Alcott Acre's Home, Room 1

Well, let's get the introduction out of the way. My name is Stasia and I have been happily married to the recently retired Kerry for 37 years come June. We have 6 children, 4 of whom are my stepchildren and 2 of whom are ours together. We also have 8 grandchildren. We lost our daughter Nichole in 2023.

I love to read, it goes without saying and Kerry is very good about all of the books strewn throughout our house. Since Kerry retired in late 2023, we have spent a lot of time over the course of 2024 playing board games (my other hobby) and despite that, my reading has continued apace.

I suffer from both insomnia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (known to me familiarly as 'stupid CFS') so to say my sleeping is haphazard may be an understatement, lol. Generally speaking, if I get 4 hours of sleep a night I am happy. Unfortunately when my CFS hits, I get about 14. Ugh.

I love to travel and Kerry and I have trips planned for 2025. The first one coming up is in March to a board gaming convention.

That's about it, I think, so come on in and grab a cuppa!

Excellent Reads from 2024 (in the order in which I read them):

5 Stars
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Cold Crematorium by Jozsef Debreczeni
King: A Life by Jonathan Eig
An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi
Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz by Heather Dune Macadam
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Maus by Art Spiegelman
The Chosen by Chaim Potok

4.5 Stars
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs
A Man's Place by Annie Ernaux
Heading North by Holly M. Wendt
Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi
Derring-Do for Beginners by Victoria Goddard
Thirteen Doorways Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger
The Postcard by Anne Berest
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
An Interrupted Life and Letters from Westerbork by Etty Hillesum
Foster by Claire Keegan
Life Laid Bare by Jean Hatzfeld
The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech That Inspired a Nation by Drew D. Hansen
The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by T. E. Carhart
The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Table for Two: Fictions by Amor Towles
Symphony for the City of the Dead by M. T. Anderson
My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman
The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence
Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshananthan
The Game of Courts by Victoria Goddard
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Treachery in Death by J. D. Robb
Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew by Bart D. Ehrman
The Grand Alliance by Winston S. Churchill
When We Ruled by Robin Walker
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
Sinister Twilight: The Fall of Singapore by Noel Barber
Pacific Crucible by Ian W. Toll
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Watership Down by Richard Adams
April 1865 by Jay Winik
The Wishing Pool and Other Stories by Tananarive Due
Winterdance by Gary Paulsen
Eyes on the Prize by Juan Williams
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel
A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
Man Is Not Alone by Abraham Joshua Heschel
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
Brigadistes:Lives for Liberty by Jordi Marti-Rueda
The Promised City by Moses Rischin
Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky
Freedom Summer by Bruce Watson
In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes

4.25 Stars
The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken
Freezing Order by Bill Browder
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
My Hair Is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez
Code Girls by Liza Mundy
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May
Strangers in Death by J.D. Robb
The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush
The Art of the Wasted Day by Patricia Hampl
English Creek by Ivan Doig
Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue by Christine Higdon
Eden Mine by S. M. Hulse
Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher
Promises in Death by J. D. Robb
At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey
Absolution by Alice McDermott
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard
I Shall Not Hate by Izzeldin Abuelaish
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich
Between the Woods and the Water by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Go As a River by Shelley Read
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard
A Reader's Delight by Noel Perrin
Classic Crimes by William Roughead
Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig
Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner
The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason
The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
James by Percival Everett
Virginia Woolf in Manhattan by Maggie Gee
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
Casting Off by Elizabeth Jane Howard
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
Trust by Hernan Diaz
The Book of Lamentations by Rosario Castellanos
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Holocaust Journey by Martin Gilbert
Bound for Canaan by Fergus M. Bordewich
My Beloved Monster by Caleb Carr
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Lies, Damned Lies, and History by Jodi Taylor
Pastoral Song by James Rebanks
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Sisters of Sinai by Janet Soskice

At the end of the year, I enjoy looking at my list of excellent reads and thinking what a great start to a library they would be if I owned them all.

Shared reads:

Terec and the Wall by Victoria Goddard - Completed January 4, 2025
Till Human Voices Wake Us by Victoria Goddard - February with Mary
The Spoilt City by Olivia Manning - February with Mark, Ellen, et al
In the Realms of Gold by Victoria Goddard - March with Mary
Friends and Heroes by Olivia Manning - March with Mark, Ellen, et al
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber - April with Mark

January TIOLI Challenges:

Challenge #1: Read a book which has a least one set of double letters in both the title and the author's name
All In by Billie Jean King - Completed January 5, 2025
Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys - Completed January 23, 2025
Terec and the Wall by Victoria Goddard - Completed January 4, 2025
The Terror by Dan Simmons - Completed January 12, 2025
Thankless in Death by J. D. Robb - Completed January 27, 2025

Challenge #2: Read a book that is the first or last in a series, or contains those words in the title
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon - Completed January 16, 2025

Challenge #3: Read a book listed on a best-of, must-read, or notable list for 2024
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore - Completed January 30, 2025
Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton - Completed January 9, 2025

Challenge #4: January: Ann-uary - Read a book by an author called Ann, or with Ann in the title
Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves - Completed January 18, 2025

Challenge #5: Read a book by a new-to-you author NOT recommended by anyone, that you've stumbled across (and explain why...)
Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era by Jean-Pierre Isbouts - Completed January 19, 2025
Farewell Espana by Howard M. Sachar - Completed January 18, 2025

Challenge #6: Read a book you acquired in December 2024 without paying for it
Atlas of Vanishing Places by Travis Elborough - Completed January 24, 2025
Backwards & In Heels by Alicia Malone DNF
Middlemarch by George Eliot - Completed January 25, 2025
My Soul's High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen edited by Gerald Early - Completed January 7, 2025

Challenge #7: Read a book that has either salt or pepper in the title
Joe Pepper by Elmer Kelton - Completed January 6, 2025
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss - Completed January 21, 2025

Challenge #8: Read a book which has a connection to a New Year's resolution or to something someone might want to give up
The Choice by Edith Eger - Completed January 26, 2025

Challenge #9: Read a book F/NF about a forgotten or often overlooked woman in history (your choice)
Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age by Kathleen Sheppard - Completed January 25, 2025

Challenge #10: Read a book with the name of something you'd drink from in the title or author's name
The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein - Completed January 15, 2025
A Sudden Light by Garth Stein - Completed January 11, 2025

Challenge #11: Read a book you acquired in January of 2025
Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham - Completed January 13, 2025

Challenge #12: The "Penny for Your Thoughts" Challenge: Read a book that has the name of a coin, either obsolete or in current use, in the title
Farthing by Jo Walton - Completed January 17, 2025
Ha’Penny by Jo Walton - Completed January 27, 2025
Half a Crown by Jo Walton - Completed January 31, 2025
A Kid for Two Farthings by Wolf Mankowitz - Completed January 31, 2025
Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell - Completed January 14, 2025

Challenge #13: Life is short: read a short book (150pgs or less) or short story collection
The Glass of Lead and Gold by Cornelia Funke - Completed January 10, 2025

Challenge #14: Celebrating Library Thing. Read a book in which a title word begins or ends with an L or a T
Pearl Buck in China by Hilary Spurling - Completed January 21, 2025
Time's Echo by Jeremy Eichler - Completed January 24, 2025

Challenge #15: Read a book about a city you’ve never been to
Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier - Completed January 22, 2025

Challenge #16: Read a book for the Rags to Riches rolling challenge
Our Riches by Kaouther Adimi - Completed January 31, 2025
Rags: Hero Dog of WWI by Margot Theis Raven - Completed January 6, 2025

Hi Stasia! I always love re-starring my old LT friends at the beginning of the year, and you are certainly one of them :)

Black Studies Reading
1. Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton - Completed January 9, 2025

Jewish Studies Reading
1. Farewell Espana by Howard M. Sachar - Completed January 18, 2025

Paul's Grand Tour Challenge

JANUARY
Middlemarch by George Eliot

The “Read More Sci-Fi” Challenge - using the Esquire list found here (https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g39358054/best-sci-fi-books/) - which has now been expanded - and the book Science Fiction, The 101 Best Novels, 1985-2010 by Damien Broderick and Paul di Filippo as guides. Also adding in Hugo Award winners and nominees.
1. The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein - Completed January 15, 2025 (from the book)

Monthly Nonfiction Challenges - I try to read at least 100 nonfiction books a year and this challenge is instrumental in helping me achieve that goal. In 2024, I was able to read 133 nonfiction books.
January Pearl Buck in China by Hilary Spurling - Completed January 21, 2025

The American Authors Challenge - This is one that I dip into and out of as the case may be
January A Sudden Light by Garth Stein - Completed January 11, 2025

The British Authors Challenge - Same as the American Authors Challenge

Series Reading - I will post these as I read them:

The In Death series by J.D. Robb
Thankless in Death -

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone - Completed January 16, 2025
Series done to this point. . .

The St. Mary’s books by Jodi Taylor
And the Rest is History

The Decker/Lazarus series by Faye Kellerman
Justice -

The Three Pines series by Louise Penny
The Hangman -

The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
Among the Mad -

The Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson
When Will There Be Good News?

The Shetland Series by Ann Cleeves
Blue Lightning - Completed January 18, 2025
Dead Water -

The Mirrorworld Series by Cornelia Funke
The Glass of Lead and Gold by Cornelia Funke - Completed January 10, 2025
Reckless -

>5 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan!

Harlem Renaissance Writers (as an adjunct to my Black Studies reading):
1. My Soul's High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen edited by Gerald Early - Completed January 7, 2025

Louise Erdrich Challenge (featuring the Love Medicine series: https://www.librarything.com/nseries/2972/Love-Medicine)
Love Medicine

The “List” Challenges: Reading from the lists, nonfiction and fiction, that are growing rapidly at my local library

Nonfiction:
1. All In by Billie Jean King - Completed January 5, 2025
2. Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era by Jean-Pierre Isbouts - Completed January 19, 2025

Fiction:

>2 alcottacre: Touchstones are refusing to load for this post. LT has timed out twice. Sorry about that!

