Alcott Acre's Home, Room 5

Let's get the introduction out of the way. My name is Stasia and I have been happily married to the recently retired Kerry for 37 years in June. We have 6 children, 4 of whom are my stepchildren and 2 of whom are ours together. We also have 8 grandchildren. We lost our daughter Nichole in 2023.

We are now the parents of 3 furbabies: Mallory and Chalfont, who are littermates, and newly adopted Ilan, who was an outside cat until Kerry let him into the house. Mallory and Chalfont turned 5 years old in March. Ilan was a year old April 17th.

I am a Christian, but I am not one of the evangelicals responsible for the current President of the U.S. I tell everyone that I would not have voted for him if he was the only one running!

I love to read it goes without saying and Kerry is very good about all of the books strewn throughout our house. Since Kerry retired in late 2023, we have spent a lot of time over the course of the past couple of years playing board games (my other hobby) and despite that, my reading has continued apace. I am hoping to slow my reading pace down in 2026 as I have a lot of projects around my house that I would like to get done. I am shooting for 240 books this year as opposed to the 350+ I normally read!

I suffer from both insomnia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (known to me familiarly as 'stupid CFS') so to say my sleeping is haphazard may be an understatement, lol. Generally speaking, if I get 4 hours of sleep a night I am happy. Unfortunately when my CFS hits, I get about 14. Ugh.

We traveled quite a bit in 2025 - for us anyway - but 2026 is shaping up to be quite different. Currently we have one family vacation planned and that is it. I still hope to get to the Pacific Northwest at some point, but it does not look like it is going to be this year.

That's about it, I think, so come on in and grab a cuppa!

Excellent Reads from 2026, Part I - Books Rated 5 stars
Birth, Sex and Abuse: Women’s Voices Under Nazi Rule by Beverley Chalmers
The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather Clark
On the Beach by Nevil Shute
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

Excellent Reads from 2026, Part II - Books Rated 4.5 stars
Alone: Reflections on Solitary Living by Daniel Schreiber
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor
The Most Wonderful Books edited by Michael Dorris and Emilie Buchwald
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Coming Up Short: A Memoir of America by Robert Reich
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Stolen in Death by J. D. Robb
A House for Mr. Biswas by V. S. Naipaul
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Tea with Mr. Rochester by Frances Towers
A Catalogue of Catastrophe by Jodi Taylor
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
The Bone Harp by Victoria Goddard
Platform Decay by Martha Wells
I, Claudius by Robert Graves
The Violence: My Family's Colombian War by Adriana E. Ramirez
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea
Jubilee by Margaret Walker
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
This Is Happiness by Niall Williams

Excellent Reads from 2026, Part III - Books Rated 4.25 stars
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher
Playground by Richard Powers
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute
The Auschwitz Photographer by Luca Crippa & Maurizio Onnis
Another Time, Another Place by Jodi Taylor
Thelonius Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D. G. Kelley
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
Middlemarch and the Imperfect Life by Pamela Erens
Song Yet Sung by James McBride
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Mythos by Stephen Fry
When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen
The Feather Wars by James McCommons
Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
Knock Three Times by Cressida Cowell
Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado
Out of the Flames by Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone
The Good, The Bad, and The History by Jodi Taylor

May TIOLI Challenges:

Challenge #1: Read a book with a title which includes JUST ONE four-legged animal or TWO two-legged animals
In the Skin of the Lion by Michael Ondaatje - Completed May 27, 2026
The Lion of Senet by Jennifer Fallon - Completed May 6, 2026

Challenge #2: Read a book by a woman about a woman or women
A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear - Completed May 14, 2026
The Good, The Bad, and The History by Jodi Taylor - Completed May 19, 2026
In Lonely Lands by Victoria Goddard - Completed May 9, 2026
Jubilee by Margaret Walker - Completed May 21, 2026

Challenge #3: The “Fancy Nancy” Challenge: Read a book in which either the author’s name or a character in the book has the name Nancy
Out of the Flames by Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone - Completed May 14, 2026
Warmly Inscribed by Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone

Challenge #4 : Read a book that somewhere on the front or back cover states that it is a mystery or a detective story, but from an author you haven’t read in the last 2 years or ever
An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle - Completed May 26, 2026

Challenge #5: Read a book that has a Q or a Z in the title or the author's name
Henrietta Szold: Hadassah and the Zionist Dream by Francine Klagsbrun
Q’s Legacy by Helene Hanff - Completed May 12, 2026
The Violence: My Family's Colombian War by Adriana E. Ramirez - Completed May 8, 2026

Challenge #6: Read a book from a series with 7 or more works (books, novellas, short stories, etc.)
Faithless in Death by J. D. Robb - Completed May 9, 2026
Platform Decay by Martha Wells - Completed May 5, 2026

Challenge #7: Read a book that has "Dance, Dancing, Dances or Danced'' in the title
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell - Completed May 8, 2026
Yoruba Girl Dancing by Simi Bedford

Challenge #8: Read a book featuring Vikings
The Year 1000 by Valerie Hansen - Completed May 2, 2026

Challenge #9: Read a current Hugo finalist or a previous Hugo winner
Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Challenge #10: Read a book written by an author from or set in a state or country that borders the state or country of the previous book
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski - Completed May 27, 2026

Challenge #11: May-d to last - Read a book published before the year 2000
Death in Berlin by M. M. Kaye - Completed May 4. 2026
I, Claudius by Robert Graves - Completed May 6, 2026
Plainsong by Kent Haruf - Completed May 23, 2026

Challenge #12: Read a book by an author featured in the 2018 American Authors challenge
Dead Wake by Erik Larson
Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson - Completed May 11, 2026
The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan
Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan - Completed May 20, 2026

Challenge #13: Read a book that has a word in the title or author’s name that starts with FERGUS, in that order (rolling challenge)
King's Dragon by Kate Elliott - Completed May 13, 2026

Challenge #14: Read a book about a family tragedy
The God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch

Challenge #15 Read a book with two words in the title that rhyme
Breaking Bread with the Dead by Alan Jacobs
Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell - Completed May 17, 2026

Challenge #16: Read a book that either takes place in Hawai’i or has a word that signifies aloha spirit in the title (love, compassion, peace, respect, kindness or empathy)
Day of Infamy by Walter Lord - Completed May 22, 2026

Challenge #17: Read a book translated from Portuguese or by a writer born in a CPLP country (Community of Portuguese Language Countries)
Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado - Completed May 9, 2026

Challenge #18: Read a book that is considered (or you consider) a classic you’ve never read before. Must have been published before 1960
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald

Challenge #19: Read a book where the verb ‘to be’ is used in the first sentence.
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea - Completed May 15, 2026

Challenge #20: Read a book set in Republic of Ireland or United Kingdom (Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales)
This is Happiness by Niall Williams - Completed May 20, 2026

Challenge #21 - Read a book with the surname of a post WW2 Prime Minister in the title or written by an author with the same surname
Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal - Completed May 10, 2026

Challenge #22: Read a book with a title of at least 3 words, from which one letter from each word (taken consecutively) can spell a word of at least 3 letters.
Writing as Resistance by Rachel Feldhay Brenner - Completed May 20, 2026

Challenge #23: Read a book with a title referring to, but not naming, a person
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao - Completed May 20, 2026

Shared reads:

Place of Tides by James Rebanks - Completed January 1, 2026
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - Completed January 2, 2026
Love in a Mist by Victoria Goddard - Completed January 25, 2026
Plum Duff by Victoria Goddard - Completed February 6, 2026
Balancing Stone by Victoria Goddard - Completed March 1, 2026
The Saint of the Bookstore by Victoria Goddard - Completed March 7, 2026
Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley - Completed April 8, 2026
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker - Completed April 10, 2026
I, Claudius by Robert Graves - Shared read with Paul in May - Completed May 6, 2026
Sabriel by Garth Nix - Shared read with daughter Beth in July
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman - Shared read with Anne in August?
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin - Shared read with Mary in November?

Black Studies Reading
1. Beloved by Toni Morrison - Completed January 6, 2026
2. The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson - Completed February 5, 2026
3. Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson - Completed April 9, 2026
4. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo - Completed April 15, 2026
5. Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin - Completed April 27, 2026
6. Jubilee by Margaret Walker - Completed May 21, 2026

Jewish Studies Reading
1. Birth, Sex and Abuse: Women’s Voices Under Nazi Rule by Beverley Chalmers - Completed January 25, 2026
2. The Auschwitz Photographer by Luca Crippa & Maurizio Onnis - Completed February 11, 2026
3. The Forbidden Daughter by Zipora Klein Jakob - Completed March 23, 2026
4. Harry Haft by Alan Haft - Completed April 30, 2026

The British Authors Challenge - This is one that I dip into and out of as the case may be
January - The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell - Completed January 26, 2026
February - Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute - Completed February 8, 2026
February - The Far Country by Nevil Shute - Completed February 20, 2026
March - Tea with Mr. Rochester by Frances Towers - Completed March 20, 2026
April - Mythos by Stephen Fry - Completed April 17, 2026
May - Death in Berlin by M. M. Kaye - Completed May 4. 2026

Kent Haruf Challenge:
The Tie That Binds - Completed January 22, 2026
Where You Once Belonged - Completed February 1, 2026
Plainsong - Completed May 23, 2026
Eventide
Benediction
Our Souls at Night
Granta 109 essay

In Memory of Caroline:
Alone: Reflections on Solitary Living by Daniel Schreiber - Completed January 2, 2026
Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather Clark - Completed February 27, 2026
Middlemarch and the Imperfect Life by Pamela Erens - Completed March 26, 2026
Writing in the Dark by Will Loxley - Completed April 28, 2026
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea - Completed May 15, 2026
This is Happiness by Niall Williams - Completed May 20, 2026

The “Read More Sci-Fi” Challenge - using the Esquire list found here (https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g39358054/best-sci-fi-books/) - which has now been expanded - and the book Science Fiction, The 101 Best Novels, 1985-2010 by Damien Broderick and Paul di Filippo as guides. Also adding in Hugo & Nebula Award winners and nominees.
1. The City & the City by China Mieville - Completed January 31, 2026 (#34 on the Esquire list)
2. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - Completed February 11, 2026 (#51 on the Esquire list)
3. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer - Completed April 30, 2026 (#24 on the Esquire list)

Monthly Nonfiction Challenges - I try to read at least 100 nonfiction books a year and this challenge is instrumental in helping me achieve that goal. In 2025, I was able to read 124 nonfiction books.
January The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick - Completed January 19, 2026
January Birth, Sex and Abuse: Women’s Voices Under Nazi Rule by Beverley Chalmers - Completed January 25, 2026
February Thelonius Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D. G. Kelley - Completed February 18, 2026
March The Gifts of the Jews by Thomas Cahill - Completed March 31, 2026
April Replaceable You by Mary Roach - Completed April 9, 2026

