WitchRichy Reads in 2025

I am Karen Richardson, aka Witchyrichy, and this is my 11th year in the 75ers group, and in October 2025, I will celebrate my 20th year on LibraryThing. I am mostly retired from public life although I do a bit of teaching related to educational technology for a couple universities and some instructional design for a few clients.

I live with my husband of 33 years, Bob, and Circe the cat, in a 19th century farmhouse on 18 acres in rural southeast Virginia. Bottle Tree Farm, as we call it, is our own little bit of paradise and came with a library for my books. Besides reading, I garden, crochet, and play music as my main hobbies. Last year, I joined a handmade book group and have been experimenting with gel plate printing and collage.

I reignited my blog last year, In Another Place and plan to publish more posts in 2025. My husband and I share a love for the outdoors including gardening, birding and exploring. The photo above is from Cedar Creek Battlefield in northwest Virginia, taken on one of our road trips last year.

I am looking forward to another great year of reading and sharing.

Current Count:

Bingo Card



Place You've Never Been: A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
Library or Thing in the Title: The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan
Writing About Writers
Oldest Book on Your TBR: The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack
Holiday in the Title: A Cosy Christmas at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery by Alex Brown
Long Title (5+ Words): The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson
Non-Traditional Family
Medical Topic
Sun on Cover or in Title
Child Main Character
Newly in Public Domain: The Maltese Falcon by Dashielle Hammett
Author Has Your First/Last Name
Read a CAT
Totally Random
Features a Birth
Nonhuman Narrator
Features Winged Creature(s)
Profession in Title: The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
Travel
Recommended by a Friend
Set in Your Favorite Season
Published in Language Not Your Own: Without A Country by Ayse Kulin
Hollywood!: The Making of a Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks
Furniture on the Cover: Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
Features Fire

What I Read

January

A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
A Cosy Christmas at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery by Alex Brown
The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson
The Maltese Falcon by Dashielle Hammett
Poland by James Michener
The Lindens by Barney Jeffries
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten



February

Without A Country by Ayşe Kulin
Village School by Miss Read
A Death in Diamonds by S.J. Bennett
The Medici Return by Steve Berry
The Caretaker by Ron Rash
The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick
Covert Curses by Tricia Tilde and T.N. Teague
The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack



March

Holmes is Missing by James Patterson
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan
The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

What I Read
April - June

What I Read
July - September

What I Read
October - December

Happy new year!

I woke up at 11:45 PM and watched the ball drop for the first time in years. I figured I might as well go ahead and make my first thread for 2025. I pulled a bunch of chunksters off the shelf and am heading back to bed with Poland by James Michener.

Happy 2025, Karen

>1 witchyrichy: Welcome back, Karen. I love that topper.....I can almost taste the fresh air.

>9 PaulCranswick: Happy new year to you, too!

>10 PaulCranswick: Northern Virginia is the definition of over development. As it spreads west from DC, however, it runs into Civil War battlefields and memorials that have helped preserve these kinds of scenes. Fresh air, sunshine and apple cider were just what we needed.

Welcome back, Karen! Agreed, it's nice that we have so many open places near us. Haven't been to Cedar Creek battlefield yet.

Happy New Year, Karen. Great photo at the top. I hope 2025 is good to you.

Hope you enjoy your 2025 reading!

Happy New Year, Karen! Looks like a lovely place that you live.

>12 drneutron: Thanks! We stayed near Front Royal this fall and poked around the countryside.

>1 witchyrichy: Stunning landscape you have. All that's missing are some sheep :)

Happy reading in 2025!

>13 BLBera: Thanks! Same to you!

>14 thornton37814: Thanks and may you have many hours of good reading in 2025!

>15 vancouverdeb: Thanks for stopping by. I love living in Virginia but Vancouver isn't too bad either ;-)

>1 witchyrichy: Lovely photo! And thanks for reminding me that this October will also mark 20 years on LT for me. How is that possible...?!

>19 ursula: Who knew that Internet thing was going to go places? I was looking for a way to catalog my books and LT had just gotten started. It saved me from creating my own database in Access.

Hi Karen! Happy New Year, happy first thread of 2025!

>1 witchyrichy: I love the pic of the Cedar Creek Battlefield. I also love the description of yourself and life.

>20 witchyrichy: Except that I’ve only been on LT since October 2007, I also found it as a way to catalog my books that prevented me from creating a database. Once here, I found the 75ers and the rest, as they say, is history. Been in the group since 2008.

Hi Karen my dear, i have dropped my star off again and will be more visible this year my dear friend.

>21 karenmarie: I don't think I mentioned that I purchased a square foot of the battlefield near where the New York regiment was stationed as part of a fundraiser. I have an official certificate--so official that only one woman in the office could sign it and she had gone to the post office--and a map of my section.

You found the 75ers before I did, certainly. I have enjoyed my years in the group. There needs to be a certificate to mark significant group milestones.

>22 johnsimpson: >23 johnsimpson: So glad to see you here, my friend! I am heading to your thread now. My participation really fell of last fall so I plan to make LT a priority each day.

I finished my first book of the year, begun late in 2024 in a desperate attempt to complete my bingo card. I picked A Passage to India by E. M. Forster from Project Gutenberg because it had just the title and author on the cover. That is more unusual than you would think as even the simplest cover has some embellishment, the logo of the publishing house or a decorative square around the title.

The book was fascinating and a great read to start the year. Forster uses India as a setting and a character with rich descriptions of both physical and metaphorical landscapes. At one point, the main character, a Muslim doctor, comments to himself that is finally a complete Indian, one that loves his country and sees the British for the invaders that they are. The themes of class, gender and oppression form a foundation for the novel from its opening pages.

I was confused now and then by references to British and Indian items and customs that may have been familiar to Forster's audience but I could get by on the context mostly.

The book was published in 1924, and it took 23 more years for India to achieve independence.

Found and starred! Happy reading, Karen. : )

Happy New Year, Karen! I'll be following along with you again this year.

>26 witchyrichy: I thought about reading A Passage to India last year as a way to fill in the "published in a year ending in 24" square on the BingoDog card. But I couldn't see a way to fit that book in with all the other things I was reading. I eventually found an easier read published in 2024. I just missed completely filling in my card last year because I didn't have time to fit in a collection of short stories. Only one blank square left. But I filled in most of the other squares with books I was reading anyway. I'm not so sure it will be as easy to complete this year's card.

Happy New Year, Karen. What a wonderful photo up top. Are you experiencing the snow going across the country?

>27 Berly: Same to you! Good reading ahead!

>28 atozgrl: Great! Looking forward to connecting in 2025.

I haven't taken a close look at this year's card yet but am hoping to use my reading rather than the other way around. I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed by piles of books. I did download The Maltese Falcon from Project Gutenberg as it just came into the public domain this year.

>29 AMQS: Thanks! I have many, many photos of clouds in the skies like that. Seems to be my favorite theme!

We only got an inch or so this week but (and please DO NOT laugh) that is enough to shut everything down. We are expecting a few more inches overnight Friday into Saturday. Mostly, it is very cold and blustery. I am grateful to be able to just stay home and also grateful that my husband did not want to return to Erie, Pennsylvania, where they had to deploy the National Guard in December and where they also pride themselves on not closing down.

