Familyhistorian's 2019 Reading Adventure part 4

My name is Meg and this is my sixth year as one of the 75ers. At the end of last year I became overwhelmed with finishing off my challenge books and library holds. Somehow the joy of read lost some of its sparkle and the books on my shelves kept growing. That wasn't working so this year I am signing up for less of the challenges and have set myself a personal challenge of reading more from my own shelves. I also couldn't keep up with all the threads I had starred last year so I have to be smarter about LT time as I want to keep up with the threads I follow as well as find more time for my writing, genealogy and other adventures.

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My latest post is about food and how that connects us to our past. The posts change every week. You can see them at: A Genealogist's Path to History

Little Free Library

Books culled in 2019

January 3

February 6

March 8

April 11

May 7

June 2

Challenges

Reading Through Time

January-March 2019 - 20th Century: World War I (1914-1918) - A Question of Honor by Charles Todd - DONE
April-June 2019 - 20th Century: Between Wars (1919-1938) - So Much Life Left Over by Louis de Bernieres - DONE
July-September 2019 - 20th Century: WW2 (1939-1945)
October-December 2019 - Modern History (1946-present day)

Monthly

January: "I Will Survive" - Krakatoa by Simon Winchester - DONE
February: "Be My Valentine" - The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty DONE
March: "Downtown" - The Blitz Detective: Fifth Column by Mike Hollow
April: "The Wonderful Emptiness" - The Great Central Plains of America - Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath by John Philip Colletta DONE
May: "Myths"
June: "Cryptography & Code Breaking"
July: "Travel"
August: "Philosophy and Religion"
September: “Women Pioneers”
October:
November:
December:

2019 Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prizewinning books, and runners up. - The Massey Murder by Charlotte Gray - DONE
February: Science and Technology: Innovations and Innovators. - The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carrey - DONE
March: True Crime, Misdemeanors and Justice, Past and Present Day - A Treasury of Victorian Murder: Compendium Vol. 1 by Rick Geary - DONE - Murder by Milkshake by Eve Lazarus - DONE
April: Comfort Reads - Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath by John Philip Colletta - DONE Ancestral Journeys: The Peopling of Europe from the First Venturers to the Vikings by Jean Manco - DONE
May: History. In this case, my cutoff date is 1950.
June: The Pictures Have It!
July: Biography & First Person Yarns
August: Raw Materials: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
September: Books by Journalists
October: Other Worlds: From Spiritual to Fantastical
November: Creators and Creativity
December: I’ve Always Been Curious About…

Books read in 2019

Books read in 2019

First quarter

January

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
All True Not a Lie In It by Alix Hawley
A Fever of the Blood by Oscar de Murier
Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass
No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
Kissed a Sad Goodbye by Deborah Crombie
Ravished by Amanda Quick
Plaid and Plagiarism by Molly MacRae
The Massey Murder by Charlotte Gray
Murder on Millionaires Row by Erin Lindsay
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
A Killer in King's Cove by Iona Whishaw
Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
Stand Firm: Resisting the Self-Improvement Craze by Svend Brinkmann
The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century by Deborah Blum
Things I Don't Want to Know: A Living Autobiography by Deborah Levy
A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester

February

A Midsummer Night's Scream by Jill Churchill
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson
Anne of Green Gables: a graphic novel by Mariah Marsden
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross
Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson
Evil Under the Sun adapted by Didier Quella-Guyot
The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty
Last Friends by Jane Gardam
The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Blacklands by Belinda Bauer
The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es
Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth
The Epigenetics Revolution by Nassa Carey
Exiles of Erin: Irish Migrants in Victorian London by Lynn Hollen Lees

March

One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
The Body in the Wardrobe by Katherine Hall Page
King Arthur: The Making of the Legend by Nicholas J. Higham
Stitches: A Memoir by David Small
Death on the Family Tree by Patricia Sprinkle
A Question of Honor by Charles Todd
Tuesday's Gone by Nicci French
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
A Treasury of Victorian Murder: Compendium Vol. 1 by Rick Geary
How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Murder by Milkshake by Eve Lazarus
Killing the SS by Bill O'Reilly
Murder at the Manor by Lesley Cookman
The Chess Men by Peter May
Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen
Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
Fifth Column by Mike Hollow

Books acquired in 2019




February

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
Good on Paper by Rachel Cantor
The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys
How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don't by Lane Moore
Innocent Blood by P.D. James
Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn
The Fatal Flame by Lyndsay Faye
Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane by Paul Thomas Murphy
A Rabble of Dead Money by Charles R. Morris
Who Killed Tom Thomson by John Little
Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson
Romance is My Day Job by Patience Bloom
The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
City of Endless Night by Preston & Child
Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reichs
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

March

Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
The Automobile Saga of British Columbia 1864-1914 by G. W. Taylor
The Devil's Half Mile by Paddy Hirsch
Don't Speak by J.L. Brown
The Victorian Treasury by Lucinda Hawksley
The Labours of Mrs. Stella Ryman by Mel Anastasiou
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
Fiction Can be Murder by Becky Clark
The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen
Murder in Greenwich Village by Liz Freeland
Criminology: A Very Short Introduction by Tim Newburn
The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff
Montreal's Irish Mafia by D'Arcy O'Connor
It Begins in Betrayal by Iona Whishaw
An Unfinished Murder by Ann Granger
The Golden Pawn by L.A. Chandlar
Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley
A Willing Murder by Jude Deveraux
Trove: Discover Genealogy Treasure in the National Library of Australia by Shauna Hicks

There, all set up. Welcome to my new thread.

Happy new thread, Meg. What a beautiful topper.

>10 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. I took that photo last Wednesday. I love it when the trees start to blossom.

Love your topper--beautiful! Our trees are just starting to bloom here. Finally.

Happy new thread! We're read several of the same books this year already. Great minds and all that. : )

Happy new thread!

Happy 4th thread, Meg! I like your Spring topper!

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy new thread! I need to create a new one sometime today too.

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy new thread, Meg. I am very jealous of your topper. We had snow yesterday. We will have much warmer temps this week (above zero) but still not double digits. Boo hiss.

Happy new thread, Meg!

>1 Familyhistorian: Trees are starting to bloom here too. I just took a picture from my plum tree, to use in my new thread later today.

Happy new one, Meg! I'm hoping to keep up with you this time.

Happy new thread!

>12 Berly: I would have though your trees would be ahead of ours, Kim. Its good to see the blossoms whenever they show up!

>13 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita!

>14 Carmenere: Hi Lynda, I was getting tired of the winter topper on my old thread. It's nice to see signs of spring!

>15 katiekrug: Hi Katie, and thank you!

>16 thornton37814: Hi Lori, it's hard to sneak the new threads in there and usually takes a while to set them up. I will look for your new one.

>17 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl, good to see you here.

>18 jessibud2: I saw a post on Facebook showing new snow in Ontario and birds flitting all over the place like they were confused. I am more than ready for spring and I bet you are too, Shelley.

>19 FAMeulstee: Isn't it wonderful to see the blossoming trees, Anita? I am so happy that spring has sprung!

>20 Crazymamie: But Mamie, I'm not going that fast. lol. Good to see you here.

>21 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

55. Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

It was a short book but Ghost Wall packed a lot of punch in its pages. It started with the scene of a woman or girl being sacrificed way back in time when the bog bodies were made. Then told the story of a modern group of reinactors whose actions came to strangely parallel the lead up to the first scene in the book. It was haunting how modern society carries on the same as they did in ancient times.

>23 Familyhistorian: - I most certainly am, Meg! It's bright and sunny here today but at this moment, only 0 degrees. We won't hit double digits till next weekend.

I am so over winter already.

>25 jessibud2: I was always over winter before winter was over when I lived in the east, Shelley. I know what you mean. When I was still living at home in Pointe Claire (suburb of Montreal) we often went to Florida in April when there was snow on the ground. Even after being gone for a week or two we would come back to snow.

I hope your winter stops soon!

56. Fifth Column by Mike Hollow

Mysteries are one of my go to genres. Given my love of history and interest in WWII, particularly in London, the blitz detective series ticks many boxes for me. The second book in the series Fifth Column wasn't quite as much of a page turner as the first but still held my interest.

Di Jago was called in when the men who checked for blitz survivors found a body that didn't appear to have been caused by the regular bombing. His investigation took him to different places in an effort to find out what had happened to the woman who was killed and, as he questioned different people, more of the social life of the citizens affected by the war and the blitz were brought to the fore.

Hi Meg: Happy new thread. I LOVE your topper. I am ready for spring.

Hi Meg my dear, happy new thread. I have been absent from threads for a short while as I have either been busy and not had enough time to get around them or I have been laid up with my back. As I am trying to rest my back and the weather is changing again I will try and get around more often.

I hope things are good with you, your reading seems to be going really well at the moment and mine is coming on apace and so is Karen's. Karen doesn't have that much time to read with work, knitting etc but she is only one book behind me at the moment, if she had as much time as I have she would be streets ahead of me, probably on a par with your current total I would imagine.

