Alcott Acre's Home, Room 7

Well, let's get the introduction out of the way. My name is Stasia and I have been happily married to Kerry for almost 35 years. We have 6 children, 4 of whom are my stepchildren and 2 of whom are ours together. We also have 8 grandchildren. My second stepdaughter, Nichole, lost her fight to pancreatic cancer on February 4, 2023. She left behind grieving parents, sisters, brother, and an 18-year-old son.

I love to read and it has been a huge solace to me over the past few months - I call it "burying myself in books." I am actually hoping to read less in 2023 than I did in 2022, a year in which I read 450+ books. I am shooting for between 300-350 this year. I have a lot of household projects I want to take care of in 2023! Unfortunately, between CFS and taking care of my father's estate, I am getting no time for things I want to do around my house. Hopefully the closing on Dad's house will happen this week!

That's about it, I think, so come on in and grab a cuppa!

Excellent Reads from 2023 (in the order in which I read them):

5 Stars
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
The Colony by Audrey Magee
People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

4.5 Stars
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Bridge on the San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
The War Against the Jews 1933-1945 by Lucy S. Dawidowicz
Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 1 by Marcel Proust
Beyond Belief: The American Press & the Coming of the Holocaust, 1933-1945 by Deborah Lipstadt
Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
The Guermantes Way by Marcel Proust
The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh
The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield
Pillar of Fire by Taylor Branch
Greenwood by Michael Christie
The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse by Rich Cohen
Out of the House of Bondage by Thavolia Glymph
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
"A Problem from Hell" by Samantha Power
The World Broke in Two by Bill Goldstein
Time Regained by Marcel Proust
A Grand Army of Black Men edited by Edwin S. Redkey
The Trees by Percival Everett

4.25 Stars
Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb
Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard
Network Effect by Martha Wells
The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
A Trail through Time by Jodi Taylor
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin
Eventide by Kent Haruf
The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss
Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A Shot in the Moonlight by Ben Montgomery
The Rape of the Nile by Brian M. Fagan
Storyteller by G.R. Grove
Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
The Day of the Scorpion by Paul Scott
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg
The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Best of Enemies by Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall

August TIOLI Challenges:

Challenge #1: Read a book blurbed by one of your favorite authors
The World Broke in Two by Bill Goldstein - Completed August 10, 2023

Challenge #2: The “A Rose by Any Other Name” Challenge: Read a book in which either the title or the author’s name contains the same name as a Shakespearean character
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - Completed August 19, 2023
Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood - Completed August 25, 2023

Challenge #3: Read a book whose cover includes the word august or its synonym
A Grand Army of Black Men edited by Edwin Redkey - Completed August 18, 2023
Krakatoa by Simon Winchester - Completed August 18, 2023
Snow in August by Pete Hamill - Completed August 31, 2023

Challenge #4: Read a book that is tagged “Adventure”
Deep Fathom by James Rollins - Completed August 26, 2023

Challenge #5: Read a book with a profession in the title or author's name
The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich - Completed August 9, 2023
Milkman by Anna Burns - Completed August 18, 2023
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss - Completed August 28, 2023

Challenge #6: Read a book by an author you have not read in 3+ years
The Points of My Compass by E.B. White - Completed August 27, 2023

Challenge #7: Read a book with a title that includes a contranym
Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof - Completed August 31, 2023
Stormy Weather by Carl Hiassen - Completed August 15, 2023

Challenge #8: Read a book with an eating utensil on the cover or in the title
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson - Completed August 4, 2023
Objects of Our Affection by Lisa Tracy - Completed August 4, 2023

Challenge #9: Read a book with one or more wings on the cover
Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam - Completed August 17, 2023

Challenge #10: Read a book with a word in the title suggesting death
Corpse by Jessica Snyder Sachs - Completed August 31, 2023
How the Dead Dream by Lydia Millett - Completed August 14, 2023
People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn - Completed August 16, 2023
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny - Completed August 28, 2023
Survivor in Death by J.D. Robb - Completed August 13, 2023

Challenge #11: Read a book (F or NF) about espionage or the Cold War
Best of Enemies by Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall - Completed August 25, 2023

Challenge #12: Read a book that shares its name with another piece of creative art
Blackcurrant Fool by Victoria Goddard - Completed August 8, 2023
Last Stand by Barbara Kingsolver - Completed August 27, 2023
The Trees by Percival Everett - Completed August 21, 2023

Challenge #13: Read a book where the first word of the title is an article
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, Jr. - Completed August 28, 2023
The Colony by Audrey Magee - Completed August 10, 2023
A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo - Completed August 11, 2023

Challenge #14: Read a book that has something to do with a medical condition affecting yourself or someone in your family
The Answer Is. . . by Alex Trebek - Completed August 9, 2023

Challenge #15 - Read a book by an author who you read in any previous August of this decade
I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson - Completed August 20, 2023

Challenge #16: Mini Rolling Heat Wave Challenge: Read a book with a hot temperature or location in the title - the next book needs a cool word or location
So Much Blue by Percival Everett - Completed August 12, 2023
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - Completed August 23, 2023

September TIOLI Challenges

Challenge #1: Read a book tagged "racism"
At Canaan’s Edge by Taylor Branch
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Challenge #2: Read a book with a headline character count of 23 or less
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Challenge #3: Read a book with a word in the title from the September Songs List
The Road to September 1939 by Jehuda Reinharz and Yaacov Shavit

Challenge #4: The "Three's the Bees Knees" Challenge: Read a book whose author's either first or last name has only 3 letters in it
The Boy Who Went Away by Eli Gottlieb
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
Windhall by Ava Barry

Challenge #5: Read a Debut Novel First Published Since 1 January 2020
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
Pearl by Sian Hughes
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt

Challenge #6: Read a book whose title would fit as a name for the posted picture
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Into the Silence by Wade Davis
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
The Towers of Silence by Paul Scott

Challenge #7: Read a book about contact with extraplanetary aliens or alien abduction
The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

Challenge #8: Read a book you were planning to read for one of the August 2023 challenges
The Brontes: A Life in Letters by Juliet Barker

Challenge #9: Read a book with a place name in the title
China Room by Sunjeev Sahota
Ireland, a Bicycle and a Tin Whistle by David A. Wilson
It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina
Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Challenge #10: Read a book, fiction or nonfiction, about a war that took place before you were born
Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn
We Are At War by Simon Garfield

Challenge #11: Read a book with 5 or more words in the title, at least two of them the same length
A History of Western Architecture by David Watkin
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
. . . the real war will never get in the books by Louis Masur

Challenge #12 Read a book, F/NF, where either the word libraries or librarians is included in the initial tags section
Bibliophile by Jane Mount
On Rereading by Patricia Spacks

Challenge #13: Read a book where you can make a word, with at least three letters, with the first letters of title and/or author
A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel
How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear

For now. . .

My Journey through Proust:
Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 1 - Completed February 10, 2023
Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 2 - Completed May 24, 2023
Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 3 - August 16, 2023

Series Reading - I will post these as I read them:
The In Death series
Reunion in Death - Completed January 2, 2023
Purity in Death - Completed February 8, 2023
Encore in Death - Completed February 26, 2023
Portrait in Death - Completed March 15, 2023
Imitation in Death - Completed May 9, 2023
Divided in Death - Completed June 4, 2023
Vision in Death - Completed July 1, 2023
Survivor in Death - Completed August 13, 2023
Origin in Death -

The Outlander series
Voyager - Completed January 15, 2023
Drums of Autumn - Completed July 14, 2023

The St. Mary’s books
A Trail Through Time - Completed April 27, 2023

The Decker/Lazarus series
False Prophet - Completed May 16, 2023

The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series
Riviera Gold - Completed June 29, 2023
Castle Shade - August 2, 2023
****Series complete to this point****

The Murderbot series
Network Effect - Completed February 28, 2023
Fugitive Telemetry - Completed July 31, 2023
****Series complete to this point****

The Three Pines series
The Cruelest Month - Completed June 5, 2023
A Rule Against Murder - Completed August 28, 2023

The Maisie Dobbs series
Pardonable Lies - Completed April 27, 2023
Messenger of Truth -

The Raj Quartet by Paul Scott
The Jewel in the Crown - Completed June 7, 2023
The Day of the Scorpion - Completed July 19, 2023
The Towers of Silence -

Black Studies Reading
Must reads for this year - Taylor Branch Trilogy: Parting the Waters, Pillar of Fire, and At Canaan’s Edge
1. Passing by Nella Larsen - Completed January 16, 2023
2. Parting the Waters - Completed January 23, 2023
3. Unforgivable Blackness by Geoffrey C. Ward - Completed April 13, 2023
4. All Blood Runs Red by Phil Keith and Tom Clavin - Completed May 5, 2023
5. Pillar of Fire by Taylor Branch - Completed May 21, 2023
6. I Wonder As I Wander by Langston Hughes - Completed May 28, 2023
7. Out of the House of Bondage by Thavolia Glymph - Completed June 3, 2023
8. A Shot in the Moonlight by Ben Montgomery - Completed June 18, 2023
9. The Big Sea by Langston Hughes - Completed June 18, 2023
10. The Original Black Elite by Elizabeth Dowling Taylor - Completed July 28, 2023
11. A Grand Army of Black Men edited by Edwin Redkey - Completed August 18, 2023

Jewish Studies Reading
Must reads for this year:
The “Jewish People of America” series: A Time for Planting, A Time for Gathering, A Time for Building, A Time for Searching, and A Time for Healing
1. The War Against the Jews 1933-1945 by Lucy S. Dawidowicz - Completed January 26, 2023
2. Constantine’s Sword by James Carroll - Completed January 28, 2023
3. A Time for Planting by Eli Faber - Completed February 16, 2023
4. Beyond Belief: The American Press & the Coming of the Holocaust, 1933-1945 by Deborah Lipstadt - Completed February 26, 2023
5. Rachel Calof’s Story by J. Sanford Rikoon, editor - Completed April 11, 2023
6. The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield - Completed May 7, 2023
7. The Abandonment of the Jews by David S. Wyman - Completed May 28, 2023
8. A Time for Gathering by Hasia R. Diner - Completed June 11, 2023
9. The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish - Completed July 31, 2023
10. People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn - Completed August 16, 2023

