The Read goes ever on and on...MrsLee 2025 chapter 2

With the spring comes my second quarter thread. A time of new beginnings, or a fresh look at the same old stuff!

Currently reading: Guy Mannering by Sir Walter Scott, and enjoying it very much, thank you. Although the print is very fine and so I can only read a chapter or two a day before the headache sets in and I have to do something else. This might give you an indication of how much I am enjoying it, in that I persist. Scott gives notes here and there (in even finer print!) of the real-life events and people who inspired him to write the story. I love his subtle humor. I did read three chapters one day because I couldn't put it down! He is quite the tease. You want him to move along to get the story going, but he hops down what seems a rabbit trail, only to show you that it leads right back into the story.

Began reading yesterday: Suwanee River; Strange Green Land, from the Rivers of America series, by Cecile Hulse Matschat. I think I'm going to like this book a lot. Written in 1937 about the Okefenokee swamp and the people there, the author is a botanist and geographer. I've only read the first few pages and I'm enjoying it, although she doesn't speak woke about any of the races there, white included, she seems to respect them and their ways. I see that I have another of her books called Seven Grass Huts about her time in Central and South America.

I hope my lack of fantasy and scifi reading doesn't disqualify me from membership here. I'm having such a good time reading my old books, and reading all your threads about the new books.

Happy new thread. It is good to read your posts, fantasy or not.

Happy Spring and Happy New Thread!

Happy New Thread! I am looking forward to your posts.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread!

Found and starred!

Thanks all!

I finished the Alfred Hitchcock movies. What to do? Well, I had decided to purchase the second season of the A&E Nero Wolfe series because although I am not a completest. Really, I'm not. Nope. It has been bugging me for a long time that I only had the first season on dvd. But the second season was usually over $50 when I checked. Gulp. I finally decided to buy it used for half that price and it arrived yesterday.

Last night I watched Death of a Doxy. I knew I loved this series, but I had forgotten just how much I loved the settings and the clothing and the actors. Once Maury Chaykin had calmed his jets down in the first season, he did a good job of Wolfe. I would love to read each story after I watch the show, but I don't think I can read that fast anymore. Used to read those books in one day.

My New Zealand TV murder series was only one season of 4 episodes. I liked them.

Started a new TV murder series called Recipes for Love and Murder, set in South Africa. At least half of my motivations for watching these series are the settings and countries they are in. This one is deeper and darker than I expected from the title. Only watched 2 episodes, but I'm loving it. A bit of humor, quite a bit of dark, good character development, some lovely cooking and gorgeous visuals.

A bit slow on the uptake here, but Happy New Thread! Amazon has been promoting Recipes for Love and Murder to me recently. You're making a better case for it than I think they did!

>8 MrsLee: Happy new thread!

I think I've heard of Recipes for Love and Murder before, but I couldn't name the context. I love dark humor.

>10 terriks: Hmm, no, I don't think I would call it a dark humor show. Its storyline is darker than I thought it would be (abusive spouse), and there is humor in the daily lives of the folk. Sort of a dark and light layer cake. ;)

>11 MrsLee: Ah, I see. Thanks for the cake analogy!

My sweet husband bought three cheeses for me. A lovely Roquefort, some Havarti, which is interesting and I like, and what he thought was a brie, but was a "Dulce" brie. A carmel-flavored brie is interesting but not what I want in a brie. Might be good with fruit though, like pear or apple. Still, not brie!

>13 MrsLee: Oh, sweet cheeses, as clam has been known to say.

>14 haydninvienna: :D

A plug for Recipes for Love and Murder. Just watch it. It's very good. Only 1.75 gripes: 1. A chicken is allowed the run of the kitchen, counter and all. I've seen how often chickens poop. .50 it took them a whole season to solve one crime, but they made it all so interesting along the way that I didn't really mind. .25 surprise snake, but it's set in South Africa, so I knew they wouldn't be able to resist having at least one. I love the build up they did for the lead character and her past, and I was baffled about the murderer, although I knew who I wanted it to be. The cinematography, the music, the recipes are all lovely.

I should say that if you have struggled with spousal abuse, this might upset you. There is not much graphic, but the tension of it is strong.

>13 MrsLee: Oh nice!!! I too would probably not be overly ecstatic about a sweet brie. Is the Havarti local or Danish?

>15 MrsLee:. I was telling my husband just last night that we should give this one a try. He doesn't mind the extended narrative arc of one crime across several episodes.

>13 MrsLee: gifts of cheese, chocolate, or caffeine speak volumes of love :)

>16 clamairy: It's Dofino spreadable cheese wedges. So probably an American company. I look forward to finding a good import sometime to taste the real deal, because I liked this one.

>17 jillmwo: Try it. You will like it.

>18 Darth-Heather: This cheese gift came with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a bottle of Pinot Noir. Both acceptable and appreciated. :)

I almost quit reading Guy Mannering the day before yesterday. The tiny print really does require a commitment (yes, I probably could find it on the Kindle, but I love reading this big old book with the wonderful line drawing illustrations), and it got to a point where several chapters had been about the villain and his nefarious plans. I don't seem to like the tension and suspense of that anymore. I skipped to the end to make sure I would want to get there. Yesterday I picked it up for one more go and I'm glad I did or I would have missed some wonderful chapters about funerals in Scotland and several other great passages. So, onward I go.

>1 MrsLee: Happy new thread!

>19 MrsLee: “ some wonderful chapters about funerals in Scotland”

Aw. That caught my interest. I may have a book or two to recommend, if I can find them.

Ah! A Doctor of the Old School

“ Drumtochty was accustomed to break every law of health, except wholesome food and fresh air, and yet had reduced the Psalmist's farthest limit to an average life-rate. Our men made no difference in their clothes for summer or winter, Drumsheugh and one or two of the larger farmers condescending to a topcoat on Sabbath, as a penalty of their position, and without regard to temperature. They wore their blacks at a funeral, refusing to cover them with anything, out of respect to the deceased, and standing longest in the kirkyard when the north wind was blowing across a hundred miles of snow. If the rain was pouring at the Junction, then Drumtochty stood two minutes longer through sheer native dourness till each man had a cascade from the tail of his coat, and hazarded the suggestion, halfway to Kildrummie, that it had been "a bit scrowie," a "scrowie" being as far short of a "shoor" as a "shoor" fell below "weet."

