Lori (lkernagh) Reads her ABCs in 2018 - Fifth Thread

Lori Reads her ABCs - Fifth Thread


Semaphore Signals A-Z - Denelson83, as posted on wkimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Hi everyone. Welcome to my fifth - and probably last - thread for the 2018 Category Challenge. This is my ninth year participating in the Category Challenge. This year I have gone back to basics with two alphabet categories - one for author name and one for book title. Overlaps are not allowed, each book read will only count for either one author or one book title. Having completed my Bingo rather early this year - and cruising through my alphabet challenges faster than anticipated - I have decided to expand my challenge reading by creating an additional category, that will still help me read more ROOTS and continue to join in on the various Group Reads as well as the Kits and Cats.

New Category: To read books off my TBR shelves published in the past 30 years, hoping to read a minimum of one book for each year published from 1988 to 2018.

Author Alphabet Category:



Rule: Letter must be the first letter in the author's first, middle or last name, as displayed on the book cover.

"A" Author - Run by Ann Patchett - (review)
"B" Author - The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley - (review)
"C" Author - Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - (review)
"D" Author - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - (review)
"E" Author - The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards - (review)
"F" Author - Broken Harbour by Tana French - (review)
"G" Author - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - (review)
"H" Author - The Siege by Helen Dunmore - (review)
"I" Author - The Complaints by Ian Rankin - (review)
"J" Author - The Passage by Justin Cronin - (review)
"K" Author - The House at Riverton by Kate Morton - (review)
"L" Author - In Office Hours by Lucy Kellaway - (review)
"M" Author - The Road to Ever After by Moira Young - (review)
"N" Author - The Boy on the Bicycle by Nate Hendley - (review)
"O" Author - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - (review)
"P" Author - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - (review)
"Q" Author - Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick - (review)
"R" Author - The King of Lavender Square by Susan Ryan - (review)
"S" Author - Dark Desires by Eve Silver - (review)
"T" Author - The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo - (review)
"U" Author - Ghosts and Exiles by Sandra Unerman - (review)
"V" Author - Diary of a Single Wedding Planner by Violet Howe - (review)
"W" Author - My Ántonia by Willa Cather - (review)
"X" Author - In the Basement of the Ivory Tower by Professor X - (review)
"Y" Author - Effigy by Alissa York - (review)
"Z" Author - The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - (review)

Completed October 2, 2018

Book Title Alphabet Category:



Rule: Letter must be the first letter in one of the words that make up the book's title.

"A" Book Title - The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder -
"B" Book Title - The Bathwater Conspiracy by Janet Kellough - (review)
"C" Book Title - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore - (review)
"D" Book Title - Drifters' Alliance by Elle Casey - (review)
"E" Book Title - England, England by Julian Barnes - (review)
"F" Book Title - The Forsyte Saga by Johns Galsworthy - (review)
"G" Book Title - Arthur and George by Julian Barnes - (review)
"H" Book Title - The Hours by Michael Cunningham - (review)
"I" Book Title - The Time In Between by David Bergen - (review)
"J" Book Title - A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore - (review)
"K" Book Title - Kept by Elle Field - (review)
"L" Book Title - Late Nights on /Air by Elizabeth Hay - (review)
"M" Book Title - Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy - (review)
"N" Book Title - We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver - (review)
"O" Book Title - One Click by Andrea Mara - (review)
"P" Book Title - Faithful Place by Tana French - (review)
"Q" Book Title - Quarantine by Jim Crace - (review)
"R" Book Title - Reamde by Neal Stephenson - (review)
"S" Book Title - Mr. Darwin's Shooter by Roger MacDonald - (review)
"T" Book Title - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - (review)
"U" Book Title - The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall by Chris Dolley - (review)
"V" Book Title - The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay - (review)
"W" Book Title - The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove by J.S. Bailey - (review)
"X" Book Title - X by Sue Grafton - (review)
"Y" Book Title - Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton - (review)
"Z" Book Title - Zulu by Caryl Ferey - - (review)

Completed November 3, 2018

Original Publication Year (1988 to 2018):



Rule: Cannot overlap with Book Title or Book Author Alphabet categories.

2018 - On Bone Bridge by Maria Hoey - (review)
2017 - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - (review)
2016 - Little Red: An Everland Ever After Tale by Caroline Lee - (review)
2015 - The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante - (review)
2014 - Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford - (review)
2013 - The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout - (review)
2012 - Winter of the World by Ken Follett - (review)
2011 - The Free World by David Bezmozgis - (review)
2010 - Fall of Giants by Ken Follett - (review)
2009 - Ablutions by Patrick DeWitt - (review)
2008 - The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis - (review)
2007 - Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott - (review)
2006 - The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson - (review)
2005 - Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb - (review)
2004 - Seeing by Jose Saramago - (review)
2003 - What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller - (review)
2002 - The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante - (review)
2001 - Atonement by Ian McEwan - (review)
2000 - Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue - (review)
1999 - The Book Borrower by Alice Mattison - (review)
1998 - Solea by Jean-Claude Izzo - (review)
1997 - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami - (review)
1996 - Chourmo by Jean-Claude Izzo - (review)
1995 - Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo - (review)
1994 - The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King - (review)
1993 - Saving Agnes by Rachel Cusk - (review)
1992 - The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje - (review)
1991 - The Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam - (review)
1990 - The Difference Engine by William Gibson - (review)
1989 - Billy Bathgate by E. L. Doctorow - (review)
1988 - Nights Below Station Street by David Adams Richards - (review)

Completed December 26, 2018

Monthly CATs / KITs:



January
- ColourCAT (Black) - The King of Lavender Square by Susan Ryan -
- AlphaKIT ("M") - The Road to Ever After by Moira Young -
- ScaredyKIT (Gothic) - Dark Desires by Eve Silver -
- ScaredyKIT (Gothic) / AlphaKIT ("M") - Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy -
- SFFKIT (There is Always Tomorrow) / AlphaKIT ("M") - The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder -
- ScaredyKIT (Gothic) / AlphaKIT ("M") - The House at Riverton by Kate Morton -

February
- MysteryCAT (Female Cop/Sleuth/Detective) / AlphaKIT ("X") - X by Sue Grafton -
- ScaredyKIT (Survival/Disaster) / AlphaKIT ("J") - The Passage by Justin Cronin -
- AlphaKIT ("J") - Arthur and George by Julian Barnes -
- SFFKIT (Urban Fantasy) - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness -

March
- AlphaKIT ("F") - The Forsyte Saga by Johns Galsworthy -
- AlphaKIT ("F") / MysteryCAT (Global Places) - Faithful Place by Tana French -
- AlphaKIT ("F") / MysteryCAT (Global Places) - Broken Harbour by Tana French -
- ColourCAT (Green) / AlphaKIT ("F") / MysteryCAT (Global Places) - The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley -

April
- AlphaKIT ("U") / ColourCAT (Yellow) / RandomCAT (April Loves Books!) - The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall by Chris Dolley -
- RandomCat (April Loves Books!) - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini -
- ColourCAT (Yellow) - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore -
- ColourCAT (Yellow) - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde -
- SFFKIT (Time Travel) - 15 Minutes: A Time Travel Suspense Thriller by Jill Cooper -
- ScaredyKIT (Supernatural) - A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore -
- SFFKIT (Time Travel) / ScaredyKIT (Supernatural) - City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte -
- RandomCAT (April Loves Books!) / MysteryCAT (Classic and Golden Age Mysteries) - The Adventures of Dagobert Trostler by Balduin Groller -

May
- ColourCAT (Blue) / AlphaKIT ("K") - In Office Hours by Lucy Kellaway -
- ColourCAT (Blue) / AlphaKIT ("K") - The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards -
- MysteryCAT (Mysteries involving Transit) - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins -
- ColourCAT (Blue) - England, England by Julian Barnes -

June
- MysteryCAT (True Crime) - The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson -
- ColourCAT (Purple) - Kept by Elle Field -
- RandomCAT (Unusual Narrators) and SFFKIT (Series) - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie -
- ColourCAT (Purple) - Diary of a Single Wedding Planner by Violet Howe -

July
- MysteryCAT (Police Procedural) - Zulu by Caryl Ferey -
- AlphaKIT (S) - We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Schriver -
- AlphaKIT (S), ScaredyKIT (Science / Techno Thriller) and SFFKIT (Cyberpunk or Techno SFF) - Reamde by Neal Stephenson -

August
- ColourCAT (Gray/Grey) - The Boy on the Bicycle by Nate Hendley -
- MysteryCAT (Historical Mystery) - The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton -

September
- AlphaKIT ("E") - The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante -
- AlphaKIT ("E") - Effigy by Alissa York -
- AlphaKIT ("E") - Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elana Ferrante -
- ColourCAT (Metallic elements) - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller -
- AlphaKIT ("E") - The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante -
- ColourCAT (Metallic elements) - Ablutions by Patrick DeWitt -
- SFFKIT (Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales) - Little Red: An Everland Ever After Tale by Caroline Lee -
- MysteryCAT (Noir and Hard-boiled) - The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett -

October
- AlphaKIT (X) - In the Basement of the Ivory Tower by Professor X -
- RandomCAT (card games or card suite) - The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson -
- MysteryCAT (espionage) - On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming -
- ScaredyKIT (Ghost Stories) - Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott -
- ScaredyKIT (Ghost Stories) - The Servants by Michael Marshall Smith -

November
- ColourCAT (Red) - Quarantine by Jim Crace -
- ScaredyKIT (Serial Killers) - The Yard by Alex Grecian -
- ColourCAT (Red) - A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon -
- ColourCAT (Red) - Seeing by Jose Saramago -
- ColourCAT (Red) - Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel -
- ColourCAT (Red) - Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue -
- ColourCAT (Red) - Saving Agnes by Rachel Cusk -
- ColourCAT (Red) - Who Do You Think You Are? by Pauline Burgess -
- ColourCAT (Red) - Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo -

December

1. Mr. Darwin's Shooter by Roger MacDonald -
2. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens -
3. The Adventures of Dagobert Trostler by Balduin Groller -
4. Dark Desires by Eve Silver -
5. Arthur and George by Julian Barnes -
6. Mary Coin by Marisa Silver -
7. A Mentor and Her Muse by Susan Sage -
8. X by Sue Grafton -
9. The Passage by Justin Cronin -
10. The Road to Ever After by Moira Young -
11. The Hours by Michael Cunningham -
12. Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy -
13. Faithful Place by Tana French -
14. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
15. The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall by Chris Dolley -
16. Us Conductors by Sean Michaels -
17. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini -
18. The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo -
19. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton -
20. The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards -
21. Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx by Sonia Manzano -
22. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde -
23. The Siege by Helen Dunmore -
24. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder -
25. The King of Lavender Square by Susan Ryan -

Completed June 21, 2018

Group Reads:



1. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens -
2. Arthur & George by Julian Barnes -
3. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy -

This thread is now open for visitors

Book #79 - The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: RandomCAT (Card game or card suits) - Bridge
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 2006
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2006
Acquisition date: December 17, 2011
Page count: 368 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.90 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the author's book listing webpage:

"Growing up on a farm in Northern Ontario in the 1930s two brothers, Arthur and Jake Dunn, are polar opposites. Arthur, the elder of the two, is shy, solid, and dutiful. Jake, five years younger, is smarter, better looking – and big trouble, especially where Arthur is concerned. Throughout their childhoods, everything Arthur has, Jake has to have too. When a young woman, Laura March, arrives in the community Arthur falls in love so hard he hurts all over for a week. And Jake just can’t resist stepping in.

Maybe things would have worked out with no blood spilled, and no harm done, if Ian Christopherson, the naive and idealistic son of the local doctor, hadn’t taken a summer job on the farm. But he did take the job, and all unknowing, Ian was the fuse that would ignite the powder keg of emotions around him."

Review:
Lawson has done it again. I absolutely loved her debut novel Crow Lake and she did not disappoint me with this, her second novel. In fact, this was the perfect read to pull me out of my reading funk after having abandoned a book. Told through a shifting narrative, Lawson's characters come to life in a way that continues to astound me. Lawson adeptly captures the essence of time and place, the place being the fictional small Northern Ontario town of Struan, a stone's throw away from the setting for Crow Lake. Family dynamics take the forefront in this story, but Lawson delves deeper to also provide an examination of the clashes/tensions of urban versus rural and indigenous populations and the more recent land settlers. Not surprisingly, Lawson admits on her website that she vaguely thinks of her three novels - the third one being Road Ends - as ‘The Crow Lake Trilogy’ or ‘The Struan Trilogy’ because they are linked in place and time and have several characters who appear in more than one book. Yes, Lawson's writing style and the loose weaving of her novels remind me a bit of Marilynne Robinson's Gilead books. Lawson employs quiet, reflective prose to convey a powerful coming of age story mired in moral quandaries, sibling rivalry, the devastating impact the second World War had on small farming communities and the sheer daunting influence of Mother Nature and her ability to isolate communities.

The execution of this story is picture perfect and Lawson deserves a place of honor, IMO, alongside some of my favorite Canadian authors, such as Timothy Findley and David Adams Richards. What can I say... I tend to love books that have a tragic angle to them.

Highly, highly recommended!

Book #80 - Road Ends by Mary Lawson
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 2013
Acquisition date: May 3, 2015
Page count: 311 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the author's book listing webpage:

"Twenty-one-year-old Megan Cartwright has never been outside Struan, a small town of deep woods and savage winters in the Canadian north. The second eldest in a family of seven brothers, Megan has been better at running the household than her mother since she was ten, but the day comes when she decides she has done enough. To her family’s astonishment and dismay, Megan leaves home and goes off to London England, to have a life of her own.

In the wake of her absence, Megan’s family back in Struan begins to unravel. Edward, her father, struggling to escape the legacy of his own unhappy childhood, keeps to his study and immerses himself in books. Megan’s oldest brother, Tom, traumatized by the death of his best friend, abandons his career as an aeronautical engineer and returns home to drive Struan’s ancient snowplough. Megan’s mother withdraws to her room, doting on her newborn son. And Adam, Megan’s four-year-old brother, wanders the house alone."

Review:
This one is a little more of a challenge to review. Lawson continues to employ her winning story-telling style, with this story set in the same fictional town of Struan as her previous stand alone novel, The Other Side of the Bridge. Focusing on the Cartright family, Lawson sweeps the reader through the early 1900's Ontario silver rush era to the swing scene of 1960's London, England. She continues to create compelling characters and plot lines. It is the whole London, England part of the story that just seemed odd to me, probably because I feel that Lawson could have sent Megan anywhere in Canada and still retain the effect of Megan being completely removed from the family events occurring in Struan, but that is just my personal bugaboo about this one. The parts of the story focused on Struan and the Cartwright family are classic Lawson: moral quandaries continue to abound but this time, Lawson gives readers a family literally imploding within it self, through a combination of tragic events, medical realities and overwhelming inertia of certain family members. That alone made riveting reading, but still doesn't make up for the more blase "Megan in London" parts of the story.

Overall, Lawson continues to astonish me with her presentation of a family unraveling against a harsh, unforgiving Northern Ontario backdrop. Sadly, I have reached the end of the Mary Lawson books currently published and can only hope that she is writing another novel.

Book #81 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming - audiobook read by David Tennent
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: MysteryCAT (Espionage)
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Hard Cover / Audiobook
Original publication date: 1963
Acquisition date: December 25, 2012
Page count: 255 pages / 8 hours, 6 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.35 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"In the aftermath of Operation Thunderball, Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s trail has gone cold—and so has 007’s love for his job. The only thing that can rekindle his passion is Contessa Teresa “Tracy” di Vicenzo, a troubled young woman who shares his taste for fast cars and danger. She’s the daughter of a powerful crime boss, and he thinks Bond’s hand in marriage may be the solution to all her problems. Bond’s not ready to settle down—yet—but he soon finds himself falling for the enigmatic Tracy.

After finally tracking the SPECTRE chief to a stronghold in the Swiss Alps, Bond uncovers the details of Blofeld’s latest plot: a biological warfare scheme more audacious than anything the fiend has tried before. Now Bond must save the world once again—and survive Blofeld’s last, very personal, act of vengeance."

Review:
This book has a special place in my heart. One, it is my favorite Bond movie, of all of the Bond movies. Two, my other half gifted me a first edition back in 2012, so this review is more of a comparison of movie to book, given that I knew the movie pretty much by memory. I love the fact that the movie did keep a fair bit of the original story intact, albeit with some physical characteristics changes to accommodate the actors hired to play the roles. Tennent does a wonderful job reading the story - he even nailed Irma Bunt's voice! - but I found it interesting that the written story is missing some of the high flying action scenes Hollywood chose to employ in the movie adaptation. Yes, the story is decidedly dated in how women are portrayed (but that was also how they were portrayed in the movies, so not a big surprise). What is interesting in the written story is how Fleming likes to flaunt (for lack of a better word) his, dare we say, insider knowledge of the "elite set" - his descriptions of some of the menus and the casinos/ski retreats are rather detailed. Yes, I tend to cry at the ending of the movie and I did again at the ending of the story. I tend to view this story as being the one to peel back Bond's iron clad exterior and give readers a glimpse - yes, a rather brief, guarded glimpse - into his soul.

Dated by today's standards, but classic Bond.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey

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







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

WEEKS 169 and 170 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 67.91 (Week 169 = 35.67; Week 170 = 32.24)
Kilometers walked in total: 7,497.24
Current province: (NL)
My current location on the map: Directly east of the southern tip of Jacks Pond.
Points of interest along the way: Not much to report as week 169 was just a crazy busy week and Week 170 was a relaxing week of down time. Looking forward to amping up my walking... getting excited that the end to my walking challenge is within sight!

Happy new thread, Lori! It has been interesting to follow your walking, I really enjoyed the photos.

Happy new thread from me too! Echoing Birgit, I've really enjoyed following your walking progress and discovering Canada through your challenge!

Happy new thread! I hope your tax papers get sorted out quickly. What a pain!
But congratulations on your pumpkin cheesecake. So what if an ingredient was missing, maybe you've created a new dessert!

Happy new thread! The pumpkin cheesecake sounds yummy :D

>13 MissWatson:, >14 Jackie_K:, >15 mstrust: and >16 rabbitprincess: - Thanks Birgit, Jackie, Jennifer and RP for the happy new thread wishes! This is probably the first year where I am happy to just coast into year end with my reading. Still need to figure out my plans for next year - focus will remain on reading books of my TBR shelves - but hoping to get a little creative. Will see that transpires.

