Alcott Acre's Home, Room 11

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 year - 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
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

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
In the Garden of the Righteous by Richard Hurowitz
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
I Saw Death Coming by Kidada E. Williams
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
The Book of Paradise by Itzik Manger
Sweet Taste of Liberty by W. Caleb McDaniel
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
The Warburgs by Ron Chernow
What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey
You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America by Paul Kix
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

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
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb
What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman
A Division of the Spoils by Paul Scott
When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb
The Future is History by Masha Gessen
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

December TIOLI Challenges:

Challenge #1: Read a book with a word, phrase, clause, prefix or suffix of negation in its title
An Elderly Lady is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten - Completed December 1, 2023
My Dateless Diary by R.K. Narayan - Completed December 29, 2023

Challenge #2: Read a book you mean to get to earlier in 2023
A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel - Completed December 24, 2023
Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree - Completed December 31, 2023

Challenge #3: Read a sequel to a book you read earlier in the year. Please name the original book.
Lena by Jacqueline Woodson (I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This) - Completed December 30, 2023
Polgara the Sorceress by David and Leigh Eddings (Belgarath the Sorcerer) - Completed December 20, 2023
A Time for Healing by Edward S. Shapiro (A Time for Planting, et al) - Completed December 8, 2023

Challenge #4: Read a book that is a re-telling or based on another story or character
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker - Completed December 10, 2023

Challenge #5: Read a book with a connection to the number 3
Clary Sage by Victoria Goddard - Completed December 3, 2023
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng - Completed December 21, 2023
The inexplicable logic of my life by Benjamin Alire Saenz - Completed December 13, 2023
You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America by Paul Kix - Completed December 3, 2023

Challenge #6: Read a book connected to this season of the year
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - Completed December 23, 2023
In the Dark Streets Shineth by David McCullough - Completed December 18, 2023

Challenge #7: Read a book that it's easy to dip in and out of
We Are at War by Simon Garfield - Completed December 15, 2023

Challenge #8: Read a book that fits any of the "page 2" challenges for 2023
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - Completed December 23, 2023
Longbourn by Jo Baker (October Challenge #11) - Completed December 18, 2023
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder - Completed December 13, 2023

Challenge #9: Read a book with a musical instrument in the title or author's name
The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark - Completed December 8, 2023
The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn - Completed December 3, 2023

Challenge #10: Read a book with the word "tomorrow" or "future" in the title
The Future is History by Masha Gessen - Completed December 10, 2023

Challenge #11: Read a book with at least three letters of "December" in the title
Displaced Persons by Joseph Berger - Completed December 29, 2023
When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb - Completed December 5, 2023

#12: Read a book with some connection to 12
The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay - Completed December 28, 2023

Challenge #13: Read a book with a variant of death in the title
Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb - Completed December 5, 2023
The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer - Completed December 16, 2023

Challenge #14: Read a book whose title or subtitle or author’s name includes the word “men”
The Confidence Men by Margalit Fox - Completed December 15, 2023
Hill Women by Cassie Chambers - Completed December 19, 2023

Challenge #15: Read a book for Santa's Reindeer Genre rolling challenge
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu - Completed December 28, 2023

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
Memory in Death - Completed October 3, 2023
Born in Death - Completed November 1, 2023
Innocent in Death - Completed December 5, 2023

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

The St. Mary’s books by Jodi Taylor
A Trail Through Time - Completed April 27, 2023
No Time Like the Past - Completed November 29, 2023

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

The Three Pines series by Louise Penny
The Cruellest 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 - Completed September 30, 2023

The Shetland Series by Ann Cleeves
Raven Black - Completed November 8, 2023

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
A Division of the Spoils - Completed November 29, 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
14. I Saw Death Coming by Kidada E. Williams - Completed October 10, 2023
15. Sweet Taste of Liberty by W. Caleb McDaniel - Completed November 5, 2023
16. Corregidora by Gayl Jones - Completed November 16, 2023
17. You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America by Paul Kix - Completed December 3, 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
11. The Road to September 1939 by Jehuda Reinharz and Yaacov Shavit - Completed September 19, 2023
12. In the Garden of the Righteous by Richard Hurowitz - Completed October 1, 2023
13. A Time for Building by Gerald Sorin - Completed October 12, 2023
14. A Time for Searching by Henry L. Feingold - Completed November 21, 2023
15. A Time for Healing by Edward S. Shapiro - Completed December 8, 2023
16. A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel - Completed December 24, 2023
17. Displaced Persons by Joseph Berger - Completed December 29, 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)
9. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - Completed November 2, 2023 (#41 on the Esquire list)
10. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu - Completed December 28, 2023 (#11 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
8. The Boy Who Went Away by Eli Gottlieb - Completed September 23, 2023
9. Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry - Completed November 5, 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
14. An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (Japan) - Completed November 3, 2023
15. The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay (Turkey) - Completed December 28, 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
10. A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam - Completed October 13, 2023
11. An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro - Completed November 3, 2023
12. My Dateless Diary by R.K. Narayan - Completed December 29, 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 Child Who Never Grew by Pearl S. Buck - Completed September 24, 2023
October Richard the Third by Paul Murray Kendall - Completed October 13, 2023
November What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey - Completed November 24, 2023

The Chunkster Challenge (Books at least 500 pages in length) - Shooting for at least 6 over the course of the year
1. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - 548 pages
2. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon - 870 pages
3. The Sway of the Grand Saloon by John Malcolm Brinnin - 552 pages
4. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch - 924 pages
5. History of the Second World War by B.H. Liddell Hart - 713 pages
6. Constantine’s Sword by James Carroll - 616 pages
7. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow - 738 pages
8. Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 1 by Marcel Proust - 1,018 pages
9. The Red and the Black by Stendahl - 532 pages
10. The Winners by Fredrick Backman - 673 pages
11. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson - 572 pages
12. Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi - 507 pages
13. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks - 503 pages
14. Pillar of Fire by Taylor Branch - 768 pages
15. Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 2 by Marcel Proust - 1,197 pages
16. The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay - 501 pages
17. Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon - 506 pages
18. On the Oceans of Eternity by S.M. Stirling - 630 pages
19. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami - 1,157 pages
20. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon - 880 pages
21. The Day of the Scorpion by Paul Scott - 504 pages
22. The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant - 642 pages
23. "A Problem from Hell" by Samantha Power - 620 pages
24. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - 771 pages
25. Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 3 by Marcel Proust - 1,128 pages
26. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - 724 pages
27. At Canaan’s Edge by Taylor Branch - 1,039 pages
28. Into the Silence by Wade Davis - 655 pages
29. Little Thieves by Margaret Owen - 504 pages
30. The Bee Sting by Paul Murray - 643 pages
31. Richard the Third by Paul Murray Kendall - 602 pages
32. The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon - 979 pages
33. The Warburgs by Ron Chernow - 820 pages
34. A Division of the Spoils by Paul Scott - 623 pages
35. Polgara the Sorceress by David and Leigh Eddings - 643 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
November The Company We Keep by Francis Itani - Completed November 58, 2023

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

New 🧵 orisons, Stasia!

>10 richardderus: Thank you, RD!

Finished tonight:

299 - No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor - Another good entry in Taylor's St. Mary's series. This one finds Max traveling through time several times (one of my quibbles with the book) - and having issues in all of the times she visits :) I was really shocked by the denouement of one of the major storylines, but happy with the resolution. Still, I enjoyed this entry in the series although not quite as much as previous books; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

300 - A Division of the Spoils by Paul Scott - The final book in The Raj Quartet seemed to be a fitting end to the quartet. The characters from the previous books are here again although a couple of new characters are introduced as well - the major new "character" introduced is the separation of India from Britain. There are a lot of political things going on in this book and I am sure that I did not catch them all. We also get resolutions to the major characters, some good, some not. I cannot stress how much I enjoyed this quartet of books taken as a whole!; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Happy new thread Stasia!

>13 quondame: Thank you, Susan!

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>12 alcottacre: And congratulations on reaching 4 x 75!

Happy new thread!

It is quite amazing how many books you have read.

Congrats on your new thread, Stasia!

Happy new thread, Stasia! I'll look forward to sharing a couple of TIOLI reads with you this month, and seeing what you think of When the Angels Left the Old Country.

Edited to get touchstone to work (it never does the first time when I'm posting from my phone)

Happy new thread!

