The Art of Reading - Nittnut's Second

Many of you know that my father-in-law passed away in October 2017. What you may not know about him is that he was an accomplished artist. He taught art in public high schools for over 30 years. He has been honored as a notable artist of Ventura County, California. Instead of selling his artwork, he gave it away. We have always had his paintings in our home, and whenever we move, we don't feel settled until we've hung them. This year I will be using his artwork as my thread toppers. Enjoy.

I'm Jennifer. I read in bed. Also at the pool, in restaurants, at the beach, but not in the car. I have been married 24 years to my best friend. He puts up with my reading addictions, mostly, although I am not allowed to read while watching sport. We have three children ages 19, 13 and 11 and I often find them reading in bed after lights out. Success! We have lived in California, Oregon, Colorado, New Zealand, and now we live in North Carolina and we like it.

And sometimes LT does something quirky.

Top reads of 2017



Challenges:

American Author Challenge

January- Joan Didion
February- Colson Whitehead
March- Tobias Wolff
April- Alice Walker
May- Peter Hamill
June- Walter Mosley
July- Amy Tan
August- Louis L'Amour
September- Pat Conroy
October- Stephen King
November- Narrative Nonfiction
December- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Non-Fiction Challenge

January -- Prize Winners
February -- Biographies
March – Far, Far Away: Traveling
April – History
May – Boundaries: Geography, Geopolitics and Maps
June – The Great Outdoors
July – The Arts
August – Short and Sweet: Essays and Other Longform Narratives
September – Gods, Demons, Spirits, and Supernatural Beliefs
October – First Person Singular
November – Politics, Economics & Business
December – 2018 In Review

ANZAC BINGO!



Additional reading goals include:
Wheel of Time series - continued - This will be a long term effort. I have the next 2 on the floor in my room...
Books off the shelf

January Favorites



January Reading

1. The Library at the Edge of the World
2. Stand Firm: Resisting the Self-Improvement Craze
3. Hero of the Empire
4. Iran Awakening
5. Slayers
6. Slayers: Friends and Traitors
7. The Year of Magical Thinking

February Favorites



February Reading

8. Artemis
9. Heartless
10. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
11. Dead Wake
12. The Underground Railroad
13. The Hounds of Spring
14. A Country Between: Making a Home Where Both Sides of Jerusalem Collide
15. Cotillion

Currently Reading:

Pages:

Currently Reading: The Song of Seven, Flame in the Mist

Newbery Award: The Dark Frigate

Currently Listening: Brave New World

AAC

January - Joan Didion - The Year of Magical Thinking
February Colson Whitehead - The Underground Railroad
March - Tobias Wolff - This Boy's Life
April - Alice Walker - The Color Purple
May - Pete Hamill - The Gift: A Novel
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

Non-fiction

January - Award Winners - The Year of Magical Thinking
February - Biography - Samuel Adams: A Life
March - Travel - Turn Right at Machu Picchu
April - History - Queens of the Conquest
May - Geography - Prisoners of Geography
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

ANZAC

March Reading
16. Lily and the Octopus
17. Samuel Adams: A Life
18. The Whiskey Sea
19. Digging In: A Novel
20. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
21. Scythe
22. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
23. Lightfinder
24. This Boy's Life
25. The Book of Polly
26. Turn Right at Machu Picchu
27. Snow in April
28. Eleanor and Park
29. Flowers in the Rain

April Reading
30. Blind Justice
31. The Color Purple
32. Wolf Hollow
33. My Cousin Rachel
34. The Bookshop on the Corner
35. Let it Snow
36. Queens of the Conquest
37. There You'll Find Me

May Reading
38. Birding Without Borders
39. Beneath My Mother's Feet
40. The Gift: A Novel
41. Prisoners of Geography
42. Strawberry Acres
43. The Bedlam Stacks
44. American Wolf
45. Weave a Circle Round
46. A River in Darkness
47. The House by the River

Hope I am not being premature in jumping in whilst you are setting up to wish you a Happy New Thread, Jenn.

The artwork is lovely and a touching tribute to your father-in-law. xx

Happy new thread! that's a wonderful painting.

Happy new one, Jenn!

Happy new thread!

>7 PaulCranswick: Hello Paul! Nope, you're just fine. :)

>8 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>9 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Thanks for stopping by. Are you having early spring like we are? I've already got pollen dusting my car...

>10 thornton37814: Hi Lori!

I am hoping to have some books reviewed in the next couple of days. Life has been very busy. I will just say, I have nearly 60,000 steps on my Fitbit this week so far. Phew! I'm off to catch up on a few threads.

Hi Jenn - Happy new thread. Your FIL was incredible. I love this topper as well. Keep them coming. Oh, and some good reading happening here as well.

>11 nittnut: Yep. Pollen is everywhere. It's crazy.

Hi Jenn--Happy new thread!! I am jealous of your FitBit stepping. : ) Soon...soon...

Happy reading and I love this month's FIL topper.

Happy new thread, Jenn!

Your FiL's artwork is quite wonderful, and thank you for sharing this year.

We don't have pollen south of you, yet. Winter will come and go for a while longer. I have a friend who always said that he knew when the last frost would be here in central NC - it would be when his peach tree was in full bloom.

>2 nittnut: >5 nittnut: HA! Love them both!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Jenn, lovely topper!

>5 nittnut: LOL, or they are afraid to buy a book you already own ;-)

Happy new thread Jenn! I love your thread topper theme. What an amazing talent and gift your FIL had.

Every special occasion, my husband is always flabbergasted that yes I really do want just more books..haha. Makes his life easy and mine happy. :D

> Happy new thread, Jenn. Love the fellow up there at >2 nittnut: :)

Hi Jenn! Your FIL's painting in >1 nittnut: reminds me a bit of Charles E. Burchfield.

Lots of books to report on!

#16 Lily and the Octopus

A sweet story about the places in our hearts that are filled by our dogs. It’s not really a story about a dog dying in the tradition of Old Yeller or Where the Red Fern Grows. It’s about companionship and when to put up a fight and when to stop fighting. It’s also about the different ways grief takes hold of us. I gave it three stars because the magical realism bit was a big distraction and didn’t really work for me.

#17 Samuel Adams: A Life - Non-fiction challenge

I really liked this account of Samuel Adams and his influence on the American Revolution. I wouldn’t call it gripping, but it was fascinating. Mr. Adams was the earliest and strongest force behind the movement to separate from Great Britain. He is largely neglected today, along with many others who did not become President or Vice President, but without his contribution I am not sure there would have been such a successful revolt.

#18 The Whiskey Sea

I really liked The Magic of Ordinary Days, so I was looking forward to this historical fiction/romance. In the end, it was just OK. It's the story of a brief time in the 1920's - Prohibition - when fishing boats were running rum off the coast of New York. It was dangerous, but profitable. Frieda is the main character. She wants to make a life for herself on her own terms. She becomes an engine mechanic and is hired to work on one of the boats that make the dangerous trip out to sea and back with illegal alcohol. There is a sort of love story to it, mostly predictable, and not the best part of the story.

#19 Digging In

This is a book about grief and loss and trying to find a way to live with it. I thought the grief came across as genuine, I thought the way she describes how grief or any kind of major life event changes us, but we may not realize it until later on. Other than that, I thought the book was just OK. Some of it stretched credibility a lot. Each chapter starts with an excerpt from the self-help business manual being used at the main character's work. That was annoying. I added a star after reading the author's acknowledgments because in the middle of writing this book, she lost her husband to a heart attack. That explained how she seemed to know so clearly how her grieving widow felt.

I am nearly finished with Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Up next - Scythe, Turn Right at Machu Picchu, and This Boy's Life

>12 BLBera: Hi Beth! Thank you - I think he was incredible too. I'm so happy that we have so much of his work to enjoy.

