Lori (lkernagh) Takes Giant Steps to Reading in 2016 - Part 4

2016 is the year where I plan to read predominately books off my TBR bookcases. I have decided on a stepped approach but the idea of 136 books was too daunting to entertain, so I am going with a modified step by only having even steps from 2 to 16 for my challenge. 72 books is a much more manageable goal for me!

Because I am a sucker for punishment, I am also planning on reading Samuel Richardson's Clarissa Harlowe, or the History of a Young Lady. I will be reading the Project Gutenberg e-book version that is divided into 9 volumes, as well as my ever growing list of reading challenges. Books read for my other reading challenges can count if they also happen to fit any of my category reading.

Here are the categories:
1. Big Tomes (over 800 pages long - can include anthologies and omnibuses) - 2 books
2. Oooooh.... Shiney! (2016 acquisitions or books published in 2016) - 4 books
3. Dust Collectors (any books acquired prior to 2010 that are still unread) - 6 books
4. Books with One Word Titles - 8 books
5. Spending time with my furry friends (books that fit the various CATs, DOGs and KITs) - 10 books
6. Challenges, Challenges (for all my other challenge reading - Commonwealth, AAC, BAC, CAC, ROOT, etc) - 12 books
7. Blind Date (books chosen for me by other LT members) - 14 books
8. Catchall - 16 books

My 2016 Clarissa Read
Clarissa - adapted from the Wikipedia listing:

Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady is an epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, published in 1748. It tells the tragic story of a heroine whose quest for virtue is continually thwarted by her family, and it is regarded as the longest novel in the English language (based on estimated word count). It is generally regarded as Richardson's masterpiece.

The Doorstopper of all books. I intend to read the 9 volume story by following the dates the letters were written, but I am sure I will deviate from that plan as reading and time commitments warrant so let just say that my overall goal is to read from cover to cover all 9 volumes of Clarissa in 2016. I will report occasional status updates and, because I want to and this is my Clarissa challenge, I will count each volume as a separate book read towards my overall 2016 books read total.

1. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 1 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson - (review)
2. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 2 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson - (review)
3. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 3 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson - (review)
4. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 4 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson - (review)
5. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 5 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson - (review)
6. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 6 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson - (review)
7. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 7 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson - (review)
8. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 8 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson - (review)
9. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 9 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson - (review)

Big Tomes - (over 800 pages long - can include anthologies and omnibuses)

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - (review)
2. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts - (review)

Possibilities:
A Glastonbury Romance by John Cowper Powys (1120 pages)
Reamde by Neal Stephenson (1056 pages)
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (1024 pages)
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (1008 pages)
The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell (992 pages)
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (973 pages)
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (944 pages)
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (928 pages)
The Last Cavalier: Being the Adventures of Count Sainte-Hermine in the Age of Napoleon by Alexandre Dumas (864 pages)
Darkmans by Nicola Barker (848 pages)
London by Edward Rutherfurd (829 pages)
The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rurtherfurd (800 pages)

Oooooh.... Shiny! - (published or acquired in 2016)

1. Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers by Dominic Selwood - (review)
2. The Curious Profession of Dr. Craven by R. Harrison - (review)
3. Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz - (review)
4. The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May - (review)

Oooooh.... Shiny! Overflow

5. Forever Gentleman by Roland Colton - (review)
6. Like A River From Its Course by Kelli Stuart - (review)
7. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley - (review)
8. Poseidon & Cleito by Andrew J. Peters - (review)
9. Orcas Intrigue by Laura Gayle - (review)

Dust Collectors - (unread books acquired prior to 2010)

1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - (review)
2. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller - (review)
3. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry - (review)
4. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt - (review)
5. Enduring Love by Ian McEwan - (review)
6. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende - (review)

Books with One Word Titles

1. Driftmetal by J.C. Staudt - (review)
2. Elsewhere by Richard Russo - (review)
3. Afterimage by Helen Humphreys - (review)
4. Wicked by Gregory Maguire - (review)
5. Tulipomania by Mike Dash - (review)
6. Annabel by Kathleen Winter - (review)
7. Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco - (review)
8. Home by Marilynne Robinson - (review)

Books with One Word Titles Overflow

9. Lila by Marilynne Robinson - (review)

Spending Time with my Furry Friends - (books that fit the various CATs, DOGs and KITs)

1. Uncle Bob's Red Flannel Bible Camp: From Eden to the Ark by Steve Vernon - (review)
2. The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World's Greatest Encyclopedia by Andrew Lih - (review)
3. The Storyteller by Mario Vargas Llosa - (review)
4. St. Peter's Bones: How the Relics of the First Pope Were Lost and Found . . . and Then Lost and Found Again by Thomas J. Craughwell - (review)
5. This House of Sky by Ivan Doig - (review)
6. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - (review)
7. World War Women: Canadian Women and Total War Stacey Barker - (review)
8. Lost in Translation An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders - (review)
9. The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean - (review)
10. The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh - (review)

Spending Time with my Furry Friends Overflow

11. Antoni Gaudi: Visionary Architect of the Sacred and the Profane by Judith Carmel-Arthur - (review)

Challenges, Challenges - (Commonwealth, AAC, BAC, CAC, ROOT, etc)

1. The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill - (review) (BAC)
2. The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler - (review) (AAC)
3. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies - (review) (CAC)
4. N is for Noose by Sue Grafton - (review) (ROOT)
5. The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie - (review) (BAC)
6. At Paradise Gate by Jane Smiley - (review) (AAC)
7. There but for the by Ali Smith - (review) (BAC)
8. Tell It to the Trees by Anita Rau Badami - (review) (CAC)
9. Racism Explained to My Daughter by Tahar Ben Jelloun - (review) (DeweyCAT)
10. Silas Marner by George Eliot - (review) (BAC)
11. Double Shadow by Carl Phillips - (review) (AAC)
12. Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx - (review) (AAC)

Challenges, Challenges Overflow

13. S is for Silence by Sue Grafton - (review)
14. T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton - (review)
15. U Is For Undertow by Sue Grafton - (review)
16. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster - (review)
17. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - (review)
18. The Many Deaths of The FireFly Brothers by Thomas Mullen - (review)
19. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry - (review)

Franklin Park Library (CC BY 2.0)

Blind Date - (books chosen for me by other LT members)

1. In the Woods by Tana French - rabbitprincess - Completed FEB 11, 2016 - (review)
2. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather - kac522 - Completed NOV 14, 2016 - (review)
3. Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith - dudes22 - Completed AUG 29, 2016 -
4. A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr - RidgewayGirl - Completed AUG 29, 2016 -
5. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - japaul22 - Completed APR 19, 2016 - (review)
6. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - andreablythe - Completed MAY 23, 2016 - (review)
7. Plainsong by Kent Haruf - DeltaQueen50 - Completed DEC 31, 2016 - (review)
8. The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner - christina_reads - Completed NOV 26, 2016 - (review)
9. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - -Eva- - Completed MAR 3, 2016 - (review)
10. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell - mathgirl40 - Completed AUG 20, 2016 - (review)
11. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - AHS-Wolfy - Completed MAR 14, 2016 - (review)
12. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - Tanya-dogearedcoy - Completed APR 26, 2016 - (review)
13. City of Thieves by David Benioff - Chrischi-HH - Completed OCT 2, 2016 - (review)
14. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky - Paruline - Completed JUN 8, 2016 - (review)

Jorge Royan (CC BY SA 3.0)

Catchall

1. God's Debris: A Thought Experiment by Scott Adams - (review)
2. O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton - (review)
3. The Falconer by Elizabeth May - (review)
4. Flight of the Maidens by Jane Gardam - (review)
5. Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad - (review)
6. P is for Peril by Sue Grafton - (review)
7. A Town Called Forget by C.P. Hoff - (review)
8. Little Ways to Keep Calm and Carry On by Mark Reinecke, PhD - (review)
9. Uncommon Will: The Death and Life of Sue Rodriguez by Lisa Hobbs Birnie and Sue Rodriguez - (review)
10. His Brother's Keeper: A Story from the Edge of Medicine by Jonathan Weiner - (review)
11. Game of Mirrors by Andrea Camilleri - (review)
12. A Beam of Light by Andrea Camilleri - (review)
13. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom - (review)
14. Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton - (review)
15. R is for Richochet by Sue Grafton - (review)
16. I Remember Running by Darcy Wakefield - (review)

Catchall Overflow

17. Morrie: In His Own Words by Morrie Schwartz - (review)
18. The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb - (review)

Flickr - Klara (CC BY NC SA 2.0)

DeweyCAT
JAN: 000: Computer science, information & general works: computers, libraries, encyclopedias, journalism, museums and rare books
FEB: 100: Philosophy and psychology: the occult, dreams, logic, ethics
MAR: 200: Religion: Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc...
APR: 300 - 354: sociology, anthropology, statistics, political science, economics, law, and public administration
MAY: 355 - 399: military science, social services, criminology, education, commerce, transportation, customs, etiquette, and folklore
JUN: 400: Language: linguistics, sign language, languages
JUL: 500: Science: math, astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, fossils, prehistoric life, biology
AUG: 600: Technology: medicine, health, engineering, agriculture, home, public relations, manufacturing, and construction
SEP: 700: Arts & recreation: Arts, landscape, architecture, sculpture, decorative arts, painting, photography, cinema, music, sports, and entertainment
OCT: 800: Literature: poetry, essays, speeches, drama, humor, satire
NOV: 900 - 939: world history, geography, travel, biography, genealogy, and ancient history
DEC: 940 - 999: history of Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, Oceania and extraterrestrial worlds

Books Read:
Books Read:
JAN (000) - The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World's Greatest Encyclopedia by Andrew Lih (031) -
FEB (100) - God's Debris: A Thought Experiment by Scott Adams (110) -
MAR (200) - St. Peter's Bones by Thomas J. Craughwell (274.5634) -
APR (300-354) - Racism Explained to My Daughter by Tahar Ben Jelloun (305.8) - (review)
MAY (355-399) - World War Women: Canadian Women and Total War Stacey Barker (355.0082) -
JUN (400) - Lost in Translation An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders (410) -
JUL (500) - The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean (546) -
AUG (600) - Tulipomania by Mike Dash (635.93432) -
SEP (700) - Antoni Gaudi: Visionary Architect of the Sacred and the Profane by Judith Carmel-Arthur (720.92) -

Flickr - Sam Howzit (CC BY 2.0)

American Author Challenge

JAN: Anne Tyler - The Clock Winder -
FEB: Richard Russo - Elsewhere -
MAR: Jane Smiley - At Paradise Gate -
APR: Poetry Month - Double Shadow by Carl Phillips -
MAY: Ivan Doig - This House of Sky by Ivan Doig -
JUN: Annie Proulx - Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx -
JUL: John Steinbeck
AUG: Joyce Carol Oates
SEP: John Irving
OCT: Michael Chabon
NOV: Annie Dillard
DEC: Don DeLillo

Flickr - Iker Merodio (CC BY ND 2.0)

British Author Challenge

JAN: Susan Hill & Barry Unsworth - The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill -
FEB: Agatha Christie & William Dalrymple - The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie -
MAR: Ali Smith & Thomas Hardy - There but for the by Ali Smith -
APR: George Eliot & Hanif Kureishi - Silas Marner by George Eliot -
MAY: Jane Gardam & Robert Goddard - Flight of the Maidens by Jane Gardam -
JUN: Lady Antonia Fraser & Joseph Conrad - Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad -
JUL: Bernice Rubens & H.G. Wells
AUG: Diana Wynne-Jones & Ian McEwan
SEP: Doris Lessing & Laurie Lee
OCT: Kate Atkinson & William Golding
NOV: Rebecca West & Len Deighton
DEC: WEST YORKSHIRE writers
Wildcard : Rumer Godden and George Orwell

------------------------
Examples of West Yorkshire Writers:
SIMON ARMITAGE - Huddersfield
STAN BARSTOW - Wakefield
ALAN BENNETT - Leeds
JOHN BRAINE - Bradford
ANNE BRONTE - Bradford
CHARLOTTE BRONTE - Bradford
EMILY BRONTE - Bradford
LINDSAY CLARKE - Halifax
HELEN FIELDING - Leeds
GEORGE GISSING - Wakefield
TONY HARRISON - Leeds
TED HUGHES - Halifax (nearby Mytholmroyd)
DAVID PEACE - Wakefield
CARYL PHILLIPS - Leeds
J.B. PRIESTLEY - Bradford
ARTHUR RANSOME - Leeds
PETER ROBINSON - Leeds
DAVID STOREY - Wakefield
KEITH WATERHOUSE - Leeds

creativecommons.org - Spatial Mongrel (CC BY)

Canadian Author Challenge

JAN: Robertson Davies, Kim Thúy - Fifth Business by Robertson Davies -
FEB: Helen Humphreys, Stephen Leacock - Afterimage by Helen Humphreys -
MAR: Farley Mowat, Anita Rau Badami - Tell It to the Trees by Anita Rau Badami -
APR: Margaret Atwood, Michael Crummey
MAY: Michel Tremblay, Emily St. John Mandel
JUN: Timothy Findley Joseph Boyden
JUL: LM Montgomery, Pierre Berton
AUG: Mordechai Richler, Gabrielle Roy
SEP: Miriam Toews, Dany Laferrière
OCT: Lawrence Hill, Jane Urquhart
NOV: Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Laurence
DEC: Alice Munro, Rawi Hage

BingoDOG
1. Less than 200 pages - The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill -
2. Senior Citizen as a Protagonist - At Paradise Gate by Jane Smiley -
3. Survival Story - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini -
4. About an Airplane Flight
5. About a Writer (fiction or nonfiction) - Elsewhere by Richard Russo -
6. About the Environment - Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx -
7. Author born in 1916
8. Autobiography or Memoir - This House of Sky by Ivan Doig -
9. Adventure - The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch -
10. One-Word Title - Afterimage by Helen Humphreys -
11. Title has a Musical Reference
12. Title Uses Wordplay - The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler -
13. Read a CAT - God's Debris: A Thought Experiment by Scott Adams -
14. A Body of Water in the Title
15. About/by an Indigenous Person - The Storyteller by Mario Vargas Llosa -
16. Food is Important
17. Published before you were born - The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie -
18. Features a Theater
19. Debut Book - In the Woods by Tana French -
20. In Translation - Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky -
21. Focus on Art
22. Coming of Age Story - The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly -
23. Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga or BD
24. Self-Published - Driftmetal by J.C. Staudt -
25. You want the Protagonist's Job or Hobby - The Falconer by Elizabeth May -

Woman BingoPUP
1. By a New-to-you" female author - The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill -
2. By a female author who was over 60 years of age when the book was first published - Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx -
3. By a female African author
4. By a female author using a male pseudonym
5. By a female author from the Middle East
6. By or about women set in Latin America or Asia
7. By female author made into a movie - Silas Marner by George Eliot -
8. About a female critter (alien, animal, fantasy creature, mineral)
9. By a woman published before 2000 - The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler -
10. By or about women set in Europe, Australia, or New Zealand - There but for the by Ali Smith -
11. Different genre than you normally read by female author who wrote in different genres
12. An award winner by a woman writer - Annabel by Kathleen Winter -
13. Any book written by or about a woman - Afterimage by Helen Humphreys -
14. Mystery by a female author from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction (1920's & 1930's) - The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie -
15. Poetry or plays written by a woman
16. About a woman/women in non-traditional roles - The Falconer by Elizabeth May -
17. by a woman published less than 10 years ago - In the Woods by Tana French -
18. By or about a woman/women from your "to be read" pile - Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky -
19. An autobiography, memoir, or correspondence by a woman
20. About a female spy
21. A short story collection by a woman
22. About women in science
23. About women in combat - World War Women: Canadian Women and Total War Stacey Barker -
24. About a female ruler
25. By a female African American author

Next one's yours! Welcome to my 2016 thread - Part 4, which is now open for business!

Happy new thread! You're making great progress on your walking challenge :) I am glad to hear that reading has been helpful in providing both comfort and knowledge-power. Long may it continue.

I'm sorry to hear about your mum. I totally understand how difficult it is when you are away from a loved one when they are not well, having recently been though it too.

I hope you manage to enjoy some of your reading time, light and fluffy is perfect sometimes, especially after trawling though medical text.

Happy new thread from me too. I'm glad reading has helped, and I'm glad that the countdown to actually seeing your mum isn't too long now!

Happy new thread!!

Happy New Thread! Your walking progress is really impressive. I have no doubt you'll reach your goal. Hope you have a good trip to see your mom. your support will be really important to her.

Happy New Thread! Glad you are "back" (at least enough to create a new thread).

>18 rabbitprincess: - Thanks RP! The walking and the reading have both been great for allowing me to get informed, deflate stress and unwind. Walking may dwindle over the next two weeks while I am home visiting family but the lack of walking will be rewarded with unlimited time with my mom and family, so a great shift in balance. ;-)

>19 Roro8: - Thank you for your kind thoughts Ro. There are days when I feel that I have a handle on this and there are days when the smallest most inexplicable thing can trigger a bout of crying, because of the memories the item/thought/ generates. I am coping and looking forward to seeing mom tomorrow. On the reading front, I do have some wonderful fluff reading on my phone that I am hoping to dip into over the coming weeks.

>20 Jackie_K: - Thanks Jackie! The reading is helping. Actually, the recent spat of reading has already given me an idea for next year's challenge, so I am good for escapism reading AND have my 2017 reading challenge all lined up.

>21 VictoriaPL: - Thanks Victoria!

>22 dudes22: - Hi Betty, I have to admit that while I looked at a map of Canada more times then I care to count, the fact that I am half way through the fourth province (Manitoba) and only barely 1/3 of the way through my walking challenge, is a bit astounding. I am chomping at the bit and will probably not sleep tonight in preparation for my early morning flight home tomorrow - probably a good thing since I still need to pack and consider what books to bring with me. ;-)

>23 thornton37814: - Thanks Lori! I don't want to disappear from LT. I love the LT community too much to disappear completely, unless it is without choice. I am hoping this trip home will also provide me with the opportunity to get back into LT thread reading, but we shall see. Apparently, my mom has a very busy schedule for me while I am home. I am looking forward to the tasks she has set for me as it will also mean spending good quality time with mom.

----------------------
Happy Friday and Happy Weekend everyone! I am now officially on vacation for 15 days and I really should be busy packing my bag and getting organized for my flight home tomorrow morning but I wanted to get caught up with my threads and and post some more reviews while I have the opportunity to do so with my home computer and not struggle with my tablet while on traveling.

Now for those reviews....

Book #61 - Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 6 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: My 2016 Clarissa Read
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: ebook
Original publication date: 1748
Acquisition date: October 27, 2015
Page count: 286 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.90 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the LT book summary:

Based on the 18th century novel by Samuel Richardson, this is the original tale of fatal attraction and dangerous liaisons. A wealthy young heiress, famed for her virtue, is sought by a man wishing to seduce her and destroy her reputation. For the first time in his life he becomes genuinely infatuated with his prey, and sows the seeds of his own fate.

Review:
Volume 6 Summary: A bit of excitement in this volume as Clarissa exhibits sudden fits of feistiness and calculated planning that has even Lovelace having moments of panic – not something I would have expected given that Lovelace has appeared to be the one in control up until now. What still continues to baffle me is “why”…. Why does Lovelace continue to plague Clarissa? I mean, I know that some individuals will persist in a course of action contrary to the desires of the object of interest, but even Lovelace must realize this really has gone too far, even for him! Of course, I was clapping my hands with joy when the events at the end of Volume 6 unfolded. Well played Clarissa!