A Cosy Christmas at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery by Alex Brown was the last of my holiday reads. Pretty standard story although this time the single mother had three children who played active roles in the story. The funniest part of this one was that she kept referencing Bridgerton when she described the love interest. I haven't watched the series but am picturing chiseled jaw and good hair. The book is part of a series so will keep it in mind if I need a quick, feel-good read, but I am not compelled to continue it for now.

Not sure where I heard the interview with Wright Thompson about his book The Barn, but I immediately added it to my Kindle. It called to me this week and I read it over the course of two days. The barn in question is in Sunflower County, Mississippi, and was the site of the torture and murder of Emmett Till. The death of this boy for the crime of whistling at a white woman is often credited as the real start of the Civil Rights movement because Till's mother, the formidable Mamie Till-Mobley refused to hide his body or bury the story.

Thompson grew up on a family farm some 20 miles from the barn but it was only when he went to college that he learned about the gruesome history. His interviews with the few remaining eyewitnesses are chilling as we move from the moments when white men enter Till's uncle's home until the last screams are heard by a young boy hiding nearby. The narrative is carefully constructed and moves between the present day efforts to preserve the barn to the history of the barn beginning before white men came to the Delta. It was horrifying and fascinating and revealed the deep generational roots of racism.

It goes into a category of Southern memoir along with Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County and Robert E. Lee and Me, where writers who grew up in the rural, still mostly segregated south have to leave home to discover the history that was all around them. All three are worth reading as they provide a glimpse into a culture that is difficult to understand from the outside with its complex social structures and shared myths. Throw in Tony Horowitz's Confederates in the Attic and you would at least be scratching at the surface, I think.

Describe yourself: Bookbound
Describe how you feel: When Women Were Dragons
Describe where you currently live: At Home on Ladybug Farm
Your favorite time of day is: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Cape Cod
Your favorite form of transportation: Parnassus on Wheels
Your best friend is: Gutenberg's Apprentice
You and your friends are: The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society
Describe your job: The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives
What are you eating: Garlic and Sapphires
What’s the weather like: The Frozen River
You fear: Fear Itself
What is the best advice you have to give: Give Unto Others
Thought for the day: The Thing About Life is That One Day You'll Be Dead
How you would like to die: Falling in Love
Your soul’s present condition: Atlas of the Heart
What is life for you: The Reading List

>32 witchyrichy: Love your meme answers, karen. ANd I won't laugh about an inch of snow. It is pretty much nothing here, but I know for places that don't usually get snow it is a big deal. If your area does not have the infrastructure to handle it, the snow can make things a real mess, and if your climate is normally warm and/or wet, then things grind to a halt because of ice!

I studied abroad in France (Bordeaux) when I was in college. My roommates were from California and Hawaii. When it snowed in Bordeaux people cleaned out the shelves of grocery stores like it was the apocalypse, and my roommates were out taking pictures. They just could not get over the fact of snow blanketing cars. It was kind of fun to see it through fresh eyes:)

Hi Karen, Happy reading in 2025! I loved your meme answers and your thread topper!

>31 witchyrichy: Ooh, that's a good one! I'll have to keep it in mind when I start looking for something that fits that square.

>34 witchyrichy: I guess I'm going to have to add that one to the list. They did a bit about it on CBS Sunday Morning. I wasn't sure I wanted to read it, but now you've convinced me.

>32 witchyrichy: >36 AMQS: I too won't laugh about an inch of snow. After all, Raleigh became a country-wide laughing stock after an inch caused chaos on the roads here some years back. Unfortunately, it started to snow unexpectedly at mid-day, and apparently everyone decided to leave at the same time, to pick up kids from school, etc. And thus they didn't leave the roads clear for the trucks to treat the roads and plow, and the snow melted, froze, and turned the roads to ice rinks. And it took people hours to get where they were going. (Some buses taking kids home couldn't get anywhere and had to turn around and take the kids back to their schools, where they spent the night.) So no, we don't laugh about that here.

>36 AMQS: The forecast for tonight just jumped to 4 - 6 inches for us! We haven't had any snow for at least two years so I am a happy camper. As for the apocalypse, there was only ONE bottle of Dollar Store merlot on the shelf yesterday. Fortunately, there was plenty of vodka.

Our biggest issue is the temperature: if it doesn't get above freezing, we are in trouble as melting is our snow removal plan. (Except for those guys who invested in a plow for their trucks and are happily raking in the bucks!) When I was teaching many years ago, we missed 15 days of school because it snowed, then iced over, and never got above freezing. The state had to give everyone credits so school didn't last until July 4th!

>37 Copperskye: Thanks for stopping by! Heading out to check threads next. I have decided to make LT a dailyish habit in 2025 in order to keep up.

>38 atozgrl: The Maltese Falcon is VERY good! I don't think I've read any Hammett and it is so gritty and hard. It may need to come with a trigger warning in terms of some of the cultural references.

As for The Barn, Wright does not sugar coat the way blacks were treated in Mississippi so maybe another trigger warning. But, at its heart, it is a story of justice being served even if too little, too late. In our current climate, it can be hard to see the small victories.

Virginia has learned to pretreat the roads even with the smallest threat to try to get ahead of the drivers. I remember being at a conference at the Hotel Roanoke when it started to snow. The hotel extended their conference rates for another night so many of us settled in one of the vendor hospitality suites. (I don't drive in the snow if I can at all avoid it: a story for another time.) Others decided to try to get home and ended up stranded on 81.

Thank you for the information you left on Kim's thread about mah jong. I was just on Amazon looking for a book for beginners at mah jong, and there are so many! I have no idea how to choose one. You mentioned one, but I didn't see it listed. Do you have a recommendation for a good learning book? Thanks.

I'm late, but still dropping by to wish you a Happy New Year! (And to mention that I loooved The Maltese Falcon!)

>41 witchyrichy: well with vodka you should be in good shape! Good luck:)

>41 witchyrichy: Yeah, NC has learned too. They brine the roads now if there's anything at all in the forecast. I hope that means we'll never see something like that situation again. I'm glad you stayed and didn't get stranded on the interstate.

We got sleet late afternoon/early evening today. From the current radar view it looks like rain right now, but when I stuck my head out, I didn't see anything falling. So if it is, it's really light. I don't want rain, because it's freezing rain if it's falling now. Freezing rain is the worst.

I'm just reading Frozen River and loving it, Karen.

>42 arubabookwoman: Thanks for stopping by. The book I purchased from Amazon was called American Mah Jongg for Beginners: Learn and Master the Game with Ease. It didn't seem to show up in LT. Here is the link directly to Amazon.

>43 mstrust: I think you get at least the first two weeks of January and probably the whole month to get up and running. Happy new year to you, too!

And I am loving The Maltese Falcon as well. Getting towards the end and there are lots of guns drawn right now. Favorite line so far:

"Dead gamblers don't have any friends," Spade said.

>45 atozgrl: We got a few inches of fluffy snow! It is now sunny and warming up, but they are warning about the refreeze. I am tucked in reading and making various bits of arts and crafts.

>44 AMQS: We managed quite well and woke to a lovely scene.

>46 vancouverdeb: It was SO good. I will probably include it on my favorite list for 2024 when/if I get around to it.

I also stumbled upon an American Experience episode from 1998 called A Midwife's Tale. I haven't watched it yet but it looks like I can get it through the hoopla app from my public library. May give it a watch today as I am inside enjoying a snow day. Amazon Prime had it available for rent. Not sure how it all works in Canada. The American Experience website has lots of great information.

>50 witchyrichy: The pyramids of Egypt, or Las Vegas, right outside your window!

