Lori's (thornton37814) 2016 Musical Category Challenge - Track 4

My 2016 categories are:

1. Killing Me Softly (Roberta Flack; 1973) - Cozy mysteries
2. Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley; 1969) - Police procedural mysteries
3. Private Eyes (Daryl Hall & John Oates; 1981) - Detective fiction
4. Best of My Love (The Emotions; 1977) - Romance & Marriage
5. Ladies Night (Kool & the Gang; 1979) - Chick Lit
6. Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves (Cher; 1971) - Genealogy
7. Time in a Bottle (Jim Croce; 1973) - History & Historical Fiction
8. Hey Jude (The Beatles; 1968) - Christianity & Christian Fiction
9. I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (New Seekers; 1972) - Music or Music-Themed Fiction
10. American Pie (Don McLean; 1972) - Cookbooks, Cooking, or Culinary Fiction
11. Cat's in the Cradle (Harry Chapin; 1974) - Cats
12. I Feel the Earth Move (Carole King; 1971) - Disasters
13. ABC (Jackson 5; 1970) - Children's Literature
14. Harper Valley P.T.A. (Jeannie C. Riley; 1968) - Education
15. I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor; 1979) - Challenge Books (American, British, etc.)
16. I Wish (Stevie Wonder; 1977) - Books I Want to Read

Abandoned Reads: Another One Bites the Dust (Queen; 1980)

Killing Me Softly (Roberta Flack; 1973) - Cozy Mysteries

1. Sinister Sprinkles by Jessica Beck - completed 4 Jan 2016
2. Fogged Inn by Barbara Ross - completed 24 Jan 2016
3. Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O'Connor - completed 26 Jan 2016
4. Reading Up a Storm by Eva Gates - completed 15 Feb 2016
5. Wedding Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke - completed 17 Apr 2016
6. Tailing a Tabby by Laurie Cass - completed 26 Apr 2016
7. The Body in the Wardrobe by Katherine Hall Page - completed 14 May 2016
8. Murder in the Mountains by Miles Lancaster - completed 21 Jul 2016
9. The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton - completed 31 Jul 2016
10. Plaid and Plagiarism by Molly MacRae - completed 10 Aug 2016
11. Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley - completed 15 Oct 2016
12. Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd - completed 8 Nov 2016
13. The Christmas Wassail by Kate Sedley - completed 26 Nov 2016
14. The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott - completed 27 Dec 2016

Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley; 1969) - Police Procedural Mysteries

1. Death of a Prankster by M. C. Beaton - completed 17 Jan 2016
2. Beneath the Book Tower by Steve Hamilton - completed 27 Feb 2016
3. Dead Water by Ann Cleeves - completed 21 Mar 2016
4. Prey on Patmos by Jeffrey Siger - completed 29 Apr 2016
5. Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon - completed 26 May 2016
6. Cast a Blue Shadow by P. L. Gaus - completed 30 May 2016
7. Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannalec - completed 20 June 2016
8. 1222 by Anne Holt - completed 24 June 2016
9. Treasure Hunt by Andrea Camilleri - completed 25 July 2016
10. Family Plot by Sheri Cobb South - completed 30 July 2016
11. Gallows View by Peter Robinson - completed 22 Sep 2016

Private Eyes (Daryl Hall & John Oates; 1981) - Detective Fiction

1. After the Funeral by Agatha Christie - completed 27 Feb 2016
2. The Long Way Home by Louise Penny - completed 25 Oct 2016
3. A Fatal Winter by G. M. Malliet - completed 26 Oct 2016

Best of My Love (The Emotions; 1977) - Romance & Marriage

1. His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage by Willard F. Harley - completed 15 Feb 2016
2. When He's Married to Mom: How to Help Mother-Enmeshed Men Open Their Hearts to True Love and Commitment by Kenneth M. Adams and Alexander P. Morgan - completed 27 Feb 2016
3. Felicity by Mary Oliver - completed 23 July 2016
4. Gone Camping by Gail Sattler - completed 12 Aug 2016
5. Bone Gap by Laura Ruby - completed 25 Aug 2016
6. More Sonnets from the Portuguese by Janet C. M. Eldred - completed 6 Sep 2016
7. Vinegar Girl: The Taming of the Shrew Retold by Anne Tyler - completed 3 Dec 2016
8. Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber - completed 12 Dec 2016
9. The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans - completed 22 Dec 2016

Ladies Night (Kool & the Gang; 1979) - Chick Lit

1. All Summer Long by Dorothea Benton Frank - completed 9 Jun 2016
2. A Lowcountry Christmas by Mary Alice Monroe - completed 17 Nov 2016

Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves (Cher; 1971) - Genealogy

1. The Social Life of DNA: Race, Repartations, and Reconciliations After the Genome by Alondra Nelson - completed 16 Feb 2016
2. Handy Mississippi Genealogy Handbook by Gary L. Morris - completed 6 Jun 2016
3. DNA USA: A Genetic Portrait of America by Bryan Sykes - completed 25 Jul 2016

Time in a Bottle (Jim Croce; 1973) - History & Historical Fiction

1. Day of Atonement: A Novel of the Maccabean Revolt by David Arthur DeSilva - completed 21 Jan 2016
2. Ludwika: A Polish Woman's Struggle to Survive in Nazi Germany by Christoph Fischer - completed 25 Mar 2016
3. Carolina Cradle: Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762 by Robert Wayne Ramsey - completed 30 Apr 2016
4. Farming Dissenters: the Regulator Movement in Piedmont North Carolina by Carole Watterson Troxler - completed 8 May 2016
5. A Cheerful and Comfortable Faith: Anglican Religious Practice in the Elite Households of Eighteenth-Century Virginia by Lauren F. Winner - completed 4 Jul 2016
6. Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French - completed 11 Aug 2016
7. Sorrow without End by Priscilla Royal - completed 14 Aug 2016
8. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet - completed 4 Sep 2016
9. Valdese: the Early Years by Rheta Micol Robinson - completed 6 Sep 2016
10. Another Me by Eva Wiseman - completed 11 Sep 2016
11. The Return of Sir Percival: Book 1, Guinivere's Prayer by S. Alexander O'Keefe - completed 17 Sep 2016
12. Sifting Through Ashes: Words & Images by Robert Miller and Bruce Gendelman - completed 13 Nov 2016
13. Scars of Independence: America's Violent Birth by Holger Hoock - completed 18 Nov 2016

Hey Jude (The Beatles; 1968) - Christianity & Christian Fiction

1. To Live Is Christ: Joining Paul's Journey of Faith by Beth Moore - completed 18 Jan 2016
2. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence - completed 8 Mar 2016
3. Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren F. Winner - completed 28 Apr 2016
4. Treasuring Christ Through Colossians by Matt Ahrens - completed 3 May 2016
5. The Boy Born Dead: A Story of Friendship, Courage, and Triumph by David Ring with David Wideman - completed 4 Jul 2016
6. Crossing the Waters: Following Jesus Through the Storms, the Fish, the Doubt, and the Seas by Leslie Leyland Fields - completed 7 Aug 2016
7. Apocalypse Rising by Timothy Dailey - completed 18 Aug 2016
8. Holy Shakespeare!: 101 Scriptures That Appear in Shakespeare's Plays, Poems, and Sonnets by Maisie Sparks - completed 23 Aug 2016
9. Is This the End?: Signs of God's Providence in a Disturbing New World by David Jeremiah - completed 13 Oct 2016
10. Loneliness: How to Be Alone But Not Lonely by June Hunt - completed 7 Nov 2016
11. How to Overcome Loneliness by Elisabeth Elliot - completed 15 Nov 2016
12. Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Timothy Keller - completed 25 Nov 2016
13. Death in the Shadows by Paul McCusker - completed 25 Nov 2016
14. Hand in Hand: Walking with the Psalms Through Loneliness by Elizabeth Head Black - completed 13 Dec 2016

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (New Seekers; 1972) - Music or Music-Themed Fiction

1. Pilgrimage to Dollywood: A Country Music Road Trip Through Tennessee by Helen Morales - completed 8 May 2016

American Pie (Don McLean; 1972) - Cookbooks, Cooking, or Culinary Fiction

1. Life and Food in the Caribbean by Cristine MacKie - completed 8 May 2016
2. A Deadly Grind by Victoria Hamilton - completed 14 July 2016
3. A Pie to Die For by Stacey Alabaster - completed 20 July 2016

Cat's in the Cradle (Harry Chapin; 1974) - Cats

1. Garfield's Sunday Finest: 35 Years of My Best Sunday Funnies by Jim Davis - completed 10 May 2016
2. Carlotta's Kittens by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - completed 4 July 2016
3. Kit Kat and Lucy: The Country Cats Who Changed a City Girl's World by Lonnie Hull DuPont - completed 20 Aug 2016
4. The Christmas Tree Tangle by Margaret Mahy; illustrated by Anthony Kerins - completed 5 Dec 2016
5. Oliver, The Cat Who Saved Christmas by Shelia Norton - completed 8 Dec 2016
6. Pioneer Cat by William H. Hooks - completed 31 Dec 2016

I Feel the Earth Move (Carole King; 1971) - Disasters

1. The Thousand-Year Flood: The Ohio-Mississippi Disaster of 1937 by David Welky - completed 24 May 2016
2. Did You Ever Have a Family? by Bill Clegg - completed 7 Sep 2016

ABC (Jackson 5; 1970) - Children's Literature

1. The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith - completed 15 Jan 2016
2. Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool by Kimberly Dean and James Dean - completed 5 Feb 2016
3. Waiting by Kevin Henkes - completed 16 Mar 2016
4. Paddington by Michael Bond - completed 27 Mar 2016
5. The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein - completed 16 May 2016
6. Goodnight iPad: A Parody for the Next Generation by Ann Droyd - completed 12 Aug 2016
7. The Liszts by Kyo Maclear; illustrated by Julia Sarda - completed 15 Nov 2016
8. A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat by Emily Jenkins; illustrated by Sophie Blackall - completed 12 Dec 2016

Harper Valley P. T. A. (Jeannie C. Riley; 1968) - Education

1. Mathematizing: An Emergent Math Curriculum Approach for Young Children by Allen C. Rosales - completed 7 Jan 2015
2. Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning by David Sobel - completed 11 Jan 2015
3. Hag-seed by Margaret Atwood - completed 10 Sep 2016

I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor; 1979) - Challenge Books (American, British, etc.)

1. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler - completed 19 Jan 2016
2. Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue - completed 26 Mar 2016
3. Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad - completed 28 June 2016
4. The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck - completed 12 July 2016
5. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - completed 19 July 2016
6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - completed 4 Aug 2016

I Wish (Stevie Wonder; 1977) - Books I Want to Read

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - completed 6 Mar 2016
2. The Northwest Coastal Explorer by Robert Steelquist - completed 8 May 2016
3. My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout - completed 1 Aug 2016
4. The Many by Wyl Menmuir - completed 17 Aug 2016
5. The Mannings: The Fall and Rise of a Football Family by Lars Anderson - completed 23 Aug 2016
6. Appalachia by Charles Wright - completed 25 Aug 2016
7. The Baseball Whisperer: A Small Town Coach Who Shaped Big League Dreams by Michael Tackett - completed 8 Sep 2016
8. Classic American Short Stories narrated by William Roberts, Garrick Hagon, and Liza Ross - completed 28 Sep 2016
9. Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver - completed 28 Sep 2016
10. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - completed 1 Oct 2016
11. Auggie Wren's Christmas Story by Paul Auster - completed 22 Dec 2016
12. The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis - completed 30 Dec 2016

Another One Bites the Dust - Abandoned Books

1. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon - abandoned 27 May 2016
2. The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai - abandoned 30 June 2016
3. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal - abandoned 29 July 2016
4. Napoleon's Last Island by Thomas Keneally - abandoned 25 Aug 2016
5. The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel - abandoned 30 Dec 2016

This thread is open for business.

Happy new thread!

82. Another Me by Eva Wiseman

Date Completed: 11 Sep 2016

Category: Time in a Bottle

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: The setting is 14th century Strasbourg where the Jews are accused of poisoning the well water. Kaspar the butcher and his friends have begun persecuting the Jewish community. A Jewish boy named Natan became fascinated with Elena, the daughter of another draper but one who is fair. When Natan confronts Kaspar's gang about what he saw, he is killed and becomes an "ibbur," residing inside the body of Hans, Elena's father's apprentice. Soon the bubonic plague breaks out in the city, while the persecution continues. I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and this title sounded very promising. However, when the plot took on the "ghostly" element, my enjoyment plunged. To be fair to the author, the concept of the "ibbur" began to take hold in the late 13th century. I just felt it was unnecessary in this plot and the plot would be stronger had she allowed Natan to escape. I found the plot implausible. I enjoyed the historical parts about the persecution of the Jews and about the bubonic plague; however, I felt Wiseman's writing was not all that strong. The book is a bit of a mixed bag with some parts enjoyable and others not and with some parts plausible and others not. I received an electronic e-galley of the book from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

Happy new thread, Lori and I hope your next read is an improvement over the last one!

>22 DeltaQueen50: I was really disappointed in that one. It's one that really should have worked for me.

>21 thornton37814:
That's a shame - the premise (and the cover!) seems so promising.

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread. Hope your reading gets better than this last book.

Happy new thread, Lori!

>24 -Eva-: I know. I was quite disappointed.

>25 rabbitprincess: Thanks.

>26 dudes22: I'm certain I'll have some better ones soon. I'm always taking a chance with ARCs, but that one sounded like a sure thing, until I began reading it.

>27 tymfos: Thank you!

83. The Return of Sir Percival: Book 1, Guinivere's Prayer by S. Alexander O'Keefe

Date Completed: 17 Sep 2016

Category: Time in a Bottle

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: Sequels to classic literary works either work well or fail miserably. Fortunately this one keeps the reader looking forward to the story unfolding. It's ten years after the fall of Camelot. Everyone believes Sir Percival who went in search of the Holy Grail met his death along the way. Guinivere remains in the abbey. Merlin is still around, mainly putting his "magic" to use for medicinal purposes. Sir Galahad is going by the name Lord Aeron and serving the evil Morgana. This is a wonderful revisit with the Knights of the Round Table. O'Keefe does a great job telling his story, and it's certain to please those who love the Arthurian legend. It's one of my top reads this year. This review is based on an electronic galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

This was my weekend to work so, of course, we've been dealing with network printing issues all weekend. The only color printer (which also serves as a scanner and copier for students) somehow disconnected itself from the server. No one can log in to it until it is back online. It is taking 3 to 7 minutes for print jobs to materialize on any of the other printers--those for students and those for staff. This is NOT a fun weekend to be working.

>30 thornton37814: Hmmm, I was just by our library. I went to drop off something to my friend who is the librarian for all things technical (I never can remember her correct title), and she was dealing with the exact same problem. Hope your's is soon resolved. She will retire in January and she was counting the days today!

>31 clue: We finally had an IT help desk student worker who actually knew what he was doing. He immediately called the head of IT who came and fixed the problem right away. This student worker (and the head of IT) knew it was too big of a problem to allow it to continue until tomorrow.

Right before I left work, I was informed the elevator was acting up. Fortunately no one got stuck in it, but I sent a student worker to put an out of order sign all floors by the elevator which should suffice until it can be checked tomorrow.

84. Gallows View by Peter Robinson

Date Completed: 21 Sep 2016

Category: Suspicious Minds

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: In the first novel in the Inspector Alan Banks series, our chief inspector learns life is not always as quiet outside of London as he expected when he removed to the town of Eastvale in Yorkshire. The murder of a woman most people liked may or may not be related to a rash of robberies in the area. A "Peeping Tom" is invading the privacy of women. Frankly, the author took the scenes of sexual nature a bit further than they needed to go for this genre. Fortunately the most graphic ones were limited to a few isolated places. The book suffered from some of the usual problems of first installments in series. I did not really enjoy the story line about Banks' interest in the female psychologist called in on the case. I felt it was a totally unnecessary element in the story. The mystery itself showed promise. I think Sgt. Hatchley may be my favorite character. I listened to this on the audio book from Tantor Media. I was not impressed with the narrator who seemed to lack enthusiasm.

>83 thornton37814: This sounds interesting. Even though it's so overdone, I never tire of stories inspired by the Arthurian legends!

>35 mathgirl40: It's one of the better ones. I actually felt comfortable recommending it to one of our English faculty members who is a Medievalist. He can't wait until it is available. He wants to read it.

85. Classic American Short Stories narrated by William Roberts, Garrick Hagon, and Liza Ross

Date Completed: 28 Sep 2016

Category: I Wish

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: This audio collection of short stories from Naxos Audio prepared for AudioSync's summer 2016 program appears to contain two collections of short stories -- Classic American Short Stories and More Classic American Short Stories. While the narrators do a good job reading their pieces, I found the selection of stories heavily slanted towards ones more enjoyable to males than females in general. The stories include many well known authors including O'Henry, Jack London, Stephen Crane, James Fenimore Cooper, Stephen Bierce, and even one by Kate Chopin. I personally wish there had been more variety in the collection and more stories authored by women. I also wish a wider variety of authors was included. I found myself saying, "Oh, no, not another one by O'Henry" on more than one occasion. The Chopin story probably resonated with me most. Although the stories themselves are solid, the lack of variety makes me rate this collection low.

86. Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver

Date Completed: 28 Sep 2016

Category: I Wish

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: When I first saw this book, its subtitle was "essays and poems." When I received the book, its subtitle was "selected essays." I love Mary Oliver's poetry so I was curious about her writing in the essay format; however, I really was not that thrilled about the book having very little poetry of hers with a couple of exceptions, introducing the book and perhaps one section. I was, however, pleasantly surprised that many of her essays were almost poetic because of the way she described things. In one section she reflects on the writings of other poets, and parts of their poems are included. I found all of the essays readable, but a few did not quite live up to the poetic characteristic of others. Still, all in all, it is a good collection, even if I was disappointed Oliver's own poetry was not really present. This review is based on an advance review copy received by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

87. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Date Completed: 1 Oct 2016

Category: I Wish

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Clay is seeking a job and finds one as night clerk at a strange bookstore owned by Mr. Penumbra. Even stranger is the selection of books which seemingly has no rhyme or reason. However, members of the Unbroken Spine are able to check out a set of special books written in code. A fictitious font invented by Aldus Manutius in the 15th century figures prominently in the plot. Clay, Mr. Penumbra, and Clay's friends use their resources (including all the resources of Google) to solve a mystery. The book is an interesting mixture of genres, but it is a perfect book to keep one's attention while driving. I suspect this book would be especially well-received by teenage readers. I listened to the audio version of this book available through Overdrive.

My thread is dead. No one seems to visit any more. I decided to pull out the stops to try to spark a few comments.

 

I predict the kitties will resuscitate the thread nicely :)

And I liked your thoughts on the short story collection. It is true that variety is just as important as the quality of the stories in a compilation like that.

I visit. I just never say anything.

Are the cats on the tower reenacting a Columbus Day scene? Land ho!

And since we're sharing cat pics, this is Julius Caesar. He's a grumpy old man and he doesn't like it when I check out younger cats on the internet. :)

>41 rabbitprincess: It's really hard to listen to short stories without the variety present.

>42 casvelyn: Well, just before I snapped the photo, Mr B was up just as high (except he's bigger and thus taller) than Barney. He just decided to relax when I grabbed the phone camera. Hail, Caesar!

Here's my cat, Tarzan. He'd say hello to your boys, but he's exhausted from napping all day. Note the equally exhausted dog in the background.

Kitty pictures are a sure-fire way to unmask the lurkers. Love them!

