Mary (bell7) reads in 2020

Hello, and welcome new friends and old!

My name is Mary, and this my 11th (!) year in the 75 book challenge group. I'm the assistant director in a library in western Massachusetts. I have a large extended family and you'll see brothers R. and G., sisters A. and brother-in-law W., and their two kids Mia and Matthew, sister T., and brother G.'s fiance who I'll generally term FSIL (future sister-in-law) until they get married in December 2020.

I tend to read fantasy the most (probably about a quarter of my total reading), but I also like historical fiction, contemporary fiction, mystery, and science fiction. I'm super picky about romance and horror, but I'll try almost everything if it's well-written and recommended by a reader I trust - which include many of you! My reading goals this year are much the same as last year. I want to read at least 25% "own voices" and I've also decided - mostly because I was gifted the 3rd volume of his complete letters for Christmas this year - that I want to read several of my C.S. Lewis books, both previously unread and rereads.

Other than reading, I enjoy knitting (and will occasionally remember to post pictures of my projects), watching sports - in particular football, tennis, hockey and baseball, pretty much in that order - and am generally a Boston fan except for football, which is all New York Giants. I volunteer a lot, both as a Big Sister through Big Brothers, Big Sisters and at my church in various ministries.

I talk a lot about life and reading, and invite you to do the same! Happy new year!

Thread topper #1 - decorating Christmas cookies!

One of my job responsibilities is facilitating one of our library book clubs. I'll often comment on the discussions we have since they give me a greater appreciation for what we read together and people have seemed to enjoy that the last couple of years. Here's what we're reading in 2020 (we're taking a break for the summer):

January - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
February - The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
March - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
April - Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict
May - The Guest Book by Sarah Blake
September - Stoner by John Williams
October - The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
November - All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
December - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

I've decided to add a section for articles on books & reading that are influencing my TBR list.
1. The 20 Best Books of a Decade That Unmade Genre Fiction in Wired - the article discusses both Ursula K. Le Guin's and N.K. Jemisin's impact on science fiction and fantasy, and ends with 20 recommendations, 10 fiction (many of which, if not all, are diverse authors) and 10 nonfiction.
2. Book Riot's 2020 Read Harder Challenges - with links to suggested books if I actually decide to go through with it.
3. 55 Books by Women and Nonbinary Writers of Color to Read in 2020.
4. Non-European influenced fantasy books - from Epic Reads.
5. 100 Best Books by Black Women - ZORA's Canon presents 100 books spanning 160 years and 10 additional "up and coming" authors

Currently Reading
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson et al.

Devotionals/Bible reading
Hosea, Hebrews

February
15. Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
14. New Kid by Jerry Craft
13. The Toll by Neal Shusterman

January
12. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
11. Anathema! : Medieval scribes and the history of book curses by Marc Drogin
10. The Poems of T.S. Eliot, read by Jeremy Irons
9. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
8. She Came to Slay by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
7. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
6. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
5. How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason
4. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
2. Bringing Down the Colonel by Patricia Miller
1. The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

A quick note so I can find it later -

Top reads of 2019
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
For Every One by Jason Reynolds
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
The Reading Life by C.S. Lewis
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds
The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby

Number of books read since keeping count on LT:
July - Dec 2008 - 65
2009 - 156
2010 - 135 (Note: in June, I started working a second part-time job for full-time hours)
2011 - 150
2012 - 108 (Note: accepted a full-time job in February)
2013 - 107
2014 - 126 (plus 8 Graphic Novels)
2015 - 120 (plus 6 Graphic Novels)
2016 - 141
2017 - 114
2018 - 105 (Note: my first full year as Assistant Director)
2019 - 116

*Lays out the welcome mat*

Happy new year! What are you looking forward to reading in 2020?

Hi Mary! Happy New Year! It's a lot easier to follow you on Twitter than here on LT, but I do want to keep in touch...one way or another. :D

My new year will incorporate lots of contemporary Japanese fiction, my favorite genre. This past year I discovered that crime fiction is not so bad after so I might be reading more novels by Lee Child and Henning Mankell.

>5 SqueakyChu: Hi, Madeline! I have a tough time keeping up with all the threads on LT myself, so I'm certainly happy to have you keep up with me on Twitter instead :D Sounds like you're reading some excellent books! The one book I managed to read in translation last year was The Travelling Cat Chronicles which was Japanese fiction, and one of these years I'm going to make reading books in translation a goal. I haven't read any books by either of the crime writers you've mentioned, but have heard good things about both and really should check out a Lee Child book one of these days. Happy new year!

Happy New Year, Mary! "deck.halls@boughs/holly" sounds like a fun Xmas story. Not being much of a Willisian, I don't expect to read it, but the humor certainly appeals.

I've got a few Xmas romances to feed my brain yet to go. The Christmas Deal is the best so far...bi roughneck, newly widowed when his wife dies of cancer, inherits her angsty/ragey teen son & a wad of debt; helps his sister's GBFF in a tight career spot; hijinks ensue. If you can imagine it, I've been reading it for three days! This apnea-napping stupidity rots.

Better days soon!

Welcome back! Your book club selections look great!

Hi Mary, I'm here to read your stories!

Hi Mary, dropping my star. Love the baking cookies shot!

Happy new year Mary! I will follow along in 2020.

Dropping off a star so that I can keep up with you in the new year, Mary. :)

*starred*

>7 richardderus: Yeah, I know Willis isn't really your cuppa so I doubt the short story collection would have more than one or two that entertained you somewhat. Sorry the apnea has been slowing down your reading so, and hope you're able to find some relief soon!

>8 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>9 DianaNL: Hoping 2020 is a better year for you, Diana.

>10 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! They had a blast.

>11 charl08: Nice to see you, Charlotte! I'll try to follow along your threads as best I can :)

>12 MickyFine: Looking forward to following your reads, too, Micky!

>13 katiekrug: *waves* hi, Katie!

>2 bell7: I like your book club's reading list. I'm thinking about joining you for many of them - if you give me a reminder!

>15 Morphidae: I will try my best, Morphy. We typically gather the third Wednesday of the month and my goal is generally to finish it that Monday. How much lead time would you like in reminders?

Yeah, your book club list is pretty awesome! But none of them are books that I'll be able to get to in 2020, so I'm not going to join Morphy there. :)

Best wishes for 2020!

Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

Happy new year and happy new thread!

Happy reading in 2020, Mary!

>17 The_Hibernator: Fair enough, Rachel! My book club books are about all the advanced planning I really do, and from there it's wherever my mood takes me :D

>18 DianaNL: Thanks, Diana, the same to you!

>19 PaulCranswick: I love it, Paul - here's to 2020!

>20 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi. Happy new year!

>21 FAMeulstee: To you, too, Anita!

Marking my place!

Happy New Year, Mary.

Happy New Year Mary!

>23 thornton37814: Welcome, Lori!

>24 BLBera: Happy new year, Beth!

>25 The_Hibernator: Happy new year, Rachel!

Happy new year, all! I spent the morning catching up on digital housekeeping - closing out my keeping track of 2019 reads and getting my stats all pretty on a reading log created by BookRiot, as well as finishing off my dogsitting spreadsheets for the year.

Very soon after I type this I will head over to my parents to celebrate New Years with the family and maybe visit a friend of mine before heading back to the dogs and a quiet evening reading. The Library of the Unwritten is the one I'm focusing on the next few days - it's due tomorrow, but I don't think I'm *quite* going to finish it on time.

Tomorrow is back to work, though Thursday and Friday evening should be fairly low key with the dogs. Saturday is an engagement party for my brother and FSIL so that will take up much of the day, and Sunday we're celebrating my youngest sister's birthday before she heads off on a trip and then comes back just in time to move out of our parents house to DC. Whew!

Happy 2020!

Hi! I'm happy for you that you read a good'un for #116. My last-of-the-year was a fun but seriously dated SF novelette...alcohol distilled from Martian plants, everyone smoking like chimneys, "scientists" leaping to conclusions with the force and determination of gazelles fleeing lions...but I, too, was pretty pleased to get to 155 total reads (not including Pearl-Rulers) when it looked for a while like I wasn't going to get past 100.

So how're the dogs?

Happy New Year, Mary!

From one Mary to another Mary, Happy reading in 2020!

Happy New Year, Mary!

Happy new year, and happy reading in 2020.

>28 richardderus: The puppers are sweet, Richard. Tucker is a yellow lab who's only about 3 years old, and Winnie is a little black dog rescue. They both love me and vie for my attention. Winnie will jump up on my lap while I'm reading which is fine, because she fits, and then Tucker will bumble over and either try to get me to pet him with the other hand (which is holding the book) or start aggravating Winnie to get her to play (sometimes she starts growling at him instead to try to keep a monopoly over me). So then I make her get down. This morning, I gave them each about five minutes alone with me before I went to work. Right now, they're behaving. Winnie is in the window seat chewing toys and Tucker is wandering around.

>29 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe!

>30 Berly: Nice to see you, Kim!

>31 mdoris: Happy reading to you too, Mary!

>32 ronincats: Thanks, Roni!

>33 banjo123: Same to you, Rhonda!

1. The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
Why now? I... don't remember. It's very possible this made some sort of library review journal list of "best" fantasies of 2019, but I haven't a clue what first put it on my radar.

The Unwritten Wing of Hell's library is where all the unwritten books go - books whose author's died without ever penning their dreams, or books yet to be written. Claire, the librarian, attempts to keep charge of her books. When a character gets out and, horror of all horrors, attempts to make contact with the author, Claire brings her assistant Brevity and demon Leto to help get him back. Meanwhile, a soul going to heaven brings pages he declares are from the Devil's Bible, and Ramiel begins looking for demonic activity on earth.

Clever writing with a fun premise and a lot to say about the power of stories and imagination? Sign me up! This book pretty perfectly puts my interests in fantasy and books and libraries all together in one fun ride. Sure, the pacing may not be perfect, but it kept me guessing 'til the end, and I'll definitely read more by the author. 4.5 stars.

Stopping by to drop my star, and to say I'm glad you enjoyed your first book of the year so much!

>36 aktakukac: Glad you stopped by, Rachel. This one definitely made for a fun start to the year.

>35 bell7: *nudges Library of the Unwritten up list*

>38 richardderus: Hope you like it when you get to it, Richard!

Happy weekend, all! The dogs are walked and fed, and I'm hanging out for a little bit before heading out to my brother's engagement party. I'm also feeling accomplished, because yesterday I finally entered about two months' worth of purchases in my checkbook (it was still off, but close enough that I just made the correction...) and finalized my budget for January. I got a raise on my two-year anniversary of the Assistant Director position and my rent went up, so I had a few adjustments I had to make but it's all clean and pretty now for when I meet with someone on Monday to go over budget-y things. My church runs Financial Peace University every few years, and the coordinator asked me to co-lead a group with his mother-in-law, so I figured if I'm going to be teaching it I better be walking it. And the good news is, I discovered that (with the dogsitting money I got for this job) I am 2/3 of the way to my goal for a house down payment.

