Amber's (scaifea's) Thread #15

Hey, everybody!

I'm Amber, a one-time Classics professor, turned stay-at-home parent/lady of leisure, turned part-time library assistant, turned once again Classics professor, and turned librarian again. I spend my free time sewing, writing, knitting, baking, and, of course, reading.

My reading life is happily governed by lists, which means that I read a healthy variety of things across various genres.

I'm 47 going on 12 and live in Ohio with my husband, Tomm; our son, Charlie; Mario, the Golden Retriever; and the newest addition to the family: Agent Fitzsimmons, the Border Collie.

The haircut isn't all that new anymore, but, well, here I am:



Favorite Books from 2021
Spinning Silver
Far Away Across the Sea
The Book Thief
Return of the Thief
Mister Impossible
Something Wicked This Way Comes
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Under the Whispering Door

What I'm Reading Now:
-Les Miserables (books by year - 1862)
-Cemetery Boys (an book from my Read Soon! shelves)
-A Prayer for Owen Meany (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob)
-Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (romance)
-On Apology (wishlist book)
-A Court of Frost and Starlight (a Beauty & the Beast retelling)
-The Infinity Concerto (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books)
-My Hero Academia vol 4 (manga)
-Picnic at Hanging Rock (1001 Children's Books)
-Lalani of the Distant Sea (audiobook)
-The Dream Thieves (family bedtime read-aloud)

Books on Deck:
-Loving-Kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness (Buddhist reading list)
-One for the Books (mysteries)
-Richard III (Shakespeare re-read)
-The Land of the Free (100 Banned Books)
-Lest Darkness Fall (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books)
-Death's Master (BFS Award)
-The Thief of Time (Boyne bibliography)
-(an unread book from my shelves)

The five-ish or so books I have going at once and the On Deck books nearly all come from the following categories and lists:

1. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

2. 13 years ago I started working my way through a handful of awards lists for children's books. I've finished a fair few of those, but I'm still working through the 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die list, and I try to stay up to date with several of the YALSA awards each year.

3. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

4. A list I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob: The Hugo/Nebula/WFA/Bram Stoker (and other) lists (combined, in chronological order)

5. For this category, I cycle through 9 different stacks:
a. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
b. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. John Boyne bibliography (in chronological order, sort of)
d. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
e. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. Maggie Stiefvater's bibliography (in chronological order)
g. The NEH Timeless Classics list
h. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
i. The Pulitzer list (in alpha order by author)

6. An unread book from my shelves.

7. A book from my Read Soon! shelves.

8. A book on Buddhism or from the Dalai Lama's bibliography.

9. Book-a-year challenge: A few years ago, along with a few others in this group (*cough* Paul *cough*), I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've since been trying to fill in the gap years.

10. A cozy mystery.

11. A full-on re-read through Shakespeare's stuff.

12. A read-aloud-to-Charlie-at-bedtime book (or two).

13. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

14. A romance novel.

15. A book from my wishlist (it's *so* long).

16. This slot is reserved for books that just grab me and shout that they need to be read Right Now.

Books Read

JANUARY
1. The Cave Children (1001 Children's Books) - 7/10
2. Conan the Barbarian (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 7/10
3. Beauties, Beasts, and Enchantment (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 8/10
4. The Paradise War (audiobook/Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 7/10
5. What Fresh Hell Is This? (impulse read) - 8/10
6. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (I reread this one with Charlie, who's reading it for his ELA class) - 8/10
7. The Hidden Face of Eve (100 Banned Books) - 7/10
8. Guilty Pleasures (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 7/10
9. Cue for Treason (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10
10. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob) - 9/10
11. Metropolis (1001 Children's Books) - 7/10
12. Timescape (Nebula Award) - 6/10
13. A Fatal Grace (mysteries) - 9/10
14. A Loyal Character Dancer (mysteries) - 8/10

FEBRUARY
15. Beetle and the Hollowbones (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
16. More Fool Me (Fry bibliography) - 8/10
17. The Ghost Writer (wishlist book) - 9/10
18. Chimera (National Book Award) - 8/10
19. Cat's Cradle (unread book from my shelves) - 9/10
20. Mockingjay (reread with Charlie) - 10/10
21. Solutions and Other Problems (Alex Award) - 10/10
22. Heartsong (audiobook) - 9/10
23. Beat the Reaper (an unread book from my shelves) - 10/10
24. One More Thing (a book from my Read Soon! shelves) - 8/10
25. Darius the Great Deserves Better (Stonewall Honor Book) - 9/10
26. In the Woods (mysteries) - 9/10
27. The Cloven Viscount (1001 Children's Books) - 7/10
28. Hyperbole and a Half (just because) - 10/10

MARCH
29. This Book Is Gay (impulse read) - 9/10
30. Brothersong (audiobook) - 9/10
31. Into the Land of the Unicorns (audiobook) - 7/10
32. We Ride Upon Sticks (Alex Award) - 10/10
33. Hitting the Books (mystery) - 8/10
34. Beyond the Pawpaw Trees (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 7/10
35. A Court of Thorns and Roses (B&B retelling) - 9/10
36. The Black Gryphon (audiobook) - 9/10
37. Stradivari's Genius (wishlist) - 7/10
38. The Last Unicorn (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 8/10
39. The Prestige (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 10/10
40. The Portrait of a Lady (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob) - 7/10

APRIL
41. The Last Cuentista (Newbery Medal) - 9/10
42. Grendel (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 6/10
43. First Test (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 8/10
44. Fahrenheit 451 (audiobook) - 10/10
45. Changing Planes (audiobook) - 7/10
46. Gifts (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 9/10
47. Escape from Warsaw (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10
48. Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio (Alex Award) - 8/10
49. Peeps (audiobook) - 9/10
50. Red, White, and Whole (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10
51. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (mysteries) - 9/10
52. Waiting for the Flood (Read Soon! shelves) - 9/10
53. Moon Called (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List/audiobook) - 9/10
54. The World of Tibetan Buddhism (Buddhist reading list) - 8/10

MAY
55. The Raven Boys (family bedtime read-aloud) - 10/10
56. Wicked Lovely (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books/audiobook) - 9/10
57. The Shape of Water (mystery) - 6/10
58. Ink Exchange (audiobook/series read) - 9/10
59. The Kids Are Gonna Ask (Alex Award) - 8/10
60. A Snake Falls to Earth (Newbery Honor Book) - 6/10
61. My Hero Academia Vol. 1 (manga) - 9/10
62. The Junior Officers' Reading Club (unread book from my shelves) - 7/10
63. Fragile Eternity (audiobook) - 7/10
64. The Book of the Dun Cow (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 4/10

JUNE
65. Murder Is Easy (Christie bibliography/audiobook) - 8/10
66. The Ogress and the Orphans (impulse library shelf grab) - 10/10
67. They Do It with Mirrors (Christie bibliography/audiobook) - 8/10
68. A Caribbean Mystery (Christie bibliography/audiobook) - 8/10
69. Friedrich (1001 Children's Books list) - 7/10
70. A Night to Remember (NEH list) - 8/10
71. My Hero Academia Volume 2 (manga) - 9/10
72. The Member of the Wedding (NEH list) - 8/10
73. Love in Focus (manga) - 9/10
74. Up from Slavery (NEH list/audiobook) - 8/10
75. Ethan Frome (NEH list/audiobook) - 8/10
76. A Court of Mist and Fury (B&B retelling series) - 9/10
77. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (mystery) - 9/10
78. The Awakening (NEH list/audiobook) - 8/10
79. Veil of Lies (mystery) - 8/10
80. Fathers and Sons (NEH list/audiobook) - 8/10

JULY
81. The Greek Coffin Mystery (mysteries) - 9/10
82. A Handful of Dust (NEH list/audiobook) - 9/10
83. An Offer from a Gentleman (romance) - 9/10
84. A Kind of Spark (Schneider Honor Book/audiobook) - 9/10
85. A Brief History of TIme (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob) - 9/10
86. Kepler's Witch (wishlist) - 6/10
87. Titan (Locus SF Award) - 8/10
88. For Real (romance) - 9/10
89. Word to the Wise (mystery) - 9/10
90. A Court of Wings and Ruin (B&B retelling series) - 9/10
91. Too Bright to See (Newbery Honor Book) - 6/10
92. Dumb Witness (Christie Bibliography) - 8/10
93. Timaeus (a reread for a summer library challenge bingo category) - 7/10
94. Paco's Story (NBA list + audiobook) - 9/10
95. Atonement (audiobook) - 9/10
96. Deathnote 1 (manga) - 9/10

AUGUST
97. Sing, Unburied, Sing (NBA list + audiobook) - 9/10
98. My Hero Academia Vol. 3 (manga) - 9/10
99. Trust Exercise (NBA list + audiobook) - 9/10
100. Flambards (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10
101. Heathen vol 1 (impulse library checkout) - 9/10
102. The Keepers of the House (Pulitzer list + audiobook) - 9/10
103. Amal Unbound (audiobook) - 9/10
104. Clean Getaway (audiobook) - 8/10
105. Neuromancer (Nebula Award) - 6/10
106. Magician Apprentice (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books list) - 8/10
107. Three Bags Full (wishlist) - 6/10
108. Death Note vol 2 (manga) - 9/10
109. Mansfield Park (an unread book from my shelves) - 7/10
110. The Magic Mountain (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob) - 7/10
111. A Good Kind of Trouble (audiobook) - 8/10

Mario looking adorable:



Simmons also looking adorable and also ridiculous:



And Charlie looking super-sharp in the new band uniform:

Next one is yours!

