MickyFine Uses the Little Grey Cells. Part 3

I'm Micky, 39 years old, librarian, and generally bookish nerd. I usually have a good mix of reads going on every year with strong doses of romance, sff, historicals, and a dash of non-fiction. This year there will be a hefty dose of mysteries as I'm planning to make it through all the Poirot novels I've yet to read (33 books).

I do my best to be chatty on my own thread (these days I pop in weekly-ish) and in addition to my reading, I'll also discuss highlights of my craft projects (check out my NeedleArts thread if you like more details), board games, what we're watching, and general life goings on, often featuring my husband, Mr. Fine, and our cat, Ash. Posters and lurkers alike are welcome.

January
1. The Big Four - Agatha Christie
2. One Dance with a Duke - Tessa Dare
3. The Mystery of the Blue Train - Agatha Christie
4. Plain Jane and the Mermaid - Vera Brosgol
5. Peril at End House - Agatha Christie
6. Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets - Dorothy Armstrong
7. Caliban's War - James S. A. Corey
8. All Systems Red - Martha Wells (re-read)
9. Artificial Condition - Martha Wells (re-read)
10. Princess in Pink - Meg Cabot
Favourite(s):


February
11. Twice Tempted by a Rogue - Tessa Dare
12. Lord Edgware Dies - Agatha Christie
13. Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells (re-read)
14. A Thorn in Every Heart - Kate King
15. Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie
16. Princess in Training - Meg Cabot
17. Three Act Tragedy - Agatha Christie
18. The Geographer's Map to Romance - India Holton
19. My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business - Dick Van Dyke
20. Exit Strategy - Martha Wells (re-read)
21. The Winter's Tale - William Shakespeare (re-read)
22. Abaddon's Gate - James S.A. Corey
23. Three Nights with a Scoundrel - Tessa Dare
Favourite(s):


March
24. Death in the Clouds - Agatha Christie
25. Fugitive Telemetry - Martha Wells (re-read)
26. The Mark of Athena - Rick Riordan
27. The ABC Murders - Agatha Christie
28. Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put - Annie B. Jones
29. Murder in Mesopotamia - Agatha Christie
30. Blood Rites - Jim Butcher
31. Network Effect - Martha Wells (re-read)
32. A Five-Letter Word for Love - Amy James
33. Molly of the Mall - Heidi L.M. Jacobs (re-read)
Favourite(s):

April
34. Cibola Burn - James S.A. Corey
35. Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie
36. Flirting with Disaster - Naina Kumar
37. Murder in the Mews - Agatha Christie
38. System Collapse - Martha Wells (re-read)
39. Dumb Witness - Agatha Christie
40. Cabin Pressure: The Complete Series 1 - John Finnemore (re-read)
41. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion - Beth Brower
Favourite(s):

May
42. Nemesis Games - James S.A. Corey
43. Platform Decay - Martha Wells
44. Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie
45. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy - Brigitte Knightley
46. The Bullet that Missed - Richard Osman
47. Appointment with Death - Agatha Christie
48. Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens (re-read)
49. Among the Mad - Jacqueline Winspear
50. Time's Convert - Deborah Harkness
51. Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother - Peggy O'Donnell Heffington
52. Hercule Poirot's Christmas - Agatha Christie
53. Time Lord Fairy Tales - Justin Richards
Favourite(s):


June
54. At Bertram's Hotel - Agatha Christie (re-read)
55. Babylon's Ashes - James S.A. Corey
56. A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping - Sangu Mandanna
57. Sad Cypress - Agatha Christie
58. My Brother Is an Avocado - Tracy Darnton & Yasmeen Ismail
59. Cherry Baby - Rainbow Rowell
60. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe - Agatha Christie
61. A Rome of One's Own - Emma Southon
62. Spider-Gwen: Gwen-Verse - Tim Seeley
63. Evil Under the Sun - Agatha Christie
64. Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies - Vicky Zimmerman
65. Artificial: A Love Story - Amy Kurzweil
66. Direct Descendant - Tanya Huff
Favourite(s):

