (May)
* Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges (scaifea) - fantasy short stories re books (May)
* Bird Box by Josh Malerman (drneutron & others) - horror (May)
* Three Mages and a Margarita (ronincats) by Annette Marie - urban fantasy (May)
* How to Find Love in a Bookshop (katiekrug) by Veronica Henry - chick lit (May)
* The Art of Dying (richardderus) by Sarah Tolmie - poetry (May)
* You're All Just Jealous of My JetPack (scaifea) by Tom Gauld - humor (June)

alcottacre - 2, Berly - 2, CrazyMamie - 1, drneutron - 1, FAMeulstee - 1, katiekrug - 1, PaulCranswick - 1, richardderus - 2, ronincats - 2, scaifea - 3



GOODREAD RECS

* The Library Book by Susan Orlean
* The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

TBR SERIES

Current
#3/32 Carpathian - Dark Gold by Christine Feehan
#13 Charley Davidson - Summoned to Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones
#3 Deadwood - Dead Case in Deadwood by Ann Charles
#4 Earthsea - Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin (reread)
#7/7 Elemental Assassin - Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep (reread series after)
#1/10 Fever - Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
#10 Harry Dresden - Small Favor by Jim Butcher (reread)
#4 Immortals - Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole
#21 In Death - Born in Death by J. D. Robb (reread)
#2 InCryptid - Midnight Blue Light Special by Seanan McGuire (reread)
#9 InCryptid - Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire (new)
#1 Petaybee - Power Lines by Anne McCaffrey
#5 Ranger's Apprentice - The Sorcerer in the North by John Flanagan
#1/4 Raven Cycle - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
#2 Crown of Shards - Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep
#17a Vorkosigan - The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold
#4 Black Dagger Legacy - Blood Truth by J. R. Ward
#4 Hidden Legacy - Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
#4 Black Dagger Brotherhood - Lover Revealed - J. R. Ward
#1.5 Dark-Hunter - Dragonswan - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Trilogies
#2 Chronicles of the Ones - Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts
#2 The Folk of the Air - The Wicked King by Holly Black
#2 Frontier Magic - Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede
#3 Hardstorm - Guardian Queen by Dana Morton
#3 His Dark Materials - The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Graphic Novels
#6 Saga - Saga, Vol 6 by Brian K. Vaughn
#6 Transmetropolitan - Transmetropolitan, Vol. 6: Gouge Away by Warren Ellis
#8 The Wicked + The Divine - The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 8: Old is the New New by Kieron Gillen
#4 Monstress - Monstress 4 - Marjorie Liu

Waiting
#12 Guild Hunter - Archangel's War by Nalini Singh (September 2019)
#16 Night Huntress - Wicked Bite by Jeaniene Frost (January 2020)
#12 Mercy Thompson - Smoke Bitten - Patricia Briggs (March 2020)
#5 Wayward Children - Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (Jan 2020)
#10 Black Jewels - The Queen's Bargain by Anne Bishop (Mar 2020)

#27 Anita Blake - Laurell K. Hamilton
#20 Tortall - Tamora Pierce (Note: Do reread when finish Earthsea)
#8 World of the Others - Anne Bishop
#19 Psy-Changling - Nalini Singh
#37 Valdemar - Mercedes Lackey

Hi, Morphy! So good to see you!

Chiming in with Amber! It is good to see you.

Welcome back!

It is good to see you, Morphy!
Sorry about your stepfather, you had already enough losses :-(

SO good to see you here and so sorry things have been so hard.

Do you like Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle? I just started reading some of her books and I wonder if you might like them.

>6 scaifea: >7 alcottacre: >8 drneutron: Thanks! I'm going to try really hard to be more involved in LT this year. One thing I've done is delete all my game apps except for one. And that one doesn't take up much of my time.

>9 FAMeulstee: Thank you. I have a bit of a funny story. Yesterday I was talking to my mom and she asked if there was anything I wanted from Quinn's belongings. I never lived with them as I was out of the house a couple years before they got married (30 years ago), so there wasn't anything I could think of. But then, "No, not really... OOooooOOooooh. Can I have his ereader?"

Mom cracked up. I explained that I didn't really want the device, I wanted the CONTENTS. He bought two to three brand new mystery/thriller/suspense ebooks for YEARS. (Me wants, my precious.) So we had a good laugh and some nice memories about how much my stepfather enjoyed his ereader. He said it was the best present he ever got (it was from Mom.)

>10 reconditereader: While I've liked the Krentz/Castle books I've read, I prefer her standalone historical romances from the 90s written as Amanda Quick.

BTW, was it you who recommended Nimona? I got it from my LT Santa and I really liked it. Not for the first few pages though as I really disliked the eponymous character. But then she grew on me.

Finished The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan (7/10). I was leery of starting this one. The_Hibernator has a group read going for this series. I really liked the first one and read the synopses for the rest of the series. I was feeling rather "meh" about them and I was wrong. Burning Bridge was fun. Still obvious with the tropes but they are tropes I've always enjoyed, e.g. orphan/farm boy/country nobody becomes someone SPECIAL. (My favorite trope - Hello, Pug, Harry Potter, Talia, Garion, Daine, Taran, etc.)

Next up will be EITHER Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya for a Read the World (El Salvador) challenge in Habitica and TIOLI #4 Published at least 10 years ago.

From Wikipedia, "A sex-obsessed lush of a writer is employed by the Catholic Church to edit and tidy up a 1,100 page report on the army's massacre and torture of the indigenous villagers a decade earlier. The writer becomes mesmerized by the poetic phrases written by the indigenous people and becomes increasingly paranoid and frightened, not only by the spellbinding words he must read, but also by the murders and generals that run his country. "

Not something I'd typically read, but that's the point, isn't it?

OR The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen because it's the next in the series. I can't remember who recommended this but I really liked the first one.

From Wikipedia, "The narrative follows a young teenage girl, Laura, as she interacts with the Pantheon, a group of twelve people who discover that they are reincarnated deities. This discovery grants them fame and supernatural powers, with the stipulation that they will die within two years as part of a ninety-year cycle known as the Recurrence."

>11 Morphidae: I may have been one of the people who recommended Nimona. It's great!

I started reading the entire Arcane Society series which contains books by Amanda Quick as well as Krentz and Castle, all mixed in there. I like all three but prefer the Krentz iterations; my friend prefers the Quick books but also likes all three.

>12 Morphidae: *sigh* Oh, Garion. I need to do a re-read of those at some point. Love him.

>12 Morphidae: Senselessness sounds like a book I should try. Unfortunately, my local library does not have a copy.

>13 reconditereader: I like the Amanda Quick books too. I have a bunch of them, although it has been a while since I read any.

>14 scaifea: You and me both, Amber. I just re-read both of those series last year.

Happy Friday, Morphy!

>13 reconditereader: I think I stopped reading Quick/Castle/Krentz when the Arcane series came out. The book fell flat for me.

>14 scaifea: *sticks her fingers in her ears, "I can't hear you! La la la la la!"*

>15 alcottacre: I own the ones that start with S, R, D, and M. Plus others, but I know I have those twelve.

I reread Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews. I don't think I've read anything bad by that couple. Not as good, yes. But nothing actually bad. And most I thoroughly enjoy.

I also read The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen and liked it even better than the first one. The cliffhanger ending was a killer though. I immediately went and reserved the next two in the series at my library. I easily give it an 8/10 stars.

Next up is Senselessness. I have to say I'm nervous about it. It's way outside my comfort zone.

Speaking of comfort zones... I asked MrMorphy to pick a movie for us to watch for our Friday "Breakfast & a Movie" night. Oh, boy. We are watching Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. This should be... interesting.

Morphy!! It is so nice to see you out and about on LT and now I have found your thread. : )

>11 Morphidae: Love the e-reader story. Yup. That's what I would want. Can't wait to hear what you think of the Godzilla movie!!! LOL

>14 scaifea: >15 alcottacre: >16 Morphidae: I amend my previous statement: I need to start Charlie reading these (and read them with him). He'd LOVE 'em.

>18 Berly: It wasn't half bad - if you enjoy laughing at how horrible the "special effects" are. (Think two men in monster suits waddling at each other then hugging hard. OooOOoh! They are fighting!) Or giggling at the ridiculousness of people's actions. (A little girl walking around with a plant in her arms - representing her deceased mother - that she needs to learn to let go of. Say what?)

>19 scaifea: *groans* I won't do it. I won't! I don't have time! No, no, no, no, no.