Series Reading - I will post these as I read them:

The In Death series by J.D. Robb
Vendetta in Death - Completed January 1, 2026
Stolen in Death - Completed February 6, 2026
Golden in Death - Completed March 5, 2026
Shadows in Death - Completed April 11, 2026
Faithless in Death - May 9, 2026

The St. Mary’s books by Jodi Taylor COMPLETE TO THIS POINT
Plan for the Worst - Completed January 8, 2026
Another Time, Another Place - Completed February 16, 2026
A Catalogue of Catastrophe - Completed April 1, 2026
The Good, the Bad, and the History - Completed May 9, 2026

The Decker/Lazarus series by Faye Kellerman
Serpent's Tooth - Completed March 25, 2026
Jupiter's Bones -

The Three Pines series by Louise Penny
The Long Way Home - Completed March 27, 2026
The Nature of the Beast -

The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
A Dangerous Place - Completed May 14, 2026
Journey to Munich

The Shetland Series by Ann Cleeves
Cold Earth -

The Rivers of London Series by Ben Aaronovitch
Whispers Under Ground - Completed February 28, 2026
Broken Homes -

The Brighton Mystery Series by Elly Griffiths
Now You See Them - Completed March 31, 2026
The Midnight Hour -

Trader's Tales From The Golden Age of The Solar Clipper Series by Nathan Lowell
Full Share - Completed April 29, 2026
Double Share -

The Sean Duffy Series by Adrian McKinty
I Hear the Sirens in the Street -

The “Lists” Challenges: Reading from the lists, nonfiction and fiction, that are growing rapidly at my local library

Nonfiction:
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson - Completed February 12, 2026
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham - Completed March 9, 2026
Eleanor and Franklin by Joseph P. Lash - Completed March 15, 2026
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo - Completed April 15, 2026
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin - Completed April 27, 2026

Fiction:
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green - Completed February 5, 2026
Song Yet Sung by James McBride - Completed April 5, 2026
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - Completed April 6, 2026
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell - Completed May 8, 2026
Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado - Completed May 9, 2026

Building Bridges Challenge: Using American Ethnic Writers, Volumes 1 & 2 as well as Bibliophile: Diverse Spines and 500 Great Books by Women as Guides

1. Beloved by Toni Morrison - Completed January 6, 2026
2. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie - Completed February 23, 2026
3. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez - Completed March 16, 2026
4. Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin - Completed April 27, 2026

Roads Less Traveled Challenge:

January - Chilean Authors:
House of Spirits by Isabel Allende - Completed January 11, 2026

February - Anglo Caribbean Authors:
A House for Mr. Biswas by V. S. Naipaul - Completed February 24, 2026

March - Mexican Authors:
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli - Completed March 21, 2026

April - Hispanic North American Authors:
The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea - Completed April 30, 2026

May - Brazlian Authors:
Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado - Completed May 9, 2026

Welcome, May! My mother turns 87 this month - which is probably how old I will be by the time the Touchstones load. . .

Happy new thread, Stasia!

The touchstones are looking a lovely blue, perfectly loaded!

>15 quondame: Thanks, Susan. Yeah, the Touchstones loaded faster tonight than they have in recent memory.

Not a lot going on here today other than my trying to catch up with various and sundry online doings. I did finally catch up with online bills and balancing the checkbook last night. I still have to get games played recorded on BGG and that is going to take some time. I need to get meal plans and grocery lists done at some point this weekend, but I do not think it is going to be today :) I need to get some sleep before that happens.

Kerry and I will be playing Harry Potter and Lands of Galzyr today. We could not play Galzyr last weekend because we had no Internet and it uses an online app. We both missed it as we are enjoying our campaign.

I am currently listening to The Lion of Senet, my first book by Jennifer Fallon. I am hoping to finish The Year 1000 by Valerie Hansen today. On tap I have Knock Three Times by Cressida Cowell, a book that I need to get read as my daughter Beth is asking me about when I am sending her the books in the Wizards of Once series, The Violence: My Family's Colombian War by Joe's daughter-in-law Adriana E. Ramirez, and Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. I picked up library books yesterday so if I finish any of those books, I will be starting on the library ones.

I hope everyone has a super Saturday!

Happy new thread, Stasia! I loved Isaac's Storm. I love Larson's writing style.

>18 jessibud2: I am a big fan of Larson's narrative nonfiction too, Shelley. I own several of his books. Isaac's Storm will be a re-read for me, but it has been quite a while since I originally read it.

Happy new thread, Stasia. You have read some good ones this year! I don't think I've had any five-star reads yet.

Happy new thread, Stasia! Welcome back from the Lands of the Internet-less!

You certainly hit the ground running, Stasia! Happy new thread.

>20 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I have had a great start to my reading year.

>21 foggidawn: I hope to remain out of the Land of Internet-less for a while - at least until the end of the month when I go visit my mother for her birthday.

>22 richardderus: Thanks, RD!

Glad to see you back in internet action!

WOW! You have been busy. Good for you! It's always fun to journey through your first comments. Now I look forward to the rest of the new thread with hope that it will be one with a lot of reading and gaming and very little frustration!

I'm glad to have you back, Woman.

>24 ffortsa: Thank you, Judy!

>25 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy! It is very good to be back!

Finished this afternoon:

129 - The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World and Globalization Began by Valerie Hansen - Nonfiction; Well, my May reading is not getting off to a wonderful start. This book was OK, but I had problems with it, not the least of which is the title, The Year 1000. Many of the events related in the book did not happen in that year, but in some cases, several hundred years on either side of it. It was very much of a stretch to include the Vikings here because they really did nothing to advance globalization - they traveled to North America but did not stay for any length of time but left and came back - and forth. There is the overuse IMHO of words such as "might have" and "probably" - if you do not know say so and move on - do not generalize or guess. The most interesting part of the book to me is when we move to the Orient. The widespread use of slaves was not overlooked here. Do not even get me started with the 'notes' at the end of the book. Talk about disappointing - and from a Yale professor, to boot; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Library Book

Happy new thread, dear Stasia.

I am about to start my old friend, I, Claudius.

Bill will apparently join us too which is great!

>28 PaulCranswick: Wonderful! The more, the merrier!

Thanks, Paul.

Happy New Thread, Stasia! it's great to have you back.

Wow, I am late to the party. Happy new thread, Stasia.

>30 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deborah! It is wonderful to be back!

>31 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel!

My 'day off' technology and Kerry and I have already been gaming this morning. We are having Twice Baked Potatoes for lunch and the once baked potatoes are currently cooling for me to restuff them later. Lots of reading planned for later on in the day - after another game or two. . .

I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday!

Hi Stasia my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

Happy new one, Stasia

>34 johnsimpson: Thank you, John! It is wonderful to see you here!

>35 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! It is great to see you too!

Kerry and I have been up and doing for a while now. The arrival of groceries is imminent, so I am rapidly trying to eat my breakfast, lol. I sincerely hope to get more reading in today than I did yesterday and that my sinuses leave me alone!

Lunch today is an orzo casserole that I have not made before so I am hoping that we like it. After that a trip to the local health food store is in order and then some gaming. Life of the Amazonia is on today's gaming menu for sure. Who knows after that?

I am still listening to The Lion of Senet. I started I, Claudius yesterday, a shared read with Paul, and will continue both Death in Berlin and Knock Three Times today. I am hoping to finish Death in Berlin today. I will start The Violence: My Family's Colombian War at some point today as well.

I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!

I must say that your Monday sounds Marvelous, Stasia. Enjoy!!!!!

I'm off to feed cats and then read as much as I can before a nap takes over. I am really enjoying my huge bio of Byron, but I fade before I've even read ten pages. Unfortunately, the same would be true if I were reading Maisie Dobbs or anything lighter. How do other people get used to old age?????

>38 LizzieD: How do other people get used to old age????? I do not know, Peggy, I am not as old as you. I also do not sleep as much as you unless CFS is kicking in, so I am completely at a loss :)

I stopped by to say that my copy of Platform Decay arrived today, a day earlier than expected. Woot!

>38 LizzieD: I'm 82 and the hardest thing so far is not being able to drive.

The expense and bother of Lyft is impossible to "get used to!"

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>42 drneutron: Thank you, Jim!

Finished tonight:

130 - Death in Berlin by M. M. Kaye - Other than The Far Pavilions, which I read eons ago when the mini series was on TV, I had not read any of Kaye's books. I did not even realize that she wrote mysteries and, based on my reading of this one, I am going to seek out more of them. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Part of the reason that I liked it so much is that Kaye did a great job of describing post-WWII Berlin (1953), where she herself had lived as her husband served in the British military there, so the atmosphere that she describes in the book is probably exactly like it really was. I also found the story of the missing diamonds and the murders believable, which certainly helps when writing a mystery; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

Happy new thread, Stasia. Good to see you are back up and running away with things as usual.

>45 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

I am up and around super early today because I only slept about 30 minutes last night. Today is meet up day with the girls and I am very much looking forward to it especially as we have missed the past couple of weeks. The Cubbies won last night in the bottom of the 9th, so that is all to the good too!

Kerry and I are having an Orzo casserole for lunch today. I was supposed to make it yesterday but we were not home at lunchtime. We will also be playing a couple of games today, Transmissions and Cozy Stickerville - we are midway through our second campaign of that one.

I am still listening to The Lion of Senet. Today's agenda for book reading is Platform Decay - I was going to try and wait on that one, but I cannot bring myself to do it, lol - Knock Three Times, I, Claudius, and a library book, Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon. If I am still awake when I get through those, then I will be reading The Violence: My Family's Colombian War.

I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday!

I read Kaye's mysteries years ago and remember that I liked them but nothing else. I would imagine they are not easy to find.

>48 BLBera: My local library only has the one, Beth, so I imagine I will have to hunt through thriftbooks.com or ABE Books to see if I can find them.

Has anyone else been having issues with LT today? I signed into one of my secondary accounts and then LT would not allow me to sign out of it and back into this one. It took forever before I could get back!

Happy new thread, Stasia, and I hope you have a fun meet-up!
I've had some very slow sign ins with LT over the last week or so, but no problem today. Is this a rolling LT brown-out? Ha!

>50 alcottacre: My browser displays site unavailable each time I select talk, but then loads on refresh. Only for LT though.

Happy new thread, Stasia! I am off to pick up my Platform Decay preorder later today. I will probably finish my current print read and then dive right into it.

>51 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer! My sign in today was not slow - it was ridiculously slow. It took well over an hour before I could get back to being me!

>52 quondame: Huh. I wonder what is going on?!

>53 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie. I hope you enjoy Platform Decay as much as I did!

