Alcott Acre's Home, Room 9

Thanks for stopping by my ninth thread of 2022! All visitors are welcome - with the exception of spammers!

Excellent Reads from 2022 (thus far and in the order in which I read them):

5 Stars
The Writing of the Gods by Edward Dolnick
The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo
The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Speigelman
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Walking with the Wind by John Lewis with Michael D'Orso
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
Fatelessness by Imre Kertesz

4.5 Stars
These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Square Haunting by Francesca Wade
Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Özge Samancı
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith
A Mortuary of Books by Elisabeth Gallas
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Speigelman
Watercress by Andrea Wang
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights by Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe
From Left to Right by Nancy Sinkoff
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
The Fell by Sarah Moss
Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert
Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
The Wars by Timothy Findley
The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey
Enchanters' End Game by David Eddings
The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty
The Heart of Race by Beverley Bryan, et al
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb
Pollak's Arm by Hans von Trotha
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Zorrie by Laird Hunt
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Loyalty in Time of Trial: The African American Experience During World War I by Nina Mjagkij
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
Cove by Cynan Jones
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
The Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan

4.25 Stars
The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed
The Fall of Light by Niall Williams
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
Lenny's Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Tamra B. Orr
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
Still Life by Sarah Winman
The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine
Time and Again by Jack Finney
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
Love & Saffron by Kim Fay
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson
The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith
Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy B. Tyson
Trailed by Kathryn Miles
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
Nella Last's War edited by Richard Broad and Suzie Fleming
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez
Home Before Morning by Lynda Van Devanter
Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang
Brewster by Mark Slouka
The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting
I Was Born There, I Was Born Here by Mourid Barghouti
Apollo 8 : The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger
The Murrow Boys by Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman

July TIOLI Challenges:

Challenge #1: Read a biography or autobiography about a person in the medical field
Home Before Morning by Lynda Van Devanter - Completed July 9, 2022

Challenge #2 Read a book you purchased OR borrowed in June, 2022 which includes the letter "J" in the Title or Author's first name
Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang - Completed July 22, 2022
Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi - Completed July 16, 2022

Challenge #3: The "Here, There, and Everywhere" Challenge: Read a book with a one-word title that indicates a place. Subtitles to do not matter for this challenge, but articles do.
Cove by Cynan Jones - Completed July 24, 2022
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson - Completed July 29, 2022

Challenge #4: Read a book which is the 7th book in a series or later
Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King - Completed July 10, 2022
Loyalty in Death by J.D. Robb - Completed July 4, 2022

Challenge #5: Read a book you intended to read earlier this year
Brewster by Mark Slouka - Completed July 24, 2022
Fatelessness by Imre Kertesz - Completed July 28, 2022
Library Looking Glass by David Cecil - Completed July 17, 2022

Challenge #6: Read a book that is set in winter and/or the cold, snow or stormy weather plays a part in the plot
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez - Completed July 2, 2022
The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting - Completed July 29, 2022

Challenge #7: Read a book first published this century or where the lead character does adulting
Book Lovers by Emily Henry - Completed July 29, 2022
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll - Completed July 19, 2022
Plainsong by Kent Haruf - Completed July 25, 2022

Challenge #8: Read a book about abortion or contraception.
The Birth of the Pill by Jonathan Eig - Completed July 12, 2022
The Farm by Joanne Ramos - Completed July 27, 2022

Challenge #9: X marks the spot! Read a book with the letter X in the title or author's name
Nine Continents : A Memoir In and Out of China by Xiaolu Guo - Completed July 3, 2022
Loyalty in Time of Trial: The African American Experience During World War I by Nina Mjagkij - Completed July 18, 2022
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell - Completed July 5, 2022

Challenge #10: Read a book where the title on the cover is written on at least 3 lines or more
The Maker of Heavenly Trousers by Daniele Vare - Completed July 30, 2022
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T Kingfisher - Completed July 26, 2022
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill - Completed July 6, 2022

Challenge #11: Read a book about the history or politics of Canada, the United States, or France
The Era of Reconstruction, 1865-1877 by Kenneth M. Stampp - Completed July 23, 2022
Jacques Cartier, Samuel De Champlain and the Explorers of Canada by Tony Coulter - Completed July 10, 2022
Village of Secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France by Caroline Moorehead - Completed July 15, 2022

Challenge #12: Read a book about language or languages, language learning or translation
An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton - Completed July 17, 2022

Challenge #13: Read a book with something that can be annoying in the title
Superbugs by Matt McCarthy - Completed July 31, 2022

Challenge #14: Read a book with a first or second person pronoun (singular or plural) in the title
I Was Born Here, I Was Born There by Mourid Barghouti - Completed July 30, 2022

Challenge #15: Read a Book Written by a Chinese Born Author
War Trash by Ha Jin - Completed July 24, 2022

Challenge #16: Read a book with a name in the title
Emma by Jane Austen - Completed July 19, 2022
Mary Anne by Daphne Du Maurier - Completed July 12, 2022
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - Completed July 1, 2022
Waverley by Sir Walter Scott - Completed July 12, 2022

Challenge #17: Read a book that fewer than 2022 members have in their catalog
Palu by Louis Nowra - Completed July 25, 2022

Challenge #18: Read a book someone read earlier this year in a TIOLI challenge
Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce Completed July 16, 2022

August TIOLI Challenges:

Challenge #1: Read a book with an uneven number in the title
The Boy on Platform One by Victor Canning

Challenge #2: Read a book where the first name of the author has more characters than the last name
Apollo 8 : The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger - Completed August 3, 2022
The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau
The Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan - Completed August 11, 2022
The Murrow Boys by Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson - Completed August 9, 2022
Quicksand by Junichiro Tanizaki
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
Vanishing New York by Jeremiah Moss
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare - Completed August 7, 2022
The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe

Challenge #3: Read a book where you have heard the author talk about their work
Witness in Death by J.D. Robb - Completed August 8, 2022

Challenge #4: Read a book that has the last three letters of your city’s name in the title
A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman - Completed August 14, 2022
Landscapes of the Metropolis of Death by Otto Dov Kulka
Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball - Completed August 16, 2022

Challenge #5: Read a book published by an author who died before April 1972
Fall of the Roman Republic by Plutarch
Lost Illusions by Honore de Balzac

Challenge #6: Read a book from the LT list of “Favorite Animal Fiction”
The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis - Completed August 10, 2022

Challenge #7: Read a book in your favorite genre by an author new to you
The Devil’s Hearth by Philip Depoy
gods behaving badly by Marie Phillips
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

Challenge #8: Read a book that has a real non-European city name in the title or subtitle
Kabul in Winter by Ann Jones

Challenge #9 - Read a book with a job title in the title
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa - Completed August 13, 2022

Challenge #10: Read a book with WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and then HOW in the title (rolling challenge)
Is This a Great Game, or What? by Tim Kurkjian

Challenge #11: Read a book with an invertebrate in the title or author's name
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - Completed August 14, 2022
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

Challenge #12: Read a book set during the Great Depression
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - Completed August 16, 2022

Challenge #13: Read a book you share with a Legacy Library
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (shared with W. Somerset Maugham, among others)

Challenge #14: Read a "summer book"
One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly - Completed August 12, 2022

Challenge #15 - Read a book by a Booker Prize Longlisted Author but not a book that was Longlisted
The Book of Chameleons by José Eduardo Agualusa
Outline by Rachel Cusk

#16: Read a book by an author one of whose names is an English noun
Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
Lock In by John Scalzi - Completed August 6, 2022
Territory by Emma Bull

Challenge #17: Read a book for the Dog Days of Summer challenge
The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart

Challenge #18: Read a book/work with a significant part set in/dealing with the period from 1 January 1945 to 31 December 1964
Endgame, 1945 by David Stafford

2022 Goals - I am going to record the titles as I finish them:

Reading (or rereading as they case may be) all of Jane Austen’s novels this year
- Sense and Sensibility - Completed January 13, 2022
- Pride and Prejudice - Completed March 17, 2022
- Mansfield Park - Completed May 11, 2022
- Emma - Completed July 19, 2022

The St. Mary’s books
- Just One Damned Thing After Another - Completed January 14, 2022
- A Symphony of Echoes - Completed April 17, 2022

The In Death series - started in 2021
- Vengeance in Death - Completed January 9, 2022
- Abandoned in Death - Completed February 8, 2022
- Holiday in Death - Completed March 13, 2022
- Conspiracy in Death - Completed May 12, 2022
- Loyalty in Death - Completed July 4, 2022

The Decker/Lazarus series - started in 2021
- Sacred and Profane - Completed January 23, 2022
- Milk and Honey - Completed June 23, 2022

The Outlander series
- Outlander - Completed February 12, 2022
- Dragonfly in Amber - Completed August 14, 2022

The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series - started in 2021
- The Murder of Mary Russell - Completed February 16, 2022
- Island of the Mad - Completed July 10, 2022

The Murderbot series - started in 2021
- Artificial Condition - Completed February 20, 2022
- Rogue Protocol -

The Three Pines series
- Still Life - Completed March 6, 2022

The Maisie Dobbs series
- Maisie Dobbs - Completed March 22, 2022

Classics - at least one a month; could be children's classics, modern classics, scifi/fantasy classics
1. Kim by Rudyard Kipling - Completed January 7, 2022
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - Completed February 5, 2022
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey - Completed March 6, 2022
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Completed March 12, 2022
5. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - Completed March 28, 2022
6. The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope - Completed April 25, 2022
7. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf - Completed April 29, 2022
8. Heart of the Race by Beverley Bryan et al - Completed May 9, 2022
9. Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. - Completed May 12, 2022
10. Silas Marner by George Eliot - Completed June 21, 2022
11. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - Completed July 1, 2022
12. Waverley by Sir Walter Scott - Completed July 12, 2022