I had to wean off Lyrica (for Fibromyalgia) because we no longer had Extra Help (no longer qualified because MrMorphy got his SSDI) and it would have cost almost $500 a month. I had an application into Pfizer to get it for free but I hadn't yet heard anything. My last day was a couple days ago and I've been in agony. Friday I found out that I was approved for free Lyrica but it would take 7 - 10 BUSINESS days to get my pills. I hardly slept that night because of the pain - everything hurt from my neck to my fingers, back, hips, feet... I was talking to my mom yesterday about it and she said she would send me the money and I was to get my Lyrica for the month to hold me over until I got the free pills. I had Lyrica within a couple hours. What a relief!

Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris was a delight and I gave it 8/10 stars. It's one of those little books that are so warm and sweet that you just want to hug it when you are done. It's light and frothy and funny and filled with love and hope and ahhhh, it goes on my feel good books short list right now. It would have gotten 10/10 but the book is dated and perhaps a little (okay, a lot, but I liked it) too Miss Mary Sunshine.

I'm struggling through Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya (#4 published 10 years ago). I'm on page 69/142 and am determined to finish it but it's not going to be all at once. There are only so many rambling, stream-of-consciousness, paragraph/page long sentences I can read at a time. Blech.

Meanwhile, next up will be Transmetropolitan, Vol. 3: Year of the Bastard by Warren Ellis (#8 news reporting). I'm slowly working on this series. It's pretty dark and bleak; Spider really is a bastard and his world is nasty. But I like them for some reason.

After that will be Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson (#13 bad mother) or I might give myself a treat and start a reread of the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews. (It's all Diamond Fire's fault. Thought it would be nice to do a reread of the latest novella and what happens? *kermit flail*)

There you are Morphy. Happy new thread!

>22 Morphidae: Groan!

>22 Morphidae: 🙄😂

>21 Morphidae: I am glad you got your hands on some Lyrica (yay Mom!) and that your free Rx will kick in soon. Yikes. I really enjoyed Why Be Happy When you Could Be Normal? What a book!

>22 Morphidae: Joining >24 reconditereader: in groaning. Gr-o-o-o-a-a-n-n! Glad you got your meds and that they WILL be free in the future!!

>23 humouress: *waves energetically* 'ello!

>24 reconditereader: >25 drneutron: >27 ronincats: #sorry #notsorry

>26 Berly: Yay! I'm back on a full dose of Lyrica! Boo! All the side effects that went away after three years of being on it (dry mouth, edema, sleepiness) are baaaaaack. Ah, well. Pain is much better and after a few weeks/months the side effects will go away again.

Question for the peanut gallery:

I read the novella The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold. Being the type of reader that I am, I then had to go back and reread the previous five novellas. And, then, of course, I had to reread The Prisoner of Limnos. (I had to read them in order, didn't I?)

So, do I count that as one or two readings of TPoL?

>29 Morphidae: I'd say it's two readings. You read it twice, so I'd count it twice.

I missed you making a thread! Glad to see you here

Of course two readings :-)

>29 Morphidae: Been there, done that, and counted the book twice :-)

>28 Morphidae: So glad you are back on the full dose and, having been through it once before, hopefully you know the side effects will become more manageable over time and that will buy you some patience. Best wishes.

Two readings. Definitely.

>29 Morphidae: Depends on your reading rate; if you read more than two books a day, you should count it only once *coughAnitacough* but if, like me, you barely manage two books in some months, I think you can count it more than that :0D

>30 scaifea: >32 reconditereader: >33 FAMeulstee: >34 Berly: >35 humouress: Four to one says it's two books. I'm going to count it as two!

>31 ChelleBearss: Thanks! Now if I can just get better at posting on my own thread...

I need to get caught up on books read. I have a good dozen or more to add. Yesterday I finished Shades of Wicked by Jeaniene Frost (7/10 stars). She's one of my "go to" urban fantasy authors and I've re-read most of her books. I was leery of reading this one because I didn't particularly care for this characters in other books they've shown up in. But I finally got around to picking it up and I'm glad. I'm not so happy that I'm going to have to wait until Jan 2020 to read the rest of the story? Thankfully Frost isn't the type to leave you hanging. The book felt complete but not the story, if you know what I mean.

I also read Coraline by Neil Gaiman (6/10 stars.) I probably would have liked this better if I had known this was a middle grade children's book. I very much disagree with the YA tag. It was a good story but the language and plot were too basic. I liked the illustrations. Creepy.

I've been reading Aimless Love by Billie Collins for TIOLI challenge. I thought I'd share some of them I particularly like starting with a short but cute one.

No Time

In a rush this weekday morning,
I tap the horn as I speed past the cemetery
where my parents lie buried
side by side under a smooth slab of granite.

Then, all day long, I think of him rising up
to give me that look
of knowing disapproval
while my mother calmly tells him to lie back down.

>38 Morphidae: Ha! I LOVE that!

>39 scaifea: Me, too. It’s so adorable.

***

I finished an ER last night, Trail of Crumbs by Lisa J. Lawrence (Book #78). Contemporary YA isn’t my usual fare but I do have to say I enjoyed it. The characters seemed realistic for the most part (sometimes the secondary characters more so than the main ones.) And the story was entertaining enough that I finished the book in one sitting. My biggest beef was with the ending. While I rooted for Greta, I can’t imagine a girl confronting her atttacker without a lot more thought and/or therapy. It was too quick a turn around without a lot of forethought. Even with that I give it 7/10 stars.

>3 Morphidae: Updated for March

Congratulations on your 75! (I think?)

>42 humouress: Yep! Trail of Crumbs was #78 and now I’m struggling with #79 Tempests and Slaughter. What an interesting title for such a dull book. I usually enjoy Tamora Pierce’s books but I’m at page 120/455 and I’m boooooored.

Three kids at a mage school - and it might as well be a regular school. And nothing of interest happens at all. No real conflict - just day to day activities.

It's so nice to read you again, Morphy!

Nice to see you posting again Murphy. It's taken me awhile to see that you had a thread for this year.

Belated congratulations on reaching 75, Morphy!

Congrats on pushing past 75!

>44 nhlsecord: >45 SandDune: >46 FAMeulstee: >47 drneutron: Thanks, everyone!

I finished #79 Tempests and Slaughter. It got easier to read about 1/3 of the way through but still had no overarching plot. It was a book of vignettes from the equivalent of a mage boarding school. But it lead me to reread The Immortals Quartet (#80 Wild Magic, #81 Wolf-Speaker, #82 Emperor Mage, #83 The Realms of the Gods.)

Now I'm back to my March TBR list with a reread of White Night by Jim Butcher (TIOLI #9). Then Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede (TIOLI #11), Proof by Dick Francis (TIOLI #5), and A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter (TIOLI #10). If I have time before the end of the month amongst other reading*, I'll read Forfeit by Dick Francis (TIOLI #6), First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones, Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple, and Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey.

*I'm pondering a complete Tortall Universe reread, of course. All Tempests and Storms fault.

Enjoyed a visit with my friend, S, today. Still can't talk because of laryngitis so after a bit of conversation (with me writing or using text-to-speech app), we watched Practical Magic. It's in my top 10 favorite movies and she's never seen it so it was a lot of fun to share it.

Morphy is back to her old reading ways!

Congratulations on whizzing by 75 already. xx

>49 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

*****

Finished #84 White Night for my Dresden Files reread.

I’m about 1/4 of the way through The Thirteenth Child and I'm still waiting for something, anything to happen. It‘s the second book I’ve read recently that had no real plot just an accounting of mildly interesting events over time. At first I thought it was because of them being children’s/YA but it‘s not that as both these authors have written much better books. Le sigh.

#84 Whew!! You are cruising girl!

>51 Berly: Thanks! Last year was a real bummer with only 179 books read. I normally read 300-ish. It feels good to be back on track.

***

Finished #85 Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede and give it 6/10 stars. It was headed for a 5/10 stars but the second half was better than the first. I prefer a book with an overarching plot rather than meandering between episodes throughout. However, the characters, writing, and world-building were good enough that I'm considering giving the second book of the trilogy a try. (Though I do hope Eff stops with the self-doubt already.)

Up next is my first Dick Francis, Proof.

... only 179 books, she says ...

>54 Morphidae: Well, when you put it THAT way. :D

Should I have said just over half my average?

... carry on. Don't mind me. It's not that I'm jealous or anything ...

>55 humouress: I’m sure there’s something that you are naturally good at that I’d be jealous of. Everyone has their talents.

If you tell me that you make and reach your goals, I’ll have to hurt you though. I’m AWFUL at that. I have ZERO internal motivation and it’s something I’ve struggled all my life with.

>56 Morphidae: Hah! I make goals all the time. Sometimes I have marathon sessions when I make whole heaps of goals.