>44 RidgewayGirl: Hi Tarzan! Napping really wears those cats out.

>45 MissWatson: It's the only way I know to be sure to get a few comments. However, those boys do love attention so they don't mind being all over Facebook and LibraryThing.

Cat porn.
Love it.

>47 mamzel: Sometimes you "gotta" do it.

Always glad to see your kitties! I read everything but don't always have anything to say, or maybe not the time to type it.

Hi to Tarzan too.

>49 VivienneR: I love my boys! I wish I could have them with me at work. They'd be sure to entertain. We have a "big event" the next couple of days, and although the big part is officially over tomorrow evening, we'll still have tons of visitors around on Friday. This basically means I can't do anything much the rest of the week related to my normal duties. I have time to be entertained by kitties. I'm working on other things though, but I still have time to be entertained by kitties.

Kitties are so good at entertaining! And posing for photographs.

Although those "big events" at work can hamper actual work getting done, they can be a lot of fun. Your boys could provide a lot of help with that.

>51 VivienneR: I've had to "escape" my office early the last two days to avoid being caught up in the crush of events.

I made a pumpkin chicken soup I found via Pinterest (or maybe it was via Facebook first, and I saved it to Pinterest). The chipotles give it enough kick to open up the sinuses!

Yum! Looks like it would be a good Thanksgiving soup. :)

>54 rabbitprincess: It probably would be a good one! I'm sure you could substitute turkey for the chicken!

Over the weekend Sherlock, Mr. B, Barney, and I celebrated the one year anniversary of their coming to live with me. I love them so much! They provide so much entertainment. I heard a crash last night and wondered what in the world they knocked over. I discovered they'd knocked off the shelf some empty cat treat containers I'm saving. They are a perfect size for various things so I don't want to be forced to purchase such a container when I can have them for free!

Aha! You just got a memo to have those containers filled! Happy Anniversary!

>57 VivienneR: Ahh - we still have 1.5 containers/jars of treats. I purchase a couple of jars of treats every time I purchase food, and it's on the list for Walmart!

Happy kittyversary!

>59 rabbitprincess: Thanks! It was a good one! Have I mentioned lately how much I love my furry boys?

I can't believe it's already been an entire year! Those boys are lucky to have found you.

Hi Lori. I'm catching up after being away for a week and usually I just skim the threads when I am so far behind, but thought I should let you know that I visited. I love all the cat pictures and your soup looks tasty!

>61 RidgewayGirl: And I think I'm lucky I said "yes" to them!

>62 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, Judy. It's a very busy time of the year. I'm going away this weekend too.

88. Is This the End?: Signs of God's Providence in a Disturbing New World by David Jeremiah

Date Completed: 13 Oct 2016

Category: Hey Jude

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Dr. Jeremiiah writes with clarity concerning biblical prophecies about the end times and about the spiritual crisis in America. He writes many of the same things my pastor preaches. He does address issues such as ISIS, but he is very careful to not lump all Muslim people into the terrorist category. He also addresses some of what we see with Putin's regime in Russia. He does not attempt to set a date for the rapture or second coming, preferring to echo the Lord's words that "no man knows the hour." While much of the book is being said by many preachers and teachers across America, Dr. Jeremiah's ability to lay out facts in an understandable manner makes this a good book for Sunday school classes and Bible study groups interested in this aspect of the Bible's message.

I am enjoying the cat pictures. That pumpkin chicken soup looks good too.

>65 Tara1Reads: It was delicious!

89. Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley

Date Completed: 15 Oct 2016

Category: Killing Me Softly

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: The Precocious Flavia de Luce is back at it again. This time the organist of Saint Tancred's has gone missing. Her sister Ophelia has been named his replacement. Flavia's hunch about where the bat they'd seen might be hiding results in her finding the organist's corpse. The church plans to exhume Saint Tancred for an anniversary celebration but plans are thwarted by the bishop. Flavia finds a couple of other people also trying to play detective on this latest case. A lot is going on in this installment, and I don't want to give it all away. I will say, "What a cliffhanger!" I listened to the Overdrive audiobook for this, and I wish I'd downloaded the next installment before I left on my trip. I'm sure I'll be getting to it soon though.

>67 thornton37814: That was a good one! I might have to go reread it (and the sixth book immediately after).

Hope you're having a good trip!

>67 thornton37814: - That's the next one up for me, so sometime next year.

>68 rabbitprincess: I'm glad it seems to be a favorite. I can't wait to see what the author does with that cliffhanger.

>69 dudes22: It's really good. If you do audiobooks, I can also highly recommend it. I really enjoyed listening to it.

>34 thornton37814:
That narrator was truly terrible, was he not? It's the only one in the series he reads, btw, just in case you want to continue.

>40 thornton37814:
Haha, well done! Kittehs will always be worth a comment. :)

>53 thornton37814:
I could use some of that today - my sinuses are NOT behaving!

>67 thornton37814:
That's my favorite in the series as well.

>71 -Eva-: Perhaps I'll give Robinson another try with another narrator then. As you said, he was terrible.

90. The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

Date Completed: 25 Oct 2016

Category: Private Eyes - Not really sure where this goes since Gamache is "retired" from the Surete. He's not an amateur, so I'll call him a detective here.

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Gamache, now retired from the Surete (at least for the time being), agrees to help Clara find Peter when he doesn't return as they agreed. Clara's condition is that she is "in charge," and Gamache, surprisingly, agrees to this. Jean-Guy gets permission from his new boss (and former subordinate) to assist Gamache. Their travels take them to many parts of Quebec and takes Reine-Marie to Toronto. The author keeps Three Pines involved by having them travel with Reine-Marie or Gamache and Clara's party, but that's probably also where plausibility of the plot slips. Still the case wrapped up nicely although I can't really say I liked the ending.

91. A Fatal Winter by G. M. Malliet

Date Completed: 26 Oct 2016

Category: Private Eyes - Since he's former MI5, he's not amateur -- and he functions as a detective.

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: When Lord Footrustle and his sister are found dead in a nearby castle, Father Max is called upon to assist the local authorities in their investigation. The sister's death is found to be natural. The family is full of unlikeable members, any of whom could have had motive for killing the relative for whom few cared. Max stays at the castle -- partially at the request of Lamona -- who was disturbed about the murders, but mostly because he was asked to do so by the local officials. Another person turns up dead before the mystery is resolved. This is a case where the author tried to draw out a mystery far too long. The pacing was too slow to maintain interest, and then it took about an hour to get through the reveal which went far too long. Then it went on another hour just so Father Max could get back to Nether Monkslip to interact with his parishioners. It would have been far more effective and plausible if the castle had been located in his own parish, although I know there are reasons he needed to be unfamiliar with the family. The mystery was definitely weakened by these things. The audiobook narrator, however, did an excellent job. I'm not certain whether I'll read future installments of this series or not. While there is a bit of promise here, both installments I've read are lacking overall.

I've been trying to catch up over the last few weeks after not having much time to post anything.

>38 thornton37814: - Happy to see your Mary Oliver review. I love her poems and bought this essay collection but haven't read it yet. I'm relieved to know it's equally as good.

>74 thornton37814: - As someone who has read five in the series, I would say you can stop now. The fifth one was a complete and utter dud. I still get worked up just thinking about the last third. Definitely not one I'm going to continue.

>75 LittleTaiko: Thanks for the insights into the Malliet series. I will just leave the next installment out of the wish list. It's always nice when the TBR list doesn't grow too much. I do hope you enjoy the Mary Oliver essays.

92. Loneliness: How to Be Alone But Not Lonely by June Hunt

Date Completed: 7 June 2016

Category: Hey Jude

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: This book was not very readable. It was choppy and seemed to ramble rather than having a clear outline. Portions were Q & A; other portions were list; still others were just narrative. I'm battling loneliness at the moment due to the stress of the upcoming holidays. I recognized it as such and turned to my Bible and called a friend to have lunch together. This author's inclusion of the plan of salvation about halfway through the book made me think she must think anyone turning to her book is not a Christian. Perhaps, like me, they were seeking some additional encouragement from the Word of God to overcome a problem they recognized. While she had one or two good ideas, the $1.99 I paid for it at Amazon was not well spent. I would not recommend this book.

93. Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd

Date Completed: 8 Nov 2016

Category: Killing Me Softly

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Lucy Harrington, the rector's daughter, helps nurse Major Robert Kurland after his return from a battle in which he sustained a mobility-impairing injury. One night he suffered a fall. He noticed some irregular movement in the area, and one of the rector's servants disappears that same evening. Another girl from the village went missing the same evening and both are presumed to be in London seeking other positions. Future circumstances cause Lucy to question this presumption. A series of thefts indicate someone with access to households is involved. Major Kurland's servants insist he is taking too much laudanum. Other things are going on at home with Lucy. She's been rearing her siblings and managing the household since her mother's death. Her brothers will soon be heading to the military and university, and she desires to finally have a season in London. Although her father would never fund this, a friend will. Major Kurland is visited by his aunt and fiancee. Far too much is going on in this novel for it to work well. The mystery of the young girl's disappearance and the mystery surrounding the thefts are both rather obvious. Few people would question the outcome. While I like the characters of Lucy and Major Kurland, the weak writing does not make me in a hurry to get to the next installment.

94. Sifting Through Ashes: Words & Images by Robert Miller and Bruce Gendelman

Date Completed: 13 Nov 2016

Category: Time in a Bottle

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: What an incredible work! Robert Miller's poems about the Holocaust accompanied by the photographs and paintings of Bruce Gendelman is a winning combination. In the collection we hear the voices of many persons whose lives were forever changed by the atrocities committed against the Jewish people during this dark era of the world's history. My favorite photograph in the collection, as a genealogist, was the one called "Family Tree," taken in Bolekhiv, Ukraine in 2015. I also loved the photograph of Gendelman's great-great-grandfather's grave site. I'm still pondering which poem will be my favorite. I enjoyed so many of them for different reasons. This book would make a very nice gift! I received a copy for review purposes from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

I'm finding LibraryThing and Facebook almost intolerable these days. I wish everyone would quit talking politics and get back to talking about other things. I'm tired of the divisiveness. It's why I've been so quiet lately. I'm tempted to say something else, but I won't. With the way comments are construed these days, it would likely be taken the wrong way.