The engagement party today should be fun. I've met all of FSIL's siblings but not her parents or extended family. She's met all of us, though I don't know if they invited aunts and uncles and cousins. So it'll probably be overwhelmingly full of new people for a few hours, and I'll enjoy the 2 hour drive by myself in the car to decompress. I'm planning on listening to The Night Circus and between that ride and the trip I'm taking on Monday to a grant-writing workshop, I should reread quite a bit of it over the next few days. Tomorrow is church and going over to my parents for my youngest sister's birthday celebration. I got her an onigiri (rice balls) cookbook in Japanese and English that I'm hoping she'll enjoy.

I'm still reading Bringing Down the Colonel and now that it's to the actual trial, it's moving a bit faster. The dogs kept nuzzling me for pets and fighting each other when they thought I was giving more attention to one of them, so I only read a chapter yesterday and most of that was in bed after I'd given them their last walk of the day. I've also started a reread of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, as I never did continue on in the series and I want to finish it. I don't think I'll like them as much as The Broken Earth trilogy, but that'll be a hard one to top anyway. N.K. Jemisin comes out with a new book in March and I'm *so excited*, it's already on my library holds list.

Enjoy the engagement party, Mary.

Have a lovely weekend.

Have fun at the engagement party!

>35 bell7: Hurray for a satisfying first book of the year!

>40 bell7: Have fun at the engagement party and nice job getting all your $ figured out. : )

>40 bell7: How perfect to have two hours to recover before you get home. It's a lovely little bonus of driving solo, and one of the things I miss about driving in general.

I did the same thing with Hundred Thousand Kingdoms I started it, and so want to finish the series, but I would have to start over again. Luckily, I have it on audio so I can go back to it anytime.

>41 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. A wonderful weekend to you as well.

>42 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>43 Berly: It was satisfying, Kim, a nice way to start off the year's reading. And thank you! I was pretty happy with the $ all sorted and did have a good time!

>44 richardderus: Yep, a couple of people asked me if I'd come down with someone and I was like, "Nope! I live too far away from folks for carpooling to make sense." Which was true, but I rather did enjoy my ride home and diving into The Night Circus again. I've discovered that about a 5-6 hour drive is my limit, however.

>45 The_Hibernator: Hope you enjoy the trilogy when you're able to get to it, Rachel. I'm doing a sort of combo listening and reading (I often overlap formats) and since I'm kinda meh about the reader it's going to be mostly rereading by book.

The engagement party was fun, I'm happy to report. I stayed 'til the end when most folks were leaving, took some photos with sibs, met her parents and some extended family (I promptly forgot many names). One uncle and an aunt of mine were there, and some friends of my brothers that I knew, in additional to our immediate family (which is large on its own), so I knew *some* people.

I very much enjoyed what I re-listened to of The Night Circus and I'm going to have to pick up the book from home to reread as well, because after some longer trips on Tuesday I won't have long enough trips in the car for it to be entirely satisfying just listening that way. I'm on the fourth CD already, though, so Celia and Marco are both grown up and I've gotten the story of the start of the circus and the birth of the twins, as well as some of Bailey several years later. I'd forgotten sooo much... I'm discovering that I really enjoy intricately woven tales with detailed settings. I usually say that I read primarily for compelling characters and enjoy a well-turned phrase or poetic writing, but in fantasy and historical fiction I will have a lot of patience for the development of the plot if you give me a lush setting that I need to pull my head around. Erin Morgenstern is very good at that, in both her books.

The dogs are very happy I'm back. They've been fed and instead of nosing me for attention, they're actually quite content to be gnawing at toys and resting. Maybe it's because I'm no longer trying to balance my checkbook and was perfectly happy to pet them when they wanted? Haha... but it'll be fine with me if they let me read in (relative) peace for a couple of hours before nighttime walks.

Sounds like a very good start to the year, Mary! Congrats on reaching 2/3 of a downpayment on a house. For our first one, once we’d saved enough for the downpayment, we bought a three flat in an inexpensive area that was up and coming here. We rented the first floor to someone who became a good friend (he’ll be here today, actually, with his family), and with his rent added in our mortgage payment and taxes and insurance equaled what we’d been paying in rent before, which made for an easy transition.

Your furry beasts sound like charmers. We’re getting a visit from our daughter’s Borkie (Beagle + Yorkie) soonish.

I would think Night Circus would make for a really good re-read. I’ll look forward to your thoughts on One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms; I haven’t read those yet.

Mary, I love that your Book Group list comes early in your thread. It looks like you will be reading some good ones. For the first time ever, my library group’s reading is decided for the year. We have new leadership and that’s one of the positive changes. I’ll put the list up before we meet on January 14. I just picked up The Island of Sea Women for our first book to discuss.

Congratulations are in order: first to your brother, then to you for being well on your way to having a house down payment. And kudos for helping lead the Financial Peace group at your church. It’s a great program that our church has sponsored many times. Being married to a CPA, I don’t have to worry about our finances. I’ve been working on my end-of-year book lists while he is working on our financial updates to get ready for income tax time. We each have different priorities!

Happy New Year of Reading!

>48 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! My landlords (for lack of a better term - the couple I've been renting a room/in-law apt from for the last almost ten years) encourage me to buy something perhaps a little bigger to rent out a piece or a two-family. I'm not sure I want to be a landlord, though. My purpose in buying a house would be to be able to foster or adopt kids and I'll need the space myself! There's a lot of intricacy to The Night Circus and entire characters that I'd forgotten about. It absolutely rewards rereading (and relistening).

>49 Donna828: Welcome, Donna! The two book clubs run by library employees always plan a year out. There's a third, specifically focused on classics that only plans a couple of months at a time. But it all seems to work great and we get good attendance at all three (mine is the smallest, averaging about 5-6 but some new faces at the end of 2020). And thank you on all those congrats! I'm super excited for my brother's wedding and FSIL - she's a fellow librarian and we have a lot in common. Lucky you being married to a CPA! I just hired a tax guy last year when I made my dogsitting business official and had to start dealing with self-employment tax and estimated payments. It's well worth the money not to have the headache, though! (I also love the picture of the two of you working on your end-of-year projects! Ha!) I enjoyed Financial Peace a lot when we did it a couple of years ago, and it definitely helped me focus my financial plans. I'm looking forward to doing it again on the discussion-leading end.

All right, Mary. You've convinced me to try The Night Circus - or at least add it to The List. When it came out it was one of those "everyone's reading and loving it and I'm gonna be stubborn and not join them" things. So congrats on finally breaking down my resolve.

>51 MickyFine: I will happily take credit for that book bullet, Micky! Hope you love it (or at least don't hate it) :D
Funny you mention everyone reading it. I remember it being semi-popular, but not huge with my library. Not a lot of fantasy readers, historically, though that's really starting to change.

Edited to add - I started reading How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse today and I'm not very far at all but it's starting wonderfully and I think it's going to be fantastic.

2. Bringing Down the Colonel by Patricia Miller
Why now? Patricia Miller was the author that Marianne (michigantrumpet) and I went to see over the summer at the Edith Wharton house, and this was the book she was promoting. Partially bumped up to read now because there's a biography of Sophonisba Breckinridge that I also want to read.

In the 1880s, sexual mores of the time meant that women just didn't talk about sex in public. If they were "ruined" and no longer virgins, they bore the brunt of the blame. Then along comes Madeline Pollard, who sues a well-known congressman and Civil War soldier, Colonel W.C.P. Breckinridge, for breach of promise. This is the account of that courtroom battle, their relationship, and the impact it had on expectations of women and sex.

The main flaw in this book is that there simply wasn't enough material for a book length treatment. The oral presentation the author gave last summer that I attended was fascinating, but it hit all the highlights without going into the detailed tangents that the book does. At only 300 pages (not counting notes), it managed to feel too long, primarily because of all the digressions - giving us detailed background on past legal cases of breach of promise, for example, or a detailed account of the Colonel's daughter, Sophonisba, and her schooling. The courtroom battle, the middle of the book, was by far the most interesting part, but I would have like to have more dates included as I got lost in how quickly or slowly things happened. And sometimes the structure of the story just left me scratching my head about the author's choices, such as the chapter in which she summed up the results of the trial but then spent the bulk of the chapter exploring when Willie Breckinridge's account or Madeline Pollard's might have been more truthful than the other. There were far too many "seems likely" for my taste, such as a section where Miller surmises who may have paid Pollard's legal fees. And yet, the author has done significant research; it seemed like she tried to get every last bit into the book to make it long enough and I confess I got a bit lost in the details. The core of the story is fascinating in terms of women's rights, the court of public opinion that shifted to put less of the blame on the woman as "seductress," and I enjoyed learning about a little-known legal case in history. Unfortunately, the book - other than the account of the trial - was dry reading and unfocused. 3.5 stars.

Glad I read it, glad to move on. "Guardedly recommended" as Stasia would say - if it interests you, it's certainly a short enough read for nonfiction history. And I do want to read that biography of Sophonisba now!

Morning, Mary! Dropping a star. I love your thread topper photo - they are getting big!

I am also a huge fan of The Night Circus. I have the beautiful hardcopy, but I also have it on audio, which I have not listened to yet - might be time to revisit the story in audio format.

>54 Crazymamie: Welcome, Mamie! They are getting sooo big, aren't they? I can't believe the conversations we can have now and some of the questions they'll come up with. I love the toddler age so much! The audio of The Night Circus is well-read by Jim Dale, and I highly recommend it. I'm a little over halfway through now (CD 6 of 11 in my car) and sadly I forgot to grab my hardcopy at home (paperback, but signed by the author). I might borrow the library copy today if it's in.

Tuesday is my unnofficial Monday this week - I was off yesterday (one of the days after a Sunday I work is a holiday, so I get the next two Mondays off as well) and worked a split today, going to a workshop on grant-writing for state library grants and then coming back to the dogs and a late lunch. I'll leave again around 3, arrive at work when a drop-in tech program with volunteers from a local private school coming in to work with library to patrons to answer questions about their phones, devices, email, etc. It's been a very successful program, and one of my highlights of 2019.

The rest of the evening will probably be desk time and catching up on emails. I haven't quite figured out what that all will look like, but I have a feeling that I will find plenty to keep me occupied. No other programs planned this week, but next week is book club so I'll be starting The Silent Patient soon.

Hi Mary! Happy New Year!

I love the thread topper! I so loved decorating Christmas cookies both as a child and with my own kids.

That's a great list of books for your book club. I haven't encountered The Silent Patient so I'll be interested to see what you think.

I'll be following along to see how the book club goes as well as your other reading, of course.

