Deborah ( vancouverdeb) reads in 2023 Part 3

One of my favourite places to walk. Steveston at dusk.

January
1 Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 4.5 stars F, American
2 The Fallout by Yrsa Sigurdardottir 4 stars F, Icelandic

February
3 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan 3 stars F, Ireland
4The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander 4 stars , Ireland
5Mrs England by Stacey Halls 4 stars, UK , F

March
6 Weyward by Emilia Hart 4.5 stars
7Trespasses by Louise Kennedy 4.5 stars, Ireland , F
8 The Bandit Queens byParini Shroff 4 stars , India, F

April

9)All The Broken Places byJohn Boyne 5 Stars, Ireland, M
10)Foster byClaire Keegan 3 stars, Ireland, F
11) The White Lady byJacqueline Winspear 4 stars , UK ,F
12)Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin 3 stars , F
13)The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke 4 stars , UK, F

May
14) The Midnight News by Jo Baker 5 stars, UK, F
15) Looking For Jane by Heather Marshall 3 stars , Canada, F
16) V For Victory by Lissa Evans 4.5 stars, UK, F

June
17)Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray USA, F 3.75 stars
18)Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris UK, F, 4 stars
19 Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan Ireland, M, 3.75 stars
20) The Butterfly House byKatrine Engberg , F , Denmark, 4 stars

July
21) Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry, M, Ireland, 4.5stars
22) Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill, N/B , UK/ USA 4 stars
23)Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe N/B USA 4 stars

August
24) The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt M, Canada DNF page 200
25) The East Indian by Brinda Charry F, India/ USA 4 stars
26 )A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo F, Nigeria 4 stars
27) The 4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie F, Britain , 3.5 stars

books read more

Prize Winners and Nominees

Q 1

Demon Copperhead Womens Prize for Literature Winner , 2023, Pulitzer Prize Winner, 2023
Small Things Like These Booker Prize Shortlist 2022, International Impac Longlist 2022,
Mrs England Walter Scott Prize Longlist 2022, Portico Prize Longlist, 2022
Trespasses Women's Prize for Literature Shortlist , 2023, Irish Book Award Novel Prize, 2022
The Bandit Queens Women's Prize Shortlist, 2023
Wandering Souls Women's Prize Longlist , 2023
The Lighthouse Witches Edgar Award Nominee , 2022

Q 2
Black Butterflies Women's Prize for Literature Longlist 2023
Strange Flowers Irish Book Award Novel Award 2020, International Dublin Impac Longlist, 2022

Q 3
Gender Queer Alex Award (2020), Stonewall Award Honorable Mention (2020)
Old God's Time Booker Longlist 2023
A Spell of Good Things Booker Longlist 2023

Current Read The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

June Wrap Up - Favourite read Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris

Happy new thread Deborah!
Oh no, I hope I didn't jump in too soon, I swear that last message had just said 'Welcome'.

Welcome to my new thread! All welcome!

>9 WhiteRaven.17: Please don't worry, Kro! The last message did say" Welcome" but then I added on one more category. You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by. Come again often. Entirely my fault.

Happy new thread, Deborah!

We started our new threads at the same time :-)

Happy New Thread, Deb! I love that topper. Lovely place to walk.

I have Black Butterflies on my bedside table. I think I need to read it. I also have Weyward on my kindle from the library, though, and I know you recommended that one. So many books!

Happy July to you, my friend.

Happy new one, Deb!

Happy new thread, Deb! Love your topper photo as well. :) Enjoy your Sunday!

Quickly to three threads, congratulations and happy new thread, Deb. xx

>1 vancouverdeb: Like Lavinia I really like your topper with its tangerine sky.

Happy new thread Deb! Butterfly House has a beautiful cover!

Happy new thread, Deborah. I love the photo at the top. I also loved Black Butterflies.

Happy new thread Deborah!

Hello Deborah and a happy new thread to you!

>12 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! Yes, I noticed you were starting a new thread at the same time as me. I purposely stayed away from your thread until I was sure you finished setting it up.

>13 EBT1002: Thanks , Ellen. Yes, I do love to walk in Steveston - as does Poppy, our dog and Dave. I hope you enjoy Black Butterflies as I did, and Weyward was one of my favourite reads, yes.

>14 drneutron: Thanks Jim. I appreciate all you do , keeping up with new threads. I so often use the " looking for thread" index that you created.

>15 PlatinumWarlock: Thanks Lavinia! As you know, the Pacific Northwest or Pacific South Coast as I would call it is a beautiful place. We are fortunate to live here.

>16 PaulCranswick: Several new threads started at once last night, yes, Paul. I was fortunate to capture that sunset on my Iphone a while ago.

>17 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! Nice to see you! If I was to pick my favourite book cover for June, I think I would be tied between Black Butterflies and Murder of Mr. Wickham. I'm glad you like The Butterfly House cover.

>18 BLBera: Great to see you, Beth. Back from your holiday. I'll have to stop by and visit.

>19 quondame: Thanks Susan!

>20 mdoris: Thanks Mary. Here's to good reads in July for both - all of us here on LT.

Happy new thread and long weekend reads!

I'm up, but I'm not about. I should make myself breakfast; it IS almost noon. Oh, and a second cuppa. Reading, for sure. Have a nice holiday, and don't blow anything up.

Hi Deb my dear, Happy New Thread. I hope all is well with you and Dave and of course Poppy and your family. Sending love and hugs to both of you from both of us my dear friend.

Happy new thread, Deborah! That's a beautiful picture in your topper.

I'm back in town, in time to congratulate you on your new thread. Like everyone else, I like your topper. It looks like you've got lovely places to take your walks.

Happy new thread! Beautiful topper!

>24 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! I had a fairly busy weekend and I'm hoping to finish off a book today!

>25 weird_O: Happy Fourth of July, Bill, and don't you blow anything up either!

>26 johnsimpson: Hi John! It's closing in on your birthday. Yes, all is well with me and my family . Love and hugs to you too, John and family. I hope you have a very special birthday!

>27 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. I was fortunate to take that picture with my Iphone a while back. We do get beautiful scenery in our part of the world, as you know.

>28 atozgrl: I'm glad you are back in town, Irene, and thanks for stopping by. I do enjoy my walks, most often with my dog Poppy, but I do walk by myself too.

>29 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda! I hope you have been having some good reads .

Happy New Thread, Deb. I like the Steveston topper. We are back home and hoping to get in some LT time. Things back up quick around here. 😁

>32 msf59: Thanks Mark! We do have some great walking areas around here. I try to go to different places most days, because I think Poppy enjoys that , and so do I. Yes, the threads move quickly , you are quite right! I'm going to try to get some reading time in now.

Happy New Thread!

I enjoyed catching up with you and have added two holds to my library list:

The Midnight News - I have a friend who loves WWII historical fiction, but don't remember her mentioning this one.

and The Tenant the first of the Kørner & Werner series. Love my mysteries!

And oh my! Taking the train from Lake Louise to Vancouver is now on my bucket list! Maybe next year!

>34 streamsong: Thanks, Janet! I'm delighted to add to your library hold list. I really loved The Midnight News - it was a favourite of mine, of the books I have read so far this year. Historical fiction with a mystery. The Tenant is good read too . I hope you enjoy them both. Yes, the train from Lake Louise ( Banff really ) to Vancouver would be a wonderful trip indeed! I hope after Dave retires we drive between Vancouver up to Banff, taking out time as we drive. Oh, next year perhaps for you? Let me know if you do so.

Happy new thread to you, Deborah. That really is a beautiful photo up top!

>36 Copperskye: Thanks Joanne! I'm fortunate to have so many beautiful places to walk in that are close to me.

Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry 4.5 stars

A very powerful and moving book. Tom Kettle is a recently retired police officer, who has moved to a small lean-to flat in Dunleary. He lives a solitary, sparse life. When two of his former colleagues turn up at his door, , in search of answers from a cold case, Tom finds himself pulled back into the dark time of his life. Beautifully written, this is the story of the love of family, the harrowing abuse by Catholic Priests, and its consequences.

Highly recommended.

>38 vancouverdeb: Yes a very powerful and moving book Deborah. I thought so too!

>39 mdoris: Indeed, Mary. I find myself still thinking about the book. Beautiful, but harrowing. I'm trying to decide on a lighter sort of read now, but I did really appreciate Old God's Time.

>38 vancouverdeb: I need to catch up on Sebastian Barry. I have only read one of his books and the genre is exactly my thing normally.

>38 vancouverdeb: I need to read more Sebastian Barry - I’ve really enjoyed the ones I’ve read and Old God’s Time looks great.

A friend of ours has been to Vancouver in the last few weeks - unfortunately her trip didn’t turnout quite how she planned. Her and her husband were intending to stay for several weeks to see their daughter who is there on a 2 year working visa. But just as she was leaving home she hurt her back. Initially she thought she had pulled a muscle but it turned out she had slipped a disk. Didn’t make for a fun holiday and they ended up having to come home early.

>38 vancouverdeb: I’ve put Old God’s Time on my TBR list, hopefully sooner rather than later. Thanks!

Karen O

Good grief, Deborah! I just saw that you had visited my new thread, and I didn't speak to you. I love to have you there, especially since almost nothing literary goes on.

I'm in and out here but not before seeing the Jo Baker book. She's the Austen Bennett's household from the servants POV, right? I liked that one. I'll hope to get to *Midnight News* now that I have it on my radar!

Meanwhile, forgive me and come back!

>41 PaulCranswick: Paul, I've read a couple of books by Sebastian Barry and enjoyed Annie Dunne, Days Without End and now Old God's Time. I'm sure you bookhorn one of his books sometime soon.

>42 SandDune: Hi Rhian. I'm sorry to read about your friend's slipped disc causing her pain on her trip to Vancouver and cutting short a trip to visit with her daughter. How unfortunate! My sister has son who has lived in the UK, and now Amsterdam , I know she and her husband really look forward to their trips to visit their son and also for him to visit here at home. That's too bad, indeed. I hope your friend's back is improving.

>43 klobrien2: Karen, I hope you enjoy Old God's Time when you get to it. Happy to pass along a book bullet. It is dark, just be warned.

>44 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Thanks for visiting my thread. Of course I'll be back to visit your thread , later today. Yes, Jo Baker also wrote Longbourn, which I loved! Midnight News is a wonderful read as well.