Hope that you have a good week ahead and send love and hugs from both of us dear friend.

Happy New Thread Meg!

Happy New Thread, Meg!

I love that topper, too. C'mon, Spring!

>28 BLBera: I hear you on the spring wishes, Beth. There are part of this country which are still experiencing snow which is a big part of why I live here.

>29 johnsimpson: I hope your weather warms up and helps your back in getting better, John. The weather here is 21 C at the moment and we are enjoying the sunshine but there is rain in the forecast. My reading increased when I retired so I would imagine that Karen's will to. Hope you both have a great week ahead.

>30 SandDune: Thanks, Rhian!

>31 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I love this time of year when all the blossoms are out. I hope your's get started soon.

Happy new thread, Meg.

Your reading is ripping along this year - 75 before May?!

>33 PaulCranswick: Not sure about the 75 before May, Paul. I am getting ready to go on a trip that starts April 30 so I really should spend some time getting ready for that.

Happy New Thread, Meg. Love the blooming topper. Ghost Wall sounds very interesting.

Hi Meg and happy new thread. Just up the street we have a row of Tulip trees along the sidewalk and they are just coming into bloom now. They are one of my favorites.

>35 msf59: Thanks Mark, the trees are blossoming all over now. The cherry blossoms and magnolias are a welcome sight. Ghost Wall is a good one and short. It is on the long list for the Women's Prize for Fiction.

>36 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I love it when there is a whole row of blooming trees. Close to here there is a row of evergreens with pink cherry blossoms which show between them. The colours off set each other so well.

Tomorrow I finally have a day that I don't have anything booked. It has been a long run since last Wednesday. On two of the days I went to Whale of a Crime the Left Coast Crime's Vancouver conference.



There were panel discussions with mystery writers focusing on different subjects. I picked up some tips on researching the perfect crime. For history research of particular places newspaper research was recommended and I think it was Ann Parker who mentioned finding a column called "Bullets for Breakfast" - a good way to find out about crime that happened over night in the local area (San Fran, I think). Vince Keenan was also on the panel. He and his wife write the Edith Head mysteries. Their research is very specialized and luckily, Edith Head left all of her stuff where they are able to access it.

There were also talks with authors who had been law enforcement professionals, about medicine and science, and about our past as inspiration. I didn't know any of the authors in those panels except for Sam Wiebe who was the writer in residence at the Vancouver Library at one point. I really should read something by him.

I also attended on Sunday as well although there were only two panel talks. One was about academic and bookstore mysteries. I recognized Vicki Delaney and have read her books. Christopher Lord was very interesting and I think his Dickens based mysteries sound like they would be fun but I can't find them in a library close to me. Has anyone read them? The other talk was about not so traditional traditionals. The women on the panel were very interesting particularly Marsali Taylor who had come all the way from Shetland. Her tales about life on Shetland were interesting and the real thing rather than the imaginary setting that authors from away come up with. Hmm, I wonder who she was referring to there?

Sunday's highlight was the Guest of Honour Closing Panel with moderator Matt Coyle and panel consisting of authors Cathy Ace, C.J. Box, Maureen Jennings, William Deverell and booksellers Don & Jenn Longmuir. As you can see:

In between the two days at the crime writer's conference, I went to a retirement dinner on Friday and an all day genealogy seminar on Saturday. Our speaker for the seminar was Cyndi Ingles. Now I have a whole list of things that I should start doing with my family history research. Today was a meeting of a genealogy group interested in DNA. I need to look into that more as well. So much to do, so little time!

Happy new thread Meg! Love your spring time topper.

>40 mdoris: Thanks Mary!

Happy New Thread, Meg. A lovely topper and so representative of our area. The Cherry Blossom Festival happens this weekend in Steveston. It's so busy I will just skip it. Oh, fun at the Whale of a Crime the Left Coast Crime's Vancouver Conference. Dave is a fan of CJ Box , and is currently reading his latest book.

Hi Meg! Happy new thread.

>3 Familyhistorian: Excellent blog entry! I've never made gnocchi, so good for you. My great-grandmother's church published a cook book 1963-ish with many of her recipes in it, also some of my Great-Aunt Lillian's. My grandmother dictated her Divinity recipe to me over the phone about 10 years before she passed away, and I've tweaked it to work in my KitchenAid. I've got a few hand-written recipes from my mother, but they aren't hers exactly, just recipes she got from folks and liked well enough to adopt.

>24 Familyhistorian: It was haunting how modern society carries on the same as they did in ancient times. It depresses me, frankly. And of course our discussions re These Truths only hammer it home more.

However, it's spring and your topper inspired me to take a picture of our Weeping Cherry. I'll post it on my thread. It's young but pretty. Not much weeping yet. *smile*

I hope you have a wonderful day.

>42 vancouverdeb: What do they do for the cherry blossom festival, Deborah. Is there a parade or anything like that? The conference was interesting but I didn't see a lot of it. You can tell Dave that CJ Box tells a pretty good story in person as well!

>43 karenmarie: Hi Karen, I'm glad you liked the foody blog. Making traditional food is a good way to connect with our family histories. I can remember submitting recipes to fund raiser cookbooks but I never thought about using old community cookbooks like those for research but they are a great source for women's names and some of them go way back.

It was disheartening to catch the ancient and modern parallels in Ghost Wall and reading These Truths with its under lying themes makes you wonder if we will ever learn.

>44 Familyhistorian: No parade, Meg, but here is a link to what they do - a bunch of food trucks and Japanese cultural events, as it was the Japanese that settled in Steveston many years ago . https://www.richmond.ca/discover/events/cherryblossomfestival.htm. Steveston is super busy from here on in. It gets really hard to find parking in the day time. A lot of people enjoy the old town feel of Steveston, the many restaurants , and the variety of small artisan type stores. I really love it for the dog walking as do so many people as there is a great board walk and trails right along the water. I know a secret parking spot or two,but over this weekend it will be super challenging and Poppy and I might have to find an alternative walking area. I'll tell Dave that CJ Box is interesting in person. I know he is really enjoying his current read. Since he works f/t , his reading time is limited. Oh, and there is a whale watching company that has at least one trip per day out for whale watching, weather permitting. . I'm told that most days in the spring and summer, a private bus brings tourists into Steveston from the Cruise Ship area in downtown Vancouver to Steveston for whale watching trips and then a stop at Fish and Chips place or whatever restaurant . I would never have guessed that by myself, but a few people who actually live in Steveston have told me that. There are off leash areas for dogs, a big children's playground, a community centre - just endless things to draw people to the area.

Is is a hopping place all year round, but especially in the nice months . Plenty of locals enjoy the area , just like me. My husband heads of there for the stunt kite flying with his buddies when he gets time. I locked myself out of my car some years ago and had to call BCAA . I tried to describe Garry Point Park and where it was - and they said - oh you mean" Kite Park? " I thought, if you say so :-)

>46 vancouverdeb: Thanks for the link, Deborah. I remember visiting Steveston many years ago and even then the crowds were large. Hopefully the weather cooperates for cherry blossom festival! Love the Kite Park story.

It rained so hard until early this afternoon, I'm getting a wee bit anxious about the weather. Maybe the weekend will be quieter than I anticipated. I see showers in the forecast in the days ahead.

Hey, Meg, a belated Happy New Thread!

>38 Familyhistorian: How was C. J. Box, Meg? I enjoy his Joe Pickett series.

>48 vancouverdeb: We didn't have very much rain yesterday afternoon and today, which was supposed to be another day of rain, is sunny and hot. Very strange. I find more often when they predict rain these days it doesn't materialize, almost like they are basing their forecasts on the weather we used to have. I hope your cherry blossom festival isn't rained out, Deborah.

>49 ronincats: Thanks Roni!

>50 jnwelch: C. J. Box was very well spoken, Joe. He could tell a good yarn in person as well as on the page (I guess, I have never read any of the Joe Pickett series.) He seemed to be popular with the other writers too, if I read the interactions right. It probably helped to be a personable male writer when it appeared that the majority of the mystery writers were women.

^Thanks, Meg. C.J. Box does tell a good yarn on the page, too. I’m glad he was well-spoken and personable, and appeared to be popular with the other writers. I’ll hope to have a chance to see him some time. One of the worst feelings is finding out that a writer whose books you like is a complete jerk. I’m glad that wasn’t the case here. :-)

Hi Meg my dear, I hope all is well with you and that you have a really lovely weekend as long as the weather is ok for you, I enjoyed the first Joe Pickett by C.J Box which Barbara (ameise1) gave me when we met up a few years ago but I am having trouble getting hold of more in the series over here. I am still looking and hope a couple of websites may be of help to me on this search. Sending love and hugs to you from both of us dear friend.

>54 jnwelch: Most of the writers I have seen in person have been pretty good, Joe. I think I see them when they are on their best behaviour though.

