Mary's (Storeetllr's) 2025 Reading Rainbow-Q1

Belated Happy New Year wishes! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season and that 2025 will be better than I think it will be. So far, it’s not looking great.

I’m really late getting this year’s thread up. I caught a nasty bug a couple of weeks ago and am only now feeling up to doing much of anything except lying in bed feeling sorry for myself. And worrying about what a disorganized mess my house is in. How a small place like mine, with really only me living in it, can get so messy in a couple of weeks of not doing housework is beyond me.

At least I’ve been reading.

January

1. Furiously Happy by Jenny Larson. 4 stars. How Larson manages to make her mental illness hilarious without denigrating the suffering is truly masterful.

2. Shattering Dawn by Jayne Ann Krentz. 3 stars. Light and easy romantic thriller.

3. Close to Home by Peter Robinson. 3.5 stars. Next in the DCI Banks mystery series about the murder of two boys decades apart. TW: CSA, drug use.

(I’m doing a partial reread of the In Death series in anticipation of the next in the series due out in a few weeks. They are like bonbons. Sweet and addictive.)
4. Immortal in Death by J. D. Robb. 3.5 stars. Mavis is a suspect in a murder and Eve’s past is coming back to her in dreams as she prepares to marry Roarke.
5. Abandoned in Death by J. D. Robb. 3.5 stars. Someone is abducting young women and trying to turn them into his mother who abandoned him when he was a small child.
6. Connections in Death by J. D. Robb. 4 stars. Louise’s brother, a recovering addict is found dead of an overdose, but Eve doesn’t take accident for granted.
7. Forgotten in Death by J. D. Robb. 4 stars. Two bodies are found at connecting construction sites: one fresh in s dumpster and the other, along with the tiny skeleton of a full term fetid, has been hidden behind s brick wall in the cellar.
8. Golden in Death by J. D. Robb. 4 stars.
9. Faithless in Death by J. D. Robb.
10. Vendetta in Death by J. D. Robb.
11. Payback in Death by J. D. Robb.
12. Shadows in Death by J. D. Robb. 4 stars. Rourke’s childhood nemesis is in NY and only one of them is going to survive.

13. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells. 4 stars. A feel-good reread. I needed it. Funny how the Corporate Rim and all its violence and corruption seems like a natural result of the way the world is going now. My feelings for Murderbot are even stronger today.

14. Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire. 4 stars. Nadia is a smart, self-aware Russian foundling who was born with an undeveloped arm. At around 9, she is adopted by an American couple who has no idea what to do with her and tries to make her into their vision of a perfect daughter. I had hoped this novela in the Wayward Children series would have a happy ending, but, unless there is a part 2, I’m doomed to disappointment.

15. Cast in Eternity by Michelle Sagara. 3.5 stars. Reread. I didn’t remember reading this until I was a couple of chapters in, so I continued because I didn’t really remember much about the story, and I had the next one in the series to read. It was more of the same: Kaylin second guessing herself and being abrasive to everyone; her friends (except Severen) questioning her every move; and a lot of exposition.

16. Cast in Atonement by Michelle Sagara. 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this one a bit more than the last, though there was the same amount of expository prose. In this one, the elder god that Azoria interfered with brings the Keeper to The Green, and Katlin has to rescue him with the help of Bellusdeo, Severn, Teela, and her familiar, Hope.

February

17. Governess Gone Rogue by Laura Lee Guhrke. 3.5 stars. Except for one graphic sex scene, which I skipped over, this was a pleasant way to while away a few hours before going back to the news of how our government is being dismantled by wealthy power-mad greedy oligarchs. (Recommended by Katie)

18. Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb. 4.5 states. I really liked this one. It introduced a particularly unpleasant villain and filled in a lot of Summerset’s backstory, and the elderly spies were so interesting and fun.

19. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. 4 stars. Graphic Audio. Nice adaptation of the first Mercy Thompson book, introducing Mercy and her world. When a runaway teenage who happens to be a newly made werewolf asks her for a job, Mercy hires him, knowing just how dangerous he could be if he hadn’t been able to control his wolf.

20. Buenos Noches Luna by Margaret Wise Brown. Spanish translation of the children’s story.

21. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs. 4 stars. Graphic Audio. Well-done adaptation of the second book in the series. A demon-ridden vampire is killing a lot of people and leaning the bodies for the mundane world to find. He’s also stirring up violence. When her favorite, Stefan, goes missing, Marsilia, Queen of the vampire seethe, asks Mercy to stop him and save Stefan, if he’s still alive.

22. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs. 4 stars. Graphic Audio. Another well-done adaptation. In this one, someone is killing fae, and Zee, her friend and mentor, asks for her help in identifying the murderer. TW: rape

23. Artificial Condition by Martha Weeks. Graphic Audio. 4 stars. The person voicing Murderbot is still too fast in his delivery, but I was able to remedy that by turning the speed down to 94%. I love that ART’s part was voiced by a woman. Kind of changed things up in a mind-expanding way. I really hope Network Event and System Collapse are similarly good.

24. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells. Graphic Audio. 3.5 stars. The women’s voices all sound the same, and VERY young. Even Don Abene and Miki.

25. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells. Graphic Audio. 3.5 stars. Ditto, even Mensah.

26. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews. 4 stars. Graphic Audio. Reread. We are introduced to Dina Demille, the Innkeeper of Gertrude Hunt Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, and her friends, allies, and permanent guest, the galactic tyrant Caldenia ka ret Magren. Together, they face a vicious army of assassins determined to kill off one of the last members of a race of beings who had sought sanctuary at Gertrude Hunt.

27. Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison. 4.5 stars. Reread. Thara Kelehar, who discovered those who murdered the former emperor in The Goblin Emperor, has relocated from the Elven Court to Amalo by the order of the Archprelate to serve that city as Witness for the Dead. I love this series so much, and the budding relationship between Kelehar and Pel Theniel. Can’t wait for the next book, which is due out mid-March.

28. Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs. 4 stars. Graphic Audio. Well-done performance of the 4th Merch Thompson book has Mercy battling two vampires in two different cities who want to harm her for two different reasons.

29. The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison. 4.5 stars. Reread. In this second book featuring Thara Kelehar, he is aided in his witnessing by Pel Theniel and is forced to face the powerful and malevolent Guardian of the treasure under the hill of werewolves.

30. Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrew. 4.5 stars. Graphic Audio. Second book of the Innkeepers Chronicles and one I enjoy more every time I hear it. Great voice actors! Dina is such a kick-ass heroine, and I want to live in Gertrude Hunt. Such an original and fun concept for a scifi-fantasy series!

31. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune. 3.5 stars. I think I’d have enjoyed this more in book form. The reader was awful—overly melodramatic. I swear, his voice vibrated with passion at times, and I think he even cried. I mean, I like when readers use different voices for the various characters, and a little emotion is fine, but enough is enough. Anyway, the story was great, bit if there’s a next book I won’t be listening to it.

March

32. The Bull Slayer by Bruce Macbain. 4 stars. Pliny the Younger has been appointed Governor of Bithynia by the Emperor Trajan, and he brings his beautiful young wife along to the post. There he finds corruption and the murder of the procurator, and she finds a handsome young provincial to keep her company while he is busy putting things to rights. Ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, with no third book planned. Otherwise, an enjoyable visit to life in the ancient Roman Empire.

33. Why We Read by Shannon Reed. 5 stars. This may be my favorite book about reading I’ve read so far. That may be in part because it discusses books I’ve read and enjoyed in the past, or because her ideas about the joys of reading mirror my own, but it’s more likely because it is informative and amusing and opens the mind to many new ideas about why and how we read. My gratitude to Deborah for turning me on to this lovely read.

Graphic Audio productions of the first four books in the Gunnie Rose series by Charlaine Harris, an alternate history where, after the assassination of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the United States fractures into several successor countries, and magic is widely acknowledged but feared.
34. An Easy Death (4 stars) introduces Gunnie Lisbeth Rose, illegitimate granddaughter of Rasputin and a gun-for-hire living in a small town in East Texas, part of the new country of Texoma. She is hired by two Grigoris, sorcerers from California where Czar Alexei of Russia now rules, to guard them as they travel into Mexico to locate Lisbeth’s father, one of Rasputin’s byblows, whom Lisbeth killed a year or so earlier.
35. A Longer Fall (4 stars) sees Lisbeth traveling by train to Dixie, a country of Jim Crow laws, part of a crew hired to guard a package. When the train is derailed by a bomb, Lisbeth meets up with Eli, one of the Geigoris from the first book, who is also after the package to be sure it gets to its destination safely.
36. The Russian Cage (4 stars) has Lisbeth traveling to The Holy Russian Empire to rescue Eli from false imprisonment by those who wish to depose Czar Alexei.
37. The Serpent in Heaven (4 stars) introduces Felicia, a young sorceress in training at the Grigori school in San Diego and, as a direct descendant of Rasputin, blood donor to the Czar, who is kidnapped out from under the nose of Felix, Eli’s friend and a powerful Grigori.

38. Cell by Stephen King. 3.5 stars. A bit dated, and longer than it needed to be in parts, and that stupid ending! But oh! That man can sure tell a story. And make you care about his characters.

39. A Question of Identity by Susan Hill. 3 stars. I read the first six books in the DCI Simon Serralier mystery series years ago, then stopped for some reason. They are dark, which doesn’t bother me, but this one was full of angst, and the family drama overwhelmed the mystery without actually adding to it. Still, it was enjoyable enough to want to continue with the series, now that it’s back on my radar.

40. Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison. 5 stars. I loved this story so much, it took a week for me to find something to read after I finished. Celehar is thrust into more adventures, and Maia appears! A year into his reign, he’s doing s smashing job as emperor. I know this is supposed to be the last Celehar book, but I fervently hope there’s at least one more. This one feels unfinished somehow.

41. A Comedy of Terrors by Lindsey Davis. 3 stars. Reread, though I didn’t remember it at all until one part more than halfway into the story. In this one, Rome is celebrating Saturnalia, and Flavia Albia is desperate for work while her husband, the Aedile Tiberius, is working with the vigiles to shut down the sellers of rotten nuts that are making people sick.

42. Playing With Fire by Peter Robinson. 3.5 stars. In this one, DCI Banks is investigating a deadly fire that has killed two squatters on two neighboring houseboats.

April

43. Desperate Undertaking 3.5 stars. A Flavia Albia mystery. Someone is murdering theater people Falco and Helena know long ago in horrible ways, and Albia is hired to solve the mystery because her father isn’t in town.

44. Driftnet by Lin Anderson. 3 stars. I had a hard time with this. The sexual violence against the young men was a bit too graphic for my sensibilities, but worse was the behavior of a couple main characters, a forensic scientist and one of her co workers, who withhold important info about the murder from the lead detective, who seems a pretty caring and trustworthy guy. Also, lots of angst. Not my favorite kind of mystery.

45. All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlatan Harris, a Graphic Audio Production. 4 stars. I read this, the 5th in the Gunnie Rose series, awhile ago. The Graphic Audio adaptation is good, except I recognize some of the voices from other series’ adaptations, and it’s distracting. I can live with that. As for the story, it contains one of my least favorite tropes: the failure-to -communicate-for-no-good-reason. It provided a lot of unnecessary angst. Otherwise, why??? Still, it was an enjoyable mental movie.

46. Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis. 3.5 stars. The body of a tourist is found in the Tiber, and Flavia Albia, with a fellow feeling toward the foreigner, investigates and learns she was the wife of the man who raped her when she was a child back in Britain before Falco and Helena rescued her.

47. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. 4 stars. In the near future, Britain discovers time travel and brings a few people, who were on the brink of death in their own time lines, from the past to the present. After their initial orientation, they are assigned handlers—called bridges—with whom they are to live for at least a year. One ex pat—a ship’s commander of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1847–is paired with a British-Cambodian civil servant. The unnamed modern woman is completely beyond the comprehension of the 19th century man, though they learn to work together to make his absorption into modern life successful. This is not a fluffy romance, nor is it very humorous. It is, though, highly compelling.

48. Heartwood by Amity Gaige. 4 stars. This is as much about the relationships between mothers and daughters as it is about getting lost in the woods while hiking the Appalachian Trail, search and rescue operations, and survival.

May

49. The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley. 5 stars. This was such a great read, though some of the subjects were distressing at best and horrifying at worst. I adored the main character, whose name means “light,” and who was both sensitive and brutal at the same time. He reminded me of Murderbot, because both were shaped by the cruel world in which they were “raised,” both were filled with (mostly) unearned guilt, and both had such big emotions they sometimes have to stare at a wall to deal with them. The ancient world was so well written, I felt sometimes like I was there. I think this is going to be a frequent reread for me.

50. Archangel's Ascension by Nalini Singh. 3 stars. This contained a lot of mushy sex scenes, which always bore me these days, a lot of back and forth in time (from the time Bluebell and Sparkle declared their love for each other in the last book and a time centuries in the future), and not a lot of action, but I'm glad I persevered because the ending was a recap of what happened to many of the characters in the earlier books, so I'm pretty sure this is the end of the Guild Hunter series.

51. The Mirror by Nora Roberts. 3.5 stars. Continues the story of the Seven Murdered Brides. Second of the trilogy, it suffers the usual middle book maladies. Sonya learns more about the witch and her curse and the people she has harmed by it, and is supported by her bbf, her cousin, and her bf. Wasn’t thrilled with the reader—made the mfc sound whiny and the mmc sound arrogant. Also, he calls her “Cutie,” which, you know, cringe.

52. How to Read a Book by Minica Wood. 4.5 stars. This is a story about redemption and love and found families and African Grey parrots, and I cried through the parts with the parrots because I miss Nickel so much. It’s really well written, with great character development and descriptions of life in a women’s prison, but especially of the way African Greys behave. I probably won’t reread this, but only because reading about the Greys was too emotional for me.

June

53. All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay. 5 stars. Audio. I've been impressed by all of Kay's books I've read over the years, and I have to say his writing has only gotten even more impressive. This is another alternate history, the powerful story set in a world based on medieval Europe, this time focusing on the fallout from the Fall of Sarantium to the Asherites (think Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire). The characters, world building, and story sucked me in so hard I skipped meals and stayed up much too late so I could read "just one more page" (or, tbh, "just five more minutes"). At one point, I needed a handful of tissues to mop up my tears, though most of the book was, at most, merely poignant. I seldom find myself so immersed in a book as with this one. So good!

54. It Takes a Psychic by Jayne Castle aka Jayne Ann Krentz. 3.5 stars. Audio. Light paranormal romantic thriller set on Harmony. I needed a light read after my last novel, which was an emotional roller-coaster ride. In this one, Leona--a para-archeologist--and Oliver--the director of an exclusive museum of paranormal artifacts--investigate rumors that a long-dead cult leader is about to become reincarnated with the help of a Key brought to the small town of Lost Creek by The Bride. Yeah, weird and a bit cheesy but fun.

55. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi. 4 stars. Ebook. Yes, it is a ridiculous concept, but enjoyed it for the way it’s done (love his style) and the sheer fun factor, plus his portrayals of corrupt (and less than intelligent) politicians and whacked billionaires and how the astronauts and scientists of the space program have to deal with them. It’s sort of a pastiche of SeveneveS, the film Independence Day, and just a smidge of The Last Policeman with a dollop of cheese. So, serious issues in a cheese soufflé story. The ending was just a little bit of a let down, but not enough to ruin the experience for me. All in all, just what I needed to perk me up a bit and give me a few—well, more than a few, really—laughs.

56. Esperance by Adam Oyebanji. 4 stars. Audio. I spent the first third of the book lost as to what was going on, and the last third waiting to see if I was right about what I thought it was about and why. (I was.) I have mixed feelings about the book, but the writing was top notch. All in all, I thought it was well done and not too heavy handed. I also teared up a bit in a few parts. The world building and characterizations were really good, as was the mystery for the first 2/3 of the book. In fact, the mystery was what hooked me in the beginning and kept me reading when I couldn’t figure out what was happening and wasn’t sure I cared. I also liked the narrator whose African (not sure which country; sometimes sounded Jamaican my ears) accent was beautiful.

57. The Classic Collection of Arthur C. Clarke Short Stories by Arthur C. Clarke. 4 stars. Audio. I’ve enjoyed many of Clarke’s novels but somehow never got around to his short stories—or not that I remember. I found them dated but, for the most part, timely and quite readable. Of course, they were mostly about straight while men, but that was the times I guess. The stories include The Nine Billion Names of God, Into the Comet, Armaments Race, Sentinel, Superiority, Out of the Cradle, The Other Tiger, Publicity Campaign, If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth, Who’s There?, The Possessed. Some were more memorable than others, but they all took me back to the days when I looked forward to getting the monthly/quarterly scifi short story magazines in the mail.

58. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs. 4 stars. Graphic Audio. I read this a few years ago, but I didn't remember much about it when I listened to the GA adaptation, so it was like a new book rather than a reread. In this one, Mercy tries to return a book on magic/magical book that she had borrowed from the child of a half-Fae, but he's disappeared, and someone or something is after Mercy for the book. She's also got her hands full when Samuel, her werewolf roommate, is taken over by his wolf side, which will mean his death if his father The Marroc finds out, so Mercy covers for him until he managed to regain control. I enjoyed the adaptation.

59. River Marked by Patricia Briggs. 4 stars. Graphic Audio. I remembered more about this book, which I also read a few years ago, though the GA adaptation made it seem fresh and new. In this one, Mercy and Adam are alone (sans pack), staying at a Fae-owned campground on the Columbia River where strange, murderous things in the water have been wreaking havoc. While trying to get to the bottom of it, Mercy is confronted by her heritage. I really liked the characters' voices in this one.

60. At Graves End by Jeaniene Frost. 4 stars. Reread. I thought I borrowed the Graphic Audio adaptation, but it turned out this was the actual original book. I would have stopped but I was a good way into it before I realized - yes, the reader was that good with voices - so I just continued to read it. At some point, I'll listen to the GA version. This is the book where Cat's father comes after her, and Mencheres' wife Patra, starts a war against Cat, Bones, and Mencheres.

60. At Graves End by Jeaniene Frost. 4 stars. Graphic Audio. Okay, so I couldn't resist listening to the GA adaptation, and it was pretty good too. It's kind of weird to hear Arland's voice (from The Innkeeper Chronicles) as Bones, but I managed to deal with it.

61. Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost. 4 stars. Graphic Audio. In this one, a master vamp is after Cat, claiming she is his wife, and rumors swirl that Cat wants to be turned into a half-vamp ghoul, giving her more power than anyone else. Bones and Cat travel to The Big Easy, city of the ghouls, to ask for help from the Queen of the Ghouls. Then Bones leaves Cat after she leaves him - once again - to try and save him and to find out just what the truth is. Good adaptation.

62. First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost. 3.5 stars Graphic Audio. A bit disjointed if one hadn't already read the book. I kept getting distracted by the voices - Ian sounded like Bones. Did the voice actors switch places halfway through? Also, I really didn't care much for Denise, who might have had PTSD from past experiences but who came off as a shrill whiny wuss without an ounce of sense. Not my favorite of the series, either the original book or the GA production.

DNF/NRN

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods Got about halfway in and lost interest. May be my mood but also could be I’m just tired of split narratives in different timelines. I’ve put it on hold again, just in case.
Fagin the Thief Ran out of time
The Benefit of Hindsight by Susan Hill-lost interest; too much personal angst.
Roman Blood-terrible reader
Murder by Memory-couldn’t get into it
The Life Impossible-wasn’t grabbing me and so many others wanted to read it so I returned it but plan to borrow it again bc I think it was just my mood and not the book
The Moon Is a harsh Mistress-terrible reader
A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a killer Just too too.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune - I disliked Wallace, one of the MCs, and just couldn’t get past that. Got to 43% when the loan ended and I just let it go.
The Angel’s Game-slow going and then ran out of time
Kills Well With Others-slow going and then ran out of time
Dead Astronauts-just didn’t grab me
True Grit-ran out of time

Currently Reading



On the TBR Pile

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming
Grant by Ron Chernow (audio)
Unthinkable by Jamie Raskin (audio)
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (audio) (reread)
Violeta by Isabel Allende (audio)
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (audio)
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende (audio)

On the Wishlist But Not Yet Ready to Read

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman (ebook!)
Exordia by Seth Dickenson.
Strange Pictures by Uketsu.
Harbingers by Timothy J. Heaphy.
When Women Were Dragons
My Mother’s Secret
Forest of a thousand Lanterns
Goldilocks
When We Were Vikings
Fatal Colours by George Goodwin (ebook)

Welcome!

Welcome back, Mary!

>8 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! And thanks for all you do to keep the group running!

Happy new thread, Mary. Glad you are feeling better.

Love those toppers! (and your painting!)

Belated happy new year! I'm glad you're feeling better and will look forward to following your 2025 reads.

>10 jessibud2: Thanks, Deborah! I get a calendar from the kids for Christmas every year, and I love them! So fun to look back on what the kids were up to last year.

>11 bell7: Hi, Mary! Thanks! I’ll be over to your thread soon to check out what you’ve been up to.

He HAD to finish his puzzle before taking his nap. Kid is driven!

Hi Mary. I'm glad you are feeling better, or at least enough to start your new thread.

I see you are reading through the J.D. Robb series. I have been meaning to start the In Death series.

>14 Storeetllr: I love it! (I also do jigsaw puzzles!)

Almost missed you, Mary.

Welcome back dear lady.

Happy New Thread , Mary! I did see your lovely birthday greeting , but somehow missed it when I replied. Thank you! I'm glad you are feeling better. You might be late to the threads, but look at how many books you have already read.

I am doing badly Mary, first not responding to your birthday greeting on my thread , and then mixing your name up. I am sorry, Mary!

>18 vancouverdeb: Hey, now! Nothing to be sorry about! You can call me anything (except late to dinner 😂) I’m just glad we’re friends.

It’s a heat wave here today! Temps in the mid-30s, and sunny! I don’t expect it to last, but it’s nice while it lasts. I went to the dentist this morning to have a cavity filled and actually left my coat unbuttoned and my mittens in my pocket.

I felt so euphoric, I decided to do a little clothes shopping in an actual store, which I haven’t done for a long time—maybe not since the pandemic. I got a little carried away, but really, I needed new sweat pants, jeans, and, yes, the throw rug for my sitting area and the large blue indoor plant pot. And the yoga mat. I spent much more than I’d planned. No, I’m not a bit sorry.

Yesterday was Ruby’s sixth birthday. We had a little party for her—just family and her best friend. I don’t have any good pics of the celebration but, if my daughter sends me any that she took, I’ll post them.

Instead, I’ll post this photo of the gorgeous icicle sculpture flowing down the evergreen in front of the porch.

Mary, it looks like you were able to read despite being sick. You are off to a good start. Those "In Death" books are fun, aren't they? I've only read a few of them. I like them for road trip listening and have been a homebody lately.

I hope you have a wonderful year of reading. Stay well and keep the grandchild pictures coming. ;-)

Hi Mary! Nice to see you back!

I'm glad you treated yourself with a little shopping trip! Fine weather and new stuff are always a spirit lifter.

Six, wow! Belated birthday greetings! Such a big girl now!

That is a gorgeous picture, Mary! Happy 6th Birthday to Ruby and I hope we see a picture or two. Great going, finding some new clothes. I'm not a big fan of shopping except for books and puzzles, but sometimes we all need to buy some clothes and other goodies.

>15 EBT1002: Whoops! How did I miss you? Sorry.

The In Death series is fun and easy reading. I have been feeling the need for that kind of book lately.

Rowan loves doing jigsaw puzzles. Being 3, he likes to do the same ones over and over. I just love his contortions as he’s doing them.

>16 PaulCranswick: And I almost missed you up there, Paul! Thank you so much! I’ll be over to visit your thread soon. I’ve got it starred but am going slow.

Mary, sometimes retail therapy is just the thing! Congrats. You deserve it! :-)

>21 Donna828: Thanks, Donna! I am so grateful to be able to read and am not be stuck in a slump.

I do enjoy the In Death books. She has a new one coming out soon. I am ready for it!

>22 Copperskye: Six! Wild, huh? Seems like only a couple months ago I was preparing to leave Colorado and Meg was still only in her second trimester.

I’ll give her your birthday wishes and show her a pic of your new puppy.

>23 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah! It was even more beautiful in real life! Sparkled in the last rays of the setting sun like diamonds.

My usual shopping splurges are for art supplies and the kids. I really did need new pants tho. And I really like my new scatter rug. It’s really hard to find rugs with the right green (my walls are sea foam green above white paneling, and the loveseat is a kind of sage green).

>29 Storeetllr: That's very pretty!!!

>20 Storeetllr: Of course you needed all those things! It sounds like a fun shopping excursion. And the rug in >29 Storeetllr: is lovely.

Once I finish The Count (you know, sometime in April, haha) I think I'll nab a copy of the first In Death. Easy reading sounds super appealing right now.

Hello, Mary! I am late in finding your thread. I love the rug you purchased - it's so pretty. And of course you needed all the new things - sounds like a fun shopping spree.

I cannot believe that Ruby is six! Belated wishes of happiness to her.

>26 jessibud2: Thanks, I agree! Except my splurges are usually fancy cheeses or expensive art supplies or things for the kids. Clothes have been far down the list for the past few years.

>30 Copperskye: Thanks! It looks really good in here.

>31 EBT1002: Haha, the Count is one huge tome! I’m tempted, but the thought of such a long novel is a bit off putting just now. Not that I’m opposed to long books—I’ve read a few and even wished a few of them were longer—but right now my attention span is a sieve.

I recently reread the first few In Death books, and I was surprised at how uneven—almost rough—I found them as compared with the more recent ones. It’s necessary to read them for the set up, imo, and to show how much Eve (and the other characters) have grown, but they aren’t as polished as the later ones.

>32 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie! Better late than never, but, actually, I’m even later finding your thread! I’ve got it starred, tho, and will get there soon.

It was a surprisingly fun shopping spree, considering I’m not usually much one for shopping in actual stores these days. I think I must be almost recovered from all my surgeries of the past year to have enjoyed it so much.

I’m having a hard time believing Ruby is six already, though sometimes she acts like she’s 16. Thanks for your birthday wishes to her!

>20 Storeetllr: Ha! You are experiencing a heat wave and I am in deep freeze ;)

>29 Storeetllr: That is quite a beautiful rug.I like the pattern, busy but not in your face overwhelming. Nice and calming

Happy Sunday!

I love both the scatter rug and your loveseat, Mary! My two sons would not seat on our loveseat once they were teens, at least not together. I should have just called it a sofa. Kids!

>29 Storeetllr: Pretty shades of green!

Ruby's six...wow...time doin' us all wrong, ain't it, flyin' by so damn fast.

Yikes! It’s been awhile since I visited my own thread. I’m sorry for the delay in responding to my visitors. It’s been a busy week, and I’m trying to cut down on my coffee intake in anticipation of coffee prices going up so have had a headache for a couple of days. I’ll try to do better in future.

I think I mentioned that I’m trying to learn Spanish. On Monday, when I drove to New Jersey to get groceries from Trader Joe’s, I stopped at a gas station and had a nice conversation, in Spanish, with the attendant who was a gentleman from Mexico City. Well, the conversation was me speaking Spanish and him speaking English, but, from his responses to what I said, he understood my Spanish, so that made me happy and more determined than ever to continue learning.

>37 figsfromthistle: Hi, Anita! The heat wave is over, and we’re back in the deep freeze. It was nice while it lasted.

Thanks! I am liking the rug more each day. It really lightens up the place.

Happy Friday!