The Around the World in 80 Novels Challenge inspired by the book of the same name. I want to try and expand my reading horizons to places I have rarely or never been.
1. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (Scotland) - Completed January 8, 2023
2. Palace Walk (Book 1 of the Cairo Trilogy) by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt) - Completed January 20, 2023
3. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Japan) - Completed January 30, 2023
4. Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada (Germany) - Completed February 28, 2023
5. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulk (France) - Completed April 26, 2023
6. The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh (Vietnam) - Completed April 30, 2023
7. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria) - Completed May 14, 2023
8. Ali & Nino by Kurban Said (Azerbaijan) - Completed May 15, 2023
9. The Beach by Alex Garland (Thailand) - Completed June 27, 2023
10. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (India) - Completed July 26, 2023
11. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (USA) - Completed July 31, 2023
12. Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood (Germany) - Completed August 25, 2023

Continuation of the Asian Authors Challenge from 2022 - I have so many unread books from this challenge that I am going to continue it into the new year
1. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami - Completed January 30, 2023
2. The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh - Completed April 30, 2023
3. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid - Completed May 30, 2023
4. The White Book by Han Kang - Completed June 2, 2023
5. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami - Completed June 22, 2023
6. Tokyo Ueno Station by Miri Yu - Completed July 5, 2023
7. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga - Completed July 26, 2023
8. Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam - Completed August 17, 2023

The “Read More Sci-Fi” Challenge - using the Esquire list found here (https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g39358054/best-sci-fi-books/) and the book Science Fiction, The 101 Best Novels, 1985-2010 by Damien Broderick and Paul di Filippo
1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - Completed January 3, 2023 (#39 on the Esquire list)
2. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - Completed March 8, 2023 (#49 on the Esquire list)
3. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson - Completed April 18, 2023 (recommended by the book and #33 on the Esquire list)
4. Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich - Completed May 28, 2023 (#25 on the Esquire list)
5. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami - Completed June 22, 2023 (#26 on the Esquire list)
6. Contact by Carl Sagan - Completed July 10, 2023 (#48 on the Esquire list)

The “Indie List” Challenge with the list supplied by Berly
1. Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron - Completed January 10, 2023
2. Battleborn: Stories by Claire Vaye Watkins - Completed February 12, 2023
3. I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson - Completed April 30, 2023
4. The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison - Completed May 29, 2023
5. With or Without You: A Memoir by Domenica Ruta - Completed June 29, 2023
6. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - Completed July 31, 2023
7. How the Dead Dream by Lydia Millett - Completed August 14, 2023

The Monthly Nonfiction Challenge - I try to read at least 100 nonfiction books a year and this challenge is instrumental in helping me achieve that goal
January: Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer - Completed January 31, 2023
February GameTek by Geoff Engelstein - March 3, 2023
April Submerged by Daniel Lenihan - Completed April 16, 2023
May Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin - Completed May 18, 2023
June As Long As Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker - Completed June 8, 2023

The Chunkster Challenge (Books at least 500 pages in length) - Shooting for at least 6 over the course of the year
1. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - 548 pages
2. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon - 870 pages
3. The Sway of the Grand Saloon by John Malcolm Brinnin - 552 pages
4. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch - 924 pages
5. History of the Second World War by B.H. Liddell Hart - 713 pages
6. Constantine’s Sword by James Carroll - 616 pages
7. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow - 738 pages
8. Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 1 by Marcel Proust - 1,018 pages
9. The Red and the Black by Stendahl - 532 pages
10. The Winners by Fredrick Backman - 673 pages
11. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson - 572 pages
12. Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi - 507 pages
13. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks - 503 pages
14. Pillar of Fire by Taylor Branch - 768 pages
15. Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 2 by Marcel Proust - 1,197 pages
16. The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay - 501 pages
17. Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon - 506 pages
18. On the Oceans of Eternity by S.M. Stirling - 630 pages
19. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami - 1,157 pages
20. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon - 880 pages
21. The Day of the Scorpion by Paul Scott - 504 pages
22. The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant - 642 pages
23. "A Problem from Hell" by Samantha Power - 620 pages
24. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - 771 pages
25. Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 3 by Marcel Proust - 1,128 pages
26. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - 724 pages

The American Authors Challenge - This is one that I dip into and out of as the case may be

January: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - Completed January 3, 2023
January: The Giver by Lois Lowry - Completed January 12, 2023
April: Floating in My Mother's Palm by Ursula Hegi - Completed April 24, 2023
April: Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi - Completed April 22, 2023
May: Philadelphia Fire by John Edgar Wideman - Completed May 5, 2023
June: Joan of Arc by Mary Gordon - Completed June 7, 2023
July: The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant - July 22, 2023
August So Much Blue by Percival Everett - Completed August 12, 2023

Shared Reads:
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard - Completed February 11, 2023
Whistling Season by Ivan Doig - shared read with Paul - Completed February 19, 2023
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott - shared read with Mamie - Completed February 28, 2023
The Redoubtable Pali Avramapul by Victoria Goddard - Completed March 28, 2023
Belgarath the Sorceror by David Eddings - shared read with Mamie - Completed March 11, 2023
The Winners by Fredrik Backman - shared read with Mark - Completed April 12, 2023
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - shared read with Kro - Completed April 26, 2023
Eventide by Kent Haruf - shared read with Mark - Completed May 26, 2023
I Wonder As I Wander by Langston Hughes - Completed May 28, 2023
Stargazy Pie by Victoria Goddard - shared read with Mary - Completed May 6, 2023
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - shared read with Kro -Completed June 14, 2023
Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard - Completed June 13, 2023
Stone Speaks to Stone by Victoria Goddard - shared read with Mary - Completed June 16, 2023
Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard - shared read with Mary - Completed July 3, 2023
Blackcurrant Fool by Victoria Goddard - shared read with Mary - Completed August 8, 2023
The Colony by Audrey Magee - shared read with Mark - Completed August 10, 2023
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - shared read with Caroline - September
The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng - shared read with Donna and Mark - September
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray - shared read with Benita and Mark - October

The “Pick a Shelf” Challenge - Goal is 2 a month - I literally just chose a shelf in my library and emptied it of books. I will mark them as I complete them - and then pick another shelf!

The Nautical Chart by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Killing Mister Watson by Peter Matthiessen
Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft - Completed February 11, 2023
Almanac of American Women in the 20th Century by Judith Freeman Clark - Completed May 25, 2023
"And I Was There" by Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton *
Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volumes I-III, by Miriam Lichtheim
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
The Bureau by Diarmuid Jeffreys
The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson - Completed April 9, 2023
Dreams, Parts One & Two by Jayne Ann Krentz - Completed March 27, 2023
Eric Sloane's America by Eric Sloane
The Glass Magician by Charlie Holmberg
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers - Completed February 4, 2023
A History of Western Architecture* by David Watkin
History of the Second World War by B.H. Liddell Hart* - Completed January 27, 2023
How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis
I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson - Completed August 20, 2023
A Many-Splendored Thing by Han Suyin
The Master Magician by Charlie Holmberg
The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
Moonheart by Charles de Lint
The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg
Quiet Street by Zelda Popkin - Completed June 25, 2023
Saving Childhood by Michael Medved and Diane Medved
The Tea House on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens - DNF

*Due to the length of this volume, I will likely only read one book from this list in that particular month.

This is my obligatory post about fixing Touchstones. Kind of like watching grass grow or water boil or paint drying or something equally scintillating. . .

Happy new one, Stasia, and may it see you turn the corner on the bad mojo of the previous months of this year!

>12 alcottacre: Thank you so much, Shelley! I will be glad to see the bad mojo go away too.

Happy new thread Stasia!

I hope the house closes promptly and finally and the CFS goes away asap.

>15 quondame: Thanks, Susan. We are exchanging emails back and forth about the house closing, but still does not look like it is happening today. We will see.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Stasia. Boo to the house closing dragging on. I hope it closes soon!

>17 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>18 curioussquared: I hope it closes soon too, Natalie, or I swear there will not be a hair on my head left!

Happy New Thread, Stasia. I hope you have been getting some relief. I sure miss seeing you around.

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>20 msf59: Thank you, Mark. Trust me when I say that I miss being around. I am hoping that maybe next week my life will be back to something resembling normality. . .

>21 bell7: Thanks, Mary!

Finished this evening (still trying to finish up July TIOLI books, lol)

177 - The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish - This book was a National Jewish Book Award winner, which is how I discovered it. The book tells of the discovery of a bundle of old papers that a couple discovers when their home is being renovated. Helen Watt, an historian specializing in Jewish studies is brought in to look at the papers and she is able to obtain them through her university, not thinking that they would be diverted to another group, so she and her assistant, Aaron, are almost on the outside looking in. The papers document the work of Ester Valasquez, who works as a scribe for a blind rabbi at a time when few women were educated. The contemporary part of this novel as well as the 17th century portion are both well told and are balanced - I never felt like either side was lacking; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Happy New Thread, Stasia! I've often looked at The Weight of Ink and considered reading it, but have yet to do so. Oh no, the house has yet to close! I sure hope that happens soon.

>23 alcottacre:- I own this book but have not yet read it. Another non-LT friend also highly recommended it to me so maybe I need to move it up.

>24 vancouverdeb: I hope you do enjoy the book if and when you get to it, Deborah. I am holding out hope that all of the needed paperwork is done in the next 2-3 days.

>25 jessibud2: Move it up, Shelley! I do not think you will regret it.

Finished tonight (only one more July book to go!):

178 - Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells - Everyone's favorite SecUnit (aka Murderbot) is now somewhat settled with Dr. Mensah when a body is discovered on Preservation Station. Now it has to work with the local security personnel who are none too trusting of the SecUnit. I am a huge Murderbot fan and liked this one quite a bit although I found it a bit disconcerting when Wells seemingly invented a word (blorp, anyone?) and I knew what it meant. Looking forward to the next book in the series when it is available later this year!; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Happy New Thread, Stasia!

I'll add my 2¢....... loathed *Goldfinch*, loved *Ink*. I'll never read another Donna Tart; didn't think much of *Secret History* either. I do look forward to catching up with the Murderbot. I've been hoarding them.

>28 LizzieD: Your 2 cents are always welcome, Peggy. I am anxiously awaiting System Collapse, which is due out in November.

Not going to make the last TIOLI book for July. I am out of gas. . .