I'm a few days behind-hand, Deb, but here to say I hope you'll have a lovely weekend-ahead's reads.

>47Thanks Richard. I'm making some good headway into Our Hideous Progeny, which a retelling of re- telling of Frankenstein. I've never read Frankenstein, but I may have to so after I'm finished Our Hideous Progeny.It looks like a nice week end ahead.

Happy Friday, Deb. I enjoyed my Jackson Day! ❤️ So good to hear about Barry's latest Old God's Time. Another one to add to my obese TBR. How will I ever catch up? Have a great weekend.

I love a good mystery and Old God's Time made it to my library hold list but there are 46 holds in front of me so it might be a while before I get to it. VPL has 15 copies though, so you never know.

>50 Familyhistorian: Wow, Meg, no holds at all on Old God's Time at my library at all. Best of lucking eventually getting your copy. Nice day again today!

I try to use the library as much as possible, but I was tempted into purchasing a couple of new books earlier this week. I read a review of several romance/ mystery books and wanting a lighter read, I picked up The Benevolent Society of Ill - Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman as well as The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt. My library did not have the first book at all, and the holds for The Librarianist were very long and the library still has the book on order. Headed out to the second hand book store , where I have a credit and picked up a second hand copy of Frankenstein, which is interesting me since my current read is re-telling of Frankenstein.

Happy newish thread! Beautiful topper picture! I am behind on threads and reviews but hoping to do better.

>52 vancouverdeb: I'm such a slow reader I always buy my books, though I use my library for audiobooks and books for the kids. Not going to splurge?

What a beautiful topper!!
I've not read Barry but maybe I should. Sounds like a very interesting read.

>53 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! Good to see you. I need to catch up on the threads myself, which I'll do a little this evening. I'm just heading out to walk the dog. Thanks for visiting!

>54 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! My husband is retiring in the autumn of 2024, so we are trying to be more thrifty. I'm a pretty slow reader myself, so I know what you mean. I did splurge on a wee bit more for paper back copy of Her Lost Words by Stephanie Marie Thornton. My library does not have it, but my current read , Our Hideous Progeny is sort of a retelling of Frankenstein and it really a fascinating read for me, so I want to know more about the lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, so I could not resist.

>55 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda. It's a picture I took with my Iphone a little while back. Old God's Time is fairly harrowing read but I"m sure nothing you could not cope with. Let me know if you get to Barry.

Hello Deborah, "harrowing" very good word to describe Old God's Time!

>57 mdoris: Harrowing is a good word to describe Old God’s Tale, Mary. But it’s a very worthwhile read , as you know too . I know you are having lots of fun with your family and grandchildren!

Hi, Deborah! I've just caught up on your threads (sorry not to have checked in before this), and all the dog talk on the last one reminds me of my family's last two dogs. One of them was a puppy alone too much during the day, as we were all grown when my folks adopted him. After he chewed my dad's new shearling coat (the leather tailor asked if the dog was still living!), we got that dog a dog, a smaller terrier type who was delivered to us while my dad was painting the livingroom ceiling. The little one decided offense was the best bet, and chased the big one around the ladder until we were able to steer them out to the back yard, where they played for hours. After that it was Don Quixote and Sancho Panza all the way.

Hi, Deb. I think you may have missed me up there in #49 but I just rolled with it. LOL. I have put Old God's Time on my library list.

>59 ffortsa: Hi Judy! Great to see you, I'll get over to your thread too. Your dad's dog chewed up a shearling coat! Wow! I'm glad he lived to tell the tale, so to speak. It's great that you got a second dog to keep the first one company. My parents always kept two dogs, and they did play together most of the time, but occasionally fought together too.

>60 msf59: Oh, sorry, Mark! I did not notice you at #49. I love it when you visit . Glad that you have added Old God's Time onto your library list. I did not have any problem getting my copy from my library, but Meg told me she is one a long hold list at her library.

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Hi Deborah, I've not come across either of those Shelley books. I will wait to see what you make of them, as I still have a joint biography of the mother and daughter on the shelf to read.
Maybe this is their year?

>62 vancouverdeb: Great Wordle-ing! Have a great day!

Karen O

>63 charl08: Hi Charlotte.I'll let you know what I think Our Hideous Progeny as soon as I finish it, which should be tomorrow. I'm guessing that your book about the Shelley women is Love and Fury: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft ? I considered that before I purchased Her Lost Words. Always hard to decide between two books on the same subject/ people.

>64 klobrien2: Thanks , Karen! Yes, it was an okay day for wordling.

>63 charl08: and >65 vancouverdeb: There are several proper biographies of Mary Wollstonecraft but Romantic Outlaws is a biography of both Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley. I read it a year or two ago - it took me quite a while from when I first borrowed it from the library to get to it though, and does need fairly attentive reading. I enjoyed the Samantha Silva novel too, Love and Fury, but would recommend the non fiction over it, and there probably isn't so much new in the fiction work if you have read one or more of the biographies. Still on my TBR, Wollstonecraft's accounts of her travels in Scandinavia, which I think is both letters and journals and some work written for publication of some kind.

Greetings, you Franken-naive readeress you. I hope you find much to think about in it.

*smooch*

>66 elkiedee: Thanks Elkie, for your information on Mary Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft. I looked up Romantic Outlaws and sounds very good, but very long. I'll keep Love and Fury in mind to. They are both definitely very interesting people , from what I can tell so far from Our Hideous Progeny . Do you have a thread? I think that I read that you belong to the Club Read 2023, but I could not find your thread . I always like to return a visit, plus I just love to see you thread and what you are reading.

>67 richardderus: Imagine getting to the ripe old age of 62, Richard, and never having read or watched Frankenstein. That is abhorrent! I'm learning quite a bit so far. * smooch*

>65 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, as mentioned above the biography is Romantic Outlaws. Maybe I'll take it on holiday with me: it's a chunkster and I've not managed to get anywhere with it so far.

Hope you have a dry day for your walks with Poppy.

>69 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. Okay, it's Romantic Outlaws, thanks for letting me know. That is a chunkster alright. For now I'll stick to Her Lost Words since I already own it and it's something over 300 pages, rather than 720 pages, which I think that Romantic Outlaws is .

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Thanks. I haven't got round to creating a thread this year - I regard this group - 75 Books - as my main group where I set up threads in years when I do so. My other favourite group is Virago Modern Classics but people there don't really do individual threads in the same way, and then I join groups where LT friends hang out and post interesting things.

>72 elkiedee: Thanks Elkie. Okay, I won't look for your thread, but please continue to pop by if you wish . I'll have to have a look at the Virago Modern Classics group. If you do create a thread, let me know.

>72 elkiedee: I miss seeing Luci around the threads with as much regularity as before - fellow Yorkie and all (we both grew up in West Yorkshire).

Have a great weekend, Deb.

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Hi Deborah, you asked me about potential Booker nominees.

I found this good reads list, no idea how accurate it is but plenty of new-to-me books on it that look tempting!

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/177479.Booker_Prize_Eligible_2023

>76 charl08: Yes, Charlotte, I'm wondering about what will possibly on the Booker Long List, which is coming out on August 1. Not to long from now. I've watched several you-tubers predict what they thing might the possible 13 on the list. I'm getting quite excited! Thanks for the link to the eligible books.I agree , plenty of tempting books.

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Another lucky day for Wordle for me .

Our Hideous Progeny: A Novel by C.E.McGill 4 stars

Mary is a woman in Victorian London, who has a fascination with paleontology and science. She shares this interest with her husband , Henry Sutherland. Both are keen to make a name for themselves in the world of science, as well as reversing their financial situation . Unfortunately, neither one is socially adept, and Henry has a lot gambling debt. As Mary discovers old family papers regarding her great uncle Victor Frankenstein, she and Henry come up with plan to create a creature.

This was an enthralling read for me. I've not yet Frankenstein, but this immersed me into that world. The themes of science and ethics, reproduction, motherhood, mortality, feminism and loss are all present. If I have one criticism , it is that at times, the pace of the novel dragged a bit.

Recommended.

Happy Sunday, Deb. I hope you are having a good weekend. I will mostly be kicking back today with Juno and the books. We will also slowly start getting things ready for our next camping trip, which kicks off on Friday.

>79 vancouverdeb: I've put it on my library list.

Drat you anyway.

Sunday *smooch*

Like Richard, I'll add it to the list!

>35 vancouverdeb: the Banff to Vancouver trip is just dream stage. I have thought it would be fun to take the train to a meetup in Seattle, but the only place I could catch it would be at West Glacier in the middle of the night. Who wants to travel through stunning scenery at night? I'll have to do some investigating as I've long wanted to see Lake Louise and the one time I visited Vancouver, I thought it was stunning.

I just received Old God's Time from my library wait list. I have several that I'm reading right now, so I'll have to finish 2 or 3 before I start it. I haven't read anything by Sebastian Barry.

>80 msf59: Yes, thanks, Mark , a good weekend it is so far. Dave has the weekend off, which is nice in itself. I think I'm probably just going to hang around home today too and get some reading and maybe jigaw puzzling in today.

>81 richardderus: I'm delighted to send you a BB, Richard! I think you will enjoy it, at least I certainly did. Sunday *smooch*

>82 charl08: I'm quite sure you will enjoy Our Hideous Progeny Charlotte. It was one of those lucky finds at at the library. The cover grabbed me, as did the title, and I did read the blurb on the book, but I did really find it an interesting read.

>83 streamsong: A trip from Banff to Vancouver would be lovely, especially if you take a bus or car or whatever to see Lake Louise. Hmm, I think you must mean West Glacier Montana? and then from there to Banff? I am only familiar with Canada's VIA Rail and The Rocky Mountaineer, which I think both have good schedules for seeing the scenery in the daytime. I think only The Rocky Mountaineer goes via Banff, and VIA Rail goes via Jasper, which I feel is less pretty than Banff, but that is just me. I do hope you figure something out.

I'm glad Old God's Time came in from the library for you, and I hope you enjoy it. I've read a couple of other books by Sebastian Barry . Annie Dunne, which I loved, and Day's Without End, which I thought was just okay.