>38 vancouverdeb: That is so funny, Deborah! You never know how teens will react, do you? I think I’ll start calling the loveseat a little sofa, just in case.

>39 richardderus: I know, right?!? I often find myself shouting (in my head) for time to slow the heck down.

I’ve got a lot of green in this place: walls, sofa, rug, plants. It’s a very soothing color. I’m going to need that for the next four years, and probably a lot longer, assuming I survive it.

Have a lovely Friday!

In February there is everything to hope for and nothing to regret.
— Patience Strong

January Reading Roundup

Total Books Read-16
•new-6
•rereads-10

Genres

Mystery-10
Fantasy-4
•paranormal urban romance-1
•fantasy-3
Scifi-1
Nonfiction-1

Favorite of the month

Furiously Happy by Jenny Larson. 4 stars. How Larson manages to make her mental illness hilarious without denigrating the suffering is truly masterful.

Happy New Thread, Mary. Somehow you snuck in there without me seeing you. I have you starred now. I LOVE the calendar up there. Precious. I hope your year is off to a good start, despite the ugly turn our country has taken.

>29 Storeetllr: I agree with you, Mary, the rug is lovely.

Which of Timothy Snyder's books did the quote you put of my thread come from, Mary? I have his book On Tyranny, but have not yet read it. Trump is one damn loser. And I don't swear much at all.

>46 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Yes, all is well in my personal world, though my heart is breaking at the wanton destruction of our democracy. I’d never have believed it was so fragile.

My family gives me joy, though, and the calendar is a lovely way to see their growth.

>47 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! I like it too, more each day.

>48 vancouverdeb: I replied on your thread, Deborah, about the Timothy Snyder quote. I hope you get a chance to read it soon. It’s not very long, but it’s packed with information about tyranny and how to resist it. Every person in the world should read it, especially Americans at this fraught moment in time.

Evening, Mary my friend. We could be looking at snow again tomorrow, but it's just cold and grey here today. Stay warm!

Good Sunday morning, Richard! You were right—we got about 3 inches of snow here last night. Don’t worry. I’m staying snug and warm inside in my fleece sweatpants and hoodie and my furry slippers. I hope you are staying safe and warm too.

Hi Mary. I've fallen behind at LT and trying to catch up today. Hope all is well with you.

Hi, Judy! Thanks so much for stopping by. You are way ahead of me at LT in terms of visiting threads, but I have posted on your thread so now have it starred All is as well as it can be with me, considering my age and the mess our country is in. But I’ve got my family near (upstairs) and see the grandkids almost every day, which is keeping me from despair. Thanks for asking!

I'm glad you're not despairing, Mary; I waver between OUTRAGE, disgust, and hopelessness. Pluggin' away feels like the best I've got to offer...Debbie Downer, signing off before more damage done.

Oh, I’m right there with you, another Debbie Downer, except when I’m with the kids. I should have said they’re keeping me from total despair.

Maybe this rock I painted back during the first horror show will help. At least, it helps me to remember that doing something—anything—can help.



{{{big hug}}}

>57 Storeetllr: Thanks...that reminder is never unnecessary. Action is indeed the antidote to despair! *smooch*

Smooches back at you, my friend!

Aren't grandkids wonderful? I'm glad you have them so close to you, Mary, to keep you out of those Debby Downer moods. Spring is right around the corner so that should help as well. And then there's those books....
Hang in there...this too shall pass.

>57 Storeetllr: The rock looks great , Mary, and yes, action is the antidote to despair.

Sweet Thursday, Mary. Just checking in on Downer Debbie. Come on- we can't let the orange turd get us down. We got to keep hope alive and keep resisting.

>60 Donna828: Thanks, Donna! I keep telling myself that, but I’m not sure it’s true this time.

Grandkids sure are wonderful! They’re our reward for keeping our own kids alive while they were driving us crazy. There was a time I thought I’d wouldn’t have grandkids—my daughter didn’t seemed to be interested—and I didn’t think I’d mind, but, now that I’m a grandma, i realize how very much I would have missed out on.

Happy Friday! Hope you have a warm and sunny weekend.

>61 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah. I need to be reminded of that often.

>62 msf59: Hey, Mark! You’re a good cheerleader for the Resistance. And I know you’re right, but there doesn’t seem to be much I can do.

Are you participating in today’s economic boycott? I’m buying nothing, and I’m off Facebook—well, all MEGA platforms—for at least the day. And I’ve got 5 Calls permanently open on my phone.

What a crazy couple of weeks it’s been! First, the toilet backed up—Rowan, who is newly potty trained, thinks he needs half a roll of TP when he pees, on top of which my toilet has a weak flush. (The upstairs and downstairs toilets are on the same system.) That was a recipe for disaster. Then, when the plumber came, we found out that our water shutoff valve doesn’t work, so we have to get another plumber out to replace it, which means getting the water company to shut off the water main at the street first. What a mess.

Then last Friday our brand-new (well, 6-month old) dryer stopped drying. The repair person’s coming this afternoon to fix it. In the meantime, my daughter had to do laundry and hang the clothes and towels all over the laundry room to dry. I’ve had to hand wash a few of my things and hang them in my tiny bathroom to dry, but it hasn’t been critical for me. Yet.

Then the other day I lost my eyeglasses somewhere between home and Rowan’s school. I stuffed them in my purse when I went to pick him up, and when I got home they were no longer in my purse. Or the car. Or on the ground near the car. Luckily I have an old pair that works, though they aren’t comfortable. I just want to hide under the covers till it stops.

Happier news is that one of the orchids I’ve had for years bloomed. Little guy blooms a couple times a year, and it thrills me every time.

Hmm. The picture of the orchid isn’t showing. If it continues, I’ll try reposting it.

February Reading Round-Up

Most of the books I read this month were rereads or adaptations of books I’d already read before. Of the 15 books I read, only 3 were new. I needed comfort, that’s my only excuse.

No. of Books Read: 15

New - 3
Adaptations - 7
Rereads - 5

Fantasy - 9
Mystery - 1
Romance - 1
Scifi - 3
Children’s - 1

My favorite new read for this month was Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb, the latest Eve Dallas.

Almost done with Why We Read, which is and absolute delight! Thank you, Deborah, for putting it on my radar!



Finished and gave it 5 stars.

>69 Storeetllr: - Mary, your touchstone goes to a different title. Did you mean this one Why We Read. I recently read this one and enjoyed it a lot!

Yes! That’s the one, thanks, Shelley. I’ll fix the touchstone.

Not sure I’ve mentioned it, but I’m not very interested in baking or even cooking elaborate dishes anymore. However, I’ve been craving baked apples for a couple of months and finally baked some last night. Oh! The fragrance! I plan to enjoy only one a day. I hope I can restrain myself from gobbling them up faster.

>72 Storeetllr: - Oh my. Baked apples. Such a great memory from my childhood. My mum and grandmother used to make these. I will admit, I have never tried to do so myself. How hard could it be, lol! And yes, the aroma!

>73 jessibud2: They’re really easy to make, Shelley, if you slap them together like I do. I core the apples, mix the good bits from the core with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecan (or walnut) pieces, stuff the core with the mix, put in a baking pan, add a little water to the bottom of the pan, then bake at 350F for about an hour. So good!

>72 Storeetllr: They really are a joy aren't they? That glorious smell!

Enjoy the week ahead, Mary!

>75 richardderus: Yes they are! Takes me back to my childhood.

Thanks! Hope your week is lovely.

Mary, did I already give you a link to Greg Herren's Substack?
https://gregherren.substack.com/p/jenny-weve-got-your-number

Those baked apples look delicious, Mary. Muffin is barking, I better go see what the problem is.

I am so late on visiting your thread! Hello and happy new year.

I am sorry for all the issues. But yay to grandkids, gorgeous blooming orchids and baked apples.

Hi, Karen! And welcome! Yes, things are bleak, but my grandkids keep me from succumbing to black despair. The baked apples and orchids help too.

I can’t tell you how happy this made me.

>81 Storeetllr: *baaawww*

Too cute for words!

>77 richardderus: Oops! I missed you somehow. Not sure how. Sorry.

Thanks for the link! I’ll go check it out. I did like that quote you shared.

Hope your weekend is going well.

>78 vancouverdeb: Seems I missed your post too, Deborah. Sorry.

Yes, those baked apples were scrumptious. I bought 6 more apples to bake this weekend. That should satisfy my craving for the year. Or not. They’re so easy to bake. I’ve even made them in my air fryer, which means I can have them in the summer too, if I want.

Hope Muffin is calming down a bit. Puppies can be hyper!

>82 richardderus: Right?!? The other day, he “read” a book about animals to me, holding it toward me like they do in his preschool. Every page he would say, “Once upon a time” and then describe the animal on that page. What a kid! I love him so much!

>72 Storeetllr: They look so good - I've never made baked apples. Does it matter what type of apple you use? I have honey crisp and granny smith on hand.

>81 Storeetllr: Delightful!!! How nice that you have helped to cultivate a reader, not everyone is that lucky! Chris used to line up his stuffed animals along the back of the sofa and then sit in the middle and "read" to them. Too cute.

>69 Storeetllr: I missed seeing that one mentioned - I need to look for it! Thanks!

Hi, Joanne! I’m sure professionals would say there are “correct” apples to use, but I use whichever I have, this time Fuji. I also find they bake more evenly if I poke a few holes in them with a fork. Let me know how they turn out if you make them.

