Mary's (bell7's) Reading Log in 2024 - Thread #7

Welcome to my seventh thread of 2024.

Should you have missed any of my previous intros, my name is Mary and I'm a librarian in western Massachusetts. I'm part of a large family (oldest of five), single, and live in my own home.

I like to read fantasy and science fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, a smattering of mystery and romance, nonfiction about books and history and... basically, pretty widely and eclectically. I usually have some form of reading goals for the year, and I've decided that this year I want to intentionally read more globally. I'm going to focus on France and aim to read 12 books by authors from that country, plus 12 more books from other countries that are not the US, UK, or Canada. I'm currently on pace for that, and in the second half of the year, I'd like to focus more intentionally on finding books in translation.

Outside of reading, I enjoy watching sports (football, hockey and tennis in particular), I dogsit as a side hustle, I knit for fun (usually gifts for friends and family), and research genealogy (as very much an amateur, but I'm learning).

Hope you'll make yourself comfortable and chat with me about books and life.

2024 Book Club Reads

One of my work responsibilities is facilitating one of our book discussions. Here's what we're reading in 2024 (we take a break for the summer):

JANUARY - Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher - COMPLETED
FEBRUARY - The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin - COMPLETED
MARCH - Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny - COMPLETED
APRIL - The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende - COMPLETED
MAY - Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder - COMPLETED
SEPTEMBER - The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson - READING
OCTOBER - The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel
NOVEMBER - The Soloist by Steve Lopez
DECEMBER - The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Top Reads of 2024 (in order read)

5 stars
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard (reread)
Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

4.5 stars
The Tower at the Edge of the World by Victoria Goddard
The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
The Postcard by Anne Berest
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Derring-Do For Beginners by Victoria Goddard
Making It So by Patrick Stewart
Foster by Claire Keegan
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Above Ground by Clint Smith
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard (reread)
Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (reread)
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
Red Paint by Sasha LaPointe
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
The Game of Courts by Victoria Goddard
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Inciting Joy by Ross Gay
A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel
Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Sterritt
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
James by Percival Everett

Random things I'm tracking

Bookish articles:
1. Oulipo: Freeing Literature by Tightening Its Rules
2. Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words
3. 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Awards
4. 75 Books by Women of Color to Read in 2024
5. Romantasy Books (BookRiot)
6. An interview with Moniquill Blackgoose
7. The Scandalous Legacy of Isabella Stewart Gardner
8. Nonfiction books for SFF fans
9. Tournament of Books 2024 Championship Round
10. Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2023
11. Thoughts on "Beach Reads" (CNN)
12. The Problem with Comp Titles
13. LibraryJournal's 2024 Stars so Far
14. 15 Books to Read Instead of Hillbilly Elegy (BookRiot)

How to make pretty block quotes (directions from Richard):
{blockquote}TYPE OR PASTE QUOTED TEXT HERE{/blockquote} and replace the curly braces with pointy brackets.

Number of books read since keeping count on LT:
July - Dec 2008 - 65
2009 - 156 (plus over 70 graphic novels and manga volumes)
2010 - 135 (Note: in June, I started working a second part-time job for full-time hours)
2011 - 150
2012 - 108 (Note: accepted a full-time job in February)
2013 - 107
2014 - 126 (plus 8 graphic novels)
2015 - 120 (plus 6 graphic novels)
2016 - 141 (I stopped counting graphic novels separately)
2017 - 114
2018 - 105 (Note: my first full year as Assistant Director)
2019 - 116
2020 - 153
2021 - 138
2022 - 131
2023 - 180
2024 - ???

Global reads in 2024 (author's country of origin):
Australia - Sophie Gonzales
Canada - Victoria Goddard, Premee Mohamed, Nalo Hopkinson, Heather Fawcett
Chile - Isabel Allende
France - Herve Le Tellier, Elisa Shua Dusapin, Annie Ernaux, Anne Berest, Christelle Dabos
Hungary - Magda Szabo
India - Salman Rushdie
Ireland - Claire Foster
Malaysia - Tan Twan Eng, Yangsze Choo
New Zealand - Chloe Gong, Tayi Tibble
South Africa - Trevor Noah
UK - W. Somerset Maugham, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Worth, Sangu Mandanna, Richard Osman

All time (since 2022):


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, China, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Currently reading
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories edited by Annabelle Dolidon

Bible/Devotional Reading
Praying the Names of God by Ann Spangler

DNFs in 2024
1. Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson by Sally H. Jacobs
2. Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
3. Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon
4. How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
5. Fourteen Days edited by Margaret Atwood
6. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum

September
94. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
93. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
92. Where the Language Lives by Janet Yoder

August
91. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark
90. The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
89. James by Percival Everett
88. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
87. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
86. A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
85. The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
84. Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths
83. A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
82. Funny Story by Emily Henry
81. The Door by Magda Szabo
80. Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Steritt
79. The Barbizon by Paulina Bren

July
78. Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr
77. A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel
76. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
75. Inciting Joy by Ross Gay
74. The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
73. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
72. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
71. The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
70. The Game of Courts by Victoria Goddard
69. Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
68. Knowing God by Name by Mary Kassian

June
67. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
66. Red Paint by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe
65. Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble
64. Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
63. The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
62. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
61. Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim
60. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
59. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
58. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
57. Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz
56. Those Who Hold the Fire by Victoria Goddard
55. The Years by Annie Ernaux
54. A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

May
53. The Best Man by Richard Peck
52. The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
51. Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqwšəblu Lapointe
50. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
49. Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
48. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
47. Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder
46. The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard
45. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
44. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

April
43. Above Ground by Clint Smith
42. The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monae
41. The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales
40. How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
39. The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
38. Sharks in the Rivers by Ada Limon
37. The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende
36. At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard
35. Dominicana by Angie Cruz
34. With Us in the Wilderness by Lauren Chandler

March
33. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
32. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
31. And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed
30. The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
29. The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
28. The Bible
27. Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny
26. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
25. Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
24. House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
23. Foster by Claire Keegan
22. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
21. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

February
20. Making It So by Patrick Stewart
19. Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
18. The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin
17. The Casuarina Tree by W. Somerset Maugham
16. Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers
15. The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers
14. Derring-Do for Beginners by Victoria Goddard
13. The People We Keep by Allison Larkin

January
12. To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
11. The Postcard by Anne Berest
10. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
9. Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher
8. A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux
7. Big Tree by Brian Selznick
6. The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling
5. The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
4. The Pachinko Parlor by Elisa Shua Dusapin
3. In the Company of Gentlemen by Victoria Goddard
2. The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier
1. The Tower at the Edge of the World by Victoria Goddard

Rough guide to my rating system:
I'm fairly generous with my star ratings - generally a four is a "like" or "would recommend" for me, while a 4.5 stars is a book I would reread. I break it down roughly like this:

1 star - Forced myself to finish it
2 stars - Dislike
2.5 stars - I really don't know if I liked it or not
3 stars - Sort of liked it; or didn't, but admired something about it despite not liking it
3.5 stars - The splitting hairs rating of less than my last 4 star book or better than my last 3
4 stars - I liked it and recommend it, but probably won't reread it except under special circumstances (ie., a book club or series reread)
4.5 stars - Excellent, ultimately a satisfying read, a title I would consider rereading
5 stars - A book that I absolutely loved, would absolutely reread, and just all-around floored me

I see it more in terms of my like or dislike of a book, rather than how good a book is. My hope is that as a reader I convey what I like or what I don't in such a way that you can still tell if you'll like a book, even if I don't. And I hope for my patrons that I can give them good recommendations for books they will like, even if it's not one I would personally choose.

The listening report:

"Highway 61 Revisited" by Bob Dylan - this one was pretty good, but I preferred "Bringing It All Back Home". I was talking with my brother R about the music I've been listening to, and I think he was personally insulted that I did not add any songs from this one to my Spotify playlist (even though he agrees with me that "Bringing It All Back Home" is a better album). "Like a Rolling Stone" is iconic of course, but I couldn't get past Dylan's uninspiring voice. Here's a Jimi Hendrix cover of it which gave me a better idea of the musicality of it. Then the rest of the songs had pretty complicated lyrics so I wasn't sure what anything was really about? #18 on the Rolling Stones list and Brett Schewitz is much more aware of how revolutionary an album it was than I am.

"Revolver" by the Beatles - As an album, I liked it just a touch better than "Rubber Soul", but both were solid listens. It was especially interesting to listen to this one, because I've heard every song on it at least once, but hadn't heard the album as a whole or know which song came after the other. As a result, though I don't necessarily dislike the song, I thought "Yellow Submarine" was the weakest of the bunch, especially placed as it is between "Here There and Everywhere" and "She Said, She Said," which are both strong individual tracks. I had a tough time deciding what songs to add to the playlist - the very familiarity of classics like "Taxman" and "Eleanor Rigby" made them songs I didn't feel the need to add. But I was generous, and ended up putting "I'm Only Sleeping," "Here, There and Everywhere," "She Said, She Said" and "Got to Get You Into My Life" (Yes, that means two songs by John and one apparently about pot). "Got to Get You Into My Life" may not be the most brilliant lyrically, but I loved the horns on it. Brett Schewitz explains the technological advances in producing in his review. #11 on the list.

"Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul" by Otis Redding - I'm just about done listening through this one, so going to mention it now. The first half or so is covers, including one of "Day Tripper", which was interesting to hear. My favorite by far was "Love Have Mercy". In looking up the album, I was shocked to learn that Redding was only 25 when this was recorded, and died a little over a year later. #448 on the Rolling Stones list. Brett Schewitz has more on the album.

"Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes" - I couldn't find this album in the library system as a CD or a 78, so I ended up listening to the playlist on YouTube this afternoon and jumping back to 1964. Once through was enough. Their voices are good, the overall sound pretty typical of a pop women's group from the '60s, with the love songs and harmonies. I hadn't realized they sang "Going to the Chapel," which was the song I knew best from the album. Brett Schewitz's review gives background on the production and influence of the album. #494 on the Rolling Stones list.

Happy new thread Mary!

Thanks, Susan!

Happy new thread, Mary! I read your post about the civil war pensions and will dig out my research and see if I have the application and certificate numbers.

>14 Familyhistorian: Oh great, Meg. If you find them, let me know. I may not make it to the archives this next trip to DC, but I'll add it to my own list and look the next time I go.

Happy Tuesday! Today's agenda is work 9-5, I need to go to the pharmacy to see about a prescription, and I'd like to get to the gym (though if I'm still a little sore from the massage, it will be cardio only today). If I'm feeling extra ambitious, I'll work on some meal planning tonight and just have the grocery shopping tomorrow morning, but we'll see about that one.

I finished The Barbizon last night and will write a review soon.

Reading: Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope ,and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls, Seeing the Body: Poems, and The Door by Magda Szabo

Listening: will start... I think "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys today, and save "Blonde on Blonde" for later this week

Watching: Olympics - mostly the recaps, but I had some women's skateboarding on this morning

Crafting: working on a knit top for myself

Happy new thread, Mary!

Surprisingly, my dad bought both "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" when they came out. He wasn't much into modern pop music for the most part, but he did enjoy the Beatles. I've got the albums now.

Happy new thread, Mary!

I enjoyed your thoughts on the Dylan and Beatles albums. Highway 61 Revisited was one of the first rock albums I ever bought, and I still have it and listen to it occasionally.

>17 atozgrl: My dad disliked my music (pop/rock), but, soon after my mom died, I bought and played Bridge Over Troubled Water, and he went crazy for it, wanting me to play it over and over. He cried every time he heard it. I think it helped him process the grief. He never loved my music, but he stopped complaining about it after that.

Happy new thread, Mary. xx

Happy new one, Mary!

Happy New Thread, Mary!

I was impressed with your tandem read with Darryl of Niebuhr discussed on the last thread, and you review of it (>155 bell7:, >160 richardderus:). Darryl never takes aim at easy reads, does he. 😀. You not only finished the book, you got a lot out of it. As a Buddhist, I’m most interested in all of us building our morals and ethics on an individual basis, but I love it when a group or organization demonstrates admirable ones, like Partners in Health, the late Dr. Paul Farmer’s organization. I love our country’s ideals, and dream of the day we might actually be thought of as embodying them. You’ve probably heard the joke that Canadians think living north of us is like living in an apartment over a meth lab. I find that both funny and on target. But wouldn’t it be great to change that perception to one aligned with our higher aspirations.

I was also impressed by your music- listening project (i think you talked about it in >163 bell7:?). Coltrane is amazing. The Beatles’ song you added to your playlist, In My Life, was one my wife Debbi sang to our kids at bedtime to soothe them. Hilariously, she also put a visiting friend and me to sleep on a couch from which we could hear her singing to them. (We were in our thirties). It’s become a family favorite, and we had it played at our 40th anniversary vow renewal a year ago (as far as I know, everyone stayed awake).

I did a tandem read with Mark Freeburg of infinite Jest a while ago. Like you, I don’t think I would’ve finished it without him motivating me. He also convinced me to read DFW’s annoyingly lengthy footnotes as they came up in the text, rather than reading all together after I finished the text. In retrospect, thank goodness he did. Much better. I didn’t get as much out of IJ as you did from reading Niebuhr, other than confirming the guy was a genius. But I do remember the huge relief after I finally finished. 😀

Happy new thread!