So -- changing the subject:

How about those _____? (Fill in the blank with Team Mascot)
My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is _________.
All I want for Christmas is _________.
Tell me about that book you just read.

I almost left off my favorite subject -- my cats! They have been snuggle buddies when I've been home the past week. I love it when all three are on top or next to me.

We might all need a bunch of pictures of your boys, Lori.

>82 RidgewayGirl: I know. It's hard for me to capture pictures when they are all on me. My phone is usually not within reach. I almost got a great picture of them on the cat tree the other day, but by the time I aimed, they jumped. It's like they have a 6th instinct -- "Mama is about to take our picture. Run!"

Adrian has the same instict. As soon as I pick up the phone, he senses it and moves or stops doing whatever he was doing.

>84 cbl_tn: All animals must have it.

>80 thornton37814: While we're waiting for photos of your furry buddies - what I want for Christmas is a Christmas mystery. I'm having trouble finding one so if you have a recommendation I'd love to hear it.

PS I'm tired of politics too. Canada became obsessed with the US election.

>86 VivienneR: I haven't read any new ones this year, but some of the ones I'm seeing listed are:

We Wish You a Murderous Christmas by Vicky Delany
Christmas Caramel Murder by Joanne Fluke
Away in a Manger by Rhys Bowen
Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue by Victoria Thompson
Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by David Rosenfelt
A Christmas Message by Anne Perry
Feliz Navidead by Ann Myers
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson
Cheddar Off Dead by Julia Buckley
Deck the Hallways by Kate Carlisle

Christmas Short Stories:
The Mistletoe Murder: And Other Stories by P. D. James

Republished this year:
A Christmas Party (previously published as Envious Casca) by Georgette Heyer

Not new but in the British Crime Classics series are:

Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon
Silent Nights by Martin Edwards
The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Hay

A few Christmas published before this year on my wish list:
The Christmas Wassail by Kate Sedley
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicky Delany (It's the first in the series of the one mentioned in the 2016 list.)
Voices by Arnaldur Indridason

Some I've enjoyed enough in the past to rate 3.5 stars or higher:

Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton
Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews
The Body in the Sleigh by Katherine Hall Page
Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie
Holmes for the Holidays by Martin Harry Greenberg (short stories)
The Advent of Murder by Martha Ockley
Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh

Maybe other people have some suggestions or have read some of the new ones and can comment?

I really enjoyed Holmes for the Holidays.

Thank you both for a terrific list. I just kept coming up with the same old titles that I've read or rejected. Your suggestions are quite different! I love the British Crime Classics so I will begin there.

Hi Lori: I'm applauding your change in subject. It's getting so I don't know what to say these days for fear of getting myself or others all riled up. Yes I was flabbergasted by the events of last week but then I took comfort in the small things in life that are making me happy right now: books , family and as i do every
holiday season, remembering the good times spent with loved ones who are no longer with us.

I don't really follow sports but my hometown team is the Eagles.they seem to be a topic on the news every morning even before I can find out about the weather.

My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is scooping the stuffing out of the turkey and tasting it.

All I want for Christmas is a few days vacation from work and to hang out with my grandchildren.

My last book read was The Body in the Belfry. I like the Faith Fairchild series, which I have been reading out of order. I accumulated them for my mom and now I am going through them.

>86 VivienneR:, >87 thornton37814: I just picked up a vintage Christmas mystery on my Kindle called Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan it was originally published in 1949. Of course, I haven't read it yet, but it's getting pretty good reviews.

>88 cbl_tn: It was good. Wasn't it?

>89 VivienneR: I love the British crime classics too. Most of those are on my wish list. I just don't know which ones I'll get to this year yet.

>90 lsh63: Lisa - I work at Carson-Newman. We're the Eagles. Our coach, Ken Sparks, who is around #5 on the all-time wins list, just announced his retirement. He's been coaching with cancer the past 4 years, but he knows it's now time to give it up. The OC, Mike Turner, was just announced as the new head coach. My mom never stuffed the turkey. We had cornbread dressing on the side. Of course, we had 16-24 people at the holidays so it's no wonder it was on the side! I want to be with my cats. That may mean this is the first year I won't be with family at Christmas. I can't find pet-friendly accommodations anywhere near my brother's house, and my sister-in-law got new furniture -- and even though she's the one who insisted I take those 3 kittens of theirs -- will not let them stay in the house. She offered to let them stay in the unheated shop in a tiny room. That's not acceptable for me or for them. Barring a miracle, it will be my first Christmas alone. The book is above in the thread. I'll be reading the ER book I received yesterday tonight. It's a children's book so it should read quickly.

>91 DeltaQueen50: I think I read that one when I lived in Cincinnati so it was pre-LT.

>86 VivienneR: >87 thornton37814: I'm often disappointed in the Christmas themed books I read but I saw one on display at the library last year that I liked a lot. It's not a mystery though. It has two story lines, one current and one that takes place between 1860 and 1864. The title is Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini the two stories revolve around Oliver Wendell Holmes and his poem "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day". The historical portion is about Holmes and why he wrote the poem and the current is about a children's choir and their director as the choir learns to sing it.

>93 clue: I often read Christmas books outside the mystery genre too. I need to look for that one by Chiaverini. It sounds like one I'd enjoy. I looked, and it's already on my wish list so I may have picked that one up from you last year.

I managed to snag photos of a couple of the cats. Sherlock jumped right before I took the one that has two cats.

   

95. The Liszts by Kyo Maclear; illustrated by Julia Sarda

Date Completed: 15 Nov 2016

Category: ABC

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: The Liszts make lists. They each have their preferred topics or means of making them. Even their cat makes lists. One day a visitor not on anyone's list shows up. I loved the illustrations in this volume, much more than the story. A few pages are in an all capitals style, making it more difficult to read. The illustrations more than made up for flaws with the text. I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers program with the expectation an honest review would be written.

Some of the better Christmas books I've read:

Mysteries
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
The Blood Ballad by Rett MacPherson
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
The Shortest Day: Murder at the Revels by Jane Langton
Let There Be Suspects by Emilie Richards
Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
The Alto Wore Tweed: A Liturgical Mystery by Mark Schweizer
A Christmas Guest by Anne Perry (my favorite of her Christmas novellas that I've read so far)
A Christmas Secret by Anne Perry

Other fiction
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read
Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon
Miss Julia Stands Her Ground by Ann B. Ross
Spirit of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story by Craig Johnson

Nonfiction
A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas
A secret gift : how one man's kindness--and a trove of letters--revealed the hidden history of the Great Depression by Ted Gup
In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story by David McCullough

I love these Christmas book lists! May borrow heavily from them when posting the annual Christmas mystery thread :)

>97 cbl_tn: I didn't have the Rett MacPherson one tagged as Christmas, but I'd definitely say it belongs on the list. I don't know why I didn't add the Bradley one. I gave it 4 stars. I must have overlooked it, probably about the time I was interrupted. (Of course I read that one pre-LT.) On your other fiction, I think you liked the Baldacci one a little better than I did. I liked McCullough's book and Dylan Thomas' poetry too!

For non-mystery Christmas, I would add:
Village Christmas by Miss Read
Christmas books by Donna Van Liere
Christmas books by Debbie Macomber (I like her Christmas stories even better than her regular ones. I've only found one or two over the years that I didn't like as well.)
Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

I have the new Mary Alice Monroe Christmas book checked out too. I absolutely love her books set in the Charleston area, so I suspect it will end up being a good read for me. I might read on it this evening.

>98 rabbitprincess: Christmas book lists are fun!

96. How to Overcome Loneliness by Elisabeth Elliot

Date Completed: 15 Nov 2016

Category: Hey Jude

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: I ordered this booklet because I respect the author, Elisabeth Elliot. I can't imagine how "lonely" she must have felt when her husband Jim was speared to death in Ecuador while they were serving as missionaries, yet she continued to minister to the people through her grief. Her message is quite simple. Singleness is a "gift." We need to remove our own agendas and focus on turning the loneliness into solitude and prayer. This is only a booklet, but it delivers a good reminder.

>90 lsh63: The team I follow is the Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) who will be playing in the eastern final this weekend. Enjoy the stuffing! I'm glad you are taking "events of last week" so well.

>91 DeltaQueen50: The Francis Duncan mystery sounds good. It's going on my list.

>92 thornton37814: So sorry to hear you will not be joining the family. Good decision though, your cats would never forgive you for a lonely cold room.

>93 clue: That was really the reason I asked, I'm often disappointed with Christmas books. Christmas Bells sounds like a good story.

>95 thornton37814: Maybe Sherlock will stay around next time. They are so grown up now, but they'll always be kittens at heart.

>97 cbl_tn: I loved the Bradley book. And you reminded me that I have The Alto Wore Tweed - acquired on your recommendation as far as I remember. I know A Child's Christmas in Wales by heart. I love it.

>99 thornton37814: I adored Wishin' and Hopin'.

My recommendation is The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth. CBC have a podcast of a reading on iTunes that I'll listen to this year. I'm reading Forsyth's autobiography The Outsider: my life in intrigue at the minute and it's excellent.

Apologies for such a long post.

>80 thornton37814:

Team: Grizzles
Thanksgiving Tradition: Pecan Pie
Christmas Want: Calm
Recent Book: The last week or so I've had trouble settling down to anything. I've probably started 5 or 6 books and put them aside. When this happens I usually go to one of the cozy series I read and just finished Death of a Traveling Man by M.C. Beaton from the Hamish MacBeth series. I enjoyed it, now I"m having trouble coming up with something else!