... Reach, though; reach is a totally different matter. Those marathon sessions usually occur last thing at night when I’m safely ensconced in bed and I promise myself ‘First thing in the morning...’. Yeah. Or I’m so enraptured by the thoughts of all I could do but then I suddenly come back down to Earth with a bump when I realise I should stop thinking about them and go and do them.

>57 humouress: I hear you.

***

For the last two weeks I’ve had some really good weight losses; however, over the previous month I went on a huge binge. I’m losing it at about half the rate I put it on. Isn’t that how it always works?

What’s worse is that I had just gotten down to #99 for the first time in years. It’s very discouraging to fail like that yet again.

I’m looking for a new mobile game.

In the past I’ve played: Cooking Diary, Love Nikki, Nemo Atsume, Ravenhill Hidden Mystery, Diggy’s Adventure.

I’m currently playing Crazy Dino Park. I like non-violent task oriented games. I do not like match three, bubble, Facebook only or scrolling/traveling type games.

>58 Morphidae: Weight loss! Forgot that one. I have been making plans though ...

Eagerly awaiting the verdict on Dick Francis! I watched the entire series The Umbrella Academy and, well.... I can breathe out of both nostrils, haven't hacked a lung up yet, and almost hear without greatly increased volume. Oh yay, I'm well.

Still not going outside. The temptation is great...50° and sunshiney...but the word "relapse" cycles through my brain as I put on socks, and everything stops for tea as the old song has it. Ciao for now, smoochling.

>60 humouress: Yeah. "I'll start tomorrow/Monday/the first/Valetine's/St.Patrick's/next full moon."

>61 richardderus: I'm about 1/3 in and am enjoying it a lot, much to my surprise. I thought it would be a dense, slow read for some reason. Instead it is thoroughly engaging and hard to put down.

Glad to see you back around! Your reading is impressive!

I've had laryngitis for four weeks now. Finally saw the doctor who referred me to ENT. Ugh. It will be at least the 18th before I can get in to them. She also gave me a prescription for Tessalon Perles which are working like a charm for the cough. (Anytime I talk, laugh, cry, walk, etc. I cough.)

I'm also going to get PT again for some problems I've been having for my arm. I think it's a combo of sleeping on that side for decades and too much iPad.

Last night MrMorphy went out to meet some people for the first time in years. I'm so glad he got out of the house. It was a meet and greet for a fishing forum he's involved with. When he got home, I asked how much he liked it on a scale of 1 to 10. He said, "12!"

I had two friends come over. R was over at dinner time and we had pizza. Then S came over and she brought chocolate cake! Now those are some true friends! Especially as R had to make all sorts of last minute arrangements for babysitting (10yo SS, 6yo SD, infant), then rearrange again as her SS's mother canceled on her an hour before she was going to leave.

I've been doing a reread of Nalini Singh's Psy-changling series. I'm thankful for TIOLI as it makes me read books other than ones I've read before. After I finish the last story in Singh's novella collection, Wild Invitation, I'll be reading Optical Delusion in Deadwood by Ann Charles. It's the second book in the cozy mystery Deadwood series. I read the first one in the series, Nearly Departed in Deadwood. It was pretty good. I won't decide whether I'll continue with the series until I've read the second one.

How YOU doin'?

Every April, Knopf Poetry emails a poem a day. Only on rare occasion does one speak to me. I found this one to be stunning and ended up reading it a second time because it wasn't what I thought it was...

"In her fierce new book, The Octopus Museum, Brenda Shaughnessy imagines a series of exhibits about human life, curated by the cephalopods who will rule over our world in the next age—that is, since we humans will have ruined the planet with our climate crimes, our weapons of mass destruction, our inability to embrace true equality and basic rights for all people. The poems become a tour of our worst and best selves—of both the bleak future Shaughnessy dreads, and the shards of goodness we still possess, which may not be salvaged unless we fight for them. "

I Want the World

You never know, when you say goodbye, if it’s the last time. Last time for who? For what?

Every time is the last—for that particular goodbye, wearing those clothes, at that airport. Me in my black dress—nightgown, fifties housecoat, funeral uniform. It passes for anything.

My daughter in her fuchsia track shorts and faded green t-shirt almost as soft as her luscious little arms. She was complaining, as usual. She was hungry. She was tired of traveling.

Her complaints were especially unpleasant since they only pointed up how innocent she was of how bad everything could get. The Legos are boring? Imagine no toys of any kind.

The chicken nuggets are too hot? Just wait. They’ll cool and by then, I hope she can learn to like lizard blood and shoelace chewing gum, because that’s what’s coming.

A fierce zip of pride bites my heart. She demands more because she knows there’s more in the world and she believes she should have it all. She knows what she wants: what she wants.

She believes the world is coming to her, not veering definitively away. She still thinks we can choose between ice cream flavors, bless her that she has so many possible flavors in mind.

Between stuffed animals and dolls. Which color lunch box you want for the whole school year. What school year? I think. Will first grade exist this coming fall?

She still thinks that what she thinks will affect what she gets. She still believes tantrums might get her her way. She doesn’t know yet that nobody gets her way.

We’re all lucky if we get anything at all, come dinnertime, come night, the next morning and the next hot morning, the next endangered livingspace if we get to stay there. We can’t carry all that stuff. But she doesn’t think of it as stuff.

She thinks of it as what she wants. Life’s been consistent—me resisting her demands, me in my black dress, cutting my hair to make her paintbrushes. If something happens to me, who will help her believe her beliefs?

She believes her desires—as erratic and irrational as a six-year-old’s desires can be—nevertheless have intrinsic value. A thread of hope wound, inextricable, all around and through her very person. I believe that, too.

One of these mornings I’ll say goodbye, a routine goodbye when I go to the FedPlex warehouse to work or pick my rations, and in my absence she will lose that thread, come to fully understand what she wants is impossible in our world.

All of it, any of it, the tiniest thing, impossible.

I won’t have known but I’ll be walking away from my daughter for the last time, coming home (wherever home is) to someone new, someone broken off from my old girl, six years old.

Here, I tell her, providing a pencil with a pristine, unsharpened end, chew on this. Nobody’s touched it yet. It’s all yours, darling.

Somewhere I’ll find a blade to sharpen it, and we’ll find a scrap for drawing, a bit of napkin or a smooth, light stone. For now, you can chew on it. Soon you’ll be able to draw whatever you want.

I have a homework assignment from my therapist and need your help. I need books and websites aimed at low self-esteem and loving one's self. She was like "any will do" and I'm like...



Any suggestions?

Meanwhile, PT came and spent two hours here with the usual questionnaire then poked and prodded my arm. Ugh. Anyway, I have to 1) do new arm exercises, 2) pause throughout the day to do shoulder blade "crunches" (?), 3) use my left hand instead of my right hand when on the iPad, and 4) watch my posture - get my head up and my shoulders back.

My suggestion for a book is Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff. Sorry about the PT pain!

>67 reconditereader: I've requested it in both book and ebook form from the library. We'll see which one I get first.

***

I'd still like other recommendations on self-esteem and loving one's self. Anyone else?

>67 reconditereader: I've requested it in both book and ebook form from the library. We'll see which one I get first.

***

I'd still like other recommendations on self-esteem and loving one's self. Anyone else?

I've just posted the "You're Not Going to Believe This! thread. Go check it out.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/305627

#100 Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh
https://www.librarything.com/work/9147262
#101 Play of Passion by Nalini Singh
https://www.librarything.com/work/9707524
#102 Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh
https://www.librarything.com/work/10603861

All: ebook, paranormal romance, rereads

Currently reading Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles and if I hadn't committed to it for a GR challenge I would quit. Ugh, the angst.

>66 Morphidae: No suggestions, but you could try the tag on LT at https://www.librarything.com/tag/self-acceptance

See you're still reading a little bit, Morphy!

Have a great weekend and I hope you realise that the esteem that others hold you in should be reciprocated in yourself fully. You are a great gal.

>71 FAMeulstee: Great idea.

>72 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.

*****
“It also turns out that Millennials are fairly voracious readers: They read an average of five books per year (the average American reads four)... ~ bookriot.com

*snorts* I read four to five books a *week* and I know most 75ers read that many a month!

Another book I like (and have given to several people) is The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor, which is about radical self-love.

It's an oldie, but I've always liked Peoplemaking by Virginia Satir, Morphy. Or The New Peoplemaking.

In the hospital with shortness of breath. Most likely due to the 30 pounds of weight I gained after doctor took me off water pill. Just another bump in the road...

Best wishes for speedy recovery!

Oh no! Sending lots of healing mojo--be better soon!

