Tess Reads What She Wants! Page 4

Retired high school Social Studies teacher. Currently teaching at the college level--just one class per semester. I'm really into food preservation now and spend a lot of time reading about it and watching YouTube videos. I live in central Ohio with my husband of 46 years. He is basically chair-bound, so I have lots of time to read. I have 7 grandchildren I adore. The oldest is 22 and the youngest is 4.

My new favorite hobby is "homesteading." Growing, processing, preserving my own food. I can do that for everything except the meat. I buy that from a local farmer and then either freeze or can it.

I have abandoned my original CATS--too confining! I'm just going to read what suits my fancy when I desire. I will participate in cats/kits if I desire! I will simply number my reads.

Notes to myself
2022 HOSTING CATS
February-Country life-Reading Thru Time
February RandomKit Read a CAT—literally!
April Scaredykit-Serial Killers
July ShakespeareCat Measure for Measure, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice theme: justice
September: AuthorCat: African Authors
November Mysterykit- Gothic

576 books on Mt. TBR as of Dec. 25 2021

My rating system:
1 star--waste of paper and ink
2 stars-Is this literature? -major flaws or mind numbing boring
2 1/2 stars-not so bad I had to stop reading, but I wanted to!
3 stars-average
3 1/2 fun, informative, thought provoking
4 stars-excellent read
4 1/2 exceptionally good, among my favorites
5 stars-in all ways a superior read

Books read thus far in 2022:
1. Much Ado About Nothing
2. The Curtain Call Caper
3. Mrs. Poe
4. The Cat of Bubastes Africa
5. A Headful of Ghosts
6. Woman in Black
7. Victory Asia
8. The Dry Australia
9. West From Home
10. Little Lord Fauntleroy
11. Madonna in a Fur Coat Asia
12. The Women in Black Australia
13. The Stranger Inside
14. Three Tigers One Mountain Asia
15. The China Governess
16. The Hungry Road
17. The Greenhouse
18. The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist
19. Unfamiliar Fishes
20. Into the Raging Sea
21. The Last Monument
22. The Arctic Fury
23. Decluttering at the Speed of Life
24. 101 Hymn Stories
25. Kim Asia
26. King Lear
27. Meditations
28. The Lincoln Highway
29. Things Fall Apart Africa
30. Richard III
31. Umberto Giordano's ANDREA CHENIER Opera Study Guide with Libretto: Opera Classics Library

FEBRUARY
32. The Gold Bug
33. A Year Without The Grocery Store
34. The Revenant
35. Character Still Counts
36. The Silver Pigs
37. The Lost Sea of the Exodus
38. Sylvester
39.The Book Thief
40. The Last Kingdom
41. The Case for Easter
42. Winesburg, Ohio
43. The Practice of the Presence of God
44. A Woman of No Importance
45. Klaus Barbie
46. France the Dark Years: 1940-1944
47. My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner
48. Eusebius
49. The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker
50. What Could Be Saved
51. The Pale Horseman
52. Homestead Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Our Hearth to Yours
53. One for the Road
54. . Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
55. Dark Places

MARCH READS
56. Love in the Time of Cholera
57. New Boy
58. Book Lover's Devotional: What we Learn About Life from 60 Great Works of Literature
59. Wide Sargasso Sea
60. Fool Me Once
61. The Prodigal Comes Home
62. Celestial Bodies
63. Vicious Circle
64. A Wrinkle in Time
65. The Pickwick Papers
66. The Address
67. Radioactive
68. Cold Dish
69. The Genius of Generosity
70. The Land Beyond the Sea
71. The Black Moth
72. Lords of the North
73. Flight Behavior
74. Sword Song
75. The Practice and Presence of God
76. Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule
77. Cinnamon and Gunpowder

APRIL READS
78. No Fear Canterbury Tales
79. The Sekhmet Bed
80. The Last Rose of Shanghai
81. Edward III
82. The Burning Land
83. Morality Play
84. Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
85. The Death of Kings
86. Find Her Alive
87. The Vault, The Letter
88. Galileo's Daughter
89. The Grand Sophy
90. Hamlet
91. The Pagan Lord
92. The Woman in Cabin 10
93. Virgin River
94. When Empires Fall: A Vasser Legacy
95. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir
96. Shelter Mountain

May Reads
97. The Empty Throne
98. Friday's Child
99. Warriors of the Storm
100. 500 Miles From You
101. Whispering Rock
102. Little Dorrit
103. War of the Wolf
104. Sword of Kings
105. Rules of Civility
109. A Judge in Auschwitz: Konrad Morgen's Crusade Against SS Corruption & 'Illegal' Murder
110. Recipes II From Our Restaurant Associates: Lazarus Celebrating 100 Years of Fine Food
111. War Lord
112. Pavilion of Women
113. The Ocean Liner
114. The Great Deliverance

JUNE READS
115.The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
116. The 1619 Project
117. A State of Institutional Socialism: Government Subversion and the Imminent Threat to the National Security of the United States
118. The King's Mistress
119. You Deserve Each Other
120. The Falling Away: Spiritual Departure of Physical Rapture?: A Second Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:3
121. The New York Times’ 1619 Project and the Racialist Falsification of History
122. The Nutmeg Tree
123. On the Iron at Big Cloud
124. Food that Really Schmecks
125. Miss Mackenzie
126. Murder in Old Bombay
127. Bride of New France
128. Fatherland
129. The Kitchen Front
130. The White Queen
131. The Wrong Family

JULY READS
132. Bitter Harvest
133. White Trash
134. Hidden Valley Road
135. Be Frank with Me
136. The Professor and the Housekeeper
137. The Designer
138. The Taste of Fear
139. The Seventh Moon
140. No Fear Shakespeare: Measure for Measure
141. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
142. The Cipher
143. Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases
144. The Complete Aesop's Fables
145. The Rescuers
146. Richard II: A Readable Version (Readable Shakespeare Book 16)
147. A Lily in the Light
148. Forgotten Bones
149. Post Cards from a Stranger
150. The Mill on the Floss

