Mark's Reading Place: Chapter Fifteen

-"Solitude" David Lorenz Winston



-Scissor Swallowtail- Rio Grande Valley TX

“We need the tonic of wildness... At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

"The play of shine and shade on the trees as the supple boughs wag,
The delight alone or in the rush of the streets, or along the fields and hillsides,
The feeling of health . . . . the full-noon trill . . . . the song of me rising from bed
and meeting the sun..."

-Leaves of Grass- Whitman

Audiobook:



Graphic/Comic:



August:

77- Old God's Time by Barry Sebastian 4.6 (audio)
78- Chain-gang All-stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 4.2 stars
79- 100 Poems That Matter by The Academy of American Poets 3.7 stars P
80- The Colony by Audrey Magee 5 stars w/Stasia
81- A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan 4.3 stars (audio)
82- Dinosaurs: A Novel by Lydia Millet 4 stars
83- The Last Ranger by Peter Heller 4 stars (audio)
84- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride 4.6 stars
85- The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson 3.2 stars
86- Trespasses: A Novel by Louise Kennedy 4.2 stars

September:

87- Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel 4.3 stars
88- All Hands on Deck by Will Sofrin 3.8 stars (audio)
89- Juliette by Camille Jourdy 4 stars GN
90- The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng 4.7 stars
91- No Ivy League by Hazel Newlevant 3.5 stars GN
92- Tom Lake by Ann Patchett 4.5 stars
93- Nowhere Girl: A Memoir by Cheryl Diamond 3.8 stars (audio)
94- Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, 1) by Rebecca Yarros 3.8 stars
95- Eyes of the Rigel by Roy Jacobsen 3.7 stars E
96- The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir by Wayétu Moore 3.5 stars (audio)
97- Night and Dana by Anya Davidson 4 stars GN

October:

98- The Singapore Grip (Empire Trilogy) by J.G. Farrell 4.6 stars w/Benita
99- This Other Eden by Paul Harding 4.7 stars
100- Almost an Elegy: Selected Poems by Linda Pastan 4.8 stars P
101- Funny Things: Charles M. Schulz by Luca Debus 4 stars GN
102- The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade 4 stars (audio)
103- Skippy Dies by Paul Murray 4.5 stars
104- Our Strangers: Stories by Lydia Davis 3.7 stars E
105- In the Morning I'll Be Gone (3) by Adrian McKinty 4 stars (audio)
106- How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair 4.3 stars
107- Clementine: Book One by Tillie Walden 3.8 stars GN
108- The Body Lies by Jo Baker 3.7 stars (audio)
109- A Wing and a Prayer by Anders & Bev Gyllenhaal 4.6 stars
110- Tell Me Everything: The Story of a PI by Erika Krouse 4.3 stars (audio)
111- Chenneville by Paulette Jiles 4.2 stars

November:

112- Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris 4.6 stars
113- The Killer Vol: 1-4 by Jacamon & Matz 4 stars GN
114- Gap Creek by Robert Morgan 3.7 stars
115- The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 4 stars (audio)
116- The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl 4.3 stars
117- The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott by Zoe Thorogood 4 stars GN
118- Hiroshima by John Hersey 4.5 stars (audio)
119- Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward 3.2 stars
120- The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín 4.3 stars
121- Crude: A Memoir by Pablo Fajardo 5 stars GN
122- Prophet Song by Paul Lynch 4.8 stars
123- Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea 4.2 stars (audio)
124- Roaming by Jillian Tamaki 3.5 stars GN
125- Gun, with Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem 4 stars
126- Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up by Lesley M.M. Blume 4.2 stars (audio)

December:

127- The Secret Wisdom of Nature by Peter Wohlleben 3.6 stars
128- A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll 3.5 stars GN
129- The Window Seat by Aminatta Forna 4 stars (audio)
130- Life Among Giants by Bill Roorbach 4.2 stars
131- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 4 stars
132- From From: Poems by Monica Youn 4.5 stars P
133- Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 1 by Jc Deveney/Haruki Murakami 4 stars GN
134- The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng 4.5 stars
135- Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano 3.7 stars (audio)
136- Orbital by Samantha Harvey 4.6 stars E
137- Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout 4 stars E
138- Tabula Rasa: Vol 1 by John McPhee 3.7 stars (audio)
139- Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh 3.6 stars

P: Poetry
GN: Graphic Novel
E: e-reader

^ I was able to do some shared reading, this past year, with a few of my book buddies and I really enjoyed it. I would like this to continue through 2023. Primarily, I would like to read books off shelf, but I am still catching up with a few titles that I missed in the past year. I also would like to do a few rereads. I will list some titles and if you are interested, we will set a firm date.

The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst w/ Jeff, Benita June
East of Eden w/Linda P, Lynda, Meg, Paul, Anita, Susan- July
The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng w/Donna, Caroline, Rhonda September
The Singapore Grip w/Benita September
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray w/Stasia, Benita, Anita, Ellen?? October
Gap Creek w/ Judy, Benita November
The House of Doors w/Ellen, Stasia December

2024

One Hundred Years of Solitude January
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang mid-Jan w/Stasia
The Bee Sting w/Judy Feb
Summer by Ali Smith with Anita?
The Sparrow reread w/Stasia March
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle reread w/Joe?

Letter to the Person Who Carved His Initials into the Oldest Living Longleaf Pine in North America

Tell me what it’s like to live without

curiosity, without awe. To sail

on clear water, rolling your eyes

at the kelp reefs swaying

beneath you, ignoring the flicker

of mermaid scales in the mist,

looking at the world and feeling

only boredom. To stand

on the precipice of some wild valley,

the eagles circling, a herd of caribou

booming below, and to yawn

with indifference. To discover

something primordial and holy.

To have the smell of the earth

welcome you to everywhere.

To take it all in and then,

to reach for your knife.

- by Matthew Olzmann

Hello?? Great Horned Owl chicks.

Happy new thread, Mark!

What a beautiful topper you found. The tree is majestic, and the snow and golden glow add to that.

And Jack pictures are always fun :-)

Happy new thread!

^I had a great Meet Up with Joe yesterday. We had eats & brews at our favorite lunch spot and then hit a couple breweries near his home in the Lincoln Park area. A full afternoon with my buddy. As a bonus, he lent me copies of both The House of Doors & Lessons in Chemistry. I will be reading both this month.

>9 msf59: Sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon!

Happy new thread, Mark! Nice to see the pic of you and Joe.

>7 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. I know that winter photograph is a popular one but I think it is beautiful and captures winter very well.

>8 figsfromthistle: >10 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. We had a fine time.

>11 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. I am glad we are able to get together a few times a year.

Happy new thread, Mark. That topper is gorgeous. I have that very photo on a card I once bought to send, but kept because I wanted to be able to look at it more than just once!

Happy new thread, Mark! Glad you and Joe had such a great meetup. I'll be getting a copy of The House of Doors from the library when I go back to work today, so hopefully will be able to join you & Stasia in reading it.

Happy new one, buddy.

>1 msf59: That is such an austere opener!

‘Morning, Mark! Happy new thread.

>1 msf59: I especially love the first photo.

>2 msf59: Sweet pics of the boy, and of course the one with him looking at a book makes my heart happy.

>9 msf59: Excellent pic of you both. And Lessons in Chemistry is fantastic. A 5* read for me, and now I have 11 of them in my catalog. You know how stingy I am with stars.

>5 msf59: yes

And a great picture of you and Joe.

New 🧵 orisons, Birddude.

Wow, great toppers on the new thread, Mark. Have a good week!

>9 msf59: How come you guys keep having meet ups and not inviting me? Lol

Lessons in Chemistry is a great read. I hope you enjoy it, Mark. Looking forward to The House of Doors with you.

Have a marvelous Monday, Mark!

>13 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. That "Solitude" photograph never gets old, especially in the winter months.

>14 bell7: Thanks, Mary. Meet Ups are the best. I hope you can join us with The House of Doors.

