karenmarie, addictively turning pages, chapter 13

Welcome to my thirteenth thread of 2018, the last of the year.

Being retired is bonaroo! It’s the berries! It’s aces, snazzy, hot, smooth, sweet, swell, keen, and cool. It’s also the fox’s socks, the cat’s pajamas, the bee’s knees, the eel’s hips, the monkey’s eyebrows, the sardine’s whiskers, the gnat’s whistle. I do not miss working at all. I still do a happy dance every morning I don’t have to wake up to an alarm.



I read, am a charter member of the Redbud and Beyond Book Club, now in its 21st year, am Treasurer for our local Friends of the Library (henceforth abbreviated FoL), and manage our home, finances and etc. as my husband heads off to work Monday – Friday. Being an introvert (you’d never guess it from these pages!) I need and cherish the alone time to recharge my batteries.

I have been married to Bill for 27 years and am mother to Jenna, 25, living about 3 hours away and working on a 2-year business administration program at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington. We have two kitties, 18-year old Kitty William and 11-year old Inara Starbuck. We live in our own little corner of paradise on 8 acres in central North Carolina USA, currently down two trees because of Hurricanes Florence and Michael.

I share this picture with much love for my dad. He loved those pants, bless his heart. They must some of the most obnoxious pants in the world. My mom loved the fake Christmas tree. In the case of the Christmas tree, this apple fell miles away.



My goal is to read 105 books in 2018, 5 more than I read in 2017. I’ve read 98 so far, and I’m beginning to sweat meeting my goal. It may be time to bring out the short-and-sweet books. I missed my pages read goal of 34,000 pages by 525 pages last year, so will keep the same pages goal. I don’t think I’m going to make it, and next year will not have a pages read goal, I think.







And, in honor of Sue Grafton, I am going to re-read all her Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series books this year. Alas, there will never be a Z. I’ve read A-V so far. I may miss this one, too.




A few quotes about libraries that mean a lot to me:

Libraries are reservoirs of strength, grace and wit, reminders of order, calm and continuity, lakes of mental energy, neither warm nor cold, light nor dark. The pleasure they give is steady, unorgastic, reliable, deep and long-lasting. In any library in the world, I am at home, unselfconscious, still and absorbed. Germaine Greer

I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book. – When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library. Jane Austen

I like libraries. It makes me feel comfortable and secure to have walls of words, beautiful and wise, all around me. I always feel better when I can see that there is something to hold back the shadows. Roger Zelazny

And finally, very few books are worth slogging through when the inspiration to read them has gone. I abandon books with glee.

My theme for 2018, addictively turning pages, comes from an image on Mark’s thread first thread of 2018. In this case, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Read

1. Every Dead Thing by John Connolly 12/27/17 1/6/18 *** 467 pages trade paperback
2. Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton 1/6/18 1/9/18 **** 283 pages hardcover
3. The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien 1/1/18 1/10/18 *** 1/2 175 pages trade paperback
4. You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld 1/1/18 1/15/18 **** 160 pages hardcover
5. Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff 1/6/18 1/17/18 *** 1/2 328 pages hardcover, Kindle
6. No Middle Name by Lee Child 1/17/18 1/19/18 **** 418 pages hardcover
**abandoned after 90 pages** Brain Food by Lisa Mosconi 1/9/18 326 pages trade paperback ER Book
7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 12/3/17 1/22/18 **** audiobook, 19 hours
8. The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin 1/23/18 1/23/18 ****1/2 160 pages trade paperback
9. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 1/20/18 1/26/18 **** 337 pages trade paperback
10. The Far Side Gallery 5 by Gary Larson 1/24/18 1/27/18 159 pages trade paperback 1995
11. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton 1/26/18 1/30/18 ***1/2 209 pages hardcover
12. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens 1/1/17 1/31/18 **** 780 pages plus 9 pages introduction
13. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley 2/1/18 2/5/18 ****1/2 367 pages trade paperback
**abandoned after 32 pages Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright 2/1/18 266 pages hardcover
14. B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton 2/5/18 2/6/18 **** 186 pages hardcover
15. C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton 2/7/18 2/8/18 **** 181 pages hardcover
16. D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton 2/8/18 2/9/18 **** 184 pages hardcover
17. E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton 2/9/18 2/10/18 ***1/2 180 pages hardcover
18. F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton 2/10/18 2/13/18 ***1/2 182 pages hardcover
19. Dead Wake by Erik Larson 2/14/18 2/19/18 *** 359 pages trade paperback
**abandoned after 56 pages Plainsong by Kent Haruf
20. Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb 2/19/18 2/22/18 **** 404 pages hardcover
21. The Power by Naomi Alderman 2/23/18 3/1/18 *** 382 pages hardcover
22. G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton 3/2/18 3/4/18 ***1/2 227 pages hardcover
23. H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton 3/5/18 3/8/18 **** 202 pages hardcover
24. The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker 3/10/18 3/12/18 *** 153 pages hardcover
25. God Save the Child by Robert B. Parker 3/12/18 3/14/18 **** 145 pages hardcover
26. Mortal Stakes by Robert B. Parker 3/14/18 3/18/18 **** 157 pages hardcover
27. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson 2/25/18 3/20/18 ****1/2 396 pages trade paperback
28. I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton 3/14/18 3/22/18 **** 224 pages hardcover
29. God's Kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher 3/22/18 3/26/18 ****1/2 228 pages trade paperback
30. J is for Judgment by Sue Grafton 3/26/18 3/31/18 *** 254 pages hardcover
31. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 1/22/18 4/2/18 **** audiobook
32. The Shining Girls by Lauren Buekes 4/1/18 4/5/18 **1/2 368 pages hardcover
33. Promised Land by Robert B. Parker 4/5/18 4/6/18 ***1/2 218 pages mass market paperback
**abandoned after 132 pages The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
34. Euphoria by Lily King 4/6/18 4/10/18 ****1/2 257 pages trade paperback
35. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella 4/10/18 4/12/18 **** 433 pages trade paperback
36. Blue Monday by Nicci French 4/13/18 4/18/18 **** 322 pages trade paperback
37. The Last of the Bighams by J.A. Zeigler 4/18/18 4/21/18 *** 230 pages trade paperback
38. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson 4/20/18 4/23/18 277 pages trade paperback
39. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley 04/23/18 04/29/18 *** 318 pages hardcover
40. A Perfect Match - Jill McGown 4/29/18 4/30/18 **1/2 186 pages mass market paperback
41. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd 4/3/18 5/3/18 **** 13.5 hours audiobook
42. The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews 5/2/18 5/4/18 **1/2 trade paperback
43. The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore 5/5/18 5/11/18 ***1/2 307 pages hardcover
44. Longbourn by Jo Baker 5/11/18 5/18/18 **** 332 pages trade paperback
45. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson 5/20/18 5/25/18 **** 354 pages trade paperback
46. K is for Killer by Sue Grafton 5/26/18 5/28/18 ***1/2 238 pages hardcover
47. The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie, edited by Mathew Pritchard 5/28/18 5/29/18 ***1/2 376 pages hardcover
48. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie 5/29/18 5/31/18 ***1/2 232 pages hardcover
**abandoned after 60 pages Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
**abandoned after 25 pages Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
49. L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton 5/31/18 6/2/18 ***1/2 225 pages hardcover
50. Until Proven Guilty by J.A. Vance 6/2/18 6/3/18 **** 310 pages mass market paperback
51. Injustice for All by J.A. Vance 6/3/18 6/6/18 **** 342 pages mass market paperback
52. Trial by Fury by J.A. Jance 6/6/18 6/7/18 **** 322 pages mass market paperback
53. M is for Malice by Sue Grafton 6/7/18 6/10/18 **** 244 pages hardcover
54. Montana by Gwen Florio 6/10/18 6/11/18 **** 256 pages hardcover 2013
55. The Story of Human Language by John McWhorter 5/4/18 6/13/18 ****1/2 audiobook 18.25 hours
56. Calypso by David Sedaris 6/12/18 6/13/18 **** 259 pages hardcover
57. End of Watch by Stephen King 6/13/18 6/18/18 ***1/2 431 pages hardcover
58. The Quiet Child by John Burley 6/20/18 6/23/18 **** 288 pages trade paperback
**abandoned after 40 pages Gumshoe on the Loose by Rob Leininger
59. Death Without Company by Craig Johnson 06/24/18 07/05/18 ***1/2 271 pages trade paperback
60. Dakota by Gwen Florio 07/14/18 7/17/18 ***1/2 264 pages trade paperback
61. Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer 7/18/18 7/23/18 ****1/2 309 pages trade paperback
62. Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz 7/15/18 7/29/18 ****1/2 391 pages hardcover
63. The Call by Yannick Murphy 8/1/18 8/9/18 *** 222 pages trade paperback
64. Less by Andrew Sean Greer 8/11/18 8/15/18 ****1/2 261 pages trade paperback
65. N is for Noose by Sue Grafton 8/17/18 8/18/18 **** 248 pages hardcover
66. O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton 8/18/18 8/19/18 **** 274 pages hardcover
67. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 6/23/18 to 8/20/18 318 pages hardcover - read on Kindle
**abandoned after 83 pages Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely
68. The Storied Life of A. J. Fickry by Gabrielle Zevin 8/20/18 8/22/18 *** trade paperback
69. P is for Peril by Sue Grafton 8/21/18 8/26/18 ***1/2 hardcover
70. The Bridge by Doug Marlette 8/26/18 8/31/18 *** trade paperback
71. Tuesday's Gone by Nicci French 9/1/18 9/6/18 **** 371 pages hardcover
72. The Long Fall by Walter Mosley 9/7/18 9/15/18 **1/2 339 pages trade paperback
73. My Reading Life by Pat Conroy 9/7/18 9/18/18 **** 333 pages hardcover
74. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith 9/18/18 9/23/18 **** 647 pages hardcover
**abandoned after 64 pages Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
75. Every Day by David Levithan 9/25/18 10/2/18 **** 324 pages trade paperback
76. The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain 10/2/18 10/2/18 ***1/2 199 pages trade paperback
77. Lisey's Story by Stephen King 10/3/18 10/12/18 ****1/2 509 pages hardcover
78. Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton 10/11/18 10/16/18 ***1/2 386 pages hardcover
**abandoned after 78 pages The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard
79. The Singer's Gun by Emily St. John Mandel 10/18/18 10/19/18 **** trade paperback
80. November 22, 1963 by Adam Braver 10/19/18 10/21/18 ****1/2 206 pages trade paperback
81. R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton 10/22/18 10/25/18 ***1/2 352 pages hardcover
82. The Outsider by Stephen King 10/25/18 10/29/18 **** 561 pages hardcover
83. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders 10/26/18 10/31/18 ***** 343 pages hardcover
84. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders 10/26/18 10/31/18 ***** 7.5 hours audiobook
85. Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie 10/30/18 11/2/18 *** 212 pages hardcover
86. Tell No One by Harlan Coben 11/3/18 11/5/18 **1/2 370 pages mass market paperback
87. Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny 11/5/18 11/6/18 **** 386 pages ARC trade paperback
88. Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer 11/6/18 11/8/18 **** 310 pages trade paperback
89. Past Tense by Lee Child 11/8/18 11/10/18 **** 382 pages hardcover
90. Force of Nature by Jane Harper 11/10/18 11/12/18 **** 324 pages hardcover
91. On Writing by Stephen King 11/13/18 11/14/18 **** 430 pages hardcover
92. S is for Silence by Sue Grafton 11/13/18 1118/18 ***1/2 374 pages hardcover
93. Brimstone by Preston & Child 11/23/18 11/28/18 **** 728 pages mass market paperback
94. Blackbeard's Sunken Treasure by Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing & Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton 10/6/18 11/29/18 **** 183 pages trade paperback 2018
95. T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton 11/29/18 12/1/18 **** 387 pages hardcover
96. Old Filth by Jane Gardam 12/2/18 12/5/18 292 pages trade paperback
**abandoned after 129 pages First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
97. U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton 12/7/18 12/9/18 **** 403 pages hardcover
98. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton 12/9/18 12/13/18 **** 437 pages hardcover
99. W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton 12/13/18 12/22/18 ***1/2 483 pages hardcover
100. X by Sue Grafton 12/22/18 12/26/18 ***1/2 403 pages hardcover
101. Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton 12/26/18 12/29/18 ***1/2 483 pages hardcover
102. Beware of the Trains by Edmund Crispin 12/29/18 12/30/18 **** 158 pages mass market paperback
103. Barack Obama: The Inaugural Address 2009 by Barack Obama 12/30/18 12/31/18 **** 97 pages hardcover, 2009
104. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot 12/31/18 12/31/18 56 pages trade paperback
105. The Character and Faith of Robert E. Lee edited by Curt Steger 124 pages mass market paperback