AUGUST READS
151. In a Field of Blue
152. The Woman in the Moonlight
153. The House of Lurking Death
154. Whisper of the Moon Moth
155. The Adventure of the Stock Broker's Clerk
156. Cry the Beloved Country
157. The Rape of Lucrece
158. Obasan
159. The Psychopath
160. The Honjin Murders
161. November Road
162. There's Someone Inside Your House
163. The Lending Library
164. Gilead

SEPTEMBER READS
165. The Dressmaker's Gift
166. Little Voices
167. What You Did
168. 3 books/studies on the Apostle Paul
169. The Caesarean Imprisonment of Paul by Charles Williams.
170. Irretrievable
171. Where the Light Enters Sara Donati
172. Richard IV Part I
173. Richard IV Part II
174. Old Filth
175. Heart of Darkness
176. The Secret Stalker
177. Merivel
178. Ideas that Shaped the Western World
179. A Children's Halloween 1: The Witch Next Door

October Reads
180. The Gustav Sonata 4*
181. Music and Silence 2.5*
182. A Small Circus 3-*
183. Lord Jim 3*
184. Miracle in Seville 4*
185. Lindbergh: The Crime 4*
186. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies 4.5*
187. Gone With the Wind 5*
188. The Witch of Blackbird Pond 3.5*
189. Unfaithful 4*
190. Seedfolks
191. Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
192. Bull Run
193. Macbeth
194. Swimming Lessons

November Reads
195. Love Everlasting Love Letters from Famous Men 2.5*
196. The Stillwater Girls 3*
197. The Silent Wife 3.5*
198. The Lifted Veil 4*
199. Federigo's Falcon 4*
200. Sourdough Jack's Cookery 5*
201. The Girl with the Golden Scissors 4*
202. D. B. Cooper and Flight 305: Reexamining the Hijacking and Disappearance 3.5*
203. The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little 4*
204. One Bright Moon by Andrew Kuong 4.5*
205. Lent in Plain Sight 3*

December Reads
206. Winnie the Pooh 3*
207. A Burning Time 2.5*
208. Daughter of York 4.5*
209. The Winter's Tale 3*
210. The Crow Trap (Vera) 4*
211. 40 Days Through Daniel 5*
212. War Serenade 3*
213. The Light in the Forest 5*
214. Dreams of my Russian Summers 4*

Pinched this year long reading challenge from Birgit's thread. I will only count books read from Aug 1 till Dec. 25 (when I end my reading year) I have edited a few prompts and made them my own. A book can count for no more than 2 prompts--my rules!

1. A book with a main character whose name starts with A, T, or Y Tom Tulliver from The Mill on the Floss
2. A book connected to a book you read in 2021 Merivel (Restoration)
3. A book with 22 or more letters in the title The Woman in the Moonlight
4. A book that fits a prompt that did not make this list In a Field of Blue
5. A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name Little Voices by VaneSSa LiLLie
6. A book with an image of a source of light on the cover The Woman in the Moonlight by Patricia Morrisroe
7. A book set in or about Australia
8. Three Books set on different Continents: Cry the Beloved Country (Africa)
9. Three Books set on different Continents: Obasan (N. America)
10. Three Books set on different Continents The Honjin Murders (Asia)
11. A book from the genre of historical fiction The Dressmaker's Gift
12. A book related to glass
13. A book about a woman in STEM
14. A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Good Reads Whisper of the Moon Moth
15. A book without a person on the cover The House of Lurking Death
16. A book related to Earth Day
17. A book from NPR’s Book Concierge
18. A book by an Asian or Pacific Islander
19. A book that involves alternative reality, alternative worlds, alternative history
20. A fiction or non-fiction book that is set between 1900 - 1951 Obasan
21. A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover
22. A book with a Jewish character or author (The Gustave Sonata (Anton/family is Jewish)
23. A romance
24. A book related to inclement weather
25. A book less than 220 pages or more that 440 pages
26. Two books with the same word in the title - Book 1 The House of Lurking Death
27. Two books with the same word in the title - Book 2 There's Someone Inside Your House
28. A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards
29. A book set on or near a body of water Swimming Lessons
30. A book related to mythology
31. A book published at least 10 years ago The Mill on the Floss
32. A book where the main character is a female detective/private eye/police officer
33. The next book in a series
34. A book with an academic setting or with a teacher that plays an important role
35. Two books, one related to flora - Book 1
36. Two books, one related to fauna - Book 2
37. A book that uses all 5 vowels (a,e,i,o,u) in the title or author's name
38. A book by a Latin American author
39. A book from the TIME List of 100 Best YA Books of All Time
40. A book related to one of the 22 Major Arcana cards of the Tarot
41. A book with a theme of food or drink
42. A book with a language or nationality in the title
43. A book set in a small town or rural area The Honjin Murders
44. A book with gothic elements
45. A book related to a game
46. A book with a non-human as one of the main characters
47. A book with hand writing on the cover
48. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Books of the Month threads in 2021 or 2022
49. A book connected to the phrase, "Here (There) be Dragons" The Silent Wife
50. A book that involves aging or a character in their golden years
51. A book published in 2022
52. A book with a time related word in the title

Goals for October:
Work on the challenge pinched from Birgit
Finish Beth Hoffman book
Finish Barnaby Rudge
Finish The Journeyer
participate in a few cats/kits

The only thing I like about fall--pumpkins and molasses! Welcome! Grab a sweater, a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy a molasses sugar cookie warm from the oven.

>5 Tess_W: Happy New Thread! I'll take one of those (or more). Or maybe I should make some - I'm pretty sure I have molasses.

re: Last thread - The Gustave Sonata - I have that in my TBR pile, but now I'm not sure I want to read it. I've only had it a year so I'm guessing I picked it up from a library sale - it's not on my list of book bullets so that's all I can think of. Might have to think about it - your review doesn't sound that encouraging.

