Sandy's Books Read in 2023, #3

Welcome to Chapter Three ~ I look forward to your visits and will try to restrain myself from catching too many BB's this month.
The Merrie Month of April, when we desperately hope to see the snow gonzo.



Reading and puzzles are indulged as the indoor amusements to distract us from --->



On the plus side, we have lots of sunshine at this time of year.

Reading list update ~
IP means I'm in progress, though I might interleave another book at the same time. I post reviews for every title on the book's main review page. Usually I write a short synopsis on Talk once a month.

January
1. Fuzz (Ed McBain) ***½
2. A Murderous Grudge (JM Roberts) ***
3. Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz) ***
4. A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting (Sophie Irwin) ****½
5. My Lady Judge (Cora Harrison) ****
6. The Black Swan (Nassim Taleb) ***½
7. Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques (Peter Reinhart) ****
8. Evolutions in Bread (Ken Forkish) ****
9. Breaking Bread: A Baker's Journey (Martin Philip) ****
10. Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques (Jeffrey Hamelman) ****
11. Bleeding Heart Yard (Elly Griffiths) ***½
12. The Maid of Ballymacool (Jennifer Deibel) ***½

February
13. The Cartographers (Peng Shepherd) ****½
14. The Last Mapmaker (Christina Soontornvat) ***½
15. Canoe & Camera (Thomas Sedgewick Steele) ***½
16. The Railway Children (E. Nesbit) ****
17. Miss Benson's Beetle (Rachel Joyce) **
18. Green Rider (Kristen Britain) DNF (see comment #52)
19. A Civil Contract (Georgette Heyer) ****
20. Murder on Black Swan Lane (Andrea Penrose) ***½
21. Venetia (Georgette Heyer) ***½
22. Eight Days of Luke (Diana Wynne Jones) ***

March
23. Conrad's Fate (Diana Wynne Jones) ***½
24. Writ in Stone (Cora Harrison) ****
25. Murder in the Mystery Suite (Ellery Adams) ***½
26. Foster (Claire Keegan) ***½
27. Eligible (Curtis Sittenfeld) ***½
28. Murder at Half Moon Gate (Andrea Penrose) ****
29. Murder in the Paperback Parlor (Ellery Adams) ***
30. The Sting of Justice (Cora Harrison) ****
31. Camps in Rockies (W. A. Baillie-Grohman) ***
32. Murder at Kensington Palace (Andrea Penrose) ****
33. Murder at Queen's Landing (Andrea Penrose) ***½
34. Eye of the Law (Cora Harrison) ****

April
35. The Nonesuch (Georgette Heyer) ****
36. The Clairvoyant Countess (Dorothy Gilman) ****
37. Kaleidoscope (Dorothy Gilman) *****
38. Hot Art (Joshua Knelman) ****

May
39. Playing for Pizza (John Grisham) ***½
40. The Last Remains (Elly Griffiths) ****
41. Who Cries for the Lost? (C. S. Harris) ***½
42. The Periodic Table of Elements (Jon Chad) *****
43. Amazing cows! (Sandra Boynton) *****
44. Penric's Labors (Lois McMaster Bujold) ***
45. Lavender House (Lev AC Rosen) ****
46. The Missing Heiress (Karen Charlton) **

June
47. Me Three (Susan Juby) ****
48. The Sinister Booksellers Of Bath (Garth Nix) ****
50. Troubled Waters (Sharon Shinn) *****
51. Visual Thinking (Temple Grandin) *
52. Royal Airs (Sharon Shinn) *****
53. Scales of Retribution (Cora Harrison) ***
54. Jewelled Fire (Sharon Shinn) ***½
55. Unquiet Land (Sharon Shinn) ***½
56. Solstice Wood (Patricia McKillip) I***½
57. Sketch by Sketch (Sheila Darcey) **
58. Unplugged (Gordon Korman) ***½

July
59. The Broken Citadel (Joyce Ballou Gregorian ) ***
60. Decision at Delphi (Helen MacInnes) ***½
61. Court of Fives (Kate Elliott) ***½
62. Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World (Jenn Grannerman & Andre Sólo) ***½
63. A Lady's Guide to Scandal (Sophie Irwin) ****
64. Jacques Pépin Art Of The Chicken ****
65. The Apothecary (Maile Meloy)****
66. The Plot (Jean Hanff Korelitz) DNF

Without further ado,

Welcome ~

(This coffee art was so intriguing at a café, sadly a victim of the pandemic. They had such great lunches, too.)

Hi Sandy, a a very happy new thread to you! We have some sunshine too today and it's not a April 1st joke!

>3 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Mary, so happy you dropped by.
I bet you have daffs and snowdrops, too. I sure do miss springtime on Vancouver Island.

Yes the springtime lasts a long time but so does that rainy windy grey winter. Your sunshine is to be admired.

Happy new thread, Sandy. Great to see you back and so active in 2023.

>7 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the sentiments, Paul. I've found it a challenge to comment very widely so it is kind of you to drop a line.

Greetings and solicitations, Sandy, happy new thread!

Benjamin Weaver, from last thread, was nicknamed "the Lion of Judah" in his boxing career, and that's how I've stored his name. I smacked my forehead when I read "Benjamin Weaver" because I knew he had a name but forgot it.

Anyway I really enjoyed the books, and hope you will, as well.

Happy new thread!

Happy new one, Sandy. I raked pine needles off my front lawn today. Everything is wet and soggy but at least there is sun. The temps have been all over the map so it's hard to plan. I just had the urge to look out the window and not see how disgusting my lawn was. Now my little crocuses really pop! Wishing you the same, sooner rather than later!

Happy new thread, Sandy!

Happy new thread, Sandy, and good luck dodging the BBs.

Happy new thread Sandy!

Happy new thread, Sandy!

Happy New Thread, Sandy! I wish you happy reading this month. I'm glad I was able to steer you away from Bandit Queens if it is not your thing right now. The Andrea Penrose series interests me and I need to look into that. We have an unexpected sunny day today. It was supposed to rain today and tomorrow, but so far, so good.

>9 richardderus: Glad to have the "the Lion of Judah" explained.
Thanks for dropping by. Hope the weekend is a contented time doing as you please.

>10 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. I've skulked around your thread without leaving any comments. Great to see you here, so I will remember to pay some attention to commenting on your thread.

>11 jessibud2: Thank you Shelly, Our temps have fluctuated wildly all of March (+1 to about -28 oC IIRC), but not any massive gusts of wind, which is unusual. Enjoy your crocus display. What comes next? Daffs and then tulips?

>12 drneutron: >13 ArlieS: >14 quondame: >15 FAMeulstee: Thanks for the greetings. Glad to see you visited.

>16 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. I was indeed grateful your review steered me away from checking out the Bandit Queens. I have many less angsty novels, piled up in the WL (Mt. TBR at the library).

>2 SandyAMcPherson: I'm up to book 4 in Andrea Penrose series. I think the books were originally a BB from Lori. I'm going to delay reading the next book (Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens) in this series and read something completely different. Not yet sure what I'll choose.

A librarian at my local PL (really willing to advise me on historical mysteries) has suggested I might like to try Andrea Pickens' The Spy Wore Silk. This is Book 1 in the Merlin's Maidens series. Little did I know that Penrose also writes under the name Pickens.

I'm fairly reluctant to try this book. It doesn't suit a more genuine Regency-period, based on my reading the PL library review. I prefer the stories that follow those times in keeping with the societal norms of the day.

Have you read any of these? I don't see more than 2 reviews on LT and haven't come across a discussion by anyone who writes in the 75er group. I think often reviews on talk threads don't turn up on the book page.

>21 SandyAMcPherson: If you go to the main page of The Spy Wore Silk, and scroll down to "Conversations" (right after "Will You Like It?"), you will see "See also 1 mention", i.e, that this thread (yours) is the only "Talk" place that this book has been mentioned ;)

However, if you go to Bandit Queens and scroll down to "Conversations", you'll see "See also 23 mentions"--click on it and you'll see 23 places in "Talk" where this book has been mentioned. Basically this is any thread that the poster made the book title a "touchstone" so that LT can track the book.

Oftentimes this is just in a list of books read, but sometimes you'll come across a write-up that was only on their thread, and not posted as an official "review." Just another way, beyond the posted reviews, to find where a book has been mentioned.

Hope this helps.

