Karen (aka witchyrichy) Just Reads in 2021 - Part 2

I am Karen Richardson, 59 years old, living in rural south central Virginia with my husband,Bob, Spot and Major (the two very good dogs), and Circe (the cat who adopted us in 2020). I am the Executive Director of the Virginia Society for Technology in Education, a state nonprofit focusing on helping educators integrate technology in their schools and classrooms. I have loved the job but am retiring from day to day oversight in June 2022.

This is my seventh year in the 75ers group. I am looking forward to reading and sharing with all of you again this year.

At some point early in the year, I gave myself permission to read whatever I wanted, and I have had a fabulous year! Decided I needed a second thread to get me through the year. I am planning to make time to write reviews as I have read some wonderful books this year!

What I Am Reading Now

Loving Kindness by Sharon Salzberg (reread)

January 8

Field of Thirteen by Dick Francis
The Pledge by Howard Fast
The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
Banker by Dick Francis
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie (audio)

February 5

The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough
Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce
The Summer of My Greek Taverna by Tom Stone
Real Change by Sharon Salzberg
Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Khendi

March 15

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
The Incredible Civil War by Burke Davis
The Kaiser's Web by Steve Berry
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (audio)
Odds Against by Dick Francis
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas (audio)
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie
True Refuge by Tara Branch
Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott
Testimony by Robbie Robertson
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

Total: 28

April - June

April 11

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
On to the Next Dream by Paul Madonna
Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 by Ryan H. Walsh
The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
Deborah Goes to Dover by Marion Chesney
Ready Player 2 by Ernest Cline
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

May 8

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall
Glass Houses by Louise Penny
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
Bonecrack by Dick Francis
The Legend of Greg by Chris Rylander
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer
The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman

June 7
Eleanor in the Village by Jan Jarboe Russell
The Widow of the South
Shadows of the Stone Benders
The Kingdom of the Blind
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

Total: 26

July - September

July 5

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
susan, linda, nina & cokie
Closing the Gap: Digital Equity Strategies for the K-12 Classroom
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

August 8

A Better Man by Louise Penny
A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King (audio)
The Reef by Nora Roberts
The Moor by Laurie R. King (audio)
Code Girls by Liza Mundy
China by Edward Rutherford
Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman
The President is Missing by James Patterson & Bill Clinton

September 15

The President's Daughter
All The Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
The President's Daughter by James Patterson & Bill Clinton
Redshirts by John Scalzi
Mad Mouse by Chris Grabenstein
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
Classified as Murder by Miranda James
Decider by Dick Francis
Sunrise By the Seas by Jenny Colgan
O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King (audio)
The Women's March: A Novel of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Bookman's Wake by John Dunning
Justice Hall by Laurie R. King (audio)
Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter

28

October 14

The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey
The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Game by Laurie R. King (audio)
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Manna from Hades by Carola Dunn
Locked Rooms by Laurie R. King
The Valley of the Shadow by Carola Dunn
State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hilary Rodham Clinton
Buried in the Country by Carola Dunn
The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg
A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates (audio)
A Bookman's Promise by John Dunning
Whack-a-Mole by Chris Grabenstein

November 11
The Sign of the Book by John Dunning
Deadly Ever After by Eva Gates
The Bookwoman's Last Fling by John Dunning
Whip Hand by Dick Francis
Come to Grief by Dick Francis
True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy
Shattered by Dick Francis
10 LB Penalty by Dick Francis
Under Orders by Dick Francis
For Kicks by Dick Francis
Second Wind by Dick Francis

December 16
Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabar
The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King (audio)
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King (audio)
Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost (audio)
'Twas the Knife Before Christmas y Jacqueline Frost (audio)
Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
The Confectioner's Tale by Laura Madeleine
The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer
The Great Witches Baking Show by Nancy Warren
The Writers by Robert Wernick
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Slashing Through the Snow by Jacqueline Frost (audio)
Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell
The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer

41

√ 1. Nature or Environment: Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell

√ 2. Title Describes You: Sense and Sensibility with me being Sense

√ 3. Contains a Love Story: Deborah Goes to Dover

√ 4. Your Heartily Recommend: The Essex Serpent

√ 5. Impulse Read! A Redbird Christmas

√ 6. Suggested by Another Generation: The Legend of Greg

√ 7. About Time or Time Word in Title: The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England

√ 8. By or About Marginalized Groups: The Best We Could Do

√ 9. 20 or Fewer LT Members: On to the Next Dream by Paul Madonna (8 members on 4/3/2021)

√ 10. Classical Element in Title: The Invention of Air

√ 11. Set Somewhere You Would Like to Visit (Three Pines!): Glass Houses by Louise Penny

√ 12. Dark or Light Word in Title: The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

