KatieKrug Reads Spontaneously - At Least That's the Plan - Part 1

Twin Oaks field in Sharon, Connecticut where I was born and near where I lived for the first seven years of my life.

Hi All! I'm Katie, mid-30s, transplanted Northerner currently living in Dallas, Texas. Things I like: wine (I'm drinking some now!), traveling, the New York Yankees, Chinese food delivery, my dog Louis, cold weather, and books. Sometimes I'm afraid I like books more than reading - witness the ridiculous amount of unread books currently in my possession. Oh, yeah, and my husband - I like him too.

I read mostly fiction - literary fiction, mysteries, thrillers, smart romances (they do exist), and a bit of fantasy and some YA. I also enjoy non-fiction of the non-dry, non-boring sort.

I am trying very hard not to plan too much of my reading in 2014. I over-planned this past year and ended up with a sub-par year - too many books that were just okay and not enough standouts. So while I may have some general themes or categories I want to explore this year, I won't be signing up for a bunch of group reads or year-long challenges. I will continue to slot my reads into the monthly TIOLI challenges as they fit, and each month I will consider reading the designated American author for Mark's AAC, but I make no promises!

Themes/categories I will be informally tracking:

World War I (to mark the centennial of the start of the war)
Non-fiction (because when I do read it, I usually really enjoy it!)
Kindle (e-books I've bought pre-2014)
Off the Shelf (physical books I've had pre-2010)
Non-Western setting/focus (I have a lot of this kind of fiction on the shelves...)
19th and 20th c. Classics (because I tend to ignore them)

And each month, I will use the "Folly" feature on LT to pick a book off my shelves - just to ensure at least 12 completely random reads.

Oh! And I almost forgot - to ensure I don't eschew longer books in a subconscious effort to read more, I will also be tracking my page read count.

Okay - I think that's it. Happy Reading!

Or you can skip all that stuff up there and just know this about me:

BOOKS COMPLETED in JANUARY

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (audio)
-- Rumor Has It by Charles Dickinson (DNF)
2.
3.
4.
5.

Pages Read: 66
Hours Listened: 3:00

Stoppin' by to drop a star! While not counting pages, I share your desire to not forgo the long books just to hit 75....

I'm with you on the patios thingy... :)

Welcome back!

Dropping a star!

I was raised in Connecticut, and also have been transplanted in the South...North Carolina here. :)

I don't have a patio but I'll be with you in spirit if you'll excuse a small pun.

Katie, I didn't know you enjoy delivering chinese food, can I have some?!

Hi Katie!

Our patio has shrouded furniture on it at present, but it's a slammin' place for a garden party. Or, as the neighbors reported to the local constabulary, "a drunken outdoor orgy."

For the record, no one was naked. Outside.

Hi Liz!

Yay for patios, Jim!

Fuzzi - welcome!

Oh Paul - groan :)

Hi Nora!

Rawr! Guess I know where to hang out the next time I'm on LI, Richard....

Hi Katie!

Katie - I'm intending to have a WWI theme read as well. Looking forward to seeing what you pick!

Hi Katie. I'm looking forward to keeping up with you in 2014 and hope to do some WW1 reading too (although, like you, I am avoiding making lots of plans...).

I spent nearly 3 years in Connecticut but will have to google Sharon. Unless it was on the train route from New Haven to NYC I didn't get there!

Hello there Katie! Just found and starred you. Looking forward to a good WWI read myself. Just trying to decide which. Looking forward to following you in 2014.

I'm along for another year of shenanigans, Katie. LOVE your intro and the gif in post #2!! And hooray for you for no planning. As you know, I love to make the plan and then pretty much ignore it. Can't wait to see where 2014 takes us!

Hi Diana! Good to "see" you!

Rhian, there should be some good recs for WWI reading flying around all year - I hope so anyway!

Hello Cushla! Sharon is in the NW corner of the state, a few miles from the NY border and about 25 (?) from MA. SO yeah, a bit off the beaten path!

Oh, excellent, Marianne! Glad to have you aboard! As for WWI reads, I've read a few superb ones since joining LT and may re-read one or two of them this year - The Return of the Soldier, All Quiet on the Western Front and Bright's Passage were all worth re-/reading...

Shenanigans! Thanks, Mamie. It wouldn't be the same without you :)

Tsk, tsk Paul -- you live in one of the capitals of great chinese food! You should be delivering to the rest of us! (I miss MSG-free Chinese food...)

Hello, Katie!! Starred...

I'll set up that WW1 reading thread today, promise, and all of us who are interested can use it as a place to discuss...

Oh yeah, and you're starred. Even though your globe trotting makes me envious....

Suz! Yay - you found me :)

I will eagerly await the WWI thread - it seems like there will be a lot of interest...

And if it makes you feel better, I won't be traveling near as much in 2014... budget cuts AND I'm hoping to land a new position that wouldn't require as much (I should find out the week of Jan 6 so keep your fingers crossed for me!). I'm a little sad about it but it will be nice to have more time at home as I have some projects planned...

Woot! Here's to 2014 and drinking on patios … books, too! Way to go, Katie!

Woot! Nancy's here!!

Hi Katie! Starred, of course.

The "Folly" feature? I'm intrigued.

Kerri - if you go to the LT homepage, on the left-hand menu there is a "Folly" link. Click on that and then you can play "LT Roulette" and go to a bunch of random things, including a random "Book of Yours." For whatever reason, I love clicking on that :)

Starred. Happy 2014 -- I'll toast to some great reading. Yay for unplanned reading!

Huh, I guess I'm outdoorsy, too. I had no idea ...

Best wishes on the possible new position that will keep you home more. And Happy New Year!

Hi Beth and Julia! I am glad you both are here!

Re-posted from my 2013 thread:

I was going to do a re-cap of my 2013 reading, but I don't really feel like it. But here are my own year-end lists.

STANDOUTS
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
My favorite book of the year. Heartbreaking with nary a word out of place.

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
Listened to this read by Jim Dale on audio which was probably part of the magic. But a wonderful story of grief and friendship in any format.

Old Filth by Jane Gardam
Wryly funny and surprisingly moving story of a man never quite at home in the world. Bittersweet.

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Surprisingly compelling and quite a page-turner!

Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood
Beguiling and at times bewildering novel of identity, gender, and the manufacture of stories. Odd and fascinating.

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg
Funny and sad portrait of a Jewish family in Chicago.

These weren't necessarily the most highly rated of my reads (though several of them are) but books that have stayed with me (in a good way).

STINKERS
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
Just... no.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
Boring mystery, wooden characters, totally disappointing.

Last Summer of the Camperdowns by Elizabeth Kelly
Could not finish this obnoxiously pretentious and over-written novel.

When the Dead Cry Out by Hilary Bonner
Giant holes in the plot, terrible pacing, and overuse of the word "obliquely" made this mystery a total waste of time.

These weren't necessarily all the ones I didn't finish or that had the lowest ratings but the ones that have stayed with me (in a bad way).

Overall, my reading for the year was pretty average, which is kind of disappointing. So here's to next year!!

...do you like stars? I GOT THIS ONE JUST FOR YOU!

*stars thread*

*skips away, singing showtunes at inappropriate volumes*

I had so many total knockout winners on my list last year that it is one of my better years! Usually I count a year as a reading success if there are 2 excellent books in it. Last year it was tough to keep it to five!!

So I'm really sad about your ~meh~ year...may 2014 be your tough-to-keep-it-to-five year.

