RebaRelishesReading in 2021 - #4 summer's here

It's been quite a year so far! Coping with Covid World, traveling more from necessity than for pleasure, getting established in a new home... Still here's some background I'll leave in place.

I I joined LT in 2007 because I wanted to catalog my library but didn't truly appreciate the full wonder of the place until I found the 75'ers in 2012 (I think that's the year). It's a favorite part of my morning now. I also love meeting other members in person when possible.

For those of you I don't know, I'll introduce my self a bit. I'm a Californian by birth and have lived there much of my life but Hubby and I decided last October that it was time to leave our condo in the Uptown district of San Diego and move to some place quieter and, most importantly, nearer our youngest grandchild. We have two older grandchildren who we adore but Ally will be going to college in the fall and Kyle will be sixteen next month so they probably won't be living near us anymore even if we had stayed in San Diego. Quinn turned three in January so we will have many years enjoying him growing up as we did the other two. So I'm adding Washington State to the list of places I've lived at various times in my life: California, Arizona, Connecticut, the Netherlands, England, the Netherlands, California, Ireland, California and now Washington.

I'm a retired city planner who travels a lot (or did pre-Covid). For the past 11 summers we were at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York but among our recent changes we have sold our place there and will probably not attend the season any more. I will miss it but it's time to move on.

I read mostly fiction with a helping of biography or history thrown in. A couple of years ago I finished a personal challenge to read all of the Pulitzer Prize winning fiction. I've also challenged myself to read the Pulitzer wining biographies but I don't seem to be making much progress on that score.

One of the many trails in my beautiful new home, Vancouver, Washington

CURRENTLY READING:

(physical)

(audio)

My Rating System:

Superb *****
Excellent ****1/2
Very good ****
Good ***1/2
Average ***
Don't bother **
Terrible *

READ IN 2021

January
1. What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon**** (audio)
2. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman****(audio)
3. Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner***2/3 (audio)

February
4. This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens***(audio)
5. Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd***(audio)
6. Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand*** (audio)
7. What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand*** (audio)
8. Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand**(audio)
9. West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge ****1/2

March
10. The Late Bloomers' Club by Louise Miller****
11. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths *** (audio)
12. Sunrise on Half Moon Bay by Robyn Carr *** (audio)
13. Where the Light Enters by Jill Biden **** (audio)
14. Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok ****
15. Death Comes to London by Catherine Lloyd ***1/2(audio)
16. Death Comes to Kurland Hall by Catherine Lloyd ***1/2 (audio)
17. Death Comes to the Fair by Catherine Lloyd ***1/2 (audio)
18. Death Comes to the School by Catherine Lloyd***(audio)

April
19. Death Comes to Bath by Catherine Lloyd****(audio)
20. Death Comes to the Rectory by Catherine Lloyd****(audio)
21. The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams ****(audio)
22. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar *****
23. How to Raise an Elephant by Alexander McCall Smith ***1/2 (audio)
24. The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar*****
25. The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith ***

May
26. The Shooting at Chateau Rock by Martin Walker ***1/2 (audio)
27. Finding Barbara: A DNA Story ***1/2
28. LaRose by Louise Erdrich **** (audio)
29. The Big Rock Candy Mountain ****1/2

June
30. Snap by Belinda Bauer ****1/2
31. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje **1/2
32. The New Yorkers by Cathleen Schine***(audio)
33. The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar ****(audio)
34. The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig ****1/2 (audio)
35. Miss Austen by Gill Hornby ***1/2
36. Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan ****

July
37. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead **** (audio)
38. Overstag by Amita Gaige (Dutch translation of Sea Wife)*** (audio)
39. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn ***1/2 (audio)
40. The Stolen Letter by by Clara Benson *** (audio)
41. One by One by Ruth Ware ***1/2 (audio)
42. Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams *** (audio)
43. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich ****
44. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner ****1/2

August
45. The Dark and Sacred Night by Julia Glass ***1/2
46. The Guest List by Lucy Foley ***1/2 (audio)
47. The Secret Life of Violet Grant *** (audio)
48. Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford **1/2
49. Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce ****
50. In Praise of Walking by Shane O'Mara **1/2
51. The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny *****
52. Het Laatste Leid (The Last Song) by Nicholas Sparks *** (audio)
53. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ****
54. Old Filth by Jane Gardam ****