>80 thornton37814:
How about those _____?
Kentucky Wildcats!! Got a good crop of Freshmen this basketball season. Monk made seven 3-pointers last night!

My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is _________.
Sparing with my husband's cousin over the cranberry sauce. We're the only ones who eat it and either one of us would eat it all.

All I want for Christmas is _________.
A job (my current job is ending in June).

Tell me about that book you just read.
I recently finished listening to the audiobook of Dan Brown's Inferno. And while I wasn't particularly captivated by the characters or the plot, the settings of Florence and Venice has me hankering again to visit Italy.

>92 thornton37814: I was not surprised to see the news about Coach Sparks. God bless him. Are there plans for any kind of big celebration?

>102 VivienneR: Eskimos is a great team mascot! It is amazing how many Christmas books disappoint. I think authors often write them in a rush and don't spend the time on them they do with others. I made it about 100 pages into A Lowcountry Christmas by Mary Alice Monroe. It's dealing with a veteran with PTSD who goes home at Christmas for the first time since he was injured 5 years earlier. I read the acknowledgements in the front and loved the fact that some children's books on PTSD and therapy dogs were helpful to her in writing the book. Can't wait to see where she goes with it.

>103 clue: Is that the Memphis hockey team? Pecan pie was always a favorite at our house. I still make them at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wonder if the reason so many of us are having difficulty settling into books right now is related to the stress/tension cause by the election? Like you, the ones that are working for me are the "light reads" or "short" reads.

>104 VictoriaPL: Wrong SEC team. (grin) My mom always purchased the jellied cranberry sauce. One of the years mom was sick (before she died), I decided to make homemade cranberry sauce from scratch. It was absolutely wonderful, but my Dad and I were the only ones who would eat it. The rest of the family apparently had an aversion to the berries being in the sauce. They actually went to the pantry and pulled out a can of the jellied Mom had on hand. I guess the good thing about spending the holidays alone is I can make homemade cranberry sauce without worrying about others not eating it. I hope you find a good job before your employment ends. Perhaps you'd like to take a bunch of LibraryThingers with you on that trip to Italy? I'm certain several of us would love to join you. I have not heard about celebrations yet for Ken Sparks, but I'm sure there will be some. They are probably finalizing arrangements for a big shin-dig before announcing it.

>105 thornton37814: I will eat either berried or jellied but my preference is jellied.
I am excited about seeing you on the 29th! I need to look up the time for the Tree Lighting.

Lori, I suspect you'll enjoy the quiet Christmas with just the boys. And I'm sure if they knew, they'd be grateful. This will be the first Thanksgiving with my family in several years and the first year the baton passes to me. I like cooking and everyone (except my Mom) is preparing something, from pies to sweet potatoes.

How about those _____? (Fill in the blank with Team Mascot)
Tennis players!! Sorry, I don't follow a team but do follow tennis - rooting for Andy Murray in the ATP championships since my absolute favorites Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro aren't there.

My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is _________.
Going to the movies at some point during the day.

All I want for Christmas is _________.
I'm already going to NYC for Christmas - that is all the gift that I need. Though a visit to the Strand while there would be perfect.

Tell me about that book you just read.
Just finished a fun cozy mystery called All You Need is Fudge. Lots of fudge recipes for those so inclined to bake.

>108 LittleTaiko: If the fudge cozy isn't a Christmas mystery, it should be! Can you have Christmas without fudge?!

>106 VictoriaPL: I don't know if I'll make the cranberry sauce from scratch this year or not, but it really was wonderful. It will be fun to see you. They have a 6 p.m. and and 7:30 p.m. lighting ceremony. Depends on which one you want to do.

>107 RidgewayGirl: I inherited the cooking gene from my mom too. I love cooking. I'll make all of it for myself, but I'm going to have to try to figure out how to "downsize" the dressing. I think I can probably figure it out.

>108 LittleTaiko: I like tennis too. A trip to the Strand (with money to spend there) does sound like a great Christmas gift. Now, you have me craving fudge!

>109 cbl_tn: Christmas and fudge go hand in hand. My mom always made chocolate and butterscotch when I was growing up. After she went out West on one of the RV trips, she found a place that made really good cranberry fudge in Oregon. She ordered it from that place for a few years, but they went out of business. She tried another place but didn't like theirs as well so she began to develop her own recipe for it. She made several batches that first year until she had it "just right." I sometimes made peanut butter fudge with her regular fudge recipe after they started making the Reece's chips. Of course, chocolate fudge is still the best. I tend to make mine with semi-sweet chocolate although my mom preferred milk chocolate. (I prefer my chocolate darker.)

>110 thornton37814: I have never once experienced a Thanksgiving where the quantity of stuffing made was enough, let alone too much. It's something that should freeze beautifully, too, so if you make too much you can always freeze it and enjoy it with a rotisserie chicken later.

Yes. I do, however, need to clear out the freezer to allow for room. That's one of my upcoming projects. I'd like to do it next week because it will be warmer than it is at Christmas. The deep freeze in question is in the garage.

>105 thornton37814: No, not the hockey team, but one of the local high schools.

I do think my slump is at least partially related to all the political turmoil. I've stopped watching national news and when I see Trump or Clinton mentioned on the internet I leave the page. There isn't really any actual information now anyway, just endless speculation. I think I can survive pretty well in a cocoon for a few weeks.

>113 clue: I'm tired of the political stuff too. We need to make the campaign season MUCH SHORTER in this current day and age.

97. A Lowcountry Christmas by Mary Alice Monroe

Date Completed: 17 Nov 2016

Category: Ladies Night

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Taylor McClellan returns from combat with an injury and PTSD. After spending time in a veterans hospital, he is encouraged to go back home. His ten-year-old brother Miller desperately wants a puppy for Christmas, but their economic circumstances changed because of changes in the shrimping industry, and the pup cannot be purchased. A call is received in which Taylor is being given a therapy dog. The therapy dog brings healing in many ways. Chapters alternate between the viewpoints of Taylor, Miller, and their mom Jenny. I enjoyed the story and the Lowcountry setting. Each chapter is prefaced with a quote from Dickens' A Christmas Carol which Taylor and Miller are reading together. This book tells the backstory to Taylor who was introduced in a previous book, and the final chapter brings the family together in the present as we know him from that book. It's a wonderful Christmas story which even persons who did not read the earlier story will enjoy.

The chocolate has spoken. Who are we to question?

>117 casvelyn: Exactly!

My sister gave me a recipe a while ago for a homemade cranberry sauce that starts with a can of cranberry with the berries. Then you add qpples, orange zest, vinegar and a couple of other things (I think). But we're going to my brother-in-law's house this year and all I've been asked to bring is my creamed onions and some dessert.

>116 thornton37814: - Who am I to question the wisdom of Dove? Looks like they have their priorities straight.

>119 dudes22: We would call that a cranberry salad with the additional fruits -- kind of like a congealed salad.

>120 LittleTaiko: Absolutely. I needed a pick-me-up at work yesterday afternoon so I reached into my bag I keep for such occasions and came up with such a wonderful word of wisdom.

98. Scars of Independence: America's Violent Birth by Holger Hoock

Date Completed: 18 Nov 2016

Category: Time in a Bottle

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Hoock's main purpose is to show the Revolutionary War for the violent war it was. He feels most histories sugar-coat the war. He does a good job showing conflicts between Patriots and Loyalists. His descriptions of the persecution faced is often graphic. He also discusses why many Loyalists chose not to return after the war. The author does a good job with documenting his work. It's a bit too academic in tone and too gory to really be as readable as some histories of the war. Academics and military history enthusiasts are likely to find it far more enjoyable than I did. This review is based on an electronic advance review copy received by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

>80 thornton37814:

You're funny! There's been quite a lot of political discussion on my FB (haven't really seen any on LT), but I don't mind as I am fond of people who take a passionate interest in politics (unless it's dirt-slinging, of course, I can do without that). But, I'll take you up on your subject-change...

How about those Saints? I actually don't follow American Football, but I was in NOLA a few years back and a cabdriver asked me which team I rooted for and when I said I didn't, he "assigned" the Saints to me. :)
My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is having the day off from work. :) I'm not from the US, so I don't really have any Thanksgiving traditions - this year we're ordering Chinese food and will be watching a friend's first feature film.
All I want for Christmas is Swedish food! This year we're having Swedish visitors for Christmas and New Year's and one of them is a fantastic cook, so we'll be munching the entire holiday.

>95 thornton37814:
They absolutely know when you've lined up a good shot and then they take off! :)

>108 LittleTaiko:
Recommending The Strand! Careful with your wallet, though... :)

>122 thornton37814: Thanks, Eva! I guess I grew up cheering for Archie Manning so I cheered for the Saints when I was younger. I cheered for Peyton while he was playing and cheer for his brother Eli. One of these years, I'll have to decide which NFL team I really want to support. Swedish food sounds interesting for Christmas. I caught them all sleeping the other day on my lap so I'll have to try to upload that photo when I get home.

My book is in the hands of my readers (with a draft copy to the editor so I get credit for finishing on time). I celebrated by checking out library books!

>125 thornton37814: Yay!

And I approve of your celebratory style.

>126 RidgewayGirl: It's a pretty good way to celebrate!

Time for a cat picture! Here is my "overflowing" lap the other night.

Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning . . .
I noticed how red the sky was as I was driving to work, so when I stopped to fill up with gas, I took photos. Excuse the power lines, canopy, etc.

   

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I'll try to make rounds later, but I don't have time at the moment. Getting ready to go eat with some friends at her brother's house.

Even with the warning, that's a truly beautiful sky. A nice way to start the day. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Hope you are having a lovely Thanksgiving, Lori!

Have a great Thanksgiving! I am thankful that you post lots of cat photos for us to enjoy :)

>97 cbl_tn: Great Christmas recommendations! I have I am Half-Sick of Shadows on hold at the library, and with luck, I'll get it in December for the annual Christmas mystery group read. Thanks for offering to run the thread again, >98 rabbitprincess:.

