Cameling's Throwdown with a Side of 1010 - Part 9

My categories for the 1010 Challenge are:
Biographies : Perfect Hostage
Travelogues : An Area of Darkness
Crime/Mysteries : White Nights,The Cipher Garden
History : A Forger's Spell
Business Non-Fiction : Drive : The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Classic literature : Anna Karenina
Historical Fiction
Short Stories : Love Begins in Winter, What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us,Nocturnes,The Elephant Vanishes
Asian fiction : The Palace of Illusions,The Last Chinese Chef
Fantasy : The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers >/b>

January Books Read
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Love Begins in Winter by Simon Van Booy
Double Cross by James David Jordan
Drive : The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
The Information Officer by Mark Mills
Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
The Salt Smugglers by Gerard de Nerval
White Nights by Ann Cleeves
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us by Laura van den Berg
An Area of Darkness by V.S. Naipaul
The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

February Books Read
The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
Georg Letham : Physician and Murderer by Ernst Weiss
A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif
The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
Beyond the Blossoming Fields by Junichi Watanabe
Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon
Not Quite Paradise : An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka by Adele Barker

March Books Read
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
Cat's Claw by Amber Benson
The Cipher Garden by Martin Edwards
Sundowner Ubuntu by Anthony Bidulka
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Dreaming Water by Gail Tsukiyama
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny
No Sleep Till Wonderland by Paul Tremblay
Nocturnes : Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon
The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews
Still Life by Louise Penny
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner
Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

April Books Read
A Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
Going, Gone by Laura Crum
The Sleeping and the Dead by Ann Cleeves
Madam Will You Talk by Mary Stewart
Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke
Perfect Hostage by Justin Wintle
Descartes' Bones by Russell Shorto
Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis
Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
The Beautiful Miscellaneous by Dominic Smith
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

May Books Read
White Masks by Elias Khoury
Cassanova by Ian Kelly
Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood
The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood
Sweet Dates in Basra by Jessica Jiji
Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama
A Forger's Spell by Edward Dolnick
Mona Lisa Awakening by Sunny
Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie
Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart
Mastered by Love by Stephanie Laurens
Amandine by Marlena De Blasi
The Elephanta Suite by Paul Theroux

June Books Read
Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child
Aloha Candy Hearts by Anthony Bidulka
To Mervas by Elizabeth Rynell
Voices by Arnaldur Indridason
Music, Food and Love by Guo Yue & Clare Farrow
The Auschwitz Violin by Maria Angels Anglada
Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier
Dressed for Death by Donna Leon
The Glister by John Burnside
Amagansett by Mark Mills
Laundry by Suzane Adams
Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay

July Books Read
Annette Vallon by James Tipton
The Wayward Muse by Elizabeth Hickey
The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin
All Around Atlantis by Deborah Eisenberg
Wish Her Safe Home by Stephen Benatar
Have Mercy On Us All by Fred Vargas
Valeria's Last Stand by Marc Fitten
The Paper Moon by Andrea Camilleri
The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart
Red Earth and Pouring Rain by Vikram Chandra
Spanish Recognitions by Mary Lee Settle
The Smell of the Night by Andrea Camilleri
American Cookery by Laura Kalpakian
Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

August Books Read
Fudge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
9948792::The Story of Sushi by Trevor Corson
River Angel by A. Manette Ansay
The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry
The Bellini Madonna by Elizabeth Lowry
Watermark by Vanitha Sankaran
Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri
Boy : Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
Strip Tease by Carl Hiaasen
The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart
A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi
Fantasy in Death - J.D. Robb
Eline Vere - Louis Couperus
The Patience of the Spider - Andrea Camilleri

September Books Read
Seeking Whom He May Devour - Fred Vargas
Candide - Voltaire
The Street of a Thousand Blossoms - Gail Tsukiyama
Death on Demand - Carolyn Hart
Cooking with Fernet Branca - James Hamilton-Paterson
The Beekeeper's Apprentice - Laurie R. King
The Persian Pickle Club - Sandra Dallas
The Patron Saint of Liars - Ann Pachett
Beatrice and Virgil - Yann Martel
Lumby Lines - Gail Fraser
Iqbal - Francesco D'Adamo
Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny
Invisible People - Will Eisner
The Elephant Keeper - Christopher Nicholson\
Chi's Sweet Home - Kanata Konami
The Wings of the Sphinx - Andrea Camilleri
The Quickening Maze - Adam Foulds
The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay - Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi

October Books Read
Your Republic is Calling You - Young Ha Kim
An Imaginative Experience - Mary Wesley
Excursion to Tindari - Andrea Camilleri
Red Bones - Ann Cleeves
Footprints in the Sand - Sarah Challis
A Dead Hand: A Crime in Calcutta - Paul Theroux
The Gardner Heist - Ulrich Boser
How We Decide - Jonah Lehrer
The Glass Room - Simon Mawer
Silence of the Grave - Arnaldur Indridason
The Marriage Artist - Andrew Winer
The Book of Tea - Kakuzo Okakura
Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

My first thread appears here : http://www.librarything.com/topic/78973
My second thread appears here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/83496
My third thread appears here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/85876
My fourth thread appears here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/88333
My fifth thread appears here : http://www.librarything.com/topic/92422
My sixth thread appears here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/94568#2123521
My seventh thread appears here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/96341
My eight thread appears here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/98010

Thought I'd start my new thread with a review of an ARC I received, The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi.

A photographer looking to capture the hidden beauty and truth of Bombay, a semi-retired pianist and his American writer boyfriend, a beautiful Bollywood actress, a married woman who sacrificed her pottery ambitions for her husband and a politician. On the surface, the book is about how their lives intersect and what they do for love, the love of a friend, the love of a soul-mate, the love in a torrid affair and the love (or guilt) of a parent.

But look deeper and we're treated to the dirty inside scoop to Indian political corruption at its best, and how even a murder committed in plain sight of 200 people can be covered up, if one only has the power to bribe and threaten everyone involved.

The complexities of human relationships are also placed under the microscope and what motivates people into making certain decisions.

I wasn't bowled over by it, but neither did I detest it. I think it makes an ok beach read.
3 stars

Ha! Gotcha. You may run... etc. etc. etc.

Checkin' in :)

Think I will be skipping The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay. Too many books. . .

How did I miss this? Oh I see.. I slept through the birth.. :P

Caro- You know I'll follow you anywhere, my friend! Have a great day!

*sets egg-filled tuna salad on the table as a thread-warming gift*

*sets egg-filled potato salad on the table as a thread-warming gift to go along with Stephen's*

Found you, not getting way behind this time, and now I want some egg-filled potato salad! (A Swiss supermarket specialty...)

That's some list, Carolyn! And the food talk starts up right away. Argh! Heading off to make a healthier, but yummy version of my favorite tuna sandwich that includes chopped red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives along wih the usual green onion and pickle. It's such a fiesta of color on whole wheat toast--I dare people not to love it.

mmmmm cucumbers

Hi Caroline!

Going back to your last thread I'll just say thanks for the review of The Quickening Maze. It looks interesting, my local library has a copy, and it means I now have books for all the last tricky letters in my alphabet challenge! I will be reading it soon:)

LOVE that gif Claudia..

Found and starred you! :)

Claiming my spot, waving hello, looking around for food...

Hello! Found and starred!

Saying hello and that I am nearby -- I'm sitting on Mass Ave at 1369 Cafe drinking a chai (that I think is really that mate chocolate stuff, but who cares, it tastes good!). I can't believe how summery it still is. Vermont really is a bit cooler and more fall-y.

Hello all, nice to see you lovely people here. I was enjoying reading all the posts ... and suddenly egg-filled potato salad until I came to Bonnie's post about her tuna salad. Pickles? I think everything else in your tuna salad sounds lovely and I will try it out myself but adding pickles to that combination made me pause.

#11 - So Bonnie, do you use sweet pickles or sour pickles?

#14 - I'm glad you found something you can add to your alphabet challenge.

#19 - Lucy - you're on Mass Ave and you didn't call?! Waahhh...... not that I could have come out to meet you today though ... work has been an absolute nightmare today at the office. I think it's punishment for having enjoyed myself thoroughly at a party last night with too many margaritas, tacos, queso fundido, carnitas and chile rellenos.

So I was really good at lunch today ... all I had was antipasto and a little linguini carbonara.

I had my car serviced yesterday and I know I paled when I saw the bill ... and this was after I told them to hold off on changing my leaking exhaust and 2 tires. *Sigh* No wonder I went a little nuts at the party with the margaritas ... I needed to get over the shock.

Hmm... wondering what to have for dinner tonight.

hmm for lunch I had some apple and some cheese..lol
I need to work on that.

I'm around until Friday -- and tomorrow I'll be around Harvard Square doing more or less what I was doing just now. Although I will undoubtedly add wandering around in bookstores...... and drinking more of that divine hot chocolate at Burdick's...... tempted???

mmmm hot chocolate sounds lovely

sweet pickles, definitely!

chili rellenos--YUM!!

I love chili rellenos, so I am with you and Roni on that, Caro!

#21 - Yes, you do, Kath. That's not lunch.. that's a snack. I'd be starving within an hour if that's all I ate for lunch.... and be real grumpy to boot. ;-)

#22 - Lucy - check your PM. And bring an umbrella with you tomorrow and Friday .. I hear a huge storm's blowing in.