Book #62 - I Remember Running by Darcy Wakefield
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Catchall
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Hard cover
Original publication date: 2005
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 177 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

A little over a year ago, Darcy Wakefield was a single, 33-year-old, athletic, workaholic English professor, a vegetarian who had never had a serious health problem or injury. Then she was diagnosed with ALS, and her world turned upside down. I Remember Running is Darcy's story of change and loss and challenges during her first year with ALS, as she struggles to make sense of her diagnosis and redefine herself in the face of this terminal illness. With unflagging courage, wit, and eloquence, Darcy shares what she calls her "fast-forward" life, a life in which she applies for disability, leaves her job, and plans her own funeral as well as meets and moves in with her true love, buys a house, and gives birth to her first child in less time than it takes most of us to accomplish even one of these things. Beautifully written and wholly inspiring, I Remember Running proves that it is possible to live a rich, meaningful life after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. This book will move readers to see the world in a different light.

Review:
Chronicling Wakefield's life from February 2003 through December 2004, this one is filled with wonderful life lessons that will benefit any reader. Wakefield's honesty pours out of the pages of this one along with a lot of practical advice about ALS - everything from replacing running with swimming (until she also had to give up swimming), accepting the fact that it is okay to let people help you (difficult after a life of self-reliance), that there isn't (or wasn't at the time this book was being written) a decent leg or arm brace on the market that didn't cut into some part of the wearer's body, and that it is okay to take things slowly and observe the world around you. Her statement, that Anticipate your needs well in advance is the unofficial bumper sticker of the ALS community, is an apt one when she explains two month waits for things like leg braces and shower seats. Even with such a difficult topic, Wakefield keeps her perspective on the positive side, even while admitting that some days were really hard to face. My favorite inspirational quote from this one:

Sometimes you need to be handed a challenge bigger than anything you could have imagined in order to see the goodness in every day, in the small things, and in order to discover the huge, endless reservoir of courage within yourself, just waiting to be tapped, just waiting for you to dip in and draw from it.

An excellent first person account of what a difficult terminal illness like ALS can and cannot take away from a person.

Book #63 - Morrie: In His Own Words by Morrie Schwartz
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Catchall
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Paperback
Original publication date: 1997
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 127 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.85 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from various sources:

In 1994, at the age of seventy-seven, Morrie Schwartz learned he had ALS. Undaunted, the former professor embraced his illness, choosing to live passionately and calmly until the end. He also embarked on his greatest teaching adventure: sharing his evolving knowledge of living while dying. Whether you or a loved one is healthy or ill, young or old, there is invaluable wisdom here that can enrich your life. With warmth, wisdom, and humor, Morrie reveals how to ... live fully in the moment ... tap into the powers of the mind to transcend physical limitations ... grieve for your losses ... reach out to family and friends ... develop an inner space for meditation and spiritual connection. Morrie's life-affirming insights will help you take stock of where you are now and where you may want to be.

Review:
If you have read and thought Mitch Albom’s Tuesday’s with Morrie touched your heart, this book will overwhelm you, in a good way. Schwartz’s philosophical approach to living life is inspirational. Reading this book really made me take a good hard look at my life priorities. What he says about our race for success and how our society is geared towards individualism over community really rings true for me. The book is filled with messages around accepting who we are, what we are capable of and that being a more open, loving, forgiving and accepting person are the keys to reaching peace within yourself. You will probably have heard all of this before, but Schwartz’s humble, honest explanations bring it all home and empowered this reader to start examining and building an internal peace of my own. This was one of those rare library book reads that I will now be racing out to purchase a copy of my own so that I can read it over and over again. READ IT. You will thank yourself for doing so.

Book #64 - S is for Silence by Sue Grafton - audiobook read by Judy Kaye
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 2005
Acquisition date: July 14, 2013
Page count: 12 hours, 7 minutes listening time / 368 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.80 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

Cases don’t get much colder than that of Violet Sullivan, who disappeared from her rural California town in 1953, leaving behind an abusive husband and a seven-year-old named Daisy. But P.I. Kinsey Millhone has promised Daisy she’ll try her best to locate Violet, dead or alive. All signs point to a runaway wife—the clothes that disappeared; the secret stash of money Violet bragged about; the brazen flirtations she indulged in with local men, including some married ones. Kinsey tries to pick up a trail by speaking to those who remember her—and perhaps were more involved in her life than they let on. But the trail could lead her somewhere very dangerous. Because the case may have gone cold, but some peoples’ feelings about Violet Sullivan still run as hot as ever…

Review:
Grafton appears to be have developed an interest in writing cold case mysteries for Kinsey to solve. I am good with that. I love cold cases…. There is something about sifting through evidence that has already gone through police scrutiny, been abandoned for decades and when investigated with a new set of eyes, a new thread, a new line of inquiry comes to light. This time, Grafton added a new element to her bag of story-telling tricks: the use of a series of flashback chapters, enabling the family, friends, and other community members of missing person Violet to inform the reader of the events of the days in the lead up to the July 4, 1953 disappearance. At first, I wasn’t sure how well this was going to work – I have gotten rather used to these stories starting with Kinsey’s usual monologue – so I was a bit disorientated when chapter one started off back in 1953. Once I got my bearings, I was able to settle in for yet another good Kinsey Millhone read.

Happy new thread, Lori!

I'm really sorry about your mother's diagnosis. Enjoy your visit with her.

Hi Lori, I am so happy that you are finally able to be with your Mom. I am also happy that you have been able to deal with the stress and uncertainty with your reading and walking. Have a great visit with your family.

All the hugs to your mamal! The herb garden looks amazing as well.

Happy new thread! I hope you've been enjoying your time with your Mom.

Hope you are having a good visit with your mom. Also, well done being 1/3 through you trek.

Happy holiday Monday to all my Canadian visitors celebrating a provincially designated holiday today. If I was a home, I would be celebrating BC Day today, but as I am in Alberta, I will be joining my family in celebrating Heritage Day with a BBQ this evening.

The visit home has been great if busy. I went to a lot of medical appointments with mom this past week - information sessions, testing, results feedback, etc. So far this week will be quieter on the medical appointment front. I have also been busy testing some high calorie menu options that my mom can/will eat now that she is on a modified food diet. As it is summer time and she can eat all the high fat/high carb/ high calorie foods she wants, ice cream has become a favorite "food group" for mom. ;-) The weather has been fantastic, even with the nightly thunderstorms with heavy rains and sometimes hail. The storms have consistently happened between 5 and 7 pm so no big impact on enjoying the sunshine during the day time.

On the reading front, not much reading happening. Too busy. I have managed to keep up with my Clarissa reading and I am almost at the halfway mark in Sam Kean's The Disappearing Spoon which is both a ROOT read and a DeweyCat read.

>30 mstrust: - Thanks Jenn! As a family, we have come to terms with the diagnosis, even though we are still working through all the pre-planning and caregiver responsibilities that are part and parcel of such a diagnosis.

>31 DeltaQueen50:- Thanks Judy. It has been a good visit. It was a bit of a shock to see Mom looking even frailer that she did back in March (my last trip home) when I walked in the door so the focus has been on building up her energy levels as best we can.

>32 -Eva-: - Thanks Eva! Hugs duly distributed to Mom. I left my herb garden in the care of my other half so it should be flourishing when I get home. He has a reliable green thumb. ;-)

>33 mathgirl40: - Thanks Paulina. It has been a good visit and i love how I still have 6 more days before I have to head home.

>34 LittleTaiko: - Thanks Stacey. I haven't gotten in an walking since landing in Alberta - except for walking in grocery stores, etc - and probably won't be back to my walking routine until I am back home.

Glad to hear you are having a good visit and that your mom is enjoying lots of ice cream! Hope the weather continues to be nice and that you have a good rest of the visit. All the best to your mom.

Ice cream is my favorite staple food! :)

Glad to hear you had a good visit with your Mom. Lots of ice cream is much more appealing than most modified diets. My thoughts are with you.

I'm trying to get caught up with things again, so dropping a note. Hi!

Enjoy every minute with your mom, Lori.

Catching up with you Lori. You have been on my mind. I'm glad you are able to do some research on ALS. It can be very overwhelming. Don't forget you need support and I highly encourage a support group. Support groups can be an incredible resource for practical information.

As always, I'm impressed with your walking. Love that you are reading the Kinsey Millhone mysteries. They are one of my besties favorites. I've only read A!

Hi everyone. Poking my head in to say hello, to thank everyone for the well wishes and to provide a bit of a status update. Life is good.... watch word in the household is "Focus on the positives" and it really helps. It has pretty much become my mantra, even for work! I have been back home on the island for over the past two weeks and it has been a bit of a jarring experience after spending 18 days 24/7 with my Mom and Dad. We remain in direct contact but I still cringe when Dad has to report any minor health emergencies "after the fact" to me. That is not easy to take in. The last few weeks have also been spend trying to convince Mom that a move out of their 4-level split "house of stairs" into a single level condo (with disability-accessible bath features already installed) and in close proximity to their current home as being good idea and financially feasible. So far, "No Go" on selling this idea to my Mom (everyone in the family has tried, with different tactics), and it is raising my stress levels a little bit. Now, I should mention that my Mom has a stubborn streak (and is probably where I get my stubborn streak from) so I am not totally surprised she is voicing an opinion contrary to what we see as being common sense and logical. Her wishes are being respected so the family is now working on plans B, C and potentially D for when the ALS progresses and she is no longer able to walk (which is why we were going for the wheelchair accessible condo in the first place).

On the weather front... Victoria has experienced a couple of days of a heat wave, which completely disappeared today with a cold front and winds off the water (which I was very thankful for as I don't have air-conditioning).

On the reading front, I continue to distract myself with some reading / audiobooks and I do have some rather quick book reviews to provide as an update.

On the gardening front, the current garden continues to do well, although I am scaling back any plans so that I can "lift and shift" if I need to and abandon the garden in the process.

On the walking front, I have been scaling back my walking a bit and relying more on public transportation (I am not a big fan of walking in the scorching sun/heat). Still managing to log some early morning walking and will post an update.

Other than that.... life goes on.

... now for responses and updates

>37 rabbitprincess: - Thanks RP! The visit was wonderful, even though it was hard to head out to the airport had fly home. I love ice cream and was happy that it was such an easy sell to my mom as a calorie enhancer! Even better, I was able to experiment while there and made some fresh mango ice cream. I think I need to invest in an ice cream maker!

>38 -Eva-: - Ice cream is an awesome food group, Eva! I have worked in the past with the provincial dietitian and even she agrees that one should accept the fact that ice cream has a lot of good nutritional qualities to it and shouldn't be shunned as a food. ;-)

>39 VivienneR: - Visit was great Vivienne... just way too short. I am now looking forward to going back in December.... which seems so far away!

>40 andreablythe: - Love the Hi, Andrea! Sending a happy "Hi" back to you!

>41 RidgewayGirl: - Thanks Ridgeway. The time was great, although too short. I am looking forward to my next trip back.

>42 luvamystery65: - Thanks Roberta! Mom is doing good, all things considered (although, we all believe that she is in a bit of denial, which isn't helping matters). It is hard when you can suddenly see the progressive decline in a certain area. She is now using walkers at all times to try and prevent any future falls (knowing that a walker isn't a guarantee of protection against a future fall). Mom is already connected with her local ALS society and I have to say, I am blown away by the level of responsiveness of the Neurosciences team assigned to her... they are amazing! They are so tapped into her monitoring that even what was scheduled for a short 45 minute meeting with the physical therapist was instantly transformed into a 3 hour session with five doctors/specialists checking Mom's status against basepoints and making instantaneous adjustments to her care projectory.

As for me, I have already tapped into the confidential services available to employees where I work for support and they have provided all the connections, so good on my end, even though I do have the odd period where something completely minor triggers a bit of a cry-feast for me. Overall, I am good and happy to have the fantastic support of LT members and the resources available to me to deal with this.

As I don't make the rounds of threads like I used to, I hope you are also doing well.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

WEEKS 54-58 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked each week: Week 54 - 36.22 KM: Week 55 - 0 KM: Week 56 - 0 KM: Week 57 - 42.12 KM: Week 58 - 26.85 KM.
Kilometers walked in total: 2,612.43
Current province: (MB)
My current location on the map: East of Winnipeg, heading for Paradise Village.
Points of interest along the way: Passed through the rural municipality of Headingly and was surprised to discover that Headingly has an automobile and petroleum memorabilia museum, a collection amassed and then donated by a local family. And here I thought the automobile and petroleum memorabilia museum I had visited in Calgary last year was rather unique.... Guess not! Winnipeg is known as the Canadian "Gateway to the West". Having visited family in Winnipeg, my memories of the city are one of temperature extremes - bitter cold winters (that seem to go on forever) and home to the largest mosquitoes during the heat wave summer months. So, where do Winnipegers go when summer hits? A lot of them head to the beach:


Grand Beach, Lake Winnipeg: Robert Linsdell - Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Winnipeg is also home for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The building itself, designed by architect Antoine Predock, is a bit of an eye-catcher:


Canadian Museum for Human Rights at The Forks: Ccyyrree - Wikipedia (CC0)


Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Forks: Robert Linsdell - Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Book #65 - Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 7 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: My 2016 Clarissa Read
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: ebook
Original publication date: 1748
Acquisition date: October 27, 2015
Page count: 293 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the LT book summary:

Based on the 18th century novel by Samuel Richardson, this is the original tale of fatal attraction and dangerous liaisons. A wealthy young heiress, famed for her virtue, is sought by a man wishing to seduce her and destroy her reputation. For the first time in his life he becomes genuinely infatuated with his prey, and sows the seeds of his own fate.

Review:
Volume 7 Summary: I continue to be amazed at all that Clarissa experiences/ encounters/ endures. I am not surprised that she is thinking of closure and good no her for continuing to want nothing to do with Lovelace. That man is despicable beyond belief. If I hadn’t been so horrified by the unexpected turn of events Clarissa encountered (and which even Lovelace was shocked to learn about!), I would have laughed at how even the master of manipulation was not in control of all events as they unfold. Thank goodness there are people in the story like Lovelace’s friend Belford to try and balance out the wrongs of Lovelace and Clarissa’s family. Yes, I continue to point a finger at the Harlowes for their mean-spirited condemnation of Clarissa’s plight. Anyways…. Onwards I read.

Book #66 - T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton - audiobook read by Judy Kaye
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 2007
Acquisition date: July 14, 2013
Page count: 12 hours, 30 minutes listening time / 384 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

A miser and a hoarder, Gus Vronsky is so crotchety that after he takes a bad fall, his only living relative is anxious to find him some hired help and get back home as soon as she can. In an effort to help, Gus's neighbor, private investigator Kinsey Millhone, runs a check on an applicant for the job, Solana Rojas. Social Security, driver's license, nursing certification: It all checks out. And it sounds like she did a good job for her former employers. So Kinsey gives her the thumbs-up, figuring Gus will be the ideal assignment for this diligent, experienced caregiver. And the real Solana Rojas was indeed an excellent caregiver. But the woman who has stolen her identity is not, and for her, Gus will be the ideal victim...

Review:
Without a doubt, this is my favorite Kinsey Millhone read so far. The story starts out with a rather mundane shadowing of Kinsey as she engages in the more routine aspects of her day-to-day detective work – serving papers on a deadbeat dad, conducting a background check and working on a car accident insurance case. Even the neighbourly assistance of contacting Gus’ relative and convincing her to come out the California to see to Gus gives the impression of a bit of a ho-hum read. Nothing could be further from the truth. Grafton does a fantastic job mapping out a case of identity theft and a shocking tale of elder abuse. Unlike previous Kinsey Millhone stories, the focus is not on a mystery to solve, although the details regarding accounts of the insurance case could qualify as the mystery in this story. The reader is informed upfront about the identity theft. The story is more an escalating battle of wits as Kinsey finds herself up against an advisory who is devious, cunning and a master manipulator who knows just how to turn the tables when she thinks someone is on to her. The character profile of Solana is amazing in its detail. Following on the heels of S is for Silence, Grafton makes use of two narrators, Kinsey and Solana, to enable Grafton to present to the reader the inner workings of Solana’s mind. let me tell you, that is one disturbing woman! The topic of a caregiver preying on the individual they have been hired to care for was a deeply disturbing topic for me and part of the reason why I found this to be such a “page-turning” audioread. The details of how Solana infiltrates a person life and sequesters them from any outside contact is very disturbing. As with the previous books in the series, Grafton’s skill at ratcheting up the tension/ suspense is evident.

Book #67 - The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Spending Time With My Furry Friends
CAT(s): DeweyCAT
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2010
Acquisition date: May 2, 2015
Page count: 416 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why is gallium (Ga, 31) the go-to element for laboratory pranksters? The Periodic Table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. THE DISAPPEARING SPOON masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery--from the Big Bang through the end of time.

Review:
A great read for any chemistry geeks out there. I loved the stories Kean incorporates into this one but overall, I found it to be a tad heavy on the science, so really best geared as a read for chemistry/ periodic table geeks first.

Book #68 - The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2010
Acquisition date: May 11, 2014
Page count: 512 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.90 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

The year is 1799, the place Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor, the Japanese Empire’s single port and sole window onto the world, designed to keep the West at bay. To this place of devious merchants, deceitful interpreters, and costly courtesans comes Jacob de Zoet, a devout young clerk who has five years in the East to earn a fortune of sufficient size to win the hand of his wealthy fiancée back in Holland. But Jacob’s original intentions are eclipsed after a chance encounter with Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured midwife to the city’s powerful magistrate. The borders between propriety, profit, and pleasure blur until Jacob finds his vision clouded, one rash promise made and then fatefully broken—the consequences of which will extend beyond Jacob’s worst imaginings.

Review:
This is one of those slow, simmering reads that creeps up on the reader... or I just developed a fascination when the whole British/Dutch trade wars surfaced. Overall, an interesting glimpse into a cloistered Japan, but I still find Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha to be the better read, IMO, although the theme of 'prisoner' in all it's forms that runs through this one was rather interesting to note.

Book #69 - Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Dust Collectors
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 1997
Acquisition date: February 22, 2009
Page count: 272 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the public library book listing webpage:

In one of the most striking opening scenes ever written, a bizarre ballooning accident and a chance meeting give birth to an obsession so powerful that an ordinary man is driven to the brink of madness and murder by another's delusions. Ian McEwan brings us an unforgettable story—dark, gripping, and brilliantly crafted—of how life can change in an instant.

Review:
I now understand the love - hate relationship some readers have with McEwan's works. Yes, he is a master at capturing the personalities of obsession, compulsion, mania, etc. As much as I loved Amsterdam, Enduring Love really came across to me as nothing more than a deep dive, self-absorbed navel gazing experience, even if it was a disturbing read. McEwan has a gift for capturing the minutiae of personal life but I kind of question why I require this level of detail to appreciate the subject of obsession and obsessive love. Yes, McEwan's details of Erotomania or de Clérambault's syndrome, is an interesting presentation and it works, but seemed like a bit of a slog to wade through the minor details just to comprehend the story arch and plot development. Just a little on the heavy detail / minutiae side. I am still not totally turned off from any further McEwan reading but I will be reserving the books I still need to read for when I am in the mood for the rather depressive topics McEwan writes about.

Sorry I'm a little late saying I'm glad you had a good visit with your family. And it sounds like (post #45) your Mom has a good support system where she is. My mother was also very stubborn about not leaving her house even when she should have. I always thought that the idea of moving/getting rid of stuff was what really held her back no matter what she said. The idea of the turmoil was overwhelming for her. If she has family and friends that can help, sometimes it's best to just let it go.

>49 lkernagh: - I was thinking that I'd take a BB for this one, but decided not too. I really never liked chemistry that much. I was thinking the odd stories would be interesting, but since you think it's heavy on the science, maybe I'll skip it.

Hi Lori, I was glad to see the cooler weather as well. I don't do hot weather well. Perhaps your Mom just needs to take a little more time to adjust and will be more open to moving in a few months. I know how daunting it is to face up to move when you've been in one place for some time.

