Alcott Acre's Home, Room 8

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.

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
At Canaan’s Edge by Taylor Branch
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

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
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany by Jane Mount

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
Origin in Death by J. D. Robb
Payback in Death by J. D. Robb
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard

September TIOLI Challenges

Challenge #1: Read a book tagged "racism"
At Canaan’s Edge by Taylor Branch - Completed September 1, 2023
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - Completed September 10, 2023

Challenge #2: Read a book with a headline character count of 23 or less
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin - Completed September 17, 2023

Challenge #3: Read a book with a word in the title from the September Songs List
Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard - Completed September 12, 2023
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 - Completed September 8, 2023
The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
Windhall by Ava Barry - Completed September 5, 2023

Challenge #5: Read a Debut Novel First Published Since 1 January 2020
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara - Completed September 4, 2023
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 - Completed September 11, 2023
Into the Silence by Wade Davis
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
The Towers of Silence by Paul Scott - Completed September 13, 2023

Challenge #7: Read a book about contact with extraplanetary aliens or alien abduction
The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis - Completed September 6, 2023

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 - Completed September 16, 2023

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 - Completed September 9, 2023
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - Completed September 1, 2023

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
Days without End by Sebastian Barry - Completed September 15, 2023

Challenge #11: Read a book with 5 or more words in the title, at least two of them the same length
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai - Completed September 14, 2023
. . . 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 - Completed September 11, 2023
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
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery - Completed September 10, 2023
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear - Completed September 18, 2023
Not for All the Gold in Ireland by John James - Completed September 12, 2023
Origin in Death by J. D. Robb - Completed September 2, 2023
Payback in Death by J. D. Robb - Completed September 7, 2023

Challenge #14: Read a book with a person or animal's name in the title
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S. A. Chakraborty

Challenge #15: Read a book where one of the main page (primary) tags is a subject you might study in school
Classics for Pleasure by Michael Dirda - Completed September 16, 2023
We Are At War by Simon Garfield

Reserved for October's TIOLI Challenges. . .

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 by J.D. Robb
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 - Completed September 2, 2023
Payback in Death - Completed September 7, 2023

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

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

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

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

The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
Pardonable Lies - Completed April 27, 2023
Messenger of Truth - Completed September 18, 2023

The Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson
Case Histories -

The Shetland Series by Ann Cleeves
Raven Black -

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 - Completed September 13, 2023

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
12. At Canaan’s Edge by Taylor Branch - Completed September 1, 2023
13. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - Completed September 10, 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
13. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (Jamaica and Dominica) - Completed September 1, 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
9. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng - Completed September 8, 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)
7. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. - Completed August 28, 2023 (#47 on the Esquire list)
8. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin - - Completed September 17, 2023 (Not 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
August Last Stand by Barbara Kingsolver - Completed August 27, 2023
September

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
27. At Canaan’s Edge by Taylor Branch - 1,039 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
September Origin in Death and Payback in Death by J. D. Robb - Completed on September 2 and 7, 2023, respectively

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
Love in a Mist by Victoria Goddard - shared read with Mary - Completed September 12, 2023
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - shared read with Caroline - Completed September 10, 2023
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch - shared read with Deborah and Paul - Completed September 15, 2023
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 - DNF
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 🧵, Stasia! Many happy reads ahead!

Happy new thread Stasia.

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>12 alcottacre: Looks like all the touchstones are done now. Getting them right can be a hassle.

Happy new thread, Stasia.

Happy new thread, Stasia. In spite of every obstacle and detour put in your way, your reading continues to astound! You go, girl!

Happy new one!

>13 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deborah! If September's reads rival August's, I will be extremely happy!

>14 WhiteRaven.17: Thank you, Kro!

>15 FAMeulstee: Yeah, those Touchstones can be a pain in the rear end at times, Anita. Thanks.

>16 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel!

>17 jessibud2: I appreciate the cheers, Shelley! I wanted to cut down on my reading this year, but not in the manner that it happened. However, I have had some great reads sprinkled in and August has been a terrific reading month for me.

>18 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita!

Happy new thread, Stasia -- and lots of happy reading to go along with it :)

>20 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba!

Happy new thread!

Happy day and happy reads ahead Stasia.

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>22 foggidawn: >23 mdoris: >24 curioussquared: Thank you, foggi, Mary, and Natalie!

Happy #8 dear Stasia. xx

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>26 PaulCranswick: >27 drneutron: Thank you, Paul & Jim!

Finished this afternoon:

208 - A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny - Audiobook; Generally speaking, I am not a fan of the books in which Louise Penny has Armand Gamache step away from Three Pines and this book is one of those. However, Penny kept me engaged pretty much throughout with twists and turns that left me with no idea where the mystery was heading. Good stuff. A shout out to Ralph Cosham who did the narration of the audiobook and was outstanding. It is unfortunate that he passed away in 2014 because to me, he is the voice of Gamache; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>29 alcottacre: I also tend to not like it when Penny's books have Gamache away from Three Pines, but I do recall that one being good anyway.

>30 tymfos: Well, I guess when it comes right down to it, all of the books cannot be in Three Pines or pretty soon there will be nobody left in Three Pines after they all murder each other off, lol.

>31 alcottacre: True! I always figured Cabot Cove, Maine was going to be a ghost town by the time Murder She Wrote was cancelled.

Finished tonight:

209 - A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. - This is one of those classics of science fiction that I feel like I should have read a long time ago and that I feel like I should love, but just simply do not. I think I might have been aided a bit if I had even a passing familiarity with Catholicism in which the book is steeped. The story is a post-apocalyptic one and I tend to like those, but not this particular one. I did not feel like there was any cohesiveness to the story itself and, yes, I realize that it is marching through time, but in that case I would have thought that more attention to cohesion would have been warranted. I enjoyed the middle section of the book the most (the book is very neatly divided into thirds), but that is not saying much. I know that there are a ton of people who rate this one very highly, I am just not one of them; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

>32 tymfos: LOL. I never watched the show, but you have a valid point. Why would anyone want to live there with all those murderous people running around?

>34 alcottacre: My Mom and Aunt Florence were addicted to that show, especially Aunt Florence. Since they always spent Sunday evenings together and (at least for a while) it was broadcast on Sunday evening, the TV was faithfully tuned to it weekly.

>33 alcottacre: I didn't like this one either, Stadia. You're not alone!

>35 tymfos: Cool beans. I watch pretty much no television except for sports, so a lot of today's pop culture just goes over my head.

>36 curioussquared: I am glad to know I am not the only one, Natalie!

Happy new thread Stasia!

>33 alcottacre: I have better memories of A Canticle for Leibowitz than you do, but it wasn't a favorite. One friend longed for an illuminated circuit diagram, and I got hung up on what the ICD should do as it seemed there must be something witty to be done there. I've seen some versions, but my imagined one is better.

>38 quondame: Interesting, Susan. I love your comment about how your imagined version of the book is better and I can easily see that being true, given my dim view of the book :) I hate when we as readers have to almost "fill in the blanks" for the author!

And another one down. . .

210 - The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss - The premise for this book sounds so interesting - the daughters (in some cases) of well known Victorian doctors such as Dr Jekyll, Dr Moreau, Dr Frankenstein, etc - meet up and form the Athena Society who, with the help of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, try and track down the murderer of Mary Jekyll's father. I found the interruption of the narrative by various individuals who are supposedly contributing to said narrative irritating in the extreme. A few times, OK, but continuing this conceit throughout the entire book was too much IMHO. Also it seems like Goss in order to give some depth to each character felt it necessary to relate the character's entire backstory which does nothing but further slow down the narrative. There are now 3 books in this series, but I have no desire to read any more of them; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

>40 alcottacre: I rated it the same, the next one a 2, and haven't read the third.

>41 quondame: I had already decided not to proceed with books 2 and 3, but I am glad to have someone else's opinion on at least one of them!

Today is my meet up day with Beth and Catey. Since I was sick last week and did not get a chance to meet up with them, it makes this week all the more special!

>31 alcottacre: and then there's Oxford, England where several people per day are murdered apparently lol. I do prefer Penny's books which are set in Three Pines though because I love the people there. I still like the ones that are set away from there too though!

>44 RebaRelishesReading: Oh, I still enjoy the others too, Reba, just not as much as the ones that are actually in Three Pines!

>43 alcottacre: Have a lovely meet-up, Stasia.

>46 PaulCranswick: We normally always do, Paul. I am extremely lucky in that my daughters have grown up to be my friends as well.

Hello, Stasia! Happy new one! Me, too, with the daughters who have grown up to be friends as well - an incredible blessing that I am thankful foe every day.

>48 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie! I have my mother and my daughters as friends. I am not sure what could be much better than that!

My daughter, Catey, shared this sign that was spotted on the side of a local library. I thought it was brilliant!

"Please do not eat in the library.

The ants will get in.
They will learn how to read.
Then, they will get too smart.
Knowledge is power.
Power corrupts.
So. . . the ants will turn evil.
and take over the world."

I gave up on posting a picture of the original sign as I seem completely unable to load pictures even when following the directions on how to do so.

>49 alcottacre: Very full of fabulous, indeed!