>16 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. Hooray for bookish Jack. Glad to hear you gave Lessons in Chemistry the full boat. 😁

>15 PaulCranswick: >17 ffortsa: >18 richardderus: >19 kac522: Thanks, Paul, Judy, RD & Kathy.

Happy new thread, Mark!

Happy new thread Mark!

Happy new thread, Mark! I fell behind on the last one. I like all your pictures, and it's nice to see your meet-up with Joe.

>20 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. We would love for you to join us one of these days. I am hoping we get a chance for a Meet Up somewhere...someday. Fingers crossed. Glad to hear that you are also a fan of Lessons in Chemistry.

>22 drneutron: >23 quondame: Thanks, Jim & Susan.

>24 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene. Glad you like the pics. I am very fortunate that Joe & I are able to get together a few times a year. Always a pleasure.

-Bill Bramhall

122- Prophet Song by Paul Lynch 4.8 stars

“the world is always ending over and over again in one place but not another and that the end of the world is always a local event, it comes to your country and visits your town and knocks on the door of your house and becomes to others but some distant warning, a brief report on the news, an echo of events that has passed into folklore,”

We are living in turbulent times and it seems at times to be spinning out of control. It is just not here in the states but warning drums are sounding across the globe. In his brilliant, prophetic novel, Mr Lynch captures a terrifying near-future, where his homeland of Ireland falls into the ugly grip of a totalitarian state. The story revolves around one family, especially the mother, who tries desperately to shield her family from the coming storm. A devastating but important read.
Worthy of the Booker Prize.

*Deb kindly passed her copy of Prophet Song along to me. I would like to keep it going. PM me.

126- Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up by Lesley M.M. Blume 4.2 stars

"New York Times bestselling author Lesley M.M. Blume reveals how one courageous American reporter uncovered one of the deadliest cover-ups of the 20th century—the true effects of the atom bomb—potentially saving millions of lives."

It took me decades to finally read the classic Hiroshima, which I recently finished but once I heard about Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World, I jumped on it. Very well-written and reported. A perfect companion piece to John Hersey’s classic book.

* A big shout-out to Lisa for recommending this one.

Greetings from eastern Massachusetts. Taking a few days off for family. Expect to be back home Thursday. Glad you started this new thread. Hope it won't run rampant until I get back.

>28 msf59: Early this year, someone hit me with a BB for Hiroshima Diary. Now this one looks like a good companion volume to that, so on the TBR list it goes! Whenever I get around to these, I need to go back and re-read Hiroshima first.

Happy new thread, Mark. Great pictures of your sidekick and the two guys in the brewery.

>29 weird_O: Howdy, Bill. Always good to see you. I hope you are having a nice time with the family in Mass.

>30 atozgrl: Hi, Irene. Lots of Hiroshima BBs hurling around. I hope you can reread Hiroshima before you start the others. It is short but masterful.

>31 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Good times with Mr. Joe.

Hi Mark, and happy Tuesday to you.

>26 msf59: I love it. The vote was interesting - 105 Republicans voted for the ouster, 2 Democrats did, but otherwise everybody followed party lines.

Lots of birds flitting around the Crepe Myrtle this a.m. I just had a Carolina Chickadee perch on the support pole for the suet feeder, then a Downy actually on the suet feeder, and lots and lots of Cardinals.

>28 msf59: I'm glad you liked Fallout, Mark. It added a lot to my appreciation for Hershey's book and the author himself.

>30 atozgrl: I read Hiroshima Diary earlier this year and thought it was excellent as well. It's what led me to Fallout. I was astonished to learn that doctors were not allowed to write about radiation sickness even in medical journals due to American censorship by the occupation force. Insane.

>33 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. I haven't even had a chance to check out my feeders. I will soon...

>34 labfs39: Thanks for putting Fallout on my radar, Lisa. Otherwise, it would have escaped me. I will add Hiroshima Diary to my hefty TBR.

"In this elegantly rendered and wide-ranging collection of new and previously published essays, Forna writes intimately about displacement, trauma and memory, love, and how we coexist and encroach on the non-human world."

I have enjoyed three of Forna's novels, including The Memory of Love & Happiness and when I heard that she had a memoir out that was earning favorable reviews, I decided to grab The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion on audio. I started it today and I really like her writing.

Happy New Thread, Mark. I love the toppers. I need me some Solitude! Haha.

>9 msf59: Look at those smiling faces! It makes me happy to see two of my favorite people enjoying each other's company.

>127 richardderus: I have Prophet Song waiting for me at the library. I hope to get to it this weekend if life cooperates.

>37 Donna828: Thanks, Donna. Good to see you. I hope we can share some smiles during a Meet Up. We are WAY OVER DUE!

Looking forward to your thoughts on Prophet Song. Man, it is a good one.

"An exploration of lives touched by greatness and tragedy in equal measure, Roorbach’s latest novel traces towering Princeton graduate and NFL player–cum–restaurateur David “Lizard” Hochmeyer in his attempt to unravel the tangled conspiracy behind his parents’ murder in 1970."

Thanks to this month's AlphaKit: R, I was finally nudged into plucking Life Among Giants off shelf. It has been languishing there for a decade. Roorbach was one of the terrific authors at Bootopia Petoskey, 2013, where I picked up this novel. In my weak defense, I did read an earlier novel of his before the event and a story collection of his afterwards. I enjoyed both. Still no excuse...I just dipped into it today.

>9 msf59: Mark and Joe, that sure looks fun to get together. Thanks for sharing the photo! Great food, beer and books, you can't beat that!

Hershey's Hiroshima was required in my High School English class. That was back in the 1970's and I am not sure that this short book would be on a required list for high schoolers today due to the Book Banning programs currently in vogue in many school districts. I remember our English teacher telling us about the undercover reporting that Hershey had to do to gather the facts and how brave the editors of the New Yorker were for publishing it.

I had a strange encounter today that tags along with Hiroshima. I have started going to a needlework group meeting at our local public library. Today a woman in the group asked all of us what we think about what is going on in Israel and Gaza. The group was overwhelmingly in support of Israel and all of the reasons given were Biblical. Finally, I said, that it is war and I find it interesting that Americans are shocked by the numbers of civilian causalities. Civilian causalities are nothing new in warfare. It is estimated that the Thirty Years War cost the German states 1/3 of its population. One of the women said that was different it was in olden times. I said that Americans didn't gather in the streets and march when the American and British Air Forces caused an untold number of causalities in Dresden in 1945, or Hamburg in 1943, or Tokyo in 1944. I didn't get to Hiroshima before one of the ladies said that was different, "We were going after the bad guys!" I didn't say another word to the group. I sat there and knitted and complained that I had too many stitches on my needle and my pattern wasn't coming out correctly. But I did think, that who are the bad guys depends on which side of the bomb you are on.

Whew! I finally have caught up here, Mark. As always you are reading some interesting books. I am going to the hospital tomorrow for another session of intravenous iron and I am hoping that it helps to perk me up a bit and keep me awake for longer periods of time.

>40 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I always look forward to my visits with Joe.

>41 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. I am assuming you are back home? Good points about Hiroshima. It should be required reading but you are probably correct- it might get banned in today's unsettling environment. You are also spot on about civilian casualties. I am sure there were also huge numbers killed while we tried to firebomb Japan into submission, before using the big ones. I hope your knitting group sticks with stitching. 😁

>42 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. Good to see you. Glad you got caught up and good luck with your next procedure.

‘Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you.

>39 msf59: So cool to have met the author and have a signed copy of his book. Better late than never to read it, right?

>41 benitastrnad: Benita, I have a Christian friend who I absolutely cannot talk to about this because of their unwavering support of Israel at the expense of Palestinian rights. Apparently it’s okay to support Judaism but not Islam, which is also an Abrahamic religion. You were wise to just continue knitting. You cannot change that type of brainwashing.

>44 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. I remember Roorbach being a very engaging speaker too. I sure miss Booktopia. They are still having it in Vermont, once a year but it is expensive to get there for just a long weekend. Hopefully, I can pull it off one of these days.