Happy new thread!

Happy new one, Amber.

Charlie is looking very sharp in the band uniform. No hat like Lane in Gilmore Girls?

>7 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>8 MickyFine: The new hats aren't in yet. There will also be shoes, of course, and spats.

>9 scaifea: Oooh, I love spats!

Happy next thread! Still love the doggos. And that new uniform is far better than the cumberbund nightmare I had to wear for concert band in my high school.

On the topic of the last thread, I do feel that Gaiman is a master at balancing dark subjects with the fantastical. When I read his stuff, I often find myself equally scared as I am mystified. Much like Coraline, you start to feel like you fell down the wrong rabbit hole into a world that is as beautiful as it is dangerous.

>10 MickyFine: Me too! So much so that I've decided to make myself some.

>11 Ravenwoodwitch: Thanks! Isn't that uniform great!?

And yes to your Gaiman comment! That's part of how he pays such beautiful tribute to the myths he uses, I think, because they're all pretty much super-dark and beautiful, too.

101. Heathen vol 1 by Natasha Alterici (impulse library checkout) - 9/10
I checked this one out on a whim when I found it in the bookdrop at work, and I'm really glad I did! It's a very cool story set within the world of Norse myths about a warrior who gets exiled from her clan for loving another woman and who sets out to save a Valkyrie from the eternal curse Odin set upon her. I'll definitely be reading the next one!

Happy new thread! Love the doggo photos, especially Simmons' blep :)

>14 scaifea: Your BB has landed.

Also, Happy New Thread.

>15 curioussquared: Simmons' tongue is too big for her mouth and she frequently has it stuck out while she's sleeping. It's so stinking cute.

>16 ArlieS: Woot! I think you'll love it.

Loving the photos of The Girls and The Boy. That's a snazzy band uniform even without the hat and the spats!

>14 scaifea: Found Heathen at my local library. Thanks for the heads up!

Karen O

Happy new thread! Love the photos of The Gals and Charlie -- looking smart!

>17 scaifea: Kermit's tongue is like that too. It's constantly flopping out. His snoot and tongue are both long enough that if he's lying at the right angle, there can be up to 4-5 inches of tongue hanging out. Totally absurd; I'll have to find a picture :)

>19 rosalita: Thanks, Julia! It's hard to get a good photo of Simmons because she's always on the move, and it's hard to get one of Mario because she's always napping!

I'll have to remember to post a photo of the full uniform one of these days. The spats are amazing.

>20 klobrien2: Excellent! I hope you love it!

>21 foggidawn: Thanks!

>22 curioussquared: Ha! Such goofs. I love it.

Happy new thread Amber!

>27 swynn: Thanks, Steve!

Happy new thread Amber!

Happy new thread, Amber!

>5 scaifea: Charlie looks good in the band uniform, and as always I love the pictures of Mario and Simmons.

Happy new thread, Amber.

>29 quondame: >31 Helenliz: Thanks!

>30 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! I didn't take a new one of Mario because I love this one so much!

Happy New Thread Amber!

>14 scaifea: Sounds interesting. I've recently been looking into reading more graphic novels so noting this one.

Happy new one!

Oh, my, that uniform!! And spats, besides. Awesome.

>34 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks!

I think you'll enjoy the GN.

>35 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>36 laytonwoman3rd: The spats are just amazing. And I love the cuffs, too. I also love the he loves it!

On the Agenda for Today:
Grocery shopping this morning, then bill sorting and possibly cookie baking. Maybe some crafting. Hopefully some reading. Charlie has his first football game as an 8th grade marcher tonight and we're really excited! You all know that I'm not a sports fan at all, but we've bought season tickets so we can cheer him on in the band! I may not actually like football, but I do enjoy the fall feelings that come with HS games. Should be a fun autumn.

On the Reading Front:
It was a really slow day at the library, so I got a lot of reading time in and spent it with Three Bags Full. I also started Apple: Skin to the Core and listened to more of The Keepers of the House.

The Crafting Report:
I finished another row on the crochet scarf - it was a *really* slow day at the library.

What We're Watching:
A West Wing and a Fullmetal.

>5 scaifea: Love the picture of Charlie in the new band uniform! Classy.

Have a fantastic Friday, Amber!

Happy Friday, Amber! Happy New Thread! Wishing Charlie good luck at the game tonight.

>41 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! Happy Friday to you, too!

>42 msf59: Thanks, Mark! It looks like we're going to have great weather for it, too!

Review of Trojan Women is up over on my thread. Thank you.
Seeing that was successful, what do you suggest ought to be my next read in that direction?

>45 Helenliz: The Medea is my absolute favorite of Euripides' plays, and it's pretty accessible.

And the library has a copy of it.
OK, on the list it goes.

>47 Helenliz: Woot!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working 9:30-3, and then this evening we're going shopping for patio furniture. We'll probably get something to eat while we're out, too.

Charlie's first football game performance was great! It's so much fun to watch him march and hear the band play! The weather was perfect, too: sunny, but with an occasional cool breeze - fall is on the way! YAY!!

On the Reading Front:
I had such good intentions of getting some healthy reading in yesterday, but only managed a couple of pages in Les Miserables before nodding off on the couch. *sigh* Still listening to The Keepers of the House and really enjoying it. Still reading Apple: Skin to the Core and haven't decided if I'm enjoying it or not.

The Crafting Report:
I did a bit of knitting *and* and bit of crocheting yesterday. Still working on both scarves.

What We're Watching:
Fullmetal. We only have 2 episodes left!

Happy Saturday, Amber! I'm curious, how easy (or hard) is it to spot Charlie in the band?

>50 lauralkeet: It's not difficult, but it's also not as easy as you'd think. He's super tall, but, hilariously, he's generally behind an even taller kid, who is his section leader! But with the long hair, and the fact that the tenor saxophones (as most instrument groups) all stay together, it's not too bad.

I'm glad to hear Charlie's first official performance went well and it was a good evening out.

I hope the furniture shopping is successful!

>52 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I'm hoping we can find some good deals on the furniture since it's the end of the season.

>49 scaifea: Afternoon, Amber :)
Congrats on Charlie's first game! I'm not much of a football person myself, and fully admit that I went to one just to see my nephew in the marching band (Tuba. Poor guys had to do some laps every time the team made a touchdown.)

I have a copy of Les Mis. I keep trying and getting put-off by the VERY long opening section about the Monsignor.

>51 scaifea: thanks Amber, I can see how being able to zero in on an instrument group would make it easier.

>54 Ravenwoodwitch: Laps?! That's just cruel! Ha!

I admit that I kind of loves that opening part, but I'm strange that way...

>55 lauralkeet: I remember my mom saying that she never knew what the band show actually looked like because she only ever just focused on me, and I thought that was silly and that she was missing out. But guess what - I only ever just watch Charlie and I completely get it now! Ha!!

On the Agenda for Today:
Tomm and I have already been out looking for more patio furniture this morning - we found a table and benches set that we liked yesterday and brought it home, but we still want a couple of lounge chairs and a small side sort of table. We got skunked, though, so we'll just order some online. Not much going on for the rest of the day: laundry, some puttering at my desk, and maybe some reading. Southern Fried Chicken and a side salad for dinner tonight.