Happy 2025, Juana.

Great to see you back early and full of vim and vigour.

>15 PaulCranswick: >16 PaulCranswick: Thank you so much, Paul! I am looking forward to a great reading year in 2025!

>11 alcottacre: oops, Sorry I interrupted your intro!!! I checked the time on the posts, and as they were different from what was on my computer I had assumed you were finished. Then I realised about time differences... ;)

Happy New Year!

Happy new year!

Looks like you have your reading well organized!

Happy new year, Stasia. I will have to take a slower time looking through your thread but for now, Hello!

Happy New Year, Stasia. I'm looking forward to talking books with you again this year.

Happy New Thread, Stasia. Happy New Year. I am also looking forward to spending another bookish year with one of my favorite LTers. ❤️

Hoping for this in 2025 for us all.

Year-End Meme Using 2024 Books (Stolen from Paul Cranswick's thread)

Describe yourself: Heading North (I am making trips to both Pennsylvania and Chicago if everything goes well in 2025)

Describe how you feel: An Ordinary Man (or in my case, woman)

Describe where you currently live: Between the Woods and the Water

Your favorite time of day is: Brotherless Night

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Persepolis

Your favorite form of transportation: Orient Express

Your best friend is: The Forest Lover

You and your friends are: The Chosen

Describe your job: Open Season (I am retired!)

What are you eating: A Wild Swan (and me a vegan!)

What’s the weather like: Freezing Order

You fear: A War Like No Other

What is the best advice you have to give: In Praise of Folly

Thought for the day: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

How you would like to die: Salvation in Death

Your soul’s present condition: Enchantment

What is life for you: Walk through Fire

>18 LovingLit: No worries, Megan! I expect that given as many posts as I start threads with, it is just happenstance.

>19 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian! Same to you!

>20 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. If I do not keep my reading organized, I go completely off track :)

>21 Kristelh: Hello, Kristel! Safe travels!

>22 lauralkeet: I am looking forward to it too, Laura! Happy New Year!

>23 msf59: I am looking forward to several shared reads with you too, Mark! I love doing those!

>24 richardderus: Me too, Richard. Fingers crossed!

2025 is going to start with lots of football for Kerry and I as we are huge college football fans. I do not expect to be online much today at all between football, books, and board games - we have a couple of those planned for today too.

On the reading front, I am listening to the (currently) last book in the Outlander series, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. I am also reading Making It So by Patrick Stewart, which I started in late December but could not finish before the month was out, My Soul’s High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen, All In by Billie Jean King, and The Terror by Dan Simmons. If all goes well, I may start A Sudden Light by Carth Stein today as well.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Happy New Year, Stasia. I also love to see the "best of" lists at the beginning of the year.

I hope 2025 is a good one for you.

Happy new year, Stasia! Hope you enjoy all the college football today.

I hope you have a Happy and Healthy New Year, Stasia.

Happy new reading year, Stasia.

Happy new year and new thread, Stasia!

Happy 2025 thread and best wishes for a wonderful New Year!

Happy New Year, Stasia!

Your last four 5 star books listed up there in >2 alcottacre:, Ex Libris, The Killer Angels, Maus and The Chosen, would make a cool reading list for a class. Mind stimulants, all of them.

welcome back, Stasia!

Happy New Year, Stasia! You did a lot of excellent reading last year.

Happy New Year!

Happy new year, Stasia!

Great meme answers! Hope you have a great 2025 full of good reads!

Happy new year, Stasia!

Happy New Year, Stasia!

Starred, of course!! : )

Happy new thread, and

Happy New Year, Stasia!

Happy New Year, Stasia! Starred your thread of course!

Happy New Year Stasia! And happy reading in 2025.

Happy new year Stasia!

Thank you so much, everyone, for the New Years' wishes! Hopefully I will do better with keeping up with threads this year, although I am not holding my breath on that. I will try though!

Happy new thread! Love the meme answers -- I need to get to that on my thread.

Happy new reading year, Stasia - a lot of books on your favorite reads list for 2024. And mostly unknown to me. I did caught that very first title. 84, Charing Cross Road - it is indeed wonderful. Time for a reread, I think. I also love the movie adaptation a lot.

Stasia, I loved perusing your Favorite Book Lists for last year. So many good ones that I agree wholeheartedly with you on...and some new to me books that I need to look into. I will try to keep up with you, but I'm the one who thrives on 9 hours of sleep at night so don't hold your breath. Haha.

Wishing you and your lovely family all good things in 2025.

Hi Stasia, Whew, I am at last caught up on your various threads! Wishing you a very wonderful year of reading in 2025 and much health and happiness for you and your family!

I hope it will be a great year on all levels for you Stasia.

>48 foggidawn: Feel free to steal if, foggi! After all, I did :)

>49 ctpress: I love 84, Charing Cross Road, no matter how many times I read it, Carsten. I discovered the book through the movie, which I also love.

>50 Donna828: Well, I cannot keep up either, Donna, and I get less sleep than you do, so I will not hold my breath for either one of us! Lol

>51 mdoris: Thank you so much, Mary! I hope the same for you too.

>52 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline! Same to you.

Well, my new year is getting off to rather a rocky start. My cat, Mallory, was sick all yesterday so we are off to the vet today. Hopefully it is nothing serious.

Other than a trip to the vet today, everything is normal. Groceries will be here this afternoon. Lunch today is Hearty Bean & Veggie Bowls over rice and I will be starting that in about an hour.

I barely got any reading done yesterday. I am continuing to listen to Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. Continuing on Making It So by Patrick Stewart, All In by Billie Jean King, My Soul’s High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen, and The Terror by Dan Simmons. I have not started anything else in the new year yet so I already feel behind, lol.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!

Here I am at last! I wish you a very satisfying personal new year, as you know!!! I hope that includes a more balanced sleep schedule. I wish I could teach you how or give you some of whatever gene it is that demands that I sleep at least 7 hours to be anywhere near normal humanity.

I'm sorry to hear that Mallory needs the vet. I hope it's nothing much and not communicable to Chalfont or you and Kerry either!

I need to think of something to cook to get us through the weekend. I have two new vegetarian cookbooks, so I should be able to find something. Yay!

Fantastic Friday right back to you!

Oh, no, Stasia. I hope it's nothing serious with Mallory.

>55 LizzieD: Yay for vegetarian cookbooks! If you need any help with "weird" ingredients or anything, just let me know. I am happy to help.

7 hours of sleep? Me? Only if my CFS kicks in, which hopefully it will not. I got 3.5 hours last night and am calling it good.

>56 Crazymamie: Mallory has me extremely worried. All that Kerry and I can think is that he must have eaten something he should not have. He is just not himself right now. I am hopeful that it is something easily treated and, as Peggy pointed out, not communicable either to Chalfont, Mallory's sister, or to us.

Thanks to both of you for your concern!

>54 alcottacre: Anxiety is the reading-killer, Stasia. Tomorrow should only be better.

>58 richardderus: Thanks, RD. I know that I was not concentrating at all on the books yesterday. *sigh*

Hi Stasia my dear, i have starred you once again my dear and will be more visible tis year my dear friend.

Sending good wishes for poor Mallory :(

>60 johnsimpson: >61 johnsimpson: Thank you, John! I wish you and Karen a wonderful 2025 too!

>62 curioussquared: Good wishes for Mallory are very much appreciated, Natalie.

Mallory Update: Mallory's kidneys are blocked and he is unable to urinate. They are going to insert a catheter in him and monitor him over the weekend at the vet's office. Hopefully we will be able to pick him up on Monday.

This is just for you my dear, IT may clear things up, lol.

>54 alcottacre: I hope you get some good news about Mallory over the weekend Stasia

Happy Friday, Stasia. Sorry to hear about Mallory. Keep us updated. I finished The Great Fortune. Looking forward to the next 2 books.

>54 alcottacre: I hope Mallory returns from the vet in better fettle.

>64 alcottacre: - Poor Mallory! Theo had that catheter done 3 times already! He was NOT a happy camper! I brought him in again yesterday but thankfully, no catheter this time. He is now on prescription food meant to make him want to drink (and pee) more. I am waiting for it to do its magic.

Happy New Year, Stasia!

>64 alcottacre: Poor Mallory! I hope he does well over the weekend and is able to come home soon. We love our furkidz so much; it is difficult when they are sick.

I'm about halfway through The Great Fortune. So far it's middling okay to good for me. I will certainly finish it, though! I hope to make some good progress this evening.

Poor little male cats! I hope that the one catheter treatment will get Mallory back into good shape. Our Sparks has had to be treated once. Now all our males eat urinary tract food, and so far so good.

Oh, sorry to hear about Mallory, Stasia! I hope he does well and can come home. It is so worrisome when our furbabies aren't well.

Hi Stasia, and happy new year! You have so many things lined up to read! I doubt I'll be able to keep up with your thread, but I'll do my best to check in regularly.

Poor sweet Mallory! From the comments here, it looks to be a fairly common procedure so that's encouraging. Hope he's right as rain on Monday.

>64 alcottacre: Awe, Mallory must be so uncomfortable. I hope the catheter does the trick and gives him relief!

Thank you all so much regarding your concern for Mallory. I got off the phone with my vet about 30 minutes ago and Mal is doing well. He is catheterized and has a 'cone of shame' and he is, naturally enough, not happy about that. Dr. Morris will call us with an update Monday morning and hopefully we can go get him then.

>73 PawsforThought: No worries, Paws. I cannot keep up anywhere and just check in on the other threads as I can.

Normal day around here even if Mallory is missing. Chalfont has been looking for him and last night she was calling for him. She misses her brother even if he is a big bully.

I wish I could say that I am making great progress on my books. Whatever possessed me to start off the month with chunksters? Lol. That being said, I am very much enjoying what I am reading, especially the Stewart and King autobiographies. The Terror is moving more slowly than I remember it from my read of years ago and Countee Cullen is a poet, so wading through his poetry has been something of an experience for me since I am not a huge fan of poetry.

I hope you all have a super Saturday!