>13 Crazymamie: AAAAHChooo! Hi Mamie. I already have allergy symptoms. We've dug out the pills and we are getting on with it. The big wind over the weekend didn't help.

>14 Berly: Hi Kimberly - don't be jealous. I was all stepped out by Friday, Lol I do hope you'll be feeling like your usual self very soon and stepping away.

>15 karenmarie: Are you really colder than we are? I can't imagine it. I have liked this week, pollen aside. It's been nice to do some yard work and be outside.

>16 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle!

>17 mstrust: Hi Jennifer :)

>18 FAMeulstee: Hello Anita - maybe they are afraid I've already got the book, but one shouldn't live in fear. LOL

>19 jolerie: It's so true Valerie, we just want more books.

>20 RebaRelishesReading: Me too Reba, me too. *grin*

>21 katiekrug: I see what you mean Katie. I like that painting very much. :)

Happy New Thread, Jenn. Love your FIL's gorgeous topper. Very impressive. Hope you had a good weekend and I hope you enjoy This Boy's Life. Nice pick.

Love the topper, and Katie's post does look similar to it! As does this one :)
By NZ artist Bill Sutton.

>24 msf59: Hallo Mark! Thanks for stopping by :). Thanks for the compliment to my FIL's art. He was very talented. I'm looking forward to This Boy's Life. I may get to it earlier than I expected as I just binned a book. It was the intellectually frustrated elephants and dolphins and the unrealized dreams of pigs that got to me in the end.

>25 LovingLit: That's a really neat painting Megan. I will have to look him up for more. I don't know what to call it, but there is a lot of interesting contrast in this one.

#20 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - audio

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. She doesn't need anyone. She has her routine; her job, her Friday pizza and her weekend vodka. She could have gone on this way forever, but one day, a co-worker inserts himself into her life. Various events happen, continuing to throw them together, and before she knows it, she has a friend and her life is changing. Without her routine, events from her past begin to float to the surface. Trying to cope with it all on her own leads to a crisis. If she wants to survive, she is going to have to let people in, but it's really, really hard. This is a lovely story full of charming characters. Eleanor herself has a way with words that will have you laughing or crying, depending on the moment. The audio is wonderfully narrated by Cathleen McCarron. Highly recommended.

>1 nittnut:

The kind of painting that immediately draws you in AND makes you think! Thank you.

Did he title his pictures?

I'm enjoying the artwork here. Your FIL was very talented.

Happy Wednesday all. I am practicing typing at the computer with my new reading glasses. Hello mid-40's. I look like my grandma now, which is not a terrible thing. Lol

>28 m.belljackson: What a nice compliment! He did not always title his work. Most of the titled work we have are silk screens and wood cuts. The oils and the acrylic/oil blend ones don't have titles on them, but we know the name of the house or the street he was painting, usually.

>29 mstrust: Thanks! I am enjoying the sharing. He never wanted to market his work, so he gave most of it away. I am sure it would find a market if we wanted to go that route, but we really don't. We like having it around. He was fairly prolific, so family and friends all have a house full of wonderful art.

I am listening to My Cousin Rachel and reading Scythe. I started The Secret Life of Trees, but came to a grinding halt on page 4(?) when Tudge was explaining why we often see elephants and dolphins experiencing intellectual frustration. Cue exploding brain. I really don't want to get on a soap box about this, but if we are going to apply human measures of intelligence to animals, we must have a frame of reference. Is it possible to infer intellectual frustration in animals living in captivity? Yes. In the wild? A little more difficult to quantify. And What Does It Have To Do With Trees? I may go back to it later when I'm feeling less "judgy" and just skip forward a few pages...

Hi Jenn! Hope your new reading glasses are working out. I need to make an appointment to get new glasses as I've managed to scratch mine

Now that Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is on the long list for the Women's Prize, I definitely need to make some time for it. :)

>31 ChelleBearss: They are magical, LOL. I can see so much better. I can't believe I waited so long to get them.

>32 jolerie: I hope you like it. :)

Currently reading Scythe, listening to My Cousin Rachel, and I just got a big slug of books from the library - searching for an alternative 9th grade English summer read for my daughter because I'm really not OK with The Absolutely True Diary. I'm not a book banner. If they had it as an optional read, I'd not be bothered, but as a required read, Nope. That said, I'm not going in to the conversation without a list of alternatives to discuss.

We hung the headboard today, finally. Now we have to live with it for a week or so and decide if we are happy with it. It's not quite what I had in mind, but it might be OK. Photos when it's light outside.

Springing back tonight. UGH. When are we going to stop with the insanity of daylight savings?

The thing that makes this snow day OK is that it seems quite reasonable to have a Monday off the day after we Spring forward.

Lucky you to get that extra day! I was saying to my husband, why don't they make DST on a Friday instead of Saturday, giving us only 1 day to adjust. Do they not realize that babies don't sleep and wake on demand?!? I like the extra daylight hours but the disruption twice a year almost doesn't seem worth it.... :/

>35 jolerie: I'm not a fan. We are on our second snow day now. I think we are all enjoying the time off. Actually, my youngest had a 3 hour delay, but I'm not driving him to school at 11:30 and then turning around to pick him up again at 2:30. I can't be bothered. *grin*

#21 Scythe

Humans have developed the ability to live forever. As a result, it has become necessary to control the population. Scythes were created to solve the problem, "gleaning" people according to statistical probability, theoretically without bias. But what happens when Scythes go bad?
This is an interesting idea, and fairly well written. It's the first in a series, and I will read the second.

Scythe looks good, so I'll take that BB. I've never heard of the author but he has a very long list of books.
Good luck with your snow day!

>34 nittnut:

A recent favorite is reading all the publicity on giving teen brains a break by starting high school later,
then they do nothing about setting their brains back another hour every Spring.

Dang, Scythe sounds too interesting to not add to my list. :D

Hi Jenn and happy Wednesday to you.

Congrats on the reading glasses.

We, of course, don't have to deal with school snow days, but Bill came home early Monday because it started sleeting and snowing here. We got about 1/2" total, and it didn't stick to the concrete or gravel drive. Of course yesterday morning was chaos on central NC streets, but Bill was sick so stayed home. He's off to work today. I assume your kidlets are off to school today too?

Hi Jenn, just checking in. The painting I put up there is called nor'Wester in a cemetery (I think!!??) I will come back and edit if it isn't.

Eta: Nor'Wester in the Cemetery, I was close!

>37 mstrust: I hope you like it!

>38 m.belljackson: Yes, the endless circular debate, and why do we even have Daylight Savings anymore? Pick a time and stick with it is my thought on it.

>39 jolerie: *grin* Gotcha!

>40 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Kids were back to school yesterday. It feels like it should already be the weekend, but I suppose I will have to get through Friday first. Lol

>41 LovingLit: Thanks Megan! Close enough, I'd say.

Quick update, and then I'm off to bed. The husband worked ALL night last night, in our room, and I did not sleep well at all.

We watched Darkest Hour, and we thought it was fabulous.

#22 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I started this years ago and didn't like it, Pearl Ruled it, and wouldn't have picked it up again, except it's on the required summer reading list for my daughter. I still don't like it. That's not to say that it doesn't have some valuable points to make, but I'm not a fan of reading locker room talk for the few gems that might be found therein. I also had some quibbles with some of the quotes that were the topic of great ravings among reviewers. One was: "Poverty doesn't give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor." Really? That's all? That's not what we learn from Mark Twain or Charles Dickens or Maya Angelou. What a defeatist attitude. I get what he's saying, I just don't agree with it.
The part of the story with the most transformative potential was when Junior goes to a white high school and he ends up making some white friends and getting the hot white girlfriend, and these friends find out he's poor, "And Roger, being of kind heart and generous pocket, and a little bit racist, drove me home that night. And he drove me home plenty of other nights too. If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing." While acknowledging the kindness shown to him, he still has to point out that Roger is a little bit racist. Or, maybe Roger is learning to shift his paradigm, just like Junior, because he's learned some things and got to know someone different. Could make for good discussion, if it were allowed. It probably won't be allowed.

