Cindy's Back in the Saddle again and reading more

I'm restarting my page after experimenting without having one. deciding having one was a good thing. It's going to take a little time for me to set up but I hope to get started soon

INTRODUCTION I love reading and being able to talk about books with the good people here. I am a retired teacher of children of special needs and since then I've been volunteering at a children's museum a center of refugees and a food bank in my spare time a garden play with my cats and folk dance. I live with my husband in AZ and while the desert does get hot, There nothing like being in shorts and T shirt in 60 degrees In our winter

CHALLENGES

reading through time

anuary: Tess_W: Retellings of Classics: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376086#n9033079

February: Familyhistorian: Agents of change, unexpected events that changed the course of lives ie: natural disasters, epidemics etc.

March: Delta Queen: Slavery in the Antebellum Sout
April: John257Hopper: Spring

May: Countrylife: It Happened in May

June: cindydavid4 : Love & Marriage

July: AnishaInkspill: "The Lives of Wives"

August: MissWatson: Holidays/Vacation

September: WelshBookworm: Daughter

October: LibraryCin

November: Ninie

December: DeltaQueen

reading globally- Q1 One read per continent — @AnnieMod
- Q2 Francophonie — @Dilara86
- Q3 Anthologies — tbd, @AnnieMod in reserve
- Q4 Hispanophone world — tbd, @thorold in reserve

monthly authors

historic fiction

non fiction reading

history

disc world guards guards guards

READING FRO MY OWN SHELVES

READS FROM 2025 read 48 books

1ST QUARTER

caedfael hf 5 21 books

cemetary of untold stories L 3

the invention of clouds nf 4

severence disutopia 4

2ND QUARTER

an african history of africa nf 4

a hat full of sky fan 5

peony HF 5

polish boxer hf 5

love queenynf bio 4

colored televisionL 4

the books in the world h 5

the correspondents HF 5

sorry about your dragons fan 3

3RD QUARTER

Stone blind myth4

I shall wear midnight fan5

Town in Bloom coming of age 3

meru fan 4

Yellow face F3

Loved and missed F 5

the history of sound ben shattuck s.s 5

Shepherd's crownfan4

4TH QUARTER

Big sister little sister red sisternon f h 4

The nine tailors myst 4

Strong poisonmyst 4

vera wong Advice for murder myst 3

Joy Ride susan orleans nf 4

the enchanted greenhouse fan 4

katabasis fan 4

We did OK kidbio 4

all the beauty in the world NF memoir 3

BEST BOOKS OF 2025

the complete caedfael series 21 books 5

an african history of africa NF 4

a hat full of sky fan 5

peony HF 5

polish boxer hf 5

love queenynf bio 4

wintersmith fan 5

the books in the world h 5

the correspondents HF 5

The history of sound ben shattuck SS 5

Shepherd's crownfan4

Loved and missed f 5

That enchanted greenhouse fan 4

katabasis fan 4

I read only 50books, which is a new low for me. I tried severall others but they were DNF i read a lot of fanatasy and HF the most this year was very stressful for me and i had lots of distractions. Im hoping I will do much better

DNF 2025 i think counting these wiil mak me feel better

Do I count these?

2025 DNF

Big little lies

House of Odyssey*

The Longview

My Judy Garland

Hopeland

My name is Emilia de Valle

The violin conspiracy

The Safekeeper*

* Thinking I might want to try these again

>2 cindydavid4: I just got in from taking the trash down to the curb here in the Boston area, and I am supremely jealous of your 60 degree winters. It's currently 18 degrees out here.

I'm looking forward to following your reading this year

believe me when you have 116degrees for 30 days in a row youll be singng a different tunee

Az actually does get snow on the east and north. needless to say that is an escape for many of us

Oh, I wouldn't want your summers for all the money in the world. I do actually prefer it here; I don't even mind the winters that much, really, it's just when I read a comment on 60 degree winters literally minutes after coming in from 18 degree weather I get momentarily jealous. :)

I would not have guessed that Arizona got snow in any part of the state. Interesting to know!

I’m glad you have a thread again this year. I think it just gives you your own space to post whatever you like. You can still chat away on other threads too.

I need to find a way to do more folk dancing this year. One of my retirement goals that didn't happen yet. The problem is there is nothing near me and I'm already driving to the cities 2-3 times a week. Looking forward to following your thread!

yikes howd I managed to repeat not just once but twice! glad to see you all here Ill try not to do that again!

>9 WelshBookworm: our dancing is on tuesday night in down town phx and i cant drive at nightime it as a while before I found some one who could take me. so I know how that feels not being able to dance. now im making up for lost time I dance 2x a week nowHope you can find more.

>7 Julie_in_the_Library: yes our state is huge but its not all desert I know most people dont realise that.. we hav a university in Flagstaff and it gets cold up there in the winter. used to go there for summer school to escape the heat, it was wonderful! so the jealosy is shared, belive me! We like to say that you dont need to shovel sunshine, which helps a little bit

>8 dchaikin: thanks dan. this will also keep me more organized in my reading; between reading globally, reading through time, monthly authors, non fiction and other challenges it gets a little crazy to keep track of. Im a little worried cause I really slacked of on my rreading this year, read much less than usual. between politics and news just lost my way . will get my mojo back this year I hope!

>2 cindydavid4: Oh, that sounds like lovely weather--we've had an unusually warm winter here in TX, with temps hitting 90f today. Looking forward to following your thread! :)

welcome! thinking, does texas get snow?

>15 cindydavid4: we do occasionally in Houston, every couple years.

Sorta likewhen it snows here its beautiful to see snow in the desert

>15 cindydavid4: Not so much the part I'm in, way down South, but like dchaikin said, in other areas--I think parts of the panhandle see it fairly regularly.

i have my 2025 lists up .Wow i only read 50 books this year It was a year of stress and distraction. Need to do much better

my DH reminds me of the weekly New Yorkers, the smithsnian and archaeolgy semi monthlies that we read so I should cut myself some slack. tis true

BOOKS I did READ In 2026

out of oz for RTT fractured fairy tales* 3*

solito*

positive obsession

bug hollow

home fire

night watch starting with guards, guards,guard * for disc world

squid Out of Water: The Evolution for reading globally

america daughters* historic fictioin 4*

wolf hall companion* non fictio literature 5*
america,america group read

the phoenix crown RTT destruction from nature 3*

bellweatherfantasy 4*

martyr

moon tiger5

Good to see you’ve got a thread going again — happy reading!

thanks and welcome waiting for bb any time now....really like the quarter theme thi year, puts the challeng in bite size pieces if you will. Ill be there soon

I am getting bombarded with emails from political, charties, Amazon receipts Receipts from places I go Doctor reminders and just all sorts of other miscellaneous things That need my attention I know I can unsubscribe from some of these but they don't give you a option of what you want to unsubscribe from what do others do To keep
their emails from becoming overwhelming

Happy New Year, Cindy! Looking forward to your reading in 2026.

>25 cindydavid4: I'm not sure there is a solution, unfortunately. Mostly, I let it pile up for a bit and then go in and delete huge swathes of stuff at once based on subject line and sender, but I don't think that's the best way to handle it, so I don't really reccommend that.