Finished tonight:

131 - Platform Decay by Martha Wells - My poor reading schedule was knocked completely awry with the arrival of this book yesterday. What can I say? I love Murderbot! This book is no exception. Mary did a wonderful review of it, which I did not read when she initially published it but read today to see if we were inline with each other (https://www.librarything.com/work/29024865/reviews/311533117). Our friendly neighborhood SecUnit (ok, who am I kidding?) goes on a rescue mission to save their friend Mensah's family - including children. Of course things go swiftly off the rails and it is up to Murderbot to get them back on again; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

Finished tonight:

132 - Knock Three Times by Cressida Cowell - This is the third book in Cowell's Wizards of Once series and I think it is the best in the series thus far (there is only one book remaining at this point.) I saw a review in which someone said this more character driven than the previous books and I agree with that. Xar, Wish, and Bodkin are getting older and even though they still get into trouble this book, they are dealing with the troubles differently than they had in the other books; Recommended for fans of the series (4.25 stars) Mine

And now I am off to bed. Walking around on less than 30 minutes of sleep is no fun.

>55 alcottacre: I listen to the audiobooks of the Murderbot series and am anxiously waiting for this to become available. I just got a message it will be soon!

>55 alcottacre: I am ENVIOUS!!!!! I expect I'll get it before too long, but I hoard Murderbot, so I won't be ready for it yet.
Hmmm.... I just saw my copy of *Gabriela, Clove, etc.* and didn't remember how I came to have it. I'll look forward to seeing what you have to say about it. Meanwhile, I'll be off - if I can stay awake - to see what I can see about J. Fallon, yet another name I don't know in fantasy.
I hope you can fall asleep tonight!!! Me too - and stay that way for more than a couple of hours at a time.

>41 m.belljackson: We're contemporaries, Mary. I'll turn 82 in October. Meanwhile, I'm still driving in town; my mama did until she was 95. I doubt that my eyes will last that long though, and then I don't know what I'll do. My DH is also having some problems that make driving on the highway a bad idea. A lot to get used to for sure!

Today is shaping up to be a busy day. Kerry and I will both be getting haircuts this morning and running errands as we prepare for his traveling over the weekend and next week. Granddaughter Allie graduates from college on Saturday and granddaughter Raleigh graduates high school next Tuesday.

We will be game playing today too. Cozy Stickerville and Orleans are on the gaming menu for the day. We are trying to finish our second campaign of CS before he leaves for Arkansas Friday morning.

I continue to listen to the audiobook The Lion of Senet. Hopefully I will be finishing I, Claudius today, my shared read with Paul. I have greatly enjoyed it. I will be picking up Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado, Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell, and The Violence: My Family's Colombian War by Adriana E. Ramirez today - I hope.

I wish you all a wonderful Wednesday!!

>57 BLBera: Yay! I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did, Beth!

>58 LizzieD: Well, I kind of slept, Peggy. I hope you enjoy Platform Decay when you get to it. I am looking forward to reading Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon myself. It was recommended to me a mere 12 years ago.

Finished this morning:

133 - The Lion of Senet by Jennifer Fallon - Audiobook; This is the first book in a trilogy so there is a lot of establishing the characters and building the world in which we find them - and all of that seemed to take forever. To say that the book has a slow start is an understatement. Added to that, there is far too much politics in the book for my taste. The one character that I felt that was set up to be the 'good' guy is later, because of political machinations, forced to commit murder. As a reader, I felt quite betrayed by that. Despite being interested in how things turn out for Dirk, I am not sure if I want to continue with this trilogy; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

Well, plans for today have changed as it is rather chilly and rainy here this morning. Errands are going to have to wait until tomorrow. More time for reading!!

Finished this afternoon:

134 - I , Claudius by Robert Graves - This was a shared read for me with Paul. I originally read the book about 50 years ago, soon after the Mastepiece Theatre presentation here in the States of the miniseries of the same name starring Derek Jacobi. I have to say that the author sets a high benchmark for good historical fiction. He makes you believe that Claudius himself authored this 'autobiography,' bringing characters from ancient Rome and all the intrigue that surrounds them to life. As a reader it is hard to believe that Claudius survived to adulthood, let alone became emperor, given all the physical impairments that he struggled with his entire life; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

>44 alcottacre: Yep, it's Kaye's settings, both location and situation, that make me love her mysteries. I've picked up used copies over the years, but I've also watched for sales of ebook versions.

>55 alcottacre: I do love Murderbot. Sigh. Now we have to wait who knows how long for the next novellas.

>63 alcottacre: You two have almost convinced me to read I, Claudius this month....

>64 Dejah_Thoris: I would definitely like to read more of Kaye's mysteries, but Death in Berlin was the only one my local library has.

Now we have to wait who knows how long for the next novellas. I know! What a pain :)

I hope that if you do read I, Claudius that you enjoy it as much as Paul and I have.

>63 alcottacre: Yay and I am pleased to say that I kept pace this time with you and we finished almost simultaneously!

So pleased that it still made a good mark.

Hi Stasia, and happy new thread. Happy Thursday to you, too.

Congrats on 134 books so far.

>67 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen!

J had an absolutely miserable night and, as a consequence, just got up 30 minutes ago. I do not have time for this especially as we have people coming out in about 30 minutes to measure our windows for replacement.

I will be back at some point today, just not sure when. Trying to get Kerry ready for his trip on top of just life. . .

Happy New Thread!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/384205

You are quite safe to skip Kingfisher, Stasia. I hope you got Kerry off on his trip.

>70 SilverWolf28: Thank you!

>71 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver. I am in again! Hopefully my Internet will cooperate this weekend unlike last weekend.

>72 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah. He just left. . .

It is always odd for me when Kerry goes out of town and I am home alone. I just got him off about 15 minutes ago. He has a long day ahead of him what with the drive, the ceremony today (graduation does not happen until tomorrow), and visiting with Angel, Joey, and their girls.

I am hoping to get a lot of reading done while he is gone. It will help me keep my mind off the fact that he is gone. I am also hoping to get some solo gaming done too.

I am currently listening to Faithless in Death. I am hoping to finish Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell today and possibly The Violence: My Family's Colombian War by Adriana E. Ramirez, which has been excellent thus far. I am also currently reading Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado, which I am very much enjoying. We will see if I have time to get to Isaac's Storm today or not.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!

Finished today:

135 - Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell - I am going to be an outlier on this one. I have loved several of Rowell's books but not this one - and I really cannot give a good reason why not. This is a contemporary romance (maybe that is why I did not care for it as much?) between 2 high school best friends, Shiloh and Cary, and following their lives as they go off into careers, marriage, children, adulthood, never acknowledging that they love each other and always have - but they did not want anything to ruin their friendship. Shiloh goes off to college, marries, has 2 children, divorces and now lives in her mother's house. Cary joined the U.S. Navy out of high school and has a promising career there, 15 years on. One of their mutual friends is getting married, so Cary comes back to Omaha for the wedding - and runs into Shiloh. All is not well and good in Cary's world though because family problems come into play. This book goes back and forth between high school and present day as Shiloh and Cary try and work out their relationship - and how their worlds need to meet back up again so they can actually have a relationship; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Hoopla - Kindle

>75 alcottacre: I don't think you're actually going to be as much of an outlier as you might think -- Slow Dance is my least favorite of hers now, I think, though when I initially reviewed it I placed it just above Landline, my other least-favorite. I liked her newest, Cherry Baby, better.

>76 foggidawn: I am going to have to stay away from Landline in that case, Misti. Glad to hear her newest is better!

The latest Murderbot - Platform Decay - is my favorite of the series, and I love the entire series, so that should tell you something!

>3 alcottacre: and >4 alcottacre: Looks like we love a number of the same books! The House of Spirits, I, Claudius, Snake-Eater and My Antonia, along with Platform Decay, are all 5-star reads for me, and Stolen in Death was a 4.5.

Hope you're getting a lot of good reading done today. Happy first day of the weekend!

>75 alcottacre: Rainbow Rowell is very hit or miss for me - anough so that I decided to pass on Slow Dance, since second chance romance is not my favorite trope. Having read your review, I'll definitely stick to plan on skipping it!

Enjoy your reading!

>78 Storeetllr: I love the entire series too, Mary. I have all of them in my bedroom here with me :)

Thanks!

>79 Dejah_Thoris: Yeah, I was very disappointed in Slow Dance as I have loved the other stuff of hers that I have read.

I appreciate it, Dejah! I hope you have a great reading weekend too!

Sorry Slow Dance didn't work for you, Stasia! I hope your next read is better :)

>81 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie. It definitely was!

I've never lived alone, Stasia, and I would find it weird to have Dave away, which has occasionally happened.

Finished tonight:

136 - The Violence: My Family's Colombian War by Adriana E. Ramirez - Nonfiction; The author of this book is our friend Joe's (jnwelch's) daughter-in-law, and he told me about her upcoming book when I was in Chicago last year. Not knowing the book's release date, I was kind of keeping my eye out for it, and then I saw Richard's review of the book (https://www.librarything.com/work/35718107/reviews/311354648) and knew that I needed to get to it as soon as I could. In my estimation, this book is a fantastic, well-told, accessible read. Adriana is telling the story of her family, from her grandmother's lips to our ears. Large portions of the history are violent as 'The Violence' crept into Colombia and held it hostage for around 10 years, only for the country to stumble into the clutches of Pablo Escobar and his ilk; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

"Violence has no jurisdiction."

"The logic of violence defies reason."

>84 alcottacre: Sure hoping that Adriana's book gets published in the UK.

>85 PaulCranswick: I hope so too, Paul. If not, I will loan you my copy when next you are in Texas :)

>80 alcottacre:
For some reason Rainbow Rowell's books have never appealed to me. I haven't read a single one of them and our library had every book she had written. I think her subject matter just wasn't my thing.

>87 benitastrnad: Fair enough, Benita.

I did not sleep well last night (surprise!) as I do not sleep well at the best of times and when Kerry is out of town is not the best of times for me, so I am getting a late start on my day.

I did get a solo game in yesterday, Life of the Amazonia, and am hoping to get Mythwind played today.

As far as reading goes, I should be finishing my current audiobook, Faithless in Death, and Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon today. I am continuing King's Dragon and Isaac's Storm. I am also reading In Lonely Lands today with Mary. After that, who knows?

I hope everyone has a super Saturday!

