tymfos tries to tackle 75 title in 2010 -- thread seven

Welcome to thread #7! I'm having a lot of fun reading and having conversations with other readers here! Please pull up a virtual chair, lurk and/or comment as you please!







Here are some links to my various other threads:

My first six threads for this challenge:
#1 http://www.librarything.com/topic/78980
#2 http://www.librarything.com/topic/83758
#3 http://www.librarything.com/topic/88141
#4 http://www.librarything.com/topic/90698
#5 http://www.librarything.com/topic/93832
#6 http://www.librarything.com/topic/97045

My "off the shelf challenge" thread (started 12/1/09):
http://www.librarything.com/topic/78160

My 1010 challenge threads (started 10/1/09):
#1 http://www.librarything.com/topic/74456
#2 http://www.librarything.com/topic/94529

My 2009 75 challenge threads:
#1 http://www.librarything.com/topic/69362
#2 http://www.librarything.com/topic/74808

Here is a link (hopefully) to my message in the "introductions" thread:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/79114#1653925

OK, we're open for business here!

BOOKS COMPLETED -- January
1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (finished 1/7/10)
2. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (Finished 1/8/10)
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (finished 1/9/10)
4a In The Woods, by Robin H. Stevenson (finished 1/11/10)
4b Over My Dead Body by Kate Klise (finished 1/11/10)
5. Scat by Carl Hiaasen (finished 1/13/10)
6. On Hallowed Ground by Robert M. Poole (finished 1/19/10)
7. The Story of My Father, by Sue Miller (read 1/24/10)
8. Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn (read 1/25/10)
9. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (finished 1/29/10)
10. The Wreck of the Whaleship Essex by Owen Chase (finished 1/31/10)

BOOKS COMPLETED -- February
11. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves. (started 2/3/10; finished 2/4/10)
12. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (finished 2/13/10).
13. When Michael Calls by John Farris (read 2/18/10)
14. Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay (finished 2/19/10)
15. Strength to Love by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (finished 2/26/10)
16. He Crashed Me, So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel (finished 2/28/10)

Books Completed -- March
17.They Call Him Cale by Joe McGinnis (finished 3/10/10)
18 Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin (finished 3/13/10)
19.The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb 15 (finished 3/15/10)
20.The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill (finished 3/15/10)
21. Haunted Deland and the Ghosts of West Volusia County by Dusty Smith (finished 3/22/10)
22.Why Me: A Doctor Looks at the book of Job by Diane M. Komp, M.D. (finished 3/29/10)
23.Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews (finished 3/31/10)

Books Completed -- April
24. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. (Finished 4/8/10)
25. Critical Care (Brown) by Theresa Brown
26. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Finished 4/16/10)
27. Kiss Her Goodbye (Browne) by Robert Gregory Browne (4/17/10)
28. Mockingbird (Erskine) by Elizabeth Erskine (4/19/10)
29. Spirituality and the Autism Spectrum by Abe Isanon (finished 4/25/10)
30. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (finished 4/27/10)
31. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (finished 4/30/10)

Books Completed -- May
32. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (finished 5/1/10)
33. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (finished 5/4/10)
34. Sumner Island by Michael Cormier (ER edition) (finished 5/9/10)
35. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (started 5/3/10; finished 5/12/10)
36. The Madness of Mary Lincoln by Jason Emerson (finished 5/13/10)
37. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller (finished 5/14/10)
38. Murder With Puffins by Donna Andrews (started 5/11/10; finished 5/21/10)
39. Columbine by Dave Cullen (started 5/14/10; finished 5/22/10)
40. Grace Eventually by Anne Lamott (finished 5/23/10)

Books Completed -- June
41. Just Shy of Harmony by Philip Gulley (started 6/6/10; finished 6/7/10)
42. Four and Twenty Blackbirds (Priest) by Cherie Priest (started 6/7/10; finished 6/9/10)
43. When the Mississippi Ran Backwards by Jay Feldman (started 5/21/10; finished 6/13/10)
44. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo (finished 6/18/10)
45. American Gothic (Bloch) by Robert Bloch (started 6/18/10; finished 6/20/10)
46 St. Dale by Sharyn McCrumb (started 6/20/10; finished 6/25/10)

Books Completed -- July
47. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (started 7/4/10; finished 7/5/10)
48. Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life, by David M. Jordan (started 6/13/10; finished 7/8/10)
49. Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews (started 7/9/10; finished 7/10/10)
50. Once Around the Track, by Sharyn McCrumb (started 6/27/10; finished 7/13/10)
51. UnChristian, by David Kinnaman (started 5/10; finished 7/15/10)
52. The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler (started 7/15/10; finished 7/19/10)
53. A Little Death in Dixie by Lisa Turner (started 7/20/10; finished 7/24/10)
54. No Fear by Ernie Irvan (finished 7/27/10)
55. Cape May Court House by Lawrence Schiller (started 7/28/10; finished 7/29/10)
56a.Cape May Ghost Stories: Book Two by Charles J. Adams, III (finished 7/30/10)
56b.Atlantic County Ghost Stories by Charles J. Adams, III (read 7/30/10)

August
57. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. (finished 8/6/10)
58. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd (started 8/5/10)
59. Disaster on the Mississippi: The Sultana Explosion, April 27, 1865 by Gene Eric Salecker (started 8/6/10)
60. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
61. Deadliest Sea by Kalee Thompson
62. The Body in the Bookcase by Katherine Hall Page
63. Murder in the Adirondacks by Craig Brandon (finished 8/19/10)
64. Plan B: Further thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott (started 8/2/10; finished 8/19/10)
65. Dark Woods, Chill Waters: Ghost Tales from Down East Maine, by Marcus LiBrizzi (finished sometime in mid-August
66. Still Alice by Lisa Genova (finished 8/22/10)
67. Black for Remembrance by Carlene Thompson (finished 8/26/10)
68. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan (finished 8/28/10)
69. Ghosts of New York by Suasn Blackhall (finished 8/30/10)

Books Completed -- September
#70. When Doctors Kill by Joshua A. Perper (finished 9/3/10)
#71. Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans by A.J. Baime (finished 9/4/10)
#72. Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck (finished 9/6/10)
#73. Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews (finished 9/6/10)
#74. 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn (started 9/7/10; finished 9/11/10)
#75. Shiloh: A Novel by Shelby Foote (started 9/7/10; finished 9/13/10)
#76. Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo -- audio book (started 9/8/10; finished 9/14/10)
#77. Against Death and Time by Brock Yates (started 9/15/10; finished 9/21/10)
#78. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (audio book: started 9/15/10; finished 9/21/10)
#79. I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells (started 9/16/10; finished 9/22/10)
#80. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis (started 8/24/10; finished 9/22/10)
#81. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (finished 9/25/10)
#82. Jane-Emily: And Witches' Children by Patricia Clapp (finished 9/27/10)
#83. 15540::Moby Dick by Herman Melville (finished 9/28/10)
#84. 290044::Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan (finished 9/28/10)

Note: Book list continues with October's books in Message 5, after the third-quarter summary in the next post.

As of September 30, 2010, I have completed 84 books:

47 Fiction
37 Non-Fiction

79 First-tme reads
5 re-reads

8 LT Early Reviewer books read and reviewed

My favorite "new reads" of the year so far:

Mystery Fiction:
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo

Historical Fiction:
Shiloh: A Novel by Shelby Foote

General/Literary Fiction:
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Non-Fiction (fascinating/informative):
102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer & Kevin Flynn
Columbine by Dave Cullen
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Non-Fiction -- (just plain fun!)
He Crashed Me, So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel

Books Completed: October
#85. The Little League that Could: A History of the American Football League by Ken Rappoport. (Finished 10/5/10)
#86. Best Ghost Stories of J.S. LeFanu by J. Sheridan LeFanu (Finished 10/21/10).
#87. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (finished 10/23/10)
#88. The Cross in Our Context: Jesus and the Suffering World by Douglas John Hall (started 9/23/10; finished 10/29/10)

Books Completed in November:
#89 The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton (finished 11/1/10
#90 Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (finished 11/1/10)
#91 Andersonville Diary (audio) by John L. Ransom (started 10/19/10; finished 11/2/10)
#92 Ghosts of Mississippi (Vollers) by Maryanne Vollers (finished 11/9/10)
#93 Hard Driving: The Wendell Scott Story: The American Odyssey of NASCAR's First Black Driver by Brian Donovan (started 11-10-10; finished 11-27-10)
#94. Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Wolfe Shenk (started 11-10-10; finished 11-28-10)
#95. William James: On Psychical Research (started 11-09-10; finished 11-30-10)

Books Completed in December:
#96. The Other Side of the Night by Daniel Allan Butler (started 12-3-10; finished 12-6-10)
#97 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (started 12/1/10; finished 12/14/10)
#98 Swapping Paint by Joyce and Jim Lavene (finished 12/16/10)

Books Started and Under Consideration
The Civil War, A Narrative: Fort Sumter to Perryville by Shelby Foote (started 9/22/10)
Adventures in Immortality by George Gallup, Jr. (started 12/10)

Cemetery of Angels by Noel Hynd
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

And then there were:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy -- LT group read (started 1/15/10 abandoned temporarily?)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (local group read; abandoned temporarily?)

It's not a good sign when I look at the description of a book I've won and wonder why I requested it in the first place . . . ?

I hate when that happens.. and it does!

That is so funny but I've been there!!

Just a note to let you know I'm thinking of you. It sounds like you have quite a full plate. I'm sending hugs and lots of love.

#6 Hi, Kath! Funny how that happens, isn't it?

#7 Haven't we all, Carrie? It's so nice to be among readers who understand!

#8 Thanks, Linda! (Hugs back at you!)

Things seem to be settling down a bit. I'm finding some time to LT and to read.

I gave myself permission to skip the local book discussion this month. Life of Pi sounds like a wonderful book, but I am NOT in the mood for it. I'm wanting all my fiction this month to be ghost stories and horror, even if some of them are things that "serious readers" would scoff at.

My non-fiction reading is all over the map, though Devil in White City is on the Halloween Reading list.

Just checking in so I do not lose you!

I'm wanting all my fiction this month to be ghost stories and horror, even if some of them are things that "serious readers" would scoff at.

Let the book snobs scoff! You have a great time reading what you want!

It's not a good sign when I look at the description of a book I've won and wonder why I requested it in the first place . . . ? I've never had that happen yet, but most of the time when I receive my ER notification I'm totally clueless about what that book is until I go look it up. Invariably, my response is "yea! that book looks good!" Unfortunately, I'm not always so enthusiastic by the time I've finished reading. :-(

If you hadn't given yourself permission to skip your book group, I'm sure we all would have. Reading something you're not in the mood for sounds like school. Now that we're out of school, reading should be fun. Enjoy your ghost stories!

Yes, by all means, continue to read what you like best!

