Katie's Reading Life - 2020 - Part 13

Woman Reading by Ulisse Caputo

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Welcome to my thread! I’m Katie and I’ve been with the 75ers since 2011. I live just outside New York City - in addition to reading, I love to explore the city and to travel both near and far. I’m a bit of a foodie, am trying to get more comfortable doing my own cooking, and love wine. My reading tastes are eclectic and run from acknowledged classics to super frothy romances. I can be a bit snarky and sarcastic, and I am not to everyone’s taste, which is totally okay with me :)

In addition to a couple thousand books, I live with my husband (affectionately known as The Wayne), our cat, Leonard,and our new doggo, Nuala.

I don't have any specific reading goals for this year, but I do plan to participate - at least a bit - in several challenges here and in the Category Challenge and Reading Through Time groups.

CURRENTLY READING

(Print) (Audio)

COMPLETED

Books off my shelf: 18
Books off my Kindle: 21

91. I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott (audio) (3.5 stars)
90. The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths (4 stars)
89. Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean (3.5 stars)
88. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant (4 stars)
87. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (audio) (4 stars)
86. The Dilemma by B.A. Paris (3 stars)
85. The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood (4 stars)
84. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (audio) (4.5 stars)
83. Moranthology by Caitlin Moran (audio) (4 stars)
82. The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews (3 stars)
81. Turbulence by David Szalay (4 stars)
80. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (4 stars)
79. City of Thieves by David Benioff (4.5 stars)
78. Jackaby by William Ritter (audio) (3 stars)
77. Lockdown by Peter May (3.5 stars)
76. Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (3 stars)
75. Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan (3.5 stars)

DID NOT FINISH (Year to Date):

1. The Little Disturbances of Man by Grace Paley
2. The Murder of Harriet Monckton by Elizabeth Haynes
3. Handsome Boss by Lori Wilde
4. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
5. Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand
6. Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons

COMPLETED

74. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (audio) (4 stars)
73. The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward et. al. (4 stars)
72. Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean (4 stars)
71. Writers & Lovers by Lily King (4.5 stars)
70. The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H. Winthrop (5 stars)
69. Lily-Josephine by Kate Saunders (3.5 stars)
68. The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves (audio) (4.5 stars)
67. An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena (3.5 stars)
66. Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon (3.5 stars)
65. Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (3 stars)
64. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris (audio) (4 stars)
63. Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles (4 stars)
62. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (audio) (4 stars)
61. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (audio) (2.5 stars)

COMPLETED

60. An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (3 stars)
59. Long Bright River by Liz Moore (5 stars)
58. Beach Read by Emily Henry (4 stars)
57. The Secret Guests by Benjamin Black (audio) (3.5 stars)
56. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (4.5 stars)
55. How to Ride a Dragon's Storm by Cressida Cowell (audio) (3.5 stars)
54. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (audio) (4.5 stars)
53. The End of October by Lawrence Wright (3.5 stars)
52. French Exit by Patrick deWitt (audio) (3.5 stars)
51. The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs by Nick Trout (3 stars)
50. Fade Away by Harlan Coben (audio) (3 stars)
49. Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie (4 stars)
48. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris (4.5 stars)
47. Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec and Andi Arndt (audio) (4 stars)
46. Smile by Roddy Doyle (audio) (4 stars)

45. Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange (3.5 stars)
44. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (4 stars)
43. A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell (audio) (3 stars)
42. I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty (4 stars)
41. Pont Neuf by Max Byrd (audio) (2 stars)
40. Beautiful Mistake by Vi Keeland (audio) (3.5 stars)
39. Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward (4 stars)
38. Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (5 stars)
37. Quarantine by John Smolens (3.5 stars)
36. Mister Monkey by Francine Prose (audio) (3.5 stars)
35. Born Round by Frank Bruni (audio) (4 stars)
34. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (4 stars)
33. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian (audio) (3 stars)
32. The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty (4 stars)
31. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (audio) (4 stars)

30. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane (audio) (4 stars)
29. Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl by Various Authors (2.5 stars)
28. Visions in Death by J.D. Robb (4 stars)
27. The Indignities of Being a Woman by Merrill Markoe & Megan Koester (audio) (4 stars)
26. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (audio) (3.5 stars)
25. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (3.5 stars)
24. Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie (audio) (3.5 stars)
23. A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert (audio) (4 stars)
22. This is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison (audio) (3.5 stars)
21. Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg (3 stars)
20. Riots I Have Known by Ryan Chapman (audio) (3.5 stars)
19. Emma by Jane Austen (audio) (4 stars)
18. Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern (4 stars)
17. Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson (3.5 stars)
16. Circe by Madeline Miller (audio) (4 stars)

COMPLETED

15. Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham (4 stars)
14. Still Waters by Viveca Sten (3 stars)
13. Corregidora by Gayl Jones (3.5 stars)
12. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (3.5 stars)
11. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (4 stars)
10. Lady Fortescue Steps Out by M.C. Beaton (audio) (3 stars)
9. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (4 stars)
8. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier (4 stars)
7. The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan (3.5 stars)
6. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (4.5 stars)
5. A Commonplace Killing by Sian Busby (4 stars)
4. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider (3.5 stars)
3. Big Girl by Kelsey Miller (audio) (4 stars)
2. Gracelin O'Malley by Ann Moore (4 stars)
1. American Royals by Katherine McGee (3.5 stars)



My Ratings (revised, once again, as I continue the fruitless search for the perfect scale...)

2 stars = below average
3 stars = average
4 stars = above average
5 stars = perfect *for me*

(Anything below 2 stars is unlikely to be finished)

Next one's yours!

Happy new thread, Katie.
In my mind's eye, I am completely the woman in your thread topper. And then real life reasserts itselt. But one can dream...

Happy new one!

Let's celebrate with some wine, shall we?

Happy new one, Katie. I LOVE the topper.

Happy new thread and happy weekend, Katie!

That topper would make a great jigsaw puzzle.

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Katie! Love the painting on top.

Happy new thread, Katie. Ah to be a lady of leisure like the one in your topper!

Oops - looks like I started a new thread and then did a disappearing act!

>7 Helenliz: - Real life is always such a buzz kill, isn't it, Helen?

>8 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita!

>9 richardderus: - Yes, please!

>10 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth! I did a random image search for "reading painting" and it came up...

>11 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky! I hope you have a great weekned, too.

>12 ffortsa: - Oooh, yes it would, Judy.

>13 drneutron: - Thanks, Jim!

>14 ronincats: - Thanks, Roni. I love that vibrant blue and green :)

>15 Familyhistorian: - One can dream, Meg....

Happy new thread, Katie. From your last, I too like to watch blood fill the vials but there are some things - putting stitches in my hand at age 8 - that I tried and turned away from pretty quick! Love the quote in your topper too.

Hi Katie and happy new thread. Happy weekend with TW, Leonard, and Nuala.

I like watching my blood fill the vials and am always happy to see how richly red it is; however I'm really rather squeamish and won't watch any hospital/doctor TV series. I had actually almost decided to watch House because Bill likes it so much but while wandering through the living room one day last week they showed some nasty graphic medical stuff and now it's no forever. I also refused to watch a video at my periodontist's office about the procedure I was going to get about 5 or so years ago - I told them I'd close my eyes and listen but absolutely would not watch. They were amused.

Happy New Thread, Katie! Greetings from the Northwoods. Last full day up here. Sad face.

Happy new one, Katie.

>18 bell7: - Hi Mary! I don't much remember the stitches going in - either time. Perhaps I was slightly in shock from the injury(ies) (the first was a thumb slice trying to cut a bagel and the other was when I not very smartly tried to catch a falling steak knife with my legs...)

>19 karenmarie: - That's interesting, Karen. I don't mind visuals at all. The more detailed the better :)

>20 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! Sorry you are seeing the end of vacation but it sounds like you had a good time!

>21 jessibud2: - Thanks Shelley!

I was up early and went to a local farm stand - got the largest zucchini I've ever seen, plus some summer squash, gorgeous peaches, a pint of blueberries, fresh ginger, radishes, and a small loaf of zucchini bread. Then I dropped a box of non-perishable food off at a local food pantry since it would take us forever to go through some of the stuff we bought at the start of lockdown...

Not sure what else will happen today. It's supposed to be HOT this weekend, so I'll probably take it easy. I've taken Monday off from work, as The Wayne has it off (his company is giving employees a wellness day every month!), and there is no way I'd be able to work while he was having fun goofing off :)

The excellent River of Darkness by Rennie Airth is only $0.99 on Kindle and other digital platforms today. It's the first in a series - I read it ages ago, when I lived in DC and remember being riveted by it.

"Upon its original publication, River of Darkness awed readers who look for intelligent, well-plotted psychological mysteries. This “fine, frightening piece of work” (Kirkus Reviews) introduces inspector John Madden who, in the years following World War I, is sent to a small village to investigate a particularly gruesome attack. The local police dismiss the slaughter as a botched robbery, but Madden detects the signs of a madman at work. With the help of Dr. Helen Blackwell, who introduces him to the latest developments in criminal psychology, Madden sets out to identify and capture the killer, even as the murderer sets his sights on his next innocent victims."

