Roni Reads in 2019: Part 6

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Charlas75 Books Challenge for 2019

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Roni Reads in 2019: Part 6

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1ronincats
Sep 28, 2019, 1:33 pm


This is where I was earlier this month, although the wheat had already been harvested.

Hi, I'm Roni. I live in San Diego with one husband, one small dog and way too many cats in a small bungalow with a garden and lots of books. I'm retired these days, after a long career as a school psychologist.

I've been a member of LT since 2008 and an active member of the 75 Book Challenge groups for that long as well. I read mostly in genre, science fiction and fantasy, but also try to read some nonfiction and mystery.

Welcome to my thread. I love visitors and promise to visit you back.

My final thread of 2018 is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/298278

2ronincats
Editado: Nov 3, 2019, 9:41 pm

New Goals for 2019:

My goals generally stay pretty stable, and this year will be no exception.

1. Read 150 books and 50,000 pages.
2. Read at least 40 books off my own bookshelves (BOMBs).
3. Acquire no more than 80 books.
4. 50 books out the door once more. GOAL MET1
















Challenges

Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prizewinners (and Nominees!): These Truths by Jill Lapore (already reading for a group read)
February: Science and Technology: Innovations and Innovators
March: True Crime, Misdemeanors and Justice, Past and Present Day
April: Comfort Reads: Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper
May: History: Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee
June: The Pictures Have It!: March by John Lewis
July: Biography & First Person Yarns: Becoming by Michelle Obama
August: Raw Materials: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
September: Books by Journalists: Republic of Lies by Anna Merlan
October: Other Worlds: From Spiritual to Fantastical
November: Creators and Creativity
December: I've Always Been Curious About...

SFFKit: https://www.librarything.com/topic/299184

January: Read an SFF you meant to read in 2018, but never started/completed: The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin
https://www.librarything.com/topic/301204
February: Colonization
March: Mystery/police procedural/detective Science Fiction or Fantasy
April: Sword & Sorcery: Swords Against Sorcery by Fritz Leiber
May: International Sci-Fi/Fantasy by Non-US/UK authors
June: Road-trip
July: Space Opera: The Price of the Stars by Debra Doyle
August: Alternate History: The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde
September: Series: The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire
October: Comedy
November: Award Winners
December: End-of-the-Year Wrap Up

SeriesCAT: https://www.librarything.com/topic/298613#

January: Series in translation: The Griffin's Feather by Cornelia Funke https://www.librarything.com/topic/299976
February: YA/Children's: Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend
March: Series by a favorite author: Snake Agent by Liz Williams
April: Series You've Been Meaning to Get Back To
May: Newest book in a favorite series: The Landlady by Diane Duane
June: Series that are definitely complete: The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones
July: Genre: fantasy: The Orphans of Raspay by Lois McMaster Bujold
August: Series set in a country/region where you do not live: The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch Done
September: Genre: Mystery: The Heiress of Linn Hagh by Karen Charlton
October: Historical Series:The Rat Catchers' Olympics by Colin Cotterill
November: Series with a female protagonist
December: Series that's new to you

TBR CAT: https://www.librarything.com/topic/298605

January: First in, last out - read one of the oldest members of your tbr: Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov Done
February: A book you borrowed to read and still haven't got to
March: Book acquired on/for trips or for a special occasion: Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee Done
April: Book originally acquired for an LT group read or challenge: These Truths by Jill Lapore Done
May: Book that I keep looking at, but never manage to open: Quatrain by Sharon Shinn Done
June: Book bullet (i.e. book suggested by someone else, not necessarily on LT): Tamsin by Peter Beagle Done
July: Book by an author with more than one book on your TBR shelf: The Price of the Stars, Starpilot's Grave, By Honor Betray'd by Debra Doyle Done
August: Book purchased with great excitement and with plans to read right away that is somehow still on my tbr a year later: Dreams of Distant Shores by Patricia A. McKillip Done
September: Classics I feel I should read
October: Book purchased because of its visual appeal (striking cover or colors, beautiful edition, etc.)
November: Book given to me as a gift
December: A book I bought because it was so cheap (library sale, remainder table, etc)

3ronincats
Editado: Nov 3, 2019, 7:52 pm

Books Read in 2019

January
1. Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep
2. The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman
3. Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher
4. The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher
5. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
6. Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny
7. Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov
8. The Griffin's Feather by Cornelia Funke
9. Knife Children by Lois McMaster Bujold

February
10. Cast in Oblivion by Michelle Sagara
11. Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
12. The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
13. Darkness on his Bones by Barbara Hambly
14. Stars Uncharted by S. K. Dunstall
15. Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend
16. Beyond the Empire by K. B. Wagers
17. Last Friends by Jane Gardam
18. Witches Incorporated
19. In the Vanishers’ Palace

March
20. The Goblin Emperor
21. The Reluctant Widow
22. Bryony and Roses
23. These Old Shades
24. That Ain’t Witchcraft
25. The Dubious Hills
26. Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field
27. Devil’s Cub
28. Roar of Sky
29. Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows
30. The Secret Witch
31. The Exile and the Sorcerer
32. The Traitor and the Chalice
33. The Empress and the Acolyte
34. Quatrain
35. Year of the Griffin
36. A Bachelor Establishment
37. Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana White
38. Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
39. Heartland by Sarah Smarsh
40. Snake Agent by Liz Williams
41. Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
42. Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones
43. A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White

April
44. The Queen's Gambit by Jessie Mihalik
45. Alliance Rising by C. J. Cherryh
46. Envy of Angels by Matt Wallace
47. The Collected Kagan by Janet Kagan
48. The True Queen by Zen Cho
49. The Book of Boy by Catherine Murdock
50. Mirabile by Janet Kagan
51. The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
53. Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber
54. The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse by Brian Farrey
55. Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper
56. Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
57. Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
58. Plan B by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
59. I Dare! by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
60. Early Riser by Jasper Fforde

May
61. Dreams of Distant Shores by Patricia McKillip
62. The Landlady by Diane Duane
63. The Thread That Binds the Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
64. By Demons Possessed by P. C. Hodgell
65. Three Mages and a Margarita by Annette Marie
66. Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear
67. The Origins of Constantine by D. C. Gomez
68. The Hub: Dangerous Territory by James H. Schmitz
69. Gods, MOnsters and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson
70. The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz
71. The Wizard of Karres by Lackey, Flint and Freer
72. The Sorceress of Karres by Flint and Freer
73. Biss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar by Olga Wojtas
74. Telzey Amberdon by James H. Schmitz
75. TNT by James H. Schmitz
76. Trigger and Friends by James H. Schmitz

June
77. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien
78. St. Paul: The Apostle We Love to Hate by Karen Armstrong
79. The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay
80. The Rose Legacy by Jessica Day George
DNF The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
81. The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien
82. A Memory Called Empire by Arcady Martine
83. A Liaden Universe Constellation 4 by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
84. Thornbound by Stephanie Burgis
85. The Hidden City by Michelle West
86. Fractured Symmetry by Fernando Salazar
87. Pawsitively Poisonous by Melissa Jackson

July
88. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
89. March: Book One by John Lewis
90. The Women's War by Jenna Glass
91. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
92. Bibliophile by Tom Bruno
93. The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer
94. Chalice by Robin McKinley
95. The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer
96. The Oathbound by Mercedes Lackey
97. Oathbreakers by Mercedes Lackey
98. Oathblood by Mercedes Lackey
99. By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey
100. The Orphans of Raspay by Lois McMaster Bujold
101. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
102. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
103. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
104. Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
105. First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
106. Conrad's Fate by Diana Wynne Jones
107. The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones
108. One of our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde

August
109. The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde
110. Water Witch by Cynthia Felice and Connie Willis
111. Forsaken Kingdom by J. Rasmussen
112. Justice Calling by Annie Bellet
113. A Murder of Crows by Annie Bellet
114. What Fate Portends by Clara Coulson
115. The Uplift War by David Brin
116. Prostho Plus by Piers Anthony
117. The Price of the Stars by Debra Doyle
118. Starpilot's Grave by Debra Doyle
119. By Honor Betray'd by Debral Doyle
120. Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher
121. Best of British Fantasy 2018 edited by Jared Shurin
122. Starfarers by Vonda McIntyre
123. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen
124. Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan
125. Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix

September
126. The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire
127. Sweep by Jonathan Auxier
128. Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz by Garth Nix
129. A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark by Harry Connolly
130. The Vine Witch by Luanne Smith
131. The Heiress of Linn Hagh by Karen Charlton
132. Republic of Lies by Anna Merlan
133. The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker
134. Dark Currents by Lindsay Buroker
135. Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher

October
136. Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee
137. Tamsin by Peter Beagle
138. The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
139. Accepting the Lance by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
140. The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith
DNF Wicked and the Wildflower by Sarah MacLean
141. These Truths by Jill Lepore
142. The Rat Catchers' Olympics by Colin Cotterill
143. The Orc of Many Questions by Shane Murray
144. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

4ronincats
Sep 28, 2019, 1:34 pm

Books acquired in 2019

January
1. These Truths by Jill Lepore
2. Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher
3. The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher
4. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
5. New Spring by Robert Jordan
6. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
7. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
8. Time's Shadow by Arnold Bauer
9. Consequences by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
10. The Queen of All Crows by Rod Duncan
11. Knife Children by Lois McMaster Bujold
12. Cast in Oblivion by Michelle Sagara
13. The Witches of London Trilogy by Alyxandra Harvey
14. Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by J. M. Bergen
15. The Queen's Gambit by Jessie Mihalik
16. In the Vanisher's Palace by Aliette de Bodard
17. A Shift in Time by Lena Einhorn
18. At Home in Mitford
19. A Light in the Window
20. The High, Green Hills
21. Out to Canaan
22. The Great Hunt
23. That Ain’t Witchcraft
24. A Bachelor Establishment
25. Duplicate Effort
26. Republic of Lies by Anna Merlan
27. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
28. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
29. Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon
30. Mirabile by Janet Kagan
31. The Thread That Binds the Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
32. By Demons Possessed by P. C. Hodgell
33. Three Mages and a Margarita by Annette Marie
34. The Witches of Karres by James Schmitz
35. The Wizard of Karres by Mercedes Lackey etal.
36. The Sorceress of Karres by Eric Flint etal.
37. A Liaden Universe Constellation 4 by Sharon Lee
38. Thornbound by Stephanie Burgis
39. Pawsitively Poisonous by Melissa Jackson
40. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
41. Blackfish City by Sam Miller
42. The Orphans of Raspay by Lois McMaster Bujold
43. Bibliophile
44. Cast in Courtlight by Michelle Sagara
45. Cast in Moonlight by Michelle Sagara
46. Murder of Crows by Annie Bellet
47. Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher
48. Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan
49. The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire
50. Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz by Garth Nix
51. A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark by Harry Connolly
52. David Mogo Godhunter by Suyi Okungbowa

5ronincats
Sep 28, 2019, 1:36 pm

6DeltaQueen50
Sep 28, 2019, 1:59 pm

Happy new thread, Roni. I'm checking in early to put a hold on a seat as my husband and I are about to head over to Vancouver Island for a few days and then I am sending him home and staying over at my Mom's. Our Canadian Thanksgiving is October 14th and I will be coming home shortly after that.

7quondame
Sep 28, 2019, 2:53 pm

Happy new thread!

8figsfromthistle
Sep 28, 2019, 3:23 pm

Happy new one!

9foggidawn
Sep 28, 2019, 3:24 pm

Happy new thread!

10FAMeulstee
Sep 28, 2019, 3:44 pm

Happy new thread, Roni!

I also loved the plate with the cat with flowers from your previous thread. I knew you could do the cat, but the flowers were also very well drawn, and the colors matched so nice with the cat's eyes..

11RebaRelishesReading
Sep 28, 2019, 5:32 pm

Happy new thread, Roni. Lovely photo at the top there :)

12drneutron
Sep 28, 2019, 7:15 pm

Happy new thread!

13LizzieD
Sep 28, 2019, 11:09 pm

Ah HA! I look forward to following you through your new thread of reading and crafting and cat-caring!

14Familyhistorian
Sep 29, 2019, 1:29 am

Happy new thread, Roni! Somehow I unstarred your last thread, I thought I was missing something.

15richardderus
Sep 29, 2019, 8:19 am

New thread orisons, Roni, and here's to more excellent reading.

16BLBera
Sep 29, 2019, 10:24 am

Happy new thread, Roni. I love the photo at the top! The light is incredible.

17fuzzi
Sep 29, 2019, 11:24 am

Found and starred!

BTW, I appreciated the quote from Sagan on the previous thread.

18ronincats
Sep 29, 2019, 11:45 am

Welcome and thank you, Judy, Susan, figs, foggi, Anita, Reba, Jim, Peggy, Meg, Richard, Beth and fuzzi! And thank you, Anita, for reminding me that I wanted to repost the photo of my pride and joy on this thread as well as last.