>56 bell7: Split shifts used to make me crazy. You're taking it in good part, though I guess two more Mondays off is a serious mellowing force on any but the most infuriated moods.

Happy New Year, Mary!

>35 bell7: Adding that one to the BlackHole! Thanks for the recommendation, Mary!

Dear Mary. I deeply appreciate you! Thank you for your cards and caring nature. I am tempted to add all your favorite reads of 2019 to my tbr pile. I read Where the Crawdads Sing. The ending was quite a surprise. For now, I added Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All. The title is captivating.

Al good wishes to you sweet Mary!

>58 richardderus: most of the time when I've worked a split it's because I went to a workshop or training in the morning of the day I normally work a 12-8 shift. So while it's not ideal, it's not terrible either, and I've often combined it with meeting one of my cousins for lunch. Mondays off is an excellent benefit and makes working every other Sunday almost worth it.

>59 kidzdoc: thanks you, Darryl, the same to you!

>60 alcottacre: hope you liked me it, Stasis!

>61 Whisper1: thank you, Linda, your kind words mean a lot! I really enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing and was glad I read it before there was a ton of hype at my library. I think you'll like Thirteen Doorways and look forward to your thoughts on it!

Apologies for any typos, I'm responding on my phone during a break at work and it's a little harder to type than on my laptop keyboard!

Well I've read only two of the books on your list at >2 bell7:

The Mary Doria Russell is the main one from your list I want to get to at >3 bell7:

Hooray for starting the year organized and budgeted!

>63 sibylline: I'm intrigued, which ones from >2 bell7: have you read, Lucy? I've only read A Man Called Ove and I got partway into A Light Between Oceans before abandoning it (the two books at the beginning of the year are they because I wanted to get them over with...). The rest will be new to me, but I'm looking forward to most of them. I hope you are able to get to The Women of the Copper Country and that you enjoy it - I'll look forward to your thoughts.

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Why now? I had been contemplating a re-read after loving The Starless Sea last year, and then decided to revisit it via audio when I had some long car rides lined up.

Here's my review from 2011/2012:

This is one of those books that is difficult enough to describe while you're reading it, but even harder to do so without spoilers when it's finished. But I'll try, in any case. One day, Hector Bowen - better known by his stage name, Prospero the Magician - comes back from a show to see that his daughter, Celia, is left to him since her mother committed suicide. He has little interest in his child, until he discovers that she has a propensity for magic. Not illusion, but real magic, the ability to affect the world around her. He decides to teach her, and when his friend, a nameless man in a grey suit, comes calling, they decide to play another round in their game: Celia Bowen will be pitted against another, a protegee of the grey suit man's choosing, in a venue as yet to be determined. Interspersed with this story are glimpses of a mysterious circus that pops in and out of town without warning, that opens at dusk and closes at dawn.

Would it be too cliche to call this book magical? The various threads of the story, which is not told entirely chronologically, spin a fantastic web of a fully realized world. I really enjoyed the fully-rounded characters, and found myself wishing I could sit in on a Midnight Dinner. The details of the circus are wonderfully evocative; I wanted to go there and taste the caramel and chocolate mice and cocoa, to see the various acts and tents. Because what this story has most of all is atmosphere. I entirely forgive the leisurely pacing of the plot, because sitting for any length of time really getting sunk into the story was a truly incredible, enthralling experience. This is definitely a story I would read again, and I wager I would come away with a different understanding each time.

All still stands, but I've upgraded its original rating of 4.5 stars to 5 stars. I LOVE this book - and the audio, read by Jim Dale, is also superb.

Glad to hear that you're enjoying your time with Rory Thorne so far. :)

Hi Mary! Hope your week is going well!

>66 MickyFine: Sadly, I shall have to put Rory aside for my book club book to be my main focus over the weekend. But should I find myself with excessive reading time, I will make it my "reward" book - once you've read 65 pages today you can read Rory Thorne...

>67 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel! So far, so good - work days have been going by fast, and I've mostly felt accomplished each day, which is all I can ask for, really.

>68 bell7: Reward systems are the best! In uni, if I wrote 500 words I got a piece of candy. Not the healthiest reward system but it got me through many papers.

>65 bell7: *happy sigh* It's a delectable read for me as well.

>69 MickyFine: Ha, yes that sounds like my kind of reward system! Often I would use the "once you study for 20 minutes, you can read a fun book" and most times I'd get involved in my homework way behind the 20 minutes I'd promised myself.

>70 richardderus: Richard, a *happy sigh* was my exact reaction rereading it and finishing it last night!

The dogs I was watching have left to their home, and I'm continuing to cat and house sit at the same location (the dogs were the client's daughters, their dogs are either with them or boarding elsewhere at the moment).

Work has kept me a busy bee, and tonight I had some catch up work I had to get ready for AWANA tomorrow (I'd put it off) and cook all the things so I had enough for two meals tomorrow - lunch and something for supper between work and checking kids in. I now have the Bruins on, my book club book ready to go, and some knitting prepared for when I finish 65 pages or, if I go beyond that, whenever I feel like stopping. I have finished one sock for my brother, and was very happy to knit the toe together a few days ago after I made sure it fit. It was perfect, so I'm happy! Now to make the second sock match.

Isn't it funny how some books you can tell if you're going to like them or not early on in the reading experience?

I'm very much liking How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse and I'm reasonably sure I will like it 'til the end.

I find myself picking apart aspects of The Silent Patient and I don't think I'm going to enjoy it much. Thankfully it's a quick read with short chapters, and I read a little more than strictly necessary today so I won't feel too pressured over the weekend.

Morning, Mary! The Rory Thorne book sounds like one the girls and I would enjoy.

>74 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! I think you & the girls would definitely enjoy this one :D

Happy weekend, everyone!

It's going to be a fairly busy one here. Today I'm hanging out with my Little for a few hours, and in the evening some of my friends are getting together for an "after the holidays" party. I don't expect I'll stay out too late, but I always say that and then I always end up staying later than I originally felt like. It's also a gorgeous day out, and I'm planning on taking a walk in between plans.

Tomorrow is church and work, but otherwise hanging out with the cats. Monday I'm off for working Sunday, so I have an oil change scheduled and will get my car inspected. After that, I'll hang out with my mom. We're planning on doing a little window shopping - possibly real shopping, we'll see - looking at dresses for my brother's wedding later this year.

And that's pretty much it. I'm making steady progress in The Silent Patient. Still not liking it, but fortunately it's a quick read so I have no problem getting my 65 pages per day in. I've already completed what I have to today to stay on track for finishing it Monday.

Trusting that you'll have a great weekend, Mary. After the Holidays parties seem something of an excuse but who cares!

>76 bell7: I'm sorry that you're having to read that dreadful book, Mary, it appalled and revolted me when I got it from NetGalley. Just NO.

>77 PaulCranswick: A bit, Paul, but those organizing it are parents of one and a half year old twins, so I'll let them have their excuse! It'll be fun to hang out with friends for a bit.

>78 richardderus: It's...not a great read, Richard, imo. Surprised it's made as many "best of 2019" lists as it has. But I'm not much into domestic thrillers, so I'm really not the right reader for this type of book to begin with. It'll be interesting to see what my book club makes of it.

>65 bell7: Great review! On my WL it goes

Have great weekend :)

>80 figsfromthistle: Wonderful, Anita, hope you enjoy it as well!

Well the get together last night turned out to be a lot of fun. My friends had gifts for all of us and we had a good time hanging out for a few hours. I made my goodbyes a little before 10, as I had a long ride back to the housesitting job and an early morning today.

I had nursery, which was a blast. It was very quite for the first 45 minutes or so, and then a bunch more kids got dropped off. One of my friends has a son who turned two today, and he absolutely made my day because I could make him belly laugh by mimicking a Cookie Monster toy ("Oh! Excuse me! hahaha") and making fishy faces at him.

Now I'm working. It's been a gorgeous day with unseasonably warm weather in the 60s yesterday and today, and only a little bit of the rain that was originally forecast. I thought it would be quiet with everyone enjoying walking in the sunshine, but no, it's been quite consistently busy here this afternoon. When the shift's over, I'm back to catsitting. It's the day I need to clean out the cat litter and water all the plants, and then I can relax with some good food (cooked ahead on Thursday) and some reading. I'm thinking I might polish off The Silent Patient just so I can read an enjoyable book tomorrow when I run some a.m. errands.

4. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Why now? Wednesday's book club choice

Theo Faber, psychoanalyst, finagles a job at the Grove where he can start treating Alicia Faber, infamous for killing her husband six years ago and then going silent.

If any book deserved the one-work review, "No," this would be it. It's made a lot of best of 2019 lists and I'm sure I won't convince anyone who loves it, but I just didn't find it that good. Where Gone Girl at least kept riveted and surprised me with twists, I mostly expected all of the revelations in this one. I didn't like Theo from the get go and found it really annoying to read his first-person narration. For whatever reason, I don't like domestic thrillers to begin with - something about how I react to the characters, finding them hard to read about, I think. So I'm hardly the ideal reader for this type of book. If I hadn't had to read it for book club, I wouldn't have finished it. 1 star.

>83 bell7: Agreed. Seriously sleazy illegal and unprofessional behavior doesn't make for good entertainment to me.

>84 richardderus: Yep, happy to be moving on. I'll be bringing How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse along when I get my oil change and car inspection completed.

Edited to add - one of the ladies at my book club is a retired psychologist and I'm kinda hoping she comes and reams his methods haha.

Sorry to hear you had to read such a blech book. Hoping Rory more than makes up for it!

>86 MickyFine: So far so good, Micky! I'm about a third of the way in and very much enjoying myself with it. I've been kind of putting it aside for a little bit of knitting the last couple of days, but I expect to get some good reading in over the next few days.

This morning was car errands fun - did some work to get the car to pass inspection and was informed I'll need new tired soonish, but probably in a few months the way I drive. I'll make the necessary adjustments to my budget next month and have the cash ready for that upcoming purchase. But the car passed, and then I went out with my mom to go dress shopping.

I think we were both under the impression that we'd do a bit of window shopping, but we both found beautiful dresses for my brother's wedding and went ahead and purchased then. I got a steal deal on a long, backless dress with dark blue, black, and silver, quite sparkly and lovely. She found a gorgeous blue velvet that she absolutely loved in the store - here's hoping that she still loves it after getting it home and giving it some time to think about it!

Now I'm back with the kitties, watching some leading-up-to-the-Australian Open tennis and Bruins (soon to be on), knitting and reading as the mood takes me. I've done some desultory packing, as someone will be returning for a few days and I'll be leaving tomorrow, then coming back on Friday. That'll give me a few days to do some laundry, say hello to my housemates, and re-pack another couple weeks' worth of work clothes.

Happy New Year, Mary! Happy New Thread! I can't believe I am still catching up with people, almost 2 weeks in. I wish you well in 2020.

