Streamsong #3: Summer along the creek

Hi - I'm Janet.

I live in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana along Skalkaho Creek.

I'm about half way between Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks - so if you're traveling or vacationing in the area, I'd love to meet you. Give me a bit of warning, though - the house often looks like a bomb went off in it. Unless of course, you find cluttery piles of books interesting decor (as I do).

I have Appaloosa horses and usually raise a foal or two each year. This year's foal - a filly:



What do I read? A bit of everything. I enjoy literary fiction, mysteries and the occasional feel good cozy. I'm working my way around the world in a global reading challenge. I had started my way through 1001 Books to Read Before You Die (actually 1300 + books since I use the combined version spreadsheet), but that project seems to be on hold. About half the books I read are non-fiction.

I belong to two in-person book clubs and occasionally join a couple of online book clubs. A favorite online club for nature reads is the Glacier Conservancy Book Club here - https://glacier.org/glacier-book-club/ This is a fund-raising arm for Glacier National Park.

Here's the link to my last thread of last year: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353013#n8332996

In 2023 I read 122 books - still need to do reviews on several of them.

2024 BOOKS READ

First Quarter

January

✅1. Two Old Women - Velma Walls - 2013 - library
❤️2. The House of Doors - Tan Twan Eng - 2023 - Global Reading: Malaysia - library -
3. Emergent Properties - Aimee Ogden - 2023 - library
❤️4. Jimmy Bluefeather - Kim Heacox - 2016 - Reread - Root #1 -Copy purchased 2023.
5. Tom Lake - Ann Patchett - 2023 - Library Brown Bag Book Club - library
✅6. Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World - John Vaillant - 2023 - library
7. The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah - 2018 - Book Girls Global Tour: Arctic - library
✅8. Almost an Elegy - Linda Pastan - 2022- library
✅9. Fruit of the Drunken Tree - Ingrid Rojas Contreras - 2018 - Global Reading/Book Girls Global Tour - Columbia - library

February
10. A Council of Dolls - Mona Susan Power - 2023 - library -
11. The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher - E. M. Anderson - 2023 - library -
12. Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education - Stephanie Land - 2023 - library
13. Unlikely Animals - Annie Hartnett - 2023 - library
❤️14. Funny things : a comic strip biography of Charles M. Schulz - Luca Debus - 2023 - library
15. The Memory of Animals - Claire Fuller - 2023 - library
16. Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication - Bart D. Ehrman - 2013 - audiobook/The Great Courses - library
17. The Civilian Conservation Corps in Glacier National Park - David R Butler - 2022 - Glacier Conservancy Book Club - library
18. Wolves at the Door - Judith Pearson - 2008 - NC Book Club - Purch Kindle 2023
19. The Queen of Water – Laura Resay and Maria Virginia Farinango – 2011 – Book Girls (2023) – South America/Ecuador – YA - library
20. Take What You Need - Idra Novey - 2023 - library

March Reading

21. The Fountains of Silence - Ruta Sepetys - 2020 - Book Girls Global Tour - Western Europe - Spain - YA library
22. Candide - Voltaire - 1759 - Library Brown Bag Book Club - Project Gutenberg on Kindle
23. The Mystery Guest - Nita Prose - 2023 - library
24. Fire Scars - John B Wright - 2023 - library
✅25. Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder - Kent Nerburn - 2018 - N Book Club = Reread - library
❤️26. All That She Carried - Tiya Miles - 2022 - library
27. Start Where You Are - Pema Chodron - 1994 - ROOT #2 acq'd 2007

SECOND QUARTER

April Reading

28. How Beautiful We Were - Imbolo Mbue - 2021 - Book Girls World Tour/Global Reading: Cameroon - library
29. The Spy Who Knew Too Much - Howard Blum - 2023 - NC Book Club - Hoopla
30. The Silver Bone - Andrij Kurkow - 2024 - Booker International Long List - library
31. Crooked: The Roaring '20s Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, a Crusading Senator, and the Birth of the American Political Scandal - Nathan Masters - 2023 - Glacier Conservancy Book Club - library
32. Undiscovered: A Novel - Gabriela Wiener - 2023 - International Booker Long List - Global Reading: Peru - library
33. Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism - Jeffrey Toobin - 2023 - audiobook - library
34. Horse - Geraldine Brooks - 2022 - Reread - NC Book Club - Root #3 for year; acquired 2023
35. Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life - Laura Cumming - 2023 - 2024 Long List Women's Prize for Nonfiction - Global Reading: The Netherlands (Holland) - NF/location/British author - library
36. Lewis and Clark Through Indian Eyes - Alvin M Josephy - 2006 - Library Book Club - library
37. A Disappearance in Fiji - Nilima Rao - 2023 - Book Girls' Global Tour - Islands - Fiji - Global Reading: Book #1 Fiji - library

May Reading

38. Brotherless Night - V. V. Ganeshananthan - 2024 - Global Reading: Sri Lanka - library
39. The Twilight Zone - Nona Fernandez - 2016 - Global Reading: Chile - library
40. North Woods - Daniel Mason - 2023 - library -
41. Two by Patrica MacLachlan : Snow Horses: A First Night Story - 2022; and What You Know First - 1998 - both from library.
42. Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts - Rebecca Hall - (graphic non-fiction) - 2022
43. Chenneville - Paulette Giles - 2023 - Library
44. State of Terror - Hillary Rodham Clinton & Louise Penny - 2021 - NC Book Club - library
45. The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett - Annie Lyons - 2021 - LBB Book Club - library
46 How Can I Help You - Laura Sims - 2023 - library
47. Dinosaurs: A Novel - Lydia Millet - 2022 - library

JUNE BOOKS *Reviewed
*48. Watership Down: The Graphic Novel - Richard Adams adapted and illustrated by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin - 2023 - library
*49. Reykjavik - Ragnar Jonasson & Katrin Jakobsdottir - Global Reading - Iceland - 2022- library
*50. Hard by a Great Forest - Leo Vardiashvili - 2024 - Book Girls' World Tour - Eastern Europe: Global Reading - Georgia (Book #1) - library
*51. Raven Black - Anne Cleeves -2006 - library
*52. An Ordinary Man - Paul Rusesabagina - 2006 - Global Reading: Rwanda - library
*53. The Ghost Bride - Yangsze Choo - 2015 - Global Reading: Malaysia - library
*54. The View From the Cheap Seats - Neil Gaiman - audiobook - library
*55. Snowblind - Ragnar Jonasson - 2017 - Global Reading: Iceland - library
*56. The Lost Journals of Sacajewea: A Novel - Debra Magpie Earling - 2023 - mine Root #4 (2023)

THIRD QUARTER

July
57. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Emmanuel Acho - 2021 - library
58. Footprints of a Heart - Shayla Kidd Paradeis - 2023 - Glacier Conservancy Book Club - library
59. The Poet's Dog - Patricia MacLachlan - 2016 - "for Anita" - reread - library
60 . The Secret Life of Sunflowers - Marta Molnar - 2022 - NC Book Club - purch 2024
61. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother - James McBride - 2006 - audiobook - library
62. The White Rhino Hotel - Bartle Bull - 1992 - library
63. Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus - 2023 - Reread for BBBC - ROOT #5 acq'd 2023
64. All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque - 1928 - for Anita - library -
65. A Room of One's Own - Virginia Woolf - 1929 - mine acq'd 2024

AUGUST
66. Go Went Gone - Jenny Erpenbeck - 2015 - Global Reading: German author & location - library
67. Trail of Broken Wings - Sejal Badani - 2015 - Newcomers' Book Club - Kindle
68. Go as a River - Shelley Read - 2023 - library
69. The Exvangelicals - Sarah McCammo - 2024 - library -
70. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami - 1997 - library

SEPTEMBER
71. Perma Red -Debra Magpie Earling - Glacier Conservancy Book Club - Reread - mine
72. The Wren The Wren - Anne Enright - 2023 - library
73. James - Percival Everett- 2024 - library
74. Summer - Ali Smith - 2020 - library
75. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - James McBride - 2023 - Library *and* NewComers' Book clubs - library
76. Long Bright River - Liz Moore - 2020 - library

- 67 BOOKS REVIEWED /
- 75 - BOOKS READ IN 2024 (Stats are done as reviews are written - always slightly behind!)

Year Acquired
1 - 2007
4 - 2023
5 - 2024
58 - library/Hoopla

FORMAT
58 - print
5 - audiobook
3 - Kindle

- 38 - Fiction (May Fit into more than 1 category)
----1 - 1001 Books to Read Before You Die
----1 - abuse
----1 - adventure
----1 - Africa
----1 - aging
----1 - American West
----2 - art
----1 - apocalypse/dystopia
----1 - children's books
----1 - classics
----3 - colonialism
----4 - contemporary fiction
----1 - dictators
----1 - dogs
----2 - environment
----8 - Global Reading
----1 - Graphic novel
----11 - historical fiction
----1 - horses
----1 - humor
----9 - literary fiction
----2 - magical realism
----9 - mystery
----1 - Montana
----3 - Native Americans
----1 - Nature/outdoors
----1 - Pandemic
----1 - political fiction
----1 - Racism
----1 - Romantasy
----1 - satire
----1 - sexuality
----1 - science
----1 - Science Fiction
----1 - thriller
----1 - war
----3 - women
----1 - YA

- 1- Poetry

- 20 - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
1 - Africa
2 - African American
1 - Anti-Semitism
1 - Art and Artists
5 - biography
1 - Buddhism
1 - Christianity
1 - Climate Change
1 - Espionage
3 - Essays
4 - Global Reading
1 - Graphic Non-fiction
5 - History
1 - Judaism
27 - Memoir
1 - Natural Disasters
2 - Native Americans
2 - Outdoors
2 - Politics
1 - Racism
1 - Terrorism
6 - Women
1 - Writers and writing

AUTHORS

45 - Female Authors
20 - Male Authors
- Non-binary
2 - Combination of male and female authors

37 - Authors who are new to me
15 - Books by Authors previously read
2 - Combination (Anthology) of previously read and new to me authors

- 5 Rereads

Original Publication Date
1 - 1759
1 - 1928
1 - 1929
1 - 1992
2 - 1994
4 - 2006
1 - 2008
1 - 2011
3 - 2013
2 - 2015
4 - 2016
2 - 2017
2 - 2018
1 - 2020
2 - 2021
10 - 2022
24 - 2023
1 - 2024

The Global Challenge: Read five books from each of the 193 UN members plus a few additional areas. (Ongoing project over **Many** years!)

Thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/188308
9 COUNTRIES VISITED IN 2024


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

Countries new for me in 2024
Cameroon Book #1: How Beautiful We Were - Imbolo Mbue - 2022 - Fic (Unnamed African country/author) - 4/2022
Fiji Book #1: A Disappearance in Fiji - Nilima Rao - 2023 - Fic/Mys - (location/ Indian: Fijian: Australian author) - 4/2024
Georgia Book #1: Hard by a Great Forest - Leo Vardiashvili - 2024
fic: Mys/thr - (location, author) June 2024
Ukraine Book #1: The Silver Bone - Andrij Kurkow - 2024 - Fic/Mystery - (Ukrainian author & location; translated) - 4/2024

Countries Completed With 5 Books in 2024
The Netherlands Book # 5. Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life - Laura Cumming - 2023 - 2024 Long List Women's Prize for Nonfiction - NF/location/British author - 4/2024
Spain:Book #5. Fountains of Silence - Ruta Sepetys - Fic/YA - (location, US author) - library - March 2024

Countries previously visited - working toward 5 books per country in 2024
Chile Book #4. The Twilight Zone - Nona Fernández - 2016- Fic; (location, author) read May 2024
Colombia: #3. Fruit of the Drunken Tree - Ingrid Rojas Contreras - 2018 - Fic (author, travel) - 1/2024
Ecuador: Book #2 The Queen of Water - Laura Resau - 2011- NF/YA - (location, author & coauthor) - 2/2024
Iceland: Book #3 Reykjavik - Ragnar Jonasson & Katrin Jakobsdottir - 2022- (location, both authors) Fic/mystery 6/2024
Iceland: Book #4 Snowblind - Ragnar Jonasson - 2017 -(location, author) Fic/mystery 6/2024
Malaysia: Book #3. The House of Doors - Tam Twan Eng - 2023 - Fic (location, author) 1/2024
Malaysia: Book #4 The Ghost Bride - Yangsze Choo - 2013 - Fic (location, author) 6/2024
Peru: Book #2. Undiscovered: A Novel - Gabriella Wiener - 2023 - 2024 Intl Booker Longlist - autofiction- (author, location); read 4/2024
Rwanda: Book #3 An Ordinary Man – Paul Rusesabagina - 2006 - (NF: Location, author) 6/2024

Additional books for countries completed with five books in 2024:
France: Wolves at the Door - Judith Pearson - 2008 - NF (location, US author) 2/2024
France: Candide - Voltaire - 1759 - Fic/Satire (partial location, author) 3/2024
Germany All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque - 1928 - Fic/1001 7/2024


Create your own visited map of The World

ALL COUNTRIES VISITED: 116


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

To help expand my global reading, I've been following along The Book Girls Around the World Book Voyage Challenge: https://bookgirlsguide.com/world-reading-challenge/

✔ January: Arctic and Antarctic: The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah US
✔ February: Western Europe: Spain: The Fountains of Silence - Ruta Sepetys 2020 - library
✔ March: Africa/ Cameroon - How Beautiful We Were - Imbolo Mbue
✔ April: Islands : Fiji - A Disappearance in Fiji - Nilima Rao - 2023
✔ May: Eastern Europe and Russia: Georgia Hard By A Great Forest
June: Australia and New Zealand (skipping)
July: South Asia: Beyond the sky and the earth : a journey into Bhutan - Jamie Zeppa
August: Northern Asia
September: Transportation
October: Middle East and Israel:
November: North America
December: South America

2024 In-Person Brown Bag Book Club - Bitterroot Public Library

January: ✔ Tom Lake - Anne Patchett
February ✔ -- Candide by Voltaire
March ✔ -- The Spy Who Knew Too Much by Howard Blum
April ✔ -- Lewis and Clark Through Indian Eyes by Alvin M. Josephy Jr.
May ✔ -- The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
June -- A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell (skipped)
July ***Rereading*** -- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Read
August -- Damascus Nights by Rafik Schami
September -- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
October -- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
November -- Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Read
December -- Potluck and 2025 choices

In-Person Newcomers' (and others!) Book Club

✔ January: Jimmy Bluefeather - Kim Heacox -- (reread for me)
✔ February: The Wolves at the Door - Judith Pearson
✔ (Reread) March: Neither Wolf Nor Dog - Kent Nerburn
✔ April - Reread: Horse - Geraldine Brooks
✔ May: State of Terror - Hillary Rodham Clinton & Louise Penny
✔ June: Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver - did not reread
✔ July: The Secret Life of Sunflowers - Marta Molnar
✔ August: Trail of Broken Wings - Sejal Badani

Bimonthly Glacier Conservancy Book Club

✔ January Crooked: The Roaring '20s Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, a Crusading Senator, and the Birth of the American… - Nathan Masters
✔ March - Prev read - Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think about Animals - Christopher J. Preston
May - Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, And Dying In The National Parks - Andrea Lankford
✔ July - Footprint Of a Heart - Shayla Kiddo Paradeis
✔ September Perma Red (reread) - Debra Magpie Earling

Goals:
- Read at least two ROOTS each month from the first TIOLI challenges.
- Read at least one book each month acquired in 2023 (counts as one of the ROOTS)

The below numbers include the dozen or so library books I have at home:
As of 03/01/2024: 552 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2024: 549 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2023: 535 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2022: 530 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2021: 522 books on MT TBR

49 Books Acquired 2024; 5 Books Read :✔ / Currently Reading: 2/ Reference"1
✔ 1. The Wolves at the Door - Judith Pearson NC's Book Club - Kindle
2. The Hundred Years' War on Palestine - Rashid Khalidi - 2/2024
3. Lewis & Clark and Me : Heading West from Traveler's Rest - 2/2024
4. It's Hard to Look Cool When Your Car's Full of Sheep: Tales from the Back Forty - Roger Pond - 2/2024
✔5. Candide - Voltaire - Project Gutenburg/Kindle - 2-2024
6. Epitaph - Mary Doria Russell - 3/2024
7. Elephant Song - Wilbur Smith - 3/2024
8. Uhuru - Robert Ruark - 3/2024
9. Defeating Diabetes - Brenda Davis - 3/24
10. Bangtail Ghosts - Keith MacCafferty - 2/24
11. The Angels Weep - Wilbur Smith - 3/24
12. When the Lion Feeds - Wilbur Smith - 3/24
13. A Time to Die - Wilbur Smith - 3/24
14. The Clinic - Jonathan Kellerman - 3/24
15. Catch as Cat Can - Rita Mae Brown 3/24
16. Hush of the Land - Arnold "Smoke" Elser - 4/24
17. Better Than Good - Zig Ziglar - audiobook - 5/15
18. The Journals of Lewis and Clark - ed by Bernard DeVoto - 5/31
19. Ghost Hunting in Montana - Barnaby Conrad III - 5/31
20. Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head & Other Drawings - B. Kliban - 5/31
21. The Bible - Karen Armstrong - 5/31
22. Why Rustlers Never Win and Other Humorous Stories of the West - Henry Gregor Felsen - 5/31
***Reading*** 23. Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein - Kindle so I could finish the book checked out from the library originally - 5/31
24. Thurber on Crime - James Thurber - 1991 - 6/08
25. On Call: A Doctor's Journey into Public Service - Anthony Fauci 2024 - 6/21/2024
✔26. The Secret Life of Sunflowers - Marta Molnar - NC Book Club - 7/11/24
27. Ranger Confidential - Andrea Lankford - 2010- Glacier Conservancy Book Club - 7/11/24

Bitterroot Public Library Booksale 7/13/2024
28. Painted Horses - Malcom Brooks - 7/13/2024 (210)
29. Let Him Go - Larry Watson - 7/13/2024 (250)
30. Inkdeath - Cornelia Funke - 7/13/2024 (6950)
31. Flashback - Nevada Barr - HB signed by author - 7/13/2024 (1189)
✔32. A Room of One's Own - Virginia Woolf - audiobook - 7-13-2024 - (12511)
33. The Eighty Dollar Champion - Elizabeth Letts (710)
34. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing (5172)
35. Myths and Legends of Yellowstone - Ednor Therriault (4? maybe 1)
36. The Bears of Yellowstone - Paul Schullery - (26)
***37. Growing Up In Yellowstone - Gerald L. Bateson, Jr - (0)
38. The Lewis and Clark Cookbook: Historic Recipes from the Corps of Discovery - Leslie Mansfield -(62)
39. Glacier National Park After Dark: Sunset to Sunrise in a Beloved Montana Wilderness -John Ashley - (3)
40. A Guide to Exploring Grand Teton National Park - Linda L Olson & Tim Bywater - (7)
---
41. Pretty Shield - Frank Linderman - 07/17/2023
42. Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life (American Indian Lives) by Alma Hogan Snell - 07/17/2024
43. A Taste of Heritage: Crow Indian Recipes and Herbal Medicines - Alma Hogan Snell - 07/17/2024
---
44. The Book Censor's Library - Bothayna Al-Essa - 7/31/2024
45. Joey: How a Blind Rescue Horse Helped Others Learn to See - Jennifer Marshall Bleakley - 7/30/2024
46. How to Make Cowboy Horse Gear - Bruce Grant - 7/30/2024
47. The Blue Sky - Galsan Tschinag - 1994 /tr 2006 - Book Girls Mongolia - 8/2024
✔48. Trail of Broken Wings - Sejal Badani - 2015 - Kindle New Comers' Book Club - Kindle - 8/2024
**Reading**49. Damascus Nights -Rafik Schami - 1995- Library Brown Bag Book Club 8/2024

I'm intrigued by everyone's lists of series. These are some of the ones that I have read recently: I will add other series that I am also working on.

