Lori (thornton37814) reads in 2023 - thread 1

I'm Lori. I'm an academic librarian and professional genealogist. I enjoy cross stitching and am owned by three cats.



About the thread topper photo: In fall 2022 our faculty book club read The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. At the last session one member brought these cookies she found for sale on Etsy. Each cookie featured a different book. I picked Paddington.

I also participate in the Category Challenge. I usually try to come up with a theme there, but I didn't really come up with one this year so my categories are "plain vanilla." They are:

1. Mt. TBR Bingo
2. Benita's Mystery Group Read
3. Gena's Book Club
4. Christmas All Year
5. Cooking & Crafting
6. Christian Books
7. Keeping the Series Current
8. History, Genealogy, and Historical & Genealogical Fiction
9. Other Fiction & Creative Literature
10. Other Non-Fiction

No promises on numbers this year. The BINGO card has 25 spots. I'm using the calls for the cross-stitcher's WIPGO to determine which to read which month. I may need to adjust a little if something is not available at the library and just put it on hold and choose another number. I'll post the card in the next spot, but the January calls are 6 and 10. I have both on hold at a library, and I anticipate one coming in soon and the other coming in about mid-month.

Mt. TBR BINGO



January: 6 and 10

2022 Year-End Meme:

Describe yourself: My Name Is Red
Describe how you feel: The Names of Our Tears
Describe where you currently live: God's Wonderful World
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Small Island
Your favorite form of transportation is: The Inclines of Cincinnati
Your favorite food is: The Bake Shop
Your favorite time of day is: The Mousse Wonderful Time of Year
Your best friend is: The Radical Potter
You and your friends are: Twelve Extraordinary Women
What's the weather like? Snowblind
You fear: The Book Eaters
What is the best advice you have to give? Give Unto Others
Thought for the day: Where Do We Go From Here?
What is life for you? In the Service of One
How you would like to die: Death by French Roast
Your soul's present condition: Gentle and Lowly
What was 2022 like for you? Much Ado About Nothing
What do you want from 2023? Threads of Evidence

Party Meme:

What would you call the event? Twisted Tea Christmas
How did the guests find their way? The Path of the Crooked
How did they know they had arrived? Read on Arrival
Any special activities? The Shadow Dancer
Did your guests stay over? Together in a Sudden Strangeness
Were there servants to help? The Children Return
Was there turn-down service? A Quilt for Christmas
How were the guests greeted? The Heron's Cry (honorable mention: Whiskers of the Lion)
Was dinner held for latecomers? Going Going Ganache
And dinner was? Five Little Pigs
Afterwards? Slashing through the Snow

Happy new year, Lori! A return to 150+ reads for 2023 is my wish for you.

>5 richardderus: That would be nice! That would give me some better choices for the memes.

>6 thornton37814: LOL

Must keep the pipeline primed after all.

>7 richardderus: Definitely.

Dropping a star, Lori. Love the cookie topper - how cute!

Hello Lori. I have high hopes for 2023 that I can participate more often (read more widely). I liked your memes and saw genre I'd never even heard of, let alone read (such as "Amish fiction").
>1 thornton37814: Those book-cookies from your faculty book club were brilliant.

Welcome back, Lori!

>9 Crazymamie: Thank you!

>10 SandyAMcPherson: Yes. Amish fiction is generally clean and wholesome. It usually refers to the romances, but there are some Amish mysteries as well. I'm going to use the genre to include some things that are set in Amish country (such as the Kate Burkholder series) that are a bit darker than traditional Amish fiction and that are usually classified elsewhere.

>11 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

By the way, I'm hoping to make rounds and star stuff today. I've got a 12-hour stitching event starting at noon, but I know I'm going to need breaks once in awhile. Between this morning (where I have at least 4 more reviews to post for 2023) and those breaks, I'll hopefully make the rounds. If not, I should be able to catch up after church tomorrow.

Mrsdrneutron got the three books in Vannetta Chapman’s Amish Village mystery series. First book’s Murder Simply Brewed - looks like they might be good.

>14 drneutron: Woah, potential book bullet and 2023 hasn't even started. I know I'm destined for a rabbit hole.

Hi Lori my dear, i am dropping my star off once again and look forward to visiting here throughout 2023 my dear friend.

Happy New Year

Happy new year Lori!

>14 drneutron: The first one didn't work that well for me, but I'll see if the second one works better before abandoning the series. My biggest problem with the book is that the author couldn't decide whether she wanted to write a romance or a mystery. The other big problem for me was a very large snake!

>15 SandyAMcPherson: Hope you like it a little better than I did. I haven't given up on the series because it could improve.

>16 johnsimpson: Thanks, John. I will try to visit threads after church tomorrow. I got tied up in today's 12-hour online stitching event.

>17 johnsimpson: >18 quondame: Happy New Year back to you all!

I'll have to continue visiting threads this afternoon after I return from church! I made it to a few this morning because my furry alarm clock went off way too early! Not sure why this one is so ornery. His brothers are perfectly happy to stay in bed a little longer.

Happy New Year, Lori!!

All the best and wonderful reading Lori in 2023!

>21 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda!

>22 mdoris: Thank you!

Stopping by to drop a star and say Happy New Year!

Hi Lori, I have you starred.

Happy New Year, Lori!

>24 mitchma: Thanks. I need to try to get with you again sometime when I'm in Mississippi. It obviously wasn't at Christmas. It will probably be summer before I make it back.

>25 kgodey: Great, Kriti!

>26 norabelle414: Thanks a lot!

I ate all the obligatory foods for the New Year: blackeye peas, cornbread, greens, cooked cabbage, and pork. I learned somewhere that Ukrainians consider red caviar a New Year's must. I skipped out on that one.

Happy New Year, Lori. I hope 2023 is good to you.

>3 thornton37814: I am going to have to steal that meme at some point, lol.

Happy New Year, Lori!

>29 BLBera: Thanks, Beth!

>30 alcottacre: You need to do that. I haven't added this year's answers to the previous years. I compiled all my years a year or two ago. It was fun to see the answers on different years.