Continuing my Civil Rights/ African & African American experience reading (at least one book per month)
1. How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith - Completed January 21, 2022
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - Completed February 5, 2022
3. Mighty Justice by Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe - Completed February 23, 2022
4. Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood by bell hooks - Completed March 5, 2022
5. The Hands of Peace by Marione Ingram - Completed March 11, 2022
6. Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert - Completed April 3, 2022
7. Walking with the Wind by John Lewis with Michael D'Orso - Completed April 28, 2022
8. Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy B. Tyson - Completed May 31, 2022
9. Loyalty in Time of Trial: The African American Experience During World War I by Nina Mjagkij - Completed July 18, 2022

Continuing my Holocaust/Jewish experience reading (at least one book per month)
1. We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter - Completed January 16, 2022
2. Sala's Gift by Ann Kirschner - Completed January 25, 2022
3. A Mortuary of Books by Elisabeth Gallas - Completed February 4, 2022
4. From Left to Right by Nancy Sinkoff - Completed March 10, 2022
5. The Boys: The Story of 732 Young Concentration Camp Survivors by Martin Gilbert - Completed April 26, 2022
6. While Six Million Died by Arthur D. Morse - Completed April 29, 2022
7. The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen - Completed May 21, 2022
8. Village of Secrets by Caroline Moorhead - Completed July 15, 2022
9. Fatelessness by Imre Kertesz - -Completed July 28, 2022

Books on Berly’s Indie List:
1. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra - Completed February 1, 2022
2. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders - Completed February 6, 2022
3. Moonglow by Michael Chabon - Completed February 11, 2022
4. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan - Completed March 12, 2022
5. The Outlander by Gil Adamson - Completed May 4, 2022
6. The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell - Completed May 23, 2022
7. Silas Marner by George Eliot - Completed June 21, 2022
8. The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker - Completed June 27, 2022
9. Brewster by Mark Slouka - Completed July 24, 2022

Monthly Nonfiction Challenge:
January - The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson Wallace - Completed January 20, 2022
February - The Anthropocene reviewed : essays on a human-centered planet by John Green - Completed February 17, 2022
March - Avenue of Spies by Alex Kershaw - Completed March 30, 2022
April - Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron - Completed April 11, 2022
May - First Into Nagasaki by George Weller - Completed May 27, 2022
June - The Emergency: A Year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER by Thomas Fisher - Completed June 4, 2022
July - The Murrow Boys by Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson
August - Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball

My biggest challenge this year is for the Asian Authors Challenge. I am so stoked for this one. I want to try and read at least 3 books per month toward this challenge.

Proposed Books for August:
Quicksand by Junichiro Tanizaki
The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa - Completed August 13, 2022

Shared/Group Reads:

Plainsong by Kent Haruf - shared read with Mark - Completed July 25, 2022
Waverley by Walter Scott - shared read with Mamie - Completed July 12, 2022
Lost Illusions by Honore de Balzac - shared read with Paul - AUGUST
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner - shared read with Mark and Joe - AUGUST
A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman - shared read with Paul - Completed August 14, 2022

On hold currently:
King of the Murgos by David Eddings - shared read with Nina - AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott - share read with Mamie - OCTOBER

Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart Postponed at Karen’s request
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Zafon Ruiz Postponed at Karen’s request
Here I Am by Jonathan Safron Foer Postponed at Kim's request

Pick a Shelf Challenge - Goal is 2 a month - I literally just chose a shelf in my library and emptied it of books. I will mark them as I complete them - and then pick another shelf!

The Art of War in the Western World by Archer Jones* - Completed June 24, 2022
The Nautical Chart by Arturo Perez-Reverte
The Yard by Alex Grecian
Killing Mister Watson by Peter Matthiessen
Hard Evidence by David Fisher - Completed February 27, 2022
The Italian Boy by Sarah Wise - Completed January 27, 2022
Day After Night by Anita Diamant - Completed May 28, 2022
Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks - Completed January 9, 2022
Witness to a Century by George Seldes
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
The Maker of Heavenly Trousers by Daniele Vare - Completed July 30, 2022
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill - Completed March 27, 2022
The Promise of Jenny Jones by Maggie Osborne - Completed March 31, 2022
Nursery Crimes by Ayelet Waldman - Completed February 9, 2022
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris - Completed April 14, 2022
Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov - Completed April 16, 2022
A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson - Completed May 26, 2022

I have now chosen another shelf since I am getting so close to finishing the first one. I expect this one is going to take longer as it had more books on it!
Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft
All Hallows' Eve by Charles Williams
Almanac of American Women in the 20th Century by Judith Freeman Clark
"And I Was There" by Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton
Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volumes I-III, by Miriam Lichtheim
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu
The Bureau by Diarmuid Jeffreys
The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson
Dreams, Parts One & Two by Jayne Ann Krentz
Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly
Eric Sloane's America by Eric Sloane
Execution's Doorstep by Leslie Lytle
Fall of the Roman Republic by Plutarch
The Glass Magician by Charlie Holmberg
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
A History of Western Architecture* by David Watkin
History of the Second World War by B.H. Liddell Hart*
How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis
I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson
A Many-Splendored Thing by Han Suyin
The Master Magician by Charlie Holmberg
The Member of the Wedding and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Moonheart by Charles de Lint
The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg
Quiet Street by Zelda Popkin
Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg
Saving Childhood by Michael Medved and Diane Medved
The Tea House on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens
Twist of Fate by Jayne Ann Krentz
The Upstairs Room by Johanne Reiss
When Egypt Ruled the East by George Steindorff and Keith C. Seele

*Due to the length of this volume, I will likely only read one book from this list in that particular month.

The next one is yours, while I spend some time fixing Touchstones. . .

Hi Stasia, and happy new thread. I get to be first. Yay.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

>8 alcottacre: Thanks, Karen! Yay for being first!

Happy new one, Stasia! Your numbers continue to astound! You are amazing!

>11 jessibud2: Nope, not astounding or amazing. Just me. Thanks for stopping by, Shelley! I will have to track down your thread. It has been a while since I visited.

Happy new one!

>13 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

Finished this morning:

272 - Palu by Louis Nowra - To me, this was an odd book. It is a mix of aboriginal folklore and a story of the lead character's life. Initially we meet Palu as she is in prison, put there by her husband, only to be repeatedly raped and threatened by the guards of the prison. Her husband, Emo, is the president of an unnamed country and after the stillborn birth of their only child, assumes power in the country and then when they cannot conceive again, declares that his wife is not only infertile, but a witch as well, so he has her put in prison. All through this narrative, Nowra weaves folklore, most of which I did not understand since I am completely unfamiliar with it. I know that there are people who think highly of this book, including author Carolyn See, who is quoted on the back of the book, but it just did not work for me; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

Happy New Thread Stasia!

>5 alcottacre: Looks like some interesting picks for this upcoming month. I also have three books picked out and one of them is by Yoko Ogawa as well.

>7 alcottacre: I've thought your 'Pick A Shelf Challenge' always looks so interesting as I have as many unread as I do read titles, but all my shelves are alphabetized by author's last name and so not near as diverse of options as your shelves seem to be.

>15 alcottacre: Which Ogawa book are you reading, Kro? Just curious.

I have absolutely no organization in my library - something that I am hoping to correct - so diverse options are always available around here :)

>17 alcottacre: The Memory Police - excited to read this one as 1984 is one of my top books and this book, so it says, is along that type of story.

I'm backwards in that my books are the only thing that have an orderly semblance, lol. It seems to be working out well for you.

>18 WhiteRaven.17: If nothing else, the Pick a Shelf challenge has gotten me to read books that have been on my shelf for quite a while. Then, I can make an informed decision as to whether to keep them or not.

If I have time, I may join you in the read of The Memory Police. I do not own that one, but my local library does. We will see how August goes!

Finished this afternoon:

273 - Plainsong by Kent Haruf - This was a group read - and a re-read for me - and I am so glad to have read this one again. It is one of those quiet books in which not much of anything happens and yet, so much does. We have the Guthries, Tom and his two boys. Their wife and mother has left them to go live with her sister. We have Victoria Roubideaux, a 17-year-old, who finds herself pregnant, the father unwanted, and the mother who throws her out of her home. We have Maggie Jones, who tries to help Vicky, but whose father frightens the girl. We have the McPheron brothers, who Maggie calls on to help Vicky, when she cannot keep the girls at her own home. All of these people's stories intertwine throughout the book and I did not want them to end! I have a couple of minor quibbles with the book: I hate when authors do not delineate conversations so that the reader does not have to puzzle out who is speaking. In Haruf's case, he does a pretty good job of making it clear. My second quibble is with the lack of characterization of Russell and his family, especially considering how well-drawn the other characters in the book are. As I said, minor quibbles; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

>20 alcottacre: mmm

>15 alcottacre: Ew! Sounds thoroughly unpleasant.

Oh, "happy new thread" should've been in that post.

Happy new thread, Stasia! Love your TIOLI lineup and Asian author challenge posts. I have a different list of three I'm hoping to try, including The Master of Go which you recommended several years ago.

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>5 alcottacre: I might join you with Quicksand by Junichiro Tanizaki, when time permits. I already had to transfer 3 books from the July Challenges to August.

Happy new one, Stasia.

>17 alcottacre: Whatever you do, don't do it by colour coding spines.

Crouch End is a more middle class and expensive neighbourhood of north London about two miles from mine. People may have encountered it in fiction set in fiction as it is the kind of place where the north London novel is set, and where authors live that. It also has some good charity shops (thrift stores) including one of Oxfam's specialist Books and Music. Organisation of books varies a lot in charity shops - some just put them all out randomly. Some organise by category and alphabetise or put in order by initial capital of surname. But one - I can't remember which organisation off the top of my head - has just put all the paperbacks with blue spines, red spines, white spines, yellow spines, together. A friend told me they do the same with the secondhand clothes. This is a TERRIBLE idea. Admittedly I was last in there when I needed eye surgery, but it is much much harder to see which book is which like that, and it was definitely easier to look at books that were randomly arranged or arranged in any other manner. Some spines have better contrast between colour of the cover/spine as a whole and the lettering on it.

Happy new one, Juana.

>20 alcottacre: I love that book!

