INTRODUCTIONS

Please take a moment to introduce yourself to others in the group. You might give us your first name, where you are from, what kind of reading you like, and what your reading plans may be in 2022.

If you are not posting your own reading in a thread here on Club Read, but are what we affectionately call regular "lurkers," reading what others post, please consider introducing yourself anyway (and identify yourself as a "lurker").

Send me a note if you wish to be included on the following member list, or for corrections.

AlisonY / Alison / County Down, Northern Ireland
Ameise1 / Barbara / Zürich, Switzerland
amysisson / Amy / Houston, Texas, USA
AnnieMod / Annie / Arizona, USA
arjun_ullas / Arjun / Kerala, India
arubabookwoman / Deborah / Tampa area, Florida, USA
avaland / Lois / New Hampshire, USA
Bamf102 / Paige / UK
baswood / Barry / Southwest France
benitastrnad / Benita / Alabama, USA
BLBera / Beth / Minnesota, USA
bragan / Betty / New Mexico , USA
BuecherDrache / Monique / Mexico and Germany
Cariola / Deborah / South Central Pennsylvania, USA
CindaFBC / Cinda / Vancouver, BC, Canada
cindydavid4 / Cindy / Arizona, USA
cushlareads / Cushla / Wellington, New Zealand
dchaikin / Dan / Cypress, Texas, USA
dianeham / Diane / Cape May, New Jersey, USA
dianelouise100 / Diane / Birmingham, Alabama, USA
DieFledermaus / Stephanie / Seattle, Washington, USA
Dilara86 / Dilara / Western France
dukedom_enough / Michael / New Hampshire, USA
edwinbcn / Edwin / Nanning, China
Eliz_M / Liz / Brooklyn, New York, USA
FlorenceArt / Florence / Paris, France
janeajones / Jane / Sarasota, Florida, USA
janoorani24 / Janiece / outside Seattle, Washington, USA
japaul22 / Jennifer / Virginia, USA
jjmcgaffey / Jennifer / Alameda, California, USA
JoeB1934 / Joe / Denver, Colorado, USA
Julie_in_the_Library / Julie / outside Boston, Massachusetts, USA
karspeak / Karen / Florida panhandle, USA
KeithChaffee / Keith / Los Angeles, California, USA
kidzdoc / Darryl / Atlanta, Georgia to Pennsylvania, USA
KimberlyCombs / Kim / Fresno, California, USA
Kit99Read / Catherine / Ireland
labfs39 / Lisa / Maine, USA
LadyoftheLodge / Cheryl / Indiana, USA
LibraryLover23 / / Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
lilisin / Lilisin / Japan
Linda92007 / Linda / New York, USA
lisapeet / Lisa / Bronx, New York, USA
liz4444 / Lizetta / South Carolina, USA
LocusAmoenus / Marisa / near Montreal, Canada
LolaWalser / Lola / Toronto, Canada
LyndaInOregon / Lynda / Eastern Oregon, USA
majkia / Jean / Niceville, Florida USA
markon / Ardene / Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Milda-TX /Milda / Texas, USA
MissBrangwen / Mirjam / northern Germany
NanaCC / Colleen / New Jersey to Massachusetts, USA
nancyewhite / Nancy / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
NduguSune / Sune / northwest Denmark
Nickelini / Joyce / Vancouver, Canada
nohrt4me2 / Jean /rural Michigan, USA
OscarWilde87 / / Germany
pamelad / Pam / Melbourne, Australia
PaulCranswick / Paul / Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
pmarshall / Penny / New Brunswick, Canada
qebo / Katherine / Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
rachbxl / Rachel / Belgium
raidergirl3 / Elizabeth / Prince Edward Island, Canada
raton-liseur / / Bretagne, France
Reddog999 / Red / North Carolina, USA
rhian_of_oz / Rhian / Perth, Australia
RidgewayGirl / Kay / South Carolina to Illinois, USA
robertwmartin / Robert / Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
rocketjk / Jerry / Mendocino County, California, USA
sabinaG / Sabina / Italy
sallypursell / Sally / Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
SassyLassy / / South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada
SandDune / Rhian / north of London, England
shadrach_anki / Anki / Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
Simone2 / Simone / Netherlands
stretch / Kevin / Indiana, USA
Tartanfairy / Lindsay / Scotland
thorold / Mark / The Hague, Netherlands
tonikat / Kat / UK
torontoc / Cyrel / Toronto, Canada
trifolia / Monica / Belgium
ursula / Ursula / USA to Istanbul, Turkey
wandering_star / /
WelshBookworm / Laurel / Minnesota, USA
Yells / Danielle / southwestern Ontario, Canada

My name is Lisa, and I have been a member of Club Read since 2011. I enjoy reading literature in translation, memoirs, and World War II history. Although I am a notoriously serendipitous reader with little discipline, this year I hope to participate in the Asia Reading Challenge, Reading Globally, and the Graphic Novels group thread.

In real life, I am a semi-retired information specialist living with my daughter in small town Maine. We moved back to my hometown after 15 years in the Seattle area and most recently 2 years on the Florida panhandle. In addition to reading, I enjoy gardening and exploring the Korean culture and language.

Thanks for setting this all up, Lisa.

My name is Kay and I've been with Club read since 2009, taking tons of reading recommendations, enjoying the conversations and learning so much. I mainly read fiction, with literary fiction being my mainstay, but I also like crime novels and pretty much anything else if it's well written. I do like new books and peruse the "most anticipated" lists avidly. I'm reading mostly what I want without guidelines, but I'm heavily influenced by awards lists, what's new and shiny and what you all are reading. I do try to keep my reading diverse, for different meaning of that word.

I'm in the process of moving from South Carolina, where I and my family have lived since 2007, to Illinois, so things are in a bit of a flux right now.

Hi, I'm Lois, and I joined LibraryThing, along with my husband Michael (dukedom_enough), in 2006. We are retirees now, living in New Hampshire*

That said, these days, I try NOT to plan or direct my reading. I read fiction (literary, in translation, SF/F, crime novels, classics...), poetry, and a variety of nonfiction. I have not gone digital, and prefer the feel of a traditional book in my hand.

Michael enjoys mostly SF/F and science, politics/current events and other nonfiction. He says 3/4 of his reading is digital now.

*I am originally from Maine, not far from where Lisa (labfs39) is from! Maine also being the birthplace of LibraryThing! Michael is from OH, KY, NJ, CT, MA, NY, Germany and now NH.

Hi everyone,

I am Annie, I had been living in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona for the last decade or so after moving from Bulgaria.

I read pretty much anything but I am a lot more likely to read a genre novel (speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, horror and anything around them) and thrillers/mystery/crime mainly, westerns and historical novels occasionally) than a contemporary one. I am a serial series reader - and I rarely drop a series I had started.

Most of my reading is novels but I also like non-fiction, comics, poetry, plays and short stories - I actually prefer short stories but things don't always work as expected. In short - if it has words and I have access to it and it is in one of the languages I read, I will probably read it.

Hello, everyone! I'm Anki, and I live in New Hampshire. I joined LibraryThing back in 2006, and I've been a part of Club Read (some years lurking almost exclusively) since 2016. I am looking forward to reading and talking books with everyone again!

My reading tends to gravitate toward genre fiction (primarily fantasy, science fiction, and mystery) and manga/graphic novels, with a sprinkling of non-fiction works over the year. In terms of format, about half my reading is physical books, and the other half is some split of ebooks and audiobooks.

I would say that, in general, I am primarily a mood reader. I admire those individuals who craft detailed and extensive reading plans, but that isn't the way I prefer to manage my reading life. That said, I have developed an appreciation for group/buddy reads over the past year or so; I find they can really enrich my reading experience. I've particularly enjoyed participation in year-long groups, and have joined three on Instagram already for 2022 (one reading Trollope's Palliser novels, one reading Disney origin stories, and one reading several Shakespeare plays plus a number of retellings). I'm also really looking forward to the Victorian Novels and Graphic Novels threads that we'll be having here.

Happy to have our new group opened.

I’m Dan, living outside Houston, tx and, well, apparently dan with a plan. I have sketched out a lot of reading for 2022 and actually intend to follow that plan to some degree. I have been doing this to some extent the last 5 or six years, but this year is more extreme, probably too extreme. My planned themes include Boccaccio, Thomas Musil, Edith Wharton, Shakespeare, the booker longlist (i have 5 left), a group read of Uwe Johnson’s 1700 page Anniversaries, Club Read’s Victorian theme and, also, a small attack of my TBR. I’ll have to fit all that between life stuff. I’m working and we have two high schoolers.

Hello, I’m Mark, from The Hague, Netherlands. Another long-term member of LT and Club Read, and I’m also currently admin of Reading Globally, following in the footsteps of several distinguished members of CR. I’m a retired international civil servant, originally from the UK.

I read all kinds of odd stuff, reflecting a rather incoherent mix of interests, which can veer off unpredictably in new directions, so I don’t tend to plan much. There are around a hundred books on the TBR shelf, not counting anything that might be coming in as Christmas gifts. Some core interests include literary fiction, crime, languages, engineering history, sailing, LGBTQ, European history, Africa, poetry, music.

I’m looking forward to the Victorian theme, and I’m also leading an “Indian Ocean” theme in RG, which I’m trying to assemble ideas for at the moment. Don’t all say “Abdulrazak Gurnah”! I’m also a member of a real life book club, but that has slowed down lately to the extent that it’s barely a pin-prick on my reading list.