Thanks, Faith!! You're awfully cheery today ;-)

Richard, I must tell you having multiple visits from you on my thread is a great start to the new year! I'm honored. And yes, here's hoping 2014 is my tough-to-keep-it-to-five year *clinks glass*

Hi Katie- Congrats on the 2014 thread. I am a fan of patios too but instead of wine, I prefer, well you know what.

I like your best of list. The Ward, Oliver, Gardam & James were all top reads for me. We disagree about the Schwalbe book, but that happens sometimes, in our little biblio-world.

Hi Mark-o! I understand your preference for tepid tap water. Oh, you meant beer? ;-)

I really must get up to Chicago for a long weekend. You and Kerri and my husband could get all beer-nerdy together...

I know I am in the minority on the Schwalbe book, as all you poor sad saps were taken in by that load of... bunk!

>31 katiekrug: pssst you forgot "sanctimonious"

Hi Katie - I'm hanging out on your patio for sure!

Starred! Folly! Must check that out. I find sometimes when I'm looking for something to read on my shelves or on my iPad I just bounce around from one book to another so a plan (with room for some spontaneous reading) works best for me. I haven't had an average reading year since I joined LT so I hope you get back on track in 2014. Average is very over-rated. LOL

Richard, I presume you mean in reference to the Schwalbe? "Sanctimonious" is a perfect descriptive for it. UGH.

Hi Caro! You can hang on my patio anytime!

We cross-posted Bonnie! Yes, average is over-rated! I want stellar, stupendous, and star-comma-five-worthy!

Yep. Schwalbe didn't exaggerate or lie about his mother's activities, but the tone of the whole thing was revoltingly hagiographic. I hated the part I read because it felt to me like I was being suffocated in powdered sugar.

Oh, completely agree. I think I used the term hagiography in my review rant when I finished it...

Ah yes, suffocated in powdered sugar... I didn't have the same response, but that certainly wasn't one of my fave books of the year.

Fingers duly crossed.

Folly -- how cool is that feature?? I may have to deactivate it or I won't get anything accomplished.

Chinese/Malaysian food for Suz and Katie. xx

Ooh, dissing Schwalbe and BEER? Meanies!

Love to have you visit, one of these days, Katie!

Suz, the Folly feature is deadly to a procrastinator like me - but so much fun!

Yum! Thanks, Paul!

Mark, I wasn't dissing beer. I was trying to make a joke about you not drinking, but it was done badly (I blame the wine I was drinking!). I like a nice cold beer now and then :) But yes, I was for sure dissing Schwalbe!

Hi Katie! I've starred you. 2013 was a good reading year for me so I'm sorry it wasn't for you. I hope 2014 is a lot better!

Hi Susan! It could have been a worse year. I did read a book that has entered my top 10 of all-time (Salvage the Bones) so that was nice :)

Hi Katie! My patio is covered in snow right now, so I'm drinking my wine in the living room! Salvage the Bones is one of my favorites too. I'm looking forward to reading Ward's Men We Reaped soon. It sounds very powerful.

Amy, when the patio is not an option, any old place will do! I have Ward's latest on my WL. I did pick up her earlier novel (can't remember the name at the moment - it's about two brothers in MS) and hope to get to it sooner rather than later...

Just stopping by to leave a star and say hi. Hopefully your enjoying our cold weather, even if it's not quite to Northeast standards.

Hi Katie, I starred you! May I join you for a glass? I'll stay indoors, though, as we still have snow on the ground:)

I really must check out the folly feature -- where do you find it? Sound like fun. I am not very successful at challenges, group reads, categories, etc, as I can be a moody reader, so I'll join you for the spontaneity if that's okay.

I enjoyed your best-of list. I liked Liesl and Po, but now I regret not experiencing it on audio -- sounds fantastic. I also loved Old Filth (and the rest of the trilogy) this year.

Cheers to you!

Hi Katie! I know you weren't dissing beer, because we are having one together, at some point. Grins, wickedly.

And I agree, Liesl and Po was fantastic on audio!

Hi Jennifer! I am loving this weather - so crisp and energizing! Thanks for the star - glad to have you aboard!

Anne! Yay, you're here! You can join me for a glass in or out - so long as it is full ;-) IF you go to the LT home page, on the left, there is a list of links under "Discover" - "Folly" is the second to last. Have fun!

I look forward to it, Mark! I think Jim Dale did the narration of L&P, correct? I'm currently listening to him read the first Harry Potter (which, shockingly, I have never read). He is quite talented!

My comments on The Maid's Version by Daniel Woodrell, Atlantic by Simon Winchester, and The Man Without a Face by Masha Gessen are on my "old" thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/161618#4432441.

Hi Katie! I'm dropping off my star and so LOVE your post #2! See, this is why you must move to Seattle, so we can get drunk together on our respective patios. :-)
I mean, not really.
Well, sort of.

Anyway!!!....
I'm glad you caved and started your 2014 thread. Tomorrow it will be official.

Had to go look up hagiography. Nice.

Brought you a scrumdiddlyumptious Italian sausage patty melt. A little bird told me you'd enjoy sampling one.

Happy New Year Katie! I need to skedaddle because this thread is now making me VERY hungry. But I'm looking forward to talking books with you in 2014!

Ha ha, Ellen! Think of all the pinot noirs we could guzzle savor together...

Richard, did the little bird look like an overweight blond NY transplant in Dallas by any chance? Thanks for the sandwich! Can I get fries with that?

Hi Laura! Are you back from vacation? Must go find your thread... I will admit to being a little afraid I'd be off your list of LT friends after the whole "Love Actually" fiasco on your thread... :-P Glad to have you here!

Happy New Year Katie! Hope you have a great 2014!

Thanks, Chelle!

Before you ask me, let me tell you about my awesome New Years Eve plans. They involve a couch, a book, and a bottle of wine. The hubs is still at his mom's so I am on my own and will be enjoying a quiet evening. I plan to finish my last Anthony Powell, which seems a fitting end to my 2013 reading. If I finish that in time, I will share with you my giant book haul from the last two days....

Happy New Year, friends!

Hi Katie!! Dropping my star and noticed LT says we have very similar libraries. Guess that's why I so often like the books you like too :) We're planning a quiet New Year's Eve too -- my hospital bed is in the living room so I will watch 2014 arrive around the world while reclining in "comfort". Afraid I'll be dropping pain pills so no wine (I'd rather have the wine). Hope you have a pleasant time. Looking forward to another year together on LT.

Book haul! Book haul! You can't tease us like that...

Happy New Year, Katie!

"...a couch, a book, and a bottle of wine."
Absolutely perfect. Enjoy!

(We're going to some friends' house, but mostly for the filet mignon.....)

By the way, I'd be interested in having you name a "smart romance" or two. Just curious. ;-)

(yes, I read your introduction on the introductions thread)

Happy New Year, Katie! I love your plans for the evening. And, thanks for the tip about the Folly feature.

Happy New Year's Katie. Sounds like a good New Years Eve plan to me :)

sits and waits patiently for the book haul post

Hi Reba. Happy New Year and here's to pain-free joints! I'm glad you'll be along for my 2014 ride...

Kathy, it's going to be a stretch to finish this last book (especially if I don't get off LT RIGHT NOW), so the book haul will have to wait... Happy New Year to you and yours!

Ellen, filet mignon ain't a bad incentive... I will mull over a "smart" romance recommendation for you. Keep in mind, though, it's all relative...

Oh, Pat, I LOVE that poster! I wonder if I can find a print of it... It reminds me that I didn't share one of my favorite Christmas presents with my LT peeps, yet. Will have to remedy that shortly...

