Mary's (bell7) Reading is Easy in 2026, Page 1

Hello and welcome to my first thread of 2026! If you have not already met me, my name is Mary and I'm a librarian in western Massachusetts. I'm a newly-minted foster mom and I'll mention my foster kiddo occasionally but vaguely to keep both of our anonymity.

I read widely and eclectically, and especially enjoy fantasy, historical fiction and contemporary fiction. I facilitate a book club for work and participate in a librarian book club (we call it a readers' advisory genre study, but that's fancy language for reading a book or two and talking not just about the book but also the genre it's a part of and who we would recommend it too). I usually make some reading goals each year - last year, I made it a goal that over half the books I read would be by authors born outside of the U.S. and that I would read 12 books by indigenous authors. As of December 26, I have done very well at having my U.S. authors under 50%, and I'm only my way to completing 11 books by indigenous authors. Overall, I'll count that a success.

Based on my changed life circumstances, however, I've decided to go much easier on my goals in 2026. I want to focus on reading novellas, since there are a bunch I want to read that have come out recently, and seem to be especially good in the SFF genres that I enjoy. I'm also going to try to get my e-book ARCs from NetGalley and Edelweiss down to under 20 un-reviewed.

2026 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 - Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong - COMPLETED
February - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
March - Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
April - The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson
May - Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
September - Wild Fire by Nelson Demille
October - Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky
November - Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
December - The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Our reads in February, May, October, and December will be rereads for me. I had actually read Caste with this group a few years back, but our group has changed so much that I think it will only be a reread for me and one other person.

My somewhat moody favorite reads of 2025 list (in no particular order):

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver
By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Going Clear by Lawrence Wright
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
Wordslut by Amanda Montell
Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rivermouth by Alejandra Oliva
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Favorites of 2026:

Random things I'm tracking

Articles of interest and book lists:
1. 60+ Small Tasks to Defend the Right to Read

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 - 133
2026 - ???

Global reads in 2026 (author's country of origin):
France - Mariette Navarro

All time (since 2022):


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, 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
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

Bible/Devotional Reading
1 Samuel, Luke

DNFs in 2026
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

January
16. Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard
15. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
14. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 4 by Beth Brower
13. Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
12. Memory Wall: Stories by Anthony Doerr
11. Ultramarine by Mariette Navarro
10. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
9. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
8. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 3 by Beth Brower
7. Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather
6. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 2 by Beth Brower
5. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower
4. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
3. God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
2. Network Effect by Martha Wells
1. Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett

Welcome! I'm not able to check in daily like I used to, and I won't fully make the shift over to this thread until the new year. But I wanted to set up shop while I knew I had time. Feel free to comment, check in, etc., and I'll see you when I see you!

Morning, Mary, and happy 2026 to come. Sending love, hugs, and whammys for happiness through it all.

Welcome back, Mary!

Welcome back Mary for another year of books and life stories. xx

Totally understand not having time to be here as often and also not making your way over here completely till the beginning of the actual year. I'm just washing my hands of last year and making a clean break, myself!

Happy new year, Mary!

Happy New Year Dear Mary. Congratulations to you on your foster care experiences. Years ago, my then husband and I adopted a little two year old girl. Breanna came to us a broken child. Together we made it through. When she was 22 she became a mother of a little girl. I had the honor of being with her in the delivery room and it was marvelous experience.

Her daughter, soon to be 23 years old, is pregnant with a bitty baby boy. Our lives were forever enriched by choosing Breanna to be an integral part of our family. And now, the gift keeps going on.

Hang in the Dear Mary, while the road may be rocky at times, it is my hope that you also will be truly blessed as a result of the time, energy and love you give to your foster child. Blessings to you!

Looking forward to following your thread in 2026, Mary!

>10 richardderus: Thank you much for all the good wishes, Richard, and happy new year to you as well!

>11 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>12 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>13 ursula: I completely get that, too, Ursula. I've never been able to straddle multiple threads at a time well, but I expect I'll finish at least one more book before the year's out, so I'm holding out yet.

>14 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>15 Whisper1: Thank you for all the good wishes, Linda, and sharing your own story. It's a special thing to be able to welcome a child like that into your family and home. This will be an interesting journey, for sure, and I'm very grateful for the community I have in person and online to cheer me on.

>16 Familyhistorian: Thanks for stopping by, Meg!

Happy new year!

Happy New Year, Mary! Wishing you lots of good reading in 2026.

>19 figsfromthistle: Happy new year, Anita!

>20 cbl_tn: Same to you on both counts, Carrie!

Happy New Year!

Dropping off a star as usual. Hope you have a lovely start to your new year, Mary!

New Year greetings from Kuala Lumpur. My project is at least physically completed and an addition to the city scape.

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026, Mary

Happy new year of reading, Mary!

Happy New Year, Mary. I hope 2026 is a good year for you.

Happy New Year and best wishes for 2026 to you and your loved ones Mary!

>22 AMQS: Happy new year, Anne!

>23 MickyFine: Nice to see you, Micky! Happy new year!

>24 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on winding down the project, Paul, and may 2026 treat you kindly.

>25 Kristelh: Thanks and the same to you, Kristel!

>26 BLBera: Thank you, Beth! Happy new year!

>27 humouress: Thanks, Nina, I wish the same for you as well!

Happy new year, everyone! I stayed up for the ball drop for the first time in years since my sister's family was visiting and my niece, nephew and foster kiddo were all pretty excited to stay up for the ball drop. After watching it at my parents' house I brought all three kiddos back for a big sleepover, which was quite fun. They slept in a little (I did not, waking up to snow and some removal that needed to be done before we could leave), we had breakfast, and I brought everyone back to Mom & Dad's. My sister's family left and then my foster kiddo and I hung out for lunch and games until I called time to go home. We're now hanging out at home reading and relaxing. I've cleaned up the bedding and am doing laundry, reading and catching up on LT. Taco soup for dinner tonight.

Reading: God Help the Child by Toni Morrison, Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett and Network Effect by Martha Wells

Listening: I'm back to the project I started a couple of years ago listening through the albums on Rolling Stones' 500 Albums list (2023 iteration). I went roughly chronologically where I'm attempting to listen to all the albums of one year before moving on to the next, and have just a few albums left in 1977. The current listen is "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac.

Crafting: pair of slipper socks - before New Year's I finished the heel and am ready to start on the gusset and foot, so it's not long now

Sounds like the foster kiddo and your niblings get along, which is so great.

God Help the Child is in my lower tier of Morrison titles, but anything she wrote is certainly worth reading.

Happy new year and may your hope on my thread for better football in 2026 come true 🙂

Looks like you are off to a good start!

Happy New Year, Mary!

>29 bell7: It looks like you and your foster child are doing well. And I like Fleetwood Mac; more their later stuff but I think there are a few songs in 'Rumours' that I'd recognise.

Hi Mary, wishing you a happy new year! I like the sound of your novella project. For the past few years I have subscribed to Peirene who started out only publishing novellas in translation. Having those shorter reads has definitely helped to widen the range of authors I've picked up. Although it's also added to the TBR pile of course...

>2 bell7: Your book group reads are as wide ranging as ever. I am bracing myself to join a new bookgroup, fingers crossed that goes well!

I love Rumours: a friend is a big fan of FM so shared her enthusiasm with me.

>32 quondame: Happy new year, Susan!

>33 humouress: We have been, there are bumps that are to be expected but overall I think it's been a positive experience for us both. I do think you'd recognize a few songs on Rumours, I did, and was listening going, "Huh, didn't realize that was a Fleetwood Mac song..."

>34 charl08: Oh I love that idea, Charlotte! I'll have to see if I can find anything by that publisher here. I've been rereading the Murderbot series, which is mostly novellas so sort of self-serving, and started a novella from a Tor collection I downloaded on my Kindle some time ago, so I'm looking forward to exploring what I can get. But yeah, the danger in being introduced to new authors is always that the TBR grows exponentially haha. My book group reads include four (!) books I have already read, but a couple more were on my TBR list so I'm looking forward to it. I hope your foray into a book group this year is successful!