I'm glad you had a good visit. Be kind to yourself these days! And Being Mortal by Atul Gawande taught me a great deal about balancing our need for them to be as secure as possible and their need to stay where they are comfortable.

I adored the Mitchell book. I'm pondering a reread.

>50 lkernagh: I have acquired a few of David Mitchell's books, including this one, so I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it. One of these days I'll get around to reading more of his work.

A stubborn streak is not a bad thing to have (albeit frustrating for those around you) as I think she'll probably be independent much longer than someone not so stubborn - because she just won't give up. :) There's your silver lining... Now, the worrying about her is not helped by that, of course, and I hope when the day comes that she will be comfortable with the decision. Sending lots of hugs and strength your way!

Also, checked in on your Google map - you've done so well!! Congrats!

Just dropping by to say hello. Best of luck with your mother.

Hi everyone. As my mom says, "Things are plugging along." We are resigned to mom staying in the house of stairs for the time being. Chair lifts have been added to two of the stairwells so she now can access three levels of the house without having to struggle walking up or down stairs, so that is a good things. She quite likes riding the chairs so it has been providing her with some enjoyment at the same time.

On my home front, I have gotten back into the swing of puttering around in the kitchen during the weekends. This past weekend I purchased a new small appliance that I have had fun experimenting with - A Ninja Express Chop:



There is a bit of a back story to this purchase. When I was visiting my folks a few weeks back, I noticed that mom didn't own a food processor. Given that she is now pureeing everything she eats, I went shopping, came home with pictures of some options and we went for the Ninja. What I really love about it is that to operate it all one has to do is press down on the big silver button on top. No fussing with small buttons that can be hard to depress, especially if one has no strength in their fingers/hands. You can even use an elbow to start it and it automatically stops when pressure is removed from the button. Absolutely brilliant. Anyways, I had so much fun chopping stuff up at my parents place that I went out this past weekend and bought one for myself. So far, I have made pesto (my basil plant was in desperate need of harvesting!), salsa and I used it to grate/fine chop carrots for carrot raisin muffins.

On the weather front... Summer is over and fall is starting to shows its presence with some cooler mornings and some rain (yahoo!).

On the reading front, reading continues at a good clip. I have managed to finish three more books to close out my August reading. Currently listening to The Glass Palace as a ROOT read and a September GeoCAT read as well as reading a print copy of Tulipomania as another ROOT read and as a fit for the August DeweyCAT.

When I am not reading, I have been dipping back into watching British murder mysteries. Currently watching season one of Agatha Raisin and loving it! Also, starting to work through all of the Midsomer Mysteries in order of telecast.

On the gardening front, I planted some leafy greens (mustard, Russian red kale and Swiss chard) in some large pots that will grow indoors this fall. Fell behind in my rotation cycle for cilantro and had to resort to buying a bunch of cilantro from the store this weekend. Should be 2-3 weeks before I have fresh cilantro ready for harvesting.

On the walking front, I have been scaling back my walking a bit and relying more on public transportation (I am not a big fan of walking in the scorching sun/heat). Still managing to log some early morning walking and will post an update.

Other than that.... life goes on.

... now for responses and updates.

>52 dudes22: - Thanks Betty. The visit was wonderful. The support is there, although I did have to remind mom this weekend that she needs to accept the fact that it is okay to ask for assistance. I thought that would mean that she would contact my siblings for more assistance but she decided instead to make arrangements for home care services - another support that is provided as part of the program. She has an RN coming to the house to check in on things so, yes, I feel better know that so many professionals are keeping tabs on her, even though we have had to resign ourselves to not making any immediate plans to relocate her to a single level dwelling. As you have personally experienced, at some point the clean out of the house has to occur. Sometimes the timing is not the best but we will just have to deal with that the best we can.

>53 DeltaQueen50: - I am so happy for the cooler weather, Judy! I do have my fingers crossed that maybe in the New Year Mom will be more receptive to a change. Time will tell.

>54 RidgewayGirl: - Thanks! I am working on the "be kind to me" bit. I can down with a dodgy stomach Sunday night. I ended up taking a sick day and slept most of Monday. Kind of reminded me that I can't keep rushing around like the Energizer Bunny, so plans are for some early nights this week and pacing myself. ;-) Thank you so much for the recommendation of Being Mortal. Adding that one to my library request list!

>55 AHS-Wolfy: - Hi Dave, I have loved the two Mitchell books I have read so far - Black Swan Green and Jacob de Zoet. I have Cloud Atlas still waiting in the wings. One of these days I will get around to reading that one as well.

>56 -Eva-: - Thanks Eva and excellent point! I know Mom was super upset when she was informed by the family that she could no longer drive, but she has been able to maintain her independence in other ways and she does now realize why we made that decision when we did, so here is hoping she will come around to other decisions as we need to make them.

>57 BookLizard: - Thanks!

Book #70 - Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Dust Collectors
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: Set in Lartin America or Asia
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2000
Acquisition date: September 27, 2009
Page count: 416 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.70 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

An orphan raised in Valparaiso, Chile, by a Victorian spinster and her rigid brother, vivacious young Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Entering a rough-and-tumble world of new arrivals driven mad by gold fever, Eliza moves in a society of single men and prostitutes with the help of her good friend and savior, the Chinese doctor Tao Chi'en. California opens the door to a new life of freedom and independence for the young Chilean, and her search for her elusive lover gradually turns into another kind of journey. By the time she finally hears news of him, Eliza must decide who her true love really is.

Review:
A solid historical fiction piece with a strong, independent-minded heroine set against the wonderful backdrop of 19th century Chile and the California Gold Rush of 1849. This story has all of the trappings of a satisfying historical fiction read: solid grounding in historical facts; interesting multi-faceted characters; vividly drawn backdrops of Chile, Canton, China and California; a wonderful ethnic mix English, Chinese, Chilean, Mexican and Americans; and steady pacing for the adventure the reader embarks upon with young Eliza. This one has all other qualities of an epic read with a lighter touch… I didn’t feel as though I was being dragged through some sweeping saga, like I do with some epic reads. Allende keeps the story grounded with the focus trained on her handful of key characters, given a more intimate, personal impression of the historically expansive California Gold Rush and the three continents the story is set in.

A delightful historical fiction read and I now understand why Allende is considered to be such a gifted novelist.

Book #71 - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): GeoCAT (August - Sub-Saharan Africa)
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2002
Acquisition date: May 11, 2014
Page count: 256 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.50 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Precious Ramotswe is the eminently sensible and cunning proprietor of the only ladies’ detective agency in Botswana. In Tears of the Giraffe she tracks a wayward wife, uncovers an unscrupulous maid, and searches for an American man who disappeared into the plains many years ago. In the midst of resolving uncertainties, pondering her impending marriage to a good, kind man, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, and the promotion of her talented secretary (a graduate of the Botswana Secretarial College, with a mark of 97 per cent), she also finds her family suddenly and unexpectedly increased by two.

Review:
McCall Smith continues to enthrall me with this second book in his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I really like how he manages to weave connected stories together, allowing the reader to enjoy the mysteries while at the same time obtaining a better insight into the day-to-day lives of the characters against the Botswanan backdrop. These stories fit into what I consider to be cozy/comfort reads. They involve ordinary people facing problems/concerns centered around human relationships. It is this focus on societal and familial bonds that makes these such a joy to read. I also like how McCall Smith maintains a theme of morality through the stories, having Mma Ramotswe face moral dilemmas when assessing potential harm that may occur if a certain course of action is taken, or not taken, as a result of the investigation. As you can imagine, some gentle directional input from Mma Ramotswe is usually required. These stories are not stories of high-flying suspense or riveting chase scenes, and I like them for that very reason. If I want high suspense, I will pick up a thriller to read.

Book #72 - A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2000
Acquisition date: May 13, 2012
Page count: 160 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Tom Birkin, a veteran of the Great War and a broken marriage, arrives in the remote Yorkshire village of Oxgodby where he is to restore a recently discovered medieval mural in the local church. Living in the bell tower, surrounded by the resplendent countryside of high summer, and laboring each day to uncover an anonymous painter's depiction of the apocalypse, Birkin finds that he himself has been restored to a new, and hopeful, attachment to life. But summer ends, and with the work done, Birkin must leave. Now, long after, as he reflects on the passage of time and the power of art, he finds in his memories some consolation for all that has been lost.

Review:
What a wonderful, soft spoken novel. A perfect read for a lazy, hot, sunny August afternoon. Carr imbues the story with a sense of loss, be it for times gone past, for lost loves and lost opportunities or just the “warm hug” feeling of poignant memories of a distant summer. The stories has a gentleness to it, dwelling on the idyll, even when fleeting memories of the horrors of war past are evoked. It is a story of a summer of contentment, of making that turning point from scarred past into hopeful future. I particularly love how Carr presents the atmosphere of happy contentment as a series of understated contemplative moments, in line with Birkin’s gentle labours to bring to light the wonderful mural on the church wall buried beneath centuries of grime, where discovery is like a jigsaw puzzle – starting out as a series of seemingly unconnected pieces that with time, come together to present a coherent picture to marvel at. As one reviewer, Ingrid Norton, has commented,

“Carr’s great art is to make it clear that joy is inseparable from the pain and oblivion which unmakes it. In a world where the most vivid heavens and hells are of our creation, Carr suggests, paradise and purgatory are deeply personal. What we value in life, then, may also be the most difficult to share.”

Overall, a wonderfully rewarding read, and a reminder of just how life’s moments can become a precious fountain of evocative memories that can be experienced over and over again.

The Ninja Chop looks very cool! We have a Pampered Chef version of the "Slap Chop" which isn't quite as user-friendly in that you have to keep hitting the button to make it chop. Also, it's very loud! We live in an apartment so I feel like everyone in a three-apartment radius can hear when we're chopping carrots for meatloaf (which is its primary function).

Glad to hear your mom has a good support network with lots of professionals and that she is enjoying the chair lift! Hope Being Mortal is of help to you when you read it.

Great that you got the stairlifts at least!

I've never read A Month in the Country, but I remember being quite enamored with the film when I saw it (some 30 years ago....).

So glad that you have been able to arrange so well for your mother's care with chair lifts and professional help in conjunction with the family network. I hope it relieves some of your own stress. You have accomplished a lot.

I read A Month in the Country after reading a review here on LT and I loved it! Then I found the movie that I could view on the internet. Yes, Colin Firth was great, but I enjoyed the book even more. Fabulous cover.

Great review of A Month in the Country. I loved it too, and you described it so well.

Hard to believe that we are now in September but there is no stopping the march of time. This weekend was spent doing what I usually do on the "end of summer" long weekend: giving the home a major cleaning in prep for fall. Carpets have been cleaned, windows and curtains have been washed and I can now face autumn with a "clean slate', as it were. ;-)

On the reading front, I have finished my two current reads - Tulipomania by Mike Dash and The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh - and can happily remove them from my "future reading" list. Reviews to follow.

On the non-reading front, I have taken a slight detour in my Midsomer Murder Mystery viewing to watch season 1 of the BBC period-drama television series Lilies. Good stuff. A solid 1920's Liverpool England set drama with a lot of heart, some grief and even a little bit of Downton Abbey-styled mixing of the classes. It is from the creators of Call the Midwife. Personally, I find "Lilies" to be a better drama piece that "Call the Midwife" - maybe because I got a little tired of all the birthing drama in "Call the Midwife". Good show I can recommend, if anyone is on the look out for a period drama.

Other than that.... life goes on.

... now for responses and updates.

>63 rabbitprincess: - I have been having so much fun with the new appliance! My other half tends to use my "stay at home and fool around in the kitchen" days as the perfect opportunity for him to venture off with his buddies, but he is always very appreciative of the meals that he comes home to so he never questions any cash outlays when they relate to the kitchen. ;-)

Mom continues to have a good positive outlook and really, that is all I can ask for because if she wasn't coping mentally with the diagnosis (although I still think there is some denial lurking in the background), the distance between us would make things even more difficult.

>64 -Eva-: - I know! I cannot wait for my next trip home to see the chair lifts in action. Apparently my nieces - both in their early 20's - and my Dad have tested the chair lifts so the overall opinion is a good one.

I saw mention of the movie, and that it stars Colin Firth - obviously, a much younger Colin Firth - so I will probably track down the movie and watch it sometime this winter. I like to get a good movie watching list prepared for when the damp, stormy winter months descend. ;-)

>65 VivienneR: - The system has been fantastic at providing the necessary "points of contact" and professionals for immediate assistance. I am also very happy that all of my siblings live closer to Mom and Dad than I do and they have been able to also step up and attend medical appointments and the like. I think a strong support network - both professional and family - are key for these situations.

Love your comments comparing the book to the movie. Now I am curious to see which I will prefer more!

>66 japaul22: - It is a lovely read, isn't it? ;-)

Book #73 - Tulipomania by Mike Dash
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Books with One Word Titles
CAT(s): DeweyCAT
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 1999
Acquisition date: May 15, 2011
Page count: 273 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.10 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

In the 1630s, visitors to the prosperous trading cities of the Netherlands couldn't help but notice that thousands of normally sober, hardworking Dutch citizens from every walk of life were caught up in an extraordinary frenzy of buying and selling. The object of this unprecedented speculation was the tulip, a delicate and exotic Eastern import that had bewitched horticulturists, noblemen, and tavern owners alike. For almost a year rare bulbs changed hands for incredible and ever-increasing sums, until single flowers were being sold for more than the cost of a house. Historians would come to call it tulipomania. It was the first futures market in history, and like so many of the ones that would follow, it crashed spectacularly, plunging speculators and investors into economic ruin and despair. This is the history of the tulip, from its origins on the barren, windswept steppes of central Asia to its place of honor in the lush imperial gardens of Constantinople, to its starring moment as the most coveted--and beautiful--commodity in Europe. Historian Mike Dash vividly narrates the story of this amazing flower and the colorful cast of characters--Turkish sultans, Yugoslav soldiers, French botanists, and Dutch tavern keepers--who were centuries apart historically and worlds apart culturally, but who all had one thing in common: tulipomania.

Review:
An excellent read... better than I was expecting. While the book is focused on the tulip mania that overtook the United Provinces - which now comprise modern day Netherlands - from 1635 to the first half of 1636, it is the amazing similarities of that mania to other more recent sharp boom/bust market scenarios, like the amazing climb and spectacular crash of the price of bitcoins, that caught my attention. The trading of tulips was outside of the regulated stock and futures markets of the time period, and its frenzy was in part fueled by the fact that any one from the wealthy to the common artisans and workers could get involved, even in a small way, in the hopes of cashing in a profit. The lure of making cash in such a simple way must have been too good for many to pass up. With that information in mind, I was only somewhat surprised to learn that the Dutch artist Jan van Guyen had invested, and lost almost everything but the shirt off his back, in the tulip crash. He had given up painting during the tulip mania and it was only because of the financial straights he found himself and his family in that he returned to painting, leaving behind a legacy of brilliant landscapes that, in the words of the author, "many of which would have probably never have been painted had he made his fortune in the tulip trade".

I was saddened to learn that some of the rarer tulips that helped fuel the tulip mania, are lost to us forever, except in preserved paintings, like this one of Semper Augusta:



Interestingly, the vivid colorful markings of the highly sought after tulips like the Semper Augustus, were not a product of cultivated hybrid breeding. They were a product of a broken tulip infected with the mosaic virus. While the bulb industry has managed to wipe out the mosaic virus, as the author notes, " The infinite variety that each broken tulip could display is gone, and with it much of the flower's capacity to fascinate and astound."

Overall, a wonderful blending of "horticulture meets financial markets" kind of read.

Book #74 - The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Spending Time with My Furry Friends
CAT(s): September GeoCAT - Souther Asia (Burma)
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2000
Acquisition date: December 10, 2010
Page count: 560 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.10 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from multiple sources:

1885 Burma: Rajkumar is a young stateless orphan helping out in a market stall in the dusty square outside the royal palace in Mandalay, when the British force the Burmese King, Queen and court into exile. Haunted by his vision of the Royal Family and Dolly, a child attendant of the royal entourage Rajkumar encountered being escorted under armed guard into exile in India - and with the help of an itinerant merchant from Malacca - Rajkumar will make his fortune deep in the teak forests of upper Burma. Now and adult and wealthy, Rajkumar travels to the obscure town where the Royal Family has been exiled, and his family and friends become inexorably linked with theirs.

Review:
This is one of those sweeping saga stories that has appealed to a number of readers here on LT. Sadly, while there were sections that I found made for excellent story telling, for the most part, I think it is a book filled with too much: Too much time span coverage (the story spans 100 years and three generations), too many topics (the story covers everything from cultural differences, colonialism, war, political ideology, lumber enterprises, photography), too many characters (the story jumps around between immediate family, friends, neighbours, in laws), too much attention to minute details (I don't really need to know the make and model of every single vehicle and camera used in the story).

Maybe I am going through a bit of historical fiction burn out, but I found this story jumped around too much, tried to be too grand and over the top and as such, became a chore to read, even as I enjoyed the wonderful descriptive details of Burma and India.

Happy Sunday, everyone! It has been a busy but good week and weekend. On Saturday, I went venturing downtown. Came across a new Italian bakery in the lower Johnson area (near Fan Tan Alley) that I will probably be frequenting on a regular basis. Had the most amazing shiitake mushroom quiche in a very thin crusttata crust that was wonderful! I also was downtown as I had read a news report that the last Christmas store in Victoria, The Original Christmas Village, will be closing on September 15th after 27 years of business on one of the tourist attraction streets of downtown Victoria:



I came away with some wonderful additions to my Christmas ornament collection and the following story to relate:

While I was standing just inside the doorway to the shop, a mother and two daughters - roughly 8-10 years of age - entered the store, all carrying drinks from the Starbucks just up the block. Mom lead the girls in and I was amused when one of the daughters read the "No Food or Drink" sign at the entrance and informed her mom that they cannot bring drinks into the store. I noticed the mom ignored the girl, and wasn't surprised when the girl said again, in a louder voice, "Mom, drinks are not allowed in the store," while continuing to stand in the doorway, not following their mom into the store. Imagine my surprise when the mom's response, while continuing to browse the store offerings, was that her daughters can stay outside. Remember, mom is carrying a drink in her hand! Daughter did not forget that fact and said in a really loud voice this time, "Mom, you have a drink in your hand!" Mom ignored the daughter's comments and continued to browse the store offerings, even though the daughters were staying outside in observance of the sign. I am usually a "live and let live" kind of person, but seriously, I was ready to take the mother to task myself, if anything to chastise her as to what kind of role model are you for your kids, but the very harassed store clerk had managed to raise her head from the chaos at the till and pointed to the sign. Would you believe the transgressor gave a expression of disgust and loudly informed her daughters while exiting that they were walking on? All I can say, is I pity those poor girls, having to put up with a mother like that.

On the good news front, my mom is scheduled for a minor surgical procedure to have a feeding tube inserted next Friday. Trust me when I say, the family is over the moon with this news, as mom has been struggling (and has been more than a bit difficult) when it comes to what she is able and willing (the emphasis on the willing) to eat orally. She was originally scheduled for Sept 2nd for the 30-minute procedure that involved a 48 hours stay in hospital but as that was a long weekend, apparently the health system wasn't up for the doing the procedure on the Friday and keeping mom in until the Tuesday (after the holiday Monday) which rolled the procedure to two weeks out. I promise not to get frustrated with the health system's procedures but it just blows my mind that it really comes down to a fixed 48 hours in and they have no wiggle room for holidays. Brings me back to my belief that health care in Canada should be federal - just like the NHS in the UK - and not a provincial matter. At least she is getting it done and we have our fingers crossed that a more regimented feeding schedule that isn't dictated by what she can inject orally will be positive, for how ever long it can be.