July
67. Persepolis Rising - James S.A. Corey
68. Five Little Pigs - Agatha Christie
69. Beach Read - Emily Henry (re-read)
70. Writing Mr. Wrong - Kelley Armstrong
Favourite(s):

August
Favourite(s):

September
Favourite(s):

October
Favourite(s):

November
Favourite(s):

December
Favourite(s):

My rating system (updated for the first time)

** = Had far more flaws than virtues
*** = A read I don't regret but could use some improvement
***1/2= A read I liked but there were small things that kept it from being a full four stars
**** = A good, solid read
****1/2 = I really, really liked this book but not quite enough to add to my personal collection
***** = Loved this read (typically for favourite books I re-read or new books that will be joining my personal collection for future re-reading)

Poirot Novels to Read
The Big Four
The Mystery of the Blue Train
Peril at End House
Lord Edgware Dies
Murder on the Orient Express
Three Act Tragedy
Death in the Clouds
The ABC Murders
Murder in Mesopotamia
Cards on the Table
Murder in the Mews
Dumb Witness
Death on the Nile
Appointment with Death
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
Sad Cypress
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Evil Under the Sun
Five Little Pigs
The Hollow
The Labours of Hercules
Taken at the Flood
Mrs McGinty's Dead
After the Funeral
Hickory Dickory Dock
Dead Man's Folly
Cat Among the Pigeons
The Clocks
Third Girl
Hallowe'en Party
Elephants Can Remember
Poirot's Early Cases
Curtain

I'm planning to read these in roughly publication order (depending on when holds come in) at the rate of 2-3/month. I've already placed holds on all the titles between the two libraries I have access to and suspended them so that I should get them in regular monthly batches. Expect my reviews of these to include notes on how annoying I find Hastings in each novel (he really is the most irritating sidekick).

This thread is officially open for business!

It's Canada Day here which for me feels like the official kick-off to summer. So tell me about something that you love to do every summer: a tradition, a place you love to visit, a dish you absolutely must make/eat, what have you.

I recently did one of my favourite summer traditions a bit early this year and attended the local Shakespeare in the Park production. This was the production company's first year back in their traditional venue (the park where they typically held it was undergoing major upgrades for the last three years) and it was lovely to be back in the tent and watching my favourite Shakespearean comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. Not even the pouring rain could dampen my enjoyment.

Happy new thread, Micky!

Happy new thread, Micky!

Happy new thread, Micky.

Also Happy Canada Day.

Happy new thread, and (belated) happy Canada day!

I'm planning on attending family reunion for my mom's side of the family this summer, and looking forward to a dessert my aunt makes with graham cracker crust, pudding, cool whip, and a bunch of different fruits and berries. In general, eating a lot of fresh fruit is a summer thing for me -- I made a fruit salad for our dinner last night.

Happy new one, Micky! I love that image in your first post.

Let's see... summer traditions. Is hating summer a tradition? LOL.

Here are some:
- Going to the US Open (tennis, not golf)
- Making and scarfing down tuna pasta salad like my mom used to make
- Complaining to TW that it's too hot, to get back at him for complaining all winter about the cold :)

Happy new thread, Micky!! I love getting a Cuban sandwich from one of my favorite restaurants and eating it on the beach nearby. We'll see if that happens this summer -- maybe I should make it a pre-baby goal :)

Happy new thread, Micky!

Happy new thread, Micky!

>9 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>10 quondame: Thank you, Susan.

>11 PaulCranswick: Thanks on both counts, Paul!

>12 foggidawn: Mmm, I do love fruit salad in the summer. Mr. Fine isn't a big fan of fruit (unless it's in a pie) so I usually only have it when he's out for dinner without me. He's got a birthday dinner to attend next weekend and I'll definitely be having some then.