>6 dudes22: I "liked" The Gustave Sonata, rated it 3.5 stars. That being said, it is dark, more emotionally than physically.

Happy new thread! I'm in awe of your vast number of books read - 180 already!

Mmmmm molasses sugar cookies! Happy new thread!

Happy new thread - I came for the books but I will stay for the cookies!!

Happy New Thread!

>8 Jackie_K:
>9 rabbitprincess:
>10 DeltaQueen50:
>11 MissBrangwen:

TY TY TY!

Yes, Happy New thread.

>13 Kristelh: TY!
>6 dudes22: TY!

181. The impact of the Antonine plague by R. P. Duncan Jones--I can not get a good touchstone. This journal/book was published by the Cambridge University Press in 2015. I came across the Antonine plague mentioned in a textbook I was reviewing. I had never heard of this before, so of course, into that rabbit hole I went! This was the first smallpox plague to hit Rome in about AD 165. The details were horrendous, patients coughing up or expelling through bowel movements scabs. However, most of the article focused on the economic and social impact this disease had on Rome. Good reading! Only 20 pages in length.

Thanks for the cookies, Tess, just what I needed! Happy new thread!

Happy new thread! Mmmm... cookies!

>16 MissWatson:
>17 VivienneR:

TY!

Hello Tess and Happy New Thread! I'm sorry I abandoned you for two months; it wasn't just you, it was LT all over.

I just caught up with your thread #3 and I am so sorry to hear about your son. How is he doing all this time later?

I guess you're just about teaching your Pauline class - how is it going?

And have you been able to recover from your reading slump? I tend to go back to old beloveds or grab a cozy mystery when I'm in one of mine.

Thank you for the cookies! I will soon be pouring a beer with the delicious taste of pumpkin and will toast you from GA!

>19 threadnsong: Hi, thread! Son is doing fine. He is back at work, but can't lift anything heavier than a phone until March of 2023. (6 months) He wears a girdle type contraption when he knows he's going to be sitting for a long period of time; it provides support for muscles that have been cut. Thanks for asking.

As for Paul, taught the last lesson last. week. His "4th" missionary journey was more than interesting; in fact, debate as to whether there was a fourth. It is not documented in Scripture. However, he does write in Romans that he wants to go to Spain. Between his first incarceration and his final one there was about a 2 year span. Did he go to Spain during that time? Clement’s letter I Clement 5:5-7 (c. 70’s just c. 40 years after the Resurrection and c. 20 years after Paul wrote Romans) Bishop Clement writes:

“Because of jealousy and strife, Paul, by his example, pointed out the way to the prize for patient endurance. After he had been seven times in chains, had been driven into exile, had been stoned and had preached in the East and in the West, he won the genuine glory for his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world and having reached the farthest limits of the West. (‘to terma tes duseos’) . Since Spain was the farthest of the known limits at that time, Paul probably did travel to Spain.

Have had a few good reads, but not as many as I used to have, it seems!

181. Music and Silence by Rose Tremain. My third Tremain in as many books. Time to move on! While the first one was excellent, and the second okay, I was just plain disinterested in this one. This is the story of a lutenist in the court of King Christian IV of Denmark during the 17th century. The first 100 pages were "interesting" as the characters were introduced. I was waiting for a plot, but it was never developed. The characters could not carry the story by themselves; there were too many of them with only superficial or trivial roles. 485 pages 2.5 stars

182. A Small Circus by Hans Fallada was a satiric look at Weimar Germany. I had previously read Alone in Berlin by this author and really liked it. However, I was a bit disappointed in this offering. The time period was good. The cast of characters was so large that I had to keep a running list--no fun. There was not one to like or admire. About 95% of the book was dialogue and with so many characters, I felt that half the time I did not know what was going on. I understand that this was one of the author's first books. Since I liked his previous work so much, I'm willing to give him a pass on this one and try yet another! 578 pages 3- stars

183. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. I read this once years ago and either didn't understand it or was not enamored of it. I thought I would give it another try before I remove it from my shelves. While I was able to understand it this time and thought the theme "isolation of the common man" was expertly portrayed by Conrad, still not enamored of the story! 228 pages 3 stars

184. Miracle in Seville by James Michener. Unlike Michener's lengthy sagas, this novel was short at 127 pages (3 hours 25 minutes). This novel follows an American newspaper reporter who travels to Seville to report on the efforts of an old bull rancher who is trying to revive his brand in the ring. It's also the story of the pageantry of Easter. Good feeling of time and place, although the characters and plot line are not as well as developed as Michener's usually are, probably due to the shortness of the book. I listened to this on audio. 4 stars

>24 Tess_W:, hard too imagine Michener writing such a short work. It must of been a real challenge for him.

Well.......I will most likely abandon the hope of participating in cats/kits for the remainder of this calendar year. I have a 900 pager on Marco Polo to finish as well as a re-read of Gone with the Wind that I just started. AND....I'm beginning a new very part-time job on Wednesday---a total of 6 hours per week, 2 days a week. Yes, only 6 hours, but prep will take longer! It's a teaching job at a private charter school from now till the end of their school year in mid-May. I will be teaching American History -Colonial/Civil War to 7-8th graders--I have never taught an age that young before (13-14 year olds), World history (English Industrial Revolution through African/Latin American independence movements), and 10th grade American History (Industrial Revolution through Cold War). This will be good for me because basically, I've been bored out of my mind since I retired in 2020 and one college class per semester just doesn't seem to satisfy.

>26 Tess_W: Wow, sounds like a fascinating range on the curriculum. Hope that it's enjoyable: they're lucky to have you.

Hope the new gig is fun and the good kind of challenging!

>26 Tess_W: Congratulations on the new position, I hope it staves off the boredom but still leaves you time to read!

>26 Tess_W: I hope you enjoy it, have you taught at a charter school before?