>13 MissWatson: and >14 Jackie_K: - Glad to see that the pictures I have posted with some of my walking posts have been enjoyed! Will try to come up with something interesting and informative for the next walking post. I have really enjoyed tracking my walking. Not only has it motivated me to get my butt out of the chair and get mobile, it has taught me a lot about the country I call home. ;-)

>15 mstrust: - LOL, I think you are right. For me taste is everything and as I tend to sample as I bake, I knew the taste would be okay. Ironically enough, my nephew's girlfriend is pretty good in the kitchen - she made an apple pie for the dinner - and she sat down after dinner to ask about the ginger snap cookie crust. You should have seen her face when I told her all it was is grated store bought ginger snap cookies (the drier, crunchy ones), some melted butter and the same process for making a graham wafer crust.

>16 rabbitprincess: - I will definitely have to make it again... remembering the whipping cream, next time. ;-)

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After having experienced some rather interesting fall weather conditions last week, it is nice to see that the weather forecast for the next week is going to be sunshine, sunshine, sunshine. Short week in the office as I will be offsite on training for two days - best way to cruise back into the work schedule. ;-)

Using ginger snaps instead of graham crackers is a great idea. And I'd never thought of doing anything other than a traditional crust with apple pie. I should give it a try.

>17 lkernagh: Someone told me about using ginger snaps. I believe I tried it once and really liked it, but then I forgot about using them later on. Maybe your note will job my memory.

>18 RidgewayGirl: - I am getting hungry just thinking about an apple pie with a ginger snap cookie crust!

>19 thornton37814: - Fabulous to jog your memory, Lori! I am sure that ginger snaps as a crust is not unique, just not not norm at the moment. ;-)

Book #82 - Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott - audiobook read by Susan Duerden
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ScaredyKIT (Ghost Stories)
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Date - 2007
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback / Audiobook
Original publication date: 2007
Acquisition date: February 3, 2009
Page count: 352 pages / 6 hours listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.00 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"The son of a reclusive historian finds his mother's drowned body in the tributary of the River Cam that runs through her garden. She is clutching a glass prism. Elizabeth Vogelsang's magnum opus, a book on Isaac Newton's alchemy, is incomplete. Lydia Brooke, a writer friend of the dead historian, returns to Cambridge to the funeral. It is five years since she has seen Elizabeth's son, Cameron Brown, with whom she has had an intermittent love affair that began years earlier.

Cambridge, she discovers, is in the midst of an upsurge of attacks by animal rights extremists. Cameron, who, as a neuroscientist uses animal experimentation, has been targeted. Cameron asks Lydia to act as a paid ghostwriter in the completion of his mother's book, Alchemist. Lydia agrees to the proposal and moves into Elizabeth's strange house, a triangular shaped studio on the banks of the Cam. Soon Lydia finds herself entangled, not only with Cameron, but also with a four-hundred year-old murder mystery, a network of 17th century alchemists and a ghostly figure intent on disrupting her work."

Review:
Great story from the Issac Newton/Cambridge angle. An okay story as far as historical mysteries go. Subpar on the whole plot/character development. End result: an average read. I tried to read this one back in 2009 and ended up abandoning it then. The audiobook made for an easier, somewhat more enticing read, but the end result is that the story will probably only appeal to readers that enjoy stories steeped in the Cambridge setting or will gravitate towards anything with an Issac Newton angle.

For me, glad to finally get this one off the TBR pile.

Hi Lori and happy new thread.

Pumpkin cheesecake and apple pie are fall flavors for sure. I'm getting antsy about it still seeming summerish out here.

Congrats on such a successful reading year so far - enough so that you have a new and intriguing category. Good luck on it.

Happy new thread, Lori! Glad I haven't missed the conclusion of your virtual walk across Canada.

Happy new thread Lori. A person could get very hungry while visiting your thread with all those delicious descriptions of pumpkin cheesecake.

>9 lkernagh: - >10 lkernagh: - I decided to take a BB on this author because of these two reviews. Then today we had our first meeting of book club at our new condo place. (It's a new development so we're all new.) I offered to host the first month and picked Crow Lake as our first book. This way I'll read it instead of letting it languish on a list like some other BBs I've taken.

>21 lkernagh: It's a shame that one wasn't better. Its premise was so promising.

Happy new thread, Lori. Sounds like you had a great Thanksgiving. It is perfect walking weather out there now but who knows how long it will last.

>22 karenmarie: - Hi Karen! Yes, it is fall foods time, which equates to comfort foods for me. ;-0 Not sure if I will manage to complete my new category but, half the fun is choosing books to read that can get me closer to that goal.

>23 Carmenere: - Hi Lynda! Still walking, with hopes now of completing my walking challenge in time for Remembrance Day. Getting close!

>24 mdoris: - Thanks Mary. Yes, all the discussion of food can be tempting. At least I didn't post any pictures. It is usually the pictures that get my mouth watering and my tummy grumbling. ;-) I was rather surprised that pumpkin cheesecake was a bit of a novelty for my family... they are such big dessert eaters I would have assumed someone would have made a pumpkin cheesecake before now.

>25 dudes22: - I do think Crow Lake would make a great book club read and so happy that I was able to entice you towards Mary Lawson's books. Such a wonderful author.

>26 thornton37814: - I was so looking forward to a ghost story with the Stott book, so yes I was a bit disappointed with that one. As an academic mystery, it might still hold attraction for some readers.

>27 Familyhistorian: - Thanks Meg! Foods and family is all I really need for a fabulous Thanksgiving. Even better if I am not on the hook to cook the entire meal! ;-) The weather this past week has been perfect for walking! I am hoping to amp up my walking while I still can (before the rainy fall days take over).

--------------------------------
Happy Thursday everyone! This week has been good one. Cruising back into the work week after a week off has been rather easy this time, especially as I have been offsite on some work related training for the past two days. Even better, Friday will be manageable (I have stayed on top of my emails). Plans for the weekend are low-key. Other than doing my civic duty to vote in the municipal elections on Saturday, not much planned. Still need to do the candidate profile reading so I know who all to vote for. Not sure what it is like in other municipalities but in Victoria we get to vote for the mayor and vote for all 8 candidates (from some 28 candidates) to represent the city on the city council (we are not broken down into wards or smaller burroughs where we just vote for the mayor and a candidate to represent the ward on the council). Also have to vote for the school district representatives, so I have a rather long list of people to compile and check off when I vote on Saturday!

Glad you've had a good week back at work, Lori. You know, you don't often hear of someone being happy to return :-D

Catching up around here, Lori. Victoria's municipal election system is quite different. Hopefully everything went smoothly for you today.

A bit late, happy new thread. You did some wonderful reading.

>29 mstrust: - LOL! I should probably say that I was really happy to be back home and prepared to go back and face the work grind. ;-)

>30 MickyFine: - Hi Micky, you are right, municipal elections is a bit of a different beast, at least in the Greater Capital Region. As I live in Victoria, I was able to vote for one mayor candidate (out of a running of 9 candidates); 8 council members (out of a running of 29 candidates); 9 school district members (out of a running of 11 candidates). We also get to vote for up to three representatives - should they be elected to city council - to represent the municipality at the Capital Region District level - and we had a question as to whether or not we support a $250,000 cost to establish a citizen's council to examine a possible amalgamation with the municipality of Saanich. Suffice to say, it is a two page ballot that one fills in. I am terrible at remembering names so I had a list of all the candidates I was for on my phone so I could refer to it while filling in my ballot. ;-)

>31 Ameise1: - Hi Barbara! Lovely to see you visiting the new thread.

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Happy Sunday, Everyone! Saturday was an interesting day. Woke up to a true "pea-souper" fog - could not even see the houses across the street!. Had to take the other half into work and shot this picture while stopped in traffic for the raised bridge:



I am less than 100 feet away from the raised bridge that is shrouded in fog. We could hear the horns of the boat that was passing through, but could not see it, the fog was that thick. Took advantage of the weather to go and vote early. Polling opened at 8:00 am. When I officially submitted my vote at 9:10, I was voter 135 at that particular polling station.

Spent the rest of the morning doing errands while the fog bank slowly dissipated. By noon the fog was gone and the sunshine was out. Went for an enjoyable walk in Beacon Hill Park, where I shot this picture:



I love fall. It is my favorite season. ;-)

Stayed up late for election results and have had to resign myself to another four years with the same mayor. *sighs* I don't know how voter turnout is in other areas but I always find it frustrating that the numbers are as low as they are. Only 44% of eligible voters turned out yesterday to vote in Victoria, which apparently isn't all that bad considering some neighboring municipalities had even lower voter turn out (29% for a couple and and one with only 19% voter turnout). I seriously refuse to listen to people who complain about local politics when the voting numbers are this low.

not much reading happening at the moment. I have allowed myself to revisit the TV adaptations of the Agatha Raisin cozy murder mysteries, which are a lovely distraction.

Book #83 - Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb - audiobook read by Kate Reading
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Date - 2005
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback / Audiobook
Original publication date: 2005
Acquisition date: December 30, 2010
Page count: 432 pages / 9 hours, 45 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.85 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the book back cover:

"Set in Emperor Haile Selassie's Ethiopia and the radically charged world of Thatcher's London, Sweetness in the Belly is a richly detailed portrayal of one woman's search for love and belonging. Lilly, born to British parents, eventually finds herself living as a devout, young, white Muslim woman in the ancient walled city of Harar in the years leading up to the deposition of the emperor. She is drawn to an idealistic young doctor, Aziz, but their love has only just begum to fulfil its promise when the convulsions of a new order wrench them apart, sending Lilly to an England she has never seen, and Aziz into the darkness of a radical revolution."

Review:
Love the premise but the delivery just fell flat for me. A tad too erudite. I kept feeling that I was in the classroom, receiving a lesson on human diaspora, and that just kept pulling me away from the more intimate, personal story on offer. Don't get me wrong, Gibb obviously is highly educated and has done her research, but sometimes I just want to experience a story. Yes, through Lilly, a reader becomes exposed to an interesting cross-cultural perspective as Lilly finds herself being defined as a farenji (foreigner) in Harar because of her white skin, while back in London she does not identify with the English Caucasian community. From that perspective, Lilly is very much a woman who, culturally, identifies more with a nation that clearly views her a not one of their own kind. I should also mention that the story does contain some disturbing descriptions, like the genital mutilation of young girls, that were rather difficult to read.

Overall, I found that the continual messaging of messages of ethnicity and identity seemed to stifle the story, to the point where I was unable to make any kind of reader connection with any of the characters. Favorite quote (and a good humanity lesson of the story for all):

"For all the brutality that is inflicted upon us, we still possess the desire to be polite to strangers. We may have blackened eyes, but we still insist on brushing our hair. We may have had our toes shot off by a nine-year-old, but we still believe in the innocence of children. We may have been raped, repeatedly, by two men in a Kenyan refugee camp, but we still open ourselves to the ones we love. We may have lost everything, but we still insist on being generous and sharing the little that remains. We still have dreams."

My Trans Canada Walking Journey

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







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

WEEK 171 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 51.71
Kilometers walked in total: 7,548.95
Current province: (NL)
My current location on the map: Due south of Blaketown.
Points of interest along the way: My virtual walking journey this week took me past Merasheen, Long and Red Islands. Merasheen Island has a dark history. In the 1960's a Canadian government resettlement program dragged Merasheen residents from a vibrant community on the island to one of poverty. The last family to leave Merasheen under the program left in 1968. This past summer marked the 50th anniversary of the resettlement. The story of the impact the resettlement had on the Merasheen residents is documented at the following website:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/ezTGRWtms72QW/

Good news is that today, the next generation of resettled Mersheen residents are returning to the island and there are almost as many summer homes on Merasheen as there were permanent homes in the 1960s.

To end this update on a more lighthearted trivia note, I have noticed that Newfoundland has some interesting place names. Some elicit images of quaintness - such as Heart's Content, Heart's Desire and Heart's Delight-Islington - and some that bring some different images to mind - like Dildo, South Dildo and Placentia Junction. ;-)

>32 lkernagh: I enjoyed the Agatha Raisin TV series too. In fact, I had never read any and have now read the ones that were included in the first season. I read a few days ago that North American audiences were so large for the TV series that it was saved from cancellation so series 2 will be along sometime.

Hi Lori, we here in Delta also had a very low voter turnout, somewhere about 38% I believe. So many people can't be bothered with the municple elections yet here is where change can often be started. Well, I won't get up on my soap box, but I was hoping that we would see a bigger turnout considering that voter apathy is a major issue in so many places.

>35 clue: That's very good news, as I loved that show.

>35 clue: - It is such a great show. Yes, Season 2 of Agatha Raisin is coming! Season 2 will be three TV movies based on three of Beaton's novels. I subscribe to Acorn TV and they have reported that the first "movie" will debut November 19, second one on Christmas Eve and the third on in late January, so Yup, more Agatha Raisin is coming!

Here is a link to the article I read:

https://blogs.weta.org/tellyvisions/2018/10/01/agatha-raisin-season-2-begins-aco...

>36 DeltaQueen50: - I am tempted to join you on a soap box, Judy. Vote apathy is insane. So many major issues and people cannot be bothered to learn the candidate platforms and vote? *sheesh!*

>37 mstrust: - It is coming. See my comment above to clue. ;-)

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Hi there. I am a bit down in the doldrums today. Today is the second anniversary of my Mom's death so dealing with memories and getting a little teary-eyed. Hard to believe that it has already been two years. Sharing here a message I posted to Facebook and a photo of me as a "tottling toddler" with my Mom smiling encouragement as I was trying to get my walking legs in order. ;-)

.

That is a very sweet picture, Lori.

>38 lkernagh: those anniversaries are so very difficult. Thinking of you.

Beautiful photo - take good care of yourself.

>39 DeltaQueen50:, >40 Helenliz: and >41 LisaMorr: - Thanks Judy, Helen and Lisa. Going through the old photos and other mementos help me get through with wonderful memories to cherish.

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

Good grief, we are coming to the end of another month. I don't know about how you have been been finding this year. This year has just been flying by for me. Had a relaxing weekend. Sent the other half off on a short sailing trip Friday night. learned last night that he has acquired a trimaran, sight unseen. Apparently it is currently moored on one of the smaller islands - forget which one he mentioned. This should prove interesting. ;-)

Other than that piece of excitement, just some reading, TV watching and puttering around. Given how close I am to finishing my cross Canada walking challenge, I very motivated to get my walking in, between rain showers. Day off tomorrow so will probably pull out my craft trunk and sort through the stuff... see what I should keep, what I can ditch, etc.

Book #84 - Billy Bathgate by E. L. Doctorow - audiobook narrated by Mark Deakens
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Date - 1989
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 1989
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 336 pages / 11 hours, 16 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.15 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

"To open this book is to enter the perilous, thrilling world of Billy Bathgate, the brazen boy who is accepted into the inner circle of the notorious Dutch Schultz gang. Like an urban Tom Sawyer, Billy takes us along on his fateful adventures as he becomes good-luck charm, apprentice, and finally protégé to one of the great murdering gangsters of the Depression-era underworld in New York City."

Review:
I really like this one, even if there were some disturbing scenes that had me starting to second guess why I wanted to read this, my first exposure to E. L. Doctorow's novels. What worked for me is the well drawn setting and the pitch perfect voice of our young Billy. Boy, does Billy think fast on his feet and grow up fast for a street smart middle teen kid from a fatherless, East Bronx childhood! I get that the Depression era was a hard scrabble on its own. Add in a strong, gangster element as Doctorow has done here, and the end result is a fast-reading peerless (and perilous) coming-of-age story. Doctorow provides enough detail about 1930s New York life (from the view of the city's notorious underground crime economy) that it was easy for me to visualize life in those times, from that perspective.

What can I say... an easy flowing, captivating read, with some interesting jolts along the way.

.
Book #85 - The Weeping Books of Blinney Lane by Drea Damara
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: LTER
Format: e-book
Original publication date: 2015
Acquisition date: August 11, 2018
Page count: 400 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.95 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"You may never look at a book the same way again... Sarah Allister just wants a normal life running her bookshop and daydreaming about Henry, the handsome deliveryman — in spite of the three-hundred-year curse that rules her existence, along with the other shop owners on Blinney Lane, a niche shopping district in historical Salem. Although unusual phenomenon occurs daily in her shop, contentment seems within reach—until her brother sends his spirited, teenage son, Ricky, to spend the summer with her. Now Sarah must keep Ricky from discovering the curse of Blinney Lane and awakening its full power. Will Ricky heed Sarah’s warnings...or accidentally awaken the weeping books of Blinney Lane, sending Sarah on a journey to a land filled with people she swore to forget?"

Review:
What a fun, sweet, fantasy adventure story! All readers at some point probably wonder what it would be like to enter a favorite fantasy/ fairy tales kind of story as a character (yes, I am calling out to all The Princess Bride fans out there). Damara takes that concept and provides a delightful coming-of-age/romance/family relationships story. The residents of Blinney Lane are on the eccentric side to say the least (which I absolutely loved!), especially as they spend half of their time appearing as staged 'dressing' for the tourists that find their way to the quaint lane-way of shops (when they are not running around having closed door meetings and, yes, brewing concoctions). Sarah is sweet - bookish librarian sweet - so it is adorable to witness the attraction between her and Hank. As for Ricky, yes I found him to be a bit annoying at first, but hey, have to appreciate his 17-year-old reaction to being removed from the fast New York scene by his father and dumped into the care of his aunt to spend the summer helping out in her bookshop on a tourist shopping lane in "deadsville" Salem. Loved how even Ricky discovers that sometimes hanging around a bookstore in a sleepy town might not be such a bad thing. Even better - from my perspective anyways - is the story is slowly revealed in segments, capturing both the current and past events that explain both the curse and the changing world of Farin Wood.

Filled with adorable romance and fantasy action adventure taking the reader between modern Salem and the wonderful fantasy world of Farin Wood. Get ready for everything from secrets to sweet, tender moments and suspenseful encounters with fantasy creatures, swordplay (loved the dueling scene!) and defending honour. Good stuff!