√ 13. Read a CAT or a KIT: June AlphaKIT is C, D: The Secret Chord

√ 14. New To You Author: Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

√ 15. Arts & Recreation: The Writers by Robert Wernick

√ 16. Senior Citizen Protagonist: The Love Story of Missy Carmichael

√ 17. Type of Building in Title: Glass Houses

√ 18. Less than 200 Pages: The Ladies of Missalonghi

√ 19. 2 or More Authors: The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton

√ 20. Character You'd be Friends With: My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

√ 21. One-Word Title: Testimony

√ 22. About History or Alternative History: Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968

√ 23. Made You Laugh: Redshirts by John Scalzi

√ 24. Southern Hemisphere The Thornbirds

√ 25. About or Contains Magic: Equal Rites

Happy new thread, Karen. You have done some great reading this year. I'm also planning to retire at the end of my school year.

Happy new one Karen.

>8 witchyrichy: That is one challenge that looks to be almost done and dusted - well done. I wish I could say the same about my own challenges.

Happy new thread, Karen!

>1 witchyrichy: Lovely picture of Spot and Major walking in front on their long leashes.

>9 BLBera: Thanks! I am actually going to keep teaching but I am an adjunct so it is just one or two courses a year. Mostly ready for a break from being the public face of a small but well-known nonprofit. Congratulations on your own retirement! Any ideas what you might do? I have no plans and it is scary and exciting at the same time.

>10 PaulCranswick: Thanks! The Bingo card has moved along quite nicely and I have plans for the last three squares. One challenge worked quite well for me.

>11 FAMeulstee: Thanks! I adore the picture of Spot and Major, too! I wish I could let them run loose but Spot can't be trusted off the leash as he seems to head directly to the road or railroad tracks. Major is better behaved but off leash, he managed, despite being blind, to find and eat a baby bunny that messed with his diabetes. We ended up with a pretty hefty vet bill. So...leashed they are!

Happy new one!

I would like to travel, Karen, but we'll see when that is safe. I might take some classes as well. I'm not starting out with a plan carved in stone.

>3 witchyrichy: ooh! Getting through those Russell/Holmes I see!

While Justice Hall is good, the next two are great. The Game is super, but Locked Rooms is probably my favorite of all the series, but only by a smidge.

Hi Karen my dear, happy new thread, my new thread will be up soon.

>13 drneutron: >16 johnsimpson: Thanks! A clean slate with good intentions for some books reviews!

>14 BLBera: I agree to the travel. We have been on our farm for more than ten years and my husband rarely leaves. I've traveled for work but I am ready to be a visitor. We camp which seems a bit safer than hotels. And, I told someone, I am even willing to be a little bored ;-)

>15 fuzzi: I am really enjoying the audio books. Just starting The Game now and I have a couple road trips so should get it done. For now, I only listen for 30 minutes or so on the dog walk. I haven't gotten Locked Room yet but evidently will need to!

>19 witchyrichy: I'm just tickled when I find someone else who loves the Russell/Holmes series.

Hi Karen and happy new thread!

From your previous thread, congrats on #75. And now 84. Fantastic. I’m glad you’re reading what you want to read.

>1 witchyrichy: Adopted by Circe, eh? Lucky kitty. My friend Karen in Montana just lost her 18-year old kitty Deene, and, true to form, a mommy kitty and two 4-month old kittens showed up on her patio just as it was Deene’s time to go. They always know when they find a good home.

>21 karenmarie: same thing happened to me. Debbie's mother abandoned her a few weeks ago, and now my Mittsie has passed on. A frisky kitten's antics take away much of the pain of the loss.

>21 karenmarie: Thanks for stopping by! Just finished Resistance Women last night about the Berlin resistance group that worked with the Soviets. Fascinating and horrifying all at the same time. I should read In the Garden of Beasts next. And my book group is doing The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Mired in the Holocaust and prickling with the suspicion that fascism is always a danger.

>21 karenmarie: >22 fuzzi: So sorry about Mittsie. We have had similar experiences with animals. Major showed up under the lumber pile on the farm just as TT, our ancient beagle, was getting ready to go. He was just 7 weeks old. Now, both of the boys are old men but still frisky and ready for a walk! Up early today to take them to the vet for checkups.

The passing of our pets is always traumatic, Karen. The fact that we become after life carer and funeral director gives the experience a more "hands-on" reality than when our human loved ones pass.

>25 PaulCranswick: True, indeed! A younger friend lived through her first pet's passing as an adult and swore she would never get another pet. I talked with her about the wonderful home she had provided and all the love and joy they had shared. I think she is still hesitant but considering another pet.

