Familyhistorian Takes Life (and Reading) as it Comes - Part 4

Well, last year threw a monkey wrench into the works. I don’t know what this year will bring but there will be books and talk about books. That’s something to look forward to.

I didn’t quite meet my goal for reading and sending books from my personal library on their way in 2025. Still 77 recycled out of a goal of 100 is nothing to be sneezed at and it outpaced my acquisitions. Maybe I’ll do better in 2026.



Little Free Library

Books culled in 2026

January - 6

February - 7

March - 4

BLOG



I write about genealogy and history on my blog. It helps to have a deadline when there are so many unwriterly tasks to be done. Follow my blog posts as I embark on another year of writing about my genealogical explorations and the information I find out about my ancestors. You can see my latest blog posts at: A Genealogist’s Path to History

Challenges

Nonfiction Challenge

January – Prize Winners - The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story by Kate Summerscale - DONE
February – All That Jazz - Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist - DONE
March – Off the Beaten Path Religious Sects - American Cult: A Graphic History of Religious Cults in America from the Colonial Era to Today by Robyn Chapman (others) - DONE
April – Internal Matters - Everything Tuberculosis by John Green DONE
May – Been there. Bought the t-shirt
June – Who Built that Beautiful Building and Why?
July – US revolution years from 1760 to 1788
August – Tweet, Tweet
September – Talk, Talk – Linguistics
October – Diaspora
November – Epistolography
December – Bibliography

Reading Through Time

January – Retellings of Classics - My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy - DONE
February – Agents of change, unexpected events that change the course of lives - The Black Death: A Personal History by John Hatcher - DONE
March – Slavery in the Antebellum South - The House Girl by Tara Conklin - DONE
April – Spring - The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin - DONE
May – It Happened in May
June – Love & Marriage
July – The Lives of Wives
August – Holidays/Vacations
September – Daughters
October –
November –
December –

Quarterly

Jan – March – 19th Century – excluding the Americas - Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas - DONE

List of books for challenges

Nonfiction Challenge

January - Prize Winners - Shortlisted for the 2020 Baillie Gifford prize The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story

February - All That Jazz - Empires of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist

May - Travel - The Victorian Visitors: Culture Shock in Nineteenth Century Britain by Rupert Christianson

Reading Through Time

January – Retellings of Classics - My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy

February - Agents of Change - The Black Death: A Personal History by John Hatcher

Shared reads

We Begin at the End April

Books read in 2026

Books read in March 2026

1. Kissing the Demons by Kate Ellis
2. Earth by John Boyne
3. Murder in the Afternoon by Frances Brody
4. Daughter of Daring by Mallory O’Meara
5. Black River by Nilanjana Roy
6. The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
7. Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist
8. Bones Under the Ice by Mary Ann Miller
9. Now You See Them by Elly Griffiths
10. Bog Queen by Anna North
11. The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller
12. The House Girl by Tara Conklin
13. Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger
14. Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody
15. The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths
16. A Medal for Murder by Frances Brody
17. Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
18. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
19. A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times by Grace Burrowes
20. American Cult: A Graphic History of Religious Cults in America from the Colonial Era to Today by Robyn Chapman (Others)

Books acquired in 2026

Books acquired in March 2026

Merriam-Webster's French-English Dictionary
Unlock genetics in 10 concise chapters by Marianne Taylor

Books counting towards Thingaversary

1. The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
2. Make (Sneaky) Art by Nisant Jain
3. Valentine in Montreal by Heather O’Neill
4. The Armor of Light by Ken Follett
5. Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths
6. Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron
7. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
8. The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
9. Unnatural Causes by P.D. James
10. Standing in the Shadows by Peter Robinson
11. Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin
12. Framed in Death by J.D. Robb (added in January)
13. Proof by Beverley McLachlin
14. The Late Show by Michael Connelly
15. Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin
16. The Silent Film Star Murders by Melodie Campbell
17. Liberty Street by Heather Marshall
18. Merriam-Webster's French-English Dictionary
19. Unlock genetics in 10 concise chapters by Marianne Taylor

(The last 8 books were 2026 additions)

March stats

Books read: 20
Pages read: 6252 (books may have been started in months previous to the one in which they were counted)
Read pages counted in 2026: 18,895
Male authors: 4
Female authors: 15
Multiple authors: 1
Owned books: 6
Borrowed books: 14

My owned books are trending up. Let’s see if I can do even better on that front this month.