Enjoy the prep for Cozumel, Mark. Any wished-for Lifers on your list of hunted-down birbs?

Hi Mark! Hope you have a great trip to Cozumel. We stopped there on my one and only cruise (never doing that torture again) and it was beautiful. I'm heading to Mexico City with my daughter for a few days of being tourists. Safe travels!

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday, Mark!

>46 richardderus: Thanks, RD. Currently I have 20 Lifer birds that I hope to see in Cozumel, including these 2:



-Bright-rumped Attila



-Mangrove Cuckoo

>47 vivians: Thanks, Vivian. We are not fans of the "cruise" either, although we loved our Alaskan cruise adventure. Looking forward to spending a week on Cozumel.

>48 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. It has been a good one.

>9 msf59: Glad to see you had a meet up Joe again, Mark.
Always good to see you together. I came to your thread early, just befor you posted the picture.

>41 benitastrnad: But I did think, that who are the bad guys depends on which side of the bomb you are on.
Spot on, and history is written by the winners.

>51 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I enjoy my visits with Joe. Good point about the "bad guys".

We have been to Cancun twice and both times I have pointed to the island, hunched down on the horizon and stated that I want to go there. Well, we are going on Saturday for a full week. Day temps will be low to mid 80s. Night temps low 70s. Perfecto. Of course, I plan on getting some birding in, which will probably involve getting a guide for at least one day but I am hoping there are areas at and around the resort, where I can wander and gape. Currently, I have 20 Lifer target birds, including 3 or 4 that are endemic (only found in Cozumel).



-Bananaquit

Sweet Thursday, Mark! Have fun in Cozumel!

Love the toppers, and those are a couple of good-looking guys in >9 msf59:. What a lot of fun that was. I can’t believe what a crowd we drew to that last place (Begyle).

After your persuasive warbling, I’m about to start Tom Lake.

Debbi comes home tomorrow, so there’s a kegger tonight if you can make it. Only the finest craft kegs, of course.

>54 jnwelch: Sweet Thursday, Joe. Great to see you over here. It made my day. Of course, I really enjoyed my visit with you and you are right about us attracting a crowd at Begyle Brewing. You might have thought Taylor Swift was in the house. 😁

I am so glad to hear you are starting Tom Lake and sorry I will miss tonight's kegger. ☹️

^This beautiful red-tailed hawk visited my backyard yesterday. I think he was just checking on my feeders. Of course, everything fled in a flurry of feathers and squirrel fur. He eventually got bored and took off.

Have a great getaway, Mark!

>56 msf59: -Gorgeous !

>56 msf59: Wow! Terrific picture, Mark!

Karen O

>56 msf59:. Woo! Love the photo!

>53 msf59: Enjoy your week in Cozumel, Mark.
I hope you get to see your target birds :-)

>56 msf59: Beautiful bird and beautiful picture!

>56 msf59: A very stately guest!

>56 msf59: Wow! But I can imagine all those birds taking cover seeing him.

Have fun and lots of birds in Cozumel.

>57 jessibud2: >58 klobrien2: Thanks, Shelley & Karen.

>59 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. Enjoying your last quiet night? 😁

>60 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Hoping to hit all those target birds and a couple surprise birds.

>61 quondame: >62 EllaTim: Thanks, Susan & Ella! Sweet Thursday to you both!

-Bill Day

>49 msf59: Have a great trip. Have fun crossing some lifers off your list.

Enjoy your holiday in Cozumel, Mark. I hope you see lots of lifers.

>65 figsfromthistle: >66 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Anita & Deb. Hoping to see some good birds on this trip, with pics too.

Song of the Blue Ridge Mountains

In the south we gather like thunderheads: urgent & heavy: make friends in every room: blue jeans stain on the walls: I kiss many lovers & not lovers: thumb blackberries from the ravine into our purpled mouths: at night I walk into dark places with strangers: part tall grasses buoyant: the first year we flock from one lit-up house to another looking for a place to put down our coats: dunk plastic cups into plastic bins: dance in basements on tables inside outside clothed unclothed: my worry a hopelessly blue sky: sweat in all the crevices: we help draft texts & laugh & cry uncontrollably: walk a ring at dusk waiting for the sky to turn: the green magic: it’s easy to fall in love here drunk on the hills: trespassing: the years feel boundless so we fill them up: drop a stone & wait for beauty: tongues & two-story beer bongs & new piercings: loneliness first nature: the one party with the sometimes lover his bone through skin: hands down low-waisted jeans: losing IDs wallets underwear each other: leaving: getting left behind: the sky stains our fingers: we get on our knees for mango bombs climb to the top of the pines: touch sap & count tattoos: assess the damage: dick pics & nudes & getting gaslighted to the moon: my panic scatters light waves blue from a distance: everything echoes: driving down the mountains coming down from a person a place: we pee on the side of the road: enamored with the world: this ridge of it: a boy drowned in the quarry but not us

-Susan Nguyenn

‘Morning, Mark! Happy Friday to you.

>56 msf59: Great shot of a beautiful bird. He’s looking right at you.

>64 msf59: Good one.

>69 karenmarie: Happy Friday, Karen. Glad you like the hawk pic & the cartoon.

I know you'll enjoy the weekend-plus ahead, but I doubt me much that reading will enter into it. Travel safely, enjoy Cozumel, and I hope you pick up all the lifers on your list, Birddude.

Have a fantastic Friday, Mark!

Regarding the book-banning activities:

      

Central Bucks is Doylestown, PA. The image was posted on Tumblr yesterday. I think there's a Central Bucks East and a Central Bucks West, separate districts. Don't know which the lady represents. But good on her.

ALSO... I am enjoying the contretemps in FLA about the book banning "hottie" who's been inviting a lady friend into bed with her husband and herself. Talk about preaching what you practice.

>68 msf59: Oh youth!

>73 weird_O: Well, that's done it. And sure ban "deviant" sex - which is what you have a disinclination to indulge in, not what's your thing.

>56 msf59: Beautiful bird and beautiful picture! I'm glad he didn't get any of the birds on the feeders.

I hope you have a great trip to Cozumel!

>71 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. We are looking forward to this trip.

>72 alcottacre: Happy Friday, Stasia. Have a good weekend.

>73 weird_O: Howdy Bill! Hooray for the new Central Bucks president. We NEED more people like her in the school system. I missed the story about the book banning hottie! I will have to seek it out.

>74 quondame: Happy Friday, Susan.

>75 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene. Glad you like the hawk pic. I don't think that birds are a top menu item for a red-tail. I think that belongs to a Cooper's Hawk.

>76 msf59: Yes, and unfortunately we did see a Cooper's Hawk dining on something in our backyard a couple of springs ago. Judging by the feathers we found later, we suspect it was a titmouse. I don't like to see that.

>77 atozgrl: Coop's need to eat too. I see Cooper's Hawks more often in my backward- every few months or so. Have a good weekend, Irene.

Hope you have a great trip, Mark! Can't wait to hear about it and the Lifers you're able to see.

Yesterday I had much more run-of-the-mill birds at the feeder, but I spotted a couple of white-breasted nuthatches and a cardinal nearby.

I wish you and Sue safe travels and a wonderful trip.

>73 weird_O: An update on the school board (hat tip to my brother Tom, who was just sworn in for his final term on the Pottstown school district; he knew where to find details). Central Bucks is the third largest school district in Pennsylvania. It has three high schools: Central Bucks East, Central Bucks West, and CB South. Seven women and two men make up the board. Just trying to be accurate.

Safe travels!

Oh! I wanted to go to Cozumel too but never got back to the Yucatan! Have a wonderful time! Looks like perfect weather. I look forward to seeing pictures.

Buenos Dias, from Cozumel. We are having a fine time. We took the ferry on Sunday to Puerto Morales and spent the night and 2 days bumming around the resorts on the Cancun side. Much more action there. The resort here is pretty sleepy. I don't mind the quietude but Sue likes activities so we will try to make the best of it. We have a bike tour and a snorkeling trip planned.