Happy New Year, Mary

Oops, duplicate post...

>36 kidzdoc: Happy new year, Darryl! Thinking of you and your mom, I've been following your thread with all the decisions you've been making lately and am glad it sounds like you have good options for her care.

Happy Friday, everyone! We are headed out shortly on this, the last day of the holiday break, with the current temperature of 11 degrees F (feels like 3). Ugh. I'm working 9-5, kiddo is enjoying the camp he's had, and then we've got a quiet night ahead of us. There's enough food that we'll just have leftovers, and probably read a lot and relax. Tomorrow we don't have any specific plans, and will probably use it to catch up on sleep after the New Year's festivities.

Reading/Listening/Crafting: all the same as yesterday

>38 bell7: Thanks, Mary. Yes, I'll contact the care advisor in the memory care facility I toured on Wednesday to start the process of getting my mother transferred there after she is cleared for discharge from the skilled nursing facility she is in now. The more I think—and pray—about this decision the more I'm comfortable that it is the right decision for my mother, and the one that will give her the best chance to make a meaningful recovery.

Happy New Year, Mary. Hooray for being a newly-minted foster Mom. That is wonderful. How is all that going? I like that favorite list of 2025.

FYI- I am still making it through my "Rock & Pop" CD collection. Currently in the "S"s. I wonder where I'll be in the next 6 months. I had no idea this would take a couple of years. Like I mentioned before- I end up listening more by that particular artist, if I own it or not. That is extending things.

>35 bell7:
When TOR first started doing their TOR.com novellas, I read alot of them. Most of the authors were new and reading those titles introduced me to lots of new authors that I am sure I would not have known about otherwise. When 2020 came along, I ordered lots of them from our ILL and added even more authors to the list of new-to-me. I think publishing the novella collection using the TOR.com (or TORdotcom) imprint was a very smart move on the part of the publisher. I have sure enjoyed reading them.

>40 kidzdoc: wishing the best for you and your Mom, Darryl

>43 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba.

Happy New Year and happy new reads!

>40 kidzdoc: That's really great news, Darryl. I'll be praying for both of you in the transition.

>41 msf59: Happy new year, Mark! It's been going well - November was a whirlwind, I got my license and two days after I learned I had it, I had my first placement. Usually a slower introduction is more normal, but this was a kiddo they needed a placement for fast. How cool that you're still working through your CD collection. You must have many more than I do, as part of the reason I'm doing this project is to branch out more from the small collection of artists I have.

>42 benitastrnad: Novellas are a great way to get a taste of an author's style without committing to a long book, and much like short stories can pack a punch when they're done well, not a word wasted. TOR has had some really interesting novellas come out in the last few years, and I might purposely check out the Nebula and Hugo awards for ideas.

>43 RebaRelishesReading: *waves* to Reba

>45 foggidawn: Same to you, foggi!

You missed me up there, Mary, but I forgive you 😉

>47 katiekrug: Gah, I'm sorry, Katie! I missed Lori, too.

>30 katiekrug: Yes, they do get along well which is really great to see. I saw that you hadn't rated God Help the Child as highly as some others, so I am going into it with not super high expectations as a result, but I think Toni Morrison is always worth reading. I may add her to my list of authors whose complete works I would like to read...

>31 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori! Good to see you here (and sorry for the belated reply - I didn't mean to miss you!)

Happy Saturday! I slept in a little, which for me means getting up around 8:20 and then reading awhile instead of doing chores. The bread dough is mixing and I'm contemplating the errands that need running. A dump run is probably in my future. I'm planning on making kimchi fried rice today, which has become one of our go-to recipes since my foster kiddo will reliably eat leftovers. I finished my first two books of the year and have reviews upcoming.

Reading: God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

Listening: finished up with "Rumours" and going to start "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" today

Crafting: haven't picked up the socks in a bit, but would like to start on the gusset and foot soon

Sounds like an excellent start to a chill weekend. And congrats on knocking out two books already this year!

I had kimchi fried rice last night when we went out to dinner :)

>50 MickyFine: It is, we have slightly busier plans tomorrow, but they're fun ones hanging out with friends who have horses :) And thanks! It's a side benefit of reading short books hahaha

>51 katiekrug: Mmmm, most excellent!

1. Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett
Why now? I was in the mood to start a collection of novellas that I'd downloaded from TOR a few years ago as a good way to kick off my year of novella reading, and this was the first of the four (I'll add this review to the whole collection when I'm done)

What happened to Miranda after she and Prospero returned from the island in The Tempest? In this novella, Duckett imagines that Prospero did not in fact give up his magic and may not be the wonderful father and person assumed. Instead of going with her betrothed to Naples, Miranda finds herself back in Milan and stuck in the castle, not allowed to go out of her rooms without a veil. Wondering what is going on, she meets Dorothea, a servant girl who may become more than a friend.

You'd think that putting all this - queer fantasy romance based on Shakespeare - may not work in novella form, but Duckett uses it to keep the tension going throughout as Miranda learns more about the past and what type of man her father truly is. 4 stars.

2. Network Effect by Martha Wells
Why now? Rereading the series in published order before I jump into the ARC of the newest one

My review from the first read in 2020 (this was my third):

>53 bell7: Shakespeare lends himself to queer readings/retellings as it's not far from the surface at all; neither is the modern definition of fantasy stretched by his ideas. Modern drapes in the castle kind of effect.

Have a lovely time with the horses tomorrow!

Happy new year, Mary! I've got you starred.

>55 richardderus: Indeed, it really suited the source material. My description felt long, which is why I worded it that way, but really the novella was a perfect length (maybe even a tiny bit long in places) for exploring what Duckett wanted to do with the story.

>56 curioussquared: Happy new year, Natalie! Nice to see you here.

3. God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
Why now? Fit the TIOLI challenge to read a book by one of the authors from the 2014 American Authors Challenge, and the e-book/audio combo was available from the library. I think I'm going to make it one of my lifetime reading goals to read all of Morrison's body of work.

>58 bell7: Nice review, Mary. I haven't read this Morrison yet.

Happy Sunday!

We're leaving shortly to go to church, where I have toddler nursery today, and then headed to a friend's house to visit her and her horses for the afternoon. Should be fun and fairly low key at the same time.

One thing that's going to be interesting about tracking novellas read is that the definition is loosey goosey, and when I'm reading in digital format it's not always easy for me to tell the length. Miranda in Milan is coming up as 201 pages but is defined as a novella in the collection I read it from. God Help the Child is a short novel according to all the reviews at 178 pages. Not sure what to do with that *shrug*

I decided to keep going in the four-novella collection so I could mark the whole thing read and review all of the stories included. Next up is Every Heart a Doorway, which I read back in August of 2020 so it's a reread for me. The e-book keeps getting stuck and I have to restart my Kindle, after which I'm bumped back a page or two which is super annoying.

Reading: God of the Woods by Liz Moore, Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire, and The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

Listening: haven't yet put it on, but next up is "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols"

Crafting: I made good progress yesterday, so just a couple of more rows and the toe left on sock #2

>59 kidzdoc: Thank you, Darryl! I have read six of her books and have many more I'm hoping to read. So far it's going to be hard to topple Beloved from my favorites list.

>61 bell7: Beloved is my favorite book of hers as well.

>61 bell7: / >62 kidzdoc: - I've read all her novels and Beloved is the best, IMO, though not my favorite. But now I need to think about what is... Maybe Paradise or Song of Solomon.

>63 katiekrug: LibraryThing tells me that I've only read two of her books so far, Song of Solomon (4½ stars) and Beloved (5 stars), although I own at least half a dozen others. I now think my primary goal for 2026 will be to read 10-12+ works of fiction by Black female writers; yesterday I finished I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem by the Guadaloupean author Maryse Condé, which a member of Club Read recommended to me last year, and today I'll start reading Cécé by the Haitian author Emmelie Prophète. I received it late last year from my Archipelago Books subscription, and my friend Kay/RidgewayGirl from Club Read rated it 4½ stars.

