fuzzi's "I'm Back, Somewhat on Track for 2026" Thread

It's been a couple rough and tumble years, but I am trying to focus, get back on track with reading.

So far in 2026:

Rereads
All Systems Red
Artificial Condition
Rogue Protocol
Exit Strategy
Network Effect
Fugitive Telemetry
System Collapse
Pride and Prejudice

New Reads Not Reviewed
Where the Lilies Bloom
Prairie Songs
Anastasia at This Address
Secrets of the Shopping Mall
Shades of Gray
Ruff Love

New Reads, Reviewed
The Man With the Silver Oar
News of the World
Canyons
Anne Dreams
Platform Decay
Healing With DMSO

That's eighteen twenty in five months, not impressive, but better than where I was last year.

This is a Work in Progress. Stay tuned...

What a lovely surprise! Welcome back Fuzzi!

>2 PaulCranswick: thank you.That's very sweet.

Missed two, Ruff Love and Healing With DMSO. Both are very good.

Reader's Digest version...since I sort of disappeared I lost my husband of 44 years to dementia, my (his) dog to the same, I retired, and then adopted a sweet but anxious dog. I keep busy, as everything is on me, but I'm loving it, don't miss the office drama at all.

Pictures and stuff are here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/368289#8756404

but I wanted to reconnect with the 75-ers. So, here I am.

>4 fuzzi: That is heartbreaking, Fuzzi. As belatedly as it is, I am really sorry to hear about your loss (es). Tendering (((((hugs))))) and best wishes to you from tropical climes.

>5 PaulCranswick: thank you SO much.

I just miss having someone to talk to, a friend who shared life experiences with me for so long.

Added a review for Healing With DMSO.

FYI: DMSO has made a tremendous difference, reduction in my pain and inflammation.

Welcome back! So sorry life’s been hard. But we’re glad you’re back.

And thanks for the assist. 😀

Hey Fuzzi, welcome back to the threads!

So good to see you here Fuzzi, sorry about your losses, happy for your retirement and wishing you the best here with the 75ers.

Welcome back to the 75ers, Fuzzi! I've been following along on your other thread, so I knew most of what you've been dealing with. I'll just say again that I am so sorry for your losses, but very glad to see you back here.

Good to see you back! I sad for your losses.

>8 drneutron: you're very welcome. I'm slowly working my way back into LT.

>9 mahsdad: >10 Kristelh: >11 atozgrl: >12 quondame: thank you for the kind words.

Looking forward!

Shadrach by Meindert DeJong - (Newbery Honor 1954)

Loved, loved, LOVED this story of a little boy and his rabbit. The author captures the thoughts and imaginations of a small child perfectly.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli - (Newbery Medal 1991)

What was the point?

As I read I kept feeling that the author had some agenda to promote, but not doing so consistently. I liked the old baseball player part, the Beale's, and the Pickwell's, but between it was strange, vignettes that went nowhere.

Newbery Medal winner, really?

>15 fuzzi: However, it's one of the most read books at our school for grades 6-8! I started it, but did not finish it.

>15 fuzzi: & >16 Tess_W: I don't see myself enjoying that one either.

Have a good weekend, Fuzzi.

>16 Tess_W: >17 PaulCranswick: my son commented that his impression of Maniac Magee was similar to mine, when he read it as assigned in fifth grade.

He recommended Holes, so I requested it from the public library. It's a Newbery as well.

Thank you, Paul.

>18 fuzzi: I have read Holes and did like it, Fuzzi.

Do you still have any Hammond Innes books to go at?

>18 fuzzi: Love Holes!

>18 fuzzi: Another vote for Holes. The movie is good too.

>4 fuzzi: I am so very sorry to hear about your husband, fuzzi. I cannot blame you for not missing the office drama though.

>14 fuzzi: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation!

I hope you have a super Saturday!

Glad to see you back , Fuzzi. I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your dear husband, as well as the dog.

>19 PaulCranswick: I do, am up for a read at some point!

>22 alcottacre: thank you. Shadrach should be up near the top of the black hole. I'm looking for more books by that author.

>20 Tess_W: >21 quondame: thank you for the recommendation.

>23 vancouverdeb: I appreciate your kindness.

It's been super hot here, but instead of reading my books I've been watching YouTube videos about music. Rick Beato played Rumours, and I wept. My boyfriend bought me that album, and it became OURS.

Tell your sweetie how much you love him, her. Now.

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/live/uE2W5d7XTds?si=AEPoFcULT4W1ecpJ

>24 fuzzi: Just let me know, Fuzzi. As you know I have all of his books and am always up for a reread of one or more of them. You choose which one.

>26 PaulCranswick: 👍👍👍

I picked up four Newbery books from the library today. I'm currently reading The Westing Game but not getting into it. Then again, I am not a fan of most mysteries, and it reminds me And Then There Were None.

Maybe I should try Holes instead?

HOLES is great and so is the film version.

Finally done.


The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - (Newbery )

This read a bit like an Agatha Christie, but the eccentric characters and forced humor didn't endear me. Just okay.