I’ve read one other Drumtochty title. I need to investigate if there are more to be had. Very warm and cozy.

>13 MrsLee: A gift of cheese (and wine!) is a wonderful one!

I've just realized I've never tried Havarti. I rarely see it in shops here, but maybe I can find it.
Sweet brie does not sound very tempting, but it should go well with something or other :)

>15 MrsLee: I now recall where I have heard of this show. A friend has been watching it and recommended it. I don't have Prime so would have to watch it via YouTube.

>22 Alexandra_book_life: I'm going to finish the sweet brie, because I'm like that, but I bought a big ol' hunk a brie at Costco today to make up to my tastebuds. It was good on my toasted sourdough bread. I just remembered what it reminds me of; Gjetost! I actually love that cheese on bagels with fruit. The flavor surprised me in a brie though.

Happy new thread!

I finished Guy Mannering last night (couldn't put it down yesterday afternoon) and am posting my rather long review here. The only reason I didn't give it five stars (aside from the mechanical difficulties of reading it), was that in my rating system, a book only receives five stars if it causes me to examine my soul and humanity, as well as being excellently written. This was a rollicking good tale though, and the more I consider how he wrote and told it, the more I admire it.

I will continue with my book on the Suwanee River, which is also delighting me. I like the way the author delivers the history and such in a disinterested, narrative way, then glides into her personal tale of her explorations in third person as "The Plant Woman." Very engaging, lots of snakes. "Ptui"

I also began reading The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2000. I enjoyed the 2014 collection in this series, and it looks as though I will enjoy this one as well, considering that I loved both the Forward and the Introduction.

In the Forward, Burkhard Bilger (does that sound like a Hobbit name to anyone else here?) puts forth some interesting reasons for the series. I am quoting only the bits which made me sit up and say, "huh." Something to think about, or perhaps old news, but it bears repeating 25 years later.

"...Why nothing from the Internet? E-mail has made writers - or at least typists - of us all, and the on-line landscape is dotted with great piles of science and nature writing. Is nothing worth saving in all those virtual haystacks? Well, yeah, probably. But searching them might take a lifetime and find hardly a needle. Even the best Internet magazines (Slate, Salon) tend to publish articles that are either too chatty or too news-oriented - too mindful of our impatience with reading from a screen - to hold up in a collection like this one.

How widely that approach will spread to print remains to be seen..."

"...Like long-time New Yorkers, who walk past the most poignant street dramas without blinking, we've grown so adept at filtering information that we sometimes miss what's most important.

The purpose of this book, then, is not only to celebrate, delight, and inform but also to remember and preserve. As Alexander Stille wrote in The New Yorker last year, in a article on the alarming accumulation and deterioration of digital archives in Washington, "The danger is not that some modern Sophocles will be totally lost...but, rather, that such a vast accumulation of records makes it nearly impossible to distinguish the essential from the ephemeral." This series, we hope, will offer future readers one guide to the essential."

Now I want the whole series. :)

>26 MrsLee: Lovely review!

I've read Ivanhoe and Quentin Durward ages ago, and liked them both. Perhaps I should try more of Walter Scott's novels :)

>27 Alexandra_book_life: Having only read Ivanhoe before, and that long ago, I'm thinking the same thing. Only I must find versions with bigger type!

>28 MrsLee: I remember reading Ivanhoe in a paperback edition with exceedingly small type. It really slowed down my progress and had I not been reading it alongside a friend, I might never had the wherewithal to finish it. You make Guy Mannering and the Scottish landscape sound intriguing.

>13 MrsLee: I love Havarti, just plain unflavored Havarti.

>29 jillmwo: If you think I make it sound intriguing, you should read Sir W. Scott. I loved his descriptions.

>30 fuzzi: I am looking forward to finding some that isn't quite as processed as this was.

On the TV front, I'm watching one Nero Wolfe episode a night, then onto explorations on Acorn channel. It's itching in my bones that when I finish the second season of Wolfe, I will start the first, but do it by reading the book before watching the show. I've read the whole series several times, but I always enjoy living as a voyeur in the Brownstone for a bit.

I watched "Ellis" which is a bit more dramatic than I love, but very well done. Only three episodes though.

Then I watched the first pilot episode of "Grimm" Yikes, scary! Not sure I will continue that because my mood isn't right for it.

Then went on to "Candice Renoir" a French TV mystery series. Subtitles for me. I really like the main actress, Cécile Bois, and the premise of a woman who had a good career then took 10 years off, and is now returning to the workforce. Perhaps she isn't up on the current technology, but her insights and experiences give her wisdom, and she's clever enough to catch up. Younger co-workers can be jerks.

Very busy the last two weeks. Wanted to get the yard ready for the grandchildren to hunt Easter eggs in, and the house ready for all the company as well; so not a lot of time for reading. It was a great whirlwind of a weekend though.

I did manage to finish Grace O' Malley: The Biography of Ireland's Pirate Queen, 1530-1603 by Anne Chambers. It was interesting, and so I grudgingly gave it three stars, but there were times I was very annoyed with it for the reasons stated in my review.

I'm still working on, and hoping to finish before the end of April, the science essay collection I'm reading (no thrills in that so far, although some articles have been interesting), and Suwannee River: Strange Green Land, which I'm enjoying, but want to be done with.

I have an appointment tomorrow with a radiologist (looks like the cancer is back, in my spine this time) so will probably bring The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout to read while waiting. It is the first episode in the A & E boxed set for season 1 and I plan to read each story again before I watch the episodes again. They don't call 'em comfort reads for nothing.

>33 MrsLee: Many hugs. I am thinking about you.