Lisa, you are already well into the new year. How's it going? ;-) Happy New Year to you, too!

So, Nora (norabelle) put a link on her thread several months ago to litographs.com. I went and poked around and fell in love with their posters, which depict a scene or theme from various works of literature, made up entirely of the text from said work. It's really very cool. I put a few different ones on my Christmas wish list, and my husband picked out this one:



(This is an image from the website; mine is not (yet) framed)

Without cheating and looking online, anyone care to guess what work it represents?

Happy New Year, Katie! Reading another Woodrell? I have not heard of that one.

I couldn't figure it out so I went to the website. Once I saw the title, it made perfect sense but I don't think I would have been able to guess correctly. I will have to do some more investigating of what they have to offer. Thanks for the recommendation. Your husband made a good choice.

Well, I picked it (by sheer lucky daftness) in one!

But I had to go check the website-- LOVE! WANT! I'm going to spam my friends and family with the website and maybe they'll get the hint for next year, haha. Give that husband of yours a big smooch for being awesome.

It's a good one, Mark! I wrote some comments on my "old" thread...

Occasionally, he actually listens to me and what I want, Pat... :)

Kathy, isn't it cool stuff? I really love the poster for Dubliners which is another favorite work of mine. I may go and purchase it for myself and make a pair of them...

Yup its about 4pm Jan 1st here. It was a good new years eve for me. I went to bed when the sun was up and birds were singing (5am-ish) it's been 10 years since I've done that! I'm not fussed about new years eve parties and would like to read a book and go to bed just after midnight but my other half likes to get together with friends. This year we hosted a BBQ which was stressful for me because I'm always worried about other peoples expectations but it went really well... including a bout of Mario Wars at 2am on the xbox (which is also about 10 years old lol). Friends stayed over for the night (well, morning) and we had a cooked brunch once we all woke up feeling a bit sorry for ourselves lol.

Katie - I remember a couple of years ago being astonished by your acquisitionary proclivities and now the group seems to have encouraged me to similar "feats".

To the original Queen of Acquisition: Have a wonderful 2014 and thanks for being such a good and constant friend in the group. xx

And each month, I will use the "Folly" feature on LT
ooooh, I am intrigued about this as have never heard of it let alone used it. I will figure it out as it sounds like a great tool.

Happy New year, Katie. I hope to be a more regular visitor here this year- just one of my resolutions :)

Is it Heart of Darkness?

It IS beautiful.

NO FRIES.


Some Veuve Clicquot instead.

The Iliad t-shirt. My heart stopped.

Lisa, that sounds like a very successful New Years celebration!

Paul, I'm perfectly happy to have passed the torch to you. You do seem to take a greater amount of pride in your acquisitiveness! Happy New Year, my friend!

Hi Megan! It's always nice to "see" you in my neck of the woods and you are welcome here as often or as seldom as you can make it :)

Richard, DING! DING! DING! You are correct. It is Heart of Darkness which is one of my very favorite books. I see from your next post that you poked around a bit on the web site. Isn't it fun? The 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea one reminded me of you as it looks like octopus tentacles...

Re-posted from 2013 thread:

I finished out the year with 87 books completed (66 physical/Kindle and 21 audio). In total, I read 19,861 pages (I am not going to count up how many hours I listened to), which averages to 1656 pages a month and 301 pages per book (again, not counting audios). This is a good number for me to keep in mind, as next year (actually this year!) I want to focus more on page count and not book count so that I don't shy away from taking on some chunksters.

What better way to ring in the new year (and fight insomnia) than by sharing a book haul!

I went to two local used bookstores yesterday and today... Here is what I picked up:

World War I Reading:
Unknown Soldiers: The Story of the Missing of the First World War by Neil Hanson
The First World War by Hew Strachan
World War One: A Short History by Norman Stone
The Zimmerman Telegram by Barbara Tuchman
Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub

Other Non-Fiction:
Georgette Heyer's Regency World by Jennifer Kloester
My Dog Tulip by J.R. Ackerley (NYRB edition)
The Sun King by Nancy Mitford (NYRB edition)
The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World by Daniel Yergin

Fiction:
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
One By One in the Darkness by Deirdre Madden
The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart
Finny by Justin Kramon
Young Man with a Horn by Dorothy Baker (NYRB edition)
The Narrow Corner by Somerset Maugham
Liza of Lambeth by Somerset Maugham
The Cradle in the Grave by Sophie Hannah
Vera by Elizabeth von Arnim (green VMC edition)
Justice by Larry Watson
I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn
We Think the World of You by J.R. Ackerley (NYRB edition)

If that counts as the first splurge of the year, it is an impressive 22 book haul, Katie. I almost bought the Norman Stone book myself yesterday.

>55 katiekrug:: Happy new year, Katie! I was highly amused by the "Love Actually Fiasco," as you called it. I don't think my thread has ever been hijacked quite lack that before, and it was kinda fun. We had a lovely vacation & I posted some pics on my 2013 thread. My 2014 thread is also now open for business!

>66 katiekrug: - Ooohh, that litographs.com website is amazing! I think I might order the Anne of Green Gables print... or The Great Gatsby... or Wuthering Heights.... Thanks for sharing! Your print is beautiful.

Happy New Year, Katie. Your New Year's Eve plans sound great. Great book haul with which to start the new year. Keep it up - you are an inspiration. Lovely lithograph. I'm going to visit the website.

Happy New Year, Katie! Are you going to have a set goal for page count this year? I haven't decided what mine will be yet.

Paul, technically it is the last of 2013's splurges, so now I can resolve to, you know, not buy so much anymore ;-)

Hi Laura! Happy New Year! Looks like you and your family had a nice and relaxing vacation.

Cait - I'm so happy to see you back! Aren't those the coolest things? I had put the Heart of Darkness, Dubliners and Persuasion ones on my WL but it was hard to narrow it down to just 3!

Beth, I just looked thinking it was a no-brainer, and can't believe they don't have To Kill a Mockingbird! It would be so cute for Scout's room... You should send them an email and suggest it!

Hiya, Nora! If I'm being obsessive, I'd say my page-count goal would be 20,000 because it's so nice and round and even. But I won't be traveling as much, so no long plane rides and alone time in hotels, so I will say 19,000. I think that will be a stretch as it is. But a goal kinda sounds like a "plan" and I'M NOT DOING THOSE ;-)

A very late Happy New Year to you, Katie. What a lovely print, and your book haul is truly impressive. The first of many this year, I hope!

Katie, I've wishlisted the Atlantic book from your last thread, as it looks excellent. It's not reserved yet as I felt I shouldn't fill up all my available reserve slots on the first day of the year. However, it is only about six hours until the second day :-)

Katie - Great minds. I was disappointed not to see To Kill a Mockingbird, too. What a clever idea. Great ideas for gifts for readers.

Happy New Year to you, too, Julia! And I'm sure there will be some additional book hauls this year, despite my best intentions...

Susan, I think the Winchester book is right up your alley. Enjoy it when you get to it!

Beth, I think I could decorate all my walls with those prints. So much fun!

I like yr. category of Stinkers! Pemberly really was awful, wasn't it?

End of the year meme, using titles of books I read in 2013:

Describe yourself: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Describe how you feel: Touched by Fire

Describe where you currently live: My Beloved World

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Your favorite form of transportation: The Magician's Elephant

Your best friend is: The Portrait of a Lady

You and your friends are: The Kindly Ones

What’s the weather like: The Grass is Singing

You fear: A Dying Fall

What is the best advice you have to give: Escape from Camp 14

Thought for the day: Books Do Furnish a Room

How I would like to die: How I Live Now

My soul’s present condition: Rose in Bloom

Oh, Lucy, I don't think awful even begins to describe it!