>19 SandyAMcPherson: - Some daffs, no tulips, much to my displeasure. I cannot do tulips, thanks to squirrels who love them. The first year I moved to this house, I planted around 25 tulip bulbs. I think I got maybe 3 flower and one day, I got home from work and only the stems were left. The little buggers even had the nerve to leave the petals scattered around the garden. So no, I try hard not to feed them any more.

The fun thing is, I have some sort of mental block as to what I plant from year to year so it's always a bit of a surprise. :-)

Happy new thread, Sandy.

>22 kac522: That is so useful ~ thanks a ton for those wise words. I never knew how handy "Conversations" could be.
Nice to see you visited, too!

>24 BLBera: Thanks you for dropping buy. I was on your thread this morning and left some chatter about the Alice Network.

An interesting update for those who test for Covid and get a negative when feeling so poorly:

I probably had a very low-grade Covid infection (no respiratory symptoms) last month. The viral effects continue to linger in the form of fatigue so if I have some chores/errands, I can only pick one and then that's it for the day.

Here's something to think about:
I never tested positive with the home antigen test kit. Our family physician advised that if I had one of the newest variants, the test kits won't detect the virus now, because the change in the antigen is too great. So I'm told to get lots of rest and dial back the attempt to be as social or as active so that I can recover properly.

I just do not understand why this information isn't out in the mainstream when one consults reputable websites. I rely on the government Canada-health website, but nary a peep.

Please note, "I am not a medical doctor", I am simply passing on an insight I was given by the medical clinic staff. The test kits work best if you have respiratory symptoms. That was also something I didn't realize. Also, Mr. SM reminded me that we have different test kits in Canada, compared to the USA. The CDC has pages and pages of info, but this refers to the test kits in the USA. The amount of detail is quite overwhelming.

>23 jessibud2: Heh! We have Jack rabbits and they love to eat the tulip flowers and I think try to dig up the bulbs too. The best non-toxic to the habitat or animals is Bobbex. And rain-proof when it has dried!

We find that mice and cats are also discouraged. I don't see the dogs leaving urine all along our boulevard lawn when I spray the edge of the sidewalk, so no more burned yellow lawn. The caveat is that this spray can harm green-growing tissue and works best on open soil or woody shrubs. The odour is enough to pervade the garden and deter rabbits. I believe it would be worth testing to deter squirrels.

>28 SandyAMcPherson: - NOTHING deters our squirrels. I have tried many supposed deterrents. I believe they have a PhD in Annoying Home Gardeners. I believe they sit in the trees and watch my every move then plot their next activity. I believe they have a squirrel internet network and put the word out to their neighbourhood friends and families.

I have raised the white flag many times. So, no more tulips for me except the cut varieties I buy in the store. I know when I'm beat and I try to accept defeat gracefully. (it doesn't always work) ;-)

Around here, the problem plant is sunflowers. Whenever we try to grow them, something lops off the heads before they make it to proper flowers, let alone seeds. A block or so away, they somehow have sunflowers in their front yard every year. We have no clue how they do it, or what is destroying ours.

Bulbs on the other hand, do fine, though we haven't tried tulips in particular.

>29 jessibud2: Oh dear, kind of like us, Shelley. I gave in and have tulips only in our rabbit-proof back garden. We rarely see squirrels and they're the wild-type red squirrel, not those urban vermin, the grey squirrel.

>30 ArlieS: Weird! Sunflowers are usually too woody to attract browsing.
Do you live close to a large parkland or a semi-rural area? I wonder if there are raccoons causing grief. I wondered too if you thought of asking your neighbour what they do to be successful. Maybe they have a secret weapon?

Happy new thread!

>22 kac522: >25 SandyAMcPherson: I love the Conversations feature. I've used it to find out where I heard about the title and sometimes who else is interested in the same author. I'm a bit better these days about recording where I was hit by a BB, but sometimes it takes 2 or 3 mentions before I decide to put a hold on a title.

Happy new thread, Sandy. Thanks for the response on your last thread to my query about The Private World of Georgette Heyer. Sounds like a good one and I agreed that she showed expertise in military strategy. Have you ever read her An Infamous Army?

>33 foggidawn: Thanks Foggi. I'm happy to see you here. Any BB's for me (besides WWII themes)? Ha ha...

>34 quondame: I rarely request a book these days from mentions.
I like seeing some Talk and finding some like-minded perspectives to encourage my visiting the PL (online, that is). With "conversations" as an additional input, I'll probably find other threads to follow.
I'm really happy to have learned more about that particular option on the book page menu.

>35 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. I am behind on your thread so I should visit soon. I'm a jump around the threads member, often looking for reader reccys. I miss visiting my starred threads too often.

Yes, I have read Heyers' An Infamous Army. Since I gave it to a family member some years before I joined LT, it isn't in my catalogue here. I am less into re-reading her Napoleonic and Peninsular War settings, though I do really enjoy her Georgian era novels. Simon the Coldheart, Beauvallet, and The Conqueror.

I liked the 'Infamous Army' story well enough, but it wasn't as captivating as some of her other rollicking adventures around the same theme.
I have another Heyer where Charles Audley (one of the 'Infamous Army' characters) appears again. It's teasing my mind now, because I can't remember which other Heyer title features him. I associate him with, perhaps mistakenly, the Alastair character in These Old Shades and Devil's Cub.

No doubt someone here will remind us where to look!

Thanks for the information regarding Andrea Penrose and her books, Sandy. I'll have to check the library and have a look at them for myself. Right now I have several Women's Literature Prize Longlist books lined up, so to speak, and few other reads, but her books sound interesting. I'm sorry you are continuing to feel so exhausted from what was most likely covid. I had covid in January of 2022, and while I felt quite rough for a week, and did not leave the house for that week, I was fine after that. Lucky, I guess.

>39 vancouverdeb: Thank you for the condolences over the Covid fatigue. I wasn't hardly ill at all but the need to still pace myself is obviously there.

I was going to lick into a new book today having finished the last 2 a few days ago. I've taken to interleaving books to change the pace between reads. Somehow the weekend got away from me and now I'm up too late pawing through the TBR pile. I did have an overlong sleep this afternoon and need to wind down the ol' brain!

>38 SandyAMcPherson: Charles Audley is the brother of the main character in Regency Buck and he features in that book too.

>41 CDVicarage: Hi Kerry. Thanks, I haven't done a re-read of Regency Buck in quite some time.
By writing, he features in that book too I'm a little confused about which book you refer, perhaps ones I suggested at post#38?

Thanks for dropping by. I hope you'll visit again!

>42 SandyAMcPherson: Sorry - I meant Charles Audley is a character in Regency Buck as well as An Infamous Army. According to the LT series list Regency Buck is part of the Alastair-Audley series.

Happy new-week's joys, Sandy. *smooch*

>1 SandyAMcPherson: oh that photo looks COLD. FRIGID. Was it?

>43 CDVicarage: Thanks, Kerry. I'm a fuzz-brain of late. :)

>44 richardderus: Hi Richard. This week is looking good. Sunshine and if the forecast is to be trusted, +13 by Saturday!! I might also even get to the bookshop to trade in some discarded titles.

>45 fuzzi: Not frigid by our standards. Anything warmer than -10 oC (14 oF) is somewhat balmy for April. And brilliant sunshine means lots of radiant energy.

Edited to correct degrees C to oF !

>46 SandyAMcPherson: At one time I had the formula for the conversion memorized and could do it in my head...not, however, in this decade. I hope you get your 13C on schedule and as advertised.

>46 SandyAMcPherson: the snow looks like it would support weight, crunch crunch!

(I used to live in Connecticut, we had some below zero F cold spells, brrr)

>32 SandyAMcPherson: We have a lot of raccoons around here, so maybe that's the issue.

>47 richardderus: I was never an 'arithmetic-in-my-head' person. I think one's numbers-ability takes different forms. I suspect there's little doubt it is also subject to tired old brains.

>48 fuzzi: I understood that Connecticut and other northeastern regions are in a substantial snowbelt. I guess the cold that is exported from Québec doesn't help... 😵‍💫

>49 ArlieS: Hi Arlie. I'm way behind on your thread, so appreciate your dropping by to leave comments. Regarding those highly adaptable raccoons, they have been real pests nearly every where I've lived in Western Canada.
Our veg gardening used to take a hit to the point I quit growing some things without a heavy boxed screen cover. Once the plants grew enough, we were okay, except for sweet corn. The darn varmints would climb up and eat the kernels right off the unpicked cobs. Ptui!

