Amber's (scaifea) Thread #8

Hey, everybody!

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

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

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

Here I am modeling the gorgeous headband that Ana (the library patron for whom I'm learning Spanish) brought back from Guatemala for me:



Favorite Books from 2022
Solutions and Other Problems
Beat the Reaper
Hyperbole and a Half
We Ride Upon Sticks
The Prestige
The Ogress and the Orphans
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
A Fatal Grace
The Ghost Writer
In the Woods
This Book Is Gay
Brothersong
A Court of Thorns and Roses
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Waiting for the Flood
Heartstopper
Alice I Have Been
Cemetery Boys
The Plot

What I'm Reading Now:
-Concrete Rose (Printz Honor Book)
-Toxic Toffee (mystery)
-Queen Charlotte (romance)
-Beastars vol 1 (manga)
-Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? (wishlist book)
-Pale Fire (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books)
-Making Faces (Beauty & the Beast retellings)
-The Star-Touched Queen (audiobook)
-The Thief of Time (Boyne Bibliography)
-Greywaren (Stiefvater bibliography)
-Susannah's Garden (from the library displays)
-Les Miserables (books by year - 1862)
-The Great Gatsby (unread book from my shelves)
-Throne of Glass (Mother's Day present from Charlie)
-Amber & Dusk (Summer Book Bingo)

The books I have going at once and the On Deck books nearly all come from the following categories and lists:

-14 years ago I started working my way through a handful of awards lists for children's books. I've finished a fair few of those, but I'm still working through the 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die list, and I try to stay up to date with several of the YALSA awards each year.

-A mystery

-A romance novel

-Manga

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

-A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List

-A Beauty and the Beast retelling

-An audiobook, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/clean/drive/pack and unpack cargo at work

-Agatha Christie's bibliography

-Stephen Fry's bibliography

-John Boyne bibliography

-Neil Gaiman's bibliography

-Christopher Moore's bibliography

-Maggie Stiefvater's bibliography

-The NEH Timeless Classics list

-The National Book Award list

-The Pulitzer list

-An unread book from my shelves

-A book from my Read Soon! shelves

-Book-a-year challenge: A few years ago I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've since been trying to fill in the gap years.

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

Books Read

JANUARY
1. A Face for Picasso (Schneider Honor Book) - 7/10
2. The Devotion of Suspect X (audiobook) - 9/10
3. Heartstopper vol 4 (series read) - 9/10
4. Elatsoe (audiobook) - 9/10
5. A Court of Silver Flames (a Beauty and the Beast retelling) - 10/10
6. Shuna's Journey (manga) - 9/10
7. Still Alice (audiobook) - 8/10
8. My Hero Academia vol 7 (manga) - 9/10
9. Summer Bird Blue (audiobook) - 8/10
10. A Heartbeat Away (audiobook) - 8/10
11. A Parcel of Patterns (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10
12. Jacquard's Web (wishlist) - 6/10
13. Spider Sparrow (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10
14. Radio Silence (audiobook) - 10/10
15. I Am Not Esther (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10
16. The Day the World Came to Town (audiobook) - 9/10
17. When He Was Wicked (romance) - 9/10

FEBRUARY
18. Tarnished Are the Stars (audiobook) - 8/10
19. A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns (for a couple of my category challenges) - 8/10
20. Assassination Classroom vol 3 (manga) - 8/10
21. Drums Along the Mohawk (NEH list) - 7/10
22. My Hero Academia vol 8 (manga) - 10/10
23. In the Ravenous Dark (audiobook) - 9/10
24. The Beauty and the Beast (B&B retellings) - 9/10
25. So Cold the River (audiobook) - 9/10
26. The Joy Luck Club (unread book from my shelves) - 9/10
27. Taken at the Flood (Christie bibliography) - 8/10
28. The Secret Life of Bees (Books I'm Reading with My Friend, Rob) - 7/10

MARCH
29. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (audiobook) - 9/10
30. Given Vol 1 (manga) - 10/10
31. Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club (audiobook) - 9/10
32. Last Night at the Telegraph Club (Stonewall Award) - 9/10
33. Sarah's Key (audiobook) - 9/10
34. Almost Flying (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
35. The Cat Who Saved Books (audiobook) - 10/10
36. Assassination Classroom vol 4 (manga) - 8/10
37. Killer Research (mystery) - 8/10
38. The Weird Sisters (audiobook) - 9/10
39. Lest Darkness Fall (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 6/10
40. The Call of Cthulhu (editing job for my classicist friend) - 2/10
41. Heartless (audiobook) - 8/10

APRIL
42. My Hero Academia vol 9 (manga) - 10/10
43. Ape House (audiobook) - 8/10
44. The Screwtape Letters (audiobook) - 7/10
45. Strange Objects (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10
46. Two Night in Lisbon (audiobook) - 8/10
47. The World Without Us (audiobook) - 8/10
48. Mrs. Stephen Fry's Diary (Fry bibliography) - 8/10
49. Given vol 2 (manga) - 10/10
50. On the Road (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob) - 7/10
51. The Ghost Drum (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10
52. It's in His Kiss (romance) - 9/10
53. The Woman in White (audiobook) - 9/10
54. A Gentleman in Moscow (wishlist) - 7/10

MAY
55. Bad Feminist (audiobook) - 10/10
56. Destination Unknown (audiobook) - 9/10
57. Pi: A Biography (wishlist) - 6/10
58. The Strain (audiobook) - 7/10
59. Freewater (Newbery Medal) - 9/10
60. My Hero Academia Vol 10 (manga) - 10/10
61. Assassination Classroom Vol 5 (manga) - 8/10
62. The Young Elites (audiobook) - 8/10
63. Blizzard of Glass (audiobook) - 8/10
64. The Witches (audiobook) - 8/10
65. Silverlock (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 6/10
66. The Night Strangers (audiobook) - 9/10
67. Ash (audiobook) - 9/10
68. The Changeover (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10
69. Lunatics (audiobook) - 8/10

JUNE
70. Avalon High (audiobook) - 8/10
71. Hollow Kingdom (from my Read Soon! shelves) - 8/10
72. The Darkness Outside Us (Stonewall Honor Book) - 9/10
73. The Things That Keep Us Here (audiobook) - 8/10
74. The Plot and the Pendulum (mystery) - 8/10
75. My Hero Academia vol 11 (manga) - 9/10
76. The Coming of the Dragon (audiobook) - 9/10
77. Beauty and the Werewolf (B&B retelling) - 9/10
78. Mother May I (impulse library checkout) - 8/10
79. They Came to Baghdad (Christie bibliography) - 8/10

JULY
80. The White Devil (audiobook) - 8/10
81. The Jumbies (audiobook) - 8/10
82. The Martian (audiobook) - 10/10
83. Kon Tiki (NEH) - 6/10
84. Assassination Classroom vol 6 (manga) - 7/10
85. The Looking Glass Wars (audiobook) - 8/10
86. Snow, Glass, Apples (Gaiman bibliography) - 10/10
87. When She Woke (audiobook) - 8/10
88. The Hawkline Monster (from the library displays) - 8/10
89. Premeditated Peppermint (mystery) - 8/10
90. The Lost Sun (audiobook) - 8/10
91. Wildwood (unread book from my shelves) - 6/10
92. Ordeal By Innocence (Christie bibliography) - 7/10
93. Sin in the Second City (audiobook) - 8/10
94. Notes on a Nervous Planet (from my Read Soon! Shelves) - 7/10

AUGUST
95. On the Way to the Wedding (romance) - 8/10
96. The Snow Child (audiobook) - 8/10
97. Firekeeper's Daughter (Printz Award) - 9/10
98. The Tiger (audiobook) - 7/10
99. My Hero Academia Volume 12 (manga) - 9/10
100. Forgotten Bookmarks (an unread book from my shelves) - 8/10

Simmons and the Babushka:



Mario Being Mario (aka: adorable and happy and adorable):



Charlie and the Charlie Chums, but Make It Artsy:

The next one is yours - come on in!!

Happy new thread!
Simmons looks fabulous! It's important to keep one's ears our the way, you know.
Impressed, that's 3 sort of half smiles in Charlie & his chums. I spent my teens looking like a right grumpy cow. Way to go, parentals.

Happy new thread, Amber!

>5 scaifea: Lovely pictures of the gals. Mario is always adorable.
How long before Simmons got rid of the headscarf?

>7 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen!

Simmons has a very practical approach to fashion, that's true.

And ha - yep, that tiny grin from Charlie is a rare phenomenon.

>8 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

Simmons kept it on a good long while, really. She tolerates clothing as long as it doesn't interfere with ball playing.

