Mamie's 2021 Madness, page 4

This is the bookcase in my bedroom where I keep most of my physical books that still need to be read. SO not all of them, but a very good portion. Craig and I have had this bookcase forever, which is a favorite of mine. It's made by a guy that makes furniture out of old barns that have fallen down, so each piece is unique.

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April Reads:
29. Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson, Kindle, acquired in 2021, mystery/amateur sleuth - 4 stars (Anna Treadway, book 1) - recommended by Charlotte

January:
1. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth, trade paperback acquired in 2014, crime fiction (John Madden, book 1) - 4 stars
2. The Yellow Wallpaper: a graphic novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, illustrated by Sara Barkat, paperback acquired in 2020, horror - 4.5 stars
3. The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins, trade paperback acquired in 2014, literary fiction (Virago) - 4 stars
4. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos, Kindle, acquired in 2020, humor - 3.25 stars
5. The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith (Illustrator), Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator) - paperback acquired in 2013, GN, horror - 4.5 stars
6. Battle Ground by Jim Butcher, audiobook narrated by James Marsters, acquired in 2020, urban fantasy (Dresden Files, Book 17) - 4 stars
7. Medieval People by Eileen Powers, Kindle, acquired in 2020, non-fiction/social history/Middle Ages - 4.25 stars
8. Bloody January by Alan Parks, Kindle, acquired in 2020, crime fiction (Harry McCoy, book 1) - 2.5 stars
9. Paper Girls Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Cliff Chiang (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Artist), Kindle, borrowed, GN, time travel - 3.5 stars
10. The Weirdies by Michael Buckley, borrowed audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, juvenile fiction/humor - 5 stars
11. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Kindle, acquired in 2020, gothic horror - 3.5 stars
12. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls, Kindle, acquired in 2021, novella/grief - 4 stars
13. Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen, Kindle, acquired in 2020, short story/food - 4.5 stars
14. Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge, Hardback, acquired in 2021, graphic biography in verse/books about books - 5 stars

February Reads:
15. Paper Girls: Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), Jared K. Fletcher (letters), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 4 stars
16. Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, acquired in 2021, YA/historical mystery (Enola Holmes, book 1) - 4 stars
17. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Megan Backus, Kindle, acquired in 2020, novellas/grief - 2 stars
18. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Kindle, acquired in 2020, Polish fiction/animal rights - 4 stars
19. Summerwater by Sarah Moss, Kindle, acquired in 2021, contemporary fiction/linked vignettes - 4.5 stars

March Reads:
20. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, paperback (with deckled edge pages!), acquired in 2016, travel writing/Nepal/Tibet/Buddhism/grief - 4 stars
21. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourne, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical mystery (Veronica Speedwell, book 1) - 4 stars - recommended by Chelle
22. Paper Girls: Volume 3 by Brian K Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 3 stars
23. I Will Have Vengeance by Maurizio de Giovanni, translated by Anne Milano Appel, police procedural/Naples/1930s - 4 stars (Commisario Riccardi, book 1)
24. Death in August by Marco Vichi, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Kindle, acquired in 2018, police procedural/Florence (Inspector Bordelli, book 1) - 3 stars
25. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon, Kindle, acquired in 2019, police procedural/Venice (Commissario Brunetti, book 1) - 3 stars
26. Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/Florence/ just pre-WWII - 3 stars
27. West by Carys Davies, Kindle, acquired in 2020, historical fiction/western/novella - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
28. Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, translated by ?, audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classic - 3 stars

Katie’s Dirty Dozen - That’s right, folks, KAK’s reserved spot is back for a seventh year, let’s see what she hits me with this time.

1. Siracusa by Delia Ephron
2. Blessings by Anna Quindlen
3. When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele

The List:

1. A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill - Shannon (sturlington)
2. Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire by Alex von Tunzelmann - Susan
3. Cove by Cynan Jones - Richard - "...this is the book I wish The Old Man and the Sea had been, but was not."
4. The Riddle of the Third Mile by Colin Dexter - Jennifer (6th in the series)
5. A Lear of the Steppes by Ivan Turgenev - Paul
6. Summerwater by Sarah Moss - Caroline - "Moss communicates the dark undertow of the ordinary through a group of characters confined by weather to their cabins in a Scottish forest." (acquired 1/11/21)
7. The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell - Ellen gave this the full 5 stars
8. Sidewalks by Valeria Luiselli - Charlotte
9. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon - Judy (ffortsa)
10. The War Widow by Tara Moss - Meg
11. Blood and Oil by Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck - Susan
12. Childhood by Tove Ditlevsen - Käthe
13. A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler - Luanne (clue)
14. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls - Karen, and Richard liked this one, too (acquired 1/11/21) read Jan. 2021
14. The Bells of Old Tokyo by Anna Sherman - Charlotte - travel writing
15. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar - Mark
16. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry - Jennifer
17. Those Who Knew by Idra Novey - Beth
18. The Steam Pig by James McClure - Kerry - crime fiction series set in apartheid-era South Africa
19. Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines - Richard
20. Harriet by Elizabeth Jenkins - Rhian
21. Unfinished Business: notes of a chronic rereader by Vivian Gornick - Charlotte
22. The Historians: Poems by Eavan Boland - Charlotte again
23. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris - Linda (laytonwoman3rd)
24. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut - Julia
25. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - because Ellen because Richard

The List, continued:

26. A World Beneath the Sands by Toby Wilkinson - Erik
27. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu - Charlotte "...really clever (and funny) way of making a powerful point about stereotypes..."
28. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell - Leslie (leslie.98)
29. Milkman by Anna Burns - Richard
30. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw - Chelle (YA)
31. The Tender Bar by J. R. Moehringer - Mark - memoir
32. Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe - Jim (acquired 1/26/21)
33. Mystery, Inc. by Joyce Carol Oates - Jennifer
34. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton - Jennifer (jpaul22)
35. The Man Who Walked Through Walls by Marcel Aymé - Pam
36. Telephone by Percival Everett - Kay
37. Monogamy by Sue Miller - Kay again
38. Destroyer by Victor LaValle - Roberta
39. A Little London Scandal by Miranda Emmerson - Charlotte (this is the second in the series)
40. Written in Bone by Sue Black - Susan

This should do it - next one's yours!

Happy new one, Mamie!

Love that bookshelf in your topper!

Happy new one, Mamie. Love that topper. My living room wall unit is also made from reclaimed barn wood. I love it too.

I made the list in >5 Crazymamie: — woot!

That bookcase is fantabulous, Mamie. What a treasure. Also it looks like you might be running low on TBR material, so good thing you are supplementing with new acquisitions. ;-)

Happy new thread!

>1 Crazymamie: Great shelf of books you've got there!

>7 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie! You are first!! Come in and know me better!

>8 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley! Glad you love the topper. Our liquor cabinet is also made from reclaimed wood, and it is full of gorgeous.

>9 rosalita: Of course you did, Julia! And so true, I am on the verge of running out of things to read. The bookcase is older than Birdy, and I still love it just as much as when I first saw it.

>10 quondame: Thank you, Susan! I just recently rearranged my books to make that one just TBR, and I am loving it like that. Plus, it's always fun to switch things up.

>6 Crazymamie: Indeed. Make it so, Number One.

I finished a short SF story that I really liked, and am within a few pages of finishing the, erm, problematic Breakheart Pass for the first time in damn near fifty years!

Happy new one, Mamie.

Happy new thread, Mamie!

>1 Crazymamie: Lovely bookcase, I see the top is almost filled too ;-)

Happy New Thread, Mamie! Thanks again for the GN. I will be in MN for a few days, so I won't be online much but I hope to have plenty of sightings to share, on my return.

Happy nw thread!

>12 richardderus: *grin* Welcome aboard. What?! Already two reads for February? Show off.

>13 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

>14 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! Yep - trying to take advantage of that usable space.

>15 msf59: Thanks, Mark! You are welcome, my friend. Wishing you safe travels. Have fun and be careful.

>16 drneutron: Thank you, Jim!

Happy new thread, Mamie. I love the bookcase.

>19 BLBera: Thank you, Beth! Me, too!

>17 Crazymamie: The two together made under 200pp. Not even a stretch!

Happy new thread, Mamie! I also love that bookcase!! The only problem with the photo is that I can't read the spines.

15. Paper Girls: Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), Jared K. Fletcher (letters), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 4 stars

So, I went to the bookstore today. Ahem. This is one of the books I purchased, and I'm glad I did. I read Volume 1 last month and liked it enough to try the next one because I was intrigued by the storyline. Our paper girls have time traveled from 1988 to 2016, and things have gotten complicated. This is slightly convoluted but also very fun - I think I am hooked. Luckily, I also bought Volume 3 today...In my defense, Abby and Birdy want to read them, too.

Happy new thread, Mamie. Love the bookcase!
And I'm torn between agreeing with >6 Crazymamie: and wanting to disturb him...

Thank you, Helen! Hooray for the bookcase love.

>6 Crazymamie: Perhaps you could charm him into reading you a few lines out loud?

Hiya, Mamie, and happy new thread! Number four, impressive. Beautiful bookcase, filled with TBRs! Joy.

>11 Crazymamie: I just recently rearranged my books to make that one just TBR, and I am loving it like that. Plus, it's always fun to switch things up. More joy.

>23 Crazymamie: And you went to the bookstore. And bought books. I have not gone to any bookstores, thrift shops, or Habitat since early March 2020, averting my gaze as I drive by them. My choice, but Big Sigh. I’ve still managed to acquire 47 so far this year.

Morning, Karen! Thank you. Joy is exactly right. I am sitting in bed right now with my coffee and laptop, news on in the background, and that beautiful bookcase in my view. I am contemplating my February reading plans.

The only bookstore we have is in the local mall. It's a BAM, and it has it's own outside entrance. You have to wear a mask, and the checkout is behind plexiglass. There were like two other people in there, so safer than the grocery store, which I go to every week. Today is Abby's birthday, so we made a trip for her to browse and pick out some birthday books. SO you live vicariously, here is what I purchased for me:

Paper Girls Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan et al
Paper Girls Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan et al
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel - hardback copy marked down to $9.99 (deckled edge pages!!)
Martin Dressler by Steven Millhauser - trade paperback for $5.95

As mentioned to Karen above, today is Abby's birthday - she is 25.

Happy birthday, Abby! You don't look a day over 24.5.

Also, I read Martin Dressler ages and ages ago. I don't remember a whole lot of details but I remember I liked it.
/end unhelpful review

Cheers to a happy new thread, Mamie! What a special bookcase! How unique is that!!

