Katie’s In For Another Year of Reading. And Snarking. And Shenanigans. Part 12

Documentary evidence of my childhood summers. There was a meadow next to our house, and I used to love to wade into the long grass, make a little nest, and read....
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Hi All! I’m Katie and I’ve been with the 75ers since 2011. I live just outside New York City with my husband, The Wayne, and our cat, Leonard. In addition to reading, I enjoy eating my way through New York, drinking my way through the wine store, and attending bookish events, plays, the opera, and anything else that strikes my fancy. I also enjoy traveling (which I mostly do for work, on someone else’s dime), bad jokes, shenanigans, and the occasional indulgence in snark. I do not enjoy the misuse of apostrophe’s (ha!), the current President, or stressing about reading. As far as that last goes, I enjoy literary fiction, genre fiction (mysteries and romances primarily but some speculative stuff as well), classics, and not-dry (moist?) nonfiction.

My favorite reads of 2017 in no particular order:
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Everyday People by Stewart O’Nan
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (re-read)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (re-read)
Song Yet Sung by James McBride
Taft by Ann Patchett
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan (re-read)

Honorable Mention:
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Younge

CURRENTLY READING

..
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2018 BOOKS COMPLETED

63. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (4.5 stars)
62. Pax by Sara Pennypacker (audio) (4 stars)
61. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (audio) (3 stars)
60. Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis (4 stars)
59. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (3.75 stars)
58. Fat Girl Walking by Brittany Gibbons (audio) (4 stars)
57. Writing My Wrongs by Shaka Senghor (audio) (4 stars)
56. Snap by Belinda Bauer (4.5 stars)
55. Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy (audio) (3 stars)
54. From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan (4 stars)
53. Cowboy Pride by Lacy Williams (2.5 stars)
52. A Pemberley Medley by Abigail Reynolds (3.5 stars)
51. On Beauty by Zadie Smith (4 stars)
50. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza (3.5 stars)
49. Matilda by Roald Dahl (audio) (4.5 stars)
48. A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders (3.5 stars)
47. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (audio) (3.5 stars)
46. A Kid for Two Farthings by Wolf Mankowitz (3.5 stars)

2018 BOOKS COMPLETED

45. The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy (3 stars)
44. Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman (4.5 stars)
43. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (audio) (3.5 stars)
42. Come Hell or Highball by Maia Chance (3.5 stars)
41. The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs by Matthew Dicks (audio) (3 stars)
40. Destiny's Surrender by Beverly Jenkins (audio) (2.5 stars)
39. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (4 stars)
38. Fiesta San Antonio by Janet Dailey (2.5 stars)
37. Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly (audio) (3.5 stars)
36. Midsummer Delights by Eloise James (3.5 stars)
35. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (3 stars)
34. How to Twist a Dragon's Tale by Cressida Cowell (audio) (3.5 stars)
33. The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (audio) (3 stars)
32. In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie (4 stars)
31. Dog Crazy by Meg Donohue (audio) (3 stars)

2018 BOOKS COMPLETED

30. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (4.5 stars)
29. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley (audio) (4 stars)
28. London Calling by Clare Lydon (3 stars)
27. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan (audio) (4 stars)
26. The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin (3.5 stars)
25. The Completionist by Siobhan Adcock (4 stars)
24. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein (audio) (2.5 stars)
23. A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (3.5 stars)
22. Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch (3 stars)
21. Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace (3.5 stars)
20. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck (audio) (4 stars)
19. Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat (5 stars)
18. Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer (3 stars)
17. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths (3.5 stars)
16. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie (audio) (4 stars)

2018 BOOKS COMPLETED

15. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken (5 stars)
14. Big Guns by Steve Israel (3 stars)
13. Red Lightning by Laura Pritchett (3 stars)
12. The Judge Hunter by Christopher Buckley (3 stars)
11. The Power by Naomi Alderman (4 stars)
10. True Grit by Charles Portis (4.5 stars)
9. One Fine Day by Cindy Kirk (2.5 stars)
8. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (audio) (4 stars)
7. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (4.5 stars)
6. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (4 stars)
5. How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (audio) (4 stars)
4. Running Back by Allison Parr (3 stars)
3. The North Water by Ian McGuire (4.5 stars)
2. He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum (4 stars)
1. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (4 stars)

Did Not Finish

1. The Hellfire Club by Jake Tapper (clunky writing)
2. My Lady's Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris (too gimmicky)
3. Two Across by Jeff Bartsch (not in the mood for over-the-top quirky; might try again sometime)
4. A Separation by Katie Kitamora (book club pick; did not hold my interest)
5. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (book club pick didn't finish in time; might try to read again another time)
6. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (just terrible)

My ratings (based on how the book landed on me, not necessarily on literary merit or anything more worthy than personal opinion):

5 stars - O.M.G.
4 stars - Bravo!
3 stars - Comme ci comme ça
2 stars - Not for me
1 stars - A big ol’ NOPE!

2018 “Plans”

I will be participating in, but likely not completing, several challenges – the American Author Challenge, the Nonfiction Reading Challenge, and various fun ones over in the Category Challenge group. I also plan to continue participating in the Take It or Leave It challenges but only to the extent of checking to see if a completed book fits into one of the challenges that month. Also also, I will follow along with a few non-LT reading challenges such as Book Riot’s Read Harder and the Pop Sugar challenges.

My other “plan” is to try to ensure that the books I read come from a variety of sources – my shelves, my Kindle, my Overdrive wish lists, and my library wish list. We’ll see how that goes, but with over 3000 books in my home/on my Kindle, I need to stop getting so easily distracted!

2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge
x 1. A book made into a movie you've already seen - True Grit by Charles Portis
x 2. True crime - Writing My Wrongs by Shaka Senghor
x 3. The next book in a series you started - The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
x 4. A book involving a heist - The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
x 5. Nordic noir - He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum
6. A novel based on a real person
7. A book set in a country that fascinates you
8. A book with a time of day in the title
x 9. A book about a villain or antihero - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
x 10. A book about death or grief - The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym
x 12. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist - London Calling by Clare Lydon
x 13. A book that is also a stage play or musical - A Kid for Two Farthings by Wolf Mankowitz
x 14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you - Black Water Rising by Attica Locke
x 15. A book about feminism - How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
x 16. A book about mental health - Dog Crazy by Meg Donohue
17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift
x 18. A book by two authors - Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly
x 19. A book about or involving a sport - Running Back by Allison Parr
x 20. A book by a local author - Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
21. A book with your favorite color in the title
x 22. A book with alliteration in the title - The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley
x 23. A book about time travel - Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman
x 24. A book with a weather element in the title - Red Lightning by Laura Pritchett
25. A book set at sea
x 26. A book with an animal in the title - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
27. A book set on a different planet
x 28. A book with song lyrics in the title - Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
29. A book about or set on Halloween
x 30. A book with characters who are twins - A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
31. A book mentioned in another book
x 32. A book from a celebrity book club - Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
x 33. A childhood classic you've never read - Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
x 34. A book that's published in 2018 - The Judge Hunter by Christopher Buckley
35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner
x 36. A book set in the decade you were born - Fiesta San Antonio by Janet Dailey
x 37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to - Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
38. A book with an ugly cover
x 39. A book that involves a bookstore or library - The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
40. Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges (you can easily Google these)

Advanced Reading Challenge
1. A bestseller from the year you graduated high school
x 2. A cyberpunk book - The Completionist by Siobhan Adcock
3. A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place
x 4. A book tied to your ancestry - From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan
x 5. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title - Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library - Chris Grabenstein
6. An allegory
x 7. A book by an author with the same first or last name as you - Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch
x 8. A microhistory - The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin
x 9. A book about a problem facing society today - Big Guns by Steve Israel
x 10. A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge - Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

2018 BingoDOG Challenge
1. Title contains a person’s rank, real or fictional
x 2. Story involves travel - The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
3. A long-time TBR/TBR the longest
4. Poetry or plays
x 5. New-to-you author - Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch
x 6. Autobiography/memoir - The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
7. Book with a beautiful cover (in your opinion)
x 8. Book that fits at least 2 KIT’s/CAT’s - A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
9. Related to the Pacific Ocean
x 10. Title contains something you would see in the sky - Red Lightning by Laura Pritchett
x 11. Book bought in 2017 that hasn’t been read yet - Fiesta San Antonio by Janet Dailey
x 12. Number in the title - Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer
x 13. Book that is humorous - How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
14. Book on the 1001 list
x 15. LGBT central character - London Calling by Clare Lydon
16. Book set during a holiday
x 17. Fat book - 500 plus pages - Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
x 18. X somewhere in the title - Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
x 19. Money in the title - any form of currency, type of payment, etc... - A Kid for Two Farthings by Wolf Mankowitz
x 20. Book published in 2018 - The Judge Hunter by Christopher Buckley
x 21. Relative name in the title (aunt, niece, etc...) - Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
x 22. Originally in a different language - He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum
x 23. Published more than 100 years ago - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
24. Title contains name of a famous person, real or fictional
x 25. Read a CAT (middle square) - Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (ColorCAT - January - Black)

Happy new thread, Katie! Am I the first? Am I? Is there a beverage prize?

Happy new one, Katie!

Happy New Thread, Katie.

>8 katiekrug: Yes!

Who is that quote from? I can't make it out.

Happy new thread, Katie! Is there a fourth place prize by any chance?

happy new thread!

>9 BLBera: - Well done, Beth! And *of course* there is a beverage prize. It's summer and it's hot, so enjoy my favorite...



>10 jessibud2: - Thanks, Shelley!

>11 jnwelch: - Thanks, Joe. It's Proust.

>12 susanj67: - Here you go, Susan...

>13 drneutron: - Thanks, Jim :) I got you a spaceship so you can check on the solar probe when need be...

Happy new thread, Katie! Enjoying the stationery talk.