If there are types of emails that you know you don't want at all, you can start marking them as spam before deleting. Eventually, your email will start sending them directly to spam rather than your inbox. But that only works if the sender only sends stuff you don't actually want.

Luckily, the charity emails will slow down soon as we mvoe away from charity appeal season.

I do find it incredibly galling to get donation request emails from hospitals that have my email address because I'm a patient. They already get plenty out of us in copays, and more from our insurance companies besides. They shouldn't be asking us for more money.

>20 cindydavid4: DH gets points!

>21 cindydavid4: Home Fire and more Discworld sounds good.

Happy New Year, Cindy

i I just got home from the sale and I now have two boytn boks for my grand niec e Simply more By Cynthia Erivo best American short stories ,essays positive obsessions Buckeye I'm sorry They ran out of Mona's eyes unfortunately and home fire I'll just have to go back spend my real money and get them better however

I managed to fall in the bookstore It's very crowded in there that starts at noon and people are just piling in I seem to have forgotten that I was not a spring chicken of 35 anymore thought I could handle the two bags of books plus my purse like I've always have always done every year but my balance and my age got the best of me .I hit my hip I did not hit my head fortunately. The folk there made sure I was taken care of and got me settled till I could go back into the fray. but I think next year I'm going to To wait for my husband gets home from work and we can go together so he can carry the bags And if a book that I want isn't there I'll just go back later when it's full priced but I usually have coupons There we go

>27 Julie_in_the_Library: I was gobsmacked a few years ago when I had hernia surgery and the doctors were great everything was wonderful and I get a phone call from someone saying we're asking for your feedback about your care I said OK I told him it was very good everything was good well then would you like to donate to your surgeon To your doctor I said you're already gotten money from me what do you else do you want Well some people do that I'm not doing it I just was just amazing

>29 cindydavid4: I’m sorry about your fall. Scary, no? Good plan to bring a book carrier next time

>7 Julie_in_the_Library: I was married in Prescott in April and two days before the wedding it snowed.

Cindy, I'm glad for selfish reasons that you have a thread this year.

happy new year, blessings and more good reads for you

>32 RidgewayGirl: yup it snows more in Tucson and when I was at school my freshman year I found myself walking through a gentle snowstorm back to my dorm and on top of the roof Everybody was making snowmen and snow angels and having snowball fights Great fun

Are the selfish reasons anything about annual book festivals? hoping I'll be in good condition to go this year

>34 cindydavid4: Oh, that would be wonderful. It's far too early for me to have made those plans, but hopefully?

not too far away

For 2026 in Arizona, mark your calendars for the Scottsdale Book Festival on January 24th and the massive, third-largest U.S. Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB) on March 14-15, featuring hundreds of authors and activities at the University of Arizona.

Plus, the local Arizona Author Book Festival (benefiting SEEDs for Autism) also had its 2026 author applications open in late 2025, so expect updates for its Phoenix event too.

Here's a breakdown:
Scottsdale Book Festival: January 24, 2026, 10 AM - 5 PM at the Scottsdale Civic Center; free, family-friendly, with panels and entertainment.

Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB): March 14-15, 2026, on the UofA campus; a huge event with national park themes and many authors

Arizona Author Book Festival: Details for 2026 are emerging, but it's a Phoenix-based event supporting SEEDs for Autism with author events and vendors.

I'll be definitely going to the Scottsdale Book Festival and we'll see what happens in March for the Tucson Festival so mark your calendars I hope to be there

I am so mad at myself didnt writte the scottsdale festival down and ended doing somethhing that wasnt fun at all, my fault. next year!

I woke up very sore this morning putt ice on my hips and my shouler I think it perhaps is time for to get my books from Kindle I've been doing it a little bit but I think my body really needs me to do it a lot more .And plus there would be more in my pocket. I love being surrounded by my books They are my friends but they're giving a bit heavy nowadays so there we are

Stopping by to say Happy New Year and wish you lots of good reading in 2026.

>37 cindydavid4: ouch. Hope you’re feeling better soon

>38 labfs39: Same to you How are you liking Solito

>40 cindydavid4: I loved it. One of my favorite reads for 2025. You?

yes, I think this should be mandatory reading to anyone involved in immigration

I liked how he used his memories of his younger self, Along with the His own current perspectives on the events he went through , And it certainly represents the experience of millions of others that are trying to get a better life i was a bit bothered y how much spanish was in the text; Ive lived here long enough to get most, but that might not work for others. but there is always google. i havent finished yet, but soon

Happy New Year, Cindy, and I hope you're feeling better soon.

Happy new year, Cindy. Just dropping by to say hello. There are a few new apps out to help people who have trouble using the keyboard. I haven’t found one that’s worth buying it, but if I do, I will let you know..

>25 cindydavid4: I've actually just been through an email reorganization... and don't have a complete solution. However, what helps a lot is filtering incoming email; anything I'm expecting, from particular people or organizations, goes immediately into a folder. This pretty well separates the stuff that I need to pay attention to or take action on from the stuff that I vaguely want to be aware of but don't need to do anything about. I also have a folder for "events", which is links to e-tickets and such, time-sensitive stuff.

>45 qebo: I desperately need to do that!!

>43 susanj67: thanks susan welcome to my abode. still working at sorting things out but ill make it work! oh i am feeling better. realized it wasnt the hip, it was my bottom. been sitting on a ice pack for the last few days and Im not in pain when I sit now.

>44 kjuliff: youd think there would be with as many people may need it I know there is alot out their for people with special need. ill look thro my ed resourcs and see whats up Ill probably find as you did

>45 qebo: I sort of have that. my problem is soon as I sort our 25 emails, I look up and another dozen pop up how ca to learn which post goes where and whats imporant to me and what can be put on hold?

>46 kidzdoc: hey darryl glad to see you here! hope this year is easier to you and your mother Im speaking to more ane more of my friends who are caring for spouses or parents they are all in the same boat my dh and I went through that 20 years ago and it was hard then. I think the difference now is more support for the caregivers. Now if they can just get universal health care so the caregivers arent going bankrupt in the process

WHAT IM READING NOW im just about finished with solito and Im finding it hard reading what he is going throuug but thank the angels who appear to take him in

those who are reading now, how are you doing with all the spanish? Ive lived here long enough to pick up what they are saying but id suspect others might have more trouble. well thei is always google.

I'm also reading American Daughters which is about the alice, daughter of Teddy Roosevelt f and Washington Booker's daughter Portia, And their connection.s now the author amits there is not a lot of information about those connections but they were definitely both in the same place at the same time in situations So a lot of what she is writing is conjecture but it is really quite well done i'm really impressed by it. and love an author who tells the reader what is real and wwhat is memorex

Im Also reading eading on my KindleMona's eyes which I was very excited about It's about a 10 year old girl who suddenly becomes blind but then she gets it back And her grandfather worries that she's going to become blind again and he takes her to different museums to see the beauty art So if she does go blind again she can remember the beauty that she saw that sounded just lovely to me but when you read he is basically giving her lectures and at least at the beginning and I'm not quite sure this is going to work but we'll see

still Reading out of oz Which I'm loving but at home to read it's going to take awhile

Oh and I'm finally figuring out guards guards guards from Disc world It was a little confusing at first but I think I've got it

whew glad im retired!