Have a fun day off!! Hope it isn't TOO hot.

Ooh yay for 3-day weekends! It's super hot here, too. Just gonna hole up inside, I guess.

>24 katiekrug: Aha! Nabbed River of Darkness from the NYPL as an e-book. Just what I need - another Scotland Yard procedural!

Hi Katie! Are there photos of Nuala somewhere? I am off to look at the last thread. We are in the process of finding a family doggo. We've possibly narrowed it down to a retired racing greyhound. Possibly. It's a bit of a challenge adopting a dog during this virus thing.
I hope the 3 day weekend is fabulous.

Happy New Thread, Katie.

>25 RebaRelishesReading: - Thanks, Reba! I hope so, too :)

>26 lauralkeet: - I've certainly got enough to do around the house, Laura, but I hate feeling like i can't go out...

>27 ffortsa: - It's a good one, Judy!

>28 nittnut: - Hi Jenn! There are pics on my previous thread (guess I should add one here, too, since she is adorable). It took a long time for us to adopt, too. Seems like everyone is trying to....

>29 jnwelch: - Thanks, Joe!

Nuala telling me to turn off the light and go to sleep last night...

>24 katiekrug: Thanks for the tip, Katie. I see the series is set in post WW1 Britain. It will be interesting to see how it compares to one of my favorite series, the Ian Rutledge books by Charles Todd, also set in the Scotland Yard of that era.

Thanks for the Nuala photo -- she does look like she's ready for sleep there.

We had a socially distanced backyard lunch with friends yesterday. I brought their dog a new toy, sneaked some of my chicken salad to him under the table and got to enjoy his undivided attention all afternoon :)

Happy new thread, Katie!

>31 katiekrug: And what time was it?

>32 rosalita: - I haven't read any of the Rutledge series, Julia, though I have the first two on my shelf... :-P

>33 RebaRelishesReading: - LOL, Reba! That's exactly what The Wayne would do :)

>34 FAMeulstee: - Thanks, Anita!

It was about 11pm, I think...

This morning I finished a rather forgettable historical "chaste" romance (no sex, barely a heaving bosom in sight.... ;-)) and this afternoon I finished the audio of Moranthology by Caitlin Moran, who never fails to crack me up. Not sure I really feel like reviewing either one, so I think I'll just move on.

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward is $1.99 on Kindle today. And The Unwinding by Geroge Packer is just $2.99.

Both are excellent.

>36 katiekrug: Neither sounds like something that needs to be thought through the way a review requires.

Nuala is such a boop-snoot!

Happy new thread, Katie! And hooray for Monday off! I have the whole week, which is why it's now cool and raining here. Huh. Your farmer's market sounds lovely.

I also loved River of Darkness, Katie. I read the others in the series and think the first one was the best one.

>31 katiekrug: What a cutie.

>38 richardderus: - yeah, why force myself to say something when I don't have anything to say?

Thanks re: Nuala. I got an adorable shot of her sleeping last night - I'll post it when the next Nuala pic is due ;-)

>39 susanj67: - I love Mondays off, Susan. Way better than Fridays off, though I'm not sure why. Enjoy your staycation!

>40 BLBera: - I plan to re-read it and then finally get to the others, Beth. Operative word being "plan"....

Nuala is a cutie. I think we'll keep her :)

>41 katiekrug: when the next Nuala pic is due
You mean, like, NOW? I can't get enough of that sweetie-pie.

Hi Katie!

>22 katiekrug: You’re like my husband – he loves watching what they’re doing to him.

>24 katiekrug: I loved River of Darkness. The next two in the series are languishing on my shelves. Thanks for the nudge.

Happy weekend and happy Monday off for both of you.

Great new-thread start here, Katie. I am in awe.

Reading Wendell Berry just now. With the heat cooking us down to cinders, I'm going to shelter out of the sun. If I shelter myself from the Internets, I may make a significant dent in old Jack's memory.

>42 lauralkeet: "Nuala pick due" -- once a day seems about right :)

>42 lauralkeet: - Your wish is my command, Laura! Coming right up...

>43 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen!

>44 weird_O: - I still haven't picked up a Berry, Bill, so good for you. yes, amazing how much more one can read when the internet is avoided, eh?

>45 RebaRelishesReading: - LOL, Reba. Here you go.....

It's not the pic I got of her sleeping last night. That one was a bit dark. So this is her just now, watching Leonard. She is trying to be a Very Good Girl so he'll be friends with her, but he is still having none of it. Poor girl...

>47 katiekrug: Poor angelflower. Interspecies relationships are so complex!

Awww! Thanks for the photo, Katie. So cute.

We had cats before we had dogs, and it took about two years for the cats to adapt to Lily the Wonder Dog's presence. They were never friends, but each cat reached a certain detente with her.

>47 katiekrug: Lovely, thank you :)

>48 richardderus: - Poor thing. I think she wants a friend really badly. Anytime we encounter another dog while walking, she gets so excited. IT *almost* makes me think we should get another dog. Almost.

>49 lauralkeet: - Leonard at least gets along better with dogs than with other cats. When we take him to my sister-in-law's at Christmas, he practically seeks out her cats just to terrorize them. I think the fact that all the dogs he has met are significantly larger keeps him (a bit) in line :)

>50 RebaRelishesReading: - I appreciate y'all indulging me with the pics of Nuala. I know I'm partial, but she really is a pretty girl.

I'm listening to Nothing to See Here and it's SO funny. Also a little sad, but the audio really makes the humor shine through. I've whipped through about 3.5 hours of it so far today, helped by my jigsaw puzzle!

The charming How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry is $1.99 on Kindle and other platforms today. A perfect pandemic escapist read.

The ear-reading-while-sawjigging is jaw-dropping to me...either of those alone would have me comatose in minutes, but the mere *notion* of the two together is actually weighing my eyelids down.

A happy workweek ahead to you and yours.

>54 richardderus: - LOL, Richard. I do so enjoy my listening/puzzling time. I'm about to go sit down and finsih up the last 90 minutes of my current audio....

Spying on the South by Tony Horwitz is also on sale for Kindle today - $1.99.

Hadn't heard of Caitlin Moran. Now I have. Thanks

>57 magicians_nephew: - I highly recommend her How to Be a Woman, Jim...

Girl, Woman, Other is $2.99 on Kindle today.

>59 katiekrug: an excellent book!

>51 katiekrug: I think I speak for everyone who visits your thread, Katie, when I say that it is actually not possible for you to post too many pictures of the delightful Nuala! She is adorable.

>60 lauralkeet: - I have it in paperback but since it's such a chunkster, I'll probably buy the Kindle version for easier reading...

>61 rosalita: - Thanks, Julia!

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

I should start off by saying that I'm not sure I would have loved this book as much as I did if I had read it rather than listened to it. Humor doesn't always translate across a page, but with a skilled reader employing a pitch-perfect dead pan delivery, the twisted humor of this one really came alive on audio.

Lillian is employed by her high school friend, Madison, to care for Madison's two step-children, a pair of twins who spontaneously combust when angry or agitated. Yes, yes, it's ridiculous, but somehow Wilson makes it work. And in these two "weirdos," Lillian recognizes outsiders like herself, ones who will never quite fit in or be accepted. Their relationship is really lovely to see develop, and Lillian's snarky humor, intelligence, and self-deprecation endeared her to me. There is also a lot in the novel about class, gender roles, and privilege, so it's much richer thematically than what I expected.

I think some readers didn't quite get the humor, or couldn't get past the bizarre premise, and the book fell flat for them. I wasn't sure it would be my cup of tea, but the audio was available from the library so I decided to give it a whirl. I am so glad I did - Lillian is a character that will stay with me for a long time.

4.5 stars

>63 katiekrug: Happy to hear it's a hit with you. I'll eye-read it, of course, but will also remain alive to the humor-on-page translation issue. Reading bits aloud to myself doesn't put me six feet under Morpheus for some reason.

>64 richardderus: - I look forward to your thoughts on it!

>63 katiekrug: I'll have to check to see if the audiobook is available.

And stop the temptation with the daily deals!

>66 BLBera: - But they're "deals," Beth! Cheap!

Edited to fix embarrassing typo :)

So my company is instituting salary reductions starting August 1 and going through March (the end of our fiscal year). I am lucky that it won't really make a difference to The Wayne and me, BUT we also get compensatory time off, so I'm looking forward to a little more free time :)

Ooof, I'm sorry about the reduction, but yay for more free time? And a big yay that it won't be a big deal for you and TW.

>69 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber. I feel bad for colleagues for whom I know it is a big deal. I know it's better than the alternative (layoffs), but still...

>68 katiekrug: I'm actually a wee bit surprised it's taken this long for them to do that. It's a great perk that it comes with extra time off.

And hooray for the glory of financial stability!

>68 katiekrug: salary reductions are no fun, but it sounds like they softened the blow, Katie. So I guess it's the best that a bad situation could be.

>68 katiekrug: ouch. There's an upside in more time off, but that's only an upside if you can afford it and make use of it. Hope it works out for you and your colleagues. It's going to be a tough time comming out of this for a lot of businesses and organisations struggling to make ends meet.