>17 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene! I'd have to ask my dad what my grandparents thought of the Beatles and the pop/rock music of the 60s and 70s. I know they liked the Mills Brothers and Herb Alpert. He didn't get into the Beatles until after they broke up, but it was almost exclusively what he listened to when I was growing up.

>20 katiekrug: Thanks, Mary! My parents owned the album of Simon & Garfunkel live in Central Park, and I loved "Bridge over Troubled Water" and several other songs from that. Their singing and the Beatles both influenced how I think harmonies should sound. It's been very interesting listening through the albums and learning about what made each influential.

>19 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

>20 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>21 jnwelch: I imagine that a lot of countries have ideals that they don't quite reach. It's important, I think, to acknowledge the failures and not act like we're perfect like some apparently want to be taught in schools. Even Canada has its faults - I'm currently reading a book about missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada, and a lot of it is about how those in power either ignored or perpetuated violence against these women (and I'm sure the same could be said for the U.S.). It is fun, I think, to do a tandem read from time to time. It can stretch us, or we can enjoy (or commiserate about) the book together.

The listening project has been fun, I'd been pondering it for awhile and finally bit the bullet a couple of months ago. I like having ways of exploring things out of my comfort zone, and having a goal/list like that is my kind of way to do it haha. (I... might have told a co-worker of mine that I have a spreadsheet of the books I've read this year and that's how I know I've read about 75% books by women, and her response was "Of course you do.")

>22 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

Happy Wednesday! The week is flying by...

I spent the morning meal planning and getting the grocery shopping done. I have frozen pizza in the oven now and will cook tomorrow. Working 12-8 tonight, most of that on the desk, so I don't have anything else on the agenda, and will watch some Olympic coverage tonight.

Reading: Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Sterritt, Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths, and The Door by Magda Szabo

Listening: "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys

Watching: Olympic coverage

Crafting: top for myself

Happy New Thread, Mary!

Like Joe, I really enjoyed your review and discussion of Moral Man and Immoral Society. What a challenging read! I've read very little philosophy, but perhaps an online course or two would help me out with the basics.

And I love your purple hair!

79. The Barbizon by Pauline Bren
Why now? It fit last month's TIOLI challenge to read a book set in a hotel, though I didn't finish it in time

The Barbizon Hotel for Women was built in 1927 and was one of a few places in New York where women could come and have a safe haven to stay, whether just for a visit or long-term. Bren illuminates the influence of the hotel, spending much of her time talking about the 1940s and 1950s, and the models and guest editors for Mademoiselle who stayed there at that time.

Bren clearly did a lot of research, and I could see that the Barbizon was a fascinating place, as were the women who stayed and lived there. However, my interests and the authors didn't really align in what she chose to focus on, particularly giving details about the Powers models, the Katie Gibbs typing school, and especially Mademoiselle magazine. The book is as much about women's history of education and career as it is about the hotel itself. Bren also spends most of her time talking about famous people who stayed there, such as Sylvia Plath, and I would have liked to see more about the Women, the regular folks who lived there through the many changes the hotel went through. Later chapters then rush through many decades and finally end when the Barbizon was converted into condos. I can't really fault Bren for having different interests than me, but it affected my enjoyment for sure. 3.5 stars.

>25 streamsong: Thanks, Janet! It was a challenging read, but one I was glad to have read as well. And thanks, I am very much enjoying the purple :)

>14 Familyhistorian: Hi Mary, thanks for the look up offer but it turns out that I have the pension records for my Civil War soldier after all. I knew I had some of his records from the war. A fellow researcher gifted them to me. There are a lot of records from and about this man including letters that were saved after he found what remained of his birth family after 40 years so I didn't remember all that I had.

>28 Familyhistorian: oh that's great that you have the records! (And letters, too, how very cool) I've had really good fortune with several of the pension records I've gotten giving me vital information I was able to use to confirm wedding dates and more. The other thing to look for is the military service record if you don't already have that (usually just cards saying if they were present or absent, but sometimes there's more). Some states, not all, are up on Fold 3.

Happy New Thread, Mary! I am so engrossed in trying to read books from The Booker Prize Longlist , I have not been keeping up

>18 Storeetllr: Brought back memories of my dad saying--for context, we were in the car and generally in central Kansas there were only a few stations available, many straight country. KSAL played a mix of pop and country and this has to have been in the mid-60s--"you all don't know what good music is. In a few years, no one will ever remember these guys." Yes, it was a Beatles song.

Sweet Thursday, Mary. Happy New Thread. I enjoyed your comments on Revolver. Pet Sounds is excellent. I hope you have a good time with it.

>30 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah! I took a peak at your thread this morning and will enjoy seeing your reviews of the longlist. Sorry This Strange Eventful History wasn't a better read for you.

>31 ronincats: Oops... just goes to show we none of us know what's going to turn out to be classic, do we? Thanks for stopping by, Roni!

>32 msf59: Thanks, Mark! "Pet Sounds" is fine, but doesn't quite hit the sweet spot of my musical taste. I know it was an important album when it came out, though, so I'm still enjoying my musical education.

Good Thursday morning! This week is flying by, I tell you. Today I need to drive out to Boston to pick up some materials my library had digitized awhile back, and then I'll be working the rest of the day. When I get in will depend greatly on traffic, so wish me luck. But I'll get a lot of music listening in and probably have more to report soon as a result. Tonight I'm planning on making tomato-poached fish, a recipe Darryl originally shared with me that's become a regular in my cooking rotation.

Reading: Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Sterritt, Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths, and The Door by Magda Szabo

Listening: "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys

Watching: Olympic coverage

Crafting: knit top

>31 ronincats: Hah! And now The Beatles are classic music. What was your dad’s favorite music, Roni? I can’t fault my father too much for his dislike of my music. I find I’m not crazy about today’s music. I read once that a different kind of music, when listened to enough, will forge new neural pathways in the brain so that it becomes enjoyable, but I just don’t care enough to go through that to get to a point where I like it.

Happy new thread! Love the purple hair from the last thread! I'm another who has always planned to do fun colors in my hair when it goes gray, but so far all I have are a few silver threads.

Happy new thread, Mary!

Looking forward to your thoughts on the Beach Boys album, Mary. Hopefully the drive to and from Boston wasn't too atrocious.

>33 bell7:, >35 Storeetllr: Well, it certainly wasn't rock and roll or 60s pop! Not country either, though. Probably Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Andy Williams and the like.

My brother was a big Beach Boys fan, thought they tended to be way under appreciated as musicians, and Pet Sounds was one of his favorites.

>35 Storeetllr: and >39 ronincats: Loving the music talk and thinking about how generational tastes change. I find when I listen to the radio that I'm less interested in current pop music and like hearing the songs that were popular when I was in high school/college. There's definitely a nostalgia factor at play, though, since some of them weren't songs I particularly liked back then!

>36 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi! Go for it and do it now, I say ;) I have very little gray, mostly around my face, and a few stray strands here and there. Apparently I take after my dad's side of the family - his aunt still has mostly brown hair, where my mom was just about all gray by the time she was my age.

>37 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>38 MickyFine: I lucked out with traffic, thankfully, though I really hate the couple of turns I have to take after the highway to get to the BPL. I get confused at one particular intersection and it's a pain to backtrack among all the one ways. But I did it and didn't mess up too atrociously this time around. And thanks, I'll probably write up a quick summary over the weekend sometime.

Happy Friday! Yesterday was a bit of a whirlwind, with the morning driving, the afternoon working, fitting in a trip to the gym and cooking. Oh, and I'm dogsitting for my brother's girlfriend, and she brought the dog over last night instead of this morning. It does make today a bit more straightforward, however. I'm working 9-5, might stop at the gym for the treadmill only, and don't have to cook tonight.

Reading/Watching/Crafting: same

Listening: "Blonde on Blonde" by Bob Dylan

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, Mary! I'm pretty sure "Blonde on Blonde" is and was and will remain the only Dylan album I've ever listened to twice. Deliberately. I love many of his songs but would prefer to listen to covers so as to avoid that voice.

*smooch*

>42 richardderus: Thanks much, Richard! I'm not a fan of his voice, either. I will need to look up the lyrics to some of the songs before I can identify favorites for sure, and I want to see what I can find about covers, too. My brother R loves him, but the musicality (and, honestly, the opaqueness of the lyrics) appeals to him more.

80. Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Steritt
Why now? I used a random number generator to pick a book off my TBR list, and this was it. Title I came across through work emails.

Angela Sterritt writes about the murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG), especially those who disappeared in the area of Highway 16 in British Columbia over decades, and whose disappearances were largely ignored or downplayed by police up until very recently.

This book was so hard to read, so heartbreaking and raw as journalist Sterritt interweaves her own story of being homeless as an Indigenous teenager. There's definitely a feeling of "it could have been me" in her story, and Sterritt does a really fabulous job of giving readers a broad view of the statistics over the years, and then zooming in to one or two stories, with quotes from family members, that illustrate her points. If you've heard about the high incidences of murders and kidnappings among Indigenous populations and wanted to learn more, this is a great place to start. 4.5 stars.*

*Probably one of the rare 4.5 stars of a book I don't think I would reread, because it was so emotionally difficult.

81. The Door by Magda Szabo
Why now? Borrowed from my local library because I wanted a book in translation and this looked intriguing

Magda is a writer and needs a housekeeper. Her neighbors recommend Emerence, an older and somewhat inscrutable older woman who works on her own terms, but soon becomes indispensable. The two form a strong bond, as Magda recounts the twenty or so years that they knew each other, but Emerence remains an enigma, never letting anyone past her front porch.

One of those character studies that asks, "How well can we know another person?" And in this case, readers have two to figure out, not just one, in Magda and Emerence. Do we trust our narrator, or do we think she isn't always aware herself of what's going on between them? What does Emerence keep behind closed doors? Magda is troubled by dreams, and the whole narrative has a dreamlike quality where we're not sure exactly how much time passes where in the story, until the very end where we know about twenty years has passed since the women first met. They have a very strange relationship, but at the same time, I found myself remembering a friendship I had with an older patron for many years, and the ways in which we knew or didn't know each other up until her death. An interesting story on the surface with much to ponder for readers willing to take up the challenge. 4 stars.

It's the weekend! I'm watching my brother's girlfriend's dog this weekend, and she's a doll, currently resting atop my couch. She'll follow me just about anywhere I go and has enjoyed curling up with me while I knit or read.

I was hoping to mow today, but I ended up giving myself the day off. Well... as "off" as I get, anyway. I watched a lot of the Olympics and knit, made bread dough (will bake tomorrow), watered my house plants, and did all the dishes. And as you can see from the reviews above, I finished two books. I've officially ended my streak of reading serious nonfiction, and my next planned read is Funny Story by Emily Henry to give myself a break. The new e-book is TBD.

Reading: Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Listening: nothing today, I didn't drive

Watching: lots of Olympics!

Crafting: top for myself - It's all one piece, and I've got to the point where I added the stitches for the sleeves

Listening report:
"Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys - My brother R. told me before I listened to this one that he didn't really think it would be my thing. He was right, but I find my vocabulary for describing music falls short of that in describing books, and I can't quite put my finger on what didn't work for me. It was fine, but I didn't find myself drawn to listen to it again. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" were vaguely familiar to me, and it's very different from how i pictured Beach Boys songs after learning to play "Let's Go Surfing Now" on the guitar a couple of decades ago. It was, however, extremely influential as Brett Schewitz illuminates. #2 on the Rolling Stones list

"Blonde on Blonde" by Bob Dylan - This one largely left me cold, too, though I liked the music just fine I don't like Dylan's voice an find his lyrics difficult. The two songs I liked best were "Visions of Johanna" and "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat", but not enough to add it to my playlist (unless perhaps I can find a cover I like). It was third in his trilogy of rock albums, and of them three I have to say I preferred "Bringing It All Back Home". More from Brett Schewitz who liked it more than I did. #38 on the Rolling Stones list.

Happy Sunday! I had church this morning and have spent the rest of the day puttering around at home. The grass got so long that when I tried to mow, I didn't get very far before the mower overheated. I hacked away some at the front, and I'll continue working on it tomorrow... and probably ultimately will call a friend who's starting a landscaping business to see what he might be able to do for the rest of the season. I haven't mowed that often, really, but that's part of the trouble - when I'm not home for a week and a half and then it rains every day, it gets so long that I can't do it with the push mower. I baked sourdough bread, which came out delicious, and had cottage cheese and cucumber salad on toast for an early dinner.

Tomorrow I'm working 9-2 and we're having a goodbye party (one of two this week) for one of my co-workers.

Reading: Funny Story by Emily Henry, A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel, and Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Listening: finished up "Blonde on Blonde" today and I'm planning on starting "Somethin' Else" by Cannonball Adderley tomorrow

Watching: Olympics, though I'm skipping the closing ceremony and will be going through withdrawal tomorrow

Crafting: top for myself

>47 bell7: I suggest you try "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat" coberef by Beck..

The Beach Boys remind me of my sister driving us around Mercedes, Texas, as fast as she could with WOAI blaring pop on the radio. So, not remotely about music for me.

Sunday *smooch*

>49 richardderus: Now if we could only blend Beck's voice with Dylan's more acoustical rendering, I'd be in a very happy place. Ooh, yes, I have a whole playlist of "Lifetime Memories" that are not remotely about the music either. *smooch* back

82. Funny Story by Emily Henry
Why now? Henry is a reliable romance author for me, and I put a hold on it soon after it came out. I picked it up this weekend after reading a string of challenging nonfiction and a Hungarian translation, knowing I'd need something a little fluffier to mix things up.