>49 cindydavid4: I also ruthlessly unsubscribe and delete notifications. The appointment is on my calendar. The Amazon order can be found on the Amazon site. I know the charity exists and it gets my money on my schedule not theirs.

BOOKS I Want to READ In 2026

out of oz for RTT fractured fairy tales 4

phx crown ForRTT disasters 3*

positive obsession

bug hollow

home fire

night watch starting with guards, guards,guard ( for disc world 4

squid Out of Water: The Evolution for reading globall

american daughter 4

thc wolf hall companion 5

fly wild swan my mother myself and china

bellwether4

dodger 4

Happy New Year, Cindy!

and to you and yours

>27 Julie_in_the_Library: thanks for that tip!

this week ill be celebrating 69 orbits around the sun. friends are taking me out, DH has somthing up his sleeve and my sis, who turns 79 this month is taking me shopping. ive always watched her as she ages to see how its . done , usually shes been a pretty good model weird to be so cl ose to 70, I almost wish I was and get it over with.......but the moon is full outside and the cats are wanting out. so another day starts

Your sister sounds wonderful. Wish you a happy birthday! - although I don’t know the exact day.

thanx next thursday

>45 qebo: I do that too. I have separate folders for ebook notifications like Bookbub and eReaderIQ. Also a folder for places I shop where I want to get notices of sales, etc. You just have to set up filters that sort the email as it comes in.

Just finished the american daughters}, about alice, daughter of teddy roosevelt From his first marriage and Portia,daughter of Booker T Washington. The two men got to know each other and the two daughter connected in different ways. Even though the Author* tells me that much of it was conjecture between the two girls I I found the way she connected them in the book very realistic for the time. found it a fascinating read. this is a book that shows the time and place very well but the characters that you want to keep reading about. What was fun or is reading the politics of the day and it's another example of the more things change the more things stay the same Read this for a book group and I'll be going tomorrow to see what they think

* I read a lot of historic fiction and I'm always thrilled to find a decent Author's Note that lets you what's real and what's Memorex Hers was quite helpful

bther is 7 Years older than me and while we got along We were never all that close but he has been Paying attention All along He sent me a birthday card with this poem it

"Birthday Poem for my baby sister

celebrating 69 years of love and joy
Happy 69th birthday dear sister of mine

a heart so gentle a spirit that shines

you taught with patience and kindness in your eyes
guiding special souls to soar and rise

you find delight where the wildflowers grow
their colors and fragrance painting your glow

cats crawl beside you purring their tune
companions of joy in sun and moon

You dance to the rhythm of folk song suite twirling
and laughing nimble on your feet

May your year be wild as blossoms in the spring
full of love hope and all that joy can bring

so here's to you sister rare and true
May your birthday be bright and all dreams come true
with cats and flowers and music forever in view
the world is much kinder for having you "

Needless to say I burst into tears he has been paying attention all along
I called him to thank him and he laughed and said actually AI helped him a little bit I laughed remember how I put ai down so maybe it is useful
anyway I think this is the best present I have ever received

btw he does not mention reading books, he does and I suspect AI doesnt either so there we are (he had a big problem with reading whtn he was a kid}

By the way I need to use speech to text and So what i'm typ It doesn't sound right I'm trying to edit but if you see something that doesn't make sense just point it out to me and I'll change it Thanks

Happy almost birthday Cindy! And good job older brother.

>64 dchaikin: I was happy to see your thread today. I’ve not been well and so I’ve hardly been on LT since mid-December. Nor have I read much, only one book since mid December due to hospitalization.

>63 cindydavid4: Speech to text can be a godsend, but it tends to capitalize in strange places and it’s harder to put something down in a post when you aren’t typing. I think it’s because we are used to being more concise when we pick up a pen or type, whereas when we we talk we don’t worry so much about structure. I think I’m getting a bit better at it through practice.

Sometimes I even get the system to read back what I just wrote and hearing it helps me realize what I have written. In my case, I can’t really see what I’ve written; I can see the words and can read one word at a time, but I can’t read a sentence in one go.. I realize that is not your case.

Again, I’m so glad to see you back with a thread as I always enjoy your comments.

>62 cindydavid4: What a sweet moment. Thanks for sharing, and Happy Birthday!

>62 cindydavid4: What a lovely, moving, poem! Happy birthday, Cindy :-)

Happy birthday, Cindy! What a lovely poem from your brother.

thanks More birthday big Sis took me to go shopping bought me a couple of new jeans and then went out lunch at this wonderful place I remember going to a long time ago and completely forgot I'll be going back again Then I had several phone calls and then I received A book I was waiting forThe Wolf Hall Companion as someone else mentioned the print is very tiny I've been using Magnifying glass that helps But may breakdown and just get the E book too but I think that's the next book I'm reading

>57 cindydavid4: Happy birthday Cindy! I found your thread as you can see

excuse the multipl copies not sur why that happends third one is complete

cool, welcome ! I see you like jim crace, havent read him in years ive read the gift of stones harvest,and quantine which I liked. Which ones would you recimmend?

oh i see yoy like david mitchell my fav i cloud atlas

>73 cindydavid4: these are my favourites too. I can read anything he writes. I liked Pesthouse too, Being Dead a little less.

>74 cindydavid4: I read everything by David Mitchell. I met him too. A very humble guy

>69 cindydavid4: The Wolf Hall Companion is exactly what I need before I revisit the trilogy. I also watched the PBS Masterpiece series, but I clearly have gaps in my knowledge of history.

>77 Linda92007: I agree; I knew Mantels Cromwell is probably very different from Histories Cromwell so I'm kind of hoping to find more about that

>78 cindydavid4: i have my own theories, of course 🙂

of course

So bummed I'm gonna have to return this somebody else mentioed the the text and indeed it is very tiny I tried my best to read but my eyes just can't do that much
The thing is it's a beautifully bounded book and it has some really nice illustrations in it so I'm debating about whether I want to turn it or not In the meantime I'm going to get me an E book and go that way

>82 cindydavid4: i’ve enjoyed all of Hillary Mantell’s novels and short story collections. Nice rundown on The Mirror and the Light.

Attention all fans ofWolf Hall Walk or run or jump to your favorite place to get books and get the wolf hall companion.* mackay makes this book so readable , She is able to weave the fiction of the book with the Historical version Written by Mantell I Wondered if the author of this book was going to make any criticisms of Mintel's writing and she did not at all She understood how much of a genius she was in writing I'm just in awe of this book

She uses paragraphs to explain background information Doing so she answers a lot of questions we've had reading the books. This includes their peripheral characters from the earlier generations and explained some things that we didn't quite Understand Oh and I must mention the artwork Lovely black and white pictures of fruit and flowers Just some simple things to enjoy Easily rating this a 5

By the way this is the first book I've read this year so it hark to a continuation of wonderful reads like this

* just a warning some of us who have gotten the hardback have found that text is very very very small and I went ahead and got the E book and it works

I just received Jung Chang fly wild swansand I think after I finish with the Discworld book is goi first o be my next looking forward to

>84 cindydavid4: I enjoyed Mantell’s writing quite a bit, especially the dialogues - probably the best in historical fiction. I did have concerns about historical accuracy. Does the companion address that question?

>86 cindydavid4: Ooh, I'm looking forward to your impressions on this one.