#24 - Hmm...sweet pickles to all that in a tuna salad ......in-te-res-ting.... *ponders*

I ended up having a salad and 2 grilled cheese & salami sandwich for dinner. Too many conference calls tonight, no time to make a more substantial dinner. :-(

Another LTer, vagabond22, is visiting tomorrow for a few days, so I may not get much reading done while I play tour guide although we will be making some visits to bookstores of course. And he's a foodie too, so a couple of feasts are in the plans.

Can you believe I listened to the weather and forgot my raincoat!

How stupid am I? It sounds as if it might be too windy for umbrellas. Oh yes, I know how that is, torn between talking about books, looking at (and buying books), and actually getting to curl up and read them, not to mention whatever it is we do here on LT.

I can't believe how much rain is happening somewhere other than here.

I wonder why everyone else is getting wind and rain, and it's dry and still as a bone here.

Weirdness.

South Dakota is completely flooded. I keep thinking, they are north of here. There has to be a way...

Just wait, Richard, we're supposed to have 6 inches of rain tomorrow -- and gale force winds. A good day to stay indoors and read... with Stella curled up beside you, natch.

We have been having a bit of rain off and on for a few days..
Enough to wet the ground, but not enough to make up for a too dry summer.

It always puzzles me when weather people talk about rain as if it were a plague of locusts. Especially when we are nearly in a drought. Rain is necessary for life, for pity sake. Torrential downpours can be devastating.. and flooding is different. But rain as simple weather?

Caro, please take pics of your frolics and feastings with other LTers?

I love rain. We spent 10 years in Oregon, near Portland, and the rain never bothered me a bit. I think I miss that the most. Occasionally here in CO we get gentle rain, but usually it's quite a bit more dramatic. I enjoy that as well though.

ETA - we are enjoying a perfect fall day here, which is nice after a week of record breaking heat. It's 52 right now, and will reach about 75. We're finally into the 40's at night and the leaves are changing. It won't last long - last year we had 2 feet Oct. 29 - but we'll enjoy fall while it lasts.

**I** like walking in the rain, but *Stella* thinks it's time to call the ASPCA when I suggest ever so mildly that going outside to piddle is a superior choice to doing so on the sunporch.

She unwillingly, ears flattened, slinks outside, trudges to the tree on the boulevard where she prefers to go, then *zoom* top speed back to the house, tongue flapping, Daddy soaring horizontally through the air as we race for the vestibule. She stands patiently waiting for the towel, hands me each of her paws in turn to be dried, gives me a single kissy-lick, and bounds upstairs for a long nap.

Repeat three times every rainy day.

As of now, it's a bit breezy and drizzling. Where's this vaunted storm?

Double post. Silly me.

OK Caroline, it seems that I am doing a tour of Cambridge coffee shops!! Now I am at Darwin's on Broadway. Basically I am going around w/bro to various doctors appts. and then I go sit in a coffee shop until he's done..... I will say that I like Darwin's very much. Next stop - E. Cambridge.

34- I can picture that, lol! She sounds like a sweetheart...

As of now, it's a bit breezy and drizzling. Where's this vaunted storm?

Oh....darlink...trust your Tutu....it's commmmmmming.....................

34: Haha, Shyanne doesn't even notice the rain, I don't think. It can be pouring outside and she just waltzes around and doesn't pay it a bit of attention. Then she walks back inside sopping wet and dripping all over the place without a care in the world!

Duncan slinks under the eves of the house..

Now even the drizzle's petered out and the breeze turned to poofs. Bah. Storm.

Hasn't this wind been discombobulating today, Caroline? For one reason or another I did a lot of walking and by the end of the day between the humidity and wind -- well -- I'm very happy to be inside for the night. Anyhow it is supposed to rain here for 22 hours starting between midnight and 2 a.m. I'm supposed to head north around noon....

I did make it into the sf/fantasy bookstore Pandemonium and bought a couple of things including a bumper sticker that says, "If Space is a Vacuum, Who Changes the Bag?" I don't know who I will give this to. Myself, perhaps.

Hi Caroline!

Like Claudia, I am just waving as I pass through!

An all day/night rain is bliss for me. No fun to drive in though... be safe

Late to the party, but here none the less :0)

We had our first day of rain yesterday in over 6 months--it was MARVELOUS, and even had some unusual thunder grumbling its way through with concomitant lightning. This Midwest girl loved it, but the school kids were screaming and freaking out. Just doesn't happen here in San Diego that often.

>47 ronincats:: We had our 3rd straight day of rain yesterday. I could use a break today. It's still too dark to assess the skies, but it wasn't pouring when I went out with the dogs, so I'm hopeful.

It's been perfect here. It seems to rain every night, but then it's sunny during the day. Nice and cool and you can still go outside and enjoy it! :)

I thought this image of the front page of today's newspaper says it all. The lake where the geese are swimming is actually the next town's football field.

Love that image, Tad. It's a good day for waterfowl! Sunny and mild here in Texas. A good day to drive home to Missouri where we are having some perfect fall weather.

Well, we very much enjoyed our one day of rain after 6 rainless months--even if it only amounted to about a quarter of an inch over all, it seemed like more because it was spread over nearly the whole day. Well, except for those out driving on the highways--6 months of oil buildup plus rain makes for some super-slick roads.

Wooo-hooo! Caro!! It's safe to come home now!

I'm baaaack! And so pleased to see you all so comfortable hanging out here on my thread while I was tied up with a visitor in town. No reading time at all as I played tour guide, restaurant guide, bar guide and shopping guide. Thankfully though, we did make a few bookstore stops because he's a bit of a bibliophile.

I finally dropped him off at the airport on Sunday and life (and reading.. yaaay!) resumed. Ahhhhh..... much as I really enjoyed his visit, I definitely ate too much, drank a wee bit much, stayed up too late and missed my books.

Got back to work and it was just crazy all day Monday that extended through part of the night. Work will continue to be just nuts this week. *sigh*

But I'm glad to see that I can still pick up on the conversation here since it's still raining over here. Cold and drizzly, with a storm on the cards tomorrow.

I did manage to finish a book on Sunday and another on Monday, so I sort of feel like I'm back to normal again. *bliss*

I had started reading Your Republic is Calling You by Young Ha Kim at the Harvard Coop bookstore I brought my friend to, and just had to bring it home with me. It's about a North Korean spy, who, having lived under a different identity in South Korea, receives a message one day recalling him back to his homeland, his assignment, apparently over. He has 24 hours to return and eliminate all incriminating evidence.

We watch him through the day slowly attempting to erase himself from the life he has built for himself in South Korea since he was sent over and adopted a dead South Korean man's identity more than 30 years ago. In the process of erasing traces of his life, we see his life as a trainee and the process by which he and others in his class were trained for the work they were assigned.

But can he really return home calmly? Has he been changed after living in a democratic country? And what and how will he tell his wife and daughter?

Soon doubts start to surface in his mind. How does he know that the Order really came from Pyongyang? Is he being followed by someone from the North, to see if he will indeed follow Order 4, or if he will attempt to escape? What does he really want, after all these years?

Living as a spy and not trusting anyone has an impact on his relationships with even his wife and daughter. What secrets do they keep from each other?

Makes for a thought provoking read.
4 stars

A change of pace to counter the manic workday on Monday brought me to Mary Wesley's An Imaginative Experience.

A train is abruptly halted and a woman runs out to rescue a sheep on its back. 2 men watch from the train, one bemused, one eager to find out why she did it and who she is.

The book follows the lives of these 3 individuals, their past and their present. One of the men becomes obsessed with finding out everything about the woman, and doffs an investigative hat as he finds information about her through her mother,neighbors and friends by pretending to be a friend of her ex-husband.

She tries to forget a tragedy but is not ready to forgive herself. She throws herself into her work, not realizing that she's being stalked.

The other man is learning to live on his own again while waiting for his divorce to be finalized. His ex-secretary tries to insinuate herself into his life with some hilarious results.

Random acts bring them together again, under different circumstances and with interesting results. Hamish Grant and Calypso from previous Wesley books make cameo appearances.

A most delightful jaunt through London and the English countryside.
4 stars.

Caro- Good to see you back! Missed you! Also enjoyed the reviews!

I've been looking for you Caroline. Glad to see you're back with two good reads. Must pick up something by Mary Wesley and this one sounds very good.

Hi Marky-Mark ... missed you too. Thanks for the compliment.

Hey there, Bonnie ... I've been here, just not online on LT because I've had little 'puter time since last Thursday. But I'm back with a vengeance ... longer vengeance tomorrow night when I have to stay up for a web conference that doesn't start until midnight. :-(

Do pick up some Mary Wesley, Bonnie .. I love the gentle pace of her books, very calming and yet her characters are intriguing.

I am beginning to think that you are getting to be like Stasia, and forgoing sleep completely.. sheesh! Glad your hectic weekend is over.. hope the next one is more relaxing. ( Three conference calls.. tsk tsk tsk)

Yay, Caro is back!

I think he missed you, caro...
he never dances for me... lol

Your Republic is Calling You sounds really interesting, and very...eerie? moody? atmospheric? What's the word for "gives you a paranoid creep-out and a sidewise glance into a world you'd never thought about before"?

Kath: See your thread. ;)

you are so sweet!!

I made sure I caught up on sleep on Sunday, Kath. Tonight's going to be another pain because I've got a web conference that starts at 12.30am and promises to last at least 2 hours. Oy!

LOL ...Hello there Stefano ...love the dancing gif. By the way, where did your thread to go? I seem to have lost you while I was away. :-(

I missed you all while I was away. Someone should develop a Blackberry LT app, and that will allow me to log in while I'm away from my 'puter and check the threads more easily.