So sorry, Morphy, I hope are able to go home soon!
(((hugs)))

>77 reconditereader: >78 Berly: >79 FAMeulstee: Thanks, everyone! I'm much better and have lost all the weight I gained. I'm on half the dose of the diuretic. We can't take me off completely because of edema but I can't be on a full dose because of my creatinine (kidney) levels. It will be a balancing act.

I'm putting this here rather than with the other months because of touchstones. I'm wary about having that many touchstones in one post!

APRIL

100. Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh
101. Play of Passion by Nalini Singh
102. Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh
103. Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
104. Wild Invitation by Nalini Singh
105. Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh
106. Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh
107. Wild Embrace by Nalini Singh
108. Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh
109. Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh
110. Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh
111. Silver Silence by Nalini Singh
112. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 3: Commercial Suicide by Kieron Gillen
113. Ocean Light by Nalini Singh
114. The Tombs at Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin
115. A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
116. Remember When by Nora Roberts
117. The Savior by J. R. Ward
118. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 4: Rising Action by Kieron Gillen
119. Flight into Danger by Alet Schouten
120. The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan
121. Reluctant Concubine by Dana Marton
122. Divided in Death by J. D. Robb
123. First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
124. Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones
125. Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones
126. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones
127. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
128. Amber Fang: Hunted by Arthur Slade
129. Visions in Death by J. D. Robb
130. Fifth Grave Past the Light by Darynda Jones
131. Sixth Grave on the Edge by Darynda Jones
132. Nemesis by Agatha Christie
133. Cider with Rose by Laurie Lee
134. Accidental Sorceress by Dana Marton
135. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
136. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
137. There There by Tommy Orange

I'm well on my way to 300 this year. YAY!

I have PT today at home and MrMorphy is off to do laundry. I'll be finishing up Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya which has been half done (or more) for two months now and it's due back at the library in a couple of days. I'd normally DNF it. It's not my cup of tea. But it will knock off a country for me (El Salvador) and it's very short (142 pages.)

Also, I'm going to start watching Supernatural with scaifea and company so I need to watch one of the Netflix DVDs we have on hand so I can get the first disc of the series. I'm embarrassed to admit how long I've had a couple of these DVDs. It's quite ridiculous! I've had The Terminal since December *2017*, Stardust since August 2018, and Justice League since March. I'm going to watch The Terminal since it's so old they are probably considering it as lost!

Glad to know you're feeling better, Morphy.

>81 Morphidae: Good grief! That's about four times as much as I've read for the year!

Yay for 137 books already!

So how did you like #137? Tommy Orange is getting such a lot of attention and the book's *ev*er*y*where!

>85 richardderus: Well, I think he's a very good writer when it comes to language, ease of reading and all the "feels", but...

I don't particularly care for short stories. And this book is basically a bunch of short snips that don't come together until the end and while I don't normally have a hard time keeping track of characters, it was harder in this book for some reason.

I don't particularly care for depressing books and from the first story, my heart broke. It never really got better.

So, I guess it was okay.

>86 Morphidae: Aha. Yes, you've put your finger on it. I didn't like it much at all, but those are the salient reasons...it felt misrepresented as a novel, and it was pretty unremittingly grim.

>82 Morphidae: Sometimes I think I should watch Supernatural but it seems like a big commitment to start. I hope you like it!

>87 richardderus: I've not liked many a book that otherwise have gotten a good rating from me because of how awful I felt after reading it.

>88 reconditereader: I'm looking forward to trying it out!

I watched The Terminal last night and it was... okay. It was enjoyable enough that I don't regret watching it but it could have been more. I feel like maybe it couldn't decide what type of movie it wanted to be - inspirational? comedy? Oscar-winning type drama? - and, therefore, failed at all of them. And what was the point of the Catherine Zeta Jones character? What a piece of work.

I got it in the mail and should have the first DVD of Supernatural from Netflix by Saturday.

I'm also not happy with Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Cath is a whiny PITA. I have crippling anxiety, so understand what it's like, and she still annoys the hell out of me. All but one of the other secondary characters annoy me as well. I'm about 1/5 of the way through it and will finish it even though it will probably be a stretch to get a 5/10 stars. I have too many challenges that it fits into to DNF. Thankfully, Levi saves it somewhat. He's adorable.

I'm going to take a break and reread The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. I read it back in 2011 and gave it 8/10 stars. I hope the suck fairy didn't get to it. I'll also read a bit of the senselessness that is Senselessness.

>90 Morphidae: I can relate to Bookish Problem #444 ;-)

Sorry the characters in Fangirl are annoying you, it seems most LT readers liked it better.

138. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Not much to say as it's a reread. It was a good palate cleanser so I can get back to one of the two less pleasant books I want to finish. I wouldn't rate it as highly as I did when I first read it. But that's pretty common. It only lost one star. So it got 7/10 stars.

I'll be finishing up Senselessness and/or Fangirl unless I decided to heck with it and jump into The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald instead. Or maybe MrMorphy and I will watch Justice League tonight.

***

>91 FAMeulstee: Maybe I'll like it better as I get further into the book.

I liked Carry On better than Fangirl.

MrMorphy & I watched Justice League last night and it was a lot of fun. We gave it 4/5 starts. A lot of cool surprises, a nasty villain, nothing too terribly emotional, lots of action, a bit of humor (Flash was adorable), and, well, Jason Momoa... need I say more? He is definitely at the top of my list of hotties. There is a part where he monologues that is absolutely hysterical. We watched it twice. I can't wait to see Aquaman.




139. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (7/10 stars)

I'm so glad I continued on with this book. It would have received an 8/10 stars if I hadn't gotten so close to DNFing it after the first 60 pages. I was SO tired of Cath whining, the other disagreeable characters, and the unending miserableness. I picked it up at dinner time and I got caught up in the story as change started happening. It all turned around by the end. Not that a wand was waved and everything was "all better" - just that situations were resolved and, for the most part, on a positive note.

Now, I'll read some paranormal romance as a palate cleanser before reading my next "I need to finish it but don't wanna" book. Hmm...either Seventh Grave and No Body (7th in series, duh) by Darynda Jones or No Rest for the Wicked (3rd in series) by Kresley Cole.

Morphy, I can't remember if y'all have Netflix, but if you do seek out Jason Momoa's series Frontier. He's an underrated actor, since most of the praise for him seems to be about his slammin' hawt bod. In Frontier, his half-breed (as the contemporaries called him) character had a very satisfying arc to follow.

>95 richardderus: I also praised his comedic skills! I have Netflix but we have the DVD service. I’ll have to see if it’s available to us.

>94 Morphidae: Glad to see Fangirl ended better than it started.

This is/was me...



BRAIN WORM OF THE DAY


Tainted Love by Soft Call
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcyCQLewj10


140. Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya (5/10)

"In an unnamed Central American country, a man with a deteriorating mental condition is asked by the Catholic Church (which he despises) to edit the written testimony of indigenous survivors of a military massacre which occurred a few years earlier."

Page long (or more) sentences of stream of consciousness - need I say more? Thankfully it was short (142 pages.) It should have gotten a worse rating. I had put it down for a month or more after slogging through half of it. This morning I picked it up to read a bit - simply to get started again - and found myself "just one more chaptering" it. So, for story telling, the author gets another star or two.

*****

MrMorphy and I enjoyed a movie night with some Culver's butter burgers & fries plus a re-re-re-watch of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

*****

>97 FAMeulstee: Me, too. I'm glad I finished it. Especially as I wasn't going to read anything more by Rowell because of it thinking Eleanor & Park was a one off. I'm glad to say I'll definitely try her other books.

MAY'S TBR PILE

Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya (TIOLI #3)
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (BOTM, GR Superpowers #9, TIOLI #9)
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (GR Superpowers #10)
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (GR Superpowers #11, What to Read #9 - Best "Strong Female" Fantasy Novels)
The Galleryby Laura Max Fitzgerald (GR Superpowers #4)
The Sorcerer in the North by John Flanagan (TIOLI #5)
Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs (What to Read #4, GR Superpowers #3?)
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (POFM)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 4: The New Scum by Warren Ellis (TIOLI #14))
This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (What to Read #1, TIOLI #11)
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (TIOLI #6 shared, What to Read #11 2017)
Seventh Grave and No Body by Darynda Jones (TIOLI #15)
Eighth Grave After Darkby Darynda (GR Superpowers #7)
The Dirt on Ninth Graveby Darynda Jones (TIOLI #7)
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (TIOLI #2)
That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire (What to Read #10)
The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 5: Imperial Phase, Part 1 by Kieron Gillen (TIOLI #1)
The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 6, Imperial Phase, Part 2 by Kieron Gillen (TIOLI #4)
The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (TIOLI #12)
Critical Careby Theresa Brown (TIOLI #8)
Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner (TIOLI #10)
84, Charing Crossby Helene Hanff (TIOLI #13)
Survivor in Death by J. D. Robb
No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

ALSO READ

Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon

>94 Morphidae: glad you like my doppelganger, Mr. Momoa (only kidding of course).