19karenmarie
Sep 29, 2019, 11:53 am

Happy new thread, Roni, and let me join the chorus of Oohs! and Aahs! over your newest cat plate. I especially like the sweep of front leg/paw and tail, which I noticed first, but it's all quite wonderful.

20SirThomas
Sep 29, 2019, 11:53 am

Happy new thread Roni, the photo at the top is great.
I love autumn and its colours.

21SirThomas
Sep 29, 2019, 11:57 am

oops... crosspost - I am in the chorus of karenmarie and friends, too!

22ronincats
Editado: Sep 30, 2019, 8:12 pm



Book #132 Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and their Surprising Rise to Power by Anna Merlan

I received an ARC of this book through the Early Reviewers program. As a result there were numerous typographical errors that hopefully were corrected before the book was published.

The scope of conspiracy theory is so broad that it is not surprising that the organization of the book seemed diffuse and disjointed. Merlan gives broad summaries of mostly well-known conspiracy theories with some history and backgrounds of key figures interspersed with her interactions with them. She also attempts to provide some insight into the factors underlying them. Despite her attempts to provide some depth, however, this remains mostly an overview of the area.



Book #133 The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker (324 pp.)

This series was featured in someone's article about current fantasy series to read, and when I went to look it up I found the first book was already on my Kindle as a freebie. This is a fantasy set in a second world setting supposedly in a steam era although it was hard to distinguish from medieval in the nuts and bolts of it other than having steamcars available. The plot is really pretty silly as Amaranthe tries to save the young Emperor, who she has met for all of three minutes, from an evil plot by his Regent, putting herself on the wrong side of the law and assembling a crew of misfits through the force of her belief in the goodness of people. But hey, she really is an appealing character and the story doesn't take itself too seriously and it's entertaining. I'm on book 2 now.

23ronincats
Sep 29, 2019, 12:23 pm

>19 karenmarie:, >20 SirThomas:, >21 SirThomas: Thank you as well, Karen and Thomas!

Spent yesterday making up some ear climbers (wirework), as my first show of the season is this coming Saturday and I was lacking some colors in my inventory. This week I need to print out new cards, both business cards and display cards for the earrings, as well as put prices on all my new inventory, repack the pottery to include everything I've made since the spring shows, and sew up the doggy pattern walker caddy I have cut out.

24jnwelch
Sep 29, 2019, 12:26 pm

Happy New Thread, Roni!

>18 ronincats: Reposting my "Like!"

The Emperor's Edge - an appealing character can make for a good read even when the plot is silly, can't she.

25ronincats
Sep 29, 2019, 12:49 pm

>24 jnwelch: Exactly, Joe!

Thought I would mention we have been having lovely fall weather this weekend, with the low 70s feeling chill in contrast to the mid-80s we'd been having (and will have again by the end of the week). We even had a couple hours of rain the night before last!

26RebaRelishesReading
Sep 29, 2019, 2:40 pm

>18 ronincats: Yep, that's a beauty, Roni! Good look with your fall sales.

27richardderus
Sep 29, 2019, 3:46 pm

>22 ronincats: #132 oh dear, that sounds a bit more eat-your-kale than I'm presently up for reading. I had to put down the very interesting Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop for much the same reason.

28PaulCranswick
Sep 30, 2019, 2:46 am

Happy new one, Roni.

I always smile when I read your opening post "one husband, one small dog and way too many cats..."

I'm so glad that it wasn't misrepresented as "one cat, one small dog and way too many....."

29ronincats
Editado: Oct 7, 2019, 11:01 pm

So, haircut today, and adding purple to the mix, then home to finish up one walker caddy and get halfway through another. I'll post a photo tomorrow after I finish the second one.



Book #134 Dark Currents by Lindsay Buroker (320 pp.)

Book 2 continues Amaranthe's misadventures with her ill-assorted crew. Talk about a Mary Sue! I'm undecided as to whether to continue...

30ronincats
Oct 2, 2019, 12:11 am

>26 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba!
>27 richardderus: Yeah, I think you've got a point, Richard.
>28 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul! Thanks for coming by.

September Summary

Books read: 10
Pages read: 2823
Average pages per day: 94
Average pages per book: 282

New reads: 10
Rereads: 0
Library books: 1
Books off the shelf (ROOTS): 1
New acquisitions read: 7/8
Did Not Finish (DNF): 0

Genre:
science fiction o
fantasy 8
children's 0
nonfiction 1
fiction 0
romance 0
mystery 1

Author gender: 7 female, 3 male

Media: 8 Kindle, 1 hardback, 1 trade paperback

Books acquired: 6
Read: 5/6, all were Kindle
Genre: all fantasy, 0-nonfiction, 0-fiction, 0-romance, 0-mystery
Cost: $24.94

Books out the door: 0

Numbers were down due to two weeks on the road and with family.

31ronincats
Oct 2, 2019, 12:17 am

Year-to-Date Summary, first three quarters

Books read: 135
Pages read: 45,155
Average pages per day: 165
Average pages per book: 334
Average pages per month: 5017

New reads: 90
Rereads: 45
Library books: 36
Books off the shelf (ROOTS): 15
New acquisitions read: 34/54
Did Not Finish (DNF): 1

Genre:
science fiction 34
fantasy 81
children's 6
nonfiction 6
fiction 2
romance 7
mystery 3

Author gender: 101 female, 44 male

Books acquired: 54
Read: 34/54
Genre: 8-science fiction, 27-fantasy, 5-nonfiction, 7-fiction, 1-romance, 1-mystery
Cost: $234.52

Books out the door: 114

32ronincats
Oct 3, 2019, 8:55 pm

So, today was pottery day and I trimmed the 11 pieces I threw last week, but my ornaments weren't out of the bisque kiln yet to be glazed, and so I won't be bringing anything home next week either. But I did take a picture of the two dog theme walker caddies I have finished recently for you.



I will have 8 caddies at the show this Saturday, including these two. This afternoon I got ALL my pottery out of the boxes it was stored in and onto surfaces so I could do my fall 2019 inventory before the show. I priced the cat-themed items but still have some other new stuff to get price tags on. I am now stiff from bending over and unwrapping and placing and photographing all the pieces.



Separately. Each piece photographed separately so I can make up a catalog.

33richardderus
Oct 3, 2019, 9:14 pm

I **adore** the dog caddies!

In the top pottery photo, is that a tankard or a pitcher third from the right on the second row? The persimmon-colored one?

34ronincats
Oct 3, 2019, 9:43 pm

That's a tankard, Richard.

35benitastrnad
Oct 3, 2019, 10:52 pm

I have read two SciFi/Fantasy novels in the last two weeks. Red Rising was outstanding, and Planetfall was so-so, but had a great ending. Both are the beginning novel in a series so I have another two series to read. I am starting One of Our Thursday’s is Missing because I want to complete a series (at least one series) before the end of the year, and I only have two more to go in the Thursday Next series.

36CassieBash
Oct 4, 2019, 8:28 am

>32 ronincats: Are those pumpkins behind the two cats in the first picture? Are they bowls or cups with lids or just ornamental?

37RebaRelishesReading
Oct 4, 2019, 8:41 am

Wow, that's a lot of pottery! Love the doggy walker caddies too.

38FAMeulstee
Oct 4, 2019, 4:13 pm

>31 ronincats: Doing well in percentage female writers, Roni, much better than my score.
And more books went out than acquired!!

39The_Hibernator
Oct 5, 2019, 9:12 pm

>32 ronincats: Beautiful, as always, Roni! And that's quite the female to male ratio you've got for books read!

40EBT1002
Oct 7, 2019, 5:23 pm

Back to post number 241 on your prior thread -- I can see why you are so happy with that plate! It's wonderful!!

And on this thread, >32 ronincats: is a great shot. I hope the caddies with dogs are as popular as those with cats (but, I'm just sayin'... it seems unlikely - ha). The collection of pottery is so colorful. It looks like a good collection for the show. Which, by the way, how did it go?

I'm going to be in San Diego November 8-12, by the way.... attending a conference, P is coming with me. I wonder if we might meet for tea?

41ronincats
Oct 7, 2019, 11:08 pm

>35 benitastrnad: I've been reluctant to start the Red Rising series, Benita, because of the violence I've heard is in it. Hope you enjoy the Bookworld in One of Our Thursdays is Missing.
>36 CassieBash: Just ornamental, Cassie, and only the larger one is left--the small one sold on Saturday.
>37 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba.
>38 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita.
>39 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel.
I appreciate all three of you there.

>40 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Thanks for asking. It went well, although the spousal unit was disappointed we didn't make as much as in the spring show. I sold 10 pieces of pottery, 4 earrings and a necklace. I will be at my big show on the 8th, 9th and 10th all day, but would love to see you on the 11th (I'm assuming you are probably flying out on the 12th--that would be available too) and I'd LOVE to meet you both for tea! Where will you be staying and where is the convention?

42ronincats
Oct 7, 2019, 11:34 pm

So Saturday was up early and out to Steele Canyon High School to set up. Since I took all of that pottery, that was a major set up and break down indeed. Didn't sell any walker caddies but this wasn't the audience I expected to want them. The November show will be the big test for them. Yesterday I just vegged out all day with games and reading the nonfiction book I bought last year and finally got around to. Today I put away the summer plates and cleaned up in the kitchen, packed a box of extra pans and glasses to go out back to the she-shack, baked some olive-cheese bread in the bread machine, and finished my book. But first, one I finished last week.



Book #135 Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher (147 pp.)

Excuse me?!? Publishers thought Minor Mage had too much violence to be marketed to juveniles and yet published THIS book as a T. Kingfisher book??? WTF? Still, I think Ursula Vernon/T. Kingfisher is becoming one of my go-to authors. Here's the blurb from Ammy:
When a party of goblin warriors find themselves trapped behind enemy lines, it'll take more than whining (and a bemused Elven veterinarian) to get them home again.

Nine Goblins is a novella of low...very low...fantasy.


Vernon deals with some very serious issues about war and the worth of beings irrespective of species and responsibility within this format, and it is a worthwhile read, but that one episode near the end, pretty much the climax, almost gave me nightmares. The positive ending made it better.



Book #136 Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nevala-Lee (507 pp.)

I bought this last year for my Thingaversary when it came out in hardback and finally picked it up to read after a prompt from Jim (magician's nephew) reminded me that it was still on my shelves. This is only for science fiction fans, but for such fans it is a fascinating piece of history of one man's influence on the pulps and the development of the genre.

43ronincats
Oct 8, 2019, 12:15 am

44richardderus
Oct 8, 2019, 12:37 am

>43 ronincats: heh

Perish forbid!

45ronincats
Oct 8, 2019, 12:51 am

I am waffling on whether to purchase the Kindle version of The Library of the Unwritten at $11.99 or wait for the library's order to come in. Now that I've verified that they have ordered it, I am leaning toward the latter.

46CassieBash
Oct 8, 2019, 12:58 pm

>41 ronincats: The smaller one sold because they're just so darn cute! I'm sure the larger will sell, too. (Heck, I'd buy it if I had the room for it!) :)

>43 ronincats: XD

47EBT1002
Oct 8, 2019, 11:43 pm

>41 ronincats: I will PM you details when I'm at work and can look at my hotel reservations, etc.

48richardderus
Oct 9, 2019, 12:08 am

>45 ronincats: Wait! That's five Kindlesales.

49BLBera
Oct 9, 2019, 9:42 am

50RBeffa
Oct 9, 2019, 2:55 pm

I got my hands on a paper copy of The Flowers of Vashnoi which I recall you loving last year. It was great to drop into it but this is much too short! Gave me a bit of enthusiasm to work on the Miles series but I really like how Ekaterin is the "star" here. I had to set it aside memntarily because I think I could have read the whole thing while sitting in the coffee shop this morning. (But I'll be finishing it this afternoon) I'm going to put the series back into rotation next year

51RebaRelishesReading
Oct 10, 2019, 3:29 pm

>43LOL

52Familyhistorian
Oct 10, 2019, 4:52 pm

>25 ronincats: Ha, no wonder my son thought there wasn't much difference in the temperature between here and San Diego, Roni. He was there for a week that took in the weekend of your fall weather.

That is a lot of pottery in the group shot. No wonder your back was sore after taking photos of everything individually.

53Berly
Oct 10, 2019, 5:36 pm

Love all your pottery and the caddies and

>43 ronincats: Yes!! LOL

54ronincats
Editado: Oct 10, 2019, 6:05 pm

>46 CassieBash: Thanks, Cassie.
>47 EBT1002: Looking forward to it, Ellen.
>48 richardderus: My thought EXACTLY, Richard dear.
>49 BLBera: Uh-huh, that's what I'm saying, Beth.
>50 RBeffa: Definitely too short, Ron, but as you say...Ekaterin!! Hope you keep to your good intentions.
>51 RebaRelishesReading: ;-) Reba
>52 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. I would think it would be our hours of sunshine that would be the most different, not the temps.
>53 Berly: Kimmers!! Thanks for visiting.