On the reading front:
I finished listening to The Keepers of the House and will try to get a review up today. And I've decided that Apple: Skin to the Core isn't my jam and I'm abandoning it. I was able to snag some good reading time at work yesterday and made some progress with Romancing Mister Bridgerton, too, which I'm really enjoying.

The Crafting Report:
I did a little crocheting yesterday, but that's all.

What We're Watching:
We finished Fullmetal Alchemist last night and OH my gosh, what a great ending! Such a good show.

102. The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau (Pulitzer list + audiobook) - 9/10
This is the story of seven generations of Howlands and the plantation that they built and presided over. The entire history of the Howland family is set out in the novel, but in particular it focuses on William Howland and his granddaughter, Abigail, and their struggle against the deeply entrenched racism of their neighboring town. It's very much a story of racism and how difficult it was in the south to be even slightly differently-minded, and the dangers to those who braved stepping outside the racist mindset.

I was captivated from the start by this novel, and I'm not surprised, really, because I love a good family saga and this absolutely fits that bill. Each generation's story was fascinating and the cumulative narrative was fantastic, with some excellent intensity and suspense leading up to the ending. Definitely recommended. And I'll also say that the audio was wonderfully narrated by Anna Fields.

>59 scaifea: - I have this one on my Kindle, purchased during a sale, no doubt. Glad to have your positive endorsement of it!

>58 scaifea: Ed's proposal to Winry made me fall over laughing, how about you?
I'm really glad you liked the show, Amber. It's one of my top ten animes, no exaggeration. If you find Death Note to your liking, I do think you'd like the anime too. The VA's they picked were real good. You just have to get through some cheese in the early season.

>60 katiekrug: Yay! I think you'd really love it, Katie.

>61 Ravenwoodwitch: YES! I was crying and laughing at the same time! SO GOOD.

Charlie and I agreed that we'll hold off on the DN anime until we're read through the manga first, but we do want to watch it. Next up for us anime-wise, I think, is The Promised Neverland.

>63 scaifea: Ah, you'll be ahead of me then since I haven't seen that one. I'll see if its worth a look from you guys :)

>64 Ravenwoodwitch: One of Charlie's friends told him it's really good, and I told Charlie that I'll pretty much watch any anime with him, so he's in charge. I'm excited to get into it and I'll definitely report back!

On the Agenda for Today:
Charlie's off to band practice this morning already. The Gals have an appointment with the vet's office (Mario for some blood tests (nothing serious) and Simmons for a booster), so wish me luck wrangling them both back and forth together. Yeesh. Otherwise I'll probably do some cleaning, maybe some sewing, hopefully some reading today. Chef Charliemagne is in charge of dinner: his classic and amazing fettuccine alfredo.

On the Reading Front:
I read some of The Magic Mountain yesterday and started listening to Amal Unbound.

The Crafting Report:
Nothing here to report because my wrist is acting up and I don't want to exacerbate it with knitting or crocheting. I'm wearing my wrist guard thing today and hoping that helps. Gah.

What We're Watching:
A couple of Psych episodes and a Conan without Borders.

>66 scaifea: Sounds like a good Monday off ahead of you. Fingers crossed your wrist feels better soon and glad that sewing still lets you get some crafty time in.

>66 scaifea: Morning/Afternoon Amber :)
Sorry to hear about your wrist. I'm always on the lookout for mine, between my computer-heavy desk job and yarn crafting. Hope it starts to feel better soon!

Hi Amber my dear, a belated Happy New Thread dear friend.

>67 MickyFine: >68 Ravenwoodwitch: Thanks, folks. I didn't do any crafting yesterday to give my hand a rest. It comes and goes in waves. It seems fairly decent this morning, but I'm taking my wrist wrap thing to work just in cases.

>69 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

On the Agenda for Today:
Work 9-5, leftovers for dinner. Quiet evening at home. Sounds pretty good to me.

On the Reading Front:
I read a bit of A Court of Frost and Starlight, started Death Note Vol 2, and listened to more of Amal Unbound. I'm really enjoying all of them!

The Crafting Report:
I meant to take photos this morning of the crochet stuff that's now blocked, but I still need to fold some laundry before heading to work and don't have time. Tomorrow, maybe? Eventually.

What We're Watching:
Ep 4 of Sandman and a Conan without Borders. Both so good in very different ways.

Oops, got way behind again, and just as we were discussing translations and all. I'm fascinated by your opinion of the Wilson translation of Homer, as it was mightily praised when it was published, but knowing the original has to be the gold standard of opinion on this. I think I have the Wilson on Kindle, and the Fagles and Lombardo on paper. When we were reading the Iliad aloud, we did sometimes compare the last two, but I think that was before Wilson's entry.

And I am SO GLAD you liked Trust Exercise. Yes, I think your comments are exactly aligned with what I thought after reading it. I was so sorry my reading group didn't see it that way.

And as a last comment, I think Jim and I will start watching Sandman soon. He of course has already started it, but is willing to go back to the beginning with me. (He'll probably add running commentary.)

>72 scaifea: I hope work is a good day and I'm looking forward to photos of your crochet project(s). :)

>73 ffortsa: Honestly I'm a bit baffled by how much attention the Wilson translation got when it came out. Is it because she's a woman translating it? I dunno, but gender aside, the translation should still be...good.

Yay for Trust Exercise! What reasons did your group give for not liking it?

I hope you love Sandman as much as we do!

>74 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

On the Agenda for Today:
Charlie and I are going shopping for Tomm's birthday presents and having our traditional lunch out before school starts (tomorrow). I also need to do my menu planning and get my grocery list ready for tomorrow morning, and then I don't know what else I'll do today. Probably not much. Charlie has band practice this evening. Tacos for dinner.

On the Reading Front:
I started Picnic at Hanging Rock yesterday and listened to more Amal Unbound while working on cargo at work.

The Crafting Report:
I'll try to remember to take those photos today...

What We're Watching:
Charlie decided to start Fairy Tail instead of The Promised Neverland. It's a little strange but fun so far.

>77 scaifea: Ooh, Picnic at Hanging Rock was on my reading list for this summer (haven't got to it yet)!

Hope Charlie has a great first day back to school! My kids have vacation until Sept 7th! (but they also go to school until the end of June.)

I need to become more organized like you. I bet a meal plan and grocery list help you save some money!

>75 scaifea: Although they are smart people, they seemed to completely miss the 'meta' nature of the book, and thought the author was a bad writer, and were more involved with the nature of the power relationships than the ambiguous narrative. It was weird.

>78 PawsforThought: I've wanted to read it for a long time - I'm excited!

>79 ChelleBearss: I miss Wisconsin, where school never started before Sept. 1. *sigh*

I don't know that I save much money, but I'd never know what to get if I didn't know what I was cooking that week!

>80 ffortsa: Huh, that *is* strange.

Finally, the crochet photos:

These might not be of much interest to anyone but me, but I like the idea of making a collection of swatches, one for each of the stitches I learn. So here's Single Crochet and Half Double Crochet, in that order:





And here's the washcloth:



And the scarf-in-progress:

I am super delighted to see your crochet swatches. I've spent so long doing chain 3, 3 double crochets, slip stitch, repeat that samples of other stitches are lovely to see. Love the colours you picked for your scarf!

Swatches are fab. Vogue recently published a knitting stitch compendium which is just page after page of gorgeous swatches! Your non-swatch creations look nice too!

And if you do enough swatches, you can crochet them together (like granny squares) into a throw or blanket. I've done that with knit squares, less to show off stitches and more to use up little bits of yarn...

Happy Wednesday, Amber! School doesn't start until after Labor Day around here, unless things have changed since I was a kid. But the next-door kids still seem to be around during the days, so I'll assume that's still the case :)

>85 MickyFine: >86 lauralkeet: Thanks, ladies!

>87 jjmcgaffey: I'm planning on making a reference notebook of sorts with them, with labels and instructions, maybe, on how the stitch is made.

>88 curioussquared: I think that used to be the case pretty much all over, but it's certainly not anymore!

On the Agenda for Today:
Charlie's first day of 8th grade! Holy. Moly. I work 11-7, so Tomm will pick him up after band practice, which is right after school, and I'll have to wait until this evening to hear how his first day went. I'll make some celebratory first-day brownies before I leave for work, though. And I'm going to do the grocery shopping this morning, too. Leftovers for dinner.