>3 thornton37814: Always enjoyable and elicit a smile or three. I am not sure that I'd like to go by French roast though unless it was the overeating of it!

Lovely to see you so active around the threads, Lori.

>32 PaulCranswick: I'm more active at the beginning of the year. Then I go back to work and life gets busy again.

Happy new thread for the new year Lori!

Best reading wishes for 2023, Lori.

Happy New Year and happy new thread Lori!

Happy reading in 2023!

>34 Berly: Thanks, Kim!

>35 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks a lot!

>36 Kristelh: Thank you!

>37 humouress: Thanks! I wish I could be at the beach right now to hear the waves!

>38 figsfromthistle: I hope I don't find any duds this year, but I usually come across a couple. Still if I Pearl Rule them soon enough, I should be able to have a great year!

Happy New Year, Lori!

>40 ronincats: Thank you!

Book 1. A Birthday Lunch by Martin Walker

Date Completed: 1 January 2023

Category: Keeping the Series Current

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: No crime has been committed in this short story featuring Bruno. He literally stumbles across a small hand axe, an artifact from an earlier culture. He prepares a birthday luncheon for Florence and friends, and of course, readers are treated to the scrumptious details of the meal, leaving us all hungry if our stomachs are not full. Readers familiar with St. Denis will enjoy visiting with all the regulars and Bruno's dog Balzac.

Happy new year, Lori!

>43 DianaNL: Thanks!

Book 2. Foster by Claire Keegan

Date Completed: 2 January 2023

Category: Other Fiction & Creative Literature

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: An unnamed girl spends much of the summer with the Kinsellas, her mother's relatives. The girl's mother expects another child. Her family is impoverished. Her father does not express love. Her mother is tired and worn out. Life with the Kinsellas is much different. The girl thrives in the new situation. She sees the Kinsellas' slow and steady pace at getting things done. She also sees them having fun and making her own life fun. She learns the value of silence and many other life lessons from this couple who lost their own son at some time prior to her arrival. It's a beautiful novella. It's one I'll ponder for a bit just thinking of the various "What if" scenarios.

>45 thornton37814: It is certainly making the rounds, isn't it. I hear almost universal warbles of praise for it!

>45 thornton37814: My book of last year was undoubtedly Small Things Like These so Keegan was always likely early this year. Your positive review, Lori, has made that a near certainty.

>33 thornton37814: I love that you are always so busy at the beginning of the year - my absolute favourite time.

Happy new year, Lori! I have just bought a cookie cutter shaped like an open book - and I am inspired when I see your top picture. I definitely won't manage that, but it's a great idea. :)

Martin Walker once was at our bookstore to present one of his Bruno-novels a few years ago. He was very kind. I even read one Bruno but unfortunately I am not a huge (contemporary) crime novel fan.

The book by Claire Keegan sounds very intriguing though!

Here's to many more good reads in 2023!

>46 richardderus: I got it in the Santa Swap here. It was a great book at the beginning of a new year!

>47 PaulCranswick: I want to go back and read some of Keegan's earlier works now!

>48 PersephonesLibrary: That sounds like a great cookie cutter! I really loved the Bruno short story and Keegan's novella (which I could have placed in the historical fiction category) is certain to make my best reads of the year.

Happy new year! >45 thornton37814: sounds really good.

>51 banjo123: It's very good and a quick read!

Hey Lori, happy new year and thread! Starring for future.
Hope you are well!

>45 thornton37814: Claire Keegan is a wonderful author isn't she? I read both Foster and Small Things Like These last year and loved both.

Hello, Lori! I am wanting to read Foster. I am also a huge Bruno fan - I am completely caught up on his adventures, so I am waiting on the next one to come out.

>53 vikzen: Thanks!

>54 SandDune: I really enjoyed Foster, and I want to try other works by her.

>55 Crazymamie: I'm sure you'll love Foster when you get around to it. I think our group will be all caught up with Bruno by the end of the year--maybe sooner. We're mixing in some other authors with Walker and Leon this year since we only needed to read Leon's latest and 3 of Walkers (including this year's installments for both).

Happy New Year, Lori. You are off to a great start this year. I am working my way through all the Bruno books and am reading some of Walker’s short stories. Foster is definitely now on my list!

>42 thornton37814: I am fairly sure that I have never read any of the books in that series. One of these days I am going to have to fix that!

>45 thornton37814: I recently got a copy of that one and I am going to need to get it read. I loved Keegan's Small Things Like These when I read it last year.

>57 Oregonreader: I think you'll enjoy Foster.

>58 alcottacre: You definitely need to try the series. The setting and the food are worth it! You'll enjoy the Keegan book.

Happy New Year Lori! I love the idea of cake and books!

Happy New Year and Happy New Thread, Lori!
>42 thornton37814: Books and food, a wonderful combination, in 2019, we had a literary dinner. A great combination of delicious food, good music and a reading by Martin Walker himself - he also sings very well...

>60 Whisper1: That was actually a cookie in the topper!

>61 SirThomas: That's interesting! I'd love to hear him sometime.

Happy new year and new thread! Foster does sound interesting -- I'll have to add it to my list!

Edited to add: I loved your meme answers above!

Happy New Year, Lori. Looks like your reads are off to a good start.

Happy 2023 Lori!

Wasn’t Foster a treat! I’m glad you liked it, too.

Hi Lori! Happy New Year to you.

>1 thornton37814: Impressive cookie and cute choice. Your categories are plain vanilla, but fascinating nevertheless. Is Gena’s Book Club a RL book club? Enquiring minds and all that…

>2 thornton37814: I was supposed to read Lady Cop Makes Trouble last year with Stasia, but bailed on her. It’s still on my list for 2023. Krueger, Castillo, and PD James are all favorites.

Off to a good start with two books read so far.

>63 foggidawn: Hope you enjoy Foster. I did the best I could with the meme. I'm hoping I have more choices for 2023.

>64 Familyhistorian: Thanks. I've got several in process. I should finish a few more soon.

>65 Copperskye: Foster was great. Sometimes my early in the year reads end up being the best, and this may be the case this year.