>55 johnsimpson: We are back into rain now, John, so not that great for weekend weather. Funny that Barbara was able to find a CJ Box for you but that you are having difficulty. Good luck with your search.

57. Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister

Women have been treated as an underclass for centuries, like a marginalized minority. Truth is they are the majority that the minority needs to keep under wraps. No wonder women are angry, no wonder their anger is often greeted with derision. It is one way to keep it under control.

In Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger, the author details the history of women in the US and how their anger has created change all through the years. Any power women reached for during those years has been undermined for much of that time. Recent events have led to more women becoming confident in reaching for political power which, it is hoped, should lead to more positive change.

This quote from the book's conclusion sums it up well:

'At all the marches, all the rallies, you'll see one sign over and over again. It is a Mexican proverb, apparently taken from the Greek: “They thought they could bury us; they didn't know we were seeds.” Women's anger has been buried over and over again. But it has seeded the ground; we are the green shoots of furies covered up long ago.'

>57 Familyhistorian: As someone who has felt the power of plenty of ladies anger, I think I really ought to keep an eye or two out for that one.

Have a great Sunday, Meg. xx

>58 Familyhistorian: - I haven't read this, Meg, but I did hear an interview with her and while it was a good interview, I have to admit, her voice is very grating. Some might call it shrill. I suppose that's the *anger*, which is probably what fueled the book. That said, the message is a valid one and sadly, rings true for every generation.

>58 Familyhistorian: This one is on my list, Meg.

>59 PaulCranswick: It is pretty eye opening about the power of women's anger but in a political sense. It is also US centric.

Have a great week, Paul

>60 jessibud2: It's a sad fact that women's voices can often be grating when raised in anger, Shelley. Sometimes that gets in the way of the message they are trying to deliver. She touches on that in the book and many other barriers to women being heard. She is able to get her message across in writing and it was a very interesting, if US focused, book.

>61 BLBera: The ever expanding list is that, Beth?

58. Upstaged by Murder by C.S. Challinor

In Upstaged by Murder the murder happens on stage but in a spooky scene, not in full view of the audience. Rex Graves had been drowsy in his seat beside his new wife, Helen, but the strange events on stage woke him up and set him off in investigation mode.

It was an entertaining cozy and, as usual, it was somewhere in the middle of a series and this was the first one I picked up. That's what I get for wondering into the new books section of the library. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Wish me luck on my dogwalk today. I had thought that the cherry blossom festival was for the weekend, and yesterday was nice and quiet , owing to the rainy conditions. However, when I mentioned that to my husband, he informed me that the cherry blossom festival is only on today and it is sunny. It's a rare time that I would complain about it being sunny, but for me and Poppy's sake, , I had hoped Steveston would be relatively quiet. I'll wait a bit until I head out , so as allow Steveston to clear out a bit more.

>58 Familyhistorian: Sounds like an interesting read Meg. i have just put it on reserve at the library. With thanks!

>66 vancouverdeb: I hope that you were able to dodge the crowds on your dog walk. It was a nice day for walking (and for a cherry blossom festival). I went downtown and the sidewalks on Robson Street were full of walkers and shoppers.

>67 mdoris: It's an interesting and thought provoking history, Mary. I hope you don't have to wait too long for it.

You've had a busy week, Meg. I hope you get some time off to enjoy your spring walks. I love all the pictures you post of your lovely city.

>70 Donna828: At least my renos/repairs are done, Donna. I think that my weeks will be jam packed until the end of April as I am preparing to go away and my trip will include research so I have to prepare for that as well as getting stuff written up for while I am away for all the things I contribute to. I hope your renos are close to done!

Way behind on LT and posting about my reads. I'm about to go out for a few hours but will leave this photo behind to keep my thread warm.



This taken in the courtyard behind the building that houses the museum I volunteer at.

59. Dreaming in Code: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer by Emily Arnold McCully



Ada Lovelace's name was familiar due to her connection with the beginning of computers but I didn't know much beyond that. Dreaming in Code: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer filled in the information on Ada's life, from conception to legacy. What a tempestuous woman, but how could she help but be with such controlling mother? The story left me amazed that the legacy left behind is still known to be that of Ada Lovelace.

60. The Stylist by Rosie Nixon

In a way The Stylist was pretty frothy. A young woman named Amber was plucked from her job as a window dresser in London to become an assistant to a stylist for the stars. Highly glamorous, right? Not so much when you are the one trying to be invisible on the red carpet keeping the star looking good. That wasn't all that Amber had to contend with. From strange situations, to a flaky boss and with a little romance thrown in the book was both a fun romp and a behind the scenes glimpse of the not so effortless grace of the fashion/celebrity scene.

PoCo Heritage put together an Arborium Symposium today. There were speakers about all kinds of tree subjects, from dendrology to trees and forests in the worlds religions and spiritual traditions which Dr. Jason Brown is speaking about here.

>75 Familyhistorian: - Now that's a session that appeals to me, Meg! Sounds great!

Happy Sunday, Meg. Arborium Symposium sounds very interesting. I do love trees but my knowledge of them, is still minimal. I am trying to learn one or two new trees a year. Not always easy.

I am sure you enjoying some gorgeous weather. We are still stuck in between seasons. Cold and damp today. Ugh!

>76 jessibud2: It was a very enlightening day, Shelley. The speakers were academics talking about their work which they are passionate about and so well able to convey.

>77 msf59: I hear you on the cold and damp, Mark. The rain has moved in here too and the temperatures have dropped.

Trees are something we on the west coast are used to being surrounded by. When I visit other places one of the things I miss is an abundance of trees. I guess we have to put up with the rain for the sake of the rain forest.

Hi Meg, yes, we do have an abundance of trees here on the west coast! Right now I am enjoying the flowering trees and happy to report that whatever was triggering my allergies seems to have passed. It's nice to be able to go for a walk and actually breathe.

61. Burden of Memory by Vicki Delany

I saw Vicki Delany presenting a couple of times when I was at the Left Coast Crime event at the end of March. That prompted me to pick up one of her books at the library.

Burden of Memory was set in Muskoka, a place in Ontario that interests me because of its connection to some of my family stories. On top of that, part of the action in the book takes place in WWII England, which also figures in my research. In the story Elaine was a writer called upon to help Miss Madison work on her memoirs about her time as a nurse. Part of that time was spent in England in WWII.

The story easily slipped back and forth between WWII and current day Ontario in Miss Madison's substantial property on the shores of Lake Muskoka. As expected, there were some deaths in the time recounted in WWII England but there were also more immediate deaths at Miss Madison's home in the present day. Could the motive behind the strange happenings in the present be caused by some of the events that happened during the war?

>80 DeltaQueen50: Do you find yourself missing trees when you visit other places, Judy? I really missed seeing lots of trees when I was in the Scottish Highlands and was very happy to get back to the Lower Mainland where there is an abundance of greenery. Good to hear that your allergies have calmed down and you are able to get out and enjoy your walks, now if only the rain would hold off here.

I certainly miss trees when we visit the Prairies. I remember the first time we drove from Saskatoon south to Swift Current and other than trees planted around homes, I didn't see any - I was appalled. On the other hand I don't like to be totally treed in either - I like to see trees but with spaces around them.

>83 DeltaQueen50: No trees are some of the reasons that the prairies have such big skies! I don't mind being well treed in, which is probably a good thing as I live next to a well treed in river park and my back deck backs onto a stand of trees around a creek. It's a very interesting view and sometimes there are birds to watch, like the duck that was in the creek when I glanced out this morning.

>81 Familyhistorian:. I apparently own a copy of that one, but I haven't read it. I've enjoyed her Constable Molly Smith and Ashley Grant series--or at least the ones I've read.

>85 thornton37814: I don't think I have read any of her series, Lori. I mainly wanted to read Burden of Memory due to places where the action was set. She is very prolific and writes an astonishing amount in a year. When she said how much the other writers at the conference were envious.

62. Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan

Throughout his marriage, Robert took frequent absences from his family ostensibly to further his writing. As the years went on nothing much was written but Robert still absented himself until one day he didn't come back. His family of two girls and wife, Leah, didn't know what happened to him. His wife half believed that he was dead but nothing was confirmed.

Things remained in limbo until Leah discovered tickets to Paris that Robert had booked. They had always talked about going to Paris. Was Robert there? So Leah and the girls headed to Paris where they ended up running a bookshop.

It was a strangely engaging story about a marriage and a husband who didn't know how to connect with his family leaving his wife to muddle through for the rest of them the best way she knew how. It was told from Leah's point of view so the reader's sympathy was with her. The book also offered colourful glimpses of Paris.

Nice review of Paris by the Book, Meg!

Hi Meg!

Just a quick hello - I'm treading water on the threads these days.

>73 Familyhistorian: I have The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace & Babbage by Sydney Padua and should probably read it this year. I did not realize that she was Lord Byron's only legitimate child until checking out Wikipedia just now.