>99 Morphidae: Your list has a couple I have read as well as a couple I'd like to.

In >4 Morphidae: I've added the series I'm reading

*****

>100 PaulCranswick: Well, don't leave me hanging! Which ones? Doh!

>98 Morphidae: Earworm loathing all over you!

#140 sounds like my jam, actually. I'll check the library's position. ETA they got it so I'll get it.

>99 Morphidae: Ooo! Le Guin, Pullman, AND HANFF!!!! Excellent, excellent reading. Yay Morphy!

>101 Morphidae: I've read Emil & the Detectives and 84, Charing Cross Road.

Would be keen to read Norse Mythology by Gaiman and The Farthest Shore by Ursula Le Guin

>99 Morphidae: Impressive goals, woman! And thank you for posting pictures of Jason Momoa. ; ) Glad you are feeling better.

>100 PaulCranswick: You're somewhat taller, of course Paul.

>99 Morphidae: ... not looking ...

The Raven Boys!!

BRAIN WORM OF THE DAY

Stand By Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZNL7QVJjE

(Repeating a number because I duped a book in March and don't feel like renumbering everything.)

#140. No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole (#3 Immortals After Dark) (7/10)
Paranormal Romance
Centuries ago, Sebastian Wroth was turned into a vampire against his will. Burdened with hatred and alone for ages, he sees little reason to live. Until an exquisite, fey creature comes to kill him, inadvertently saving him instead.
I'm getting sucked into this series. Each book is better written, the characters are getting more complex, and I enjoy the family dynamics (especially the humor.)

#141. Survivor in Death by J. D. Robb (#20 In Death)
Mystery/Science Fiction/Romance
No affairs. No criminal connections. No DNA. No clues. Lieutenant Eve Dallas may be the best cop in the city—not to mention having the lavish resources of her husband Roarke at her disposal—but the Swisher case has her baffled. The family members were murdered in their beds with brutal, military precision. The state-of-the-art security was breached, and the killers used night vision to find their way through the cozy middle-class house. Clearly, Dallas is dealing with pros. The only mistake they made was to overlook the nine-year-old girl cowering in the dark in the kitchen…
Gadzillionth reread of series

#142. Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon (#5 Dark Hunters)
Paranormal Romance
Bride McTierney has had it with men. They're cheap, self-centered, and never love her for who she is. But though she prides herself on being independent, deep down she still yearns for a knight in shining armor. She just never expected her knight in shining armor to have a shiny coat of fur...
One of my favorites in this series. I'm not doing a reread. No I'm NOT. Really.

#143. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 5: Imperial Phase, Part 1 by Kieron Gillen
#144. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 6: Imperial Phase, Part 2 by Kieron Gillen (whole series 8/10)
Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Every ninety years, twelve gods are reincarnated as young people. They are loved. They are hated. The gods are free to do whatever they want. Inevitably, they do.
Great graphic novel series as far as the story goes. The illustration gets iffy at times because they keep changing artists (sometimes on purpose.)

#145. That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire (What to Read #10) (#8 Incryptid) (7/10)
Urban Fantasy
Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she’s in a pinch—until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St. George, she’s found herself in debt to the crossroads and running for her life.
Solid entry into the series.

#146. Transmetropolitan, Vol. 4: The New Scum by Warren Ellis (TIOLI #14) (5/10)
Graphic Novel/Science Fiction
In this volume, two candidates are facing off in the presidential election, and in all the media only Spider Jerusalem seems to have the intestinal fortitude to hack his way through the campaign propaganda and find out the reality behind the spin. But even if he manages to being the public the unvarnished truth, the question still remains: will they do the right thing once they have it?
Extremely weak entry into the series and I wonder what the point of it was. It was dragged out and could have been told in 1/4 of the pages. Blech.

*****

>102 richardderus: And I did it again! I am evil and must be destroyed. Bwhahaha.

>103 PaulCranswick: 84, Charing Cross is one of my all time favs. I haven't read it in a year or two though. It's time for a reread!

>104 Berly: Isn't he all that? *fans herself*

>105 humouress: Yeah. Riiiiiiight.

>106 scaifea: Of course! You recommended it!

*****

P.S. If you can't see both pictures at the top, change between https:// and http://

I know, it's a pain in the neck. Complain to Tim.

BRAIN WORM OF THE DAY


Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONA


147. Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs (7/10)
Urban Fantasy
Mercy Thompson has opened her garage again and is trying to get back to normal. Of course, now that the Tri-Cities are viewed as neutral ground, all kinds of supernatural beings are heading her way. With her mate Adam Hauptman's firm involved in providing security to a top-secret meeting with the US government and the fae, Mercy is tapped to handle everything else--including reports of a strange witch in town.
Decent entry into the series. Nothing specific good or back comes to mind.


148. Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner (8/10)
Children's
A small boy has his money stolen while on his way to Berlin but tracks down the thief with the help of some friends.
What an adorable story. I especially liked the amusing introductions with illustrations to all the people and places at the beginning of the book. The story itself was quick and absorbing. Normally I find children's books too simple and boring but not this one. It *is* simple in that it's a straightforward story, but there is an emotional depth to the characters rarely found in children's books.

***

MrMorphy is doing the lawn and errands to Target and West Marina (for fishing supplies) today. I'm reading This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel. I'm about halfway through, right about when they move to Seattle, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It seems somehow that the parents are too perfect, the book too lyrical, and the situation too easy. Maybe the lyrical tone of the book is wrong for the story? Hmm, maybe that's it. It feels like it should go with a fantasy or magical realism story. It doesn't match the material of the book. So it makes the story seem lighter than it is. Maybe? Am I making sense?

>108 Morphidae: You cannot get me with your ear worm, woman; I am well fortified. I went for a Musical Bingo night with my Parents' Choir last night where, instead of numbers, there were song titles from the 90s, 80s and 70s and of course they played them all and at the end just played music for us to dance to. Wonderful night out with music I recognised ;0)

>108 Morphidae: That Houston song is on my regular treadmill playlist rotation! And I love that hair.

Emil and the Detectives is a cute one, isn't it?

>109 humouress: Just wait! I am plagued by brain worms every day. Some stick with me for weeks or longer, but I also have daily ones. I will be LT’s Ear Worm Engineer aka EWE.

>110 scaifea: Yep, it’s on my “Happy Songs” Spotify playlist.

BRAIN WORM OF THE DAY


Life's Been Good by Joe Walsh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWvKDSwvls


149. Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter #3)
An ancient Celtic warrior cursed by a god to bring death to any woman he loves, Talon, a seductive vampire, prowls the night, serving as a protector of the innocent, until in modern-day New Orleans, a runaway Mardi Gras float brings him face to face withthe outrageous Sunshine Runningwolf.

Okay! FINE! I'm doing a reread of the series. Sheesh.


150. This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (7/10)
This is Claude. He's five years old, the youngest of five brothers. He also loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess.When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl. Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They're just not sure they're ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude's secret. Until one day it explodes.

I'm not sure how to describe how I feel about this book. It's a really good story and well-written but...

Maybe the linguistic style didn't work? There was a lack of emotional depth. I should have felt pain for what Claude/Poppy was going through, but I didn't. I didn't feel much of anything. And that's odd in a book that really should have had all the feels. Or maybe it was my own emotional state. What did other people think?


151. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (8/10)
Jude, seventeen and mortal, gets tangled in palace intrigues while trying to win a place in the treacherous High Court of Faerie, where she and her sisters have lived for a decade.

Yum, yum, yum, nom, nom. If you like fae court politics, you will love this book as much as I did. The only reason it didn't get 9/10 stars is because that is reserved for books that give me happier feelings. This is dark and grim. Dark and grim is not my normal fare. But this is, oh, so, good. I hadn't even finished before I was reserving the next two books in the trilogy (3rd not out until November - boo!) at the library.

Hey, Morphy! I thought I would finally make an appearance over here, after a long absence. Glad to see you at a 150 books. I still see you are churning them out at a rapid pace. I want to read more Holly Black, because, as you probably remember, I LIKE dark & grim. I need to do more lightning rounds on my book reviews. Always falling behind.

>113 msf59: Have you read Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep? If not, I think you'd like it. The next book, Protect the Prince comes out in July. While I typically don't like to read series that aren't complete, Kill the Queen is complete unto itself, i.e. the story will go on but the plot for the book is finished.

