Clam Shares Her Books & Cheeses ❂ 2026 ~ Part II ❂

Time for a new thread, my friends.

The female osprey finally arrived at the nest that I watch the most. The male has been here working on it for a while.

Oh, that's wonderful! Busy birds! ❤️

Happy New thread!

Happy New Thread.

Great to see the ospreys settling in for the season.

>1 clamairy: How wonderful! 🥰

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread!

>2 terriks: >3 pgmcc: >4 Alexandra_book_life: & >5 haydninvienna: Thank you!

Did anyone else watch the launch this evening? So exciting!

>6 clamairy:
I only now read a news article that it has happened. I remember following the Apollo VIII mission during its journey around the moon. The moon was looking well earlier in the evening. The full-moon is due just about now.

Happy New Thread!

Happy New Thread! And, yes, the launch of Artemis II was wonderful to see. (As are the Osprey(s))

>6 clamairy: Yep - watched it on YouTube, for some reason.

I admit to getting sweaty palms while waiting around for that final ten-minute countdown to start up.

But it looked perfect. And they were viewing a full moon! Very exciting.

>1 clamairy: Happy new thread!

>6 clamairy: Yes, wondrous! My mom lives south of the Space Coast and the skies were clear enough for her to view it from her parking lot. The rocket is barely visible in her photo, lol, but the contrail is awesome!

Did you see where the toilet on Orion broke and Mission Control had to walk the crew through fixing it? They also had trouble with Microsoft Outlook running two programs for unknown reasons. Astronauts: They're just like the rest of us fr fr.

>8 Narilka:, >9 jillmwo: & >11 Karlstar: Thank you!

Yes, I didn't have sweaty palms, but I got goosebumps during liftoff, and then I got all choked up.

I'm so glad the toilet is working. LOL I am currently listening to Chris Hadfield's book and you don't want to be doing your business into pouches in zero gravity.

I laughed a lot listening to Andy narrate this one, but I learned quite a bit.

I watched a video of the final countdowns and launch on YouTube about two hours behind the actual time. My brother-in-law and nephew were among the spectators there on the ground. My nephew works as an aerospace technician and was part of the crew that outfitted the capsule. He installed the seats that the astronauts are sitting in.

I found the launch very exciting to watch, just like in the early days of space missions in the sixties. I think it's great that we're doing this again, regardless of the politics.

>15 Meredy: That is so wonderful! He must be beyond thrilled to be a part of this!

>15 Meredy: Very cool!

>14 clamairy: I suspect that a very similar book could be written about most of the democracies now. But yes, it's been a known problem for decades: Richard J Hofstadter's Anti-Intellectualism American Life dates from 1963, and surely I can remember reading that in 1952, Adlai Stevenson was regarded in some circles as un-electable because he was regarded as an intellectual.

Adlai Stevenson figures prominently in this book for exactly that reason. I just keep hoping the pendulum swings back towards smart politicians worldwide before it's too late.

>15 Meredy: This is so cool!

That famous anecdote about Adlai Stevenson likely is apocryphal, but it remains accurate nonetheless:

"Someone heard Stevenson’s impressive speech and said, 'Every thinking person in America will be voting for you.' Stevenson replied, 'I’m afraid that won’t do—I need a majority.'"

>21 libraryperilous: I'm only half awake, but I laughed so loudly at this that I scared my cat.

>21 libraryperilous: Good quote. Sadly true.

I was working during the launch but not sure I would’ve watched it. I remember watching the Challenger all those years ago….
I am excited for the mission and we are keeping up on the news of it.

>23 catzteach: NASA has (had?) a tribute hall to both Challenger and Columbia at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was moving to visit it.

>22 clamairy: LOL. ;)

>14 clamairy: I'm subscribed to Andy Borowitz's Substack and love his "news" items.

>25 Marissa_Doyle: Same. He's got that perfect combination of intelligence and biting wit to write about the current times.

Glad I finally got to this. I picked a good time!

>27 clamairy: May I suggest Mike Collins' Carrying the Fire as one of the best (and I've read most of 'em)? He's a fine writer.

>28 Marissa_Doyle: I borrowed that from the library ages ago but couldn't finish it in time. I think I will try it again as an audiobook. My favorite space memoir is Lost Moon, which they retitled after the film came out.

>28 Marissa_Doyle: Seconding Carrying the Fire.

This is @Tane's collection of short stories. I was very excited to have won this through the ER group.

>31 clamairy: thank you for reading it, and reviewing it! I really appreciate that. And for the encouragement to keep going - there’s more on the way. The next will be a novel rather than a collection of short stories.

>31 clamairy: I’m so pleased that you won! Though I must say it’s both thrilling and terrifying to know someone has read your work. Anyway, thank you!

>32 sfrussellwriter: That's excellent news!

>33 Tane: I'm sure it is. I would have a hard time when a professor would read a paper of mine in front of the class!

I took the ferry up the Connecticut Easter morning to spend some time with my son and his girlfriend. I did all the cooking and they did all the clean up afterward. We had a lot of fun and I got home yesterday evening. The night before I left I finished A Mouthful of Dust which is book 6 of The Singing Hills cycle, by Nghi Vo. Holy shitballs! I still need to write my review but that was another short yet extraordinarily powerful book.

Because I loved The Invasion of the Body Snatchers so much last year I have started Time and Again by the same author. Good so far. I'll be back with that review when I find my mojo.

>35 clamairy:
That was a nice Easter visit.

>35 clamairy: Sounds like a great time. It also sounds like you may have enjoyed that book.

>35 clamairy: How lovely to be able to take the ferry to your son's house! I'm glad you all had a fun time.

>35 clamairy: I think I downloaded A Mouthful of Dust to my Kindle at some point recently. I look forward to your review.

>35 clamairy: What a nice Easter weekend!

I am looking forward to your review of A Mouthful of Dust. I agree, it was powerful.

I am bailing on Time and Again. I primarily read in bed at night, and I am falling asleep after a page and a half every night. It's not that the book is not good it's just that it is so slow paced that I just can't stay awake. I decided to try reading yesterday afternoon, and I almost took a nap which I just never do. I believe I will see if it has the same effect if I listen to it instead. Last night I started the brilliant Claire Keegan's Walk the Blue Fields and I read for at least 30 minutes before I fell asleep.

I still need to write that review...

>41 clamairy: Funny, when you mentioned you were going to try Time and Again, I sort of groaned inwardly since I don't remember much of it and that it was a bit of a snore fest, especially compared to Body Snatchers. It was a Recorded Books edition I borrowed from the library and had no thought of revisiting it.