>64 kidzdoc: - Well, you're in for a treat reading more Morrison! I went back to look at my ratings, and Sula and The Bluest Eye are rated highly. And I'm sure you'll love Jazz, because... jazz:)

I Tituba sounds really interesting. I'll have a look at the library for that. I have a book by Condé on my shelf (title escapes me at the moment)...

ETA: It's Segu on my shelf!

>65 katiekrug: Excellent. Jazz and Segu both sound highly interesting.

Happy New Year, Mary!

A happy (if a bit belated) new year to you and yours, Mary!

>52 bell7: And may I say how terribly jealous I am that you've got an ARC for Platform Decay? I've preordered it, but I've still got five months to wait...

>53 bell7: I wento looking for Miranda in Milan and found the Tor collection you mentioned. I've read two of them: Every Heart a Doorway and Sorcerer of the Wildeeps. Are you going to get to Sisters of the Vast Black this month? If so, I'll join you for a TIOLI shared read.

Obviously, I like novellas, too.

>60 bell7: Novellas seem to have gotten longer as novels have gone from mostly ~200pg to ~510pg. At least F&SF and romance novels.

>60 bell7: God bless those of you who can do toddler nursery duty! I'm the one who would prefer to be in a room full of middle school/junior high children, the other misaligned group!

>62 kidzdoc: >63 katiekrug:
So far, I think I'd go
1. Beloved
2. Song of Solomon
3. Recitatif
4. Playing in the dark
5. The Bluest Eye and God Help the Child

I own Jazz, Paradise and A Mercy, though, so hopefully I can get to them sooner rather than later.

>64 kidzdoc: I love that as a goal, Darryl, and I'll follow your reviews on them with interest.

>67 norabelle414: Happy new year, Nora!

I just wanted to let you know that while I've read reviews of Murderbot books on LT, your review of All Systems Red finally got me to read one. There will be more!

>72 Familyhistorian: I enjoyed the three novellas following All Systems Red the most!

>68 Dejah_Thoris: Nice to see you, Dejah, and a happy new year to you, too! I pre-ordered Platform Decay as well, but was very pleased that an ARC was even possible. I don't always get to them before the publishing date, but I'm pretty sure I will with this one.

I probably will get to Sisters of the Vast Black this month as I work my way through the collection, and would be happy to get a TIOLI shared read. Did you have a particular challenge in mind for it? If not, it seems like it might fit the unexpected title challenge (#6). And every novella I read will fit in #11 since it is one of my reading intentions this year.

>69 quondame: Yeah, I feel like most categories are useful till they're not lol. The reviews for God Help the Child called it a short novel and the collection referred to Miranda in Milan as a novella, so I'm just going with it, even though the book lengths are different. I have no idea what the word count is, and I'm not going to get pedantic enough to look it up hahaha.

>70 thornton37814: Aw, I enjoy toddler nursery (I also do the younger nursery) quite a bit, it was the first thing I jumped in to do at my (newish) church because I missed it so much. But I enjoy the middle schoolers and teens, too... really any age kid, for different reasons.

>72 Familyhistorian: Yay! I'm so excited to hear you enjoyed it and that my review gave you the final push to try it, Meg.

>73 quondame: I think my favorites change on every reread. Network Effect was a lot of fun to reread this time around. I didn't love the next two books (I'm reading in published order this time around) as much, but they are still a bunch of fun.

Ooh, thank you for reminding me about the new Murderbot - I just placed a hold!

>74 bell7: I don't have anything firm for #6 yet, so that would work for me. I'll be waiting for a library copy, so I won't be reading it right away - although it looks like I can get it from Audible as a freebie. I'll add it to the wiki.

There's a new murderbot? Woo!

I don't know re the novella definition, but Peirene compared it to the kind of time to watch a film - which seems to equal 200 pages or less in their case.

>79 charl08: May 2026, Platform Decay

>71 bell7: Thanks, Mary. I posted a review of I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem by the Guadaloupean author Maryse Condé this afternoon, which is a fictionalized account of the only woman of color convicted of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693, and I'm about to start reading Cécé by the Haitian author Emmelie Prophète, a novel which Kay/RidgewayGirl highly recommended.

>77 AMQS: Happy to pass on the info, Anne!

>78 Dejah_Thoris: Oh good, I'll enjoy doing a shared read with you!

>79 charl08: As >80 quondame: Susan says, coming out in May! I like that idea of it being about as much time as a film, which generally for me would be about 150-200 pages (I think I realistically read about 40 pages an hour, but it depends on the style of writing and density on the page).

>81 kidzdoc: Off to go check it out on your thread the book page, Darryl. Love that your recs will also keep me apprised of international authors I should be checking out. I'm not making it an absolute goal this year, but I'm continuing to track my out-of-the-U.S. and in translation reading.

4. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Why now? I decided to continue reading through a collection of four novellas I'd downloaded from TOR several years ago - I'd read this one in August of 2020 and never went back to the rest of the selections

Nancy is the new student at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, a boarding school for children - mostly, but not all, girls - who find their way into a door and a new world only to be stuck coming back and not quite fitting in anymore (if they ever did). Soon after her arrival, however, students start dying and all eyes are pointing immediately to Nancy, the new girl, as the culprit. Can she and her newfound friends prove she is not, and stop the murders before the school is shut down?

An intense reverse portal fantasy in which the real world is not where the students want to be, considering their true homes the places they went to and then were expelled from. Some might return, and all live in hope of that possibility. Perhaps its fitting then, that many of the students are also queer, no longer fitting into the world at large and coming together in their own community, where even there they find gradations of acceptance and fear. Borderline gory for me (my line is very low), making it 4 stars.

I meant to read more in the series, and may try to do that this year in my novella reading. It's definitely not a before-bed read, though.

Mary, It sounds like you and "kiddo" are adjusting very well. Kudos to you. It seems like not too long ago you purchased a house. Now, the walls ring with laughter and love. Congratulations!!!

>84 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda! I think we are overall, there are expected challenges but so far nothing that I haven't been able to handle with a lot of support and a good team surrounding me, including both of our social workers. We've really been very fortunate.

Yes, rely on the social workers. I wish you all good things in this endeavor.

>86 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda!

Happy Monday! I am back to work after the weekend, and the kiddo is back to school after Christmas break (he is not excited). I work 9-2 today, have some errands to run, then pick him up at aftercare for a quiet evening.

After starting off the year with a bang reading essentially a novella a day, I'm slowing down now with a couple of longer books for a librarian group that's meeting Wednesday. I probably won't have them finished before then, but I'm trying to read a good chunk of them prior to the meeting.

Reading: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore and The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

Listening: I'll be starting the Sex Pistols album on the way to work today

Crafting: nearly done the sock, just a couple more rows in the foot and then the toe left to do

>88 bell7: Happy new-week's reads, Mary...not as compact, so not as quick, but I hope just as good.

Hi Mary my dear, i have starred you again and look forward to popping by during the year.

>89 richardderus: We shall see! I'm not far enough in either of them to be super sure, but The Buried Giant is... well, fantasy by someone who doesn't write fantasy.

>90 johnsimpson: Looking forward to following along with you as well, John! Best wishes for the new year.

Mary, I like hearing about "kiddo." Please keep us in the loop. I am so very proud of you!

Wishing you a happy new year, Mary! I finally made it over to your thread. It sure is busy around LT this time of year.

>2 bell7: My book club is reading A Gentleman in Moscow this month. It's funny, this is now the third book club that someone else on LT belongs to which is reading one or more of the books that my club is reading this year. This is a development I was not expecting. My club also read Caste a couple of years ago. That was one of our more memorable reads.

I hope you continue to have a great year with your foster child!

>83 bell7: If you do continue the Wayward Children series, be warned the second book will probably be a touch beyond your gore tolerance level. Maybe read a summary of that one and skip on to book three.

>2 bell7: I just received a copy of Go Tell It on the Mountain today, Mary. How about a shared read with me in November? Can I unofficially join your book club? I have not read the book since 2009 so it has been a while!