September
55. Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams ***1/2 (audio)
56. The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen ****(audio)
57. The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson **** (audio)
58. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton *** (audio)
59. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller *** (audio)
60. Naar de Overkant by Santa Montefiore ****1/2 (audio)
Dutch translation of Here and Now
61. A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson****1/2

October
62. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
63. Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper (audio) ****
64. State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny*****
65. When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman ****
66. Love and Death Among the Cheetahs by Rhys Bowen ***1/2 (audio)
67. The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen ***1/2 (audio)
68. The Good Lord Bird by James McBride ***1/2

November
69. Amanda's Wedding by Jenny Colgan **1/2 (audio)

Happy new thread and welcome home!

>5 RebaRelishesReading: Wow, you're quick Roni!! Thank you. It's very good to be home and I hope we can stay put for a few months now.

How is your settling in going?

Happy new thread, Reba!

Happy new thread!

Wow, you guys are fast too! Welcome Katie and Susan and thanks for visiting.

>10 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba, glad to see you are home.
This is a great time to put July behind us, isn't it?
>5 RebaRelishesReading: I like the 'welcome back' artwork

Edited to say I sure love the >1 RebaRelishesReading: topper.
Reminds me of hikes in my ol' stompin grounds on Vancouver Island.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Reba.

Happy new thread, Reba.

>2 RebaRelishesReading: Nice picture, would love a stroll there.

You must be glad to be home again! After all the traveling you had to do.

Happy new thread, Reba!

>2 RebaRelishesReading: So beautiful, I would love to join you on a walk there.

Happy new thread, Reba! Your topper is beautiful!

Thank you Sandy, Jim, Paul, Ella, Anita and Amber. It is indeed good to be home and thank you all for the Vancouver love :)

Happy new thread, Reba. I'm glad you made it home safely. I imagine you were happy to leave Florida!

Happy new thread!!

>18 BLBera: I'm always glad to leave Florida, Beth :) This time especially so.

?19 Thanks Rhonda.

>2 RebaRelishesReading: Well, that is full of gorgeous!

Happy new one, Reba!

Hi, Reba. Congratulations on the new thread.

I read over your intro this time, and your career sounds interesting. Is there some book you would recommend to a lay person about city planning? Here I am in the Big City, and ideas keep getting floated for changes, but I don't really know how to evaluate them. A little insight would be interesting.

The Dark and Sacred Night by Julia Glass***1/2

Kit is an art professor who can't seem to find, and keep, the right job. His wife, Sandra, is getting frustrated and the family finances are in crisis. Kit was born to a single mother who has always refused to tell him anything at all about his biological father. He spent much of his youth with a step-father, Jasper, which whom he has a strong bond and now his wife is "encouraging" him to go visit the stepfather to try to learn about his father since she thinks not knowing is at the root of his problems. The book is largely about his relationship with Jasper and finding his biological family.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley***1/2 (audio)

The publisher's summary:

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

It's a good read and my only criticism is that the second half bounces back and forth between
"the wedding night" and events earlier in the day but it did support an interesting approach in that almost the last thing the reader learns is who has been killed.

Hi Reba: I loved The House among the Trees and will try anything by Glass. I think I've read others by her, but they must have been pre LT.

The Foley sounds like a fun read.

Hi Reba, I've only read Three Junes by Julia Glass and that was eons ago. I think it was her debut novel actually.

>2 RebaRelishesReading: That looks just lovely.

Happy new thread, Reba. Sorry to hear about your sister in law and your unexpected trip to Florida but how nice to be able to put everything in capable hands before you left.

Happy new thread, Reba!! Again, sorry about your SIL, but glad to hear the logistics have gone well.

>2 RebaRelishesReading: Love that bridge. And it looks so nice and green and cool! I am so done with this heat. I bet we are almost the same as Florida. Ugh.

>24 RebaRelishesReading: Adding this one to my list - it sounds interesting!

>25 BLBera: Hi Beth. I haven't read The House Among the Trees but you've peaked my interest.

>26 brenzi: Hi Brenzi. I can't think of anything else I've read by Glass except The Three Junes, which I remember liking.

>27 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I got an update from the realtor (she who agreed to coordinate the work) this morning and the clean-out is complete. Power washing also done. Cleaner and handyman lined up to come in right away. So progress is being made.