Finished today:

137 - Faithless in Death by J. D. Robb - Audiobook; As this is one of the newer entries in the series, I have only read it once so I did not remember this one at all. I have to say that I am very much enjoying the books where Eve's entire squad ends up involved in the resolution of the case as is the situation here. The book begins with the murder of a young artist and Dallas is called in to investigate what looks to be a routine lovers quarrel that ends in tragedy - and uncovers so much more. Not only is the NYPSD involved, but the FBI and Interpol end up in the loop as well; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Finished this afternoon:

138 - Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado - This is one of those books that has been in the BlackHole for years. It was originally recommended to me a mere 11 years ago by RebeccaNYC, who sadly passed away several years ago (her review of the book can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/work/8646/reviews/124068506). I have to say that when I get out of my comfort zone with books such as this one, I read with trepidation, for fear that I will not get or understand what the author is trying to tell me. I enjoyed this book very much. In it, I see the city of Ilheus, where Amado himself was born, as a character in and of itself, not to mention all of the personalities from the city. However, everything changes with the addition of Gabriela, a migrant worker, who is hired by Nacib as a cook. It is almost as if she is what the city has been waiting for: "Ilheus had changed a great deal during these few months. Something new almost every day. . ."; Recommended (4.25 stars) Library Book

Finished tonight:

139 - In Lonely Lands by Victoria Goddard - Short Story; I absolutely love Goddard's prose and this short story is no exception to that. The writing in this short story is evocative and it really needs to be since nothing much happens: just an encounter (of sorts) between a woman and an eagle; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine - Kindle

I read your review of Adriana's book in anticipation of receiving a copy of the book to read soon. Thanks for that. Will Kerry be back soon so that you can get more sleep?

>93 Familyhistorian: I hope you enjoy Adriana's book as much as I did, Meg. Kerry is due back this afternoon, only to leave again Tuesday.

Today is Sunday and thus my 'day off' technology. Kerry will be home at some point this afternoon, which is all to the good.

I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday!

Kerry is home! Kerry is home!! Kerry is home!!!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. . .

>96 alcottacre: That gave me a lovely afternoon giggle!! Glad he's home and wish you a lovely day.

Whew and HOORAY!!!! I don't know where I've been but not here on your thread, I'm sorry to say. I delighted that Kerry is home. I know that things are MUCH BETTER for both of you!

As it happens, I'm reading the 4th Kate Elliott, Child of Flame right now. I read the first two back to back and shouldn't have started the third one as soon as I did. It was my least favorite, and I expect that is my fault. I'm back to enjoying number 4, so I hope you like the first one enough to continue sometime.
I love and adore Isaac's Storm. I expect that this is a reread for you.
I also love the *Claudius* books and the video series. I bought that on DVD and am disappointed to find that they have left out some of the scenes that I particularly remember from watching way back when.
I'm glad that I can look forward to *Gabriela* with enthusiasm.

Both of you rest well tonight!

>97 RebaRelishesReading: Hooray for afternoon giggles! It has been a very good day.

>98 LizzieD: I suspect that both Kerry and I will be in bed early tonight - me because I got all of an hour's sleep last night and him because of the traveling much of the day. Hopefully we will get a good night's sleep tonight because he is off again on Tuesday.

Yes, Isaac's Storm is a re-read for me. Erik Larson is a nonfiction author who just works really well for me. I am pretty sure I have read all of his books to this point.

Glad to hear that you are also an I, Claudius fan, Peggy. It has been so long since I saw the videos at this point that I little remember them - but they sure made an impact on me as a 15/16 year old. I mean, I bought the books and everything :)

I do hope you enjoy the Amado book when you get to it. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it!

I am about halfway through the first Kate Elliott book and looking forward to more, although my local library only has the first three of the series. *sigh*

Finished tonight:

140 - Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal - This was a re-read for me but the first (and only) time I read it was 14 years ago and I did not remember a good deal of the book, to be honest. I remembered liking it, but not overly so. I think I enjoyed the re-read just a bit more - although there is at least one factual error that drove me nuts. The book is set in WWII England just at the Blitz is about to begin. There are numerous people in play - the IRA, the British, the Germans, etc - when Maggie Hope, an American with English parentage, shows up and begins work at Downing Street as one of the multiple secretaries working there. People are not all who they appear to be though and Hope's life is in danger; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

I own several books in this series - but not this one - and really need to get them read, lol.

Happy new thread, Stasia, even if I am a bit late. After being gone four days over the previous weekend, I've gotten behind on the threads again. I'm finally catching up with yours. 100 posts behind already.

>63 alcottacre: I too read I, Claudius not long after the PBS series with Derek Jacobi. That series was so well done it still sticks with me. I'm tempted to pick up the book again, but I don't have time to fit it in this month.

Hi Stasia, I am late to the party as your new thread is whizzing by so quickly! Hope you are getting some sleep!

>98 LizzieD: They abridged the video of the Claudius series?? That's so wrong!

Hi, Stasia! Glad Kerry's home and things are back to where they should be!

>103 Storeetllr: Mary, I wouldn't say that they abridged it exactly, but they did leave out a scene or two that I remembered. For example, there is less to Julia's banishment. We don't see Augustus walking down the row of men accused of sleeping with his daughter and the one who says, "Not slept, Caesar." Nor do they show Julia beating at his door and weeping and screaming at him. I bought it because it claims to be 35th Anniversary Edition of the Complete Series. I haven't watched any of the bonus material yet, so who knows???? It is 5 discs from Acorn.

I hope you and Kerry get to enjoy the day some, Stasia, before he sets out again tomorrow. I hope you both slept well last night!

>104 LizzieD: Ugh. And those were powerful scenes too. I still remember Augustus, as he walked down that row of men, saying, "You? And you?" I would be really annoyed that those scenes were left out.

>101 atozgrl: Hey, Irene. No worries about being behind - it is a perpetual place for me now.

Who says you have to get I, Claudius this month? It is a book that stands the test of time so what is another month or two?

>102 mdoris: Thanks, Mary! Very happy to see you here!

>103 Storeetllr: Thank you, Mary. Unfortunately it is for far too short a time - he is leaving tomorrow and will be back again on Wednesday.

>104 LizzieD: The less said about my sleeping, the better. Thanks, Peggy!

I do not like abridgements of video any more than I do that of books. It borders on censorship IMHO.

>84 alcottacre: I'm so glad you liked the read, Stasia! *smooch* for a good week of reading.

>107 richardderus: I am glad I enjoyed it too - although I could have lived forever without the description of "The Necktie," I think. Thanks again for pushing it out of the BlackHole faster than I would have, lol.

I hope you have a great reading week too, RD!

>108 alcottacre: ...and been All the happier for it...but it really happened and if reading about it can help stop it being acceptable ever again....

>109 richardderus: I know it really happened and I agree - let's hope that it is never acceptable again!

Finished tonight:

141 - Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson - Nonfiction; Larson tells the story of Isaac Cline, the meteorologist in Galveston, Texas, when the hurricane of the century hit, taking pretty much the island of Galveston with it. Cline (and the entire rest of the U.S. Weather Bureau) completely botched predicting the hurricane, disbelieving the Cuban weathermen who tried to warn of it. The resulting devastation from the storm was catastrophic as people had no time to prepare for it before it was on top of them. Thousands died (estimates go as high as 10,000 - the lowest estimate I saw was over 3,000 and even that boggles my mind!) and the city was all but completely destroyed. It cost Isaac Cline his home, his pregnant wife, and his brother, from whom he became estranged for over 50 years. There was a statement in the book about how the people had become dependent on technology and thinking that it would save them, which got me to thinking about today's society 125+ years on and how dependent we are on it. Are we counting on it to save us from whatever catastrophe lies ahead?; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>111 alcottacre: - That may be one of my favourites of Larson's books, Stasia. I recently heard (on Jeopardy, I believe!) that Al Roker (a tv guy who used to be a weatherman, I think) recently wrote a book about that same hurricane. I'd be curious to see if it measures up to Larson.

>112 jessibud2: Shelley, I have now read both Roker's book, The Storm of the Century, and Larson's book (again) and of the two, I would have to say that I prefer Larson's. I read Roker's book last June, so it has been a while, but when reading Larson's book, I remembered some of the same territory being covered by Roker - and preferring Larson's narrative.

Book 141 , Stasia! You are amazing.

>114 vancouverdeb: Nope, I am just me. Thanks, Deborah:)

Another busy day around here. Kerry is leaving for Arkansas (again) this morning - grandgirl Raleigh is graduating high school tonight - so there is that, plus I have my weekly meet up with Beth and Catey, and then Catey and I are going to play Ark Nova, which would normally happen earlier in the day but because of Kerry leaving for Arkansas this morning, Ark Nova is happening later rather than earlier. . .

On the reading front, I am continuing to listen to A Dangerous Place, the eleventh book in the Maisie Dobbs series and one I have not read before. I started Q's Legacy last night and hope to finish it today. I have a couple of hundred pages before I am done with King's Dragon and I hope to finish it up tomorrow. I would like to start both Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent and Jubilee today, but we will see how it goes since I am walking around (again) on next to no sleep.

I hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!!

I also have a copy of Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent - and wonder of wonders, I actually know where it is located in all those boxes of books waiting to be unpacked. I am still reading Jupiter Myth but am starting to think about my next nonfiction read and your mention of that Judi Dench book caught my eye. It might be time to start it.

I really, really enjoyed *Shakespeare: The Man Who*, Stasia and Benita. I'm sure that you both will too.
And, Stasia, I've read almost a couple hundred pages of the 4th *Crown/Stars*. I think every book in the series except the last one is longer than the one before it.

Hope you and the girls got to say everything that needed saying and that you and Catey enjoyed Ark Nova.

Happy Graduation to Raleigh, and I hope Kerry comes back soon but not so soon that he's worn out when he finally gets home.
Meanwhile, Happy Reading to you!

Mornin' Stasia! I enjoyed Dench's book too! Looking forward to seeing what you think.

>117 benitastrnad: I have put it on one of the TIOLI challenges for May, Benita, if you are interested. I hope we both like it!

>118 LizzieD: Glad to hear that you enjoyed Shakespeare: The Man Who too, Peggy! I should be finishing the first book in the Crown of Stars series tonight.

>119 RebaRelishesReading: Oh, another person who enjoyed the book. Hooray! I hope I like it just as much as you and Peggy did.

Kerry has made it back home again and is currently napping on the couch :) I was tired this morning and slept in - and then took a nap of my own.

I do not think I will be getting any game playing in today, we will see, but I got in a bunch yesterday: 1 with Kerry before he left, 2 with Beth and Catey, and 2 more with just Catey. Nice!

I did finish a book last night, Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff, but was just too tired to type up my thoughts on it. They will be forthcoming shortly. I should be finishing King's Dragon today and then starting on Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent and Jubilee.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Finished last night:

142 - Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff - Nonfiction; This book of Hanff's is not as well known as either 84, Charing Cross Road or The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, but I enjoy it nonetheless. It does not have the 'heart' of 84, Charing Cross Road which is, of course, the correspondence that develops into friendship between Helene and Frank Doel. Q's Legacy is really more about the way Hanff stumbled her way into her love of English literature and what happened from there. It has her trademark deprecating humor, which I enjoy and can relate to. If you have not given this one of hers a try, give it a go. You might just like it; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Re: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me - I'm wondering if they wrote one enormous book, and had to break it somewhere? I wasn't bothered by the ending, I think because I expected it to be left fairly open.