Series

Nevada Barr - Anna Pigeon - (4/19)
Ann Cleeves - Shetland (1/11)
Robert Galbraith - Cormoran Strike (1/7)
Elsa Hart - Li Du (2/3)
Anne Hillerman - Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito (5/8)
Ragnar Jónasson - Dark Iceland (1/6)
Alka Joshi - Jaipur Trilogy (1/3)
William Kent Krueger - Cork O'Connor (1/ )
Ngaio Marsh - Roderick Alleyn (2/27)
Dorothy Sayers - Lord Peter Wimsey (2/?)
Nita Prose - Molly the Maid (2/2)
Fred Vargas - Chief Inspector Adamsberg - 2/10

And here's the list of books I still need to review from last year (sigh)

November
111. The Buddha in the Attic - Julie Otsuka - 2012 - Library Brown Bag Book Club - library
✅110. Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause - Ty Seidule - 2022 - library
109. The White Mirror - Elsa Hart - 2016 - library
✅108. The Last Thing He Told Me - Laura Dave - 2023 - NewComers' Book Club - library
107. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - William Kamkwamba - 2009 - Book Girls' World Tour/Global Reading - Malawi - library (on map)

December
122. Fima - Amos Oz - 1994 - Nov TIOLI#1 - Root #3 for month/ #24 for year - Global Reading - Israel - acq'd 2013
121. Narcolepsy: A Funny Disorder that's no Laughing Matter - Marguerite J. Utley - 1995 - Dec TIOLI #1 - ROOT #2 for month/# 23 for year - acq'd 2006
120. Come Together, Fall Apart - Cristina Henriquez - 2007 Book Girls World Tour: Panama - short stories - purch 2023
119. A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea - Melissa Fleming - 2017 - Book Girls World Tour - Middle East/Syria - library (mapped)
118. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast by Jonathan Safran Foer - 2019 - library
117. YellowFace - R. F. Kuang - 2023 - library
116. Tenacious Beasts - Julian Stockwin - 2023 - New Comers' Book Club - acq'd 2023
✅115. The Maid - Nita Prose - 2022 - library
114. The Future - Naomi Alderman - 2023 - library
113. Murder Your Employer - Rupert Holmes - 2023 - library
112. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell - audiobook ROOT#1 for month/Root #22 for year; acq'd 2007

CURRENTLY READING:


The Ghost Bride - Yangsze Choo


Doppelganger - Naomi Klein


Jewish Literacy - Joseph Telushkin


Audiobook in the car: The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction - Neil Gaiman


The Lost Journals of Sacajewea - Debra Magpie Earling - put aside to finish library books, but not abandoned!

Welcome!

Happy new thread, Janet. Unsurprisingly I love all the lists!

Happy new thread, Janet!

>1 streamsong: lovely landscape. And very sweet looking filly.

You are still making progress on your reading around the world project, great. I seem to have stalled. You make me want to pick it up, though.

>13 streamsong: loved that Gaiman; read it, but might want to listen to him read it as well

>13 streamsong: I really need to get to Doppelganger soon. Thanks for the reminder.

Happy new thread, Janet!

Happy Sunday, Janet. Happy New Thread. I LOVE the Bitterroot topper, along with the beautiful filly. I also had a good time with Doppelganger. Enjoy!

Happy new thread, Janet!

Happy new thread! The topper is gorgeous and the filly is sweet.

I think you said on another thread that it is unusually cold and people are worried about their gardens. Meanwhile, we are under the dome and I am worried about my garden. I wonder if *anyone* is having a good gardening season?

>15 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. And thanks for being my 'first footer' on the thread.

>16 EllaTim: Thanks for stopping by, Ella! The landscape topper is a professional photo of a wildlife refuge a few miles north of my place. The filly is wonderful - great fun!

I will miss Anita's input for the Around the World Reading project.

I am grateful to Beth, Paul and others doing similar similar challenges.

I'm also getting wonderful suggestions from the Book Girls' Book Voyage lists. Here are the July suggestions for Southern Asia. There are many genres, many countries and quite a few by authors native to the countries.

https://bookgirlsguide.com/best-books-set-in-asia-southern/

I've chosen Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan for July, even though it's by a non-native author. It's always fun reading their list, trying to find a country that I haven't read and is available in my library system.

>17 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy! The problem with listening to Gaiman's The View From the Cheap Seats is that he is enthusiastic about a lot of writers, books, and genres that I'm not very familiar with - and now I want to read them all. It's definitely a treat to hear him read.

>18 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia! Doppelganger is superb. As I said on my previous thread:

'it gives the most cogent view I've read about how very disparate groups can come together to support controversial subjects like the anti-vaccination movement - a phenomenon she calls diagnalism.'

I had checked it out from the library, but I was reading it slowly and thoughtfully and couldn't check it out again due to the line of people waiting for it. So I bought the Kindle version, thinking it would be nice to be able to highlight main points. Whoa! I have more yellow highlighting than any Kindle book that I have previously read."

>19 msf59: Hi Mark! I'm glad you enjoyed the toppers.

Doppelganger is amazing, although not a quick read.

>20 drneutron: Thank you, Jim, and thanks for all you do!

>21 witchyrichy: Thanks, Karen. Yes, snow last week and in the 80's this week. This valley has quite a few apple orchards; at one time promoters were trying to make this valley a hub for Macintosh apples. My friend's orchard has NO APPLES at all this year due to warm weather in March followed by a deep freeze. It's a huge blow to her finances (and her adult daughter who just moved here to take over the orchard this year).

I just received my copy of Anthony Fauci's book On Call. Now that he's retired, I doubt he'll ever make it back to far-flung Hamilton, MT again. But if he does, I'll be first in line to get it autographed. Or I guess that I could send him a bookplate to see if he'd sign it. The security is so amazingly tight around him after he and his family have all received death threats, that I don't know if he'd ever see my request. :(

I'm reading the part in Doppelganger where heroes are turned into villains with conspiracy theories.

>22 streamsong: thanks, I plan on listening soon

>25 streamsong: the bike I like to use at the gym is just under the tv that plays FOX. i can usually ignore it but couldnt stop hearing their critique of the book, saying how he lies, how he is trying to be humble but we know hes not and that he should be in jail and just more awful stuff. Glad hes being protected but I wouldnt want to live my life like that. stupid people

Happy New Thread, Janet! I'm not sure if I'm going to read Doppelganger, but I have a hold in transit on why people believe in conspiracy theories, called Conspiracy: A History of Boll*cks Theories, and How Not to Fall for Them .I'm not much of non- fiction reader, so I'll see if I get to it, but I am fascinated in why people fall for conspiracy theories.

>26 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy _ I love Gaiman's voice. I predict you'll like it too!

>27 cindydavid4: Yeah, Fauci has been branded one of the bad guys, mainly because he didn't have the proper respect for the president, who honestly was getting his Pandemic info off Fox news. The president didn't want experts who knew more than he did - that is why he wants to purge the experts and replace them with political flunkies if he gets re-elected.

I agree that theatening your opponents for their ideas is scary.

Recently very right wing right-to-lifers who are associated with the militia here in the valley, were filming everyone who signed a petition trying to get a 'right for reproductive care' initiative on the Montana ballot. They don't want the population to have the voice - I think they believe they can control the state legislature more easily. There's more to the story, but I'll leave it at that.

>28 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deborah. Conspiracy: A History of Boll*cks Theories, and How Not to Fall for Them sounds interesting.

I'm also interested in why and how we are where we are today - where science and the scientific method are disregarded, public servants are doxed (is that the right term for having their names and addresses published so they and their families can be retaliated against?) and 'might makes right'.

I'm about ten reviews behind? Can I get caught up by July 1st?

This one was read by quite a few of my friends when it came out last year - so I don't know who to thank, and I'll thank everyone. :)



43. Chenneville - Paulette Giles - 2023
– Library

Another great novel by Paulette Giles in her writings about the post-Civil War western America.

John Chenneville suffered a severe head wound and spent the last months of the Civil War between life and death in a Union hospital. Finally recovered enough to head home to Missouri, he found conditions on his farm quite different than he had left them. In addition, his sister, her child and husband had all been brutally murdered.

Cheneville vows that as soon as he has recovered fully from his wound to hunt down the killer.

As he follows the trail, it becomes obvious that the killer is a psychopath with many more killings in his wake.

John gives up his home and even the possibility of love to end this man’s life, knowing that if he stamps out the life of the murderer, he will be seen as a murderer in the eyes of the law.

There are interesting characters along the way, including two telegraph operators; one becomes a friend; the other possibly more.

And it is these characters and the ending that take this from the standard ‘western justice’ novel – the type where you could see John Wayne in the title role in a movie – and into a study of the people and the choices they were obligated to make. As always there are quick Easter Egg type references to other Giles characters in this book but each of her stories stand alone.

And while I felt a little let down by the easiness of the ending, it’s a feel good novel when you need to believe that despite evil, there is still good in the world.

Cree the cat was eating his prescription dry food and suddenly shot backwards from the bowl hissing. He then started growling and hissing and going cat bonkers for about five minutes. Could something have bit him? I checked - nothing in the bowl, and as he calmed down, I hoped for the best. By yesterday morning he was drooling and bit of blood on the bed so I hauled him in to the vet. I suspected another broken tooth;removal of the infected one in April cost $700, so I was pretty apprehensive. Yeppers, broken tooth. But once they had him under anesthetic, they determined they could just pull it without surgery and it only cost about $100. Still, he has a lot of teeth and $100 -$700 per tooth if more need removal, is daunting. He goes back in ten days to check things out.

Poor old Cree. I love him dearly. He talks more than any cat I've ever known - we have long conversations with him using amazingly appropriate emotional inflections responding to what I am saying.

This was the May (!) choice for one of my two in-person book clubs.



44. State of Terror - Hillary Rodham Clinton & Louise Penny - 2021
- NC In-person Book Club
– library

A Trump-like president has chosen political enemy Ellen Adams, as his Secretary of State in order to embarrass and humiliate her. But, outstanding woman and political mind that she is, she does an extraordinary job as she untangles a trio of European bombings that kill three Pakistani nuclear scientists.

Ellen, her prominently positioned grown children and best friend/White House advisor all work together to discover that there is international plot involving a rogue arms dealer determined to acquire a nuclear weapon in order to plant the weapons in major cities in the United States.

There’s also clearly a mole in the White House keeping the bad guys informed at every step along the way.

This collaboration of well known author Louise Penney and former Secretary of State and author Hilary Clinton produced a page turning thriller with several good twists and turns. Is the whole scenario of how the Secretary of State came to be appointed unlikely? Undoubtably. But I enjoyed the woman protagonists –intelligent, clever and saving the world.

I also liked the political spin of the thinly disguised president, but those of another political persuasion may not – and yet would they pick up a book co-authored by Hilary Clinton?

P 249 Large print: “There are elements inside the United States unhappy with the direction the country is moving in. They’re using him. They see (President) Dunn as the only chance to stop the erosion of the American way. Not because he has a vision, but because he can be manipulated. First, though, they need to get him back into power.”"

Hi Janet. >22 streamsong: Yes, we’ll be missing Anita!

Bhutan sounds interesting, but probably difficult to find books from a remote place like that. How to get your book translated into English would be a real barrier, I guess.

>23 streamsong: Doppelganger BB for me! How do people fall for conspiracy theories, but I think I do understand a bit, as it all starts, I think, with not knowing who and what to trust anymore. But that’s my theory.

Thanks for stopping in, Ella.

I've just been notified that The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan has arrived for me at the library. Connie had said Anita had given her a copy and that it would be a great comfort read. Anita is irreplaceable here in the 75.

Yes, it's getting harder to find books for many of the countries that I still have 'unread' on my global challenge of reading 5(!) books from all the countries belonging to the U.N. I do think there is more global awareness and more internationally authored books available here in the U.S. than when I started it quite a few years ago. I have always counted travel books and books by other non-native authors with the intention that I will replace them if and when I can find them.

I'm still reading Doppelganger but I believe it will one of my favorites for the year. I had several library books with pesky due dates that demanded to be read.

Nice vibrant new thread, Janet. Beautiful setting. I've added Doppelganger to The WANT! List™ with a mental asterisk reminding me that I'm enthusiastic about such books until they're on the shelf. Then...well...some other book appeals more.

Hi Janet. Happy new thread. Doppelganger sounds fascinating. It is on my WL. I knew you would love Chenneville. I also enjoyed State of Terror. I wonder how much of Clinton's experience as Sec. of State made it into the novel.

>36 weird_O: Hi Bill! I'm glad you liked the toppers. I hope you get to Doppelganger. I totally relate to your description of books that I really want to read that are languishing on the shelf.

>37 BLBera: Hi Beth! Paulette Jiles is becoming a a reliable pick-me-up author to offset some of the grimmer reads and also real life. There are several on her back list that I should try to read.

The May choice for my other in-person book club sponsored by the local library



45. The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett - Annie Lyons - 2021
- Library Brown Bag Book Club
– library book 3.5 stars

Eudora Honeysett is an eighty five year old lady living in Britain. Her life is winding to an end and she is without family and has few friends. She fears dying in a nursing home and so she contacts a company that will help her with assisted suicide. It’s a big decision, but Eudora becomes more firmly convinced that it is right for her and begins to solidify her plans.

Then ten year old Rose moves in next to Eudora and insists on becoming Eudora’s friend. Gradually Eudora is drawn into the family next door as well as developing a friendship with a recent widower, Stanley.

But Eudora’s heart is failing. She must make decisions whether her planned ‘vacation’ to Switzerland is the end of life option she truly wants. And her friends of only a few months definitely have opinions as to what a ‘good death’ entails.

This book is sweet but also very sad. It highlights the plight and dilemma of many elderly people, especially those living alone and feeling they have outlived their place in society. I’m not sure friends of only a few months would step up as Eudora’s friends did. I believe that there are many possibilities of a good death and not just the one presented here. It was written well enough that it evoked both of my parents’ deaths for me and rather than the ‘life affirming’ story many reviewers report, it left me feeling sad.

I think I got this suggestion from Beth. It's the first I've read by this author. Perhaps I also need to add The Children's Bible to my never ending teetering pile of to be reads.



47. Dinosaurs: A Novel – Lydia Millet - 2022
– library

The day before the dinosaurs were wiped out, they were doing their daily dinosaur things. A few had already evolved into birds; they were able to escape.

Now we meet Gil – a man who has inherited quite a bit of money and whose romantic relationship has ended. He decides to start anew in Arizona, buys a house from a video online and takes off walking from his current home in NYC to Phoenix.
There he discovers that the house next door to him is made almost completely of glass which means he has an almost unlimited view of their family dynamics. He helps their son, befriends the husband, becomes a bit overly fond of the wife, volunteers in the community and does other routine day to day community-building activities.

Given the dinosaur analogy, I kept expecting a disaster to befall these people, going about their almost daily lives. It did not happen in this book – will it happen in the next page or the year after the close of the book? What should be emphasized in these days where we may (or may not) be teetering on the brink?

9 Books Read in June * Not yet reviewed

48. Watership Down: The Graphic Novel - Richard Adams adapted and illustrated by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin - 2023 - library
49. Reykjavik - Ragnar Jonasson & Katrin Jakobsdottir - Global Reading - Iceland - 2022- library
*50. Hard by a Great Forest - Leo Vardiashvili - 2024 - Book Girls' World Tour - Eastern Europe: Global Reading - Georgia (Book #1) - library
*51. Raven Black - Anne Cleeves -2006 - library
*52. An Ordinary Man - Paul Rusesabagina - 2006 - Global Reading: Rwanda - library
*53. The Ghost Bride - Yangsze Choo - 2015 - Global Reading: Malaysia - library
*54. The View From the Cheap Seats - Neil Gaiman - 2017 - audiobook - library
*55. Snowblind - Ragnar Jonasson - 2017 - Global Reading: Iceland - library
*56. The Lost Journals of Sacajewea: A Novel - Debra Magpie Earling - 2023 - mine

9 Books Read in June

- Year Acquired

8 - library
1 - mine acquired 2023

FORMAT
8 - print
1 - audiobook
- Kindle

- 7 - Fiction (May Fit into more than 1 category)
1 - magical realism
4 - Global Reading
--1 Georgia
--1 Maylasia
--2 Iceland
1 - graphic novel
2 - mystery
1 - Native American

- 2 - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
1 - authors and books
1 -- global reading memoir -Rwanda

AUTHORS

3 - Female Authors
5 - Male Authors
- Non-binary
1 - Combination of male and female authors

6 - Authors who are new to me
2 - Authors read before
1 - Combination of previously read and new to me authors

- Rereads

Original Publication Date
2 - 2006
1 - 2016
2 - 2017
1 - 2022
2 - 2023
1 - 2024

I believe this is the first graphic novel I have read that was not an original, but rather a novel graphic-ized. This was recommended by Mark.



48. Watership Down: The Graphic Novel – Richard Adams adapted and illustrated by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin 2023
– library

The graphics are great. The story is complete but of course lacks the nuances of the original novel. This seemed ultra condensed and although I enjoyed revisiting the story that I first read in 1975, although the major plot points are intact, the details are gone. It felt like reading the comic book versions of classics when I was a kid. I would recommend reading the original novel instead.

>33 streamsong: I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was better than her husband's collaboration with James Patterson.

You had a good month of reading.

Hi Karen! I read the Bill Clinton/James Patterson about five years ago, but I didn't review it and don't remember much. Maybe I'll have to reread it.Yay for the women creating the superior product! **wink**

I do my reviews as mostly for me so I remember the details. Otherwise my mind is like a sieve.

I *did* have an excellent month of reading in June. I just need to get caught up on reviews, now.

49. Reykjavik - Ragnar Jonasson & Katrin Jakobsdottir - 2022
- Global Reading: Iceland
- library


These two authors are another collaboration of a writer and a politician. Ragnar Jonasson is a well known Scandi crime writer. Cowriter Katrin Jakobsdottir is the prime minister of Iceland with a master’s in Icelandic literature; her thesis was written on Icelandic crime fiction.

1956 fifteen year old Lara disappeared while working as a maid on the small island of Videy, close to the city of Reykjavik. There was no evidence as to whether she left the island to return to the mainland or whether she was the victim of a crime and stayed on Videy forever.

Some of the inquiries are blocked as the couple she was working for were quite well known and resented being questioned. But no one else lived on the island and it appeared that Lara and all her luggage vanished into thin air. It’s been a constant mystery, never abandoned.

On the 30 year anniversary of Lara’s disappearance, journalist Valur Robertsson decides to reinvestigate. He seems to be making some progress, but then he is killed by a bus during the Iceland’s 200th anniversary celebration (could he have been pushed?). His sister Sunna takes over the investigation poring over Valur’s notes for a clue he might have missed.

The final chapters of the novel play out during the historic meeting in Reykjabiv when Reagan and Gorbachev met for the first time adding another nice historical touch.

I enjoyed this collaboration of crime writer and politician. There were several unexpected twists and I had not solved the ‘whodunit”.

>23 streamsong: Yeah, I definitely need to get to that one!

>31 streamsong: That one has been in the BlackHole for a while now. As I have enjoyed several of Jiles' other books, I need to get it. I just checked and my local library finally has a copy! Woot!!

>32 streamsong: Oh, poor Cree!

>41 streamsong: Nice monthly wrap up, Janet. It looks like a good reading month!

>42 streamsong: I am planning on reading the non-graphic novel of Watership Down later this year as one of the memorial reads for Anita. I would like to read the graphic novel version too at some point.