Currently reading Lightfinder - on a quest to find other books by First Nation writers that would be a good alternative read. Still listening to My Cousin Rachel. Up next are Turn Right at Machu Picchu and This Boy's Life.

A belated Happy New Thread, Jenn!

>43 nittnut: I just started Grass Dancer and it has a pretty good rating.

>44 ronincats: Thanks Roni!

>45 Berly: It looks really interesting Kimberly, thank you. I've added it to my list.

I loved Grass Dancer - in fact, I was the one who urged Kim to buy it.

I also loved The Magic of Ordinary Days and haven't read any of her other work, Jenn. Have you? I might be tempted to look for The Whiskey Sea, even if it doesn't live up to The Magic of Ordinary Days.

I love Sherman Alexie's writing but after the revelations about his sexual misconduct, I wonder if his literary reputation will suffer?

Have a great weekend.

#23 Lightfinder

This book has a lot of potential. It is a fantasy blend of Cree legend and modern save-the-world action. The writing is pretty good, with some really excellent bits of imagery and fantasy elements. I particularly liked the concept of moving between worlds. It probably needed to be developed a bit more, with some strong editing. The book starts relatively slowly, and begins building, but there is a disjointedness about the story that becomes more and more of an issue as the story progresses. By the last third of the book, things are moving so fast and jumping around so much that it's a little off putting. The characters need more development. Some elements feel random (dead father appears in bear form, Aboriginal man found in dream-time who joins the Cree family) and awkward. Other elements are so deliberate and preachy, it's just annoying. Good fantasy usually allows the hero/heroine to develop their powers to some extent before thrusting them into battle, so when the kids in this story have to sort of learn on the run, either on their own or in sudden chunks of HERE'S SOME INFORMATION NOW, it's harder to suspend belief, IMO. Then things go from engaging with the enemy to all wrapped up in a matter of just a few pages. A mixed result for me. Not awful, but not great.

>47 BLBera: Hi Beth! That's a double BB then. I will be sure to look for it. :) I had totally missed the news about Alexie's misconduct. I read a couple of articles, and I would say his literary reputation will likely suffer. It looks like his publisher is going to stop the release of his last book in paperback. Some of the personal accounts from the women who have come forward are just awful. I am glad he acknowledged the truth of the allegations, I guess that's something. I'm extra interested in seeing what the English department at the HS does. They have the whole 9th grade reading The Absolutely True Diary over the summer. My daughter has asked for an alternative already.

We had a great weekend. The weather was nicer than expected, so we did yard work all day Saturday. I am as sore as you would expect. Lol. But the yard looks great. I spent some time watching our yard debris burn, and discovered a pair of teeny birds working on a nest in a hollow limb. I really want them to be brown headed nuthatches, but I didn't have my binoculars, so I can't be sure.

From your last thread, (don't ask why I was poking about there, I got lost!)..
I hate it when an acquaintance recommends a series that is a "favorite" of theirs, and it's purely awful. Talk about awkward. Sigh.
This is so true, and is why I rarely recommend books. I just know that what I like, my friends probably aren't going to. I had enough of my sister at our old book club calling me out for loving "depressing" books!

>43 nittnut: I enjoyed that book, even if it did challenge my sensibilities at times (I'm so middle class). It took me into another world, and I liked that about it.

>50 LovingLit: Hi Megan! We are having a silly snow day. We had thunder last night, and all the old people here say it means more snow in the next 10 days. I don't believe it. It's spring. It's not like we have snow in the summer, and it thunders All The Time in summer.

#24 This Boy's Life

I am not really sure what to say about this book. It's well written, and I was drawn in, in spite of the rather pathetic details of Wolff's young life. It reminds me a little of The Glass Castle, at least in terms of totally incompetent parents and kids who are left to figure things out as best they can. Wolff's parents are divorced. His dad got the elder brother and Toby went with his mother. She is a terrible judge of men, and probably would have been better off staying single and working. For whatever reason, possibly believing Toby needed a father figure, she marries again, to an abusive drunk. Even with the excuse of a bad living situation, Wolff was a rotten little toerag with sociopathic tendencies, and I sincerely hope he's not an old toerag/sociopath now.

>52 nittnut: Will avoid this one, thank you!

I had missed the stuff about Alexie. How depressing to read. Big sigh.

Looks like you took the bullet for me on the last two books, Jenn. Hope you find a good one soon.

>53 charl08: You're welcome Charlotte. :) It is awful and depressing. People need to behave better for real.

>54 ronincats: Happy to be of service Roni. *sigh*

I have a book to report (below) and I am currently reading Turn Right at Machu Picchu and my daughter has instructed me to read Wolf Hollow next. I am still listening to My Cousin Rachel, but not getting a lot of listening time in the car lately.

I have been looking for a cute and affordable dress for Tamyka to wear, look cute, and still be able to nurse baby. I am going to try making one this weekend. I have been looking at things, and I have a couple of ideas involving wrap fronts or maybe strategically placed zips. We shall see how it goes. I am dedicating Saturday to sewing. Something I've been saying for weeks - but this week it's going to happen. *fingers crossed*

#25 The Book of Polly

Recommended by a friend and happily found at Costco. This falls in my category of beach book, and it has everything it needs to be a great read. Polly is a feisty Southern lady who had her last baby at age 58. Her story is narrated by this baby (Willow) who is 11 years old when the story begins. Together they battle teachers, troublesome neighbors, family members, and The Bear. It's a funny, sad, poignant, and heart warming story. Worth taking to the beach this summer for sure.

Happy Monday!

I have two books I'm happy to share - first claim gets them. I have read them and enjoyed them. Now it's your turn...

Underground Railroad

Kavalier and Clay

I will send them anywhere. :)

Hi Jenn! Are you on BookMooch? If no one on LT claims these, you might want to list them there and pick out some new ones for yourself.

>57 nittnut:

Hi - Being a relatively new person, I've waited to see if any of the LT old-timers claimed Underground Railroad.
If not, I would love it as maybe the last LT to read it.

>58 mstrust: I haven't gone to BookMooch yet. I think about it sometimes, then don't do it. I will have to check it out one of these days. Because new books!

>59 m.belljackson: It's all yours. PM me your address and I will send it off. :)

#26 Turn Right at Machu Picchu - Non-fiction challenge

I was a little skeptical at the start of this book. At first, I was concerned it was going to become one of those dreary travelogues where the inexperienced author gets in over their head and the whole thing is a disaster and then they write a book. But it really wasn't that at all. He's definitely inexperienced in terms of that kind of rigorous trekking, but he was all in. The book is a nice mix of historical information about the discovery of Machu Picchu and the author's personal discovery. There are some great stories about things that happen along the way too, but they don't dominate the narrative. It's well written, and if you enjoy travel books, this is a good one. I don't know that I will ever hike the Inca Trail, but I definitely want to visit Peru someday.

#27 Snow in April

A light read of an old favorite. Rosamunde Pilcher is always good for a relaxing, non-demanding story.

Now reading Eleanor & Park and still listening to My Cousin Rachel. It's turning into a Friday listen.

I taught water fitness this morning, then had lunch and then had an impromptu nap. I have most excellent bed head now. I have weeded the flower bed around the mail box, and now I am trying cooking hard boiled eggs in my Instant Pot. It's supposed to be awesome. What I'm supposed to be doing is finishing my practical exam from my water fitness training. *toddles off to find training manual*

Hi Jenn!