>87 VladysKovsky: one answer can be found here: Thomas Cromwell: A Revolutionary Life by Diarmaid MacCulloch

My conclusions from this are Mantel got two elements wrong and one caused her to struggle with book 3

1. Cromwell was a nonstop aggressive talker. That’s what H8 liked. This interior Cromwell we love with his careful words is probably a Mantel ideal. This error is a - well who really knows - error or choice or correction. It’s actually fine.

2. Cromwell was 1st and foremost a religious reformer with religious directions radically counter to H8. He had to hide this. It’s not in the written record. But it’s clearly written in all his religious appointments and actions. And everyone knew. There was a rebellion aimed directly at him and his religious reforms. Also it was the most important thing to him and left a permanent mark on English Christianity. He was successful, I guess. This is ultimately what brought him down. Someone finally convinced H8 he was doing this under his nose. And likely H8 felt humiliated. (The way i like to put it, is Mantel’s machiavelli was really a religious fanatic) - the reason this is a problem is Mantel ended up with a trajectory and an end counter to each other. And she had to make that work. I suspect she really struggled with this. (And she knew - because MacCulloch’s book came out before her book 3 and she contributed a foreword)

>89 dchaikin: I find it difficult to understand the role religion has played in politics. Not being aligned to any particular religion, but having a Jewish Christian atheist cultural background, it’s hard for me to understand how someone could get so worked up about politics that they would actually want to impose their views on others.

>90 kjuliff: different times. But also force of personality and religious convictions do increase together.

>87 VladysKovsky: she will say mantels said it this but the hisorical record say this. I was especially interested in the scene where King gets bucked off his horse and everybody thinks he got killed and Cromwell comes to really the rescue and the king says this never happened And since she never mentioned that I'm assuming that it was not real

>90 kjuliff: The Church by the time of was cemented in these people's lives you can not do anything without the church being there on top of you Everything was told to you were expected to Believe and because of that people wanted to have power over what was done So that's where the politics comes in . And of course Jews considered just out there and were the scapegoats and in fact the devil But you know this and much hasn't changed

I was reading a book about reading when it talked about reading out loud and reading silently the church was very much wanted you to read out loud because they were making sure that you were reciting the right words It was much when people started reading silently and weren't afraid of what was behind them

>89 dchaikin: And after Cromwell was killed off H8 Was furious demanding who it was they decided to kill off his best advisor The same thing that happened after Anne's death. it would be hell working for this guy

89> Tell me about Mccullough's I'm not familiar with it

Excuse me for my many edits I am speech to text and I am trying to work with an idea that Kate had using it So I am trying to use complete sentences so that I'm not having trouble with finding words out of place or just words dropped So far it seems to be working well but I do have to edit now and then

>93 cindydavid4: Yes I understand what you are saying and believe it. Many people believe in a religion that allows repression. I just can’t understand why people don’t question it, though I do understand why people remain silent. It’s not so much about questioning the religions themselves, but questioning that the believers can hold inold in their heads their religion that tells them be good, and at the same time, commit evil.

>92 cindydavid4: i’m pretty sure that scene is real - Henry knocked out of his wits jousting.

>98 dchaikin: the scene is real, cromwells role not so much

>76 VladysKovsky: I think the last thing I read of Mitchell was Slade House . Has he written anything recently

>100 cindydavid4: I found his next book Utopia Avenue was much better than Slade House.
As always, it is connected to at least two of his other books. Otherwise, it is a very different experience that David Mitchell offers to his readers here. Music scene in England in late 60s!

oh that does look good! love that music

Currently reading best american short stories 2025 with celeste NG editor oh yes I had to have this collection. the intro is rather ironic, as she states earlier that she never read Any of the other intros in all of the other volumes of this series
previous "So She If you are truly itching to flip ahead I feel you, and heres all you really need to know Read these stories they're all great in very different ways they'll make you laugh possibly cry and maybe even think differently from the world from now on "

Well I'm already ready to read

I used my birthday money and a $10 coupon to buy some books I didn't get the last time is at the bookstore I now have Bug hollow and I have home fire And I have a book I wasn't expecting but I read laird hunts Zorrie Which I loved .I happened upon nother one by him float up sing downand I traded $30 worth of books so I had another coupon I needless to say I did quite well

>105 cindydavid4: Nice haul, Cindy. I enjoyed Shamsie's Burnt Shadows and have Home Fire sitting on my read soon shelf.

I posted here about my friend who is a trumper. somehow lost it. I keep doing that and dont know why.....what am I doing wrong?

>107 cindydavid4: You did post a message about your "friend" on my thread, Cindy.

Thanks I thought that might be the thing that put her on somebody else's thread thank you I will go grab it and bring it back down here

>108 kidzdoc: sorry didnt mean to highjack your thread. couldnt find it, but no pro, if you find it just delete

>105 cindydavid4: Nice haul! I loved Zorrie, too and picked up another of Hunt's novels, Indiana, Indiana, when I found it in a bookstore.

>110 cindydavid4: No problem, Cindy.

>1 cindydavid4: Finally catching up, but it's still January, so it's okay. Glad to see you back with a thread here.

>89 dchaikin: A reminder to me that this book is still on my TBR pile. Whoever Cromwell was in real life though, Mantel is writing a fictionalised account, albeit a wonderfully immersive one, which will colour forever my view of him, so I'll have difficulty with the idea of him as a nonstop talker, but not with the aggressive part.

The mention of H8 made me think of a comparison some commentators are now making about POTUS, to that very same monarch.

>113 SassyLassy: thanks and welcome!

>113 SassyLassy: I don't know, I think H8 actually had a heart

>113 SassyLassy: I adore Mantel and don’t mind her fictionalizing. But i also think she couldn’t let it go when she got to book 3. I think the divergence made her uncomfortable. 🙂

>116 dchaikin: And she definitely liked her main character A bit too much..... Oh would that ending ever end I finished reading wolf hall companion And think the author does a really good job Of telling the history and including her story

I saw your post on Daniel's thread and just wanted to stop by and let you know that even the fairly conservative people I know think that what is happening is deeply wrong. I'm sure the die hard supporters are cheering ICE on and hoping for more murders, but I believe that most people, those who remember decency and empathy, are deeply angered by the occupation of a mid-size city by paramilitary gangs.

>118 RidgewayGirl: I had a call from Australia last night from a good friend who was horrified by what is happening in Minneapolis. People all over the world who have any decency at all are shocked. Personally feel traumatized by the whole thing. If it was physically possible, I would be out there in New York City demonstrating.

>119 kjuliff: In one picture I saw today, a woman was out there with her rollator. In a very funny moment, some Australian white nationalist flew all the way to New York to stand in Times Square with a sign that said, "Zohran is not my mayor," which is factually true and good for him for exercising his first amendment rights on vacation. Mamdani isn't my mayor either, given I live in Illinois. My son is fond of the blooper reels of ICE agents brought down my Minneapolis ice.

It's all terrible, but I am heartened by all the ways people are finding to care for their neighbors, bringing them groceries, standing outside mosques so congregants can pray in peace and simply bearing witness, at great risk to themselves.

>118 RidgewayGirl: i so hope you are right. right now im in tear over liam, 5 years taken frm his father and sent to texas. what kind of monsters do this. all underr the shadow of deporting immigrants who have committed crimes what crime has this little boy done I hope enough people can work to get him back

ya know I dont believe in god, or in heaven bui I sure hope theres a hell to send these human demons too.