I love Isaac's Storm - it's one of my favorite weather / disaster books ever. I'm glad to hear the you prefer it to the Al Roker book, which I'd decided to skip.

And I've added Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent to the TIOLI wiki, too - I'm just waiting on a copy to arrive from another branch. You gave me the motivation not pick it up this month. :)

>123 Dejah_Thoris: I hate cliffhangers and probably will not get to This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me until the follow up book is released, lol.

I really do not think you are missing anything from the story by skipping Roker's book, Dejah. Obviously I am not an expert, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

I hope we all enjoy the Shakespeare book!

>122 alcottacre: I don't think I've ever even heard of that one. It didn't stick if I have.

I'm really glad Kerry got to go to Raleigh's graduation and back safely. *smooch*

>125 richardderus: Thanks, RD!

I am trying to upload one of the pictures from Allie's recent graduation. Angel, my oldest stepdaughter, is on the left and grandgirl Allie is on the right. I hope this works.

Finished this afternoon:

143 - King's Dragon by Kate Elliott - Several readers in the group have recommended this one, including Nina (humouress) who put the book on my radar over 10 years ago. I am glad that I finally got to it (I think - there are now 7 books in the series!) For the most part I enjoyed this fantasy novel that is grounded in medieval Europe, it seems to me. I could have lived without a lot of the violence (including rape) and the war. That being said, I did enjoy the two teenage leads, Alain and Liath, although I enjoyed her story more - and I think that is a purely personal thing. Alain is raised by a fisherman, knowing nothing of his true parentage other than his mother died giving birth to him. Liath, whose mother also died, is raised by her Da until he is murdered - and then she is given over to Hugh, who essentially buys her; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

>127 alcottacre: How lovely!

>128 alcottacre: I'm glad you enjoyed King's Dragon. Alain's story has more and stranger twists than most other fantasy viewpoint characters. The other leads have interesting things to deal with, but more in line with what I've seen regularly before.

>129 Dejah_Thoris: Thank you, Dejah.

>130 quondame: I am hoping to get to book 2 in the series soon, Susan, as I really would like to follow both Alain's and Liath's stories all the way through. Thanks for the input!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/384299

>132 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

I'm delighted that Kerry is home and that you got to game with the girls. I'm also glad that you enjoyed *Dragon*, Stasia. Like Susan, I have been more interested in Alain's story, but I think that Elliott would agree with you. I think maybe she gives Liath more attention. I've now read 200+ pages in the 4th book after not being so impressed with the 3rd one. I think I read it too soon since I binged on the first 2. Now, in fact, I pretty much don't want to read anything else.

>127 alcottacre: Congrats on getting that pic up! Congratulations to Allie too! She's a real beauty, and Angel is pretty too.

Enjoy your evening and sleep a decent amount!!!!!!!!!!!!

>134 LizzieD: I had a very good day of gaming on Tuesday, Peggy. It has been a while since I got 5 games played in a day. I will see how I do with Alain in the future books. I will not get to the second book until the middle of June at the earliest. We will see how it goes.

Thanks about the picture. I am hoping to get one posted of Raleigh today if Kerry will get one over to me.

Sleep? What is that?

I'm another who enjoyed Judi Dench's Shakespeare book!

Speaking of games, I have already gotten a solo game played this morning and Transmissions is set up on the table waiting for Kerry to get out of the shower. We need to get some errands in today, I have to place the grocery order, and then we will be back to gaming.

I am still listening to A Dangerous Place, which I should finish up by tomorrow at the latest. I am hoping to finish Out of the Flames today. I am continuing with Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, which I am finding delightful, and Jubilee, which I am very much enjoying. We will see if I get a chance to start The Poet Empress today.

I hope you all have a thoughtful Thursday!

>136 foggidawn: Good to know, Misti! I am enjoying it quite a bit!

>17 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I'm jumping in here because I've been away from the threads for a while and four of your threads were too many for me to catch up on.

I read and reviewed The Lion of Senet over a decade ago but I remember it fondly. I thought it was an unusual perspective; maybe it's time for a re-read.

>127 alcottacre: Nice! Congratulations to both Allie and Raleigh.

>128 alcottacre: Ooh - was that me? I'm glad you enjoyed it. I haven't continued with the series, though I've acquired all of them for my shelves, because in my mind it seemed to be 'epic fantasy' which I needed to devote time to. Maybe I'll join you in reading them.

>139 humouress: Lovely to see you here, Nina! I completely understand about getting behind on the threads!

Thanks about Allie and Raleigh. Still trying to get Kerry to send me a picture of Raleigh at her graduation so that I can post it here.

I am not sure when I will get back to the series, but I am looking forward to doing so!

Finished this afternoon:

144 - A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear - Audiobook; This book takes place several years after the last one did and in this interim, Maisie has gone through some huge losses in her life (not spoiling them though!) She now finds herself in Gibraltar and rather at loose ends as she does not want to return to England just yet. The discovery of the dead body of a local photographer leads her to begin investigating his death. Gibraltar's near neighbor, Spain, is in a civil war, so did the photographer take a picture of something either here or there that resulted in his death? Sebastian, the photographer, was Jewish, so was his death the result of antisemitism? Or is there something else entirely behind it? Maisie is not leaving until she finds out; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Finished tonight:

145 - Out of the Flames by Lawrence Goldstone and Nancy Goldstone - Nonfiction; This book was a Christmas present to me from Peggy (thank you again!) back in 2022 and I am just now getting around to reading it. I am very glad to have a copy of the book as it is a good one. The first half of the book deals with Michael Servetus - and I have to be honest and mention that up until I read this book, I am not sure I had ever heard of the man - who grew up in Spain around the end of the Middle Ages. He became not only a theologian but a physician and writer as well. He was executed for heresy and the book he wrote was destroyed - all but 3 copies, that is. The book, the Christianismi Restitutio, details (and is the first to do so) the discovery of pulmonary circulation. The second half of the book talks about the rediscovery of Servetus work and how he gained the credit that he deserved; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Nothing much going on here today, but out in Arizona my daughter Beth starts a new job today. She has been out of work for about 6 months, so I am really hoping she loves it!

Kerry and I will be playing Orleans with the Invasion scenario together for the first time today. The Invasion scenario introduces cooperative play to the game.

On the reading front, my current audiobook is The Good, The Bad, and The History by Jodi Taylor. I am hoping to finish Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent today at some point. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I am continuing on with Jubilee and then will probably start on my last library book for the month, The Poet Empress. After that, I have several to choose from if I have the time.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!

Happy Friday, Stasia! I'm glad you're getting in some really good reads. I hope Beth is very happy in the new position.

*smooch*

>144 richardderus: Thank you on both counts, Richard!

Finished tonight:

146 - Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea - Nonfiction; This is my Caroline Memorial Reads book for the month, but there have been a lot of people in the group who have recommended this book. I am so glad to have read it because I absolutely loved it! The book is essentially a series of conversations between director O'Hea and actress Dench as to approaches to Shakespeare - how to approach the plays, act the parts, embrace the language. When I was in my early to mid-20s, I would go every summer to Shakespeare in the Park in Dallas and I loved watching the plays, so the book brought back good memories for me of those days. I have to admit that some of the plays in the book I am not familiar with (Coriolanus, for example) so it was interesting for me to read about Dench's experience of playing characters in those plays; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

Dench: "In order to be creative I think it's important to hold on to that inner child and remain open to wonder."

O'Hea: "I've always imagined Miss Piggy playing Phebe."
Dench: "Oh, she'd be marvelous. Now, I'd go and see the play if she were in it - for sure."

HOORAY for Beth's job! I hope that she loves it too. That makes all the difference!

I'm glad that you're enjoying Dame Judy; she is a dynamo. I have no recollection of giving you the Servetus book, but I'm glad that it went down well. I read your first mention of it and thought it looked like something I'd enjoy. Hmmmm... . I do not need more books, but Hmmmmm.

Hope you got your scheduled gaming done and that you find out what sleep is in a good way tonight!

Am in hospital for testing about a TIA. not sure when I'll get back here but am not in dire condition. Will talk soon.

>147 LizzieD: Well, she is going back today, so that is something, right?

I loved Dame Judi! I saw her on Who Do You Think You Are and that made me want to read her book even more.

Sleep? Well, I tried.

>148 richardderus: I am very glad to hear that you are not in dire condition, RD! Please update as you can.

It is my 'day off' technology, only it will not be - because of Beth's new job, we are having to swap our meet up day to Sundays :)

I hope you all have a lovely day!

Finished tonight:

147 - Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell - Juvenile; I originally started this 4 book series back in January for the British Authors challenge and I am glad that I stuck with it to the end because it was a fun series overall. Book 3 remains my favorite. Xar, who was both obnoxious and incorrigible in the first book, tones it down some as the series progresses and starts to grow up, although not all the way - he is a boy still, after all. Wish is the hero in the end but not without a little help from her friends. The parents make amends with both each other and the children, so a happy ending is pretty much in order with one exception; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Hiya, Stasia. Jeez Louise, you and I definitely are kindred spirits. Platform Decay jumped the queue right over other reads for me, too, and I had fun with it, per usual. I also loved that PBS I, Claudius production I was a young ‘un. Like you, I couldn’t believe he managed to survive as long as he did.

I’m so glad that The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War worked well for you. Doesn’t it read like a novel? I shared your reaction to the Colombian necktie paragraph; Adriana said the necktie is so famous she felt that she had to include it. I liked the way she avoided being graphic about the violence in the rest of the book. I’m hoping word of mouth gets around for her. She deserves lots of readers with this one.

As some have noticed, I’m often a pushover for a book with “bookshop”, “bookstore” or “library” in the title. Right now I’m enjoying a Korean one, Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop.

Hope you’ve been having a good weekend!

>151 alcottacre: *sigh* Oh, go on then. BB'd for The Wizards of Once.

>152 jnwelch: I am glad to see you enjoyed Platform Decay too, Joe!

Yes, I was glad that I read Adriana's book and it really does read like a novel. I could have lived without the description of the Columbian necktie, but I understand why she included it. I hope that she does get the readers she deserves.

I am also a sucker for the "bookshop," etc books. I already have Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop in the BlackHole. I look forward to your thoughts on it!

>153 humouress: I hope you enjoy the books if and when you get to them, Nina! Just remember tht they are kids books.

Lots of chores to do today but nothing much else on the agenda. I was in bed early last night and was worried that my CFS was kicking in but since I have been up since 3am, I can safely stop worrying about that, lol.

