Mary's (bell7) Reading in 2025, Page 9

Welcome to my ninth thread!

If you haven't already been following me, here's my introduction: My name is Mary and I'm a librarian. I read widely and eclectically, some for work (I facilitate a book group) and most for fun. I tend to choose fantasy, historical, and contemporary fiction, while also enjoying some mystery and romance, and a bit of nonfiction besides.

My reading goals for 2025:
-Over half of books read to be by authors born outside of the U.S.
-Read 12 books by indigenous authors.
I'm keeping up steadily with both, at the moment, and very hopeful that I'll meet both goals.

Outside of reading, I enjoy watching sports and knitting. I started a project last year of listening through the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums list (2023 iteration) and I’ve been going roughly chronologically through it (I’m listening to 1975 now). And I have a large family of parents, siblings, and niblings who will be mentioned frequently.

As those of you following along know, I'm also very close to one of my personal goals of the year, which was to go through the process to get licensed as a foster parent. I'm waiting on one thing to get sorted out, and expect to be an official foster parent soon. You might find me being much more sporadic on the threads in the future as a result (including my own).

2025 Book Club Reads

One of my work responsibilities is facilitating one of our book discussions. Here's what we're reading in 2025 (we take a break for the summer):

JANUARY - South to America by Imani Perry - COMPLETED
FEBRUARY - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - COMPLETED
MARCH - Rivermouth by Alejandra Oliva - COMPLETED
APRIL - Devotions by Mary Oliver - COMPLETED
MAY - Teacher Man by Frank McCourt - COMPLETED
SEPTEMBER - The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede - COMPLETED
OCTOBER - The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri - COMPLETED
NOVEMBER - Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo
DECEMBER - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Best of 2025

5 stars
Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver

4.5 stars
The beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
Queen Demon by Martha Wells
A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter
Stone Speaks to Stone by Victoria Goddard
Wordslut by Amanda Montell
Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
Shoutin' in the Fire by Danté Stewart
The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen
A Far Better Thing by H. G. Parry
Water, water by Billy Collins
Till Human Voices Wake Us by Victoria Goddard
Rivermouth by Alejandra Oliva
The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Balancing Stone by Victoria Goddard
Power to Yield and Other Stories by Bogi Takacs
Terec and the Wild by Victoria Goddard
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Random things I'm tracking

Articles of interest and book lists:
1. How to Critically Read a Press Release from the Federal Government
2. International Booker Prize Longlist 2025
3. Most Banned Books in the 2023-2024 School Year
4. Ontario librarians discuss book banning
5. More Borrowed Library Books in the US in 2024
6. Translation prizes from the Society of Authors
7. Kirkus Reviews best books of the 21st century
8. British Science Fiction Awards
9. How to Recommend Books Like an Expert
10. The Lakota Peoples Law Project Decolonized Reading List for 2025

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

Number of books read since keeping count on LT:
July - Dec 2008 - 65
2009 - 156 (plus over 70 graphic novels and manga volumes)
2010 - 135 (Note: in June, I started working a second part-time job for full-time hours)
2011 - 150
2012 - 108 (Note: accepted a full-time job in February)
2013 - 107
2014 - 126 (plus 8 graphic novels)
2015 - 120 (plus 6 graphic novels)
2016 - 141 (I stopped counting graphic novels separately)
2017 - 114
2018 - 105 (Note: my first full year as Assistant Director)
2019 - 116
2020 - 153
2021 - 138
2022 - 131
2023 - 180
2024 - 131
2025 - ???

Global reads in 2025 (author’s country of origin):
Algeria - Djamila Morani
Argentina - César Aira
Australia - Geraldine Brooks
Bolivia - Liliani Colanzi
Canada - Victoria Goddard, Heather Fawcett, Premee Mohamed
Cote d'Ivoire - Marguerite Abouet
Denmark - Olga Ravn
Egypt - Deena Mohamed
France - Alexandre Dumas, Virginie Grimaldi, Annie Ernaux
Germany - Carsten Henn
Hungary - Bogi Takacs
India - Sangu Mandanna (currently lives in UK)
Ireland - Sarah Crossan, Frank McCourt
Mexico - Isabel Zapata
New Zealand - H. G. Parry, Rebecca K. Reilly
Nigeria - Wole Talabi, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Akwaeke Emezi
North Korea - Ch'oe Myong-ik
Peru - Mario Vargas Llosa
Romania - Antigone Kefala (lived most of her adult life in Australia)
South Korea - Lee Ji-min
Taiwan - Yang Shuang-zi
UK - Adrian Tchaikovsky, Elizabeth Macneal, Richard Osman, Carmella Lowkis, Rebecca Stott, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Christy Lefteri, Alice Oseman
Zimbabwe - Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu

All time (since 2022):


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, North Korea, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Zimbabwe

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

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

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

Currently reading
Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger
Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard

Bible/Devotional Reading
Joshua, Luke

DNFs in 2025
1. A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair
2. The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
3. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
4. Bread and Milk by Karolina Ramqvist

November
110. Going Clear by Lawrence Wright

October
109. Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi
108. Cultish by Amanda Montell
107. Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui
106. Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
105. Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald
104. Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi
103. Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
102. The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
101. Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
100. Olive and the Dragon by Victoria Goddard
99. Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet
98. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

September
97. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
96. Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott
95. Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard
94. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
93. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede
92. Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
91. Queen Demon by Martha Wells

August
90. Five-Carat Soul by James McBride
89. Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite
88. The Foster Parenting Manual by John DeGarmo
87. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
86. Aya: The Secrets Come Out by Marguerite Abouet
85. Assembly by Natasha Brown
84. The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
83. Do What They Say Or Else by Annie Ernaux
82. A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter
81. Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry
80. Stone Speaks to Stone by Victoria Goddard
79. Wordslut by Amanda Montell

July
78. Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
77. One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman
76. When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
75. Shoutin' in the Fire by Dante Stewart
74. Bless This Mess by Rev. Molly Baskette and Ellen O'Donnell
73. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
72. The Rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk
71. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
70. Aya of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet
69. The Djinn's Apple by Djamila Morani
68. Stargazy Pie by Victoria Goddard
67. The Starlet and the Spy by Ji-min Lee

June
66. Aya by Marguerite Abouet
65. The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
64. You Glow in the Dark by Liliana Colanzi
63. The Door-to-door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
62. Patterns of the heart and other stories by Ch'oe Myong-ik
61. The Weaver of the Middle Desert by Victoria Goddard
60. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
59. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
58. Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis

May
57. Deacon King Kong by James McBride
56. Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr.
55. How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
54. Small Ceremonies by Kyle Edwards
53. The Night Library of Sternendach by Jessica Levai
52. The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz
51. American Teenager : How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era by Nico Lang
50. Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
49. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
48. Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard
47. The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
46. Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen
45. Onion John by Joseph Krumgold
44. All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
43. The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison
42. The Glassblower by Victoria Goddard
41. A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry

April
40. Festival & Game of the Worlds by Cesar Aira
39. The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
38. Masks and Shadows by Stephanie Burgis
37. The Island by Antigone Kefala
36. Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi
35. Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver
34. The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten
33. A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi
32. Murder by memory by Olivia Waite
31. Water, water by Billy Collins
30. Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan
29. In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf
28. In the Realms of Gold: Five Tales of Ysthar by Victoria Goddard

March
27. In Vitro: On Longing and Transformation by Isabel Zapata
26. Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi
25. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
24. Till Human Voices Wake Us by Victoria Goddard
23. Beneath the Rising by Premee Mohamed
22. South to a Very Old Place by Albert Murray
21. A Midwife's Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
20. Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration by Alejandra Oliva
19. A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
18. The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison
17. The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
16. A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

February
15. Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal
14. The Employees by Olga Ravn
13. The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
12. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
11. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
10. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
9. Balancing Stone by Victoria Goddard
8. Power to Yield and Other Stories by Bogi Takacs

January
7. The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill
6. Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
5. The Forbidden Book by Sacha Lamb
4. South to America by Imani Perry
3. Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
2. Terec and the Wall by Victoria Goddard
1. Serving Herself: the Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown

Happy Wednesday! Yesterday was a 9-5 day followed by the gym, and then I had leftovers for dinner and rather blissfully read. For hours. Just because I could. I haven't done that in ages, and it felt great.

Today I've already spent the morning making sourdough crackers and *ahem* setting up my new thread. I'm about to make a meal, and then I'm heading in to work for 12-8. We have our first staff meeting with the new director and I have book club tonight discussing The Day the World Came to Town. We're starting to plan our 2026 reads and will be debating how we vote for our choices going forward (I've been keeping it very democratic with the titles with the most votes "winning", but one of our number very strongly wants each person in the group to be able to pick a title). Should be a busy but good day.

Reading: Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia (about an hour left and really enjoying it!) and Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard

Listening: "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer

Happy new one, Mary!

Happy new thread, Mary!

Happy new thread!

Thanks Jim, Katie, and Anita!

Happy new thread, Mary.

>4 bell7: Fascinating.

The listening report -

"Horses" by Patti Smith
I don't know exactly what I expected Patti Smith to sound like, but this one surprised me. She has a rocker voice rather than pop, it's raw and not really my style. I looked at the Wikipedia page and I'm seeing words that make why it didn't work for me make perfect sense... produced by John Cale formerly of the Velvet Underground, punk rock... yeah, not my thing. Though listening to it made me think her books might be interesting, so there's that. #26 on the list (I'm *positive* it was hugely influential)

"Bad Girls" by Donna Summer
At first I hadn't thought I'd heard any of her stuff, but the first song to come on was "Hot Stuff" and I went... oh, yeah, I've heard this. Summer has a lovely voice and I liked the rhythms, but each song had a little something that wasn't quite to my taste, whether it was the use of a synth or the lyrics or something else. It was fine, just not for me. #283 on the list

"A Night at the Opera" by Queen
I was kinda surprised how much I enjoyed this. I recognized "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "You're My Best Friend". There's a lot of playfulness in the songs and the lyrics that I liked, and each song was very distinct from the rest which makes for more fun listening imo. I saved "Bohemian Rhapsody" to my playlist.

Next up is Linda Ronstadt, and I've put a few more albums on hold tonight. Spotify is giving me new suggestions for music based on all that I've been saving lately, and I chuckled when I saw that they'd suggested a "Throwback: Soft 70s" for me today. That sounds about right.

>17 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul!
Is it? It's mostly just a few random things I want to remember/be able to reference. Though I do enjoy seeing how my total reading numbers change from year to year.

>18 bell7: Patti is an acquired taste for sure but I adore her cover of Springsteen's 'Because the Night". There are some gems on all Queen's albums and I will admit that I do have some Donna Summer on my playlists as she has a habit of lifting me up.

>19 bell7: One thing that I am sure will not surprise you is the closeness of our reading numbers this decade. You are on 826 books finished this decade and I am on 820!

>20 PaulCranswick: Apparently they co-wrote "Because the Night". The album it's on isn't on the Rolling Stones list, but I might check out the song alone.

Considering how many years we've been within a book or two of each other in our final tally, no, that doesn't surprise me a bit!

Happy new thread, Mary! I fell so far behind on your previous thread while we were out of town that I never did make it back over. I'm glad to see a new thread, where I can jump right in. I hope I can keep up this time.

>22 atozgrl: I'm glad to see a new thread, where I can jump right in. Irene said it, and I agree completely.

Happy new thread Mary!

Happy new thread.

>18 bell7: A Night at the Opera by Queen Your listening report caught my eye as I was watching "Only Connect" on Monday and "A Night at the Opera" was one of the clues. Funny coincidence. I didn't know that they had named the album -and another one -. after a Marx brothers' film. I am the kind of fan who bought the Greatest Hits and that was it.

Happy new thread! I love reading your updates, especially your music explorations!

Karen O

Hi Mary my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

>22 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene! Glad you made it to the new thread - I anticipate my own posting slowing down soon, so perhaps that will help in the keeping-up department :)

>23 weird_O: Good to see you, Bill! (and what I said to Irene, too)

>24 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

>25 charl08: Oh that is a funny coincidence. I hadn't realized that either. I'm pretty sure I know three songs and can tell you exactly why: "We Will Rock You" from sports games (particularly hockey likes to play it), "We are the Champions" from the Mighty Ducks and "Bohemian Rhapsody" was parodied on a commercial so of course we had to look up the original. That's been a fun aspect of this project, though, sometimes recognizing a song or two and now being able to contextualize it a bit from both the album and the time it came out.

>26 klobrien2: Thank you, Karen! Glad you're enjoying the updates and I'll do my best to keep them current as life gets busier.

>27 johnsimpson: Thank you, John! Great to see you.

94. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
Why now? It fit the TIOLI challenge to read a book whose title is a full sentence, and was on my wishlist for e-book/audio when I was ready for a new title

Of the two adult "puzzle" books I've read this year, this was my favorite.