>52 mstrust: Or Waverly! It's the peaked roof over my porch and looks out on the very old magnolia tree that shades the porch.

Every year on January 1, a variety of materials become part of the public domain. We are working our way through the 1920s right now, and Dashielle Hammett's classic, The Maltese Falcon joined this year. It was everything you expect from a hard-boiled detective novel featuring Sam Spade from shady dames to double crossers to good and bad coppers. The language and references were old-fashioned but understandable, especially since we've probably all seen at least one movie version.

I was particularly struck by the way Hammett described characters the first time they show up. He reminded me a bit of Charles Dickens with his often humorous, edgy comparisons. Here's an example:

District Attorney Bryan stood up and held his hand out across his desk. He was a blond man of medium stature, perhaps forty-five years old, with aggressive blue eyes behind black-ribboned nose-glasses, the over-large mouth of an orator, and a wide dimpled chin. When he said, “How do you do, Spade?” his voice was resonant with latent power.

As I mentioned in a post above, it is a product of its culture and climate, and women, in particular, play important, interesting, and contrasting roles.

Besides reading, I have been gel printing. A woman on Instagram is sponsoring a daily challenge and I have been following along. Here's the album of prints. Click to see all of them if you are so inclined.

>55 witchyrichy: Fun! I am curious about gel printing/gelli plates but I just got the supplies for linocuts so I'm working on that now and not letting anything else turn my head! I like your results. :)

Hi Karen and Happy New Year. That photo in >1 witchyrichy: is lovely. I might use it as a reference photo for a watercolor painting if you would not object?

>55 witchyrichy: That is so coo! I'm not super active on Instagram but I love the daily challenge idea. I follow a FB group (although my ambivalence about FB has only grown since its founder and owner has more and more shown his true colors) that has weekly challenges. I'm currently working on a painting of a Highland cow for that. :-)

>56 ursula: I completely understand the need to stay focused. Because several of my friends are quilters, I just subscribed to a quilting kit club. Even as I was pressing the pay button, I questioned why I felt I needed another hobby. I do think the quilt projects will make nice gifts. I'll give it a month or two.

>57 EBT1002: I would be honored!

I only keep my FB account to stay in touch with friends. When I opened the Instagram account, I purposely did not bring over the whole contact list so that feed is more about arts and crafts with silly animal videos for fun.

Whenever anyone mentions Highland cows, in my head I hear the Scottish narrator for the Jenny Colgan books: they are Highland "coos".

Happy Monday! Just sent off my welcome emails to my Old Dominion University students. I am teaching two courses in the Library Sciences department, both related to technology. Easy work: the courses were already developed and they just needed someone to facilitate as the program has gotten so popular. I just remind, nag and grade.

Still plowing through Poland. It's generally good despite the plowing. I didn't know much about Poland and feel like I am getting a good understanding of the country as well as that part of the world in general, but it just seems heavy on the history. It was written 40 years ago and maybe the earlier generation of readers had different expectations? I asked google if the book received good reviews and here is the AI summary:

While "Poland" by James Michener generally received positive reviews for providing a comprehensive and accessible overview of Polish history, some critics noted issues with its simplification of complex events, particularly regarding Polish anti-Semitism, and a somewhat flat character development, leading to mixed reception overall. 1, 2, 3, 4
Key points about reviews of "Poland": 3, 4, 5

• Positive aspects: Many reviewers praised the book for offering a thorough and engaging narrative of Polish history, making it a good entry point for readers unfamiliar with the country's complexities. 3, 4, 5
• Criticisms: Some critics found the book to be overly simplistic, glossing over nuanced historical details, especially regarding Polish-Jewish relations, and criticized the lack of depth in character development. 1, 2, 4
• Overall: Despite some criticisms, "Poland" is generally considered a well-researched and readable introduction to Polish history, with many readers appreciating the broad scope of the narrative. 3, 4, 5

Generative AI is experimental.

1 https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/20/books/on-james-micheners-poland.html
2 https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-a-michener/poland-2/
3 https://www.amazon.com/Poland-Novel-James-Michener/dp/0449205878
4 https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/0914/091402.html
5 https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/books-movies/a-good-history-of-pol...

>55 witchyrichy: I love the gel prints, Karen.

>50 witchyrichy: Wow, you certainly did! That's beautiful.

I have already provided a bit of commentary on Poland. It actually got better if harder to read as Michener dug deep into Poland's suffering in the wars, but mostly under the Nazi occupation during World War II. He did not ignore the plight of the Jews but it was not the priority in his storytelling so there was no mention of the Warsaw ghetto, for instance. In the chapter on the war, entitled The Terror, he moved his focus to the fictional characters who were either killed outright or made to serve the Germans as they were systematically starved to death. Michener does mention other minorities such as the gypsies who were targets.

The powerful message of the second half of the book is the violence and oppression that comes with authoritarian regimes from women being hung for hiding their grain mills to outlawing of languages to just random acts of violence used to keep everyone else in line. The Polish people in the book could represent the treatment of other marginalized communities who are considered inferior to those in the ruling class and thus open to any amount of humiliation and suppression. Michener published the book in 1984 in the midst of the Solidarity movement, and his last chapter puts us in the midst of this long struggle.

Currently Reading:

The Medici Return by Steve Berry
Take Care of the Living by Jeffrey McClurken
The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick

>63 witchyrichy: I probably won't read Poland as it is so long, but last year my husband discovered his background is Polish and he had thought his dad was of German descent, and his mom had immigrated from Poland. Via a DNA test we discovered, despite his dad speaking some German and having a German surname and first name, he is in fact 100 % Polish descent. He was really surprised by that. I imagine the borders changed around a lot at the time and that explains the confusion . James Michener wrote such door stoppers, the thought of reading one of his books scares me.

>59 witchyrichy: Okay, if I do the painting, I will share it with you (regardless of how happy or unhappy I am with the result).

I finished my Highland Coo today. I am not happy with that outcome but I will give it another go in the next week or so. Learning, learning....

>63 witchyrichy: I was in Krakow, Poland, for about 4 months in 1981 but have never read this. I bet I would find it fascinating.

>65 vancouverdeb: Thanks for sharing! There were actually several attempts to completely do away with Poland even through World War II. The surrounding countries peeled off large sections of the east and west and moved their people in but it doesn't seem like they intermingled as the Germans and Austrians really looked down on the Polish people. One thing Michener did well was celebrate the history and culture of Poland.

As for Michener's books, I read them a very long time ago. I remember Hawaii but my favorite was Chesapeake because he actually mentioned the tiny village of Lampeter, Pennsylvania, where I grew up and told the story that it was named after Lame Peter.

>66 EBT1002: My mantra for the year is to just make art. We can be very hard on ourselves! I'm sure your coo has lots of personality.

>67 EBT1002: While I tend to be an armchair traveler, Michener convinced me that Poland was worth a visit. And, I love the idea of being able to spend real time in a place. He did such a good job describing the castles and palaces of which there are hundreds!

The Lindens by Barney Jeffries was a delightful story centered on an English country estate named for the row of Linden trees that lined its drive. We meet the inhabitants of the house and the nearby village over its history, as the stories of the families cross and recross in sometimes surprising ways. Jeffries crafted a series of vignettes to move us through the timeline. While the house itself provides a focus, the land also plays an essential role in many of the stories. The chapters on the impacts of the two World Wars on English civilians and soldiers were particularly poignant. As an avid birder, I appreciated the focus on birds, with characters throughout the novel learning about them and creating lists and calendars of them.