Hi, I'm Jennifer; I live in Alameda California. I've been a member of LT since 2006 (though I didn't actually start entering books until early 2007).

I read basically genre stuff - the vast majority F & SF, plus mystery, romance, etc. I also read quite a bit of non-fiction, anything from history to science to crafts to...

I have an allergy to required reading - even if I'm the one doing the requiring. The only goals I've set the last several years have been to read some of the far too many books I own that I have never read...and I succeeded once in the last five years in hitting the goal I set. 2021 was a total failure on that front. Doesn't matter much, I read a lot of good books, though I do want to get rid of more books and I can't do so unless I've read them (in case they're fantastic). Part of the problem is that I much prefer to read electronically these days - I do have some ebooks that are duplicates of my BOMBs (Books Off My Bookshelf), but mostly not.

Hi, I'm Cyrel- I am a retired visual arts teacher from Toronto, Canada. I have always been a reader. I am so glad that my parents set an example of reading to me and my brothers. I still have one of my father's favourite books that he would reread every few years. ( The Black Rose by Thomas b. Costain ) I read novels, historical fiction and books on history and art history. I look for new Canadian authors as well. I follow Canada Reads on the CBC( Canadian Broadcasting) and look for books from the Giller Prize long list and the Writers' Trust lists. I also read some books on dystopian themes.

Hey y'all, I am Kevin from Indianapolis. Been on LT since 2006 apparently, joined up with CR in 2010.

My reading is chaos, or eclectic is a nice way to put it. I read a lot of Japanese fiction, whatever nonfiction book in front of me, science fiction, horror, and pretty much anything I find interesting. I have no plans for the next year or any year, I've tried reading lists and well they might as well be toxic because I don't touch them once they're made. I have made a concerted effort to read more women and diversely through my own incentivizing program. Seems to be working, so I'll continue on with that. Otherwise, it's another year of whatever comes my way.

My name is Cindy been a member since 2016 but in CR since 2019. I live in the deserts of Az, am a retired teacher after 40 years; thrilled by my new found free time to read! Ive always been an eclectic reader, but since coming here Ive discovered hundreds of new to me authors and books, and my shelves indeed are running over. I have mostly Anglophone books but since coming here my reading has expanded to works in translation (unfortunately the only other languag I speak is ASL, so thrilled that I have been able to read so many books from around the globe.

I love reading non fiction including travel narratives, biographys, history, science and general stuff here and there

Groups include Movies to Books, Book Collectors, Fantasy, Historic Fiction, Sci fi, Green Dragon, Book Balloon, Reading Globally, Reading Through Time, Non Fiction, monthly authors and others

here is my thread:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/338898#n7734662

Looking forward to another year of reading!!

Housekeeping note: If you don't see your name in the list at the top of the thread and would like to be included, please let me know. I am trying to add only people who have written intros, etc. in case someone doesn't want to be listed, but also include as many folks as possible. Thanks!

Hi, I am Monica, a Flemish Belgian living in Belgium.
I have been a member of LT since 2010 but under a different name (JustJoey4 and monicagovers). I have only joined CR since late 2021, although I have been following the group for years.

My reading preferences are international literature from all corners of the world, modern literature and classics. In stressful times I reach for detectives and thrillers. I am hopeless with challenges and group readings. They're the best way to immobilize me, so I won't officially venture into that. In 2022 I hope to read some more non-fiction.

I'm looking forward to starting my new thread in 2022.

Hello, My name is Red. I'm currently living in North Carolina and I just began using LibraryThing a few months ago. I enjoy Reading mainly spy novels and action adventure stories. Big fan of Clive Cussler, Brad Thor and Daniel Silva. Always looking for similar authors. I dont really know how to take advantage of all the features of LT, but I am hoping I can ask for help when I need it. I only read physical books, I like the feel in my hand and the thrill of turning the page. I tried a Kindle once, it just didn't feel the same. As a result I have a thousand books or more laying about my house. I'm known to my friends as the Book Guy.

>15 Reddog999: Welcome, Red, I'm glad you've stopped by to introduce yourself. I like espionage novels from time to time too. Joseph Kanon, Alan Furst, and Ben Macintyre's nonfiction books about WWII spies, to name a few. Lately I've been reading about codebreakers too.

Please feel free to reach out if you have questions about LT or CR. I'd be happy to help. Are you going to start a thread for 2022?

P.S. I like physical books too :-)

>16 labfs39: Thanks for the welcome. I'm not sure how a thread works, I mostly just wanted a place to keep track of what I read. I often find myself at book sales getting something I read years before. But I am interested in how much this site has to offer. I just got a new batch of books and I'll be doing a lot of reading for a bit. I'll look into what a thread here is and if its something about posting what I'm reading or planning on, then yes, I'd like to start something for 2022.

>17 Reddog999: welcome to LibraryThing and the Club Read. Thinking about your questions. If you want to track what you have and what you read, you can do that with your LibraryThing library.

A “thread” is just a message list like this conversation here. To start one, go to the 2022 Club Read group page and click “post a new topic”. You will have a chance to give your topic or thread a title and the first post. (Be sure to put your username in the title.)

So, why? : ) It’s too early to see now, but most CR members will start our own 2022 thread and use it like a freeform reading diary. We will post mostly about what we’re reading, sometimes, but not always, like a review. But it’s yours, so you can post whatever is on your mind. You will find that most CR conversation is one our personal threads, because anyone can post there.

So, still, why? : )

For fun, of course and to chat about books.

Two links for you:

Peak at last year’s group here: https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23208/Club-Read-2021

And maybe this specific conversation might be helpful (not sure though): https://www.librarything.com/topic/337309

Not sure this is at all helpful, but hope you try it out or otherwise find something for yourself on LibraryThing.

Hi, I'm Rhian from Perth Australia. I've been on LT since 2007 but only joined Club Read in 2019. My "primary" genres are probably speculative/science fiction, urban fantasy, and crime, though my reading has certainly expanded over the last few years, especially since CR. Like probably everyone I have taken a fair number of BBs!

My only reading goal is to reduce my TBR pile (guess how that went last year!). I may actually achieve this in 2022 because I am starting full-time study which will mean a reduction in income and therefore (theoretically) less book purchases. (I can hear you all snickering)

I'm looking forward to being more active in CR this year.

Hi everyone, I'm Darryl, and I've been a member of Club Read since...2008? 2009? Until November 2021 I worked as a pediatric hospitalist (inpatient pediatrician) for a large children's hospital in Atlanta, but I resigned at the beginning of December after the unexpected death of my father, in order to care for my 86 year old mother, as she has moderate Alzheimer's disease and requires 24/7 care. I am now living in their home in suburban Philadelphia, and I'm not working at the present time, although I will probably look for a non-clinical physician job that will allow me to work from home up here in mid 2022.

My primary book interests are non-genre literature, especially ones written by authors of color in the United States and abroad, along with world literature, and literature in translation. I follow several major literary awards, and I've been the administrator for the Booker Prize group in LibraryThing for several years. (If anyone would like to serve as co-administrator or take over from me I'm all ears.) I also enjoy non-fiction and poetry.

These are my favorite books from 2021:

Non-Fiction:
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne
Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Fiction:
The Society of Reluctant Dreamers by José Eduardo Agualusa
The Tuner of Silences by Mia Couto
The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed
The Promise by Damon Galgut
A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam

Hi, I'm Karen from the Florida panhandle. I've been part of CR since 2019, and I think I've been on LT for about 10 years. I read mostly speculative fiction (sci-fi/fantasy), as well as mystery, general and literary fiction, and nonfiction, especially about climate change and life sciences. I'm married with a middle schooler and high schooler, and I work for the local school system. I get most of my reading list from CR, so I am particularly grateful to this group.

I'm Jean from the Florida panhandle too. Niceville, across the bay from where @karspeak lives. Waves.

I've been on LT for ages mostly hanging out in the Category Challenge threads and the Green Dragon.

I'm retired USAF, and afterwards did a lot of volunteer work mostly in the mental health field and as a poll worker. I've cut back on that now though as we have a motor home and go out of town a lot.

I read mostly genre books, science fiction being my favorite.

My name is Laurel. I'm not actually Welsh (unless having Welsh ancestors that came to America in 1638 counts). But I took a medieval Welsh class in graduate school and fell in love with the language and the country, and have whole-heartedly embraced that part of my heritage. I led a Welsh folkdance group here in Minnesota for 25 years, and I have been teaching Welsh since 1994. I'm a member and a past-president of the St. David's Society of Minnesota. Books set in Wales are always on my radar. Oddly enough, the St. David's Society has a book group that I have never participated in!

I am an adult services librarian for the local public library, and I manage 4 book clubs through the library. I participate in two of them. One reads a monthly book selection, for the other group I assign monthly themes and we read whatever we want to that fits that theme. I have found that those themes are a wonderful way to target some of the books in my gigantic TBR ocean and actually read them. I LOVE to make lists, and choose an annual "theme" every year. Or several. And, of course, the old themes live on and on... As if that wasn't enough, I decided to join a book club at church last November. Some of my past "themes" have been Moby Dick, Pride and Prejudice, The ____ Wife titles, Russia, Stars, Music, Birds... This past year has been "Book of ______" titles and I'm probably going to continue that in 2022. Also Winter, and maybe The Odyssey.