Yesterday after going out for my walk and drive out to visit my sister Ladner, Dave took me to see a little burrow of baby bunnies. They were so cute! The mom made a nest in a sandbox at the local school. Such a strange place , I think, for a mother rabbit to start a den. Anyway, people around the area have been kind. Someone supplied a card box top as more shelter, others had brought various types of food, like bit of apple, bits of lettuce and I filled up a container with water. It's great that with all of the kids playing around the area, no one disturbs the baby bunnies. We do have bit of problem with feral rabbit in Richmond, but still nice to see that people are decent.

>86 vancouverdeb: I have to say, Deb, that when you said "feral rabbit", I had an immediate flash to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 😱😱😱

Deb, I've added one book from every month you listed above. You are really reading some great books this year!

>87 PlatinumWarlock: Fortunately, the feral rabbits around here are pretty easy going! Thanks for the chuckle , Lavina.

>88 Whisper1: Thanks Linda. I'm glad you like my choices. I try to pick books that I hope I will like, and usually I am fairly fortunate. I hope you like the books when you read them.

Yeah, I understand trying to be thrifty! I have a "fun budget" which gets money if I work extra hours. I make a surplus of $100 over our budget each month, but we never manage to stay in budget, so the "fun budget" doesn't get a lot of money. Anyway, books and stamps for my pen pals and cross-stitch supplies come out of that, as well as this camping trip I'm currently on. Results of much overtime.

>87 PlatinumWarlock: I laughed aloud at the Monty Python bunny! Great moments in film!

Karen O

>90 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! I think most of us have to think about being thrifty ,especially when it comes to books, yes. It's definitely harder to make ends meet when you have young children as well as a mortgage or rental payments.

>91 klobrien2: Glad you enjoyed Lavinia's Monty Python bunny. I did too! I hope all is going well for you, Karen.

Greetings to the kind Lady Deborah on this first day of a new week, sure to be filled with delights befitting her stature.

>91 klobrien2: and >92 vancouverdeb: Glad you guys liked the bunny. 🤣🤣🤣 "Run away! Run away!!"

Hi, Deb. Hooray for feral bunnies! We have quite a few visiting my backyard. I really enjoyed Days Without End so I am sorry to hear you weren't a fan. I can't wait to read more of his work, especially his latest.

>93 richardderus: You are too kind, good Sir! So far yes, the week is proving to be a good one.

>94 PlatinumWarlock: Thanks , Lavina, for posting the Monty Python bunny! It's a good one!

>95 msf59: Hi Mark! Hmm, we may have a few too many feral bunnies around Richmond. They get into gardens and eat up flowers and veggies and things. But they are cute, especially that little den of little ones that Dave and I found. The wee bunny's have since fled and I guess are on their own now, or with mom. I gave Days Without End 3.5 stars, so I didn't dislike it, but I definitely preferred Old God's Time and Annie Dunne.

>86 vancouverdeb: Baby bunnies are so cute, Deborah.
When I was young I had a tame bunny, and with a male from a few houses further, she got babies twice.
Nice that the people from neighborhood were so kind to them.

>96 vancouverdeb: I haven't read any books by Sebastian Barry yet. I will keep your preference in mind when I get to him. Old God's Time is available at the library in Dutch translation, so I might start there.

>97 FAMeulstee: I agree, Anita, baby bunnies are so cute! Bunnies or rabbits, they can procreate rather rapidly, yes. How great that you had a tame bunny for a pet! Did you and your family find homes for the baby bunnies that you had back when you were young? Sebastian Barry is a good author. Do try Old God's Time if it is in your library in Dutch,but just remember it's a bit of harrowing read.

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe 4 stars

This was sort of a BB from Janet here in the 75's. She gave a shout- out to Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story Unfortunately my library did not have that book. However, I found this graphic memoir, Gender Queer. Maia is assigned female at birth, but never feels comfortable in e body. Maia struggles with e sexuality. Is e male or female , or non-binary ? E is also asexual. This was fascinating and touching look into gender identity. I understand so much more about this topic. Highly recommended.

>98 vancouverdeb: Yes, we found good homes for all of them, Deborah. We could not have kept them all, first time there were eight, second time seven.

>100 FAMeulstee: I'm glad you found homes for all of the 15 baby bunnies you had, Anita!They sure have large litters.

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Happy Friday, Deb. I will add Gender Queer to my GN list. We are heading out shortly for our Michigan camping trip. It will be our biggest trip so far. Of course, I won't be around LT much but will check in when I can. Have a great weekend.

Your threads move quickly, Deborah. I will try my best to keep up with you. I picked up Gender Queer at the library last year and read through it as I had some extra time. It didn’t get reviewed or even added to my list since I didn’t check it out. It was good to get the gender names straightened out. I need to check it out and pay more attention this time as I’ve already forgotten and I do want to become more enlightened. I have several friends with grandchildren who identify as non-binary and need to be more supportive.

I just ordered Old God’s Time from the library with only two holds in front of me. I started reading Sebastian Barry in 2008 when I read and loved The Secret Scripture. I read two others and then got sidetracked. The story of my reading life…

>38 vancouverdeb: Adding that one to the BlackHole! Thanks for the recommendation!

>79 vancouverdeb: That one too!

>99 vancouverdeb: I will second the recommendation of Sissy. I found it to be excellent. Gender Queer is already in the BlackHole, I just need to get to it.

Have a wonderful weekend, Deborah!

I've noticed bunnies in Surrey when I'm over there, Deborah, but none over here. I think we have too many coyotes. Looks like we have another sunny week ahead of us. Enjoy!

The Booker Longlist gets announced tomorrow, Deb. I am sure that there will be a few books on there for us to discover and enjoy.

Hi, Deb. Just checking in after our big camping trip. Thanks to you, I started Old God's Time while on our way back. I should have read it in print but his gorgeous prose still shines through. I am really loving it.

I hope all is well on your end. We do miss our Jackson.

Monday orisons, Deb. Happy week-ahead's reads!

>106 Familyhistorian: I think you are quite right, Meg. Too many coyotes where you live for feral rabbits to survive. I never see a rabbit when I am walking on the dykes, and I think that is because there are too many coyotes in that area of Richmond. You can encounter a coyote potentially anywhere in Richmond , ( not often ) but I think they hang out particularly around the less populated areas. I think the feral rabbit problem started some years ago when people left unwanted rabbits near The Richmond Auto Mall and now you can find the feral rabbits all over Richmond. Yes, another sunny day!

>107 PaulCranswick: I've been over on your thread checking out the Booker Longlist predictions on your thread , Paul. I'm quite excited about the Booker Longlist and have also been watching you tube videos on the possibilities of what might be on the Booker List. I'm pretty sure I read that it is to be announced at 8 am BST, so for me , that will be 12 midnight tonight, so I will likely be awake to catch that Long List. I have several holds on at the library of potential Booker Long list books, and have a couple wish-listed on Amazon. I think there may be a book or two of Can Lit, possibly The Sleeping Car Porter or A History of Burning. But I've not yet read either book, though I own The Sleeping Car Porter so we'll see. Esi Edugyan is one on the Booker judges, and she a is a Canadian, so perhaps she will bring some influence to what is chosen for the Booker Long List.

>103 msf59: I just realized I had to look further back on my thread to catch up properly, Mark! Missed you and others up there! Sorry! I'm glad you enjoyed your camping trip and no surprise there, Mark. Gender Queer was a quick and great enlightening read for me. My cousin has a daughter who uses the pronouns they/ there, and a dear friend of mine has a now sister who transitioned from male to female at the age of 50, after two marriages and four children, so I think it important to better understand what pronouns to use and what those who find themselves not to be cis - gendered go through to feel okay with themselves.

>104 Donna828: I agree with you , Donna, on the need to keep abreast of gender pronouns and be more supportive of those who are non - binary. I've read a couple of other Sebastian Barry books, Annie Dunne, which I loved and These Endless Day which was 3.5 star read for me, so I guess I liked it a little less. I hope you enjoy Old God's Time. I really did!

>105 alcottacre: Hi Stasia I do hope you enjoy Our Hideous Progeny and Old God's Time when you get to them. I certainly did. Thanks for the further recommendation on Sissy which I have purchased but have yet to get to . I'm currently reading East Indian: A Novel which possibly, it is rumoured ,might be on the Booker Long list, in case it is very good so far. It came in quickly from a library hold, with several people also waiting for it, so I prioritized it.

>108 msf59: I'll bet you missed Jackson, Mark, and Sue missed him as well! I'm glad you are back and enjoyed Old God's Time. I think I'm am going to try an audio book in August. All is well on my end, yes, just have been busy with summer, Dave off work for his holidays, visiting family and the grandkids etc.

>109 richardderus: Thanks Richard! I hope life and your reads are treating you well, kind sir!

Well, sorry for the little break I took from the threads. Dave is off on holidays for a month, and while we are not going away anywhere, we are just spending time together, maybe will get out on some day trips, we are seeing Mile and Melissa , our grandchildren more frequently, and just enjoying summer. My nephew was in from Amsterdam visiting my sister and husband and her family , so we've been back and forth for a BBQ and visits . Alex, my nephew, headed to New York City, and New Mexico while visiting North America from Amsterdam, and we looked at pictures of his travels last night.

Hi Deb. I haven't posted here in awhile as I usually haven't much to say ... the brain is numb by the time I decide to look at the threads. I haven't paid attention to the Booker nominations in years. Somehow I rarely feel drawn to their choices. Not to say I look up all the titles!

Dave and I celebrated our 40th Anniversary on July 23rd this year. We did not go out for dinner or anything as yet, but we did exchange gifts and cards . Here is picture from that special day of ours.

>116 vancouverdeb: Congratulations on 40 years! And on having better taste in wedding gowns than Princess Di!

>116 vancouverdeb:- Aw, you both look so young and sweet! Great pic, Deb, and happy anniversary!

>117 quondame: Thanks Susan! I'm am not sure if I had better taste than Diana, but I didn't want to pay a fortune for my wedding gown and I purchased it off the shelf at the first place I looked. I borrowed the headpiece and veil from a good friend, put a my grandpa's good luck penny in my shoes, and there I was.

>118 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley!Such kind words. I was 22 and Dave was 26. We were very happy that day , and continue to be very happy. I feel very blessed .

>119 vancouverdeb: What a lovely sentiment, Deb ( was 22 and Dave was 26. We were very happy that day , and continue to be very happy. I feel very blessed.)
A beautiful photo, too. And I love that you borrowed the headpiece and veil from your friend. Great memories.