>16 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky!
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I haven't requested an ER book in a while, but I did in July and won a copy of the new Sebastian Faulks' novel, Paris Echo, coming out in November. Here's hoping I actually receive it!

Amazon description:
American historian Hannah intends to immerse herself in World War II research in Paris, wary of paying much attention to the city where a youthful misadventure once left her dejected. But a chance encounter with Tariq, a Moroccan teenager whose visions of the City of Lights as a world of opportunity and rebirth starkly contrast with her own, disrupts her plan.

Hannah agrees to take Tariq in as a lodger, forming an unexpected connection with the young man. Yet as Tariq begins to assimilate into the country he risked his life to enter, he realizes that its dark past and current ills are far more complicated than he’d anticipated. And Hannah, diving deeper into her work on women’s lives in Nazi-occupied Paris, uncovers a shocking piece of history that threatens to dismantle her core beliefs. Soon they each must question which sacrifices are worth their happiness and what, if anything, the tumultuous past century can teach them about the future.

From the sweltering streets of Tangier to deep beneath Paris via the Metro, from the affecting recorded accounts of women in German-occupied France and into the future through our hopes for these characters, Paris Echo offers a tough and poignant story of injustices and dreams.

Paris Echo sounds good. I look forward to your thoughts about it.

Happy New Thread, Katie. Nice E.R. win. That sounds good. I have not read him.

>14 katiekrug: Katie! I love my prize! And I'm going to scuttle off right now and see if that set is available over here. But before that, Paris Echo sounds good, and I hope it shows up. I will interrogate the library catalogue to see if they have it showing up yet. November might be a bit of a stretch though.

ETA: Looking up pens on Amazon first thing in the morning is madness. MADNESS. That is all.

>17 katiekrug: It's still on the library order list here, Katie, but looks good - hope it turns up for you!

>17 katiekrug: I haven't read Sebastian Faulks in ages. I absolutely loved Birdsong, have you read it, Katie? Paris Echo sounds good.

Happy new thread!

That's great that you won an ER book that you are excited about. The selections for Canada have been few lately, but I've won some kids books.

Happy new one, Katie! Sounds like your meet-up was full of fabulous - I love Darryl's bag! And that pencil place has a very nice online store - my order has already been shipped.

Thanks for the beverage, Katie. My new summer drink has been a Moscow mule.
Paris Echo sounds good. Why didn't I request it? I did win one in June, which I haven't received yet. Sigh.

Paris Echo sounds promising.

In other news, you should visit my thread. Just sayin'.

>18 kidzdoc: - Well, you may be waiting a while. My record of reading ER books in a timely fashion is, um, not great...

>19 msf59: - I'm a little surprised you haven't read Faulks, Mark. He's very good. I won an earlier one of his - A Possible Life - from ER several years ago.

>20 susanj67: - Oh, God, Susan. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!

>21 charl08: - Me too!

>22 lauralkeet: - I loved Birdsong, Laura! I read it ages ago, way pre-LT.

>23 ChelleBearss: - In general, Chelle, I think the selections have gotten worse. Lots of schlock - or at least stuff I'm not interested in...

>24 Crazymamie: - Man, you act fast, Mamie. When your order arrives, please post a photo of your purchase(s).

>25 BLBera: - Mmm, a good Moscow Mule is an excellent summer drink, Beth. I am a fan.

>26 laytonwoman3rd: - I'm a-comin' over right now!

>19 msf59: Mark, I'm echoing Katie's surprise (>27 katiekrug:) that you haven't read Sebastian Faulks. Get yourself a copy of Birdsong, stat!

>28 katiekrug: I know, right?! The entire month of July was kind of like that. Must be less of a spendthrift in August. I can post a photo of some of it, but I also nabbed some things for Abby's Christmas stocking. Look at me thinking ahead. *preens*

>29 lauralkeet: - Now that we've publicly shamed Mark, I wonder how long it will take him to get to it?!?! Heh.

>30 Crazymamie: - Show-off with your thinking ahead and stuff! I've been a spendthrift lately, too. Mostly on tickets to things and on clothes. Now that a lot of my clothes are too big, I'm having fun buying new stuff which is kind of ridiculous considering I work from home and don't really need a lot... *shrug*

Nope - you NEED it. Think of it as a reward for losing the weight. I am finally getting to the place where I can see my weight loss, which is truly thrilling.

Thanks, Enabler!

I am very jealous that you have got your hands on Snap, Katie. I love Belinda Bauer. I check at the library this morning, and the wait list is well over a hundred so I will give it some time before I add my name to that list.

I love all the stationary and grammar items that you have picked up. Unfortunately, I am the person that the grammar sticklers shake their heads about - so no grammar socks for me!

oooh. Lots of stuff going on in this thread. Jim and I will be in town all of August, so let us know when you're coming in.

>34 DeltaQueen50: - Judy, I think you'll like Snap when your number comes up at the library!

(And I'm really not that bad about grammar, but I've always thought your reviews and comments were excellent!)

>35 ffortsa: - I'll let you know, Judy. August is prettyq uiet as far as the calendar goes. We'll be in Dallas this weekend for a family thing, and then nothing major until I go see Hamilton on the 29th, and we go to the US Open on the 30th...

Hamilton!

Hamilton!

Happy new thread!

>37 MickyFine: - Yep!

>38 jnwelch: - Yep!

>39 figsfromthistle: - Thanks!

Oof, hot yoga kicked my butt tonight. I don't think I was made to do a reverse plank. At the end of the 90 minutes, my hair and clothes were soaked through - I looked like I just came out of a pool. Only it was sweat and I smelled. Good times :)

After yoga, I picked up The Wayne at the train station and we came home to no internet. WTF. Turned out a cable had become completely unplugged from the ONT (whatever that is). The mystery is how it happened, since the equipment is in a cabinet and no one's been messing around in it or near it. Maybe we have a ghost?

I finished the fluffy audio I was listening to and moved on to the gritty Writing My Wrongs, a memoir by a convicted-for-murder felon and how he turned his life around in prison and after parole. He narrates the audio, and it's very effective.

Snap continues to be very good. I am looking forward to quality time with it on the plane on Friday morning (if I don't sleep instead).

Thus ends my update. You're welcome.

Happy new one!!



>41 katiekrug: I tried hot yoga for a year. I love how much more flexible I am in the heat, but it just drained me for the rest of the day if I did it in the morning. So, no more. I like Ashtanga instead. : )

I am on the third fluffy read by Darynda Jones: Third Grave Ahead. I think you would love the snarky main character. Her repartee is awesome!!

I have good intentions about going back to yoga. Writing this is as far as the good intentions have got me. Kudos on the reverse plank. I am imagining that scene in Mary Poppins where everyone floats to the ceiling.

>27 katiekrug: Katie, I put stuff in my basket, but I haven't checked it out yet, so there's still hope for me. Those pens either come as a 12-pack from the US, or loose (but as a set) from sellers here, which seems to be some sort of grey market import. Peculiar. I think I might just go to Ryman and check out what colours they have. I fancy trying the teal. Ooh, and the orange :-) Well done re the yoga!

>42 Berly: - I do hot yoga in the evenings, which is perfect, because then I can just shower and go to bed. Yoga sleep is the best sleep :)

Making note of the snarky series...

>43 charl08: - There was no floating, trust me! More like some awkward bending and a bit of grunting ;-)

>44 susanj67: - *making note to bring Susan pens when next in London*

Teal would be good. I feel like orange might be too light? Report back!

Morning, Katie! I also love that snarky series. Just saying...

Abby has been teaching me some yoga moves. The funny thing is that as soon as the yoga mat comes out, the cats descend - they think it belongs to them for some reason. Totally cracks me up.

Your ghost was visiting Chautauqua last night too I think. First they said there was an "outage in our area" but this morning that message was gone so they sent a reboot (plus we rebooted ourselves form here), now a technician is coming between 5 & 6. Personally I don't care if they get it fixed but Hubby is rather sad without his TV so I hope for him that they get it fixed.

Good on you for all of that hot yoga. I'm sure it's very good for you but sounds like torture to me.

Morning, Katie! I envy your hot yoga nights. We don't have that in my small town and I'd have to drive about 45 minutes if I wanted to go.

>45 katiekrug: Katie, they only had "business" colours. Jeez, it's like Canary Wharf is the second biggest financial centre in Eur - oh, wait. So I ordered a couple of different brands from Amazon, tried not to get the free trial of Prime, somehow clicked the wrong thing and *got* Prime (28 gel ink pens in assorted colours arriving tomorrow - any I can't use at work will be fine for crossword magazines), and would now welcome suggestions for what to watch TV-wise during my free month of Prime :-)

>47 RebaRelishesReading: - So weird, isn't it, Reba? I was worried about the lack of internet because I work from home, but crisis averted!

>48 ChelleBearss: - Oof, 45 minutes is a haul - total bummer, Chelle.

>49 susanj67: - I love Amazon Prime, because I like getting things FAST. I don't watch a ton of TV, and what I do is mostly food and home shows through another streaming service. We only use Amazon when they have a movie we want to watch...

Ahem.

Uh-oh.

>51 Crazymamie: - Oh, carp!

>52 susanj67: - Hide me, Susan!

>46 Crazymamie: - Why, hello there, Mamie. Sooooooo lovely to see you. I wanted to do your post justice so have spent the last 30 minutes composing this heartfelt response.

I will *certainly* get to that series since your fine self recommends it. (Don't tell Kim!)

And Abby, your lovely daughter, is so kind and generous to show you some yoga. Her beautiful heart is a testament to you as her mother.

I hope you have a splendid day!

Hugs 'n' kisses....

Your devoted friend,
Katie

I see you've got everything in order here on your new thread. Keep up the good work.

Oh, and thanks for doing that hot yoga thing. So I don't have it.