>50 SandyAMcPherson: I'm in zone 8a, one small snowfall on average in the winter. I thought I would, but I don't miss the snow, at all.

This year we didn't even get one flake!

But I like looking at your snowy photos.

Hi there! It's been a week and I noticed not noticing you.

Just checking in to see if all is well. Enjoying the start of spring and Easter, I hope.

>50 SandyAMcPherson: It turns out I seem to be quite intimidated by numbers. Period.

~ I hate tax season.

I want to love April but I don't. Did I mention Tax returns? I get a headache merely pulling all the information slips together and making a list to send the accountant.

Yeah ~ thankful that we're not having to fill out the multi-page, 9-different-schedules #@^% Canadian idiocy of taxes. I still got a headache after it was done. It's a poor situation, being reasonably-well educated, but hells-bells, I do not understand our tax return and just have to throw my head off the dock in submission. Thank goodness we have a very understanding accountant who does his best to explain things.

So now y'all know what I've doing instead of *reading*.
I couldn't stay awake to read more than 3 pages and then my e-books evaporated, as they do after 3-weeks. I'm sure there are many who relate.

>52 quondame:, >53 vancouverdeb: Thanks for checking in on me, Susan and Deb. It was nice to see I wasn't abandoned.

I hope everyone here is okay and that I didn't miss too much. Some threads I'll have to skim because there's hundreds of unread posts. When the tax-stress has ameliorated.

>54 SandyAMcPherson: Sympathy for your tax tribulations. I hope that's all behind you for another year. I never asked our accountant for explanations. We just feed her the papers and numbers she asks for and let her do the work. Well, Mike does all that now, I just maybe sum up some donation and sales tax numbers and sign my name after he's run the statements to her.

>54 SandyAMcPherson: - Total sympathy on the tax stuff, Sandy. And the little picture you used in that post is perfect. I may borrow that one! I totally trust my tax guy and like Susan, I pretty much hand him the papers and sign where he says to sign. But the real *joy* (not) or me begins tomorrow, when I head back to Montreal, to hand in papers and meet with my mother's accountant, for her taxes. In Quebec, they have to file provincial and federal separately. Of course they do. Only in Quebec (as far as I know). It's a pain in the ass. I grew up in Montreal but left before I ever had to do taxes so I understand nothing. I remember trying to do my own taxes after getting my first real full-time job. I think I struggled with that for around 2 or 3 years. After that, I said no more. With a full time salary, I allowed myself the luxury of paying someone else (who knew what they were doing!), to have all the fun.

Thanks for visiting, Susan and Shelley. It was certainly quiet in here...
I haven't been reading and couldn't look at the computer screen. I think I'm on the mend though.

Sheesh, if it isn't one thing (like Covid, which I apparently had in early March), it's another. This time it was a Benign Vertigo (BPPV, to give it the full acronym), with the room spinning, and bright lights or sun making my head hurt. Couldn't walk a straight line for love 'nor money. Certainly no driving.

Had to return library books unread/unfinished. I had started A Paper Conspiracy and couldn't seem to hang onto the storyline, I think because the print would dance around after two pages. Good grief!

So this is now a very boring thread. I've tried visiting a few threads the last couple or three days but can manage only a tiny amount of delurking. Just saying, so folks don't wonder if I passed away or something...

>54 SandyAMcPherson:, >56 jessibud2: Keith Haring! He grew up in a small town about 15 miles away from me.

>54 SandyAMcPherson: I confess that I don't have to file tax returns because I am too poor for the government to care. It's one big benefit of having nothing.

*there there, pat pat* for your poor headachy self.

*smooch*

Hi Sandy, How horrible what you have been dealing with. Sure hope you are out the other side very soon. It sounds so disruptive of every day life and uncomfortable.

Sorry to see that taxes are an aggravation for you Sandy. I find doing them online a pain but used to like filling in the forms when they were paper and found it no problem. Perhaps that's because I grew up in Quebec and had to do the separate federal and provincial forms when I first started working. After that it was a piece of cake although I will admit doing my ex's taxes could be a bit of a challenge as he worked on call for five different companies so I had to keep that straight.

>57 SandyAMcPherson: I can confirm that BPPV feels anything but benign. Mine was a flake of something floating in some ear canal and only got me with head angle changes so I managed to drive to the appointment in a stiff necked fashion. I probably shouldn't have. The last couple of times I put myself through the maneuvers I looked up online and it did the trick.

>58 weird_O:, >59 richardderus:, >60 mdoris:, >61 Familyhistorian:, >62 quondame: Thanks so much for leaving messages.
I am back in short bursts and plan to visit everyone's threads.

Haven't any reading to discuss yet, but working up a May list! Boy, April is turning out to be a very dry reading month. Several started and all abandoned or were due back. Thank goodness I don't have to review books for a living!

Very sorry to read about your BPPV. Many years ago in my when I was about 31, I took the train from Winnipeg to Vancouver. When I got off, it felt like I was still moving. A couple of days later I had full on vertigo. It was dreadfu,l and after a few days I went to my GP and he told me it was likely labyrinthitis. I had two young kids. aged 2 and 7 and that was awful. My GP kept me going on hope, saying maybe it will last 3 week, then 3 months then I was referred to vertigo clinic at VGH where they did some testing by pouring water in my ear and ?? measuring my eye movements. It's called ' electronystagmography'. Anyway, so it was thought to be labyrithitis, which I my GP had already told me. As the months went on , it gradually lessened, but it lasted 18 months. But at 3 weeks or so, I decided I just had to get on with life and went back to jogging, driving etc as one must with two young kids. My gp prescribed me Antivert, which I am not sure really made a difference,but one gets desperate. I eventually tried stretchy wrist bands with some sort of pressure point that is supposed to relieve vertigo. Again, I'm not sure if they helped. Anyway, finally after 18 months it gradually faded away. Since then, I get the occasional day or hours of vertigo, but knock on wood, very brief.

I hope you are feeling much better. Yeah, vertigo is never " benign feeling at all. A close friend of mine developed something similar, but she lost the hearing in one ear permanently over just a weekend. She had a CT scan within two days, but they did not find anything .

I wish you a good month ahead life wise and reading wise.

>63 SandyAMcPherson: I am feeling April drought because I have piled on so many not-fun books. And have more to go. Some have been worth my time but I'm missing my sucked in for an far-out adventure fixes.

>64 vancouverdeb: Improving slowly, thanks Deb.
I even was successful in venturing out driving yesterday. A much-needed visit to the library to pick up a BB I had from Mary (mdoris).

>65 quondame: Lately, I noticed quite a number of "not fun" titles in your reading. Still, 97 books-read before the end of April is quite the pile and not to be discounted (in my world, it would be impossible to read that many so quickly!).
Here's hoping the next titles are enjoyable and captivating. Maybe a new Jodi Taylor (if there is one, along the lines of the highly amusing Just One Damned Thing After Another)?

>67 SandyAMcPherson: A CATALOGUE OF CATASTROPHE is the latest in the series...#13! I'm deeply addicted to the stories. Max and Leon of course but Markham and Helen, too. The time -travel element is of course nonsense but I like the idea of it. If only... I keep thinking. Another time -travel story I love is TIME ON MY HANDS by Peter Delacorte. Time travels to rectify the horrors of the present are always fun to read for me.

I'm sorry to hear about your vertigo, Sandy. I hope you feel better soon. I gave up on taxes years ago and take them to the accountant.

Sorry to read that your vertigo is still plaguing you. I guess maybe it is " going around? " I only say that because my mom is currently also suffering with vertigo. She is 81, so I worry a little more about here now. She has had bouts of Meniere's Disease off and on since maybe in her 30's ? Her's had been troubling her for about 8- 9 days now, so longer that usual. She actually vomited on Saturday, so I went over on Sunday to make sure she was doing okay, and took her some hamburger soup so she doesn't have to cook. I was relieved to see she was doing fairly well, and cheerful. My sister lives with her, so she is not all alone. But it never hurts to let your family or friends know that you love them . She has several Royal Family gossip sort of books, and I took over a crossword book as she enjoys those too. I'll check on her again in a day or two and I think she will continue to improve.

I explained on my thread that the water in my ears thing is some sort of diagnostic test for vertigo, rather than thought to be of help. It was not too bad, though that was some 30 years ago.