>25 charl08: >28 bell7: That's odd. That was a Jeopardy clue within the last week or so. I've never heard of "Only Connect"--I wonder if there's some kind of relationship between it and Jeopardy. I am a Marx Brothers fan, but I was unaware of the Queen album names, so I was unable to come up with the answer to that one. That's interesting if the similar clues were just coincidence.

My sister claimed that the Padres were the ones who first started playing "We Will Rock You" at sports games. (Don't know the truth of that.) And yes, I had to play "We Are the Champions" after the Cubs finally won the World Series.

>31 atozgrl: Huh, interesting to have similar clues in the games close together either way. I wonder if they use the same folks for coming up with trivia?

No idea who had the first play of "We Will Rock You," but it was a staple of the local AHL hockey team we would go watch as kids. My parents weren't fans of all the lyrics and didn't love if we'd sing/quote from it then haha. And I could totally see why you'd have to play "We Are the Champions" after that win!

TGIF! I'm working today 9-5, have a bit of a break and then I'm getting my fingerprinting done for the fostering license. This was a step that fell through the cracks, but I only found out it was necessary on Monday, so as soon as I could get an appointment, I did.

The weekend will be mildly busy. Tomorrow I'm going to a plant swap (I have many plants I've propagated in the last weeks to be ready) and on Sunday I'm getting together with my Little. We're starting once a month get-togethers now rather than the usual every other week, with both the BBBS folks' and her folks' blessing.

Reading: Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard, Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet and Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott

Listening: "Heart Like a Wheel" by Linda Ronstadt

Watching: put on the American football game last night on Prime in the background

I'm almost done with Aya: Life in Yop City (Aya 1-3) but I've noticed that all of the interstitial material that would be at the end of each volume is compiled at the end of the whole omnibus and I do think I'm missing that little break between volumes. Are you reading 4-6 as an omnibus? I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on that.

>34 norabelle414: yeah, oddly that appears to be the only way to get 4-6 in English, so I'll have to note the difference in my reading experience. I suspect you're right, that it would be nice to have those breaks.

Happy Saturday! I've got a fairly low-key day ahead of me, but am going to leave shortly for a plant swap program at the library where I work. After that, I'm planning on a gym stop and then time at home. Hoping to finish up a book today and putter around tidying up otherwise. Should be a quiet evening. Tomorrow will be busier, from church I'm hanging out with my Little.

Reading/Listening: same as yesterday

Have a good weekend. Enjoy your day at church hanging with your Little.

>37 Kristelh: Thanks, Kristel! I realize it was my own awkward wording, but I'm going to church first and then meeting up with her :)

>38 bell7:, I thought that it might be what you met, so "your day at church and then meeting up with your Little."

Monday orisons, Mary, I'm unsettled that my comment from Saturday isn't here...but here I am today.

...and there it is. *whew*

Delurking to wish you a happy new(ish) thread Mary.

Best of luck with your fostering. I've wondered if I could do it too but my own kids get fed up with me as it is.

>33 bell7: I'm surprised that they allow soil and such like in the library.

Belated happy new thread!

Happy new-ish thread! I somehow missed the jump to this one, but I'm here now!

>30 bell7: Okay, that one's on my list now.

>32 bell7: Interestingly, the subject came up at breakfast the other morning while I was visiting my parents, and Mom remarked that she had never been a fan of Queen. I wouldn't say that I am, either, but I do love Bohemian Rhapsody.

...Mary...? Three days with no sightings is a bit worrying...I'm hoping this means you'll have some very exciting news to share soon.

>39 Kristelh: Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling great so we postponed, but I ended up on an outing with my mom instead, which was fun.

>40 richardderus: >41 richardderus: Sorry to see the LT gremlins are out and about again stealing posts and adding duplicates.

>42 humouress: Thanks, Nina! Well, the plants were already potted, or it could've been a very messy program. But yeah, we have a couple of plants that I have populated around the library, and we had a whole bunch in our meeting room. We gave away the extras that people had brought and just had one lone plant left today.

>43 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!

>44 foggidawn: Nice to see you, Misti! My mom and I were chatting a bit about the music I was listening to when we got together on Sunday. She was more into music than my dad was (he listened to the Beatles and the top 40 and whatever one of his cousins made him haha), so it makes for an interesting conversation. I don't think Queen as a whole is my parents' favorite, either, but my mom thinks Bohemian Rhapsody is brilliant.

>45 richardderus: My apologies, Richard. I've been able to keep up reading posts but just haven't had much time where I've been sitting still the last few days to be able to post. I appreciate the check-in! *Smooch*

Well, it's been a rather busy few days. Let's see what I can do to catch up...

Saturday I did not get to the gym. I'd rather forgotten that plants I got at the swap would need to, er, come home - and I had a couple I wanted to re-pot and and... you get the idea. I did finish Bee Sting Cake, but never got around to posting the review here.

Sunday morning, I heard that my Little wasn't feeling well so we canceled our plans. I went to church and talked to my mom to see if she'd be interested in going to a vendor fair I'd heard about - she was, so after we each had lunch at our own places, we got together and went. And then after we got back, I baked bread and made green tomato pickles before going to my brother and SIL's to watch the Giants game. It...looked like two 0-2 teams playing each other and the Giants still suck. I left with 6 minutes to go but was still home really late.

So then when I woke up on Monday it was hard to get going, and I jetted out to get to work. My brother's girlfriend just got home from the hospital, and I told her I'd bring her a meal, which took up most of my afternoon, and then I brought it to her. We ended up chatting for about an hour, I got home, made myself dinner (reheated soup) and followed a bit of the Monday night game to see how my fantasy team did (I am the only team still undefeated after 3 weeks).

I worked 9-5 today. It was supposed to be when our new website launched, but IT hadn't gotten the email from the company who's hosting our website, so it has not yet gone live. There were plenty of other things to do, however, and the day flew by. I went to the gym from there and now I am home. I'll be doing some cooking soon.

Nothing new to report on foster care news. DCF got the receipt that I had the fingerprinting done, but it'll take a couple of weeks to be processed. After that, though, I should have a definite answer about being a foster parent.

Reading: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet and Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott

Listening: "Requiem" by the Branford Marsalis Quartet because I didn't have any new albums for the Rolling Stones project - tomorrow I'll start "That's the way of the world" by Earth, Wind & Fire which I picked up at the library today

95. Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard
Why now? Rereading the series with Stasia

Happy New Thread, Mary. Slowly making the rounds. It looks like the books are treating you fine. Bee Sting Cake sounds like a fun, easy read.

>49 msf59: Good to see you, Mark! The books are treating me fine and Bee Sting Cake was the perfect tone for what I needed lately. I'll have a new listening report for you hopefully over the next few days.

>48 bell7: I am very much enjoying our re-read of the series!

>51 alcottacre: Me too, Stasia!

Good morning, all! This is my 12-8 day. It's cloudy which usually leaves me low on energy, but I finished Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott and then met a friend for a walk. I didn't really have much time left for anything else when I got home, so I'm going to get ready for work and leave early to pick up lunch on my way in. I made quesadillas last night and have some leftovers for dinner.

Reading: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet

Listening: "That's the way of the world" by Earth, Wind & Fire

>53 bell7: Quesadillas! Yum! I got an egg salad wrap for lunch..ugh...but I'd replenished my mustard supply so All was not lost.

Stay well, sweet friend.

>54 richardderus: Yes, I had a new-to-me recipe for black bean, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes quesadillas which is most yum (and reheating with a minute in the microwave and then toasted in the toaster oven at work was superb). My sympathies on the egg salad, I do not like that at all as a texture thing.

>54 richardderus: Yes, I had a new-to-me recipe for black bean, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes quesadillas which is most yum (and reheating with a minute in the microwave and then toasted in the toaster oven at work was superb). My sympathies on the egg salad, I do not like that at all as a texture thing.

96. Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott
Why now? "Work emails" apparently first put this book on my radar. It was available as an e-book/audio when I needed the combo and met the TIOLI challenge to read a book about sisters

The listening report:

"Heart Like a Wheel" Linda Ronstadt
I rather liked Linda Ronstadt and the distinct sound of this album. Somehow I had flipped in my head how she and Patti Smith would sound as far as who would be harder rock. This one's light rock with a bit of a country flair (it's actually surprising to me how many 70s rock songs have harmonica). "You're No Good" is the song I recognized immediately, and I also really liked the title song. #490 on the list

"Anthology" by the Temptations
This was almost impossible to find in libraries and none of them would lend the LP to me from out of state, so I ended up making a playlist in YouTube to recreate it. I liked the harmonies and musical sound, but it found very much the same from one song to another. A triple album was maybe just a little too much? "My Girl" is iconic of course, but several others of the songs don't date well when describing relationships. #371 on the list

"Greatest Hits" by Al Green
I like Green's voice, but as with the Temptations I was a little over all the relationship songs and attitude towards women in some of them by the time I was done (I listened 2x through). Seemed to me that there was a fair amount of overlap with the other two albums that I'd already listened to as well. #456 on the list

"Another Green World" by Brian Eno
Well after listening to "Here Come the Warm Jets" I was reasonably sure this wasn't going to be my jam and I was correct. I will say it sounds innovative listening to it even now, let alone 50 years ago. But the synth and the rest of the musical style is not a great match for me. #338 on the list

Just catching up with you and your busy life, Mary. I have read and enjoyed the final 3 books on your end-of-year list. For the life of me, I don’t know why I haven’t read The Day the World Came to Town. It’s the old “so many books” excuse I guess. I know I would like it.

>59 Donna828: Nice to see you, Donna! The Midnight Library will be a reread for me, and I liked it fine the first time I read it but didn't think it quite lived up to the all the hype it had been getting. Perhaps I'll like it better the second time around? But I'm very much looking forward to the others.

Happy Thursday! Today was a busy one, working 9-5 and then having friends over for dinner. My friend's husband had offered to do a little repair work in the upstairs bedroom for me, and it was something I wanted to have done prior to a placement, so that was really great and we had a fun visit as well.

I have to go in for a couple of hours on Saturday, so I'm working 9-3 tomorrow and I'm planning on going to the gym and then to my parents' house. I have family visiting this weekend, so you probably won't see much of me over the weekend. I took Monday off and will be recovering from all the activity.

Reading: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet and Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Listening: "Blood on the Tracks" by Bob Dylan

>52 bell7: Yay!

>55 bell7: Could I ask you to send me that recipe? It sounds wonderful!

>57 bell7: I own that book, but have not yet read it. Of course, finding it so that I can read it is half the battle. . .

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, Mary, and pleased to see you built in a recovery day for yourself.

Saturday orisons, my dear Mary. I'm tarting up my monthly gang-review post so focusing on petty, teeny things...I needed a break so here I am.

I'm finding listening to older songs I liked, or simply forgot, is...problematic. Attitudes have come a really long way, mostly in directions I like and support, so many many things that passed me by then are sticking in my craw now.

Enjoy some peace and quiet!

>62 alcottacre: I finally got back to you and messaged the quesadilla recipe, Stasia. Hope you enjoy them! Also hope you enjoy Dark Earth whenever you might get to it!

>63 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky, it's been very busy and very fun, as expected. I am slightly sunburnt and very exhausted haha.

>64 richardderus: Happy weekend, Richard! Hope it was a good one for you, and looking forward on catching up on your thread soonish. For sure there are songs where I've noticed times have changed - though in all fairness, there will also be many when I get to the songs from my own era of listening in the 90s-00s that will also not hit just right now. I have found it interesting that albums I prefer tend to speak to a wider human experience than just relationships, which is why I mention that so frequently even when I'm not put off by the exact relationships described.

Well, I'll take advantage of a double post to briefly wrap up the weekend.

I went into work for a couple of hours yesterday, and then met up with my family for the day. In the afternoon, we went to a local brewery where my uncle was playing with his band for a big birthday bash, which was a bunch of fun. Some of my cousins and my dad's cousins were there, as well as my uncle's old friends from high school and the like. After that, we went to my parents' for a pizza party. R. was hysterical, playing with her cousins and being generally cute and enjoying being the center of attention as a toddler is wont to do. She said my name for the first time! (And one of my sister's, too) I really enjoy this age of language explosion, and while I know it happens, it still impresses me every time when a child is suddenly saying a bunch of words I never heard her say before. After my brothers and their assorted family members left, I stayed for a grand sleepover. My parents and sister and brother-in-law went to bed, and the kids and my youngest sister and her boyfriend stayed up and played video games together for awhile while I watched. Then we all settled down in my parents' living room on various mattresses and slept.