I also think organiations who give training consider when they tell protesters to film or track or make noise. they can do it but the need to make sure that protestors are safe. and know what they are doing

>121 cindydavid4: As Shakespeare said, "Hell is empty and all the devils are here."

>120 RidgewayGirl: How ridiculous that seems. Something else that I’ve found ridiculous was Trump saying to people in German-speaking Switzerland, was that but for America, they’d all be speaking German.

>89 dchaikin: just saw this yes I think you are right about the two elements. i think it lead to the slog which was the end of book three. just kill him off already! but she really loved the invented character she created, as did most of us Id like to read MacCullochs book.

>118 RidgewayGirl: hi guys. Is this another Daniel, or did I miss something?

>125 cindydavid4: Cindy, I had almost forgotten I had made the comment about Mantel. There is a lot of interesting history in book three. Without Cromwell's religious position, it maybe gets convoluted. But I think the biggest strain on the book is that I think Mantel tried to come back to the real history. And that maybe makes it lag a bit. She's still a hero to me. And if I'm right, and she did drift from the history, and then really tried to come to the real history, well, I would admire that.

>126 dchaikin: Sorry, it was Lisa's thread.

>127 RidgewayGirl: thanks!

>126 dchaikin: Oh I haven't lost any admiration for her and I knew just what she was doing she wanted a character to live a little longer. And the third book is the book I learned the most about so I didn't like the slug I still like the book by the way I just ordered MacCullochs book, Really excited to

ust about finished with out of ozhe final book in the wicked years series. it took a while I had many diversions that stole time away, and the fact that while maguire is an excellent writer, he can be a bit of a slog. Im readint this for RTT for Januarys theme of 'fractrued fairy tales, or other authors takes on a well known read. I have two day s to finish well see how that goes

Wolf Hall fans I just received the tome thomas cromwell a revolurionary life eager to read this for Hilary Mantel her self sings it praises .the book is a 500+ hard back read, filled with lots of letters written and court orders to find out who he was, In my read of the introduction, it seems to be well written. and clear to the average reader to read. when i finish I hope to discover the cromwell of history or of Mantell fiction. I may be some time

bellweather"This was the most purely enjoyable thing I've listened to in ages. Science fiction, but also romance, but also corporate satire and comedy. I laughed out loud three or four times. Sweet, intelligent and just generally lovely, I could listen to the narrator, via the author, go on about historical fads all bloody day. A perfect little book."

Borrowing this from another reviewer Nigellicus
who took the words right out of my mouth 4.5*

finished bellweather and its pure genius. whoever recommenede it to me, thanks!

sorrry the double post demon has returned

>132 cindydavid4: Sounds nice! I’ll wishlist that.

>132 cindydavid4: bellwether
I read this years ago but remember it as highly entertaining.

I'm hoping for the same ina long way to a small angry planet Been compared to Douglas Adams abit, We'll see

really looked forward to cromwell a revolutioary life but after a few pages I felt myself gettind dizzy from his high language altitde, I consider myself a good reader but im not sure this is for me. but i didnt get alot of sleep so maybe ill try again when I am more awake

>132 cindydavid4: I am glad you enjoyed it Cindy. It’s a very well constructed book

>132 cindydavid4: I read Bellwether a few years ago and really enjoyed it too. Whatever I've read of Connie Willis has always been entertaining.

>139 valkyrdeath: I just realized that the two above are two different people giving their names somehow I imagined it was one person so now I'm going to have to really be careful to see who I'm Talking to

im reading the phoenix crown for the disaters theme for febuary and rereading a book I read ages ago the lamb in his bosom for March theme of antebellum south'

so far enjoyingphoenix crown giving that ever chapter tells you how many days hours minutes to the earthquake so I can only assume the life of every character ive read about and their jouney to make a better life will change drastically im hoping to see some good or at least interesting outcomes for them that are fresh and interesting

I have had to put out of oz aside. I want to know how this book to ends but this book badly needed adn editor and I need to move on so instead of using this book for the Jan theme , Im choosing a daughter of fair verona and a take on romeo and juliet . always wanted to heat a good story from these guys andd it looks like its rather cheeryI do want to come back to oz, but later

could not finish this book poor writing and ridiucolous plot

Daniel I was going to ask if youd like to do a group read of MacCulloch book. i read your review, and it opened up my eyes. Im not sure if I wlll get much of it reading myself. would you consider a group read? with others too,

im rather chucking my to read list. Im now reading Dodger written by terry pratchett. thought it was a childrens book till someone told me. its not .a take on oliver twist surprising interesting read; quite different from his others ; its ver dark and very descriptive of victorian times. and not a bit of humor that I can find. but I am liking it very much and interested in what he does with my fav movie when I was a kid (read Oliver a few years later)

>145 cindydavid4: Dodger is one of the last Pratchett books that I still haven't read. I've had it on my shelf for a few years but somehow haven't got to it. I should try and fit it in at some point along with my Discworld reread.

I am correcting my above report ,the only parts of 'Oliver' in the book is dodger, the dog thats not a bulldog oman, a character named Charles and his the jewish fellow theif soloman. its becoming a coming of age story which im liking its still the darkest Terry novel I know with little humor hope you get to it soon id love to hear your comments on it,

btw I keep seeing "peelers' ofter in the book couldnot figure it out til i googled its brit slanG for cops as the after founder of the police depts Sir Robert Peel.

finished the phoenix crown and while I was impressed by the description of the earthquake and its consequences, have to say I was disappointed in the story four talented women who are strong characters apparently based on real people living in chinatown. what should have been an interesting story was overwritten with a excessive emphasis on the emotionality of each situation and heavy reliance on coincidences of people being in the the right place at the right time.it was disjointed and very slow,I found myself skimming. if you are interested in the history of the earthquke I think there are much better books out there. Interesting that reviewers who had read privious work from this pair said they disliked this book more than the others rating 3*

Interesting review, Cindy

Someone suggest I read 1906by James Dalessandro hoping this will be better

Dodger is a very odd pratchett novel, its populated with a young tosser named Dodger, a jewish tailor, a wealthy woman and an abused young woman who doger sees tossed out of a coach into rhe mud. Disraili and Dickens and Robert Peel have big roles Takes place in the ealy victorion reign where poverty abounds and the upper class can be kind or cruel. generally its a coming of age novel rather dark which is unusual for pratchett but his usual way of putting stories together on target. Dodgers plans to help the young woman is probably the only part thats funny. It sounds very odd. but I liked it, 4*

now reading moon tigerive read the road to lichfield,heat wave and life in the garden I like her work, need to read more looking at her list I SAW Dancing Fish and Ammonites: A Memoir that sounds really good. in the meantime Im enjoying tiger moon now

also reading for RTT march theme antebellum south, I chose lamb in his bosom which I read in college alng with gone with the wind. I dont remember much about is, so thought Id read in now, already loving it for March authors reading martyr and men at arms for discwold .Nightwatch series

oh my, its a joy to read lambin his bosomthe words slip out as easiily as silk . the first part of thr book describes the young couple from their marriag, describing their plans for crops and eggs , animals ,she weaving things for him to use in the fields he making her a contain churner for milk and cream. its obvious from their thoughs that the do love each other as their crops grow , they make more plans talking so optimistically you know their plans come through, It has been a long time since I read a book like this; I can see why it won the pulizer, why Martha Miitchll said it was her favorite book and w hy i iam sitting tthinking trying here how describe the images in my head. it is golden