I have been "reading" Goldfinch for aboutn7 years. I keep telling myself that I should finish it, but the bottom line is that I just don't care about that near-do-well main character. I think I should finish it because it won the Pulitzer and for no other reason. I think that I feel I should read it because it won that doggone big prize. Had it not done so - I would have Pearl Ruled it long ago. Even when I bought the darn book for full price at Barnes & Noble because the reviews were so good. I keep hearing the word "sucker" in the background.

On-the-other-hand, a fellow member of my real life discussion group loves the book, and brings it up every year as one that we should read. She says it is all about art and the effect of art on our lives. yeah right - I find myself saying.

Happy new one my dear Juana.

>30 benitastrnad: Wow that must be some sort of record Benita!

Happy new thread Stasia!

Happy new thread, Stasia!

Hoping with you that the house will be done very soon.

Happy new thread, Stasia and hope for good mojo!

Happy new thread! Crossing my fingers that the house will close soon!

>30 benitastrnad: "She says it is all about art and the effect of art on our lives." Somehow or other in my almost 800 pages of reading/listening, I missed that part. No, I am not about to read it again to catch it either!

>31 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I agree that Benita is setting records with her "read" of The Goldfinch.

>32 Kristelh: Thanks, Kristel!

>33 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. I have news on the house :)

>34 DianaNL: Thanks, Diana! I appreciate the good mojo wishes!

>35 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi!

We are now officially closed on the house!!! Hopefully by Sunday we will have all of the last minute getting stuff out/cleaning, etc done.

Woohoo!!!! Congratulations, Stasia :D

>37 curioussquared: Thank you, Natalie!

Congratulations on finally closing!!!!

>39 Kristelh: Thank you so much, Kristel!

>36 alcottacre: Finally!! So happy for you, Stasia!

>41 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!!

YES!!!!! I am thrilled that the house is sold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best news in months!!!!!!!!!!!

>43 LizzieD: I AGREE!!!!! Lol

Happy new thread!

>45 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel!

Happy new one, glad the house is settled!

Hi Stasia my dear, Happy New Thread my dear friend.

Congrats, Stasia, put that baby to bed and don't turn back.
Onward!

>36 alcottacre: Great news Stasia. Tick.

Congratulations on the final sale of the house, Stasia. You did it!!

Wow, mission accomplished, well done on the house.

Congratulations on closure!

>47 drneutron: Thank you, Jim!

>48 johnsimpson: Thanks for stopping by, John!

>49 jessibud2: You got it, Shelley. Now maybe I can look ahead to the cruise we are taking next year and the family vacation and make some plans!

>50 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline!

>51 lauralkeet: I did it and I lived to talk about it too, lol. Thanks, Laura.

>52 mdoris: Thank you so much, Mary!

>53 quondame: Closure on a couple of different fronts and very glad it is over. Thanks, Susan.

>36 alcottacre: WooHoo!! Congratulations.

Happy new thread, Stasia! I just love reading all your lists and challenges at the top of each thread - quite inspirational!

And congratulations on closing on the house - what a journey THAT has been. I hope that will reduce your stress a bit. 😊

>55 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba!

>56 PlatinumWarlock: I do not know about "inspirational," Lavinia. "Insane" might be more like it. . .

Well, it has been a day today. I did not sleep well last night, got into a fight with Kerry at 3am this morning before he left for work, tried to sleep again and could not, got up and played a game, finally went to sleep for less than 3 hours, met up with Beth on BGA, and then the phone calls began. I spent almost an hour doing nothing but being on hold and talking to ADT to try and get that service canceled - the new homeowner's do not want it. Then I started trying to track down a secondhand store that would come to the house to pick up the furniture that we have been unable to sell as well as the household items and clothes that we would like to donate. I got lucky there - the first shop I called knew someone who still does pick ups, so I was able to get that scheduled for Saturday next.

Now, I am actually going to try and get some reading done. . .

>57 alcottacre: Well that's no fun. I hope things become more mellow this evening.

>58 quondame: Things have been much more mellow this evening. Thanks, Susan!

Finished tonight:

179 - Castle Shade by Laurie R. King - The last book (thus far) in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series finds the pair heading to Romania at the request of Queen Marie, who is disturbed by happenings in and around the castle - and the possibility that there may be strigoi, otherwise known as vampires, about. Typically for Holmes, he does not believe in any such nonsense, so it is up to him and Russell to figure out exactly what is going on and to protect not only the queen, but her daughter, Princess Ileana. I enjoyed this one quite a bit and am hoping that King is publishing another in this series soon!; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Another busy day on the horizon for me as it is grocery list/meal planning day and I need to get hold of the utility companies to get those accounts settled. . .

Happy new thread, Stasia and congrats on the house finally closing. Now to get all of the before possession stuff done and that house totally off your hands. Best of luck!

Sounds like you're ending the journey of winding up your Dad's estate -- congratulations! Hope peace has been restored at home and that you had a relaxing day.

>62 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg - on both counts. Hopefully this Saturday will be the last of the clean out for us!

>63 RebaRelishesReading: Kerry and I went out to dinner tonight to celebrate so, yes, peace has been restored. We rarely fight and I hate it when we are in a disagreement. Peace was actually restored last night because I do not believe in letting "the sun go down on my anger." It was a busy day, but the end of the road is in sight.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/352748

>65 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver. Unfortunately, I will be sitting this one out.

Finished this afternoon:

180 - Objects of Our Affection by Lisa Tracy - Nonfiction; the reviews for this book seem to be all over the place, but I really enjoyed it and I think because I have recently gone through trying to deal with my father's estate is the primary reason. I did not have a house full of antiques like Lisa Tracy and her sister Jeanne did after the death of their mother, but I could definitely identify with the same kind of feelings. Items in the house that had sentimental value to one or more of the family members and musing over who should get what is something that both Tracy and I had in common, although the only antique that my father left was the 145 year-old organ appraised a few years ago for $20K that no one wanted to buy, lol. Tracy had to deal with the estate sale place where things that she believed would sell for more simply did not; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

Finished tonight:

181 - Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson - This is Wilkerson's debut novel and a fine debut it is. This is the story of Covey Lyncook and how this 18-year-old Caribbean girl first went to England after escaping a marriage she did not want and ended up in America married to her high school sweetheart. We learn everything after Covey has died and the story of her life is slowly told to her son and daughter. There is a lot in this book - IMHO too much as it seems as Wilkerson tried to squeeze in every social issue such as race, rape, the health of our oceans, etc but does little beyond mentioning the issue in most cases. There is also too much happenstance in the book for my taste. Still, I applaud this debut novel and look forward to more from Wilkerson in future; Guardedly Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

Hi Stasia!

Skippety-skip skip. Congrats on 75 x 2, fitting that #150 is part of your perpetual re-read of the Eve Dallas series. I’m so very sorry to hear about your BiL Jeff’s recurrence of prostrate cancer. You cannot get a break this year. I remember having difficulties with my mother’s reverse mortgage company, who were almost salivating over the phone the first time I mentioned having to turn the house back over to them, which I eventually had to do. On your review of The Fugitive, I am sooooo happy with your use of the one of my favorite words, penultimate.

>1 alcottacre: Since your stepdaughter Nichole lost her battle with pancreatic cancer in February, I’ve lost a second cousin and my dear friend Louise’s son-in-law, both to pancreatic cancer in July. Another friend who lives here in NC has a friend in the Pacific Northwest who has stopped treatments and is on hospice, also for pancreatic cancer.

Wishlisted as I meander and get caught up:
A Shot in the Moonlight
Quo Vadis – even with your buyer beware review
The Original Black Elite
Motherless Brooklyn – I have Lethem’s Gun, With Occasional Music just waiting for the right time

>23 alcottacre: I just used Kindle Unlimited to get The Weight of Ink, and I’ve made a note to possibly get this to give to my friend Karen in Montana as a November birthday present.

>36 alcottacre: Yay. Finally. So glad to hear that the house is officially sold.

>57 alcottacre: Ugh to fighting with Kerry.

>64 alcottacre: Glad peace was restored.

>69 karenmarie: Thank you so much for coming by, Karen! I am very hopeful that for the rest of the year I can be more engaged with the group. I really miss you guys!

I hope you get a chance to read all the books you wishlisted! I also hope you enjoy them.

Well, Kerry and I left Dad's house for the last time today. Kind of bittersweet for me.

I told the new owners, who have twin 5 year-old daughters, "Make some good new memories here." I hope they do!

Congratulations on finally (finally!) closing on your dad's house.

Hugs for you on a bittersweet day.

>72 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! The hugs are always appreciated.

Finished tonight:

182 - Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg - Nonfiction; This book was a recommendation from Linda. The very first thing she said in her review was "all I can say is, everyone should have such friends as Nina Totenberg, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Cokie Roberts and a few other high-powered Washington women who I would happily welcome as next-door neighbors. " All I can say is "Amen to that!" Totenberg, who is a journalist with NPR had the privilege of working with Cokie Roberts and reporting on and subsequently becoming friends with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. These women are all strong examples for the girls and young women growing up today, not only of their professional careers, which had to be hard fought for, but of the friendships that held them together; Recommended (4.25 stars) Library Book

Happy new thread Stasia. Congrats on finally closing with the house! I have yet to read anything by Tartt, but have been tempted to pick up The Secret History because of all the nonstop praise I've heard about it and the author in general, definitely a little more apprehensive now if they are actually that good or just popular.

Happy Sunday, Stasia. Congrats on the house. I ended up getting in a bit more reading than I expected the last 2 days, so I will be starting The Colony today.

WHEW! Good to hear you're finally finished with the house!!

Hi Stasia! Congratulations on the closing!

>71 alcottacre: That's great and wonderful that it is going to a family with a lot of life before them.

>74 alcottacre: Oooh....glad you enjoyed that one as much as I did. Shortly after we were married and moved to Louisiana, the state's Democratic Representative to Congress, Hale Boggs, disappeared on a fundraising trip to Alaska; it was assumed his twin-engine plane went down, and he was subsequently declared dead. His wife, Lindy, became the first woman elected to Congress from Louisiana in a special election to fill his seat. Hale and and Lindy Boggs were Cokie Roberts' parents, and I have admired the accomplishments and contributions of that family for over 50 years. It was nice to have that validated, and to learn what a truly lovely person she was as well.

>74 alcottacre:, >80 laytonwoman3rd: - You have both just made me move that book from the pile and onto the bedside table, for *next*.