This morning, my sister's family got up early to leave, which the kids were not thrilled about, and neither was I for that matter as my parents' had one of the lights on before 6:30 and I hadn't slept great. But we got up to say goodbye, after after they were gone, we had pancakes and hung out for the morning. My parents, sister and her boyfriend and I went to the Big E (sort of like a state fair, but the Eastern States Exposition), which is usually very crowded and while I enjoy it, usually once every 5 years or so is plenty for me. My mom had some photos exhibited in it, and we had various foods we all wanted to try (except my dad), which was quite fun. We wrapped up in the late afternoon and I took my sister and her boyfriend to the airport.

And now I am sitting on my bed, slightly sun burnt and very exhausted. I took tomorrow off, and I expect I will sleep in a bit and take a very lazy morning. I do have some things I need to do with the downtime, like cook a meal and go get a headlight replaced, but I'll keep it low key. I'm also babysitting for R. for a bit, which will be fun.

Reading: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet and Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Listening: "Alive!" by Kiss

>66 bell7: Any chance of seeing your Mom's photos - here or online?

Sounds like a full but fun weekend, Mary. Enjoy your recovery day!

>66 bell7: *tiptoes quietly in* hi Mary sleep well *tiptoes quietly out*

>67 m.belljackson: I can't send you those photos, but I'll PM you her online portfolio.

>68 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! So far so good :)

>69 richardderus: I did, thank you, Richard. Sleeping in felt SO good... now starting to get moving for the day.

Happy Monday! I've had a slow morning and am getting ready to tackle the to-do list steadily. There are very few things I *must* do, but there have been a few tasks that just felt overwhelming or I didn't have time for over the last few days that I'm hoping to address. While out over the weekend, I realized that one of my headlights is out, so I'll be taking care of that today too. I'm babysitting R. this afternoon.

Reading: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet and Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi (ARC)

Listening: "Alive!" by Kiss

Watching: forgot to mention that Friday night with the kids we watched "K-Pop Demon Hunters"

Crafting: hoping to finish the toe to the socks I've been knitting and start on a Christmas stocking for baby-niece-to-come

97. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
Why now? It met the criteria for a Kindle challenge and was the last one that I needed to complete the 15 tasks by Sept 30 (yes, I am a sucker for things like that and it's been over a year since I missed one). I thought it was part of the "Meant to Be" series and would be a reimagining of The Little Mermaid but it was very much not that haha

Monday orisons, Mary, now you're up and at'em. I'm getting my blogging for the week done and scheduled because Valerie's visiting starting Wednesday. Even skipping a day isn't noticeably reducing the workload. I'd never really noticed it as a workload until I tried to do it in advance!

Enjoy the rest of the week.

>73 richardderus: Oooh, how exciting to be working ahead and that Valerie is visiting soon. Hope you get what you need do done in a way that you find satisfying - it *does* make everything feel like more work, doesn't it? (I've sometimes moved up when I do some regular weekly tasks to try to have a day fully off, and it's equally challenging).

>74 bell7: I've got one more to finish, but it's an art-heavy one for Saturday and I need fresh eyes for those. Tomorrow's art book was stupid-hard to get into publishable shape and does not look like it, the irritating thing looks perfectly ordinary! *grrr*

Happy midweek reading, dear lady.

>75 richardderus: Tomorrow's art book was stupid-hard to get into publishable shape and does not look like it, the irritating thing looks perfectly ordinary! I can relate to that! SOme reviews are just not cooperative, and it's most frustrating.

Happy Tuesday!

I worked 9-5 today, went to the gym, and made dinner when I got home. I washed dishes but made more, so you can't really tell the difference, annoyingly. I'm about to put away some clothes and then I'm going to read until it's time for bed. I have two books I'm close to finishing but probably won't until tomorrow. I'll see how much progress I can make tonight in any case. Tomorrow I probably will not check in, as I'm going to try to get my car to the mechanic first thing to replace a head light and get new brake pads. My friend is going to pick me up so we can go for a walk, and then I'm working 12-8 and filling in setting up a program for someone who is out.

Reading: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet, Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi (ARC), and The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Listening: "Alive!" by Kiss

>77 bell7: Oh dear...KISS was never a favorite of mine so I hope you're done with it and not too traumatized by the experience of whiny singing and noisy drums.

...now watch...it'll be your most favorites band ever in life and I'll look mean and judgmental....

>77 bell7:, Hi Mary my dear, "Alive" by KISS, one of the very best Live albums around, i may be biased as i am a massive KISS fan and managed to see them on six occasions and have nearly everything that is available either on Vinyl (most), Cassette Tape (0ne) and CD (the remainder). I have even got Elliott into KISS and Heavy Metal, although his mum would help with this as she has my old Denim Jacket with Band patches on and Embroidered with wool, Band names in their design, all done with my fair hands. My Denim Waistcoat is in the loft and will soon fit Elliott and that has patches and badges all over it.

>78 richardderus: and >79 johnsimpson:
So interesting to see such disparate views back-to-back! I'll have to report on listening soon. Heavy metal is not my thing, but I can appreciate why they are so enjoyed. "Rock and Roll All Nite" was the only song I recognized, and while it's catchy, I can't say I like it enough to add it to my playlist (mind you, I use the playlist as my alarm clock, so sometimes I'm not adding things I don't particularly want to wake up to!).

Morning, Mary. Sweet Thursday. Still trying to catch up on the threads after a very active September. How are those books treating you?

>58 bell7:
I am a big Brian Eno fan. I have been listening to his work and find it is now a distinctive sound. If I hear it on the radio I think "that's Brian Eno." I know that New Age music isn't for everybody, but I like it. As for Eno, his work is iconic, and it is really hard to think that he first got attention 50 years ago. It also illustrates what a revolution synthesized music is. I think that the first I remember of him was his Ambient albums. Music for Airports was one and I don't remember the titles of the others - but they are worth listening to. IMO. He has a younger brother, Roger Eno, who is also an ambient music composer and performer. He is also talented and should get more airplay. Again IMO.

>80 bell7: "Rock and Roll All Nite" would definitely wake you right up... :-D

>81 msf59: Books are treating me well, Mark. I didn't read as many books in September as I would've liked to, but I can't complain as those I finished were quite enjoyable and I'm easily on my way to 100 books read this year. I'll write up a September in review soon.

>82 benitastrnad: It certainly is a distinctive sound, Benita. Glad Brian Eno is a good one for you.

>83 foggidawn: Right? A little bit jarring at 7 a.m. hahaha

Happy Thursday, all! I overslept my alarm a little and had to hightail it outta here for my 9-5 shift. I had a few things I wanted to be looking up for a meeting I'll be having with my director tomorrow - we're going to be discussing some databases and see if we can't trim out some that get very limited usage. I have some recommendations I'd like to make and some usage stats to share with her.

The evening should be fairly low key. I've got some leftover chicken soup for dinner, books to read, possibly some knitting to work on depending on what I feel like.

Reading: Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet, Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi and Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald

Listening: "The hissing of summer lawns" by Joni Mitchell was a listen-once-through and I'll start a new album tomorrow

September in review
97. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
96. Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott
95. Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard
94. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
93. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede
92. Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
91. Queen Demon by Martha Wells

Books read: 7 (tied with January for the lowest number this year)
Did not finish: 1 (Bread and Milk by Karolina Ramqvist)
Rereads: 2
Children's/Teen/Adult: 0/0/7
Fiction/Nonfiction/Plays/Poetry: 5/2/0/0

Because I want to awards:
Enjoyed continuing a series - Queen Demon by Martha Wells
Made me want to read ALL the books - Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
Just as much fun to reread - Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard

YTD stats (includes book finished on Oct. 1) -
Pages read: 28,453
Avg pages a day: 103
Books by authors of color: 35 (35%)
In translation: 17 (17%)
Indigenous authors: 6 (6%)
Countries of origin: US - 46 (46.94%); Canada - 14; UK - 9; Australia - 1; Algeria - 1; Argentina - 1; Bolivia - 1; Cote d'Ivoire - 3; Denmark - 1; Egypt - 1; France - 4; Germany - 1; Hungary - 1; India - 1; Ireland - 2; Mexico - 1; New Zealand - 2; Nigeria - 2; North Korea - 1; Peru - 1; Romania - 1; South Korea - 1; Taiwan - 1; Zimbabwe - 1
DNF: 4

Thoughts:
I had gotten pretty well ahead in the number of authors outside of the U.S., so the fact that five out of seven of the authors I read this month were from the U.S. only changed my percentage a smidge (the others were Canada and UK, so nothing else in translation). I really enjoyed my reading throughout the month, which was mostly 4-4.5 star reads, with one 3.5 star read but I'm pickier about romance in general. I definitely read more e-books than paper books this month, something I may need to keep in mind for my library borrows the rest of the year. I did not read any books by indigenous authors in September, but I should rectify that significantly in October if my library stack is anything to go by. Wish me luck!

The listening report -

"Blood on the Tracks" by Bob Dylan - this was fine, but overall Bob Dylan's not my jam. His voice is jarring to me and just not pleasant listening, though I'm sure he's quite the wordsmith. So far "Bringing It All Back Home" is imo the best of his albums that I've listened to. #9 on the list so what do I know? :D

"Alive!" by Kiss - Of the three albums I'm writing up today, this is probably the one I enjoyed the most. It's at the hardest of rock that I will listen to, and I probably put up with even more of it because it was live recordings (Wikipedia tells me they were recorded at shows from May - July of 1975) with some touch ups. It definitely captures the band's raw energy and was one where I could appreciate why folks would enjoy it. I recognized "Rock and Roll All Nite" and listened to it twice through, though I can't say I will be saving any of their songs to my playlist. #305 on the list

"The Hissing of Summer Lawns" by Joni Mitchell - another one that the phrasing really bugged me (she sings what she wants to sing in a line regardless of whether or not it actually matches the music). Not really for me. #258 on the list

Next up is "The Basement Tapes" by Bob Dylan and the Band and I have "The Mothership Connection" by Parliament and "Tonight's the Night" by Neil Young also ready to go. I'll be putting a few more albums on hold so I don't run out of music next week.

My favorite version of Rock and Roll All Night? Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem! Animal is awesome on the drums.

>88 drneutron: 😂 I'll have to look that up, Jim. I say with no shame (and loving multiple versions) that Muppet Christmas Carol is The Best adaptation of the book.

98. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
Why now? Shared read for a TIOLI challenge in September that bled over to October

99. Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet
Why now? Continuing a series that I've been enjoying, and meets my goal of reading books by authors outside of the U.S.

Happy Friday! Today was a busy one, I worked, went to the gym, and cooked dinner and granola when I got home (I decided I was in the mood for a sausage & farro dish and was delighted to discover I had all the ingredients). This weekend should be pretty low key compared to last week, though I do have some home chores I want to catch up on and a house warming party to attend tomorrow.

Reading: Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi, Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald and Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley

Listening: "The Basement Tapes" by Bob Dylan and the Band

Oh, and a crafting update: I forgot to mention that I finished the socks. I decided to block them, but the legs are too tight for me (I got one pretty much stuck on my foot trying to put it on, oops, but fortunately managed to get it back off and didn't have to tear or cut it) so the pair has to be a giveaway instead. I'll take them off the blocking mat tomorrow. I also started a Christmas stocking for my coming niece. She will be here this month, so I need to get going!

Happy Saturday! I don't feel so bad checking in late, as I see it's been less than 24 hours since my last post. I gave myself a long to-do list and though my brain wanted to stutter around a couple of tasks, I swept the house and went to the dump, made the dough for my sourdough bread and made banana bread with discard. I went to my co-workers house warming party, stayed a little longer than I thought I would, and am now home.

Nina, Stasia and I had planned on reading Olive and the Dragon today, so that's what I'm up to while I have dinner and relax for the evening.

Reading: Same as >92 bell7: plus Olive and the Dragon

Listening: "Tonight's the night" by Neil Young

Crafting: Christmas stocking

I may try to watch some of the latest "Only Murders in the Building" season tonight, but we'll see what time I have after reading

It's been a good but busy weekend. I was out all day today with toddlers, then church service, then meeting up with my brother to watch the terrible Giants, and then to small group which has started up again. I'm home now and just about ready to read and go to bed. I didn't quite finish Olive and the Dragon last night, but I finished it this morning and am making slow but steady progress in everything else.

Reading: Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi, Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald, and Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley

Listening: "The mothership connection" by Parliament

Watching: Giants (forgot to even try to watch "Only Murders" last night)

>94 bell7: I'll never listen to Dylan perform...can't call it sing...his compositions ever again. I do not want to risk taking that...sound...into whatever afterlife there might be.

Stay well and happy.

I just discovered Victoria Goddard's website last week (if I'd known earlier, I'd have bought one of the bundles on there. As it is - Murphy's Law - I already have at least one book in each bundle on offer). I had a look and Olive and the Dragon is only currently available as an e-book so I went ahead and purchased it (I'll probably get the paperback copy later for my shelves) late last night. I did try reading it in bed but I felt I was too tired to do the concepts in the first chapter justice.

Olive and the Dragon was short, quick and I love the ending.