>45 streamsong: Already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again!

Have a fantastic Friday, Janet!

>46 alcottacre: Hi Stasia - Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks for all your comments. I'm still slowly reading Doppelganger and letting it soak in a bit as I read. She's currently talking about anti-Semitism, which is fitting in with my continued read of Jewish Literacy.

Yeah, poor Cree. I've never seen that sort of reaction from a cat. That broken tooth must have been excruciating. I take him in again on Tuesday for it to be rechecked. I hope they will be able to determine if there are other bad teeth brewing.

I think I'll try to wedge in All Quiet on the Western Front for the Anita TIOLI read this month.

I would definitely be interested in joining you to reread Watership Down.

I'm reading The White Rhino Hotel and so far, thinking it is a bit 'gritty' for my taste. The amorous dwarf is not my favorite character. :) But the historical details are fascinating so I'll keep reading.

>42 streamsong: Lovely graphics! I read the book a very long time ago. Darker than most animal stories, when I remember right.

Hi Ella! I agree that the graphics were lovely and the story is a bit dark - it's a bit of a political analogy. But it's not half as dark as of one his next books, The Plague Dogs which I would never read again.

Whoops missed a review from the end of May.



46 How Can I Help You - Laura Sims - 2023
– library
3.5 stars

This is a story of a very small town library and two of the library workers, both hiding their pasts and their individual obsessions.

The first is Margo, a library aid. She is pleasant, punctual, and efficient as she reshelves books, helps with checkouts and other routine tasks. However, we soon find out that she is actually hiding from law enforcement; in her past life as a nurse, patients were mysteriously dying and Margo was forced to flee and create a new life and identity for herself.

Then there is Patricia, the newly hired reference librarian. She dearly wants to be a writer but was crushed when her book was rejected. Her boyfriend is fed up with her constant writing. Patricia determined to leave her writing ambitions and boyfriend behind and, having just graduated from library school takes a very quiet job to begin her normal life.

But her attention soon turns to the rather mysterious Margo, especially Margo’s actions when a porn-addicted patron dies in a library bathroom. Patricia has very little in the way of duties; she does some digging into Margo’s background and then begins obsessively writing out longhand a new novel where her discoveries and guesses about Margo form the basis of an eerily true novel.

Curious about the constant writing, Margo purloins the journal and recognizes the plot as her life story. The only solution is to eliminate Patricia.

I love libraries and books with a science/medical slant are also favorite topics of mine. The tension throughout the book built nicely and made me read it quickly. I was a bit let down by the ending – but having been a bit dissatisfied with the ending of several books in a row, I’m wondering if this would have been more satisfying if I read it at a different time. However, Patricia falls into the TSTL category – if you believe your coworker is a serial killer, would you really write about it at work and leave your writings “hidden” in your desk?

>44 streamsong: I saw a question on social media that made me chuckle: is it possible to love a book and still not remember anything about it? I am so grateful for LT as a reference.

I really enjoyed Reykjavik earlier this year. I'm glad you did too.All Quiet on the Western Front I really liked too , some years ago. I picked up a copy of Skippy Dies for the memorial read for Anita, but I don't think I will get to it until November.

>51 witchyrichy: Exactly, Karen! I may remember some odd detail about a book that I didn't like even years later but not remember *what and why* I liked about another book. It does speak to rereading books that I do like - if I'm loving a book and galloping through it, I'm liable to miss all sorts of details.

>52 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! You may be the person that recommended Reykjavik to me. I really did enjoy it. And although I don't usually read more than one book by an author in any given month because I like to mix things up a bit, I also read Snowblind in June (review coming eventually - grin) and will be reading onward in that series.

All Quiet on the Western Front is waiting for me at the library I should get to it fairly soon.

This book was one recommended by The Book Girls’ Book Voyage for Eastern Europe and Russia. https://bookgirlsguide.com/eastern-europe-books/ The author was born in Georgia and emigrated to London with his family when he was twelve. It’s the first book I’ve read from the country of Georgia for my Global Reading challenge.



49. Hard by a Great Forest – Leo Vardiashvili - 2024
- Book Girls' World Tour - Eastern Europe: Global Reading - Georgia (Book #1)
– library


Saba, his older brother and father fled Georgia during the war. There wasn’t quite enough money to pay for Saba’s mother’s exit and she was adamant there her boys should be safe. While Saba’s father worked diligently to earn the money required to bring her over to England, things went wrong and Saba’s mother’s died before making it to England.

Eventually, Saba’s father returned to his beloved war-torn Georgia. He immediately disappeared. Saba’s brother then returned to Georgia to hunt for his father, but he too disappeared.

Now it is up to Saba to enter Georgia and search for them both. When Saba and his brother were boys, Saba’s older brother often set complicated clue games to leave a trail. This was frustrating for Saba as he often couldn’t follow his older brother’s obscure logic.

But when Saba enters Georgia, he finds his brother has revived the old game in order to let Saba know where he has gone while eluding the authorities which are opposed to the family’s presence in the country.

The first clue is the first line from Grimm’s fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel: “Hard by a great forest there lived a woodcutter.” The deadly game is on.

Eventually the chase leads to the Ossetia Region which has traditionally been Georgian territory, but which the Russians have claimed for themselves. It’s highly defended; no one is allowed in or out. Families inside and outside the Ossetia Region are lost to each other.

Sneaking through Russian defenses seems impossible.

I enjoyed this novel, where the country of war torn Georgia was a vivid character of its own, especially as I couldn’t help but note similarities with what I know of Ukraine. Georgia had also been assimilated into the Soviet Union; after the Soviet collapse chaos reigned, but Georgia emerged as an independent country. Eventually Russia tried to reclaim the entire region of Georgia but ended up with the small Ossetia Region. Both Georgia and Ukraine are on the Black Sea.

Four stars – a tense twisty read that introduced me to an unfamiliar country.

We're entering a several week stretch of temps in the high 90's or 100 by late afternoon. So I'm setting my alarm for early and trying to get more work done outside in the mornings.

I'm not typically a morning person. I love lazy mornings on the internet or with a book, drinking two cups of coffee and doing Wordle and Connections before the day starts. :) Alas, not to be while this heat continues. We've been free of forest fire smoke so far this year, but small fires are beginning to break out here in the NW and there are projects I need to finish before the yearly smoke descends.

Today is a goodbye gathering for a friend who is moving cross country to be closer to her son and his family. Her husband and I were lab partners in many, many microbiology classes at University. He is quickly slipping away due to Alzheimer's and she needs family help at this point. I will miss her and D. The party moved inside this evening due to the heat....

There's a Friday night outdoor concert for a Beatles tribute band and Saturday is the absolutely wonderful local garden tour. Heat worries about both these events, too.

I was up at 2am and the temp was 92.

ETA in todays paper "As of Tuesday, the temperature had not gone below 90 for eight consecutive days, including an overnight low of 91 degrees on July 9, Salerno said."

At this rate, Phoenix could beat last summer's all-time record for 90-degree or above nights. There were 35, which shattered the previous record of 28 in 2020.

The record for the warmest night ever in Phoenix was also set last summer — on July 19 — when the low temperature was 97 degrees.

not fun

Sorry to hear your friend is leaving, but it's good she's getting the help she needs.

>54 streamsong: Sounds interesting, Janet. Good review.

I’m sorry your friend is moving away.

>56 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy! Did I ever tell you my brother and SIL live in Tempe? I honestly don't know how you stand it in the summer! At least in Montana we cool down during the nights. I think it was mid-60's when I got up this morning and is now 70 at 9am. It does give me until noon-ish to get some outside things accomplished.

I hope you can find some relief and stay cool!

>57 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel - Yes, I'm glad J will have family nearby, but the whole thing sucks. D is still pretty good if I talk about things he grew up with enjoyed.

>59 streamsong: Thank you, Ella. I will miss J, but am also saddened by the hard times she has ahead of her. And she has been grieving the loss of D for several years now a the Alzheimer's slowly steals him away.

yes you did. I think we can stand it because we know that usually November through May are absolutely glorious, which is why all the snowbirds are here. Unfortunately it always feels like Nov will never get here!

The heat seems to be everywhere, Janet. We had a cool down today, it is 79 F with the humidex here right now. I think it was about 90 F yesterday . It is really hot where you are though. Like you , I am not a morning person. I tend to go for my walks at about 4 - 5pm when it is probably the warmest outside. I hope you enjoy your events on Friday and Saturday. Sounds like fun!

>60 cindydavid4: March in Phoenix is glorious! I hated to come back here to the snow and slush the year I visited then.

>61 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah - We usually only have a day or two all summer this hot. Two or three weeks of this sounds mind-bending (melting?).

The mornings are beautiful; it's currently 58. One cup of coffee down, Wordle solved, watch out world here I come.

Saturday there was a FOL book sale. I had other plans that day so I didn't work it. But OF COURSE I had to stop by. It was pretty quiet, the shelves were pretty full although the sale was halfway done. And so I bought a tote bag and filled it up with books (did I need them? aren't I trying to cull books?).

So I've been slowly adding them here on LT - I'll have the list and post it here soon. I've been adding it to >10 streamsong: my list of books acquired for the year.

Anyhow, even though I wasn't bookscouting, I may have found a whale. I just sent an email offering it to the Yellowstone Research Institute. They already have a copy listed in their online catalog and list another copy in a locked collection in Gardiner. I told them I'd be happy to donate to any Yellowstone Collection that may want it. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

The book is Growing Up in Yellowstone by Gerald L Bateson, Jr. There is another similarly titled book by a different author.

I’ve been looking for a mystery series to read between the heavier books. I tried out the first titles in several series in June.

Several of my friends here on LT are enthusiastic about this series. I was familiar with the investigator Jimmy Perez and the Shetland Islands from watching the first few seasons of the TV series.



50. Raven Black – Anne Cleeves -2006
– library

An artist spots a splash of red against the snow and thinks how beautiful it is. Unfortunately, as she nears, it is clear it is a scarf belonging to a very dead teen age girl.

The most likely suspect is the odd recluse who lives nearby. He’s mentally a bit slow and since his mother died, he is very lonely. The girl and her friend have visited him a time or two on a dare. In addition, he was the prime suspect in a murder that happened twenty years ago. The police believed he knew more than he was saying and treated him badly.

The Shetland Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group where everyone knows everyone – there are a few newcomers in the mix but mostly the inhabitants know each others’ history and business.

There were lots of good twists and turns. I thought the characters were interesting and a good diverse mix. They ranged from high school kids, long time inhabitants, newcomers and a variety of professions and ages. I’ll be going on with this series. 4 stars

>64 streamsong: Oh thanks. I do the same, sandwiching mysteries between more demanding books, and I haven't read this series yet. And this is where it starts! Hooray!

Hi Judy! I'm glad that you will also be reading this series! It will be fun to share.

Stasia is also reading this series, although she's farther into it than I am. Her comments and the comments by the others on her thread about this series and Ann Cleeves' other mystery series really cemented that I give it a try.

Another day or 4 in the high 90's and low 100's. Forest fires are beginning to pop up everywhere in Montana and we are getting smoke from fires in southern Oregon, too. It's not unbearable out there yet so I need to get stuff done this morning before heading off to my IP bookclub at 1.

I'm not sure if the bookclub will be meeting on the restaurant patio today - we have the option of moving inside if it's too hot or smokey. The book we read is The Secret Life of Sunflowers about Johanna Bonger, the wife of Vincent Van Gogh's brother Theo. Theo died soon after his brother and it was Johanna's persistance and determination that brought Vincent's genius and paintings of the unknown artist to the world.

Here are the books that I bought at the Library book sale. The number in parenthesis at the end is the number of books catalogued here on LT. I always like to see how eclectic **smile** my taste is when I buy a pile of books. Number 37 is the rare one that I hope to find a home for in a Yellowstone collection. My personal favorite is the audiobook of A Room of One's Own which I'll be starting as soon as I complete my current audiobook, The Color of Water.

Bitterroot Public Library Booksale 7/13/2024
28. Painted Horses - Malcolm Brooks - (210)
29. Let Him Go - Larry Watson - (250)
30. Inkdeath - Cornelia Funke - (6950)
31. Flashback - Nevada Barr - HB signed by author - (1189)
32. A Room of One's Own - Virginia Woolf - audiobook - (12511)
33. The Eighty Dollar Champion - Elizabeth Letts (710)
34. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing (5172)
35. Myths and Legends of Yellowstone - Ednor Therriault (4? maybe 1)
36. The Bears of Yellowstone - Paul Schullery - (26)
***37. Growing Up In Yellowstone - Gerald L. Bateson, Jr - (0)
38. The Lewis and Clark Cookbook: Historic Recipes from the Corps of Discovery - Leslie Mansfield -(62)
39. Glacier National Park After Dark: Sunset to Sunrise in a Beloved Montana Wilderness -John Ashley - (3)
40. A Guide to Exploring Grand Teton National Park - Linda L Olson & Tim Bywater - (7

>67 streamsong: oh I read about herin a smithsonian article awhile backand remembered wanting to read the book thanks for the reminder

Happy Wednesday, Janet Nice book haul. I liked Let Him Go and thought Endurance was excellent. I will watch for your thoughts on a few of these other titles, I am not familiar with.

We booked a one night campsite in Bozeman, to split up the drive from Custer to Glacier. I can't believe how fast it is approaching.

>69 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy. Everybody liked The Secret Life of Sunflowers at the book club and agreed that it was a quick read and interesting to learn about the very determined Johanna Bonger who was the driving force in preserving Van Gogh's works after his death and seeing that he became recognized for the genius that he was.

The author is a romance writer with over 60 romances published. In the notes at the end she said she said she wondered about her ability to cross over into 'women's fiction' and historical fiction. It's a split timeline with the current time line falling into what I call women's fiction - a romance wrapped around a determined woman living up to her grandmother's legacy; the earlier time line with Johanna Bonger is more historical fiction. The author did a lot of research and I liked it enough that I'll pick up her next book Woman Braiding Her Hair.

>72 streamsong: Hi Mark - Book hauls are fun, even though I swore I wasn't going to accumulate as many books this year. However, with one friend moving and selling a lot of her books, and then going by the library sale I've acquired far more than I, should have.

There was a shared read for The White Rhino Hotel earlier this year that fell apart. I'd never heard of it, so thought I'd give it a try. It's a bit too much hairy knees and Hemingway in Africa for me, but I should finish it in the next day or two. I saw you enjoyed it. Did you read the next two in the trilogy?

Keep your eyes on the Glacier web cams to keep track of the amount of smoke they are getting. We are in heat dome expected to last at least another two weeks and the smoke in the Bitterroot Valley is beginning to get bad. There's a largish fire near Missoula and we're also getting smoke from southern Oregon.

>64 streamsong: >65 ffortsa: I have been doing the same thing: mostly reading cozy mysteries focused on books are libraries. Adding Cleves to the list!

Also added The Secret Life of Sunflowers to the list.

I am sorry to hear about the heat and the fires. We have a few days of cooler weather and *maybe* rain.

Hi Karen! Ooh I'll have to see what you are reading - cozy mysteries focused on libraries sound very enticing.

I hope you enjoy The Secret Life of Sunflowers when you get to it.

I envy you your rain - no rain here in the forecast until at least August. Temps high 90's and low 100's for the next week. We do have a covering of smoke but it is not the obnoxious level yet. And, like a layer of clouds, it reduces the temperature a bit.

>13 streamsong: I have not read The Ghost Bride yet, Janet, but I really loved The Fox Wife: A Novel by the same author earlier this year, so I purchased The Ghost Bride to read as my library does not have it. I hope you enjoy The Ghost Bride. The various Ann Cleves series are enjoyable. They aren't too heavy, I agree.

Hi Deborah! I think I may have read your review of The Fox Wife which led me to Yangsze Choo. Even though I was a science major in college, I also took some liberal arts classes and one of those was Chinese Fairy Tales. The Ghost Bride felt very familiar to me as I could see the Chinese influence. I may well read more by this author.

Yay for a bit of escapism with Ann Cleves.

I'm currently reading All Quiet on the Western Front as a tribute to Anita. The TIOLI challenge in her honor this month was to read one of her favorite books published in the 20's or 30's.

51. An Ordinary Man – Paul Rusesabagina - 2006
- Global Reading: Rwanda
– library

This book is the basis for the movie Hotel Rwanda. Paul Rusesabagina, the author, tells his story of giving shelter and saving about twelve hundred people in the hotel he managed during the 1994 Rwanda genocide when the Tsutis murdered some 800,000 Hutus.

Paul had made it a point to befriend all the regulars of the hotel; to give them little favors and to carefully record their telephone numbers in his little black notebook. This book of numbers and a hidden telephone became the very means of salvation – although Rusesabagina mourned that he saved a very small percentage compared to the huge number of murders.

He tells this story in the second part of the book.

The first part is dedicated to the root causes of the hatred between the two tribes. A large part of the discord he ascribed to the colonial ruler Belgium that assigned tribes according to physical assets which they said affected the intelligence of the various people.

As the injustices mounted,even after the Belgians no longer ruled, resentment grew. I found these two paragraphs especially interesting and relevant perhaps to the divisions in US politics with the concurrent uprising of the militia as well as revolutions everywhere.

“The other thing you have to understand was that the message crept into our national consciousness very slowly. It did not happen all at once. We did not wake up one morning to hear it poring out of the radio at full strength. It started with a sneering comment, the casual use of the term ‘cockroach’, the almost humorous suggestion that Tutsis should be airmailed back to Ethiopia. Stripping the humanity from ane ntire group takes time. It is an attitude that requires cultivation, a series of small steps, daily tending.” P64

“These refugees saw plenty of reasons to be angry at the rebels – and, by unfair extension, angry at each individual Tutsi, Plus the militias were fun (italics), in the same way that hate radio was fun. They brought a sense of purpose and cohesion to an otherwise dreary life. It was like being int the Boy Scouts, or a soccer club, only there was a popular enemy to hate ad a lot of built-up frustration to vent.” P68

Last night I watched In Restless Dreams: the Music of Paul Simon through a free presentation through AARP. If you are a Paul Simon fan, it's definitely worth seeing. Pure magic! But .. be warned it's 3 hours and 45 miniutes long. The AARP showing had no option to pause or come back to it later. And even though I cooked and ate dinner (cheese & mushroom ravioli with butternut squash sauce), mostly I sat and watched it.

I am so stiff this morning! I see it's available to rent through Amazon prime which I would highly recommend.

Re reading Lessons in Chemistry for a book club tomorrow. It's amazing how much of the book I have forgotten even though I read it last year for my other in-person book club. I probably read it quickly at the last moment- as I tend to do with book club books. But sheesh! all I remember are the broadest of the outline points. I should probably reread every book in my collection. It is lovely light fiction.

I'm also reading All Quiet on the Western Front for the TIOLI challenge of Anita's favorite books from the 20's and 30's, and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle for Mark's group read. My audio book is A Room of One's Own which I picked up from the recent book sale. It's supposed to hit the 100+ range by mid-afternoon so reading will be on the agenda.

>80 streamsong: LOL! So true! I really enjoyed All Quiet on the Western Front, Janet. I plan to read Skippy Dies by Paul Murray in November along with Stasia as my memorial read for Anita. She is missed, very much.

Just catching up here, Janet. Hope all is well with you! And hope the fires are contained and the air quality improves.

>54 streamsong: I was hoping my local library would have a copy of that one but no such luck. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Janet. I will have to look further afield!

>64 streamsong: I am currently reading that series so I get to dodge that particular BB.

>68 streamsong: Nice haul!

>77 streamsong: Dodging that BB too. I re-read that one earlier this year. It remains a 5-star read for me.