Ricardo - the book doesn't give off much of a paranoid, creep-out, looking over your shoulder vibe... it gives off more of a tragic, touching, and slightly anxious, paranoid, looking over your shoulder vibe. I found the training process interesting - and very plausible IMO. I found myself imagining how I would feel if I were dropped into the US as a 20 year old if all I had known before that was a totalitarian state with no Internet access and no exposure to free living. How quickly would I adjust and after 30 years, if I were asked to return to my previous home, could I do it?

Kath:

Caro: Well, you asked for it, here it is. All I can say is...'zombie erections.' You've been warned...

I've a 2 hour web conference at 12.30am tonight ... ye gods and little fishes ... some days I wonder why I'm not a receptionist who just has to answer phones and doesn't have late night conference calls.

I leave for Singapore on Saturday so I'm going to need to start planning what books to take with me for my week long trip.

I hope you can catch up on your sleep on the plane to Singapore, Caro! If you need help with any book suggestions, I will be glad to help :)

It has been a nice long stretch with no travel for work.
That is a good thing, imo!

How on earth do you manage to wrangle luggage and bags of books when you travel?

Happy travels, Caro! I'm going with Caro now too because my hands can't remember to type carolyn or caroline. I'm old, what can I say. Anyway, have a wonderful time in Singapore.

I read/reviewed Your Republic is Calling You late last month, Caro, and was equally caught up in it. Absolutely fascinating, and made me realize I had never read any Korean fiction...

If you were a receptionist, you couldn't afford all the fun dinners out -- or all the books!!!

Have fun in S'pore, eat some noodles for me...

Have a safe and enjoyable trip to Singapore, Caroline! I'd love to hear more about the city and what it has to offer.

#71 old? what 30?

pshaw

Have a great time! And while you're traveling, otherwise occupied, I will whammy the bejabbers out of the Yanks to make sure they are NOT in the world series. *evil Muttley laugh*

#75: I will be whammying right along with you, RD! I loathe, detest, and abominate the Evil Empire.

Sorry, Caro :) I am just being honest though.

I hope that you have today off caro... ?

Caro- Have a good safe trip, my friend! Bringing along any good books? How long will you be gone, this time?

#74 PFFTT! *cleans coffee off monitor*

Bon Voyage, Caroline! Hope you get lots of personal time to explore Singapore.
Will be waiting to hear of your culinary adventures! :)

Oooh, have a wonderful trip! That sounds fab, I hope you get time to yourself to explore around and eat wonderful things! :D

Have a good trip! On our honeymoon (1982) we spend a couple of nights in the Raffles Hotel (it was semi-derelict.... roaches the size of small dogs) but SO COOL we didn't care. There were huge forest fires burning on some island (Sulawesi???) and so there was this dark smoke hanging over the city, but we hugely enjoyed ourselves eating satay in the covered food stalls and wandering around.

I assume The Raffles is all fixed up and posh now? There was talk of building it sort of into some skyscraper, I sure hope that didn't happen.

Safe travels to you!

I know you'll make the most of the business trip. Enjoy your side trips!

Thanks all .. I was planning on coming home after work today to clean the house, do some laundry and pack .... but I ended up being kidnapped by some friends and away we went to try out the new menu at our favorite tex-mex joint, washing quesocito, fish tacos, zarape and churros with some delish margaritas. If that wasn't bad enough, we moved on to a pizza place after for .... the last slice for the road! Nuts!

So now I'm waiting for the laundry to get done so I can finish packing. *sigh* I think I need some new and normal friends.

#82 - Lucy, the Raffles Hotel is still there and fixed up. It's beautiful, especially around Christmas when it's all lit up and decorated.

Ricardo and Stas - phooey to the 2 of you! Yankees are up 2 games and I hope they'll sweep with a 3rd at home tomorrow. Having said that, if they meet Texas, they'll be toast.

What? You don't think the Yankees can beat the Rangers? I haven't seen Texas play this season, and although I'm impressed that they are beating Tampa Bay so handily, I'm skeptical that they can hang with the Yankees.

#82,85...we too spent a delightful anniversary back in the late 80's at the 'rather rundown' Raffles hotel in Singapore. A few years later we returned when it have been poshed up. POO....much preferred the old dowager - it had ambiance, elegance and was just one of the most romantic places I ever stayed. Ditto for the old Orient hotel in Penang, and the Peninsula in Hong Kong. When they get "modernized" they lose so much.

#86: On the other hand, they do have Cliff Lee this season, who was the only Phillies starter to beat the Yankees last year - and he did it twice.

Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri is another wonderful Inspector Montalbano murder mystery that just captivates. This time, an elderly couple disappears after having gone on a bus trip with others. Oddly, a young man who lived in their building is found murdered in front of his apartment building.
With his motley crew, Montalbano sets out to try and find the couple and the murderer of the young man. His life is made a little complicated when he's summoned to the house of the head of one of the 2 large mafia families.

Delightful and surprising. 3.5 stars

Ahh... laundry's done. Off to start packing.

I am up - I could come help pack, Caro :)

Tina, what a marvelous thing to share! I still have some notepaper and a pen. Sorry Caro, for the hi-jack. Why is it though that things that are not fixed up feel more intimate and more one's own discovery??????

Have a safe trip, Caroline, and get some yummy eating in while you are at it!

Oh, I *am* sorry, Caro, but the Yanks lost to the Twins. It's very sad. NOT!

Doing the dance we do when the Yanks lose. Just a Dodger fan thing. We grew up Dodger fans, but now we're equal opportunity, been Mariners fans, now Rockies. But NEVER the Yankees.

ignore him Caro -- the game has just started, and it's scoreless so far... At least, according to my online sources...

And the Yankees are up 2-0 in the series, so... premature dancing going on???

We dance when we can.

...and the Yankees won!

Dance on...

>97 Chatterbox: No, no, Suzanne, that was a hideous mistake made by several announcers...the Twins won 6-1, and there will be no games 4 or 5 because the Yanks have forfeited!

Yeup, yeup, that's the way it really, truly is.

Magical realism, a la Derus...

Caro? check in and let us know you are safe and well and probably drinking sake

My timing is off...haven't been here in a while and now you are off! See you when you get back and safe travels.

Whew ... a little on the humid side here in Singapore. Had a couple of uneventful flights - good because I slept most of the way, only being woken up for meals. The week's going to be a mad rush of meetings (ugh!) and also trying to squeeze in as social meets as possible. The family dog was very pleased to see me, even if I did arrive at midnight last night.

Ricardo : I checked in on the game when I was in transit in Tokyo. Thank goodness for technology and MLB.com. I hope you find a way to whittle down that nose of yours for lying so terribly! Yaaay for the Yankees. I hope Tampa Bay take Texas to 5 games so that whichever team we play next will be a little sore and tired. :-)

Read Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk on the plane and had to abandon it. It was one of the worst books I've read in a while. A group of young student spies from a totalitarian state arrives in the US, to live with missionary host families and go to school, ostensibly to learn English, the American way of life, and possibly conversion to Christianity. Their objective though, is to create chaos and find a way to disrupt said American way of life.

Graphic male/female rape, violent fantasies, and really stupid writing all within the first 4 chapters had me junking this. Forget the Pearl Rule ... I had to invoke my Gag Rule on this for surely it made me gag with disgust.
half star? no... I think this merits a zero IMO.

On the other hand, Red Bones by Ann Cleeves came to the rescue. What a lovely read. I've had this in my TBR Tower for a while, but I wanted to put some space between the last Shetland Island thriller. I'm glad I waited.

A couple of archaeology students at a dig on Whalsay island find silver coins and bones, including part of a skull on croft land belonging to an elderly lady.

When the elderly lady is shot late at night, it is assumed to be a tragic accident, the result of her drunken grand-nephew out rabbit hunting. When later, the lead archaeologist is also found dead in one of the trenches, her death is pronounced a suicide.

But are the 2 deaths linked at all? Inspector Jimmy Perez ferries over to Whalsay and thinks that there are secrets on the island, secrets that may have caused the 2 deaths, although his challenge is finding the evidence to prove it. His boss wants him to wrap this up neatly as an accident and a suicide but Inspector Perez's gut tells him otherwise and in his attention to detail and ear for stories, he starts to unravel some of the secrets that some families would do almost anything for to keep in the dark.

3.8 stars

Wow. A zero-star read. Just...wow.

Too bad about your eyesight, though, because you can't see that Texas will make Yankee jelly before being defeated by...well, we'll see.

Glad you are safe and sound... family dog???

While it is hot in Singapore, it is cool in NE PA and in Central PA where we met friends this weekend who were camping.

We stayed at a lovely hotel in Danville, and visited them at the campsite. It was splendid to sit around a rip roaring fire, roasting marshmallows and laughing long into the night. The leaves are turning a most beautiful orange, yellow and the air was crisp and fall like.

Caro-Thanks for updating us! Sorry the Palahniuk was a stinker! I've only read choke by him and thought it was pretty good.

I am firmly planting Pygmy on the 'Do Not Read' list.

Unfortunately, I am just out of luck where the Cleeves books are concerned. My local library just does not have them. I have bought the first book in the Shetland Quartet though, so I imagine I will be buying the others before too long as well.

Safe travels, Caro. I hope you can sneak some sleep in some time or other.

Linda.. that sounds so nice!
Caro... do stay out of trouble and tumbles... and keep us posted when you can :)

But zero stars don't count in a book's average rating, so ½ will express your displeasure more for the next reader.

Good point, Tad!

Don't work too hard Caroline!

yay! glad to see you back again ~ hope you feel better quickly..