The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds - (Newbery Medal 1942)

This story pulled me in and wouldn't let me go until the end.


I won't spoil it by saying more, as there are another 36 reviews that might. Just go read it.

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Holes by Louis Sachar - (Newbery Medal 1999)

It took me a few chapters, but I suddenly realized that I was enjoying this tale. I liked how the author peeled off layers of the plot, like an onion, until it made sense.

Additions Today

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron
The Barn by Avi
Keeper of the Doves by Betsy Byars
The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth
Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers - (Newbery Honor)
The Boxcar Children The Mystery of the Lost Mine by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Boxcar Children The Mystery on the Ice by Gertrude Chandler Warner

I'll read before passing on to my grandchildren. I'm pretty sure I've read The Enormous Egg before, but it was probably over 50 years ago.

I'd not heard of phantom booksellers before, but have been bitten by their practices in the past.

https://thelibraryladder.substack.com/p/how-phantom-online-booksellers-scam

Old favorite, found on eBay!


Shan's Lucky Knife: a Burmese Folk Tale by Jean Merrill

Delightful retelling of a Burmese folktale. I read this many times growing up, lost my copy over the years. I just found another copy, and enjoyed my reread as an adult.

>34 fuzzi: Looks great! I’ve got it requested!

Karen O

>35 klobrien2: let me know if/how you liked it.

Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith - (Newbery Medal 1958)

Excellent saga of a young Union soldier and his experiences during the American Civil War. I felt myself there with him, in each battle, homestead, riding along dusty roads, and fording swollen rivers. This truly deserved its Newbery.

Arrived today!

Boston Jane Series: An Adventure by Jennifer L. Holm
Boston Jane Series: Wilderness Days by Jennifer L. Holm
Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm - (Newbery Honor 2007)
The Trouble With May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

Thank you to @Whisper1 for the recommendation.


Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies

Too funny! Bats head to the beach for a night of fun, told in rhyme and illustrated in a whimsical style. Love it.

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Bats in the Band by Brian Lies

Bats head for the concert hall to play the night away. I love both the rhyme and the illustrations.

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Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

I'm grinning. Not only does this bat book have the usual rhyme and wonderful illustrations, but the author adds literary references in a talented way. Upped it half a star.

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Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies

Baseball fans will like all the sly references to their favorite game. Home run!

Update: 31 books read so far.

#32 The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer Holm

I didn't like this sequel as much as the first book, Our Only May Amelia, but it was still well written, engaging, and definitely worth reading.

#33 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse - (Newbery Medal 1998)

I read this book in one sitting, mainly because I was pulled into the story, didn't want to stop. It was captivating, but I first needed to adjust to the author's writing style, which resembles poetry.

Got another one read.


#34 The Wish Giver: Three Tales of Coven Tree by Bill Brittain - (Newbery Honor 1984)

Amusing retelling of a familiar fairy tale. The moral of the story? Be careful what you wish for.

#35 Encyclopedia Brown Carries On by Donald J. Sobol.

I loved reading Encyclopedia Brown as a child. This book in the series was just okay, but it might be a fun read for a child of 9 or 10.

Fuzzi, I'm just now seeing that you are here again and want to say that I'm sad for your loss. This is one time when words don't do the job.

At any rate, I join the other 75ers in being glad to see your footprints around the threads. Welcome back.

A book order arrived today, and I got a bonus...

...the book The Ordinance of 1787 has an inscription by the author!


Too bad my name isn't Marian.

>45 LizzieD: thank you.

I came back to see I'd lost a couple friends in my absence, @MrsLee and @Majkia 😔

I appreciate words, honestly. They don't have to do anything but be offered. 🥰

#36 Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm - (Newbery Honor 2007)

Penny has two families. She lives with her mother and grandparents. The other side of her family is unapologetically Italian. And no one will tell her anything about her father.

I liked this, quite a bit.

>46 fuzzi: Kinda a bonus? You can always pretend

>49 The_Hibernator: I know it's not my inscription. But it makes the author feel more real. I don't know exactly how to express it.

>42 fuzzi: I really like the look of that one, Fuzzi.

Fuzzi, years ago, I was on a quest to read many Newbery award-wining books. See the covers and your reviews brought back fond memories of all the books I read. They truly ar treasures.

Thanks for taking the time to post all this. I join the comments above regarding the life-changing events you are going through. I'm thinking of you, and wish you well.
I'm glad you found the "Bat" books. Most of them contained laugh- loud-out imaes and descriptions. I am a huge Brian Lies fan.

>51 PaulCranswick: give it a try. It was at our local library.

>52 Whisper1: thank you, friend.

#37 A Place Apart by Paula Fox - (ROOT)

Meandering plot about a young teen who loses her father, and moves to a small town. The story never gripped me, the characters didn't interest me, and I didn't care how things resolved.

I'm being generous with three stars.

#38 Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright - (Newbery Medal 1939)

A sweet, gentle, adventurous, and fun story of a Wisconsin farmgirl, in the early 1900s. It was a joy to read, and worthy of its Newbery Medal.