Skipping in and glad to hear that Mallory is doing well, however unhappy he may be about it.

Super Saturday to you too! *skipping out* (That's a lie. I haven't skipped anywhere in several years.)

Oh, poor Mallory! Hoping he gets to come home on Monday.

I loved The Terror when I read it several years ago and know I will read it again at some point. Are you reading in print or on audio - the audio was full of fabulous.

Happy Saturdayness to you, Stasia!

I hope Mallory returns fit and well on Monday Stasia.

Sending along my well wishes for Mallory.

Hopefully you make great progress in your chunksters this weekend.

>79 LizzieD: I would pay money to see you skip, Peggy! Lol

>80 Crazymamie: I am reading it in print, Mamie. My current audiobook is another chunkster, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon.

>81 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline.

>82 MickyFine: I appreciate it, Micky.

Best wishes to Mallory! I am enjoying Cher's Memoir, Part One on audio. Part two comes out later this year. The writing isn't exactly stellar, but she sure had an interesting life!

Oooh! I love Diane Gabaldon! Dang you. Have to go check out Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. : )

>84 Berly: I am actually currently reading 2 autobiographies right now, Kim - one of Patrick Stewart and the other of Billie Jean King. Interesting lives does not even begin to cover them!

I love spreading book bullets around. Glad I got you with the Gabaldon book :)

I finally finished a book in 2025! OK, it is a novella, but it counts:

1 - Terec and the Wall by Victoria Goddard - Mary and I are continuing our read of the Nine World series by Goddard. This novella reintroduces us to Terec, who we first met in Terec and the Wild, but this is an older Terec. We learn that 7 years have passed since the happenings in Terec and the Wild. In this novella, Terec starts into an ice wall, following its turns until he is in a land that he does not remember. He meets Jakory Greenwing, who we are already familiar with through earlier books in the series. A lot of this story Terec seems to be in an almost fugue-like state. Goddard's prose is very evocative here, but once again I want more! It is simply not long enough; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine - Kindle

My first one is a short story. So we are even. : ) Except you posted your review and I have yet to do that...Dang it. You're ahead. ; )

>64 alcottacre: So sorry to hear about Mallory. Let's hope the weekend at the vet works wonders. It hurts us so much when our pets are hurting.

I'm glad to read that Mallory is doing better, Stasia! I hope she is able to come home on Monday. Congrats on your first read of the year!

Hello, Stasia! Happy New Year! Happy first thread of 2025.

>47 alcottacre: Something we all aspire to but few actually manage.

>54 alcottacre: I just wrote on @@elorin’s thread that I need to read summaries of the first 8 books before I want to tackle Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone, which I bought in 2021. Sorry about Mallory’s being sick.

>64 alcottacre: and etc. regarding Mallory. Catheters and cones of shame aren’t fun, but at least he’s doing well. I hope he comes home tomorrow and makes the family complete again.

>78 alcottacre: That's part of a re-read syndrome that's led to me not doing it much...I'm different and the book is like a shadow of the book I first read. Plus the sheer volume of new stuff...well, it's so hard to make time anyway for revisiting stuff.

Hoping your c-a-t is well after the vet's treatments. Sunday orisons.

>87 Berly: LOL, Kim! I bet you catch up to me in no time.

>88 Whisper1: Yes, it does, lovey. I was so scared on Friday that we were going to lose him it was not even funny.

>89 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah. The vet is going to contact us today if there is anything to report, but no news is good news (according to him.)

>90 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen! I bought Go Tell the Bees back in 2021 too and after a complete reread of the books previous to it, am finally getting around to reading it.

Thanks about Mallory.

>91 richardderus: Yeah, RD, I agree that sometimes re-reads do not go as well the second time around. It has been years since I read The Terror though (I think I read it when the book was originally published 17 years or so ago) so it is not like the book was fresh in my mind.

I know it pained you to type the word 'cat' so thank you.

Sunday is my 'day off' technology where I spend more time with Kerry, board games, and books. I am hoping to finish both Patrick Stewart's and Billie Jean King's autobiographies today and will be back to report on them if I do.

I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday!

>86 alcottacre: I liked this a little more than you did, Stasia, as I gave it 4.5 stars (a book I would reread). I read that she's planning on writing 4 novellas about Terec, and I think it would be interesting to read them back-to-back when they're all out. I wonder if we'd feel we had enough of a story then?

I hope you enjoy your day off technology and that you get both the books finished that you'd like to. I have Billie Jean's on my TBR, and I really enjoyed Patrick Stewart's.

>94 bell7: I would reread Terec too, Mary, especially if Goddard finishes a 4 story arc about him.

Speaking of Patrick Stewart. . .

Finished this afternoon:

2 - Making It So by Patrick Stewart - Nonfiction; This was a recommendation by Mary (bell7) and I was happy to read this one as I was a huge ST: TNG fan. Stewart made me feel comfortable as a reader, even though he does speak about uncomfortable topics, almost like he and I were just sitting down as old friends and he was telling me his life story. I knew some of his story as a boy, having seen him on the British version of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' where he learns a lot about his father's background and why he was the way he was. Still, it was interesting reading about how young Stewart was when he decided to become an actor - and why he has still not retired; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Finished this evening:

3 - All In: An Autobiography by Billie Jean King - Nonfiction; Bonnie (brenzi) recommended this book a few years back and I am finally getting around to reading it. King not only share's her life's story, but also documents the strides made in women's sports throughout the years, including the all important Title IX. She shares how she began to question her sexuality and even after she married Larry King, a man she truly loved, struggled with it until she was unfortunately outed by a woman she had an affair with while she was still married. She goes on to champion the continuing struggles of those in the gay community while mentioning how things have improved for them - but we are still not there yet. She has basically taken her platform of tennis and turned it into a platform for civil rights advocacy and I say 'brava' to that. While I enjoyed Patrick Stewart's style more, I think King's may be the more important book of the two I finished today; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

The threads are a hopping, this time of year, Stasia. Already 3 books read! Nice work!

>98 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah! Yeah, the threads are hopping - and I normally have problems keeping up even when they are not. . .

We are hoping that the vet's office calls this morning to let us know we can come and get Mallory today. We did not hear anything from them yesterday so that is good news, right?

Kerry and I will be playing at least one game, possibly two, today. Since it is cold here (for Texas) we are sticking close to home - not that we ever get that far away anyway. We are having a Cheesy Broccoli & Brown Rice Casserole for lunch and I need to get the rice cooked for that early.

As far as reading goes, I am still listening to Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. I am continuing to read The Terror by Dan Simmons and My Soul’s High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen and will be at them for a while yet since one of them is 750+ pages and the other is over 600 pages. I barely started on Joe Pepper by Elmer Kelton last night and am hopeful of finishing it today since it is fairly short. If all goes well, I will start Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton later on today.

I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!

Morning, Stasia. I hope you had a good, pain-free weekend. I also loved the Billie Jean King bio and I am not a big tennis fan. Well, back to grind for the Warbler today, after a nice Christmas break and with Sue returning to work, it feels like the old times. Fortunately, I will be returning home in a couple of hours to hang with Juno and the books.

Monte Cristo is off to a terrific start.

>100 alcottacre: Monday orisons, Stasia, and goodness knows you're all fueled up on happy after Patrick Stewart's book. I hope nothing comes along to sink your mood. *smooch*

Stasia, I am hoping that you hear from the vet very soon. I would be tempted to call them just to touch base.

Happy New Year, Stasia!

Three books read and reviewed and over hundred posts already. You're a hard lady to keep up with, although I love reading your reports.

Sending healing vibes for Mallory. I thought I was losing my diabetic furkid Cree before Christmas, but he has rallied. Hoping the same for your sweet fur person.

>101 msf59: I had a very nice weekend, Mark, thank you. I am not a big tennis fan either, but had added the Billie Jean King to my library list when Bonnie recommended it. I am not in the least bit sorry that I read it. Glad to hear that you are enjoying the Count!

>102 richardderus: Thank you, Richard. I hope nothing sinks my mood either, lol.

>103 Crazymamie: Mallory is now safely home, Mamie. The vet called me first thing this morning (around 8am) to give us a progress report and things to watch out for - and to let us know we could come and get him.

>104 streamsong: Thank you so much for the healing vibes, Janet! They are much appreciated.

>105 alcottacre: Hooray for that!

>106 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. Mallory is studiously avoiding talking to either Kerry or I. He is not happy about the experience at the vet's at all, lol. It does not seem to matter to him that we saved his life.

>107 alcottacre: Pets never seem to appreciate the hardest things we do for them, but the appreciation for the simplest and most self-serving (food, cuddles, company) are really enough.

>105 alcottacre: YAY! Mallory's home!!!! He usually is slow to forgive when you go off, isn't he? He'll get over it. Hope it's smooth purring from here on out.

>108 quondame: Very true, Susan!

>109 LizzieD: No, Mallory is the cat who just seems to say 'Hey, mom, you're back home.' He is pretty laid back about it all. Chalfont is the really unforgiving one, lol.

Finished tonight:

4 - Joe Pepper by Elmer Kelton - In my never ending quest to expand my reading, I am going to try and slip a western (or two or three) into my reading this year - although I am not going to have a 'Read more westerns' challenge to go along with my 'Read more Sci Fi' one. Anyway, this entire book is a monologue - the title character is telling his life story to a preacher just before he is due to be hanged. Joe is not really a bad guy, he just more or less falls into situations, right? He is even a law man at one point. He is married too and going to be a father when his wife is killed. He spends a lot of time trying to find another 'Millie.' For the most part I enjoyed the book although it did get a bit repetitive with Joe more or less having to extricate himself from situations all the way through. There is also an underlying racism toward Mexican people that I did not care for but that is probably supposed to be Joe's voice, not the author's; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

"Caution is what makes old gunfighters."

I've been thinking about Mallory, and I am glad he is doing well, Stasia. By the way, I used the wrong touchstone on my thread. It should have been How To Read a Book by Monica Wood. Duh!

SO glad Mallory is home again and he'll purr at your feet soon enough. : )

>111 alcottacre: A western monologue? Interesting concept!