Happy new one, Stasia!

>15 FAMeulstee: Thank you for the congratulations, Anita. Very much appreciated!

>16 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita. I am actually quite surprised at how many books I have read this year given the year I have had :)

>17 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel!

>18 bell7: I have put When the Angels Left the Old Country on one of the challenges for this month, Mary, and am very much looking forward to it, given your review.

>19 foggidawn: >20 jessibud2: Thank you, foggi and Shelley!

Happy new one, Stasia!

Happy new thread, Stasia!

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. Happy New Thread. November turned out to be a great reading month for me. December shows much promise too. Closing out the year in style.

Happy new thread, Stasia.

Congratulations on reaching 4x75!

Happy new thread, Stasia and congrats on 4x75!

>22 drneutron: >23 atozgrl: Thank you, Jim and Irene!

>24 msf59: I have had several good months reading-wise this year, Mark, so I can understand why you are so delighted. I hope that December turns out to be just as good as you hope it will be!

>25 PaulCranswick: >26 Kristelh: Thank you on both counts, Paul and Kristel!

Happy new one, Stasia. Your reading this year is most impressive!!

>28 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba!

Happy New Thread!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/355572

>30 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver!

>31 SilverWolf28: I will take part as I can, Silver. My CFS has decided to kick in again.

>32 alcottacre: Oh no! I wish you could just kick it back out!

>33 quondame: You and me both, Susan! I went to bed at 7pm last night and slept clear through until 8:30am. Not a good start to a day that I am particularly busy.

Finished this afternoon:

301 - An Elderly Lady is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten - Audiobook; I do not think that I have the right sense of humor for this book series - I find nothing funny about a little old lady (88-89 years old) killing off people that she thinks need it. Sorry, no. Too much true crime reading and dealing with victim's accounts. I know that this is not what this book is, but again, I just do not think that I have the right sense of humor. It is not that the book is not well-written (and short!), it is me. I know it is me, but I cannot recommend it; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

>35 alcottacre:
I had the same reaction to The Hunger Games. Everybody loved it and it turned my stomach. I never read the sequels for that reason.

>36 benitastrnad: I do not blame you at all for not reading the sequels, Benita!

*smoochiesmoochsmooch*

Hope your CFS goes away as quickly as it arrived, Stasia. You deserve a break today.

>38 richardderus: ((Hugs)) and **smooches** back at you, RD!

>39 weird_O: Thank you, Bill!

I finally finished another book (stupid CFS!):

302 - The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn - Juvenile; This book was fun! Marthe Jocelyn reimagines Agatha Christie and her creation Hercule Poirot as children. Our heroine, Aggie Morton, quite literally stumbles across a body and her friend, Hector Perot, a Belgian immigrant to England, decide to investigate. The time frame of the story is 1902 and the class system with servants and the like is still in full force in England. Because Perot is Belgian, the discrimination against immigrants is also shown in the book, so despite being for 10-12 year olds and a mystery to book, Jocelyn did a good job of portraying how things were at the time. Of course, the children are warned off by the local constabulary for getting into the case and promptly do not listen; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

Finished tonight:

303 - You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America by Paul Kix - Nonfiction; Kix, who is white, began this book as a "family project:" He is married to an African American woman and they have 3 biracial children. As their children grew up, their parents were frank with them about things like the murder of George Floyd by a police officer to the point where one of their sons started asking, "Why do they keep trying to kill us?" The book sprang from Kix's research into Birmingham and the things that happened there in 1963. The story that Kix tells is a remarkable one - and one I largely did not know about despite a lot of reading about the Civil Rights movement; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

304 - Clary Sage by Victoria Goddard - This is one of the shorter books in the Greenwing and Dart series, as Mary and I continue going through the Nine Worlds series, and it is a good introduction to Hal, one of the major players throughout the series. This is Hal before we meet him in the books. This is Hal when he is making the major decision as to where he wants to go to school and in the end, he meets Jemis Greenwing. This is Hal breaking away from what might be considered tradition and going to the school of his own choosing, trying to be what he wants to be; Recommended (4 stars) Mine - Kindle

I am now off to bed for the next 12, 14, whatever hours. . .

>41 alcottacre: You got me with The Body Under the Piano, sounds charming! Thanks!

Karen O

Each year I am impressed with the number of books you read!
It hasn't been a very productive year for me, but I am chugging along
It was great to chat with you via phone a few days ago.

>43 klobrien2: I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it, Karen! Be advised that this is the first book in the series.

>44 Whisper1: I always love talking with you, lovey. I am getting closer to the 350 book goal that I had set as my high end goal for this year than I ever thought I would given the way my year has gone, lol.

Belated happy new thread, Stasia.

Hi, Stasia. I hope you had a good weekend and your Monday went well. 😁🦉

>46 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie!

>47 msf59: CFS is rearing its ugly head again, Mark, so my weekend suffered. I got things done today that I was unable to do then though, but I expect I am going to be in bed early again tonight. *sigh*

Hope your CFS gives you a break soon, Stasia.

I too send good wishes and hope your CFS lets up soon. Be well!

>49 bell7: >50 atozgrl: Thanks, Mary and Irene. Unfortunately not yet. Another 11 hours in bed last night. . .

>48 alcottacre: Oh no! I was happy when you were good Sunday. That CFS must strike from one second to the next. I'm sorry. May it be gone just as quickly - and SOON!

>52 LizzieD: I was not good Sunday, Peggy, unfortunately. Hopefully it will go away soon!

Meet up with the girls today. Will be back later. . .

Hi Stasia, and happy new thread a bit late.

>12 alcottacre: Congrats on 75 x 4!! I’m always impressed by the breadth and scope of what you read.

>35 alcottacre: I bought Elderly Lady and quickly abandoned it and was very irritated with having spent $8.55 on Kindle for it. There it languishes.

>51 alcottacre: I’m sorry the CFS is so vicious right now. I hope you get relief soon.

>54 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen for the congratulations. As far as the "breadth and scope," I just read what interests me.

I am very glad I did not pay for Elderly Lady. I got it free on Audible.

I am sure that the CFS will leave at some point. I just have to be patient until then. Patience is not my strong point.

Greetings and *smooch*ings, Stasia me lurve.

>56 richardderus: Back at you, Richard!

Finished this evening:

305 - Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb - Audiobook; Thank God for audiobooks, especially when my CFS is being problematic! In this entry in the In Death series, Eve is dealing with a killer that she can, on some level, identify with, but is completely unlike her. The secondary storyline in this one has to do with an old flame of Roarke's that he can just not see beyond to know how much she is hurting Eve, who does not know what to do about her. As usual, Susan Ericksen does a great job with her narration and differentiating the multiple characters; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

I am hoping that I can stay awake long enough to finish yet another book tonight. We shall see. . .

Finished tonight:

306 - When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb - This book is classified as young adult and I am not sure why - it certainly worked for me as an adult reader. A huge 'thank you' to Mary for her recent recommendation of this one, a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was hooked from the first line ("In the back corner of the little synagogue in the shtetl that was so small and out of the way it was only called Shtetl, there was a table where an angel and a demon had been studying Talmud together for some two hundred years.") and although I found the pacing of the book a little off at times, I very much enjoyed not only this look at the old country, but at the new one as well. Lamb evidently did her research into the early labor unions in the New York area as she got it pretty well right; Recommended (4.25 stars) Library Book

>55 alcottacre: It isn't my strong point, either, Stasia.

Keep your chin up dear lady. You may want to go and have a peek at the planning thread for the War Room 2024 challenge.

I started my Christmas baking today. I will bake 6 Gingerbread cakes as Christmas presents for the folks here in Tuscaloosa and one for the Holiday party that I host. That will be next Sunday afternoon. I got two of them baked today. I use my Christmas trees bundt pan and glaze the Gingerbread with a sugar water glaze. The glaze is very sparkly and festive. It looks so pretty on a Holiday table. I will make more of them when I get home to Munden for Christmas gifts from me and my mother.

Phew - catching up. Happy new thread Stasia! Congratulations on quadruple 75! (I'm still working on my first.) Hoping the CFS treats you gently.

>60 PaulCranswick: I am trying to keep my chin up. Thanks, Paul. I will go take a look.

>61 benitastrnad: Oo, the Gingerbread cake sounds wonderful. I love Gingerbread! I hope the baking goes well, Benita!

