What are your currently reading?

I am about half done Once a Thief by Kay Hooper. I am gonna try to finish it today. My weekly pick on my website is a book called Jigsaw by Kathleen Nance. It sounds very good, so I'm itching to start it.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman for the Green Dragon group discussion. I'm about halfway through and he's been stolidly building up to something and I can't wait to find out what it is, although I have been finding it interesting so far. It's about the older almost-forgotten gods trying not to be ousted by the younger modern-day gods (like the Gods of TV and the Internet).

Even though I said I don't usually read Canadian books, right now I'm reading Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam. My reading time is currently very limited, but I'm hoping to finish it by the end of the week.

I was right I did manage to find time to complete Once a Thief today. I was pretty disappointed with it. It was bad so it got a bad review. Check out the bad review I gave it. Anyways you win some and lose some. I am not sure what I'm gonna start tonight. Sometimes I just stand infront of my shelf and close my eyes and point, and I read that book. I just did that and, I pointed to Creepers by David Morrell.

Crystal

Crystal,

Don't bother reading Always a Thief. It's worse than the first one, and leaves you feeling like the story is unfinished.

I read Sleeping with Fear last week and was vastly disappointed. I think it's the last book I'll read of Kay Hooper.

I just started Mozart's sister by Nancy Moser. I don't really know much about it yet but it seems like an interesting idea. Apparently, Mozart's sister, Nannerl, was equally as talented as Mozart but she didn't have the same opportunities as her younger brother, mainly because of her sex.

I'm not far enough into it yet to have an opinion of the book. I'll let you know if it's particularly interesting.

I've heard a lot about the book. It's been mentioned on CBC and Radio Canada several times. Let us know what you think of it.

I'll be done with Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures very soon, and after that I'm planning to read Pretties by Scott Westerfeld. It's the sequel to Uglies, which I read for the Read YA Lit group discussion and really enjoyed. I actually would have read Pretties sooner but was worried I'd get too engrossed in it and not have enough time to write essays and do other schoolwork! So I'm looking forward to it now that it's almost vacation time.

Currently reading Natasha: And Other Stories by David Bezmozgis . I read good reviews about it in the newspapers, so I decided to give it a try.

Let us know what you think of Natasha: and Other Stories. It's always interesting to see whether the books on things like Canada Reads are actually good.

I finished Creepers by David Morrell, it was such a good book. I am now reading The Twelfth Card by Jeffery Deaver (who is one of my favorite authors). Then I am going to read my pick of the week from my website, The Murder Room by J.D James. After that, I'm not sure yet. I am expecting about 30 books in the mail soon, so I'm itching to get at them.

Crystal

I'm currently reading Eventide by Kent Haruf. If you don't know him, I'd recommend starting with Plainsong, one of the most beautiful American literature novel I've ever read.

You can read a review on my blog for Plainsong (http://mdbenoit.com/blog/2005/11/23/currently-reading-3/)

I've finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman and am now reading A Christmas Carol by Dickens, again for a discussion group. I'm not a big fan of Dickens, but I'm willing to try this as it's short and seemed right for the time of year. After that, I haven't decided between The Giver by Lois Lowry or I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak.

How did you find American Gods? I have it reserved at my public library.

I love The Giver, or at least I did when I read it more than 10 years ago. One of these days I'll get around to reading it again. But I also liked I Am the Messenger, and it's in keeping with your discussion group theme :)

I'd also like to know what you thought of American Gods - it's so popular and I keep hearing people praising it, but it's never looked at all appealing to me. The only thing I've read by Gaiman is Coraline, which I did enjoy, but it's not at all the same kind of book.

_Zoe_,

LOL. I'm trying to get away from the discussion book theme. I've got so many other books TBR. What am I doing buying more books!?! I'm leaning towards The Giver since it's short and I also got Coraline recently. With a few shorter books I can easily knock off a few books from the TBR pile and feel better about my habit :o)

Although American Gods was not what I expected I still liked it. It wasn't an epic adventure/action story. There was a steady progression to it as you got to know the characters and the story unfolded at its own pace. The ending felt a little anti-climactic. But the whole time I was interested in the main character and wanted to know more about him. Very different from any other fantasy I've read. It's about the gods that have been brought to the new world by believers over the last thousands of years and what they're doing today as they've been forgotten by most. It seemed like most people in the Green Dragon discussion thought it was ok, a couple thought it was great, some didn't care for it.