>66 karenmarie: Gena's book club is a book club that reads books related to women's social history. Gena is a well-known genealogist with a keen interest in the topic. She frequently lectures on it. I should have read it last year too, but my reading was on the low side, and I just didn't get around to it. I decided putting it on the BINGO card would ensure it gets read.

Dropping off a star, Lori. Looking forward to seeing what 2023 brings your way.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/347456

>68 MickyFine: Thanks! I'm already behind on threads again, but I'll try to catch up.

>69 SilverWolf28: Thanks.

Book 3. The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

Date Completed: 7 January 2023

Category: History, Genealogy, and Historical & Genealogical Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Ava works in the rare books department of the Library of Congress. Her only living relative, a brother, enlisted in the Army. When offered a job in Portugal microfilming newspapers and other documents to assist in the War effort, she decides to take the job. In Lyon, France, a woman's husband affiliated with the resistance is arrested by the Nazis. Although he did not want her to join because of the danger, Elaine (as she becomes known) goes to work helping put out an underground newspaper. The paths of the two women first cross when Ava spots code typed by Helene who is seeking to reunite a Jewish mother and child with the father who made it out to America earlier. This story as well as everything else is well-told and captivates the reader/listener to the end. The author described atrocities endured by members of the Resistance as well as reporting deaths when they occurred. I listened to the audiobook and would recommend it to others seeking a World War II story.

>71 thornton37814: Those two ladies on the cover make librarians even more attractive.

Hi Lori, I’m another fan of Foster and cookies, although I would have trouble eating Paddington. I’m glad you took a picture so you can savor the memory. I loved reading those books to my children and kept my copy of Paddington Treasury for either my great-grandchildren or my second childhood, whichever comes first! 🙂

>72 PaulCranswick: I thought it was interesting. The author (in the back comments) said she heard about the librarians helping gather information from the underground presses, etc. She took the liberty of making one of them female, even though they were apparently all male.

>73 Donna828: Yes. Ii love the Paddington books too! This member brought "book" chocolates the week before. They were assorted Hershey bar (Hershey, Mr. Goodbar, Special Dark, Krackel) with book images taped around the chocolates. Those were much easier to eat!

Book 4. The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts

Date Completed: 7 January 2023

Category: Gena's Book Club

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Facing a dismal future both from financial and life expectancy viewpoints, Maine farmer Annie Wilkins set out with her dog Depeche Toi and a sturdy Morgan horse she purchased named Tarzan to travel across the United States to California. She didn't leave until late in the year and failed to adequately plan a route. She knew the general direction she needed to head and often got directions from those who welcomed her in her travels. When she first began the journey, she mostly spent the nights in jail cells unless invited to sleep in someone's home. She usually found a barn or pasture where her horse and dog could sleep. Tarzan and Depeche Toi often fended for each other. As Annie made progress in her journey, reporters began covering her story. Many towns anticipated her arrival and paid for hotel and meals. Someone created a way Annie could make money selling postcard autographs. By the time she got to Tennessee, she saw the need for a second horse to relieve some of Tarzan's load. She was able to acquire a Tennessee walking horse named Rex. I don't want to give away too many details of their cross-country journey, but sometimes Annie didn't make the wisest route decisions. She often went to out-of-the-way places she was invited. I don't want to reveal too much of the experiences and thus spoil it for future readers. I enjoyed the story of Annie's travels. The author primarily used Annie's own memoirs and newspaper accounts to document the journey. The book concludes with Annie's appearance on Art Linkletter's television program and then an epilogue summarizing Annie's later life and that of her horses.

>71 thornton37814: Yeah, I wouldn't mind an adaptation with the two ladies on the cover playing the parts...but ok, the plot is just up my alley. I'm reading The Rose Code now, so I'm all into codes and WW2.

>76 ctpress: It would probably make an interesting movie adaptation.

Hi Lori, starring your thread for the year, and I'm happy to see you recommend The Librarian Spy. I have that on my to-read list.

>42 thornton37814: We've been reading Bruno and now waiting for A Chateau Under Siege.
A Birthday Lunch would be fun because it's light and the cooking aspect has played a great part in the pleasure of reading these mysteries.
I should amend the "we". Mr. SM has soldiered through them fully but I got off the bus at The Body in the Castle Well.

What I wanted to ask, how did you find this short story? We've missed several stories because apparently they're only e-books but not on Overdrive. Perhaps they're only available via Kindle?

>75 thornton37814: This one sounds interesting Lori.

Happy reading in 2023, Lori!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/347663

>71 thornton37814: I saw this one at the library and was not sure about it. Great review. I just "reserved" it at my local library.

>78 aktakukac: I enjoyed that one even if I accidentally returned it early and had to wait to finish it.

>79 SandyAMcPherson: When you look at the series view in LibraryThing, you can see all the short stories listed. I get them on Amazon--usually for 99 cents.

>80 Caroline_McElwee: I didn't really know what to expect when it was named one of our books, but it surprised me. I really enjoyed it.

>81 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita.

>82 SilverWolf28: Thanks. I'm sure I'll be reading. Whether I remember to chime in and report it is another question.

>83 figsfromthistle: I was kind of the same way, but I decided to give it a try and am glad I did.

>84 thornton37814: RE >79 SandyAMcPherson:, I think probably they're only available via Kindle.
Not a problem, however, 'cause I never seem to lack for reading material!

>86 SandyAMcPherson: I think you are correct they are only for Kindle.

Book 5. Dark Chocolate Demise by Jenn McKinlay

Date Completed: 9 January 2023

Category: Mt. TBR BINGO (#10)

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: When Fairy Tale Cupcakes caters a Zombie event, a woman dressed just like Angie ends up dead. The believe a mobster may be after her as a way to get to Joe's role as prosecutor in a case, especially since threats were made in the past. Mel, Angie, and Tate, of course, do a lot of stupid things as seems to be the norm in most cozies. Unfortunately most of the plot was beyond plausibility, and the author may be in danger of losing her fan base if she continues to make what began as a cozy series more of a noir or thriller genre. I could not wait for the book to end, and I doubt I'll be in a rush to check out the next one.