>88 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl. It was an interesting look at a family's relationships.

>89 karenmarie: Hi Karen, at least you are treading water, I feel like I am barely keeping afloat. I am way behind in keeping up with threads and writing about my reads. I am still getting reading done.

Lord Byron's marriage was extremely short lived so it makes sense that Ada was the only legitimate child. Did he have many illegitimate children?

Hi Meg! Hope you are well! I'm not even keeping afloat on LT, so you're still doing better than me! i'm not even reading.

63. This is What Happened by Mick Herron

I was searching in the library for one of the Slough House series when I came up with This is What Happened instead. It was a story based on just a few people so lacked the energy of the series and bogged down a bit in the middle. I put it down for a couple of weeks but picked it up again to finish and the action picked up in the end.

Single women in London with no connections are very vulnerable. One of these, Maggie, was recruited to run a spy operation in her place of work after hours. Things went wrong but she got out and then had to go into hiding. Her recruiter provided the place. He also told her that headquarters had washed their hands of the whole thing and they were on their own and, as she had killed someone, he would keep her hidden. This becomes a burden to them both.

This was a story about gullibility, duplicity and how information available on the internet can be used against someone. It was also a story of survival and family bonds.

>92 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel, thanks for the visit. I hope thinks calm down enough for you that you are able to get back to reading.

64. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

I read The Female Persuasion for book club. The book was about females (obviously) and feminism. It followed a young woman, Greer, as she got caught up in a new company that was focused around a charismatic feminist, Faith Frank, but funded by corporate dollars controlled by sketchy billionaire businessman.

The main characters went through plenty of life changing events where they could have gone down different paths and I read my way to the end of the book to see what happened. There did seem to be a bit of a distance between reader and character, however.

None of the book club ladies seemed to be that taken with this story. It was recommended by a member of the club who had just finished The Interestings and loved that so thought that she would like other Wolitzer books but she gave up on The Female Persuasion.

The yellow little free library in the garden which I used all the time has disappeared. There is construction going on in the park so I don't know if the LFL has just been taken down because of that or if it is gone for good. There have been a number of LFLs set on fire in a neighbouring city so maybe it was taken down because of that and won't return.

65. Tightening the Threads by Lea Wait

Most cosy mysteries have some kind of theme like including recipes. In Tightening the Threads the words and information about historic samplers started each chapter. This goes along with the main sleuth being a needlepointer.

The mystery itself was about a far flung family with tenuous ties who have gathered at the patriarch’s request. Also included are some family members who have just recently learned of their family connection. Of course someone died, there were lots of red herrings and the mystery was solved in the end.

>97 Familyhistorian: I like Lea, and was pleased with her Shadows series. Her husband's recent death and her subsequent terminal diagnosis don't seem to have slowed her down as much as they would have me!

>97 Familyhistorian: I know I've posted this one someone else's thread (or maybe yours), but that's a series I need to get back to!

>98 richardderus: This was my first Lea Wait, Richard. I will have to look for her Shadows series. It appears that my library has it. I didn't know about her terminal diagnosis. It looks like she still has a full schedule but notes that her attendance is subject to her health.

>99 thornton37814: I have a feeling that book was one of the Santa Thing ones you sent me, Lori.

Happy Easter, Meg.

>101 Familyhistorian: I think you may be correct!

>102 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. Happy Easter to you.

>103 thornton37814: It made me think of you when I saw it on the shelf, Lori. That memory is more likely to have been reinforced by the receipt of the book than by reading a review. I'll have to check out some more books by Lea Wait.

66. The Canadian Receipt Book

I have become interested in old receipe books as part of my family history research so when I saw The Canadian Receipt Book on the shelves at my library I had to take it home. It was a reprint of a book first published in 1867 republished as part of Canada'a 150 year celebration. It contained recipes and advertisements. They were local ads and the book was from Ottawa, great if an ancestor had a retail business on one of the main streets.

There were recipes for desserts and meals, many of them from a bygone era. That part of the book was like any recipe book you would pick up today except that there were no glossy pictures. Further on in the book there were instructions on dying cloth and making tooth cleansers and the like. Then it got into dealing with diseases of cattle, sheep and pigs and how to keep bees and the best way to get their honey. I was left with a better idea of what average householders had to handle in those days.

>106 Familyhistorian: Sounds fascinating: I do love old adverts.

>106 Familyhistorian: I have a weakness for those old recipe collections. The older ones often included recipes for folk medicines and such.

>107 charl08: The recipes are pretty good too, Charlotte. Old recipe books are a good source for finding out about women's history too.

>108 thornton37814: The old recipe books really give a window on their world, don't they, Lori? I also like the community cookbooks where you can find women's names which can give some colour to family history.

>110 Familyhistorian: Community cookbooks are some of my favorites. I'm always on the lookout for them when I'm browsing at McKays. I don't pick them all up, but I've found some real gems among them.

>111 thornton37814: Is McKays a used book store, Lori? I found a selection of community cookbooks in the special collections of the University of Guelph library when I was doing research there.

67. Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick

The garden in the title alludes to the plant based, mind altering, addictive drug and the power it brings that was the reason behind a series of murders. But one of the women murdered worked for the Kern Secretarial Agency, an innovative business in the London of this historic time period. The slain woman was employee and friend of Ursula Kern who was determined to find out what happened. One of her clients, Slayter Roxton, insists on joining the search. And so the adventure begins. Along the way they find mystery and romance in a London of bygone days.

Hi Meg. I am taking advantage of a rainy Easter Monday to catch up on threads. Beautiful thread topper pic!

>74 Familyhistorian: - That sounds like a perfect beach read for me!

Interesting discussion about trees (and places with a lack of trees). I just recently returned from a visit to Alberta and it continues to shock me just how brown and arid (dry) Southern Alberta is. I was so happy to come home to green! I know, we complain about the abundance of precipitation on the coast, but I will take rain any day if it means a lush green environment (and a possible deterrent to our wildfire season).

>106 Familyhistorian: - Will be checking to see my local library has a copy. I do love reading old recipes!

Hi Meg, looks like all us West Coasters are staying inside today and out of the rain. I sure hope your Little Free Library comes back, it would be a shame if you lost it due to vandalism.

Hi, Meg. Sorry, to hear about the lukewarm response to The Female Persuasion. I also really enjoyed The Interestings, so I was looking forward to her follow-up. I have it saved on audio, so I will probably still give it a try, at some point.

>114 lkernagh: Too bad about the rain today, Lori, but at least most of the rest of the long weekend was good. The Stylist would be a perfect beach read.

I like our lush green as well. It beats the brown seasons in the east (end of summer/autumn) and, something that always surprises me, even when we have snow the grass underneath is green. When I lived near Montreal it was always brown under the snow.

The recipe was published for Canada 150 so hopefully your library got on the bandwagon.

>115 DeltaQueen50: Well, actually I went out in the rain, only to my closest Safeway, but needed to pick up a few things. I am not sure about the Little Free Libraries coming back, Judy. There have been 7 torched in the Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam area and they haven't caught the culprits yet. There is an LFL in front of PoCo Heritage but it was featured on the TV news when they did a story about the ongoing vandalism. I hope that didn't make that one a target too.

>116 msf59: The book clubber who recommended The Female Persuasion said that she couldn't bring herself to care about the characters in that one but loved The Interestings. It could have been a case of reading two books by the same author too close together. I hope you enjoy it more than the book club ladies did, Mark.

>116 msf59: >119 Familyhistorian: Actually Mark, you might get more out of The Female Persuasion than we did. I am currently reading about Schlafy in These Truths, and I can see some parallels to the background in the Wolitzer book. Being familiar with the US history around feminist issues would make things more relevant, more relevant than they were to a bunch of Canadian readers, anyway.

>118 Familyhistorian: Oh no! That's terrible. I hope they catch the culprits (and make them read something, maybe, to realise what it is they were destroying).

>121 charl08: It is disturbing, Charlotte, especially since they are burning books at the same time and book burning has whole other connotations. My take, though, is they are not readers.

68. Hidden Heart by Nora Roberts

Hidden Heart was a double header from Nora Roberts. The first story was This Magic Moment which was a romantic tale about a female producer with a distant father/boss and a magician whose act also includes risky escapes. Both the producer and the magician had something to prove but would that keep them from each other?

The second story was a murder mystery set in a remote inn run by photographer, Autumn's muddled aunt. Autumn was dismayed to find out that her estranged beau, Lucas, was also staying at the inn but she tried ignore him in favour of the other guests. That didn't work for long as one of the guests ended up dead. Was Lucas the killer? Autumn needed to find out.

>123 Familyhistorian: Roberts delivers, consistently and constantly, the right blend of romance and rootedness in her stories. They can't possibly happen, but they *could*...if that makes any sense at all.