80. The White Devil by Justin Evans (audiobook) - 8/10
A teen from the states is sent by his parents to a British boarding school as a last result - he's been kicked out of schools back home. Almost as soon as he arrives at his new school, he witnesses a ghost kill one of his dorm mates. When the teacher in charge of the school play discovered that Andrew is the spitting image of Lord Byron, who is the focus of that year's play, and who graduated from the school, it begins to become clear who the murdering ghost is and why he is infecting more and more students with the disease that killed him long ago.

This one was...okay. Nice creep factor, and a good atmosphere, but the plot didn't flow very well and the ending was abrupt and kind of unsatisfying. Still, I enjoy stuff about Byron so I'm not mad I read it.



81. The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (audiobook) - 8/10
A retelling of The Magic Orange Tree story for, I think?, a middle grade audience? At any rate, it was a fun, quick read.

Happy new thread, Amber!

>12 katiekrug:

Happy new one, Amber (Hope that guy in >13 scaifea: passed whatever it was that was hurting him so lol)

Simmons, you are much too young to pull off that look.

>14 RebaRelishesReading: Oh, you're not familiar with David, eh? I *highly* recommend Schitt's Creek to you, then!

>15 laytonwoman3rd: *SNORK!!*

Amber, it has been too long since I visited. I'm pleased to meet Agent Fitzsimmons and of course to see current pics of Mario and Charlie.

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread Amber!

>16 scaifea: YES, Reba!! You must!!! David is the bomb. Actually, the whole show is the bomb.

Happy new thread Amber! Great pics. >13 scaifea: I feel like Schitt's Creek has some of the best gifs. I love every time I see one. Lol.

Happy new thread, Amber! And Charlie looks so dapper in that bow tie. :)

Happy new one!

>18 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen! I don’t get round the threads myself very often anymore. It seems that having a job and a teenager takes up, um, time? I mean, who knew!?

>19 quondame: Thanks!

>20 PlatinumWarlock: AGREED.

>21 WhiteRaven.17: It is such a good show.

>22 PlatinumWarlock: Thanks!! He loves a good bow tie, that kid.

>23 figsfromthistle: Thank you!

Welp. I spilled Coke Zero all over my keyboard yesterday so I’m posting this from my iPad. It seems that’s not exactly a healthy thing to do to your computer and now we are awaiting a remote keyboard so that hopefully we can get it to function well enough at least to get my files from it. It’s an old laptop and needs to be replaced anyway, but still. Ugh. So posts will be brief and few for a while.

Today I’m working 9 to 6, then tomorrow we’re off to WI for a few days, so I would have been fairly absent anyway.

So, happy…Monday? I guess?

Happy new one, Amber! I hope the laptop gets sorted soon.

Happy new thread! Sorry about the keyboard woes. I hope you have a good time in WI!

I'm sorry about your laptop catastrophe, Amber. I hope the external keyboard can help you extract what you need from the hard drive. If not, you should be able to find a local computer shop that can take out the hard drive and pull the data from it if it's not damaged. I've had a couple of friends need to do that and as I recall it didn't seem very expensive (of course I wasn't pulling out my checkbook, so wasn't paying that much attention). :-)

>30 scaifea: Ugh, sorry to hear about your laptop. I’ve experienced similar issues - I spilled tea over mine not once but twice, in one month. It was the keyboard that suffered, and it does work with an external keyboard but like yours it’s old and needs replacement. But laptops are expensive and I don’t want to (especially during a recession).

dang -- nasty about the computer but what a great idea to get a remote keyboard. My laptop is a few years old and having some annoying keyboard issues -- maybe a temporary solution for that.🧐 I'm very tempted by the new MacAir15" but would rather wait until they are a little less pricy...

>31 drneutron: Thanks, Jim. It's times like these that make having a tech-savvy husband a good thing!

>32 foggidawn: Thanks!

>33 rosalita: Tomm said that we should be able to use the remote keyboard to get in and save all my stuff to the cloud (which I never use and have been gently chastised for now), and it should tide me over until the new laptop comes. So hopefully it won't come to a trip to the mac store because gross.

>34 PawsforThought: Yeah, they're not cheap, but Tomm's already tucked some money aside for a new one for me, apparently, since this one is so old. So yay!

>35 RebaRelishesReading: Not sure which mac I'll get, but it will for sure be an apple, and they're always pricey.

Happy new thread, Amber! Sorry to hear about the computer mishap :(

>38 scaifea: Sounds like Tomm has it all well in hand! I have had my bacon saved by iCloud backups at least twice (once when a phone died, once when a laptop died) so I am a full-throated advocate for it now. It's also super helpful when you have more than one Apple device. Being able to copy a piece of text on my iPad and paste it into an email on my iMac still feels like magic to me.

Happy new thread!
(and yikes about the hardware, I'm so sorry. Having killed my fitbit a couple weeks ago I sympathize.)
When I last checked in you were pretty tuckered out from some medicine issues, so I'm happy to see you're doing better :)

I saw your venture with the Les Mis movie last thread too. That movie was actually my intro to the story at all and I remember bawling my eyes out at the end. I know there's agitation at the casting/singing choices but I just can't hate the film. The story itself is too good.

Happy new thread, Amber!

>11 scaifea: I read The Jumbies several years ago when the author was a guest at our annua children's literature festival. I enjoyed it, and enjoyed the two sequels too, though I think the first is the best.

Sorry to hear about your laptop -- hope that the data is recoverable and you like the new one.

Hi Amber my dear, Happy New Thread. Sorry to hear about your accident with the laptop, hopefully you will be able to retrieve everything and then transfer to your new laptop. My laptop ha started playing up a little but in the main is OK and i will wait until the January sales to replace as long as it lasts six months, it should do.

Enjoy your trip to WI my dear and we both send love and hugs to you, Tomm, Charlie, Agent Simmons and Mario my dear friend.

Most things object to having Coke poured on them. I know I did.
Hope the external keyboard does the job and you can transfer what you need. I, too, have a IT guy for that kind of stuff.

>41 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie. I think Tomm has pretty much saved the day with the laptop tragedy, but we’ll see for sure when we get back from WI.

>42 rosalita: Wait, what?! That sounds very much like magic and I am HERE for it! I’ll definitely be playing with that!

>43 Ravenwoodwitch: Thanks! Ooof, yeah, I had a Fitbit for awhile and then poof it died, too. I’m happy with my Apple Watch now, though.

And oooh, if you ever get a chance to see the LM musical live, do it! The staging really makes the story, I think, and I’ve decided that was what made the movie not quite connect - no live stage magic. But yeah, it’s a real gut puncher either way.

>44 swynn: Oh, it’s very cool that you heard the author speak! I may try the sequels at some point, and I’ll definitely be recommending the book to some of our young patrons. I may even add it to my July middle grade display, which is “Stories about All Kinds of People from All Kinds of Places.”

>45 johnsimpson: Thanks so much, John!

I’m afraid I won’t be able to wait that long to replace my laptop, but I’ll be cheering yours on to last.

On the Agenda for Today:

Driving.

Probably not much checking in here for the rest of the week, so I hope you all have a good one!

I'm playing catch-up on LT since I pretty much dropped off in early April except to post reads through mid-May. I caught up with read posting last night, and am beginning to try to make a dent in catching up on threads. That basically consists of leaving a comment and hoping I can catch up from this point forward!

Have a safe trip Amber!

Thanks, folks!

There and back again. We had a great time, but oooof, there was a LOT of driving in those few days and I am knackered. Grateful to have the weekend to recover before going back to work on Monday.

On the Agenda for Today:
It won’t be a completely do-nothing weekend, though. I need to do the menu planning, prep my grocery list, then go do the grocery shopping today. There are literal piles of laundry to take care of. I need to sort through the weekly bill stuff. I need to pick up and dust the house. Tomm is going to help me get into my laptop and show me how to save stuff to the cloud. I need to take care of some online birthday shopping for a couple of July family birthdays. And then I guess I’ll make *something* for dinner.

On the Reading Front:
I didn’t get nearly the reading time that I would have liked during this trip - we were busy the whole time. But I did manage a few pages in Premeditated Peppermint, and we listened through The Martian in the car together (first time for Tomm and Charlie’ a reread for me).

The Crafting Report:
*snork* Yeah, right. I would like to tidy up the sewing room this weekend, though, and maybe do a tiny bit of sewing tomorrow maybe. We’ll see. Part of the tidying process will include ordering some milk crate-type containers to replace the cardboard moving boxes that currently house my pattern collection. The Pisa quality of the stack of said boxes at this point is ridiculous.

What We’re Watching:
We went to the theater this week to see the new Miles Morales Spider-Man movie and it was excellent!

82. The Martian by Andy Weir (audiobook) - 10/10
A reread for me, but the first time through for Charlie and Tomm - we listened to this on our trip to WI. Loved it just as much this time as I did the first time.