It's not a good sign when I look at the description of a book I've won and wonder why I requested it in the first place

Hahaha. Yes I have an ER book that fits that category exactly. That's why it's sitting on my shelf.

#10 Hi, Stasia!

#11 Upon reflection upon the description (which I, indeed, had to look up) I can see why, in some moods, this ER book would have caught my eye. Hopefully that mood will return when/soon after the book arrives!

#12 Love that ghostie, Linda!

#13 Hi, Bonnie!

I ordered The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton, one from blackdogbooks Halloween list, through inter-library loan. It should, theoretically, arrive around the time that I finish Best Ghost Stories of J. S. LeFanu.

Book #85:
Title: The Little League that Could: A History of the American Football League
Author: Ken Rappoport
Genre: non-fiction (sports)
Length: 199 pages
Dates: finished 10/5/10
Source: LT Early Reviewers
Challenges: 75 challenge
Notes: I received this Early Reviewer edition as bound uncorrected page proofs, and am basing this review upon this edition.

I enjoyed this look at the AFL, from its origins to the time the full merger with the NFL was accomplished. I enjoyed meeting the pivotal people who made things happen, and reading the stories (some of them hilarious) of those days.

That said, this didn't have the feel/flow of a narrative history. There was a choppiness to the book. Each chapter seemed to be more a self-contained unit about a particular area (coaches, stadiums, TV coverage, etc.) and each existed without a sense of the total whole. The structure tended to introduce repetition on the one hand, and a little confusion on the other. (Who was that? Where did I read about him earlier?) An instance of repetition: the famous "Heidi" incident was covered in the section about TV coverage; it was later covered in the section on AFL rivalries, and the second account was written as though the earlier reference hadn't existed. Since my copy is uncorrected proofs, I suppose that some of this may still be edited out in the actual book text.

Also there were extensive "sidebar" items, usually about specific subjects, usually important individuals, which broke into the flow of the narrative. It was nice to go in-depth about some of the people, but it further disrupted the flow of reading.

And one chapter consisted of a series of "Tall Tales and Short Stories" -- anecdotes just randomly presented to the reader, each under its own heading.

While not brilliantly written, this was still a fun journey down memory lane, and I learned a lot about this marvelous chapter of American pro football history.

so stealing the ghost..

Isn't that ghost cool???

I've never had an ER book that made me wonder why I requested it, but I have had some that I thought I'd like but then didn't, and have had to slog through.

Chuckling at the ghost.

Yee, ha! My Phillies are doing great. Halladay has pitched six innings of NO HIT baseball so far in tonight's first playoff game!!!

#19 Hi, Caty! Yes, I've had a couple of those, too!

Now Halladay has pitched 8 innings of no-hit ball.

HE ONLY NEEDS THREE MORE OUTS!!!!!

GO PHILLIES!!

Baseball history tonight, by my Phillies!

The first post-season no-hitter in the major leagues since 1956!

Halladay (Philadelphia) no runs, no hits, no errors, one walk -- against the best-hitting team in baseball!

Phillies beat the Reds, first game of playoffs, 4-0.

We were right there with you the whole time...that last out was a nail biter...GO PHILLIES!

24 LOL! That last out WAS a nail biter, Angela!

GO PHILLIES!!!!!

In moments like this, I miss my Mom. She loved the Phillies. I never saw her so happy as when they won that first World Series in 1980 -- she didn't live to see them win it again in '08.

I would like the Phillies to play the Twins in the World Series. Phillies/Rangers would be ok, too.

Linda, hopefully, the Twins will start knocking off the Yankees tonight . . .

Unfortunately, the Evil Empire knocked off the Twins tonight instead of the other way around. I really do not care who wins the WS as long as it is not the Yankees.

Congrats to Roy Halladay. That was a great pitching clinic he conducted tonight.

#12: I love that ghost!

Nice review of The Little League That Could, Terri; I'll add this to my wish list, as I was a New York Jets fan in the late 60s and early 70s. I'll have to ask my father to be sure, but I think we were watching the Jets-Raiders game in 1968(?) when NBC decided to switch to "Heidi".

I saw the clip of the last out on ESPN last night. Quite exciting. Then, this morning, I heard the Phillies announcer's radio call of the final out and it was 100 x more exciting.

Wish I'd seen it live. I was so tired from all the OT that I came home, at dinner, then went right to sleep and saw only an inning or two of the Twins/Yankees game.

#28 Yuck, Yankees. Boo, hiss.

#29 Thanks, Darryl.

#30 I need to check Phillies.com or something and see if I can hear it with their announcers!

Well, I've been a good girl since my huge used-book-buying binge on vacation . . . but today I broke down and bought four books at Ollie's. Call it celebrating the no hitter or something . . . though none of them is about baseball . . . .

1. No Apparent Danger: The true story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado Del Ruiz by Victoria Bruce
2. The Great American Gamble: How the 1979 Daytona 500 Gave Birth to a NASCAR Nation by Joe Menzer
3. The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin (Edgar award winner for YA novel)
4. Robert Ballard's Lusitania: Probing the Mysteries of the Sinking that Changed History by Robert D. Ballard.

I read another authoritative book about Lusitania, but this one is full of photographs, both of the ship in her heyday and of the wreckage as filmed by Ballard's underwater expidition. I think that the expidition took place after the other book was written, so there may be fresh insights into the sinking gleaned from what they found.

#31: I have read No Apparent Danger although it has been a while. I will be interested in seeing what you think of the others, especially the Ballard book. Congrats on your mini-haul!

Very entertaining Phillies game tonight!!

Baseball.. :P lol ( do not get. )

Terri

Tapestry (David) has a book listed on his thread that I think you might like. Please note post #11

http://www.librarything.com/topic/99681&newpost=1#lastmsg

33- I ended up hiding in the closet reading a book for most of the Phillies game! (the closet was the only place where I couldn't hear the TV - it's a walk-in closet) I just couldn't take it! Maybe I should pull a Curt Schilling and sit on the couch with a towel over my head, lol...

Hey! My Phillies are going to the League Championship Series!

#32 Stasia, what did you think of No Apparent Danger?

#33, #36 Hi Linda and Angela! I understand that the Friday game was quite a match. I missed all but the last inning, had a meeting that night. Maybe it was for the best, or I might just have pulled the towel-over-the-head deal!

#34 That's OK, Kath. None of us "get" everything. That's the nice thing about LT -- can talk baseball with Linda & Angela, swap info on spooky books with you and LInda, etc.

#35 Thanks, Linda! I had seen the first volume of that series at Books a Million and almost bought it.

not to mention zombies and their physical ...issues with Stephen

#37: I liked the book, Terri. It has been a while since I read it, but as I recall there are some rather grisly passages in it, ie volcanos + humans = volcanos win big time.

Congratulations to your Phillies!

It was a crazy weekend.

Meeting Friday night, which was OK. (But I would have rather watched the ballgame!)

Saturday was awful. The plan was to bake in the a.m. for a church event, attend one local charity event in the afternoon, and then the church function in the evening. But I had one kitchen disaster after another. A cake fell. A loaf of cinnamon bread stuck to the pan and came out in pieces. I burned my hand. Off to the store for more ingredients . . . . I finally managed to eke out two presentable items. I did not get to either even that I'd planned to attend -- one because I missed it while I was baking, the other because my kitchen and I were a mess by that time. So the baked goods went with my husband.

Sunday was great! Beautiful day, church was nice, my favorite driver won the NASCAR race, my Phillies won their first playoff series of the year, and the Eagles won, too. (Steelers were off this week.) My husband took us out to dinner. Absolutely lovely day.

My in-laws are coming to visit in two weeks. I love them dearly. But my house is a mess, I must clean . . .

(There's probably not going to be a whole lot of reading or LT-ing going on around here in the next two weeks.)

I am glad you had a good Sunday to make up for such a terrible Saturday!

#38 LOL, kath!

#39 I guess that goes with the territory, Stasia. A volcano is quite a force of nature!
Thanks for the congrats, Stasia!!

Sunday was really nice, Stasia! Saturday is one I hope to forget soon. (But, in the grand scheme of things, really no big deal!)

#42: What I was trying to get across is the the author of No Apparent Danger gets quite descriptive as to the effects of the volcanic effluvia on the human body. You might want to keep that in mind because as you can imagine, it can be quite graphic.

#44 I understand, Stasia.

Oh, one other thing about the weekend . . .

I found a big, ugly STINK BUG on my windowsill Friday. UGH!

#46: I was sure you were going to say it happened on Saturday!

#47 Yeah, it would have fit

. . . . but I think it was an omen! ;)

Stink bug omens?! The world must be warned! lol

*giggle*

It has been a long stormy night here. I tend to get sillier as the night wears on.

Silly is fine.

Bury Your Dead was just donated to the library Friday, and I get the first shot at it because the donor knows I'm a Louise Penny fan . . . but I don't have time to read it now. I've got ILL's that must be read, and family coming to visit . . . but it was nice to hold it in my hand for a moment, anyway . . . :)

#52: You are definitely going to want to take your time with Bury Your Dead. It is a dandy!

Sorry to hear about the terrible Saturday, glad that Sunday made up for it. Watch out for those stink bugs though (not sure what they are, we don't have them over here, but the name is suggestive enough...)

I've done very little LT this week, and hardly any reading. I keep thinking of that thing Kath posts sometimes, "I can't brain today!" or something like that.

I received two books in the mail this week, though: one book through LT Early Reviewers (a beautiful hardcover copy of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter), and one, Witness for the Defense, gifted from a kind friend on LT.

Spent some time today watching Book TV's live coverage of the Texas Book Festival.

The Phillies have their first game of the National League Championship Series tonight.

I'm sorry that I'll miss the Phillies/Giants game tonight. Halladay/Lincecum should be a pitching match-up for the ages.

I'll have to run out at intermission of the hockey game tonight and see a bit of the ballgame.

Sorry about your Phillies tonight, Terri. I hope tomorrow's game goes better for them.

I lost you for awhile there, Terri, but now I'm up to speed. Sounds like baseball and housecleaning are ruling your roost these days!

I laughed (sorry) about your baking misadventures. Why is it always the items you have to take somewhere that decide to stick to the pan or fail to rise? I usually volunteer Brownies for church events because Betty Crocker is so dependable!

I am so looking forward to reading the last two Louise Penny books. I own The Brutal Telling and am No. 3 in the library queue for Bury Your Dead which has been in processing for the past week. I want to read them in close proximity because I've heard how maddening TBT is!

#56, 57 Hi, Linda and Stasia! Phillies are not doing so well. I can hardly stand to watch. If they lose tonight, they are done this year.

#58 Laugh away, Donna! And I would have volunteered Brownies (Duncan Hines is "old dependable" for me!), but last time I did, they complained they had too many brownies (great minds think alike, perhaps?) and so I tried something else.

I am lunching at the computer trying to catch up a bit. Probably soup by the computer is not a good idea, but . . .

I'm almost done with Best Ghost Stories of J.S. LeFanu.