Years ago, long before I joined LT, I listened to an audiobook narrated by Cokie Roberts. Being Canadian, this was my first exposure to her....Ok, I just went back to my book journals and found the title:
We Are Our Mother's Daughters. I read (listened to) it in 2005. I don't really remember much of it except that I liked it a lot.

>75 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks, Kro! I am glad that the house stuff is finally over too!

>76 msf59: I started The Colony yesterday too, Mark, but I did not get very far :)

>77 RebaRelishesReading: >78 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Reba! Thanks, Rachel!

>79 PaulCranswick: Yes, it is. I am very happy for them.

>80 laytonwoman3rd: Thank you so much for the recommendation, Linda! I am very glad to have read the book.

>81 jessibud2: I hope you enjoy the book when you read it, Shelley!

So yesterday was a Sunday, the day that I typically stay off my computer and yesterday was no exception. Kerry and I played a couple of board games and in between, I napped and read. More napping than reading, to be honest. I was just dead tired and was in bed around 7:30 last night and did not get up until almost 9am today. I really need to get some reading in today to make up for it!

>81 jessibud2: My mom and I passed that book back and forth when it came out. I continue to discover ways in which I am "my mother's daughter"...the other day I was getting ready to brew tea for iced tea, and the pitcher I usually do it in was in the dishwasher (which was in the middle of its cycle). So I said, "Well, I guess I have to use the Margaret Method", and got out a large Revereware pot (saucepan) and used it instead. That's the way Mom always did it!

Today is my meet up day with Beth and Catey. I am looking forward to playing some online games with them. I am hoping to finish up a couple of books tonight as well.

Be back later!

I plan on getting some reading in this afternoon, Stasia and I would like to hit the 200 page mark in The Colony. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.

>86 msf59: I am thoroughly enjoying it, Mark. I will catch you up at page 200 tonight!

Finished tonight:

183 - Blackcurrant Fool by Victoria Goddard - I am still thoroughly enjoying the Greenwing & Dart series and this book is no exception to that. It began a bit slower than the others - although the number of "incidents" that are encountered early on are remarkable - but once it got going, it flew by especially after everyone gets thrown in prison. Jemis comes through the book with flying colors and some more of his background while at university was revealed. I look forward to having all of the answers one of these days!; Recommended 4 stars Mine

Happy Wednesday, Stasia.

>88 alcottacre: I really must get to some Goddard!

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. I am getting ready to hunker down with The Colony. I hope to reach 280 or a bit more by the end of the day. I love these characters.

>89 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Happy Wednesday to you too!

>90 curioussquared: Natalie, I think you would love her!

>91 msf59: I am absolutely entranced with The Colony, Mark, and at the rate it is going, it will be a 5-star read for me. I will catch up to you before the end of the day. I am very happy to be reading it along with you.

Finished this afternoon:

184 - The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich - Audiobook; Erdrich herself narrated the audiobook and unlike some other authors whose narration I have listened to, she did a good job with this story of a butcher (Fidelis) from Germany who comes over to the States with his bride (Eva) and her baby. He married her because his friend died in WWI and he had promised to care for her and the child. The family comes over with little to their name, but he is a butcher and he keeps his knives sharp, so he sets up a butcher shop in North Dakota. Slowly the family is integrated into the town and Eva becomes best friends with Delphine, who works as an acrobat with her partner, Cyprian. That is the basic outline of the book but there is oh, so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book which in some ways reminds me of one of my all-time favorite books, My Antonia. I thought Erdrich did a great job of giving the major characters each an unique voice; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

And another one down. . .

185 - The Answer Is. . . by Alex Trebek - Nonfiction; This book was written by Trebek after his pancreatic cancer diagnosis. I was a little disappointed in the book - maybe my expectations were too much. I thought the book was too choppy - there is really nothing in depth here and most of the chapters are only 2-3 pages long. I liked the nice, easy style of the book (maybe that is contradictory?) and enjoyed Trebek telling us what he wanted us to know about himself; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

Good Morning Dear Friend!
I remember our late night conversations when you were working in a job as a bail bondsman (woman).

>95 Whisper1: I remember the days too, lovey. I could not keep up that schedule these days, I fear. I am only up this late tonight as I was polishing off Alex Trebek's autobiography.

Off to bed now. . .

Having problems with dizziness this morning. Not vertigo, I think this is sinus induced. Making it awfully difficult to get anything done.

>97 alcottacre: Hope the dizziness passes soon, Stasia. That's no fun!

>98 curioussquared: It lasted until about 2:30pm and then it was gone. I am hoping it does not come back! Thanks, Natalie.

>97 alcottacre: Oh, man, I hate a sinus head...my dad suffered with it, and he called it balloon head. Hope it was fleeting thing for you.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/352884

>100 laytonwoman3rd: Yep, it seems to be completely gone at this point and I sincerely hope it stays away!

>101 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver. I am going to be out of town on Sunday, but maybe I can participate Friday and Saturday. We will see.

Some good reading at my house tonight:

186 - The World Broke in Two by Bill Goldstein - Nonfiction; In a 1936 essay, Willa Cather lamented,"The world broke in two in 1922 or thereabouts" and that is the year that Goldstein refers to in his title. He takes a look at the works of authors Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, D.H. Lawrence, and E.M. Forster and how during the course of this year, which coincidentally was also the year that Marcel Proust died, "modern" literature was launched. It was a pivotal year for all 4 of the named authors who dealt not only with the way their own works were being written, but also involving their evaluations of others' work, especially James Joyce's Ulysses. I enjoyed this look into the authors' lives quite a bit as we are seeing them through their own eyes - much is told from their standpoints through letters and diaries; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

187 - The Colony by Audrey Magee - I think I first became aware of this book through a review of it that Caroline did and finally despairing of my local library ever getting a copy, broke down and bought it earlier this year. I am so very glad that I did. This story of The Troubles, with an isolated island on which Irish is dying out as the native language, interspersed with tragedies happening on the mainland, is excellent. Mr Lloyd, an English artist, travels to the island and is introduced to James, an aspiring artist himself - anything is better than being a fisherman in James' eyes. Also heading to the island is a French author, Mr Masson, who is trying to keep the Irish language from dying out by writing about it and encouraging young James to hold on to the language. The corollary between Mr Lloyd's encouraging James in his art only to let him down in the end and the British empire letting down Ireland in so many different ways cannot easily be ignored; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Mine

Thanks, Mark, for the shared read of The Colony! It might still be languishing on my shelves if not for you.

>103 alcottacre: My copy of The Colony is still languishing on the shelves and now the Booker Long List is calling to me, so good for you , Stasia. I'm glad to read you are feeling better.

Excellent review of The Colony, Stasia. That was a powerful book. I like your hidden comment -- that's a brilliant observation.

Happy Friday, Stasia. Good review of The Colony. Yep, 5 star worthy and I agree with you on your spoiler observation. So glad we were able to do a shared read of this one.

I have had a copy of The Master Butchers Singing Club on shelf for a decade or more. If she would stop writing so many darn books, I could squeeze it in.

>104 vancouverdeb: I sure hope you can bookhorn it in, Deb. It is your cuppa.

>104 vancouverdeb: Move it up the stacks, Deborah! I do not think you will be sorry.

>105 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I think this may be the first time in my life that I have made a "brilliant" observation :) BTW - I will be finishing up Proust this next week. I am going to be sorry to see him go.

>106 msf59: Yeah, that was some serendipity there, Mark, in us being able to do the shared read. I will talk to Louise Erdrich about your problem and see if she is willing to do anything about it, lol.

Finished this afternoon:

188 - A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo - This book is on the recently released Booker Prize longlist for 2023 and I am lucky in that my local library actually had a copy. Just like The Colony, this is one of those books that breaks the reader's heart because we know that the fiction is based on fact. The two main characters in this book, Eniola and Wuraola, are from entirely different social classes in modern day Nigeria. Eniola's father lost his job and the family is struggling to make ends meet - they cannot even afford the fees for Eniola and his sister to go to school. The children are beaten when their fees are not paid, just adding more humiliation. Wuraola, on the other hand, comes from a wealthy family and is a doctor just beginning to practice. But all is not what it seems in her world. Eniola ends up getting into a gang, for lack of a better word, in the hire of a local politician and although the money is great at first, the things he is asked to do to earn it eventually catch up to him. Wuraola gets engaged to a man she truly loves, Kunle, but it turns out he is unreasonably jealous of her and her time and beats her. Eventually Eniola and Wuraola meet, but under the worst of circumstances. My biggest beef with this book is the complete lack of a pronunciation guide! I do not speak any of Nigeria's 500+ languages other than English, so all of the names with all of the diacritical marks were unpronounceable to me and I found it very distracting wading through all of those marks - I know, this is a "me" thing, butI would really like to know how to pronounce things! I also felt that Wuraola's story felt a little padded; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

>108 alcottacre: I have that problem with languages totally unfamiliar to me as well, Stasia. It breaks the flow for me, and I would really like to be able to know how to pronounce names.

>109 laytonwoman3rd: I am glad to hear it is not just me, Linda. I agree about it breaking the flow and the issue in this particular book is that every name has diacritical marks of some kind in them!

>188 avatiakh: Excellent review of A Spell of Good Things , Stasia! I'm just about finished the novel myself. I'd be glad to thumb your review if you put it on the review page. I've been a bit distracted by the diacritical marks as well. It's going to be a 4 star read for me as well, but my biggest complaint is that the story really did not get going until about half way through. I mentioned on my thread that there are two other Online Bookstores in the UK that ship for free. I'll have to move The Colony up the stacks, as it comes so highly recommended by both you and Mark and also Mary.

I do so agree with your desire to pronounce names as the author does! It's not just languages I don't know. Unless there's an extensive list, I am quickly confused by the author's phonetic choices even
when pronunciation is given. Oh well.
I have The Colony on my wish list at PBS, Stasia. I'm #2 of 4, so maybe when I'm emotionally ready for it, a copy will come to me!

I wish you may sleep just the right amount. I'm off to try to make up less sleep time with greater sleep intensity. I don't think it works that way.

>188 avatiakh: I do not post formal reviews, Deborah, but I appreciate the theoretical thumb. I really think of my "reviews" as final thoughts/ramblings on the book, not really reviews. Yeah, I would not mind the diacritical marks so much if there was a pronunciation guide included.

I agree that the book was slow in really getting started, but it did not bother me all that much as I thougt that the author was doing a very good job of getting everybody where she needed them to be.