On the Agenda for Today:
More laundry, dusting and picking up around the house (which didn’t get done yesterday), then some sewing, some crocheting, some knitting, and some reading. Oh, and I have some book reviews to do. Chef Charlie is in charge of dinner tonight; he’s making his famous Kara Tur (a rice noodle dish from his D&D cookbook. It’s fabulous and I’m excited.)

So, my laptop is pretty much dead. Won’t hold a charge. Tomm thinks he can get it running long enough to get the last of my files transferred, so fingers crossed. New lappy will be here in a little over a week. Until then it’s the iPad and a remote keyboard for me. Woot.

On the Reading Front:
I finished Kon Tiki, Assassination Classroom Volume 6, The Looking Glass Wars, and Snow, Glass, Apples yesterday, and I started Hot and Badgered.

The Crafting Report:
I cleaned up the sewing space a little (to the untrained eye it probably still looks like a hot mess, but I know where everything is and have space to move, so I’m calling it a win) and am ready to get back to the garden quilt. Then I spent some time with the Death Star Project last night. Today I’d like to get back to my crocheting, which will mean figuring out what, exactly, I was working on and where in the process I was…

What We’re Watching:
The first half of The Amazing Spider-Man. I adore Tom Holland as Spider-Man, but Garfield is growing on me. (I mean, neither of them are Miles Morales, but that goes without saying.)

83. Kon Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl (NEH) - 6/10
Guy who’s afraid of boats and can’t swim devices to prove that ancient settlers of Polynesian islands came from South America, and he does so by recreating the journey they may have made on the kind of craft they would have used. Impressive, but apparently the account of such a journey is not my jam. I just could get interested in it.



84. Assassination Classroom vol 6 by Yusei Matsui (manga) - 7/10
Yeah, I’m giving up after this one. I can’t keep the characters straight and they alien teacher thing has just tipped over into too-annoying for me.



85. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (audiobook) - 8/10
A retelling, of sorts, of Lewis Carroll’s books about Wonderland, only here the stories are based on fact and Alice is angry at Carroll for making them into silly near fairy tales when she, in fact, escaped to this world when Red revolted, killed Alice’s mother (the White Queen of Hearts), and took the throne. Hatter searches this world for Alice for 13 years, finds, her, and takes her back to fight for her throne.
I really wanted to love this one because I adore the originals and generally love the idea of creative retellings. But this one fell a little short of the mark for me and I don’t think I’ll go on with the series.



86. Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman (Gaiman bibliography) - 10/10
A retelling of Snow White through the viewpoint of the Queen.
Like All Things Gaiman, this was wonderful. Such an imaginative twist on the old story, and so beautifully told.

RIP laptop. That's a bummer, Amber. But it will be fun to have a shiny new model.

>59 lauralkeet: It’s a complete and total bummer, especially with the worry that I won’t get all my files off of it. I have faith in Tomm, but I’m also still nervous. All my writing files, all my teaching files,… Ugh. Like Colin Firth said, I really must make copies.

On the Agenda for Today:
I’m working 10-8 (!!) to try to make up some of the hours I missed last week. I’ll open *and* close today. During SLP, no less. I believe there may be a Medal of Honor involved. Anyway, that’s pretty much the day for me. I’ve got a load of laundry in the dryer already, so I’ll get that finished and folded and put away before I have to leave for work, and started a new exercise plan this morning, too, since with this plantar fwhaever I shouldn’t be treadmilling just now. We’ll see how it goes. Leftovers from Charlie’s amazing meal last night for dinner. YUM.

On the Reading Front:
I started The Hawkline Monster yesterday, which I picked from a colleague’s display at work. It’s…weird so far, but that’s to be expected - the display is: Weird Westerns. I also started listening to When She Woke, which seems excellent. A retelling of The Scarlet Letter and I am here for it.

The Crafting Report:
I have Things! To Report! Crafting Things! I worked on the garden quilt a bit, sorted out my old crochet project (a potholder to practice dc stitches) and worked on it a bit, I pre-washed some fabric I bought last week to prep it for the use (I’m making a pair of fingerless gloves for a colleague at another branch who wears them all the time and I couldn’t resist getting some fabric to make myself some more, too), AND I worked on Project Death Star. Progress is being made on all fronts, folks.

What We’re Watching:
Glee!

Wowzers that's a long day, Amber. Best of luck with it!

I loved When She Woke several years ago. I hope it continues to be a good read for you.

>62 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. I'm currently hiding out and working from my desk for a bit of a break from the SLP madness out there...

And yay for When She Woke! It's excellent so far.

Golly, that's a day and half. Hope it's not too mad.
Excellent crafting update. I've been french knitting. One ball finished, second started. First ball load laid out on the dining room table, it will be a split scarf. Probably. One day.

>64 Helenliz: I don't even know what french knitting is! Off to google...

>61 scaifea: I've got Weird West and Frontier Fantasy as tags for a group of books I found entertaining and imaginative and would like to know what books/authors made it into the Weird Western display.

>61 scaifea: I have Things! To Report! Crafting Things!

LOL Isn't that a great feeling?

>66 quondame: Ooof, sorry - when I came in today after vacation, she'd already switched over to a new display for July.

On the Agenda for Today:
I’m on the Dolly Shift today, which includes Teen Tuesday - today we’ll be making mini books! Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I started Making Faces and listened to more When She Woke yesterday.

The Crafting Report:
That loooong day at work yesterday didn’t include enough down time for knitting or crocheting, I’m afraid. Yoicks.

What We’re Watching:
More Glee.

On the Agenda for Today:
I have the rest of the week off from work because we’re going to have a house guest and I am *so* excited! Laura (lycomayflower) is coming to visit!!! So I’ll probably just putter around the house trying to make the time pass before she gets here this afternoon/evening.

On the Reading Front:
I read a bit of Les Miserables and listened to more When She Woke, both of which remain excellent so far.

The Crafting Report:
Work on Project Death Star continues. I’m hoping to do some sewing today, too, and a bit of sewing room organization: currently my many, many sewing patterns are housed in a stack of old moving boxes that are doing an excellent impression of the Pisa tower, so I ordered some milk crates, which came yesterday. Should be a fun couple of hours moving the patterns into their new home and browsing and daydreaming of what I could make.

What We’re Watching:
More Glee while Tomm’s out of town.

Woo hoo! I'm excited to see you two getting together. Isn't LT the best?

>70 scaifea: Ooh, have fun, you two!

>70 scaifea: "Laura (lycomayflower) is coming to visit!!!" Had the road report...she's rollin'!

>70 scaifea: Mike cut down some comic book storage boxes for my patterns and they are the best solution I've found so far. Now that I've pretty much given up acquiring sewing patterns. But if it's a costume from 1990-2010, most likely I have it.

>71 lauralkeet: Yes!

>72 foggidawn: Thanks!

>73 laytonwoman3rd: She made it here safely (as you know) and we had a fun first evening!

>74 quondame: Ooof, I would need a *lot* of comic book boxes for that to work for me. As it is, there are currently 7 milk crates full…

On the Agenda for Today:
Hanging out with Laura!! Woot!!

On the Reading Front:
I started Ghosts in the Middle Ages, read a bit of Throne of Glass, and listened to a bit of When She Woke.

The Crafting Report:
It was all about the pattern organizing yesterday, although I did also finish a crochet project - a pot holder that was essentially a study in double crochet stitches. (Photo, if I remember, once my new compay arrives. I have no idea how to add a photo here on my iPad.)

What We’re Watching:
Charlie and I introduced Laura to Ted Lasso last night…

Morning, Amber! Hope you have a great visit with Laura! 😁

Enjoy the visit from the bookish buddy.

I'm pretty sure that organising patterns is a separate occupation from doing the hobby. >:-)

Hope the transfer to the new computer is painless. For you, if not for him. >;-)

>77 bell7: >78 Helenliz: Thanks, folks!

I can’t speak for Laura, of course, but *I* at least think we’re having a pretty good time. We’ve done a fair amount of public library branch and book shop touring, and we’ll be going to another book shop today.

Laura also thinks we are having a pretty good time.

>81 lycomayflower: Woot!

Welp, Laura is on her way home today. We had a great week - at least I know I had a good time, and I think the trend continued for her, too. We went to lots of bookstores and libraries, which is a shock, I know. I also managed to get her hooked on Ted Lasso, so I'm calling the visit a success!

Sounds like an excellent time.
Safe trip home, Laura.

>84 Helenliz: It definitely was.