>3 bell7: What a great list! I still need to get to Deacon King Kong, which I own but have never read.

>29 bell7: I am also reading Toni Morrison to open 2026, but I am reading Beloved.

>53 bell7: That one looks good and I can get hold of it through Hoopla, so I will give it a go. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Mary!

>83 bell7: >94 MickyFine: My gore tolerance is pretty much dead low. I bailed on that one several years ago and sent it off to my daughter Beth who has a much higher tolerance than I do.

A Belated Happy New Year, Mary!

>92 Whisper1: I will do so to some extent, though I'm keeping things vague for privacy reasons. I know you understand :)

>93 atozgrl: Yes, the turnover is pretty hectic for a couple of weeks but hopefully we'll settle down into a rhythm soon haha. A Gentleman in Moscow will be a reread for me, but I liked the book quite a bit so I'm looking forward to it. And Caste is also one that my book club read a couple of years ago, but when it got voted in again this year, I decided to leave it on the list knowing that the makeup of my book group had changed so much over the last couple of years that only me and one other member would be rereading it.

>94 MickyFine: Mmmm that's good to know, thanks for the heads up!

>95 alcottacre: Sure, Stasia, join in with us on Go Tell It on the Mountain! The more the merrier. Deacon King Kong was a really good read, and I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. Also happy to tempt you with so many good books :D

Happy Tuesday! The kiddo left a bit ago on the bus and I'm headed out in a few minutes to go to work. We've got a couple of appointments this week that will keep us busy, including one after dinner tonight. He's been reading through the Wings of Fire series and has now requested that I get all the graphic novels from the library as well. It's a good thing I work there to keep him supplied with reading material!

Reading: God of the Woods by Liz Moore and The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

Listening: "The Clash" by The Clash (Sex Pistols was short-lived, I only listened through once)

Crafting: I finished the socks last night and will most likely start on a pair of mittens next

>96 bell7: I certainly do! The biological father showed up at our house when the adoption proceedings were almost finished. Macho little
man said he wanted his daughter. My husband told him that I was taking our little girl to the dentist that day. She came to us with tiny rotted teeth. He told him it usually is $250 a dental visit, and asked if he had the money to pay.

All the sudden the difference between wanting someone and the ability to pay were an issue he didn't want to step into.

>97 bell7: Absolutely SHOCKED that you didn't love the Sex Pistols (jk I am not shocked)

>99 norabelle414: LOL, I had precisely the same thought.

Somehow working in one library system, I still end up visiting my local library system most weeks. Mostly because my home system is a much smaller suburban library system so holds queues are typically shorter for the popular stuff than the large urban system I work in. Your foster kiddo get his own card(s) yet for the library?

>95 alcottacre: >96 bell7: If I have time to fit it in, I would love to join you in a read of Go Tell It on the Mountain in November. That's one I haven't read yet and need to.

>97 bell7: Two very decent books to start the year, Mary.

There was a subtle difference between The Sex Pistols and The Clash - the latter could actually play!

>98 Whisper1: That would be a potentially scary situation for sure, Linda!

>99 norabelle414: *snort* I can't say I was familiar enough with their music to have a pre-opinion one way or the other, but no, I imagine anyone who knows my taste and knew the music would not be shocked.

>100 MickyFine: Oh yes, he has his own card. We've gone to the library in the town where we live and the library where I worked and generally find where I work to have more of the selection he's hoping for. As you know even better than I, collection development can be so different from one library to another. I was surprised, actually, that we didn't have more of the graphic novels after we'd had all the chapter books.

>101 atozgrl: That'd be great to have you join us, Irene! I typically start our book club books a week before we meet, which is this case would be Nov. 11.

>102 PaulCranswick: I feel pretty good about my start, Paul, though I've also met my first DNF of the year. And I'd agree with your assessment, though in the end I didn't particularly like either.

The listening report -

"Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac
I was surprised to recognize several songs on the album, since prior to this I wouldn't have been able to name a song and say confidently, "Oh yeah, that was by Fleetwood Mac." "Go Your Own Way", "Dreams" and "Don't Stop" were all familiar to me. "Chains" was probably my personal favorite. The album as a whole was easy listening, I enjoyed the vocals, but none of the songs really jumped out as one I'd want to add to my playlist and listen to over and over, though I wouldn't object to listening to the album again. #7 on the list

"Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" by the Sex Pistols
As you've already seen, no one who knows me is surprised I was not a fan of this influential early punk album. It's shouty and not at all pleasant to listen to, and this album is probably up there with the Velvet Underground and "Pink Flag" by the Wire for my least favorite. #80 on the list

"The Clash" by The Clash
Similarly to The Sex Pistols, The Clash just isn't my style of music. I liked it slightly better, however, in that I contemplated listening through a second time before deciding nah, I just don't have time to listen to something I'm not enjoying just to say I did it. In retrospect after the last two albums, "Rumours" was great. #102 on the list

The last album from 1977 that I have is "Exodus" by Bob Marley and the Wailers and then I'm on to 1978.

>103 bell7: Thanks, Mary! I will try to join in if I can.

>104 bell7: I'm amazed you made it through the Sex Pistols album. It's very shouty indeed, and thoroughly—aggressively—unmusical.

I'm not surprised you'll skip the Clash, too, though I myownself liked their style better than the Sex Pistols.

A DNF already! Even I haven't done that yet!

>105 atozgrl: Excellent!

>106 richardderus: It was broken up on multiple short drives, which helped. The Clash was preferable to the Sex Pistols, for sure, just not my style. And I think something about just having less time to myself is making me less likely to put up with things I don't like, or even are borderline. I could've listened to The Clash a second time through - it wasn't worse than Black Sabbath to my ears, and I did it with those albums - but I don't always get to pick my own music anymore, so I decided I'd move on.

I'll report on the DNF next :)

DNF #1: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

I had this on my TBR list since it came out. I read Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go in college (undergrad and grad school, respectively) and enjoyed both. I also knew The Buried Giant was a departure for Ishiguro and that there was a whole kerfuffle when it came out about is it fantasy? Does it transcend genre? And the whole tired discussion of literary versus genre fiction gets trotted out again. So, when my librarian discussion group was reading "literary fiction and genre fiction blends" (our main title we all read was The God of the Woods), I decided it would be the perfect second title for me.

Well, I don't generally like fantasy written by non-fantasy authors, and this was no exception. The conceit of the story is that an older couple, Axl and Beatrice, live in a small village in England a little while after Arthur died. They live in a mist that takes away memories, and one day they decide that they're going to travel to a neighboring village a few days away to go visit their son, who they vaguely think may be expecting and wanting their visit. Along the way, despite meeting a knight or two and going to a monastery... not a lot happens. I got 144 pages (about halfway) in, and still there was not much happening. The dialogue was really stilted (I think it was supposed to sound old-fashioned?), too. I think ultimately Ishiguro was going to explore the idea of collective memory and when something traumatic happens, if it's worth remembering or something we want to forget, and whether the couple's love is still real if they don't share memories. Oh, and the mist is apparently caused by a sleeping dragon's breath, but while the dragon is mentioned and apparently fearsome, I didn't get that far. I prefer more world-building, more character development, and more things happening, so ultimately as a story and a fantasy tale, it just didn't work for me.

>108 bell7: It's just not worth the calories, as Prue Leith says, and I substitute eyeblinks in there. I never asked for it, thank goodness, nor did the publisher offer it to me, so I needn't bother. TYVM for the warning.

Hoping for more fun reads to come!

>108 bell7: I think I have a copy of that somewhere on my TBR shelf -- sounds like I might be able to pass it along to someone else.

I remember both positive and negative reviews of The Buried Giant. I listened to it and share some of your objections. Mostly it was just so melancholy, which I think was the point. I think it's one that can safely be skipped:)

>109 richardderus: Yes, exactly. I made it a goal this year to DNF books that aren't working for me, which took even more pressure off.