Going to Lexington (VA) tomorrow for a sister visit. Both my wife and I want to dine at The Red Hen, the restaurant that asked Sarah Huckabee-Sanders and her party to leave. *Fist Pump!*

Happy newish thread, Katie. I had to look up a reverse plank. I've never done one of those before but I put away my yoga mat for today so I'll have to remember for next time. Congrats on the weight loss. There is nothing like realizing your clothes don't fit any more because they are too big!

>54 katiekrug: I heard that!!

>53 katiekrug:, >54 katiekrug:

Dearest Katie,

Well, okay then. *sniff*

Your sister in snark,

Mamie

Sweet Thursday, Katie. I can't believe I missed your Meet Up with Darryl. Bad Mark. He is high on my LT wish list. I am hoping he will come back to The Chicago area. I missed him last time he was here.

Looking forward to meeting a couple of the Colorado folk very soon. These will all be first-timers.

>55 weird_O: - Hope you have a good trip, Bill!

>56 Familyhistorian: - Meg, I see there are two types of reverse planks - one with arms all the way extended and one with forearms on the ground. We were doing the former. Thanks for the good wishes.

>57 Berly: - Oops! Hi Kim!

>58 Crazymamie: - xo

>59 msf59: - I had to stop and think for a second Mark - for a minute I thought you were at the Boulder Booktopia, but no. Not sure who you will be meeting, but Joanne, Anne, and Mary are all lovely :) As are Darryl, Vivian and Liz. We had a great time.

I'm off to Dallas at the ass crack of dawn bright and early tomorrow, so I may not be around much as I'll be busy stuffing my face at every Tex-Mex place in the greater DFW area.

Have a good weekend, friends!

I wish I could have made the Booktopia Denver, Katie. Bummed about that one but it looks like I will be meeting Joanne & Anne. Mary will be out of town. Another bummer.

Have a safe trip to Dallas!

Katie, it is such a co-incidence that you are going to Texas this weekend just as the James Michener book of that very name has arrived at the library for me! Please pay attention while you're there, as I am bound to have questions by the time you get back. And have a great trip!

Hope you have a great trip and get your fill of Tex-Mex!

Safe travels, Katie. Happy Friday.

>50 katiekrug: What streaming service do you use for food and home shows? We've cut the cable in San Diego and plan to use Prime (which we have for fast delivery mainly but, still, it's there), NetFlicks (came with the cell phone package), Acorn (I understand it's the best source for British series) and were thinking about Hulu for local news and PBS. Comments?

Have a great trip to Dallas!!

Have a great trip, Katie - and grab a burrito or two for me!

Happy new thread and Happy Tex-Mex trip. I've only found one legit Mexican food place here, and I don't think Southerners like spicy food.

I have been Not doing Weight Watchers, so I decided to try Noom and I like it. I'm only 2 weeks in, but it's a nice change. Thanks for mentioning it! Fingers crossed it gets me off the plateau I've been on. :)

>62 msf59: - I'm sure you'll have a great time, Mark!

>63 susanj67: - Susan, I stand ready to answer (truthfully or not) all your Texas-related questions ;-)

>64 ChelleBearss: - Only went for Tex-Mex once, but it was very good. And the Admirals Club I'm sitting in has guacamole made to order so that's been nice :)

>65 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth.

>66 RebaRelishesReading: - Reba, I watch HGTV and Food Network on SlingTV. We use a digital antenna for the local broadcast channels. We also have Hulu, Netflix, and Prime. It's kind of overkill since we rarely watch anything...

>67 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks, Judy! It was a good trip. Exhausting, but good.

>68 nittnut: - Jenn, I'm glad you are liking Noom. Some of it is a little lame and cute-sy, and some is just common sense, but it's still working for me.

We're at the airport, about to head home. We had a good weekend, but I think I tried to cram too much visiting into it. I am glad I took tomorrow off from work... I haven't read much, but will try to remedy that on this flight. Assuming I can keep my eyes open!

Hi Katie, several weeks ago I picked up Birdsong at the local University Women book sale. Then for some unknown reason I actually looked at the ER books for the first time in, well, years. Hmm a new book by Sebastian Faulks. Why not? And then totally forgot about it until I got a pm saying I’d won. Whattt? Let’s see if it comes. In the meantime, maybe I’ll read Birdsong.

>71 brenzi: Birdsong is a great book, Bonnie. (And Katie!)

Hope the trip was good and travels were easy. There have been so many flight cancellations due to bad weather everywhere. Just wanted to hear what you think of Snap so far. I'm about 2/3 done with the audio and am hooked. Just wish I could get away from this desk for a couple of hours to finish!

>71 brenzi: - Bonnie, I think you'd really like Birdsong!

>72 jnwelch: - Hi Joe :)

>73 vivians: - Smooth travels, thank goodness, Vivian! I am loving Snap - though I don't really understand why it's on the Booker LL. As Charlotte (I think it was Charlotte) said, it's very good but doesn't seem to be doing anything new or transcending the genre or anything (she put it better than that...). I'm in the homestretch with it - about 30 more pages to go.

Hi Katie, I see that you are in Texas gorging yourself on Tex-Mex food. Yum. That is one of the best things about going back to visit a place that has really good food: you can take advantage of the food and you already know what to look for. I expect that my return visits to Seattle will be centered largely around satisfying food cravings that will go unmet on the Palouse.

I see that you're reading Snap. I'm debating whether to order it from Book Depository, along with a half dozen other Booker long list nominees.

I hope you're having fun!

Oh, and I've had Birdsong on my wish list for quite a while. I'll need to move it up so I remember it next time I'm in a bookstore.

Hi Ellen - home now and gearing up for work tomorrow. Blah.

Snap is good but I wouldn't bother ordering it. I doubt it will make the short list. I am glad I got it from the library - just sayin'!

Sounds like you had a whirlwind trip to Dallas, Katie. No wonder you need a day off work on your return. I hope you are all rested up and ready to go.

>78 Familyhistorian: - Hi Meg - yes, it was definitely a whirlwind. I had a little down time Saturday afternoon when I rented a cabana at the hotel pool, but then 4 friends joined me and it was back to the whirlwind :)

I finished this on audio a couple of weeks ago. It was a pleasant and gentle read, with some stories better than others.

3 stars

This was an excellent crime novel without the gimmicky twists and turns that seem so popular nowadays. Bauer writes interesting and sympathetic characters, from children to criminals to grumpy police detectives. And she injects humor into a sad story, which I appreciate. I have enjoyed every book of hers that I've read (a grand total of three, I think...)

That said, I'm not sure why this made the Booker long list. It's very well-written with a lot of strengths, but I don't see that it's broken new ground or done anything revolutionary with the genre. Still, highly recommended.

4.5 stars

Currently Reading

.

I'm slowly making my way through Mame. It's zany and fun, but a little goes a long way, so I'm reading one or two chapters in between other books.

Writing My Wrongs is my current audio. Unsurprisingly, it's gritty and grim, but Senghor is an effective storyteller. I'm going to count this one towards the PopSugar prompt about true crime, since it deals with Senghor's own crimes, but also issues of mass incarceration, solitary confinement, and the justice system's treatment of minorities and juveniles, all of which many of us consider crimes in themselves.

And I plan to start Bad Feminist later today. Roxane Gay is fast becoming a favorite author. And for anyone on Twitter - I highly recommend following her. She's funny, angry, irreverent, and impatient with bullshit in all its forms.

Just found out they've made a film of Bel Canto (which I loved), starring one of my favorite actresses - Julianne Moore. Super excited for this one - opens on September 14. Hope they don't eff it up!

>80 katiekrug: Ahhh, Binchy :) I always found her works to be "warm, cozy" reads.

>83 katiekrug: Most exciting! I also love Julianne Moore.

>83 katiekrug: Ooh, will look for this one.

>84 RebaRelishesReading: - A good description of Binchy's work, I think, Reba.

>85 Crazymamie: and >86 charl08: - I am really looking forward to it. Like, put-a-note-in-my-calendar looking forward to it :)

"I am not terribly well versed in feminist history. I am not as well read in key feminist texts as I would like to be. I have certain... interests and personality traits and opinions that may not fall in line with mainstream feminism, but I am still a feminist. I cannot tell you how freeing it has been to accept this about myself."

- Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist

Amen, Roxane. Amen.

Red Clocks is on sale for Kindle (US) for $2.99.

And Taft is also on sale for $2.99. I read it last year and really liked it.

And and Garden Spells is $1.99. This is a favorite of mine and Mamie's and a few others around here.

I love Gay's sense of humor, Katie. Wouldn't it be fun to have a drink with her?

>83 katiekrug: The movie won't be as good as the book...;)

I loved Red Clocks.

I haven't read any Bauer. My library has Snap; I'll get in line.

>90 BLBera: - A drink with Roxane Gay would be pretty epic, I think. And *of course* the movie won't be as good as the book, but it will be fun to tear it apart for not being as good as the book!

Red Clocks sounds very good, and I think you'll like Snap.

I listened to this on audio, read by Shaka himself. While the writing was, at times, a bit wobbly with an over-reliance on creative writing class similes, Shaka's voice is powerful, and his story even more so. He details his coming of age in Detroit, how he became entangled in the drug trade and violence of the 1980s, and how he killed a man and went to prison for it, serving 19 years, seven of them in solitary confinement.

He writes about his anger, first at other people and the system, and then at himself (but also at the system which is certainly justified). He is clear-eyed and honest about his culpability, but the portrait of the prison system that he experienced is grim and horrifying. Ultimately, while Shaka's story is one of redemption, second chances, and making good, what will probably stay with me most after reading this memoir is the anger and frustration I feel at a society that fails under-privileged children on so many levels and then tosses them away like so much trash when they become adults.

4 sad and angry stars

>81 katiekrug: Are Bauer's books stand-alone or a series?