>42 Bookmarque: I feel better. Thank you! For so many years I've had trouble falling asleep especially if I was reading something good. I have recently cut back a little on my caffeine, but even on the days when I indulged in my usual amount I was passing out after three or four paragraphs of this book.

>41 clamairy: and >42 Bookmarque:, I am quite sure that I read Time And Again in the Readers Digest Condensed Books edition back when I was a teenager. I sped through it but probably wasn't paying as much attention to the writing as I might pay nowadays. I remember that there were line drawings included that showed the Dakota in New York. It was the only way I recognized the building when the news hit about John Lennon's death in 1980.

I'm sorry this took so long. When it comes right down to it I feel I do not have adequate skills to write a review of any great length for this book.

>44 jillmwo: I guess it's not as memorable as Body Snatchers, but I'm glad the artwork stuck. I did get far enough to see a few old photos of the Dakota.

>45 clamairy: It is so heartbreaking...

I'm with you on Chih staying at Singing Hills for a long time.

>41 clamairy: This is a nice coincidence, I started reading Keegan's Antarctica the day before yesterday.

This one was solid! There's a romance that did not make me wince and a mystery to be solved. Oh, and there's a semi-corrupt bureaucracy to deal with as well.

>48 Alexandra_book_life: I look forward to your review! I have to write one before everything starts to fade.

>49 clamairy: This is such a nice series! I hope there will be more books, there should be seven ;)

>51 Alexandra_book_life: Oh, I am very happy to hear that!

This short story is free to read if you are an Amazon Prime customer. (As are all the others in this series. I intend to read at least a few more of them.) I have started reading Wolf Worm from T Kingfisher. The reviews in here have me girding my loins to face some bug related horror.

>49 clamairy: I need to pick this series up again! I read the first two books and loved them.

>54 Sakerfalcon: Have you read any of the previous books, or only the Paladin ones? I'm thinking of doing the earlier three as audio books.

Only the Paladin ones. I have Swordheart on the TBR pile, and Clockwork boys has just had a mainstream UK release so I may pick that up, although I seem to remember some slightly lukewarm comments on that one.

Catching up.

>57 clamairy: Lovely review!
I'm still reading Antarctica, currently at 40%. There is a lot of darkness there too, always beautifully written.

>58 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you. I had planned on writing more but when I finally sat down to do it I just couldn't come up with very much to say. I find her writing speaks for itself. Looking forward to your review. I believe Antarctica is one of her earlier books, too.

>57 clamairy:
Very useful description of the book. I think it means I am not the target demographic for that book. Thank you.

>60 pgmcc: Yeah, probably not... Though she is an Irish writer. I would put her in the same category as Colm Tóibín. I love his work, but your mileage may vary. ;o)

Though I strongly suspect you would enjoy Small Things Like These.

>61 clamairy:
I did read one of Colm Tóbin's books. You are correct; my mileage does vary. :-)

I think I also tried one of Claire Keegan;s books. It reinforced my understanding that I am not her target demographic.

There is a general sense that Irish writers who strive to be literary tend to focus on misery. It is not a million miles from the truth in my experience.

>62 pgmcc: I have yet to read any literary novel that did not have a somewhat high misery quotient.

>63 clamairy:
Now you understand the problem I have with our bookclub picking new Irish literary releases.

😂😂😂

I prefer fun in my reading.

>64 pgmcc: I understand. I usually like reading literary fiction in small amounts, but not when my world is going to hell in a hand basket.

Y'know, I was going to come in here and say that there was no reason that literary fiction had to be drenched in despair. That it was just the current cycle in the marketplace that made you think that. But when I tried to come up with some good examples of non-despairing literary fiction, I failed. I don't think that Les Miserables is drenched in despair, but I'm not sure we consider that to be a modern example of literary fiction. Wait a minute. There's Virginia Woolf. She wrote Mrs Dalloway and that one isn't drenched in despair. There's melancholy, but not real DESPAIR. Hmmm. What about that dreadful science fiction thing, Dahlgren. Very artsy-fartsy in terms of literary style, but the worst you can say about it is that it's dull.

But am I wrong? Is all literary fiction in the 21st century by definition a morass of sadness and angst? Can anyone think of one that is up-beat? Because that's a heck of a defining characteristic.

Q: How do you know if it's literary fiction?
A: It makes the reader want to throw the book at the wall, pull the covers back up over their head, and then weep.

Is that really where we are?

The first titles that come to mind are things like Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and Great Kitchens of the Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal. Neither are books I could shoehorn into a "genre" nor would I classify them as heavy or despairing. Not all is sunshine and puppies either, but they end with an uplifting vibe rather than circling the drain.

>66 jillmwo: An excellent question. I'm sure there are some more recent examples out there. Ann Patchett's Tom Lake might be in that category. I have errands to run but I will come back and try to think of a few more.

>67 Bookmarque: I did enjoy Remarkably Bright Creatures, but I'm not sure I would call it literary fiction. I see that people have it tagged as that here on LT, but even more have tagged it as magical realism, believe it or not. (And even more have it tagged as grief.) You are correct in that books like that often defy categorization.

>68 clamairy: tagged it as magical realism

Those people haven't met an octopus. 🐙

>68 clamairy: Agreed! Although I'm not sure it was the octopus they thought was magical, but more the way things turned out in the end.

>66 jillmwo:

When I commented about books that focus on misery my comments were specifically about Irish literary fiction. In terms of what is categorised as literary fiction in Ireland one only has to look at the books lauded by the Irish literati as being worthwhile. When I find the time I will look at the Irish “literary” publications of the past few years to identify some that are, or have the potential, to be uplifting.

Roddy Doyles Paddy Clarke, Ha! ha! Ha! won the Booker Prize. The pre-awards discussion had a panel of people giving their views on the shortlisted books before the final results were announced. All but one of the panelists regarded themselves as members of the literati. They would also have been regarded in that light by others of a like mind. All these literati damned Roddy’s book and wondered how it got onto the longlist in the first place. Germaine Greer was the other panel member. She damned all the other finalist books and said that for her Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha was the only real novel of the lot and that she considered it the only worthwhile winner. Because Doyle’s earlier books were humorous looks at Dublin life the other panelists felt that nothing written by Roddy Doyle could possibly be considered literary.

>68 clamairy: Another recent example might be A Gentleman in Moscow, written in this century but of course taking place in the 20th. Not completely upbeat in tone, but the main characters certainly aren't awash in angst.

>72 terriks: True! That's a great addition to the list.

Less, by Andrew Sean Greer, won the Pulitzer precisely because it was funny literary fiction. I've not read it.

This was a bit more than I bargained for. I am not much of a horror fan any longer. (Reading The Tommyknockers while I was suffering from morning sickness was enough to turn me off for decades.)

Be forewarned.