>13 katiekrug: Hi Katie! Mmm, your summer traditions sound great. I hope you've been giving TW a real earful during your heat dome, lol.

>14 curioussquared: That sounds lovely, Natalie. If the Cuban place isn't too far maybe it would be a low key adventure to do after baby arrives too.

>15 Matke: Thank you!

>16 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene.

First life update for the new thread.

Last Saturday was pretty chill. We went to church in the morning, which involved a detour on the drive there as an intersection on our regular route was flooded. The afternoon was mostly LT, a couple games of Dice Throne, and a game of Endearment as it rained most of the day. Got in some crafting in the evening while Mr. Fine video gamed. Sunday we did the usual chores and workout and then went to the matinee show of the local Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing. It was pouring rain when we arrived and off and on for most of the show but they do it in a large outdoor tent so we were mostly dry. My hair did get intensely curly/frizzy in all the humidity though. Much Ado is my favourite of Shakespeare's comedies so I had a grand time anyway and we managed to snag a free bag of popcorn on our way out.

With Canada Day on a Wednesday, my work week was weirdly split in half. I had plenty of ordering to keep me occupied all week and a few recurring tasks to tackle as well. Tuesday was my first evening shift in over a decade. It took a bit to get my brain to remember, as 4 pm approached, that I was not going home at the usual time but happily the shift didn't drag. That was at least partially because one of the scheduled staff members called in sick but didn't follow our normal procedure so I thought they were late or had no-showed for half an hour. It all worked out though and doing break coverage in the warehouse definitely contributed to the day feeling pretty fast. I was grateful for the holiday falling the day after as it did take me a bit to wind down when I got home at 9:30ish. Future weeks with an evening shift will probably be more rough on a Wednesday morning, especially if Mr. Fine is on early shift and we have to get up at 5 a.m.

Our Canada Day was pretty lazy. Despite being up late (for an early shift week) the night before we were still awake pretty early and decided to go out for breakfast. We then did a walk when we got home. The rest of the day was filled with board and video gaming (Dice Throne, Parks, and Mario Kart) and Mr. Fine made our traditional burgers for dinner with ketchup chips as a side, of course.

We did date night on a Friday this week, which is a little unusual for us. I picked our local Mexican restaurant where I had fish tacos and it was delicious as usual. Then I had a hankering for a DQ dipped cone so we stopped there on the way home. Our Friday double feature was Jack Ryan: Ghost War (enjoyable) and Enola Holmes 2 (a rewatch but we'd forgotten huge chunks of the plot so almost like watching a new to us movie).

In crafting, I finished crocheting the first of four planned hats for the grandbaby and made good progress on the cross-stitch stocking.

In reading, I finished two books this week, one of which was reviewed on last quarter's thread. I'll get the other review up soon.

Book 67

Life update time.

I had a one-day weekend last weekend and spent my Saturday attending church, catching up on LT, going for a walk, playing Dice Throne and Parks with Mr. Fine, and getting in some crafting and reading time.

My work week started Sunday and my weekend shift was uneventful. Everyone scheduled showed up and I got through so much of my to do list that I did a few small tasks, like unpacking our social committee supplies, that I'd been meaning to get around to for a couple months. The rest of the work week was similarly uneventful and all my tasks took less time than anticipated - including making edits to the project plan for the project I don't like. One fun thing this week was my coaching trio, now a quartet as we've adopted one of the intern librarians for the year. We went for ice cream at one of the local shops known for their artisanal flavours. I was not brave enough for their seasonal flavours that include dill pickle and peanut butter, maple poutine, and roasted hay and saskatoon berries. I went for a much tamer blueberry and lemon curd ice cream, which was delicious. The lemon was on the tart side, exactly as I'd wanted and our conversation was informative and enjoyable as usual.

Wednesday after work I had a check-up and cleaning at the dentist. Clean bill of dental health for another year and my dentist was unexpectedly out of office, which is fine because I actually like the other dentist who did my exam more.