Happy new thread, Meg. Hope I'm not jumping in too soon.

>14 jessibud2: Perfect timing, Shelley. It's all set up and ready to go. Thanks for the new thread wishes.

Happy new thread, Meg!

>16 quondame: Thanks Susan!

Happy new thread, Meg. x

Happy New Thread, Meg! 🧵

>18 PaulCranswick: >19 vancouverdeb: Thanks Paul & Deborah!

So last month my real life book club chose The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot as their book. I didn't read it. Didn't need to spend any more time in hospitals.

In March I was eager to pick up the latest book to be read in time for our April meeting later in the month. Not so eager once I was handed my copy of the book. It was Yellowface, a book I'd tried to read. I got to page 92 before deciding it wasn't for me. I've been eyeing my copy of the book for days but haven't picked it up - too many other books on the go. But that won't wash. I don't really want to not read two of the picks in a row. So I borrowed the audio book from the library and hope that does the trick. It seemed to at first but I'm now around the point that I abandoned my previous read. Can I get beyond that?

>21 Familyhistorian: Here's to enjoyable reads, Meg. I have to go to the dentist tomorrow and that is quite enough for me!

Happy April, Meg. Happy New Thread. How is your son doing? Good luck with We Begin at the End. I know that is tough when you had a hard time with All the Colors.

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy New Thread Meg! ☀️

>3 Familyhistorian: Indeed you did quite well recycling 77 books last year. I'm afraid I did nothing like that.

Sorry your real life bookclub picks haven't been better. Hope that changes.

Meanwhile, happy new thread.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Meg. You've been doing some great reading.

>22 vancouverdeb: I hope that your visit to the dentist was relatively painless, Deborah!

>23 msf59: My son is hanging in there. Back in hospital for chemo this time with an anticipated day for release. I have my hands on We Begin at the End but haven't cracked the covers yet. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the new thread wishes, Mark.

>24 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>25 mdoris: Thanks for the new thread wishes and the sun, Mary. We could do with seeing more of the sun.

>26 RebaRelishesReading: I was pretty happy with the 77 culled books, Reba. My most recent move was in 2009 so I might have a few more books accumulated than you since your most recent move was much more recent than that.

I'm hoping for a better book club pick next time or at least one that I like. Thanks for the new thread wishes.

>27 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita!

>28 BLBera: The books have been going down well for the most part, Beth. It helps that a lot of them are mysteries.

>32 Familyhistorian: Good point. We moved in Dec. 2020 and I sold/donated ten big boxes of books then. I probably have bought more than that since but still...

>34 RebaRelishesReading: Moves, especially ones of any distance, usually involve a healthy dose of weeding through the books. Too bad we use that as an excuse to start adding more to our collections. Having moved from one coast of Canada to the other three times with multiple changes of cities in between, I figured that out after a while.

I hope you also were able to enjoy some time outdoors today , Meg. It was a lovely , warm day. I hope you and Sam are able to enjoy Easter tomorrow.

>36 vancouverdeb: It was nice to walk to the store in the warmth, Deborah. It was cooler when I went to pick my son up from the hospital at 8:30 pm but he will be home for Easter Sunday.

Sorry to hear Yellowface isn't working for your bookclub pick. I'd say you've given it a good go having tried twice in two formats. Maybe hearing what your group thinks will make you want to pick it up again?

>38 charl08: Actually, it's going better for me in audio, Charlotte. Still not a story that I can't wait to get back to but the narrator's different voices for the characters are keeping me going. She's better at doing snide than I am in my head. Not sure what that says about me.

For a while there I was reading one book at a time but lately I've had trigger finger on the library hold button and have so many books on the go now that finishing one will take a while.

Currently in the mix:
Yellowface for real life book club ✅
The Feather Detective for online book club ✅
Home Before Dark a two week loan period is a hard ✅
Une Insolente Curiosite I couldn't find an English copy of this book
Everything is Tuberculosis arguably this one is both for LT nonfiction and for family history✅
We Begin at the End group read ✅
A Bride's Story✅
Scribe of the Heart an ER book ✅

I also have started:
The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World
Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting, and Why We Keep Looking

I think I'll take the last two back and borrow them again later.

I'm delighted to read that you and Sam can enjoy Easter Dinner together, Meg. Have a lovely day.

You have a lot of books on the go. One is about my maximum . Oh, I did like Home Before Dark. I hope you too, though it sounds like it will be a rush to finish it in time.