Hi Sandy, and a belated happy new thread.

From your last thread: As time goes on, I notice a little less enjoyment in the subsequent books in series I'm following. Yes, I absolutely agree. One of the few series that I’ve read to current completion recently is the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths.

>1 SandyAMcPherson: Nice puzzle.

>2 SandyAMcPherson: I’ve read A Conspiracy of Paper and hope you love it.

>27 SandyAMcPherson: Yikes. I’m so sorry that you probably had a low-grade Covid infection, not caught by a test.

>57 SandyAMcPherson: AND BPPV. You’re really not catching a break right now.

>63 SandyAMcPherson: I’m glad you’re making up a May reading list.

>66 SandyAMcPherson: I’m glad you were able to drive the other day.

>70 vancouverdeb: Ha ha, Deb, "going around" *snort*.
Ménière’s disease is pretty nasty according to a friend whose Mom has it. Sympathy to your Mom. I have definitely had that ruled out for me.
I seem to have largely recovered now, though I am still leery of driving.

>71 karenmarie: Hi Karen, nice to see you here.
That fractal puzzle is one of the few I've saved from our massive tou=y decluttering. It's very complex so good for older kids if they like puzzles. And it is small, about 6-in by 3 in. so easy storage.

I am in a queue to check out A Conspiracy of Paper again. Only 2 copies in our system and I'm back at #12 last time I looked. It's gardening clean-up season, so I'm slacking off requesting books right now.

The BPPV has about 90% resolved and I can read again. I am so addicted to bedtime reading, I am glad that can resume.

Just skimmed your thread this morning and see that it is a special day, #32-anniversary. All happiness to you and Bill.

>69 BLBera: Hi Kim, thanks for the visit...
We gave up doing the taxes ourselves years ago, but we still have to gather all the receipts and information slips from hither and yon. I stress over managing this electronically these days as all our accounts are via online.

>68 richardderus: Glad you have been enjoying the time travel saga. Ages since I read any Jodi Taylor. I stopped enjoying certain aspects but can't remember what put me off. The first few books were really amusing.

Edited to say I bogged down with Lies, Damned Lies, and History, which I think I was reading in 2020. I bet the angst of the pandemic had hit hard and I need a different sort of story at that moment ~ late 2020 was when I hit the wall for many of the more adventurous stories. Not that we're out the other end of this vile infection, but I have become accustomed to its presence.

>75 SandyAMcPherson: The Chronicles of St. Mary's did get rather grim for a couple of books - but at least for me, it lightened up a bit in more recent entries. I haven't got into The Time Police yet, though I've several on my Kindle.

>75 SandyAMcPherson: I suspect that there won't be an "other end" for COVID. It's going to be endemic from here on is my bet.

Maybe time to revisit the St Mary's series...?

>76 quondame: Never heard of The Time Police TBH.
I seem to be wallowing in really different reading types, many flavours of series out there but nothing resonating. I don't mind. Doing some re-reads off the shelves at home.

>77 richardderus: Nah. I'm rather bored with the characters now. Exploring different books ATM. Not that I've counted them as 2023 reading, just browsing the stacks at the PL and sitting in one of the comfortable alcoves there. I also like the free reading I can do with the 'zines and newspapers.

And yeah, def the Sars-Cov #-whatever is here to stay. Pandora's box and all that.

I finished a couple re-reads this week. Both fall into the comfortable category.
#35 The Nonesuch (Georgette Heyer)
~ which I continue to rate as a 4*-star story.
I developed a different view of Laurie as I read the book this time. I used to rather despise him, but maybe I mellowed? I quite enjoyed his antics. Heyer's ability to draw lively characterizations are always so satisfying. Many laugh-out-loud moments.

#36 The Clairvoyant Countess (Dorothy Gilman)
~ also a 4* story.
Countess, Madame Karitska is a timeless character in so many ways. I find the plot and serenity of Madame Karitska surprisingly soothing. Perhaps it is the joyfulness of her life and her positivity.
My edition is from 1975, yet the setting and the action seems reasonably current and could be reflective of parts of America today. OK, no mobile phones and computers, but there's a realism that feels very present. So unlike the Pollifax stories which I used to enjoy but can no longer stand to read.

It is such a relief that this vertigo affliction has retreated into the background. I have some e-book loans ready now and will start some new stories tonight. *does the happy dance*

>58 weird_O: Bill! I missed commenting awhile back... my eyeballs were dancing jigs and I was having trouble reading the screen.

I didn't know who drew that marvellous head-blowing-up caricature. I had it in my junk gallery and never saw the attribution, having likely snagged it from someone's post ages ago.
He was a pretty fabulous philanthropist. I surmise he died of AIDS. I realize now I am familiar with some of his other art.
Thank you so much for mentioning this.

Slow poke here finally noticed that there was a message in my menu header ~ I'm hardly on the 'Home" page, usually hang out on the 75 group's Talk page or my book catalogue page.

Anyway, after a bit of a desert with requesting ER books, I was awarded Me Three by Susan Juby from the April 2023 batch.


I'm so surprised! Usually Juby has tons of other publicity channels, in the Penguin-Random House empire. She's a popular Canadian author, lives in Nanaimo (Vancouver Is.), so I normally don't get a look in via ER.)

In fact, I was surprised to see Juby's book listed on LT's ER at all and yay! it's a physical book. She writes for the YA genre, so easy to share with my grandchildren.

Edited a bazillion times to force a touchstone. Had to resort to the "a href" format.

>82 SandyAMcPherson: It's cool that the ER drought is over and that you got that one!

I have LT messages configured to send e-mails, but I usually notice the bright spot in the LT header bar.

Congratulations on your ER win. I hope you enjoy Me Three - can't find the touchstone. You are correct, Susan Juby is a popular Canadian writer. My local library had her as a guest speaker in the past year, though I did not go to the gig at the library. They have many copies of her latest book for adults, Mindful of Murder. I'm very glad you are feeling well, and thanks, yes, my mom is back to 100 %.

Hi Sandy, I've been slow to return your visit. I'm glad to see your health woes have passed and you're able to read again. How exciting to score an ER book. It's been a long time since I requested any, but I do remember that frisson of excitement at winning one.

I had so much fun reading about squirrels wayyyy up above somewhere! They really are cheeky buggers. However Miss Posey, resident corgi, is particularly scandalized by chipmunks. She can see out a particular window in the morning when we go downstairs and she stops and is utterly focussed and alert for a moment looking, listening before we go out. If there is one nosing around the birdfeeder (now put away) she's after it like a bullet. Of course, she never gets close!

Also -- commiserate about fun-book droughts. Except for my semi-furtive listening to romance audios when driving around doing things, I have not been reading as many fun books as I'd like. Part of it is a determination to Do Something about the back up of books on my TBR shelves. I am getting somewhere, but books seem to wander into the house as fast as I can shovel them out. Ah well.

>84 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, I bet Susan Juby is an entertaining speaker.
I have tried to interest our local Indie bookstore (McNally-Robinson) to invite her but apparently it is the publisher's duty to arrange these travel gigs.

>82 SandyAMcPherson: Edited the book post to force a touchstone. Had to resort to the "a href" format.

>83 quondame: Hi Susan, truth to tell, I disabled e-mails from LT because I found amongst all the incoming stuff that I really didn't need to see LT messages. Mostly I pick up everything when I'm on the website.

I quit requesting ER books awhile back, I think last summer. I was having a PL cascade of loans piling up. I had several e-books at one point and those I couldn't renew so I got very picky about what I'd choose on ER and nothing appealed strongly.

>85 lauralkeet: No problem, Laura. One should never feel "have-to-ish" about LT, eh? I tend to go down a rabbit hole when I'm on LT, exploring all the potential BBs and following other links.

I've learned that I'll be too stressed if I try to stay on top of commenting on every unvisited thread, so I do a skim and lurk approach. I try to put a priority on my own thread first and then allow myself only a few talk thread visits.

Compelling garden time. The days are sunny and the garden is waking in a rush. I swear you can see the herbaceous perennials' lengthening leaves if you watched closely. I absolutely must get the overgrown and unattractive perennials divided and replanted so they thrive again. I'm about 5 years behind on that chore out front of the property. Some of the plants have become so woody and feeble, I hope I don't lose them.