I received an early reviewer copy of The Lindens in return for an honest review.

>71 witchyrichy: This sounds like a fun read, Karen.

Did you find it odd that the Warsaw Ghetto wasn't mentioned in Poland?

>72 BLBera: RISING '44 The Battle for Warsaw covers both The Uprising and the Warsaw Ghetto.

>72 BLBera: Yes. It was a blind spot for Michener, a line between Polish people and Jewish people. None of his fictional characters were Jewish or tied to Warsaw. They were the rural aristocracy and farmers so he focused on their resistance and experiences in the camps.

>73 m.belljackson: Thanks for the recommendation.

>70 witchyrichy: Oh, yes, a trip to Poland would be worthwhile! It has been a long time since I was there and I was a naive 21-year-old with little understanding of the world, but I have vivid memories of my time there. Krakow was amazing. As the only major Polish city spared devastating bombing during WWII, it has cathedrals and city buildings that really do go way back. The people were gracious and kind, the scenery beautiful, and of course the history of the country is dramatic.

>73 m.belljackson: Adding that to my wish list. And recalling that Mila 18 by Leon Uris was a compelling read about the Warsaw Ghetto. I read it long ago so I hesitate to actually "recommend" it, but it's a vivid reading memory.

Gosh, all this interesting chat about Poland is making me want to read more about. I'll need to find a shorter book though. Let me know if you do visit Poland, Karen.

>75 EBT1002: I remember loving that book when I read it many, many years ago. Was he the Ken Follett of his day? I don’t often reread but may make an exception.

I am looking for more of the sprawling epic historical novels that suck you in with the plot while you are learning.

I belong to Ali Manning's Handmade Book Club, part of her Vintage Page Designs website. Each month, members receive information for making a new kind of book. My goal for 2025 is to make the monthly book during the month.

I started strong in January with the the long stitch book. It is one of my first attempts at using fabric for a hardcover book. I did ok but need to improve my skills with glue as I seem to get it everywhere.







While the club is closed to new members right now, Ali does offer a free bookbinding bootcamp and other low cost workshops over the course of the year. I think she is doing one for Valentine's Day. That's how I got started: I joke that I bought a $10 workshop as a birthday gift to myself and then spent $100 on supplies! Fortunately, I have kept with it over the past two years.

>78 witchyrichy: Lovely! Great job, you! What a fascinating project for your year! I must stop before I use up all of the exclamation points. 🤓

Karen O

Belated Happy New Year’s wishes and happy new thread! Beautiful topper. Hard to imagine how different it must have looked there during and after the battle.

>55 witchyrichy: Gorgeous! Love them all but especially the leaves and the hearts.

>78 witchyrichy: That is lovely Karen. I will look into it. Although I might also have problems with the glue. :)

>58 witchyrichy: I'm a quilting fanatic, and although I don't need any more projects, I'm interested in what this quilt kit club consists of.
Your album of gel prints are lovely. I took a gel printing class several years ago, but haven't pursued it. I think I have forgotten how to do this, though I still gave my gel pad.

>82 arubabookwoman: There are several monthly kit clubs out there, but I chose Mrs. Quilty, as it was the one that showed up on my Instagram feed the most. I have gotten the first box. It includes fabric, patterns and some beginning tools like pins to make three items, two small things like pot holders and one quilt block that will be added to others to make a quilt. I haven't started but plan to this week. I like it because it includes fabrics that work together. I don't have a stash like my quilting friends so that is why I went with the kit.

As for the gel printing, I think it might be like bike riding, but if not, there are plenty of YouTube videos torefresh your memory.

>79 klobrien2: Thanks! I learned so much and can't wait to try the next one to test my skills!

>81 BLBera: Thanks! I have been making cards for awhile now and gotten a bit better with it. My main issue is that I tend to use too much. Better to start with less and add more.

>80 Storeetllr: Thanks! It is a fun hobby. I also like both of those and may use the heart pattern for Valentine's Day cards this year. It started with a stamp.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is a psychological thriller, not my usual genre. But that's why I am in a book group, I suppose. This novel focuses on a small town where five years ago, two friends left a wedding together. Savannah ended up murdered; Lucy, who claims she has no memory of the night, was always suspected but never charged. Now, a podcaster has reopened the case. He is in town as the segments air, and Tintera intersperses the transcripts throughout the narrative.

And, I have to admit, it was a good read. It won't be on my top ten list but I was quicly sucked in. I started last night and finished in a couple hours today. The short chapters and podcast transcripts made it go quickly. I was surprised by the outcome. In between, we get ALL the dirt in Lucy's small Texan hometown. No one is really innocent and everyone tells at least one lie in the course of the book.

I am looking forward to hearing what my fellow readers have to say.

>83 witchyrichy: Mrsdrneutron is a Mrs Quilty subscriber too. She’s been enjoying her boxes!

>78 witchyrichy:, Hi Karen my dear, loving the handmade books, i am thinking about learning bookbinding but i really need to get back to my painting when i can find the time.

I also love Michener's books, the bigger the better in my opinion, lol.

Love the handmade book! I've done some in the past, and I am in the process of using them up now (I made a bunch of sketchbooks).

As for Poland, I'm planning to go there this year. The Urban Sketchers Symposium is being held in Poznan.

>88 drneutron: Glad to hear it! I am hoping to get started this week.

>89 johnsimpson: Thanks! This book was probably my most advanced as I made the book cloth and used book board. I like the handmade book club site because she has a range of projects.

But, I encourage you to get back to your painting, too!

And, I do know how you like the chunksters. I just started Leon Uris's book about John and Abigail Adams.

>90 ursula: Thanks! This one has elastic bands to hold the pages so I am not sure how I am going to use it.

I will look forward to your report on Poland and the symposium. Hope to see some sketches.

>78 witchyrichy: What a wonderful hobby. Looks great!

>77 witchyrichy: I would join you in a reread of Mila 18, perhaps a bit later this spring or summer?

>78 witchyrichy: That is lovely!!!!

>95 EBT1002: Sounds great! Ping me when you are ready.

Of any celebrity chef, I probably like Ina Garten the best. Her recipes are approachable. She seems very down to earth and has certainly taken risks to pursue her passions. Her memoir shows her growth from a sheltered, abused young adult to a confident, charming leader in a competitive field. She is honest about her shortcomings and often underplays her strengths. But all along she trusts her instincts and admits when they steer her wrong. She is willing to listen to advice from a few trusted voices.

Jeffrey is the most trusted voice of all and at its heart, this is the story of their lives together. She describes the ups and downs of their marriage, although after a rocky start, it seems to be mostly ups. Like most women, she moved directly from her home to her marriage and that is where the issues arose. Obviously, they managed to work things out but I think she described the overall change that was happening at the time with working women pushing back against traditional roles.

We also get all the details of her life from the home in the Hamptons to the apartment in Paris. She veers a bit into name dropping and some whining about costs and delays on her renovations. And, that's where I find myself in a conundrum: I do like her and the memoir was very readable. But, she seems blissfully unaware of her privilege, able to use connections to find funding and recognition that is beyond others. After all, she bought a thriving business in the Hamptons rather than starting from scratch selling baked goods at the farmer's market.

Granted, she took it way beyond the original 400 square foot store. But even that came with a price. Her story of buying a store that would put her in direct competition with her former partner and friend shows that, under her impostor syndrome facade, she is a fierce entrepreneur. They did not speak for a year, and Ina points out that her friend didn't lose business because of her. But she didn't know that going in.