>41 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah. He was very anxious to get out!

The amount of books on the go had begun to feel overwhelming. Something had to be done so I decided to return 2 of the nonfiction reads and borrow them later. I'm over halfway through Home Before Dark so that one should be done in time to return it by the due date of April 9th.

58. To Kingdom Come by Will Thomas



Length: 275 pages

The second book in the Barker & Llewelyn series had the duo impersonating a German bomb maker and his assistant to infiltrate a gang of Irish Republicans who were targeting places in England to agitate for home rule. Barker had volunteered his services to the British Government after Scotland Yard and Barker’s own office had sustained considerable damage due to the gang’s activities. Could the duo keep up their charade? And what of Thomas’s attraction to the female member of the gang? To Kingdom Come was another page turning read in the series.

I'll bet Sam is anxious to get out of the hospital . I am so glad you enjoyed Easter Dinner together. I'm on page 179 of We Begin At the End, so I am getting there. I am enjoying it and curious to see who did what.

>44 vancouverdeb: It was good to have Easter dinner together. I get the impression that hospital staff try hard to get patients home for holidays if at all possible.

You're ahead of me on We Begin At the End. I've read to page 156 so far and it's keeping me interested. I have to set aside for a while though because that 2 week loan is due back on Thursday.

59. A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori



Length: 191 pages

In A Bride’s Story the bride was more daring than the groom no doubt due to the fact that she was entering her 20s with more experience of the world than her young groom. Because of this the reader got to see and find out more about the nomadic life in Central Asia. Also, the graphic art really caught my attention.

>45 Familyhistorian: A two week hold - that is very short, Meg . I hope your library gets A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing soon, but it sounds like you have lots to read.

>47 vancouverdeb: Two weeks is too short, Deborah. I should know better than to borrow a book with multiple holds on it from the Fraser Valley system because I know they have a tendency to shorten the borrowing time when there are multiple holds.

I do have lots to read and really should pull some of the books I own off the shelf to read.

So today I finally took some of my drink containers to the recycling depot to find out how their drop off system works. (It's about time, it's getting hard to move in my storage areas because there are so many bags of containers waiting for the final steps that they're cluttering up the place.

It was easy, the people were helpful, both staff and other users and I ran into a friend and stopped to talk to her slowing down her own recycling but hey, what are friends for?

Getting rid of the bags of containers are part of the over all revamping of the lower floor of my townhouse which was in bad shape even before my son's stuff was superimposed over my own clutter. It's going to be a long term project, I think.

Good luck with both Yellowface & The Feather Detective I really enjoyed both along with Everything is Tuberculosis. You have good reading month ahead of you. I am also glad you are enjoying WBATE.

Happy Wednesday, Meg.

>50 msf59: Hi Mark, the books are keeping me going. I've finished Everything is Tuberculosis, a small book that gets its message across so well and I'm closing in on the end of The Feather Detective. The others will be done soon as well. Have a great day!

60. Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green



Length: 198 pages

The history and present status of tuberculosis in the world were laid out in Everything is Tuberculosis. It is a disease that has been eradicated for the most part in the wealthy parts of the world but still rages on claiming victims in those places less well off. Focusing on a particular patient in Sierra Leone brings the ravages of the disease down to the personal level for readers. Although I was most interested in the history and the effects of the disease due the changes it cause in my own family (research showed that my grandfather chose to immigrate after his mother and brother died of the disease until the Depression caused him to reverse his trajectory a few decades later).

Another day and more things to keep up with. I'm slowly rearranging the bottom floor of my townhouse. It has gotten unbearable now that my son's stuff has joined the mess that was starting to gather here. It's going to take a while.

61. Home Before Dark by Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir



Length: 305 pages

A dark tale, where the reader follows Marsi as she visits with her parents in her hometown, the town from which her sister disappeared years ago. She wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery, to find out if her sister died or not. What she got was more than she bargained for in Home Before Dark.

>53 Familyhistorian: Good luck with that. Decluttering is a constant challenge for me.

Hi Meg my dear, a belated Happy New Thread, dear friend.

>55 BLBera: Thanks Beth, it is taking a lot longer than I thought but I'm determined to get it done even if it takes years, which is quite possible.

>56 johnsimpson: Thanks John, I hope things are going well for you.