>80 streamsong: Can I be the driver?? Lol

>80 streamsong: I love this cartoon. Thanks for posting it.

>81 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah - Glad you got a chuckle!

I had to pause the books I was reading to do a quick reread of Lessons in Chemistry for my book club. But I am really enjoying All Quiet on the Western Front. It's really different than what I thought it would be - I'm finding it very thought provoking and nuanced. I'm half way through. Paul has left the trenches, had a home leave and is going for additional training.

I haven't read Skippy Dies. Maybe I'll join you and Stasia in November. Yes, I miss Anita's warmth around the threads very much!

>82 ronincats: Hi Roni! I'm glad you stopped by! I've lost your thread by will go search it out.

We've had a small break in the temperatures, but the smoke is much worse since we are getting smoke from huge fires in Oregon. The air quality is now in the "unhealthy" range. I fear that it will stay that way until we have 'an event ending storm' -likely snow- in late September or October.

>83 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I'm glad you liked my review for Hard by a Great Forest. I hope you can find a copy!

An Ordinary Man was extraordinary. It gave me hope about the changes one person can bring into the world.

More about the saga of the book haul below. I'm now listening to A Room of One's Own which I bought at the sale. It is one of those books that I have always meant to read, but have never done so.

You can be the getaway driver only if you promise not to stop at book stores while we are in hot pursuit by the cops!

>84 ffortsa: I'm glad it gave you a smile, Judy! You wanna get in on the heist?

First of all a quickie weather report. We had a huge thunderstorm on Wednesday night - literally hundreds of lightning strikes in the surrounding forest. There were six small fire starts in this south end of the valley and more heading northward to Missoula. One strike was especially close. Cree the cat's fur literally stood up on end although I don't know if it was a sensitivity to the charge or fright from the loud thunder. He disappeared for the rest of the night. I stuck my head outside and everything looked good, although there was a strong smell of ozone in the air, indicating a close strike for sure. The storm was mostly to the north of me - almost unbelievably I didn't have any of the shallow-rooted cottonwoods blown over - not even any of my hay tarps were disturbed.

Missoula took the brunt of the storm with wind speeds over a hundred - similar to a category two hurricane. Thousands of people are still without power two days later and hundred or thousands of trees are also down. There are reports of live power lines in the river there; street lights on major throughfares are still not working and people are being asked to conserve water since the water distribution pumps are not all online.

There has never been a storm like that in Missoula, but it's been lost to the national news due to California's fires, etc.

>85 streamsong: after you read that, read the excellent sequel on the road back about surviving soldiers returning home

Those strong storms keep coming Hope you are all ok.

we finally had our seasonal monsoon last night, very late in the season. I was sound asleep, but David said it was glorious. Dropped the temps quite a bit this morning so I could sit outside and read abit

Okay, chapter 2 of the saga of my find at the book sale (>63 streamsong: ), the copy of Growing Up In Yellowstone by Gerald L Bateson, Jr.

After not finding any copies here on LT as I was cataloging my books, I did a deep dive search and did not find any copies for sale on the internet, although I did see it mentioned several places and the official Yellowstone Research Institute had a copy in their locked collection.

And then I received a email from the Chief Librarian at the Yellowstone Research Library thanking me nicely and saying they would be very happy to receive the book. And so I will send it to them.

>89 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy - Thanks for the rec! I will definitely keep On the Road Back in mind. I didn't know there was a sequel. It looks like there are several other books by Remarque in our library system, but not that one. I'll have to keep my eyes open for it.

I'm glad your monsoon arrived! I know the heat has been miserable down there. Has it cooled down, or did it just make the humidity go up?

I'm afraid the severe storms will continue for years to come. :(

A sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front? Never heard about it. I'll look it up.

Sorry about all the smoke. And the sources, of course. I hope the area gets a good bit of rain to tamp down the flames.

And yes, of course I want in on the heist!

Hi Judy - Paul just reviewed On the Way Back on his thread. It sounds excellent.

Our temps will be lower in the next few days with the highs in the 80's instead of the 100's. It's a very welcome relief, but I don't see any rain forecast. The best we can hope for are winds shifting the smoke a different direction.

Yay for the heist! The gang is shaping up!

>85 streamsong: I am due for a re-read of All Quiet on the Western Front. Maybe for the War Literature challenge when it gets to WWI. . .

>87 streamsong: I love A Room of One's Own so I hope you do too, Janet!

I still want to be the driver for the heist, lol.

52. The Ghost Bride - Yangsze Choo - 2013
- Global Reading: Malaysia
– library
3.8 stars

After Li Lan’s mother dies, Li Lan lives with her opioid addicted father and her amah in their respectable but crumbling family house. Unfortunately, Li Lan’s father has not kept up with society and so has no prospective grooms for his daughter to marry as she comes of age. Although she was informally engaged as a child, it seems to have fallen apart. Her father is pleased then to receive an offer of marriage from the same family – but the twist is that she would be the bride of their dead son, Lian Ching. She would live secluded in his family home, be well taken care of, but have no prospects for children or position.

Li Lan rejects this offer, but finds her ghost suitor Lian Ching inserting himself into her dreams and her everyday life and becoming angrier by the day.

She sickens and her body is separated from her spirit. Now her spirit is in real trouble as Lian Ching pursues her in the ghostly realm with his frightening and powerful spirit friends as she undertakes a journey to find her way home especially to Tian Bai, the boy she was originally engaged to as a child and now the head of her ghost suitor’s family. During her wanderings she also searches for her dead mother, as well as meeting the helpful but seemingly powerful Er Lang.

The author is of Chinese descent but was born and lived in Malaysia until age twelve. In her multiple endnotes about the book, Choo describes the afterlife mythology as a combination of Chinese and Malay which she notes is common to the area. She made this comment which I felt was my favorite from the book: “It seemed to me that in this confluence of cultures, we had acquired one another’s superstitions without necessarily any of their comforts.”

I enjoyed the book, but the plot was often secondary to the exploration of the afterlife. Nevertheless, I persisted and felt the ending redeemed the story. This was the author’s first book – I would definitely read another.

>95 streamsong: I can recommend The Fox Wife. I got the recommendation from Deborah (VancouverDeb) so you could check out her review if you like :)

Hi Stasia!

>94 alcottacre: I haven't been following the War Room challenges so I didn't realize they were chronologically out of order. I should be done with All Quiet on the Western Front today.

Yes, I'm loving A Room of One's Own. I can't believe I haven't read it before now. When I was in college I worked in a bookstore and had so many customers tell me "You have to read this or that" that I tended to shy away from over-recommended books which were often the bestselling books of the mid-70's. My stubborness caused me to miss out on some classics.

Yup, you've claimed the driver's seat! Anyone want shotgun?

>96 alcottacre: Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for The Fox Wife. I probably got the recommendation for Yangsze Choo on Deborah's thread. I can't remember why I chose this title instead of that - availability (?)

My son bought me the NYT games package as an early birthday present.

I'm enjoying the Wordle bot analysis of my Wordle solving. Today my scenario was alien, gourd, usher, super Quote from the bot: "No one in our sample of 1,775,437 completed Wordles faced this scenario!" Hah! My brain and puzzle solving are unique among almost 2 million puzzle doers! Maybe I'll recheck what the bot says later today when the number of puzzle solvers should be higher.

ETA: Does anyone else feel a bit .... I don't know ..... invaded (?) that even our online puzzle solving has become a matter of public domain?

>98 streamsong: I have been checking out the bot as well. It is fascinating to see how quickly it parses the data from almost 2 million people! As for the invasion part, I assume everything I do is recorded by someone. I did a security workshop one time and we installed an extension in the web browser that showed how many different websites were connecting to every page you loaded. It was a little unbelievable how many different sites were collecting some kind of data/cookie.

Sorry...didn't mean to scare anyone ;-)

That is so true, Karen.

Not too long ago I signed up for the Albertson's grocery app as they always have a few very good specials when you use it. It required my phone number, which I rather reluctantly supplied. Now that app no longer works - the new app requires physical address, phone number, email address and more - grr. Not sure it's worth it for a few $$ off my grocery bill each week.

Benita was delivering items from her mother's house in Kansas to her sister who lives in Bozeman.

We met in Butte, had lunch and a book store run at Second Edition Books. Great company, good lunch and a wonderful used book store!

I hope to see her again when she visits her sister.



That's me on the left and Benita on the right

Hooray for the Meet Up with Benita! It looks like you both grabbed some books too. Big shocker, right?

>100 streamsong: Hi Janet! Oh, yes. Download our app, give us all your info… I am still refusing, though how long i can hold out, I don’t know.

>101 streamsong: Very nice! I hope you had a lot of fun there.

>101 streamsong: What a great picture of you and Benita, Janet! You both look great and very happy. I'm glad you had such a great meet up. I also really enjoy the Wordle bot analysis.

>102 msf59: Hi Mark - The meetup was fun. It would have been very hard **NOT** to buy books in that store. Used bookstores are my favorite a you never know what treasures are lurking This one had a great selection of Montana and the West books, beautifully bound classics, New York Times bestsellers and every genre one could imagine. I only bought two - both horse related. :)

I did take a photo of Benita's pile of books. I'll post it here if she wants me to do so.

They also had some collectible type odds and ends. I'm not a crafty person, but I loved these laminated book marks made out of collectible match books. I bought one so I could remember how they were done, and a matchbook from a Butte brewery to try it out.

>103 EllaTim: Hi Ella - The new Albertson's app has made me so angry that I am pretty much boycotting the store. Except of course today, the first Thursday of the month, when seniors get 10% off. They do have some plant-based foods that I can't find other places here in town, so I will make a quick run in a bit - app-less of course. A friend told me that she just tells the check out clerk that she doesn't have a smart phone and they give her the specials anyway. I may give that strategy a try.

The meetup was fun, the bookstore spectacular. I could spend hours and hours and hours there.

>104 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! Yes, it was fun. I haven't met any other LT people who live here in Montana, so I cherish those who come through a-touristing.

The Wordle bot is very interesting. I don't think I'll change my strategy, though. At least not yet. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks as they say.

>100 streamsong: Exactly! Have we sold our souls for a couple books and, in the case of my store, "free item Friday" when they give away small packets of seasoning mix or cleaners.

>101 streamsong: What a lovely picture!

>105 streamsong: Love the bookmarks!

>106 streamsong: It's funny how the clerks are willing to subvert the system.

Hope you are well!

The Booker Longlist 2024

Wild Houses by Colin Barrett
Headshotby Rita Bullwinkel
James by Percival Everett
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
My Friends by Hisham Matar
Held by Anne Michaels
This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
Playground by Richard Powers
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

Copied from Deborah's thread. I haven't read any of them yet, but I do have James by Percival Everett and Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange on the hold list at the library.

I may not get serious about reading others until the short list is announced.

loved James by Percival Everett and read
Orbital by Samantha Harvey but just found it too slow. I get it, thats how it is in space but I found myself losing interest. Tho I found it beautifully written, so I can forgive a lot

loved James and read Orbital but just found it too slow. I get it, thats how it is in space but I found myself losing interest. Tho I found it beautifully written, so I can forgive a lot. really interested in Powers new one; he blows hot and cold for me; he can be pure genius in time of our singing but be over the top with overstory hope this one works

>77 streamsong: BB for me!

>101 streamsong: glad you had a nice time!

Hope you have a great weekend :)

>108 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! Hmm there might be a Freudian slip in the first few words of your message. Ha! I might give them more of my info if they were giving me free books ....

Thank you re the meetup picture and also the photo of the bookmarks. I don't think anyone gives away matchbooks anymore, but I've think I've seen them in second hand jumble stores. And oh yes - looks like eBay has tons of them for sale.

Well, some times the clerks are subverting the system, but in my friend's case, she actually only has a flip-phone; she feels she wastes far less time that way. If I give it a try, it will be shear deception on my part. :)

>110 cindydavid4: >111 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy! Thanks for your input on the Bookers.

I'm looking forward to James.

I'll probably give Orbital a try eventually, as I've seen some good reviews of it.

For some reason I hadnt tumbled to Richard Powers being on the list. The only one I've read of his is Overstory which I liked, but didn't love.

>112 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! An Ordinary Man is special - I hope you enjoy it!

I've only met a handful of fellow LT'er's. It is fun to be able to indulge my hobby with like-minded denizens of the book obsessed.

Well, I have My Friendsunder my belt so far and it was good, Janet. I'm just starting This Strange, Eventful History. I haven't put a hold on Orbital yet. I'm not sure if I will like it. Wordlebot hasn't changed my strategy either, I just like reading the analysis.

I really enjoyed your review of My Friends. It will also fit nicely into my around the world reading challenge.

The wordlebot analysis are fun - do you do the crossword too?

I'm so far behind on reviews and this one had me stumped. How should I even begin to review a work of sixty essays? So here is what the publisher says about the book:



53. The View From the Cheap Seats - Neil Gaiman 2017
- audiobook
– library

Description from the publisher:
"An inquisitive observer, thoughtful commentator, and assiduous craftsman, Neil Gaiman has long been celebrated for the sharp intellect and startling imagination that informs his fiction. Now The View from the Cheap Seats brings together, for the first time ever, more than 60 works of his outstanding nonfiction on topics and people close to his heart.

"As Neil explains, "This book is not 'the complete nonfiction of Neil Gaiman'. It is, instead, a motley bunch of speeches and articles, introductions and essays. Some of them are serious, and some of them are frivolous, and some of them are earnest, and some of them I wrote to try to make people listen."

In prose that's analytical yet playful, erudite yet accessible, Neil explores a broad range of interests and topics, including (but not limited to) authors past and present; music; storytelling; comics; bookshops; travel; fairy tales; America; inspiration; libraries; ghosts; and the title piece, at turns touching and self-deprecating, which recounts his experiences at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Neil ponders the truth of fiction and the power of stories (and why we tell them) and offers his own profiles of and insights into writers who have influenced him, including C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, Diana Wynne Jones, Stephen King, Rudyard Kipling, James Thurber, and his dear friend, Terry Pratchett. He offers unlikely perspectives on subjects as diverse as The Bride of Frankenstein, Doctor Who, Batman, Tori Amos, Lou Reed, They Might Be Giants, and Amanda Palmer. And he includes a moving essay on the plight of Syrian refugees in a United Nations camp in Jordan."

**

Sixty non-fiction pieces by Neil Gaiman.

I most enjoyed the ones where he was getting started as a writer, fueled by his love for comic books. His description of getting a ticket way, way way far from the stage during the Oscars the year the film adaption of Coraline was nominated and he was an unknown will be shear inspiration to wanna-be writers everywhere.

His pieces of authors who have inspired him and the issues that trouble him, like the piece on Syrian refugees, are also outstanding.

I enjoyed this book, especially as the audio is read by Gaiman himself. Highly recommended.

Hi Janet. Hooray for meet ups!

The Gaiman sounds really good. I've listened to some of his narrations, and he is a good reader.

Of the Booker longlist, I have only read Orbital, which I thought was brilliant. I am waiting to get James from the library and have Wandering Stars. I kind of want to reread There There first.

>97 streamsong: The War Room challenges were set up - in some cases, but not all of them - to reflect the month when whatever war ended.

Hey, at least you are getting to A Room of One's Own now, right?

>101 streamsong: I am jealous! I always am because I want to be in on every LT meet up, lol.

>109 streamsong: I am disappointed where my local library is concerned about the Booker Longlist as it has very few of the titles. I have literally been trying to get James for months now.

>118 streamsong: I need to read that one! Thanks for the mention, Janet.

Have a super Saturday!

>118 streamsong: loved this book! shows his non fiction is as good as his fiction. I got to go to a reading of his in a packed auditorium when this book came out, Hes one of those authors that I purchase, sight unseen and very rarely disappoints

>119 BLBera: Hi Beth -Thanks for stopping in!

I know I have said this before, but I listened to Tommy Orange read a bit from Wandering Stars at a Native American authors convention in Missoula before it was published. He's the first NAor Canadian Indigenous Person to be nominated. Is he the best of the burgeoning number of Native writers? Since I've only read There There it's hard to judge, but I am looking forward to reading his book.

Orbital sounds very innovative. I'll get to it (eventually!)

>120 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia, for explaining how the months for the War Room books were chosen. I did not know that, as war isn't a topic I read much about and hadn't planned to take part in this challenge. I had far too much exposure to Vietnam news and heartbreak when I was in high school, I guess, with my classmates worrying about their draft status and those of their brothers.

It's strange how I've read more this year - but it's hard to avoid when reading books from around the world. In July I read All Quiet on the war Western Front as an homage to Anita in the TIOLI challenge. I also have Life and Fate home from the library right now which I had also planned to read as one of Anita's favorite books.

The meetup with Benita was fun! I hope Mark makes it to Glacier in September although I'm still a bit skeptical due to the varying smoke conditions. And yes, I did listen to A Room of One's Own in its entirety while driving to meet Benita - it was the perfect length! and since I had never read it before, I listened to almost all of it twice.

I agree - I want to be present at every single meetup!

>123 streamsong: years ago, a work colleague recommended Life and Fate, but it took me a long time to get around to it. It's a wonderful book - I hope you enjoy it.

>121 cindydavid4: View From the Cheap Seats was excellent and his reading was lovely. I need to read more by Gaiman.

Your statement "Hes one of those authors that I purchase, sight unseen and very rarely disappoints" is making me consider if I have authors that fall into that category. I guess my list would include:
Sarah Moss
Ruta Sepetys
Barbara Kingsolver
Kazuo Ishiguro
Timothy Egan for non-fiction

Some of the authors I have tagged as favorites on my author cloud have fallen by the wayside for me; either because my interest has moved on (Colin Cotterill) or because some of that author's books didn't resonate (Margaret Atwood).

July
57. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Emmanuel Acho - 2021 - library
58. Footprints of a Heart - Shayla Kiddo Paradeis - 2023 - Glacier Conservancy Book Club - library
59. The Poet's Dog - Patricia MacLachlan - 2016 - "for Anita" - reread - library
60 . The Secret Life of Sunflowers - Marta Molnar - 2022 - NC Book Club - purch 2024
61. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother - James McBride - 2006 - audiobook - library
62. The White Rhino Hotel - Bartle Bull - 1992 - library
63. Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus - 2023 - Reread for BBBC - ROOT
64. A Room of One's Own - Virginia Woolf - 1929 - mine acq'd 2024

Books read: 8
By women: 5
By men: 3

Novels: 3
Young adult: 1
Nonfiction: 3
Essays: 1

Translation: 0
Audiobooks: 2

Rereads: 1

Library: 5
My shelves:
2 acquired this year
1 acquired previously

None of which are reviewed yet. Sigh.

Haven't looked at these numbers for a while: there has been a huge jump - it's a bit like getting on the scale to weight yourself after several months of not doing so .....
As of 08/01/2024: 580 books on physical MT TBR includes 13 library books at home
As of 03/01/2024: 552 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2024: 549 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2023: 535 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2022: 530 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2021: 522 books on MT TBR

Currently Reading:

Hi Janet!

>79 streamsong: I loved Lessons in Chemistry, giving it one of my rare 5*.

>85 streamsong: Hmmm. I love WWI fiction and poetry (never a favorite genre), and have All Quiet on the Western Front in a beautiful slipcase edition on my shelves, as yet unread.

>97 streamsong: I’ve had A Room of One’s Own on my shelves since before I joined LT. I got rid of all her fiction because her writing irritates me, but I’ve left this one to perhaps read one day. And, I just re-discovered my Kindle version of her complete works, purchased in 2021 for 99¢.

>101 streamsong: I’m envious of your meetup with Benita. I need to visit Karen, perhaps this year, and if so, want to have at meetup with you. Yay for meet ups and pics!