Welcome back! :)

Hello my peeps ... I'm so pleased to be back. Flew in last night with a congested head and running a fever. I knew I'd just sleep most of the way back .. I generally do, but this time I'd taken the local Singapore equivalent of Nyquil and I was almost in a coma. :-) But of course a flight with me is never a flight unless I get into some sort of accident ..... and I had one on the flight from Singapore to San Francisco. I'd settled down in my seat, pulled the blanket over me, gotten comfy, got a nice glass of tomato juice and I was just pulling out my tray table from the arm-rest when a phantom arm (i don't remember it being mine of course) flew out, hit the glass and whoomp... into the air it goes... and splash.... tomato juice all over my white blanket, lemon wedge hitting the ceiling and ice all over the floor. Oops..

The flight attendant was very sweet ... carried off my red stained fluffy blanket and bringing me a giant roll of paper towel to mop my surroundings with. I'm only so thankful that I didn't get anything on the guy sitting next to me. He was, apparently, convinced by that singular incident, that I was a force of destruction, because every time I moved, he would swivel his head in alarm to see what I was intending to do. If I got up to go to the bathroom, he would pull his legs all the way back, and actually half carry me across even though there was enough room for a fat person to walk in front of him, and when the flight attendant brought our meals or came to take them away, he would actually put his hands on my various plates in each course, and settle them on my table. I was at some point thinking he might start to feed me.

He was, apparently, convinced by that singular incident, that I was a force of destruction,

Wow! He sounds like a very perceptive and intuitive man, to have figured you out so quickly! :P

I really think we need a 'Caro-Cam', to capture some of these untoward but highly amusing episodes, and sell the tapes to Comedy Central.

Poor thing! Can I laugh and give you a hug at the same time?

"The Mad-Cap Adventures of Caro!" It's a laugh riot! It's good to have you back, my friend! I hope you feel better and good luck back to work!

I'd pay to see that. :)

Oh yeah a Caro-Cam. That sounds just perfect. Welcome back Caroline.

Footprints in the Sand by Sarah Challis turned out to be quite a delightful jaunt through Mali. Emily Kingsley and her cousin, Clemmie, are given the task of taking their Great Aunt Mary's ashes to Mali, to be scattered in a particular part of the dessert that's inhabited only by the nomadic tribes of the Tuareg. Why Mali of all places? When did Great Aunt Mary ever go to Africa? She'd never given anyone any hint that she'd been outside England in her life. Why does Emily think her companion, Ms Timmis, knows something but is holding back from them? Emily doesn't even want to go to Africa but Clemmie's enthusiasm is catching ... plus she just won't take no. So off they go, and their journey turns into one of discovery. Discovery of not just the secrets held by their Great Aunt Mary, but a discovery of themselves.

3.5 stars

A Dead Hand : A Crime in Calcutta by Paul Theroux is a page turner. Known for his travel essays, Paul releases a novel that takes us to the hidden areas of Calcutta not commonly visited by tourists. A travel writer with writer's block, receives a letter that intrigues him. He decides to visit the author of the letter and in doing so, he is unwittingly drawn into a mysterious woman's web of tantric massages, the slums of Calcutta, orphaned children, rescued children, temple sacrifices, oh and a dead body wrapped in a carpet that appeared one evening in an Indian boy's hotel room.

Who's the dead boy? Why was he sought out to help? Who really is this mysterious rich woman who seems to do so much for the poor children in India? What really lies behind the iron gates of her mansion? What is her son hiding?

Theroux has a wonderful way of describing places and scenes that is so evocative you feel as if you're there. You feel the heat, the dust and you smell the poverty, the fear and the ecstasy. And just when you're sitting comfortably in the story, he injects a prickling down the back of your neck. Nothing is as they appear, but what are the risks of delving into the mystery to find the truth?
3.8 stars

Hi, Caroline. Welcome back. A Dead Hand: A Crime in Calcutta sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Sure, sure ... laugh my peeps ..... wait until YOU have to travel with me!

Stefano :

Darryl : Yes, you may ... I've resigned myself to the fact that I sometimes find myself situations that nobody who doesn't know me would believe. *sigh*

Marky- Mark : Hello my friend, it's good to be back and I'm feeling better today, thanks.

Jim : Where can I send you my bank account details for a deposit? ;-)

Hey there, Bonnie. Let me know when you're setting up the Caro-Cam, will you? I want to make sure I'm not in my jammies if we're streaming.

The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser was an amazing read. I loved this book. I've been to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum multiple times and have always loved the place, but have also felt sad whenever I visited some of the rooms where the reminders of the stolen masterpieces and artifacts are still left in place.

This is a wonderful piece of researched investigative reporting that attempts to identify all the possible leads the FBI, the police and an amazing man, Harold Smith and then additional investigative follow ups by the author himself. He presents us with profiles of all the individuals who were suspected at some point or other with orchestrating, leading or being involved in the theft of the masterpieces. In addition to the profiles, we are presented with the journeys that stolen art sometimes take, from being reintroduced into the market and sold, to being traded as collateral in the underworld among terrorist organizations and the mafia. What I found interesting was the debunking of the theory I had that stolen masterpieces are often bought by private collectors who want to keep them for themselves in specially built basements.

We may never know for sure where all the masterpieces are, and it is very likely that some of them may be damaged beyond repair, but as long they aren't found, the hope still lives that they will be found one day. I sincerely hope that will happen in my lifetime, because I'd love to see them restored to their rightful place in the Gardner museum.
4.5 stars

I was fascinated by How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer. It covered the reasons why we decide to do the things we do, and how some people seem to be able to make the right decisions and how some people don't. It covered the scientific research in terms that non-medical people can understand without oversimplifying. What I found most interesting were the examples of individuals who managed to conquer the fear of crashing a plane or being burnt by a raging fire, to think of a way to save themselves and at times, people with them. What I didn't enjoy about the book were the descriptions of scientific experiments on monkeys. It was factually presented, but they still made me cringe and I found myself muttering that the scientists should conduct the same brain experiments on their own families instead of innocent monkeys. I understand why they did it, but I still didn't like reading about it.

I'm wondering though, if knowing how I make decisions, will now allow me to consciously change the way I think before I make major decisions or even some minor ones.
3.8 stars

Caro- Good reviews of both The Gardner Heist & How We Decide! I'll have to add The Gardner Heist to the WL. You sure have been getting your reading in!

Mark - That's the only benefit of long distance flights. I only managed to finish 2 books in the week I was in Singapore though, and the other 2 were read on the plane going and coming back.

Glad you're home in one, unstained, piece!

Welcome back!

Your tomato juice incident made me laugh.

A long time ago we flew to Taiwan with our son - 15 months old at the time - and were not seated together. I was seated with him next to a man who had the window seat, my husband about half way up the plane in a window seat. Stupid man refused to change seats with my husband. Naturally, I set the baby in the middle seat. After about 3 hours, during which my son graciously offered to share cheerios, cars and books, swiped his dinner roll and nearly spilled his dinner, he finally agreed to switch with my husband. I know it wasn't nice, but seriously, who in their right mind would refuse to switch in that situation? That was the same trip where we learned that our son gets hyper when you give him Benadryl...

Glad to see you back, Caro!

I am with the others on paying to see 'Caro-Cam' though :)

Oh my.... well.. the man should have switched. Meanie. Glad your son convinced him :P

Thanks for sharing your story Caro, you gave my Monday morning a lift. Speaking of lifts, the Gardner Heist sounds really good and already on my wishlilst.

Glad you are home safe and sound!

Glad to have you back in the states! Traveling and cold medicine sound like a good combo to me as I like to sleep away a good part of long flights, although it did seem to affect your reaction time! I'm guessing the airline will retire one white blanket and raise rates accordingly!

Apparently, you didn't sleep too much on the plane with all that reading you finished. The Gardner Heist has been on my wishlist since Linda (Whisper1) raved about it a few months ago.

Just caught up, and I laughed so hard at your tomato juice story and the guy hanging onto your plates!

keeping the htead in play, so I don't lose you...

Caro darling...are you dead? I haven't seen you on FB, Twitter, or here. Wait...I don't think I'm following you on Twitter...but the point remains that I fear you've joined the Choir Invisible, handed in your dinner pail, become an ex-Caroline, and we simply haven't heard yet...reassure, please?

caro.. are yo on twitter????

what rd said.. I await the story...

AND I'm back home again ... I was happily doing laundry this evening and relished not having to talk to anyone since I got home.

Glad to be home, Stas. Caro-Cam would be boring and then you'd all start asking for your money back.

Jenn : That was a perfect strategy on your part, to seat your son next to the meanie. What an idiot. Nothing against your son and all other children, but I dread sitting next to kids because I know that'll mean I won't get any sleep and worse.. I might be vomited on, kicked, peed on or have my eye poked out by their toys (I suffered a cut on my eyebrow once sitting next to a boy who was waving his plastic plane around).

Ricardo : I don't tweet ... i have enough trouble keeping up with fb and LT. Who has the time? besides, i can't see that anyone would actually be interested in my random thoughts all day.

*happy dance!*

Caro's back! Hope you are feeling much better.

Lynda : Glad I managed to cheer you up yesterday. And yes, do run out and get yourself a copy of The Gardner Heist.

Lucy : Thanks .. and I'm back safe and sound again. ;-)

Cushla : You should have sat next to me on the plane .. at least you'd be laughing. The man sitting next to me clearly didn't have a humorous bone in his body.

Kath/Ricardo : Aww.. thank you for caring .. I'm touched that you guys miss me. Well as a reward, I have a new story for you. Not as funny as the tomato story though, but all in the life of Traveling Caro.