Hi Karen and Happy New Thread.
I agree that it is heartbreaking when we lose a family furkid, but for me it is always worth it. They bring so much joy, they reach in and tie strings of lights around our hearts. We went for about a year with no animals in the house after we lost 18-year-old Abby. As challenging as Carson can be sometimes, I'm so glad we brought him home.

>27 EBT1002: "...They bring so much joy, they reach in and tie strings of lights around our hearts"

I love this.

When our beloved Tirzah had to be PTS we found a senior rescue dog within a couple days. It's amazing how grief can be assuaged by a wagging tail and a warm tongue.

>27 EBT1002: >28 fuzzi: Just beautiful! My pets have taught me to live in the present and embrace the simple joys! They are sprawled at my feet right now waiting for the dinner gong! Haven't been without a furkid since 1988.

>8 witchyrichy: Look at you winning at Bingo!! Happy new one. And enjoy the furkids. : )

>30 Berly: Thanks! It was a pretty easy challenge and I will get it done.

I found two of Carola Dunn's Cornish mysteries at the thrift shop at my parents' retirement community. I read the first one--Manna from Hades--while I was still in Pennsylvania. Classic cozy mystery but set in Cornwall with an interesting group of characters. Eleanor, the lead, is retired from world travel as part of an NGO although she is still called in when needed to help keep the peace. The series is set in the 1960s which means we get some interesting glimpses into the politics and culture of the time. I finished the last one this morning and am sorry there aren't any more.

Finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel as we put the last pieces of the conference in place. We sold out to exhibitors, sponsors and attendees and are now pushing the virtual conference. Looking forward to three days with old friends in December.

I am working on a couple projects with K-12 educators and I am feeling their stress, I think. Things haven't gone back to normal at all, it seems, and they are juggling in person and virtual students along with closed schools and lack of buses. My life can get busy but I cannot imagine being in the classroom right now. I'm trying to be as graceful as possible with everyone I work with right now, including my graduate students. Several school divisions in the state have rearranged their schedules to give teachers more time off or for planning.

My response to my own stress has been to do the work that needs done each day, and then, as you can tell from my reading list, put my head down and read! I've been trying to stay away from the political chatter--Virginia is a hot topic--but will go vote today, of course. We live in a small town and like to stand in line with our community members.

I am in a mystery reading mode from Eva Gates' lighthouse library cozies to John Dunning's more hardboiled Cliff Janeway series. But both deal with books and Gates includes a cat and the Bodie Island Lighthouse with its lovely setting among the marshes near Nags Head, North Carolina. I have been to the lighthouse many times and like imagining Lucy Richardson's lighthouse aerie apartment with its deep window looking out over the ocean.

I am trying to get caught up and/or finish some of the series I have started. Eva Gates has another book coming out next June, just as she has for many years. My family vacationed on the Outer Banks for many years, and I would buy the new book from the Island Book Store in Corolla for my beach reading. So, a bit of nostalgia comes with each book. I have been listening to the audio books and enjoying them.

>34 witchyrichy: Me too. I am enjoying Rory Clements, Tom Wilde series at the moment, Karen.

Have a great weekend.

>35 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the tip. I shall add it to the list.

Now working on Dick Francis and finished the third Sid Halley book last night.

I have also been reading all manner of Sherlock Holmes from the originals, which I downloaded from Project Gutenberg to the Laurie R. King series with Mary Russell (listening to those) to King's short story collection of Holmes' inspired tales. Just checked out Kareem Abdul Jabbar's Mycroft Holmes from the library. Leonard Goldberg's The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes was also quite good.

Update: I was adding the Sid Halley books to my reading list and discovered there are two more out there. Under Orders is from 2006 and then Refusal from his son Felix Francis. More good reading on the way, it seems.

A Thanksgiving to Friends (Lighting the Way)

In difficult times
a friend is there to light the way
to lighten the load,
to show the path,
to smooth the road

At the darkest hour
a friend, with a word of truth
points to light
and the encroaching dawn
is in the plainest sight.

Karen, to a friend in books and more this Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Day my dear friend.

Karen, I am so very grateful for you, my wonderful friend here on LT.

I wish you (and yours) happiness and health on this day of Thanksgiving. And cookies. : )

>38 PaulCranswick: A beautiful poem! Thank you for gracing my thread with your words.

>39 johnsimpson: >40 Berly: Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!

It was so lovely to see these posts! Seven days to go until we start the conference and I am praying that the COVID variant stays away until after that. Down to the final preparations like name badges and last minute printing.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with new friends. Deep fried a turkey and it was delicious! I did a few sides and dessert. Mellow and easy.

I HAVE been reading, working my way through the Dick Francis mysteries on the shelf. I also finished listening to The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King. I like listening to them, mostly on the dog walk. Today I kept listening as I worked on printing name badges. I have an assistant coming on Tuesday to help with stuffing and alphabetizing.