>27 charl08:
>28 rabbitprincess:
>29 Jackie_K:
>30 clue:

TY TY TY! Yes, I have taught at a charter school before and I love the "freedom" from the State that it offers.

The bulk of my reading is done from 7-10pm since I don't watch television. Barring any lesson planning or grading of papers--which I hope will be done during the day, I should be able to still get some substantial reading accomplished.

>26 Tess_W: That's great news, I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it!

>32 MissWatson: TY I hope so, too!

>26 Tess_W: Congratulations on the new job! Sounds like the hours will be just right to keep you busy but allowing you time for your own reading.

All the best for the new job! I hope all your students are delightful.

Congrats on your new job and great to hear the update about your son!

>36 pammab: TY
>35 pamelad: TY
>34 VivienneR: TY

The job mentioned just fell into my lap. I was not seeking a job. The principal of the school is a friend of my supervisor at the University where I teach. However, at 2 days a week (3 hours each day) it will entail just 8 days per month between now and May 15. Mentally, I think I needed this! I start this Wednesday.

185. Lindbergh: The Crime by Noel Behn In my 20's, I was highly interested in the Lindbergh crime and its possible suspects, even though Richard Hauptmann was tried and executed for said crime. In today's world he would probably not have been convicted on the evidence presented. That is not to say he was not guilty, for there is plenty of "evidence." This author makes a convincing case that Hauptmann was innocent and points the finger directly at the three others who resided in the home. DNA would have definitely convicted or cleared Hauptman but was not available. Another good book on this topic if you are interested in the Lindbergh kidnapping. The only downside is that it is 630 pages. 4 stars



P.S. There have been plenty of books written since the 1970's on this subject. I feel myself being pulled into a rabbit hole!

I am at the point now, what with a new part-time job, the holidays quickly approaching as well as winter weather, that I need to really hunker down, focus, and finish a few things before 2023! Focus, Tess, focus:

The Journeyer by Gary Jennings, a saga of Marco Polo. 883 pages, currently on page 100. A great book--but it's paper and the type is smallish--doable! We haven't even got out of Venice, yet!

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, listening to this on audio, 50 hours. Have 17 hours remaining This is a re-read

Macbeth Last re-read!

Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens well...it's Dickens! 768 pages on page 500. Supposedly this is the book upon which Poe based his 'Raven." Based on the anti-Catholic riots in 1790.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond Am almost finished with this one!

And then there are those rabbit holes!

Congratulations on the new “job”. It sounds like it was made for you and you for it. Enjoy and do hope you’ll also have time to read.

>39 Kristelh: TY!

186. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond is a non-fiction book that attempts to explain why European societies (and their descendants) advanced much more quickly than others in almost all manner: physically, economically, industrially, agriculturally, etc. Diamond's thesis has much merit: geography; specifically the ability to domesticate and grow cattle. The material is repeated in different scenarios too many times, so hence my rating of 4.5 stars 480 pages Pulitzer Prize Winner



1 down, 4 to go!

187. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. This was the second and final re-read for me. Book off to charity. The book is 100 times better than the movie! I did a read/audio combo for this one. The reader, Linda Stephens, was marvelous! 960 pages 5 stars



2 down, 3 to go!

P.S. This is only 49 cents on Kindle!

188. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare I read this quickie because I was reviewing its acceptability for 8th grade literature when we are studying the Salem Witch Trials. I had read it 30-40 years ago and liked it. However, while still a good read, it's more about "love" than about witches. This "love" is very chaste and hearts beat from afar, but not enough about the Puritans and the witches! 261 pages 3.5 stars (probably more if I was a girl from ages 9-12)

>42 Tess_W: Haha, I concede the truth of this review, but also I really enjoy the romance(s). Puritans, schmuritans! :)

Lots of good reads here!

>26 Tess_W: Congrats on your part-time job and how wonderful that it just fell in your lap! Agree with the accolades that these students are lucky to have you.

>38 Tess_W: Cannot *wait* to hear what you think of Barnaby Rudge. I had never heard of this book till I joined a F2F book group whose raison d'etre was to read each Dickens book in order of publication.

>45 threadnsong: Ty! Next Monday is "Puritan" day at school in my class. We shall speak and act as Puritans for 90 minutes. I have pre-arranged with a student to put a mole on her face and to answer ' yes' if anybody asks if she can swim. I have two other girls going to faint and a farmer to say that when Hannah walked by his cows last week they stopped giving milk. It's gonna be good! I have a woman with a spinning wheel coming in.

>46 Tess_W: Oh, that sounds like a fun day!

>46 Tess_W:, fun! You'll have to give us a report afterwards.

189. Unfaithful by Natalie Barelli (Can't bring up correct touchstone) was a psychological thriller about a woman math professor and her artist husband. It did take some twists and turns, but I guessed the plot about half way in. Still a good read! I will look for another by this author. 288 pages 4 stars

>46 Tess_W: Puritan Day sounds like an interesting concept. I'm glad it doesn't last longer than 90 minutes.

>50 thornton37814: You are right about that!

190. Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman is the story of a vacant lot in Cleveland, Ohio, that is transformed by just 3 lima beans. It is really the story of the people of the neighborhood who are transformed as they find common ground. Great book for all, but written for 9-13 year-olds. A work of fiction. 101 pages 5 stars

191. Bull Run by Paul Fleischman A story of the first great battle of the Civil War as told by various people from various perspectives. This will work great as a reader's theatre when we study the Civil War. Written for 9-13 year-olds, but it's a good read for anybody. 102 pages 5 stars

192. Witches The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer is a great non-fiction read for ages 10-14 (per the publisher), but I would say that it's more like an YA book, mainly because of the vocabulary. It's a very smooth read and I enjoyed this book very much. The black, white, and red ink drawings were also excellent. 238 pages 5 stars

193. Macbeth Still good even the 10-11th time! Favorite lines: Out, out, brief candle. Life is but a walking shadow , a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage.....

194. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller was an odd book. The book had a dual time-line told from the current perspective of grown daughter, Flora, but also told about the disintegration of her mother, Ingrid's marriage. Ingrid's story is told by letters that she wrote and stuffed into her author husband's library books. This book was nothing out of the ordinary and moved very slowly. Nothing was a surprise. The characters were flat and one-dimensional and I couldn't really become invested in any of them. I listened to this on audio and the reader was good, if a bit whiny at times. 9 hours 12 minutes (354 pages) 2.5 stars

My October reading is wrapped up!

Number of books read: 14

Cheers (4/5 stars)
Gustave Sonata
Lindbergh: The Crime
Miracle in Seville
Gone with the Wind
Seedfolks
Bull Run
Witches The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Macbeth
Unfaithful

Jeers (less than 3 stars)
Swimming Lessons
Music and Silence

The rest were average or mediocre.

What's up for November:
Try to finish Journeyer (Marco Polo)
Read anthology short stories about love written by famous authors
Beyond the Burning Time
a gothic read (mysterykit)
IF I finish the Polo book, read 1599: A Year in the Life of Shakespeare for ShakespeareCAT
other kits/cats as I am able
If I don't get ANYTHING else read, I want to finish the Polo book.

Good luck with your reading plans and have fun at your new job! The Puritan day sounds great.
I have 1599, too, but no idea when I will get to it.

good luck with reading plans and the new job.

>57 MissBrangwen:
>58 Kristelh:

TY. The class is a fun challenge as I have never taught US Colonial History in the 30 years I taught before retiring. I'm not ignorant of it, but it's challenging to put together lesson plans that will captivate and be interesting to students.

195. Love Everlasting Love Letters from Famous Men by various authors. This was a series of "love" letters written by famous men at some point in their lives. Examples include Edgar Allan Poe, Jack London, John Keats, Victor Hugo, etc. Each one was about 1 1/2 pages and actually quite bland! I wanted to see some passion! There were a total of 44 letters. Really a waste of time. 2.5 stars

196. The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent This was billed as a psychological thriller, but while the story was decent, not really a thriller. I figured out the plot about 1/3 of the way in, but it was still a decent story--nothing to write home about. 327 pages 3 stars (Not Stillwater, Oklahoma, btw, Stillwater, New York)

Lots of good reading, Tess. Macbeth is my favourite from Shakespeare. And I agree, Gone with the wind in print is amazingly better than the movie.

Puritan day sounds gripping, Tess. Hope the students appreciate your efforts.

>63 charl08: Thanks! We are also going to make our own butter, jam (just crushed berries-no sugar!) and attempt to fry some bread in the fire pit on the property. (with cornmeal)

ETA: Just secured a piece of venison! Oh boy!

>59 Tess_W: Belated congratulations on the new job and I wish you the best of luck with it. Puritan Day sounds fun!

>54 Tess_W: I love love love that speech. It brings out the beauty of the English language so very well.

How did Puritan Day go?

>66 threadnsong: Puritan day is scheduled for Nov. 23!

>64 Tess_W: Homemade butter! I remember making this in infant school (there was lots of shaking of a jam jar involved: it was memorable).

197. The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher Another book billed as a psychological thriller, but wasn't! Finding it more difficult to find true psychological thrillers. However, it was a good story of the dynamics of a very dysfunctional family. 352 pages 3.5 stars

198. The Lifted Veil by George Eliot Eliot is one of my favorite authors (along with Hardy) and this small novella did not disappoint. Unlike Eliot's other works that I have read, this novella was told by a first person unreliable narrator. It had almost a gothic feel. The narrator had the "gift" of premonitions and could read other's thoughts. Marriage is addressed in this novel very bleakly. A lot going on in this novella, but I liked it! 101 pages 4 stars (some of the flashbacks were tedious)

199. Federigo's Falcon by Boccaccio. This is part of the Decameron, but published also as a short story. I'm trying to clean off some shelves quickly before Dec. 25 so I will likely read 10-12 short stories in the next month. I would liken this story to The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry in its situational irony. Good story! 7 pages 5 stars

>70 Tess_W: This has so many negative reviews, so I am happy to see that you liked it overall, because I enjoyed it, too!

My Thingaversary is not until December, but I'm celebrating now!

The Blue Dress Girl
Cricket on the Hearth
The Aspern Papers
Lent in Plain Sight
Anne Frank have lost or lent my copy, this is a replacement
The Quarry Girls
Storm in the Village: A Fairacre Book
THE SARACEN STORM: A Novel of the Moorish Invasion of Spain
The New Answers Book 1

Still 2 to go!

Congratulations of getting an early start on celebrating your Thingaversary!

Getting an early start is a good plan!

Never too early to buy books! :D

>73 Tess_W: Excellent idea! Then you can spend your Thingaversary reading one of your new purchases ;)

>73 Tess_W: Happy future Thingaversary! I have also started early.

TY for all the happy Thinga's! My last two:

The Queens Choice
The Vicar of Bullhampton

Goal: To read all the thingaversary purchases in 2023!

200. The Girl with the Golden Scissors by Julia Drosten took place in primarily in Vienna and Hungary from about 1899-1918. It is the story of a foundling and her life and loves. It's 80% superb historical fiction, 10% historical romance, and 10% nonsense. 326 pages 4 stars



ETA Julia Drosten is a pen name for a husband and wife team who often write together. (Julia and Horst Drosten) They write in German and the books are translated. I've previously read The Lion of Morocco and have The Elephant Keeper's Daughter on my TBR pile. The translator is very good, Deborah Langton

>73 Tess_W: Ooh, nice book haul! Have fun reading them.

>80 Tess_W: It's 80% superb historical fiction, 10% historical romance, and 10% nonsense. I have to say, you've sold me with that description!

>82 christina_reads: Well, the 10% nonsense is not nonsense in the good sense!