>75 clamairy: Oooh, I almost bought that one this weekend. Then decided to hold off for a bit. Maybe I’ll get it after all.

>75 clamairy: Thank you for the warning! :)
I will read it (because Kingfisher), but it's good to be prepared.

>74 libraryperilous: It was decent, but I didn't find it that funny. Thankfully nothing in it was over-the-top or cartoonish. Less

>75 clamairy: Nope. Nope, nope, nope. I just have no use at the moment for any additional scary stuff. I find the real world to be an adequately frightening environment.

>79 jillmwo:
Hear! Hear!

>79 jillmwo: Understood. I kind of wish I had waited until after, well... I'm sure you know what I'm waiting for.

A few more authors to try for more positive vibe lit fic - Patrick Flanery, Christopher Bollen, T.C. Boyle, Sue Miller, Carol Sheilds and William Boyd. A few have touches of genre like mystery or historical fiction, but not full on.

>82 Bookmarque: Definitely T. C. Boyle! Oddly enough he graduated from Potsdam a few years ahead of me, and he must have made a huge impact because one of my professors talked about him quite a bit. (At that point he was only on the verge of publishing his first book.) I have only read one Carol Shields and I did not love it.

>75 clamairy: Oh my yes, I followed Vernon's art before she was an author. It has a whimsical side that I enjoyed. It's too bad she doesn't do much regular art any more though I love her books too.

>84 Narilka: I'm going to have to seek some out, I see! Thank you for letting me know it's worth looking for.

>85 clamairy: This will get you started: https://redwombatstudio.com/other-works/

>86 Narilka: Many thanks, and holy shit! I also went to her DeviantArt account. She is so freaking talented.

>86 Narilka: and >87 clamairy: It's unfair, isn't it, that talents get handed out so arbitrarily and unfairly. Because it would appear she got a whole lot more of the artistic gifts than most of us are awarded.

>88 jillmwo: Oh, definitely. Not only that she appears to have the energy to utilize all of them!

>86 Narilka: I love every single thing about the grinning pear posing for the chipmunk photographer.

Every. Single.Thing.

Especially the weirdness of typing out those words! 😂

Thanks for the link! Never would have guessed, though I’ve yet to read anything by her.

>90 terriks: I sent my daughter the link and she said that pear art is a meme. 😃

>91 clamairy: I looked online and sure enough, this pear has gotten around! Lol

It's great to see everyone enjoying her art :) She's very talented as you all noted.

Hey, congratulations on your 20th!!!

>94 Bookmarque: Thank you! I was just coming in to post my own self-congratulations!

I did buy a book yesterday, but once again I am going to use the money I would have spent on books to donate to the library where I used to live in CT, (I already gave to the one in my town a few months ago!) and to some other book related organization. Not sure which yet. Possibly Reading is Fundamental or the National Book Foundation. Perhaps both.

It's been one hell of a journey these last 20 years. I'll say that much.

>95 clamairy:. You are a good person for donating to your old CT library. But as the graphic from >94 Bookmarque: points out, you should still consider how to appease the Enforcers. I mean, they're old and grey at this point, but they still like their cheese boards on display...

>96 jillmwo: Bwa ha ha!!!

I promise to post some gratuitous cheese and wine pics later today. Right now I have to spray myself with bug repellant and go plant some no longer dormant peonies I bought a couple of weeks ago. I really should know better, but I don't. At least I have a perfect spot. I'll put them where I planted the two Pineapple Sage plants that I mistakenly thought would Winter over.

Here are some snacks and a bit of local wine. (Not my photos.)
Enjoy!

>98 clamairy: Happy thingaversary!

>98 clamairy:
Happy Thingaversary. That is a delightful feast.

>98 clamairy: Happy Thingaversary!

Thank you for this feast :)

Happy Thingaversary! I hope you snagged some of the cheese and wine for yourself!

>102 Sakerfalcon: Not yet. I'm most likely waiting until Friday.

>97 clamairy: Did you get the peonies planted? It isn't too late, they should be ok!

>104 Karlstar: I did! They were sprouting in the plastic bag inside a cardboard bag... I think today I am going to put protective screening around all three of them. I only made a slight dent in weeding that section, so I have to get back out there anyway.

>99 Karlstar: >100 pgmcc: >101 Alexandra_book_life: & >102 Sakerfalcon: Many thanks!

>98 clamairy: Happy thingaversary!

>107 Narilka: Thank you!

I ended up buying four Pratchetts. I skipped a couple with lower ratings, (like Eric), because I will just borrow the audio from Libby.

Once again I am behind on reviews, so dropping one here.

I enjoyed this very much. I know it's small potatoes in the big picture, but there were at least half a dozen glaring mispronunciations made by the otherwise excellent narrator. The accent was on the wrong syllable in metallurgical, and telefax was pronounced tellyfax, for example.

>109 clamairy: I love this book! Your review makes me want to read it again, if for no other reason than to chortle at the "dated" elements. Since they didn't stand out the first time I read it, it's clearly been longer than I think.

Carl Sagan, I miss you. ❤️

Happy thingaversary!

>110 terriks: It did drag a bit in a couple of places but I think that's just because 40 years later I am used to books with a faster pace. Think about giving the audiobook a whirl. You can listen while you're working in the garden.

>90 terriks: ha!

>108 clamairy: good omens is my fav book by sir patty and neil gaiman. i take it down to read at least once a year if for nothing else but to re- learn gods final words to his creation

>113 cindydavid4: That book was my first introduction to Pratchett and I just about widdled myself laughing while reading it. Maybe I'll try listening to that one soon. It was NOT included in the sale, BTW.

>111 clamairy: I do feel like audio books are edging closer. :) I have the book on my shelf but it requires a seated read. Not always practical!

Good, if a bit slow to get going.

Lucy is a six year old Lucifer.

“You smell funny,” Lucy said, leaning forward and sniffing deeply. “Like … plants, but not like any that Talia has in her garden.”
“Oh, yeah,” J-Bone said. “I grow and smoke my own—”
“That’s quite enough of that,” Linus said. “We don’t need to know anything about your extracurricular activities.”
“Who’s the square?” J-Bone whispered.
“Mr. Baker,” Lucy whispered back. “He’s here to make sure I don’t burn anyone alive with the power of my mind and then consume their souls from their smoking carcass.”

I think I am finally caught up.

Some quotable bits in this book, though I don't agree 100% with all of them. Looking online I discovered Japan has a problem with young men becoming somewhat reclusive. (I don't believe this is a Japanese issue only.) This book is a reminder that reading is awesome, but you need to get out and live a little too. It also bemoans the popularity of shorter easier books.