On the Agenda for Today:
Tomm and Charlie left first thing this morning to go golfing. Charlie has been wanting Tomm to teach him, and now that it's almost time for Charlie's learner's permit (oooof), Tomm thinks letting him tool around on a golf cart wouldn't be a bad idea. So I have the house to myself here for a bit. I've got some laundry going and I'll go out to do the grocery shopping as soon as they get home. Then this afternoon Charlie and I are going shopping for the bits and bobs he needs for band camp next week, plus probably some preliminary school supply shopping. I suspect lunch will be had as well. I also need to do the bill sorting today, and I owe you all a couple of book reviews. Frozen Friday dinner.

On the Reading Front:
I finished up The Hawkline Monster yesterday and read a bit of Making Faces. I'm also about halfway through The Lost Sun on audio.

The Crafting Report:
The Deathstar Project continues, plus I've started crocheting a faux fur cowl. I'd love to get into the sewing room today, but I suspect I'll be too beat by the time all the shopping is done.

What We're Watching:
Some Arrested Development, some West Wing, and some Drunk History.

Hi Amber, my past month and a half has been so busy, I only read 2 books.
I'm planning a book round up for my thread this weekend. smoky skies and poor air quality will be keeping me indoors, so no excuses!

Glad you and Laura had such a good time!

Hiya Amber! I love the idea of Charlie getting his first driving experience on a golf cart. I hope he enjoys golf too.

>87 SandyAMcPherson: This summer seems like it's been wildly busy for me, too, Sandy. Two books sounds like an accomplishment to me!

>88 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>89 lauralkeet: Hi, Laura! They came back from the golf course full of hilarity, so I think it either went really well or ridiculously bad. Either way, I love it.

>90 scaifea: Thanks for that sentiment!
I feel less discouraged knowing I'm in company with others on the slackening in book consumption!

>92 SandyAMcPherson: Solidarity, sister!!

87. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (audiobook) - 8/10
A modern re-imagining of The Scarlet Letter, in which people who are convicted of crimes have their skin modified to be tinted a color that correlates to the kind of crime they committed. For Hannah, who was caught just after having an abortion, it means her skin is red, the color for murder. She refuses to name the father, who is a famous evangelist and recent appointee to a religious post in the federal government, and she must navigate a society that is completely hostile to her all while struggling to with the notion that her conservative Christian upbringing may not have been an accurate outlook on the world.

A great tribute to Hawthorne while also being a bit terrifying for how close to the current state of things it gets. Excellently strong, feminist ending as well. Recommended.



88. The Hawkline Monster by Richard Brautigan (from the library displays) - 8/10
In early 1900s Wild West, two partners who specialize in assassinations are approached by a Native American woman named Magic Child with a job proposition. A certain Miss Hawkline, who lives in the middle of the Oregon plains, would like to hire the two men to kill the monster living under her mansion.

I picked this one up off a colleague’s book display: Weird West. And hoo boy, it was both a western (“A Gothic Western” as its tag line indicates) and very weird. I loved it.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working today, and then maybe I'll do some sewing when I get home, but honestly it'll probably be a nap instead. Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I listened to more of The Lost Sun and read a bit of Les Miserables yesterday.

The Crafting Report:
Nope, nothing. Too tired after all the shopping.

What We're Watching:
Some Arrested Development, some West Wing, and the rest of the first Garfield Spider-Man movie.

Morning Amber! We love Arrested Development. Is this your first watch or have you seen it before? I hope you get that nap in!

>96 lauralkeet: Morning, Laura!

Third time through AD for Tomm and me, first time for Charlie, and he's loving it!

On the Agenda for Today:
Charlie heads off to a week of Band Camp today, and he's really excited. So it's packing this morning, and then we'll head out this afternoon. On the way back from dropping him off, Tomm and I will have dinner at one of our favorite places, which is in a small town between here and there:

https://www.1808americanbistro.com/

For those interested, I think I'll be having either the Double Boned Pork Chop or the Filet Medallions, either Cuzco's Poison or the Aviation (I had the Aviation last time and it was SO good, but how could I not try Cuzco's Poison ("The poison. The poison for Cuzco, the poison chosen especially to kill Cuzco, Cuzco's poison.")?!), and for dessert, the Whiskey Bread Pudding.

On the Reading Front:
I finished up Premeditated Peppermint and I'm almost finished with The Lost Sun.

The Crafting Report:
I worked some on the faux fur cowl, and wow, is it difficult to find the stitches with that yarn! I'm hopeful that I'll be able to finish it, though.

What We're Watching:
Nothing last night - we had our first Family Game Night in a long time, and we played some Mario Party. Charlie whupped us both pretty soundly.

89. Premeditated Peppermint by Amanda Flower (mystery) - 8/10
It’s Christmas in Holmes County, Ohio, and Bailey is hard at work in her grandmother’s candy shop preparing chocolates for the Amish Christmas Market. Her ex shows up from NYC with an entire tv crew, hoping to convince Bailey both to do a show with him and get back together. Meanwhile the town deputy and Bailey are still dancing around the idea of dating while said deputy’s pig-toting mother is spreading rumors round town that they’re already engaged. Oh, and there’s a murder. Because of course.

A solid entry in the series. I’m enjoying the Amish setting with a non-Amish main character, and I’m interested to see where things go in the next few volumes.

Hope Charlie has a great time at Band camp. Hope dinner was delicious. I'm a sucker for seasonal asparagus, so probably the salmon, thanks.

Hurray for band camp and a dinner date!

That steak diane looks to die for, but honestly the entire menu looks so tasty I will forgive them this apostrophe catastrophe:
Currently open for dinner Wednesday’s through Sunday’s.

Enjoy!

>100 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen. Apparently there were giant slip & slides for the evening activity last night, so I think things are going well at the camp. Dinner was absolutely delicious, but you're welcome to all of the asparagus.

>101 lauralkeet: I saw that grammar snafu, Laura. Yoicks. But yeah, the food makes up for it.

On the Agenda for Today:
I have my annual mammogram today at 11:30 (not the most fun thing ever, but necessary and important), and then on the way home I'll treat myself to a trip to the Columbus library to pick up my Summer Reading Challenge prizes. This afternoon I think I'll start to tackle cleaning up our storage area, which is a hot mess and needs organizing. Tomm's in charge of dinner tonight, which will either be sausages on the grill or eating at a local restaurant.

On the Reading Front:
I finished The Lost Sun yesterday, started listening to Sin in the Second City, and read a bit of Ordeal by Innocence.

The Crafting Report:
I made some progress on the fur cowl yesterday. Halfway through!

What We're Watching:
Several West Wing episodes.

90. The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton (audiobook) - 8/10
Set in an AU where the Norse gods are real and living among us in an altered United States, the story follows Soren and Astrid set off to find the missing god, Baldur, while Soren fights his birthright as a berserker and tries and fails to keep from falling in love with Astrid.

An interesting take on the Norse stories. I enjoyed the couple of twists at the end and I liked the main characters (Baldur is nicely portrayed as well), but I didn’t love it enough to continue on with the series.

I hope Charlie continues to have a grand time at camp and you and Tomm enjoy your time together as well.

>106 MickyFine: Thanks.

On the Agenda for Today:
We had some thunderstorms come through last night and therefore had a scaredy dog on our bed, which means I didn't sleep very well, which means I'm pretty groggy this morning. I'll probably still do some work on the storage room, but I don't know what else today. Possibly (read: very probably) a nap. Either leftovers for dinner or maybe takeaway Mexican.

On the Reading Front:
I made a little progress with The Thief of Time and listened to some Sin in the Second City.

The Crafting Report:
Nearly finished with the cowl - just need to weave in the ends.

What We're Watching:
After a marathon push through the last few episodes, we are now finished with our West Wing rewatch. Up next: Psych.

>108 scaifea: Awww, poor scaredy dog. That reminds me: we now have a Thundershirt, ready to try at the next opportunity.

>102 scaifea: OMG, you're offering asparagus!! There is very little better than grilled asparagus imo.

It sounds like you're making the most of "Charlie's at Camp" time -- combination of chores and pleasure sounds just right. I am curious what your reading challenge prizes are though.

>102 scaifea: I get it's an acquired taste. I grow it myself, it usually yields enough for 3 or 4 dinners for one, which is fine, as he's not a fan. >:-) And beyond that, there's an asparagus farm a few miles up the road that sells locally.

Love The West Wing. Must have watched it all so many times that we can almost quote whole scenes at each other.

>109 lauralkeet: Hip tip: be sure to get it *tight.* Like, slightly tighter than you think you should. Otherwise, it just doesn't work, at least for Simmons.

>110 RebaRelishesReading: Yes, you can have All The Asparagus. I'm...not a fan.

And thanks! It's been a good mix so far, but tomorrow it's back to work, so I won't get much in the way of chores for the rest of the week. I did make good progress on the storage space today, though.