>58 mstrust: and >60 nittnut: I'm also on BookMooch and I've gotten some great books over the years. If you do join, the best advice I can give you is to only add a few books to start with so you don't get overwhelmed with packing books up and a lot of mailing expenses right away.

>62 karenmarie: Hi Karen! I got the bookmarks today! Thank you. :) I guess what you're saying about BookMooch is pace yourself? LOL

Books are claimed!

#28 Eleanor and Park

I liked it and I didn't like it. I loved Eleanor and I loved Park. I loved how the book dealt with abusive family situations, and without being preachy, showed that teens in abusive situations are not likely to confide in a school counselor or a friend, more likely to try and become invisible. I was less thrilled with the make-out sessions. Realistic, yes, but nervous making for the parent. As a mother of teens, I am very likely to keep the happy couple in the kitchen with me, rather than allow much alone time. The language, as usual, was a bit much for me. I realize that's how a lot of people talk, but it doesn't mean I have to like reading it. Highly recommended, with reservations.

#29 Flowers in the Rain

Sweet short stories from Rosamunde Pilcher. She's really good at creating believable characters, even if the stories are a bit on the romantic side.

>64 nittnut:

Books are here!

Thank you again!

>61 nittnut: Turn Right at Machu Picchu sounds up my alley! I walked it in 1999 and my main memory of it is foregoing the US$20 train fare back, and walking the railway line instead- for about 7 hours straight, with only one rest stop as we had to meet the bus!
Eta: WL'd it at library

>66 m.belljackson: You are very welcome!

>67 LovingLit: Oooh. I want to walk it, hopefully I will manage it before I'm too old. In the book, they walked the railway line too. I think you'll enjoy it.

We had a great day today! We went to the Carolina Raptor Center and also took a tour of the Latta Plantation. The raptor center was really neat. Lots of birds, good descriptions and some cool science things about the physics of flight and their nesting eagle program. Also, they had a Little Free Library, and I picked up a copy of Crossing to Safety.
The plantation was a little disappointing. It is the last NC plantation on the Catawba River that is still open to the public, and I don't know if it would even be open if it were not part of a reserve now. There was a tour of the house and lots of information about the planters, then we could walk around the outbuildings (kitchen, ice house, barn, slave quarters). There was no real discussion about the outbuildings other than what they were, and the video prior to the tour was over simplistic in regards to the reasons for the Civil War. Even so, it was a good day and we finished up with dinner at IKEA. :)

I'm just finishing Blind Justice.

>68 nittnut: I keep meaning to go to the Raptor Center. It might be a nice place for Jeff and I to meet this summer to spend a day. Little Free Libraries are beginning to pop up in our area. They are opening one this weekend, I believe it is, in Jefferson City where I work. It will be in a new community venue called "Mossy Creek Station." My understanding is the Little Free Library is the "caboose" of a train in it. I spoke with someone last week who is part of a group putting Little Free Libraries all around Morristown where I live. They were getting ready to open one as well.

>69 thornton37814: Hi Lori! The Raptor Center is really neat. It takes less than 2 hours to see it thoroughly, but there is a nature center and the Latt Plantation on the same property, as well as walking trails and a kayak tour of some kind, so there are other things to do. The Little Free Libraries are wonderful. I see them all over Greensboro too. We have one at the botanic gardens, and there's even one in my neighborhood.

#30 Blind Justice

I believe I have Peggy to thank for this enjoyable read.
Told from the point of view of Jeremy, a young orphan, who having made his way to London is falsely accused of thieving. He is brought before the magistrate, Sir John. Sir John Fielding is blind. Sir John is well known for dispensing justice as fairly as possible, given the laws of the day, and soon Jeremy is involved in helping to solve a mystery. I will look forward to reading more of this series.

Haircuts done, library and grocery shopping done, lunch done, and now it's time to tidy up a bit. Miss M is having friends over later for a movie night and ice cream sundaes. I am very much hoping they will entertain themselves well so I can read.

I'm now reading The Color Purple. I had forgotten that I had read it. Anyway, it was years ago. Up next will be Queens of the Conquest, I believe, as well as Wolf Hollow.

>71 nittnut: I loved that one when I read it. I need to decide which Alice Walker I'll read. The Color Purple would be a re-read for me. A professor has all her books on reserve this semester so I'll have to read during lunch if I read something from our library. I haven't checked availability yet on the 2 Overdrive collections to which I have access.

>71 nittnut: I can't decide if I actually finished The Color Purple. I remembered about the first half, then I started feeling a little vague about the rest. However, I am sure it's been at least 20 years, so I may have just forgotten.

So happy LT is back up. I have a book to review!

#31 The Color Purple - AAC

I can't say that I love this book, but I really don't think we are intended to love it. There are definitely characters to love, though, and enough happiness eventually comes to the characters I loved, that I was able to mostly cope with the darkness. This is a dark book. The main character, Celie, tells her story, first through letters to God, then later, through letters to her sister Nettie. Celie is the oldest of a large family. The man she thinks is her father sexually abuses her and has his eye on her sister. The absolute powerlessness of these girls to protect themselves from fathers, husbands, other men, is devastating. The power of this story is the way it is able to make the reader feel all the things Celie is experiencing. I also appreciated the comparison with Nettie's life in Africa - not all that different in terms of how powerless the women are. All of that said, the true power of the story is the proving of the ability of the women in it to overcome all kinds of adversity, and rise up and make something of themselves. It reminds me so much of Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise." Since it's poetry month, I'll just leave it right here.

Still I Rise
Maya Angelou, 1928 - 2014
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

>74 nittnut: It was a sad book. I watched the movie before I read the book though so I knew what to expect.

>74 nittnut: Great thoughts on The Color Purple, Jenn. And I love that Maya Angelou poem - one of my favorites. I think what I loved about the book was the writing - the story is so heart-breaking and sad, but the writing is luminous. So many great quotes that I marked as I read through it, but this one that explains the title always stays with me:

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.”

>75 thornton37814: It is a sad story, but with a lot of growth in some of the characters, so there is hope too.

>76 Crazymamie: I loved that too! And I completely agree with her - so much about our world is meant to give us happiness.

My daughter watched this in school and shared it with me tonight. It's worth a watch. It's a short film based on a short story by Kurt Vonnegut.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/162b1cef213a6c33?projector=1

#32 Wolf Hollow

If you want to read a book that is comprehensive in its treatment of almost all the great challenges of life, this is a great one. The story deals with war, death, gossip, injustice, bullying, lies and the consequences of lying, trying to do the right thing and things going wrong anyway, and making things right, even when it's hard, and more. That sounds like a lot, but in the course of the story, it works. The story is not a happy one, but it's a good one. There is a lot of quiet wisdom mingled in with the story. My favorite quote is pretty basic, but it's always true. "Sometimes things come out right," she said, "Sometimes they don't."
Highly Recommended

ETA: I am now reading Queens of the Conquest.

Hi Jenn!

I've read and seen The Color Purple. Powerful, powerful stuff.

I'm looking forward to seeing you and your daughter on Friday! We've got lots of wonderful books.

Oh, the Colour Purple is a definite WLer. I need to get to it!

>80 karenmarie: Hi Karen! We are hoping to get there in reasonable time. I've had a few unexpected complications - having to work a bit longer Friday morning, possible half day for the youngest - that are making it so we may not leave as early as we hoped. Still, we should get there in good time. :) We were at the Greensboro library today for a mini art show my daughter is in and I stopped at their book cart. I picked up Three Cups of Tea for Miss M, and In the Name of Salome and The Radical and the Republican for myself. All for $1.50. Just getting warmed up, you see.