>89 msf59: Happy new year to you, too, Mark. No worries - I'm still catching up too and your message prompted me to check and realized I'd not yet found your thread!

Ooof, I think I'll need new tires soon, too. Those things aren't exactly inexpensive.

Woot for finding dresses you both love!

>88 bell7: The dress you've found sounds gorgeous. When is the wedding?

>91 scaifea: No, they're not inexpensive, but it's worth having all-wheel drive for me. I've made it through two winters with this car, and the traction is superb.

>92 MickyFine: Not 'til December 5. We were more intending to window shop, or at least look and see if we couldn't get a good deal on winter-y wear as after the holiday and stock changing sales came up. The selfies I took in the dressing room (just to show the bride) don't do it justice, but I'll try to remember to get and post photos from the wedding at the end of the year :)

Today's book club discussion went well. We were five ladies altogether, and I think most liked the book better than I did, though there was a mix of positive and critical remarks. The retired psychologist definitely had some feedback on how psychotherapy was portrayed in the book, big things that would be unbelievable as well as a remark that the medication a character was on was described in such a way that she said, "That would be an overdose," rather than the way it would actually work on a patient.

Most of us had one moment at least that surprised us. A couple of us mentioned that it read with a very masculine point of view - most of us wondered, for example, what became of Kathy after the six years between Gabriel's death and the present transpired, and Theo only gives us the observation that she wasn't working much, had started eating crap and gaining wait, and had been acting depressed but wouldn't go see anybody. Of course, some of that has to do with being a sleazeball, but we also commented on the way Alicia's diary reads, and none of us thought it was really how a woman would keep an account of what happened (especially how many times she commented "we had sex"), though it was necessary for the narrative.

Most everyone said they would recommend it to others. I wouldn't, and the former psychologist didn't answer that particular question. I think we liked it the least of the group, so I didn't give my most vitriolic review of it, and was kind of surprised the conversation went as well as it did, because I'd finished it wondering what on earth we'd talk about.

>94 bell7: The overdose comment made me see the book in an even worse light, if possible. I read it as someone needing to pay attention to a medication when, given where and how it's in the story, it now seems to me to be deliberate. Ew. Only more so.

>83 bell7: >94 bell7: Yup, I'll be passing on this one. Another win for your book group, I think. The spoiler comment is so striking to me. I wonder what the author would say about their thinking in response?

>95 richardderus: The questions we had (that came from the publisher initially) mentioned that the author had taken a graduate class in psychotherapy and worked part-time at a place "similar to the Grove" in the past, so I read it as someone who knew a little about a subject maybe misunderstanding or just not caring about getting the details right in order to drive the story. But yeah, if Christian was deliberately overdosing Alicia that puts the whole facility in a terrible light, because supposedly Diomedes and the rest are aware of it.

>96 charl08: Clearly I'm in the minority opinion, even among my book group. I enjoyed the discussion quite a bit, however. It's interesting to see - because we each had elements we were critical of - which were dealbreakers in our overall enjoyment of the book and which were not. You make me wonder what the author would say too. Alicia's diary in general was necessary to move the plot along and give some pretty big reveals. And I find as I read that I'm a very careful, critical reader when men write women main characters, especially in first person. There's certainly a tendency to overgeneralize a "masculine" or "feminine" point of view - I know people are individuals. But sometimes a character just rings wrong. One example in particular I can think of is when my group read a book (I'll look up the title at work) that had to do with a woman artist who was getting older (sixties, maybe?) and every single one of my group - at the time all older than the main character - were like, "Yeah, the way she apparently thinks of her body is 1. not accurate and 2. the way he describes her breasts and wrinkles is, like, way older than her actual age."

5. How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason
Why now? It was making some "best of" fantasy 2019 lists, Micky loved it, so I got it when I'd cleared my library stack enough to be able to bookhorn it in.

Rory Thorne was born a princess, the first in two hundred years for the monarchs of the Thorne Consortium. The Vizier, keeper of history and custom, invited the fairies to her christening, where she was given the gift of playing the harp (among other princessly gifts that are ridiculously unnecessary in a future with space travel and arithmancy), the curse of knowing what people actually mean when their speaking, and the gift of courage. When her father and the king of the Free Worlds of Tadesh are assassinated, plunging them into war, Rory grows up knowing that her marriage may one day win them peace - but she'll need all her wits about her to stay alive.

This is a really fun ride, blending fantasy and science fiction elements, all wrapped up in a humorous narrative voice that kept me smiling throughout the read. I enjoyed the play on fairy tales and Rory's ingenuity. It's a satisfying story on its own, but also the first in a planned series, and I can't wait to read the rest. 4.5 stars.

Happy Saturday!

I added a post up top to start collecting articles of interest that are affecting my TBR pile. Only one up there so far, but the year is young!

I've spent a bit of a relaxed morning at "home" with the cats, doing fun things like adding to my TBR list and organizing some of the papers I've collected and brought from work & home over the last few days. I have the Tennis Channel on with some of the play leading up to the Australian Open, which I'm looking forward to watching over the next couple of weeks. Very soon, I'll be getting myself up and out of here to do a grocery shopping - along with everyone - before a snowstorm comes. They're only predicting 3-6 inches, and it should stop early enough that everything will be plowed for me to go to church and work tomorrow.

Besides grocery shopping and work, the only plans for the long weekend are to cook a couple of dishes (coconut-crusted tilapia and chicken salad are the most likely), and read The Nightingale for Thursday's librarian book club. I'll probably start that this afternoon after grocery shopping. Oh, and I ended up talking to a long-distance friend on the phone rather than watching Supernatural on Thursday, so I may watch the episode online. Though I'll be missing this Thursday's too, for book club, so maybe I'll just wait and watch 2 at once.

>99 bell7: I'm relaxing with cats too, but they are going to have to relax while I work soon. I need to get busy working on client research. I'd like to get 12 to 15 hours in between now and Monday evening--probably more along the 12 hours if I'm being realistic. It's definitely doable, but I probably need to get 4 hours in today.

>100 thornton37814: Ooh, good luck on the research! Any fun info you've found on your genealogy hunts lately? I am still very desultory in looking up my family history (time and money both a consideration), but I decided to pursue the Combs family in Auburn/Sennett, NY a bit this week and see if I could get death records from the Town Clerk.

Grocery shopping is complete, and I'm hungry for lunch already (I've been having yogurt for breakfast instead of oatmeal lately, and it's nowhere near as satisfying).

I splurged a bit this week to try a new recipe for coconut-crusted tilapia (I bought cod) with mango salsa, and when my book club meets I found a recipe for Brie stuffed with caramelized onions, mushrooms and dates. If I like them, I'll try to remember to report back and share the recipes here and at the Kitchen.

Happy Saturday, Mary! I'm thinking I need to purchase a copy of this (>98 bell7:) - I am trying to read from my own shelves this year, but that sounds like one the girls and I would love, so maybe...

DO report back on those recipes - they both sound good.

>101 bell7: I haven't had much time to work on my own family, and the client research is a big problem so it is slow-going. Taking a break at the moment. Will resume in a bit. The break was necessitated by cats wanting attention.

Happy Sunday, Mary!

What luck to find dresses you and your mom like so early. One less thing to have to do when the wedding gets closer. I'm terrible at procrastinating that sort of thing...

What do you think of the Giants new HC? I don't know much about him, but the excerpts I heard from his press conference left a good impression. I am devastated, though, that they hired Jason "Clappy McClapperson" Garrett as the OC. Now I have to root for him :(

>103 Crazymamie: I think you and the girls would enjoy it a lot, Mamie!

>104 thornton37814: Ahhh, yes cats are funny that way. The two I'm watching are polar opposites. One wants all the attention, one hopes I never see her. I occasionally have closed myself off in a gated room to be able to knit without the social cat batting at my string lol

>105 katiekrug: Happy Sunday, Katie! We left very happy from a successful shopping trip.
I don't know much of the new HC either, but I did raise my eyebrows when I found both Belichick (hard to argue with success, even if I'll never root for the Patriots) and Nick Saban had very high praise for him. One of my friends at church is a huge Patriots fan but doesn't like Belichick, and was saying there's a rumor going around that if Kraft makes him keep Brady, he might be in line for the Giants head coach position. Not sure I buy that one, though.
I don't mind the Jason Garrett move - he was a former Giant before he was a Cowboy coach! - but will wait and see what our offense looks like next year and what moves we make for an effective offensive line before declaring I absolutely love it. I kind of question how long he'll want to stay, too, if another head coaching job becomes available. Do you know anything about the new Special Teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey?

In cooking this week, as I mentioned I tried a recipe for Coconut-crusted tilapia with mango salsa.

I... changed it quite a bit and found the directions didn't actually address every ingredient (?) so here's what I actually did, while the link goes to the original blog post/recipe:

Mango salsa (can be made ahead):
1 mango
1/2 c. red onion
1/2 c. (ish) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime

Fish:
1 lb. cod (I couldn't find tilapia)
bowl of milk
1 c. Panko bread crumbs
1 c. coconut flakes
1 t. seasoned salt
1/2 c. oil (to cook fish in)

Wash cod fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into smaller pieces (about four per fillet). Put 1/2 c. of olive oil in frying pan and warm up on medium until it's sizzling. Meanwhile, dip fish in milk and then bread crumb mixture. Place fish in frying pan, cooking on each side about 2-4 minutes, depending on thickness, until the breading is golden brown. Serve with salsa.

It was mixed results for me. Fried or baked doesn't really matter to me, and I think if I did it again I would just bake the fish. I don't think I waited long enough for the oil to heat up, so the first couple of fish pieces had the coconut flakes falling off instead of nicely browning, while the later ones were better. Regardless, you definitely can't flip it more than once, or the dredging mixture just falls off (another reason I would bake it). It could also be because I used milk instead of egg and the stickiness isn't the same. The result of the fish alone was fairly bland (could've also been because the coconut flakes were a little old), and I'd probably squeeze some lime juice over it (I meant to and forgot), but the crispiness worked really well with the contrast of the mango salsa - which was delicious, and I'd definitely make that again!

I made rice and a salad to go with it, and overall I was happy with the meal.

>106 bell7: - Nope, never heard of Thomas McGaughey!

>108 katiekrug: yeah, me either. Though to be fair, you don't hear much about special teams unless they're really good or downright awful.

Sorry to hear the book club selection was sub par.

Your coconut crusted tilapia sounds delicious!

>110 figsfromthistle: Ehh, it wasn't my cup of tea but others liked it, and it made for a good discussion. And thanks, I enjoyed the fish dish - had the rest of the leftovers for lunch, in fact.

6. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Why now? Book club choice for the one with my FSIL and some of her co-workers; discussion is Thursday

Vianne and her sister Isabelle have been practically orphans ever since their mother died and their father left them with a woman to take care of them in a small French village outside of Paris. Now on the cusp of war with the Germans, Vianne's husband is leaving to fight and Isabelle is kicked out of yet another school. The two sisters have to find their ways to survive in an increasingly dangerous place.