>29 rosalita: Julia, she is very excited to be 25! Thank you for those good wishes for her.

That last bit made me laugh out loud! It has a big Winner of the Pulitzer Prize badge on it. We had just been watching a documentary on the history of Selfridges, and the image on the book's cover reminded me of that, so it seemed like a sign.



>30 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda! Daniel has already called dibs on that bookcase.

Happy birthday, Abby! My younger daughter Julia turned 25 in December. A quarter century! She doesn't seem too fazed by that milestone, while I'm wondering how I could possibly have children that old (and older: Kate is 28). I am certainly not any older.

>31 Crazymamie: I don't blame, Daniel! That bookcase is a treasure!

>32 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura! Abby is my third. Rae is 28 (29 next month), Daniel is 26, Birdy is 22. I remember when my oldest turned 25 - it was fun because I turned 50 that year, and it was the Year of the Rooster, so I purchased this pan to celebrate which Rae will take with her when she moves out - a fun memory.



>33 Carmenere: We have several pieces, and they have all been called. Luckily, the kids all have different favorites.

Morning, Mamie! Love the rooster pan :)

I'll toddle over to Abby's to wish her a happy birthday...

Morning, Katie! The rooster pan is totally awesome.

Thank you - she will appreciate that.

>31 Crazymamie: That's the cover on my version, too!

Happy New Thread, Mamie -- and Happy HAPPY birthday to Abby!!!!

>37 rosalita: We are practically twins, Julia!!

>38 EBT1002: Thank you, Ellen! I will pass those wishes onto Abby - much appreciated! How is sopping wet February treating you?

Happy Birthday, Abby! 25 is a great age.

Happy New Thread, Mamie!

I was too slow to post on your last thread, but what a lot of helpful book reviews you had there. I'm adding Mrs. Caliban, Babette's Feast and Mary's Monster to the WL. Unfortunately, the visuals (I assume) for Mary's Monster didn't come through for me, but your review was enough.

I never saw the 1980s film of Babette's Feast - did you? I remember it being an art house favorite.

It reminds me that King of Hearts, with Alan Bates and Genevieve Bujold, was our New Year's Eve movie. What a charmer, with its anti-war message.

>40 jnwelch: Joe, Abby says thank you! She is so excited about 25. And thanks from me for those thread wishes.

Bonus points for catching up with the last thread. Hooray for hitting you with some BBs. You will LOVE Mary's Monster! Can you see these:





I have not seen the movie of Babette's Feast, but I am going to rent it soon - Amazon Prime has it for rental. I'll have to check if it's the 1980s one.

I have not seen King of Hearts, but I will add it to my movie list on your say so.

I do remember seeing the film of Babette's Feast and I even remember loving it. But damn if I can remember anything else about it.... it was many moons ago.

Memory is a funny thing, isn't it, Shelley? I am looking forward to watching it.

Martin Dressler...how one man's life is powered by NEED that can never be fulfilled. Capitalism as psychotherapy. Retro-Babbitt.

My notebook notes on it.

The film of Babette's Feast remains one of the most lushly lovely films I've seen, up there with Dangerous Liaisons.

Happy new thread, Mamie (whew! just made it before you were ready to move on to the next one).

Happy birthday Abby!!

I love your bookcase and your rooster pot and I'm extremely impressed by your January reading!!

>28 Crazymamie: Happy Birthday to Abby!

>34 Crazymamie: ooh I love that Rooster Staub, Mamie. I'm partial to all things chickens actually but just have a plain old round Staub dutch oven. It's in a pretty teal color, but no rooster. I can understand why Rae would want to take it with her.

Is Abby doing a thread this year? Please tell her Happy Birthday for me!

Oh, happy birthday to Abby! Hope you all had a great time celebrating together. I remember when I turned 25 so many people welcomed me to the quarter century club that I... turned around and did the same thing to my (slightly younger) friend a few months later hehe.

>28 Crazymamie: I wish I suited bold lipstick like Abby! She rocks it :)

I didn't really feel fully an adult until I turned 27 (which felt perilously close to the ancient-sounding 30, at that stage).

>44 richardderus: I am confused about your notebook notes. Was that supposed to be a link?

You are making me want to get to Babette's Feast. Right. Now. Ima try to get to it before Sunday.

>45 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, you are cracking me up. I think you made it with plenty of time to spare. Thank you for those kind words, and I'm glad you love my stuff. *grin*

>46 quondame: Thank you, Susan, I will pass along those good wishes to her.

>47 lauralkeet: I have a small sauce pot in that pretty blue teal color you mention, Laura. I specifically bought it for Rae to take with her. That way when she uses it she will remember the year that I turned 50 and she turned 25 and it was the Year of the Rooster. And with me using it first, she will remember us cooking in it together - it's the perfect size for a batch of chili, which is one of her very favorite things.

>48 ronincats: Roni, she does have a thread. She started late and can only post when she is having a really good arm day. She's here: CoffeeCat's Barista Books Vol.1

>49 bell7: Thank you, Mary - she had a good one. We got takeaway from a favorite restaurant and there was chocolate ganache cake and ice cream for dessert. I don't remember my 25th birthday, but I do remember turning 30 - Craig bought me these gorgeous green glass dessert dishes that I just really love. I have a thing about green glass. I'll have to try to remember to post a photo. I also remember my oldest sister, Cindy, turning 30 because that is the year I turned 15, so she was twice my age and we had a big party. That's part of why is was so fun for me to celebrate Rae turning twice my age with the 25/50 thing.

>50 LovingLit: Right, Megan?! She can wear very bold colors and it all looks great on her. She also looks great in the matte lipsticks, which she loves.

I'm not sure when exactly I felt I had arrived at adulthood. I was born an old soul, so I never really fit the mold of the age I was at.

Hi Mamie!

Belated Happy Birthday to Abby.

>53 Crazymamie: Your birthday dinner for Abby sounds wonderful, especially the chocolate ganache cake and ice cream. My husband’s birthday is on the 20th and I know he’ll want cheesecake for dessert.

Green glass makes me think of the Depression green glass mixing bowls I bought on our honeymoon in 1991. And internet diving down the rabbit hole of Depression glass introduced me to uranium glass… sheesh. I need more coffee.

I won't be twice as old as Jenna until I turn 80 and she turns 40.

Happy birthday to Abby. I'm coming to your house for my birthday dinner (and dessert)!

>51 Crazymamie: Oh sorry! My notebook is a 1990s big fat spiral-bound notebook with reads log-lined, sort of, for 1996 through 1998. It turns out my sister snagged it at some point and she returned it to me.

I should've explained what I was quoting better, no wonder you felt confused.

Happy Humpday, sweetiedarling.

Morning, Mamie! I could use some chocolate cake right about now.... I'm trying to be extra good this week so I can indulge on Super Bowl Sunday :)

Happy newish thread, Mamie. Papergirls, it's been a while since I read one of those. I should get back to them.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Saturday. I am back from my trip to the Great White North. Funny, colder here than it was there. It will stay frigid here through next week, keeping me indoors. I can catch up on my reading, since I read nothing on my trip. I hope all is well at the Pecan Paradiso.

Hope Saturday is treating you well, Mamie,

>54 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! Thanks for those good wishes for Abby. The chocolate ganache cake was da Bomb. Abby also loves cheesecake, so we have had that in the past.

I love green glass and also mercury glass and its knockoffs.

I was happy not to be a new mom at forty - mainly because I did not enjoy being pregnant and would not want to have to do forty and pregnant at the same time. You have my deep respect. Jenna I'm sure has benefitted from having a mom who knew herself better - I feel like I learned along the way, if that makes sense.

>55 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley - you are most welcome any time.

>56 richardderus: Thanks for that, BigDaddy! I am happy that your sister eventually returned it to you.

Happy Saturday, dearest.

>57 katiekrug: Hey there, Katie! I have not been extra good in a very long time. And I don't feel it happening any time soon. Just saying...

>58 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg! How far did you read in the series?

>59 msf59: Hello, Mark! Happy Saturday! All is well here - we are really enjoying the cooler weather. We used to go to Minnesota every year for a week or so in the summer - Craig's parents had a cabin up there that had been built by his grandfather, and their family used to spend summers up there. The cabin was very rustic - no running water, no electricity, an outhouse...We would vacation with his parents, so the scenery was gorgeous, but the company and the accoutrements not so much.

>60 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen. Saturday has been less than ideal, if I am honest. Our water heater for the east side of the house has apparently decided to retire, so Craig is replacing it today. He is not really in the mood to replace it today, but he is doing it anyway, which is tense making. Not an easy job because for some reason whoever designed this house decided the best place for the water heaters was in the attic space, but they did not take into account that they should then leave a bigger access for getting in and out of there. Or that the size of water heaters might change. So, Craig had to call around looking for a very specific water heater size and type. We cannot go tankless because we would have to run a new power line and install a new box which would be much more expensive.

'Morning, Mamie!

Ugh. Hot water heaters. We had to replace the hot water heater in the storage space behind the guest bedroom closet, perhaps 8 years ago. I forget. Fortunately the doors were wide enough to get the old one out and the new one in. The real problem was that Lowe's didn't have a 40-gallon heater so we got a 50-gallon heater, which apparently necessitated permits with the effing county because they were installing it. It took way too long and cost way too much money. Of course the one that's easy to get to downstairs has continued to work like a champ for almost 23 years. Knock on wood...

Good luck to Craig. Why in heaven's name do they change the size of something so basic? I hope his mood improves soon, and the return to hot water is uneventful.

Morning, Karen! The water heater in question is, I believe, original to the house, so I can't complain about that part - it has served us well and faithfully until now. BUT, I do wish Craig would wait until he is in the mood to replace it since he insists on doing it himself. We have two water heaters - one serves the east side of the house and the other the west side, so the one in question is for Abby and Birdy's bathroom, the laundry room, the kitchen. We could get by with cold water on that side of the house for a week or so - then Daniel would be available to help Craig. For that matter, Daniel could help Craig tomorrow, but Craig has set his mind on doing it today. We have two other full bathrooms on the other side of the house, so hot showers is not the issue.

I would like it noted that I did suggest widening the access to both attics when we had this issue several years ago with the upstairs air conditioner. But um...no. Cross your fingers that everything goes as smoothly as possible and works the first time.

I wonder if you/Craig have considered a "tankless" water heater? They're much smaller (since there is no tank to store the hot water of course) and you never run out of hot water. We have one here and I like it a lot.