>71 richardderus: - It only took this long because they got a PPP loan/grant for the US offices, and we have a very strong reserve fund. But the way the budget forecast is looking, they couldn't rely on the reserves, which they expect to have to draw down significantly anyway.

>72 lauralkeet: - There was an all-staff call about it earlier today and people seemed pretty understanding. It's a non-profit so anyone with half a brain had to see something coming, and I think this was the least bad option.

>73 Helenliz: - We've held out longer than some of our "sister" societies in the industry who started cutting staff, not just salaries, in April. I know I'm very lucky to not have to take it as much of a hit. Have to remind myself of that when The Wayne is working crazy hours :)

I'm glad the cutbacks won't be too onerous for you, and I'm glad your org is trying to spread the impact as widely as possible, instead of laying some people off entirely.

I was thinking the other day that you had an advantage over your other colleagues who were still working in the office when *All This* started, since you'd had time to figure out the whole remote work-from-home thing. As someone who got thrown in at the deep end in the middle of March, it was a bit rough at first!

>68 katiekrug: Sorry to hear that, Katie. But I know there's a Very Good Girl in the house who'll be thrilled at more walkies.

>75 rosalita: - Thanks, Julia. It's a graduated reduction so those at the top are taking the biggest cut, which seems only right.

Yes, I was in a better position when the pandemic hit. Our HR team had me write up a little blog post for our company intranet with my tips. My #1 was not to eat everything in the fridge all at once :)

>76 susanj67: - Yes, indeed, Susan. If it weren't so hot right now, she'd be getting more of them even now!

My latest puzzle. The Nancy Drew one I wanted was back-ordered so I settled for The Hardy Boys, which I never read, though I think I had a copy of The House on the Cliff when I was a kid. But, eww, boys! Cooties!

My latest puzzle is Bacchus & Ariadne by Titian. For once, I am leaving the sky to last as I think it'll be the fun bit. >:-)

The Hardy Boys were my first intro to kid mysteries and I read them voraciously, long before being introduced to Nancy Drew. They remained my favorite of the two (my little sister, 8 years younger, is a major Nancy Drew fan) and I recall the second book, The House on the Cliff as being one of the best! 'Fraid I never had boy cootie fears. My brother, btw, 4 years younger, was SO into the Hardy Boys that he insisted on being called Frank Hardy all during third grade. Fortunately he had an understanding teacher.

I never read the Hardy Boys, either. Or the Bobbsey Twins, which I know was also popular at the time I was in elementary school. I devoured every Nancy Drew and every Trixie Belden book that the library had, though. Those and books about horses (The Black Stallion series, Misty from Chincoteague et seq) were the backbones of my early reading adventures.

I like the puzzle!

Ok now I want to know if anyone remembers the "Cherry Ames" series? I was totally into Nancy Drew until I found out about nurses!

>79 Helenliz: - Post a pic when you're finished!

>80 ronincats: - Great story, Roni. I love people's childhood reading memories. LOL at your brother changing his name and good for his teacher! In 3rd grade, I wanted to change the spelling of my name to Katy, and I had to bring a note to school from my mother saying it was okay...

>81 rosalita: - I never read the Bobbsey Twins, either, Julia. I was strictly Nancy Drew as far as those sorts of series went. I'd never even heard of Trixie Belden until I joined LT :-P

>82 vivians: - My mom loved Cherry Ames as a kid, Vivian, but I never read any. She also loved the Betsy-Tacy books, which I never got into, though my sister loved them...

>82 vivians: I never read Cherry Ames as a kid, but I worked in a College of Nursing for a few years in the early 2000s, and the faculty member I worked most closely with was a professor and researcher who had a number of the Cherry Ames books displayed on the shelves in her office. I don't think I ever admitted to her that I had never read them. :-)

She's also the one who introduced me to Outlander, another series with a nurse as protagonist, though of course for adults!

>84 rosalita: - Cherry and Clare - covering the spectrum of nursing ;-)

>85 katiekrug: Indeed! As I said, I never read Cherry but I'm guessing she wasn't a sex-crazed bigamist with a thing for red-haired Scotsmen. Or maybe she was, in which case I should see if the library still shelves those. :-)

You are really doing some challenging puzzles! I'm impressed. Also impressed with your employers -- spreading the pain (vs. lay-offs) and the top taking a bigger hit is so honorable imho!! I hope you and the Very Good Girl enjoy your extra time (sure you will).

>86 rosalita: Cherry Ames - For Adults Only!

>87 RebaRelishesReading: - Thanks, Reba.

I'm not entirely sure why, but it seems to me that you need to be made aware of the purple calabash tomato:

And now you are.

Hooray for Nothing to See Here, Katie! I also loved it and read it in print. I will have to keep the audio in mind, if I ever revisit it.

>89 richardderus: - Oooh! Aaah! Pretty!

>90 msf59: - I thought I remembered you liking it, Mark. You have such good taste :)

Glad to hear Nothing To See Here was a hit for you, Katie. I've been eyeing it as a possibility one of these days.

Oooh, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and The Black Stallion series. So many good memories. Add the Narnia books and The Chronicles of Prydain and you've pretty much got my elementary school reading complete set.

Hi Katie!

>68 katiekrug: I’ve always been willing to trade money for time so understand perfectly how much you’ll enjoy the time off. Congrats.

>83 katiekrug: I read Nancy Drew, a few of the Dana Girls by the same author, a few Hardy Boys, and have some (unread) Bobbsey Twins books on my shelves inherited from Bill’s Mama. They’re hers from when she was a girl in the 1930s, so I’m glad to have them but haven't been inspired to actually read them. Starting when I was 11, though, I was reading Perry Mason and Bertha Cool/Donald Lam (by the same author), and Agatha Christie.

>86 rosalita: sex-crazed bigamist with a thing for red-haired Scotsmen *smile*

>92 bell7: - I'll be interested to hear how it lands on you, Mary. Some people really didn't seem to like it.

>93 scaifea: - For me, it was Nancy Drew, the Anne of Green Gables series, the Little House books, and the Great Brain series :)

>94 karenmarie: - Whenever possible, I would also take time over money, Karen :)

I think I read my first Agatha Christie around 11 or so? I remember I had a big hardcover with three of her novels in it, but I can't remember which ones. I am pretty sure they were Miss Marples, though.

I normally attend a professional development conference this time of year, but of course it's gone virtual. And my, my, I really don't like it. Oh well. I hope my own organization does a better job switching to a virtual platform, because this one is completely un-engaging.

Tonight is virtual happy hour, though, so I have that to look forward to. We are doing it every other week now, so lots to catch up on!

>95 katiekrug: Oh! Of course the Little House books! How could I leave those off?! *sigh*

>95 katiekrug: Yes, Little House! Never read Anne of Green Gables, though. And I've remembered that another series I loved back then was the Three Investigators, a trio of kids who had their office/clubhouse in a junkyard. I never hear anyone talk about this series anymore, so it's possible it was just a figment of my imagination!

>98 scaifea: - :)

>99 rosalita: - I've never heard of the Three Investigators, Julia!

Re: my review of Nothing to See Here, I see that it is part of Audible's current 2-for-1 sale for members...

Sorry about the salary reduction, Katie, but you're right, it's better than the alternative. We are wondering what's going to happen with faculty. Per our contract, they have to inform people of any layoffs by Nov. 1 for the following year. And they go by seniority.

I loved the Betsy Tacy books. I did also read Cherry Ames, Trixie Belden, and Nancy Drew. My daughter loved Anne of Green Gables and the Little House books.

You and your deals...

>78 katiekrug: "Love!"

I loved reading The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew when I was a kid - as to ND, I had two older sisters, so there already were girl cooties all over the place. Once our daughter was old enough, we had a grand time reading Nancy Drew together. She's still a fan, and plays Nancy Drew computer games, among other things.

Mercy! There is nothing on Earth more popular than reminiscing about the reads of les jadis, is there?

I read them as well, as well as the Hardy Boys, though never the others because neither of my sisters read any of the Stratemeyer books.

>102 BLBera: - Hi Beth! Sorry about the uncertainty. There seems to be a lot of it going around....

I love hearing everyone's reading memories :)

>103 jnwelch: - I have such fond memories of ND, Joe, and the pretty yellow line of them in the library, so neat in a row :)

>104 richardderus: - It must be the happy memories it invokes, RD. For me, it was picking out my limit from the library (3 or 4, I think), bringing them home, and reading them straight through, and then bugging my mother to drive to the library AGAIN so I could get more.

Frustrating morning so far. I am engaged in a weeks-long comedy of ridiculousness trying to get our front hedges trimmed. GAH!

Virtual happy hour was fun last night and I tried something new from the pizza joint we always order from - a BLT with cheese in a whole wheat wrap. It was most excellent.

In sports news, baseball is back, baby (at least for a little while before everyone gets sick and they have to cancel the season), and the Yankees are undefeated :)

Grey and gross and humid here today. Zero plans other than work.

>68 katiekrug:

yes the tradeoff - layoffs for some or salary reductions for all - is always going to be a hard one.

Are the reductions defined as "temporary" or permanent? (Nothing lasts longer than a "temporary" change.)

>78 katiekrug: yes a Nancy Drew puzzle would have been more "iconic" I think. Though I read the Hardy Boys as a kid - The House of the Cliff was my favorite

And Tom Swift.