>86 sibylline: Nice to see you visit, Lucy.
Recently, I re-read an old BB I had from you and thoroughly enjoyed Redhead by the Side of the Road. I didn't add it here as a re-read, but I will, to remind myself if nothing else.

I completely understand that determination to Do Something about the back up of books on your TBR shelves. I am in the same boat, probably like so many of us here!

I've been meaning to read some Penelope Lively. I bought quite a few of Lively's books (paperbacks) at a garage sale, just before the pandemic and by golly, it is ridiculous that I haven't read more than half of them. They are not as light a read as I needed when Mr. Coronavirus came to isolate us all and create stress, which may be why I didn't keep up with my reading plans.

I just saw your mention of spicy green beans over on Richard's thread -- do you have a recipe? We like green beans but I never seem to make them anything but boring :(

>91 RebaRelishesReading: Sure do. I'll PM you, OK?
Lovely to see you drop by!

>92 SandyAMcPherson: Thank would be great -- thanks :)

>93 RebaRelishesReading: 👍

Happy May Day, Sandy!

>95 richardderus: Hi Richard. Thanks for stopping by to give me greetings.
I've been so distracted with the spring garden clean up that I forgot today was Beltane.
Don't you love that Pagan traditions persist? Garden readiness to encourage the flowering plants seems a suitable activity, though I was forgetful.

Happy May Day, Sandy! I kind of forget about that until I saw RD 's post, Enjoy dancing around the May Pole! I know I did. ( kidding ) .

>96 SandyAMcPherson: I'm never surprised that such ancient traditions survive, Sandy. I'm more shocked that more haven't. We're creatures of the Earth and, while we do our best to ignore that truth, we really need the season marking festival feasting or we get weird in the head.

Gotta do right by our Mother....

April reading roundup, giving a new meaning to "a lightning round" (the term derived from Karenmarie's end-of-month traditional wrap-ups) ~ These were all re-reads.

I DNF'ed a number of books this month, ones that had lingered too long on my 'In Progress' shelf. I never made it far enough into the story to form an opinion besides bored and not engaging. I don't count DNFs simply for boredom.

35. The Nonesuch (Georgette Heyer) ****
36. The Clairvoyant Countess (Dorothy Gilman) ****
37. Kaleidoscope (Dorothy Gilman) *****
38. Hot Art (Joshua Knelman) ****
Hot Art was not as enjoyable as in 2017. My anxiety level probably to blame. I originally rated it 5★'s. Still very interesting however.

I reviewed the others earlier, except Kaleidoscope. Just finished that one last night and it was as engaging as ever. Still a 5★ read for me, so nothing new to add to the review. I posted previously (on the Kaleidoscope book page). A lovely sequel to The Clairvoyant Countess.

I have Messy Minimalism requested as an e-book. It was a BB from Mary (mdoris). I checked out the physical book last week, but the print is like a Calibri Light font and sized about 9. No way I'm going to struggle with such an eye-watering print edition. I can enlarge the font on my e-reader, even if I can't darken it.
Here's hoping May will develop into literary discoveries. I want to get out of the re-reading comfort trend.

Richard (at #97), which comes up >97 vancouverdeb: vancouverdeb for spring weirdness (?) ~
I loved that phrase in your post, or we get weird in the head.

I'm feeling that weirdness tonight. Too much sun, drying wind and no rain. The Goddess of Spring is ignoring us. Last year, Her sister, 'Summer' sent snow on June 21 because 'Spring' was off somewhere flooding Britain, iirc.

I seem to have a bug in my thread: #98 entirely missing!

Interesting... Not sure what's happening, but I see Richard's post at #98, >98 richardderus:. Also see Deborah's post as #97, >97 vancouverdeb:. Whatever was happening seems to be fixed, at least on my end!

>100 SandyAMcPherson: - Hi Sandy. It's only 4C h ere right now and if we are lucky, we will get up to 9C. It's rained for so long I forget what the sun looks like. Yes, weird. I'm ready for it to move on elsewhere...

>100 SandyAMcPherson: Sounds like it's time to sacrifice some kittens to Eostre, then. The lack of a real spring will screw up the whole rest of the year! Weird about the numbering....

Hi Sandy! Is the weather improving? Or the reading?

Hi everybody. Thanks for dropping by.
I'll answer/comment tomorrow when I've regained some mental energy. Family was visiting from out of town ~

~ not as hectic as this, but close!

I'm not the youngster I used to be at 60, when small people didn't overwhelm me so much.

>106 SandyAMcPherson: - LOL! I felt that way when I brought Theo home from the shelter. All my previous cats lived to be geriatric. I wasn't prepared for his 9 month old self. 2 and a half years on, I am still waiting for him to outgrow his energy and I hope it comes while I still have some!

>107 jessibud2: Heh, one of the attractions of a French Bulldog was their couch potato tendencies which Nutmeg has shown only in quite limited amounts. We hoping they'd kick in at 2, now we're waiting on 4.

>106 SandyAMcPherson: Boy oh boy can I relate to that!!! (as least as far as tithe 5-year-old is concerned)

>106 SandyAMcPherson: Egads! Your survival is miraculous 💪. Congratulations on making it to the other side.

*Smooch*

>102 drneutron: I'm back now (see #106) and yes, Jim the bug whatever it was has reset correctly. Maybe an LT server glitch.

>103 jessibud2: Shelley, please send rain. Haven't had a drop since last summer. The snow sublimed and didn't penetrate. The ground was probably still frozen.

We've had spring (it lasted for approximately 4 hours around May 4th). Then summer arrived and the high 20's to low 30's had a field day. Now were back to 4 o or 5 oC overnight and cool days. No rain at all.

In honour of any American visitors, who want to make sense of the temperatures like what 4 oC means, I am posting a photo of the most useful thermometer* in our house ~
well, attached outside the kitchen window.
It's currently 7:45 pm (CST); the sun will set in about 2h.

*Acquired 40 years ago, when this store's advertising promotions still included actual useful items and obviously of great quality despite the logo and lack of pretension to beauty.

>108 quondame: Hi Susan. We're weathering the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not...

>109 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba. The grandson was pretty good really. His sister had to stay home with the Dad because school... so no sibling fights.

>110 richardderus: Thanks, RD. I admit to being pretty wiped, miraculous that I mostly got enough sleep (just not enough reading!).
It was 'only' 2-weeks. And so lovely that travel like this is possible again.

I think Shelley probably suffered more when she >107 jessibud2: brought Theo home.

It's a glorious 17C right now and I could not be happier. A boardwalk day with winds off the ocean and sun beating down... perfect... I dropped a book I didn't like much at the Little Free Library (review on my 🧵) and found a treasure trove of goodies that the library chucked out!

>115 richardderus: Heh, loved your LFL book haul. And appreciate that you used Celsius in telling me how comfortable your temps were today on the boardwalk.
Plus, how nice that I didn't catch any flack for how I spelt honour . Canadian spelling rocks. At least in Canada...

I'm having a lot of trouble catching up on threads (🧵's as RD posted) (💖 the icon).
I'm way behind on the garden renovations I was supposed to do this spring and everything that needed dividing or thinning out is just not happening fast enough. Mr. SM says to abandon it this year and plan for the spring in 2024.
I wonder if late summer might work? I don't want to wait until next year. Who knows what it will be like and one is foolish to count on the weather-fairy being co-operative.

I have to write some book reviews now that the last 2 reads have settled in my mind. But first, I think it is naptime.

>117 SandyAMcPherson: I am on Team Mr. SM on the garden's timing because the truth is if you do it now the summer won't be kind and if you wait until fall you'll have the overwinter without adequate growing-in time. Spring 24 for the win.

>116 SandyAMcPherson: I wouldn't dream of criticizing your orthographic solecism on your own 🧵.
Isn't that icon the cutest?
Why not save you the math and post the temperature in Celsius on your Canadian's thread? Of course it is easy to get the conversion on this miraculous hand held computer that is more powerful than the ones I used to do my job on. Not like the old days of doing the math by pencil and paper. *shudder*

>117 SandyAMcPherson: Naptime is the BEST Sandy!

>118 richardderus: Yeah, that's probably what will happen with the garden renovation because, assuming WestJet isn't on strike again, I'm visiting on the west coast in early September. And for all I know, it could snow in August (seeing as how the rain goddess is apparently down east and plaguing the folks in Quebec).

Heh, I had to look up orthographic solecism (of course I did).
So to remind myself* of this wonderful descriptor combination:

A solecism is a phrase that transgresses the rules of grammar.
Orthography is the art of writing words with the proper letters according to standard usage.