>110 foggidawn: I always hesitate to turn someone off a book, but if the first few pages don't grab you, the rest probably won't either, as it's much in the same vein.

>111 AMQS: I could certainly see it working for the right reader, but it's not for me. I like more of a plot in all of my reading and more world-building in my fantasy.

5. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower
Why now? Saw these on foggi's thread recently and thought it sounded like a lot of fun - and this is *just* what I'm in the mood for right now

>108 bell7: I wasn't a fan either. Kudos to the author for trying something new, but I am hoping he might return to historical fiction. I loved Remains of the Day.

>114 charl08: I do admire an author for trying something new, but I'll stick to his other fiction as well. Remains of the Day was excellent.

Happy Friday! We're getting ready for the morning, kiddo going to school and me to work, respectively. Dinner should be fish & roasted broccoli (he likes salmon, hopefully tilapia is okay too). And we should have a fairly quiet night of reading & relaxing.

Reading: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 2 by Beth Brower, God of the Woods by Liz Moore and Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather

Listening: finished "Exodus" by Bob Marley & the Wailers and now it's "Some Girls" by the Rolling Stones

Crafting: I started a pair of mittens but I'm not very far, nor did I pick it up in the last few days

6. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 2 by Beth Brower
Why now? Because it's overdue at the library (volumes 2 and 3 ran out on me), and it's both short and enjoyable enough that I can read them back-to-back without needing too much of a break - foggidawn's recommendation

7. Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather
Why now? Continuing my read through the four-novella collection

A group of nuns have been traveling the star systems helping as needed, and now they have a theological problem - can their living spaceship mate while they themselves are a celibate order? Each nun, though they have been living in close quarters with their sisters for years, has secrets, and the reader is privy to many as they go through their day to day lives.

I very much enjoyed this story, posing both religious and moral questions in a unique way, and letting you get to know several characters. I'm knocking off a half a star for the uneven pacing, as much of it was deliberate and interior, then very suddenly the stakes rose and there was a lot of action at the end, which was jarring. 4 stars.

>96 bell7: Everyone wants to tempt me with so many good books, lol. I should live so long! I received my copy of Go Tell it on the Mountain the other day, so I am ready to go!

>108 bell7: Sorry to see that your reading year is starting off with a DNF so soon, Mary. I hope your next read is a better one for you.

>113 bell7: And I see that it was. Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Mary!

>117 bell7: >118 bell7: Into the BlackHole those go too!

Have a wonderful weekend with the kiddo!

I'm glad things are going so well with the kiddo,Mary.

>119 alcottacre: This sounds funny, but one of my reading goals this year was to be quick to give up on books not working for me. I have always given myself permission to stop reading books I don't like, but it will be interesting to see if actually having the goal will change my usual 4-12 books to a higher number. Glad to see i could further tempt you with some good books :) Have a great weekend!

>120 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deborah!

Happy Saturday! It's been a busy week of back-to-school and back-to-work after the holidays, and we're looking forward to the weekend. The one set scheduled item for the day is a haircut for me (just a trim this time, I'm in the growing out phase and not ready for dying it again just yet). There are a couple of chores/errands to run that shouldn't take a ton of time beforehand, and then we've got time in the afternoon to relax or do something fun. I want to start looking into more fun, local things to do on the weekends - not every week, I don't want to overbook us, but I do want to get some day trips in too.

Reading: The God of the Woods, The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 3 by Beth Brower, and The Memory Wall by Anthony Doerr

Listening: "Some Girls" by the Rolling Stones

Crafting: haven't picked up my knitting in a bit

>118 bell7: Novellas often have that problem, I guess because the length makes developing endings hard...? I remember The Bridge of San Luis Rey being one that ended like a novel...developed to a satisfying ending that is...but many seem not to.

Saturday orisons, Mary.

>113 bell7: Hooray, another Emma Lion fan! I'm reading vol. 7 right now, because I also needed some lovely escapism (and I keep renewing them and really should get them back to the library).

Yeah, when you've got a kid, it's good to get out.

>123 richardderus: That may be true. I think it's hard to write shorter-than-novel stories and still do what I like to see as far as pacing and character development, so I always find it super impressive when it's done well and the length of story is simply perfect for it. It's been awhile since I read it, but The Bridge of San Luis Rey does pack quite the complex story into a short book. Claire Foster Keegan has a knack for that, too. (Oops... Foster was one of her stories, of course)

>124 foggidawn: It's not often that I can read books back-to-back like this, but I'm on book 3 now. (Books 2 and 3 were both overdue and it gave me the nudge to get going...) The library in the town where I live had 4 and 6 on the shelf, so I picked them up today but I'll probably pause for a little while to read other things after 3 and before book 5 arrives from interlibrary loan.

>125 The_Hibernator: Yup! We took a hike today since it was nice out so hopefully that got some energy out? Haha

The Emma M. Lion books look like fun but one of my libraries only has it as an audiobook and so I'm out of luck. (Well, unless I buy them, I suppose, and I am looking for books for my upcoming Thingaversary.)

>73 quondame: Good to know the next 2 Murderbots will be good ones, Susan!

>127 Familyhistorian: Ah, that's too bad, Meg. There are only a couple in our library system (I think they may have been self-published), but I like them enough that I put them on my next fiction order and I'll try to strong-arm some patrons into reading them recommend them to folks I think would like them.

Happy Sunday! I had nursery this morning, so we were off to church (foster kiddo sits with my folks and reads his book) for the morning and have returned and had lunch. In a little while, we'll be having some guests (a family I met through a foster parent support group) for a visit, and then I think I'm going to try to return to my small group for the first time in awhile.

Can you believe I've had a foster kid for about two months now? There have been adjustments for both of us, and he had a lot of hard transitions to go through, but overall I think we're doing well. The last couple of nights, he's slept through the night and that's huge.

Reading: God of the Woods by Liz Moore and Memory Wall: Stories by Anthony Doerr

Happy New Year, Mary! (It's not too late for that, is it? I know it's too late to wish you a happy new thread, not with 128 posts already on it.)

I DNFd The Buried Giant too, for much the same reason as you did.

So excited for the new Murderbot. Waiting for it until May is hard.

Thanks for the recommendation for Sisters of the Vast Black. I just borrowed a copy from the library.

Hope you and kiddo are having a wonderful weekend!

>129 bell7: Happy Sunday, Mary. I'm glad you're wearing into a good groove together.

Sending hugs!

>108 bell7: This one didn't work for me either. Kudos to you for DNFing!

>117 bell7: I really enjoyed this one too and I have the second one checked out from the library :)

>129 bell7: Two months seems like it has flown by! I admire how you've settled into your new routine seemingly with ease :) I'm sure there have been some bumps, but that's great that he's sleeping through the night!

I liked Exodus, Mary, and thought it was by far his most commercial record (though not his best IMHO. Some Girls has a few killer tracks but overall the post Sticky Fingers stuff has too much filler for me.

My Own Top 12 Albums of 1978

1. Heavy Horses - Jethro Tull
2. Parallel Lines - Blondie
3. Excitable Boy - Warren Zevon
4. Street Legal - Bob Dylan
5. City to City - Gerry Rafferty
6. Jazz - Queen
7. The Kick Inside - Kate Bush
8. Darkness at the Edge of Town - Bruce Springsteen
9. All Mod Cons - Jam
10. London Town - Paul McCartney & Wings
11. Stranger in Town - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
12. 52nd Street - Billy Joel

>121 bell7: I do not think it sounds funny at all, Mary. I wish I had learned much earlier in my life to give up on books I am not enjoying!

Have a marvelous Monday, Mary!

>130 Storeetllr: Happy new year, Mary! I'll still take a happy new thread, and have to say I'm very surprised by how quickly I've reached 100+ posts. I hope you enjoy Sisters of the Vast Black as much as I did.

>131 richardderus: Happy Monday *smooches* and hoping for good news for you soon!