>33 MrsLee:
I read that back in 2019. Very interesting. We have stayed in county Mayo where she lived and it is interesting to see the number of her places of residence that are still in existence.

One thing the book brought home to me was that she sided with the English at Kinsale to kick her fellow Irish aristocracy out of Ireland. It helped her dispose of some of her local competition. That is not something that many people singing her praises mention.

Wishing you success with dealing with your spinal issue.

OMG woman...I am so nervous for you and can only imagine what you're feeling. Crossing everything and wishing for the absolute best. You are a gem.

>33 MrsLee: Rex Stout sounds like a nicely reassuring read for a doctor's appointment. Crossing my thumbs for you.

>33 MrsLee: What >36 Bookmarque: said, all of it. What I said to myself when I read your post won't bear repetition here.

>33 MrsLee: A third to @haydninvienna and @Bookmarque. Thinking of you.

>33 MrsLee: Hoping for the very best of results with your appointment.

>33 MrsLee: Sending best wishes to you and keeping my fingers crossed.

>33 MrsLee: oh Lee, I'm sorry you have to deal with this. Wishing you good luck and good comfort reads to get you through.

>33 MrsLee: Oh. :o(
Whatever >38 haydninvienna: said was nothing compared to what just came out of my mouth.
I will light some incense and attempt to send some good juju your way.

Thank you all, for your support. If I've learned anything about life through all of this, it is to take each day as a gift and not let my mind dwell on what could be, or what might happen. Today is a wonderful day. It is sprinkling and cool and in our area, that is a blessing.

>35 pgmcc: You might have been why I purchased it in the first place. I know I remember the book being discussed somewhere here. I am watching a documentary on the Castles of Ireland. Started last night. The first episode was set in the 1100s discussing the Norman invasions. I hope in later episodes they advance in history and discuss Granuaile's casles and area as well.

I have some catching up to do on reviews since I finished three books almost on the same day, two of which I had been reading for awhile.

The first is The Best American Science and Nature Writing, 2000. I do not regret reading this, but there were no stellar articles that moved me as there were in the first book I read in this series, from 2011.

I have decided to read each Rex Stout novel before I watch the episode produced on A&E channel years ago. First up was The Doorbell Rang. I was impressed how closely the TV episode followed the story. It had to condense of course, but what it represented, it did so accurately. Very enjoyable.

This was the book where Nero Wolfe (and Rex Stout) pushed in the nose of the FBI. If you have read anything about Rex Stout, you will know that he was an iconoclast, not willing to be dictated to by anyone about his beliefs, and a very strong voice for freedom of press and ideas. He left the editorship of a magazine in the 1920s because he believed it was Communist. He was investigated by the FBI because of his "communist" ideas. An interesting man, and I've only given the tip of the iceberg of who he was and what he did. Although the Nero Wolfe novels are pure fun, Stout tackled many controversial ideas in them, allowing Wolfe to express his ideas.

Loved this book and am keeping it on my shelves. It is a lovely piece of Americana Folk History.

The two books I am currently reading:
Navidad; A Christmas Day with the early Californians by Don Arturo Bandini & Pastorela; A Shepherd's Play, Translated, with a Note by Gwladys Louise Williams. This is a slim volume.

The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher, as recommended by so many of you in the pub. Am enjoying it so far, I only began reading it yesterday.

>46 MrsLee: Your outlook with regard to handling the future is very wise, Lee. But I chortled a bit when I read this bit: enjoyed reading the Bibliography. Honestly, that's the true sign of a bibliophile!

>48 jillmwo: :) There were so many good recommendations!

Playing catch up. I hope your doctor's appointment goes as well as it possibly can.

I finished The Seventh Bride. Not blown away, but it was a fun read.

This quote stood out for me: " Roses have thorns, that's the price of roses. When you start to forget that, that's when things go wrong."

Also finished Navidad & Pastorela, it was only 51 pages long, but I am very glad to own this book as it pertains to the history of my state, as well as the history of my husband's ancestors.

Today I begin Champagne for One by Rex Stout; next in my TV/book rematch/reread marathon. The sticky social aspect of this novel is single motherhood. Not the cheeriest book in the series, but an interesting balance of how society viewed unwed mothers and how Wolfe and Archie perceive them. Hint: society sees them as a "project" and the author portrays them through Wolfe and Archie as people.

Also beginning Hiroshima by John Hersey. This book has been staring at me from the shelves beside my reading chair for years now. It's time I read it. It belonged to my grandparents who bought it in 1946 when it was published, I'm sure.

Wow - you've been busy with your reading and your review catching up! I love the quote about roses from The Seventh Bride!

Sending my good wishes. ❤️

>54 terriks: This reading spurt is good for my book numbers, but hard on the house cleaning, garden weeding and the book I'm trying to finish on our family history. Thanks for the well wishes.

Here's a quote from my current Nero Wolfe book which I like. As with the roses quote, it suits my life at the moment.

"I don't pretend to make things easier. I only make them manageable -- when I can."

>55 MrsLee: Great quote.

>55 MrsLee:
So far I have read one Nero Wolfe (at your recommendation) and need to read more. I like your quote.

>33 MrsLee: I sometimes save up your thread to enjoy it more. I missed your cancer news of last week. Would it amuse you to get photos of us crossing everything as Bookmarque says? ((Hugs))

>51 MrsLee: I liked that quote too. Thank you for your reading updates.

>55 MrsLee: Terrific quote! It suits me, as well.

Housework suffers the most around here these days. Well, usually all the time. I like gardening, but it's tiring, so when I come back inside I'm looking for my book and the couch - not a vacuum cleaner.

>55 MrsLee: I get a lot more pleasure out of working outside than I do inside.

Here's my new modus operandi: If I clean it today I'll just have to do it again in four or five days. So maybe I should just wait four days and do it once.

>58 2wonderY: Lol, yes, I think that would be a great photo album to have!

>60 terriks: & >61 clamairy: I see we are on the same wavelength regarding housework.