Oh, I have the same problem! I don't know why I keep buying more books (except that some are so cheap... and some I use a gift card for so that doesn't really count... there's always some good reason at the time). I definitely sometimes try to read short books just so that I can feel like I'm making progress (and have some justification for buying more). Be warned, though, I think The Giver has at least one sequel/companion.

I also keep wanting to read group discussion books even though I have no time to read the books I already have. Discussions are just so interesting.

I think that mostly confirms the impression I had about American Gods - interesting but not amazing. I won't rush out to buy it yet :)

Arghh! I'll pretend I didn't see that about a sequel to The Giver. Though, if it's as good as I hear, all bets are off.

Umm! The having alot of books I have not read yet, is my problem too. I have about 500 books, and about 300 I have not read. I keep buying, and buying. You just never know what you will be in the mood to read, so I like a variety, plus if they're on sale, why not?

Crystal

Me too Crystal, though you have me beat by about 25 books unread. I've been using LT to keep track and right now I have 273 TBR. This doesn't seem to go down very quickly (or at all) as I can't resist peeks into secondhand shops and library sales.

I've finished A Christmas Carol and have decided to read The Giver. I'm only 6 pages in but it's already hooked me. This is good because the last few books I've read, while I enjoyed them, took concentration and I distracted easily. This one promises to not release my eyes so easily, except maybe for that herd of elephants rampaging through the living room (in this case the herd being my kids).

I've had a productive weekend ;o) I finished The Giver, Coraline and Teranesia by Greg Egan, which I had started but put down halfway through a couple of months ago. I'm trying to decide if I should binge with another YA book. My reading time is going to drop as I need to start studying for the next course I'm taking. The silly thing is, this course starts just before the Christmas holidays and the first quiz is on the third of January. So much for relaxing over the holidays :op ~

Oh, I know your pain - I have a final exam in the first week of classes in January. And it's so big that it's spread over two days.

But you might as well read another YA book....

Hahah. Come to think of it, I do have a Monica Hughes I haven't read yet, The Faces of Fear.

Ouch, a two day exam!?! Mine is just a little quiz, I just have to make sure I do all the reading.

PS. I loved The Giver, and there are two sequels. Arghhh!

I finally finished The Twelfth Card by Jeffery Deaver. I found it not to be as good as other books from the Lincoln Rhyme series. The Empty Chair being my favorite. I am now reading The Carousel by Belva Plain. It's not to bad, so far!

I went on a book buying binge a few days ago. I bought, what sound to be some really interesting books.

I bought a book called Blackfly Season. The author's name is Giles Blunt, now he is Canadian, born in North Bay, Ontario, which is within 2 hours of my house.

I also bought the following:

No Regrest by JoAnn Ross
A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman
Blind Fear by Lynn Abercrombie
Cold As Death by T.J. MacGregor
Cold Case by Linda Barnes
Dancing With The Virgins by Stephen Booth
The Good, The Bad, And The Undead by Kim Harrison
Darkening Echoes by Carol Smith
Dispatch by Bentley Little
Hidden Prey, and Sudden Prey by John Sandford

So if any of you have read these books let me know what you thought of them.

Crystal

crysacraig,

Let us know how you like Blackfly Season. What is it about?

I've read everything by Laurie R. King and I've enjoyed them all, some more than others. Her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes stories are my favorite and her stand alone novels, but the Kate Martinelli series, of which A Grave Talent is the first, is still good. She has a way of getting my attention and putting me on edge right away. Sometimes the tension is so much that I consider putting the book away unread, but the story is so good that I have to continue. This happens especially with her stand alone novels.

I'm keeping my eyes out for a new mystery author to try, so I'd love to hear what anyone has to say about the other books crysacraig has bought.

I've been thinking of re-reading Monica Hughes' Isis books, since I just bought additional copies of two of them. They were only about $2 each, and remaindered, not used! (I think I'm starting to go crazy.)