On the reading front, books continue to be read. Having a bit of a frustrating experience with my read of Annabel by Kathleen Winter. I own a trade paperback copy but I also borrowed the CD-version from the public library. The audio read was good for the first 1/3 of the book but then it became a garbled mess - kept skipping and going back to the start of the disk - so I will be finishing my read of Annabel as a physical read.

Now for those reviews...

Book #75 - Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 8 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: My 2016 Clarissa Read
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: eBook
Original publication date: 1748
Acquisition date: October 27, 2015
Page count: 286 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.85 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the LT book summary:

Based on the 18th century novel by Samuel Richardson, this is the original tale of fatal attraction and dangerous liaisons. A wealthy young heiress, famed for her virtue, is sought by a man wishing to seduce her and destroy her reputation. For the first time in his life he becomes genuinely infatuated with his prey, and sows the seeds of his own fate.

Review:
Volume 8 Summary:
Humm….. I am starting to get rather tired of the whole posturing of Lovelace, moralizing of Belford and continued virtuous-expounding of Clarissa. As for her family, I agree 100% with Colonel Morden and his opinion of the lot of them. Best bit of eye-rolling entertainment was reading the over-the-top letters by Mr. Brand… a perfect example of someone who thinks waaaaay too highly of themselves, their literary knowledge and their writing prowess!

Good news, there is only one more volume to go. The end is in sight!

Book #76 - The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb - audiobook narrated by Cassandra Campbell
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Catchall
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 2010
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 9 hours, 52 minutes listening time; 328 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.30 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

When a mysterious letter lands in Hallie James's mailbox, her life is upended. Hallie was raised by her loving father, having been told her mother died in a fire decades earlier. But it turns out that her mother, Madlyn, was alive until very recently. Why would Hallie's father have taken her away from Madlyn? What really happened to her family thirty years ago? In search of answers, Hallie travels to the place where her mother lived, a remote island in the middle of the Great Lakes. The stiff islanders fix her first with icy stares and then unabashed amazement as they recognize why she looks so familiar, and Hallie quickly realizes her family's dark secrets are enmeshed in the history of this strange place. But not everyone greets her with such a chilly reception?a coffee-shop owner and the family's lawyer both warm to Hallie, and the possibility of romance blooms. And then there's the grand Victorian house bequeathed to her?maybe it's the eerie atmosphere or maybe it's the prim, elderly maid who used to work for her mother, but Hallie just can't shake the feeling that strange things are starting to happen . . .

Review:
When I am in the mood for a bit of escapism reading – like I was this past week – I sometimes gravitate towards mysteries with a touch of romance and saturated in gothic atmosphere. Having previously enjoyed The Fate of Mercy Alban, I decided to give this one, Webb’s debut novel, a read. While I found Hallie’s character to be a bit on the wide-eyed, naïve side, the gothic atmosphere is captured perfectly with a rambling house filled to the rafters with family secrets, unusual happenings, things that go “bump in the night” and a housekeeper that fits the “creepy” bill to a T. I really enjoyed the family history stories the housekeeper tells Hallie over a series of days, unveiling the secrets, one relative at a time. I also really like the whole Great Manitou Island setting – a fictitious island vacation spot where the locals all get around by horse and buggy (no cars allowed on the island). This, and the November time period, gives the setting a quaint effect, enhancing the feeling of isolation. The mystery – an unsolved murder case – was pretty easy to solve, IMO but as I was reading the book more for the gothic atmosphere, that didn’t bother me too much.

A enjoyable bit of escapism reading, especially if read during a stormy fall day.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

WEEKS 59-61 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 80.06
Kilometers walked in total: 2692.49
Current province: (MB)
My current location on the map: East of Prawda, heading for East Braintree and Falcon Lake.
Points of interest along the way: Prawda - not to be confused with Prada (the shoe folks) - was originally settled by Ukrainian, Polish and Russian settlers in the early 1900's. I have never visited Prawda, but my Ukrainian heritage already has me salvating at the thought of cabbage rolls, perogies, Polish sausages and sauerkraut! YUM!

Roughly 50 KM to go to the Ontario border!

>72 lkernagh: Glad the end is in sight for you! It sounds like the read is becoming "painful."

>71 lkernagh:
Great to hear that the surgery is scheduled - sending all my good thoughts that it goes well!

>71 lkernagh: My Australian friend will be sorry to hear about Christmas Village in Victoria. She spent a lot of money there last year and will be returning to Victoria in April 2017, no doubt planning another major shopping trip.

Wishing you and your mother all the best for her surgery.

>69 lkernagh:
How fascinating, and how interesting to learn about lost varieties of tulips.

Hello everyone. Sorry I have been rather absent from LT and my threads for the past two weeks. Mom's feeding tube surgery on Sept 16 did not go according to plan. She was prepped for the surgical procedure and everything was a go until the 11th hour when the surgical team decided that Mom's bowels had not been voided enough in prep for the surgery, so they sent her home, with no mention of when she would be rescheduled for. Mom has been ready for the procedure since mid-August. As you may recall, the first date - Sept 2nd - was put off by the hospital because of the long weekend (apparently the procedure is usually done on a Friday, patient stays in hospital over the weekend and on the Monday, when the incision area has healed enough to allow the patient to resume food consumption - orally or through the feeding tube - they are sent home). Apparently, the hospital staff felt that keeping Mom in over the holiday Monday wasn't a good idea, which is why she got scheduled for the 16th. I was annoyed by the news, especially as Mom's prep sheet only mentioned that she was not allowed to eat anything after midnight Sept 15. There was no mention that efforts must be made to ensure that the bowels had been sufficiently voided, something that should have been included in the instructions since constipation is common in ALS patients because of the high fat/high calorie foods they need to consume to try and maintain their weight levels. Mom did call the neurosciences team late Friday about this new development but it was after hours so no response was expected before Monday. This made for a rather stressful weekend as Mom has been losing weight and has been finding it a lot of work to consume food orally.

The good news is that suddenly late Monday afternoon my parents received a call from the hospital where the feeding tube procedures are performed and were informed to bring Mom in at 8:30 that evening for re-admittance. They met with the senior doctor's resident who informed them that they were going to run a series of tests and make sure that Mom would be given the green light for the procedure. The green light was received Wednesday morning and the procedure was done early that afternoon. On Friday afternoon Mom was cleared to come off her fast and could now eat what she would like orally or be fed through the feeding tube. Mom has been kept in over the weekend and on Monday morning my dad and siblings will be present at the hospital for instruction on the use and cleaning of the feeding tube. The physiotherapist will also see Mom to make sure that she has sufficient mobility to be released from the hospital and return home.

Overall, things are looking good but one always wishes that drama like what happened the weekend of the 16th doesn't have to occur. Health care where my parents live has been very compartmentalized. The neurosciences department is located at a hospital in the south end of the city while feed tube procedures are done in a different hospital in the north end of town. Given that the procedure was suddenly scheduled for mid-week (and completely outside of that hospital's usual scheduling) I think the neurosciences team pushed the buttons to stop this "wait two weeks" scheduling insanity. I love Mom's neurosciences team of specialists. They are awesome!

Anyone who follows news about the British royal family or, if you are in Canada, just watch the nightly news, will know that William, Kate and the children are in BC for the next 7 days. While I am not a royalist, even I could not pass up the opportunity to get an in-person viewing of the Cambridges, Justin and his wife Sophie as well as David Johnson, the Governor General of Canada and his wife. You notice I didn't mention BC premier Christie Clark or the BC Lieutenant Governor.... that is because I have more than enough opportunities to see them. ;-)

Anyhow, I joined the throngs at the legislature yesterday afternoon and found a good spot on Government Street to watch the action:



I had no desire to join the crowds on the legislature lawn. For one thing, we have had rather damp weather and I am not a fan of standing on a "squishy" lawn (and possibly wrecking my shoes in the process), and I also did not want to be trapped in for the entire ceremony. If you were on the lawn, you were going to be corralled in and not allowed to leave until after the Cambridges and the various dignitaries had left. The spot proved to be ideal. I knew there was going to be a commemoration ceremony at the cenotaph, but I didn't expect to be at the location where the official "meet and greet" would occur:


From left to right: Governor General of Canada David Johnston and his wife, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie, Lieutenant Governor of BC Judith Guichon, BC Premier Christy Clark and her son Hamish.


Will and Kate being greeted by the Governor General and his wife


Will and Kate being greeted by Justin

Sorry the pics are a bit blurry. I forgot my camera at home so had to make do with my smart phone for pics. :-)

The crowd was in good spirits and had fun calling out to Justin and Sophie to turn and wave to the crowd while waiting for the Cambridges motorcade to arrive.

On the reading front, I continue to make progress with Clarissa and can now report that I am 120 pages away from the end to this behemoth of a read. I have plowed through some other books - Yes, I was on a bit of a "one word title" reading jag as I was working to finish one of my categories for the category challenge.

Continue to enjoy watching episodes of Midsomer Murders and almost finished Series 3.... yes, I have a lot of episodes still to watch!

I hope everyone has been having a lovely weekend. Now for those responses, reviews and walking update.....

--------------------------
>75 thornton37814: - I am getting there, Lori! I have to say, I can understand why some readers find Clarissa to be such a fascinating read. There is an awful lot of content that lends itself to conversations, but it is a rather long-winded story!

>76 -Eva-: - Thanks Eva! I like to think your good thoughts were of great help while dealing with the procedure snafu!

>77 VivienneR: - It is sad to see the store now closed and the display windows empty. Thank you so much for the good wishes... those wishes came in handy!

>78 andreablythe: - I want to learn more about the tulip mania that swept through Europe. I know our schools like to focus on things like wars and changes in politics when teaching history, but I would have paid more attention in school if the topics had included tulip mania!

Book #77 - Annabel by Kathleen Winter
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Books with One Word Titles
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: Award Winner
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2010
Acquisition date: May 5, 2013
Page count: 480 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

In 1968, into the devastating, spare atmosphere of the remote coastal town of Labrador, Canada, a child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor fully girl, but both at once. Only three people are privy to the secret—the baby’s parents, Jacinta and Treadway, and a trusted neighbor and midwife, Thomasina. Though Treadway makes the difficult decision to raise the child as a boy named Wayne, the women continue to quietly nurture the boy’s female side. And as Wayne grows into adulthood within the hyper-masculine hunting society of his father, his shadow-self, a girl he thinks of as “Annabel,” is never entirely extinguished.

Review:
This review is going to be more of a compare-contrast of Annabel and Jeffrey Eugenides's Middlesex, a book I read earlier this year. Both tackle the rather sensitive topic of intersexuality, which has also been called hermaphroditism. The two books couldn't be further apart, IMO, in their delivery of the topic. Eugenides tackles the topic by anchoring it in a sweeping family saga, with a dark humour perspective and a fair bit of detailed scientific facts thrown into the mix. Winter takes a very different approach. She softens the topic, tackling it from a more intimate point of view while bringing in the landscape of a small, hunting and trapping community in Labrador to help convey the sense of isolation Wayne/Annabel experiences as he embarks on a journey of self determination. I want to call the Eugenides and Winter books the epitome of American and Canadian story-telling. Eugenides sweeping immigrant family saga is a testament to what has created America. Winter takes a truly Canadian approach by presenting a more sedate, focused story, making both the intersexuality and the Canadian culture/geography simultaneous focuses of the story. Even the violence that occurs in the story is muted... providing glimpses, but not all the graphic details of the violence. I liked that approach. It provided for a consistent overall feel of the story. Some readers may not agree, but I think the larger theme in Annabel is how Winter displays the slowly developing awareness of Wayne - and the reactions of his family and close friends - as he embarks on this journey of self discovery. This was captured really well. I think it also speaks to why it is wrong for adults, both parents and medical professionals, to make decisions - even when they think they are doing so in the best interests of the child - without fully understanding how their decisions can have an impact on the child as they develop.

Overall, a beautifully written story. Some aspects of the story may be a little hard to accept from a realism perspective but for a debut novel, I feel that its strengths outweigh any deficits/deficiencies detected.

Book #78 - Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Books with One Word Titles
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2010
Acquisition date: May 15, 2011
Page count: 256 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.10 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

It begins with a body. On a clear day in winter, the battered corpse of Crispin Salvador is pulled from the Hudson River. Gone, too, is the only manuscript of his final book, a work meant to rescue him from obscurity by exposing the crimes of the Filipino ruling families. Miguel, his student and only remaining friend, sets out for Manila to investigate.

Review:
I really struggled with this one. Probably because the story structure doesn’t lend itself to an audio read (the format I chose to try and get my trade paperback copy read and off my TBR pile). The narrative mechanisms used include everything from excerpted sections of fictionalized published works, transcribes of interviews, to reproducing emails and blog postings to communicate the story. Quite the jumbled mess that made listening to the story a bit of a challenge, kind of like listening to someone reading aloud a journal article and making a point of reading aloud each footnote in turn, disrupting the flow. This probably would have worked okay as a physical read, especially with the visual cues of section breaks and changes in font style to indicate the shifts in narration, but that wasn’t enough for Syjuco. He had to go and further complicate matters by free flowing the story backwards and forwards through time and place. One moment, we are in modern day New York, the next minute in the Philippines during the Japanese Occupation, and then suddenly in Canada in the 1960’s/1970’s. The premise itself is the reason I picked up a copy of this book and I really like Syjuco’s use of “Ilustrados” – the well-to-do Filipino intelligentsia, who have received European and Westernized educations – to be his "voice" but I should point out that this really isn’t much of a mystery as it has been billed to be. It is really more of a pseudo-autobiographical and sensationalized literary mouthpiece for what one reviewer has called “oblique manifestos” in the same highbrow, expansive style utilized by writers such as Roberto Bolano, with a similar noir undertone. This book does a wonderful job outlining 150 years of Philippine history, and communicating the country’s search for its identity, but I came away from this one with the same feeling I had after having read Bolano’s 2666: an overarching feeling that the story is an information dump of deeper messages layered one over top of the other, piled so high that I fail to work my way through to the core meaning.

Overall, one of the most ambitious debut novels I have ever read. I just wish I had the patience to try and understand the deeper meaning I am sure it contains.

Book #79 - Home by Marilynne Robinson
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Books with One Word Titles
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2009
Acquisition date: May 12, 2012
Page count: 336 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.90 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

The Reverend Boughton's hell-raising son, Jack, has come home after twenty years away. Artful and devious in his youth, now an alcoholic carrying two decades worth of secrets, he is perpetually at odds with his traditionalist father, though he remains his most beloved child. As Jack tries to make peace with his father, he begins to forge an intense bond with his sister Glory, herself returning home with a broken heart and turbulent past.

Review:
Having loved Gilead when I read it back in 2011, it will probably come as no surprise to Marilynne Robinson fans out there that Home was a perfect read for me, although you might be wondering why the heck it took me so long to get around to reading Robinson’s second book in her the loosely connected Gilead series – if it can be called a series, that is, given that the common thread is the setting (Gilead). Trust me, I am wondering the same thing! Like Gilead, Home is a rather sedate/reflective piece of work, written in a calming, contemplative tone, that seems perfectly fitting for the time period . The themes of judgement, salvation, redemption, grace as well as whether or not people can change, ripple through the pages. What I find fascinating is that both books – Gilead and Home – are set in the same place and time: small town Gilead, Iowa, in 1956, and yet I seem to recall a very different vibe/perspective when I read Gilead. I found Home to be a better read, for a number of reasons: the overall flow of the story, the omniscient narration, the strong sense of family and the evocative presentation of small town life so remotely removed (both mentally and figuratively) from big events like the civil rights movement. Having personally experienced the return of a wayward family member - wayward in the sense of distancing themselves from the family for a number of years - I found the conversations between Jack and Glory, and Jack and his father, was a poignantly moving experience for me. While there is a lot of sadness in Home, a lot of kindness and gentleness also shines through.

On the whole, I found Home to be an emotionally demanding and deeply satisfying read. Definitely one I know I will re-read at some point in the future.

Book #80 - Lila by Marilynne Robinson - audiobook narrated by Maggie Hoffman
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Books with One Word Titles
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 2014
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 9 hours listening time / 272 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.90 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church-the only available shelter from the rain-and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the life that preceded her newfound security. Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter, and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood. Together they crafted a life on the run, living hand to mouth with nothing but their sisterly bond and a ragged blade to protect them. Despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, their shared life was laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to reconcile the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle Christian worldview of her husband which paradoxically judges those she loves.

Review:
This just didn't work for me. Maybe I was expecting too much after having loved both Gilead and Home, but Lila really came off as a huge letdown for me. Granted, Robinson continues to craft an entirely new story from a completely different point of view without leaving the small town of Gilead or her handful of familiar characters, but I found myself getting rather muddled while listening to this one. I never got comfortable with Lila as a character. She always seemed ready to bolt, like some wild animal that discovers too late that they have left their comfortable and familiar countryside and strayed into the heart of a community. Maybe that is the point Robinson is trying to convey, but I just never settled into this story like I did the other two, even though I did like getting glimpses of Ames and Reverend Boughton from a different point of view.

Book #81 - Antoni Gaudi: Visionary Architect of the Sacred and the Profane by Judith Carmel-Arthur
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Spending Time With My Furry Friends
CAT(s): DeweyCAT (720.92)
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Hardcover
Original publication date: 1999
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 80 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the library catalogue book listing page:

This book celebrates one of the most remarkable and idiosyncratic architects of modern times -- Antoni Gaudi's wonderfully bizzare yet romantic and intriguing buildings have imbued the Spanish city of Barcelona with a unique character and ensured his place in the pantheon of great architects. An introductory essay exploring Gaudi's life and career is followed by a selection of sumptuous images of his buildings including Casa Batllo and the church of the Sagrada Familia.

Review:
I love looking at architecture, especially when the design and materials push the boundaries of architecture and enter into the realm of art. This slim volume provides some good background information on Gaudi and some details about the Catalan influence in his visionary work. While I can appreciate the level of detail that went into the cathedrals he designed, my eyes will always stray towards Casa Batllo, Casa Mila and Casa Vicens as truly wondrous examples of what the author describes as "interpretation of architecture as organic structure which expresses the growth potential and evolutionary properties of nature."

A short read filled with wonderful images. Not enough to satisfy the Gaudi enthusiast in me, but enough to send me to the internet to look at more pictures. ;-)

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

WEEKS 62-63 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 70.58
Kilometers walked in total:2763.07
Current province: (ON)
My current location on the map: North of Granite Lake, heading for Clearwater Bay and Kenora.
Points of interest along the way: Yes, I have Finally crossed into Ontario! There is a good chance I will be in Ontario for close to 12 months - This is quite the large piece of land to cross! - so I will see if I can plan a 2017 "crossing into Quebec" party. ;-) One thing that has caught my eye looking at the map is the number of lakes displayed.

Now if you are like me, you are probably staring at that flag for Ontario and thinking that it looks an awful lot like the flag I have been displaying while working my way through Manitoba. You would be correct. Those two provinces have very similar flags:


Flag of Manitoba


Flag of Ontario

I'm glad that your Mom's surgery finally got done, and it's really too bad you had to go through all that stress beforehand.

I'm very impressed you're so close to the end of Clarissa!

I too am a big fan of Midsomer Murders and might consider doing a rewatch from the beginning myself, one day. My husband and I have been doing a rewatch of the Inspector Morse series from the beginning.

Glad your Mom's surgery was done in the end. And I hope all goes well with the feeding tube combined with oral food.

As well as mathgirl40, I'm impressed with your reading - but even more impressed with your walking! It's amazing just how many kms you have walked. Well done!

ETA: Lucky you getting to see the Cambridges as well as the Trudeaus. I longed to be able to tell Hamish to take his hands out of his pockets.

I haven't popped in here for a while. I'm pleased to hear that your mum has now got her feeding tube. It sounds like she has a pretty good support network.

You have been reading some pretty good books too by the look of things.