On the Reading Front:
I read a bit of Mansfield Park and some Picnic at Hanging Rock yesterday, and I'm nearly finished listening to Amal Unbound.

The Crafting Report:
I worked some on the crochet scarf yesterday, plus I browsed quilting patterns for table runners and placemats and found one I want to make to go with the new colors in our dining room.

What We're Watching:
A Psych episode and a Conan without Borders.

First Day of 8th Grade!

>93 scaifea: Such a lovely tradition, Amber, a picture of the first day back to school.
Glad Charlie still agrees about sharing his picture on this special day.

I hope Charlie has a great first day!

Morning, Amber. Sweet Thursday. Great photo of Charlie. He is getting to be quite the hunk. Funny, I have wanted to read Picnic at Hanging Rock for years. I remember really liking the film version.

>93 scaifea: My goodness. He is really growing up!

>93 scaifea: Here's hoping for a fabulous 8th grade year for Charlie! I'm looking forward to hearing all about his marching band and other adventures this year.

>94 FAMeulstee: I love looking back at all the first day photos to see how much he's grown each year. So fun.

>95 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Me, too. He has several classes with his two best friends, so he's happy about that, at least.

>96 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Ha! A hunk, huh? He gets so embarrassed if I tell him he looks handsome, so Tomm and I have taken to saying that he looks "adequate." We get an eye roll every time.

So far so excellent with Picnic. I think you'd love it.

>97 lauralkeet: He really, really is. No more kiddo in that face, really. He's a young man.

>98 rosalita: Thanks, Julia!

>93 scaifea: I hope Charlie's first day goes great. And that there's maybe a brownie or two left for you when you get home. :)

>104 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky, and yep, I had a brownie last night!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working 9:30-3, then I'll hustle home to get Charlie an early dinner before taking him back to school to catch the band bus to his first away football game! He's pretty excited. And his first day of school apparently went pretty well, too! He thinks he'll like his teachers, and he's in more classes with his friends than last year, too. Good news all around.

On the Reading Front:
Work was pretty busy yesterday so I didn't get much reading time, but I did read a bit of Picnic at Hanging Rock last night and I'm loving it so far. I also started listening to Clean Getaway.

The Crafting Report:
Still working on that crochet scarf, and I got a couple of rows in on the knit scarf yesterday, too.

What We're Watching:
Just a quick CougarTown before bed since we spent a good portion of the evening going over Charlie's first-day handouts and such.

>106 scaifea: Great to hear about a first-rate first day of school! And an away football game, too. Sounds like you picked the right verb with "hustle". :-)

>107 rosalita: *SNORK!* Very unintentional pun, but I love it!!

Happy Friday, Amber!

>106 scaifea: Glad to hear Charlie's first day was good.

Does an away game for Charlie mean a late night for you? Or does Tomm get to do the end of the night pick up?

Either way, I hope it's a lovely evening for all. :)

>109 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Right back atcha!

>110 MickyFine: We haven't really worked that out yet, but I suspect it'll be Tomm picking him up. I generally can't stay awake beyond 10pm, so although I'll stay up to hear how the game went, I'll probably be in my pjs and napping on the couch.

>93 scaifea: Wow -- looks more like a college freshman than an 8th grader! They do grow so very quickly, don't they?

>113 RebaRelishesReading: Ha! Yes! This kiddo in particular just keeps growing up...and up...and up...

Ah, yes, Friday night football… brings back memories of my high school days, then The Son’s.

On the Agenda for Today:
A bit of baking (Apple Orange Bars), some laundry, the weekly bill sorting, some time in the sewing room, and some reading time. Swedish Meatballs with boiled potatoes and broccoli for dinner tonight.

Charlie's first away game went really well and he told us that he had a good time, especially on the bus ride home, during which his entire bus broke out into raucous renditions of...Christmas songs. Nighttime band bus rides get wild, folks, as I well remember.

I haven't mentioned the backyard project lately, but it's progressing nicely. The patio part is done, the shed is up, and I think they're finishing up the fence today. We'll just need to paint the shed, which I think we're doing over Labor Day weekend. I can't wait to share before and after photos!

On the Reading Front:
Work was happily busy yesterday, so no reading time there, although I did snag some couch-and-book time after dropping Charlie off last night. I spent it with Magician: Apprentice and I'll probably spend whatever reading time I have today with that one again.

The Crafting Report:
I'm hoping to get some cleaning up done in the sewing room today. It's about time to start on fall sewing projects...

What We're Watching:
Tomm and I had a night in to ourselves while Charlie was at the away game. We started Fleabag, which we've wanted to watch for yonks, and then he showed me the first episode of Ted Lasso - he loves that show.

>115 drneutron: Yes! We're not really planning on going to the away games, but we've bought our season tickets to the home games and we're really looking forward to it!

103. Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed (audiobook) - 9/10
Amal struggles with her desire to stay in school and fulfill her dream to become a teacher against her need to stay at home to help with her ill mother and the new baby. When it seems that her father is against her ever going back to school at all, Amal escapes the house for an afternoon to browse the market on her own and rue her seemingly unhopeful future. So when a fancy black car bumps her to the ground on her way home, she doesn't hold back her feelings when arguing with the driver, who turns out to be the arrogant son of the village landlord. The price she pays for her courage in standing up to this bully will change her live - and the lives of others - forever.

Malala meets Beauty and the Beast = an excellent middle grade novel. It's a great story that nicely brings awareness of how women and girls are treated in Pakistan to the foreground, and it would be a great way to get kiddos talking about these issues.

>118 scaifea: - Sounds good! And my library has it on audio, so onto the WL it goes...

>119 katiekrug: Yay! The audio is pretty good, too!

'Allo Amber, allow me to catch up ^^
>77 scaifea: Ah, Fairy Tail; my oldest niece loves this one. I'm not a fan myself but I'll suppress my thoughts on it to see if you enjoy it :)
>84 scaifea: I think this is a great idea! Now you have something to refer to when trying to gauge what stitch someone else's project is using.
>93 scaifea: Hope Charlie's year turns out good :) I'm so happy to see things settling back with the schools after two abysmal years.

I meant to ask: what did you think of 'Fleabag'? I watched the first episode a year or so ago and then got distracted by other things. I'm thinking of giving it another go.

And what about 'Ted Lasso'? That's a favorite of mine, and it only gets better as it goes on.

Glad to hear Charlie had a great time at the away game and you and Tomm had a lovely evening together.

I'm curious about these Apple Orange Bars? My brain is picturing either fruit leather or some kind of granola bar...

>121 Ravenwoodwitch: I suspect we'll watch more Fairy Tail tonight, so we'll see. I think both Charlie and I are on the fence about it so far.

I hope his year is good, too. So far I think he's feeling a lot more relaxed about things than last year, which is great!

>122 katiekrug: I am *loving* Fleabag! So hilarious. And Ted Lasso is absolutely adorable.

>123 MickyFine: Nope, neither. It's essentially a snack cake made with applesauce and orange zest. It turned out really well!

>118 scaifea: Amal Unbound looks great! I've got it requested at my library. Thanks!

Karen O.

>127 klobrien2: Excellent! I hope you love it, too!

On the Agenda for Today:
We're off to the zoo this morning, per Tomm's request - his birthday is tomorrow - and then we'll grab lunch out somewhere before heading home. I'm hoping for some reading time this afternoon. Tomm's in charge of dinner: burgers on the grill.

My new bicycle came yesterday!! Tomm put it together and it's missing one little piece that he'll order, but it looks amazing and I love it! Our new patio furniture arrived too, so as soon as we get the shed painted I'll share photos! We are in love with how the backyard has been transformed!

On the Reading Front:
Magician: Apprentice continues to be an enjoyable read, and I think I'll probably finish up Clean Getaway on audio today.

The Crafting Report:
Still working on those two scarves... I did get my sewing space tidied up a bit yesterday at least.

What We're Watching:
More Fairy Tail, which is getting better now that we're starting to see the bigger story arc.

Hooray for a new bicycle! But how on earth could they send you a bike to assemble and forget to include a piece?!

New bike! New outdoor furniture! A trip to the zoo! Things are happening at Scaife Manor. Sounds like a great day ahead, Amber.

Sounds like an excellent Sunday ahead for you, Amber. I love that Tomm wants to go to the zoo for his birthday. I hope you all have a great time!