Reba, we have but we cannot go tankless because we would have to run a new power line and install a new box which would be much more expensive. If we planned on staying here forever, I would go for it, but we will move when Craig retires.

Oh dear on the hot water situation. We have a boiler that was installed with the house and that's now over 20 years ago, so we're just sort of hoping it carries on carrying on...
Hope it gets fitted with minimal fuss and frustration.

>66 Crazymamie: Too bad but with all of the extra cost I agree you're better off just finding one to wrestle up there. Good luck!!

>67 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen. There is much banging of doors and dramatic sighing going on. I have offered to help multiple times, but thank goodness he keeps saying no, he's got this. He has gotten the old tank drained and the new tank up the stairs, so we are making forward progress. And he took the new tank upstairs all by himself - not bad for someone who is 56 with one hip replaced and the other one having arthritis. He grew up on a farm, so he thinks he can do everything by himself (and to my great annoyance, he is usually right) - he is very stubborn.

>68 RebaRelishesReading: Right?! I would love to go tankless, but it won't be in this house. Plus, it would take forever to get all the electrical stuff done in these times. The new tank has made it up the stairs at least.

>54 karenmarie: I have to make it to 88 to be twice as old as Becky. I'm not certain I want to unless my hands can be fixed.

Yikes, sorry to hear about the water heater woes. I hope the new one works a good long time after all that trouble.

>69 Crazymamie: Of course he is stubborn...you, OTOH, are firm-minded and in possession of all the relevant facts.

Of course. Goes without saying.

>69 Crazymamie: Your post made me smile, Mamie. He is a far better man than I am. I would have made a call to our nearby project site and continued reading whilst the workers fixed the problem! Of course neatly hiding the fact that I simply couldn't have done it myself anyhow.

Oh yoicks to the Husband Doing Stuff When He's Not Happy About Doing Stuff. Tomm gets *so* grumpy when he's wearing his handyman hat. Charlie and I know to stay far away. We tend to huddle together and quietly giggle about how Tomm sounds like the dad in A Christmas Story when he's fighting the heater in the basement...

>71 quondame: *waves at Susan*

>72 bell7: Thank you, Mary! It's all finished now, so fingers crossed about working a good long time.

>73 richardderus: Ha! Alas, I am just as stubborn as he is, maybe more so, if I am honest. We are both the babies of the family by quite a lot, so we had to be stubborn or we would have gotten run over.

>75 scaifea: Oh, that is so us!

>74 PaulCranswick: Paul, I would love if he sometimes just hired something done, but that doesn't happen very often. He is very handy and knows A LOT, but when he does it himself, we also have to wait on his schedule for him to be able to do it. Or endure the grumpy like yesterday.

>75 scaifea: Exactly, Amber. And that is an apt description of Craig yesterday. AT least it's done, and everything appears to be working just fine.

>77 drneutron: A timeless scene played out over and over again across the globe, Jim.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Sunday! I had a perfectly lazy day with the books yesterday and I anticipate a repeat affair today, especially with it staying in the single digits. I am sure glad to be sitting this winter out.

16. Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, acquired in 2021, YA/historical mystery (Enola Holmes, book 1) - 4 stars

This was delightful. I had watched the Netflix movie and found it charming, so I wanted to read the book. This month's February MysteryKIT: Pastiche Mysteries (over in the Category Challenge group). Enola Holmes, the main character, is the much younger sister of the famous Sherlock Holmes. The book is very different from the movie, which makes sense since Sherlock and Mycroft are more like fringe characters in the book. I completely understand why they would want to enlarge their roles in the movie, especially with such fabulous casting. Both the book and the movie are very good. Definitely going to keep going with these in audio because the narrator is Katherine Kellgren, and she is just so brilliant.

17. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Megan Backus, Kindle, acquired in 2020, novellas/grief - 2 stars

I want my money back.

This is actually two novellas, which I did not know when I started reading it. I picked it up last year in a Kindle sale and read it now because it fits the February RandomCAT: Fruits & Veggies - the title or the author name needs to have a fruit or a vegetable in it. The first novella, which is the title story, is better than the second, but they are both awful. I was so tempted to DNF this one, but it was my first translated work for the year. Speaking of translations, I think that this particular translation is a huge part of the problem here. It is very clunky, for example:

"To live alone with an old person is terribly nerve-racking, and the healthier he or she is, the more one worries."

"It was as quiet as the inside of a glass case."

"The glass of water soaked into my withered heart, It was chilly. My bare feet trembled in my slippers."

So...um...yeah.

>82 Crazymamie: Oh dear, Mamie, that does sound pretty bad. As you said, it could just be the translation, but I guess you'll never know.

>82 Crazymamie: DNF for sure!!! I'm guessing from the author's name that it was translated from Japanese which would explain a lot about the English. We've travelled in Japan and are constantly amused at their attempts at English signage. Recognizing that I speak not a word of Japanese, I still have to wonder why they don't hire someone who actually speaks English to do their signage.

A couple that stuck with us and have become part of our personal language with each other are:

Outside Tokyo train station "taxis are at there" followed by an arrow

Directional sign to a feature in a national park "xxx arrow -- 10 minutes, 5 if run a little"

>82 Crazymamie: I was exactly 2.5* impressed with it because transsexuals in Japanese (or US) literature are not common.

All the Japanese fiction I've ever read sounds like it's been pretty approximately translated, an opinion for which I see pitchforks and torches outside my window fairly frequently. "You CAN'T include the Venerable Haruki in that!" they wail, as I toss them gobbets of still-bleeding quotes ripped from the "master"'s tedious and ponderous ouevre.

>82 Crazymamie: >84 RebaRelishesReading: >85 richardderus: We English speakers are clearly mistaken in how we use our language - no respect for spelling and way to inconsistent with adverbs and prepositions. We should trust the Japanese who clearly are our proper guides.

>82 Crazymamie: - I read that one several years ago and remember not a thing about it except that I did not like it. Or didn't understand it. Or both. Pfft.

>82 Crazymamie: not picking that up then.

When I did my PhD I had a colleague who was working in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. They had a scientific paper in Japanese that wasn't available in English. The Japanese embassy used to offer a translation service, but it was clearly by a non-technical person. Instead of magnetic fields, the translation used the terms magnetic meadows. Which is a lovely image, no matter how incorrect.

Hi Mamie!

>81 Crazymamie: Great minds. Bill and I watched Enola Holmes the other night. I loved it, he tolerated it. This one’s now on my wish list.

>82 Crazymamie: This one’s now on my wish list. *smile*

>82 Crazymamie: - Hard pass!

Sorry about the water heater, but I'm glad it's resolved now. (It's working, I assume?) When my father would do stuff around the house, we called it Vocabulary Enlargement Time because my sister and I learned all sort of new swear words and combinations of same. The Wayne is reasonably handy, but thinks he knows more than he does. His biggest issue (or mine, I guess) is that he loses interest and/or motivation, so things don't always get completed in a timely manner. I once had a toilet sitting in the living room in Dallas for 8 months....

I hope your pre-Tuesday goes as well as such things can.

>81 Crazymamie: I loved the first Enola Holmes too! Haven't had a chance to get to the second one, yet, but I plan to.

>90 katiekrug: A toilet in the living room and my OCD tendencies would not have worked well!!

>92 RebaRelishesReading: - Luckily, we never used the room so I could forget it was there for long stretches of time. As could The Wayne, apparently ;-)

Gosh, I hate it when threads escape me...there should be an option that you get a notification of a "thread sequel" that's automatically updated...

Happy (not so?) new one, Mamie! I hope you are doing well and your week is going smoothly!

Sorry to be absent from my own thread - I have been dealing with a CT flare-up and horrible headaches, so not using my laptop much as the scrolling really irritates the CT, and the headaches made focusing on anything impossible. Not much happening here anyway, just the usual. It has been raining, raining, raining. I love rain, so that has been nice.

On the reading front, I started Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. For some reason, I always want the title to be Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Outcast Dead, as if it wasn't long enough already. It's another translation, but I have higher hopes for this one. I'm hoping to start Far From the Madding Crowd soonish, which I am reading with Susan this month. Still working on Dead I Well May Be (but closing in on the finish), The Snow Leopard, The Sea and Passing. I would have finished several of these by now if not for the headaches.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Wednesday! Sorry to hear about your CT flare-up & headaches. I hope these both begin to subside. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead sounds really good.

>83 lauralkeet: So true, Laura. I think at least part of it is the translation, but as you say, I will never know.

>84 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I only kept going because it was a translation - I am so shallow, and I wanted that stat. Heh. And yes, translated from Japanese. Your post made me snort my coffee! Thanks so much for sharing those- I had to read them aloud to Birdy who wanted to know what I was laughing about. I especially like the second one.

>85 richardderus: The transsexual character was my favorite. I would have liked the story to have been told from her viewpoint.

I think that the Japanese culture is just so very different from our own, that it is hard for me to identify with the characters sometimes - they often feel flat and stilted, but they are actually just more reserved. Love or hate Murakami, he definitely has a better translator. I like his stuff, but it is weird fiction to me - very surreal and ethereal.

Good morning, Mamie, and happy Wednesday to you. Sorry about the CT flareup and headaches.

>86 quondame: Ha! American English would be very hard to learn, I think. My daughter, Rae, has Asperger's Syndrome, and it is hard for her to understand idioms. Trying to explain them to her over the years has made me realize how very confusing they would be to someone who did not grow up with them as part of the linguistic landscape. One of my favorite stories is when we had our house on the market back in Indiana, and the realtor called. Rae answered the phone and the realtor asked if she could talk to me because she was trying to get her ducks all in a row. Rae hands me the phone and says, "It's that real estate lady and she is having trouble with her ducks." And then in a slightly awed whisper she says, "You know about ducks?!"

>87 jessibud2: Shelley, it has won some awards and been made into films in Japan, so I was surprised by how awful it was.

>88 Helenliz: Good thinking, Helen. Your post made me laugh out loud! I love "magnetic meadows" - very poetic!

>89 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! The girls and I all loved the Enola Holmes film - the book is just as charming. And yes, you can safely skip Kitchen.

>90 katiekrug: I am happy to spare you the pain of reading it.

The water heater is installed and working perfectly. Craig is actually pretty good about finishing projects quickly, but he usually leaves a big mess which he takes his time cleaning up. We once had a pink toilet and pink bathtub sitting in our driveway back in Indiana for weeks after he gutted the master bathroom. They sat there so long that we actually had one of his coworkers call us to inquire about the toilet. She said, "I keep driving by your house and seeing that toilet in the driveway, and I was wondering what your plans are for it." Turns our she had a toilet that exact same shade of pink, and she had accidentally broken the tank lid on it. She was wondering if she could have ours. Help yourself, I said, and she was delighted. They don't make that color anymore, she said. Shocking. It was the ugliest pink I have ever seen, and the entire master bathroom was that color - tub, toilet, sink. All pink.