I started an audio book of Andersonville Diary downloaded via the library site, which I listen to while I'm doing housework -- which is a lot this week. Odd for me to have 2 Civil War books going at once, but it is so different from the Foote that there is no issue of confusion. Problem is, my player isn't good for backing up a bit, as I need to sometimes when interrupted.

I keep telling my husband I'm going to do another Amazon order, and he even says OK, but I keep putting it off. When I went on my used bookstore binge during vacation, I sort of promised myself that was "it" for the year . . . but of course, it won't be . . .

Ach!!!! My in-laws are coming to visit Sunday, and my microwave oven just broke!!!!! I had planned to do a big turkey dinner for them, since we'll be apart for Thanksgiving (and I earned a free turkey from my supermarket) but . . . I think not.

Last year, the damn thing broke during Thanksgiving Dinner preparations.

I realize it's not the end of the world, that all over the world, people are dealing with disease, famine, war, pestilence, and an assortment of terrible troubles which make my measly malfunctioning microwave a mere trifle.

But it's pretty annoying . . .

OK, just needed to rant. I'm OK now.

One good thing to celebrate -- I finally finished another book, which I'll try to find time to post and comment upon shortly.

Heavens, that was the first book I completed for October???? No, second -- I forgot to add the last one posted to my October list. (phew! that would have been really bad, first book finished on the 21st of the month! second is bad enough.)

>59 tymfos:: In my world one can never have too many brownies!

Your microwave broke? I was just talking to my husband about how I wish both our microwave and double ovens would quit working so that we could be an all stainless steel kitchen. I'm tired of the patchwork appearance but too cheap to replace working appliances. I think those kitchen gremlins got their orders switched and it should be my microwave that is kaput!

It sounds like sports events and getting ready for your in-laws is cutting into your reading time. Maybe November will be better for you. My reading always slacks off towards the end of the year. Mostly due to holidays which I spend way too much time preparing for. They come and go in a flash.

#64 I wish both our microwave and double ovens would quit working so that we could be an all stainless steel kitchen.

Donna, my previous microwave died last November. We replaced it with a beautiful-looking black-and-stainless Samsung unit that goes beautifully in our kitchen. But it wasn't working quite right, and quit entirely during Thanksgiving dinner prep. We waited until mid-January for a replacement part. Now that 11-month-old is broken -- stupid thing, the door won't latch. You can't use a microwave with a door that won't latch. I mean, it FALLS open, I had to tape the door shut to keep the interior light from staying on. (I don't want to unplug it because the exhaust fan still works.) Thank heavens, it's still under warranty.

Ah, my Phillies live to play another day . . . and I finally finished a book!

Book #86:
Title: Best Ghost Stories of J.S. LeFanu
Author: J. S. LeFanu
Genre: short stories & novellas; ghost stories
Length: 467 pages
Dates: finished 10/21/10
Source: purchased for $1 from Frogtown Books in Toledo, OH in August, 2009.
Challenges: 75 challenge, Books off the Shelf Challenge
Notes:

This is a creepy, interesting collection of Victorian ghost stories. Actually, some of them I would call horror more than ghost stories. LeFanu did some interesting things with elements now quite familiar to readers of horror. I gather that in his time, he was rather revolutionary in his approach. He created quite a chilling atmosphere in his stories.

It appears that he liked to connect his stories, and even re-use elements. Several are set in the same village; several are case histories from a particular doctor who delves into the supernatural; and the better part of one chapter of the novella The Haunted Baronet uses a significant portion of an earlier short story, with little change in plot -- though the names are changed (to protect the innocent?). Two of the stories seem to show the same haunting from two different points of view (one, a horror story mostly about how the haunting got started; another, the experiences of later residents of the haunted house.)

It didn't keep me on the edge of my seat, or cause me to lose sleep (more than I normally miss, anyway), but it was a nice, creepy read for Halloween season.

ETA to fix typo to read "edge of my seat" instead of "edge of my sleep." (Maybe I lost more sleep than I thought . . . :)

#66: I saw that the Phillies survived tonight! Good for them. I hope that the series goes to 7 games. My husband's Rangers are hoping to play the winner :)

Sorry to hear about your microwave problems, Terri!

Thanks, Stasia! I hope, whoever wins our series, they get to play the Rangers -- not the Yankees.

I, personally, do not care who gets in the World Series - as long as the Yankees do not win it. I cannot stand them, lol.

I thought it was a good bounce back for the Phils last night. They really needed that win. They sure need Ryan Howard to get hot though!

I've vowed not to complain about the Phillies if they don't win...my husband finally landed a full time job on Wednesday...and that's all I REALLY wanted...even though I love the Phillies. It's kinda helping me keep my perspective.

#70 Congratulations to your husband on landing the job, Angela! And a good comment about keeping things in perspective.

I was still really sorry they lost tonight.

Book #87:
Title: The Devil in the White City:Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Author: Erik Larson
Genre: non-fiction
Length: 390 pages plus notes & sources and index
Dates: finished 10/22/10
Source: public library
Challenges: 75 challenge
Notes: National Book Award finalist; read as part of blackdogbooks Halloween list.

WOW! I just loved this book; it's definitely going on my "memorable reads" for the year. Five stars!

I'd like to say a lot more, but I don't have time to do it justice right now. I think enough people here have read and commented upon it that further remarks are probably not necessary. I may post more later.

#71: I love Larson's book too and recommend him frequently as one of my favorite nonfiction authors. I am glad you loved the book, Terri!

Love Larson... LOVE his books...glad to hear you read and enjoyed it too.

#72, 73 Hi, Stasia and Kath! I think this is the second of Larson's books that I've read. I read Isaac's Storm a while back, and loved that one, too! I just love the way he writes! He manages to effectively convey both the big picture and fascinating minute details; a great sense of atmosphere, and terrific insights into the people involved -- and all totally, enjoyably readable, with perfect pacing.

Hi Terri,

Wasn't The Devil in the White City just about the best book.

I completely agree!

#75 It surely was, Bonnie!

#76 Hi, Jim. We all seem to agree about this one.

I only wish I'd had more time for reading lately -- it was frustrating when I had to put the book down!

Gee Terry, you may not have time to either read or be here, but I was still 77 messages behind. Good grief! I guess I can hang it up when you get back up to speed. Meanwhile, you guys are going to talk me into reading The Devil in the White City one of these days.

ETA: Shoot. I split an infinitive. Even in these days I try so hard not to do that.

#78: Read The Devil in the White City, Peggy! You will like it!

ETA: Hi, Terri :)

#78 Peggy, I do really try to check in on my thread every day or so if at all possible. But my list of "unread messages" on other starred threads grows longer by the day. I pretty much missed Stasia's entire last thread!

re: your ETA -- I probably split so many infinitives, I imagine that the Grammar Police have a warrant out for my arrest.

And (re: msg 79) listen to Stasia on this one, Peggy!

#79 Hi, Stasia!

Last night while doing laundry, I started reading The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton (which I obtained through ILL). If the first story is any indication, I think I'll like this one!

#80: Wow, it is kind of hard to miss my threads, Terri, since everyone is always typing on them :)

I brought home The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton the other day from the library. I am glad to see you are enjoying it. I hope I do too!

Oh, I also broke down and did that Amazon order I've been contemplating for a month or so . . . another defensive blow against the much-dreaded Worldwide Book Famine ;)

Good for you, Terri! Stock up now before it is too late :)

#81 since everyone is always typing on them :)

Stasia, that is the problem. There are always so many messages, I think "I don't have time to read that now" so I wait and then there are more messages . . . vicious circle.

I brought home The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton the other day from the library. I am glad to see you are enjoying it. I hope I do too!

Wow, Stasia, I thought you didn't do ghost/scary stories! Venturing into new territory?

#84: I don't have time to read that now" so I wait and then there are more messages . . . vicious circle.

I completely understand that problem!

As far as ghost stories go, I am not really into them, but this time of the year, I will give them a try. If I do not like the book, I do not ever have to read it again, right? Besides that, it is Edith Wharton.

#85. I hope you like it. (I hope we both like it!)

Off to start the day -- I've used up the timeslot between my son's departure for school and my visitors waking up!

Have a good one, Terri!

I've wishlisted The Devil in the White City!

Glad to hear that you loved The Devil in the White City, too. It's probably a top 5 book for me this year.

*waves*...........

#88 I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Angela!

#89 I think for me, too, Linda!

The first of the books from my Amazon order arrived today. Perhaps the sight of fresh reading material will inspire me to pick up the pace of my reading again.

I hope so, Terri!

#90 *waves back at Kath*

#92 Hi, Stasia!

Two more books from my Amazon order arrived today via UPS! It is so much fun having books arrive at the house.

I've done a bit more reading in the past day or so. I'm almost done with The Cross In Our Context, and am about halfway through The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton. Also listened to some more of Andersonville Diary while driving yesterday.

I just sent off two boxes of books for Operation Paperback. Most of them were donations from kind library patrons, and I just took care of the organizing and mailing. I hope they will be enjoyed!

Another Amazon order book arrived in the mail today -- after the two that came UPS. It feels like a book depot at my house today!

Kudos to your library patrons for giving books to the soldiers!

Book #88:
Title: The Cross in Our Context: Jesus and the Suffering World
Author: Douglas John Hall
Genre: non-fiction -- theology
Length: 230 pages plus extensive notes
Dates: finished 10/29/10
Source: Who knows? It's been on the shelf a while
Challenges: 75 challenge, Books off the Shelf Challenge

"RELIGION KILLS!"
The first words in the introduction of this theology book certainly get the reader's attention! Hall cites the above words as having been written on the outer wall of the Presbyterian College of Montreal in the days following Sept. 11, 2001.

This is not a long book, but it took me over a month to read as I processed what Hall said. I'm still processing. Some parts of it really resonated with me. He articulated very clearly why, as a Christian, I am so uncomfortable with much in our culture that calls itself Christian -- not just the surface issues, but the theological underpinnings. Hall undertakes here an examination of the "theology of the cross," as opposed to a "theology of glory." These are categories first articulated by the German reformer Martin Luther. Hall isn't Lutheran by denomination, but he clearly finds Luther's thought here quite valid and tries to take it to another level to fit our current context.

Hall writes that the theology of glory is triumphalistic. It is a theology of power and might. It is self-righteous and rooted in dogma. The theology of the cross focuses on a down-to-earth God; a suffering God. It is a theology of power that is made perfect in weakness. It recognizes the limitations of humanity to ever fully know the mind of God, and is rooted in love and grace. As such, it stands in contradiction to a theology of glory.

Hall notes the well-documented and subtle errors of Chrstendom which have resulted, he insists, from humanity's distortion of Christianity into a theology of glory, rather than following the true path of a theology of the Cross. This has resulted, in part, from the establishment of Christianity (officially in some countries, unofficially in others) and led to Christian triumphalism and the distortion of Christian beliefs to suit worldly power structures and the status quo. (It has also resulted, in part, from the human tendency to seek glory and certainty and to avoid pain and ambiguities.)

