RebaRelishesReading 2023 page 6

I'll repeat my picture from the other day because it's still fall and also because the storm this week has just about removed all of the colorful leaves so this will serve to help me remember them 🥹

STILL WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY FALL!!

2

My ranking system:
Superb *****
Excellent ****1/2
Very good ****
Good ***1/2
Average ***
Don't bother **
Terrible *

I try to keep this in mind when I'm assigning stars but I know I'm also influenced by my current mood, etc. so don't take it too very, very seriously.

My "secret" goal is to read 100 books this year. With 6 weeks left I'm not sure I'll make it but we'll see I may surprise myself :)

JANUARY
1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens****
2. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver****1/2

FEBRUARY
3. The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston****
4. A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny****1/2
5. Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks****1/2
6. Violeta by Isabel Allende***
7. Horse by Geraldine Brooks*****
8. We Are the Light by Matthew Quick***
9. Zorrie by Laird Hunt****
10. Het Nieuwe Land by Eva Vriend****

MARCH
11. The Ways of My Grandmothers by Beverly Hungry Wolf ***1/2
12. A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier ****1/2
13. A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay*****
14. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward*****
15. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin****
16. The Round House by Louise Erdrich*****
17.Carnegie’s MaId by Marie Benedict****
18. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez****
19. The Centaur by John Updike****
20. Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen*****
21. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann ****

APRIL
22. The Guest Book by Sarah Blake****
23. Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank***1/2
24. Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon**
25. The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty**1/2
26. Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie*** (audio)
27. Maame by Jessica George****
28. Secrets of the Cottage by the Sea by Rebecca Alexander*** (audio)

MAY
29. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell****1/2
30. The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict***1/2 (audio)
31. Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Carissa***(audio)
32. Princess Margaret: A Life of Contrasts ***1/2 (audio)
33. The Winners by Fredrik Backman ***1/2
34. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan****
35. The Golden Hour by Beatrice Williams *** (audio)
36. A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie ***1/2 (audio)

JUNE
37. A Country You Can Leave by Asale Angel-Ajdni ****
38. All Shall Be Well by Deborah Crombie****(audio)
39. The Snow Storm by Triana Walsh****(audio)
40. Trust by Hernan Diaz *****
41. Autism Spectrum Disorder by Chantal Sicile-Kira****1/2
42. I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai****
43. Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris*****

JULY
44. The Postcard by Anne Berest ***1/2
45. To Kill a Troubadour by Martin Walker ****(audio)
46. Grandparent's Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders by Nancy Mucklow*****
47. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan.***** (audio)
48. Between Two Moons by Aisha Abdel Goad ***1/2
49 The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray ****1/2
50. Somebody's Fool by Richard Russo ****1/2

AUGUST
51. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult****
52. A Future We Can Love by Susan Bauer-Wu*****
53. The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama****1/2(audio)
54. In Falling Snow by Mary-Rose MacColl ****
55. "G" is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton ***1/2(audio)
56. "H" is for Homicide by Sue Grafton ***1/2(audio)
57. "I" is for Innocent by Sue Grafton ***1/2(audio)
58. "F" is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton ***1/2(audio)
59. The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen****(audio)

SEPTEMBER
60. Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson****
61. Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict****
62. "K" is for Killer by Sue Grafton ***1/2 (audio)
63. The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins ****
64. Brigid of Kildare by Marie Benedict ***1/2(audio)
65. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett ****1/2
66. L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton **(audio)
67. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt**** (audio)
68. Dreams of Joy by Lisa See****1/2

OCTOBER
69. Elephant Company by Vicki Constantine Croke*****
70. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman***1/2
71. Oksana Behave by Maria Kuznetsova **** (audio)
72. M is for Malice by Sue Grafton ***1/2 (audio)
73. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan*****
74. The Seventh Daughter by Cecilia Chiang***
75. N is for Noose by Sue Grafton ***1/2 (audio)

NOVEMBER
76. J is for Judgment by Sue Grafton ****(audio)
77. The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich*****
78. An Elephant in my Kitchen by Françoise Malby-Anthony, Katja Willemsen*****(audio)
79. The Collector: David Douglas and the Natural History of the Northwest***
80. The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony **** (audio)
81. Hello Beautiful by and Napolitano ****1/2
82. Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Rayburn ***

DECEMBER
83. The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea ***1/2
84. Blackouts by Justin Torres***1/2
85. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict ****(audio)
86. Miss Eliza's English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs **** (audio)
87. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese*****

Nice to see you!! Come on in!

Happy new thread!! Look at me: up-to-date and on it! LOL (Pic up top isn't showing...)

Hi KIM!! If I was Richard you would be getting a beautiful crown for being first but, as I'm not, I'll just say "welcome -- so glad you're here" (and thanks for the heads up on the photo)

LOL -- I'll happily take your welcome message! : )

Hope I've cured the photo problem -- it was showing OK to me and still is so not sure if I made a difference.

Happy new thread, Reba!

>10 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!! I was just admiring your book sale haul!! Hope you're having a chance to read some of them (one of them more likely) today :)

Happy new thread, Reba!

>1 RebaRelishesReading: Yes, it is visible now, lovely picture that is worth a repeat.

>12 FAMeulstee: Hi Meg. Thanks :) I'm afraid it doesn't look much like that now -- winds with the current storm have really done a number on the leaves.