>131 VivienneR: It was lovely.

>132 DeltaQueen50: I spent it with a friend's family (and with my cats on either side of that excursion).

>133 rabbitprincess: My cats get tired of all the photos, I think, but I enjoy them.

>134 mathgirl40: I think I'll read another Christmas mystery or two (or more) before Christmas arrives. I'm actually reading one now although I have other books in process too.

99. Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Timothy Keller

Date Completed: 25 Nov 2016

Category: Hey Jude

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Keller's insights into the stories of Christmas come from his preaching ministry. He shares insights from prophecies foretelling His birth, insights from the announcements to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, and an insight from Simeon's encounter when he beheld "Thy Salvation." As a genealogist, I particularly enjoyed the chapter that showed insights from the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels.This small book makes a wonderful devotional study leading up to Christmas. Highly recommended.

100. Death in the Shadows by Paul McCusker

Date Completed: 25 Nov 2016

Category: Hey Jude

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Father Gilbert is attending a church conference. He becomes involved in an investigation led by his friend and former law enforcement colleague Detective Inspector Gwynn. A prostitute was murdered, and one of the suspects is a fellow clergyman. The area is saturated with "spas" offering under the table services. I was uncomfortable reading this book. Lion Fiction has published some of the better written Christian fiction. However, I do not think many Christian readers will be comfortable reading about sexual slavery. I think even fewer of them want a sleuthing priest to make a call requesting services even if he is only investigating and does not engage the young woman for her services. The book is well-written, but it is far outside my comfort zone. I considered abandoning it. This review is based on an advance readers copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

I just posted my 2017 Category Challenge Thread at https://www.librarything.com/topic/241979.

101. The Christmas Wassail by Kate Sedley

Date Completed: 26 Nov 2016

Category: Killing Me Softly

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review:A missing persons case becomes a homicide investigation when the body is found somewhat mutilated at the abandoned castle. Roger the Chapman who was one of the two who discovered the body becomes involved in the investigation since he loves sleuthing. The investigation takes place during the twelve days of Christmas. The setting for this is medieval, but at times, the book felt more modern than that, possibly because the vocabulary was too modern. I downloaded it from the library because it was a medieval Christmas mystery, but I had not read the previous twenty-one installments in the series. I suspect my enjoyment was also marred by this. However, I was very disappointed in the ending which made me lower the score another half-point.

Our mountains are on fire! The sky bore a sepia tone all day. Everyone who posted a photo qualified it by saying, "This is not a filter." Those of us looking outside knew it was not filtered because it was exactly what we were seeing as well. Big ashes fell from the sky today. Air quality is terrible. The fire is nearing some of the historic buildings in the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Loop. Earlier today they began voluntary evacuation of some Gatlinburg neighborhoods. Tonight they issued mandatory evacuations for some. Rain is coming, but so are high winds. They are not certain exactly what will happen. If you want to see photos, visit WATE, WBIR, or WVLT. It's really horrible. This morning they predicted we could get 3 inches (or more in some of the areas where wildfires are) from this system. It looked like the leading edge was about 2 hours drive-time away a short time ago. Hoping it arrives before midnight!

I'm hoping for rain for you guys as well as us. The forests around Table Rock are burning here and when the wind was blowing the other way we had a few days of haze so that it looked like we'd gone back to the days of London's pea soup fog. We're supposed to finally get some rain tonight and tomorrow,

>141 RidgewayGirl: Yes. I'm sure it's been bad down there. VictoriaPL commented earlier to me about how bad it is in Pigeon Forge. She said most businesses in Gatlinburg closed early, and it was like a "ghost town."

I was watching the Weather Channel about 30 min ago and they were saying some areas are starting to see rain. I so hope it's enough in the right place. I hate thinking about the devastation to the forest, such a beautiful part of the U.S. I'm sure no one knows for sure yet what caused it, but on the WC they reported arson is suspected. Why, why, why would someone do such a thing? Take care, I hope it's over soon and that the Christmas season in Gatlinburg isn't ruined for this year, I'm sure many people that live in that area depend on the business they get during the season.

Oh no! I hope the fires are brought under control by the rain.

>143 clue: clue, not just arson, but multiple fires set by people. It boggles my mind.

And it rained for much of the night here and we're supposed to see rain continue for the next few days, which is sadly needed as we've had a dry few months (although just east of us got way more than they needed via hurricane Matthew).

>143 clue: Someone was careless and threw a match, starting the Chimney Tops fire. When the winds picked up around 6 p.m., the fire "jumped" and spread. Then power lines fell due to the wind, creating more fires. It just happened so quickly.

>144 rabbitprincess: They are better today. They are watching for places that may reignite. The fires burned so quickly last night that it didn't get all the underbrush. They are afraid some of those may try to pop back up.

>145 RidgewayGirl: The rain has helped, and we are supposed to get more tonight. The ash is out of the air here, and you can even breathe here. It still looks bad in Sevier County though.

I'm afraid we're going to start hearing of fatalities. I have WBIR streaming and they're talking to a man whose wife and daughters were home last night without a car. She called him when the fire was across the road from their home but he hasn't heard from her since.

I have coworkers who live in Sevier County. D's brother works in Pigeon Forge. He had to work yesterday and his workplace was not in an evacuation area. At some point, all of their cell phones were confiscated. They had to use landlines to make any calls. H says that residents received a text last night telling them not to use their cell phones. I presume you can use your cell phone in an emergency.

>147 cbl_tn: Apparently Verizon has come in to add another tower to help with cellular service. Last night a retired professor posted her husband went to Gatlinburg to get his mother. The house next door to hers was already burning. He discovered she had fallen, and the police and firemen who accompanied him were able to help him get her to safety.

These fires are terrible and I sure hope they are under control or extinguished soon.

I'm glad you're okay. Hoping that you get more rain to just ensure that the fires are out.

>149 DeltaQueen50: The concern is the wind tonight could reignite fires before the rain arrives.

>150 LittleTaiko: We should get more tonight. We also have Black Hawk helicopters doing air drops.

That sounds horrific - hope no fires are reignited!

Take care of yourself and your furry dependents, Lori! We had quite a bit of rain yesterday and today, and I hope you're getting the same.

>152 -Eva-: There are still a few flames popping up even though we've had heavy rain this morning. Still lots of smoke too. However, fire officials said the worst is over, according to the news media.

>153 RidgewayGirl: It's raining now! I think we are expected to receive at least a couple of inches and perhaps as much as five. The library's basement flooded overnight. The cleaning folks sucked up 60 gallons of water. We are waiting for them to tell us if it is safe to use the elevator or not. When it goes to the basement level, the water comes up over the lip. Right now, we have yellow caution tape across the door.

>154 thornton37814:
Thank goodness for that! Hope it "sticks."

>155 -Eva-: They were pretty optimistic at the 11 am press conference. They did say it would need to penetrate pretty deep, but it's been raining most of the time so the 4 pm update will probably be more optimistic.

I was watching on the news as people were driving through the fire and I can't imagine anything more scary. Glad you've had some rain.

>157 dudes22: We are so thankful for the rain. Just praying nothing reignites. There's another news conference at 11 a.m., but increasingly the topics of the conferences are dealing with services for those affected. We're getting less information on other things because overall there is less to report. They are still making door-to-door assessments so the death toll is likely to increase. There are still so many missing persons.

102. Vinegar Girl: The Taming of the Shrew Retold by Anne Tyler

Date Completed: 3 Dec 2016

Category: Best of My Love

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: The Taming of the Shrew is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, and Anne Tyler has done a great job retelling it with Kate and Pyotr. Pyotr works in Kate's father's lab. Kate is a teacher's assistant. Pyotr's visa is about to expire, and Kate finally agrees to marry him so he can continue to work for her father. I won't reveal more of the plot so I don't give away any spoilers. The book's biggest flaw is the "taming" process was too rushed. The growing relationship needed a bit more development.

103. The Christmas Tree Tangle by Margaret Mahy; illustrated by Anthony Kerins

Date Completed: 5 Dec 2016

Category: Cat's in the Cradle

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This is a cute book that follows a progression. It's not very believable though. The illustrations are nothing special. It's cute if you want a rhyming Christmas book with animals.

They announced two juveniles were charged with starting the wildfire on Chimney Tops 2 that spread to Gatlinburg and other parts of Sevier County.

104. Oliver, The Cat Who Saved Christmas by Shelia Norton

Date completed: 8 Dec 2016

Category: Cat's in the Cradle

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: What a delightful story told by the cat himself! The story opens with Oliver, the pub cat, awakening his owner when the pub is afire. He becomes separated from his owner during the confusion that follows. The pub was attached to the village hall which hosted most of the village's large gatherings and meetings. Oliver ends up in a tree, trying to avoid a fox. He is rescued by a man. He ends up living with a couple of families until his owner George can return to the village when the pub is rebuilt and back in business. In the meantime, he finds ways to meet many of the needs of persons with whom he comes in contact around the Christmas season. I think it would make a great read aloud book in December for a family with that tradition. This is a story even the kids would enjoy!

105. Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber

Date Completed: 12 Dec 2016

Category: Best of My Love

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Just before Christmas, Ashley Davison learns she'll be able to go home and visit the holidays for Christmas. When she arrives at the airport, the ticketing agent will not sell her a ticket to Seattle. The guy behind her finds he can only fly stand-by, and he desperately needs to arrive in Seattle for a job interview by December 22. They both head to the rental counters and find only one company with rentals remaining. Ashley is unable to rent because she's not 25, so the guy suggests they share a ride. In the meantime, the agent notified Homeland Security that a person whose name was on a no fly list tried to purchase a ticket. They begin tracking the two of them on their way to Seattle. This particular book did not seem very plausible. Homeland Security is not so stupid as to go after the wrong person with the name, and the ticket agent's actions are simply not plausible either. The whole premise of the book and coincidences involved are a stretch. Fortunately, it is a fun book for Christmas, and even though I don't really think Ashley and Dash would have hit it off quite as quickly as they do in the book, they are both likable. The book provides a brief "escape" from the craziness of the holiday season.