>50 alcottacre:

>51 Crazymamie: Thank you, Mamie - on both counts!

>40 alcottacre: You mixed up your numbering with this one, Stasia, 201 should be 210.

>50 alcottacre: >51 Crazymamie: Fun!

>53 FAMeulstee: Thanks for pointing that out, Anita. It is fixed now!

Finished this morning:

211 - Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof - Nonfiction; This is a sports classic that I had never read until now, the story of the 1919 World Series and how players conspired to throw it. Asinof does a good job in showing why they did it - underpaid by the owner of the team, Charles Comiskey, during a time when players had little agency, especially concerning the "reserve" clause - and making the reader feel somewhat sympathetic with those players. There is a vast array of characters in the book, but I had little trouble keeping them straight so that was not an issue for me. What I did wish that the book had was some kind of either footnotes or bibliography but neither is present here. I would say that for baseball fans, this book is a must read; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

I have 2 more books to finish today for my August TIOLI challenges, so I am not sure how much I will be around. I hope everyone has a thunderous Thursday!!

Have a good reading day, Stasia! I also have two books on the go that I wanted to finish in August, but my pesky job will keep me from wrapping them today :(

>57 curioussquared: Ah, the joys of retirement, lol. You know, because I sit every day and do nothing but read. And if you believe that, Natalie, let's talk about this bridge I have to sell. . .

Good luck getting your books done!

Finished this afternoon:

212 - Corpse by Jessica Snyder Sachs - Nonfiction; This is the kind of science book that I find fascinating. In this book, Sachs details the struggles of science to overcome the struggle to pinpoint time of death. She uses a lot of real world examples and then speaks of the scientists and what they are doing to be able to more accurately determine when someone has died. If you are a person who is squeamish about bugs, stay far away from this one as entymology is one of the tools that is used to figure when a person has passed away by either homicide, suicide, or some other kind of unnatural death. While this book is along the same lines as Mary Roach's Stiff (which I recommend), it is not at all alike in tone or all the subject matter either. The book stands on its own; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

There is a "Further Reading" section in the book, something that I always appreciate. The first book listed is Spitz and Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation of Death, Third Edition, which I have owned for quite a while now. When they were growing up, Beth and Catey called it "my dead body book."

>58 alcottacre: You're telling me retirement isn't just endless reading days?!?!? 😱

>60 curioussquared: Well, mine certainly hasn't been!

Finished this evening:

213 - Snow in August by Pete Hamill - I had only read one of Pete Hamill's books prior to this one (Forever, which I loved) when I saw Linda's (lw3rd) recommendation of this one. It has only taken me 5 years to get to it. We are introduced to Michael, a 12-year-old boy living in Brooklyn, with his widowed mother, his father/her husband having died at the Battle of the Bulge. Michael is a good Catholic altar boy who, on the way to Mass one morning, meets Rabbi Hirsch, who likes him and wants him to be his Shabbos goy, a gentile who does things that a Jewish person cannot do on the Sabbath. A genuine friendship springs up between the two and they begin teaching each other: Michael is helping the rabbi, who came from Prague, learn English, baseball, and music while the rabbi is teaching Michael bits of Yiddish and Hebrew. However, this is a rough neighborhood and Michael witnesses a crime, but will tell the police nothing. The violence creeps ever nearer to home though and Michael has to do something. I very much enjoyed this one although I did feel it was a bit long; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>62 alcottacre: - I read this one several years ago and loved it!

>62 alcottacre:
I read Snow in August many years ago. It was an ALA Alex Award winner (adult books for Young Adults) and I loved it. I checked back on my rating (I had to go look in my notebooks because I didn't have LT in those days) and I rated it very highly. It is a very good book. I am glad that you got around to reading it and I hope that others here on LT will see your review and read it.

>62 alcottacre:, Sounds like a book I might like, Stasia.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353351

>63 jessibud2: >64 benitastrnad: I am glad to see others who appreciate Hamill's work!

>65 Kristelh: Give it a try, Kristel! I hope you do like it when you get to it.

>66 SilverWolf28: I am in for at least today and tomorrow, Silver.

Catey is coming in this weekend (Sunday) for Kerry's birthday on Tuesday. Shhhh - it is a surprise for him!

Well, my September is off to a bang:

214 - At Canaan's Edge by Taylor Branch - Nonfiction, Audiobook; I primarily listened to this one on audio (I still cannot hold large books for any length of time) and despite the fact that I normally do not care to listen to nonfiction, I am glad I did in this case. The excellent narration by Leon Nixon and Janina Edwards gave the book an immediacy in spite of the events having taken place almost 60 years ago. I cannot give enough kudos to Taylor Branch for this excellent trilogy and the last book in it was no exception. The Vietnam War is still in full swing in the time period covered by this volume (1964-1968) and Branch does not hesitate in digging into the controversy that it caused throughout the U.S. and in the Civil Rights Movement. Nor does Branch neglect to show the cracks that continued to widen in the movement especially between those such as Martin Luther King who wanted to stay nonviolent and those who did not, feeling like the time was ripe to be violent and strike out. This book ends with the tragic assassination of MLK although there is a brief epilogue. If you have any interest in the Civil Rights Movement at all, I cannot recommend this trilogy highly enough; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Mine

And then a fizzle. . .

215 - Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - I knew going in that I might have to work to keep my love of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre separate from my reading of this book, which is a prequel of sorts to that novel. It turned out not to be all that hard as the writing styles are extremely different. We first meet Antoinette as a child in Part One of the book, which is divided into three different parts. Her mother is widowed and basically forced, due to the family's poverty, to remarry a wealthy man who can support both herself and her two children (Antoinette has a brother, Pierre, who is mentally retarded). Part Two of the book begins in Antoinette's adulthood after the deaths of her mother and brother and upon her marriage to Rochester. This part of the book, which is the longest, was the biggest problem for me. It is told in alternating voices, Rochester's and Antoinette's, and quite often it was difficult for me to tell who was speaking. Not only that, but the voice of Rochester does not feel right. He does not love Antoinette (whom he calls Bertha) and makes no bones about it: "I played the part I was expected to play." Part Three is only about 10 pages long and it is here that we meet Grace Poole, who also appears in Jane Eyre. Rochester and Antoinette are now in England, where Antoinette/Bertha, is watched over in the attic of Rochester's home. Yeah, this one just did not work for me on any level and the confusion that occurred in the longest part of the book certainly did not help!; Not Recommended (3 stars) Library Book

>70 alcottacre: Somehow Wide Sargasso Sea impressed me more than you. I guess it seemed that Antoinette, never seen for herself, had nothing holding her to sanity.

>71 quondame: Well, different strokes and all that - the book seems to be fairly divisive. I had really hoped to like the book more than I did.

Back to the good. . .

216 - Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey - Linda (lw3rd) had recently touted this book, which I had never read, so I picked it up from the local library the other day. I am glad I did - the book is a delight. It is the story of two girls' summer vacation on the islands of Maine. They are going out in the boats, exploring the shore and the forest, and just having a wonderful time! There is a part where McCloskey says "You find that you are singing too, With the blue water sparkling all around, all around, With the blue water sparkling all around!" and you can picture a couple of kids singing those words at the top of their lungs. The illustrations are terrific - I especially liked the one of the water during the storm; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

>70 alcottacre: Oh, nice to see someone who has the same opinion on that book as I do. Everyone else seems to love it and I was just feeling “meh”. Didn’t work at all for me.

>70 alcottacre: I am totally with you on Wide Sargasso Sea, Stasia. It was an early-LT read for me (2007!), and I also gave it 3 stars. The story was just weak. My edition included several essays, some of which were probably interesting but haven't stuck with me. It also seemed like a way to pad a book that didn't have all that much to offer.

>74 PawsforThought: >75 lauralkeet: I am glad to see that there are other people for whom the book did not work.

>75 lauralkeet: Laura, my book contained an introductory essay, but it was about the life and work of Rhys, not any kind of literary criticism.

Happy Saturday, Stasia. I just finished Still Born. Not sure if it is already on your radar but I highly recommend it. I might dip into The Gift of Rain today but just a taste. I will jump in all the way tomorrow.

>62 alcottacre:, >73 alcottacre: Wheeee! I love when you enjoy my recommendations.

>77 msf59: I do not think I have even heard of Still Born, Mark, so I am going to see if I can find a copy. Thank you for the recommendation!

>78 laytonwoman3rd: Thank you for making them!

Finished tonight:

217 - Origin in Death by J. D. Robb - This is one of the books in the series that feels the most "futuristic" due to the presence of clones. Eve and Peabody are at a health center to interview a woman who, in fear for her life, killed the guy who was attacking her. However, while they are there one of the doctors turns up dead, so they have that homicide to investigate as well. The woman who was the doctor's final appointment has disappeared, although they have her face since she showed up on security, so she should not be hard to find, right? A couple of days later, the doctor's son (also a doctor) turns up dead too. Was it the same murderer? And if so, where is she hiding? Then, yet another murder happens. What exactly is going on? A very good entry into the series; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Wide Sargasso Sea was just a 3 star read for me. I've read 3 books by Jean Rhys and she just isn't a favorite author. This book especially is a disappointment if a person loved Jane Eyre.