*because my mind is too full and these phrases are so word smithy-worthy. (Ooops. Unintended alliteration.)

>119 mdoris: It's one of the unexpected benefits of retirement!
I never used to feel it was a good idea to snooze because the perception of ruining my night's rest was commonly touted as a problem. Only now do I realize what balderdash that turns out to be.

>121 SandyAMcPherson: Balderdash, such a great word!

Hi Sandy! Glad to see you back in the thick of LT!

Glad to see you back, Sandy! I loved your cartoon on my thread, Sandy! And I am old enough to have played Red Rover many times when I was young so I get it!! I'm also old enough to think mainly in Imperial , though I am somewhat bilingual in Imperial and Celsius. I was taught Imperial until about grade 6, and then - the change to metric happened. But I still convert a lot in my mind. I find F to be a lot more meaningful that C. As far was height and weight go, Imperial please.

Hi Sandy! I was just catching up on Deborah's thread and also enjoyed the cartoon. I love Sandra Boynton. We had a few of her books 25-30 years ago, when my two were little, and they were such fun to read.

>106 SandyAMcPherson: Very apt, Sandy. Still, what would life be without the grands.

>112 SandyAMcPherson: Great thermometer. I can do ballpark calculations, but this would be very helpful.

>120 SandyAMcPherson: I'm very pleased that you liked my phrase-mongering, Sandy! Those two are very useful words to have in the toolkit. I do tend to send people to their dictionary rather often but I don't think that is a particularly bad thing.

*smooch*

Having just reviewed Who Cries for the Lost, I was pleased to discover that CS Harris (aka Candice Proctor) is writing Book #19 ~

Quote:
I’ve just finished writing #19, WHAT CANNOT BE SAID (coming in April 2024), which takes place shortly after Waterloo in July-August of 1815 and is set against the backdrop of Napoléon’s surrender and the agonizing British decision of what to do with him.
Plus, ... And now I’m just starting work on #20, which takes place in August of 1816, the “year without a summer.”

Those of us who've followed Sebastian and Hero through thick and thin will rejoice!

>128 SandyAMcPherson: oOoOO OOO oOoOO! I'm so here for the 1816 story! I don't know why people don't write more about that incredibly awful fascinating year.

*smooch*

>129 richardderus: I so agree. The eruption of Mount Tambora had such devastating effects, even in creating crops failures or shortages throughout North America and Europe.

It's been a busy time post having family visit. Days are taken with catching up on the perennial garden renewal, helped along by Mr. SM taking on the care and attention of planting out the vegetable garden.

The evenings are light until after 9 pm and that's a lovely time to go for a walk around the neighbourhood and admire everyone else's gardens. We all deplore the predation of the over-abundant Jack Rabbits, so lots of conversations about planting varities that the rabbits tend to ignore.

In the reading front, I have finished a few titles this month for my 2023 reading list. I think tomorrow I'll do a month-end summary of the books, since I have reviewed them on the book pages as I go but it's always nice to briefly summarize them on this thread.

>122 mdoris: Hi Mary, so happy you visited. Balderdash is a fun word for 'nonsense' without being pointedly critical, yes?

>123 quondame: Hi Susan. I'm not precisely in the thick of it, having lurked more than posted. Nice to see you here, for sure.

>124 vancouverdeb: Deb, slow to answer... glad you liked the cartoon! It seems ages now since my grandson was here. Missing my family already.

>125 lauralkeet: Always fun to see that others enjoy Sandra Boynton. She's one of the authors I only discovered when there were grandchildren to read to. In my children's day, we lived in semi-rural places where the trip to the library was quite a distance and not as well stocked as the larger city PLs.

>126 BLBera: Hi Beth, life would be less rich without the grands for sure.
I like the double scale on the thermometer so that I can instantly see what my American counterparts are experiencing. I have thoroughly converted to Celsius (mentally-speaking).

Now when someone reports temperature in Fahrenheit, I have only the vaguest sense of how cold/hot this is. I don't do the calculation at all. I'm just not handy that way unless I have a pencil and paper (or more likely a calculator).

I went down a Book-Rabbit hole today... blew off the entire afternoon.
Well, too hot to garden and I didn't feel up to working on my sewing project.

So I discovered with some encouragement from Linda's thread that vellicore is a perfect word for us LTers.

Mr. SM explained further (being such a word-source nerd type of guy), that this word appears in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. 'Vellichor' is reported to be "The wistfulness of a second-hand bookshop".

Now how fun is that?

>134 SandyAMcPherson: - I'm writing that one down! Perfect! (though I bet Richard knew it, Mr. Vocab Himself ;-)

>135 jessibud2: Yeah, and I didn't know my Mr. SM was so vocab either.
Thanks for dropping by.

>134 SandyAMcPherson: I must be some sort of a sport among book lovers the I just want to leave a second hand bookstore pretty much as soon as I don't see a well ordered shelf full of instant temptation. Perhaps it's that the small group of stores along one of our west side's larger EW boulevards never had anything I was looking for and were mazes of colorless dusty volumes unordered as far as I could tell. I never thought old books smelled good either.

>137 quondame: Our Used Books store (Westgate, https://www.facebook.com/westgatebooksinc/photos) is a pleasantly walkable few blocks north of us, along the streets with modest neighbourhoods.
The shop is clean, the books are thoroughly curated for quality condition, and the shelving is very organized.

It is certainly piled high with cartons of books around the intake desk because it's only one of 2 shops in town that take in trades and issue credit slips. The owner is very knowledgeable and will take requests, which his staff are reliable about following up.

I've found masses of excellent out-of-print or new releases there and get to use my "funny money" as we call the credit slips.

I don't notice an odour there like folks associate with antiquarian bookshops. I think it is because the really old books (which is the source of that odour) are few and far between and turn over quickly.
Westgate is very reasonably priced too.

Vancouver Island has a number of excellent bookstores in attractive settings. Vancouver has lost most of its vintage shops. The ones left, I dislike. McLeod's for example is a hideous mess. So cluttered, you couldn't find anything by genre or author. And yes, filthy to boot. It's been around for yonks.

Today heralds the May month book summary along with some concise words of review.

It is satisfying to regain some reading mojo as the vertigo which sent my eyes into chaos became manageable, then went to hide out from wherever it came. I managed 8 books, not all of them adult reads. Of the 8 books read, 5 were enjoyable, 1 was an only-OK re-read (#39), #44 was disappointing and #46 was a penny-dreadful.

39. Playing for Pizza (John Grisham)
3½ ~ Fun re-read; flawed plot construction more evident this time.

40. The Last Remains (Elly Griffiths) ****
4 ~ Enjoyable for a dénouement to the Ruth Galloway series.

41. Who Cries for the Lost? (C. S. Harris)
3½ ~a fuzzy-brain moment, too many characters to remember.

42. The Periodic Table of Elements (Jon Chad)
4 ~Fabulous fun for us science geeks, even adults.

43. Amazing cows! (Sandra Boynton)
5❣️ ~Splendid hilarity in reading to kids.

44. Penric's Labors (Lois McMaster Bujold)
3 ~ Disjointed novellas: no unifying theme with the Penric saga

45. Lavender House (Lev AC Rosen)
4 ~My favourite book this month. Intriguing 🌈 journey in a 1950's era.

46. The Missing Heiress (Karen Charlton)
2 ~Clunky plotting and stilted prose with tropes as characters.

C'est la vie. All in all, I had an excellent month's reading and found a new author to follow. I plan to keep track of Lev AC Rosen, a new-to-me writer.
I was very taken with his story about Andy Mills. There's apparently a second volume to appear in this saga and perhaps it will be as interesting as Book 1. I have been looking for series that's more contemporary than my usual fave historical mysteries set in the 16th- to 19th- centuries, something a bit out of my usual groove.

Sandy, see if your library has any of Sandra Boynton's books that come with cds. 3 that I have and used to use in my class with my students, that were very well loved: Philadelphia Chickens (I believe that one has Cows on it; we used a few of the songs for our spring concerts!), Rhinoceros Tap and One Shoe Blues. The most unlikely of famous people sing the songs and they are, without exception, terrific! And FUN. In Philadelphia Chickens, for example, the singers include Meryl Streep, Scott Bakula, Laura Linney, Kevin Kline, Natasha Richardson, among others. In fact, the adults may have had more fun with these than the kids. Just saying... ;-)

It’s June and half the year has zipped by.
Or, as a friend says, “Oh no, 2 months of bad skiing”. (Groan).
Full on summer weather has arrived in the last ten days, including thunderstorms of severe but very transient appearance. Welcome moisture for our desert conditions.