Happy new thread, Stasia!

Happy new thread Stasia!

Hiyee, Stasia. I'm headed to the chiropractor in the morning to get my bones collected and reorganized and the whole retuned. I'll be the same lump, but I hope I'll function with greater ease and less pain. Then in the afternoon, I'm getting my haircut, so all my strength will flutter away with the clippings.

Whaddaya going to do? Trudge on...

Happy new thread!

>19 alcottacre: Yes, it's a good challenge for that. A couple years ago I tried doing the same thing by writing the title's of my unread books and throwing them in a hat to draw from, didn't really work out then, but maybe I should bring it back...

I'd be happy to have a joint read with you if you end up having the time.

>20 alcottacre: Adding this one to my list, been enjoying and seeking out these type of 'intertwining lives' stories lately.

>21 richardderus: I agree on both points :)

>22 richardderus: Understood.

>23 bell7: I did? Well, of course I did, lol. Thanks! I hope you enjoy The Master of Go, Mary.

>24 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I have not read anything by Tanizaki before, so I am curious about the book. I do hope you can join in Quicksand (which just sounds wrong, doesn't it?)

>25 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie!

>26 elkiedee: The thought never crossed my mind, Luci. Mine will be sorted like a public library in the end, I suspect.

>27 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Hooray for another Haruf fan!

>28 curioussquared: >29 quondame: Thank you, Natalie and Susan!

>30 weird_O: I hope that having your bones collected and reorganized works for you, Bill. I know it did wonders for me a few years back.

>31 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>32 WhiteRaven.17: I will keep you posted on the joint read, Kro, but I am not holding my breath, especially as challenges keep being added to TIOLI and I have at least 3 books in August that are 500+ pages to read.

I do hope you will give Plainsong a shot. It really is worth the read.

Today is my meet up day with Beth and Catey, plus I have something like 12 books I need to finish by Sunday, and then there is laundry, cooking, walking. . .For being a retired person, I sure seem to be rather busy.

Finished this morning:

274 - A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher - Young Adult; I loved this one! I very much appreciate when an author has a sense of humor and Kingfisher's comes through in spades. Mona, who works at her aunt's bakery, goes in at 4am to start on the days bread and such, only to discover a dead body. Mona is a magicker and can only work with bread. She knows nothing of politics or how that type of thing works and soon finds herself in the hands of Oberon, the Inquisitor who believes that simply because she found the body, she must be guilty. Fortunately for Mona, she has a Duchess who at least has a bit of common sense. And that is just the first few chapters of the book! Mona meets Spindle, who was the brother of the murder victim, finds out that there is a person killing other magickers and works to destroy a plot against the Duchess; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

>33 alcottacre: You did! Way back in 2010 according to my TBR notes.

>35 alcottacre: Ooh, glad you liked that one. I thought it was a lot of fun.

Hope you have fun with Beth and Catey today!

>36 bell7: Oh, yeah, a mere 12 years ago. I remember now :)

I thought it was great fun too and look forward to reading more books by T. Kingfisher.

Thanks!

>33 alcottacre: The Dutch title of Quicksand is completely different, Stasia. It is Kruisende lijnen, translated: Crossing Lines.

>34 alcottacre: I have only 6 books to finish before July ends, had 3 more, moved those to August.
And one day less to go, as on my fathers birthday there won't be much time to read.

>38 FAMeulstee: I wonder if the Dutch title is closer to the meaning of the book than the English one is.

Oh, I had a ton more than 12 to finish, but cherry picked the ones I really need to complete. I always put too many books on TIOLI. Ah, well.

Hi Stasia, you sound very busy so maybe your pep has returned. Hope so! Happy new thread.

>34 alcottacre: Happy new thread, Stasia, and good luck with all of that reading!!

>40 mdoris: Yes, I am doing fine these days. The biggest problem with CFS, I have found, is that I never know when a flare up is coming.

>41 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba!

>35 alcottacre: Yaaay for loving Mona, too! What a delightful surprise that read was.

*smooch*

Count me among those delighted to see that you also enjoyed Defensive Baking. Such a charming read.

>274 ArlieS: I loved that one too. Yay for magic dough!

>35 alcottacre: Oh Stasia. I've always thought Erik (Oberon) was one of the good guys. Takes good care of his family, repairs the occasional old boat, transports his children to sporting events in which they participate. I can't believe he'd be The Inquisitor (Okay, well, maybe during cross examination). Ah, ha ha. Had some fun with that coincidence.

I hope that your father's recovery continues to go well.

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>43 richardderus: It was not a surprise to me due to your review and others in the group, RD :) ((Hugs)) and **smooches**

>44 MickyFine: >45 swynn: Yeah, it was definitely a good one!

>46 weird_O: I bet you did have some fun with it, Bill. I kept thinking of A Midsummer Night's Dream every time I saw the name.

>47 MDGentleReader: Thanks! He appears to be doing well.

>48 tymfos: Thanks, Terri!

Finished this morning:

275 - The Farm by Joanne Ramos - *sigh* This was a book that I wanted to enjoy more than I did. My biggest beef with the book is that I felt the author tried to stretch herself too thin - she tells the story of Reagan, Lori, and Jane from too many angles. I thought the book would have been better served if Ramos had chosen one character and then focused on that one rather than introducing the others. I did like the premise of the book - a place where surrogate mothers have their every need catered too and where they stay while pregnant, being paid top dollar for their surrogacy - and thought it worked well, especially since I can envision a place like this existing now; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Library Book

"Did you miss the news alert that there's no such thing as sacred anymore? Everything's for sale. Including everyone in this baby factory."

>50 alcottacre: Interesting premise. I wonder if the anti-abortion fanatics would fund such a place. Probably not. They are adamantly NOT interested in any way in care and feeding and educating the children that anti-abortion laws force on society.

>30 weird_O: >33 alcottacre: My bones didn't get an overhaul, but my nerves and tendons and muscles surely did. I do feel better, despite experiencing (still) twinges and aches in my lower back and right thigh.

>51 weird_O: I am afraid that they would not either, Bill.

I am glad you are feeling better. At my age, I have found that any little bit helps!

I have a ton of reading to do for the next 4 days, as I still have challenges that I need to meet. I know that nobody but me cares, but I do, and I want to get them done, lol.

Hi Stasia!

>17 alcottacre: I use location tags for my books, and with 5000+ books here in 5 different rooms, they really help. Keeping them up to date takes effort, but for me it’s well worth it. I don’t have to keep authors or genres together, just find a shelf where something fits and update the location tag.

>34 alcottacre: Twelve books to finish by Sunday. Yikes.

>35 alcottacre: Peggy pointed out to me that T. Kingfisher is a native of my adopted home town – Pittsboro NC – and I recently bought What Moves the Dead.

>53 alcottacre: Good luck on the challenges.

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. Happy New Thread. I hope you are doing well. I appreciate you keeping my thread warm while I was gone. We had a good time. Hiking, biking, brewery-hopping. I even got a nice chunk of reading in. I loved your thoughts on Plainsong, which I finished yesterday. I had no quibbles. Grins...I wasn't planning on rereading Eventide anytime soon but now I am reconsidering. Possibly next year?

>55 msf59: I will join you if you decide to reread Eventide, Mark. I am glad to hear that you had a good time on your trip!

Finished this morning:

276 - Fatelessness by Imre Kertesz - This was a recommendation from Madeline several years ago and I am sorry that I waited so long to get to this book. We are introduced to Georg, a 14-year-old, who pretends to be 16 and is shipped to Auschwitz and from there to Birkenau. Georg is what I would call "an observer" and the book has almost no dialogue - it is a narrative. Georg is pragmatic as to what happened to him and his experiences in the concentration camps; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Mine

"I didn't even know offhand which way I was supposed to turn, and all I remember is that in the thick of it I felt a bit like laughing, in part out of astonishment and confusion, a sense of having been dropped slap in the middle of some crazy play in which I was not entirely acquainted with my role, in part because of a fleeting thought that just then flashed across my mind, which was my stepmother's face when it finally dawned on her that it would be pointless to count on seeing me for supper this evening."

"Did they want this whole honesty and all the previous steps I had taken to lose all meaning? Why this sudden about-face, this refusal to accept? Why did they not wish to acknowledge that if there is such a thing as fate, then freedom is not possible? If, on the other hand, I swept on, more and more astonished myself, steadily warming to the task - if there is such a thing as freedom, then there is no fate; that is to say. . .then we ourselves are fate."

>57 alcottacre: I'm so glad you're discovering Kertesz's fiction. It's very mannered, and it's got a lot of that interiority, but it can be a superbly pleasurable escape from one's own reality. (His invented ones are all grimmer.)

>58 richardderus: I have not read any of his other works. Is there anything by him in particular that you would recommend, Richard?

>59 alcottacre: Fiasco. What a grimly funny book. Hungary falling from Nazism into the Soviet orbit.

>60 richardderus: Thanks for the recommendation, Richard. I will have to look for that one.

Best of luck to finish your reading challenges Stasia. You can do it!

Hi Stasia, happy new-ish thead! I've really enjoyed soem of your recent reads, including A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, which. read earlier this year, and Plainsong, which is an old favorite. One I've kept because I would enjoy rereading.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Happy weekend!

>62 mdoris: Working very hard at it, Mary. I hope to finish up at least 2 today. Thanks for the encouragement!

>63 AMQS: Thank you, Anne! I hope you have a great weekend too!

>64 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! Same to you.

Busy day for me today, not the least of which is getting meal plans and grocery lists done - which takes me about 2 hours. I also have to take Chalfont to the vet today after Kerry gets home. And then there is cooking and a TON of reading to get done!

I hope your busy day goes well, Stasia.

>67 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. It is off to a good start!