So, nothing home from the pottery today, but I did glaze some ornaments and took a shot of them waiting to go into the kiln. I needed to hang them to fire because I wanted to glaze both sides. These were hand-rolled out onto a doily, then sliced into "trees".

55richardderus
Oct 10, 2019, 7:27 pm

>54 ronincats: That's going to be intriguing!

56Familyhistorian
Oct 11, 2019, 1:16 am

>54 ronincats: Those look interesting. Not just the hours of sunshine, Roni. The temps too particularly right now when we are having a record breaking cold snap where it was down to - 1 C last night!

57ronincats
Oct 14, 2019, 10:55 am

>55 richardderus: I'm intrigued, Richard. We'll see how they turn out.
>56 Familyhistorian: Wow, you ARE cooling down, Meg.

Not a lot to report here. We went to the Harvest Festival on Friday, a regional consortium of craftspeople who travel around the Southwest in the fall. Been going for over 30 years, but this year was a real disappointment, with fewer than half the vendors of past years. I suspect the organizers have priced a lot of them out (it's way out of my price range--$795 this year for the Del Mar show).

Then Saturday was my fall show at the local garden nursery. I sold my last pumpkin along with some larger bowls some small stuff, two crochet items and two ear climbers. Only half what I did in the spring, but this is the show that doesn't charge a booth fee, it's a lovely setting (and was a lovely day in the upper 70s, all sunshine), and it supports a local business, so I don't care. Husband cooked me some huge spiny lobsters for supper when I got home--yum!

Yesterday I recuperated--laundry, Chief's game, clean up the kitchen, actually do some reading. Today will be mop the kitchen floor, clean the bathroom, get the suitcases from our trip last month up into the attic and get the fall decorations down, put the clutter on the dining room table away--you know the routine!

58RebaRelishesReading
Oct 14, 2019, 2:49 pm

Your Saturday event sounds lovely. Even though you didn't sell as much as you might have it sounds like a win-win. Also glad you had a nice day yesterday. It's cool and rainy here today -- weather I love and would love even more if I could get myself to turn the fireplace on lol.

59richardderus
Oct 14, 2019, 4:09 pm

>57 ronincats: What a pleasant weekend! Maybe the $800-a-booth people will see the error of their ways since so few vendors shelled out.

Spend a happy reading-and-potting week ahead.

60jjmcgaffey
Oct 14, 2019, 6:18 pm

>57 ronincats: My mom and I went to a quilt and sewing festival a few weeks ago that felt like much the same thing - much smaller than previous years, and mostly big vendors (which means lots of sewing/quilting machines and very few of the quirky little booths). Wonder if they pulled the same stunt. If it's the same next year, we may not bother to go back again. We're going to a Harvest Festival at the end of the month - hope it's not the same people!

61ronincats
Oct 14, 2019, 7:29 pm

Oh, I also made basil/tomato bread in the bread machine yesterday. Today I mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors, cleared off my vanity counter and the dining room table, put off getting into the attic until tomorrow, and folded and put away all the laundry. Also finally finished my second book for October.



Book #137 Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle (275 pp.)

Narilka in The Green Dragon group made me aware of this Beagle book. I had read, of course, the famed The Last Unicorn as well as The Innkeeper's Song and Giant Bones, but not this one. It was a lovely (without being sentimental or soppy) evoking of British mythology in the spirit of Susan Cooper or Alan Garner.

Arriving in the English countryside to live with her mother and new stepfather, Jenny has no interest in her surroundings until she meets Tamsin. Since her death over 300 years ago, Tamsin has haunted the lonely estate without rest, trapped by a hidden trauma she can't remember, and a powerful evil even the spirits of night cannot name. To help her, Jenny must delve deeper into the dark world than any human has in hundreds of years, and face danger that will change her life forever. . . . Amazon

I loved Jenny's voice and her interactions with her stepbrothers and friends and the whole new experience of Dorset after growing up in New York City.

>58 RebaRelishesReading: We had one fall-like weekend, Reba, but back into the average range, with a cool santa ana drying out the air and another due the week after this one. Today has been perfect with a high of 75.
>59 richardderus: Thank you, Richard. I do hope to get out into the garden this week--I need to do the prep to get the fall garden in.
>60 jjmcgaffey: Hi, Jenn. Let me know. I was really disappointed. And yours should be the same producers as here--they do all of California and Arizona, so I'll be interested to see if the same problem there. And I've stopped going to a lot of the large festivals around here because of exactly what you describe--all commercial or imported mass-produced junk and no quirky little booths.

62LizzieD
Oct 14, 2019, 10:48 pm

What a busy woman you are, Roni! Nice!!!
I like Beagle, so I'll try to remember Tamsin for some time when that's what I need. Thanks!

63Familyhistorian
Oct 14, 2019, 11:48 pm

That's too bad about the festivals pricing the small dealers out of the market. The little quirky ones are what make them fun and there are often unexpected and charming items to be had. It's kind of like what has happened with permanent stores, the little ones being forced out of the market by larger ones so it doesn't matter where you are, they have the same chain stores - predictable but boring.

64streamsong
Oct 15, 2019, 10:22 am

>18 ronincats: I love that cat plate, Roni. It's a work of art. Did you have it at the sale?

>32 ronincats: Amazing pieces. When I think of the hours of dedication to get to the point that you are now - mindblowing!

$800 for a booth! And the downfall of the small vendors. Very sad, indeed.

65souloftherose
Oct 16, 2019, 11:52 am

Catching up after a long absence and have added Tamsin to the list although I wasn't as big a fan of The Last Unicorn as I expected to be when I read it a few years ago.

66ronincats
Oct 16, 2019, 10:16 pm

>62 LizzieD: Welcome, Peggy!
>63 Familyhistorian: Exactly the same dynamic, Meg.
>64 streamsong: No, I'm keeping that one for myself, Janet.
>65 souloftherose: So good to see you surface on LT, Heather.

Yesterday I finally got the Halloween decor out of the attic and set out around the house. And I finished another (short) book.



Book #138 The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch (169 pp.)

This novella follows Peter Grant's counterpart in Germany as he investigates a mystery compounded by magic. I love the Rivers of London series and think this installment is just as delightful as the rest, despite the change in setting and characters. But I don't know where the title comes from. ?!? Did I miss something?

67ronincats
Oct 17, 2019, 4:15 pm



Gonna have to work on this one a while. I don't think I've ever met a book model or watched Passionflix, whatever that is, and I haven't read Fifty Shades of Grey even once. Pretty much everything else.

68richardderus
Editado: Oct 17, 2019, 6:17 pm

>67 ronincats: 32/36 is mine: 4, 26, 29, 35 are terra incognita to me. I had to correct my total because 1)the last item should be 36 not 38 and b)I forgot about the book model I dated.

69magicians_nephew
Oct 17, 2019, 6:36 pm

dunno what a book model is?

70jnwelch
Oct 17, 2019, 6:59 pm

I think I have an unfair advantage on 6, 10 and 14. 😀

71richardderus
Oct 17, 2019, 7:12 pm

>69 magicians_nephew: Think Fabio. The barechested boys and bodaciously boobied babes on book covers are based on real models.

72ronincats
Oct 17, 2019, 8:07 pm

Here are the ornaments I glazed last week. Now I will do some wirework at the top to create hangers.


I was very busy today--glazed 9 items and trimmed 7--rather surprised I got through them all! So lots to show you next week!!

>68 richardderus: I've never actually threatened out loud to go misery on an author but I thought throwing a book at the wall might count symbolically.
>69 magicians_nephew: See Richard >71 richardderus:, Jim.
>70 jnwelch: Oh, I never even registered the sexist assumptions on those items, Joe. Bad me!!

73richardderus
Oct 17, 2019, 8:29 pm

>72 ronincats: I'm especially fond of the two on the right.

OIC...well, in that case I'm down another one.

74jnwelch
Oct 17, 2019, 9:16 pm

75ronincats
Oct 17, 2019, 10:55 pm

>73 richardderus: I rather thought you might be. ;)
>74 jnwelch: ;)

Well, what do you know? Amazon just sent me a $5 credit to be used to purchase The Library of the Unwritten, the new series opener that I had decided to get from the library because the $11.99 Kindle price was too steep for me. That's a game changer.

76LizzieD
Oct 17, 2019, 11:09 pm

Good for you and Amazon, Roni!
Just for the record, I could say No to only 6 of the list.

77ronincats
Oct 18, 2019, 11:07 pm

Hey, Peggy!



Book #139 Accepting the Lance by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (448 pp.)

Jenn (jjmcgaffey) reminded me that Baen sells eARCs of its publications and this one is out now, while the book isn't out until early December. So I cancelled my order for the physical book and bought and read the eARC today! Thanks, Jenn. This is far along in the series and even I, a devotee, had trouble keeping all the sideplots and characters straight at the beginning of this (I really need to go back and read the previous book to get the full impact) but this brought several important plot lines to a culmination while setting up at least one major ongoing line. I love these, but have to agree with critics that the authors can be sloppy and self-indulgent this year, but...well, cats. You can't go wrong with cats.

78LizzieD
Oct 18, 2019, 11:09 pm

Hey, Roni, again!
Hmmm. I guess I'll be trotting along to Baen even if I won't be ready for the lance for many, many books.

79BLBera
Oct 19, 2019, 9:07 am

>72 ronincats: I love the ornaments, Roni.

80karenmarie
Oct 19, 2019, 9:28 am

Hi Roni!

>67 ronincats: 8 of them - and your counting throwing a book across the room for #35 lets me count throwing Cold Mountain across the office when I finished it at work.

>75 ronincats: Yay for the Amazon credit. My husband faithfully passes along Amazon credits we get from Verizon. I don't always use them on books, but mostly use them on books. :)

81SandyAMcPherson
Oct 19, 2019, 11:03 am

>67 ronincats: That was fun.
I only got 16/36. And I never even wanted to read 50 shades of grey.

82richardderus
Oct 19, 2019, 12:58 pm

>77 ronincats: ...the authors can be sloppy and self-indulgent this year, but...well, cats. You can't go wrong with cats.

mmm

I finished up Flames and my goodness, Roni, I had no idea that Tasmania was the home of gods and goddesses whose existence is simply undeniably urgently necessary! A book that begins with a cremated mother returning as a ferny forest glen, then moves to the tuna fishery of the Bass Strait where a man and his seal-soulmate ply their sushi-fishing trade...! It's gorgeously written, it's sharply observed in its characterizations, it's just about to crack the greatness ceiling.

Treat yourself! $8.99 on Kindle.

83jnwelch
Editado: Oct 19, 2019, 1:39 pm

>77 ronincats: Good for you for cleverly getting the ARC, Roni. I’m going to wait for December, but I’m glad to hear it’s a good ‘un.

84DeltaQueen50
Oct 19, 2019, 5:16 pm

Hi Roni, I have finally caught up with you! You've been busy with your reading and your crafts. I really like those walker caddies - I might be in the market for one of those in the not-too-distant future. Either my arthritis has flared up or I've injured my knee somehow but I am not too spry right now.

85ronincats
Oct 19, 2019, 9:09 pm

>78 LizzieD: (((Peggy)))
>79 BLBera: See the wired version below, Beth.
>80 karenmarie: This credit was specifically for that book, which I had wishlisted on Amazon, Karen. I don't know what I did to get it, but would like to do it more often!
>81 SandyAMcPherson: Me either, Sandy.
>82 richardderus: I'll put it on the wishlist, Richard, and wait for the library to get it.
>83 jnwelch: Good enuf, Joe.
>84 DeltaQueen50: I'd be delighted to make you one if and when needed, Judy.

And speaking of walker caddies...while I didn't expect either of the past two shows to have many prospective customers (if I don't sell anything at the Nov. show, I shall be quite disappointed), I decided I needed something more general to do with the fabric. And TA-DA!

Know what it is? It's a vendor's apron or utility apron, with a pocket for one's phone, one's Square, cash and a pen or pencil, to keep everything one needs during a show handy and safe. I've needed one, and who is ALWAYS at craft shows regardless? Yes, VENDORS! We'll see. This was made by the online directions, with three fabrics, but I will make future ones with only two fabrics as in the walkers--with the cat fabric making the pockets. Working this out was today's project.

Yesterday besides reading the Liaden book I wired a couple of the ornaments, as seen here. It doesn't show the color well, but you get the idea.

86LizzieD
Oct 19, 2019, 11:08 pm

Merry Christmas, Roni! Love the trees and can't decide between them.

87jjmcgaffey
Oct 20, 2019, 2:21 am

>85 ronincats: I like the tree with the green spiral on it. The other's nice, but doesn't catch me the way that one does. And the apron is a great idea!

88EllaTim
Oct 20, 2019, 6:44 am

>85 ronincats: I like those ornaments Roni! and that vendor's apron looks really useful.

89RebaRelishesReading
Oct 20, 2019, 8:58 am

The ornaments are adorable and I love the apron!