The Columbus library is kinda weak with their adult prizes. I got the same sheet of coupons that are offered to the kiddos, and they're very much kiddo-geared, so mine went right into the recycling when I got home. And then I got a voucher for a book sale book, which is okay, but the New Albany branch doesn't generally have a great selection of books on the sale shelf. Meh.

>111 Helenliz: We adore the West Wing. I think this is our 6th time through the whole thing, and it won't be our last. My very favorite bits are Bartlett's tearing a new one into the snooty Christian radio hag and Sam's School Vouchers speech.

>112 scaifea: thanks for the tip, Amber. When it arrived I put it on Alys only long enough to make sure it was the right size. I'll keep that in mind when it's used "for real".

>113 scaifea: Oof, those adult prizes are weak sauce. Ours are better, I think (a magnifying bookmark, a chip clip, and a water bottle, plus two books -- our book selection is barely decent, but it's hard to find cheap prize books for adults). But, in CML's defense, I often find that the prize money has to be stretched farther in larger systems. Especially for adult summer reading, because adult readers are not as cute as the kids, so there are fewer opportunities for sponsorships and stuff.

>115 lauralkeet: It looks like Simmons will probably be wearing hers again today; we're set for another line of storms coming through.

>116 foggidawn: Hm. You'd think bigger systems would have...bigger funds. At least a little. I mean, these aren't even new books - I had to pick off the donation/discard shelf.

On the Agenda for Today:
Back to work for me after three days off; I'm working the 12-8 shift. Our SLP is over now, so I'm hoping for a quiet evening to get some fall program planning done. We'll see.

I made some really good progress on the storage area yesterday; I'm nearly finished with my part of it and now just have to wait for Tomm to have time to do his part (old electronics and lots of paint cans to dispose of). It's looking *so* much better than it did and we'll now have a few shelves to use to store Costco supplies!

On the Reading Front:
I read a bit of Wildwood and listened to more Sin in the Second City yesterday.

The Crafting Report:
I started a new crochet project (a circular pillow, probably for the guest bed), picked out another crochet project to start after this one (an amigurumi of one of Charlie's favorite anime characters), and worked a bit on the Death Star.

What We're Watching:
A couple of episodes of Psych, plus I watched an episode of Lucifer while eating my lunch.

>117 scaifea: the Thundershirt came out sooner than anticipated. To my surprise we had thunder and HAIL last night, which wasn't in the forecast. Alys seemed much calmer than usual. Yay!

>120 lauralkeet: Oh, I'm so glad it helped!!

The finished faux fur cowl:

>122 scaifea: Ooo, it came out really lovely!

>122 scaifea: Oh, that's beautiful!! Nicely done!

>122 scaifea: that looks fabulously squishy and warm.

>122 scaifea: ooh! That's lovely and will keep you most toasty during the winter.

>123 lycomayflower: Thanks! And I only had to start over one more time than the time you witnessed! #sotalented

>124 PlatinumWarlock: >125 Helenliz: Thanks, folks!

>126 lauralkeet: Yes! And it's so soft. And today was the perfect day to model it - 90F.

>122 scaifea: The cowl is lovely, and yes >129 scaifea: I was wondering about the joys of modeling it in the current weather.

>130 quondame: Thanks!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the 12-8 shift again today, and this morning I need to do the menu planning for next week and get my grocery list put together. And that'll probably be it for the day. If I have time, I'll leave a little early and drop some stuff off at the thrift shop from the storage clean-out.

On the Reading Front:
I made some progress with On the Way to the Wedding yesterday, and I listened to more Sin in the Second City.

The Crafting Report:
Nothing yesterday.

What We're Watching:
More Psych.

Lovely, warm, hug around your neck this winter.

>133 RebaRelishesReading: Yes!!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the Friday shift (9:30-3) then going grocery shopping, then hustling home to put the groceries away in time to leave to pick up Charlie at camp. Culver's on the way home for dinner.

On the Reading Front:
I started and then gave up on Coined by God, which promised a treatment of words used for the first time in English translations of the Bible and then became a part of our everyday vernacular, but I don't think the authors understood their own assignment. "Alpha and Omega" isn't a phrase that has crossed into normal idiom land because it's still always already a reference back to the Bible. And "ancient of days"? Really? How many times have you heard that phrase used in everyday speech? Come on. So I got halfway through the B section of words before just giving up. (I also listened to more of Sin in the Second City yesterday, which is MUCH better than the Coined book.

The Crafting Report:
I made some more progress on the Death Star Project yesterday.

What We're Watching:
More Psych!

>122 scaifea: Ohhhh I love a good soft, fake-fur scarf or cowl. I can't remember (and am too lazy to go back) was that eyelash yarn that you used? If so, jealous; I can't use that stuff without getting angry.

>136 Ravenwoodwitch: It's, I think, a bit thicker than usual eyelash yarn? But yeah, it's frustration-inducing for sure.

On the Agenda for Today:
The Kid is back from camp!! He had a great time, but is pretty wiped out. So it'll be a very low key day all around here, I think. I may work more on the storage room cleaning, but I'm also hoping for some good reading time. Tomm's on cooking duty tonight: cheeseburgers on the grill.

On the Reading Front:
I only managed a few pages yesterday in The Firekeeper's Daughter.

The Crafting Report:
No actual crafting done, but I did clean up and organize all my Teen Tuesday supplies from the summer, in preparation for TTs to start up again this fall.

What We're Watching:
The first episode of Good Omens Season 2! Woot!!

On the Agenda for Today:
Not much. A little house cleaning, the weekly bill sorting, and I need to order Charlie's school clothes. Otherwise, I'm hoping to have lots of reading time this afternoon. Chicken Vegetable Soup for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I finished Wildwood, listened to more Sin in the Second City, and read a chunk of Ordeal by Innocence - I hope to finish both of those today.

The Crafting Report:
I worked a bit on Project Death Star while watching TV last night.

What We're Watching:
Some Arrested Development, some Psych, and Teen Wolf.

91. Wildwood by Colin Meloy (unread book from my shelves) - 6/10
A young girl is out for a stroll with her baby b rother when she witnesses him ‘napped by a murder of crows and carried away into the Wildwood – an impassible and possibly magical forest adjacent to her hometown of Portland. So, she decides to pass into the impassible wilderness to rescue him, and is unwillingly accompanied by a boy her age who wants to be her friend. They quickly get separated once in the Wildwood and each have their own adventures while hunting for the tot.

I think if I could have read this as a kid I would have adored it, as I was obsessed with All Things Narnia, and this book is clearly *heavily* influenced by Lewis’ Chronicles. But as an adult, it’s hard not to be distracted by just how much Meloy has borrowed from Lewis. But, if you know any middle graders who are bananas for Narnia, I’d definitely recommend recommending this one to them.

>140 scaifea: I read that one a while back. I didn’t rate it very highly, either.

>141 foggidawn: I'm afraid Meloy should just stick to his night job, really.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the 9-2 shift, and then I'll get home with just enough time to kiss Tomm goodbye before he leaves on a business trip for a few days. Depending on how tired I am when I get home, I may try to do some cleaning up in my sewing room this afternoon. We'll see. Spaghetti for dinner tonight, and I think Charlie may be making us some cheddar biscuits.

On the Reading Front:
I finished Ordeal by Innocence, started Notes on a Nervous Planet, and listened to more Sin in the Second City.

The Crafting Report:
Project Death Star continues.

What We're Watching:
Some Arrested Development, some Psych, and a couple of Abbott Elementary episodes.

Hi, Amber. Just checking in after our big camping trip. How is everything going on your end? I remember loving When She Woke. I wonder if she has wrote anything lately? I should check. I also really liked Mudbound.

>145 msf59: Hey Mark! Thanks for checking in. It looks like When She Woke is her most recent novel; here's hoping she's working on another one. And I should put Mudbound on my list...

>142 scaifea: Yep, I know some people who are big fans of his music (I like it well enough, but not so much that I listen to it often) but when it comes to writing, both his wife and his sister are preferable, in my opinion.

92. Ordeal By Innocence by Agatha Christie (Christie bibliography) - 7/10
Two years ago a man was found guilty of killing his mother, sent to prison, then died while incarcerated. Now a man has come forward with solid evidence to clear the son’s name, but he doesn’t at all get the reaction from the family that he expected. Because now, of course, the case is once again wide open, and any of them could be the murderer…

I think this is likely my least favorite of Christie’s novels I’ve read so far. It’s an interesting premise, and by the end I was interested to see who’d dunnit, but the beginning and middle seemed really to drag along at a snail’s pace, and then when the killer was revealed, I was disappointed that the answer wasn’t more clever. *shrug*



93. Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott (audiobook) - 8/10
A microhistory of the Levee District and its famous brothels in Chicago in the early 1900s, in particular the establishment run by the Everleigh Sisters.