>95 richardderus: I am generally not finding it necessary to listen more than once through to him or Neil Young for similar reasons. As far as Dylan goes, "Bringing It All Back Home" was the best album, but that "best" is quite relative.

>96 humouress: and >97 humouress: Oh, too bad you discovered it a little too late (though perhaps the bundles are still worth it?). I really enjoyed the read and the look into Jemis's mother's perspective with the background about the Wood and the dragon, and glad to see it was a good one for you too.

100. Olive and the Dragon by Victoria Goddard
Why now? Part of Stasia and my project of reading through all of Victoria Goddard's works, and we decided that as the newest short story and one that was supposed to fit well after Bee Sting Cake which we just reread, it would be October's book

It's Monday, y'all. I worked 9-2 then came home and baked bread and a bunch of crackers (I am going to taste test sourdough discard crackers with different herbs and cheeses). I forgot to make a couple of phone calls and now have to wait 'til tomorrow when the places open again, which is annoying. I have laundry going so I have clean socks tomorrow, but otherwise am looking forward to a quiet evening.

Reading: Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi, Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald and Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley

Listening: "Mothership Connection" by Parliament

>33 bell7: It's been a while since I visited, Mary. You've been busy as always. Looks like everything is in order for your application now. I've had to have my fingerprints taken as a volunteer who might have interactions with children. I'm surprised you didn't already have some done as you work in a library.

>101 Familyhistorian: Nice to see you, Meg! I've had a background check done for multiple things, but fingerprints aren't required at my job or in places I've volunteered. Now I'm just waiting for the results to come back but, yes, I expect everything to move forward after that is complete!

>99 bell7: I'm so happy to have a new Victoria Goddard book to read! And Bubble & Squeak is only a couple months out!

>99 bell7: Yeah, I thought this novella was a great addition to the Greenwing & Dart series. Like you, I would love to read more of Olive's story in future.

>101 Familyhistorian: Is fingerprinting standard for working in libraries in Canada? I worked in several libraries over the years before I finally retired, and that was not a thing. It never even occurred to me, so I was quite taken aback by that statement.

>103 quondame: It'll probably take us a few months to complete our reread of the series and get to Bubble & Squeak but I'm very much looking forward to it, Susan!

>104 alcottacre: :D

>105 atozgrl: Oh I hadn't even thought of that as a standard for Canada. I would imagine even state by state could be different - Massachusetts has a specific background check, but there are other more general ones, too.

Happy Tuesday! I feel somewhat accomplished already having made a couple of phone calls that were hanging over my head. I'm still waiting a call back from the dermatologist (I have a mole that's bugging me and it's on an awkward spot on my back so I can't see it) but hope to have an appointment soon. My plan today is work 9-5, stop at the gym, do a small grocery shopping, and then call it a night.

The Giants suck but my fantasy team, amazingly, remains undefeated.
If it's not pouring rain, I'm meeting a friend to hike tomorrow before work.
And my SIL is having a baby "sprinkle" on Saturday and my youngest sister will be up visiting for the weekend.

So that's a little of what's going on here. Reading/Listening all the same as yesterday's report, and I need to start The Beekeeper of Aleppo soon for book club.

Good morning, everyone!

I'm off to work soon and have already had a busy morning. I had some sort of mole/skin tag on my back that started irritating me last week, so got it checked and shaved off this morning. Canceled hiking with my friend (it was raining anyway), but it was important to get that appointment in. I'm working 12-8 today and pondering a few things on my to-do list.

I stayed up a little late finishing Sisters in the Wind yesterday - it was SO good, review to come soon.

Reading: Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi, Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald and The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Listening: Finished "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd and started "Physical Graffiti" by Led Zeppelin

Crafting: progressed on a hat I'd been using as a task to keep my hands busy while watching webinars yesterday, but now I need to switch to double-pointed needles so might finish it soon

Good morning and happy Thursday! I'm off to work 9-5. It's a high of 55 today, so it's officially sweater and soup season. I'm planning on making the red lentil soup recipe I got from Darryl (kidzdoc) tonight. I will watch some of the Giants game, but I'm not promising anything. It'll most likely be background noise while I knit or read, honestly.

I started The Beekeeper of Aleppo yesterday and if the beginning is any indicator, it's going to be a rip-your-heart-out read. I was already tearing up by page 23.

Reading/Listening: same as yesterday
Will most likely work on the Christmas stocking while sort of watching football tonight

Yes! Soup! It's cooled down here as well, and I am ready for it!

It's soup weather here in the Delaware Valley as well, and it appears that it will remain that way for at least the next two weeks. Thanks for the reminder; I should also make a pot of soup this weekend, possibly Moroccan harira from the website Spain on a Fork.

>109 bell7: Souped-up for fall is my motto here, as well. I could not be happier. xo

>110 foggidawn: I do love fall and the cooler weather, but I'm crossing my fingers I don't have to scrape frost of the car windows tomorrow!

>111 kidzdoc: Yes, we should have cooler weather for at least another week and a frost warning tonight. Last week we had a couple of days in the 80s so I have just taken my window AC unit out and am already getting the sweaters out! I'll have to check out the Moroccan harira recipe, too, it sounds delicious. Thanks!

>112 richardderus: Yup, cooler weather and delicious soups... I love being able to make a large pot and freeze some to save on cooking later, too.

>113 bell7: I've made that recipe before, and I can give it an unqualified two thumbs up.

101. Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Why now? Angeline Boulley has become a must-read author for me, and I had a hold to get the library book as soon as it was processed - also meets my goal to read more books by indigenous authors

>114 kidzdoc: Very glad to hear that! I think I have most of the ingredients, too, I just have to double check a couple of the canned goods that I may need to grab from the grocery store.

Edited to correct the message number referenced

The listening report -

"The Basement Tapes" by Bob Dylan and the Band - I don't like Bob Dylan's voice and this album didn't convince me otherwise. #335 on the list

"Tonight's the Night" by Neil Young - his voice might actually have been worse though? Quite grating to my ear. #302 on the list

"The mothership connection" by Parliament - okay, this was quite fun to listen to as a whole, with the whole concept of a funk concert coming in from outer space. The songs kind of go one to another so I'd most likely want to listen to it again as an album, but I did save "Give Up the Funk" to my playlist. #363 on the list

"Wish you were here" by Pink Floyd - by and large, Pink Floyd isn't my thing, and this album wasn't particularly either. #264 on the list

I have just a few more albums to go for 1975. I mis-read the CD case for "Physical Graffitti," so I've started listening to the second CD of the double album (I'd read it as the second CD being extras for a new edition, but it was part of the original). After I wrap up that one, I've got my first Willie Nelson album up next.

>115 bell7: Thank you for bringing this to my notice! I like the other two and am certainly up for a third!

>118 quondame: you are most welcome! Hope you like it as much as the others.

Good morning and happy Friday! I am taking a little sick time this morning as I have a day of appointments. I'm getting my flu/COVID booster this morning, and then an annual appointment before heading into work just for the afternoon.

It was an interesting night last night - I stayed up late watching the Giants who not only won but looked like a good team against the Eagles after losing to the Saints on Sunday? Weird. And then around 2:30 I woke up with what felt like ringing in my ears. It took me a minute to realize that the sound was from inside the house, and was indeed my burglar alarm going off from a motion sensor in the basement. Unbelievably, I had the presence of mind to get up and turn on my phone so I could get the call from the security company to confirm having police come out. Turned out that everything was clear - probably a mouse or some such setting it off - but it took me awhile to get back to sleep after that.

So I'm tired, but just about to head out for the day. I have family visiting for another potentially very busy weekend, so don't be surprised if I'm not around much 'til Monday...

Reading: Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi (haven't actually picked this up in days and am not missing it, so it might become a DNF?), Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald and The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Listening: "Physical Graffiti" by Led Zeppelin

Watching: Giants' game last night

Happy to have no more Dylan or Neil Young to listen to? I know I would be! In fact I am, as there is no police power compelling me to assault my ears that way.

Enjoy your Led-Zep weekend, Mary my dear.

>121 richardderus: I have one more of each, "Rust Never Sleeps" by Neil Young and "Love and Theft" by Bob Dylan. So I'm almost done with Young and won't have to listen to Dylan again until I get to 2001. But I do generally enjoy (and at worst, not hate) Led Zeppelin, so I'm in a happy place for the moment. I listened to Disc 1 twice through before I realized it was a double album, so listened to Disc 2 twice through and now I'm going just once more to get it in order.

The way the human brain works in associations amuses me greatly. The first time "Kashmir" came on when I started listening to the latest Led Zeppelin album, I thought to myself, "This is a football song." But I couldn't remember the association. Was it a song that a network played? Google search turned up nothing. Song I heard at Giants games? I finally texted my brother of the ridiculously good memory: "Is 'Kashmir' a song the Giants play during warmups?" It's the one the team runs out to and they do all the introductions at the stadium.

I also gave in and turned my heat on today. It's about 60 degrees in here and I am cold.

>123 bell7: It's about 60 degrees in here and I am cold.

...it LOOKS like English, but has no sense of meaning behind it...

How cool to know that "Kashmir" lives on. They really struck a chord in the world's psyche with a few of their greatest hits.

Happy Saturday, Mary. You are going through one of my favorite stretches in music- early to mid-70s. Sorry Dylan and Young are not your thing. Of course, I am huge fan of both. Blood on the Tracks is my favorite Dylan album and The Basement Tapes is not far behind. Physical Grafitti is a masterpiece. I still give you a lot of credit for making your way through this with painstaking devotion.

I am now into the "R"s in my music collection. This will take me well into 2026. Loving it all.

>123 bell7: I also gave in and turned my heat on today. It's about 60 degrees in here and I am cold.

I completely agree, Mary. Multiple people here, including the optometrist I saw yesterday afternoon for additional measurements for my upcoming cataract surgeries, said the same thing, and I've definitely been cold outdoors and inside the house. High temperatures in the low to mid 60s aren't bad in and of themselves, but the difference IMO seems to be that they dropped by nearly 20 degrees all of a sudden, and that it feels so raw outside.

Yeah, I'll start making Moroccan harira very shortly. I also have a great recipe for a chicken matzo ball soup ("Jewish penicillin") that is a great sick weather soup, but also warms you to the marrow of your bones. Let me see if I can find it...

ETA: Yes, here it is; I think I first learned about it on NPR's program All Things Considered while driving home from home one day:

For Rosh Hashana, A Matzo Ball Soup By Way Of Mexico

As it turns out the author of this recipe is a friend of one of my former partners from work, who is also Jewish. My mother learned how to make chicken matzo ball soup when she was growing up and working in the Bronx, and, as the nickname ("Jewish penicillin") indicates, she would make it for me when I was sick, especially if I had a bad chest cold. With that in mind I do cook 2 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs in the oven, and add them to this soup. It's been years since I made this, so I'll have to see if I can find my exact instructions for it.

>107 bell7: I hope you enjoy the beekeeper. I found it was a good read.

Happy weekend reading!

Ah.I suspected that I had posted that chicken matzo ball soup recipe in the past, and I was right. It was actually @drneutron who originally shared this great recipe with me, which I tweaked to add chicken thighs; thanks, Jim!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/338226#7702744

>124 richardderus: That's around 15.5ºC (according to my mental arithmetics). I hope that helps ;0)

>129 humouress: ...but Mary said "cold" which does not start until 5C, so I am bemused...

>130 richardderus: 'Cold', for me, is anything below (at most) 25ºC.

>131 humouress: ...and you grew up in London...

>128 kidzdoc: My pleasure! I’ve been thinking of making some since the weather is turning cooler.

>132 richardderus: Granted, when I lived in London anything above 24ºC was a heatwave but even then it was long sleeves until it got above at least 18ºC. My childhood was spent in Africa, almost in the Sahel.

>134 humouress: ...
...
...you poor, abused child...exposed to criminal levels of heat in violation of your civil rights to cool, foggy weather....

>135 richardderus: Brrr. Enjoy your cold, foggy weather.

Ah... I see I sparked some controversy by apparently being less than clear about the temperature. The low on Thursday night/Friday morning was 30 degrees outside, and last night when I turned on the heat the outside temperature was in the 40s. The temperature in my house according to my thermostat was creeping below 60 when I turned my heat on.

We're going to have highs in the 50s and getting down in the 30s and 40s at night, so I do expect I'll need it some at night to keep the chill off.

>124 richardderus: Haha, well, 60 degrees in the house after I've been sitting around and I'm getting ready for bed is much cooler than sitting in the sun after the winter. It had gotten below freezing the night before and there was still a chill in the place. Yeah, I hadn't realized it was a Led Zeppelin song at all, so when it came on, I instantly recognized it from... somewhere. I've been surprised by how many of their songs I have liked, and thought Led Zeppelin IV and Physical Graffiti were very enjoyable albums, though others were just okay.