What a great book haul, Katie.

I loved your picks for WWI .. the only ones I've read there were the Weintraub and Hanson. Both were touching books I'll never forget.

I'm glad to have the endorsements of those two books, Caro, as I wasn't familiar with either until I stumbled across them.

Off to my uncle's birthday celebration. An hour and a half early. It's not my fault there are used bookstores on the way. What am I supposed to do?



Later!

Happy New Year, Katie! I managed to lose track of your thread towards the end of last year (must remember to check starred threads and not just threads I post on). I like your responses to the meme!

Do I detect a rationalization??? (in #94)???

Happy New Year Katie! I hope 2014 is full to the brim with blessings for you.

Hi! Just checking out your thread. Hope the new year will be a good one for reading!

Have fun at your uncle's birthday. We expect full disclosure of any books bought on the way.

#94: um, stop & check out their inventory? Just a guess on my part.

:-)

Found your 2014 thread, Katie and stopping by to wish you a Happy New Year!

How is it that today is Jan 1 and you already have 101 posts?!?!?

Sheesh! I'm going to have to start calling you Richard or Paul Jr. ;)

Anyway, I have you starred now.

Happy New Year, Katie! OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG I love the litographs! Like Kathy, I may spam my relations as a hint!

Great book haul -- 2014 looks to be a great reading year!

Hi Micky! The important things is that you are here now :-)

Why, yes, Suz, I believe you do...

Thanks so much, Roberta. I wish the same for you!

Thank you, Paws!

Beth, full disclosure will be forthcoming... if not tonight (because I'm tired and off to bed) then tomorrow, I promise.

Exactly, Ellen!

Hi Lori! Glad to have you here!

Tina, the difference is though two crazy people will maintain that level of activity or close to it for the whole year. Most people realize I'm boring and move along after a while ;-)

Anne! Nice to "see" you! I'm glad you like the litograph site - lots of fun stuff there...

After my uncle's birthday dinner (take out Chinese - it's a tradition - and ice cream cake), my cousin and I randomly decided to go see Anchorman 2. It had some really funny parts, but wasn't as good as the original...

Had a very successful trip to the bookstore, where I managed to snag

Shorecliff by Ursula DeYoung
The Rathbones by Janice Clark
The Vertigo Years: Europe, 1900-1914 by Philipp Blom
The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty (green VMC edition)
The Fruit of the Tree by Edith Wharton (green VMC edition)
The Dark Holds No Terrors by Shashi Deshpande (Europa edition)
A Son of the Middle Border by Hamlin Garland

I only managed to hit the one store before running out of time. The good news is the second one I wanted to go to is on the way to an appointment I have tomorrow morning :)

Katie, your acquisition list for the year is off to a brilliant start! I see some VMC editions of Eudora Welty in there. *jealous*

The Rathbones has been on my WL for a while now... please read it immediately and let me know how it is!

Oooh, a Welty and a Wharton that I've never heard of. Very nice list, Katie!

Ellen, I really must slow down but I always acquire a lot at the start of the year for some reason. This year's may be driven by the need for retail therapy while The Wayne is gone...

Ha, Kathy! I make no promises! My current read is a book I picked up at a library sale in 2007....

Thanks, Julia!

Nice haul, Katie. Go Katie! Will your 2014 acquisitions top those of 2013?

Katie, just checking in for the new year. I see you are off to a great book-buying beginning. You go!

Looks like you've gotten off to a good start for 2014. I'm guessing you stopped off at a Half-Price Books? I've had luck finding VMCs there in the past and plan most of my visits to Dallas around trips to the giant one on Northwest Highway.

Wow! You are certainly becoming the female Paul Cranswick, Katie haha. One terrific haul after another. I see you got Testament of Youth, which was my book of the year a few years back. Off to investigate the lithograph site.

Beth - NO! I am going to be good this year, really... ;-)

It's bad, Donna. I don't know what's gotten into me!

Jennifer, the first "haul" was from The Mother Ship on Northwest Highway :) The other was from the HPB at 635 and Preston. And I stopped at the ones in Frisco and West Plano today while I was out and about... Have you been to any of the Lucky Dog Books/Paperbacks Plus locations? They are great. There used to be a big store in Lakewood in Dallas but they moved and split between two locations - one in Oak Cliff and one in Garland. They also have an outpost in Mesquite, I think it is. They are more like the used bookstores I went to as a kid. I love HPB but they are still kind of a corporate-y chain. Let me know the next time you are in Dallas - maybe we can meet for a browse!

Bonnie, I was the female Paul before it was cool to be Paul ;-) Just kidding. It was shortly after I discovered LT and maybe my first year on the threads that I managed to acquire more than 1100 books in one year. I have slowed down considerably since then because there is less and less that I am interested in... Most of this early purchasing has been driven by the WWI project I'm undertaking. I've decided it will be multiple years, since there is A LOT I want to read!

Hi Katie! Oh wow! What a wonderful book haul!

I had 5 books delivered from bookoutlet just before Christmas (a present for myself) and I was thrilled. I'd be delirious to get that many at once! :)

Hi Katie- Nice book haul. I snagged an ARC of The Rathbones back in June. We should read it together. It sounds great and I have heard nothing about it on LT. Of course, January is out. LOL.

Joanne, I adore BookOutlet.com! I only let myself visit there about once a quarter or so :)

Mark - no idea when I'll get to The Rathbones but when you're ready, give me a nudge and I'll pick it up. I did expect more chatter about it on LT, but no.....

So Nora posted this on Facebook and tagged me in it (can't imagine why): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/11-cocktails-inspired-by-writers-and-books/.

I re-posted it and a few of my friends have been having a field day coming up with literary-themed drinks. So far, my favorites are "From Beer to Eternity, A Farewell to Boones Farms, Barbara Pym's Cup (anyone who knows me knows that was a contribution from me because I love me some Pimms!), Of Mice and Menthe, J.K. Rolling Rock, and 50 Shades of Grey Goose.

Any other brilliant ones out there?

A Gin Gimli?

(or, as I would drink it, a Vodka Gimli, but it doesn't roll off the tongue as well)

Martini Amis?

Tom Collins Wolfe?

And a Wharton of which I've never heard...this thread's scarin' me a little.

OH, dear,Kathy, your literary allusion has gone over my head!

Those are great, Richard! The thread shouldn't scare you but intrigue you. So you'll stick around :) That Wharton is, if I recall correctly, from 1907 and deals with issues of class and labor. I had not heard of it, either.

Lol! Gin gimlet/Gimli from Lord of the Rings. It's the first thing that popped in my head, which should be a warning sign to myself not to post it.

I got the gimlet part, but not being well-versed in the Tolkien-verse, the Gimli flummoxed me!

Question: should I count the pages I read in a book I have decided to abandon toward my page-count total? It's only 20 pages, but I feel like those were 20 pages I could have read in something else, but read in this stinker and they should count.

Even as I type this, I am convincing myself I should count them...

Yes. They should count. For sure and for certain.

I agree with Mamie (surprise, surprise). They absolutely count — you DID read them, after all. Morbid curiosity leads me to wonder what book those 20 pages were in ...

Except...would you have counted an abandoned book towards your total of books? So I'd say no. And now I'm going to duck out of sight and disappear...