>91 curioussquared: It was very fun, wasn't it, Natalie? I am wanting to get to the second one, too.

>92 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, make a note that you should not live with either The Wayne or Craig. *grin*

>93 katiekrug: That stuff never bothers Craig, either, Katie.

Morning, Mamie! I'm sorry about the CT and headaches. A double whammy is particularly offensive. My mousing thumb (I have one of those stationary roller-ball mice) is bothering me. A bit too much action, but it's hard to avoid with work and all... I hope your body gives you a break today.

>94 PersephonesLibrary: That has happened to me, too, Käthe. No worries, you have arrived with plenty of time to spare. Thanks for those good wishes. I hope you are feeling better.

>96 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday. And thank you - I am still dealing with both issues, but they are much better, so progress at least. I am liking Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead so far - it's my new insomnia read, so I will probably finish it pretty quickly.

>98 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Happy Wednesday! Thanks - I will be catching up on LT slowly so as not to set the CT off again.

Feel better soon. I've had had problems, and it comes home to you how much you use your hands as soon as you try and rest them. We've had snow, just to raise you one on the rain thing. Not enough to justify a snowball fight, but enough to look pretty for a few hours before it melts again once the sun comes out. That's been the pattern since Monday. Nice when you don;t need to go anywhere. And right now there is no where to go.

There were some vile bathroom colours, weren't there? As a child, my parents had picked an aqua colour suite. It was neither blue nor green, so went with neither. We ended up with a pink bathroom to go with the aqua suite. Is there any wonder my dream bathroom is entirely white?

>101 Crazymamie: Noted (but then I have my own guy who is totally unbothered by mess/unfinished things although he's totally not handy so never starts home projects if he can possibly help it)

Hi Mamie! Dropping a 🌟. I 2:00 a.m. sorry to hear about your CT and headaches. I hope you feel better soon.

>100 Crazymamie: Re: #90 That calamine-lotion pink from ~1956 is *revolting* and one of the main reasons I hate that color. Another is growing up surrounded by it...my mother would buy any- and every-thing in pink if it was possible: Pots and pans, china, curtains, one memorable time carpeting. Ick!

Hi Mamie, how are you doing? I hope you are getting better already and the CT and headaches have gone.

>104 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen. And that is so true - the hands are marvelous tools when they are working, but you don't stop and think about it until you try and stop using them.

Hooray for your snow! It is still raining here - it was coming down in a solid sheet this morning. I love the sound of it. In Indiana, I don't remember it raining like this where the heavens just open up and pour forth without any of the fancy stuff. No lightning or thunder, no wind, just solid rain. It does that a lot in this part of Georgia, and I will miss that when we move on.

My sister Cindy has a bathroom that is all done in bubble gum pink and a very vivid green. Her whole house is in 60s mode, and she and her husband are not ones to tackle changing things, so you need sunglasses to go in there. It's truly breath taking.

>105 RebaRelishesReading: And that's where you come out ahead - he knows his limits. I will admit that Craig being so handy is really great most of the time, but makes me completely crazy when he will not hire anything done unless there is a warranty involved.

>106 brodiew2: Hello, Brodie! Your post made me smile. As they say in the Deep South, it's been a minute. Do you have a thread?

>107 richardderus: I had forgotten about calamine lotion! Yes!! Exactly that color. Luckily my mom did not have an obsession with that particular color - I cannot imagine being surrounded by it. YIKES!

>108 PersephonesLibrary: Käthe, thanks for that! Made me smile. The headaches are weather related, I think. The wrists are better but still bothering me, so I am still really limiting my use of them.

'Morning, Mamie!

May all your non-warranty things work forever. Only still-under-warranty things can break.

We have had the same garage-door openers for almost 23 years. Bill had to get something done to his a couple of years ago, but it was relatively minor. Mine's always worked like a champ but has now started not closing when I try to do so from the car when I'm leaving. It works using the pad in the garage, so I usually start it, walk quickly, and then step over the sensor on my way out. We're talking about getting them both replaced.

Calamine lotion, lol! The only thing in my childhood that was that colour was ME! I attracted mosquitoes like a magnet and I spent every summer covered in the stuff. For some odd reason, as an adult, I rarely get mosquito bites any more - no complaints but it is odd. Still, Last summer I got a few and went to buy myself a bottle of the stuff.

Morning, Mamie! Enjoy that rain :)

>111 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Thank you for those most excellent wishes! Our garage door opener is very finicky. Sometimes it works just fine, and others I have to roll down the window and hold the control at just the right angle to make it work - so charming.

>112 jessibud2: Shelley, in this part of the Deep South it's not the mosquitoes you have to worry about - it's the gnats. We are below the Gnat Line, which is an actual thing, and they are a menace. Very crazy making, and everyone has a different theory about what you should do to keep them away.

>113 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! I am soaking it up. See what I did there?

Interesting that garage door openers are a topic here today. Ours decided to stop working a couple of days ago. I replaced the battery -- no help -- went to YouTube and saw how to reprogram them -- no help --

The house is 20 years old and I have no idea how old the garage door opener is. Perhaps it's time for new remotes?

Oh, I'm glad you're going to give King of Hearts a go, Mamie. What a charmer. That was our New Year's Eve movie - every year we find an old classic to watch. Debbi couldn't believe I hadn't seen K of H. I remember it was shown in a Harvard Square movie theater for what seemed like forever - the only one that outlasted it was The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Does Abby know the 12th Bride's Story is out? It's another good one.

Mary's Monster looks and sounds great. I'm on it.

Reading along the Atlas Obscura newsletter, I came across the question: "why do feral children scare us?"

...clearly someone who didn't/doesn't have children and/or was never a teacher wrote that...

>115 RebaRelishesReading: We replaced our garage door opener in January. The initial installer from before our time was the person who came out - about 50 years later. It had had a long run. At this point I don't think I remember what the new openers look like - Mike showed me some dark bits with a button or two, but no specific image sticks in my mind - as Californians we don't keep the cars in the garage, but use it as storage space lacking a basement or attic. Still, it's handy to be able to open it from time to time.

Many places here don't have garages here either, so no doors or openers. But even people who have garages don't usually use them to put cars in. I hope your headache and carpal tunnel issues are easing, Mamie.

Morning, Mamie. Happy Saturday. I started Mary's Monster yesterday and it drew me in immediately. The illustrations are gorgeous, along with the lovely verse. I have no idea how I missed this one, so I appreciate you putting it on my radar.

Hiya Mamie! Happy Saturday to you.

>114 Crazymamie: We always joke that if something isn’t working it’s because you’re not holding your mouth right.

Gnat Line. My first internet dive of the day. Did you know about this before you moved from Indiana to gnat central?

>114 Crazymamie: - Mamie, are gnats worse than Black Flies? Because black flies are the worst!! This little ditty is decades old but still as fresh and funny as ever:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+black+fly+song+youtube&docid=607995...

(and if you want another sweet treat, apropos to nothing, watch the one after it, by Canada's sweethearts, the McGarrigle Sisters).

>115 RebaRelishesReading: We had to replace the garage door opener here a few years ago, Reba. Of course, Craig did it himself. I know nothing about them except that when they don't work they are angry making. Hoping you get the problem with yours solved.

>116 jnwelch: Hello, Joe! I had never even heard of the movie before you mentioned it. I will report back when I have watched it.

Abby and Birdy have both read that most recent Bride's Story - Abby pre-orders them because she is collecting them in hardback. That artwork is so incredible, isn't it?

I know that you will love Mary's Monster, so I am very happy that it is firmly on the list.

>117 richardderus: Indeed. Although, we have experienced some truly awful teachers. Luckily, they are few and far between.

>118 quondame: Susan, 50 years is incredible! Above and beyond the call of duty. We keep my car in the garage, which saves me from heatstroke when I get in it in the summer (which lasts about 9 months down here). The rest of the garage is filled with stuff that apparently we cannot live without. Even if we didn't keep a car in there, I would want to be able to open the door easily to bring the groceries in, as that is by far the easiest and shortest way to get them into the kitchen.

>119 Familyhistorian: Meg, I was surprised when we started looking at houses for sale down here that a lot of them don't have garages. And a lot of them that do have garages don't have doors on the garage - it is just open, which is a complete mystery to me as I would be worried about snakes getting in there. What a ton of houses do have down here is a separate little storage shed type of thing that is built at the end of the driveway, so facing the driveway as you pull into it. I would love to build one of those so that Craig could keep All The Things in there instead of in the garage.

Thanks so much for those good wishes. Most appreciated.

>120 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Saturday! You are so welcome - I'm so happy someone else is reading and enjoying it. The illustrations and the verse go perfectly with the story - it's one I know I will read again and again.

>121 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Happy Saturdaying to you!

Too funny about how you hold your mouth!

We did not know about the Gnat Line. They purposefully did not tell us, so that is an indication of just how annoying the gnats are down here. When Craig retires, we will be moving above the Gnat Line for sure.

>122 jessibud2: No, Shelley, they are not worse than black flies because they don't bite. They are just annoying. Very. Annoying. Off to follow the link!

Urgh, bugs. I'd not heard of the gnat line, but that's good knowledge. I'm hoping the frost here is going to kill off a few in the garden. Every time I've been out this year I got bitten! I don't know how they get through the layers in winter, but they do. Maybe some citronella candles if the frost doesn't work.

I'll come back when the talk about gnats is over... I already feel the itching everywhere. 😂

Happy Saturday, dearest. Knowing the owww you're enduring, here's an assortment of noshings.

>118 quondame: Hate you tell you, Susan, but I was born, bred and lived in So. Cal for most of my life and I always put my car in the garage. (Does that mean I should turn in my passport?) Right now I wouldn't be able to get the car out of the garage for the snow on the driveway but soon I will need to figure out this opener thing.

Our CC&R's here in Washington require us to keep at least one car in the garage. We only have one car and it's a three-car garage so that leaves plenty of room for storage anyway.

>123 Crazymamie: Right, Mamie. Happy-making is always better than Angry-making!

We have a one-car garage, but it's just storage space. The snow we've been getting makes me wish we could put the car in there, but then, I guess, that would mean more driveway to shovel :)

Happy Saturday, Mamie!