I aim to read about 50 books a year, but I'm usually short of that. I wish I could read 100 books a year. I'll need to live to be 300 in order to read everything I want to read. Actually scratch that. I probably add over a hundred books to my want to read list every year. So I need to live forever. Besides the garden, I sing in a couple of choirs, I teach Welsh, I enjoy bird watching, and I do hours and hours of genealogy. I have a genealogy blog that I haven't kept up with. But it's there for when I retire (next year?). And then I want to travel for genealogy and see where my ancestors lived.

Besides Wales, I especially like historical fiction. I'm drawn to anything "British" - Wales, Cornwall, Devon, Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Mann, Brittany... I like a good mystery, and thrillers, literary fiction, classics, fantasy/Sci Fi. I'll read cozy mysteries, and some domestic fiction. Not a fan of chick lit or romances. Although I like a good love story.... And non-fiction - history, science, religion, nature/environment, philosophy, psychology. Okay, okay, I'll read anything....and in any format - print book, ebook, audiobook...

I am also on Goodreads, and participate in quite a few groups there. Currently working on my 2022 plans, and as usual, it far, far more than I will actually get read. I joined Club Read last year (2021) but I've been a member of LibraryThing since 2010.

Hi, I'm Stephanie, an academic editor near Seattle. I was intermittently active in Club Read from 2012-2017 or so, but I was in an extended reading slump for several years--partly because of my job, which involved reading scientific papers all day, but partly due to everything that was going on (lots of doomscrolling instead). I'm reading and buying too many books again and am looking forward to seeing what everyone is reading!

I usually read literary fiction, classics, world literature and experimental stuff, but I have a couple genre-leaning projects for next year--Gothic/weird/decadent literature/ghost stories and mid/early 20th century crime/pulp/domestic suspense by women. I'm also going to try to read more books by authors that I liked in the past but with only one or two books in my library.

I love opera and previously included some reviews for live performances and streaming/filmed operas in my thread. I'll probably try to do that again this year, although in person shows are tricky right now.

While I'm definitely not as organized as some people, I like to join group reads or jump on book bandwagons, and I'm hoping to do that again this year. Victorian literature, graphic novels, Asian challenge, Edith Wharton and Disney origin stories all sound tempting!

>24 DieFledermaus: Welcome back, Stephanie! I too was AWOL from LT for a few years and rejoined a year ago. Your name came up a couple of times as I reached out to old-timers to reconnect. I'm so glad you've resurfaced, as I loved following your thread.

Hello everyone, I'm Jennifer and I live in Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. I'm a musician in "The President's Own" US Marine Band. I have two boys, ages 12 and 9, which all keeps me busy. Reading is my main hobby and I usually read about 80 books a year - a mix of new releases often by women and from award lists, nonfiction, and classics/books from the 1001 books to read before you die list.

I've been in Club Read since 2011, I think, and on LT since 2009. I love learning from everyone's reading and getting to know you all through our books!

Hello all, I am Cheryl from Indiana. I am retired from full time work as a teacher and school administrator. I teach college courses online for two Christian colleges, and also write curriculum and book reviews.

I mainly read genre fiction--cozy mysteries, fiction about Amish people, other fiction as the mood strikes me. I joined LT in 2010 and Club Read in 2018.

>14 Trifolia: Hi Monica. Glad to see you are back.

I saw your thread as Trifolia in CR2021 but didn't realize it's you.

>29 edwinbcn: Thank you, Edwin. And yes, aside from the name change, I'm still me.
I'm also glad to see you are back.

>18 dchaikin: Very well said, Dan!

>19 rhian_of_oz: Much sympathy regarding the lack of depletion in your TBR pile/s. You are with good company!

>24 DieFledermaus: Welcome back, Stephanie! Will pop in to see what you are reading every now and again.

>25 labfs39:, >31 avaland: - Thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing what both of you are reading.

Hello, I'm Dilara. I live in western France. I think this is my fifth year in Club Read. I like literary fiction, poetry, SF and fantasy, and actively look for diverse writers and translated work. On the non-fiction side, I'm most interested in linguistics, sociology, history and politics. I also love looking at cookbooks. In non-covid times, I go to the theatre quite a bit (classical/"world" music, and danse, especially contemporary). These days, I lurk more than I post, but that might change later on this year, if my workload lightens.

Hello! I'm Ursula. I'm an American who keeps moving around - I've been living in Istanbul since August 2020.

I read a lot of "literary fiction" and some genre books here and there, usually horror or mystery but recently I've been reading some sci-fi alongside my husband. I don't plan my reading, but I have some loose goals to read from the 1001 Books list(s), prize winners, from diverse viewpoints etc. I used to listen to my non-fiction but I haven't really been doing that lately and as a result, my non-fiction consumption has taken a nosedive.

I have been on LT since 2005, and bounce between Club Read and the 75ers group, some years creating a thread in one group, sometimes in both (and sometimes in neither!). My first thread here was apparently in 2015. I'm unsure whether I'll create a thread here this year or not, but I'll definitely be around reading threads either way.

Hi folks (and a special wave to those joining CR for the first time). I'm Alison, and have been a member of LT / CR since 2015. I live in Northern Ireland in a Co. Down village not far from the suburbs of Belfast with my husband, a teen, a tween and a very large cat.

My first year in CR I followed a plan which I very much enjoyed, but work has been busy in subsequent years so I now prefer to go where the winds take me with my reading. If my LT stats are to be believed, I mostly enjoy reading literary fiction, memoirs, historical fiction, popular science and travelogues.

I had a Christmas gift book haul and have a few titles out on loan from the library, so I've a pretty good idea what my reading out to February or beyond will look like, but after that who knows.

Hi! I'm Lisa, member of LT since 2012 and CR since mid-2018... a million years ago, give or take. I'm a journalist/editor who writes about libraries—a very good, if sometimes exhausting, beat. I also review—books, sometimes art—a little, write essays here and there, and help run a website, Bloom, which features (mostly) writers who published their first major work, or switched genres in a big way, after age 40. Always looking for writers there, btw, though we don't pay (yet... hoping to change that at some point). I live in the northwest Bronx in a drafty, big-for-NYC house, and have been working from home for almost almost two years.

I'm also a visual artist (mostly these days just for my own pleasure but occasionally on commission), baker, gardener, pen-and-paper letter writer—if anyone wants to correspond, shoot me a DM.

Married, one grown son who's about to finish med school and embark on a residency. I'm a dog person who's currently dogless, also a cat person with four good cats, and we feed a rotating cast of cats who live in our yard/basement (and find them homes when I can).

I read eclectically: a lot of literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, biographies, sf, graphic novels/nonfiction, historical fiction, literary criticism/essays, poetry. Also periodicals, most of which I'm behind on: New Yorker, New York Review of Books, Paris Review, One Story. I don't do reading goals/plans but I am a member of two book clubs (both meeting virtually these days) and every once in a while will do a group read here. Mostly, though, if I'm not reading for work, I let curiosity guide my reading choices.

I’m hiding behind the name of raton-liseur, the reading raccoon, wandering cousin of the rat de bibliothèque, the library rat, francophone version of the book worm. I am not wandering anymore and have settled in Brittany, in the West of France.
I mainly read literary fiction, mainly fiction in translation, as well as classics. But I am eclectic and don’t mind venturing into genre fiction or non-fiction.
This is my 12th year on LT and my 4th year in Club Read. I have a thread in CR to keep track of my reading, where my reviews are posted in French, but conversation can happen either in French or in English.
I'm thrilled to be here for another year of great reads!

Hi, I'm Mirjam, a teacher living in the north of Germany close to the North Sea. I am married and apart from reading my biggest passion is traveling (which of course has come almost to a halt for the last two years).

I have been a LibraryThing member for almost ten years, but only became an active member in the forums/groups this year when I joined the category challenge. For 2022 I was looking for a second home and decided to join Club Read after lurking for some days! :-)

I read in German and English and have various genres and interests: Classics, mysteries/crime novels, literary fiction, fantasy, historic fiction, and also some non-fiction.

I will soon create a thread and will log my reading there, including reviews.

I am excited to be here!

Hi, I'm Joyce, I live in Vancouver with my husband. Sometimes my 21 yr old daughter lives with us, sometimes she's away at the University of Victoria. Our 25 year old daughter lives in Switzerland. During weekdays, I investigate fraud for an insurance company.

I've been on LT since 2007 and ClubRead since it began. I like to read a wide variety of books, but the last few years my areas of interest are Switzerland and Italy (my husband and kids have Italian citizenship and I'm slowly working toward getting mine so we can travel to Europe for more than 90s days at a time). In 2022, I want to find a wider selection of books in translation (too much of what is translated into English is "literature" and it's time for something new). I'll set up my own thread in the next week sometime.

>38 MissBrangwen: Welcome, Mirjam! I'm glad you decided to join us here on Club Read. I look forward to following your thread.

Gosh, I love reading the introduction thread.....:-)

>40 labfs39: Thank you for welcoming me!

Hi, I'm Ardene (Markon) and have been on CR 4-5 years; before that I participated in the 75ers group several years. I read more fiction than nonfiction, but do read both. I like fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries and anything else that takes my fancy. I read as the mood strikes me, but do plan on participating in the Reading Asia group and the year-long Anniversaries read. I may not get my thread up until next week as I'm visiting family over the New Year, but I'm looking forward to another year of reading & discussing books.

And oh yes, I live in the Atlanta, GA area where I work in a public library.

Hello, my name is Barbara (Ameise1), I am 60 years old and I live in Zürich, Switzerland. I am married to Thomas and we have two wonderful daughters with their partner. We will soon be grandparents for the first time and are really looking forward to it.