But an abandoned book wouldn't be completely read, so of course it wouldn't be counted. The pages, on the other hand, were read.

#128: Yes, but...I think it's just the completist in me :-) I'd either count all of it (if finished) or none of it. Otherwise I could read x thousand pages and yet never finish a book. Is this the first philosophical puzzler of 2014? Maybe not, as I am, so far, the only one puzzled :-)

Happy New Year! Impressed by your book haul thus far. My mind must not be working. All I can think of is Gertrude Beer Stein. Lame, I know ....

Count them, count them!

The pages count; the book, not. So sayeth the... what? the self-appointed book monitor? Sigh

Chortling about literary drinks. But now I must go and work.

I definitely wouldn't count the book (Julia - it was Rumor Has It, picked for me by LT Folly...) but I am counting the pages. I am totaling pages and books separately, so I think it's okay, but ohmigod, you guys, we DID have the first existential (?) crisis of the new LT year! They should write about us in The State of the Thing this month...

Marianne - I like that one! A friend on FB came up with "An Ale of Two Cities" and "In Cold Blood-y Mary" :)

Well, you're having fun over here. I got nothing on the drinks front, but am enjoying all the creative suggestions.

Hi Katie! Just finally getting to check out litographs.com and it's an amazing site. I keep thinking "oh, I like that one" and "oh, but I like that one!"

I am determined to get my book acquisition thing under control this year. P and I said we might spend some time this weekend putting together an actual budget for the Scotland trip. Sigh.

Count the pages.

Beth, I think I only managed one contribution, but it was fun to hear other peoples'!

Ellen, I tend to shudder at the thought of a "budget." It's no end of frustrating to The Wayne who is all business and very responsible :) But a trip to Scotland might be worth having a budget talk about!

^ Well. It helps that I know she's as bad at sticking to a budget as I am.

LOL!

I just randomly started reading the Foreword of my Kindle edition of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and think that will be my next e-read (meaning the book I read on my Kindle which goes into my purse and accompanies me everywhere). I loved this book when I was 10-12 years old - I hope it stands up to a re-read!

Katie> I have The Rathbones in a TBR pile. I thought it was a fictionalized account of one of my ancestral families, but I decided it wasn't when it arrived. I put it on the back burner for a bit.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
3.5 stars

I am one of those mutant creatures who have never read the Harry Potter books. This one, the first, came out when I was a freshman or sophomore in college and would not have held much interest for me. I think over the years I have just stubbornly and contrarily held myself aloof from such a phenomenon. But now that I'm all mature and stuff (wink wink), I decided to give it a try. I listened to the audio narrated by Jim Dale (who I adore as a reader). It was fine - diverting and entertaining and I can see why it has such a following. I will certainly listen to the next in the series but will probably never be a total fan girl.

Why I read this now: Needed a light, easy to follow audio during the holidays.
Other books I have read by Rowling: n/a

CURRENTLY READING/LISTENING

BOOK
KINDLE
AUDIO

Lori, have you heard anything about The Rathbones? It seems to have made little or no "splash"...

Katie- I also have The Flight of Gemma Hardy in the stacks. I remember hearing some good buzz on that one. I really liked War Horse & A Tree Grows. Enjoy!

Katie> I saw some pre-pub hype for it, but the after publication reviews I've seen are what I'd call the 3 star range. I'm still curious about it though.

Oh, Katie, I hope you enjoy A Tree in Brooklyn as much as I did. It's excellent!

Hiya Mark! SO far, so good with all three!

Lori, it looks interesting. I'm a sucker for weird...

Nancy, I just hope I don't ruin my memory of it by reading it as an adult. I think there is enough there, though...

Your recent book hauls equate to very impressive lists. Happy time reading them.

All good wishes for lovely 2014.

Found you Katie and am stopping by with a star for 2014. Such an entertaining thread! I hope you love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Thank you, Linda! Happy New Year to you, as well!

Hello Anne! I'm very glad you found me :)

So I am almost 100 pages into The Flight of Gemma Hardy which is basically a re-imagining of Jane Eyre set in Scotland in the 1950s/1960s. Has anyone else read it? I am enjoying it but I think in some ways Livesey is trying a little too hard to force her narrative to parallel the classic, and it's kind of annoying. What is spot on, for me at least, is that I am finding Gemma almost as annoying as I find Jane ;-)

Katie - You are back in 2014 in buying mode I see so I can take it nice and easy for a while. After the nice splurge I look forward to seeing what the other bookstore netts you.
Boring? You, never my dear. No way.
Crazy? I'll let my taller thread twin answer for himself but I am probably guilty as charged.

I wouldn't count abandoned book pages in totals read, but I would discard it from the collection altogether so the number of pages to read still goes down. It is very rare that I actually abandon anything and SWMBO is pleased to hear that repeated loud and often.

Aw, thanks, Paul! To be honest, though, my thread is only ticking along nicely because I have been on vacation for two weeks. Monday will see me back at work with much less time to post and keep things moving!

And I was using "crazy" in the fondest way possible in reference to you and Richard ;-)

:) xxx

That looks like a good selection of books - your currentlys, I mean.....

The pages count. You read them.

I will be interested to see what you think of The Flight of Gemma Hardy - I have that one on my WL, and I am trying to remember if someone recommended it or if it just looked interesting to me. And you are reminding me that I should finish A Tree Grows in Brooklyn this year - I read through more than half of it with the GR, but then it got pushes aside, and I never did make it back to it. The trouble for me was that the first part of that book is pure magic for me, and then the second part fell off a bit. But I would like to finish it and see how it ends.

And hooray for Harry Potter! I am a total fan girl for those books, but the first book is definitely the weakest, so I do hope that you keep going. And Jim Dale - what's not to love about him?!

I'm so glad you decided to read Harry Potter! Persist through the second one, which I think is the weakest, and then revel in the third one, which in my opinion is a little piece of children's lit perfection. The later, bigger ones are more impressive, but the third one is really lovely.

Oh, I love the third one, too!

Back at ya, Paul!

Lucy, so far I'm enjoying all of them...

That's interesting about ATGiB, Mamie because I remember when I read it as a child that I found the end much less enthralling than the beginning...

I'm definitely counting the pages!

Cait and Mamie - I will definitely have to make it through at least the third one now! Thanks for the encouragement...

I agree with Cait and Mamie that the third Harry Potter is my absolute favorite.

Right after the 4th Potter book came out I bought the first four. Before I read them I loaned them to my step-daughter who loaned them to her boyfriend and then they broke up and she didn't get them back. I've taken that as a sign I'm not to read them (although I did see the first movie). Makes me one of those mutant's too I guess :)

>114 katiekrug:, I love Half Price Books, but I agree that they are feeling increasingly commercial. I went to Paperbacks Plus, when it was still in East Dallas, and it had much more of that used bookstore feel to it.

Count me in as number 4 who says that Prisoner of Azkaban is the best of the Harry Potters; it's definitely worth reading towards.

#151 - I read Margot Livesey's Eva Moves the Furniture several years ago, because I was led to believe she's similar to Kate Atkinson. I do remember being rather underwhelmed. Hopefully your experience improves. Wait. You find Jane annoying?! I'm due for a Jane Eyre reread, but I remember loving it when I read it. I do believe that was in 8th grade or so, but still... :-) I do have the audio saved in my iTunes.