Happy new thread Reba!

Happy new one, Reba!

Happy new thread!

Thank you Susan, Jim and Anita! And welcome to #6.

Busy day ahead. I promised to help assemble layettes from donated goods for a charity I've been knitting for -- due there in an hour. Then my rl bookclub meets at noon -- we have lunch and a chat first then discuss the book so that usually goes until at least 3. I think burgers and salad for dinner tonight.

Nice shiny new thread you have here, Reba. Hope your volunteer stint went well. Does your book club meet at a restaurant? You probably already mentioned what book you're discussing. I hope it was a good one.

Sounds like a pleasantly full day, Reba. Enjoy!

Happy new thread, Reba! Nice photo up top and I hear you about the leaves. We have tons to wade through around here and, when they're wet, they can be slippery under foot on the sidewalks.

Happy new thread, Reba. I love your colorful tree! The leaves are pretty much gone here.

>19 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. Volunteer stint was fine -- much easier than I expected. They have a 10x20 (guessing) shed just for "Babies in Need" and it is lined with shelves holding large plastic tubs each labeled with what it contains and whether it's for a girl or boy (interestingly no gender neutral) and how many items from that bin go in the layette. Layettes are assembled in large cloth bags (that I erroneously called a "pillowcase" but they were nice when they corrected me). One picks up a "layette bag" which is pre-stocked with diapers and other items I didn't see and then walks around the room selecting from each of the gender-appropriate bins. I was really happy to see how much each family is given. There really is enough in there to manage even if you don't have one other thing. A receiving blanket, a quilt, a knit/crochet blanket, 3 regular p.j.'s, 1 fleece p.j., 5 onesies, one full "outfit", socks, pacifier, soft toy, "hard toy" (mostly wooden rings, at least right now), etc., etc. There were about a dozen women there, all very pleasant and choreographed so that we moved around in a row with no one tripping or getting in the way. We were finished in under an hour with I think 24 layettes assembled for new-borns and more for preemies (I didn't help with those so not sure how many were done).

Book club meets in members homes. There are seven of us. We meet at noon and everyone brings a lunch with the hostess providing coffee/tea and dessert. After lunch and general chat we discuss the book. We read The Collector: David Douglas and the Natural History of the Northwest -- especially interesting for us northwesterners :)

>20 katiekrug: It was a lovely day, thank you Katie!!

>21 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. Yep, lots and lots of leaves on the ground, now wet and slippery. My book club friends have all lived here much longer than me and they said this has been an especially colorful fall. It really has been beautiful!!

>22 BLBera: Hi Beth. Yes well over half are on the ground here too now.

The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony****

This is the first book about the Thula Thula game reserve in South Africa in which Anthony describes how he came to have the elephant herd and life on the reserve. I got it because I enjoyed The Elephant in My Kitchen (by his wife) and Elephant Company so much. If you want to know more about life on a game preserve and/or about elephants and their interactions with each other and with humans, these are the books for you. I enjoyed all three of them!

>24 RebaRelishesReading: - I thought this sounded familiar (the title, not the description) and lo and behold! I have it on audio :)

>25 katiekrug: I really enjoyed both of these books (as you can see). I also found them just right for audio -- they don't require absolute concentration but are interesting enough to keep your (perhaps divided) attention. I would recommend reading The Elephant Whisperer first and then An Elephant in My Kitchen since her book talks about her dealing with his death and taking over the preserve.

This has been a very busy week with several things on the calendar for each day. Today I have a group pickle ball training at noon then a massage at 2 and finally choir rehearsal at 7. Tomorrow we're scheduled to have RSV vaccinations in the morning and then lunch with D1 and s-i-l. Saturday fairly quiet with only one thing but it's the dreaded mammogram!!! The stack of "read soon" books next to my chair keeps getting higher and I really would like to find some time to attack it...soon!

We did manage to get to the store yesterday to buy a turkey so it can start to defrost in the fridge in time to brine and bake. Still haven't heard from the daughter's what they're bringing to Thanksgiving dinner so can't quite finish my own shopping -- but I think our contributions will be stuffing, Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, in addition to turkey and gravy.

Happy new thread, Reba! I also am unable to see the photo in the topper, but I assume it's the same one you shared on your previous thread, and I remember it was a knockout.

FYI, if I click on the photo to open it in a new tab, I get a Facebook tab that only says "URL signature expired"--no photo shows up. I don't know what that means, but it seems to occur a lot with photos shared here on LT.

Hi Irene -- interesting info that -- the only way I know to get a personal photo onto LT is to put it on Facebook and get the address there. I had posted this photo on Facebook at the same time I used it first on LT so that probably explains the "expired" part. I wish I had more tech sense but I don't think that's going to happen :(

Wordle 881 3/6

🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I haven't been sharing Wordle lately but this one amused me so here it is :) Amused me because I put the third word in totally to look for more letters and learn more about place of 2nd and 3rd letters from first word and..ta DA... try 3 was IT!

We're off to get our RSV vaccines this morning then lunch with D1 and SIL. Going to be a bit of a busy day :)

>29 RebaRelishesReading: I wonder if I log into my Facebook account on my laptop, if the picture would show up then. I have an account, but hardly ever use it. Facebook is not my favorite place.

I just uploaded the pictures I've used here onto my LT profile. That worked for me. But not everyone might want to do that.