De cluttering is an activity I don't enjoy, Meg. Not at all. I have done it. Keeping up with mess is another challenge for me. I thought Everything Tuberculosis was really interesting and I enjoyed the dark tale of Home Before Dark.

>59 vancouverdeb: Decluttering doesn't come naturally to me, Deborah but I do like how everything looks and how I feel after it is done. Home Before Dark did feel very dark but the ending felt a bit off to me. I did get a lot out of Everything Tuberculosis.

Wishing you success with the decluttering. I need to get better at this!

Darth Clutterking here, Meg. Come join me on the dark and cluttered side. I have embraced what I am: The Clutterking. The fault has nothing to do with stars but rather with genetics. I could tell that the guy who was presented to me (and everyone else) as my brother is no such a thing. He's a neatness guy. It's in his genes. He can't help himself, any more than I can. I, like our mother before me, am a natural-born clutterer. My sister is too, cluttering her gigantic Virginia farmhouse. Shed your guilt! I did. I've embraced my cluttering. It's my special skill.

Ha ha. * h u m o r *

Some great reading going on here, Meg! I was also a fan of Everything is Tuberculosis, so I am glad to see that you enjoyed the book as well.

I finished We Begin at the End last night. I will be curious to see what you think of the book when you finish it. Or was that one your previous thread? Off to check. . .

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hi Meg. I, too, am reading We Begin at the End and after a slow start it has now reached out and grabbed me. I think it's going to be a big "thumbs up" from me! I was amazed at the number of books you are currently reading. I find it difficult to juggle three at once. There is just so many books to read - and (usual story) not enough time to get them all in. Hope you are enjoyin our spring weather.

>61 charl08: Thanks Charlotte, I too need to get better at decluttering. I'm much better at getting things ready for a move but getting rid of stuff while staying in the same place is harder.

>62 weird_O: Thanks Bill, I appreciate your enthusiasm oh Clutterking but, even if it's genetic, I feel the need to get rid of some stuff so I can go forth and clutter some more. You brought a smile to my day!

>63 alcottacre: Oh no, I haven't finished We Begin at the End yet, Stasia. I've made it to page 255 but it's slow going. Other books keep getting picked up instead. Everything is Tuberculosis, on the other hand, was a much easier read.

>64 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I got used to reading multiple books as a student, which I have been multiple times in my life. The last program I took which ended in 2015 was for professional writing so that meant lots of reading. I've finished 4 of the list at >40 Familyhistorian: so far and am closing in on a few more. (I also snuck in a few extras, but that's another story.)

I'm enjoying the nice Spring weather especially when it's warm and sunny. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

Hi Meg! I pretty much have to read several books at once. Otherwise I get bored.

>69 The_Hibernator: That sounds like me, Rachel. I keep a lot going at a time because I can chose from my current reads depending on what I'm in the mood for. It can take a long time to get through some books that way, though.

62. The Feather Detective by Chris Sweeney



Length: 253 pages

I’ve been flying most of my life, thinking nothing of getting on a plane and jetting off where I wanted to go. Never have I thought about what a bird could do to a plane. I will now that I read The Feather Detective, a book that made me aware of not just bird strikes, but of the life that Roxie Laybourne carved out for herself when “women weren’t supposed to do that sort of thing.” She led a fascinating life and left a legacy that lives on. You can tell a lot with the evidence of feathers.

>68 Familyhistorian: Me too re multiple books.

I like that LT 'keeps me honest' with the ones I have started.

>71 Familyhistorian: This sounds fascinating. Although I'm not sure I want to know more about bird strikes and problems with planes...

>72 charl08: I've found that too. LT does help with the actually finishing of books because there's that idea of getting them done and written up. Although getting the words down about the reads can take a while too.

Actually reading about the bird strikes was more a matter of thinking how lucky I'd been when things weren't as controlled as they are now.

63. We Begin at the End by Chris Whittaker



Length: 367 pages

The events in the story had roots in the past but only by reading to the end could they be discovered. The truth behind each characters’ public persona remained hidden, much like Walk, the sheriff, tried to hide the disease that was creeping up on him. But acting out their self-appointed roles was what drove the characters and the eventual and eventful denouement of We Begin at the End.

Last night I met with my women's group for our anniversary dinner. We've been meeting for 24 years and it was mentioned that we have to come up with something special to celebrate next year as it will be our 25th anniversary.

>75 Familyhistorian: How lovely to have a group of friends meeting for 24 years!!

>75 Familyhistorian: That sounds great, Meg.