My daughter gets most of the credit for her kids’ love of reading. She must have hundreds of kids’ books in the house, plus they go to the library weekly and borrow more.

I think you’ll really enjoy Why We Read. I listened to it, but I bet it would be as good or even better in book form.

>81 Storeetllr: What a wonderful picture! I have been trying to get back to that feeling of reading as a kid when you were immersed in the book.

Why We Read hs been added to the list.

>87 Storeetllr: That's good to know and thanks for the tip! I just put Why We Read on hold - the book and the audio (I'm always searching for an audiobook that will hold my interest).

"Yes, things are bleak, but my grandkids keep me from succumbing to black despair." What we we do without them, Mary? Shudders...

I also hope you are finding comfort in the books. I know I am...

>72 Storeetllr: looks delicious!

>88 witchyrichy: Thanks, Karen! It is a wonderful feeling. I don’t manage it often enough, though on occasion I’ve been known to forget to eat or sleep when immersed in a book.

Hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

>89 Copperskye: You’re welcome! Let me know what you think when you get around to it.

>90 msf59: True, Mark, but I worry about them too. This mess isn’t going to get better anytime soon. What a world to grow up in.

Yes, thank the Universe for books!

>91 figsfromthistle: It is! Have you ever made them, Anita?

>84 Storeetllr: Muffin is calming down quite a bit, fingers crossed, Mary. Today I had to wake her up for her morning walk! I think the time change is still affecting her. The day before we were at the end of a 3. 5 mile walk, and she laid down and didn't want to walk anymore, so I had to carry her most of the last 1/4 of a mile. Maybe we are over-walking her!

Aw, poor little sweetie. You wore her out. Good thing she’s little. Most of the dogs I had were too big to carry far.

Thanks for the visit to my thread, Mary. Good thing you gave me a nudge as I didn't have you starred. Have fun reading the in death series. It's one of my favourites!

I was on Shelley thread and you mentioned enjoying Peggy Blair's books. I have read three of them. I wonder why they are not sold in the US ? I was looking her up and it looks like she is now self publishing books. She is not keen on amazon, from what I read.

Here is her blog, though what I read was much more up to date than this. https://peggyblair.wordpress.com/2023/08/15/sales-shadowplay/

>98 Familyhistorian: I love it too, Meg. It’s one of my favorite comfort rereads. I find I’m needing comfort these days a lot.

Mary, apple update on my thread. ;-)

>99 vancouverdeb: Thanks for the blog link, Shelly! I’ve got it bookmarked. I’m not keen on Amazon either these days, though it was so convenient. Oh well. Depending on what happens with the Muskyvite threat to end SS, I may not be doing any shopping soon except for the essentials of food and meds.

>101 jessibud2: On my way over.

I'm trying not to order much from Amazon either, Mary. It's difficult sometimes though , as sometime I - and my husband can't find the item anywhere else. I love Stash Christmas Morning Tea and I drink it every day, but I can't find that particular type in Canada. I even looked on line in Canada, and Stash tea won't ship to Canada anymore, so Amazon it was. My husband is going to order a replacement harness for Muffin as she chewed through it - brand new! and he can only find it on amazon. What can you do sometimes.

Deb, I love Stash teas. Have you looked in health food stores? I think that's where I buy mine although I may have seen them in large supermarkets, too. My (current) favourites are Licorice Spice, Chocolate Mint, and Cozy Cinnamon Vanilla Camomile. I think there is also a chai variety, which I also love.

Also, look at this: https://www.stashtea.ca/

I don't drink coffee at all so tea is my go-to all winter long (I don't drink hot drinks in summer. Yeah, I know. Weird). I have many boxes of tea in my pantry.

Sorry for the hijack, Mary.

Hi, Deborah and Shelly! I like Stash Tea too, but I’m a coffee drinker so only drink tea in the afternoon or before bed. I haven’t tried the ones you mentioned, Shelly, though they sound really good, but I love the Lemon Ginger and the Peppermint. Pretty basic, but I’ve found that, if I buy too many teas at once, I don’t drink them fast enough and they get old sitting on the shelf. So I tend to have only 4 or 5, and I keep them out of the cabinet on an open shelf so I’m reminded they’re there. Right now, I’ve got the two I mentioned, plus Ginger-Turmeric, Earl Gray, and English Breakfast (not Stash). Oh, and Throat Coat which I bought when I had a sore throat earlier this year.

>104 vancouverdeb: Yes, Amazon has burrowed in so deep it would take an earthmover to dig it out. I ended up using it last week for the first time in months to get two bottles of pills I need for my eyes, which cost $10 more per bottle at Walgreens, and nighttime eye drops that cost $5 more at Walgreens, when it is even in stock, which it wasn’t last week. I’m determined to shop locally as much as possible from now on, but, like you said, sometimes it’s necessary to order from Amazon.

>107 Storeetllr: - For what it's worth, I have never used amazon. I figure if I can't get it elsewhere I don't need it. And when I have needed it, I can usually find a friend to order something for me and I pay them back. I did that twice when I needed the special cat food bowl that isn't sold anywhere except through amazon. Pricey but worth every penny ( it's a bowl with a lid that closes over the food, keeping it fresh throughout the day for the grazers and more importantly, only opens for the cat whose microchip is programmed to trigger it to open. Important when one is on prescription food and the other isn't and likes to steal food. I know that price matters to most of us in most everything and for those living outside of big cities, where options for alternatives are fewer, even more so. I get that. But in general I don't like what amazon stands for and so, I never made an account there. I am practically a unicorn in this, though, I know.

>108 jessibud2: I admire you for that, Shelly! I won’t be ordering from Amazon except when absolutely necessary, and most of what I *want* isn’t ever what I *need* so… I’m not sure it’s going to change anything, and anyway Bezos no longer depends on Amazon for his wealth, but it’s the principle.

>104 vancouverdeb: >105 jessibud2: >106 Storeetllr: I’m a Stash Tea fan, too, and I’m currently drinking a cup of Lemon Ginger! I also like their Chai teas. And Meyer Lemon for iced tea. I load up on them when they go on sale and have several boxes in the basement pantry. Bigelow’s Constant Comment is also a long time sentimental favorite.

Mary, I just finished Why We Read and really enjoyed it so thanks for the rec! I wasn’t sure about it when I started and flipped through and settled on the Jane Eyre essay which really hit home for me. (I loved Jane Eyre when it was assigned, I think, in my Junior year, and it continues to be a favorite that I’ve reread twice.) So from about the middle of the book I read to the end and then started from the beginning. I also think I want to reread Life After Life now. One book just leads to the next…

ETA - I hate that I use Amazon but the convenience factor has sucked me in. I don’t use them for pet supplies at least (which frankly, is a major expense for me). Chewy has got my business there.

>105 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley, but unfortunately Well ca does not have the type of Stash tea I love, I checked. So amazon it was. And they accidentally sent me a 6 boxes of Chai Tea, which I don't like and I've yet to set up a return to Amazon. That rarely happens, but it did this time.

Sounds like we have quite a few Stash Tea drinkers here, which is great . They once mistakenly sent me an entire case of Peppermint Tea, instead of my Christmas Morning Tea, but when I contacted Stash , they told me just keep it , and sent me out another case of Christmas Morning Tea. I ended up giving some to my son and other people and just plain giving it away. I had a lot!

>110 Copperskye: Oh! Constant Comment! I haven’t had that tea in years, but once it was a favorite.

I’m glad you eventually enjoyed Why We Read. Interesting way of reading a book, but I guess with essays it works just fine. It is fun how one book often leads to another!

Yeah, my family andI have almost weaned ourselves from Amazon. It will take time, because some necessities can’t be found elsewhere—at least not so far. We’re working on it.

>111 vancouverdeb: How wonderful to find a company with such great customer service! I think I’ve enjoyed Christmas Morning Tea in the past but haven’t had it in a long time. I’ll have to look for it.

Well, Spring Fever has struck with a vengeance! Yesterday, my daughter and I took the kids to a local farm that has a gardening store. I won’t say how much we spent, but I gulped when we were rung up. My daughter wants to grow as much produce as possible so she doesn’t have to buy from the grocery this year.

We got asparagus crowns, seed potatoes, and onions, seedlings of broccoli, snap peas, spinach, and kale. A large rosemary (I couldn’t resist the scent). Two large bags of enriched organic garden soil for the raised bed, one large bag of organic potting soil for the garden tower. Seed packets for cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cilantro, bush beans, borage, nasturtiums, marigolds, lavender, and watermelon.

I’ll be starting seedlings of tomatoes, lavender, marigolds, and cukes this weekend. I also have some seeds from last year I want to try to germinate: basil and kale are two.

We also bought two ranunculas, white and pink, which are my daughter’s favorite flower. And she bought a wildflower mix that she plans to grow in the front yard.

I hope she sticks with her plan. Gardens take a lot of work, but the results are so worth it!



My Hoya apparently decided it’s not too early to blossom. Here’s a pic of one of the almost open blooms. There are three more starting. I’m so excited!

Oh, Mary, I know that feeling! It was a miserable day yesterday and will continue so throughout the weekend. I had to console myself so I went to the garden centre. I only came home with 4 small pots of flowers as it's still too cold to put them outside and I don't have a lot of space by a sunny (when it's out) window. In that haul are 2 ranunculas (a yellow, and a white with pink edges), a pretty white and pink-edged cyclamen and a pot of ruffle-edged red tulips. I love all these flowers and it just lifts my mood to see them in front of me each day until I can start outside. Our rule-of-thumb date for outside gardening here is the last weekend in May. A long way to go....