Daphne Vincent had life with Peter all planned out - that is, until he dumped her on his bachelor weekend for his childhood best friend, Petra, and she becomes roommates with Petra's ex, Miles. Now she's not sure if she wants to keep her job at the library or move back to Maryland to be closer to her mom, or if she really has any friends of her own since even college friend Sadie hasn't really spoken to her since the breakup. Meanwhile, Peter and Petra invite them to the wedding and when she and Miles agree to go, Daphne may have said to Peter that they're dating...

One thing I really enjoy about Henry's books is the depth of her characters. Daphne and Miles each have believable hang ups brought on by their childhood experiences, and when they have misunderstandings (with each other and with other side characters), it's a result of these deep-seated insecurities rather than a simple refusal to talk. And once they do talk, yes, I teared up more than once. It was refreshing to have characters in their 30s rather than young twenty-somethings. And Henry mostly gets working at a library right, though I would argue that no library would really approve of adults with no kids waltzing into a Storytime to hear the girlfriend/daughter/whatever relationship read a book. I devoured the book in two days after a string of more serious books, and it definitely fit the bill for what I needed over the weekend. 4 stars.

Not *quite* as perfect for me as Book Lovers, though if it's made into a movie, I would watch it in a heartbeat.

Happy Monday! I'm working 9-2 today, we're having a goodbye party for one of my co-workers, and sadly the dog is getting picked up today. If it doesn't rain this afternoon, I may try to get out and mow some more, but other than that my afternoon/evening should be pretty low key (shocking, I know).

Reading: A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel and Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths (next book on tap is Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum)

Listening: starting "Somethin' Else" by Cannonball Adderley

Watching: TBD

Crafting: knit top for myself

>51 bell7: - Glad you enjoyed this one. I'll get to it eventually. So far, I've liked Henry's odd numbered books best - the first, the 3rd, hopefully this one :) I recently saw that they are making People We Meet on Vacation into a film...

>52 bell7: Some recommendations of other things to watch on Peacock, if you need them:
-We Are Lady Parts
-Poker Face
-Resident Alien
-Young Rock
-Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist

>53 katiekrug: Let's see, of the ones I've read I would rank them

Book Lovers
People We Meet on Vacation and Funny Story
Happy Place

I... actually didn't finish Beach Read, but having read the others, I almost feel like I should go back and give it a try. One of my DNFs this year was the debut by the screenwriter of People We Meet on Vacation so hopefully I like her film writing better :) But as I was telling a co-worker, often I like rom-coms better as movies than books and find myself being less critical of things.

>54 norabelle414: Thanks for the recs, Nora, I'll have to check some of those out. I watched the first season of Resident Alien on DVD a couple years ago and was sort of taken aback by how dark it could be (darkly funny, but still) and never continued it. I wonder if I were to watch it again knowing that if I'd have a different response. And Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist always looked like fun.

Not even trying to catch up, Mary, but wishing you a "Happy New Thread"

>56 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia!

>55 bell7: - I had to go look up the screenwriter. Apparently, she's also adapting Beach Read?

Book Lovers is my favorite Henry, followed by Beach Read, and then I think PWMoV. I found Happy Place kind of ho hum, but I think I felt the same about PWMoV, so they might just be tied :)

>58 katiekrug: And directing that one, too, I think (I had to look her up to see which titles she was working on). I agree, Happy Place was a little ho hum, I liked the friendships better than the actual relationship in that one. I'll give Beach Read another chance at some point, I think it may have just been the mood I was in when I tried it.

I'm late checking in, just had a little trouble getting up this morning and had to rush out the door. Today was a 9-5, and I got a lot done getting ready for two weeks off of work. And then I finished the mowing. My neighbor behind me took pity on me and had done great swaths of it yesterday with his rider, so I just had a bit in the front and side left to do. I called up a friend who's starting a landscaping business, and I'm going to start paying him to do it from here on out. After the mowing, I did a grocery shopping. And now I'm done, eating dinner and relaxing for the evening.

While I was at work, I was contacted by someone about dogsitting this weekend. So I'll be going over to meet her and the dogs tomorrow morning, and I'll work some errands around it.

Reading: A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel, Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths and Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum)

Listening: "Somethin' Else" by Cannonball Adderley

Watching/Crafting: probably won't get to it for a few days

Happy Wednesday! The week is flying by... I left early today because I was meeting a new dogsitting client. She had originally asked me about this weekend, but I was somewhat relieved to hear that they made other arrangements since they needed someone to come in the middle of the day when I'm at work. I ran a couple other errands getting some groceries I couldn't find yesterday and picking up a going away gift for a co-worker. Working 12-8 (I'm currently on dinner break). I will probably try to cook some tonight after work to have work lunches for the rest of the week.

Reading/listening/etc all the same as yesterday

I'd missed your new thread, Mary, apologies. I will be watching your suggestions for fiction in translation, look forward to seeing what you find.

>62 charl08: Hey, Charlotte, nice to see you! And no worries, it's quite easy to miss a thread for a week or two here and there when everyone moves so quickly. I think The Door might be up your alley, and one of my favorites from earlier in the year is one I seem to remember you also read - The Postcard by Anne Berest. I'll be having fun exploring more over the coming months.

Happy Thursday! I'm working 9-5 today, planning on going to the gym, and then finally making dinner tonight (I was wayyyy to tired to even think about cooking when I got home last night). I'm trying hard to wrap up a lot of things and getting ready for taking a two-week vacation. I won't be away for the entirety of that time, but I will be off from work.

Reading:
Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths - about 8 poems left, so should finish up soon
A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel - a really interesting historical/thriller/sf genre blend I've been reading on my Kindle, and have less than two hours left, and
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum - not very far yet and still deciding if I can get into the rhythm of the story since I don't love the writing (translation?) style

Listening: "Somethin' Else" by Cannonball Adderley, which I'm really enjoying

I haven't been watching anything or knitting lately, but may try to make some time over the weekend

Happy whatever thread this is, Mary. I am plugging away at Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum. It has echos of so many books I've read in the last two or three years. Just...just man's inhumanity to his fellows. Looking forward to something with a bit more entertainment.

Hope you like the doggie and its minions. Do the minions have good tv? Ice cream in the freezer? We'll be rootin' for ya.

>65 weird_O: Hey Bill, nice to see you! I know what you mean, reading books that are important to know about and then also needing to balance it with entertainment. May you enjoy your next read! Meeting the dogs and bearded lizard went well, though I didn't ask about their TV and food situation haha. I'll have to see around Thanksgiving, as it looks like that's when I'll first be dogsitting for them.

Well, since I missed most of Thursday, I will wish you a fantastic Friday, Mary!

>67 alcottacre777: Thanks, Stasia!

Listening report:

"Somethin' Else" by Cannonball Adderley - I really enjoyed this album of six tracks, and in particular liked the first (Autumn Leaves) and fourth (One for Daddy-O), but if I can find them on Spotify, all will go on my playlist.

I started the Jefferson Airplane album this morning, and so far I really like their sound.

TGIF! I changed things up a little yesterday and decided to take a walk outdoors instead of going to the gym. I got caught in the rain and took a side trip to the library to wait out the storm, and then went up to the cemetery to say hello to my relatives before heading home and cooking dinner. I made a mushroom risotto in the instant pot that I loved the last time I made it. Unfortunately, I was hungry and rushing, and instead of putting in red cooking wine I added a full cup of red wine vinegar. It was... edible, but I don't know if I'm going to eat all the leftovers or not. I looked up various ways to cut vinegar, and I tried adding sugar last night. Today I'm trying adding olive oil, but I brought an alternative lunch in case it was still overpowering. Oops :(

Today I'm working 9-5, we have a goodbye party for a co-worker, and then I'm headed out to a restaurant to celebrate my brother's girlfriend's birthday. They have festivities planned all weekend, but I'll be doing some and bowing out of others to get stuff done at home prior to my vacation.

Reading: The Black Stallion by Walter Farley, Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths, and Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum

Listening: "Surrealistic Pillow" by Jefferson Airplane

Watching/Crafting: nada

>69 bell7: Long ago and some distance away I was spontaneously dragged to a Wintergarden concert where Jefferson Airplane and Cannonball Adderley played. I recall sitting on the floor which was weird and lots of smoke which I didn't know enough to identify at the time.

>71 quondame: oh! How cool that both played the same venue (it was kind of at random that I chose to listen to them back to back). I hope it was a fun experience.

Happy Saturday! Yesterday was a somewhat late night for me, getting back right at bedtime and still having to unpack from work and the like. I stayed up late playing Candy Crush and reading a little, then slept in and am just getting ready for the day. It's going to be one of cooking and cleaning, as I'm hoping to free up Monday and Tuesday to potentially do day trips and only have light duty getting ready for my trip.

Reading: I finished Seeing the Body: Poems last night and The Black Stallion this morning, so I'll be starting something new on my Kindle soon; Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookstore is still going

Listening: "Surrealistic Pillow" by Jefferson Airplane

Watching/Crafting: nothing lately, but I am hoping to get some knitting time in this weekend

83. A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
Why now? I was looking for an e-book to read, this one was on my Kindle, and it fit a TIOLI challenge. Never actually made it onto the TBR spreadsheet, apparently

Sarah and daughter Mia must follow the precepts:
Always run, never fight.
Preserve the knowledge.
Survive at all costs.
Take them to the stars.

Over ninety-nine identical generations have had space flight as their goal, and now as World War 2 winds down, nineteen-year-old Mia travels to Germany to rescue Werner von Braun. The mother-daughter pair - there always must be two - influence the rocket race between the Soviets and the U.S. with the goal of Taking them to the stars foremost. They are the Kibsu, and while they may not remember the origin of the precepts, it's of paramount importance that they follow them and avoid the Tracker, who is trying to stop them.

This was a fascinating blend of science and historical fiction - I guess technically that makes it alternate history, but the historical research was so solid that it read more like the latter, just throw in some aliens with a purpose influencing world events. I was surprised to discover the length of the notes at the end where Canadian author Neuvel went into great detail about his research and I discovered that things and people I thought were made up were not. We also get some flashbacks of previous generations of Kibsu that tantalize with the possibility of future installments in the trilogy explaining more of their origins. And for music fans, there's a playlist to discover through the chapter titles. 4 stars.

From reading the review page, it looks like this was a pretty polarizing title. Count me on the side that found it intriguing; I'll probably be looking up the next book soonish.

84. Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

This book of poetry is an exploration of a daughter's grief. The first bunch of poems is about Griffith's mother, their relationship, and ultimately the mother's death. Then there is an interlude of self-portrait photographs. And finally, a second set of poetry is about the daughter's grief and pain. I didn't always understand every line, but Griffiths shows a facility with language - and photography - that had me as a reader feeling viscerally for her as she described hard experiences such as suicidal ideation or falling apart at a RiteAid near Mother's Day.

I read it because Salman Rushdie sang the praises of his wife, Eliza, in his memoir Knife, and I was intrigued. I'm interested in reading her novel Promise as well.

85. The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
Why now? Browsing through the TIOLI challenges when looking for my next e-book, I saw Judy (DeltaQueen) was reading this book for the challenge in Anita's memory, and thought it would be fun to revisit a childhood favorite of mine

On his way back from India visiting his uncle, Alec is present when a wild, black, Arabian stallion is brought on the ship. Admiring the magnificent horse, Alec does his best to become friends, trying to go by the Black's stall and give him gifts of apples and sugar. Then the Drake goes down in a storm, and Alec and the Black both end up on a desert island, needing each other to survive.

I devoured horse books as a kid, and this was one of my favorite series. In fact, I seem to have merged some of them together in my head - I was all ready for the horse races that come later, and forgot that this one starts as a survival story. Classic children's books can be hit or miss, but this one holds up pretty well. While it may have some details that would need to be explained to kids (blotting a paper after taking a test, for example), there's still a lot of adventure and excitement to keep the pages turning. And when Alec gets home and starts training the horse, there are lots of details for the kids like I was that want to know all about horses and riding. 4.5 stars.

>63 bell7: Nice to hear about your favourites in translation, Mary. I've read The Door as well: mixed feelings about Szabo. I liked On Katalin Street more.

>77 charl08: Oooh, that's good to know, I'll make a note of On Katalin Street as one to check out.

Happy Saturday, Mary!

>79 richardderus: Thanks, Richard, the same to you! Glad to see you're feeling better enough to be active on the threads today.

Sounds like your vacation is off to a lovely start, Mary!

I was delighted to see we read Funny Story around the same time.

>81 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! It's always fun to (nearly) share a read, isn't it? And Funny Story was a lot of fun.

DNF #6: Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum

A feel-good story about a bookstore is so exactly up my alley, and the book was in translation, so I was doubly disappointed to DNF this one at page 68. Something about either the original or the translation made the writing very stilted for me, and I read in fits and starts. The characters & the story (it's very deliberately paced) never quite grabbed me. It's due back at the library Monday and I have other books on my stack I'm more excited to start.

Happy Sunday! I've done my morning routine now of breakfast & coffee, readying the bread to bake this afternoon, Wordling and such. It's nearly time for me to go to church. When I get back, I'll bake the bread and make lunch, and possibly start some laundry. Sometime in the afternoon, I'm planning on meeting up with my brother and his girlfriend at a cidery/winery to continue celebrating her birthday.