>76 RebaRelishesReading: >77 BLBera: It all began because one of the women wanted to start a group for women in midlife and there was an ad and an article in the local newspaper. We didn't know each other before that. There was standing room only in the gym of the school we met in that first night. The women that met for the dinner are those who stuck with it. There would have been more but there have been some deaths, unfortunately. We weren't friends at the beginning but we've gotten to know each other over the years.

64. The Tumbling Girl by Bridget Walsh



Length: 286 pages

It was back to London with my next book. The first in a mystery series a story set in the seedier parts of the metropolis brought to life the world of the music hall in Victorian London. Minnie Ward, a self-described script writer but really the one who makes sure the show goes on, was troubled by the death of her friend another member of the troupe. Minnie can’t investigate on her own, so enlists the help of a private detective, Albert Easterbrook. Together they strive to solve the mystery of The Tumbling Girl.

An update on the books I had on the go back in >40 Familyhistorian: at the beginning of April. Of the books I was working on, I've completed all but one and have snuck a few in besides.

Yellowface for real life book club ✅
The Feather Detective for online book club ✅
Home Before Dark a two week loan period is a hard ✅
Une Insolente Curiosite I couldn't find an English copy of this book
Everything is Tuberculosis arguably this one is both for LT nonfiction and for family history✅
We Begin at the End group read ✅
A Bride's Story✅
Scribe of the Heart an ER book ✅

>78 Familyhistorian: Hello Meg. What an interesting story and it has proven so successful to be still together after 24 years.

65. Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove



Length: 321 pages

The story was told by someone new to the small town on the coast of Maine but Willow Stone was connected to one of the town folk, her godmother Sue, who she hadn’t seen for years because of the estrangement between her family and her godmother when Sue came out. But Sue, who had been on the cusp of marrying her partner, was the latest in a line of heirs to Cameron House, heirs that ended up dead.

In a mystery peopled with eccentric characters as well as ghosts, Willow needed to find the murderer. It would also help if she could figure out what to do with her life in Murder Will Out.

>81 mdoris: It still surprises us that we've met for so long, Mary. There have been people that joined and left but the core group remains.

66. Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick



The books of the Dreamlight Trilogy combine mystery and adventure with psychic abilities. In Burning Lamp, Griffin Winters feared that he was being overtaken by the Winters Curse, the development of further psychic abilities which would overtake him and lead to madness and then to his demise. But then he met Adelaide Payne, a dream reader and possibly someone who can save him from his fate if they could find a way to deal with the outside forces that were acting against them for their own ends. It all played out in Burning Lamp.

>78 Familyhistorian: What a lovely story. Groups of friendly, compatible women are so wonderful!!

>85 RebaRelishesReading: Wonderful and supportive, Reba. They can be the best kinds of groups but so often women's groups don't work out that way, unfortunately.

67. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang



Length: 319 pages

When my book club chose Yellowface as their read for April, I knew that I’d have to do something different to get through the book. I’d previously read it to about page 90 and bailed. This time I chose the audiobook and yes, that worked. The narrator was able to do a much snarkier voice than I could manage in my head while flipping the pages.

The story was about two authors, one successful and one not so much, one Asian and one depressingly white. When the successful author dies in the presence of the other author, the living writer takes the notes of the successful author and writes her version of the story based on the research. Was that stealing? Moreover, was that a member of the dominant race stealing from a minority, which is of course, patently wrong?

My book club’s takes on the book varied, some didn’t trust the narrator at all, thinking that she was behind all the bad stuff that happened but justifying it throughout the narrative. I gave the narrator a bit more credit thinking she was trying to find her way out of an impossible situation that she kept making worse. I ended up feeling that the narrator lived too much in her head, making herself crazy with what was going on.

Happy Saturday, Meg. I am so glad you got to The Feather Detective. The Feather Wars has been excellent too. Glad you could join us on WBATE, even if you were a bit underwhelmed. I loved Yellowface.

>87 Familyhistorian: I think this would be a great book club book. I thought listening to the book was a great way to go; I certainly felt more sympathy for the narrator.

Hi Meg, Happy Weekend. I see you have completed your read of We Begin at the End, I totally loved the book and I look forwrd to more from this author. I have Yellowface on my library list so one day in the future, I will finally get to it.

Yellowface does sound like a book that would successfully stimulate discussion for a book club...but I think I'll pass.