>116 vancouverdeb: What a GREAT picture Deborah of your very happy wedding day 40 years ago. Congratulations and best wishes to you both for many more happy years together.

>111 vancouverdeb: I do hope that he does get to include at least one Canadian author, Deb. I preferred it when it was the Commonwealth and Ireland only to be honest.

>116 vancouverdeb: A very fetching couple indeed and I particularly like your comment in >119 vancouverdeb: responding to Shelley. That is surely the epitome of what soulmates are meant to be.

Congratulations to both of you. xx

Booker Prize Longlist 2023

Quite a few surprises and unknowns to me.

A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo
Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry
Study for Obedience bySarah Bernstein
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
How to Build a Boat byElaine Feeney
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
Pearl by Sian Hughes
All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
In Ascension by Martin McInnes
Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

I have read only Old God's Time and very much enjoyed it. I own ,but have not read A Spell of Good Things. Off to bed and back tomorrow.

Wow I am astonished that Kingsolver, Verghese, Nelson and Kennedy are all overlooked.

Congratulations on the wedding anniversary Deborah.

>123 vancouverdeb: Interesting list. Pleased to see Tan Twan Eng there, I enjoyed that book, and have loved his previous ones too.

Your wedding photo is adorable, Deborah. Congratulations!
I too was surprised by the Booker long list.

Happy August, Deb and Happy Anniversary! Love the wedding photo. I am sure you are having a wonderful time with the family this week. Enjoy every moment of it.

I am continuing to enjoy Old God's Time. It was a good recommendation and I see it made the Long List, which isn't surprising. Not familiar with many of the other titles, although I have This Other Eden on my TBR, along with The House of Doors.

>116 vancouverdeb: Congratulations on 40 years, Deborah and Dave!!

>123 vancouverdeb: Paul had the list posted to his thread too. I am hoping to get to all of them at some point. My local library only has a couple of them though.

>116 vancouverdeb: Congratulations on 40 years married, Deborah and Dave!

Thanks for sharing the lovely picture of your weddding day.

>96 vancouverdeb: I've never seen anyone as interested in having feral animals around as in this group. I've always found them disruptive. Not that I blame them for being around. Humans destroy their habitat, so we kinda deserve it.

Happy anniversary, Deborah! Your photo is lovely.

>123 vancouverdeb: Thanks for sharing the list.

>120 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks Sandy! It was a lovely day, if you remember the " Gimli Glider " , our wedding was the same day. My something borrowed was the headpiece and veil, the something old was my grandpa's " Lucky Penny " , which he wore in his through WW11, and my something new was my wedding dress .

>121 mdoris: Thanks for your kinds words, Mary. Yes, I do hope we have many more years together.

>122 PaulCranswick: Well, Paul, no Canadian authors, as we have found out. I was hoping for maybe A History of Burning or The Sleeping Car Porter, but no matter. I recall your lovely wedding picture as well.
>125 PaulCranswick: I was also surprised by the Booker Longlist as well, Paul. I think perhaps I am most surprised that the Kingsolver was not included. I did hear on a " reaction ' you tube video that possibly Kingsolver asked to be omitted herself, perhaps because she has so many awards already, but who knows. It is certainly a interesting and surprising Long List for the most part.

>126 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. I've not read anything by Tan Twan Eng as yet. Unfortunately his latest book is not available in North America as yet, which is the case for most of the Booker Longlist.

>127 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Just like you , I was surprised by the Booker Long List. Thanks for the well wishes re our 40 th anniversary.

>128 msf59: We are heading over to see Melissa and Miles tomorrow, Mark, and looking forward to it. I'm glad you are enjoying Old God's Time. I had heard from book tubers that Old God's Time was a possibility for the Booker List, so that was part of the reason I got to it sooner than later. It looks like The House of Doors has not yet been published in North America, but The Other Eden has been published.

>133 vancouverdeb: I borrowed my sister's sapphire ring. She was waiting to collect it before the reception line.

>129 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia! Forty years is something! I'm glad we've had so many years together and I hope for many more. Like you, my library has only two of the Long Listed Bookers, This Other Eden and Old God's Time. As far as I know, those are the only of the Booker Longlist that have been published in North America so far.

>130 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! You and Frank have been married for something close to forty years soon, I think ?

>131 The_Hibernator: The feral rabbits in my area are nuisance, Rachel. It's the fault of people some years ago ( 20 years ago?) who let pet rabbits go in a part of Richmond and from there the population grew and grew! The little baby rabbits were cute, though. The rabbits to invade flower gardens and veggie gardens, so it is a problem. Things like coyotes , raccoons and skunks are a problem because, yes , we disrupted their natural habitat.

>132 BLBera: Thanks Beth! I look forward to what you are going to read from the Booker List.

>136 quondame: Borrowing your sister's sapphire ring sounds lovely, Susan! I confess, my something blue were my underpants! :-) A little embarrassing. Sounds like your sister was eager to get the sapphire ring back in her hot little hands :-)

>138 vancouverdeb: You are exactly right. It is one gorgeous ring.

>137 vancouverdeb: Yes, we will get to 39 years in November, Deborah. We married in 1984 :-)

>133 vancouverdeb:, >139 quondame: And the sapphire ring would also be the 'something blue', huh?

>136 quondame: Good grief! I would have been rather cross that the borrowed ring had to be returned before the reception even started.

>141 SandyAMcPherson: Yes, Sandy, that was my thinking. I can't say I was best pleased, but I do (now) understand that spending the evening in a crowded hall mostly filled with strangers while a distracted bride wandered about with your 3 carat Burmese sapphire would have been stressful. Did I say the ring was gorgeous?

>116 vancouverdeb: What a lovely picture, Deb! Congratulations!! ❤️

>125 PaulCranswick: Huh. I agree. Although if indeed she asked to be excluded, I can respect that... she has been highly awarded!

>123 vancouverdeb: REALLY bummed at the snub to The Sleeping Car Porter. I liked If I Survive You well enough, but a Booker nominee? Not by my lights. Haven't read the others but can't recall hearing all that much about most of them.

All prizes have off years, I guess.

>139 quondame:
>142 quondame: A 3 carat Burmese Sapphire! Wow , Susan! I think I can understand why your sister was eager to get the ring back! My grandpa that lent me the lucky penny for my shoes during the wedding ceremony did not ask for it back immediately, but I did give it back to him right after the ceremony. It was the first penny /coin that he received in change in Europe during WW11. He wore it in his shoe throughout WW11 and the rest of his life, and he credited with getting him home alive. I gave it back to him right away lest I lose it. After my grandpa passed away, that coin was passed onto me.

>140 FAMeulstee: As I mentioned on your thread, Anita, 1984 was a good year, never mind what George Orwell might have thought. You got married, and Dave and I welcomed our eldest son in December of 1984.

>141 SandyAMcPherson: What was your something blue, Sandy?

>143 PlatinumWarlock: Thanks Lavinia! It was a lovely day for us.

>144 PlatinumWarlock:
>145 richardderus:.

I'm not sure what to think about the Booker Long List. There are many titles that I have never heard of either, and I did think maybe some Can Lit, like Sleeping Car Porter might have been included. I listened to another reaction to the Booker Long List on You Tube last night, and the fellow there thought that perhaps the judges/ panel wanted to highlight lesser known authors, rather than say Barbara Kingsolver, Salman Rushdie and Zadie Smith, but that does not explain why The Sleeping Car Porter was left of the list.

Richard, like you, I have not heard of most of the titles. Most are not available in North America either.

But I'll read what I can find that is available and of interest to me. Some of the books are available on Kindle, rather than as physical books, and I prefer physical books.

>133 vancouverdeb: (Re: the Gimli Glider)...
I sure do. Here are a couple amusing follow-ups to that event:
I was working at the time with a colleague who was from Gimli and he and his family were on that decommissioned runway, along with most of the town, for a big reunion and for a Winnipeg Sports Car Club event.

They saw the plane gliding in and everyone grabbed kids and BBQs, etc. and raced out of the way. No one was hurt on the ground and no one seriously in the aircraft. Pearson received a prestigious award for 'airmanship' in safely landing the aircraft without crashing or loss of life.

Anyway, interesting follow up: Bob Pearson (the captain) was at a reunion and met one of the passengers who he later married (they were both widowed by then).

>147 vancouverdeb: "What was your something blue, Sandy?"

ha ha ha... I was a hippie kid and wore a cotton dress, hand-embroidered (not by me), and sandals. I think the only blue thing were those sandals, but not by plan with colour in mind.

>149 vancouverdeb: The way we think about prizes has changed, I suppose, with the internationalization of publishing. I still disapprove of the Booker including US writers in its catchment. I'm glad we in the US can get more books by writers from around the world with the advent of ebooks but remain saddened by the general indifference to literature in the cultural conversation, more or less internationally.

Nothing on the current list is likely to reverse that decline.

>150 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks for the info re the Gimli Glider. The day it happened, I was not aware of it, and probably not during my honeymoon either. We headed to Kelowna for a week , and spent time kayaking, swimming, walking, canoeing, going out for dinner, that sort of thing. But my dad was a pilot with Canada Pacific Airlines and and then Air Canada when Air Canada took over CPA. He was a Captain on the 747 at the time, if memory serves. I like to think my dad could have landed that Gimli Glider had he been the pilot at the time. And, the maternal side of my family is Icelandic, so I too am quite familiar with Gimli, having visited there quite a few times. So , yes, I was aware of the whole story and the details. I think perhaps in aviation is in my family's blood. My two brothers are also pilots with Air Canada , my husband was an Aircraft Mechanic with CP Air at the time, and of course now with Air Canada as it was bought up. My brother's son is at an aviation College in Thunder Bay right now, and doing well, I think he graduates next fall. He has his private pilots license and hopes to follow in the footsteps of my dad, and my brothers.

It really is a fascinating story, that of the Gimli Glider, Sandy!

>151 SandyAMcPherson: A Hippie kid eh? Well, my brother got married by a JP , and wore some khaki pants and his now wife wore a khaki skirt and I forget what else. He planned to elope, but he didn't have a car at the time, so he asked my mom if he could borrow her car. My mom said, no, she was busy with it that day and so my brother confessed that he and Donia were off to get married, so my mom said, sure, take the car. My parents didn't attend though, as Donia's parents live in Germany and were unable to attend, so my parents felt it would not be fair for them to go and not Donia's parents. My brother and his wife were 30 at the time, so not particularly young, I think they just did not want to spend a bunch of money and Donia/s visitor visa was just about up, so they got married quickly, as they wanted to do. .