This is also a key stop for cruise ships so we have a gigantic one parked just a couple hundred yards from us, which definitely blocks our view a bit. The Caribbean Sea is beautiful though.

I am sitting on our balcony, sipping my coffee and watching the choppy, turquoise sea. Grackles and mockingbirds chattering away nearby and pelicans and frigatebirds soaring the cloudy skies. Only one Lifer so far....work in progress.

*pokes head in* Hello? Hi, Mark! And old friends! Just wanted to say hello and get my feet wet again, in hopes of being able to join in again in 2024. Hope you're having a fantastic time in Cozumel, and give Sue a hug from me. I've missed you all!

Hi Mark! Coffee on a balcony sounds heavenly. Good luck on adding to the Lifer list, have fun with the activities.

All the usual suspects on my feeders, and a Black Vulture on the way home from book sort/Virlie's/etc.

>86 msf59: sounds lovey!

>86 msf59: Well, you have to start somewhere and one Lifer is better than none, right? Good luck on spotting more!

>90 alcottacre: ^^^what she said

Happy hunting!

Just stopping by to keep your thread warm, Mark. Enjoy the warm weather.

Enjoy your time seeking the Cool Birds, Mark.

I hope you are enjoying your trip to Cancun, Mark. Soak up that sunshine!

>28 msf59: Thanks for this great review! I'm adding the book to my must read list. I'll look for Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up by Lesley M.M. Blume it and read it as soon as possible.

As always, I love the photos of your lovely grand son! Life is so very happy with grandchildren! And, speaking of happiness, you certainly bring joy, laughter, love and abounding grace to our group! Thank you for being such a wonderful person!

We are back! We got in late last night. Overall, it was a good time. Cozumel and the resort we stayed at were more for kicking back, then enjoying activities, which my wife likes to do. Our affiliated resorts on the mainland, near Puerto Morales, offer much more fun opportunities, during the day and night. Having the cruise ships dock, 4 of them at once, a few hundred yards away, along with the occasional rain and wind were drawbacks too. Our big snorkeling trip was canceled on Friday due to high winds. The snorkeling is one of the main attractions in Cozumel and our resort did offer snorkeling right off the shore. We both enjoyed that. I also enjoyed the birds around the resort and got used to seeing the regulars. I hired a guide on Thursday. More on that later, along with a book report.

I will slowly catch up, here and around the threads, but it will take a few days. Thanks for the visits.

^A view from our balcony, on a windy late afternoon. You can see the ubiquitous cruise ships in the background. I enjoyed watching the birds from this spot as they foraged in these palm trees.



^A rainbow breakfast.

>97 msf59: How well I remember those windy days on the Gulf! Usually a relief, too, because they broke up the humid heat.

The rainbow image is glorious. Lucky shot! Welcome home.

"The year is 1921. Lesley Hamlyn and her husband, Robert, a lawyer and war veteran, are living at Cassowary House on the Straits Settlement of Penang. When “Willie” Somerset Maugham, a famed writer and old friend of Robert's, arrives for an extended visit with his secretary Gerald, the pair threatens a rift that could alter more lives than one."

I have had The House of Doors on my TBR, since the spring, but I really wanted to finally get to The Gift of Rain first. I was able to read that one in September and I loved it and now I am making time to read his latest. I will be doing a shared read with Stasia on this one. If anyone else, would like to join us, come on down. I will start it today, while I am tending to a small mountain of laundry.

>98 richardderus: Happy Sunday, Richard. Thanks for the visits. The temps were fine on Cozumel, (80s during the day, 70s at night) and the humidity levels were decent. The rain and the wind were issues at times. I am thinking that Cozumel being an island, is more vulnérable to these winds but I am just guessing.

>56 msf59: Oh, handsome visitor Mark.

Sorry your trip wasn't quite what you hoped for. Those cruise ships are a menace. I noticed them most in Malta, and was always pleased to be exiting a town before the crowds off them swarmed in.

Hi Mark! Welcome back.

Halftime of the Arsenal game - bird report includes a male Red-Bellied Woodpecker on the suet feeder, many Cardinals, a Tufted Titmouse, and a Chipping Sparrow. Ah, now a female Downy on the suet feeder.

>101 Caroline_McElwee: Happy Sunday, Caroline. Glad you like the hawk pic. We are really not cruise people but it does amaze me how popular they are. When we would wake each morning- 3 to 4 cruise ships would have arrived and were docked. They would all depart, sometime in the evening and this would repeat each day. Wow!

>102 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Thank you so much for your posts while I was off gallivanting in the Caribbean. I appreciate it. I also like hearing the bird report. I will have to tend to all of mine today.

I hope to start making the rounds today...Go Arsenal!! Go Bears!

>97 msf59: Thanks for sharing the pictures, Mark! Glad that you and Sue had a good time and are now home safe and sound.

>99 msf59: Very much looking forward to that one!

Trips are often not quite what we'd like, but getting away is good and getting back can be even better!

>99 msf59: The House of Doors went on my TBR earlier this year but the waiting lists are very long, and the estimates are 8-9 weeks away.

>97 msf59: Welcome back! Looks like you had a wonderful vacation with some much needed R&R!

Glad to see you are back, Mark. Glad you enjoyed your holiday!

Hello, Mark, welcome back! Looks like you had a good trip. I'm stopping by for only a quick visit as we are getting ready to leave town ourselves, as early tomorrow morning as we can manage to get away. We're headed back to Mississippi earlier than planned because my MiL passed away a few days ago. I'll be offline for a while, so I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas. And Happy New Year as well, since we're not sure exactly what day we'll get back.

'Morning, Mark! I hope your day goes well.

Too dark for a bird report, but I had quite a few of the usual suspects yesterday.

>104 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. We made the best of it. Glad we could do a shared read of The House of Doors.

>105 quondame: I agree with you completely, Susan. In regard, to The House of Doors, I was lucky to have an advanced copy. Good luck with your long wait.

>106 figsfromthistle: >107 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Anita & Deb.

>108 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene and very sorry to hear that about your MIL. Have a safe trip and try to have a nice holiday.

>109 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Dark here too but I did tend to my feeders yesterday.

Welcome home, Mark

>111 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. It is nice to be home but not because of the weather. It is darn right chilly here.

Welcome back, Mark. Sorry the vacation wasn't all you had hoped for...

"One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles...And then, tragically, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor."

Dear Edward has been on and off my TBR since it was published in 2020. A few weeks ago, I read a glowing review about the audio edition, narrated by the wonderfully talented Cassandra Campbell. That was the nudge I needed and I just started the audiobook today. There is a TV series based on the novel too. Has anyone checked it out yet?

>113 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. Lessons learned, my friend and we made the best of it. Slowly trying to catch up around here.

>114 msf59: I loved that one when I read it. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Hi Mark, Welcome home! At least it didn't snow, right? :)

Dear Edward was good - enjoy!

>116 alcottacre: Good to know, Stasia. I am enjoying Dear Edward in the early going. Have you read her latest?

>117 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne. No snow in the Caribbean. Whew! Have you watched the Dear Edward series?

-John Darkow

>118 msf59: I have not yet read it, but it is in the BlackHole.

>120 alcottacre: I haven't either and I don't own it but maybe we could read it together sometime next year.

-Snowy Egret. Love those feet.



-Tropical Kingbirds. Many seen, along with grackles and mockingbirds.



-Cozumel Emerald Hummingbird. Lifer. My other Lifer hummer was a Green-breasted Mango.

‘Morning, Mark, and I hope Sue’s doing better today. I hope you can convince her to actually rest the week before Christmas.

>114 msf59: Hmm… it may not be, but it sounds too dark for me right now.

>119 msf59: God help us all… can’t that man just be put in jail or go to criminal hell?

One female Cardinal and a finch. I need to fill the sunflower seed feeder and change out the suet feeder.

edited to add: >122 msf59: Ooh, that Emerald Hummingbird is a stunner. Congrats. Thanks for all the pics.