Thursday night for date night, Mr. Fine and I did food court dinner, then popped into Indigo to each pick up a book, and I also snuck in some bra shopping. Then we went to see the new Supergirl. I enjoyed it although having had a sick pet recently, the Krypto plot was a little more emotional for me (for those who worry about animals in books/films Krypto is fine and there is only one major scene where you see him sad and in implied-but-not-super-obvious pain). As superhero flicks go, it was solid and while I didn't like it as much as the most recent Superman, it's much better than a lot of DC's films of the last decade.

My weekend kicked off yesterday with my day in lieu for working Sunday. Mr. Fine was on early shift so the alarm still went off at five but I opted to stay in bed right until I needed to drive him and then came home and hurkle-durkled for another hourish. There was a thunderstorm after I got back from dropping him off so it was pretty cozy to be in bed and listening to the rain. I had a quietly productive day at home and did almost everything on my to do list including emptying the dishwasher, folding laundry, washing some bathroom walls, a workout, some bill stuff, tidying my library, and handwashing some wool items. When I picked up Mr. Fine, we did a detour so he could pick up some foodstuffs for his weekend plans and so I could exchange a bra (I accidentally grabbed the wrong size for one of them due to not paying close enough attention). Our Friday double feature was Enola Holmes 3 and Inkheart, with a walk squeezed in between the two. I liked the plot of the latest Enola Holmes flick although I wanted a word with the costume designer as the costumes were All Over The Place in terms of time period (1860s ball gown, 1880s wedding gown, nearly Edwardian day dresses, and don't even get me started on Enola's hair being down 90% of the time and her never wearing a hat). Inkheart was a rewatch as we were trying to determine whether to keep the DVD in our collection. However, we remain undecided, lol. The book is significantly better but Brendan Fraser and Paul Bettany remain very nice to look at.

In crafting, I've made a bit of progress on the stocking. Plus, I have finished the body of the second toque for the grandbaby and now just need to make ears. Also realized that while I thought the hat pattern had four sizes, it's actually three (as we hopefully won't need the preemie size). So I'm further along in my gift making for the grandbaby than I thought.

In reading, I completed three books this week and will start on those reviews right away.

Sounds like a very pleasant week, Micky! I think I would have opted for the same ice cream flavor as you :)

Book 68

Would I recommend this one? Yes, this one is pretty interesting as Poirot tackles a cold case rather than a fresh crime.

How annoying was Hastings? No Hastings again. Tra la la.

Lines I particularly liked: "Murder is a drama. The desire for drama is very strong in the human race."

>22 katiekrug: It was a pretty good week, Katie. I was also tempted by their malted chocolate and honeycomb flavour but was feeling a fruity ice cream. I'll link to the shop website if you want to peruse all their flavours. They also have a cookbook, Made by Marcus Made by You, although I'm not sure of its availability on your side of the border.

Book 69

After watching People We Meet on Vacation a month or so ago, I decided to reread all of Emily Henry's novels but to try them on audio this time. This go around, I'm planning to read them in publication order so I started off with a re-read of Beach Read. I had forgotten how funny this book is and also it's ability to make me cry towards the end. It's charming, somehow manages to be a romance novel even though a significant part of the plot involves research into a suicide cult, and Julie Whalen's narration is really excellent. I've added this to my favourite audiobooks list for future rereading. Original review for the print edition below.

Book 70

Happy newish thread, Micky. The thing I traditionally do in summer is go to Bard on the Beach - Shakespeare overlooking Kits Beach. This year we have tickets to Macbeth.

Thanks for reviewing Beach Read. I haven't picked that one up yet because the title did not appeal but your review makes it sound like something I would actually like.

>27 Familyhistorian: Ooh, Bard on the Beach sounds really fun. I hope you have a grand time at the Scottish play!

I hope you enjoy Beach Read when you try it!