Lot of free e-reads on Amazon today:

https://www.bookbub.com/ebook-deals/free-kindle-books

201. Sourdough Jack's Cookery by Jack Mabee What a find! I got this book for $1 at the Friends of the Library sale. Dated 1959, this is a book about all things sourdough. What I really like is that there are 10 pages of history on the movement west and the role sour dough played in that movement. Also, stapled to this "recipe" book is a dried packet of sour dough starter (yeast, sugar, whole wheat flour). My edition is dated 1959 and is in excellent condition. There are about 20 recipes for all things sour dough and then about 10 pages of recipes for real "Americana" food as the title implies: Bean Hole Beans, Bannock, Cornish Pasties, Hangtown Fry, Trapper Stew, and Split Pea Soup. 39 pages 5 stars CAT: December Randomkit--Christmas Sweets (there are a few recipes for sweet pastries from the sourdough mix)

202. D. B. Cooper and Flight 305: Re-examining the Hijacking and Disappearance by Robert Edwards is the examination of the hard evidence of America's only unsolved airplane hijacking. (Nov. 24, 1971) The FBI has officially closed its case, believing the man who called himself DB Cooper and parachuted from a plane at 10,000 feet between Seattle and Reno. He left behind on the plane only a clip on neck tie. Modern day evidence has been unable to extract any DNA. Cooper and the $200,000 ($1.5 million today) ransom disappeared and has been the subject of intense manhunts/identification since that time. The perspective this book took is from that of a pilot and engineer. The fact is that Cooper jumped into frigid temperatures with only a business suit and shoes on and no apparent food source. What brought this incident to my mind is that a new private criminal investigator claims to have identified DB Cooper through metal alloys (a high amount, more than normal) found in that neck tie. Only one company in the US during this time had a patent and was working with antimony and another un-named substance and it was located in Pittsburgh, Pa. This investigator claims this tie belonged to one of the engineers who worked for this company, who had been giving out pink slips in the early 70's when the US steel industry was tanking. This man (Petersen) also traveled extensively in the Portland/Seattle area for business. Petersen died a natural death. Others say Petersen is an unlikely suspect. None of the marked money has ever been circulated/found. I will probably continue my travels down this rabbit hole! I guess I did not enjoy this book as much as I could have, it is a bit out of date, even though updated in 2021. I was really hoping for some finger-pointing, but more of a technical view of the incident. 264 pages 3.5*

>86 Tess_W: I remember watching a movie about that back in my college days. We used to hit the 99 cent movies at a theater in Memphis on weekends. One week it was a movie made about him.

203. The Chanel Sisters. This is my 3rd book on the Chanels and this will probably be it. This book is told from the perspective of the youngest sister, Antoinette. (Coco was the middle sister). Mostly about the sisters being raised in an orphanage and their later fashion lives and loves. Good perspective on WWI. 400 pages 4 stars

>73 Tess_W: Good on you for getting an early start! What a great list!

>80 Tess_W: Interesting! I have never heard of this author, so I am taking note.

>84 Tess_W: Thank you for sharing that source, I only discovered the link today, but still managed to snatch a few great finds.

Happy thingaversary! And what a haul! I admire your aim to read all of them in 2023.

204. One Bright Moon is a memoir of Andrew Kwong who managed to live through the 1960-1970's cultural revolution in China. He and his entire family were able to escape to Australia and the U.S.; mainly through hard work and education. It was a great book of the horrors of the revolution. Although a great memoir and I do admire the Kwong family, they would not have been near as successful without the help of relatives in Hong Kong, Macao, and Australia. The "real common" people who did not have those family members elsewhere to help, were doomed. Amazing to find out that food was so scarce that they urinated and defecated into ponds so that algae would grow and they could eat the algae. Some people also sold themselves for meat for money for their family. Just when they thought things were getting better, Tiananmen Square occurs. 352 pages 4.5 stars

Hey Tess! I have a quick question about The Historical Fiction Challenge: I saw it on your threads first and was wondering if it’s something you created (that was the impression that I got; but I may have misunderstood) or; if it came from somewhere else. I’m thinking of incorporating it into my 2023 reading; but want to give credit where it’s due!

UPDATE: I found your original post about it! (“Kathy hooked me up with a historical fiction (my fav genre) readthon on youtube”) Do you have a link to the video?

UPDATE: NM! Kathy (kac522) herself answered in another thread 🙂

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving! 🦃🍽🍁

>85 Tess_W: Wow, what a find, Tess! I inherited some of my late mother's cookbooks, and the cookie recipe book has been a good go-to book over the years.

Did you make any of the recipes in it for Thanksgiving?

And how was Puritan Day??

>93 threadnsong: I have not yet made anything contained in the cookbook. I have tried my hand at sourdough 3-4 times and after one day my starter seems to fizzle, even if I feed it. I'm going to wait until after Christmas when I have more time and really try to "conquer" it!

Puritan day was really fun! The students did much better at tasting the food than I thought they would. The menu: venison (on purpose cooked a cheap cut of steak quickly--it was tough and chewy!), halibut, bread baked on coals (in this case, charcoal!), homemade butter, and jelly/jam made from just crushing the whole blueberries-no sugar added. The Pilgrims/Puritans did not have ovens when they landed, nor sugar, nor yeast, but perhaps a cow made it over and they had milk and hence butter. To be honest, at the time of year they landed, there probably would not have been blueberries left on the bushes, either. The most fun was when they read the script and accused 3 girls in the class of being witches! Fun! I will do it again, if I teach next year. I retired in 2020 and this is a return to the classroom for me...just 2 days a week. I will see how the rest of the year goes and determine if I really want to commit to 2 days per week for another year. I think it keeps me active, both in body and mind.

205. The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth was billed as a psychological thriller. As in my last three attempts of reading such a genre, I was disappointed. This book was barely a thriller at all and quite mundane in place; very predictable. I listened to this on audio and the reader was quite good. Story of a dysfunctional family! 348 pages 2.75 stars

>94 Tess_W: Puritan Day sounds like a big success, something your students will remember.