>28 Berly: Thank you Kim. I'm also done with the heat but at least our A/C is working. At least we're getting a few days respite but I see 100 is expected late next week -- YIKES.

That's a stock photo but I want to go and find that bridge. It does look inviting doesn't it?

>29 scaifea: It's a fun (is that a good word for a murder mystery?) read, Amber. Hope you enjoy it.

Happy day for me today. "My" chair, which I ordered on February 5, was delivered at 8:02 this morning and I'm thrilled to have it. That's the last piece of furniture for the "new" house ... well maybe we'll get a chair for our bedroom but not sure yet ... and it's nice to feel "finished" :)

My intention was to get up today and go dig in the garden (removing some over-grown plants we inherited) while it was still cool, then 30 min on the treadmill before heading back inside for a shower and quiet day reading and cross-stitching. It's now 9:30 and I'm still sitting here doing my morning "computer routine" :( Gotta get up and get moving!!

Happy New Thread, Reba!

Happy new thread, Reba!

>20 RebaRelishesReading: I'm always glad to leave Florida, LOL

>31 RebaRelishesReading: Nice to hear that all the furniture has been delivered.

>32 RebaRelishesReading: Oh yes, I do the exact same thing. Much more time on LT than I should spend, but so much fun to be here with my book buds.

>33 connie53: Thank you Connie.

>34 karenmarie: Hi Karen. Shortly after I wrote that I actually went out and dug up a trash can full of weeds and overgrown plants. Then I did 15 minutes on the treadmill. Not bad for starters!

I just read my e-mail and UA has told all employees that they have to wear masks when on campus. I really don't think it is a big deal to wear masks but I do wonder why people can't just get vaccinated? I know I am singing to the choir, but it does bug me.

I have had a delightful time here in Kansas this last week. Mom is doing well and I got to meetup with two old high school friends. I also attended the county fair three nights in a row and had a great time watching all the people and eating fried food. Corn dogs every night - it was so decadent. I also put up corn with my sister and my cousins. They got the fun and the corn, I got fun and a big blister from the knife on my hand. Together we managed to get 75 quarts of sweet corn bagged and into the freezer.

I have had a good time here in Kansas and my mother is doing much better. She complained that she has done nothing but go to doctor's appointments since April 1, but we seem to have gotten the COVID symptoms under control. Mom is doing much better. She is stronger and I am very pleased with what the Physical Therapy has been able to do for her. We have one more appointment tomorrow in Salina, KS so along with that appointment I hope to manage a meet up with Roni.

>36 benitastrnad: Glad you had a nice time in Kansas and that your Mom is doing better.

I agree -- just get vaccinated people!!

>35 RebaRelishesReading: Well done! I am doing similar things in my garden. All plants growing like crazy. But I don’t envy you your 100 degrees weather.

>37 RebaRelishesReading: Yes, get vaccinated!

Great that your chair arrived and your house is "finished," Reba. I recently ordered a new chair as well. October. Oh well.

>24 RebaRelishesReading: On my WL. Your review is a teaser and inveigled me into placing a hold on the Overdrive library. I'm #24 and there are 35 copies, so it should not be too awfully long a wait.

I hope this Lucy Foley is a better story than The Book of Lost and Found.
I tried to enjoy the 'B of L & F' story but it was so clichéd and rather predictable that the book became thoroughly tedious (DNFed because the due date arrived and I was only halfway through).

>40 SandyAMcPherson: For me The Guest List was a good audio book for when I'm also doing something else but please note my star rating (***1/2) and don't expect too much.

Glad that final chair arrived!

>38 EllaTim: Thanks Ella. We were having mid-70's when I did that. Supposed to be 90 today and then back to 100+ for three days -- I won't be working in the garden then!

>39 BLBera: Thank to you too Beth. I'm loving my new chair. It's just perfect for keeping me comfy while reading and/or doing needlework.

>42 thornton37814: and thank you too Lori.

Hooray for the chair finally arriving!! Most exciting. We just ordered new furniture for our living room (two sofas and a chair), and they are estimating November, which would be lovely. I won't hold my breath, though.

And my chairs that I ordered in April are estimated January arrival! (Custom fabric upholstery, though.)

We ordered a sofa in June with estimated delivery in October, which has now been delayed to November. We'll see. I was talking to someone in the interior design business recently who said the delays were due to supply chain shortages in making the foam that goes into upholstered furniture -- specifically raw materials supplied by petrochemical companies in the gulf coast. I thought that was interesting, even though it doesn't make it any easier to put up with delays.