Kerry and I will be playing at least one game today, Orleans. We are going to play the cooperative version for the first time. We will see if Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle hits the table too.

I am still listening to The Good, The Bad, and The History by Jodi Taylor. Books on tap include The Poet Empress, Jubilee, and Writing as Resistance, all of which I have already started. If I have time, I am also going to started Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan and Day of Infamy by Walter Lord. We will see if I can stay awake long enough. . .

I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!

>154 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia. I do read kids books from time to time; current fantasy can get a bit grim-dark for me so I appreciate the relief.

>155 alcottacre: I meant to tell you that while I was in Sydney I meandered into a games shop. I asked for recommendations and nearly succumbed to Catan but I was mindful of the space (or not) in my suitcase. Instead I bought a card-based game called 'Psycho Killer' because I thought that might appeal to my younger son (he has a macabre sort of humour). We have played it once with my nephew, who was visiting, but as it was only the three of us I suspect that the boys were trying not to sabotage me (and I was trying not to take too much advantage of that) and I think it's a game where you have to ruthlessly backstab everyone (so to speak) to get the best out of it. We'll try it again sometime and I think it'll become more fun as we get used to it.

>156 humouress: OK, just wanted to be sure that you were aware.

I have not heard of Psycho Killer, lol. Ruthlessly backstabbing games would not fly at my house, that is for sure!

I'm finally going home and deeply glad to be doing so. No huge problems to monitor just one adjustment to my meds.*whew*

>158 richardderus: I am very glad to hear it, Richard!

>159 alcottacre: *smooch*

>142 alcottacre:
I read this book back in 2022 and it really impressed me. I couldn't stop talking about to all of my friends (and some who weren't friends). Like you I knew nothing of Servetus and wonder how this remarkable man was lost in history. I also learned a great deal about John Calvin, and I do have to say, very little to like about him.

I have read several of Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone's books and have liked them all, but this one really got to me. All that history that I didn't know and how such a remarkable man ended up a martyr for knowledge made for a great book.

I also hope that somebody has done something about the monument in Geneva. People shouldn't forget what happened there because we are so close to the same kinds of things happening to scholars in our own time.

>146 alcottacre:
I haven't started on the book yet. I have gotten bogged down with life in the last week and my time for reading hasn't been there. I did move the book from the bookshelf it is on to my bedside table, so it is in the queue.

>160 richardderus: Back at you, RD!

>161 benitastrnad: It really does make you think, doesn't it, Benita, how many people who have contributed much are just overlooked by history. Yeah, I did not care much for Calvin either.

>162 benitastrnad: Well, being in the queue is always helpful, right? I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!

I am in awe of all your reading goals and challenges, Stasia :)

Kent Haruf is one of the best authors I have 'got' from LT, I love that you are doing a Haruf-a-thon ;)

Happy Monday, Stasia. I had to do some thread skipping so I hope I didn't miss anything. Thanks for keeping my thread warm & cozy when I was gone. I am behind on a few reviews. I hope to catch up with them.

>164 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan. I have so many authors that I have 'got' from LT it is not even funny. . .

>165 msf59: I look forward to seeing your reviews, Mark!

I am off to bed. I have been up since 3am on less than 90 minutes of sleep. I am a bit on the tired side.

>166 alcottacre: I also was up since 3 am today. I did have a nap though.

>150 alcottacre: So with your meet up on Sunday does that mean you won't have days off tech any more or are you going to change your non technology day to another day of the week?

>167 Kristelh: I had a nap too, Benita. It lasted 8 minutes :)

>168 Familyhistorian: I may switch it to Tuesdays, but I am still thinking on it, Meg.

Finished tonight:

148 - The Good, The Bad, and The History by Jodi Taylor - Audiobook; This is the final (for now) book in Taylor's The Chronicles of St. Mary's series. I have thoroughly enjoyed the series to this point and although some of the books are not as good as the others, I recommend the series to anyone who enjoys time travel books because they are just fun - and this entry into the series is no exception, although I thought this book was a little more 'serious' than others in the series. Max, as usual, is in the midst of all the trouble. It was nice to see some of the storylines of the past several books being resolved in this one. The final line of the book took me aback somewhat, I must admit but "Not the End" finished this book off, so I cannot wait to see where Taylor goes from here; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

Today was a day in which time just got away from me so hopefully tomorrow will be better for me in visiting threads and such. I am off to bed shortly. . .

Have a good rest dear lady!

I know it's asking a lot, but I'd be very happy to know that you're already asleep and will stay that way for more than 2 or 3 hours, Stasia.

Hmmm. Time always gets away from me these days, and I wave as it goes by. I wish you a Wonderful Wednesday!

>172 PaulCranswick: I wish I could say that I got it, Paul. *sigh*

>173 LizzieD: Nope.

Up early this morning, primarily as I got no sleep at all last night and at 3am gave up the fight. I sure hope I get some sleep tonight as I have a lot to do tomorrow - Kerry is going out of town on a fishing trip with his brothers Friday.

At the very least, Kerry and I will be playing Guild of Merchant Explorers today. We may be playing Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, game 7 again too. We have failed in our two previous attempts to win game 7. Yesterday's game was particularly awful, lol.

On the reading front, I am starting to listen to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski today. I have owned the book for years now so it is about time I got around to reading it! I just finished Writing as Resistance and will posting thoughts on it momentarily. I am hoping to finish The Poet Empress today. I am continuing on with Jubilee and Day of Infamy. If I can stay awake long enough, I am hoping to start Amy Tan's Where the Past Begins.

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

Finished this morning:

149 - Writing as Resistance: Four Women Confronting the Holocaust by Rachel Feldhay Brenner - Nonfiction; This is a book in which familiarity with the written works of all four women would have been helpful: Edith Stein, Simone Weil, Anne Frank, and Etty Hillesum. I have read the latter two (I read Hillesum with Caroline, as a matter of fact), but not Stein and Weil, which was to my detriment. It is interesting to me that Brenner chose 4 people who did not survive the Holocaust: "These life stories speak with the voices of the dead. In contrast to writer-survivors whose testimonies attest to their victorious emergence from the extremis of the death camps, the tragic fate of the four authors brings us face-to-face with the effectiveness of the Nazi system of destruction." It is a shame that the book reads like a doctoral dissertation and is really not for a general reader such as myself; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

"Focus on art saves from despair because it transcends the constant anxiety about physical survival. . .Writing becomes a moving, vital force that contravenes the consciousness of death."

Finished this morning:

150 - The Poet Empress by Shen Tao - I know that I am going to be an outlier on this book and not rank it as highly as others have done. I enjoy fantasy novels, but this one is simply too dark for my taste. There is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book stating that it contains "depictions of physical and sexual violence - including of minors and torture." They were not kidding and it is really too bad because the book, aside from the amount of violence and torture, was good. Excellent, even. This story of a village girl, Wei Yin, who has lost numerous siblings due to a famine, and becomes the prince's chosen consort, was well-told. She secretly learns to read, something forbidden to women in that time and place. I did not care a lot about the politics going on in the book, but they were a necessary evil to progress the story, so in the end, the book was a mixed bag for me; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library

>127 alcottacre: What a wonderful picture! Congratulations to Allie

>178 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! I still need to get Raleigh's picture uploaded too.

Well, I went to bed early last night, slept for about 30 minutes and then was up for almost 4 hours before I finally fell back to sleep, unlike Tuesday night. I managed to get in about 3.5 hours of sleep in total, which is certainly better than nothing!

Lots of errands to run today before Kerry leaves for the fishing trip with his brothers Greg and Kelly, so it is a day of hither, thither, and yon.

We will be playing something today, but I have no idea what since it is his turn to pick :)

I am now listening to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which I am enjoying. I should be finishing up Jubilee today and Day of Infamy either today or tomorrow. I started Where the Past Begins and hope to make some inroads into it today, but the text size is proving to be problematic, so it will go slowly. I would like to start on Niall Williams' This is Happiness and Plainsong by Kent Haruf today if I can. We will see how the time goes.

I hope everyone has a thoughtful Thursday!

BTW - Today is my 20th Thingaversary. Hard to believe it has been that long!

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. 20 years? That is absolutely unbelievable. Congrats! I read Edgar Sawtelle back when it was the book of the moment. It fell short for me but maybe it will work for you. It did for many others.

>182 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Yeah, I think it is pretty unbelievable too. I am sorry to hear that Edgar Sawtelle did not work for you. I am just over 100 pages in and so far, I am enjoying it.

>180 alcottacre: Kerry and Kelly? That must be a bit confusing. I have a cousin with the same name as me so when we're together we both look round when our name is called.

>181 alcottacre: Congratulations!

>184 humouress: In order, there is Tony, Greg, Kerry, Kelly, Tena, and Amanda. Their brother Jeff, who died last year, was in between Tony and Greg. Kerry and Kelly do not look anything like each other, so that is helpful, lol.

Thanks!

Finished this morning:

151 - Jubilee by Margaret Walker - This book had been in the BlackHole for a while when I saw it mentioned in Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson as one of the books that Jackson was encouraged to read when she was young. The book is almost 500 pages long (at least in my edition), but it does not read as a 'heavy' book. Walker based the book on her grandmother. In the book, Vyry, the child of a slave mother and her master, grows up on her father's plantation - he does not acknowledge her - as a kitchen/house slave. The book begins prior to the start of the Civil War and continues on through the beginning of Reconstruction, and I thought that it did a great job of showing what each of the sections of history - pre-Civil War, Civil War, and Reconstruction - were like if you were a slave. The book does not pull punches as to the treatment of slaves (or free blacks, for that matter) throughout this period of history. I honestly think this is a better book than Gone with the Wind (although it has been a while since I read that one, so YMMV obviously; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

Happy Thingaversary, Stasia.

>187 BLBera: Thank you, Beth!

Happy Thingaversary! I can heartily recommend Plainsong, although I haven't read any other Hanuf yet.

A very happy THINGAVERSARY from me too!!!!! 20 years! I wish I had started that early.

>185 alcottacre: I'm glad to hear that Kerry and Kelly look nothing alike so that you won't go home with the wrong brother. (That was a joke.)

>181 alcottacre: Happy 20th Thingaversary! 🎉

Hard to believe it's been that long, but, honestly, I can't recall what life was like before it. (I'll be celebrating mine this August.)

Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary, Stasia! How felicitous that it falls on our wedding anniversary (54 years.... now how is THAT possible when I'm only 39 years old?)

Happy Thingaversary, Stasia! So glad you're still such an active part of this little corner of the internet. ❤️

>181 alcottacre: Congratulations on your 20th Thingaversary! You must have gotten in pretty early. 20 years is ancient in Internet years. I'm glad LT is still here and still going strong.

>189 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy! This is a re-read for me of Plainsong. I hope you get to more Haruf!