Hall insists that the theology of the cross is a theology where context must be taken seriously. Thus it is a "messy" faith, not a faith of simple answers. Hall studies the societal conditions which have caused many to latch onto simplistic religion. But he insists that the only theology which can carry us into the future, in a world where Christianity has been disestablished, is a theology of the cross which takes context seriously, rather than simply parroting formulas which worked centuries ago in a totally different world.

The first place where he lost me was over the significance of existential angst as the problem which the Gospel must address in this age. The whole "why am I here; what's the point of exisitence," etc. question seems like one that philosphers and other academics like to address, but I think most ordinary people just take life as it comes.

Of course, it's more complicated than this. I can't do justice to this work in a few short paragraphs. And while I agree with his diagnosis of the problems of the Church now and in the past, I'm not sure I've processed and swallowed completely his prescription for moving forward. Conservatives Christians will likely have a hard time with this book, and especially with his suggestions for the Christian community moving forward. But, read with an open mind, I think this is, at the very least, a thought-provoking critique of the pitfalls of the Church and the tendency for humans to remake God in our own image -- or, at least, the image that suits our power structures.

#96 That one intrigues me, Terri: I think I shall have to add it to the wishlist.

#96: I am looking for that one too. Terrific review, Terri! Thanks for the recommendation.

Thumbs up for this one, Terri. I'm adding it to my wishlist. If I do God and religion for 11 in 11 next year, this may be the first one I read.

#97 Hi, CatyM! I'm not sure I did a good job describing it.

#98 Thanks for the kind words about the review, Stasia, but I'm not sure I really captured the book's complexity in the review.

Also, my husband the pastor, who probably hears a lot more than I do about people's deepest questions and concerns about life, says I should re-think what I said about ordinary folks not having time to worry about those "meaning of life" questions. (I may edit that!)

#99 Thanks for the thumb, Linda! It is a thought-provoking book.

The good news is, I've been finding -- making -- time to read more the past few days. The bad news is, I've managed to get behind with book posts over the weekend.

Book #89:
Title: The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton
Author: Edith Wharton
Genre: short stories; ghost stories
Length: 276 pages
Dates: finished 11/1/10 ("just past midnight....")
Source: Inter-Library Loan
Challenges: 75 challenge
Notes: Blackdogbooks Halloween List

I finished this one just past midnight in the shadowy small hours that comprise the boundary of All Hallows Eve (Halloween) and All Souls (All Saints) Day. This is quite appropriate, as the last story in the collection, All Souls, is set quite prominently in and around just that particular span of time.

I enjoyed this unusual collection of ghost stories. They are different -- and perhaps more like "real-life" ghost encounters -- because they leave so many loose ends. There is no explaining everything (along natural or supernatural lines), there are even surprisingly few "bold and shocking" moments recounted. In many cases, it is the mystery and subtlety which works on the reader's mind. Highly recommended!

Book #90:
Title: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
Author: Tom Franklin
Genre: literary mystery / suspense
Length: 272 pages
Dates: finished 11/2/10 (in the wee hours again!)
Source: LT Early Reviewers
Challenges: 75 challenge
Notes: Received through Early Reviewers, but book is hardcovered first edition.

Well, another late-night reading session for me! I started this yesterday after work. It was hard to put down when necessary; once the family went to bed, I didn't put it down until it was finished. (Such a joy! It's been a while since I've had one of those!) If you are reading it strictly as a mystery, you may be disappointed. But if you enjoy skillfully-crafted, big-as-life characters with complex relationships; if you appreciate writing that can take you to a setting and make you see it and feel it, hear it, taste it, and smell it; if you appreciate an author who can handle difficult issues (such a racism) in an unflinching manner; if you value suspense of a more profound type than "whodunit," you may love this book as much as I did.

I don't have time to do my formal review right now, but I wanted to post something here now about this book. Very, very highly recommended!

Terri, I've enjoyed your comments on your last three books. You are becoming a very eclectic reader: theology, ghost stories, mystery. All look good to me, although the book on theology would be way over my head!

Don't you just love being immersed in a book when everyone else is sleeping and the house is quiet...until the next morning, that is.

#101: I have that one home from the library right now.

#102: And that one in the BlackHole.

Thanks for the reviews and recommendations, Terri!

Terri- Loved the reviews! Lucky me, I snagged a copy of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. Hope to get to it in a few weeks!

Hi, there! I'm catching up with you, and just added Devil in the White City to my TBR list. Your recommendation was enough for me, but then you had a whole chorus of affirming voices! Shouldn't pass that one up, I guess!

Karen O.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter really sounds good

#103 Hi, Donna! Thanks for dropping by, and for the kind words.

...until the next morning, that is...
Fortunately, today was my day off from working at the library, so once I got my son off to school, I could go back to bed and sneak a few more minutes of shut-eye!

#104 I hope you enjoy them both, Stasia!

#105 Thanks, Mark! I hope you enjoy Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter as much as I did!

#106 Glad you caught up with me, Karen! By all means, don't pass up Devil in the White City! Definitely one of my top memorable reads of the year!

#107 Hi, Kath! It was really good. (Warning: Kath -- and other kind-hearted animal lovers --, if you're thinking of reading it, there are a few scenes in it involving animals that might bother you. Let me know if you want more info to decide.)

I spent much of my day doing housework with headphones on, listening to my current audio book. I housecleaned so much, I finished the book!

Book #91:
Title: Andersonville Diary
Author: John L. Ransom
Genre: diary
Dates: finished 11/2/10
Source: NetLibrary Audio Books
Challenges: 75 challenge; 1010 challenge "Blue vs. Gray" category
Notes: audio book obtained on loan online through public library

It's difficult to critique someone's diary -- especially when that someone survived the hell-hole that was the Andersonville POW camp during the Civil War.

I think for most anyone who is at all familiar with the Civil War, the name Andersonville brings to mind the most horrific of conditions, thousands dead, survivors who came out looking like skeletons. John Ransom's diary recounts the day-to-day events of a union soldier taken POW and eventually sent to that most infamous of Confederate prison camps. It is sometimes repetitious because life was repetitious -- day after day, scrounging for food, fighting off the "raiders" -- fellow prisoners who were as brutal as their captors -- dealing with the grossest of unsanitary conditions, starvation, disease, cruelty, death. (So many dead!)

I must say that I can hardly believe Ransom survived it all, and I get the feeling he's surprised, too. I'm impressed that he had the tenacity to keep up the writing through all his trials -- trading food for pencils and notebooks to write, entrusting filled notebooks to fellow prisoners when he was too incapacitated to carry them all. Ransom had a great eye and ear for detail, and somehow managed to maintain some semblance of humor through much, if not most, of the horror he endured. His diary is a fascinating account of survival with honor. Recommended.

ETA to fix typos and clarify thoughts, and to add: The published diary (at least the edition I had) included a summary at the end which indicated the death rate at Andersonville for each month of its operation. Such wholesale death boggles the mind!

Wow, Terri! Lots of good reading and processing going on! A thumb from me too for The Cross in our Context. I'm currently taking a mini-course in Sabbath Economics that might interest you. I can give you (or anybody else) info about it if you'd care to see it. It is setting out what the concept of Jubilee can mean for the church and society today.

Hi, Peggy! Thanks for the thumb!

Your course in Sabbath Economics sounds interesting!

#110: Thanks for the recommendation of that one, Terri. My local library has a copy so hopefully I can get it soon.

#111: Peggy, that sounds like an interesting course. I would like the info on it.

ahhhhh thank you for the warning.. I shall skip it..

Wow, you are reading and reviewing lots of good sounding books right now! :)

#113 Hi, Stasia! I'm glad your library has it!

#114 You're welcome, Kath!

#115 Hi, Angela! I do seem to be getting out of the "reading slump" I was in for much of October. Part of it is that I had lots of books going at the same time, and now I'm getting to the end of them all!

I must have Mississippi on my mind. I recently finished Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, a novel set in that state which deals with race relations. I've now tackled the non-fiction Ghosts of Mississippi, which deals with the murder of civil-rights activist Medgar Evers.

My other current read is the first volume of Shelby Foote's civil war trilogy. Foote was, of course, a native of Mississippi.

#117: Since Mississippi is on your mind, you better have some Mississippi Mud Pie . . .

Mmm!

#117 Oooh, oooh. Please let me know how vol 1 of the Shelby Foote Civil War trilogy is. I am planning to read the whole trilogy next year.

#118 Yum, Stasia!!

#119 Hi, Darryl!

#120 Linda, Foote was such a marvelous writer. I'm amazed at how he combined the "big picture" of all that was going on with so many fascinating details, especially about the personalities of the combatants. I am combining the written volume with an audiobook (so I can "read" at times when I can't be holding a book) and the audio is very good. I'm not sure I'd want to do it just by audio, though, without the book to refer to.

Terri, you may galvanize me to read Foote's *Civil War* yet! So far, I've only read captions and looked at the pictures.
I'll drop you and Stasia a line about Sabbath Economics.

I spent way too much of my day off finishing this book. It was very difficult to put down!

Book #92:
Title: Ghosts of Mississippi
Author: Maryanne Vollers
Genre: non-fiction
Length: 386 pages plus notes & index
Dates: finished 11/9/10
Source: On bookshelf for over a year
Challenges: 75 challenge; 1010 challenge, "20th Century USA" category; off the shelf challenge
Notes: National Book Award finalist

This is the story of Mississippi civil rights activist Medgar Evers, his murder, and the long fight to bring his murderer to justice. It's also a tale about the abysmal, institutionalized racism which existed in 1950's-1960's Mississippi and the kind of courage it took for anyone to in any way advocate for change. (During those years, there was no Klu Klux Klan in that state, of any amount, prior to the passage of the national Civil Rights Act because the state and local governments had more or less taken on the functions of the KKK for so many years.)

Author Maryanne Vollers weaves a compelling, suspenseful narrative of the events in Jackson, Mississipi in those difficult years leading up to and following Evers' assasination. She also introduces us to some amazing people. Despite the fact that I knew from history, more or less, the outcomes of the three trials, I had not known the details "how" the investigation and prosecution proceded. I was a bit startled how emotional I was as the verdicts were recounted -- especially the final one.

#122 Peggy, it is well worth reading!

#121 When Ken Burns did that Civil War documentary, Shelby Foote was THE reason to watch it.

mmmm pie!

Nice review of Ghosts of Mississippi; I'm adding it to my wish list.

Me too!

#125 Yes, Foote was by far my favorite of all the historians Burns used in that documentary!

#126 Now, Kath, no drooling on my thread, please . . . ;)

#127 Thanks, Darryl!

#128 Hi, Jim! It's a very good book, in my opinion.

Ghosts of Mississippi does look good! Again, I want to tout my favorite, Richard Powers, and his The Time of Our Singing. Emmet Till's story is pivotal in this novel that is concerned both with race relations in the 50's and music.