Another library cascade, this time 4 books, two of them e-books. I’m currently reading The Sinister Booksellers Of Bath (Garth Nix) first, because I know I can’t renew this one.

Then just yesterday, calloo-callay, Me Three (Susan Juby)
early reviewer's book arrived by post.

Of course in June there’s always some reading disruption, so less time on Talk threads, but all for fun reasons. Some visitors from southern Vancouver Island are driving out for visiting far-flung family and friends. Then we’ve a short trip to Edmonton (AB) towards the end of June to have a reunion at a friend’s 80th birthday. It will be a pleasantly busy time.

What do my LT friends have planned for this month?

>140 jessibud2: Hi Shelley,
Didn't "see" you before my June 1st post uploaded. I often forget to refresh the browser when I leave my Talk page open all night.

Thanks for the tip about Sandra Boynton songs on CDs. We don't have a way to play CDs ATM. Our CD player is kaput and our computers don't have optical drives, or even USB ports!

Amazing to me the rapid evolution of our computers and other such technology in our house changed so quickly (if you can count 5 or so years as 'quick'). We never replaced our TV which stopped working in the summer of 2019. I don't miss that equipment at all!

>142 SandyAMcPherson: Heh, we still have a VHS player hooked up. I don't think Mike or Becky could go more than a day without TV. Well, while camping or LARPing, but they'd still have their phones.

I don't think I'd be to happy without BritBox and Acorn TV and a few others. I really love an hours relaxation in front of the TV each evening. But good for you for feeling happy without a TV.

>143 quondame: TV was always a calming activity when I watched the programs with no advertisements except at the start and finish (like PBS). I loved when we could tape shows I wanted to watch later because we could fast forward through the ads!

Of course the VHS player died and the ability to play DVDs from the library took precedence, so I mostly quit watching the televised shows we used to enjoy.

I'm loving a membership with Kanopy as a library patron, but a laptop screen does rather diminish the cinematic effect. Maybe Mr. SM will decide to buy an up-to-date flat screen TV and I'll stream movies and see if PBS is still broadcasting shows that appeal. I am not motivated enough which is why I leave it up to the spousal unit to deal with choosing something.

>144 vancouverdeb: Well, I do achieve way more reading by doing without watching movies. I'm an 'after dinner and into the evening' reader.

Many of the movies we liked (DVD from the PL) were Acorn licensed, so I appreciate that you'd prefer not to lose your TV.

>139 SandyAMcPherson: Nicely done, Sandy.

>142 SandyAMcPherson: I never used to have a TV either. I bought one 3 years ago and it rarely is turned on at all ( mostly for Jeopardy). The summer brings long nights sitting outside until dark so no need for TV time too much. I do watch in winter a bit more. I grew up without cable...bunny ears and 6 channels if you were lucky.

Anyhow, happy weekending.....

>148 figsfromthistle: Anita, so fun that you shared your TV situation.
I was never much into television because I was 12 or 14 when my father decided to buy one (yup, bunny ears and then an aerial on the roof).

There were *rules* ! No TV after dinnertime (homework and reading; weekends, family board games and competitive sports). So the habit of TV was absent, during those formative years, especially as a teenager.
Most of my adult life we never had the money to indulge in luxuries, especially living in mountainous regions where there was zero reception without cable. Never felt deprived either and have a great love of reading, big plus.

>149 SandyAMcPherson: When my grandparents gave us their old TV about 1954 there were rules. Mickey Mouse Club was OK and my mother like Show of Shows but that was the last year and when the TV died toward the end of 1959 it was not replaced. Prior to that we were allowed to go to a friends house to watch Peter Pan at Christmas. I do remember being sent to bed just as King Kong escaped his chains at the theater and was troubled by nightmares from that into my 30s.

Oh, gosh, I've got some pretty fun tv memories! I'm circa 1961, and I do recall black and white TV's and rabbit ears. My paternal grandma loved Don Messer's Jubilee, and she and I used to dance together when she watched it. ( Not the whole time, but for some of the songs.) My family was not well off, but we were the first on the block to get a colour TV. My dad proudly brought it home and set up and we watched it. My dad would actually wake me and my sister up some nights on school nights when we were young and my mom would say , " Hugh , it's a school night! " My dad would say they need to watch " Pink Panther" to develop a sense of humour" , other times we'd be woken up to watch the news about the moon landing or an assassination in the USA, because my dad felt we needed to learn about history. I guess my dad thought they were teachable moments, even if we were young and it was late. He also loved Laugh In, Sonny and Cher and I do believe I watched the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. My mom enjoyed it too. The only real rule we had at home was the TV did not go on until maybe the 6 O'clock news. Despite that , no one in my family watched a lot of tv. I think we were just busy with playing outside, school, living life , working p/t as we got older. My maternal grandpa put together his own colour TV, a Zenith, I think it was. Happy memories! And four other siblings to share the TV with - lots of together time and sharing.

>151 vancouverdeb: What lovely memories, Deb. I think it was very amusing that your father woke you to see seminal events on TV!

I remember Laugh-In! It was at a friend's house where we held pot-luck dinners together. We'd put the little kids (3 of 'em) into a big claw-footed bath tub with bubble bath and then read stories. They'd fall asleep on mattresses on the floor and the adults would drink wine/beer and watch this hilarious show. I liked Goldie Hawn the best.

This was a weekly event for ages. I wonder what happened to everyone. Strange to think now of how our moving around to different places (work-related transfers) disrupted a lot of friendships.

>150 quondame: Your story reminds me, now, that we had an old B&W 'portable' TV in 1970.
It was a family cast off and received all of 3 channels(!) via the rabbit ears. The tube "blew out" after we'd had it only 5-months.

Funny thing, my mother never said a peep about TV to me, never made a rule or, if I wanted to watch something, complained...like reading, it was very much up to me what I consumed. I guess it worked...I never developed a TV habit. Movies on HBO, documentaries on PBS, a few select shows. The national news. maybe three hours a week. Now I'm old and disabled there's streaming stuff without the commercials I hate so very much, and I watch more than I ever did. But there are a lot more hours to fill now so it balances out.

I'm aiming to do my annual Pride Month daily parade of reviews so it looks like neither of us will be around a lot this month...

>134 SandyAMcPherson: >135 jessibud2: Vellichor is the lovely smell of vanillin coming out of the lignin in old paper. Artificial Vanilla is often made of paper waste because that's where the smell came from and someone thought, '...hmmm...'

>154 richardderus: Perhaps you'd like to know...
Paper has the lignin removed before the end of the pulping process. I did some work in conjunction with a researcher at PAPRICAN (their facility on the UBC campus). I won't bore you with the journal articles... Just saying.

Here are a few images of how we grow our cucumbers to save space and keep the "fruit" off the ground ~ this pertains to a conversation I've been having with Shelley over on her thread. It seemed inappropriate to post my garden photos on someone else's Talk where we discuss books!

.. ... ...

We grow the cukes on 2 tomato cage supports: one cage shoved well into the ground and the second one inverted and cable zip-tied to hold it in place.
If the cucumbers are prolific, we've often needed a stake to keep everything balanced since the wind can gust strongly through the back garden.
3rd photo: I always get a kick out of how the plants can hang onto anything the tendrils encounter.

I am endlessly fascinated by the chemistry of smells, so yes indeed, I do want to know when my memory fails me!

>156 SandyAMcPherson: - Thanks for that, Sandy. And by the way, you don't ever have to hesitate to post photos on my thread. I don't mind at all. Over the next few days (as time permits), I will post some photos myself. I hung the upside down tomato planter the other day and have my fingers crossed that it will not die on me. And today, while out looking for a small pot of mint (and not finding one), I instead came home with a pot of rainbow carrots. I will have to go buy a deep rectangular planter pot - I thought I had one but apparently not. And I simply don't have the space to put them into the ground. Those cukes of yours sure look big and healthy! I will have to think on where to place them next year if I decide to give that a try! Thanks again.

Snoozy in here, isn't it?
Yes! I have been visiting, specifically to update my reading list. A few really good reads and some bloopers.