>81 LovingLit: So many books to get to, right? I hear it got cold suddenly this week. I'd like to say that it got warm suddenly here, but it hasn't yet. I am sure it will soon enough. I do have a good dusting of pollen on the back porch, so the trees are doing their thing.

Hope you have a good meetup Jenn. >76 Crazymamie: is a lovely quote, lots to think about.

>83 charl08: Hi Charlotte! We had a very short, but very nice meetup. I found lots of great books, and my daughter did too. It was very satisfactory. :)

Happy Monday everyone! We are having a day off school post-tornado. http://abc11.com/weather/video-widespread-damage-in-greensboro-after-tornado/334...
We had a not very awful (comparatively) tornado event in Greensboro last night. Some schools in the district are without power and a few schools were badly damaged. There is a half-mile mess where most of the damage occurred, the power is out in that area. One person died when a tree fell on their car. I am not a fan of tornadoes. Anyway, the whole district is off school and my daughter is not complaining at all.

Miss M and I had a lovely weekend. We went to the Chatham Library book sale (thanks karenmarie!) and got to visit with Karen and look at books. We left with 3 boxes of books, which I will list shortly. We spent Saturday in Raleigh, ate dinner at Guglhupf (https://guglhupf.com/) which was fun, and hilarious because Miss M had not previously encountered fancy German food, and some of it was purely horrifying to her - crispy livers - and the waitress was so good about keeping a straight face.

Edited tornado info.

Book Haul

Mine

John Adams
Death Comes for the Archbishop
A Passage to India
The Uncommon Reader
Gap Creek
The Lost Continent and Notes From A Small Island (for my mom)
The Good Good Pig
The Parrot's Lament - we will share this one
Love Walked In - because I used to have it, then I didn't, and I wanted it again
The Pirate Coast
The Hare With Amber Eyes
Reading Lolita in Tehran
The Chilbury Ladies' Choir
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library
The Bean Trees
Pigs in Heaven
Suite Francaise
Interpreter of Maladies
The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday
The Sunday Philosophy Club
The Novel Habits of Happiness
The Dolphins of Pern
Dragonheart
Finding North: How Navigation Makes Us Human
Books: A Memoir
The Professor and the Madman
The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh
The River of Doubt

Miss M

Bound Feet & Western Dress
Catching Fire
Brisingr
The Legend of Luke
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics - which she said would be the smallest physics book she would ever read
The Help
A Century of Ceramics in the United States
The Elephant Whisperer
My Life in France
Hold Your Horses

Now I just have to find a place to put them. It's absolutely time to get bookshelves for my bedroom.

Wow, that's a really great haul! I know the "I've just brought home more books than I can shelve" feeling well. Good luck!

>85 nittnut:

What a fun bunch of books!

Of those I read, The Professor and the Madman and The Hare with Amber Eyes
will stay here.

That is a most excellent haul, Jenn! Well done for both you and Miss M. The Elephant Whisperer is SO good - one of my favorite books, and Abby, Daniel, and Birdy all loved it, too. It is fabulous on audio, and the author narrates it himself.

>85 nittnut: Oh, so many good books here, Jenn! John Adams, Death Comes for the Archbishop, the two Bryson books (Small Island was a better read for me), a couple of Pern books (I've not read any of son Todd's continuation; are they good?), The Professor and the Madman, River of Doubt. And a bunch of others that are on my wishlist. That's a book haul to be proud of!

Great haul!! I've read several of them and liked them all. I'm sure the others will be good too. I would definitely worry about housing that many books all at once though. I now have bookcases against every possible wall so when these shelves are full it will have to be book in=book out :(

You did really well!!!! That is some book sale and a great haul for you!
I wish that you will read The Hare with Amber Eyes immediately if you haven't read it yet. It took me a bit to be enthralled by it although I liked it well enough in the beginning. I LOVED it! LOVED IT!!!!!!

>85 nittnut: Looks like you had a Cranswickian haul too! Looks like some great reads!

>85 nittnut: book haul alright!!! I need a nudge for Interpreter of Maladies, so let know if/when you start!

Great haul! Loved those Barbara Kingsolvers, especially.

>86 mstrust: Hi Jennifer - I managed to find a place for all of them. Miss M's haul is still sitting on the stairs though. I am sure eventually she will take them up to her shelves.

>87 m.belljackson: I have had those two books on my list for a long time. I hope now that they are on my shelves, I will get to them sooner than later.

>88 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! I loved it too. I am looking forward to my daughter reading The Elephant Whisperer. I think she will really like it.

>89 rosalita: I have not read any of son Todd's books yet. I picked this one up to give him a try. I really loved the Pern books growing up. I started with the Dragonsong ones probably in middle school.

>90 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba. I am trying to be a little more book in - book out these days. Especially if I think I am unlikely to read it again or give it to my kids. Then I like to let it go back out into the world for someone else to read.

>91 LizzieD: Why thank you Peggy. :) I probably saw your warbles about The Hare With Amber Eyes, it's been on my wishlist for a while. I will put it in the pile to consider after I finish Queens of the Conquest. That one may take me the rest of the month though...

>92 thornton37814: Ha! I don't know if I could claim a Cranswikian haul. Karen's was much more like. I am happy with what I got though, and happy to have found a place on the shelves for all of them.

>93 LovingLit: I read it years ago and really liked it. It's short stories, so it will be good for starting and stopping while you're studying. At least it could be. I have to finish Queens of the Conquest, and then I'm up for reading IofM with you. :) May 1?

>94 charl08: Hey Charlotte! I really loved those two Kingsolvers as well. They were my first books of hers, and still my favorites.

Hi Jenn!

>85 nittnut: You did get a good haul. I can even 'see' some of those books on the shelves at the sale. I love what Miss M told me about Seven Brief Lessons on Physics - which she said would be the smallest physics book she would ever read - that she loved the feel of the dust jacket. That kind of paper they used - soft and rough all at the same time - always pleases me too when I run across a book with it.

Excellent haul, Jenn.

I forgot to review a book!

#33 My Cousin Rachel

Classic duMaurier. Twisted, dark, gothic and totally ambiguous. Satisfyingly unsatisfying. I probably like Rebecca and Jamaica Inn better, but not hugely. Mainly because Philip is such a gullible and emotional thing, he annoys me ever so slightly.

>96 karenmarie: Hi Karen. I imagine you might still have visions of books passing before your eyes. That was a lot of books!

>97 BLBera: Thanks Beth! It was an excellent sale. One of the best I've seen. Lots of really good books.

Off to Mr. E's baseball games - double header tonight. I am already tired, so we will see how long I last.

>98 nittnut: Heavens!! How could you forget to review a book? (I think I am only 5 behind...)

>85 nittnut: Nice book haul. I have a Powell's trip schedule for Sunday. *rubs hands together in glee*

Hang in there at the double header!

>99 Berly: Hi Kimberly :) We won both games, and they were exciting ones. I managed.

Congrats on winning both games AND hanging in there.

>95 nittnut: oops. I accidentally already started Interpreter of Maladies already!!! Because I am already reading 5 books, so thought another wouldn't hurt ;)
It has become my go to, so I can definitely talk to you about it if/when you start on May 1.....*sorry*

#34 The Bookshop on the Corner

This was an enjoyable listen. The narrator did a wonderful job. The story itself is pretty predictable, but what makes it fun is the narrative. My favorite line was already quoted around LT somewhere - ah, Katies - but it's worth quoting again. "{She} put her empty coffee cup down on a pile of quivering Regency romances, which promptly collapsed on the floor in a fainting fit."
I have two quibbles. One is a very small one - Why is it called The Bookshop On the Corner? It's not on the corner, for starters. Why not The Bookshop of Happily Ever After? The other quibble is the sex. I know, with me, it's always the sex. I don't mind knowing that people in a story are having sex, but I really don't want to be in the room. Seriously, it's always bassackwards and then there's conflict and it's annoying. Maybe they should realize they like each other and go for a walk, see a movie, have dinner, whatever before they leap into bed with each other every 3 seconds for days on end? It's silly and not at all sensible. Also, until the sex chapter, I was considering getting this for my mom, but I can forget it now. It takes a pretty great story and slots it firmly into dime-store novel category, and it's a shame. Rant over.