>124 richardderus: Roberts does it well and I occasionally pick up one of her books, Richard. I much prefer the books she writes as J.D. Robb. I am reading my way through the "in death" series. In fact, I am currently reading number 46 Dark in Death and I am finding it hard to put down.

69. Elyza by Clare Darcy

I enjoy Georgette Heyer's Regency romances so I had to pick up Clare Darcy's Elyza because the blurb on the cover read “the best since Georgette Heyer”. It was good but not that good as it didn't have the command of language of a true Heyer. It did try but some of the expressions brought me up short.

The story itself was a fun one. A feisty heroine escaped from the woman who was introducing her to the marriage mart. She was being pressured to accept a prospective male suitor that just didn't suit her. Donning male attire she takes herself off and runs into difficulties. Her hero comes along in the form of a rich well set up man recently back in England from India. There were adventures and misunderstandings but we all knew what the outcome would be.

>125 Familyhistorian: I was put off by Eve's "questo o quello" mantra never being resolved, but I found the stories pleasantly involving and fun.
>126 Familyhistorian: The tried-and-true works again!

>112 Familyhistorian: McKays is a giant used book warehouse. They also stock DVDs and CDs. They have stores in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville. Looks like they've expanded into North Carolina with stores in Greensboro and Winston-Salem. http://www.mckaybooks.com/

>127 richardderus: I like the Eve character and enjoy the books even if they do have a similarity with their end goal. Isn't it nice to have something that turns out the expected way, for a change?

>128 thornton37814: They look like large used book stores, Lori. I'll know the name if I ever get to one of the places where their warehouses are.

70. The Escape by Mary Balogh

I enjoy Mary Balogh's historical romances and The Escape was no exception. It was part of her survivor series which tells the stories of a group of men and women who were affected by their experiences in the Napoleonic Wars.

This story was Benedict's tale. He has very limited use of his legs due to injuries and has no idea what to do with his future which he had once planned to spend in the army. At loose ends he visits his sister and makes the acquaintance of Samantha, a recent widow with overbearing in laws she needed to escape. Benedict didn't think he had anything to offer Samantha, but when her situation becomes dire he offered his help.

I knew how this is going to end but it was fun getting there.

I am still behind on the write ups for my reads. I wanted to get the ones done that I will be culling first and get them out the door today. Fingers crossed that the little free library I have in mind will still be there as many in the area have gone up in flames.

>118 Familyhistorian: That is terrible My LFL was vandalized; someone punched out the window. I duct-taped it back in and will wait for warmer weather to fully repair it. My SIL (the police officer) said it was probably kids walking by who thought it would be funny.

>133 BLBera: Hi Beth, I can see casual stupid vandalism to LFLs by those passing by. The LFL that I used to use often had to repair the window glass but at least it kept going. This time it has disappeared all together. Starting a fire in an LFL doesn't seem to be as casual.

On a brighter note, the LFL in front of the museum where I volunteer was still there when I visited today so I was able to put in the books that I brought with me.

71. A Nose for Death by Glynis Whiting

I enjoy a good mystery but there aren't many set in Canada. A Nose for Death was played out in BC and small town Alberta. The main protagonist was Dr. Joan Parker, a chemist with an exceptional sense of smell. She was unexpectedly invited back to a high school reunion in Madden, the small town she left without graduating from high school.

It was daunting going back but sparks flew between her and an old friend. In high school he was going to save the world but ended up as a cop. Could their relationship work? It seemed doubtful when ex-students started dying and Joan became the prime suspect.

The book was good and I wanted to continue the series but looks like this was the only one written.

>135 Familyhistorian: A few used copies are available on Amazon, but I'm not likely to purchase it, especially when it's over $12 plus shipping (not available for prime).

>136 thornton37814: That's too bad, Lori. I wish she would write more of the series but she is also a film maker which seems to be where she is putting her energy now.

>137 Familyhistorian: I'm sure she's making a lot more money doing the film career than writing a book or series of them could ever pay. *sigh*

>138 richardderus: You've got that right, Richard. I'm not sure if she is based in Canada but, if she is, a bestseller here is a book that sells 5,000 copies of which the author receives about $2.80 or so (I'm not sure of the exact figure but it is around that). In other words, practically nothing for the amount of time that it takes. (I received this info courtesy of my brother who is a Canadian author).

72. Ancestral Journeys: The Peopling of Europe from the First Venturers to the Vikings by Jean Manco

History books have changed a lot in the last while. Now they incorporate the latest findings from the fields of archealogy and genetic studies and are richer for it. Ancestral Journeys: The Peopling of Europe from the First Venturers to the Vikings drew widely upon recent findings particularly from the study of ancient DNA.

The history put forward helps me to understand the new theories behind ancient population movement. These are the theories that are the basis for some of the origin information given when you have your personal DNA tested. Of course, I was particularly interested in the book because of the title as both Europeans and Vikings are my people.

73. Dark in Death by J.D. Robb

In a way Dark in Death was a nod to bibliophiles. The serial killer in this case patterned the killings after those in a mystery series. Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, were investigating the second killing when the author came in to tell them about the first with the fearful realization that someone was using the murders in her books as inspiration for their own killing spree.

This was another engrossing entry in the in death series. I am following the books slowly but surely. This was number 46.

In preparation for my trip I had to take all my books back to the library. Good thing I have a few books around here to take up the slack.

Meg, wishing you a fabulous time away full of adventures and bookstores!

>143 mdoris: Thanks Mary, although I'm not too sure about the bookstores. I will have to bring any book acquisitions back in my suitcase which may curb my purchases.

So if you ever wondered about putting in and taking out museum displays, I spent a good part of yesterday morning using a dust pan to shovel up bark mulch from the natural history exhibit at PoCo Heritage's museum. It looked like a daunting task to start but three women put in 2 or 3 hours of work and got it all bagged up and ready for pick up.

Late to the game here and just skimming. When do you leave, Meg? Sorry if I missed your already answering this elsewhere. In any case, have a wonderful trip. How long will you be away?

>146 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, I leave this coming Tuesday and I will be gone for a month. Thanks for the trip wishes. I have my fingers crossed that the travel will all work out the way it is planned.

Happy Sunday, Meg. I hope you are enjoying the weekend. Sorry, to hear about the LFL. Where are you going on your trip?

Safe travels, Meg. I hope you have a wonderful time and report back!

>135 Familyhistorian: This sounds like a good one. I'll add it to the list.

Ooh, a month! I am already day-dreaming about my mini-holiday :)

Safe travels!

>148 msf59: Thanks Mark. I'm going on a cruise that starts from Dublin and takes in port in Scotland, Guernsey, France and England. Once the cruise ship goes back to Dublin I'm headed off to London with a side trip to Leicester while I am there.

>149 BLBera: It's been long in the planning, Beth, as you probably remember. There will definitely be reports on my trip.

>150 katiekrug: Hi Katie, your mini-holiday sounds like fun especially with the Wayne along so that you can share things with him.

74. Courting Mr. Emerson by Melody Carlson



Schoolteacher, George Emerson, was middle aged and set in his ways but he was being pressured to retire. What was he going to do with the rest of his life? Willow West had a grandson in Mr. Emerson’s class that she was concerned about and she enlisted his teacher’s help. It was the start of an unlikely relationship that was life altering, at least on George’s side. But Willow and her dysfunctional family may have been just what George needed in his life. It was a gentle and charming story of a mature romance.

I am busy getting all the last minute stuff done before I leave so, of course, the hard drive quit in the computer that all my printing is routed through.

Oh no - computer woes are the worst! Hope you get everything squared away, Meg. Have a wonderful trip.

>154 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, actually the computer is toast as the hard drive is gone according to my resident computer geek. So I am working around it and will have to get a replacement when I come back.

75. Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath by John Philip Colletta

I love LT. It lets me know about books that I wouldn’t find out about otherwise. One such book was Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath. In it the author told a portion of his family history around a tragic event that was open to interpretation. (Isn’t all history open to interpretation.) It was a compelling story which laid the groundwork information about the people involved then described the event and what happened to the family afterwards. It was well researched and well told, a true inspiration for those seeking to bring the events in their family’s histories to a wider audience.

Have a swell time on your trip. We visited Ireland last summer for just under two weeks and we had a wonderful time.

Re: Your computer. My laptop croaked a couple years ago, and I took it to a repair place, asking if the files could be rescued from the hard drive. Well, it was the hard drive itself that went bad. Replacing it revived the computer. And yes, the files could be, and were, retrieved.

76. Death Comes Silently by Carolyn Hart

Don’t tell anybody, but I read a book from the middle of the Death on Demand series as my first entry. Death Comes Silently was a pleasant introduction to the characters Broward’s Rock, South Carolina. It was very much a mystery with a small town feel. I liked the characters and the mystery kept me guessing.

>157 weird_O: I read about your Ireland trip with interest, Bill, because I was in the planning stages for my trip at that point.