Have a great time at the zoo! I wanted to add that to our summer schedule but it's a two hour+ drive in heavy traffic so I think we will skip it this year :( Say hi to some monkeys for me please

Sounds like a fun weekend. Congratulations on the bike and backyard. Happy birthday to Tomm and great fun to all of you.

>130 rosalita: No idea. To be fair, it's a small piece...?

>131 lauralkeet: Things are very happening here at Scaife Manor! Ha! We had a great time at the zoo this morning.

>132 MickyFine: We keep a membership and pre-covid we would go almost every week, but we fell out of the habit. Now maybe we'll get back to our Sunday constitutionals at the zoo.

>133 ChelleBearss: It's only a 30 minute drive for us and Columbus has one of the best zoos in the country, so we like to take advantage of that as often as we can.

>134 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba!

I really want to get a bike... I keep saying I will but should just bite the bullet and do it one day. We have two bike shops in town, so it's not like I have to go far :-P

Glad you had fun at the zoo!

>140 katiekrug: I'm excited to ride my bike to work! You should totally get one.

On the Agenda for Today:
It's Tomm's birthday! We'll celebrate by going out to eat this evening to a new-to-us diner in a neighboring little town. I'll also make him his dessert of choice today: chocolate peanut butter fudge. No work today for me, so I'll be doing some house cleaning, a bit of tidying up at my desk, maybe some writing.

On the Reading Front:
Still happily plugging along with Magician: Apprentice, but I'm not happy with the audiobook I started yesterday (Dear Sweet Pea) so I think I'll be abandoning that and picking something else today.

The Crafting Report:
I worked on the crochet scarf yesterday - I think I'm nearly finished!

What We're Watching:
A couple of Conan without Borders episodes and a West Wing.

104. Clean Getaway by Nic Stone (audiobook) - 8/10
William (or Scoob, as his friends call him) is on dad-imposed house lockdown after getting into a scuffle at school, and he's chafing under the strict expectations his father has for him. So it seems like a dream come true when his G-ma shows up in a brand-new RV and tells him to grab his suitcase and hop in for an adventure, but the fun of a spontaneous trip that gets him away from his punishment quickly drains away when he realizes that not everything is okay with G-ma and he can't contact his dad because he left his phone at home.

This was more interesting than I honestly thought it would be. It's more than the sum of its road-trip/coming-of-age story parts, and I love that the characters (the adult ones in particular) are more complex and surprising than you might expect with a MG novel.

On the Agenda for Today:
I have the 9-5 shift, so that's pretty much what I'm doing today. I'm trying a new recipe for dinner tonight: Cinnamon-Scented Fried Chicken.

Tomm's birthday dinner out was good! We went to a kind of whole-in-the-wall diner in Galena, OH, which is sort of an artsy little village. He had a club sandwich that looked really good, and Charlie and I went with the fish and chips, which was excellent. We'll very likely go back.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on Magician: Apprentice, and I'll probably start a new audiobook today. I need to get through the Feist and another book by the end of the month for my Challenge categories, so I think I'll look up the other book on audio to get going on in (it's Neuromancer).

The Crafting Report:
I finished the crochet scarf! But I think I overdid it yesterday because my wrist is really acting up this morning. I'll be wearing my wrist guard today, I think. Here's the scarf (the color is a little off, but this is the best I could get it - see >84 scaifea: above for the actual color):



What We're Watching:
A Conan without Borders and a West Wing.

>59 scaifea: I went to add that one to the BlackHole only to find it already there. Thanks for the reminder that I still need to get to it, Amber!

>84 scaifea: What a cool idea. Not that I am ever going to crochet, mind you. My eyes are just too bad. I had to give up cross stitching, which I loved to do, because of them. Love the look of the scarf!

>93 scaifea: He looks too cool for school!

>118 scaifea: Adding that one to the BlackHole.

>144 scaifea: Oh, the scarf turned out lovely.

Have a terrific Tuesday, Amber!

Thanks, Stasia! I think you'll like the two books when you get to them.

>144 scaifea: Mmm, now I want fish and chips and it's only 9:30 am here!

>144 scaifea: Well done! You'll enjoy that come winter :)

>147 curioussquared: I was *so* good!

>148 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba!

Love the scarf. Sorry to hear the wrist is less keen on it.

And I owe you thanks for the prompt to try Duolingo. Just passed day 75 of German. Meine Eule spiele immer Schach* is unlikely to be one of the more useful sentences, but it's traditional to have a random, useless, sentence in every language course. A lot more of it has practical application. So thanks for the nudge to stop thinking about it and do something. I kind of feel I want a German Grammar to support it now.

* My owl always plays chess

>150 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen! My wrist is feeling much better this afternoon, thank goodness.

>151 Helenliz: Aw, yay! I ended up buying a Spanish grammar, dictionary, and vocabulary list, and I've ordered some small blank flashcards to make up with vocab words. I love duolingo but yeah, I want a bit more, too.

>144 scaifea: Hey Amber :)
The scarf looks great! I've always liked the grey meets blue combo.
Also... I've never heard of putting Cinnamon and Chicken in the same meal. I am curious if weary; was it any good?

The scarf turned out lovely. And nice job on keeping your tension even. My first scarf I ever crocheted is circular and definitely isn't quite even in width.

>154 Ravenwoodwitch: Thanks!! And the chicken turned out really good! It smells amazing - very cinnamony - but the flavor isn't overpowering. It's actually a really nice flavor.

>155 MickyFine: Thanks! I'm proud of how the tension came out, honestly.

>154 Ravenwoodwitch: Medieval and Moroccan cooking often have cinnamon and other "sweet" spices with chicken and meat. It can be really good.

>158 quondame: Yep.

On the Agenda for Today:
I have a therapy appointment this morning and then I'll need to pick Charlie up from band practice this afternoon. In between those things I'll try to do some writing, some house cleaning, maybe some crafting. Taco Soup for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I listened to a healthy chunk of Neuromancer while working on cargo yesterday at work. I'm...not a fan so far, really, but I'll keep chugging along, if only because I know it's a fairly seminal work for the genre. I'm also still working on Magician: Apprentice and liking that one much more.

The Crafting Report:
Nothing to report here. I was still letting my wrist rest yesterday. Thankfully it feels much better today.

What We're Watching:
An episode of The Umbrella Academy.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working 9-5; we're having a staff meeting and ordering pizza, so I'm excited! I can't believe I'm so lucky as to be in a job where staff meetings are something to look forward to almost like a party. Amazing that we all get along together so well. Tonight we have a parent meeting for the 8th grade trip to DC. Ooof. Not sure I'm ready for him to go that far away...

On the Reading Front:
I'm nearly finished with Magician: Apprentice and although I have some quibbles, I'm still enjoying it. I finished listening to Neuromancer yesterday and that one's all quibbles, I'm afraid. Review to come...at some point.

The Crafting Report:
I made a little progress on the knit scarf yesterday.

What We're Watching:
a couple of episodes of Fairy Tail and a Ted Lasso. I'm gonna have "Jamie Tartt doo doo doodoo doodoo" stuck in my head for DAYS.

Good morning Amber! I've been lurking-not-posting here for a little while. The 8th grade trip to DC, oh my. That's another rite of passage, like Band Camp. Is the trip in the spring? Maybe you should commission a band of DC-area LTers to go undercover and follow them around to keep an eye on things. We need an excuse for a meetup. 😀

Enjoy your pizza party/staff meeting! That sounds like the best kind of meeting to me.

>161 scaifea: Good morning, Dolly! (Since you are working 9 to 5 today.) I binged the last four episodes of Ted Lasso last night. I'm so glad I finally got around to watching this — I added it to my queue when it was first released but only started watching last week. It's a delight.

Hope you have a great day.

>162 lauralkeet: *SNORK!* I love the idea of undercover LTers checking up on Charlie! I wish Tomm and I could do what we're doing in December and take a parallel, non-chaperone vacation alongside the school trip, but I don't think it's in the cards this time. It's been a long time since I've been in the DC area and it would be fun. *sigh*

Every day with these ladies/librarians is like a party. I love my job.

>163 rosalita: Ha! Every day that I work this shift I end up humming that song while getting ready.

Ted Lasso is *so* good. It absolutely lives up to all the hype.