>112 vancouverdeb: Ah, OK. Well, I cannot get the Monica Wood book but I will keep my eyes out to see what you think of it.

>113 Berly: Mallory is not much of a purr-er. He is my quiet cat as far as vocal noises go. Chalfont, on the other hand, is definitely not.

Yep, a western monologue. Since I have so little experience with westerns at all I have no idea how many there actually are. . .

Today being Tuesday, it is meet up day with Beth and Catey - although next Tuesday is Catey's birthday so Kerry and I will be heading to Longview for the day to celebrate her birthday with her.

Nothing much on the agenda today. I ended up making Barley and Vegetable Soup yesterday for lunch so the Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Bake will make its appearance today instead. Kerry and I will be playing Genotype today and hopefully I will be gaming with the girls today when we meet up.

I am still listening to Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone and will be for a while yet. I continue reading The Terror and My Soul’s High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen. I did start on Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum yesterday and am hopeful of starting either Salt, Sugar, Fat : How the food Giants Hooked Us or Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries from Genesis to the Roman Era today. We will see. For the second day in a row I am walking around on less than 2 hours of sleep. . .

I hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!

Hello, Stasia, I finally made it over to your thread! Happy new year! I started out behind since we got home late in the afternoon on Jan. 2, and I've spent the last few days trying to catch up on LT. Already over 100 posts on your thread alone. But it looks like you've had a good start to your reading this year.

I am *very* glad to see that Mallory survived his illness and is back home with you. So many here on LT have been dealing with sick pets lately. I'm relieved to see the good outcome in your case.

Here's wishing you a wonderful 2025!

Hi Stasia! I keep watching updates on the winter storm that might be heading our way at the end of the week. They're having trouble deciding exactly where this one is going to track. In some of the models it looks like you're on the west side of the storm and I'm on the east side. I wouldn't mind a bit of snow on the weekend when I don't have to drive in it. It's good reading weather!

>116 atozgrl: Thank you so much, Irene!

>117 cbl_tn: Currently prognosticators here are predicting that the storm will arrive about midnight Thursday and bring with it 3-6 inches of snow and ice. Kerry and I will be battening down the hatches for sure!

Finished tonight:

5 - My Soul's High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen edited by Gerald Early - This book is hard for me to review. Countee Cullen was probably most famous for his poetry, but he also wrote a novel - the entirety of which is included in this book - and essays, many of which were published in the magazine Opportunity, where he was the assistant editor. He also translated Medea and his translation is also included. As most of you know, I am not a fan of poetry, but I read all of the poetry included in this anthology and some of it is quite powerful. I did not care overmuch for his novel, but his translation of Medea was first rate IMHO. So overall the book was a bit uneven, but still well worth the read; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

"This is the black writer's inviolate anxiety: to be free to be yourself and be free to be anything but yourself."

Update on my mother: Mother went to see the doctor and the report is good. Her shoulder is healing nicely so no surgery in her future. She has been taken off the prescription Tylenol that she was taking and her arm is now out of the sling. She goes back to the doctor in 6 weeks.

>120 alcottacre: I'm happy that there is good news regarding your mother's healing. Amen! And, of course, you are off to a great start in reading so many books already.

>120 alcottacre: That is good news regarding your mother, Stasia.

So far I am doing a good job keeping up reading wise as I have currently finished six books in 2025.

Congratulations on reading six books Paul!

Yay for good news about your mother!

I read quite a bit of Countee Cullen's poetry in college, having encountered him in an American Literature survey class and being impressed enough to follow up with independent reading. Really, really good stuff. I didn't know about the novel though and probably won't seek it out.

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. I am sure you had a nice visit with the girls. Glad your Mom is healing nicely.

Great news about your mum, Stasia!

>121 Whisper1: Thanks, lovey.

>122 PaulCranswick: Six already?? Wow, Paul.

>124 swynn: Yeah, I do not think Cullen was at his best with prose, Stephen. Thanks about my mother.

>125 msf59: Yes, the girls and I had a good time together. We actually got to play a game together yesterday.

>126 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley!

Kerry and I will be running errands this morning as we get ready for the potential snow and ice over the next couple of days. I am heading to the library - he is heading to Wal Mart to pick up snacks :)

We have already played our game for today and I doubt we will play any more today. I am hoping to get some extra reading in today, but am not holding my breath on that one. I am having one of my 'I do not want to read today' days. I hope this feeling goes away in the afternoon so I can get the extra reading done!

I have already been listening to Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone this morning so if nothing else, I have got that in today. I am hoping to make progress on Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum this afternoon (assuming I can get out of my temporary reading funk) and would really like to at least start on one or two of my library books.

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

Hi Stasia! Happy Wednesday to you. I’m glad Mallory’s home.

>118 alcottacre: Snow, okay, ice, not okay. I hope Kerry battens down every hatch.

>120 alcottacre: So glad to hear that your mother is coming along.

That's good news about your mother!

Good luck with the potential weather. I well remember how crazy things would get down there at any hint of snow/ice :)

That's great news about Mallory and your mother. Hope you have all you need for the snow and ice and stay warm and cozy!

>120 alcottacre: I'm vastly pleased to hear that your mother is doing very well, Stasia. You are made of strong stuff!!!

I also hope that Mallory has forgiven you.

We might get a little winter precip. Friday night too.......again, not when we can watch it fall. It will be ice by morning. I hate ice. Stay warm. Read good stuff!

What great news about your mother, Stasia. I know what a worry it was for you. Good luck with the winter weather. I think "your" storm is heading our way; there's snow forecast for Friday night into Saturday, but currently only 1-2".

>129 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. I agree completely about snow and ice!

>130 katiekrug: Yeah, it can get really crazy because Texans do not seem to be able to handle the weather at all if there is snow. And ice? Do not even get me started, lol.

>131 bell7: Thanks, Mary!

>132 LizzieD: I am definitely with you about ice, Peggy. I absolutely hate the stuff.

>133 lauralkeet: I hope that you do not get as much of the wet stuff as we are project to, Laura. Thanks about Mother.

Finished this morning:

6 - Rags: Hero Dog of WWI by Margot Theis Raven - Juvenile Nonfiction; In an effort to get out of the mini reading funk that I am in today, I picked this one up at the library while I was there this morning. I quite enjoyed this bit of juvenile nonfiction and I actually learned something while I was reading it: Did you know that "of all the major fighting parties, only the United States did not formally make dogs a part of its WWI military ranks"? Rags, the dog in this book, is adopted by a soldier and made part of his unit. Rags liked infantry work, helping find breaks in telephone lines, and he worked as a runner as well. One of the things that I appreciated is that Raven did not try and cover up some of the brutality of the war - she mentions the poison gas used for instance and the wounds incurred by both Rags and his owner, Donovan. Unfortunately, Donovan dies as a result of his wounds, but Rags is able to find another owner so his story has a happy ending; Recommended for the young and the young at heart (4 stars) Library Book

Mom, and Mallory, on the mend! All good here, yay.

*smooch*

Good news about your mother, Stasia!

Happy Thursday, Stasia! Let's see so much to catch up on......Happy dance for both Mallory and your mom! I hope they continue their positive recovery.
I'm still reading/listening to The Terror. Could an icebound ship have a better name?
Adding the Stewart and King books to my library request list. I love autobios on audio, especially while puzzling.
I hope the ice storm, headed your way, is not as nasty as it looks on radar. Take care!!

Very good news about your mother, Stasia.

Good luck with your incoming winter weather.

>136 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! ((Hugs)) and **smooches** to you as well

>137 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah!

>138 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! I am continuing with The Terror too and probably will be for another couple of days. You are very right about the name.

>139 Crazymamie: Thanks all around, Mamie!

It has been snowing here pretty much all day long. Currently we have 2 inches on the ground - Kerry went out and measured - and it continues to fall. Luckily thus far we have not had any ice. Catey out in Longview though - that is a different story altogether. They are not getting snow, they are getting sleet. Thankfully she was given today off and I imagine she will have tomorrow off as well.

Unlike the 3 nights in a row where I got less than 2 hours of sleep, last night I got 7.5. Progress! Let's hope that keeps up.

Kerry and I played a game today and punched 2 more that we got for Christmas. Our monthly gaming marathon is tomorrow. We chose a good week for it considering the weather!

I am continuing to listen to Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. I am also continuing to read The Terror. I am hoping to finish Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum tonight. I started A Sudden Light yesterday and, thus far, am liking it more than I did Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain. I am hoping to start at least one of my other library books tonight as well because I have to have both of them returned by next Tuesday, a day that I will be out of town.

This is our world: you, in Texas, are getting snow. Me, in Toronto, Canada, have no snow at all (outside the city, different story, but here, if I didn't want my feet to be warm, I could wear shoes, not boots). It is still pretty freezing here!

>142 jessibud2: Crazy, isn't it, Shelley? I bet you are probably colder there, temperature-wise, than we are here where it is a balmy 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

>143 alcottacre: - Right now, at this moment, we are at -5C (23F) with a wind chill making it feel like -12C (10.4F).

I do not like the cold.

>144 jessibud2: I do not particularly like the cold either, but I would rather have the cold than the heat!

I knew it was going to be colder there than it is here! Even with the wind chill, it is still 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

You did indeed chose a good week for a gaming marathon. So glad that Catey has the day off - sleet is nasty. And hooray for 7.5 hours of sleep - incredible. I do not have the CFS that you do, but I do suffer from insomnia, and 4 hours is usually the most I can manage in one go.

>146 Crazymamie: I suffer from both insomnia and CFS, so my body is totally confused most of the time, lol. I am sorry to hear that you suffer from insomnia. 4 hours is a great night's sleep for those of us that do, I think.

Agreed about the 4 hours. I did know that you suffered from both - I am so sorry for you as one is bad enough. I worked night shift for years, and so my sleep rhythms are totally messed up. I usually just read when I can't sleep, so that is at least a consolation.

>148 Crazymamie: I worked the night shift for 25+ years, Mamie, so I can commiserate there. My sleep rhythms have been messed up my entire life though, so I cannot blame working night shifts for it.