>152 richardderus: I initially wasn't keen on the idea of the USA joining the the Booker Prize, but now I'm fine with it. I googled The Booker Prize, and from what I can read, it seems it has always been controversial and still is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_Prize

a few quotes : John Sutherland, who was a judge for the 1999 prize, has said:

There is a well-established London literary community. Rushdie doesn't get shortlisted now because he has attacked that community. That is not a good game plan if you want to win the Booker. Norman Mailer has found the same thing in the US – you have to "be a citizen" if you want to win prizes. The real scandal is that Martin Amis has never won the prize. In fact, he has only been shortlisted once and that was for Time's Arrow, which was not one of his strongest books. That really is suspicious. He pissed people off with Dead Babies and that gets lodged in the culture. There is also the feeling that he has always looked towards America.17

The choice of James Kelman's book How Late It Was, How Late as 1994 Booker Prize winner proved to be one of the most controversial in the award's history.24 Rabbi Julia Neuberger, one of the judges, declared it "a disgrace" and left the event, later deeming the book to be "crap"; WHSmith's marketing manager called the award "an embarrassment to the whole book trade"; Waterstones in Glasgow sold a mere 13 copies of Kelman's book the following week.25 In 1994, The Guardian's literary editor Richard Gott, citing the lack of objective criteria and the exclusion of American authors, described the prize as "a significant and dangerous iceberg in the sea of British culture that serves as a symbol of its current malaise".826

In 1996, A. L. Kennedy served as a judge; in 2001, she called the prize "a pile of crooked nonsense" with the winner determined by "who knows who, who's sleeping with who, who's selling drugs to who, who's married to who, whose turn it is".17

By watching some of the Booker Prize youtube Long List videos, I got some ideas for books I'd like to read that were not on the Booker Longlist, such as In Memoriam: A novel by Alice Winn, The New Life byTom Crewe , and A History of Burning by Janika Oza. I suppose any prize that encourages us to read more broadly is a good thing.

Wordle 777 3/6

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crane, pilot, anode

The East Indian by Brinda Charry 4 stars

A very engaging and vividly told story. Tony is born in the 1600's India, to his mother , a courtesan , the identity of his father unknown. After his mother's death, twelve year old Tony journeys by boat to London . There, he hopes to be taken on as an apprentice to a physician but is unable to pay the fee. From there, he finds himself kidnapped and sent to Virginia , where he becomes an indentured servant to a brutal and heartless master, Ralph Gantner. Tony is the first East Indian to arrive in North America and he is curiosity to White, Blacks and Native Americans. He is kind, intelligent and spirited, but lives a life of cruelty and poverty. The many characters are interesting , relatable and well drawn. Eventually in a twist of fate, Tony becomes an apprentice to a physician . The story ends on a hopeful note.

Highly recommended, and based on a true story .

Congratulations on your 40th anniversary. That's a really nice picture of you both on your wedding especially since it was in the '80s.

The East Indian looks interesting.

>154 vancouverdeb: Prize-giving culture has ever been thus. I'm just not that interested in those feuds and fusses, but like you I'm all for whatever makes a person seek out or just pick up something they wouldn't otherwise have read.

I really, really liked The New Life FWIW.

Hi, Deb. The East Indian sounds like another good one. Have you read The Colony? If not, I highly recommend this Irish novel. It seems like a good fit for you. We are enjoying some nice weather in Chicagoland.

I saw a peregrine falcon and a bald eagle on my walk today. Nice sightings.

>154 vancouverdeb: I am still not sold on the inclusion of the US authors, Deb, mainly because they have enough awards exclusively for them so to be shut out of one is surely no harm! The other reason is that some of the Commonwealth countries would get more focus otherwise. It is a shame that the Commonwealth Writer's Prizes couldn't be maintained.

I like John Sutherland but respectfully he is off the mark with Martin Amis whose books I have uniformly disliked.

>157 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. The East Indian was a wonderful and exiting read. I recommend it!

>158 richardderus: I agree, Richard, I'm not much interested in feuds or fusses over book prizes, but if prizes inspire to read more widely, it's all good. I did consider The New Life but ended up purchasing In Memoriam by Alice Winn. I'll keep The New Life in mind if my library gets it.

>159 msf59: I think you would really enjoy The East Indian, Mark. It's a real tale of adventure, among other things. I confess, I have had The Colony on hand for many months , but as yet it is not calling to me. We are also enjoying some great weather here the Vancouver area.

>160 PaulCranswick: As I said, I don't mind that US authors have been included, but I do see your point that US authors have many prizes to win outside that Booker Prize. I confess I've not read anything by Martin Amis, and so cannot comment his books. But I did find that Wiki article to be very interesting.

>116 vancouverdeb: Love this picture! Forty years can fly by quickly, can't they?

Thanks for posting the Booker Long List, Deborah. Quite a few are unfamiliar to me and probably unavailable from my local library. I just got notified that Old God's Time is waiting for me. I'm looking forward to it after reading your review.

>116 vancouverdeb: What a beautiful photo. Congratulations on your long-term commitment!

And, thank you for posting the Book Long List.

>116 vancouverdeb: Oh wow! What a lovely couple! Congrats and happy anniversary.

>154 vancouverdeb: I have not read one on that list. I should really get to it.

>154 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, thanks for posting that list. There are some books there I must get to! Hope all's well with you and family. Is Dave still on holiday?

>163 Donna828: Thanks Donna! Yes, the years do fly by , don't they. It's hard to believe we have been married forty years, and I hope we get many more. Most of the books on the Booker List are unfamiliar to me too, and many are not yet available in North America. I'm sure you will enjoy Old God's Time as I did, and Mary did.

>164 Whisper1: Thank you Linda! So kind. I hope you are able to enjoy some books from the Booker List .

>165 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! I've only read one on the list, Old God's Time and it was an excellent read. I'm currently reading A Spell of Good Things, which I had bought some months ago since I enjoyed her first novel, Stay With Me. I think that was on the Women's Prize list a few years back. What books from the list to have in mind to read?

>166 mdoris: What books from the Booker List might you get to, Mary? I know you've already read Old God's Time. Yes, Dave is still on holidays so we have been enjoying time together and just having a nice summer. We went out last night and had Fish and Chips in Steveston. I don't think we've had Fish and Chips for over 10 years, so it was a nice change and we walked around Steveston together and just took some of the sights. I hope you had a great birthday party for your grandson yesterday.

I'm hoping to read several books from the Booker Longlist, but I'll see what appeals to me and what is available at the library. I've read Old God's Time and I am currently reading A Spell of Good Things , which seems promising - I am about 1/2 way through. I had a couple of holds come in from the library over the past two days, A Most Agreeable Murder and A History of Burning. I might go for a light read next. Pearl seems like it might be appealing - from the Booker list and it's available at a reasonable price from Amazon on Kindle, so we'll see.

>168 vancouverdeb: I counted 12 from the Booker Wikipedia list that I believe that I have read. I say "believe" because I read them so long ago. There are some on the list that are pressing to be read, Milkman because of the glowing and very recent review of Anita's, The Line of Beauty because I missed that shared read and want to read it soon and the Hilary Mantel books. I wasn't up to reading them 11 years ago when they were published and so popular because I had had my stroke and they were too onerous but I think I could manage them now. The are whoppers though and I would never come close to the magic #75. Oh well! Oh perhaps you are wondering about the recently published longlist Booker books. Apart from Old God's Time I know very little about the other books and will wait for my fellow LT pals to enthuse.

The party for Erik was wonderful. 11 is such a nice age. The cake was fabuous if I do say so myself, double chocolate (melted choc. and cocoa) and sour cream! They left today to return to their busy lives in Denver and we miss them already. Even Loki was moping around today missing those busy boys.

Wonderful that Dave is still on holiday and you get to be at-home tourists. Sometimes that is the best way to have a holiday. Enjoy!

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, Deb!

>137 vancouverdeb: Yeah, and the Book Depository's going out of business (thanks, Amazon) has seriously impaired my ability to get the others. Hopefully they will come across the pond at some point. I mean, I have so little to read right now :)

>156 vancouverdeb: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thank you for the recommendation!

I also wanted to encourage you to move The Colony up the stack. It was on the Booker longlist last year and I sure wish it would have won! (No offense to Shehan Karunatilaka)

Good luck with your Booker long list reading, Deborah, and thanks for the suggestions on my thread!

>171 richardderus: Thanks Richard! I'm nearly finished my current read, and it's quite good.

>172 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! It's too bad that the Book Depository went out of business, but there are still one online books store in the UK that ships for free internationally.

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/home?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxOyj44_WgAMV1B99Ch2Jzgy... Blackwell's in the UK

Yes, you have the big black hole of books! I'll keep The Colony in mind, though I am a bit fixated on this years Booker Longlist for the moments. I did not realize that it was last years Booker Longlist. Thanks for the info. The East Indian is definitely worth the read, and relatively short at about 240 pages.

>173 Familyhistorian: Glad to be of service, Meg. I'm happy to have read on your thread that the VPL has both of the books. I am enjoying my Booker Longlist reading. I'm nearly finished A Spell of Good Things and perhaps Pearl will be next. I'm not sure as yet.

>174 vancouverdeb: Thanks for the info on the UK online stores, Deborah. I will definitely be checking them out!

If you look on Wikipedia under the Booker Prize, you can find all the winners, longlist books as well as shortlist books since 1969 continuing through 2023: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winners_and_nominated_authors_of_the_Booke...

>170 mdoris: I really liked The Line of Beauty too, Mary, you can find my thoughts here. So I hope you have two good reads to go.

I gave up on Hilary Mantel, I disliked Wolf Hall, so I won't get to her other. I DNF A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, I couldn't take the violence.
I have now read 25 of the 57 Booker winners, minus the 5 not translated, and the two above, I am halfway now.

>168 vancouverdeb: I usually ignore the Booker longlist, as most books are not translated (yet).

>174 vancouverdeb: - Deb, good to know about those online shops but do you know if they have used books, or just new?

Happy Saturday, Deb. I am not quite fixated on the Booker List, as others are but I especially like to dabble on the short list. I have read many of the winners. Some great ones. Some so-so. I loved both Wolf Hall books, A Brief History of Seven Killings and Shuggie Bain.