I've not read anything by J.D. Robb.

>81 Kristelh: I have one other of Rhys' books here to read and if I do not like that one (Good Morning, Midnight), I will not be reading any more of hers.

If you do start on the J. D. Robb series, you definitely want to begin at Naked in Death, book 1.

I can't catch up, but I can say (HOORAY for a Catey visit!!!!!)!!!!! (I'm whispering.) Happy Sunday to you, and Happy Birthday to Kerry!

Somehow, I've never been able to read *WSS*. I'm afraid that you confirm my instinct.

>83 LizzieD: Somehow, with all of those exclamation points, I doubt that you are whispering, Peggy :) I will let Kerry know you wished him a Happy Birthday!

Yeah, as far as Wide Sargasso Sea goes, I do not think you are missing much. However, there are a lot of people who really like it.

>70 alcottacre: Like you Stasia, this never worked for me either.

Happy Sunday, Stasia. I didn't want to just read 10-20 pages of The Gift of Rain yesterday so I am saving it for today. Then I can jump right in. Not sure how many pages I will read in a day but I will try for at least 60.

Happy labor day weekend, Stadia! We will be having Texas weather in Ohio for the next few days with temps in the 90's! Looking like ice tea and books to me.

>85 Caroline_McElwee: Yeah, there seem to be more people in the group who dislike it than like it. I am not sorry I read it because now I never have to read it again.

>86 msf59: OK, I will try for 60 today too.

>87 Carmenere: Happy Labor Day weekend to you too, Lynda! Enjoy the Texas weather, lol. I know I will not, especially since our temps head into the 100s all week long.

Today is my normal day away from technology and even more so today since Catey has already been here for an hour. I may be back later tonight. We will see!

Everyone have a lovely Sunday!

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday, Stasia. I ordered a book from
the Booker Long List, Prophet Song . This Other Edenis in transit for me at the library. I enjoyed a nice weekend, a BBQ with a couple of my siblings and their spouses on Friday . Dave was back to work today, but I had a nice quiet to myself today.

>90 vancouverdeb: I did have a wonderful Sunday, Deborah. Catey is in town visiting, so I have not been online hardly at all since we rarely get to see her in person. Kerry is off through tomorrow since it is his birthday, so I am not sure how much I will be online tomorrow either. Catey will be heading back to Longview in the morning.

I will be curious to see what you think of the books once you have a chance to read them!

Hi Friend

I'm stopping by to say I hope you had a lovely visit with Catey today.

>92 Whisper1: We had a great day together, lovey. She is leaving in the morning, but I will likely see her tomorrow afternoon at our regular weekly meet up with Beth.

Finished tonight:

218 - Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara - Man, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I ended up doing. I very much appreciated the voice of Jai, the 9-year-old protagonist. Children are going missing in his basti (a slum of sorts, I gather) and he, along with two of his friends decide they are going to investigate, in the way that children do. Anaparra wanted to shine a spotlight on one of the issues in modern day India - as many as 180 children a day go missing - but unfortunately the tale that she uses is uneven. Honestly, the best thing about it, at least for me, was the character of Jai, who is also the most fleshed out character; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

Morning, Stasia. Sorry the shared read failed but I am really enjoying Gift of Rain and I am sure you are feeling the same about Evening Mists.

>95 msf59: Sorry it has taken so long for me to respond, Mark, but I have not been able to get on LT all day. It has been down every time I tried. Anyway, yes, I am very much enjoying The Garden of Evening Mists.

Finished tonight:

219 - Windhall by Ava Barry - Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of good things to say about this one. The premise of a Hollywood star (in old Hollywood) being killed by her director husband, who then gets off, is a good one. The execution was severely lacking though. The main character was not very likeable and I can understand why he was fired from his job as a journalist since he was such a poor one. I felt like Max Hailey, the lead character, was brought in from Central Casting but did not know his lines. He really ruined the story for me. I loved the setting of Old Hollywood and the almost noir-ish feeling of the book; Not Recommended (3 stars) Library Book

LT is still not staying up for any length of time for me, so I am going to try again in the morning!

I've had trouble all day today with LT, but it seems fine now. I couldn't use firefox to access LT on my desktop , but I tried google Chrome and that was fine. My I phone was also fine - but yes, it has been down all day!

I had not been able to get into LT since yesterday morning. Going through painful withdrawal. Glad I can get my fix this morning.

>99 vancouverdeb: I was literally trying to get on all day long and it came up briefly enough for me to check on my thread last night and that was it. I am hoping that it will stay up for me today! I know that they continue to wrestle with the DDos attack.

>100 Kristelh: My husband laughed at me when I mentioned that I was going through LT withdrawal. I am happy to see that I am not the only one!

Dropping in to wish you a wonderful mid week

I quite like the three pines series....but for such a small community there sure are a lot of spare people around to be murdered ;)

I am also glad to have LT back. It felt like forever that the website was under attack.

>102 figsfromthistle: I am also glad to have LT back. It felt like forever that the website was under attack.

Oh my, didn't it just? I hope that never happens again!

Laughing about the 'spare people' in Three Pines. It certainly does seem that way!

Have a great Wednesday Stasia and hope you get an overdose of LT today. I'm busy today meeting with friends but hoping to get my fix this afternoon.

>104 Kristelh: I am meeting up with Beth after bit so not as long here as I would like!

>101 alcottacre: I was going through a bit of LT withdrawal, myself! Glad it's back up.

Count me in as part of the LT withdrawal club 😂

>106 foggidawn: >107 curioussquared: I think pretty much the entire group was going through LT withdrawl!

Finished this afternoon:

220 - The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis - I saw Mary's (bell7's) review of this one and thought I would give it a try since I am a huge fan of Connie Willis' Oxford Time Travel series. I am glad I did as I had a great time with this book. I told my daughters that it was like a "Road to" movie with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope combined with a stray alien. The alien, christened "Indy" by the people he keeps abducting, needs to be somewhere and abducts people to help him get there. The majority of the kidnapees do not believe in aliens to begin with and one of them is a complete alien conspiracy theorist. Antics ensue!; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>109 alcottacre: That one's already on my list -- glad you enjoyed it!

>109 alcottacre:
That's a BB and another one for the gargantuan TBR list. I like Connie Willis. I still have to read the Blackout series, but I will get to it someday.

>109 alcottacre:, wished I could have read Connie Willis instead of Agents of Dreamland but I could not find a copy.

>109 alcottacre: The library has allowed me to put that on my Kindle, so soon, real soon now.

Hi Stasia. Planning to read The Bluest Eye on Sunday.

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. Glad LT is back up and running. How frustrating. Glad we are both enjoying our Tan Twan Eng books. I should finish mine over the weekend.

Hi Stasia. A Belated Happy New Thread.

From your last thread, I have The Points of My Compass on my shelves, another book to try to get to sooner than later. Sigh.

>33 alcottacre: and >38 quondame: I rebought it for my shelves in 2011, and what Susan said about better memories but not a favorite.

>50 alcottacre: and >51 Crazymamie: I sent this off to Rita the Librarian at my local Library. I love it.

>110 foggidawn: I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it, foggi!

>111 benitastrnad: Oh, the Blackout series is very good, Benita. I hope you enjoy all the books - including The Road to Roswell when you get to it!

>112 Kristelh: I am sending you a PM about that, Kristel.

>113 quondame: I hope you enjoy it, Susan!

>114 Caroline_McElwee: Then I will do the same, Caroline. Thank you for letting me know.

>115 msf59: I am going to finish mine either today or tomorrow, Mark. I am glad you are enjoying The Gift of Rain!

>116 karenmarie: Well, since it took me several years to get to the White book, I am not going to get on you for not reading it yet, Karen. I sent A Canticle for Leibowitz off to Catey's shop. I love that sign too!

I'm happy that Catey was able to visit for a long weekend. GOOD DAYS all around!!!!

I have never, ever been able to read *Canticle*, and I used to try about every five years. I think the 50s vibe is just too arch for me. At least, I think that's what I remember; I no longer try although I'm sad that I don't get satisfaction from a classic.

I'm off to look at the Connie W. I love her!

>118 LizzieD: We had a great time together as a family while Catey was here. Good days all around is right!

I am glad to know it is not just me who does not care for A Canticle for Leibowitz. I do not understand why it is so highly thought of.

I think you will love The Road to Roswell, Peggy!

Finished this morning:

221 - Payback in Death by J. D. Robb - This is the latest book in the In Death series and it is another good one. Eve and Roarke are off celebrating their third anniversary with a trip to Greece and then to visit the family in Ireland. The day that they get home, she gets tagged by her old pal Webster because one of his friends has supposedly committed suicide and he does not buy it. Webster is on scene because he has discovered the body and wants Dallas to investigate. She heads to the scene and within minutes concludes that Webster is correct - his friend did not commit suicide. The man's wife, who was not home, returns with a friend of hers from a ladies night and gets the terrible news. This is one of those cases where Dallas' instinct tells her who did it, she just has to prove it; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Kerry came home sick from work today. He just got back from the doctor about 15 minutes ago. He was tested for COVID, but we will not have those results for a bit. He does have an upper respiratory infection. He will be home both today and tomorrow, so I may not be online as much as I usually am.