#35 Let it Snow

This is a teen romance triptych by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. It's about what you'd expect, but it is cleverly done. Each story is related to the others. There's a "meet someone new", a "girl next door", and a "we broke up, but we shouldn't have." My favorite was the third one, which was kind of a riff on It's a Wonderful Life and there's a teacup pig involved, so what's not to like? It's a quick, if not earth shattering, read.

I am still slogging away at Queens of the Conquest. Things have picked up a bit with Eleanor of Aquitaine. Perhaps because there is more known about her? 35% to go...

>101 karenmarie: Thanks Karen, LOL

>102 LovingLit: Haha! We will definitely talk about it. I've read it before, so you won't be doing spoilers. Also, I'm reading *sorry, not sorry* right?

This has been a crazy week. I'm done with it. It's not like I don't have a busy weekend, but I'm sleeping in both days of it and I'm not cooking. How crazy has it been? I am really excited to clean house tomorrow. Sad, but true.

>104 nittnut: less sorry/not sorry and more *ah well, what's done is done* ;)

Lucky for you that the week is done with you too, right? Bring on the weekend. I hope you get good meals provided for you, my dad is staying and he cooked last night (lamb chops and home made chips). This evening I was working so the lovely other got everyone Chinese. Yum!

>103 nittnut: - Totally agree about the title of the Colgan book. Fine if you're going to change it from the UK one but why give it one with no relation to the story?!?!

I thought the sex was pretty tame. Yes, they have it, but it's not really overly detailed, and the conflict was mild and unrelated, so it didn't seem out of keeping with the nature of the rest of the book, IMO.

Yay for sleeping in and NOT cooking this weekend, Jenn!

>105 LovingLit: So far, so good. The boys are doing BBQ.

>106 katiekrug: Well, I'd recommend the book to you, if you hadn't read it already, but my mother would Die. Lol You're right, it could be worse. Personally, it bugs me, though I haven't figured out how they could do it differently without it being very boring. Georgette Heyer did a pretty good job and I reckon it's possible.

>107 karenmarie: Yes. Well, the not cooking is working out fine. The sleeping? I was awake at 6 am. I stayed in bed and read for a while, so I'm counting it. But then Mr. Nittnut wanted to go out to the Furnitureland South garage sale, and we bought 2 chairs - one for Mr. E and one for the library, and a pouff, or some such thing, in a ghastly burnt gold color because he likes the shape. All for less than $350. So, a good start to the weekend altogether.

>103 nittnut: I agree with you. I would also prefer not to be in the room (or, as with some authors) nearly in the bed.

>109 RebaRelishesReading:

The modern quasi-pornography never seems to get it right because that mystery does not translate well to a page.

>109 RebaRelishesReading: I have a great imagination.

>110 m.belljackson: Truth. It doesn't translate, and I will resist the urge to step up on the soap box. :)

#36 Queens of the Conquest - non-fiction challenge, OTS

Starting with William the Conqueror and ending with the Empress Matilda (I don't count the brief bit of Eleanor of Aquitaine), this is the history of the queens of William (Matilda of Flanders), Henry I (Edith) and Stephen (Matilda), and Henry I's daughter Matilda/Maud's attempt to take the crown from Stephen. There were rather too many Matilda's in this very short space of history. I had pretty high expectations of this one, based on other books I've read by Alison Weir. I was disappointed. In the blurb it says, "Alison Weir strips away centuries of romantic mythology and prejudice to reveal the lives of England’s queens in the century after the Norman Conquest." I felt like she stripped all the actual romance away along with the romantic mythology. I am sure there is limited information available to work with, after all, but letters to and from archbishops and lists of gifts to monasteries and charters witnessed made for very dry reading.

#37 There You'll Find Me

Meh. Girl goes to Ireland in search of something - closure or comfort - after the death of her favorite brother. She meets a teen movie star on the airplane. She struggles with a mean girl at school, develops an eating disorder, and the movie star (obviously) falls in love with her. Sigh. Not really my oeuvre. Not a terrible read.

#38 Birding Without Borders

I cannot remember who got me with this BB, but it was worth it.

If reading a book about a big year will make you want to do one, definitely skip this book. It's a great read about what is probably a once in a lifetime experience. I loved how he kept the focus on the birds, but also allowed the reader to see the personality of bird watchers and watching in all the different countries he visited. In some ways, bird watchers are the same all over the world, but in someways, not. I am not up to a big year, but I thought I'd get on ebird.com and start an official yard count. :)

#39 Beneath My Mother's Feet - BoB

Set in Pakistan, it is the story of a young girl who has to leave school and help her mother clean houses after her father is injured at work. Her father takes advantage of their efforts to bring in money and refuses to go back to work. Can this bright and independent young girl find a way out of what has been planned for her? Work or marriage to a cousin she doesn't like? Pretty good read.

Now reading The Gift for AAC and Prisoners of Geography for the non-fiction challenge. I was going to start listening to Brave New World, but I haven't yet.

Hi Jenn! Happy Saturday to you.

Although I use the Cornell Ornithology Lab website almost every day, I hadn't heard of ebird. I just might start keeping track of my birds there too. Thanks!

Another book about a big year is called just that The Big Year. This one doesn't focus on the birds as much as on the obsession, but is a lot of fun.

>114 karenmarie: I think it's the same thing Karen. The eBird app on my phone says The Cornell Lab at the bottom. Are you doing the Worldwide Big Day today? You just note what you see where you are and it contributes to the species seen in a day thing they are doing today. :)

I have read The Big Year and loved it. I went to see the movie with my sister, and I was sitting there, enjoying it so much and my sister leans over and says, "Why are we watching a movie about people who fly all over looking for birds? Who does that?"Haha.

Wishing you a lovely Sunday, Jenn.

Hi Jenn! No, sad to say, I didn't realize it was Worldwide Big Day yesterday. Had it been Friday I could have mentioned the Bald Eagle I saw perched in a tree overlooking (what we call) Kingfisher Pond. Yesterday was lots of lovely birds, but all ones I see pretty much every day.

Your sister's a crackup. You either get it or don't.

American Pharaoh is available for free right now on Audible - thanks to the Derby winner.

https://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/American-Pharoah-Audiobook/B01E6AAYU0?re...;

>116 PaulCranswick: A Happy Sunday to you too Paul! Thanks for stopping by.

>117 karenmarie: I would like to see a Bald Eagle. The last time I saw one was in the Tetons, years and years ago. I didn't have anything spectacular or unusual, but I've got what I assume are nesting pairs of Eastern Bluebirds and Cardinals. Fun to watch.

Thanks for the tip about American Pharoah, Jenn. When I was watching the Derby yesterday, I thought the commercial said that the audiobook would only be free if Audible the Horse won, so I didn't even check the website after he finished third. I'm very glad to be wrong!

It's been ages since I visited, Jenn. The book haul in >85 nittnut: is very impressive!

>120 rosalita: That's what I thought as well, but they very kindly sent me an email, so I was able to pick it up. :)

You will all be very happy to know that the ER book I won in OCTOBER arrived today. *shrug* I didn't even remember I had won it. It's called Ahimsa, and is inspired by the author's grandmother's experience working with Gandhi.