My Trans Canada Walking Journey

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







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

WEEK 172 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 37.07
Kilometers walked in total: 7,586.02
Current province: (NL)
My current location on the map: Due north of Hawke Hills Park Reserve and heading for Butter Pot Provincial Park.
Points of interest along the way: According to the provincial website, Hawke Hill Ecological Reserve protects a variety of arctic-alpine plants that are rarely encountered in North America this far east and south. The area can, in fact, be called the most easterly alpine barrens in North America.



Butter Pot Provincial Park (love that name!) covers an area of 2833 hectares of varied terrain and vegetation - forests, bogs, heaths and ponds. The term "butter pot" means a prominent rounded hill. The park is named for Butter Pot Hill. The oldest rocks found in Butter Pot Provincial Park belong to the Harbour Main group. They date back to the Precambrian era and are approximately 600 million years old. The main vegetation type is Boreal forest a dense-growing coniferous forest, dominated by black spruce and balsam fir with some tamarack and white birch. Most of the areas vegetation was destroyed by fire around 1889. In sheltered areas the forest grew back quickly, but in exposed places it has not quite recovered.



.... getting really close to the end of my walking challenge!

>38 lkernagh: What a wonderful photo!

>43 lkernagh: I'll take note of that one. I haven't read anything by Doctorow.

>45 lkernagh: .... getting really close to the end of my walking challenge! How exciting! Not many have your determination.

>46 VivienneR: - Thanks Vivienne. I was pleasantly surprised by Billy Bathgate so I will be adding more Doctorow books to my future reading lists. As for the walking challenge, here is hoping the weather stays nice so that I can get the walking in! Had some rather heavy rains yesterday and today - but nothing compared to the amount of rain that caused flooding in parts of the lower mainland. At least I know I will finish that challenge soon. ;-)

Book #86 - The Servants by Michael Marshall Smith
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ScaredyKIT: Ghost Stories
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2007
Acquisition date: May 11, 2014
Page count: 224 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

"For young Mark, the world has turned as bleak and gray as the Brighton winter. Separated from his real father and home in London, he's come to live with his mother and her new husband in an old house near the sea. He spends his days alone, trying to master the skateboard, while other boys his age are in school. He hates the unwanted stepfather who barged into Mark's life to rob him of joy. Worst of all, his once-vibrant mother has grown listless and weary, no longer interested in anything beyond her sitting room.

But on a damp and chilly evening, an accident carries Mark into the basement flat of the old woman who lives at the bottom of his stepfather's house. She offers tea, cakes, and sympathy . . . and the key to a secret, bygone world. Mark becomes caught up in the frenetic bustle of the human machinery that once ran a home, and drawn ever deeper into a lost realm of spirits and memory. Here below the suffocating truths, beneath the pain and unhappiness, he finds an escape, and quite possibly a way to change everything."

Review:
Billed as a modern day ghost story, I enjoyed Mark's "below stairs" paranormal experiences, even if parts were on the strange side. The fact that Mark can see the spirit servants (and they can see him) makes for a level of creepiness but not in an immediately horrific, scary kind of way. Loved the Brighton setting (even if it is the off season), the old house and the little old lady who lives downstairs (every seaside story should have such a neighbour). Given that the story is told from Mark's point of view, there is a lot of adult information and conversations the reader is not privy to, so it takes a while to figure out what is wrong with Mark's mother. For me, Smith has captured the anger, frustration and loneliness a young child must experience when his family life has suddenly turned upside down and he is not privy to all the details about his mom. As for what is wrong with the house, you will have to read the book to find out (I will give you a hint: That is probably why some readers have tagged this story as a horror).

Overall, a different coming-of-age/YA story that may appeal to readers who like stories set in Brighton, or enjoy ghost stories with a fair bit of symbolism built in.

Happy "almost mid-week" for my visitors! Not sure what kind of Halloween plans everyone has. For us, it is usually low-key. I am not in the mood to dress-up tomorrow at work but I still enjoy seeing the various costumes work colleagues and other workers adorn. The office where my other half works in is putting on a holiday potluck lunch, so tonight I was busy making my Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad for him to take in to the office. I knew about this some four weeks ago but the details discovered over the past 7 days seem share-worthy here. Originally, everyone was informed that due to allergies, recipes should accompany the dishes. I don't know about you, but I tend to hold recipes for some of my go-to entertaining faves close to my chest and not keen to share. I suggested that if we are dealing with food allergies, what ingredients should I make sure I don't use? Apparently the individual in question (yes, just one person identified with food allergies) did not want to share this information, so the request for recipes was scaled down to a request for ingredients. I am okay with sharing an ingredients list, so no worries. Suddenly on Friday everyone was informed that they need to bring their own serving spoons (to "hopefully" prevent any cross contamination). I totally get that and have a serving spoon at the ready. Tonight, I have now learned that the individual in question is claiming that their allergy is to "all meat" and that if they eat meat, they will probably die.

*cue crickets*

Oookkkkkaaaaayyyy... call me suspicious but this whole drama scene is starting to sound like it is being driven by a food preference, not an actual food allergy, given that "meat" is a rather broad term (no specific mention of beef, pork, lamb or bison - all of which are readily available in the stores here in town). Yes, apparently the statement generated an eye roll from the potluck organizer, but some hills are not worth dying on. This individual is probably the type to go and complain to HR if someone were to say it didn't sound like an allergy. Suffice to say, the other half has already decided to not participate in any future potlucks at work if this is the rigamarole that we have to dance through. I know, I am getting crusty as I age. Life is just too short - and already too crazy - for stuff like this when everyone is trying to have some fun during the lunch hour and one individual is making everyone jump through hoops. I should probably mention that the demographic for the individual in question is late 20-something. Automatically made me think of two of my nieces (in the same age group) who are about as exacting about what they will not eat.

Oh well, once I knew all the details, I just made the salad (and an ingredients list) and settled down to a lovely glass of wine. ;-)

An article link found in my Twitter feed:

Antarctic scientist ‘stabs colleague who kept telling him the endings of books he was reading on remote research station'

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7615571/antarctic-scientist-stabs-colleague-who-ke...

Disturbing and yet..... kind of understand where the anger and frustration that fueled the attack came from (not saying the action was correct or warranted, but I kind of get it).

>49 lkernagh: I'm dressing as myself. That's scary enough! LOL

>50 lkernagh: - Well, that certainly gave me a good chuckle first thing this morning. But somewhat understandable. And "fueled by alcohol".. go figure.

>50 lkernagh: I can kinda understand that...
>49 lkernagh: oh *** that kind of behaviour gets people with a genuine allergy a bad name. Husband is allergic to fish, and it's unpleasant enough that we've never tried to discover which fish or if it's all of them. But at least that's reasonably easy to identify and avoid.

>49 lkernagh: What I don't understand is why someone with as many "allergies" as that co-worker claims to have would even participate in a potluck. I would think he/she would simply say I would love to join in but my allergies are so specific that I will just bring my own food.

>54 DeltaQueen50: That was my reaction too. Instead of regulating what everyone else is doing and killing the fun, why doesn't the person bring their own lunch? But we aren't suppose to say something so "insensitive", are we?

>49 lkernagh: At one time I developed a severe case of hives that was thought might be caused by an allergy (it wasn't). However, it made me kind of paranoid about the possible cause and I can appreciate anyone with allergies becoming a bit neurotic. But the way some people deal with their allergies, or expect others to deal with them, is hard to understand.

>50 lkernagh: Four years in an Antarctic station would drive anyone crazy never mind the outrage of story endings being disclosed!

>49 lkernagh: Certainly sounds more like someone with a love of drama or who is enjoying making the potluck organizer run around. The people I've known with serious food allergies make sure that the people around them know exactly what they are, so that people can make sure not to expose them to that food. And they would be more likely to just gracefully bow out of a potluck, but who knows.

And, of course >50 lkernagh: was justifiable. What kind of monster would do such a thing?

Potluck coworker sounds like a situation for Ask a Manager!

I am an early 30-something and a somewhat picky eater, and in that kind of situation I would just bring my own food rather than inflict my pickiness on others. (Incidentally, we're having a potluck at work next week as well, to celebrate the end of the workplace charity drive.)

>51 thornton37814: - LOL!

>52 dudes22: - I don't think I would do well with a colleague that keeps disclosing the ending to the books I am reading! I would probably resort to hiding my reading, if I couldn't get the person to understand how annoying his actions are. Alcohol would potentially explain the attack.

>53 Helenliz: - I agree on both counts. I appreciate and understand that individuals with allergies need to be vigilant with their food consumption - no one wants to experience ill side effects or worse! - and you raise a good point. Going for allergy testing to pinpoint the specific allergy (or allergies) can be a very uncomfortable experience (having learned about the process from a work colleague) and sometimes it is just easier to say that "I will no longer eat ______".

>54 DeltaQueen50: - Good point, Judy. One of my work colleagues has some food allergies and they have chosen to not partake in potluck events. Your solution is a good one. I am sure that no one would object if someone wants to join the fun but bring their own "bag lunch". It even raises a possible sensible middle ground - if you want to participate, provide a dish that you do not mind being the only item that you will consume if you have food allergies concerns and feel that the other food items on offer will put you at risk, especially if you are not prepared to let all contributors know what food allergy you have. I would be more than happy to amend a recipe or swap it out for something else if I know I need to exclude certain specific food items. For example, my work colleague is allergic to tomatoes - it is amazing how many recipes have tomatoes in some form included that can be re-jigged and still taste good!

>55 mstrust: - *Nods head in agreement and points up to comment provided above.*

>56 VivienneR: - Well ,that would freak me out too, so consider yourself "normal" with your reaction to hives! Anything to avoid the experience again. ;-)

Good point about the 4 years at the station! I missed that bit. That kind of isolation would definitely be trying, even for the introvert that I am. The last thing someone in that situation needs is an annoying kill-joy. I would not resort to a knife but changes are I might be tempted to throw the book(s) at ending revealer. ;-)

>57 RidgewayGirl: - I am loving the common sense that is showing up here! Totally agree with you... food allergies are not something that you keep private. No one is going to shun you because your body reacts violently to certain foods. Allergic reactions are something that people have to live with and the more information this is disclosed, the easier it is to make an event enjoyable for everyone. Oh well, some people do like drama or have strange misgivings about disclosing what would be helpful information to others.

Yup, we seem to be on the same page with the ending revealer. ;-)

>58 rabbitprincess: - How cool! I have never heard of the Ask a Manager website! Thanks so much for sharing this link!

I have no problem with picky eaters - we all like what we like and hate what we hate - and I even appreciate that some individuals have potential concerns with how some food may have been prepared. In my earlier work history I did a stint working in food service. Received all the necessary food handling training/certification and I have to admit, I tend to get a little squeamish about potlucks as I have to accept the potential risk that some food storage and handling procedures may not met the standards I was trained to way back in the day. As a related aside, my other half has grown to accept the fact that we have separate cutting boards for raw meat, cooked meat and vegetables at home because I have personal issue with potential cross contamination.

Your solution to potlucks is a sensible one I wish was more universal. Oh well, we all live, learn and face a new day.

Rain, rain and yet more rain. That is what we have been experiencing so far this week. Not complaining, I actually love the rain. Something tells me we are now making up for the drought during the summer months.

I love all of the responses posted above about the potluck and the book story. ;-)

I am not old enough - or ready financially - to consider retiring in the near future, but I have to say, this article about a current job posting for lighthouse keepers in Canada caught my eye:

https://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/you-are-cut-off-in-a-lot-of-ways...

Only downside is the bit about the lack of internet and cell phone access. Otherwise, this is the perfect job to cruise into retirement for me, especially with the fact that manned lighthouses can only be accessed by boat or helicopter (perfect fit for my sailing other half!) Otherwise, I would sign on in a heartbeat.

Oh well.... one can always dream.

I know.... you are all chomping at the bit to find out how the potluck went. It was a huge success. Too much food - kind of the norm for potlucks - so the food was shared outside their group with other floors in the building. The "disturber" did enjoy themselves and my other half was able to report back that he witnessed them going for not seconds, but thirds of my smoked salmon pasta salad so the "meat" allergy did not extend to fish (or at least salmon) and did not extend to poultry (as the ingredients list I provided did identify egg as an ingredient). All is good but the other half is still not keen to participate in another potluck. His choice.... I am just the cook. ;-)

>59 lkernagh: I tend to get a little squeamish about potlucks Me too! I think names should be included with the dish.

>60 lkernagh: Sounds like a good job as long as you have a head for heights! I don't. And if you have a colleague make sure you have different reading material.

>60 lkernagh: Great minds think alike, Lori. It used to be a fantasy of mine that hubby and I could pack up and go tend a lighthouse for a couple of years. My particular dream location was Race Rocks which in those days was still manned but is automated today. It seemed the perfect place as it wasn't too far away from Vancouver Island, but still isolated enough that you would be alone with your husband and your books! My only concern was whether I could pack enough books to last me! I think it is rather sad that so many lighthouses are automated today, much of the romance and mystery of the lighthouse is gone.

>59 lkernagh: She's the best! And it's the only site where I read the comments on the articles -- it's an interesting, engaged community :)

Oh yeah, I can imagine that potlucks could feel dodgy if you have a food safety background.

>61 lkernagh: Glad to hear the potluck was a success and that no drama ensued! Did you have leftovers of your dish, or did you make extra for your household first? ;)
Our potluck sounds like it's a bit thin on food offerings... we got an email this morning reminding people to sign up. It's a "$10 if you don't bring a dish, free if you do" kind of deal... I think at this point they should just order pizza ;)

>62 VivienneR: - That would be a great idea to have the contributor's name displayed with the dish! Makes it easier to ask any questions you may have.

I am okay with some heights - I don't skyscraper heights - and luckily lighthouses aren't that tall. Good point about making sure to have a colleague with different reading material. ;-)

>63 DeltaQueen50: - Race Rocks would have been a fabulous lighthouse to man! I agree with your comment that with automation, a lot of the romance and mystery of lighthouses has been lost. As for packing enough books, in the past that would have been a problem. A BIG problem since you either arrive by boat or helicopter to most lighthouse locations. Good thing e-readers were invented!

>64 rabbitprincess: - I am always on the lookout for more online resources and this one does look great. As for the potluck, no leftovers (always a good sign!) but no worries. I made plenty so was able to keep some aside for our consumption after filling the container for the potluck.

Ahhh..... When attendees have to option to contribute dollars over food offerings, it can get interesting. On the plus side, it can make it easier for organizers to ensure that there is kind of a balance of the food offering. One poorly arranged potluck I took part in a number of years ago was mainly chips, dips and various pasta salads. Works better when there is a sign up sheet that lets people know in advance what is being brought and can cover off gaps.. provided people actually fill in the form early enough (always challenging when an office full of procrastinators is involved - been there, done that. Will never do it again). ;-)

-----------------------
Well, today was a very pleasant surprise. The rain predicted was replaced with clear blue skies and everyone stayed out of my inbox at work so I was able to be heads down and get some project work done. Always nice to start the weekend knowing that you are more or less caught up with files at work.

Plans this weekend include some research to understand BC's 2018 referendum on electoral reform. Basically, for the non-BC residents that visit this thread, BC is in the process of asking citizens to vote for the system, going forward, that BC will use for provincial elections. Currently, we have a "first past the post" voting system. The referendum asks voters to choose either the current system or a proportional representation system and then goes on to ask voters to provide their order of preference for three proposed proportional representation voting systems. Dry reading but kind of important.

>65 lkernagh: Oooh that should be a super interesting vote. First past the post drives me nuts as I'm forever stuck voting strategically rather than in line with my political beliefs. I'll keep an eye on CBC as I'm sure this vote will make national news. :)

>66 MickyFine: - It should prove interesting, Micky. The voting is by mail in ballot so deadline for Elections BC to receive the ballots is November 30th. Early December is when the results will be announced.

>50 lkernagh: Wow, I didn't know that "book rage" was a real thing!

>65 lkernagh: I'll be interested in seeing the outcome. Here in Ontario, the city of London was the first to use a ranked ballot in the recent municipal election.

For those lighthouse fans - there's a lighthouse here in Narragansett Bay (RI) on a tiny island that you can rent and vacation in for a week at a time. Part of the rental is to do various jobs to maintain the lighthouse. Here's an article for those who might be interested and some of the history:

http://lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=397

>68 mathgirl40: - I know! Crazy what goes on in the world. I am guessing that the working relationship was already a strained one when the assault occurred, although, when alcohol is involved, one can never be to sure.

I am going to be curious to see the referendum outcome, and the percentage of eligible voters who get their ballots in. Nothing worse than having something as monumental as potential change to the electoral voting system and having less than 50% of voters submit ballots.

>69 dudes22: - That place looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing the link, Betty!

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

It is a wet, wet Saturday so plans are to hunker down and possibly take advantage of the time change to get in some extra reading time. ;-)

Will post a walking update tomorrow - I may get in a short walk today in between showers. In the meantime, one book review is now reading for posting.

Book #87 - The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - audiobook narrated by George Guidall, Barbara Caruso, Julia Gibson and Andy Paris
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback / Audiobook
Original publication date: 2005
Acquisition date: May 5, 2013
Page count: 252 pages / 9 hours, 51 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.10 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the book back cover:

"Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer is trying to find a cure for her mother's loneliness. Believing that she might discover it in an old book her mother is lovingly translating, she sets out in search of its author. Across New York an old man named Leo Gursky is trying to survive a little bit longer. He spends his days dreaming of the lost love who, sixty years ago in Poland, inspired him to write a book. And although he doesn't know it yet, that book also survived: crossing oceans and generations, and changing lives...."

Review:
I should probably start off by saying that parts of the story do not translate well into audiobook format. In particular, the notebook/diary entries of young Alma Singer come across a bit scattered. Somethings just come across better as the written word. That being said, George Guidall brings Leo Gursky to life with his wonderful performance. I laughed and cried with Leo. I love his feistiness, his vigor, his focus to keep on living for one more day. Add in Bruno, Leo's upstairs neighbour and "check in" partner, and the story has wonderful moments of octogenarian comedy. I found the "book within a book" angle underwhelming but appreciate that it is the book that Leo wrote sixty years earlier that is the glue that brings these divergent characters together. Even though some aspects of the story did not work that well for me, Krauss does deserve full marks for pulling off such a quietly elegant, tender story.

Overall, a wonderful tale of love, friendship, survival and finding your place.