>125 msf59: As one of my friends would say, "That's what makes horse races." And as I like to say, wouldn't it be boring if all of us liked the same things? I'm thinking of it as a musical education and am rather enjoying the project overall, even when I come away not thrilled with an album or artist. I've also discovered some excellent ones, and would agree with you about Physical Graffiti.

>126 kidzdoc: Yes, I think a big change, whether drop or upswing in temperature, makes a big difference in how we perceive it, Darryl. It had been 80 just a few days ago, and I'd just taken out my AC when all of a sudden we had our first frost! Thanks for both soup recipes. I've never made matzo ball soup and really should check it out. I love that the recipe and its maker have a connection to one of the folks you worked with, too.

>127 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! I'm finding it a good, if heartbreaking, read so far.

>128 kidzdoc: Oh very cool, thanks for the link, too!

>129 humouress: I am amazed you can do that math in your head, Nina! I would have to look up the conversion (or, well, just Google it)... but in shorthand, I can say it had been below 0 C outside when I got up yesterday morning. Because of the way the seasons can shift where I live, when I get cold or hot is very relative to me. Sixty degrees (outside, not in my house) in April is short-sleeve weather. Sixty degrees in August and I need a jacket.

>130 richardderus: >131 humouress: >132 richardderus: etc. Mmmm well it was probably around 7C outside last night. But I think you both make my point that "cold" and "hot" are quite relative ;)

>133 drneutron: Gotta love soup weather!

I don't think I missed anyone in there, but give me a shout if I did :)

Happy Saturday! Had an eventful day, where I had a little bit to get done at home before heading out to meet up with visiting family. We spent the morning at my parents' place, the kids decided they wanted to go fishing and then turned to hunting for frogs (my nephews shoes will never be the same), and then in the afternoon we went to my brother and his wife's for a baby "sprinkle" for my new niece, coming in a couple of weeks. It was fun to get both sides of the family together and a few good friends of theirs. R. is the star for now, and she's saying more every time I see her. She repeated everybody's names and has gotten very good at saying "Mimi," often throwing in something that sounds like an approximation of "aunt" when she says it too. She'll also say "hi!" and repeats "I wuv you!"

I went over my parents for a little longer in the evening, and the kids played video games with my youngest sister and her friend until it was time for bed. I am going to throw some laundry in the dryer and then I'm about ready to head to bed myself, with a little bit of reading thrown in.

Tomorrow I have nursery, so I'm out for morning plans, but I'll most likely be spending much of the afternoon and evening at my parents again. My sister's family with the niece and nephew will be heading out early Monday morning, but my youngest sister will still be here on Monday and I'll hang out on the holiday.

Reading: Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi (haven't actually picked this up in days and am not missing it, so it might become a DNF?), Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald and The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Listening: "Red-headed Stranger" by Willie Nelson

>137 bell7: Oh...60° in the house is completely different! I'd have the heat on, too. 68° inside is ideal for, well, you know....

>141 richardderus: I keep the temp somewhere in the 65-69 range in the winter. Right now I'm keeping it on the low side because I'm mostly out of the house expect for going to bed anyways.

Good morning, all! I took my time getting up this morning and finished The Beekeeper of Aleppo for book club. My youngest sister is still visiting today and it's a holiday, so I'm headed out shortly to spend as much time as I can with her. I think both my brothers will be trying to meet up at some point today as well.

Reading: Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi and Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald

Listening: radio last night after finishing Willie Nelson, but I might jump ahead and listen to "Hejira" (it came out in 1976 but arrived ahead of library holds for other 1975 albums)

Watching: some football yesterday

Crafting: I made some excellent progress on the stocking yesterday while visiting family. I'm just over the halfway point of the color work, but the hardest part of it has been completed

Happy Tuesday!

I'm back to work today and getting a little bit of a later start because I'm going in 10-6 and finishing the day with a meeting. I'm going to bring my stuff for the gym but I have no idea if I'm really going to feel up to it at the end of the work day or not. Making tomato-poached fish for dinner tonight.

Reading: same as yesterday

Listening: "Hejira" by Joni Mitchell

Watching: watched the first episode of the new Great British Baking Show at my parents' last night

Crafting: continuing to work on the stocking and almost done with the color work

>144 bell7: I don't know if "Hejira" will convert you, but I hope you'll at least get some good ideas of why we loved her in the 1970s.

You met the bakers! Did you enjoy the episode?

>145 richardderus: I do like Joni Mitchell's voice and even the overall sound of the music, but even in "Hejira" I cannot get over her phrasing. I think it's mostly because I like to have songs I can sing along to, and I can't when the words don't follow the music unless I memorize it and/or know it from childhood.

I did enjoy the episode - GBBS is always a reliable, comfortable show for me. I thought the intro was especially funny and intricate, and it was interesting how wildly different some folks did on the signature versus the technical. All three challenges were surprisingly difficult for a first week, which makes me wonder how complicated the rest of the series will be! Having just a baked treat to taste and recreate (with a few wrong ingredients thrown in) was especially devious. And I was wrong about who would leave - I thought it was going to be Toby.

102. The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Why now? Book club book - we're discussing it tomorrow

The listening report -

"Physical Graffiti" by Led Zeppelin - I enjoyed this, I would say it was a close second to Led Zeppelin IV for my favorites of their album. It's a little rockier with the electric guitar than I usually go for, but something about some of their songs works for me, and at worst I'm neutral about it. I added "Tramped under foot," "Kasmir", "In the light," "Bron-y-aur" and "Boogie with Stu" to my playlist. #144 on the list

"Red Headed Stranger" by Willie Nelson - well, I thought this was going to be really twangy country and I'd hate it but it wasn't and I found it... well, fine. I didn't hate it but no songs jumped out at me either. #237 on the list

"Hejira" by Joni Mitchell - I jumped ahead into 1976 while I waited for a couple of album holds to come in. Like the others, I like Mitchell's voice and the guitar in many of the songs, but her phrasing is not my style at all. #133 on the list

Next up is "That's the Way of the World" by Earth, Wind & Fire

>148 bell7: The "twang" is the main thing I don't like about country music. The country songs/artists I have liked are more in the "pop" vein. Interesting your reaction to Willie Nelson-- my DH hates country more than I do, but he actually kind of likes Willie Nelson. His Stardust album was a surprise.

>149 atozgrl: I agree, I go for the more pop side, too. I think this particular album had more to do with the subject matter of the songs just not being interesting to me, but I might respond better to a different Willie Nelson album.

Happy Wednesday! I'm getting my days confused a little with the holiday starting off the week, but at least I'm going into work at the right time haha.

Last night I read Heartstopper for my own TIOLI challenge to read a banned book. It was very sweet, and I'll continue the series soon, I think. And then I finished Son of the Morning too, so I have a couple of reviews to write soon and I'll start a new paper book at work today.

I'm meeting a friend to hike this morning and then going into work 12-8. Book club tonight, and it should be interesting to see what everyone thought of The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

Reading: Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald and I put Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui in my work bag today

Listening: "That's the Way of the World" by Earth, Wind & Fire

>151 bell7: I'm glad you liked Heartstopper! The rest are just as good.

>146 bell7: Oh my heck. Wait'll you see some of the later challenges. *whew*

I really get your response to Joni Mitchell...you're not coming out of bubblegum rock, surf rock, and folk music that she alchemized together into something electrifyingly new. Another strand of that revolution that the mainstream racist music industry tried its damnedest to stop in its tracks was rap/hip hop that was blowing up every Black neighborhood in the big cities. All that ferment was very heady and came from generational change in culture that there's now a huge backlash against (as there always is.)

>152 norabelle414: That's good to know! I'm sure I'll read them sooner rather than later.

>153 richardderus: I can only imagine - I may be slow in watching it, but since my parents also enjoy it I'll probably watch it off and on with them.

I can appreciate that Joni Mitchell's music was groundbreaking in its time. I'm definitely missing that aspect of it. And I don't think the phrasing would bother me as much if I had grown up with the songs and could sing along with it. I've noted to myself (and this is about all music, not just Joni Mitchell's) that the music and general musicality of what I listen to seems to matter to me more than the lyrics, but I'm easily thrown off by one aspect of a song and will dislike the whole thing because of it. I don't much like rap either, but I'm kinda looking forward to trying out what's on the list even so.

103. Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
Why now? A little late, but for Banned Books Week and to meet my own TIOLI challenge to read a banned book

104. Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi
Why now? I had an e-ARC and wanted to read it before the book came out

Hope everyone had a good Thursday! Pretty standard day, I worked 9-5, made dinner, washed dishes, and now I'm catching up on reviews and going to read a bit while putting on football as background noise. I accidentally forgot the book I started yesterday at work, so I'll start Best Hex Ever, I think.

Reading: Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald and Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui

Listening: "That's the Way of the World" by Earth, Wind & Fire

Watching: some football tonight

>102 bell7: >105 atozgrl: Actually now that I think about the fingerprinting thing, I should really clarify. For volunteering and for the job that I had a criminal background check was needed. This is required by the province that I live in. Because someone with the same name as me has a criminal record, my fingerprints have been taken multiple times. In earlier times this was done electronically but because you lose your fingerprints as you age (who knew) the last time I had my prints taken it was the old fashioned way with ink.

>99 bell7: By the way, what's the next book on the list and when are you planning to read it? I need to make sure that I have it/ can get it in time.

>158 Familyhistorian: Ahhh, I could see that being a necessary second step in that case.

>159 humouress: I believe we're on track to read Whiskeyjack next, but I'll double check with Stasia. We've been reading a book a month together, so we'd be looking at a November read.

Good morning, folks! I'm enjoying a Saturday with very little planned. I do have to go out for a hair appointment and hope to do a grocery shopping, as well as some tidying up at home and catching up on small tasks (paying bills, filling the bird feeders) that I just don't seem to have the energy to do on work days. I've already made the bread dough and watered the house plants. Tomorrow is nursery followed by time with my Little and my church small group in the evening.

Reading: Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald, Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui and Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

Listening: "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen

>160 bell7: Wiskeyjack is the next book up on a Discord server read. As they are doing 2 chapters a day and starting the 27th, I'll probably read it early next week, but that's close.

>162 quondame: Oh cool, looking forward to having some overlap on the read, Susan.

105. Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald
Why now? It's been on my TBR for a couple of years and I own the e-book, so finally read it now while listening to the audio borrowed from the library

I have another book that I started reading last night that I've got to add to my library, but I just want to enjoy the fact right now that I currently have 3200 books in all collections.

Happy Sunday! I had nursery today and hung out with my Little and now have a bit of downtime before I head out for small group. I got a lot of my errands/chores done yesterday and had only a little bit left today. I cleaned the bathroom and baked bread. I've got laundry going. So generally I feel ready to go back into the work week with my house mostly tidied up haha.

Reading: Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui, Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi and Cultish by Amanda Montell

Listening: "Hotel California" by the Eagles

Crafting: I finished a knitted hat yesterday and the color work on the stocking. Next up is working on the instep & heel, and making a pair of mittens to go with said hat.

>165 bell7: Ooh that nice round number is satisfying!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

>166 MickyFine: Isn't it? It's the little things haha. And thanks, hope you had a lovely weekend.

The listening report:

"That's the Way of the World" by Earth Wind & Fire
One of the albums that's actually a soundtrack - I'd never heard of it or the movie, but it was an enjoyable listen overall. I saved "Shining Star," "Happy Feelin'" and "Africano" to my playlist. Lovely soul music with beautiful harmonies. #420 on the list

"Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen
I'm sure this was groundbreaking in its time, and I couldn't tell you why but Springsteen doesn't hit the notes for me in the music I like to listen to. It's something about his voice, though it's not the visceral dislike reaction I have to Bob Dylan, John Prine, and Neil Young. And I like other sort of gravelly-sounding ones like Eddie Vedder. So *shrug*. The title track is the best of the bunch but I didn't like it enough to add it to the playlist. #21 on the list

"Hotel California" by the Eagles
I had been dreading this because I don't like the title song (it's at once overplayed, I find it depressing, and it's a core memory of driving in the car with my friends and their grandparents playing this on repeat...). But the rest was enjoyable enough, if not favorite enough to me to add anything to my playlist. #118 on the list

I'm starting to bleed over into 1976 with "Hejira" and "Hotel California". I'm listening to the last 1975 album "Expensive Shit" (another one that was hard to find!) which I'll be wrapping up tomorrow and then I'll be moving on to Aerosmith and "The Sun Sessions" by Elvis Presley. There are only 8 albums from 1976, so I have three out now and the other three just put on hold today to hopefully have enough listening for the next week or so.

106. Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
Why now? I've been spending the last year trying to read all the Kindle challenges I've been given, and one in this quarter was to read a graphic novel... so I decided to continue the series

Morning, all. I'm probably going to be spotty checking in over the next few days. I'm fine and nothing's progressed lately with foster care. Just a lot going on extended-family-wise and nothing I'm at liberty to share.