All caught up now! Wish my cukes were growing like yours!

Hi Roni.
Our cukes are still only at the 4-leaf stage.
>156 SandyAMcPherson: The pix above are from last summer and we had enough of a glut to supply folks up and down the street! Off to a very late start this year.

Happy week-ahead's reads, Sandy! *smooch*

>138 SandyAMcPherson: McLeod's books is a challenge both to get around the aisle and to find anything when you do. Another used bookshop in Vancouver that I like is The Paper Hound. It's on Pender at Richards, if you are interested.

The memories of TV were interesting. We had one in the coldest room in the house (nothing to be sneezed at in Montreal) and had two channels to watch both CBC - one French and one English - until CTV came along.

>163 Familyhistorian: - TV memories. Remember CFCF channel ___ (I forget the number. 12?) in Montreal?

>164 jessibud2:, Hi Shelley. Nope don't remember any channels. Likely, where I lived during our owning a TV, we didn't have the same 'call signs'.

Not lost, simply reading, gardening and enjoying visits from family. On the cusp of the summer solstice so a wonderful time to have dearly beloveds with us.

>2 SandyAMcPherson: I have been updating my reading list, so if you are curious what I've read this month, have a peek at the titles listed for the month of June.

I'm on book numbers 56 and 57, as I swap out the two books between a re-reading of a Patricia McKillip novel (Solstice Wood), and a non-fiction, daily practice art book, (Sketch by Sketch).

This latter was recommended for creating soothing mental space and calming, productive activity. Struggling a bit with the directions but I do find Sheila Darcey's book more approachable than the highly-touted Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

Hi Sandy, good that you are not lost and are enjoying life. The long days are the best!

>167 mdoris: So true, especially since my winters are so fraught with deep cold and little outdoor activity (at least on my part).

>166 SandyAMcPherson: Good heavens, Sharon Shinn (>2 SandyAMcPherson:)! I used to buy those books for my daughter in the late 1990s. Never read one because fantasy isn't my go-to. You seem to have enjoyed them a good deal.

I'm glad you've been disfruiting the summer's delights.

Dropping in to say "hello" as I make catch-up rounds.

>169 richardderus:, >170 thornton37814: Thanks for keeping my thread warm!

I have been really preoccupied with unexpected family visits and no time to be active here. I wanted to do a short short June round up, but that will have to wait for at least another week.

PS I have been posting queries in the Name that Book group, so if anybody has time to make a suggestion, the novel we're especially hoping to find the author and/ or title is described here.

Hi Sandy. I was thinking of you and poof, here you are. I followed your link in >171 SandyAMcPherson: but it lead me to your page not the thread in the Name group.

I did find your query here, but am afraid I'm no help even though the plot sounds familiar. But then it would.

>172 quondame: Hi Susan. It is happy-making to see you visited. I didn't realize that I had mistakenly goofed up the "a href..." linking url. Late night and then a bleary awakening I guess. Thanks for clarifying/posting the correct url.

I sat up late with some family last night and we had such a great conversation about older style books. It was centred around the kind of stories we read as middle-graders and teenagers.

The one whose theme I mentioned in >171 SandyAMcPherson: (supposedly going to my query on 'Name that book') was one I read as an adult but some 40+ years ago, so no memory of it's title or author.

>163 Familyhistorian: The CFCF I remember from Montreal was the radio station, Shelley. We used to call it "cuff cuff".

Thanks for posting the info on Name that Book, Sandy. Very timely as I was just talking to someone who remembers a book but not the author or title.

>174 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, Glad I could help (unknowingly, mind you).
I find the folks on that group are wonderfully helpful, even with my hopeless descriptions.

Sunday *smooch*

>176 richardderus: *giggle*

I didn't see on LibraryThing any reference to the furor in changing the Kate Greenaway medal name, so I've borrowed a spot on Richard's thread to publicize the petition to revoke this dictatorial change in the medal's name.

Continuing my commitment to promoting support for REVERSING the undemocratic, crass Kate Greenaway medal name change. I have taken the liberty of posting a small selection of pointed and very eloquent criticisms from the comments section in the petition. Please feel free to also contact CILIP*

(attribution identities omitted)
---
For decades, I have taught and published on the subject of 19th C. women writers and artists. This offends me on so many levels, both professionally and personally, as a feminist researcher.
---
The award blurb says this rebrand creates opportunities for us to transform the visibility and profile of The Carnegies. Nonsense. It raises the visibility of one brand of audio players, which are overtly competing with printed children's books and their grand history of British children's book illustration.
---
Everybody is so tired of corporate nonsense. The Kate Greenaway medal is so well known, it’s absolutely not on to rename it for a man and a giant corporation, that’s not in the spirit of things at all.

... And whoever those people are who want this thing named after themselves, shame on you! If you think high quality literary illustration is important then by all means sponsor it. But making yourself the centre of the attention is just crass.
---
Outrageous! Yoto Carnegie? Give me a break. This is cultural vandalism. Please reverse your decision. Money isn't everything.
---
Kate Greenway name is recognised worldwide as an icon of style and inspiration in illustrating for children and the books they read, just as much as are the names of Beatrix Potter and Laura Ashley. Removing her name is an injustice and insult to her work and artistic legacy and indicates a mercenary, philistine attitude towards the significance of the award, ie focusing only on its potential as a 'brand' to garner profit and commercial patronage.
---
Dumping Kate Greenaway for a wealthy, controversial industrial baron's branding is beyond crass. Shocking that CILIP wouldn't know how tone-deaf and inappropriate this change was. FIX IT!!
---

*carnegies@cilip.org.uk to let them know you share the petition's sentiments.

CILIP = Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

>13 ArlieS: Thanks Arlie. I was scrolling way back to see where i stopped reviewing books and belatedly noticed this comment.
I wasn't entirely successful RE the BBs, but have had some fun reading this summer.

Not posting on my thread much. Family has been visiting at intervals, making up for lost time from the effects of isolating during CoVid followed by the most appalling air-travel "bus-in-the-sky" stupidity at airports.

Hi, Sandy! I needed to visit quickly after you so kindly looked at my sad little thread. I will certainly express my ire to CILIP, Jerks.

I love that you are reading your way through the year, and that's much more important than constant presence on the threads. I miss the time when I could do both, but the books are what brought us here. I miss the people too, but if I don't read, I don't have much to say........

Peace!

ETA: Using your url, I got a warning message from Avast, saying that the site was suspect, so I didn't.

"You are about to log in to the site “cilip.org.uk” with the username “carnegies”, but the website does not require authentication. This may be an attempt to trick you."

New-week greetings, Sandy!

*smooch*

>181 LizzieD: Just to clarify, should anybody visit and not notice (I did post on Peggy's thread), the url is not "carnegies@cilip.org.uk". That is the e-mail address to use with your e-mail client.

The urls of interest are (should this woman-bashing, history-revising furor over a literary award interest you):
Petition: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bring-back-the-kate-greenaway-medal
Further commentary: https://www.thebookseller.com/comment/bring-back-kate-greenaway.

Thanks for the links Sandy. This is so infuriating and unacceptable.

>184 mdoris: Hi Mary,
Thanks for visiting and seeing the links.
It's an important issue to be aware of what's happening. The trend to re-branding that eliminates literary history, especially women's achievements, hurts in so many ways.

My next book is Female Erasure a whopper of 575 pages. I will be reading it slowly over the fall but I anticipate there will be lots of content related to eliminating womens' achievements. It is very troubling.

>183 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks for the links, Sandy. It is infuriating.

>186 mdoris: A whopper is right! But a very worthy and timely topic. Just as it felt like society was moving towards inclusiveness, pow! and a big back-sliding happens. I plan to look for Ruth Barret's tome in our PL. Thanks for mentioning it.

>187 BLBera: Glad you found the links informative, though infuriating. I'm 'exercised' by this whole business of erasing/rewriting history.

>188 SandyAMcPherson: People with Agendas have been rewriting history forever...look at the church's preservation bias in passing down classical culture to us. The power of symbolism isn't lost on those who want the world to be just like them.

Tediously repetitive stuff, history. If only it would repeat some of the GOOD things for a change.

Hi Richard, nice to see you dropped by and added your thoughts. I agree completely, it is all about an agenda, isn't it.

Sleepyhead here finally realized tomorrow is the last day of July, so it would be nice to start a shiny new thread, yes?