“Books can’t live your life for you. The reader who forgets to walk on his own two feet is like an old encyclopedia, his head stuffed with out-of-date information. Unless someone else opens it up, it’s nothing but a useless antique.”

“Nobody’s interested in truth or ethics or philosophy. People are worn out from living. All they want is either to be stimulated or healed. The only way for books to survive in such a world is for them to metamorphose. Dare I say it? Sales are everything. No matter how great a masterpiece, if a work doesn’t sell it vanishes.”

>117 clamairy: I am glad you enjoyed it! It was a nice and thoughtful read, imo.

>118 Alexandra_book_life: Definitely! And there was a bit of humor, too.

“Books can’t live your life for you. The reader who forgets to walk on his own two feet is like an old encyclopedia, his head stuffed with out-of-date information. Unless someone else opens it up, it’s nothing but a useless antique.”

Now that's a good line. As is the follow-up quote, >117 clamairy:

>120 jillmwo: There is quite the rash of Japanese books about bookshops and cats. Detective stories involving bookshops and cats is also part of this massive upswelling of literature in Japan.

wind-up birds are so passe.

>122 MrAndrew: 🤣 And no one was flayed alive in this one...

In case you missed it there is a new feature rolling out. I think they are still working out the bugs for other countries, but if you live in the US you can see which states the authors of many of your books were born. (Or primarily resided.)

https://www.librarything.com/stats/MEMBERNAME/usstates

First you'll see a map and then if you scroll down you will find a glorious pie chart. I am missing three states: Alaska, Nevada and North Dakota.

>124 clamairy: Cool! You have me beat, I'm missing 10 plus some territories. I a good number of books with the US author's state not set though, so this will likely change.

>125 Karlstar: Are your books also tilted heavily towards New York? @timspalding implied that would be the case for most of us.

>116 clamairy: i really loved that but found the sequels less enjoyable. but ymmv

>116 clamairy: Really enjoyed this book. Lucy is my favorite. I have read the others. In fact, I’ve read all of his. And he has a new one coming out soon - I forget when, though.

>117 clamairy: I read this one a couple of weeks ago. It was included in some free books our school received. Funny, because it’s not really a kid’s book. I think maybe classified as YA because the main character is still in high school? But still, it got sent to an elementary school.

>128 catzteach: Lucy was hilarious, but the gardening gnome Talia was my kindred spirit. (Especially since she threatened to dig graves all the time.)

Perhaps someone saw the cover art and decided it was a kid's book without actually investigating.

What's not to love about a talking cat?

>126 clamairy: Yes, NY state easily has the most for me, multiple history authors plus authors from other genres.

I could see where this could be up for some debate though. For example, I see Guy Fieri's birthplace of Ohio is listed, but he seems to consider himself a California guy.

P.S. I see there was much debate on this in the talk thread, they seemed to have hashed it out. I still have 81 authors with no location listed, down from 130+ this morning.

>117 clamairy: I own this and need to read it!

>124 clamairy: Oh this is fun! I'm missing Delaware, DC and South Dakota, plus some territories.

I'm missing about eight states. Apparently there aren't a lot of authors born in Wyoming or Montana whose works appeal to me. Idaho also seems a problem.

>132 jillmwo: My missing states are also in the Great Plains and High Plains areas. The 'About the author' blurbs in the back are now quite useful, but I still have 79 to go.

I've got some catching up to do. Been listening more than reading with my eyeballs because it's gardening season. Also, my current read, while written very well, is dragging me down. It's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and I think I'm going to bail because not only is my progress slow I'm finding excuses not to pick it up.

Loved this Audible dramatization!

I liked this dramatization, but didn't love it.

Will be avoiding this narrator.

Reading Agatha Christie is always nice :)

History of walking sounds very interesting, shame about the narrator..

>134 clamairy: I really enjoy Bury our bones. I think it did take a while to get into it, though. I read it a few months ago.

>138 catzteach: I do think it's just me and where my head is at right now. I have started Platform Decay instead.

>137 Alexandra_book_life: Indeed! They are much better when you don't know how it ends, though. LOL

Had a chance to stop by one of our local lighthouses to enjoy the view of Long Island Sound when driving my son and his girlfriend to the Orient Point Ferry. The first shot is Northeast and the second is Northwest. You can see quite a bit of lingering fog on the horizon.

>140 clamairy: Wow! This is so beautiful.

>139 clamairy: I need to catch up on the Murderbot series. Hopefully the newest one is good.
>140 clamairy: gorgeous and so peaceful!

>140 clamairy: Very nice!

>140 clamairy:
Lovely pictures.

>140 clamairy: So beautiful.

>140 clamairy: Those photos are so relaxing. Thanks for sharing :)

>140 clamairy: Oh my word, that's gorgeous! That fog is so lovely and adds a surreal touch. Hard to walk away from that scene.

Nice photos!

>21 libraryperilous:, >22 clamairy: Saw this on Bluesky and immediately laughed out loud:

Image Alt Text: Bluesky post from Jamelle Bouie that reads "watching clips of adlai stevenson in the 1956 campaign for the first time and my immediate thought was “of course this nerd lost”

>140 clamairy: Gorgeous!

>148 libraryperilous: Bwahaha!!!!

>141 Alexandra_book_life: >142 catzteach: >143 Karlstar: >144 pgmcc: >145 Sakerfalcon: >146 Narilka: >147 terriks: >148 libraryperilous: Thank you!

>98 clamairy: Oh, I missed your big Thingaversary--sorry! Belated congratulations. I'm so glad you're here.

>140 clamairy: Ooh! These are beautiful shots! Looks really tranquil.

>152 Meredy: & >153 Tane: Many thanks.

I think I am all caught up on reviews after this.

I snagged The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us during an Audible sale a while back, and I was not disappointed.

>155 clamairy: Good to know. I don't think anybody knows the subject as well as Steve Brusatte.

>156 hfglen: This was the first book of his that I've consumed! It definitely won't be the last. I'm eyeing The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present.

>155 clamairy: I'm always on the lookout for good audio non-fiction. Those are the kind I like to listen to. I'll have to see if Spotify or Libby has this one.

I have already moved on to The Keeper by Tana French.

>159 clamairy:
I am glad it did not disappoint. Looking forward to reading it soon.

I feel like an idiot. I completely forgot I get one free Audible book a month through my Prime Music subscription. Oh well... At least I grabbed May's book.

>161 clamairy: Free is good!

>159 clamairy: Hurray for murderous Sec Units! :D I am glad you enjoyed it too.

Oh boy. I really loved this book, but I found myself once again mourning the premature loss of the brilliant Terry Pratchett.

I think Night Watch might actually be the best Discworld book. Maybe not my total *favorite*, but one of the best.