Thanks for the tip about the computer. Once I get back from my trip I intend to take the computer in to the shop to see if they can retrieve stuff. I'm not sure if I will be able to keep this computer itself or will need to get them to transfer stuff to a new one. In fact, I think that's how I got the computer that just failed and there is probably stuff on there from the computer before. I wonder just how old all that information is.

77. These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore

I finished These Truths: A History of the United States just in time. It will take a while to absorb but it was a really interesting retelling because of the themes that Lepore chose to focus on throughout the book. I found the idea of a nation based on slavery while spouting rhetoric about equality particularly provocative and was interested in how it played out throughout the narrative.

>156 Familyhistorian: What a great way to breach the 75-reads barrier!

Congratulations!

>161 richardderus: Thanks Richard. I was aiming for a significant book for number 75.

>156 Familyhistorian: Congratulations on reaching 75, Meg!

Wow! Already at 75 books, Meg! You are reading very quickly. Congratulations!

Sorry to hear about the troubles with your computer. My Iphone has run out of memory, so I have new Iphone on order and I'm dreading the move to the new Iphone. Just all the hassle of transferring apps and remembering what the passwords are. And that is very small compared to your computer troubles.

Congratulations on reaching and passing 75, Meg.

>140 Familyhistorian: I need to keep that one in mind if I want another "Viking" read.

>156 Familyhistorian: So glad you read Colletta's book. He's a great story-teller. I hope you get a chance to hear him speak sometime as well.

>163 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita.

>164 vancouverdeb: I got a new I-phone this year too, Deborah. It was painless as I bought it at the Apple store and they transferred everything over from my old phone. Bet they will help you if you go to the store.

>165 BLBera: Thanks Beth.

>166 thornton37814: The Vikings are only in the final chapter, Lori. There were lots of other migrating peoples. I really liked Colletta's book. It would be good to hear him speak.

Hi Meg!

>91 Familyhistorian: A brief look at on-line resources for Lord Byron indicates one legitimate daughter, one illegitimate daughter and on the BBC site only probably one daughter from an incestuous relationship with a half-sister.

>106 Familyhistorian: I have my husband’s great-grandmother’s cookbook, can’t find a date published but she wrote her name, town, and the date inside – 'Mrs. J. D. Cranford Mooresville, N.C. April 10th. 1915'. One of the last sections is “Recipes for the Sick” and includes gruels, teas, custards, and a recipe for Irish Moss using “1 small handful Irish moss.” I use it for its pie crust recipe – Flaky Paste. It took getting married and moving across country to find the perfect pie crust recipe!

>126 Familyhistorian: I like Darcy’s books, but of course they aren’t Heyer. I have Lydia, Victoire, and one still unread, Cecily.

>131 Familyhistorian: I love Mary Balogh but prefer her older ones to her newer ones. In fact, I just Bookmooched a copy of Christmas Beau and will add it to my catalog today.

>141 Familyhistorian: My goodness, another favorite author. I just finished #41 yesterday – Devoted in Death, and am about a third of the way through Brotherhood in Death.

>151 Familyhistorian: Your trip sounds fabulous, Meg. Safe travels.

>155 Familyhistorian: Bad timing, of course. Sorry to hear about your computer woes.

>156 Familyhistorian: Congrats on #75.

>167 Familyhistorian: or, if it's hard for you to get to the Apple store, I've had really good luck with their telephone help line (although you might want to call them from a third/different phone so you can work on the old/new ones more freely.

>168 karenmarie: No wonder Lord Byron had such a scandalous reputation. Wonderful to have such a momentous cookbook in your collection, Karen. Thanks re the computer and the trip.

>169 RebaRelishesReading: Apple are very good in serving their customers and even have courses that you can attend. The woman who helped me set up my new phone suggested that I take some which I will look into when I have time.

Hi Reba.

>171 Familyhistorian: They have the best customer service in Apple Stores! After purchasing my last phone there instead of the phone service provider, I will never go back to the phone service provider!

Hi Meg, congrats on reaching 75 books for the year my dear, sending love and hugs dear friend.

Hi, Meg. I’ve probably already said it, but I love the in Death books. How does she do it? My problem is I’m all caught up, but at least she reliably keeps them coming.

I agree, the Apple Store is huge help. However, I mentioned the fact that I was planning to get a new I phone to a close friend/ family member and that person works for a large telecom company , and offered me some of his / her credits towards a new phone, so I'll get about $300 dollars off, but I won't get the Apple Store care. I'll muddle along and also hope said person will give me a few tips. I did go into the Apple Store and they were super friendly and helpful, but getting a few hundred dollars off my new Iphone proved to be a big draw for me. But as you say, I can always go to the so called "Genius Bar" for help

Congrats on blowing past the 75 book mark already, Meg, and on finishing These Truths--I've only finished through Part 3 so far, with one more part to go. Darcy's books were considered perhaps the closest to Heyer's back when they were written, mostly in the 70's, and I have 12 of the 15 in my home library, but I don't go back and reread them like I do the Heyers--they never had the conversational sparkle quite right.

Congrats on blowing past the goal!

>172 thornton37814: My experience at the Apple store was a real eye opener, Lori, Much easier than trying to muddle through things myself,

>173 johnsimpson: Thanks John, This year was the fastest that I have ever reached the magic number.

>174 jnwelch: I really enjoy the In Death books but never get them until they come out in paperback and wait until they age on the shelves for a while before I dive in. That way I always have another potential read in the series in the offing. Too bad you don't have another ready to go, Joe.

>175 vancouverdeb: Well I-phones aren't cheap so I can see the attraction of the amount off. I was happy to have the help at the I-phone store. I hope you got everything set up to your liking, Deborah.

>176 ronincats: Good luck with getting These Truths finished, Roni, I know what you mean about the lack of conversational sparkle in the Darcy books compared to the Heyer's. One expression really bothered me when she had the male character say "old boy" which I sounds like a non-Regency expression to me.

>177 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

Well, I'm in Dublin after a long trip from the other side of the world. We got in a lot of steps today and saw the tenement museum at 14 Henrietta Street which was excellent.

>181 Familyhistorian: Have an excellent stay in Dublin, he muttered jealously.

Enjoy yourself in Dublin, Meg! What fun!

Meg will you see the Book of Kells at Trinity College? Have a wonderful time away!

Congrats on 75, Meg, and have fun in Dublin!

Congrats on hitting 75, Meg. Very impressive. Your trip sounds absolutely fantastic. Can't wait to follow along with you on your journey.

>184 mdoris: Trinity also offers student led tours. When living in Dublin in the early '80's I often visited Trinity but when we were in Dublin last year we took the tour and learned a lot from it and recommend it...and lunch at Powerscourt Townhouse and breakfast or tea at The Queen of Tarts.

When we were in Dublin about 12 years ago visiting our daughter who was studying at Trinity College we read in Lonely Planet that you could stay at the College in off season times so we did and we stayed in the accomodation reserved for visiting professors. It was fabulous (apart from the fire alarm in the middle of one night!) . When we arrived in Dubln we had an old map of the city though and every one way street had changed directions from the map we had so it was confusing and troublesome but we finally figured it out.

>182 richardderus: Only 2 more days in Dublin left, Richard. Then the cruise starts.

>183 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah!

>184 mdoris: The Book of Kells is on the agenda for tomorrow, Mary.

>185 lkernagh: Thanks Lori!

>186 msf59: Thanks Mark. The posting will be sporadic as there is so much going on but I will try to post as often as possible.

>187 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks for the recommendations, Reba. Our time in Dublin is limited but we will see what we can fit in.

>188 mdoris: Getting around hasn't been the easiest since we keep getting turned around with the direction of the traffic. I would imagine an old map would have made it that much harder, Mary.

How's the weather there, Meg? I hope it's warmer than it is here!

>191 jessibud2: I have been cold since I got here, Shelley, especially now with the sea breezes.

I am now aboard the Crown Princess and have been for over a week. My internet is limited so I haven't been keeping up with LT and I am so far behind. We are at sea today and I just came back from wine tasting. Every day we are in port I have an excursion planned. If I take another cruise I don't think I will plan all of my time. On the 16th I will be back on dry land for the duration and off to London. Lots planned there too but I think it will be a lot less strenuous!

I hope you're having a great time, Meg. I can't wait to hear about it in more detail.

Sounds so good, Meg (if strenuous at times). Have fun!

>194 BLBera: Had a great time on the cruise, Beth. Adventure continues tomorrow.

>195 jnwelch: It has been fun, Joe, but I don't know why they say cruises are relaxing!

>196 Familyhistorian: Only if you have a lot of at sea day, Lori! Hope you survive (and enjoy) all the activity and look forward to hearing from you in London.

>197 ronincats: There were only 2 sea days in the whole 12 day cruise, Roni. I'm now in London, just arrived from Dublin and I'm trying to get caught up with LT and email now that I have free wifi. BTW as much as I am honoured to be confused with the Lori's on the 75ers, my name is Meg.

78. Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley

I have read a few books by Susanna Kearsley and, so far, all have combined a present day romance/mystery with something that has happened in the past. The books I have read so far are well done and Season of Storms was no exception.

The story centered around a young actress who was pegged to lead in a play that has never been successfully produced. This was to be staged in an old family compound with an interesting young man as the owner but in the background there were criminal deeds and murders to be solved both in the present and the past.

>4 Familyhistorian: Meg, I love the photo of the free library! Your latest read sounds like something I would like. It will be added to the to be read pile.

All good wishes to you
!

>200 Whisper1: Thanks Linda. Unfortunately that wonderful looking free library has disappeared because of the fire bug who is going around setting the LFLs on fire around where I live. I hope you enjoy the Susanna Kearsley book.

Hi Meg!

Continued fun times and safe travels to you.

79. The Hangman's Row Enquiry by Ann Purser

One of the books that I brought with me was The Hangman’s Row Enquiry. It was a village mystery that brought together an unlikely set of amateur sleuths. It was cute and cozy.

>202 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. My trip is continuing on and I am now in London. Just had lunch at a pub with my cousin and her husband.

So cool that you're going to meet up with Darryl! One of the best guys ever. I wish we could be in London right now, but we'll have to wait until September.

>205 jnwelch: I think that the next time I visit London I will have to make it in September so that I can meet up with you and Debbi. It might happen next year if the plans I am contemplating come to fruition. (A lot of my plans do.)

>79 Familyhistorian: I own that one and need to read it!

>207 thornton37814: Have you read any more of that series, Lori?

>199 Familyhistorian: Her books have been uniformly successful reads for me as well.

Happy Londoning and have a great meetup!

>209 richardderus: I started reading Susanna Kearsley's novels as I was curious about her work after sitting in on some of the workshops in which she was involved. Good to hear that you also enjoy them, Richard. Thanks re the Londoning and meetup. I have another meet up today with SusanJ.

80. Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen

Not an ebook but this is the only one I found.

The next installment of the Royal Spyness series, Queen of Hearts was good light vacation reading. This time Georgie ended up in 1930s Hollywood with her many times married, mother. Of course, there was a murder and she is becoming a lot more confident in solving who dunnit.

I am glad to be sitting down now as Susan and I went for a long walk around London. We explored a lot of places and I took so many pictures that it used up most of my phone's battery.



There were many other pictures but they all show up sideways and I won't be able to edit them until I get home. No meet up photos, unfortunately.

81. Out of Bounds by Val McDermid

DCI Karen Pirie is the head of Police Scotland’s Historic Cases unit and a bit of a maverick. It is her remit to investigate cold cases. New evidence in an old murder comes to light when a familial DNA hit in a new fatal joy riding case links to a rape/homicide in the past. She isn’t content with that one case and starts looking into a current murder which also seems to have links to a past unsolved crime. She might be overstepping the bounds and her boss would be more than happy to see her out of her job. Would she be able to solve all the cases and still keep her job?

It seemed appropriate to pick up a book about Scottish crime while in a Glasgow bookshop and this turned out to be a good choice. Not only was there an interesting story but there were links to DNA and family history which were a plus for me.

>198 Familyhistorian: I know that, Meg! Just a brain fart. Sorry. Glad you are enjoying London. Do better re: meetup pictures!!!!

Hi Meg. Sorry I have neglected to visit in a while.

I have only read Cold Earth by Sarah Moss but quite liked it. Your brief comments about Ghost Wall make me want to read it. And Val McDermid is definitely an author I have been wanting to read.

I love that you are going to meet up with Darryl. I look forward to the photos! Will you also be visiting the Persephone Bookshop while in London? Hmmm?? :-)

>214 ronincats: Hi Roni, no worries about the name. Will see what I can do about meet up pictures.

>215 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, good to see you here. Ghost Wall was the only Sarah Moss that I have read. I'll have to find more of her books and those of Val McDermid as well. I am not sure how much book shopping I will be doing while here as I only have one small suitcase but I will see if I can fit in a visit to Persephone Bookshop.

82. The Wages of Sin by Kaite Welsh

Continuing with my Scottish theme, I read The Wages of Sin the story of a disgraced young woman in the 1890s who was studying medicine. Her background made her question the death of a young prostitute that no one else seemed to care about. Her investigation takes her to places in the slums of Edinburgh and into danger but her determination pushes her on.

The history was well done both on the medical side and in bringing to life the Edinburgh of that time period. Looks like I will have to hunt down the next book in the series which was just published this year.

>206 Familyhistorian: We'd love it, Meg!

I hope you are having a great time, Meg. And hooray for a Meet Up with Darryl. I have not had that honor.

>206 Familyhistorian: I'll have to make it happen, Joe.

>220 msf59: I am enjoying my time in London, Mark. It took me a while but I found the London Review Bookshop, Darryl and his wee pile of books. Meeting up with LTers is great as was the Naomi Wolf talk that we attended.

>218 Familyhistorian: That sounds very intriguing, Meg, the Scottish setting and the outsider sleuth are always big draws for me.

I'm glad that we met yesterday, Meg! I hope to see you again in Toronto or Vancouver in the not too distant future.

>222 richardderus: It intrigued me so much that I ended up with three copies of the book, Richard. I'm a much better buyer than I am a reader! Now I need to find the second book in the series.

>223 kidzdoc: More likely in Vancouver than Toronto, Darryl. I have only been to Toronto twice in my life and it is many thousands of miles from where I live. I look forward to meeting up with you again in the near future.

>224 Familyhistorian: It should be easy to find since The Unquiet Heart came out from Headline this February. May 7th here in the US via Pegasus Books. Should still be in shops, I hope!

>226 richardderus: Doesn't look like it is out in Canada yet but should be soon and my library has it on order so onto the looming hold list it goes. Thanks for the heads up, Richard.

>227 Familyhistorian: Don't y'all get the UK editions if no Canadian publisher is bringing the book out? Well, there it is, I've been out of the publishing world since the Aughties and things have changed seismically.

ETA you're in luck if you want your own copy! It's officially out on 28 May in Canada via Pegasus.

>228 richardderus: We seem to be the last on the list for publication a lot of the time, Richard. I'm getting so I don't want my own copy of books especially as I might have to move in the next few years.

I have been taking a week long course at the Society of Genealogists on genetic genealogy. I set that up when I was planning my trip. I took today off to attend a family gathering for the scattering of my cousin's ashes. It seems that most of our family gatherings happen at funerals these days.

83. Murder in the Merchant City by Angus McAllister

Yet another book set in Scotland. It seems like a lot of murders happen there. Murder in the Merchant City was a mystery with a twist as, Annette, the amateur investigator, works in a sauna parlour following the oldest profession in a modern setting. When the sauna’s clients start being murdered it doesn’t seem like a coincidence to her but the woman who runs the parlour doesn’t want to inform the police. What can Annette do?

This was a good one. I wonder how easy it will be to find books by this author back home?

>229 Familyhistorian: OIC
I spend most of my entertainment budget on Kindlebooks because I can't hold a big, fat hardcover any more, and paperbacks are mousetrappy things that require more out of my wrists than is comfy. If I can't afford the Kindlebook, I'll get it from the library most of the time.

>230 Familyhistorian: One of the surprises of aging. I don't care much for this one. It's still a boon that you could make the whole trip work out.

>232 richardderus: I have a number of books on my Kobo but never read them so e-books aren't the answer for me and when it comes to physical books I have far too many and have to work on whittling down the numbers. Library holds all coming in at the same time aren't much help with that.

Unfortunately, I attended more than my fair share of funerals when I was younger but there were also marriage ceremonies to give a bit of hope for the future. Now the happier ceremonies must have younger attendees.

>208 Familyhistorian: No. I also own the second according to LT. The first one was according to Amazon. I had not entered it here at LT. I'll make sure I spot it on my device before adding it though.

ETA: It's not on my Kindle and is showing I don't own the ebook. Is that one I gave you at Christmas when I was your Santa? Perhaps it's showing me that I purchased a copy, but it wasn't my own! It's on my radar anyway. I'll get to it.

I hope you are having fun at the genealogy course (duh!) and on your trip. Sorry about the passing of your cousin. It does tend to happen more frequently later in life, but I think I am also headed for marriage ceremonies in the coming years, too. Bitter sweet contrast--such is life.

>234 thornton37814: I'm pretty sure that it was one of the Santa Thing books that you sent me, Lori. You came to mind when I looked at it.

>235 Berly: The genealogy course was fun and I learnt a lot, Kim. My cousin was only 57 when she died, strangely the same age as my ex when he passed but she took much better care of herself. I knew he wouldn't last that long but hoped it would be a bit longer, at least one more Christmas.

Hi Meg, it looks like you have been having a wonderful trip: Cruise, London, LT meetups. ;-) I have learned from my dad (and most recently my brother) that internet access on cruise ships in general is spotty at best, and when you are able to get internet, it is slow! I see you have also managed to get in some great reading time on the trip.