I've always read, sometimes more - sometimes less. I prefer to read physical books. But I also have an e-reader. When I am out and about on foot or by public transport, I always listen to an audio book. In the past year I have mainly read series (fiction, crime, mysteries). But I also like to read across the board and am always open to new things.
I've been with LT for 10 years. For the past few years I've been active in the 75 group, but since the pandemic broke out, I've hardly had any time to actively participate.
It is the first time that I have participated in this group and I hope that, as a newcomer, I will adapt well to the customs. Otherwise you will tell me if I do something wrong.

I work as a primary school teacher. The past two years have been very stressful to work. The school was only closed for the first 6 weeks, since then we have been working on site. Our school is tested weekly. The number of cases among children has risen rapidly since November. Yesterday a mother contacted me and said that her son had been in the children's hospital because of PIMS since December 26th. He fell ill with COVID at the end of November. I had a very restless night after that. I am very concerned about it and I hope that he will get well again.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming reading year and also to getting to know 'old' and new people.

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2022. Stay healthy.

>44 Ameise1: Welcome, Barbara! I am glad you have chosen to join us in Club Read this year. I think you'll find we are a little smaller and quieter than 75 Books, although we have many friends there and some maintain threads in both.

I am so sorry to hear about your student with COVID. Such difficult times we are living through, and I'm sadden at the effect it is having on our children, even those that don't get COVID outright.

I hope you stay well, and I look forward to following your reading!

>45 labfs39: Hi Lisa, thanks so much for your warm welcome. I'm looking forward to my reading year in this group.

Yes, for the kids it's really difficult at the time. In my class there have been five students ill by COVID during the past month. We restart school on Monday. I've no clue what to expect.

>46 Ameise1: Welcome Barbara! I hope you'll enjoy posting and book discussions here at Club Read. My twin sisters are both elementary school teachers, and it is definitely more challenging than usual to teach.

I hope for a good outcome for your student who is Ill.

>47 markon: Thanks so much, Ardene. I'm looking forward to a wonderful reading year with good discussions.

>44 Ameise1:
Welcome, Barbara. Congrats on becoming a grandparent soon.

I was in Zurich earlier this month. Such a lovely city, and I was able to do some shopping at the Christmas market at the Bahnhof. My daughter lives in Luzern, so my other daughter and I went to visit her. We also spent a weekend in Zermatt where the skies were crystal clear, and I took about a million pictures of the Matterhorn. Love Switzerland and can't wait to come back again.

Welcome to everyone! Nice to 'see' some new faces and welcome back others. I am Danielle, an insurance broker from southwestern Ontario, Canada. I live with hubby and three spoiled cats. I've been hanging around LT since 2008 (I somehow missed my Thingaversary this year so I guess I owe myself some books!) and CR off and on for half of that. My library has a little bit of everything - fiction/non fiction, old/new... I'll read/collect anything that looks interesting. I love lists and follow quite a few literary awards every year. After a three year reading slump, I got my reading mojo back in 2021 so I will be setting up a new thread for 2022. Happy reading!

>49 Nickelini: Hi Joyce, I'm glad that you liked your stay in Switzerland. Please tell me when you will be here the next time that we could fix a meet-up. Could also be for a quick coffee when you're waiting for your train.

>51 Ameise1: I'd love that! And will be back as soon as it's reasonable to travel overseas again

Jean here. 4th? year on Club Read. I live in a dying rural Michigan town. Coyotes, whitetailed deer, meth cookers, and cornfields nearby. Starting the year with a bunch of True Crime books I have in my TBR stash.

>44 Ameise1: Bless you in your work with the little ones. I served as a middle school classroom teacher for years, then as an elementary school principal. I loved it, but glad to be retired now from full time work. Hope things go well on Monday--I remember those days!

Hi all, I'm Linda. I live in the Capital Region of New York State and am long retired from a 36 year career in social work practice, program development and administration in a public agency.

I joined LT in 2007 and am a "lapsed" member of Club Read, which I joined in 2012, participating at various levels until 2017, when I became distracted by other life demands. But even when not actively participating, I continued to think of CR as my LT home.

My interests lie primarily in literary fiction, biographies, memoirs, travel and other narrative nonfiction, but I also read some poetry and enjoy a good mystery/thriller.

I am looking forward to a great year of reading and reconnecting!

>54 LadyoftheLodge: Thanks so much, Cheryl for your kind words.

Hi, I'm Kat. I'm in the UK. I'm a writer and do a variety of things as a freelancer. My image of that is that I should be much more familiar with a lot of writing than I am, so I try and put that right - but usually my reading completions are modest each year. I read poetry and also enjoy reading of writers' and artists lives. I read a variety of other things, fiction, philosophy, psychology/counselling and more. I also love film - have seen much less in the last two years.

My name is Barry and I have been retired so long I can hardly remember how I earned my living - Ah yes I worked in Human Resources for various local Governments in England. I moved to France in 2005 and live in the South West with my wife. I have now become a French citizen so as not to lose the right to remain European. It's safe to say I am done with the UK.

Over the last few years I have worked out a reading plan for the coming year. It satisfies my completist instincts and also it takes away the agonising choice of what to read next. Most of the time I know what I am going to read and this helps stop those reading slumps.

Way back in 2011 when I joined LT I decided to log only the books that I was currently reading and also to start from the beginnings of literature in the English language. I have not got all that far - up to 1594, but it has remained a continuing interest

Other projects are: reading books published in 1951, reading all unread books on my shelves, a continuing flirtation with science fiction and reading french books from the local library.

Other things that float my boat are music (I sometimes set up a thread for short music reviews), playing the saxophone, a continuing struggle with the french language, food and wine tasting and more recently trying to reduce my carbon footprint.

Today its warm and sunny 20 centigrade and I am just resurfacing after partying last night. There is nothing better than seeing all my online friends starting another year of reading. I love being part of club read.

My name is Beth. I am an English instructor at my local community college, but I plan to retire in May, so 2022 will be a year of change for me. I love books – talking about them, writing about them, reading about them. I also love to read with my granddaughter Scout.

I tend not to plan my reading, other than for my book club, which meets once a month. We celebrate twenty years in 2022.

Each year my goal is to read more books from my shelves, but those shiny new library books often distract me. In 2022, I would like to read more in translation.

As always, though, goals may fall by the wayside.

I'm Katherine, a computer programmer in Lancaster PA. Once upon a time I was an active participant in 75 Books, but my reading pace has dropped significantly. I belong to two local RL book groups, one primarily non-fiction, one primarily fiction. Both were discombobulated by COVID but eventually decided to carry on; the restaurant group now meets at someone's house (everyone's vaccinated), the house group now meets via Zoom (everyone's vaccinated but it's a larger group and includes someone who moved to another country). A garden group discusses a book to start each year. A neighborhood group is reading several books about climate change. I seem to have few aspirations of my own at the moment so we'll see how this year goes...

Hi, I’m Colleen. I moved to the South Shore of Massachusetts from New Jersey at the end of June 2020. I’ve been a Club Read member since 2013.

My go to reading for comfort is mysteries. I’ve needed a lot of that in the last two years. I have many series that I enjoy, and like several of you, I have to read them in order. I do like historical fiction, some non-fiction and biographies. I am definitely not a fan of horror and most sci-fi.

I may not always comment on threads, but I do read all the threads in this group. I’m looking forward to another fulfilling year of reading.

Hi--I'm Deborah. I've been on LT since 1-1-2009, and in Club Read since 2011 or 2012. In mid-2020 we moved to the Tampa area after 35 years in Seattle--big change! That was also the year I turned 70, and it dawned on me that I was no longer middle-aged. However, despite my body being in the near-elderly category, my mind is still young, and I love to read. I read eclectically, but mostly literary fiction with a smattering good crime and science fiction. About 1/3 of my reading is nonfiction, which for the past 4 years has been skewed toward trying to understand what exactly has happened to the US.
I retired from the practice of law in 2010 after I became a grandmother, and I now have 5 grandkids. Our plan in moving to the beach in Florida to entice our kids to visit more often is so far working. We have 5 grown kids, 1 in Houston, 3 in New York City, and 1 here in Florida. 4 of the 5 are married. Two years ago, after a bout with cancer my husband had a bone marrow transplant, and we are frequently dealing with medical issues stemming from the transplant. Nothing life threatening, just time-consuming. (And sometimes very painful and difficult to deal with, as with a recent case of shingles in his eye we are still dealing with).
My user name relates to the fact that I was born and raised on the island of Aruba, and it is the home of my heart, though greatly changed since I left when I was 16. Other than Seattle, I also lived in New Orleans for 18 years, and a couple of years in London, England. I'm looking forward to a good reading year.

Oh right, I should introduce myself.

I usually go by Liz. I've lived in Brooklyn for just over 20 years, but still don't consider myself a New Yorker (although I can talk about the best subway route or real estate for hours if I need to). I work for a performing arts organization during the week and spend my weekends eating brunch out, cooking vegetarian meals, walking around the city and occasionally visiting art museums.

For years I've been reading mostly books from the 1001-books-list, but have slowed down in the past few years to concentrate on reading more geographically. I'm slightly more active on Litsy, although I am still terrible at writing reviews. I enjoy talking about books and commenting on posts, but actual reviews are too much like homework, so it's unlikely I will manage to keep my thread current for a whole year. But there's a first time for everything and maybe this will be the year?