Finished this morning:

277 - The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting - The first recommendation that I remember seeing for this book was from Donna a couple of years ago. It was recently brought back to mind as it was on the TIOLI reads for July. I am glad that I finally got it read! There is a blurb from Derek B. Miller on the back cover that says the book is "exquisitely atmospheric" and boy, does that fit this book. There is a love triangle at the center of the novel and, to me at least, this was the book's weak point - I am not especially fond of love triangles. The book is set in Norway and features the cold, sometimes desolate, land and its ways and beliefs prominently; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

>69 alcottacre: I'm always glad to be relieved of the responsibility to investigate a book. Straight-people triangles could not be a more effective repellent than skunk stink for me!

I'm glad it won you over, though, so it wasn't a waste.

>70 richardderus: True! I would hate to think that I would have missed an excellent book otherwise, Richard.

Finished this afternoon:

278 - Book Lovers by Emily Henry - I am not a huge fan of romantic comedies, but I had seen this one pop up on several threads here in the group, so I decided to give it a try - and I enjoyed it for the most part. I understood Nora and her Type A personality all too well! Letting go and not being in control can be very disturbing to those of us of the Type A persuasion - and Nora and Libby's (Nora's sister's) trip that Libby coordinated takes the control away from Nora. Not to mention Charlie being there; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

" 'A good bookstore,' Charlie says, 'is like an airport where you don't have to take your shoes off.' "

BTW - I got very irritated when Libby was told that she needed to eat more meat to get her protein and iron levels up. As a vegetarian for over 30 years, this is simply not true.

Another one finished this afternoon:

279 - Elantris by Brandon Sanderson - I enjoyed this book very much - and I liked the fact that it actually came to an ending, not leaving me hanging at the end like so many fantasy series do. I loved the characters of both Raoden and Sarene very much and found that even the secondary characters were pretty well fleshed out. I will definitely be reading more of Sanderson's work in the future; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>73 alcottacre: I like Elantris as well. Have you read The Emperor's Soul?

Incredible!!!! 279 books! Congratulations my friend.

>74 quondame: No, I have not, Susan. I think that Elantris is the first book of his that I have read.

>75 Whisper1: Thank you, lovey!

I am going to be offline most of today - errands to run, games to play, books to read. . .

Happy Saturday, Stasia. Enjoy your day of games and books. I loved my reread of Plainsong and it reminded me why it is one of my favorites. I am also really enjoying The Cold Cold Ground. Have you read any of the Sean Duffy books?

You will definitely exceed 400 books this year at your present rate! You might even make it to 500!

Wow. 279 books. No, I am never going to hit those numbers Stasia. I hope when I retire I can get into three digits occasionally, I think I've only done that 2-3 times.

>78 msf59: Mark, I have not had the opportunity to read any of the Sean Duffy books although they are in the BlackHole. My local library does not have any of them unfortunately. I hope you have a wonderful Saturday yourself!

>79 thornton37814: Not holding my breath on 500, Lori, as I am trying to work more game playing in these days. Thanks for the encouragement though.

>80 Caroline_McElwee: It is really not a numbers game though, Caroline. For me, it is the incessant need to read as much as possible in the fear that I will never get to everything in the BlackHole, lol.

>76 alcottacre: In some ways I like Elantris the best of his novels - self-contained and just clever enough. The Emperor's Soul is very good.

Finished this afternoon:

280 - I Was Born There, I Was Born Here by Mourid Barghouti - Nonfiction; Earlier this year, I started learning about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and this book is a good guide into the Palestinian side. Barghouti, a poet, returns to Palestine to introduce his son to the area and, in flashback, tells much of his history to his son along the way, and also acquainting the reader with the way things are now. It turns out that Barghouti had been exiled earlier in his life and his son, in the course of events, get exiled too. This is hard reading as we see the way the Israelis treat the Palestinians; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Finished this evening:

281 - The Maker of Heavenly Trousers by Daniele Vare - I have no idea where I learned about this book, which was an odd mixture to me. The first part of the book is delightful and charming as we learn about Kuniang, a child at the beginning of the book, who is left in the care of an unnamed businessman after her mother dies and her father is away (almost perpetually) on business. I very much enjoyed this section of the book but the second section, in which Paul Dysart is introduced was just flat out weird to me as we go from a pretty straightforward narrative into Paul and his dreams; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

"My father was a recluse. He passed most of his time in is library and only troubled about me when he was there. . .His idea of heaven was one great library, where you need only take down a book from a shelf to know the answer to any question, and to learn anything you liked in a few hours of pleasant reading."

Happy newish thread, Stasia. Busyness and retirement seem to go hand in hand. Good to see that you are able to keep up with everything!

>69 alcottacre: I'm glad you enjoyed The Bell in the Lake - I would argue that although there is a potential love triangle element there is no infidelity as such - two men are attracted to the main character but there is no adultery or breaches of vows.

SPOILER how do I hide this minor spoiler? - it's not about the end of the story but some people might not want to know what I am going to post before reading it themselves

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There is sex and pregnancy before marriage in a fairly conservative 19th century rural Swedish society , but I am sure that this wasn't unusual and that it was often sorted out quietly.

>78 msf59: I love the Sean Duffy series - I've read #5 of the #6 and have the most recent TBR. Also, Adrian McKinty decided he was giving up writing in 2017 because although his Sean Duffy books were successful critically and he had lots of readers who, like me, will borrow/buy most of his books, follow his blog and any social media presence, he wasn't making enough of a living to pay his rent in Melbourne, in his late 40s, so he was going back to work as an Uber driver and bar work etc, not even graduate jobs.

American crime writer Don Winslow talked his own publisher into giving McKinty a break and McKinty wrote a totally different kind of crime novel The Chain, which was really successful and solved his money worries. He's written another similar blockbuster, The Island and I've now bought both as 99p Kindle deals in the UK to maintain my TBR. Sean Duffy #7 and #8 had been translated and published in Germany (in German) which I had wondered about. The good news is that #7 is due out in English at the end of this year and #8 in 2023 as well as in all English reading markets on this side of the Atlantic, and hopefully AMc can meet the costs of living and then some and be a full time writer.

>83 alcottacre: Book bullet, I'm going to add it to my Maybe This year LT list, the equivalent of your Black Hole.

>85 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Yes, I seem to have found plenty to do now that I am retired.

>86 elkiedee: You can always use the spoiler tag, Luci, replacing the brackets with the pointy brackets both before and after the spoiler, being sure to put the / in with the second one.

I would not argue that there is any infidelity, but I still think of it as a love triangle.

>87 elkiedee: My local library has copies of both The Chain and The Island, so I will have to see about getting those read. Thank you for mentioning them, Luci.

>88 elkiedee: I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it, Luci.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday! I am off to do some reading, some gaming, and nothing much else as this is my "day off" from technology.

>87 elkiedee: Sheesh. Not making enough to live on from such good mystery stories. That's a shame. I'm glad he was able to get other titles published, and it solved his financial woes, at least for now. Imagine being an Uber driver more lucrative than such imaginative writing.

Stasia, how is your father doing?

>91 ffortsa: I'm really pleased for him.

McKinty is doing just fine now and lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and writes full time. He seems like a great guy - we've had a couple of exchanges on Twitter. Unfortunately, as much as I love his Sean Duffy series, I really didn't like The Chain much and I couldn't even finish The Island...

Happy Sunday, Stasia!

>87 elkiedee: Thanks for this great information, Luci. I knew none of that. I knew I had seen the name McKinty around, but I had not read The Chain. Honestly, it did not sound appealing to me. I did finish The Cold Cold Ground and enjoyed it very much. I will read more of that series

Happy Sunday, Stasia. I really liked The Cold Cold Ground. Next up is Afterlife, a shared read with Mary. Have you read that one?

>94 katiekrug: Wow, he must be doing spectacularly well to live on the Upper West Side. I guess it is a good place to be based for book tours and events, with a lively local book scene, being the publishing capital of the US, and a shorter distance to far more places than Melbourne, Australia.

I've bought his latest books for 99p each, but they appeal to me less than his earlier series crime books and standalones. I've read at least 6 of his novels (5 Duffy plus Dead I May Be which is the first of a trilogy about an Irish guy living without legal papers/work permits in Manhattan (the French term is sans-papiers although this isn't usually associated with illegal migration from western Europe) but I have another 7 currently outstanding including the newest thrillers. I'm not sure I have all those 7 either on Kindle or in a place where I can actually find them. But I will be looking forward to the forthcoming Sean Duffy books.

I will be back later - or tomorrow morning - to respond to all of the messages left. I apologize, but I am battling a bad headache, probably caused by trying to finish 3 books at the last minute, which did not work anyway. I did manage to finish one though, before the headache became too bad:

282 - Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic by Matt McCarthy - Nonfiction; I got this book through Early Reviewers a mere 4 years ago. It is interesting reading, especially in the hindsight of the COVID epidemic which was not even on the horizon in 2018 when the book was published. I found the process and the background of how new drugs come to be issued a fascinating one; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>92 ffortsa: He is doing fine, Judy. Thank you for asking!

>94 katiekrug: I hope you had a happy Sunday too, Katie!

>96 msf59: I have not read that one, but I can pick it up from my local library. When are you reading it, Mark?

I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!!

I hope you're recovering from your headache, but I'm sure we can all wait if not for you to recover fully before replying.

I will have to look and see if I can get hold of Afterlife. I saw a really interesting TV programme a few years ago about Latin American women who had emigrated to the US with their families and that was how I first heard of Julia Alvarez. From local libraries I was able to borrow How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies, though it took me years to read them - I had to return and get one out again and I had to take both in and discharge and reissue them on a self service machine. (I prefer self service machines in libraries because it avoids having a conversation about not wanting all the books on my maxed out library card(s) to be due back on the same day because I'd sooner not carry them all in at once!) I liked the latter much better and even found my own £1 copy in a charity shop near one of my libraries.

>100 elkiedee: Thanks, Luci. The headache is now gone.

I have never read any of Alvarez's books. Afterlife would be the first.

Morning, Stasia. I read a few pages of Afterlife yesterday. It feels like a quick read. If you grab a copy, you should catch up in no time. Have you read Alvarez? Looks like you answered that. Grins...

>100 elkiedee: I also loved In the Time of the Butterflies, Luci, which has led me right into Afterlife.