>165 reconditereader: I did notice the ratings on here were high. I think I still love Wyrd Sisters more.

>166 clamairy:
While I have only read about eight Discworld novels Wyrd Sisters is my favourite so far.

Worth mentioning that Night Watch was the one selected for publication as a Penguin Modern Classic.

>168 haydninvienna: Thank you for that info. I had no idea. It makes sense, though. I suspect Sam Vimes might be relatable to a wider range of readers than Granny Weatherwax.

>168 haydninvienna:. I am charmed by this information. Sometimes, publishers DO make the right decisions!!!

I'm not sure this will work but here goes.
A Facebook friend shared this gift link to a wonderful article in the Atlantic about Terry Pratchett.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/author-terry-pratchett-film/687253/?gi...

>164 clamairy: Pratchett had the most amazing understanding of human nature. The fact that it was combined with such a talent for witty writing is chef's kiss.

>171 clamairy: Funny you should mention this. The fans over on r/Discworld brought it up too. Apparently the truth is that Discworld sales are up and increasing slightly. Check out what these guys uncovered: https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/1tns3ef/anyone_buying_this/

The link worked fine I might add :)

>173 Narilka: That makes me feel better. I think over the last decade of so all of the audiobooks have been rereleased with much improved versions, as well.

Key Details of the New Audiobooks

The Footnotes: Read by Bill Nighy.
Death: Voiced by Peter Serafinowicz.
The Witches Series: Narrated by Indira Varma.
The Wizards Series: Narrated by Colin Morgan.
The City Watch & Tiffany Aching: Narrated by Jon Culshaw and Sian Clifford.
Standalone Titles: Andy Serkis narrates Small Gods, and Matthew Goode handles The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic.

Here's a 20 minute video about the audiobooks. https://youtu.be/Zw4kYXx8s4k?si=YrOGDR0oQs2EMkjk

>171 clamairy:
The link worked for me. Thank you for the article.

>174 clamairy: Good!

>171 clamairy:. The man did wonderfully fun comfort reads. And, frankly, Bill Nighy reading The Footnotes might be enough to draw me into audiobooks.

>177 jillmwo: I'm going to attempt not to nudge you with too much force, but if you have a library card all you have to do is add the Libby app to your smartphone or use Overdrive on your laptop. All of these will be free. I have learned that I cannot make myself clean my bathroom without distracting the 99.9% of my brain that I do not need for the task with an audiobook or the like.

>177 jillmwo:
I can see how that would work. I really like Bill Nighy’s work and he has an excellent voice.

>178 clamairy:
That begs some very serious questions.

>180 pgmcc: Look at the rate I listen to audiobooks. (Yes, my bathrooms are clean, but there are some serious dust bunnies under my bed.)

I am a sucker for anything Bill Nighy, but this is a bit too far. Enjoy everyone - he's a gem!

>171 clamairy: No problems with the link on my end. Great read, and a fabulous B&W portrait to boot!

I'm moving slowly with my Pratchett intake thus far - not 100% bitten but definitely have fang marks. (And no, I have no idea where this analogy came from. I should go.)

>171 clamairy: Thank you so much for sharing that one. It's a wonderful article with a fair amount to consider. We've got the Pope quoting Tolkien. Perhaps we could coax him into quoting Pratchett. Who knows. Leo XIV might roar with laughter over the presentation of Death.

>183 terriks: There are plenty of vampires in Discworld, especially in Überwald! LOL I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. You too, >184 jillmwo:.
I wouldn't put it past Leo Quatorze to be a Pratchett fan

I am woefully behind on reviews because I have been mulling over The Keeper. I will try to come back this evening when I am too tired to move and nail down some of my thoughts.

>186 clamairy:
Be kind to yourself. You are not being judged on your review completeness. The only person beating yourself up on that is yourself.

You will have noticed that I am not losing sleep over the reviews I have not done. That is because I am a selfish ******* and refuse to let it become a source of stress. :-)

Now, I had better get my Solace House review together as some people are waiting for it.

(Practice what I say; not what I do.)

>187 pgmcc: Bwahaha... I actually posted that mainly as a reminder to myself. I often come in with good intentions and ending up reading what everyone else is saying and commenting on that instead. But thank you for your kind advice, even if you don't take it yourself. :o)

Oh, come now, you two. As if any of us would have the temerity to sass you over reviews. We are all very grateful for the care you give to the Pub.

Actually, upon brief reflection, @clamairy, I might give @pgmcc some grief over his reviews. He's just such a good target. But I believe in sisterhood and I'd never pick on such a fine individual as yourself. And to be fair, I'd never call him the selfish ******* he called himself.

>189 jillmwo: Thank you for the kind words. I was not expecting any sass from you anyway. I was verbally beating myself up for being behind. And I am too tired to write any reviews tonight. Tomorrow is another day!

Ok, so, how about those reviews hmmm? The fact that your bathroom is clean doesn't help me decide what book to read. I'm just sayin'. You have responsibilities. Stop shirking.

>189 jillmwo: challenge accepted.

>189 jillmwo:
A slap down and tenderness in the same paragraph. That leaves be bemused, baffled and bewildered.

The first bit makes me feel like a fish in a barrel as you take aim with a shotgun. At least I serve some purpose.

ETA: I forgot to mention the blatant sexism in the same paragraph.

>191 MrAndrew: Now THAT is what I would expect to hear from one of my six brothers... Well, at least from five of them. One of them never gave me grief.

>191 MrAndrew: I should have seen it coming.

I finally made myself sit down and write this review. I enjoyed this one, but I was having a difficult time figuring out why parts of it struck me so. It isn't just because I am of Irish heritage... Or is it?

>195 clamairy: Glad you enjoyed it so much. She can write the walls down as I often say about other folks like T.C. Boyle, however I didn't like the first book at all so didn't bother with the rest. You do give me hope, by saying this is a trilogy and not an ongoing series, that she may return with something I'll like better.

>196 Bookmarque: The first one didn't feel like it was going anywhere, but I realized she was just setting the stage for the next two. I would have given this one five stars except the bad guy didn't have a single redeeming quality. (Yes, I do realize there are indeed people like that in real life.)

>195 clamairy: I really need to get back to this trilogy ;) I liked the first one!
Lovely review :)

>198 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you!

I am still scrambling to catch up with reviews.

I'm glad I borrowed this one. I don't mind paying for full length Kindle book by Martha Wells, but I draw the line at a 40 page story. Lots of humor.

I thought you hadn’t found any other machine intelligences outside the university that were, you know, up to your level.
I haven’t found any inside the university, either.