>161 scaifea: a job and colleagues like that is priceless. Facebook reminded me yesterday that it's 5 years since I resigned from my previous job - and it still remains one of my better decisions. Love my current job. As an environment it just couldn't be more different.

*does a happy dance*

Loving all the love for Ted Lasso around here :)

>162 lauralkeet: I'm picturing a group of whacky people with laden book totes at the Lincoln Memorial waving and shouting "Hi Charlie!!!" into a group of bewildered 8th graders including one very tall young man trying to melt into the pavement).

Even your little notes about Neuromancer have confirmed what I've always thought, which is that it's not a book I would enjoy :) Enjoy the staff meeting!

Enjoy your pizza party meeting! Chloe has a pizza party too at our library for the summer reading club participants. She is very excited as it's the first year she has joined in fully and been invited. She logged about 900 minutes of reading this summer and is very proud of herself!

>161 scaifea: Before Becky started 8th grade she went to China with some of her class.

>144 scaifea: I love the color of the scarf. Well done!

>161 scaifea: Don't worry about the trip. I remember that on school trips we were watched closely but given enough freedom to relax and feel like no one was around. Those trips were always fun, educational and helped me with gaining confidence and independence. I am sure the DC trip will be a blast and everything will go smoothly.

>166 Helenliz: I'm so glad you have a similar job happiness to mine! It really does mean a lot, doesn't it?

>167 katiekrug: Woot! We watched another episode last night. So good.

>168 laytonwoman3rd: HAAAAHAHAHAHA I would be willing to pay to make that happen...

>169 curioussquared: Yeeeeah, it's...not great.

>170 ChelleBearss: Aw, yay for Chloe!! I hope she had a fantastic time!

>171 quondame: Oh wow, that's way too far!

>172 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita, for the scarf love!

Oh, I'm gonna worry, that's just in my anxious momma nature. But I remember my own 8th grade trip to Boston and Philadelphia, and we had an absolute blast. I know he will too.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working 9:30-3, then we'll hustle to have an early dinner before getting Charlie back to the school for his first home football game as a member of the HS band! Tomm and I are looking forward to it!

On the Reading Front:
Still plugging away at Magician: Apprentice. Nearly finished.

The Crafting Report:
Nada. *sigh*

What We're Watching:
A Ted Lasso and a couple of Fairy Tails.

>161 scaifea: I really need to start the Feist series at some point. I think I own the entire thing!

>168 laytonwoman3rd: LOL

Have a fantastic Friday, Amber!

>181 alcottacre: I'm enjoying this first one, although I'm not sure I'll keep going with the series. I'm extremely picky with what series I follow, though, so don't mind me.

Happy Friday to you, too!

>180 scaifea: Have fun at the game tonight, Amber! Do you bring a craft project with you for the parts Charlie isn't on the field? Or do you enjoy football enough to watch the game?

>183 MickyFine: I packed two books and finished them both. Football doesn't interest me in the slightest, but I enjoy the atmosphere of those who do, so reading with the background noise of fans cheering or groaning is fantastic.

On the Agenda for Today:
It was a late night by our general standards (the game didn't end until 10:30) and so my butt is dragging this morning. I need to do the menu planning and get my grocery list ready for tomorrow morning's shopping, do the weekly bill sorting, and get through a couple of loads of laundry. I also owe three reviews and I'll try to get those up today. Leftovers for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
As I mentioned above, I finished two books during the football game last night. Such excellent reading time, and the weather was gorgeous! I made sure to interact occasionally with Tomm, who actually enjoys watching football, by making Ted Lasso references about torn butts and how the kid who got knocked down but trotted off the field should have faked a limp anyway.

The Crafting Report:
Nope, nothing. Maybe I'll get some crocheting or knitting in today.

What We're Watching:
Tomm watched game. We both watched a pretty great marching band do its stuff.

>184 scaifea: Nice! And congrats on finishing two books. Does Tomm watch the game or is he also occupying himself with other things?

ETA: Ah I see the answer in your update. Good luck getting in gear today!

>186 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

105. Neuromancer by William Gibson (Nebula Award) - 6/10
I'm going to be honest with you: I couldn't keep my attention on this book enough to know really what was going on at any given time. The main dude got in trouble somehow in his job as a master thief? And was punished by having his brain altered so he couldn't log into the matrix anymore? I think? So when we meet him he's living hand to mouth as a thief, still, and is recruited for A Big Heist of somecyberkind. I think. He gets help from a "mirror-eyed" gal and...a dead person?

Cripes. I give up. It was too much convolution and not enough interesting for me to care to try sorting it all out. I get that it's important as a forerunner to the cyberpunk genre, so I'm glad in that sense that I've experienced it, but it wasn't a fun ride for me.

106. Magician Apprentice by Raymond Feist (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books list) - 8/10
Pug and his friend, Tomas, are coming of age in the castle/keep of Duke Borric, and must stand for the choosing of apprentices. Tomas gets picked to be trained as a soldier, but Pug is left unchosen until the resident wizard decides to take him under his wing. And so they begin their lives as apprentices, dealing with noble bullies, a spoiled princess, and the oncoming threat of an invasion from another world.

Pug and his friends are great characters, and their adventures make for a very enjoyable read. The book nicely sets up the series, and I may even keep going with it eventually, but I have to say that Feist has cribbed *heavily* from Tolkien, so much so and so blatantly so that it passes from annoying into amusingly ridiculous. After they discover that their world is potentially under an immense threat from a strange evil race, Pug, Tomas, the wizard, and a ranger (ahem) set out on a long journey to bring the question of what should be done about it to Those in Charge. On the way, they try to cross through a mountain pass but have to backtrack because of heavy snowfall (ahem) and instead decide to take the path that leads underground and through the dwarf mines (AHEM), where they run into a giant heap of trouble from a deep and secret Evil Thing (seriously?). Meanwhile our hobbits, er, Pug and Tomas, get separated and start separate journeys, and Tomas stumbles onto a dragon hoard complete with dragon, and comes out the other side of the encounter with Magic Chainmail (oh ffs, REALLY?!). So, yeah. It's like Feist doesn't even try to cover the fact that he's cheating heavily off Tolkien's test paper. But in the end I didn't even mind because Feist's original bits are pretty darn entertaining and he at least weaves the Tolkien bits in nicely to his own story.

107. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (wishlist) - 6/10
A shepherd gets shanked with a shovel one night in his flock's pasture and his sheep decide to solve the mystery of who their keeper's murderer is. The flawed narrative is from the flock's point of view as they bumble through the strange events after the murder, trying to suss out what the clues all mean.

I have had this book on my list for literally *years* and I was so excited finally to read it. I wanted to - and expected to - love it. I...did not. I didn't like any of the characters, human or ovine, and the schtick of the sheep misunderstanding pretty much everything that happened all while having an accidental deep understanding of human nature, which I suspect was meant to be an absolutely clever delight to the reader throughout, was fun for the first maybe five pages and then got super old super quickly.

Oof, sorry Neuromancer didn't pan out. Shame; I heard Gibson was a Sci-Fi staple.
Feist is another one that rings a bell and I'm glad it worked out.

>189 scaifea: I appreciate Feist and the other Tolkien-looters more because they made fantasy a financially supportive genre for the many better authors who followed than for their books. Still I have a lingering fondness for Pug.

>191 Ravenwoodwitch: Don't dismiss Gibson just on my account; I don't find a lot of scifi that I love, so you may have a very different feeling about his stuff.

>192 quondame: Feist really could have tried to be more subtle about it. I mean, it's honestly hilariously blatant.

On the Agenda for Today:
I've already been there and back again to the grocery store, and now I have bills to sort through, a cake to bake (vanilla cake with cherry filling and cherry buttercream frosting), and some patches to sew on Charlie's packback. And laundry. Because always with the laundry. Tomm's in charge of dinner tonight: Chicken Caesar Salad.

On the Reading Front:
I manages a few pages of Romancing Mister Bridgerton yesterday, and a few of Picnic at Hanging Rock. I'm now listening to A Good Kind of Trouble and it's pretty good so far.

The Crafting Report:
Still working on that knitted scarf. If I find some time today, I may start learning a new crochet stitch. We'll see.

What We're Watching:
A OUAT and a West Wing.

>195 scaifea: I'm not listening to A Good Kind of Trouble and it's pretty good so far.

I always enjoy the books I don't listen to. They don't have any chance of disappointing me. :-D

I'm sorry that Three Bags Full didn't hit the spot for you, but so it goes. Hope your next reads are more fun.