Book 6. On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay

Date Completed: 14 January 2023

Category: Keeping the Series Current

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Lindsey's brother Jack surprises her by showing up in the library. He's in a room where she holds the Crafternoon meetings. He's tired, so she breaks library rules and allows him to sleep in the room while she goes with the ladies to another location for the meeting. When she returns to the room later, Jack is not there, but a dead body is and the window is unlatched once again. She knows Jack could not be the murderer, so she omits him when making statements to the police. Later she witnesses him being kidnapped by a woman. From there the cozy mystery begins to delve into more of a thriller genre with amateur sleuths instead of FBI and CIA agents. She knows her brother Jack is caught up in something dangerous. She brings Robbie and Sully, who both want her affection, into the picture by sharing info with them. I miss the days when cozy sleuths did not need to be involved in a love triangle. We spent just as much time with the two men vying for her attention as in the mystery itself. If I wanted to read a romance, I'd pick up a Harlequin romance. The author needs to decide what genre she wants to write. If she wants to write thrillers or noir, she needs to ditch the series and create a new one, perhaps under a new pen name. I listened to the audio book read by Alison Ryan. The narrator does an okay job with female voices, but the male voices are not very good.

>89 thornton37814: Good review points. IMHO, the twinning of romance is okay with murder mysteries if that doesn't dominate the theme. After all, so many deadly emotions ratchet up in love affairs.

However, when a series is based on involving a library venue and people there (like women in a social circle), you made a good point that two men vying for the sleuth's attention is all about a side story. And hello authors! We don't care. Kill your darlings, as Stephen King said.

The other thing putting me off the so-called cozy stories is an apparent implicit permission to write like the intended audience are airheads. Ridiculous plot structure and poorly-researched facts predominate to the point I now plan on DNF'ing these books if I discover I've started one unintentionally.

>90 SandyAMcPherson: I think they are creating the books now for an audience 30 years younger than me. I suspect I'll end up reading older books as I age more just to get away from the writing styles geared for some of the younger generations.

Book 7. Shunned and Dangerous by Laura Bradford

Date Completed: 14 Jan 2023

Category: Mt. TBR Bingo (#6)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: When Claire visits a local corn maze in Heavenly, Pennsylvania, she discovers an Amish farmer's corpse. Detective Jakob Fisher investigates, but all the circumstantial evidence points to his own father as the perpetrator. Jakob doesn't believe his father capable of the crime, so he continues to pursue other avenues. Claire's store woes are a subplot. She's not getting enough high-end merchandise to keep the store operational much longer, and with Esther's upcoming marriage and Amish marriage season in general, the high-end merchandise is in even shorter supply. It was an enjoyable third installment in the series. While readers know the murderer is probably not the obvious suspects, they will likely keep guessing at the identity of the murderer until late in the book. For me, the story lines of the store's woes, Esther's impending marriage, and the murder did not flow as seamlessly as they could have. Perhaps the author tried to include too much in one installment?

Book 8. When Poets Pray by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre

Date Completed: 15 Jan 2023

Category: Christian Books

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Marilyn McEntyre shares her thoughts on poems that include prayers. The book could be used in daily devotions as she begins with a poem and then shares somewhere in the neighborhood of three to five pages of thoughts on it. Some poets included are Hildegard of Bingen, Thomas Merton, George Herbert, John Donne, Robert Frost, Wendell Berry, Gerald Manley Hopkins, T. S. Eliot, the author herself, and even King David. When I first began reading the volume, I tried to read a large section. I quickly decided to focus on two to three poems per day on days when I read it. It worked well for me that way. The book includes an introduction and an afterward with ways readers can incorporate poetry into their own prayer lives.

>93 thornton37814: I hadn't quite thought about how sublime some of the poetry of prayer is, Lori. Eliot, Hopkins and Donne are three particular favourites of mine.

Trust that your Sunday has been one of peace and poetry and perusing publications!

>94 PaulCranswick: I also went to church and did a lot of cat petting and some cross-stitching!

>93 thornton37814: I know I'm commenting on my own post, but I don't think it was an accident that our Sunday School lesson was from the exact Psalm of David that was the final poem in the book on the day I read it.

>93 thornton37814: Yes, some of my favourite poets there Lorie.

>97 Caroline_McElwee: A nice selection for certain.

Thanks for visiting my thread! Stopping by to drop my star and I think we share lots of reading interests. I grew up in Amish country, Lancaster County, and was excited to see that you posted Laura Bradford's book. I bought a few of them at Aaron's bookshop in Lititz, Pennsylvania, right in the heart of Amish country. Glad to see there are more books in the series.

And I *love* the Mt TBR Bingo card. It is always a goal, isn't it? But at least three people at my book group today had read Mad Honey and I had a moment of FOMO.

The Welsh poet RS Thomas is one of my favourite spiritual poets and I often get plenty from his closely observed, thoughtful musings.

This is his poem "Suddenly"

Suddenly after long silence
he has become voluble.
He addresses me from myriad
directions with the fluency
of water, the articulateness
of green leaves; and in the genes,
too, the components
of my existence. The rock,
so long speechless, is the library
of his poetry. He sings to me
in the chain-saw, writes
with the surgeon’s hand
on the skin’s parchment messages
of healing. The weather
is his mind’s turbine
driving the earth’s bulk round
and around on its remedial
journey. I have no need
to despair; as at
some second Pentecost
of a Gentile, I listen to the things
round me: weeds, stones, instruments,
the machine itself, all
speaking to me in the vernacular
of the purposes of One who is.

>99 witchyrichy: I have Amish ancestry on my mother's father's side of the family so I am very much drawn to the Amish fiction. I'm a mystery lover though!

>100 PaulCranswick: I'm not familiar with his work. It doesn't look like we have a book of poems by him, but I'll try to remember to check the anthologies as I add contents when we migrate to the new system. ETA: Looks like he has a section in The New Oxford Book of Christian Verse.

>101 thornton37814: I have his selected poems on my shelves at home and his Later Collected Poems in the UK unless I am much mistaken.

>102 PaulCranswick: That's great!

I read several books for the KiddyCAT!