I also went the audio route with Yellowface and loved it. I don't think it would have worked as well for me in print.

68. The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin



Length: 161

In a story filled with well-meaning but eccentric characters, the reader was treated to a day in the life of Poppy who was working as a dog walker while trying to figure out what to do with her life. It was a day in which a lot happened, where many people needed her help leaving the impression that Poppy would now be ready to take the next step in her life in The Hounds of Spring.

You are cracking along with the books, Meg, having just book 68! I hope life is treating you well.

>88 msf59: Good to see that The Feather Wars is going well, Mark. I should get my hands on it soon. This was my second try at Yellowface. It was easier in audio.

>89 BLBera: Hi Beth, it was good as a book club book. There were lots of different opinions about the narrator. Many of the members of my book club are teachers so were probably more suspicious of the narrator's self justifications.

>90 DeltaQueen50: I saw that you really like We Begin at the End, Judy. I hope you enjoy the author's other books too. I found Yellowface a good book in audio.

>91 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba, it was good for discussion but I don't blame you for passing on Yellowface. I didn't get very far with it the first time I tried to read it.

>92 katiekrug: I agree that audio was the best way to go for Yellowface, Katie. I tried it as a print book but it didn't work for me. The narrator on the audio did the voices of the POV character and the writer who died so well that it added a lot to the read.

>94 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, the books are treating me well and I'm enjoying the sunny days. I hope you are too.

>96 Familyhistorian: We teachers are suspicious people, Meg. :)

69. Murder at the Merton Library by Andrea Penrose



Length: 361 pages

In a time when steam power was used in a limited way, the race was on to find out how to harness that type of power for ocean going ships. The secrecy of the various factions vying to come up with the way forward was ripe for exploiting the interest and wallets of the well-heeled. Wexford and Sloane’s next case started with a murder then played out against an atmosphere where various factions tried to get the upper hand. Murder at the Merton Library delivered mystery and history.

>101 BLBera: Oh I know, Beth. If you weren't you wouldn't last long in the classroom.

Hi Meg. I'm emerging from isolation, it seems. Need to drop by here to acknowledge your post on my thread almost a week ago. The jackals chewed off my fingers a while back, and they are slow in re-emerging. But they've regrown enough to type this. Thanks for visiting me.

You aren't the first to suggest WikiTree. Robyn (elorin) suggested it, and I must admit to not having checked it out. I obsessed about my family tree about 15 years ago, and compiled quite a chart on Ancestry. Got sucked in by LT and the genealogy enthusiasm pretty much withered. My elder son restoked the thing with a finding of a British ancestor. So I went back to Ancestry to try resurrecting my data, only to find the site possessed by—EEEyikes!—AI.

So a look at WikiTree is in order.

>71 Familyhistorian: I already have that one in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again.

>74 Familyhistorian: Glad to see that you ended up enjoying that one!

>79 Familyhistorian: Do I need to start another series? No. Will that stop me from adding the book to the BlackHole? Nope. . .

>82 Familyhistorian: Adding that one to the BlackHole too. I like books with eccentric characters. They make me feel right at home.

>87 Familyhistorian: >93 Familyhistorian: Dodging those BBs as I have already read them both. Whew!

>102 Familyhistorian: Adding that one to the BlackHole. I am so weak.

Have a marvelous Monday, Meg!

>104 weird_O: Your genealogy trail sounds much like mine.

70. Scribe of the Heart by Floresta Báz





Length: 276 pages

Haley Richardson was content with her life working in her father’s bookshop in Victorian South London until the unthinkable happened. Her father had somehow accrued a huge debt and was sent to the Fleet prison and his shop, their livelihood and home, was to be taken over. Fortunately, Jack Dunbar, was visiting the bookshop and had his suspicions about who was behind the plot against Haley’s father. But he needed proof. When Haley went to stay with the family of the gentleman who was Richardson’s partner in the bookshop and printing business, things went from bad to worse drawing Haley and Jack closer together, while other factions threatened to force them apart.

Scribe of the Heart brought the late Victorian era to life, with its rules and prejudices and the difficulties faced by women trying to get by.

>104 weird_O: My interest in my family tree predates LT by 18 years or so which meant that when LT came along there was no putting one aside for the other. Maybe it would have been wise to prioritize one over the other instead of trying to juggling both and scrambling to keep up. But you have what most genealogists dream of, a relative of the younger generation interested in the family tree. Take advantage! Hopefully WikiTree revives your interest.