I started Prisoners of Geography and The Gift. I am liking both.

Funny story (please if anyone is a Southern Baptist/preacher, don't be offended. I don't mean it that way)

Today, between classes at the YMCA, I sat in a corner to eat. Nearby was a group of about 6 octogenarians, all men. They were having a fabulous time. Eventually, one of them, a preacher (I knew he was a preacher because he just finished summarizing the sermon he had given yesterday, which is a good story too), asked "Did any of y'all watch that Kentucky Derby?" Yes sir, yes sir, the others answer. He goes into full preacher mode and tells them "All those fine men and women in all their fine clothes and all those women in their fine and fancy hats. Thousands of dollars on display. And the Lord sent a rainstorm. It rained, and it rained, and the ground turned to mud. When them ladies and gents went to walk down to the winners circle in their fine clothing, they were 4 inches deep in mud. I reckon the only way they'd do it was they'd been in the mint juleps." At which point, my eavesdropping was revealed because I was laughing indiscreetly. He smiled and asked me was I gettin' an education? I said, "Yessir."

Nice story about the preacher and the Kentucky Derby, Jenn.

#40 The Gift - AAC

Pete Hamill shares a personal memory of coming home for Christmas after joining the Navy. His girl has written him one of those letters, his family is struggling, his youngest brother doesn't recognize him. He is finding his way into the world of Men, and like a lot of young men, he is wondering about his relationship with his father. It's a good story.

I hadn't received much for Christmas in any ordinary way; but my father loved me back, and there was no other gift I wanted.

>122 nittnut: Ha, fun story! I can picture that so well.

>122 nittnut: Sounds like fun!

I love the preacher story about The Kentucky Derby, Jenn. I'm a people-watcher and sometimes can't help hearing parts of conversations. We are an interesting species… Great book haul upthread for both you and Margo. I am waiting with baited breath for our first tornado warning. I though I was immune to them, but after the big one in Joplin years ago, I take notice once again. May we all be safe!

>125 mstrust: Hi Jennifer. I wish I had a recording.

>126 charl08: People are fascinating. :)

>127 Donna828: We are interesting. I love people watching. May we all be safe indeed.

I am reading Prisoners of Geography and really liking it.

Tonight I went to visit a sweet lady who is 84 years old. We talked about books and she loaned me a lovely vintage copy of Strawberry Acres by Grace S. Richmond. It was published in 1911. I'm half terrified I will ruin it.

Also, I have taught 7 water fitness classes so far this week, and it's only Wednesday. I am soooo tired. Water exercise really wears you out.

>129 nittnut: Also, I have taught 7 water fitness classes so far this week, and it's only Wednesday. I am soooo tired. Water exercise really wears you out. Holy Moly, Woman! You'll want to sleep all weekend again! I swim 3 days - enough, and after I eat hugely, I'm always ready for a nap. 7 Good grief!
>112 nittnut: I do not need to start one new book, but you're making me want to look at my Alison Weir holdings yet again (I looked yesterday, so something must be in the air). The lists sound daunting, but even so, she's calling. I. Do. Not. Need. To. Start. Another. Book.
Love the preacher story! Also so the birds!

>129 nittnut: 7 classes already!! Wow. Call me impressed. The Gift sounds like a winner but you only hit me with one book bullet because I already picked up American Pharaoh. Ha! Love the Kentucky Derby sermon you overheard. ; )

>130 LizzieD: Peggy!! So nice to see you here. Yes- I ate hugely and had a nap, and I am still tired. That's probably the last time I sub for someone on that level. I'm used to 2 on Monday, 2 on Wednesday and 1 on Friday. I am amused that my less than thrilled review of Queens of the Conquest made you want to read Alison Weir. I really do like her, and I realize medieval history is limited in the scope of information available to work with, but Queens was still pretty dry. On the positive side, those queens certainly had a lot of involvement and political power.

>131 Berly: Kimberly! Thanks for being impressed, but really I'm just impressively exhausted. I hope you like The Gift. It is short, but excellent. I am looking forward to American Pharaoh, not least because it was free. *grin*

With visits from both Peggy and Kimberly, I feel like I do when an uncommon bird visits the bird feeder... Lol

This morning we are discussing the differences between white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches, and I believe we have determined that our visitors are the less common red-breasted because of the eye stripe. We also had a visit from a Canada Goose. We don't see them in our yard so often because our pond access is very steep, really not access at all, but he was passing through and I noticed he has a malformed wing. I will be keeping an eye out because I doubt he will be able to migrate. We do have some geese who stay year round, but most leave. I have a couple of nesting pairs of cardinals and Eastern bluebirds who are fun to watch. I'm going to put some nesting material out again and see what they use.

>129 nittnut: Are you in the water while you are teaching? Our instructors always stay on the side.

That was my question! I want to try that way though- would be good to see how the teacher does everything in the water.

>133 SandDune:/>134 charl08: I teach in the water. Some instructors teach on the deck, but I find it hard to do. It's quite hot on the deck for one thing, and it's harder to know how things feel in the water if you're not in the water. I sometimes hop out to demonstrate something that's harder to figure out. Like when I introduced the Warrior pose and some of my class had no idea what I was talking about. I also like being in the water with my class. I like the low impact exercise. :)

#41 Prisoners of Geography - non-fiction

I was impressed how much information was packed into this deceptively short book. While it isn't highly technical, it is detailed enough to still be interesting no matter what level of knowledge the reader brings. Using ten maps (Russia, China, United States, Western Europe, Africa, The Middle East, India and Pakistan, Korea and Japan, Latin America, and The Arctic) Tim Marshall explains clearly and concisely the basics of how geography defines the limits of power and influences political strategy. This probably should be a required read for pretty much everyone. It's well written, accessible, and at our house, led to more research on side topics like The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Now on to Strawberry Acres.

>135 nittnut: I'm a used-to-be aqua-aerobics person, Jenn. I enjoyed the class time, but now I swim laps and love the solitary time with my head under water!
Mama was a devoted a-a participant - at least 3 days a week, and she really went after it - until her last illness. It's a great sadness for us both that she just doesn't have the energy to do all the dressing and undressing required to get her in the water. She's pretty much lost her beautiful drive that kept her going for 95 years. She still walks inside at home and gets out for church and bridge, but it's not the same. Anyway, we always appreciated the instructor who was in the water with us.

Happy Mother's Day, Jenn. xx

NZ mother's day... is that the same as US mother's day? I certainly had mine yesterday, and lovely it was too :) I played 500 with my mum and sister.

>137 LizzieD: Hi Peggy :) I have a couple of 90+ year old ladies in my classes and they are pretty fit. It's a good life goal for me - to be able to do water exercise into my 80 pluses.

>138 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul! :)

>139 LovingLit: It's the same! It's Father's Day that's different. My poor husband can't get it straight either. It's June in the US, and he still thinks it's in September. I also had a lovely day. I was fed excellent breakfast and a delicious stir-fry for tea and I had a nap. Glorious.

#42 Strawberry Acres

Published in 1911, this is a sweet little story about three brothers and their sister. Their father died and left his estate in poor condition. Their large home and nice things had to be sold. The brothers work and the sister keeps house in their tiny apartment in the city. An elderly relative leaves them a rundown estate in the country. Can they figure out how to move there and support themselves? Of the work hard, do right, and good things happen genre of the period, it's a lovely little story.

'Morning, Jenn! Happy Tuesday to you.

>136 nittnut: I love books about geography - I got an ER book last July, An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States by Nick Middleton. It was a lot of fun and there were interesting points about power and political strategy, too.

>142 karenmarie: Hi Karen! That one sounds pretty good. I like learning more about countries we don't really even know about. Like Azerbaijan or Luxembourg.