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. I remember having The Terror on my TBR many years ago but it ended up falling off at some point. I have never read him.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/367493

>141 alcottacre: Stasia, could you do me a favor and keep the snow in Texas? It is supposed to start here in Southwest Missouri within the hour. We managed an afternoon walk with Penny today for the first time in the last 4 days. We had a little bit of snow and ice last weekend and the temps haven’t gotten out of the 20s until today.

I’m so glad that both your mother and Mallory have gotten good health reports. Be careful if you venture outside. Probably best to stay in with the books and games. ;-)

>150 msf59: I have read a couple of Simmons' books, Mark, The Terror and Drood, and enjoyed them both, so you might give him a try at some point.

>151 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>152 Donna828: Well, I will do my best to keep the snow here, Donna, but considering how much control I have over your weather (or my weather, for that matter), I would not hold my breath.

Yeah, we are pretty much not moving out of the house either today or tomorrow. It is supposed to be 19 here in the morning, so if any of the snow (which is still coming down) melts, it is likely to refreeze. It is going to be ugly here in the morning.

Finished tonight:

8 - Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton - Nonfiction; Mental illness is still almost a taboo subject these days - although progress is certainly being made in that regard - so you can imagine what treatment was like 100+ years ago, which is when Maryland's Hospital for the Negro Insane was built (the institution was renamed to the Crownsville State Hospital later in its history). The Hospital was actually built by its first 12 patients. Crownsville was one of the last surviving segregated asylums and many of its records were destroyed through the years. Hylton relied on the testimonies of people who both lived and worked there to write this book, an indictment of the psychological suffering of the people who were supposedly treated there, both black and white. However, the vast majority of the patients at Crownsville were black and many of them were not insane, but rather institutionalized because no one quite knew what to do with them; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

Good to see that your mother and Mallory are doing well, Stasia.

Another night shift worker here but it was years ago and only for a few years at that time. Even today I am still awake at 4:00 am I get hungry as that was coffee break time.

Good luck with the snow. We haven't had any of that here this season (knock on wood). I think the plants around here are confused as I've seen some new buds on branches.

>155 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg.

LOL at the 4am coffee break! Maybe that is why I am up so early these days. My last night shift work was from home and I worked from midnight to 8am, taking a break at 4am to say goodbye to Kerry who left for work about then.

We ended up with at least 4 inches of snow. It looks lovely but I am very glad that neither Kerry or I has to drive on it because I know that there is ice in there too.

>119 alcottacre: What a very good review! As always, your writing shines through!!!

Today is our monthly gaming marathon - yay! - so books are not going to be a priority, although I am sure I will get to them at some point.

We are having Instant Pot Potato Soup for lunch, one of our favorites. Kerry will be snacking throughout the gaming marathon, I am sure.

Continuing on listening to Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone and reading The Terror. I think I will be finishing A Sudden Light tonight. I started Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era last night and am hoping to start The Steerswoman today.

>157 Whisper1: Thanks, lovey!

Stopping by to say hi while I try to keep an eye on Muffin, Stasia. She is still at that puppy age where she is into everything, and as Dave says - she is in her destructive mode. I'm back and forth from out little yard in our townhouse to see what she is up to next. So far I have gotten a piece of rotten wood from her. I just rounded her up from the back yard for the moment. We have a dog door, so she is back and forth. It's exhausting at times! Like having a toddler.

>161 vancouverdeb: I know exactly how that feels, Deborah. Before we had the cats, we were fostering a puppy we named Chaplin. He was more than a handful! Good luck with Muffin!

Finished last night:

8 - The Glass of Lead & Gold by Cornelia Funke - Richard recommended this series and I am finally getting around to reading it. This novella is the first book. We are introduced to Tabetha, an orphaned 15-year-old, who hunts for treasures along the banks of the Themes River and is successful at it. She comes to the attention of a treasure hunter who wants her to find a specific item - the Glass of Lead and Gold; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine

Nothing much on the agenda today. Groceries are supposed to arrive, but who knows? The snow is melting, but I imagine that grocery orders may be backed up due to the weather for the past 2 days. Normal chores to do.

Kerry and I will be playing a couple of games today. We are continuing our campaign of Pandemic Legacy, Season 1. Kerry's choice for gaming today is Elder Sign, an old favorite that we have played over 100 times.

Did my reading go according to plan yesterday? Of course not. I was very tired last night - the result of sleeping barely over 2 hours the night before, I think - so while I listened to Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone during the day yesterday (in between games) and read The Terror, I did not get the book finished yesterday that I had planned, so hopefully I will see A Sudden Light to completion. I also read in Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era. Hopefully reading today will go better than yesterday.

I hope you all have a super Saturday!

By the way, we ended up with 6 inches of snow. For Texas, that is absolutely absurd, lol!

Hi Stasia!

>141 alcottacre: Lots of snow for you. I hope Catey’s situation is okay too. And congratulations on getting 7.5 hours of sleep.

>164 alcottacre: My, my, you’re up early. I am too, for that matter, but later early, if that makes sense. Hope your groceries get delivered, chores done, games played, books read. Do you have a dedicated space/table to play games on?

Happy Saturday to you.

>166 karenmarie: Yes, we have a dedicated table space for game playing - our dining room, which we have never used as such. It has always been our gaming room.

>165 alcottacre: OMG! That's amazing, Stasia. I hope your temps warm up quickly and it all melts away. We've had very cold weather this week so Monday's 6" snowfall is still out there, and we had another inch last night.

WOW to 6 inches of snow! Hoping your groceries show up in a timely fashion. Have fun with your gaming - I was just telling The Girls that we need to get back to that.

6 inches of snow is impressive! Glad you don't have to go out in it, though.

Have a great weekend, Stasia!

Hi Stasia. I am *very* glad to hear the good news about your mother. Six inches of snow! We didn't get anywhere near that much out of the same system, and I think it was all sleet and freezing rain, so not pretty or fun.

Have a fun day of books and games! And may you have more nights of 7.5 hours of sleep.

>168 lauralkeet: Yes, the snow started melting today. I imagine that it will all be gone by tomorrow, Laura.

>169 Crazymamie: The groceries did show up, for which I am grateful as they were for meals next week. I hope you and your girls can get back to gaming. My girls and I sure do enjoy our weekly meet ups to game!

>170 katiekrug: I am very glad I did not have to get out in it either, Katie. Kerry went to the recycling center today only to discover it was closed, so he got out in it for nothing in the end. Thanks!

>171 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene. Catey, out in Longview, got no slow either. She just got ice and sleet - not 'pretty or fun' either.

I have had a very good day of books and games! Last night I was back to under 2 hours of sleep. Hopefully I will get more tonight!

Finished tonight:

9 - A Sudden Light by Garth Stein - I have mentioned before that I did not care overmuch for Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, which everyone else appears to have loved. I liked this book better, but not by a whole lot. I am thinking that Garth Stein is just not an author for me. In this book, we meet 14-year-old Trevor, whose parents on seemingly on the edge of divorce. His father decides to take Trevor back to the family home, which is currently the home of his sister, Serena, and their father, Samuel. So, they get to the family home, Serena starts spouting family history, and Trevor promptly begins seeing ghosts. His grandfather, who has Alzheimer's (or does he?), sees the ghost of his late wife. Trevor sees his grandmother and his (several times) uncle Benjamin, who died long before Trevor was born, but as we learn through the course of the book, wants Trevor to right some past wrongs. And here begin some of my problems with the book - how does Benjamin know that Trevor is the one who can fix things? Another problem I have with it is that it is just too long. I think 50 pages could easily have been trimmed. One of the things I really liked was the atmosphere that Stein brings to the book - I thought that worked really well. I also liked the character of Trevor and thought Stein did a good job with Trevor's 14-year-old voice; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

Today being Sunday, it is my traditional 'day off technology, so I will see everyone bright and early tomorrow morning. Kerry and I will be playing board games, watching football, and I will be (hopefully) finishing The Terror today.

I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday!

Finished this morning:

10 - The Terror by Dan Simmons - Wow, there is a lot to process with this one. Based on the actual exploration of Sir John Franklin and his attempt to find the Northwest Passage, Simmons uses the title of one of Franklin's ships, The Terror, to great effect here. Not only is there a terror from without, but there is also a terror within. I think that you could argue that there are multiple terrors as the ship gets frozen in the ice, men begin to die from disease, mutiny is suggested, and there is a 'beast' stalking them. As I mentioned at some point above, the book felt longer to me on this re-read than it did when I read it previously. That does not take anything away from what Simmons accomplishes in slowly building up the cohesiveness of the men at the beginning of the book and then as the strain of their hardships - the disease, the deaths, the devastation wrought by the creature - the relationships start to break down; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

Happy Sunday, Stasia. I know it is your tech-free day but I just wanted to say hi and enjoy your game day.

Happy Sunday, Stasia. See you tomorrow.

Yay for groceries being delivered, sorry Kerry went out into the mess for nothing.

I'll be heading out this afternoon for book club, and everything will have melted on all the roads I'll be on.

Morning, Stasia! Your Sunday plans sound perfect - hoping you have a day full of fabulous and that you get much better sleep tonight.

Hi Stasia. You got several inches of snow and we have had almost no snow in January so far. When people learned that P and I were going to spend the winter living in Camp Sherman, they often expressed concern ("are you prepared for the snow?") but so far we have been disappointed by the lack of snowfall. Hoping it picks up as we move through the winter.

Hi there Stasia--Hope you had fun on your no-technology day. Six inches is a lot! Sleep well. : )

Six inches of snow! That's a lot by my standards , Stasia. We had none so far this winter , which is fairly normal. Muffin was so exhausted by playing at the dog park this afternoon, no destructive mode this evening! Dave could barely convince her to out the door for her last walk of the day this evening. Yay!

>176 msf59: Thanks, Mark! We did.

>177 karenmarie: Yeah, it is melting here too, Karen. I am sorry to see the snow go.

>178 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. We had a very nice day - and I got 7.5 hours of sleep last night.