I have never read Ghosts of Mississippi and I need to get to it! Thanks for the reminder, Terri.

Terri- Terrific review! I will have to add this to the List!

#130 Hi, Peggy! I will have to look into The Time of Our Singing.

#131 You're welcome, Stasia! Thanks for stopping by!

#132 Thanks, Mark! Glad you dropped by.

My current reads are:
1. continuing Vol. I of Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy, Fort Sumter to Perryville
2. Hard Driving: The Wendell Scott Story, a biography of the first African-American NASCAR driver. Written by Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Brian Donovan, it offers a unique look at race relations in the South during the 1950's and 1960's.
3. Lincoln's Melancholy by Jushua Wolf Shenk
4. William James on Psychical Research

No novels now, for the first time in recent memeory. I'm trying to finish out my 1010 categories, and just about every spot left is for non-fiction. (I already hit the initial 5-book goal in all the categories, but now I'm trying to push toward 10 books in most categories.)

I should be reading the novel Little Bee by Chris Cleave for our local book disussion group, but I probably won't get to the meeting anyway. Has anybody read that book?

Terri- I need to get to Fort Sumter to Perryville. I've had it well over a year. Maybe early next year? Fingers crossed.

I did not like Little Bee. It begins well but falls flat. I know a lot of other readers liked it but it did not work for me.

Sorry, Terri, but I have not read Little Bee.

I will be interested in seeing what you think of the Shenk book. I have had that one in the BlackHole for a while now.

Hi Terri, trying to get caught up with your thread (not an easy task). You've done some great reading. I'm adding Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and Ghosts of Mississippi.

#134 I had it a lot longer than a year before I got to it, Mark, so don't feel bad. I'm sure you'll get to it eventually . . . ;)

#135 So far, the Shenk book is interesting, Stasia. Interesting how his focus -- and obviously deep understanding of the dynamics of depression -- causes him to look at some things in a totally different light than other historians do.

#136 Hi, Bonnie! Glad you caught up to me! You've chosen a couple of good books to add to your list! I've been really lucky in my book choices lately.

Ah, I've managed to catch up with most of my starred threads for the time being, and even post on some of them. (I've been doing more lurking than posting lately, but even there I had fallen way behind.)

I'm still juggling the same for books as in post 133. Lots of LT yesterday made for little reading except of posts. I'll listen to my audio of Foote in the car today.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is a week away. This year has gone by so quickly!

During a recent visit, my mother-in-law suggested a supplement which has greatly lessened the joint pain that made movement so uncomfortable in the past year. For that I am truly thankful.

Parent-teacher conference went better than expected. My son has really settled into the school year now. Another reason to give thanks!

Life is good. Now I'm bracing for the holiday rush . . . life is about to get more hectic. . . :)

#138: Parent-teacher conference went better than expected. My son has really settled into the school year now.

That is great news, Terri! I am sure it has taken a load off your mind as well.

Hi Terri, at long last catching up - I identify with what was said earlier up on the thread, about leaving reading other people's threads until I've got more time, only to find that the number of unread posts increases faster than I can get to read them.

Anyway, I found your thoughts on The Cross in Our Context interesting and it sounds like something I should look out for - adding it to the wishlist.

#139 Yes it has, Stasia!

#140 Those unread posts do have a way of just mushrooming, don't they? :) Glad that The Cross in Our Context sounds interesting to you, Genny.

I almost believe there is something magical about taking part in Operation Paperback. Every time I get a box of books ready to ship overseas, I seem to have some kind of unexpected gift drop my way. The day of the first shipment, my boss gave me a pizza (Priceless pizza!). (She'd ordered it from a community fundraiser, but was going out of town and wouldn't be around to eat it.) This morning I had a box in the car ready to drop off at the post office on the way home, and someone in my bowling league made chili and fed us all lunch! (Free food!) Not to mention, I redeemed my Free Turkey Certificate from Martins today (Free fowl!), and still had bonus points left over for a fuel discount.

I'm glad to hear that your parent-teacher conferences went well. Big sigh of relief for you.

Terri, I'm curious about your interest in the Civil War. I may be asking you for your favorite books on the subject next year. Our city is going to be celebrating the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Wilson's Creek in 2011 and the library is planning lots of Civil War events. The group I'm in will be reading Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara in the spring in anticipation of a visit from him for one of their programs. Have you read that one -- or anything by Shaara --father or son?

Donna, it's really cool that Jeff Shaara is coming for a program in your area next year! I have read all three Shaara Civil War volumes (but none of the ones Jeff has written about other wars -- yet).

I started with Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels about the Battle of Gettysburg, which is probably my all-time favorite book of any kind on any subject, and thus is my favorite Civil War book. It's one of my rare "re-read" books -- I actually replaced my worn paperback of Killer Angels (which was a new copy when I bought it a couple of decades ago) with a used-but-nice hardback copy more suitable to its honored place in my library.

After Killer Angels, I read Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure. Note that this is the order of publication; but Gods and Generals is actually sort of a "prequel" to Killer Angels in that it covers the portion of the Civil War prior to Gettysburg; The Last Full Measure covers the later part of the war. Both are good, but not up to the Pulitzer-Prize-winning level of the elder Shaara. (The father's writing was a really tough act to follow!)

It's probably not fair to compare the books, anyway. Killer Angels is an intense look at the participants in one three-day battle and the events immediately surrounding it. Jeff Shaara's books cover much greater time spans and have a lot more ground to cover. It gives his books a different feel.

Of course, it's a rare author who can convey the intimacy of character portrayal against the broad, panoramic background of a major battle the way Michael Shaara did. I found his book had more of a philosophical bent than the son's do -- though maybe that's a matter of my greater familiarity with it.

Is any of that information remotely useful???

Glad to know that you son is doing so well. :)

Thanks, Kath! :)

I've been so enjoying the music posted on Stasia's thread this week, I decided I need some music on my thread, too.

Fantasia on Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughan Williams (performed by the Sinfonia of London):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlABnm6g4fI&feature=related

Not that impressed with the video, but found the musical performance and audio quality good on this clip.

I love Greensleeves! Thanks for posting it, Terri.

Glad you liked it!

Can't get sleepy tonight. Wandering around the You Tube site, checking out the music that's there . . . everything from Albinoni to the Village People.

Guess I should find some ZZ Top, so I run the gamut from A to Z.

I did search out one by Led Zeppelin -- I guess that's sort of a Z.

Will definitely be tired tomorrow, that is, later today.

ETA to add Good night!

The Village People always make me smile and feel good.. silly fun music and I think it should be played at the start of every monday on all radio stations. Which by the way have already begun to play holiday music and I am not pleased.
sigh

Morning Terri- I also loved the Shaara trilogy! Also big Zeppelin fan! "When the Levee Breaks" Yeah, baby!

#150 The Village People make me smile, too, Kath. And sometimes dance . . . :)

I hate the early holiday music! It seems every year they start a little earlier. By the time Christmas actually arrives, I am completely tired of it all.

#151 Hey, Mark! Yessir, the Shaara trilogy was wonderful all around, with Michael's Killer Angels as the stellar center piece.

And, of course, Led Zeppelin totally rocks! I was listening to "The Immigrant Song" last night. Somehow, it fit my mood, kind of. Something about the rhythm on that one . . .

My musical tastes are rather eclectic, to say the least. (Kind of like my taste in books, come to think of it!)

In addition to the library being closed Thursday, I was allowed to take Friday off this week; there's no Story Hour because of the holiday weekend, so they don't need as much staff coverage. We had planned to visit Gettysburg or Antietam if the weather was nice -- but they are talking about snow showers here in the mountains -- not so good for travel.

Then we thought we'd decorate for Christmas that day. But the the Christmas tree we currently have, I hate to put up. It looked so nice in the K-mart when I found it on sale after we first moved into our house a dozen years ago. But when I got it home, it was way too wide -- takes up half the room, it seems. Several years we've put up the shaggy old 6-foot tree I inherited from my Mom -- which seems so short with our high 1st-floor ceilings (though it's perfect for upstairs, where the ceilings are quite low).

So we finally broke down and decided to buy a new tree. So hard to find one without lights already on! We just got beautiful LED lights on sale last year that I absolutely love. Finally found something to suit (I hope!) last night, on the Target web site, with free shipping.

But it won't be here until next week. So much for putting the tree up on the holiday.

Soooo . . . I guess I'll have to read! I have two ILL's I have to finish by Monday. Plus, must finish one of my "off the shelf" books for that challenge by the 30th. That should keep me busy.

eta to fix punctuation.

Hooray for extra reading time, Terri!

#154 If I would stop lurking and posting (and editing) long enough to read!

I've been trying to avoid controversy lately on LT . . . but I can never keep quiet for long . . .

I just realized that I have more days "off" than "on duty" at the library this week! Today, (Tuesday is my normal day off) . . . Thursday and Friday. Only working Mon & Weds. Feels weird.

What's the old saying about idle hands getting into trouble??? ;)

'Idle hands are the devil's workshop' - let us hope that it does not prove to be true in your case!

It stopped raining this afternoon, and I did some more yardwork. This was after my errands. I did wind up going in to work today for a few moments -- they had some kind of computer issues and asked me to look some info up for them on the Internet, which was working fine here at home. After I dropped that info off, I stopped to buy some more lawn and leaf bags, and then it was on to playing in the dirt. Too windy to rake the rest of the leaves, so I went after the dead foliage in the garden, clearing out the debris and loosening up the soil before it receives the inevitable blanket of snow. Such work is very therapeutic -- perhaps distant memories of childhood sandboxes past . . . this time of year makes me nostalgic.

Playing in the dirt sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon!

Yesterday was nice..
Today is going to be busy as heck..
work is in my way!!!!!!

Bleh

oh well.. lol
I plan to try to run to Kohls before the big shop begins.
I still have 2 people from the Angel tree to buy for.
I do not enjoy shopping..
I got the toys online.. but the clothes..
I think I will get more bang for my buck at Kohls.

Tomorrow? cory is home.. and I am meeting the g/f
I doubt I will read until friday . :)
He is home then too.. but with cory.. we can sit in the same room and read together.. good stuff.

#159 It was, Stasia!

#160 For the most part, I don't enjoy shopping either, Kath! Hope you get through work & shopping OK, and have a great time tomorrow.

I have been struggling with my 1010 Category challenge. I made the initial goal of 5 in each category by 10/10/10 easily, but wanted to go on and finish out 10 per category by the end of this year. It's not going to work by ordinary means. I'm behind in categories that tend to be chunksters, for the most part. It isn't fun any more. I don't have time or space to read any fiction at all for the rest of the year. And fiction "sparks" my reading -- I'm finding I'm not wanting to read without a novel waiting for me somewhere in the pile.