Wow, quite the stormy night last night! My plans to stay up reading did not transpire, but I did at least finish a book I started a month ago, so that in itself is a bonus. Plan to spend the day doing as little as possible. ;-)

Book #88 - Quarantine by Jim Crace
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ColourCAT - Red (cover)
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: "Q" Book Title - Quarantine
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1997
Acquisition date: May 15,2011
Page count: 256 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"Two thousand years ago four travellers enter the Judean desert to fast and pray for their lost souls. In the blistering heat and barren rocks they encounter the evil merchant Musa, who holds them in his tyrannical power. Yet there is also another, a faint figure in the distance, fasting for forty days, a Galilean who they say has the power to work miracles ..."

Review:
Crace has written a re-telling of Jesus and his forty days of fasting in the desert, the "quarantine" of the title. Crace has created a mesmerizing tale that brings to life the barren setting and presents a cautionary tale of human aspirations and folly. Crace sucked me in every time I picked up the book and yet, every time I put it down, I was not motivated to return to the story in any great hurry (which would explain why it took me a month to read this rather slim volume). Crace takes the time to let each character reveal their individual reasons for embarking on this pilgrimage and to observe events of the quarantine from their respective viewpoints. Musa, always the merchant looking to make a profit, is the slimy, "ick" character but all characters have an aspect to them that they are not proud of. At the end, one is left pondering who learned the most from their respective quarantine.

Overall, an interesting, well written story.

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

... and with this read, I have now completed my Book Title Alphabet challenge, leaving just the Publication Year challenge still to complete.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey

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







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

WEEK 173 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session: 41.26
Kilometers walked in total: 7,627.28
Current province: (NL)
My current location on the map: on the Outer Ring Road of St. John's, approaching the Team Gushue Highway interchange and heading for the end of the Trans Canada Highway and the Terry Fox Monument and the Mile 0 marker.
Points of interest along the way: So close, people! I probably would have completed my challenge this week except for the crazy weather.


Downtown St. John's from Signal Hill - Sébastien Blanchard as posted to wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Interesting things to know about St. John's. While the city was officially incorporated as a city in 1888, it has shown up on maps as far back as 1519, making it the oldest city in North America. According to Wikipedia, St. John's played a role in a number of wars, including the French and Indian War, the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in St. John's.

Not surprisingly, the Basilica of St. John the Baptist has a long history (built between 1839 and 1855). It was extensively damaged in the Great Fire of 1892.


Anglican Cathedral after the Great Fire of 1892 - author unknown as posted to Wikimedia (CC0)

The cathedral was rebuilt and is surrounded today by the wonderfully colourful buildings of St. John's.


Posted to Flickr by Peter Macdonald (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Gorgeous photo of St. John's from Signal Hill! I spy some Canadian Coast Guard vessels in the water :)

>75 rabbitprincess: - LOL.... good eye. RP! ;-)

----------------------------------
Hello everyone! I have been a little bit absent from my own thread, and LT in general, for the past two weeks. A crazy work week that included getting my flu shot on Nov. 7th ended up with me heading into the Remembrance Day long weekend with the signs of a blossoming head cold. Oooohhhh yay. I ended up spending my 3 day weekend in bed. Thought I was on the mend Tuesday so ventured out for some groceries and realized just how weak I was, so back to bed for the rest of that day! Managed to recover enough to venture back into the office this past Wednesday and work through the rest of the work week. I am about 80% recovered so plans this weekend are to take things easy and try to get the body back to 100% health. On the good news front, I did manage to get a fair bit of reading done while I was sick so get ready for some book reviews! Also, I have my walking update ready for posting.

Book #89 - A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra - audiobook narrated by Colette Whitaker
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback / Audiobook
Original publication date: 2013
Acquisition date: May 11, 2014
Page count: 384 pages / 12 hours, 8 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"Eight-year-old Havaa, Akhmed, the neighbour who rescues her after her father's disappearance, and Sonia, the doctor who shelters her over 5 dramatic days in December 2004, must all reach back into their pasts to unravel the intricate mystery of coincidence, betrayal and forgiveness which unexpectedly binds them and decides their fate. "

Review:
Marra provides readers with a stunning portrayal of Chechnya in the years following the fall of the Soviet Union. Focusing on the lives of five Chechen individuals, Marra’s shifting narration and timelines made this one a bit challenging to follow in audiobook format. By the middle of the book, I had a better grasp of where Marra was going with the story and was able to settle in and just follow along. Against the backdrop of the devastation and human tragedy of the war torn region, Marra brings forth that gem that we all carry deep inside ourselves: How our ingrained desires for hope, compassion, dignity and love can survive as a beacon of light to carry us through even the most devastating of situations and conditions.

Favorite quote:

"At the kitchen table she examined the glass of ice. Each cube was rounded by room temperature, dissolving in its own remains, and belatedly she understood that this was how a loved one disappeared. Despite the shock of walking into an empty flat, the absence isn't immediate, more a fade from the present tense you shared, a melting into the past, not an erasure by a conversion in form, from presence to memory, from solid to liquid, and the person you once touched now runs over your skin, now in sheets down your back, and you may bathe, may sink, may drown in the memory, but your fingers cannot hold it."

Book #90 - The Yard by Alex Grecian
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ScaredyKIT - Serial Killers
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2012
Acquisition date: May 10, 2014
Page count: 583 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.10 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"Victorian London—a violent cesspool of squalid sin. The twelve detectives of Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad are expected to solve the thousands of crimes committed in the city each month. Formed after the Metropolitan Police’s spectacular failure in capturing Jack the Ripper, they suffer the brunt of public contempt. But no one can anticipate the brutal murder of one of their own...

A Scotland Yard Inspector has been found stuffed in a black steamer trunk at Euston Square Station, his eyes and mouth sewn shut. When Walter Day, the squad’s new hire, is assigned to the case, he finds a strange ally in Dr. Bernard Kingsley, the Yard’s first forensic pathologist. Their grim conclusion: this was not just a random, bizarre murder but in all probability, the first of twelve.

The squad itself it being targeted and the devious killer shows no signs of stopping. But Inspector Day has one more surprise, something even more shocking than the crimes: the murderer’s motive."

Review:
Grecian has written a quick, page-turning read (yes, even at 583 pages, it is a rather fast read). Of course, I love the whole Victorian England time period – a wonderful setting for such murderous activities! – and I thoroughly enjoyed following the newly minted Murder Squad of Scotland Yard while they race to try and solve the brutal murder of one of their own, while facing public scorn and ridicule for being unable to catch Jack (the Ripper) the previous year. Grecian has depicted his characters beautifully, from the intelligent if somewhat naïve Inspector Day (fresh to London from Devon, with a delightful young wife Claire in tow), perpetually inquisitive Dr. Kingsley (self-appointed forensic pathologist for Scotland Yard and father to the wonderful Fiona) to the willing and able-bodied young Constable Nevil Hammersmith. While some stories work best if told strictly from one point of view, Grecian opens the story up to the reader, making them privy, rather early on, to the identity and through processes of the perpetrator, while also providing some back story “interludes” for some of the main characters. Even with this “bird’s eye” view of events and thought processes, Grecian still manages to pull a few surprises, and managed to keep me wondering what was going to happen next.

Overall, a wonderfully atmospheric first book in Grecian's Murder Squad series - aptly quoted by one reviewer as “CSI: Victorian England” - that would probably best appeal to historical murder mystery fans that are more interested in the science and the setting than the whodunit bit.

Book #91 - The Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Date - 1991
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1991
Acquisition date: April 30, 2016
Page count: 244 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"With prose that is vibrant witty and off-the-wall, The Queen of the Tambourine traces the emotional breakdown--and eventual restoration--of Eliza Peabody, a smart and wildly imaginative woman who has become unbearably isolated in her prosperous home in present-day South London. The letters Eliza writes to her neighbor, a woman whom she hardly knows, reveal the story of her self-propelled descent into madness. Eliza must reach the very bottom of her inner downward spiral before she can once again find health and serenity."

Review:
I am a fan of epistolary novels, especially the ones that take the form of self-revelation (cue We Need to Talk About Kevin). One typically doesn’t expect a story about a “self-propelled descent into madness” to sparkle with sharp observation and sardonic witticism of the type typically found in stories by another favorite British author, Muriel Spark, but Gardam has done just that. Eliza is an interesting subject. A 50-something woman, married to a senior Foreign Office official, living in an affluent South London suburb who fills her otherwise empty days volunteering at the local hospice and walking the family dog on the Commons. Eliza’s letters to Joan – who readers learn has flown the family marriage home for global experiences – start out as simple inquiries. As the letters continue, they become more detailed, and increasingly introspective in nature, revealing Eliza’s marriage troubles, her opinions of her neighbours and rather disturbing glimpses into Eliza’s growing erratic personality. Eliza’s heart, for the most part, is in the right place but her mind is proving to be a bit more challenging. The fact that Eliza is an unreliable narrator quickly becomes apparent and it is that unreliability that helps propel this story forward to its suspenseful, poignant conclusion. I can see why this won the 1991 Whitbread Award.

Overall, a fabulous portrait of one woman’s downward spiral of instability. This story is sure to appeal to Muriel Spark fans.

Book #92 - A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon - audiobook narrated by Simon Vance
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ColourCAT - Red
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback / Audiobook
Original publication date: 2006
Acquisition date: July 11, 2014
Page count: 368 pages / 12 hours listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.80 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the book back cover:

"At sixty-one, George Hall is settling down to a comfortable retirement. When his tempestuous daughter, Katie, announces that she is getting married to the deeply inappropriate Ray, the Hall family is thrown into a tizzy. Unnoticed in the uproar, George discovers a sinister lesion on his hip, and quietly begins to lose his mind. As parents and children fall apart and come together, Haddon paint a disturbing yet amusing portrait of a dignified man trying to go insane politely."

Review:
I am not going to compare this one to Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Yes, that one is a great book but it has been too long since I read it for me to retain any strong memories. With A Spot of Bother, Haddon brings readers into the heart of the Hall family and the drama they create over the Katie’s approaching second marriage. One would think that a marriage the majority of the family is not all that keen on occurring would be enough fodder for any book, but we learn that each family member has its own self-absorbing issues: wife/mother Jean is distracted by some private matters she wants desperately to keep private; son/brother Jamie is having problems with his boyfriend; Katie is starting to have some doubts about the marriage and George – quiet, respectable and dependable George – starts to psychologically unravel. There are a lot of really fun, entertaining bits as both George, other family members and the wedding planning hit some interesting, farcical lows but at its heart, this is a wonderful story of family dynamics.

A delightful, entertaining read.

Book #93 - Seeing by Jose Saramago
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ColourCAT - Red
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 2004
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2004
Acquisition date: September 25, 2010
Page count: 320 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.50 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the book back cover:

"On election day in the capital, it is raining so hard that no one has bothered to come out to vote. Around three o'clock, the rain finally stops. Promptly at four, voters rush to the polling stations, as if they had been ordered to appear. But when the ballots are counted, more than 70 percent are blank. The citizens are rebellious. A state of emergency is declared. But are the authorities acting to precipitously? Or even blindly? The word evokes terrible memories of the plague of blindness that hit the city four years before, and the one woman who kept her sight. Could she be behind the blank ballots? A police superintendent is put on the case. What begins as a satire on governments and the sometimes dubious efficacy fo the democratic system turns into something far more sinister."

Review:
This novel appeals to me on a number of levels. I tend to enjoy stories that take a swipe -be it comic or menacing – at political institutions and the governments that believe they are in control. In Seeing, the sequel to Saramago’s earlier novel Blindness, Saramago present readers with an allegory of a ruling government facing a quiet rebellion by its citizens and their blank ballots (their gesture of non-confidence). While steeped in satire, this is very much a cautionary tale of just how easily a governing power uses its own panic to justify sweeping suspensions of civil liberties and spirals from the façade of a duly elected democracy into a more sinister oligarchy of power and control. While the story takes place 4 years after the events in Blindness, I believe one could read this story as a stand alone. Saramago provides enough information (minus the more harrowing scenes) from the earlier story to ground new readers. Now, I know that Saramago’s “run on stream of consciousness” writing style – with dense, long paragraphs, lack of punctuation and detached narrator experience – can be a little off putting for some readers. The trick to reading Saramago’s writing is to just let your mind read. Stop paying attention to the lack of punctuation and the way sentences seem to run into one another. You will actually be surprised at how well written and readable it actually is, but if not, I would highly recommend that you seek out an audiobook version so that you “hear” the story (Saramago’s stories work very well if read out loud!)

A grim, cautionary tale about entrenched politics.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey

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







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

WEEK 174 UPDATE:
Kilometers walked this session to reach Mile 0: 15.1
Kilometers walked in total: 7,642.29
Current province: (NL)
My current location on the map: Mile 0 marker.



From Mile 0,

.

To Mile 0 (yup, both ends are designated as "Mile 0"). My virtual walking challenge reached its successful conclusion on November 6, 2018, 213 days after I started at the other Mile 0 at the Pacific end of the country. It has been a great journey. The walking has been a wonderful confidence booster - as well as being great from a healthy living perspective! - and a great way to learn more about the country I call home.

Yes, I will most likely start a new walking challenge but after three years, I feel I have earned a break for the rest of 2018. Not sure what my next virtual walking challenge will be... thinking about a return home trip through the US, but I might pop over to Europe and give myself a smaller walking challenge that I can probably complete in one calendar year. Thanks everyone for following along! The conversations of places and things have been wonderful.

Looks like you've been reading a lot! Congrats on reaching your goal!

Congratulations Lori for completing your Cross Canada Walk. That is an amazing feat and I am looking forward to seeing where your feet will take you next. And yes, you certainly do deserve a break!

Thanks Lori! I am looking forward to keeping the reading going. I am finally learning to take large chunks of "me time" which is probably a good thing as I think I came down with my cold because I was just doing too much and not slowing down.

>82 lkernagh: Congratulations, Lori! Well done! Loved the virtual visiting and following along.

Well done on getting there! It's been interesting to see the places you've passed through (sort of!).

Congratulations on reaching your walking goal - I've loved seeing Canada through it! I'm kind of tempted to do something similar, as I need to get a bit less sedentary. Hmm - thinks....

Also, I've added >77 lkernagh: to my wishlist. I have his The Tsar of Love and Techno on the TBR already.

Congratulations on completing your walk! You've earned a rest!

Woo hoo! Congrats on reaching your walking goal!!!

Congrats on arriving at Mile Zero! It has been an instructive journey for me, looking at Canada this way. Thanks for sharing!

>84 DeltaQueen50:, >86 VivienneR:, >87 Helenliz:, >88 Jackie_K:, >89 mstrust:, >90 rabbitprincess: and >91 MissWatson: - Thank you Judy, Vivienne, Helen, Jackie, Jennifer, RP and Birgit for the congratulations. It does feel fabulous to have completed it. I was out and about downtown today and started mentally remembering my walking, until it dawned on me that I am not tracking today's walking.... I am just walking. ;-)

>88 Jackie_K: - I am definitely adding Marra to my library list! Constellation of Vital Phenomena is my first Marra read... what a wonderful writer he is!

I'm adding my congratulations but also thanks, I learned a lot on your journey.

I too am adding my congratulations! It's been fun following along with you and learning a bit more about Canadian places than I knew before.

>93 clue: and >94 dudes22: - Thank you both for the congratulations!

Book #94 - Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel - audiobook narrated by Simon Vance
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ColourCAT - Red
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback / Audiobook
Original publication date: 2012
Acquisition date: April 30, 2016
Page count: 432 pages / 14 hours, 36 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 5.00 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listsing webpage:

"Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice.

At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring. But Anne and her powerful family will not yield without a ferocious struggle. Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies follows the dramatic trial of the queen and her suitors for adultery and treason. To defeat the Boleyns, Cromwell must ally with his natural enemies, the papist aristocracy. What price will he pay for Anne's head?"

Review:
Even better, in my opinion, than Wolf Hall, Mantel’s first book in the trilogy/series! Mantel’s portrayal of Cromwell is that of a complicated man, even a hero of sorts (something that is not typically ascribed to Cromwell in school history lessons that capture the period). He is a man given to reflective thoughts and a strategist who sees the “bigger picture”, something that seems to allude Henry. Simon Vance, narrator of the audiobook version, is the perfect voice of Cromwell as Cromwell deftly maneuvers the court, with its viperous intrigues, and Henry’s ever changing whims (and bouts of paranoia). While Mantel has done her research, her characterization of individuals and events may not appeal to some readers knowledgeable of the time period, but overall, I found this to be one of the better stories focused on the Tudors. Not surprisingly, Mantel chooses to end this book with Anne’s execution, paving the way for the next book, which the author is still working on.

An excellent imagining of Cromwell and a snapshot of time under the Henry VIII for readers like me with only a smattering of Tudor era knowledge.

>96 lkernagh: Such a great trilogy!

I'm so behind on threads!

>77 lkernagh: - I loved that book so much as well as his other book The Tsar of Love and Techno. Really wish he would hurry up and write another book.

>81 lkernagh: - I'm hoping to get to this one sooner rather than later. It's been calling out to me from my shelves.

>82 lkernagh: -Congratulations on finishing your walk!! Quite an accomplishment.

>97 thornton37814: - I am so looking forward to the third book, whenever it finally comes out. ;-)

>98 LittleTaiko: - Looks like you have caught up over here! Making note of The Tsar of Love and Techno.... what a great title! Here is hoping I have moved Seeing up your TBR pile and thanks for the congrats!

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The days just seem to be flying by, but not without some good reading time being captured. Continuing my November ColourCAT reading, I have another review ready for posting, this time for a sub-par book (in my opinion).

Book #95 - Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ColourCAT - Red
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 2000
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2000
Acquisition date: February 22, 2009
Page count: 432 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.65 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"Born to rough cloth in working-class London in 1748, Mary Saunders hungers for linen and lace. Her lust for a shiny red ribbon leads her to a life of prostitution at a young age, where she encounters a freedom unknown to virtuous young women. But a dangerous misstep sends her fleeing to Monmouth and the refuge of the middle-class household of Mrs. Jones, to become the seamstress her mother always expected her to be and to live the ordinary life of an ordinary girl. Although Mary becomes a close confidante of Mrs. Jones, her desire for a better life leads her back to prostitution. She remains true only to the three rules she learned on the streets of London: Never give up your liberty; Clothes make the woman; Clothes are the greatest lie ever told. In the end, it is clothes, their splendor and their deception, that lead Mary to disaster."