>62 humouress: Thanks for dropping by, Nina! I appreciate the congratulations.

Oh! Congratulations on speeding past 300 books read!

>64 quondame: Thank you, Susan!

HI Stasia. Hope you are feeling better!

>59 alcottacre: So glad you enjoyed that one! I'm looking forward to your thoughts on Poison Study as well.

>41 alcottacre: Aren't those Aggie Morton ones just great?

I'm always amazed at how many you read. I hit 300 one year, but I'm barely topping 100 these days.

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. We are getting pumped about our upcoming trip. I got my books all picked out too. B.A.G.

>68 thornton37814: I enjoyed the first book in the Aggie Morton series, Lori, and am going to see if my local library has more.

Thank you.

>69 msf59: I hope you have a wonderful time, Mark!

I am going to be offline today, I think. I am just tired. Sorry.

Hi Stasia, Hope you will be feeling better with some rest and naps.

Hi Stasia my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend. Congrats on reaching 4 X 75 books read for the year so far.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/355731

Happy New Thread, Stasia. I hope you are soon feeling better after some rest and naps. Congratulations on reading 300 books! Amazing.

>72 mdoris: Thank you, Mary! I took 3 naps yesterday so I am hoping to avoid any today, lol.

>73 johnsimpson: Thank you on both counts, John!

>74 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver. I am really hoping to take part, CFS notwithstanding.

>75 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deborah!

I am extremely behind on my reading. I normally average a book every 1-2 days. This month I am lucky to be getting one in every 3-4 days, so I am going to try and get some reading done during the day today (hopefully with no naps!)

I am not sure how much I am going to be around this weekend. It is a very busy time of the year and Kerry and I have stuff to do for the season.

Finished this afternoon:

307 - A Time for Healing by Edward S. Shapiro - Nonfiction; This is the fifth and final book in "The Jewish People in America" series - I checked the Johns Hopkins University Press website to ensure that there were no further volumes. I really wish there were because this book essentially ends in the early 1990s (it was published in 1992). The series has been very good (although someone gave this particular volume a rating of 1 here on LT, but left no review to substantiate this rating) and I have enjoyed each volume. This one tackles the problems confronting American Jewry after WWII which, as you can imagine, had a huge impact on the Jews in this country as many of them lost relatives in Europe because of the Holocaust. There is much discussion of how the lot of Jews in America improved after WWII, worries about intermarriage, and the loss of Jewish identity; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>77 alcottacre: I hit a snag with my reading this week, and finished only one book where I'd usually finish two or three at least. Hope we both get our mojo back soon!

>79 foggidawn: I am sorry to hear it, foggi! Here is hoping our reading mojo comes back quickly!!

Finished this evening:

308 - The Black God's Drums by P. Djeli Clark - Audiobook; Have I mentioned how grateful I am for audiobooks? In this case, I own both the hard copy and the audiobook, but when it came time to read the hard copy, I could not find it and found myself listening to the book instead, which was not a hardship. I really enjoyed this steampunk-y, alternative history set in American Civil War era New Orleans. We are introduced to the character of Creeper, whose parents are out of the picture, as she tries to make her way on her own. However, she stumbles on to a secret that she must share with an adult that she thinks can help - this in addition to Oya, a goddess of sorts, that inhabits her - so that the New Orleans that Creeper knows and loves does not get destroyed; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>78 alcottacre: That looks a worthy book, Stasia.

I am about to start my weekend here, hope yours is a great one.

>81 alcottacre:
I enjoyed this book when I read it. Glad to see it making the rounds. There is a sequel but I don't have access to it unless I used Inter-Library Loan.

I am also listening to a book which I have a hardcopy ... somewhere. I looked this morning in my shelves where my LT list says that I had the book and I can't find it. For some reason I think I gave it to somebody to read but my notes in LT don't say that. Bottom line is that I am not sure where the book is. It is Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. The quality of this recorded book is outstanding and I suspect that is the reason why I am enjoying it so much. I pulled it to read because Joe and I had a short discussion of the epistolary style of telling a story and I thought it would be a good idea to read this book. I have had it on my shelves since 2008 - according to my LT records, so that is probably one of the reasons why I can't find it now. I moved in 2012 and probably never updated my entry. Anyway, this is a good recording. It makes me want to sit down and knit and listen instead of getting my Christmas baking done.

>81 alcottacre: Interesting. But I already have one (or two?) books by this author I haven't got to yet. Dodging a BB - for now.

>84 benitastrnad: I'd expect a book on a pie society would encourage baking rather than the other way around ;0)

>83 benitastrnad: I didn't know of a sequel to The Black God's Drums, what is it called?

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Stasia, and hoping the holiday prep doesn't keep you from reading entirely.

I'm here for the moment. It's about to be time to roust Mama and give us both breakfast.
I wish you may get things done with Kerry and also read some and NOT BE TIRED!!!!!

Thank you all for keeping my thread warm. Unfortunately CFS is still kicking my rear end - I woke up this morning, was up for 2 hours, and then took a 2 hour nap. I am now heading to bed at 6:30-ish PM. *sigh* I got no meaningful reading done today at all, although I did listen to 3 chapters of my current audiobook.

Good night, all.

Hope this latest bout with CFS is short lived, Stasia. The books are waiting!

>86 quondame:
I had it wrong. It is his series for middle school kids that has the sequal out. That book is titled Abeni's Song and it now has a sequel. My mistake. As soon as I looked at my book covers in my library in LT I realized I was thinking of the wrong series.

>91 benitastrnad: I read Abeni's Song and didn't find it as interesting as his other books.

>82 PaulCranswick: I have enjoyed that entire series, Paul, so I recommend you read them all, not just the last book in the series.

>83 benitastrnad: I am glad to hear that you enjoyed it too, Benita!

>84 benitastrnad: I love Guernsey! I have read it at least twice. I need to track down my copy and read it again.

>85 humouress: I will hit you with a BB yet, Nina :)

>87 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

>88 LizzieD: I hope you and your mother have a lovely Sunday together, Peggy.

>90 Familyhistorian: Well, at the rate my reading is going this month, Meg, the books may be waiting for a good long time! I do want to try and finish a couple of library books today if I can.

So, I got up this morning a mere 14 hours after I went to bed last night - and I am still tired. However, I am going to try and get some reading done today since it is my traditional "day off" technology. I hope to be back today reporting on something other than my CFS!

Finished today:

309 - The Future is History by Masha Gessen - Nonfiction; This book (and others like it) is one of the reasons that I so love LT and the TIOLI challenges in particular because without them, I would never have read this book, which is far and away outside my comfort zone. Gessen writes of mid-1980s Russia (into the 2010s) and the changes that are occurring within the country: "The forces pulling at Russia now were eerily similar to those that had torn apart the Soviet Union. There were also new, confounding problems. Russia was a country nearing economic ruin, surrounded by other countries nearing economic ruin." Because Gessen chooses several different people to use as narrators, the book almost reads as fiction told from multiple points-of-view - only we know it to be true. Glasnost is clearly a thing of the past in Russia and totalitarianism is now in play once again under Putin - Gessen walks us through how and why she believes this is true; Recommended (4.25 stars) Library Book

"It was not just this client who was living in a state of constant anxiety: the entire country was. It was the oldest trick in the book - a constant state of low-level dread made people easy to control, because it robbed them of the sense that they could control anything themselves."

Finished tonight:

310 - The Women of Troy by Pat Barker - I am disappointed in myself that I did not like this book more than I ended up doing and I suspect that part of the issue is that I did not realize that there was a book previous to this one and so I ended up somewhere in the middle of Briseis' story rather than at the beginning. The book is a retelling of the events in Troy from when the Trojan horse comes into play and the city is overrun by opposing forces - but told from the point-of-view primarily of the women characters. A woman's lot was not an easy one if they were on the losing side as many of them were tortured, raped, and/or murdered just for not being the victors. Briseis ends up being married to Alcimus because her one-time master, Achilles, gave her to him even though everyone is aware that she is pregnant with Achilles' child. This was really the only measure of protection that Achilles could give to her. Many of the other women surrounding Briseis are not nearly as lucky and she knows it. I wish I would have connected more with her as a character and, like I said, not come into the story in the middle. I am going to have to go back and read the first book, The Silence of the Girls; Guardedly Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

>96 alcottacre:
I have read both books and really liked them. Our book discussion group read them. We read Silence of the Girls and had a great discussion about it and that prompted us to read Women of Troy which lead to an equally good discussion. As a result of these books and the Madelaine Miller books, our book group has started reading one retelling of ancient Greek myths or stories per year. In February of 2024 we will be reading The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.