I flew out to Cincinnati on Monday afternoon. Usually I take 15 mins to pack and mostly everything I need gets packed. Wouldn't you know that instead of a leisurely Monday morning to pack, I ended up putting out a few fires at work and then had to rush through the packing and driving to the airport..... made it on time, got up to the check in counter and found .... I'd left my wallet at home! And my flight was leaving in an hour.

Thankfully I had a copy of my driver's license in my laptop case and an emergency credit card. So off I went .. they actually let me through security - the security guy actually patted me on my shoulder as I walked by and said that he had lost his driver's license before too and knew what a pain it was to get a replacement! huh? I didn't say anything about losing my driver's license. So of course i have no cash with me and can't get any out of the ATM because I don't know the PIN for this card and had to sign for everything, including a $1.83 bottle of water. *sigh* I was on the receiving end on many an annoyed look over the last 3 days.

So of course getting out there was a cinch ... who'd have thought coming back would be near impossible? The airline lost my reservation, then found me but wanted to send me to Providence instead of Boston because they had 'accidentally' given away my seat. It didn't help that when she finally managed to get me on a different flight (albeit, one with a crazy routing), I then showed her my photocopied driver's license to confirm identity. You could see her eyes spin ... quite interesting actually ... and she started to get all flustered and called her manager over. What? Do I look like a terrorist? ok, so my jeans were slipping and I had to periodically pull it up because I'd left my belt at the hotel, but even then ....surely I looked harmless .. desperate to get home ,but harmless.

I was tsked tsked and sighed over about a hundred times by a beleaguered manager, but ultimately they signed me in and gave me my boarding pass. And guess how I convinced them i was the person on my driver's license? By showing them not just that name on my now one and only credit card matched that on my driver's license, but also by pulling out my laptop and showing them pictures of me and allowing them to compare those against the grainy black & white distorted photo on my photocopied license.

*joins Roni in a happy dance*

I'm sooo glad to be back and thank you, I do feel better. Drinking green tea this evening anyway, just to continue to bolster the antioxidant level.

Wow, you must be happy to be home! Somehow, I always think that if I forget my driver's license I'll never be able to get on the plane. But I've heard other stories recently about that not being such a problem after all. Hope the rest of your week goes smoothly!

Oh, Caroline! What a tale of woe... welcome home!

I hope you get the rest of the week off to rest. :)

yeah.. when I heard about the DL I was a little worried about the trip home.
Ye gods woman. well.. all is well that ends well...

glad you made it safely..

Annnnddd...... the perilous tales of Caroline continue. How do you do it? I can always count on coming to this thread for entertainment;-)

Caro- It's good to have you back, safe & sound! It's always so quiet and uneventful, without you around!

Pat : I didn't think they'd let me through either when I first discovered I'd left my wallet at home, but apparently a photocopy of your driver's license works ... most of the time. Having said that, I'm not going to deliberately not bring my wallet with me again. I leave on Saturday for Australia so I better not forget my passport. I did that once and my poor husband had to race home and back to the airport (amazingly without getting a speeding ticket) in order to bring me my passport.

Hey there Claudia .. thanks, I'm glad to be home. Even if I don't get much rest, at least I'm home not getting rest. LOL

Kath : I was a little worried in Cincy when the agent started to freak out, but by the time I got my laptop out to show them photos of me, I was fighting the giggles.

Bonnie : It's the witching month of Halloween ? Usually my trips are very uneventful and sometimes downright boring. I just save the good stories for you all. LOL

Really, my dear lady, how do you do it? I'd be a complete *wreck* after any one of your trips, unable to drive past an airport without undergoing hypnotherapy and serious amounts of anti-psychotics on board...and here you do it every third day, it seems.

*slaps forehead*

Wow! And I was thinking how frustrating to get to check out at the fabric store and not have my wallet...Welcome home. I think we are lucky to have you back.

I managed to read The Glass Room by Simon Mawer during my trip. Every once in a while, if you're lucky, you come across beautiful writing about the frailty and strength of human relationships. This is one of those lucky moments for me.

The house of glass that was designed and built for a rich Czech couple was the epitome of modern art. They fill it with beautiful art, music and friends. But the glass house allows us to see what they try to hide, an unhappy marriage, loneliness , insecurities, and still, love. As the world starts to crumble into chaos with Hitler's invasion across Europe, the family flee the country.

Over time, there other inhabitants of this glass house. Caretakers turn to hoarding goods and selling them on the black market. A Nazi scientific laboratory where people are brought in and measured, to see if Jews had specific physical measurements. Russians turn it into a children's hospital for physiotherapy.

And through all this time, the glass house continues to provide us with a microscope into the lives of all who live in or pass through its panes. We're given an insight into a man who is detached from his family but becomes infatuated with a woman he meets by chance, his wife who compartmentalizes her feelings and coordinates a unique living arrangement to keep her family together, a woman who lives as a free-spirit flitting from one lover to another...until one sends her to a concentration camp in Ravensbruck, an actress who seeks to escape from her jealous husband in order to return to the silver screen, and a woman who turns to a different career once her dreams where shattered by a broken ankle.

Time passes, governments come and go, lives change, and through it all, the glass house remains.

Wonderful. 4 stars

Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason continues to thrill us with Inspector Erlendur and his team trying to uncover the mystery behind bones found in a shallow grave by a hill. As he sifts through identities of possible victims, their families are forced to revisit painful memories and family secrets. At the same time, Inspector Erlendur's daughter is in a coma and he shares the reason why he left the family and his own painful youthful past with her while she's unconscious.

As with his other books, Indridason thrills us with mystery and surprises us with the final outcome.
I can't get enough of him. 4 stars.

hey ho, Marky-Mark - you're such a sweetie ...and yes, after flying on a puddle jumper this morning, I am indeed glad to be back safe & sound. I'd forgotten how loud and uncomfortable those little planes are. Give me an Airbus or Boeing 777 any time!

Ricardo : I'm just a sucker for pain... here, let me slap you on the forehead too! :-)

Jenn: Ask the fabric store to set up an account that you can pay online and voila, no need for a wallet and you can still shop till you drop. What are you sewing?

Great reviews, Caroline. Your review of The Glass Room made me remember reading about it awhile ago but I had forgotten it. It's on the wishlist now.

I've been seeing things about Indridason's books recently and will have to give him a try. Are his books a series so that you need to start with the first one to understand the later ones?

She travels through airports at the speed of light (or at least as fast as a spooked chipmunk). She uses her powers of seduction to bamboozle recalcitrant airline managers and TSA security personnel to let her board aircraft without proof of identity. She strikes fear in the hearts of her seat mates, and every flight attendant worldwide cringes in horror whenever they see her. No obstacle is unsurmountable, no problem is unsolvable.

She's my hero!

Ellie should write a book about her book store experiences, and you should write one about your travelling ones!

Glad you are back safe and sound again, Caro!

quiet and uneventful for sure...

but wait a minute..
you traveled all the way back here to go to Cincy and wash clothes? now you are going to Australia?

My geography may be off.. but wouldn't it have been easier to go to
australia first, then home etc? Caro.. you need an assistant..

eta

stas... right you are !

Caro- Good reviews! The Glass Room sounds really good. And I need to get to Silence of the Grave. I think I read Jar City last December. Bad Mark!

Can't wait to hear what happens getting to Australia... glad you are home again!

I really liked The Glass Room too.

#151 - I am sewing a cape and gothic type vest. My son wants to be Nosferatu for Halloween, here's a photo we're working with from my blog - http://mylavenderave.blogspot.com/2010/10/little-teaser.html

and in complete contrast, I have to finish Rapunzel's wig and pointy hat with veil.

I think a credit account at the fabric store would be a bad idea. LOL. They held everything for me, now I just have to go back today and get it. On the bright side, I will remember my coupons today.

I hope your bosses know what a huge treasure you are, Caro...smart, funny, beautiful, and willing to travel anywhere anytime. The clients all fall in love with you, don't they?

Silence of the Grave has been on my shelf for ages: I really must get round round to reading it.

Hope the journey to Australia is less eventful than the last flight!

Caroline, I just got back from the bookstore with a copy of The Glass Room. Thanks for recommending it. Cushla, glad you liked it as well.

Jenn, the costume making is going to be fun to watch. Thanks for posting the link.

Have a great trip to Australia!

#152 : Pat, I don't really think you need to start with his first, which is Jar City and read in order, since certain things in the main character's life are explained quite clearly in each. I did, however, start with the first, but then I jumped to the 3rd and 4th and have just gone to the 2nd.

#153 : LOL ... too funny Darryl.

#154 : Ha Stas .. you folks are the only ones kind enough to actually find my travel stories halfway interesting. If I tried to publish them, I think I'd be on the Homeland Security No-Fly list.

#155 : The schedule was beyond my control, Kath. Forget the meetings, I also had to attend conferences in Singapore that week that I was there, and then the Cincy conference was this week. And I have to go to Australia because there's another conference and some meetings that were scheduled for next week. So rather than be 3 straight weeks on the road, carrying extra luggage for all 3 different seasons, I elected to come home in between each trip ... and do laundry.

#156 : Thanks Marky-Mark. Yes, do find time to get back to Indridason... I remember you saying you liked Jar City. This 2nd one will not disappoint you either.

#157 : I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing happens during my upcoming trip to Australia, Cushla.

#158 : That was great, Jenn. Thanks for sharing ... make sure you post pics of the you guys modeling the costumes. I can sew buttons and hem, but that's the extent of my sewing skills. When I was in school, my mom would do my home ec sewing homework for me to save me from flunking.