I've also been meaning to read the sequels to The Giver, though. They weren't out yet when I first read the book. And it should be a good thing when you find out that there are two sequels to a book you love!

Crystal, I don't think I've even heard of any of those books! I saw another book by Kim Harrison on a special-sauce list, though, so maybe I'll try one eventually.

What I'm actually currently reading is Boy Meets Boy for the Read YA Lit discussion next month. It's interesting but not too engrossing, which is good because I can theoretically focus on studying (which really seems to mean LT message boards). Tomorrow I'm planning to buy Specials (after my last attempt to do so failed), and I may start that before finishing Boy Meets Boy. I also need to think of some more books I can buy to use my magic gift card....

Blackfly Season is a murder mystery by the sounds of the back cover. Once I log it in my inventory I'll post a link to it. I ordered some books from powells.com about a month ago and I got them in the mail today so I'll tell you all about them later, I'm just making some dinner.

Crystal

I just posted a review of Eventide by Kent Haruf on my blog for those who want to read it.

I have Black fly Season by Giles Blunt on my ever-expanding TBR pile. I read his Forty Words for Sorrow and enjoyed it, and have The Delicate Storm yet to reas as well.

At present I'm getting back into some of my thrillers/mysteries and am a few pages into The Mercy Seat.

I've temporarily dropped Left Behind in favour of re-reading Stephen King's The Stand, which is still an excellent read the second time around.

Zoe: Natasha and other stories was a delightful read. I enjoyed the way Bezmozgis crafted each of his short story and presented it to the reader. I also enjoyed the diversity of themes that were brought to light by each short story. Some of the stories were very touching while other were undoubtly humorous.
Bezmozgis refers to many Jewish traditions througout the novel, which helped me get well accquainted with the Jewish culture, something I did have very less knowledge about prior to reading the novel. Overall a splendid read!

Thanks silent_ka0s! Now I definitely plan to read that book, eventually. I even found out last week that my mother actually owns a copy! I don't know whether I'll get around to it before the Canada Reads broadcasts, though.

Right now I'm reading The Prestige by Christopher Priest. I'm really enjoying it so far; I think I've been reading too much YA lately, so this is just what I needed. I put down Specials about 50 pages in, but I did finish Boy Meets Boy and thought it was okay.

Anlina, I've been tempted by The Stand. I'm not a fan of Stephen King's horror but I loved The Body and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. What do you think? Would I like it?

Zoe, I remember reading the Isis books eons ago (junior high?) and really enjoying them and the thrill I got when we find out how the main character had been changed and how other humans saw her. I think The Keeper of the Isis Light may have been my very first science fiction novel.

I polished off The Faces of Fear by Monica Hughesand The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer over the long weekend. Now I really need to start studying and I promised I wouldn't start another book, but I couldn't resist the first couple of pages of I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. I promise, tomorrow I will buckle down and study :o(

sandragon> Hard to say without knowing what it was about those two stories that you enjoyed. The Stand is a pretty hefty read, but I find it to be a very enjoyable one. There's some aspects of the supernatural & horrific but overall it's a very people-driven survival story with a lot of different prominient characters that all come together as the book progresses. One thing I do recall from my last reading of it was that it had an extremely long denoument. The story climaxes but does not wrap up quickly, which was something I enjoyed, since I got very attached to the characters and it was nice to follow them for a bit to a satisfying conclusion.

I'd give it a try at least - worst that happens is that you don't like it and don't bother finishing it, right?

Anlina, I've thought of another King that I liked, Secret Window, Secret Garden. I think I like these because they were mostly about the people and what made them tick, with a bit of supernatural but little horror. That said, I didn't like Gerald's Game. Another one I've thought of trying is The Green Mile.

I'm currently reading They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie. It's amazing how actual the book is considering what's going on right now in Iraq, and the book was written in 1950.

I think The Keeper of the Isis Light was my first science fiction book too! It was long enough ago that I don't really remember much about it except that it made me seek out any other books of hers I could find.