Looks like you succeeded with your reading :) I hope that means the CFS is better.

>96 alcottacre: I was going to follow your lead and read them out of order. You’re thinking this isn’t a good idea so maybe I won’t go for the shared read.

>61 benitastrnad: Those gingerbread cakes sound delicious! I will start my holiday baking on Thursday.

Happy week ahead!

Happy-new-week *smooch*

>98 RebaRelishesReading: Unfortunately the CFS is not better yet, although I have high hopes for this week! I did not sleep 14 hours last night like I did Saturday, so that is something, right?

>99 Kristelh: I am certainly no authority on the books, Kristel, but I think I would have been better served to read them in order. YMMV.

>100 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita!

>101 richardderus: Thanks, RD. ((Hugs)) and **smooches**

This morning has started off better than the past several: I was up and taking care of balancing the bank account, paying the bills, and putting homemade muffins for Christmas into the oven early this morning. However, I feel a nap coming on *sigh*

Please cross all crossables and wish my CFS away! It is messing with my reading, to say the list, let alone other stuff I need to get done.

CFS.....BE GONE! (and do not return!)

>104 mdoris: Ditto!!

I hope CFS releases you from its clutches soon, Stasia!

>104 mdoris: >105 RebaRelishesReading: >106 curioussquared: Thank you, ladies. Unfortunately today was not that day. I was falling asleep when I was supposed to be talking to Catey on her lunch hour and ended up taking a 45 minute nap. I had another later in the day as well. I will be in bed early again tonight, I have no doubt. I am tired of being tired.

Sorry to read that your CFS is continuing to plague you, Stasia. I hope you are soon feeling better.

Hope you get some relief from the CFS soon, Stasia

>108 vancouverdeb: >109 bell7: Thank you, Deborah and Mary.

Finished this morning:

311 - The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz - Young Adult; My local library does not have this book categorized as YA, but I really feel that it should be. The main character in the story is 18-year-old Sal who is entering his final year of high school, filling out college applications, and palling around with his best friend Sam, who happens to be a girl. This is a "feel good" kind of book and even though there are multiple bad things that happen during the course of it, you know everything is going to be all right in the end. For example, Sal's mother dies when he is 3, but he is legally adopted by the man who becomes his father, Vicente, who was his mother's best friend, even though Vicente is gay - and in Texas at the time, that is very unlikely. The entire book centers around Sal and his family - and this is one of the reasons that I feel the book should be classified as YA. There are a lot of life lessons in it - things like appreciating what you have, liking yourself (even when searching for yourself), and appreciating your family. I loved this book and would happily reread it even though I am not the target audience (even though I am young at heart!); Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

>111 alcottacre: I've seen that one shelved as YA elsewhere. Glad you enjoyed it, anyway! I should read it some time. (Especially since I apparently have a copy languishing on my TBR shelves.)

Good anti-CFS vibes! After experiencing long COVID, I totally get how incapacitating this could be.

>112 foggidawn: When I went into the library this morning, I mentioned it to one of the librarians there. Turns out that the copy I read came from our local community college and all fiction from there is in one big section. The college does not differentiate between adult and young adult fiction. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, foggi!

>113 The_Hibernator: Thank you so much, Rachel! I get so frustrated with CFS I cannot stand it. It keeps me from reading, from visiting LT, from getting anything done. . .

*smoochings*

>115 richardderus: Thank you, RD!

Finished tonight:

312 - Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder - I have owned this book for several years and thanks to TIOLI, finally gotten it read. I am sorry that I waited so long. I very much enjoyed this mixture of fantasy, magic, adventure, and enough of a touch of romance to keep it interesting. The main character, Yelena, kills a general's son - for justifiable reasons - and is sentenced to be executed, but her life is spared by being appointed as the food taster for the local commander. As the story unfolds, so does Yelena's character and I appreciated the growth that she showed over the course of the book. Sometimes authors forget to make their characters dynamic, not static, but Snyder does not fail in this regard. I am looking forward to learning more about what happens with Yelena. I have ordered the next 2 books in the series; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>114 alcottacre:
For a while there has been a problem with the misclassification of books for YA's. Part of the problem is terminology and part of the problem is publishers. The American Library Association classifies children's books as those published for children up to 13 years old. Young Adult is classed as books for Young Adults ages 12 - 18. Anything above that is classed as an adult book.

The problem with this system is that the general public thinks that Young Adult is people 18 -27 years of age. (That is according to ALA surveys taken at public libraries.)

Publishers follow the general publics way of thinking and often uses the YA designation for books for people 18 -27 years of age. Publishers also publish books where they think that the book will sell the best. From about 2000 to 2015 the best selling books of the year were the blockbuster YA books. Think Twilight, Harry Potter, Divergent, etc. Sales of these books kept publishing afloat during some very lean years in the publishing business. However, there was much debate among librarians, educators, and others about the content of these books. Were they really YA books or were they adult books being marketed as YA so that they would sell better? This debate was especially loud when discussing Hunger Games and the works of authors like Sarah Maas. It is clear that many of the YA series that have proved so popular in the last twenty years are written for the upper end of the ALA's YA classification, and in the case of the Hunger Games and the Throne of Glass series. These series (and other dystopian fantasy and sci/fi) probably would have been classed as adult books prior to 2000, but were pushed down to YA in order to increase sales. The publishing industry estimates that 30% of YA book sales are actually adults purchasers for their own reading. It is easier for a book to attract adult readers to YA than to attract YA to adult books.

A current example of mixing classifications is the book Fourth Wing. This book is classed as a YA novel with a sub-genre of romantsy. (That is a combination of romance and fantasy.) However, from what I have seen here on LT this title has as many adult readers as it does YA readers.

All this parsing of what is YA and what isn't probably doesn't matter that much to us here on LT. If a book is good we like it and pass on that information to other readers. However, in the K-12 and public library worlds these distinctions become very important for the simple reason that parents don't like to think of their "children" growing up. A 6th grader, who would be 12-13 years of age is still a children to parents. A 20 year-old college student is still a child to their parents and parents expect colleges and universities to treat their children like they are children. For this reason, a book like To All the Boys I've Loved Before that is a YA title caused a minor bruhaha in a local middle school because a parent thought it shouldn't be in the school library. This a novel that is classed as YA. That means it is for readers 12 - 18. The middle schools here commonly have grades 6 - 8 in them. What's a school to do?

Well, Stasia, it is count down time for both of us as our husbands retire next year and we have to curtail our books purchases. Make the most of it while we can! :-)

>118 benitastrnad: Thank you for all the information, Benita. I had no idea it was so complicated to process one book as YA and another as adult.

All this parsing of what is YA and what isn't probably doesn't matter that much to us here on LT. If a book is good we like it and pass on that information to other readers.

Very true!

>119 vancouverdeb: Kerry's last day is going to be December 29th, Deborah, so he will be retiring this year rather than next. I am decidedly trying to make the most of getting my book purchases in while I can!

>118 benitastrnad: When I took a YA lit class in grad school for my LIS degree, the majority of what we read was written for middle grades. This was 30-something years ago, and YA was not quite as prominent of a genre as it is now.

Getting caught up on your thread, Stasia. I'm sorry to hear that your CFS has been such a bear lately. I'll "third" >104 mdoris: and >105 RebaRelishesReading: and tell it to BE GONE!

>122 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene. It looks as though it may finally be on its way out, but I am afraid to say that too loudly in case it changes its mind :)

Finished tonight:

315 - The Confidence Men by Margalit Fox - Nonfiction; This is the true story of 2 soldiers, one British, one Australian (he did, however, serve with the RAF), who are taken prisoner in WWI Turkey. They are determined to escape and set up an elaborate ruse to fool their captors into thinking that they know where a local "hidden" treasure is and then set themselves up as madmen in order to get on the ship transporting physically and mentally sick prisoners (eventually) back to Britain. I found this story fascinating - and how the guys got the idea and managed to carry it off reads almost like fiction. Fox's aside on con men and how that con games work drags the book down for me - I understand why it is there, but it slows the fast pace of the story; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

Hello Dear Friend! You've done it again --- read an incredile amount of books! You shared personal happenings of this year. Some sad, such as your father's passing, health issues for you..Some happy things..your two beautiful daugthers and the light they give to you and your husband..and the happiness you bring to this group year after year brings tears when I think of all you mean to me.