I have read a lot of World War 2 fiction, and enjoy a story that teaches me more about this long-reaching and multifacted war. This story didn't live up to my expectations. The writing and dialogue was stilted. It took me over 100 pages to be interested, mostly because I kept tripping over the repitition - we're told many times that Isabelle is impetuous and can't hold her tongue, every drop of oil becomes "precious" once the war starts - but I finally got in a bit of a rhythm and cared about the characters enough to keep turning pages quickly. The frame of the story with an elderly woman in the 1990s was well done, and kept me guessing about her identity til the end, which was satisfying. Unfortunately, it never lifted above an okay read for me. 3.5 stars.

Okay, so full confession time: right around 2014-2015 this book and All the Light We Cannot See were hugely popular with my library patrons and put both on my TBR list. I read All the Light We Cannot See way back then - and quite frankly, I like it better. I find myself, as I get older and read more, more attuned to the sound of language and looking for writing that flows or even ventures into poetic without stretching into awkward metaphors. I didn't enjoy the first 100 pages or so and probably would've abandoned the book entirely if it weren't for book club.

>98 bell7: Adding that one to the BlackHole, Mary! Thanks for the recommendation.

>112 bell7: I have that one in the BlackHole, but will bump it down a ways. I hope your next read is better for you.

>113 alcottacre: Glad to be able to share Book Bullets with you, Stasia. And I hope you like The Nightingale better than I did when/if you get to it - I felt a little bad not loving it when I looked at the overall rating, but I have found myself over the last few years getting more and more critical about writing style. Not a good/bad judgment on myself (or the book), just a difference in my reading that I've noticed.

>112 bell7: I don't think Kristin Hannah's work has made a strong positive impression on me...I read this book when I got out of the bin and was...um...let's just say "whelmed" and move on. I do think it'll be a good film, and the one they're making stars real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, so it won't be one I'll avoid on principle.

Have a lovely week.

As Amber said on her thread, today is a Tuesday that feels like a Monday. My long weekend was broken up by working Sunday, but yesterday I had some time in the morning with the cats and then when to my parents to hang out with them and my sister and play some games (Pitch and Catan). She's leaving for DC in a week or so, so I'm trying to get some time with her before her move.

Today I have a dentist appointment (nothing too major, just the biannual cleaning/checkup), followed by work which begins with a training on performing background checks at Town Hall. Then I'll go to the library just in time for the Tech Tuesday program we've been having with volunteers from a local school. My shift runs 'til 8, and when I get back I'll be ready to rest with a book or some knitting and kick back and watch the Bruins and/or Australian Open.

This week, I'm also training a new volunteer and interviewing a couple of people for a senior tax work abatement program - essentially as pages, shelving books and keeping materials in order. I've never actually been on this side of an interview, so if anyone has any suggestions for questions or what to keep an eye on for answers, I'm all ears.

>115 richardderus: I think you're right, Richard, it could make a very good film. Some of my patrons really like Kristin Hannah's work, so I feel a little bad dumping on it, but I do think my reading taste has changed a lot. I'd have loved it in high school. I'm much pickier now.

>114 bell7: I gave it 4 stars when I read it so it was one of the better reads that year.

>118 thornton37814: I'm glad it was one that you enjoyed, Lori!

I'm fairly generous with my star ratings - generally a four is a "like" or "would recommend" for me, while a 4.5 stars is a book I would reread. I break it down roughly like this:

1 star - Forced myself to finish it
2 stars - Dislike
2.5 stars - I really don't know if I liked it or not
3 stars - Sort of liked it; or didn't, but admired something about it despite not liking it
3.5 stars - The splitting hairs rating of less than my last 4 star book or better than my last 3
4 stars - I liked it and recommend it, but probably won't reread it except under special circumstances (ie., a book club or series reread)
4.5 stars - Excellent, ultimately a satisfying read, a title I would consider rereading
5 stars - A book that I absolutely loved, would absolutely reread, and just all-around floored me

I see it more in terms of my like or dislike of a book, rather than how good a book is, so I can definitely recommend a book I personally disliked to the right reader that walks into the library.

Yay! I'm glad you had a good time with Rory!

>120 MickyFine: Yup, had a blast!

7. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
Why now? This was a reread so I could finish the trilogy, and helps me meet my goal of reading more diversely.

I first read this nine years ago to the month - almost the day, actually, though this read took me three weeks while the first one was two days. Here's what I said then:

Yeine is a daughter of an heiress who abdicated and a man from a backwater tribe in the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. When her maternal grandfather invites her to Sky - the city and the palace - Yeine knows she cannot say no to someone with so much power, even if she wanted to. And while she doesn't know what her grandfather wants, she has a purpose of her own: to find out why her mother died.

It's hard to do justice to a story as complicated as The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms without giving away major plot points, so suffice it to say that the above merely scratches the surface of the plot. This is a debut and the first in a fantasy series with incredibly complex world-building, political intrigue, and its own system of religions. In this world, the Arameri are all-powerful and even the gods serve them. Yeine narrates her story as she navigates this new world, her sense of morality, and her determination over whether she will ever truly be an Arameri. She could be just a pawn, but her character is too fleshed out for that. The gods, too, have incredible character development, seeming at once human and otherworldly. While I often wrinkled my nose at the amorality (and, yes, immorality) of Sky and its people, I am intrigued enough to continue reading the series when The Broken Kingdoms is available.

To clarify, the violence and attitude of the Amn people that rule Sky is disturbing - it's meant to be, and not lifted up as a way to be. I actually remembered it worse than it was - or maybe I'm not as easily shocked as I was nine years ago? Hard to say. This one was her debut novel, and it doesn't show the same polish in storytelling or writing as The Fifth Season. But it's a solid fantasy and I especially like how she characterized the gods; it's inventive and believable.

I never did get to the rest of the trilogy, which I mean to remedy this year. Also she has a new book coming out in March that I'm really excited to read.

Sweet Thursday, as Mark would say! Today I show a volunteer around the library and get him on the schedule. I had him as a volunteer in local history, oh, maybe ten years ago and he was a little challenging. Hopefully my own skills in managing have improved, or else having a shelving job in the middle of the library will make it a little harder for him to take phone calls while he's working?

Tonight I have librarian book club with my FSIL and friends. We'll be eating French food and talking about The Nightingale.

I slept rather poorly last night, waking up at 4 a.m. and not getting back to sleep 'til after 5:30. I listened to quite a bit of Ancillary Sword, so I'm about halfway through now and it's really good. But now I'm tired and not sure how well I'll get through the day.

>123 bell7: I hope the rest of the day was kind to you. It could be that bailing on the book club is in order...but no matter what, you take care of you first.

Joe said something about an Ursula K. LeGuin book that he and Debbie liked a lot, The Beginning Place—one of her teen-focused books. Does y'all's library system have one? I'm no advocate for YA lit, but UKL's work should be foisted on the youth of today ASAP to hook their souls away from rightwingery.

Just sayin'

>124 richardderus: Aw, thanks Richard. What did I actually do? Stayed out til almost midnight. Lol... it was a bit of an accident, we were just having so much fun at book club talking about life and all sorts of things, and I literally looked up and was like, um, it's eleven. We better go. I have A Wizard of Earthsea series at home to read and really should try to make that a priority this year.

Here is the recipe I used for stuffed brie last night:

white onion, chopped
2 c. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. dates
1 8-oz. wheel of brie, sliced in half around the center of the wheel

Cook onion and mushrooms on medium in oil about 5 minutes, 'til onions are soft, stirring occasionally. Add dates, and cook for another 2 minutes.

Place brie open-faced and spoon mixture in the middle. It will completely overflow, because that's a lot of stuffing. Place "top" half of cheese back on.

The recipe here says to stick it in the microwave for 1-3 minutes to melt the brie. I did not do this, merely covered the whole thing in aluminum foil and hied off to my book club, but when I opened it the brie was nicely softened anyway. I served it with French crackers I found at the grocery store, very light with waffling and oil & basil flavoring. Super simple, but it came out delicious.

The other cooks were also excellent - one had sheep's cheese (I've never had that before, and it was tasty) with baguettes, pate, French onion soup made with mushroom stock so it was vegetarian, and French wine (I liked the Chardonnay pretty well).

And, as I mentioned to Richard, I ended up staying talking 'til around 11. We talked about the book some, ate food, and then just chatted and laughed about... everything. My FSIL talked some about the wedding plans, showed the other ladies the photos of the dress I bought for the wedding. All in all, it was really fun and *almost* worth being incredibly tired all day today after two nights short on sleep. I'm sleeping in tomorrow. Just saying.

It does sound like a jolly old time! Those are always to be treasured.

>127 richardderus: We had a wonderful time, Richard, and though my personal inclination is to quiet time spent at home, I try to get time in with friends as well and am usually happy when I do so.

Happy happy weekend! I'm feeling a little tired still, as I could only really sleep 'til about 8 a.m. and gave up sleeping in as a lost cause about a half hour later. There are few plans for today other than meeting up with my Little. We're planning on going to a local library program and learning some origami.

Other than that, I'm resting and catching up on LT threads, reading, and watching the Australian Open. I'm about halfway through Ancillary Sword which is just as enjoyable as Ancillary Justice was. I also started She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman, a biography that was just sitting enticingly on the library new book shelves. It's now due on Monday, so that'll be my main reading focus over the weekend.

>126 bell7: Thanks for sharing, Mary. Sounds like the whole evening was full of fabulous. I'm hoping you manage to catch up on your sleep this weekend.

>130 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I took a nap this afternoon and may have shot myself in the foot with that decision because now I'm not tired and it's my bedtime. Haha. I think I'm going to read in bed for a bit and see if I get sleepy.

8. She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
Why now? I found it on the new books shelf at the library, and I've always been fascinated by Harriet Tubman's story but only had a fuzzy memory of reading a kid's biography (complete with fake dialogue) many years ago and decided to check it out

Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross c. 1820, grew up a slave and eventually made it to freedom - and brought along several family members and other enslaved people along with her, going back to the south for 13 more trips. This is her amazing story.

This biography, only about 150 pages, is tightly written, conversational, and a fascinating account of an incredible lady who was nicknamed "Moses." Though I know the outline of her story, as she's usually an insert in American history books at least, there was a lot of information packed into the book that I had not known. Dunbar does a great job of framing the narrative, too, pointing out the evils of slavery in breaking up families, allowing rape, and depriving another human's freedoms. 4.5 stars.

I was today years old when I learned that the Dred Scott case in the U.S. Supreme Court actually deprived African Americans of citizenship. How... how did that happen, and how did I not actually know about this before? Also, I hadn't realized that Harriet Tubman and much of her family eventually settled in Auburn, NY, a town some of my ancestors were from (also the next town over, Sennett, after the Civil War). It made me wonder if they would have been largely separate from her or if they could have met.