>30 RebaRelishesReading: - Fun!

>32 atozgrl: - I also load photos onto my LT profile before posting them on my thread. It seems to be the only reliable way to do it to ensure that they "stick."

>32 atozgrl: I rarely go to FaceBook either but it's how I learned to upload photos to LT so...

>33 katiekrug: Hi Katie -- Fun and very tasty pineapple fried rice with chicken at their favorite Thai place :)

Must go and see if I know how to load onto my Profile. I assume that by-passes using FB?

It works!! So here is our 5-year-old piano-crazy grandson in his Halloween costume. He carried a device inside that was playing a recording of the music sitting on the piano.

>34 RebaRelishesReading: - I meant your Wordle was fun, but I'm glad you had a nice lunch, too!

Yes, you upload the photo from your computer to the gallery on your LT profile and then copy the address from there.

>35 RebaRelishesReading: - Oh, my, that is a fantastic costume!

>24 RebaRelishesReading: On to the Audible wish list it goes! Thanks for the recommendation, Reba.

>35 RebaRelishesReading: That is so cool!

Happy new thread, Reba. Have a wonderful weekend!

>35 RebaRelishesReading: amazing! And I assume that's MrReba showing his appreciation?

Congratulations on figuring out the photo upload, too.

>37 katiekrug: Ah -- yes Wordle pleased me today as did Connections which I got in four :)

Thanks for costume love -- I had nothing to do with it but I did think it was wonderful! And thank you for pointing me to photo gallery for up-loading. I'll have to remember to do that in the future.

>38 alcottacre: Hi Stasia -- hope you enjoy Elephant Whisperer! (did I mention he clarifies that "the whisperer" is the dominant female elephant, not himself.)

>38 alcottacre:, >39 lauralkeet: Hi to you too, Laura :) I was really impressed by that costume and, yes, that's Grandpa (aka Hubby) opening the door day after Halloween when they came to share the costume with us.

>36 katiekrug: Ah, yes, Wordle made me laugh :)

I started Hello Beautiful last night and can't wait to get back in there and pick it up again!!

A little late to the party, Reba, but happy new(ish) thread.

>35 RebaRelishesReading: That is so cute I just can't stand it! What a great idea, and the execution's great, too.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, Reba.

>44 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! Nice to see you at any time :)

>45 richardderus: Hi Richard. I agree completely. I suspect idea came from D2 and execution from her engineering trained partner/Little Grandson's Dad.

So Mammogram appointment at 11 (tried to convince doc I was too old for this but she wasn't buy-in' it 😥. Otherwise a nice quiet day I think -- should finish Beautiful Girl today. Loving it!

>47 RebaRelishesReading: I'm with your doc. I've has so many friends and acquaintances who got late life lumps and had many good years post cancer removal due to early detection. And lost dear friends whose cancers weren't caught early.

>35 RebaRelishesReading:. Awesome costume!

>35 RebaRelishesReading: What a clever costume! I am very impressed!

I'm glad the picture posting worked.

I am very impressed with that Halloween costume. It was GREAT!

I have built my share of Halloween costumes but I think this one is better than any I have ever constructed.

>48 quondame: I hear you Susan AND I'm happy to report that my lovely technician was kind and friendly and didn't hurt me a bit (plus our provider now hands out pre-warmed gowns). It actually was a rather pleasant experience!!

Thanks Rhonda Irene and Benita. I was really impressed with it too.

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano****1/2

William's slightly older sister died when he was 6 days old and from that point forward his parents were never able to show him even a shred of love. He grew up dead inside and feeling unworthy. Julia is the oldest of four sisters and she is the organized, plan everything, manage everything member of the family. Julia's father was a kind loving man but never successful in career or earnings, much to the dismay of Julia's mother. When William and Julia meet in college she sees him as a young man with a future and decides to marry him and manage him, pushing him toward a career he doesn't want. The book follows their lives and that of Julia's family. I was totally drawn into the story, cared about the characters and shed a tear or two before it was over.

>35 RebaRelishesReading: That is an original costume!

>53 RebaRelishesReading: This is on my WL.

>53 RebaRelishesReading: I'm glad to see this was a winner for you, Reba. I enjoyed it too. I love family sagas.

>53 RebaRelishesReading:
This is a book that I want to read but just haven't gotten around to it. Our public library has the recorded version and it has been checked out every time I get around to wanting it. One of these days I will catch it in the building and will check it out and get it listened to.

>53 RebaRelishesReading: I have only read one of Napolitano's books (Dear Edward) and very much enjoyed it, so I am unhesitatingly putting Hello Beautiful in the BlackHole. Glad to see you enjoyed it so much!

Have a marvelous Monday, Reba!

>53 RebaRelishesReading: That one's on many best-of lists like NPR's one here: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2023

I think it sounds a bit downbeat for me just now, but is on the radar for chirpier days ahead. Lovely week-ahead's reads!

Good morning Beth, Laura, Benita, Stasia and Richard. Reading Hello Beautiful made me want to read Dear Edward. One of these days. I'm not sure I would want this one in audible though. I hope you find those chirpier days soon, Richard -- for you in general and also so you can read this lovely book.

I started my morning with an appointment for a steroid shot in my shoulder. I will admit I was rather frightened but my shoulder has been bothering me so much I decided it was worth "whatever" to get it better. The young man that wielded the needle was so kind and skilled that my fear was much worse than reality as it turned out. As a result, however, I'm starting my "real" day about three hours later than usual and with many things on the list.