>179 EBT1002: I think someone has turned the country upside down or something, Ellen. Why are we getting snow and you are not? I hope you get some soon!

>180 Berly: I had a very nice 'no tech' day, Kim! Yeah and those 6 inches are melting everywhere. It is now very wet here.

>181 vancouverdeb: Yay for no destructive mode for Muffin! That is great!

I slept in late this morning and hope that this is not a sign that CFS is raising its ugly head. Catey's birthday is tomorrow and Kerry and I will be heading to Longview to celebrate the day with her. Today, however, is just going to be a normal day.

Since we will be out of town tomorrow, Kerry and I are playing a couple of games today rather than our normal 1: Paperback (a deck building word game) and My Island (a tile placement game).

I am still listening to Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. I am still reading Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era. This is not a long book, but it has small print so it is going to take a while as I only read about 20 pages a day in it. I am also reading The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein, Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham, and Farewell Espana by Howard M. Sachar. I am hoping to finish Theatre today.

I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!

Hooray for seeing Catey and Catey seeing you both on her birthday - not to mention your dear mother!!!!! Travel safely and have a wonderful time!

ETA: I see that I own an unread copy of *Steerswoman* on my Kindle. I'll remember to push it higher on Mt. Bookpile.

>184 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy!

As far as The Steerswoman goes, I am about halfway through and really enjoying it. I think you would too.

Finished tonight:

11 - Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham - This book is a character study of one Julia, a diva if ever there was one. When she was young and just beginning her career on the stage, she falls for Michael Gosselyn, another actor, although a poor one compared to her. The two eventually marry and have a son. In the meantime, Michael pretty much retires from acting in order to run his own management agency while Julia continues to act. There marriage is more a convenience at this point and then Julia falls for a man only slightly older than her son. When Tom, the man in question, decides that he loves another actress rather than Julia, she sets out to get her revenge against the other woman. Maugham once again proves that he understands the human character so, so well; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

>158 alcottacre: I own a copy of the Terror. If I had a better system of arranging my books, I would be able to find it. Part of tomorrow will be spent looking for it. Your well-written review is intriguing.

I often wish we lived close to each other. We could discuss books!

Hi, Stasia and Linda! I too have a copy of *The Terror* that I thought I had read. Not so. *sigh*

Drat, I quickly looked at one of the bookcases by the computer only to see that the book Terror is not in that book case. I'll try tomorrow, then check it out of the library at a later time. Right now, I have 15 books at home from the library.

>187 Whisper1: I wish we all lived in one big block so we could walk back and forth to each other's houses and talk about books all the time, lovey! That is what the 75ers are to me: my big block in my worldwide neighborhood.

>188 LizzieD: Maybe one of these years, Peggy!

>189 Whisper1: Yay for using the public library, Linda!

Kerry and I are off to Longview in about 10-15 minutes. Not sure when we will be getting back. . .

I hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!

Happy Birthday to your Catey, Stasia!

>186 alcottacre: Great review - adding this one to The List.

>190 alcottacre: "I wish we all lived in one big block so we could walk back and forth to each other's houses and talk about books all the time, lovey! That is what the 75ers are to me: my big block in my worldwide neighborhood." Such a lovely thought!

>190 alcottacre: >192 Crazymamie:

>192 Crazymamie: We had a very nice day together, Mamie. Thanks!

I hope you enjoy Theatre if and when you get to it.

As far as my worldwide neighborhood, that is just how I picture the 75ers - a group of people that I can visit as neighbors and drop by whenever I can or like :)

>193 quondame: Perfect, Susan!

Finished on the drive home from Longview:

12 - Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell - This is one of Peggy's (LizzieD's) favorite book series so I decided it was high time that I got around to reading it and I am so glad that I did! We are introduced to Ishmael Horatio Wang (no I am not making that up!) who, at the beginning of the book, is orphaned when his mother, a university professor, dies. His father has never been in his life so Ishmael is now on his own and has no idea what to do. It turns out that the planet on which he has been living is a corporation planet and now that he is 18, he is expected to do something with his life on said planet because the corporation is not just going to let him live there for free. So Ishmael decides to ship out as a 'quarter share,' the lowliest of the low, on an interstellar freighter. I must say that I found Ish's experiences on the freighter to be refreshing: there is no Captain Bligh figure, no hazing rituals, etc. He falls in with people who genuinely like him and want him to be all that he can be if he decides to stick with interstellar travel; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Thank you, Peggy, for so loving this series and talking me into reading it :)

I'm absolutely delighted that you did like it, Stasia! You are bound to enjoy the next two too. Then lots of people don't care for the rest because Ish is growing up and things aren't rosy any longer. I, on the other hand, appreciate them all and will definitely reread the whole 12-book series later in the year.

I hope you enjoyed your day in Longview, celebrating Catey's birthday, Stasia! It was my mom's birthday today, but I was over there yesterday with some gifts on Monday, and we had a good visit. Today she went out for lunch with my brother and his wife. She said she had a great day today. So that is good.

Morning, Stasia! Glad you had a good time yesterday. Was there cake?

>194 alcottacre: Yes!

>195 alcottacre: You got me with that one, and I can borrow it on Kindle Unlimited, so hooray for that.

>196 LizzieD: What books do you consider to be part of the 12-book series, Peggy? I only see 6? Completionist that I am, I will be reading them all.

>197 vancouverdeb: We had a very good time, Deborah, celebrating with Catey. We took her out to eat, visited her shoppe, and went to the museum that she wanted to see. I am glad to hear that you had a good visit with your mother!

>198 Crazymamie: No, we did not have cake. We took Catey out to eat, but she did not want dessert although we did offer it. The museum we went to had a cafe attached and she had heard good things about their milk shakes - so she and Kerry indulged in those.

I hope you enjoy Quarter Share as much as Peggy and I do, Mamie!

All the Ishmael books are in trilogies with different names and hard to spot, Stasia.

You have the first six, right? They are followed by these darker ones mostly set in Toe-hold Space in the Deep Dark.

In Ashes Born
To Fire Called
By Darkness Forged
Before you read the last three, you might want to detour to read about a couple of younger women just graduated from the Space Academy: Milk Run, Suicide Run, Home Run
School Days
Working Class
Hard Knocks

I haven't read another two that feature a secondary character that you'll meet in Half Share because I suspect they are less about her than about her culture. I'm sure I'll get to them!

>200 LizzieD: Peggy, all that I currently own are Quarter Share and Half Share.

Thanks!

Hi Stasia! Happy Wednesday to you.

Glad you had a good time celebrating Catey's birthday, even if it didn't include dessert and only milkshakes.

I need to get caught up on Eve Dallas and the Thursday Murder Club series.

>202 karenmarie: I am trying to read only one In Death book a month although I could certainly go faster since I love that series so much, lol. There should be another one coming out next month, Bonded in Death, which is book #60.

I love the Thursday Murder Club series. I am not sure when Osman is publishing another one.

Thanks for stopping by, Karen!

Love the image in >193 quondame:! I've added it to the group page.

>204 drneutron: Great!

>190 alcottacre: What a wonderful idea!!

>193 quondame: I'll take the house third from the right - not many stairs to climb by the looks of it!

Lovely to see you posting up a storm, Stasia.

Finished tonight:

13 - The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein - Rowan is a steerswoman, which essentially means that the people of her guild must answer any questions posed to them and they must answer the questions truthfully. In return, they are allowed to ask you any questions and if you answer other than the truth, no other steerswoman or steersman will ever answer any questions for you ever again. At the beginning of the book, Rowan is seeking the source of a jewel she stumbled across and as she is seeking answers as to where the jewel came from, she meets Bel, who becomes her best friend, and Willam, a very young wizard. Oh, did I forget to mention that there are wizards too? They are another faction in this world and they hold a lot of power; Recommended (4 stars) Hoopla - Kindle

>206 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

I want the one with a turret myself. I would love to be able to look down and say, "Yes, I see so-and-so is off to visit some other 75er and I wonder what they are up to?" Lol

>193 quondame:- I'd live there!

>208 alcottacre: Hahaha I like that!

>209 jessibud2: Yay! The more the merrier!

>210 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.

>163 alcottacre: So glad you liked it! *smooch*

>193 quondame: What a great image! I don't care which house I get; I'll even share. Just let me in!

Hi Stasia. I'm glad you got to spend Catey's birthday with her!

>207 alcottacre: Yay Steerswoman! I read the first couple in that series -- I think after a recommendation by Katherine (qebo) -- and liked them very much, but then got distracted. I should get back ....

>212 richardderus: It is firmly on my series reading list now, Richard. That should tell you something, lol. Thank you again for the recommendation!

>213 LizzieD: You can share the turret with me if you like, Peggy!

>214 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen!

>215 swynn: Yeah, distraction. A book lover's bane, right?

>216 alcottacre: *beam* Thank you, Stasia.

>217 LizzieD: I am fairly sure we could get into all kinds of trouble :)

>186 alcottacre: Maugham once again proves that he understands the human character so, so well Indeed, he does. I have only read two by him - A Painted Veil, which was a five-star read, and the play The Constant Wife. Also very good. An author I should try to read more of.

Finished this afternoon:

14 - Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon - Audiobook; This is the ninth (and currently final) book in Gabaldon's Outlander series of books and I think it is the best of the recent books in the series. Gabaldon is clearly setting up for book 10, which is supposedly to be the last book in the series, but that does not keep her from keeping the story moving along. There are a myriad of threads going on in this one and the book ends on a cliffhanger, which I hate, but I understand its necessity or this book would have been well over the 900 pages that it already is! Suffice to say, I very much enjoyed book 9 and am looking forward to book 10 when it makes its appearance some time between 2025 and 2027; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

>220 alcottacre: - I love her books. I read the first 4 back to back (paper copies) then had to take a break. I own the next 3, I think, but just have not yet got back to them. Maybe I will see if I can get them on audio. Gabaldon came to Toronto to speak and sign books several years ago (maybe 2013, 2014?) and I went to see her. She is as charming as you would expect her to be and also, quite funny.