Happy Sunday!
Stuffed Brie sounds fantastic. I’m going to try it at my next dinner party

>132 bell7: It was the real justification for the Abolitionists going full metal jacket on the slaveowning world. Gawds please bless John Brown's weird soul.

The Fourteenth Amendment ended that nonsense for good and ever. Didn't it?

I don't often get double posts any more!

Hi Mary! Belatedly finding and starring you. You just got me with She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman. I had the same reaction as you did to The Nightingale and found it hard to get through the first 100 pages. I didn't love The Night Circus and I can't quite remember why... I passed the book on to my daughter who loved it. Maybe wrong book at the wrong time.

The coconut-crusted fish sounds really good. I will often make a pineapple-based salsa to serve over baked fish. It's always so bright and summery. I can't always get good pineapple though.

>133 figsfromthistle: Hope you enjoy it, Anita!

>134 richardderus: Yes, the Fourteenth Amendment ultimately repealed it. Shameful, though, and horrible to contemplate how easy it was to do such a thing.

>135 richardderus: And hello again!

>136 AMQS: Oh good, I hope you enjoy She Came to Slay, Anne. I felt a little bad not loving The Nightingale, though I think my fellow book clubbers mostly had mixed reactions too and it's nice to know I'm in good company. I can see why The Night Circus may not work for everyone, but I absolutely adored it. Mmm, I bet pineapple tastes delicious with fish! I'll have to make a note to try it some time.

Just catching up after my time in the UK, Mary.

9. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
Why now? I read Ancillary Justice last summer and liked it a lot, so the rest of the trilogy is on my TBR; the timing worked well for listening/reading (primarily digital, but I had a paper book too) when I was ready for an audiobook

Breq is given a new ship and lieutenants and sent by the Lord of the Radch, Anaander Mianaai, to an outpost in Athoek Station. With very little direction, she tries to bring justice to a place with multiple people groups living in unequal situations.

It took me a little while to follow and remember who people were since reading Ancillary Justice six months ago or so, but once I got into the story and started to remember details, I found it just as enjoyable as the first book. Breq is a fun character, and the fact that she was an ancillary on a ship allows for a unique storytelling ability of having a first-person narration but also allowing her to look through the ship's eyes and see what's going on elsewhere. That's used to good effect to ratchet up tension as Breq tries to resolve the issues that slowly reveal themselves in the course of her work. 4.5 stars.

Ugh, another one that I can't say too much about without giving stuff away.

>138 PaulCranswick: Nice to see you, Paul!

>139 bell7: I have those waiting on my shelves. Great comments!

>141 AMQS: Thanks, Anne, hope you enjoy them when you get to them!

>139 bell7: I wasn't a fan of the first one. I liked Provenance a whole lot more.

Happy week.

>143 richardderus: I've enjoyed both so far, Richard, and definitely have it on my radar to read the rest of the series this year, if possible. I want to read The Raven Tower as well. Eventually.

Well, this morning I slept in a little bit and was able to get up feeling refreshed with enough energy to get All the Stuff done. So I finished some laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, and did some cleaning. I barely started Anathema! by Marc Drogin, but I think I'm going to enjoy this fairly short work on medieval book curses. The other book I'll be starting next is The Toll, the final book in a trilogy by Neal Shusterman. Both are due back at the library on Feb. 4 with no renewals, so I have my work cut out for me.

Alright, time to get ready for work! I'll try to check in on some more threads this evening whilst watching the Australian Open.

Hi Mary!

>125 bell7: I finally finished Jemisin's The Broken Earth trilogy and really enjoyed it. I'm also looking forward to reading her new book in March. I believe it's supposed to be a stand alone, rather than the start of a new trilogy.

Did you see the really good New Yorker magazine article about Jemisin that Roni posted on her thread? I stole the link and posted it on my thread, too.

Book bullet with She Came to Slay. There aren't any copies yet in my library system, but one of the partner libraries does have it on order.

>146 streamsong: Thanks for the extra push to read that article, Janet. I'd seen the link on Roni's & your thread but hadn't clicked thinking it might be one I had read already, but it's way too new for that. I loved the Broken Earth trilogy and it's part of what pushed me to revisit Jemisin's earlier works. Glad I could give you the push to read She Came to Slay and hope you enjoy it!

10. The Poems of T.S. Eliot by T.S. Eliot, read by Jeremy Irons
Why now? My co-worker handed it to me and asked me to return it; I thought it looked intriguing enough to try it myself, and it fit one of the Book Riot Read Harder challenges to listen to an audiobook of poetry (so I guess I'm going to try to complete that challenge now).

I'm not a big fan of poetry, but of course I've read a handful of T.S. Eliot poems for school, so when this fell into my lap I thought I might try it. The very first CD starts with "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," which I'm familiar with, and it was read well.

As I went on, most of the time I was zoning out in the car while the CD played and I couldn't tell you about many of the works or performances. But what that did do was give me a sort of overall feel for the language and sound of it - there were a lot of harsh consonants and surprising word pictures in the earlier work.

CD 2 was mostly taken up with "The Waste Land" in which Eileen Atkins joins in to read certain parts. I faded in and out, but would try it again listening while reading a copy. The third CD showed a shift in imagery once again, and they were more religious in topic. I didn't have a lot that stood out to me, but "The Journey of the Magi" got me to sit up and pay attention, and listen through carefully. The final CD was all "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," which I did enjoy for its humor and lightness. Each poem was read superbly in a way that fit the cats described in each poem.

So perhaps a little bit of a cheat calling it a "book read," but I *did* listen to the whole thing.

I've been keeping track of books read and while I'm very much on target to read as many books this month as January 2019 (11), I've only read an average of 40 pages a day so far according to my spreadsheet. It'll be interesting to see if that means I'm reading less or just shorter books, and if that picks up during the year. Last year's page average was twice that.

11. Anathema! : Medieval Scribes and the History of Book Curses by Marc Drogin
Why now? In my article reading at work, I came across this Atlas Obscura article about book curses in which they quote the author of this book and mentions the title. So I had to get it, because of course.

I first came across a book curse in, of all things, a kid's book. I was reading Inkheart, which opens each chapter with a quote from various literary works, and this rather memorable curse:

"For him that stealeth, or borroweth and returneth not, this book from its owner, let it change into a serpent into his hand & rend him. Let him be struck with palsy, & all his members blasted. Let him languish in pain crying aloud for mercy, & let there be no surcease to his agony till he sing in dissolution. Let bookworms gnaw his entrails in token of the Worm that dieth not, & when at least he goeth to his final punishment, let the flames of Hell consume him for ever."

I've been curious about the origin of that ever since. Then a few weeks ago at work, I came across a bookish link that took me to an Atlas Obscura article on book curses. Reading through with interest, I saw that they quoted Marc Drogin and reference this book. The delightful part of this book is that it not only includes a wide variety of curses, the reference works Drogin found them in, and the original abbey (generally) in which they were found, it puts the idea of curses in their historical context.

As odd as it sounds to us now, in a time when books were so precious an extensive library could be anywhere from two to two dozen volumes, stealing them or destroying them was a terrible thought. Books were precious commodities, and before Drogin even begins to talk about the curses, he gives us some background about their creation and value in medieval Europe. And then, of course, he does include a variety of curses that, in our day and age, have become a mere curiosity, while books proliferate by the thousands.

Oh, and the curse that originally interested me? According to Drogin, it was from the Monastery of San Pedro in Barcelona, and referenced in A Small Book of Book Curses by Judith Anne Duncan. I may have to read that one too.

4 stars, merely because I probably wouldn't read it again from cover to cover (especially the random list of types of books he puts in the appendix), but it would be fun to peruse from time to time. Appropriately enough, it was published the year I was born.

And finally, I think Amber might get a kick out of looking it over, as there's a lot of Latin (along with an English gloss) cursing.

>148 bell7: I would have thought a whole 2-CD pack of TS Eliot would definitely count as a read!

I most enjoy his Four Quartets; that wasn't included?

>150 PaulCranswick: According to the insert in the set, Four Quartets was Disc 3. That one I didn't pay very good attention to, probably a mix of unfamiliarity with it and because I am much more a visual than and aural learner.

The discs were as follows:
Disc One - selections from Prufrock and Other Observations and selections from Poems (1920)
Disc 2 - The Waste Land, The Hollow Men, Ash-Wednesday, and Ariel Poems
Disc 3 - Four Quartets
Disc 4 - Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

It was originally produced by the BBC so you may be able to gets your hands on the audio.

I'd consider listening while reading along with some of the selections at some point in life when I feel the need to revisit T.S. Eliot.

>148 bell7: *yawn*smacksmack
...oh dear I drifted off were you saying something about *yawn* poetry?

>149 bell7: Heh. I love the curse you followed to this book!

>152 richardderus: *snort* I didn't expect the poultry one to interest you much. Isn't that a delightfully specific book curse though? It's one of those absolutely random things that fascinates me.

Well, it's been quite the week of being in charge at the library while my boss is away, and I'll be very glad when she returns on Monday. We have a staff meeting on Tuesday morning and I *may* be looking at a split shift to go because we have some important things to talk through. No one told me that a major in psychology would've been helpful, but I have spent a week that I can only describe as managing emotions. I am really looking forward to a day off tomorrow where the only thing I have to do is get my hair cut.

In reading, I finished Ghost last night (it was a fairly short middle grade book), and started The Toll, the third book in the Arc of the Scythe trilogy. It's huge, but it's due back on Tuesday so that will be the bulk, quite literally, of my weekend reading. I'm working Sunday, off Monday, and back to work (with the director back) on Tuesday.

I'm continuing the catsitting job I've been having all month and two of their dogs are returning to the house Feb. 10 so I'll be getting a real shot in the arm to get back to exercising, which will definitely help any stress/tiredness by the end of the week.

>153 bell7: :-)

>154 bell7: That does not sound like a simple or relaxing day. Yay for offs tomorrow.

>155 richardderus: nope, and the week stays stressful, I had a staff member leave with a medical problem via ambulance today and I'm currently sitting in my car so I get a full half hour lunch break.

As I told several staff members today, after a week like this I will either never ever ever want to be a director or I'll be super prepared when I become one. I am not sure which way it's going right now.

>156 bell7: That's perfectly understandable! And there's no need to plump for a side unless/until it becomes necessary.

>157 richardderus: Oh gosh, no, I gave myself a minimum of five years after taking this position to make any kind of decision in that regard. So, a minimum of three now (can you believe I've been assistant director for TWO YEARS?).

12. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Why now? Audio and e-book were available, and I've been reading through Jason Reynolds' works after he was the keynote speaker at ALA last year; first in a series

Castle Crenshaw lives with his mom, and his dad is in jail. He happens upon a track team practice, and can join the team on one condition - if he gets in any trouble at all, he's out. As one who's had "altercations" almost every day Castle, who renames himself Ghost, isn't sure that can happen, but he joins anyways knowing he's been running ever since his dead threatened him & his mom.

Reynolds has a way of getting into a kid's head and understanding where they're coming from. Ghost is a middle grade novel and for a younger audience than the others that I've read, but it no less pulls a punch as you get to know Ghost and his teammates. Ghost is the narrator, and sounds like a young boy navigating some difficult issues in life, but the story also has humorous moments. The track coach is a great example of an adult mentor, and his relationship with the kids is pretty special. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the "Track" series goes, each focusing on a different character. 4 stars.

A bit of a toss up with the rating on this one; not sure if I'd reread it or not.

>158 bell7: That's just amazing. Two years already? And at the same time it's never been different...you're right for and good at that job.

>159 bell7: Four! That's a solid rating. I'm glad the read was a good one, if not *perfect*.

>160 richardderus: Thanks, Richard *smooch* Having today off to run the most necessary of errands and then veg on the couch catching up on TV shows was an excellent way to recover from that week. Jason Reynolds' works have all been solid reads for me. Long Way Down and Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks will stick with me awhile.

January in review -

12. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
11. Anathema! : Medieval scribes and the history of book curses by Marc Drogin
10. The Poems of T.S. Eliot, read by Jeremy Irons
9. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
8. She Came to Slay by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
7. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
6. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
5. How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason
4. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
2. Bringing Down the Colonel by Patricia Miller
1. The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

Books read: 12
Rereads: 2
Pages read: 4094
Avg pages a day: 41.2

Children's/Teen/Adult: 1/0/11
Fiction/Nonfiction/Plays/Poetry: 8/3/0/1

POC authors: 25%
Own voices: 16.7%

Because I want to awards:
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse - for just the pure fun experience reading it
The Night Circus - most satisfying reread
Anathema! : Medieval scribes and the history of book curses - most random-but-I-like-it subject
The Silent Patient - so glad I never have to read it again!

I nabbed a new cookbook from the library returns the other day - Vietnamese Food Any Day. It's actually a bit of fusion cooking, with traditional recipes and also those modified by foods more common in the U.S. (salmon, for example) and a "Viet-Cajun seafood boil." I decided to try one of the soups today:

Gingery Greens and Shrimp Soup

1 T. canola oil or other neutral oil (I used vegetable oil)
1.2 med. yellow or red onion, thinly sliced (yellow)
5 1/2 c. water
Fine sea salt (I skipped)
1 T. fish sauce
One 8-ounch bunch mustard greens, coarsely chopped, including tender stems (directions suggested substituting spinach for a milder flavor, and that's what I used since I already had it on hand)
12 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into thumbnail-width chunks
1 1/2 t. finely chopped peeled ginger

In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. When it starts to shimmer, add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the water and fish sauce. Turn up the head to medium high and bring to a rolling boil; let boil for 3-5 minutes to develop flavor. Add the greens/spinach and cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally to evenly cook the greens. Add the shrimp and ginger and cook for about 1-2 minutes to cook the shrimp. Remove from heat and let sit five minutes before serving.

The shrimp I bought was frozen pre-cooked, so I had to prep it just a little differently to add it to the soup, but I figured the 1-2 minutes of cooking would be sufficient to finish any needed defrosting. This turned out to be a nice mild soup to pair with a salad or sandwich for a nice lunch. The flavors mixed nicely, and I'm looking forward to having some leftovers tomorrow, as I bet it will be even more flavorful (I could barely taste the saltiness of the fish sauce and considered adding more).

Tomorrow or Monday I'll make a cucumber shrimp salad and report back as well.

>163 bell7: Oh, yes please, Mary!!

You do make me miss my SWMBO getting the old sensory juices flowing so shamelessly!

Please send a batch express delivery to Kuala Lumpur. xx

>149 bell7: I love the sound of this, going to add it to the pile.

Your being in charge week sounds eventful. Hope that things have calmed down and that you get a chance to relax a bit!

>164 PaulCranswick: Here you go, Paul:

Soup -


And salad -

>165 charl08: Oh good, Charlotte, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Yes, an eventful week and hopefully this one will be a little calmer... I am working a split tomorrow, going in for the staff meeting and then going back probably around 1 for the rest of my regular shift. Ah well, it'll help to have lunch at a normal time and not spend most of the day either hungry or too full. Tuesdays are weird that way because I either end up eating lunch at 11 or 2, followed by dinner or a snack at 4:30 (and if a snack, more food after 8).

>166 bell7: Both look excellent! Kudos.

That soup sounds really good! The Wayne doesn't eat shrimp, so I'll have to try it sometime when he's not around :)

Smacked Cucumber and Shrimp Salad
From Vietnamese Food Any Day by Andrea Nguyen

1 medium English cucumber
1/4 t. fine sea salt
1/4 t. sugar, plus 1 T.
1 T. fresh lime juice
2 1/2 t. fish sauce
1/2 Fresno or jalapeno chile, finely chopped (I'm assuming she meant jalapeno pepper, and that's what I went with)
2 T. chopped unsalted roasted peanuts or cashews, optional (I used cashews)
3/4 c. small cooked shrimp or shredded cooked chicken, optional (I used shrimp)

The cucumber is "smacked" by what the author is explained is a Chinese method: Trim the ends off of the cumber. Using a heavy cleaver or saucepan, smack the cucumber from one end to the other. She says this will start it cracking open, but I didn't really noticed it doing that. Then, use a knife to cup it lengthwise into four long pieces. If the smacking has naturally made places already cracked open, use that as a guide. Then, angling your knife, cut down the long slices into pieces approx. 1/4 inch thick - the pieces will look all different, and that's okay. Put in a bowl and toss with the salt and 1/4 t. sugar. Refrigerate uncovered for between 10 minutes and an hour.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix 1 T. sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and the jalapeno pepper. Set aside.

Bring the cucumber out of the refrigerator and strain, shaking out any excess liquid. Put the cucumber in a large bowl. Add the dressing, the nuts and meat, if desired. Taste and adjust the flavors as needed.

The recipe says it makes 4 servings, but that's definitely as a side salad. It's absolutely delicious and easy to make - I would do it again in a heartbeat.

>168 richardderus: Thank you!

>169 katiekrug: It was really good, Katie! What nonsense is this doesn't eat shrimp? Haha... actually, the recipe suggests substituting a 6-ounce filet fish such as tilapia or rockfish in bit-size pieces for the shrimp, if that's more to his taste. I love fish and seafood of all kinds, though, so I may be a bit biased :)

>170 bell7: - The salad sounds excellent, too!

>171 bell7: - Yeah, he's not big into seafood. He grew up in coastal Florida, so I don't really understand this. He'll eat some fish (swordfish, tuna), but not any shellfish. Like you, I love all kinds. I see the salad recipe notes a substitution of shredded chicken, so I might try it that way since then I don't have to wait until he's elsewhere :)

>172 katiekrug: Yup, you can make the cucumber salad with chicken or totally vegetarian if you so desire. Hope you like it!

If I was making that smacked-cuke salad veggie, I'd marinate some tofu in hoisin sauce and cube it in.

I got the package...your ruminations on the challenges of diversifying your reads made me wonder why more effort isn't made at the publisher level to diversify the editorial departments. Then I remembered that the reason editors get promoted is their lists sell books.

So...here's an idea...HIRE BETTER SALES DEPARTMENT PEOPLE. There's no shortage of PoC who read books. They aren't being reached. Ammy does less than zero to make discovery possible unless one wants to discover what they're paid to shove at you. Most PoC don't seem to haunt bookstores, in line with the rest of the population. So hire some PoC to work the lists as sales people.

I can't be the first to think of this. What happened to the idea?

>174 richardderus: I haven't had tofu since the one time my mom attempted to make it in my childhood, but I bet it would taste darn good with some hoisin sauce and in the salad. I may have to attempt that one of these days... I have some leftover hoisin sauce from making some food with my sister a week or so ago, so bring on the recommendations for what to use it in/with!

Regarding sales, yeah, there was a report that came out recently showing that diversity in publishing had not changed, hardly at all, in five years since a baseline study was done. I met a young African American bookstore owner when I was at my sister's this summer, and her bookstore was fabulous, diverse, and it was really fun to talk to her and get recommendations on what to read. She was complaining about the same thing, the publishers aren't pushing/offering the books, and the ones they are end up being the same authors rather than new voices. Really frustrating when consumers really do want these reads. "Own voices" was very much a grassroots effort of readers/bookstores/libraries, and publishers seem by and large...unmoved. Paying lip service, at best. It's really, really frustrating. And I'm your average reader in many ways - not-quite-middle-age white lady.

For something completely different in what I normally talk about here, I've been dipping my toe back into genealogy research lately. My library recently got access to Heritage Quest, and I've been messing around with searching it and learning it, because as the local history guru in the library I *have* to be the person who knows how to use all our genealogy databases.

Anyway, all that to say I was just searching the index to obituaries in newspaper.com and managed to find one for a James Rogers, the name of my 3rd-great grandfather who came from somewhere in Ireland, but the earliest known record I have is a marriage in 1854 (James Rodgers) here in Massachusetts. Well. There was a reference to an obituary in a newspaper in the right location the day after he died. $5 later, I got the obituary from the library that has the microfilm of said newspaper. It doesn't mention any of his kids BUT it mentions two nieces (by their married names) and that he was "the last of his generation." Intriguing.

I'm still not entirely sure that this is *my* James Rogers, but I started poking through the records on him again, and I have a couple of leads I may be able to pursue. That marriage record has the officiant listed, so I was able to figure out the church where he was most likely married, and he was also buried in their cemetery. I've contacted them to see if I can get any historic records on the kids.

I also poked and was able to figure out that the two nieces were both daughters of a Patrick Rodgers, and according to FindAGrave, Patrick's memorial is in the same cemetery where James is buried, and the photo of his tombstone shows that it lists his birth place as County Armagh, Ireland. So if I can make any more connections between the Rogers/Rodgers clan and determine the James in the obit really is my ancestor, I can have a field day with potential new results and family connections!

Also, I see a field trip out to the city where they lived in my future. It's about an hour away from home, so substantial but not impossible on a nice spring day and with a list of the records I want to look up.

I am somewhere between a beginner (I really need to start organizing and making note of all my sources!) and intermediate in this whole thing, so any advice from experienced genealogists welcome!

>175 bell7: Until you're 39-1/3 years old, you're less than half-way through, so yeah.

But the issue won't go away until...I don't know. Old white people stop dominating the industry, is my guess. Not until then.

>177 richardderus: Not quite middle aged. Getting close, though.

But yeah, I think you're right. There needs to be a change in the diversity of the industry and again the question becomes, how to make that happen? Librarians, mind you, are in a similar boat. Most of us are white cishet women.