These are a few of my Cozumel birds. Cozumel, being an island, does not have the numbers or varieties of birds, that can be found on the Mexican mainland. That said, I managed to see about 52 species on the trip, including 11 Lifers. My target list was a bit unrealistic and several that I had on there, are nearly impossible to see.



-Yellow-faced Grassquit. My favorite photo of the bunch. Lifer



-Social Flycatcher



-White-crowned Pigeon. Lifer

>124 msf59: Congratulations on 11 lifers, Mark!
I chuckled at the name 'Social Flycatcher' ;-)

Good morning, Mark. Cheers for a pleasant vacay. That there emerald hummingbird is a knockout. Still reading I am, but Auschwitz? Not exactly seasonal. Hey, but I took a break for some poetry. Ogden Nash, natch! How come did he never garner a Pulitzer?

         

>124 msf59: White-crowned pigeon? I don't think I've ever heard of those, let alone seen one. Eleven lifers is pretty darn good going! How's Sue feeling?

>123 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. Susan doing a bit better but this is going to take a couple more days. Boo to Trump! Hooray for the Emerald hummer!

>125 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I enjoyed seeing the social flycatchers but they were usually hanging out by themselves. LOL.

>126 weird_O: Howdy, Bill. Great to see you. Glad you like the hummer. I will have to stop by and check up on your reading.

>127 richardderus: Hey, RD. I had not heard of the white-crowned pigeon until I started researching my target list. Cool looking birds. Yep, I am happy with 11 Lifers. Getting tougher and tougher for adding new ones.

Sue is a smidge better. Thanks. This one is going to take a few days to shake off.

"My eyes follow the two birds as they drift on the span of their outstretched wings, writing circles over circles on the empty page of sky."

"The brahminy kites were still circling above the islets. The sea was creped in a million ever-shifting creases. In silence they watched the sun slip away, two people bearing witness to the last light of the day depleting from the sky, from the world."

-The House of Doors



-Brahminy Kite (Southeast Asian raptor)



-Hamsa Symbol



-Casuarina Tree

-Ruddy Crake (NMP). One of my favorites. Lifer. Very secretive bird. Hard to photograph. Kudos to my guide.

^A couple of non-bird photos. I am not sure if this is an alligator or caiman. It was on the smaller side.

> Photo just above: How'd you like to be trapped in that body? Yoiks. Not compatible with reading dead-tree books. Thank goodness for audiobooks, huh?

‘Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday to you.

>124 msf59: Wow. 52 species and 11 lifers. That boggles the mind.

>130 msf59: *happy dance for you*

Nary a bird here right now.

>130 msf59: What a gorgeous bird. Can you tell that blue is my favourite colour?

Hi Marc! Eleven Lifers! Well done.
I love that little crake.
>131 msf59: But this one looks like best keep your distance.

It’s chilly here too. When we get to the allotment to feed the birds they start eating even before we have managed to fill the feeder completely.

>132 weird_O: Good observation, Bill. He looks like he would rather lay around and bask in the sun.

>133 karenmarie: Happy Wednesday, Karen and thanks. My birding numbers were decent. Maybe, I just got spoiled with my Texas, Arizona and Costa Rica trips.

>134 mdoris: Hi, Mary. Blue is my favorite color too. Not sure if the Ruddy Crake's head is blue or gray but it definitely looks bluish in the photo.

>135 EllaTim: Hi, Ella and thank you. I was happy with the birds I saw in Mexico. It was cold here early in the week but it looks mild here for the weekend and for the holiday.

-John Darkow

Morning, Mark! Sounds like a great trip all around, and hooray for 11 Lifers.

My feeders have mostly been going to the squirrels lately. Indeed, they have chewed a larger hole out of the feeder and it pours out rather quickly at just the right angle, so I'll have to buy a new feeder if I don't want to go through bird seed at an appalling rate.

I haven't started House of Doors yet, so I'll be well behind you and Stasia, but if I don't get to it this month, I'm hoping to read it in January.

>138 bell7: Morning, Mary. Good to see you. Thanks! I was happy with 11 Lifers, although us birders can get greedy. 😁 Sorry, to hear about your squirrels and feeder. What a hassle and birdseed is at a premium now. My feeders have been very active too, with the usual suspects.

I hope you get to The House of Doors soon. It has been a very good read. The writing is excellent.

>137 msf59: Shameful. Dreadful. Deeply embarrassing.


This, OTOH, made me cackle.

‘Morning, Mark, and sweet Thursday to you!

>140 richardderus: What RD said about >137 msf59:.

I’ve had quite a few bird visitors this morning. Right now I’ve got Cardinals and Finches.

>137 msf59: A sad commentary and unfortunately a true one.

>140 richardderus: I am cackling along with Richard :)

>140 richardderus: I saw that one yesterday, RD. I love Mike Luckovich! Thanks for sharing.

>141 karenmarie: Sweet Thursday, Karen. I tended to my feeders but haven't noticed much activity.

>142 alcottacre: Hi, Stasia. We got to keep cackling to keep from crying these days.

Some great lifers added to your list Mark.

>144 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. I enjoyed my Cozumel birds.

^Okay, I have a shameful confession to make. I have never read One Hundred Years of Solitude. Yes, I can hear the boos and hisses. I have also had this very same hardback edition, from B & N, on shelf for many years. Well, I decided, months ago, to kick off the New Year with this beloved classic. Is there anyone that would like to join me? Is there anyone who also hasn't read it or would be up for a reread? Here is your chance, folks. I will start it right around the first, depending on when I finish my last book of the year.

-Jack Ohman

‘Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you.

>146 msf59: It’s been on my shelves for 5 ½ years, but I won’t promise. I’m supposed to have The Paying Guests read for January 14th book club and haven’t cracked IT yet.

>147 msf59: I read that yesterday – well done Colorado.

A finch and a Cardinal on the feeders, but I saw a Downy on the suet feeder earlier.

Just passing the word... The 2024 group is up!

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

Here's wishing you a joyful and peaceful holiday, Mark! :)

>146 msf59: His Love in the Time of Cholera is one of my all time favorite books, but alas, I haven’t read it yet either.

>147 msf59: Hey, that’s where I live! :) We’ll see what happens.

In case I don’t get back here, Merry Christmas!

>147 msf59: Yippee for the CO Supremes...now let's hope it's catching.

Warm Yule wishes and a happy return of the light.

>148 karenmarie: Happy Friday, Karen. Hooray for Colorado and the many cardinals. I have been seeing a lot of them too. I hope you can join me on One Hundred Years of Solitude. 😁

>149 drneutron: Hooray! Thanks for letting me know, Jim. We apprciate all that you do.

+ =

>150 PlatinumWarlock: Thank you, Lavinia. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas holiday.

>151 Copperskye: Happy Friday, Joanne. I hope I can inspire you to finally read One Hundred Years of Solitude. I also loved Love in the Time of Cholera. Happy Holidays, my friend.

>152 richardderus: Happy Friday, Richard. Hooray for Colorado. Hoping other states follow.

I have read One Hundred Years of Solitude but I haven't read Love in the Time of Cholera. I might try to find that one at the local library and read it instead of One Hundred Years of Solitude. However, I will have to see how it goes with Doc by Mary Doria Russell. I have been wanting to get that one read and it's sequel. I thought a nice quiet Christmas and January would be a good time to get it read.

>146 msf59: I finally got to One Hundred Years of Solitude last August, Mark, so it is way to soon for a reread.
I do have some other by him waiting on the shelves.

>155 benitastrnad: Hey, Benita. Good to see you. I hope you get to Love in the Time of Cholera. I will do a reread of that one, one of these days. I think kicking off the New Year with Doc & Epitaph is a perfect idea. They are wonderful.

>156 FAMeulstee: Happy Saturday, Anita. I hope you enjoyed One Hundred Years of Solitude, once you finally read it.

"A slender novel of epic power, Orbital deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men hurtling through space—not towards the moon or the vast unknown, but around our planet. Profound, contemplative and gorgeous, Orbital is an eloquent meditation on space and a moving elegy to our humanity, environment, and planet."

I don't request many e-galleys but Orbital did catch my attention and based on the first 30 pages or so, I made the right move. Very smart writing. This was published earlier this month.