Kerry just heard from the doctor's office: He has COVID. In all likelihood I will get it again and there is the possibility that Catey may get it too. *really big heartfelt sigh*

>122 alcottacre: Bummer. I hope it is a mild version Stasia. Sending healing energy.

>123 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline.

Ugh, sorry to hear about the COVID, Stasia. I hope you and Catey stay well and that Kerry gets better soon.

>125 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie. Kerry is off to get his prescriptions and he is going to pick up a test kit for me. Catey is going to test herself when she is off work this evening.

>122 alcottacre: Sorry to hear it. Hope it's a light case and the rest of you stay well!

>127 foggidawn: Thank you, foggi!

>122 alcottacre: Sorry to read this, Stasia. I hope it turns ou to be a mild case.

I hope Kerry's case is mild and you and Catey stay clear of the bug.

Glad to hear the Willis was a hit with you. It's been on The List for a while.

Mild-COVID *whammys* all around, just in case

>129 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

>130 MickyFine: Thank you, Micky. Catey and I both tested ourselves today and thus far, we do not have COVID.

I hope you enjoy the Willis book when you get to it.

>131 richardderus: Thanks, RD! I hope the whammys work.

I haven't started reading Gift of Rain yet - but I plan to do so this weekend. I got distracted reading Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah for a real life book discussion group that is meeting this Sunday. Afterlives is turning out to be a good novel. I am 105 pages into it and have 200 more to read. I plan on getting started on Gift of Rain this weekend. I also got Singapore Grip from the library the other day so I am ready to go with that one when Mark is.

I am also reading a very good nonfiction book titled Next Supper by Corey Mintz. Mintz is a food reporter and his take on what has happened to restaurants is very interesting. He thinks that COVID has probably destroyed the restaurant business as we know it. I just finished the chapter on the marginalization of ethnic cuisines such as Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Indian, etc. etc. His point is that to be a competent chef in any cuisine means that you have training and that training is just as good as training to be Italian, French, or any other cuisine, so why do we expect ethnic restaurants to be cheaper than a French Bistro? It is a good question.

So my reading life has been quite full in the last two weeks since I returned to Tuscaloosa. Now if I could just get things to work out better with my mother ...

>122 alcottacre: I do hope you and Catey do not get COVID. Mike and I missed it when Becky had it a few weeks back, so it's possible.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353486

>133 benitastrnad: Benita, I got my Tan Twan Eng book titles confused and I am not reading The Gift of Rain, which I had read previously, but am reading The Garden of Evening Mists. He is such a gifted writer! I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it.

I will have to see if I can find a copy of the Corey Mintz book. It sounds very interesting to me.

I hope working out things better with your mother happens soon!

>134 quondame: That is good to know! Thanks, Susan. Maybe I can worry about it a little less. . .

>135 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver. I will definitely be taking part.

Hi Stasia, I'm sorry that Kerry has COVID and hope you and Catey are able to steer clear of it.

So sorry to hear that Kerry has COVID and hope he only has mild symptoms and that you and Casey do not get COVID. If you do get sick I hope it is so you can still read. I hate it when I was sick and could not go to work but also too sick to read.

Hi Stasia!

>120 alcottacre: I just got Payback in Death from my dear friends at Amazon, although I have Abandoned, Desperation, and Encore to read before I open this one up. At least I’m still making sure I have them in the house for when the mood hits.

>122 alcottacre: I’m so sorry that Kerry’s got Covid and that proximity might do you and Catey in, too. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for mild symptoms for Kerry and total avoidance for you and Catey.

>132 alcottacre: So far so good…

Sorry to hear about Kerry and I hope that it's a mild case and that you and Catey stay healthy.

>138 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. Catey and I both tested yesterday when we found out that Kerry had it and we were both COVID-free.

>139 Kristelh: Oh, I know! I hate it when I am sick and have to be in bed - and then cannot read. One of the worst things about my vertigo spells is this!

>140 karenmarie: I do hope you enjoy Payback in Death when you get to it, Karen! Thank you for the fingers crossed.

>141 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley. Kerry's biggest complaint is his headache and the cough. I am sure that it could be much worse than it is currently :)

Finished this afternoon:

222 - The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng - This book was on the shortlist for the Booker Prize in 2012 - it lost to Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, which I also found to be excellent. I am certainly glad that I am not a judge of these things! It is very hard to believe that this is only Eng's second novel, after The Gift of Rain. This novel centers on Yun Ling Teoh, who is retiring from the bench after many years of service, and tells of how she came to be a member of the judiciary after being imprisoned, along with her sister, in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The book is set in Malaya and I really felt myself getting caught up in the history there; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

"Are all of us the same, I wonder, navigating our lives by interpreting the silences between words spoken, analyzing the returning echoes of our memory in order to chart the terrain, in order to make sense of the world around us?"

Keeping all digits crossed for good health for inhabitants of the acre and all its extensions.

>143 alcottacre:. Stasia, I read this one in 2016 and I really liked it, scored it 4.5 as well.

>144 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda!

>145 Kristelh: It has taken me a while to discover Tan Twan Eng, but he has certainly shot up on the list of my favorites. I have a copy of The House of Doors on its way to me and hopefully will get to that one soon.

Sorry to hear the Kerry has covid and I hope he has a mild case and feels better soon. I hope neither you nor Catey gets covid. I'll let you know about the shared read of The Prophet Song. I'd like to join, you as long as I can keep up the pace. I'm quite a slow reader lately.

>147 vancouverdeb: I normally have my reading partners set the pace, so if you tell me you are shooting for 25 pages a day, or 50, or 100, that is the pace at which I will read, so no worries there!

>120 alcottacre: Yes, a good solid installment.

Have a lovely weekend!

>149 Storeetllr: Thank you, Mary! You as well.

?143 Got me there. Hope you and Cately stay well and that Kerry recovers quickly.

>151 RebaRelishesReading: I hope you enjoy the book when you get a chance to read it, Reba!

Thanks for the good wishes for the family.

Finished this afternoon:

223 - Montana 1948 by Larry Watson - Richard only recommended this to me 8 or so years ago (thanks RD). Do not let the size of this small book fool you: it packs a punch! We are introduced to the Hayden family - David and his parents, his Uncle Frank and Aunt Gloria, and his grandparents. Being the local sheriff is practically a family tradition - David's grandfather was the sheriff off-and- on for years and now his father is the sheriff. His uncle Frank though is a local doctor - and he seems to be treating himself to the favors of the local Native American women, whether they are willing or not. There are a lot of moral dilemmas in this book and not just for David's father. Tragedy strikes the family when their live in housekeeper is stricken with pneumonia and subsequently dies, but the suspicion is aroused that it was not a natural death. I can give you the bare bones of an outline here, but it does not even begin to tell all of the story; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

From Richard's excellent review: "I can't simply and blindly recommend this book to you, because it's very strong meat; I can encourage you to read it if you care for justice, the horrible cost of it and the terrifying price it exacts from those it visits; but you will come away from it changed, as I was, possibly for the better but changed. Don't ever ask questions you don't want the answers to...and this book answers some very, very nasty questions with grace and beauty and forgiveness."

>143 alcottacre: A lovely book indeed. There is so much of Tan's deeply felt feeling in it.

Memory is like patches of sunlight in an overcast valley, shifting with the movement of the clouds. Now and then the light will fall on a particular point in time, illuminating it for a moment before the wind seals up the gap, and the world is in shadows again.

How perfect that is.

>153 alcottacre: I don't think anyone I've recommended the book to has ever come away disliking it, though that could be sampling bias. What a read that was!

>154 richardderus: What a lovely quote, RD!

>155 richardderus: I can see why no one you have recommended Montana 1948 has disliked it. It is a terrific book!

Stasia, I'm finally catching up on your "new" thread, so belated get well wishes for Kerry and stay well wishes for you & Catey.

Love to see the great books you've been reading. After all the love I'm seeing for Tan Twan Eng, I really need to get to one of his books...

>157 bell7: Hey, Mary. I think it has been a while since I have caught up on your thread too.

Oh yes, you definitely need to read some Tan Twan Eng. I think you would love his stuff!

Sundays are my traditional day off technology, so I will see you all later. I hope you all have a lovely day! I am off to read my first ever Toni Morrison book, thanks to Caroline. . .

Finished this afternoon:

224 - The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - I think I was expecting a straight narrative told from Pecola's point-of-view in this book, but that is not what I got. What I got was so much more than that - the book is told from multiple points-of-view and I think that makes the book stronger because you understand that none of the people in this book think much of themselves. Their self-perception is not any better than Pecola's is though they are not expecting the impossible, blue eyes, like Pecola is, so that they can merit someone's love. Her innocence in expecting a miracle such as having her brown eyes turn blue is one of the things that endears her as a character to the reader, although she does not love herself - she wants to change so that she can be loved and in the end, it is all for naught. This is a complex story, not a straight narrative one. I had not read Morrison before this. I will definitely be looking for more of her books to read; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

"Soaphead pursed his lips, and let his tongue stroke a gold inlay. He thought it was at once the most fantastic and the most logical petition he had ever received. Here was an ugly little girl asking for beauty. . .Of all the wishes people had brought him - money, love, revenge - this seemed to him the most poignant and the one most deserving of fulfillment."