>110 Crazymamie: Yes, it's been a while. But I am happy to be back. I've been catching up on The Expanse on Prime. I'm near the beginning of the most recent season. Have you seen it?

>124 Crazymamie: Mind, we only moved into the house in 1998. The original owners from 1970 had the garage door opener installed so I can't be sure how long it was there - I know the motor and a spring or two had to be replaced shortly after we moved in.

>130 RebaRelishesReading: We are worse junk accumulators than my parents, that's for sure - they kept a car in the garage except those winters when we set up the guinea pig cages there.
When we lived in a condo we garaged the cars - there was next to no street parking. But even though we really are in the city here - 3 min to the freeway, 2 min. to Dunkin' Donuts - we are in a sort of cul-de-sac neighborhood that could be transplanted to suburbia and fit right in. So since we can park in the driveway and on the street, we do. There are lots of awful drippy trees to contend with though, so tree-free spots are a competed for and those who have them in front of their houses get territorial.

>127 charl08: Right, Charlotte?! One of the theories about keeping them at bay is to put some vanilla behind your ears or to put it in a bandana and wear that around your neck. The best one I have discovered is to just take Craig with me when I go walking because the gnats always go directly for him and leave me alone.

>128 PersephonesLibrary: OH, dear, Käthe! I'm sure when you come back we will have switched topics.

>129 richardderus: Perfect! That looks most yum! Thank you kindly, BigDaddy. *smooch*

Catching up... nice to hear the Enola Holmes book(s?) is/are just as good as the film. I loved the film and was thinking about picking up the book but haven't gone for it yet. Guess I should!

Hope your weather headache has eased somewhat. Too many friends down for the count with weather-related migraines and headaches this week. :(

>130 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, what is CC&R? Some sort of neighborhood agreement thing?

>131 katiekrug: Hello, Katie! I am happy my car gets the garage space because the heat and the sun down here are not nice to cars. And don't get me started about the pollen.

>132 brodiew2: Brodie, I have only seen the first season of The Expanse, but it is very good. I loved the first book in the series, but I have not read further. Craig has read the first five or so. Have you read them?

>133 quondame: That is a very good run for a garage door opener, Susan. Replacing the garage door springs is one of the few things that Craig won't tackle on his own.

We have too much stuff also. Although we managed to get rid of a lot of crap when we moved, there is still a bunch of junk in the attic and garage here.

>135 dk_phoenix: Hello, Faith!! Lovely to see you here! I thought the book was just as charming as the film, although I missed the larger part that Sherlock got to play in the film. I hope they make more.

My headache is hanging on, but then it is still raining steadily here, so I am not surprised.

Hi Mamie! Happy Sunday to you and yours.

>130 RebaRelishesReading: I’m from SoCal too, and we always put our cars in the garage and Bill and I always put our cars in the garage now. I did have to train him, though. The house he built in 1984 and I moved into in 1991 when we got married didn’t even have a carport, much less a garage, but both houses we’ve built have garages and have always been used for our vehicles. Admittedly there is junk along the sides, but there is always room for the vehicles. Let’s not discuss the attic, closets, and other storage spaces in the house, though.

>134 Crazymamie: Excellent gnat solution, but poor Craig. My sister has always been the bug magnet in our family.

My sister Cindy has a bathroom that is all done in bubble gum pink and a very vivid green. Her whole house is in 60s mode, and she and her husband are not ones to tackle changing things, so you need sunglasses to go in there. It's truly breath taking.

Ohmygosh, Mamie, you got me laughing at this one! As you may know, I did a fair amount of painting and have some yet to do in my home, but thankfully nothing so... vivid... as that needs covering. Just some old smoke and water stains to cover up.

Hope you and your family have a lovely Sunday.

>136 Crazymamie: Oh, sorry, that must be a western term. It's "conditions, covenants and restrictions". They're attached to the deed as a sort of contract between the owner and other's in the same tract. They're sometimes called "deed restrictions" but don't know what they might be called elsewhere.

>140 RebaRelishesReading: we have covenants in the UK. Our last house had a few that were interesting. We weren't allowed to keep "any animal outside the range of the normal domestic pet". So no chickens or pigs in the back garden >;-)

Calamine lotion was my mum's cure-all for us as children. Heaven knows how many bottles of the stuff she used to get through. Mysteriously she always mistakenly called it Chamomile lotion!

>136 Crazymamie: I have not read any of the books but my brother has auntie says they are excellent.

>138 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I need to catch up with your thread. We only managed to make room for the car in the garage in Indiana when we put the house on the market. Heh. I love having my car in there now, and I am not giving it up.

>139 bell7: Mary, the wallpaper is striped with that pink and green - tiny stripes so it makes one feel slight vertigo. And there is one of those huge mirrors along the wall above the sink area that bounces it back at you.

Sunday was good - very lazy, and Craig presented all of us ladies with chocolates and takeout pizza. We don't usually do Valentine's Day, so it was a lovely treat.

>140 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I have always just heard that called Home Owner's Association Rules, but I have only lived in two neighborhoods that had those, and they were both in Indiana. I try to avoid them because I don't like to be bossed. Heh.

>141 Helenliz: Helen, one of the neighborhoods where I walk has goats. And chickens are very big down here. One of the neighborhoods we lived in in Indiana had a rule of no hanging laundry outside.

>142 PaulCranswick: Too funny, Paul! We went through loads of the stuff, too. I had completely forgotten about it until Richard mentioned it.

>143 brodiew2: Brodie, you should give them a go - I loved the first one.

Morning, Mamie! The weather is still brutal here, keeping me indoors. Lots of book time though. Loving both Paradise & Mary's Monster.

Morning, Mark! I liked but did not love Paradise when I read it. That was way before joining LT. I have not read any Morrison since then, but I should give her another try.

The Wayne's number one rule when buying a house is NO HOA. He also does not like to be bossed :)

Monday - you know what to do (or not to do...)

Hi Mamie! Happy Coffee Day. *smile*

How lovely - chocolates and pizza. Bill and I stopped 'doing' Valentine's Day. We don't need the cards, don't need the candy.

We have a HOA for our 15-house cul-de-sac private road, but it's mostly to collect dues so that we can occasionally repair or repave the road. There is a landscaping committee that has to approve additional buildings on a person's property, but to my knowledge they've never turned anything down. We're supposed to have an annual meeting but didn't last year and probably won't this year either. It's pretty laid back.

>148 katiekrug: >144 Crazymamie: I think a lot of people feel that way about HOA's but as long as the rules are ones I'm happy to comply with I'm OK with them because they keep my neighbors from doing things I wouldn't like (painting the house with polka-dots, parking 87 junk cars in their front yard, etc). There is a difference between CC&R's and HOA regulations though in that HOA regs are easier to change. And that reminds me that I misspoke, the "one car in the garage" rule is an HOA reg, not in the CC&R's.

We have an HOA where we live now, for the sole purpose of "governing" a driveway shared by 8 townhomes. The homes and the HOA were new when we moved in. It is unbelievable the way people can manufacture "issues" the HOA should deal with. I'm referring here to the officers who seem to be looking for a purpose. We've tried our best to ignore it but I'll be glad when we don't have to deal with it anymore.

>148 katiekrug: Yep, and I also don't like the monthly fees.

So far, so good with the Monday rules. It is very misty here and has been all day - it's kind of spitting out, which is not my favorite. Either rain or don't, I say. But the pecan grove behind us is looking very brooding and mysterious - like something out of a fairytale.

>149 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! The coffee was hazelnut today, which is my favorite. Craig and I have never done Valentine's Day, which is what made it such a surprise.

Our first home was a condo in Indianapolis which had very strict rules, and since then I try my best to avoid any type of HOA.

>150 RebaRelishesReading: As long as your happy with it, Reba, that is what counts. I just don't want any meetings, fees, rules...I am burned out on all those things.

>151 lauralkeet: Yep. Exactly my point. I don't play well with others in those types of situations. I just don't have the patience for petty.

S'mores Pizza delivery for a Mamie?

Is that you? Cause there's like a line of folks out here who want it if you don't.

S'mores pizza? I would eat that

>154 richardderus:, >155 mckait: - Me too! And as a grownup, you can make the rules, and have dessert for dinner! ;-) Right?

Morning, Mamie!

Our HOA sounds like Karen's: we pay yearly fees and then neither see nor hear anything from them. *shrug*

Morning, Mamie!

(That's all I got.)

Morning Mamie, hope you're drying out over there.
Way back when, our condo had an HOA and they did absolutely nada for us. The private road was full of potholes that went unnoticed - until we took the matter to city hall.
Thought I'd never go that route again but our development has one too. They however put the money to good use and our public areas well kept. So, I'm ok with them now. I spose it's all about who controls the pursestrings.

Having lived in condos for the past 25 years, this HOA seems pretty benign. There are some common landscaped areas that the HOA maintains with our dues and there are two meetings a year -- Zoom meetings now. On our way north there was a Zoom meeting and the two officers took the trouble to find out who we were and contacted us. We were able to "meet" some of the neighbors at that meeting. The whole thing was a really nice introduction to the neighborhood. I'm quite happy with it.

Morning, Mamie! Sweet Thursday. I hope you are healing up during your hiatus. Not much left in Mary's Monster. Despite the bleak narrative, I do not want this one to end.

Hi Mamie and happy Thursday to you. May your coffee be flavorful and your books interesting.

Hello Mamie! May there be no Grover in your grove and many peaches in your Georgia! :-P

After finishing up the Expanse I've been looking for a new show. I finally took the plunge on Disney+ and will be diving into 'The Mandolorian' and 'WandaVision'.

Hi Mamie, I hope you had a lovely week and could enjoy some fabulous reading time! How are your wrists doing?

Morning, Mamie!

It's Tuesday. Monday is over. You can come out now :)

>142 PaulCranswick: >145 Crazymamie: we had calamine lotion too! Was it pink? And did it dry out on your skin and sort of flake off? What the heck even was that stuff? lol

Hey Mamie. Wishing you a weekend full of nice.

Sorry if I'm misunderstanding from skimming, but I could see hints of you painting? Excuse my ignorance as everyone else knows what's going on. I am a month behind...

Hello, all! Sorry to be so boring and so absent, but I am still dealing with the CT and with the headaches. Luckily, the headaches are now more of a dull background kind of thing, but I haven't gotten a lot of reading or listening done, so nothing much to report.


18. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Kindle, acquired in 2020, Polish fiction/animal rights - 4 stars

I did finish Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, which was quirky and reflective - it had a fable feel to it but also deals with grief and animal rights. I liked the writing but it felt slightly too long - I might have done better to knock it back instead of sipping on it. I will try a reread of it some day - definitely will look for more by this author. She really captures a sense of place, which in this novel is a small village in Poland very close to the border of the Czech Republic. It is winter, so this counts as a Cold Read - I love reading books with cold setting to counter Georgia's almost constant heat and humidity. The title comes from a William Blake poem (Proverbs From Hell), and he figures prominently in this as the main character and a previous student of hers are translating Blake.

Still reading all the usual suspects, but I have been completely captivated by Sarah Moss's newest one Summerwater, which is full of fabulous - I will be finishing this up today, so will report back.

>154 richardderus: Well, that would go perfectly with coffee! Thank you kindly, BigDaddy.

>155 mckait: Sis, Daniel and Kaitlyn had make your own smores at their outdoor wedding reception, which was such a fun idea and so reflective of who they are - they love to go hiking and camping and always take along supplies to make smores.

>156 jessibud2: Shelley, my favorite is to have dessert for breakfast with my coffee.

>157 scaifea: Hello, Amber! I think that HOAs are only as good or bad as the people involved, but usually you don't know anything about the people because you are moving into a new home, so I just don't like to take that gamble anymore. Reba's sounds like a good one.

>158 katiekrug: Katie, that is more than I had, so good work!

>159 Carmenere: Howdy, Lynda! It has stopped raining but has still been mainly overcast - we had a few gorgeous days of sun with no humidity, which was most exciting. I got to run errands with the moonroof open, which was fun. Not sure what it says about me, but I actually like the gloom of an overcast day, and I love the rain. The sun was very cheerful, though, and without the usual heat that it visits upon us. I know that you love the sun, so it made me think of you.

>160 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, your HOA seems like the best sort - hope it continues to please.

>161 msf59: Thanks for stopping in, Mark. I feel like I am moving forward, so that is good. That bleak narrative in Mary's Monster is Mary Shelley's story - she had a rough life. I cannot imagine dealing with that much loss so young.

>162 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! The coffee is almost always good. Not getting much reading done, but what I have read has been good, so there is that.

Catching up here, Mamie. I am going to have a garage for the first time ever once I get back to Kansas, a big 2-car affair with a workshop all the way across the back in a separate room.

My Highlander will go on the right, and all my craft show stuff (shelves with boxes, folding tables and chairs, canopy) on the left, and hopefully a pottery studio in back! And garage door openers!! I also have a shed in the back of the property for garden stuff. Excited!!!

And I didn't want any HOAs or restrictions either, when I bought. While they can be benign, it is another ongoing expense and opportunity for frictions.

Hope your hands and head are doing better, Mamie.

>163 brodiew2: Hey, Brodie! If the Grover you are speaking of is the Sesame Street Grover, then he is most welcome - I love Grover. And they pick the peaches too soon down here, which is disappointing.

The girls love The Mandalorian, and Birdy says that WandaVision is da Bomb. I am thinking you are in for some good entertainment.

>164 PersephonesLibrary: Hello, Käthe! Thank you for those good wishes. I am still having trouble with my wrists, but feel like I am making slow progress in the right direction.

>165 katiekrug: Monday was a doozy, Katie. The rest of the week was good, though. We skipped Mexican takeaway yesterday because we are making our own tonight - the Skinnytaste Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas With Creamy Salsa Verde.

Hi Mamie!

I'm glad to see you back posting and am so sorry about the CT and headaches.

>169 Crazymamie: Well, drat. Not only a BB, but I actually just bought the trade paperback on Amazon.

I wasn't raised in the culture at all, but my mother's side of the family is from Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. In fact, I'm 1/2 Czech American.

>166 LovingLit: Yep, Megan, that the stuff we're talking about. I have no idea what was in it, but it did work.

>167 Helenliz: Hello, Helen! That is a most excellent wish - thank you, kindly.

>168 The_Hibernator: Hiya, Rachel. No worries about skimming or being behind - I am also very behind on the threads. No painting going on here.

>173 ronincats: Hello there, Roni! Lovely to see you. Your garage sounds perfect - ours is a two car but no extra space, and Craig would love that workshop all along the back. I love that you are going to use that space for a pottery studio. I also drive a Highlander!! His name is Connery.

Completely agree with you about HOAs - I just don't want to have to deal with that.

The head is better - the hands are getting there. Thank you for those good wishes.

>175 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I have missed typing that. And thank you.

I hope you like it. It's quirky and different. I love the cover, so hooray for the trade paperback. So fascinating about your heritage - I love discovering that type of stuff.

I am so hoping your owwies leave you the hell alone for the rest of the year...but *smooch* just in case they slither back under the door with the CT spiders.

Thank you so much for that, BigDaddy! Most appreciated. *smooch back*

Morning, Mamie! I'm so sorry that you're still hurting - I hope it all eases up for you soon.

Morning, Amber! Thank you.

Happy Sunday Mamie!

So what do the denizens of the Pecan Paradisio do for sports when football is done? My husband mutters a lot about sports hell, which would usually take a while. However, he's very unhappy with the men's UNC Chapel Hill Tarheels basketball team so sports hell's kicked in early.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Sunday. Sorry, the recovery has been going slowly but it sounds like there is some improvement. You know we are cheering you on. We are enjoying a warm-up here, as it will reach 50F again today.

Hi Mamie, hopefully you'll get rid of the pain soon. How are you doing? Do you manage to read a little bit?

Hello Mamie. I'll join the multitude in wishing you godspeed to being pain free!

Lupin, though! Check it out if you have not already.

Dropping by to say hello! Hi Mamie, Funny to see garage door openers being discussed. Our 24 yr old system finally quit on us and we had a new one installed last week. Not the most fun thing to spend $$$ on, but it’s so quiet now and that’s kind of nice.

>182 karenmarie: Afternoon, Karen! I pretty much mourn football until it comes around again. I also like to watch tennis and soccer, but nothing compares to football for me.

>183 msf59: Hello, Mark! Thank you, and yes, there has been improvement, so that is happy making. The scrolling on the computer just really sends me, so I am trying to be minimal with computer usage. I am happy that the headaches have calmed down, so I am reading again.

Your weather comments made me smile - 50s would be cold here, and I would love that. We have been experiencing 70s and 80s. Today it is raining again but not steadily and very humid, so kind of yuck.

>184 PersephonesLibrary: Hello, Käthe! Doing better, so I am getting there, thanks for asking. I have been managing to get back to the books. Finished up Summerwater, which I absolutely loved.

>185 brodiew2: Hey, Brodie! Thank you.

I will check that out - thanks for the tip.

>186 Copperskye: Hello, Joanne! Thanks for dropping in! So quiet - what kind did you get? I feel like ours has a bit of an attitude, and it is definitely not quiet.

>188 Crazymamie: It's a LiftMaster. No attitude, so far.

That's good - take your time and care of yourself. Hopefully your recovery will continue quickly. Summerwater sounds interesting! Here's to more great reads you'll love!

>41 Crazymamie: I recently received a copy of Mary's Monster. Yay!

Hi Mamie. I have a copy of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead on the TBR shelf. I love your comments about it.

Hope your hands and head are pain free, Mamie. Does the weather there affect you at all in terms of headaches in particular as I would guess it would be so much more humid than Indiana?

Wishing all at the Pecan Paradisio a fabulous weekend.

Hoping the weeked does you proud, Mamie!

Morning, Mamie! Happy Saturday! I hope you are doing well and getting plenty of reading in. I am sure enjoying the warm-up we are having here. Yah!

'Morning, Mamie! Happy Saturday to all at the Pecan Paradisio.

Happy weekend wishes, Mamie!

Hello Mamie! I hope you are doing well in your absence.

I started watching Line of Duty on Prime and its is excellent! It is a well written and acted British police procedural. But, my goodness is it intense!

Come back soon.

>189 Copperskye: Ah. Thanks for that. Hoping it continues to behave itself.

>190 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you, Käthe. I am making progress. The trick is not to overdo it when I am having a good day - I am not good with being patient.

Summerwater was SO good. I need to put together a few thoughts on it, and thank you for those good reading mojo wishes.

>191 EBT1002: Hooray for that, Ellen! It's so well done.

SO glad you loved my comments about Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead - it is one that has stayed with me, and I continue to think about it.

>192 PaulCranswick: Not pain free yet, Paul, but I am getting there. So much better. The headaches are definitely weather related - weather fronts and pressure changes send me, and the humidity is NOT GOOD. And yes, you are right that it is much more humid than in Indiana, and the humidity is pretty much year round down here. We just get small breaks in it but not an entire season of a break - more like a few days here and there.

>193 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen! The weekend was good. Daniel came over and helped Craig to move the dryer vent in our laundry/pantry room. The previous vent was situated in the floor, so that our machines had to sit out from the wall, making an already narrow space even tighter. Daniel had to work from under the house in the crawl space, so he gets major bonus points for doing that. We were able to move the machines back against the wall, so gained about six inches, which doesn't sound like much but really makes a huge difference in how the space feels. I am still giddy about it.

>194 msf59: Hello, Mark! I feel like I am finally getting back into the reading - I was mostly binge watching Netflix and Prime there for a bit.

Hooray for your warm up. We have been getting some sun, too.

>195 karenmarie: Morning, Karen, although now it is the dreaded Monday. Already it is off to a bad start - I woke up at 12:30 am and could not go back to sleep. Read for a bit on my Kindle, and by a bit I mean a few hours. Finally got up and took a shower at 4am, then read some more. Back to sleep from 7-8am, which leaves me feeling like it should be Tuesday by now.

>169 Crazymamie: I did read Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead last year, Mamie. Liked it slightly better (4.5 stars). For me it was an intriguing book, touching many issues, like animal rights, the role of religion, male dominance, justice etc.

>196 katiekrug: Thank you for that, Katie! The weekend was good. Craig and Rae took Friday off, so we had a long weekend. And on Saturday, Daniel and Craig got the washer and dryer moved as described above to Helen. Then Kaitlyn came over to join us in the evening for dinner, so the whole family was here which was lovely. Yesterday I made delicious breakfast burritos and then pretty much just lounged around - finished reading The Snow Leopard and binged watched Agathe Koltès, which is a French police procedural. Decadent.

>197 brodiew2: Hello, Brodie! Thank you for those good wishes. Recently, I have been watching Ice Cold Murders, which is excellent, Inspector Manara, which reminds me a bit of Death in Paradise, and the above mentioned Agathe Koltès - all police procedurals.

>200 FAMeulstee: Anita, I can't stop thinking about it, so I may have to raise my rating of that one. It has stayed with me, and you are so right that it is intriguing. I loved the scene in the church where she yells at the clergy.