>81 alcottacre: Oh I know I will never get to everything in the black hole Stasia. It doesn't help that I still add to the black hole!

>69 alcottacre: I'm glad you enjoyed the book, Stasia. Lars Mytting is quickly becoming a favorite author...and I totally agree that the love triangle was the weak part of the book.

>102 msf59: I am hoping to bring home Afterlife from the library today, Mark. It will probably be tomorrow before I start it though.

>103 Caroline_McElwee: I agree with you 100%, Caroline. I am hoping that all the adds to the BlackHole extends my life - I figure at the rate I am going, I can never die!

>104 Donna828: I wish I had realized going in that the book was the first of a trilogy though, Donna. His books are not available at my local library and I am currently on a book buying ban.

Folks, I am really hoping it is not true, but it looks like I have an impending CFS flare up. I am hoping it is just a one day thing and tomorrow I will be back to "normal," but I am not holding my breath on that! I was not feeling well yesterday at all, so I am really, really hoping the extra sleep is just a reaction to that, but it sure felt like CFS to me this morning.

Today is my meet up day with Beth and Catey. Looking forward to that!

Sure hoping that you're okay Stasia and it is NOT a CFS flare up. Enjoy your meet up!

>106 alcottacre: Oh no! Do indulge yourself and I hope you don't stress for normal.

>107 mdoris: It is NOT a CFS flare up, so I am very glad for that! Thank you, Mary.

>108 quondame: I am not indulging myself, but I am also not stressing. Thanks, Susan.

Plans for the day are plenty of reading - I am already behind for the month and it is only the third! - plenty of walking, plenty of eating, and maybe sneaking in a game :)

"Plans for the day are plenty of reading" Sounds perfect to me. I should finish Afterlife. It was a quick read. Not as strong as In the Time of Butterflies but a worthy read. I got Young Mungo queued up.

Happy Wednesday, Stasia.

>111 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I started Afterlife last night and hope to dig into it more today.

>110 alcottacre: Perfect day. (Apart from the board game, of course.) *smooch*

>113 richardderus: Ha!

Finished this afternoon:

283 - Apollo 8 : The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger - Nonfiction; This is an excellent book about the events leading to Apollo 8, the first mission to the moon (circumnavigating it, not landing on it). The book does not shy away from the problems of the Apollo program, not the least of which was the deaths of the 3 astronauts of Apollo 1, who died of asphyxiation due to a fire in their ship. The book also relates what the wives and children of the astronauts went through, including dealing with the press who camped on their lawns. The book focuses on Frank Borman and I thought this was a good call - there were so many astronauts that focusing on even the 3 who were involved in the Apollo 8 flight might have weakened the book, although obviously the other men in the ship are mentioned. A good read about a subject I grew up being entranced with - and another good book by Kluger is Lost Moon, the book that was the basis of the film Apollo 13 by Ron Howard; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Library Book

August is off to a good start for me!

Hi Stasia. I read Apollo8. It is a very good book, and as you note, the author did not shy away from the problems the space program experienced. I know I could not live in a small capsule, floating around in space with three others. They really were brave!!! I will look for Lost Moon.

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. I hope you are enjoying Afterlife. I was hoping for a little more.

>116 Whisper1: The recommendation for Apollo 8 may have come from you, lovey. No, I could not live in that small capsule either even though I am not claustrophobic. I think it takes a special kind of courage to be an astronaut. I hope you enjoy Lost Moon when you get to it!

>117 msf59: I am hoping to finish Afterlife today, Mark. I have only read the first 2 chapters, but as short as it is, I think I can do it. I was not sure what to expect.

Hi Stasia!

I'm glad it wasn't a CFS flare, glad you're reading, as usual, an interesting variety of genres.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

>119 karenmarie: Hey, Karen. Thanks for stopping by!

Honestly, I am not sure what I am dealing with right now. In some respects it feels like a CFS flare up, in others it does not. It could just be because I am dealing with other issues this week and they are sapping me.

>105 alcottacre: 'I am hoping that all the adds to the BlackHole extends my life - I figure at the rate I am going, I can never die!' Love it.

>121 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline!

Finished this afternoon:

284 - Afterlife by Julia Alvarez - Shared read with Mark and Mary (bell7); There seem to be a lot of people who love this book, but I am not going to be among them. I had never read anything by Alvarez before, but I know that her In the time of the butterflies is very highly regarded and I hope to read it some time in the future. In Afterlife, I felt like she tried to do too much - it is a short novel, but it is jam packed with goings on: Antonia and her grief over the recent loss of her husband, Sam; the illegal immigrant boy from her neighbor's who wants to bring his girl friend who is stuck in Colorado up to Vermont and involves Antonia in this process; the "sisterhood," her 3 sisters who seem to be in each other's pockets. I wish that Alvarez had chosen just one or two of these things and just stuck with it! I think the novel would have been better for it (says the person who cannot write 2 coherent sentences in a row); Not Recommended (3 stars) Library Book

*smooch*

>123 alcottacre: Same rating for Afterlife. I just didn't feel connections.

Hi Stasia my dear, a belated happy new thread dear friend.

>124 richardderus: Back at you, RD!

>125 quondame: Yeah, the book just did not work overall for me.

>126 johnsimpson: Hey, John! Nice to see you.

No major plans for the day - I did not sleep very well last night - so it will be the normal walking, cooking, and reading for the weekly marathon today. I do not think I will get any gaming in today, but I managed to play 2 yesterday :)

"I wish that Alvarez had chosen just one or two of these things and just stuck with it!" You nailed it there. I felt the same way. She jammed in too much. Antonia and her dealings with the Mexicans would have been enough.
I am glad you are still going to give In the Time of Butterflies a chance.

Remember, we have a reread of Angle of Repose coming up. I plan on starting it around the 20th.

Happy Friday, Stasia.

>129 msf59: I have not forgotten Angle of Repose, Mark - I have it on my list - it is just as to whether I will remember to look at my list!

Yeah, Alvarez needed to expand the size of the book in order to give herself the space to explore all the stuff she tried to jam into that small book, or she needed to take stuff out. Still, the writing was certainly good enough that I will give her another try.

>123 alcottacre: and >129 msf59: Agreed! Either the book length should've been longer or the short book more focused. I do love In the Time of the Butterflies, Stasia, so I'll look forward to seeing what you think of that when you get to it. She's also written a bunch of books for younger audiences, though I've only read one and was pretty mixed about it as well. I still want to read How Tia Lola Came to Stay.

>131 bell7: It seems to be a concensus vote amongst us. I am looking forward to trying In the Time of the Butterflies, Mary, especially since I have heard such good things about it.

Finished this evening:

285 - Lock In by John Scalzi - This was a recent recommendation from Kim of a Scalzi book that I had never heard of. In the book, there is a highly contagious virus that has some of the people that get it "locked in" so that they are fully awake and aware but cannot move. These people, victims of Haden's Syndrome, use what they call threeps to work basically as avatars for themselves in the real world and one of them goes to work for the FBI. That is the basic premise for the book which unfolds from there. I very much enjoyed this world, I enjoyed the characters, Scalzi's sense of humor creeps through in places, and I am hoping to get to the second book in the series at some point; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

Lock In sounds interesting. I've been digging into some sci fi lately myself. Have a wonderful weekend.

>134 kaida46: Thanks, Deb! I hope you enjoy Lock In if and when you get to it.

Happy Sunday, Stasia. Yes, give In the Time of the Butterflies a try. She really pulls it together in that one. I am getting a lot of reading in this weekend, so I am one happy camper.

Hi Stasia! I hope you have a fantastic day.

>123 alcottacre: At least it was a Library book and you didn’t spend $ on it. I, too, don’t particularly like books that try to do too much.

>136 msf59: I am getting a lot of reading in too, Mark, especially today. Have a wonderful Sunday!

>137 karenmarie: Hey, Karen! True, I am very glad I did not spend any money on it.

Finished this morning:

286 - The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare - This book was a winner of the Newbery Medal back in 1958 and I can see why. The story revolves around Kit, who lived a life of luxury in the Barbados, owning slaves and pretty much doing nothing else, who ends up fleeing the island because of the death of her grandfather who raised her and the possibility of having to marry one of her grandfather's old friends (emphasis on old here). She flees to her only living relative, her aunt Rachel, who lives in Connecticutt, a Puritan colony, with her husband Matthew and 2 daughters, Mercy and Judith. We find the typical fish-out-of-water story as Kit struggles to fit in. She also makes the acquaintance of the woman reputed to be the town's witch, Hannah, and of course, ends up in trouble because of it. For its time, I found the book very forward thinking - Speare presents to us a woman who knows her own mind and very much wants to follow her own inclinations; Recommended (4 stars) Library

>139 alcottacre:
I loved Witch of Blackbird Pond when I read it. It was in my tiny grade school library and that book was amazing. I need to read Bronze Bow and keep putting it off, but some of my school teacher friends are still using that one in the classroom. Speare won a Newberry medal for that book. She is the rare YA author that has won 2 Newberry’s.

>140 benitastrnad: I remember reading Bronze Bow as a kid, but I do not ever remember reading Witch of Blackbird Pond - I probably never got a chance because the book has the word "witch" in the title and my father would have disallowed it. I knew about the 2 Newbery's, but I did not realize that it was so rare for someone to win it twice. Children's authors are a rare breed though (at least I think so) and writing good children's books probably takes a lot more talent than the authors are given credit for.

Not much on my agenda today since I have already gotten the big stuff out of the way - being up at 3am has a way of making a person feel very productive early in the day, lol. I hope to finish at least one book today and make some headway on the 7 others I am reading too. Cooking and walking are definitely on the agenda. I have already played one board game this morning and I need to read the rules for a new one that I am hoping to try tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!

A headline in the Lit Hub Daily newsletter caught my eye: "Virginia Beach Public Schools are taking some books off their library shelves" What I would seriously like to know is why this continues to happen? Why is it the responsibility of the schools to take books off their shelves and not the responsibility of the parents to police what their children are reading? Ack!