And Encyclopedia Brown

Heck I read everything as a kid

>106 katiekrug: I am engaged in a weeks-long comedy of ridiculousness trying to get our front hedges trimmed.

Do you mean, getting someone else to do it? And if so, is that someone a resident in your home or someone you are hoping to pay for the pleasure of hedge trimming?

>107 magicians_nephew: - It's temporary - through March, unless things improve significantly (they won't).

Oh, Encyclopedia Brown! I loved those, too.

>108 lauralkeet: - Good questions, Laura. I am trying to pay someone to trim them. Like actual money. It's crazy how difficult it's been. I know have a guy coming Sunday morning - we'll see if he shows up....

I'm listening to The Nickel Boys on audio in anticipation of the next GetLit virtual book club, with Colson Whitehead. If anyone is interested, here is the link about it. And the event will be on YouTube on Wednesday the 29th at 7pm Eastern time.

https://www.wnyc.org/shows/all-of-it/get-lit

>109 katiekrug: Thanks for the clarification, Katie. I couldn't tell if you were getting a dig in at The Wayne, or if it was dealing with unreliable tradespeople.

>110 katiekrug: Colson Whitehead was scheduled to appear at the Free Library of Philadelphia*, but tickets required purchase of the book, which I already own. So annoying. I mean, I'm all for buying books, but to make it a requirement? No thanks. It sounds like the GetLit book club doesn't have that stipulation.

----
* In June, Whitehead and several other authors cancelled their appearances in response to protests against library leadership's treatment of Black employees.

>111 lauralkeet: - You should tune in Wednesday to the GetLit broadcast! No purchase necessary :) They actually do it in conjunction with NYPL, which makes the book available through Overdrive with no wait lists. It's pretty awesome.

Oh dear. I'm not going to have time to get to The Nickel Boys. But I might tune in just to listen to the conversation.

As for those series from our childhoods, for me it was The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, the Chincoteague (sp?) books, The Black Stallion books, some other horse stuff. I graduated at a tender age to Agatha Christie, Perry Mason, 87th Precinct, Thomas Costain, etc. So I missed a whole lot of lit people still talk about fondly.

>112 katiekrug: I might do that, Katie. Thanks!

Hey Katie, sorry to hear about the job changes but hope they are only temporary. My workplace has asked us to take our leave despite not really being able to go anywhere, so if that continues to be the only thing in response to COVID I think I will have been very lucky.

I'd love to hear more about the Whitehead talk, hope it's as great as it sounds. What an amazing, powerful book.

>113 ffortsa: - Hi Judy! I'm sure the Whitehead event will be worthwhile, even without having read the book.

>114 lauralkeet: - Sure thing!

>115 charl08: - Are they wanting you to take your leave so people aren't in the office? I'm trying to bank mine as much as possible, so that if I get laid off at some point, I'll get a big chunk of change for it (I don't know if it's the same in the UK, but here they have to pay out your unused leave...)

I'll be sure to report back about the Whitehead talk.

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

This was a very good psychological thriller about a series of murders at a seaside resort, and two women who meet again after many years. I don't want to say too much, so I'll just note that the setting was very vivid and the changing POV done well. If you are looking for a good crime novel, I can recommend this one.

4 stars

Yay for good happy hour, hisssssssbooooooooohisssss for the hedge drama, yippee! for the GetLit meet, and brava for The Wicked Girls sticking the landing of a difficult dismount (multiple PoVs in a crime novel)...no wonder it won the Edgar.

*smooch*

Hope the hedges are done already!

>118 richardderus: - No, the hedges are not done but the guy isn't scheduled to come until tomorrow, so I can't complain (yet). The Wayne did cut back some other, more easily reached bushes, so I don't have to wade through them when I take the dog out :)

Speaking of Nuala, she is such a good girl. She hasn't had an accident in forever. And yesterday late afternoon, we left her for the second time without being confined to the kitchen and she behaved herself. I'm very proud of her and so pleased we seem to have lucked out (again) in our rescue pup.

Oh, and she got a clean bill of health from the vet, including her incision (the one I took the stitches out of). We went to a different vet from where we've taken Leonard in the past because we could get in a bit sooner, and we really liked them. They even called the next day just to see how she was doing. So we'll probably make them our regular vet now, which is nice since they are much closer than the old one.

The Wayne and I have been busy so far today - hung up a new light fixture in the front entry, and moved some stuff around so I could put the new cabinet I bought recently where I wanted it. Now we can hang the picture above it, and then I can take a picture to share, because I think my funky reader figurine thingy is going to go on it....

I spent some time with a new jigsaw today, which meant more audio time with The Nickel Boys, which is very good. I finished up a book last night (comments to come) and started The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant, which is set in the early 19th c., on Cape Ann in Massachusetts. I'm enjoying it so far.

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

This is the kind of book I find most annoying - not actively bad but by the time you realize how weak it really is, the story has caught you up and you're driven to finish it in spite of knowing it's a waste of time.

The DIlemma is all about keeping secrets out of good intentions and what happens when the secrets and necessary lies take on a life of their own. It's not a thriller or mystery, more of a domestic drama. It's told from the alternating points of view of a husband and wife over the course of a day. At times, I found both of them ridiculous and frustrating and I just wanted to give them both a good shake and a stern talking to. The writing is serviceable, but the premise is so paper thin that it ends up being transparent, so there isn't even much of a pay-off at the end. Sigh. Wasted time.

3 stars

Hi Katie, I've been enjoying your discussions on Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames etc. I had much the same conversation going on my thread a little while ago. It seems those childhood reads really stay with us. I am still enjoying my puzzles but for while I couldn't listen to books as my audible account didn't seem to be working right. Luckily my son-in-law came by and fixed it for this computer-illiterate so I am back in business. Now I just have to decide what I am going to listen to next. :)

>121 katiekrug: Oh hell! I'm so sorry. That is worse than a book you can hate-read.

I'm extra-glad that Nuala's accident ratio is trending towards zero. Nothing makes pet-walking more satisfying than knowing she's not wasting your time, eh what?

>68 katiekrug:, >116 katiekrug: The pay reductions is a tough one, but it sounds like your organization is implementing it in a thoughtful way. In the 2008 recession my workplace all the non-union staff's pay by 10% and it took several years before the cuts were reinstated (it was gradual with individuals in the lower ranges getting percentages back first).

That was also when they revised the vacation/comp days policy. Before, employees could roll-over unlimited vacation & comp days (famously there was a stagehand that after 40ish years of work had more than 3 years of vacation days saved up). Apparently the accumulation of future paid time off is a huge business liability and the auditors demanded it be reformed. So now the admin staff can only convert one-year's worth of vacation days into comp days which must be used during the next fiscal year.

Speaking of hedges....have you gotten the back yard fenced in yet or is that work still to come?

>122 DeltaQueen50: - Childhood reading memories certainly are strong, Judy. I canbarely remember books I read a few weeks ago, but I remember A LOT about my favorite reads as a kid.

I'm glad you got your Audible sorted out. I think my audios are about 50-50 between Audible and my libraries' Overdrive offerings.

>123 richardderus: - Yes about dog walking not being a waste of time. Louis hated going the bathroom while being walked, and it used to drive me crazy. Nuala is almost like clockwork when she poops, and she is good about telling us when she needs to pee.

>124 ELiz_M: - Hi Liz! We can bank a certain number of PTO hours. I think the maximum is 240 or something. I can't imagine banking 3 years worth! I like my time off too much :)

The back yard is not yet fenced. I need to check with the town about the permitting process and get that ball rolling. The Wayne's next vesting of shares is in August, so we plan to use part of that for the fence. It's a big yard, but I think we've agree not to extend the fence all the way to the tree line, so the geese will still have somewhere to poop :-P

I had to laugh the other day, when I saw a dog walker trying to go one way and the dog very decided on going the other. She'd managed to go out without any poo bags (owners have to pick up after their dog) so was trying to get home to get some. Only dog had decided that the walk wasn't over yet and was having none of it. Quite the tug of war. >:-)

You can tell just by looking at Nuala's pictures that she's a Very Good Girl, so I'm not surprised that she's adapting so well to being free-range. :-)

I knew we have a maximum vacation accrual at the university but I couldn't remember what it is, so I just checked — it's 352 hours. And I've got 327 banked, so yikes! I need to take some time off. I've only taken one day off since we started working remotely because it feels a little silly to take vacation just to sit on the couch instead of at my desk. But on the other hand I think I could really use a mental break so I might have to go ahead and just schedule something.

Sheesh, I got so caught up in posting about Very Good Girls and Too Much Vacation that I forgot what I initially wanted to comment on — your comments on The Dilemma. I haven't read that one, but your review reminded me of how I felt when I finally read Such a Fun Age recently. It seemed like such a promising setup, and by the time I realized it was fizzling, I felt like I was too far in to drop it.