I will have to check out your thread to see about the online bookstores that you recommended. Thank you for that. Definitely move The Colony up the stacks!

>189 alcottacre: Thanks, Peggy! I hope you enjoy The Colony when you get to it.

I do not think sleep works the way you are trying to make it work either. Good luck with that!

Finished tonight:

189 - So Much Blue by Percival Everett - If not for the American Authors challenge, i might not have heard of Percival Everett, whose books I had not read before. Thank you, Linda. This book is one that is set in multiple timelines. Sometimes those books work, sometimes they do not. This one does IMHO. Everett lets us know about his protagonist, Kevin Pace, in the here and now before he goes back and shows us the influences that impact Pace, who is an artist, and his art up to and including his secret project that he will not even let his wife see; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

"My paintings were abstract and splashed with guilt as much as paint, scratched with shame as much as with the knife or spatula."

>103 alcottacre: Not sure why I haven't got to The World Broke in Two yet, it's been on the shelf a while Stasia. Interestingly I am currently reading Writing in the Dark, which does a similar thing for WWII.

I really enjoyed The Colony too.

>115 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks for the mention of Writing in the Dark, Caroline. I will have to see if I can find that one.

You were the one from whom I first learned of The Colony and I am glad I did!

Finished tonight:

190 - Survivor in Death by J.D. Robb - I listened to this one mainly on audio on the way back and forth to my mother's house today, but finished it up in print form. Nine-year-old Nixie Swisher is the sole survivor of what looks like, at first blush, a home invasion. It is Eve's duty to keep her alive because not only is Nixie a survivor, but she is a witness. So in order to keep her witness alive, Eve takes her home and entrusts her to Sommerset. *Gulp* I think Robb did an excellent job in this book to show what family is and should be and of having Eve deal with a child, something she is very reluctant to do. The scene in the morgue gets me every dadgum time even though I know it is coming!; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Stasia, I am sorry but one of the online Bookstores that I posted on my thread does not ship for free, and that is Kenny's Bookstore in Ireland. I think they used to be free shipping but not anymore. I am sorry for the mistake on my part. They charge 1 pound sterling to Canada, which is about $2.50 Canadian, which is not bad, but 9.50 pounds sterling to the USA! That's expensive. But Blackpool's bookstore is free shipping.

>118 vancouverdeb: Thanks for letting me know, Deborah. I will take Kenny's off my list.

Kerry is home from work today due to a doctor's appointment, so I will likely not be online again today (after traveling yesterday) as he is on his way home now and we have an entertainment center to put together!

Everyone have a marvelous Monday!

>118 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah and Stasia. I think the bookstore you are meaning is Blackwell's in the U.K. I have ordered from them in the past and yes the shipping to Canada is free. Yeah!
https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/home/

>120 mdoris: I placed an order with them today, Mary, and can confirm that the shipping to me here in Texas is free. Yay!

Finished this evening:

191 - How the Dead Dream by Lydia Millet - This is a book that I would like to have loved, especially since Mark sang the praises of Millet recently, but I just did not care overmuch for this one. At the beginning of the book we are introduced to T. as a child - he is Ebenezer Scrooge in child form considering his love of money and pretty much nothing else. He goes off to college, but really does not make any friends there, and then begins his career as a real estate speculator when he meets Beth. And it is at this point, less than midway in that the book completely lost me as his behavior changes so unbelievably when Beth dies. T. never really came alive to me as a character - it was more that he was placed in circumstances. I found this one profoundly disappointing; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

Good afternoon, Alcottacre. As I've seen you posting in varius other threads I thought I'd come see what you do here at your home base.

Hoping we'll see more of each other around these parts!

>120 mdoris: I am starting to use Blackwells since the Amazon induced demise of Book Depo and whilst it says on the tin that shipping is included in the price of the book for delivery to Malaysia it is quite clearly not free. Still much better than patronizing Bezos and assisting in his nefarious plans for the planet!

Hope that the dizzy spells are vanquished, Juana. xx

>123 richardderus: Hello, RD. I am very happy to see you here. ((Hugs)) and **smooches**

>124 PaulCranswick: Yeah, the dizzy spells only lasted for a few hours, thankfully. Thanks for dropping by, Paul!

Today is my meet up day with Beth and Catey - I hope to see them in about 45 minutes or so. My back is very bad today - it started about 2am and has not let up yet.

>126 alcottacre: Sorry to hear about the back playing up again Stasia, but yay for a meet up. Look forward to hearing all about it.

>127 Caroline_McElwee: I meet up with my daughters Beth and Catey every Tuesday, Caroline. We play board games online together, rotating who gets to pick what we play.

Are you willing to reveal what you ordered from Blackwells, Stasia? I'm always curious about people's purchases. When I came home from from my " Big Bookstore " outing on Saturday, ( I take transit into Downtown Vancouver and it takes a little over 30 minutes each way, even by subway ) I realized I had purchased a duplicate with my Agatha Christie purchase. But I headed to the local branch of the same store and returned it and purchased Good Night, Irene which I'd been eyeing anyway. Truth be told, my husband is home on holidays right now and so I am not purchasing the books I might be from Amazon as I try to sneak some books in without Dave noticing. I know , very bad !

>128 alcottacre: It's great that you can meet up with your daughters each Tuesday and play games online! How fun!

>129 vancouverdeb: Here is the list for you, Deborah:

Skippy Dies and The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
In Ascension by Martin Macinnes
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
All the Little Bird Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
Pearl by Sian Hughes
How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney
Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein (this is the only one that is actually showing as shipped)

I also routinely post my purchases and library books on the This Just In! thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346955

I completely understand about sneaking around your husband. I do the same thing with both books and games, lol.

Finished tonight:

192 - Stormy Weather by Carl Hiassen - I can only think that this book is meant to be a satire, what with the madcap happenings related in it. I am just not sure that I have the right sense of humor for it. We have Max and Bonnie, who are on their honeymoon, when a hurricane sweeps through Florida and, instead of wanting to head to Disney, Max decides he wants to track the hurricane and take videos. The couple inevitably gets separated and Max ends up being kidnapped by the former governor of the state who, I guess you could call it, lives on the wild side. There are a lot of characters in the book, most of whom seem to not be of the law abiding variety. I think that for people who have a different sense of humor than the one I have, this book would be a hoot. As for me, I got a couple of chuckles out of it; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Library Book

Dear Friend

I am having fun reading your reviews, and noting the large amount of books you've read thus far this year! It feels just like my initial reading of your thread back in 2008 -- lots of books, lots of good communications, and the love of books that comes through so very well.

Much Love toyou Stasia!

>132 Whisper1: Much love to you too, Linda!

Well, another DNF for me: This Charming Man by Marian Keyes, which did not charm me at all. Ugh.

Finished this afternoon:

193 - Time Regained by Marcel Proust - This book brings me to the conclusion of "My Journey through Proust" as I called it. This particular book I found to be a return to form of the earlier volumes rather than the ones self-contained in Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 3. Time Regained is very much of a look back - and forward - for Proust, for whom Time is always spelled with the capital T. His reminiscences on Time remind me of what I have been doing a lot of as I grow older, especially now that my father has passed away and my mother is getting up there in age. For Proust, his reminiscences include his grandmother, Albertine, and Gilberte especially. I very much enjoyed this conclusion to the book series; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

"A thing which we saw, a book which we read at a certain period does not merely remain for ever conjoined to what existed then around us; it remains also faithfully united to what we ourselves were. . ."

>131 alcottacre: Was that your first Hiassen, Stasia? I've read a couple of his, and they do feature that quirky, offbeat, dark humor. Not always my cuppa, but once in a while I do find him a hoot.

>135 laytonwoman3rd: I know for sure that I have read Hoot by him and at least one other of his YA books (which name escapes me at the moment!). I think that because they were YA, his humor was probably toned down in them.

>130 alcottacre:. Stasia, I had not starred this thread but corrected that now. I have a question. What is your Jewish studies? Is it a list or a course you're taking. Curious.

>137 Kristelh: My Jewish Studies reading is neither a list nor a course I am taking, Kristel. My fascination with the subject started when I was about 12 years old and I have been reading about the Jewish experience ever since. Nothing more than that.

>138 alcottacre:, I read quite a few Jewish books. Usually one every month at least. I follow along a Jewish Group over on GR. So I was curious. Have you read The Jew Store? I liked it a lot when I read it. I recently read The Living and the Lost but I didn't rate that one very high. Tonight my book group is discussing Once We Were Brothers. I liked that one more.

>139 Kristelh: I have not read either The Jew Store or Once We Were Brothers, so I will have to see if I can find copies of those.

If you have not read People Love Dead Jews, which I am finishing up tonight, I highly recommend that one!

>140 alcottacre: I just read the description of People Love Dead Jews...I think I want to read that one. Thanks for the recommendation.

>139 Kristelh: - I read Once We Were Brothers years ago and liked it a lot.

>140 alcottacre: - I have that one in the pile, Stasia. I hope to get to it before the year is out. I have heard good reports of it.

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. Sorry, to hear your first book by Millet was a disappointment. I hope you can try one of her later works. I know that is tough coming off a letdown.

Congrats on snagging The Bee Sting. It sounds fantastic. Sadly, I have had Skippy Dies languishing on shelf for eons. Up for a shared read of that one? It may have to be October, if you wait that long.

>143 msf59:
I have also had Skippy Dies on my TBR list for eons.

>141 laytonwoman3rd: There is a reason that People Love Dead Jews won a National Jewish Book award back in 2021, Linda. I hope you get a chance to read it.

>142 jessibud2: Ditto what I said to Linda, Shelley. Move it up the stack :)

>143 msf59: I am willing to give Millet another try, Mark. I generally give an author more than one chance before I swear off them.

Skippy Dies has not yet arrived, but I will let you know when it does. I am always up for shared reads!

>144 benitastrnad: Would you like to join us in a shared read, Benita?

Finished tonight:

194 - People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn - This book won one of the National Jewish Book Awards back in 2021 and I can see why. Horn's book of essays is not necessarily a pleasant one to read - she is hurt and she is angry. She asks right from the get go why people love dead Jews - Anne Frank as a case in point - but the dead ones, not so much. Some of the humor of the book is black, very black indeed: "Dead Jews are supposed to teach us about the beauty of our world and the wonders of redemption - otherwise, what was the point of klling them in the first place? That's what dead Jews are for!"; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Mine

"The Holocaust didn't happen because of a lack of love. It happened because entire societies abdicated responsibility for their own problems, and instead blamed them on the people who represented - have always represented, since they first introduced the idea of commandedness to the world - the thing they were most afraid of: responsibility."