>196 rosalita: *SNORK* I usually catch when I type not for now, but clearly not always. *sigh*

I was thinking of you went I typed up that review and feeling bad for not liking it more because I remembered that you did. I trust your judgement and so I feel like maybe I'm missing something here. It's probably just taste variation, though, yeah?

Sounds like a good day ahead for you. What crochet stitch are you thinking of tackling next?

>197 scaifea: Your review made me wonder if I'd still like it if I read it today, actually. My reading in 2009 was not nearly as diverse as it is today — thanks, fellow LTers! — so I might have overrated it for the cleverness and novelty factor.

>198 MickyFine: I'll have to look at the book I'm using; whatever's next in the lessons.

>199 rosalita: Oh, good point. Our tastes change and develop, for sure. It makes rereads tricky sometimes.

Oh dear, a couple I'm not going to be rushing out the try and find.

I find scifi really tricky. It all has to be entirely self consistent, so if you're going to break one of the laws of physics, you can't just keep adding new ones you've just broken, just to get you out of a ploy hole you've written yourself into. It seems to me to be such a simple surmise, but so many books fail at even that hurdle.

>188 scaifea: I'm pleased to see I'm not the only one who wondered why there was so much fuss about Neuromancer, given their own experience reading it.

>202 Helenliz: I'm not sure what it is about scifi that makes me so picky. The physics stuff doesn't bother me in that way because I don't understand it enough to notice. Plus, fiction is fiction and, as far as I'm concerned, doesn't need to follow reality's rules to the T. I get that it bothers others, though.

>203 ArlieS: Oh, good! I'm glad I'm not the only one! Ha!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm on the 9-5 shift at the library, so that's pretty much all that will happen today. Leftovers for dinner - Tomm makes the BEST Chicken Caesar Salad and I'm looking forward to those leftovers!

I was all excited to ride my bike to work today, but we're supposed to get some storms this afternoon, so I'll hold off. Gah.

On the Reading Front:
I finished up several books yesterday, which sounds impressive, but one of the things about reading a bunch of books at once fairly slowly is that every so often you manage to have a handful that you're just about finished with, and if you have a couple of hours you can polish them all off. So now I owe reviews for Death Note Vol 2, Mansfield Park, and The Magic Mountain. I also read a bit of Picnic at Hanging Rock, which I'm enjoying so far.

The Crafting Report:
I worked up a swatch for my newest crochet stitch: Double Crochet. Pretty fun.

What We're Watching:
A couple of episodes of Fairy Tail.

>206 scaifea: Good Morning, Amber :)
Very curious to see where your brain is with Death Note. And sorry about the bike ride; I'd trade you our weather but it's 81 degrees and humid :/

Double Crochet is my go-to stitch, along with half-double. They make a nice soft edge, especially with fluffy yarn.

>207 Ravenwoodwitch: Morning, Angela!
I'm loving Death Note so far. I love that the main character is kind of atrocious, but still somehow I'm rooting for him. Plus, I need to know more about L. He's adorable and...interesting.

It's fun learning new and different stitches. The half double and the double seem, to me at least, easier than the single.

I can do double-crochet in my sleep at this point. It's the basic stitch for any corner-to-corner (C2C) project (along with a basic chain), so you're set to make a throw blanket. ;)

>209 MickyFine: Good to know! I don't really care for the couple of projects in the books for this stitch, so I'm just skipping over to the next kind of stitch. I'm happy to know that I'm possibly ready for throws, though!

I don't know if you find video helpful in learning new stitches, but I really enjoy the videos made by this YouTuber, TL Yarn Crafts. She makes me want to re-learn crochet! She recently posted a video Five Easy Crochet Stitches Any Beginner Can Do and some of them are really pretty.

>211 rosalita: Oh thanks, Julia! I'll check it out, although usually those videos go way too fast for me. The book I'm using has super-helpful photos to go along with the instructions, and staring at a picture for 20 minutes is more my speed.

>212 scaifea: I totally get that. One of the things I like about Toni's videos is that she shows herself crocheting the stitch quite a few times over the course of creating a small swatch, so it seems easier to pick up. But then again, I'm just sitting and watching and not trying to follow along with a hook and yarn in my hand — I might feel very differently if I was trying to actually do the stitches!

>213 rosalita: Ha! Yeah, I can't sit still - I'm too impatient and want to start stitching!

>214 scaifea: Fair. You know how some people love to watch those ASMR videos of people whispering or just noise or whatever? My version of ASMR is watching engaging people perform creative tasks competently. Card-making, scrapbook, applying makeup, crocheting or knitting — it's all catnip for me when I can't sleep.

>215 rosalita: Oooh, I get that! I love watching videos of factory machines making things. So soothing somehow.

>211 rosalita: YAS. I love Toni, and her channel is so cool. She does these yarn reviews that are super helpful for building the stash.
>213 rosalita: I get that, too. I love watching other creators make things - anything from physical and digital art to home improvement - just because the process is so fascinating to me.

>217 Ravenwoodwitch: The process is always so interesting, isn't it?

On the Agenda for Today:
I don't work today, so I'll just be puttering around the house. I'll do some laundry, some cleaning, I need to organize my desk (it's a hot mess right now), maybe some sewing? We'll see. Cajun Corn Soup for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I started The First Book of Swords yesterday and it's pretty good so far. I also listened to a good chunk of A Good Kind of Trouble and read a bit of Picnic at Hanging Rock.

The Crafting Report:
Nope, nothing here.

What We're Watching:
An episode each of Ted Lasso and Conan without Borders. The Conan ep was in Mexico and I'm excited that I could understand most of what they were saying!

Morning, Amber. Hooray for Cajun corn soup! I am also a fan of "Ted Lasso" and would like to start the 2nd season soon.

>220 msf59: Tomm's been a Lasso fan since the beginning, but he's just now convinced me to watch and I can't believe I waited so long. It's so good!

>221 scaifea: I've just started watching Ted Lasso and enjoying it as well. Mr SandDune won't watch it as he says it's far too unrealistic but I can just go with the flow on that.

>222 SandDune: Sounds like his loss, really. It's so, so good.

108. Death Note vol 2 by Tsugumi Ohba (manga) - 9/10
In volume 2, Kira and L seem to be getting closer to finding each other as the hunt for the mass murderer continues. The tension grows as each one waits for the other to make a fatal mistake...

I'm really enjoying this manga. I'm always impressed with an author who can make me both dislike a character but also feel compelled to root for him at the same time.

109. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (an unread book from my shelves) - 7/10
Welp, I've found an Austen that I don't really care for. I just couldn't keep my attention on the plot, and the characters all blended together enough that I could never remember which jerky dude was which. I also just couldn't make myself like Fanny much; where exactly is her personality in here? *sigh*

(a sort-of spoiler ahead, in case you haven't read this one and, for whatever reason, want to)



110. The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob) - 7/10
Guy goes up a mountain to visit his sick cousin in a sanatorium and almost never comes out again, and when he does it's just to go die in a war. In the meantime, he meets all sorts of characters there. There's lots of death. So upbeat, this one.

Yeah, no. Not my jam. Or at least not my current kind of jam. I get that there's a lot of unpacking that could be - and probably should be - done here, but I just wasn't in the mood to work for a meaning right now. Maybe if I had encountered this one at a more impressionable age? Say, when I was a college lit major? And it would have helped to have a tweed jacket wearing prof (preferably a cute one, and let's give him some sort of accent) telling me how to suss out the Hidden Truths in here. Then I would have loved it.

Hi, Amber. I’m sorry to read that Neuromancer didn’t work for you. I loved that one when I was a lad, and it turned me into a lifelong reader of William Gibson. I have wondered how well this one has aged with all the cyber-changes since it came out.

Have you read Snow Crash? That’s another influential sci-fi- er that I also loved.

A Kind of Spark came in at the library, and I’ll pick it up today. Thanks for the nudge on that one.

I have Herodotus’s Histories, but haven’t cracked it open yet. I need to get that one into the rotation.

Charlie is looking sharp and . . . elongated (taller). Is he constantly eating? I know when I hit that stage my parents had trouble keeping the larder adequately stocked.

>227 jnwelch: Hi, Joe! No, I haven't read Snow Crash, but I know it's on at least one of my lists, so I'll get to it eventually. I'm glad you enjoyed it and Neuromancer too!