Review:
While Donoghue has done a fantastic job weaving a story from a scant few historical news items – Mary Saunders was a real person who lived a tempestuous short life – I was not overly taken with this story. Yes, the details about 1760’s London life from the view of a streetwalker are well captured, but I found Mary to be a very unlikeable antiheroine (which is probably the point). Did she deserve all that she endured as a teen? Maybe not everything but her fixation to possess fine things (like a magpie being attracted to shiny things) is something I just cannot relate to, especially as it was an overwhelming desire to own a red ribbon that set her on her course of ruin. There is a distinct calculated coldness to Mary that is off-putting. Maybe her experiences as a street walker while still a mere chit of a girl hardened her but it wasn’t long before my compassionate side gave up feeling sorry for her. Also, the numerous lurid sex act details and overall debauchery of Mary’s Seven Dials life shared with her friend Doll got to be a bit much. Yes, it was refreshing to hope that Mary’s departure from London to Monmouth would bring a change for the better and I admit, I didn’t expect the events in Monmouth to play out as they did so I have to give Donoghue some credit in finally bring the story around from its senseless wandering to a rather shocking climax.

Overall, Donoghue’s story is a graphic, dark tale of a young woman trying (albeit only half-heartedly) to define who she is, but keeps being swayed by her own deeply ingrained preoccupation with fine clothes and fine living, things that she never does obtain. Personally, I would recommend Michael Faber’s The Crimson Petal and the White over this story.

Congrats Lori. Well done. All that walking is very impressive.

>101 mdoris: - Thanks Mary! Feels good to have completed the journey. ;-)

--------------------------------
I hope all my U.S. visitors have had a fabulous Thanksgiving! A normal workday north of the border but a number of Canadian stores are trying to entice shoppers with their own Black Friday sale offerings. Nothing grabbed me so I get to keep all my cash for another shopping day. Weekends plans are potentially attend the Out of Hand craft fair at the conference centre, now in its 30th year. Sadly, not as many food vendors I have seen in previous years - they seem to have been replaced with craft distilleries - but always wonderful to check out all the great artisan works.

On the reading front, I continue to work on my Original Publication Year category and having a great time reading books with red book covers to fit the monthly ColourCAT! ;-) One more review ready for posting.... and if I thought Slammerkin was a dud read, I now have a truly dud read to report on.

Book #96 - Saving Agnes by Rachel Cusk - audiobook narrated by Jenny Sterlin
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ColourCAT - Red
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 1993
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 1993
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 224 pages / 8 hours, 46 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 1.65 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"Agnes Day is mildly discontent. As a child, she never wanted to be an Agnes―she wanted to be a pleasing Grace. Alas, she remained the terminally middle class, hopelessly romantic Agnes. Now she's living with her two best friends in London and working at a trade magazine. Life and love seem to go on without her. Not only does she not know how to get back into the game, she isn't even sure what the game is. But she gives a good performance―until she learns that her roommates and her boyfriend are keeping secrets from her, and that her boss is quitting and leaving her in charge. In great despair, she decides to make it her business to set things straight. "

Review:
No, no and just… no. I get that the story is supposed to be about middle-class angst in the form of a 20-something woman, fresh from college and embarking on the “big bad world” of adult life, but the delivery of the story is just plain torturous. I can appreciate that Cusk has a wonderful grasp of the English language, but it is almost as if she is too busy using her story as a showcase for her brilliant turns of phrase (like “hormonal terrorism” to describe a woman’s monthly cycle) and wants the reader to appreciate her writing over the story being told. Given that Saving Agnes was published when Cusk was only in her mid-twenties - which helps explain why the story stutters between youthful naivety and worldly observations - the story comes across as something rather too ambitious for the author to tackle. While I tend to like stories of a young professional woman trying to find herself in large metropolitan centre like London and New York, by the end of the story I was left thinking, “That was a long, arduous journey for the scant realization obtained.”

I know, there are some readers out there who feel that Saving Agnes is a brilliant book – it did win the 1993 Whitbread Award, so it must be appreciated by some readers – but it just came across as some convoluted expression of young adulthood immaturity and drama to me and I have never been more happy to reach the end of a story.

>100 lkernagh: - To be honest - I have no idea why this book is even in my TBR books. Maybe because it has something to do with sewing? Anyway - out it goes to the library.

>102 lkernagh: - I'm off today to the first craft/artisan fair with a girlfriend. Unfortunately, I usually see more stuff for me instead of potential gifts. I am looking for a wreath for the door.

>103 lkernagh: - I thought I had some books by her on my TBR, but I don't see any in my list. So I must have already gotten rid of them. I've been going through my TBR and trying to decide if I really want to read a book and get rid of those I don't. I can't say the little description would have done anything to entice me to read it anyway.

I haven't visited your thread (like many others' threads) for ages and am happy to see you successfully finished your walking challenge. Congrats! It was fun to follow along and see the pictures you picked to illustrate where you were. Canada is high on my "watn to travel to" list, and you certainly helped with that. Seems also like you've read many great books, a few flying BBs have at least hit a target here. :) Enjoy your free walking and reading for the rest of the year!

>104 dudes22: - I can see having Slammerkin for the sewing references, Betty. Donoghue does go into some detail in describing the fine clothes and accessories of the time period. There is a white velvet slammerkin dress with elaborate silver embroidery that sounds absolutely heavenly! Of course, you have to put up with all the graphic sex in the book to get to the good sewing parts. Not a great trade-off, IMO.

I am like you... I tend to purchase more gifts for myself than for others when I attend craft/artisan fairs. ;-)

I have been actively purging books from my TBR shelves, all part of our ongoing downsizing of possessions. I have decided that I do not want to be in the position of trying to scale back rooms and rooms full of possessions in my senior years (we are still slowly tackling the stuff that my mom managed to accumulate over her 8 decades of life), so starting to make some active decisions now.

>105 Chrischi_HH: - Wonderful to see you have stopped by and thank you for the congratulations and always happy to send visitors away with a few BBs. ;-)

One of those strange cold winter days so I took in the 2018 Habitat for Humanity Gingerbread Showcase today. This year's theme is "There's no place like home". Love the creativity and that the materials used (except for the base board) has to be 100% edible. Here are some of my favorites:


A traditional gingerbread house but still lovely composition


Created by a Harry Potter fan - recognize the Weasley family flying car?


Love the rustic treehouse/cabin!

.
Book #97 - Who Do You Think You Are? by Pauline Burgess
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: ColourCAT - Red
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: LTER
Format: eBook
Original publication date: 2018
Acquisition date: November 1, 2018
Page count: 180 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.65 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.co.uk book listing webpage:

"Sometimes to move forwards in life, you have to take a step backwards. Since Magda moved from Poland to Belfast, her life has been little more than soggy schooldays and one long ‘Game of Stones’ courtesy of the local bullies. Her beloved grandfather shares in her misery. While the other family members adjust to Irish life, he spends his days in his attic room, dreaming of Poland. Yet he tells Magda that she must go out there and seize the opportunities Ireland has to offer. Then Magda meets Sophie, a new girl who looks set to become the most popular girl in Belview College, and at last Magda feels she might manage to fit in. But when does a friend become an enemy? And when is it OK to let go of the past and give the future a chance?"

Review:
Burgess, a teacher of 11-18 year-olds when she isn't writing, has created a wonderful protagonist in young Magda. Burgess offers an interesting glimpse into the mindset of a 13-year-old. I can appreciate Magda's desires to be as invisible as possible from the unwanted attentions of certain classmates and neighbourhood troublemakers. It is not easy being a newly minted teenager, to routinely face attacks for being a "forener", and then horror of horrors, discover that her dad and brother will be working as gardeners at her rather posh school, so it is no surprise that Magda, so entrenched in trying not to stand out, questions the sincerity of shiny Sophie's friendship (which, we come to learn, Madga has good reason to question).

Overall, a highly readable story with themes about family, friendship, immigration, and identity (one's identity is what one makes it to be, not how other people try to label you). As it says on the front book cover, "Sometimes to move forward in life, you have to take a step backwards."

>107 lkernagh: These look like fun to make, but not necessarily to eat. Way too much sugar, I guess...The flying car is a wonderful detail.

>109 MissWatson: - Ha and good point about possibly way to much sugar for actual consumption. ;-) Lovely to look at. Some of the entries got very creative. One had a log cabin made out of bread-sticks. One had a roof made out of frosted mini-wheat (the cereal) and one had a wall made out of pebble candy gum that I have seen in the local bulk foods store.

Happy Sunday everyone! I made it out to what I consider to be one of the larger craft fairs that occur in town this time of year. I love checking out the fabulous crafts. Every year I encounter a new artisan with works that are stunning. This year the artist is Wanda Shum, who works with polymer clays in a technique known as Millifiori to transform jewelry, ceramics and glassware as well as create unique sculptures. She even has a teapot set, "Ode to Night Circus" (yup, Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern)! You can see her amazing designs on her website: https://wandashumdesign.com/ or her Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/10799328@N00/

For me, I love to view the artistic stalls - some of the jewelry was quite stunning - but I am a sucker for the foodie/bath/beauty stalls. While these were not in as much abundance of some previous years, I still managed to come away with some purchases:

I'm always surprised at the time and energy spent on gingerbread houses and how gorgeous they are. I went to a craft fair this weekend too. It was a new one my girlfriend wanted to try and their really wasn't that much that was interesting. But I'm sure I'll hit a few more before the season is done.

Lori--Congrats on finishing the walking challenge!! Job well done.

>107 lkernagh: Love those gingerbread houses. My yearly creation is not nearly that fanciful, but it is fun to make. My daughters love to do it with me. : )

>112 dudes22: - Yup, and the patience. I just do not have the patience to do that! Always fun to check out a new craft fair, even if the offerings are not all that interesting. I love this time of year.... there seems to be no end to the craft fairs! ;-) My mom was a huge fan of craft fairs so I tend to think about her as I am checking out the various vendor stalls.

>113 Berly: - Hi Kim and thanks! It has only been two weeks since I finished my walking challenge and I have to say, I am already chomping at the bit to start a new challenge. I seem to need that little spurt of motivation to get out and exercise at this time of year, what with the rain and the "trudging" to work and home in the dusk/dark. Days like these, I just want to curl up with a book. ;-)

----------------------------
Hello everyone. Struggling to accept the fact that December kicks in on Saturday. Even though I am doing a low-key holiday season this year, it is easy to get sucked into the stress friends and co-workers find this season to be. I am trying to convince my other half that we should do a "no presents" Christmas. Not being very successful so far - he does love gifts (giving and receiving!) - but I have thrown him a conundrum this year as the only thing I need is a new shoulder bag. He is intelligent enough to realize that he runs a very high risk of buying something I will not like if he just goes out to find something himself, so he is perched waiting for me to "window shop" for the bag I want so he can swoop in and buy. He may be waiting awhile.... I like larger shoulder bags (that can accommodate things like a trade paperback, my Kobo reader, an umbrella, etc) with multiple zip up compartments so that ia can easily find keys, cell phone, etc. I also want leather (preferably in red, like a deeper Merlot colour) so you can probably see why that search will probably be ongoing for some time. ;-) Luckily, the only present I need to ship/deliver is I order chocolates from my dad's favorite chocolatier and they delivery the chocolates directly to my dad's door for me.

On the reading front, I continue to chip away at my remaining category. Not sure I will complete - Books with original publication years 1990 and 1994 do not appear to exist on my TBR piles (I more or less have the other years already figured out) - so if anyone has any suggestions of best sellers, award winners, etc for those years, please do chime in with suggestions.

In the meantime, two more book reviews ready for posting.

Book #98 - What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller - audiobook narrated by Nadia May
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 2003
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 2003
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 258 pages / 7 hours, 29 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.65 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"Schoolteacher Barbara Covett has led a solitary existence; aside from her cat, Portia, she has few friends and no intimates. When Sheba Hart joins St. George's as the new art teacher, Barbara senses the possibility of a new friendship. It begins with lunches and continues with regular invitations to meals with Sheba's seemingly close-knit family. But as Barbara and Sheba's relationship develops, another does as well: Sheba has begun a passionate affair with an underage male student. When it comes to light and Sheba falls prey to the inevitable media circus, Barbara decides to write an account in her friend's defense?an account that reveals not only Sheba's secrets but her own."

Review:
While the story does deal with an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a student, Sheba’s relationship with young Connelly really only plays a peripheral role. Told from the point of view of Barbara – don’t call her Barb, and never call her ‘Babs” – this is a story with strong themes of power/control and how appearances can be deceiving. Now, some readers may call Barbara an old, miserable spinster, but I prefer the term “crusty” to describe her jaded outlook on life. Barbara leads a rather lonely life, eschewing relationships in preference for observing and passing judgement from the sidelines, so for Barbara to decide to become friends with the younger, more effervescent and (as we learn) powerless Sheba, you know something just isn’t quite on the “up and up”. While this story does not have an outright sinister vibe, Barbara’s manipulations of Sheba and her observations of events, result in a salient, compelling portrait of lopsided, deteriorating relationships. Sadly, the story left some unanswered questions for me - like why Barbara decided to take care of Sheba when she could have just cast her off like an old sweater - so, the end result for me is an interesting read that left me somewhat unsatisfied at the end, even though I did enjoy discovering that Heller is a writer who's writing style has been influenced by the likes of Muriel Spark.

Book #99 - Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo - translated from the French by Howard Curtis
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: ColourCAT - Red
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 1995
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 1995
Acquisition date: May 3, 2015
Page count: 256 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.95 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the europaeditions.com book listing webpage:

"Ugo, Manu, and Fabio grew up together on the mean streets of Marseilles, where friendship means everything. They promised to stay true to one another and swore that nothing would break their bond. But people and circumstances change. Ugo and Manu have been drawn into the criminal underworld of Europe’s toughest, most violent and vibrant city. When Manu is murdered and Ugo returns from abroad to avenge his friend’s death, only to be killed himself, it is left to the third in this trio, Detective Fabio Montale, to ensure justice is done. Despite warnings from both his colleagues in law enforcement and his acquaintances in the underworld, Montale cannot forget the promise he once made Manu and Ugo. He’s going to find their killer even if it means going too far. "

Review:
I am really growing to appreciate Noir crime novels, a genre I used to avoid. In Total Chaos, the first book in Izzo’s Marseilles Trilogy, the reader experiences the port city of Marseilles through Izzo’s eyes: A vibrant seaside metropolis, filled with inhabitants of all nationalities who approach life with gusto and passion; a city populated with a crime world of enforcers, agitators and hit men that reaches into every corner and crevice; and a police force that is as corrupt and violent as the criminals they work to shut down. All the trappings for the beginning of a good crime novel. Add in a disenchanted cop (our protagonist Fabio), the violent murders of two childhood friends (Ugo and Manu, both having lived lives of crime), a missing woman (Lole), the brutal rape and murder of Leila, the daughter of one of Fabio’s good friends, it is no wonder that Fabio, a cop with scruples, feels like a loner in a city that thrums with love, lust, betrayal and hatred. In true hardboiled crime-novel style, Fabio personal search for Ugo and Manu’s killers involves Fabio eating, drinking, fishing and having his way with some beautiful women (all the while sidestepping any commitments).

For me, this one reads like a grittier, more brutal, Noir-styled version of Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano stories (if that comparison helps). There is a sentimentality to Izzo’s portrayal of Marseilles (similar to Camilleri’s portrayal of fictional small town Sicily), with a focus on the underclass communities of the housing projects and the seedier neighbourhoods. Izzo’s writing style is perfect for a hardboiled detective story: sparse on words, long on atmosphere. While the criminals became a bit of a jumbled mess in my mind – and I found parts of the ending to be a little too contrived – overall, a solid hardboiled detective story and I am looking forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy.

>114 lkernagh: Have you tried Roots? I feel like they'd make just what you're looking for.

>117 MickyFine: - I didn't even think of Roots! I scanned their online store and found a possibility, but I will have to stop in the store next week and see if I can see if it will work. Thanks so much for the suggestion, Micky!

Book #100 - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - audiobook narrated by Cathleen McCarron
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 2017
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 2017
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 352 pages / 11 hours, 2 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and Wednesday evening phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen, the three rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. Ultimately, it is Raymond's big heart that will help Eleanor find the way to repairing her own profoundly damaged one. And if she does, she'll learn that she, too, is capable of finding friendship—and even love—after all."

Review:
Honeyman has created such a socially awkward and wonderfully endearing character in Eleanor. Yes, at first Eleanor appears “odd”. As I got to know Eleanor, I learn that she is very intelligent (loves doing the cryptic crosswords), delightfully eloquent, unfailingly honest (yes, I had an “Ouch” reaction to some of her rather direct comments) and has a deadpan humour, all traits that appeal to my own quirky, introvert personality. Eleanor’s decision to "acquire", for lack of a better word what she believes to be the man of her dreams (a local singer) is compounded by her growing relationship with Raymond, the IT guy at her place of employment. As one can expect, Eleanor's conquest is fraught with the usual romance-induced angst of the mousey girl going through the steps of a full makeover (hair, makeup, wardrobe). In typical contemporary romance fashion, Eleanor learns that appearances aren’t everything, but there is so much more to this story. As Honeyman slowly peels away the layers of protective armor Eleanor has encased herself within, we learn that Eleanor has a disturbing past she does not like to talk about (how did she get those scars on her face?) and I am probably not the only reader to wonder why Eleanor continues to engage in such destructive/demeaning phone conversations with her mother. The past is slowly revealed, adding a darker emotional themes of child abuse, loneliness and depression to the story.

Overall, a fabulous debut novel with an unforgettable heroine.

Congrats on finishing your walk across Canada, Lori. Maybe you should wait until the spring or at least warmer weather to start your next walk. You could do the same pilgrimage as Harold Fry in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry or do the Camino de Santiago.

>120 Familyhistorian: - Thanks Meg! Waiting until spring might be a good idea.... it was rather cold this past week! I need to read the Harold Fry book. It may inspire my next walking challenge. Thanks for the suggestions and for stopping by!