Currently Reading:

Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession and the President's War Powers by James F. Simon 10/24/18
The Gospel in Dorothy L. Sayers edited by Carole Vanderhoof 11/10/18 235 pages trade paperbook 2018
Red:A History of the Redhead by Jacky Colliss Harvey 6/28/18 218 pages hardcover
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari 5/5/18 464 pages hardcover, Kindle

Added

January - 16

1. SomeGuyInVirginia - True Tales from the Annals of Crime and Rascality by St. Clair McKelway
2. Thrift Shop - Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb
3. BookMooch - Guardian Angels & Spirit Guides by Brad Steiger
4. BookMooch - God's Fires by Patricia Anthony
5. Circle City Books - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman for Feb Book club
6. Circle City Books - Plainsong by Kent Haruf for March Book club
7. Amazon - Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright
8. LT ER - The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin
9. BookMooch - The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black
10. Thrift Shop - The Princess Bride by William Goldman
11. Amazon - A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor e-book
12. Amazon - Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff e-book
13. B&N - Persons Unknown by Susie Steiner
14. BookMooch - Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
15. Amazon - Kindred by Octavia Butler e-book
16. Amazon - Not Perfect by Elizabeth LaBan e-book

February - 9

17. Jenn - Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
18. Scuppernong Books - A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
19. Amazon - The Power by Naomi Alderman
20. Amazon - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
21. dianekeenoy - My Name is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd
22. Amazon - The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
23. Friend Sherry - Rebel: My Life Outside the Lines by Nick Nolte
24. Friend Sherry - The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch
25. BookMooch - Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson

March - 10

26. Amazon - The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
27. Amazon - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling
28. Amazon - Enter Spenser by Robert B. Parker
29. Thrift Shop - I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
30. Amazon - God's Kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher
31. Circle City Books - Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
32. Circle City Books - Promised Land by Robert B. Parker
33. Amazon - On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder - ebook
34. Amazon - The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman - ebook
35 Amazon - True Fiction by Lee Goldberg - ebook

April - 69

36. ER - Gumshoe on the Loose by Rob Leininger
37. The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker by Mankoff, Robert
38. 20,000 years of world painting by Jaffé, Hans Ludwig C.
39. Legends: The Century's Most Unforgettable Faces by Jordan, Killian
40. Tutankhamun: His Tomb and Its Treasures by Edwards, Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen
41. An Acceptable Time by L'Engle, Madeleine
42. Blanche on the Lam by Neely, Barbara
43. Enjoying Purple Martins More: A Special Publication from Bird Watcher's Digest by Wolinski, Richard A.
44. A Cure for Dreams by Gibbons, Kaye
45. Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Quindlen, Anna
46. The Best of Will Rogers by Sterling, Bryan
47. Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) by Sedaris, David
48. Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power by Carwardine, Richard
49. Theodore Rex by Morris, Edmund
50. The Hush by Hart, John
51. A Very Private Enterprise by Ironside, Elizabeth
52. Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms,and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Winchester, Simon
53. The History of Ancient Egypt by The Great Courses
54. The Story of Human Language by Professor John McWhorter
55. Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932: A Novel by Prose, Francine
56. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Vowell, Sarah
57. What Happened by Clinton, Hillary Rodham
58. The Black Death by Ziegler, Philip
59. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Noah, Trevor
60. Did Lincoln Own Slaves?: And Other Frequently Asked Questions About Abraham Lincoln by Prokopowicz, Gerald J.
61. Sunday Silence by French, Nicci
62. Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer: A Novel by Stace, Wesley
63. The Ladies' Man by Lipman, Elinor
64. Jane Austen's Novels: The Art of Clarity by Gard, Roger
65. Recipes & Remedies From The People's Pharmacy by Joe & Terry Graedon
66. Into the Wild by Krakauer, Jon
67. Mrs. Bridge by Connell, Evan S.
68. National Geographic Complete Birds of the World by Geographic, National
69. The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Keene, Carolyn
70. The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Keene, Carolyn
71. The Sign of the Twisted Candles by Keene, Carolyn
72. The Secret at Shadow Ranch by Keene, Carolyn
73. The Whispering Statue by Keene, Carolyn
74. The Ghost of Blackwood Hall by Keene, Carolyn
75. The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk by Keene,Carolyn
76. The Clue in the Old Album by Keene, Carolyn
77. The Clue of the Tapping Heels by Keene, Carolyn
78. The North Carolina Birding Trail: Piedmont Trail Guide by North Carolina Birding Trail
79. Damascus Gate by Stone, Robert
80. Gump & Co. by Groom, Winston
81. The Astronomer: A Novel of Suspense by Goldstone, Lawrence
82. The Last Enemy by Brophy, Grace
83. The Truth According to Us by Barrows, Annie
84. Language & Thought by Chomsky, Noam
85. Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Spitz, Bob
86. The Malcontenta by Maitland, Barry
87. Necessary as Blood by Crombie, Deborah
88. Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses by Lodge, David
89. The Accomplice by Ironside, Elizabeth
90. The Sheltering Sky by Bowles, Paul
91. The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Angier, Natalie
92. Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays by Didion, Joan
93. The Underpainter by Urquhart, Jane
94. The Cold Dish by Johnson, Craig
95. Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery by Van Lente, Fred
96. Shrimp: a Savor the South® cookbook by Pierce, Jay
97. Early Man and the Ocean: A Search for the Beginnings of Navigation and Seaborne Civilizations by Heyerdahl, Thor
98. King Solomon's Mines, She and Allan Quatermain by Haggard, Henry Rider
99. This Is NPR: The First Forty Years by Roberts, Cokie
100. Tartuffe by Moliere, Jean Baptiste Poquelin de
101. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Kinsella, Sophie
102. Iced by Siler, Jenny
103. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis, Joseph J.
104. For the Time Being by Dillard, Annie

May - 5

105. Mom's house - The Mike Roy Cook Book by Mike Roy
106. Friend Tamsie - The Whip by Karen Kondazian
107. Friend Louise - Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
108. Friend Louise - Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
109. Amazon - The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

June - 9

110. Friend Jan - Until Proven Guilty by J.A. Jance
111. Friend Jan - Injustice for All by J.A. Jance
112. Friend Jan - Trial by Fury by J.A. Jance
113. QuailRidge Books - Calypso by David Sedaris
114. Amazon - Montana by Gwen Florio
115. Amazon - Tuesday's Gone by Nicci French
116. ? - Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottaline
117. Amazon - Healthy Aging by Andrew Weil, M.D.
118. ? - The Quiet Child by John Burley