Yay for A Kind of Spark! I hope you love it. I suspect you will.

I also suspect you'll love Herodotus when you get to him.

You know, I keep waiting for Charlie to start eating us out of the house, but it hasn't happened yet. We'll see.

Mansfield Park is my least favorite Austen too. I really want to watch Ted Lasso and about 6 months ago Tim and I decided to bite the bullet and do a month or two of Apple TV so we could watch it. Well, I signed up and the technology just didn't work. I'm not an Apple person, so I had to make an account, and then I clicked the button to start my free trial and got an email that it had begun. But when I tried to log in and watch, all I could find were messages to log in and start my free trial and nothing I did would change that. I think I'm pretty tech savvy so I don't think it was user error. I got so frustrated that I canceled the trial and declared that I guess we weren't watching Ted Lasso after all, lol.

>225 scaifea: You're not alone. I liked it more on a re-read than I did the first time, but it's still not a fave.

>229 curioussquared: Oh, that's so frustrating! Maybe at some point they're release it on dvd or something.

>230 lauralkeet: Whew! I thought maybe folks here would get their Austen hackles up, so I'm glad I'm not alone. I...won't be rereading it, though, I don't think.

I liked MP upon a re-reading of it, bit I don't have my hackles up! To each her own, I say.

>233 katiekrug: Woot! *fist bump*

Not a massive fan of any Austen. After Lyzard did a guides read, I have some more appreciation, but I;m never going to be a fan, I'm afraid. She's just a bit too prissy & middle class for me.

I loved Herodotus, it feels like he sets out to tell a story and keeps getting sidetracked - I love that in a mind.

The Medea has arrived at the library for me. I'll pick up this week, but when I get to it is anyone's guess.

>234 scaifea: Well, I *loved* Pride and Prejudice and I liked Sense & Sensibility pretty well, so I'll keep going with her stuff, hoping this was a one-off dud. We'll see.

Herodotus is a wonderful storyteller! I adore him. You have to love a man who is labelled both the Father of History *and* the Father of Lies...

Yay for Medea! I hope you love it when you get round to it.

111. A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée (audiobook) - 8/10
Shayla gets nervous even thinking about trouble, and so she does her best to follow all the rules. But seventh grade brings a lot of complications involving friendships, boys, and the casual racism she feels all around her. Her two best friends and she have been the United Nations (because she's Black, Isabella is Hispanic, and Julia is Asian) since forever, but now it seems that Julia prefers to be with her Asian friends, Isabella is attracting the attention of the boy Shayla likes, and Shayla is feeling disapproval from some of her classmates - and her sister - for not having any Black friends. All of this is framed by the news story she and her family are following about the trial of a cop who shot a Black man. When the cop is found not guilty, Shayla faces her discomfort with getting into trouble and vows to stir up the good kind.

This middle grade novel would be a great way to ease younger kiddos into thinking about issues of race. It doesn't sugar-coat anything, but it manages to discuss the issues in a medium-stakes kind of way; think The Hate U Give lite.

MP is generally the least beloved Austen so I don't blame you. As for the remaining Austen novels ahead for you, Emma can be divisive and I'll be interested which side of the line you come down on. I adore the tongue in cheek humour of Northanger Abbey but fully admit it helps to have a passing familiarity with Gothic novels for that one. If you don't like Persuasion though, then the Janeites might come for you. ;)

If she doesn't like Persuasion, I'LL come for her 😉

>238 MickyFine: >239 katiekrug: I'm pretty sure I've read it already, but I don't remember it much because if I *did* read it, it was a long time ago.

>239 katiekrug: I'll be right there with you. 🤣

>240 scaifea: I'd hope that if you'd encountered Captain Wentworth, you'd remember him.

>241 MickyFine: That name rings a bell...yep, I have read it. (For me, P&P is much better. #sorrynotsorry)

On the Agenda for Today:
I have the day off again today, so more puttering round the house, laundry, cleaning, duolingoing, sewing, reading. The band is travelling to a neighboring town to be in the Sweetcorn Parade this evening after school (if there's ever a sentence that reveals our midwestern residency, that's it right there), so Tomm and I are going to cheer him on. 18 bands in a small town parade - it's going to be a great time! Plus, festival food for dinner!! I'll be eating, at minimum, three courses of deep fried deliciousness.

On the Reading Front:
One of the many of my favorite things about working at a library is unpacking the brand new books when they come in. First dibs! On a whim I checked out Women: The National Geographic Image Collection on Monday, and I tore through it yesterday. Gorgeous photos curated to show a history of women as they have been represented in the magazine over the years, plus interviews with some of the most influential women in present times. Very, very cool. I'm also still working on Picnic at Hanging Rock and I started listening to Lalani of the Distant Sea.

The Crafting Report:
I actually made it into my sewing space yesterday, tidied up a bit, and worked on a project that's been sitting in my To Do area for a long while (like, two years?). Right at the beginning of the pandemic, Charlie and I did a bunch of little crafty projects. One of them was using molding clay to make a disc, and then pressing beans of different sizes and colors into a pattern. According to the instructions, the beans were supposed to dry *into* the clay, but they didn't stick once the clay was hard. So I put them aside to hot glue the beans in and am just now doing it. I glued them all on yesterday, so now I need to seal the whole thing. We each made one and they're pretty neat looking. Once they're sealed I'll try to remember to post a photo. (I also did some knitting on the scarf yesterday.)

What We're Watching:
A Ted Lasso and a Fairy Tail.

The Sweetcorn Parade sounds fun! Have you ever been to the Circleville Pumpkin Show? I once worked with a woman from Circleville who would wax poetic about how much fun that event was. More midwestern-ness at its best.

>244 lauralkeet: I've never been the the Pumpkin Show, but oh, we're going this year because - wait for it - the band will be performing there, too! If they don't have deep fried pumpkin pie there, I will be smad about it.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Amber!

PLEASE let there be people dressed as sweetcorn at the Sweetcorn Parade.

>236 scaifea: I hope so too. I read all 6, and even the juvenilia, Lady Susan. Just to be obtuse, that was the one I enjoyed the most - the least typical Austen of the lot! Call me a statistical outlier. >:-)

AMber, I'm completely with you on P&P being the best Austen (I confess I haven't read Persuasion yet, though) and that Mansfield Park is a bore. The only things I remember from MP is that I disliked it and Fanny was a boring main character.

Hi Amber! Belated happy new thread.

>4 scaifea: Impressive that you read Austen AND Thomas Mann in the same month.

>5 scaifea: Ah yes, marching band uniforms. Charlie does look sharp. I like the uniform too.

>84 scaifea: I inherited quite a few kitchen washcloths with the washcloth stitch, and use them all the time.

>93 scaifea: Cute boy, sweet doggo in the background.

>226 scaifea: Glad you read it, glad I don’t have to. I have a copy on my shelves that I can cull.

>236 scaifea: Kindle has The Histories by Herodotus for 62¢, so I’ve splurged. *smile*

>245 scaifea: Excellent!!

>189 scaifea: *snort* (I shouldn't have tried to drink my morning coffee while reading this review). Still grinning...

>226 scaifea: scaifea: Umm and you gave it a 7/10 out of pity?

>246 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! You, too!

>247 Helenliz: Ha! I'll report back on the costumes.

>247 Helenliz: >248 PawsforThought: I plan on reading through her bibliography, so we'll see which comes out on top for me. So far it's definitely P&P.

>249 karenmarie: I *love* the new uniforms. They will officially unveil them to the public at the next home football game and it'll be great to see the whole band with them on.

If I could figure out a way to get a scrubby part on one side, I'd definitely us crocheted washcloths. I suppose if I put my brain to work on it, I could come up with something...

I don't like telling people not to read something just because I didn't like it, but...yeah, I don't think it would be a huge regret if you're looking for more shelf space.

Yay for Herodotus! He's a gem.

And thanks for the Charlie love! He's a cutie in my book, but, well, you know. Moms and their biases.

>250 lauralkeet: Right?! I'm excited!

>251 SandyAMcPherson: Ha! I'm glad you liked the review!

Well, in my mind, 7/10 = a C grade, and that seems about right. I didn't *hate* it, it was readable, it wasn't poorly written/translated, I just didn't love it. So, average/meh seems about right. I'm fairly sparse with my Ds and Fs.

The new thread is up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/343884