Finished this evening:

225 - If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery - I was expecting a novel and what I got was a series of short stories loosely connected by the characters of Trelawney and his family. Unfortunately for me, this is one of those books where I liked the early couple of chapters and then the book went downhill for me - to the point where I am asking myself how this book made the Booker Prize longlist for this year. Escoffery can write, there is no doubt of that, but I hope he improves in the craft. You can take my thoughts with a grain of salt as there are a lot of people (including our own Richard) who liked this book a lot more than I did - and obviously the Booker people did too or it would not be nominated; Not Recommended (3 stars) Library Book

>147 vancouverdeb: & >148 alcottacre: I wouldn't mind joining you ladies on reading that one, if you'll allow me in?!

Congratulations on 3x75 already, Juana. xx

Stasia, yes, I would like to join you and Paul in a joint read of Prophet Song. You are so kind as to let we readers set the pace. I fear I am reading very slowly indeed though. I am hoping to finish off my current read tomorrow - fingers crossed and then we could start Prophet Song. Since I am reading so slowly lately we could try 30 pages per day on starting this Tuesday? If I do find time to read faster as we are reading , I'll let you know.

>161 alcottacre: I'll keep in mind that I will likely skip If I Survive You, Stasia. If I recall correctly , I think Richard was also surprised that it made the Book Longlist.

>162 PaulCranswick: Of course you may join us, Paul!

>163 vancouverdeb: Tuesday is just fine with me. If you need more time to begin, just let me know! Thirty pages a day is a great pace.

>160 alcottacre: Welcome to the Toni Morrison fan club, Stasia! Now that you've finished Proust, may I recommend another reading project? A couple years ago I read all of Morrison's 11 novels in publication order. The Bluest Eye was her first. Many of her books are non-linear and unique on many levels. I think you'd enjoy the journey.

Good review of Evening Mists. I plan on revisiting that one at some point. Hooray for Montana 1948. I am such a big fan of Larry Watson and that one is his best. I am also glad you finally got to Toni Morrison. I think she is one of America's finest writers. I will also be doing some rereads of her earlier work.

Currently, loving Tom Lake.

Hi Stasia!

>153 alcottacre: Richard recommended Montana 1948 to me a while back, too, and although I bought a trade paperback at the time was able to upgrade to a beautiful hard cover edition at one or another Friends book sale. It's still waiting for its turn in the sun...

>159 alcottacre: I still haven’t read Morrison. Sigh.

>161 alcottacre: congrats on 3 x 75!

>161 alcottacre: Triple threat Stasia! *smooch*

There is no denying the justice of your dissatisfaction. I wasn't of the same sense of unhappiness, I susspect, because I liked the breaks between stories more than I would've had they been forced to be chapters.

>165 lauralkeet: That is a great suggestion, Laura, but probably not happening next year as I already have that reading project lined up. However, 2025 is another subject altogether and reading through Morrison then is a definite possibility.

>166 msf59: I am glad to hear that you are loving Tom Lake, Mark! It is so very good. i was just remarking the other day on Caroline's thread that I think Tan Twan Eng's books are meant to be savored - and then re-read and savored again. I am going to have to look for more of Larry Watson's books.

>167 karenmarie: Hey, Karen! I hope Larry Watson gets his time in the sun soon! And Toni Morrison as well - although I am not one to talk as I just got to both of them for the first time. Thanks for the congratulations.

>168 richardderus: ((Hugs)) and **smooches**, RD!

I am not feeling well today and really hoping it is not COVID. I think I am going to have to test myself again, unfortunately. *sigh*

>170 alcottacre: Ugh. Sending good wishes for negative test results and hope you feel better soon!

>171 curioussquared: Well, whatever it is, it is not COVID. It feels like the virus or whatever I had a couple of weeks ago, come back again. Thanks, Natalie.

I'm just about finished my current read, Stasia. I have to head out to walk the dog this afternoon and I'll finish the last pages of my current read later today. I might even start on Prophet Song this evening. I do need to start a new thread this evening too.

I guess Paul and I will use your thread to check in on the Prophet Song read? Spoiler free.

Sorry you are not feeling well and I hope you soon feeling back to normal.

>173 vancouverdeb: We can use my thread, your thread, or Paul's thread to check in on the Prophet Song read, Deborah. It makes no difference to me as long as we are within shouting distance of each other.

Normal? Is there such a thing? :)

>173 vancouverdeb: I am ok camping out here for Prophet Song updates.
Get well soon dear lady.

So happy to hear it isn't covid, Stasia. So, whatever it is, it can leave now!

>175 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.

>176 jessibud2: Yeah, really. I am not a fan of throwing up at all - and the headaches are not much better.

Finished this evening:

226 - The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown - Nonfiction; This is the true story of the rowing crew that won a gold medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. I thought Brown did a terrific job of centering the story on one individual, Joe Rantz, and then widening the story from there. He does not neglect the happenings either here in the States or in Germany, where the story culminates. Just as when I read Seabiscuit, I found myself cheering for the boys in the boat, as if my cheering now made any difference at all - but I found myself that caught up in it; Recommended (4.25 stars) Library Book

>178 alcottacre:- I loved that book when I read it a few years ago and it led me to do a ton of googling and further reading afterwards. I think I recently read somewhere that Brown has a new book out but I can't remember now where I read it or what it's about.

>179 jessibud2: Shelley, the last book that I see from Daniel James Brown is 2021's Facing the Mountain, which I definitely want to read.

Finished tonight:

227 - Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany by Jane Mount - Nonfiction; One of my favorite categories of books is books about books - and this one scores very high in that category for me. Jane Mount is an illustrator who quite literally will draw/paint an "Ideal Bookshelf" for a person who commissions such an illustration. In this book, Mount uses her skill to not only draw books, but authors and bookshops in a multitude of categories. She has "bookish" people recommend books to the reader and devotes pages to Beloved Bookstores (since this book was published before the pandemic, I hate to think how many of these independent bookstores no longer exist). In every category, Mount has several illustrated recommendations for the reader and then a list of about 10-12 "More." She states at the outset that the goal of the book is to triple the size of the reader's To Be Read pile (admittedly, it would have taken a lot to triple the size of the BlackHole); Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

I am heading to bed now in the sincere hope that I feel much better tomorrow as it is my meet up day with Beth and Catey. Kerry is doing much better and is returning to work tomorrow, barring any setback overnight. Thank you all for the prayers and good wishes for his recovery.

I see I haven't congratulated you one 3x75!!!

Congratulations!!!

>181 alcottacre: - I loved that one too! I bought it for myself as a birthday present a few years ago. I have also bought her notecards made from this series. I even bought a jigsaw puzzle of one of the pictures but was disappointed that the quality of the puzzle wasn't good and the pieces came apart way too easily. That was disappointing, but certainly not her fault!

>181 alcottacre:. Loved that one too, Stasia. Hope you feel better today and if not I hope you can at least read.

>183 quondame: Thank you, Susan. I really pay no attention to those things until someone points it out to me, lol.

>184 jessibud2: Too bad about the puzzle. I would have bought one for my mother, who routinely puts them together.

>185 Kristelh: Somehow or other, I am not surprised to see fans of Bibliophile here in the group :)

I am feeling better today so hopefully my weekly meet up will be happening!

Stasia and Paul , I was able to read the first 80 pages of Prophet Song last night. That is not my usual pace , but just so you know where I am . I anticipate I will be able to read another 30 pages later today, perhaps a little more . I think both of you can easily keep up with my pace, so I will let you know how I am doing. A few comments later from me . Definitely a compelling novel so far.

>187 vancouverdeb: Sounds good, Deborah. Thanks for the update!

Finished this afternoon:

228 - Not for All the Gold in Ireland by John James - This is what I would call "old school" historical fiction - you know, the men are men and the women may as well not exist (with one major exception in this particular book). This book was published in 1968 so I guess some of that can be forgiven. This is actually the second book of a duology, Votan, which I have not read being the first. However, knowledge of that book did not affect my reading of this one as far as I can tell. In this book, the lead character Photinus is reintroduced. He is a bit of a scamp as we see in his encounters throughout the book with Rhiannon. He goes through Roman Britain and Ireland in this book (in the first book he went through Northern Europe) in an attempt to redeem gold from Ireland for his family. One of the things I really liked about the book was its use of Celtic mythology throughout. I definitely would have liked to see more of Rhiannon, but her appearances are limited; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

Hi, Stasia. Glad to hear you are feeling better. May it continue. I just wanted to report that Ms. Patchett's roll continues- Tom Lake was wonderful. She writes such memorable characters. Now, I am switching to fantasy, with Fourth Wing.

>190 msf59: Oo, I just got a copy of Fourth Wing last week after hearing Joe rave about it. I wish I had time to read it right now, but I have too many other books committed to in September. I really need to move to Venus!

I am glad to hear you loved Tom Lake!

Congratulations on 75 x 2, Stasia!

>187 vancouverdeb: I stopped at the end of the first chapter to help you keep pace, Deb, and you left me in your wake! hahaha. I will catch up don't worry.