>35 RebaRelishesReading: I love it! What a neat idea. It looks like a lot of effort and thought went into that costume.

>61 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita -- I had nothing to do with thinking it up or making it but I'm sure it took some effort :)

Well the brine is cooling on the stove. Plan to try to wrestle the turkey into a bag with it this evening for a 24 hour soak. Raspberry/Cranberry sauce is made and in the fridge. I'll make the stuffing (short of baking it) tomorrow. D1 is bringing Brussels Sprouts. D2 is bringing salad and a pureed carrot dish they always do. Thursday should be survivable -- I hope!

Hi Reba my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

>64 johnsimpson: Thank you John. Hope you're having a good autumn :)

Hi Reba my dear, Happy Thanksgiving dear friend.

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne***

"The Museum" is an extra-governmental organization dedicated to killing people who "deserve to die". Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie have worked for them as assassins for 40 years and have just retired only to discover that they are being targeted themselves. This puts an amusing twist on a detective novel. Not a great book but a pleasant read (perhaps you need a somewhat twisted mind to say "pleasant" but there you have it!).

>67 RebaRelishesReading: Sounds like a fantasy-fulfillment read to me. Hoping your Sunday is full of only good-feeling fun-loving events! *smooch*

>68 richardderus: Thank you Richard. I suppose it is fantasy (although I didn't really think of it in those terms) -- you might enjoy it. Ditto wishes for your Sunday :)

It is a super gorgeous day today so we ran a few errands this morning and then went to the waterfront (along the Columbia River) for lunch and a little walk. Yesterday I got the nutcrackers and the creche out then today we brought the Christmas tree in from the garage (it's now in the living room, still in its box). It'll probably be Monday before we put it up and get the village out but then we'll have the house ready for Christmas :) I'm having a bit of trouble getting into the spirit this year but hope getting all decorated will help.

I've been so busy with Christmas preparations that I haven't read very much this week. I did manage to get the tree up and half decorated and a fair bit of on-line present shopping done. I made a double batch of salted toffee yesterday and cut and wrapped half of it this morning so that I could get it into a Christmas box for my son who is spending this year in Bagdad trying to keep Isis under control. Got his box of treats in the mail and hope it will make it in time for Christmas.

Another (very pleasant) distraction this week was that my best friend from junior high and high school moved to Vancouver a week ago. Her husband died a few months ago and she moved to be near her daughter who lives here. We haven't had a lot of contact in the intervening years but we had lunch on Tuesday and we still have a lot in common. It's amazing to think we're going to reconnect at this point in life.

And this morning I went to a pickle ball drill at the local fitness center. It's fun but I really need to train/play more often if I want to improve!

We got our tree up, too, and have decorated it. I am almost done with my Christmas shopping - just need to get a few things for stockings and something(s) for my MIL.

How fun to reconnect with an old friend! I have a friend from high school nearby, and I always marvel at how we can still connect despite very different lives.

>72 katiekrug: You're ahead of me with the tree -- it's standing there and has a few ornaments on it but it is definitely not finished and the living room is a mess complete with glitter carpeting :)

Old friend are wonderful, aren't they?

And now Hubby has gone for a couple of hours and I just finished my morning computer "stuff" -- am I going to go and work on the tree? No, I'm not - I'm going to go and read a book :)

>67 RebaRelishesReading: Already read that one, so dodging that BB.

Have a fantastic Friday, Reba!

>73 RebaRelishesReading: - Reading is always the right choice.

I enjoyed reading about your Christmas preparations, Reba. We put our tree up the other day, it's an artificial one with lights so it looks pretty on its own. We'll decorate soon.

I love that you are reconnecting with your bestie, and very happy that you've found so much common ground after all these years.

For the first time since Old Stuff moved into my room, I'm going to put out some Yule ornaments on a wire ornament-hanger shaped like a tree. He'll whine and gripe but all y'all doing the decorating just convinced me that I want to do it.

Dealing with his negativity about anything I do is always a challenge. Heck with it...might as well do it over something that makes me happy!

>74 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia -- hope your Friday was fantastic too!

>75 katiekrug: Totally agree Katie (but after a while I caved and worked on the tree)

>76 lauralkeet: Ours is artificial and has lights too, Laura, however I decided the top needed trimming to better support the star and managed to cut the wire on the lights of the top third in the process. So now it only has lights on the bottom ... not really the look I want so today I have to buy some electricians tape and see if I can reconnect the wire ... which means standing on a ladder, leaning out to reach the top of the tree over the fuller bottom part ... I do get myself into some problems sometimes :(

>77 richardderus: It's your room too Richard!! Of course you should do it and I hope it makes you VERY happy.

So...sometimes even my meager maintenance skills are enough. Electricians tape, sharp scissors, ladder and courage and the Christmas tree has lights from top to bottom again :)

The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea***1/2

Urrea's oldest brother was dying when their mother died. The funeral was held on the day before the brother's birthday and he was convinced that there should be a big celebration on the birthday. The House of Broken Angels grew from these events and describes a large Mexican family, the individual members, their lives and the bonds and problems between them. Unfortunately it didn't "grab" me like I expected it to.