I'm reading Lord of the Rings again right now, for the umpteenth time - I enjoy reading it every few years and it's been awhile, so I'm relishing all the forgotten moments. I also have Angels in the Gloom on the go (it's a lighter, more portable book, for my backpack). I'm listening to the first Artemis Fowl on my iPod and am thoroughly enthralled and hooked. Can't wait to read/hear the rest of them.

I've laid aside I am the Messenger for now to finish an anthology of mysteries I've been working on for several months now. Hoping to finish it by the end of the year. The short story I'm reading now is Die Like a Dog by Rex Stout. After that are two short novels, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett and The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey.

Katylit, I've just finished listening to Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception. I love the different voices that Nathaniel Parker does for all the characters. Another LTer called the Artemis Fowl books charming and I must agree. I'm waiting for The Lost Colony from the library and listening to Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets in the meantime. I've read the HP novels many times and was ready for them again; this is my compromise between a reread and getting through my TBRs.

Charming is the word sandragon, they really are. And you're right, Nathaniel Parker does an excellent job - his Irish brogue is a delight! I'm glad I've discovered Artemis, to keep me going until HP and the Deathly Hallows comes out! :-) (between MY TBRs!!)

I just finished The Giver by Lois Lowry. The discussion in this group made me curious about it. I was amazed by the quality of the writing and the fact that she doesn't talk down to the reader (meaning dumbing down concepts, a bit what happens in the Harry Potter books). I was a bit put off by the ending, though -- meaning that it doesn't end.

What do you think about the ending? Does he reach his goal, or not? (Don't want to give away the ending for those who'd want to read the book)

I think I'll have to reread The Giver because I don't remember the details very much. I'll get back to you about it in a couple of months :)

#41

I was a little disappointed in the ending, because I wanted to know what happened to Jonas' family and community, but I felt the rest of the story more than made up for it. As for what happens to Jonas at the very end, I do believe in coincidences and events coming full circle, so it didn't bother me. (I'm trying not go give anything away here, sorry if this is very obscure). I just didn't want it to end, I wanted to know more.

Here's what Lois Lowry had to say about the ending:

http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/guides/give.html

Cool. Thanks for that link. Lowry hasn't written a sequel per se but she's written two more novels set in the same type of "community", Gathering Blue and Messenger.

I just started The Historian which my son-in-law gave me for Christmas. On chapter 6 and enjoying it tremendously so far. I like reading about academic endeavours which lead to adventure or discovery - like Possession.

I finished Angels in the Gloom last night. I'm so glad the next one in the series is coming out in March - won't be too long to wait.

I have The Historian on my list of books to read this year! I'd like to hear what you think of it when you're done - a lot of people have said that it becomes boring and difficult to finish.

I'm currently on Sidney Sheldon's A Stranger in the Mirror. Not bad, but it seems a little fluffy and I find the writing style sticks out at me rather than being something I can really immerse myself in.

Oh well, it's a very easy read, and it's interesting even if it's not the world's finest piece of literature. I found the book on the give away shelf in the laundry room, so I didn't have any expectations for it.

katylit: I loved Possession! One of my faves. It is, IMO, way above The Historian which, apart from the cool history stuff, is a pretty mundane story.

I'm about halfway through Alex Brett's Cold Dark Matter. Not bad, although the editor in me would cut a couple of gratuitous scenes. This is Alex's second book. Her first, Dead Water Creek was also pretty good. I like Morgan O'Brien.

Hey Dom,

Haven't been able to slog through The Historian, and I'm a reader who finishes (almost) everything, even if it costs me to do so.

Just finished Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss, winner of the 2006 Man Booker Prize. It's very well-written but it's not compelling, not a page-turner, though it's well worth the read.

It's basically a chronicle of the dispossessed, the story of Indian immigrants past and present, and the tone is both fierce and tender. In a way, it's rather depressing. I heard she had a lot of flack from the Indians themselves, and I'm not surprised.

I just finished Blackfly Season by Giles Blunt, An Isolated Incident by Susan R, Sloan, Born In Death by J.D. Robb, and Blind Fear by Lynn Abercrombie.