*****

I'm about a 1/4 done with Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Why do I have the feeling this is one of those "literary" books, i.e. miserable people being miserable?

You are making great progress on your ambitious May to read list, Morphy!

Double 75? Congratulations!

From way, way down the list ...
(not jealous; just resigned)

<112, >133 avatiakh: The Holly Black does sound good...

DOUBLE 75!! BRAVA!!

>108 Morphidae: I really need to get back to Mercy Thompson...I don't even know what book I am on. 6???

>112 Morphidae: I have a TBR bookcase!! And then there are piles, too. LOL

Congrats on double 75!!!!

Good morning, Morphy! Thanks for stopping by my thread yesterday :) I've starred yours now, and will try not to just lurk...

Hi Morphy! Somehow I'm just now finding your thread, but at least I'm in time to wish you congrats on 75x2!

>112 Morphidae: Congratulations on reaching 2 x 75, Morphy!

I haven't hosted a series or an author for a while. I'd like to do so this summer, during a month when the most interested folk have the time to do at least the targeted book, which is only 200 pp. long. I'd like to expose as many people as possible to the works of James H. Schmitz, a science fiction author who wrote from the late '40s through the 1970s. He is best known for The Witches of Karres, but imho has written much better works. Here is my bookshelf.


Many of his works, especially his shorter ones, were very hard to find for quite a while, but in 2000 and 2001, Baen published almost all of his oeuvre in a collection of 6 books, seen to the right of the shelf above. The book I would like to feature is Demon Breed, also found in the Baen collection The Hub: Dangerous Territory. Schmitz is known for his kick-ass female protagonists long before they became the current ubiquitous status quo in his stories about Telzey Amberdon, Trigger Argee, and the hero of Demon Breed, Nile Etland.

See my thread for more info if interested!

2x75 Wow!!! Congrats :)

2x75!! That's awesome :)

Sorry to see that you've been sick. Hopefully you are feeling much better now!

I'm going to stop apologizing for gaps in responses. I've had major depressive disorder for almost all my adult life and it is what it is. I have to stop being so hard on myself.

I'm working with my psychiatrist and primary physician to figure out why the last few years have been so hard. My depression has never been this bad. We think it might be a combination of things including menopause so I'm going to be put on low dose hormones for awhile to see if it helps. It's not the best solution as they can cause medical issues of their own. However, sometimes you have to balance the risks and benefits.

We're also upping one antidepressant a little (one I've taken for a LONG time without a change in dose) and adding a low dose stimulant. I'm really hoping these will help. I haven't felt myself in a good 3+ years.

>115 ronincats: >116 humouress: >118 richardderus: >121 bell7: >122 FAMeulstee: >124 figsfromthistle: >125 ChelleBearss: Thanks!

>117 drneutron: The next book, The Wicked King, is in transit to my library. I'll let you know if it's as good as the first!

>119 Berly: Re: Mercy
You'll just have to start at the beginning then, huh?

(Bwhahahaha!)

>120 katiekrug: You're welcome. I'll try to get back around soon.

>123 ronincats: I'll take a look.

I need help with a difficult challenge in Goodreads. I need books that fit as many of the below as possible.

1. - Read a book with a blue cover (at least 50%)
2. - Read a book with a black cover (at least 50%)
3. - Read a book with a 3 in the page count*
4. - Read a book published in the last 10 years*
5. - Read a book with a 8 in the publication date*
6. - Read a book that is MPG Mystery*
7. - Read a book that is MPG Young Adult*
8. - Read a book with a couple on the cover
9. - Read a book with a building on the cover
10. - Read a book with a night scene on the cover.

I'd like to do this in two books.

MPG means that if you look on the Goodreads page for that title, that genre shows up on the first page under Genres (along the right hand side) without clicking on See top shelves...

I also have to have it in hand and read by Friday, June 7th. So very recent and popular books would most likely not be available to me.

* per Goodreads page

----------

It would also help to be given ideas on how to search. So far, I looked at the book covers for YA mysteries on Google then checked the other info on Goodreads. I could get 4 to 5 items but couldn't get a color. If I can get a color with one book, it means I have to do three books instead of two.

I imagine there is a book out there that fits all ten items, but I'm not going to try to figure out 50/50 black/blue! LOL.

>127 Morphidae: By Friday!! I'm out on the helpers brigade...it'd take me all weekend to see what could answer those criteria. I'm sorry.

And never pressure yourself to do anything here. You're here when you're here, and the group goes on so taking time away won't cause stress. Home base is still there.

>138 FAMeulstee: LOL. I certainly don't expect you to spend hours figuring this out, but I do have to clarify the date - Friday, June 7th, not tomorrow. :D

>129 Morphidae: OIC
That's a different beast altogether. I shall cogitate.

>130 richardderus: Is that there like thinkin'?

>131 Morphidae: Au fond they are in the same lineage.

3 June is on Monday

Patrick Ness's The rest of us just live here fits a few of those and is a fun urban fantasy read. Hardcover version at least.

317 pgs
MPG YA
building
black 50%
published 4 years ago
night scene

>133 avatiakh: Ahem. What do you mean? I put down the 7th. Really! *cough*

>134 avatiakh: Awesomesauce and Fantastitoast! It also has 8 in the publication date! Two HUGE thumbs up.

ETA: And I was able to check it out from the library as an ebook right away! Whoo hoo!

Now I just need a book that's...

...blue
...MPG Mystery
...has a couple on the cover
(...preferably has a night scene in case they argue the first book)

Give me a bit though. I bet I can find one myself.

Someone from the Green Dragon group knows me far too well and called me out on Facebook...

>135 Morphidae: Oh good, I immediately thought of his book when I read through your list. It is at night as the blue is a sort of searchlight beaming up, though point could be argued as it's a bit stylistic.

Tell Me a Lie by C.J. Carver
White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig
Baby Blue by Pol Koutsakis

>126 Morphidae: Sorry to read your depression has been so bad, Morphy. I hope the change in meds will help.

>127 Morphidae: Unable to help you with the challenge, I am only good in finding Dutch books ;-)
Glad that Kerry could help you.

>136 Morphidae: I often do that! I can't read a thrilling book if I don't know the end.

Waving hello. Hoping that the change in meds helps soon!

>136 Morphidae: Love it!

Wow, what a challenge! I am always happy when I can fit a book into 2 or 3 challenges at the most!

>134 avatiakh: I've started The Rest of Us Just Live Here and I'm quite enjoying it. The author has an easy writing style - which I always appreciate as it allows me to slip into the reading "flow" - and the story is engaging even if high schoolers aren't my usual fare.

>138 FAMeulstee: >139 streamsong: Re: Meds - Thank you. I called my mom this morning to tell her how well I was doing. I swear Adderall is a miracle drug. I feel like a different person already. At least until it wears off mid-afternoon/early evening. I'm going to give it a week or so to see how it goes then ask my psychiatrist about an afternoon dose.

Re: EOB (End of Book) readers - I can't read ANY novel unless I read the ending couple of pages/final chapter first. I can't relax and enjoy the book unless I know how it turns out. It actually causes me anxiety. I know people don't get it (besides you and other rare EOB readers) but it's just the way I am. The choices are read the end or not read at all. And you know what the answer to that is! LOL!

Plus, for mysteries, a big part of my enjoyment is seeing how the author hinted at the villain throughout the book (if they did.) And I don't usually like to read mysteries twice. So I HAVE to find out who did it before I begin! I don't care about the reveal, I care about how we got there.

>139 streamsong: And this challenge goes on for three more weeks! So I'll be begging for avatiakh's all of your help a few more times!

*****

Still need to find a blue covered mystery with a couple on the cover, preferably with a night scene but if not no big deal. The first three are most important. I appreciate the titles suggested in >137 avatiakh: but none put its hand up and said, "Pick me! Pick me!"

I've heard good things about The Rest of us Just Live Here, though I wasn't impressed by the other Ness book I read. Glad you're getting some traction on the meds!!!

Hi, Morphy! Yay for the meds helping! I hope you can get an afternoon dose soon, too.

I think I knew you were an EOB Reader, but I'd forgotten. Question: If the last couple of pages don't give you a solid resolution, do you keep reading backwards until you find it? (Sometimes the tying-up-loose-threads bit can be over long, I think.)

>140 Morphidae: I didn't know we had a name, Morphy.
I my case is isn't every novel, only those with suspence or thrilling scenes. I also re-read, so I don't mind knowing the end, although the ending is sometimes lost when I get to re-read, so I have to start at the end again ;-)

>141 reconditereader: Was it A Monster Calls?