>115 jessibud2: That IS a long way off! Although… I find that every time I say that, suddenly it’s past time and I’m left scurrying to catch up.

That sounds like a great way to help stave off the end-of-winter blues! And I love all those flowers. I had to close my eyes when we were on the way back to the car, passing all the beautiful colorful flowers. In fact, I’m going back next week to see if they have any yellow ranunculas in. Those are my daughter’s favorite colored ranunculus. Pink, yellow and white should look nice together in a pot, I think.

I hope your weather gets better soon!

I remember you saying how she loved ranunculas. So do I. I often group them together like that. If I can find a photo, I will show you the one I bought a few years ago that were spectacular. I have not found them again. They were pink and white with black centres

I found the pics. I hope you don't mind if I put them here. If you'd rather I move them to my thread, I'm happy to do it.

Edited to say that the 2 I tried to upload earlier wouldn't upload properly. Here is a pic I just took of one of the ranunculas I bought yesterday. It's the white one with a blush of pink at the ends of the petals and a black centre. I hope this attempt works.

>118 jessibud2: >117 jessibud2: It’s lovely! So delicate looking! You’re in s much colder zone, so I’m guessing these don’t overwinter well and have to be treated like annuals. I’m going to try to protect ours over next winter, but I’m guessing they won’t survive.

I am beginning to enjoy Spring too, Mary. I have not planted anything yet, but Dave ordered a rose bush through a neighbour. But all white roses, whereas I would have gone for some colour. Oh well.

>95 Storeetllr: No I haven't. I will probably make them in the fall during apple season. It looks like a wonderful treat.

Happy mid-May Sunday, Mary, from the 70° shore! I know gardening is a HUGE effort but if y'all get going it'll pay you back double. Regrowing expensive-to-buy stuff is something I did here in my room before the strokes, using 2lb yogurt containers and solid I stole from the landscaping...and it kept me in radishes and parsnips. Here's a useful video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJuXpiEjdcc
I see no real reason to grow the cheap stuff like potatoes and onions, TBH, but celery, lettuce, shallots, radishes, parsnips all make sense. Squash, herbs, tomatoes, fruit are all farmer's-market items for me, but that's a budget-buster.

Anyway, enjoy our early-onset May weather!

Hi Mary! I hope it’s still spring-like by you. It’s chilly and grey here with some snow in the forecast. :(

>110 Copperskye: I hadn’t had Constant Comment for years until Suzanne (my hairdresser) made me a cup when I was in to see her last fall.

I finally made baked apples last week. I made one honey crisp and one Granny Smith. I ate the Granny Smith cold for breakfast the next day and I think it was the best, soft but not mushy. Both were good though!

>120 vancouverdeb: I love roses! White is nice, as are the various colors, but the fragrance is what I love most, no matter what color. I wish I still had the rose gardens that I had in So Cal. Somehow I haven’t lived anywhere there were roses since, and we haven’t planted any here at our house in New York. We have a hydrangea bush and irises, and I grow annuals in pots, but no roses. 😟

>121 figsfromthistle: They are a treat, but, after having cored a dozen apples with a knife, I suggest you buy an apple corer first. It will make the job so much easier!

>122 richardderus: Happy Friday, Richard! Love how you grew a mini garden in your room using used yogurt cartons. It’s really not necessary to spend a fortune to grow things—I started seedlings in egg cartons this year—although we did spend quite a lot last week. Quite a chunk of it went to planting soil, as we don’t have a free source. Since I do vermiculture, and they have two compost bins that have been cooking for two years, we’ve got scads of composted soil to use to enrich the soil.

This is only Meg’s second go at gardening. Though I always had a garden since before she was born, she’s never shown much of an interest. She’s afraid now of really high prices at the grocery though and decided to give it another try.

I’ve never grown potatoes or onions, but they eat a lot of those, which I guess is why she got them. I want to grow the potatoes in bags, so as not to waste garden space. (We don’t have a large space.) I hope we we get some decent weather so we can get outside and get started!

>123 Copperskye: Yay! So glad you enjoyed the baked apples! John wasn’t interested in trying one? I haven’t tried Granny Smiths yet. Maybe I will while the weathers still cool.

>126 Storeetllr: I'd love to grow radishes in my room again, but...well...nope.

Lovely weekend ahead, dear lady.

If we lived closer, Richard, I’d drop off radish seeds and dirt so you could grow some again.

Thanks! Back atcha, except I think it’s going to be cool and rainy all weekend.

I went to the local Hands Off protest today, in the cold windy rain. About 1k people showed up!


This was taken toward the end of the event.


Some of the signs people made.

>130 Storeetllr: - Love that, Mary. Especially that sign on the right. Good for you all! (first pic isn't showing)

>130 Storeetllr: How wonderful! I saw a LOT of protest pictures on every social site I visited. Even on Twitter, the MAGAts were pretty quiet (for them).

I'm actually not allowed to grow anything again. The facility management took the containers and gave me a talking to, so it's really not "don't have the stuff" but "CAN'T have the stuff." *sigh*

I have to brave the drizzle later to accomplish some small stuff at CVS, but I don't wanna.

Happy Sunday, Mary. Hooray for the protest walks! Keep 'em coming. I hope you are doing well. I want to recommend a book- How to Read a Book. African greys are featured in this story, plus it is just a good novel.

>130 Storeetllr: Good for you, Mary, engaging in the protests. Take care.

>131 jessibud2: Yeah, that sign on the right is my favorite too. Sorry the first pic isn’t showing for you. It just shows some of the crowd.

>132 richardderus: I'm actually not allowed to grow anything

Well, that sucks! I can’t imagine why not. Growing things is healthy for mind, spirit and body. I’m sorry.

Yes, the volume of the protests seems to have gotten a lot of attention, even from MSM. Except from Fox, I think. When I looked, i couldn’t find any news story from Fox. Big surprise, huh?

>133 msf59: Hey, world traveler! Welcome back to Hell.

Thanks for the book recommendation. I’ll check it out.

>134 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah. I was all excited to participate, but come Saturday morning, all I wanted was to stay in bed. I’m really glad I forced myself to get out, even though it was cold and rainy.

In case you missed it, Audible is having a 2-for-1 sale. I spent two credits for four audiobooks, only one of which I’ve already read a long time ago but which I’ve been wanting to reread. Can you guess which it is?

Well, I'm probably wrong but Death Comes for the Archbishop, Mary. I have been enjoying audio books while I have been doing jigsaw puzzles lately. I find I have to have the physical book as well, as I don't take in information via my ears as well as I go by reading with my eyes. I do have a audible subscription, but lately I have been using Spotify Premium , which I have for music. Spotify gives you a certain number of hours of audible books each month, and since I only listen to part the book , I find I can get quite a few books that way.

>140 vancouverdeb: 🏆 You win! That is the book I’ve already read and want to reread! I’ve still got the paperback, with slightly larger print than usual, but my eyes just can’t manage.

Sometimes it takes practice to be able to read with the ears as well as one reads with the eyes. I took to it pretty easily, back in the 90s when I was commuting by train and didn’t want to lug a big book around with me. The first audiobook I remember listening to back then was Team of Rivals. It was a real doorstep in paper form, so the audio was perfect. I loved it.

I want to wean myself off Audible (and all Bezos’ businesses) and try Libros. I still have 4 credits with Audible and another on the way in May, but being able to use those 2 credits and get 4 books was great. I haven’t tried Spotify. I’ll have to check it out.

Spring, indeed! I have been grading and gardening and doing a bit of traveling.

>141 Storeetllr: I miss my long commute and audio books. I am trying to find ways to weave them into my daily life: I like your idea of jigsaw puzzles. I might be able to listen while I crochet or quilt.

I listened to most of the Harry Potter books that way.

For audio books, my first go to is Hoopla, which comes from the public library. You might check to see if you library has a subscription. Everything is on demand so no hold times and I have been happy with their selection.

Hi, Karen! Yes, spring has been lovely here this year. Just enough rain and not too hot. The lettuce in my garden tower has taken off, and so have the radishes and spinach. Something got all the kale, but I have a few seedlings ready to plant and have put a net over the tower at night, which seems to be working to keep the critters out.

I use Hoopla, but I don’t find it nearly as good as Libby for selection. I don’t know what I’d do without audiobooks. My eyes are too bad to read regular books, and my arthritis won’t let me read big volumes with large print. And I lost my Kindle! I realized last fall that it was gone. Since then, I’ve looked everywhere—in the cars (in case I stuck it between the seats when I didn’t want to carry it somewhere and it fell under the seats), every box I have with papers I need to go thru (in case I shoved it in one when I was moving stuff around last summer), under the bed, in the cupboards. It’s crazy, because I live in a small one room apartment. I dug out an old OLD Kindle DX, but I can’t seem to get it to connect to the internet. I’m going to have to try and go old school and connect it to my (new) computer and download that way, if possible. Hope that works!

>143 Storeetllr: Something got all the kale

Congratulations! "Something" has all my sympathy for being so deeply desperately hungry as to need to eat *shudder* kale. *smooch*

Haha. Actually, when I wrote that, I was thinking of you, Richard. I know how much you love kale, which is to say the opposite of love. We use it in stews and rice bowls—and mixed in salads when it’s young and tender—because it’s healthy.