July - 92 (119 - 211 - Montana trip summer 2018)
119. Visual Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs by Dixon, Dougal
120. Battlefields & Blessings by Cook, Jane Hampton
121. The Indian Mutiny by Spilsbury, Julian
122. The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power by Sharlet, Jeff
123. Reincarnation: the Missing Link in Christianity by Prophet, Elizabeth Clare
124. The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Ackerman, Diane
125. Three Continents by Jhabvala, Ruth Prawer
126. The Vine of Desire by Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee
127. A Story Like the Wind by Van der Post, Laurens
128. O'Hara's Choice by Uris, Leon
129. The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Wiesenthal, Simon
130. The Secret Life of Bees by Kidd, Sue Monk
131. Saving Fish from Drowning by Tan, Amy
132. Over Sea, Under Stone by Cooper, Susan
133. Animal Portraits by Rouse, Andy
134. The Rape of the Great Plains: Northwest America, Cattle and Coal by Toole, K. Ross
135. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Lemmon, Gayle Tzemach
136. Fairy Tales for Angry Little Girls by Lee, Lela
137. That Old Ace in the Hole by Proulx, Annie
138. American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America by Hedges, Chris
139. Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters First 100 Years by Delany, Sarah
140. Stones into Schools by Mortenson, Greg
141. The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook by Steel, Flora Annie
142. The Valley of Amazement by Tan, Amy
143. The Christ of the Indian Road by Jones, Eli Stanley
144. The West: An Illustrated History by Ward, Geoffrey C.
145. The Apocrypha of the Old Testament by
146. Compass American Guides: Montana by Tirrell, Norma
147. Close Range : Wyoming Stories by Proulx, Annie
148. The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount by Gorenberg, Gershom
149. Mrs. Caliban by Ingalls, Rachel
150. The Uncensored Truth Bible for New Beginnings by Wilhite, Jud
151. The Hundred Secret Senses by Tan, Amy
152. Eerdmans' Handbook to the Bible by Alexander, David
153. Between the Lines; A View Inside American Politics, People, and Culture by Alter, Jonathan
154. Concordance to the Holy Scriptures by Cruden, Alexander
155. The Christian Calendar by Cowie, Leonard W
156. Less by Greer, Andrew Sean
157. Red: A History of the Redhead by Harvey, Jacky Colliss
158. Betrayal of Trust by Jance, J. A
159. Failure to Appear by Jance, J. A
160. Judgment Call by Jance, J. A
161. Cold Betrayal by Jance, J. A.
162. Deadly Stakes by Jance, J. A.
163. Cruel Intent by Jance, J. A.
164. Left for Dead by Jance, J. A.
165. Straight on Till Morning: The Biography of Beryl Markham by Lovell, Mary S.
166. The God Dog Connection by Healy, Marti
167. The Whole Truth and Nothing But by Hopper,Heda
168. In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story by McCullough, David
169. Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood by Pollack, William
170. No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva by Chödrön, Pema
171. Bloody Crimes by Swanson, James L.
172. Charlatan by Brock, Pope
173. Face Time by Wilde, Patrick de
174. The Island of the Colorblind by Sacks, Oliver
175. The Bartender's Tale by Doig, Ivan
176. Magic or Madness by Larbalestier, Justine
177. War of the Worldviews: Science Vs. Spirituality by Chopra, Deepak
178. Yellowstone: A Journey Through America's Wild Heart by Quammen, David
179. A Dangerous Man:: A Novel of William Wild Bill Longley by Johnstone, William W.
180. Taking the Fifth by Jance, J. A
181. Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin by Jr., Cornelius Plantinga
182. Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Gould, Stephen Jay
183. Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feuds by Gordon, Lyndall
184. Letters from Yellowstone by Smith, Diane
185. This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Levitin, Daniel J.
186. Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Weiner, Tim
187. Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Alexander, Lloyd
188. The Farfarers: Before the Norse by Mowat, Farley
189. Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks by Eilperin, Juliet
190. The Catsitters by Wolcott, James
191. Making Haste from Babylon by Bunker, Nick
192. Sarah's Key by Rosnay, Tatiana de
193. Silver on the Tree by Cooper, Susan
194. Many Lives, Many Masters by Weiss, Brian L.
195. Magic Lessons by Larbalestier, Justine
196. Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential by Myss, Caroline
197. Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin by Gould, Stephen Jay
198. Outlaws and Lawmen of the West Vol 1 by Macpherson, M. A.
199. Thunderstruck by Larson, Erik
200. The Times We Had : Life with William Randolph Hearst by Davies, Marion
201. The Surgeon by Gerritsen, Tess
202. Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush by Dean, John W.
203. Secret Smile by French, Nicci
204. The Story of Jack Ballister's Fortunes by Pyle, Howard
205. Bucking the Sun by Doig, Ivan
206. The Power Is Within You by Hay, Louise
207. A Distant Mirror by Tuchman, Barbara W.
208. Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Milford, Nancy
209. Same Kind of Different As Me by Hall, Ron
210. Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas by Mayer, Jane
211. Dakota by Florio, Gwen
212. Amazon - Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer

August - 51 (217 - 263 - Larry)
213. Circle City Books - The Call by Yannick Murphy
214. ER book - Day of the Dead by Nicci French
215. Bookmooch - My Happy Life by Lydia Millet
216. Quail Ridge Books - The Fact of A Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
217. The Collector's Encyclopedia of R.S. Prussia by Mary Frank Gaston
218. Collector's Encyclopedia of Nippon Porcelain, 3rd Series by Joan F. Van Patten
219. A Treasury of American Clocks by Brooks Palmer
220. Birds of North America: A Guide To Field Identification by Chandler S. Robbins
221. With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E. B. Sledge
222. Prisoner's Base by Rex Stout
223. The Golden Spiders by Rex Stout
224. Three Witnesses by Rex Stout
225. Black Orchids by Rex Stout
226. Champagne for One by Rex Stout
227. Please Pass the Guilt by Rex Stout
228. Murder By the Book by Rex Stout
229. Fer-De-Lance by Rex Stout
230. The Mother Hunt by Rex Stout
231. Death of a Doxy by Rex Stout
232. The League Of Frightened Men by Rex Stout
233. Some buried Caesar by Rex Stout
234. Before Midnight by Rex Stout
235. And Four To Go by Rex Stout
236. Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout
237. A Family Affair by Rex Stout
238. Too Many Cooks by Rex Stout
239. Three Men Out by Rex Stout
240. The Black Mountain by Rex Stout
241. Death of a Dude by Rex Stout
242. The Rubber Band by Rex Stout
243. Over My Dead Body by Rex Stout
244. Triple Zeck: A Nero Wolfe Omnibus by Rex Stout
245. The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout
246. The Father Hunt by Rex Stout
247. Gambit by Rex Stout
248. Easy Go by Michael Crichton
249. Binary by Michael Crichton
250. The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley
251. Utopia by Lincoln Child
252. Death Of A Peer by Ngaio Marsh
253. Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes
254. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
255. Hooking Up by Tom Wolfe
256. Night at the Vulcan by Ngaio Marsh
257. Barrier Island by John D. MacDonald
258. Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald
259. The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton
260. Artists In Crime by Ngaio Marsh
261. Murder, She Meowed: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown
262. 361 by Donald E. Westlake
263. Mr. Pottermack's Oversight by Austin Freeman

September - 114 (264 - 275 friend Karen)
264. The Rising Sign: Your Astrological Mask by Jeanne Avery
265. Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
266. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
267. Freebird by Jonathan Raymond
268. Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe
269. Nothin' But Good Times Ahead by Molly Ivins
270. Psychic Children: Revealing the Intuitive Gifts and Hidden Abilities of Boys and Girls by Silvia Browne
271. The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King
272. In Search Of Our Mothers' Gardens - Womanist Prose by Alice Walker
273. Servants of the Map: Stories by Andrea barrett
274. It's Always the Husband by Michele Campbell
275. Holy Blood, Holy Grail: The Secret History of Christ & The Shocking Legacy of the Grail by Michael Baigent
276. LT ER - Day of the Dead by Nicci French
277. Amazon - Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
278. Amazon - My Happy Life by Lydia Millet
279. Friend Louise - South of Broad by Pat Conroy
280. Friend Louise -Camino Island by John Grisham
281. Friend Louise -The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond
282. Amazon - Every Day by David Levithan
283. Friend Louise - Half Broken Things by Morag Joss
284. Amazon - The Long Fall by Walter Mosley
285. Amazon - Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
286. Friend Rhoda - Sleeping in the Ground by Peter Robinson
287. FoL Volunteer book - Friday on My Mind by Nicci French
288. FoL Volunteer book - Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles
289. FoL Volunteer book - Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier
290. FoL Volunteer book - The Gate Keeper by Charles Todd
291. FoL Volunteer book - Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith - audiobook
292. Friends of the Library Sale - The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch - audiobook
293. Friends of the Library Sale - Lincoln and Chief Taney: Slavery, Secession, and the President’s War Powers by James F. Simon - audiobook
294. Friends of the Library Sale - Selections from Nicomachean Ethics and Politics by Aristotle
295. Friends of the Library Sale - Rights of Man by Thomas Paine
296. Friends of the Library Sale - Discourse on Method, Meditations on the First Philosophy, The Principles of Philosophy by Descartes
297. Friends of the Library Sale - Selections from Protagoras, Republic, Phaedrus, Gorgias by Plato
298. Friends of the Library Sale - Selections from Plato by Socrates
299. Friends of the Library Sale - Unbelievable by Katy Tur
300. Friends of the Library Sale - Ship of Theseus by V.M. Straka
301. Friends of the Library Sale - The Dead of Winter by Rennie Airth
302. Friends of the Library Sale - Sea of Glory by Nathaniel Philbrick
303. Friends of the Library Sale - A Murder, A Mystery, and a Marriage by Mark Twain
304. Friends of the Library Sale - Force of Nature by Jane Harper
305. Friends of the Library Sale - Dinosaur in a Haystack by Stephen Jay Gould
306. Friends of the Library Sale - Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
307. Friends of the Library Sale - King Arthur by Norma Lorre Goodrich
308. Friends of the Library Sale - Merlin by Norma Lorre Goodrich
309. Friends of the Library Sale - What Every American Should Know About American History by Christine Lunardini, Ph.D.
310. Friends of the Library Sale - Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman
311. Friends of the Library Sale - A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths
312. Friends of the Library Sale - A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
313. Friends of the Library Sale - In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
314. Friends of the Library Sale - The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
315. Friends of the Library Sale - Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey
316. Friends of the Library Sale - The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
317. Friends of the Library Sale - A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey
318. Friends of the Library Sale - The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey
319. Friends of the Library Sale - The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey
320. Friends of the Library Sale - To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey
321. Friends of the Library Sale - Exploring The Roots of Religion by Professor John R. Hale - audiobook
322. Friends of the Library Sale - Mr. Lincoln: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Professor Allen C. Guelzo - audiobook
323. Friends of the Library Sale - No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life by Professor Robert C. Solomon
324. Friends of the Library Sale - The Foundations of Western Civilization by Professor Thomas F.X. Noble - audiobook
325. Friends of the Library Sale - Great Authors of the Western Literary Tradition, 2nd Edition by Various Professors - audiobook
326. Friends of the Library Sale - Great Artists of the Italian Renaissance by Professor William Kloss - audiobook
327. Friends of the Library Sale - The History of the Supreme Court by Professor Peter Irons - audiobook
328. Friends of the Library Sale - Poetry for Cats by Henry Beard
329. Friends of the Library Sale - Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff
330. Friends of the Library Sale - The Alice Behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester
331. Friends of the Library Sale - Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
332. Friends of the Library Sale - A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes
333. Friends of the Library Sale - Beastly Tales from Here and There by Vikram Seth
334. Friends of the Library Sale - The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett
335. Friends of the Library Sale - The Ringed Castle by Dorothy Dunnett
336. Friends of the Library Sale - Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett
337. Friends of the Library Sale - Midnight Rising by Tony Horwitz
338. Friends of the Library Sale - The Founding Fathers by Encyclopedia Britannica
339. Friends of the Library Sale - Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts
340. Friends of the Library Sale - Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts
341. Friends of the Library Sale - The Lost City of Oz by David Grann
342. Friends of the Library Sale - The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain
343. Friends of the Library Sale - After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
344. Friends of the Library Sale - Grasshopper by Barbara Vine
345. Friends of the Library Sale - FoL Volunteer Book - The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
346. Friends of the Library Sale - FoL Volunteer Book - Justice Hall by Laurie R. King
347. Friends of the Library Sale - One Dish Meals by Reader's Digest
348. Friends of the Library Sale - Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation by Philip Norman
349. Friends of the Library Sale - The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter
350. Friends of the Library Sale - The Vanishing American by Zane Grey
351. Friends of the Library Sale - Arizona Ames by Zane Grey
352. Friends of the Library Sale - The Border Legion by Zane Grey
353. Friends of the Library Sale - Four Colors Suffice: How the Map Problem Was Solved by Robin Wilson
354. Friends of the Library Sale - Jesus for the Non Religious by John Shelby Spong
355. Friends of the Library Sale - Angels of Destruction by Keith Donoghue
356. Friends of the Library Sale - The Cloud Sketcher by Richard Reyner
357. Friends of the Library Sale - The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour
358. Friends of the Library Sale - The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank
359. Friends of the Library Sale - The Museum Guard by Howard Normal
360. Friends of the Library Sale - The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
361. Friends of the Library Sale - Soil by Jamie Kornegay
362. Friends of the Library Sale - Tripmaster Monkey by Maxine Hong Kingston
363. Friends of the Library Sale - The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay
364. Friends of the Library Sale - A Study in Treason by Leonard Goldbert
365. Friends of the Library Sale - Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge
366. Friends of the Library Sale - The Green Knight by Iris Murdoch
367. Friends of the Library Sale - S. by John Updike
368. Friends of the Library Sale - Girls of Tender Age: A Memoir by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith
369. Friends of the Library Sale - Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson
370. Friends of the Library Sale - Aftermath by Clara Kensie
371. Friends of the Library Sale - Roman Fever and Other Stories by Edith Wharton
372. Friends of the Library Sale - Angels of Destruction by Keith Donoghue
373. Friends of the Library Sale - Spadework by Timothy Findley
374. Friends of the Library Sale - Eva Moves the Furniture by Margot Livesey
375. LT ER book - Never Cry Halibut by Bjorn Dihle
376. LT ER book - One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey by Sam Keith
377. Amazon - Blackbeard's Sunken Prize: The 300-Year voyage of Queen Anne's Revenge by Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing & Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton

October
378. Amazon - The Outsider by Stephen King
379. Bookmooch - Coming into the Country by John McPhee

November
380. Amazon - The Gospel in Dorothy L. Sayers: Selections from Her Novels, Plays, Letters, and Essays
381. Amazon - Elevation by Stephen King
382. Amazon - Past Tense by Lee Child
383. BookMooch - Wallis in Love by Andrew Morton
384. BookMooch - The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
385. Kindle - The Dry by Jane Harper
386. Amazon - Becoming by Michelle Obama
387. Friend Karen - Personal History by Katharine Graham
388. Friend Karen - The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Detective Stories by Michael Sims
389. Friend Karen - Desert Between the Mountains: Mormons, Miners, Padres, Mountain Men, and the Opening of the Great Basin 1772-1869 by Michael S. Durham
390. Friend Karen - Upstairs Girls: Prostitution in the American West by Michael Rutter
391. Friend Karen - Adventures of a Psychic: A Fascinating and Inspiring True-Life Story of One of America's Most Successful Clairvoyants by Sylvia Browne
392. Friend Karen - It's Not About the Horse: It's About Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt by Wyatt Webb
393. Friend Karen - Sweet Thunder by Ivan Doig
394. Friend Karen - Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace - One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson
395. Friend Karen - The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury
396. Friend Karen - This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind by Ivan Doig
397. Friend Karen - West With the Night by Beryl Markham
398. Friend Karen - Delicious! by Ruth Reichl
399. Friend Karen - Winter in the Blood by James Welch
400. Friend Karen - Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
401. Friend Karen - Eragon by Christopher Paolini
402. Friend Karen - Eldest by Christopher Paolini
403. Friend Karen - The Custer Reader by Paul Andrew Hutton
404. Friend Karen - The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons And The Discovery Of The Secret Scrolls Of Jesus by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas
405. Friend Karen - Uriel's Machine: The Prehistoric Technology That Survived the Flood by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas
406. Bookmooch - The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza
407. Friend Louise - the Girl in the Blue Coat

December
408. Friend lizzied - Oral History by Lee Smith
409. Cousin Rebecca - Relic by Preston & Child
410. Cousin Rebecca - Reliquary by Preston & Child
411. Bookmooch - The Liar's Club by Mary Karr
412. LT ER - The Truth About Fat by Anthony Warner
413. friend Karen - Thirty Seconds over Tokyo by Captain Ted W. Lawson
414. friend Karen - Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt by Karen Scalf Linamen
415. friend Karen - The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer
416. friend Karen - Nine Lives to Die by Rita Mae Brown
417. friend Karen - Genesis of the Grail Kings by Laurence Gardner
418. friend Karen - The Lost Years of Jesus by Elizabeth Clare Prophet
419. friend Karen - Rosslyn - Guardian Of The Secrets Of The Holy Grail by Tim Wallace-Murphy and Marilyn Hawkins
420. Bill - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling
421. Bill - Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches?: And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask by Mike O'Connor
422. friend Louise - The Shimmering Stones of Winter's Light by Constance Walker

Culled

1. Every Dead Thing by John Connolly first of a series I will never continue
2. Brain Food by Lisa Mosconi
3. Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright - references to The Matrix and powdered sugar donut analogies left me cold
4. Plainsong by Kent Haruf didn't hold my interest
5. The Power by Naomi Alderman daughter expressed an interest and I have no desire to keep it on my shelves for some reason
6. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes 2.5 stars, not a keeper
7. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella good but not worth using the shelf space to keep
8. Audubon Bird Guide - Eastern Land Birds 1946, outdated
9. The Clue of the Tapping Heels by Carolyn Keene - duplicate, poorer quality
10. The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk by Carolyn Keene - duplicate, poorer quality
11. The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene - duplicate
12. The Secret at Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene - duplicate, poorer quality
13. The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart - duplicate
14. Waiting by Ha Jin - 2.5 stars, time to go
15. The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera - time to go
16. Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot by Al Franken
17. A Perfect Match - A Mystery by Jill McGown
18. The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews
19. The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore good book, don't need to keep
20. Night and Day by Ann Stuart
21. Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement blech
22. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - gift to friend Karen
23. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - gift to friend Karen
24. Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis - gift to friend Karen
25. The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis - gift to friend Karen
26. The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis - gift to friend Karen
27. The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis - gift to friend Karen
28. The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis - gift to friend Karen
29. The 26 Letters by Oscar Ogg (such a lovely name!)
30. Sentenced to Die by J.A. Jance - duplicate of first 3 J.P. Beaumont books - didn't know I had it
31. A Voyage Long and Strange - large print edition, replaced with one from MT trip
32. The Unquiet by John Connolly - don't like the Charlie Parker series
33. Ten Dead Comedians by Fred Van Lente - started, don't like
34. The Bridge by Doug Marlette - read, liked, don't need to keep
35. Sentenced to Die - first 3 J.P. Beaumont mysteries by J.A. Jance - got 3 paperbacks as birthday present and will keep them instead
36. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley - abandoned
37. The Long Fall by Walter Mosley - finished it, but will not continue with the series
38. Angels of Destruction by Keith Donohue - duplicate
39. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - finally realized I'd never read it
40. Prince of Dreams by Lisa Kleypas read, won't reread
41. Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander - started, abandoned
42. Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles - duplicate
43. Bushworld by Maureen Dowd - things are so much exponentially worse with drumpf that Bush is irrelevant
44. The Time in Between by Mary Duenas
45. The Siege by Stephen White
46. A Man Called Peter by Catherine Marshall - religious stuff
47. The Face Changers by Thomas Perry
48. The Eye of the Leopard by Henning Mankell
49. Great Tales of Mystery & Suspense
50. The Excursion Train by Edward Marston
51. The Virgin in the Garden by A.S. Byatt
52. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
53. The Old Farmer's Almanac of 2000
54. A Christmas Treasury edited by Jack Newcombe
55. Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg
56. The World of Mr. Mulliner by P.G. Wodehouse
57. Irving Berlin by Mary Ellin Barrett
58. A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer - 58-68 will never read the unread ones, given to a good home!
59. Behold Here's Poison by Georgette Heyer
60. Death In The Stocks by Georgette Heyer
61. Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer
62. Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer
63. Footsteps In The Dark by Georgette Heyer
64. No Wind Of Blame by Georgette Heyer
65. Penhallow by Georgette Heyer
66. The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer
67. They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer
68. Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer
69. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
70. The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout duplicate
71. Let it Bleed by Ian Rankin - won't read any more of the Rebus series
72. Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin - ditto
73. The Falls by Ian Rankin - ditto
74. The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp - meh
75. South of Broad by Pat Conroy - will never read
76. Tell No One by Harlan Coben - will never reread, not part of his Myron Bolitar series
77. Sweet Thunder by Ivan Doig - duplicate, upgraded to hardcover
78. Calphalon Cooks Weeknights
79. Where Did I Come From by Peter Mayle
80. My Body, My Self for Girls by Madaras, Lynda, & Area
81. Asking about Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
82. Growing up: It's a Girl Thing by Mavis Jukes
83. How To Talk to Your Child About Sex by Linda and Richard Eyre
84. Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline, M.D. and Jim Fay

Statistics Through December 31

105 books read
11 books abandoned
31700 pages read
79.5 audiobook hours
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 87
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 302

Author
Male 43%
Female 57%

Living 58%
Dead 42%

US Born 76%
Foreign Born 24%

Platform
Hardcover 51%
Trade Pback 34%
Mass Market 8%
Audiobook 5%
e-Book 2%

Source
My Library 96%
Other 4%

Misc
ARC/ER 2%
Re-read 32%
Series 51%

Fiction 87%
NonFiction 13%


Author Birth Country
Canada 1%
England 17%
Ireland 2%
Scotland 2%
South Africa 1%
Sweden 1%
US 76%

Original Decade Published
1810-1819 1%
1830-1839 1%
1900-1909 1%
1920-1929 2%
1930-1939 2%
1950-1959 1%
1960-1969 1%
1970-1979 4%
1980-1989 10%
1990-1999 13%
2000-2009 22%
2010-2018 42%

Genre
Archaeology 1%
Comics 2%
Fantasy/Supernatural 9%
Fiction 13%
Historical Fiction 4%
History 4%
Humor 1%
Linguistics 1%
Memoir 4%
Mystery 1%
Poetry 51%
Politics 2%
Romance 4%
Social Commentary 1%
Steampunk 1%
Thriller 1%
True Crime 1%

Welcome to lucky thread thirteen!

Happy new thread, Karen! Good Christmassy photo up there.

Have you ever taken a look at the blog Plaid Stallions? Although much of the website seems given over to toys (plaidstallion.com), there's a recurring interest in fashion as well. (See here for the blog posts tagged for fashion: http://plaidstallions.blogspot.com/search/label/fashion%20mockery)

Thanks, Harry!

Miss my dad, miss my mom. Big sigh. It's always harder at Christmas, for some reason.

Plaid Stallions - hadn't heard of it, just checked it out. Those mother-daughter outfits are something else. So are the men's shirts, especially the one with the elasticized bits. Thanks for sharing.

Holy cow! Somebody turned the 70s up to 10! I loved those aluminum trees when I was a kid, at least the ones I saw in other people's houses, and I'd pay money for that lamp!