The link to the article: https://www.pilotonline.com/news/education/vp-nw-book-decisions-20220805-ssqazsv...

>143 alcottacre: I hate it too, Stasia. Voters in a town in Michigan recently defunded their local library after the librarians refused to take LGBT books off their shelves :( It's awful.

The one I find really scary is the lawsuit, I think also in Virginia Beach, where someone is suing Barnes and Noble over stocking "obscene" books without an age limit for buying. I don't imagine it will actually go anywhere, but can you imagine the ramifications?

>144 curioussquared: I can imagine the ramifications and they do not bear thinking about. I grew up in an extremely conservative family, but at least my mother and I would discuss books and whether or not she would allow me to read them. Sometimes the answer was just "not now," but these voters seems to want to take the responsibility from the parents and put it on themselves. I think it is just plain wrong any way you look at it!

Finished this afternoon:

287 - Witness in Death by J.D. Robb - The tenth entry into the Eve Dallas series finds Eve at the theatre with her billionaire husband, Roarke, while a murder is committed on stage. Just as Robb says at the beginning of the book, "The plays the thing." Who is acting and who is not?; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>143 alcottacre: & >144 curioussquared: These are concerns and worries that have always plagued me, somehow it never stops becoming alarming when I hear something new. I grew up in a small town and I remember being forced to sit in the principal's office whenever my class went to our school library in elementary school because I was reading at too advanced a level and refused to check out a book, instead bring my own, because they had nothing at my level or interest. Instead of being allowed to read quietly with the class though I was scolded for reading books too advanced for my classmates and isolated. Library's should be a safe-haven for that and not something that's limited and controlled, Barnes and Noble was my favorite place as a kid because I had free access to buy books at my level. Scary to think about that kind of ramification indeed.

>147 WhiteRaven.17: Library's should be a safe-haven Full stop. Period. They should be a safe haven as they have been in the past for so many of us.

I rarely read on my "level" when I was a kid too. I bet that "problem" was pervasive among the 75ers. I believe that my mother handled it the right way and it was the way I chose to handle it with my kids - let them check out what they liked, but look it over to make sure that they could handle that particular reading material.

Morning, Stasia. I will be wrapping up Young Mungo today. You read GNs, right? I just finished Putin's Russia: The Rise of a Dictator and it was excellent. This will probably be my favorite GN of the year. Wow!

>143 alcottacre: Yeah, I hate that people want to police their children's books so much. First of all, most of the reasons they want to remove the books are silly. Naked mice in a book about the Holocaust? Really? Do they expect children not to know what a penis or breasts look like by taking Maus off the shelves? 🤷‍♀️

Morning, Stasia!

Agree with all of you about how concerning the book challenges have been the past couple of years. We had someone recently run for trustee at the library where I work (thankfully didn't get elected) who ran on a platform of making all LGBTQ books a separate collection that parents had to "opt in" to let their children check out. I mean... if the point is to give parents control over what their kids check out, how does he not realize that would make the librarians the arbiters and do the exact opposite? Not to mention in a public library, we serve the ENTIRE population which includes LGBTQ people & families. Ugh!

>149 msf59: I do read GNs when I can get hold of them, Mark. Unfortunately, my local library does not have Putin's Russia: The Rise of a Dictator.

>150 The_Hibernator: I agree, Rachel!

>151 bell7: Yep. I mean, where does it end? I agree, local libraries serve everyone - or they should!

The problem is the need some have to feel In Control, not of themselves...*they* are just fine, as jeezhamedham loves them...but of Others. Those people might do something I don't like, like be happy or feel secure! Not until/unless you're like me, buster, get right with (my) god or else!

Narrow minds are the scourge of the earth! We didn't have a school library when I was in school but we did have a nice public library where I was allowed to check out anything that interested me -- thank goodness!

>148 alcottacre: My father eventually informed the librarians that I was authorized to use his card, which allowed checking out books from the adult's library, as well as my own, which was restricted to the children's library, and he didn't need to be present for me to check things out.

By then everyone except perhaps the adult librarians knew my habits, and no one expected me to find something I couldn't handle. (The few particularly risqué books, such as Radclyffe Hall's Well of Loneliness were on a closed shelf - you had to ask a librarian for them. I didn't even become aware of that shelf until I counted as an adult myself (for library purposes) some time in my teens.)

>153 richardderus: Yeah, I know all about those kinds of people. I grew up with one.

>154 RebaRelishesReading: Public libraries are wonderful places. I know many of the people in this group who have used them for sanctuary and refuge as children and grown up to continue to love and appreciate them.

>155 ArlieS: Your dad sounds the complete opposite of mine, Arlie.

On what has been an otherwise awful day here, I managed to finish a book that I have been reading since late July:

288 - The Murrow Boys by Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson - Nonfiction; Cloud and Olson go back in time to what was really the beginning of broadcast journalism, through the means of radio. Murrow and his "boys" (even though one of them was a woman) transformed radio into the medium that delivered news to people as it happened, rather than people having to wait on the newspapers. This book tracks the history of Murrow and his boys from the beginning until the end, when television began to transform the news once again; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

"Murrow and the Boys were inventing an entirely new form of reporting as they went along, moving in on turf that had belonged exclusively to print. . .They were reporting and writing for the ear, not the eye, and that required a new technique."

Sorry for your awful day Stasia!

>157 alcottacre: - You got me with a BB for that one, Stasia. Sounds like my kind of book.
Hope your day improved and that tomorrow is completely better! {{hugs}}

>158 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I am certainly glad it is over.

>159 jessibud2: I hope you enjoy The Murrow Boys when you get to it, Shelley! Today is already better than yesterday ever was.

Normal stuff going on here today: laundry, dishes, walking, cooking, game playing (already done), and book reading. I am hoping to finish another book today.

Hi Stasia! A very happy Wednesday to you.

>161 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen!

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. Still adjusting our lives to life with Juno. Slow but steady. I just started Caleb's Crossing. I am sure you have read it but I can't believe I had not. I love Brooks.

>163 msf59: I have not yet read Caleb's Crossing, Mark. It was one of the books that was published while I was in school and I have not yet managed to go back and pick it up despite being a Brooks fan too. I will be curious to see what you think of it.

>157 alcottacre: You got me with this one.

>165 ArlieS: Wonderful! I hope you enjoy the book when you get around to it, Arlie.

>157 alcottacre: I'm so glad it was worth the time you've invested in it! I, however, remain outside its covers because it YOU took months to read it, I'll die on p500.

Finished this morning:

289 - The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis - I will be honest - I chose this book for one of the TIOLI challenges this month for one reason only: I had never heard of it. I am so glad I chose this one as it was great fun! The premise is that Archy, a "vers libre bard," has been reincarnated - as a cockroach. This was not originally published in book form - it was published as a series of newspaper columns that Marquis wrote in the mid-1910s into the early 1920s. In the fourth column featuring Archy, Archy is killed off - only to return in cockroach form again (and he is not best pleased with this). Mehitabel is a cat, whom Archy is not exactly friends with but not exactly enemies with either. All of the columns are written in free verse and I was afraid, not being a poetry lover, that it would put me off, but I think it really worked well for Archy. What a lovely chance discovery for me!; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

From "Interviewed the Mummy," April 26, 1922:

"what ho
my regal leatherface
says i

greetings
little scatter footed
scarab
says he"

>168 alcottacre: I love Archy and Mehitable! I have, since forever (my teens, which were back in Roman times). I will have to look into the annotated version. Thanks for the memory jog, Stasia!

Karen O

>168 alcottacre: I used "scatter-footed scarab" as an endearment once upon a time. I was met with stone-faced displeasure by the gent in question.

Philistine.

>169 klobrien2: No problem, Karen! I hope you can find an annotated version soon. Having the notes certainly helped me out at times.

>170 richardderus: Go figure. Some people have no sense of humor.

>168 alcottacre: I grew up with Archy and Mehitabel often quoted, and Mike is a big fan as well. toujours gai!

So, you have a copy of Caleb's Crossing? Asking for a friend...😁

>168 alcottacre: +1 for Archy and Mehitabel. Gosh I love that cockroach.

>172 quondame: Wow! I had no idea that Archy and Mehitabel were so well known.

>173 msf59: No, I do not own the book - but my local library does.

>174 swynn: It is cool to see so many fans of the cockroach!

Kerry and I just found out today that his daughter, Nichole, has been diagnosed with both Monkeypox and previously undiagnosed diabetes. She is in the ICU in Nacogdoches. Please keep her in your prayers. Kerry is looking to go down to see her on Saturday.

>176 alcottacre: Poor Nichole. I'll keep her in my thoughts Stasia.

>176 alcottacre: Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, Stasia. I'll be praying.

>176 alcottacre: oh, my. Hoping for a quick, full recovery for Nichole. I understand that Monkeypox can be incredibly painful and diabetes is so hard on the body.

Fingers crossed, Stasia. What a double whammy of bad luck. I hope she can bounce back quickly with good meds and care.

>176 alcottacre: Oh dear. I do hope both her conditions are brought under control quickly and effectively.

>176 alcottacre: Oh no! That is sad news about Nichole. I sure hope she gets out of the hospital soon. The diabetes is a life-changer, but many people deal with it much better now that they can monitor it themselves. I guess we all should get in line for a Monkeypox vaccine. It sure is a crazy world these days. Prayers for the whole family, Stasia. Please keep us posted.

>176 alcottacre: So sorry to read this, Stasia.
Sending good and healing vibes for Nichole.

I'm so sorry to read about Nichole, Stasia. Hoping as hard as I can that she recuperates fast from the monkeypox and that the diabetes can be maintained well.

Sending best wishes for Nichole! That does not sound nice.

Hi Stasia!

>168 alcottacre: I had a paperback copy of Archy and Mehitabel and never read it, then found a lovely slip-cased hardcover version at a Friends of the Library Sale in 2015 and still haven’t read it. Sigh. Now it’s behind boxes of papers and stacks of linens that I’ve moved out of the guest bedroom since Jenna’s come home. I have tagged it ‘2022 toberead’, but most likely will change that tag to ‘2023 toberead’ along with the other 79 books with that tag.