Tomorrow I'll really start to feel like I'm on vacation, though I still have a lot of prep work to do before I'll be ready for the trip portion. I think I've decided not to do full-on day trips until after I get back (too much time pressure otherwise). Don't be surprised if I'm a little more sporadic about checking in over the next two weeks - though I am going to try to keep up with reviews before I forget much about the books I'm reading!

Reading: A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland and a new paper book TBD

Listening: I couldn't get "Wild Is the Wind" by Nina Simone as a CD through my library system, so I downloaded it on Hoopla and have been enjoying it over the weekend; I'll continue listening to Jefferson Airplane in the car today

Watching: nothing

Crafting: I did pull out the top for myself yesterday, though I listened to podcasts yesterday instead of watching a show/movie

>84 bell7: Over a hundred gay/gay-fantasy/fantasy readers I know have, with startling unanimity, converged on four-plus stars for A Taste of Gold and Iron, with noodles of callouts for Alexandra Rowland's storytelling.

This has, comme d'habitude, made me very chary of reading it. My popcorn bowl is belappèd, my vessel of coffee is replete...I await your guidance.

Sunday orisons!

Found this on Bluesky, thought of you right away.

Delurking to give a Sunday high five! I’ll await your review of A Taste of Gold and Iron, which sounds intriguing.

>85 richardderus: I was not immediately convinced, I admit, because in addition to the difficult names you're never sure how to pronounce, she changed the names of the days of the week (assuming it is a week, maybe they used a decimal system like in the time of the French Revolution) in this world, and she told you so much about what was going on in a particularly anxious character's head, that I was thinking, "Okay, I got it, and now he's exhausting me too." But things are moving now, and I will keep you posted.

>86 richardderus: I love this so much hahaha

>87 Storeetllr: High five back at ya, Mary! I'll certainly let you know about A Taste of Iron and Gold. I've been a bit of an insomniac this weekend, so I've been reading it (e-book) quite a bit and haven't even started a second paper book to switch off between.

>88 bell7: I'm not rushin' youse on the read. Not quite out of stuff to read yet, though the day is young.

Isn't that hilarious!

Happy Monday! It's been... well, not the day I expected. I've been having trouble sleeping the last couple of days, and this morning I woke up around 3:30, parched. After I was awake enough to get up, I got myself a drink of water, realized being upright that I also needed to use the bathroom, and got back into bed maybe around 4? After reading for about an hour, I switched to the audio and tried to get back to sleep. Over the audio, I started hearing rustling that sounded like it was coming from the kitchen - when I'm tired my hearing gets even more sensitive than usual, so this can be anything from house creaks to mice in the basement to who-knows-what but not as close (or loud) as I think it is. So, I decided to get up for awhile and read on my couch 'til I got tired and could go back to bed. I'm on vacation, I can even sleep in as long as I need to.

So I get out of bed, turn on the light in my room and walk into the kitchen - no mice - and walk through the dining room. I turn around and realize there's a bat swooping around behind me. Presumably it got in through the kitchen window? Which has been open, mind you, for at least a week letting in fresh air now that it hasn't been so unbearably hot every day and night. I went back into my bedroom and looked up how to get a bat to leave the house (which is basically turn off the lights and leave a window open to let it find its way out). Off goes the kitchen light, and I go back to the bedroom, wide awake now, with the light on. More rustling, and at this point it's like 6 a.m. So I decide, alright, it's still too dark in here for me to handle a bat, I'm going to get coffee and deal with this later.

I ended up going to my parents' house and visiting for a few hours before I went back at home to see if I can find a roosting bat. I've looked at every window and a couple of radiators, and do not see a sign of this thing. The kitchen window is now closed. I am not entirely convinced that it let itself back out, so you better believe that I'll be keeping an eye out around dusk, and I do have a plan of the best way to let it back outside (without, hopefully, letting anymore wildlife in in the meantime) should it reappear. And if all else fails, I'll call my neighbors who have offered multiple times to help me with anything should I need it.

After I established that the bat couldn't be found, I did a couple of errands that I had on the to-do list, and now I'm taking a break for lunch, and possibly a nap.

>89 richardderus: Indeed, that's one of the great things about having a TBR the size we do... there is no guilt in abandoning a book (whether in the moment or forever) when there are so many other things I want to read!

And it is, the image that appears to be made by AI to go along with it just makes it.

Wowzers that is not a great way to start off your vacation, Mary. Crossing my fingers for you that the bat wandered back out this morning. And wishing you a much more restful sleep tonight!

Wow! A bat! I hope you can get it resolved before you leave town.

>74 bell7: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Mary!

>83 bell7: I hate DNFs! I have had 2 this month. Ugh.

I hope you have a terrific Tuesday!

I really hope you're de-batted, caffeinated, and ready for Life this Tuesday, Mary.

*smooch*

>92 MickyFine: It was something else... I slept terribly last night, but I'm hopeful that tonight will be better.

>93 norabelle414: Mmmm I never did find it after I returned yesterday

>94 alcottacre: I hope you like it as much as I did, Stasia! I usually have a handful of DNFs a year. I don't mind as a general rule - I'm so much a mood reader that even books I want to read can not work at a given time, and I have so many books I want to read, that when it's definitely not a book for me, I have no trouble stopping. But some books are more frustrating than others, especially when it appears to be something that should be a great read for me.

>95 richardderus: Well, I'm caffeinated and haven't seen the bat, so that's about half situated this Tuesday :) *smooch*

The bat has not made an appearance since about 5:30 a.m. yesterday morning. There was no roosting in the windows or swooping at dusk as far as I could tell. I was incredibly nervous going to bed that it was going to be in my bedroom last night, and as a result I slept terribly. I was jumpy, and every time I started to settle down I'd hear something or see a reflection that had me awake again. I felt like I was checking the time or putting an audiobook on again every hour. I have three theories that I find equally likely:

1. The bat got out the same way it got in, no harm done.

2. The bat is somewhere in the house, I just haven't found it.

3. The bat was a figment of my imagination, something my sleep-addled brain gave me to try to make sense of a weird reflection or the like.

Actually I find that last possibility a teensy less likely than the others, but it is still possible. I've found myself not "seeing" reflections and shadows out of the corner of my eye very clearly lately, and as a result can be a little jumpy. But I also remember pretty clearly from the edge of the living room looking into the dining room and seeing the characteristic "U" flying. At the first house I moved into out of my parents' house, a bat came in through the window where there was a gap in the screen, and started swooping like that as soon as I'd turned the light off to go to bed. I lived with an older couple at the time, and he was kind enough to come up and catch the bat and release him. But every April from then on, I'd have to keep that particular window closed, because a bat liked to roost there. When we moved to another town, bats would occasionally get in and one of my housemates screamed bloody murder late one night when one was in her radiator. So it's the first time here, but not a first by any means.

Happy Tuesday! My dad came over for a breakfast of fish and eggs. I've cleaned up from that and am resting a bit before I start to tackle the rest of my to-do list prior to the actual travel. I had anticipated yesterday being a big push through it, but I had a mostly relaxed day, really, and today looks like it will be more of the same. I'll work on some things, then take a walk, work on some things, then read. That kind of nice, leisurely but not boring, sort of pace.

Tomorrow I'm off, and I'm very much looking forward to visiting with my sisters, going to the National Book Festival & seeing Nora, and potentially going to the Maryland Ren Faire too (this was an unexpected bonus, as I didn't think my sisters would be as interested in the possibility as they were - it may be a whole family day out, or it may be just me and one sister). My niece and nephew start school next week, but as Monday is a day off and Tuesday is only a half day, I will get plenty of time to hang out with them before heading home again. Wednesday and Thursday I have evening plans, Friday is yet to be determined. All in all, shaping up nicely.

Oh, and the books I'll be bringing along are James by Percival Everett, Where the Language Lives by Janet Yoder, and The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark.

Reading: A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

Listening: "Axis Bold As Love" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

Watching: nope, maybe tonight I'll put on a movie, we'll see how tired I am

Crafting: I'll probably get the knit top out again today

>97 bell7: Ooh, the Maryland Ren Faire is so much fun! I'm going much later in the season; I don't like to go outside in August...

The listening report:

"Surrealistic Pillow" by Jefferson Airplane - my initial response was, oh I like how this sounds. The vocals and harmonies in particular match my taste well. The first two songs on the album were my favorite: "She Has Funny Cars" and "Somebody to Love" (I'm pretty sure I've heard the latter before, though I didn't know the artist). Oh, and I liked the instrumental "Embryonic Journey" too. It was interesting to hear "White Rabbit" which has become so influential - and while I knew it was influenced by Alice in Wonderland, as I actually listened to it, I suddenly realized where the title Go Ask Alice came from. #471 on the current Rolling Stones list, though it's been much higher in past lists. Brett Schewitz's review.

"Wild Is the Wind" by Nina Simone - Jumped back to 1966 for this one, which I could only get on Hoopla. Apparently this album was made up of recordings from 1964-65 that either weren't used or were re-recorded and put on other albums. I never would've guessed that it was "leftovers" much like "Let It Be", and this was my introduction to Nina Simone. There's a grittiness to her vocals that I like a lot, and I'll look up more of her work. I especially liked "Four Women," "Wild Is the Wind" and "Break Down and Let It All Out." #212 on the Rolling Stones list and Brett Schewitz liked it too.

"John Wesley Harding" by Bob Dylan - I was kinda meh about this one, honestly. I sound like a broken record, but I don't like his voice, and there wasn't anything on this album that musically or lyrically got me past that. #337 on the Rolling Stones list. Brett Schewitz's comments on this are light, but identify the band playing with Dylan and a few of the more famous covers.

I'm currently listening to "Axis Bold As Love". It's the first I've heard of Jimi Hendrix other than random songs online, and I'm actually hoping that some of it isn't quite so electric as this one. I don't love the sound of the instruments and they're so much louder than the vocals that I can't hear the words. I'll probably finish it up on the ride down to the airport tomorrow.

I'm not sure how much listening I'll get in while I'm away, but I have two CDs in the car for the drive to the airport and back. There are a couple 1967 albums I could only get on Hoopla anyways, so I may download one or two to listen to on my trip.

I've never heard of fish for breakfast. What kind of fish is normal to have?

>100 The_Hibernator: Kippers! Mind you, I've never tasted kippers, but they were on the hot buffet for English breakfast.

>98 norabelle414: Oops, I missed you, Nora. I don't blame you for not wanting to go outside in August. I was pleasantly surprised to see the weather for the first few days I'm there is not going to be terrible, though the last several days have a high of 90. Ugh. Hopefully the ren faire won't be too hot. I've only been to one in Carver, MA a couple of hours away, but it's been on my radar to go to Maryland, and there are a couple of acts I've seen before that should be fun to look for there. I am packing my outfit and everything...

>100 The_Hibernator: Well, this is also coming from the family who occasionally had cream of wheat with ice cream growing up, so you can take it with a grain of salt... my dad brings over trout, either rainbow or brown, depending on what he's caught over the summer. Apparently his dad would occasionally make/have fish and eggs for breakfast, too.

>101 quondame: I haven't had kippers, but looking it up how they're made, I imagine it's pretty similar to what we had this morning, stuffing the trout with onions and garlic to cook.

>102 bell7: Over 90° and you're still going? Noble soul!

Travel safe!

>103 richardderus: the day we're at the faire is a high of 88 which is probably going to be about my limit lol. The next three days are 90 or above, but I'll be staying with the sister who blasted the AC so that I'm regularly wearing pants no matter what the temperature outside is, so I'll be indoors and fine 😂 And thank you!

Unfortunately, low 90s is pretty nice weather for us this summer. Most importantly I think the humidity is going to be low while you're here, so you should have a great time.

>105 norabelle414: when I saw the highs for the rest of this week, I was actually thinking how much I'd lucked out. That's even better news about the humidity!

>11 bell7: "I'm Only Sleeping" is up there with my absolute favorite Beatles songs.

>47 bell7: And "Visions of Johanna" is in my top 5 Dylan songs. But I don't mind his voice at all.

The bat experience sounds nervewracking! I love bats, but not so much in the house.

Happy Wednesday, Mary. Have a nice trip and enjoy your time with your sisters. I also hope you enjoy James as much as I did. I am very impressed that you are making it through the classic 60s albums and sticking with it. I grew up with all this music, so I am seriously biased. I loved John Wesley Harding.

>107 ursula: I am with you on "Visions of Johanna" and Dylan's voice. 😀

>107 ursula: It's interesting to me to see where we overlap and don't in our taste, Ursula. I think it's as complicated, if not more so, than reading taste. And yeah, I like bats just fine outside (and they are much maligned, not having rabies anywhere near as much as people think), but totally agree about when they get in the house!

>108 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I'm really looking forward to James now and hope it lives up to the hype :) I'll be starting it today. The classic music has been a really fun project, I have to say. It's been especially fun to discover new-to-me artists that I have really enjoyed (especially jazz so far, as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, and Nina Simone come to mind). Even if I don't love an album, I like learning about the influence it had and be able to make connections between music I'm familiar with and that I haven't heard.

By the way, my brother R. who you'll meet next month, is a big Dylan fan. He's a musician and knows his stuff, he was pretty excited about some of the albums I'm listening to now and offered to lend me albums if I couldn't get them through the library.