>142 scaifea: Yes. That's why I included the last chapter as well as the last few pages. Though I've been known to go back even further if I can't find the resolution. There have been a few sneaky authors now and then who have given me a fit, hiding the blighted thing. And I've given up a time or two. :D

>143 FAMeulstee: I made it up! Everything has to have an acronym nowadays.

Yeah, I have to reread the end of books I'm rereading as well unless it's the three gadzillionth time I've reread it.

*****

I have nine phone calls to make. NINE. There is no way I am making them all today though. Phone calls stress me out.

Imagine a Venn diagram. (The one with circles overlapping each other.). Circle #1, people with strong accents. Circle #2, people who don't know what they are doing. (In the words of the late great Gene Wilder in Blazing Saddles, "You know, morons.") Circle #3, waiting on hold. Circle #4, the maze of button pushing ("If you want to speak to someone in Tolkien Elvish, push 8. If you wish to speak to someone in Klingon, push 9. If you wish to speak to someone without an accent, hang up and call 911, because you are crazy.")

On the nice side, the monthly housekeepers are coming in today and MrMorphy is off to do laundry this afternoon (Yay, MrMorphy!) so everything is going to smell nice and clean! MmmMmmm, my favorite is clean sheets.

Your Amazon.com order of "Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling..." has shipped!

Hi, Morphy! Just browsed through to see how you’re doing, what you’re reading, etc.

I just saw a thing that said a major reason for being an EOB reader is having generalized anxiety. I don’t do it with mysteries, but there have been quite a few suspense novels that I simply couldn’t bear to read without knowing the ending. I don’t care if everybody dies or flies to the moon, but I. Have. To. Know.

ETA: I will often reread mysteries to see the clues and red herrings.

I’m glad the adderol is helping. I take some meds and they may life livable, but there are periods when slippage happens...

Nine phone calls would stress me out as well.

Happier reading than telephoning day. *smooch*

>136 Morphidae: *backs cautiously away*

*pops back in to say* Glad things are looking up with the meds *before hastily retreating again*

>146 Matke: That would make sense as I do have GAD. It makes me nervous and uncomfortable to not know what happens. I can't relax into a book and enjoy it until I know. Even for mysteries as I usually don't like to do rereads for them.

>147 richardderus: Oh, I'm spreading those puppies out. Only two left!

>148 humouress: Hey, come back here! It's not contagious, I swear! I don't have EOB cooties... really.

*****

Hmm, I MIGHT just be able to do this is one book if I spend some time searching.

Week 2 Tasks!

1. - Read a book with a 1 in the page count

2. - Read a book with a 1 in the publication date

3. - Read a book with a 0 in the publication date

4. - Read a book that is MPG Romance, MM or LGBT/GLBT

5. - Read a book that is MPG Fantasy

6. - Read a book that is MPG Paranormal

7. - Read a book with a building on the cover

8. - Read a book with trees on the cover

9. - Read a book that has someone with long hair on the cover

10. Read a book with a night scene on the cover

>149 Morphidae: Oh, wow. I found a book that covers nine of them!

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

I'd like to find something I haven't read before, but if I can't, I'll take it!

I need YA books with abs, i.e. a human stomach with definition, on the cover that are at least 50% white, pretty please.

Happy Birthday, Morphy! Wishing you all the best.

Happy birthday, Morphy!

Have a Happy Birthday!

Wow, those are some difficult book challenges! I had a hard enough time with the Pop Sugar and trying to find one book to fit each one prompt lol

Belated birthday wishes Morphy!

Morphy--Just getting back to LT--Happy belated birthday!! I really hope the change in hormones and upping your med helps get you back on track. Oh, and good luck with all your book challenges. Wow!

Hi, Morphy. I feel terrible to have missed your whole thread so far this year...be assured yours isn't the only one that didn't make it onto my list in January. I need a better system for starting a new year around here. But hey...it only took me six months to find you! I hope you had a lovely birthday. Your challenges make my head spin!

Missing you again around here, Morphy.

>159 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I just can't seem to find the time or energy to post much. I'm not even enjoying reading all that much either. I'm in a bit of a slump.

Everyone can stop reading here. The rest is a dump of whining and medical complaints.

*****

A vicious cycle really. A couple of them. I'm in pain so can't sleep. I'm not sleeping well so my body doesn't heal like it should; therefore, I hurt.

Then there's the doctor trying the wean me off my diuretic because of a mediocre lab test (creatinine a little high.) But the reduction is causing edema. Which is preventing me from losing weight* - obesity is the primary cause of my kidney issues.

*The weight should be falling off me. I'm taking Adderall, a stimulant. It has significantly reduced my appetite. I no longer eat an afternoon snack, nor evening snacks/sweet treats, no seconds at all, at times I have trouble finishing -one- serving. My desserts are cut in half, literally in some cases with a large cookie or brownie, etc. Absolutely no binge eating. I can't tolerate some foods any more - like fried things.

I'm having 500-1000 calories - if not twice that - less a day, yet for the third week in a row I've lost nothing. This is inconceivable at my weight.

I have stayed at a steady weight. Yet, my pannus (stomach) is harder than ever and I had a 10 - 15 year old surgery scar split on me last night because the skin is so tight.

I thought my breathlessness was from a virus I had a few weeks ago. It's the third time I've had something similar since February 2018 and each time I've had prolonged (2 months!) coughing and breathlessness when talking/laughing/stressed/active.

Many years ago I was diagnosed with a vocal chord disorder and I think it's a reoccurrence. Therefore, I have an ENT appointment at the end of August (!) However, it usually is better by now (better, not gone.) Instead, it's starting to get worse and I'm worried about the edema getting so bad that it's affecting my breathing again.

Months ago I ended up in the emergency room (via ambulance) then admitted because the doctor took me off the diuretic completely. I blew up like a balloon. It's not quite that bad this time but it is getting worse. I'm going to go against doctor's orders and go back to taking it every day for a week or so to see what happens. If I start losing weight, we are going to have a serious conversation.

If you got this far, you are a masochist, but thanks for reading. *hugs*

*hugs* Morphy, that's a lot to be going through and I'm not surprised it's been tough to find energy to post or read.

More hugs, Morphy. That's way too much to be dealing with and I hope some of them get resolved ASAP!

Oh I hope you can find a way past pain and lack of sleep and doctors not being right on and all of that. My purple dog bed has saved my bulky self so much pain, but it sounds like yours is coming from within and that even a miracle of a mattress cannot help.

I'm sorry there is so much medical wackiness. Thinking of you!

>160 Morphidae: Morphy--I am a masochist! LOL. Of course I read it. I wish you the very best as you tackle all these things. Sending hugs and lots of good mojo.

Adding my hugs to the pile Morphy. I hope you find some answers soon.

Ditto

Sorry you have deal with all this, Morphy, adding my hugs too.

>161 bell7: >162 ronincats: >163 quondame: >164 reconditereader: >165 Berly: >166 scaifea: >167 drneutron: >168 FAMeulstee:

Thanks everyone, not only for the well wishes but for reading the whiny wall of text.

*****

And now for part 2 - Warning: Explicit Sh---tuff (i.e. even more whinging but now very personal whinging!):

The breathlessness got so bad yesterday that my doctor wanted me to go to the emergency room. I just wanted some Lasix. I knew what the problem was as I felt the same way last time. But she was insistent.

And I refused to go. Last time between the pain and the embarrassment, it was a nightmare. Because of my size, they need a special bariatric bed. Stupidly, the bed is so high, I need two people to help me get into it. (A 15 - 20 minute production that I have to explain each time and is physically intensive. ) Add lasix into the mix and the nurses/aides can end up in my room for hours at a time. Also, since I end up in bed all day, I'm in horrible pain, therefore, I'm on hydrocodone 24x7, and even that brings it down to only a 5 or 6. The doctor refused vehemently to use a catheter.

That doesn't even get into the ambulance ride. It takes six-ish people to handle the gurney. It's terrifying to be on a gurney meant for someone half or less my size while they haul me out of the house, down and around a ramp, and into the ambulance. Not to mention they have to strap me in so tight so I don't fall off that I'm in excruciating pain the entire time.

So, I said no but I did contact the non-emergency line and asked if they would come check my vitals. Seems that they'll come do it for free any time I'm worried about it, which is kind of nice. Ends up all my vitals are not only normal, they are sickeningly normal (blood pressure 120-something/80-something, heart rate mid-60's, oxygen 98%, ekg normal, etc.) They checked with their on-call doctor and she said it was okay for me to stay home.

Thankfully, I'm feeling a bit better today and the edema has gone down a little. Blah blah blah whinge whinge whinge.