>238 lkernagh: Internet is through satellite on cruise ships, Lori, and you have to pay a lot for your minutes so I rationed myself. I still have a week of my trip left but it is getting a bit tiring. I'm probably feeling that as I am moving on to Leiceister today and not looking forward to travelling again. Not much reading getting done but more now that I don't have a cabin mate talking to me as I am turning pages.

84. So Much Life Left Over by Louis de Bernieres

The relationship between a couple influences a family in so many ways. When that relationship goes sour and people become entrenched in their roles, the effects can be debilitating. Such was the case of the relationship of the main couple in So Much Life Left Over, a tale of a couple and their family played out in the time between WWI and WWII.

The history was very interesting as it looked at British India just after WWI, England at a slightly later date and also the changes in Germany leading up to WWII. On top of that the story was compelling and tugged at the heart strings.

The final resting place of Richard III in Leicester Cathedral.

Hi Meg, it sounds like your trip is amazing so many places - no wonder you are tired. Lt seems to have picked up the pace recently, I couldn't believe how far behind I was when I got back after an absence of a week! Enjoy the rest of your trip.

>242 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, LT keeps ticking along. It seems slow until you are away for any length of time and then it is a struggle to catch up. I had 12 days away and have been busy while travelling so I am way behind. Today I leave Leicester and head back to London and then home. I love travel but it will be nice when it is over!

I am back in London after spending the best part of three days in Leicester visiting cemeteries and finding out more about the Richard III story. I am finally getting some family history research done. I think I actually found something at the London Metropolitan Archives which I went to yesterday afternoon/evening and today. I wasn't there too long today as I was determined to make my way back to the London Review Bookshop and Cake Shop. It was a more leisurely visit today as it was almost closing by the time I met Darryl before the Naomi Wolfe talk. I actually got to have a look at the books! My purchases were very restrained as I don't have luggage room, just two books.

Hi Meg my dear, hope you had a good time in Leicestershire and enjoy your time back in London, sending love and hugs from both of us dear friend.

>245 johnsimpson: Hi John, I had a great time in Leicestershire and I am now winding down in London. One more day of my trip left. It will be good to get back home. Hi to Karen from me.

Sounds like a great trip, Meg. Enjoy your last day!

Meg, glad your trip was so successful and that you got some of the research you wanted to do done. Bookshops and Cake Shop, that sounds wonderful. ! You will return to some amazing weather and hope it lasts.

>247 jnwelch: Thanks Joe. It has been a lovely trip, especially with a few meet ups thrown in. Maybe next time I will be able to meet even more LTers.

>248 mdoris: Hi Mary, I was looking at the weather for Vancouver last night. Looks like a warm one for tomorrow. It's nice not to come back to rain especially as it is a trek from the Skytrain to my townhouse. The research didn't go as well as I hoped but it takes a while to get used to how new-to-me archives work. The book and bake shop hit the spot.

>244 Familyhistorian: Two books! That is superhuman restraint in the London Review bookshop.

It's a frustration to me that the things I'm best able to do and most interested in doing are the ones I can't do anymore...like learning how an archive on a different continent works just before going home. I'm happy for you that the meetups were happy experiences so offset that frustration.

>251 richardderus: No more frustration today, Richard. I went to the British Library. Libraries I understand and books too, which is where I found some really good info for my research. They also have a bookstore so I might just have ended up with another two books. All this restraint is getting to me and I predict a reaction when I get home.

>252 Familyhistorian: All this restraint is getting to me and I predict a reaction when I get home.

Un-TIMBEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRR

>253 richardderus: Oh yeah!

85. Viking Britain: A History by Thomas Williams

My vacation book haul is limited as I have a very small suitcase but one of the books that I bought early on was Viking Britain: A History. It took a while to read but I am glad that I did because I have a better understanding of the Viking influence on Britain, from the beginning raids to their laying down roots in this land. They are one of the founding peoples, when it comes right down to it.

It was an interesting and in depth history and included pictures and maps. Many of the places that are mentioned in the book are where my family came from. Maybe that accounts for the Scandinavian DNA in my make up.

Happy Saturday, Meg. Have a safe return home, my friend.

Hi Meg! Safe trip home.

>253 richardderus: That's happened to us - three ironwood trees 3 years ago and they're doing well, and a gum tree last week when the tree service started whacking at the top branches.

>255 Familyhistorian: That book sounds most intriguing...the Danes had a strong impact on Britain and the subject is under active investigation constantly. However new the book is, there will come another soon to expand on or radically alter our existing knowledge. How wonderful is that?

>257 karenmarie: That must be quite a sight to see in person!

>256 msf59: Hi Mark, I made it home! It was a long trek even with a direct flight.

>257 karenmarie: Thanks Karen.

>258 richardderus: Even in the short time that I have been interested in the Danish presence in Britain there have been changes in the accepted facts, Richard. New finds and DNA keep the changes coming.

Your trip sounds wonderful, Meg. I imagine you are glad to be home. Now you can organize al those photos! That's going to be one of my summer goals.

>260 BLBera: Not sure about the photos, Beth. I have a lot of stuff to catch up on, not the least is figuring out how to get the photos off the computer that died two days before my trip! I had a wonderful surprise to come home to, my son has started building me a new computer. Good luck with your summer goals.

I'm glad that you arrived safely back home, Meg.

>262 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl. I made it back to the London Review Bookshop before I left and actually had time to look at the books! Their quiche was even better when eaten slowly.

Welcome home, Meg. My husband and grandson are heading out to Saskatchewan tomorrow to have a look at some family history and see where the farm was. I am looking forward to spending a few days alone with my books. :)

>264 DeltaQueen50: Looking up old family places is always interesting. I hope they have a good and successful trip and that you enjoy your alone time with the books, Judy.

>263 Familyhistorian: Great! I do like the quiches, soups and salads in the London Review Cake Shop. I'm glad that you were able to pay the Bookshop a proper visit.

Hooray for being home! I'll be heading this weekend to Indiana for a library conference that begins Monday. Carrie and I picked several audio books for the trip. I've got them all reserved after her loan expires. That way if something happens, I'll be able to download it. If we don't finish one, I'll be able to complete it on my own also.

>266 kidzdoc: It was a very restrained visit, Darryl. Next time I will leave more room in my luggage for acquisitions.

>267 thornton37814: Smart planning, Lori. I hope that you and Carrie have a pleasant trip.

Welcome home, Meg!

How exciting - your son's building you a new computer. If he can do that, I'm sure he can figure out how to get your photos off the old one, right?

>270 karenmarie: I think it is easier to build a new computer than to figure out how to get the stuff off the old one, Karen. We'll see how he makes out. It looks like it will take a while, whatever he does.

It is good to be back home but I am now busy reconnecting and catching up.

A piper at Culloden

Because of limited internet I didn't post much about my cruise and every time someone asks about it I leave out some of the places we visited (12 day cruise with only 2 sea days, there were a lot of places). As I am meeting with my women's group tonight I think maybe if I write things down I might remember. So here goes.

The cruise started in Dublin and we got there early to see a few sights like the tenement museum, the book of Kells and Glasnevin Cemetery.

After the cruise started we were still in Dublin so took in Epic Ireland which was interesting but long.

The next day we were in Belfast where we did a black cab tour and I went to see the Titanic Experience.

The following day was spent in Glasgow then had a day at sea before we were near Inverness and did a tour that included Culloden. The next day we were in Edinburgh. I went to Scotlands People but didn't have much success with my research.

After that we ended up in Le Havre, as my cabin mate wanted to go to Rouen we booked a tour that took as there as well as to Monet's house.

The following day we landed in Southampton. Our aim was to get to Portsmouth Harbour. We saw the Victory there but didn't have time for much else but I did get to ask about the hulks (vessels that were no longer sea worthy) where prisoners used to be housed as my 3x great grandfather had been incarcerated and died on a hulk in Portsmouth Harbour.

The next day we spent on Guernsey, which I wrote about in my latest blog post (A Genealogist's Path to History)

Then it was back to Ireland to Cobh (near Cork) and then our final destination, Dublin.

Altogether a lovely sounding cruise. I'm right jealous, though if I'm honest it's mostly because LONDON. REVIEW. BOOKSHOP.

I'm drooling a little imagining it.

>273 richardderus: Oh yeah, I will definitely go back to the London Review Bookshop and will purposely leave more room in my luggage to take back books next time.

>272 Familyhistorian: Inverness is a lovely part of the world. Must have been a wonderful experience.
Two of my children were at Edinburgh and Portsmouth respectively whilst you were visiting.
The bookshops go without saying.

>275 PaulCranswick: It was a wonderful, if fleeting, experience, Paul. I need to plan a trip back to Inverness as I didn't get a chance to check out the Highland archives there which might have info on my Skye family. Funnily there were bookshops in most of the places that we stopped. I picked up some good Scotland related fiction at a bookshop in Glasgow.