Yesterday I finished Champagne for One. It had an introduction by Lena Horn. She mentioned that she knew Stout because their daughters attended the same school, and they would visit each other's homes. I never realized that Stout actually did collect orchids. I remember reading that he was not into food like Wolfe was, and I guess I just assumed he wasn't into orchids either. Anyway, she also said that she took the Nero Wolfe books with her when she traveled the world because they helped her when she was homesick. Reading them was like being back in her hometown of New York City (she was born in Brooklyn, I believe). A funny thought I had, that for her, these books were current, but when I read them, I'm reading about the history of New York City.

I also watched the TV show for this book. It was good, stuck to the story, but many of the finer points were lost. There was not much reference at all to single motherhood, and the spotlight on the hypocrisy of some philanthropists was lost. In fact, because much of that was gone, it lost much in the retelling. They tried to pack the story in, but they couldn't get the nuances.

>60 terriks: >61 clamairy: >62 MrsLee: One has so much more time to read if one minimizes the time spent cleaning things.

>62 MrsLee: Excellent review and explanation of why you like the series so much.

>61 clamairy: Here's my new modus operandi: If I clean it today I'll just have to do it again in four or five days. So maybe I should just wait four days and do it once.

Finally! Someone who understands!

>61 clamairy: Hahaha! Right there with ya.

Mrs. Lee, sorry about the news and hope the appointment goes well. Sending you positive juju. Hugs.

Last book in April was a hard one. I will never understand the lengths humans go to to end life when nature and disease is more than willing to do that for us. I have read enough history to understand what was behind the decision to use the Bomb to end the war, but I will always grieve that action, as I grieve all death brought on by wars.

For my reading in May, I begin with Prisoner's Base by Rex Stout, a book I have read probably twice before, but I love all of the Nero Wolfe canon. I don't recall what this one is about off the top of my head, but my review says that it made me sad. Guess I will find out, and write a better review.

Also reading; The Desert Year by Joseph Wood Krutch. I think I probably bought this for my mother, because I purchased it in 2015 from a used bookstore, and she was a lover of the desert. I am not, but I love good nature writing, and am enjoying this even in the first chapter.

>66 MrsLee: I'm impressed that you would even attempt this one. I am sure I couldn't deal with it, especially when I have trouble sleeping already.

>66 MrsLee: What a great review. I'm with Clam; not sure I could get through it.

Heck, my niece came down for a visit and wanted to tour the nearby Holocaust Museum, and I was choked up and blinking tears for 2 hours.

These accounts are rough - but necessary. I agree with you, Mrs. Lee. Kudos for the read and again, for the excellent review.

I would definitely not be able to get through it. I can't even handle the news now. The last war memorial of any kind that I visited was the "White Rose" memorial in Munich and that was about as much as I could handle.

>66 MrsLee: It's a remarkable story of resilience. But it's also horrific. I read Hiroshima in my early teens and it made quite an impact on me.

>68 clamairy:, >69 terriks:, >70 haydninvienna:, >71 jillmwo: I do not, as a rule, read these sad, sad stories. I am gratified that I made an exception for this one.

It still amazes me that over 100, 000 people can die in one day, in one city, and the world just keeps going. Talk about perspective on our personal problems.

I finished Prisoner's Base last night, and watched the TV episode to go with. This time it was very noticeable that the TV episode, even though filmed in two parts, cut most of the subtleties out of the story. It removed the heart of the book, although if one had never read the book, they would have enjoyed the episode.

For those here who are from New York City (or familiar) there is a bit in the book which must be a joke. Archie, very frustrated and angry, says he sat "...at the soda fountain, and ordered a chocolate egg malted with three eggs." So I looked that up. In NYC, a chocolate egg cream, malted has no cream and no eggs. They do have chocolate and malt though. Any comments?

I am adding my review here because the handy-dandy "Attach Review" button can't find it for some reason. :/

"A young woman shows up at Wolfe's door and requests to stay in his house for a week without giving her name or any details about herself. You can imagine how that goes; or can you?

I am rereading these novels with an eye for whatever cultural wrongs Stout is taking a stab at pointing out. It's a bit of a stretch for this one, but I would say it was the attitude of men towards women in leadership roles in business. He describes several women who have a stake in a manufacturing business; one an heiress who intends to take over on her 25th birthday, one a woman who has been working there for a long time, but is being kept "in her place" by the men who have more power than she, one a woman who is trying to sleep her way to the top, and one who wants nothing to do with the business except to receive her monthly allowance from it. Business woman, Viola Duday, is described in an unflattering manner by Archie, but she is allowed to make comments about the lack of women in higher positions in business and the salary differences. In fact, she comes across as more savvy and honest than the men. None of this is relevant to the murder and solution, but Stout manages to highlight some of the inequalities and absurdities without banging on about it. Because it is spoken of with Archie's sarcastic wit, it is taken for granted that it is absurd and no argument or preaching is required.

My first review for this only said that the book left me sad. I must have been in a mood. It is sad that just as one (or more) women are getting their life together, they are murdered, but not more so than any other murder mystery where the victims are not bad people."

I've begun reading The Light that Failed by Rudyard Kipling. Apparently this is his first published book. When I was trying to find the publish date and a setting for the book I have (I never did find the date, apparently I have a very cheap knock off published by Books, Inc. and they didn't put the year they published) I accidentally saw a summary of the story. Not sure I will keep with this one, it might be very sad. Set in London and Sudan in the 1890s, so it might be interesting enough to read in spite of the sad.

>74 MrsLee: Ouch. I've done that to myself reading reviews in here. Did you try looking it up on Wikipedia? (Or is that where you found the spoilers?) I hope that you find it is indeed worthwhile to continue reading.

>74 MrsLee: I never finished that one because I too thought it would be too sad. And I love Kipling.

I see it was first published in 1890. My copy is 1898.

>73 MrsLee: I can't answer the chocolate egg malted question, despite being from New York State, I'm not that familiar with NYC. I think I've visited it maybe a dozen times?