>157 msf59: Happy Saturday, Mark.
Yes, I did, I gave One Hundred Years of Solitude 4½ stars.
My next will probably be Love in the Time of Cholera.

>159 FAMeulstee: 4 1/2 stars is good enough for me, Anita. I am looking forward to it and I hope you enjoy Love in the Time of Cholera. It's a good one.

Prophet Song will probably be my favorite novel of 2023. It is a book that you will stick with you, long after you close its covers and with the current state of the world, my restless mind keeps returning to this prophetic narrative.

Deb (vancouverdeb) kindly sent me her copy and I would like to keep the love going, so if anyone would like my copy, I would gladly pass it on. PM me.

'Morning, Mark! Happy Christmas Eve Eve.

Has Jackson figured out that this time of year = special foods and presents? Do they have a Christmas Tree for him to reach for ornaments on?

Many Cardinals, a few finches, and a Carolina Chickadee got chased off the wild bird seed feeder by a finch. A Carolina Wren was visiting on the Suet feeder earlier, and I just watched a Downy grab a sunflower seed and zoom off.

Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 1 by Jc Deveney/Haruki Murakami 4 stars GN

They sure know how to market Murakami's work and this graphic novel collection of 4 of his short stories (the first of 3 volumes) is pure genius. I was impressed how beautifully illustrated and well-adapted it was. Now, we have something to tie us over, until his new novel comes out next year.

>162 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. I think Jack is still too young to figure out Christmas and gifts. I think next year will be the big one. They do have a tree but with the dogs knocking into it all the time, I think they wait until last minute to decorate it.

You have some nice activity at your feeders. I just noticed a couple of chickadees.

>153 msf59: Congrats on 75 Mark.

Hi, Mark! Sorry you weren’t able to go out on the snorkeling trip, but I’m sure it was fun nearer shore too. That water is so clear! Too bad about the cruise ships. Sounds like Cozumel is better experienced as a day trip from a resort on the mainland rather than a place to stay the entire week, unless there are resorts away from where the cruise ships dock.

Happy holidays to you and your family. Enjoy the festivities and have fun with Jack!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

>158 msf59: Orbital - I just saw this today on a best of SF list for this year. Added it right to my WL. Glad I wasn't wrong.

>161 msf59: Prophet Song - If no one claimed it, I'd be happy to accept it!

>163 msf59: Manga Stories 1 - Since I'm deep into my Murakami right now, I'm definitely going to look for this one!

>164 msf59: We put the fencing that is used for dog enclosures around the tree. The presents are safe in there as well as the ornaments not being shaken loose.

Hi Mark! Good to see you back, and I hope both you and Sue are feeling 100 %. My family is all well again. Wm and the grandkids came over yesterday and we opened Christmas presents. It was lots of fun with Melissa and Miles as you might imagine. Melissa has just lost her first tooth and I think I surprised both William and Melissa by bringing out some of William's baby teeth that tooth fairly kindly left me as a keepsake. I kidded William that I might turn those teeth in a necklace for myself and he said " weird" . Melissa got $20.00 for her first tooth . The tooth fairy is really upping her gifts , at least for this first tooth. She's going to broke at this rate.

Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda i ti!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!

>165 Caroline_McElwee: Sorry, Caroline. I was referring to the 75 Challenge in 2024, not my book count which is up to 135.

>166 Storeetllr: "Sounds like Cozumel is better experienced as a day trip from a resort on the mainland rather than a place to stay the entire week". I think you nailed there, Mary. The one thing I wish we could have done is the big snorkeling trip. We were just at the mercy of the weather there.

Merry Christmas, my friend.

>167 mahsdad: Merry Christmas Eve, Jeff. Good to see you. Orbital has turned out to be a terrific surprise. I am glad you have added it to the list and are interested in my copy of Prophet Song, which I will try to get out next week. You will also like the Murakami GN.

>168 quondame: Good suggestion, Susan. They don't have much room in their living room, so even a small fence might not fit in that particular area. I will mention it.

>169 vancouverdeb: Happy Christmas Eve, Deb. Sue is doing much better after a tough week. Thanks for asking. I am glad your family is doing better and congrats to Melissa and her missing tooth. 20 bucks? Wow! That is going to get expensive. LOL.

>170 SandDune: Merry Christmas, Rhian.

^The 2024 Jackson Calendar is up and ready. I showed the family the calendar last night. Everyone was very pleased. Good job, Grandpa.

>173 msf59: Nice!

'Afternoon, Mark! Happy Christmas Eve to you and yours.

Yay for the Jackson Calendar.

We're having a quiet day, which is perfect for us. All presents wrapped and under the tree, dinner planned, just a bit of R&R for all of us today.

Finches, a Downy, a Carolina Chickadee. A Bluejay was on the bird bath yesterday afternoon after I cleaned and refilled it. Such is the life of a bird mom.

>173 msf59: Love it!!!

>173 msf59: Oh wonderful! A whole new year enhanced by images of the incomparable one.

>171 msf59: Oops.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, Mark!!

Merry Christmas, Mark!!

Merry Christmas, Mark!

Thinking about you during the festive season, Mark

>175 karenmarie: Merry Christmas, Karen. I hope you are enjoying the holiday. I will have to tend to my feeders today. I didn't get out there yesterday. Poor birdies.

>176 ronincats: Merry Christmas, Roni! I love the image!

>177 Storeetllr: >178 quondame: The calendar has been a big hit, Mary & Susan. "the incomparable one". I love it.

Merry Christmas, Lynda, Linda, Susan and Paul! Have a wonderful holiday.

To all my LT buddies- Have a wonderful and safe holiday! ❤️❤️🦉

>173 msf59:
Such a precious li'l smoochling!

>186 richardderus: Merry Christmas, Richard. Love the image.

^Stasia was my Secret Santa on the Christmas Swap this year and she delivered an absolute bonanza of mostly birdy goodies. I was left speechless, as I opened the packages and completely humbled by her generosity.

What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman
The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
This is a Book for People Who Love Birds by Danielle Belleny
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Wingspan This is a boardgame and has been on and off my WL since it came out a few years ago. Wow!

Merry Christmas, Mark, to you and the family! Hope you're all enjoying a relaxing day today after your trip. Congrats on getting so many Lifers! And wow, Stasia did a great job spoiling you!

Merry Christmas, Mark! I hope you and Sue enjoy your quiet day.

>189 LauraBrook: Wow. A non-LT friend of mine is reading Yellowface, the first I’d heard of it, literally yesterday. And of course I remember the discussions about Wingspan and how hard it was to acquire then. Yay for Stasia! Generous and thoughtful and perfect for you.

>189 LauraBrook: Merry Christmas, Laura. It is so good to see you. I have missed you. Hoping to see you around in 2024. We had a good time in Mexico and it was nice getting those Lifers.

>190 karenmarie: Merry Christmas, Karen. We are enjoying our kick-back holiday. If you want to join us on Yellowface, Stasia and I are reading it mid-Jan. Just sayin'...

It is a White Christmas in our part of Kansas! It rained all day Sunday and the wind blew out of the south like a banshee. The temperature when I got up was 57 degrees F. About noon the wind changed to the north and the temperature began to drop. By ten last night there were snow flurries. When I woke up at 5:30 AM the ground was just starting to turn white. By 8 this morning there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. It is beautiful. With no wind it all stayed on the ground and the trees. It looks just like a Christmas card!

I did some reading, but not much today. I spent about and hour scooping snow off the walks and the deck. It is going to get really cold tonight. We will be opening our gifts tonight and after that I hope to have time to work on Christmas cards and do a bit of reading.

Too bad your trip to Cozumel wasn't what you expected. Better luck next time. Best wishes for a Happy Holiday season, Mark!

>192 benitastrnad: Merry Christmas, Benita. Glad to hear you had a white Christmas, unlike most places in the Midwest. Have a good time with the family and I hope you can get some reading in. Tis the season...

>193 Familyhistorian: Happy Holidays, Meg. We made the best of our Cozumel trip. No regrets.