I do know from my college read that there are hurts ans sorrows just now I am in awe of this authors work more later

im rather chucking my to -read list. Im now reading Dodger written by terry pratchett. thought it was a childrens book till someone told me. its not .a take on oliver twist surprising interesting read; quite different from his others ; its ver dark and very descriptive of victorian times. and not a bit of humor that I can find. but I am liking it very much and interested in what he does with my fav movie when I was a kid (read Oliver a few years later)

started men in armswhich should be fun and finished lamb in his bosom which im having mixed feelings, Ill review tomorrow and loving tiger moon

finished men at arms and thought it just brillant loved the characters, the plot well done there wasnt a moment when I felt totally lost (lik in many of his books) there is plenty of humor the elf teaching the troll how to count with magical results . Reading this book is making me eager to read the rest of them in the series s and am now eager for the rest of them 5 *

Currently reading Tiger Moon Which I'm just loving and just discovered a book about travel writing Globetrotting: Writers Walk the World and hideous kinky will hopefullly wind up march

LAMB IN HIS BOSOM BY CAROLINE MILLER

why did you chose this book

for the march 2026 RTT theme Antebellum south. plus i remember reading this in HS but dont remember much of it except liking it

synopsis w/o spoilers

,(from intro) This is the story of the Carver family of Georgia. At the center of the book is Cean Carver, whose life is described in astonishing detail, from the day of her marriage when she leaves her family to establish a new home, to the time when she welcomes her second husband back from the Civil War. The Carvers are simple enough people, living close to the soil, as much a part of the natural scene as the changing seasons and the ripening of the crops .Caroline Miller tells of them with raw insight, humor and drama–in a prose of such rich quality that many times it approaches genuine poetry

what surprised you?

the drama of their lives. the fact that a woman can live after having 14 children, survive a fire that took everything, and was rebuilt by their neighbors, finding ways to survive with so little, and yet had so much love. It reminded me of the good earth which I read about the same time. the focus on the land and the family also how little they understood the upcoming war, be it our civil war or their boxer rebellion that it And how much it changed their traditions was a totally different galaxy and changed their lives

Lamb in His Bosom is a compelling read. The forced drama keeps you reading to see how things work out for the characters, and families. there were times when it was a slog to read and I really wish it had an index of characters ; there were just so many amd i was curious about the accent used

interesting info
In 1934, Caroline Miller's novel Lamb in His Bosom won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. It was the first novel by a Georgia author to win a Pulitzer, soon followed by Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind in 1937. In fact, Lamb was largely responsible for the discovery of Gone With the Wind; after reading Miller's novel, Macmillan editor Harold S. Latham sought other southern novels and authors, and found Margaret Mitchell.

recommend to readers who appreciate this kind of writing

rating 4,5*

Just finished Moon Tiger and I'm sitting here like I've been in a time warp. this is a book about war and death and life and Love and loss And I'm by golly we're at it again. Another war so more loss some more love They ccn't seem to stop I don't understand why Excuse me while I get some Kleenex

why did you read ?

I keeo seeing the title, And have loved the other author's books so I figured it was time

Synopsis Without spoilers?

Winner of the Man Booker Prize Penelope Lively won Britain's prestigious Booker Prize for this deeply moving, elegantly structured novel. Elderly, uncompromising Claudia Hampton lies in a London hospital bed with memories of life fluttering through her fading consciousness. An author of popular history, Claudia proclaims she's carrying out her last project: a history of the world. This history turns out to be a mosaic of her life, her own story tangled with those of her brother, her lover and father of her daughter, and the center of her life, Tom, her one great love found and lost in war-torn Egypt. Always the independent woman, often with contentious relationships, Claudia's personal history is complex and fascinating. As people visit Claudia, they shake and twist the mosaic, changing speed, movement, and voice, to reveal themselves and Claudia's impact on their world.

What kept you reading?

I had things to do this morning but this book just kept pulling me in I know we don't let go. Plus I thought it fit the time and place

What surprised you?

For some reason I have always related to characters like her that you think are brittle and hard and you find out they have something very much more going on She's one of those

Ranking?

This is a 5 star and probably would be the type of the list on this year's best books Though the year is still young

hello, anyone reading this?

>159 cindydavid4: I haven’t read Moon Tiger. Thank you for your review! I will add to my list

another reviewer compared her to the english patient which i also loved.

>160 cindydavid4: I read and reviewed Moon Tiger while ago and really enjoyed it.

debating on what Livesley book I want to read next. what are your favs?

picked up the mockingbird next door life with harper lee that I heard about and thought it would be a good read.

thank you to whoever suggestedglobetrotting writers walk the world sections by some know wharton, thomas jefferson, helen gardener. rachel carson, and unknown sara winnemucca, rajashe hadeh, fredwich wymper tell us about out great wide world from their eyes oh and i love the feel of the fabric of the cover

I read Moon Tiger several years ago and thought it was very good.

>167 rocketjk: thanks for stopping by. I decided to follow it up with another of hers The Five Thousand and One Nightsan excellent collection of her short stories including the title story. lots of fun here*

I'm a little sad; the book group that I have been with for several decades has really changed in many ways and I have found books that I am liking they are not very much enjoying .I don't mind that so much but it seems to keep happening many times The last few year. This last time was go went gone Here is the summary that somebody wrote

"There were 9 of us at the discussion for, “Go, Went, Gone”.
"The rating is 2.0. If you don’t count the people that didn’t read the book the rating is, 3.0. There were 9 of us at the discussion for, “Go, Went, Gone”. The rating is 2.0. If you don’t count the people that didn’t read the book the rating is, 3.0. Some of the comments were:

This book was translated from German

Beautiful writing

Based on history

Who was rescuing who? Richard was very lost. He needed a purpose/community

Shows you are visible, but not visible

Did not like the book. It was boring

It was a little to scattered. Couldn’t get excited"

first How in the hell were people who hadn't read the book given a chance to rate it

It wasn't based on history It was based on now yes the writing was very beautiful The comment about who is rescuing you is rather apt but there isn't much else there. I have no idea what shows you are visible but not visible means and I'm really sorry they didn't like it"

I havent been going for a while, its the same time when im folkdancing and I go when I can. there will be reading another book I chose north woods i wont be there and Ill just send them a letter of resignation im glad im here in place to talk about books , have conversations about them. so i thank you for sharing books with me in intellegent way ok now happily reading Livesly Five hundred and 1 nights ahhhhhh

>169 cindydavid4: Oh, that's tough, Cindy, I'm sorry. I'm in three book clubs now (which is too many, but they are all in walking distance and I like the people in them) and when it comes to suggesting books, I put a lot of effort into finding books that I think they would like. One of the groups likes to read the worst books -- did you know there's a book called What the Fireflies Knew? -- and so I'm choosing books that are escapist and fun but with a little more substance than usual.

thanks we chose books once a year and usually mine have been accepted. read one book that was told its not literary enough it for mass reading sigh i do have good memories so ill keep them close

Im just about done with Eleanor, and discovered there is an actual biography eleanor , the shadow queen got it on my kindle eager to compare the two

>169 cindydavid4: I'm sorry your book group has gotten so bad. Has it been the same people the entire time, or has the group membership shifted?