>116 katiekrug: No, the leave thing was more about holding over days across the year (for us it ends in August). Some people were hoping to hold on to leave until they could eg rebook foreign trips, but we've been told that doesn't qualify for exemption from the usual policies (just 3 days hold over a year). The leave is very generous compared to private companies, so in a much better position that most. I would have been in trouble if I'd been looking for the kind of research assistant / temp teaching work I was going for when I graduated. Those jobs have dried up, and many contracts have been abruptly terminated at some universities (which I would have hoped would have behaved much better, not least given their vast top brass salaries).But there you go.

Great to hear Nuala is settling in so well. A friend recently told me her dog is keeping her sane. And then I saw this adorable tweet. I think Otter must be a v. Good dog too.
https://twitter.com/PortyBooks/status/1287003461033353216

>126 Helenliz: - That has happened to me, Helen! I tend to take Nuala out and walk her around the big back yard and the side and front of the house if I'm doing it on my own, because I wan leave her, er, leavings. I have gag reflex issues, and can't clean up messes easily. (But don't think I just leave her poop everywhere - I have a little pooper scooper I use to clean things up from a distance :) Anyway, she always wants to go farther afield in the neighborhood but I won't let her because I'm terrified she'll poop on somebody's lawn and I won't be able to clean it up. So she only gets to go beyond our property when The Wayne can come along...

>127 rosalita: - That's a generous amount of hours, Julia (at least compared to mine. I have no idea what the norm is...). I highly recommend taking days for one's mental health - I do it at least once a month. The Wayne gets a Wellness Day every month right now in recognition of how weird things are. But I wish he'd take more - he has "unlimited" time off so doesn't bank any but also doesn't have to account for anything as long as he gets his work done.

>128 rosalita: - I was eyeing Such a Fun Age but I've heard such lukewarm (at best) things about it, I think I'm going to pass :)

>129 charl08: - Oh, Otter is a beaut! What a Good Doggo. And now I need to put that bookstore on The List for when the Bad Times are over and we can travel again. The Wayne and I are thinking our first trip might be to Scotland...

Awww, Nuala. Such a Good Girl! You guys really lucked out.

>130 katiekrug: We take Mario out in the backyard before we go on our evening walk so she'll poop before we venture out. I don't mind picking up dried poops nearly as much as the, um, fresh ones. Yoicks.

And I'm adding my Yay for Nuala! to the pile. What a good girl!

>131 lauralkeet: - We sure did!

>132 scaifea: - I've tried that, Amber but occasionally she has a stealth second poop in her, and I don't want to be branded as That NEighbor who doesn't pick up after her dog :) Plus, it's a good way to make The Wayne share the responsibility!

T-minus 35 minutes until the Hedge Dude is supposed to be here. Fingers crossed!

Our project for today is cleaning up the office a bit. There are still some random boxes in there, plus I seem to have misplaced all the paperwork from our house closing - oops. I need the survey that was included for getting a permit to put up a fence, so hopefully the folder will turn up....

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

The guy showed up 25 minutes early and then wouldn't do the job because he thought I wanted all my yard work done, including the grass. I had specifically said in my message to him "It's a small job - trimming some hedges." So I said fine and stomped up the front steps and back into the house. Why would he not just be glad it was a smaller job than expected, do it, and get paid? I don't understand people sometimes...

>135 katiekrug: that is so annoying! I'm sorry you're having such trouble getting this taken care of. We have a minor electrical issue that has stumped Chris, but we know no one will come out to look at such a piddly thing, so we live with it. It's frustrating.

A hex on stupid garden guy!! It always amazes me, especially in this time, when people find a job beneath them and won't take it on. Since he showed up I assume he wasn't too busy to bother. I mean, he apparently had you scheduled for even more time. Sheesh!

Hope your paperwork has surfaced.

I have to say that garden is my one area where finding a reliable person has been the most difficult. The hedge has proven problematic on more than one occasion. I know it's not a big job, but it's a bigger job than I can manage myself, which is why I'm looking to pay someone.
Grrrr! On your behalf!!

Thanks, Laura, Reba, and Helen for the sympathy. I don't know why these hedges seem to be cursed...

The Wayne is trying to do the job himself now, but his electric clipper thingy is too short to get the very top and middle done. So now he's looking into buying a new one.

>139 katiekrug: So now he's looking into buying a new one
Of course he is! First rule of home ownership: every new job requires a new tool. But also, I have to say that having the right tool does make the job easier.

>135 katiekrug: How annoying! I wonder if he figured he'd be able to bully/guilt/persuade you to give him the bigger job if he just showed up. I'm glad you taught him a lesson!

>130 katiekrug: Katie, you can safely skip Such A Fun Age. It should have been called Such A Waste of Time.

It's great to hear that Nuala is so good and doesn't get up to mischief while you're out.

I was going to suggest hiring a goat for the hedge, but it sounds like it might be too high for a goat :-)

We have to take two weeks of leave by the end of August because they don't want everyone going off on holiday once the office is open again, and there being no-one to do any work. As the government has just slapped a 14-day quarantine on people returning from Spain, I'm not sure how popular overseas holidays are going to be. I'm assuming that British people are holidaying in Europe because of the reciprocal healthcare arrangements (which I think are in place until the end of the year) - as far as I know the travel insurers aren't covering Covid so that's a problem for anyone wanting to go further afield.

Sending lots of sympathy your way, Katie. Thank heavens you have The Wayne ready to step up and give it try.

>142 susanj67: Instead of a goat maybe a giraffe?

I have to gloat a bit. I have a SIL who is thinking of becoming a handyman. He can do pretty much everything. I feel your pain though, trying to hire people. I need my chimney repaired, something that isn't yet in SIL's skill set, and I have been calling places every week all summer before I finally caught someone in the office last week. People! Even if you're busy and don't want the work, call a person back!

>140 lauralkeet: - He found what he wanted and it will be delivered a week from Tuesday at the latest. Until then, my hedges will be rather funky looking!

>141 rosalita: - It was so weird, Julia, but maybe your theory is correct. I was so careful to be very up front about the nature of the job in my communications with him! Oh well....

>142 susanj67: - Indeed, Susan, a goat would not work. The hedges are rather tall. The Wayne had to use a ladder to reach the top and he is 6'4"...

That makes sense about having to take holiday so everyone doesn't skedaddle at once.

>143 DeltaQueen50: - He (weirdly) likes to do outside work, Judy. I loathe it more than anything because it makes me hot, and I hate being hot. And we are having quite the heat wave here... So I knew he *could* do it (assuming he had the right tools), I was just trying to save him the hassle because his list of projects is getting rather long :)

>144 RebaRelishesReading: - Yes! A giraffe would certainly come in handy!

>145 BLBera: - I wish I could send you my chimney guy. He did our chimney inspections when we bought the house and was delightful to deal with.

Ugh, it's hot. And tomorrow is going to be 98F! GAK! We have central air, but I'm convinced the units aren't big enough to deal with heat like this, as I can't get the inside of the house as icy as I would like it.... One of the few things I miss about Texas is the industrial strength a/c everywhere :)

Despite the heat, I was bored this afternoon so convinced The Wayne to go out to a new pub that's opened in the town center. We had some drinks outside (watermelon margarita for me!), and tried a couple of appetizers (onion rings and giant pretzel). Everything was very good, so we'll be back.

Now, TW has a whole chicken on the smoker, and I have prepped some zucchini to go on for a couple of minutes when the chicken comes off... We're thinking about watching 'Office Space' tonight - haven't seen it in forever and it's one of TW's favorites.

Still enjoying my print and audio reads and having fun plotting what's next...

Plain ol' vile out.

98° there! Only 91° here, bad enough if you ask me. And *I* have a 5,000 BTU window unit *blech* facing west.

*sob*

>148 richardderus: - 98 tomorrow. Not sure what it was today other than GROSS.

Got the painting hung above the new cabinet in the living room. I'm still experimenting with the "accessories" but here is the reader figurine in situ...

I like the new figurine position! And the hammered-copper ewer. The painting looks like it was commissioned to coordinate with the chest. Those tacky people playing dress-up in that photo simply must be 86d, though.

One thing I really couldn't stand about Texas was the air conditioning. It was always far too cold. I took to taking a jumper with me everywhere and I'd put it on when I went indoors. Mind you, even for me 98 would be a bit warm.

It's raining here - for a change. And my showerproof coat turns out to be nothing of the sort. I got home from shopping this morning unexpectedly damp.

>133 katiekrug: Oh, sorry! I didn't mean my comment as advice, really (I loathe that sort of thing) - I was just in general agreeing with you that I do NOT enjoy picking up fresh poop. Just, EW. Those stealthy second rounds are...stealthy. Technically Mario is Charlie's dog so *he's* the one who carries the spare poop bags when we go for walks...

>135 katiekrug: OMG, that's so annoying. What a turd (speaking of poops).

>150 katiekrug: *Love* it! It all goes together so well!

>151 richardderus: - Bwahahahaha! I love that photo :)

>152 Helenliz: - I'd always rather be cold than hot, Helen. But I often had a cardigan on in the office. Annoying about your coat!

>153 scaifea: - No need to apologize, Amber! I understood what you meant. Picking up poop is the worst. I don't understand how TW is so cavalier about it - just swoops in and scoops up.

Thanks for the sympathy about The Turd and the love for my decorating skillzzz!

Hi Katie!

>150 katiekrug: Very pleasing to the eye. I especially like that cabinet.