Hi Karen! Thanks for stopping in!

I liked Lessons in Chemistry better the second time around. The first time I read it, I kept thinking how improbable certain scenarios were. This time I just sat back and enjoyed it. The humor in the book was just what I needed!

I was surprised how much I liked All Quiet on the Western Front as war novels aren't really my thing. I loved it. I haven't reviewed or rated it yet, but it will probably be five stars.

I loved listening to the audio of A Room of One's Own. I enjoyed her analysis of why women didn't have wealth - it had only been a dozen years since they could have money in their name instead of their husbands, and more professions were opening to women. It sounded parallel to why minorities have a wealth gap today - and how women today still struggle.

Meetups are fun! Have you thought about coming the end of September when Mark will be going to Glacier Park?

>123 streamsong: I would second Anita's recommendation of Life and Fate if it were needed. I thought it was a wonderful book - I read it in close proximity to when Anita read it.

As far as meet ups go, the 15th (!) annual Joplin meet up is happening in October. Everyone is welcome!

>126 streamsong: Looks like July was a very good reading month for you, Janet! Congratulations.

>130 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. I'm glad to know Life and Fate is a good one. Still, it looks a bit long to be able to finish this month along with TW-UBC and Jewish Literacy.

I'd love to meet you and everyone else in Joplin! I am just extremely tied down right now with a diabetic cat and too many horses. The horse problem is that I have a stallion and so it takes a special person to do horse chores when I am gone overnight. The neighborhood pet-sitting service just won't work.

I did enjoy my July reading. The low point was The White Rhino Hotel, which I didn't really care for and yet am glad to have read. Did you write a review for it? Just found your review at the end of your July thread - I skipped right to August and missed your last thirty or so posts for July. In the main I agree with your assessment - although I would rate it a little higher because I did like the history and geographic sense of time and place that Bartle Bull was able to conjure.

54. Snowblind - Ragnar Jonasson - 2017
- Global Reading: Iceland
– library
3.8 stars

Book #1 in Dark Iceland series.

Ari Thor is a former philosophy and theology student who has just finished training with the police academy. He takes a job in remote in Siglufjördur, a tiny town close to the Arctic Circle on the north coast of Iceland with a magnificent fjord . Unfortunately, he does not consult his girlfriend/fiancé: a medical student who won’t be able to move with him.

Nobody locks doors, nothing ever happens in this small town until the town’s well known author is discovered dead at the bottom of the stairs during a play rehearsal. Ari Thor believes there are signs that he may have been pushed but the idea is negated by his boss.

But events quicken. Ari Thor’s house is broken into and he is injured. And there is a woman with multiple knife wounds found clinging to life in the snow.

As this is the beginning of a series, there is a multitude of new characters to keep follow. The characters are interesting, but there are almost too many, mostly revolving around the theater group, one of the few distractions in the village. But the village is not so simple as it seems – they all have complicated backstories, even though they are all quite familiar with each other’s lives.

There are many plot turns, and I didn’t have the ending worked out. I enjoyed the claustrophobic feeling of a small town only accessible through a tunnel and completely cut off in the winter by the never ending snow.
Enjoyable mystery – I will continue with this series.

Hi Janet!

Alas, the end of September is the Fall Book Sale. I won't work the entire sale, but will be working some from Sunday the 22nd through Saturday the 28th. I'll be a customer first thing on Thursday the 26th, of course...

Like you and your diabetic cat and stallion, I have a hard time leaving for any extended period now because my senior kitty Inara, 17, needs a daily Cosequin capsule, Meloxican every 3rd day, and is on the last two doses of medicine for hyperthyroidism. I have to schedule her for a weight check next week and don't know what will happen then - more/different medicine, backing off, ?

Hi Karen! It would have been a fun group meetup, but I'll look forward to seeing you and Karen whenever.

Wow on 17 year old Inara! You must be taking golden care of her - what we don't do for our critter friends.

I'm really glad you're doing so well with your knee that you'll be working the booksale. All your hard rehabbing has really paid off.

Hi Janet! I'm still working on Wind-up Bird Chronicle, too. I'm going slowly, it seems. Only finished one book last month (besides books I read to my son). How are you liking the book?

Hi Rachel - it's nice to know someone else is still reading it! I liked it well enough at first, but now I am getting a bit bogged down. I'm beginning to think Murakami just isn't the author for me. Nevertheless, I'm determined to finish it - I'm about two thirds of the way through it.

What do you think?

I'm also reading Go Went Gone which is due back at the library tomorrow. I'm really enjoying this; it's the first book by Jenny Erpenbeck that I've read.

OK, here is the last book I read in June. I'm going to try to post a review a day to get caught up.



56. The Lost Journals of Sacajewea – Debra Magpie Earling – 2023
- Root #4 acquired 2023
- 3.5 stars

In the beginning Sacajewea describes herself as a young girl in the Lemhi Shoshone tribe, living a happy childhood, learning the skills, traditions and spiritual beliefs of her people and dreaming of the man she plans to marry.

Then she is stolen away by a raiding tribe. Her family members are killed; she herself is raped, brutalized and turned into a slave. After some years she is gambled away to a French-Canadian trapper named Charbonneau, who continues to treat her as a slave. When Charbonneau is engaged by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Sacajewea is taken along and her myth is created.

This was a truly challenging read. As a “journal” it’s written in a stream of consciousness which, begins as a young child in abbreviated language. As Sacajewea matures, so does her thinking, vocabulary and knowledge. But even as the language improves and becomes easier to read, the brutality against her is told in graphic terms. We are used to seeing the statues of Sacajewea standing triumphantly with her child strapped to her back and pointing the direction with her outstretched arm. This is as much a white-man fiction as the happy slaves on southern plantations.

I had the privilege of hearing Debra Earling speak soon after this book was published. She said the story was ‘given’ to her almost in its entirety. And while it follows much of the standard story of Sacajewea, I really liked the ending – and as hard as it was to read, I like very much the woman and history it portrays.

>131 streamsong: Well, maybe if not this year potentially next? I would love the opportunity to meet you!

>132 streamsong: I have had that book in the BlackHole for a while now. Unfortunately my local library still does not have a copy - and neither does Hoopla. *sigh*

Hi Janet! I don't do the crossword, no, just wordle, strands and connections from the NYT. I do like doing crosswords and get a monthly magazine called Games, which is mainly word puzzles and crosswords. Dave and I have been married for 41 years and I recall in our early days of dating, we both enjoyed The Games Magazine. I am amazed it is still around. I did finish This Strange , Eventful History. It was a bit of a slog, but worth reading.

>132 streamsong: Snowblind- that was good one. I particularly enjoy his Hidden Iceland series, which starts with The Darkness (Hidden Iceland) . He also cowrote a book with the Icelandic President, Reykjavik . It was also very good. I read The Prey by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. I have a weakness for Iceland mysteries.

Sweet Thursday, Janet. It sounds like The Wind Up Bird is becoming a slog for you. I was hoping it began to improve but if you can't lock into his weirdness, it might be hopeless. I did not love the novel but still found chunks of it, very good.

>109 streamsong: I just did the exact same thing. I feel like I need to explore some of these books. My reading has been pretty light weight.

I have been creating collages and that would be another fun use for the matchbooks. I also saw someone who made a very small loom out of a match box!

>138 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I would say probably not next year, but I predict in five years my horse situation will be entirely different as I have several elders in the herd. Hopefully, after that I can travel more.

I hope you can find it, although you could start later in the series. I enjoyed it, and have number two `in the series, White Nights home from the library.

>139 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! I haven't figured out how to play NYT strands yet, but I do like the mini crossword which is very easy. I also play connections.

I read Reykjavik earlier this year - it was the one that convinced me I should read some more of Jonasson's works.

I will have to check out the Dark Iceland series. (After years of being here on LT, I've finally learned that three square brackets denotes a series.

It looks like our group of libraries has several by Yrsa Sigurdardottir, so I'll definitely keep her in mind. Mysteries are my light go-to's, but I don't like noir that is too noir-sh. :)

>140 msf59: Yup, Mark, The Wind-Bird is becoming a bit of a slog. I'll still finish it, although I haven't picked it up the last few days.

>141 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! My reading goes through heavy and not so heavy, too. Variety is the spice of life they say.

Matchbooks collages sound fun. I don't have a collection of matchboxes, but can see how it could be fun to find them from areas I've lived. Wow on the loom! I can imagine it, but can't imagine attempting to make it. :)

HI!!!!!
I am finally getting around to hunting down your thread and posting. It is fine with me to post my pile of books from Second Edition.

It was a great meetup. We had lunch in the amazingly comfortable and hip Metals Sports Bar & Grill in the so homey (and toxic) city of Butte, MT. For some weird reason I like Butte. I have had a good time both times I have been in this city and find it full of friendly people and hidden gems of places. Even though the city is toxic, due to the mining, it also has wonderful charm and grace. The Metals Bank Building, where we ate lunch was so unique and comfortable that I would have no trouble recommending it to other visitors.

I could go on and on about Second Edition Bookstore. It was totally a great bookstore. It took me a minute to figure out the organization but once I did it was easy to find books to purchase or just to look at. I bought mostly Montana authors, and I don't think that any of them were great bargains, but I was satisfied with my purchases.

Janet was an amusing and comfortable companion for the meetup and so if you get a chance to be anywhere in her vicinity take the time to meet with her. You will enjoy it. Janet is closer to Missoula than she is to Butte, so I appreciate that she took the time and energy to drive all the way to Butte to meet with me. Butte is 100 miles from Bozeman and even farther from Hamilton so she made quite an effort. Thanks to her. I enjoyed the trip so much.

I am enjoying your reviews and pictures. Did you decide on a name for you new filly? We ran across pictures of our last one while we were cleaning things out of Mom's house. It is great fun to work with them but it is lots of time commitment.

I arrived back here in Kansas 1 week ago and have been busy trying to clear a path in the living room. I am slowing getting things moved out and today will take another box of glassware to my Aunt. I still haven't gotten my cousins to come get any of the furniture that they want, and I will be leaving to return to Alabama on Tuesday to get another load of my things. I took the van I was driving in to get the oil changed and found out that it needs a wheel bearing replaced, so that will cost me $400 I was not expecting. I guess there are always unexpected things that need to be fixed.

It has been cooler than normal here for the last three days. I got back to Kansas in time to go to the county fair on Friday and Saturday last week, and it was 100 degrees both days. The heat continued and then on Tuesday a front came through and the temperature dropped into the 80's. Then on August 8, I went to Grand Island, Nebraska to get a sewing machine repaired and along the way the temperature dropped another 10 degrees. The last three days the temperatures in the mornings have been in the 60's with highs in the 70's. Totally not August weather in Kansas.

I am doing lots of cooking because the zucchini and summer squash is running out of our ears. Now the sweet corn is ready and so everybody around here is canning and freezing at full bore. At least it is cool while doing it.

I have been engrossed in Winter Soldier but find it hard to read at times because the descriptions of many of the medical parts to be very graphic. However, it is just as atmospheric as the other book I read by him - Piano Tuner. I plant to get to Fountains of Silence at some point in the near future.

I was surprised to see that you read the Nevada Barr books. I have read some of them, and am trying to find copies of the remaining books in the Anna Pigeon series that I don't have.

Right now I am listening to the third book in Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series. It is 928 pages in the hardcopy and 31 CD's. I have half of it listened to and plan to listen to the rest of it while driving back to Alabama next week. This summer has been great for my recorded book listening.

>145 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I've never doubted that Janet would be fine companion on a meetup. Now I just have to get to her vicinity. Did you notice the country out there is BIG?

Cool weather in the midst of a heat wave is so refreshing, isn't it?

>145 benitastrnad: >146 benitastrnad: Hi Benita - I'm glad you enjoyed the meetup. Montana distances aren't quite the same as elsewhere. There is usually beautiful scenery and with the company of an audiobook and a minimum of traffic (not to mention 80mph speed limit on the interstate), time flies quickly. It was nice to meet you

Moving is such a pain. I've lived in this house for over thirty years and dread the time when I'll have to leave. No wonder people leave all the sorting to their heirs!

I read Nevada Barr for the National Parks. The ones I've read radiate out from this area, rather than reading them sequentially.

I've been following the comments on Winter Soldier on Mark's thread. It sounds very interesting.

We've had a break in our heat, too. Wonderful, miraculous, loverly!

>147 ffortsa: Hi Judy - Yup, distances out here are BIG, but two hours of mountain interstate driving is much different than two hours of city driving. Except for winter. I'm getting more skeptical about winter driving expeditions as each year passes.

It's actually a bit chilly here this morning: 47! but due to warm up nicely as the day goes on.

Hi Janet - Snowblind sounds like one I would like. I enjoy mysteries set in places I don't know much about.

Great comments on Sacajewea; I had a hard time at the beginning because of the language but ended up really respecting what Earling was doing. I saw her speak at the Portland Book Festival and she was very interesting.

>149 streamsong: Oh, I would NEVER drive for two hours in the city. If I'm driving, which has become so rare, it's to get out of the city as fast as possible, into the wider car-accessible mainland. I'll most likely rent a car in September or October to visit my cousin in southern New Jersey, because she is in an area not well served by public transportation. In spite of some beautiful areas of New Jersey, the roads don't offer much in the way of scenic interest on the way south.

47! Sounds lovely. We have a few weeks of heat to go, but autumn is not far away.

Distances are long here in Kansas as well. It is 85 miles to the nearest Starbucks and that is the nearest descent coffee shop. Last Wednesday I drove 120 miles to pick up my sister's sewing machine at the sewing machine repair shop. It is 150 miles to the nearest airport that has a good selection of flights in and out. If you want to fly United it is 85 miles, but United is the only airline that serves that airport. Even then it is only with propeller planes.

>152 benitastrnad: All I can say is Yikes! Too remote for me, at least I think so.

>150 BLBera: Hi Beth! I think you'd like both Snowblind or the one Ragnar Jonasson & wrote with the Icelandic prime minister Katrin Jakobsdottir called Reyjkavik that I reviewed earlier in >45 streamsong: . Reyjkavik, being a later book has a more polished style.

I agree that it's fun to read books set around the world!

Thanks for the comments re my review of Sacajewea . It *was* an unpleasant read in many ways, shown that I took so long to read it, while I picked up lighter books in between.

Earling's book Perma Red will be the focus of the September Glacier Park Conservancy zoom book club. I read it years ago, and am looking forward to the reread and discussion, expecially since Native American literature has really blossomed since this book came out.

>151 ffortsa: Hi Judy- My city driving is pretty limited, so it stresses me out. I don't think I'd manage at all without GPS but that has its limits. Kudos for those of you who regularly do that kind of driving!

I'd love to go to one of the Portland or Seattle meetups, but it's just too far. :(

>152 benitastrnad: Hi Benita - I usually travel to Missoula about once a month or so. It's only 50 miles away, so not too stressful for shopping or concerts. I also enjoy a yearly or so trip to Spokane about two hundred fifty miles away; they get decent concerts and Broadway plays and the shopping is much more diverse.

When I got back to Kansas (after the Montana Trip) I had the cable TV turned back on. I wanted to watch the Olympics. I quickly discovered that there was no local NBC affiliate, so I could only watch the clips of events available on the other networks. Then I found the Lifetime channel that showed games in their entirety. I listened to soccer, handball, water polo, table tennis, weightlifting, wrestling, volleyball, and bicycle sprints (both men's and women's events) and got to see some sports that I would never watch otherwise. It was interesting and turned out to be something I enjoyed. I would never have gotten to see those games on the major outlet.

I took the Van in to have the oil changed before the return trip to Alabama and they discovered that one of the noises it was making was a wheel bearing on its way out. $250.00 later I have it fixed and this morning I had Three Girls and a Truck (my cousins) come over and we loaded up the "Party Wagon." Temporary Emergency Services in Tuscaloosa will take mattresses and box springs, as well as bed frames and other furniture. I now have the bedroom I am going to turn into an office almost cleaned out and ready for my desk and bookcases. The girls were a big help. They can use a Ratchet set and pliers with skill. This morning it was Two Girls and Zeb. Zeb is their little brother, but we got the van loaded and Temporary Emergency Services will unload it for me. They will even come to my house to get the stuff!

I haven't had time to do much reading. The weather here has been great. It rained a bit this morning so it is very humid, but it is cool and that made moving things so much more pleasant.

All the esoteric sports are really a draw in watching the Olympics.

I'm glad the van repairs weren't too expensive and that you are getting the new house squared away.

57. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Emmanuel Acho - 2021
– library
4.5 stars

Published description: "Emmanuel Acho grew up in Dallas with his three siblings, the son of Nigerian immigrant parents. In 2012 he was drafted into the NFL by the Cleveland Browns, and later played with the Philadelphia Eagles, while earning a master’s degree in sports psychology at the University of Texas in the off-seasons. In 2016 he left the NFL for ESPN, where he served as the youngest national football analyst, and was named a 2018 Forbes Under 30 Selection. He is now a Fox Sports analyst and the creator of the ongoing online video series 'Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.'

"(Emmanuel) Acho connects his own experience with race and racism--including his majority-white prep school education juxtaposed with his time in majority black NFL locker rooms--with the lessons of history, culture, and the wisdom of other black voices. The result is an essential guide to the conversations we should all be having to increase our understanding and join the anti-racist fight."

This is written in an engaging, thought provoking way. It’s done without anger, but will challenge your beliefs on these subjects so vital to understanding the viewpoint of black Americans today.

It’s a time when racism is once more rearing its ugly head and being a racist can seem to be a legitimate support of patriotic American values.

It’s not.

It never can be.

The read is quick, but not surface. I’ll challenge everyone I know to give this a read or to listen to the ongoing podcast of the same name. In addition, I’ll be looking forward to reading his newest book Uncomfortable Conversations With a Jew.

The Table of Contents: The Name Game – Black or African American; Implicit Bias; White Privilege, Cultural Appropriation; Angry Black Men’ The N Word; Systemic Racism; Reverse Racism; Who’s Governing the Government?; Thug Life; Black Family Struggle; The Interracial Family; Fighting for Change; How to be an Ally; Ending racism

!! I’ll be looking forward to reading his newest book Uncomfortable Conversations With a Jew.

id read that! as well as the above book, looks very interesting

>142 streamsong: I hope we are still going in 5 years, Janet! I would love to see you there.

>158 streamsong: I get to dodge that particular BB as I have already read it. I believed I gave it 4.5 stars too. Thanks for the heads up regarding Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew. I will have to look for that one too. Thanks!

Have a fantastic Friday!

>158 streamsong:
That title looks interesting and so that is a BB.

>158 streamsong: On the list and close to the top!

>158 streamsong: This sounds like a book I could read. And then, the one 'with a Jew' also. Tishby is a very Hebrew name, by the way, associated with Elijah, as we sing on Passover.

>159 cindydavid4: >160 alcottacre: >161 benitastrnad: >162 witchyrichy: >163 ffortsa: Hi Cindy, Stasia, Benita, Karen & Judy! Thanks for stopping by. I found this one very thought provoking. I do have black family members and sometimes I don't have a clue what I should say or how to ask something.

It's the very first review I've added to Facebook I try to stay away from politics on FB (except of course, for the political groups I belong to), but do speak out on issues there.

I hope that Uncomfortable Conversations With a Jew will also be good. I see it only has a few mixed reviews here on LT, but on sites with more reviews such as GR & Amazon, it fares better. I'll be reading it (eventually). I'm still working on Jewish Literacy which is absolutely fascinating, but so chocked with information that I am reading its 750 pages quite slowly.

>160 alcottacre: Stasia, Yay! Meetups forever. Who would have ever thought I would be active on this site 15 years after I joined LT? I know the BB for Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man came from your thread.