I've finished:
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiel Hammett
I am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

I'm now reading Over Sea, Under Stone, the first in the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper, and listening to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Okay, I finally got around to re-reading The Giver. It was just as good as I remembered--but I wasn't quite satisfied with the ending last time either.

****SPOILER WARNING****

I think Jonas did reach his goal at the end. What bothered me about the ending more than the ambiguity was the fact that it seemed to drag on. I just wasn't very interested in the 10 or 15 pages describing his journey. And considering the length of the book, 10 or 15 pages is a lot. The rest of the book definitely made up for the ending, though.

I don't know whether I want to read what the author said about the ending, in case it influences my view of the book too much. I'm definitely planning to read the two other books, though.

I'm reading The Clown by Heinrich Boll. Only 28 pages into it, but am enjoying it so far.

Also reading Passionate Nomad which is a biography of Freya Stark with my husband as we commute. We're enjoying it so much I've ordered one of the travel books Ms. Stark wrote.

Just finished Birth House by Ami McKay. Not bad, but uneven in places. The female characters were much more richly developed and multidimensional than the male characteres.

Let's see... Since I last posted I've finished:

Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Searching for David's Heart by Cherie Bennett
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer on audio

All pretty good books, and Artemis Fowl was hilarious. Both because of the author and the reader (Nathaniel Parker). Parker's voices for the different characters is great.

Right now I'm working on The Children of Men by P.D. James
and listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

#52, I really liked The Giver as well, and got a copy for my niece for Christmas. I'm giving her the next two books for her birthday this weekend, and not just because I want to borrow them :o)

I just finished Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay. Really loved it.

Am just starting Odyssey by Jack McDevitt.

#46, _Zoe_ re The Historian Sorry I didn't get back to here sooner! I finished it a few weeks ago and just forgot to post. It is a good book IMO, I'm glad to have read it, but it's a tough go at times, I found it a little frustrating having so many characters relating the story in the first person. I'd find myself going "Wait a second, WHO'S talking now??" But I liked the scholastic endeavours, the whole research aspect, the travelling around the Baltic States and the history of them, got me looking into the Ottoman Empire to learn more! For me personally it was a satisfying read.

I finished Ysabel a couple of days ago and really enjoyed it, but not to the same extent as GGK's other works - it didn't have the same depth or intensity I didn't think. But Ysabel will always be special because I met GGK and listened to him read from it, and he signed my book :-)

Now I'm reading The Glass Castle which I'm finding totally amazing, very hard to put down. And consequently I'll be starting Mockingbird in the next day or two.

I'm listening to Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince sandragon - seems like we're on a audible Harry Potter kick together :-) I'm looking forward to listening to the other Artemis Fowl books - the first one was a delight.

Thanks! That sounds like a book that should be really interesting to me, so I'm hoping to get around to it soon (where "soon" is "sometime in the next few months"). I'm probably also going to read The Glass Castle in the near future, so I'm glad to hear that it's so good.

#56, I agree katylit, Ysabel is good but lighter. My all time favorite of GGK's is still The Lions of Al-Rassan. But it has made me decide to reread the Fionavar Tapestry again soon (relatively).

I was going to reread all the Harry Potter books anyway, before the last one came out, but I'm glad I decided to listen to them. It's been quite enjoyable. My 6 year old hears snippets in the car and also enjoys them, but I haven't let him listen to a whole book yet. I'm hoping he'll pick up the book when he's ready, rather than listen to it :o)

I've listened to all the Artemis Fowl books now and they're all wonderful. I'm looking forward to the next (whick Colfer says will be the last one). I do wonder if I would have liked them as much if I'd read them instead of listened. I know a lot of the fun right now is because of different voices Parker does.

Currently reading The Cracked Throne from Joshua Palmatier. It's the sequel to The Skewed Throne, which I haven't read, but it's written well enough that I have the gist of what happened.

sandragon, I found the Fionavar trilogy uneven. The first book is awesome, the second and third hugely disappointing. Let me know what you think.

mdbenoit, The Fionavar tapestry were the first GGK books I ever read and I liked them enough to try his other stuff. It's been so long I can't separate the three books of the trilogy in my head. I just remember liking the trilogy as a whole. It'll be interesting to see how I feel about it now, almost 20 years later and after having read his other novels. They are the first novels I tend to recommend to GGK newbies because I found them less intense than his others (until now with Ysabel). Although, come to think of it now, there were still some pretty dark moments in Fionavar.