I also find it ironic that she hated the professional world and really did like to cook and bake, traditional feminine roles. She figured out how to make them into a darn good living although my sense was it was less about money and more about having something to do with herself.

I didn't mean this to sound so negative. It was a lovely book clearly written in her own voice with her catchphrases sprinkled here and there. She is also gracious even when she is being critical. And I am planning to make the coconut cupcakes.

Bob and I took Wendell Berry's advice about escaping despair: we took an overnight road trip to eastern North Carolina and the Outer Banks, a trip we used to do every winter. We spent the first afternoon inland at Lake Mattamuskeet. We overnighted at a nice Comfort Inn and then poked down the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. There were a few birds at Pea Island but nothing like the thousands of white pelicans and swans we saw in November 2023.

The videos are from Lake Mattamuskeet where we saw the best collection of birds. The first one shows the abundance and the noise. The second one shows a very flashy bufflehead in amongst females and a flock of rudy ducks.

The Sounds of Lake Mattamuskeet

Bufflehead Showing Off

Sounds like a relaxing trip, and with so many birds!

That sounds like a lovely trip, Karen. And wow, your book is just amazing! So beautiful.

>99 mstrust: It was lovely: we ate at local restaurants and puttered around our old haunts. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved some time ago and is now covered in scaffolding as it undergoes renovations:

>100 AMQS: Thanks! I had fun making it and have ideas for the next book as well.

It's funny: we have a very retired, quiet life but even we need to get away now and then and just hang out with the birds.

I went looking for the lighthouse picture and realized I forgot to share one of the interesting parts of our trip: the dirigible hangar at Weeksville, NC. We found the hangar 20 years ago with the help of a road trip guide. We both remember a dirt road and a cabbage field. We took a side trip to visit the site and discovered it is now privately owned and the area around it is developed.

Wikipedia has a good history of the site including the present day owners.

It looks like a great long weekend you had, Karen! I am glad you both enjoyed yourselves. We have a lot of water birds here too, the Bufflehead, Canada Geese, Mallards, Snowgeese and Great Blue Herons. I live close to the Fraser River , so I see them a lot. Thanks for the pictures and videos!

>98 witchyrichy: That bufflehead is so cool! I’ve never seen those before.

Hi Karen!

Your artistic endeavours are amazing to me since I am so not talented in any of them. *smile*

>50 witchyrichy: Love the snow pic.

>97 witchyrichy: *whimper* Coconut cupcakes. I’d make them except that only Jenna and I like coconut – both Bill and Jenna’s wife Hwan won’t touch it.

>101 witchyrichy: I climbed the Hatteras Lighthouse on a Thursday when on a field trip with Jenna when she was 8 and I was 48, and three days after I still had debilitating leg cramps. Fun, though.

>97 witchyrichy: Oh cool! I have not heard of this chef before. I will have to see if my library has a copy.

>101 witchyrichy: wow! That is a lot of scaffolding!

Sounds like you had a fantastic weekend.

>98 witchyrichy: I'm glad you were able to take such a relaxing trip away. I love the Outer Banks, but I haven't made it there at this time of year. My DH is a camera buff, and he's really into ducks and other waterfowl, so maybe we need to make a trip. Thanks for sharing the videos.

>103 witchyrichy: I saw a program about the dirigible hangar a few years back. I think it must have been on UNC TV (now PBS NC). It was really interesting. I had no idea that such a place existed before I saw that show. Maybe another place we should visit.

I looked up the Wendell Berry quote. I wasn't familiar with it, but I sure do like it. Especially appropriate these days! I'm going to keep a copy to remind me.

>104 vancouverdeb: I remember fondly all the amazing birds we saw during our western Canada trip. The ones we see as mostly brown ducks in the winter were suddenly in their full glory. I remember the rudy ducks in particular as the males' bills turn bright blue in the summer. When we realized what we were seeing, we were so excited!

But, by far, our favorite birds were the Harlequin Ducks:

>105 ursula: Aren't they fun? One of our favorite birds and this one just entertained us as he wiggled his butt and swam around showing off.

>106 karenmarie: Sorry about the coconut issue. Bob is pretty easy, especially when it comes to baked good.

I have been to the top of the Currituck Light in Corolla but not the Hatteras light. I found myself wondering if I had it in me any more to do the climb especially since it will be at least another year until it is back open.

>108 atozgrl: I will do a search for the program about the hangar. It is pretty much along the way to the Outer Banks so you could get it all done in one trip. We are fans of the odd backroad sites.

I picked up a magazine and there was a long article about the actual alligators at Alligator River Refuge so our next trip will include alligator hunting.

As for Wendell Berry, he is my favorite poet, partially because we share a rural lifestyle and I appreciate his pastoral style.

Your trip sounds amazing, Karen. It's always good to get away. I love the birds.

What a lovely weekend getaway! I didn’t know the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has been moved.

>106 karenmarie: Karen, more coconut cupcakes for you!

I’m planning to make a coconut cake and have almost all the necessary ingredients. If no one else in the family likes it, I’ll freeze what’s left in slices and eat them over time.

>112 witchyrichy: I can understand your view of Wendell Berry. He is not my favourite poet but I certainly appreciate his oeuvre.

>113 BLBera: I am in Pennsylvania now to celebrate my dad's 90the birthday. Hoping to see the snow geese at Middle Creek. They have closed off some of the public access trails due to avian flu but I think we can drive through.

>114 Storeetllr: Hope the cake turned out well. I am off on another adventure so haven't gotten to my cupcakes. With just two of us, lots of food goes in the freezer, and I happen to be a fan of frozen cake.

>115 PaulCranswick: Living in the pastoral setting I do, Berry is a comforting and sometimes subversive voice. I haven't read as much of his fiction and hope to get to it this year.

One of his subversive poems is Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front. Written in 1973, it speaks to our world today:

"So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed."

I have taken my email tagline from this poem: ask the questions that have no answer.

>118 witchyrichy: Wendell Berry also sounds like Count Leo Tolstoy on a good day...

>119 m.belljackson: My knowledge of Tolstoy is pretty thin but a quick Google search revealed that you are indeed correct! I may have to add the Count to my reading list along with The Hidden Wound. Thanks!

Tonight is the last night of a pretty epic road trip for me, at least in terms of its length. After spending almost the entire month of January at home, I left for Pennsylvania on January 31 and am heading home tomorrow, just in time for some big football game. Last weekend, I presented at a small education conference in Philadelphia at the Science Leadership Academy, a progressive high school begun nearly 20 years ago. It was so uplifting to spend time with other progressive educators and students from the school. My co-presenter's husband wrote Take Care of the Living, a very readable history of post-Civil War life in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. I brought my copy along to get signed!

From Philly, I headed west to Coatesville, the location of my first teaching position in 1988. I have kept in touch with my colleagues and visit a few times a year. I parked at my friend's house and took the train into Philly. She picked me up on Monday and we headed to the local library for Mahjongg. I just observed since I have never played. I learned how it worked and then we just played two-handed to practice. I downloaded Mahjongg for Friends and have been playing with the bots for practice.

Finally, on Thursday, I headed further west to Cornwall to celebrate my dad's 90th birthday! My sister came up Friday, and we had a wonderful lunch. I stayed over today, and my mother and I spent a few hours working on handmade cards. I gave her a Sizzix cutter last year and she has enjoyed using it. I had given her some tools for Christmas--patterned scissors and a scoring board--so I showed her how to use them. We designed a birthday card together.