>105 alcottacre: The Wexford and Sloane book is part of a series, Stasia. You really should read it from the beginning to get full enjoyment out of it. Have a wonderful week!

>106 RebaRelishesReading: Does that mean you're interested in starting the genealogy hunt up again too, Reba?

Stopping by to say hi, Meg. Hope life is treating you okay. Nice weather lately.

>111 vancouverdeb: Great minds think alike, Deborah! I was visiting your thread while you were visiting mine. I have been enjoying the sunny days.

Me too Meg. Thinking about you and Sam. Hope you enjoying these warmer sunnier days!

Glad you folks up there in the "other" Vancouver are enjoying the sunshine but I hate to tell you there is probably rain coming since it seems like weather hits us first and then slides north to you guys pretty regularly.

>113 mdoris: The warmer, sunnier days make getting around easier, Mary. Which is good because he's back in our local hospital.

>114 RebaRelishesReading: I was just visiting your thread, Reba. Actually our forecast is calling for sun so I think that weather is sliding past us to another part of BC. Fine by me.

>116 Familyhistorian: Guess I'm the historian (certainly the genealogist) of my family. Last night and into this morning, I sorted through files and notebooks I assembled in 2010. I had lost track of how much I collected. This is just a milepost. More to look for. I shan't bore you with updates. Just...uh...sayin'.

Still have reading to do. :-)

>116 Familyhistorian: It's a beautiful day here today -- maybe that's what your forecast is talking about. Enjoy (and thanks for the visit and kind words)

Discussions of the weather makes me long for four seasons again!

Have a wonderful weekend, Meg.

71. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson



Length: 270 pages

Never having read a book by Bill Bryson before, I decided to try reading The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. It had the advantage of being set in a time that I recognized somewhat although I didn’t grow up in a small town in the US. Larger events of the time period were explored reminding me of the commonality of much of the history we lived through although my view was through a different country’s lens. Overall, I was charmed by the exuberance with which the story was told.

>117 weird_O: Being the family historian can be a lot of work especially when you set things aside and, in taking them up again, have to figure out where you were at and what you were trying to do. Plus it takes away from reading time, so there is that to factor in as well. Best of luck, Bill.

>118 RebaRelishesReading: Yesterday in the weather forecast they were predicting water restrictions coming in early. Looks like we are going to be enjoying sunshine for a long time, Reba.

>119 PaulCranswick: Hopefully you'll be able to enjoy the changing seasons again soon, Paul. Have a great rest of the weekend.

72. Aftermath by Peter Robinson



Length: 389 pages

Well, I’ve done it now. I wanted to catch up on my reading of the Alan Banks series so I looked at my local library website. I put Close to Home on my hold list but, since that wasn’t the next book in the series for me, I kept looking and came up with The Inspector Banks 4-Book Bundle which is an e-book and starts with Aftermath which was the last book that I read but there was a sample which seemed never ending. It went to the end of Chapter 8. By the time I got that far, I had to reread the rest.
Aftermath was the one about the serial killer couple taking teenage girls off the street. It was a page turner giving an account of events through the POVs of Banks, Annie and the outsider, Maggie, who had escaped from an abusive husband.

>120 Familyhistorian: I've read several of his books and always enjoyed them. One that I particularly enjoyed was about living in the U.K.

>122 Familyhistorian: Yesterday was dry and today was a beautiful day - blue skies with puffy white clouds. The one temperature I noticed was 78/25.

We have had nice weather lately, Meg. I hope it won't get too warm too soon. This is just a perfect temperature. Even a little cooler is good with me.

>120 Familyhistorian: I'd read other LTers reviews of his works and all seemed to enjoy his books. It was about time I checked one out for myself. I'll have to find the one about living in the UK. Do you remember the title?

It was warm here yesterday but it didn't get up to 25C. Here today it was 18C but the wind was cool at times.

>126 vancouverdeb: It has been nice, Deborah, but maybe too much of a good thing. They're talking about water restrictions.

I read the Bryson book about Shakespeare, but I would like to read others. I like his writing style, very conversational.

Bryson is very good at reading his own works on audio. Just saying. I have read most of his that way and loved them.

73. Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective by Katie Siegel



Length: 368 pages

Charlotte may not have known what she was doing with her life now that she was an adult but back in the day she was a child detective. Also blessed with friends who wanted to help, they decided to embroil her in an investigation away from her own home. It quickly became more complicated and took all of them working together to solve the mystery and to show Charlotte that solving mysteries was where she was meant to shine in Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective.