I had a good time with Jack yesterday, although he was a bit of a stinker at times. Joe and Debbi Welch are renewing their wedding vows today, so I am going into the city to participate in that.

>174 vancouverdeb: This weekend is about getting my review of I'm Not Going Anywhere by Rumena Bužarovska reviewed...proving to be tough because it's raising conflicting feelings in me. It's always interesting to have that experience but it's not conducive to pounding out a review. Macedonia, being strife-riven, apparently brings out the anger in its writers. Not a big surprise, one supposes.

*smooch*

Hi Deb, delurking to say I got caught up here. No BB's today, not that I'm lacking reading material -- heh heh.

Good luck with your Booker reading, Deborah. I'll watch for your comments to see which I should pick up.

>170 mdoris: Oh no, Mary, it looks like I missed your post last time I checked my thread. Sorry about that! Erik's cake sounds delicious! I wish I was there just for the cake. I've only read 4 of the Booker Winner's, I recently checked. I was in the Broadway and Granville area shopping at Indigo's today , and I had hoped to get into the BookWarehouse where they had a copy of Milkman for $12.99, but it turned out it closed at 5 pm today, and I thought it was open until 6pm, but that is just weekdays and Sundays. I did get into Broadway and Granville Indigo's though. Poor old Loki and you and P, all missing your grandsons. I hope you are feeling a little better as time passes.

>176 alcottacre: Thanks for the link to the Booker Long, Short and winner list. I've had a look and will look again. Stasia, I looked at again at Kenny's bookstore in Ireland and I was wrong, they do charge to ship. Just a pound sterling to Canada, but 9.5 pounds to ship to the USA. I'm not sure why they charge so much to the USA, since we are next door neighbours. Maybe because we are part of the Commonwealth? I'm really don't know.

>177 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! I've never actually tried to read Hilary Mantel. I'm not entirely sure why, but in part I think the length of the books and also the subject matter just has not appealed to me yet.

>178 jessibud2: As I noted, while Blackpools bookstore ships free, the Kennys's in Ireland charges 1 British Pound to Canada ( about $2.50 Canadian ) Sorry for my mistake , Shelley. As best I know both online bookstores only carry new books.

>179 msf59: Well, I was I was out in search in Booker Prize list books today , Mark and not much luck, none in fact, so I wish I was less fixated on the Booker Prize. I'll either have to order a couple from amazon - they don't have much either, or wait for what my library has, not a lot either. I own Shuggie Bain, but have yet to read. I have read 7 books off my shelf of the 25 books I read so far this year, so I am making some progress. How lovely that you have been into C-Town to see Joe and Debbi renew their vows. I'm sure you had a wonderful time.

>180 richardderus: I checked the main page for your review of I'm Not Going Anywhere, but did not see anything yet. I hope you are not still struggling with review, Richard. I was shopping at the book store a couple of days ago, and saw 1 copy of The New Life. I made the mistake of dithering and not buying it, and I was back today and it was gone!!!! Sad face! But I did discover that amazon has it , and on sale too, so I may try there. * smooch* Richard.

>181 SandyAMcPherson: Well, I am sad if I did not manage to hit you with a BB today, Sandy, but I know what you mean, most of us are not lacking in reading material here on LT.

>182 BLBera: Thanks for coming by Beth. I'm having trouble finding Booker books for 2023, but I did finish A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo and I really enjoyed it . I had purchased that from the Booker Depository last last fall, I think. Anyway, I do recommend it and gave it 4 stars. It was slow to get going , but then was quite a powerful read. I'll try to get some comments on it soon.

Well, I was out seeking Booker Longlist 2023 books today and did meet with any luck. One bookstore I went to said it had Western Lane but just one copy. However , when I got there it was gone!! I also checked another bookstore that said it had one copy of The New Life which I also wanted, but it too was gone. The early bird gets the worm, I guess . I was quite a few other interesting titles, but I just purchased some light reads ( and also paperback, trying to be thrifty) , The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie and Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James. Not quite what I had in mind, but they appealed and I could not come home empty handed.

I had lots of fun Saturday evening. My brother and his family just arrived by car from Edmonton , a 12 hour drive through the Rockies etc and into Vancouver. They brought along their Golden Retriever , Maui, and their Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Kona. This was the first time I had met the dogs, and I really had fun with them. I do love dogs. They are headed off to some Island, Gambier? I'm not sure which to visit with friends. It's a camp with cabins, I'm quite sure. I think their friends are maybe the caretakers at the camp, so that is how they are able to take the two dogs with them.

>186 vancouverdeb: Ooo, new-doggie meetings! I love dogs, as I have made plain, so I'm really jealous.

I'm still working on I'm Not Going Anywhere because the swinging weather has added its scoche of pain to my days and that slows down my typing. This too shall pass....

>187 richardderus: I didn't know you loved dogs as well, Richard. Sorry if you feel a little jealous. I did have a lot of fun with them. Sorry to hear that the weather has increased your pain. I hope you soon feel back to your usual baseline. I think you always have some pain, unfortunately? I hope you soon feel up to finishing your review on I'm Not Going Anywhere. I did see one copy of If I Survive You at the bookstore yesterday, on my search for Booker Books, but thanks to your advice, I skipped purchasing it.

A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo 4 stars

Eniola is keen teen-aged student in contemporary Nigeria, attending a private school. When his father is let go from his job as a high school teacher , Eniola's family goes from poor to impoverished. His father grows depressed and is unable to even rise from his bed. Eniola's mother eventually forces both him and and his sister to beg for money and food on the streets. Since his family is unable to pay his school fees, Eniloa is caned and beaten at school. Over time, Eniloa feels he has found a solution to their poverty, but falls in with a bad crowd. Meanwhile, 28 year old Wuraola is from a very wealthy family. She works as a resident doctor at the local hospital. She has a boyfriend, Kunle, who her family pressures her to marry. Unfortunately their relationship has problems that Wuraola cannot admit to herself.

Eventually both Eniola and Wuraola's lives intersect in a violent way.

A fascinating look at class, family expectations, abuse and political corruption, this was a very worthwhile read. My one complaint is that the action in the story did not really begin until about 60 % through the novel.

Recommended.

>188 vancouverdeb: I'm pne of those whose life is lived in pain, yes, but honestly the baseline's handled by medication so I have much more of a positive quality of life than before. Conditions are harder for people to "get" than diseases that have end-points. It's a struggle to convey the real meaning of "there is no better to get only equilibium to reach." Weather is what it is, and strongly impacts my pain levels, so it's usually of more interest to me than most. It helps plan my day if I know what's coming.

If I Survive You is a far better library borrow IMO. I can't feature re-reading it, which is the baseline for purchases in my world.

Hi Deb! Good luck with your Booker search. I was able to place holds for some of the longlisters. I'm listening to This other Eden and thoroughly enjoying it. Historical and a story lost to time.

>189 vancouverdeb: Definitely will check that one out. Hopefully my library has a copy.

Happy Tuesday reading!

Long has been my absence from your thread, Deborah. Lots to see and read here. Congrats to you and your husband for an enduring (and on-going) marriage.

>183 vancouverdeb: Well, Kenny's missed out from me - I placed a large order from Blackwell's of the Booker books from this year that I cannot get from my local library, which is all but two.

>186 vancouverdeb: Not quite what I had in mind, but they appealed and I could not come home empty handed. I think it is a physical impossibility for book lovers to go into a book store and not come out with anything in their hands!

>189 vancouverdeb: Glad to see that you enjoyed that one too! My biggest beef with the book was the lack of a pronunciation guide with so many diacriticals everywhere, but I also gave it 4 stars.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

>190 richardderus: I'm glad to hear that your baseline pain is well managed by medication and your quality is life is good. I do understand the fact that conditions are harder to understand than illnesses with an endpoint. I have coped with generalized anxiety, panic attacks and depression since my teens and perhaps earlier. I have taken medication for that since my teens, with many changes in medication and finally the past 15 years of so have been much better for me, knock on wood. Mental illnesses are difficult for people to understand, as is chronic pain , and well , so many things. I'm very thankful that the past 15 or years have been so stable for me. Yes, I agree, If I survive You is best tested by borrowing from the library, and that is what I will do, Richard. I'm not a big fan on short story collections, so...

>191 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda! I also have been able to place several holds on Booker Longlisters at my local library. At least one is still on order, The House of Doors . I do have a hold on This Other Eden and I'm glad you are enjoying it!

>192 figsfromthistle: It's well worth the read, Anita! I hope your library has A Spell of Good Things. Best of luck with any booker longlist reading you do.

>193 weird_O: Thanks for visit, Bill. Those 40 years do fly by in retrospect , though I'm sure at times it did not seem like it. I hope we have many years to go.

>194 alcottacre:, Yes, I am sorry about Kenny's bookstore in Ireland, Stasia. I don't why they charge to much to ship to the USA vs Canada, but I'm glad you were able to order from Blackwell Books. I've to visit your thread shortly to see what you have ordered. I did enjoy A Spell of Good Things, and I admired your comments on the same book on your thread. It is a good read. I got used to the diacritical marks , as I do when authors chose not to use quotation marks.

As far as coming home from a bookstore without a book, occasionally I can do it, but not when I make a " big trip" into the city to the big bookstore. I mean, what is the point of traveling 30 plus minutes by transit, ( skytrain, actually a subway mostly ) and by bus and coming empty handed ? I can't do it either , Stasia.

It's my aunt's Birthday today, 77th I think it is . She lives in Winnipeg, so sent her a card, but am now going to email her. She's very hard of hearing so phoning is not really an option, as is the case with my own mom. So I'll be back after I send her an email letter. Thanks for the visits, everyone! I'll be back shortly to check out your threads.

>195 vancouverdeb: It's just really challenging to cope with ongoing health challenges. I hope our current positive trends keep going!

Happy Wednesday, Deb. Happy Birthday to your Aunt. Hope she is doing well. My week is going smoothly and my current reads are treating me fine. We are going camping this weekend. Much shorter and much closer than last time. I head out tomorrow. Sue and Juno follow on Friday. I will miss Jackson this week but I hope to squeeze in a visit.

I added to my tbr list

>201 Whisper1: I am also on the look out for it!

Hi Deb.