Work schedule's 9-5 today and I'm bringing gym clothes but no promises. I need to cook dinner tonight, and I'll probably go with salmon and roasted broccoli as one of my quickest meals planned this week. Tomorrow I'm maybe meeting a friend to walk (though the morning forecast looks like rain...), going to the dentist for my regular cleaning/x-rays, and working 12-8.

Reading: Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui, Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi and Cultish by Amanda Montell

Listening: "Expensive Shit" by Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti

Watching/Crafting: nothing to report

>170 bell7: I'm glad you're fine; I hope everything else is okay.

>171 humouress: Thanks, Nina. It sounds like things are on the upswing. My own feeling of helplessness is frustrating, and just contributing to not wanting to do... much of anything, including post. Plus I slept like crap the last few nights which leaves me feeling easily sick to my stomach so I'm just a general ball of anxiety.

Sorry to hear about your family issues, Mary. I hope things get better for you.

>173 norabelle414: Thanks, Nora!

107. Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui
Why now? Charlotte's (charl08) thoughts on Satisfaction intrigued me, but this one appeared one of the easiest for me to get through the library

The listening report -

"Expensive Shit" by Fela Kuti and Africa 70
This was 1. hard to get and 2. kind of a head-scratcher for me. There are only two songs, the titular one and "Water No Get Enemy." Each are over 10 minutes long and while the music was fine, it didn't jump out and grab me either. Wikipedia says "The title of the album and first track refers to an incident in 1974. The Nigerian police planted a joint on Kuti. Before he was arrested, he ate the joint, but the police brought him into custody and waited for him to produce the (titular) excrement. According to legend, he managed to use another inmate's feces and was eventually released." Which is an interesting bit of trivia, if nothing else. #402 on the list

"Rocks" by Aerosmith
My first Aerosmith album, and can't say it's for me. I think I know some of their radio played songs, but I didn't recognize any on this album. It started off with screaming and stayed intense throughout. It definitely may have been a mismatch with my level of anxiety this week, but I prefer more mellow music as a whole. #366 on the list.

Now listening to "The Sun Sessions" by Elvis Presley which, while recorded in the 1950s, came out as an album in 1976.

The listening report -

"Expensive Shit" by Fela Kuti and Africa 70
This was 1. hard to get and 2. kind of a head-scratcher for me. There are only two songs, the titular one and "Water No Get Enemy." Each are over 10 minutes long and while the music was fine, it didn't jump out and grab me either. Wikipedia says "The title of the album and first track refers to an incident in 1974. The Nigerian police planted a joint on Kuti. Before he was arrested, he ate the joint, but the police brought him into custody and waited for him to produce the (titular) excrement. According to legend, he managed to use another inmate's feces and was eventually released." Which is an interesting bit of trivia, if nothing else. #402 on the list

"Rocks" by Aerosmith
My first Aerosmith album, and can't say it's for me. I think I know some of their radio played songs, but I didn't recognize any on this album. It started off with screaming and stayed intense throughout. It definitely may have been a mismatch with my level of anxiety this week, but I prefer more mellow music as a whole. #366 on the list.

Now listening to "The Sun Sessions" by Elvis Presley which, while recorded in the 1950s, came out as an album in 1976.

Your music listening journey is interesting. I was into soft metal (Bon Jovi, Whitesnake) in the '80s but I can't do screaming; it was the more ballad-type songs that I liked. Kudos to you for sticking with it for the whole album.

I've been meaning to ask for a long time; what list are you following?

>178 humouress: I can take some harder rock (I have discovered I like some Led Zeppelin!), but definitely prefer the ballads and don't like screaming. To be fair to Aeromsmith, the first and last songs were the scream-y ones.

I've been listening through Rolling Stone's 500 Best Albums of all time (2023 iteration). But instead of going 500-1, I thought it would be interesting to try to listen to albums chronologically (roughly - I'm only paying attention to year it came out) and have a better sense of what types of music were coming out when and how earlier stuff influenced the later.

Happy Thursday! The family stuff seems to have calmed down, and I am sleeping better the last couple of nights. I worked 9-5 today and thought about the gym, but came home and made dinner instead. I've been knitting and listening to podcasts. I might follow some of the Thursday night football game but don't care all that much about the results except as they affect my fantasy football team haha. At some point I'll switch to read and head to bed.

Reading: Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi, Cultish by Amanda Montell and Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger

Listening: "The Sun Sessions" by Elvis Presley

Crafting: working on the foot of the stocking

Sorry to read you've been stressed, but glad to hear >180 bell7:

>177 bell7: Apparently this month is "felabration" so a good time to listen to him.
https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2025/10/16/he-cemented-his-own-lega...

I'm surprised the RS people didn't pick an album with Zombie on it though...

I think I heard him first as a sample (Missy Elliott) - his music has been used a lot. https://www.whosampled.com/Fela-Kuti/

His mum was pretty amazing as a feminist pioneer, although the info online seems to credit travel to the US with inspiring Fela's activism.
https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/africanhistory/abstract/10.1093/acrefore/978...

>181 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Very interesting to hear about the "felabration". I was surprised that this album was very hard to find while others were more readily available - maybe I should try out another one to get a better flavor of his music. Sometimes the RS list flummoxes me in which albums from a particular band that they choose or leave off, but often it seems to me they selected the "influential" over the more widely commercially successful. Still, it's given me a great jumping off point and it's been fun to have conversations with family members familiar with the music about our impressions. That's also really fascinating about his mother - thanks for the link!

Happy Friday! I worked 9-5 today and was really hungry when I got out, so I went straight home and had leftovers from last night. It's a no-gym week for me. I think next week will be getting a *little* more back to normal, with the big exception that another nibling should be here on Tuesday! (It's a scheduled C-section)

Reading: Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi, Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger and Going Clear by Lawrence Wright

Listening: "The Modern Lovers" by the Modern Lovers

Watching: a little football last night

Crafting: working on the foot of the stocking

108. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
Why now? All three of her books managed to find their way on to my TBR list over the years, and after reading & enjoying Wordslut earlier this year, I thought I'd go on to her next book. Read after my hold came in for the library e-book.

Catching up here! Glad to hear your family drama has died down. I hope next week is more relaxing and less full of anxiety!

>185 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!

Happy Sunday! Did I not check in yesterday? Huh. Well, it was kinda a busy day. I did the regular Saturday stuff quickly in the morning - made the bread dough, watered my house plants, etc. - and also planted some tulip bulbs that I'd ordered in the spring and came in this week. A friend of mine had a house warming party, and then I was close to my folks' place so visited with them for the late afternoon. I got home after dark and I was ready to read and relax. Today I went to church, and I'm spending the afternoon catching up on things, including threads and reviews, while baking the bread and doing the laundry and following my fantasy football team. I'll have my small group later this evening as well, so dinner is taken care of.

Reading: Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger and Going Clear by Lawrence Wright

Listening: "The Modern Lovers" by the Modern Lovers - actually, I just finished this, I'll be picking a next album when I go out this evening

Watching: nada

Crafting: I haven't picked it up in a couple of days, but I want to work on the stocking today

Sunday orisons, Mary! I'm not a huge Aerosmith fan either, because it gets shrill fast. I don't do shrill. I'm so pleased to say I'm most of the way back to normal, and really can't complain much about how little pneumonia ick is lingering.

Much writing is happening, several very old reads finally not hanging over me...All is well is the short version.

>188 richardderus: Shrill, yeah that's an apt description. I'm very glad to hear you're on the mend and that you've been able to write (always a good sign of physical & mental health, no?). Here's hoping you continue to improve and don't have any setbacks over the coming days!

109. Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi
Why now? For the excellent fall vibes

Happy Monday, all! I worked 9-2, it went by fast as I was on the desk for three hours and then had a local history question take up much of the rest of the day. I dropped off two pairs of slacks to get altered, and then when I got home I made some phone calls to try to get a leak figured out. I have water trickling into my tub from what appears to be an external wall, so ultimately I may be calling a contractor and potentially have quite the project ahead of me. Not really what I wanted to be doing, but apparently it's time to work on that bathroom whether I want to or not. I'm going to head out for a small grocery shopping for things like milk and coffee rather than full-on meal planning, and then I should have a quiet evening in front of me.

The reading is going well. I'm really enjoying both the books I'm reading now and will start a collection of short stories next. My new niece will be born tomorrow (scheduled C-section), so I want to finish up what I can of the Christmas stocking to be all ready for adding her name and finishing it up in plenty of time for the holidays.

Reading: Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger and Going Clear by Lawrence Wright

Listening: "The Ramones" by the Ramones has been the album of choice, and now I'm ready to start "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder

Watching: nothing

Crafting: I finished the foot and started on the toe last night, and I'm hoping to finish the toe and possibly start weaving in some ends tonight

The listening report -

"The Sun Sessions" by Elvis Presley
I like Elvis. These sessions were recorded in the mid-1950s and it came out in 1976, so it's a bit of a throwback. I didn't add anything to my playlist because I've already done so for my favorite Elvis songs. #78 on the list

"The Modern Lovers" by the Modern Lovers
This was interesting, and I thought it was fun that it was a local-ish (Boston) band. "Roadrunner" was my favorite and probably their best known; Wikipedia tells me they recorded a few different versions of it, and it's clearly about Route 128 which I used to very briefly drive on when I was taking classes at Simmons, so that was a fun connection. Overall the style of music isn't mine, but it was a good listen through. #288 on the list

"Ramones" by the Ramones
Hmmm. Can't exactly say why this didn't work for me, but it wasn't generally my favorite. Maybe just a little too rough around the edges both musically and lyrically? I'd heard "Blitzkrieg Bop" before, though I hadn't known the name or the artist before now. #47 on the list

Two more 1976 albums left to go, and then I'm on to 1977. I have "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder in the car now, and next is "Station to Station" by David Bowie.

>192 bell7: Either of the current listens are things you'd've found in Hammett, my Gremlin, that year. I liked both back when, but the Ramones always annoyed me...aggressively unmusical in a way that had to be by design.

Happy to say I'm fever-free for 24hrs! That's healed in bacterial terms!

>193 richardderus: By and large punk isn't my jam. But I think you're on to something that it's "aggressively unmusical" intentionally. That was, by the way, my 190th album from the list of 500.
And hooray for being fever-free for 24 hours!

Happy Tuesday, Mary. I also loved Vesper Flights. Looking forward to her next book, whenever that comes out.That's the Way of the World is my favorite Earth Wind & Fire album. The Sun Sessions is fantastic (I didn't realize it came out in '76) and I also loved Toys in the Attic and Rocks. Never heard of Fela Kuti.

>195 msf59: Happy Tuesday, Mark! I will look forward to the next book by Helen Macdonald, for sure. And there were some good listens over the last week or so, even if we'll have to agree to disagree on Aerosmith haha. Not surprised, though, I know you enjoy harder stuff than I do. I'm currently listening to "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder, which will take me a little while to finish up, since it's a double album.

Happy Tuesday! It's an especially happy day since my new niece, Francie, was born this morning. Mama and baby are doing fine, and I hope to meet her soon and hear all about how niece R. is adjusting to having a sibling.

Work was busy, 9-5, and included a surprise visit from my dad's cousin who was in the area on a visit and stopped in to the library in case I was working. She and her husband took me out to lunch, which was a really lovely break in the day. And from work, I went to the gym. I had gone a little less than 2 weeks ago but hadn't gotten through all of the circuit before I had a bad headache and cut it short. So I had a couple of machines I had to go down 5 pounds on, but another I was able to handle 5 pounds up, so overall I felt good getting back after the break. And then tonight's dinner was just leftover taco soup.

My hope tomorrow, since I'm not meeting my friend to walk, will be to get to the hospital in the morning before work if I can, perhaps doing some cooking if not.

The rest of my evening will be reading and weaving in ends on the Christmas stocking.

Reading: Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger and Going Clear by Lawrence Wright

Listening: "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder

Crafting: finished knitting the stocking last night! Now it's all the fiddly finishing, weaving in ends of all the colors I used, adding baby's name in duplicate stitch, and sewing up the side of the stocking.

Congrats on the new niece!

Is Francie named after the heroine of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?

>198 katiekrug: ^^^what she said

>197 bell7: I didn't know there as another Darcy Little Badger title (I should keep a better look out!) Sheine Lende has been checked out!

Yay for Francie! New niece felicitations!

>197 bell7: Congratulations! Another October LT niece.

That sounds like a lovely Tuesday.

>197 bell7: Congrats on your new niece! How many niblings is that now, 5?

Congrats on the arrival of Francie!

Congratulations on the new niece!

Congratulations on the new family member. Hope you get a good visit in soon.

>198 katiekrug: >199 richardderus: Yes, she is! Good catch - I missed it, but confirmed it with them this morning.