Now, I am tucked into A Slice of Heaven, a cottage in the historic village of Mt. Gretna. In the past, I have slept on a futon in my parents' basement. At Christmas, Bob and I rented one of the historic cottages. It was wonderful to have our own space, and I have always loved Mt. Gretna. I chose a different cottage this time. It has been lovely to spend time with family but then retire to the cottage for evenings and mornings. I am staying on the Camp Meeting side of Gretna, with tiny cottages centered around an outdoor Tabernacle where services are still held in the summer. The other side is called Chautauqua, created in the late 1800s as part of the wider movement centered on Chautauqua, New York. There is a playhouse that mirrors the Tabernacle. It is a fascinating place.

The cottage is just about 900 square feet with one full bath upstairs. A double bed and two twin beds upstairs and an open living/dining/kitchen area. Every cottage features a porch. This is my little retreat:



I finished S.J. Bennett's fourth book in her Queen Elizabeth series, A Death in Diamonds. It was an easy read and completely fictional, but it's fun to see the royals as human beings.

>118 witchyrichy: Thanks for that, Karen. It is relevant today.

I returned home and had a plan. It did not include adopting a skittish, abandoned hunting dog named Josie. A local woman nursed her back to health but couldn't keep her. She has been with us for a week and starting to settle in but it will take some time. Fortunately, she is fine with a harness and was good on our first walk down to the barn yard yesterday. I really missed dog walks!

>123 witchyrichy: What a sad eyed Beauty who has found You!

>123 witchyrichy: Oh she is so lovely. Those little ear spots! That nose!

>123 witchyrichy: Hooray! She's beautiful!

Congratulations on your new family member.

>121 witchyrichy: I love those cottages.

Congratulations on your beautiful new family member, Karen! I am so glad you have your dog walks back! Muffin is well settled in, but we cannot leave her home alone as she as severe separation anxiety. One of us can leave home and we leave her alone for about 15 minutes each day to try to get her gradually used to being alone. It's a long process, one we did years ago with another shelter dog. I think I will ask the vet for antianxiety medication for her when we go in another 10 days or so. It took about 9 months last time to get Daisy to be okay on her own, so I hope it happens eventually this time too.

>124 m.belljackson: >125 ursula: >126 mstrust: Thanks! She has been with us for a week and we are learning to be very patient.

>128 vancouverdeb: Josie is very anxious. She was on the run for awhile and probably in a dog run before that. Today, she was in our fenced in back yard and had no interest in coming inside. We cajoled and bribed but couldn't get close enough to leash her. Finally, we just came in and ignored her and hse wandered in herself She was hungry! We are fortunate to be able to be home to spend time working with her. Muffin is fortunate to have you two!

>127 BLBera: Thanks!

The cottages are just so darn cute and quaint. Truly a unique experience! I used to imagine buying one but am just happy to rent now and then. They are *very* close together, come with lots of restrictions, and tend to be very pricey.

Without a Country by Ayșe Kulin told the story of four generations of German Jews who find at least temporary welcome and refuge in Turkey as Hitler takes over their homeland. But Turkey suffers its own military coups that make like less safe and welcoming for the family. Kulin weaves history and politics into a great tale of human beings who, even as they are caught up in the grand scope of history, get involved in small dramas and traumas.

Village School by Miss Read was a lovely book to read on holiday: sweet and easy and nostalgic. The story of a school marm and her charges and their families. We move right into Fairacre like old acquaintances.

I told my old friend I was reading it and her hand went to her heart as she remembered how much she loved it. I will move forward with the series if only to escape the chaos and madness for a peaceful interlude in an English village.

Another escape read: the fourth in S.J. Bennett's series of books that feature Queen Elizabeth II as the sleuth. This one, A Death in Diamonds, is set early in her reign, has her investigating a double murder. One of the victims, a young woman of dubious background, is wearing a diamond tiara belonging to a wealthy man and his wife. Even as Elizabeth and her assistant pursue the case, it seems that someone is sabotaging the Queen herself. Easy, fun and Phillip gets a better treatment than he may have deserved.

I am a Steve Berry fan and The Medici Return showed up on my Kindle last week. I did not hesitate: it is a personal tradition to read them right away. This one did not disappoint with lot of historical conspiracies spilling over into the modern day world. Nothing surprising: Cotton Mather gets pulled into a situation beyond his control that involves the Vatican and old debts. This time, we learn a bit about the Carthusians.

My RLBG read The Caretaker by Ron Rash. Just lovely: reminded me of Claire Keegan, especially Small Things Like These. A story of love triumphing over hate and isolation. The cemetery caretaker, an outcast due to his disfigured face, plays a central role in seeing that evil doesn't win even when it comes after him. Set in a small town during the Korean War, the story focuses on a small town with its hierarchies and expectations for its children. Excellent read.

>136 witchyrichy: This sounds lovely, Karen.

Good morning, LibraryThing! I am a little surprised that a week has gone since I logged in. I have been spending my days reading, painting, and working with Josie. While we have had rescues before, we haven't started from the beginning. Major was a puppy and Spot was just a big bundle of love even when he was running away from you!

Josie was on the run for awhile and then fostered. She is sweet and really wants to trust us, but it will take time. At least she doesn't growl or try to bite when we work with her. Mostly, we are just spending time with her. And, she is really playful and generally happy. I suspect she got chased a lot in her young life.

Now that the weather is nicer, we get in at least one or two leash walks around the farm. She is great on the leash: comes over to check in, and yesterday as we got to the end, even leaned in and let me pet her without her tail being tucked. A moment of joy that ended once we got inside and off the leash. She gets skittish.

Right now, I am sitting by the open back door while she tries to convince herself to come inside to have breakfast. We are fortunate to have a good-sized backyard and porch that lead right into the den. Since we are not burdened with an HVAC system, once it warms up, we just leave the door open. There is a dog door in the other porch door but I think it will be some time before she uses it.

We introduced Circe to her the other evening just for an hour or so. Circe loved the dogs and Josie was fostered with three of them. Circe curled up on the sofa top and looked disdainful while Josie smelled and was very interested.

Another plus is just hanging out with her in the back yard reading! We have been blessed with lovely, spring like weather this week and I am soaking up all the sun I can after a pretty miserable winter.

Just get her used to being around us. I'll have a few book reviews to come. I also hope to say hello on a few threads. I did do the hunt.

Nice to hear she's slowly getting accustomed. She sounds like she had a life similar to my Coral prior to the Humane Society finding her. She slept backed against a corner so she could keep her eye on us and would go over her food very carefully before she'd eat.

A new dog in the house takes a lot of time, especially a rescue, Karen. She is lucky to have you and your husband. I did get Muffin some medication for anxiety yesterday, but we'll start it on Saturday. She goes to half day doggy daycare tomorrow and in case she has some side effects, I thought I start it later. Enjoy the sun while you can.

>139 mstrust: She has really warmed up to my husband but he spends much more time with her. I split my time between the dog and the cat as I don't want the latter to feel ignored. She is friendly and a big part of my daily routine as we haven't had a dog for almost two years. Josie definitely keeps an eye on us but the warmed chicken broth my husband has added to the kibble seems to encourage her.

>140 vancouverdeb: I am actually pleased that she took to my husband first...he really struggles with depression in the winter and having the dog to take care of has been good for him. We are so fortunate to have time to work with her.