>145 Storeetllr: But so is cabbage, and it isn't leathery enough to make shoes from! Collards...mustard greens...radish tops...All healthy and not foul-tasting as well as unplesantly textured! Repent, repent and uproot!

*smooch*

😂 You made me laugh right out loud! (Yes, and I eat those too.)

😘

Just noticed this. Two #145 posts. Weird, huh?

>147 Storeetllr: ...but have I shamed you into destroying The Evil Weed?

>149 richardderus: Not a bit. Sorry (not sorry). I will promise NEVER to try and get you to partake in anything having to do with kale though. 🤐

April was a relatively slow reading month for me. I read only six books, none over a 4 star read.

43. Desperate Undertaking 3.5 stars. A Flavia Albia mystery. Someone is murdering theater people Falco and Helena know long ago in horrible ways, and Albia is hired to solve the mystery because her father is out of town. I enjoy these historical mysteries, but not as much as I enjoyed the Falco series when I read it decades ago. Flavia Albia is not as outré as Falco was - neither are the characters - and the mysteries don't seem as intriguing. Still, its a worthwhile series.

44. Driftnet by Lin Anderson. 3 stars. I had a hard time with this. The sexual violence against the young men was a bit too graphic for my sensibilities, but worse was the behavior of a couple main characters, a forensic scientist and one of her co workers, who withhold important info about the murder from the lead detective, who seems a pretty caring and trustworthy guy. Also, lots of angst. Not my favorite kind of mystery.

45. All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlatan Harris, a Graphic Audio Production. 4 stars. I read this, the 5th in the Gunnie Rose series, awhile ago. The Graphic Audio adaptation is good, except I recognize some of the voices from other series’ adaptations, and it’s distracting. I can live with that. As for the story, it contains one of my least favorite tropes: the failure-to -communicate-for-no-good-reason. It provided a lot of unnecessary angst. Otherwise, why??? Still, it was an enjoyable mental movie.

46. Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis. 3.5 stars. The body of a tourist is found in the Tiber, and Flavia Albia, with a fellow feeling toward the foreigner, investigates and learns she was the wife of the man who raped her when she was a child back in Britain before Falco and Helena rescued her.

47. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. 4 stars. In the near future, Britain discovers time travel and brings a few people, who were on the brink of death in their own time lines, from the past to the present. After their initial orientation, they are assigned handlers—called bridges—with whom they are to live for at least a year. One ex pat—a ship’s commander of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1847–is paired with a British-Cambodian civil servant. The unnamed modern woman is completely beyond the comprehension of the 19th century man, though they learn to work together to make his absorption into modern life successful. This is not a fluffy romance, nor is it very humorous. It is, though, highly compelling.

48. Heartwood by Amity Gaige. 4 stars. This is as much about the relationships between mothers and daughters as it is about getting lost in the woods while hiking the Appalachian Trail, search and rescue operations, and survival.

>151 Storeetllr: You liked #47 more than I did, but we agree on #48. Here's hoping you're gruntled and kempt all weekend long!

>152 richardderus: #47 had moments when I rolled my eyes—hard—but overall I enjoyed it more than I usually enjoy time travel books.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend, which seems like it might be a pleasant one after all the rain.

First week of May, and I finished two books, one of which was a5-star read.

49. The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley. 5 stars. This was such a great read, though some of the subjects were distressing at best and horrifying at worst. I adored the main character, whose name means “light,” and who was both sensitive and brutal at the same time. He reminded me of Murderbot, because both were shaped by the harsh world in which they were “raised,” both were filled with (mostly) unearned guilt, and both had such big emotions they sometimes have to stare at a wall to deal with them. The ancient world was so well written, I felt sometimes like I was there. I think this is going to be a frequent reread for me because already I want to reread it

50. Archangel's Ascension by Nalini Singh. 3 stars. This contained a lot of mushy sex scenes, which always bore me these days, a lot of back and forth in time (from the time Bluebell and Sparkle declared their love for each other in the last book and a time centuries in the future), and not a lot of action, but I'm glad I persevered because the ending was a recap of what happened to many of the characters in the earlier books, so I'm pretty sure this is the end of the Guild Hunter series.

>154 Storeetllr: Oh goody good good, Mary! I'm so glad you've enjoyed #49 and even more than I did. Good spotting on the Murderbot comparo, hadn't occurred to me but it's spot-on.

Super Saturday out there, no? Enjoy it!

Hi Mary. It's been awhile since I visited, your thread got unstarred some how. Hope all is going well with you. I am doing lots of reading but very little else. Hope your grands are keeping a smile on your face.

>155 richardderus: Not sure exactly why I loved The Hymn to Dionysus so much, but I did. I listened to it on audio, and the narrator was fantastic. I think the MC's resemblance to MB was another selling point.

Hope your weekend was fantastic!

>156 DeltaQueen50: Nice to see you here, Judy! I'm still alive and kicking, so that's a good thing, and my reading slump seems to be gone for now. Ruby and Rowan are such wonderful active kids, which makes me both happy and exhausted.

>154 Storeetllr: A five star read? You got me with that one, Mary. Onto the hold list it goes although it might take a while as the library has it on order. Have fun gardening!

>159 Familyhistorian: I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I listened to it as an audiobook and think the narrator added to my enjoyment. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

Gardening is a mixed bag this year. The lettuce and spinach, peas and radishes and tomatoes— all are doing great. As for the kale, cucumbers, broccoli, and strawberries, though—something is eating them, down to the ground, and I haven’t figured out what it is or how to stop it. So infuriating.

I has a really hard time with this one, not because the writing wasn’t first rate, or I hated the characters, or the story wasn’t compelling, because none of those things was true, but because reading about African Grey parrots was so painful. It’s been almost a year since I rehomed Nickel, my own sweet Grey, and I still miss her every day more than words can say.

52. How to Read a Book by Monica Wood. 4.5 stars. This is a story about redemption and love and found families—and African Grey parrots—and I cried through a large part of it. It’s really well written, with great character development and vivid descriptions of women in prison, but especially the accurate descriptions of the African Greys. I probably won’t reread this, but only because reading about the Greys was too emotional for me.

>161 Storeetllr: It doesn't take much to reopen those wounds, Mary. So sorry it was painful, but glad you liked Monica Wood's writing. Sending hugs.

Thanks, Richard. I still think I did the right thing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still miss her.

Hope you’re surviving our “second winter” after that lovely warm but short taste of spring. I hate it.

Went to the local garden club’s annual sale on Saturday and picked up a couple of really fun and unusual (to me) indoor plants. One is a baby “Swiss Cheese” Monstera. The other is called a “Chain of Dolphins.”


Monstera adansonii


Senecio hippogriff


Detail of Senecio hippogriff

>164 Storeetllr: Wow, the "chain of dolphins" is incredibly cool! Does it bloom, or is the point the leaves? I hope it thrives for you!

I googled it, Richard, and it does bloom in the fall. The flowers are little white puffballs with spikes. It actually looks to me a lot like the Coronavirus, so I’m not sure I want it to bloom. 😬

ETA

The scent is supposed to be lovely.

>164 Storeetllr: Interesting looking plants. No wonder you couldn't resist.

>166 Storeetllr: Very pretty! I hope you get it to bloom. Looks like fireworks to me rather than coronavirus! I don’t have any houseplants because the cat chews on them. Even if they’re cat safe, she throws them up, lol. She’s a handy excuse because, really, I’m terrible at keeping plants alive.

>166 Storeetllr: They're weird-looking indeed but if they smell nice....

Visitors! How nice!

>167 Familyhistorian: Yes, but I'm always too easily tempted by plants of all kinds. Last week, while shopping for groceries, I picked up two (sigh) small flowering succulent gardens from Trader Joes. Like I really needed more plants. Like I actually could afford them. But they were so pretty with their bright orange and yellow blooms. Oh, well, you only live once, right?

>168 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne! And you're right. Fireworks is much preferable to the Coronavirus. I don't think I could live without plants in my small, gloomy basement apartment. Not only do they bring life and light to it (light because I have to keep grow lights on all day, which brightens up the place considerably) but because they are good air filters for the sometimes mildewy smells that I get down here. (I'd move if I could, but between finances and the grandkids, that's not going to happen soon.)

>169 richardderus: Hi, Richard! Thanks for stopping by. I hope they bloom sometime. Not holding my breath, but I can hope. My hoya has actually bloomed twice this spring, after years of not blooming at all, so it's possible. (The scent of the hoyas is intoxicating! Last night, the fragrance spread throughout the entire place! I went to sleep smelling them. It was wonderful.)

>172 Storeetllr: Hoyas are divas when it comes to blooming. I'm glad they graced you with that lovely perfume.

>161 Storeetllr: I am sorry about the grief your felt reading about the African grey parrots. Rehoming a pet would be so hard, but I know you did it for the most unselfish reasons. The plants are lovely!

>173 richardderus: I’m happy to coddle them for years just to be graced with blooms once in awhile. *smooches*

>174 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah. In a couple of weeks, it will be a year since I rehomed Nickel. I truly did not expect to miss her so much for so long. I know I did the right thing, but it feels like I’ve lost a part of myself. Weird to feel that way about a bird but true.

>154 Storeetllr: I love when I finish a book and right away want to read it again. I’ve never done it, but it’s such a nice feeling!