#159 : Ricardo, I just had a meeting with my boss today and at least received a nice big hug, kiss and pat on the head, welcoming me back. He at least appreciates the work I do .. or at least he says so and I'm shallow enough to take him at his word. haha..
I think my clients would prefer that I charged them less for software and our services. :-)

#160 : Yes, Cat, reach up and get that book off your shelf! It's unhappily gathering dust and calling out to you..... 'read me, read me'

#161 : You're welcome, Pat. I hope you enjoy it.

I forgot to mention that I enjoyed your review of The Glass Room, which was one of my favorite novels of 2009, and I'm glad that you also liked it.

Don't know which was more entertaining, your adventures or Darryl's tribute to you, Caro!

I've got an Indridason on my reading list for this month -- I think it's midway through the series? It jumped out and bit me on a table at Barnes & Noble sometime last month.

will now go off in search of a free copy of the Simon Mawr book....

#162: you folks are the only ones kind enough to actually find my travel stories halfway interesting.

Surely not! Don't your friends have a sense of humor?

I find you funny, sweet, kind and charming...and I am so glad to know you ...

Caro, you are definitely on my she-ro list! Just joining the chorus of friends here singing your praises.

Hi Caroline, somehow I thought you had recommended The Glass Room last year. Anyway, it's sitting on my shelf. Have a good trip. (How many times have I said that to you?? Haha.)

#164 : It was your recommendation of the Glass Room that had me adding it to my obese wish list, Darryl. I should have mentioned that, and I forgot. But belated kudos go to you.

#165 : Definitely Darryl's tribute! Hope the Indridason book didn't leave a mark on you Suz. Some books are just so aggressive when it comes to their demanding you take them home with you! ;-)

#166 : They do, but I think it's gotten to a point where they just feel somewhat sorry for me and are convinced I'm just a major ditz.

#167 : back at 'cha, Kath. Your fb posts always make me smile too.

#168 : Awww shucks, Ruthie ... you rock too. Love our little fb chats too.

#169 : Thanks, Bonnie. I'm looking forward to the trip .... because Sydney's going to be warmer than it is here in MA, because I'm meeting friends for dinner one evening there, and more importantly, because it's my last October trip and I come home in time for Halloween!

I'm going to be taking my husband's Kindle with me on this trip to see if I can read for a week on it. I'm nervous about this experiment because I'm only taking 1 print book with me .. ok, maybe 2... but not more than 2 for the planes, because I don't know what the battery life is on this thing.

Off to pack now so I can leave in an hour's time.

Safe travels, Caro!

Have a good trip. I have done New Haven or NYC to Wellington, or vice versa, too many times to count, which is similar to Boston to Sydney, so I am sitting here feeling your pain. (OK, now I am sitting here trying to work out how many times exactly. It's over 10 but under 20. I think I need a coffee.) I hope you're going business class and I hope the battery life on the Kindle is excellent too!

Which indridason book are you on? Is it The Draining Lake? That's the only one I've read, but it was excellent. (And now I want to go in the right order.)

Just passing through . . . wishing you safe travels . . . and that beverages stay in their glasses until you drink them this trip! ;)

Hey...you're aground in Sydney, per FB, so where are you?!? And what did you read?

#171 :Thanks, Stas. The flight was uneventful and I slept most of the way.

#172: Biz class from Boston to LA was nice. Alas, no biz class for me from LA to Sydney, Cushla. It was booked full, so I had to travel cattle class, but with my status with United, at least I had economy plus seats which did have extra leg room. I'm short so I fit quite nicely in the seat.

I had just finished Silence in the Grave, Indridason's 2nd book. I've read his first Jar City and Voices.. so as you can see, I'm not reading them in order. :-)

#173 : Ahh... I took care of that problem this time, Terri by bringing a bottle of water on board with me, so no glasses to contend with.

#175 : I arrived at 7.30am, got to the hotel, showered and headed out for an 11am meeting.

Read The Marriage Artist by Andrew Winer on the plane, an ER I received last month.
When a celebrated artist and a woman are found plunged to their deaths, Daniel, the art critic, looks back at his life and wonders when his wife started having an affair with the artist and if he had introduced them. Her death leads him towards an analysis of their marriage, his past and his discovery of a photograph of his wife and the artist, Benjamin Wind, leads him on a quest to find out more personal details about Benjamin and in doing so, perhaps the answer to the mystery behind his wife's death. Was she pushed or was this suicide?

Daniel's investigation leads him to uncover changed identities and a history filled with lost love, hatred, lost lives during the Nazi invasion of Austria, and artistry passed through the generations.

Before WWII, a boy's talent for illuminating ketubots, or artistic marriage contracts was shockingly discovered by his grandfather who later sought to exploit his talent, his mother, who secretly took pride in her son's work, and his father, who scorned and despised it because he recognized his son's future greatness.

We follow this boy's development from an innocent child to a cynical adult, one who vows never to marry together with his best friend, and yet during a moment of crisis, undertakes to marry a woman just because she held a visa to Palestine and the escape from the Nazis in Austria. The war that erupts around them is nothing compared to the personal war the couple wage with each other until they are separated by Hitler's machine.

Daniel discovers that Benjamin is not who he thought he was. Was the discovery of the truth behind his heritage the turning point in his art and ultimately lead to his death? And will Daniel also discover the secret and meaning behind the incredible sculptures in Benjamin's final show, the one he took his wife to? As Daniel starts to unravel Benjamin's history, he also learns the truth about himself and what it really means to love and to live.
3.9 stars

I knew it was too good to be true .... I discovered that I'd left my glasses and spare contact lens at home. This wouldn't have been too much of a tragedy except that I came back to the hotel after my meeting, put some handcream on, and then rubbed my eye ... smearing cream onto my contact lens. Tried eye drops but nope, smear remained and i couldn't see well.

So off I went in search of an optician and since lens are regulated here in Australia, I couldn't just buy a pair of lenses, but had to get an eye exam and prescription. $60 down but at least now I have a new pair of lenses and can see again.

#175: I will see if I can find The Marriage Artist. Thanks for the recommendation.

#176: Sorry you have had trouble to start your trip off with, Caro, but glad that at least it was easily resolvable. Seeing is an important thing!

Oh Caro.....

But it could have been worse...
glad it was so easily sorted. So how long in Sydney?

Caro- Sorry to hear about the contacts! Bummer! That could have been 60 bucks that could have went to books! Drat!

>179 msf59: That could have been 60 bucks that could have went to books! Drat! Although from what you posted in my thread, it sounds like that would be three mass-market paperbacks! Can that be possible? $20 for a mass market paperback?!?

Hi Caroline, you knew something had to go wrong. $60 for exam and lenses?? What a deal.

I am guessing the contacts were a free trial pair...?

I'm glad that you were able to get new lenses, Caroline. BTW, is that $60 USD or $60 AUD?

Ow on the lenses and hand cream, and ow on the regulations.

Richard, books are so expensive in NZ and Aussie. In NZ a decent paperback is around $30NZ (that's $23 US). I love the independents at home, but it's an act of love to shop in them when there is Book Depository a click away.

#177 : check your PM, Stas.

#178 : It could have been worse, Kath ... I could have forgotten to bring underwear like I did during one trip to Romania where I ended up having to pay extortion prices for some really really ugly undies which I promptly anonymously donated to the Salvation Army when I returned to the US.

I'm in Sydney until Friday. I arrive home on Friday night ... and have to make corn bread on Saturday for a Halloween party I'm going to on Saturday night.

#179/180/184 : $20 - $28 for mass market paperbacks. It's really quite insane. I don't understand why books are so expensive here in Australia. I was speaking with a consultant today and he buys his books through Amazon because even with shipping charges, they're still cheaper (he buys in bulk) than buying books from the bookstores here. He says that even books for children are $20+ so he gets his kids to see if they can get the books from the library and if not, then he'll check out Amazon. And what's surprising about the cost of books here is that there's quite a big reading culture in Australia.

#181 / 182 : $60 for an eye exam wasn't bad, Bonnie. My eye exam in the US is usually about $140 I think. And Kath is right, the lenses I'm wearing are a trial pair that's wearable for 2 weeks. :-)

#183 : It was AU$60 but the AU$ is now just about par with the US$. Which is good for my company because that means our software is less expensive in Australia, but bad for me because my expenses are now higher than they usually are when I travel here.

#184 : Do you know why books are so expensive in NZ, Cushla? Is there a big book tax?

I started using my Kindle yesterday, reading The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura. It's an interesting experience ... every time I come to the end of a page, my left hand has been automatically reaching up to the right corner to turn the page, and only when my fingers touch the metal, do I realize 'yet again' that there isn't a paper page to turn and that I have to hit the 'next page' button on the Kindle.

Oh carolyn... lol @ underwear story ..
How long will you be away?

#186: I read that one last year. I will be interested in seeing what you think of it once you are done with it.

>186 cameling: " my left hand has been automatically reaching up ... to turn the page"
Same thing happens to me, Caroline!
Considering the traveling you've been doing this month, I think you're doing quite well packing under pressure... though I doubt you'll forget your license again!
Have some fun and safe travels! :)

I wonder if they've ever considered putting the "turn the page button" on the right corner of the e-readers...

#187 : Kath - I have 2 more days to go and I come home on Friday. Yippeee! Looking forward to being home.

#188 : Stas - I'm about halfway through and I'm enjoying it ... I was expecting something a little different though but I'm not disappointed because I'm getting a bit more than I expected ... so far. Did you enjoy it?