I liked The Flight of Gemma Hardy more than most people did, I think. That said, it was a library book and I felt no great desire to rush out and purchase it. I think I actually found Gemma less annoying (although implausibly naive) than I did Jane, but that's because the latter was such a goody-goody. It's why I prefer Austen's heroines: they are human beings, not implausibly good or slightly larger than life (eg Cathy in Wuthering Heights.) All that melodrama...

Thanks for the encouragement, Anne!

Reba, I only started listening to the first one because I wanted a "light" audio that wasn't too long, and it fit the bill. I'll get to the other ones eventually, but I am not rushing to get to them. If they don't call to you, I say you might as well enjoy your mutant status and focus on things that do call to you!

Good to know, Jennifer! Re: HPB, they are just so damn convenient and there are so many of them around here - it's hard to avoid :)

Kerri, don't get me wrong - I love Jane Eyre as a book. But I pretty much hate every character in it. Don't ask me how this works... Jane is just so good and so tortured all the time. It wears on me :)

Cross-posted, Suz--

I agree about Gemma vs Jane and Jane vs any Austen heroine. I haven't read Wuthering Heights in ages (and in fact I'm not sure I ever read it all the way through) so it's on my list for this year. But I already know I'll hate Cathy, too!

I'm so glad to find I'm not the only one who thinks Jane Eyre is annoying. Everyone I know in real life who's read the novel loves her and I can't understand why.

I kind of envy you the experience of getting to read the Harry Potter books for the first time, Katie, whether you find yourself a fangirl or not. :)

I am a Jane Eyre fan, and I enjoyed Gemma Hardy, but it's not my favorite Livesey. I always thought Jane showed great strength of character to stand up to Mr. Rochester and not give in to him. And she was a feisty girl.

Nice book hauls, Paul Katie!

Paws - it's always nice to know we aren't alone!

Micky, I'm getting rather excited about HP - at least for the 3rd one!!

Beth, what is your favorite Livesey? I have two or three others of hers on my shelves. I totally agree that JE showed some grit in standing up to Rochester, and I like the flashes of feistiness we see in her, but there isn't enough of that to counteract her priggishness in my eyes.

Ha ha! Thanks, Darryl.

My hubs arrived home late this afternoon, and after an 11-hour drive from Pensacola, FL to Dallas, he stopped and brought me flowers before coming home :) What a guy.

Awww, what a guy!

Indeed...good job Hubs!

Julia and Reba, he's a keeper for sure!

Awww, flowers! How nice.

I hope you stick with Harry Potter. Like others here, I think the third book is my favorite. It's interesting, as I am now in my third series read. The first and second times I just flew through the books (actually, I read the first two books aloud also, to hook the girls). This time around I am going slower, and I found it hard to get through the first book. I just finished the fourth book, and am forcing myself to wait for the fifth -- I am hooked all over again!

I hope you are loving A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I must have read that book 25 times or so when I was younger. I reread it recently, and still loved it. I can't get the girls interested, though, possibly because my copy looks like it was read 25 times in the 80s...

Hi Katie! I fully agree with the commentary about Jane Eyre. It's a lovely novel but there is no one therein to love.

Your trio of current reads/listens seems like a particularly good one. I've not read any of them although A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of those that I've long thought I should read.

You know, I've been thinking more about the audio book thing. It mostly has not worked for me but I'm wondering about giving it one more try. I read the first Harry Potter book some time ago and was underwhelmed. It was an okay read but just didn't seem worth the time investment. I wonder if listening would work better. And I wonder if I could pick up with the second in the series after a decade or so since reading the first. I could probably get a synopsis on line somewhere to remind me of some of the plot details.

My favorite thing about the first Harry Potter was when I saw the movie and Maggie Smith played the character who is a cat.

Anne, maybe you could get your girls to try ATGiB if you bought a shiny new copy. It's such a great read - especially for those "in between" years - they shouldn't miss out!

As for HP, that's interesting about having a hard time getting through the first one. Maybe it's because you know what is to come and are impatient to get there? I don't know the history of the book, but was it clear from the very beginning that it would be a series? The first one can really stand on its own as a good chapter book for kids. I wonder if Rowling had a contract for more than one from the get-go...?

Ellen, I wouldn't put ATGiB in the "must read" category, especially for adults. It's definitely more mature than current YA stuff but I still think it probably has the greatest impact on girls of 10-13 or so.

You could definitely pick up with the second HP, I think, since presumably you remember the basic outlines of Harry being an orphan and being plucked from his evil aunt and uncle to go to wizarding school and making friends with Hermione and Ron (and if you didn't remember all that, now you do!). Audios of juvenile/YA and non-fiction work best for me. I'm less comfortable with mysteries and "serious" fiction in the format.

Rowling said that she knew there would always be seven books - even before she had a contract.

For some reason, I can't get enough melodrama, if it's coming from a Bronte sister. I LOVE Wuthering Heights. It makes no sense for me, but it's true. :-)

**Resisting the urge to post the video of "Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush**

Mamie, you are a font of useful knowledge! I myself am a font of useless trivia. I'd probably get kicked off the island before you...

Kerri, go ahead and post it. You know you want to!

Oh, I love useless trivia!!

Flowers? You are seriously a lucky lady Katie. I read a Tree Grows in Brooklyn last year and have to say I found it to be dated but that could have just been the mood I was in. Most people love it.

If I remember correctly, Kerri's not a Monty Python fan, but I remember a funny sketch where they did a semaphore version of Wuthering Heights ...

Hi Katie, I'm finally checking into your thread and plan to stay for the duration. I went on a rather mad book buying binge in November and December, mostly stuff for my Kindle and so I threw some money on my Visa to cover it, then I forgot that I had done that and threw some more money down. To make a long story short, I now have a lovely credit of $150.00 and so as soon as I get some time, guess what - I am going shopping again!

Looking forward to following along with all your adventures, both book-wise and other-wise again this year.

Crazy.

*smooch* for back-to-work blues

Judy, I am laughing at your solution to the extra credit on your Visa bill! You are a woman after my own heart. It's sort of like pre-buying books, right? They are already bought, you just haven't picked them out yet. :-)

Mamie, the hubs and I use to play really competitive, live trivia at a bar on Wednesday nights. We actually got engaged during a game there :)

Bonnie, I am a lucky lady, thanks. He's pretty lucky, too ;-) I can see how A Tree Grows in Brooklyn could read as dated, especially for an adult reading it for the first time. I haven't made much progress in it because I haven't been out and about much and so haven't needed to read on my Kindle.

Oh, Laura, I will have to look for that. I like Monty Python but am not a huge fan, mostly due to lack of exposure probably. But I do enjoy the films!

Hi Judy! I'm glad to have you along for my adventures, though they might be better characterized as mundane journeys through a rather boring life! And I heartily approve of your use of that $150 - it's like found money!

Richard - *snort*... This is what you needed:



Back to work blue for sure! Why can't I just be a lady of leisure?

Julia, Judy cracked me up, too! I like that idea of pre-buying books... hmm....

That's an excellent and extremely useful meme!

Just rolling through for a wave hello and a bit of sympathy for the back-to-work blues.

Richard - isn't it, though? Feel free to use with abandon ;-)

Thanks, Kathy! I was bummed to come into today,t hough I ended up getting some good new (see below)!

I found out today I got the new position I applied for! I'm super excited and eager to take on a new challenge. It's a brand-new position, so I get to make it my own, and my new boss is very chill and laid back and I am just so thrilled. So yay! Drinks are on me!

Wow, that sounds ideal! Good luck to you!

YAY!! BRAVA!! YAY AGAIN!!