>202 Crazymamie: Janina is a character who stays with you for a long time. There were many scenes I loved, including the one you mentioned. I will probably read this book again.

Glad you had a good weekend Mamie! Have a nice week!

>199 Crazymamie: Ugg!! Hope you get an early night tonight and wake up to a lovely Tuesday (for real). Congrats on gaining 6" in your laundry room. Our w&d have to be a bit out from the wall because the vent opening doesn't line up with the dryer so I know what you mean.

>203 FAMeulstee: Agreed, Anita. I know I will reread it, too.

>204 The_Hibernator: Thank you, Rachel!

>205 RebaRelishesReading: Ugg is right, Reba. Thank you for those good wishes - I need them. I am so happy with the laundry room fix. It made it tight to stand there and load and unload the machines, which was kind of a pain. They look so much better now, and even though it was only six inches, it makes such a difference to how the space looks and feels.

Hi, Mamie!

Those small changes to a room can have such a big impact, don't they? I love that you describe the feeling as "giddy" - I know exactly what you mean!

Hi Mamie!

>199 Crazymamie: Sorry to hear that you had such a rough start to the Dread Day and I hope today is starting off better.

Yay for the 6 inches of gained space, and kudos to Craig and Daniel.

Well done on the extra space. in a tight space that extra little bit can make all the difference.
We had a tidy out at the weekend and went to the tip for the first time in (probably) over a year. That's made space in all sorts of different places. The old office chair of the landing has gone and I can't get over how big the landing looks without it. It must have looked really cramped when he swopped chair 9 months ago...

Hi, Mamie. I'm more than halfway through Mary's Monster and loving it, as you predicted. :-) I know Mark did, too. You got me with Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. Sounds like my kind of book.

Sorry to hear about the headaches and the difficulty scrolling, but glad to hear at least the former is better.

Inspector Manara?! I loved that one, but don't even know exactly how I found it, except by poking around. It did remind me a bit of Death in Paradise. Now I'm trying Prime Suspect Tennison, a prequel to Helen Mirren's Prime Suspect. Not light, but very good so far.

P.S. I'm glad Abby is collecting A Bride's Story. Yes, the art is remarkable. What a dab hand Kaoru Mori is.

Hey Mamie! I got 9,000 steps on my fitbit yesterday. The first time in I don't know how long. Probs since October. Hope things are going well at the Paradisio.

Hope the reads are treating you well, Mamie, and that your wrists are too. I've heard good things about Summerwater which I have on hold at the library.

Was a bit disappointed that Summerwater wasn't put up in the Women's Prize Longlist.

>207 scaifea: Hello, Amber! Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference. Especially in an area that gets used every day. Our very first house is the only one I have lived in that had a dedicated laundry room with a door, and it was one of my favorite things. It also had a very nice sized pantry with a door in the kitchen. This house is much bigger, and yet it has a laundry room/pantry that is open from the kitchen and garage - two spaces that get used all the time, and yet just room for a person to stand and either face the laundry or the pantry. Not horrible but also not ideal. The extra six inches makes me feel like I can breathe in there now - SO much nicer.

>208 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! The rest of the week has indeed gone better. Craig and Daniel are keepers, for sure. *grin*

>209 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen. Hooray for both os us and our extra space. It feels liberating, doesn't it?!

>210 jnwelch: Hey, Joe! Glad you are loving Mary's Monster - I just knew you would. And I do think you will like Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead when you get to it.

The headaches have receded and the wrists are doing much better, thank you.

I also found Inspector Manara by poking around through what is on offer - I like to spend time looking through things and adding them to the queue, so that when I am ready to watch I have several choices. Season two of Mallorca Files just became available - we loved season one. Miss Scarlet and the Duke was fun, and also Shakespeare and Hathaway. I have both of the Tennison ones in my queue, but I have not watched either of them yet. I like to pair some of the heavier stuff with lighter ones to balance things out. Craig likes the lighter stuff, but Rae and I have to do the heavy lifting on our own. She is my partner in crime.

'Morning, Mamie! I hope your morning coffee is tasty and that there are good things on the agenda for today.

>214 Crazymamie: When we built our house in 1998, we had a long skinny utility room with barely enough room to open the dryer door without it hitting the far wall. We also had an adjacent coat closet and half bath. About 5 years after we moved in we tore down the walls between the utility room, closet, and half bath and made one big room. Still had the half bath features but a long counter with lots of storage space above and below, and some built-in hanging space. We'll never build another house, but I sure do know what would work for us if we did!

>211 Carmenere: Hello, Lynda! My Fitbit has given up the ghost, and I have decided not to replace it - I wish they would make a better device that would last longer and hold up. I really love using it but hate how often I have had to replace it.

Things are the Paradisio are going well, mostly. Tomorrow is Rae's birthday, so there will be singing and seven layer bars.

>212 Familyhistorian: I cannot complain, Meg. Both the wrists and the reading have been holding their own. I even got back to doing some cooking this week, which was lovely.

Summerwater was full of fabulous. So well done, and I love that type of linked vignettes thing that show you the story from different angles and viewpoints. What Moss does so well is tap into what people think about and how they analyze those thoughts in their own internal monologue. Things you think about but don't necessarily talk about. I love everything I have read by her so far.

>213 PaulCranswick: I agree, Paul. It's worthy.

>216 karenmarie: Karen!! Good morning - what a lovely surprise to finish up posting and see that you have been here in the meanwhile. Coffee is excellent - maple bourbon today. And later there will be Mexican takeaway for lupper because it is Friday - love me a Friday!

And that's just it isn't it?! Knowing what works for you. If I were building a house, I would include a dedicated laundry room with loads of storage and that long counter you mention for folding. And a door. If this were going to be our forever home, there are things I would change in a heartbeat, but we will not retire here, so I choose my battles carefully.

Choosing your battles carefully was something I learned with my daughter. *smile*

I seem to recall you saying you guys are considering NC for your next/final move. Wherever it is, will you build or try to find something that has more/most/all of what you want?

Our utility room has a pocket door - I love pocket doors. We have 4 of them in this house. The other three are one of the two doors in the Library, upstairs Parlour, and hallway door to the upstairs shared bath.

>217 Crazymamie: Happy early birthday to Rae! Singing is critical for birthdays, of course. 7 Layer Bars? If they're what I'm thinking of, mine are 6 ingredients (graham crackers, butter, sweetened-condensed milk, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and nuts).

When we looked at our current house, the laundry room was one of the things that sold me immediately: it's on the second floor, so no hauling baskets up stairs, and it's *ginormous*! It has its own sink and cabinet area and a wonderful countertop the runs the length of the room on one side, so all the folding can be done right there, plus the former owners hung a cool old ladder above the counter (and were lovely enough to leave it) for hanging clothes. I. LOVE. It.

>219 karenmarie: Ha! I have five sisters and three daughters, so that is where I learned it, too.

Right - we are definitely set on the Carolinas of at all possible, depending on where the kids are then. I love North Carolina and would settle there in a heartbeat. I think building with Craig would be a nightmare as he tends to overthink everything. And by everything, I mean outlet placement, switch placement, plumbing, lighting...it would be very tedious and probably painful for everyone involved, so finding a home that would fit would be a better choice.

I love real doors best, but a pocket door on the laundry would be perfectly fine.

Thank you for Rae, and yes you are thinking of the right dessert. The seventh layer is coconut.

>220 scaifea: Your laundry room sounds perfect, Amber! Love the idea of a ladder - what a great idea.

We enjoyed Miss Scarlet and the Duke, too, although once again we were surprised by how short a BBC "season" can be - four episodes, really? Now that I'm nearing the end of what's out there for Vera, I need to find a new one. I finished Prime Suspect Tennison, and found out that, while it did well with audiences, there's no second season because of a dispute with the author (it was based on a book). Money? Artistic control? Arggh. Too bad.

I'm reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Jennifer Doudna, called The Code Breaker. She's the one who figured out a lot of how RNA and CRISPR and gene editing can be used to fight disease. Excellent so far. I'm pretty sure this is what our covid vaccines are based on, and why we got them so relatively quickly, instead of having to wait for them to find some chemical composition that would fight the virus.

Happy pre-Birthday to Rae! I'm old and I forget so wanted to send happy wishes early. The celebration sounds de-lightful!

>222 jnwelch: I was just reading about The Code Breaker somewhere — I think an author I follow on Twitter recommended it? I put it on my library list, so I'm glad to hear you've got a positive reaction, Joe.

>221 Crazymamie: You set the parameters...x bedrooms/bathrooms, center-island kitchen, la suite de la laundrée, double wall ovens with a 3cu ft microwave-cum-extractor-fan over the six-burner Wolf stove with central griddle/reversible grill, how many staff will clean/cook/garden...and leave Craig to execute it.

Heavens, woman, have you learned *nothing* living among the Belles?

Happy birthdae to Rae!

Welcome to Saturday and the weekend, Mamie. Happy birthday to Rae. Enjoy the day, whatever you do to celebrate.

Wishing you a good weekend Mamie, free of pain. I am reading Deacon King Kong as it came in the post this week all shiny (paperback just out here). I am feeling in good company as my cover proudly announces that it's an Obama favourite.

Happy Saturday Mamie and happy birthday to Rae!

I am glad to read that you are feeling a bit better, Mamie! Happy reading Sunday!

Happy pre-Tuesday, Mamie! Hope you're doing well!

If you find that fitbit isn't worth it for you any longer I would suggest an apple watch. I adore mine and have had it for almost two years now and it's still going strong

Catching up and checking in--glad your wrists and hands are better.

I have an upstairs laundry room in the new house I am moving to. We'll see how I like it. They put it in a bedroom-sized room so there is surely plenty of space.

Happy Weekend, Mamie. I hope you're having a good one.

I'm still reading The Code Breaker - it's a bit of a doorstop - and still loving it. I attended an online author appearance by Isaacson last night, and it was terrific. The whole history of gene editing is fascinating, and we're on the cusp of being able to do so much in fighting disease. Both the Moderna and Pfizer covid vaccines came from this new biotechnology (which is why we got them so fast). Isaacson is a smart guy and a great story teller.

>221 Crazymamie: you are awol! Hope all is well, and that you are sleeping OK, and reading lots (but not between 1 and 5 am) and watching some good content on Netflix!