#189 : Oh good, Claudia ... i was starting to feel a bit like an idiot .. and I continued to do that today at the gym too. One weird thing I've discovered about using the Kindle is that if I'm using it while I'm on the treadmill at the gym or at a restaurant while I eat, (apart from the automatic hand page turning thing) I can concentrate on what I'm reading, but the last 2 nights when I've read it lying down in bed, I kept falling asleep after a couple of 'pages' ... which never happens when I read hard copy books in bed.

#190 : I was thinking the same thing yesterday, Terri.

Travel adventures continue ... this time with a new experience. Has anyone ever had to take a shower in total darkness? It's a novel experience ... and one I don't quite recommend. Some time last night, the master switch in my room went bonkers and it switched off the light in the entrance of the room, the bathroom light and the 2 bedside lamps. However, the tv still worked, the a/c worked and the lamp on the desk worked. I thought maybe it was just a little glitch or perhaps the hotel's trying to conserve energy, and just went to bed. But this morning (i woke at 5 to get a workout before work) and still no light. Went down to the gym (all lights worked there), worked out and came back after an hour.... still no working master switch. Oh well, so I took a shower in total darkness, whacked my ankle against the shower door, almost fell into the tub (i turned left out of the shower instead of right), got dressed in partial darkness (thankfully it was starting to get a little light outside), and left the room with just lipstick and eyeliner.

Told the front desk about my electrical woes and they very quickly sent an electrician up to fix the problem while I was at the conference. I came back to the room this evening to find a beautiful plate of cheese & crackers, bowl of fruit and a bottle of red wine with a letter of apology signed by the general manager. Swissotel knows customer service!

One more good reason to look forward to friday!!

Travel adventures continue I see..
Well, worth it maybe to find such a nice apology! lol

Has anyone ever had to take a shower in total darkness?

Yes. 2+ hours before dawn with no electric light. But in a bathroom with a window, so a tiny amount of moonlight/light from street lamps 50 yards down the road. (IIRC a lightbulb went and took out the fuse, I wasn't inclined to go outside to get to the garage to sort the fuse in the dark as well as the ice and possibly the snow, so I decided to leave the lights unfixed until later in the day.)

It's an adventure, isn't it!

Hope the ankle's not too bruised. (And that is good customer service.)

Has anyone ever had to take a shower in total darknes?

Yes. More than once. I don't recommend trying to shave your legs.

Thanks for the word on Galileo's Daughter I am going to look forward to reading it.

Never took a shower in total darkness. When the lights go out here, so does the water. BUT... here's something delightful... try taking a shower by candlelight... (oh, Caroline... do be careful!)

#191: Yes, I did enjoy the book. I went into it with no expectations, since I knew nothing about it. I enjoyed Kakuzo's forays into both history and philosophy. Oh - and I was wrong about when I read it. I read it in March of this year, not last year.

"(oh, Caroline... do be careful!)" LOL!

I STILL say you should write a travel book... :)

Nice that they left you a note of apology and whatnot. Good for them! :)

It's no accident that Cesar Ritz was a Swiss dude, eh what?

it might convince people that travel is hazardous..

A beautiful start to the day today ....I didn't get a proper work out in this morning because my ankle was rather sore from yesterday's collision with the shower door, but I woke early and walked about a mile to my favorite outdoor cafe by Circular Quay and had a delicious and rather massive breakfast with a client. It was a 'hello, how are you meet' so it was a pleasant meeting.

I decided to walk back to the hotel instead of taking a cab, even though that meant walking up hill all the way, but the weather's nice and I got to stop at one of my favorite shoe stores in the city and came away with 2 new pairs of beautiful shoes. There is nothing like a pretty shoes (if i can't buy books) to bring a lift to my day. Well, I'd take good food too ... hmm.... come to think of it, doesn't really take much for me to enjoy happy boosts in my day. ;-)

Sounds wonderful, Caroline. Hope you have a good trip home.

#197 : Stas ... I have to retract my earlier impressions of The Book of Tea. I started out liking it and then by the time I got halfway through, I became a little puzzled and in the end, I'm confused by it. So I didn't like it as much as you did.

The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura .... I should have thought to read other reviews about this book before picking it up because I thought this was going to be a book that told me all I'd want to know about tea. What it turned out to be is a book that doesn't live up to its title.

I was expecting to read about the history of tea, who started to drink it first, how they drank it, and how the practice of drinking tea spread. The initial chapters did manage to cover some of this, and I enjoyed the first third of the book as it traced the practice of drinking tea through China, Japan and India. It also introduced Taoism, Buddhism and Zen philosophy but that was a nice complement to the practice of drinking tea. From there, we went into the architecture of Japanese tea houses and at that point, all references to tea seemed rather incidental as the author took us then to comparisons between the Japanese minimalist approach to artistic perfection in architecture, interior decoration, art and flower arrangement.

I was expecting to learn about how the different types of tea were grown and harvested. I was expecting to learn about how the teas are blended, how different cultures drink their tea and how their tea drinking practices evolved over time. I was expecting to learn about tea ceremonies (if any) in different countries and the significance behind the rituals. There were references to tea masters in this book, but no explanation about how one became a tea master ... I assume it's more than just drinking and making copious pots of tea? I was expecting to learn about any medicinal properties in tea, and even how tea is sometimes used in some cuisines. I was expecting to read about the evolution of tea from its simple beginnings to the more complex offerings available today.

And all my expectations were left unfulfilled. The author appeared to have forgotten what he started out to write.
I'm giving this half a star because it left me really disgruntled and on a quest now to look for the type of book of tea that I really thought I was going to be reading.

Caro- Have a good travel day Friday! Be safe! I'll get the book out tomorrow!

Try The Story of Tea by Mary Lou Heiss. It was what you were looking for.

Thanks, Marky-Mark ... take your time .. no rush.

Ooh..thanks, Jim ... I just peeked and ordered a copy through Amazon.

Caro- Sorry to hear about the lousy book! Maybe the next choice will be a winner! Stop by my thread, I'm hosting another event. You might like it!

#205: No problem, Caro. I did not enter into the book with any expectations, so perhaps that is why I liked it more than you did. Besides, if we all liked the same things, the world would be a boring place, and then what would we argue about? :)

Getting ready to come home soon right?
yay!

#210 : You bet, Stas. Different opinions does allow us to appreciate different sides to a book, we all pick up different things from books we read, which is why I love all the sharing that goes on here on LT.

#211 : And I'm home! Whoopeeee.... Took a long time to come home though. Flight from Sydney to SF was fine, but flight from SF was delayed ... and then when I got into Boston, there were 2 car fires on the highway so I didn't get home until 2am. Showered, made myself a little sandwich, threw stuff into the washing machine, and zzzz..... fell into a deep sleep.

Woke this morning to a beautiful sunny morning ...and millions of leaves on my yard .. which I am so far successfully ignoring. :-) Picked up my mail from the post office, dropped off some chocolate I bought my lovely friends at the post office, grocery shopped and came home to make corn bread for tonight's party. Fixed my costume and I find I've got a bit of time to log in to LT. :-) So far, I'm having a wonderful day. Can't wait for the party tonight though. I'm going as half an angel and half a devil.

Read The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins on my way back from Sydney. Why did I wait this long to read this? It's one of my top 10 reads for the year.

A beautiful and fragile woman, beloved sister and niece to a bedridden invalid, finds love when a drawing master is engaged for the 2 women. That love is not to be acknowledged because she is betrothed to another, one who is determined to marry her despite her frank admission to him that her heart has been given to another. Her husband appears to be the epitome of grace, charm and thoughtfulness .... until they are wed. She's reunited with her aunt who is married to a jovial Italian Count with a fondness for pet mice and birds ... but what is it about them that is making her nervous?

And what is the mystery behind the woman in white, who escaped from a private asylum and who believes she knows a secret that could ruin everything?

Told through narratives and journal entries, this tells the tale of greed, danger, secrets, conspiracy
fear, and love. This is a page turner you won't want to put down.
4.5 stars

I enjoyed The Woman in White, too...

Angel/Devil... oddly appropriate :)
have fun, be safe

Welcome home Caro!! Good review too! I have to add that one to the list! I'm so glad you take care of the folks at your local post office. Beams proudly. Have a great time at the party! Take pix!

I'll see if anyone remains sober to take photos and I'll post if appropriate. ;-)

Welcome home, Caroline. There seems to be alot of people on LT lately raving about The Woman in White. Something else I have to get to. Have fun at the party--hope you get pictures. :)

Hi Caro, must get to The Woman in White languishing on my shelf.

Angel/Devil huh? Appropriate indeed! Although I would have thought the most appropriate costume for Caro would have been a giant walking CAUTION sign, with flashing lights and a warning siren. :D

#219 I vote for an airplane!

I have a copy of The Woman in White somewhere. Thanks for reminding me that I need to find it and read it.

I'm going as half an angel and half a devil.

How does that work? Front and back? Left and right? Top and bottom? Spontaneous transformation after the third drink?

This is caro.. so it is hard to know, isn't it?

I love the costume idea. I was going to be the mad scientist and wear my brain hat, but I didn't have time before my son's party to change. It's been a mad evening with 14 sixth graders running amok in my house. They clearly prefer charades over Dracula.

We have a death eater, Alice from Twilight, Dracula, a witch, a ninja, something creepy with a gold mask and a hollow knife with blood running around in it, a sort of zombie princess, a medieval princess, somebody vague from Star Wars, a vampire girl, Mad Hatter, one with no costume, Pink Panther (very cool mom-made costume), disco girl, and a Little Red Riding Hood and a Dorothy both with incredibly tiny dresses... I think that's everyone.