Hi Judy - they are stand-alone. I've also read Blacklands by her (excellent!) and Rubbernecker (v. good) so if the wait for Snap is too long, you might try one of those. She writes really intelligent crime novels.

I'm definitely going to look for Bauer's other books given your recommendation. (It also helps that my library has Blacklands on audio!)

I really liked that one, Vivian!

Nice review of Writing My Wrongs, Katie. I hadn't heard of it, so I'll add it to my wish list.

I find it ironic and maddening that some people claim to fervently value the life of an unborn fetus, yet couldn't care less about underprivileged children after they are born.

Couldn't agree more, Darryl. It is rage-inducing to me.

We were going to go to the farmers' market this morning, but it's pouring rain with lots of thunder, so I think not. Instead, it will be a super exciting trip to Costco and then maybe to lunch and a movie. No big plans for this weekend (or the next few) and I am completely thrilled to have some down time.

Great comments on Writing My Wrongs; I'll look for a copy of that as well, Katie.

Weekends with no plans are the best -- down time is great.

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

Stay dry.

Thanks, Beth. The highlight of my day has been hanging a new shower curtain :)

I'm halfway through Roxane Gay's essay "Not Here to Make Friends" and I've underlined just about every other sentence. Her discussion of likeability, especially vis a vis different expectations for men and women, is excellent. And her rant about critics and reviewers who bemoan "unlikeable" characters in fiction is on point.

"Perhaps, then, unlikable characters, the ones who are the most human, are also the ones who are the most alive. Perhaps this intimacy makes us uncomfortable because we don't dare be so alive."

Have loved every Roxanne Gay book I have read! Writing My Wrongs sounds intense and like something I must read. Hope you are enjoying a relaxing weekend. Doing nothing is just so great sometimes!

I knew you would love the Gay essays, Katie. The ones I loved were the ones about the Sweet Valley High books. I thought it was hilarious.

>101 katiekrug: Hope you survived the insane afternoon thunderstorm! I was at my boss's annual summer barbecue in Caldwell & for a while we joked about spending the night do to the intense rain & flooding.

>103 Berly: - I am very much enjoying not doing much of anything, Kim :)

>104 BLBera: - That was a good one, Beth. I also liked the one about competitive Scrabble.

>105 ELiz_M: - We had some crazy flooding in town, Liz. We ventured out to get an early dinner and while we were eating, the water came up over the sidewalk for a bit. Luckily, it subsided before we left but overall it was a very damp day!

How did you get out to Caldwell and back? It sounded like the trains and buses were a bit of a mess for a few hours...

In an essay on The End of Men by Hanna Rosin (in which Rosin apparently proclaims the patriarchy is dead), Gay writes: "Rosin is not wrong that life has improved in measurable ways for women, but she is wrong in suggesting that better is good enough. Better is not good enough, and it's a shame that anyone would be willing to settle for so little. I cannot think of clearer evidence of how alive and well the patriarchy remains."

So much yes.

Later in the same essay, she takes Caitlin Moran to task for her narrow view point in How To Be a Woman. I read Moran's book earlier this year and loved it. I am not sure it is fair to criticize a writer for failing to adequately address every perspective in her work. I could see Moran getting criticized by others for daring to address the experience of non-white, non-British, non-straight, non-like her women, so it seems like a bit of a catch-22.

Moran had some interesting and important things to say, and I'm glad she said them. Gay has interesting and important things to say, and I'm glad she also has a platform to say them. It seems to me the onus is on the individual who wants to read in a certain area to read widely and broadly.

>107 katiekrug: last sentence: well said! The more you read, the more you learn. And it's important -- on social issues anyway -- to try to find varying perspectives.

>106 katiekrug: We had excellent timing for our DeCamp bus -- arriving just before the torrential rains began, stayed for several hours eating and socializing and at 7:30 when we left the rain had stopped. But we did get to witness a manhole explosion while waiting for the bus back. That was exciting.

>106 katiekrug: Yikes. That sounds wet.

>107 katiekrug: I didn't get into Gay, but am enjoying your (and Beth's) conversations about the books. So great this discussion / debate is happening in print now. Agree we need to ask for the diverse books, read the diverse books.

Katie - Great comments on the Rosin essay. I'm with Gay on that one. I haven't read Moran, but your comment: "t seems to me the onus is on the individual who wants to read in a certain area to read widely and broadly. is spot on.

There are often more than two sides to an issue.

>108 lauralkeet: - I really hate it when an author I like doesn't like another author I like as much as I do. I feel like I have to take sides, which is ridiculous of course.

>109 ELiz_M: - Oh, that's lucky, Liz! If you ever do get trapped int he wilds of northern Jersey, don't hesitate to call me. I can at least offer clean sheets and an air mattress untill I get the guest room sorted :)

>110 charl08: - I agree, Charlotte. Maybe I'm misinterpreting what Gay was saying about Moran. I just can't imagine she'd be very pleased if Moran tried to write about the African-American female experience.

>111 BLBera: - The Rosin book sounds like something I Should Not Read Lest My Blood Pressure Explode. Along with the "well, things are better so let's all just settle down now" crowd, I have zero respect for the "well, my life is pretty good so let's all just settle down now" crowd. Or the "I'm a bad feminist because I like men" crowd. Or the... GAH. I'm just getting riled up, so I'll stop.

Lentil and chicken soup is in the Instant Pot, and if it's a success, I will have lunch for the week (or for about two days before I get tired of it and it sits in the fridge for several weeks before I bow to reality and toss it) :-/

So the soup came out nicely, and I imagine it will be even better tomorrow. I used this recipe and made a few tweaks - no scallions, more garlic because you can never have too much, added some garlic chives from The Wayne's herb garden, and I think it needed a bit more salt... Also, she has a stovetop version which is linked to in the recipe.

https://www.skinnytaste.com/instant-pot-pressure-cooker-chicken-and/



ETA: In case Amber is reading this and is interested in the soup (lentils! Instant Pot!), I don't see what the cilantro added to the soup, so you could totally leave it out :)

Beth raved about Red Clocks and I have it on my wish list. I will see if the amazon sale continues....

This coming Friday I may be serving as one of the judges at a cooking competition for the annual Lentil Festival. It's a big deal around here and I cracked up when I was asked whether I'd be willing to serve as a tasting judge. Toto, I don't think we're in Seattle any longer.

To be honest, Ellen, a lentil festival in Seattle would make a lot of sense ;-)

LOL. True, that.

>114 katiekrug: That soup looks wonderful. (Why don't you freeze part of it, so you don't get tired of it, and later you have wonderful soup without DOING anything!)

>117 EBT1002: - :)

>118 laytonwoman3rd: - Excellent advice, Linda, and I always intend to do that and then forget. But I remembered this time! Yay me :)

Katie, yay for the soup! It looks delicious. I don't have an instant pot, but might attempt something similar. Great news about the Satan's Lettuce situation too :-)

>114 katiekrug: Well done on that soup, Katie! It sounds great. I may ask for an Instant Pot as a Christmas gift, and see how I like it in comparison to my slow cooker.

I think I'll create a new Pinterest board for Instant Pot recipes, and post this one on it.

>120 susanj67: - You can definitely make it on the stove, Susan... Hope you like it when you get to it!

>121 kidzdoc: - The IP is great for certain things, but I will never be one of the people who uses it for everything. I especially love it for soups and stews, though.

>122 katiekrug: Agreed. I love my slow cooker, but I only use it five or six times a year.

I bow my head in awe of you, Darryl and Laura and your mouth-watering creations! What fabulous cooking from all of you. I'm a complete novice in that department.

>123 kidzdoc: - I use the IP more often than that, if only for the perfect hard boiled eggs it produces!

>124 vivians: - Aww, thanks Vivian! I am still a novice myself but am learning not to hate cooking...

Last night, The Wayne and I made ciabatta flatbreads. We like to cook dinner together on Sundays - such dorks we are!

We used cherry tomatoes and basil from the garden and fresh mozzarella from an Italian deli in town. I think the key was grilling the bread first. The little bit of char added a nice flavor. As did all the garlic :)

Oh! Both the soup and the flatbread look excellent! And I don't think you and The Wayne are dorks for liking to cook dinner together on Sundays - Craig and I also love to do that, but I like him to stay out of the kitchen and not actually help. Heh.

>127 Crazymamie: " Craig and I also love to do that, but I like him to stay out of the kitchen and not actually help." This cracked me up so much....probably because my husband is also Craig (to me--his actual first name is Jon, but in family we've always called him by his middle name) and he's pretty handy in the kitchen but we simply cannot be in it together except to eat.

>127 Crazymamie: - The Wayne would probably prefer that I stay out of the kitchen and not actually help, Mamie :) Though I had all the good ideas with that flatbread - grilling the bread, blistering the tomatoes first, etc. Soon HE will be MY sous chef!

>128 laytonwoman3rd: - The biggest problem with the kitchen is that it's not very big. I never thought a nice kitchen would be all that high on my list of priorities when buying a house, but I'll definitely be looking for a bigger one when we re-enter the market. Our kitchen in Dallas was nice and big but a bit dated. This kitchen in our rental is lovely and updated but too small with not enough counter space...

>127 Crazymamie: Like Mamie, my idea of hubby helping is for him to stay as far away from the kitchen as he can get. He does do a mean BBQ however - as long as I chose what he's cooking and do all the prep work.

>129 katiekrug: I've been coping with my small corridor-shaped kitchen for a long time, but if Jim and I are in it together, there's no room to pass each other, or open the fridge, or cross from the stove-top to the sink, or open the oven, or .... so when I look at real estate ads for apartments we haven't decided to afford, the kitchen is very important. If we ever do take the plunge, we might even cook.

>130 DeltaQueen50: - I am quite happy that The Wayne enjoys being in the kitchen more than I do!