Book 9. We're Going to the Farmers' Market by Stefan Page

Date Completed: 17 January 2023

Category: Cooking & Crafting

Rating: 3 stars

Review: A picture book with bold colors about things purchased at the farmers' markets. I think the author intended a conventional rhyme scheme, but some were not true rhymes. It's not one I'd suggest for home use, but it might be a good one to pick up at the library to read to young children.

Book 10. Five Little Kittens by Nancy Jewell; illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles

Date Completed: 17 January 2023

Category: Other Fiction and Creative Literature

Rating: 4 stars

Review: A very enjoyable book about the home life with Mama Cat and Papa Cat that five kittens enjoy. The illustrations were enjoyable as well.

Book 11. Nini Lost and Found by Anita Lobel

Date Completed: 17 January 2023

Category: Other Fiction and Creative Literature

Rating: 5 stars

Review: This beautifully-illustrated book tells the story of Nini who, although she loves her home very much, wondered off one day when the door was left open. She loved the outside too, but when night came, she grew frightened and wanted the safety of her home. Great story! Marvelous illustrations!

Book 12. Dear Librarian by Lydia M. Sigwarth; illustrated by Romina Galotta

Date Completed: 17 January 2023

Category: Other Non-Fiction

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: The author personalizes the story of her own childhood experience with moving to a new community where she did not have a home of her own. The library became the place where she had space to do the things children love to do because of a very special librarian to whom the author pays tribute. I loved the real photos at the end showing a reunion of the girl who became a librarian and the librarian who created that special environment for her.

Book 13. Gracie, the Lighthouse Cat by Ruth Brown

Date Completed: 17 January 2023

Category: Other Non-Fiction

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: This is a charming children's story that is delightfully illustrated telling of a mother cat's rescue of her young kitten the same die that a lighthouse keeper's daughter and father rescued a family of nine that was in danger on the rocks. This tale will delight cat lovers everywhere! (April 2012)

Note: I re-read this in January 2023 and still loved it! It is based on a true story of a rescue in the Farne Islands.

>105 thornton37814: I love Ruth Brown illustrations. I will have to look for that book! She did amazing work for the James Herriot books such as The Christmas Day Kitten.

>109 mdoris: It's nicely illustrated, and it's a great story too.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/347873

Hi Lori! I wonder how I didn't know you were a genealogist? Maybe I've never taken the time to read your intro before? Weird. Or maybe I knew at one point and forgot. I am somewhat interested in it, but don't really have the time to explore it. I have a bunch of old black and white photos I'd like to go through, and figure out who people are, though.

>111 SilverWolf28: Thanks.

>112 The_Hibernator: Rachel, I don't know. I often include genealogy categories and reads. I'm lecturing at the National Genealogical Society's Family History Conference in Richmond at the end of May/beginning of June. (It's later than usual this year.) I just submitted some of the PR stuff that's due early next month. I need to begin writing up the handouts which are due in early March. I always hate submitting them so early because someone is going to change a web site before the conference is held. Maureen Taylor is the most renowned genealogical lecturer about dating and identifying photos. Nancy Loe is probably second.

>91 thornton37814: This! Except that for me, it's already happening.

>114 ArlieS: It's beginning to happen for me. I may revisit some older series that I enjoyed years ago. I've been working my way through some I missed years ago.

>101 thornton37814: Some time ago, I read Amish Literacy: What and How It Means by Andrea Fishman. It may be a bit outdated as it was pre-Internet, but it was a fascinating look at this somewhat private group and how important literacy was to them. Fishman is sympathetic to the Amish and also aware of her outsider status. Have you read it?

>116 witchyrichy: I've heard of it, but I have not read it.

>71 thornton37814: Hello! I'm returning your visit to my thread. This book sounds fascinating! I'll have to add it to my list.

>118 atozgrl: I enjoyed it.

Hi, Lori, I’m just stopping by to say hi and see what you’ve been reading. I’ve picked up some BB’s!
Happy reading.

>91 thornton37814: If that’s the case, it’s a bit of an insulting assumption on their part.

>120 Oregonreader: Thanks for dropping in!

>121 humouress: Yes. Fortunately many of the non-amateur sleuths that fit into the police procedural category but are still a bit cozier are not too bad.

Hi, Lori, I have put holds on a few of your recent reads. I think they will be good ones to read with my boys. We've read a couple of cat books recently that they have enjoyed.

>123 aktakukac: That sounds great. I was reading picture books for the KiddyCAT. I mainly was using stuff available to me via our library's ebooks.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/348078

Looks like your reading is going well, Lori. I hadn't noticed that you had a category called "Gena's Book Club" before Karen mentioned it. Sounds interesting. Is it a closed book club or can others join?

>126 Familyhistorian: Gena has been pretty open to others joining it. I'll let her know of your interest and send you details.

>71 thornton37814: My reaction is a little late - your review made me curious. My library only has The Last Bookshop in London, - I'm looking forward to it.
All the best for the new week, Lori.

I love that you've been reading so many kitty stories.

>75 thornton37814: Coincidentally, I just picked up The Ride of Her Life at the library today. I am eager to read it as I love true accounts like this.

>93 thornton37814: I am interested in reading more poetry, Lori. I may see if my library has this collection. So much of the Bible reads like poetry, doesn't it? Especially if you read the older versions like King James. I tend to go for the NIT or even The Message is a passage needs more clarification.

>128 SirThomas: I hope you are able to find The Librarian Spy at some point.

>129 laytonwoman3rd: That mainly had to do with the KiddyCAT focusing on picture books this past month. I have a weakness for cat picture books so those are the ones that spoke to me as I was browsing what was available via Overdrive/Libby.

>130 Donna828: I think you'll enjoy The Ride of Her Life. I do enjoy reading poetry. I really enjoyed McEntyre's volume. I tend to gravitate towards Bible reading plans that include Psalms (or Psalms or Proverbs) daily.