It is compelling but I do have difficulty imagining Ireland as a police state. I can see why it has been deemed considered as award-worthy.

>192 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah!

>193 PaulCranswick: Ignoring you (and your spoiler), Paul, since you were not talking to me anyway, lol.

Finished tonight:

229 - Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard - This is the fifth book in the Greenwing & Dart series by Goddard and I continue to appreciate her wit, humor, and storytelling skills. Up to this point in the series, we had not seen a country manor house murder, but now we have. This book picks up immediately where the previous one left off - and trust me on this, you do not want to read the two books out of order - and Jemis is alive again and appreciating that fact. His party ends up at a country manor house and the hospitality of said house is made free for him and his friends. Jemis ends up rounding all the suspects up in the drawing room and pointing out the perpetrator. Of course, this being a Goddard book, lots of stuff happens in between!; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

You are an amazingly fast reader, Stasia! I"m here to report on my Prophet Song progress. I am just loving it so far and am on page 142, and anticipate reading another 10 pages or so this evening. My pace will slow tomorrow, as Dave will be back to work and I won't find the chunks of time to read. I'll keep you and Paul updated on how far I get each day, as I am certain you and Paul can easily outpace me.

>193 PaulCranswick: Paul, I think That this story could take place anywhere , and at any rate I had Northern Ireland in mind, which is incorrect. I can understand what you mean though, as if the story was set in Canada, I'd have trouble imagining that too.

A quote from page 43 that struck me, though it gives nothing away about the story she ( Eilish) sees how happiness hides in the humdrum, how it abides in the every day, to and froing as though happiness were a thing that could not be seen, as though it were a note that cannot be heard, until it sounds from the past That's so true of life , everyday.

>193 PaulCranswick: >196 vancouverdeb: I stopped at page 82 tonight and am not likely to get any more read tonight in the book since it is already after 10pm here. I will catch up in the next few days, I am sure.

About the text of the book itself, are either of you finding it uncomfortable to read? It is like giant paragraphs of text with little to no gaps in between. No stops for conversation, no indention, or quotation marks. I am wondering if that is a deliberate choice to make the readers (or maybe it is just me) uncomfortable for what is not going to be a comfortable read.

There are altogether too many parallels to Nazi Germany and I am pretty sure that is deliberate. One of the quotes that I highlighted is early in the book, on page 20 in my edition: "the NAP is trying to change what you and I call reality, they want to muddy it like water."

>198 alcottacre: - I simply cannot read books that have dialogue but no quotation marks. Or paragraph breaks. I have come across, I think 3, and have abandoned them all very very early. I simply do not have patience for that. I think this reflects very poorly on an editor. If there even is an editor. Sheesh. So many books, so little time....

>199 jessibud2: So many books, so little time.... I have 2 T-shirts that say that, so it must be true, lol.

Yeah, this is going to be a tough read for me from the standpoint of the text itself. I have bad eyesight and the text is making it a more difficult read than it needs to be. Books like this, or with small text, I have to read at a slower pace than I normally would.

I will be back later today. I have a ton of stuff to get done today and I best get to it!

Finished this afternoon:

230 - The Towers of Silence by Paul Scott - Audiobook; This is the third book in the Raj Quartet and continues directly with the happenings in book two, although the book does introduce a new character, Barbie Batchelor, who is hired as a companion for Mabel. Things are happening on the political front in India, but much of that is in the background, the book concentrating rather on Mabel and her daughters, Sarah and Susan, as well as Barbie, who I found to be a rather endearing character. I enjoyed learning more in this book about the events that were discussed in book 2; Recommended - but do not read this quartet out of order! (4 stars) Mine

>198 alcottacre: No, I am not finding the format of Prophet Song difficult to read, but we are all different. I have trouble following audio books because I guess I am a more visual learner , and I see you are an expert at that , Stasia .

I did check Paul Lynch’s other books on Amazon. You can have a short preview there on line , and it seems this his usual format for writing.

You are quite right, Stasia, there are many parallels with Nazi Germany . I suppose this could take place anywhere that had a totalitarian government.

>202 alcottacre:
I read the Raj Quartet thirty years ago and I am glad to hear that it is still relevant and useful reading. I thought it was at the time I read it, and happy that it has retained its value over the years.

>193 PaulCranswick: >203 vancouverdeb: I made it up to page 142 tonight in my reading and I think 60 pages a day is going to be about my limit in this particular book.

I can just feel the noose clinching about the neck of this family, can't you?

?From page 110: "There is a breach, she can see this now, between things as they are and things as they should be, she is no longer who she was, no longer who she is supposed to be, Mark has become some otherson, she is now some other mother, their true selves are elsewhere. . ."

>204 benitastrnad: This is my first read of the Raj quartet, Benita, and I think it has retained its value. I sure am enjoying the series.

>198 alcottacre: To be honest, Stasia, I think I may have a different version to you as I bought the slightly oversized softcover edition; it has lovely generous font to be honest.

I see what you mean about the absence of grammar in conversation but it hasn't really slowed me down that much. What slowed me was six pints of Guinness with the Employer's Rep last night as we tried to agree on a number of matters of disagreement between Employer and Contractor and that was followed by share of a bottle of single malt whisky. I got no reading done at all last night!

Both Deb & Stasia - it is a book that is well worth quoting from. There is some wonderful prose in there.

On the Raj Quartet - I have only read the first part but I do think it remains a wonderful read and certainly the best novel published by a Brit in my year of birth!

I made it to page 215 this evening with Prophet Song. I'll aim to read another 30 pages tomorrow. I watched a couple of very positive reviews of Prophet Song, but I was still a little uncertain as the book is described as dystopian. I really did not enjoy dystopian novels in High School as we had to read Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, and Animal Farm. I surprised at how much I am enjoying / enthralled by this novel. Thanks for the push to get reading it, Stasia, with the group read or I might have let it languish in my TBR pile.

I'm wondering how it will all end?

>208 vancouverdeb: Yes, I suppose it is dystopian but it feels quite real too, doesn't it?

I'm not sure that I like it better than The House of Doors but I think I probably do.

>207 PaulCranswick: Yes, you have a different edition than I have, Paul. I have a hardcover edition.

Six pints? I am assuming that Guiness is some kind of beer or ale or something? One would have me under the table. I do not handle alcohol well at all, which is one reason I do not imbibe.

I hope at some point you get back to the Raj Quartet, Paul. I think the following volumes are well worth reading.

>208 vancouverdeb: I stopped at page 142 last night, so I am well behind you, Deborah. I will get to about page 200 or so tonight. We will see how my eyes behave, lol. I thought you were pushing me to read it, not the other way around, lol.

>208 vancouverdeb: >209 PaulCranswick: I enjoy dystopian books for the most part, but I am not thinking of this one as dystopian. It feels too immediate to me - it feels very here, very now, if you know what I mean.

I have spent much of today trying to find all of the documents that Kerry and I need to get current passports - the last one I had was when I was 2 and Kerry has never had one. I found all my stuff - birth certificate, name change document from the court, and marriage certificate - but I cannot find Kerry's birth certificate. We just got a new copy of it last year. I have no idea what he has done with it!

>210 alcottacre: Yes it is a dark beer or stout, Stasia and not one of my most usual tipples.

>211 alcottacre: Yes I get the immediacy point actually and I think you are right.

By the way congratulations for passing 2,000 posts on your threads in 2023. xx

>213 PaulCranswick: Ah, OK. Thanks for enlightening me. I have read books that mentioned Guiness, but never really knew what it was.

I am pleased to think I was right about something. That so rarely happens :)

>214 PaulCranswick: Wow, that surprises me. Thanks for letting me know.

>210 alcottacre: Guiness is horrid dark bitter! stuff manly men insist they like. Beef roast marinated in Guiness was the one meat dish that was repeatedly left over when my friend served it and buffet dinners.

>216 quondame: Well, I would not care for it at all, I can guarantee that!

>208 vancouverdeb: >213 PaulCranswick: I have made it up to page 214 tonight and all I have to say is, "Wow, just wow." I am going to try and finish the book tomorrow (it will take at least 2 reading sessions given my issues), but I need to see how Lynch wraps this all up!

"The sudden vertigo of time and yet when she opens her eyes the mirror continues to speak the truth that there is only this moment now." (p. 151)

>216 quondame: Susan, Susan, you would be scandalizing Irishmen the world over by criticizing their favourite drink - "Porter" as they call it!
It is far from my favourite beverage but I couldn't describe it as horrid other than the affect excessive amounts can have on the body the morning after!

>218 alcottacre: I think tomorrow will see me home too. Yes the three of us picked a good one!

>219 PaulCranswick: Yes, I knew I would. I think it's taken on as a dare and having destroyed all taste buds capable of finer feelings is kept because the poor blighters need some taste.

>220 quondame: Hahaha Susan, we are all allowed our opinion! I always say that I'll never drink that awful stuff again but the memory wanes!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353633

>222 SilverWolf28: I will try and be there as much as I can, Silver. Thanks for the link!