I think I'll pass on People Love Dead Jews. The humor does sound nasty.

>147 Whisper1: Dara Horn is a Jew, so she is writing from the standpoint as one of "them," which helps ameliorate the black humor somewhat, but I understand what you are saying, lovey.

Stasia, I will be looking for People Love Dead Jews.

>149 Kristelh: I hope you can find a copy, Kristel. I will be curious to see what you think of it once you get a chance to read the book.

>130 alcottacre: I am scandalized that you ladies would do such underhanded things to your spouses!!! Hehehe I am a touch more brazen these days but I remember having both Erni and my then driver Azim run interference for me so I could smuggle books into the house.

>146 alcottacre: That looks like a winner. I will look out for it, Juana.

>151 PaulCranswick: Uh huh. I seem to remember many a time you were sneaking books by Hani, Paul. You cannot fool me, lol.

As far as People Love Dead Jews goes, Paul, I checked and it is available from Blackwell's, if they deliver to your neck of the woods, in both hardcover and paperback.

>130 alcottacre: Oh wow, Stasia! What a wonderful haul you will have, and way ahead of the rest of us with your Booker reading. I am a bit tempted by BlackWell's too. I think Pearl and How to Build A Boat would be my first choices! My library has Pearl and I have a hold on it, so it may get to me sooner than Blackwells. Always happy to have enabled another LT'er!! :-) Paul scandalized by we ladies! Indeed!

I headed downtown today and managed to smuggle a puzzle board home, but I did confess to Dave . It was only 14.99, so not a biggie. Still, he sighed.

>153 vancouverdeb: As I said, Blackwell's seems to be shipping the books to me piecemeal, so I will probably have time to finish up one before the next arrives, lol. That will also make it easier to smuggle the books past Kerry, right?

If you are up for shared reads of any of the title, just let me know! I love doing shared reads and getting other people's perspectives on the books.

Your Dave and my Kerry must share the same 'patient' gene. Lord knows I do not have it!

I'll certainly let you know if I get a book , so that we are able to do a shared read. My Dave is quite patient, I suppose, but he always likes to tell me about his " powers of observation" which I apparently don't have. Nonetheless, I am able to slip quite a few things by him. It helps that I have so many books in a totally disorganized fashion, so unless he sees them come in , he doesn't notice.
Dreadful, aren't we? :-)

>130 alcottacre: Oh, I loved Skippy Dies way back in 2015!
I might join when you get to it.

Thanks for steering me towards Blackwell's. They will be a great source for Booker lists. I intend to wait for the shortlist to make my puchases.

>146 alcottacre: "Responsibility?" Is that what she thinks Jews foisted on the world? I can think of a lot of things to blame that horrible religion for, but not responsibility. Then again, my facility is run by highly religious Jews so I see up close and personal the way the rubber meets the road and it ain't any prettier than the evangelical christians I've been shouted at and belittled by my whole life.

Religion. *pfui*

>155 vancouverdeb: Yes, we are dreadful and I, for one, am happy to be so :)

>156 FAMeulstee: Wonderful, Anita! The only reason, I think, that Skippy Dies was on my radar of is because of Kim's indie book list and when I saw it at Blackwell's, I had to get it. I will let you know when we start the shared read in October.

>157 Carmenere: You can thank Deborah for that, Lynda. She is the one who turned me on to it.

>158 richardderus: Richard, I am a born-and-bred Baptist who proudly calls herself a Christian and there are a lot of times that I share your opinion on religion. "Pfui" is right.

I just checked Blackwell's and Skippy Dies has been dispatched. I have no idea how long it will take to get from them to me since this is the first order I have placed with them, but I will keep you posted!

I am off for a bit. Pesky things like meal plans and grocery lists, plus actually placing a grocery order. My husband insists on being fed, lol.

>146 alcottacre: Straight into my shopping cart Stasia.

>151 PaulCranswick: Pot and kettle is all I am going to say.

>146 alcottacre: That's a difficult topic. That title!

>162 Caroline_McElwee: I hope you can appreciate (enjoy is definitely not the right word here) People Love Dead Jews when you get to it, Caroline.

>163 The_Hibernator: It is a difficult topic, but Horn makes a lot of not only good sense, but good points too.

I saw this in the local headlines today: "Fort Worth ISD libraries closed to students for 2 weeks as over 100 books are under review"

Why?? I do not get this at all.

Hi there!! Hopelessly behind, but I see that you are cruising through the books again. Whoohoo!

>165 alcottacre: "under review" by whom, and against what standard? This is madness, completely unfettered.

>161 alcottacre: My husband and daughter are largely self feeding and happy to be so. I am called on to decide what restaurant to order from or go to, and am fine with that.

>165 alcottacre: Lovely to see you here, Kim! I am hopelessly behind everywhere, so I understand how you feel.

>165 alcottacre: - I think people who ban books are, simply, afraid. Afraid of what knowledge might do to those readers, afraid of how knowledge might threaten THEM (those who decide what to ban). Maybe it's more complicated than that but seriously, I doubt it. When any kind of power or authority is *threatened*, fear kicks in and *because I can* or *because I said so* becomes the mantra, and sometimes, the law. It has happened before - look at Nazi Germany, for one example, though I am sure there are plenty of other examples. Perhaps what the Taliban are doing in Afghanistan to women today, is another example.

It's shameful but sadly, probably not likely to change.

>167 laytonwoman3rd: I understand parents deciding what their children should read, but I do not understand a library system completely shutting down for weeks so that whoever can decide what children are reading. This makes no sense to me at all.

>168 quondame: That sounds like a great plan to me, Susan!

>170 jessibud2: It's shameful but sadly, probably not likely to change. And that is the sad truth of it, isn't it?

Finished this evening:

195 - Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam - This is one of those books that I wanted to like much more than I did. The book begins "Shama stands in the open door and watches the earth, the magnet that it is, pulling snowflakes out of the sky towards itself. With their deliberate, almost-impaired pace, they fall like feathers sinking in water," so the prose Aslam writes is beautiful throughout the book. The problem for me is that too often the prose takes over the characters and I feel like I really only get to know Kaukab throughout the course of the book, which also goes on to long for my liking. I found the story of the honor-killing and the points that Aslam makes about the differences between the cultures that the characters are navigating to be an interesting one but again, felt like the book could have been shorter; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

>170 jessibud2: Book banning is largely political showcasing and takes advantage of people's fears, but once organized I don't believe that's the base motivation.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353058

>175 SilverWolf28: I am in for this weekend, Silver! Thanks for the link.

Finished this afternoon:

196 - Krakatoa by Simon Winchester - Nonfiction; This was a re-read for me and this time around I listened to the book in audio form, narrated by the author, who does a creditable job (although frankly, I could listen to people with English accents talking to me all day long). I find this kind of historical-scientific information fascinating, but some of the geology gets a bit deep, even for me. The effect of the explosion of Krakatoa was devastating - it was one of the most destructive volcanic events in recorded human history. I love that Winchester includes a list of "Recommendations for {And in One Case, Against} Further Reading and Viewing." If volcanoes are your kind of thing, you could do worse than this book, but not much better; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>177 alcottacre: I, too, found a lot to like about that read. It sorta worries me that Anak Krakatao is as huge as it is a mere 150 years after the last boom was heard.

*smooch*

>179 alcottacre: It sorta worries me that Anak Krakatao is as huge as it is a mere 150 years after the last boom was heard.

I understand that. 150 years is nothing in geologic years.

((Hugs)) and **smooches**

Finished this evening:

197 - A Grand Army of Black Men edited by Edwin Redkey - Nonfiction; As I have mentioned multiple times, I am a huge fan of "I was there" type books and when I picked this book up at my local library, that is what I thought it was. I was soon disabused of this notion, as the preface of the book specifically states "Private letters of black soldiers may have vanished, but others have now reappeared." In other words, letters that black soldiers were sending to their friends and family during the Civil War have long since gone astray, but letters that were sent to black and abolitionist newspapers are still in existence - and what a treasure trove they are! We hear from the soldiers (and in a very few instances, from sailors) about how they are being treated (racism ran rampant even in the North, unfortunately), why they were demanding equal pay, their hopes for after the war ended (the right to vote was up there!) and things of that ilk; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

Finished tonight:

198 - Milkman by Anna Burns - I know that in her recent read of this book Anita loved it. The book won the 2018 Booker Prize and I can see why, but I did not love it as I had hoped to do. The book is set in "The Troubles" in Ireland during the 1970s and in the (unnamed) female protagonist, we have a character is just trying to keep her head down and be herself. Unfortunately she has drawn the attention of Milkman, a married man who basically becomes her stalker, even though she neither needs nor wants his attention. Indeed, his attentions make her a target for the people around them. Everything that happens in this book is politicized, one of the reasons that "middle sister" is trying to fly underneath everyone's radar. My problems with the book are two-fold: 1) I found the lack of named characters distracting in the extreme and 2) I found the read to be extremely challenging, which is more a reflection on me than on the book itself; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

>181 alcottacre: Remarkable, Stasia, how different we can read. It was not an easy read for me either.
I found the lack of names very helpful. By indicating all characters in their (family) relation, I immediately knew where to place them. With a lot of characters in a book I sometimes get lost who is what from who. This way was much easier for me.

>181 alcottacre: what ^^^she said...I tend to make mental charts of relationships between characters, and Anna Burns just cut to the chase in her labeling-not-naming characters for me. Plus it felt to me as though she was Telling Secrets and had to protect identities, sorta like a diary in a nosy parent's home.

*smooch*

>182 FAMeulstee: >183 richardderus: Well, I guess I am the odd woman out here! For me, names are very important - the core to one's identity in many cases - so to not have names just seems wrong. I understand your point though, Richard, about the main character "Telling Secrets. . .like a diary in a nosy parent's home."

I hope to join you on Skippy Dies but I have to get back to Tuscaloosa first. I have been in Kansas for 5 weeks and hope to leave on Monday. I thought about making a real trip out of it and going to Tulsa, OK to see the National Historic Site there and then back by way of Little Rock and Memphis, but I am so ready to get back to my own messy house that I think I will just go as fast as possible and do Tulsa and Hot Springs, AR later, when I feel more like enjoying them and learning from them.