Hello, everyone! I am feeling my old self again. Finally. The weather here is full of gorgeous - slight breeze, no humidity and warm enough to have the windows and French doors open. I am enjoying spending time on the the screened in porch again. The only negative is the pollen - it coats everything in a 24 hour period, so you have to clean everything off in the morning and then do it all over again the next day. A small price to pay for this reprieve before summer hits full stride. It feels like taking a deep breath.

On the reading front, I have been mostly in Italy - I got on an Italy kick and have been to Naples, Florence, and Venice:



23. I Will Have Vengeance by Maurizio de Giovanni, translated by Anne Milano Appel, trade paperback, acquired in 2014, police procedural/Naples/1930s - 4 stars (Commisario Riccardi, book 1) - recommended by Ellen

24. Death in August by Marco Vichi, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Kindle, acquired in 2018, police procedural/Florence (Inspector Bordelli, book 1) - 3 stars

25. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon, Kindle, acquired in 2019, police procedural/Venice (Commissario Brunetti, book 1) - 3 stars

26. Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/Florence/ just pre-WWII - 3 stars

I Will Have Vengeance and Death at La Fenice both involved opera, so that was fun - it is used very cleverly in the first book, and I had a lot of fun looking things up and listening to all of the beautiful music. I Will Have Vengeance does an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere in 1930s Naples, and I loved the main character - he sees dead people. Specifically, he sees dead people who have died violently in their final moments. This one is one of Europa's World Noir editions (they are beautiful!), and I have the next three books in the series, so I will be continuing it. I also plan on continuing the other two series - all of these were first books in a series, so three new series added to my overflowing list, but it's all good. Up at the Villa is a standalone that is short and sweet - kind of like falling into a soap opera (see what I did there?!). I read it in one sitting, and the ending did not disappoint.

Other reads this month are:

20. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, paperback (with deckled edge pages!), acquired in 2016, travel writing/Nepal/Tibet/Buddhism/grief - 4 stars

21. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourne, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical mystery (Veronica Speedwell, book 1) - 4 stars - recommended by Chelle

22. Paper Girls: Volume 3 by Brian K Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 3 stars

27. West by Carys Davies, Kindle, acquired in 2020, historical fiction/western/novella - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen

I really like the image of your book case. What a treasure.

Hi Mamie! I'm glad you're feeling more yourself and enjoying the weather. I'm also glad you liked West :)

>234 Crazymamie: The weather here is full of gorgeous... The weather is such a force in our moods. Glad your weather is as good as ours (well, for today anyway). Happy reading.

>222 jnwelch: Hiya, Joe! You are right that the BBC series are much shorter than American tv series, but the individual episodes are also longer, so there is that. I am hoping for more of Miss Scarlet and the Duke. Have you watched Mallorca Files or Shakespeare and Hathaway - we loved both of those and are currently waiting for more. I also really loved Agathe Koltes and Ice Cold Murders. We are currently working our way through Inspector Manara and rewatching Buffy - we love Buffy!

Code Breaker sounds good - I bet you have finished it by now, so I will come see your final thoughts on it. In vaccine news, Georgia has opened appointments for everyone over the age of 16, so I need to schedule mine. Daniel has already gotten his first dose, but the girls and I need to get ours.

>223 Carmenere: Lynda, she had an excellent birthday. Thanks for those good wishes.

>224 rosalita: It does sound like a good one, Julia.

>235 Whisper1: Hello, Linda! Thank you so much - we love that bookcase. It is happy making every time I see it, and I love to rearrange the books on it.Currently it has all TBR books on it.

>236 katiekrug: Hey, Katie! Thank you. West was so good! I am happy you hit me with that one, as it is not one I would have picked myself - I tend to shy away from most things that can be labeled as a western. The ending was perfect. So perfect.

>237 weird_O: So true, Bill. Lovely to see you here, oh weird one. And thank you - hoping your reading is also full of happy.

>225 richardderus: I love how you think, BigDaddy! It would be so great to have a dream kitchen. Your post made me laugh - I will think about it. I thank you for those birthday wishes for Rae. Her last year to be in her twenties!

>226 Helenliz: Helen, thank you. We had a low key celebration, which is what she wanted. Daniel and Kaitlyn came over for dinner and then we just hung out. It was lovely.

I was thinking of you the other day when I placed an order with Teapigs. We ordered more of that delicious rooibos créme caramel that you recommended, the spiced winter red, and the limited edition hot cross buns tea.

>227 charl08: You are indeed in good company, Charlotte! I am wanting to get to that one

>228 souloftherose: Thank you for those lovely wishes, Heather! SO great to see you here!! Please give Tink a scritch behind the ears for me.

>229 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you, Käthe. The reading has been very good to me.

>230 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle. I am feeling much better. I am thinking about asking for the Apple watch for my birthday. I did try one last time with the current Fitbit and got it to sync, much to my amazement. I am not counting on it lasting for long, though. My newest daughter Kaitlyn loves her Apple watch, so she also suggested going that route.

>231 ronincats: Roni, I am feeling SO much better. I think an upstairs laundry would be great in a two story house. Our bedroom here in on the ground level, so I am happy to have laundry located just off the kitchen. I am so excited for you and the new house - it's so full of fabulous.

>232 jnwelch: The weekend was good, Joe. We got the pool all opened up and ready for business. It was an excellent combo of lazy and getting stuff done.

The gene editing is fascinating. Code Breaker sounds like one for The List.

>233 LovingLit: Hello, Megan! Yes, I have been AWOL. The insomnia continues - I do some of my best reading between 1-5 am. Heh. I have also been giving my Netflix and Amazon Prime a workout. We have found some really good stuff, so that's been fun. Also re-watching through some old favorites.

Hi Mamie! I’m glad you’re feeling better. Pollen sucks, doesn't it? I’ve been sneezing for weeks now.

>238 Crazymamie: We rewatched Buffy late last year then immediately went into Angel. Not as good, but better than I remember from the only other time I watched it.

>243 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Thank you. And yes to the pollen comment. It's truly amazing how very much there is of it down here.

I have only watched the first two episodes of Angel, so I plan on getting back to that after Buffy. Maybe I'll actually watch all the way through this time - I have never survived the college years.

I think I am caught up with my thread, but if I missed you:

Hi Mamie! Glad you're feeling better and enjoying your spring weather. The pollen sounds awful though.

Hello, Reba, and thank you! The pollen is indeed awful - and Mischief is allergic, so she has to get injections every thirty days.

Hello, Mamie!!

Chiming in as a *huge* and devoted Buffy fan. If you can get yourself to manage it, do try to make it to the end of the series - Buffy offers up the very best series finale I have every experienced.

Ah, poor Mischief. Give her a stroke from me please.

Glad you're back, glad all's well.....except for poor little Mischief...I can relate.

Glad to hear things are better chez Mamie and that the weather's nice.
mmm. Tea. I've not ordered the Hot cross bun tea, I can't decide if I like the idea or not. I love actual hot cross buns thought, so maybe I should just do it.

>248 scaifea: Hey, Amber! Oh, so great to hear about the ending - I will endeavor to finish it this time.

>249 RebaRelishesReading: Will do, Reba. She kept getting an irritated belly, so they did a biopsy and it turned out to be severe allergic reaction. We did the testing, and she is allergic to A LOT of stuff, but pollen from a bunch of different trees and dust mites were huge reactions for her. She doesn't go outside, but she loves sitting in an open window and lounging on the screened-in porch.

>250 Carmenere: Lynda, our Bella was allergic to practically everything, so it's familiar territory, but I wish it weren't so. We also switched our her food.

>251 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen. I have not tried the hot cross buns tea yet, but it smells fabulous.

Mamie's back!!

Happiness may now creep back in to the grey fog-shrouded wretchedness.

>253 richardderus: You are so sweet! Thank you, BigDaddy. *smooch and a bear hug*

Yay to feeling well enough to dive back in and to a spell of good weather.

Welcome back without the achooooo! And the pool is open. : )

Hiya Mamie!

>247 Crazymamie: *blinks* I didn’t realize animals could be allergic to pollen. Live and learn. Poor Mischief.

>248 scaifea: and >252 Crazymamie: Another vote for finishing Buffy.

>255 quondame: Thanks, Susan! This morning there is a thick fog here - that always feels magical to me as long as I don't have to drive in it.

>256 Berly: Thank you, Kim! Abby has already been for a dip in the pool this past weekend - Craig was hoping it might help her arm to be able to move it around in the water.

>257 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I had no idea that cats could be allergic to pollen, either.

Rae and I are currently in season two of Buffy, but we are both wanting to watch all of it this time, so we shall see.

Morning, Mamie! Welcome back, my friend. You were missed. I am glad you are feeling better. Hugs!

28. Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, translated by ?, audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classic - 3 stars

I picked this up because Kate Winslet is a fantastic narrator. I have listened to several books she has done, and they were full of fabulous, so as soon as I saw this one, I snapped it up. And I am trying to read more classics and more translations. Speaking of translations, I have no idea who did this one - I have looked and looked but cannot discover who the translator was for this edition, so if any of you know please speak up. I wish Audible would do a better job of crediting the translators - I feel like I always have to go looking for it in other sources. Anyway, it's awful. The story is awful and the people in it are awful, and yet I could not look away. It's about lust and greed and murder and paranoia, and the best character is not the title character but instead Madame Raquin, who is the aunt and MIL of Thérèse. The story loses a full star for me because of what happens to the cat near the end of the story - it is horrible and completely gratuitous. What Zola did do well was to create psychological tension that slowly builds into madness, and even though you know how it has to end you have to watch it play out. It's like an Alfred Hitchcock movie without the comic relief or the character that you root for.

>259 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thank you, my friend.

>260 Crazymamie: - I also snapped this one up because I love Winslet as a narrator...

Glad to see you are back, Mamie!

Poor Mischief, allergies are no fun. One of our dogs was allergic to some pollen and dust mite, and so is Frank. Spring may be nice in weather, autumn is nicer to those suffering from pollen.

>262 katiekrug: I hope she does more, Katie.

>263 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! So true that allergies are no fun - I am glad to at least know what was causing her skin irritation. Autumn is my very favorite season.

I didn't know that cats could be allergic to pollen. Poor Mischief. Too bad about the Fitbit, Mamie. I got a lot of use out of my first one, got it in 2015 and replaced it this year but I have a friend with a new Apple watch that she's very happy with.

>265 Familyhistorian: Me, either, Meg. I guess at least she is not an outdoor cat. She is very good about not complaining.

I did get my Fitbit to sync, I just don't know how long it will continue to do so. I will continue using it until it dies and then probably switch to an Apple watch, but I will miss all my stats and badges.

Morning, Mamie!

Morning, Katie!