I wonder how many of us are wishing that Tess had been our history teacher!

>97 Jackie_K: I certainly was!

Your Puritan day sounded great. Venison and Halibut. Yumm. Yes, I think those first few days, months were probably very difficult.

206. Lent in Plain Sight by Jill Duffield I read/reviewed this as a possible group study for 2023, but it's thumbs down for me. The concept is great, but too little about the objects' place during Lent. 169 pages 3- stars

November Roundup:
Number of books read: 12

Cheers (4-5 star reads)
The Lifted Veil
Frederigo's Falcon
Sourdough Jack's Cookery
The Girl with the Golden Scissors
The Chanel Sisters
One Bright Moon

Jeers (less than 3 stars)
Love Everlasting Love Letters from Famous Men

No plans for December, I'm too busy!

207. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. I can't believe that I never read this book! I've seen the movie many times and read various children's picture books about Pooh, but never read the actual book! Saw it set out on the table at the library and scooped it up! Great read! 161 pages 4 stars

208. Beyond the Burning Time by Kathryn Lasky. I've been trying to find a book on the Salem witch trials that is suitable for 12-13 year olds. This one ain't it! It was going along swimmingly, until the caretaker took a teens pair of undies off the line, took them back to his hut, and sniffed them. Not once, but twice! I can only imagine if we read that in the classroom! Why, oh why? This was a Scholastic book written for 9-14 year olds! Boooooooooo to Scholastic! 265 pages 2.5 stars

209. Daughter of York by Anne Easter Smith. Smith is one of my fav historical authors. This is the story of Margaret of York, sister of Edward IV and Richard III, amongst others. She was wed to Charles of Burgundy, a madman and a fool. She was barren and this caused her much sorrow. Not much is known historically about Margaret, but that she was a shrewd negotiator for her day and age. She was permitted liberties because her brother was the King of England. 594 pages 4.5 stars

210. The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare. I'm not a fan of this one by Willy--just too many coinkidinks!

211. The Crow Trap (Vera Stanhope #1). A delightful book! Three "friends" meet at a beach cottage, all with some sort of problem, and find another young woman dead, who appears to have committed suicide. Vera is called in to investigate. Only downside: it's a bit too long, too drawn out. 560 pages 4 stars

>106 Tess_W: Putting it on the wish list.

>107 pamelad: Hope you like it, Pam! I watch the Vera series on TV--not enough for me at only 4 shows per season (usually)! Vera doesn't show up until about 50% of the way into this book.

212. 40 Days Through Daniel I have never studied the book of Daniel, so I thought now was the time! However, it was very detailed and complex, and what with all the rabbit holes, it took me 90 days. There is just so much information to absorb, that I will probably re-study it in a few years. I like that the book of Daniel, while partially prophetic, is also a history. My rabbit holes were looking up the Kings mentioned in Daniel: Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-merodach (Amel Marduk), Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus. I read parts of books and histories as a refresher for these kings and their place historically. Although a history professor, I'm not real knowledgeable about ancient history (as I don't teach it) and this really helped me to gain some time and perspective. This author did a very good job on explaining every single verse in Daniel. If you are interested in a study of Daniel, this is the one! 293 pages 5 stars

213. War Serenade: An Epic WWII Love Story by Jill Wallace. This novel was set in Durban, South Africa. I had no idea that Italian POW's were sent to camps in South Africa! (93,000 of them!) This is the story of Pietro, an one-time favorite opera singer of Mussolini who fell from grace and was sent to the Durban POW camp. He falls in love with his nurse and they begin a love affair. One must suspend your belief in reality at Pietro leaving the camp weekly to see his lover, sometimes for the entire weekend, and sneaking back in. I learned some history, but the story was just lacking. I listened to this on Audio and found the reader had an overly affected Italian accent, annoyingly so! Way too much graphic sex. 14 hrs 5 mins=464 pages. 3- stars

>110 Tess_W: This brings back memory of Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene. It was published in the 1970s and was very popular. It takes place in Arkansas near the location of a POW camp. One of the young German soldiers escapes and a young girl "finds" him and helps him hide. I was a teen when I read it the first time and it made a big impact on me, I think I still have it. If you run across it you should read it although it may seem dated now, the message Bette Green was sending will still come across.

ETA In September I reviewed a book, The 1619 Project and basically said the author, Nikole Hannah Jones was in error about several things, the most egregous being that she dated slavery in the U.S. at 1619 and says the real history of the U.S. begins here. I noted that the Spanish had brought slaves here from at least 1519, and possibly earlier. So....I'm reading Google the other night and evidently the author has taken some heat for some of her historical "facts." Her response: the dates don't really matter, I was going for the concept. (paraphrased) My thoughts: if you are attempting to rewrite history and the dates (and other facts) don't really matter, then that's called historical fiction, not non-fiction!

Here is a good article about slavery in the U.S. long before 1619. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/09/07/before-there-was-mystery-first...

>111 clue: I have placed that on my WL. Thanks so much!

>109 Tess_W:. You were happy with the author's commentary on Daniel?

>114 Kristelh: Very! I compared it to several others and they were fairly the same. I knew nothing about this author but was alerted to him by a friend. I'm going to get a few more studies by him to read for 2023.

>114 Kristelh:, Thank you Tess, It is always hard to know which authors to trust. I will try to get some of his studies too. Daniel is one of my favorite books.