>185 benitastrnad: I understand completely about wanting to get back home, Benita. My house may be, as you say, "messy," but it is mine and I love it.

Any chance you could make the Joplin meet up in October? I would love to meet you in person!

I got it! *smooch*
https://photos.app.goo.gl/wfCB1rVgDHEbngPV8"

>23 alcottacre: Finally getting back to your thread. I loved The Weight of Ink so am happy that you did too.
I've caught a few book bullets on my way through your thread. Must read Dara Horn, I have several of her books and yet to start one.
I'm a Murderbot fan and though I wasn't as enthused with Fugitive Telemetry you've reminded me to put in a library request for her latest one, I'm #22 in the queue for when it comes in later this year.

>187 richardderus: Wonderful, RD! I am glad you got it! Enjoy.

>188 avatiakh: Welcome back, Kerry! Happy to see you here. As far as Dara Horn goes, I need to read more of her stuff. I know she has written some fiction that I am curious about.

Finished tonight:

199 - The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - I have read every book by Verghese that has been published thus far and have enjoyed them all. This book is no exception - I loved it! This is an epic tale through multiple generations of one family - you need to sit down and enjoy the ride because this is a tale that slowly unwinds through the years. For me, the ending was completely unexpected but it made sense, not just something out of the blue. Great stuff!; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Mine

>134 alcottacre: CONGRATULATIONS for having read and appreciated Proust! It's sort of the end of an era.
(I'm feeling the same way about finishing The Sway of the Grand Saloon over almost 8 months of on and off reading - not at all comparable in time or quality!)

I am a couple of hundred pages into the Verghese but reading little stuff instead as you know. It hasn't grabbed me as *Cutting/Stone* did, but I am enjoying it too.
I'd like to think that I could read the Dara Horn, but not right now.

Peace and Joy to you, dear friend!

>191 LizzieD: Thank you, Peggy, for the congratulations on completing Proust. It was quite a journey and I believe I will be taking it again in a few years. It took me 8.5 months to get through all 7 volumes.

I hope that the Verghese book gets its claws into you like it did me :) I will be curious to see what you think of it when you are done.

I wish you the same peace and joy, Peggy!

I wish I had any kind or sort of graphics skills because you deserve a profile badge as a Proustian. It's a feat to get through the entire In Search of Lost Time cycle. Worth it, but still arduous.

Sunday *smooch*

>193 richardderus: Actually, Richard, I did not feel that it was all that arduous until the last 3 volumes. I am not sure if that is because they were the last 3 volumes or because they were published posthumously and Proust did not get to do all the refining and editing that he might otherwise have done. I defintely agree though that reading Proust was worth it!

Sunday ((hugs)) and **smooches** for you

Finished this afternoon:

200 - I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson - Young Adult; Marie and Lena both live in Chancey, Ohio, a town in which the blacks are the upper and middle classes by and large and the whites are looked down on as poor white trash. Lena, who is white, joins the school in the middle of the term and Marie, who is black, is asked to guide her around. Over the course of time, a friendship develops between them and not everyone is best pleased about it, especially Marie's father who was involved in the Civil Rights movement. Lena really does not get it and asks, "Why can't we all just be people here?" The girls bond over the fact that each is missing a mother - Lena's died and Marie's left. However, Lena has a secret that she has shared with Marie - Lena's father is touching her inappropriately - and neither girl is sure what to do about it; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

A reminder here that I am typically not online on Sundays. I hope you all have a super Sunday and I hope to see you tomorrow!

Hi Stasia my dear, congratulations on reaching 200 books read so far this year, sending love and hugs my dear friend.

>186 alcottacre:
I may be able to do the Joplin meet-up!!!!! I need to be back in Kansas around October 1 to make sure that things are going well with my mother, so, depending on the date I could build that into the schedule. PM me with the details and I will see what I can do.

>196 johnsimpson: Thank you, John!

>197 benitastrnad: That would be wonderful, Benita!

Today has been an add day for me. I got up this morning and discovered an error in my checking account, so I spent time on the phone with the bank trying to getting the unauthorized charge straightened out. Then, Beth contacted me, asking if I wanted to play some online games today. The place where she works caught on fire the other day - luckily no one was hurt - so we met up for a couple hours. I am just now getting online to check in with everyone!

Well, I keep getting a "serious error" problem here on LT. No idea what is going on. I will try and get back tomorrow. . .

Congratulations on 200 books read, Stasia.

Hi, Stasia. We are back. Always so many interesting books being read over here. No wonder you are my book buddy. I hope to bookhorn in The Covenant of Water in the coming month or two. I loved Milkman and look forward to her new one. Would October be okay for Skippy Dies? If you rather not wait, that is fine too.

>200 Kristelh: Thanks, Kristel!

>201 msf59: I do not yet have my copy of Skippy Dies, Mark, so putting it off until October works for me since I am not sure when it is going to arrive.

I finished The Trees tonight - spoiler alert: it is excellent - but I am too tired to type up my thoughts on it, so I will do it in the morning. See you all tomorrow!

>190 alcottacre: I gave Cutting for Stone 5 stars many years ago. I need to book horn in The Covenant of Water. Congratulations on getting 200 books read!

>201 msf59: & >202 alcottacre:
October would work for me for Skippy Dies as well.

Hi Stasia, I've been away on vacation for a week. Still away in fact, but doing a bit of catching up. Congratulations on finishing Proust! I'm glad you found the experience so rewarding.

>203 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deborah. I have been a fan of all of Verghese's books, including his nonfiction ones. I do not think you will he disappointed in The Covenant of Water.

>204 benitastrnad: Sounds great, Benita! Happy to have you along for the read.

>205 lauralkeet: I am hoping to do it again in about 5 years, Laura, I enjoyed the experience that much. Happy vacation!

I apologize for my absence, but I have been extremely since since late Monday. I spent my entire day yesterday in bed. I have been having dizzy spells and vomiting. Today is a tad better, but not by much. I am heading back to bed. I hope to be alive enough to type up my thoughts on The Trees one of these days. In the meantime, I am getting no reading at all done. Not a word. I have too much to do for this nonsense!!

Stasia, I'm hopng for a rapid passage through whatever is deranging your system's clutches.

I ran across this quote today, and thought immediately of you.
“In a world without forgiveness, evil begets evil, harm generates harm, and there is no way short of exhaustion or forgetfulness of breaking the sequence. Forgiveness breaks the chain. It introduces into the logic of interpersonal encounter the unpredictability of grace. It represents a decision not to do what instinct and passion urge us to do. It answers hate with a refusal to hate, animosity with generosity. Few more daring ideas have ever entered the human situation. Forgiveness means that we are not destined endlessly to replay the grievances of yesterday. It is the ability to live with the past without being held captive by the past. It would not be an exaggeration to say that forgiveness is the most compelling testimony to human freedom.”
― Jonathan Sacks

>208 richardderus: Amen and Amen.

Rest and get through it, our Stasia. We love you.

So sorry you're sick -- hope it clears up soon!! Meanwhile, take care of yourself.

Stasia, so sorry you’re under the weather, hope you feel better soon. Looking forward to your review of The Trees.

>207 alcottacre: I hope you soon feel well enough to enjoy reading as much as you like.

I hope you feel better soon, Stasia!!

Sorry you're not feeling well, Stasia, and I hope it passes soon.

>208 richardderus: Thank you, RD. I am feeling somewhat better tonight, but nowhere near 100%. Still getting no reading done and we are coming up on 48 hours for me - one sure way to tell that I am sick!

I absolutely love that quote. Thank you so much in thinking of it in relation to me :)

>209 LizzieD: You should be proud of me, Peggy - I have been doing nothing but sleeping for close to 48 hours now. I slept at least 16 hours yesterday alone.

>210 RebaRelishesReading: >211 Kristelh: >212 quondame: >213 lauralkeet: >214 curioussquared: Thank you, Reba, Kristel, Susan, Laura, and Natalie. I am trying to get as much sleep in as I can and pretty much do nothing else.

Kristel, I am going to try and get the review of The Trees done tomorrow. I can tell you right now that I gave it 4.5 stars - I found it to be excellent and can see why it was in the running for the Booker Prize.

I am feeling better tonight - after a mere 28 hours of sleeping between yesterday and today - so here you go:

201 - The Trees by Percival Everett - I can see why this book was nominated (is that the right word?) for the Booker Prize back in 2021 - I think that the juxtaposition of Everett's humor (and dark humor at that) with the reality of death and lynching in the South is a brilliant storytelling mechanic. We have the dead body of a black man that keeps showing up next to people that were in some way in the Emmett Till murder, only to disappear and reappear that the next one. We have an official in town (I am not naming names because of spoilers), who is "passing" as white. We have an old woman obsessed with the rolls of the lynched. Oh, and by the way, one of those men is listed here in Sherman, Texas in 1930. The happenings around his lynching tore down the local courthouse which had to be rebuilt. I will say that the book loses a little bit of steam towards the end, but not enough for me to ding it much. The entire novel is a biting indictment; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

"All the kerosene in the county wasn't going to keep that fire burning. Sadder than any of it was the fact that not a single masked member of the terrorist exersize was unknown to anyone in town. It was a long-running joke in Money, Mississippi, that the way to discover who belonged to the Klan was to wait at Russell's Dry Cleaning and Laundry."

Next up, something completely different:

202 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - Anyone who knows me knows that Patchett's Bel Canto is one of my all-time favorite books and this one almost reaches that peak for me. A dual-timeline book, we begin with Lara and her family (3 daughters, Emily, Maisie, and Nell along with husband Joe) having to collect the cherries from the trees due to the pandemic. The girls (in their 20s) begin to pester her about her past and when she worked as an actress along the infamous actor Peter Duke, who had recently passed away. Balancing how much she wants her daughters to know, Lara begins to tell her tale, which has some twists and turns to it, making it all the more interested to her daughters and to the reader. It is a poignant tale of a young love and how it can grow and morph into something completely different; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

If I would have had to bet on which I would prefer, the Everett or the Patchett, I would have bet on Ann every time. It just goes to show how wrong I can be. . .

>216 alcottacre: Hope you are feeling a bit better, Stasia.

Just finished The Trees my own self and liked it well enough too. I don't give stars but it would have rated 4 if I did, I think.

Still working my way through The Covenant of Water but I have to say it is a magnificent novel.

>217 alcottacre: Ha! We are trading places on each other's threads, Paul. I am feeling better tonight than I have most of today and all of yesterday.