Ooooh, when is Mark meeting your brother?!!? I love small world stories... :)

Morning, all! Last night I slept a lot better, only waking up briefly a couple of times and being able to get right to sleep, which is pretty much par for the course. Having heard some noises in the house last night, I have a new theory about the bat: I think there are some in the chimney, and the one that got in the house did so by coming through the closet where the chimney is into the dining room rather than through the kitchen. So, when I get back, I'll be calling a bat removal company and see what I can arrange. What fun! And actually, on reflection, I've heard noises like that around/after dusk for... probably a couple of years? And just assumed it was the mice, 'til yesterday.

I finished A Taste of Gold and Iron last night, Ramona the Brave this morning, and now need to go through Libby to make sure I have an audiobook to listen to before bed. I'll be finishing packing and leaving for the airport soon.

Reading: fully between books. I'll be starting James by Percival Everett and The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji today.

Listening: I finished "Axis: Bold as Love" on my ride to the dump yesterday and started "The Who Sell Out"

Crafting: didn't pick it up yesterday (I wanted to read instead) and it'll be on hold while I'm traveling

>110 katiekrug: Not quite a small world story unless you count the LT connection haha. My dad, brother R. and I are planning a baseball/football road trip next month, and we are starting in Chicago and Wrigley Field, so I reached out to Mark and Joe to see about meeting up :)

>112 bell7: - Oh, what fun! I love Chicago. And Mark is a gem. I'm sure Joe is, too, but I've not met him :)

86. A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
Why now? I was looking for an e-book to read, and as I've been doing for the past couple of months, looked specifically for something that would fit a TIOLI challenge and was on my TBR spreadsheet

Prince Kadou gets in trouble with his sister, the ruler, when a misunderstanding and the tension between him and her lover lead to the deaths of the kahya who serve him. A newly promoted kahya, Evemer, is assigned specifically to Kadou, who is wracked with guilt from the incident and anxiety about... well, everything. Evemer, in contrast, is dependable and confident, says very little and gets frustrated with Kadou who appears to be flighty and negligent. But as the two spend more time together and investigate a counterfeiting scheme, they grow to appreciate and understand each other in a special way.

I almost DNF'ed this because I thought the narrator spent just a little too much time in each character's head, either spiraling thoughts or an internal monologue that distracted me from the events or conversation happening. I got frustrated with both of them for almost purposely misunderstanding each other. And there were details about the world-building - such as renaming the days of the week - that seemed just a little too intricate, even for a fantasy novel*. But, 100 pages or so into it, something suddenly clicked. More started happening with the counterfeiting investigation. The characters started to talk and tentatively trust each other, and then eventually fall in love. Indeed, this is the sort of slow burn that I love, that happens naturally as their relationship develops and where the attraction is because they start to really see each other rather than despite their dislike. (It also meant that mere kissing scenes were pretty darn hot.) A satisfying read on both the adventure and romance sides. 4.5 stars.

*This may have been at least partially my fault, as this is the first book about these characters, but not the first set in this world, so I dropped in perhaps a little more abruptly than necessary.

>113 katiekrug: Yes, I'm looking forward to the trip and meet up all around. We're flying out to Chicago, going to Wrigley, a Notre Dame game, a Giants' away game in Cleveland, and the Football Hall of Fame, before flying back out of Ohio. I haven't seen any of the venues. I have met both Joe and Mark - Joe and I met up when he and Debbi were in the Berkshires, and I met Mark at a larger meetup at ALA. I can attest that both are gems :)

87. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
Why now? The audiobook for A Taste of Gold and Iron became too intense to be listening to before bed, so I went with a dependable classic reread - I guess I'm officially rereading the series now that I've finished book 3 hahaha

Ramona is starting first grade, and she wants to be known as brave, not as a pest. From telling off boys who are teasing her sister to dealing with a difficult teacher, she has a new set of challenges to tackle as she continues to grow and try to understand.

I really love the family dynamics between Ramona, her sister, and her parents. I love how Cleary's writing allows you both to relate to the child - and I very much related with Ramona when I read these as a kid, despite being the oldest child - and also see things from the parents' point of view now that I'm rereading it as an adult. There's a richness and realness there, and complete avoidance of talking down to a kid. This book had some of the incidences I remember most clearly, such as Ramona's fear of the dark and the conversation she has with her mother where Mrs. Quimby assures her, "Love isn't like a cup of sugar that gets all used up." I remember how meaningful that was to read as a child. I'm looking forward to reading Ramona and Her Father and seeing what scrapes Ramona gets into next. 4.5 stars.

>109 bell7: It is interesting! I think that there's more visceral/immediate reactions to a lot of music than with reading, which makes it complicated. Sometimes it's hard to come up with more of a reaction to some particular music than "Nope. Nope nope nope." :)

>108 msf59: High five!

I hope you have a terrific trip to Chicago! I am planning a trip for up that way about a year from now.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Mary!

>115 bell7: Oh, you're going to be in my town when you visit the HoF!

>117 ursula: this is true! Though I think the last time I had that visceral, full on "nope!" reaction was when I tried John Legend.

>118 alcottacre: thanks, Stasia! I'm looking forward to it.

>119 foggidawn: oh! I didn't realize that, how cool. We may need to take a side trip to the library 😉

Good morning! I'm up but my sister is not, so in a bit I may look into where I can get coffee. We have a couple of options we're thinking of doing but a pretty relaxed schedule overall for today.

I started James in the airport yesterday and already am almost halfway through. It's a compelling narrative and I'm really enjoying it.

Edited to get touchstone to work

Enjoy your visit to Chicago! Hope you don’t get caught up in the DNC crowds. I haven’t been back since my niece got married in 2011, and before that was in around 2007. Each time I go back, it seems to have changed so much.

>122 Storeetllr: oh, my current trip is DC, I won't be in Chicago till next month so I think we'll be okay by then!

Ah, I missed that somehow. That’s what comes of skimmimg while on pain meds. Well, enjoy your DC visit. I’ve never been, if you can believe it.

Hi, Mary. Isn’t James good? It’s my favorite book of the year so far.

How are you liking the Rachel Griffiths poetry? I haven’t read her before. I’m a Danez Smith fan, and I’m reading his new one Bluff, which I’m liking so far.

A bat in your house! I'd be terrified! Enjoy your trip to Chicago.

Hi, Mary! I'm catching up after several weeks of relative inactivity on LibraryThing. I'm glad that you enjoyed "Somethin' Else," and I agree that "Autumn Leaves" and "One for Daddy-O," named for a 1950s radio disk jockey in NYC, were the highlights of the album.

I still haven't written my review of Moral Man and Immoral Society; hopefully I'll get to it soon.

I look forward to your thoughts about James; it was the first book from this year's Booker Prize longlist that I read, and I loved it. I have yet to review it, as I want to at least read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or a detailed synopsis of it, but I'll probably post some thoughts about it, mainly from the standpoint of an African American man, in the next week or so.

Have a great trip!

Hi Mary! I'm hopelessly behind, but I also really enjoyed A Taste of Gold and Iron :) I have Rowland's new book, Running Close to the Wind, on my shelf to get to and I'm really looking forward to it.

Hope you're having a great trip!

>128 curioussquared: I considered abandoning Running Close to the Wind a couple of times due to impatience with the narrator, but eventually got more into it and enjoyed his irrepressible outrageousness.

Hello everyone! Today's travel was an adventure, as the Metro near my sister A. was closed and I had to take a shuttle for an hour before I was on the Metro for an hour (with a change) to get to the airport. But I arrived in plenty of time, did not have a long line in security, and am now home and mostly unpacked. I have a little while to get things situated here before I leave for my friend's to get dinner and draft our Fantasy Football league.

It was a really fun week, and I had plenty of time with family and friends. Wednesday afternoon, I got in and had a late lunch, then met my sister T. for happy hour at her work, where I met her boyfriend and a bunch of her co-workers. Thursday we went out to Theodore Roosevelt Island and walked the trails, and spent the afternoon in Georgetown before heading back to her place for charcuterie and a mystery puzzle with a friend of hers who I met on a prior visit a few years back (they travel together a lot). Friday both my sisters took Friday afternoon off, so after getting breakfast and hanging out, we met up with A. and took her out to brunch for her birthday and then went back to T.'s to have cocktails and more puzzle work. We met T's boyfriend and Nora for games at a local bar.

Saturday was the National Book Festival, and Nora and I spent much of the day together. She did a really nice roundup of what we did/saw on her thread if you haven't already seen it, so I won't repeat it here. I bought The Rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk, an author we didn't see, as I've been contemplating making next year one where I focus on indigenous literature, and thought it would be a nice way to start. At the end of the day, we met up with friends of Nora's and played a Library of Congress trivia game. I was tired, so left then rather than going out to eat, and met back up with my sister T.

Sunday we went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival, a first time for me, and an unexpected treat to find out that both my sisters were interested in going. T.'s boyfriend drove us, A.'s family (her, her husband, and her two kids) met us there, and we had a great time watching shows and walking around. The kids played a bunch of games, and my nephew especially was excited to climb a rope ladder (and after many tries was in fact successful). I went home with A.'s family, we got dinner, then I played with the kids 'til it was bedtime, and I was ready for bed right about when they were, too. Her husband was traveling and left early on Monday. The kids had one last day off from school, so while A. teleworked, I took the kids to the library and playground in the morning and baked with them in the afternoon, generally attempting to keep them out of their mother's hair. After she put the kids to bed, we got talking and chatted 'til midnight. Tuesday the kids started school and A. teleworked again. I took it easy and read in the morning, then when noon hit it was time to pick up the kids and have lunch. We got to hang out together for the afternoon, I packed, and went to bed at a decent time. This morning, I said goodbye to the kids before school, and after dropping them off A. took me to the Metro station, which was closed, so that I could take that shuttle to a station that was open.

It was a really fun time, but it's a bit of a relief to be home now!

I finished two books while I was gone, James by Percival Everett and The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji. I'll update my reading logs and attempt to review them over the next couple of days. Last night, I started The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat on my Kindle. And on my travels today, I was really sleepy so didn't get too far in either, but started both The Dead Cat Tail Assassins and Where the Language Lives.

>126 vancouverdeb: It was not my favorite thing to wake up to, but I was more worried that if one got into my bedroom getting a rabies shot would mess up my DC travel plans. And thank you! I'm looking forward to next month's trip.

>127 kidzdoc: Nice to see you, Darryl, and thanks again for the recommendation. It was a really enjoyable album. I've been following your thread and will look forward to your reviews of both Moral Man and Immoral Society and James. I had thought I'd be familiar enough with Huck Finn to be able to see all the parallels, but it turns out there were a few conversations I'd like to compare in both texts because I couldn't remember how it went in the original. I did really enjoy how Everett subverted the story by giving James agency and putting him front and center. I found it really compelling and read the first have just on my trip down last week; I finished it last night.

>128 curioussquared: Ooh, I'll look forward to your thoughts on that one, Natalie! I'll probably try to go back and read her books in published order now so I can get the proper world-building, as I think I was dropped in a little more than intended by starting with A Taste of Gold and Iron.

>129 quondame: Hi, Susan!

>131 bell7: I have copies of her first two books as well but haven't gotten to them yet. Someday!

Oops, I missed some, that's what I get when I have a bunch of replies to make.

>124 Storeetllr: No worries, Mary, I was talking about two different trips at the same time and a few people made that mistake :) I can believe not making it to DC (though I will say it's well worth the trip). I know I wouldn't be going so often if I didn't have two sisters to visit/stay with when I am there, and because I live on the East Coast it's a pretty easy trip by plane, too.

>125 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I think you'd like Rachel Eliza Griffiths. Fuller review in >75 bell7: above if you like, though I tend not to post poetry reviews to the book pages.

>132 curioussquared: Oh yeah, I know how that goes!

88. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
Why now? Fit the TIOLI challenge to read a book with "house" or "home" in the title, and it was on my TBR spreadsheet since last year when I came across the title through work

Seven friends go to an island and stay at Decagon House. They're all part of a Mystery Club at their college, both reading and writing mysteries, and the island was the sight of a grisly murder six months ago. Then, they themselves start getting killed off, one by one.

There are a lot of references to And Then There Were None in what's essentially a locked-room mystery, and this book first released in Japanese in 1987 is very much in the vein of Golden Age mysteries. Readers learn the motive for the murders but not the identity of the murderer, and clues and red herrings are sprinkled throughout. The story goes back and forth between the students on the island and two former club members on the mainland who start investigating the older murder. I was kept guessing until the conclusion and impressed with the author's ability to spin a tale, though once you know the secret it loses a bit of its luster, and it was a little on the grisly side for me. 4 stars.

>135 bell7: It's on the Kindle...maybe a re-read will boost me to your level. Or maybe I'll just move on to #3 and hope for the best....

Welcome home!

Wordle 1,167 4/6

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Haven't shared in awhile, but I liked the pattern today. I've also officially made my longest streak (117) with this puzzle. ARISE, POUTY, CLUNG, FLUNK.

>136 richardderus: I leave it up to you, but to me it seemed like a book whose flaws/things I didn't like would be more obvious once I knew the solution, and not one I'd want to reread. How was the second one? I was on the fence about continuing the series.

Happy Thursday! It feels a little like Monday and that I should be getting ready for work, but with the holiday weekend I'm not returning 'til Tuesday. Today will be mostly spent at home unpacking and tidying, with a grocery shopping trip thrown in for good measure. I might go to the gym, too, depending on how the day shakes out.