>129 BLBera: It sounds like Bryson covers a wide range of subjects, Beth. Best of luck finding another of his books that tickles your fancy.

>130 jessibud2: Ooh, I recently got into audio books. I'll have to check to see if the library I'm allowed to borrow those from has some available. E-books and audiobooks are only available to patrons who live in the city so I'm limited to only one of the libraries that I borrow from.

>133 Familyhistorian: Meg , have you considered Spotify Premium for audiobooks? I initially used it for music, but with Premium you get 15 hours of audiobooks per month, and you purchase more hours if you want. It works well for my hybrid book/ audio reading . They count the hours , not each book . It’s about 12.50 per month. I love it!

Well, they count the minutes, not even the hours .

Hope all is well, Meg. I usually " see you " on LT everyday. Me, I am sneezing and have a runny nose. I think it is the start of a cold. Sigh.

74. Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson



Length: 365 pages

Continuing on with the 4 book Inspector Banks Bundle, I read Friend of the Devil. Next in which Banks was investigating a crime in one location while Annie was called in to look into the death of a woman in a wheelchair who had been taken to the top of a cliff where the murderer killed her by slashing her throat. Just who was the woman and why would anyone go to the bother of signing her out from the medical facility where she was housed to take her to a place where she could have been sent over the cliff to her death. Both of the cases in this episode were baffling until the police found out more and things became clear.

>134 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, I have Spotify premium but I've never used it for audio books. I'll have to check it out.

>136 vancouverdeb: I haven't been on LT regularly as I have a lot of things to catch up with - like housecleaning (ugh) and a couple of writing related meetings one of which involved writing a submission at the last minute. I hope you are wrong about the cold. But if not, hopefully it's a short one and you feel better soon.

75. Framed in Death by J.D. Robb



Length: 355 pages

His art had been criticized because it lacked life but he knew he was a great artist worthy of accolades so he set out to find a way to add life to his portraits. The solution for this masterful portraitist was to use his models’ life blood. After all they sold their bodies anyway and this way he would make them immortal. But Dallas and the crew were on his trail in Framed in Death.

Well, it wasn't as hard to acquire more books as it was when I was working towards my Thingaversary. I added seven new ones in April. They were:

A False and Fatal Claim by Iona Whishaw
Contemplation of a Crime by Susan Juby
Learn to Draw Faces with 50 Models by Niels Roman
Murder at Cinnamon Falls by R. L. Killmore
A Gentleman of Dubious Reputation by Grace Burrowes
A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances by Grace Burrowes
A Gentleman in Pursuit of Truth by Grace Burrowes
Pagans by James Alistair Henry

An author named *Killmore* writes murder mysteries? That's funny. Or is it a chosen pseudonym?

Hope all is well, Meg.

Nice to see you Meg and hope you're nice and caught up now.

>141 jessibud2: Ha, I never even noticed the surname, Shelley.

>142 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba, not sure that I will ever get caught up. There are still more things to do than time to do them. My son is back in hospital and has been for a while so visiting him has been added to the list of things to do.

Hello Meg, thinking of you and your very busy life. Sure hope Sam is being well taken care of and that his hospital stay will be a short one and home again soon.

>145 mdoris: Thanks Mary, he's already been in over two weeks so I'm hoping he gets out soon.

April stats

Books read: 18
Pages read: 5,462
Read pages counted in 2026: 24,357
Male authors: 7
Female authors: 11
Multiple authors: 0
Owned books: 5
Borrowed books: 13

>146 Familyhistorian: That's a long time for Sam to be in hospital. I hope he gets out soon, Meg . Take care and enjoy your reads.

I'm sorry to hear that your son is back in the hospital. Take care.

>148 vancouverdeb: The last time he was in Eagle Ridge Hospital for 27 days. So far he hasn't been there that long this time but it's getting close. (He's counting the days.)

>149 BLBera: Thanks Beth, it has been a trying time.

>150 Familyhistorian: Twenty seven days is a long time in hospital ,Meg. I hope Sam is home soon. I am sure it is very trying for both of you. Take care.

>150 Familyhistorian: Thanks Deborah, from the sound of things he should be let out in a few days.

Hello Meg, I have my fingers crossed for Sam to be home very soon.

>154 mdoris: Thanks Mary, every bit helps.