>73 MrsLee: & >77 Karlstar: I am somewhat familiar with New York City and I can't answer it, either. I believe the days of the egg cream and chocolate egg malted were long past by the time I started to head into the city as a young adult.

>66 MrsLee: The BBC made a documentary last year called Atomic people which combines archival footage of the bombing of Hiroshima with the testimony of the remaining survivors. It was realised that this was about the last chance to get their stories on record. As you can imagine, it is moving, powerful, and heartbreaking. But it does convey that resilience of the human spirit that you found in the book.

>78 clamairy: Darn, I thought you might know.

On the subject of Egg Creams, apparently there is a short film on the subject, but I've not seen it.

There is something really bothering my brain though. I remember either a movie or a TV show which had some people trying to impress an Asian family, so they made egg creams for them. Apparently it was about all the person was talented at, and the Asian folks loved them. I cannot for the life of me remember what that was in. Pretty sure it wasn't a dream, although I do have some creative dreams.

Egg creams are thin beverages in my view. I tried them when I first moved to New York -- chocolate syrup, carbonated beverage, and a bit of whipped cream on top. In this instance however, perhaps what Archie was drinking involved malted milk powder, chocolate syrup and some substitute fluid for the seltzer. Mixing in the eggs would just make the beverage thicker and calorie heavy. However, I will check w/ my spouse (a native New Yorker) who may be more familiar with what Archie meant when looking for a chocolate egg malted with three eggs.

Edited to add: Spouse is familiar with the scene in the Nero Wolfe story but adds -- as a native New Yorker -- that there is no such beast as a Chocolate Egg Malted with three eggs. Egg cremes themselves do not have eggs which you already know.

>82 jillmwo: Thank you for that. This is why I think it's an inside joke for New Yorkers (from the city). Sort of like a guy at the bar after a hard day ordering a Shirley Temple and saying make that a double.

>83 MrsLee: "a guy at the bar after a hard day ordering a Shirley Temple and saying make that a double."

Reminds me of this old joke where a horse walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Hey!" - and the horse answers with, "Sure, make it a double!"

>83 MrsLee: >84 ScoLgo: Funny!

I've had company for a few days, visit from my daughter, which was lovely. Had some medical test, not so lovely. Amongst all that, I've done a little reading.

I managed to finish The Light that Failed, although I was not thrilled reading it, for some reason, I couldn't put it completely away. I did learn about oculists using gaslight microscopes, so that was interesting. It had other interesting aspects, but the overall feeling was gloom. Anyway, it's done and can go live elsewhere.

I read Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout in order to read the novella, "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo" which was an episode in the A&E series. Both were enjoyable, though not much to mention except that they are fun mysteries.

I am now reading Curtains for Three which includes the novella "Disguise for Murder" which is another TV episode.

Also reading Secrets & Spies, a collection of stories of espionage during WWII, which have been published in the Reader's Digest magazine over the years. I have only read the first, which was interesting indeed about Pearl Harbor, telling that our own Navy did that whole maneuver as a test for defense in 1932. I guess our top brass didn't learn from it, but the Japanese did. *shakes head*

>86 MrsLee: I love that phrasing, "can go live elsewhere". Works better in some ways than the frequently used phrase, "re-homing".

Husband just brought me a nice surprise.

Purr-fect Crime a collection of short mystery stories by authors like Dorothy L. Sayers, Edgar Allen Poe, Ellery Queen and more. All involving, as the title suggests, a cat.

>87 MrsLee: Secrets and Spies sounds fascinating!

>90 Karlstar: I confess I am not reading all the stories, only because I've read a lot about WWII, or at least a much as I can handle. However, today I read that Churchill secretly send all of Britain's gold and securities to Canada and America in case England failed. Then they could continue the war from this side of the pond. Kind of blew me away reading about the logistics of that, knowing that at that time U-boats were sinking a lot of allied ships in the Atlantic.

My mind jumped to the Spanish Main and piracy, then to the con movies I like. The fact that more than 600 civilians knew what was going on but the plan never leaked out, amazing.

>91 MrsLee: That is amazing. It also sounds like the plot of a Clive Cussler novel, if some had gone missing.

>91 MrsLee: "more than 600 civilians knew what was going on but the plan never leaked out, amazing"

Equally remarkable, to my mind, were the codebreaking operations at Bletchley Park, which didn't leak out until 1977, though the staff involved numbered (also) in the hundreds. There are now several books on the subject, all dating from long after the first leak, such as The Bletchley Girls, Station X and The secret life of Bletchley Park. I think you may find one or more of these interesting, if you haven't already done so.

>93 hfglen: I have read about Bletchley Park, although I can't remember now whether I read one of those books or just an article.

It sort of undermines my argument against conspiracy theories (that that many people needed to be involved couldn't keep a secret).

>93 hfglen: and >94 MrsLee: I'm currently in a book group that is reading Code Girls by Liza Mundy. Many people working together can indeed keep a secret. In one instance, there's a married pair of cryptographers who can't talk about their work with each other at home (and thus perhaps offer useful aid in working through a problem) because their work for two different agencies was classified and strict protocols had to be followed. Not to mention the idea that the agencies were trying to compete with one another in how fast they went and the solutions unraveled.

Just catching up on threads. I am glad you had company, and that you are reading. :o)

We dropped off a book at the LFL and I brought The Crow Road home with me. My husband already bailed on it due to all the family stuff at the beginning. Not sure when I will read it, but since Iain Banks has been praised in here, and there is an exploding grandma, I thought I should give it a try. Also, free book.

>97 MrsLee:
I enjoyed The Crow Road. There is an excellent four part miniseries of the novel.

It is about the main character and his family and friends; a sort of coming of age novel with a mystery involved. It almost qualifies as Gothic as many of the elements are there: Family mystery; old family home; hidden intentions.

The opening sentence is one of the best I have every come across. You obviously like it too. Many of his books have great opening sentences.