I'm glad everything went well with your mom and hope she continues to improve. Yea for Mom!

I'm glad to hear things are on the up for your mum, after the stress of the initial cancellation. I hope that she can adjust well and your family don't find dealing with the feeding tube too stressful. In my experience families soon become experts and can be every bit as good as a professional in dealing with the technicalities, plus of course they know their relative so much better.

I'm enjoying reading your thread. I hope things continue looking up for your parents and mom. Congrats on the reading goals AND walking goals, of which I need to do myself starting in October. I'm hopelessly out of shape. Thanks for sharing the royal family outing picture as well.

Glad to hear the surgery finally happened. The compartmentalization and silo-ing in health care is so annoying.

Lucky getting to see the royal family! I've been looking at the pictures online and the royal babies are pretty darn cute. Loved the shot of Prince George leaving the PM hanging when the PM wanted a high-five :)

Sorry to hear about all the stress surrounding the surgery, but I'm glad it worked out in the end. Hope she continues to do well.

Exciting to see the royal family. Although I'm not that interested in the day-to-day tabloid goings on of the royal family, I would probably have gone out to see them, too!

Also, Annabel looks like a great read.

Hi Lori, good to hear that your Mom finally got the surgery. Great pictures of the Royal visit, I expect the crowds were just as interested in seeing The Trudeau's as the Royals. I am looking forward to hopefully meeting you and Roberta next Wednesday. :)

>80 lkernagh: My daughter Nina was there too--she was somewhere around that tree on the left of your top picture. You had a better view than her, based on your pics.

I didn't even think to go see them in Vancouver, but then it's further to travel for me than it was for Nina.

Can I just say that I am completely shocked that we are now into October?!? Where did the previous month(s) go?

Life continues to truck along. Mom has now been home for a week and things are going as good as can be expected. Still trying to get Mom to understand that her fear of developing an addiction to things like sleeping pills and her anti-anxiety drugs are really the bottom of the concern list, as both her family physician and the ALS specialists have confirmed that the doses prescribed to her are of no concern.

Work has snowballed into a bit of a flurry so always surprised when the week comes to an end. At least the to-do list for this week doesn't amount to attempting to climb Mt. Everest!

On the reading front, audio-books continue to be my salvation, but even then, I only have two two books finished with quick reviews for posting. Oh well, fall usually is a rather busy time so the reading may slow down just a tad.... that and the fact that I am behind with some Early Reviewer reads, that I won't be able to "cheat" and listen to the audio-books! At least, I am getting some level of work-life-home balance, and it does show in that I am now back to getting 7 hours of sleep each night. ;-)

...now for some responses, reviews and a walking journey update (understanding that I did 'something' to my left knee on Wednesday and have been taking it easy to help speed the healing process along).

>88 mathgirl40: - Thanks Paulina. Mom is doing well and I am very happy to see the end of Clarissa near at hand! As for the Midsomer Murders - they are a treat to watch, even the episodes I had seen previously.

>89 VivienneR: - Thanks Vivienne. We are all relieved that the feeding tube surgery is now done and Mom is back at home. Interestingly, a "feeding" can take anywhere from 45 minutes to over 2 hours, depending upon how fast the feeding flow is set at, although I understand Mom has complained of some discomfort during the faster feeds so it usually takes 1.5 hours.

Always fun to get a glimpse of "celebrities" - be they Royal or political. ;-)

>90 Roro8: - Thanks Ro. All is well, based on the feedback I have received from Dad and my siblings.

>91 mstrust: - I join you in the hopes that mom will now have the energy to focus where it needs to be focused.

>92 Jackie_K: - Right now all is going well. It helps that my siblings are older (2 are retired and 1 is semi-retired) so visitations occur on a daily basis to check on mom's well being, although we are still dealing with a struggle in that mom has her own views about certain things (addiction to sleeping and anxiety pills continue to be a concern, even though they should be at the bottom of the 'worry' barrel) and she doesn't seem to always be receptive to accepting the advice of her doctors. One of the hurdles that we continue to face.

Apparently, the feeding tube is very easy to deal with, including its cleaning, so no worries on that front.

>93 ErinPaperbackstash: - Always happy to see a new face popping up here and glad to see you enjoyed the pics! I completely ignored a second photo opportunity on Saturday when the Royals cruised a tall ship - I love tall ships! - into the Inner Harbour, but one close up appearance is good enough for me.

>94 rabbitprincess: - Part of me understands why the health care system is going more silo/compartmentalized from a budget perspective but still rather frustrating from a patient perspective, especially when hospital A makes decision without totally understanding why hospital B sent the patient to them. I know we are still struggling with eHealth records but Good Grief, at some point someone should be able to resort to low technology avenues like picking up the phone and making a phone call to confirm what is going on. ;-)

Good old little George leaving the PM hanging.... that is an awesome moment!

>95 andreablythe: - Thankfully, the stress was just over the weekend but I still question why we had to go through that stress in the first place. I hear you... the tabloid stuff I don't care for. I am more of a "give me a picture of what Kate is wearing" kind of person. I treat the Globe and Emmy awards the same way: all I care about is the red carpet fashion shots! ;-)

Annabel is a wonderful read.

>96 DeltaQueen50: - Hi Judy! Thank you for the well wishes. I am so looking forward to meeting you and Roberta this week!

>97 Nickelini: - Hi Joyce, sounds like your daughter went for a "within the cordon" location. I am sure she still managed to get some good shots of the Royals from her vantage point, given that she was physically closer.... my zoom lens helped clear some of the distance. ;-)

Book #82 - U Is For Undertow by Sue Grafton - audio-book read by Judy Kaye
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Audio-book
Original publication date: 2009
Acquisition date: July 14, 2013
Page count: 14 hours listening time / 408 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable. Even more so when Kinsey Millhone's only lead is a grown man dredging up a repressed childhood memory-of something that may never have happened...

Review:
Not Grafton's best read, IMO but still a decent bit of escapism. I like the idea of Michael Sutton - Kinsey's client - having a checkered past when it comes to reliability of information. This provides a nice level of complexity to the story. Grafton is now very comfortable with shifting timelines and narrators and while the "whodunit" crops up rather early in the story, it is the details like the "why" that are slowly revealed to the reader. I like how Rosie continues to provide a bit of comic relief to the stories and Kinsey's landlord Henry continues to be a reliable sounding board for the times when Kinsey finds the clues are just not adding up.

Book #83 - City of Thieves by David Benioff
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2008
Acquisition date: February 19, 2011
Page count: 258 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.35 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

During the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.

Review:
One doesn't usually expect to encounter wry humour in a book with such a bleak setting like the Siege of Leningrad during WWII, but there is some humour to be found within the pages of this excellent story. I guess one needs to see the humour in being assigned such an unusual task - secure a dozen eggs in a city and countryside where people will loot and kill for even a shriveled, moldy potato. A wonderful and horrifying coming of age story where 17 year-old Lev, surrounded by the dark and brutal side of humanity, learns the true strength of friendship, and the bonds that bring people together in times of struggle.

A worthy and quick read.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

WEEK 64 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 19.22
Kilometers walked in total:2782.29
Current province: (ON)
My current location on the map: Still heading for Kenora.
Points of interest along the way: Yes, I have Finally Nothing of interest to report.

Lori I look forward to meeting you and Judy tomorrow.

>96 DeltaQueen50: and >104 luvamystery65: - It was wonderful to have the opportunity to meet both of you in person! I had a lovely time this evening and I am already itching to start reading the books!

Happy belated Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian visitors!

Time flies when one is: a) having fun; or b) crazy busy. While I can only claim a partial stake in both scenarios - at different times over the past week and and bit - I wasn't ready for Tuesday morning to creep up like it did and remind me of the obligation to earn a pay cheque. I hope your long weekend was filled with food and friends like ours was and that you did not have the deluge of rain we had on the Saturday (although my family in Calgary had to settle for an unseasonably early snow storm - really, the first snow fall is supposed to happen at the end of October, to coincide with Halloween, not at the start and cause all sorts of travel havic for the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend!).

Last Wednesday was an exceptional one as I had the pleasure to meet for dinner two LT members - Roberta (luvamystery65) and Judy (DeltaQueen50). Before you ask, no there is no picture. You will just have to take our word for it that a meet up occurred. ;-)

The Thanksgiving long weekend was an interesting mix of weather - some good, some bad. In the process of running errands during a rather heavy rainfall on Saturday, I discovered that my trusty rain boots had developed a "leak" - more like developed a gash I was not aware of in in the months since I had last needed the boots - so the holiday Monday saw me at one of my favorite shoe stores, purchasing new rain boots (and good thing too as I understand the island is in for heavy rain and high winds starting tomorrow night).

For Thanksgiving my other half was all for a more "low key" dinner so I purchased a turkey breast roast as opposed to a whole turkey. OMG, I will never go back to buying a full turkey ever again! For the same price we managed to get the same amount of meat without the hassle of removing cooked meat from carcass, disposing of carcass or having my oven taken over by the cooking bird. We did full turkey dinner with all the trimmings on Sunday and Monday and tonight I managed to use up the remaining turkey in a curry over pan-fried cauliflower rice. YUM!

On the good news front, I was able to get in some solid reading time this weekend - didn't want to venture out in the weather more than I had to - so three book reviews are now ready for posting. I am trying to work through my backlog of LTER books so I am happy that I have one down, one on the go and one in the wings and one that was a "no show". ;-)

On the downside, I understand the weekend was not without some level of drama for my family in Calgary. The short version is it looks like the family has decided that Mom would be better off in an extended care facility. I did get to provide my two cents - given the information provided, I believe the problems they face right now have more to with Mom's on-going issues with anxiety than with the ALS - but I feel that they had already made their decision and informed me after the fact, especially given that my suggestion to bring in qualified home care assistance was not even acknowledged. I find the decision of an extended care facility to be a little premature giving that Mom is still mobile and only requires what I understand to be limited assistance with certain functions but I am also not there to witness the day-to-day activities that have lead up to this decision, so I guess I just have to trust that they have Mom's best interest's at heart, and will hopefully discuss this with her and not just spring it on her like they did with Dad's idea of moving them both out of the house and into a condo (which had its own disastrous consequences). Not something I am easy with considering that up to now, my 81 year old Dad has been doing the majority of the care giving with my siblings providing some level of routine visits. As you can probably guess, I am not doing well with this decision. Definitely not trusting them to take care of me if something were to happen to me.

.... any how. Enough of that. Thinking positive thoughts. Now for those reviews.

.
Book #84 - Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1905
Acquisition date: May 15, 2011
Page count: 208 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

A young Englishman journeys to Tuscany to rescue his late brother's wife from what appears to be an unsuitable romance with an Italian of little fortune. In the events surrounding that match and its fateful consequences, Forster weaves an exciting and eventful tale that intriguingly contrasts English and Italian lives and sensibilities.

Review:
I know I don't usually post up two cover images with my book reviews. I did this time because I absolutely love the cover on the right (the cover of the audio book I listened to) while the cover on the left is the rather 'blah" cover of the copy in my personal library.

I should start off this review by mentioning, for those who don’t know, that Where Angels Fear to Tread is E. M. Forster’s first novel. When it was published, Forster was only 26 years old. I find that to be an accomplishment in itself. What is more difficult for me to communicate are my thoughts regarding this one. I tend to be a fan of books that tackle meaty topics of divisions caused by class structure, societal norms and mannerisms under the guise of troublesome family scenarios. While I appreciate that Forster takes a lighter hand here – he does not over burden the story with deep philosophical ramblings – I found the lightness of touch gave the story a rather flippant feel, one that overshadows Forester’s attack at the narrow-minded snobbery and cultural insensitivity of the English middle class the story is to portray. I struggled a bit with some of the characters – in particular, Philip, Harriet and Mrs. Herriton. I found Philip’s attraction to Caroline Abbott to be lacking in substance, more like the youthful infatuation of a young collegiate man for an older, more worldly woman. This struck me as a bit odd as I got the impression that Caroline was the younger of the two. Harriet comes across as a little unhinged, even before the tragic events unfold and as for Mrs. Harriton, well, that woman has control issues. Lilia comes across as I would expect for one who faces life with an exuberance that defies being contained. As for the writing, while good, I felt that Forster was still coming into his own as a writer. Not surprising given his youth at the time of writing.

Overall, an decent read and I am now curious to watch the movie adaptation with Helen Mirren as Lilia Harriton.

.
Book #85 - Forever Gentleman by Roland Colton
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Oooooh... Shiny!
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: LTER
Format: e-book
Original publication date: July 11, 2016
Acquisition date: July 27, 2016
Page count: 408 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.85 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: personally drafted summary:

Nathan Sinclair is a struggling architect, a gifted pianist and a mysterious French past who lives in two vastly different worlds of Victorian England: mingling in high society with his pianist commisions while dwelling in suffocating debt and poverty as a stuggling architect. While performing at a gathering of London's elite, Nathan meets Jocelyn Charlesworth, a breathtakingly beauty but temperamental celebrity heiress of London high society. At the same event, Nathan discovers and becomes enamoured with a mysterious, dark-haired woman. Nathan pursues the discovery of the mysterious woman, unknowing that his connection to the famed Charlesworth family will become more than just a fleeting event. Nathan must grapple with his heart and the ruthless society of Victorian England as he struggles to face his debtor, a jealous suitor and an enraged brother while he struggles to establish his name as an architect of note in a city where reputation means everything.

Review:
I will start off my review by complementing Colton on his stunning focus on architecture and his meticulous research to create the 1896-70 Victorian setting for his book - from the music of the period, the plays being performed in London at the time, the existence of the fine French restaurant Verrey's, to the details of the creation of London's sewer system and the prison Coldbath Fields. For that reason, this book may appeal to readers seeking historical accuracy or lovers of music in general, given the wealth of information contained in this book. Sadly, I am more of a character/plot appreciator and that is where I found this story to have some shortcomings. I found it difficult to appreciate any of the characters at their face values: Jocelyn is too perfect, Regina to humble, the Duke of Wilmont too driven - seriously, the man's actions are of an obsessive - compulsive nature second to none! - and Nathan, just a little to pat for my tastes. Yes, there is a rather interesting twist to the plot that I was not expecting but it only slightly elevated my thoughts on this one.

As an additional concern - that I hope is merely a technical glitch associated with the early reviewer e-book copy I received - Jocelyn and Nathan tend to revert to the French language for some of their dialogue. The e-book copy provided hyperlinks to what I hoped were English translations of the French but the links were not operable in the e-book copy I had and did not take me to the English references stored at the back of the book (as I discovered once I reached the end of the story) so there are about 100+ French phrases that I was not able to understand while reading the story.

Lastly, the book could have used with a ruthless editor. The story could have been succinctly captured in half to the space and with less repetition of how wondrous Jocelyn is as a beauty and how "odorous" London as a city was a that time.

A story that has a lot of promise, but didn't really follow through on the execution for me as, under the direction of a good editor, this book could have been a tantalizing story in half the page count and as a more tightly woven story.

Book #86 - The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2008
Acquisition date: October 23, 2010
Page count: 384 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 5.00 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Taking us back to a time that is half history, half myth and wholly magical, The Palace of Illusions gives new voice to Panchaali, the fire-born heroine of the Mahabharat, as she weaves a vibrant interpretation of an ancient tale. Married to five royal husbands who have been cheated out of their father's kingdom, Panchaali aids their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war. But she cannot deny her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna—or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands' most dangerous enemy—as she is caught up in the ever-manipulating hands of fate.

Review:
Spin me a story that pulls its foundation from an ancient epic tale and I will either be completely enraptured or bored out of my mind. The good news is that Divakaruni’s recasting of the Mahabharata – the epic Indian Sanskrit story – caught my attention right from the start and never let go. This mystical tale is a rich tapestry of all things that make a story spellbinding: emotions of unrequited love, deception, greed and envy; peopled with sages and other semi-divine beings, wise kings and righteous warriors; a prophesy that foretells a major change, heroic deeds and magical weapons, all told in true epic proportions. I have never read the Mahabharata so this review does not provide any kind of “compare/contrast” but I have to say that Divakaruni’s has a wonderful way of taking fantasy characters and making them appear as real, flesh and blood individuals. The setting is beautifully depicted, making it possible for me to glimpse the “Palace of Illusions” in all its wonder. Of course, I am also a fan of epic tales where the lead is a strong female. Draupadi is a dynamic character, even if she does have her moments of self-serving pride and arrogance. The story never lets up, racing the reader along at a steady clip as Draupadi journeys towards her destiny.

A truly epic tale and a very worthy read!

FOOTNOTE: I note that the Wikipedia article about Mahabharata states that the Mahabharata is the longest known epic poem and has been described as "the longest poem ever written". Given that I am about to complete my read of what is considered to be the longest novel in the English language based on word count, maybe I should add the Mahabharata to my 2017 planned reading. ;-)

I find the decision of an extended care facility to be a little premature giving that Mom is still mobile and only requires what I understand to be limited assistance with certain functions but I am also not there to witness the day-to-day activities that have lead up to this decision, so I guess I just have to trust that they have Mom's best interest's at heart,

I hear your concerns. One thing I've noticed from seeing this shift with many relatives and family friends, however, is that the transition out of the family home goes much smoother if it's not left too late. People adjust better when they still have some ability to settle themselves into their new home. I've seen more suffering with people who left it as long as possible and then made the transition in a crisis situation. Just my observation, if it helps you come to terms with this.

I do hope that the decision to move your mum to the care facility is indeed discussed with her at length and that the arrangement is acceptable to everyone. It's very hard to be at a distance from it and to feel unsure about how the decision was made. And for those involved, it may be a perfectly logical decision to make, but emotionally it might take a while to come to terms with. I don't have any suggestions but can sympathize with the thought of being the out-of-town relative and unable to get involved directly (story of my life with my grandparents at the moment).

>79 lkernagh:
Aargh, so frustrating! Good to hear that part is over with now anyway.

>80 lkernagh:
Nice spot for taking pics!

>84 lkernagh:
I've never read her and, although it doesn't sound like a book for me, I'm taking a BB for my mum - I'm prepping her birthday package and this will make a good addition.

>102 lkernagh:
Oh yeah, that one is still on Mt. TBR...

>106 lkernagh:
Happy Thanksgiving! I do hope all goes well with your mum - I have no advice to give, only virtual sympathy to offer.

Hi everyone - Just poking my head in to report that I haven't fallen off a cliff or anything like that. The last couple of weeks have been a roller-coaster ride. I am saddened to report that my mom passed away in the early hours of last Saturday morning. She had been admitted to hospital the previous weekend with symptoms of pneumonia, and thankfully I was able to fly home and spend mom's last 4 days with her, along with my dad and siblings. Mom experienced a more rapid decline in her health than any of us were able to stay on top of, so my thanks go out to the unit staff at the hospital for doing all they could to make Mom's final days as comfortable as possible. Even sedated during her last 24 hours, I believe Mom had a better handle on what was going on than the medical staff expected. She caught them out with a couple of good zingers when they thought she wasn't registering comments being made in her presence. Even to the end she was on top of things! I am home in Victoria for the week and will be flying back next week for the service. Life is now a jumbled mix of work and helping the family with planning the necessary arrangements so I will continue to be absent from LT for the next couple of weeks.

>113 lkernagh: I am so sorry to hear this, my condolences to you and your family.

>113 lkernagh: My condolences to you and your family, Lori - I am really sorry to hear this news, but I am glad that she was able to keep a handle on her mind till the end x

>113 lkernagh: - Oh my goodness, that was so quick. I'm so sorry for your loss. How uplifting though to hear how on top of things she was through the end.

>113 lkernagh: ((((((((hugs)))))))

>113 lkernagh: So sad to hear this news. My deepest sympathies to you and your family.

Oh, Lori, how sad! Big hugs!

So very sorry to hear the new, Lori. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Take care of yourself.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Lori. And so glad you made it home in time.