Book #101 - The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante - audiobook narrated by Hillary Huber
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 2002
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback / Audiobook
Original publication date: 2002
Acquisition date: May 7, 2017
Page count: 188 pages / 7 hours, 38 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 1.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the local public library book listing webpage:

"Once an aspiring writer, Olga traded literary ambition for marriage and motherhood; when Mario dumps her after 15 years, she is utterly unprepared. Though she tells herself that she is a competent woman, nothing like the poverella (poor abandoned wife) that mothers whispered about in her childhood, Olga falls completely apart. Routine chores overwhelm her; she neglects her appearance and forgets her manners; she throws herself at the older musician downstairs; she sees the poverella's ghost. After months of self-pity, anger, doubt, fury, desperation and near madness, her acknowledgments of weaknesses in the marriage feel as earned as they are unsurprising."

Review:
Even though I had just a lukewarm experience reading Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend / Neapolitan series, I thought I would give the author another chance to “Wow” me. Didn’t happen. Instead, this book left me wishing I had never, ever picked up a Ferrante novel, or at least, not this one. Her books – the ones I have read, which now total 5 – are filled with self-absorbed, angry people who feel that someone else (never them) is responsible for their life being “in the crapper”. Ferrante wraps these super annoying, incompetent characters in self-righteous shrouds and has them engage in destructive behaviours that affect the very people they are supposed to love and support, like their own children. Yes, Ferrante is a skilled writer but her subject matter is an exercise in destructive, over the top drama-filled navel gazing that is just tiresome reading. As if thoroughly draining her characters isn’t enough, Ferrante has to drain her readers too.

Overall, this has to be the most annoying story I have ever read. If you have never read Ferrante’s works and are wondering if her stories might appeal to you, I would recommend skim reading the first 50 pages of this one. I have noticed that Ferrante's stories all appear to follow the same formula writing style, characterizations and themes. As for me, I am finished with Ferrante’s books. I am done.

Lori, I picked up a copy of Days of Abandonment this summer. I read the book by her husband, Domenico Starnone, Ties, about the end of the marriage and now I really want her side. He didn't come out well in that one, but neither did she.

>119 lkernagh: - I've heard good things about this before. Going to check and see if I've already taken a BB on this and, if not, then I'll be taking one from you. Sounds like a book I would really like. Might need to see where I can fit it into my challenge next year. Maybe I'll suggest it for a book club read.

>123 RidgewayGirl: - Oooooohhhh.... So The Days of Abandonment might have some autobiographical truth in it? Well, that makes the story a little more interesting, although I have to say I am still deeply disturbed by some of Olga (the jilted wife's) behaviour. You have peaked my interest to read Ties - which my local library has copies of. Thank you so much for sharing that piece of information!

>124 dudes22: - I was more than pleasantly surprised with the Honeyman book, Betty and can recommend it as an interesting read for a book group to discuss.

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


Happy weekend everyone! Plans today involve holiday decorating, which means moving some furniture around to make space for the tree. I have 9 books to go to finish my remaining category for my reading challenge so I will be listening to an audiobook instead of the usual Christmas carols while trimming the tree. ;-)

I've decided to change one of my categories for next year to make it more encouraging for book bullets.

Have fun with the decorating, Lori!

Have fun decorating! We will be putting our tree up this afternoon too. I spent my morning doing some Christmas baking and we are hoping to take the girls to see The Grinch soon.

>126 dudes22: - Smart idea, Betty!

>127 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks Judy! I am always amazed at how time flies when decorating.

>128 ChelleBearss: - Hi Chelle! Decorating was fun (and relaxing because I did not have the other half "underfoot". ;-) I have not started any Xmas baking yet (maybe next week). Your house must smell wonderful!

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

Happy Sunday! Yesterday was a good day. Got the tree up - I cannot believe that it took me three hours, between rearranging furniture, setting up the tree, stopping for a lunch break and then trimming the tree - but the task is done. Smaller project this afternoon will be to take some wide wired ribbon I have and create a festive bow for the front door. I also need to make an online purchase (I order Bernard Callebaut chocolates for my dad, his favorites) but there seems to be a problem with their online secure order site so looks like I will have to contact them tomorrow and place the order over the phone.

In the meantime, I managed to get in some good audiobook time yesterday and hope to get in more today. I managed to finish two books yesterday (reviews to follow) so I am 7 books away from completing my final category.

.... now for those reviews.

Book #102 - The Book Borrower by Alice Mattison - audiobook narrated by Suzanne Toren
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 1999
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 1999
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 290 pages / 10 hours, 11 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"On the day they first meet in a city playground, Deborah Laidlaw lends Toby Ruben a book called Trolley Girl, the memoir of a forgotten trolley strike in the 1920s, written by the sister of a fiery Jewish revolutionary who played an important, ultimately tragic role in the events. Young mothers with babies, Toby and Deborah become instant friends. It is a relationship that will endure for decades—through the vagaries of marriage, career, and child-rearing, through heated discussions of politics, ethics, and life—until an insurmountable argument takes the two women down divergent paths. But in the aftermath of crisis and sorrow, it is a borrowed book, long set aside and forgotten, that will unite Toby and Deborah once again."

Review:
I had high hopes for this book. Yes, the "book-within-a-book" technique is one that I don't usually struggle with. While the story has some great themes running through it - radical politics, anti-semitism, family tensions and a deep examination of friendships - I just could not fathom how this was a best seller/notable book. Thank goodness for reviewers! Having skimmed some reviews, it appears that this book has a divided audience. Probably best appeals to readers who tend to study the structure, style and technique used by the writer while reading. I tend to read for entertainment (or informational purposes when reading non-fiction) so while I appreciate Mattison's thoughtful portrayal of Toby and Deborah's friendship, and I found the 1920's trolley strike and radical politics focus of the Trolley Girl sub-story interesting, this was just a "Meh" read for me. I had some thoughts that maybe the book is not best suited for an "audioread" - it was a bit difficult to notice when the story shifted to to the "Trolley Girl" - but that still doesn't address the fact that Toby has a lot of unappealing qualities about her. I tend to have difficulties appreciating a story when the lead character does not appeal to me.

Overall, this one can be chalked up as being a rather challenging read and probably will not appeal to readers like me who just want to sit back and enjoy a good story.

Book #103 - Chourmo by Jean-Claude Izzo - translated from the French by Howard Curtis
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 1996
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 1996
Acquisition date: September 3, 2011
Page count: 256 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.90 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

"Fabio Montale has left a police force marred by corruption, xenophobia and greed. But getting out is not going to be so easy. When his cousin's son goes missing, Montale is dragged back onto the mean streets of a violent, crime-infested Marseilles. To discover the truth about the boy's disappearance, he infiltrates a dangerous underworld of mobsters, religious fanatics, crooked cops and ordinary people driven to extremes by desperation."

Review:
Another solid Noir crime read and great second book in Izzo's "Marseilles Trilogy". This one still has a fair bit of hard-boiled action and violence, but not quite as extreme as I found in the previous book, Total Chaos. The overall tone of the story is a little more laid back, reflective and philosophical but it is still a really nasty world of organized crime, corruption and racial intolerance/unrest (with growing fundamentalist/terrorist underpinnings). The desolation and rage that characterizes Montale adds to the gritty, determined edge of the story. Izzo adds just the right balance of quieter contemplation and heart-pumping drama and I am really growing to like Montale as a character, so I was happy to see that this is as much Montale's story as it is about Marseilles and the mystery. The downside for me is that Izzo withholds from the reader information Montale is privy to. I am not a big fan of being left in the dark of what the leading protagonist knows, so I tend to find the "reveals", when they happen, to be a bit frustrating as I don't have all of the facts as I try to piece together the situation. That is really the only grip I have with this one.

Overall, a great follow-up to Total Chaos, and I am looking forward to reading Solea, the final book in the trilogy.

Currently Reading:
.

Audiobook:
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King - to fill my "1994" original publication year slot
ebook:
TBD
Physical books:
Solea by Jean-Claude Izzo - to fill my "1998" original publication year slot and to conclude the trilogy

Sounds like you had a hard-working Christmasy weekend. I think we're (finally) getting our tree tonight after dinner. Mike dreads it every year.
I have The Beekeeper's Apprentice on the shelf, so I'll watch for your thoughts.

Hi Lori!

Just a quick hello. I read The Beekeeper's Apprentice and enjoyed it, but haven't been inspired to continue the series so far.

>133 mstrust: - Yes, it was a rather Christmasy kind of weekend. I never did manage to make a bow for the front door... I am crap at bow making, so I settled for a festive store bought item. Dresses up the front door without being as bulky as a wreath, so I am calling that a good decision for my "less is more" approach to the holidays. ;-)

>134 karenmarie: - Hello Karen! How lovely to see you in this "neck of the LT woods"! I can understand enjoying a first book in a series and then never heading back for further installments. My series is full of only first books in series read.

----------------------------
Happy Friday from a very wet, but rather unseasonably warm west coast! My dreams that work the week between Christmas and News Years will be a quiet time in the office are quickly evaporating but, so be it. I have a full work week next week but only work two days during the holiday period so fingers crossed the deluge of work I have already been hit with means nothing new will materialize and I can just work through the existing pile. This weekend is going to be low-key with some TV viewing time. I recently got hooked on a new TV series, The Good Karma Hospital. I pretty much binged watch series one and looking forward to possibly binge watching series two this weekend.

On the reading front, I did manage to finish two books, which gets me two books closer to completing my challenge. Reviews and new current reading post to follow.

Book #104 - Solea by Jean-Claude Izzo - translated from the French by Howard Curtis
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 1998
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback
Original publication date: 1998
Acquisition date: May 3, 2015
Page count: 211 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

"Italian Mafiosi are hunting journalist-activist Babette Bellini, and the body count is growing as they close in on their prey. In desperation, Bellini seeks help from her former lover, Montale. Before he has time to shake off his most recent hangover, Montale is receiving sinister phone calls from men with Italian accents who want him to find Bellini for them. Like a woman he can't leave, like strong liquor he can't refuse, Marseilles lures Montale back into its violent embrace."

Review:
The third and final book in Izzo’s Marseilles Trilogy is a story shrouded in melancholy. Not because it is the last book, or because of how it all ends (Note: if you are looking for a happy ending, don’t read a hard-boiled crime novel). Izzo’s love for Marseilles pervades this story, even more so than in the earlier two books. The overall atmosphere is one of bitter sweet resignation, a eulogy for what has passed and a weeping for what has become (think lone saxophone player playing a sorrowful tune against the backdrop of a “fading to black” purple sky).

By book three, Izzo’s characters feel like family. I love Montale’s loner personality, his motherly neighbour Honorine and the bar owners Felix and Fonfon who make up Montale’s very small network of friends. What I also love is the array of iconic women that parade through Montale’s life. They are strong women, all prepared to face life head on and not just accept the crumbs that might be doled out to them. Of course, it is because of a woman that Montale finds himself being dragged against his will back into the bloodbath that is organized crime’s way of dealing with anyone who threatens to rock their boat so I like how it is another woman, Helene Pessayre, the most recent in a string of police captain who have tangled with Montale, who shares Montale’s dream of a Marseilles freed from the clenches of organized crime and corruption.

Overall, another solid hard-boiled crime novel and the perfect capstone to Izzo’s trilogy with some surprising themes about the importance of community and friendship.

Book #105 - The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King - audiobook narrated by Jenny Sterlin
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 1994
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 1994
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 368 pages / 13 hours, 21 minutes
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"In 1915, Sherlock Holmes is retired and quietly engaged in the study of honeybees in Sussex when a young woman literally stumbles onto him on the Sussex Downs. Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes. Under his reluctant tutelage, this very modern, twentieth-century woman proves a deft protégée and a fitting partner for the Victorian detective. They are soon called to Wales to help Scotland Yard find the kidnapped daughter of an American senator, a case of international significance with clues that dip deep into Holmes's past. "

Review:
Being a Sherlock Holmes fan, I approached this one with a bit of trepidation. Some pastiches have fallen rather flat with me so I was pleasantly surprised, and quite taken, with both King’s version of a much older Holmes and young Mary Russell. Such an odd, and yet perfectly matched pair of intellects! Told from the point of view of Mary, this is just as much a coming-of-age historical novel as it is a detective/mystery story. Also, in my personal opinion, King (and the audiobook narrator, Jenny Sterlin) nailed the personality, mannerisms, quirks and nuances of the great detective, taking into account the gradual decline in certain faculties we all may fall prey to as we age. As for Mary, King has crafted a wonderful character to take on the mantle of a female detective with many of the same qualities of Holmes. Not surprising, the first part of the book is more focused on Mary’s apprenticeship and the growing friendship between Holmes and Russell. The verbal sparing between the two of them – like two goats ready to but horns – is good for a chuckle or two! The bond of friendship is wonderful to observe and is a strong one between Holmes and Russell, even if Mary continues to Holmes as Holmes while she comes to refer to Dr. Watson as Uncle John. As for the mystery – yes, they do find themselves embroiled in detection (and not necessarily by choice) – King provides readers with a new and wonderful sinister cat and mouse game to rival Holmes’ earlier battles with his arch nemesis, Moriarty, providing for some growing suspense.

Overall, a true reading delight for this Sherlock Holmes fan and I never thought I would say this, but I am quite happily adding the Mary Russell series to my already burgeoning list of series reading.

Currently Reading:
.

Audiobook:
The Difference Engine by William Gibson (audiobook narrated by Simon Vance) - to fill my "1990" original publication year slot and to acquaint myself finally with this steampunk genre read
ebook:
TBD
Physical books:
Atonement by Ian McEwan - to fill my "2001" original publication year slot and to add to my ROOT reading tally

I hope everyone has been enjoying a stress-free weekend, especially at this time of year. My weekend has been good - unless we discuss weather, in which case it has been a weekend of blustery 80-100KM winds Saturday night and the usual rain. On the shopping front, I thought I was being clever earlier in the week when I purchased on-line a gift for the other half, with pick up at the store in town. Not surprising, while the online system had reported availability of the item when I placed the order, I received an email Sunday morning that they were unable to complete the order (so no charge to my account). Not a big deal but considering the other half has been making allusions that he has a gift for me (even though we agreed to no gifts this years), I have a couple of feelers out for some possible gift items but not stressing about it, since he is the one that decided to break our no gift embargo.

For my visitors not located in Canada, and not privy to the Canada Post job action that started back in late Oct/early Nov, I made a decision to not mail out cards this year. Instead, I will be sending e-greetings, which I am kind of enjoying as I still get to be creative and pull together my own "card" for family and friends, which is how I spent part of this afternoon.

On the TV watching front, I totally binge watched all 6 episodes of series 2 of "The Good Karma Hospital" yesterday. Absolutely fabulous!

On the reading front, I haven't made a dent in Atonement by Ian McEwan, my physical read, but have make wonderful progress with the audioread, The Difference Engine. Over halfway through and on the fence with this one, but I did raise a spark of interest at the following quote that suddenly appeared in the book:

"The British scientists have flown to the mainland from the flourishing metropolis of Victoria, and have motored at their ease into the mountains from a luxurious base in the coastal village of Vancouver."

Keep in mind, The Difference Engine is a steampunk/cyberpunk novel set in the 19th century, with only some fleeting references to Canada, but I love how back in the day, Victoria really was the growing center compared to Vancouver (as captured in Gibson's alternate history story) and now, roughly 150 years later, Victoria is considered, in some ways, to be the sleepy cousin to Vancouver. ;-)

Sorry his gift isn't working out. I usually don't get Mike a Christmas gift either, as he always says he doesn't want anything. This year, I'm giving him multiples of everything he's always in need of, so he has a gift wrapped box of his particular hair products, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. I think he'll be thrilled.
Keep warm! That wind sounds terrifying.

Lori, this postal slow down is driving me crazy! I ordered about six books from Book Depository way back in October and I was ready to report the order missing but then one book arrived last week. Now I am thinking the rest will slowly trickle in - I wish Book Depository had shipped it as one parcel. :(
I also noticed that another book buying site that I use, Awesome Books, is not taking any orders from Canada until the postal dispute is settled.

>139 lkernagh: Canada Post job action has made me feel miserable. Like you, I decided not to send out cards in the mail because I thought they would languish in the mail until February! Now that I'm receiving cards from friends and family all over the world, I feel like The Grinch! I'll be sending e-cards (I always do) but somehow that doesn't make me feel better.

I told my husband that I don't want any presents. Now I'm afraid that I'll get what I deserve. :(

I ended up sending cards this year, but I avoided ordering anything online. It sounded like most of the backlog was parcels. Annoying, because Wordery and Book Depo keep sending me discount vouchers but I'm afraid to use them until, like, June.

>141 DeltaQueen50: I actually got an email from Canada Post telling me my order from the Book Depository would be delayed because of job action. I suppose they got my email address from the order, but it's still a bit weird.

>144 VivienneR: That is strange, Vivienne, I wonder if the mail order companies have complained to the P.O. about their orders being held up so long and threatened to pull their business and go to UP or another carrier.

>145 DeltaQueen50: I'm still trying to make sense of it, Judy.

Apologies for highjacking your thread, Lori!

Glad to hear things are going well in your neck of the woods, Lori.

I admit to curiosity, did Roots prove fruitful?

>140 mstrust: - Other half is always a challenge to buy for. you would think, after all these years, I would be used to it, but really did not expect to buy the exact same brand and colour of sweater he already owns. Lesson learned: other half does not pay close attention to colours. Charcoal black to me (and manufacture) is described as being "Black" by other half. ;-)

I love your gift idea for Mike! As for the weather, high winds are kind of the norm during this time of year. It just means that I need to pay attention for wind warnings so that I can move my plants on the balcony down to the deck area and protect them. It also means my work wardrobe is chosen with wind/rain factors in mind. I like to wear skirts to work on rainy days - legs covered in nylons dry faster than wet pant legs! - but I have some skirts that tend to "billow" under windy conditions. Nothing worse than trying to walk outdoors, shouldering an umbrella AND holding the skirt to keep it from an awkward wind exposure! ;-)

>141 DeltaQueen50:, >142 VivienneR: and >143 rabbitprincess: - It sounds like I am not alone with worries about delivery of certain mail items because of the Canada Post work action! Always a challenge but I am not a big fan of legislating workers to cease job actions when they are not on a full blown strike. It tends to lean negotiations in favour of the company over the employees. Never a good situation. I am hugely disturbed by the recent news that, prior to the back to work legislation, Canada Post was claiming the backlog of mail could not be cleared before the end of January and yet a mere three weeks after workers were legislated back to work, Canada Post has been able to resume their Christmas delivery guarantee. Something is not kosher here...