So, as >140 vancouverdeb: points out, a new dog, especially a rescue takes time. I have been hanging out with Josie and looking forward to warmer weather so we can get in longer leash walks around the farm.

We took Josie to the vet today and she was GREAT! We bought a pen for the back seat and she settled right in. No fuss and loved looking out the windows. Bob did have to carry her over the threshold of the door as she is afraid of doors but once inside she was amazing, actually. She went right over to the tech to smell and may have wagged her tail! Got her nails trimmed, blood drawn, a couple shots and hung out with us for almost an hour in the room with no complaint at all. We stopped for McDonald's fries on the way home and, like all our other dogs, she loved them although she was a little hesitant at first. It's the after-vet treat not an everyday thing.

The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack is the oldest book on my LT TBR list, added in 2018. It uses the tarot both as a plot point but also as chapter titles. The book moves between current day to ancient times to the stories in between as the images of the tarot are created and disseminated and then rediscovered in the modern world along with an ancient diary. I think I was prepared to not like this even though I am a student of the tarot. I guess I was thinking overtly spiritual or woo woo. In the end, it turned out to be a terrific book that wove the various theories of the creation of the tarot with a modern day action story and a lovely romance as well.

Covert Curses has been on the Kindle for awhile. It is the first in the Irish Incantations series. American witch Victoria and her feline familiar Simon have made the trek back to Ireland for her magical education. It was a cozy magical mystery and an easy read. I liked it but am not sure I am compelled to continue the series.

I picked up a couple Elizabeth Chadwick novels at the thrift shop and dove into The Summer Queen last week. I am a fan of Eleanor of Aquitaine but know more about her marriage to Henry II than her first marriage to Louis VII. This first book in the trilogy covers that period. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Chadwick combines historical accuracy as far as she could with her own imaginative, historically based events and attitudes, that certainly championed Eleanor over the uptight, overly pious Louis. The story especially highlights the attitudes towards women as lesser creatures, meant for procreation, blamed when babies were girls or died. Even Eleanor, with her high place in society, was reliant on a husband and male protectors with no power to choose love over diplomacy.

I enjoyed the book but do not feel compelled to read the rest of the series at this point. I am trying very hard to work through the books on the shelves.

A friend gave me the first book in James Patterson's Holmes, Marple and Poe series and I enjoyed it. I found the second---Holmes is Missing-on the shelf at the library so decided to give it a go. First, the series title is now Holmes, Margaret and Poe even though the female character's last name is still Marple. Some copyright/trademark dust up, I think. It was fine for what it is: an adventure story that harkens back to the mystery writers of the past. In this case, Holmes is the centerpiece as the book ends on a cliffhanger right out of Arthur Conan Doyle. Choppy chapters with lots of angst, especially from Poe and Holmes, that gets a little old after awhile. This is another one that I am not sure I will need to continue.

>123 witchyrichy: Aww. Looks like Josie is full of love and ready to receive it.

>148 figsfromthistle: She is getting better every day. I don't think we realized how much we missed having a dog and creating a home for this girl is just what we needed!

I'm glad it's going well with Josie! We missed having a dog for just 5 days and thus Muffin.

>143 witchyrichy: After the vet dogs deserve fries. :)

Josie sounds like a sweetheart. Dogs are the best.

I love Eleanor of Aquitaine and will look for the Chadwick books.

The tarot book sounds interesting as well, though not in my usual wheelhouse. Do you need to be familiar with tarot to enjoy it?

>150 vancouverdeb: They are special and different than cats, although I do love Circe. Muffin is a lucky dog!

>151 ursula: We think so, too! And we may need to see about these pup cups on our next road trip. I think this dog may be a bit spoiled.

>152 BLBera: They are, indeed!

The book was about an ancient tarot deck and the author does a great job filling in the history and mystery in a detailed, but accessible way as you work through the timeline. The chapters are named after tarot cards so having a brief idea of what those cards are might help but certainly isn't required.

It turns out Josie has a few parasites that need to be treated so I made a trip to the vet to pick up meds. We are fortunate to have a great practice just up the road. I went a bit further to pick up sunflower seeds for the birds. Now that Circe spends her time indoors, I installed a window bird feeder for her entertainment. It looks out on a couple big trees and has a bit of roof for them to hop around. We get a decent selection of birds including goldfinches, cardinals, wrens, house finches, chickadees and tufted titmice. Surprisingly, the squirrels have not been a problem as they could easily access it from the roof.

I am absolutely loving Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent that features extensive interviews with Judi Dench about the bard but also about her extraordinary life. She is just a hoot, really, and the interview format really allows her feistiness to shine through. I am thinking I might take time to reread a few of the plays.

My analog book is The Making of a Major Motion Picture by Tom Hanks. I am enjoying it although the prose can get weedy sometimes and I get lost in the sentences. It is a sprawling tale that includes pretty detailed descriptions of comic books and then the comic books themselves. There are funny moments and Hanks certainly has a sense of humor about what he does for a living.

>123 witchyrichy: What a beautiful girl! Not to mention lucky to have found you. Congratulations!!

So glad you have Josie and she is a sweetie. I think you are both lucky. : ) Bookwise, I am intrigued by The Fortune Teller and Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, I love Judi Dench! Added to WL.

>157 Copperskye: We continue to work with her. She loves going outside the backyard for walks but still dances away a bit before we get the harness on. So playful...she has adopted a rather large rock that she moves around.

>158 Berly: We are glad, too.

Judi Dench is a bright spot in the world: feisty and a little foul mouthed but in that British kind of way.

I am normally a one-book-at-a-time kind of reader but for some reason have found myself in the midst of several books at once. I had to put all of them aside when I realized on Friday that The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, this month's RLBG read for today, clocked in at just 500 pages! I read and then listened and then read some more and finished last evening.

It was worth it: a powerful story of WWI women spies that I wasn't familiar with at all. The timeline moved between then and 1947. American Charlotte St. Clair finds herself unwed and pregnant, grieving her brother and embarking on a search for her missing cousin with whom she spent summers in France.

I do feel like I need a brief warning about a horrific description of torture that I found myself skimming.

I am looking forward to talking about it with my group this afternoon.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

Shakespeare: The Man Who Paid the Rent by Judi Dench
The Bookbinder by Pip Williams
Normal Women by Phillipa Gregory

Judi Dench inspired me to read some Shakespeare after many years. As a high school English teacher, I taught Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar so know those plays quite well. Others I read during my Shakespeare seminar in undergrad so am a bit hazier.

I started with The Merchant of Venice as that was the part I was reading in Dench. It is the play she hates the most, calling it ugly play with its anti-Semitism and racism. But she also does not suggest banning it: the actor's job is to tell the story without judgement of the plot or the characters. She trusts the audience to ask questions and make up their own minds. And, if a quick Google search means anything, it has not been banned or even discouraged as it appears to be currently performed. The Globe put on a production in 2021 but included a warning about the racism.

There is an adaptation called The Merchant of Venice 1936 that sets the play in England with a focus on a the Cable Street battle between the fascists led by Moseley and a Jewish matriarch who battles them.

I mentioned the Mrs. Quilty subscription box early in this thread. I have been having so much fun! The projects are designed for beginners and teach various skills as you create quilt blocks and other household items. I think that is what I like the most: I don't have to wait for a whole quilt to be put together. A couple hours at the cutting table, ironing board and sewing machine and I have cool useful items!