It's going to be 94F here today with a heat index of 102-108F. That's the official forecast for our little town. It's always hotter here.

I almost always wore long-sleeved shirts to work because it was either too cold in the winter because they were stingy with the heat or it was cold in the summer because the AC was too strong. Here now at the house it's 75F, which works for me. And if it seems hot all I have to do is go outside for a few minutes to appreciate it.

So. Does TW do catbox duty because of your unhappiness at having to deal with poop?

>155 karenmarie: - Hi Karen! Thanks re: the cabinet. It was a good find. And on sale! I've run out to CVS to pick up a prescription and now I won't leave the house. I've told TW he is on dog duty all day because I refuse to leave the a/c :)

And yes, he does the cat box, too. I *can* do it if I must, but it's really his responsibility. As are any barfs that might "come up" as it were.... Heh.

Something you love AND on sale! Can't beat that. You've done your outside duty by going to CVS today. I stepped outside to refresh the water in the birdbath. Both of those qualify as not leaving the house again. *smile*

I do the cat boxes at our house, but Bill did them for the 19 days I was out of town visiting friend Karen in 2018 and the 3 days I was out of town with my sister at Biltmore last year.

I made the cat yak rule at our house - whoever sees it first has to clean it up. We're both pretty honest about it.

I've always wondered why "oh, hairballs!" isn't a more prevalent swear-word. As (or more) revolting as "shit" is.

>157 karenmarie: - I do the cat box when The Wayne is away, which, thankfully, isn't very often. And certainly not lately!

>158 richardderus: - Well, now I'm going to have to start using "oh, hairballs" when annoyed :)

>150 katiekrug: Nice cabinet and art arrangement!!

>150 katiekrug: Love it.

>160 RebaRelishesReading: - Thanks, Reba.

>161 BLBera: - Thank you, Beth.

I finished up my audio and my print book yesterday so today is Book Turnover Day :) Not sure what I'll choose next on audio, but my library hold on the last book in the Bareknuckle Bastards trilogy has come in, so that's what I'll have going in (e-)print. And it looks like I am next in line for The Lantern Men, so that's the *next* book sorted!

Still hot, but it hasn't been too humid, so it's bearable. Nothing much going on here really...

>163 katiekrug: I enjoy the series' name more than I suspect I'd enjoy the books (what with my ewww-ick heterophobia), but it just sounds like such a good-time read that...
...
...nope got too many *really* wanna reads to fool around on "juuust maybe"s.

Still yucky here, too (well of course it is we're ~30mi apart!) and pace Shakespeare, summer's lease has way too long a date for my liking.

>164 richardderus: - It's a decent trilogy, and I like how MacLean turns certain romance tropes on their head, and her heroines are always kick-ass and not weak or mealy-mouthed... But it's not so over-the-top good that I would pester you to give it a try :)

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

I won't summarize the plot, as I'm pretty sure everyone is at least passingly familiar with it by now... While this novel didn't reach the heights that The Underground Railroad did for me, it's still a beautifully written work that tells an important story. I may have more to say after the virtual event with the author tomorrow night, but in the meantime, I'll just note that I can't wait to see what Whitehead does next.

Also, the audio version was very well done by JD Jackson.

4 stars

The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant

I very much enjoyed this novel comprised of interlinked vignettes about the outcast citizens of Dogtown on Cape Ann, Massachusetts in the first half of the 19th century. Prostitutes, "witches," free Blacks, and others spurned by society make up a community of their own and eke out a life on the fringes of that society. Each chapter tells the story of one or more characters and each chapter contributes to the whole to provide a vivid picture of life in a long ago time and place.

4 stars

>166 katiekrug: I was thinking I liked The Nickel Boys more than The Underground Railroad but I just checked my library and see that I gave both books 4 stars. The Nickel Boys has remained in my memory where The Underground Railroad has faded, and it looks like I never wrote a review. Darn it, I was hoping to look back on my reviews for a little "compare and contrast" exercise.

>168 lauralkeet: - I think I was so struck by the creativity and sweep of TUR that it really left an impression on me. TNB was excellent, too, but for me, in a quieter way, I guess.

Crowd sourcing!

My friend, Kelli, has had a relapse of her cancer. I forget exactly what kind it is, but it is pretty rare. It's been a few years since her first go-round, but they found the recurrence during her annual check-up at MD Anderson in Houston. She is going to have surgery in September and asked me for recommendations of "light" reads while she recovers - something she can read on pain killers... She especially likes historical fiction and thrillers - I've come up with a list of the latter but "light" historical fiction is kind of tricky.

Any recommendations? In either category?

>169 katiekrug: I second that -- exactly how I felt.

>170 katiekrug: Philippa Gregory's books? Or would they require too much concentration...yeah, probably.

The Alice Network
Homegoing
The Miniaturist
Tulip Fever
People of the Book
The Lace Reader
The Bronze Horseman
The Wonder
The Essex Serpent
Remarkable Creatures
Euphoria

Well, that's my three-star I've-read-it, didn't-hate-it list off the top of my head.

>171 RebaRelishesReading: - Great minds, Reba :)

>172 richardderus: - I think Philippa Gregory probably requires less concentration than, say, Homegoing... But Tracy Chevalier is a good option - interesting settings and history without being uber heavy...

Ugh - sorry to hear - for light historical fiction how about Constance Kopp series set around 1920s? Or the Irish Country Doctor series (1960s)? Also: David Mitchell The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, Kate Atkinson Life After Life and A God in Ruins, Robert Harris An Officer and a Spy. Just a few!

>172 richardderus: Her Royal Spyness series?

>170 katiekrug: I highly recommend Radio Girls, about the women who helped found the BBC. It has a bit of a madcap espionage subplot that as far as I know never happened, but the main plot line is based on real people and events.

Sorry to hear about your friend's health. In case useful -

If she likes (or even has seen that 90s P&P series) she might like Miss Austen, about an elderly Cassandra trying to rescue Jane's letters from the other side of the family. There's also The Other Bennett Sister about Mary's life after all her sisters had gone.

I also liked The Giver of Stars about the Tennessee book women. I like the Damien Seeker series set in Cromwell's London (if she's interested in historical crime? Not sure if that's thriller-y enough). Similar kind of approach but moving forward in time to 18c and British slave trade, atmospheric Blood & Sugar.

Scrublands was more conventional thriller (set in the Australian Bush, almost as good as Jane Harper). I was going to recommend Long Bright River at this point, but since you recommended it to me, I won't.

Lauren Willig wrote a fun, light series of historical fiction/romance at least partly based on The Scarlet Pimpernel that starts with The Pink Carnation.

To Say Nothing of the Dog is a fun historical fiction/ science fiction time travel romp.

Richard Peck's books are often historical and funny, if she wouldn't mind reading children's books.

I, Claudius reads like a soap opera and is one hell of a romp. I read it as a teenager (and learnt a LOT!) so can't have been that hard to read.

Of the recent retelling of classics (assuming they count) I'd suggest A Thousand Ships The chapters are narrated by multiple characters, so there are lots of breaks to pause and pick up again. It lends itself to stop start reading.

And Alison Weir is a historian who has written a few novels. I've read a couple and they're pretty readable. Certainly lighter (in both style and size) than Philippa Gregory or Sharon Penman.

And Georgette Heyer's romances are all historicially accurate... but not historical ficiton, if that distinction makes sense.

Thanks Richard, Vivian, Reba, Julia, Charlotte, Mary, and Helen! So many good ideas. She certainly won't struggle for options :)

Some of us were talking on Amber's thread about cooking during lockdown. As most of you know, I've never much liked cooking and The Wayne and I used to go out a lot. Well, needs must, and so I cook much more now, or we cook together, and while I don't totally love it, I have come to enjoy it a bit more.

Anyway, last night I made my first frittata. Or sort-of frittata - I don't think the method (baking in a casserole dish) is exactly how it's meant to be done. But it turned out really well, and I am looking forward to playing with different flavors. The recipe I used ended up being rather bland - it needs much more seasoning than is called for, but that's easy enough to adjust. The most annoying part was carmelizing the onions, but it's well worth it to get that flavor. It would be better with cheese, but I'm trying to eat healthier :)



This is the recipe: https://www.5dollardinners.com/frittata-broccoli-caramelized-onions/?fbclid=IwAR.... I didn't set out to make a frittata, but it popped up when I Googled broccoli and onion recipes (I had a lot of both on hand...).

"It Would Be Better with Cheese: An Oral History of the Endless Summer of 2020"

>178 bell7: As I recall this is a sort of companion piece to Three Men in a Boat -- also funny

>182 richardderus: LOL - love it!

>182 richardderus: *snort*

I have to admit a "bung it in" frittata is one of my use the fridge up meals. You can almost throw almost anything in it and it sort of works. I tend to do it all in a frying pan, then throw it under the grill to brown the top and the cheese.

I'm always trawling for book recommendations, so all the suggestions offered for your friend, Katie, interest me too.

More important, I do wish your friend the best modern medicine can provide. Diseases are sooo miserable.

>182 richardderus: - Yes!

>183 RebaRelishesReading: - Hi Reba!