>190 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I pretty much stumbled onto LT so it was very fortuitous. Yeah, there is no confusing Kerry and Kelly - they look very different and have wildly different personalities to boot.

>191 Storeetllr: I agree about not recalling what life was like before it - I do not want to recall what life was like before LT, Mary! Congratulations to you in advance!

>192 quondame: Thank you, Susan!

>193 laytonwoman3rd: I am sure there must be some time travel mixed up in there somewhere, Laura!

>194 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. It is hard for me to be away from LT!

>195 atozgrl: I think LT was only about a year old when I joined, Irene, so I kind of got in on the ground floor, so to speak. I am more than happy it is still around since it is my home away from home!

Happy Thingaversary, Stasia.

Here's the Memorial Day readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/384526

>197 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel!

>198 SilverWolf28: I have already signed up for this week, Silver!

I'm three months behind you, Stasia. Weird isn't it, twenty years out of the twenty-five I've been alive on LT....

>200 richardderus: It is weird, RD. What is even weirder is that we have managed to know each other for much of that 20 years and you have not killed me yet, lol.

Working on getting Kerry out the door this morning. His traditional traveling Breakfast Bars are in the oven now. He wants to leave about 7:30 so we are pretty much on top of things now. The linens are in the washing machine, his bags are packed, he is stopping to put gas in the car this morning.

I am hoping to get lots of reading done while he is off fishing with his brothers :) I should be finishing Day of Infamy today.

I hope that everyone has a fantastic Friday!

Happy Friday, Stasia. Tell Kerry to have a great time and catch some big 'uns. Playing PB this AM. Books in the PM.

>203 msf59: Thanks, Mark. He is already out the door - he left about 10 minutes ago - but I will let him know he needs to catch some big fish, lol.

>202 alcottacre: ...now I want warm breakfast bars...you meanie!

>205 richardderus: Well, I could share the recipe with you if you like. . .

>206 alcottacre: But then I'd have to make 'em and I wanted one NOW. *sigh* what, do actual work to get what I want?! I'm an old white Murruhkin man, you silly, I get what I want handed to me without exertion.

>207 richardderus: Oh, pardon me, sir. Lol. You could always come down here and get one.

Finished today:

152 - Day of Infamy by Walter Lord - Nonfiction; Author Walter Lord, perhaps best known for his book A Night to Remember, takes readers through the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. It concludes with President Roosevelt's speech before Congress requesting that the U.S. declare war on Japan. The book was originally published in 1957 and is still highly readable. Lord gives us accounts of not only the civilians, sailors, soldiers, and marines, but also manages to include what was going on with the Japanese forces as well; There is a very nice afterward detailing more of the facts about the attack; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>208 alcottacre: ::tempted::

>210 richardderus: It is not that hot today. It is currently 81, so a nice day.

>181 alcottacre: Happy belated Thingaversary, Stasia!

>177 alcottacre: I don't particularly like the dark ones either, so I took a pass on this one. I'm glad that you confirmed that decision.

I hope Kerry catches (and CLEANS!) his limit and has a wonderful time with his brothers. I hope you get a lot of reading done.
Be good to yourself while he's gone. (((((Stasia)))))

>114 vancouverdeb: Hi Stasia. I think Deborah is right. You are amazing! (now at book #152)
>115 alcottacre: And I think you are right. You can be just you!

>177 alcottacre: Oh, I missed it; congratulations on double 75 (I haven't even got to the halfway mark yet) and - since I didn't actually say it before - Happy Thingaversary Stasia!

Happy 20th Thingaversary, Stasia! I hope the books keep you busy and you get lots of sleep while Kerry is gone fishing.

>212 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks, Dejah! Yeah, The Poet Empress was a tad too much on the dark side for me. I will be on the lookout for other books by Shen Tao though. This was her debut and definitely shows promise.

>213 LizzieD: I did get some reading done, Peggy, but not as much as I would have liked. There was stuff I wanted to take care of while Kerry is not underfoot :)

>214 mdoris: I am pretty good at being me at this stage in my life, Mary, but not much good at anything else, lol.

>215 humouress: Thanks on both counts, Nina!

>216 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

So, I went to bed about 8:30 last night full of high hopes that I would get some sleep since I got less than 2 hours the night before. I finally fell asleep about 12:30 or so - and slept until 2:40. After laying there for over 30 minutes trying to get back to sleep, I gave it up as a bad job. *sigh* I got 5 hours and 19 minutes of sleep this past Sunday night. Other than Tuesday night, when I got 4.5 hours of sleep, I have not had over 2 hours of sleep and two nights I have had no sleep at all. This, despite taking 2 different sleep meds. I am really tired of this.

I am cooking today even with Kerry gone. Breakfast is going to be a vegan Tofu Scramble, lunch is a BBQ Sheet pan made with red cabbage, red onions, sweet potatoes, and roasted corn. I will have something light for dinner, either fruit or veggies.

I am still listening to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and have made it to about the halfway point of the book. I am continuing on with Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan and This Is Happiness by Niall Williams. I am hoping, at the very least, to start Plainsong by Kent Haruf today. This will be a re-read for me. We will see if I am awake enough to start anything else. . .

I hope everyone has a super Saturday!

>218 alcottacre: BBQ Sheet pan made with red cabbage, red onions, sweet potatoes, and roasted corn
Oohh yum! I love everything in that dish. I still have a couple of sweet potatoes from last year's harvest and that would be an excellent way to use them.

I hope you're able to get some sleep soon, and despite that manage to have a super Saturday yourownself.

>219 lauralkeet: The original recipe only calls for one sweet potato, Laura, but I see no reason why you could not double it.

Thanks! I did nap for a couple of hours so I should be good to go for the rest of the day.

I'm glad for your nap. Enjoy your veggie BBQ. (I would rather not eat sweet potatoes any way, any time at all. I wish it were not so.)

>221 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I did enjoy the veggie BBQ. Sorry you do not care for sweet potatoes, but to each their each.

The sheet pan dish sounds lovely. Do you use any seasoning besides salt?

Hope you get some sleep soon and have a pleasant, productive time while you have the house to yourself.

>223 RebaRelishesReading: I do not use salt, Reba. The only seasoning comes from the BBQ sauce.

I did get a couple of hours of sleep and I hope to get some reading done with the rest of my day.

>224 alcottacre: Ah...BBQ sauce...sounds good. Maybe you could post the recipe?

Glad you got some sleep.

>225 RebaRelishesReading: I posted the recipe over in The Kitchen, Reba: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376688#9203148

Yum. Now I'm hungry.

>227 Storeetllr: Well, I hope you find something delicious to eat, Mary.

>228 alcottacre: Chickpea curry with vegetables and brown rice for dinner today. One of my faves.

>229 Storeetllr: I love curries and do chickpea ones fairly often. You have good taste, Mary :)

>220 alcottacre: The original recipe only calls for one sweet potato, Laura, but I see no reason why you could not double it.

Yeah, I took a look at the recipe (thanks for sharing!), and it looks like it would lend itself to improvisation.

>231 lauralkeet: Yeah, I like recipes where I can change things around if I like and this one certainly allows for that. I hope you enjoy it, if and when you try it.

Finished tonight:

153 - Plainsong by Kent Haruf - I first read this book 4 years ago when the 75ers did a group read of it. I loved it then and I continue to love it now. To me, this book is all about family - the one you are born into, the one you marry into, the family you find. There are quite a few characters in this book, but Haruf differentiates them so that you do not get them confused. There is Tom Guthrie who, along with his pre-teen sons Ike and Bobby, is abandoned by his wife, who is troubled by emotional problems. There is Victoria Roubideaux who, at age 17 finds herself pregnant and kicked out of her home by her mother. There are the McPherons, bachelor brothers, who extend to Victoria their home. There are other characters sprinkled throughout the book, but these are the primary ones. Each of the characters has their own struggles, and Haruf has a way of making both the characters and their struggles real; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

>233 alcottacre: I love Kent Haruf's novels. I might need to re-read them at some point.

Today is my 'day off' technology except for my meet up with Beth and Catey. I am happy to report that I got 4 hours and 12 minutes of sleep last night - 4 hours more sleep than I got the night before, lol.

Kerry is due home at some point today, just not sure when as I did not speak with him yesterday. He is currently in the middle of nowhere and the cell service there is terrible!

I am still listening to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I am continuing on with Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan and This Is Happiness by Niall Williams. I would like to start Shroud today. We will see if that happens.

I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday!

>234 lauralkeet: Some of his I had read previously, Laura, and some I had not. I am very much enjoying my foray into his books this year. I hope you get a chance to re-read them!

Happy Sunday, Stasia. Hooray for the extra sleep and hooray for the reread of Plainsong. I absolutely loved my reread of it too. We sure miss Haruf! Enjoy your day with the girls.

>237 msf59: Thanks, Mark!

Kerry is home! Kerry is home!! All is now right with my world. . .

>226 alcottacre: Thank you for that and thank you for pointing me to a new place on LT -- hadn't found that one yet!!

My brother-in-law Greg (front left) and brother-in-law Kelly (front right) along with my hubby Kerry at lunch on their recent fishing trip

Happy Memorial Day, smoochling!

>241 richardderus: Thank you, RD!

Up and doing already this morning. I got a little over 2 hours sleep last night. I was seriously hoping for more. Ah, well.

With Kerry back home today, board gaming will be happening. I am not sure what we are playing yet though.

As far as reading goes, I am still listening to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I should be finishing both This Is Happiness and Where the Past Begins today. I started both An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle and Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky last night. If I start anything new today, it will be In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje.

I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!

And a marvelous Monday to you, too, Stasia!

>240 alcottacre: That's a great picture of three brothers - you'd know they were related!

I saw that you've added Three Minutes in Poland to the June TIOLI wiki. I thought it was a fabulous book when I read it some years back. Did you know there's a documentary about the film/book? It's called Three Minutes: A Lengthening. I've got it on my watchlist on Kanopy, to which I have access via my library system.

I really don't need to read Three Minutes in Poland again, but I'm tempted to - it was that good. I hope you find it as compelling as I did.

>244 Dejah_Thoris: - I was absolutely captivated when I saw the documentary film made of the book Three Minutes in Poland. So much so, that I saw it twice. If you are able to find this doc at all, I highly recommend it. I had not known about the book when I saw the film but I will look for the book now, too.

>240 alcottacre: Wow..they sure are three peas in a pod, aren't they? Triple delight!

>244 Dejah_Thoris: Yeah, they do look like each other, don't they? None of them really favors either their older brother Tony or Jeff.

Thanks for the input on Three Minutes in Poland. I am very much looking forward to that read!

>245 jessibud2: I will have to see if I can find a copy of the documentary somewhere!