Happy new year, Club Read! I'm Lola in Toronto, your more or less faithful lurker and occasional poster since time began. I wasn't great at keeping a thread up last year so the prospects are even less brill for this busier one, but I'll open a stand by-and-by.

I read more non-fiction than fiction, and more older fiction than contemporary (this is because I never quite got rid of the chronological bug, the secret desire to read ALLLLLLLLL the books as they came into the world).

I watch a lot of movies, mostly older, and last year I had fun noting in particular the DEFA (East German production, 1945-1991) collection on Kanopy and elsewhere. To date I've seen 57 out of about 170 films on offer, so I'm bound to talk about them this year as well.

Hi! I think this is my second year in CR. I read fiction and poetry mostly. I have read lots about the Amazon and always looking for anything I’ve missed. This year I’d like to learn more about the indigenous people of the Arctic Circle - including all the countries that are part of the Arctic. Suggestions welcome.

>65 dianeham: hi, I read wild: an elemental journey by Jay Griffiths last year . . . I don't see it in your library, she visits both the Amazon and the Arctic Circle. As well as other interesting places. Shes great at meeting indigenous people and her writing is poetic. (I loved it.)

>65 dianeham: Welcome, Diane. I enjoyed A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheu. I have his book The Chukchi bible on my TBR.

Hallo - my name is Sune, I am 54 years old. I am danish, living in the country-side in Thy - in the nord-western part of Denmark. I read a lot, usually 2-3 books at the same time: 1 book fiction, perhaps 1 book related to my work and the 1 reading together with my wife - it means she is knitting while I read aloud. We read of course mostly in danish, so writing here will also practise my english.

>68 NduguSune: Welcome, Sune! I'm glad you've decided to join Club Read. I look forward to following your reading this year. I love that you read aloud with your spouse. I miss reading aloud to my daughter.

>66 tonikat: >67 labfs39: Thanks for the recommendations.

>68 NduguSune: Welcome Sune!

>68 NduguSune: Welcome to Club Read, Sune! As far as I know you're the first Danish person I've encountered on Club Read. I hope that you'll expose us to more classic and contemporary authors from Denmark.

>68 NduguSune: Welcome Sune! I just love the cosy image of you reading while your wife knits. Would that be hygge? :-)

Feel free to practise your English with me anytime

I'm Rhian, a 60 year old retired accountant, and this is my second year with Club Read. I live about thirty miles north of London with my husband and our 21 year old son (when he's not at the University of Lancaster studying History, that is). We have a 9 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Daisy.

I'm originally from Wales rather than England, so I do have an interest in all things Welsh and I am doing an introductory Welsh class this year. I read mainly literary fiction, classics, science-fiction and fantasy, but I have been trying (and enjoying) some crime fiction. As far as non-fiction goes I’m interested in a number of topics, in particular books about the environment and nature.

Apart from reading I love travelling, eating out, and going to the theatre, when that's actually possible of course. As a lot of those activities haven’t been too feasible recently, I’ve been getting more involved with craft activities, in particular crochet and embroidery. As well as Welsh I'm learning French, and I enjoy messing about with my family history. I'm also getting more and more concerned about environmental issues and I have been quite involved in campaigning on climate change.

Here is my 2022 thread:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/338342#n7706280

Da iawn i ddysgu Cymraeg!

>74 WelshBookworm: Diolch!

Hello, all! I'm Betty, and I've been on LT since 2007, and on Club Read since 2009. Which I don't understand at all. The older I get, the less sense the passage of time makes. I'm 50 now, for the record, which also makes no sense to me.

I live in New Mexico, where I operate radio telescopes for a living, which is much less exciting than it sounds. It does at least leave me a fair amount of reading time, when my constantly rotating shifts aren't leaving me too blurry-brained to focus on the pages.

My reading tastes and habits are, as I like to say, "eclectic." Meaning I'll read darned near anything, although I do have a particular preference for speculative fiction of various kinds, and for non-fiction, especially on science-y topics.

I'm also a member of the ROOTs group, where I try to motivate myself to read stuff that's sitting on my TBR shelves, although somehow the TBR shelves keep on expanding no matter what I do, so that's always kind of a losing proposition, even when I meet my goals. We won't discuss how many books are currently on those shelves. Or how many more there are in my wishlist. I'm just going to doggedly keep on believing that I will read all of them eventually.

Anyway, that's me. Here's looking forward to a shiny new year of reading, and wishing you all many excellent page-turning experiences in 2022!

Hello, my name is Robert and I hail from Edmonton, Canada. I am a pseudo-avid reader; avid in that I read more than anyone I know beyond my wife and one of her friends; pseudo in that there are so many people on LT that read so much more than I do!

My goal is to read more. Nothing more specific than that, but I intend to tackle both classics (Dickens, Conan Doyle, Tolstoy) and my physical bookshelf. I live close to two good sources of used books, so my shelves are overflowing to say the least. Plus I live in a city with one of the best public libraries in the world and close to a large branch, which adds to the backlog.

I have been on LT since 2006 but have only been semi-active in the groups for a couple years. I hope to change that this year. If you ever want to see what I have read in a given year, you can search my books with the "read20XX" tag, where XX is the year, i.e. read2022 will show you everything I have finished this year (currently 0!) and read2021 will show you everything I read last year.

Outside of reading, I love to cook and am a pseudo-avid cyclist; avid in that I cycle all year; pseudo in that I have a lot of friends that cycle so much more than I do! In addition, I love playing games of all types, and have spent much of the pandemic playing online roleplaying games with new friends from across multiple timezones.

Your evenings are generally my mornings and my evenings are your mornings.

I'm Paul, LT correspondent based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am an exiled Yorkshireman on LT since 2011 and rather fond of lists and stats. My reading tastes vary with my mood and include literary fiction (whatever that is) preferably with a plot, Scandi, history and - yes - poetry.

Hani my long suffering wife of 25 years joins my two daughters, Yasmyne (24) and Belle (17) and my son Kyran (22) in complaining about the space in our apartment being taken up by books. I do like the acquire the odd book or two along the way and the term "Cranswickian" was coined in the 75er group to describe wanton book purchase. Erni our Indonesian maid who has been with us for an incredible 21 years (since she was 15 years old) is the best coffee maker in South East Asia, a core member of our family unit and completely indispensable.

Still toying with whether or not to start a thread in the group but I want to keep up with old friends who have migrated here and hopefully meet a bunch of new ones.

>77 robertwmartin: Robert, I admire your pseudo-activities. :-D

>78 PaulCranswick: We're in the same timezone!

>80 rhian_of_oz: Ah Rhian, if only there was a larger number of us!

>80 rhian_of_oz:, >81 PaulCranswick:

But whatever time it is for Australians is good for late night Pacific Coast North Americans (actually before 11 pm here so not even that late) . . .

Vancouver (where I am) to Europe (where I have friends and family) is a time change that truly sucks . . . if I'm up late in Vancouver, my daughter in Switzerland is waking up and getting ready for work . . . two different head spaces. And vice versa. I remember when she was here and had a boyfriend in Europe, home from a night out with his mates and chatty, and she's trying to get ready for work . . . just ugh.

But for me at 10-something PM, now it's late afternoon for you, so that would be a much nicer chat. My younger daughter is looking at Australia for her term abroad. Maybe that's a good idea!

>82 Nickelini: I think that there is 16 hours difference between me and Vancouver and it will be a bit more for Rhian!

>83 PaulCranswick: On the other hand 16+ hours is 8- hours difference :) My family lives on 9/10 hours difference from me (Arizona does not change to DST so the difference changes with the seasons) - Mom gets up when I go to bed (and only because she is an early bird); my lunch time is her very late evening/night and she used to go to bed early so the number of hours we could talk in was limited (if I am not working, there is very little to convince me that the morning is a good time to not be sleeping - I am NOT a morning person). I tend to work both with our Asian/Australian and European offices at my real life job and both directions have their own challenges - but as I am not a morning person, the Asian/Australian exchanges are a lot easier even if the difference is similar (8-10 hours for most of them). So there is that.

>84 AnnieMod: yes! Somehow Australia works out okay

I have a close friend in Singapore - thats 12 hours, sometime 13 with dlst.

Hi, everyone! This is my second year in Club Read, although I've been a member of LT since 2008. (One of these days, I'll get a thread up.)

Like >60 qebo: I, too, live in Lancaster, PA. *waves to qebo*

I'll read pretty much anything, but my favorite genre is mysteries and one of my favorite non-fiction subjects to read about is personal finance. I lurk on pretty much everyone's thread, but I'll try to be better about actually posting comments.

I hope everyone has a great reading year!

Hi, joyce @nickelini suggested I check out Club Read, so here I am. I will mostly be a lurker, reading and commenting; I may set up a thread later.

I've been on LT since 2007 and have never been good at maintaining a thread, but I do like to read and comment. I use the TIOLI challenge from 75 books to help me decide what to read which satisfies my spur of the moment reading with some planning. I like to read mystery series (I lean to police procedurals but enjoy some cozies), women's fiction, Canadian authors, historical fiction, some non-fiction, and get distracted by lists like The Tournament of Books and The Women's Prize for Fiction.

My name is Elizabeth, and I live on Prince Edward Island, Canada. I am a high school teacher (math and physics) and am starting to think about retiring in a few years. I am 54 years old, married, with three kids - 24 year old son, and 22 and 18 year old girls that all live home right now. I have become more active in the last few years and really enjoy hiking, walking, yoga and pilates. I used to read books, but the vast majority of my reading these days is audiobooks and ebooks. The pile of paper books in my house is protesting but I like being able to walk and move (or play stupid phone games) while listening to a book.
Looking forward to hanging around here!