>79 RebaRelishesReading: I read >78 RebaRelishesReading: and panicked on your behalf, but read this and am quite impressed. Way to go, Reba.

>79 RebaRelishesReading: - Well done!

>80 RebaRelishesReading: - Sorry this one didn't work for you. I liked it a lot.

>81 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! (I was quite relieved myself)

>82 katiekrug: Thank you too, Katie!. Could be it just wasn't the right time for {The House of Broken Angels. My little star guide says ***1/2="good" and I certainly didn't dislike it just wasn't enthralled. I liked that it was set in San Diego and I could easily follow them around in my mind and the family connections and disconnections were interesting. I think I would have found it rather offensive, though, if the author wasn't Mexican-American himself and that was part of what wasn't working for me.

A nice day awaits today. We're going to an Oregon Repertory Singers Christmas concert and then out to dinner with a gaggle of friends. D2 is a member of of ORS which will add to the pleasure if she's able to sing. Little grandson came home from school sick on Thursday and I haven't heard yet today whether he's shared it with Mom or not. Whether she's singing or not the group is excellent and we always enjoy their concerts.

Trying to decide which book to start. Bookclub meets 2nd Mondays which means I have 5 (fairly busy) weeks to read A Covenant of Water. I should be able to fit a couple of smaller books in before starting it but I do want to have it finished in time and it's 750 pages...

>80 RebaRelishesReading: I have that one in the BlackHole. I will knock it down a bit, I think.

>85 RebaRelishesReading: The Covenant of Water does not feel like it is 750 pages long, Reba. I found that it reads much quicker :)

Have a marvelous Monday!

>86 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Thank you for the encouragement re The Covenant of Water. One more quick (I think) book and then I'll start it.

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman****

Book four of the series and I'm warming to it somewhat. The four-some (plus some others) get involved in solving an old murder of a television presenter and get into danger themselves.

So I have all of my Christmas shopping done except for the little grandson (and I have a list to choose from for him) and stocking stuffers. I got crazy making salted toffee the other day and I have some Christmassy cellophane bags so I think I know one thing that will be included. I mailed my son's package off the other day and hope it will make it to Iraq in time for Christmas. Others that have to be mailed are packed and ready except I bought some Avery labels to address them with and can't figure out how to print them -- will work on that as soon as I finish here. We're having a group over for lunch on the 16th and I still have to shop etc. for that and the village needs to be set up but I'm pretty comfortable about holiday preparations at this point.

I just realized that the book club meeting at which we'll discuss The Covenant of Water isn't until January 9. This month we're just having lunch out. So I'll read a few more before I start that one, especially since Stasia says it "reads fast" :)

Sounds like you have Christmas well in hand, Reba :) I only have one package to mail, and I'm waiting for a book to come in at my local indie to include in the box. Then my biggest chore will be addressing Christmas cards, but I'm also waiting for those to arrive...

I still have to do some baking and write my Christmas letter and get it printed. But that is all. When I get to Kansas I will have to start decorating the house as my mother loves Christmas decorations. And I have more baking to do once there.

>68 richardderus: That's book three, Reba, so you still have one left! I'm glad you've warmed to the Thursday Murder Club series.

I'm impressed with your Christmas preparations. Good luck with the label-printing. Every year I do address labels for our cards and every year I forget how to print them. The issue is which way to put the label paper into the feeder. This year we have a new printer. I think Avery and/or the printer manufacturer provide instructions? Good luck!

>90 katiekrug: We don't send that many Christmas cards any more but yesterday I wrote the seasonal update letter and today I addressed my share (the Lion's share) of the cards. I addressed and stamped all of the envelopes so himself won't have to do that.

I still need to shop for stocking stuffers...no idea yet where or what we're doing for Christmas dinner...I'm pretty much leaving it up to others to decide... Everything is mailed that has to be mailed except two packages to my d-i-l which have to wait until Monday to go since there's no one home to receive them right now. e much to do once he gets up from his nap.

So, yes, I'm feeling pretty good about Christmas prep.

>91 benitastrnad: Sounds like you're on top of things Benita.

>92 lauralkeet: I have that one waiting in the stack by my desk because I bought a package deal of the first four. I will definitely read it but will wait to see how I feel when it comes out before committing to "5 :) I did manage to print the package labels which are pretty cool -- big half-sheet size with decorations on them as well as address info. Once I found the instructions on the web site it wasn't hard.

>93 RebaRelishesReading:
I stopped sending Holiday cards about 20 years ago, but I send an End-of-the-Year wrap up letter at the end of December. I mail about 200 of them. I figure that it is a nice way to update people that I care about but who might not know about what has gone on in my life in the last year.

Some people call them brag letters, but I love getting most of them. The ones I don't like getting are the ones from people who only talk about what their kids or grandchildren did. Most of the time I don't know the kids or the grandchildren so don't really want to hear about them. I want to hear about what my friends did. If they spent the entire year taking the kids to baseball games then tell me that but don't tell me what the 9 year-olds batting average was at the end of the baseball season. I don't care about her - I care about the person to which I sent my letter, so I want to hear about them. Some might consider that to be picky but I consider it to be polite to let me know about the person I know and not some unknown child.

People get onto my letter list because I met them and established a relationship with them and they are the person who is important to me - not their children or grandchildren.