Hi Larry! Pretty amazing, isn't it? I'm guessing from what you wrote that you had 'real' trees. That reminds me of a story about my friend Dawna, who was envious of the kids who got to have Wonder Bread sandwiches - her parents always used challah.

We got that lamp in the early 1960s and had one cat, Fuzzy, who would curl up on it for the heat. The lamp shade eventually got (poorly) re-covered, but a guy bought just the lamp base from me for $50 when I closed up Mom's house last year. Probably worth hundreds, but oh well.

Happy new thread!!

Happ Friday, Karen. Happy New Thread! Lucky 13! Have a good day, my friend.

That lamp base for $50?! Honeychile. You got took. But then again, so what, you didn't buy it for the $19.99 it cost in 1962.

Lovely day plans, I hope they form a beautifully mirrorlike pond as you swan about your day. *smooch*

Happy New Thread, Karen!

Jeesh, I have A is for Alibi, but have yet to get to it. You're an inspiration on the Grafton alphabet.

Happy new thread, Karen!

>1 karenmarie: What is wrong with your dad's pants?
A few years back I bought summer pants with a similair patern, fashion went probably back to the 70s that year. I wear them often when it is warm.

Happy new thread, Karen.

Don't worry about the 13. When I was a kid, we lived for several years at 1313 Cochran Road. Giving people that address often elicited raised eyebrows. Hmmm.

But look how good I turned out!

Boy, and am I having good luck with the ladies. The last eight nine books I've read have been written by female writers, and only one by an author I've previously read. Not one has been a stinker. One slight disappointment. All the others have been first rate.

Lynne Olson
P. D. James
Judy Blume
Nadine Gordimer
Jane Gardam
Beryl Markham
Sylvia Plath
Marjane Satrapi
Renata Adler

Currently reading Yaa Gyasi

By the way, is your husband really an Amishman?

>11 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. Thank you.

>12 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I think yesterday was Thursday, though. I did have a good and busy day.

>13 richardderus: RD, by the time I got $50 for it, I was glad. Nobody wanted Mom and Dad’s mid-1960s stuff. I tried. My stupid BiL tried. My niece tried. We obviously didn’t find the right people although I sent e-mails with photos, left voice mails, advertised, had a yard sale.

I swanned for sure – it rained from the minute I left the house at 10:35 a.m. until I got home at 4:20 p.m. I had a good day. The most important part, of course, was getting my nails done. *smile*

Smooch back from your own Horrible.

>14 jnwelch: Hi Joe! Thank you. I’m about ¾ of the way through W is for Wasted, which is why I’m neglecting threads right now. With Jenna home and Christmas upon us, I’m finding it hard to get good chunks of reading time. I may not finish the series by year end....

>15 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! Even though I'm sure that type of pattern may looks good as summer capris on women, on a 50-year old man I found them a tad ridiculous, even embarrassing, even if or perhaps especially because it was my dad. I’ve always been a Nordstrom’s-type girl. I wore what Mom and Dad bought for me, but once on my own turned to jewel tones instead of the primary colors that didn’t look good with my autumn coloring, cotton, linen and silk instead of polyester and rayon, and started patronizing Nordie's. Here in North Carolina I patronized Talbot’s. I don’t bother with dress clothes now as a rule and wear mostly black jeans and long sleeved button-down shirts or mock Ts.

>16 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg.

>17 weird_O: Hey Bill. I don’t have Triskaidekaphobia, thank goodness. And your living at 1313 Cochran Road is proof of its positive power. *smile*

I’m impressed with your December Womens Reading, for sure.

Nope. Bill is not an Amishman. Come to think of it, I actually think he took the beard style from my first cousin-once-removed George, Mom’s first cousin, who lives in Iowa: born, raised, and still living on the Century farm, definitely not Amish, although a very devout Christian.

…
Last night was exciting – we were watching Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas when Jenna leaped up and chased upstairs after Inara. Turns out Inara had brought in a mouse. Jenna said she got to Inara before she got under the bed with it. Inara dropped it, and it promptly ran into the bathroom where Jenna prudently closed both doors, trapping it in there with her. She coaxed it into a small bucket and covered it with a towel, all the while crooning at it to not be afraid, that it would be okay. I was cracking up outside the door listening and watching Inara trying to get in. Jenna escorted it safely outside. The movie was resumed.

Today is hanging around the house with Jenna, perhaps going to the bank. I think we’re going to watch It’s a Wonderful Life, a movie Bill’s not particularly enamored of.

Find the Light—Reflect the Light—Be the Light

Happy Yule 2018!

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. The mail is light but it feels a bit more like winter out here today. Cold, cloudy and windy...but at least the drizzle has stopped.

I love It's a Wonderful Life.

>19 richardderus: Thank you, RichardDear! Beautiful sentiments, lovely pic. But where is Cthulhu? *smile and smooch*

>20 msf59: Hi Mark! Thank you, I've had a lovely day so far. Glad your drizzle stopped - we got quite a bit of rain this afternoon and it's gotten colder again.

I must admit that I had tears in my eyes at various parts of the movie - it gets me every time.

Happy New Thread, Karen -- and Happy Winter Solstice!

Where did the rain come from????? It was warm-ish today - we even had a thunderstorm. My farming uncle used to point out that weather-casters always had trouble at the solstices and equinoxes.
Hmmm. Born on Friday 13 as was my daddy (NEVER 'Dad') whom I miss most especially before Christmas.
Good for Jenna and the mouse - I think. Hope the mouse is smart enough to stay away from your house from now on.

>22 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, and thank you!

>23 LizzieD: I know, Peggy - Jenna and I were in the dining room playing Yahtzee and all of a sudden the skies opened up. I didn't hear Thunder but friend Louise did - perhaps it was after I'd gone out to run 4 errands. Either way, doesn't a thunderstorm in winter predict snow 6 weeks later? Or another number of weeks later anyway? I never knew that about the solstices and equinoxes being turbulent weather times.

I used Dad and Daddy, Mommy until my mid-20s when she finally became Mom.

We're used to critters in the house - last week it was a worm snake, Bill escorting him/her outside, and now Jenna and the mouse. Mouse got placed on the side of the house that the kitties don't spend as much time at so it's to be hoped she/he will live a long and feline-free life from now on.

...
Today is regular errands with the addition of buying some of the ingredients for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals. And present wrapping and possibly a run with Jenna to get a couple of things for her dad's Christmas stocking. We're not panicking because there are 3 more days to shop and all the major purchases are done.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. Just pulled up at work. It should be a good day on the route. I just started The Library Book and this should keep me bouncing along.

HI Mark! I hope your work day goes by quickly.

Happy Holidays Karen!

My mother was always Mama to me, Mom to my closest-in-age sister, and Mommy to my eldest sister. My father was Dad to us, Daddy Dick to steps and grands.

>27 The_Hibernator: Thank you, Rachel!

>28 richardderus: Names are important, aren't they? I have a friend whose last name is Gee (pronounced "jee") and his grandkids call him Gee-Pop and their grandmother Gee-Ma. *smooch*

I just finished W is for Wasted and am once more feeling good about finishing the Alphabet series by year end.

(Or in other words, Happy Christmas, to you and yours!)

>29 karenmarie: Go Karen! Go Karen!

>30 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian!

>31 richardderus: Thank you for cheering me on, RD!

99. W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton
12/13/18 to 12/22/18





From Amazon:

Private investigator Kinsey Millhone finds shocking connections between two seemingly unrelated deaths in this #1 New York Times bestselling mystery in the Alphabet series.

The first victim is a local PI of suspect reputation, gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. The second is a John Doe found on the beach six weeks later with a slip of paper with private detective Kinsey Millhone’s name and number in his pocket.

Two seemingly unrelated deaths: one man murdered, the other apparently dead of natural causes.

But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange links begin to emerge. Not just between the two victims, but also to Kinsey’s past. And before long Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is thoroughly compromised...

Why I wanted to read it: Next up in my reading of The Alphabet Series by Sue Grafton this year.

Grafton focuses on substance abuse and homelessness in this book as the John Doe becomes a distant relative and Kinsey gets involved in the lives of 2 of his friends.

During this re-read I didn’t really become engaged until about the middle as I started seeing the connections and learning about the criminal activities. I didn’t know how they eventually would tie together, but it was satisfactory when they did. We get a little bit of on-and-off-again lover Dietz and lots of Ed the cat.

This is a versatile and talented writer, writing engaging stories and powerful characters. One minute snarky and with an unerring ear for dialogue, the next emotionally advocating for the homeless.

Here’s part of Grafton’s moving eulogy for John Doe and another homeless man as given by Henry’s brother William. The setting is a park near the beach.

This is what the homeless long for: respect, freedom from hunger, shelter from the elements, safety, the companionship of the like-minded. The want to live without fear. They want to enjoy the probity of the open air without the risk of bodily harm. They want to be warm. They want the comfort of a clean bed when they are ill relief from pain, a hand offered in friendship. Ordinary conversation. Simple needs. Why are their choices so hard for us to accept?

What you see before is their home. This is their dwelling place. This grass, this sunlight, these palms, this mighty ocean, the moon, the stars, the clouds overhead though they sometimes harbor rain. Under this canopy they have staked out a life for themselves. For Terrence and for Felix,, this is also the wide bridge over which they passed from life into death. Their graves will be unmarked but that does not mean they are forgotten. The Earth remembers them, even as it gathers them tenderly into its embrace. The sky still claims them and we who honor them will hold them dear from this day forward.

These books are more than mysteries, more than the life of a 30-something California woman.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, Karen. Wishing you and your family all the best

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. Slowly making my way through cup number two. I have some chores to attend to today. We are hosting Christmas Eve, with the family, so that is always a big deal. I hope to squeeze in some reading here and there too.

Happy holidays, Karen!

>34 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley!

>35 msf59: ‘Morning to you, too, Mark! Yay for cup #2. I’m doing the same, then going upstairs to wrap a few presents for Miss J. Hosting is always a big deal, and it’s a labor of love of course. Good luck on the reading front.

>36 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita!

It's Sunday, it's sunny, I'm sure something can be made of these unrelated facts but I suspect I'm not the one to ask to do it.

Happy new thread Karen my dear.

Watching da Iggles tussle with the Texans. Iggles just tied it with a long fg.

Still quite a stack of gifts to wrap. And I'm the wrapper. Daughter Dear is due in tonight. Purportedly, she has baked a batch of peanut butter cookies, mostly for me. Me. Yes, me.

Oh oh. Long pass Foles to Agholor for the TD and the lead. More than a qtr to go though.

Hi Karen, we would like to wish you, Bill and Jenna a very Merry Christmas and send seasonal love and hugs from both of us dear friend.

>38 richardderus: *smooch*, RD! My brain is too tired to think of a snappy comeback. I had to make one more run to the store – forgot Parmesan cheese – and so of course I bought a few more stocking stuffers and an ornament for the tree.