They're all gone now, and I'm going to bed with a hot water bottle and 4 or 6 Tylenol...

I finished The Woman in White in the wee hours this morning, Caro (glad to see you back home, BTW) and liked it just slightly less than you did. I gave it 4.25 stars.

Just checking to see if there are any party pictures.

Jenn, hope you get some well-deserved rest. The party sounds crazy but fun.

#185> Only now catching up with your thread. Books are really expensive here in NZ and Australia to support our local publishing industry. Many US and UK writers get published in Australian/NZ editions and their books with bigger promotional budgets etc etc compete against our local writers. Local publishers only do small print runs especially of local writers as the demand is much smaller due to size of population (average print run for a first novel in NZ is 2000 copies).
Lately I'm seeing most trade paperbacks priced at $NZD40-$45 ($30-34USD). I'm only buying new books when there is a promotion, voucher or I'm at a book launch/festival.

The Woman in White is on my tbr pile, I need to get to it.

I'm waiting for some friends to send me photos they took during the party ... the ones I've got aren't fit for posting .. they're all blurry.. I think I must have smeared the lens with my finger. :-(

#219 : Ooo.. I love that idea, Stefano ... must keep that in mind for next year's costume.

#220 : Pat - I went as a zombie flight attendant a couple of years ago... does that count?

#221 : Cat - top half of my costume was angelic white, bottom was a raggedy red devil's skirt, one red fishnet stocking, one white lace stocking, one white feathery wing, 1 red wing and a white halo hovering over red horns. Oh and I had a devil's tail that kept getting in everyone's way and even made its way into a bowl of salsa on the coffee table:-)

#222 : Kath, one of my friends has suggested that I skip the angel portion next time because I am the devil where they are concerned. I objected, but they claim I keep suggesting and then persuading them to do things that they really shouldn't do. I deny all such accusations.

#223 : Sounds like you had some great costumed guests, Jenn. I'm sorry you couldn't go as the mad scientist. I would have liked to have seen a pic of you in costume. Some of the more notable attendees at the party last night were Dracula (3 actually), an awesome werewolf, V (for Vendetta), Darth Vader and Princess Leia, a trailer trash couple, a rather obese Batman, Clark Kent, an Arabic terrorist and his burqa clad wife, Bobby Jones, a pregnant pixie, Captain Hook and a mummy (whose bandages kept loosening as the night progressed). There were some other fun costumes and I think we had guests who got lost going to another party because this morning at brunch with a few of my friends, we realized that none of us knew them.

#224 : It was worth the read though, wasn't it Stas?

#225 : Who are some NZ writers you recommend, Kerry? I hope your libraries are well stocked with books so you aren't emptying your bank account just to feed your reading habit.

next year, maybe Calamity Jane?

#225 Wow.... we are fortunate here... that is a lot of money for a book..

A pregnant pixie? That is funny.

ETA - I am still sending you the brain hat...

Hmm... will I have to try to trip over things in that costume, Kath? oh wait.. i do that anyway.

Ooh thanks, Jenn... I'm thrilled. :-)

Sounds like a grand party. We don't celebrate Halloween much at all here, we had our first trick or treat visitors in three years knock on the door last night. Had nothing for them, hadn't even thought about being prepared.

#228> Don't worry, most of my book shopping is done online or in used bookstores. The high prices do mean that you can't support local writers as much as you would like to.
We do have wonderful libraries and as of today, Auckland has merged all local councils to make one complete city. One of the perks is that I now have free access to 55 libraries and the Central Library stacks, before I was limited to what Manukau Libraries offered and nonfiction interloans.

I'm not that well-read on NZ fiction as I've concentrated mainly on children's and YA fiction but have been trying to catchup.
New Zealand writers to get a flavour of New Zealand: Patricia Grace, Keri Hulme, Witi Ihimaera, Maurice Gee, Ronald Hugh Morrieson
Otherwise you might enjoy these more contemporary writers: Lloyd Jones, Eleanor Catton, Alison Wong, Mo Zhi Hong
I was trying to get a good online link but can only find this one and this one of NZ and Australian must-read titles.

Oh gosh, Kerry, what about my gal-pal Janet Frame? I love her stuff!

Richard, I hate to admit but I've only read one Janet Frame book and that was long long ago. I was meant to read Owls do Cry for last month's TIOLI but it took me most of the month to get through Maurice Gee's Plumb which is a worthy read rather than a riveting one.

woefully behind but still checking in -- did you have trick or treaters this year? we didn't.

What? No pictures yet?

Thanks for your comments on my thread regarding the Collins and Wesley books, Caro!

I for one am glad to have trick or treating over..
Next up.. election day and hopefully a break from hate ads on tv..
gak

eta
well.. Caro, that's the thing.. it just suits you.. and you get to wear a cool hat.

Caroline, glad you are home safely. The halloween party sounds like a hoot. We skipped it here except for making a jack-o'-lantern with a birthday candle in it, which was really fun.

Kerry, it sounds like books have got even dearer in NZ since I left - OW to the trade paperback prices and thank goodness for libraries. Last year I tried to buy everything second hand, with a few trips to my favourite bookshops but far fewer than I once did. And yay to having access to all the Auckland libraries now! You'll have to do a library crawl (I once drove out to Tawa to get my hands on a Digger DVD for the kids...) (Sorry, that will make no sense to anyone except Kerry or Wellingtonians reading this).

#234 Richard I am embarrassed too - I have read no Janet Frame, and am useless on NZ fiction. The one Patricia Grace I've read (Waiariki) was excellent though, and I have another of hers that I have nearly read several times this year.

To the Shamefully Underread Kiwis Group:

Living in the Maniototo is the place to start. Owls Do Cry is an excellent book, but I think it's a treat best savored after Frame's lovely rhythms are established in your psyche.

And Kerry...I can't thank you enough for the Morrieson! The Scarecrow needs to be better known internationally. I am loving, loving, loving it. You've yet to tell me if there's anything in my liberry you want...I'm about ready to start a pick-n-pack line and just send you some stuff.

PS: My favorite ever pic of Janet Frame:



And I forgot to mention her book of short stories, You Are Now Entering the Human Heart, is excellent. The Carpathians I found a little dull.

I'm late checking in but I wanted to say I'm so glad you loved The Woman in White! I loved it but it was too long ago - time for a re-read!

#233/234 : Thanks for the references to those NZ authors, Kerry and Ricardo ... I haven't read anything by them before ..... *off to search to some possible reads by some new authors*

Just read an excerpt of Living in Maniototo ... I'm hooked ... and placed an Amazon order. :-)

#236 : Susan, we had about 40 t-o-ters last night ... and I made the mistake of pouring all the candy into the bowl for the kids. Now I have no Maltesers left for myself :-(

#237 : I'm having problems trying to post some pics, Stas. I have some saved in a file on my laptop, but I must be doing something wrong because it's not uploading properly. Is the only way I can upload pictures to first save them in a web album?

#238 : I'm with you on being sick to my stomach with all the election hate ads, Kath. How about telling me how you plan to improve things, rather than point fingers at others for things they may or may not have done? I want to conk all of them with my huge and heavy copy of Bird : The Definitive Visual Guide.

#239 : Thanks, Cushla .. it's good to be home .... so much so that I'm happily wallowing in mess for a few days. I haven't fully unpacked yet (except for my dirty laundry) and I've got mail and books all over the table.

#241 : Hey there Angela... the door's always open on this thread, so nobody is ever late here. Every time you check in is the right time. :-)

I'm going through a bit of a reading rut right now ... maybe it's because I've had a really long day at work, so nothing seems to be grabbing my attention. I'm going to read Our Server Is Down one of the Baby Blues scrapbook series by Rick Kirkman ... guaranteed to cheer me up.

Plus I have to plan the menu for a Spice Night party at my house on Saturday. I don't even know how I got suckered into hosting this one .

Spice Night! "Ooo, Miss Hostess-lady, *where* did you find this recipe for turmeric flan? And the candied ginger/cranberry meatloaf with cinnamon/piloncillo glaze! Ooo!"

I'll join you in conking people over the head. I have a Geographica that should do the trick.
I don't want to hear all the negatives about the opponents. I want to hear the candidate tell me what they plan on doing. Honestly.

A spice night party sounds like good fun. I want to see your menu, please?

turmeric flan ... now there's a thought, Rdear .... so far I've got Devil's curry, habanero marinated spiced shrimp, whole grilled fish stuffed with ghost chilies, and a Malay dry beef curry on the menu so far.

^
^
^
*ahem*

*drools* Malay dry beef curry *swoons*

You are quite a busy hostess... it exhausts me.. lol..but I do love reading all about your adventures and parties .

242: You can upload pictures right here on Librarything. Just choose to upload them to your 'junk drawer.' They won't be visible on your profile and you'll be able to post them here on the forums. :)

"Reading Ruts" are not allowed! Get out of it, pronto!

>250 Ape: ***FINALLY*** there is some use for that boy! A tidbit of info I really can use! *confetti toss*

Thank you, Richard... You can use it to upload pictures of zombies, if you like... ;)

I have to remember that....

oh darn.. i was about to try and post a pic again ... but i'm over the 250 thread limit .... and I hear the thread police's siren down the street...

so the new thread is here

uh.. nope that is a boomerang

:-) oops.. missed

:)

I thought it was me the first 3 times.

New thread? Where? Afraid I'll miss spice night menu...

Caroline, your link just takes us to the beginning of this thread!

Here, this should get people to your new thread.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/101683

oops.. Thanks, Roni