>98 pgmcc: Thank you, I look forward to giving it a try.

>97 MrsLee: Uh oh, another Banks (not scifi) that I haven't read yet!

>97 MrsLee:. Well, I want to hear about the exploding grandma! I am beside myself with curiosity (and there is no free book available to me.)

>101 jillmwo: You must tend to your patience, I won't be starting it until June, at the earliest. :P

>102 MrsLee: I will rein in the wild horses, but I really do want to hear what happens to the grandma.

>103 jillmwo:
The Crow Road's first sentence:

It was the day my grandmother exploded.

I think you need to read the book to get the meaning behind this sentence. :-)

>103 jillmwo: What happens is; she explodes. ;P

Reminds me of a book I love where on the first page the grandpa sneezes and his teeth fly across the room. The main character, in her high chair, is traumatized because she assumes people can just fly apart any old time.

Condensed version here:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/133541#3535947

>104 pgmcc: and >105 MrsLee: I see what you did there...

High-five, @MrsLee!

Gotta hurry, grandson is here and I can't leave him and his grandfather alone too long. They get in too much trouble.

Finished another Nero Wolfe novel. The A&E movie of one of the stories in it, "Disguise for Murder," was OK, but a little weird that they combined some of the scenes from this story with "Eeney, Meeney, Murder Mo."

Next Wolfe novel is Three Doors to Death.

>109 MrsLee: I'm glad you are enjoying these, now go play with that grandson!

In a conversation it came up that I hadn't felt graceful in dancing since I was about four or five and dancing with the fairies on my grandmother's lawn. Not since I was old enough to be self aware and understand ridicule. It's OK, I still dance in my livingroom.

Anyway, he recommended that I watch the video, "No Rain," by Blind Melon. As a rule, his recommendations are weird, but this one I liked a lot.
https://youtu.be/3qVPNONdF58?si=dJnLl64RyzLGU_8m

>111 MrsLee: That's a great song. I bought that one online a few years back, still have it downloaded.

Finished The Desert Year by Joseph Wood Krutch (do you think he chose that name, or did his parents give it to him, and if so, what were they thinking?)

There was a lot to enjoy in this book, and a lot I had to let slip through my mind because I wasn't sure his theories were all sound. That's ok. I liked the way he compared his conversations with the plants and animals around him to small talk with people. "How are you today?" "Looking very good." "Did you see your new neighbor?" and so on.

Published in 1951, it is only dated by a reference to an International Business Machine which you feed punch-cards into to get information out of it, and the mention that so much of the area around him is empty and unexplored (or described to a modern reader). He tried to express a philosophy about ownership of land and property than might have been questionable to express in the 1950s; it sounded almost Communistic if you weren't reading carefully. As with many idealists, I thought his ideas nice, but impractical in the fallen world we live in. Nice ideas are possibly workable if everyone is nice.

This isn't a book I will keep although I did enjoy reading it. Better to pass it along to someone who loves the desert and philosophy.

Had a funny moment reading Secrets & Spies. The story, "Hunt for a Spy" by Carl B. Wall, almost read like a plot for a Nero Wolfe story (which stories I am rereading at the moment). It was about trying to track down a spy in the 1940s in New York City. I can just see Wolfe & Archie directing all that effort.

>114 MrsLee: I have an attraction to WW2 stories, so I went ahead and bought a copy. It arrived yesterday in a distressed condition. The seller is issuing me a refund; but I will still enjoy reading it. Readers Digest has always delivered entertainment.

>115 2wonderY: I think you will enjoy it. Many of the stories are small and personal, about people who were never famous, because you know, espionage and underground stuff.

Sorry about the poor condition yours was in. That's so disappointing when it happens.

Last week I finished Three Doors to Death, an omnibus of short stories by Rex Stout. Fun reading.

I started Walden and other Writings by Henry David Thoreau last week. My review below says it all. Quit reading this.

In the meantime, I picked up (well, opened on my Kindle), The Psmith Series by P.G. Wodehouse. I must say, this fits my mood much better than Thoreau did. Guess that says something about me. Give me Piffle over Puff any day. :P

I'm going to give my thoughts on each book in the above omnibus as I read it.
Mike - Oh boy. LOTS of cricket talk and English public schoolboy slang. Happily my husband could help me with the cricket which I needed to understand. Even without his help the narrative was so engaging I didn't mind being in the dark for about 75% of the book. This book was published in 1909 and nothing in the world will convince me that Dorothy L. Sayers didn't model Lord Peter Wimsey on Psmith. They both went to Eton, played cricket and could Piffle like anything. Delightful.

>117 MrsLee: I really like your Rex Stout reviews :)

>118 MrsLee: I've never read Walden, and I wasn't ever tempted either ;)

I can understand why you felt antagonistic towards the author. Things you wrote about the love of the land are wonderful.

>118 MrsLee: I had to read this for a graduate course back in the early '80s, and the professor was very quick to point out everything that you did, especially the author waxing poetically about going back to nature all while he was still having someone else deliver his food and do his laundry, and I believe walking to town for coffee and other goodies. Also, he had nothing good to say about the Irish. As you said, parts of it are beautifully written, but he was still a self-absorbed privileged naive young man.

>118 MrsLee:. Honestly, I don't think Walden is necessarily the best writing Thoreau ever did. (If I recall correctly, he was still relatively young and stupid when he wrote it.) His journals contain more lyrical prose without quite as much of the condescension that you found so objectionable.

>120 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you for reading them. It is hard for me to know what to write because I don't want to spoil them for anyone who hasn't read them.

>122 clamairy: & >123 jillmwo: Whew! Now I don't feel like an uneducated cad for not liking it.

>124 MrsLee: It’s a relief to hear others critique Thoreau like this. Knowing how much he was admired, especially by people like the Alcotts, I wondered what I was missing. I thought he was a chump; but was embarrassed that maybe I was not of a philosophical mind. Louisa May loved Pilgrim’s Progress too; and I had to put it down unfinished as well.