90richardderus
Oct 20, 2019, 9:53 am

>85 ronincats: Such pretty ornaments! I'm particularly fond of the wire-work on the green one; the color of the red one is a bit more attention-getting on its ornament.

The vendor aprons are a great idea, something every vendor needs and just might not be inclined/able to make themself.

Got to get used to the New Singular Them, dammit.

91CassieBash
Oct 22, 2019, 8:57 am

>85 ronincats: Oh, that apron is so cool; I may have to make one for my younger sister for her art fairs! The trees turned out very nice; I especially love the color of the one on the right. :)

92ronincats
Oct 22, 2019, 10:57 am

Thank you, Peggy and Jenn, Ella and Reba. I like the color of the tree on the right better.
>90 richardderus: My thought exactly, Richard.
>91 CassieBash: I think it will be useful. Here's yesterday's effort.

93foggidawn
Oct 22, 2019, 11:05 am

>92 ronincats: Nice! I do like it better with just two contrasting fabrics instead of three.

A few years ago, I bought fabrics to make aprons for several of my female relatives, but I think I only ever made one of them (which I gave to my mom). I still have the fabrics and pattern somewhere, but unfortunately I seem to have misplaced my spare time...

94ronincats
Editado: Oct 22, 2019, 11:25 pm

>93 foggidawn: LOVE your characterization of what is misplaced here!

Just spent an enjoyable hour with the Pumpkin Patch quiz--fairly easy but needed help with #s 4 and 5.

Costco and cat food run today, then staying quiet and cool while the heat was in the 90s this afternoon. Fire weather.

My Thingaversary is Thursday--12 years! I can't believe it! I shall have to consider how to celebrate.

95RebaRelishesReading
Oct 23, 2019, 9:35 am

>94 ronincats: I'm sure you can think of some very suitable ways to celebrate :)

96ronincats
Editado: Nov 6, 2019, 7:30 pm

The problem, Reba, is that I've really become a library user for so many of my wishlist books, and currently have a dozen on hold, 7 of which were on order but appear to have arrived in the system when I checked today.

Magic for Liars #22 on 9 copies
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill #19 on 21 copies
The Starless Sea #17 on 36 copies
Sorcery of Thorns #6 on 7 copies
Reticence #3 on 3 copies
Gods of Jade and Shadow #3 on 8 copies
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse #1 on 4 copies
An Enchantment of Ravens #1 on 8 copies
Empress of Forever #1 of 8 copies
Chilling Effect #1 of 5 copies
The Halloween Tree #1 of 6 copies
Factfulness ready to pick up at my branch

Almost all of these were brought to my attention by fellow LTers, and all the ones at #1 are in transit to my branch.

Actually this is to say, I'm not sure I can find 12 (13) books to purchase! One I did purchase and will count for my Thingaversary is this one.



Book #140 The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith (382 pp.)

An intriguing concept, a library in Hell with a mortal as Librarian.

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing-- a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell….and Earth.


It does start slowly and a bit choppy, due to the multiple viewpoints presented in clearly marked chapters, but I ended up being pulled into this universe and coming to care for the characters, even if character development was pretty surface. This is the first of a series, although the book reads well as a stand-alone with a satisfying ending, so probably more character building will come after this introductory book got all the pieces in place.

97richardderus
Oct 23, 2019, 12:04 pm

>96 ronincats: Oh boy! I took a flyer on that one too, Roni, and now it sounds like I'll be happy I did.

98quondame
Editado: Oct 23, 2019, 5:27 pm

>96 ronincats: Thanks for posting your WL/holds - it reminded me to try a hold on Accepting the Lance & I am now #1 on the holds list! I'm currently in the middle of The Library of the Unwritten. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

99ronincats
Oct 23, 2019, 6:28 pm

This is an "all one fabric" apron--'tis the season!

100thornton37814
Oct 23, 2019, 9:46 pm

>99 ronincats: Meow! I like the fabric!

101ronincats
Oct 23, 2019, 10:45 pm



LOL

Hi, Richard, Susan and Lori!

102RBeffa
Oct 23, 2019, 10:54 pm

>101 ronincats: A true horror! and I love the fabric of the apron.

103SirThomas
Oct 24, 2019, 2:17 am

>101 ronincats: LOL
The aprons are a very fine thing.
Happy Thingaversary, Roni - I wish you a beautiful day.

104RebaRelishesReading
Oct 24, 2019, 8:26 am

I like all of the aprons (your fabric choices are so adorable) but my vote for "best" goes to the three fabric original.

105ronincats
Oct 24, 2019, 10:16 am

>102 RBeffa: Thank you, Ron. And yes, I thought the 75ers would appreciate the fullness of the horror!
>103 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, for reminding me so early in the morning (it's 7 here and I'm just up) that today is indeed my Thingaversary and so giving me the opportunity to appreciate it all day long!
>104 RebaRelishesReading: I will probably continue to vary the construction, Reba, as much for my own amusement as anything. The apron takes up one full yard of fabric in all, but the length of the ties means that when I have only a yard of a fabric, cutting them means I can't use the length for a walker caddy, so I'm trying to use the patterns for the ties only when I have more than a yard of the fabric. Did you notice how cleverly I was able to match the pockets to the body of the apron print in the last one? (Pure luck of the cut for the most part, but then a little fine tuning on my part!)

Off to the pottery in a bit, where I am picking up 9 pieces (NINE!) so I will have photos for you all later today.

106foggidawn
Editado: Oct 24, 2019, 10:28 am

Happy Thingaversary! My 12th is coming up next month. EDIT: No, wait -- my 13th is coming up next month! Ooh, maybe I can be a surly LTeenager. ;-)

107richardderus
Oct 24, 2019, 10:47 am

108jnwelch
Oct 24, 2019, 2:25 pm

>101 ronincats:. LOL! Scary, indeed.

Happy Thingaversary, Roni!

Among others on your list, I’m looking forward to The Starless Sea. After initially thinking it wouldn’t be my cuppa, I had a great time with Night Circus.

109ronincats
Oct 24, 2019, 4:36 pm

>106 foggidawn: ;-) Do it! I'm still a cheerful pre-teen.
>107 richardderus: Ooooh, thank you, Richard dear!
>108 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe. I was a fan of her first book too.

So, bit of a disappointment today. All of the bowls except the little one in the very middle chipped on the bottom due to too much glaze dripping down. I haven't had that problem for ages--thought I was over it, but guess not. The good news is that the blooper box has some merchandise now.



The front mug that you can't see very well has the same colors as the two bowls to its right.

110quondame
Oct 24, 2019, 5:05 pm

>109 ronincats: What pretty bloopers. 😢

111richardderus
Oct 24, 2019, 7:05 pm

>109 ronincats: Oh dear...but those're some cool bloopers!

112FAMeulstee
Oct 24, 2019, 7:26 pm

>109 ronincats: Beautiful colors, Roni, sorry they were damaged.

Happy 12th Thingaversary!

113ronincats
Oct 24, 2019, 9:59 pm

Thank you, Susan, Richard and Anita. Forgot to mention that I did go to Mysterious Galaxy after pottery and picked up two books to celebrate the Thingaversary:

The Six-Gun Tarot by R. S. Belcher
The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt

Both are mass market paperbacks. I just find it difficult to try a new author with a trade pb or hardback version--so expensive. I would rather wait for a library version or get in on Kindle. Anyone else?

114richardderus
Oct 24, 2019, 10:11 pm

>113 ronincats: Library experimenter all the way. I have The Forbidden Stars on my library pile right now!

115ronincats
Oct 24, 2019, 10:24 pm

>114 richardderus: Oh, well, yes. I think it WAS your review back in May that put the Pratt book on my wishlist!

116charl08
Oct 25, 2019, 7:55 am

>113 ronincats: Glad you found some books to haul home for your thingaversary. I am trying to decide whether to buy Girl Woman Other in hardback. I did like the book (I read a library copy) and like to have favourites on the shelves, but still, a hardback... I wish they made more of the small size hardbacks.

117RebaRelishesReading
Oct 25, 2019, 9:42 am

Too bad about the glaze problem -- they look lovely from above!

118jjmcgaffey
Oct 26, 2019, 5:01 am

Aww, too bad. I love the blues on the back right - my usual favorites.

I rescued a bowl another potter made where the glaze ran down - he managed to pry it off with only the overrun glaze breaking, but it had bumps of glaze on the bottom and wouldn't stand straight. I took a thin cork coaster and cut the edges to match the bumps and glued it on - now it stands on the cork and the glaze doesn't touch down.

On the other hand, I still haven't dealt with my second pie-bird that had that problem - it has a bit of the kiln shelf fastened to it, I need to use a Dremel and grind it down. Wearing a dust mask, of course.

119ronincats
Oct 26, 2019, 2:30 pm

>116 charl08: I wish they made more mass market paperbacks! Oh, for the good old days...
>117 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba.
>118 jjmcgaffey: I used a Dremel to grind down the sharp edges on these. Sometimes when there are only bumps of glaze, I can grind them off, but these are big chips into the bowl's bottom.



DNF Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean (142 pp. read)

This is a Do Not Finish for me, 12 chapters in. It's a standard romance set in Victorian England, and I'm getting tired already of the covert lusting, societal obstacles, and shallow characters. Fine enough for romance-lovers, but I'm not in the mood.

And it might be me, because I've just started the next Dr. Siri mystery for me, The Rat Catchers' Olympics, #12 in the series, and for the first time am finding his antics a little too precious--at least at the book's opening.

120RBeffa
Oct 26, 2019, 2:42 pm

>119 ronincats: Maybe not you. I read the first 10 Dr Siri's but by the end of #10 I figured I was done with the series and chose to stop if any more came. #10 was my least favorite of the books and I didn't want to spoil my good memories of the series.

121BLBera
Oct 26, 2019, 3:15 pm

>101 ronincats: Perfect! I want to go trick-or-treating just to wear that costume.

122drneutron
Oct 27, 2019, 7:44 pm

>113 ronincats: Oooo, Six Gun Tarot and sequels were fun!

123CassieBash
Oct 28, 2019, 9:44 am

>109 ronincats: Some of the most attractive "bloopers" I've ever seen. Even if you can't use them for food and drink, they'd make nice pencil/pen holders, jewelry holders, coasters, etc.

124ronincats
Editado: Oct 28, 2019, 11:57 am

>120 RBeffa: It did pick up for me after the beginning, Ron, and I think I'll stick with the crew a little longer because I do want to see where they are heading.
>121 BLBera: Wouldn't that be a hoot, Beth?
>122 drneutron: I picked it up because I remember you warbling about it, Jim.
>123 CassieBash: Oh, they would be as usable for comestibles as for other things, Cassie. It's just those big chips out of the bottom are awkward.

So, I have FINALLY finished this book:



Book #141 These Truths: A history of the United States by Jill Lepore (792 pp.)

Started back at the beginning of the year, this went slowly for several reasons, despite my enjoying reading history. First, the book was too big and heavy to read in the bathtub, where I crank out a lot of my nonfiction. Second, the closer the book got to the present, the more difficult and depressing it was to read. Third, neither of those factors made it prime for my other major reading time, the hour before bedtime. Nonetheless, I finally finished off the last two chapters (not counting the pages of notes/references in my reading count) and Lepore did an excellent job. It's not her fault that none of us seem able to learn from history.



Book #142 The Rat Catchers' Olympics by Colin Cotterill (304 pp.)

Okay, the opening put me off, but then it got into stride with the antics of the Lao delegation at the Moscow Olympics and I enjoyed it. Book #12 in the series--definitely don't start here.

125richardderus
Oct 28, 2019, 11:57 am

>124 ronincats: I think I'll pass on the Lepore. Too many stridently political books on my list already, a low-key one would push me right over the edge.

#141 Up to 1980 now, are we? Cool.

Sending hugs, hoping for a fireless fall there.

126charl08
Oct 28, 2019, 3:06 pm

Impressed you finished the Lepore. I loved her articles back in postgraduate, but have been stuck on this one. I am hoping I will pick it up again later in the year (but have been saying this for months).

127jnwelch
Oct 28, 2019, 6:11 pm

Go Dr. Siri! I just finished the 13th one, Don't Eat Me, and it was another fun one. The 14th one is out, but is still pretty pricey, so I'm waiting.

128ronincats
Oct 28, 2019, 7:57 pm

>125 richardderus: This one is not at all strident, Richard, but reading about the history of racism from the founding of this country on is severely depressing. And yes, 1980 it is!
>126 charl08: It's been sitting since August with only the final chapter to be read, got pushed to the side on the nightstand and ignored. I had a digestive upset yesterday and stayed close to bed during the day, which is unusual for me, found it and finished it!
>127 jnwelch: I am fortunate that our library keeps up with these, and has the next two available. That said, I do tend to space these out so probably won't get to the next right away.

Well, I have been productive, although not with reading. Went out back to the she-shack and made BOTH a walker caddy AND an apron with the fabric I was using.

Now I'm tired.