>141 DeltaQueen50: - Here is hoping that your ordered books will arrive soon and that sites that were not taking orders have resumed doing so.

>142 VivienneR: - Sounds like we are in a similar situation, Vivienne with the incoming cards. They are starting to arrive in my mailbox, too. Oh dear on the gift front. Fingers crossed that your husband will either pleasantly surprise you or honor your wishes. I am all for anything that alleviates stress at this time of year.

>143 rabbitprincess: - Good for you on sending cards, RP but annoying having to strategize when best to make use of your discount vouchers because of the job action!

>144 VivienneR:, >145 DeltaQueen50: and >146 VivienneR: - Hum, that is odd and no worries. I found the discussion very interesting, as I tend to like to be "in the know" of how my contact details (and other information) is shared by online retailers I use.

>147 MickyFine: - Hi Micky! Life continues to tick along and I have to admit, I completely forgot to visit the Roots store to more closely examine their bags! I have to run into town tomorrow at lunch time to buy some more weather protectant spray for our various footwear so I will make a stop into Roots and report back. I did see a possible leather shoulder bag this past weekend - in Winners, no less! - but the middle section was a snap closure and I tend to place my wallet in the middle section and the last thing I want is to make it easy for my wallet to be snaffled!

Hello everyone! With the holidays closing in, I am at sixes and sevens, especially as the other half has now gone and placed a wrapped present under the tree! He claims that it is something for both of us. Now, I should mention that he has made two purchases this holiday season that are gifts to both of us, and he does seem to have my practical gift interests in mind. New electric kettle arrived this evening (our previous one worked fine except the auto shut off function was a little hit and miss) so that is good, but the gift of the season so far (that we are already using) is a Bluetooth wireless speaker. This thing is awesome! I can totally listen to my audiobooks (downloaded to the apps on my phone) wherever I am in the house, and it replaces the onboard speakers on my tablet for internet TV viewing. He got the idea from a gaming buddy of his and I have to say... good choice!

On the reading front, I do have another book finished and review ready for posting.

Book #106 - The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling- audiobook narrated by Simon Vance
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 1990
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 1990
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 512 pages / 14 hours, 22 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.85 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

"1855: The Industrial Revolution is in full swing, powered by steam-driven cybernetic Engines. Charles Babbage perfects his Analytical Engine, and the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time. Three extraordinary characters race toward a rendezvous with the future: Sybil Gerard—fallen woman, politician’s tart, daughter of a Luddite agitator; Edward “Leviathan” Mallory—explorer and paleontologist; Laurence Oliphant—diplomat, mystic, and spy. Their adventure begins with the discovery of a box of punched Engine cards of unknown origin and purpose. Cards someone wants badly enough to kill for."

Review:
Hum… I guess it is a good thing that I was already a fan of steampunk as a genre before reading this one, because if not, this would have turned me off the genre. Don’t get me wrong, the authors have created quite an interesting alternate reality of 1850s Victorian times filled with Victorian techno (early computer (punch card) technology) and a fair number of significant historical figures of the scientific community. The attention to detail is amazing, but can be lost on readers not already well versed in the Victorian era. Billed as part detective story, part historical thriller, it would probably help readers to have some prior knowledge of Charles Babbage, Ada Byron and their work on Babbage’s Analytical Engine, as that work and Ada are rather important parts to this story. My knowledge is fleeting at best so that may have hindered my enjoyment of the story.

I understand this story was a collaboration of sorts between the two authors, which might explain why, while some sections were well written, the overall structure seemed a bit off/clunky. As for it being billed as a historical thriller, I found the action parts to be sparse. They seemed to just blend into the descriptive writing. The detective story also struggles. I get that some important punch cards for the Engine were stolen but I never found out what made these cards so important (an unsolved mystery in itself). The overall effect for me is I found myself bored while reading this one. It would have probably appealed to me more if I had done my own research before diving into the story. As I mentioned above, good thing this was not my first experience with steampunk, or I probably would have turned my back on the genre.

>149 lkernagh: Good luck. I'm on the hunt for a new wallet and as I'm the type who likes to carry all the things, it's a bit of a quest.

>151 lkernagh: Sorry to hear that was more of a dud read.

>141 DeltaQueen50: I don't even bother to order from Book Depository or Wordery anymore, Judy. The books take up to 3 months to arrive in Coquitlam. That was before there was a postal strike. I joined Santa Thing last year and got my books through Book Depository. My last book arrived at the end of February or was that in March?

I hope you are weathering the storm, Lori. My power was out for 3.5 hours but there is no damage that I am aware of. I was thankful not to have to go out in those winds.

>144 VivienneR: >145 DeltaQueen50: >149 lkernagh: Retraction! The email from Canada Post was not about my Book Depository order, but a Book Depot order whose receipt/confirmation included tracking information. The CP email was really an update about the tracking. So it was not so weird after all.

Still, it makes me think I should read the books I already have on the shelf.

>152 MickyFine: - Thanks Micky and I was greeted with a pleasant surprise: the other half has located the perfect new shoulder bag for me! It is an online purchase, so I will have to wait for it to arrive but I am pretty happy to stop my frustrating new bag looking!

I can see why some readers in the Sc-Fi community loved The Difference Engine... I am just not that informed a reader to enjoy the subtle nuanced changes Gibson and Sterling made to create their alternate reality.

>153 Familyhistorian: - This has been quite the week (past 10 days, really) for extreme weather shifts, Meg. Wed/Thurs storm was the strongest and most damaging of the three separate wind warnings we had. It was so bad the Coho car ferry service between Victoria and Port Angeles, WA cancelled its sailing. This was the second cancellation in the entire 53 years of Coho service, so that gives an indication of just how wild those winds were over the waters! I think I read somewhere that we are info another wind storm this weekend, but not as bad as the last one, so that is a good thing. Glad to see your power outage was a short one. I understand a number of areas are still without power.

>154 VivienneR: - Still, it makes me think I should read the books I already have on the shelf.

Sounds like a good plan! ;-)

>155 mstrust: - Love the e-card, Jennifer! That is quite the balancing act with the parcels. ;-)

Hello all! After the crazy storm that blew through the BC coastal areas yesterday, today is exceedingly calm. Fingers crossed the projected wind warning for the weekend is more in line with typical wind warnings (although, I am worried that trees have been put through a fair bit some some damage can still occur under lower wind conditions).

On the good news front, I am now officially off for the next 5 days! All I have to do tomorrow is get in the necessary food stuffs for the holidays and then I can lounge on the sofa with a stack of books, Christmas lights on and Mother Nature can do her worst because I have no intentions of heading out again until I have to return to work. ;-)

I have finished another book and have just three books left to complete my challenge which is do-able, IMO.

Now for that review...

Book #107 - The Free World by David Bezmozgis - audiobook narrated by Stefan Rudnicki
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 2011
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 2011
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 356 pages / 9 hours, 49 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.35 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

"Summer, 1978. Brezhnev sits like a stone in the Kremlin, Israel and Egypt are inching towards peace, and in the bustling, polyglot streets of Rome, strange new creatures have appeared: Soviet Jews who have escaped to freedom through a crack in the Iron Curtain. Among the thousands who have landed in Italy to secure visas for new lives in the West are the members of the Krasnansky family — three generations of Russian Jews.

There is Samuil, an old Communist and Red Army veteran, who reluctantly leaves the country to which he has dedicated himself body and soul; Karl, his elder son, a man eager to embrace the opportunities emigration affords; Alec, his younger son, a carefree playboy for whom life has always been a game; and Polina, Alec's new wife, who has risked the most by breaking with her old family to join this new one. Together, they will spend six months in Rome — their way station and purgatory. They will immerse themselves in the carnival of emigration, in an Italy rife with love affairs and ruthless hustles, with dislocation and nostalgia, with the promise and peril of a new life."

Review:
Bezmozgis has written a story akin to Matryoshka (Russian nesting) dolls. The story follows, on an individual level, each family member, their personal backstory and the tough choices they have faced. At the family unit level, the story presents a richly complex multi-generational family where differences can rock but never completely break the family bond. At the community level, we experience connections between other Latvian Jewish emigrants who also find themselves in limbo in Italy. At a country level, we experience, through the Krasnansky family, their life in Latvia under communism and, through their forced extended stay in Italy, a sense of dislocation, language, cultural, and societal barriers as they find ways to live and earn money while they wait for their immigration papers to come through. At a world level, we learn about the complex (and frustrating) red tape, which I am sure is just as much as maze now as it was in the 1970’s setting of this story. Bezmozgis, while a skilled storyteller, takes certain things for granted, like the reader having knowledge of Russian/ Soviet Jewish history. I also struggled to understand the focus of Bezmozgis’s story. The story seems to use the Krasnansky family as mere characters to represent a broader “emigrant experience” type of story. The story message is a good one, and the characters come across as more "real" than likeable (interpret that anyway you choose to). I can see how this story may have different meaning for different readers, just like how “The Free World” can mean different things to different people.

Overall, a good read if you are looking for a fictional read of a Russian emigration experience.

Hoping your holidays are filled with good friends and good books

Happy holidays, Lori! Staying in and reading sounds like a very good plan!

>157 lkernagh: Enjoy your holiday break, Lori! Three books is not only doable, but a wonderful reason to spend time reading over this next week.

I'm finally getting a chance to catch up on threads and saw that you had finished your walking challenge, which I'd been following the past few years with great interest. Congratulations!! I'm very impressed by how quickly you accomplished this big challenge and I enjoyed very much seeing the accompanying photos and interesting facts along the way.

>157 lkernagh: Enjoy your break, and especially the lounging! (I like the sound of that!)

Enjoy your holiday, Lori. I hope you have a lovely Christmas.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

>159 Carmenere: - Thank you for the lovely holiday greetings, Lynda! Best wishes to your and yours this holiday season!

>160 MissWatson: - Staying in has worked out very well, Birgit! I only had to venture out once on Sunday - explanation provided in the post below - and a good thing too. I am having a very relaxing holiday. Happy holidays to you and yours!

>161 RidgewayGirl: - Thanks! I am getting rather excited about wrapping up my challenge and as you have noted, it is always nice to have a reason to curl up and spend time reading during this usually very busy/chaotic time of year!

>162 mathgirl40: - Thanks Paulina and lovely to see you stopping by! I have to admit it felt really good to complete my walking challenge. It has been a great motivator and I am hoping to come up with a new walking challenge for 2019 so stay tuned! ;-)

>163 Jackie_K: - Thanks Jackie! Lounging is my perfect idea for spending the holidays. ;-)

>164 VivienneR: - Thanks Vivienne. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas.

>165 Ameise1: - Hi Barbara! Thank you for the wonderful holiday message! Love the minions!

>166 ChelleBearss: - Merry Christmas Chelle, and thank you for adding glitter and sparkle to my thread with your holiday message!

Wow... December 24th. It feels a little strange this year, in a good, stress-free way. I am loving the quiet time. Weather continues to be "uninviting" but at least I think we are finally finished with the wind storms for the next couple of days. The wind storm Saturday night, while not as bad as that insane one we had on Thursday, was the "straw that broke the camel's back", as the saying goes. My wrought iron plant stand on the balcony finally broke free of the zip ties that had held it secured to the balcony railing and toppled over. As is typical, this happened at 11:30 in the evening, after we were already in bed so had to go and investigate. No damage to the plant stand (or the plants) as I have had them sheltered on a corner on the balcony deck since the rolling wind storms started last week. So, Sunday involved a quick trip into town for more heavy duty zip ties to re-secure the plant stand. Went in early enough to avoid the last minute shopping chaos.

The only thing left on my holiday to-do list is to bake mincemeat tarts so we have fresh ones for tomorrow, post my latest review here and to post holiday greetings on my various social media channels.

Book #108 - The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje - audiobook narrated by Christopher Cazenove
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 1992
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 1992
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 305 pages / 8 hours, 30 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.10 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

"The nurse Hana, exhausted by death, obsessively tends to her last surviving patient. Caravaggio, the thief, tries to reimagine who he is, now that his hands are hopelessly maimed. The Indian sapper Kip searches for hidden bombs in a landscape where nothing is safe but himself. And at the center of this labyrinth lies the English patient, nameless and hideously burned, a man who is both a riddle and a provocation to his companions—and whose memories of suffering, rescue, and betrayal illuminate this book like flashes of heat lightning."

Review:
I am rather late coming to this one. I have never seen the film adaptation so I was able to approach this book "sight unseen". A wonderful story and yet, so difficult to review. As with most character-driven stories, the pacing here is languid. Everything seems to happen at half speed, as if moving through liquid. The story is not designed to be rushed through. It is to be slowly savored. Ondaatje's prose is lush and sensual. Our four characters are windows into damaged souls of war-ravaged individuals, with each one seeking, in their own way, release/redemption and the courage to try and pick up the war shattered pieces of their lives.

Overall, a beautiful, haunting story set at the tail end of World War II.

Season's Greetings to all who celebrate and wishing everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous 2019!

The best of the season to you, Lori. Enjoy your time off.

HI Lori., Seasons greeting to you and family with best wishes.
We have a summer place on Thetis Island and we were hit VERY hard by those winds and decks and docks were chewed up by the high boisterous tides so adding to the list of summer projects to do. Never a dull moment!

Best wishes to you for a very merry Christmas!

Sounds like you are enjoying a cozy time off, Lori. That sounds like a great way to spend Christmas.

Hi Lori!

Just a quick hello after a busy lead-up to Christmas. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are getting some good reading and relaxing in.

>171 DeltaQueen50:, >172 mdoris:, >173 AMQS:, >174 Familyhistorian: and >175 karenmarie: - Thank you Judy, Mary, Anne, Meg and Karen for the lovely season's greetings! I hope everyone's Christmas was as they hoped it would be.

>172 mdoris: - OMG! Not good, but at least no damage to the house, I hope? I understand that BC Hydro is doing all it can to restore power to effected areas some 488 homes/businesses are still without power here on the island, all south of Port Alberni, but a lot still impacted on the smaller islands. Never good when Mother Nature adds to your summer projects to-do list, that is for sure!

--------------------------------
Happy Boxing Day! I hope everyone has had a lovely week so far. Yesterday was wonderful. Were woken up by someone in the street doing a Santa impersonation of "Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas!", which was delightful (and well done, I might add!). The neighbours have some small children so possibly done for their benefit (it was still dark out), but it brought a smile to even my face. ;-)

I am not a fan of the Boxing Day crushes of people in the malls looking for deals so my Boxing Day shopping will be of the on-line variety, mainly e-books where I don't have to fight with other shoppers for the last item in stock.

On the reading front, another book finished, bringing me one book closer to concluding my challenge. Will easily finish the remaining book later today and then I will close out my 2018 reading with two LTER books that I am long overdue for reading. Figure it is best to start 2019 with a clean slate there!

Book #109 - Atonement by Ian McEwan
Challenge(s): 2018 Category, ROOT
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 2001
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2001
Acquisition date: October 29, 2011
Page count: 384 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.70 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the book back cover:

"On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her sister Cecilia strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country home. Watching her is Robbie Turner, their childhood friend. By the end of the day Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they have not even imagined at its start, and Briony will have witnessed mysteries and committed a crime that resonates through the war and through the characters' entire lives"

Review:
My favorite McEwan read to date! The story is divided into four parts. Part one swept me away, just like Virginia Woolf did when I read Mrs. Dalloway some years ago. McEwan has deftly captured techniques employed by Woolf: the sharply detailed day, the sifting of events and perception and the 'bird's eye view' the reader experiences of some, but not all, events. Absolutely perfect, so I found myself being jarred awake when Part 2 finds us suddenly 5 years forward in time, in France with the retreating English forces. While McEwan's technique remains more or less unchanged, the shift in setting - and narrator from Briony to Robbie - provides the reader with a sharply different experience, which, thankfully made it easier to slide into Part 3 and rejoin Briony, now a "nurse in training" in London. The overall effect of the story, including the capstone of the final part where we fast forward to 1999, is an exquisitely written, profound story of childhood awakening, love, war and the difficulty of absolution. So why no 5 star rating? A solid 5 star rating for Part 1, but the other parts did not enamour me to the same extent. Still, a wonderful read and a book I would highly recommend for Virginia Woolf and Mrs. Dalloway fans out there.

>176 lkernagh: Sounds like a good Boxing Day plan, Lori!

Lovely review of Atonement, Lori. I have enjoyed all of McEwan's books that I've read so far.

One of these days I'll go shopping on Boxing Day just for the experience. Although now that I left the big city far behind, I might be too late. Enjoy your online shopping!

>177 lkernagh: Glad you enjoyed that one, Lori. The film adaptation is also excellent. I really adore the music score for that one.

>178 rabbitprincess: - It worked out really well, RP. Lounged around all day in my PJs and still managed to purchase new books in the process. Love e-books for that! ;-)

>179 VivienneR: - McEwan is such a fabulous writer! He is definitely/most likely going to be one of the authors I plan to binge read in 2019.

As for Boxing Day shopping, it has changed, in a big way, from my fond memories when my other half and I would join the line-up of people at 4am outside of A&B Sound (a music and electronics store that went out of business a number of years ago). Everyone was always in great spirits and your could really score some good deals. Our first car alarm was a $39 Door Crasher sale item on Boxing Day. Fun times. I understand there are predictions that the Canadian Boxing Day experience is being superseded by the US version (Black Friday) so I think you can safely say that even if you did go shopping on Boxing Day for the experience, it would not be the same experience of my memories. Sad, really. ;-)

>180 MickyFine: - I did, Micky! I will keep an eye out for the film adaptation, and the music score. I am sure my local library has a copy, possibly of both! It would be perfect viewing on one of the island's dreary winter evenings.

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

Happy Thursday/post Boxing Day everyone! I ventured back into work today. it was a reasonably quiet day but still busy enough for me to look at the clock at one point and be amazed at how much of the day was already gone. Should be extra quiet tomorrow. Good time for some 'heads down' work. I could really get used to the idea of a two-day work week. Just need to figure out how to make full time pay on part time work. ;-)

On the reading front, I finished my last challenge read on Boxing Day so I am now just working my way through two overdue LTER reads. Book review to follow.