After I finished The Keeper I wasn't ready to leave Ireland just yet, so I did a search of my own books and up popped this book by Tim's wife. I had bought this one as a trade paperback before I made the switch to Kindle books. I know that copy in the house somewhere but I didn't even bother looking. Luckily for me it's still popular enough that it was available to borrow via OverDrive/Libby for my Kindle.

Okay, I think I am all caught up after this last one.

Took a break from the weeding and planting to enjoy a little sun and sand. There were a lot of people swimming already. I think I will be waiting a little longer.

>203 clamairy: Ooo, that looks beautiful! But I'm with you: my guess is that water is still a bit too cold for swimming.

Your reviews on the Tana French trilogy are intriguing! Not sure if I have the patience for choosing to slog through the first one to get to the other two. Might be a wintertime challenge.

>203 clamairy:
Very nice.

>204 terriks: It's in the low 60s (upper teens C) and although it was a bit of a shock when I waded in almost to my knees I did get used to it. Maybe another week or so.

If you haven't read any Tana French yet I would suggest the Dublin Murder Squad books before these.

>205 pgmcc: Thanks.

>203 clamairy: Good plan, looks great on the beach! How's The Hallowed Hunt going?

>207 Karlstar: I'm loving it. It definitely helps that I have all those Penric & Desdemona books under my belt otherwise I'm not sure I would understand about the ascendant demon situation as well as I do.

>206 clamairy: Oh my! This series looks great. I like that they're characterized as more good literature that happens to involve a murder mystery than as a mystery series.

Nice aim with that BB! ;) On my Wish List at Barnes and Noble.

>209 terriks:. I don't think Tana French has ever written a bad book. However, I agree with @clamairy about reading the various "sets" in the order of publication. I think she's wonderful.

>209 terriks: I do hope you enjoy them. My favorite in the 2nd, but your mileage may vary!

>210 jillmwo: She's got some serious writing chops. I can't wait to see what she's writing next.

>210 jillmwo: Thanks for this - I'm definitely intrigued. I'm going to start with In The Woods and take it from there.

Always excited when a new-to-me writer not only gets glowing reviews, but seems to write in a style I can appreciate.

If it’s not available in my local bookstore, I'll go online.

>212 terriks: The first four books in that series are really something - truly excellent and as original I think that things can get these days. Beware In the Woods though if you don't like opaque endings with dangling bits of plot. Not everything is tied up neatly. I think my favorite might be that one even though a lot of it is heartbreaking.

>213 Bookmarque: I liked the fifth one quite a bit as well, even though it was a bit more woo woo than most of the others. I did not love that third one like you did, though It was written well. I found it painful in many places.

>214 clamairy: The 5th was a slog because teenagers are unbearable. At least the ones in this book were and so it grated like nothing else. Actually skipped a lot of the scenes where they were all being monsters to each other. Also skipped a lot of Scorcher's mental sister in the 4th; not because she had issues, but because she fully knew and did nothing about them except inflict herself on everyone and ruin their lives. She refused all help and acted like a toddler having a tantrum most of the time. I guess all of the books have some of that depending on your sensibilities - Frank's mother in Faithful Place is a nightmare.

>215 Bookmarque: Absolutely agree about Frank's mother. His father was a piece of work as well. And now I think we've probably scared >212 terriks: off completely...

I didn't mind the teenagers in the fifth at all.

>216 clamairy: Ha! We probably have, but they are crime novels so there is a dearth of sunshine and puppies. Overall though I like the series a lot and hope she might return to it someday. I'd love to see one about O'Kelly and how he climbed the ladder to be the boss. Or one where Quigley gets hit by a beer truck. Or what has become of Richie, Scorcher & Rob.

>217 Bookmarque: I would like that, too. Perhaps she will!

>216 clamairy: >217 Bookmarque: Scared off, no, just feeling somewhat bemused while reading these exchanges without having a clue about Frank's mother, Scorcher's mental sister or arguing teenagers. ;)

It all comes across sounding very meaty. Which is a good thing, just to be clear.

>219 terriks: Oh good. Not trying to deter you or put spoilers in your way. Enjoy the series. I've done them in audio only and most more than once.

>220 Bookmarque: Oh, how was the narrator? I've only experienced them with my eyeballs. (Via e-ink of course.)

>219 terriks: Very glad to hear we didn't put you off.

The narrators are all different - I fell in love with Stephen Hogan's voice on Broken Harbor and he was back for The Secret Place (he did Stephen's part of the book), but really all the narrators do a good job. Now I love spotting Hogan in other things - he pops up in audio dramas in small parts fairly often.

>220 Bookmarque: >221 clamairy:. No worries! I didn't view anything written as a spoiler; if anything the characters all sound intriguing. :)

Trying to catch up again. One thing of note I did learn is that in the United States, England, Canada, etc. my given last name Moran is mispronounced. In the land of my forebarers the accent goes on the first syllable not the second. I guess I had heard this info before but it never really sunk in because I didn't get to hear the name pronounced correctly constantly for multiple days in a row.

Another of The Great Courses under my belt.

Okay I think this is the last one.

>225 clamairy: That sounds like a very interesting read. I can recommend Janacek's Sinfonietta as a good introduction to his music.

>227 Sakerfalcon: Thank you. Yes, that was one of the first pieces that popped up when I went 'agoogling' for his most popular works.

>225 clamairy: Another of The Great Courses under my belt. Do you frequently find that it's the length of a single Great Course that is the challenge for you? I keep looking at them but so frequently, it's the actual delivery of the information that drives me mad. Academics can know the most FASCINATING STUFF but then it comes out in some dreary tone and you lose all engagement.

>229 jillmwo: For me it is the cost! Every time I look them up, anything interesting is more expensive than I'm willing to pay.

>229 jillmwo: & >230 Karlstar: I get them all via Audible or Libby. (I believe Hoopla* has a pretty wide selection as well!) Most of the ones I got on Audible were part of their frequent Buy One Get One Free sales. Libby is the way to go if you want to listen to one for a while first before you decide if it's worth 30-40 hours of your time. For the most part the narrations from these academics are top-notch. The only one I've had trouble with so far was an American Literature course as I wasn't crazy about the professor narrating that one, but I will most likely go back at some point.

To answer you more specifically, Jill, there are topics I am much more interested in than others. The music / history one was down at the bottom of pile mostly because I would much rather just listen to classical music than listen to someone talking about it.

*A quick search on Hoopla brought up 638 results.

I rarely buy best sellers when they are just released but this past week I purchased two, Whistler by Ann Patchett and Land by Maggie O'Farrell. I was away in Connecticut this weekend and I woke up early yesterday morning and finished the Patchett. It deserves its current spot as the very top of the NY Times best seller list. I will need time to sort out my thoughts before I write about this one.

>231 clamairy: Thanks, I will look into getting them that way.