130jjmcgaffey
Oct 28, 2019, 8:32 pm

>129 ronincats: Hmph. It's pretty, and clever - but it's not _functional_. There are a lot fewer books in there than there would be in normal shelves, a lot of the books are angled which is hard on them, and the boxes don't actually hold books all that well (the inner, small boxes have no books at all; near the top, there are a lot of boxes with books going two ways).

It is, however, pretty - and the installation picture makes it make a lot more sense than similar ones I've seen before. Just box shelves!

131ronincats
Oct 28, 2019, 8:35 pm

Oh, I totally agree and had a problem with the empty small boxes (hey, paperbacks would totally fit in there!) as well as the inefficient use of shelf space. But hey, it's pretty.

132richardderus
Oct 28, 2019, 8:42 pm

>129 ronincats: ...bookcases for people who don't read...

133ronincats
Oct 28, 2019, 8:48 pm

These parents actually built it for their kids. I don't know if they provided a ladder to reach the books or not...

134ronincats
Oct 28, 2019, 11:29 pm

And I've finished the wire embellishment for my tree ornaments.

135jjmcgaffey
Oct 28, 2019, 11:34 pm

I like the ones with spirals around - they look like garlands, so proper. It's a neat idea!

136ronincats
Oct 28, 2019, 11:35 pm

Thank you, Jenn. I like that effect as well.

137SirThomas
Oct 29, 2019, 3:15 am

>128 ronincats: Very nice pieces, good-looking and functional - I like them.
>129 ronincats: That reminds me of a designer furniture catalogue - looks good, is elaborate, brings little use, does not fit into my home.
>134 ronincats: Beautiful!

138CassieBash
Oct 29, 2019, 8:55 am

139richardderus
Oct 29, 2019, 9:23 am

>134 ronincats: Pretty! The top row center puzzles me. What's the top doing?

The green spirals at the bottom of the garlands are beautiful; the red top with spiral, though, is the star of the show for me. Ooo aaa

140RebaRelishesReading
Oct 29, 2019, 9:33 am

Love your ornaments. Agree with everyone, bookcase is pretty but not very useful.

141souloftherose
Oct 29, 2019, 1:12 pm

>134 ronincats: Those are lovely! Bottom middle is my favourite and then the two green ones on the right.

142ronincats
Oct 29, 2019, 2:42 pm

>137 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas.
>138 CassieBash: Thanks, Cassie.
>139 richardderus: That's a wire that lost its way, Richard. The hole in the tree isn't big enuf for the wire to go through like it does on the other. I may have to rethink that one. Or just make a big hook to go through the loop.
>140 RebaRelishesReading:, >141 souloftherose: Thank you, Reba and Heather!

Hurray!

143Familyhistorian
Oct 29, 2019, 3:11 pm

Congrats on finishing These Truths and on your 12th thingaversary, Roni. Yay for Cat Day!

144magicians_nephew
Oct 29, 2019, 4:33 pm

Judy and I had a decorator in once who looked at all our books on the shelves and suggested arranging them by size and color to make interesting patterns on the wall.

The idea that we actually - you know - READ them! - seemed to startle her

145sibylline
Oct 29, 2019, 8:26 pm

Hooray for National Cat Day! Love that platter near the top.

I see you are getting ready for the Christmas craft sales. Hoping for the best, the trees are sweet indeed.

146thornton37814
Oct 29, 2019, 8:56 pm

>142 ronincats: My cats were extremely helpful in making my bed on National Cat Day. They hold the sheets in place so well.

147ronincats
Editado: Oct 29, 2019, 11:33 pm



Won't be able to go into the pottery on Thursday so I dropped by tonight to see how my latest plate came out. This is a 9.5 inch plate, and I'm happy with the results.

>143 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg.
>144 magicians_nephew: Even worse than the decorators who think you should put things other than books on your shelves, Jim! Inconceivable!!
>145 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy.
>146 thornton37814: Mine go even further, pinning the sheets in place (not necessarily in my place), Lori!

148quondame
Oct 30, 2019, 1:28 am

>147 ronincats: So luscious!

149RebaRelishesReading
Oct 30, 2019, 10:12 am

>147 ronincats: That is just plain stunning!! You might consider that pattern and color combination for a new line -- mugs, big bowls, little bowls, big plates, little plates

150richardderus
Oct 30, 2019, 12:45 pm

>147 ronincats: Pretty colors and I always approve of bold designs.

151FAMeulstee
Oct 30, 2019, 5:41 pm

>147 ronincats: That is a beautiful plate, Roni!

152thornton37814
Oct 31, 2019, 9:07 am

>147 ronincats: I never said the sheets were where I wanted them. I just said they were holding them in place! ;-) Two days later -- and the sheets still aren't really where I want them, but they are better.

153The_Hibernator
Oct 31, 2019, 11:36 am

>134 ronincats: Oh, I love the trees. So cute! Happy Halloween!

154BLBera
Nov 1, 2019, 12:00 pm

>129 ronincats: I love those shelves, Toni!

>134 ronincats: Your ornaments are so pretty. You are so creative.

155richardderus
Nov 1, 2019, 12:43 pm

Oh, Roni? Dear ol' pal? Have you seen this news yet? Tamora Pierce's entire Tortall ouevre, all twenty-two volumes, optioned by Lionsgate for TV! If anyone can do the series justice, it's Lionsgate. Happy news for a Pierce-ling? I hope?

156SandyAMcPherson
Nov 1, 2019, 1:00 pm

Just back-tracking here...

>129 ronincats:; >132 richardderus: I'm inclined to agree with Richard.
It would also be a very dominating feature in most living spaces (I'm thinking one would need high ceilings and a very large room).

157ronincats
Editado: Nov 6, 2019, 7:32 pm

>148 quondame:, >149 RebaRelishesReading:, >150 richardderus:, >151 FAMeulstee: Thank you so much, Susan, Reba, Richard and Anita. As I said, I was very happy with how it came out.
>152 thornton37814: Yes, I did notice that, Lori. ;-)
>153 The_Hibernator: Thank you, Nina. Do you all celebrate Halloween in Singapore?
>154 BLBera: Thanks, Beth.
>155 richardderus: I did not grow up with the Tortall books (I was 40 when the first came out) so I am not a rabid Pierce-ling as most of the girls who grew up reading them became, but I do like her books. I don't know if those books CAN be done justice in a video format, though. But certainly a good enough adventure story can be derived from it.
>152 thornton37814: Sandy, since the parents built it for their kids, I'm guessing it's in either a playroom or family room setting.



Book #143 The Orc of Many Questions by Shane Michael Murray (266 pp.)

I picked this up as a free ebook because the sequel has just been released. I picked it up between books and it pulled me in so I just kept reading to the end. I'm not sure why--the story is somewhat novel but the orc culture (or lack thereof) is just so depressing that I can't really said I enjoyed the book, but the main character kept me wondering what was going to happen to him. Lots of violence, not much in the way of writing style but adequate, not really something I'd recommend. Teenage boys will probably love it.



Book #144 The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (126 pp.)

This showed up at the library yesterday just in time for me to squeeze it in on Halloween! It's a Bradbury I had never read and showcases his rather lush, lyrical prose in a children's tale about a sick friend and the different historical traditions feeding in to a modern Halloween. Not going to be one of my favorites by Bradbury, but quick and entertaining enough.

158jjmcgaffey
Nov 1, 2019, 8:01 pm

>155 richardderus: Hmmm! I tend towards "the book was better" anyway, and they'd have to do an amazing job to get it good enough to stand as even a different take on Tortall - but it's great that more people will be exposed to the story, and we can hope it will be that amazing.

I did grow up with Tortall - read Alanna: The First Adventure when I was just a little older than she was, and read the rest as they came out.

159ronincats
Nov 1, 2019, 10:05 pm

An interesting article about a relatively new (2nd year) book prize, the Staunch Book Prize, which recognises thrillers in which "no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50260627?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&am...

160The_Hibernator
Nov 2, 2019, 5:30 am

>157 ronincats: :) I'm Rachel and I live in Minnesota? They celebrate Halloween here. :)

161ronincats
Nov 2, 2019, 12:47 pm

>160 The_Hibernator: Rachel, I am SO sorry. Of course I know that. I don't know why I sometimes conflate hibernator and humouress, but I do. Usually I catch it and correct it, but not this time.

162richardderus
Nov 2, 2019, 12:58 pm

>157 ronincats: #144 I don't think I've heard of that Bradbury until this good moment! Wow...a well-explored ouevre kicks up a surprise. *happy sigh*

>158 jjmcgaffey: I still haven't read any Tortall, or indeed any Pierce, books because I was only slightly younger than Roni when they started coming out. I'm just pleased that the visual storytelling universe is embracing another woman-authored and female-led fantasy series.

163EllaTim
Nov 2, 2019, 1:29 pm

>159 ronincats: Very good!

164SandyAMcPherson
Nov 2, 2019, 1:33 pm

>159 ronincats: I'm all for that.
The misogyny that crops up is alarming. I gave up on Leon Uris for those sorts of violent scenes. Such events *never* added to the story IMHO. The last book of his that I tried reading (lo, these many years ago), I threw across the room and then into the garbage can. I was a huge fan of Exodus, though and the David Lean movie was very moving, although a little unfair, politically speaking.

More recently, I abandoned another novel, very recently published, where the poor kid sustained paternal abuse. I won't name the novel because I think it rated 4 and 5 stars on 75-er threads and I don't feel like bucking the tides, since it was a DNF novel for me.

I have a very low tolerance for these situations, not from personal history, but a general sensitivity. I guess I want to read for pleasure, informative pov's and history. Possibly in that order, since fiction/fantasy rate the highest number in my LT catalogue (126/404).

165ronincats
Nov 2, 2019, 1:49 pm

October Summary

Books read: 9
Pages read: 3411
Average pages per day: 110
Average pages per book: 379

New reads: 9
Rereads: 0
Library books: 4
Books off the shelf (ROOTS): 1
New acquisitions read: 3/6
Did Not Finish (DNF): 1

Genre:
science fiction 1
fantasy 5
children's 1
nonfiction 2
fiction 0
romance 1
mystery 1

Author gender: 4 female, 5 male

Media:4 Kindle, 5 hardback, 0 trade paperback

Books acquired: 6
Read: 3/6, 4-Kindle, 2-mmpb
Genre: 3-science fiction, 3-fantasy, 0-nonfiction, 0-fiction, 0-romance, 0-mystery
Cost: $49.95

Books out the door: 0

Well, I read one fewer book than last month but 600 more pages. I finally finished These Truths at 792 pages (not counting the notes and index) and read another nonfiction tome at 507 pages. Only one ROOT--the other NF. I bought These Truths on January 1 of this year so although it felt like a ROOT, it wasn't. I really need to beef up my reading of ROOTS as I am only at 16 for the year (although I have read 39 of 60 acquired this year--still not catching up, though), but I have all these library books now! Can't win--no, wait, I AM winning with all this good reading!!

>162 richardderus: It was first published back in 1972 but I read most of his work in the late 60s.

>163 EllaTim:, >164 SandyAMcPherson: Agreed!

166Donna828
Editado: Nov 3, 2019, 12:34 pm

Hi Roni, just had to say that I’d be happy to shop from your “blooper box” anytime. It would be the equivalent of giving a rescue animal a new home. Well, that might be going too far, but a little flaw doesn’t ruin the value of a piece for me.

Congratulations on finishing These Truths. I agree that the modern times were the toughest to read because we’ve lived through them.

>134 ronincats: My favorite ornament is the left one on the top row. I may have missed a comment on it, but I love the Santa head complete with pointy beard that jumps out at me! You almost covered his eyes with the wire embellishment. It was more noticeable in a larger picture on your last thread.

167ronincats
Editado: Nov 3, 2019, 9:17 pm

Hi, Donna! I never thought of my ornaments as projective tools. That's great!

I went to pottery today since I didn't on Thursday. I glazed two bowls, a small vase and two angels. Hopefully these won't run as badly as the last batch!

I am so excited. A week from tomorrow Ellen and P and I are spending the day at the San Diego Zoo!!

168PaulCranswick
Nov 3, 2019, 9:31 pm

A gross of books already read this year, Roni. Well done!

Hope your weekend was a good one.

169PaulCranswick
Nov 3, 2019, 9:32 pm

By the way at trip to the Zoo with you and Ellen and P sounds like fun although I would be worried that they would incarcerate me in the monkey house!

170LizzieD
Nov 3, 2019, 11:01 pm

>167 ronincats: WOW! Y'all will have such a good time - I can just imagine!

171charl08
Nov 4, 2019, 7:18 am

>157 ronincats: Added this list to the wishlist, as this bugs me too. I'd not come across August Thomas' book, and neither has my library, so hopefully they can find a copy for me.

172CassieBash
Nov 4, 2019, 10:08 am

>167 ronincats: Please share any pictures of the animals you take--especially the felines! :))

173RebaRelishesReading
Nov 4, 2019, 6:19 pm

>167 ronincats: Wish I was there to go with you!