>199 richardderus: I agree, Richard. Yes, I hope both of us can keep to our current upward and stable trends. Best to you!

>200 msf59: Yes, thanks, my aunt is doing well , just turned 77. She has her family visiting, a video chat with her son that lives here in Vancouver and a friend came in to visit from Ontario. She sounded very happy via email. I'm glad your books are treating you well, and enjoy your camping trip!

>201 Whisper1: I'm sure you will enjoy A Spell of Good Things when you get to it, Linda. It's a good read!

>202 PaulCranswick: Best of luck finding A Spell of Good Things, Paul. Blackwell's, perhaps ? Or maybe you have some good bookstores out your way ?

>189 vancouverdeb: I look forward to this one, Deborah.

>198 vancouverdeb: Happy birthday, Auntie!

>201 Whisper1: >202 PaulCranswick: I hope you enjoy A Spell of Good Things when you track it down.

Happy Thursday, Deborah, and thanks again for recommending Blackwell's to me.

>189 vancouverdeb: I tried to read Stay With Me by this author, but DNF'd it. Don't remember why.

>189 vancouverdeb: You got me interested in A Spell of Good Things. I’m going to go look for it right now!

Have a great weekend!

Karen O

>205 BLBera: It's a good read, Beth! I hope you enjoy it too, I'm sure that you will.

>206 alcottacre: Happy Friday, Stasia! Glad I could help with Blacwell's . I'm tempted myself!

>207 The_Hibernator: That is too bad , Rachel. I gave Stay With Me 5 stars , and I really loved it. It's the reason I ordered A Spell of Good Things some months ago. But we enjoy different books.

>208 klobrien2: I do hope you enjoy A Spell of Good Things, Karen. Happy Weekend to you too!

Have a wonderful weekend, Deborah!

>211 alcottacre: Thank you , Stasia!

>189 vancouverdeb: I've been sidetracked from this one by other shiny new books.

I finished Old God's Time over the weekend. Some lovely writing but I think just not the book for me. I've only got about a week until I go away, so I think some of the list books will be going back to the library unread.

I'm enjoying How to build a boat at the moment. It's so different from the Barry, a real change of pace.

Hi, Deb. We are back. Our camping highlight was a visit from Bree and Jack on Friday and they spent the whole day with us. I hope you also had a good weekend. A Spell of Good Things is also on my TBR list.

>213 charl08: A Spell of Good Things is good one, Charlotte, though the book does lag initially, or so I thought. Sorry that Old God's Time did not work for you. I must admit I have read a lot of books about the abuse by priests and nuns so far this year, and yes, sometimes you just need a break and something different to read. I'm doing that with 4:50 to Paddington right now. A nice, cozy mystery. I might order How To Build A Boat from Blackwell's .

>214 msf59: Glad that you are back, Mark, and thanks for stopping by . Glad you had a good weekend and camping and even had a wonderful visit from Bree and Jack. I think you'll enjoy A Spell of Good Things when you get to it. Yes, I also had a good weekend, visiting out of town family and being a tourist in my own town.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, Deb. Hoping for something extraordinary in that line myownself...details to come.

I got a whole boxful of books in today from Blackwell's. They all arrived in wonderful condition. Thank you again for putting me on to them, Deborah!

>216 richardderus: Sound exciting, Richard, something extraordinary? I look forward to the details to come.

>217 alcottacre: Oh, I'm a little bit jealous of you, Stasia, in a good way, about all those Booker-long List books that have arrived to you from Blackwell's.

Sorry, I'm not been reading much lately. I finished Agatha Christie's 4:50 from Paddington. I have to create few comments. I think I am reading Good Night, Irene , but I'm not far enough to be absolutely certain.

My brother and his family were in town from Edmonton with their two dogs, a Golden Retriever and Chesapeake Bay Retriever . I've been busy visiting , gathering up all the sunshine I can and working on a jigsaw puzzle or two. It did rain a little yesterday, but not much.

Tried NYT connection. Connections
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>220 vancouverdeb: Great job on Connections! For myself, it has gotten easier (I’ve played it a handful of times). How did you like it?

Karen O

I can't catch up!

>116 vancouverdeb: You were both gorgeous and handsome. I'll bet you still are, and I wish you many, many more good years.

Thank you for the Booker list. I'm not really attracted to any of them except maybe the Tan Twan Eng. I'll read 75ers' comments about the others before I commit.

>221 klobrien2: I was able to find several past games of NYT Connections online , and I played maybe 8 games , and as you say , Karen , I improved and had more fun as I tried more games. I’m sure I’ll be playing it daily now . Thanks for the introduction to the game.

>222 LizzieD: Such kind words about Dave and me , Peggy . Thank you . It is hard to keep up with the threads, I agree . As. for the Booker Long List , I have just read the two , Old God’s Time and A Spell of Good Things . I enjoyed both , and without being able to see any of the others as yet I’m not quite sure what I will read from the list yet . I think I am most drawn to Pearl by Sian Hughes

Speaking of being hard to keep up with the threads, I think it's been quite a while since I commented on yours, Deborah. It looks like you've been keeping busy.

>223 vancouverdeb: I didn't realize you could find past Connections games. If I have time, I may go look for some.

Wishing you a great week!

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Hi, Deb. I hope you had a good weekend. We enjoyed our time with Jackson, Friday and Saturday. He has been such a good boy. Our weather has cooled off and it looks like a beautiful week ahead. I am also enjoying Trespasses. I like her lean writing style.

>218 vancouverdeb: Thanks. I think? I am not used to people being jealous of me, even just a little.

>219 vancouverdeb: I will be curious to see what you think of Good Night, Irene if you do end up reading it. I am a fan of Luis Alberto Urrea.

>227 msf59: Hi Mark ! Glad you had a good weekend. Great that you enjoyed Jackson ! It has cooled off here today too , and Poppy and I just missed the rain that fell after our walk . Thanks. yes , I did have a good weekend.

>228 alcottacre: Stasia , I only meant I am keen to read some of the Booker Long list , and so I envy you having the books already , only in happy , good way. Sorry if I caused you any offence with my wording . We say that in my family and amongst ourselves we understand the connotations that we mean . I’m not sure if I will stick with Good Night, Irene .It’s not grabbing me that much , and today I popped into the bookstore and found a new book that l purchased, The Raging Storm , a new one out by Anne Cleeves . A mystery might be just the ticket for me right now . I’m not sure yet .

The 4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie 3.5 stars

On her way home from London by train, Elspeth McGillicuddy witnesses a woman being strangled through the window as her train passes parallel to another. Elspeth reports this to both the train station where she disembarks, as well as the local police station. When she is not believed, and a body is not found, she enlists Miss Marple to help. In turn, Miss Marple approaches a young friend, Lucy Eyelesbarrow to take a post at Rutherford Hall. Miss Marple believes that Rutherford Hall is the home closest to where the body may be found. From there we follow a murder mystery. I enjoyed it, but it was not an outstanding read.

A lucky day with Wordle for me . Wordle 801 2/6

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>232 vancouverdeb: Yay for Wordle-in-two!

Karen O

>230 vancouverdeb: No offence was taken, believe me. I was just surprised that anyone would be jealous of me. I hope The Raging Storm works out better for you than Irene seems to have done.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

>233 klobrien2: Thanks Karen! I had a couple of Wordle in 2 days , but I’m back to my usual 3 or 4 . I am enjoying my day!

>234 alcottacre: I am glad no offence was taken , Stasia , because none was meant . I’m just excited that you have all the Booker Long List! I will most likely return to Good Night, Irene at a later date. I was about 57 pages in and I am sure it will improve , but when I saw Raging Storm at the bookstore, I decided to switch to that . However I have not had much time to read at all , so I have yet to whether I’ll prefer Raging Storm . I hope so!

Wordle 802 3/6

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Just made it! I am really enjoying the challenge of Connections.
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Midweek orisons, Deb. Connections has taken the world by storm! I'm glad it's working for you, too.

>116 vancouverdeb: Belated happy 40th anniversary! What a wonderful picture. Another friend recommended Connections so I may have to take the plunge.

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Karen and Richard, thanks for stopping by . I spent a couple of hours at the dentist today, and it’s all good now , but I had a tiring day. I’ll reply tomorrow.

Happy Friday, Deb. Sorry to hear about the dental visit. Ugh! I hope you are feeling better today. We have more Jackson time today and tomorrow, so he will keep us hopping and smiling. I am halfway through Still Born. If this one isn't on your radar, you might want to add it. A tough read but very well done.

>241 vancouverdeb: We were almost twins in Wordle today. Your first word eliminated the R, so your second word was SCALE; my first word eliminated the L, so my second word was SCARE and we both got it on 3.

Sorry you had a rough visit to the dentist. I hope you feel better tomorrow!

>244 msf59:
>245 atozgrl: Thanks Irene and Mark, re the dental visit. It was not too bad. I am a very anxious dental patient, so I take a tranquilizer before I go, and so when I get home, I fall asleep for while. My tooth was still a little sore after the visit, but all good now.

>244 msf59: Glad you had lots of Jackson time, Mark! We get some grandchildren time next Saturday, as it is Miles 3 rd birthday! Looking forward to that. I'll keep Still Born in mind.

>245 atozgrl: Well, tonight I bombed out on Connection, but I had Wordle in 4.

I don't usually list my book acquisitions, but I've been tempted lately to purchase a few books.

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch - from the booker long list. I heard some very good reviews on Book Tube, so it is arriving on Tuesday from amazon.
The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves I read the first in the series and very much enjoyed it and am enjoying this book so far.
The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer. I think I read about this book in review in the newspaper and it sounded like an excellent read
Rage The Night by Donna Morrisey. I really loved Kit's Law by the same author and I found this in my local bookstore and it look good. Let's hope so!

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Blew it at Connections today.

>247 vancouverdeb: Congratulations on your recent acquisitions.

>247 vancouverdeb: Very interesting reading, Deb. I know you're aware of my pleasure in the Matthew Venn series, and in Ann Cleeves's books in general. I'm sad that ITV found their TV adaptation of The Long Call inadequately rewarding so won't be making more, but that's life innit.

The Witching Tide sounds like a great story. I hope her debut will prove a success in your reagding. Happy short week ahead!

Hi, Deb. I am sure you are looking forward to Miles' birthday on Thursday. Yah! That is also when I see Jackson next. Prophet Song sounds promising. I will watch for your thoughts.