>221 jessibud2: I love her books as well. I love Davina Porter's narration so I listen to them on audio - the books are just too large for me to be able to hold at this point. I am glad you got to see Gabaldon in person! She sounds like she would be a great person to be able to see.

>220 alcottacre: Goodness me! 900pp daunts me. It's certainly true that she can fill 'em with story, though. I'm not sure why they're stopping the TV series after next season, but there's a prequel series in the works, so maybe that's it?

>222 alcottacre: - I just looked back in my gallery and found 3 pics I posted. It was Oct. 2009!! A bit more than half way down, when scrolling through my gallery, if you are so inclined.

>190 alcottacre: That would be fantastic! All those books and awesome people to visit. Could you imagine the real life book club? Also all of the good food....and wine. That sounds like a wonderful community!

Hope you have a great weekend.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/367740

Happy Friday, Stasia. I have never attempted any of The Outlander books but it is good to know that they stay top notch deep into the series. Not always the case. I am still having a grand time with The Count and I will be venturing past the 1,000 page mark today.

Looks like you've started the year with some good reading Stasiia.

>120 alcottacre: Great news re your mom.

Stasia I lost track of you by failing to star you. That has been fixed now.
So looking for an update on Mallory.
Glad to hear your mom is doing well and won't need surgery.
That's a lot of snow.
Have a great visit in Longview and time spent with family.

>223 richardderus: I have never seen any of the television series, Richard, so I have no idea as to why it is stopping. The prequel series makes sense as the reason though.

>224 jessibud2: I will check out your gallery, Shelley. Thanks for telling me where to find the photos!

>225 figsfromthistle: It does sound like a wonderful community, doesn't it? I would hang out there for sure! We have an awesome online community already - we just need to figure out how to do the food and wine bit, right? Lol

>226 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver! I am in as far as I can be.

>227 msf59: Congratulations, Mark. Getting to the 1000 page point is quite an achievement!

>228 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline!

>229 Kristelh: Mallory is slowly but surely getting back to being Mallory again. He does not seem to be having any lasting effects at this point. We have changed his food at the vet's suggestion to one that helps cats with urinary tract issues. Thanks for asking, Kristel!

Kerry and I have been up and about for hours already - he was up at 2:30am because he could not sleep - I was not up nearly that early, lol. We have already played one game today, Everdell Duo, which neither of us had played before, and have Genotype slated to play this afternoon. Lunch is out of the way (Cajun Boil) and I am currently waiting to hear from Catey.

My mail today consisted of a catalog from Labyrinth Books. Do they not realize that I am not supposed to be buying books? Get thee behind me, Satan! Lol

I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!

>227 msf59: Mark - the opening chapters of the first Outlander may get you intrigued, as well the Movies that followed!

Stopping back to ask how the kitchen project is going. Hopefully it is all done?

>233 Kristelh: Other than a few minor details (and one major one that will require another contractor), it is done. Thanks for checking, Kristel!

Finished tonight:

15 - Farthing by Jo Walton - I very much enjoyed this alternate history/manor house mystery. Walton posits an England that negotiated peace with Hitler rather than continuing to fight against his tyranny. Unfortunately, the fate of the Jews is still the same - and anti-semitism is on the rise in England. We meet Lucy Kahn, who is not Jewish, and her husband, David, who is and despite his war record, is still counted as lower than anyone. They are invited to a house party, a murder ensues, and David is the scapegoat, guilty until proven innocent. Inspector Carmichael is assigned the case and he knows that David is not guilty - so who is? and what is Carmichael going to do about it?; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Farthing sounds like a good read, Stasia. I'll have to look for it. Like you, I am trying not to buy many books, but I did get a gift card from my son for Christmas, so purchased The Frozen River, which I loved and then just bought When We Walk By from amazon ca. I have had the latter book of mywish list for 6 months or so, and neither my library nor out local bookstore has it. It's about why we tend to walk by homeless people. My church has a big outreach to the homeless , or those in need of food. We employ two people who take meals to about 80-100 people 6 nights a week. My church provides a meal at the church every Wednesday evening as well, and other faith groups provide meals the other 5 nights. I have stopped walking by the homeless, and I stop and chat with them and offer some cash or food. I chatted with my pastor about it , and he said, more than anything, they just need someone to talk to and be interested in them . I really like that idea.

Dropped a star last week but don’t think I posted yet. Happy new reading year, may many great books come your way

>236 vancouverdeb: I am starting to buy books that count toward my Thingaversary in May and will be counting them down on the 'This Just In' thread. I joined LT all the way back in 2006 and will be getting 19 books! Wow, does time fly.

Your pastor sounds like a good man and your church has a wonderful outreach!

>237 Deern: Hey, Nathalie! Great to see you here!

Normal Saturday around here today. Chores, gaming, football, reading. . . The temperatures are dropping again so a good day for staying inside. We have a slight chance of snow next week (again!) but if we get any, it is sure not to be 6" like it was last time.

Lunch today is Cranberry Pecan Sweet Potato Wild Rice Pilaf, a new recipe to me - my daughter Catey sent it over, so I obviously have to try it. The sweet potato is in roasting at the moment.

My latest audiobook is Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves. It looks like I will be finishing Farewell Espana today. It has been excellent. I am continuing to read Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries from Genesis to the Roman Era by Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier. I will be starting something else today - possibly 2 something elses - but I am not sure what yet. I have plenty to choose from!

I hope everyone has a super Saturday!!

I am also having a normal Saturday except that I found a clothes store called Big Player which specializes in outsize clothes (as it is difficult to find "western" fitting clothes here) and I bought 9 shirts which fit me lovely. I am a happy chappy.

Morning, Stasia! I am hoping that the new recipe is delicious, so that you can share it with me - it sounds most YUM.

Happy weekend, Stasia! I'd love to know how the new rice pilaf recipe goes - if you like it, will you share it with us?

>240 PaulCranswick: Hooray for happy chappy!

>241 Crazymamie: I will keep you posted, Mamie.

>242 bell7: Certainly! The original recipe calls for pecans though and I am making it without them - I do not like pecans :)

Finished this evening:

16 - Farewell Espana by Howard M. Sachar - Nonfiction; I am really not sure where to begin with this excellent history of Shepardic Jewry. The Shepardim differ from their Ashkenazim brothers in that the Shepardic Jews originated on the Iberian Peninsula. This book tells their history literally from its beginning up until this book was published in 1994. The impact of the Shephardic Jews on their respective countries - Spain, Portugal, and when those countries expanded into the New World, South America and Mexico - cannot be overstated. Unfortunately as in so many countries, the Jews were persecuted for being Jews - forced to convert to Christianity, oppressed by the Inquisition, and executed. Throughout this book, Sachar keeps the reader's interest up by specifying people and families, thus making the history all the more personal; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

Finished tonight:

17 - Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves - Audiobook; This is the fourth entry in Cleeves Shetland series and I enjoyed each book thus far just a little better than the last. Just like Farthing (reviewed above), it owes something to the 'Golden Age' of mystery writers like Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers although in this case, the cast of characters is not relegated to a manor house, but rather an island. Jimmy Perez, along with his fiancee, Fran, is visiting his parents on Fair Isle, when a woman is murdered. And then a second woman meets the same fate. Both women had bird feathers on their bodies. What is the significance? Can Jimmy figure it out before there is another victim? There is a lot going on in this one as there are underlying issues here, there and everywhere. The ending is not at all what I expected it to be!; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Today is my traditional 'day off' technology, so I am just checking in before I am off to do. . . stuff. I hope to be back at some point to report on a couple of books that I am finishing up, including what may prove to be my first 5-star read of the year.

I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday!

Finished this morning:

18 - Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era by Jean-Pierre Isbouts - Nonfiction; This is a large, coffee table book. Most of the time, I bypass reading those because of their size. I am so glad that I did not bypass this one. The book has a lot going for it, not the least of which is that it was published by National Geographic and hence has some 300+ pictures relating to the subject matter in it. It also has a variety of maps, helping establish where things took place, and it has a running chronology in it as well, helping establish when things took place. The book is here "to provide. . .a comprehensive overview of the most important archaeological discoveries related to stories in the Bible" and it does this in spades; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Library Book

I enjoyed Fartthing when I read it, Stasia.

Gabeldon is a regular at SIWC and I’ve taken several workshops with her. It’s often hard to find a seat as she’s so popular.

Hi Stasia my dear, hope all is well with you all. The next in the Thursday Murder Club Series comes out in September, i think he might be producing his books in alternate years now.

Checking and checking out. Hope your Sunday was good. Ours was fine. I napped a bit of the afternoon away! Now back to *Pawn*.

>248 Familyhistorian: I am hoping to read the entire trilogy this month, Meg. Have you read beyond Farthing?

I would love to see Diana Gabaldon in person! I am happy you have had the opportunity to see her.

>249 johnsimpson: Thanks for the update about the Thursday Murder Club series, John!

>250 LizzieD: Yes, my Sunday was good, Peggy, and I am glad to hear that yours was as well.

Happy Monday, Stasia. No school today due to the holiday, which is okay with me since it is currently -2F out there. Nearing the finish line of Monte Cristo. It has been a very long, winding journey but Dumas never fails to entertain. An intricately plotted masterpiece. Glad I finally got to it and got a few others to join me.

I am sitting here this morning eating my Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (yum!) and wondering if it is going to get any warmer than 30 degrees today. It is currently 18 but feels like 12, which is better than yesterday's 7.

I have already gotten the beds stripped, the sheets in the wash and now in the dryer, balanced the bank statement and paid the bills, made breakfast and am now finally sitting down to LT for a bit.

Lunch today is Easy Buckwheat Chili and Cornbread. I love this particular chili recipe as buckwheat is such an unusual ingredient. Kerry and I are going to play Paperback at some point today, just not sure when.

As far as books go, my current audiobook is Pearl Buck in China by Hilary Spurling, which I just started this morning. I am also reading Middlemarch by George Eliot (at least my third read of this classic), Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss, Women in the Valley of the Kings by Kathleen Sheppard, Atlas of Vanishing Places by Travis Elborough, and Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier. Those should keep me out of trouble for a minute or two!