>132 curioussquared: So interesting seeing how many folks it didn't work for. I don't feel so alone now! Hooray for Emma Lion :)
Two months have definitely flown by. I haven't spoken about every bump and victory, but it took a couple of weeks to get the beginnings of a routine down, and now we are definitely getting into a good groove. We are up to four nights in a row of good sleep - here's hoping the trend continues, as we have a very busy week ahead of us.

>133 PaulCranswick: Exodus was fairly easy listening and I could imagine the appeal of having it on in the background while smoking a joint.

The 1978 albums I'll be listening to in full are:
364. Talking Heads, “More Songs About Buildings and Food”
360. Funkadelic, “One Nation Under a Groove”
354. X-Ray Spex, “Germfree Adolescents”
353. The Cars, “The Cars”
292. Van Halen, “Van Halen”
285. Big Star, “Third/Sister Lovers”
252. Devo, “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!”
166. Buddy Holly, “20 Golden Greats”
146. Blondie, “Parallel Lines”
132. Hank Williams, “40 Greatest Hits”
121. Elvis Costello, “This Year’s Model”
91. Bruce Springsteen, “Darkness on the Edge of Town”

Surprisingly, the only McCartney solo/post-Beatles album was "Ram." I rather expected at least one Wings album, but no. Still, a couple of your top albums made it.

>134 alcottacre: I'm glad you understand, Stasia! It's lovely to be among bookish people who get it haha.

Happy Monday! I'm checking in more regularly than I initially thought I'd be able to, I see. Kiddo's off to school, and I'm shortly off to work. He's got stuff going on after school, so I'm taking advantage of my short day to go the gym and the grocery store before coming home and being here when he gets back. I'm cooking dinner (quiche with onions and sausage), but otherwise have a quiet evening.

Reading: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore and Memory Wall: Stories by Anthony Doerr

Listening: "Some Girls" by the Rolling Stones

Crafting: knitting a pair of mittens

>135 bell7: I will chime in with Paul's list and just say that not having Excitable Boy on the list is a crime.

As for what you'll be listening to, I enjoyed most of them, but I will be curious as always to see your reactions!

>137 ursula: Indeed Ursula that album has some fantastic if disturbing songs. The title song, Werewolves of London, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, Vera Cruz and Accidentally Like a Martyr make for a classic.

>138 PaulCranswick: Ah-whoooooo!

*relurks*

>139 lycomayflower: Hahaha

>135 bell7: Wow! Many great releases from 1978. Two great debuts with Van Halen & The Cars. Talking Heads, Elvis Costello and Bruce all released strong albums. Enjoy!

Happy Monday, Mary!

>137 ursula: Being unfamiliar with most of it (though I have listened to an earlier album by both Blondie and Springsteen), I'm rather curious to see my reactions too :)

>138 PaulCranswick: Hmmm, well I can't say "disturbing songs" is making me want to jump in and listen to an extra album hahaha

>139 lycomayflower: *waves* I'm still lurking on your thread, too, Laura!

>141 msf59: Nice to see your thumbs up on so many albums, Mark, though I know our music taste runs pretty different.

Happy Tuesday! Today is much the same as yesterday, though instead of me running errands we have afternoon appointments keeping us busy. Somewhere in there, I'll make dinner, too, probably lemon chicken orzo soup now that the chicken has defrosted.

Reading: God of the Woods by Liz Moore and Memory Wall: Stories by Anthony Doerr

Listening: finishing up "Some Girls" by the Rolling Stones today

Crafting: first in a pair of mittens - I'm still on the cuff

8. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 3 by Beth Brower
Why now? Continuing a series I'm very much enjoying

The listening report -

“Exodus” by Bob Marley and the Wailers – the internet tells me this was his most commercially successful album, and I recognized a couple of songs. The style is very laid back reggae and I could imagine 70s hippies sitting around smoking a joint while listening. A little same-y but otherwise okay. I like the last two songs (“One Love” and “Three Little Birds”) and added both to my playlist. #48 on the list

“Some Girls” by the Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones’ style doesn’t really mesh with my musical taste, and what few lyrics I could make out were quite outdated if they were ever cool (the title song was especially egregious). According to the Wikipedia article, the chairman of Atlantic Records said, "Mick assured me that it was a parody of the type of people who hold these attitudes" and the band released a statement saying they didn't intend for people to take it seriously. I couldn't really hear the difference myself. #468 on the list

“More Songs About Buildings and Food” by the Talking Heads. Interesting musicality at times, but mediocre vocals at best. Wikipedia says Brian Eno was a producer, and that kinda clicks for me in the quirkiness of the album. #364 on the list

I'm listening to Van Halen now, and then I've got a few more albums that I put on hold at the library today.

9. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Why now? My librarian book group met in January and used it as our benchmark title of literary/genre fiction. I didn't finish it in time for our discussion, but I was enjoying the story enough that I decided to finish it anyway.

Happy Thursday! Busy day lined up with work/school and meeting afterwards. Thankfully tomorrow I have the day off and it's a half day. We need the upcoming relaxed weekend.

Reading: Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and Memory Wall: Stories by Anthony Doerr

Listening: "Van Halen" by Van Halen

Crafting: have made some progress on the mitten

Rumor has it the Giants have done a deal with John Harbaugh and I am here for it. I've always liked him :)

>148 katiekrug: That's what I'm hearing! It'll be nice to have a head coach with that amount of experience in the role, it's been awhile... would still like to see Schoen go, though.

>149 bell7: - Agreed on both counts.

>145 bell7: Van Halen! Well, that oughta be an interesting one. I'm no fan, so wonder what will come across to you almost fifty years later.

I loved the Marley record back in the day and can still listen to it, unlike "Some Girls". Yuck.

Thursday orisons!

>150 katiekrug: :D

>151 richardderus: Just like my reactions to books, some of it my responses with the albums are also influenced by my expectations going in and what I listened to last, so I like it more than you might think I would, but also I need to have the right energy level to listen to it.

60+ Small Tasks to Defend the Right to Read.

A bit of a save-it-for-later reminder to myself, but I figured several here would be interested in the article as well.

>146 bell7: Glad you liked this one! I'd like to get to it soonish.

>145 bell7: Reggae tends to be really same-y, it's why I don't have much patience for it generally.

I love Talking Heads, David Byrne has a unique delivery. Maybe it'll grow on you when you get to another album. Or maybe not!

Curious to see where Van Halen lands for you. I have guesses, but I'll wait and see.

>154 curioussquared: I'll look forward to your thoughts on it when you do!

>155 ursula: Yeah, I sometimes will like individual songs but not so much the full album if it blends too much for me from one song to the other. I can be picky about vocals (delivery and phrasing) so it wouldn't be the first time that made an album a "nope" from me - John Prine stands out as another one, I'd like the music and then he'd start singing... I'll be listening to "Remain in Light", too, so Talking Heads will get another chance. And I'll probably write up thoughts on Van Halen soon, since it'll probably be Tuesday before I can get a new album from the library.

>154 curioussquared: I'll look forward to your thoughts on it when you do!

>155 ursula: Yeah, I sometimes will like individual songs but not so much the full album if it blends too much for me from one song to the other. I can be picky about vocals (delivery and phrasing) so it wouldn't be the first time that made an album a "nope" from me - John Prine stands out as another one, I'd like the music and then he'd start singing... I'll be listening to "Remain in Light", too, so Talking Heads will get another chance. And I'll probably write up thoughts on Van Halen soon, since it'll probably be Tuesday before I can get a new album from the library.

Happy Friday! Today's a half day in our school district, so I took the day off work and I'm going to get the car inspected before picking up the kiddo from school. We've had a super busy weekend so we're planning a fairly quiet weekend, but we both want to get to the library so that's on the agenda. Other than that, I'm looking forward to catching up on cooking and cleaning at home over the next couple of days, and reading my book club book for Wednesday.

Reading: Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and Memory Wall: Stories by Anthony Doerr

Listening: finished Van Halen yesterday, so possibly some radio over the weekend

Crafting: looking forward to making progress on the pair of mittens this weekend as well

Happy Friday, Mary. It looks like we are both big fans of The God of the Woods. That is back to back winners for her. I am curious about Memory Wall: Stories. I really enjoyed another story collection by him- The Shell Collector: Stories.