Book 14. Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power by Clare Hunter

Date Completed: 22 January 2023

Category: History, Genealogy, and Historical & Genealogical Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Mary, Queen of Scots, is an interesting historical figure. Hunter's research shows Mary as a person easily misled by others, yet one with an inner strength. Throughout her life embroidery was something she enjoyed and used to her advantage. When in captivity, she used it as a tool to get messages to her supporters. While the book presents a biography of the queen's life and mentions all the usual characters--Rizzio, Darnley, Elizabeth I, James, etc., the author includes Mary's fascination with textiles to bring a slightly different twist to the story. Perhaps the weakness of the book are the "interruptions" in the narrative in which the author visits a museum and examines Mary's needlework, inserting her own experiences, but it may be difficult to fully describe those experiences in a way the reader actually finds the story when end notes are employed rather than footnotes. At least these were numbered!

Book 15. Wound Up in Murder by Betty Hechtman

Date Completed: 26 January 2023

Category: Cooking & Crafting

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Casey hosts yet another yarn retreat at the Vista Del Mar. This time another event, focusing on the year 1963, is being hosted at the same time. Dr. Sammy was booked for a magic show but when the 1963 retreat organizer's wife turns up dead after being strangled with a scarf he'd used in the show, he becomes a suspect. Casey helps him hide while she investigates, finding motives in many places she turns but not finding much to keep Sammy from being arrested if found. At the same time, Casey tries to figure out how to determine who the secret heir of Vista Del Mar might be. As someone who has heard crafting retreat organizers talk about their experiences, I can't imagine Casey would have any time to spend with the other group. At times she seemed to be completely neglecting her own retreat. While I know the author could not continue having Casey's retreats be the occasion of murder, having her spend too much time with another event is not the answer.

>133 thornton37814: I will certainly look out for that one, Lori.

I remember reading Antonia Fraser's Mary Queen of Scots years ago and really enjoying the book.

Book 16. Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten

Date Completed: 28 January 2023

Category: Benita's Mystery Group Read

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Irene Huss serves as one of a handful of women policing Göteborg, Sweden. It is especially unusual for one to rise to her rank. She finds herself investigating a case in which a wealthy man appears to have ended his life in suicide, but she spots some irregularities and finds plenty of motives and suspects who might want the man dead. I had a very difficult time reading more than a chapter at a time until near the end. While long chapter lengths and reading before going to bed played a bit of a factor, it was more than that. The story just did not draw me in until near the end. If I had not been reading this as part of a group read, I would have abandoned it. I'll see if the series improves for me over the next couple of books. If the series continues to fall flat, I'll drop out of the group read. I will, however, give her a chance with the next couple installments.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/348237

>137 SilverWolf28: Thanks

Wordle 593 2/6

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>139 thornton37814: Well done Lori. We are twins!

>131 thornton37814: I haven't found the book yet, but I love The Last bookshop in London.
Thank you so much for bringing the author to my attention.
Have a wonderful weekend, Lori!

>140 PaulCranswick: On that day, a lot of friends had been in the 5 range so it was surprising when I stumbled on it the second time.

>141 SirThomas: Hopefully that one will be available to you soon, but I'm glad you enjoyed the other book!

When Poets Pray sounds really interesting. I've added it to my wish list.

I've already have The Ride of Her Life requested from the library. No idea when I may get it, but eventually.

I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!

>143 streamsong: As good as you can when you had to work!

Hi Lori. I checked out your TBR Bingo card waaaay upthread and am curious about it. How did you choose the titles? Also, do you have a plan (like rolling dice) to move them off the shelf and into your hands? Forgive me if I missed your explanation. I get sidetracked by your reviews. ;-)

Also, you were right. I loved The Ride Of Her Life. I’m still organizing my thoughts on it…

>145 Donna828: I just picked 25 next-in-series books (or books I wanted to read in 2023). (I probably omitted a lot of series I want to read.) I'm using the WIPGO calls made by Jessie Marie Does Stuff. This is a cross-stitch and crafting BINGO challenge in which I'm also participating. She has a YouTube channel and posts her picks to the Facebook WIPGO group and maybe to Instagram also. The picks are made on the 25th of each month. 6 and 10 were the January numbers. 7 and 11 were the February ones. She was as shocked as everyone else that it would be the next number in each case. She uses an online random number generator to do the picks.

17. Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger

Date Completed: 7 February 2023

Category: Mt. TBR BINGO

Rating: 4 stars

Review: With a blizzard impending, a teenage girl goes missing after leaving a party on a snowmobile. When her body is recovered in the spring thaw, Sam Winter Moon's grandson Solemn becomes the top suspect. Cork believes that although Solemn had a record of trouble with the police that he is not guilty (or capable) of murder. The inexperience of the newly elected sheriff who only ran for political gain shows. Cork, although no longer sheriff, investigates for the sake of his old friend Sam Winter Moon and to help Jo defend Solemn. The proximity of the Ojibwe reservation to the town of Aurora always provides an interesting setting. In the book, Solemn has a spiritual experience that amazes some and causes others to question his sanity. Other characters including the priest and Cork find themselves as spiritual seekers. Sin eating is a theme in the book as well. I'm excited to see Cork's new position at the end of the book. Early on, I identified the two people I thought most likely to be the perpetrators. One of them was the correct person, but the other was the main red herring, and I was left guessing until the very end. I look forward to the next installment. I listened to the audiobook version.

>71 thornton37814: Hi Lori, I've added this book, and the very interesting book regarding Mary Queen of Scots! You are reading so many great books that I want to add almost all of them!

>148 Whisper1: I hope you enjoy both books.

I had an excellent history professor in undergrad school. He gave me a love of Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, and Mary Queen of Scots. I am excited about the book regarding Mary Queen of Scots. I'll try to get a copy ASAP.

>150 Whisper1: You will enjoy it.

Wordle 599 3/6

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>152 thornton37814: What a perfect Wordle pattern you had, Lori.

>146 thornton37814: That sounds like a fun way to pick books that you want to read anyway, Lori. I don’t follow nearly as many series as you do, but I do need some kind of method to keep up with them.

>147 thornton37814: The Cork O’Conner series is one of my favorites. You just might have inspired me to add the next one to my TBR shelf. It will be easy enough as I have my own copy of Tamarack County, No. 14 in the series. Thanks for the nudge.