My condolences to you, Lori. I'm sorry to hear the news.

Oh Lori, I am so, so sorry. Thinking of you and your family. Take care of yourself.

Lori, I'm so sorry to hear this news. Take care of yourself.

((hugs)), I am so sorry to hear of your Mother's passing. You and your family are in my thoughts.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Lori.

Lori, I am so very sorry to hear about your Mother. My thoughts are with you.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your mum Lori.

Lori I'm so sorry for your loss. I'll be keeping you and your family in my thoughts,

I haven't been to your thread for months. While reading all the posts I've missed, I planned to write that I'm glad you enjoyed City of Thieves. But this seems so unimportant now that I've reached your latest post. I'm very sorry to hear you mom passed away. You and your family are in my thoughts.

Losing your mom is always so difficult. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. We'll look forward to having you back with us when you are able.

I'm very sorry to hear the sad news. Sending lots of thoughts your way in this difficult time. ♥

>114 MissWatson:, >115 Jackie_K:, >116 LittleTaiko:, >117 mamzel:, >118 AHS-Wolfy:, 119, >120 DeltaQueen50:, >121 dudes22:, >122 mathgirl40:, >123 rabbitprincess:, >124 luvamystery65:, >125 VictoriaPL:, >126 andreablythe:, >127 VivienneR:, >128 Roro8:, >129 lsh63:, >130 Chrischi_HH:, >131 thornton37814: and >132 -Eva-: Thank you Birgit, Jackie, Stacey, mamzel, Dave, Joyce, Judy, Betty, Paulina, rabbitprincess, Roberta, Victoria, Andrea, Vivienne, Ro, Lisa, Chrischi_HH, Lori, and Eva

Love you all. Thank you so much for the condolences. It is still a struggle to get back to the previous normal routine. I tend to find myself distracted by images and sounds, with reading kind of on the back burner. A lot of going over memorabilia, including a lot of images of Mom that only recently came to light as I was cleaning her sewing room. A lot still being digested but the over all effect is one of happiness and gratitude that Mom did not suffer, trapped in a body unable to communicate by vocal or physical gestation. That was a HUGE fear of mine, after reading the literature and other patient's stories, so as hard as it may be for someone who has not directly experienced the evils of ALS, I am so, SO thankful my Mom passed naturally, before she was trapped in a body that no longer responded to her, even if it meant that she left us sooner than expected. Yes, Canada now has assisted suicide legislation but there was no way that we, as a family, could have broached the subject to my mom... her decline was so sudden. Would she have gone for it.... no clue, but I am happy she was not trapped in a vegetative state like Margot Bentley. That is a truly horrifying story and I pray that no one ever has to experience the final days that poor Margot had to suffered through. That is so, so wrong!

On the reading front, I have been reading, although the reviews about to be posted below are reviews that were written prior to my mother's demise. I actually found solace in reading Willa Cather's Death Comes to For the Archbishop the week of my mother's service, even though I acknowledge that the book was chosen for me back in 2015 before my mom's health issues became known. A wonderful book, and I do hope to find the time to write a review.

I have also managed to finish my read of Clarissa and will at some point post my collective thoughts on that one.

Walking has been a gong show in that I haven't been walking (except for ventures out of the hospital during my mom's final days) so I guess it is best to say that things are slowly (and I do mean slowly) getting back to some semblance of normal but it not easy. Reading is not a priority with me these days. It probably will be again at some point, but not right now.

Now onward to those previously written reviews.

Book #87 - The Many Deaths of The FireFly Brothers by Thomas Mullen
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Hard Cover
Original publication date: 2010
Acquisition date: December 25, 2011
Page count: 416 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.80 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from multiple sources:

Late one night in August 1934, following a yearlong spree of bank robberies across the Midwest, Jason and Whit Fireson - bank robbers known as the Firefly Brothers by an adoring public that worships their acts as heroic counterpunches thrown at a broken system - are forced into a police shoothout and die in a hail of bullets. Or do they? Jason and Whit’s girlfriends—Darcy, a smart-talking socialite, and Veronica, a hardened survivor—struggle between grief and an unyielding belief that the Firesons have survived. While they and the Firesons's stunned mother and straight-arrow third son wade through conflicting police reports and press accounts, wild rumors spread that the bandits are still at large.

Review:
When the colder, darker weather of autumn comes along, I seem to gravitate towards stories with a slightly darker feel to them, be it Gothic, noir or something a bit on the gritty side. Mullen’s Depression-era story is the perfect read to go along with rainy, wind-swept days. The title is an apt one, and provides the reader with a bit of insight into the story considering the story starts out with the Fireson brothers resurrection. One may throw their hands up in frustration at this but Mullen uses this “spoiler” of his own disclosure to build a wonderful story around the fact that the Fireson brothers have no memories of the events that lead to them “waking up” in the police morgue with their bodies altered by what looks like bullet holes. The story takes the reader on a Depression-era crime adventure in keeping with the myth, legend and lore of outlaw celebrities the likes of the Dillinger Gang and Bonny and Clyde. The story has everything – bank heists, bumbling cops, fedora-wearing Tommy-gun toting men, shoot-outs, a car chase, an intrepid young Bureau of Investigation agent, crooked business men and even a “damsel in distress”. While reading this one, I was able to see the story play out, like watching a flickering old black and white gangster movie.

The story has a decidedly noir feel to it, in part due to the gloomy Depression setting. Even with that gloom, the story provides glimpses of Robin Hood style flair as the Firefly Brothers become folk heroes of the destitute populous. There is a noticeable divide between the hard-core villains and the “charming gentlemen” criminals (hence that Robin Hood angle I mentioned earlier). Yes, the story has a phantasmagorical aspect to it in the resurrection of the Firefly Brothers and some of the story comes across as a bit of a cliché but, the heart of the story is really about a family (the Firesons) and the lies that people tell themselves and the people they love. The deep dive Mullen does into the past lives of his characters makes it stand out, for me anyways, from other bank heist-styled stories I have read to date. Outside of that core family piece, The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers is a wonderful escapism read where even the criminals are not “cut and dry” characters. As one reviewer has mentioned, “the story wonderfully illuminates why 1930’s America spawned so many dark heroes”. Everyone needs an idea or an individual to look up to, even if the attention is focused on an antihero. Under Mullen’s pen, one can easily see why antihero can be so popular.

.
Book #88 - Like A River From Its Course by Kelli Stuart
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Oooooh... Shiny!
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: LTER
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2016
Acquisition date: July 12, 2016
Page count: 352 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

The city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler's blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. Ukraine's WWII tragedies are told through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives:
- Maria Ivanovna is only fourteen when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.
- Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the "killing ditch". He survives, but not without devastating consequences.
- Luda is sixteen when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.
- Frederick Hermann is sure in his knowledge that the Führer's plans for domination are right and just. He is driven to succeed by a desire to please a demanding father and by his own blind faith in the ideals of Nazism.

Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River from Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

Review:
Written with an intimate perspective and strong imagery, Stuart brings the horrors and tragedies of the German occupation of Kiev squarely in the reader's cross-hairs. Written from the perspective of the four narrators, I was able to really appreciate the conflicting emotions, divided loyalties and the hardship that such a devastating event can have on both the innocent populous and the individuals that comprise what is typically referred to in inhuman terms as the "war machine". I have always felt that fiction, used correctly, can convey our history in a way that ensures that the passage of time does not dim the raw emotional effects of certain horrors and atrocities that we should ensure are retained by future generations. Stuart has done a fantastic job of transporting this reader back in time with a vivid portrayal of the Babi Yar massacre, the self serving interests of certain Russian liberators and the overall message that the human cost of any war is one that comes with such insurmountable costs. As written by Stuart, the following quote explains the choice for the title and the overall effect of the story:

"I think of our life before the bombs, the river of our days flowing so calmly in a direction that I thought would last forever. In a flash, that river was turned, unexpected and quick, dragging us along this unforeseen path. Like a river from its course, life has swirled away from all I expected or planned. Sluggish and slow, this river carves a new path. There are calmer waters that wait."

Under Stuart's pen, one is able to see the light of day beyond the horrors of war with the realization that life can and does go on.

Book #89 - The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2010
Acquisition date: May 12, 2012
Page count: 288 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Charles Unwin toils as a clerk at a huge, imperious detective agency located in an unnamed city always slick with rain. When Travis Sivart, the agency's most illustrious detective, is murdered, Unwin is suddenly promoted and must embark on an utterly bizarre quest for the missing investigator that leads him into the darkest corners of his soaking, somnolent city.

Review:
If you enjoyed reading detective fantasy stories like China Mieville's The City and The City, then I think you will really like Berry's The Manual of Detection. There is a wonderful noir feel to this story, and I really enjoy how atmospheric the story is, given that nighttime, dreams and perpetual rain run through this wonderful fantasy fiction read. The subtle nuances of the story are captured in fine detail, what with the dream detection, the historic case of the theft of November 12th, shady characters, and various aptly named locals like the Forty Winks (the bar and gaming hall below the morgue), the Travels-No-More Carnival that has remained in town and my personal favorite, the casino nightclub aptly named, the "Cat & Tonic" as a play on words for the catatonic nature of its clientele. As with other stories in the noir genre, Berry has created balanced characters and leaves the reader in suspense as he unfolds earlier unknown information in a "dream detection" sequence. I did love the way he handled that!

Overall, a very smartly presented fantasy noir detective story that has me hoping this is the start of a possible series.

Welcome back, Lori. I think as much as we want our loved ones to live forever, recognizing that the quickness of her death might have been preferable to her lingering is a good thing. Although I haven't read the book you mention, one of my old co-worker's wife died from ALS and it can be very hard for those who live through it.

And you've finished Clarissa. Well done!

>135 lkernagh: - I'm going to take a BB on this book. I agree with you that often a well-written fiction can be very effective in keeping the history of an event fresh.

Welcome back Lori. I found Death Comes for the Archbishop a wonderful read. I'm glad you enjoyed it. BB on >136 lkernagh:

Welcome back. Hoping that your reading and walking will return to their usual routines and that they will help comfort you at this time. As cheesy as it may sound, take it one day at a time. We are all here for you.

The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers sounds quite interesting. With regard to Bonnie and Clyde, have you read Jeff Guinn's book Go Down Together? It is excellent.

Welcome back! I really enjoyed Manual of Detection so was happy to see you liked it too. Sadly it does not seem to be the beginning of a series. Oh well, I have enough other series to keep up with anyway.

Welcome back, Lori. I hope getting back to reading, reviewing and walking will provide some comfort for you.

The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers was a BB for me.

Hi Lori and welcome back. I became a fan of Thomas Mullen from reading The Last Town on Earth a while ago and I am looking forward to The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers.

>137 dudes22:, >138 luvamystery65:, >139 rabbitprincess:, >140 LittleTaiko:, >141 VivienneR: and >142 DeltaQueen50: - Thank you Betty, Roberta, RP, Stacey, Vivienne and Judyfor the welcome back messages. I am always happy to hit people with book bullets. ;-)

>139 rabbitprincess: - No, I have to admit to not having read Jeff Guinn's book Go Down Together, but will now happily see if I can track down a copy!

>142 DeltaQueen50: - I loved The Last Town on Earth! Mullen has a wonderful ability to write to the setting so don't be surprised if there is a very different feel to The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers!

-----------------

Today has been a day off from work for me - seriously, I don't know how I will manage a full 5-day work week, it has been that long since I last worked one! - so I found the time to pull together my thoughts about Clarissa and Death Comes for the Archbishop. Reviews to follow.

Digging through mom's sewing room was like engaging on a treasure hunt. None of us had any idea what we would encounter, as it was very much her domain, like dad's study is his domain. One very happy discovery - tucked in between piles of quilting fabric - is a favorite portrait of mom that was taken back in 1954 when she was a mere 20 years old, the year before she married my dad:



Mom was a big fan of bright red lipstick and high heels when she was a young lady, as my second cousins who grew up down the street from mom, recall. I can definitely see the love for the red lipstick in the portrait picture and I probably got my love for high heels from her! ;-) I have always loved this portrait so you can imagine how over the moon I was when we found it! The portrait is now displayed on the mantle alongside mom's urn. I do love the technology age we live in. I was able to take a picture of the portrait with my smartphone, edit it using software (sadly, the portrait has seem a bit of damage over the years) and save a digital copy, which is now wallpaper on my smartphone, along with the following image:



This is a favorite photo of mom and I taken when I was only 16 years old, during a trip into the mountain regions of Sumatra near Lake Maninjau in Indonesia. Another photo "discovered" that is now wallpaper on my smartphone.

Mom was always very into gardening - in particular, flowers - so I think mom would approve of the living Calla Lily plant my supervisor and work colleagues gave to me as a condolences gift:



I love the soft pink color of the lilies!

As you can imagine, this is a sample of the memories that have been occupying what would normally be reading time. Great memories and I hope to discuss with the family this Christmas when I fly home about digitizing all the photo albums full of family memories. I would love to take on the project myself but of course, I am the one that would have the hardest time getting all of the photo albums home to work on. ;-)

Anyhow... wanted to share some of the great memories I have been experiencing.

... now for those further reviews.

Book #90 - Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 9 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: My 2016 Clarissa Read
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: eBook
Original publication date: 1748
Acquisition date: October 27, 2015
Page count: 233 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.80 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the LT book summary:

Based on the 18th century novel by Samuel Richardson, this is the original tale of fatal attraction and dangerous liaisons. A wealthy young heiress, famed for her virtue, is sought by a man wishing to seduce her and destroy her reputation. For the first time in his life he becomes genuinely infatuated with his prey, and sows the seeds of his own fate.

Review:
Volume 9 Summary: Love how Richardson wraps up this overly long story of his by recapping the various characters and their just rewards and providing the reader with a more fulsome explanation of a couple of the ladies of ill repute employed by Lovelace to corrupt Clarissa. Very happy to see some of the characters experiencing first hand what karma is all about.

------------------


Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - by Samuel Richarson
Average Decimal/ Star Rating: 3.49 out of 5 /
Overall Decimal/ Star Rating: 4.10 out of 5 / .
Overall Summary: I have to say that the story has its ups and downs when it comes to capturing my attention. Some sections dragged - especially when Clarissa was in London trying to find a way out of her situation - while other sections - when Clarissa befriends Belford and the arrival of Colonel Morden - brought some wonderful clarity and a bit of excitement to the story. On one level, this story is a fascinating exploration of 18th century morals and values as it relates to sexual dominance, manipulation and control. Richardson has created an amazingly strong personality in Clarissa, which strikes me as being at odds with that particular society's expectations of how one like Clarissa is to act and behave. I have to admit that as long as this book is, I would actually read it again. Richardson's characters are such independent personalities. The epistolary format allows each character to bring forth their own personalities, opinions and beliefs to the forefront without impacting the overall flow of the story. If Clarissa were a play, each character would, in turn, take center stage and monologue to the audience, pressing their case. A wonderful way to tell a story! This truly is a novel about characters and the study of morals, manners, motives and sentiments.

So why the two different ratings? Because it is only as the story winds up that I really came to appreciate the skill with which Richardson presents the story. The some of the volumes did get rather lower ratings, dragging down the average rating.

Now, for those of you who don't feel quite up to the task of reading this ginormous tome of a book, here is a spoiler-filled fantastic summary of Clarissa, written with a teenaged reader in mind.

Book #91 - Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 1927
Acquisition date: May 10, 2014
Page count: 303 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca website book listing:

In 1851 Father Jean Marie Latour comes to serve as the Apostolic Vicar to New Mexico. What he finds is a vast territory of red hills and tortuous arroyos, American by law but Mexican and Indian in custom and belief. In the almost forty years that follow, Latour spreads his faith in the only way he knows--gently, all the while contending with an unforgiving landscape, derelict and sometimes openly rebellious priests, and his own loneliness.

Review:
Definitely one of those "right book, right time" kind of reads. Cather brings to life a time and place that I feel is irrevocably lost to us. It is a deeply spiritual read, and not just because the focus of the story is on two French missionaries that have come to bring the word to the Southwestern United States. Cather presents the plains of New Mexico and Arizona as stunning vistas peopled by nations Navajo and Hopi nations, influencing how the missionaries approach their seemingly impossible task to tame renegade priests and bring both the new Americans and the older aboriginal nations to embrace the Catholic faith. Cather has a wonderful way with prose and presentation: The story is soft, muted, and reflective in tone while still conveying the strong vibrance of life and communicating that each individual has their own way of embracing religion and a calling. Favorite quote from the book:

"He did not know just when it had become so necessary to him, but he had come back to die in exile for the sake of it. Something soft and wild and free, something that whispered to the ear on the pillow, lightened the heart, softly, softly picked the lock, slid the bolts, and released the prisoned spirit of man into the wind, into the blue and the gold, into the morning, into the morning!"

An absolutely beautiful read.

>144 lkernagh: I'm sure you are celebrating the completion of Clarissa.

Excellent work on completing Clarissa! Also, your mom is so glamorous in that photo! :)

I don't know if there would be a wrong time to read Cather. Her language draws me in no matter where I am at the moment.

Many congratulations on completing Clarissa, Lori! As someone who is still stuck in Volume 4 (arrrgh), I TOTALLY appreciate your accomplishment.

And glad that the Cather spoke to you; not sure, but I might have been responsible for that suggestion ;)

It is good to hear that you are reading and doing a little walking and getting back to day-to-day life. I remember when my sister and I were going through my mother's things--we wanted to hold on to everything; very little seemed to be given away. Today (11 tears later) we look at this stuff and wonder why on earth we wanted to keep THAT. I've gotten more selective as time goes by.

Hope that your dad is adjusting to this new life, too. It takes time.

>143 lkernagh:
Those pictures are so lovely, Lori. ♥ It's my greatest nightmare, thinking about that one day I will have to lose my mum, so my heart goes out to you! *Huge hugs!*

>146 thornton37814: - Thanks Lori. It is a good feeling of accomplishment to have finished reading Clarissa!

>147 rabbitprincess: - Thanks on both counts, RP!

>148 mamzel: - Good to know, mamzel. Death Comes for the Archbishop is my very first Cather read. Happily, I still have copies of Oh Pioneers! and My Antonia still lurking unread on my bookshelves.

>149 kac522: - Yes , I do have you to thank Kathy for picking the Cather book as part of my "Blind Date" category. Good choice! Thank you for your comments. Yes, right now the family is slowly working our way through my mother's things. We will probably do this is a series of passes. Right now the first pass is just to clear out her piles of "to be read" magazines she subscribed to and was always hoping to find the time 'later' to read and things like that. I am a bit more of a "pack rat" than some of my other siblings, although I understand that one of my older brothers may be more keen to hold onto more 'stuff' at this stage in the process. I will be spending Christmas in Calgary and the plan will be to go through more of mom's things at that time. Dad is doing really well, all things considering. Thanks for asking. For the last 6 months of mom's life dad was pretty much making his own meals (as mom had gone to eating just smooth or pureed foods) and managing the day-to-day cleaning so the family focuses on making sure at least one of us connects with dad each day either in person or on the phone.

>150 -Eva-: - Thanks Eva. I have to say, I think it would have been harder on me if mom had not developed ALS and had remained a healthy, vibrant personality to the end. witnessing her decline and managing to spend her last 4 days with her really helped make it easier to let go in the end, as it wasn't such a sudden shock and we were all able to "get closure" during those final days.

Happy Sunday everyone. Life continues to truck along. I see everywhere I look that places are ramping up for the Christmas season. The past couple of weekends have involved spending some time at some of the various Christmas craft fairs that abound at this time of year. Lovely to see what other craft folks have been making! I know, I usually posts pictures of my homemade Christmas cards about this time of year. This year, I am just not in the mood to do any crafting of my own so no homemade cards or new homemade ornaments for "show and tell" here on LT. I will probably be back in the swing of things next year.