And another one down:

316 - We Are At War by Simon Garfield - Nonfiction; As I have remarked several times before, when I was a kid I used to love reading the 'I Was There' type of books and that has not changed in my adulthood. This book is a collection of the personal accounts taken from the diaries of 5 ordinary people (and collected by Mass Observation) from the beginning of WWII in 1939 and on into 1940 when the blitz of London began. These people had nothing in common (other than being British) and so we get various viewpoints, opinions, and glimpses into their every day lives; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

"I feel that I must write in my diary regularly these days; things are happening so quickly and one feels that one has a seat in the front row of the stalls at the making of history." (Tilly Rice)

>125 Whisper1: Lovey, you mean the world to me. Our friendship through the years has been invaluable and I cannot calculate what it has meant to me. I wish only the best for you!

I was at the library today, Stasia, and got out quite a few books and thought to myself - why do I need to buy books ? But then I ordered a couple of books from amazon today and two arrived today. But sometimes the library just does not have the books I want to read. Dave retires at the end of March, maybe March 22 ? Make hay while the sun shines.

>118 benitastrnad: >121 thornton37814:

Such interesting info regarding YA. I don't think I read much YA, but your posts got me interested. I googled, and apparently there is YA and " New Adult" classifications. I've never seen " New Adult" in any store or library, but it is apparently books for people aged 20 -28 . Let me see if I can find a link. Here is one link - https://indieauthormagazine.com/breaking-down-the-difference-between-new-adult-a...

I'm glad I didn't not have to worry about those classifications in my YA and New Adult days. I recall my dad introducing me to adult books when I was about 12 or 13. He liked to read and there were some fiction and non fiction books he urged me to read . Nothing " adult adult ' , one was The Gulag Archipelago and the other Aerobics by Kenneth Cooper. Funny the things I recall. But I started jogging with my dad when I was about 12 or 13 as a result of Aerobics and my dad's urging. But I loved many books then, from Lucy Maude Montgomery, to Jane Austen, to Len Deighton and many others.

drive-by *smooch*

>128 vancouverdeb: I do not know about your local library, Deborah, but mine gives you the ability to make lists. I have several lists going and add to them all of the time. So, not only do I have a BlackHole here, but I have one at the library too because I never check out the books from my lists, lol. I suspect that is going to change in 2024.

>130 richardderus: Thank you, RD! Back at you!

By the way, it looks as though the CFS may finally be gone for a while. I only slept 4+ hours last night, about what I "normally" sleep. My body is still tired - that really never goes away - but not in a way that makes me want to drop everything and go to sleep right this second.

Thank you all for hanging in there with me through this!

>131 alcottacre: I haven't figured out what to do about library provided lists. They always show up with things I'm not interested in any more.

>132 alcottacre: Yay for no CFS! Feeling like getting things done is great!

I haven't visitied my library TBR lists for ages so thanks for the reminder. They are listed by year so go way back. I must visit them soon! I also have a notebook that I jot down titles too and computer lists...and...and...and. There are too many spots with book pressure waiting. But this is the good news!

>133 quondame: Susan, these are lists to which I am adding books, not lists of books that the library is suggesting for me. I have a feeling that they have no idea what to suggest for me in the first place since my reading tends to be all over the place, lol.

Thank you, Susan. I have been busy pottering around the house today - when I am supposed to be reading :)

>134 mdoris: I love compiling the lists, Mary, but I also enjoy heading to my local library and wandering around the shelves looking for hidden "treasure."

>135 alcottacre: Oh, I knew that they were lists of books I entered - I still don't enjoy having them show up when I log-in, and I seem to have a different mind engaged when I add things to my list. Weird, I know.

>136 quondame: Ah, OK. I thought I had not made myself clear enough. Mine do not automatically show up when I log in, thank goodness!

Another DNF for me for the year: One Day in December by Josie Silver. I read 50+ pages and really could care less about any of the characters. I have better things here to read!

Finished tonight:

315 - The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer - This book has a couple of things that raise it above being a bog standard thriller: 1) The main character, Eve, has to deal with a father who has dementia. I think the trials that she goes through are pretty realistic as she has to take care of him and continue to work; and 2) There is a hint of a romance that does not overwhelm the book by introducing something that it is not. Eve is a newscaster and has to meet deadlines, provide stories that are taking place now, and worry about her job because there is a younger, blonder female just waiting to step into her shoes. Yes, there are parts of this thriller that depend a little too much on happenstance for my liking, but overall I enjoyed the book; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

Today is my traditional "day off" but I am sure I will be back at some point.

I hope everyone has a lovely day!

>140 alcottacre: *smooch*

I wish you a lovely, non-sleepy day! I fervently hope to get in a nap or two.

I loved Silence of the Girls, so I am looking forward to Women of Troy. I wish you had read the first one first.

>126 alcottacre: I love all those Mass Observation diaries and am happy to have a few waiting for me. I think I'll put them on Paul's war lists.

>142 LizzieD: I agree with you, Peggy. Silence of the Girls is a favorite read of mine too.
Please work away with the War Room List. My aim eventually is to have at least 5,000 books on there as a resource! I am always full of ambition as you know.

Juana, it is great to see that CFS is at arm's length - God knows how many books you would down if it left you alone completely!

>143 PaulCranswick: I am definitely going to have to get to Silence of the Girls. Hopefully soon. . .

Today is T-8 for Kerry's retirement. He is officially gone on December 29th and he has 2 days off for Christmas so we are not counting those :)

Finished this evening:

316 - Longbourn by Jo Baker - Audiobook; Ellen recommended this one about 4 years ago and I am finally getting around to the book after having read through all of Austen last year. This book is a take on Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of the servants, so think Upstairs, Downstairs by Jane Austen. I thought that Baker did a good job of staying close to the original book as far as the characterization of Austen's characters went, while putting her own spin on things. I am sure that her realization of the servants and what their responsibilities in the household would have been is right on target. Her realization of the servants as characters was very good and I enjoyed her take on them; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Hi, Stasia. Sue brought the flu virus back with her, so she has been feeling pretty rough. I ran her around today and picked up her various prescriptions. That said, I read very little but hope to get some reading in this evening. I am enjoying The House of Doors. I remember also enjoying Longbourn. Glad you felt the same way.

>146 msf59: I am sorry to hear that Sue is ill, Mark. I hope she get to feeling better soon!

I am also liking The House of Doors. I am reading about 50 pages a day because, to me, Tan Twan Eng is an author to be savored.

Finished tonight:

317 - In the Dark Streets Shineth by David McCullough - Nonfiction; This was a re-read for me of this short book (~40 pages), which tells of the visit of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's visit to Washington, D.C. mere weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. However, the emphasis of the book is on the music at the time of Churchill's visit, not the politics of it. McCullough talks of "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem," a carol that Churchill had never heard before and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" at a time when many men were off to war; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

For those interested, you can view McCullough's narration of the book along with music provided by the Mormon Tabernacle choir out on YouTube.

"History can be a great source of strength and affirmation, and especially in difficult, dangerous times. And the words and music we love, and that have stood the test of time, mean still more when we know their story."

>96 alcottacre: I didn't realize that there was another book after The Silence of the Girls or maybe I knew at one point but didn't remember. Anyway, it made it to my library For Later Shelf because I already have holds on 50 books which will be my limit until I go and get the latest 3 that are available. The For Later Shelf is probably equivalent to your BlackHole and currently has north of 440 books in it. Maybe I should try to whittle those down a bit.

>145 alcottacre: I remember reading Longbourn at the same time that I read Pride and Prejudice to the first time. It was very interesting seeing the story from both sides.

Thanks for reminding me about that one, Stasia. I gave it to my mother a few years ago, and it came back to me when she passed away in 2020. I never got around to reading/listening to it. (It came with a CD or DVD.)

>149 Familyhistorian: I remember the good old days around here when you could put 99 books on hold at a time. The limit now is 5. *sigh* My BlackHole scoffs at your BlackHole with only 440 books in it. Mine has approximately 14,000 books and counting in it, lol. I really must get around to The Silence of the Girls! Thanks for stopping by, Meg.