Book #110 - Nights Below Station Street by David Adams Richards
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: Original Publication Year - 1988
Source: TBR
Format: eBook
Original publication date: 1988
Acquisition date: October 17, 2018
Page count: 232 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.45 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: summary from the cbc.ca book web page:

"Set in a small mill town in northern New Brunswick, Nights Below Station Street draws us into the lives of a community of people who live there, including Joe Walsh, isolated and strong in the face of a drinking problem; his wife, Rita, willing to believe the best about people; and their teenage daughter Adele, whose nature is rebellious and wise, and whose love for her father wars with her desire for independence. "

Review:
Winner of the 1988 Governor General award for fiction, Nights Below Station Street is the first book in Richards’ Miramichi Trilogy. Richards’ stories provocatively evoke time and place – this one capturing the early 1970s of a small mining town in northern New Brunswick where memories are long, secrets are hard to keep and feelings of poverty, struggle, resignation and fierce loyalties permeate the atmosphere of the community. I love Richards’ stories because his characters and their life experiences are so real, and unforgettable. I came away at the end feeling as though I have visited the community in person. On one level, this is a strong coming-of-age story. It really gets to the heart of teenage anger, rebellion, loyalty, insecurity and shame as we watch Adele struggle with her desires to be accepted by her peers, to exert her independence, to desire something better and her conflicting feelings of shame and loyalty for her family. This story also has strong adult themes of marriage, family, unemployment and alcoholism as we witness Adele’s parents face their own struggles: Rita, determined to make the best of her marriage soldiers on while Joe battles against the strong pull of alcohol and the demoralizing effects of long-term bouts of unemployment due to health issues. What I find amazing about this story is that Richards is able to communicate all this strong emotion and mental angst with effortless prose, as though he is merely a transcriber of what he is witnessing. For this reason, I feel that Richards’ stories are, at their heart, worthy stories about the human condition. They are also very much stories of Canada. I believe most Canadian readers with memories of the 1970s will be able to relate to this story, on some level.

If you have never read any of Richards’ works, I can suggest Nights Below Station Street as a wonderful place to start.

HI Lori, I have read 3 of Richards' books but not this one. I do remember really liking them especially Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul but will look for Nights Below Station Street because of your wonderful review.

Glad you had a good holiday. I don't blame you for hating the shopping crowds, and sorry to hear Boxing Day has become similar to Black Friday.
Two day work week- make it happen, Lori!

>182 lkernagh: I've added this to my wishlist.

>183 mdoris: - I have not read Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul, so thank you very much for mentioned that you especially like that one, Mary! David Adams Richards will be one of the authors I intend to binge read in 2019. I will be able to pull seven ROOT reads at the same time, so an extra incentive on top of Richards' story telling abilities. ;-)

>184 mstrust: - I have never been a big fan of crowds, Jennifer. I do know, maybe I am getting cranky as I age but I find I get short tempered if I have to dealing with milling crowds, etc when I am on a mission to get my errands done. The other half if quite happy to stay in bed on Saturday morning while I hit the stores as soon as they open. At least I get to come home to freshly brewed coffee when I am finished shopping.

As for Boxing Day, it is becoming less and less popular as more Canadians - and more Canadian businesses - are offering Black Friday deals at the end of November. Before, everyone used to shop after Christmas to take advantage of Boxing Day sales, but the trend is towards November sales before Christmas. So long as Boxing Day remains a statutory holiday in Canada, I don't really mind when the big sales days occur. ;-)

>185 RidgewayGirl: - We will have to see if I can add to your wishlist in 2019 when I binge read David Adams Richard books! ;-)

---------------------------
So, I am in a bit of a quandary at the moment. I have not been actively looking for a new job but I did stumble across an opportunity last month that would nicely fit my work experience and education. I figured what the heck and applied and then thought nothing more about it until this evening when I came home to an email that I have been shortlisted for the position. You would think I would find this rather exciting but when I read what the interview process entails, I am kind of put out. Each candidate is to present a 20 minute "sales pitch" of who we are, or vision, our leadership style and what we see as the opportunities and challenges for the position. Candidates will then be notified (same day) if they have advanced for an interview. Maybe I am old school but the position is not in sales/marketing or even with a private sector company. It is position with a local/municipal government. I chaff at the "beauty pageant" approach where they want me to strut my assets before I can get an interview. It also doesn't help that I am an introvert and do not do well at selling myself. I am also not a fan of targeted selection/behavioural based interviews, which is what they intend to use for this process.

Has anyone encountered this type of hiring process? I am going to take the weekend to ponder this a bit, but this seems like way too much work for something that may or may not be worth the effort.

Anyhow, enough of that. How about I distract you with another book review?

.
Book #111 - Everything but the Earl by Willa Ramsey
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: LTER
Format: eBook
Original publication date: July 3, 2018
Acquisition date: October 6, 2018
Page count: 268 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing web page:

"Miss Caroline Crispin is on top of the world. But she’s about to take a painful fall. As the daughter of London’s most in-demand architect, Caro has laughed and danced and pursued her interests with gusto—free from Society’s censure. So when she overhears two lords calling her vulgar names and wagering on whose lover she’ll become, she’s shocked and stung—and determined to teach them a lesson. Though it pains her to ask for help from another brutish lord…

Lord Ryland isn’t the man his father wanted him to be. But he’s about to make an excellent catch. Adam, Earl Ryland, just wants to get married and tend his country garden, away from the bucks, fops, and gossips who pester him to box like his late father. When this gentle giant meets his sister’s friend Caro—who parries his flirtations with double entendre that would make a barman blush—he’s smitten. But there’s a problem: she’s looking to him for a different sort of partnership. And it’s a risky one."

Review:
When I am in the mood for a bit of escapism reading, I like to dip into Regency romance novels. Ramsey has written a fun Regency romp. I tend to avoid sugary romances with flouncing, swooning heroines (although I do enjoy the devilish rakes they seem to attract!) so it was refreshing to discover Caroline “Caro” Crispin is anything but swooning or flouncing. Caro is every society matriarch’s worst nightmare: she is feisty, intelligent, self-confident, outspoken, determined and – horrors of horrors – she does not come from a titled family. Sounds perfect to me and no surprise that she attracts the attention of Lord Ryland, an enlightened nobleman who does not agree with some of society’s more restricting views on women. Ryland is the perfect match for Caro. Told from alternating points of view, Ramsey makes use of this technique to fully develop her characters. While the story has a solid Regency setting, the characters exhibit more modern traits and ideas. This does not detract from the story. In fact, this modernity enables the story free reign to entertain, especially with the interesting comments Caro makes, like this one: "Pray, Mrs. Meary - where is my cudgel? I may have found a need for it." Not the sort of statement one would expect from a woman of society but so in keeping with Caro’s personality!

Overall, a fun, witty, intelligent Regency romp.

>186 lkernagh: I don't blame you for being appalled by that job process. It sounds awful, like they expect to be entertained by the candidates. Very odd, considering that it's for a municipal job. The worst I've encountered was when I was called in for an interview and walked into a room filled with maybe 30 other people. They were doing mass interviews, something I'd never heard of, in which you were led through filling out a questionnaire. It was after that that someone realized that I was there for a different department and I was taken away for a regular one on one interview, but the feeling of being cattle stuck with me.

>186 lkernagh: That's a conundrum. On the one hand, stretching one's limits is usually a good thing, and here's a low-stakes chance to do that, on the other, what a pain! I guess it comes down to how much you want the job? Chances are the people you'd actually be working with and for have nothing to do with this song and dance routine, so once you've gotten it over with, the rest will be much more pleasant and comfortable.

>186 lkernagh: This sounds like an attempt to be trendy in their selection process. Even the federal government is attempting to be cool, branding some of its positions as "storytellers", "sherpas", or "ninjas". (My other half, when I told him about this: "Who do they think they are, Shopify?")

I don't think the presentation needs to be anything fancy, and the act of putting it together could be useful as prep for other, more traditional interviews, but if you don't really want the job that much, it might not be worth the effort.

>182 lkernagh: Great review. I have not read any of his work but I am always looking for more Canadian content. I have family in the Mirimichi area too. I'll see if I can snag a copy at my library!

>186 lkernagh: I hate those types of applications processes! My current job makes contract employees jump through hoops to become full time when spots open and they used to make us do presentations on the competencies from our position. I had to do a 5 minute presentation on what accountability meant to me. I bombed it as I don't do speeches well and my five minutes came out in a blur of words at like 2 minutes instead. Ugh.
Thankfully they got rid of that when I applied last time and managed to get full time.

>186 lkernagh: That sounds scary, Lori. I would NOT do well, I'm better at traditional interviews - although some interviewers can ask weird questions that make you wonder what they are intended to reveal. Even presentations (as >191 ChelleBearss: describes) are intimidating. Good luck, whatever you choose!

>186 lkernagh: I am a bit behind the times, but happy holidays!! Good luck with the job interview, if you decide to go that route. It does seem a complicated process, but if you want it you gotta do it!

>150 lkernagh: Sounds like the speakers are awesome! "The Other Half" gets points.

>188 mstrust: - Wow, I would be a bit off put if I thought I was walking into a traditional interview and found myself in a mass interview! Nice that they realized the Oops, but kind of hard to get your focus back for the interview.

>189 RidgewayGirl: - I have to admit that I am probably going to be consumed for most of the weekend pondering this one. You have raised some really good points for consideration. Sadly, the one thing I do know is that the "song and dance" is being directly orchestrated by the individual that would be my direct supervisor, should I get the job. They even sent out the notification email themselves instead of having an admin do it, like most organizations do. The good news is I now have a name for the supervisor and have been doing some online research of my own (who said only employers research potential employees through online searches?)

>190 rabbitprincess: - I think you have nailed it, RP. They are trying to be trendy. I have to admit, where I currently work they are also bringing in the those interesting job titles. They did provide some further documents to help inform me about the work, etc and I have to say, it was quite eye-opening to read, and not in a "I SO need to work there" kind of way. The documents are peppered with the same trendy vibe one expects from high-flying tech companies (like Shopify) and not a municipal department sole-funded with tax-payers dollars. I was rather surprised by some of the projects they showcased as major projects. Maybe that is a good thing, for me, as I struggle to decide what to do. ;-)

>191 ChelleBearss: - David Adams Richards is a fantastic author, Chelle. If you are unable to snag a copy of Nights Below Station Street, I can highly recommend Mercy Among the Children!

I am okay at speaking in front of a crowd, but usually it is to explain regulations and processes that I know like the back of my hand. I don't do well selling myself or trying to present a unique 'vision' that I think the intended audience should employ (What can I say, I don't do sales). How frustrating that the place where you work made things so challenging for individuals to make the shift from contractor to employee when a position opened up but it sounds like someone high enough up the hiring process realized that they were short changing themselves by their our hiring process. Glad you got in on the second pass!

>192 VivienneR: - I hear you on those weird interview questions! I had a friend recently go through an interview process (it was for a government job) and one of the questions they were asked was, "If you could be an animal, what animal would you be and why?" Okay, seriously? I have a degree in Psychology and whoever thought dumb questions like that would provide insight into a candidate should NOT be involved in the hiring process, at all. Those types of questions do not give you any information of value towards understanding whether or not the candidate can do the job and will fit into the corporate culture. It is just plain dumb. Now you have me wondering...if I clear the presentation stage, will I also have to face dumb questions like that. Probably.

>193 Berly: - Hi Kim and thank you for the happy holidays wishes! I hear you. If I want the job, I have to jump through the hoops.

As for the bluetooth wireless speaker, other half did score brownie points with that purchase!



Ultimate Ears BOOM 2 Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth speaker. Fabulous for sound and, even better, can be screwed onto speaker stands that we already own, if we want to set up a more stationary use. I see the purchase of more speakers in our near future. ;-)

Heavy rain scenes in the City (Sydney), 1935 / by Sam Hood - as posted on Flickr

What a flippin' downpour this morning! In some places, the roads were as wet as in the picture above. First time, in a really, really long time, that I have had to have the wiper blades going full speed while running errands this morning.

Thank you everyone for your comments and insights! I spent a good part of today doing some online research and creating a pros and cons list. Would I like to have the job, if it was mine for the asking? When I applied, my answer would have been a resounding "Yes".

The perceived benefits at the time of applying were: increase in pay with an opportunity to move closer to family (the job is not local) to an area with an overall lower cost of living (while Victoria never seems to make the news the same way that Vancouver and Toronto do, it is a rather expensive city to live in and getting more expensive every year) with the potential ability to expand my work experience with new projects, etc.

What I have since learned from information contained in the email and based on further online research of my own, is that: the job might not be as described in the job description; the division I would potentially be working in is currently reviewing all of their lines of services and re-balancing their existing portfolios (so, the whole area is basically up in the air right now, at least they were honest to include that piece of information); and, as mentioned in my response above to RidgewayGirl, I have been able to learn a fair bit about the potential supervisor (thankfully, they have a rather extensive public facing social media presence I was able to review) and I do not see us being a good fit.

That being said, they did offer a very rare carrot: I can book a 45 minutes time slot with the outgoing employee (looks like retirement) and ask any questions I may have about the area, the team and the supervisor's leadership style. I have never been offered that opportunity before so, while I am still on the fence on this one, I am going to see if I can learn anything from that conversation.

Hi Lori!



Wishing you a new year filled with joy, happiness, laughter, and all the wonderful books you could wish for.

Happy New Year's Eve!!

>197 thornton37814:, >198 karenmarie: and >199 Berly: - Thank you Lori, Karen and Kim for the New Year wishes! I think 2019 is going to be an awesome year! Wishing you all the best in 2019!

--------------------------------
Took advantage of some available spare time to finish my last read for 2018. Not a great book to end the year with, but at least I have now read and reviewed all the LTER books I have received that were still pending review. A good way to enter 2019.

I will probably pull together some basic stats to wrap up 2018 and then migrate over to my 2019 threads.

.
Book #112 - By Royal Appointment by A. O'Connor
Challenge(s): 2018 Category
CAT/KIT: N/A
Bingo DOG: N/A
Category: N/A
Source: LTER
Format: eBook
Original publication date: July 3, 2018
Acquisition date: October 24, 2018
Page count: 409 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.85 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.cam book listing web page:

"In the years following the Great Famine of the 1840’s, Queen Victoria has become deeply unpopular in Ireland. In 1861, as an official visit from the monarch is planned to win over her Irish subjects, her son Bertie is dispatched to County Kildare for military training as part of the charm offensive. Bertie has undergone a life of duty, protocol and a harsh educational regime. As a frantic search is under way to find him a suitable princess to marry, he relishes the prospect of freedom from court life in Ireland. There, he is quickly introduced to a life of decadence and soon presented to the notorious actress Nellie Cliffden. Nellie is as famous for her shocking behaviour as her beauty. A famine orphan who has climbed the ladder of society by any means she could, even she is shocked to find herself in the company of the Prince of Wales. When Bertie and Nellie fall in love, the royal family is engulfed in a scandal threatening the future of the monarchy and Nellie becomes a pawn in a dangerous world of power, politics and blackmail."

Review:
The premise for this story was intriguing enough to entice me to request this through the LTER program. Based on general historical facts - including the then Prince of Wales' reputation as a playboy and his time spent in Ireland - O'Connor has written a fictionalized account of how Bertie and Nellie may have met, and their blossoming relationship. The story is peppered with intrigue (courtesy of James, a military officer orchestrating the relationship for personal gain) but I struggled to keep my interest. Part of my struggle with this story dragged in place (got a little too bogged down in some mundane details). It also employs a rather simplistic writing style, possibly gearing this one for more of a YA audience? Not sure, but thinking maybe given the very clean romance scenes (sex only occurs "off stage" with no details provided). Lastly, I started getting tired of the characters. While Bertie's Cambridge friend Charles and Nellie's female companion/assistant Sadie exhibit common sense, I cannot say the same for Bertie or Nellie who are portrayed as being frustratingly oblivious to the ramifications of their relationship, even though it was pointed out to them, multiple times. While I am all for intrigue and nothing makes things more intriguing that a third party manipulating people and events for personal gain, even I had to roll my eyes at the lengths employed by James to pursue his self-serving interests. Lastly, which may only be because I was reading an early reviewer copy, I found the story cascades from settings and points of view with no visible reference points (no extra line spacing, section break, etc) to notify reader of the switch. That makes for a bit of a jarring reading experience.

Overall, an okay story filled with enough general information about the royal family, the Irish Famine and the time period and may appeal to some readers of historical fiction, potentially geared more for a younger teen audience.

Year End RE-CAP:

No. of Books read: 112
ROOTs read: 76
Largest book read by page count: - Reamde by Neal Stephenson at 1,056 pages
Smallest book read by page count: - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde at 64 pages
# Pages read: - 42,107 pages
Average # pages per book read: - 379 pages
Average # pages read per day: - 115
Audiobooks / eBooks / Physical Books: - 54/23/35 - with 34 books being counted as audioreads to get physical reads off my TBR pile.
Male vs. Female Authors: - 50 vs.62
Fiction vs. Non-Fiction Reads: - 108 vs. 4
Average Decimal/ Star rating for books read: 3.81 out of 5 /
Publication date range of books read: 1839 to 2018

Top 20 Reads:
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - 5.00 out of 5 /
Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay - 5.00 out of 5 /
My Antonia by Willa Cather - 5.00 out of 5 /
Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - 5.00 out of 5 /
The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson - 4.90 out of 5 /
Faithful Place by Tana French - 4.85 out of 5 /
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - 4.85 out of 5 /
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver - 4.85 out of 5 /
The Hours by Micheal Cunningham - 4.70 out of 5 /
Atonement by Ian McEwan - 4.70 out of 5 /
The Passage by Justin Cronin - 4.65 out of 5 /
Zulu by Caryl Ferey - 4.65 out of 5 /
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra - 4.60 out of 5 /
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - 4.50 out of 5 /
Seeing by Jose Saramago - 4.50 out of 5 /
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - 4.45 out of 5 /
Nights Below Station Street by David Adams Richards - 4.45 out of 5 /
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - 4.40 out of 5 /
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King - 4.40 out of 5 /
One Click by Andrea Mara - 4.35 out of 5 /

And... that is a wrap, folks! Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year's eve and best wishes for 2019!



You can follow my 2019 reading and activity threads here:

2019 ROOT Challenge: https://www.librarything.com/topic/300966
2019 Category Challenge: https://www.librarything.com/topic/299563
75 Books Challenge for 2019: https://www.librarything.com/topic/300953