Reading: Where the Language Lives by Janet Yoder, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark, and The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

Listening: "The Who Sell Out" by the Who, nearly done with this one

Watching: US Open

Crafting: Hoping to get back to my knitting today, working on a top for myself and possibly planning out some gifts

>138 bell7: I'll quote myself: The first line of my 3.5* review of The Mill House Murders is "Another more-than-competent hommage à Dame Agatha." I'm not mad I read it; if I'd bought it full-price, I'd be mildly dissatisfied.

FWIW

>140 richardderus: I haven't read enough Agatha Christie (though I do really like And Then There Were None) to really appreciate what he's doing with further homages to her, I think. I can leave it with the one read and feel satisfied. Thanks!

Apropos of nothing, I learned yesterday that the Giants named a former Holy Cross player (Benton Whitley - LB) to their 53-man roster, and it turns out he grew up in your neck of the woods :)

>142 katiekrug: Oh wow, how cool! We'll be cheering him on for sure

89. James by Percival Everett
Why now? So many folks were singing its praises on LT, and then it made the Booker longlist, so I snagged it when it was returned to the library and didn't have holds to read while on vacation

James runs away, but when he finds Huck Finn on the island where he's hiding and realizes Huck is assumed dead and Jim himself will most likely be blamed, he goes along with him down the Mississippi while thinking about how to free his wife and daughter.

To say this is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim's point of view is accurate, but doesn't do justice to the way Everett subverts and adds complexity to the original. James can read and write, he codeswitches between "proper" English spoken among slaves and the way white folks expect him to talk when they're present. And when he tells the story, we don't just see a grand adventure, but the ugly underbelly of a society where slavery, lynching, and rape are part of everyday life. Everett masterfully blends original scenes and characters with new ones, since we follow James when he and Huck are apart, and sometimes even puts into question Huck's version of events. This was really well done, every word counted, and I'll be very interested in looking up more of Everett's work. 4.5 stars.

>144 bell7: oh hell

*trudges off to Ammy*

90. The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
Why now? Meets my lifetime reading goal of reading all the Newbery Award winner and honor books, and it was available as an e-book/audio when I was looking for that format

Sai is working as Assistant to a famous mapmaker, Paiyoon, and keeps her real life as the daughter of a conman in the Fens a secret. But then the Queen offers a prize to the first ship to pass the fiftieth parallel, and Sai is determined that this adventure and mapping what they discover will be her way to become a part of the society that has been barred to her for so long.

The story explores colonialism and social status through Sai, who knows she will not get a lineal - a bracelet that shows how many generations back you know your ancestors, and which is necessary to get into a good school or get good jobs. She's almost 13, but read very young to me, as other characters' motives which might be obvious to me as an adult reader, are very hard for Sai to read. It's hard to turn off that part of my brain and just enjoy the story as it unfolds. The pace starts deliberate and builds throughout the seafaring adventure until at the end I was wondering if there was a sequel or if everything would be resolved (there's none, and it was). So a mixed reaction for me, but I did enjoy following Sai's development as she realized that ways in which her society worked perhaps weren't the only way to be. 3.5 stars.

>145 richardderus: Oh yay! Looking forward to your thoughts on that one.

>144 bell7: Well, that one's already on my wishlist, or I would have added it. Very good review, thanks!

>144 bell7: Nice review of James, Mary. I loved it as well, and my intent is to reread The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for the first time in nearly 50 years (!) before I write my review of it. Having said that I suspect that me being African American, especially an African American male, permits me to see strong parallels between my people under slavery and the current day, which I plan to write about in my review. More to come soon...

>148 atozgrl: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Irene!

>149 kidzdoc: I'll look forward to your thoughts on that, Darryl. I'm sure there's some things that slipped by me not having that perspective. I didn't get into it in the review, but I appreciated how important reading and writing was to James's character, especially considering the recent book challenges and bannings that have specifically targeted books by BIPOC and LGBTQ authors over the last couple of years.

Happy Friday! I had another almost-lazy day at home today, gearing myself up for a busy couple of days on Sunday and Monday. I baked bread, read, and watched the US Open. Tomorrow I have a few things on my to-do list, but nothing too onerous, and I'll try to get to the gym, I think.

Reading: Where the Language Lives by Janet Yoder

Listening: nothing, I need to download a couple of albums of Hoopla now that I'm finished with "The Who Sell Out"

Watching: US Open

Crafting: knit top for myself

91. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark
Why now? I was reading something at work that made it sound particularly intriguing, so I borrowed it soon before I went on vacation and decided it would be one of the books I took with me (started on my travel back home)

Eveen is undead, a member of the Dead Cat Tail Assassins (no, they're not cats, it's just a name). She and the others in her guild have three unbreakable rules: accept the contract if it is just, don't kill those not on the contract, and once you accept the job you must carry it out. Her latest job is an anonymous contract, but when she goes to carry it out, she realizes that the person she's supposed to kill is her younger self. Can she do that? And if she doesn't, can she avoid the consequences brought by her own goddess?

A propulsive, slightly mind-bending novella set on a fantasy world with a fascinating mythology and pantheon. Clark has a way with descriptions and world-building that I appreciate, even more impressive when the story is so compact. I was a little taken aback by the level of violence (my own fault - of course a fantasy story about undead assassins is going to be gory), but I would be interested in another book set in the same world. 4 stars.

>130 bell7: Glad you had a good time at the renaissance festival! I would love to go with my niece and nephew one day but I'll have to wait a few years for that

>153 norabelle414: I bet they'll have a blast when you do! Maybe we can make a plan to go together later in the season one of these years. It was definitely hot and humid, and that was before the heat advisories kicked in this week.

Happy Saturday! I have another quiet day planned, though I do have a short to-do list at home, and will also plan on reading, knitting and watching more of the U.S. Open before things pick up again over the next few days.

Reading: Where the Language Lives by Janet Yoder, Continuum edited by Annabelle Dolidon with Tessa Sermet, and Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Listening: just downloaded a couple of albums from Hoopla and started "Forever Changes" by Love

Watching: In about a half hour, I'll be putting the U.S. Open on

Crafting: knit top for myself - I've almost got to shaping the neck in the back

Listening report:

"Axis: Bold as Love" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience - I've heard/watched videos of a handful of songs where Hendrix was playing guitar, but this was my first experience listening to an album all the way through. It starts with an out-of-this-world sort of experience, and then stays a little on the odd/electronic side throughout. He is undoubtably an accomplished player, but the overall sound of this was not to my taste. I'll be listening to another of his albums soon, however, since both this and "Are You Experienced" came out in the same year. #92 on the Rolling Stones list. Brett Schewitz's (much more positive) review.

"The Who Sell Out" by The Who - I found this one really weird. The sound was very much what I think of when I think of 60s rock/pop and not exactly to my taste, and interspersed with the songs were fake advertisements. I think I just didn't get the concept, which critic Brett Schewitz explains is a tribute to pirate radio. "I Can See for Miles" was the best of the album, and the only song on it that I'd heard before (the only other Who song I could name off the top of my head is "Who Are You?"). #316 on the Rolling Stones list.

>144 bell7: So glad to hear another favorable review of this one -- reading it for my RL bookclub later this month. Happy September!

>157 Berly: It would make a great book club book, Kim. I look forward to seeing what you and the others think of it.

I made up for my hermit days yesterday, going to church (I had toddler nursery and in a huge switch from having 1 kid last month, we had 6 and that was only because 2 dropped off were inconsolable and went back to parents) and then a day trip in the Berkshires which included seeing the summer "cottage" of the Choate family and sunset yoga.

Today I slept in a bit, and then succumbed to an Ancestry special deal that included a DNA test and 6 months of a membership (which I need to remember to cancel in late November or get charged an arm and a leg). So I spent a couple of hours attaching records I suddenly had access to in my family tree about things I already found but hadn't been able to attach.

I will now stop myself and get ready for the day. I want to do some cooking and baking. I had originally had plans to get together with a friend, but that fell through. I'm still kind of in the mood to visit/talk with people, so I may go out and do something this afternoon if I have the time and energy after the cooking.

Reading: Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories edited by Annabelle Dolidon and Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Listening: "Forever Changes" by Love

Watching: might put on some of the US Open, but I think I can only get doubles live now that all the singles are on the show courts

Crafting: making progress on the top for myself; I'm hoping to finish the right shoulder and get started on the right

It's possible I'm a little ambitious for what I'll do today, so we'll see what I end up doing.

>159 bell7: I'm gobsmacked. You've been very low-key this season-change! I'm enjoying the beautifullness of the slide deeper into fall. Read hearty dear lady.

>160 richardderus: Yeah, the two weeks off into a holiday weekend really helped with that. I enjoyed both my "hermit days" last week and a fun couple of outings this long weekend. I'll be back to my regularly scheduled madness tomorrow when I go back to work. Though I was telling my mom today that these couple of weeks off and slower paced days really solidified for me that I will enjoy retirement very much. I'm not willing to make lifestyle changes to make retirement happen very soon, but when the house is paid off and I'm in my late 50s I will take stock of my savings and probably do it sooner rather than later.

August in review
91. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark
90. The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
89. James by Percival Everett
88. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
87. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
86. A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
85. The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
84. Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths
83. A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
82. Funny Story by Emily Henry
81. The Door by Magda Szabo
80. Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Steritt
79. The Barbizon by Paulina Bren

Books read: 13
Did not finish: 1
Rereads: 2
Children's/Teen/Adult: 3/0/10
Fiction/Nonfiction/Plays/Poetry: 10/2/0/1

Because I want to awards:
Best book of the month - James by Percival Everett

YTD stats -
Pages read: 28,247
Avg pages a day: 115
Books by POC authors: 34 (37.36%)
In translation: 10 (11%)
DNF: 6

Thoughts: I started with a couple of nonfiction books I'd carried over from July, but then stayed pretty firmly with fiction the rest of the month, though the genres are as eclectic as ever. I had fun reading the new Emily Henry (she's become kind of like Sarah Dessen for me, a fun summer read whenever her new one comes out), and rereading a couple of childhood favorites. Hands down the best book of the month was James, which I mainly picked up due to the LT love and was surprised to see just available on my library's recently returned shelves.

As far as my annual goals go, I need to up my reading of French books a bit for the rest of the year, but I did read two books in translation from Hungary and Japan. I'll be trying at least one other book by Magda Szabo, as Katalin Street is on its way to me now. Looking forward to seeing how September shapes up! I told Stasia I'd do a joint reread of The Shadow of the Wind, and my book club is starting up again with The Warmth of Other Suns as this month's pick, so I need to get started on that soon.

92. Where the Language Lives: Vi Hilbert and the Gift of Lushootseed by Janet Yoder
Why now? I enjoyed Sasha LaPointe's memoir and essay collection, and thought it would be interesting to follow up with this book of essays about her great-grandmother

Vi Hilbert was a force to be reckoned with and found her life's work in preserving and teaching the indigenous language Lushootseed. Janet Yoder was in her college class in 1978, and thus began a lifelong friendship with Yoder assisting in the work and becoming part of Vi's "Lushootseed family". In this collection of essays, some previously published, Yoder celebrates the life and work of Vi Hilbert and the impact she had on passing on Lushootseed to the next generation.

This was really fascinating both as a memoir and portrait of a friend as well as all the details about Lushootseed and Upper Skagit culture. Hilbert's great-granddaughter, Sasha LaPointe, authored Red Paint and Thunder Song: Essays, and both mention Vi Hilbert and piqued my interest in learning more about her. Yoder is a white woman and writes as an outsider allowed to participate in some of the language and culture Hilbert was steeped in during her lifetime. She writes with respect and reverence, while also giving us a full picture of an imperfect woman. 4 stars.

More on Vi Hilbert - and this website also has some stories and recordings so you can hear Lushootseed spoken.

Back to work today!

Yesterday after I posted my update, I checked out what I wanted to cook and realized that I didn't have what I needed for either recipe. Since I didn't really *need* to make it, I called my mom to see if she was up for an afternoon excursion. We drove out to deCordova Sculpture Park and spent a pleasant couple of hours taking pictures and seeing what we could see. So I've managed to see two Trustees properties in two days and very much enjoyed both.

I'm feeling strangely neutral about going back to work today, neither excited nor dreading it. I'm first on the reference desk and will need to start catching up on email and make the desk schedule for the week after next. I will also touch base with my boss about where we are in hiring folks for our open positions (I'm going to at least be in the process of hiring for the adult services librarian, maybe not the other two).

After that, I want to get to the gym (I haven't been since before my vacation started). And I'll either get takeout or make dinner tonight when I get home. I'm leaning towards takeout, but we'll see how much energy I have at the end of the day.

Reading: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson and Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories edited by Annabelle Dolidon

Listening: "Forever Changes" by Love

Watching: probably nothing today, but I'm going to put on US Open radio to hear the night matches when I get home tonight

Crafting: knit top for myself - I hope to finish one shoulder today or tomorrow and start on the other

>164 bell7: Enjoy the takeout (I've made my bet on tonight's outcome, as you see) and may September's reads throw you the best kind of curveball.

>165 richardderus: You would be correct. I had a sneaking suspicion myself this morning, which is why I listed it as the first possibility haha. And thank you, I hope your September reads are enjoyable as well.

Happy Wednesday! I'm working 12-8, so I've spent the morning cooking and baking. One loaf of spinach bread for myself and one to share at work. I have a little more I want to do, and then I can dive back into Sorcery of Thorns, which I've really been enjoying and decided to go ahead and finish before I start on The Warmth of Other Suns. Then I'll be concentrating on that since it's this month's book group book.