The men of the house are off camping tonight, in spite of terrible weather. I wish them all the luck. May they not be struck by lightning. Miss M and I are doing a bit of shopping, having dinner and watching a movie. I don't know which movie yet. I am considering whether she is ready for Better Off Dead, which was the quintessential film of my HS years. She may need to be in HS first...

#43 The Bedlam Stacks

I got this BB over on Donna's thread. It's a good one. You should read her review, because mine may not do it justice.
Reading this book is best done in a sort of dream-like state. On one level, it's the story of the East India Company's ruthless attempt to steal cinchona trees from Peru and start their own plantation, cutting the cost of quinine. It's also full of myth and magical realism and it may be just a little steampunk too. It's fascinating and some of the descriptions were just gorgeous. I will definitely read more by this author.

I am about half way through American Wolf, which I also saw over at Donna's.

>143 nittnut: - "I want my two dollars!"

Hi Jenn :-)

#44 American Wolf

As a fairly broad chronicle of the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park, and a general discussion of the issues and challenges around bringing wolves back, it's a pretty good book. I wanted more wolf and less wolf watcher, but I'm already mostly on team wolf. One of the main issues with the ESA, in my humble opinion, is that there is no avoiding the political aspect, the lobbying and the deal making, that completely ignore the science. It was stunning to see how much the Yellowstone Valley changed in just a few years after the return of the wolves. It got healthier. Other species came back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyCZqkX-f_8 - science guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=148&v=ysa5OBhXz-Q - British guy. Both videos are older, but cool. There's a new documentary from Discovery that's only 2 years old.
It only bugs me a little (lol) that the narrator calls the elk "deer" over and over. I'm sure he's much more fun to listen to than a scientist. :P
I've also wondered, as I've followed this drama for nearly 20 years, how it could be possible to disallow wolf hunting within Yellowstone, but allow it just outside. Wolves don't consider the boundaries of Yellowstone territorial boundaries. It's not exactly fair play, IMO.

>145 katiekrug: LOL - Another time I guess. She chose Avengers.

Hi Jenn!

Hope you are all doing well. We're getting tons of rain and heat and therefore things in the yard, especially weeds, are growing exponentially. Sigh.

>144 nittnut: I recently read The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Pulley and liked it. I'll be on the lookout for The Bedlam Stacks.

>148 karenmarie: We are pretty well here. I've been out in the yard dealing with the weed apocalypse. I need to get a copy of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. I am fairly confident I will like it.

I have started and abandoned two books this week. Not a good trend. I am hoping for better things with this next one. I will keep you posted. No big exciting plans for the weekend. Mostly trying to get projects finished like unclogging shower drains and cleaning up rooms that have gone feral. My sister and her family are coming in 2 weeks, so it's an incentive to get things done.

I just had two books in a row that didn't really grab me but now the third one is great. I hope third is your charm too :)

>150 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba! I did finish the third book, and it was very interesting. I'm not sure I loved it, but it had its moments.

We have had a lively day - weather wise. I believe the weatherman called it tropical downpours. Good thing we mowed on Thursday evening. We attempted a trip to the nursery to look at trees and got rained out. The rest of the day involved intermittent between downpours kind of activities. We also emptied the freezer side of our fridge to try and discover the source of the water leak and discovered a miniature glacier in the bottom. So, a refrigerator repair man will be needed. I'd love a new refrigerator because I really deeply dislike the side by side type, but unless the one we have is dead, I can't really justify it.

I don't really feel like I accomplished much today, but there is always Monday.

#45 Weave a Circle Round

I am pretty sure I got this BB over at Mamie's place. Thanks! Double thanks, in fact, because I think Miss M will really enjoy this one.

Freddy has nearly perfected the art of disappearing. She lives in a blended family with her sister, a deaf step-brother, and parents who are so absent they are nearly non-existent. She even manages to stay mostly under the radar at school. Until the new neighbors move in. This is a great coming-of-age novel, weaving time travel, role player games, magic, mythology and modern life into a story within a story that twists and turns to the very end. Occasionally the transitions were too abrupt. Occasionally things got a little too chaotic and I struggled to suspend belief. Always the creativity and the mystery kept me engaged.

Hi Jenn!

You're getting more rain than we are this weekend, although it rained briefly twice yesterday WHILE Bill was mowing.

I hate my side-by-side, too. We have a freezer in the garage, too. Although we'll never build another house, IF we did, I'd plan the kitchen to have a full-size refrigerator AND a full-size upright freezer.

>153 karenmarie: Good grief! The rain yesterday! Poor Bill with the mowing.
My poor neighbors were having attempting to have a garden party through intermittent tropical downpours. They persisted. I would have too - they had men working for the last two weeks building sitting areas and a fire pit and I don't know what all.

I totally agree about the kitchen. In NZ in our first place we had a freezer and a fridge next to each other in the kitchen. It was fabulous. Not full size by US standards, but absolutely sufficient. I would like a catering kitchen, but I think that I probably will never have one because I really don't want a house the size it would need to be to contain one.

I saw my first goldfinch of the season this week. I also had a (98% sure anyway) brown creeper poking around the river birch next to the screened porch. My book says they are not commonly found in my area, but I think I have some. I will watch more closely to make sure it wasn't just a fly by.

#46 A River In Darkness

I picked this up over at Amazon on World Book Day. It's a slightly different point of view than I've read before. Masaji Ishikawa was born in Japan to a Korean father and a Japanese mother. His father had been brought over to work and there was prejudice against Koreans. Life was difficult in Japan. After the Korean War, Masaji's father was convinced to move to North Korea. Masaji was a teenager. He was able to remember life outside of North Korea and see the contrast between what they were promised, what the people were told, and what was reality. It's always difficult to read about what life is like in North Korea, and this book is no exception. It's pretty well written, and worth a read.

#47 The House by the River

This one was also acquired at Amazon on World Book Day.
NOPE NOPE NOPE. I will take one for the team. Don't do it. It was so awful that I don't think I can even blame the translation. Lots of older men marrying young innocent girls who are uniformly beautiful and smart and also very stupid, and people carried away by the needs of the body, therefore the mind quits operating, and mistakes are made and sorrow is felt and the inevitable "wrath of God" makes them pay, and after a very, very long time everyone ends up back where they started, leaving a trail of disaster in their wakes and The End. I only finished it because I was trapped in a very long and boring 5th grade awards ceremony and it was all I had. Seriously. Don't bother.

Recently Abandoned Books courtesy of World Book Day:

The Light of the Fireflies -I only read the first chapter, and I could tell it was an abomination. If you don't believe me, read the reviews by the poor souls who persevered. Think of it like Room but with an entire family of psychotics.

The Question of Red - This one might be a translation issue, but I thought I was going to read an historical novel about Java. It seems to be about a woman who only has to meet a man for them to fall in love and she does crazy stuff and they follow her around and it's somehow related to the Mahabharata. I think I'd rather read the Mahabharata. I only made it through 17% of the book, so I'm not saying it won't get better, but I don't have time for that.

So, of 9 books, I've read or tried 4 and I've found 1 worth my while. Feels like a bit of a reading slump and I'm a little cranky about it. I guess it can only get better.

Next up is Flame in the Mist which is a newish YA billed as a retelling of Arabian Nights.

Sorry, the World Book Day haul is turning out to be such a dud, Jenn. I was not inspired by any of the synopses so I passed on the whole bunch. The North Korea one does sound interesting but I am read out on NK right now after reading a couple in the past year or so. Such dark materials is not where my mind wants to be right now.

I hope you land on a good one soon.

I only picked up one of the World Book Day options, The Gray House. I don't see it on your wall of shame yet, so hoping for the best.