On the reading front, I did manage to read one book this past week, Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd, the latest Flavia de Luce book by Alan Bradley. Review to follow.

On my Category Challenge front - the only challenge that I am still working on that hasn't either already been completed (ROOT and 75 Books) or abandoned (the various author and bingo challenges) - I have only three more books to read to complete my challenge: The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner and Jennifer Ashley, Plainsong by Kent Haruf and a book that is over 800 pages long. I think I may have a difficulty with completing the over 800 page book but the other two are totally do-able in the remaining weeks of this calendar year. I will be joining the category challenge again next year and have already posted my thread over in that group.

On the walking front, I am getting back into the swing of things so I do have an update to cover my last 7 weeks of walking.

Lastly, I don't know how things are weather wise in other parts of the world but Victoria has been experiencing some unseasonable weather of late... so much so, I noticed a number of plants back in bloom (as can be seen by the following pictures taken during a lunch-hour walk mid-week):

..

Mid-November and the plants are acting as though we are back in Spring. ;-)

Book #92 - Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Oooooh... Shiny!
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Hardcover
Original publication date: September 20, 2016
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 336 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com website book listing:

In spite of being ejected from Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Canada, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is excited to be sailing home to England. But instead of a joyous homecoming, she is greeted on the docks with unfortunate news: Her father has fallen ill, and a hospital visit will have to wait while he rests. But with Flavia’s blasted sisters and insufferable cousin underfoot, Buckshaw now seems both too empty—and not empty enough. Only too eager to run an errand for the vicar’s wife, Flavia hops on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, to deliver a message to a reclusive wood-carver. Finding the front door ajar, Flavia enters and stumbles upon the poor man’s body hanging upside down on the back of his bedroom door. The only living creature in the house is a feline that shows little interest in the disturbing scene. Curiosity may not kill this cat, but Flavia is energized at the prospect of a new investigation. It’s amazing what the discovery of a corpse can do for one’s spirits. But what awaits Flavia will shake her to the very core.

Review:
I know that the precocious Flavia is not every reader's cup of tea but she does appeal to my impish side. Very happy to see Flavia back in the usual surroundings of Bishop's Lacey with the familiar cast of characters - including her trusted bike affectionately called Galdys - , but I must say that the darker tone of the more recent stories in the series have been a bit of a downer for me. I miss the breezier feel to the earlier stories in the series. Even though Flavia is supposed to be 12-years-old, she tends to fluctuate between being wise "beyond her years" and yet still very young and naive about certain things. Even still, I do enjoy the way Bradley captures various turn of phrases, and I do feel that "A veritable UXB (bomb) in pigtails" is an apt description for Flavia. Bradley continues to bring interesting points of science to the story, and imagine my happy surprise to discover the following advice about a household fern I have that has been ailing of late:

"The Maidenhairs, as you know, require coddling. Otherwise they have a tendency to sulk."

"Sulk" is a good term to describe the current condition of my maidenhair fern! ;-)

Overall, another decent installment in the Flavia de Luce series but I do wish Bradley would lift the veil of the doom and gloom that has shrouded the last three books in the series.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

WEEKS 65 to 71 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 132.90
Kilometers walked in total:2,915.19
Current province: (ON)
My current location on the map: Just north of Caliper Lake.
Points of interest along the way: First off, I should mention that since I started off this walking journey on the southern Trans Canada Highway (starting in Victoria instead of in Prince Rupert), I have decided that every time the highway branches into both northern and southern routes, I will stick with the southern route. Taking the southern route has involved skirting the southern part of Eagle Dogtooth Provincial Park, around Gibi Lake (and passed a lot of other smaller lakes!) through Sioux Narrows, teh community of Crow Lake and Nestor Falls before stopping at the northern end of Caliper Lake Provincial Park. As far as points of interest go, I would be remiss if I did not mention "Huskie the Muskie" which is the nickname for a 40-foot-tall outdoor sculpture depicting a muskellunge in Kenora's McLeod Park:



Yes... it is a statue of a fish. ;-)

I'm glad to hear that things are getting back to normal for you, Lori. Thanks for sharing those lovely photos of your mother.

Congratulations on finishing Clarissa as well as on your impressive progress in the Trans Canada journey! Actually, all your posts had convinced me to start a virtual cross-Canada walk of my own. I'm using the World Walking app for this and hope to incorporate my journey into my 2017 category challenge. So thanks for the inspiration!

Mid-November and the plants are acting as though we are back in Spring.

I know! What's up? There are flowers in my violet patch--4 months early, or 8 months late?

The last 3 or 4 years I've also had October and November raspberries. They don't have much flavour, but I eat them anyway.

I thought I had already posted my congratulations on finishing Clarissa, but I must have not hit "post". I do that occasionally. I'm a bit behind in the Flavia series but maybe I can sort-of catch up next year. I can't believe those flower pictures. Although I still have some marigolds that I haven't pulled out yet because they're still blooming. They are in the spot that's close to the house and south-facing so it's the warmest.

I have an old rose just under the front window (south-facing) which is getting spindlier and spindlier, and the leaves always have black spots so I'm pretty sure it's riddled with something or other undesirable. I have been saying for the past 3 years that I am going to dig it up, but then it produces the most glorious deep red flowers throughout late spring and summer and I can't quite bring myself to do it until they're all over (by which time I forget about it, until I see more buds and then the cycle begins again!). And then, the last couple of years at this time of year it produces a handful more beautiful red blooms even though all the leaves are off and it's freezing and frosty outside. This year is no exception, there are a couple of red beauties there at the moment which gives a welcome burst of colour when everything else is dull.

>154 lkernagh:
Great to hear you're getting going again - it works wonders for both body and mind, don't you think? I must admit, "Huskie the Muskie" is quite impressive, if somewhat unexpected. :)

Meanwhile, my part of Ontario is having its first major snowfall of the year... forecast of 15 to 25 cm!

Lori, I'm just catching up on threads this evening - I'm very far behind- and read the news about your mother. I'm so sorry for your loss. My sincere condolences to you and your family. The photos are beautiful.

>155 mathgirl40: - Life is returning to normal, Paulina, taking baby steps as we go. I am a bit of a hobby genealogist and I updated my mom's entry in the database I use only this past weekend. Just wasn't ready to record her passing until then.

Very happy to see you will be embarking on your own Trans Canada journey! I am looking forward to following your travels.

>156 Nickelini: - Ha, I swear I saw cherry blossoms on a tree yesterday! I would join you in eating the raspberries, even if they don't have much flavour in October or November. It is just amazing that the plants continue to flourish like that.

.... oh wait.... they are not trying to tell us to stock pile for a cold winter, by chance, are they? ;-)

>157 dudes22: - Thanks Betty. In a way, it is kind of sad to see that the story does have an end. I was so used to reading it, it took me a couple of days to realize that there is no more. Are you supposed to pull plants like marigolds out in the fall? I don't know much about things like that, but I agree that if the plant continues to produce blooms, why pull it out.

>158 Jackie_K: - What a wonderful surprise for you when the rose bush manages to defy your expectations, year after year and continues to produce such wonderful blooms!

>159 -Eva-: - Happily, the body seems to know more about how to adjust to a loss than I would have expected. Survival instincts, I am assuming are a play here in helping me carry on. As for "Huskie the Muskie", it is always the unexpected that seem to leave the lasting impression on road trips, isn't it? ;-)

>160 rabbitprincess: - Funny you should mention that, RP. I was chatting with my dad last weekend and he was watching the football game between Ottawa and Edmonton and he was rather amused to see all that snow being displayed on the TV screen! No worries, I am pretty sure the prairies will be catching up on the idea of a white winter soon enough and here on the island we have been experiencing that cold rain that reminds me that it isn't necessarily snow that can make a person feel cold, regardless of how bundled up they are. ;-)

>161 VioletBramble: - Thanks Violet. She was a gem of a mom and I take comfort in knowing that she didn't have to endure the worst that ALS can deliver.

Sundays seem to be my days for checking in on LT and getting caught up with my threads. Happy belated Thanksgiving wishes to my American visitors. Retailers in Canada, like in the U.S., offer shoppers with some pre-Christmas sales to lure one in to part with their hard earned cash. In this household, I think we did rather well with the Black Friday sales. My other half was in the need of a new cell phone. He has been on a "pay-as-you-go" plan with a phone that he just wasn't happy with. He wanted to make the switch to an iPhone and was checking out the deals on offer for the past two weeks. He wanted to get an iPhone 6s but those are still considered to be too 'new' to be offered for free as part of a two-year plan so imagine our surprise when London Drugs offered as a Black Friday sale the iPhone 6s for $0, with the plan of your choice AND a $100 London Drugs gift card. As my western Canada visitors will probably agree, ANYONE can find a way to make use of a $100 London Drugs gift card. He got the phone he wanted with a plan he loves and I got the gift card, but that is not all. I have been in the market for a convection toaster oven as I am sick and tired of turning on the main oven just to roast veggies for the evening dinner (and other things as well). I was able to pick up a convection toaster oven 50% off and have spend the past 24 hours testing it out. So far we have roasted the mushrooms, bell peppers and zucchini that went into last night's pasta, baked muffins and bread and roasted asparagus tips for tonight's dinner. I love my new convection oven although I do have to say I cannot help but think that a convection toaster oven is the adult version of my childhood Easy Bake Oven:



Now, does that bring back memories or what?!?

Yes, I am oversimplifying the experience, just a bit. My recent acquisition is the same one as seen in the image below:



Yup, we are both very happy with our Black Friday purchases.

On the reading front, I did finish another book so book review to follow as well as my weekly walking update (which isn't much of an update except for the fact that I have been walking).

Book #93 - The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: eBook
Original publication date: 2011
Acquisition date: February 28, 2015
Page count: 319 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.10 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com website book listing:

London, 1816 Cavalry captain Gabriel Lacey returns to Regency London from the Napoleonic Wars, burned out, fighting melancholia, his career ended. His interest is piqued when he learns of a missing girl, possibly kidnapped by a prominent member of Parliament. Lacey's search for the girl leads to the discovery of murder, corruption, and dealings with a leader of the underworld. At the same time, he faces his own disorientation transitioning from a soldier's life to the civilian world, redefining his role with his former commanding officer, and making new friends--from the top of society to the street girls of Covent Garden.

Review:
Gabriel Lacey is such a wonderful character. I love the time period and having as a lead character someone who sticks out in London society like a sore thumb and makes no bones about alienating certain members of society is a refreshing change from the usual "hero". Even though Lacey is a gentleman, he really is more a man of the people, more down to earth and holds to his strong convictions about morality and integrity, even when it is at odds with high ranking members of the military and society. Regency England is wonderfully presented as the cut-throat environment it was to live in where "who" you know is more important than what you "own" (although having assets is still considered a good thing). The mystery is well written and even I was surprised when the "who done it" for one of the crimes was revealed. I found Lacey's friend Grenville to be an excellent choice as Grenville's status and popularity in London society is a kin to Brummell's as an authority all society would bow to, providing a wonderful contrast to Lacey's poorer, post-military lifestyle. With past and potential future love interests for Lacey as secondary characters, the story has everything I want in a mystery/romance/historical fiction read.

Great first book in a series that I intend to continue reading.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

WEEK 72 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 36.58
Kilometers walked in total:2,951.77
Current province: (ON)
My current location on the map: Due south of Caliper Lake, heading for Rainy River and the Canadian/U.S. border.
Points of interest along the way: Not much to report except to note that the Rainy River Mine is an active gold mine. Not what I was expecting to learn. ;-)

>152 lkernagh: - The warm weather has been odd. My jalapeño plant is still producing peppers.

>163 lkernagh: That sounds like a great Black Friday haul! I didn't buy anything other than lunch and a takeaway curry, for which my bank manager is probably very grateful.

At least where I live, marigolds are annuals and pulled out in the fall. But the weather is still weird here. I heard this am on the weather report that today is going to be approx. 20 degrees F over the normal average temp for today which is 32 F (or 0 C - that one I know).

ETA: I wish your husband would come help me figure out what kind of phone and plan I should have.

>166 LittleTaiko: - Oooohhhh.... I would love to own a jalapeño plant! I make do with buying my hot peppers from the grocery store but it is one of those food items I wish I could have at hand when I want it. ;-)

>167 Jackie_K: - Ha, yes, I can see where Black Friday can hit the pocketbook if the spending is not closely contained. Our Black Friday purchases were gifts for ourselves so we have decided that we don't need to do gifts this year... probably just little stocking stuffer "stuff". I have to say a takeaway curry sounds like a great Black Friday (or any Friday) treat to me.

>168 dudes22: - Sounds like weird weather is the norm about now. *shakes head* Cell phone plans can be frightfully confusing. Because there are really only three major cellular coverage providers in Canada (the big three own the smaller companies) one really doesn't have as many choices as you may be facing. I have learned that I don't need a lot of data (my plan is 300MG per month and I average 200MG/month in usage) as most of my data usage I can manage through my home WiFi. I also don't need a lot of daytime, weekday minutes so the 300 minutes offered works for me. My main focus is ensuring that I have unlimited anywhere in Canada evenings and weekend minutes, which I do have under my current plan. My other half spends more time on his personal cell than I do, so he went for more daytime weekday minutes, while still having the unlimited evenings and weekends.

As for phones, I have a Samsung Galaxy Alpha which I love, but I also have a Apply iPhone as a work issued cell phone and both are good products, IMO. Good luck with choosing your new phone and plan!

Another week down and not much new to report. The weather has been crappy all week, except today when we saw wonderful sunshine. We woke up this morning to a rather unusual sound. After a minute, I was able to figure out what we were hearing: the noise of frost being scrapped off the windscreen of a car. Guess it dipped below freezing last night. Weather prediction is for colder temps over the next couple of days with possible snow flurries so I am very happy that on Friday I went coat shopping during my lunch hour and purchased a new winter coat. I will be heading to Calgary for Christmas this year (something that was planned while Mom was still with us) and I suddenly realized that I don't (or didn't until now) have a decent jacket for snowy weather that can dip down into the -20'C. I have all of the other gear - boots, hat, gloves, scarfs, etc - but the jacket is kind of an important part of the winter survival wardrobe ensemble. Anyways, I managed to get an awesome deal on the following coat (picture taken from the web - that is a model, not me posing in the jacket):



My jacket is the same, except in a lovely burgundy colour. My first puffer jacket! ;-)

On the reading front, I am currently reading Poseidon & Cleito by Andrew J. Peters, an LT early reviewer book I received from the September batch. I am a little behind with my LTER reading. I still have a book from the October batch so imagine my chagrin when I got the notice this week that I won not 1 but 2 books from the November batch. I hope to find time tonight to sit back and finish the last 35 pages in Poseidon & Cleito. So far, I have really enjoyed this one and look forward to providing my thoughts in a couple of days, unless work hijacks me like last week, in which case, you would see hid nor hair of me before next Sunday.

I have been walking - not as much as I would have liked but the weather wasn't exactly cooperative this past week. Looking forward to ramping up the kilometers next week. Walking update to follow.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

WEEK 73 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 29.70
Kilometers walked in total:2,981.47
Current province: (ON)
My current location on the map: Due east of Emo and heading for Fort Frances.
Points of interest along the way: The only stop along the way this week was the cute and tiny township of Emo (population of approximately 1,300). Point of interest is Emo is the home of the tiny Norland Chapel:



According to a blurp written by Snuffy on Flickr, the original church was crowned with the 12 meter steeple you see in the picture, but the church itself was destroyed by lightning in 1971. The church was rebuilt as a chapel around the surviving steeple and is considered to be one of the smallest churches in the world. Can only sit an estimated 8 people. Talk about a small congregation!

Hoping to get in more walking this week so that I can pass the 3,000 KM mark of my walking journey. Wish me luck the weather cooperates!

Aww, what a cute little church!

Glad to hear you got a new winter coat in time for your visit to Calgary! It can be difficult to shop for necessities in the clothing department -- at least for me, I have very specific requirements for a lot of things and it often seems like clothing manufacturers fail to read my mind ;)

>170 lkernagh: It doesn't get too cold where I live and when we do have sub-freezing it doesn't last long. However, when I was in Marshall's yesterday I found a puffy jacket by Columbia that I couldn't resist. Got to wear it this morning.

You'd need a very small wedding party to use that church - but how cute!

>172 rabbitprincess: - I know! Adorable, isn't it? ;-) New winter coat has already been broken, more on that will be provided in my update below. When it comes to my winter clothes I am all about function first, fashion second but like you, I can still have some specific requirements that can make shopping a frustrating experience.

>173 mamzel: - Sounds like you scored a wonderful deal, snagging a Columbia puffy jacket at Marshall's! We have Marshall's here as well but it seems to be more luck and timing than anything else in making those great finds!

>174 dudes22: - LOL, good point. I wonder if the minister ever experiences that "empty church/chapel" feeling? ;-)

This past week has been one of those "fun" ones as Victoria is experiencing an interesting cold snap (with snow thrown in). We received just a small dusting on Monday night and we are getting for potential "Round 2" of the white stuff tonight. A number of you are probably wondering what all the fuss is about (it is December after all). One of my favorite local newspaper columnist's capture the "OMG" tension that grips Victorians when these "weather anomalies" occur. I invite you to enjoy his take on it all:

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/jack-knox-snow-in-victoria-heaven-help-u...

This week has also been one of those annoying "body ache/injury" kind of weeks. Working out of a heritage building, one tries to get used to and tries to dress for unusual events like lack of heating. Monday morning there was no heat at the office - boiler had been turned off during the weekend to do some necessary repairs and for some reason was not back in business on Monday - and in the process I think I managed to get a chill. My back has been a bit of a problem all week. Monday night I developed a very stiff/sore back localized to my upper left shoulder area. Hot baths and warm clothing have helped somewhat in that the original area is now fine, the problem now seems to be localized in my upper right shoulder area. Anyhow, hot baths have been helping so I am looking forward to working from home tomorrow (Hint: bring on the snow!)

On the reading front, I have managed to read two of my outstanding LibraryThing Early Reviewer books and have reviews ready for posting for both books. Reviews to follow.

.... will finish updating threads and then bake some mincemeat tarts, one of my holiday favorites!

.

Book #94 - Poseidon & Cleito by Andrew J. Peters
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Oooooh... Shiny!
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: LTER
Format: eBook
Original publication date: August 29, 2016
Acquisition date: October 10, 2016
Page count: 251 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.90 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com website book listing:

He became a god. Her story was forgotten. From the shore of a frozen steppe, an outcast hunter embarks for the otherworld to ask his ancestors how to bring the mammoth back to the fields of sedge. In a shining, island kingdom of wonders, the daughter of a high priest fights for her claim to wealth and power after her father is assassinated by the king. Together they will build an empire recalled as an ancient legend and a cautionary tale. But how did he become a god while she became a mere footnote in history?

Review:
While I am more of a Celtic / Norse mythology type of reader, I do find the classic Greek and Roman stories make for interesting reading, especially as they are usually filled with all the good stuff that can make George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones seem like a walk in the park. Peters has taken the story of the god Poseidon and his human wife Cleito and re-imagined it as a wonderfully grounded, human story. I love the approach of having Donnogen (our Poseidon) portrayed as a tribal hunter from a northern steppes country who embarks, with his band of raiders, on a voyage to find the fabled land across the sea where the mammoths his tribe had relied on for survival are thought to roam. The world build is well done and the characters have all the depth and complexity I have come to expect from a solid, well written story. The plot has enough going on to keep my interest although I have to admit I struggled a little bit with one or two developments that I won’t go into in this review, as that would involve revealing spoilers. The shifting narrative works well to communicate the different points of view of our various characters, and worked wonders in bringing Cleito forward as a primary character of importance in her own right, and not just the wife role she plays in the classic Poseidon stories.