174ronincats
Nov 4, 2019, 9:40 pm

Thanks, Paul. You would be safe--there is no longer a monkey house but a mesa full of habitats.
Peggy, we will have a great time!
Glad that was new info for you, Charlotte, and hope you can find a copy.
There will be SO many photos, but I'll definitely share the best.
Wish you were too, Reba!

175LizzieD
Nov 4, 2019, 10:29 pm

>174 ronincats: LOVE THAT!

176EBT1002
Editado: Nov 4, 2019, 10:49 pm

Hi Roni!

I know our reading tastes don't always overlap but Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle (and what a great name). Your comment "It was a lovely (without being sentimental or soppy) evoking of British mythology in the spirit of Susan Cooper or Alan Garner makes me curious about them, as well. But perhaps I'll start with some Beagle and see how it lands.

Congratulations on finishing These Truths!! I dropped off on that one very early and never got back to it. I finally downloaded it on audio and that format may be what I need to implement.

>174 ronincats: I love that, too. It speaks to the joy of simply owning books, even knowing one will never have time to get to them all.

>147 ronincats: That is a lovely plate and a bit different than your other work. I like it!

I love the idea of the Staunch Book Prize!

177BLBera
Nov 4, 2019, 11:58 pm

178Oberon
Nov 5, 2019, 1:37 pm

>157 ronincats: Late to the discussion but I thought I would point out that there is an excellent cartoon adaptation of The Halloween Tree that we have made a tradition of watching every year - along with fare such as The Great Pumpkin.

179richardderus
Nov 5, 2019, 1:45 pm

>174 ronincats: Yes indeedy do. Abso-blinkin-lutely.

180ronincats
Nov 5, 2019, 4:55 pm

So, spent quite a bit of time yesterday and about an hour today finishing these up. I had to revise the walker caddy pattern quite a bit to deal with the directionality of the cats on the borders, so it took a bit longer. But by using what I learned from the apron pattern I managed. The big three day show is this coming weekend so we shall see if any of this pays off.


Hi, Peggy, Ellen, Beth, Eric and Richard! I never knew there was a cartoon adaptation so thanks for that info, Eric.

181jnwelch
Nov 5, 2019, 5:17 pm

>174 ronincats: Like!

Good luck with the big three day show this weekend.

182ronincats
Editado: Nov 5, 2019, 5:50 pm

Thanks, Joe.

Well, shoot! It looks like LT Search is broken. I was trying to look up in Conversations the person who had put this next book on my to-read list. And that means Touchstones are not working either.



Book #145 Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling (297 pp.)

This is absolutely a most important book to read and think about. This Swedish doctor and researcher has a global view (and first-hand knowledge) that rises above our parochial knowledge bases and biases. When I can access the work here, I will thank the person who brought it to my attention profusely.

Well, now they are both working but when I'm on the Work page and click Add Books, and then Search, it tells me it can't find me, one of my main beefs with LT mechanics. So it was Stephen (sirfurboy) who turned me on to this book.

183ronincats
Nov 6, 2019, 7:11 pm

Well, after lusting after the Aldi wine and cheese advent calendars for the last couple of years, I took advantage of the fact that a couple of stores have moved into the county in the last year and was at the nearest at 9:00 this morning. There was a line and they handed out tickets (for the wine and beer ones) as they had limited numbers of those, and I now have them right here, sitting on the dining room table (well, the two cheese ones are in the refrigerator) waiting for Advent to start (or maybe not?). Then we went Mexican for breakfast, Joann's to get the correct size of bobbins, Big Lots for candles, and Costco for a few things that ended up being a lot, of course, including a new winter robe and ink cartridges for the printer.

The college basketball season started last night. KU (Kansas) was ranked #3 and played #4 Duke at Madison Square Garden in NY--they looked awful with a million turnovers and lost 68-66. Then that game was followed by #1 Michigan State playing #2 Kentucky, and Kentucky won that handily. I had my KU t-shirt on and all the KU stuff out but I forgot to put on my KU earrings and necklace, which of course is why they lost. Won't forget those again!!

184DeltaQueen50
Nov 6, 2019, 8:34 pm

Hi Roni, I am trying to spend a little extra time at my computer to see if the knee can handle all that bending. I am going stir crazy being confined to basically one chair all day! I have been doing lots of reading, but even so, I am bored much of the time! Belated congratulations on your twelfth Thingaversary!

185bell7
Nov 6, 2019, 8:36 pm

>147 ronincats: That's gorgeous, Roni!

186LizzieD
Nov 6, 2019, 11:37 pm

Aldi wine and cheese advent calendars? I shop Aldi almost exclusively but have never seen any hint of these. I guess they're stocking our store with a nod to our shabby economy. Oh well.
>147 ronincats: Did I say that I'm devoted to deep navy and yellow? Gorgeous for sure!

187RebaRelishesReading
Nov 7, 2019, 9:56 am

I've never had an advent calendar but wine and cheese ones -- may have to see about that next year (as it sounds like I'm way to late for this year). Enjoy! (sorry about KU but it'll be better next time).

188karenmarie
Nov 7, 2019, 7:35 pm

>183 ronincats: My husband is a Tarheels fan, but we did watch the Duke game two nights ago. And last night Carolina beat Notre Dame and have a brand new freshman point guard, Cole Anthony, who scored 34 points. My husband was happy they won although not happy that there were ACC vs ACC game so early in the season.

I had my KU t-shirt on and all the KU stuff out but I forgot to put on my KU earrings and necklace, which of course is why they lost. Won't forget those again!! Of course that's why they lost. *smile*

189ronincats
Nov 7, 2019, 8:47 pm

>184 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I am so sorry about your arthritis problems! That has to be crazy making.
>185 bell7: Thanks, Mary.
>186 LizzieD: Someone here on LT has mentioned them in the past, when there weren't any Aldi stores in the area, so now that we have some, I googled for info on the Advent calendars last week and found out that November 6 was the date this year's calendars went on sale (at 9 in the morning). I think the beer and wine calendars usually sell out very quickly, so unless you happen to be at the store that morning you would never see them! Glad you liked my colors.
>187 RebaRelishesReading: Yup, WAY too late for this year, Reba. And thanks for the sympathy.
>188 karenmarie: Yes, that's awfully early for a conference game; the announcers for the KU-Duke game mentioned that all the ACC teams played a conference rival this week.

So, a busy, busy, busy day today. Woke up at 4:15 and lay running plans through my head until I dozed off again at 5:30. Pottery at 9; trimmed two mugs and painted two little plates--coaster size really--one in the sunflower pattern and one psychedelic cat face. Picked up these items:



The wire earrings are some I was working on the other night.

Then straight out to the Elks Lodge in El Cajon to set up for the show this weekend. Got the tables set up, Christmas tablecloths on, pottery and sewing unpacked, lighting arranged...the jewery and crochet will come out tomorrow morning before the show. This is the Victorian Country Christmas, which is my only excuse to dress up in long skirts and fascinators all year long, so I enjoy it. It's a new venue, so I hope we bring in a lot of customers.

Then back to La Mesa for a haircut and blue highlighting, just in time for my blue outfit tomorrow. Home to pick up and eat leftover beef stew and relax before I pull together my stuff for my workbag tomorrow. Maybe even some reading.

190jjmcgaffey
Nov 7, 2019, 11:43 pm

Oh, I _like_ your little angels! And the star pattern glaze, of course. Good luck with the show - I've always thought the exhibitors were having fun with the dressing up, when I've gone to similar ones. Enjoy!

191CassieBash
Nov 8, 2019, 8:06 am

>190 jjmcgaffey: Nice angels, and I love the speckling in the green bowl.

192ronincats
Nov 8, 2019, 9:10 pm

Green bowl sold today, along with two walker caddies, 1 apron, 1 cat mug, my big cat plate, a heart dish, 1 tree ornament, and two pair of ear climbers. I'm beat up and heading in to lie down. Two more days to go.

193ronincats
Nov 8, 2019, 9:15 pm

Oh no! You have to see it to believe it, a set of 75 "curated books" from Wayfair for $849 (on sale).

194richardderus
Nov 8, 2019, 9:39 pm

Bowl luuuv comin' your way! I think the angels are totes adorbs. Earrings, as always, top-notch. And congratulations on the decent first-day sales.

>193 ronincats: Like what a dear departed friend of mine used to say when I pondered the reason people bought old portrait photos or painting, "who wants those things?" "They're instant ancestors," she'd reply.

These are the grandma-you-wanted-but-didn't-get's books. ::eyeroll::

195quondame
Nov 8, 2019, 11:18 pm

>193 ronincats: Books by the yard really come much less if you look a bit.

196LizzieD
Nov 9, 2019, 12:06 am

>189 ronincats: The blue is gorgeous, but the green has my heart. No wonder it sold!
>193 ronincats: Would you believe? I recognize a number of those cover-types if not the specific titles. I either read them as a child or else own copies. Am I old or what?
Hope you're resting well.

197jjmcgaffey
Nov 9, 2019, 12:34 am

>193 ronincats: Yeah, I could supply about 2/3rds of those - as far as I can see, no duplicate titles, so that's a plus. Hans Brinker, Heidi, Black Beauty, Tom Swift...I don't have the Bobbsey Twins or Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew any more, but I had them (those editions, or pretty close) at one point or another.

198PaulCranswick
Nov 9, 2019, 8:47 am

>193 ronincats: I have plenty of "em too, Roni, but not nearly as attractive a package as that.
Have a lovely weekend.

199sibylline
Nov 9, 2019, 8:52 am

>196 LizzieD: Me too Peggy -- I have lots of those books upstairs. I gave away the Nancy Drews to a young person yonks ago, but I have tons of the rest of these.

Yeah, those Orc books just don't seem to work for anyone over about 15.

Your glazes just keep getting more and more subtle and beautiful.

200BLBera
Nov 9, 2019, 3:49 pm

>192 ronincats: Love it!

>193 ronincats: I have some of those copies!

Have fun at the zoo.

201humouress
Editado: Nov 10, 2019, 1:31 am

Happy belated new thread, Roni! And Thingaversary! I'm finally catching up on some of the faster moving threads.

I like your tree ornaments, but I prefer the ones with tree trunks :0)

Love all the pottery, as usual. Even the bloopers - the colour in the bottom of the mug looks pretty.

When you said that the ties on your aprons take up fabric, I was thinking that you could just do those in a matching plain fabric. And then you posted >128 ronincats: which, I think, is my favourite combination.

>157 ronincats: I've just caught up, but I'll answer anyway ;0) : the shops dress up spookily for Hallowe'en and places like clubs have trick or treating events but it's not the big celebration that it is in the States. It wasn't a big thing when I was growing up in England, either. But my son did go over to his friend's condo(minium) to go trick or treating floor by floor. ETA - not that we saw much of the results when he came home.

202HanGerg
Nov 10, 2019, 5:09 pm

Hi Roni! Just catching up and wishing you well with all your craft shows. I would love a Roni-made vendor's apron for when I do markets and things - such a good idea!, but sending one over the Atlantic sounds silly so I will just have to improve my sewing skills like I am always threatening to do.

203Familyhistorian
Editado: Nov 10, 2019, 9:08 pm

Hi Roni, I hope your craft sales went well. I can see why the green bowl sold quickly.

204ronincats
Nov 11, 2019, 6:55 pm

Will catch up with messages later tonight, but just got home and wanted to post this photo of Ellen, P and I at the zoo.

Ellen fell in love with the tigers, and can you blame her? This is Connor.

205richardderus
Nov 11, 2019, 7:00 pm

>204 ronincats: What a fun day that looks to have been!

And Connor's a pretty puddy tat.

206RebaRelishesReading
Nov 11, 2019, 7:03 pm

>204 ronincats: Connor looks like he needs a hug!

207ronincats
Nov 11, 2019, 7:24 pm

His brother Sitka was busy with a bone!


We were fortunate to be there when a lot of the animals were being fed and so fairly active. Ellen also loved the koalas.

208humouress
Nov 11, 2019, 9:23 pm

Nice meet-up photos. Although ... koalas? Hmmm.

By the way, your thread topper >1 ronincats: is gorgeous. (I seem to use that word a lot on your thread. Maybe I should get the thesaurus out.)

209ronincats
Nov 11, 2019, 11:52 pm

>194 richardderus: I had a goodly number of those books, Richard, if in cheaper editions (mostly the shiny ones like the top two in the middle).
>195 quondame: Definitely, Susan.
>196 LizzieD: If you are, then I am too, Peggy.
>197 jjmcgaffey: I had Bobbsey Twins (in the shiny editions) but got the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews from the library, Jenn.
>198 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. Hope you're getting some relaxation and reading in.
>199 sibylline: Thank you, Lucy. I have a box or two of those up in the attic somewhere...
>200 BLBera: We did, Beth.
>201 humouress: Thanks for chiming in, Nina.
>202 HanGerg: Hannah, I could send you the link to the pattern I'm using if you like.
>203 Familyhistorian: Two good days out of three, Meg, thanks.
>205 richardderus: Kind words for a puddy tat, Richard?
>206 RebaRelishesReading: He's watching his keeper up on the hill, Reba. Are you still snowed in?
>208 humouress: Thank you, Nina. Not the kind of terrain you have around Singapore, eh?