I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!

>252 msf59: Yay for no school today, Mark! It is 18 here and that is cold enough, thank you very much :)

I am happy that you are enjoying Count! It is funny how many of the classics are worth the read (despite what we thought of them in high school), isn't it?

I found out today that there is a game coming out in 2025 called "A Place for All My Books." I told my husband, Kerry, that I am going to have to get it just for the title alone!

More information about the game is available here: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/431481/a-place-for-all-my-books

>253 alcottacre: Stasia, I like seeing your daily meal plans. I'm not vegan but we eat vegetarian meals fairly often. It's interesting to see the different flavors and textures in vegan/vegetarian cooking. Our first attempt at vegetarian eating (many years ago now) resulted in a lot of pasta and cheese, and cheesy pasta ha ha. Not so many vegetables. More recently I've made more recipes using beans and/or grains (and okay, sometimes cheese) and those feel more balanced.

>255 alcottacre: Wouldn't it be cool if the game could be played online with other LTers?

>255 alcottacre: - I might have to get that game!

Tuesday orisons, Stasia.

>256 lauralkeet: I understand about the pasta and cheese problem, Laura. It seems like when I first became a vegetarian years ago - in my mid 20s - that all of the recipes concentrated on what I could add cheese to. Now that I am vegan, I eat almost no cheese, not even the vegan variety.

Yes! That would be so cool. I will keep an eye out as to whether it shows up on Board Game Arena.

>257 katiekrug: I know, right? The name just draws you in.

>258 richardderus: Thanks, RD!

I am running behind today but I have already gotten the laundry done. Today is my meet up day with Beth and Catey but Catey has been sick the past several days so I am not sure if it will come off or not. We had already postponed our play of Ark Nova until next week when hopefully she will be feeling better.

Lunch today is Vegan Instant Pot White Bean Stew. Kerry will likely have leftover corn muffins with his. I will stick with dill pickles :)

I am getting on well with Pearl Buck in China which is being read by the author. I normally do not care for author-read audio books but Spurling is doing a good job. I am hoping to finish both Eleanore of Avignon and Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, which has managed to appall me on several levels. I will be keeping on with Middlemarch, Women in the Valley of the Kings, and Atlas of Vanishing Places.

I hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!

Same wish back to you, Stasia!

I'm off in a minute to see what the board game is all about. I'd love to be able to play online, I think.

You said you have some DDs. Let me advise you of a couple of things.... Thing 1: You absolutely have to follow both series (and I hope that what you have is *Crawford of Lymond*) in order. The first is Game of Kings. Thing 2: You'll probably know on the first page whether you're going to enjoy her style. It's partly that she's demanding, but you read demanding stuff all the time. The question is whether you can tolerate or even enjoy elegant ellipticism (a word?) for the sake of everything else.

Spurling interests me a bit. She has written about some of my favorite authors, but Ms. Buck is not among them. Anyway, enjoy that huge book load you're reading at the moment!

I hope Catey is a lot better and that you three can have your meetup!

>255 alcottacre: I feel like I already play that game in my own house several times a year! :-)

>261 LizzieD: Thanks for the advice regarding the Dunnett books, Peggy. I own all six books of the Lymond Chronicles.

Catey was feeling better, although still not 'well,' but well enough that our meet up today came off as scheduled.

>262 foggidawn: You and me both, foggi!

>255 alcottacre: I have sent a copy of that board game to Jacob, as he loves books and board games.

Finished this evening:

19 - Pearl Buck in China by Hilary Spurling - Nonfiction, Audiobook; I had not planned on finishing this one today, but somehow I did. This book won the James Tait Memorial Prize for Biography in 2010. I enjoyed this look at Pearl S. Buck although from the sounds of it, she was a hard woman to get to know. One of the best things about the book was that as readers we can clearly see how and why Buck wrote about the things she did. I read two of her books last year, The Good Earth (fiction) and The Child Who Never Grew (nonfiction about her oldest daughter, Carol), so it was kind of nice seeing where these books came from. Spurling does not, despite the book's title, stick strictly to Buck in China, but does come over to the States with the title character; Recommended (4 stars) Mine/Hoopla

Just a note: I normally do not listen to nonfiction books on audio because I like to be able to look at footnotes and bibliographies. In the case of this book and the one I will be starting tomorrow, Time's Echo, I own both in hard copy as well so that I can check both the footnotes and bibliographies.

>256 lauralkeet: The first MOOSEWOOD cookbook has great vegetarian recipes, the best being Gypsy Soup!

In the second printing, the recipe got changed.

Finished tonight:

20 - Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss - Nonfiction; I am so glad that I read this book, but so very appalled by what Moss tells his readers at the same time. Today, I eat virtually no processed food, preferring instead to eat a whole foods plant-based diet, but there was a time. . .Moss talks about how the obesity crisis in the U.S. came about primarily due to the fact that the food industry giants are manufacturing foods high in sugar, salt, and fat to literally addict people to their foods. Ugh. If you are a consumer of processed foods, I urge you to read this one. If you can stomach processed foods after having read it, I will be surprised; Recommended (4.25 stars) Library Book

>267 alcottacre: oh my goodness. I fear that my fears about this issue are well-founded.

>266 m.belljackson:
I agree about the value and quality of the Moosewood cookbooks. I own 8 of the Moosewood cookbooks and have used recipes out of every one of them. They are my most used cookbooks and whenever somebody asks me about a good cookbook to start putting more plants into their diet the Moosewood Cookbook is the first one I recommend. There are other good ones out there, but the recipes and the concepts in the Moosewood books are easy to use, have easy to find ingredients, and the food tastes great when it is done.

I haven't made the Gypsy Soup, so now I am curious and will have to find that cookbook amongst my boxes of books and try that one. It is soup weather here in Kansas.

You have been a vegetarian for a long time, and now vegan, Stasia. I know a few people who became vegetarian for a while, including our younger son and also my nephew, but they have gone back to eating meat and fish etc. Two of my niece are vegetarians, at least for now, as both are in their early twenties, so who knows. Gypsy sounds sounds interesting and I'll have to google it.

>253 alcottacre: Pumpkin pie oatmeal sounds fab Stasia. Wonder if I can get it here. ETA: nope :-(

>268 LovingLit: Yeah, they probably are, Peggy.

>269 benitastrnad: I did not realize that there are 8 Moosewood cookbooks out, Benita. I own only one.

>270 vancouverdeb: I have been a vegetarian since my mid-20s, Deborah. Not necessarily a healthy one though - nor a healthy vegan at times. However, since going to a whole food, plant-based diet, I feel better and am losing weight at a reasonable rate.

>271 Caroline_McElwee: Caroline, I can provide the recipe to you if you like. I make it from scratch.

Today is a busy day as I am prepping to run another board game auction tomorrow plus do my normal stuff. We are heading out the door in about 15 minutes to head over to the library and the local health food store (no Whole Foods here, lol).

Kerry and I have already played one game today (Via Nebula) and he wants to get one of our Christmas games to the table this afternoon (Invincible: The Hero Building Game) and since we have not played this one before, I am sure it is going to take a bit to play.

Lunch is a Vegetable Arborio rice made with onions, broccoli, corn, both red and green sweet peppers. It is supposed to have zucchini in it as well, but neither Kerry or I like cooked zucchini.

I started listening to Time's Echo this morning since I unexpectedly finished my audiobook yesterday. I did not get Eleanore of Avignon completed yesterday, but maybe today. I am continuing on with Middlemarch, Women in the Valley of the Kings, and Atlas of Vanishing Places. I started Henrietta's War yesterday, but do not think I will be starting anything else new today, but you never can tell with me, lol.

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

>269 benitastrnad: >270 vancouverdeb: >272 alcottacre: The original, 1977, Moosewood Gypsy soup is perfect, with fewer onions,- let me know if you can't find that one
and I'll type it here.

We are eating this one for 3 nights, with both vegan baguettes (daughter) and rye bread for dipping.

Are there 8 different Moosewood cookbooks?!

I have copies of the following Moosewood cookbooks.
Sundays at Moosewood
New Recipes from Moosewood
Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special
Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health
Moosewood Cookbook - this is the original one

I made a mistake there are only 7 Moosewood Cookbooks that I have. There might be 8 but I only have 7 of them. There is some overlap in the recipes but each one has enough different recipes in it that owning a copy of each is worth it.

I also like the Rodale cookbooks for their vegetarian and vegan recipes.

Stasia, The Moosewood Collective has something like eighteen cookbooks of low-fat, low-sugar, etc etc variants on their original concept...tons of ideas, no doubt at least one or two useful.

Have yourself a warming little Wednesday.

>276 richardderus: Cool beans! I doubt I will pick up any more Moosewood cookbooks at this point as I already have so many vegan/vegetarian cookbooks to hand but it is always nice to have choices.

Thanks! None too warm here but I suspect we are warmer than you are.

In light of the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday here in the U.S. a couple of days ago, I found this list of books on the Jewish Book Council's website highlighting books about Civil Rights and Race if anyone is interested: https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/books/reading-lists/civil-rights-and-race

>278 alcottacre: - Thanks for that list, Stasia. I have read a few but most were new to me.

>279 jessibud2: No problem, Shelley. Most of the titles were new to me as well.

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. I have been laying low the past couple of days, recovering from a bit of a cold. I am hoping to be healthy for Jackson Day tomorrow. Is this a reread of Middlemarch? That one was such a great surprise for me.

>281 msf59: Yes, it is a reread, Mark. I have read the book at least 3 times prior to this one, but it has been 15 years since I read it last.

I hope you are all recovered now!

Hi Stasia, I do love cookbook talk and books about food! Right now I am reading another book by Marion Nestle Slow Cooked a memoir and her making inroads as a female professor (not easy). She is presently 88 so knows about the early years of this change for women. Years ago I read Food Politics by her, a very interesting book about the food industry. The food industry is NOT!!!! good and its input and influence into food information (food pyramid) at the government level is not good or trustworthy either!

>283 mdoris: Yay, Mary!