Can I have something a little less, errrmmm, festive? Permaybehaps a plain ol' Bombay martini, up, 3 olives?

Congratulations, Katie. Will you still be traveling? Tell us more.

Woo-hoo! Way to go, Katie. It sounds like a great opportunity for you. When will you start the new duties?

Oh, and I'll take that pretty purple drink over on the left. I have no idea what it is, but it sure is purty.

Thanks, Kathy!

Richard, this ain't Joe's Cafe. Special orders are frowned upon, but for you.... I'll make an exception (but you only get two olives and you have to use this cool glass...



Beth - I'll be traveling some but not nearly as much and probably not to as interesting places. I predict a lot of time being spent in Houston, unfortunately... but maybe I'll get to meet Roberta!!

You got it, Julia - the purple one is all yours! I move to my new boss' payroll in about two weeks, but she and my current boss agreed to a transition period until 1 February, though I expect that will be extended a bit.

I'm pouring myself a glass (or five) of fine Oregon pinot noir (where is Ellen?)...

Why can't I just be a lady of leisure? Oh, you and me both, Katie! Groan …

That said, way to be, you, on a new job! Fantastic!!

Noooooo not the purple one! *sigh* I guess I'll have the green one with the weird pink things across the top.

Congratulations, Katie. It all sounds very good.

Congratulations on the new job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty drinks in #192...

Stick with Harry Potter... I was late to the party as well and "read" them in audio because of my travels. I loved them all and am a total fangirl. But I will third, fourth, or fifth the sentiments to read on at least until the third book The Prisoner of Azkaban. If by the end of that one you are not converted, Harry may not be for you. But at least give JK Rowling until then to prove her magic to you. ;0)

I second what Tina says. Don't be disheartened by the second book because it is the worst. But important for character development, of course. The third one is the best!

#184 - Laura - Oh, goodness. No I'm not a fan, and I don't remember that one, but may have to seek it out now. :-)

Congrats on the new position, Katie!! You're a champion! Less travel sounds good too!

So, ok, I wasn't going to post it, but due to the good news and all, here's "Wuthering Heights." Ha! (I think I subjected someone else to this last year as well. It never gets old.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1pMMIe4hb4

Congrats on the new job, Katie! Will this one involve a lot of traveling too?

Congratulations on the new position, Katie. Those drinks you posted are very pretty, but I think I would rather join in with the Pinot Noir. I have a weakness for red wine. :)

Congratulations on the new job, Katie!

I would have a glass of the Pinot as well but it is quarter to eight in the morning right now.

Katie, congratulations on your new job! I hope you'll still make it to London again, but how lovely it will be to meet up with Roberta in Houston!

Congratulations on the new job, Katie! Cheers!

Congrats! I hope the new job goes well!

Hooray Katie!, congratulations

Thank you, Nancy!

Nora, the weird pink things look like petit-fours. WTH?

Thank you, Pat!

Thanks, Tina! Y'all have convinced me to stick with it. I may try to knock out the second one sooner rather than later just to get it over with!

Will do, Nora!

Kerri, I'm not gonna lie - that video kind of freaks me out!

Mark, I don't think there will be as much travel, but since it's a newly created position, who knows?

Judy, you are welcome to share my pinot anytime!

But it's 5o'clock somewhere, Cushla!

Susan, I will be madly trying to come up with reasons I need to go to London!

Thanks, Diana!

You and me both, Jim! :)

Thank you, Reba!

Ugh. Got myself all ready to get to work nice and early this morning because I have a ton to do, and got rear-ended by some moron who then took off! Luckily, traffic wasn't moving fast and I actually got his license plate number, which I gave to the police officer who came to write up the incident. The damage to my car isn't too bad, but it's just such a hassle because now I have to deal with insurance and getting it repaired and I DON'T HAVE TIME!! Aaaahhahhh!

But it could have been worse, and I wasn't hurt, so that's good.

Yup, a hassle. But at least they'll chase him down and he'll get in big trouble for leaving the scene!

Congrats on the new job Katie and boo to the driver who ran into you!

Thank heavens you weren't hurt, Katie, and good that you got the jerk's plate number. I hope they throw the book at him.

Hi Katie - Thank goodness you weren't hurt. My daughter got rear ended (the woman was texting and didn't see that V. was stopped in the turn lane), and has had neck issues ever since. But what a horrible way to start the day.

1. Yay for new job!

2. Boo for being rear-ended. Glad to hear you weren't hurt.

Thank you, Jim, Rhian, Julia, Beth, and Micky! It could have been so much worse, so I'm very thankful.

Gah! Every time I log onto LT, the number of unread messages on my starred threads makes me sad. I like vacation when I have time to stay up to date!

Hi, Katie! Congrats on the new position!

Also, that Monty Python version on WH is the only version that I can stomach. Ha!

Congratulations to you, Katie!

Sorry about the turkey who hit you and ran -- what a jerk.

Wow! You have been busy! Congrats on the new position - WahHOO for you!! And total bummer about the accident - I am so thankful that you were not hurt. And that is so great that you had the presence of mind to get the jerk's tag (that's what they call a license plate in Georgia) number.

Congrats on the new position! And... hit & run, that's ridiculous. I can't believe people still do that kind of thing, especially in the day & age of smartphones. If you hadn't managed to get the plate, it's entirely likely someone else would have seen it happen & taken a photo of the culprit's plate for you. But, car repairs are a *cough*, if you know what I mean... so glad you weren't hurt. :(

Aack! I was more than 100 post behind!

Wow! Husband drove cross country and stopped to bring home flowers. Very, very wonderful!

Congratulations on the new job. I predict a lot of time being spent in Houston, unfortunately... but maybe I'll get to meet Roberta!! I hope so and I agree Houston is "unfortunate".

#207 Susan said, I hope you'll still make it to London again, but how lovely it will be to meet up with Roberta in Houston! I hope you still get to go to London too because I know how much you enjoy it. Susan Aww…thanks dear.

I am so sorry you were hit by someone. I'm glad you are okay and bummer having to deal with it all.

Now to the most important…Harry Potter. I listened to the series the summer before last while commuting to hospital/rehab for Mom. I too resisted when it first came out. I didn't get it. Jim Dale can read anything and make it enjoyable. The first two books were okay but everyone is right when they say the third book is excellent. Harry really starts coming into his own. The overall story starts taking shape. My favorite book is the sixth book because you really truly see that J.K. Rowling had a plan all along. You see the story arc playing out and she is not afraid to go the distance with the story or the characters. The sixth book for me is what sets her apart as a storyteller rather than someone who writes YA and children's books.

I liked all seven Potter books, though the last one the least because it was the last one and that made me mad. Order of the Phoenix was pretty unpleasantly teen-angsty a lot of the time. But the series is so cohesive and so beguilingly densely woven...like 1200-thread-count sheets...that I forgave all.

Hi Amber! I just looked up the Monty Python skit - TOO funny. Love it!

Thanks, Anne! That champers looks good. Add a little OJ and it would be perfectly appropriate as a 9am drink ;-)

Mamie, I'm thinking (now that I've calmed down and am not set on vengeance) that the other driver may not have known what to do or was confused or something. I think he was elderly. The good news is my insurance tracked down his insurance so they can pay up!

I know, right, Faith? That's why I am trying to give him the benefit of the doubt about driving off...

Roberta, the hubs is a gem (When he's not being a pain in the you-know-what)! I do hope we can meet up at some point when I am down your way! And thanks for the additional encouragement about Harry Potter. I think I'm convinced!