So I'm going to do a compromise. When I finish the current reads, I'm going to try and help fill out the remainder of those categories with children's picture books that I'd highly recommend, most of them re-reads. Hey, I'm a kid at heart anyway (or childish, at least). I won't count them individually as part of this 75 challenge, but I'll list them for anyone interested. I'll continue to read grown-up books for this challenge -- whatever appeals to me in the remaining categories -- plus my fiction.

That way, I can satisfy my OCD-ish desire to fill in the blanks on my 1010 slate without sacrificing my reading enjoyment.

ETA to fix quirky grammar

Ah, Terri! Thank you for identifying The Deadliest Sea for me. That's the one, but I won't thank you on Stasia's thread so as to protect it from excessive posts. And I hadn't been to your thread in a day or two, so this works out well.
I don't know anything about Led Zeppelin, but I love Albinoni!
I'm delighted for all of you that your son is having a good school year. Lots to be thankful for!

Terri

Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for you and your participation in this group...it wouldn't be the same without you!

Sorry to be far behind on your thread. I'm spending a bit of time tonight trying to read posts. You are reading some great books! I'm adding book #89, 90 and 92 to be tbr list.

Hugs to you!

Happy Thanksgiving Terri .. hope you have a great time over the holidays

Hi Terri, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. So glad to hear your son is having a good school year.

Have a terrific Thanksgiving, Terri!

Happy Thanksgiving, Terri! I like your idea about completing your 1010 challenge with books you want to read. There's no point, IMO, of suffering through a book just to meet a goal. I had intended to read 5-6 books by William Faulkner for one of my challenges, but kept putting him off. I'll consider reading one of his novels, Absalom, Absalom!, for the challenge, but I'll put it aside if I'm not up for the mental challenge, and choose another Southern Gothic novel by someone else instead.

#162 Hi, Peggy! Glad I could help! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.

#163 I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, Linda, and are continuing to improve.

#164 Hi, Caroline! Hope your holiday weekend is great!

#165 Hi, Bonnie! Thanks so much, and best wishes to you!

#166 Thanks, Stasia! The same to you! :)

#167 Happy Thanksgiving, Darryl!
There's no point, IMO, of suffering through a book just to meet a goal
Amen!

Book #93.
Title: Hard Driving: The Wendell Scott Story: The American Odyssey of NASCAR's First Black Driver
Author:Brian Donovan \
Dates: started 11-10-10; finished 11-27-10
Genre: non-fiction
Length: 291 pages + photos, acknowledgments, notes & index
Source: inter-library loan
Challenges: 1010 Challenge ("start your engines" category -- though it would fit "interesting people" and "20th-century USA, too) & 75 Challenge

This book offers a significant look at US race relations in the 1950's through early 1970's, from a unique and informative perspective.

Wendell Scott first raced in the lower levels of NASCAR in the early 1950's, shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. But whereas Robinson had key support from major figures in MLB, Scott was pretty much on his own.

Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Brian Donovan presents a carefully-documented, balanced account of the career of the pioneering black NASCAR driver. He explores the complex social, political, and financial issues that surrounded the fortunes and misfortunes of Scott's racing career. We see bigoted villains; some heroes of fair play; a lot of people who simply followed the winds of their own financial and political self-interests; and many whose motivations and intentions are impossible to know for certain and who may have even deceived themselves about the fairness Scott's treatment in NASCAR. Certainly the rural southern roots of NASCAR played a part in the pervasive difficulties Scott encountered -- even white drivers from outside the South often encountered a certain bias in those days, though not nearly to the degree and intensity that Scott experienced.

Donovan also chronicles aspects of Scott and his family away from the track, including his son Wendell, Jr.'s struggle with drug addiction; and Scott's disillusioning encounter with Hollywood. (The movie Greased Lightning was loosely -- and I mean very loosely -- based on his career.) And he attempts to analyze what Scott accomplished in his career:

He had established his niche in history as the racial pioneer who broke a tough sport's color barrier in a hostile time. He had become a favorite of many thousands of fans. He had won respect and affection from colleagues who included some of the world's best racers. He remains the only black driver ever to win at NASCAR's top level. And while he didn't go into racing for political or racial reasons, the bravery, hard work, and uncompromising grit he displayed over twenty-one years as a racer certainly helped to soften many people's prejudices in an era when American values stood at a decisive turning point.

To the above review, may I add that I found some interesting parallels with accounts in Janet Guthrie's memoir, Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle, as she described what she encountered as the first woman to race in both CART and NASCAR -- initially being barred from some facilities; harassment from officials, competitors, and fans; and the unwillingness of businesses to sponsor a "minority" (in her case, a woman) racer for fear of public backlash. Though she didn't face the same degree of physical danger (out of the car, at least) as Scott, and certainly had an easier life away from the racetrack, the "old boys' network' was still alive and well, in that era long before "Danicamania"

#170: This book offers a significant look at US race relations in the 1950's through early 1970's, from a unique and informative perspective.

I will definitely have to read it then. I am not interested in racing, but I am interested in learning more about race relations during that time of history. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Terri!

Great review Terri!

Thanks, Stasia and Linda!

I will add that it's not a very flattering look at NASCAR during that time period. I'm glad times are changing (thought they've got a way to go in their "drive for diversity").

I had to hurry to finish this one and post it, as it is an ILL due back at the library tomorrow.

Book #94:
Title: Lincoln's Melancholy
Author: Joshua Wolf Shenk
Dates: started 11-10-10; finished 11-28-10
Genre: non-fiction/biography ("psychobiography")
Length: 243 pages (+ over 100 pages of notes, sources, & index)
Source: inter-library loan
Challenges: 1010 Challenge ("Blue vs. gray" category) & 75 Challenge

Most people with an interest in US history have heard about Mary Todd Lincoln's mental problems, as documented in The Madness of Mary Lincoln which I read earlier this year. Lesser known are Honest Abe's psychological issues. Strong historical evidence exists which indicates that, prior to his presidency, Abraham Lincoln suffered several emotional breakdowns resulting from clinical depression, and that he suffered from "melancholy," or chronic depression, for most of his life.

Most enlightening is Shenk's contention that it was precisely Lincoln's tendency to depression which helped to fuel his greatness as President. Shenk argues that the wisdom and perspective Lincoln gained in his struggles with depression were vital to how he managed the challenges and tensions of the Executive Office during the Civil War. Indeed, the link between depression and creativity -- and Lincoln demonstrated genuine creativity in dealing with the challenges of an embattled nation -- has been documented by numerous studies. One aspect of Lincoln's personality which may have served our nation particularly well was his "depressive realism." At a time when many predicted that the War would be over in a few months, he knew better and was not disillusioned when the going was much tougher than was widely expected.

The book also looks at the differences between how depression, particularly in public figures, was viewed in Lincoln's day than today. People accepted Lincoln's melancholy nature, and were even attracted by it; far different than today, where the mere hint of a history of mental health treatment can derail a potential candidate.

As one who, like Lincoln, has inherited a tendency toward depression, I found this book both interesting and inspiring. It was refreshing to see how Lincoln learned to cope with his dark moods and to channel his energies to constructive use.

The book ends with an epilogue which examines the history of Lincoln scholarship, and how this facet of his life and personality has been obscured in most histories of the man.

#175: I would like to read that one some time or other. Glad to know it was a good read, Terri.

It was kind of an "aha" book for me when it talked about how different personality types -- even a chronically depressed personality like Lincoln apparently was -- all have their strengths. It really calls into question how we understand "mental health" these days. Lincoln was never "cured" of his depression in the modern sense -- and it's probably a good thing, or our nation might not be in one piece today!

#177: Interesting point!

I love reading about Lincoln.. always have.

I still need mental health days, and think everyone should indulge.
I don't imagine we would have suffered had Abe taken a day off here and
there to read a good book :P

I see that I'm such a fiction reader! I'm, therefore, slipping in to recommend Connie Willis's Lincoln's Dreams as an imaginative excursion into the same dark places.
And mental health days are a blessing that I didn't indulge in when I worked and would have been better for.

175: I'm adding Lincoln's Melancholy to my TBR list--sounds like a great read. Thanks for the recommendation!

Karen O.

#179 Hi, Kath! don't know about him managing days off when he was president . . . but he always did take time to read. it was one of the things he did to stay sane. He particularly loved humor, and Shakespeare's tragedies. Also lots of poetry -- he wrote some poetry, too.

#180 I'll have to look into that book, Peggy! Thanks for the suggestion!

#181 Hope you like it, Karen! Thanks for stopping by!

I need to finish a book from my own bookshelves between now and tomorrow night for my books off the shelf challenge monthly quota. I have two going that suit . . . fewer pages left in William James: on Psychical Research, so that's probably the next book I'll be finishing.

The problem I'm having lately is dozing off when I try to read . . . zzzzzzzz

Hi Terri, I've never heard of "psychobiography" before but the Lincoln book sounds very intriguing so onto the pile it goes.

#183 Bonnie, it's a term I found in the afterword, when the author discussed other books which attempted to analyze historical subjects as to their mental states. I'm not sure if he meant to apply it to his own book, but it seemed to fit.

I needed to finish this in November to make my monthly "Books off the Shelf" challenge quota. It was somewhat after midnight that I got to the end, but since it was still November in all the time zones west of here, I'm counting it as a November read.

Book #95:
Title: William James on Psychical Research
Author: William James; compiled & edited by Gardner Murphy and Robert O. Ballou
Dates: finished 11/30/10
Genre: non-fiction edited compilation of writings
Length: 332 pages
Source: purchased last year via Amazon.com
Challenges: Off the Shelf, 1010 (Strange but true? category); 75 challenge

Oh, what to say about this one? A while back, I had read Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life after Death by Deborah Blum. It was so fascinating that it made me want to look at some "primary source" material from the principals in the origins of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR).

This book wasn't nearly so readable. It was a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a very interesting man. But it was, at times, extremely hard for me to process what he was saying. James was many things: a trained physician, a psychology professor, a philosopher, as well as a psychical researcher in his later years. He was an academic, and much of what is written here is written for fellow academics of his time period. I found the personal letters included in the volume much easier to read, for the most part.

I've heard people say casually of James, "Oh, he became a spiritualist later in life." Not quite so. He always considered himself first and foremost a scientist. James considered as scandalous the general scorn held by science for what we now call the "paranormal." Since these phenomena were so widely reported throughout history, he felt them worthy of study. The refusal by scientists to even look at them appeared, to him, a dogma as rigid as that of any religious cleric. The role of science, he insisted, was to investigate objectively the nature of the world -- even those parts that didn't fit current scientific theories. This (and his own search for meaning in life) was the impetus behind his psychical research. And while he clearly decided that something was going on beyond what established science at that time would accept, it's not accurate to call him a spiritualist in the classic sense. His writings indicate that he had not accepted, at least as proven fact, the existence of life after death -- though he clearly leaned toward wanting to believe in it, and refused to accept scientific claims that it was "impossible."