>87 LibraryLover23: Welcome back, LibraryLover! I joined LT in 2008 and rejoined Club Read last year, so we have that in common. I'll stop by your thread when it appears.

>88 raidergirl3: Welcome, raidergirl, any friend of Joyce's... I joined the last couple months of TIOLI Challenges, but I tend to read what I want then try to squish it in somewhere.

I visited PEI with my daughter when was young. She was wild about L.M. Montgomery, so we did the circuit. It was beautiful. I'm from Maine, so it wasn't too bad of a drive.

Happy Lurking!

>87 LibraryLover23: I, too

Hi, LL23! Significant representation for such a small city, especially considering this is an international group.

>88 raidergirl3: Hi, Elizabeth! I'm glad you decided to come over

My name is Edwin. I work as a teacher and write textbooks on the side. I also regularly work as an editor.

I don't have any plans, but I do have some intentions. Like previous years, I will be mainly reading English and American literature, and German and Dutch literature.

>89 labfs39: thanks Lisa for the welcome. Maine is so close- hope you are able to get back to PEI again. Rumour has it LL Bean is opening a store in Halifax and I’m excited about that.

>91 Nickelini: thanks for the suggestion Joyce

>88 raidergirl3: Hi Elizabeth, and welcome! My hubby and I have visited Prince Edward Island twice and loved it both times.

Hello everyone. I'm Pam, a retired chemistry teacher in Melbourne, Australia. I used to participate in Club Read and have returned to contribute to the thread Trifolia set up (thank you, Monica) in memory of RebeccaNYC. I see some some familiar people here, whose names are still attached to books on my wish list.

>95 pamelad: Thanks for stopping by and saying hello, Pam. Will you create a thread in Club Read, or should we pop over to the 100 Books in 2022 group to follow you?

>96 labfs39: Thanks, Lisa. I'm not sure yet whether to set up a thread on Club Read, so for now, I'm here at 100 Books in 2022.

I'm late to the party, but my 2022 thread is finally up and running.

I've been on LT since 2007, which I guess makes me one of the old-timers. I'm Deborah, a retired English professor (specialty in Early Modern English literature, particularly drama) living in South Central PA with my two cats. I love historical fiction but am getting quite picky about the particulars-- no heavy romance themes, no speculative plots, has to be well written and researched. Lately I have been reading more nonfiction (politics, history, memoir). I also enjoy contemporary literary fiction.

>72 Nickelini: Thanks for the welcome - yes sure you catch very good the meaning of "hygge"

>93 raidergirl3: Hello Maritimer! Wait -- LL Bean is opening a store in Halifax?! That will cut back on the work for CBSA.

Another one here always late, and usually last to arrive. I'm SassyLassy, currently living on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, otherwise known as 'Canada's Ocean Playground'. I've moved back after too many years away, and am so happy I did.

My reading is usually older books. I'm a big fan of 19th century books, and once had a thread 'SassyLassy's Nineteenth Century'. Besides Club Read, I'm also part of Reading Globally, Virago Modern Classics, and Needlearts, another of avaland's brilliant ideas, where I lurk but never post pictures. I'm also keen on books about the sea and pirates, books on the plant world, and books from and about the PRC. There's lots else, but that's it for now.

I really hope to keep up this year, not fade out around spring time. I will be following along on a lot of threads, but not necessarily posting, as I'm pretty quiet in real life.

>101 SassyLassy: I can not take credit for Needlearts, as that was started originally by BoPeep, however it had become dormant, and I thought to revive it (a kind of recycling, ,LOL). However, I did start Reading Globally back in 2007 (I've had an equal number of short-lived flops, too...)

Hi there everybody!
This is my ninth year on CR, although last year probably cannot be counted as I have hardly found the time to post.
I am a high school teacher and live in Germany. My reading is usually all over the place, but I have been reading one Steinbeck novel per year for the last six(?) years and am planning to do so again this year. Other than that I read both fiction and non-fiction, love Stephen King, John Grisham and David Baldacci.
I will really be trying to participate more actively this year. My thread will be set up soon and I hope I will be posting to other threads more regulary this year. There are several people around here that I follow on a (more or less) regular basis. I am sure I will be hit by many book bullets again this year, which is what I love about this group.
So here's to happy reading in 2022!

Hi, I'm Sally Pursell, and just below is a copy of the first post on my thread. I'm thrilled to become acquainted with those of you who are new or "revived" members.

So, I am Sally, (who could have guessed?) I live in St. Louis, Missouri, which is a lovely town with crummy weather--both cold and hot and steamy. Missouri is almost in the dead center of the United States. This year we can see the effects of climate change--we used to have snow often, but the last few years there has been very little. It has been in the 60's (almost 16 C) this past week, in January! Our growing zone has changed, to allow many plants we could not have grown in the past. (I don't know anything about horticulture, but so I have been told.) It is supposed to get down to 6 degrees F tomorrow night (-14 C), and that's more like the winter I was used to.

St. Louis is a big university town, with major hospitals, and I was a hospital nurse, specializing in High-Risk Obstetrics and Pediatric Mental Health until retiring about three years ago due to my physical problems. I loved Nursing passionately, especially Labor and Delivery.

I am very happily married, for nearly 50 years, to Clay. We have four children, all great, and four grandchildren, also terrific. I've been in Library Thing since 2008, and Club Read for three years now, I think, but my participation is often hampered by my health. I have severe Spinal Stenosis, and severe Fibromyalgia (not severe according to me, but my doctors), and a few other lesser problems. My vision has always been poor, and I have very poor balance. Eye surgery means I see better at age 70 than I ever had before, but spinal surgery paralyzed one of my legs year before last, and although I have movement back, my strength and balance have not recovered.

Reading has always been my very favorite thing to do, and I am blessed with great reading speed. I have been reading since I was very young, and I have always read a lot, usually hours every day. Pain and other things keep me eschewing serious reading, but at least I have the genre fiction I have always loved--SF and Fantasy, Mysteries, and a lot of Paranormal. I also really like Classics. I started reading Romance a few years ago, finding it often better than I expected, but there certainly is a lot of dross. Each year I have had some plans, but I don't always stick to them.

This year, I have compiled only one of the customary statistics:

Last year I read 223 books, I think. There were a few others I tried, but didn't finish, or didn't bother to notice the name because it wasn't worth it.

>1 labfs39: Arjun/Kerala,India

>105 arjun_ullas: Welcome, Arjun! I hope you enjoy hanging out in Club Read. If you would like, you can tell us a little bit about yourself, or start a thread to share your reading.

I see At Night All Blood Is Black in your library. Did you read it yet? It's on my wish list.

>79 Nickelini: My pseudo-avid reading is faring much better than my pseudo-avid cycling right now. I am finishing as many books each week as I am getting rides outside right now! (i.e. one) At least pre-pandemic I rode to work three or four times a week. But then again, I have more time to read now that I don't have to commute. Tradeoffs!

>1 labfs39: Hi all, Im Kim and I am brand new to this site. Looking forward to spending much time reading what others are reading.
I read anything but poetry. Sorry poets. I enjoy WW2 novels and historical fiction. I wish i had more time to read, but I find myself quit busy these days with work and being a new grandmother (grammy). :)
Look forward to chatting with you all. Have a great rest of the week.

Welcome, Kim! I like historical fiction, too. I would love to be retired and have more time to read. I'm quite behind on my annual goal already this year. How wonderful to be a new grammy!

>108 KimberlyCombs: Welcome to Club Read, Kim. I hope you are getting settled in. I too read a lot about WWII (both fiction and nonfiction), although this year I'm focusing a lot on Asian authors for the Asian Book Challenge, which has seriously impacted my usual reading fare. What are some of your favorites? I checked your profile, but see that you haven't added your books.

Congrats on your new grandparenthood!

Isnt retirement wonderful? Welcome to your new rabbit hole, uh I mean hobby:) I also love HF and have also been reading books for the Asian Challenge, broadening my global reading. Looking forward to seeing your posts!

>108 KimberlyCombs: Hi and welcome! You will find that we are a friendly lot here and always ready to give recommendations for reading. Congratulations on your new grandbaby!

Hello, everyone! My name is Marisa, and I live in Canada, near Montreal.

I read across all genres, and will often read 2-3 books at once (I like to have a fiction and non-fiction read going at any given time). I don't set reading goals, because I'll often change my mind and I prefer to just go with whatever strikes my fancy at the time. I also don't hesitate to DNF books; sometimes I'll come back to them later on, other times I abandon them altogether.

That said, I am interested in exploring gothic novels this year, and have already read a couple. So I'll be (loosely) tracking that project.

When I'm not reading, I work as a freelance indexer and editor. So one way or another, I'm always immersed in words!

welcome!

>113 LocusAmoenus: Welcome to Club Read, Marisa! There are a couple of other CR members currently reading Gothic novels, including Stephanie/DieFledermaus. Her thread is here, if you want to see what she's reading. I'll pop over to your thread now. Happy Reading!

>115 labfs39: Thank you! I'll check them out! Also, I'd be happy to be added to the main list above.