>176 Storeetllr: Not weird at all, Mary. Nickel was such a big part of your life, and you love her, so you’ll always miss her. Even as it gets less painful. ((Hugs))

>177 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne! I know you understand how it is to miss a feathered or furred friend.

Finding a five-star book that you want to reread right after finishing it is a great feeling! It doesn't happen often, but, when it does...! Actually, it happened twice in two months. Hymn to Dionysus was last month, and this month:

53. All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay. 5 stars. Audio. I've been impressed by all of Kay's books that I've read over the years, and I have to say his writing has only gotten even more impressive. This is another alternate history, the powerful story set in a world based on medieval Europe, this time focusing on the fallout from the Fall of Sarantium to the Asherites (think Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire). The characters, world building, and story sucked me in so hard I skipped meals and stayed up much too late so I could read "just one more page" (or, tbh, "just five more minutes"). At one point, I needed a handful of tissues to mop up my tears, though most of the book was, at most, merely poignant. I seldom find myself so immersed in a book as with this one. So good!

So I was at the local #NoKings demonstration today with my sign and my umbrella. It was a peaceful turnout in the rain of about 2500+ folks. I hope everyone who could went to their local event and had a happy, safe time.



This lady's costume made quite the impression on the crowd!

>179 Storeetllr: I love her! Of course I've always loved you, but she's got the advantage of novelty.

>179 Storeetllr: Oh, excellent! Beautiful sign and oh, what a hoot - that chicken is priceless! Good for you and everyone else for getting out there!!

I’m sorry we didn’t get to a protest on Saturday. Denver apparently had a very good turnout (sunny with temps in the 90s) and even here in Littleton/Centennial, hundreds turned out in different groups. We passed a large crowd at University and Dry Creek and there had to have been at least 300 people there. And I did the least I could do - I honked! A lot. :)

>179 Storeetllr: That's quite the costume! Good for you for getting out and being heard, Mary.

Happy Monday, Mary. I am so impressed that you get out there are peacefully protest, whenever you are able. I should do much better on that front, especially against this repellent regime.

Love the photos too!

How is everything else going? Enjoying those books?

>180 richardderus: Yes, she was quite popular! There was also a taco hat or two in the crowd where I was standing. People actually lined the street four ways from the intersection, and the street's wide and heavily trafficked, so I didn't get a good look at what was happening on the other three sides from where I stood, a block or so down from the intersection. As I was arriving, I saw about five drumpfers on one side, sadly waving their sad signs. They were surrounded by No Kings protesters (not too closely, though) and drowned out by all the honking and cheering from those driving by, many of them PoC. We did have a few brave Black and Hispanic protesters, but most wisely stayed away except to honk, clap, and give us the thumbs up. All in all, it was a peaceful, joyous demonstration, and not even the cops who were there (invited by the organizers) seemed disgruntled in any way.

>181 Copperskye: I saw the crowds in Denver and wished I could have been there. Even little Pueblo in deep red territory had about 2000 people, I heard. So encouraging, though we still have more work ahead of us if we want to prevent the current regime from turning us completely into an authoritarian state.

I can tell you that all the honking cars really made everyone's day, so you did your part, as best you could at the time. Maybe you can make it to the next demonstration. I have a feeling there'll be a lot more to come.

>183 msf59: Hi, Mark! Happy Monday to you too! It is very uplifting to peacefully protest with like-minded people and, if nothing else, know you're not alone in your loathing of the orange scourge. I hope you do manage to get to a protest. There are bound to be more in the coming months. I think you'll find it empowering.

I'm in a bit of a book slump just now - it's mostly lack of focus - though in the past two months I've read two five-star books.

>184 Storeetllr: I keep in the front of my mind that this is the best possible result of the awfulness the Felonious Yam is attempting to enact. The MAGAts are seeing they really are in the minority. I hope it works.

Hi Mary and a big "Thumbs Up" from this Canadian for standing up and having your say.

Great picture , Mary and I love the costume too!Thanks for going to the rally.

>187 richardderus: I hope so too, Richard, though I don't think it matters to them. They are so sure they are right, and that they have the right to force the rest of us to go along with their craziness. But I'll keep going to protests until I can no longer walk with even a walker.

>188 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! We need all the encouragement we can get from everyone. BTW, both loved and hated how the G7 (should now be G6, I guess) went down. It's so embarrassing, the way he acts for the whole sane world to see. Damn those of us who voted for the Orange Blight.

>189 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah. I can't do much, but I can rally. Been doing it since 1967. You'd think it would no longer be necessary, but here we are.

Call for help!

I misplaced my Kindle and, though I've looked everywhere I can think it could be, haven't been able to find it. I really need an ereader, but I hate Amazon and all it stands for so have been thinking about a Kobo or some other ereader. My main sticking point is ease of getting library books. I'm afraid it won't be so easy to do with a Kobo as it is with a Kindle.

I'd sure appreciate hearing about your experiences with and/or advice about other ereaders than Kindle. TIA!

>193 Storeetllr: Sorry Mary, I can't be of any help to you re e-readers as I am a Kindle girl . It's ease of use and availability of material has me hooked. I would also rather not be so attached to Amazon so it's my guilty secret.

>193 Storeetllr: Kobo books are available from the review DRC sites so they should all be integrated with Libby and the like because they all use the same back office functions.

>194 DeltaQueen50: Not a secret anymore, Judy, haha. Yes, I’m right there with you, at least on the Kindle issue. Thanks for your input, though. I have till Amazon’s big sale in July when the Kindle might be on sale to decide what to do.

>195 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. So I can get all the books for a Kobo from my libraries through Libby and Hoopla, same as for a Kindle?

Yep. Check out the website to see if they have different options for Kobo but nothing I can find says it's different.

>198 richardderus: I checked, and it looks like you have to transfer the book toan ereader using a computer and usb connection. Seems a bit more complicated than I’d like, but I’ll continue researching.

>199 Storeetllr: Really? That is much more complicated. I saw none of that for the site of my library. ???

>199 Storeetllr: It looks like there's built in Overdrive (Libby) compatibility with some Kobo readers but it depends on the kind. And not every e-book in Libby will be compatible with the Kobo, so you'll want to check format (this is true for Kindle, too).

That’s the problem (well not THE problem) with Amazon’s Kindle. They make everything just so darn easy, from buying to downloading from the library. I had a Nook years ago that I had to physically connect to my laptop to transfer books from Overdrive. It was a hassle and really had a chilling effect on my borrowing. I consider myself mostly computer illiterate so I can’t help but do you have a small local library? The librarians here are very helpful with that sort of thing and I bet yours could answer your questions regarding compatibility and ease of transfer via Libby with a Kobo. Libby has a help section, too.

Was out in the backyard the other day after a couple days of cool and rainy and saw this little guy perched on one of the empty feeders. I think it might be a juvenile bluejay. I’m hoping Mark can ID it for me.



Took Rowan to the park yesterday in the blazing heat (which about killed me). At one point he was sharing the skateboard park with a teen on a scooter and a guy in his 50s on a-line skates. I wish I’d gotten a picture of all three generations together, zooming around at the same time, but I only got this one of Rowan. He was watching the others very carefully though, committing to memory some of their more daring moves I’m sure. *shudder*



I’m really enjoying Esperance on audio.

>200 richardderus: Yeah. I think I remember having to do this with Kindle books too back before the beginning of time. It was a pain then. I’m not really sure I’m up to it now.

>201 bell7: Thanks, Mary. It’s true, some books don’t work with Kindle, but not many are incompatible. I’ll do more checking before I decide.

>202 Copperskye: Haha, yes, so many problems with Amazon! That’s a good idea about checking with a librarian at the library. I’ll go over next week and ask. Thanks!

I may finish one more book before tomorrow, and I'll edit my stats if I do, but I want to get my June reading round-up posted so I can start another thread.

Total Books Read in June: 9

Genres:
-Fantasy: 6
-Scifi: 3

Favorite Book of the Month:

All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay. 5 stars. Audio. I've been impressed by all of Kay's books that I've read over the years, and I have to say his writing has only gotten even more impressive. This is another alternate history, a powerful story set in a world based on medieval Europe, this time focusing on the fallout from the Fall of Sarantium to the Asherites (think Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire). The characters, world building, and story sucked me in so hard I skipped meals and stayed up much too late so I could read "just one more page" (or, tbh, "just five more minutes"). At one point, I needed a handful of tissues to mop up my tears, though most of the book was, at most, merely poignant. I seldom find myself so immersed in a book as with this one. So good!

Most Fun Book of the Month:

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi. 4 stars. Ebook. Yes, it is a ridiculous concept, but enjoyed it for the way it was done and the sheer fun factor, plus his portrayals of corrupt (and less than intelligent) politicians and whacked billionaires and how the astronauts and scientists of the space program have to deal with them, and how easily people can ignore the evidence of their own eyes and ears. It’s sort of a pastiche of SeveneveS, the film Independence Day, and just a smidge of The Last Policeman, with a dollop of cheese. So, serious issues in a cheese soufflé story. The ending was a shrewd commentary on the ability of people to fool themselves as well as a bit of a letdown, action-wise, but not enough to ruin the experience for me. All in all, just what I needed to perk me up a bit and give me a few—well, more than a few, really—laughs.

>203 Storeetllr: A blue jay! Go Rowan! Looking good,bud.