>250 Whisper1: Thanks Linda! I try to use the library, but temptation is strong and the library does not always have the books that I want ( or I'm too impatient to wait for a hold to come in.

>251 richardderus: You have an excellent review of Raging Storm on your thread, Richard. I did enjoy the first in the Matthew Venn series, but for some reason I have not read the second in the series. I have enjoyed The Shetland series, Vera Stanhope , though I've not read all in the series, but I think the Matthew Venn series is my favourite. I've not tried watching the ITV version of The Long Call, so I cannot comment. Yes, I do hope I enjoy The Witching Tide. The review in the newspaper was very tempting.

>252 msf59: Yes, indeed, I am looking forward to Mile's 3rd Birthday, Mark. Today was Melissa's first day at Kindergarten. She has gone to preschool for the past couple of years, so not to big of adaptation for her, but it is full day. Enjoy you visit with Jackson!

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Hi Deborah, thanks for posting on my thread. After a couple of busy days I caught a bug so everything slowed down. I'm feeling less cruddy now and hoping to get some relaxed reading in lovely settings before I go home.

I'm reading In Ascension now but have a few on the go at the same time, so hopefully I finish it before it needs to go to the next person in the library's e-book queue.

>257 charl08: Oh , I am sorry that you caught a bug while on holiday in the US.That is not fun at all , or how one wants to spend their holidays. I’m glad you are feeling better and I hope the rest of your holiday is lovely and relaxing. Let me know what you think of In Ascension when you finish it .

What the world needs now is less trying to rescue terrible people who were abused from obscurity and more consigning their abusers to that obscurity.

Today's sibylline utterance brought to you by tomorrow's review.

Sweet Thursday, Deb. How did Melissa's first day in kindgarten go? Enjoy Miles big day! I had a perfect afternoon with Jack.

>260 msf59: I'll be by your thread shortly, Richard, to read your review.

>261 vancouverdeb: Sweet Friday, Mark! Melissa's first day of kindergarten went very well. I saw her briefly on Wednesday and she very happy about it. I said , oh it's 8 hours and she corrected me, it only 6 hours and her cousin is the other class. She went to the same school for preschool, so it's not a big change for her, but it is a longer day. She's quite excited about it all.

Here is picture of Melissa on her first day of kindergarten. Is there a cuter granddaughter!

Today is Miles birthday, but we won't see him until tomorrow for his birthday party. I'm looking forward to it!

Here is a picture of Miles from a couple of weeks ago.

>247 vancouverdeb: I received a copy of Prophet Song this week too, Deborah. Let me know if you are interested in doing a shared read of it! Nice haul altogether.

>262 vancouverdeb: Cute picture! Is there a cuter granddaughter Only mine, of course :)

>263 vancouverdeb: He's a cutie too!

>264 alcottacre: I'll let you know about doing a shared read of Prophet Song Stasia. I wish i was a faster read like you! I had This Other Eden come in on a hold from the library

As I posted the picture of Melissa, I did think, everyone has the cutest granddaughter/ grandson, as the case may be! :-)

When I was picking up my hold from the library, I decided to join a once a month book club hosted at the library. October's book is Chop Suey Nation, so I hope that will be fun and interesting event. I've never been to a book club before, so it is something new for me.

Such adorable pics, Deb!

>262 vancouverdeb: >263 vancouverdeb: How cute! they look so happy! A great age where everything is exciting and new :)

Deborah, your grandkids are adorable. Thanks for posting their pictures.

>262 vancouverdeb: and >263 vancouverdeb: What adorable grand children! They are so cute!!!!

They're both scrummy little smoochlings, Deb, but you knew that...three! Miles looks four n his picture and that's quite a leap at that time of life.

>265 vancouverdeb: My local library has This Other Eden too. I will get to it at some point, I am sure!

>266 vancouverdeb: I hope the book club is a great experience for you! I have never been to a book club before either.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Such cute grandkids! I hope school is going well for Melissa.

>262 vancouverdeb: >263 vancouverdeb: What cute children! They look so happy! Thanks for sharing.

>267 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley!

>268 figsfromthistle: They are cute and happy little people, Anita!

>269 mdoris: Thanks Mary!

>270 Whisper1: Thanks Linda! I think they are very cute too!

>271 richardderus: Smoochlings! That is a the perfect term for Melissa and Miles, Richard and it never occurred to me before.

>272 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia. I'm looking forward to the Library Book Club and I hope it will be fun too. I expect it will, but it is a new thing for me. I did have a very good weekend, thanks!

>273 banjo123: Yes, Melissa is very excited about Kindergarten, Rhonda. Melissa is accustomed to preschool over the past couple of years, so this is not a big change for her. She a fluent reader and very bright , and went to day camp over the summer, so she is quite happy with Kindergarten. Miles however, does not like to be away from his parents , so his preschool this year is very uncertain. He will try it out tomorrow. They did try putting Miles in preschool last year, but he cried every time he was left on his own, so I guess we will see how it goes.

>274 atozgrl: Thanks Irene. They are happy kids, which is so nice. We had a lot of laughs yesterday at Miles 3 rd birthday.

>262 vancouverdeb: & >263 vancouverdeb: We all think we have the cutest, that is one of the joys of Grandparenthood! Still they are certainly pretty convincing candidates. xx

Melissa looks a very poised young lady, I must say, Deb.

I had hoped to get more reading done on the weekend, but I had a fairly busy weekend. Friday I got my hair cut, and as I was paying for that , an old friend of mine called and asked if I would like to meet for dinner, which I did. So we had a great catchup, and went onto to get hot chocolate and tea and we ended up chatting from 7 pm until after midnight. On Saturday, we headed over to my son's place to celebrate Miles 3 rd birthday. We had a lot of fun . Today I thought I would get a good chunk of time in for reading , but I kept finding myself drifting off to sleep. That was annoying . But I did get some reading done and will go back to get some more reading done now.

I hope to finish off The Raging Storm tomorrow. It's a very good read, but I would like to get onto Prophet Song next, I think.

>279 vancouverdeb: I am certainly up for joining Stasia and your good self with Prophet Song, Deb.
Do let me know. You will need to specify the pace though as we couldn't keep up with Stasia if we let her lead!

>278 PaulCranswick: I agree Paul, we do all think we have the cutest grandchildren. It is one of the joys of grand-parenting. Melissa is very poised and mature for a 5 year old I think. She has been a fluent reader since she was 4 years old, and besides Kindergarten , she is enrolled in Mandarin lessons, ice skating, piano lessons . I will have to make an appointment to see her well ahead of time to see her, with her busy schedule.

>280 PaulCranswick: Yes, Paul, I think I would like to join you and Stasia in a joint read of Prophet Song, but at the slow rate I am reading lately, I fear it will be a slow pace indeed.

>281 vancouverdeb: I wanted to say, Deb, that she looks like an early reader - I was reading voraciously from four years old too.

>282 vancouverdeb: I am happy to read along at a pace of 30 or so pages a day, Deb. I rarely read one book at a time these days which is the influence of the group too, I fear. xx

>280 PaulCranswick: >282 vancouverdeb: You will need to specify the pace though as we couldn't keep up with Stasia if we let her lead! Yes, you could. I actually read very slowly. I just read a lot.

>283 PaulCranswick: I do not ever remember reading one book at a time, lol. I always have 6 or 7 on the go at any given time and that seems to be my sweet spot, although I have been known to juggle more.

>262 vancouverdeb: >263 vancouverdeb: I LOVE IT! They at such great ages. 😁❤️

I hope you had a good weekend, Deb and found some time for the books. I will watch for your final thoughts on Prophet Song. It sounds good.

>283 PaulCranswick: She is an early reader, yes, Paul. I was an early reader, but not until my kindergarten year did I start to read on my own. So I would have been five. I was also an avid reader from an early age. Serenade and William have done everything right to create keen, young reader. Prior to her birth , they had a baby shower for Melissa and asked for only books as gift for Melissa. Serenade teaches kindergarten part time, so I am sure having a mom who is grade school teacher can't hurt as far as learning how to read at an early age.

>283 PaulCranswick:
>284 alcottacre: Great as far as reading Prophet Song, Stasia and Paul. I have just a few pages to go in my current read, and I should start Prophet Song this evening. I'll see if I can read faster, but for now we will leave the pace at 30 pages per day.

I'm afraid I only have 1 book at one the go at once, or my poor brain could not keep track of all the characters and plots :-)

>285 msf59: Thanks Mark! We do have a beautiful grandchildren, don't we all ? :-) I did have a very nice weekend, and finally found some time late last night for the books!I think Prophet Song should be a good read. Finger crossed!

>286 vancouverdeb: The pace at 30 pages a day is just fine with me, Deborah, so do not worry on that account!

>288 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia! You are so kind!

Hi Deborah. Melissa and Miles are both cuties…but then you knew that. Thanks for sharing pictures of them.

I don’t remember reading early. Once I did know how to read, though, there was no stopping me! It has always been my favorite way to spend my time. Notice that I didn’t say “free” time. Reading comes first most days.

>289 vancouverdeb: Nope. That is a vicious rumor.

>289 vancouverdeb: & >291 alcottacre: Hahaha I know it to be much more than a rumor!

>290 Donna828: Thanks Donna! They are cuties, but you too have very handsome and lovely grandchildren, as I have seen on your thread. Many people are not early readers. My sister, born the same year as me, ( Jan and Nov) was not an early reader, but she certainly reads at quite a pace now. I love to read too, Donna.

>291 alcottacre: Nonesense, Stasia! :-)

>292 PaulCranswick: Agreed, Paul!

Please follow me to my new thread.

Miles and Melissa are adorable. I'm so glad that Melissa is enjoying kindergarden. Do you think you'll have another reader in the family?

>295 streamsong: Thanks Janet! I do think they are adorable! I hope will have another reader in the family. Melissa has been reading to her little brother Miles for the past year, but it is so hard to know what people will do in adulthood. My two sons were both readers in their younger years, and read fluently, but neither reads for pleasure now. I don't know why. I think my son William, married with the two young children is very busy, so maybe that is part of the reason. I can hope!

>284 alcottacre: One book at a time never really worked for me as a habit, either. Unless it was a gobble-in-one-sitting read, of course. I find five is my best cluster number.

I'll be over to your new digs directly after I finish up my therapy session.