>200 quondame: Oh excellent, hope you enjoy it, Susan. I've been reading slowly but steadily and am looking forward to reading more over the weekend. And thank you re: the new niece!

>201 humouress: Thanks, Nina! Yeah, we have a couple now.

>202 norabelle414: Francie makes four! A. and G. both have two kids now.

>203 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>204 foggidawn: Thanks, Misti!

>205 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! I was able to get a short visit in this morning.

Happy Wednesday! I got up this morning ready to keep working on the stocking. I texted my brother to see if I might be able to stop by the hospital, and then got to work weaving in ends and adding her name and birth year in duplicate stitch. I have just a little more to do weaving in all the ends of the duplicate stitch, then sewing up the side of the stocking and adding a little loop for hanging, and then it's done.

My brother got back to me to say if I wanted to stop by "now" I could, so I hightailed it out of here pretty much ready for work, and went right to the hospital. I got to visit for about an hour total and held F. a couple of times. R. came in shortly after my arrival and immediately wanted to hold the baby. She's sooo happy having a baby and really wants to hold her a lot. It's so cute! (But also slightly terrifying, she's only 20 months old and can't really hold her without adult supervision.) I heard both "baby" and "sister" and a lot of "what's that?" as she got into everything in the hospital room lol. They are going to have their hands full in the best possible way. My SIL's family also came in to visit after a bit (they were the ones who brought R.), and I left when it was time for me to go to work. They should get out of the hospital soon, and I'll probably see them next on Saturday or Monday, depending on when they are up for visitors.

Work went by quickly. I must've gotten a lot done, but I still feel like there's a lot to do. We had a part-time job open up and I'll be talking with the director and children's librarian tomorrow to go over the job description and posting.

Reading: Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger and Going Clear by Lawrence Wright

Listening: "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder

Crafting: nearly done the stocking!

>197 bell7: Congratulations on the new niece, especially to the parents! I'm glad you were already able to visit her.

>209 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene! I was pretty pleased it worked out :D

>208 bell7: Exciting!

>211 humouress: Yes it is :)

Happy Thursday! Busy day, my boss was out, so the meeting got changed up, but I got a lot done and prepped for being out tomorrow and Monday. And I finished the stocking!





It's hard to tell in these photos, but it looks larger to me than some that I've made and I'm not sure why. But I guess that's the side effect of hand knit projects *shrug*. The needles were the same size, but maybe the yarn was thicker or my tension different. Anyway, I am pleased with how it came out and I hope to get it to them next week.

Reading/Listening: all the same

Watching: some of the Thursday night football game (gotta see how my fantasy team is doing since my real football team sucks)

Crafting: finished the stocking and started on a pair of mittens

>213 bell7: It's really cute! I'm impressed by your skills. *smooch*

>213 bell7: Wow. Looks good. May she enjoy it for many years to come.

>214 richardderus: Thank you! I haven't quite graduated to my great-grandma's level of incorporating different elements from patterns to make my own, but I was pleased with how it came out.

>215 humouress: Thank you, Nina! It's a fun family tradition I've been happy to carry on. My great-grandma used to make them for all our family right up until her death in the 90s.

Happy Halloween! Wild that it's nearly November. How did that happen?

I'm off today, as I have folks coming soon to put in insulation and weatherization for doors in my house. They'll be here much of the day, so I've got a nice to-do list to keep me busy at home while they're working away. I've got a little bit of moving more books upstairs so they have an easier time getting into the crawlspace (not really an attic) and I'm making bread dough right now. And of course, I'm hoping to get some reading and knitting in.

>217 bell7: Are you enjoying breadmaking? It's quite a task with yeast but I always enjoyed three-ingredient beer bread making...it's even easy in the Instant Pot. I started because one can control the amount of sugar in the bread, and I don't like sweet stuff as much as most people do. (It needs to have some tartness or fattiness for me to chow down happily.)

I hope the installation All goes well. Enjoy Samhain!

>218 richardderus: I do enjoy breadmaking, it's become a bit of a weekend tradition, and since I'll be gone all day Sunday, I've moved it up a day to bake it tomorrow. I have a sourdough starter that I got at a library program almost two years ago and have kept up ever since, and I have a go-to recipe that I've memorized at this point because it's so fail-proof. What a fun idea to make it in the Instant Pot!

>219 bell7: It is a fun thing to do...but it requires silicone loaf pans and some careful jiggery-pokery to get it settled. I'd say, since the space is so limited, that it's best for a single loaf of quick bread not your big ol' sourdough. *sobs in jealous envy at sourdough on tap*

>220 richardderus: Hmmmm, yeah I don't have silicone loaf pans so perhaps not. I do enjoy a easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread that I make almost weekly. I am *always* looking for ways to use the discard (granola and muffins and crackers are my go-tos and I still have a bunch in the fridge), so if you have any ideas send them my way...

October in review
109. Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi
108. Cultish by Amanda Montell
107. Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui
106. Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
105. Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald
104. Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi
103. Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
102. The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
101. Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
100. Olive and the Dragon by Victoria Goddard
99. Aya: Love in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet
98. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

Books read: 12
Did not finish: 0
Rereads: 1
Children's/Teen/Adult: 0/3/9
Fiction/Nonfiction/Plays/Poetry: 10/2/0/0

Because I want to awards:
All the fall vibes - The Hound of the Baskervilles
Hard but good - The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Lived up to my high expectations - Sisters in the Wind

YTD stats-
Pages read: 31,508
Avg pages a day: 104
Books by authors of color: 40 (36.7%)
In translation: 19 (17%)
Indigenous authors: 7 (6%)
Countries of origin: US - 48 (44%); Canada - 15; UK - 14; Australia - 1; Algeria - 1; Argentina - 1; Bolivia - 1; Cote d'Ivoire - 4; Denmark - 1; Egypt - 1; France - 5; Germany - 1; Hungary - 1; India - 1; Ireland - 2; Mexico - 1; New Zealand - 2; Nigeria - 2; North Korea - 1; Peru - 1; Romania - 1; South Korea - 1; Taiwan - 1; Zimbabwe - 1
DNF: 4

Thoughts:
It was nice to find myself back in the swing of things and reading 12 books again, which is the most common number for me this year (March, July, August, and October). Much of what I read, I really enjoyed, too, giving most everything 4-4.5 stars. I probably should've DNF'ed the only two that didn't, but oh well. I'm still very pleased with how many authors outside the U.S. I've read. This month, that was one from France and a few from the UK. I'm still behind in reading books by indigenous authors, but a good bunch of my current library stack meets that criteria, so we'll see if I can catch up in November.

Congratulations on the new niece, Mary. How nice that you got to visit her so soon. The stockng looks great!

>222 bell7: Excellent reading month, Mary! I made sourdough pancakes when a friend in the 1980s had discard. This recipe looks like it's really similar: https://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/sourdough-pancakes/
One nice thing about them was they suspended berries better than any other batter I've ever worked with, and I love berry pancakes with cinnamon syrup.

>213 bell7: Love the stocking, and how meaningful to be able to continue a family tradition like that! I need to make baby Ellie's stocking -- I made ones for her mother and brother several years ago, so I have to dig through my sewing supplies and see what I have left from that project.

>223 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deborah! Yes, I'm really fortunate that they live nearby. I met my sister's kids when they were about five weeks old with a planned visit, but I probably average seeing my brother's family a couple of times a month.

>224 richardderus: Mmmmm that does look good! I'll bookmark it and probably use it more when there are kids in the house - thanks, Richard!

>225 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi! Hope you'll share the stocking you make Ellie as well. I can't sew and find people's creativity amazing :)

Happy Saturday! Yesterday went well, I knit a mitten while the folks were here adding insulation and weatherization to the doors. They wrapped up a little before 4, and then I hung out at the house to see if I would get any trick-or-treaters - and I did not. Ah well! I also had a plumber come out and we agreed on a plan for me getting a new tub and fixing a leak (we're hoping it's just the shower valve but won't know until he gets into the wall...). So that's moving along. Next week will be busy and expensive. But yay for getting it fixed!

Today I had a few errands to run going to the recycling center, the bank, and doing a grocery shopping. I'm now trying to motivate myself to go to the gym, though my brain currently wants to stay home and tidy and knit and bake, so we'll see how that plays out in the end. My brother is playing with some mutual friends of ours at a local brewery this evening, so I'll head out for that and that will be my day. Tomorrow that same brother and I (not the new father) will be heading out to a Giants game and watching the 49ers beat them.

Reading: Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger, Going Clear by Lawrence Wright and I'll be starting Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard for a group read with Stasia and Nina

Listening: "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder

Watching: nada

Crafting: I finished a mitten and started on the second yesterday and expect I'll do some more knitting today as well

>227 bell7: Empathetic yay!

Speaking of Whiskeyjack, what's the plan. At our own pace/. a chapter a day or what?

>228 humouress: Stasia likes to keep pace with me, so I usually message her where I am every day and we manage to stay roughly at the same pace. I can post it here if you both want to go together, or feel free to go at your own pace.

>229 bell7: I don't tend to read at a steady pace. How about if you post it here and we'll see how it goes?

>230 humouress: will do!

Well, I got a late start and didn't get as far in Whiskeyjack as I would've liked to - I'm partway through the third chapter and can barely keep my eyes open. If I get up really tomorrow with the time change, I'll try to catch up. I think Stasia said she'd read the first nine chapters.

Congratulations to you and your family on your newest member! That's always very exciting.

Sorry to hear about the plumbing woes. Fingers crossed it's at the simpler end for a fix.

>232 bell7: It's the best side effect of fallen-back Sunday, that catch-up time. Enjoy!

Congratulations on your new niece! Best of luck getting the leak fixed.

>233 MickyFine: thanks, Micky! Re: the plumbing, I'll officially find out on Thursday.

>234 richardderus: indeed, though I also went to the Giants game today so most of the catch up time was taken up driving there rather than eating.

>235 Familyhistorian: thanks on both counts, Meg!

I did manage to get into chapter 10 today, and will be heading to bed soon.

Plumbing ££ sympathies from me.

I am hoping to get some people in for quotes soon re making our bathroom step-free (my dad has been moaning making his feelings clear about 'all the changes' so not moving as quickly as I'd like to with this).

There always seems to be things I've never thought of every time we get someone in. We got a new (second) stair rail put in and the guy (very nicely) checked if I wanted rail on the flat bit before we have one step to the right. I'd just assumed that the two rail pieces specified on the job would meet in the middle. Not at all... I suppose it's all learning?

>238 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! I was hoping to save up a little more and replace the tub next year, but the leak moved up my plans. Always something unexpected, as you say. Like you, I would've expected the rail pieces to meet in the middle. But yeah, car, house, all those kinds of things seem to be learn as you go until something goes wrong and you need to get it fixed.

Happy Monday!

Yesterday my brother R. and I traveled to New Jersey to watch the New York Giants get beat handily by the 49ers. I didn't expect anything less, honestly, but it was a demoralizing game. And a long drive, but we chatted and listened to a podcast my brothers put together and music I was listening to from 1976-1977 so I have a listening report to catch up on too.

When I got home, I was ready to go to bed but noticed that veins on the front of my thigh were suddenly really prominent and swollen and a little sore to the touch. So I got myself to the ER down the street and spent a few hours getting it checked out. Rather than come back today, I chose to get a sort of mini-ultrasound, and the guy there didn't find anything (he actually happened to be someone I knew personally, which was kinda a relief) and told me a deep vein thrombosis would be more likely in my calf and not visible veins, though certainly blood clots can happen in those veins as well but they are less likely. I got home around 1 a.m. and went to bed. But I also made progress in Whiskeyjack and am up to the beginning of chapter 14.

I had already taken today off as a recovery day from the football trip, so I turned off my alarm and still only slept 'til about 7:30. I've spent the morning so far making chicken and "dumplings" (actually potato gnocchi) in the Instant Pot and I'm going to bring it to my brother and SIL's sometime this afternoon and hang out with baby F. That's my only real plan for the day, it should be low key otherwise and I rather expect I'll be going to bed early.

Reading: Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger, Going Clear by Lawrence Wright, and Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard

Listening: finished "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder, "Rocket to Russia" by the Ramones, "Station to Station" by David Bowie, and "Trans Europe express" by Kraftwerk. I just started "The Stranger" by Billy Joel

Crafting: haven't picked up the second mitten in a bit, but I'll probably work on it some today

Happy Monday!

Yesterday my brother R. and I traveled to New Jersey to watch the New York Giants get beat handily by the 49ers. I didn't expect anything less, honestly, but it was a demoralizing game. And a long drive, but we chatted and listened to a podcast my brothers put together and music I was listening to from 1976-1977 so I have a listening report to catch up on too.