210sirfurboy
Nov 12, 2019, 6:16 am

>182 ronincats:

I am glad you enjoyed the book, Roni. Hans Rosling's TED talks are amazing too.

211CassieBash
Nov 12, 2019, 7:51 am

Thanks for sharing the pictures! (Will you be sharing more?) Connor and Sitka are both very handsome fellows, and of course the koalas are cute. But then I tend to find something positive about most species. Glad you all had fun!

212richardderus
Nov 12, 2019, 11:26 am

>209 ronincats: Kind words...more like "propitiatory words for an apex predator"!

213FAMeulstee
Editado: Nov 12, 2019, 4:20 pm

>204 ronincats: Lovely pictures, Roni, do I see a touch of blue in your hair?
Both tigers are impressive animals, and the koala looks soft and huggable.

214humouress
Nov 12, 2019, 9:49 pm

>209 ronincats: >208 humouress: *sigh* Unfortunately, no; we don't get that kind of terrain. And tropical sunrises (for all their vaunted desirableness) are very brief, I've discovered.

*Substitute 'glorious'.*

>212 richardderus: Am now enlightened as to your attitude towards felines ...

215RebaRelishesReading
Nov 12, 2019, 10:21 pm

>206 RebaRelishesReading: no, we made it to Bozeman today.

216EBT1002
Nov 13, 2019, 12:18 am

Thanks for posting photos, Roni! And THANK YOU for being such a great tour guide in San Diego! Prudence and I had a great time and I did indeed fall in love with the Malayan Tigers. I'm glad you got such good shots of Connor and Sitka. And the Koalas! I'm glad we got to seen them when they were being fed so they were, um, "active." Ha. But they really are cute little critters!

Home safe and sound now, steeling myself for tomorrow's return to work. But it's a short week and then next week I travel to Seattle for yet another conference (no playing hooky to go to the zoo this time around).

Rest up and I hope your upcoming shows are successful!

217ronincats
Editado: Nov 13, 2019, 9:44 pm



Book #147 The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (335 pp.)

Beth (blbera) put this on my radar a couple of weeks ago and I immediately ordered it from the library (I was 20th in line). When it came in over the weekend, I picked it up Tuesday and immediately gobbled it down. Very clever, lots of book allusions, quirky and funny, light and entertaining!

218ronincats
Editado: Nov 13, 2019, 4:31 pm

>210 sirfurboy: I hope to take time to watch some of them soon, Stephen.
>211 CassieBash: I could but LT is warning me I'm approaching my limit on photos, Cassie, so probably not.
>212 richardderus: Oh, I see. It's the power you respect.
>213 FAMeulstee: Probably more than a touch, Anita.

>214 humouress: Didn't think so, Nina.
>215 RebaRelishesReading: Good!
>216 EBT1002: Glad you are safely home (at least for a bit), Ellen! It was great to spend time with you and Prudence.

219quondame
Editado: Nov 13, 2019, 4:52 pm

>218 ronincats: Looking very festive and feline!

There's a picture limit? What will I do with all those octopodes?

220ronincats
Editado: Nov 13, 2019, 4:59 pm

>219 quondame: Yes, well, it's 1000. I remember the days when it was 200 so am appropriately grateful, especially ever since Photobucket went all-out commercial.

(That's because it was a free site where I could post my photos online in my account and then just link to it for LibraryThing without filling up my album.)

221Donna828
Nov 13, 2019, 5:44 pm

>183 ronincats: That is so funny about the KU bling! At least you don't have to worry about them peaking too early. My granddaughter Sadie has ruled out KU and Missouri State for college next year. :-( Kansas State and University of Arkansas are still in the running.

>204 ronincats: Loved the meet-up photo…and the tiger.

>218 ronincats: I can see why the shoppers can't resist you and your wares! The Christmas Cat apron is perfect.

222SandyAMcPherson
Nov 13, 2019, 5:44 pm

Re picture limits (>220 ronincats:) ~
In case this is helpful to know ~ you can delete photos in your junk drawer and they don't disappear from your Talk threads...

I cleaned out my junk drawer (except for a few favourite expressive ones that I like to reuse to empahsize a particular post, such as Snoopy dancing). All the pix on my thread are still there. I did check if everyone can see them by looking at Talk, when I wasn't logged in.

I only have 1 member gallery photo (my profile photo), so I haven't checked what happens if you delete other photos from there that are posted in Talk threads...

223quondame
Nov 13, 2019, 5:46 pm

>222 SandyAMcPherson: The persistence of pictures is good news!

224SandyAMcPherson
Nov 13, 2019, 5:47 pm

Oh yes and BB!

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman. Definitely a fun theme.

225richardderus
Nov 13, 2019, 6:32 pm

>218 ronincats: Love the hair! The apron's fine so long as I squint....

226katiekrug
Nov 13, 2019, 7:04 pm

I was another fan of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill! Glad it hit the spot for you, too, Roni.

227jjmcgaffey
Nov 13, 2019, 7:19 pm

BB for Nina Hill - but apparently _everyone_ loves it. The shortest wait time in the 8 libraries I have a card for that have it is 4 weeks (and the longest is 21 weeks)! I've put a hold on it.

228ronincats
Editado: Nov 13, 2019, 9:44 pm

Well, good luck to all of you trying to get copies of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill--I think you will enjoy it, Sandy and Jenn. My library system has 21 copies (all checked out), and only 9 people waiting for it at this point.

Donna, I don't understand it. I LOVED being at KU, and none of my nephews or their children are even considering it...

I have almost all of my photos in the gallery rather than the junk drawer, so I don't know if that will help me, Sandy, but I'll keep it in mind for future placement of photos. As will Susan.

Thank you, Richard.

Good to know you are a fan too, Katie.

AND another fun read!



Book #148 How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason (408 pp.)

Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.


This is also handled cleverly by an omniscient narrator (a putative historian) whose asides are NOT irritating. I was drawn into the world(s) immediately and loved the details about the different settings and the science (magic--this is space fantasy--with scientific labels) and the characters are delightful in their distinct depictions and their personalities. Totally an enjoyable space opera with a dusting of fantasy!

229bell7
Nov 13, 2019, 8:03 pm

>228 ronincats: Oh hooray, I have that on my list to read soonish and am glad to hear it's a good one. Also, congrats on a good sale and successful meetup!

230ronincats
Nov 13, 2019, 8:43 pm

Thank you, Mary.

Yesterday ended up being an unexpectedly busy day, when I had intended to veg out after all my hiking around the zoo the day before. My sleeping patterns have been completely discombobulated--waking up at 7 to be at the pottery at 9 is usually the only day I have to wake up before 8. But I had to be up at 6:30 all three show days and then also to get us to the zoo by opening on Monday, and now both yesterday and today I'm still waking up at that time--it's almost as bad as when I was working. Only almost because, after all, I don't have to GO to work after I wake up.

Anyway, I was up early and noticed our Motley, who'd had a partial urinary blockage two weeks ago that responded to treatment, was lethargic and appeared to be straining and in pain. By the time we could get him into the vet, his bladder was the size of a softball (according to the vet) and so he is there in their hospital with a catheter draining him, poor baby, as we wait to see if the bleeding stops on its own. If not, it will mean surgery. If it does, he comes home to a special diet. Then we had to get cat food and pick up some pants that came in down at the Penneys store, mail a package (FINALLY, Richard!), and dodge around the power outage that took out all the neighborhoods east of us for several miles around noon when a bird flew into a substation and took out all the traffic lights between us and the vet. Fortunately the vet had electricity again by the time we got there mid-afternoon but the college area and some key stoplights on the way there were still out until after midnight.

Small craft fair tomorrow, 9:30 to 1:30.

231quondame
Editado: Nov 13, 2019, 9:21 pm

>228 ronincats: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill seems to be available from one of my local libraries, with 9 copies on the shelf and 7 in the hold queue, but if the 'on shelf' copies are really on the Hot shelf then they won't be sent out. Situation unclear.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse should become available within 2-3 weeks, normal conditions applying....

I hope Motley improves quickly, that the electricity remains available, and that your craft fair goes well.

232ronincats
Editado: Nov 15, 2019, 9:13 pm

Thanks, Susan!

Just realized I forgot to post a book...



Book #146 A Shift in Time by Lena Einhorn (242 pp.)

Interesting consideration of the possibility that the authors of the Gospels and Acts shifted the time frame in which Jesus actually lived and acted by comparing the events there with those documented by Josephus.

233jjmcgaffey
Nov 14, 2019, 12:10 am

Sheesh. Another BB with long wait times - I've put Rory Thorne on hold too. Sounds fantastic! I suppose I could check my local library for actual paper copies of these, but I'm so much more likely to read the ebooks (in time, even).

234FAMeulstee
Nov 14, 2019, 3:39 pm

>218 ronincats: The blue hair looks good on you, Roni.

235DeltaQueen50
Nov 14, 2019, 8:46 pm

Hi Roni, I'm all caught up here and I enjoyed seeing the meet-up pictures. I love your hair and glad to read that you made some good sales at the recent craft sale. I am still immobile and counting the days until I get to finally see my doctor which happens next week. Meanwhile spending a lot of time feeling sorry for myself. :(

236BLBera
Nov 15, 2019, 4:17 pm

The tigers are beautiful! Thanks for sharing your day at the zoo, Roni.

237richardderus
Nov 15, 2019, 4:46 pm

Hello Roni dear...guess what I got today!

I have no idea why it's sideways, but it is, however you get the drift. I have no personal anti-grav thrusters.

But now I want one.

238charl08
Nov 15, 2019, 4:51 pm

>228 ronincats: Sounds like fun. Adding to the wishlist.

I'm envious of your meetup, it was so lovely to see SD: can't wait for another chance to travel!

239ronincats
Nov 15, 2019, 9:30 pm

>233 jjmcgaffey: Aaaw, such a terrible problem to have! ;-)
>234 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita, my sister.
>235 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I'm so sorry to hear about your continued knee problems. Hope your doctor can help next week--just 4 more days!
>236 BLBera: You are welcome, Beth. It was my pleasure.
>237 richardderus: That's a great picture, Richard. You outshine the mug! Please enjoy.
>238 charl08: Ah, but you have had a meetup here, Charlotte, which is more than most of our readers have had, so you are a source of envy, perhaps, for them. That said, you are most welcome back any time!!

Woke up at 6:30 again this morning. Bleah. But I did get a nap in this afternoon. Cleaned up the kitchen this morning, starting with the sink full of dishes and pots. And I've been recharging and replacing batteries for the cameras on our security system--they've needed it for two months now. Fortunately, just having the cameras up is a deterrent, whether they are recording or not. We have them on the alley since we no longer have renters back there. And I've cleared off my desk and set aside the paperwork that needs to be done, discarded the voluminous junk mail and taken a whole shopping bag out to the recycle bin, taken a bunch of stuff back to the she-shack (but will wait until tomorrow to work back there, in favor of the nap today). Tracked Richard's package--love seeing people get my work although I hate the shipping costs. Tried a new recipe for chile relleno soup ( I love chile rellenos) involving 8 oz. cream cheese, 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar, chicken breast, chicken broth (I had bone-in breasts and backs so made my own stock) and two cans of mild diced green chiles, served with saltines, and it turned out QUITE tasty if not particularly fat-free. And now I'm watching KU having fun at Allen Field House at 76-29 over Monmouth with 13.5 minutes to go. This is the time of year when the division 1 teams play lower division teams both to give them some of the TV revenue stream and to get into shape for conference play. So, all in all, a good day. Oh, and I did have some bubblebath tub time this morning where I got a chapter of reading done in one of my current books. Hope you all had as good a day!

240karenmarie
Nov 16, 2019, 8:53 am

Hi Roni!

>189 ronincats: The colors are absolutely stunning, and I love the angels.

>193 ronincats: What a great stack of books. Junior Classics and Nancy Drew immediately stand out to me, as I have the Junior Classics on my shelves and quite a few Nancy Drews. And all it would take is to write a check… *smile*

>204 ronincats: Great meet up photo, thanks for sharing. Connor, Sitka, and the koala are appreciated, to.

>218 ronincats: Excellent photo. Love the hair, fascinator, and apron.

>239 ronincats: Your yesterday sounds productive and exhausting. I hope you get back to your retirement-wake-up time schedule soon. How’s Motley?

241ronincats
Editado: Nov 16, 2019, 7:09 pm

>240 karenmarie: Hey, Karen, you are all caught up now!

Woke up even earlier today, at 5:15. Bleah! Motley is happy to be home. Lots of little pees. Still worried, getting him his medicine twice a day, hope it will all work out.