>39 johnsimpson: Thank you, John!

>40 weird_O: I gave up on the Panthers. Cam Newton’s out, Heineke has played well but got injured, the backup quarterback to Heineke was 4 for 4 but Heineke came back and threw an interception to end the first half when we could at least have gotten a field goal. Falcons are now up two touchdowns.

Present wrapping is fun for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Yay for daughter. And Peanut Butter cookies for her DAD? She’s a keeper.

>41 johnsimpson: Thank you. The very same to you and Karen. Sending love and hugs back ‘atcha.

All the best to you and your family at Christmas, Karen. Love the mouse story.

Happy new thread



the light is born (a nativity scene from Riehen)
Wish you a happy Christmas time - especially a good time unwrapping all these parcels (well, more a watching them being unwrapped quicker than you wrapped them in, I guess)

>43 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg! There's always something exciting going on around here.

>44 paulstalder: Thank you, Paul! That is a beautiful nativity scene - I had to look a bit before I saw it.

My first Christmas here in NC with my husband's family I was absolutely shocked when everybody just started opening their presents willy-nilly, quick as bunnies. This went on for two years until another new cousin and I asked the family to go round the room, one at a time opening one present after identifying who the present was from. That's the way it was in my family and Rebecca's. It's what we do with just the three of us, too.

Ha! I don't think my brother and I would have paid the least bit of attention to any request to slow down. Opening gifts was serious business and required dedication and close attention. And speed. And Mom's 'Little Round Greasy Things', her name for cheddar sausage balls she always made first thing Christmas morning so the family would have something to nibble on before a yooge lunch. Good times.

^Have a great holiday with the family, Karen! I work today, (my wife will have a tougher task here, so I am not complaining) and then our company arrives at 5:30, for our Christmas Eve festivities, so it will be a long day.

>46 SomeGuyInVirginia: I love the idea of ‘Little Round Greasy Things’ for Christmas morning breakfast.

I’ll be making Breakfast Pizza tomorrow morning, although it will be in a 9x13 pan instead of on a pizza round. Crescent rolls, cooked crumbled hot sausage, eggs, S&P, grated fresh potatoes, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. That’s after stockings and presents, which are always first thing.

>47 msf59: Thank you Mark! I hope your busy work day goes well, and have fun at the family party.

>48 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara!

We had two traditions when I was growing up; we always opened our best present on Christmas Eve, my parents left the outside Christmas lights on all through the night.

Merry Christmas my dear friend.

>45 karenmarie: We've had some people join the family who want to just tear in but I'm with you, I want to go one-by-one and see what everyone got and savor the whole gift-giving experience. So far, I've been able to convince them to slow down and enjoy.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

*smooch*

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family!

Stopping by to wish you a wonderful season of peace and light and a magical new year!

Merry Christmas!

Hi Karen, stopping by to cheer you on to completing your Grafton Alphabet series reading and to wish you peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and best wishes for 2019!

Happy holidays Karen! And wishing you a happy Christmas with your family!



I've already received and bought my present myself (yes, in that order;-)

Merry Christmas to you and yours, Karen!

>45 karenmarie: Well, I'm glad that you straightened them out on gift opening etiquette, Karen. Have a Merry Christmas!

Happy holidays, Karen.

Also happy fairly new thread. Well done on beating me resoundingly in posts this year as well as books read. xx

I only had the chance to get on the computer early in the morning of Christmas Eve and yesterday was so busy and filled with Jenna and Bill time that I actually didn’t even get near the computer at all. And then some friends came over yesterday afternoon during the time I was going to come here while things were cooking and baking. Please accept my apologies for not visiting as many threads as I wanted to and not even responding here.

>50 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry! In my family we always opened ALL our presents on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was stockings and whatever Santa brought. Sometimes Mom and Dad would let us open one present on the 23rd – Christmas Eve Eve. Merry Christmas back to you and Parker D.

>51 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba. Savoring the gift giving and reactions to presents is what makes it more than a frenzied stuff grab, right?

>52 richardderus: *smooch* darling RD.

>53 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle!

>54 witchyrichy: Thank you, Karen! It’s nice to see you here.

>55 nittnut: Beautiful Nativity scene, Jenn. Thank you for it and your friendship.

>56 lkernagh: Hi Lori! I’m going to try to finish X today, by hook or crook. I’m on page 211 of 403 and with big chunks of time available should be able to make it. Then, it’s only Y is for Yesterday!

Bill’s gone off to work, Jenna and I each had a piece of Orange-Cranberry Torte for breakfast, and we’ve agreed that it’s okay for us to hide in our own Hamster Balls of Personal Space for a bit today to recover our energy, being introverts and all.



>57 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella! Good for you. I haven’t mentioned here yet that I frequently buy myself presents as I Christmas shop. This year I bought myself a new grater because Jenna mentioned that she didn’t have one and that was one of her Christmas presents. *smile*

>58 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry! What an entirely appropriate and wonderful magazine cover greeting, Harry! Same to you.

>59 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, and thank you! It was really bothering both of us and a few words and everybody complied. I never got any sense of resentment or ill feeling, either. It was a win-win!

>60 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, and thank you. You have had so much going on this year that I’m surprised you have visited as often and gotten as many books read as you have. I’m still a tad worried about reaching my goal, but the next few days should give me great chunks of reading time, even with my daughter here. She’s happily in the living room playing something on her PS4 while I’m here LTing.

Yodelee-whooooo-whooooooooo

Come and regale us with your misadventures!

It's Boxing Day. This afternoon I'll be going dark around three, three thirty, and won't see anyone until tomorrow. My Christmas arrives around four thirty. Can't wait.

Hi RD!

I just posted on your thread, actually, wishing you Happy Boxing Day and happy reunion with YGC. Check the time stamp.... *smooches* from your own Horrible

Great minds, etc.

I'm finishing up Moon of the Crusted Snow, post-apocalyptic tale by First-Nations writer Waubgeshig Rice. It's very good.

I love post-apocalyptic stories. I just may add this one to my wish list.

Here is a list of the books I got for Christmas, including the two I got on December 15th at a family Christmas party:

Relic and Reliquary by Preston and Child, #s 1 and 2 in the Agent Pendergast series
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald-The Original Screenplay (Harry Potter) by J.K. Rowling - touchstone isn't working
Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches? by Mike O'Connor
Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic by Mark Blake - backordered, due January 3rd
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer - from Montana friend Karen

duplicates from Karen's shelves
Nine Lives to Die by Rita Mae Brown
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Captain Ted Lawson
Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt by Karen Scalf Linamen
The Lost Years of Jesus by Elizabeth Clare Prophet
Genesis of the Grail Kings by Laurence Gardner
Rosslyn: Guardian of the Secrets of the Holy Grail by Tim Wallace-Murphy and Marilyn Hopkins

I just love your chatty thread, Karen. I thought Id join in the festivities before I head over to the shiny new 2019 thread Jim started earlier today. This place is hopping! Take time for some peaceful reflective moments as the old year wanes...

Thank you, Donna! I love Joe Cool Snoopy.

I'm going to be one of those stubborn holdouts until January 1 before creating my 2019 threads (75 and ROOT). I'll be hanging out here until then.

I still need to finish X and start and finish Y is for Yesterday to successfully complete my personal A to Y Alphabet Series challenge. And somehow or another to also fit in another 4 smallish books if I'm to make my 105 total books for 2018 goal. It just might be possible.

...
Jenna and I are being (almost) totally lazy. I did get the kitchen under control except for 3 items, but otherwise we're not doing anything except read (me) and play on the PS4 (her). I've been keyed up since before Thanksgiving, so it's nice to NOT have anything major to do, place to be, thing to cook/bake.

100. X by Sue Grafton
12/22/18 to 12/26/18





From Amazon:

“An inventive plot and incisive character studies elevate MWA Grand Master Grafton’s twenty-fourth Kinsey Millhone novel...This superior outing will remind readers why this much-loved series will be missed as the end of the alphabet approaches.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

X: The number ten. An unknown quantity. A mistake. A cross. A kiss...

Perhaps Sue Grafton’s darkest and most chilling novel, X features a remorseless serial killer who leaves no trace of his crimes. Once again breaking the rules and establishing new paths, Grafton wastes little time identifying this deadly sociopath. The test is whether private investigator Kinsey Millhone can prove her case against him—before she becomes his next victim.

Why I wanted to read it: The penultimate book in the Alphabet Series by Sue Grafton.

There are three stories in this book, and for the life of me the only thing I can think of for her writing it was to set up the next book, Y is for Yesterday.

The plots are amusing, Kinsey’s detecting skills are unrivalled, and there are many interesting characters.

The theme of the book is water conservation and drought. I lived in California during one of the droughts, and the water conservation methods were many and creative. Rhymes abounded, as did the use of bricks in toilet tanks, dead lawns, and short showers. Henry is battling his water bill. Kinsey drives through the central valley and learns about how the water was stolen and the impact on the land and the people. It almost made me want to be even more careful of water than I am.

New neighbors irritate Kinsey, she’s taken in on a small job, and a very small can of worms relating to Pete Wolinsky’s death in the previous book open up into a very real case of potential murder. I’m not quite sure this is enough for a full-blown 403-page book, but I did enjoy it.

The one quote that interested me enough to share here is the following, which I heartily disagree with from personal experience:

”But what would you do if you retired? You’d go nuts.”

“That’s a worry, now you mention it. I’m not one for needlework, and you can only read so mamy books before your eyesight fails. Some suggested volunteer work, but that’s out of the question. I’m accustomed to being paid, and the idea of giving away my time and my skills is an affront. Braver women than I fought decades for equal compensation in the workplace, so why would I undo their acomplishments?”

I almost always agree with Kinsey/Sue’s opinions, but on this one we’re 180 degrees different. I don’t do any kind of handwork, I read voluminously, and I derive satisfaction from volunteer work although I do chafe a bit at the number of hours needed to be Treasurer of the Friends. I haven’t gone nuts and don’t anticipate doing so.

So, onward to the last book in the series.

Finishing Kinsey and the old year at the same time is serendipitous, or else you're a great planner, Karen.
Enjoy your few days of downtime. I do love this week after Christmas!

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I am off today and just sat down with my first cup of coffee. It looks like there will plenty of rain around, so I don't think I will make it out for a stroll. More time for the books. Yah!!

A very happy and sunshiney Thursday to you! I hope every single thing you turn your hand to later proves to be instrumental in convicting the traitorous politicos in Washington, directly responsible for solving the climate change crisis, and fattening the profits of every single stair-step on the publishing ladder! A blinding 10,000-watt smile beamed in your direction, Moi

Good morning, Karen! Good luck on finishing the series!

>69 LizzieD: It’s three things, Peggy – serendipitous, good planning, and sheer panic. I’m having a good time with Jenna today, although she is consistently beating me at Yahtzee.