The most tedious section of this book, for me, was the section about the investigations into "Mrs. Piper," a medium who was extensively investigated by the Society for Psychical Research. Yet this section gives us an exceptionally clear view into his investigative method. He pulls out those exchanges where the medium, in her trance, appears to be in some ways "on target" with her communications from the "beyond." He indicates what is accurate, what is not, what may have been known to the medium through "normal" channels. The thoroughness of how he dissects the communication is part of what makes it tedious, yet it demonstrates how critical he could be in analyzing his subject. Indeed, he alienated some of his spiritualist acquaintances and colleagues with his seemingly skeptical analysis.

The book also explores the development of James' religious thought, which is related to his search for the truth regarding life after death. His was a rather unconventional belief system, but he clearly wanted -- needed -- to believe that there was some higher power in the universe.

His views about the relationship of human consciousness and "psychical" phenomena are quite interesting, and seem to grow out of his intense, pioneering work in the field of psychology combined with his philosophical/religious speculations. He credits his friend and SPR colleague Frederick Myers for much of the groundwork.

I wouldn't recommend this for the casual reader who is interested in the paranormal. For someone who is seriously interested in the roots of paranormal research, this is probably a must-read.

Hmm. I'll have to see if I can find this one.

#186 Hi, Jim! I hope you find it interesting.

Snowed off and on all day without much result, seriously snowing tonight and finally sticking. Hubby had to travel over the mountain this evening, every siren is making me jump now until he gets home safely.

He will (hopefully) come home to homemade lasagna. I got ambitious in the kitchen tonight, for once.

Yeah! He's home! :)

Hi Terri, playing catch-up here. Those were just the kinds of suggestions I was looking for in Civil War reads in Post 143. Thank you. I'll stick with your chronology; that way I can compare the writing of father and son. I'm so excited about this project! I'm also including Lincoln's Melancholy in my C.W. reading. It looks great--and I can drop the term "psychobiography" in my conversations about reading. ;-)

I'm glad you got your yard work done before the snow fell. Nothing prettier than the first real snow. Glad your husband made it home safely. Yummmm...homemade lasagna. I know that must have been a welcome smell for him when he walked in the door!

#185: I think I will give that one a pass.

Glad hubby is home safe..

#189 Glad I could help, Donna!

Re: the yardwork: unfortunately, I didn't get it ALL done before the snow. I just needed one more decent day without much wind . . . grrrrrr!

Now we are stuck in a cold, windy weather pattern with snow showers here in the western mountains of PA. Ick!

#190 I don't think it would be your cup of tea, Stasia!

#191 Thanks, Kath! *waves*

Our new Christmas Tree is up but still untrimmed. It fits much better than the old one in the space that we have. I didn't even have to move any furniture out of the room, just rearrange a bit. After a decade of holiday seasons with Big Bertha Blue Spruce K-mart Special crammed into the room and displacing my furniture, I am quite pleased.

Well, off to start the day. This is a working at the library day. Good news: despite the budget cuts, the library director says there are no further work hour cuts planned for next year. No raise there, of course, but I didn't really expect one.

ETA to fix lousy typing

Terri..

Thumbs up from me re. your excellent review of Lincoln's Melancholy. I placed this on my tbr pile back in 2009 and now your comments entice me to move it up to the top.

Re. library funding budget cuts, our local library took a 29% hit. They are ok this year because they are dipping into excess funds from last year, but next year they will be hurting. The local librarian does so much for the community. She works far beyond expectations and it is obvious she loves what she does.

It makes NO sense to me that library funding should be cut like this...

Thanks for the thumb, Linda. How are you this evening? Just logged on and haven't gotten over to your thread yet.

The state of library funding is sad indeed. Our state funding is at year 2000 levels for the coming year. Fortunately, we have some lovely supporters/donors in our community who have done much to keep our library afloat in these tough economic seas.

The state of Illinois hasn't increased funding for the library systems (the one handling ILLs, among other things) since 1989 and hadn't paid its bills for nearly a year. They finally did but ours had already fired all of its employees except the ILL van driver.

I ran into our newly elected state senator a few weeks ago at a pancake breakfast (we've known her, slightly, for over 20 years) and that was the topic I talked to her about. She is in the minority party and will be quite junior but she's the only elected official I know personally, albeit slightly, so I intend to talk about library funding a lot.

My Christmas tree is now decorated. And I have festive LED lights strung throughout my living room and den (including across the top of one bookcase and my desk). I probably have those rooms neater now than they've been for a while, just so I can sit and enjoy my Christmas lights without distraction from clutter.

After getting everything in order, I just decided to sit for a little while with a nice glass of wine and relax and enjoy the pretty lights and some music. Wine is a fruit wine (red raspberry) courtesy of a friend who has become quite a skilled home winemaker. It is very nice.

I have four books going now. Continuing with Vol. I of the Foote civil war trilogy. I'm doing Mark's Jane Eyre group read. I'm reading a cozy NASCAR-themed mystery called Swapping Paint which features a retired Chicago PD detective with a Polish name I can't spell whose brother-in-law is accused of murdering a rookie race car driver. And today I got my hands on a book (via ILL) about the Titanic sinking, The Other Side of the Night. Somebody in one of the other groups read it and liked it. Only I looked for some more reviews (wondering why only one library in the state system had it), and it sounds like there are some problems with how the author deals with the facts . . . and there are no footnotes/endnotes. So far, it is quite readable. But I'll take the author's opinions with a grain of salt.

Oh, we cross-posted, Linda! Hi!

Sounds like the situation in Illinois is even grimmer than here for libraries. It's good that you're bending the ear of your legislator regarding library funding. I think our own local state assemblyman is sympathetic to libraries -- he came in once during his campaign, and was saying how he learned to read at our library. But he's fairly junior, too -- just got re-elected to his second 2-year term -- so don't suppose he'll have a lot of say.

Our tree is going up tomorrow, well, later today (Sat).

I haven't gotten too far into Jane Eyre yet for the Mark group. Way too many Christmas-themed books, both fiction and nonfiction, are begging for attention.

I don't know why, I just don't do much in the way of Christmas-themed books. Never have. I mean, except for devotional readings.

My computer is bugging me that it want's to do some maintenance, and I've clicked "postpone" several times already, so I think I'll wrap up here for tonight.

It's snowing again. Ugh! They are talking about like a foot of snow between now and Tuesday. I have a fair amount of driving to do tomorrow, and I didn't get the snow tires on yet; the tire place was too busy to do it the day I was free.

This morning, I put the coffee on before I headed out to clear the sidewalk. Came in to wonderful-smelling house and warm beverage all ready.

Later today, I made a batch of Harvest Soup. It starts with a mix I buy in the bulk foods section of an area market, with split peas, several varieties of lentils, white & wild rice, simmered for an hour in water; add browned ground meat (I use lean turkey), shreaded cabbage, chopped celery & carrot, and can of tomatoes and simmer for another hour. (I also like onion in it -- I split the batch and put onion in some, keep some without to take to work for lunch.) Season as adventurously or conservatively as the mood strikes. Very basic, and I enjoy it this time of year. :)

I am enjoying my Christmas lights, but they keep falling down . . . :(

The Harvest Soup sounds wonderful! Can I come to your house and sample some? lol

Sorry to hear about your Christmas lights. We have some strung up here at the office and they keep getting blown around but have not fallen down yet.

Be safe tomorrow!

Thanks, Stasia; if we ever have an LT meet-up around here, maybe I will bring some of my soup.

Oh, I forgot to mention one of the more, er, interesting events of the day.

One of the shelves in my main fiction bookcase kind of collapsed under its load of books.

I managed to make repairs.

I hope no one was injured in the bookshelf collapse - and no damage to books either!

Is there a book doctor in the house? Here's hoping both the people and the books are fine.

Really, the next-to-the-bottom shelf in the case just lost support in the left rear corner and started sagging toward the books on the shelf below while I was trying to cram just a few more books on . . . no damage to anyone or anything, just had to unload it and hammer in some extra support.

I'm taking it as an omen that I've got to get to reading more books off of my own shelves!

Glad to hear that everyone (and the books) are OK!

I know what you mean about reading more books off your own shelves. I need to do it too, but somehow it never works out that way!

That's exactly what i worry about. My shelves on one particularly high (70") bookcase is absolutely loaded and I can well imagine something giving way.

Hi, Stasia and Bonnie! We bibliophiles do push our bookshelves to their limits, don't we?

Snow, snow, and more snow; and schools are closed. It's my day off work at the library, so I'm home, too. Son is home "chilling," as we say. Yesterday his class went to the school Scholastic Book Fair, and he bought a baseball-related fiction book by Mike Lupica, Big Field. He says he may read it over the Christmas break. It depends. His English class is reading The Outsiders, and he is having difficulty with it. His Reading class is reading Lois Lowry's The Giver, which he likes better. But between the two, they are keeping him busy, since Reading Comprehension is one of his difficult areas.

Since he's home, I won't be spending as much time online catching up LT threads as I otherwise would. But I shall post the book I finished last night.

Book #96:
Title: The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, the California, and the Night the Titanic was Lost
Author: Daniel Allen Butler
Dates: 12/3/10-12/6/10
Genre: non-fiction
Length: 244 pages plus sources & index
Source: ILL
Challenges: 1010 (disaster category); 75 challenge

Another disaster book for me; another look at the Titanic tragedy for the world. This one focused on two other ships on the North Atlantic that terrible night: the Carpathia, which rushed to Titanic's rescue, and the California, which didn't. There has long been controversy over where the California was that night, and why her Captain Lord didn't respond to rockets (a universal disaster signal at the time) spotted by his subordinate officers being fired by a nearby ship. Was she the Titanic? The Board of Trade Inquiry and US Congressional inquiry seemed to think so.

Since then, several books have been written which attempted to defend Captain Lord's claim that the California was much farther from Titanic. This book appears to be an attempt to refute those works and draw out the facts which support the Board of Inquiry's decision. As far as that goes, I'm in agreement with the author.

I found the book an easy read that drew me in until the last chapter, where I had a problem with one of his main conclusions. I have no trouble with the book examining the facts of the tragedy, but I do have a problem with the author's final diagnosis of Captain Lord -- though the author does make a compelling case. I had wondered why only one library in the state ILL system had the book, and after reading several critical reviews, this seems to be the sticking point for most.

I'm not sorry I read it, as I knew surprisingly little about the Titanic's sinking and I learned a lot; but I would only guardedly recommend it.

ETA to add One more complaint: no notes (footnotes or endnotes), only a list of sources.

hi, Terri

catching up after doing exactly what you described a while back - putting off reading threads for lack of time right now only to find that they are even longer later. Today I determined that I would take time to make it through at least a few of them.

I added a couple of books to the wishlist, and enjoyed the talk about your first snow and decorating for Christmas. It became especially obvious to me while reading several weeks worth of posts all at once just how positive and upbeat you are despite the daily problems and setbacks and general grind. What a wonderful example you are for me! Especially this time of year, I tend to get a little crabby and my family often refers to me as "Scrooge" when I let the overwhelming busyness of the season get to me.