Thanks for reading again, you masochists, you. :D

>169 Morphidae: Again some hugs, Morphy, glad you stood your ground.
No, not masochist, just putting my own health problems in perspective ;-)

>170 FAMeulstee: I don't understand doctors nowadays. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to them and gone to ER just to find out that it's nothing or rather, nothing serious that couldn't have been handled at home. As you said, this time I stood my ground. If there had been something bad about my vitals I would have considered going. But, as I thought, they were all normal. I don't know if it's my weight or if they are just running that scared of lawsuits (both?)

>160 Morphidae: & >169 Morphidae:

Hugs aplenty, Morphy.

I am, for the first time in a while, taking my own health more seriously after my business partner and lawyer collapsed in a hotel room in the Philippines recently. He is over 60 lbs heavier than I am with a similar height and his body had simply had enough. Fortunately he was discovered in time and re-ventilated and is - as of yesterday - back home. I want to help him and myself back towards better health.

Take care sweet lady.

Woot for standing up for yourself! Well done, you!

Sending more hugs, as always, friend.

I firmly believe you (and by you, I mean all of us) know your own body well enough to make the right decision about emergency care most of the time. Getting your doctor to trust YOU is just as important as finding a doctor you can trust.

(And yes, doctors are ALWAYS covering their own backsides in fear of lawsuits. I think it is a very big detriment to affordable and rational health care. I certainly don't advocate taking away the right to sue doctors for malpractice, but I worked in a law office where one of the partners did nothing but defend doctors who had been sued, and the vast majority of those cases did NOT involve actual negligence. Sometimes good treatment just can't prevent bad outcomes.)

Sorry to see that you've been having a rough go!
Hopefully things have started to improve

Hope things are looking better for you! Miss you.

>176 Berly: I'm around on the TIOLI challenge. I'm planning on starting up a new thread sooner or later. Preferably sooner. Within in the month(-ish.)

I haven't been on the TIOLO challenge at all this year. Glad to hear from you. Happy reading. : )

Good to see you, Morphy. I don't visit the TIOLO challenge either, so was happy that you posted here.

I have to post to say I have my first 9/10 star book of 2019 - How to Stop Time by Matt Haig.

There were some plot holes that prevented it from being a 10 and it's not a light-hearted book; however, it is well-written, has intriguing characters and an interesting look at history. It is gently philosophical, and it gave me "all the feels." I went from anger to deep loneliness to amusement to despair to a bittersweet joy.

Not that it's a gut-wrenching drama but rather the feelings are all internal and at a remove. As you'll realize from the beginning, this has been both a blessing and a curse for the protagonist.

When I finished, I wanted to hug it and start again. It's also one of the few books I marked quotes in. I'll try to post some later.

>180 Morphidae: Book bullet!!!!

I'm reading Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. In it Holly says, "You always (n-word) lip" and I was appalled. I was appalled because of how often I used that phrase in high school.

Now, I simply have never used that word towards a black person. I haven't used that phrase in decades. And until I read that line, I didn't put two and two together to realize exactly what it was I had been saying. It meant, to me, that a person had made the cigarette filter wet, not that they had a black person's lips. The thought didn't even cross my mind (back then.)

How could I have been so oblivious? How much racism is sheer blindness?

>182 Morphidae: Wow...I never heard that expression at all...and I have read B@T...don't remember encountering it. I would have been baffled, I feel. I wonder if it was edited out of later editions. But you are absolutely right about unconscious casual racism...and sexism, etc. There were certainly derogatory words and phrases in common daily use in my teens that originated in ethnic, racial or sexual stereotypes. I could make a very unsavory list, but I certainly won't post it here.

>183 laytonwoman3rd: Chinese fire drill is one that immediately comes to mind. No idea where the name came from. Implying stupidity maybe?

>184 Morphidae: Yup...a wad of cash was a Jewish bankroll, Brazil nuts were N**toes...and on and on.

I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyle yesterday. I knew what the ending was, in general, before I started. No, I didn't read the end for once. I knew it before I began. I can't remember if I read a summary of the book or movie or if I found out some other way.

Be that as it may, the book staggered me. Books don't normally affect me this way. Oh, I'll cry like a baby in emotional spots, especially in romances. But I felt gut-punched with this one. I sat there for 15 minutes trying to process it then spoke with my husband. He never reads this type of book - Harry Potter fanfic has been his go to for the last couple of years - but I had to talk through it.

My second 9/10 stars for the year.

>186 Morphidae: Glad you liked it, Morphy.
Glad to see you posting.
Just glad.

>186 Morphidae: YES. Boyne is a master at that sort of thing. If you like that shattered feeling, you should try more of his kid lit stuff.

>188 scaifea: Is "catharsis" the word you're looking for? *evil grin*

>189 laytonwoman3rd: Nope, shattered works better.

>188 scaifea: Honestly, I don't know if I can handle another of his books. That was a rough one. Maybe in a year or decade. Century?

*****

Started off the month with a reread of Lover Avenged by J. R. Ward. It's a "nth" reread of a favorite series. I like to have at least one or two of those going. Right now it's the Black Dagger Brotherhood and the In Death series. I like to read one or two from each per month as "comfort" reads.

Today I'll be working a lot on LT Take It or Leave It stuff - getting my October TIOLI books entered into the wiki then updating the barely started list of 2019 TIOLI books I've read which will also be acting as my books read in 2019 after I add a bit more.

Also, I'll be entering the goals/tasks I wrote down while brainstorming a month or so ago (before I got sick*) into goalsontrack.com. My long term overarching goal is to be an expert at popular book recommendations in seven years.

I'll go into how I came up with this goal and how I'm going about it in later posts.

*I had the flu, sinusitis and a chalazion (like a sty but in the middle of the eyelid.) I was sick for 13 days. Not sick and recovering. Sick. I haven't been that sick since I was a kid. It was awful! I thought I was all better but I tried to do exercise yesterday and ended up exhausting myself with just minimal reps. Anyone know if the flu has been particularly bad this year?

I get a shot every year in Sept/Oct but this hit before I could get it. I'll be getting one next week. My mom said, "Well, now you won't need the flu shot." I informed her that, no, I did need the flu shot because who knew which virus I made me sick.

MrMorphy has winterized his canoe and fishing gear for the year. We were able to get a respite worker due to a state grant (which pays half) and she comes once a week. I adore her and I believe us to be good friends. We watched Phenomenon with John Travolta on Wednesday. Normally we chat but with me having gotten sick, my chronic laryngitis struck and I had to baby my voice. We both enjoyed it - I for the re-watch, her for the first time.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I did hear that the flu is particularly bad this year. Glad you are recovering! Being sick sucks a lot.

Interested to hear about your goal.

I'm working on a list of genres for my project and have decided on the following (for the purposes of trying to read from each genre as often as possible - once every month/every other month):

Classics
Children's/Middle Grade
YA/NA
Book Club/Popular Fiction
Literary Fiction
Fantasy
Mystery/Crime
Romance
Science Fiction
Graphic Novels

*
Horror
Suspense/Thriller

Should/could I combine these two?

*

Historical Fiction

I'm debating whether to add this one. So many book club selections and some literary fiction are historical fiction (Do we really need another book about WWII? REALLY?). I wonder if I need a separate listing for HF.

*

Nonfiction

Yes, it's not fiction but I'd like to read at least one nonfiction a month.

*****

Suggestions? Thoughts?

I wonder if you might like to specialize in a type of nonfiction.

>194 reconditereader: No, not really. Unless it were something like narrative nonfiction or "popular" nonfiction. Even then I'd feel too restricted. It's just too huge. Perhaps after the first seven years.

;)

>193 Morphidae: I would struggle to differentiate between mystery & crime and suspense & thriller, Morphy.

I have proven useless at challenges over the last few years so I certainly wish you better luck than I have had.

>193 Morphidae: I think some books would fall into more than one of those categories, but not ALWAYS, so maybe just do an "either/or" with mystery/crime and suspense/thriller? And not all suspense/thrillers are horror, necessarily, so I wouldn't combine those, unless the author did it for you. It's always good to get a two-fer. Nothing wrong with counting one book in two slots.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Day After!!! : )

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Have a comfy, caring, and very

Merry Christmas!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, some other tradition or none at all, this is what I wish for you!

Thank you for keeping me company in 2019 (occasionally, Morphy!).......onward to 2020.

Thanks to all of my wonderful LT friends who stopped by. My 2020 resolution is going to be that I visit (and actually say Hi) more often with you all.

Happy New Year.

Best wishes this holiday season!! Yes, I'd love to see more of you in 2020!