>131 ffortsa: - Small kitchens are a curse, Judy. Sounds like you have some big decisions ahead of you!

The Map of Love is one of my very favorite books - easily in my top 10. The Kindle edition is currently on sale for $2.99. I highly, highly recommend it.

Amazon description:

Here is an extraordinary cross-cultural love story that unfurls across Egypt, England, and the United States over the course of a century. Isabel Parkman, a divorced American journalist, has fallen in love with a gifted and difficult Egyptian-American conductor. Shadowing her romance is the courtship of her great-grandparents Anna and Sharif nearly one hundred years before.

In 1900 the recently widowed Anna Winterbourne left England for Egypt, an outpost of the Empire roiling with political sentiment. She soon found herself enraptured by the real Egypt and in love with Sharif Pasha al-Baroudi, an Egyptian nationalist. When Isabel, in an attempt to discover the truth behind her heritage, reenacts Anna’s excursion to Egypt, the story of her great-grandparents unravels before her, revealing startling parallels for her own life.

Combining the romance and intricate narrative of a nineteenth-century novel with a very modern sense of culture and politics—both sexual and international—Ahdaf Soueif has created a thoroughly seductive and mesmerizing tale.

>133 katiekrug: SOLD! Adding it to your Dirty Dozen and snagging my own copy - thanks for the head's up.

>128 laytonwoman3rd: A kindred spirit! I love that you call him by his middle name - that was a tradition in my Dad's family. My Craig tends to take up the entire kitchen, and he somehow manages to use just about every single dish we have in the process. I really don't know how he does it.

>129 katiekrug: Look at you about to claim the kitchen!! I am so proud!

>130 DeltaQueen50: Craig is excellent with the grill, which I am happy to let him rule over. He makes really awesome wings, but see my note to Linda above about the mess.

Katie, our kitchen is also not very big, and that is one thing I have always wanted but never managed to get. My biggest kitchen was in our smallest house, which we quickly outgrew. My last chance will be our retirement house. I would love to redo the kitchen we have here, but doubt we will go to that expense and trouble since we won't be here permanently.

>134 Crazymamie: - I hope you like the book when you get to it, Mamie!

Funny, I always pictured you with a ginormous kitchen. Now I'll have to adjust my mental image :)

These are from the photos taken before we bought the home.

One more:

Thanks for the tip about The Map of Love. I'm loading the Kindle for our trip to British Isles next month and will definitely go over and get this one right now!

>136 Crazymamie: and >137 Crazymamie: - Okay, yes, that's much smaller than I was picturing. But you still beat mine (remember, it's a rental so not my aesthetic!):



The wall behind the photographer has a large pantry cabinet, the fridge, and a short counter (maybe 3 or 4 feet long with cabinets above and below). And the wall to the left is the back door and a window. So there is hardly any counter space at all, especially once you add in the regular stuff that goes on a counter. Sigh.

This was our kitchen in Dallas (pardon the random stuff on the counter; this was right after we closed on the house):



The biggest difference is that the current kitchen is just a box, vut off from the rest of the house. In Dallas, it was open to the family room which helped to make it seem bigger.

>138 RebaRelishesReading: - I hope you like it, Reba!

>134 Crazymamie: There has been a lot of middle-name usage among men in my family (both sides) and in my husband's family over the generations. My dad, one of my uncles on my mother's side, my husband, his grandfather...I think some of it came from naming sons after fathers or other ancestors, but needing to keep their identities separate. Beats "Big Mike and Little Mike", "Buddy", or "Junior".

Your kitchen looks quite functional for its size. The layout is definitely better than mine.

Oh, wow! I totally get what you are saying. I feel like we have good counter space, I would just like a larger footprint so several people could move around in there comfortably. And really, if they would have included the space where you can see the table and chairs, the kitchen could have been huge. The wall there is a large bay window with another window on one side and a door on the other (leading out onto the deck), so the light is excellent, but I would have used that wall for more cabinets and then put an island in front of them instead of wrapping the bar around. I would have had the bar go straight making the area more of one space. There is plenty of light because we have two sets of French doors and more windows all the way across that side of the house. It's beautiful, but I feel the kitchen is small for a five bedroom house.

>141 laytonwoman3rd: So interesting about names. My Dad's family all went by their middle names, even the girls.

The layout of the kitchen is VERY functional. I think they made excellent use of the space. The doorway you see in the second photo leads to the laundry room/pantry area - laundry on one side and a full wall of pantry shelving on the other wall.

>133 katiekrug: Another sale, Katie. Thanks for bringing The Map of Love to our attention.

I love lots of wood, and our kitchen is full of it. The whole house has hardwood floors except the basement, in which we put indoor-outdoor carpet, so that the kids could mess it up without causing much damage, and the attic, which we made into a living space needing the warmth.

>133 katiekrug: Thanks! It's now waiting for me on my Kindle. :)

I also have a stupidly small kitchen for the size of my house, but it does open to the family room, which helps a lot. I am not sharing a photo because the counters are covered with stuff. It's my personal Sysiphus curse. I clean the counter and my family puts stuff back on it. But what else would I do with my time? *she said sarcastically*

My husband goes by his middle name too. For an engineer, he is wildly inconsistent about when he uses his full legal name or not, so I am occasionally in a random awkward phone conversation with a doctor's office or business where I am not using the right name and they think I'm fishing for personal information or something.

>142 Crazymamie: - Our Dallas house had an eat-in nook in the bay window (to the left in the photo) which was nice, since I had claimed the formal dining room for my library :) But at times, it seemed like wasted space... In this house, we have some kitchen stuff in the basement since there is so little counter and cabinet space. It's super annoying.

>144 jnwelch: - Hope you like it, Joe!

Hardwoods are a must for me. Or at the very least, some kind of hard surface. There is carpet in this house on the second floor, and I hate it. We replaced all the carpet in our house in Dallas...

>145 nittnut: - Aw, c'mon, share a picture! I'll take one of my counters if it'll make you feel better :) I'm so nosy, I love seeing where my buddies live and being able to picture them.

Keeping counters clear is a constant struggle. The Wayne thinks clear counters look antiseptic and has no problem with piles of mail, wallets, keys, etc. on them. Drives me batty.

>146 katiekrug: I would post a picture of my kitchen but no one here has reading glasses strong enough to see it.

>147 norabelle414: - I was literally just over commenting on your thread!

I remember the tiny apartment kitchens I've had. But I didn't really cook much so it wasn't that bad :)

Ooh, kitchen talk! I finally got the kitchen I wanted when we did renos. It was a corridor kitchen originally designed with a breakfast nook. The dining room was at the other end of the kitchen. Why they thought 2 tables were needed so close to each other I don't know. When we did the renos we put in more cabinets and counter space where the breakfast nook area was. I think the new kitchen was one of the selling points of the house. Now I have a pokey little kitchen with hardly any storage space and someone decided to paint the wood cabinets white. I hate white cabinets but might not have to put up with them much longer if our strata sells to developers.

>149 Familyhistorian: - That renovation sounds great, Meg! Here's hoping a better kitchen will be the reward if you have to find a new place.

(I like white cabinets, but The Wayne is not a fan...)

I need to start An American Marriage by Tayari Jones for my book club meeting next Tuesday. I've been wanting to read this one, though I know some people didn't love it.

I'm going for a pedicure after work this evening, so think I'll start it then. I caved and bought the Kindle edition because my library consortium is taking forever to get one of the 20+ available copies to me - GRR.

I'm currently suffering kitchen woes myself. I've started moving my kitchen stuff to the (rental) townhouse I'll be sharing with The Fiancé soon and there is just not enough cupboard space. It's a galley style kitchen in a house built in the 70s so the shelf heights are weird and often inconvenient. And there's just not enough of them to house all our dishes and small kitchen appliances. Never mind the minimal counter space. There's probably another IKEA trip in our future to get some kind of cabinet to house either pantry items or more dishes.

I feel your pain, Micky. I was thinking of getting a rolling cart of some sort, with a solid top to help with counter space, but there's just no place to stick it when it's not being used...

I have a nice big house with the smallest kitchen ever!! Why do builders do that? Oh well, it least it is open to the living room so I can be part of the hoopla while I am cooking. ; )

I moved from a 3000+ sf house in 2015 to an 1150sf ranch (of course I live alone). The kitchen is the best part but I love the whole little house with it’s hardwood floors throughout and updated everything so that I don’t have to worry about having to replace, well, anything. New furnace and ac, new siding and roof, new plumbing and electrical. At any rate, the kitchen sold the house for me even if the move almost killed me lol.

OK Nosy Parker. Here's my kitchen in all its glory. Please note the random items on the counter. Packing tape, sun block, seashells, disposable cameras from camp Last Year, dying mini cactus bowl, two unclaimed water bottles, etc. Also, I could not resist the last photo of the bread bin because I just noticed that someone, probably Mr. E, has been wrapping the twist ties around it for some time now. The door down the hallway is the laundry room. The two doors you can't see in the same hall are to the left a small toilet and to the right, the garage. The swinging door next to the stove goes to the dining room, and the room is open to the family room behind me taking the photo.







>154 Berly: Seriously a very good question! I have a 3000 sq ft house and the kitchen is tiny. Note the very small closet in the corner. That is my "pantry" and I am currently storing food in the hall closet until we figure out where to put things like a Costco pack of pasta, a 20 lb bag of rice and the cheerios.

>139 katiekrug: you need to put a warning label on your thread for city dwellers that like to cook. I think my entire studio apartment can fit inside your kitchen. :(

ETA my entire kitchen is 3' wide and the wall opposite the counter/appliances is empty. Except the outlets -- the only outlets not behind the fridge are on that wall:
.

>154 Berly: - Sounds like you are not alone in the big house, (relatively) tiny kitchen department, Kim. It is so weird.