>159 msf59: TGIF! (and a four-day weekend for me, too)
I remembered that you read God of the Woods but couldn't remember whether you liked it better than Long Bright River - should I read that one, too? If you like Doerr's writing, I think you'd enjoy Memory Wall: Stories. This is the first short story collection of his that I read, but I enjoyed both All the Light We Cannot See and Cloud Cuckoo Land.

The listening report -

"Van Halen" by Van Halen
Well, I'm not usually a fan of distortion on electric guitars, but man these guys are musically talented. It made for interesting and more "appreciative" listening perhaps than actually liking the album, per se, but I would listen to more of their stuff (and I recognize that some of my reaction was shaped by what I listened to before this album, too). I was surprised to recognize "You Really Got Me" and possibly "Runnin' with the Devil". I couldn't help but think that Jimi Hendrix hugely influenced them. A little too high energy for me to listen to with any regularity, but I added "Eruption" (the one instrumental song on the album) to my playlist. #292 on the list

I was too slow in putting more CDs on hold to seamlessly move on to the next one, so I have several on the way to me and will be listening to the radio during any driving over the long weekend.

>161 bell7: I agree about their musical talent...I just don't like the vocals. At All.

Anything new in the world invites opinion, stronger when younger. *sigh*

>162 richardderus: I would generally agree with that, though I liked it a tad more than, say, John Prine. I don't mind a gritty male vocal (like Eddie Vedder) but I don't like screaming.

>128 bell7: You're right, Mary. The Beth Brower books are put out by Rhysdon Press an "independent, boutique publisher mainly known for releasing Brower's books.

>165 Familyhistorian: Victoria Goddard's are, too, so I've definitely found a couple of authors that I like in the self-publishing world. I have a harder time getting Goddard's through the library system (I tend to buy the Kindle books through Amazon), but Brower's are available through Ingram, where we do most of our ordering.

>166 bell7: Goddard sells from her own web site - has bundles at a bit of a discount, has sales a couple of times a year, and has a discount code for users of the HSG Discord server.

>161 bell7: All right! I don't generally care for Van Halen but I do enjoy that first album.

>167 quondame: Yes, she sells from her own website, too. Nice to know about the discounts!

>168 ursula: This is the only Van Halen album on the Rolling Stones list, so apparently those who contributed generally agree with you :)

Happy Saturday, folks! We kick off a long weekend, and have a fairly chill couple of days in front of us after a busy week. Turns out *I* may be the one going stir crazy, as the kiddo woke up with all the energy and plenty to say before I'd even made my coffee lol. We shall see how the day progresses, but at some point I may insist he go outside and sled in the snow.

Reading: Memory Wall: Stories and Minor Feelings

Listening: in between albums, but I'll probably start "One Nation Under a Groove" by Funkadelic soon

Crafting: continued work on the mittens

>170 bell7: He could also burn off some energy dancing to "One Nation Under a Groove." 🤘🏽

>171 kidzdoc: Ha! I usually listen in the car (and he'll ask me to turn it off when he's a passenger and trying to read haha) but maybe I'll try that.

10. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Why now? E-book was available at the library and it fit the TIOLI challenge to have a season in the title (could've also gone in "before" or "after," but I chose another book for that)

>173 bell7: Thank you for taking a hit on this one so I don't have to. :) I don't need to relive high school either.

I've got the LP of Stop Making Sense and love pretty much all of the tracks, especially Life During Wartime. It was recorded in 1983, when I was busy birthing my daughter, which pretty much took up all my attention, so I didn't buy the album until much later, probably in the 90s. Which reminds me that I need to get a new needle for my turntable so I can enjoy all my lovely LPs again.

Oh my, time for P-Funk, is it? Charlie Jane Anders just did a newsletter about them and their history. I got a hankerin' for some old 1978 reads like the Dray Prescot planetary romances I spent eyeblinks on that year.

Have fun dancin' the weekend away.

>174 Storeetllr: The older I get the less I can read about it, I find.
I'm not familiar with Talking Heads at all, but it's been really fun listening through the list, sometimes discovering new music and other times realizing huh, I have heard this before but didn't realize this band and this other band were contemporaries. Hope you're able to get that needle soon! Both my brothers have record players, but having no LPs I don't really need one at this stage - they're coming back, though. I saw some brand-new albums on LP the last time I went to Barnes & Noble.

>175 richardderus: Just about time, I tried to put it on yesterday and got shot down right quick hahaha. I'd be interested in reading Charlie Jane's take on it after listening through.

>176 bell7: I hope you will! Do you subscribe to her newsletter? It's always a good time, she has lots of interests and writes entertainingly about them All.

>177 richardderus: I hadn't realized she had one, but I subscribed just now. Thanks for putting it on my radar!

Edited to add: looks like much of the newsletter is about Parliament's "Mothership Connection," which I listened to last year, so I'm diving in to the archives now.

>178 bell7: :-*

11. Ultramarine by Mariette Navarro
Why now? My TBR list tells me that work emails originally put this title on my radar, but it was also there more recently due to @richardderus reviewing it - ultimately chosen to read this month because I knew I could get it quickly and it was a shared TIOLI read

>180 bell7: A word can change the world...a really interesting idea, that, and one I remember fondly. I'm so pleased it worked okay for you.

>181 richardderus: What didn't work was me, not the book. But yeah, it definitely had some interesting ideas and I will probably recommend it to both my brothers who have a higher tolerance for difficult reads than I do.

duplicate post

12. Memory Wall: Stories by Anthony Doerr
Why now? A book I've had on my Kindle for awhile, as I liked All the Light We Cannot See and Cloud Cuckoo Land - read this month because it fit the TIOLI challenge to read a book about memory or the past

Happy Monday, and Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to those in the U.S.! We had the day off from work and school, respectively, a mid-day appointment and then met friends to go sledding. It was a good day, but I'm also looking forward to going back to our regular routine.

The books have been treating me well, and I'm reading a lot more than I would've expected even just a few months ago. I finished my book club book today, but feel like I really need to go back over it a bit before I'll be ready to do it justice in a review. I'm going to have to do a little extra legwork for our discussion on Wednesday because the publisher didn't come up with discussion questions for Minor Feelings (there are essay questions and college-type questions, but that's not quite what I'm looking for), but that will make for a fun day at work tomorrow. Maybe I'll find an interview with the author to show and mix things up a bit.

Reading: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 4 by Beth Brower and Death of an Author by Nnedi Okorafor

Listening: Started the Funkadelic CD today

Crafting: mittens - almost finished the first one!

Strong reading start to the year, Mary.

I placed Memory Wall: Stoires on my TBR pile. It sounds so enticing and interesting. Kudos for a great review!

>186 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Even considering several of my choices were quite short, I've kicked off pretty strongly so far.

>187 Whisper1: Oh excellent, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, Linda.

Happy Tuesday! We are back to our regular routine (I am excited, for one), kiddo at school and me at work. I haven't decided yet if we're cooking or grocery shopping tonight. The focus at work today will be prepping for book club when I'm not on the desk.

Reading: Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor and I'm bringing Fugitive Telemetry with me to get back to Murderbot

Listening: "One Nation Under a Groove" by Funkadelic

Crafting: mittens

13. Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
Why now? Book club - meeting tomorrow

14. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 4 by Beth Brower
Why now? Continuing the series - so much fun!

I find myself with little to say this far in - if you've started reading them, by now you pretty much know what you're in for.

I am not even trying to catch up, Mary. Being out of town with no Internet just stinks because I am hopelessly behind everywhere, lol.

I am starting Love in a Mist tonight. I hope you are too!

>192 alcottacre: Welcome back, Stasia, and feel free just to draw the line in the sand, or thread as the case may be. I've certainly done the same! Yes, I did remember to start Love in a Mist and I'm just starting chapter 3 now. We'll see how much further I get before my eyes drop closed, but I'll keep you posted.