Reading/Listening/Watching/Crafting: all the same as yesterday

>167 bell7: I read about spinach bread just as I was watching a documentary on Cretan sheep cheese and began dreaming of a toasted pecorino Sammy on it.

>168 richardderus: Hmmm I could see perhaps some cheese working with it, though I added a fair amount of chocolate chips into the sweet bread so I'd be extra picky about it. The only way I will eat spinach is in bread form.

Nice review of James, Mary. I hope to get to it this month, I'm quite sure I will. I'm not sure if I will re -read Huck Finn as I read it as a youngster.

>170 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah! I had thought about going back through Huck Finn to compare a few scenes, but ultimately didn't before writing the review. I read it in college and at least for now my brain seems happy to leave it there.

Happy Thursday!

I worked 9-5 today, and starting in a bit I'll be watching a pair of dogs and a pair of cats for a little over a week.

Work's been busy, I hit the ground running with my return on Tuesday. I had 500+ emails to go through the first day back, then yesterday I was tearing my hair out trying to get the desk schedule to cooperate. Today's project was catching up on some things with my boss and filling out forms for some new museum passes. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get started on a monthly book-filled email I send out to patrons, and start to prep for the Ancestry program I'll be giving next week.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories

Listening: "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" by the Beatles

Watching: hopefully putting on some U.S. Open and/or football tonight

Crafting: pausing on my knit top and going to start on socks because it's a project I can hide from the hellcat easier (his name is Hades and he likes to dump my bags if I leave them out, so I don't trust his with my knitting)

Happy Thursday, Mary!

>173 richardderus: *smooch*

TGIF! Working 9-5 and dogsitting. I have to stop at home for some forgotten essentials: Kindle, toothbrush, zucchini bread. Other than that, I'm ready to sail into the weekend. Lots of reading of my book club book needs to happen, and I have plans with a friend on Sunday, as well as football.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories

Listening: "Songs of Leonard Cohen" by Leonard Cohen

Watching: watched the women's U.S. Open semis (though I went to bed before Pegula's match ended) and some football last night, and tonight's plan is to watch the men's semis and some football

Crafting: didn't get it out, and probably won't till the weekend

I hope you have a relaxed weekend with your latest animal charges.

>175 bell7: Saturday orisons, Mary!

>176 MickyFine: - Reading quickly, I read that as "criminal charges" and I was like, Mary! What did you do?!?!!

Have a great weekend, Mary. I won't see much of the Giants game because we are going to a Dolphins bar in the city to watch their opener. Happily, there is another bar two doors down that should have the Giants game on, so I can sneak out occasionally :)

>176 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! It's a nice blend of plans and downtime, and I'm enjoying it so far

>177 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! *smooch*

>178 katiekrug: Bahahaha certainly nothing that would bring me up on criminal charges! I hope you have a good weekend and manage to see some of the game. TV coverage is not showing it at all here (BOO) but it's just as well, because in a fit of not remembering football season was starting, I made plans to get together with a friend tomorrow afternoon. Now I don't have to ask her to have the game on in the background...

Happy weekend! I stayed up late last night watching the U.S. Open men's semifinals and watching my Fantasy Football scores, so slept in a little this morning much to one of the dog's chagrin (she was ready to go at 6:30 and really didn't understand why I went back to bed after using the bathroom).

After I got the animals all fed and myself caffeinated, I went out and about on various errands. I had to go back home to get my recycling in, then went to the gym and had a much better workout than the one on Tuesday where I barely got through 2 rounds of the machines. I stopped at the grocery store on the way back and picked up enough to have me covered for a few days before I do a full menu plan and shopping. I got back in time to have a late lunch and am now reading my book club book and watching the women's final.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories edited by Annabelle Dolidon, and Emily Wilde's Book of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett (I actually started this Thursday night, though I forgot to mention it yesterday)

Listening: Going back and forth between "The Songs of Leonard Cohen" and "Forever Changes" by Love, should finish my third listen through soon

Watching: U.S. Open

Crafting: haven't got the needles out, though I brought supplies for socks

Happy Sunday!

I had to get going early today because I have a longer drive from dogsitting and had nursery this morning. Then after church I met up with a friend I haven't seen in years who has somewhat recently moved back to the area, so we had a fun time catching up.

I've got back to dogsitting, have fed them, and am now watching the late afternoon football games. The Giants weren't on local TV, so I didn't get to watch them but as they lost pretty badly, I didn't miss much. My fantasy team is holding its own because Saquon Barkley (who plays for the Eagles) and the Dallas defense/special teams were very good this week, so apparently I'm going for everyone BUT the Giants this week *shrug*

Time to get myself dinner and dive into The Warmth of Other Suns - I need to read about 50 pages a day to finish up a week from tomorrow, two days before book club.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories edited by Annabelle Dolidon and Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherworlds by Heather Fawcett

Listening: "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" by Pink Floyd

Watching: American football

>181 bell7: Happy it was a solidly pleasant weekend, Mary. O know you're likely to know what happened at men's final...but if not, I'll stop here.

Enjoy a good week-ahead's reads!

>182 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I didn't see the final but looked up the score when I got home (if it were still on, I would've put on the end). Was there extra drama I should know about other than Sinner dismantling Fritz in straight sets?

Happy Monday! I've fed the dogs and am caffeinated, and about to get going for the rest of the day. It's a 9-2 day and I'm planning on doing some walking this afternoon, plus reading my book club book.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
I haven't really been reading Continuum: French Science Fiction Stories and it's due tomorrow, so I'm going to try putting a hold on it and returning it today to see if I can manage to extend the time - if not, I'll have to pick it up again after it comes back to me, whenever that is

Listening: "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" by Pink Floyd

Watching: I'll probably put on the Manning brothers' version of Monday night football on tonight

Crafting: maybe I'll pick it up tonight? I have socks to make

>183 bell7: The first US man to reach the final in 15 years, and he folds in straight sets, was a very dramatic result. Saddening and heartening at the same time.

Happy new week, smoochling!

True, and in that match against Federer, even Roddick managed to take a set off him. It *is* a big deal to have American men and women going as deep as they did this year, which is encouraging, as you say. Sinner is impressive, though, even coming back from a wrist injury in the semis.

Listening report:

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band - The Beatles
Clearly a turning point in the Beatles' discography, St. Pepper's marks the transition from the band's more pop era to rock & roll that experimented with what new technology in recording could do. This is the one Beatles album I'd listened to from beginning to end prior to starting this Rolling Stones project, and between that and my dad's listening, I've heard all the songs on it before. I can appreciate the quality of musicality and songwriting on the album, though none of the songs are favorites of mine. (Perhaps I'd have been more impressed if I hadn't heard so much of my dad's musical taste throughout my childhood?) In previous lists, this was #1, but in the 2023 version it's #24 on the Rolling Stones list. Critic Brett Schewitz's review, well worth reading as always. (I learned that it was a response to Pet Sounds, so I'm happy that was somewhat fresh in my mind in listening this time around.) Incidentally, he doesn't mention but it's worth pointing out that some of the "Paul Is Dead" clues come in this album, too.

Songs of Leonard Cohen - Leonard Cohen
I only knew "Hallelujah", so was interested in listening to a complete Leonard Cohen album. This was his first. My initial reaction was that Cohen shares qualities with Bob Dylan - complicated lyrics, pretty acoustic guitar, bit of a folk sound to his music. As I listened more and could make out the lyrics better, I realized, well, it's all about sex, isn't it? And he has an interesting way of incorporating religious imagery occasionally, like these lines from "Suzanne":

And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him
He said all men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them
But he himself was broken, long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human, he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone

Not my jam, though I was pleased to discover his vocals didn't really bother me (I don't like his voice in "Hallelujah"). #195 on the Rolling Stones list and Brett Schewitz's review goes into the production a bit.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd
I am not a fan of psychedelic rock, and this particular album did not convince me otherwise. Happy to return this one finished. Brett Schewitz explains that it's their debut and rather unlike how Pink Floyd later sounds, which was good to read because I have more to listen to. #253 on the Rolling Stones List.

Happy Tuesday! The animals are fed, I am fed, and I'm leaving shortly for work, 9-5 today. I'm bringing a change of clothes with the plan of stopping at the gym on the way back. My fantasy football team lost, but I was third in overall scoring, so I'm not too worried yet. Next week's matchup is the person who had the second-most points, and we're within about two points in projections, so I'm feeling okay about my start so far. The group texts of the guys trash talking are hilarious. (I'm biting my tongue and hoping to annihilate them all.)

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (a little behind, I was tired last night), Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories (I was successful in getting it right back from the library), and Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett (my before-bed e-book, I'm about halfway through and really enjoying it)

Listening: The ride in to work will be "Forever Changes" by Love and we'll see if I have other albums coming in today at work (I typically listen to CDs in the car, as you can see from how piecemeal I've listened to this one, which I downloaded from Hoopla)

Watching: mostly NFL football and SportsCenter lately, though I'll probably try to turn on the debate tonight

Still not knitting

>188 bell7: My purplepus fell off his perch this morning and now I know why...your absence of knitting disturbed his Force.

Happy debate-watching, masochist lady. I'll watch highlights when they come on YouTube...I can not tolerate 34/45's hideous drone, or look at that disgusting weirdly shaped mouth, without nausea and headaches.

>189 richardderus: You'll notice I qualified that with "probably" and "try". I feel a certain amount of obligation to be informed by watching it myself, but I'm not sure how much of the whole circus I'll be able to stomach.

Good morning! I am caffeinated and figuring out what to do with the rest of my morning. I have been hoping to walk or get to the gym this week and haven't done it for various reasons - on Monday, I stopped in to fill up on oil and make an appointment for an oil change and some car work, only to find they could fit me in then; and on Tuesday, I packed everything but my sneakers and wasn't going to the gym in my work shoes. So today I'm thinking I'll prioritize getting out and walking some trails. I should do a grocery shopping, too. And then I work 12-8. I'm on the desk for a lot of those hours and will be introducing the band playing a concert at the library tonight (our adult programming librarian asked me to do that since it's a night she doesn't work). Yep, that'll keep me out of trouble.

Reading: same three books, which will probably be true for awhile

Listening: "Are You Experienced?" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Watching: I did manage to watch the debate last night. I won't get into it here because I try to keep my thread pretty clear of politics for my own mental health, but will say this much - please VOTE in November!

Still no knitting to report - I'm focusing most of my downtime on reading what I need to in The Warmth of Other Suns

>191 bell7: *smooch*

I'm pretty much in the bag on voting, so I'll leave it.

I reviewed two Mike Bowditch mysteries today. They're set in Maine, so reading them all August long kept me feeling cooler than I would otherwise have felt. I don't think I'll continue the series because the author clearly dislikes women, enough to make *me* aware of it.

Hi, Mary! Hope your day is lovely, whatever you end up doing.

I didn’t want to watch the debate last night because, as Richard said, listening to and watching the Orange Menace is sickening, but I ended up tuning in, telling myself I could turn it off anytime. So glad I did! It was so satisfying watching him melt down in front of the entire world while she remained cool and presidential. 💙

>193 Storeetllr: I know what you mean! It was such a good illustration of their completely different styles and personalities! (blue heart)

Karen O

>192 richardderus: I saw those. Was glad to know about the appeal, but can't say they'll be ones I pick up anytime soon. I'll make sure to swing by today and leave a note :)

>193 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary! I had a pleasant day.

>193 Storeetllr: and >194 klobrien2: One thing I really do wish debates would do is give voters an actual comparison of candidates' positions on topics. It's become much more of a personality contest, to our detriment, I think. Not saying that about this debate in particular, just a general observation over the twenty-plus years I've been able to vote.

Good morning! It's Thursday. Yesterday's program went well. We had an intimate but enthusiastic crowd of 9 for a concert of a jazz trio, it got cleaned up in record time and we're ready for another bunch of programming today. This morning we'll have a children's group in there and in the afternoon I'll be doing a program on using Ancestry Library Edition that I try to do quarterly. We're trying something new doing it at 2 in the afternoon instead of after-hours, and have a slightly different format. I have our new monitors up in the programming room plus Chromebooks for all the participants. In the past, we've had everyone move into the library itself and use our computers there, so wish me luck in any adjustment pains :)

Yesterday I went out to a trail to take a hike, and when I got there I realized it was super isolated in the woods off a not-so-busy road so I chickened out and left instead of taking a walk. I'll try again with more trafficked trails on Saturday with a recommendation from one of my co-workers. I went grocery shopping, though, so I have a prepared chicken parmesan dish to heat up for dinner tonight after getting back to the dogs and cats. I should have a fairly quiet night of reading and football.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns and Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands
I probably should've stopped counting Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories awhile back, because I've been paused on the second story for ages

Listening: "Are You Experienced?" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

Watching: mostly SportsCenter in the mornings, but instead of reading last night I watched "American Son," an ESPN 30 for 30 about Michael Chang which was really good

Still no knitting

>196 bell7: Sounds like a great concert in the library. I quite enjoy those intimate settings as it makes you feel much more connected to the music/players.

Happy weekend reading

Checking in on you, Mary! I hope all is well there - despite no knitting going on.

Have a fantastic Friday!

>197 figsfromthistle: They can certainly be a lot of fun, Anita! Hope you have some great weekend reading as well.

>198 alcottacre: All is well, thanks, Stasia! The no knitting has more to do with how much I'm concentrating on reading 50ish pages a day in The Warmth of Other Suns and a couple of cats I suspect will get in my way :) When I get home, I expect I'll knit some more.