One aspect of the Titanic sinking I know less about is the Carpathia.

I note that I've had the book you mention on my "to read" list which means I own it. I don't but will put it on ILL.

#211 Hi, Sandy! It feels odd for me to be seen as an example of good cheer for the holidays, but if I am for you, I am glad. Really, I seem to be in a fairly good mood -- especially for this time of year, when my mood usually sinks with the shortening days. It's dumb, but the new Christmas tree really helped this year. The old one kind of gave me claustrophobia, it made the room so crowded, even with the branches curled up as far as was practical. And now it has a happy new home at church, where it is the perfect size for the space that it's in, with its branches unfurled for all to see. (Material things like that shouldn't matter so much, but sometimes they do, I guess.)

I'm also very much enjoying that my son is enjoying the season. He loves the tree (it drew a "wow!" from him when he first saw it decorated) and he has been helping me a bit more with things around the house.

Yesterday was good at work. I got my overdue notices all caught up. I got a free lunch -- the local Merchants' Association had their luncheon, in which our library takes part; my boss covered the desk for me while I went over for my turn at lunch. I also got an extra hour of work at the library. The director decided to close at 4 p.m. due to the snow, and asked if I could work the hour after my shift ended at 3 p.m., so my co-worker on the "late" shift didn't have to come out in the terrible weather for just one hour's work. And then she gave me a lift home after we closed, so I didn't have to walk up the hill in the snow. Fortunately, hubby was working at home yesterday, catching up paperwork, and was there to receive my son when the school dismissed early due to the weather. I was impressed, too, at my son calling me at work to ask where to go when he got off the bus: home or to the library. (They are about equal distances from the bus stop.) He was very well spoken in the conversation! It was just one of those days when everything worked out well.

Hi, Linda! I knew very little about the Carpathia, too, prior to reading this book. I was very impressed with her Captain Rostron; he looks especially commendable compared to Captain Lord of the California, and even to Captain Smith of Titanic. He seemed to think of everything, in terms of preparing for a rescue. And her crew seemed very good, too. I think the book is worthwhile, probably, just for the detailed account of their actions.

My local library does not have that particular Butler book, but it does have two of his others: Unsinkable : the full story of the RMS Titanic and The Lusitania : the life, loss, and legacy of an ocean legend. Have you read either of those, Terri?

I have not read either of those books, Stasia.

It sounds like the snow will be winding down overnight and into tomorrow. Maybe school will be open tomorrow.

#216: OK, thanks. I may take a look at them some time.

#217 If you do, I would look forward to learning your impressions of them, Stasia!

I really need to read Walter Lord's A Night to Remember, which is still regarded by many as the best (and most popular) book on the subject of the Titanic. And I do have it on my TBR shelf . . .

I think that's right. It is the most widely regarded book on the subject. I also seem to recall that he did a follow-up called The Night Lives On.

I've always had a tiny bit of a personal connection. My much beloved grandmother (busia) came over to the U.S. right at that time. I've always felt fortunate that she did not sail on the Titanic.

I have read both of Lord's books on the Titanic. I enjoy his writing style.

Here's an interesting bit of trivia about the California. (or it may just be an "urban" legend on the island of Aruba where I grew up.)

There are lighthouses at each end of the island of Aruba. The southernmost (which actually is no longer standing, but was when I lived there) is the Colorado Point lighthouse. The northernmost is the California Point lighthouse, which does still stand. The reason it is so named is because the California sank under the waters off the northern shore of Aruba.

As I said, I've never checked this out, but it's what people on Aruba believe.

#219 I'm glad she wasn't on the Titanic, too!

#220 I pulled A Night to Remember off the shelf and started reading it. Didn't get far, but I like his writing style, too.

#221 I can't remember what the author said about the fate of the California, though I do believe he said it eventually sank. I already turned the book back in, but there was still time for one of our other workers to read the book before it went back to its source library. I'll have to see if I can get my hands back on it and double-check if it said where the California went down.

Oh, now I'm all behind on threads again!

I'm spending much too much time with this new authors' nationalities feature. I'm trying to research the nationalities of the authors where it hasn't been entered yet, and enter the info on their author pages (along with other pertinent infor I dig up). A real time sink! I think I started out with as many that didn't have a nationality listed as who did, but I'm under 900 now. (note: this includes wishlist and read-but-not-owned books, too.)

You really are the expert on these disaster books Terri and I think I'll look for the first Lord book first as I have read nothing about the Titanic. We've got plenty of snow here too and they're talking about a doozy of a storm on Monday---snow turning to rain then turning back into rain before we get some bitter temps. **sigh** Yes I guess it's winter again.

I don't have a disaster category for 11 in 11 next year so I'll have to follow along with you.

Probably just a one year break from them.

Ugh, we're getting 10cm of rain and/or snow tomorrow, so it must be moving your way after that... sigh... oh well, bad weather makes a good excuse to drink gallons of hot chocolate. :)

The Other Side of the Night... sounds pretty good..

Your school is delayed, yes?

#224 Yes, Bonnie, it is definitely winter! It is snowing and blowing today!

#225 Not sure I could live without a category to wedge some disaster books into!, Linda!

#226 Hot chocolate -- or some nice herbal tea. (I really like the red tea, yum,!) Thanks for dropping by, Faith!

#227 Hi, Kath! No delay this morning, maybe an early dismissal later. We have the contingency plans in place if that happens.

I'm thinking that there will probably be a snow day tomorrow.

Send some snow my way! I will take it.

My crock pot is loaded and cooking -- pot roast with portabella mushroom gravy. That will be nice to come home to. And hubby did a lot of the work in getting it ready! (I HATE peeling potatoes and slicing onions!)

Microsoft new software download issue (probably) resolved. (I needed to add a program for some projects I'm working on, but hit a snag installing late at night.) I was impressed to be able to get through and talk to someone first thing when they opened on a Monday morning! I guess when they're selling something, they are cooperative. It's a few months down the road that it becomes a hassle to have problems with the software!

Ah, I'd better get ready to go off to work. Hooray, hubby offered me a ride, as he is going in that direction at approximately the time I need to go in. Walking to work in this weather is not my favorite thing! But all the parking near the library is 2-hour limit, so I avoid driving the car down.

#229 Snow? You're welcome to it, Stasia!

#231: Thanks, Terri! If I am going to be cold, I want snow to go along with it. Seventeen degrees with no snow is just not fair :(

#232 Seventeen degrees with no snow is just not fair :(


Ok, you've got a point!

Walking home today makes me really appreciate my mail carrier. I'd hoped to get home in time to clear a path for the carrier through the newly-fallen snow, but I was just a bit too late. I cleared as best I could, anyway; the section in front of the house isn't bad, but the section in front of the side yard blows shut instantly. It's a lost cause for now.

So cold! wind like a knife.. and oh, my .. I hurt! It must be the cold...
It will be interesting to see what the schools do tomorrow..

I was very fortunate to get the second spot from the door in the parking lot today. Single digit highs were possible today but I think it made it up to 15 or 16 and the wind wasn't all that strong.

Our worst taste of winter so far but not nearly as bad as expected. Just an inch or two of snow.

Had to call Microsoft again -- another issue -- and this time my call was shuttled back and forth from one person to another who couldn't answer my question I was on hold, ostensibly for my 5th conversation partner -- this time the recorded messages had a British accent -- when the message talked about what I needed ready to activate my product. Activation was not remotely the issue at that point, so I gave up and hung up. Called back and got another fellow who had the answer (I think) right away. ????????

Everything seems to be working now.

Kath, isn't this weather a bear? Or fit for a polar bear . . .

Linda, glad you got a close parking space, and that it's not as bad as expected.

Big issue here is blowing and drifting, as the wind is high and the snow is powdery.

Well, they've already called off school for tomorrow.

And it's my day off at the library.

Sounds like a day to stay inside (except for the *ick* shoveling), enjoy family and books . . . maybe start off with a nice, leisurely breakfast for the family, do some reading with my son, and perhaps curl up under an afghan with a cup of tea for a while and make a slight dent in my TBR pile . . .

I am glad to hear that everything is working for now with your computer, Terri.

Enjoy your day inside!

Oh, I'm so jealous... but I hope you get piles of reading done! Maybe put off shoveling for just one more day? Haha.

Terri, c'mon over. 2011 is open for business.

http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin20111#forums

239 Thanks, Stasia!

240 Not as much reading as planned ... but more family stuff, which is good!

241 Thanks for the link, Linda!

Book #97:
Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Dates: finished 12/15/10
Length: 391 Pages
Source: this book belonged to my Mom; she handed it off to me when I was in High School
Challenges: Off the Shelf; 75 challenge
Notes: for group read

This was a favorite book in my younger years, and I enjoyed the re-read. I found that portions of the book that were less appealing to me when I was young (the portion at Marsh's End, mainly) were much more interesting to me now.

#243: I am a big fan of Jane Eyre. With all the people in the group recommending it, I am going to have to go back and re-read it (again). Shucks :)

#244 It's well worth a re-read, Stasia!

Book #98:
Title: Swapping Paint
Authors: Joyce and Jim Lavene
Genre: Cozy Murder Mystery
Pages: 278
Source: purchased through Amazon.com
Series: Stock Car Racing Mysteries, book 1
Setting: Charlotte, NC
Main Characters: Glad & Ruby Wycznewski
Challenges: 75 challenge; 1010 challenge
Note: Last 19 pages feature "Glad & Ruby's Track Log (basically, a tour guide to racing-related sites in the Charlotte, NC area) and an excerpt from the next book in the series. (But I read it, so I'm counting the pages!)

I had high hopes for this new mystery series. It's hard finding novels that deal with auto racing. Sharyn McCrumb has written a few good ones; there's a series of NASCAR-sanctioned romance novels (published by Harlequin, I believe), in which I have no interest. But someone here on LT mentioned this series -- a mystery series! -- and I looked the first one up.

The story is told in the first person by narrator Glad Wycznewski, a retired detective from the Chicago PD who is spending his retirement with his much-younger, southern-born second wife Ruby, traveling around the NASCAR circuit in their RV. Glad is reasonably sensible, but keeps letting the impulsive Ruby lead him into risky actions against his better judgment. In this book, Ruby's brother, a rookie stock-car driver, is a suspect in the murder of another driver.

A lot of the characters felt like stereotypes; most did, in fact. The plot wasn't very compelling. I think the character of Glad has some potential -- he's rather interesting, though it's hard to believe that a former police detective would let Ruby lead him into some of the behavior displayed in the book. But, of course, the cozy genre usually features acts of stupidity by those engaged in finding Whodunit, so I probably shouldn't be surprised.

I wouldn't recommend this except to die-hard stock car fans who like mysteries(and even those folks need to be aware that, in a few short years since publication, the book already seems dated in some respects).

This thread is approaching the Thread Police load limit. Time to hit the road one more time:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/104914