Overall, a well written and original take on classic mythology tales, turning what I used to think of as being nothing more than a classic mythology story into a story that captured my imagination and interest. A wonderful first book in what appears to be a planned trilogy.

.

Book #95 - Orcas Intrigue by Laura Gayle
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Oooooh... Shiny!
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: LTER
Format: eBook
Original publication date: October 18, 2016
Acquisition date: November 11, 2016
Page count: 214 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.30 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com website book listing:

Camille Tate has always run away…but vanishing whenever life gets too frightening has never solved anything. When a broken heart sends Cam to remote Orcas Island to try her hand at caretaking and writing a screenplay, she finds quiet beaches and cozy bookstores, plus a host of intriguing folks, including a rugged boat-builder, a glamorous neighbor, and a reassuring sheriff's deputy. But an escalating nest of mysteries and the haunting sense of being watched soon leave Cam wondering if she can believe her own perceptions. As intrigue turns to danger, she must decide whether there is anyone she can trust, or if it’s time for her to vanish yet again.

Review:
This review is for all of you cozy mystery/ light romance fans out there. This is one of those light-weight reads that works so long as: you are not expecting the story to resolve itself at the end of the book; you don’t mind if the characters are just a little too good (or bad) to be true; you are okay if the lead character has a unique “talent” that dips the story (ever so slightly) into the realm of magical realism/paranormal; you don’t let it get to you if the dialogue tends to dip into the realm of low-brow (and is a bit repetitive) and you like to read stories that are set in the Pacific Northwest.

Laura Gayle – a pseudonym for two writers – has written one of those perfect lazy Sunday reads. Nothing taxing for the brain to analyze, wonderful presentation of the Orcas Island setting, a cast of off-beat islanders and well-to-do (financially rich) main-landers to chuckle over and enough talk about food and drink that you will probably want to have some nibbles at your side while reading. The mystery is nothing special and as I mentioned, if you don’t like reading stories that close off with a bunch of loose ends that haven’t been dealt with, you may not find this story to your liking. For me, I am okay with loose ends and I am also okay with the downplayed mystery angle as I enjoyed the story more from the perspective of "young main-lander from Seattle transplanting and trying to settle into island life" than for the mystery our heroine stumbles across and becomes mired in. I also like how the story manages to amp up the level of suspense, even though I did end up questioning some of the motives and actions that transpire.

Overall, a fun, lightweight cozy read and I am a tad curious to see what may occur in the next book in the series.

Hi Lori, I hope Victoria is weathering the "storm"! Vancouver is getting more snow today as well and as I am sure you can imagine, it's bringing things to a standstill!

>179 DeltaQueen50: - Thankfully, the Thursday night/Friday morning snow was pretty much washed away Friday night when we had a lovely 1 hour downpour of rain. Curious to see what next week brings as they are predicting lows in the -'C temps and highs of 1'C.... I see icy road and sidewalk conditions in my future for next week. ;-)

--------------------------

I am very glad I took my laptop home from work Thursday night. The snow in my part of town Friday morning was passable - up to only 3 inches in some places - but my body aches (which I do believe were a result of a chill) were joined by a sore through and sinus congestion. My other half has been suffering through a cold for the past 6 days and had managed to "share" the bug with me (which in itself is strange in that usually I am the one that comes down with a cold first and then shares it with him). A lot of hot baths and enough vitamin C to choke an elephant and I think I can safely say that I have managed to nip the cold (and the body aches) before I devolved into a whiny sick person. Taking it easy this weekend by not doing to much. Hoping to take advantage of the down time to make headway on the last two books I need to read to complete my category challenge:

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts - book with over 800 pages, to complete my "Big Tomes" category
Plainsong by Kent Haruf - last book to complete my "Blind Date" category

Plainsong is deliberately being held as my airplane book for when I fly home for the holidays, so my focus right now is seeing if I can either finish or make good headway with Shantaram, because I don't feel like taking that big tome with me. Worst case, I can carry Shantaram over into the early parts of January.

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend and not letting the approaching holiday season become a stress-inducer.

I hope you can prevent the cold before it starts, and be healthy for your trip home. Sounds like we are in for a chilly week.

Hope you enjoy Kent Haruf's Plainsong. I really enjoyed it, nearly as much as Our Souls at Night.

Talking about preventing colds, if you live near a London Drugs (BC and Alberta only, I think), they make a product that my family swears by -- spray echinachia and zinc. It's on the shelf in the herbal section along with all the other echinahia products and it's London Drugs brand. As soon as we feel a sore throat, we spray every few hours. I'd say that 5 out of 6 times it goes away and doesn't develop into a cold. We've been using this for years and I live in fear that they will change the formula or discontinue it. I just bought three the other day (they were $6.99 each). I don't know why this product isn't in a well known national brand.

Hope the cold is truly averted! Shantaram is a very interesting read - hope you like it!

>176 lkernagh: - Loved the article! Sounds a bit like our reactions when it snows in Dallas too. We get all worked up and then it's usually melted by the next day.

> 181 - No such luck on preventing the cold but the good news is that I was only "under the weather" for 5 days. At least it wasn't that lingering cold that is making the rounds. I have co-workers that were out sick for two weeks, and still didn't look that great when they dragged themselves back into the office.

I am really looking forward to reading Plainsong. I like to end my reading year with a good book and Plainsong seems to fit the bill perfectly.

>182 Nickelini: - I must remember to look for that echinacea product the next time I am in London Drugs! We do use a homeopathic product that is fantastic for sore throats - Vinceel by MediNatura:



I sprayed it into my mouth on Friday when the cold was starting to take hold and by Saturday, I no longer had a sore, scratchy throat. The cold just stayed centered in my nasal passages.

>183 -Eva-: - Nope on averting the cold, but luckily it passed by rather quickly, which I am very thankful for, because I hate flying with a head cold. Shantaram is proving to be a very interesting read.... not sure how I am going to rate it when I finish it.

>184 LittleTaiko: - All it takes is one snowflake sighting and the city population goes into high alert! Very entertaining!

This month is just flying by! As mentioned above, I was unsuccessful in my attempts to hold the cold at bay. Good news is I was completely over the head cold by Day 5 and I managed to take advantage of being sick to spend three days in bed reading Shantaram - well, following the story in my print copy while listening to audiobook - and sleeping. I am currently 625 pages into the story and I have to say, the reader for the audiobook has done a fabulous job creating different accents for the various characters. The story is at times reflective/philosophical and other times rather intense. The only potential downside is I have discovered the story has a number of elements that tend to crop up in typical Jason Stratham movies - fight scenes, crime, mafia, people with mysterious pasts, etc. I am starting to visualize the story from that movie style point-of-view, and I don't think I am doing the book or the author any favours with this comparison running through my mind as I am reading.

I have been enjoying all of the Christmas lights and decorations around town, and really enjoying the continuing cold temps and continued dustings of snow, but I have to say, the following street decoration I noticed on my way to work one morning as I was heading to the library to drop of some returns struck me as being a bit odd:



Is it just me, or does anyone else think that it is just a bit on the creepy side? I think it is a fun idea to have the Kissletoe hanging over the sidewalk (to entice couples to smooch under it?) but the dude looks like a crotchety character pulled directly from a Charles Dickens story!

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

WEEKS 74 and 75 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 37.18 (16.18 on Week 74; 21.00 on Week 75)
Kilometers walked in total:3,018.65
Current province: (ON)
My current location on the map: East of Fort Frances and northeast of Last Island.
Points of interest along the way: Fort Frances is located on the north bank of the Rainy River, with International Falls Minnesota located along the south bank of the river. Fort Frances has some interesting street names, like "Colonization Road" and "Idylwild Drive", which is where the La Place Rendez-vous Hotel can be found. I love the idea of a hotel having the name "Rendez-vous"!

He does look rather Dickens-like.

I think that street decoration is rather strange - I agree that having a "kissletoe" is quite neat, but that fellow looks like he's leering which is rather off-putting.

Your walk across Canada has you in a very interesting place right now. I would like to take a trip down through that part of the country, although I know there aren't many roads and I am not quite up to a canoe trip. So many lakes and rivers, you can sure see why the Voyagers did so much to open up the country!

>185 lkernagh:. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll look for that -- I've noted it in my phone so I'll have it at the store. Last night my sister-in-law recommended her echinachia spray -- it's from Sage. Probably more expensive than my London Drugs spray but I'll try it too.

>163 lkernagh:
I remember wanting an Easy Bake Oven as a kid, because my friend had one. But I never got it. Anyway, the convention toaster does sound exactly like the adult version of that. So funny.

>171 lkernagh: & >187 lkernagh:
Great progress on your Trans-Canada walking challenge. :)

>186 lkernagh:
Totally on the creepy side! Haha. Which is why I kind of love it.

>186 lkernagh: Glad you have recovered from the cold and are out and about enjoying the lead-up to Christmas. The Kissletoe is definitely Dickensian and creepy.

Your walking trip across Canada continues to be fascinating. I'm so glad you mention the places and not just mileage!

>188 dudes22: - Glad to see I am not the only one to see that connection, Betty!

>189 DeltaQueen50: - Yes, I would feel uncomfortable having that face leering down at me. Not something expects to see on Fort Street across the street from Russell's Books!

I would love to do a canoe trip but I hear you.... portaging from water source to water source is something my younger body may have been up to. I would want someone to carry all the gear for me if I were to embark on such a trip now!

>190 Nickelini: - Good luck and I have made a note of your sister-in-law's recommendation as well.

>191 andreablythe: - LOL, my other half won't touch the convention toaster oven so at the moment we still have a toaster also taking up valuable counter space. ;-0 Thanks and yay for more votes that the Kisseltoe guy looks creepy.

>192 VivienneR: - I hate traveling with a cold so I am really happy to be recovered! I like following my walking on the map and making notes of places I have never visited in person!

---------------------
Going through some last minute packing in preparation for the flight home early tomorrow morning. I do have one more book review ready for posting - I managed to read through Shantaram in record time!

Book #96 - Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Big Tomes
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2003
Acquisition date: May 12, 2012
Page count: 944 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.70 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca website book listing:

Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear. Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere. As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.

Review:
As some other reviewers have already commented, this story is as much about a love for the city and the people of Bombay (now Mumbai) as it is about Lin, our Australian "on the lam" and the colourful individuals that come to comprise his inner circle of new friends. The story hits all the right notes from a semi-autobiographical perspective, but that is also part of the story's undoing. There is almost too much detail, and a little too much ego and self-importance our author attaches to Lin. I really enjoyed the sections of the story that delves into debates about philosophy, theology, literature, politics and a rather unique perspective of good versus evil in relation to the "Big Bang Theory" of evolution, but Lin as a character really started to grate on me. As for Karla... well... I finally just gave up on her as a character of any worth. Thank goodness the stories has characters like Prabaker, Didier and Vikram to drag us out of Lin's moralizing, remonstrating and self-victimizing (when he isn't pat himself on the back as the hero of Bombay, that is).

Overall, a good story with a solid 1980's perspective of Bombay and key events like the assassination of Indira Gandhi, but the story falters in that Roberts seemed to feel that all pieces of information were equally important, making for a story that could have been captured in a more condensed and precise manner.

I will be off-line during the holidays so I will close off this post by wishing all of my visitors a

Merry Christmas to you too. Hope you have a good holiday.

>189 DeltaQueen50: - >193 lkernagh: - Someone recommended River Horse by William Least Heat-Moon to us about a man who decides to traverse America by using its rivers. If you want to live vicariously through someone else's adventure.

Merry Christmas, Lori!

>196 dudes22: Thanks Betty, I thinking reading about a canoe trip is all I am up for these days! I've added River Horse to my list.

Merry Christmas to you too!!

Merry Christmas to you too, Lori!

Merry Christmas, Lori!

By the way, I bought a jacket very similar to yours last year, and I've gotten so much use out of it. I love the fact that it's warm but so lightweight. It's definitely the thing for a Canadian winter, though I have a heavier parka for when the REAL Ontario winter settles in.

Merry Christmas Lori:

Catching up after several months of light LT thread reading. I was so sorry to hear about your mother's passing.

And, as always, I've caught several BBs from your thread and I'm fascinated by your TCWJ. Oh, and congratulations on completing Clarissa; that is quite the accomplishment!

>196 dudes22:, >197 DeltaQueen50:, >198 LittleTaiko:, >199 VivienneR:, >200 mathgirl40:, >201 dudes22: and >202 paruline: - Thank you Betty, Judy, Stacy, Vivienne, Paulina and Paruline for the wonderful Christmas wishes!

>196 dudes22: - Joining Judy in making note of River Horse. Thanks for the rec, Betty!

>200 mathgirl40: - The Jacket was perfect for the trip home. We only had two cold days when the temps dipped as low as -25'C at night. Definitely need parkas when the temps get really cold!

>202 paruline: - Thanks Paruline. Great memories of Mom and all that she meant to us continue to carry us through. For my Dad, we all took our cues from him. In the entire 60 years my parents had been married, Christmas of 1974 was the only Christmas they had spend apart. Dad decided he didn't want a tree up this year (didn't want the hassle) but we did enjoy a number of the musical specials and had Christmas music playing in the house.

I had a lovely trip home. Anyone who has flown in or out of the Victoria International Airport knows that it is really a rather small, quaint airport. Not the big hustle and bustle of airports for Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and the like. Even taking into account that it was going to be busy, I and a number of other travelers were stunned on the 21st to encounter a 45 minute lineup at security.... and it was only 5:30 in the morning! Usually I can breeze through security in under 10 minutes on a busy day. ;-)

I got my wish of a white Christmas. The snow started to fall on the morning of the 23rd. 36 hours later, I took the following picture of the snow on a bench in the back yard at my Dad's place:



The ruler registered the snow pile at being 8 and 1/2 inches. My family found it a bit strange that I was eager to be outdoors shoveling snow and playing with my Dad's leaf/snow blower. I was informed that I was starting to make the neighbors look bad, as I kept the sidewalks and driveway snow free. I did take a calculated risk and decided to leave my snow boots in Victoria, so all I had for foot gear was my pair of hiking shoes. No fear, because as I was to discover, my mom had kept my pair of Sorel Snowcat books I owned back in my university days. Some of my visitors may recognize these old and yet very familiar Canadian winter footwear staple:

.

The thick felt liners really make it bearable to endure those deep freezes:



I have fond memories of trying to shift gears in my standard transmission Ford Mustang and not hit the wrong pedals while wearing these boots!

The week was spent enjoyably with family and making some headway in clearing out my Mom's sewing room. I came home with some wonderful treasures including an embroidery sampler that was started by my grandmother that I plan on finishing. I also have my Mom's quilting stencils so I may actually attempt a simple quilt project in the near future.

I didn't get in much reading time but I did manage to finish - earlier this afternoon! - Plainsong by Kent Haruf, my last book to complete my 2016 category challenge. Quick review and Year-end wrap up to follow.

Book #97 - Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2000
Acquisition date: May 5, 2013
Page count: 301 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.90 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca website book listing:

In the small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his two boys alone after their mother retreats first to the bedroom, then altogether. A teenage girl—her father long since disappeared, her mother unwilling to have her in the house—is pregnant, alone herself, with nowhere to go. And out in the country, two brothers, elderly bachelors, work the family homestead, the only world they've ever known. From these unsettled lives emerges a vision of life, and of the town and landscape that bind them together—their fates somehow overcoming the powerful circumstances of place and station, their confusion, curiosity, dignity and humor intact and resonant.

Review:
A powerfully quiet story. One of those stories filled with purpose and meaning, tribulation and tenacity, hope and redemption. The small town of Holt, Colorado and its timeless quality is the perfect backdrop for the diverse characters that populate the pages of this book. Haruf conveys his story with spare, carefully chosen words, leaving spaces for the reader to fill in for themselves. What made this one such a wonderful read for me is the string sense of community and how Haruf's characters come together creating their own sense of family. The McPheron brothers, Raymond and Harold, are perfectly drawn as the crusty bachelor farmers while my heart just goes out to Ike and Bobby, the two boys trying to make sense of their world.

A wonderfully quiet story and I am looking forward to reading more books by Haruf.

2016 Year End RE-CAP:

# of Books Read: 97
. . . Largest book read: Clarissa Harlowe by Samuel Richardson at 2,466 pages (not a big surprise)
. . . Smallest book read: Double Shadow: Poems by Carl Phillips at 58 pages
. . . Male vs. Female Authors: 45 vs.44 - I have struck a nice balance to my Male/Female reading!
. . . Audiobooks / eBooks / Physical Books - 47 / 18 / 32 - Audiobooks remained the primary way I read books in 2016. Of the 47 audioreads, 25 were books I owned a physical copy of and was able to use audiobooks as a way to "read" more books from my TBR Pile.
. . . Fiction vs. Non-fiction - 79 vs. 18 - I don't deny it, I tend to lean towards fiction over non-fiction.

Star Ratings:
- 5
- 13
- 29
- 29
- 14
- 2
- 2
- 0
- 0
- 0

Original Publication Year Range: 1748 to 2016
. . . by century (and decade)
. . . . . . 1700 - 9 (volumes 1 -9) of Clarissa
. . . . . . 1800 - 4
. . . . . . 1900 - 21
. . . . . . . . . 1900 - 1
. . . . . . . . . 1920 - 1
. . . . . . . . . 1930 - 1
. . . . . . . . . 1970 - 3
. . . . . . . . . 1980 - 2
. . . . . . . . . 1990 - 13
. . . . . . 2000 - 63
. . . . . . . . . 2000 - 6
. . . . . . . . . 2001 - 2
. . . . . . . . . 2002 - 3
. . . . . . . . . 2003 - 2
. . . . . . . . . 2004 - 4
. . . . . . . . . 2005 - 2
. . . . . . . . . 2006 - 2
. . . . . . . . . 2007 - 2
. . . . . . . . . 2008 - 3
. . . . . . . . . 2009 - 4
. . . . . . . . . 2010 - 7
. . . . . . . . . 2011 - 5
. . . . . . . . . 2012 - 1
. . . . . . . . . 2013 - 2
. . . . . . . . . 2014 - 2
. . . . . . . . . 2015 - 7
. . . . . . . . . 2016 - 9

# of Pages Read: 31,231
Average pages read per day: 85.33
Best Reading Month: June (12 books finished / 3,537 pages read)
# of ROOTs Read: 55 - My best year so far for reading books off my TBR pile!

Top 5 Reads:
....

Racism Explained by Ben Jelloun Tahar - 5.00 /
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - 5.00 /
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky - 5.00 /
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - 5.00 /
Home by Marilynne Robinson - 4.90 /

Bottom 5 Reads:
....

Wicked by Gregory Maguire - 2.80 /
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller - 2.70 /
A Town Called Forget by C.P. Hoff - 2.70 /
There but for the by Ali Smith - 2.15 /
Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco - 2.10 /

Category Challenge - Completed December 31, 2016:
Big Tomes - 2/2
Ooooo.... Shiny! - 9/4
Dust Collectors - 6/6
Books with One Word Titles - 9/8
Spending Time with my Furry Friends - 11/10
Challenges, Challenges - 19/12
Blind Date - 14/14
Catchall - 18/16

Wishing everyone a safe time tonight and looking forward to seeing everyone over on the 2017 Category Challenge Group!

Happy new year, Lori! Glad to see that you didn't have any one-star reads this year :D

Happy New Year, I enjoyed your end of the year round up. I always think it's interesting to see publication year. I've also loved Suite Francaise and Home and didn't like There But For The. I guess that's why I get so many good recommendations from your thread!

>205 lkernagh: I'm planning to get to that one in 2017.

>208 rabbitprincess: and >209 japaul22: - Thanks! I am rather happy to put 2016 behind me and looking forward to 2017!

>210 thornton37814: - Plainsong is one of those slow, building stories. I wasn't all that keen on it at first but by the end I saw the beauty in what Haruf was writing about.

>212 mstrust: - Love the glitter ball!