>188 msf59: What a great secret Santa book haul! The secret Santa book exchange looks like a lot of fun. Perhaps I will participate next year :)

Have fun playing Wingspan.

>195 figsfromthistle: Happy Holidays, Anita. My book haul was from our very own 75 Christmas Swap, not LT's Secret Santa but I hope you can join us there next year. Looking forward to Wingspan.

"As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William. For the next several months, it's just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea."

We were first introduced to Lucy in My Name Is Lucy Barton in 2016 and she has appeared in most of Strout's books, since then, in one form or another. Oh, William focused on her ex-husband. Lucy by the Sea takes place during the Covid shutdown. I am a big fan of Strout and this will be the 9th novel of hers I have read. I will start it today. It should be my last print book of the year.

‘Morning, Mark, and happy Tuesday to you! Enjoy your birding buddies adventure.

>192 benitastrnad: Ooh, Benita, you got a White Christmas. I’m envious.

Let’s see… a Carolina Chickadee on the suet feeder and a female Cardinal on the wild bird seed feeder, along with a Tufted Titmouse. If they could talk, they’d tell me to fill the sunflower seed feeder STAT.

>198 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. I had a good walk with my birding buddies. Not many species but did see a nice group of bluebirds, that put on a show for us, along with a singing Carolina Wren and a perched bald eagle.

Sparrows, housefinch, juncos, chickadees and cardinals at my feeders.

I'm still not getting birds at my feeder, but evidently it's true throughout this area. You might be interested Nature News: Why am I not seeing birds at my bird feeder this year?

>200 labfs39: Happy Holidays, Lisa. Good to see you. Sorry to hear about the lack of birds at your feeders but according to that positive article you shared- it is for a good reason. Hooray for white pine cones! We are not having those issues here. My regular visitors have been feasting: sparrows, juncos, house finch, cardinals, chickadees, doves and downy woodpeckers. It has been a mild winter here too...so far.

My BIL's family recently brought home a beautiful lab puppy. So, on Christmas Eve, while we were celebrating, Jack and Bullet became fast friends. Of course, Jack and his Mom wanted to take that adorable puppy home but that was quickly negated. 😁

Merry Christmas! Love the babe and puppy pictures!

>202 msf59: Two adorables together!

>203 ChelleBearss: Happy Holidays, Chelle. Great to see you, my friend.

>204 mdoris: Yes, indeed, Mary! 😁

>202 msf59: So double darling! And kids doing this have got to be responsible for dog domestication - see puppy, make parent's life impossible until puppy comes home.

>206 quondame: Hooray for double darlings! We would NEVER attempt a puppy these days.

‘Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday to you.

>202 msf59: Uh-oh. Toddlers and baby animals are a fatal combination. Glad that was headed off at the pass. So Sean was the bad guy, eh?

A Tufted Titmouse on the wild bird seed feeder, and one female Cardinal in the Crepe Myrtle.

>208 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. There was no way my BIL's family was going to let that puppy go. LOL. Of course, Bree already has two large dogs.

Hooray for the titmouse! I haven't seen one in awhile.

>202 msf59: Adorable! Jack and Bullet will grow up together and enjoy seeing each other when Jack visits his great-uncle’s house.

>146 msf59: I have tried to read the book twice and have not made it yet. I hope you do better with it than I did!

>158 msf59: Orbital sounds good! I will have to see if I can find a copy.

>161 msf59: I loved it too and wholeheartedly agree that it is a book that will stick with you after you have read it. I kept the love going too - I donated my copy of Prophet Song to my local library so it got some readership there.

>173 msf59: I love the annual Jackson calendar!

>197 msf59: I have yet to read that series by Strout but I need to get to it. Maybe in 2024?

>202 msf59: Oh, how adorable!

Hi, Mark!

Jackson and the pup are adorable! He's at a great age for Christmas - I hope he and his grandparents had a good one!

The snowfall continued yesterday and we ended up with about 5.5 inches of the white stuff. The ground is very warm and it will rapidly melt so I am sitting where I can see it and enjoy the sight for a while.

>202 msf59: Awww, so sweet!

Glad to hear you had a good Christmas. Nice pile of books from Stasia, too! I'll look forward to your thoughts on Yellowface in particular. My mom has Wingspan, and we played a couple of times over the Christmas weekend. It's a fun one.

>210 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary. Hooray for Jack & Bullet! He is definitely a dog fan.

>211 alcottacre: Happy Wednesday, Stasia. Maybe, I will inspire you, once again, to give One Hundred Years of Solitude a try. I am looking forward to it. Orbital was such a nice surprise. I hope you can track a copy down.

Glad you like the calendar and the Jack & Bullet pics. The Lucy Barton books are quick reads. I hope you get to them.

>212 scaifea: Happy Holidays, Amber. Great to see you. Jack did better, understanding Christmas or at least the gift receiving but I think next year will a bigger one for him. He will be nearly 3 1/2.

>213 benitastrnad: It sounds like you are enjoying the calming snowfall, Benita. How is the visit going so far?

>214 bell7: Happy Wednesday, Mary. We had a nice Christmas and I loved my gifts from Stasia. We are planning on reading Yellowface in mid-January. Glad to hear you enjoyed playing "Wingspan". I hope to start practicing soon.

Visit is going to be a long stay. I will be here until late in February. It is clear that my mother is not going to be able to stay at home by herself, so we will be doing some hard thinking and problem solving.

I just set up the new thread for the Nonfiction Challenge for 2024. Here is the link.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356227#n8329829

Come on over and see if you want to join us - or if anything you are reading fits into the monthly topics.

>202 msf59: So sweet, Mark. Two large dogs are not the same as a puppy!

>217 benitastrnad: Good luck with your visit and I hope you can work out everything for your Mom. I starred the Nonfiction thread. I hope to participate.

>218 Familyhistorian: You got that right, Meg. 😁🐶

131- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 4 stars

Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant chemist. If she would have been an adult woman in to 1980s-2000s she would would have been considered top in her field and widely recognized but this was the 50s and 60s and being female did not open many doors. By fortunate circumstances she is able to bring her mastery of chemistry to the art of cooking and stars in a hit cooking show. This novel was a lot of fun and I am glad I got to it.

*The adapted TV show streaming on Apple has been excellent. I highly recommend it.

134- The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng 4.5 stars

“The doors spun slowly in the air, like leaves spiraling in a gentle wind, forever falling, never to touch the earth.”

The year is 1921. Robert and Lesley are living in Penang. The famed writer Somerset Maugham, an old friend of Robert’s from college, requests to stay with them, along with his secretary Gerald. This unexpected visit brings up a lot of surprising issues, both past and present. Eng has become such a reliable writer and he delivers another beautifully written novel, which has also inspired me to read more of Maugham’s work.

135- Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano 3.7 stars

The Adler family have decided to move from Newark to LA. The parents and their two teenage sons board a plane and head across the country. The plane crashes, killing everyone on board but Edward, the youngest Adler. The novel focuses on how the young boy navigates this new world of despair and approaching adulthood. It was an interesting and well-written novel.

*It was also very good on audio.

Hi Mark. Whew! All caught up again. It sounds like your Christmas was Merry! Really cute pictures of Jack and Bullet. I also enjoyed seeing Cozumel and the bird pics. Congrats about 11 lifers but too bad Sue came home not feeling well.

I will be reading The House of Doors early in the new year. I have to wait in line at the library. Ann Napolitano was a new-to-me author this year. Her books are tearjerkers, but I don’t mind being manipulated once in awhile. ;-)

‘Morning, Mark, sweet Thursday to you.

>209 msf59: Two large dogs. Oh, I thought they had one large dog. Definitely NOT time for another dog. Titmice are very regular visitors at this time of year.

>217 benitastrnad: Good luck, Benita, with the ‘hard thinking and problem solving.’ We’ve gone through it with Bill’s Mama and my mother.

>220 msf59: Congrats on 3 complex and interesting-sounding novels. I’ve read Lessons in Chemistry.