I have been listening to The Tower and the Ruin: J.R.R. Tolkien's Creation by Michael D. C. Drout for the last couple of days. Amazing stuff.

Thank you @jillmwo for calling this work to my attention recently.

>234 clamairy: ooh. That’s going straight to the top of the audiobook pile!

>234 clamairy: You're welcome. And I'm glad you've found it worthwhile. (Being as you are, one of the resident Tolkien experts here in the Pub. Your final assessment is important.)

I've listened to Michael Drout before when he had some lectures about Anglo-Saxon culture. He's not bad and something of a Tolkien geek I hear.

>237 Bookmarque: I'm glad you enjoyed it. In addition to several other books on Tolkien besides the one I'm listening to he edits an annual scholarly review of Tolkien Studies and he's put together a massive J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment that I went looking for online yesterday. (Hardcovers are $300 plus!) I believe he's been teaching various courses on Tolkien, language and medieval studies at Wheaton college for quite a while. Looks like he has some online classes at Signum, as well.

I'm behind on freaking reviews again! We were supposed to have showers today so I was planning to knock off a couple of them but the showers never materialized. I did some gardening istead. I planted some potatoes that sprouted in the bag, I transplanted some Morning Glories and I planted a Scarlet Runner. That last is a flowering climbing plant that apparently grows edible beans. I'm really growing it for the red flowers to attract the hummingbirds. I got two new trellises in the ground for the climbing things. I think I have about 20 trellises at this point maybe 24...

I did finish listening to The Tower and the Ruin and I started listening to Portable Magic today. I will definitely be going back to the book about Tolkien for another listen at some point. There was an awful lot to digest, even though it was not particularly long.

>239 clamairy: It is that time of year. Let us know how your Scarlet Runner works out, I wanted to try those years ago but never got around to it, the pictures looked great.

That's a lot of trellises! I'm trying to find something for hanging pots, half of the time our shepherd's hooks just won't stay vertical, despite our iron hard clay soil. The nursery today just opened a gift shop and had a ton of great pots and trellises, but nothing that looked like it would solve the problem.

>240 Karlstar: I had to remove a lot my trellises and then reposition them after this past Winter. My soil is very sandy, and when we go long periods without rain (or with too much rain) the trellises and the plant hooks get wonky. If the Scarlet Runner does its thing I will post photos.

>238 clamairy: (Hardcovers are $300 plus!) True, but Walmart has the Encyclopedia both used and new at a price point of about $55 in paperback while Amazon says they're temporarily out of stock on it. Tolkien is a profitable subject area for Routledge and they must think that there's considerable potential for consumer buying. I can't think why else a scholarly publisher would be distributing through Walmart.

>242 jillmwo: I did see the Walmart paperback price. Barnes & Noble has it as well. The one review here on LibraryThing makes me think I do not need to own this. Apparently no one really edited it. I did not check to see if there is a Kindle edition on Amazon.* Barnes & Noble has it as an e-book.

*The Kindle edition is $53.43.

>240 Karlstar: I went out and counted the trellises this morning. There are 21 that are 6' and another 15 or so between 3' and 4'. I didn't realize I had quite that many.

>244 clamairy: That's a LOT! An impressive amount of effort must go into them every year.

I did find a solution to our hanging pot situation, though it will require a stable base:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Panacea-Products-Modern-37-in-H-x-13-6-in-W-Black-Outdo...

>245 Karlstar: That looks great. I'm sure you'll find a way to stabilize it.

I'm trying to add a photo of morning glories on some of my trellises, and it keeps getting caught up on the 'add a title' thing.

Using Firefox. You can't actually see them, but there are quite a few trellises under there!

>247 clamairy: The trellises are well covered by the flowers! I'm a fan of Morning Glories, those look great.

>239 clamairy: The scarlet runner beans are most definitely edible, and the plants are frequently grown in England for exactly that purpose. They apparently develop underground tubers and those are apparently edible as well.

I haven't done a cheese post in a while and I feel the need to recommend and sing the praises of this magnificent Australian import. I first tasted it in the town next to the one I live in fairly soon after I moved here at a cheese shop that has since closed. (They had just opened in 2019 and COVID killed it.) I could only find it in specialty shops for the longest time, but all of a sudden one of my local grocery stores is carrying it and it is one of the most delightful things I've ever tasted. Not only is it good on crackers, you can crumble it on your salad and then use the olive oil that it's marinated in to drizzle on the salad as well.

Two thumbs (and two big toes) up.

Meredith Dairy — Products / Marinated Sheep & Goat Cheese https://share.google/E45vVAqj7cXHhwNSU

>249 haydninvienna: I didn't plant it in the organic section of my garden, so I might be a little wary about eating the roots. If it does well I will save the beans, dry them and plant them next year in my organic area.

>247 clamairy: This looks lovely! I like morning glories very much.

>250 clamairy: I love sheep cheese and goat cheese! This looks delicious.

>250 clamairy: Not a big fan of goat cheese myself, but I'm pleased to see an Australian product get such a warm welcome. FWIW the Meredith Dairy website (https://meredithdairy.com/recipes/) has recipes, some of which look pretty delish.

>254 haydninvienna: It does not taste like Feta, if that is what you are thinking. I'm not telling you to buy it, but if you're in a shop and they have free samples you should definitely try tasting it.

>252 Alexandra_book_life: I have a bunch growing like weeds that reseed themselves. I transplant those all along one of the lines of trellises.

>253 Alexandra_book_life: I hope you can find it!

>247 clamairy: Those are really pretty!

>257 Narilka: Thank you. They don't usually start blooming until August. And if I remember to spray them properly with the deer repellent I usually get at least two months of blooms.

Yesterday I finished Land by Maggie O'Farrell, and I finished listening to Portable Magic as well. So that means I am behind on four reviews once again. I've been putting off writing about the Ann Patchett because I loved it and I am still not sure why. I thought since yesterday it was raining it would be the perfect day to catch up on reviews, but decided to finish reading my book instead. LOL

>259 clamairy:. Rainy days are ideal for reading undisturbed.

>260 jillmwo: It was perfect... I need more days like that.

There's a new LibraryThing treasure hunt! I found three very easily, but I don't have time to do the rest of it now.

https://www.librarything.com/hunt/44

>262 clamairy:
I had a quick look at the questions and I have not been successful with any of them yet.

>247 clamairy: Oh, those are gorgeous! I had a friend send me seeds from his yard in Missouri, and I was quite proud to successfully get beautiful seedlings under the growlights.

Into the ground they went. And bloomed! Once!

Then.... he came along.

And the flowers are a distant memory. In my fantasies they were going to look as majestic as yours!

>262 clamairy: Thank you for the reminder about the hunt! Somehow I missed the banner for 24 days...