106. A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat by Emily Jenkins; illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Date Completed: 12 Dec 2016

Category: ABC

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This book shows the changes in the way one dessert was prepared over the centuries. We move from hand beating to mixers, from cooling in the natural environment to refrigeration, and more. We also see different cultures represented. All of them enjoyed a single dessert--blackberry fool. The recipe is included at the end so children can make it with their families. Illustrations are okay but not exceptional.

107. Hand in Hand: Walking with the Psalms Through Loneliness by Elzabeth Head Black

Date Completed: 13 Dec 2016

Category: Hey Jude

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This is a daily devotion book focusing on Scriptures in the Psalms dealing with loneliness. Each devotion begins with the verse on which the devotion focuses. It then contains the devotion which usually relates a story and applies it. The author then offers additional verses for contemplation, a prayer, and a space to write your own thoughts or prayers. The author does encourage readers to read the entire Psalm instead of just the single verse. The author relates instances of loneliness from her own life as well as those of persons with whom she's come in contact in her role as pastor's wife. At times, I felt the author missed the point, but at other times she hit the nail on the head. This is not a book for everyone. I really think men will not relate to it very much. The author is married, and the types of loneliness single women face are different. While single women will relate to some of what the author includes, they will not relate to it all. This is a book I will probably donate to the church library.

We had the annual check-up today. The boys saw Dr. Neas instead of Dr. Byrd. She knew them from the times they boarded. It's nice to know the vets as well as their staff play with my boys when they board. Sherlock and Mr B are overweight, but she didn't really suggest a specific diet. I think she just doesn't want them to gain more and wouldn't mind if it they lost a pound or two. I guess I need to find a way to reduce their calorie intake without reducing Barney's.

If you find a good way to put one cat, but not the other, on a diet, I would love to hear about it. I once had a plump tabby, but when we tried feeding him separately in another room, he tried to break out while the other two just sat there and refused to eat. The effort did not last long! I did have one vet who, when I adopted a larger guy from the shelter, told me to let large cats be large cats and I've stuck with that.

On the other hand, Ivy, the German Shepard, managed to gain ten pounds during her heartworm treatment. Since she's an only dog, it is possible to reduce the amount she's fed, although reducing the number of treats is more difficult. She's loved by all and all are determined to reward her for being our dog.

Have you set up a tree? Do the cats like it?

>167 RidgewayGirl: Do you mean a cat tree or Christmas tree? They loved the Christmas tree so much last year they bent it really badly. I threw it out at the end of the season. I forgot about that until I went to get the tree, and it wasn't there. I've gone to a couple of places seeking an artificial tree. The affordable ones at Walmart are too flimsy and not very full. The ones that look good cost way too much. If I were going to be home continuously, I'd get a real tree to have to water because those are cheaper this year than artificial ones. I'm heading to Raleigh. I'll be home a few days before heading to Mississippi with the cats. If I can find one marked down enough when I get back into town, I might get one. I just refuse to pay $200 for an artificial tree that the cats may destroy in a single season.

Probably smartest to wait until January and get a tree on sale. Those trees are expensive! We do real trees, mainly to give my vacuum a work-out and also because it makes the house smell wonderful.

>169 RidgewayGirl: I wouldn't mind a real tree, but going to Raleigh before Christmas kind of messes it up. I normally would have waited until after Christmas to go since Jeff's birthday is after Christmas and before New Year's Day. It's singing in the Christmas program at his church that's making the live tree undo-able this year.

Ah, but singing in the Christmas program will make skipping the tree worth it. Tell the boys they'll have something exciting to climb next year.

>171 RidgewayGirl: I'm sure they'll enjoy it when they get a new one.

I left my folded clothes in the basket on my bed, intending to make it easier to pack this evening. This is what I found when I went to start packing.



Needless to say, packing has been delayed.

I love it!! It's their master plan to prevent you from packing.

>174 LittleTaiko: Yes. Someone on Facebook suggested I should open the suitcase so they can move to it.

That's adorable!

>173 thornton37814: They thought they were helping out since they planned to go too!

"Smell my toes!"

>173 thornton37814: Haha! Adorable and amusing!

>178 mamzel: Hee hee!

>176 dudes22: Someone shared my post on Facebook and called it a "basket of adorables."

>177 clue: They'll go next time, but my friend is watching them this time.

>178 mamzel: Someone said it looked like Barney was saying Sherlock's feet didn't smell so good.

>179 rabbitprincess: That's one time I was thankful I had my camera with me.

Jeff's worship pastor told us he was getting matching scarves for all the women to wear with the white blouses/black pants for the Christmas program. At last night's rehearsal, he had not gotten the scarves so he decided we were all going to wear Christmas-y jewelry. Of course, it would have helped if he'd told me that before I left Tennessee. So I had to go shopping today. I hope this is Christmas-y enough.

>181 thornton37814:
Well done - those are very Christmas-y indeed!

Those are super Christmassy! Excellent choice.

>182 -Eva-: >183 rabbitprincess: I'm glad you all approve!

Taking the morning to play catch-up on all the threads in the group.

I am now caught up will all your reading and love all of the cat pictures!

>116 thornton37814: - That is awesome!

OMG to learn that your mountains were on fire, and in November! Glad to see the rain helped to contain things.

>181 thornton37814: - Definitely Christmasy!

>185 lkernagh: That fire was so scary, but it is so neat to see how we've all pulled together in this region. Our church took all the proceeds from the offering taken at our Living Christmas Tree to benefit Gatlinburg residents who'd lost everything with the exception of $1000 previously promised to help some children who might otherwise not have Christmas have something. We presented them a check for almost $23,000. I'll be over in the burn area this week. I need to go to Sevierville so I'm just going on over to Gatlinburg to help their economy. I just hope I'm prepared for what I see.

I went to check for a package I thought was arriving from Amazon today since I'd ordered it over the weekend. I saw a box out there, picked it up, took it in and opened it. It was heavier than I expected it to be. The contents were not what I expected. I looked and discovered I'd opened my SantaThing gifts. I wish to thank the LibraryThing software developer who got my name for choosing Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy and Debbie Macomber's Christmas Cookbook for me. I really would have waited until at least Thursday night to open them (since I had out of town Friday and might not want the extra gifts with me. My car will be full enough of Christmas gifts, scratching posts, litter boxes, cat kennels, cat food bowls, cat food, cat litter, cat toys, and my own clothes and computer.

I'm still waiting for my Santathing, but happily so. I've carefully avoided ordering anything from them so that I can take that box and hand it to my daughter for wrapping. While I often receive gift cards to bookstores for Christmas, actual books are a rarity, despite me pointing out my amazon wishlist in a very helpful manner. People seem to think I have enough books. As if!

>188 RidgewayGirl: Enough books? Perish the thought! LOL

I think it's more a case of worrying that they'd give me something I already have than that I have too many. So gift cards are a better choice.

Seriously, Lori. It's like they've never even met me!

And I love those gift cards. It's so much fun to know that I can get that next book from a favorite author, or that book we're all talking about here.

I also love fabric as well as books. So there are two choices for people.

>191 RidgewayGirl: - But especially since you have a list on Amazon - not even hard to do.

>190 dudes22: I understand that. I just create a big wish list. I know they won't choose everything.

>191 RidgewayGirl: Gift cards are great!

>192 dudes22: Yes - I've thought of getting my one sister-in-law fabric since she quilts. She also reads a lot. Maybe I need to see if you are related to her. (grin)

And maybe Kevin Bacon?

>194 dudes22: LOL

Since I'm going out of town, I opened my Christmas Swap package (from the 75 LT group) before I left. My Swap Santa did a great job choosing books from my wish list. I received:

Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards
Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody
The Cozy Cookbook (which includes recipes from Avery Aames, Daryl Wood Gerber, Ellery Adams, Connie Archer, Leslie Budewitz, Laura Childs, Cleo Coyle, Victoria Hamilton, B. B. Haywood, Julie Hyzy, Jenn McKinlay, and Paige Shelton. It also includes excerpts from the books!

Thank you, Joanne. (The gift notes said Joanne sent them.)

108. The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans

Date Completed: 22 Dec 2016

Category: Best of My Love

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Kimberly Rossi wants to become a romance author. She's had several failed relationships. She works at a car dealer by day and writes at night. She wants to attend a romance writer's conference in Vermont where H. T. Cowell, the author who inspired her, is scheduled to speak. Her father pays her way in spite of her protests, and she learns from others that Cowell is often a "no show" at events where he is scheduled to speak. A few other things impact the story: a mother who committed suicide when Kimberly was eleven, a father dealing with cancer, rejections from publishers, a friend she meets in the conference registration line, and her writing partner for the week. The outcome was probably a bit too predictable, but it was really a good story overall. Evans created good, but flawed characters to whom we can relate. I listened to the audiobook by Simon & Schuster. The narrator was good, but I did not like the voice for one of the characters.

109. Auggie Wren's Christmas Story by Paul Auster

Date Completed: 22 Dec 2016

Category: I Wish

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This Christmas story is quite different from most. The narrator, an author, is commissioned to write a short story for a Christmas day newspaper edition. When he goes to purchase cigars, Auggie Wren unfolds a story. The story could probably generate discussion on ethical topics. I listened to the audio version read by the author available at NPR's web site.

Enjoy your Christmas, Lori!

Merry Christmas to you Lori:

Merry Christmas to you and your fur-babies! Hope you are all having a lot of fun.

Happy Christmas, Lori! Also, greetings from my cat to your three. He gave me a gift this year - it was labelled "to: That woman with the lap."

>199 DeltaQueen50: >200 dudes22: Thanks & Merry Christmas!

>201 VivienneR: We would be having more fun if I lacked the cold!