>70 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Thank you. Yay for a day off. Rainy days are great for reading, aren’t they?

>71 richardderus: Somebody sounds bubbly and happy. Could it have anything to do with YGC? *smooch*

>72 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry! I’m on page 71 of the last book. I read it last year and remember quite a bit of it, including who-dunnit. However, it’s an accumulation of lots of teensy details over the last 24 books that will make this read memorable.

…
Jenna and I mailed a bookmooch audiobook, ate lunch out, and stopped at the grocery store for a few things. It started out at needing 2 things, and ballooned to 6. It is always thus.

>73 karenmarie: Never fear, the curmudgeonly old buster will be back shortly. Tomorrow I lose him to Sugar Mama for the weekend, but oh well dear me tut-tut...he's back in town! We're staring at the same darkness, and that's enough.

Glad you had a good Christmas, Karen. That's always how my family opens gifts too, taking time to appreciate each person's reception. For me, seeing how they like what I get them is more enjoyable than opening my own!

Hi Karen! Glad your Christmas was a good one. I see you have almost completed Grafton's alphabet, all in one year! I think I am on F or something. I can't remember, but I read X out of order so I could finish my alphabet challenge this year. : )

>74 richardderus: Our own curmudgeonly old buster to return! We see more of him than bubbly and happy RD, but both are greatly appreciated.

>75 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. Glad your family does what we do, too.

>76 Berly: Hi Kim! Yes, it was a very nice Christmas. I'm on page 145 of 483 of the last book of the series and am heading upstairs to read as soon as I post this. Wanna finish it tomorrow, Saturday a.m. at the latest. Off I go...

Good luck with meeting your reading goal, Karen. I am doing a bit of that myself.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. We have a coating of snow on the ground. First time in awhile. December was a decent month for month.

I have some catching up to do on LT- starting my new thread, finishing up my current one, including my best of lists and making the rounds. This will have to wait until tomorrow.

>78 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg! I finished Y is for Yesterday about 15 minutes ago. Have fun reading.

>79 msf59: 'Morning, Mark. Snow in Chicagoland? Not surprising. Yesterday we got upwards of 1.5-2" of rain, again. Our creek flooded, again, but is back down in its banks this morning. Three healthy-looking does are nibbling grass near our Magnolia Tree.

I'm so far behind on threads that it's almost embarrassing. I'll be using this thread through Monday, then, stubborn as I am, only start my 2019 thread on January 1st.

101. Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton
12/26/18 to 12/29/18





From Amazon:

THE FINAL INSTALLMENT IN SUE GRAFTON'S ALPHABET SERIES

WINNER OF THE ANTHONY/BILL CRIDER AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL IN A SERIES

Private investigator Kinsey Millhone confronts her darkest and most disturbing case in this #1 New York Times bestseller from Sue Grafton.

In 1979, four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a fourteen-year-old classmate—and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state’s evidence and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace.

Now, it’s 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant, and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents—until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That’s when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. As she is drawn into their family drama, she keeps a watchful eye on Fritz. But he’s not the only one being haunted by the past. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find...

Why I wanted to read it: Since Grafton died in December of 2017, this is, sadly, the last book in the Alphabet Series. There will never be a Z.

I read this the first time when it was first published in August of 2017, so had quite a bit of the story still fresh in my mind. There are two stories playing out here, and both are engrossing and full of detail. It was another story that roams back and forth in time, detailing the events leading up to the killing of the classmate and explaining the killing itself. At the same time there are interesting domestic issues being played out, with Henry letting the homeless Pearl set up a pup tent in his now-barren-due-to-the-drought yard, and a former lover involved in a romantic tangle. Ed the cat plays an important role and Killer the dog elicits sympathy from the emotionally self-protective Kinsey. Ed and now Killer have both wormed their way into her heart.

Since Grafton neatly kills Ned Lowe off by having Pearl sitting on him until he dies of compression asphyxia, there are no continuing stories into what would have been the last book.

My big question is, of course, how Grafton would have finished the series. Would Kinsey simply have another case and that's the end of the series? Fall in love and retire? Become so traumatized from a new case that she’d fall back on her savings and do something completely different? Adopt Killer the dog? Get involved in the romantic tangle? Will Dietz ever make a re-appearance? There are enticing hints in Y is for Yesterday, but alas, we’ll never know.

In hardcover the series comprised 6,915 pages. I also read Kinsey and Me at the beginning of the year, so I did read 26 books this year by Grafton, fitting in its own way as a tribute to a wonderful woman and brilliant author and The Alphabet Series.

>81 karenmarie: - Congrats on finishing!

My SIL is a fan of the series, and got a few entries for Christmas. She's bummed there is no "Z" but mostly, I think, because she has a touch of OCD and feels the whole thing is incomplete somehow :)

Thanks Katie!

I'm bummed, too, but reading Kinsey and Me really gave me a sense of completion, so perhaps your SiL could read that one, too. It does make 26, even if Z is missing.

What a remarkable achievement! For you, but even more for the author. Keeping a character (or maybe a batch of characters) viable and interesting and entertaining is a great achievement. I am sure that as a reader I couldn't stick with a series like that. Good on you for getting it read, and all in one year. Doesn't seem to have been a chore.

I'm accepting that my 2018 reading will conclude at 103 books. Would have liked to get to 105, but it's not going to happen. 103 is better than my 2017 total.

Rummaging through the stats and musing about the best books.

Like you, I'm probably going to kinda sorta put off 2019 until 2019.

Thanks, Bill! Reading them all together does make one realize the consistency of the characters. I've read all the books at least twice, now. Now, they're tucked away in the Retreat until some future time I get interested again, although certainly not before 2020 at the soonest.

I'm going to try to get in 4 more books. I've got one that I'm halfway through, The Gospel in Dorothy L. Sayers and I'd like to read The Man in the Wooden Hat in anticipation of Last Friends sometime early in 2019 with some or all of the 11 people who've expressed interest.

Two more shorties, one of which must be a ROOT, and I'll get my goals met. It's not the end of the world if I don't, but I'm sooooo close.

I have joined the 2019 group, but haven't even looked at threads yet. I've flagged some of them though.

...
Today is errands and having Jenna help me put away the Christmas Wrapping Station paper, ribbon, bows, bags, boxes, gift tags, and etc. Now I'll have my Retreat back under control.

I'm going to hit 95. It's not a personal best, but it's better than I've done in years. The ropinerole took away the restless legs and completely have me my evenings back. Miracle medicine.

Good morning, Karen. Congrats on wrapping up "Y"!

My 2019 thread won't happen until 2019, either. There's a good chance I'll finish another book or two or watch a few movies before the 1st, so I'd like to bring the 2018 thread to a proper end first.

Congrats on making your way through the alphabet series again!! Good job

>81 karenmarie: Congratulations on finishing the Kinsey Milhone series! And book 101 for that.

I think I never got to book X or Y. I would have remembered reading about Henry and his water bill;-) I liked this series, and her characters are part of the reason.

Good luck with your goal, getting to 105. I won't start a new thread until 2019 either. Have a book I'd like to finish first.

>86 SomeGuyInVirginia: Yay, Larry! A good solid year of reading is all that I personally ask for, so congrats on 95!!! Healthy living through modern medicine – getting the rest and sleep you need is fantastic.

>87 harrygbutler: ‘Afternoon, now, Harry, and thanks. Good luck to those of us trying to squeak in another book or two and for you, another movie or two.

Although I can rub my tummy and pat my head, I don’t think I can do as well juggling two threads. Besides I haven't figured out the 2019 theme yet.

>88 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle! I’m a happy camper right now.

>89 EllaTim: Thanks Ella! You have something to look forward to, with the last two as yet unread. I remember getting The Chronicles of Narnia boxed mass market paperback set as a college graduation present from my friend Karen (she of the summer Montana visit). I read the first two and a half or three, and then they didn’t appeal any more. Subsequent tries haven’t been successful, but I still have them on my shelves and won’t ever get rid of them. But Karen said that she envied me having books in the series I haven’t read, so I can appreciate having two more Grafton books that you haven’t read.

Thanks re my goal. I’m going to work on The Gospel in Dorothy L. Sayers a bit this afternoon, then shamelessly look for a smallish ROOT and two more other smallish books – probably in the 150-200 page range.

3 1/2 books, 2 1/2 days, with no parties or other plans except being home with Bill and Jenna (well, early dinner at our favorite Asian fusion restaurant tomorrow after the Panthers game which I'm watching only because I'm a die-hard fan and one run into town to both banks and a brief stop at the grocery store for salad fixin's on Monday).

>101 karenmarie: I was pretty sure I hadn't read Y after reading your review, and when I went to check I discovered I had no record of reading V either. Oops. I've been so determined to read these in order. Ah well, more fodder for the next year.

It's two days before the end of this pretty awful year, and I wish you and everyone else a better one next time!

Congratulations on finishing the Grafton books!

>91 ffortsa: Hi Judy! Two more Graftons for you. In a way, late Christmas presents.

I want everybody to have a wonderful 2019.

>92 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori!

...
Drat the bowl games. I made white chili, read some, but then got caught up in hanging out in the living room with Bill and Jenna. I did some cell phone games while watching Notre Dame/Clemson and then Oklahoma/Alabama. It's halftime on the OK/AL game, and I'm going to go read and then go to sleep. I've had a sore throat for a day or so and hope to knock it out tonight. I do not want to get sick, but am feeling just a tad on the puny side. Perhaps Nyquil will knock it and me out.

Congratulations on making it through the Kinsey Milhone series, Karen!
And good luck finishing your last books of the year.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. I have been hopping this early A.M. I finally posted my best of lists and started my 2019 thread. I work tomorrow, so it is easier to do it this way. A few chores to attend to today but there will be lots of reading and football later on. Go Bears!

How do you feel this morning? You can't be sick for NYE! Can you gargle with salt water?

Parker wants to play. I want to get some grocery shopping out of the way. I've got to buy black eyed peas and they are on sale at Giant. I've got ham and collards.

>94 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. I picked up Beware of the Trains by Edmund Crispin, a 158-page book of short stories about his detective Gervase Fen. I'm on page 152 of 158, so almost have another book done.

>95 msf59: Hi Mark, and thank you. Getting things done when you can makes sense. I'm trying to cram in reading to meet my goals, so 2019 will be here before I even think of themes or goals. Go Bears! We may watch the Panthers play, die-hard fans and all, but it will be their THIRD-string quarterback Allen because Newton is out and so is Heinike, their second-string quarterback.

>96 SomeGuyInVirginia: Still somewhat sore-throat-ish and pretty lethargic, unfortunately. I could gargle with NaCl water, something I absolutely abhor..... it may come to that. *shudder*

Of course Parker wants to play, adorable fluff-ball that he is. You're on vay-cay and he has you for days at a time instead of just morning and evening hours. Bill's Dad and Stepmom did the ham, collars, and black-eyed peas New Year's Tradition, so yay for you! I hope they bring you the good luck they're supposed to.