That is definitely a good endorsement, Richard! I will keep it in mind when I get to the teen-angst because I HATE that!

Took my car in to the repair place this morning and met with the insurance adjustor. I am always pleasantly surprised in my dealings with my car insurance company (Geico) - they are unfailingly helpful, polite, and kind. I should hear back this afternoon about how long the repairs will take. So far, I've opted not to get a rental because the hubs and I work basically across the street from each other and can easily car pool. If it's going to take into next week to get the car back, though, I may reconsider.

Looks like my first trip with the new job will be to New Orleans in March. Eh - at least it's not in the summer. NOLA's fine, though not a favorite destination. I may tack on a few days to make it a birthday trip for the hubs who has never been there.

Yes the teen angst in Harry Potter is very annoying but it is realistic. That's why its annoying. :)

I know Richard hates poetry but he really is a poet.

March is too early for the Jazz Festival in NOLA Katie but you will certainly be catching the early blooms in the Garden District. After the hard freeze this year, the blooms should be nice. Fingers crossed for the wildflowers too. We are due a banner year.

RD is a beat poet Roberta. I see a very passing resemblance to John Berryman other than the fellow has expired for our Long Island Laureate.

Katie - Quite an eventful day or so. Rear-ending is never ok as the judge explained to George Michael via various public conveniences. This is especially when the recipient is not willing to be prodded as was the case of course with your motor. The insurance company is goodie; must be a first.
Congratulations on your new position. Likelihood of foreign travel?

Oh, that's a nice thought, Roberta! I've only ever been to NOLA in the height or tail-end of summer. I might like spring better :-)

Oh lovely, Paul *rolls eyes* Thanks for that mental image....

I'm thinking likely less international travel, which makes me sad, but the trade-off is worth it...

NOLA isn't one of my favorite destinations, either, though I do enjoy the food and anyplace with go cups in bars is okay by me. Wave at the St. Charles streetcar from me.

And eat at Martinique!

I shall Loftily Ignore the aspersions cast upon my character, likening me to a *shudder* poet and accusing me of committing poetry.

LOL, I'll be in NOLA at the end of the month! Not my first choice either, but yes, the food and liquor make it more than tolerable. ;)

Hope you're not feeling banged up today. I wish a plague of crotch fleas upon your assailant.

...go cups in bars...
Richard, you completely missed the drive-through daiquiri shacks! :)

Richard, Darryl would be horrified to hear our lack of enthusiasm for New Orleans. But since he never comes to visit me, it serves him right ;-) I have made a note of Martinique and will check into it. My favorite restaurant there is GW Fins. And please note I was not casting aspersions upon your character......

Kathy, I'm not a huge fan of cajun and creole cuisine. I guess I'd take the former over the latter if forced to choose. I mean, it's fine but not my first choice. I do like the fresh seafood available in NOLA (GW Fins is my favorite restaurant and is mostly seafood) and liquor always makes things more tolerable :)

Jim, those remind me of the drive-through beer stores in Austin, TX. Literally through, not like a window or anything... And I wonder why my cousin decided to go to UT...

Super excited to register for Booktopia Asheville this morning! I know Mark is going to try to make it (he's tasked me with getting him registered, too) - anyone else out there thinking about it? I have not been to one of these events before, but I am registered for the one in Boulder in May. They sound fantastic, and I'm looking forward to meeting several 75ers in Boulder!

Whew! For a minute there I thought you were going to abandon the Boulder Booktopians for greener pastures in Asheville. I so wish I could do both, too, because Asheville is beautiful and I've never had a chance to spend much time there. Good luck with registering!

Heck no, Julia, I'm not abandoning it! I told the hubs instead of making him go on a 5-year anniversary trip to Amsterdam next fall (I have a conference to go to and wanted him to come along but he is not a huge fan of traveling), I would just make him take a few long weekend type trips to Booktopias this year :)

That sounds like a win-win for both of you!

But mostly for me ;-)

Whoa, Katie! I was just on the Booktopia website looking to see if the Boulder author list has been posted yet, and it looks like Asheville is already sold out?! I hope you were able to get yourself and Mark registered.

Sold out already?!?!?

I did get us both registered. I was all over that thing like white on rice as soon as it hit 11am :)

Crap - you're right. I just hit the link for registration and all 87 spots are gone...

Whew! So glad you got in. I did the same thing for Boulder — I was absolutely terrified that I was going to miss out because I was at an all-day wrestling meet that day. So I took my iPad and signed up while watching a wrestling match. The things we do when our passions conflict ...

I ignore daiquiri shacks because I dislike daiquiris.

Aspersions. All I'm sayin'.

Julia, I registered for Boulder from my iPad, too. We were in Seattle, I had my laptop all ready to go when I remember cheap-o hubs had declined to get an internet connection in the room. Luckily I have 3G on my iPad but I HATE typing on it and I was all freaked out it would take me too long and I wouldn't get a spot. Paranoid much?

Richard, I like a nice Hemingway daiquiri poolside on a hot summer day in Texas.

So sorry about you getting rear-ended but I'm very happy to hear you always have good experience with Geico. A couple of months ago we decided to do some comparison rate shopping (after being with same insurance company for about 20 years) and found we saved almost 50% (over $2000 per year) by switching to Geico. They were great to work with on the change over and glad to hear they're likely to stay that way if we have a claim.

Hmph. I refuse to speak to you or Richard until you take back your slanderous comments about New Orleans (a.k.a. Food Paradise).

*leaves thread*

(Congratulations on your new job!)

Just wanted to see if I could lure you out, Darryl ;-)

Ha! I've been slowly catching up on threads in this group, working from the bottom to the top.

Let me know if you want any NOLA restaurant recommendations.

Sorry to hear that you got rear-ended, Katie, but relieved to hear that you weren't injured.

Exciting news about getting registered for Booktopia.

Way back about a year ago, thanks for the synopsis, Katie. Now I'm all ready for the second HP! :-) You probably covered about all I need.

SO sorry about the getting rear-ended. UGH. I'm glad you're okay. Still, it's a pain in the ass. Heh.

Congrats on getting into Asheville! As you know, it's one of my favorite small cities on Earth, so I'm very excited that you'll be visiting and enjoying Malaprop's. I've been buying books there since 1983.

And congrats on the new job!!!

You've had quite a first week of the year, woman!

Big Hugs to Katie for getting us in! Hooray! Once again, I am sure there are many disappointed people. Boy, these Booktopia events sell out quick.

Ellen- I wish you could be joining us on this one.

>234 katiekrug:: Ohio has those drive-through beer places, too. So weird. Ha!

Have a wonderful weekend, Katie!

Reba, I'm sorry I missed you up there! I have very little brand loyalty, but I love Geico. They've already provided me two updates on my repair status and are chasing down El Moron's insurance company doggedly to make sure I get my deductible back. They are incredibly pleasant to deal with.

Darryl, I will definitely be in touch closer to my trip (though I guess I could dig up your recs from last fall - but I'm lazy) :)

Thanks, Judy! I'm excited (about Booktopia, not about being rear-ended)!

Ellen, it has been a busy week, but mostly in good ways (car mishap not withstanding...). I am SO looking forward to going to Asheville, not just for Booktopia but because I've wanted to visit the city for a while now. I think The Wayne and I will add at least a couple extra days so we can do some things together while there.

Mark - I'm so glad it worked out!!

I didn't know that, Amber! For some reason I thought they were unique to Texas, if not just Austin. They are pretty odd...

Thank you, Diana, you too!

New thread, people!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/164164