Interesting and well-written. I learned quite a lot (including the origin of the phrase “to get laid’) and had fun in the process. I do adore a good microhistory.



94. Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig (from my Read Soon! Shelves) - 7/10
Haig gives his reader various musings on dealing with anxiety, especially in today’s technological and fast-moving world.

Not really my cuppa, I think. His descriptions of what it’s like having anxiety were too on the nose for me and made me…anxious myself. And his thoughts on technology and what it’s doing to the world seemed like nothing that hasn’t been said before and elsewhere? I dunno. Just…nothing earth-shattering here for me, but it may be amusing and worthwhile for others.

>140 scaifea: "if you know any middle graders who are bananas for Narnia, I’d definitely recommend recommending this one to them.".
Okay! I know just the kiddo. As long as it's suspense but not a horrible thriller...

>149 SandyAMcPherson: Nope, no scary bits at all.

On the Agenda for Today:
Charlie has band practice 8-11, then on the way home we'll pick up his new glasses, and then this afternoon we'll take the gals for their annual vet appointment. In the in-between times I may try to work on cleaning up the sewing space. Or I may just sit and read. We'll see. Mujaddara for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I started listening to The Snow Child and made some progress with On the Way to the Wedding.

The Crafting Report:
Nothing to report here from yesterday.

What We're Watching:
More Good Omens 2 and more Glee.

I'm picking my new glasses up this evening too.
First time I've actually got a pair of readers as well as the varifocals. My arms are not long enough to read in bed any more!

>152 Helenliz: Well, Charlie's not quite ready for bifocals, but I have an appt coming up and I suspect I'll be needing a stronger Rx this time around on my bifocals. Yoicks.

Hope Charlie's getting on better with his new glasses than I am. The readers are OK when reading, but the change in reading prescription has changed the varifocals and I keep feeling really rather ick.

>154 Helenliz: Ooof, I know changes in your glasses can really throw you for a loop. I hope you're feeling better soon!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working 9-2, ducking out at 11 to run Charlie to band practice and ducking out again at 12:45 to pick him up and also buy our season football tickets. Then Able Baker Charlie is making a cake this afternoon. Leftovers for dinner.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on On the Way to the Wedding and still listening to The Snow Child.

The Crafting Report:
Nothing to report here.

What We're Watching:
More Glee and Good Omens.

I've been lurking more than commenting here, Amber. Bad Katie.

What kind of cake is Charlie making?

>157 katiekrug: No worries - I've been doing the same over on your thread. The cake is Fudge Ripple.

*drool*

>158 scaifea: Remind me again, exactly where does Amber live?
(*gets out passport*)

>159 katiekrug: >160 SandyAMcPherson:. *SNORK!*

On the Agenda for Today:
I dropped off Charlie at band practice this morning at 8, then went straight to the grocery store, came home and put away the groceries, and have started the first load of laundry. I'll putter around here until time to pick Charlie up at 11, and then putter some more before time to head to work at 3. Tomm gets home from his trip this evening, too.

On the Reading Front:
I'd love to finish up On the Way to the Wedding today - here's hoping. Still listening to The Snow Child.

The Crafting Report:
Nope.

What We're Watching:
More Glee and more Good Omens.

On the Agenda for Today:
Charlie has a dentist appointment this morning, then this evening the in-laws are coming over. In between I may do some sewing room cleaning, or I may just plop on the couch and read, depending on whether the headache I woke up with sticks around. Pizza for dinner.

On the Reading Front:
I finished On the Way to the Wedding yesterday, listened to more of The Snow Child (which I hope to finish today), and read more of The Firekeeper's Daughter.

The Crafting Report:
Once again, nothing here to report.

What We're Watching:
The first episode of the second season of Heartstopper.

95. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (romance) - 8/10
Gregory, the youngest of the Bridgerton clan, thinks he’s fallen in love at first sight. But she thinks she’s in love with someone else (and is not), and her best friend is *definitely* not falling for Gregory (she is), and then Hermione (the one Gregory thinks he’s in love with and isn’t) falls for a third dude, and then Gregory doesn’t seem to mind, but then falls for the best friend, who also falls for him. But she’s already engaged to someone else, whom she doesn’t love and who certainly doesn’t love her. For…reasons.

With all that going on you’d think this one would be an absolute romp. But it isn’t. I mean, it’s okay, but it does seem to take its sweet time about things. Needs a bit more editing, I think. In the end I enjoyed it just fine, but it just took a little too long to get going.

>164 scaifea: - Totally agree. This one and Hyacinth's story are my least favorite of the original Bridgerton novels.

>165 katiekrug: Yep. I'm gonna go ahead and read the Queen Charlotte book just to complete the set, but I can't say that I'm exactly looking forward to it, both because the books seem to be diminishing in quality and I really don't like her character in the show.

>166 scaifea: - I didn't like the QC Netflix series, so don't plan to read the book. I do have some of the prequels on my Kindle and will get to those eventually.

>164 scaifea: Lordy, this sounds so tedious!

I'm reading Firekeeper's Daughter right now too -- will be interested to see what you think of it :)

>167 katiekrug: I've not ever watched the series and honestly don't plan to do so.

>168 SandyAMcPherson: Hm, I don't think I conveyed it properly, then: the plot itself is a hoot and so the book should be, too, but somehow the writing - the pacing, I think - lets the plot down somewhat.

>169 curioussquared: I'll be honest with you: I nearly abandoned it, but just before I decided to, it started to get interesting. But it's so long! *sigh*

>171 scaifea: Yeah, it was rather slow to start. I'm about 200 pages in now and really hooked. I feel like it does go pretty fast once you're in it!

Hope the headache goes before the in-laws arrive. I am sure yours are better than mine - it takes me a lot of patience to deal with mine (and I don't have great stores of that virtue). Pizza always sounds good.

>173 Helenliz: Is the lot of patience for the headaches or the in-laws?

>174 scaifea: Is there a difference? Or maybe a cause and effect thing going on?

>174 scaifea: ha! Either, I suppose.
>175 laytonwoman3rd: I couldn't possibly comment, but we're visiting his mother today. Which will be mitigated by his sister and as many of her kids as can get up in time. Paracetamol in the handbag for later!

>175 laytonwoman3rd: *snork!*

>176 Helenliz: Good luck!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the Saturday Shift today, and then probably coming home to a nap. And some reading. Philly Cheesesteaks for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on The Firekeeper's Daughter and still listening to The Snow Child.

The Crafting Report:
I had solid plans to knit yesterday and then...didn't.

What We're Watching:
The 1981 classic, Dragonslayer!

Happy Saturday, Amber. Just checking in. I hope all is well at the Scaife Manor. Boo to incoming in-laws!

>180 msf59: Thanks, Mark. They've come and gone at this point, thank goodness.

>176 Helenliz:, >177 scaifea: Yeah, sorry....I have experienced the MIL PIA syndrome myself, so I know it can manifest in various forms.

>182 laytonwoman3rd: At least this time was fairly minor, relatively speaking.

On the Agenda for Today:
Busy day, but happily all at home. I'm going to do some baking and cooking (banana bread and applesauce), a bunch of laundry, and then, now that Tomm is finished renovating my office (the new hardwood floors and all the molding trim are done!), I'll be spending most of the day rearranging my bookshelves! Teriyaki Chicken and Rice for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I'm nearing the end of The Firekeeper's Daughter and I started listening to The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival. I still owe a review of The Snow Child and I'll try to get to that today.

The Crafting Report:
Nope, still nothing. Soon, hopefully, I'll get back to it.

What We're Watching:
Some Arrested Development, some Psych, and The Fast and the Furious.

96. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (audiobook) - 8/10
A retelling of The Snow Maiden set in the 1920’s Alaskan frontier. An older couple, Jack and Mabel, were never able to have children and it haunts their relationship, even as they left their comfortable lifestyle back east for the wilds of Alaska. Until one day when they surprise themselves by playing in the evening snowfall and making a snow child, which then seems to come to life, as they begin to have strange experiences with a little girl who appears to them from out of the woods. She gradually becomes like a daughter to them throughout the years, although she never fully takes to civilized life, never staying with them in their cabin and always disappearing through the spring and summer and returning only with the snowfall. When something happens that ties her even more closely with the ‘real’ world, will she stick around, or will she suffer the fate of the Snow Child in the story, as Mabel fears she may?

A solid retelling of the original story. I think I would have liked more from the snow girl’s perspective, and the other characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, but overall it was an enjoyable story nicely told. I appreciate that the details of the girl’s existence are left mostly unexplained and up to the imagination of the reader.

>184 scaifea: ohh, I love me a spot of book shelf re-organising.