>150 laytonwoman3rd: My copy came with a DVD, Linda, but as I mentioned in my post, you can view McCullough's part out on YouTube. I am not sure what the contents of the DVD are as I have never viewed it.

Today is my meet up day with Beth and Catey. I will be meeting up with Catey early today (in less than 45 minutes), so I will be off here shortly. Hopefully I will get back later in the day at some point.

>149 Familyhistorian: What a good idea to read Pride and Prejudice and Longbourn at the same time! I must do that!

All the smoochings, Stasia!

Happy Tuesday, Stasia. I am thoroughly enjoying The House of Doors. Yes, an author to savor. I am into Book 2 now. Lesley has met Sun Wen and Ethel. 130 pages, nearing the halfway point.

>154 richardderus: Thanks, Richard!

>155 msf59: I am slightly behind you, Mark, but still enjoying the book. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying the book too.

Well, it looks like my respite from CFS is over. Not even 7pm and I am heading to bed. . .

Finished tonight:

318 - Hill Women by Cassie Chambers - Nonfiction; I very much enjoyed this book, a tribute from Chambers to the strong women in her family, who did not have the opportunities that she has had to further her education and provide more for her family. She never loses sight of what her grandmother, her aunt Ruth, and her mother went through and sacrificed, ultimately for her. Chambers family springs from Appalachia, long considered one of the poorest parts of the U.S. and life there continues to be hard. Chambers provides info on that all throughout the book intertwined with her own family's story; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

>151 alcottacre: Today I went through the Kindle books I'd purchased but hadn't (ever) read and stuck them into the "To Read" collection. A paltry 149 books and quite a few of those are book 1 of a series I may get a page or to into before I give up. But then that's how I found Jodi Taylor so there could be a winner there.

>158 quondame: You never know until you try, right? I hope you stumble across some buried treasure there, Susan!

Glad the CFS has released you for a while Stasia.

>148 alcottacre: I loved McCullough's The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. I have another of his in the tbr mountain about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.

>160 Caroline_McElwee: Unfortunately, the CFS is hitting me again, Caroline. I went to bed before 7pm last night and did not wake until almost 9am this morning.

I have read several of McCullough's books and enjoyed them all. I am not sure if I have read The Greater Journey though. I will have to check!

Finished today:

319 - Polgara the Sorceress by David Eddings and Leigh Eddings - This is the end of an almost 2-year journey through The Belgarion (a 5 book series), The Mallorean (another 5 book series), and Belgarath the Sorcerer (a 2-book series along with this book). I am not sure that I have ever been as immersed in a world before as I have been in this one and Polgara's story seems to be a fitting end. There are a few places that I did not feel as though the "voice" of the character of Polgara felt like it fit, but that could just be me. There was one highly questionable thing that happened midway through the book, but that was resolved later on. All in all, I am glad that I re-read this one and happy that Nina was along for the ride through the whole thing!; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine

I loved Longbourn and I'm glad you enjoyed it too, Stasia. This past year I read The Midnight News ( from the library, I might add) - small victory for those of us with soon to retire husbands. I hope you enjoy The Midnight News when you get to it.

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. I hit the 200 page mark in The House of Doors. On target to finish it on Friday. It continues to be very good. I am also enjoying Dear Edward.

>163 vancouverdeb: Unfortunately my local library does not have The Midnight News, so I put it on my wishlist at PBS.

>164 msf59: I literally just sent you a message saying that it looks like I will finish the book tomorrow, Mark. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying Dear Edward too!

>161 alcottacre: No. No! NO!! NO!!! I hate to hear that the scourge is back so soon. I'll hope that it's doing its worst now so that you can be free to cruise.

Add me to the list of Longbourn lovers. Take care of yoruself!

>166 LizzieD: Yeah, it is back. I was in bed early again last night, although up earlier this morning than I was yesterday. I just hope that it is gone for Christmas.

Thank you, Peggy, I am trying!

Finished this afternoon:

320 - The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng - As soon as I heard that Eng had a new book coming out, I knew I had to read it. And then it was on the Booker Longlist. And then I heard about Somerset Maugham being in the book. And then Mark proposed a shared read. I was not in any shape or form disappointed in this book. I have read all 3 of the books that Eng has published and have loved them all. As I have said before, he is an author who, to me at any rate, is meant to be savored. The House of Doors is set in the China of 1910 and 1921, for the most part. This book has multiple timelines and dual narrators, one of whom is Maugham - and it seems to me that Maugham works in this book as he does in some of his own. He is there as an observer, a foil for the observed. The book is not about him. Really, I did not feel that the book was even so much about the characters at all. The book was about double lives and about saving face. Maugham is married, but is a homosexual - he is living a double life. Robert, the husband of Lesley (the other narrator) is married, but he is a homosexual. These men are almost required to marry, but that does not keep them from leading double lives. Lesley, the wife of Robert, turns to a Chinese lover when she finds out about Robert's affair with another man. The most tragic story in the book, that of Ethel, who is forced to kill her ex-lover by her husband and her father, is doing so to save their faces. The way that Eng intertwines all of these stories and makes them work is remarkable; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

>168 alcottacre: All the YAY! *smooch* for a hasty retreat of the &&$&*_*_)&%$ CFS.

Here's the Christmas readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356094

>170 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver!

Happy Friday, Stasia. Good review of The House of Doors. I will finish the novel shortly. You mentioned reading Maugham next year. I would be up for that too, since I have read very little of him. I do not own any of his work but would be up for The Razor's Edge & The Painted Veil as starters. I am also curious about his short stories.

The 2024 group is up!

https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/24188/75-Books-Challenge-for-2024

>172 msf59: I can lay my hands on The Painted Veil right now, Mark, but I will have to find my copy of The Razor's Edge (the first Maugham I ever read!) which is around here somewhere. I have an old, battered paperback of a collection of Maugham's short stories, but he wrote so many that I am not sure any two volumes are identical.

>173 drneutron: Wow, Jim! I was not expecting that for a while yet. I will be over when it is actually 2024.

Kerry is off work today and he and I have been playing board games this morning. I am not sure how much I will be around today, if any at all. I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!

>174 alcottacre: I'm going to be out of town visiting the son and daughter-in-law, so decided to make it a bit earlier than usual. Join when you're ready!

Happy holidays, Stasia! I hope you, Kerry, and the rest of your family have a sweet and peaceful season. :)

>168 alcottacre: Clapping. I'm almost tempted to reread it again this year, though I'm almost tempted to reread The Garden of Evening Mists again in the same year I read it first time too. Not many writers you want you do that with.

*smooch* for a lovely, fun Friday being had.

I made it to Kansas and have been baking and cooking and trying to get things into a routine for my mother. She is at home, and two days in I had to tell her that I am not a nurse's aide or a servant. It was a hard thing to do, but I figured that the situation would only get worse the longer it went on. My main job now is getting her to eat. She has lost so much weight that she is very weak physically. It is going to be a hard 60 days and then the evaluation time after. It is looking more and more like she is going to have to rethink staying at home. A total care facility is probably what we are looking at, but who knows, being at home may be a stimulant for her. I have enjoyed doing all the baking and cooking for our holiday's but we did cut back on the number of people we are giving baked goods to for Christmas this year.

>180 benitastrnad: That's tough, Benita. Hoping your holidays are peaceful and warm and wishing your strength with your Mom's situation.

>176 drneutron: Will do!

>177 PlatinumWarlock: Happy holidays to you as well, Lavinia!

>178 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline. If you ever decide to do a re-read of Eng's work, please let me know. I will happily join you!

>179 richardderus: Thank you, RD. Unfortunately my CFS is rearing its ugly head again - I was in bed for 12+ hours again last night. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate sleeping??

>180 benitastrnad: Benita, I am sorry that you are having problems getting your mother to eat. I know that Peggy is going through the same thing. I hope that, despite the circumstances, you enjoy your Christmas with your family.

Finished today:

321 - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - An annual favorite for me. When I was home schooling Beth and Catey, we listened to this on audio every year and that is the way that I chose to "read" the book this year. I have the Recorded Books version with Frank Muller (who sadly passed away several years ago) as the narrator and he does a wonderful job of making all of the characters come to life; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Mine

I am sorry I have not been around more, but between Kerry being home and my CFS causing me issues again, time has been limited. I did get Kerry's Christmas fudge made today, but that is about it for Christmas cooking until tomorrow when we will have our traditional Christmas dinner. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Happy Holidays Stasia. May it be a blessed time and wishing you good health. I think you're traveling next year so good travels to you and Kerry.