>152 thornton37814: How in the world did you get that Wordle so fast, and with only one letter!? It took me five tries, and I had the first L and the A on the first try. I'm impressed!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/348418

Wordle 601 3/6

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>153 FAMeulstee: just luck

>154 Donna828: Cork is becoming one of my favorites too.

>155 atozgrl: It surprised me.

>156 SilverWolf28: Thanks

Hi, Lori. Delurking to wish you a very Happy Birthday!!

Gosh, is it your birthday? Wishing you a wonderful day!

>160 ronincats: Thanks.

>161 humouress: Yes -- and I picked up my free cupcake from the bakery next to the cross stitch shop. (This bakery is one that won something on Food Network, so that will be a tasty cupcake when I get around to eating it.)

I'm heading out soon for dinner with a couple friends.

Hi Lori my dear, a very Happy Birthday my dear friend.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Lori, I hope you have a wonderful day!

>162 thornton37814: Yum! Sounds like a wonderful day. Enjoy dinner and the company.

>163 johnsimpson: >164 figsfromthistle: >165 SirThomas: >166 humouress: Thanks everyone! Well that "couple of friends" ended up being a surprise party with about 20% of the church choir there! A fun time was had by all.

Oh, a surprise party. I’m glad it was you and not me. Haha. I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Belated Happy Birthday, Lori!

I hope you're doing well and getting some good reading in.

>168 Donna828: It was fine. I had treated myself earlier in the day to a small sampler with 36 count linen and silk fiber!

>169 karenmarie: I finished a book Thursday, I think it was. (I've got it recorded somewhere.) Then I'm hoping to finish another either this evening or tomorrow.

Book 18. Death in a Darkening Mist by Iona Whishaw

Date Completed: 8 February 2023

Category: Mt. TBR Bingo

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Former British spy Lane Winslow is visiting some hot springs near her new home in British Columbia when a Russian Doukhobar community member is murdered. At the same time, some account irregularities at the local bank surface. Lane's knowledge of Russian proves useful to the local investigators whose official interpreter is "unavailable." This was an enjoyable installment in the series which is set in the Kootenays, much like Vicky Delany's more contemporary Constable Molly Smith series.

Book 19. For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts' Advice to Women by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English

Date Completed: 8 February 2023

Category: Gena's Book Club

Review: I really did not enjoy this book with a very left feminist point of view that much. The one chapter I enjoyed somewhat focused on women who practiced medicine in the 19th century, mostly without formal training and a license. Other chapters focused on the invention of "housework" and on child rearing, particular focusing on Dr. Spock's advice. I do not recommend this book.

Book 20. The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis

Date Completed: 13 Feburary 2023

Category: Benita's Mystery Group Read

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Private Investigator Marcus Didius Falco investigates the death of a woman he met in the Forum as well as some stolen silver pigs. He travels to Britannia in the course of his investigation where he is fortunate to eventually find a way to return to Rome. Although I suspect the time period contributes to my lack of enthusiasm for this work, I found it difficult to follow the mystery plot when too much romance was thrown into the mix. Our group plans to read this series quarterly this year, but if I dislike the next one as much as this first installment, I'll drop out on the months this series comes up.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/348692

>174 SilverWolf28: Thanks.

>171 thornton37814: Your recent reading choices are somewhat like mine, Lori.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Iona Whishaw story. I dropped reading that series at A Sorrowful Sanctuary. For some reason our PL stopped buying her books and they're not the type I want to buy.
Since my last "good read", I've had two unsatisfactory reads since then. I am dithering as to whether even post the most recent one on my talk thread. The book ended up on my DNF list and I didn't even skim it enough to justify a review.

>176 SandyAMcPherson: I have 2 or 3 more that need to be added. I need to download an audiobook before the morning commute. I'll try to pick something interesting.

Sounds like you had a good birthday, Lori. Happy belated.

>172 thornton37814: I found that book a slog and decided not to finish it. I hope you are feeling better.

Lori sometimes we get lost in our own worlds and miss our friends' celebrations.

So sorry to have missed your birthday and please accept my belated and unswerving good wishes. x

>178 Familyhistorian: I really didn't enjoy it either. I did enjoy the parts of the chapter about women who doctored without formal degrees back in the 19th century because I had such a "doctress" as an ancestor.

>179 PaulCranswick: I miss lots of birthdays and such, so no apology necessary.

Book 21. Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose

Date Completed: 17 February 2023

Category: History, Genealogy, and Historical and Genealogical Fiction

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This promising start to the Wrexford & Sloane series features a member of London's aristocracy partnering with "political" cartoonist/satirist and a couple of street children she's "adopted" to solve a crime for which Lord Wrexford himself is suspected by some of committing. The author spends a lot of time developing the characters of Lord Wrexford and Charlotte Sloane and the two orphans. Charlotte adopted the pen name of her late husband A. J. Quill when he died because she needed the income brought in by his work. Set in London's Regency period, the Bow Street Runner seems determined to put Wrexford behind bars for the death of a man with whom he had been sparring publicly in the papers. The mystery focuses on the developing science of chemistry as well as the darker art of alchemy. This one was slow to start but once it got going, it held my attention.

Book 22. The Dead Man in the Garden by Marthe Jocelyn

Date Completed: 19 February 2023

Category: Other Fiction and Creative Literature

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Aggie and Hector travel with Aggie's mom and grandmother where her mom seeks to recover from the recent loss of her husband. When they stumble upon the body of a man they'd met, they suspect foul play and learn another patient died recently. With the help of a female undertaker, their new friend George, and the local detectives, they are able to prove a case for murder and identify the perpetrator. We get to know a lot about the hotel staff and clients in the course of their investigation. It's a fun mystery series for middle school age readers! Adults will see glimpses of Christie herself, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Marple in the characters. This book was partially inspired by the "lost days" in the Dame's life. I received this as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewers Program with the expectation of an honest review.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/348863

>147 thornton37814: I spent a lot of my childhood in the area around Aurora Minnesota. When I read the books, I kind of wondered if he'd randomly chosen a small town in Minnesota that he knew nothing about or if he was taking liberties to make the place fictional.

>183 SilverWolf28: Thanks.