>155 brenzi: - Oh, that sounds lovely, Bonnie! The perfect place to downsize to.

>156 nittnut: - Thanks for indulging me, Jenn :) I will post photos after I finish responding. You will see lots of random things on the counters! And I love Mr. E's bedazzling of the bread basket.

>157 ELiz_M: - But, Liz, you are living in the greatest city in the world :) Sacrifices must be made! That's totally weird about the blank wall, though. I hate wasted space.

Messy counters:



The Wayne likes to leave things beside the sink rather than in the sink, or, you know, washing them right away... You can also see the drying may necessitated by the tiny drying rack, my water bottle, some mail, a box of tissues, and - of course - an empty wine bottle :)



This photo is truly a random collection - my hat and earbuds, two (!) baskets for collecting random stuff both of which are full, a 12-pack of seltzer, a food storage container that needs to be returned because it's cracked, a change jar, a random coffee mug, etc, etc, etc.

And just at the bottom right, you can see the bottom of my purse which had just fallen off the counter... *heavy sigh*

Loving all the kitchen talk here! I downgraded to a smaller kitchen in this house from our giant kitchen in our Nova Scotia house. While this kitchen has quite a lot of floor space to move around, it doesn't have enough cupboard space. I've had to made a small pantry at the top of our basement stairs out of an old book shelf. When we finally move into our forever home I think we are will have to build so that we can make the kitchen and bathrooms to my specifications!

>126 katiekrug: I think that's great that you try and cook together one day of the week. We rarely do that unless we are BBQing. Your flatbread looked quite yummy!

>160 ChelleBearss: - I would love to build a house to my specifications, but it also seems like such a hassle and full of potential for things to go wrong...

Speaking of our Sunday cooking, I need to figure out what we'll tackle this weekend!

Lol about leaving things beside the sink. My family likes to make a giant pile IN the sink, boobie trap style. Oddly enough, things get broken sometimes...

I'm am constantly bewildered by my husband's habit of putting his dirty dishes in or beside the sink when the dishwasher is right there and furthermore loading and unloading it is his job, so he will be putting those things IN THERE eventually. Why. not. now. Because, says he, he likes to do the whole job at once. I told him I was trained to "clean up as you go", and it really is easier that way. Also, there is never a mess sitting around. You can guess that I was told I am welcome to do it myself. As it is always cleared away in time for me to use the workspace in the next meal preparation, I have come to a sort of acceptance. (And occasionally I DO just whisk things away myself when he's not lookin'.)

>162 nittnut: - Oh, dear, Jenn. I am occasionally guilty of making a huge pile in the sink. Then I ask The Wayne to "tetris" it for me to make it look smaller. And then I eventually actually deal with the dishes...

>163 laytonwoman3rd: - That is funny, Linda! I am reasonably good at cleaning while I go, especially when cooking. It seems a concerpt foreign to my husband, though.

>163 laytonwoman3rd: I am definitely a "clean up as you go" kind of cook, and Chris is a "deal with it later" cook. He likes to cook when we have people over, so I just follow him and clean up the detritus in his wake.

>164 katiekrug:, >165 lauralkeet: Accommodations must be made when accommodations are shared.

>164 katiekrug: "tetris" it...LOL!! I aim for as-you-go cleanup, and my Hubby is a pretty good picker upper, but so not the case with my two youngest kids!!

>165 lauralkeet: - I end up cleaning up after Wayne as he cooks. Drives him batty, but he survives :)

>166 laytonwoman3rd: - Very true. And the accommodations are worth it for the right person.

>167 Berly: - Well, I imagine children are a whole different ball game, Kim!

A fun and funny audio with an important message about body positivity. Gibbons shares some hilarious stories of her dysfunctional childhood, adolescence, college years, marriage, children, etc. all through the lens of hating her body for most of her life. Her "aha" moment came when she had a daughter, and she has since become a principle voice in the body positivity movement. Her style is breezy and funny, and - note to you more sensitive readers - super vulgar and foul-mouthed (which is probably why I enjoyed it - ha!).

4 stars

In the Walled City by Stewart O'Nan is on sale for Kindle today for $1.20. It's a collection of short stories, and while not my favorite of his work, it's still very good, and I wish more people would read him.

CURRENTLY READING

...

I am focusing my reading on An American Marriage, as it's my book club's pick for this month, and we meet on Tuesday. It's very readable and was immediately engaging.

Bad Feminist is, unsurprisingly, excellent, and I am enjoying dipping in and out of it. I love her insight and humor.

Auntie Mame is on the back burner, though I had hoped to finish it by this weekend, so I could watch the movie (the good one, with Rosalind Russell). It probably wouldn't be the end of the world to watch the film before finishing the book, but......

This morning, I started the audio of The Wedding Date, which I had tried to read in print a few months ago and could not get into. The audio is better - probably because it's easier to ignore the clunky writing ;-) Still, an enjoyable book so far.

ETA: Three of these are written by women of color. I'm not sure if that's significant, but it feels like it should be.

Also, is anyone else already starting to think about their reading plans and/or goals for next year, or am I totally psycho?

My hold on The Wedding Date is in transit and I can't wait to finally get my hands on it!

>172 katiekrug: I'm not plotting that yet. Still on the decision of: "if I bring a Gabaldon chunkster (An Echo in the Bone if anyone's curious) as my physical book on my honeymoon, how many ebooks should I bring?"

But that's the nice thing about e-books, Micky! You can bring a metric butt-load and no harm, no foul if you read none of them :)

>174 katiekrug: True. Although I don't really buy ebooks so it would be library ebooks which gives me a cap of 15 in OverDrive (although I could get more in Freading and hoopla).

You realize you will have to provide a full list of everything you decide to take, right?

>176 katiekrug: Assignment noted. :)

>172 katiekrug: well ... normally this is too early for me but just this week I learned that the new Matthew Shardlake mystery, scheduled for release in October, will not arrive on these shores until 2019. It made me wonder if I should create my 2019 spreadsheet so soon. You do have a spreadsheet, don't you?!

>172 katiekrug: Not psycho, but...

I don't have a clue. I don't know what I'll be reading next week.

>177 MickyFine: - Excellent!

>178 lauralkeet: - OF COURSE I have a spreadsheet. But I am thinking of taking a different approach this year...

>179 BLBera: - I was htinking more about how I wanted to approach my reading and any broader goals I might have, as opposed to specific books to read.

>180 katiekrug: I await further news of your "different approach". I'm kinda in love with my spreadsheet.

>181 lauralkeet: - How do you use your spreadsheet? Do you just list books you want to read that year? Mine has multiple tabs for different things, including my master list of all books read since 2001 and my month-by-month lists where I total my pages. And some other nerdy stuff :)

I am thinking of swearing off all LT challenges. I may still do the PopSugar challenge. And other than my RL book club picks, I am going to read completely randomly, as in use a random number generator to help me pick books off my library WLs and the "Random Book of Yours" feature here on LT for ones in my collection.

>182 katiekrug: Wanna take a look? This is my 2017 spreadsheet. I have tabs for what I've read/planned to read, my stats, and my TBR stack (unread books that I own, excluding Viragoes). I'm using he same format and tabs this year:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1moQDp9ivtjB3grAFSaCJCP7GjGc57fQEQOt_B36n...

>172 katiekrug:. I can’t tell you what book I’m going to read NEXT lol.

>183 lauralkeet: - Okay, I requested permission to view your Google doc :) So you keep your TBR in the spreadsheet and not in LT? Are these all books you own? Every book I own is in my LT catalogue but that's because I originally joined to catalogue my books. I love comparing notes like this!

>184 brenzi: - I (very) loosely tend to plan my month, Bonnie, just because it usually involves a RL book club selection, holds coming in, etc. Next year, I'll only "plan" for the book club picks, I think. At least that's my plan (pun intended) for now...

>185 katiekrug: you should have access now, Katie, sorry about that. It's now set so anyone who clicks the link can view the spreadsheet.

so you keep your TBR in the spreadsheet and not in LT?
what, are you mad?! I keep it in BOTH places because ... hmm. Well, I know it's a bit redundant but at some point I wanted to know which books I own that I haven't read yet. Many of these sit on a shelf on my nightstand, but not all, and having the list helps me choose books for the "From my Stacks" category on the spreadsheet. These books are typically ones I've bought or received as gifts with every intention of reading. Viragos are a category of their own, so not on the list. There are also tons of books that we own but I may never read -- Chris' books, reference books, etc. -- they are not in my LT catalog and not on the list in my spreadsheet.

I (very) loosely tend to plan my month
I do that too, for the same reasons. When I request a library book, or we make book club picks, or I decide to participate in a LT group read, I enter it into my spreadsheet for that month. As each month approaches I can see how many "commitments" I already have and fill in other books accordingly. Ideally I'd choose from my TBR spreadsheet but this year more often than not I've just bought something or found some other impulse read.

I love comparing notes like this, too!

Wow! I'm totally gobsmacked by the planning and record-keeping you all do. I have my unread books in a separate stack (literally Mt. TBR) and I sometimes take out two or three that I want to read next and move them to a mini-stack next to my reading chair. I print off the list of what I've read each year as I put my last LT page to bed at the end of the year and put it into a file folder. Oh yes, and before we leave for Chautauqua each summer I decide what books I think I'll read while there and pack them to take.

My reading often revolves around library books as well, Katie. Other than my book club, I don't plan at all.

IF I was a reading planner, I would definitely be planning next year's reading right now. But I've found that the more I plan, the less reading I do. So I only plan a few books ahead.
I am going to check out >183 lauralkeet:'s spreadsheet, though, just because I love spreadsheets :-)

>186 lauralkeet: - OMG it has graphs and stuff! I don't even know how to do that.

The books that I own that I haven't read make up the bulk of my LT catalogue and are in the "To Read" collection. I love the Collections feature.