Folk dancing sounds fun, though, so at least since the book group isn't appealing, that's an easy choice to make.

Eleanor the Shadow Queen

Why did you choose to read this book

I have always been interested in English history esp medieval history and especially about royalty of England I have read much about the kings and queens and remember reading a bit about Queen Eleanor the wife Edward the First that she had died and had comimsioned 12 crosses to be placed along the path where she journeyed from her home to her grave'

Synopsis without spoilers (from intro)

Eleanor of Castile, the remarkable woman behind England's greatest medieval king, Edward I, has been effectively airbrushed from history; yet she had one of the most fascinating lives of any of England's queens. Her childhood was spent in the centre of the Spanish reconquest and was dominated by her military hero of a father (St Ferdinand) and her prodigiously clever brother (King Alfonso X the Learned). Married at the age of twelve and a mother at thirteen, she gave birth to at least sixteen children, most of whom died young. She was a prisoner for a year amid a civil war in which her husband's life was in acute danger. Devoted to Edward, she accompanied him everywhere. All in all, she was to live for extended periods in five different countries.Eleanor was a highly dynamic, forceful personality who acted as part of Edward's innermost circle of advisers, and successfully accumulated a vast property empire for the English Crown. In cultural terms her influence in architecture and design - and even gardening - can be discerned to this day, while her idealised image still speaks to us from Edward's beautiful memorials to her, the Eleanor crosses. This book reveals her untold story.

What kept you reading

the fascinating background of this women's life starting from birth and the history of three countries Spain England and France she was educated ,strong and fought along her husband

The author admits there's much missing from her life There is not paper trail that you'll find with the other queens but just based her projects her buildings Her arrangements of marriage her travel there is together enough to see someoone not lost but very vital to her family and country

what slowed you down

there came to a point and this is early in the book still in the introduction where all of a sudden all of the names were out there and I couldn't make head or tails of I had enough background to get some of them but I needed to go back and reread a lot and once I read a lot I got back to it

I got this book from Kindle but I really want to get a good hardback because this is one of those books I'm going to keep

who would you recommend to any one with an interest in british history

this is by far the best biography i have read about a british queen

rating 5*

Eleanor on the trail of englands lost queen

What brought you to read this book

I have always been interested in English history esp medieval history and especially about royalty of England I have read much about the kings and queens and remember reading a bit about Queen Eleanor the wife Edward the First that she had died and had comisioned 12 crosses to be placed along the path where she journeyed from her home to her grave'

Synopsis without spoilers from intro

Eleanor of Castile is famous for her "crosses", architectural wonders that dotted the medieval landscape, marking the place where her body rested on its way from Harby to final burial in London.Alice Loxton decides to commemorate the event by making the same journey. She begins in Harby, and walks the prescribed miles each day, stopp ing at each place where Eleanor's body stopped. Along the way, we are treated to her walking adventures, the characters she meets, and the surviving Eleanor Crosses. Eleanor's life is woven into the narrative, and it's fascinating to learn just how much this medieval queen has influenced life today in ways we don't even think of

what surprised you

she had 16 children during their 36-year marriage. Despite the high number of pregnancies, only six of their children survived to adulthood. Among the children who survived was her youngest son, who later became King Edward II.

What kept you reading?

I enjoyed her descriptions of the traveling that she was doing the bits bit problems with boots and mud and the fact that her crisscrossed some of the interest rates that she ran into he's a friendly narrator And she Talks about the different towns and places she goes and Connects them with Eleanor

What slowed you down

a few other quibbles. Number 1: the book describes Eleanor as a "lost queen". I don't think you can qualify Eleanor as lost. For a person to be lost, especially a person who lived so long ago, there has to be an element of misplacement. No one remembers. With Eleanor that simply isn't the case. We have her crosses, we know where she is buried. Her life is clearly defined in the pages of biographies. So, if you care to look, Eleanor is there, not lost. If anything, I would classify her as an "overlooked queen".

Number 2: the photographs. I so wish the images were in color. The grainy way they have been put into the book makes things hard to see, especially when the author says "you can see the red plaque in the bottom left corner". Well, you can't see a red plaque in a black and white image...and it was so camouflaged it took me a while to actually locate it.

All in all it was a pleasant read

recommendation
anyone interested in English history, and of an important woman in that hisorry

how do you rate it? 4*

>173 Julie_in_the_Library: im not sure because there were no names with the ratings.. it might be because im not there very much. however a couple of years we lost some old timers never found out why, and the newbys dont know me not gonna let it bother me got enough on my mind

>166 cindydavid4: So glad you enjoyed Globetrotting: Writers Walk the World, Cindy! For me, this little book opened up an extensive selection of works for follow-up.

i havent finished it slowed down coz of the style of writing in that time, but im enjoying it

finished livesly 5000inights a wonderful collection of short stories to make me giggle

started service model by a favorite author. expecting good things.

wishing all who celebrate have lovely passover. those that dont are free to join us in some matso ball soup!

i dont know how to put pics up, if any one has one or two feel free to paste

gonna see if i can do this without losing the post

This was not a stellar quarter forr me only read 10 books completed and four that were uncompleted Part of it has to do with some healthy issues and part of it has to do with the gravity of the events in this country I am going try to Concentrate on books this quarter However the books that I did read we're really quite good I think this is the is the most 5 stars I've given to a list in a long time,read

btw NF here means non fiction, not not finished...

These are not in any order

Guards guards guardes 4*

American daughters4*NF

solito5*NF

Wolf Hall Companion 5 _*NF

The Phoenix Crown* 3*

Unaccustomed Earth5*

Bellwether*5

Lamb in his bosom*4

Dodger*4

Tiger Moon5* TOP FICTION

Men at Arms*5

Eleanor: on the trail of englands lost queen4*NF

Shadow Queen4*NF TOP NONFICTION WRONG TOUCHSTONE BOOK BY SARA COCKERVILLE

new authors to me were both Loxton and cockerville and will look for reading others

Connie Willis is not new to me but a reminder that i need to read other books of hers i havent read

ive read lots of livesley but need to check out those i havent read. i keep getting pleasantly surprised by them
l

>180 cindydavid4: I'm here for some matzo ball soup (even though I already celebrated with my own - haha)!

>182 cindydavid4:, I, too, gave Solito 5 stars (I married into a Hispanic family and most of my own family are Israeli so I feel "the gravity of the events in this country" deeply). I could not stop crying after I finished reading that book.

I too am having second thoughts about my book club. There was a fissure amongst some members due to library changes (we meet at the library), and some of the longest standing members quit. Now someone else is running it, and I'm not crazy about the changes. The quality of the books has dropped IMO and the discussions feel watered down. With so little time to read and so many books on my TBR, I find it harder and harder to justify reading books I don't like.

I too thought Solito was amazing, and timely.

>184 labfs39: With so little time to read and so many books on my TBR, I find it harder and harder to justify reading books I don't like

I'm in somewhat the same quandary. There have been recent changes with new members, and their reading preferences are different than those of members of longer duration. Sometimes, the chosen books work really well, and are something I would not have read otherwise, but lately they've been more of a disaster. However, so far the balance has been okay. I'm not sure how next year will work - you really have to be there on voting day!