>163 ffortsa: That's really interesting, Judy. Thanks for sharing. I'll be really interested in what you think of Uncomfortable Conversations With a Jew.

Although I don't get out in the woods much these days, I still enjoy the bookclub and conversations at the Glacier Conservancy Book Club.



58. Footprint of a Heart - Shayla Kiddo Paradeis - 2023
- Glacier Conservancy Book Club
– library
3.6 stars

Shayla (trail name Kiddo) is a free spirited thru-hiker; one who does the longest of hikes. By age 34, she walked over 18,000 miles - twice completing the Appalachian Trail as well as the Pacific Crest Trail, most of the Continental Trail and the Te Araroa – the trail from the northernmost part of New Zealand to the southern tip. Although not included in this book, she has also hiked the European Haut Route across Europe with overnight stays in chalets and villages.

She grew up in Minnesota. At age fourteen she traveled to Glacier Park and hiked to Sperry Glacier and Chalet – and found her spiritual birthplace there. Although she returned to New York City to major in musical theater, she soon returned to Glacier Park and became convinced that her soul belonged to the woods and the long hikes which she soon began to undertake.

Although there are many stories of her trail experiences, this book is more about the feeling of her journeys. She is a bubbly and musical free spirit who does all her hiking in a dress. She believes that the best types of hiking, music and writing have all occurred when she “didn’t have to do anything – just happened. Just stay in your heart.”

If you have read stories by other hikers whose stories, like the trails they travel, have a beginning, middle and end. You will find this a different experience. In this book, the trails go on and on and completion is not the only goal.

The recording of the author talking to the Glacier Conservancy Book Club is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s57-2pWfP64

>165 streamsong:
This book sounds interesting. I love reading travel books and books about hiking and hikers are like candy to me. I like to travel but find that I don't have as adventurous of a spirit as I would like. Perhaps that will change now that I am retired but this book sounds like something I would enjoy reading.

>165 streamsong: that looks interesting but in a dress?if it were me this time of year id be covered in mosquito bite! but like >166 benitastrnad: I travel pretty much vicariously through books now, so I can justs appreciate the journey

>166 benitastrnad: Hi Benita! It sounds like you might like this one. You also might enjoy listening to her interview that I linked to see if it is up your alley.

I hear you on wanting to go adventuring. The spirit is willing, but the body protests at the idea of backpacking and sleeping on the ground. I still enjoy reading others' accounts, though.

>167 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy! Yeah, the dress. Personally I have never seen anyone hiking in a dress. Bugs, scratches from bushes, and the general trail grime don't appeal to me. In one place during the interview she says that she wishes she wasn't so well known on the trails. The dress (it sounds like always the same one???) would certainly tip people off if you were trying to be more incognito.

I've been extra super busy around the place. This weekend I had 30 tons of hay delivered. This is my big buy every year. And although I pay to have it delivered and stacked, it's still a big job to get the area it needs to go cleaned up, acquire enough pallets to stack the hay on from local businesses, and tarps to keep it all safely covered.

We've continued to have truly wicked lightning storms in the afternoons and evenings. Yesterday my power was off for over an hour - and the clouds, heavy rain and hail made it too dark to read in the house. My son has suggested I get some solar charged emergency lighting which has a longer burn life than my battery operated antiques and drawers full of batteries.

The lightning strike map again shows several strikes very close to my place yesterday. Hamilton is about in the middle of the image. I live just south and east of Hamilton along the blue line of the creek - you can see several strikes very close to my house. Yikes!

>164 streamsong: I am happy to know that you are still working on Jewish Literacy, Janet, and enjoying the read.

In May I celebrated my 18th Thingaversary so I understand when you ask about being active on this site 15 years after you joined. I have made friends in the 75ers group that I could never have imagined I would have all these years later.

>169 streamsong: Wow! Yikes is right! Be careful and stay safe!

I have been on LT for 16 years but I tend to ignore those Thingaversaries. Not my Thing.

I don't often have to worry about the power going out for any length of time here in Tuscaloosa. It blinks off and on many times a day. Just enough to make me have to take time to reset clocks and make sure that the silly security alarm is turned off. (when the electricity blinks, the security alarm turns itself on and I can't figure out have to make it quit.) However, I have been without TV or radio. The cable box on my TV fried itself while I was in Kansas and since it is move-in time at the University there is a long wait for service appointments. I got back here last Thursday and went to bed. I always turn on the local NPR station to listen to classical music while I read and relax and while I was listening the radio suddenly went off. It wasn't on the next day. Or the next. It is still off and no sign it when it will be back on. I am reduced to listening to the country music station in the meantime.

I got most of my yarn packed into plastic boxes today and even got one box of yarn books and patterns packed. It was a productive day. Probably due to my not being distracted by what is one TV. However, I can't watch, or listen, to the convention, so I am feeling really out of touch.

>165 streamsong: This one sounds really interesting, Janet. My daughter just finished Wild and she enjoys hiking. I will recommend this one to her.

Your lightning storms sound scary. Have they started fires?

>170 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Jewish Literacy is marvelous and I am so glad that you recommended it! I'm just starting Part 5 - Modern Period: Western and Eastern Europe. I bought a copy for myself after starting it at the library since it will be a wonderful reference, and I knew I wouldn't get it done before I had to return it.

Saying that I joined 15 years ago was sort of a round number - it looks like LT has my date as September 6, 2006, so my 18th bookaversary is also coming up.

Two high school soccer players and a coach were actually hit by lightning near Kalispell this week. The coach had pulled all the players off the field, and thought the storm had passed when there was one more strike. One of the players is still in ICU. :(

>171 benitastrnad: >172 benitastrnad: Hi Benita - As you can tell from the above post, I don't keep close track of my years here either. Still it is amazing to me that this group is still fresh and vibrant and the first place I visit on the internet each day.

My biggest worry with power outages is that I am on a well and with eleven horses that could get tricky without water. I do have the year-around creek, but the horses are fenced away from it to preserve the streambank habitat. I should probably buy a generator as a backup. My power company is a Rural Electric Co-op. They are wonderful to work with, and I usually get a distribution check back each year.

I've been enjoying the convention - such a wealth of outstanding speakers! I watch it while keeping an eye on the FB group Cat Ladies for Kamala -86,000 men and women commenting on the happenings. I find I can only watch the convention on CSPan as the talking heads get in the way on the other networks.

>173 BLBera: Hi Beth! I'm a little bit ambivalent about Footprint of a Heart. I gave it 3.6 stars, rounded up to 4 on GR. I'll be interested to hear what your daughter thinks of it if she reads it.

Four or five small fires start each afternoon as the storms go through the valley. Luckily, these storms have had rain with them which keep the fires at a manageable size of an acre or two until they get put out. I think there are 2 or 3 currently active fires. None are threatening homes, and the smoke has not been horribly obnoxious this year.

Onward with July reviews. I'm exactly a month behind since the one following this is for a book club read and the club meets again today.

This was a reread that was suggested to me by Connie’s thread as Anita had sent her a copy which she reread shortly after Anita’s passing. I’ve enjoyed Patricia MacLachlan’s children’s books this year and thought a nice comfort read sounded perfect. I couldn’t remember why I hadn’t written a review of this the first time I read it.



59. The Poet's Dog - Patricia MacLachlan - 2016 - "for Anita" - reread – library

A mother, father, son and daughter are stuck in the snow in the woods in their car. Eventually, the parents decide to leave to look for help, telling the children to stay put. But kids are kids and when a large friendly dog approaches the car, they leave a note for their parents (so they won't worry!) and decide to follow him.

It turns out the dog’s master, a poet living in the woods, had recently passed away. The dog is being cared for by the master’s friends, but they are unable to reach him due to the storm.

The dog takes the kids to his master's cabin where the kids and the dog do well. The kids are delighted to find they can understand the dog’s thoughts because kids and poets are the only ones in the world who can hear dogs speak.

It’s a really charming book and I loved the premise about poets, children and dogs.

However, part of me kept screaming inside “No, No don’t do it!” Whyever would both parents leave the children alone? And those who leave the safety of their car are much more likely to perish. I sincerely hope that no child who reads and loves this book makes the choices these kids did.

One time when my kids were little we had been sledding on a remote road. At the end of the day as we were driving home, the car suddenly died and would not restart. My husband decided to walk to look for help. The kids and I stayed in the car, and even though we were dressed for winter activity, since the car wouldn’t start we had no heat, it was becoming dark quickly and temperatures were dropping. I, who have lived all my life in the snow and mountains was a bit scared, although I had complete confidence in my husband who had been a wilderness ranger. It was about ten miles to town. After a couple hours of singing and story telling and cuddling, Bill returned with some kind strangers in a truck. They were able to jump our car battery and then followed us back to town to make sure the car didn’t stall again. No doubt my memory of this incident colored how I felt about the book.

Charming story. Bad advice.

Hi, Janet. I had the same mixed feelings about The Poet’s Dog. It was a charming book, and I’m a MacLachlan fan, but i had to really suspend disbelief with the parents leaving the kids like that. Your real life solution of having one parent stay and one go for help makes a lot more sense.

Ha! I love the idea and name of your Cat Ladies for Kamala group. Didn’t Kamala do well last night? Impressive.

Sorry to read about the bad windstorm and thunderstorm in your area, Janet. I hope things are okay for you. Cat Ladies for Kamala - I love the name!

Great comments on The Poet's Dog; I remember being a little shocked as well.

Lightning is so scary. I used to work with a former weatherman, and he always said he was terrified of lightning.

Well damn. Another storm. This time there was a microburst that destroyed cottonwood trees along a feeder creek and darn near buried the back of my house.





It took about 20 hours for the power to come back on and about 24 hours for a tree company to come and remove the trees from my roof. Miraculously, the roof only has minor damage.

Horses OK, fences mostly OK, the cat and I are fine.

Lost some smaller stuff; there will be weeks (months?) of cleanup. Too tired to write about it. I'll be back.

>181 streamsong: yikes so sorry! glad no one was hurt, do you have neighbors family friends who could lend a hand?

>181 streamsong: Oh lord. I'm glad no one was hurt among your menage, and that the roof damage was minor. But the cleanup is going to be fierce. Can you hire some help for it? I ache just thinking of all the toting and sawing fencing and whatever else needs to be done to get the place back in shape.

I'm glad you are OK, Janet. It's amazing that there wasn't more damage, looking at your photos.

Cindy, Judy and Beth - thanks for the well wishes.

Yes, cleanup is going to be fierce. There are a good fifty feet of downed trees from the back of the house to the front of the back pasture fence. Yes to friends offering to help. I hope to get a lot of smaller stuff cleared away, but it will need professionals due to the size of some of the trees. Since the storm was widespread the professionals are backed up for weeks even to give estimates - the first company I contacted said it would be September 7th before they could give me an estimate to get the trees off the roof. Another company took pity and got the trees off the roof on Saturday - but it will be weeks before they can give me an estimate on the rest.

This happened late Friday afternoon. So today it's talking to the insurance company, roofers, etc. I was sort of in shock all weekend and didn't get much except the usual necessary chores done.

I am so sorry to hear about the storms and the many downed trees. How tragic. Glad your house came away with only minor damage. Good luck with all the clean-up.

I chatted briefly with the folks at Glacier Campground and they mentioned that there were no fires at West Glacier. So that at least is good news for now. I also just received my bear spray. 😎

Hi Mark - Yeah, it's a mess. Feel free to pack a chainsaw and stop by to get some firewood for your trip . :)

I hope we'll still be able to meet up - let me know your schedule. I had thought I might even meet you in Glacier - but that's probably a longshot now. I haven't been able to contact a roofing company yet. Even though it's very minor damage, getting it fixed is a priority.

My best advice is to keep an eye on the Glacier Park webcams to check visibility. Smoke can travel a long ways. although the good thing about the storms is that they blow the smoke out.

Do you use the Wunderground (Weather Underground) Weather app? The local news prediction is another windstorm tomorrow followed by snow in the high country with Glacier specifically mentioned. Although snow can happen any month in Montana, since it's still August it shouldn't last long. :)

Yay for bear spray! There are great YouTube videos on how to use it. I know you won't be caught by the old joke about using it like mosquito spray. Are you planning much hiking?

Oh, wow, Janet. Sorry to read about all the damage. I hope you can things sorted out with the insurance company quite quickly.

Hi Deb- looks like there won't be much that the insurance will cover - only the direct costs of having the trees removed from the roof and the minor roof repair. And if I make a claim, my insurance will go up. I've had this place and this insurance for thirty years without ever a claim so that is extremely irritating.

I did remove branches from a fence today. A neighbor said I could pile everything at their place and they will be happy to burn them, so I'll load up my pickup today and take them over there. If it works out, then I'll see if my friends who offered will help. I hated to ask for help without having a plan in mind.

And I also hate that I can only work about an hour and then need an hour-ish break.

I talked about this one a bit upthread - so if my comments sound familiar to you, they probably are.
.


60. The Secret Life Of Sunflowers - Marta Molnar - 2022
- NC Book Club
- purch 2024

Emsley Wilson is a young woman tasked with cleaning out her famous and eclectic grandmother’s house after she died. Besides a carousel in the basement, she finds a diary she believes to be her grandmother’s. On reading it she discovers that it was written by Johanna Bonger, the wife of Vincent Van Gogh’s brother Theo.

And so there is a dual timeline – the present day with Emsley and that written by Johanna Bonger.

Soon after Vincent Van Gogh died, his brother Theo also passed away. Johanna was left with a baby, no income, and all of Vincent’s paintings. Although Theo had thought them brilliant, there were no buyers for any of them. One art dealer offered to buy them all to have them stripped in order to resell the blank canvases.

Without Johanna Bonger’s persistence Vincent Van Gogh’s art and genius would have been lost.

The author is a romance writer with over sixty romances published. In her notes at the book’s end she wrote that she wondered about her ability to cross over into 'women's fiction' and historical fiction. The current time line falls into what I call women's fiction - a romance wrapped around a determined woman living up to her grandmother's legacy; the earlier time line with Johanna Bonger is historical fiction.

The book is well researched; my favorite of the two timelines was definitely the historical one of Johanna Bonger.

I read this for my book club. It was a fast read and with the merging of the two genres everyone in the group found a story that appealed. I liked it enough that I'll probably read the author’s next book, Woman Braiding Her Hair.

3.6 stars

>190 streamsong:
This novel is one I have had on my list for some time. Glad to hear that you liked it. I read the YA nonfiction book Vincent and Theo about the Van Gogh brothers and loved it. The last chapter of that book mentions Johanna's persistence in promoting Vincent's paintings. She was a remarkable woman. Her son was also persistent in promoting Vincent's work and after he inherited the collection was the person who persuaded the Dutch government to devote a museum to the Van Gogh.

I am so sorry to hear about the windstorm and the damage to the trees. I am so glad that it is minor damage to your house. We had the same thing happen here back in 2016. My sister's house was 60%destroyed by high winds and tree damage and my mother's house cattycorner across the road received very little wind damage and only a few tree branches. My sister's house now sits out in the open with nary a tree in the quarter mile between our houses. I am in the shade of some wonderful Linden trees and she bakes out in the open. The wind is a fickle thing.

I hope that your friends will be able to help with some of the work. Being independent is a good thing, but there are times when help is needed from those who care about us.

Sorry to read that the insurance will not be of much use, Janet. I'm glad you have some neighbours to give you a hand. I'm sure your friends will be happy to help. It is a hard to ask though, I know. When my husband broke a couple of ribs and 4 spiny process a few years ago, one our neighbours offered to shop for us, and another to walk our dog in the evening. I had a hard time accepting the help, but I did, though with the shopping I only let my neighbour help us out once and then I could manage myself.

So sorry to hear about the tree falling and subsequent cleanup headache. I hope as the plan forms and you get help from friends and neighbors that it's less overwhelming.

>191 benitastrnad: Hi Benita! I didn't know that about Johanna and Theo's son. I'll have to look into it.

Phooey on the wind and the trees.

>192 vancouverdeb: >193 bell7: Accepting help is always hard for me. My plan is getting into place and I work at it like eating an elephant - one small bite at a time. About midnight last night one of the mares found a bad spot in the fence and went for a midnight stroll. The horses are so funny. The stallion immediately starts hollering if a mare is out - then all the other horses join in. "Hey! How did you get out there! Where are you going? Did you find something yummy yummy yummy to eat?"

It's an extra busy week. I'm sure one of the highlights will be having lunch with Mark and co later this week.

(One of the reasons that I decided to read this now was that one of my IP bookclubs will soon be reading The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. This memoir is the only book I’ve read by McBride. I’ll definitely be reading more.)



61. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother - James McBride - 2006 -
- audiobook
- library
-

James McBride grew up in a family of twelve children. It was obvious that his mother was white and his father, who passed away before McBride’s birth, and his stepfather were both black. Although there was less racism than in the South, the blended family living in the very black neighborhood of Queens was a novelty and McBride often feared for his mother’s safety.

Slowly over the years, one small revelation at a time, he learned his mother’s history.

She had been born to a conservative Jewish Orthodox family that left Poland approximately 1922 and moved to the United States. Her father was a Rabbi, but as his mother said “he wasn’t a very good Rabbi” and so the family moved often. Eventually, the family bought a small community store, mostly frequented by black people. Just as white people looked down their noses at Jewish families, Ruth’s family disdained their black customers. As a family store, the children were expected to devote all their free hours to working there.

But Ruth fell in love with a black man – and her family was so disgusted they ‘sat shiva’ for her – she was officially dead to them. Even on the death of first husband with her eighth child James on the way, they would not speak or help her. Eventually Ruth fell in love again with a second black man and together they had four more children.

This is a story of a woman and circumstances where one would predict failure: twelve kids, no family support, surrounded by prejudice and working several low paying jobs at a time. Her kids were expected to work hard in school and knew they were loved. Ruth sought out opportunities for each child to excel. All became successful, many with graduate and medical degrees.

The chapters are written alternately with James and his mother’s experiences. At first his mother did not want to reveal her background – and so we learn it slowly just as James did.

It’s a wonderfully readable story and, as I listened to it, works well as an audiobook. It’s story of prejudices both from sixty years ago and how they echo down today. Highly recommended.

I loved this memoir as well, Janet, and strangely, have not read others by him.

>196 BLBera: Hi Beth! The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is one of my in person book club reads this month. I'll start it soon. Care to join me?

Hooray Hooray Hooray!!! I finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle last night.

AUGUST
66. Go Went Gone - Jenny Erpenbeck - 2015 - Global Reading: German author & location - library
67. Trail of Broken Wings - Sejal Badani - 2015 - Newcomers' Book Club - Kindle
68. Go as a river - Shelley Read - 2023 - library
69. The Exvangelicals - Sarah McCammo - 2024 - library -
70. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami - 1997 - library

Books read: 6
Women authors: 4
Men authors: 1

Fiction: 4
Nonfiction: 1

Translated: 2

Library: 4
My shelves:
1 acquired this year

As of 9/01/2024: 593 books on physical MT TBR - includes 12 checked out from library
As of 08/01/2024: 580 books on physical MT TBR i
As of 01/01/2024: 549 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2023: 535 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2022: 530 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2021: 522 books on MT TBR

How did you lik go went gone?i found it an amazingly complete look at what refugees face,and how one person can make a difference

As of September 1st, I am reading:

Perma Red - Debra Magpie Earling - Reread for Glacier Conservancy Book Club
Damascus Nights - Rafik Schami - (Syria)
Jewish Literacy - Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
The Big Questions of Philosophy - David Kyle Johnson Great Courses - audiobook in the car
Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World - Naomi Klein - Kindle

>199 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy - I agree with your assessment of Go Went Gone and the challenges refugees face. I know that Jenny Erpenbeck is a favorite author of several people here; it's the first of her books that I've read. I'll definitely read more.