>246 laytonwoman3rd: Yes, they are. Very different personality-wise though!

>240 alcottacre: They look almost like they could be triplets! It's sure obvious that they are brothers! Looks like they had a great time! Glad Kerry is home and all is right in your world (except that darn lack of sleep). I hope you are able to sleep tonight!

Yep, they look a lot alike especially with the very similar facial hair and hats. Did they bring home a lot of fish?

Hope you have a pleasant Memorial Day weekend and get a nice sleep tonight.

>240 alcottacre: Wow! You can sure tell they are brothers. so nice that they get together like this. How did the fishing go?

Happy Memorial Day, Stasia. Glad you are able to get back to gaming.

>248 Storeetllr: Greg is the oldest in this bunch, Kerry is in the middle, and Kelly is the youngest. Thanks, Mary.

>249 RebaRelishesReading: Kerry brought home a dozen himself - he caught that many. Both of his brothers went home with fish as well, although I am not sure just how many. Thanks, Reba.

>250 msf59: They caught quite a few fish, so the fishing went well.

Thanks, Mark. We got in a couple of games today. We have to catch up before I leave on Friday! I will be back home June 10th, so it will be a couple of weeks.

Finished this afternoon:

154 - This Is Happiness by Niall Williams - I have made a lot of LT discoveries of authors I had not heard of prior to LT and Williams is one of them. For some reason, his books just work for me. I am not sure where I first heard about this book, but I discovered after I started the book that Caroline recommended it (along with other people), so I am counting it among my Caroline Memorial reads (her review of the book is here: https://www.librarything.com/work/23339718/reviews/194173741

Williams brings Faha, Ireland to life in this book. We meet the people all around the town and see them through the eyes of Noe Crowe, who goes to live with his grandparents. Noe tells the story when he gets older, although I do not think the text ever specifies exactly how old he is when he tells the tale of Faha, the electricity, and Christy, an older man who has a great impact on his life. If you like quietly told tales, this one is a dandy; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

"I came to understand him to mean you could stop at, not all, but most of the moments of your life, stop for one heartbeat and, no matter what the state of your head or heart, say This is happiness, because of the simple truth that you were alive to say it."

Finished tonight:

155 - Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan - Nonfiction; I went into this book having never read anything of Tan's before and knowing it was a memoir. What I did not realize until I started reading was that the book is a nontraditional memoir, so I had to adjust my thinking somewhat. I am glad that I did because I ended up liking it quite a bit. One review that I looked at (after reading the book) said: "All along, she lays out the bread crumbs of her life and history, always careful to explain how they affected her emotionally. Memory and emotion are really the thematic pillars of the book" (thanks, Mac!) and I very much agree with that. Her memories and emotions surrounding her mother, I think, are especially foundational here. Now that I have read Tan's nonfiction, I cannot wait to dive into her fiction at some point!; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

This is going to be an extremely busy week around my house. I will be out of town from May 29th-June 10th for an extended trip to my mother's for her birthday and directly from there to Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Kerry will be out of town overnight from Friday to Saturday in Shreveport for his aunt Merne's birthday.

In addition, Wednesday we are having windows replaced in our living and dining rooms. We had the front 2 windows done a couple of years ago and are finally getting around to replacing more of the windows at the front of the house.

And I have a ton of reading to get done before the 31st! Clones, I need clones, people!!

Off to bed to see if I can get more than 2 hours and 13 minutes of sleep like last night. . .

>254 alcottacre: ...cloned Stasias, with all sixteen eyestalks to keep reading all those books...*terror*

>254 alcottacre: I get you! A few days ago I panicked when I calculated how many pages I had left to read to fulfill my ambitious goals for May. I ended up moving two books not associated with a May challenge over to June. After a lot of weekend reading, now I have to read about 100 pages a day--but unfortunately most of them are in a book that I am finding annoying! (More on that when I write the review)
Good luck with your travels and with your reading.

I hope you got plenty of sleep last night, Stasia!

>254 alcottacre: >256 rhondak101book: I, too, have an absurd number of books and pages I'm supposed to finish by the end of the month. I keep trying to figure out which things to shift to next month, but I have missing out on the shared reads! That said, it's going to happen....

>255 richardderus: I thought that might get you, RD!

>256 rhondak101book: I start out every month with such promise - and then I run out of month! Every dadgum time. Good luck getting your annoying book read! Thanks, Rhonda.

>257 Dejah_Thoris: I got almost 8 hours of sleep last night, Dejah! Will miracles never cease??

I really hate missing out on shared reads. I try and do those earlier in the month, but sometimes one creeps in later. . .Ah, well.

I am debating on whether or not I should start my June thread before I leave Friday even though I will not be able to man it since I will be Internet-less until the 10th or make one when I get back.

What say you??

>259 alcottacre: I say yes! Start it before you travel.

Finished tonight:

156 - An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle - This is the first book in the Julia Bird Mysteries, a cozy mystery set in the Cotswolds of England. I rarely read cozy mysteries any more - I used to read them as if they were going out of style in my pre- and early-LT days - and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. The story revolves around Julia, a recently retired woman of a certain age, who decides to move to a small village after her divorce. Her friend Tabitha has convinced her to move, since Tabitha lives there, and suspects that she will enjoy it. Julia is enjoying her move, even adopting a dog, until a long deceased body is found in her backyard. Then she discovers another body in the lake - and yet another while out on a walk. These last 2 bodies are not long deceased and Julia would like to know who is murdering people in her supposedly quiet village - and do the recent bodies have anything to do with the long deceased one?; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

"Who needed murder mysteries when you had a real life murder drama in your very own village. . ."

Stopping by to say hi, Stasia! Glad you enjoyed This Is Happiness. I own it, but have yet to get to it.

>262 vancouverdeb: I hope you enjoy the book if and when you get to it, Deborah!

The windows installers are here and still have at least another hour to go. It is a grey, rainy day and I feel sorry for them having to work out in the weather.

I do not know if Kerry and I will be playing any games today or not. We are going to be spending a deal of time putting things back where they belong, just as we spent a deal of time moving things out of the way. I also now have a floor lamp that has to be replaced as it was broken today. *sigh*

On the reading front, I have so much to finish up before the end of the month that it is not even funny!

Finished this afternoon:

157 - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski - Audiobook; I think that, had I known that this book was a retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet, that I might have thought the better of it, as that play is tragic in so many ways. I will say though that I loved the majority of this book. I found the character of Edgar to be interesting. I loved the idea of the dogs who understood Edgar's signing - Edgar being mute. I enjoyed the characters of Edgar's parents, Gar and Trudy. I do not want to give too much away for those who have not read the book, but the central tragedy was believable, almost far too believable. However, I absolutely hated the ending of this book. Again, had I known it was based on Hamlet, I likely would have stayed away; Recommended (4 stars, despite my dislike of the ending) Mine

Regarding the audiobook, I think Richard Poe was the perfect choice for the narration of this one. It was a pleasure listening to him narrate this one.

>265 alcottacre: I read that so long ago (many, many, many years ago) that I don't remember anything about it but I'm certain I didn't know it was a retelling of Hamlet. May have to reread it some day.

>266 RebaRelishesReading: It is quite a time investment, Reba, as it is over 550 pages long, so be prepared if you do decide to re-read it. I would be curious to see what you think of the book if you do decide to give it another go.

>267 alcottacre: I still own a copy and noticed that it's quite a chunk when I went to check whether I still have it. Right now I have several things I want to finish up (my Austen project for example which still includes Frances Burney;s Camilla which is 913 pages long!!!!!) so that "some day" is very vague.

>268 RebaRelishesReading: I understand all too well about the vague "some days," Reba!

>265 alcottacre: If you ever decide you want a very modern, entertaining, and quick take on Hamlet, try James Ijames' Fat Ham. I kind of love it, and have tried talking the artistic director of one of the local community theatres to produce it in rep with Hamlet itself (obviously, Fat Ham is a play). No luck yet (and probably never), but it turns out I'm not the only person who's tried to get him to stage Fat Ham. Of course, that person wants a role in the show - I promise there's no role for me in it.

If you do ever read it, you've got to look up the clip of the song "Creep" from the Broadway version.

Sorry - I didn't mean to go off on a tangent!

>270 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks for the info, Dejah. I am not familiar with Fat Ham at all. No worries about the tangent! I am always happy for information about stuff with which I am unfamiliar!

>271 alcottacre: I only became aware of it because it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2022. I don't do a great job keeping up with that, but I try.

>272 Dejah_Thoris: One of the things that I aspire to at some point is reading the Pulitzers, especially those for history.

Finished tonight:

158 - In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje - A big 'thank you' to Mark for sending this one my way. I wish I could say that I enjoyed the book more than I did. I enjoyed learning about the history of Toronto through the character of Patrick and Ondaatje writes some wonderful prose, but the shifting (almost erratic, to my mind) timeline and some dream/not dream sequences about killed the book for me. I guess I prefer my historical fiction in a straight timeline; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

"In books he had read, even those romances he swallowed during childhood, Patrick never believed that characters lived only on the page. They altered when the author's eye was somewhere else. Outside the plot there was a great darkness, but there would of course be daylight elsewhere on earth. Each character had his own time zone, his own lamp, otherwise they were just men from nowhere."

I am heading off to bed now as I, once again, got no sleep at all last night and tomorrow is going to be a very busy day as I head out of town on Friday.

Hope you were able to get some decent sleep, Stasia!

Safe travels!

>276 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary.

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. Glad you got to In the Skin of a Lion. I liked it a bit more than you but I have to agree with you about the shifting narratives. It just didn't bother me as much.

Safe travels, my friend. Enjoy your time with your mother.

>278 msf59: I appreciate you sending the book to me, Mark. I was disappointed that it did not work as well for me as it did you, but I am glad I got a chance to find out!

Thank you. Kerry and I will be leaving tomorrow. He is heading to Shreveport after dropping me off in Longview.

Safe travels, Stasia, and I hope you get better sleep while you are with your mother.

>280 atozgrl: Better sleep at my mother's? Not a chance. Thanks for the thought though, Irene!

Off to bed now as it is going to be a long travel day tomorrow. . .

Saying 'goodbye' for now. Kerry and I are leaving in a couple of hours and I still have stuff to do - including making muffins for breakfast - before we head out. I will be back some time on June 10th.

Take care of yourselves and each other while I am gone!

Safe travels, Stasia and have a good time with your mum!

Safe travels, Stasia - we'll miss you!

>282 alcottacre: Have a good trip, Stasia!

I didn't realize quite how long Stasia was going to be gone....... She's at her mom's though, and I know they're having a happy time and maybe playing a game or 2.

I'm back! And you're not here. : (

Hope you are having fun and I can't really complain since my absence has been months and yours is days. : )

Safe travels and Juan will not be alone in missing you around these parts.