>184 Helenliz: - I'll definitely be making them pretty often from now on, especially since I sometimes find it difficult to use up a dozen eggs, as TW loathes them in all forms :-P

>185 weird_O: - Thanks, Bill. I appreciate that.

My Facebook memories are reminding me that this time last year, I was in St. Lucia. Heavy sigh...

I'm so sorry to hear about Kelli's cancer returning.

Would she like historical romances? Regencies? I've got quite a few that I'll never re-read and would be happy to give her. Excluding Heyer and Balogh, but still quite a few.

Thank you, thank you, thank you
I'm here all week

>181 katiekrug: Everything is better with cheese, Katie. :)

Sorry to see that you are in a forced salary reduction, but yay for more time off!

Glad to see that you and Wayne are enjoying cooking together a bit. Nate and I don't cook well together, but I do love the odd time that he cooks for us!

Frittata is one of my standard go-to meals - but I always add cheese.

>183 RebaRelishesReading: I haven't read Three Men in a Boat but yes, you're right - in fact the characters from that book make an appearance, at one point.

I enjoy following your cooking updates, Katie, and I'm glad it's become at least a little less of a chore for you. I enjoy it when I have the time, but often after a full day of work I simply don't want anything too involved.

Late to the light historical fiction reads request and there's plenty of good suggestions already but I'd toss in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if she hasn't read it yet (or even as a re-read).

Happy Wednesday, Katie. Glad you got to The Nickel Boys. I also really liked that one. Whitehead has been on a nice roll.

>188 karenmarie: -Despite my best efforts, she is not a romance fan, Karen, but thank you so much for the very kind offer!

>189 richardderus: - "Tip your waitress. Try the veal."

>190 BLBera: - Very true, Beth.

>191 ChelleBearss: - Hi Chelle! So nice to see you :)

>192 SandDune: - There will definitely be cheese next time, Rhian!

>193 bell7: - Mary, I only like it when I have enough time to devote to it. I am a slow chopper and prep takes forever, so I prefer really easy things with not too many ingredients :)

>194 MickyFine: - Oh, that's ag reat suggestion, Micky! Thanks!

>195 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! I just finished tuning into the live virtual event with Whitehead on our local public radio station/YouTube. He has a new book coming out next year called Harlem Shuffle. He described it as a crime novel. Can't wait!

>197 katiekrug: Sounds like you should look into Ottolenghi Simple: A Cookbook one of the categorizations is recipes that use 10 ingredients or less. There is an amazing Orzo & Shrimp recipe that is my new favorite (and it's not bad even when substituting tofu for the shrimp). There are some fancy touches -- written when black garlic was all the rage, but I love most of the recipes I've tried. Unfortunately too may of the recipes require meat. :P

>197 katiekrug: I don't know if you'll be able to find it, but I remember a BBC cooking series where the surmise was that each dish only required 5 ingredients (maybe excluding seasonings). I'll have to rack my brains to try and remember more about it.

Ahh, turns out I have a rotten memory. It was Channel 4, and it was Jamie Oliver.
Website, if that is accessible: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/books/5-ingredients-quick-easy-food...
Otherwise it is a book.

>198 ELiz_M: - Mmm, orzo and shrimp. I'll look for the cookbook :)

>199 Helenliz: - There are a lot of recipes out there with just a few ingredients. I have fun Googling!

Here is the link to the Colson Whitehead event I "attended" yesterday evening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j3SE7qRAuw

It starts about a minute and a half in.

It was very good, and I liked hearing about his process. Most interesting to me was when he noted some of the "misdirection" he used in telling Ellwood and Turner's story. Things I didn't catch but when he mentioned them, I was like "Ah. Of course!"

These events usually spend about 20-25 minutes talking with the author, and then have someone who puts the book in a wider context, and then there is usually a musical guest chosen specifically for the book. It's so well done and a nice mix. Last night, the other guest was a reporter for the local Tampa paper who was nominated for a Pulitzer for his reporting on the Dozier School (which Nickel Academy is based on). And the musical guest was Jon Batiste, who gave two nice performances - one a version of "What a Wonderful World" and the other an original piece called "Crescent City Piano Suite" which I just loved.

August's book is a bit lighter than others - All Adults Here by Emma Straub - and the musical guest is Rufus Wainwright (who, apropos of nothing, went to the same boarding school as I did though he was in my sister's class so I didn't overlap with him at all...).

Thanks for the recap, Katie. We missed seeing it live but I was hoping I could play back later. I love the format and look forward to watching it. I’m also going to let my daughter know about the next one — she’s a big Emma Straub fan and loves her Cobble Hill bookstore. And I’m pretty sure she’s already read the book. Win!

>202 lauralkeet: Books Are Magic is lovely!

>203 ELiz_M: Yes it sure is! I've visited with Kate (who currently lives in Bed Stuy) a couple of times.

>202 lauralkeet:, >203 ELiz_M:, and >204 lauralkeet: - I hope to get there. Some day... :-/

>201 katiekrug: I've been distracted from the Colson Whitehead talk (which sounds excellent) by your personal link to Rufus Wainwright. V cool. I don't suppose Martha was there too? I just think she's amazing.

>206 charl08: - No, Martha didn't attend the same school. Rufus and my sister were actually pretty good friends at the time, and kept in touch for a while. When we went to Montreal on a family vacation when she was in college, they met up and he took her out to enjoy some of the night life. I was not invited :-P

He's a bit of a legend at the school. His debut album included a song about it - 'Millbrook.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI3A-cvoBhs

Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean

This is the final entry in the Bareknuckle Bastards trilogy, which, taken as a whole, I found a bit uneven. I also read it out of order - #2, #1, #3 - and maybe that didn't help? I appreciate what MacLean is doing with the trilogy in turning some romance conventions on their head (e.g. #2 featured a "curvy" heroine; the heroes are not engaged in "savory" business practices, etc) and providing a slice of life from a different part of the London in which so many historical romances are set. It's the 1830s and the Bareknuckle Bastards are kings (and queen) of Covent Garden and it's environs, populated with criminals, the working class, and far from the gilded ballrooms of Mayfair. So yes, points for a certain level of progressiveness. But after a while, it all becomes a bit... tiresome. I read romance novels for escape, I guess, so being banged on the head constantly about the plight of women, the gross over-indulgences of the ton, and whatever the 19th century term for social justice issues would be, is not really what I'm looking for. And I kind of hate that about myself, because for too long, romance novels have been dismissed and derided and sneered at. Good on MacLean for giving them some depth, and I know she has legions of loyal readers who appreciate what she is doing. And I appreciate it, too. I just can't fall into her books and love them the way I want to when I pick up something in the genre.

3.5 stars

I'm nearly halfway through The Lantern Men already, and I'm liking it a lot, especially the new dynamics among the characters...

Lapham's Quarterly ran this lovely illustrated timeline about the milestones leading us to the present moment where books are astoundingly cheap.
https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/how-books-became-cheap

>210 richardderus: - Very cool! Thanks for sharing.

>209 katiekrug: I think I'll cave and read that one in August, Katie. I'm glad you're liking it.

I have The Lantern Men envy :-) I've reserved it from the library, but there's no sign that reserves are actually working yet.

>212 lauralkeet: - For some reason, I thought you had already read it, Laura!

>213 susanj67: - It'll be worth the wait, Susan :)

A while back, I joined a local Facebrook group called "Curb Alert" where people post things they are putting out at the curb free for the taking. A lot of times it's crap, like the broken desk chair I offloaded (heh), but sometimes there is good stuff. I usually don't see the good stuff until well after it's posted and so likely gone. But LOOK what I scored today!



It needs to be cleaned up, probably refinished, but it's a beautiful, solid piece of furniture. I currently have nowhere to put it, but it was free, so I couldn't resist :)

>215 katiekrug: How extremely cool! Very nice sideboard, especially for free.

Lucky you, Katie. I'm # 2 on the library reserve list for The Lantern Man. Good to know it's a good one.

>215 katiekrug: Nice.

>215 katiekrug: Looking forward to seeing what you do with it and where you end up putting it.

Ooh, very nice Katie!

I'd have been unable to resist that as well!

Hi Katie!

>215 katiekrug: Beautiful. Not having any place to put it is never a reason to not acquire something, is it?

>216 richardderus: - I was so pleased, RD. Now to actually do something with it...

>217 BLBera: - I'm still enjoying it a lot, Beth. About 75% through.

>218 RebaRelishesReading: - Me too, Reba! ;-)

>219 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura.

>220 Helenliz: - Good to know I'm not crazy, Helen, thanks!

>221 karenmarie: - Well, I try not to accumulate just for the sake of it, but really. This was too good to pass up *grin*

>215 katiekrug: That is a lovely piece of furniture. It’ll polish up nicely.

>223 SandDune: - I hope so, Rhian! I have no idea how to do such things, so I may take it to a professional....

Busy day yesterday - at least for us :)

We got up early to take a bunch of documents to the town shredding "event" which they do twice a year. We have a small office shredder, but we both tend to just let stuff pile up, so it was good to clear out two boxes (!) worth of stuff from the office.

We then drove to a local garden center/farm stand so I could get fresh Jersey peaches and blueberries. The peaches, especially, are SO good right now.