>176 alcottacre: Oh, Stasia, I’m so sorry to hear this. She’s in my prayers.

>177 Caroline_McElwee: >178 bell7: >179 MDGentleReader: >180 jessibud2: >181 quondame: >182 Donna828: >183 FAMeulstee: >184 PawsforThought: >185 SandDune: Thank you all for the good thoughts, wishes, and prayers for Nichole. The latest update is not good: "her potassium is so low(it does not register) and her sugar is 700. She is also having hallucinations." She just found out about the diabetes when she was admitted to the hospital for the monkeypox. I am thinking she is lucky not to be in a diabetic coma myself.

>186 karenmarie: You need to move Archy and Mehitabel up the stack, Karen! I do not think you will be sorry. Thanks for the prayers for Nichole.

Today is going to be a reading day. I woke up this morning with my right shin muscle so tight it is painful to walk, so I will not be doing that today. I am going to play a game of Calico and then try and finish The Immortal Irishman even though I am running late today. I normally get up with Kerry in the mornings (around 3-3:30am) but this morning I told him I was sleeping in - and did :)

I am more grateful to this group than I can say. To be able to call someone here and say, "Would you please add my stepdaughter Nichole to your prayer list?" is an awesome thing. Thank you all!

>170 richardderus: Clearly he was unworthy of you.

>176 alcottacre: Oh no! Hoping for the best for her.

>187 alcottacre: That sounds terrible. I hope this proves to be the worst it gets, and that she's already begun to improve.

Sending good wishes for Nichole!

HI Stasia, adding Nicole to my prayer list!

>190 ArlieS: Definitely obvious, wasn't it?

>191 ArlieS: >192 curioussquared: >193 mdoris: Thank you, Arlie, Natalie, and Mary!

Finished this afternoon:

290 - The Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan - Nonfiction; This book was in the BlackHole for a long time, but Mark's recent read of it spurred me to finally get it read. I will be honest, Thomas Meagher's name was not familiar to me when I began the book. He was an Irish nationalist who was transported to Tasmania for his trying to spur his fellow Irishmen to revolt against British rule. He escaped Tasmania and made his way to New York where he rallied Irish troops to fight for the North in the Civil War and after his time fighting for the Union was over, went to Montana, where he fought against the vigilante justice that was going on there. I kept asking myself why I had never heard of this guy, who seemed to be a one-man fighting machine, fighting against injustice wherever he went - and that included standing up for the Native Americans in Montana whom he told, "You are poor and need to keep your property. Keep it for yourselves and your children." My only knock against the book is that it is a bit slow going at the beginning; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

"Meagher always found a way to find scraps of joy in a cellar of despair."

Very sorry to hear about Nichole, and hope that things turn around for her soon.

>195 alcottacre: I read that one a few years ago and had the same Why-have-I-never-heard-of-this-dude? reaction. What a great story.

Nichole's potassium level being undetectable is utterly terrifying. I am so so sad for Kerry and you, it's a lifechanger when your child is that kind of ill.

*smooch* for a better round of news soon.

>176 alcottacre: Oh dear, Stasia!! So sorry to hear that. Hope she recovers and gets the diabetes under control quickly. Best wishes to all of you.

Hi,Stasia. Nice to see the in Death books among your lists. I’m looking forward to the new one coming out next month. I loved The Housekeeper and the Professor when I read it. What a great reading year you’re having.

Sorry to hear that Nichole is ill. I hope they’re making some progress on sorting it out.

>196 swynn: Thanks, Steve. Yeah, I am really surprised that I had never heard of Meagher before. I agree, it is a great story.

>197 richardderus: Thanks, RD.

>198 RebaRelishesReading: I appreciate it, Reba!

>199 jnwelch: Oh, yeah, the In Death books are here to stay for me, Joe. I just flat out love that series. I am starting The Housekeeper and the Professor tonight, as a matter of fact. It is sitting on the bed right next to me at the moment. I am really having a terrific reading year thanks to the contributions of this group to my reading lists! Thanks about Nichole.

The latest update on Nichole: Her blood sugar is now 350 and the potassium level is 2.4. Still not great numbers, but better than they were - especially the potassium.

>176 alcottacre: & >201 alcottacre: That is extremely concerning, Stasia. I will keep Nichole very much in my thoughts and prayers.

Give Kerry a hug as I am sure he is suffering right now. xx

>202 PaulCranswick: Thank you so much, Paul. I will give Kerry a hug from his brother from a different mother brother-in-law :)

It has already been a busy morning here and I am unlikely to be spending much time online today as I have things to get done before Kerry leaves tomorrow. He is going to swing by and pick up our daughter, Catey, so he will have some company on the trip, which is good news. I would go except for the fact that Mallory and Chalfont cannot be trusted not to tear the house apart :)

Happy Friday, Stasia. I am so glad you also loved The Immortal Irishman. That was a keeper. You have read other Egan, right? Let me know if you want your own copy of Caleb's Crossing or will just get it from the library.

>205 msf59: Yes, I have read others of Egan's books and I have Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher here yet to read. I would love my own copy of Caleb's Crossing, Mark. Thank you so much!

Shadow Catcher was prime Egan too. I will tag the Brooks as yours.

'Morning, Stasia.

>202 PaulCranswick: What Paul said.

>204 alcottacre: I'm glad Kerry has company and that he'll be with NicoleNichole on Saturday.

I'm glad Nichole's numbers have improved some, and hope that continues, Stasia. Hope you have a good weekend!

Thinking of your family and hope that Nichole improves even more!

The good news is he's going, the bad news is you can't...it's got to be an anxious time for you, too.

*smooch*

>207 msf59: Thank you again, Mark!

>208 karenmarie: Yeah, he is glad to be going too, I think, despite the circumstances. It has been a couple of years since he has seen Nichole.

>209 bell7: >210 torontoc: Thank you, Mary and Cyrel.

>211 richardderus: My stomach is all tied up in knots and I am eating everything in sight. Yeah, "anxious" about covers it.

Finished this morning:

291 - One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly - Suzanne's TIOLI challenge to read a "summer" book suited this one to a tee - a nice, light mystery that pretty much required no brain power to figure out who the bad guy(s) were. The book is OK, nothing earth shattering. The one irritant I found in the book is that the home that our protagonist, Meg, moves into is owned by her mother - who does not contact her daughter or anything when I dead body is found in the septic tank? Sorry, but I do not get that at all. My youngest daughter is 31 years old and I would still reach out and find out if she was OK if something like that happened to her! There is the obligatory potential romance in this first book of the mystery series and a few red herrings along the way but again, it was not difficult to figure out in the end; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

So sorry to hear about your daughter, and my heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this stressful and uncertain time. Virtual hugs sent.

>214 kaida46: Thanks, Deb.

Any update on Nichole, Stasia?

Thinking of you and yours this weekend, my friend. xx

>216 PaulCranswick: Thank you for asking, Paul. Please continue to pray for Nichole. The news is not good: she is being transferred to a psychiatric unit because she is suicidal. We are not sure what is triggering the suicide attempts since she is also hallucinating, but she has tried at least twice while she has been in the hospital. They have found multiple masses on her pancreas and liver as well.

Kerry is should already be in Longview to pick Catey up at this point and from there, they are headed to Nacogdoches.

I'm so sorry to hear all the challenges facing Nichole. Keeping her and the rest of your family in my prayers.

>217 alcottacre: Oh dear. Nichole's got some major challenges ahead. I'm so so sorry for your and Kerry's stress and upset.

{{{Stasia}}}

I am so sorry to hear about Nichole's conditions. I do hope they can help her though this.

>218 MickyFine: >219 richardderus: >220 quondame: Thank you, Micky, Richard, and Susan. Kerry has called to tell me that Nichole is in really bad shape. She is heavily medicated right now.

{{Stasia and Kerry}}. At least, she is in a place that can care for her and watch over her. Better than being at home, alone or without proper care. Still, wishing peace and relief soon for Nichole and for you two.

Finished this afternoon:

291 - The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa - This is one of those books that I have owned for years, but just now getting around to reading thanks to the Asian Author's challenge this year. This is another of those quiet books in which not a lot happens, but it is a very good read. The Professor only has a memory that lasts for 80 minutes, so every morning when the Housekeeper arrives to tend him, she has to reintroduce herself to him. The Professor was a mathematics teacher until the car accident that damaged his memory, so he has to wear notes to remind him of important things, including the existence of both the Housekeeper and her son, who the Professor encourages her to bring to visit, especially since they share a love of the Tigers baseball team. There is math spread throughout the book as the Housekeeper tries to learn some of the concepts and the Professor is teaching the son, whom he calls Root, but the math does not in any way detract from the storyline; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

"He (The Professor) treated Root exactly as he treated prime numbers. For him, primes were the base on which all other natural numbers relied; and children were the foundations of everything worthwhile in the adult world."

>222 jessibud2: Thank you so much, Shelley.

Stasia I sure am really thinking of you and Kerry and Nicole, with such a very difficult situation.

Oh, Stasia, I'm so sorry. I'm hoping with all I have that the hospital can help turn it around for Nichole soon.

Sounds like everything is really rough right now, sorry to hear. My kindest thoughts and energy to you and yours Stasia.

>187 alcottacre: Sorry to hear Nichole is still struggling. Will keep her n my thoughts.

>223 alcottacre: I am glad you enjoyed this Stasia. Its due a reread for me.

Update on Nichole: It is not a pretty picture right now. She is catatonic. She is being transferred to a different hospital tomorrow. Hopefully the doctors there can get a handle on the diabetes, the masses found on her liver and pancreas, and her mental state. Monkeypox is the least of her worries at the moment.

>227 WhiteRaven.17: Thank you so much, Kro!

>228 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline. It is much appreciated.

I hope you do get The Housekeeper and the Professor re-read. I thought it was a wonderful book.

Thinking of you and your family- I hope that the new hospital can provide the best treatment.