>201 streamsong: I also loved Go, Went, Gone. Kairos, her latest novel, was chosen for this year's Booker Prize shortlist, and I'll read it in the next week or two.

>197 streamsong: I would love to, Janet, but I think I am overbooked. Plus, I would have to get a copy from my library. I'll check on the availability and let you know.

I am another fan of Go, Went, Gone. I have a couple of other Erpenbecks on my shelves. I started Kairos and got stuck and had to return it to the library. I will get back to it at some point.

>200 streamsong: Interesting selection of current reads. I will watch for your comments.

>202 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl! It's nice to see you over here. I think I remember you saying that Jenny Erpenbeck is one of your favorite authors. I don't know who gave me the rec for Go Went Gone but it was outstanding.

>203 BLBera: Hi Beth! I won't be starting The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store for a bit. I'm also waiting for it from the library and the book club doesn't meet until the last Thursday of the month. I really understand about getting overbooked - I've had to return a couple unread to the library since the wind storm which has flattened my reading. Damascus Nights was the book club read for last week and I barely had it started.

I'm not sure about my reread of Perma Red. I know I won't have it done before Wednesday which is the author talk. I remember it as a painful story to read, although it's been so many years since I've read it, I don't remember the details.

>204 streamsong: I hope you enjoy The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store as much as I did and it was a great book discussion. : )

>198 streamsong:
Can't wait to read your review of Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. It is one of my favorite Murakami's.

>195 streamsong:
I also have a copy of this book sitting on my desk back in Alabama. I just haven't gotten it read yet. I read Good Lord Bird and Miracle at St. Anna and liked both of them. I got completely sucked into Miracle at St. Anna and it took me some time to get into Good Lord Bird so I didn't rate it as highly as the first one I read. He is a very good author and I can't wait to read Heaven and Earth Grocery Store but the wait list is very long at the public library and I don't want to purchase a copy because they are quite expensive and I spend too much on books.

Hey Janet! I did finally finish Wind-Up Bird Chronicle too, and it was slower reading for me too. I did like it though. I've picked up something lighter now

>205 Berly: Good to see you Kim and hear that The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store worked well for discussion.

>206 benitastrnad: Hi Benita! I'm very far behind in reviews but I'll get there eventually. I'm swimming against the stream of opinions of several of my favorite people here, but I sadly think Murakami is not a favorite author. Someone on FB said it's always a good idea to qualify an opinion with the word "yet" as opinions change, ie "I have not fallen in love with Murakami **yet** but who knows what will happen if I pick up another of his books."

>207 benitastrnad: Maybe you'll get to The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store about the same time I do.

>208 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! Yay we made it! Yay for lighter books between the longer, heavier ones! Yay also for the longer, heavier books that stretch our world views! I'll finish Perma Red for the author talk tomorrow, but then I have several lighter ones sitting on the pile, too.

We've had two days of nasty, heavy smoke in the unhealthy and very unhealthy air quality ranges. There is a large fire about 15 miles north near the town of Stevensville and a smaller one that is along the creek I live on, but miles upstream in the mountains. The smoke is better today as a storm is moving in and the breeze is blowing out the smoke from the valley. Of course the forecast wind and lightning may make things worse, but for this morning, it's very nice.

Hi Janet, fingers crossed that the fire is being managed and to hear about the heavy smoke, that must be very uncomfortable. Sorry about the heart challenges. Hope all gets sorted out very soon. And the challenges of the cottonwood trees that came down in the storm (wow, to the photos!). That's a lot to deal with!

>211 mdoris: Hi Mary! Yes, August was a lot to deal with. The smoke and dealing with downed trees will last into the fall. The heart tests got put off until next week; something about the doc who administers them was called away.

The high point of my week was meeting with Mark & Sue as they traveled through Missoula on their way to Glacier National Park.

We talked books and wildlife and the most scenic but practical routes northward.

Mark and Janet:


Mark and Sue:

Hi Janet!

Seeing the meetup pic on Mark’s thread inspired me to come over to catch up a bit.

>129 streamsong: and 133 Well, Mark’s visit has come and gone. The book sale is still to come. I can’t wrap my head around leaving Bill for 3 weeks or more, frankly. He can barely get around, and Jenna lives 35-40 minutes away with a busy girlfriend/schedule and zero desire to be with her dad. Sigh. If I travel, I’d like to visit my sister/her kids in SoCal, my aunt/uncle near Santa Cruz, and Karen. A week with my sister, 3 days with my aunt, and 2 weeks or so with Karen… 3-4 weeks. Although, I could break it up into separate trips, a CA one and a MT one.

>148 streamsong: It’s 26 years here, and although I’d like to get a handle on some of the stuff, I’m afraid much of it will fall to Jenna. 'Stuff' doesn’t even include my almost 6K books.

>170 alcottacre: and >174 streamsong: A BB, purchased with an Audible credit. 29 hours 16 minutes, narrated by Josh Bloomberg.

>181 streamsong: Wow, sorry about the storm, destroyed cottonwoods, and threat to your house. Yikes to the power outage and getting the trees off your roof. I hope things are moving along with insurance, roofers, and tree removal services.

>187 streamsong: Karen told me decades ago, possibly as early as 1971 when I met her at Pepperdine, that snow can happen any month in Montana and usually does. She reported snow on the Bridger Mtns. the other day, visible from her deck.

>189 streamsong: Insurance gets you coming and going. No claims, they keep the money. Claims, they get the money via increased rates. I’m so sorry.

>212 streamsong: So glad you got to meet up with Mark and Sue. I fondly remember our meetup in 2018 in Missoula – two Karens and you. *smile*

>213 karenmarie: Hi Karen! I'm sorry that Bill is having so much trouble getting around. Of course, I'd love to see you again if/when you get back to Montana. Karen and I had fun with Jim and his wife when he was in Big Sky for a conference several years ago. Karen's a great person! Perhaps we should have suggested she get together with Mark and Sue when they were camped overnight in Bozeman ....

I'll have to see what I can do about recontacting tree removal people this week....

So .. trees and other stuff.

My little bitty battery operated chain saw needed a new battery and they were out of them at M's in Hamilton, the store where I had purchased the saw. After meeting up with Mark and Sue, it dawned on me I could go to the M's in Missoula and see if they had them. I didn't have the model number but thought I could figure it out.

So there I was, trying to pull up a picture on the net on my phone when the store clerk came over and said internet was impossible in the store. I told him what I needed, but he said he couldn't help me without a model number; I asked him if he had something with a photo of the various models so I could identify it; no, no he needed a model number; nothing he could do to help. I asked him if I bought the battery I thought was right and it was wrong, if I could return it at the M's in Hamilton and he said only if they carried that exact same battery (which btw was $165).

It was truly like he was irritated with helping me. I wrote him off as a chain saw chauvinist. But when I got home, I remembered the shirt I was wearing - pictured above - that says 'Drink Tea, Read Banned Books, Dismantle Systems of Oppression' in Kamala cat woman blue. Maybe it wasn't that I am an elderly female needing help with a chain saw (!), but I was too liberal for him to wait on me.

The whole thing irritated and amused me as a snapshot of Montana. Older women use chainsaws, but younger male store clerks may get all condescending and unhelpful especially if said woman isn't wearing a MAGA hat. My son the psychologist said, "Nah, he was just an a**hole".

But I bought the battery, it *was* the right one and I am back to working on the edges of my yard.

Hi Janet. You are having too much excitement at your place with nasty storms followed by smoke from the local wildfire. The excitement of meeting Mark and Sue is on a whole other level. Look at those happy faces! I'm glad you had some joy to offset the natural disasters.

Stopping by to say hello! And happy you were able to connect with Mark and Sue.

Stay safe out there between smoke and storms!

And boo! to condescending young men. We will be visible despite your disapproval. It took the local garage owner in our small town a long time to speak to me directly instead of talking over my shoulder to my husband.

>212 streamsong: Hi Janet! How nice, having a meetup with Marc and Sue. Pictures look great.

Disapproving young men, they can be worse than the elderly ones, can’t they? Silly boys.

I met my new but already ex-neighbour (I just moved house). He’s a Syrian refugee, just received his offical status, and his appartment. A very nice boy (he compared me to his mother)! I feel I want to help him, so there is something going on there. No disapproval, anyway.

I really like your reviews!

Hooray for meet ups! Boo to poor customer service.

Great pics of your meet up Janet! Thanks for sharing.

>216 Donna828: Hi Donna - nice to see you! Yes, it was an eventful August. We're once more having heavy smoke after several blue sky bluebird days. More wind and thunderstorms forecast for this evening, but a good amount of rain due later this week.

>217 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! Yes, it's fun to meet people than I've been talking to (in some cases for years) online. I think I could have spent **days** talking to Mark and Sue. I hope they enjoyed it, too.

I admit I let the younger but old enough to know better clerk in the farm store get to me. I understand about the mechanic talking over your shoulder to your husband. Hey! It's me! I'm right in front of you.

>218 EllaTim: Hi Ella - well the older men understand that older women have been forces to be reckoned with for years now.

Hooray for your new neighbor! Good neighbors are like gold!

Thanks re the reviews. I'm so far behind .....

>219 BLBera: Thanks for stopping in, Donna! I shouldn't have let the clueless clerk ruin my good vibes from meeting up with Mark and Sue.

>220 mdoris: Hi Mary! Nice to see you!

I am sure that Mark and Sue had a great time with you. I sure did. However, I bet they didn't buy as many books as I did.

On-another-note, I have started reading English Creek by Ivan Doig. I was in White Sulphur Springs once with my sister and a friend. We went to the hot springs there and had a great time. It was cold outside and the pools were steaming. I couldn't even go into the really hot pool - it was too hot for me.

Hi Benita , No not a single book was purchased as the gift shop where we had lunch was a book desert. :(

I'll start English Creek one of these days.

Hot springs are wonderful. I spent several years growing up in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, where life revolved around the hot springs, even when there was snow on the ground. My kids had several opportunities to hot spot and roll in snow as they were growing up.

This was a group read that didn’t happen ; but while people where talking about it, I decided to also give it a try as I had previously read some of Hemingway’s Africa stories as well as some by Wilbur Smith. Thanks to Stacia who read it at the same time that I did.



62. The White Rhino Hotel - Bartle Bull - 1992
– library


After WWI, Great Britain held a lottery for its veterans , giving away large tracts of what is now Kenya. It was a new start and a promised breath of fresh air after the horrors of the trenches. There were far more applicants than land grants, Many of the winners had never been to Africa; some had disabilities from the war.

At this time, Africa was like the American wild west had been a century earlier. The new, untamed life was especially attractive to those without a place in British society – misfits, adventure seekers, younger sons of nobility, an adventurous gypsy. But while some sought their fortunes through legitimate pursuits such as farming and gold-prospecting, others used fraud and guns.

And so this novel is just plain gritty. Lots of big game hunting, but even more murders and rapes, thefts of land and dashed dreams – all those activities that exist just outside of the law. The native tribes were ousted from their traditional lands and treated as subhuman; it was certainly no crime to kill a black man.

Most offensive to me was also an oversexed dwarf who took a native twelve year old girl to teach as his paramour.

It was an eye opening look at the seamier side of British colonialism. I’m glad to have read it, but will pass on the sequels.

Guardedly recommended.

I had read this in 2023 before rereading it in 2024 for my IP book club. I enjoyed it more the second time around. The first time around all the improbable situations distracted me. Rereading it, I enjoyed the humor.

My review from 2023:



63. Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus - 2022
- purchased 2023 - ROOT #5 for year
- Reread - Read originally in 2023


Elizabeth wasn’t able to finish her chemistry degree in the early 1950’s because, as she was working late one night, her professor raped her. She stabbed him with a pencil and was told by the campus police she should be remorseful for doing so.

Without a degree, she instead took a low level job as a helper in a well known lab – eventually coming to the notice of Calvin, a star scientists there.

Calvin appreciated Elizabeth’s brain and, even though she hadn’t secured a degree, unexpectedly and improbably gave her space to work on her ideas in his lab. Eventually, they fell in love and lived together (oh scandalous!). When Calivn died in a freak accident, Elizabeth was removed from her lab position almost immediately due to the jealousy her position had precipitated and the fact that she found out she was pregnant soon after Calvin’s death (oh more scandal!).

As a single mom, she had to have a job. No chemistry lab would accept her lack of credentials, but as an attractive woman, she was offered a job as the hostess of a cooking show. However, much to the sponsors’ and TV station’s dismay, it became a cooking show like no other. She determined to teach good made-from-scratch nutrition, chemistry and self-esteem to the women watching it – while at the same time running her own chemistry lab out of her kitchen.

The story was humorous and often improbable, while still bringing forth serious subjects. I liked Elizabeth’s character and the fact that she became an unstoppable force.

Women have come significantly farther than 1950’s and early 1960’s, but women scientists and other working women will still recognize many of the unfortunately-all-too-often scenarios occurring today. And trigger warning – besides rape there is also a gay character’s suicide.

We once did the drive (both ways) from Vancouver, B.C. to Denver to visit our daughters and along the way we visited as many hot springs as possible. There were a lot of them and they were wonderful. The one I remember most was in Helena at an old mansion that could have been the set for a haunted ghost story. The hills around were steaming with vapour. It was fabulous!

>181 streamsong: Glad everything is ok after the storm. wishing you a speedy clean up.

>212 streamsong: What a happy meet up!

We recently read Lessons in Chemistry for my book club as well and had a good discussion. How did yours go?

>225 streamsong: I will pass on this one.

>225 streamsong:
Interesting take on White Rhino Hotel. I enjoyed the entire series and would read them again. I think that this is one series that gets better as it goes along. The last one Devil's Oasis was particularly good. IMO. In the sequels all of the characters mature and move due to many factors - economics, politics, and colonization. The last book is set in Cairo and is during the desert war of WWII. The series is loosely based on the life of Karen Blixen and the adventures of Denys Finch Hattan. What really amazed me was the total disregard for killing wildlife. It was clear to me that none of the people in the series (including the Africans) were worried about the gross numbers of wildlife that were killed in such an offhanded fashion. What I did like was the fact that these books uncovered an entire history about which I was unaware - that of East Africa. This in turn opened the door to me for reading the work of Abdulrazak Gurnah which I absolutely adore. Gurnah is one author of recent memory who was truly worthy of getting the Noble Prize for Literature. And in his books, nary an animal is killed. Just people. In droves.

>227 mdoris: Hi Mary - Stopping at hot springs sounds like a really fun trip. It's been several years since I've been to one; mostly because I'm ashamed of being an old fat woman in a swimming suit. :) There are several within a few hours of where I live - I need to just *do* it. Thanks for reminding me how much fun they can be.

>228 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. The cleanup is very very slow. It's so hard to get motivated to work outside when the smoke is as thick as it has been. I think we're supposed to get some rain tomorrow - which probably won't put the fires out, but will at least wash away the smoke for a few days.

It was a great meetup!

>229 BLBera: Hi Beth - I belong to two in-person book clubs and we have now read Lessons in Chemistry for both of them. Both had a lot of discussion about "a women's place" as well as the suicide of the gay brother and how circumstances have and have not changed for both groups. It was a good book club book; lots of humor and some hard topics to be addressed as well.

I think skipping The White Rhino Hotel is a good choice, but as Benita just posted in >230 benitastrnad: YMMV :) I see Stasia has listed the sequel in this month's TIOLI challenge, so it will be interesting to see what she thinks, too.

>230 benitastrnad: Hi Benita - Definitely wasn't the book for me, although, as you said the history part was very interesting. The killing of what was perceived as endless quantities of big game reminded me of the American West. It's an attitude that's hard to have any sympathy for, although I am not against hunting per se. As for human deaths, it's odd that I can happily read murder mysteries but am disturbed by killings in other genres.

I read Gravel Heart a few years ago and enjoyed it. I guess I should read more of Abdulrazak Gurnah.

A couple of days ago a lady at church that I recently met suggested I try water walking, as I told I her I am trying to lose weight. I think I will just stick to land walking as I feel I am too fat for a bathing suit. I know the feeling.

Hi Janet!

I’m sorry the smoke is such an issue for you – Karen has been experiencing it to a lesser degree. I’m also sorry that the cleanup is so slow.

>232 streamsong: As for human deaths, it's odd that I can happily read murder mysteries but am disturbed by killings in other genres. By definition the genre is about murder, so it’s expected and necessary.

>233 vancouverdeb: The advantage of walking or exercising in a pool is that it is very gentle on the joints - hips, knees, feet - without diminishing the value of the exercise. A lot of community gyms have them for older people, and believe me, you wouldn't be the only round person there.

>233 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb - My physical therapist also advised water walking some years ago to strengthen the muscles around my bad knee with less weight/pressure on the knee. I should look into this again. Maybe find a facility that allows wearing shorts?

>234 karenmarie: Hi Karen - Yes, there are two fires at the top of Skalkaho Creek (the Railroad and the Daly Fire) which funnel the smoke directly along the creek and into my corner of the world. It's raining though, today so I hope it cleans the air and quiets the fires.

Interesting thought on reading mysteries with human deaths. My father hated mysteries, even those on television like "Murder She Wrote" because of the human deaths for entertainment angle.

>235 ffortsa: Thanks for chiming in, Judy. I definitely need to think about this again. The days are already getting several hours shorter, so I will need other exercise during the winter.

I had my heart tests yesterday - all pretty normal with a few very slight changes, so that is all good and a big relief. The doctor who administered the test talked with me as did my cardiologist's nurse. I see the cardiologist himself in about a month.

I chose this as a WWI read and a read of some of Anita’s favorite books. I don't give many 5 star reads - this was one.



64. All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque - 1928
- for Anita
- 1001 Books to Read Before You Die
- Global Reading - Germany
– library
-

There’s not much to say about this classic book that hasn’t been written before.

This story follows a German youth and his companions in the trenches and warfare of WWI. All have recently graduated from school; in their youth and hubris they first view being called up to war as a slightly unpleasant adventure. But as the war grinds onward and friends and companions are killed, they want nothing more than to return to their previous lives. This is despite the fact that when on home-leave they find they are not quite comfortable at home any longer either.

It’s easy to see the enemy as the uniformed mindless goose stepping war machine. This absolutely humanizes them and as the saying goes we see that we have more in common than we have that divides us.

>236 streamsong:
I talked with my sister in Bozeman yesterday and she said that the air quality was horrible for the last week. She said it was so bad that the school where she teaches (Manhattan, MT) kept the students inside for recess for 3 days. She thought that most of their smoke was coming from fires in Oregon, but perhaps it is the fires closer to home that are causing the problem?

>238 streamsong: I loved All Quiet on the Western Front too. If I had not read it I would read for Anita, but instead Stasia and I are going to read Skippy Dies in November, as joint read for Anita.

I'm fortunate that I don't have any trouble with my joints ,so brisk walking for 3 - 4 miles about 4 times a week works for me. I might see if I can find some shorts that dry quickly . The lady that suggested I try water walking had her hip replaced about 8 weeks ago, so that might figure into her water walking, though I am sure it is beneficial to anyone.

>239 benitastrnad: Hi Benita - Yes the smoke plays havoc with doing anything outside and even sports teams have had practices canceled.

It's really possible that your sister in Bozeman got some of our smoke as winds tend to blow from the west towards the east. There are many fires in Montana right now.

We had a bit of a storm come through so our air has cleared out and we are having a beautiful crisp morning. I hope your sister experienced the same.

>240 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! All Quiet on the Western Front was spectacular and I'm glad you enjoyed it, too. I haven't read Skippy Dies but have sooooo many books home from the library I don't dare take on anything else or I'd join you. I know some of what I have already checked out will go back unread for now. My reading has slowed to a crawl.