>183 alcottacre: I hope you have a wonderful holiday and that the CFS disappears as quickly as it came.

>184 Kristelh: We are traveling in January, Kristel, to Florida where we are going to depart from on a cruise to celebrate his retirement. I hope you have a wonderful holiday with you and yours!

>185 figsfromthistle: Thank you so much, Anita.

Finished tonight (while watching Christmas movies, lol):

322 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - There has been a lot of buzz in the group about Baldree's books and now, having read one, I can see why. I very much enjoyed this story of Viv, a retired goblin warrior, who decides to open (of all things) a coffee bar. She is completely unprepared, knowing nothing of running a business, but manages to get the business off the ground thanks to the help of some new found friends. This world is fully of different creatures - is that multicultural or multicreatural? - including some that I would not care to run into in a dark alley - but Viv seems to get along with them all (with one exception). Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when Viv's new business is burned to the ground thanks to one of her old "friends." Will Viv survive this?; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Merry Christmas, Stasia! I used to read A Christmas Carol every Christmas when I was younger, but have not done so lately. I hope you have purchased all your books until the big retirement date. I hope your CFS has eased off.

>186 alcottacre:
AH!! a cruise. That sounds nice. Where to?

Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda i ti!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!

>188 vancouverdeb: No, the CFS has not eased off, Deborah, but thank you. I still have more books coming yet, but am done purchasing, I think. I have a couple of pre-orders that will be coming in the new year.

>189 benitastrnad: There are various ports-of-call on the cruise, Benita, but the Bahamas and Jamaica are the highlights.

>190 SandDune: Thank you so much, Rhian! I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season!

Well, today is my Sundays are my traditional "day off" technology and today is not going to be an exception. Kerry and I have games to play, football to watch, and if I am lucky, I may even get a book finished :)

I hope you all have a lovely Sunday!

Merry Christmas, Stasia. Have a lovely holiday with the family. I can't wait to open my packages tomorrow morning. ❤️

Have a wonderful holiday!

>192 msf59: Thank you, Mark. I sure hope you enjoy your packages!

>193 torontoc: Thank you, Cyrel!

>194 ronincats: Thank you so much, Roni!

Finished this afternoon:

323 - A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel - Nonfiction; The English title to this book is misleading - the lady who wrote the book did indeed (with her husband, who rates no mention in it by the author that I could find) have a bookshop in Berlin, but there is virtually nothing about the bookshop itself or Berlin found in it. Instead we get her real life story of escaping Nazi Germany after Kristallnacht in 1938. She went through a lot trying to escape the Nazis - she was a Polish Jew, so not an "Aryan" by any stretch of Germany's imagination. She never fails to give credit where credit is due and repeatedly thanks the people who looked out for her, who protected her, and who helped her eventually make it to freedom in Switzerland. I do not know, maybe I am jaded by reading too many of these memoirs, but something about the writing style of this one just rubbed me the wrong way. I am not sorry to have read it, but I think that there are better written memoirs out there; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

Hello Stasia. Oh a cruise sounds wonderful. Again hoping the CFS vanishes pronto. It must be so frustrating. Best wishes for Christmas and 2024, especially wonderful reading.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Stasia, and that your CFS disappears right away so you can enjoy your holiday.

Merry Christmas to you and yours Stasia.

Merry Christmas, Stasia!

Thinking about you during the festive season, Stasia.

I hope that 2024 is a better one for us and a bookfilled one certainly, Juana. xx

*smooch* for a happy, healthy 2024, Stasia. Kick CFS's a** this year!

Hi Stasia!

>197 johnsimpson: How cute! Thank you, John. I wish the same for you and Karen!

>198 mdoris: Thank you so much, Mary!

>199 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg. Unfortunately the CFS is hanging on to me. I really wish it would let me go!

>200 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda. Right back at you!

>201 quondame: I love penguins! Thanks, Susan.

>202 PaulCranswick: I hope that 2024 is a better one for us and a bookfilled one certainly Amen to that, brother!

>203 richardderus: Thanks, RD! I am trying to kick the CFS, but it is kicking right back.

Thank you everyone for the lovely holiday wishes! Kerry and I have had a lovely Christmas weekend together. We heard from Beth, Catey, Angel, and Felisha and sent holiday tidings to Reagan and Rayleigh along with their dad, Lang.

Tomorrow is meet up day with Beth and Catey and we are having an extra long one starting early in the morning - assuming I can drag myself out of bed - for a festive holiday meet up!

>205 alcottacre: Great to see that your weekend has been a good one dear lady. Happy Boxing Day upcoming.

>206 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Other than the CFS continuing to dog me, the weekend has been a good one. I hope that the same can be said for yours! Happy Boxing Day to you as well.

>207 alcottacre: It was ok, Stasia. Erni did me proud cooking a lovely roast leg of lamb and I managed to video call with the gang in the UK. Also had a conversation with my father for the first time in a few years as I came to know that he was not feeling too well.

>208 PaulCranswick: I am glad you at least got to touch base with your family via video, Paul. I hope that Pip was cooperative. She does not seem to be overfond of cameras (just like her honorary great aunt, Stasia). Good on you for reaching out to your father. I do hope he feels better soon.

Morning, Stasia. I hope you had a lovely Christmas Day with Kerry and I am sure you will enjoy your time with Beth and Catey today. I am going birding. I am going through withdrawals. 😁

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you, Stasia.

Season's greetings to you and your family, Stasia. Wishing you better health ahead.



I'm about halfway through Polgara at this point and enjoying it.

Sounds like you had a lovely Christmas, Stasia, and hoping you a very happy new year in 2024.

>210 msf59: I understand all about withdrawals, Mark, although mine tend to be board games and books, not birds :)

>211 ChelleBearss: Chelle, it is so good to see you here! I hope you, Nate, and the girls had a wonderful holiday!

>212 AMQS: Thank you, Anne. I hope you and Stelios had a wonderful day as well!

>213 humouress: Thanks, Nina! I hope you continue to enjoy Polgara!

>214 bell7: Thank you so much, Mary!

It was a white Christmas here in Kansas. It was also my parents 69th wedding anniversary and so my mother was a bit down all day long. We spent the day together and even had a few gifts we could share with each other. I am not getting much reading done. Mom's care takes lots of time.

>216 benitastrnad: I join you in not getting much reading done, Benita. My CFS is the cause for me - that and just holiday stuff. I hope you were able to lift up your mother's spirits just by spending time with her.

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. Sorry to hear you are struggling with CFS. I hope you get a break soon. I am enjoying Lucy by the Sea and should finish it soon. I hope you can get to the Lucy Barton stories next year. Strout is one of my favorite authors. She is very consistent.

I’m slowly catching up around here, Stasia. I’m sorry that CFS is still lingering. Your quiet Christmas sounds lovely to me. Ours was a blur of activity and too much food. Ho Ho Ho!

>183 alcottacre: I’m another one who loves my annual reread of A Christmas Carol. This year I was joined by my book group which made it even more meaningful.

A cruise sounds like an excellent way to celebrate Kerry’s retirement. My DH will never retire! He is “only” 79 and still going strong.

>218 msf59: Yeah, it is beyond frustrating at this point, Mark. Most days lately it has been a struggle just to get out of bed, let alone accomplishing anything. Glad to hear that Lucy By the Sea is a good one!

>219 Donna828: Hey, Donna! Nice to see you! That is cool about your book group reading A Christmas Carol together this year! I still love it.

Kerry is 69 and has decided it is time to hang it up. Of course, he has been retiring for about 3 years now, so I was glad to see he was actually going to do it.

Hello there!! Sorry to there the CFS is acting up, but glad to hear that Kerry is actually gonna retire!! Hoping to pop in more in 24! (See how that rhymes?! LOL)

>221 Berly: You talented lady you, with all that rhyming and everything! Happy to see you about, Kim.

Finished this afternoon (yay, I finished a book!)

324 - The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu - Audiobook; This is a book that takes some work, I think, in order to read it. I listened to it on audio, but was very glad that I had a hard copy of the book so that I could refer to the List of Characters because there are quite a few in the book and, not being familiar with Chinese names, it was easy for me to lose track of who was who. The footnotes provided by the translator Ken Liu were also helpful. That being said though, I really enjoyed this highly intertwined story through various timelines and universes. There is a lot covered in this book: politics, interstellar travel, conservation and ecology; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

I may actually get another book finished yet today if I can stay awake. There is absolutely no way I am going to be able to finish all of my remaining TIOLI books. Stupid CFS.