13. The Toll by Neal Shusterman
Why now? Final book in a trilogy I've enjoyed immensely, though it took me a few months to bookhorn it in

***spoiler warning for earlier books in the series***

Citra and Rowan are at the bottom of the ocean with Endura. Scythe Goddard has become the High Blade of MidMerica and begun consolidating power, while his new-order scythes are given free rein to glean as they see fit, without quotas, and begin to target unwanted populations, such as Tonist sects. Meanwhile, the Thunderhead is only talking to Greyson Tolliver who's become a sort of prophet known as the Toll. What's it's endgame?

In trademark style, Shusterman unabashedly introduces new characters and new twists into an already complicated story. This 600+ page book flies by, leading up to a big reveal of how the scythes came to be, what their fail safe was, and exactly what the Thunderhead has been up to with its benevolent plan for humanity. I loved every minute of reading this. 4.5 stars.

Now reading the Newbery Award-winning New Kid, and it is f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s!

Hi Mary!

Mmmm yum on the recipes. I happen to have some tofu in the refrigerator so I think I will give the smacked cucumber salad a try. Love the name!

If you just try to add the tofu, it will crumble and fall apart. You need to drain it under pressure a bit. I learned this method for crispy tofu in a cooking class I took. I see they say to marinate it for 10-15 minutes after draining but before dusting with corn starch and baking.

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/baked-tofu/

Richard, how do you do yours?

Your genealogy research sounds fascinating!

I follow the PBS/NYT Now Read This monthly book club and I'm happy with their choices and diversity. Last month it was Heart Berries about growing up in an abusive situation on an Indian reservation. (I had received it two years ago as an LTER choice).

This month is American Prison, which I haven't started yet.

The discussions are hard to take part in because they are on FB and in a jumble - but I do think most of their choices are spot on.

>181 streamsong: Thanks for stopping by, Janet! I've never attempted tofu before, but I will keep your tips in mind if/when I do. And thanks, I hope to be able to spend more time on genealogy when I retire (sooo, about 25 years or so); I'm trying to whittle away at branches of the family, especially my father's side because no one's really tackled that one completely where my grandma was pretty thorough working on my mom's side. Now Read This sounds like an interesting book club to follow. I'm not on Facebook anymore, but I'll keep an eye out for their choices.

14. New Kid by Jerry Craft
Why now? It won the Newbery this year, and since our copy was still sitting on my library's shelf the day the winner was announced I snagged it.

Jordan Banks starts a new year at a new school, a prep school where he's one of the few non-white kids.

This graphic novel has been getting a lot of love, but I managed not to hear about it until after it won the Newbery and Coretta Scott King Awards this year. It. is. FABULOUS. Each chapter moves you along over the course of a school year, and its title plays on that of a book or movie from pop culture. We're also given glimpses of Jordan's sketchbook, as he draws about life at home and school. His parents and Grandpa make an appearance, he makes friends at the school, and you also see the racism and microaggressions he endures. It captures the real life of school and manages to be fairly upbeat - I laughed aloud a couple of times - and I was smiling in the end. 5 stars.

I will definitely keep an eye out for more by this author/illustrator.

>132 bell7: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Mary!

>139 bell7: My local library has Ancillary Sword, but not the other books in the trilogy. *sigh*

>179 bell7: I am going to have to get to that trilogy. I have read several of Shusterman's books and enjoyed them.

>184 alcottacre: Always happy to add to someone else's ever-growing TBR list, Stasia! ;) I'm sure you'll return to the favor more than once. Bummer about Ancillary Sword. Any chance they'll buy the others if you point out it was the second in a series? I order fiction for my own library and hate having incomplete series (or, if I have to, I try to keep the beginning, at least!). My favorite Shusterman are the Unwind series and this one, but I generally try to read all his new books as they come out now. What are some that you've read?

>183 bell7: - That sounds excellent. i will have to look for it.

>186 katiekrug: Hope you enjoy it, Katie! Definitely a quick read - I started it this morning, read it over breaks at work, and finished it at dinner.

ALMOST FORGOT, we had an amazing visitor at the library today:



I'm not sure you can tell well from the photo, but I'm reasonably sure it's a barred owl and my very first owl on my life list (though I'm hardly the birder that Mark is). It was out in the woods next to the library, and a mom and her kids came in and let us know, so I had to go out and take a look.

>181 streamsong: That's an effective method, the cutting-board one; I've always used the towels under-and-over with a glass 9x13 baking pan on top of 1/2in/1cm thick slices. Leaving them longer does better than making the weight heavier in my experience.

>14 bell7: Jerry Kraft was a guest at my employer's Children's Literature Festival last year. He was an absolutely charming presenter, and had a roomful of middle schoolers wrapped around his finger.

>190 swynn: Oooh, that's exciting! I'll have to keep an eye out for his events near me. I discovered today that I managed to read the book a year to the day it was published, so that was fun.

>183 bell7: Woot!! My hold copy came in yesterday - I can't wait to get started on it!!

>192 scaifea: Hurray! Hope you like it as much as I did :D

>176 bell7: Check probate records. (He may or may not have owned property to distribute, but the probate may tell you more.) Check church records. (What you'll find will depend on many factors.) Find the FamilySearch Wiki page for your county and check resources mentioned. Find a resource checklist and see what options may exist (e.g. https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Resource_Checklist).

>194 thornton37814: Thank you, thank you! I'm hoping a spring trip is in my future, and I'll make sure to keep your suggestions in my back pocket. If he had been a resident of a city in one county and died in another, would you recommend I check both locations for probate records? According to one of the census records, he was illiterate and I expect he died intestate. The church is on my list. And thank you for the resource checklist! I'll definitely be checking that out.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Today has already been a productive morning, as I balanced my checkbook, have laundry in the washer, and got a grocery list started.

I'm going out to a mall with my Little today, and am looking forward to hanging out with her for a few years. After that, I'm planning to stop in and visit with some friends, then grocery shopping and stopping home to trade out some clothes for new outfits to wear to work in the coming week or two.

I'm not working tomorrow, so after church I'll be looking over some items in the church library making a final decision about the Bible study we'll be starting in March. I'm hoping to get over to my parents to visit for a bit. And then on Monday - the only one I'm working this month - the dogs come back, so I'll be walking more and a bit more rushed every day taking care of them before and after work.

I took a couple of days off - this coming Friday and a couple of days towards the end of the month. I have several vacation and personal days left, and we go by the fiscal year, so I took a week of in March, April and June as well. I haven't made any definite plans, but am looking forward to some opportunities to relax and enjoy some time off.

>196 bell7: am looking forward to hanging out with her for a few years
*chuckle*

Happy extended-by-years weekend, Mary!

Morning, Mary. Happy Saturday. Congrats on the Barred Owl and you got a good look too. It took me almost 3 years to see one of these guys, so I think this is special. Maybe, this will get you out to explore a bit more.

Hi Mary, how wonderful that the ancestor you are looking into had his birthplace in Ireland listed on his gravestone. Finding out where in Ireland to search is one of the major hurdles. Good luck with your genealogy search.

>197 richardderus: *snort* oops on the typo... yeah, I wish there were a few years between Saturday and Sunday, don't you? Hours, of course, I meant ;) Happy weekend, Richard!

>198 msf59: My mom always had an interest in birds and I caught a bit of the excitement from her and watching birds on our feeders growing up, Mark. I keep a life list on my Pinterest account, but haven't actively pursued new ones in awhile. Maybe I'll have more time in the future!

>199 Familyhistorian: Well, I probably didn't quite explain it well. *If* the obituary is the right one, it's actually his brother's gravestone with the county listed. I have to do a bit more legwork to connect people properly and make sure it's the right one - mainly because I found it odd to have nieces but no children listed (and he had a LOT of them).

Sorry in advance if this is too much info, but it's hard to be clear without names (and maybe having it written out will help me get it straight in my head too!):

Charles Louis Rogers is my 2nd great-grandfather. He was born on April 20, 1872 in Pittsfield, MA to James Rogers and Ellen Trudden (Truden, Truder, Trudean, etc.). He was the 10th of 13 kids (including one that died in infancy), and his siblings were born in Portland, ME; Pittsfield, MA; Chester, MA; and even one in Quebec (which was handy, because that record specified that they were Catholic).

James Rodgers and Ellen Trsedden as it's indexed were married in 1854. They were both from Ireland, and I think her age was fudged to make her 19 instead of 17 that year. The marriage record lists the priest for the wedding, so I was able to figure out what church it was, so it's a definite possibility that going to the church will give me more leads for the family as well.

James was, according to at least one census record, illiterate and most of his career was working as a farm laborer, though he was a railroad hand on one census as well. All of his sons worked for the railroad, incidentally. James died in Northampton at a state hospital in 1905 - and my grandma on the other side of the family who was into genealogy told me that probably meant his family was too poor to take care of him when he got old. His death record lists Arthur Rogers as his father and Ellen Trudden as his mother, but since I've found multiple records for kids' marriages and births and deaths, I'm leaning towards thinking someone got that wrong. I also found a death record for Ellen, in Chester, 1893.

(I'm summarizing here so as not to go on too long and get boring, but let me know if you have questions about any specifics.)

The obituary I found ran in the local paper the day after James died and reads: "James Rogers, 72, formerly of this city but a long time resident of Chester, died in that town last Sunday. His body was brought here this afternoon and burial was in St. Joseph's Cemetery. Mr. Rogers was the last of his generation and is survived by two nieces, Mrs. P.J. Moore and Mrs. Joseph Volin, both of this city."

Okay so - the age checks out, the timing is right, James Rogers did live in Pittsfield and Chester, both shortly before his death. He did *actually* die in Northampton, but there's a record from Chester too which made me think he had shortly been a resident there. He was buried in St. Joseph's. No kids are mentioned, but at least my ancestor, Charles, was no longer living there.

I did a little bit of work to figure out who the nieces were. I was at work, though, and poking around on Ancestry is work-related in that I do need to know how to search it but I also need to be interrupted to help people when they come along, so I'll probably re-do a little bit of that to see if I can find records that fully connect James to that family. Sarah Rogers married Joseph Volin; her sister Agnes married Patrick J. Moore. Both daughters of Patrick and Mary Rodgers (and it looks like Patrick used that spelling primarily). Patrick's grave is in the same Catholic cemetery where James is buried, and it's Patrick's gravestone that says he's from County Armagh. So I have some more research to do before I can be certain that it's all in the family, so to speak. BUT, if it is, what a huge opening it will be!

>195 bell7: I'm replying down here so I can comment on the aforementioned question. Start with the county where he resided at the time, then move to other counties as needed. Sometimes intestate estates are better than the ones with wills!

>201 thornton37814: Excellent, thanks, Lori! I appreciate your comments as I try to figure it all out 😁