>202 RidgewayGirl: That was nice of him, assuming it wasn't something like a hairball. ;-)

>203 thornton37814: So sorry you have a cold, not pleasant anytime but especially at this time of year. Take care and stay warm.

>204 VivienneR: I think I'm finally beginning to recover, but I plan to do a lot of resting tomorrow. I was on the road most of today.

110. The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott

Date Completed: 27 Dec 2016

Category: Killing Me Softly

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Jordan Bingham was reared by her uncles who are not completely on the up and up when it comes to law and order. She returns to her hometown of Harrison Falls, New York, taking a job with Vera VanAlst who wishes her to locate and purchase a previously unknown play by Agatha Christie which may or may not exist. The previous person in the job met his death under suspicious circumstances, and Jordan grows increasingly convinced he was murdered. When an attempt is made on another person's life, she is convinced of it. The biggest weakness of this book involves the interaction of Jordan with the police. It's too "fake." I'm not sure I'll continue reading or listening to the series. I listened to this one which was narrated by Carla Mercer-Meyer. She did an acceptable job.

That is the trouble with cozy series: how to make the amateur sleuth's interactions with the police plausible, especially over multiple installments, and especially when it's an occupation that doesn't have much contact with the police. I've been reading this series since the beginning -- it is my one really fluffy cozy series -- but I wish Mary Jane Maffini, one half of Victoria Abbott, would return to her series involving Ottawa-based lawyer Camilla MacPhee, because as a lawyer Camilla makes a more plausible "amateur sleuth" protagonist.

>207 rabbitprincess: This cop didn't even tell her not to investigate. He didn't act very cop-like either. I don't really think he's the level of cop that would be involved in this type of investigation anyway -- and we never met his superiors. Just not very realistic.

>208 thornton37814: That's true, he's like a one-man cop band!

>209 rabbitprincess: I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks this.

Holiday Hauls

SantaSwap (from Joanne):
1. Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards
2. Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody
3. The Cozy Cookbook (which includes recipes from Avery Aames, Daryl Wood Gerber, Ellery Adams, Connie Archer, Leslie Budewitz, Laura Childs, Cleo Coyle, Victoria Hamilton, B. B. Haywood, Julie Hyzy, Jenn McKinlay, and Paige Shelton. It also includes excerpts from the books!

SantaThing (selected by LibraryThing programmer ccatalfo):
4. Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
5. Debbie Macomber's Christmas Cookbook by Debbie Macomber

Sevier County Public Library/Sevier County Genealogical Society:
6. The Historic Architecture of Sevier County, Tennessee by Robbie D. Jones

Amazon purchase:
7. Births, Deaths, and Marriage Notices from Lamar County Alabama Newspapers by Veneta Aldridge McKinney

McKays purchase:
8. Ancestors and Relatives: Genealogy, Identity, and Community by Eviatar Zerubavel
9. From Memory to History: Using Oral Sources in Local Historical Research by Barbara Allen and Lynwood Montell
10. Writing Family Histories and Memoirs by Kirk Polking
11. Scottish Surnames & Families by Donald Whyte
12. Writing the Family Narrative by Lawrence P. Gouldrup - This is a duplicate. I didn't think I owned it and was in a hurry and didn't check LibraryThing. At least it was only $1.50.

Gifts from family members:
13. Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams
14. Scandal in Skibbereen by Sheila Connolly
15. Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Nice and ample selection of books, Lori. I hope you're enjoying them!

>212 RidgewayGirl: Veneta did 2 books for neighboring Marion County newspapers she also had published. If I'd ordered them, they would have shown up while I was out of town, so I'm ordering them today. They probably will arrive next week with UPS schedule--even with two day shipping. I'm not in a rush anyway. I'm trying to finish up a couple of ARCs before starting my shiny new books!

ETA: I discovered I had one of the two Marion County books before I ordered it. Apparently they are just re-advertising those. I think I'd held up on the other one because it cost so much, but I decided to order it since my trips to the area are less frequent now. I need any resources for those Alabama counties right along the line and over to Fayette I can find.

My goodness - that's quite a few books. The cookbooks look like ones I would like.

>214 dudes22: Yes. They all look good, and I'm sure you'd enjoy them.

>211 thornton37814: Barefoot Contessa! Just saying.....
Are you feeling better?

Hi Lori:

Nice book haul!

Love Barefoot Contessa, she can do no wrong cooking wise imo. Her food is straightforward without a thousand ingredients. I was glad to see the show Cooking For Jeffrey on Food Network in he midst of those endless challenge type shows.

I second (third?) all the Ina Garten love! All my best recipes are from her.

>211 thornton37814: Lori, you're so good with book bullets that you not only hit my personal reading list, but my work collection development list as well. I'm not sure if this is a talent for good or ill. :)

>216 VictoriaPL: Barefoot Contessa is my favorite. I'm better, but I quit taking the one medicine too early so I got a little stuffy yesterday evening. I took some more and with another dose of it this morning, I should get back to the unstuffy stage. I'll make sure I keep taking it for about a week. I forgot the doctor always has me take it for about a week after the symptoms are gone to make sure they are gone.

>217 lsh63: She is the best. She cooks stuff I actually want to cook and eat! I also love her little visits to area places to get her ingredients. I'm glad I'm not the only one sick of those challenge shows. Let's get back to the good ones! I just wish the networks were listening.

>218 casvelyn: One year I used her dog bone recipe in one of her cookbooks to make dog bones for all the family dogs. I should do that again sometime. Collection development is probably my favorite aspect of librarianship, but with the big e-book collections academic libraries are purchasing now, I get to do very little of it.

>211 thornton37814: Wow! Nice haul.

>220 VivienneR: Yes. It was nice.

111. The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis

Date Completed: 30 Dec 2016

Category: I Wish

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: I had a love-hate relationship with this book. On the one hand, the book was well-written. On the other, I really could not identify with the characters, making it tedious. The book focuses on the Aster family of Western North Carolina. The father is a lawyer with a great love for books and aspirations of becoming an author. They live in a house where the previous tenants were murdered. Tragedy takes the father. The narrator is the son Henry who eventually goes off to the university, promising his sister Threnody he’ll return home. He meets a woman named Story at the university. Henry can’t bring himself to go back home. His mother and sister eventually move away. Although the story line goes much further, I’ll leave readers to discover the outcome for themselves. Although the two books are really not that similar, my mind kept being drawn to William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying as I was reading it. I think the writing and some of the themes reminded me of the book. It’s a great first effort by an author. I received an electronic advance copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

Let's up the number of Christmas books to 16. Carrie (cbl_tn) and I just met for lunch and exchanged gifts. Among my gifts was Lost Attractions of Sevier County by Tim Hollis. As I saw it, I commented there were more lost attractions now. I think we both had Sevier County on our minds as most of what was in the package I gave her came from Sevier County. She also gave me a puzzle of that great Charles Wysocki painting, Frederick the Literate, that features a cat curled up around the books on the shelves, and a bookmark from Mexico. That's all I'll mention since it's the only book-related stuff.

Abandoned



The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

Date Abandoned 30 Dec 2016

Category: Another One Bites the Dust (Abandoned Reads)

Review: When Lane Roanoke's mother commits suicide, she is sent to live with her grandparents in Kansas. Unfortunately she finds dark family secrets. She grew up with cousin Allegra. Lane runs as far away as she can to Los Angeles. She is called home when Allegra goes missing. Unfortunately I did not like this novel. I tried to stick with it, but when I got to a section where profanity was overused, I just could not tolerate it any longer. Other readers might enjoy this more than I did, but I couldn't even finish the book. I received an advance electronic copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

112. Pioneer Cat by William H. Hooks

Date Completed: 31 Dec 2016

Category: Cat's in the Cradle

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Kate Purdy smuggles a cat on a wagon train heading to Oregon. She's pretty sure she would not be allowed to keep it if her parents knew, so she tells the cat it must be quiet. She enlists the aid of a girl in a neighboring wagon to help keep her secret. This is a cute story for early readers. It's a great introduction to historical fiction and would make a great discussion book about what travelers faced on the Oregon Trail. The author kept those adventures somewhat tame, but readers still understand dangers were there. I purchased this book at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center this summer, but I'm just getting around to reading and reviewing it because it somehow got lost in a zippered compartment of my suitcase. I'm glad I found it so 2016 can go out with a fun book for children!

The annual book meme based on 2016 reads

Describe yourself: Waiting

Describe how you feel: Sorrow without End

Describe where you currently live: Appalachia

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?: Beneath the Book Tower

Your favorite form of transportation: Gone Camping

Your best friend is: Anne of Green Gables

You and your friends are: Tailing a Tabby
. . . and yes, it's probably one of mine

What’s the weather like?: Reading Up a Storm

You fear: A Fatal Winter

What is the best advice you have to give?: To Live Is Christ: Joining Paul's Journey of Faith

Thought for the day: Things Fall Apart

How I would like to die: Sudden Death

My soul’s present condition: Hand in Hand: Walking with the Psalms Through Loneliness

Top 11 for 2017

Note: The top 5 were all 5 star reads. The next 6 were all 4.5 star reads. (I hated to omit just one since those are the only ones that made it above 4 stars. I am trying to arrange them in order of how well I enjoyed them.)

1. Pennies for Hitler - Jackie French
2. Felicity - Mary Oliver
3. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
4. The Practice of the Presence of God - Brother Lawrence
5. Carolina Cradle: Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762 - Robert Wayne Ramsey
6. Hag-Seed - Margaret Atwood
7. Sifting Through Ashes: Words & Images - Robert Miller
8. Oliver the Cat Who Saved Christmas - Sheila Norton
9. The Return of Sir Percival: Book 1, Guinevere's Prayer - S. Alexander O'Keefe
10. Farming Dissenters: The Regulator Movement in Piedmont North Carolina - Carole Watterson Troxler
11. The Thousand-Year Flood: The Ohio-Mississippi Disaster of 1937 - David Welky