>231 torontoc: Thank you, Cyrel.

I am off the computer for the rest of the day, since Sunday is my "technology rest" day - unless I finish a book or there are any updates on Nichole.

Again, I cannot tell you how much your support means to Kerry and me.

>229 alcottacre: Ah, Stasia, I am so sorry to hear this sad update. You're all in my thoughts and prayers.

>229 alcottacre: So very sorry to read this. I hope the transfer to the new hospital leads to new insights to provide the best possible outcome for Nichole. You are all in my prayers. Hugs.

OMG! So very sorry to hear about Nichole's mounting problems. Thoughts and best wishes to all of you at this difficult time.

>229 alcottacre: So sorry to hear the update. Do you know if it is type 1 or type 2 diabetes Stasia?

>233 karenmarie: >234 MDGentleReader: >235 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you all so much. I have let Kerry know that Nichole has people around the States and the world rooting for Nichole. He sends his thanks as well.

>236 Caroline_McElwee: I do not know, Caroline, and I am not sure that Kerry does either.

Finished this morning:

293 - Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - I am continuing my reread of the Outlander series with this, the second book, which at one time was my least favorite book of the series. It has moved up the ranks for me though. I think the first time I read it I was put off by the way the story was told, but in retrospect, I think Gabaldon was smart in the way she approached this second book - she gives the readers a chance to catch up by telling the story as if to Brianna, Claire and Jamie's daughter. This is the book that really paves the way for the ones following; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Sorry, to hear about Nichole, Stasia. What is the latest?

The Housekeeper and the Professor sounds like something I might like.

>239 msf59: The latest is that Nichole is catatonic and being transferred to another hospital tomorrow.

I do think that you would like The Housekeeper and the Professor too!

Finished this afternoon:

294 - A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman - Nonfiction; This was a shared read with Paul. It has been probably 20+ years since I read it last. This is one of those books that immerses you in the subject matter. If there is a something that happened that Tuchman did not cover that happened in the 14th century, I cannot imagine what it is. She covers what everyday life was like for everyone from serfs to royalty, how the wars impacted everyone, how the plague impacted everyone, what happened in the Crusades, what the Great Schism was all about, etc. She focuses on the Coucy family throughout the book, a smart choice, because we come to know the century through the family; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

"Wenceslas' difficulties were not merely personal or temperamental. They were an epitome of his century. He too was lost in the dark wood of his time. Like Jean II of France, he was born to a task of government too heavy for him in an age when too much was going wrong. Like government, the Church in his country was failing in its task and giving rise to the strongest movement for reform in Europe."

>241 alcottacre: I'm always shocked when I discover someone hasn't read this book...how can that still be legal?! Surely it's written into the United States Code on some required-study list or another!

No, no, I remind myself, it's too risky to teach people stuff like this.

Nichole's sufferings are very much on my mind. I join the chorus of well-wishes.

New thread for a new Thingaversary year is up!

Stacia, I’m so sorry to hear of Nichole’s serious illness. My thoughts are with you.

I spotted lots of good book picks from you lists.

I am stunned by your news of Nichole, Stasia. I hope that Kerry can keep his chin up (and you too of course). She does indeed have a team across the world rooting for her and praying that she can pull through this difficult time.

A Distant Mirror is a splendid book isn't it? I will probably get done by Wednesday, I guess.

Take care of yourself. xx

>242 richardderus: I agree that A Distant Mirror is a great read and should be mandatory reading. I am hoping that it is not another 20+ years before I get to it again!

Thanks for the well wishes for Nichole, RD!

>243 Oregonreader: Thank you so much, Jan!

>244 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Kerry is extremely grateful for all the thoughts, prayers, and good wishes of the people in the group.

Update on Nichole: Kerry got home about 4pm today, but before he left Nacogdoches, Nichole was no longer catatonic, but speaking and acting normally. We are hopeful that this will last and that the transfer tomorrow does her a world of good.

Wishing you, Nichole, and your family a whole heaping bunch of TLC. More virtual hugs and sincere wishes, prayers, good karma, whatever you want to call it coming from us to you.

>246 alcottacre: That is a relief, Stasia, but her condition is as unsettling as it is unusual.

>246 alcottacre: GOOD NEWS!!!! I was hoping for some. I'm glad that Kerry is safely home and very glad that Nichole has recovered mentally. Continuing prayers for her!

>246 alcottacre: Glad to read there is some improvement in Nichole's condition, Stasia, and Kerry is back home.

Oh, it's good to hear that Nichole is coherent again. Must be a relief to you and Kerry. Hoping she will continue to improve as she is transferred.

Hi Stasia!

What an amazing transformation - from catatonic to speaking and acting normally. I hope she continues to improve.

>238 alcottacre: I re-read the first four and read the next four Outlander series in 2016 but still have Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone on my shelves to be read. It's a marvelous series.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

Glad to hear the encouraging update, Stasia. You and the family are still in our prayers.

Only a few pages left in Caleb's Crossing.

>247 kaida46: >248 PaulCranswick: >249 LizzieD: >250 FAMeulstee: >251 PawsforThought: >252 karenmarie: >253 msf59: Thank you all! Your thoughts, prayers, and good wishes for my family are much appreciated.

>252 karenmarie: I agree, Deb, that it is a marvelous series. I have not read Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone yet either and am looking forward to it.

>253 msf59: I will curious to see what you think of Caleb's Crossing when you are done, Mark.

With Kerry being out of town for the weekend and having today off, we are going to try and catch up on stuff we would normally have done on Saturday, so I am not sure how much I will be around today. I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!

Glad Kerry is safely home and that Nichole is showing improvement. You're all in my thoughts and prayers.

I am glad to read that Nichole is improving, Stasia. Hope improvement will continue.

Stasia, so intense and emotional what has been happening. Please take care and of course continued very good wishes for Nicole in her recovery.

Just now reading about Nicole. What a terrible fright! At least she is improving now. Every bit of good news must be such a relief. I'll keep her in my prayers as well. Hoping for the best outcome as soon as possible.

>256 RebaRelishesReading: >257 weird_O: >258 mdoris: >259 SqueakyChu: Thank you so much, Reba, Bill, Mary and Madeline!

The latest update on Nichole: She underwent biopsies on both her pancreas and her liver this morning. We were told it could take up to a week before we have those results and in the meantime, they are not going to transfer her. We were told that if the results are cancerous, she will be transferred to a Houston hospital. Basically, it is a waiting game at this point.

Adding my prayers for Nichole's recovery and for peace as you wait on the the biopsy results.

>246 alcottacre: Splendid news that Nichole is speaking and acting normally!

Continued prayers for all of you and for Nichole's medical team as you wait for biopsy results. I hope that not being moved contributes to getting all of her numbers back within normal range.

Continuing to pray for Nichole, Kerry, and you, Stasia.

'Morning, Stasia!

Waiting on biopsy results must be nerve wracking. I hope that Nichole continues to recover from Monkeypox and the diabetes is being brought under control.

So scary for all of you - must be exhausting to you and Kerry. I hope you both can rest even as you work to catch up on some of the errands you missed on Saturday.

>262 cbl_tn: >263 MDGentleReader: >264 bell7: >265 karenmarie: Thank you all so very much! Sorry I have not been around more, but life is a bit overwhelming at the moment and I am stressing majorly. Right now I am fighting a bad headache - sinus stuff, I think - but it is not taking away from my stress level, lol. There is no new update this morning for Nichole, but I will post whenever I find anything out.

Today is my day to meet up with Beth and Catey, so I will be offline much of the day - I am severely behind today already and frantically trying to get stuff caught up. I promise to get a new thread posted soon.

>261 alcottacre: "a waiting game" -- wow, that's hard! Continuing to keep you all in thoughts and prayers. Don't add keeping up here to your stress though -- do what you can when you want to not what you feel you "should".

>267 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. I am trying to de-stress these days, reading and getting games in. The fact that I am continuing to have to deal with the stupid sinus issues is not helping.

As promised, the new thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/343582

Morning, Stasia. Thanks for the update on Nichole. Wishing for the best results for her. I thought Caleb's Crossing was a solid 4 star read. Not as smooth as a narrative, as her earlier books but a worthy one.

>269 msf59: I am glad to hear that you enjoyed Caleb's Crossing, Mark, despite it not being as good as her earlier books.

That is encouraging news about Nichole. Thank you for the updates, Stasia. I'm glad Kerry and Catie got to be with her over the weekend. Let's hope the lab results are good and the healing can begin. I'll pop over to your new thread now. :-)

>246 alcottacre: >261 alcottacre: Good news in the whole. Waiting games are painful though. I hope she remains lucid and comfortable Stasia.

>272 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline!

I'm catching up from my wallow in gaming, so this will be a lot disjointed and late.

Your comment 201 had me hoping for ever better news about Nicole as I caught up with your thread, but ...

>217 alcottacre: Oh no!
>229 alcottacre: And then this!

You both have my deepest sympathy. And best wishes.

>246 alcottacre: Encouraging news here again. But so sad that "no longer catatonic" is good news.

>261 alcottacre: Praying that the news, when you finally get it, is good, and the masses are not cancerous, but fearing that they will be.

Has anyone yet suggested that the pancreas problem might be the cause of the diabetes? A friend had a tumor that messed up his insulin production. I hope that's not what Nicole has though.

Meanwhile, sympathy to all concerned, about the waiting as well as the illness.

Happy Sunday, Stasia. I hope you are having a good weekend. We have Jack's first big party today. I am 70 pages into Angle of Repose and I am hooked. I doubt I will get much reading in today.

I just read the news about Nichole. I hope everything is going in a good direction for you and your family, Stasia.

>276 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

Hi Stasia my dear, Happy Thanksgiving Day.

>278 johnsimpson: Thank you so much, John!

It's been pretty quiet over here Stasia.

Somehow the continuation didn't take - here's the most up to date thread.

Merry Christmas

>282 johnsimpson: Thank you so much, John. I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas too!

Wish you and your family a healthy 2023!

>284 cyderry: Thank you, Cheli!!