>184 The_Hibernator: I don't know anything about that area, but Google maps shows there is a Chippewa National Forest nearby but it doesn't show a "reservation" as the book describes. I enjoy the books, but if I were familiar with the area and found it didn't "ring true," it would probably bother me too.

Morning Lori! I found some interesting books here to add to my TBR list: Blood Hollow - I’m a fan of Krueger, The Silver Pigs and For Her Own Good. Thanks for doing the work for me ;o)

>186 Carmenere: I hope you like Ehrenreich's book better than our book club did. No one liked it.

>133 thornton37814: This looks fascinating. I've added it to the TBR list that seems to just get longer and longer.

>147 thornton37814: The most recent installment of this series was one of our options for my RLBG. It was vetoed for others reasons but I was intrigued.

>188 witchyrichy: I hope you enjoy both if you get to them.

>180 thornton37814: A personal interest in some of it would have helped. I glad you found at least that interesting, Lori.

>181 thornton37814: Hey, Lori. I've read all in the Wrexford & Sloane series. I really enjoy them. Possibly more for the characters and development with each installment than the mysteries (although I've pretty much enjoyed those, too).

>190 Familyhistorian: I heard no one liked it. I was so tired, and I just forgot to join the discussion. I thought of it when you all would have been about to finish up.

>191 mitchma: I will definitely read future installments.

>181 thornton37814: Hi Lori, thanks to you I decided to check out this Wrexford and Sloane series.
I'm currently zooming through the first one (as an e-book) and very much like Penrose's writing. It is somewhat reminiscent of CS Harris, but less gruesome than the St. Cyr mysteries.

>193 SandyAMcPherson: Hey, Sandy. This is Paula. I love the Wrexford and Sloane series. I've read them all and have the next one in the series on my Amazon wish list, so I'll know when it's released September 26, 2023. Andrea Penrose also writes another fun series: Lady Arianna mysteries. Also set in the Regency era but, again, much less gruesome than St. Cyr (love those, too, though). Just thought you might want to check them out if you weren't aware of them. Please pardon me for jumping in. :)

>194 mitchma: Thanks Paula. I'm sure Lori won't mind us having a book chat down here...
I see Penrose's books are available on Overdrive so I'll try Sweet Revenge. Always satisfying to find new series.
I've had to dial back on some series I was following because the characters didn't stay fresh and felt very "churned out", if you know what I mean.

I have great hopes that Andrea Penrose will achieve the same interesting life moves on type of protagonists that CS Harris accomplished with Hero and Sebastien St. Cyr. Our local PL has ordered Who Cries for the Lost but not ready for shelving I guess. I'm way down the list of requests, so happy to try out some other authors.

>193 SandyAMcPherson: Glad you are enjoying it.

>194 mitchma: Sounds like we may have to add another series to our wish lists!

>195 SandyAMcPherson: It's fun to discover new series when the charm of other series vanish. My problem is that I hate stopping the old series. I just end up not reading them when they come out and get to them "later."

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349027

>197 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

>182 thornton37814: Nice premise for a book, I suppose, Lori.

>199 PaulCranswick: I've only read the ones in this series I've won in giveaways.

Book 23. Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams

Date Completed: 27 February 2023

Category: Other Fiction and Creative Literature

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Jane Seward becomes the keeper of Storyton Hall when her Aunt Octavia and Uncle Aloysius pass the mantle to her. The building was torn down in the British Isles and reassembled brick by brick in Virginia. It now serves as a hotel. It holds a vast library and an even more secret library. To help raise funds, they host a mystery week. The scavenger hunt prize is a first edition, but somehow a copy from Storyton Hall's private collection gets swapped for the copy that is supposed to be the prize. The man who won the book turns up dead, and the book they are trying to recover is missing. While the plot is not very plausible, it's still a fun read--even in a somewhat fantastical setting. Even though I owned the paperback, I listened to the audio version read by Johanna Parker. I thought she did a good job.

Book 24. The Birdwatcher by William Shaw

Date Completed: 1 March 2023

Category: Other Fiction and Creative Literature

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This stand-alone novel introduces the character DS Alexandra Cupidi who is the main character in Shaw's series. This novel features William "Bill" Smith, a copper with a very big secret of his own--one revealed in the opening pages. He killed a man. One of Bill's neighbors is murdered, and he is sent along with the Cupudi to the crime scene. Bill realizes he doesn't really know very much about the man's past. He knew him through birdwatching. While most of the action is set in present-day Kent, the author does include some scenes from Bill's past life in Northern Ireland. Cupudi has a teenage daughter who is having trouble adjusting to her new home. It's an interesting--and different--mystery.

>201 thornton37814: Even though you warn that the plot is not very plausible, I borrowed Murder in the Mystery Suite from overdrive. I'm rather susceptible to novels with secret libraries!

Have you read The Cartographers? I call this an urban fantasy, set in the New York Public Library as well as other venues. Not everyone's 'cup of tea' but I gave it 4½ stars. Obviously, I enjoyed that story a lot.

>203 SandyAMcPherson: Hi once again Sandy. The Cartographers sounds interesting. I'm adding it to my Amazon list. Have you read Ocean at the End of the Lane, The House at the End of Hope Street, or Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore? Also have you ever read any of Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott series? Take care. Have a good day.

Hey, Lori (waving) :)

>204 mitchma: Hi Paula. I replied on your thread, since I just today saw you PM'd me.

Waves at Lori, too...

>203 SandyAMcPherson: I'm not really into fantasy that much although I think that one is one I might consider reading. Murder in the Mystery Suite is still fun--even if it isn't very plausible.

>204 mitchma: Hi, Paula! We need to get together the next time I'm in Mississippi.

>205 SandyAMcPherson: Waving back!

Hey, Lori. We really do. Maybe lunch in Tupelo or something. :)

>207 mitchma: That would be lovely. I'm sure I'll go sometime this summer, but until we get our summer library coverage schedules, I can't be sure when. Because of our system migration, I suspect I'll be done earlier than some librarians this year with lots of off time in July and until we go back in early August.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349213

>210 thornton37814: Thanks.