I just started The Doorkeepers by Graham Masterton. I have not read anything by him, so thought I'd give this one a try.

I just finished Cradle And All by Zachary Alan Fox which had quite a few twists and turns in the end. Surprised me as I had tried to read one of his others and was not able to slog through it.

I just got an order in from Indigo books and couldn't resist starting into Consider the Oyster by M.F.K. Fisher. It's a smart, funny book about oysters (which I do love to eat) and cozy too with its smattering of recipes. It's also a small book so it shouldn't be too long before I get back to The Children of Men.

The Giver was a brilliant book, to me at least. I only stumbled across it while looking for a book that would make a suitable gift for my teenage stepson and I ended up buying two copies as I know I will be reading it again sometime.

With the visit to see GGK recently and just finishing Ysabel, and with others on LT talking about The Lions of Al-Rassan (like sandragon) (touchstone not working!) I've just started re-reading Lions. It and A Song for Arbonne are my favourite GGK books, so this will be a treat. I'm also reading Mockingbird which is really good so far.

#62, sandragon, your Oyster book sounds delightful! I loved the quote you gave in Green Dragon :-)

(edited for touchstone...still not working)

Yesterday I read The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde which is a wickedly funny whimsical book about Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his Nursery Crime Division. It was a wonderful light read which was much needed as I finished Beloved by Toni Morrison the day before and that was a tad on the intense side.

Today I am reading Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson which someone gave me for my birthday and I am liking it. It's fun to take a long at my motherland from an outsider's point of view.

I noticed a few references to The Historian in this thread. I may have to move that one to the top of Mount TBR as it has been on my bookcase for the longest time.

#64, katylit
It was a sweet tribute to oysters. Unfortunately, it left me with a hankering for oyster stew and no one else in the house will touch oysters. Actually, not many people I know like oysters. How could oysters have such a long history of being food and I not know anyone in Victoria who will share oysters with me?!?

I find myself in the same dilemma sandragon, I'm the only one I know who likes oysters too! Luckily there's a lovely local restaurant that serves the most delicious oyster entree and my husband just doesn't look ;-)

I've never tried oyster stew - will definitely have to look that one up and make some the next time my husband goes out of town! And I'm going to look for Consider the Oyster too.

Same here re. oysters at home. I won't tell you what my husband says it reminds him of.

I have fond memories of oysters growing up. My mom and I love them, so she'd buy two dozens, paper the table with newspaper, get out the lemon juice. My dad (who loathes them) would sit at one end of the table to shuck them while mom and I would slurp away.

She'd also make an awesome oyster soup at Christmas.

Now I want oysters, too. I know our Costco sells them really fresh. Maybe I'll brave my husband and buy some.

Wow mdbenoit. That's great your dad would do the shucking for you. I have friends who will eat sushi but won't touch raw oysters. I discovered raw oysters as an adult, and I've got to do my own shucking, unless I'm eating out.

My husband did give in and start buying those little tubs of oysters for me to cook up at home. The lovely thing is, the first time he did I found a little pearl in one of the oysters! It's tiny, but it's the proper colour and has that pearly glow. Too small to do anything with but I love it and keep it in my jewelry box all the same.

That's so neat sandragon, your own little pearl!!

My first experience eating raw oysters was my first trip out west too. I grew up in Toronto and my parents and I came out here on holidays when I was 14. We visited my uncle who was building a cottage on Denman Island. The shoreline around the cottage was covered in oysters and I helped my uncle gather some up. He and my parents teased me, told me the ONLY way to eat oysters was raw, and my uncle said "Open up" and he shucked one and slipped it in my mouth. Being 14 I was not going to gross out, I had to be "cool" so I swallowed and found I actually enjoyed it, much to everyone's surprise.

I fell in love with BC that summer and tried for years to get back here to live. Finally succeeded in 1995 and haven't looked back since :-)