Finished tonight:

231 - I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai - This one was a bit of an odd duck for me - is it general fiction or a mystery? Bodie Kane, a graduate of Granby, is returning to the campus to teach a couple of classes in a "mini-mester," a term I had never heard before. During her time on the campus, there was a murder and in one of her classes, a student begins questioning the guilty verdict for the man accused of the murder (something others had done as well). Her investigation stirs up something in Bodie and she seriously begins to question everything she thinks she "knows." There is a lot in this book besides the superficial story. Asides mentioning women who were victimized. Racism, especially regarding the man convicted of the crime. And there is stuff that I just felt did not belong - too much stuff, I felt - the storyline regarding Bodie's husband, Jerome. This was a good read, but falls short for me in being an outstanding one; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

>224 alcottacre: Yes, I too felt that the Jerome centered portion of the plot was on the much side. But that seems, unfortunately to my mind, to be on trend for books where MCs have to deal with disruptions in their life.

I also feel the immediacy of Prophet Song, Paul and Stasia. It does feel " real" unlike Animal Farm or Fahrenheit 451 etc that I read in my school days. I'm also wondering how Lynch will wrap up the book, but I think it will take me until the end of Saturday to finish the book. I knew I'd be the straggler in the group! :-) I picked up a hold from the library today, Western Lane, another from the Booker Longlist, so I think that will be my next read. It's a hardcover with small print, so I understand what you mean about your copy of Prophet Song , Stasia. Fortunately it is a shortie at 160 pages and has punctuation etc.

>226 vancouverdeb:
" Prophet Song is partly an attempt at radical empathy. To understand better, we must first experience the problem for ourselves. And so I sought to deepen the dystopian by bringing to it a high degree of realism. I wanted to deepen the reader’s immersion to such a degree that by the end of the book, they would not just know, but feel this problem for themselves. "

These are the words of Paul Lynch interviewed by the Booker Prize Committee.

Happy Friday!

I think that I am going to have to add Prophet Song to my list. I will check and see if my library has an available copy.

>161 alcottacre: Sorry to be late, congratulations on reaching 3 x 75, Stasia!

>224 alcottacre: I agree with your comments, Stasia. I really enjoyed the book and both the racial and #metoo elements added depth, and yet there was too much other stuff going on.

>224 alcottacre:. I read this earlier and reviewing it, my main remark was “it was too much”. I rated it lower than you did. A B-.

>225 quondame: Yeah, I really felt like the Jerome storyline was completely unneccessary, Susan.

>226 vancouverdeb: I also have Western Lane, but there is no way I can fit it in this month, lol. I always overbook myself with the TIOLI challenges. I like to make sure that I have options :)

>227 PaulCranswick: Thanks for sharing that quotation, Paul! I think he has done a wonderful job of 'deepening this particular reader's immersion!'

>228 figsfromthistle: I hope you can get hold of the book, Anita. It is definitely worth the read!

>229 FAMeulstee: No worries. Thank you, Anita!

>230 lauralkeet: Yeah, I think she tried too hard to get too much into the book. I am looking forward to reading more of her books though.

>231 Kristelh: I think that it was "too much" is the concensus on that one, Kristel. Have you read any of her other books?

Stasia, I'm playing catch-up today. Wow! 225! That's an accomplishment. I haven't had that kind of numbers in ages.

>233 thornton37814: Well, it isn't really about the numbers is it, Lori? It is great to see you here. I will have to check out your thread too as I know it has been forever since I have been there. Just not enough time in my days. I really need to move to Venus!

Finished this afternoon:

232 - Prophet Song by Paul Lynch - This book is on the Booker Longlist or otherwise I might never have gotten to it. I will say that IMHO, it is going to take a whopper of a book to beat this tale of an Ireland that has been taken over by fascists who imprison people on a whim and execute them (including children) for less. Lynch makes this book feel so immediate, so oppressing, that as I read I could literally feel the walls closing in. Eilish's husband, Larry, is taken off to who knows where leaving her to deal with their 4 children, the oldest of whom is 17 and the youngest who is an infant. She also has an elderly father who is suffering from dementia. This entire book is a throwback to fascist regimes in the past and yet we know that it could happen at any time in any place. I cannot recommend the book highly enough - a huge thank you to Deborah and Paul for allowing me to read it along with them; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Mine

>235 alcottacre: Excellent review , Stasia! I will probably finish Prophet Song this evening. I agree, this is definitely a front runner for the Booker Prize . Thanks to you and Paul for reading along with me and also giving me the extra push to read this . I confess, had I not watched a vlog on you tube about what a great book this is , and then the extra push from your invitation to read as a group, I likely might have never picked up this book . Thanks again !

Just reading farther back on your thread, wow , 225 books! Congratulations! No worries about not starting Western Lane right now . I understand about being fully booked. I have it from the library, so I expect to start it on Saturday.

>236 vancouverdeb: I have never watched a video on YouTube for a specific book, lol. I am glad that you enjoyed the shared read too, Deborah.

>237 vancouverdeb: I am not sure when I will get to Western Lane and am curious to see your thoughts on it once you have read it.

>235 alcottacre: & >236 vancouverdeb: Good review, Stasia and I won't be that far behind you and Deb (who set a good pace too, I must add). I agree with your review and Deb's observation that this must be a contender.
I don't think it will win, but I would be happy if it did. I like it a little bit more than The House of Doors which I also thought a very good longlist choice, but I think that Tan is more Award friendly as an author, if that makes any sense at all.

>236 vancouverdeb: >239 PaulCranswick: I am currently reading The Road to September 1939 and the path that the Germans created was very like what Lynch reflects in his book.

I cannot wait until my copy of The House of Doors arrives!

Well, another DNF for me for the year: Killing Mister Watson is (for me) not worth any more time or energy.

Finished tonight:

233 - Days Without End by Sebastian Barry - Barry is one of those authors that book after book, just works for me. In this novel, we meet Thomas McNulty, late of Ireland, and his lover, John Cole, who meet as boys and pretty much go through thick and thin together. They have a makeshift family with Winona, a young Sioux girl, who they adopt as their daughter. Thomas and John go off to fight Indians together and go off to fight in the Civil War - and get exiled to Andersonville. The brutality of the time is shown to be as it was. Barry pulls no punches there. The prose is beautiful. Another worthwhile read for me from Sebastian Barry; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>238 alcottacre: I watch a few vlog on books, Stasia. The Lonesome Reader is one, and he is reading the entire Booker Longlist - like you! He had a briefish 8 minute long video of Prophet Song that convinced me I had to get the book! I'll put a link here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNPCkvCpzko&t=10s He's such an affable and pleasant fellow.

>239 PaulCranswick: If the people I watch on Book Tube or whatever it is called are correct, most seem to think Prophet Song has a very good chance of winning, as does Bee Sting and House of Doors. Of course, , who knows. The Booker Longlist was a surprise for the most part, so time will tell.

I have about 10 pages left of Prophet Song

Have either of you read Old God's Time ? I read it in July or something and many seem to think it is at least a contender for the ShortList. I really liked it . I'm not sure yet whether I think Prophet Song or Old God's Time is the stronger contender. Maybe tied?

>243 vancouverdeb: I have not yet read Old God's Time, Deborah, although I do own it. All I have to say about the Booker is that I am glad that I am not a judge. I do not even do book reviews, and having to judge all those excellent books and figure out which one is the best is completely beyond my measly capabilities.

Thanks for the link to the video!

Stasia, I have The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai on a wish list but I have not read anything else by her. I am unable to to find a copy Prophet Song yet but looks like I need to put that on my wishlist. I hope I get to Days Without End. Busy weekend with company so limited opportunities to read.

I like watching utube book videos too.

>245 Kristelh: I also have The Great Believers in the BlackHole, Kristel. As far as Prophet Song goes, I ordered my copy from Blackwell's in England, which does not charge for shipping to the U.S.: www.blackwells.co.uk

I have a board gaming friend who does book reviews as well, but that pretty much as far as it goes.

>246 alcottacre:. I enjoy listening to Benjamin McEvoy. I don't think he ever combs his hair but I enjoy listening to his accent and his book discussions.

>247 Kristelh: LOL, Kristel. I will have to check out Mr. McEvoy and his messy hair.

Finished this evening:

234 - The Brontes: A Life in Letters by Juliet Barker - Nonfiction; This volume showcases the correspondence of all the Brontes including Charlotte, Anne, Emily, their brother Branwell, and in some cases their father, Patrick. Since Charlotte outlived all of her sisters (two of whom died in childhood) and her brother, there is more existing correspondence from her than from Anne and Emily. I thought it made for some fascinating reading. We find correspondence as the the Bronte sisters are attempting to get published for the first time. We find correspondence as to how they felt about certain authors - Charlotte's assessment of Jane Austen in particular, I found to be very interesting. The devastation that Charlotte felt as one by one her siblings died is palpable. Barker's insights (short in nature) as to what was going on at any given time was helpful information. Well worth the read; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>249 alcottacre:
Several years ago I read a book of letters from Eudora Welty to, and from William Maxwell. At the time he was her editor. I really enjoyed reading the letters and learned much about the personalities of both people. The book was What There Is To Say, We Have Said. It was edited by Suzanne Marrs. I thought it was so good, I have since purchased Meanwhile There Are Letters: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and Ross Macdonald edited by the same person. I know that sometime I am going to read this volume. I just haven't done so yet.