Kim and Marisa, welcome to Club Read. :) Hopefully your TBR piles won’t tripple in a month (who am I kidding - they’ll tripple in a week…) :)

>113 LocusAmoenus: I may follow your progress with the Gothic novels this year, as I once had an obsession with it. I also read a few books about the Gothic & Gothic fiction such as The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction.

>113 LocusAmoenus: Hi and welcome! You will surely make new friends here, and also add to your TBR list as has been noted. We are friendly and fun. This group of reading friends helped me through the pandemic and moving to a new home after parting with a lot of stuff, including some of my books, which I regretted and now am buying back some.

Hi new user of LibraryThing here. My name is Lindsay and I live in Scotland.

I found this group as someone recommended it as a way of reading and reviewing new books. I've read 2 'first-reads' so far and I was really impressed with them both.

I didn't read much last year, so I set myself a challenge to read 52 books this year (a online challenge)...then I joined another group which had a 52 book challenge (so that would've been about 60 in total)...then I joined a 3rd group that had a 100 book challenge (so probably 105 in total).

I've read 37 books so far this year, so I'm definitely on track to hit my target of reading the books for all 3 book challenges!!!

I love reading books in series as I love getting involved in a new world. The series I'm reading are J D Robb 'in death', the chalet school books, the Game of Thrones series (A Song of Fire and Ice), Blueberry Springs, Frank Tayell 'life goes on' and 'surviving the evacuation' Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Anne of Green Gables, Thursday Murder Club...as you can see its a pretty mixed bag of reads!!!

>120 Tartanfairy: Welcome, Lindsay! You've come to the right place if you are looking for a place to get and share recommendations and reviews. Feel free to ask questions, and happy reading!

Welcome Lindsay to your new addiction, um, hobby :) Ask if you need help navigating around, and have fun reading (warning expect your TBR list to multiply quickly!)

Welcome Lindsay! Wow - 105 books. That's ambitious!

>120 Tartanfairy: welcome to LibraryThing and our group, Club Read. Looks like you're having a fun reading year.

Welcome, Cinda! I love Vancouver and visited many times when I lived in Seattle. I spent a memorable afternoon learning to ride a tandem bicycle as we careened around Stanley Park. My daughter loved seeing the belugas at the aquarium. I enjoyed MacLeod's Books too.

You might enjoy fellow Club Reader Jean/nohrt4me2's thread, as she likes true crime too.

Hi, I’m Diane. I’m a retired teacher living in Birmingham, Al. I’ve been a member of LT since January of 2021 and am a newcomer to this group. I read a lot of fiction and what I hope is a good balance of nonfiction, favorite types being medieval history and literature, 19th century British novels, historical fiction and history, and well written contemporary fiction. My current projects are finishing the trilogy FDR at War by Nigel Hamilton and Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, which I’m sure will start me searching for books about the history of the Franciscan Order in the 14th century. I love to read fiction that sends me searching for more information. I also occasionally reread earlier favorites and want to spend more time doing that.

I’ve enjoyed being a part of LT and look forward to hearing about others’ reading and reading plans.

Welcome Diane, I’m Diane too. I’m a retired librarian. I read all over the map. Right now I’m reading lots of Canadians.

>129 dianelouise100: Welcome to Club Read, Diane. I love books that lead me down fun rabbit holes too. I'll look forward to following your reading this year. Will you be starting a thread here?

>131 labfs39: I expect I’ll post in the group thread and may try to join in the Victorian group discussion if I can catch up enough with the doorstoppers already stacked on my nightstand.

>129 dianelouise100: Welcome to Club Read!

Welcome! You've come to the right place if you like going down reading rabbit holes!

>129 dianelouise100: Welcome! I like your favorite categories too, and am interested to hear more about what you're reading.

>129 dianelouise100: Hi Diane and welcome to the group. I am also a retired teacher, although I still teach online classes as adjunct faculty.

>129 dianelouise100: Welcome, Diane! Another medieval and British history lover here. I look forward to hearing about what you are reading. The Name of the Rose was a great book!

Hi -- I'm Lynda and I live in (eastern) Oregon (which you've probably already figured out) with my hubby and cat. DH and I like to think we are retired, but of course we are still in thrall to Thumper, the part-Siamese, part-would-be-galactic-emperor who is stymied only by his lack of opposable thumbs.

I read about a dozen books a month on the average, usually including a couple of LTERs and a F2F group read. Left to my own devices, I will read most any genre, with a few exceptions. Not keen on "Christian romance", bodice-ripper romance, military history, or espionage novels. Make of that selection what you will!

I've been active in Library Thing for a couple of years, using it mostly to track and review my reads. Groups I belong to include What Are You Reading Now, Readers Over 60, Book Talk, and a couple of Early Reviewer groups. Am really looking for an active group for general discussion, as in "Hey, I just read (Latest Best Seller / Overhyped Classic) -- what do you think about the way the author chose to end it?" (or other burning questions)

>138 LyndaInOregon: Welcome Lynda! One Club Read thread you might enjoy is Questions for the Avid Reader. Every month our intrepid questionner, Lois/avaland, poses a book or reading related question, and everyone chimes in. The current thread is here.

Do you have a thread somewhere we can follow? Or might you start one here?

>138 LyndaInOregon: Welcome Lynda. I live in the other state where you don’t have to pump your own gas.

Adding my welcome also, Lynda. Club Read is what you make of it. I hope you get around to look at others' threads, and find some new book friends, or at least get (and give) some great recommendations.

Hello,
I'm sorry to be so late in joining this year, but I love seeing what other people are reading, so I hope no one minds. My name is Jan and I live near Seattle, Washington. I've been on LT since 2006. Other groups I participate in are the ROOT challenge and the 50 book challenge.

I read almost anything (no horror); fiction and non-fiction. I always have several book going at once, and I read a lot of reports and studies in my job.

>142 janoorani24: Welcome, Janiece! It's never too late to join the party. We're happy to have you. I see that you are currently reading Bring Up the Bodies, my favorite of the Cromwell series.

For eighteen years I lived in Woodinville. I only moved back to Maine a few year ago. I still miss Third Place Books and the University Bookstore!

>142 janoorani24: Welcome Jan. I lived in Sammamish for 35 years (Lisa and I occasionally got together at Third Place Books) but we moved to the beach in Florida 2 years ago. Will you be starting a thread?

>142 janoorani24: welcome! As lisa says, there is not time limit here! Just saw your library, we have a lot in common. Eager to see what else you will be reading!

Hi, my name is Catherine and I am from Ireland. I just joined LibraryThing. I have a long list of books that I need to get through and have been neglecting, but now I have finished my college degree I have some more free time. I really enjoy reading and learning from other people’s perspectives on books I have read and I don’t have many opportunities to compare notes, so I am looking forward to reading through this group.
My current favourite book is ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’ by Shirley Jackson, and the last book I read was ‘Disgrace,’ by JM Coetzee.

>146 Kit99Read: welcome Catherine. What part of Ireland are you from?

>146 Kit99Read: Welcome to the group, Catherine!

>146 Kit99Read: welcome Catherine. Shirley Jackson was special.

>146 Kit99Read: Welcome to LibraryThing and to Club Read. I'm glad you found us. I have several Coetzee books that I have been meaning to get to. Did you like Disgrace? You might think about creating a thread. It's a great way to track your reading and to start conversations about your books. Other fun things are the Questions for the Avid Reader and What Are You Reading Now threads. Have fun exploring!

Hello Catherine, welcome!!! I remember reading that shirley jackson book, her writing is so good Echoing what Lisa says. looking forward to hearing what else you read. There's a lot here you might want to check out if you get lost or confused, or looking for something in particular, don't hesitate to ask for help!

>147 dianeham: hi, yeah I am from Drogheda in the northeast of Ireland, so it’s nice and quiet here. I can broaden my horizons a lot through reading.

>150 labfs39: I’m glad I found this too, I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s opinions, exploring the group further, and learning how to navigate it.
I enjoyed Disgrace, and I am liking it more having been contemplating it afterwards. I found it easy to read but it’s one that I’m still thinking about because it has such a complex and unsympathetic protagonist and I had to reconcile that with the message I was getting from it. I had never read any Coetzee before so I didn’t know what I was getting into but I found it fulfilling and depressing, yet beautiful.

Hi Catherine, and welcome! I read the Shirley Jackson biography not long ago... a little drawn out but good nonetheless, and really interesting to see where her influences originated and how her life played out.

>153 Kit99Read: fulfilling and depressing, yet beautiful Sounds right up my alley! lol. More often than not, that's what my books turn out to be.

I just read The Life and Times of Michael K it was just ok.

>156 dianeham: That's one of my favorite novels by Coetzee! I gave it 4½ stars, and I gave the same rating to Disgrace, Waiting for the Barbarians, The Childhood of Jesus, and Youth. Yeah, I'm a fan...

>157 kidzdoc: i gave Schooldays of Jesus 5 stars and 4 stars to the other 2 in that series.

>146 Kit99Read: Welcome Catherine! First glance I thought you might be the author Kit Reed!

Hi, today I discovered LT and am really glad to join it!

My name is Monique, Iḿ an appasionate mexican reader who lives since many years in Germany. I love reading historical books, classics, fantasy, romance, latino books and many other topics.

Two days ago I finished reading Pride and Prejudice from Jane Austen, now Iḿ reading a beautiful book called Die Frauen und ihre Bücher from Johannes Thiele.
I don't know, if its already translated in english, it would be great if so!

I'm looking forward to a lively exchange about the books we read and enjoy! :)

>160 BuecherDrache: Welcome, Monique! I'm glad you found LibraryThing and Club Read. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, and I look forward to following your reading.