>125 2wonderY:. Quite honestly, with regard to The Pilgrim's Progress, I had exactly the same response. You are not alone.

>125 2wonderY: & >126 jillmwo: I read Pilgrim's Progess when I was a new convert and starry-eyed. Also young. I reveled in the imagery and metaphors. Doubt I could stomach it now. :)

>125 2wonderY: >122 clamairy: >123 jillmwo: >124 MrsLee: Funny that the Alcotts are brought up here.

Anecdotally, when reading March by Geraldine Brooks, she includes a scene early in the novel where Mr. March, while staying with the Thoreaus, meets Marmee at a dinner party where the Emersons are also guests.

Earlier, Brooks has the father of Henry Thoreau apologizing to the young Mr. March for his son's behavior - Brooks writes: "You must not mind Henry's want of conventional manners, Mr. March. His brother died but recently; they were close...now he embraces his loneliness, and becomes unfit, sometimes, for the company of others."

Later, at the dinner party, Miss Marmee Day rips Waldo Emerson a new one over his lack of involvement in the Underground Railroad, taking the spotlight off of Henry for once.

It's a pretty amusing chapter (of course March is enthralled), and is part of why I enjoyed the book and cheered the audacity of Geraldine Brooks for writing it. She clearly did some research and doesn't hold back. Seems young Thoreau was a known jerk in his time. ;)

>128 terriks: I read somewhere that Emerson wanted to encourage Thoreau because he saw potential in him.

To be fair, it is my opinion that most of us have an arrogant attitude until we are about twenty-five. We know that we are smarter than our elders and that we will change the world. Somewhere along the line, for better or worse, most of us get that knocked out of us.

>129 MrsLee: Agreed! Most of us get older and wiser but some of us...get stuck in the arrogant stage.

>129 MrsLee:
As Oscar Wilds put it, “I am not young enough to know everything.”

>131 pgmcc: Love that.

>131 pgmcc: Good one👏

>131 pgmcc: Perfect!

>131 pgmcc: Excellent. However, to MrsLee's point in #129, I think humility is one of those virtues that is rarely valued until one gets to be a certain age.

>131 pgmcc: Ha! Oscar Wilde is a gem.

>135 jillmwo: But what age is that? :)

>137 Karlstar: Whatever age the person is that causes me to want to beat them about the head and shoulder with my cane.

>138 jillmwo: *chortle*

>138 jillmwo: lol!

>138 jillmwo: 🤣💪

>138 jillmwo:
Oh! A crime of passion.
Poisoning is more of a planned, considered act.

Home from radiation. It only takes about 10 minutes for the procedure. It was unremarkable. I go in for a treatment every day (except weekends and July 4th) until July 15th.

My friend had a biopsy report last month which read something to the effect of "blah, blah, blah space invasion." This made us laugh hysterically at a bad moment. Getting radiation feels very much like a scifi war again tiny invaders from space. I think I will give a Vulcan salute, if only to myself, of "Live long and prosper." Before each treatment.

P.G. Wodehouse is providing excellent distraction with Psmith in the City. Mike Jackson is the Parker to Psmith's Wimsey.

>143 MrsLee: Best of luck with it. Never had such a treatment myself, but I've seen it done. And definitely "Live long and prosper".

>143 MrsLee: I hope it continues to be unremarkable and effective.

>143 MrsLee:
Glad to hear it has started. Live long and Prosper. 🖖

>144 haydninvienna:, >145 Karlstar: & >146 pgmcc: Indeed, and thank you.

Live long and prosper! And be well.

>143 MrsLee: Glad it went well!

>143 MrsLee: What >145 Karlstar: said. I'm rooting for unremarkable, uneventful and highly effective! 🖖

>143 MrsLee: It's the bit about "space invasion" that made me snort! I can absolutely understand how it may have been intended in context but it does make the whole process sound like a video game.

One day at a time for the next few weeks, but hoping for the best results. (((Hugs)))

>143 MrsLee: Wishing you all the best! Live long and prosper!

>143 MrsLee: sending you all sorts of positive juju! Live long and prosper!

Thank you all muchly!

Finished Psmith in the City and am now reading The Prince and Betty. Enjoying these very much.

>154 MrsLee: Great distractions while going through your treatment. Live long and prosper!

>143 MrsLee: Playing catch up on threads. Live long and prosper! May your treatment remain unremarkable and effective.

I'm a bit behind on my reading thread. Here goes.

Continuing with the Psmith collection on my Kindle. Enjoying it very much.

"Psmith in the City" - Published in 1910. In a way, Mike is the Parker to Psmith's Lord Wimsey. He provides not only the straight man, but the one who keeps things real. Interesting to see the running of an old bank. My grandfather worked in a bank in California about 10 years after this was written. Some Cricket, not much. The poor boys are working stiffs, but Psmith makes the most of it.

"The Prince and Betty" - A departure from the normal Psmith novels, this one was written for an American audience. We have only Smith; although he behaves exactly like Psmith. This was a fun adventure-romance, set in New York City during the early 1900s for the most of it.

On the Rex Stout front, I finished my reread of And Four to Go, review below.

I read as much as I wanted to of Secrets & Spies. I haven't the interest for WWII which I had when I was younger, but I did enjoy the stories about civilians who went above and beyond, and I learned a lot of things which I didn't know about the behind the scenes of events. I won't be keeping this one, only because that interest has flown the coop.

At the moment I am reading Over my Dead Body by Rex Stout. A delightful book where we meet Wolfe's daughter.

Also, Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. I can't think the story of one hurricane will hold my interest for a whole book, but it hasn't lost it yet. Of course he fills in with a lot of history of the art and science of weather forecasting, so that holds my attention. Not something I've ever looked at closely before. The only thing I knew about it growing up was that my father always yelled at the weatherman on TV because they usually got it wrong. None-the-less, I got the only spanking I remember from my dad because my brother and I were horsing around during the weather forecast. We were not supposed to make any noise at that time. As background; my father was a farmer.