214. The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter is a YA tale about a white boy captured by the Lenni Lenape with whom he lived for 11 years. One day the "white man" and the "Indians" made a pact where all whites were to be returned to the original families. This is the story of True Son's experience. Very well written and a joy to read. 179 pages 5 stars

215. Dreams of my Russian Summers by Andrei Makine This book won two top French awards, the Prix Goncourt and the Prix Médicis. (1995, 1997). This is the fictional story of a young Russian boy and his sister, who visit their grandmother every summer. Grandmother Charlotte lives on the edge of the Siberian steppe. Charlotte reads to her grandchildren, anything she can get her hands on: old newspaper articles, magazines, etc. She also goes through family pictures by the hours. Her goal is to overwhelm them with a love for French culture. It was unclear to me, how the family ended up in Russia. With the death of the grandmother also comes the death of what the young man considers "civilized and graceful" France. The young boy is the narrator of the story and remains nameless, except for two episodes in the story; once when his school friends call him "Frantsuz", the Russian word for Frenchman and once his grandmother utters the name "Alyosha."

A second story line revolves around the harshness of the Stalinist regime and how often brutal choices had to be made to stay alive.

I'm not ready to say if the book is pretentious or more Proust-like. Time and perhaps a re-reading will answer that question. I understand this is book one in a series, but I've been unable to substantiate that.

It's interesting to note that the author was a Russian school teacher who participated in a teacher exchange program and was sent to France, where he defected. 256 pages 4 stars

Added 3 new books with my anticipated Christmas money! I took a friend to The Book Loft in Columbus, Ohio. It is an Indie bookstore in German Village and has 32 rooms! It is a very old house and they have filled every nook and cranny, literally. After lunch we went to a local German restaurant and I had a spicy sausage and some German potato salad. For dessert we shared a giant cream puff!



Books purchased:
A Paris Christmas Immoveable Feast by John Baxter
Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum
The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza

A great day!

>119 Tess_W: A house full of books – oh, that's a dream! I am surprised you took away only three books. I probably would have needed a suitcase...

>119 Tess_W: Excellent! This bookshop sounds wonderful!
It is a German tradition to have potato salad on Christmas Eve, although I think it is more popular in the north, and my family never did this. However, it is a firm tradition in my husband's family, so now it is what we do, too. Without the potato salad, it is not a proper Christmas Eve for him ;-)

>119 Tess_W: Another one to add to the list of world bookshops to visit! That looks great!

>120 MissWatson: It's Christmas and I've already spent part of January's book budget--had to quit at 3! However, I took pics of about 10 more that I will go back and get later.

That store looks amazing!

>119 Tess_W: I liked that you spent "anticipated Christmas money". Good strategy! And what a great place to shop for books.

>119 Tess_W: What a good bookshop! Lunch sounds good too.

216. A Man at Arms by Steven Pressfield. I purchased this book because Pressfield is very well known in the historical (fiction) field. To say the least, I was underwhelmed with this book. As far as history goes, it was a time period piece and I did learn something about the time period (50-100 AD). That being said, the writing was barely average. We have some chapters that are good narrative and some chapters sound as if they are a history lecture--no dialogue and a barrage of facts. The premise of the book, IMHO, is also weak, historically speaking. A total of five different hitmen (and their compadres) are after Michael, the Nazarene, to intercept a letter from Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. Most of the book is Michael and those he met up with escaping time and time again from dangerous situations. I never did find out WHO wanted the letter intercepted--I listened to this on audio, so I may have missed it, although it was not germane to the story. I think I may have enjoyed this book more had I read it instead of listened to it. 9 hours 10 mins=309 pages. 3 stars

I read a book last year that you might be interested in, Tess: The Tragedy of the Templars by Michael Haag. It starts in early A.D. in the Middle East and goes into detail about the prevalence of Christianity in the entire Middle East, not just in Jerusalem or Constantinople. Some are cities that are gone, which was fascinating. Its historically early start provides the reasoning behind why there was such a desire for the Crusades (and therefore the Templars) to begin.

>128 threadnsong: Thanks, thread! Interesting that you should suggest that. I'm taking a non-credit course at a university next year about the Templars. I will most definitely put that on my WL.

>129 Tess_W: Oh cool! I can't wait to read your review/insights, especially since you'll be taking that course at a university.

My reading year runs from Dec 24-Dec. 23. I won't get anymore read for this reading year, so here are my stats:

Books read-214
5 star reads:
Gone With the Wind
Macbeth
West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1915
Where the Light Enters
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
Merivel: A Man of His Time
King Lear
Richard III
Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout
The Case for Easter A Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection
France: The Dark Years, 1940-1944
The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Chronicles Series #2)
Lords of the North (The Saxon Chronicles Series #3)
Sword Song: The Battle for London (Saxon Tales, 4)
The King's Mistress: A Novel
Death of Kings (Saxon Tales, 6)
The Falling Away: Spiritual Departure or Physical Rapture?: A Second Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:3
The Rape of Lucrece
40 Days Through Daniel: Revealing God's Plan for the Future
Ideas That Shaped the Western World
Bull Run
Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
Seedfolks
Sourdough Jack's Cookery: Authentic Sourdough Cookery From His Country Kitchen
The Light in the Forest

13 books earned 4.5 stars from me. I'm a tough cookie, so most of my reads are in the 3ish range--(average for me)

As far as the TBR goes, I started with 576 and ended with 521. So, only 55/214 books were from my TBR. There were probably more, but I added 12 books for my Thingaversary in the last 2 weeks and the school sent me 12 books to preview for lit class.....I added them all to my TBR until I get them read!

See you on the "other side" (2023!)

Hope your 2023 reading year is as successful as 2022 was!

Wow, congrats on 214 books read!

That's a lot of 4.5 and 5 star reads. Lots of historical fiction. A very good reading year!

Congratulations! What a successful year! I've enjoyed following your reading and look forward to doing the same next year.

Looks like a good reading year. Congratulations on 214 books.

That's a huge number of great books, congrats on a good reading year. I hope 2023 will turn out to be just as great!

Congratulations of your reading year.

Congrats on such a good reading year! I hope to read The Saxon Chronicles next year and am glad to see that you like those.

That's a lot of 5*s, what a great year!

Congratulations and hey, any dent in the TBR pile is a good one. Thanks for keeping up your lists and see you on the 2023 side!