>94 benitastrnad: We get, and send, a lot fewer Christmas cards than we once did, partly because a lot used to go to work acquaintances that we're not in contact with any more. We really enjoy the seasonal letters we receive. Some of them from people we care about but only have contact with through these letters. We do include (brief) information about our children and grandchildren and we enjoy hearing about the same from others largely because we have known the "kids" as kids and sometimes know the grandkids too.

I'm excited that a new season of "Shetland" has started but it will take some getting-used-to without Jimmy Perez. We had to re-watch the first episode last night because we had forgotten so much we were afraid future episodes would be hard to follow. Need to watch episode 2 soon :)

>95 RebaRelishesReading: We send far fewer cards now too, Reba. Besides family, there are handfuls of people from each phase of our life, and each year that part of the list gets tweaked a bit. Then of course there are people we see regularly now, who we hope will be on the list for years to come. I used to do a holiday/year-end letter but had difficulty writing what I felt were good letters and eventually gave up. Our list is small enough that I can include a short hand-written greeting.

We ended up watching the second ep of Shetland and while Chris doesn't love the new cast member I think he may now be willing to continue with it so that's a minor victory LOL.

>97 lauralkeet: We're planning to continue with Shetland too. I'm hoping to get to the second episode soon so I'll remember as much as possible about who is who and what is happening.

We're having a wonderful, crazy busy pre-holiday season. We went to a choral concert Saturday evening and the Vancouver Symphony concert this afternoon. We have tickets to a chamber music concert Wednesday evening. My bookclub is having lunch at a restaurant in lieu of regular meeting this month (tomorrow). Volunteer with Babies in Need tomorrow and knitting group on Thursday...and that's just a start. Fun stuff that I enjoy but it's getting rather crazy.

We went to a very nice Christmas concert by a local choral group last night and then this afternoon to a concert by the Vancouver Symphony, also very nice. Really busy week coming up. It's all fun but boy am I going to need a rest in the new year :)

Happy New Sunday, Reba! *smooch*

Hi Richard. Thank you.

Blackouts by JustinTorres***1/2
National Book Award winner for Fiction

A quote from the publisher's (MacMillan) web site about this book: A book about storytelling—its legacies, dangers, delights, and potential for change—and a bold exploration of form, art, and love, Justin Torres’s Blackouts uses fiction to see through the inventions of history and narrative. A marvel of creative imagination, it draws on testimony, photographs, illustrations, and a range of influences as it insists that we look long and steadily at what we have inherited and what we have made—a world full of ghostly shadows and flashing moments of truth. A reclamation of ransacked history, a celebration of defiance, and a transformative encounter, Blackouts mines the stories that have been kept from us and brings them into the light.quote>

A Google search produced the following: Justin Torres examines the erasures of queer history More than a decade after his debut, We the Animals, Justin Torres returns with a novel that centers on a deathbed conversation between two friends about the distortions and erasures of queer history.quote>

This is a complicated book which takes a great deal of concentration to read well. There are many pages of text supposedly taken from another documents where most of the text is lined out leaving only a few words that can be read. In addition the book mimics conversation in being rather non-linear.

Still and all, interesting and worth a read.

I haven't been reporting my Wordle scores for a while but I just had to share this one -- especially after totally bombing at Connections today.
Wordle 906 2/6

⬜🟨⬜🟩🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩least, these

I started the day at a dermatologist's office. She is a tiny little thing who looks to be 15 at most but I will assume she's either extremely bright or is older than she looks even though she decided she needed to biopsy a little spot on the tip of my nose and I can now tell you that having the tip of your nose deadened hurts like hell!! Now sporting a (small) band aid on my nose as part of my holiday wear.

>102 RebaRelishesReading: It's so satisfying to me that this book is reaching so many really diverse readers, socially and in their literary tastes, because of the prize. That is the upside of literary prizes, they lure in new people to the audience. I like the techniique of using redacted documents in a book, my read for tomorrow did that, too!

>105 richardderus: Hi Richard. Indeed an upside and, for me, often a source of great books.

Hope your nose is healing well! You could always paint the bandage red and pretend you're Rudolph.... ;-)

>104 RebaRelishesReading: I had a similar experience earlier this year. My dermatologist saw something on my nose and took a sample for testing. It turned out to be a very tiny wart! and I had to return to get it removed. I had a bandage after the biopsy but not after the wart was removed. But I did have a pink spot there for a couple of weeks.

Just visited my dermatologist today and had biopsies done on two spots. One was where I had a precancerous spot removed before and the other was a new one. I have had three positive hits, one reoccurring, in the past and have had them removed so I go see my dermatologist every year.

Somehow I fell a few days behind on your thread, Reba. My sincere apologies! I'm glad you're continuing with Shetland too. The nose biopsy sounds like no fun at all. I hope it's healing quickly.

Hi Reba, I just posted a bunch of Golden Age Hollywood stuff today. Go shopping! *smooch*

>107 katiekrug: LOL Katie -- I've been threatening to take it off and then I would look like Rudolf!! Red spot slightly off-center but a great red :)

>108 atozgrl: It's nice to have company, Irene.

>109 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. Given my northern-European-skin and the years I spent in So. Cal (many of them before anyone thought about sun screen) it's a miracle I don't have more than I do. Fortunately she looked me over all-over and said this was the only one she was worried about.