>265 Karlstar: I only saw it today! I just checked and they only started the hunt this morning. Phew...

>264 terriks: I was transplanting a bunch of the smaller Morning Glories today, and noticed they were all missing their lower leaves for some (furry) reason... If you ever decide to try to grow them again there are sprays that rabbits don't like.

>266 clamairy: Based on your advice from last summer, after a deer rampage on my daylilies, I bought some Liquid Fence stuff. It's all over the daylilies, but I just didn't think about protecting the Morning Glories....duh!!

The bottle says deer/rabbit, so that's a lesson learned. I think I was feeling invincible from the success with the growlights - and the bunny laughed.

Morning Glories are gorgeous - I love how you have yours all lined up like this on the trellises. I might try some again in the spring.

>267 terriks: Thank you. I have so many volunteer Morning Glories in my herb garden that I finally started just ripping them out like weeds today.

Yeah the Liquid Fence works well, but for the first day or so it smells disgusting... 🤢

>266 clamairy: Ok, I feel better now, I didn't think I'd ignored the banner all month, but who knows?

So far our morning glory seedlings haven't been consumed, but I'll remind Trish to spray them. It has been so chilly here, ours are just getting started.

>264 terriks:. You wouldn't really begrudge the poor little bunny rabbit his breakfast, now would you? You're much too kind for that. And OF COURSE the morning glories (had the very hungry critter not eaten them) would have been magnificent.

>270 jillmwo: Wouldn't Bunny be as high as a kite if he ate morning glories?

>270 jillmwo: OF COURSE, they would have been the most magnificent Morning Glories ever to grace the planet. !!

I did get one photo, so I was able to show the nice person who mailed me the seeds that they sprouted and bloomed (before the feeding frenzy of a hungry little bunny).

No, it didn't bother me - I actually laughed out loud over my stupidity. Every plant I've picked up at the local nursery has to say "Deer/rabbit resistant" or I won't bother. This time, I had to scarify the seeds, plant them lovingly in starter cups, and hover over the growlights for weeks before taking them outside to be ravaged.

Because I'm just that good.

>271 hfglen: Maybe not high but possibly very sick! I knew the moon flowers could be toxic, but I didn't realize the morning glories were, too. Obviously not an issue for the deer...

>272 terriks: Just so sad...
I have a little fencing around the ones I have in pots, but some kind of insect has been at them. I'll have to spray them tomorrow.

Attempting to catch up a bit.

I thought Hamnet was an almost perfect book. I was looking forward to this one so much. (Perhaps too much.)

>274 clamairy: I want to read Hamnet. Thanks for the reminder. :)

How long did you wait after reading it before you picked this one up? I seem to recall you weren't overly fond of Rules of Civility after reading A Gentleman in Moscow, and it wasn't a long period of time between the two. I could be misremembering that, though.

I took your comments under advisement, and it was nearly 2 years before I picked it up. I thought it was grand.

I'm trying to be patient with most series, too, because I think a little space and time can be helpful.

>275 terriks: I read Hamnet four years ago, so that wasn't the problem. Although I will say my expectations might have been unreasonably high. The ratings here on LibraryThing indicate that the other people who have read it so far liked it a bit more than I did. I did not read the review in the New York Times until after I had finished the book, and I found the reviewer summed up my feelings perfectly.

>276 clamairy: Ah, okay. I've not gone further than LT reviews myself, and maybe those posted on someplace like Goodreads - wherever mention of the book pops up. It's an interesting premise, so I'm intrigued. :)

>277 terriks: I wasn't very clear. In post #276 I was saying people liked Land better than I did. Not Hamnet.

>278 clamairy: Ha! Thanks for the clarification - I did think you meant Hamnet. :)

The feckin' deer visited my patio last night. Almost half of my most prolific tomato plant disappeared. It probably had 40+ small tomatoes on it, some of which were starting to ripen. Also a couple of my Morning Glories in pots got hit. I went around spraying everything with Liquid Fence this morning, but I will be spraying everything again this evening. (I had waited because it has been raining the last few days, and you are not supposed to spray it on wet plants.)

>280 clamairy: You know I feel your pain! That's quite a lot of damage. The tomatoes in particular; I know from experience how long it takes to get them ramped up and producing. It's painful to view the sudden destruction.

So sorry!

>281 terriks: Thank you. I have no one to blame but myself, but I'm still mad. I think it might be time to invest in the big container of the repellant. LOL

>282 clamairy: I'm on my second spray bottle of Liquid Fence. I have no idea if anyone's been visiting and been repelled by it - all I know is I've reapplied it regularly after every rainfall and the daylilies are still standing, in late June.

The bottle claims it's rain-resistant, but I do it anyway.

No PTSD here at all. ;)

>280 clamairy: Argh!!! We're familiar with that too, we just sprayed our lilies and daylilies and put up the netting over the tomatoes. I've been debating whether to spend $$ on the various fencing/caging options for our raised bed that has some tomatoes (and herbs and squashes) in it, but so far the spraying and netting is working. Last year they ate the tops off our tomatoes before they started blooming, but the plants recovered. I lost all of my tulips to a premature salad bar grazing this spring. One day we had tulips, the next day, just stubs.

We also have wind chimes up at the entrances to our patio area, where we have our tomatoes in barrels, that seems to work - most of the time.

>283 terriks: I got hit in April, and I think I have sprayed a few times since then. I was getting complacent.

>284 Karlstar: I like the idea of the wind chimes! That is like the zombie warning system of empty cans and chimes in The Walking Dead. My daylilies were eaten down to the ground a few months ago but they have rallied nicely. Thanks for the reminder to spray them all again, too.

>285 clamairy: Our deer usually wait until the daylilies are in mid-flower, then basically annihilate the flowers and buds. We only have a couple of varieties here, I need to pick up a few more, but it is always a battle vs. the deer, so I've been holding off.

>280 clamairy: Grrrr. I am sorry to hear that! I hope your plants will recover.

I won an ER book! A retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a queer character. It looks fun!
The Quaint Convictions of Kit Bennet by Ally Hastings.

BTW I am almost caught up on reviews, but I will wait until I start my new thread to share them. I should be doing that either late tonight or early tomorrow.

>288 clamairy: Congratulations! It does look fun :)

Stands tapping his foot and looking at his fingernails while waiting for Clam's new thread to start.

>291 jillmwo: I kind of share your impatience. But cut the woman some slack. Because earlier in the week the deer chomped down on her tomatoes without any remorse or apology.!!!

>291 jillmwo:
Sound of toe tapping on the floorboards.

>288 clamairy: Congrats, I hope you enjoy it!

>294 clamairy:
LOL!