>223 alcottacre: 3BP is a chunk. I liked parts of it, though huge swaths were fanciful baloney, and that the translation was poor - the later books were much better translated & Ken Liu has done better translations.

Stupid CFS indeed. My it begone by 2024 and not plague another year.

Stupid CFS for sure!

>224 quondame: Good to know, Susan. Thanks for the input.

Yeah, my CFS is really driving me crazy this month!

>225 mdoris: Definitely!

Finished tonight:

325 - The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay - This book is touted to be "Macaulay's greatest novel," and if that is the case, count me out from reading any of her others. I enjoyed my read of Pleasure of Ruins, a nonfiction book about Macaulay's travels, but this book just did not work for me. It is almost as if Macaulay could not decide what she wanted to do with it. We have Laurie, who is writing a book with her aunt Dot. Laurie is involved with a married man and is questioning her faith in God, so we have a lot of philosophizing going on in the novel. On the other hand, we have aunt Dot, the intrepid British woman who is going on come hell or high water, and operating as a spy. Is she in there for comic relief? Or perhaps that is the role of the stolid British clergyman, Father Chantry-Pigg, who wants to convert everyone to Anglican, and he is operating as a spy as well. This mish-mash was just a mess, IMHO; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

And now I am off to bed. . .

Here's the New Year's readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356315

Kerry is a little bit older than my husband, who is 67. It will be nice to have them both retire, but it will cramp our book purchases. I'm sorry you are still struggling with the CFS so badly.

>228 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver! I will be in as much as I can.

>229 vancouverdeb: Yeah, I just posted my last hurrah on the 'This Just In' thread. Book purchases will be few and far between next year, although I do have a couple of pre-orders in at this point.

Thanks about the CFS. I am just hoping that it will stop bothering me before we leave on the cruise January 14th.

>227 alcottacre: I read The Towers of Trebizond years ago after seeing it talked up as this wonderful, hilarious book. Beyond "Take my camel, dear," it didn't do much for me either and I've never sought anything else by Rose Macaulay.

>231 AMQS: Yeah, I guess my sense of humor must be misplaced where The Towers are concerned. I did not find it funny or hilarious. I am glad to know I am not the only one, Anne.

I can recommend here nonfiction Pleasure of Ruins.

Kerry is now officially retired. . .

Congratulations to Kerry!

And I hope you have all the resources you need for enjoying his retirement without it taking over your life!

>234 quondame: Thanks, Susan!

Finished tonight:

326 - Displaced Persons by Joseph Berger - Nonfiction; Berger and his family came to the United States after the Holocaust. He was 5 years old at the time and spoke no English - neither did his parents. This book is a true immigrant story of the difficulties of adjusting to a completely new way of life after having been born in Russia, moved to Poland into a DP (displaced persons) camp, and then immigrating. Some of the book is hard to read, especially the journal entries of his mother about her loved ones who all perished. Berger relates not only his own difficulties but those of his parents as well; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

"The Jewish refugees had to deal with the questions that never ceased haunting them: Why did they survive and not their parents or brothers and sisters? Who was this God who closed His eyes to such suffering? What was His purpose in having them survive? They also had to cope with their children's questions about the horrors and humiliations of the war and with the children's shame at having parents with coagulated accents who were unfamiliar with baseball and pizza and seemed to have an inexhaustible well of grief."

Congratulations Kerry and hoping you enjoy it as much as I do!

>237 mdoris: I passed your message along to him, Mary!

Finished tonight:

327 - My Dateless Diary by R.K. Narayan - Nonfiction; I enjoyed Narayan's travelogue of his first visit to the U.S., which is basically a string of anecdotes threaded together in book form. He meets famous people, but I never felt like he was name-dropping but rather telling things as they happened to him; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

I am heading to bed before I fall over. . .

Congratulations to Kerry on his retirement. I hope your two enjoy your cruise.

Hope you made it safely to bed!! Congrats to Kerry (and you) on his Retirement! You finished two books tonight and you've read almost a book a day!! Blow me away. : )

Wow, congratulations!

Morning, Stasia! Congrats to Kerry! That is awesome. I am sorry to hear you are still struggling, my friend. Sending you healing, comforting vibes.

Congrats to Kerry on his retirement! Hope you both enjoy it tremendously.

>240 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel!

>241 Berly: I did make it safely to bed, thanks Kim. I will pass your congrats on to Kerry!

>242 AMQS: Thanks, Anne!

>243 msf59: I will pass on the awesomeness, Mark. Yeah, the CFS just will not leave me alone. I think I have had 9 days the entire month where it did not dog me. I want it gone before we leave on the cruise!!

>244 bell7: Thanks, Mary!

Well, I have been busily deleting books from my TIOLI reads from December as there is no way I can complete them. I am hopeful of finishing 2 yet. We will see how that goes. I can already feel a nap coming on for today. *sigh*

Welcome to the world of the retired, Kerry!! It's a wonderful place to be :)

>227 alcottacre: Hmm I read a few pages of this last year and gave up Stasia. We have one of her other books on our RL book group list for 2024, and may give it a miss.

>247 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba!

>248 Caroline_McElwee: I do not blame you for giving up on it, Caroline. I am kind of sorry for sticking with it myself since I had so many other TIOLI books to read for this month. I would be curious to know what you are reading of hers next year?

Kerry says to tell everyone "Thank you all very much!" for the retirement wishes and good thoughts.

Finished this evening:

328 - Lena by Jacqueline Woodson - Young Adult; This is a direct sequel to another book that I read earlier this year, I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This, and I think it is inferior in every possible way. The story is not nearly as strong and the word 'hackneyed' could apply to the second part of the book. In this book, Lena and her younger, gifted sister, Dion, have run away from their abusive father. They are hitchhiking back to where their deceased mother hailed from in the hopes that they can find some family there, so they are accepting rides from strangers and lying their way from Ohio to Kentucky. Lena dearly misses her friend, Marie, but does not want Marie to know where they are or where they are going. However, once they (Lena and Dion) get picked up by a kindly older lady, Lena calls Marie to let her know that the sisters are OK. Marie begs them to come back because her father has reformed and now wants the sisters to come live with them (the "happily ever after" is understood). Part of what made the first book so good is the friendship that developed between Marie, who is black, and Lena, who is white, at a time when such friendships were just not the done thing. It tackles racism in an understated manner. There is no such strong storyline in this one; Guardedly Recommended - and only if you have read the first book and are a completionist, like me (3.5 stars) Mine

>250 alcottacre: That's too bad - usually Jacqueline Woodson is a sure thing. My local library system is bringing Jacqueline Woodson to visit in April, and they are partnering with my school district to host her because the library doesn't have a space big enough. She's speaking at a high school and they're trying to work out how to stream to other schools.

>251 AMQS: Yeah, I was disappointed in the book to say the least. Cool about your library system getting her to head your way! I hope you get to see her!

>249 alcottacre: The World my Wilderness Stasia.

>253 Caroline_McElwee: Peggy recommended that one to me after we finished reading Macaulay's Pleasure of Ruins. I picked up a copy and have it around here somewhere.

Finished this evening:

329 - Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree - This book is a prequel to Legends and Lattes, which I enjoyed this month as well. In this one, Viv is off to a rough start in her fighting career, getting badly injured as she and her band of cohorts are chasing after a necromancer and her minions. While recovering from her leg wound, she gets to know the people of Murk, the town in which she is recovering, and develops relationships with Fern, the local bookstore owner - and who encourages Viv to read, and Maylee, the local baker, among others. However, Viv's fighting is not in the past as a mysterious grey man shows up in Murk. . .; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Goodbye, 2023!

>223 alcottacre:
This title has long been on my TBR list. If President Obama read it, I figure that it must have something to say, but I am glad that you also think it has something important to say.

>232 alcottacre:
Darn. I have this book - purchased it as full price in a book store, and with both of you not enthusiastic about it I guess I don't have to put it on the 2024 TBR list.

>257 benitastrnad: I hope you like The Three-Body Problem when you get to it, Benita!

>258 benitastrnad: YMMV, but I did not find what is supposed to be a funny book all that funny.