Very productive today. Cut out fabric for 5 walker caddies and one apron, and then worked on this plate for my sister for Christmas. She's a sunflower fan, has them in her decor in her house, but in golds and greens rather than the blue like my first plate. Which I can't believe no one was interested in at these shows...


ETA Cutting is the hard part in any project. The sewing is a relative breeze in comparison. So I'm ready to roll.

242richardderus
Nov 16, 2019, 7:29 pm

That's the unfired plate, then? It looks like The Natural, as Phil Harding says on Time Team (which show I still miss).

Cutting out random shapes of fabric, sliding a hurtfully sharp mini-harpoon through them with eentsy-weentsy cobwebs stuck to them somehow, and minutes later having a viable garment/object is one big reason more women were burned at the stake as witches than men were.

Just sayin'

243ronincats
Nov 16, 2019, 7:43 pm

>242 richardderus: Yes, I've got the design inked on and covered with wax and painted the yellow glaze on the petals. The other glazes I'll use are at the pottery so will wait until Thursday. Then it will go in for the final firing (it is already bisque-fired).

Naught random about it, I fear. That's what ups the difficulty factor. And for the first time, with starting this sewing, I am not using a mini-harpoon but the dangerous slicing rotary cutter!

We should have just left all those men naked then. Ummm?

244quondame
Nov 16, 2019, 8:09 pm

>242 richardderus: Considering the shaping wizardry of steam and stitches involved in tailoring, it's just sexism they went for the women (brew mistresses really got the brunt of that business.)

245richardderus
Nov 16, 2019, 8:14 pm

>243 ronincats: A witch! A witch! She uses the pizza cutter to make unnatural objects!!

(and I will always vote for more male nudity)

>244 quondame: Sexism and appalling greed. Mixed with religion, that'll give you a nastier brew than any of those victims could've considered.

246BLBera
Nov 17, 2019, 11:20 am

>241 ronincats: Love it! I can't wait to see the finished product. How nice to have a sister who can make such lovely things.

247RebaRelishesReading
Nov 17, 2019, 11:25 am

>241 ronincats: Love the plate. You sister is going to be very happy on Christmas morning.

248streamsong
Nov 17, 2019, 1:10 pm

Can't believe I was MIA from LT for over a month!

Hooray for you for finishing These Truths. It's one I need to get back to.

>159 ronincats: The Staunch award article is very interesting. Lots of food for thought there. Mysteries are my go to's for comfort reads. There are a few authors, like Jonathan Kellerman whom I no longer read due to the really nasty sexual violence.

I love the photos of the zoo and the meetup with Ellen and P. All three of you are looking good.

And, lastly, a book bullet with Nina Hill.

249richardderus
Nov 17, 2019, 4:14 pm

Hey Roni, lookee my pretties together!

250ronincats
Editado: Nov 17, 2019, 4:52 pm

>249 richardderus: Great presentation, Richard!

Thanks, Beth and Reba.

And glad you got caught up, Janet!!

A lazy day, except I was putting some summer linens up in the attic (it's 83 degrees here today at the house--I could have waited) and discovered a hole in the roof, right along the ridgeline! And rain forecast for Wednesday!

I'm not planning on sewing today, but am going to get out the wirework once I get done playing games.

251SandyAMcPherson
Editado: Nov 17, 2019, 6:43 pm

>250 ronincats: Re: I'm not planning on sewing today, reminds me to ask a sewing-related question ~

I may be in the market for new sewing shears... any suggestions what brand / model of the 8-inch size would be top-notch? And yes, I do use a rotary cutter for a lot of work (I have 3 sizes), but there are times when the project _just needs shears_ ya know?

252EBT1002
Nov 17, 2019, 9:32 pm

The sunflower plate looks beautiful. Like you, I'm surprised that these aren't more popular at the craft shows. Although I do understand the particular popularity of your blues and greens -- and that red in Richard's mug!! Gorgeous.

253jnwelch
Nov 18, 2019, 11:47 am

Hi, Roni. Love the photo of you, Ellen and P. That must've been quite the fun day. Did the zoo have a bookshop? :-)

You look lovely and ready for the holidays in >218 ronincats:.

What a mug for Mr. RD. I saw it over on his thread. Well done! That's going to make the start of his day a good one all by itself.

>217 ronincats: The Bookish Life is on my WL, and you've convinced me to get it going as soon as I clear the decks of what I'm reading now. One of my current ones is The Bookshop of Yesterdays, which I'm hoping is similarly a fun read.

254Caroline_McElwee
Nov 18, 2019, 2:26 pm

>204 ronincats: >207 ronincats: Lovely to see you all, and great tiger photos too.

255ronincats
Editado: Nov 18, 2019, 10:53 pm

>251 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, I am just getting back into the game and really don't know. I have a vintage pair of Singer shears, but I bought a halfway expensive Fiskars at Joann's, these ones:
https://www.joann.com/8in-razor-edge-scissors-softgrip/12647137.html

and they are working very well. Much lighter than the Singer.

>252 EBT1002: Such kind words, Ellen! How can I miss you so much when we've only been together one day? Enjoy Seattle.

>253 jnwelch: The bookshop is overwhelmingly for children's books, Joe. Safe trip home, and I know you'll be missing that Rafa big time.

>254 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you so much, Caroline.

Well, I've made 8 pairs of ear climbers last night and did the finishing touches tonight, and sewed up a walker caddy from one of the fabric combos I cut out the other day this afternoon, and started another. Tonight is watching the Chiefs and then the Voice, and tomorrow is hoping the hole in our roof can be patched before the rains come in tomorrow night. Plus, I get to celebrate and to watch KU play another small program.

Oh, and the porch thermometer was up to 88 by 1:00--probably got even warmer while I was back in the she-shack. Now it is 72 at almost 8 at night, 3 hours after sunset. Guess I'd better enjoy it while I can, because it's cooling down drastically between now and Wednesday.

256ronincats
Nov 19, 2019, 1:41 pm

Well, I am spending my 70th birthday morning sitting around waiting for our handyman to show up and look at the roof instead of going out to breakfast as originally planned. The rains are supposed to come in mid-afternoon now, so time is getting short. None of the roofers called are returning calls, probably because they are full up of jobs because of the impending rain.

But I am puttering around Facebook, one of whose best features is reminding all your family and friends to wish you a Happy Birthday, and I am enjoying that! Also, I found this, which has been the subject of some discussions here on LT.



Love it!!

257richardderus
Nov 19, 2019, 1:47 pm

I think the Oxford (or as I was taught to call it, the series) comma is one of punctuation's unsung heroes.

Happy new decade!

258Dejah_Thoris
Nov 19, 2019, 1:52 pm

>256 ronincats: That's hysterical, Roni!

And, btw, happy birthday and many joyous returns!

259RebaRelishesReading
Nov 19, 2019, 4:33 pm

Indeed, hope you have a good birthday and that your roof gets fixed with the rain getting in!

260SandyAMcPherson
Nov 19, 2019, 9:09 pm

>255 ronincats: Thanks for the sewing shears suggestion. I may go on pause, since I might find a brand I really want later and in the meantime, have mostly been using the rotary cutter. My middle name is procrastinate!

Nice weather y'all having! Is that unseasonably warm?

261quondame
Nov 19, 2019, 10:14 pm

>260 SandyAMcPherson: Southern California has been having 3-4 day warm waves between 5 day cool troughs. It looks like the waves are leveling out in the cool direction for a bit, and it did drizzle a fraction in LA west central this evening.

262ronincats
Nov 19, 2019, 10:40 pm

>257 richardderus: Thank you, Richard!
>258 Dejah_Thoris: And thank you, Dejah! Good to see you around here, princess.
>259 RebaRelishesReading: Well, the handyman finally got here just before dark (and after two showers) and put plastic over the hole. There's a ridge cover piece missing and he'll replace that when the rain is over. Thanks for the birthday wishes, Reba.
>260 SandyAMcPherson: Yes, that's unusually warm for the second half of November, Sandy. October we often get some really hot weather, but not this late.
>261 quondame: It's raining steadily out there now, Susan. I just realized I don't have the rain gauge out. Drat!

So I got calls from family and friends this evening and watched KU win its basketball game and ate the steak dinner my husband cooked for me, so all in all a good day despite the drama about the roof.

263LizzieD
Nov 19, 2019, 11:09 pm

Heh. Heh. Heh.
Hope you have had a wonderfully happy birthday, Roni, as you polish off a decade in style! Good times!

264SirThomas
Nov 20, 2019, 1:39 am

I wish you a belated happy birthday, Roni - and wonderful days in a dry house.

265katiekrug
Nov 20, 2019, 8:28 am

Belated birthday wishes, Roni!

266RebaRelishesReading
Nov 20, 2019, 5:04 pm

Sounds like you had a good birthday. Hope this early rain will put paid to the fire season for this year. We're having beautiful weather in the Bay Area.

267ronincats
Editado: Nov 20, 2019, 5:59 pm

>263 LizzieD: Thank you, Peggy.
>264 SirThomas: And thank you, Thomas.
>265 katiekrug: And thank you as well, Katie.
>266 RebaRelishesReading: We've had waves of rain moving through, Reba. And make no mistake, this IS beautiful weather, as long as one doesn't have a hole in one's roof! We haven't had official rain in 8 months, so this is very welcome and delightful, although I expect to hear on the news tonight about all the power outages (one in Ramona last night where lightning split a palm tree and knocked out power) and all the accidents. For those not familiar with the phenomenon, when there is no rain for so long, the roadways build up a film of oils on the surface over time and when it rains, they are slick as all get out! So it's not that we don't know how to drive in the rain (some admittedly do not) but that it's like there's a layer of black ice over everything until there's enough rain to wash it off.

So I've been hanging out in the she-shack and finished up two more caddies today to go with the one I did Monday.


Yes, it's slightly out of focus, but I can't be bothered to go back and correct it right now.
And I took a picture of the earrings I made along with the kokedama I bought from a vendor at the craft fair Thursday. It's kind of like bonsai but with a root ball all encased in sphagnum moss, and I love the colors in this bromeliad (matches my hair).


And I finished a short Kindle novelette that it's been bugging me needs to be read, just to get it out of the way.



Book #149 The Three Christmases of William Spencer by Derek Blount (58 pp.)

I put it on my Kindle for Christmas reading last year and never got around to it. I guess my birthday signals the start of the holidays for me, so that's good. It's sweet, not too gooey, but nothing that rocks my boat.

268FAMeulstee
Nov 20, 2019, 6:50 pm

>267 ronincats: Belated happy birthday, Roni, you got yourself a lovely colored plant.

269bell7
Editado: Nov 20, 2019, 9:32 pm

>256 ronincats: Hahahaha I love that, Roni! My English books were slightly old-fashioned for their time so my usage often belies my age, but I confess it almost always looks wrong to me not to use an Oxford comma.

Happy belated birthday!

270charl08
Nov 21, 2019, 2:09 am

Another fan of the plant - when did you notice it matched your hair?

271ronincats
Nov 21, 2019, 3:26 pm

>268 FAMeulstee: Thank you, fellow blue-haired lady!
>269 bell7: Thanks, Mary.
>270 charl08: Instantaneously, Charlotte!

So today was pottery day (I missed last week because of a craft show) and I spent the whole time finishing my sister's plate and painting a small cat plate.

But I got to bring home the two coaster-size plates (4.5 and 5") that I had done the week before and I'm quite happy with them.


Went by the library on the way home to drop off Nina Hill and Ruby Thorne and picked up Sorcery of Thorns, Religious Literacy, Chilling Effect, An Enchantment of Ravens and God is Not One, all of which were waiting for me on the Hold shelf. And when I got home, a book my mom got me for my birthday was waiting--Karen Armstrong's new one, The Lost Art of Scripture.

272richardderus
Nov 21, 2019, 3:36 pm

>267 ronincats: I love the bromeliad's presentation! The sphagnum knobbiness makes the flower so unexpectedly graceful and even more colorful.

>271 ronincats: The indigo-and-denim blues are such perfect foils for the sunflower's vibrant happy yellowness.

Happy, and leakless, rains ahead!

273ronincats
Nov 21, 2019, 3:39 pm

>272 richardderus: Ah, you remind me that I forgot to report that the yard got 2.5 inches of rain from yesterday morning to this morning. I didn't have it out for the rain the night before. That is a great, solid rain! Our plants are SO happy.

274jjmcgaffey
Nov 21, 2019, 9:30 pm

I like that cat better than the other - aside from the colors, it looks more realistic (I want to pet him!). I love the sunflower plates, too. They're all great. I've never managed anything like your precision in clay.

275PaulCranswick
Nov 21, 2019, 9:51 pm

>271 ronincats: The blue plate with flower is lovely, Roni.

276sirfurboy
Dic 31, 2019, 4:47 pm

Another fine year of reading, Roni. May your New Year be happy, peaceful and full of good stories.
Este tema fue continuado por Roni Reads in 2019: Part 7.