The first kit included a quilt block and hot pads. Evidently, I did not take a picture of the block but here are the hot pads:



The second kit was book related with a quilt block (every kit starts with one), a book sleeve and corner bookmarks:







The corner bookmarks take three squares, a little fleece, and less than an hour to make so I am thinking I will include one with every book I give in the future.

Today's project is a very cute book pillow with a handle and a pocket for the book. There is also an easy pattern for regular bookmarks that use up scraps.

If you have ever thought about learning to quilt and have basic cutting and sewing machine skills, I can highly recommend this monthly kit. The magazine that comes with it has tips and techniques along with a recipe and encouragement from others who are further along in their journey. The video tutorials are incredibly helpful as well.

How fun!! And what a great idea to do smaller projects with quick satisfaction while you learn the quilting skills. I really like the hot pads!

>163 witchyrichy: mrsdrneutron made me several of the bookmarks. It's a really nice design, works really well!

That looks like such a fun subscription box, and a great way to take the appropriate steps into quilting. I have a problem with staying on task with "beginner" projects and tend to go off the rails into things where I end up having a lot of difficulty that could have been solved by you know, learning things first!

Your quilting looks gorgeous, Karen. I really enjoyed The Alice Network too.

>164 Berly: Thanks! I love having little things to show off and give away as well.

>165 drneutron: I remember you mentioned she had used the kits. I like the corner style a lot. There is a regular design but I moved on to the book sleeve.

>166 ursula: The first time I tried to quilt, I bought a difficult wall hanging and dove right in only to massively fail. I ended up buying a second kit and having someone else make it for my mother. Actually, it took TWO people: one who did the piecing and one who did the quilting. If I had known a few of these tips, I would have been much more successful.

>167 vancouverdeb: Thanks!

Everyone in the book group enjoyed The Alice Network and we had a great conversation about the various characters. We also agreed that we don't know much about World War I, especially the role of women spiees. I am reading The Bookbinder by Pip Williams that is also set during that war and learning even more.

>163 witchyrichy: That does sound like a good idea -- also a way to find out if quilting is something you want to get into.

I also loved Judi Dench's book, and it did inspire me to read/reread Shakespeare. I am currently reading an early history play, Henry VI, Part 1. I am going in vaguely chronological order, at least as much as possible. I am still on the early plays.

>170 BLBera: The magazine featured a few women who were on box 18! This could be a lifetime subscription.

I like the idea of chronological order.

I really enjoyed Tom Hanks's story of making a movie: The Making of a Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece. As I mentioned earlier, Hanks got into the weeds with his characters, but I had to remind myself that the story was really being told by a journalist who had been invited to be part of the film so giving deep background on the main characters made sense. With the exception of an annoying, almost stereotypical star, Hanks obviously has great love for filmmakers. He also includes comic books as part of the text. It wasn't necessary but it made sense as the images of the books were incorporated into the film.

Your quilting projects are amazing, Karen! I especially love the book sleeve. Such lovely, rich colors.

>161 witchyrichy: I remember liking this one as well when I read it. Kate Quinn has some great books.

>163 witchyrichy: What a great idea. So practical and easy to clean.

Hope you have a great weekend.

>173 Storeetllr: Thanks! One of the things I really appreciate about the subscription is that they provide the fabrics. They also make suggestions for which ones to use for each project. I also really liked the fabrics for the book sleeve.

>174 figsfromthistle: Thanks! It has been a lovely weekend with the promise of spring and several dog walks.

The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, author of The Dictionary of Lost Words, returns us to the Oxford Press at the start of the first World War. Twin sisters, Peggy and Maude, work together at the book bindery, folding and stitching the printed pages. They live on a canal boat they shared with their mother, also a bookbinder, before she died. Peggy takes care of Maude who is neurodivergent, not a word they would have used, while regretting this decision as it meant ending her schooling. Like her mother, she reads voraciously, often bringing home partial manuscripts that can't be bound.

We follow the two women and their family and friends through the War with Tilda, their mother's best friend, sending dispatches from the front lines where she is volunteering.

Historically accurate and lovingly told, this book made me a bit verklempt as it drew to its end. Highly recommended!

Today was Josie's second visit to the vet for a booster shot. She loves riding in the car and is fine once she is inside but getting between the car and the waiting room is a challenge. Fortunately, Bob can still pick her up.

Awww, nobody likes going to the doctor! I hope it went well.

Josie is so sweet looking! I'm glad you are able to walk her. Muffin has had all of her shots until next December. One time I think she was so feed up at the vet's , after an anal gland expression and a blood draw, she just laid on the floor of the vets , and I had to carry her to the car! Luckily she is just 21 lbs and I can manage that for not too long of a distance.

>179 mstrust: Once she got inside, she did just fine in the waiting room, even touching noses with another nervous dog. The tech got her in the back for her booster with only a little pulling. Next up: spaying and chipping in April.

I am feeling a little less helpless today. I met with the Chief of Staff for my Virginia state senator. We had a great 30 minute conversation about what I and others might do locally. He had excellent ideas as well as suggestions for how to implement some of the ideas I came with. They have only just begun to represent my rural area and are interested in making connections.

He suggested forming a women's group and pointed to The Liberal Women of Chesterfield and Beyond in the Richmond area that formed in 2016 in response to the first term. They were largely responsible for getting Abigail Spanberger, current gubernatorial candidate, elected. They are unapologetically progressive and I love that.

I think that may be our first step: a very old friend and I met a couple weeks ago to brainstorm and we know of a few others who may be interested. I have never been interested in getting politically active but feel the need to step out of my comfort zone. So...stay tuned!

>181 witchyrichy: So glad Josie did well with her vet visit. My last dog Max loved going to the vet because the vet was so kind and really loved dogs. Also, I think the vet gave him a treat after each visit. (Maxie was an exception. All my other dogs and cats over the years hated going.)

>182 witchyrichy: Good for you, Karen. I think you’re right and we all (those of us who are horrified by what’s being done in DC) need to get politically involved.

>182 witchyrichy: Good luck, Karen. I will be interested to see what happens.

>183 Storeetllr: Our cat Circe hates the cat carrier and the car and complains loudly the whole way to the vet. Then, she gets on the exam table and is everybody's best friend, rubbing and head butting, even purring! I do let her out in the car on the way home so there is less complaining.

Bob and I are both happy little homebodies. But, one of our favorite bands, Crack the Sky, was celebrating the 50th anniversary of their first album, the album that Bob won during a radio contest when he was 16. We made the trek to a small club in Maryland, near the Meriweather Post Pavilion, to hear them. We treated ourselves to a lovely dinner and a fancy hotel. A friend watched the pets, and we had a wonderful time! Lots of grey heads in the audience, but a young woman was in line behind me for the meet and greet and commented that her dad got her into the band.

And, don't feel bad if you have never heard of Crack the Sky. They are a progressive rock band that came out of West Virginia and got some radio airplay. But, their albums never shipped to the stores so no one could run out and buy them. Only in Baltimore did the radio and the records some together. They have a small but loyal following in that area. We have been to several shows over the years as they play in Northern Virginia and for Memorial Day at Pier 6 in Baltimore.

The band lineup has changed over the years but there were at least four original members on the stage on Friday night. They are amazing musicians who have done all sorts of studio work for other more well known entertainers.

Now, I am heading to Pennsylvania for the week to hang out with my parents. My sister is coming up for lunch and a visit on Wednesday. I rented a different cottage in Mt. Gretna and am looking forward to morning walks through the community. It has multiple large and small gardens. A few book reviews to come before I start my new thread.