So, how did it go? And how many Dick Francis mysteries have you read? I always enjoy his. : )

>43 Berly: Thanks for asking! The conference went really well. My board and conference committee managed to completely surprise me with a party. Everyone was so kind and complimentary that it was bordering on embarrassing. I am so fortunate to have found my passion and my peeps that it often didn't feel like work.

I need to update my book list and will do a count of the Dick Francis mysteries.

I cannot say enough about The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. The author wove stories of quirky but authentic characters together into a fascinating tapestry. Each character acts out of personal convictions; Towles almost convinces us of the righteousness of even the most skewed of these perspectives. The multi-voice approach worked well to further the sense of our lives as inexplicably intertwined with others, even heroes from the past.

Brothers Billy and Emmett make their own hero's journey, the centerpiece of the tale, blown off course from their plans to move to California by a friend with debts to settle and good intentions to make them all rich. The story breaks your heart even as you laugh out loud.

Hi Karen! I have caught up with your last thread and this one, too. Congratulations on your impending closer-to-retirement! And >9 BLBera: Beth, too! Did I know you were retiring this year, Beth? I think about it wistfully, and certainly my husband makes retirement noises - just noises at this point. For him is would likely be a career switch. Owning a business is stressful. But we took a look at my PERA (public pension fund for state employees) and it makes much more sense to wait until I am 60, which after two of the most difficult teaching years seems depressingly far away.

I loved the conversations about our pets and what joy they bring to our lives. We lost our greyhound Whistler this summer, and are not planning to get another dog. Not soon anyway. Still have our two cats. As a book lover and librarian I am often asked if I have a favorite book, and I suspect I have as much trouble answering the question as all of us do, except for picture books. My all-time favorite is The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant. It's classic Cynthia Rylant - laughter and tears and just a special, beautiful story about an old woman who would not consider getting a dog because she didn't want to outlive one.

And another BB from >The Lincoln Highway - I had read praise on a few other threads so it's firmly on the list!

>44 witchyrichy: Yay! Glad it was so much fun.

>45 witchyrichy: On my list for 2022! Love to hear that you enjoyed it so much.

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/d5/a2/d5a2ada47f63cf66369376c7a674368422f7345_v5.jpg 3x">

Hi Karen!

>42 witchyrichy: I’ve read/re-read 20 Dick Francis novels in the last 3 years for the SHARED reads, and will pause for a while. I might take up some of the co-authored-with-his-father or even the standalone books by Felix Francis next year.

>45 witchyrichy: I was going to buy this when it came out, was put off by the 1950s, but just bought it and am looking forward to reading it.

>46 AMQS: Great to see you! I love following your class on Instagram and imagine being able to travel and hang out with you and your students some day. We could make Scrappy Circuits. I have been planning on doing this for the past seven years...I *will* be 60 next May.



And my favorite book is also mostly a picture book and the book I give to new graduates: Instructions.

>47 Berly: Thanks for being a faithful follower. Heading to threads now to send love and joy!

>48 johnsimpson: Same to you, John! See you now and then on Twitter as well.

>49 karenmarie: Best wishes to you, too!

Have a lovely holiday, Karen.

These were our family ornaments this year and, despite COVID, a merry time was had by all. I hope the same is true for your holiday and here's to next year!!

>52 PaulCranswick: >53 Berly: Thanks for the warm wishes! LOVE the socks AND the ornaments.

I had a short but lovely visit with family in Maryland. Home now and settling in for a quiet week of mostly no work. I have a new project that is calling to me so might dive in at some point. I'll be moving a face to face course on curriculum development into an online course. I like it because I am both the subject matter expert and the instructional designer, in this case.

I participated in Lego Build Day yesterday, putting together the gift from one of my oldest, dearest friends:

>55 witchyrichy: Nice. I hope 2022 is a happy year full of good books, Karen.

>55 witchyrichy: Fun! We have so many Legos it's not even funny, but I haven't played with them in years. Love that this one is bookish.

>56 BLBera: >57 Berly: I bought the Village bookshop kit but am not quite ready to commit to a bigger build. The Dickens shop took a couple hours.

And so the Bingo card, the only challenge I did this year, is finally complete, ending with Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life, a lovely volume about the importance of gardens in the lives of the Dickinson family. McDowell describes the arrival of the seed catalogs, a celebration I share with Emily and her sister: turning the pages by the fire on a dreary winter day, imagining the glories to come in the next year.

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/5d/02/5d029540654e5a9636b45767a774368422f7345_v5.jpg 3x">

Forget your stresses and strains
As the old year wanes;
All that now remains
Is to bring you good cheer
With wine, liquor or beer
And wish you a special new year.

Happy New Year, Karen.