>161 labfs39: Thank you very much :)

>146 Kit99Read: Welcome Catherine! I'm from Co. Down so not too far away from you.

Sounds like we may have quite similar reading taste - I hope you set up a thread!

>160 BuecherDrache: Welcome Monique! Do set up a thread so we can follow along with your reading.

>1 labfs39: Hello! I'm Lizetta, I live in South Carolina, USA. I'm a junior college student and I found LibraryThing while procrastinating studying! I've mostly been on Name that Book, but decided to check out some of the other groups today and found you guys!
I love books that feel like classic fairy tales, everything that I've read by Neil Gaiman so far, and books about books or books about storytelling in general. And tavern-centric fantasy novels. All fiction!

I found LibraryThing while procrastinating studying!

Shocked to see that reading is allowed in this establishment!!! :) Welcome liz. been distracted by reading to get much studying done but I managed to get by. Feel free to ask questions as you make your way around this reading haven.

love Neil Gaiman, are you also a Pratchett fan? I have a whole shelf of nothing but books about books and reading, as well as 'fractured fairy tales' fun stuff! And good luck on your studying while you are at it

>165 liz4444: Welcome, Lizetta. Thanks for stopping by to introduce yourself. Pull up a seat, a cuppa your favorite hot beverage, and stay awhile. Feel free to create a thread too. It allows you to track your reading, if you wish, and gives us a place to come and chat with you. Any questions, give a holler.

My all time favorite pseudo fairy tale is The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. I also enjoyed the Marissa Meyer books, especially the first, Cinder.

>165 liz4444: welcome. Procrastination got me through The Lord of the Rings (the 1st time).

>166 cindydavid4: i've been wanting to get into Pratchett's stuff, I tried out discworld a few years ago and didn't get into it but I'm planning to give it another shot. thanks!

>167 labfs39: I enjoyed Cinder, and got part of the way through Scarlet. I haven't read the Snow Child but I will check that out! I love The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, it feels like a fairy tale and all of the Fortunes and Fables stories within are so beautiful.

>169 liz4444: I have bounced off The Colour of Magic several times...it's a fascinating setting but I find the story annoying (and Rincewind, too). I've been told that that's far from the best book in the series, but so far I haven't been able to convince myself to start elsewhere - no, I did read The Wee Free Men and enjoyed it, want to go on with that subseries. There is so much Discworld...

>169 liz4444: do not start from the beginning! They are not as interesting as later books and you can always go back to them Wait till you read some of the stand alone books like small gods, soul music, Lords and Ladies and reaper man but everyone has their fav (Im more partial to the witch and death books, to the night watch and the unseen university)

here is a good suggested reading guide, you can choose where to start depending on what theme you are intersted in. I like this one because it gives a good description of each theme (my first books were soul music and small gods fwiw

edited because the guide skips lots of his newer books Use this site instead
https://www.tlbranson.com/discworld-reading-order-terry-pratchett/

>171 jjmcgaffey: I read all the Tiffany books and didn't realize he wrote one more,shepherds crown his last book before he passed. Its well worth reading, even if a favorite character dies. Its also not perfect, but his wife daughter and assistant ended up completing it. But its bittersweet, and fun despite it all.

>170 liz4444: oh I so wanted to like the starless sea. One of my all time favorite books is night circus which I reread how and again. I thought it was much more plot driving and not as confusing. Thats just me tho. if you liked that youll probably love the other

>172 cindydavid4: thank you so much!

>174 cindydavid4: i've read the night circus a few times! i love that book, but something about the starless sea just scratches my brain the right way. i love the audiobook for it too! it has so many layers and mysteries that i'm not entirely sure link up without plot holes, but still fun for me to think about

>176 liz4444: did you start your own topic?

>177 dianeham: just made one!

I'm Keith, new to LibraryThing and still finding my way around. Grew up in Vermont, educated in St. Louis (Washington U) and Ann Arbor (U of Michigan), now living in Los Angeles, where I recently retired after 31 years with LA Public Library.

Don't read quite as many books as I did while working -- the hour-long commutes to work and back were my prime reading time -- but am trying to get back into the habit of setting aside an hour each day for reading.

I read fairly widely, but particularly enjoy SF, mystery, pop culture, odd corners of history. Favorite reads this year: a re-read of The Necessary Beggar by Susan Palwick (how is this book not better known?!?); When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill; and Camera Man by Dana Stevens, a not-quite-a-biography of Buster Keaton.

Haven't yet started my own thread in Club Read, but plan to do for 2023!

>179 KeithChaffee: Welcome, Keith, from a fellow New Englander. I grew up in Maine and recently returned after thirty years away. I'm glad you found Club Read, and LibraryThing in general. Few free to ask any questions, we are a friendly group. I'll look forward to your thread in 2023!

welcome keith! Your name sounds familiar, were you in another online reading group back in 2000 or so?

>181 cindydavid4: Yes, I spent some time at Readerville.

aHa! good to see you again. You'll notice a few others here from that time hanging around. And I still listen to that cover compilation that you put together.
What did you think of when women were dragons?

I loved When Women Were Dragons. Lyrical prose, lots of righteous feminist anger, but not merely (or even mostly) a polemic. It's about trauma and the price we pay, individually and collectively, when we refuse to deal with what has happened to us. And ultimately, a reminder that love, even if it can't conquer quite all, is a powerful force, especially if we are willing to accept all of its possible manifestations.

yes, exactly. Another big theme of hers is you can make your own family if you have none. She has some YA books that are quite readable and cover those same themes. My favorite is the girl who drank the moon reminded me of The Lottery, with a much different ending. (warning: the summary of the touchstone link is full of spoilers) Her writing reminds me of Neil Gaiman. I have not heard of the necessary beggar will have to check that out.

>184 KeithChaffee: Welcome Keith. This is a first for me - a BB from the Introductions thread!

Hi Keith—another Readerville veteran here. Welcome!

>186 rhian_of_oz: Is BB a bit of LibThing jargon I haven't learned yet, or am I missing something head-thumpingly obvious?

>188 KeithChaffee: Book Bullet - they fly low and slow in this group (and hit you when you least expect) :) It is a good thing (not for your TBR pile/list/warehouse/mountain) though. Welcome to the monkey house. :)

Welcome Keith. Readerville must have been good fun. Hope you also enjoy some time here.

In the ‘90s my online hangout was the Utne Cafe. I think I hosted the reading group there.

Hi to everyone, my name is Sabina, I am italian. Love reading all kinds of stuff.From astrology to classic english literature and love to sneak out book titles that don't have many readers...you find great stuff sometimes.

>192 sabinaG: Welcome, Sabina! I agree that sometimes the odd little book that no one has read can be a treasure. Have you seen the Vous et Nul Autre page on your profile? I have 12 books in LT that no one else has. To see yours, go to your profile, click "Charts and Graphs" on the top navigation bar, then "Odds and Ends" on the left nav bar, and finally "Vous et Nul Autre."

Welcome Sabina!

Welcome, Paige. Thanks for stopping in and officially introducing yourself. Do you think you'll start your own thread in Club Read 2023?

>197 Bamf102: Yep. Think of it as your own diary and online place where people from the Club come visit to see what you are up to. Some of us talk only about books, some talk about all their reading, some talk about movies and music, some talk about life in general.

>199 Bamf102: DC also have a subscription service - I have both... and Comixology Unlimited -- rarely remember to write about what I read there though. Had been planning to next year - just for my own memory aid if nothing else) :)

>201 Bamf102: I keep forgetting where you are. Sorry :( And yeah - it is not fun when that happens.

Welcome Paige

I have been around LT for so long that I forget that other people on these threads might not know me. I will now remedy that oversight.

Hi
I am Benita and I have been an LT member since 2007 (or thereabouts). I am an about-to-be-retired librarian at The University of Alabama where I have been working for the last 30 years. Before that I was a K-12 School Librarian in small rural schools in the Western half of the great state of Kansas. Smack dab in the middle of the U.S.A. My specialty in our library is the Children's and Young Adult books and all of the Curriculum Materials. (Those are educational things that are connected with teaching in K-12 schools.) For the last 8 years I have also been the Education Reference Librarian and I teach mostly graduate students how to do research. In the last three years I have spent most of my time in front of the Zoom camera teaching people working on dissertations how to manage their research and produce a finished dissertation. I read, cook, and travel when I can. I don't like living where I am but for most of my years here I liked the people I worked with. I was privileged to work with a crew of extraordinary women whose friendship and immense knowledge I benefited from greatly. I can't same the same for the men who ran the library system. I am looking forward to retiring and spending a great deal of time perfecting my bread baking skills. And reading. Lots of reading and coffee. Fortunately for me I live 4 blocks from a Starbucks so doing these two things shouldn't be as hard as learning how to make a great croissant. As soon as I am rested up I plan to move back to Kansas and watch those glorious sunrise and sunsets at my Prairie Redoubt.

>204 benitastrnad: hi! I’ve browsed your library here on lt several times. We have 223 books in common but that’s not surprising considering you have 17,000+. I am a retired librarian too.

if I hadnt become a teacher, I was going for reference librarian. I remember as a kid being amazed at the one in our library. She could find out anything! Taught me how to use reference materials on my own. Congrats on retiring! I retired almost 4 years ago; it was hard at first, I really missed the kids and the staff, but I started volunteeirng and loved it. Plus there is all that time for reading!