Then we did stuff around the house. Best of all, The Wayne took down the ugly light fixture on the deck, and put up a fan/light combo. It looks so much better, and it's lovely to have a fan out there on these still, humid days.

I cooked an awesome dinner of pasta with fresh summer vegetables. I looked at a couple of recipes online for doing pasta with cherry tomatoes, but I basically improvised and did my own thing, and it turned out great. I wish there had been more...

Not much going on today. I think we are giving Nuala a bath and TW is going to finish trimming the front hedges. And he wants to install a water filter at the kitchen sink. We had one in Dallas - a separate faucet from the main tap - and it was great. So hopefully that will get done. Grilling steaks for dinner, I think, with a side of peppers and onions, and smashed baby fingerlings. Good stuff!

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths

#12 in the Ruth Galloway series, and this is my favorite of the last several, I think. Most of us who read this series tend to do so for the personal relationships more than for the mysteries themselves, but I actually found this mystery rather compelling. The resolution, however, was pretty weak, but *shrug.* The continuing evolution of the personal dynamics among the characters was well done, and I loved the note the novel ended on.

4 stars

Oooh, fresh cherry tomatoes. Perfect for exploding in a hot pan and dumping right on top of cacio e pepe.

Ain't pasta grand?

Happy shredded Sunday!

>226 katiekrug: Agreed! I really loved the one set in Italy, but this one is right up there with that one for me. I am completely invested in the various personal relationships in this series, and I have very definite ideas about how those should work out, of course. :-)

Hi Katie - Your Saturday sounds great. You and Julia are lucky to have read The Lantern Men already. I'm "patiently" waiting my turn. Glad it's a good one. I agree the last few haven't been as good as the start of the series.

>226 katiekrug: All this time you have been mentioning this, Katie, I thought you were reading The Lightning Men - D'oh! At least all became clear with your review.

A shredding day sounds like a really useful and practical thing for local authorities to do.

>229 BLBera: When you finally get it, Beth, I will be envious that you are getting to read it for the first time, so I guess it all comes full circle? :-)

>225 katiekrug: Re: peaches, our weekly CSA box has included peaches twice and we'll get some again this week. I've made a peach crisp with them previously, but I just saw a NYTimes recipe for peach pound cake, and am considering that one for this week. I don't know why, but I prefer my peaches cut up in a dessert rather than as a whole fruit.

>226 katiekrug: Sold! I had already decided to read this one in August, but now I'm thinking it will be my next book. You are so right about readers being into this series for the relationships. And Griffiths always manages to leave me hanging just a bit at the end of each book, which keeps me coming back.

Peaches! I've eaten a couple gifted by my mom. I somehow cannot pick out good peaches -- without fail the ones I buy are rotten inside. :(

>227 richardderus: - I love making random pasta dishes. This one was cherry tomatoes, mini peppers, and red onion, with evoo, a ton of garlic, and a bit of parmesan :)

>228 rosalita: - The Italy one was good, Julia. And yes, I have definite ideas about how things should work out, too :)

>229 BLBera: - I think you'll like this one, Beth.

>230 charl08: - Ha! I do have The Lightning Men to read, Charlotte... Thanks for the reminder :) Shredding days are pretty common around here. The town we used to live in did them, too.

>231 rosalita: - Exactly!

>232 lauralkeet: - Oooh, a peach pound cake sounds fabulous, Laura. I will have to resist looking up the recipe, though, as pound cake is a dangerous thing for me to have around. I like plain peaches on their own, as long as they are at the perfect stage of ripeness, which seems to only last about 3 hours. Heh. I've been cutting them up and eating them with non-fat Greek yogurt and a handful of blueberries. It's my go-to breakfast.

Yes, do read TLM, stat!

>233 BLBera: - I've given up trying to buy them in the supermarket, Beth. They are just never good. But I've had good luck at our local farm stands and farmers markets.

>234 katiekrug: I saw it on IG. So scrummers.

>225 katiekrug: That sounds like a most productive day! Give Nuala a hug for me as you dry her off from her bath :)

>236 richardderus: - Gracias!

>237 RebaRelishesReading: - I'm sure she would gladly accept any hugs. She did not enjoy the bath :-P

>238 katiekrug: Ah, poor Nuala :(

Our lab cross hates baths too. And the hose/sprinkler. And yet any other body of water he jumps straight into - the sea, the river, ponds, puddles. Yet it depresses him for ages when he has to go in the bath. Go figure. Poor Nuala.

>239 RebaRelishesReading: - I know. But at least she smells good now!

>240 lunacat: - Louis was the same way. I always expect "water dogs" to be fine with any sort of water, but not so much. We would try to wash Louis with the hose on the back patio and he'd resist and resist and then jump in the pool. Silly doggies...

Sorry Nuala did not enjoy her bath! We stopped into a pet supply place today to get food for the cats and there was a golden retriever there getting a bath and they had the biggest doggy grin going on. There were also adorable six-month old kittens (one was polydactyl) roving the store awaiting their forever home. I managed to resist temptation again - I'm not willing to let the animals outnumber Mr. Fine and I. Not yet, anyway. :P

>242 MickyFine: - Hi Micky! Nuala might have enjoyed it more in a better setting. I think the hose water was cold, and she was so wriggly, we were a bit slap dash with the shampoo... But she seems to have forgiven us, thank goodness :)

And so it's Monday again. And August. WTH?

Tomorrow we are supposed to get bad weather from the tropical storm and I'm paranoid about the basement flooding. We have flood insurance (required for our mortgage because of the river at the back of the property). The previous homeowners had to make two claims in the past 10-15 years, so I'm convinced we are doomed. The Wayne seems less concerned :-/

This morning, we went down to a local gym offering personal training, and signed up for private sessions - 2x/week, just the two of us and a trainer. I'm actually looking forward to it, so I guess I've been possessed by the spirit of a restless gym rat or something... It's only a month commitment, and the price was good (and WAY less than TW was paying for his sessions in the city), so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I've been reading Between Two Skies, which is an ER book I won in 2017 (oops). It's actually not bad, for a YA novel. I should finish it today. And I need to pick a new audio to start.

We ended up ordering in Greek food for dinner last night, so the steaks are on tap for tonight.

And now I guess I should maybe actually do some work...

I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott

This was a nice collection of essays (well read by the author on the audio version) about, for lack of a better word, "adulting." Philpott admits she has a pretty good life, so finding depths to plumb is a bit of a stretch. But of course, everyone has challenges and doubts and the need to explore ideas of what it means to be fulfilled and happy, so good for her. While I enjoyed her ruminations on womanhood, motherhood, career, etc., I also couldn't help feeling like there were a lot more interesting people with more interesting experiences out there whose stories would be a lot more impactful.

3.5 stars

JULY SUMMARY

(YTD in parentheses)

Books: 14 (89)

Pages read: 3457 (18,854)
Audio time: 29:22 (251h 51m)

Print: 2 (16)
Kindle: 8 (29)
Audio: 4 (34)

Library: 7 (31)
Mine (pre-2020): 5 (38)
Mine (2020): 2 (14)

Fiction: 13 (65)
- General/Popular: 2 (16)
- Literary: 2 (13)
- Historical: 3 (13)
- Romance: 3 (12)
- Crime/Thriller: 2 (13)
- Juvenile/YA: 1 (7)
- Classics: 0 (3)
- Speculative: 0 (2)
Nonfiction: 1 (10)
Re-reads: 1 (6)

Female: 8 (60)
Male: 6 (29)
Mixed Anthology: 0 (1)

Own Voices: 1 (8)

US/UK authors: 13 (68)
Other countries: 1 (7) (Ireland x2, Canada x2, Sweden x2, Australia)

Date of Publication:

New (2019-2020): 6 (28)
2010-2018: 5 (32)
2000-2009: 3 (17)
1990s: 0 (3)
1980s: 0 (0)
1950-1979: 0 (5)
1900-1949: 0 (3)
19th c.: 0 (1)

July was a good reading month in terms of how many books I really enjoyed. Special shout-outs to City of Thieves, Turbulence, Nothing to See Here, and The Last Days of Dogtown. I DNFed two books, which is a lot for me, but I think I had a happier reading month for having done it. I really need to let myself do it more often. No big plans for August, other than a shared read with Laura, and I might give All the King's Men a go for the AAC.

>243 katiekrug: I mentioned this elsewhere so you may have seen it already but here goes anyway. I used to wash our mostly-Irish-Setter in the shower. I put on my bathing suit and went in with her. That way 1) she was confined without me having to try to hold on to her and 2) I could use warm water. If you have a shower big enough you might give it a try.

>244 katiekrug: I'll keep my fingers crossed that all water stays where it's supposed to be.

>245 katiekrug: Oh dear. Like that *idiotic* white-woman's-privilege thing I just read. Nope. Too few eyeblinks left to do that again.

>248 richardderus: - I did think of your comments on that one (which I had had on my Amazon WL but guess I should take off....). This privileged white lady just trying so hard to make her life seem worth writing about - I feel bad - she seems like a nice person - but she had very little to say, really.

>247 RebaRelishesReading: - Both our showers are rather small, Reba (at least at the moment. I'm hoping the bathroom reno will include a nice walk-in shower), so it's the hose and back yard for now :)

Thanks re: the good wishes for the weather!