Life continues. So far no horrible side effects from the radiation, but that's supposed to start happening around the third week (they think I may escape some of the worst side effects due to the fact that the tumor is located in my spine; hopefully they are aiming correctly because one of the dangers is paralysis if they get it wrong). I am almost finished with my second week. So very tired, but that may just be the summer heat and a change of sleeping patterns.

My oncologist appointment was moved to next week as they have no doctor at the moment. They said the good news is that they will have a permanent doctor in July. That is if the health organization will pay him/her enough. That is when I expect to hear about more immunotherapy which I'm somewhat dreading.

Oh, I forgot. My son brought me a new book! The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner and other stories by Terry Pratchett. It is a collection of short stories written by Pratchett before the Discworld phenomenon. Son said he has read a few and they are fun; can see where Pratchett was coming up with the puns and fun names in Discworld.

I hope you continue to have minimal side effects.

>159 MrsLee: My best wishes for your treatment! And lots of virtual hugs.

>159 MrsLee: Sounds like treatment is going well. Yay!

>159 MrsLee: Keeping you in my prayers.

>159 MrsLee: I hope it continues to go well and you get a permanent doctor.

>161 catzteach:, >162 Alexandra_book_life:, >163 Narilka:, >164 Sakerfalcon: & >165 Karlstar: Thank you all for the well wishes.

I finished Over my Dead Body. I found that Wolfe's daughter did not grate on my nerves as much as the first time I read it. One scene, which the TV series didn't include completely made me laugh out loud.

Wolfe has skedaddled from the presence of a Montenegrin female in his office. He explains to Archie that the only other time in his life that he ran, it was from a Montenegrin female, insisting that Archie get rid of her. When Archie does so, he returns to the kitchen and tells Wolfe, "I think its safe now. Stay close behind me and if I holler run like hell."

Next up is Death of a Doxy, but I won't start it until I finish the Psmith book. I'm reading Psmith, Journalist now. Extremely similar to the American version mentioned above, but no romance angle. Still takes place in New York City.

I'm glad that Wodehouse and Stout are managing to keep your spirits up! Thinking of you and hoping that the treatment options prove beneficial!

>167 jillmwo: Between them and my almost four year old grandson, I have no time do be down in the dumps! He and his parents surprised us at one of my treatments last week (the 19th is Mark's birthday and grandson wanted to give him some SpongeBob presents). Now Geoffrey always asks me if my treatments are done, and the tone of voice he uses is very compassionate. I don't know how much his parents have told him, because I haven't said anything to him.

>168 MrsLee: Little ones are such a treasure!

>168 MrsLee: You have a wonderful grandson!

>159 MrsLee: I'm just catching up (again) and I hope all continues to go smoothly and there are no side effects. As always sending you the very best of the good juju. (One guess as to where I'm sending the other kind of juju...)

>170 Alexandra_book_life: He has his moments, but I love all of them.

>171 clamairy: Glad I'm in line for the good juju! Yes I do know where the other is going! :)

I am not finding time to sit at my computer much, and book updates are more than I want to do on my phone, so, sorry for the many posts.

I surprised myself and read 10 books in June, 25 for the quarter. They were mostly not heavy reading. Light stuff that can be read in the doctor's waiting room or in front of the fan in the hot afternoon before I drop off to sleep for my nap.

I now have a schedule for my immunotherapy infusions. Keytruda, I think it is once a month for two years, assuming my liver and kidneys hold up. I'm doing what I can to get those in their best condition (lots of fluid, no alcohol, veggies and fruits, light meals). So we shall see.

I realized I posted this before I cleaned up my reviews on the books I've read since I last posted here, so I will go do that, then come back and post them with secret comments for the pub members only. :P

Death of a Doxy, finished on the 26th.

Doxy is an old word. "rogue's girlfriend, beggar's mistress" 1520s, possibly from the German word for "doll." It's also a jazz composition recorded by Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis in 1954. These are things I found on the internet. I wonder, did Stout hear that music and get the term in his head for the title? Actually, I don't think Stout came up with most of the book titles, so it probably has nothing to do with it. Interesting though.

Finished the ebook of The Psmith Series on June 22. A fun collection, but my very favorite Psmith story, Leave it to Psmith isn't in it. This was a great way to see how he came to be who he was, and yet, he came onto the page in Mike as fully formed. There were some startling terms for peoples of other races which soured the stories a bit and made me glad that those terms are inappropriate now. Mostly it was good fun though.

>173 MrsLee: Wishing you only the best of luck with the treatments. I am so happy to hear you have gotten so much reading done. Usually the light stuff is the most fun.

>173 MrsLee: Best of luck with your treatments! Hugs.

I am glad to hear that you've read so many nice books! Wodehouse and Stout sound lovely.

I picked up a small book of poetry to read amongst the light mystery reading I've been doing at the doctor's office. This one just fit the bill. Milton, Lyrics. L' Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas. Don't know if that touchstone is good, because my little book was published in 1893. The editor was Louise Manning Hodgkins, M.A. and as far as I am concerned, she did a great job. I read some of Milton last year I think. All of these poems, some of his famous Paradise Lost and Found. The book I was reading had no help in it, just the poems, which is what I like when I am first introduced to a poem. However, reading these now with the help was a richer experience.

Special words whose usage has changed since the 1600s:
"Bested" original - To stand by one. Modern - beaten or defeated.
"Several" original - to separate, sever. Modern - more than three.
"Nice" original - fastidious. Modern - kind, pleasant or neat
"Plighted" original - Plaited or folded. Modern - a vow, to plight one's troth (interesting story; my nephew and his bride wove a three strand cord at their wedding to symbolize the strength of their vows before God. A sort of blending of the two words, plighted and plaited if you will)
And my personal favorite:
"Swinked" original tired with labor. Modern - I've never heard this word, but I want to hear it more. I told my husband it is his word since his last name is Swetnika and when he comes in from working in the yard he takes a nap. Swinked.

This one was meh, but not repulsive.