When I got home, I was ready to go to bed but noticed that veins on the front of my thigh were suddenly really prominent and swollen and a little sore to the touch. So I got myself to the ER down the street and spent a few hours getting it checked out. Rather than come back today, I chose to get a sort of mini-ultrasound, and the guy there didn't find anything (he actually happened to be someone I knew personally, which was kinda a relief) and told me a deep vein thrombosis would be more likely in my calf and not visible veins, though certainly blood clots can happen in those veins as well but they are less likely. I got home around 1 a.m. and went to bed. But I also made progress in Whiskeyjack and am up to the beginning of chapter 14.

I had already taken today off as a recovery day from the football trip, so I turned off my alarm and still only slept 'til about 7:30. I've spent the morning so far making chicken and "dumplings" (actually potato gnocchi) in the Instant Pot and I'm going to bring it to my brother and SIL's sometime this afternoon and hang out with baby F. That's my only real plan for the day, it should be low key otherwise and I rather expect I'll be going to bed early.

Reading: Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger, Going Clear by Lawrence Wright, and Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard

Listening: finished "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder, "Rocket to Russia" by the Ramones, "Station to Station" by David Bowie, and "Trans Europe express" by Kraftwerk. I just started "The Stranger" by Billy Joel

Crafting: haven't picked up the second mitten in a bit, but I'll probably work on it some today

The listening report -

"Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder - this is my favorite of the Stevie Wonder albums that I have listened to. It's a double album and was both popular and critically acclaimed (won four Grammy Awards) in its time. My favorite songs (being added to my playlist) were "Have a talk with God", "Pastime Paradise", "Isn't she lovely", and "Black Man". That last was especially fascinating to listen to as, while it wouldn't be great to be calling people a "yellow man" or "red man" today, it was acknowledging significant achievements of many people of a variety of ethnicities (primarily in the U.S.) and calling for us all to both acknowledge it and get along - "this world was made for all men". Just as important now as it was nearly 50 years ago. "Pastime Paradise" also blew my socks off because I grew up hearing "Gangsta's Paradise" (and Weird Al's parody "Amish Paradise") and did not know this song existed until about a week ago. Other songs I was more neutral about, so it's not among my favorite albums of all time, but it was an enjoyable listen that I'm glad I was introduced to. #4 on the list

"Station to Station" by David Bowie - I was expecting more "out there" stuff after Ziggy Stardust, but this one left me surprisingly cold and was surprisingly meh, not really eliciting a strong reaction from me at all (or my very musical brother, who was listening to these albums with me yesterday as we drove to Metlife Stadium and back). #52 on the list

"Rocket to Russia" by the Ramones - if you like their self-titled album, you'll like this one as well. Punk is not my jam, so it was fine but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to again. #385 on the list

"Trans Europe Express" by Kraftwerk - this was one my brother had never listened to even though he knew of the band, so we thought it would be interesting to try out. The songs are long and very repetitive, both in lyrics and in using a drum machine to have a piece of music just repeat over and over again. My brother tells me this German band was very influential, however, particularly for Radiohead. #238 on the list

>242 bell7: I am never-endingly amazed at how much of music does not get its real dues...remakes don't get famous *as*remakes* and inspirations remain obscure to those not already in the know. "Pastime Paradise" was quite a hit on AOR stations in the big cities. Our local one was KRMH. I still think about how good that station was back then.

Bowie's album has completely vanished from my mind...not one track has made it to now...guess that really says it all, eh?

Monday orisons, dear lady!

>237 bell7: Oh dear. I haven't had a chance to start yet. Soon, soon.

>243 richardderus: Yeah, I had my brother listen to it and he did the same thing I did - "Oh, this was sampled?" Nope... totally has same composition, just different in which parts of it are emphasized, and of course all new lyrics. Great song, too. Nice to know I'm not the only one who found that Bowie album fairly forgettable! I've got "Low" out from the library now, and I'm kind of hoping I have more of a reaction to it, even if it's less than positive.

>244 humouress: I got partway into chapter 20 today, but I'll pause where I am and let you and Stasia catch up a bit (Stasia said she'd at least catch up to chapter 14, where I was this morning). I've got another book I can focus on this evening, and then tomorrow I'm back to work and will necessarily slow down some.

>245 bell7: I did catch you up at chapter 14 and am hoping to get to chapter 20 today, Mary.

>245 bell7: I'm generally fond of Bowie so his rare missteps feel extra weird.

'Tis the season for gift books...I've got stuck in. Some weird and wonderful stuff out there!

>245 bell7: >246 alcottacre: I managed to start today and am up to (at least) chapter 4. Once my husband switches off the TV I'll continue reading. There's some intriguing stuff going on concerning tunnels and poetry of a past empress's reign that I need to concentrate for.

>246 alcottacre: I got to chapter 26 today but will stop there and give you time to catch up. I'm enjoying myself so it's hard to slow down haha. But I have other books I can concentrate on in the meantime, and one of them I've been reading slowly for a couple of weeks now.

>247 richardderus: I don't tend to love his music, but it does generally elicit a stronger reaction in general, so feeling like it was something we could just talk over and not pay attention to was... unexpected.

>248 humouress: Hmmm yes, that will take some concentration for sure. I'll pause where I am at chapter 26 for now and continue reading Sheine Lende instead :)

Happy Tuesday! There was a lot to catch up on at work after being gone for essentially a long weekend (I was out on Friday and Tuesday) and the day simply sped by. One of my co-workers had to tell me to stop working at 5 - I thought I had another hour left. I went from there to the gym and got through the circuit once before heading home to dinner, a little tidying ahead of the social worker coming out tomorrow, and reading for the evening.

Reading: Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger, Going Clear by Lawrence Wright and Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard

Listening: finished "The Stranger" by Billy Joel and started "Saturday Night Fever" the soundtrack

>249 bell7: No need to wait for me, especially if you're enjoying it. My sister is in town for a conference and I said I'd help out so I've got less time than usual this week. I don't know if it was my lack of concentration or if it was intentional on Goddard's part but (in chapter 6) some things seemed oddly phrased; like when they asked him to pick a weapon, and he didn't get the pun (he said) but I couldn't see a pun unless it was the sentence after. I think I may take a while to catch up.

Last night I was at the point where I was trying to get to the end of the chapter, at least, before going to sleep but kept nodding off and then I realised that my team were playing at 4am (time difference between England and us) but I did watch Liverpool play Réal Madrid. We won. Doesn't help my powers of concentration, though, and I've got to go out soon for 'work'.

>251 humouress: I found the portions of Whiskeyjack you mention somewhat more soporific than I recalled. It did gear up a bit for me further on...

>252 quondame: I'm not finding it soporific as such; I just have to keep stopping to check if I've read it correctly.

Well, I’ve just hit chapter 9. (I did have my suspicions.)

ETA: I’m up to chapter 15 and quite happy to keep going until the end. I will possibly finish Whiskeyjack tomorrow, or the day after.

>254 humouress: Oh cool, I was just going to check in and let you know I'm also planning on finishing it Thursday (tomorrow), so sounds like we've all managed to catch up and wrap up around the same time haha. Today was busy and I haven't read a lick yet...

Happy Wednesday! I had a final meeting with the social worker this morning and... I am fully approved and I've already got my first placement, a ten-year-old boy who will be arriving Friday. If I'm not on here as much as usual, well, you know why. And I doubt I can really say much, to preserve his confidentiality and all. But I'm certainly happy to talk about the process to anyone interested.

I'm planning on being off from work for a few days - I was the rest of the week anyways because I have a plumber coming tomorrow and the regular fall check on my boiler on Friday. So I've taken off Monday, Tuesday is a holiday, and I plan on going back to work next Wednesday just in time for my book club.

Reading/Listening/etc. - all the same - oh wait, no, I finished Going Clear this morning. I'll work on a review soon.

>256 bell7: Dear Mary, congratulations. I hope things go well for you and I am sure that you will be nervous about Friday. xx

>257 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! I have a lot I'm going to try to accomplish tomorrow getting ready for his arrival, and setting up a new thread *may* manage to be one of those things haha. But yes, I'm both nervous and excited.

110. Going Clear by Lawrence Wright
Why now? Because after reading Cultish by Amanda Montell, I decided it was high time I read this book on Scientology

Oh, wow, a placement already! I hope it goes well for both of you, and I can't help thinking he certainly got lucky in his placement with you. 🙂

>256 bell7: I'm so glad you've got you first placement! Congratulations! I hope you and your new charge quite enjoy each other's company.

>260 katiekrug: Yeah, it's been a wild day* (literally finding out I was approved and accepting the placement at the same time), and I'm extremely glad I have tomorrow off to get things prepared as much as I can prior to his arrival. And thank you, that's really sweet to say! I hope eventually he'll be able to feel the same way, though I think the transition is going to be a difficult one for him.

>261 quondame: Thank you, Susan! I hope so. I'm looking forward to getting to know him and hope he can find this a safe haven for now, if not a forever home.

*Who am I kidding, it's been a wild year.

>256 bell7: Oh wow! Congratulations and best of luck to both of you.

^^^^What Nina said. May it all go well for you and the child!

>259 bell7: I remember when I worked at the library, there was an issue of Time magazine with an article about Scientology. Not long after we received that issue, we received a rebuttal to the article in the mail from the church of Scientology. I guess they were sending something out to all the libraries in response. I remember having a strong negative reaction to what they wrote. I'm not sure what happened to that letter; I probably passed it on to reference staff to see if they wanted to add it to the vertical file. I got the impression that it was somewhat dangerous to say negative things about Scientology.

The book sounds interesting. But I just finished The Exvangelicals which has it's own disturbing take on a different religious group, so I'm not really up to reading something similar right now.

>256 bell7: Congratulations on your first placement, Mary! That is exciting news!!

>259 bell7: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation.

>263 humouress: Thank you!

>264 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene! Yeah, it sounds like they're pretty quick to respond litigiously at the very least. I seem to remember us getting a book (or a few?) sent to our library, but I can't remember now if we added it to the collection or not.

>265 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! I'm pretty excited - and have a lot to do today haha. And yay for the book bullet, hope it's a good read for you!

Happy Thursday!

I have a busy day ahead of me, getting the house and bedrooms ready for my first foster child, who will be arriving tomorrow. This isn't quite as daunting as it sounds, the house is clean, but I need to make the beds (I'm going to let him pick his bedroom), and I want to do some cooking and potentially do a quick grocery shopping to have good kid-friendly food and snacks in the house. I've emailed the social worker a bunch of questions and I'm sure there's going to be some back and forth and last-minute things to iron out.

And the plumber should be coming anytime to replace my tub, which is why I actually had the day off today.

Somewhere in there, I should finish a book, I need to start my book club book, and I would like to start a new thread soonish.

Best of luck getting everything settled in advance of your first foster child arrival. Sending all my good thoughts for you and him!

Congratulations on your foster parent approval and first placement! I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible, considering it's a big adjustment for you both. I know you'll do a great job!

>267 bell7: Healthy snacks I hope ;0)

I am going to have some work done on the house and I know that even though I am still moving in and things aren't in the right place, it is going to disturb the order to which I have become accustomed in my abode. The upcoming work for me will be in the kitchen. I don't look forward to that, so I can sympathize for you with getting the work done on your bathroom. I will advise you to prepare for the worst and accept whatever happens. In the end you and your house will be better for having the work done on the bathroom.

>268 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

>269 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi!

>270 humouress: A mix, probably haha, but yeah, I was thinking easy fruits to grab, apples, bananas, oranges, as well as some granola/cereal bars and such

>271 benitastrnad: Yes, it wasn't the ideal time for me on the one hand - paying for an expensive fix right before winter and oil bills - but turned out to be excellent timing to be home and get myself ready for a placement. I wish you the best on your kitchen work - at least I can sit in a three-season room away from the dust and they will be done today.

So a quick general update that this placement may or may not pan out. I got a call from the social worker today saying his team is meeting today, as there are things placing with me would be moving him farther away from and it may not be for the best. But it sounds like even if this isn't the exact right fit, I will most likely have a placement very soon. I made beds upstairs and I'm going to do some cleaning up there and clean off my dining room table (any flat space ends up becoming storage for all the projects I'm in the middle of, and I had folders of old letters that I've been meaning to take photos of and transcribe). I've been working on a sort of general Amazon wishlist that would be things I want/need regardless of the age of a child placed. And I've got a really generous support system that I know is going to rally around me as I get placement(s) in the coming months.

In the meantime, I also am following up with some genealogy research on a something-great-aunt who graduated from a university in Iowa in the 1860s. Because it was in my email that I've been checking and cleaning out so that I'd see the important emails when they come in, and this is how my brain works.

Time for a new thread!

>273 bell7: Fingers crossed. But even if this particular one doesn't go ahead, you're still ready for the next one.

>275 humouress: yes, exactly my thought with getting the rooms ready. As it turns out, they decided to stick with me and I'll be being him tomorrow afternoon!

>276 bell7: Yay! Best of luck.