I’ve got a female Downy on the suet feeder and a finch on the wild bird seed feeder. That’s all for right now. Oh, a Carolina Chickadee just swooped in, too.

>221 Donna828: Happy Holidays, Donna. Always good to see you. Glad you like all the pics. Sue rebounded over the weekend, so she is at full strength. Looking forward to your thoughts on The House of Doors. Did you read Hello Beautiful?

>222 karenmarie: Sweet Thursday, Karen. Duke is getting old, so I am sure there will be another dog in their future. Thanks for the feeder report. Pretty quiet here...

Look! I am here! : ) Happy holidays to you and yours. >220 msf59: I enjoyed both Lessons in Chemistry and House of Doors. Tempted to watch the first on TV...!

>224 Berly: Kimmers is here! Kimmers is here! Hooray for Kimmers. Happy Holidays, my friend. Not surprised that you also enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry and House of Doors.

^Working diligently on my year end list. Has anyone else started?

You got lots of reading done over the holidays. I just now picked up a book. Great pictures of Jack and the new puppy! As for books of the year, I am working on that.

Hi Mark, it certainly sounds like you had a great Christmas! That puppy and Jack look so cute together! We spent a quiet Christmas and I have been doing lots of reading. I am looking forward to starting my 2024 Category Challenge and have some great books lined up for January although I may have gotten a little carried away!

>202 msf59: That is so adorable, Mark!
How lovely Jack will grow up with a dog on his side. Did Bullet and Juno meet yet?

>227 vancouverdeb: Happy Friday, Deb. Lots of free time in my afternoons, so that is when I have been getting my reading done. Hooray for Jack & Bullet!

>228 DeltaQueen50: Happy Friday, Judy. Glad to hear you had a nice Christmas and that you are getting your Challenges in order for January. I have several on next month's books picked out.

>229 FAMeulstee: Hi, Anita. We did not bring Juno there on Christmas Eve. I am not sure when Juno and Bullet will finally be introduced. It could be some time.

2023 was a fantastic reading year for me. In past years, nonfiction has dominated my lists but this was the year of the novel for me, so trying to narrow it down just to five was a challenge. I missed some potential winners too. The Covenant of Water and The Bee Sting will have to wait for 2024. Funny, I kept thinking I had read Demon Copperhead at the end of last year but I kicked it off in January, so Prophet Song dropped to 2nd place by a nose-hair.

Top Fiction:

1- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
2- Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
3- The Colony by Audrey Magee
4- This Other Eden by Paul Harding
5- The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst

Honorable Mentions (yes, I am cheater): Horse, The Gift of Rain, Tom Lake, Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

Best NF:

Boone: A Biography by Robert Morgan
A Wing and a Prayer by Anders Gyllenhaal
Hiroshima by John Hersey
Fallout by Lesley M.M. Blume

Graphic Novels:

Last on His Feet by Youssef Daoudi
Crude: A Memoir by Pablo Fajardo
Funny Things (Charles Shultz) by Luca Debus

Poetry:

Almost an Elegy by Linda Pastan
From From by Monica Youn

Lastly all my rereads were wonderful:

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Eventide by Kent Haruf
East of Eden by John Steinbeck

‘Morning, Mark! Happy Friday to you.

>226 msf59: Yes, I just spent an hour working on my Best of 2023 message for the end of my last thread of 2023 and first thread of 2024.

>231 msf59: Excellent list, Mark! I also cheated – will have one honorable mention in Fiction.

Lots of bird visitors this a.m. – male Red-Bellied and Downy Woodpeckers on the suet feeder, Carolina Chickadee on the suet feeder, Cardinals, and finches.

Morning, Karen. Glad to hear you are also working on your best of the year list. I will probably start my 2024 thread tomorrow. Hooray for cheaters!

Nice feeder report. Dark here...

>97 msf59: What a lovely vacation! >28 msf59: I'm currently reading Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up by Lesley M.M. Blume. Your review is great!

Hiya, Mark! Nice Best of... list in >231 msf59:. I also really liked This Other Eden, but it would probably not make my top 5 this year. I haven't put together a list yet, though, so we'll see...

>234 Whisper1: Happy Friday, Linda. We had a good time in Mexico. Thanks. I am glad you are also enjoying Fallout. Have you read Hiroshima?

>235 katiekrug: Hi, Katie. So many good books this year, it is hard to pick a top 5. Good luck with it.

136- Orbital by Samantha Harvey 4.6 stars

"Sometimes they look at the earth and could be tempted to roll back all they know to be true, and to believe instead that it sits, this planet, at the centre of everything."

A simple premise: six astronauts and cosmonauts, living and working on the International Space Station. This slim novel captures one day in their unusual lives, as they hurtle through space at 17,000 miles an hour. This might be one of the biggest surprise reads of the year for me. A fascinating meditation on our planet. A moving elegy of our place in the world and the universe. The writing is so smart, profound and contemplative. I was immediately hooked by her hypnotic narrative. Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for supplying me with an advanced copy.

*This could also easily crack my top 10 for this year.

**In case my mini-review doesn't do it's job, I also want to share this beautifully written New Yorker article on Orbital:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/12/25/orbital-samantha-harvey-book-revie...

Hiya Mark! Thought I'd crash your 2023 thread before it's gone. : ) Nice list of Bests up above. I have to work on mine, although I think 5 might be easier than one per month, because I didn't always have a clear winner. We'll see!

>231 msf59: Great list Mark. I can see that i have to knock off a few more.

>238 Berly: Happy New Year, Kimmers! I will have to stop over and see if you completed your best of the year list.

>239 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. It was a great year of reading. Those were just the highlights.

^What a great title! I will have to request I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf!

Morning! Just completed my Best list! : )

>241 msf59: Love it!

>242 Berly: Hooray! I will be by momentarily.

'Morning, Mark! Happy New Year's Eve Eve.

>241 msf59: Friend Karen in Montana got me that book for my birthday in 2021. I haven't read it yet, of course...

Happy Sunday, Karen. I was busy yesterday over on my new thread. I am sure I will see you over there. I look forward to your thoughts on I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf!, whenever that will be. 😁

It would have been difficult to match the sheer quality of November’s reading but I am still happy with the books I read in December. I read 13 titles, with 6 read off shelf, surpassing my goal of 3-4 books OTS. My top reads were The House of Doors and Orbital, which was also one of the year’s best surprises. I am also glad that I finally got to Lessons in Chemistry. We are also enjoying the Apple series.

January reads:

One Hundred Years of Solitude- Marquez
North Woods by Daniel Mason (audiobook)
All the Quiet Places - Brian Thomas Isaac
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang w/ Stasia AlphaKit: Y

'Morning, Mark, and Happy New Year's Eve to you. Congrats on the Jackson Calendar, December reads, and plans for January.

I may read North Woods in January, but I have to get through today to even think about it.

>200 labfs39: I am hopeful that my bird drought may be easing. Yesterday I had a hairy woodpecker, a titmouse, a nuthatch, and a identified species at my feeder, all within 10 minutes. Not much since though...

>247 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Hooray for the 3rd annual Jackson calendar. I plan on starting North Woods next week, on audio. I hope you can join me.

>248 labfs39: Happy New Year, Lisa. Glad you have had some activity at your feeders. I hope it continues. I wish I saw more of the titmouse. I have only had 2 sightings at my feeders, in all these years.

>231 msf59: The Colony made my best of the year list too Mark.

>237 msf59: Sold. I've been pondering on this one for a while. I will be passing an independent bookshop tomorrow (if it is open on New Year's Day.

>241 msf59: What a fun book! The title alone makes it well worth having.

>250 Caroline_McElwee: Happy New Year, Caroline. Hooray for The Colony. I wish that one would have got more attention. It is definitely award worthy. I hope you get your hands on Orbital. It is a good one.

>251 richardderus: I will definitely request that one, RD.

Agree, I should have put The Colony on the best of list! Well I just checked and it was on my best of list for 2022.

Alas, all the above touchstones for The Colony ricochet to Artemis Fowl.