I hope you continue to enjoy The Covenant of Water!

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. I sure hope you are feeling better today. Good, enthusiastic review of The Trees. I really liked it too. I had planned on reading another Everett this month but just couldn't bookhorn it in. I hope to read Tom Lake soon. Patchett Rocks!

>215 alcottacre: *smooch*

Keep up the feeling-better march.

I/m happy to read that you're feeling better today. Sleep for Stasia=Feast or Famine. I'm glad you can do it when you need to!

>216 alcottacre: I doubt that I'll read this one, but it sounds like a Good Book. There's a project going on, started in Alabama I think, to display locally ground from every site where a lynching occurred with the date and the victim's name. I'm not sure whether groups then send the jars of earth to a central location. My best and longest hometown friend saw the exhibit in Chatham County where Karen lives, and she's my source for the Alabama connection if I heard her correctly.

Enjoy your day but take it easy if you can!

I’m glad you are feeling better, Stasia. Our bodies let us know when we have reached our limits.

Congratulations on reading Proust. I’m glad he has never called out to me. Haha.

I am currently reading The Colony and am fascinated by Magee’s writing style.

I need to read Verghese’s nonfiction books. I thoroughly enjoyed The Covenant of Water.

I just finished Tom Lake and loved it!

>220 msf59: I am feeling much better today, Mark. Thanks for checking in! I got 2 of Everett's books in this month, So Much Blue and The Trees, and was not disappointed in either of them. I hope you enjoy Tom Lake when you get to it!

>221 richardderus: ((Hugs)) and **smooches** for today, RD!

>222 LizzieD: I am the true Feast or Famine post child, Peggy. I slept 16 hours Tuesday, 12 hours Wednesday, and 5 hours last night - a sure indicator that I was on the upswing. The Trees is excellent, but certainly not going to be everyone's cuppa.

>223 Donna828: Not sure about anyone else's body, but mine certainly does! It is like Full Stop. You are done. I hope you enjoy The Colony when you have finished with it. It turned out to be a 5-star read for me. I loved The Covenant of Water too.

>224 torontoc: Woot! I am so glad Cyrel.

Glad to hear you're on the mend, Stasia!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353193

>195 alcottacre: Stasia Jacqueline Woodson is one of my favorite authors. He portrayal of the trials and tribulations of young blacks who are struggling is simply excellent.

In addition, I highly recommend her illustrated books:

Pecan Baby Boy
This is the Rope
Coming Home Soon
Each Kindness
Show Way
We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past

She simply is an incredible author!!

>226 bell7: Thanks, Mary!

>227 SilverWolf28: I am in, Silver!

>228 Whisper1: The first thing I did after finishing I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This was to look for a complete bibliography for Woodson, Linda. I will have to see if my local library has the ones you have mentioned too. I was looking specifically for her young adult books and did not look at the illustrated ones. Thank you for those recommendations!

I'm glad you are on the mend Stasia.

>216 alcottacre: >217 alcottacre: Gladtgeywere hits for you too.

>230 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline!

Finished tonight:

203 - Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood - I had no idea what to expect from this book as I have never seen the movie Cabaret, which is supposedly based on the book (I say "supposedly" since one never knows with Hollywood). I was somewhat disappointed as the books chapters are more like a series of vignettes than they are a cohesive story - there are recurring characters, but the most pervasive character to me was the city of Berlin and the changes it was going through in the period from around 1930-1933 during the rise of Adolph Hitler. I am not even sure if the book is supposed to be autobiographical even though the lead character is called "Christopher Isherwood." That being said, I did enjoy the peeks that Isherwood gave us into what it was like for the inhabitants of Berlin as the Nazis, at first a derided group, were coming into power and starting to get the foothold that they needed to seize the power that they craved. I found the story of the Landaus (sp?), a Jewish family Isherwood befriends, especially poignant; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine - Kindle Edition

Finished tonight:

204 - Best of Enemies by Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall - Nonfiction; Suzanne recommended this one a few years ago on one of her "best of the year" lists and I am very glad to have read this true story of spies on opposite sides of the Cold War who become dear friends to each other. Jack Platt worked out of the CIA in Washington, D.C., and Gennady Vasilenko worked at the Soviet Embassy. They were each trying to get the other to sell out their country and become counterintelligence. Along the way, they became fast friends in a friendship that did not always go smoothly, especially after Gennady was incarcerated twice in the Soviet Union/Russia; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

"As Gennady tried to figure out how he could come up with money, another inmate accused him of stealing his pen. Gennady remembered seeing a Seinfeld episode at Jack's house with a similar plot. That's what his life had become: a Seinfeld sketch written by Kafka."

>232 alcottacre: It's chillingly like the rise of the MAGAts. Berlin is meant to be the main character of the vignettes, and while no one apart from the author can be 100% sure which bits are autobiographical it is certainly aligned with such of his movements as we can factually trace.

Totalitarians on the rise are all depressingly similar in their methodology. Combating it appears to be less universally well-understood. I wonder why that would be.

>234 richardderus: Totalitarians on the rise are all depressingly similar in their methodology. Combating it appears to be less universally well-understood. I wonder why that would be.

I do not know, Richard, and I do not pretend to know why that is. Are human beings really such sheep that we will knowingly follow a totalitarian no matter what? I do not believe this of us either.

BTW - Just so we are clear, I am not nor have I ever been a MAGAt. Donald Trump makes me physically ill and I am ashamed for our country that he was ever the president.

Thank you for the confirmation that Berlin was supposed to be the main character of the vignettes as that is certainly how it appeared to me, but what do I know?

((Hugs)) and **smooches**

>235 alcottacre: I suspect totalitarianism is very appealing to people who hate that other people aren't like them in behavior and belief. That's not something we like looking at, so resisting totalirtarians is more personal and individual a path of self-discovery until enough people get mad as hell....

I never for a second thought you would fall for 45's snake oil. You have a moral compass and aren't afraid to use it unlike the MAGts.

I'd say you know quite a lot and don't think you do, TBH.

>236 richardderus: I suspect totalitarianism is very appealing to people who hate that other people aren't like them in behavior and belief. So the racists, bigots, idiots of that ilk. That makes sense to me. Like my father, there are no greys in their world - things are either black or white to them. I have spent quite a bit of my life now trying to figure out why these people are the way they are and have come to the conclusion that I never will. My father was one of the biggest bigots I have ever met and I am lucky that I did not end up like him. I think part of the reason is my mother, who is one of the least bigoted people I know, and the fact that I was learning about antisemitism while I was still a child.

Thank you, RD.

Finished tonight:

205 - Deep Fathom by James Rollins - Something completely different for a change, but the kind of book that I used to love to dig into when I was in my teens and I still enjoy every now and again. Adventure with a touch of archaeology and science - nothing where the reader has to completely get rid of their sense of disbelief, but cutting awfully close at times. There are ancient inscriptions and civilizations along with state of the art computers . What more could you ask for in an rocking rolling adventure? My one big disappointment was the ending, which I did not care for overmuch.; Guardedly Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine

Stasia, how wonderful that you have so many books from the Booker Long List. You will be our resident expert on the Booker Longlist and what to read.

I hope you are feeling much better.

>238 alcottacre: I read ?nine? Sigma Force novels while I was in the goofy garage and was utterly absorbed in and by them. Haven't touched one since. Their immersive effect was, apparently, perfect then but not now. The memory of them is, however, uniformly pleasant and positive.

Another "right book, right time" event, I think.

>239 vancouverdeb: Uh, nope. I will read a couple, completely forget about the rest of them until next year, and then pick them up again. Lol. I have a terrible time sticking to lists like that because - oh, look - new and shiny books!

>240 richardderus: I can understand that, Richard. I read Map of Bones years ago, which I think is another Sigma Force book, and have not read another until now. They work as a great palate cleanser between heavier books.

Finished this afternoon:

206 - Last Stand: America's Virgin Lands by Barbara Kingsolver with photographs provided by Annie Griffiths Belt - Nonfiction; This is one of those coffee table books that is published by National Geographic, but Kingsolver's name on the title page immediately caught my eye. Although there is not much writing in the book - Kingsolver wrote the book's introduction and the introductions for each chapter - it is, after all, Kingsolver's writing and very good it is. The photography throughout the book is exquisite and there is a nice touch in each chapter providing 'nature' quotations from people like Henry David Thoreau and William Bartram accompanied by photographs. Do not look for anything in depth here about conservation and ecology, but enjoy the book for what it is; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Just a reminder that I am generally not online on Sundays. . . I will be back later today though, I am sure. Trying to finish all my TIOLI reads for August!

>241 alcottacre: Oh my yes, that was one of the ones I read! Very enjoyable indeed.

>242 alcottacre: Sounds like a very pretty read indeed.

Dropping in to say hello! Hope you are feeling much better, now :)

>242 alcottacre: that looks great! BB for me

>244 richardderus: It is a pretty read, RD. ((Hugs)) and **smooches**

>245 figsfromthistle: Thanks for dropping by, Anita! I am ever so much better than I was earlier in the week.

I hope you enjoy the book if and when you get to it.

>232 alcottacre:
I have never read Goodbye to Berlin either, but this summer I read In the Garden of Beasts and Erik Larson quotes from Isherwood several times. At the end of the book Larson said that Isherwood's work was very helpful to him in getting the mood of the early days of the Nazi's correct. I love it when books make connections like that and so I had to put Goodbye to Berlin on my TBR list. Thanks to you and Erik Larson.

Finished tonight:

207 - The Points of My Compass by E.B. White - Essays; This book was published in 1962 (the year of my birth) and consists of a collection of articles from 1954 (the year of my husband's birth) to 1961 that were originally published in The New Yorker. I think of White primarily as a children's author (Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little among others) but I was struck by his prose in this book - it is pointed, not flowery, and he does not waste words. There is no single theme or subject, but what he has to say is on target (recommending that auto manufacturers forget about fins on cars, for example). I thoroughly enjoyed this blast from the past and let me tell you, White could write (and not just for kids!); Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>248 alcottacre: - I haven't read that one, Stasia, but I did read a bio of White a while back (and am blanking on the title). And yes, he CAN write. You have heard of Elements of Style?

>249 jessibud2: I am very familiar with Elements of Style, Shelley. White even talks about it in one of the essays in the book. When I went to college the first time around as a 17-year-old, we used EoS in my college freshman English class.