>183 scaifea: it can depend on how frequent the syndrome and the after effects as well as the duration of the thing. #rant Mine brings out the worst in the husband, she rubs him up the wrong way. Has done for as long as I've known him. Yesterday we got off quite lightly. If I'm honest, I don't think much of his parents' parenting skills. When my dad died, Richard said that he'd had more fun with my dad than he'd ever had with his own. Damming indictment, imo.
And breathe. I promise not to dump on you all too often.

>186 Helenliz: No worries - rant away!

Yeah, my MIL sounds very similar to yours. My sympathies.

>184 scaifea: The office renovations sound lovely!

>185 scaifea: The Snow Child looks good to me!

>188 quondame: I'm really happy with the hardwood floors he's putting in throughout the house, and I adore my build-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm hoping to finish up with the book shuffling today, and then I'll probably just sit and read for the afternoon as a sort of birthday present to myself, since I'm working 9-5 tomorrow. Tonight we're going to a DCI show and I'm really excited about it - it'll be Charlie's first live drum corps show and I just know he's going to love it.

On the Reading Front:
I didn't really get much reading time yesterday, but I did manage a few pages of The Firekeeper's Daughter.

The Crafting Report:
Again, nothing.

What We're Watching:
Some Arrested Development, some Psych, and an episode each of Good Omens and Heartstopper.

That sounds like a full evening of TV!

Enjoy your book shuffling and reading time, and happy early birthday!

>191 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I'll try to remember to post photos once my office is all sorted.

>190 scaifea: Sounds like an excellent at home day ahead for you, Amber. And from the sounds of it, I can wish you a happy birthday eve?

>193 MickyFine: Yep!

Books and shelves are sorted!

And I don't think I've shared a photo of our community garden once all the veggies and such were added:

>195 scaifea: OMG, dream office!! The shelves are GORGEOUS.

>197 curioussquared: Right?!?! Tomm did a fantastic job on those shelves and I LOVE my office. The glass-doored case was my mom's - she found it in a thrift store *ages* ago (before I was born) and refurbished it herself. I was over the moon when she gave it to me.

Love the office -- and the community garden is so cute.

Nice office! Cute garden!

I have some serious bookcase envy here. That glass fronted piece is so awesome, and the built-ins...I have no words!

Oh, wonderful bookcases, Amber! And I love your windows - I dream of having tall windows with lots of small panes.

>195 scaifea: WOW!! Beautiful room Amber!!

I LOVE the crafty garden. That is just so inventive.
I am very jealous of the bookcases, they look beautiful.

>195 scaifea:, Hi Amber my dear, i want a room like that and a nice desk and chair just like that, to be honest, i don't want much do I, lol.

>195 scaifea: Ooo pretty! And snappy and professional!

>196 scaifea: and fun!

Wow, that’s a snazzy office!

>195 scaifea: Delurking to express my admiration not only for the shelving but for the hardwood floors - very fetching, Amber.

Amber, I love love love the bookcases! The community garden looks great, too.

Hope you have a wonderful birthday today!

Thanks, everyone!!

>205 johnsimpson: Thanks for the desk love, John - I bought it for $5 at the OSU office surplus warehouse back when I was a grad student. It's an old teacher's desk from a classroom. It had an ugly veneer all over it, so I sanded it down and stained it myself. It's solid oak? I think? and extremely heavy and Tomm hates moving it but I adore it.

>208 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! I think Tomm did an amazing job with the floor, especially with the cherry borders.

>209 lauralkeet: Thanks for the birthday wishes, Laura!

Happy Birthday, Amber! The bookshelves look fantastic. I loved both The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival & The Firekeeper's Daughter. Just sayin'...

On the Agenda for Today:
It's my birthday! And I'm working 9-5. But at least I love my job. We got in last night around 12:30 so we're all dragging our butts a little this morning. The Scaife men came through with a really nice birthday haul for me, and they're taking me out to dinner tonight to Eddie Merlot's:

https://www.eddiemerlots.com/columbus/menus/dinnermenu/

On the Reading Front:
I finished The Firekeeper's Daughter yesterday, which I loved (review to come, maybe tomorrow), and I listened to more of The Tiger.

The Crafting Report:
NOPE.

What We're Watching:
Some absolutely amazing performances at the DCI show.

>211 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I may have added The Tiger to my wishlist a few years ago based on your review...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy birthday!
I hope you enjoy dinner, that looks like a great menu. A selection of starters and a pudding for two all to myself please!!

>214 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>215 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen! You know, I'd already mostly decided to do just that myself - Ha!

Happy Birthday, Amber!!

Happy Birthday, Amber! I baked every bit of this myself. I'm very good at making stuff (up).

Happy birthday! Enjoy your dinner -- that menu looks so delicious, I would have a hard time choosing!

>212 scaifea: The shrimp appetizers! The crab and corn bisque! The surf-and-turf Filet del Mar! My mouth is watering. Enjoy your birthday dinner!

Happy birthday, Amber!! Enjoy your dinner :)

Thanks so much, everyone!!

>218 laytonwoman3rd: WOW! You're a master chef!!

>220 rosalita: Right?! I'm having a hard time deciding exactly what to pick.

Happy birthday, Amber!
Love your office, especially the shelves.

Happy Birthday Amber!

>212 scaifea: Hope your birthday was wonderful, even if you had to work!!

Thanks, folks! It was a good day!

On the Agenda for Today:
I've taken Charlie to band practice already this morning, and I'll pick him up at 11, then I'll be off to work 12-8. Not much else will get done today, I suspect. Probably just some puttering around this morning.

On the Reading Front:
I started Susannah's Garden yesterday, and listened to more of The Tiger.

The Crafting Report:
Again, nothing. I need to get back to it soon.

What We're Watching:
An episode of Heartstopper.

>227 scaifea: That's it? You're not going to tell us what you and the Scaife men chose from that scrumptious dinner menu last night? Hmph.

>228 rosalita: - I was just thinking the same thing.

Amber is Such. A. Tease.

>228 rosalita: >229 katiekrug: *SNORK!* Okay, fine: I had the filet mignon pot stickers, the French onion soup, and a crab cake. I ordered a Lemon Drop cocktail, and I decided on the creme brulee for dessert. Everything was amazing. Charlie had a Caesar salad and the mac and cheese, plus the triple chocolate cake, which was roughly the size of an entire loaf of quick bread (he brought most of it home with him), and Tomm had a house salad and the cedar plank(ed?) salmon, and then mango sorbet for dessert.

I like your selections best, but would have subbed out the creme brulee for Charlie's cake :D

>231 katiekrug: I was originally planning on the carrot cake, but my boss brought in gourmet cupcakes for my birthday yesterday and I had two (a lemon and a chocolate), so I thought I'd be good an go for a slightly smaller dessert...

Very practical of you!

>230 scaifea: That sounds awesome. I had my eye on the crab cakes too.
Glad you had fun marking another circumnavigation of the sun.

I approve of everyone's choices without exception — although like Katie, I would have gone with Charlie's chocolate cake over either the crème brûlée or the sorbet. The mac'n'cheese photo on the restaurant website looked so good!

>233 katiekrug: I am nothing if not practical, I say.

>234 Helenliz: The crab cake was delicious!

>235 rosalita: Charlie says that both the mac and cheese and the chocolate cake is really good.

>231 katiekrug: Me, I'd go with what Tomm chose 😋 (not that Amber and family would discuss LT culinary preferences at a birthday dinner)

>237 SandyAMcPherson: Salmon is usually a safe choice for Tomm because it generally comes without a lot of seasoning, so it's easiest to modify for his dietary restrictions. It's a good thing his loves it, too.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm off work until Saturday, which is nice because I've been feeling a little under the weather this week and welcome the down time to recover some (it's either nasty allergies or a bit of a cold). I dropped Charlie off at band practice already this morning and will pick him up later this morning, then this afternoon he has an appointment with his eye doc for the dilation that he couldn't do a couple of weeks ago (because we had to go from the appt straight to band practice). Otherwise it should be a restful day. Leftovers for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I made progress with Making Faces yesterday, finished up The Tiger on audio, and started listening to The Star-Touched Queen.

The Crafting Report:
NOPE. Still nothing.

What We're Watching:
An episode of Heartstopper.

97. Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (Printz Award) - 9/10
Daunis is 18 and on the fence in so many aspects of her life: her mother is from a rich, white family and her father was Ojibwe; she’s between high school and the start of college; her ice hockey career is over, but her friends and her brother are still very much a part of that world; she’s still gun-shy from a bad break-up and yet she feels something happening between her and the new guy on the hockey team… Amongst all this, she is also dealing with the grief of her uncle’s suspicious death and the toll that meth is having on her community and peers. When she’s pulled into an investigation into who exactly is supplying meth in the area, all these areas of her life come crashing together, and she needs to find the strength to stay true to her own special identity while also fighting for her family, her culture, and her friends.