Happy Friday! I worked 9-5 and have fed the dogs... now let the weekend begin.

I'm hanging out and reading this evening, focusing on The Warmth of Other Suns for book club. It is not easy reading, so I'm pacing myself with about 50 pages a day, to finish on Monday (book discussion is Wednesday, so it gives me time to think on things). Tomorrow, I'm planning on meeting up with my brother and niece to go to a local libary's Ren Faire, and Sunday I have church followed by football.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns and Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Listening: "The Doors" by The Doors

Watching: mostly SportsCenter type stuff since I can't get it at home

Happy weekend, Mary!

The listening report:

"Forever Changes" by Love - I had never heard of the band or these songs. I liked the overall sound just fine, but it didn't have a strong reaction of love or hate to any of the songs. Even music critic Brett Schewitz wasn't familiar with them the first time he listened through, which made me feel a little better. #180 on the Rolling Stones list

"Are You Experienced?" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience - Though this came out some months before "Axis: Bold As Love," I'm listening to it later. I liked it a bit better than "Axis: Bold as Love," myself. Though there's only three people in the band, the sound is loud and brash. I didn't always love listening to the album all the way through, and as I thought about it, I realized that was probably because of it's almost unrelenting intensity and electric guitar throughout. My favorite songs - and I did add these to my playlist, thinking breaking it up I would still relisten to them individually - were "May this be love" (the most mellow song on the album), "Fire" and "Stone Free." Brett Schewitz's review includes more about the band and their label. It's interesting to see how certain bands were connected and inspiring each other in the '60s. #30 on the Rolling Stones list.

I didn't do this on purpose listening to them back to back, but these two bands were interracial, and with these albums coming out in 1967, the Civil Rights movement was very much still going on. I was listening to them both alongside reading The Warmth of Other Suns, which focuses on the stories of three people were moved to the north and west of the country during the Great Migration. One of these was a doctor who, in the 1950s, was not allowed to practice in a white hospital. And I just realized how countercultural that would've been at the time to... play music together and travel together, and how difficult it may have been for them. Not a groundbreaking realization, I know, but sobering to realize and think about, because in the scheme of things 1967 was really not that long ago.

>201 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! The same to you :)

Happy weekend! I slept in a little, much to the little dog's chagrin, and I've finished Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands.

I was originally planning a pretty low key day of gym, trail walking, and reading. But my SIL asked if I'd like to meet my brother and niece at her library for a program, and I don't pass up time to see them all, so I'll be heading out at some point to do that. I'll plan on fitting in some form of exercise after that. And I still need to read my 50 pages in The Warmth of Other Suns to stay on target.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns and Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories

Listening: "The Doors" by The Doors

Watching: SportsCenter and such for background noise, and I suspect most of my watching will be American football this weekend

Have a grand time visiting with some of your family!

>205 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! It was a fun visit.

Happy Sunday! I'm leaving shortly for church, then coming back to where I'm dogsitting for the afternoon and figuring out if I can get the Giants on or not since they're not on our local channels. I may venture out to a sports bar to see if I can watch it? I'm going home tonight and looking forward to being back in my own bed.

Yesterday was fun. I think my niece recognized me and was happy for me to take her from her dad's arms, even giving me a bit of a cuddle before she wanted to get down and explore. She's sitting up and mobile at just over 6 months, and she'd put herself into baby plank like she was trying to get up and walk. My SIL wanted to be sure she'd remember me before I pick her up from daycare on Tuesday, I think. I'm babysitting her on a day my parents normally do, but they're travelling. She's such a happy baby and seems to like me, so we'll do just fine. She was tired out quite quickly and went home to take a nap after about an hour, so I came back to where I'm dogsitting and walked a trail nearby, which was really fun.

And that's it. I leave for church in a few minutes, wrap up dogsitting today, I'm whittling away at The Warmth of Other Suns, and the work week starts up again tomorrow. I'm only working 3 days this week but they'll be chockablock full, only 5 hours tomorrow, interviews for a position on Tuesday before I leave a little early to babysit my niece, and book discussion on Wednesday.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories, and Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde

Listening: "The Velvet Underground & Nico" by the Velvet Underground

Watching: hopefully the NY Giants today if I can find a way

Crafting: will I break out my knitting to work on socks today? We shall see...

>207 bell7: Planking at six months! Kid's got things to do, places to go, people to meet...that ought to be "fun" for ma and pa.

I hope you find a way to get your Giants fix today. *smooch*

>208 richardderus: Yeah, she's ready to get up and go. Fortunately she's also a happy baby, so as much as they'll chase after her she really is a delight. And thanks re: the Giants. I'm settling for radio, but it's better than nothing.

>209 bell7: Sorry you can't get the Giants on TV today. I'm curious, since you follow mostly Boston teams, how did you (and your family) get to be such big fans of the Giants?

>207 bell7: I forgot how much fun and joy a small baby brings into your life until Pip came to visit in August. Enjoy the babysitting but it is also hard work!

>210 atozgrl: Ah, well, what my dad tells me is that my grandfather was a fan of the Giants when they were the local team prior to the AFL/NFL merger. When the Patriots were added to the NFL as a result, our family just stayed with the Giants. Apparently this particular mix is much more common in Connecticut though hahaha.

>211 PaulCranswick: I forgot how much fun and joy a small baby brings into your life until Pip came to visit in August. Isn't it great? So much personality in such a small bundle, and it's a delight to see them grow into themselves.

Happy Monday! Here we go, back home and back to the work week - at least for a few days.

My Giants radio cut out soon after I told Richard I was listening, with a repeated message that I was outside of network coverage. BOO. So I listened to some radio broadcast that apparently was really more for people gambling on the games but updated just about every score around the league, and followed along online. The Giants managed to become the first time to score three touchdowns, not allow a touchdown by the opposing team, and STILL lose the game, so that's fun. Their kicker (and my kicker on the fantasy league I'm playing) got injured on the kickoff, so none of those touchdowns had an extra point as they'd either go for 2 and not make it or the punter couldn't make the kick. Stupid football.

Despite my kicker on my fantasy league getting me no points, I'm in a position where I *could* still win if Saquon Barkley (my running back) gets 23 more points than the Eagles Defense (my opposing team's defense) in the weird scoring system that is fantasy football.

Alright, football talk over, it's the work week now. I mis-spoke earlier about having a three-day work week, it's actually four. But today is only 9-2, and then I'm going to the gym and have errands to run for food and meds. I also plan on finishing The Warmth of Other Suns today.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories, and Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde

Listening: "Wild Honey" by the Beach Boys

Watching: I watched a bunch of football yesterday, but now am home so jury's out on whether I'll watch anything tonight

Crafting: I tried to get out my knitting yesterday only to realize I didn't bring essential supplies, such as the doohickey that measures the size of the needles so I'd have size 4's for the socks I want to make my nephew. So all I did was roll the ball of yarn to prep for knitting... and now that I'm home, I'll probably focus on the top for myself again. (I was afraid to even bring it to the house where I was dogsitting, as one of the cats really likes to get into bags, and I didn't want him to destroy it.)

I watched the Giants game and they weren't a shambles, so that was good. Hopefully, Gano's injury isn't too terrible.

>214 katiekrug: Well, that's good to hear. I'm glad Malik Nabers scored his first touchdown (my fantasy team thanks him as well) and seems to be as good as they thought. Hard to say with a hamstring issue, but I'll be interested in seeing if they sign the guy from the practice squad or not. I couldn't help but think what my nephew thought of it after watching a game a year or two ago where they couldn't manage an extra point in another loss (to the Dolphins, I think? I tried to find it but couldn't, maybe The Wayne would remember).

The listening report:

"The Doors" by The Doors - This was fine. I'm familiar with Break on Through (To the Other Side) and Light My Fire. Twentieth Century Fox made me laugh for the dumb pun of it. But I didn't really like anything enough to add it to the playlist. Brett Schewitz has a much greater appreciation for this album than I did, and he breaks down several songs musically. #86 on the Rolling Stones list.

"The Velvet Underground and Nico" by The Velvet Underground - well, when I got the album and the cover was an Andy Warhol painting, I kinda knew this would probably miss the mark, and it did. I only listened once through, as I had such a visceral dislike for Heroin and European Son that I didn't want to listen to it ever again. Brett Schewitz's review gave me an understanding of how the album came to be and why it was so influential, though not super popular at the time. #23 (!) on the Rolling Stones list.

Will be back with links to smart music critic's reviews and notes on what number in the Rolling Stones list when I'm not at work.

Checking in on you, Mary, as it has been a few days. I think I will be finishing The Warmth of Other Suns by either Thursday or Friday this week. I know you will be done with it before I am. It is an excellent read and I am glad to finally have gotten to it.

I hope you have a marvelous Monday!

>213 bell7: I really liked Zami when I read it a few years ago, I hope you're enjoying it.

>213 bell7: Boo and hiss all over the radio silence. I'm glad you got to follow along anyway. Glad the local Limb of Satan didn't have the chance to ruin your knitting.

Workaday world orisons, dear lady.

>217 alcottacre: Well, I'll be finishing it Tuesday now, as I left it at work today hahaha. But it'll give me an excuse to finally start The Shadow of the Wind tonight instead. It's been a good read, I like how she chose the three stories to focus on while also giving us the big picture. I think I liked Caste a smidge better, but they're both worth reading for sure.

>218 norabelle414: I'm about 15% in, I think, but enjoying it so far. Her mom was quite a force! And it's also interesting to read it right after reading about the Great Migration - her family moved from Grenada rather than the south, but she was growing up in Harlem at a similar time frame from what I've been reading about in Warmth of Other Suns.

>219 richardderus: Yeah, I was a bit disappointed. But I'll be at the next game, and hopefully it'll be a better result! The cat, fittingly, is named Hades and I call him Hellcat to his face. He really is a menace, and I say that as someone who generally likes kitties.

94. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Why now? I really enjoyed book 1 earlier this year, so when I found the e-book available at the library, I got it

After their adventures in Ljosland, Emily Wilde and her fellow Cambridge scholar Wendell Bambleby have returned to the school and are planning on looking for the door to Wendell's Faerie land. Then his step-mother attempts to assassinate him, so a poisoned Wendell, Emily, Emily's niece Ariadne, and their department head Farris Rose, travel to St. Liesl, Austria, where Emily believes they will find a nexus - multiple doors that would go to various lands in Faerie.

I found this one just as delightful as the first. Emily is a fabulous scholar of Faerie - now that her Encyclopedia has been printed, she's working on a Map - but she doesn't quite know how to relate to people. One of the fun side stories in this one was seeing her relationship with her niece develop, and how often Emily felt like she was making a muddle of things while Wendell and Ariadne had an easy camaraderie. The investigation of the nexus and the scholar Danielle de Gray who had gone missing some years ago and had been largely ignored by scholars was the main focus of the book, while Emily seeks out a way to get to Wendell's home and cure him. 4.5 stars.

I requested the ARC of book 3 and was just granted access, so I'm looking forward to reading it a little early - Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales comes out in February.

>212 bell7: Very interesting! Thanks for the explanation. It is certainly interesting how fandom gets passed down through families. And my condolences on the game yesterday.

>222 atozgrl: You're welcome! And thank you for the condolences.

Oops... I missed a review

93. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Why now? One of my librarian friends gave me a list of romances (some fantasy romances) recommendations, and this was one of them. I grabbed the book from the library where I work, but ended up primarily reading the e-book that I borrowed when I was ready for that format.

Elisabeth grew up in the library and all she's ever wanted is to become a Warden there and watch over the grimoires that can become dangerous with their inherent magic or in the hands of the wrong sorcerer. One night, she wakes up to find everyone asleep, the Director dead, and a grimoire on the loose - only to be blamed for the attack herself. Banished from the library, Elisabeth is sent to the sorcerers, where she's escorted by Nathaniel to give an account of herself. But as she sees the wider world, Elisabeth realizes that what she was taught at the library may not be the whole truth about magic and sorcerers.

It took me a little while to get into the story, as Elisabeth starts out very naive and slowly begins to learn more about the world. But once it got going, I really enjoyed the world building, the libraries, the grimoires and magic. The romance of secondary, though I liked Nathaniel pretty well, and I'd love to read more books set in the world. 4.5 stars.

>224 bell7: I felt the best thing about Sorcery of Thorns was the metallic treatment of the cover.

Fortunately the story really worked for me and I liked it a lot better than that! Different strokes.

Happy Tuesday! I'm on the desk this morning and have interviews for one of our part-time positions in the afternoon. After that, I'm leaving early to go babysit my niece before my SIL gets out of work.

I did all the errands yesterday and felt really accomplished, but didn't get a lot of reading in. I'm hoping to make up for that tonight. I very deliberately did a grocery shopping of mostly prepared foods so that I'd just have enough for the next couple of days, so I just have to pop some stuffed mushrooms in the toaster oven for dinner tonight and should have time to finish The Warmth of Other Suns, which I accidentally left at work yesterday.

I also woke up today to discover I'd managed to win my first fantasy football game of the year. I had miscounted, and Saquon Barkley just had to have 13 more points than the Eagles defense - in the weird counting that is fantasy football, he had 17.6 to the defense's 2.7 and I won by about 2.5 points. AND the Eagles lost, so bonus.

Reading: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories and The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Listening: "Wild Honey" by the Beach Boys

Watching/Crafting: nothing to report