It's funny (not the right word) how many of the books I receive from the library are found in Anita's library under the "your friends" section when I catalog them. She'll be remembered for a long time.

I'm finally reading Summer by Ali Smith and that is in her library.

The last of the July book reviews! I listened to this one as I drove to Butte to meet up with Benita. In fact, I listened to the whole thing twice.

By the way, the scenic route I drove coming back from the meetup is closed due to fire on both sides of the road. It's called Skalkaho Highway, but I refuse to call thirty miles of narrow gravel road a highway!



65. A Room of One's Own - Virginia Woolf - 1929
– mine acq'd 2024
– audiobook

This is a short collection of essays and stories with the title essay produced after Ms Woolfe was asked to present on talk on ‘something’ about women and writing.

What she produced was her musing about why there have been so few top flight women writers. At the time she wrote this (published 1929) , women had only been allowed to have money or property in their own name for a few years. Her conclusion then was that women running a busy household need two things – a place where she can be completely alone from the cares of the household and money of her own so she can be somewhat independent.

She pointed out that a married man could work all day but has his needs provided and his evenings could be his own. In addition, she points out that men had more access to quality education and that most acclaimed male writers had fine educations not available to women.

Although there are many more opportunities today for women to have both – as is seen by the number of women writers, there is still a disparity between the sexes and if the woman has children and is also working outside the home, her time is even more divided. If you are driven to write, you will write.

In the audiobook that I listened to, there are several other short stories shining a light on women and how they fit into the world.

Recommended - one of those classics I had resisted reading until my seventh decade.

>241 streamsong: we are dealing with several fires around the metro area, and the state Closest to me isin the Superstition Mountains, a place I often hiked in my younger days. Its a beautiful place and im hoping there is something left when its over

>242 streamsong:
I loved Skippy Dies when I read it with during a shared read with other LT'ers. Mark headed up the group a year ago. I think there were about four of us that read it at the same time. I liked it much better than he did. It was one of the best works of fiction that I read last year. I highly recommend it, and if Anita also recommended it you won't go wrong when you get around to reading it.

>243 streamsong: When I also recently read this, I was reminded of Tillie Olsen, whose story I Stand Here Ironing deals with the stresses on women who have to do everything from a household to raising children. As I recall, her character has had an argument with her teenage daughter and muses on her own faults. But of course, she is ironing.

I loved A Room of One's Own, Janet. Woolf was such a talented essay writer. Maybe it's time for me to revisit it.

>244 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy! I've never been the Superstition Mountains, but as a child loved a book set there that had a mystery with lost mines, and **human skeletons** and other terrifying stuff. It belonged to my older brother and it was deemed too scary for my younger eyes. It terrified me, so subsequently I read it several times. The title now escapes me.

But I'd love to hike there in memory of that book. Are you getting any smoke from that fire?

>245 benitastrnad: Hi Benita! I'm not very good at group reads and usually end up reading them several months after everyone else has finished. I'll definitely think about Skippy Dies

>248 streamsong: It terrified me, so subsequently I read it several times. HAHaha! love that

I looked up novels about them, and have come up with some titles. Any chance you remember what the cover looked like?

Im too far south and west, so no not yet, But certainly the north east part of the valley is. the latest:

"The Siphon Fire has burned more than 15,000 acres in the Superstition Wilderness northeast of Apache Junction and is at 0% containment". they have pics of the area last night and the flames just surround the area. Wind speeds are picking up so it will probably get worse Its human caused;hope they catch whoever it is

I heard a short piece on the news yesterday regarding the fires in California. Most of the current ones have been caused by humans. There has been an arrest made and the investigators believe that this one person is responsible for setting several of the big fires in the last 5 years!

>250 benitastrnad: Why on earth would somebody do something like that?

if there is karma in the world, maybe nature will get its revenge

>246 ffortsa: Hi Judy - Thanks! I have never read anything by Tillie Olsen but I do remember my mother ironing - all of the clothes Dad wore to work and dresses etc. One year Santa brought me a small size ironing board and toy iron. Ha! Never my favorite toy - why do that to a child! I also remember ironing the flat stuff - Dad's handkerchiefs etc. Thank goodness wash and wear came into being.

Anyway, I digress. No Tillie Olsen in my library's catalog, but I see I Stand Here Ironing is available free online as well as several of her other short stories. I will definitely read it.

ETA: I just read it - so amazing and I see why it reminded you of A Room of One's Own.

>247 BLBera: Hi Beth! I'll be on the lookout for more essays by Virginia Woolf. Are there any you especially recommend? I see LT lists a book series of her essays, The Essays of Virginia Woolf.

>249 cindydavid4: That's nice of you to look, Cindy. It was probably from the 60's, maybe published by Scholastic, since Mom always provided money for those book lists. Not the Hardy Boys title, but I vaguely remember two boys on the cover and an orange/brown canyon landscape. It was probably junior high level. I'll have to ask my brother whether he remembers it.

>249 cindydavid4: >250 benitastrnad: >251 PaulCranswick: >252 cindydavid4: Human caused fires are the worst. It takes a sick mind to do something like that. Recently one of the California fires was intentionally started by a man who set a car on fire and then rolled it down an embankment.

Earlier this year I read a mystery set in this area, Fire Scars: A Novel about human caused fires and the copy cat arsonists who then follow their lead.

I finished James last night just as the Booker short list came out yesterday afternoon. My in-person book club will discuss it tomorrow.

Booker Short List: The winner will be announced November 12 (copied from a post made by Darryl)

James by Percival Everett
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
Held by Anne Michaels
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

The Rest of the Long list: The two that I've starred I hope to read (eventually)

Wild Houses by Colin Barrett
Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
**My Friends by Hisham Matar
This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
**Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
Playground by Richard Powers

>253 streamsong: When my brother was about 14, my folks discovered that their casual division of responsibility had worked its way into his head, so that there was 'woman's work' and 'men's work'. After that, my father started ironing his own handkerchiefs.

what did you think of Playground

>257 ffortsa: I love how enlightened your parents were! I think it was hard to avoid 'women's work' and 'men's work' in the 50's and 60's.

>258 cindydavid4: I actually haven't read it, Cindy. That is just the list of the Booker nominees. Even though I don't try to read them all, I think it's interesting to keep the list in mind. The only one I've read is James.

I can't tell you all how muddled and confused I've been since the storm three weeks ago. Stress can raise havoc with blood sugar, and that along with a change in my diabetic meds has left me making huge mistakes which of course cause more stress and depression.

Today, a roofer is coming to repair the shingles three weeks after the storm. The trees were removed from my roof within a few days, but only emergency work was being done at that time. The tree removal guy said he will be out soonish to plan the removal of all the trees down around my house.

Here's one of the photos I posted in >181 streamsong:


It still basically looks like this although the leaves are falling and so giving me a little more visibility. It's like living in a witch's hut in the middle of a forest.

The fences took more damage than I realized and every time I repair one hole, escape artist Paris finds or creates another where the wires are loose. Luckily she usually heads for my haystack so I have minimum horse chasing. When I got up this morning, Paris is in the fence where she belongs so I must be making progress.

And the diabetic cat, Cree, is also having his own crises; I truly thought he was on his way out, but his insulin has been increased and he is doing much better.

I posted all of this because I read the wrong book for today's book club. I read James; the book for today is The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. Ah well, if that's the biggest mistake I make this week, it's not so bad.

Janet!>260 streamsong: A big hug for you. I hope things calm down soon.

Of course the stress of living in the witch's house is stressing you out, and affecting your blood sugar and everything else. And when the trees are removed, you will be faced with their absence from their before-storm positions. Sorry this storm has dealt you such a blow, although as you said it could have been worse. The house still stands!

I hope the roofer can finish repairs quickly, crossing at least that off your list.

>260 streamsong: So sorry you've been stressed, Janet!
(I haven't read either but I too get James and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store confused sometimes!)

Not even trying to catch up here, Janet, but I hope the stress eases up for you soon.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

>260 streamsong:
if you were to ask me, I would say, that reading James was not a mistake - and that reading Heaven & Earth Grocery Store would not be a mistake either. I think you landed, by accident, in a win-win situation. Congratulations on doing that. Most of us couldn't have made a mistake and still come out on top!

As for the book club, I have this to say. I did the same thing one month. The problem was that I am the moderator of the book discussion group, and I didn't read the book. It all worked out as the others in the group started the discussion and things went fine. Besides, I would hazard a guess that you will read the James McBride book at some point anyway. McBride doesn't write bad books. So this is truly as case of All's Well because it ended well.

Sorry that you have been feeling so stressed , confused with all the havoc caused by the storm, Janet. I hope that that the roofing went well, and that things soon settle down for you. big hugs.

Thanks for the support Beth, Judy, Nora and Stacia! Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind around here!

Yes, I am very lucky that there was so little damage to the house - but on the other hand, my insurance will only pay for house damage and not all the tree removal. The roofer didn't come yesterday because he didn't have the right color shingles. But he did come on Thursday and the problem is fixed.

>267 streamsong: Good that the roof is whole again. It's definitely a bummer that the tree removal is not covered, as I imagine that will cost plenty. And of course it doesn't make sense. It's not as if the house damage came from nothing.

Hard to deal with this alone, I'm sure. Feel free to rant on my thread at any time.

we had a tree fall on our wall and was very surprised that the home ins didn't cover it. We didn't have all the damage you did, they paid for the wall repair part. but it cost an arm and a leg to get someone to cut and remove this huge tree I gues s thinking about it, it would be very expensive for them to handle every fallen branch and tree. Still doest seem right . Hang in there, hope things get back to normal soon and hope you dont have another storm like that

>268 ffortsa: Thank you, Judy. I have about a dozen trees either down around the house or still standing, but leaning towards the house. Some of the cottonwoods are well over a hundred feet tall - so although I can work on things around the edges a bit, most of the big stuff will have to wait until a professional has time. I've gotten all the branches removed from the fence near the house and am working on repairing the fence. Next up, I will work on the smaller branches that are against my windows so I have more daylight.

>260 streamsong: Thanks, Cindy. Yes, I'm guessing in the 10-20K range to get all the trees removed and disposed of. :(

I've lived in this house more than thirty years, and while occasional trees fall, I've never seen anything like this.

Here on the last day of summer, I'm just finishing up Summer by Ali Smith. I think it's my favorite of the her seasonal quartet. Summer is so fleeting and yet we expect it to last forever. So in honor of the book, I went to the farmers' market for the first time this season on this beautiful Saturday morning and bought melons, strawberries, and a beautiful homemade card for a baby present.

And all the horses lived even though I didn't feed them before I went. :)

Summer was a group read several months ago - but I hope to get it done today before the season officially changes.

I loved the seasons quartet as well, Janet.

I've had to have trees removed and it is expensive! I feel for you.

Thanks, Beth! The seasons quartet was a bit uneven for me but I really enjoyed Summer.

Just getting a single estimate for tree removal is frustrating!

Hi, Janet. I thought I had posted here, since I came back but I was wrong. I hope the stress levels have improved. You have it had tough the past few weeks. Once again, it was such a pleasant time at our Meet Up, despite being a short visit. Good luck moving forward.

66. Go Went Gone - Jenny Erpenbeck -2015
- Global Reading: German author & location
– library
-

Richard’s life is not what it used to be. He is a recently retired professor, recently widowed, and grew up in East Germany, now having become a citizen of united Germany.

He comes into contact with a group of men whose roots are also lost – refugees from a variety of African countries whom are being held in detention while their asylum cases are being adjudicated. He is curious about their stories, so devises a list of questions to ask them, and receives permission to visit them. They are not quite in jail – but not quite free either.

Gradually, he begins to see them as individuals from individual countries; men with lives and families on hold while the government’s seemingly arbitrary red tape tries to decide their courses.

This is a compassionate look at the fate of refugees; forbidden by regulations to look for work or join their family members or friends already in the country. Many fear being sent back to their countries of origin where danger waits for them. All long for the next step in the interminable patriation process. Having landed on the shores of freedom isn’t quite as free as expected.

This novel gives a vivid picture of the refugees, and ignites compassion for this little understood stage of their lives.

This is the first book I have read by acclaimed author Jenny Erpenbeck. I’ll definitely be back for more. 4 stars.

Great photo, Janet!

I also loved Go, Went, Gone.

After a big storm with lots of damage, it is so hard to get estimates. Good for local businesses but not so good for someone who wants to get things done.

>275 streamsong: I think this is one of the best books to describe the trap that so many refugees suffer in. I was very taken by it, and appreciated how one citizen can have empathy and compassion to make their lives a little better

Im just now reading her visitation which im liking. I also read kairos about a may to december relationship in East Germany.. I did not like this as much;but appreciated what the East German citizens had to do to be totally united.

I often wake up about four and can't get back to sleep. I've found that if I focus my thoughts elsewhere for a few minutes, it can calm me and break the cycle. Usually it's Wordle, Connections, the mini Crossword and I am ready to sleep. Last night I had a lot on my mind so I was up longer, posted the review etc here on LT and before getting sleepy again. How nice to see visitors this morning when I woke up for good!

Thanks, Mark, for stopping by and posting the picture! It was great to meet you and Sue. I'm sorry you didn't get to see glaciers or bears in GNP, so here is the photo a neighbor posted of the little black bear wandering our neighborhood the day before we met up. This bear is checking out an apple orchard. The caption of the bear being "loose" amuses me - how should the bear be if not loose?

>277 BLBera: Very true, Beth that waiting for services is hard. I've been waiting for the established tree companies to get back to me; I may post on the local FB site looking for both tree and fence help, but I've heard less than stellar things about some of the freelancers offering services right now.

>277 BLBera: >278 cindydavid4: It was an awesome description of the refugees' plights. Before Covid, I was involved with a refugee program in Missoula. I had just finished various trainings when Covid shut it down - I need to think about going back, although I hate to think about being committed to the drive to Missoula in the winter.

I'll be looking for more of Jenny Erpenbeck;

One of my favorite authors writing about displacement, immigration, and migration is Abdulrazak Gurnah. His books also show the plight of the refugee and the immigrant and how waiting for some kind of acceptance in the new country is so hard on people. Reading these kinds of books certainly would help to develop empathy. I have not read a single book by Jenny Erpenbeck. I will have to put her on my list of authors to read.

>275 streamsong: I loved this book, glad you liked it too.

>276 msf59: Very nice picture, Janet!

>279 streamsong: Imagine meeting a bear in your apple orchard..

I hope you get someone to deal with those trees, Janet. It seems quite upsetting like this.

It seems to be hard to find people to take care of trees down here in Alabama as well. Some friends of mine want a tree taken out of their yard and the tree removal company put them on a waiting list. The earliest the company can get to them is around November 10th.

>281 benitastrnad: Ive read his books and yeah youll find much of the same seniment in her work

>281 benitastrnad: >283 benitastrnad: Hi Benita - I have read Gravel Heart by Abdulrazak Gurnah and would certainly be up for reading more. I remember that you mentioned earlier that he was a favorite author of yours.

>282 EllaTim: >283 benitastrnad: The downed and leaning trees are definitely a problem. Winter is coming way too fast! Some days I am very discouraged and some days I can push through with plans. Some days (like Monday) I do too much and so spent yesterday reading and letting all my ouchy muscles recover.

>282 EllaTim: Hey Ella I wouldn't want to meet a bear on my place for sure! They do seem to wander around the neighborhood so the possibility is always there. I keep a can of bear spray next to my front door - more for the very rare mountain lion that I have seen on my place. I worry about predators when I have young foals.

I have a couple very old apple trees just outside my back door. Usually the deer clean up the apples. You may remember that a few years ago a lion killed a deer under the apple trees. I never saw the lion, just the mangled deer which was confirmed by Fish and Wildlife to be a mountain lion kill. The doe still had an apple in her mouth.

>284 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy - which of his books have you read?

>275 streamsong: Unfortunately my local library still has nothing by Jenny Erpenbeck. Neither does Hoopla *sigh*

>276 msf59: Great to see you two!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Janet!

Janet I am hoping the days are getting better for you! You have had a lot to deal with!
Great picture of your meet up with Mark.

I hope things are going better for you, Janet, and what a great picture of both of you with your meet up with Mark!

>286 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! That's too bad that your library does not have anything by Jenny Erpenbeck. Is it possible to do inter-library loans? She is an author worth pursuing.

Sue took the photo of Mark and me. I really like both the photo and the background.

>287 mdoris: Hi Mary! I'm meeting with a fencing person today to get an estimate. I've been wanting to upgrade the portion of fence for a while and I decided the job I was doing in trying to repair it myself was less than stellar. I'm trying to set up several more tree removal/fencing estimate appointments.

>288 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah! The meetup was fun. Getting out with friends is a definite stress reliever. On Wednesdays a group of politically like-minded friends meet for a glass of wine and good conversation. Thursday was my second book club. We had a great discussion of The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and then several of us went out for lunch afterwards.

The August choice for the Newcomers' and Others Book Club.



67. Trail of Broken Wings - Sejal Badani - 2015
- Newcomers' Book Club
– Kindle
-

Three estranged daughters come home to their father’s hospital bed as he lies in a coma. The family is well-respected; the daughters all seem to have successful lives while their mother has been the epitome of a first generation Indian-American homemaker, subservient to and respecting her husband.

But the reality is that it is a home hiding decades of abuse. Soon after arriving in America, the father begins beating his wife and then his older daughter. As the next two daughters are born, they are resented for not being boys. The slightest imperfection brings on the fists – except for one daughter ,the favorite, who seems to escape.

The women recognize and resent the abuse and positions of the others. The shame they feel however, keeps them from speaking about it within or outside of the family.

The abuse spills forward. We see the dysfunction of each of the daughters and the sole granddaughter.

But in this time of watching their father die, secrets are revealed and some trust between the women rebuilt. Until one final secret emerges, which will shake them all to their cores.

This book is written in alternate chapters by the women. It’s not a pleasant book to read, and while I may forget details, I will definitely remember the twist at the end.

>290 streamsong: I think I will give that one a pass. Too close to home for me.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Janet!

>291 alcottacre: Good choice, Stasia. It wasn't my favorite either. I need to edit my review to indicate that it was a book club choice from my secondary (read not quite favorite) book club.

It must be the month for appointments. October 1 the moving company I have chosen will be here to do a walk-through and make some estimations. I told them my target date for moving my "stuff" out of this house is October 21st. The person I talked to said that was entirely doable because people are not moving around right now. The real estate market is extremely slow, even for the fall, and so they could probably come get my stuff as soon as I am ready, but we settled on October 21st as a good target date.

>282 EllaTim: “The doe still had an apple in her mouth”, that’s a great story, Janet!

Glad you had a good meet-up, and yes, meeting friends is a great stress reliever. Your book clubs sound like fun as well.

>290 streamsong: Great comments, Janet. Not sure about this one...

Sweet Thursday, Janet. I hope all is well there. I had you down for a shared read of Ride with Me, Mariah Montana. Are you still up for joining us, this month?

>293 benitastrnad: Good luck on your move, Benita! I know you'll be relieved to have it done.

>294 EllaTim: Hi Ella! Glad you enjoyed the story about the mountain lion kill just outside my door.

Yes on stress relief - we had another wind storm Friday night so more small cottonwoods came down around my house although there wasn't any other damage. I have a company that may start working on tree removal and fence repairs later this week.

>295 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. It wasn't my favorite book, either -- one of the downsides of book clubs I guess. Although I love being exposed to new authors and genres so that is the upside of the clubs.

>296 msf59: Hi Mark! I will try to join in. I didn't get the first two in the trilogy read. :( I suspect I can follow along anyway.