A little slow to start (for me), but once it got going, this one was a barnburner. I loved it. Boulley’s love for her hometown and her Ojibwe culture shines through so clearly, and that, along with her ability to write a plot with some excellent turns, make this a gorgeous read.



98. The Tiger: A Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant (audiobook) - 7/10
A nonfiction story of a series of tiger attacks in eastern Russia, the investigative team that tracked the tiger, and the culture surrounding the hunting and worship of tigers throughout history in the area.

I enjoyed it, but I think the balance between the story at hand and the historical and cultural background information was a little off, or maybe just not quite structured well. Overall, though, a good read and a really interesting topic.

>240 scaifea: Yay! I'm so glad you ended up loving Firekeeper's Daughter too.

>240 scaifea: The Tiger sounds interesting, Amber. Did you think there was too much background and not enough story, or vice versa?

>241 curioussquared: Woot!!

>242 rosalita: I think it was too heavy on the background. Sort of. I mean, I loved the background stuff, but I kept thinking, "Alright, on with it - WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TIGER?!" So I think he could maybe have just structured it differently? And maybe I wouldn't have felt that way so much if I weren't listening to it? I dunno. Also, there was a lot of backstory for the humans involved, and, well, I was more interested in the tiger, I guess.

On the Agenda for Today:
Welp, Tomm and I both are not feeling well and haven't really felt well all week. But today seems worse. Sore throats and just blah. I'm glad I have the day off, but I really need to get the grocery shopping done. We'll see how the day goes. Frozen Friday dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I spent my reading time with My Hero Academia yesterday, and I listened to more of The Star-Touched Queen.

The Crafting Report:
Still nothing to report here.

What We're Watching:
We finished up the second season of Good Omens yesterday.

I hope you and Tomm are feeling better soon, Amber. Summer colds are the worst.

Sorry you and Tomm have not been feeling well, Amber. I hope it passes quickly!

No posts for a couple days doesn't sound good....hope you're getting some necessary rest, Amber.

Hope you're on the mend, Amber!

Thanks, all. It's been a rough few days with both Tomm and me down with some virus or other, but we're starting to get better now. Whew.

On the Agenda for Today:
I've already dropped Charlie off at band practice this morning, and when I pick him up a bit later, we'll go straight to shopping for school shoes and to the fabric shop for some Halloween cosplay supplies - he's designed his own costume again this year and this time around he wants a hand in making it, too. Once we get home I'll probably need a nap before starting dinner, which will be salads and carrot soup.

On the Reading Front:
The good news about new feeling well is lots of reading time between naps. In the last couple of days I finished up My Hero Academia vol 12 and Forgotten Bookmarks, and I read chunks of Toxic Toffee, The Thief of Time, and Greywaren.

The Crafting Report:
Nothing still to report here.

What We're Watching:
We've been watching more Arrested Development and Psych, plus some Jessica Jones.

I’m glad you and Tomm are starting to feel better Amber. Hope that continues today.

>251 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I'm completely worn out from the shopping expedition, but I still feel better than I did yesterday!

99. My Hero Academia Volume 12 by Kohei Horikoshi (manga) - 9/10
The students of UA High’s Hero 1-A class are taking their provisional hero license exam and the test turns out to be more than they expected.

I’m still loving this manga series.



100. Forgotten Bookmarks by Michael Popek (an unread book from my shelves) - 8/10
A bookseller curates a collection of interesting things he’s found used as bookmarks in the old books he buys and sells, and this is a coffee table-type book cataloging some of those finds.

Interesting enough for an afternoon’s worth of reading through it.

Glad to hear you're both on the mend.
Now don't go over doing it too early and making it worse.

>254 Helenliz: Yeah yeah, that's what Tomm said, too. But Momming doesn't necessarily make allowances, you know. I'm not any worse for the wear this morning, at least. Fingers crossed as I head to work for the day...

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the Dolly Shift today, then this evening is the high school open house for incoming first years. Charlie starts high school (!!!) tomorrow. Leftovers for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I started Queen Charlotte yesterday and listened to a bit of The Star-Touched Queen.

The Crafting Report:
*sigh*

What We're Watching:
Some Arrested Development and some Attack on Titan.

>256 scaifea: High school! That is unpossible.

>257 rosalita: Right?!?! Just... how.

>256 scaifea: Amber, did you watch the Netflix series of Queen Charlotte? I loved Bridgerton but haven't gotten to the prequel yet.

>256 scaifea: Wow! I remember when he started kindergarten! Best wishes to Charlie on his high-school career.

>195 scaifea: What a gorgeous library! Love it!

Congrats on reading 100 books!

>195 scaifea: Oh, Amber, what a beautiful space! You must just love it!

>259 PlatinumWarlock: I haven't yet, but I've enjoyed the Bridgerton series so far.

>260 foggidawn: Right?! I kind of love that he's grown up here on LT, too.

>261 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! I adore my office space - Tomm did a great job, didn't he?

>262 PlatinumWarlock: Isn't is wonderful? I love it so much!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the Dolly Shift again, and Charlie's off to his first day of high school. *sigh* Pizza Grilled Cheese for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I read a bit of Susannah's Garden yesterday and listened to more of The Star-Touched Queen.

The Crafting Report:
...still nothing.

What We're Watching:
Psych.

First day of 4K, ten years ago:



First day of 9th grade:

The half smile hasn't changed... Good luck, good year, Charlie!

I stopped by hoping to see a new school year pic and voila! Boy, is he tall and looking good!
Have a great year, Charlie.

>268 scaifea: awww.
And how are you today? Feeling better??

Best of luck to Charlie starting high school!

Love the photos. They grow so fast...sigh. My grandbabies are leaving for college this weekend -- she to her junior year, he to his freshman. Wasn't it just last year I was watching them in the afternoon after pre-school?

>269 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! It really hasn't changed! So funny.

>270 Carmenere: Aw, thanks, Lynda! Of course I think he's a handsome devil, but it's definitely fact that he's tall!

>271 Helenliz: Today's the first day that I actually am convinced that I'm on the mend, really. Whew. Thanks for asking!

>272 bell7: Thanks, Mary! He was pretty cool and collected this morning, so we'll see how the day goes.

>273 RebaRelishesReading: Right?! So. Fast.

>276 scaifea: Good to hear.

And how was first day? I remember my first day at Secondary school being a huge culture shock. Took a while to find my feet, but Charlie always seems to much more well balanced and level headed than I was at that age.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working 9-2, then I'll pick up Charlie from after-school band practice. I also need to get my menu planning done and prep my grocery list for tomorrow. Leftovers for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I read a chunk of Making Faces yesterday and listened to more of The Star-Touched Queen.

The Crafting Report:
Look. I'm busy, man. *sigh*

What We're Watching:
More Attack on Titan and more Psych.

>279 Helenliz: The first day was, apparently, pretty good. It's not much different from middle school in the way it's structured, so that's not a big change for him, and since he's been in the marching band for a year already, he's pretty familiar with the building, too. So I think it's sort of NBD for him. He says his teachers all seem pretty cool, too, and there's one that he's really excited about having because he teaches a MS course that Charlie had last year and loved, and he's also a big LGBTQ+ supporter, which makes us both happy. So I think we can call the first day a success!

Time flies, a next Charlie's first schoolday picture!

Glad to read his first day went well, Amber, and that you are feeling a bit better.

>282 FAMeulstee: Thanks so much, Anita!

>268 scaifea: I LOVE the Charlie pics. Wow. How tall is he now?

Sweet Thursday, Amber!

>281 scaifea: NBD is great! Being familiar with some aspects has got to help there.
I went from a small school, just 1 class per year group and only 18 of us in our final year, to one with over 250 of us in a year. It was a bit overwhelming. I think we'd all got used to being a big fish in a small pond, everyone knowing who we were, that kind of thing, and it took a while to readjust to being one of a multitude. Not that I had that worked out at 12, of course!

>284 msf59: Thanks, Mark! He's over 6ft now, but I'm not sure if he's 6'1" or 6'2". Somewhere around there.

>285 Helenliz: I had a similar situation going from elementary school to junior high. Small class into a consolidated school with kids from all the surrounding elementary buildings. It was definitely overwhelming!

Glad things are starting so well for Charlie at high school

>288 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! Me, too.

On the Agenda for Today:
Grocery shopping this morning, then maybe some house cleaning, and then tonight is the first home football game of the season! Should be perfect weather for watching the band perform: low 70s-high 60s and breezy. *happysigh* I'll have my book along for the non-band portions of the evening, of course. Concession food for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I read some of Throne of Glass yesterday and listened to more of The Star-Touched Queen.

The Crafting Report:
Aaaargh.

What We're Watching:
More Psych.

The new thread is up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/353068