>110 lauralkeet: Glad you found me again Laura. I miss you when you aren't around :)

>111 richardderus: Oh Richard I do believe you actually try to be a bad influence :)

Busy weekend coming up. Not sure if I mentioned we're having 11 people over for lunch tomorrow -- immediately after a two-hour choir rehearsal -- so I'm trying to get everything possible done today. So far, the table is set and cookies baked. Eggs for deviled eggs have been steamed and dumped into the ice water bath. Sandwiches have been ordered for pick up tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Potato salad purchased and waiting in fridge. I still have to devil the eggs, "open" the pomegranate that will go in the salad and make the dressing (greens washed and in fridge, fufu's purchased), and bake a bundt cake. It's pretty do-able I think.

I definitely need to spend some time on the Cantata for Sunday and I would love to find some time to start...not The Covenant of Water yet because I still have three weeks for that one.

A very busy time for everyone around now I know so special thanks for stopping by!

A friend loaned me a copy of Covenant of Water so I am taking it to Kansas with me. She heard me saying that I was still number 213 on the wait list for the book at the public library. That is up from number 269. When I go to the public library this afternoon I will take myself off of their list, so that others can move up.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict**** (audio)

Between running errands in the car and spending some nice quiet time knitting I managed to finished this fun book in just a few days. Ms. Benedict does her usual job of creating a very interesting account of Agatha Christie's life focusing on her marriage to Christie and the time she "disappeared" for several days in 1926.

>112 RebaRelishesReading: ...define "bad"...

;-P~~~

I hope the lunch goes smoothly and magical elves appear to do the clean-up, Reba!

>115 RebaRelishesReading: Added to my list

I'm feeling very behind right now -- don't even know where or when we're getting together with the family this weekend but fear it may be at our house and I'm SO not ready!!

Any way I was out doing a little Christmas stocking shopping yesterday and managed a stop at the new independent book store that opened downtown last weekend. It's LOVELY and I was delighted to find a group of children sitting on a rug in the front corner, parents on benches in back, being read to by a store employee. I certainly hope they do well!!

Saturday's lunch went very well. The last guests left at 5:00 p.m. so that, and the noise level from conversation, makes me think everyone had a good time.

We're celebrating the third of our 5 December family birthdays today...actually, not much of a celebration, just a phone call starting with opening "Happy Birthday" song. The birthday "girl" is at work so that's about it. :)

Miss Eliza's English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs **** (audio)

Eliza is the daughter of a well-to-do family whose father has just lost the family fortune. He leaves for Calais to hide from his remaining creditors while his wife and Eliza take over management of a boarding house where Eliza will take over the kitchen. She hires Ann as scullery maid. Ann's father lost a leg in the wars with Napoleon and is an alcoholic. Her mother has lost touch with reality and must be physically bound to Ann to prevent her taking off her clothes and running around indecent. When Ann was young, however, her mother had taught her to read and appreciate literature. This is the story of Ann and Eliza in the kitchen.

I loved both Ann and Eliza and found their story believable and interesting although I thought the ending was somewhat forced. Still a thoroughly enjoyable "read".

The Christmas schedule finally settled at Christmas Eve at our house and then birthday celebration for Hubby on Monday (his actual birthday). I bought a ham and some potatoes and Brussels sprouts to roast...so not too much work. This morning, though, I hear that D2 and family are all sick so now everything is up in the air again. Food will certainly keep for a few days though so we'll just have to see how it all goes down.

Granddaughter turns 21 today (yikes!) We had a nice video call with her this morning. She's the fourth of our 5 December birthdays with only Hubby left to go. Such a festive month!!

I love the new annual round-up LT has produced this year! Thank you team!

Reba, I'm sorry to see your holiday plans are in a state of flux. You seem to be rolling with it, which is commendable. I hope D2 and family bounce back soon.

>122 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. I haven't had a health status update yet this morning. Can't really do anything besides "roll with it" though I guess :)

I decided last night that the time had come to start on The Covenant of Water which is my RL book club "assignment" for January. It's a tome but I'm about 80 pages in and in love with it already :)

Hi Reba - looking forward to hearing more about your experience with The Covenant of Water - that's on my list too! I hope your and your family have a peaceful holiday, however it turns out. :)

>125 PlatinumWarlock: Hi Lavinia -- nice to see you! The Covenant of Water is divided into 10 parts and I've now read two of them and I'm still enjoying it. It's looking like it will be my favorite book for 2023.

I hope you and your family have a happy new year! Are you planning a big celebration? Our holiday plans are still up in the air (although I haven't heard from D2 yet today). We'll see.

>126 RebaRelishesReading: Basically no plans... my partner is Jewish, so we don't do much with Christmas, but Hanukkah was full of activities. We'll cozy up at home and celebrate our 10th anniversary on the 28th, so there will certainly be plenty of festivities. :) Happy New Year to you!

>126 RebaRelishesReading:
My real life book group is reading Covenant of Water also. It is our January selection and I haven't started it yet. I think it will go fast once I start it.

Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda i ti!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!

>127 PlatinumWarlock: This is holiday season one way or another for most folks I think and you have the "extra" of an anniversary this month :) So hope you have a cozy at-home celebration and a happy new year, Lavinia.

>128 benitastrnad: It's a chunk but I'm about half-way through after 3 days reading and that with all kinds of extra things going on. I hope you like it as much as I do, Benita.

>129 SandDune: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too Rhian!! That is an adorable creche. Did you crochet it? And, is that initial greeting in Welsh?