Maybe they too have less time, so choose easier books. However, at times it's difficult to politely ask them the reason behind their suggestions. You want to read what?!!!

>185 SassyLassy: You want to read what?!!!

Lol. Our book club used to assign a person to each month, and the person picked the book. I liked that. It ensured a diverse pick of books. For instance, one member is a scientist and had interesting nonfiction picks. This year, however, in December the "leader" presented us with a list of books, and we had to pick 12 out of about 20. I tried to gently point out that at least three of the titles were about recently bereaved white women, she said to not vote for them if I didn't like them. Sigh.

>52 qebo: was going through my posts and saw it before but didnt really see it.good tips. I now have to grade the drs really? if i come back , they should figure out that I like them. quit emailing me!!!

Finished service model is probably going to be my fav sci fi books. this year love this author, in this one he sees a world such as ours

""To fix the world they must first break it, further. Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into its core programming, they murder their owner. The robot discovers they can also do something elseThey can run away. Fleeing the household they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating into ruins and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is having to find a new purpose. Sometimes all it takes is a nudge to overcome the limits of your programming"

this book takes in book banning, free speech, counseling, wars, free will ,guilt, and god and maybe 42 is the answer to life and everything after all

>188 cindydavid4: Quite a good-natured dystopia, isn’t it? I really enjoyed ironic style of Adrian in this one.

>189 VladysKovsky: I read your review of this book and from what you wrote I think it is “a bit too merry” for me.

>190 kjuliff: I have to admit I become allergic to humour when it comes in large quantities. So yes, very enjoyable irony but a bit too much of it - for me.

>190 kjuliff: hee maybe tho i do need something funny too to keep it together. but dark parts stand out for me and make me remember our own dystopia now

>192 cindydavid4: I read Project Hail Mary for that very reason. To put my mind somewhere from the dark times in which we live. Another planet worked for me but humour doesn’t right now,

thats alright im into globetrotting and am liking going back in time rather refreshing to see earlier times

>188 cindydavid4:, >189 VladysKovsky: and rhian's post about this all contributed to my adding to my libraary wishlist.

And Cindy, you have a link at the bottom of your thread to continue it, if you want to do so. :)

oh thats where it is, thanks! mmm, do i need to save my old thread or does it come up on its own

>196 cindydavid4: If you use the "continue this thread" link, both threads will be automatically linked.

>197 FlorenceArt: oh ok thanks

in that case its time for a new thread! its well in to April with lovely temps; I had a garden party with the staff of my former school . I've been doing this for for 7 years since our program was closed down so we've all kept together which pleases us to no end . What with catching up the gossip, tell Hello ank you very much Dan Bye bye stories about their families. show off things they done since last year and of course, photosAll in all it was a very grand day

stay tune for a little bragging I am very very lucky indeed to have a yard that I have. I have a husband who is willing to put so much work into it since I can't The yard is filled with desert plants and plants that can handle the sun and give shade. also spaces for some veggies . And of course the cats are roaming around at will. and of course comfy places for me to sit so I can read

We weren't planning to move out of the house we had down the street we noticed our neighbor was having a yard sale and a house sale He took us to the backyard and it was an Oh my God moment I need to post some picks but havent been able to figure our how....

We have a lot of color even in the summer we think everything would dry up ,but with some water and some shade they do pretty well Our cats love mingling through the through the yard weve bbeen here Since1994 and have never wanted to move

But on to more important things BOOKS

second quarter has started well. Finished service modelby one of my favorite sci-fi writers. I'm almost finished with the Globetrotting Writers Walk the World I started reading much earlier this year but for some reason we couldn't get into it but now I am absolutely loving it it would be fun to go and recreate all of those trips that they visited

. Been reading where we keep the light Stories by Josh Shapiro the governor of Pennsylvania. The first part is certainly harrowing which he tells about the Passover dinner where someone set fire to the house Thank God everybody that was there survived but that had to be scary As I'm going into it though I'm finding him doing a lot of repeating in what he's done But that's just me I probably said I should finish it It's certainly a of the kind of leader we not we need in our country

Then I'm going to read the boy on the back of the turtle which several people here have mentioned

stay tuned for the usual lists......

>199 cindydavid4: Then I'm going to read the boy on the back of the turtle

I enjoyed that one, especially since so much of it resonated with my own recent experiences (for example, the toilet paper issue). Look forward to your impressions.

help i was reading someones post who talked about a short story about time travel by john scalzi i got distacted by somthing realized i forgot the books title. its part of an amazon series about time travel the book looks really fun. does thi book look familar to any one?

>204 cindydavid4: Maybe 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years, part of Amazon's Time Traveler's Passport series? There's also Slow Time Between the Stars from The Far Reaches collection, but I found it a bit of a snooze.

Yup thats the one thanks so much!

reading biography of david mcculugh history matters ed by his daughter, its a collection of essays, speeches and interviews he wrote but not published. one of my favorite historyans enjoy it quite a bit. fav part so far is his interview with the Paris Review about his writing
but i liked what he says about paying attention to the lesson teaches us about the future

found an interesting book for spring world of wonders in praise of fireflies whales sharks and other astonishments

>208 cindydavid4: Sounds perfect

>209 labfs39: and theres more! our indie had a special sale for indie book sellers day and among the stash is theo the golden wasnt sure if this was going to be bad for my diabetes (aka is it too sweet) but so many have lauded it, i have to try

i found myself hesitant to read this so i read the reviews, and they ran the gambit but then i read beebeereads review with the ending " Just when Levi takes us to the edge of schmalzy, he pulls back and offers meaningful dialogue about life and art." ok im sold

juggling several books the boy on the back of the turtle theo of golden,
world of wonder, history matters, (david mccullough) and long island(colm tobin),i blame it all or my indie bookstores independent book store day.

well the first sections of long island were excellent but by the time i got to the end all i had was a Frustrating number of secrets between the characters. and a very unsatisfactory ending i spent a day reading this, and wish i could get that time back rating a 3- for being able to get to the end promising me an excelleent finali, but ended with a buncg of loose ends. ive read his other books but they never caused me to feel so fooled as this one nah, rating it a 2

well its may which means the next book in the nighwatch series is up. Ive read feet of clay before but it might just be time for a reread

l love david mccullough books so was eager to see these pieces never before released in history matters with one exception i was unimpressed with his topics, most being men in the field that he learned from, but ones that didnt rate with me.the one exception was his essay on harry truman. its a book i didnt care to read, but his description of his time inpolitics got me interested. and now im wanting to read his bio. see this is what i was expecting to do, an essay on each of his books that we see a bit more of the character. not to be, sorry to say . thats ok

still reading world of wonders which is a lovely memoir of her family who traveled frequntly but no matter where she found them filled with the creatures she comes across in the wild. felt for her when her teacher tore up her picture of a peacock 'i said american animals' and loved what she ended up turning in instead and

just started seasons of glass and iron which is similar to the first book with two young sisters who discover nature while her mom is working. they are starting to get too similar so I may not try to read both finally reading feet of clay for this months nightwatch read

welcome to my second adventure in reading !!looking forward sharing lots of good reads with y ou all