Sounds like we are similar in how we approach the monthly planning. At the end of last year, I had an elaborate plan for what books to read for what challenges each month - of course, I abandoned that by about February. So I am trying not to plan. I think the allure is that I like to look through my catalogue and be reminded of all the books I want to read :)

>187 RebaRelishesReading: - Reba, I think different approaches are also influenced by the size of the "stack". My Mount TBR is metaphorical, as it's well over 3000 books now. In my house. Ridiculous, I know...

>188 BLBera: - I'm hoping to take that approach next year, Beth! I guess I could just start now, but I am close to finishing the PopSugar challenge, and I have enjoyed Suzanne's non-fiction challenge...

>189 norabelle414: - Nora, I think that's what I am finding too - more planning = less reading, or at least less reading of the books I planned for and then I get stressed about it :)

This is my spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1d3_QsiKdivK4QHW8_NRzm64Kr54s3DOamN3enI6PHaI

There are no graphs.

I keep my stats in a notebook, where I also record the list of books read for the year. I like to write things down, but know I won't want to hold onto all those notebooks, so I also keep the list electronically :)

Stats are another thing I am re-thinking. I started keeping them because everyone seemed to do it, but I don't really do anything with them, so I feel like it's just another task related to reading that may be weighing me down.

I'm almost embarrassed to share my list of books read since 2001, as my years in DC encompassed A LOT of romance reading ;-)

Ooof. Planning reading. I could only do that if I were in a class with a syllabus. As it is, I'm in two reading groups, so two books a month are determined by what the groups select. Otherwise, it's an effort to choose one book over another, except for mysteries which are like m&ms to me, and finish quickly.

As for my TBR, if I stacked all the physical TBR books by my bed, I'm sure to be the poster child for that cartoon about being killed by falling books. Far too many. And then of course there's the Kindle collection.

I'm hopeless.

The best I can do as far as planning goes is refer to the 1001 books list, which I recently downloaded to a SPREADSHEET, and try to pick something on the list or by an author on the list.

But then there are the BBs. Sigh.

eta: Laura, I had to look at your spreadsheet. Do you miss working?

Greetings from colorful Colorado, Katie. I hope everything is going fine on the east coast and you are enjoying those books.

>190 katiekrug: OMG it has graphs and stuff! I don't even know how to do that
That's a vintage 1980s BS in Comp Sci and a 33-year IT career in action. 😀

>191 katiekrug: I like your spreadsheet! So you keep notes about each book there, eh? Do you also post reviews on LT?

>192 ffortsa: Do you miss working?
HA! And no. 😉

I've used the same spreadsheet, with a few refinements over time, for 10 years -- ever since I joined the 75ers. It pretty much runs itself. Every year I "save as..." to create a new version, change columns if I want to, tweak the formulas accordingly, and voila. The graphs took some effort initially but now happen automagically. They are completely useless but I still love them.

>192 ffortsa: - Different stokes for different folks, Judy! I have the 2006 version of the 1001 books list in my spreadsheet, but I've stopped paying attention to it :)

>193 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! Glad you are having an excellent vacation. I love Colorado.

>194 lauralkeet: - I started keeping notes about each book a few years ago - usually it's just a few lines from the reviews/comments I share here. I sometimes post reviews on the book page here on LT, but I'm not very good about doing it.

Tonight, we are going to see a singer-songwriter at Joe's Pub (part of The Public Theater in NYC) and then for a late dinner at Cowgirl*, a restaurant in the West Village that claims it does Texas cuisine with Texas hospitality. We shall see.... :)

*We are going because I have been craving chicken fried steak.

>172 katiekrug: I have been thinking about next year's AAC, since I may be hosting it....if Mark is serious about giving it up. I have some notes. Never learned to use spreadsheet software, although I wish I had. I'll start a discussion thread for that challenge, if it's going to be my baby, sometime next month.

Just dropping by to wish you a wonderful Weekend!

>197 laytonwoman3rd: - Linda, it sounded to me like Mark was serious about stepping aside, so plan away!

>198 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita! Same to you :)

Great time last night, though it didn't start off auspiciously when I missed my train. But all's well that ends well. Joe's Pub is a great venue, and we enjoyed the show, though it was pretty short - under an hour. But the tickets were only $12/each, so I shouldn't complain. Food and drink service from a friendly staff and just a really cool vibe. We'll definitely be going back.

Our dinner was okay but not amazing. The prickly pear margarita was excellent, though!

The ride home was an adventure in a crazy thunder storm with sheets of rain deluging the road. Our Lyft driver earned a good tip for navigating that for us!

ETA: And I got over 15000 steps in, so that was a bonus :)

Love the spreadsheets!

I keep a spreadsheet and a database, not on Google docs but on my computer.
On the speadsheet I keep my reading during the year, with number of pages, date finished, own/library, Dutch/translated, rating etc. The database has all my reading since 2008, with rating & year published, started to select the best books per year published. I probably could combine those two in Google docs, if so I might move them there.
I keep my TBR here at LT, only marked my own childrens/YA books, as that is my ongoing project at the moment.

Hi Anita! I love hearing about everyone's different methods of tracking and planning. I am looking forward to my more relaxed approach for next year - but my spreadsheet will always be a part of it :)

We had a quiet day yesterday, but I managed to (finally!) clear out what is supposed to be the guest room. Now we just need a bed for it which may be next weekend's project.

I'm hoping for some visitors in the coming months. My cousin's wife wants to come up to see 'Clueless: The Musical' this winter, we are hoping my MIL will come up sometime soonish (it will be a bit of a homecoming for her, as she grew up in New Jersey and worked in NYC when she was younger), and we are treating my niece to a trip up here from Dallas to see the big city in the new year as a special Christmas/birthday present.

I also read a big chunk of An American Marriage last night in anticipation of my book club meeting on Tuesday. My feelings about it are... complicated. I'll finish it today and am looking forward to Tuesday's meeting to help me figure out my reaction to it.

We also watched 'True Grit' last night (the 2010 version), and we both enjoyed it. Not as good as the book, of course, but still very well done.

Today I'll spend some time cleaning my "she-shed," meal-planning and grocery shopping, and relaxing. I think we are going to make Greek turkey meatballs and couscous for dinner, but I'm not positive. We have a CSA delivery to use (The Wayne had signed up for it through his old job, and it was all pre-paid so we had kind of written it off, but a nice former colleague of his has offered to pick it up for him and coordinate getting it to him each (other) week), so that may factor into our plans. What does one do with heirloom tomatoes?!?

>172 katiekrug: I am not.

*Goes to stand in the corner*

Hi Katie! I think heirloom tomatoes can be used just like the ordinary kind :-) Maybe in something where you get the full flavour of them? That was nice of TW's colleague.

I think An American Marriage has just shown up in my library. I'm sure I remember it from a frenzy of wishlisting recently. But I'll await your thoughts.

Hi Susan! No need to stand in the corner - it seems like I am more the odd man out on that question!

I remembered I had some mozzarella left from last week's flatbreads, so I think I"ll do a caprese salad with the tomatoes... I think you're right that they are best eaten mostly on their own rather than as a background to something else...

I also have a bunch of carrots, two onions, a turnip (I think it's a turnip?), a bunch of romaine, and a small melon to use. Oh, and some bell peppers and a giant eggplant aubergine. Quite an assortment!

>203 katiekrug: You have a local place with good mozzarella, yes? Caprese Salad: sliced tomatoes, sliced mozz, sprinkled with strips of fresh basil, spritzed with olive oil & balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper to taste.

Great minds, Liz (see >205 katiekrug:)! And I think there is more basil available in the little pot The Wayne planted, so that should be yum :)

>207 katiekrug: :)

Your reaction to An American Marriage seems similar to others' reactions, Katie. It wasn't what I expected, but I would think it might be a great discussion book.

Your thread is making me hungry. I get a half-share CSA, which I love. I have eggplant this week as well.

I love a big tomato sliced with salt and pepper. Of course it never hurts to add mozzarella and olive oil. *grin*
Have you ever made mashed turnips? We did them mixed with potatoes once and they were very good.

I'm loving all the kitchen photos! And Katie, your Dallas kitchen looks like it was a wonderful room in which to cook and from which to entertain.

I also love the spreadsheets which are, for me, much more interesting in theory than in practice. ;-)

I was surprised by how much I loved the novel True Grit (no touchstone??) and I remember liking the 2010 film a lot, too. I might have to do a reread.

>172 katiekrug: I just bought a calendar for 2019 with pictures of books on. Does this count?

Also, Clueless the Musical? I so hope that makes it over here.

>208 ELiz_M: - I made it and it was delicious :)

>209 BLBera: - Beth, what are you going to do with your eggplant? I think we are going to give ours away. I just saw that President Obama recently read An American Marriage, so at least I'm in good company!

>210 nittnut: - I made a caprese salad for lunch, and even The Wayne ate some and he's not a big fan of raw tomatoes, so I call it a win! Turns out we didn't have a turnip - it was a funny looking onion (yes, I'm hopeless). I haven't had mashed turnips but would totally eat them. I love cauliflower mash...

>211 EBT1002: - I was also surprised how much I loved TG, Ellen. Same with Lonesome Dove. Some of my favorite recent (past few years) reads have been set in the west, both historical and contemporary.

>212 charl08: - Charlotte, it's a "jukebox musical" which I believe means they just use existing music, but it should still be fun. I will report back. It opens in November and runs through mid-January.

Today I have hard boiled eggs, assisted The Wayne in making chili, made a caprese salad, washed and prepped veggies, sauteed peppers and onions for later in the week, and gone to the grocery store. We'll start on dinner in a little bit - we are making the Greek turkey meatballs from Skinnytaste.com, and having couscous and a salad with them.

No reading done.