>130 ronincats:, >131 johnsimpson: Merry Christmas to you too, Roni and to you and your family John.

A merry-Xmas *smooch*

Merry Christmas, Reba!

Thinking about you during the festive season, Reba

*smooch* for a happier, healthier 2024 for you and all yours.

Thank you Richard, Susan and Paul!! Happy holidays to you all too!

Hi Reba!

This is the Christmas that just doesn't want to happen at our house!! We were supposed to gather with D1 and D2 and their families on Christmas Eve for a festive dinner and gift exchange and then again today to celebrate Hubby's birthday but D2's partner and son were sick on Christmas Eve so we decided to combine both events for today -- now D2 is sick herself :( and plans for today are now up in the air.

Happy news is that "big grandson" is coming up for a long-weekend visit starting Friday. Really looking forward to that!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Reba. I'm sorry plans keep changing - we all covid tested yesterday before heading up to my mom's house - just can't seem to shake what's been ailing me since Thanksgiving break.

>35 RebaRelishesReading: OMG that's pretty much the best costume ever!

I'm sorry your plans have been upended, Reba. I hope D2 feels better soon and you can all get together.

>141 ChelleBearss: And to you too Chelle!

>142 AMQS: It's been a most uncooperative holiday lol. We did manage to have D1 and husband for dinner and gifts last night. We'll see when D2 and family recover enough to come over...tree may be up until Valentine's Day lol.

Thanks for the costume love -- it really was great imo.

>143 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura -- me too. Hope you're having a wonderful holiday.

..tree may be up until Valentine's Day lol. Yes, LOL. Not a chance with our tree as it is fresh (or was) and will need to come down very soon. But it hardly matters when celebrating with loved ones, right? I have a friend from college who could never get her act together to send Christmas cards, so their tradition became to send Valentine letters, which I always look forward to (some years I don't have my act together either and we send New Year cards).

>146 AMQS: Ours is artificial so can stay up although the neighbors might begin to wonder since it's right in front of our front window :)

I haven't been sharing Wordle lately but this one was too good not to :)
Wordle 922 2/6

🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections
Puzzle #200
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪 and Connections came together fairly easily too :)

Gonna be a good day maybe :)

You keep reminding me that I enjoy and should play Connections - I forget, between times.

>149 jjmcgaffey: Hi Jennifer. I play it because my granddaughter and I compare results on Connections, Wordle and the Mini Crossword every day. I enjoy Wordle and the Crossword but Connections often frustrates me I'm afraid. Today I had to look up a hint to get the third category (which solved the 4th for me by default).

btw, I think of you often when I get in my car now. I really appreciate all of the info you gave us when we were considering going electric and I LOVE our new Bolt. In addition to feeling good about not using fossil fuel it handles really well and is a zippy little darling too :)

Happy Holidays, Reba! I hope you and yours have a wonderful new year!

>151 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia. The same wishes for you and yours.

Hope your New Year's isn't as challenging as your Christmas, Reba :)

>153 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. Me too.

D2 and I have agreed (pending concurrence with her partner) that we will exchange gifts at Epiphany this year. Hoping everyone will be healthy by then.

My grandson is arriving tonight to spend New Year's with us. I'm really excited. He's just a great young man and this will be our first several-day visit with just him. I just hope I don't pass this cold/flu/whatever on to him because I've been coughing like crazy this morning :(

Fingers crossed your new celebration plans work out!

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese*****

This is a huge novel, both in terms of number of pages as well as in the scope of the story. It follows an Indian family through three generations and 77 years. It is so gripping that it is not hard to read, however.

The core of the story deals with a family where at least one person in each generation dies by drowning. It begins when a twelve-year-old girl is sent by boat to meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. The core of the story revolves around her long life and members of her family. It's an engaging and satisfying read.

Quoting the book jacket:...The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humor, deep emotion, and the essence of life, ... quote> I agree with all of this except perhaps the "imbued with humor".

Congratulations on finishing The Covenant of Water in plenty of time for your book group discussion!

I'm glad you have a plan for the gift exchange with D2 et al. Enjoy the time with your grandson!

>157 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. We picked grandson up at airport at 11 last night, brought him home and gave him something to eat (he'd be traveling all day and had only had a sandwich) then we all headed to bed about 1. I've been up for 1 1/2 hours now but haven't seen hide nor hair of either of the males in the house lol.

I started this year with David Copperfield and Demon Copperhead and ending it with The Covenant of Water -- not bad, eh?

Wordle 925 2/6

🟨⬜🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩OK, I'll take this for my last Wordle of the year :) least, salty

Connections
Puzzle #203
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪Way to see the old year out :)

2023 has been a decent year for us here in the NW but I know there are many who have struggled and will be glad to see it gone. In either case I wish you all a happy, healthy, fulfilling 2024!

My new thread is up and I would love to see you there :)
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356150#unread

>159 RebaRelishesReading: Yay! For your very good puzzling! I loved the purple connection today!

Happy new year!

Karen O

>162 klobrien2: Thanks Karen -- Happy new year to you too!!

Nice wrap-up for the year, Reba. You ended the year with my only 5-star read. I loved The Covenant of Water. Also loved your grandson’s piano costume!

Our Christmas plans were also disrupted at the last minute. I think the universe is telling me to just go with the flow and make the best of things. Off to visit your new thread…