We're going out for Japanese (Jenna), Thai (Karen) and Chinese (Bill) this afternoon if I'm up for it. Right now the idea of just going back to bed and reading and dozing has strong appeal.

Hi Karen - Happy End of the Year! Congrats on finishing the Kinsey alphabet as well as hitting 100!

Back to bed and reading does have strong appeal for me, too!

102. Beware of the Trains by Edmund Crispin
12/29/18 to 12/30/18





From Amazon:

Gervase Fen, Oxford professor and amateur detective, tackles sixteen baffling cases, including the disappearance of a conductor from his train.

Why I wanted to read it: One of two books of short stories, which I normally don’t like, by Edmund Crispin, short and sweet, to try to reach my goal of 105 books read, and 42 ROOTs read. This book has been on my shelves since at least 2007, so it works well for both challenges.

These are all very short stories, many ironic, most of them with Fen hearing the evidence and solving them “using his little gray cells” as Hercule Poirot would have said. They are all quite clever and amusing to read. The last one is completely different from the rest since it’s told in the first person by one of the people involved in the murder and Gervase Fen doesn’t make an appearance.

Edmund Crispin, pen name of Robert Bruce Montgomery, was also a composer of vocal and choral music and movie scores; in addition, he wrote one screenplay. The nine novels and two collections of short stories of Gervase Fen are his only fiction with the exception of one uncollected short story, "St Bartholomew's Day", Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (February 1975).

I occasionally look up words as I'm reading. Edmund Crispin wrote beautifully, with emotion and comic relief. He also had a formidable vocabulary. This series of short stories yielded the following words:

ament - someone of severe mental deficiency
seriatim answer - 'in a series' answer
whilom - former
frippet - pretty, frivolous young woman
vesta match - a short match
havering - hemming and hawing
point d'appiu - location where troops are assembled prior to a battle
Avernus - entrance to the underworld
exiguous - meager, extremely scanty
lapsus lingui - slip of the tongue

All in all, a fun, fast, and erudite read.

>97 karenmarie: >98 streamsong: That's funny... I woke up with the same urge. Accomplished one major job so may just do that. Feel better!

Hi Karen!

Make it so...

>93 karenmarie: I was amazed that Galadriel was the Clemson quarterback.

Hallo, RD!

aka Trevor Lawrence...

And, in a game that only matters for Panther morale and hurting New Orleans, we're up 23-0 at the half. Kyle Allen is doing a wonderful job and Peppers is 1/2 sack away from tying the 3rd place guy. Whoo-yah.

>102 richardderus: *snerk* goes the Clemson grad...

Hi Karen, glad you finished the Kinsey Millhone series my dear, this is one series I will start in 2019 with my reading getting back to normal. We would like to wish you, Bill and Jenna a very happy new year from both of us dear friend and will make sure to visit your 2019 thread on a more regular basis. Sending love and hugs to you all.

>104 drneutron: Hi Jim! Not being an LotR fan, I had to look up Galadriel. She's got female and male features, as does Lawrence.

>105 johnsimpson: Hi John! Thank you. I look forward to seeing your progress in 2019 - you will start zooming through books because there will be no size requirement. I'm sure you have some already lined up... Thank you and sending love and hugs to you and Karen.

I am resolved to 'cheat' to get to my goal by reading 3 short books. I started one last night and finished it this morning - The Inaugural Address 2009 by Barack Obama.

103. The Inaugural Address 2009 by Barack Obama
12/30/18 to 12/31/18





From Amazon:

Celebrate the inauguration of America's 44th president with this New York Times bestseller

Tying into the official theme for the 2009 inaugural ceremony, "A New Birth of Freedom" from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Penguin presents a keepsake edition commemorating the inauguration of President Barack Obama with words of the two great thinkers and writers who have helped shape him politically, philosophically, and personally: Abraham Lincoln and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Having Lincoln and Emerson's most influential, memorable, and eloquent words along with Obama's historic inaugural address will be a gift of inspiration for every American for generations to come.

Why I wanted to read it: Short and sweet, to try to reach my goal of 105 books read, and 42 ROOTs read. This book has been on my shelves since 2009, so it works well for both challenges.

This book is comprised of Barack Obama’s 2009 Inaugural Address, Lincoln’s First and Second Inaugural Addresses, the Gettysburg Address, and the essay Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

These five pieces remind me forcefully that eloquence, intelligence, a strong moral and ethical compass, and genuine goodness were and are still in the American psyche.

I had started writing references to quotes that I wanted to share, but finally realized that I’d have to quote a substantial portion of the book and so have decided to keep this more focused.

The major thing I want to say is that while Obama and Lincoln speak of sacrifice and coming together and working toward a more perfect union, the essay Self-Reliance strikes me as its antithesis of these sentiments and is simply a strong argument for each person to do what she or he wishes to do regardless of anybody else – mother, father, child, spouse.

The more I think about it, the more I hope that it was included to emphasize the sweetness, goodness, and strength of the first two authors – Obama and Lincoln – and shine the light on the selfishness and ego of Emerson. The philosophy of Emerson has supposedly shaped Obama, but if so I don't see it from the only thing I have read by Emerson, this essay.

There are some very good thoughts in Self-Reliance, but I am sad to think of the kind of world we would be living in if each person became Self-Reliant in the way Emerson recommends.

>106 karenmarie:, I have about a dozen books in a pile just waiting for me to get to them from tomorrow my dear, I will reach 100 books in 2019 and have a little bit of internal competition as Karen is going to note down what she reads in 2019, that should be a bit of fun, lol.

Sending love and hugs dear friend.

>108 johnsimpson: Ah, I knew you'd have books lined up! It will be exciting to start the new year with you and see how well you and Karen do!

>109 thornton37814: Perfect, Lori! Thank you. I've been dithering round with new year wish images and will have to pick soon or all my friends here will think I've abandoned them.

Dear Karen, feel better fast so that you can fully enjoy the Happy New Year wishes I'm sending to you, Bill, and Jenna.

PS, it's good luck to feel puny on the last day of the year.

Pps, Edmund Crispen is my all. time. fav. I love how he sometimes breaks down the wall between author and reader, and his zaniness. I'm glad you liked him!

Thank you, Larry! I'm feeling a bit better today but not 100%

Happy New Year to you too, dear friend.

Good luck feeling puny today, eh, and good luck feeling sprightly tomorrow, right?

I have one more book of short stories by Crispin, which I wanted to get read before the end of the year to meet the 105 goal, but it's too long. *smile* I'm shameless, aren't I?

I did just finish Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. The best I can say about this book is that the first poem is perfect, The Naming of Cats. My copy has drawings by Edward Gorey, which are also perfect. The rest of the poems are a bit too cutesy for my taste, but hey! A book is a book, even if only 56 pages, half of them drawings. And thus #104 is complete.

I think for my last book I will read The Character & Faith of Robert E. Lee In His Own Words edited by Curt Steger. I just opened it and see that there's an inscription and signature by Steger - very cool.

Happy New Year Karen!

May it be a year of good health, with plenty of time to read and enjoy those close to you.

I just put up my Ten Faves of 2018. Just taking a short break before working out niggly bits in my Reading Roundup for December and for the year.

>112 karenmarie: Interesting desperation, Karen. You. Will. Make. It. ...Or not.

I felt a bit boxed in by some of my earlier decisions on stats. I read two David Douglas Duncan books on Pablo Picasso, back-to-back, and opted at the time to count them as a single read. If I'd'a counted each book as a separate read, I would have 104 books read for the year. Bahhh. Too much monkey business. Not going back. I also denied myself the option of picking a booklet or two from the shelves by opting for December to read only books by women whose work I haven't read before. Haven't got any bookletty items that fit my criteria.

But I am content.

Happy New Year's Eve!!

>113 brodiew2: Hi Brodie! Thank you.

>114 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda!

>115 weird_O: Hi Bill. Okay, I’ll be over in a minute. *smile*

I.Made.It.

Statistics are fun to play with, but I understand your wanting to stick with your original decisions. You did a wonderful thing with your December theme, by the way, so congratulations!

>116 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Onward and upward, eh?

Here are my final 2018 statistics: >5 karenmarie:

Tomorrow I will start a 2019 thread - gotta figure out a theme, find some meaningful quotes on an appropriate topic, and set up goals and tickers.

And, finally, a review of my last book of the year.

105. The Character & Faith of Robert E. Lee edited by Curt Steger

12/31/18 to 12/31/18





From Amazon:

This book is an assessment of Robert E Lee based on his own words from documents he wrote and other comments his contemporaries wrote about him.

Why I wanted to read it: Short and sweet, to reach my goal of 105 books read on the last day of the year. This book has been on my shelves since 2015.

I found the quotes by Robert E. Lee to be curiously one-dimensional without a richness of language that I have seen in the writings of his contemporary, Abraham Lincoln. They seem self-centered and narrowly focused where what I have read by Lincoln is more universal, less judgmental, more memorable.

I picked out three quotes, the first two by Lee, which I liked. The last quote I don’t particularly like, but it seems that these are traits that many found admirable in the man.

Death, in its silent, sure march is fast gathering those whom I have longest loved, so that when he shall knock at my door I will more willingly follow. p 67

Find time to read and improve your mind. Read history, works of truth… get correct views of life, and learn to see the world in its true light. It will enable you to live pleasantly, to do good, and, when summoned away, to leav without regret. p 93

The supreme test of a man’s greatness is his ability to control other men; to draw them to himself to secure their constant loyalty, to have them execute his will. General Lee stood this test. Edward Clifford Gordon, St. Louis, Missouri

My first exposure to the writings of Lee, perhaps my last unless I read a biography of him.

Congratulations on a good reading year, Karen, with 105 books read! See you on the other side.

Thanks, Roni!

I will not ring in the new year - I made the mistake of having half a glass of red wine with dinner and occasionally red wine does me in, so I'm going to head on off to bed. No books either - I'm read out for now.

Happy New Year, dear LT friends. You are all the best of the best.

Have a Happy New Year, Karen!

Happy new year, Karen!

>117 karenmarie: The link to your statistics is not right, I have found them anyway :-)

>120 karenmarie: Thanks, Meg!

>121 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Anita. I changed the link to just a reference to the message number.

dup - LT seemed to be having problems.

I wish you from my heart a healthy 2019 filled with happiness, satisfaction, laughter and lots of good books.

Happy New Year, Karen!



I'm doing what you did, reading in bed.

Thank you Barbara and Ella!

Karen, I can't find a new thread for you, and I have looked! Am I going blind or have you not yet created one??

Strange, Shelley - but here it is. It's also in the 2019 threadbook...

Karen's First of 2019