I think you are correct about the letters providing more insight than even a biography can do. They are what the person is feeling and thinking in their own words.

>243 vancouverdeb: & >244 alcottacre: I must say Deb, I don't know how you were able to leave off reading with ten pages left. I could barely close my eyes last night even after I had finished it. There were three occasions that brought me to tears when she was trying to deal with her father in his haze of senility, when she was in the morgue and when she offered to put on lipstick for the border officer and I am not a crier normally.

I don't know whether it will win either but if something beats it fair and square it will be a wonderful novel.

I will read How to Build a Boat and Old God's Time this month.

>250 benitastrnad: Yeah, I really enjoyed reading the Brontes letters and am passing the book on to my daughter, Catey, who loves reading books of correspondence. I will have to look into the Eudora Welty book. Thanks for the recommendation, Benita!

>251 PaulCranswick: I am giving my copy of the book to my local library since it does not have a copy of it yet, I feel that strongly that the book needs to be in the hands of more readers on this side of the Atlantic.

I am going to get to Old God's Time soon, I am just not sure when, Paul. I am starting How to Build a Boat tonight.

Finished tonight:

235 - Classics for Pleasure by Michael Dirda - Nonfiction; This is a book of essays in which Dirda makes a case for books outside of what we normally consider to be "classics." Do not look for Shakespeare or Dickens here. In the 11 sections of the book, Dirda makes cases for writers as diverse as Georgette Heyer, Frederick Douglass, and Philip K. Dick. In his introduction, Dirda says, "More than anything else, great books speak to us of our own very real feelings and failings, of our all-too-human daydreams and confusions." ; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

I am going to use Classics for Pleasure as the source of my main targeted reading in 2024 rather than concentrating on one author as I have done the past 2 years (Austen in 2022 and Proust in 2023). I am very much looking forward to the experiment!

>252 alcottacre: That is a lovely gesture, Stasia. x

>254 PaulCranswick: Well, I use my local library a lot. It is the least I can do.

>253 alcottacre: I read and enjoyed this some time ago Stasia. He doesn't seem to have written anything recently.

>253 alcottacre: Sounds like a fun reading project, Stasia.

>250 benitastrnad: Suzanne Marrs also wrote a comprehensive biography of Eudora Welty which I read in my pre-LT days. It prompted me to buy both collections of letters you've referred to.

>256 Caroline_McElwee: The last published book that I could find for Michael Dirda is Browsings: A Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living with Books from 2015. That is a shame because I really enjoy his writing. I have several of his books.

>257 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I hope it turns out that way.

>258 laytonwoman3rd: Another book to add to the BlackHole! I enjoy reading biographies of authors - and their correspondence as well.

Finished this afternoon:

236 - We by Yevgeny Zamyatin - This book is widely acknowledged to be a sci-fi classic and I can see why. In her introduction to my copy of the book, Margaret Atwood writes,"How could I have missed one of the most important dystopias of the twentieth century, and one that was a direct influence on George Orwell's 1984 - which was a direct influence on me?" We get caught up in this totalitarian society as D-503 (there are no names in this society, only numbers except for the omniscient "Benefactor") details his life in a journal. Like every totalitarian society, this one has spies and secret police and the inhabitants can be reported for the slightest infraction. You can see where this is headed because with every totalitarian society, you also have the rebellion; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine

"This isn't your fault: You're sick. And the name of this illness is:

IMAGINATION."

Just a reminder that Sundays are my "day off" technology :) I will probably be back later though!

>261 alcottacre: *smooch*

>260 alcottacre: We was a really difficult re-read for me, in a new translation, several years ago. The way things are going with the MAGAts and book-banners is so close to that reality.

>251 PaulCranswick: I did actually stay up late that night and finish reading those last ten pages of Prophet Song, Paul. The scene in the morgue, and Eilish putting on lipstick were very touching indeed.

I'll look forward to what see what both of think of Old God's Time.

>262 richardderus: so close to that reality. Boy, isn't that the truth?!

((Hugs)) and **smooches**, RD

I am heading to get my passport paperwork turned in this morning, in about an hour. We will see how that goes. Kerry - now that his birth certificate has been found - is going this afternoon to do the same.

>260 alcottacre: Looks like something I should read, but, if it’s as close to today’s reality as Richard says, I’ll have to pass.

>260 alcottacre: Then I would give this one a pass, Mary. It might be too close for comfort for you.

>267 alcottacre: I’m putting it on my TBRSM (to be read sometime maybe) list. Depending on what happens next year, I may be able to read it then.

>265 alcottacre: I hope you and Kerry are going somewhere nice. I never got around to getting a passport myself.

I would like to read both Prophet Song and We but they are only available as ebooks at my local library. I expect Prophet Song will be available as a book sometime as it is a recent publication.

Hi Stasia!

>181 alcottacre: I snagged this one at the Fall 2019 Friends book sale. Still haven’t read it, as may not surprise you. I hate to think how many of these independent bookstores no longer exist I feel fortunate that my two local indies, Circle City Books and McIntyre’s, are both still around.

>182 alcottacre: Whew on its not being Covid, glad Kerry’s on the mend.

>224 alcottacre: I scored a copy of this when I took in 25 boxes of books from our local indie and was told I could take what I wanted. I can appreciate 'good' reads – not everything has to be outstanding.

>253 alcottacre: Amazingly, I have a small paperback authored by Dirda, Caring for Your Books, published by Book-of-the-Month Club in 1990, on my shelves. I love that you’ve found the theme/source for your targeted reading of 2024 in his Classics for Pleasure.

>265 alcottacre: Good luck with the passport paperwork effort for both of you.

>268 Storeetllr: Well, I found it well worth the read is all I can say! I hope that whenever you get to it, you do the same.

>269 calm: We will be going (if all goes to plan) to the Bahamas, Haiti, and Jamaica, calm. The last passport I had I got when I was 2 and I suspect I have changed in the intervening 59 years :) i hope you can get your hands on Prophet Song soon. Sounds like you may have to wait for a while on We.

>270 karenmarie: Thanks for dropping by, Karen.

No, it does not surprise me that you have a book you purchased in 2019 still laying around unread. I hate to think how many of those (and older!) are around here.

Kerry is completely well now. He returned to work last week. Luckily, I have completely missed COVID this time around.

I like good reads to otherwise how would we properly appreciate the outstanding ones?

I do not have Caring for Your Books and now I need to locate a copy. . .

As far as passports go, mine is going to be the hang up. I was told today that the paperwork from the hospital that shows all my info and with my footprints on the back does not count as a birth certificate. Nor does the documentation we provided when I was 2 and got my original passport. However, the two documents together can count as 'secondary' proof of citizenship which the State Department may take - or not. The guy at the passport office was not at all sure. Stay tuned.

Finished tonight:

237 - Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear - Audiobook; This is another solid entry in the Maisie Dobbs series. In this one, Georgina Bassington-Hope contacts Maisie after Georgina's twin brother, Nick, a talented artist is killed in a fall off the scaffolding after he is preparing for an art exhibit. In the meantime, Maisie's assistant, Billy, is dealing with trouble at home. I really am enjoying going through this series again and suspect this series will be sticking with me; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>260 alcottacre: & >253 alcottacre: As a self-proclaimed Social Libertarian, I am of course worried about the assailing of personal and individual liberties going on from frankly all sides of the political spectrum in this decade.
Having said that we are not yet anywhere near at the levels described in either We or Prophet Song but the attempts at cancelling free speech and at social control during the lockdowns as well as the move towards a globalist cashless society which puts the individual at the literal mercy of the state in the guise of convenience is something I am extremely concerned about.

These concerns largely transcend party politics or even national politics but civil rights are getting trampled.

>271 alcottacre: I served a short term as a passport agent and remember even 50+ years ago that hospital birth certificates were only provisionally acceptable. A "real" BC comes from the county of where you were born and has a official seal on it. 14 years earlier my mother - who was born in 1918 and had no registered birth certificate - had to get an affidavit from her father to get a passport - and he got the day of her birth wrong.

Hi Stasia. I saw on Paul's thread that you're reading How to Build a Boat so I thought I'd come in search of comments. I see that you gave Prophet Song 5 stars and that is next in my queue. I'm about halfway through Tom Lake, loving it.

>275 EBT1002: I will also be reading How to Build a Boat this month, Ellen and joined Deb and Stasia is singing the praises of Prophet Song.

>273 PaulCranswick: These concerns largely transcend party politics or even national politics but civil rights are getting trampled. I hear you, Paul! My heavily Republican family does not want to hear anything about it, so politics is definitely off the menu for conversation around these parts. I am not sure what I am classified as these days, but not either Democrat or Republican, that is for sure.

>274 quondame: That is interesting, Susan. I guess I have never had a "real" BC then - even for applying for the passport I originally had 50+ years ago.

>275 EBT1002: Ellen, I am going to start a new thread before posting my comments on How to Build a Boat. I am glad to hear that you are loving Tom Lake!

>277 alcottacre: Indeed, Stasia. I couldn't support either of those two for sure, either. I was a member of the British Labour Party when it supported democracy, social liberty and justice and was on the side of working people. I don't this that is the case anymore so none of the British Parties float my boat either.