Waiting to hear how the book club discussion of An American Marriage goes. I did not find it to be the sweeping indictment of the US mass incarceration issue that the reviews highlighted. Overall I found it disappointing.

>190 katiekrug: Over 3000 books in Mt. TBR?!?!? GASP! I've got to tell Hubby that...he's good about my book-buying but I think he secretly thinks I should slow it down. You may be an example that either scares him to death or causes him to think I'm OK :)

>215 vivians: - I just read that President Obama described it as "moving," and I think my problem is that I didn't find it moving because I was so annoyed by most of the characters. To be moved I have to care... Should be a good discussion, and I will report back!

>216 RebaRelishesReading: - Yeah, I know, it's outrageous *big grin*

Dinner last night was an epic fail. Skinnytaste has never done me wrong, but this recipe was not as precise as it needed to be, and the end result was disappointing - so much so that we just tossed the meatballs and had salad. Oh well - can't win them all!

On a positive note, I practiced some yoga at home yesterday afternoon and found that I can still raise my heart rate a bit even without the benefit of class - it seems obvious but I was glad to confirm it :) And on my walk this morning, I jogged a bit which felt good in terms of my making progress. I will never be a "runner" but I am glad to challenge myself in new ways.

Now I am at work and feeling very blah about it. I think something needs to change. I've begun looking at new possibilities but am struggling with the idea of not working from home any more. I've gotten spoiled...

I like your thoughts on An American Marriage, Katie. I was intrigued by this book but hadn't succumbed yet. Now I probably won't, so thanks for sparing me!

Good luck deciding what to do work-wise. You do have a great setup, but I can see where it might have its drawbacks.

>219 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura. I'm very much at a loss as to what to do. Ideally, I'd just not work which is possible but I have yet to convince The Wayne (and, tbh, myself) that it makes sense...

My you take your book reading seriously, spreadsheets and everything. I just keep the fiction and nonfiction separate (the nonfiction is organized in categories, the fiction fends for itself). I am thinking about next year's reading plans, though. I have to read and recycle some of my TBR so that it will be more manageable in case I have to move. So the goal is to READ MORE OF MY OWN BOOKS. Now if only the library hold button wasn't so tempting.

>220 katiekrug: I understand, Katie. I'm sure you have various options percolating in your mind right now and eventually next steps will emerge. Convincing TW will be easy if you've already convinced yourself. Hang in there ...

>221 Familyhistorian: - Meg, I try every year to read more of my own books. I do okay, but need to step it up!

>222 lauralkeet: - Thanks for the wise words, Laura :)

Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade by Patrick Dennis

This was a fun, if dated, romp with some laugh-out-loud passages. As a kid, I loved the films (one stars Rosalind Russell and the later one, Lucille Ball) so reading this series of set pieces brought back some fond memories.

4 stars



The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

This novel has gotten some good press for addressing issues surrounding interracial relationships, and that's a good thing. Apparently, it has also encouraged some non-romance readers to give the genre a try. As a fan of romance novels, it makes me sad that people might judge them based on this particular example. While it addresses timely and important issues, it's just not very well-written and too given to tired tropes that better writers in the genre have figured out how to overcome.

I listened to this one on audio, and the narration was pretty good.

3 stars

My only book lists are on LT. I have too many categories on my thread in a feeble attempt to read more of my own books. And I always have two RL book reads a month. I sometimes feel like my book commitments are too overscheduled, so I think next year I will read RANDOMLY!! Although I was thinking the POP challenge might be the only thing I do next year. Maybe. I love being able to spontaneously follow people's suggestions or grab one off the shelf, just because it catches my eye. : )

I've got Auntie Mame, so I'm glad to hear you had a good time with it.

>225 Berly: - The PopSugar challenge is fun, Kim, in that you can just read what you want and see what fits. Of course, you could PLAN what to read to complete it, but that's what I'm doing this year and it's not so much fun...

>226 jnwelch: - Hope you enjoy it, Joe!

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

I'm so conflicted about this book. I sped through it and found it consistently engaging, but I just could not warm up to it. In a recent Facebook post about his summer reading, President Obama called it "moving," and I think my problem with it was that I didn't find it moving because as it went on, I cared less and less about the characters. They were deeply flawed (props to Jones for doing such a good job of portraying their contradictions and struggles) and I usually like complex characters, but I found all of them deeply frustrating. But all that aside, I did keep reading and ended up very impressed with Jones' skill as a writer and storyteller.

3.5 stars

We had a great book group discussion of AAM. We had so many people show up (about 15, when we normally have 6-8) that we basically had to have two concurrent discussions about it, because there was no way to manage a conversation with that many people at a long table. Anyway, my side of the table had several new people, and I hope they come back because they had a lot of interesting and intelligent things to say. Some topics/themes we touched on:

- The American justice system: we all agreed that Roy's conviction for a crime he didn't commit was totally plausible, but that it was, in some ways, secondary to the story. This was not a novel about mass incarceration, injustice and inequality, it was about a marriage.

- The title wasn't "A Marriage" because there was a lot that went into it unique to American society.

- The ending was too pat for most of us - tied up too neatly for such a messy story of flawed people.

- If Roy and Celestial had not been separated by his incarceration, would the marriage have lasted, given the fault lines evident in it before he was charged with the crime?

- The nature of marriage and relationships and the impossibility of things always staying the same.

- Passion vs. stability/safety

And other stuff I don't remember but which was enough fuel for a 2-hour+ conversation.

Our book group selection for September is My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh which I am not super excited about. I tried to read her debut novel, Eileen, and could not get through it. This new one seems to be of that certain type of New York novel that just doesn't appeal to me. I'll probably download the Kindle sample to give it a try, but I won't force myself to read it if I don't like the sample.

>229 katiekrug: Sounds like an awesome conversation even if the book was a lackluster read for you.

>172 katiekrug: Ha! Of course I am already planning my 2019 reading! As a member of the Category Challenge, I am working on my categories and making lists of books that will fit. I am trying to be a broad as possible with my categories so I can have lots of choices cause sometimes what you plan in October of one year, just doesn't appeal by June of the next.

>231 MickyFine: - It was great to see so many people excited to talk about the book, Micky. But I was sad not to get to benefit from *everyone's* persepective. Ah, well....

>232 DeltaQueen50: - Or, if you are me, what sounds good on the first of the month is no longer appealing on the 15th (or 3rd or 8th or....) *grin*

I always love your fun categories, Judy - can't wait to see what you come up with!

>229 katiekrug: Might try and suggest this for my bookgroup - sounds like a brilliant choice.

>234 charl08: - It's definitely meaty enough for a good discussion, Charlotte.

..

These are my current reads. I am listening to Pax on audio, and enjoying it so far. I know Ellen and some others (sorry, my memory is garbage) really liked it.

I finally picked up The Sparrow which I've had seemingly forever. Very engaging so far (only about 40 pages in!).

And I continue to dip into Bad Feminist which I feel everyone should read. I don't agree with Gay on everything, but she is clear and cogent and her perspective is important. Also, she can be snarky which is, of course, a bonus for me.

>236 katiekrug: Katie, I can't remember: have you read Roxane Gay's Hunger? So good (touchstone not cooperating atm).

I have, Laura. It was the first thing of hers I read (BF is only the second). I have her novel, An Untamed State on my Kindle.

ETA: And I agree with you about Hunger!

Hello Katie!

>224 katiekrug: I read Auntie Mame in my twenties and enjoyed the heck out it. dated, for sure, but I have an affinity for films of the past. :-)

Hi, Katie. I love your current reads. A perfect variety. I hope you continue to enjoy The Sparrow. Fingers crossed.

>239 brodiew2: - Hi Brodie - I'm looking forward to watching the Roaslind Russell 'Auntie Mame' this weekend...

>240 msf59: - Thanks, Mark! I am continuing to really enjoy The Sparrow.

Ooof, Pax is so good, but tough (or was for me). And I'm a *huge* fan of The Sparrow - I hope you love it as much as I did.

What Amber said, Katie, except Pax wasn't as tough for me. The Sparrow is unforgettable.

>242 scaifea: and >243 jnwelch: - Hi Amber and Joe! I am in the home stretch of Pax, and it's a great audio. I'll reserve judgment on the level of toughness until I'm finished :)

The Sparrow is quite the page turner, even in the early going of providing background. I'm really enjoying it!

I finished the audio of Pax - a very good story about friendship, loyalty, growing up, and conflict.

I've now started I Was Amelia Earhart which fills the PopSugar Challenge prompt to read a bestseller from the year I graduated high school.

>245 katiekrug: - I read that one a million years ago and though I don't remember much of it, I do remember that I liked it a lot. I hadn't thought of it until your mention of it now!

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

As I said above, this is a very good story about conflict, friendship, loyalty, and growing up. While some of the simplisticness (is that a word?) of the novel bothered me, it is intended for children so I tried to just go with it. I liked the alternating chapters told from Peter's perspective and that of his pet fox. I wonder if there will be a follow-up of some sort - there was a lot left hanging, but the ending was still satisfying and not overly contrived, which I appreciated. I imagine this would be a good one to read with kiddos.

4 stars

I finished Bad Feminist last night and need to figure out what to say about it beyond, ohmigawdeveryoneshouldreadthisrightnow.

Wow, Katie, what a lot of great book discussions. I thought maybe AAM would be a good discussion group -- I want to join your group! It sounds like you had an amazing discussion. Sometimes I find that the books I'm not quite sure about make for excellent discussions.

I loved Pax as well.

I totally agree about Bad Feminist; I REALLY want to have a drink with Gay sometime.

>246 jessibud2: - I'm enjoying it, Shelley.

>247 katiekrug: - I am very happy to have found this book group, Beth! Smart, engaged people.

I follow Gay on Twitter and she's smart and funny and cranky. I'd definitely like to have a drink with her!

New thread is up!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/295447