>193 bell7: I appreciate it, Mary. I am currently battling a headache so I may not be starting the book tonight after all. I was struggling to finish After You'd Gone and am thinking I may head to bed shortly and play catch up tomorrow.

>194 alcottacre: I'm belatedly replying as we catch up, but of course we've caught up in PMs and have both started the book. Happy rereading!

Happy Friday, y'all! It's been a busy week (when is it not?), and we have a semi-quiet weekend planned, especially as we watch the snow come in on Sunday. It's looking likely now that we'll get a foot of snow and have no school/work on Monday. I'm just praying we don't lose electricity.

Reading: Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard, Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells and Death of the author by Nnedi Okorafor

Listening: "Q: Are we not men? A: We are Devo!" by Devo

Crafting: pair of mittens

>196 bell7: Continuing-electricity *whammy* for you two. It's tough enough to be housebound! I love living in a place with a well-maintained emergency generator. Good weekend's reads, Mary!

>197 richardderus: Thank you, I will take all the good wishes and send them out to you as well (this storm is pretty far-reaching, after all). The generator is an excellent bonus. The big thing here will be that the thermostat is electric, though the heat itself is not...

>198 bell7: It's really just down to whether you get only snow or if there's a hunk of ice chucked at you in there as well. I'll hope for just snow.

>199 richardderus: Yes, hoping for just snow and straightforward cleanup afterwards! I had some plans on Sunday that are now canceled and will be regularly shoveling the "lower" driveway into the garage so it never gets too heavy (I hire a plow guy to do my front driveway and shovel the walk).

15. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
Why now? Continuing to reread the series in preparation for the newest title coming out this year

My review from reading this a couple of years ago

>200 bell7: I'm hoping for that to eventuate.

I'll unfreeze in a week or so, I'm sure....

Sending well wishes for your power to stay on, Mary, so that you can enjoy your snow days to the maximum.

>196 bell7: I pray that you don't lose electricity either, Mary. That's also what worries me the most. We're supposed to get 8-12" of snow in Philadelphia, which I should be able to clear relatively easily with my snowblower, but the forecasters are also calling for 0.10-0.25" of ice, which I hope is nothing more than a minor nuisance. Other than a quick run to an out of town neighbor's house to pick up gasoline and a transmission additive for the snowblower I could stay inside for at least a week, and I hope to get plenty of reading done. Hopefully I will be able to see my primary optometrist for a post-op check on Tuesday, 14 days after my second cataract surgery, though.

Fingers crossed for no power outages for either of us! They have upped our forecast here to 13-15 inches, and I don't think I've ever experienced quite that much snow, certainly not in a long time.

I woke up to about 4 inches of snow and 0 degrees temperature. It has continued to snow off and on all day. I would guess that we have about 7 -8 inches of snow on the ground at this point. Our snow is a light powdery snow, but if the wind starts blowing that could spell trouble. I was able to get to work with no problems. Car started. Scooped snow at work and here at the house. Other than that it is just a cold snowy day in January out here on the plains.

The Concordia, KS NOAH weather station has reported 3.5 inches of snow in the last 24 hours. Snow always looks like there is more of it than there really is.

>198 bell7: That's our problem. We've got gas heat, but the thermostat is electric. When we had the big ice storm in 2002, we also had a gas hot water heater. So even though we didn't have power or heat, we did have hot water. Now we've got a tankless hot water heater. It's also still on gas, but the sensor is electric, so if our power goes out, we'll lose both heat and hot water. We're hoping the ice won't build up as much this time as some predictions say we may get.

>202 richardderus: We made it through the freezing night and our boiler is still going strong, so I'll take that as a win.

>203 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

>204 kidzdoc: Hoping the weather treats you as well as it can, Darryl. I had taken a couple of days off at the end of this week just to have a little time to myself, get a massage and other errands done, so this week will be a very short work week with the snow.

>205 foggidawn: Yeesh, hope all the cleanup is going smoothly, Misti. We can get over a foot, but it's quite a storm when we do and definitely doesn't happen every year. I do remember one memorable year (2011 maybe?) when it seemed like we were clearing nearly a foot off our cars every Wednesday in February. I got tired of snow days by the end of it.

>206 benitastrnad: I'm glad you were able to get to work safely, Benita. I don't have snow tires or anything, but I do have all-wheel drive and that makes a huge difference.

>207 atozgrl: Fingers crossed for you, too, Irene! We should have hot water, I believe, since it's a propane hot water tank.

The good news is, the weather forecast here is for... a lot of snow. Which still isn't ideal, but as others have pointed out, ice would be worse for potential power outages. I haven't actually experienced more than a short power outage since moving here, so I'm hopeful that if we did lose power it wouldn't be for long. And a friend of mine with a wood stove and a large house is willing to take us in should there be a prolonged issue. The roads would just have to be clear for us to get to her, since either way to her house is either going down or up a rather steep hill.

Happy Sunday, all! Many of the churches around us have canceled service because of the timing of the storm (the snow is due to come between 9 and 11, we have overcast skies currently but nothing coming down yet), and though my church has not, I've driven enough times in the snow that I don't want to be stuck coming home in it. So I'm watching online this morning and then we're staying in the rest of the day.

I may try to make skillet spanakopita from Milk Street Shorts today.

16. Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard
Why now? Continuing my reread through the series/joint reads with Stasia in preparation for the newest book, Bubble & Squeak, coming out shortly

My review from a couple of years ago

>208 bell7: Thanks, Mary. It's a little past 9 am, and so far conditions are better than I feared they would be. We've probably had 3-4" of snow without any audible sleet, and the snow is coming with in a consistency of confectioners' sugar rather than anything heavier. However, the National Weather Service has increased our risk of power disruption from mild to moderate, as it appears that we'll get less snow and more sleet and freezing rain. I'll probably wait a couple of hours or until there is a clear change over from snow to sleet before I make my first pass on my snowblower, unless I hear my neighbors plowing first.

I hope that you don't have any major problems today!

>209 bell7: For the moment, I'm looking at steady but not crazy snowfall and frigid temps. If it stays like this I don't imagine you'll face anything as bad as the worst predictions since it's all passing up from here to there. I hope it stays this level of unpleasant-not-nasty for us both.

Hope you're wrapped up warm, Mary, and the power continues to be plentiful. Is your charge hoping for a snow day?

ETA cross posted with your update, apologies.

>211 kidzdoc: I'm glad to hear that so far conditions are better than predicted, Darryl. We're just starting to get some clear accumulation and should get it steadily over the course of the day.

>212 richardderus: Yeah, I expect we'll be a couple of hours behind you but right now they're saying the heaviest snowfall will come in the 3 p.m. - 12 a.m. window with up to an inch or two an hour. Thankfully it appears to be the light and fluffy stuff rather than heavy 12-18 inches.

>213 charl08: No worries, Charlotte! Yes, they just called the snow day about an hour ago and he is thrilled! My work has still not called it for tomorrow, so I'm waiting to see if I get a snow day or have to use PTO.

>214 bell7: ...and the wind has picked up, too....

>215 richardderus: We're not currently getting wind, though it may pick up later. Our snowfall totals have increased some, they're now saying 14-20 inches.

It's been a pleasant, quiet day so far. Kiddo went out for a little bit to sled, came back in cold and is now in his bedroom reading. I did church online today and have been reading and knitting, with a little cooking (making sourdough discard crackers) thrown in for good measure. The library is officially closed tomorrow, so we'll both have a snow day tomorrow.

>210 bell7: I just posted my review of that one, Mary. Our thoughts on it are eerily similar, lol.

>217 bell7: Yay for pleasant, quiet days!

>218 alcottacre: Ha, that's too funny I was just on your thread reading the review and was just thinking the same thing.

>219 bell7: What is even funnier is that I did not refer back to either your previous review or my previous thoughts on the book before I typed up my thoughts on it this time around. . .

>220 alcottacre: I'm very much looking forward to reading the next one soon. Looks like there's already a challenge that will fit it, too...