>44 Crazymamie: Good luck, Mamie. I hope they make it but my experience with "supply chain woes" has not been encouraging.

>45 ronincats: This chair was custom fabric too which is why it took so long. The sofa and rug ordered during the same visit have been here since March (I think...long time anyway).

>46 lauralkeet: I've heard foam and I've heard lumber for the frame ... not sure what's going on but I do know wait times are extreme lately.

It's 10 a.m. and it's 78 degrees outside. I think I'm going to skip the treadmill today (it's in the garage). I'm also worrying about my 2 p.m. pickle ball lesson tomorrow. The court is inside but not air conditioned. It's supposed to be over 100 again tomorrow.

Apparently the only facility in this country (in Louisiana) that makes the foam used in furniture, burned to the ground. I don't know where they're getting it now Reba.

>24 RebaRelishesReading: >40 SandyAMcPherson: Dropped by to say I snorfled the Lucy Foley thriller-mystery.

Thanks again for the review ~ it sure snagged me. I'll review it in a day or so on my thread, it was a four star read for me. Just the right amount of pandemic-escapism, for sure.

>49 brenzi: Yes, Bonnie I heard that too but I've heard so many things I'm not sure I believe any of it. But then maybe I'm just being cranky.

>50 SandyAMcPherson: I'm glad you liked it, Sandy.

So I ended up going out to the treadmill anyway yesterday. It was hot, but hot too awful. Today I have a pickle ball lesson scheduled for 2:00 p.m. It's an "Inside" court but was pretty warm when I was there on a fairly cool day last week. I plan to go but I'm not sure about how long I'll stay!!

The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams *** audio

Vivian Schuyler is a Radcliffe graduate, the daughter of a wealthy "Fifth Avenue" family and an aspiring reporter working for a magazine when she unexpectedly receives an old valise in the mail and learns that it belongs to her Grant Aunt Violet, a person she had never heard of before. Violet decides to unravel the mystery of the bag and write the story up into an article that will boost her career. From there the book follows both the story of Vivian's search and the actual story of Great Aunt Violet who was last heard from by the family in pre-WWI Germany. Lot's of romance (sex) in both stories. I found Violet's story fairly interesting but thought Vivian's was just silly.

Maybe I'm just grumpy these days because I'm finding it hard to like what I'm reading.

>53 RebaRelishesReading: I like your candid reviews and saying something was just plain silly is very helpful, not grumpy at all!
I haven't liked many of my choices these past few months. My profile lists the titles and star ratings so I can keep track of "what did I read last year".
A lot of 2, 2½ star reads. These days, I usually do not review those books unless I'm especially exercised about getting my opinion out there on Talk.

I always write a review for the book's page so I can check if I liked something way later. Covid brain? Old lady forgetfulness, or just plain too many book titles to remember ??

>53 RebaRelishesReading: That would make any reader grumpy. It's when I hit the comfort shelf hard.

Happy Weekend, Reba!

>54 SandyAMcPherson:, >55 quondame: Thanks for the validations, Sandy and Susan :)

>56 connie53: You too Connie!

Happy Saturday, Reba! Sorry about the delay in furniture arrivals. My sister had the same problem with her sofa, which is FINALLY supposed to arrive this weekend. Wishing you an enjoyable read!

>58 Berly: Hi Kim. Thinking about you these last few days. Glad you went to a hotel for the worst of it. Hope you sister's sofa arrives...finally! I'm so happy to have my chair :)

Her sofa arrived!! It looks great and is way more comfortable than the egg shell fold-up chairs they were using. She is ecstatic! Enjoy your chair.

>60 Berly: Hooray for furniture finally arriving! Glad she likes it and I have been enjoying my chair.

Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford **1/2

This book has an unusual starting point. It briefly introduces five children and then immediately has them blown to bits by a bomb. The story then revisits each of them 5, 20, 35, 50 and 65 years later to see what challenges and joys their life might have contained if they had lived. It's an interesting idea but I found it hard to follow the stories when each character only appeared for a few pages in each of the time segments and I didn't particularly like any of the characters enough to spend much time thinking about them.

I was surprised that I didn't like it much because it was strongly recommended by SusanJ and I almost always very much like the books she recommends but this one just didn't do it for me :(

I've seen Light Perpetual mentioned on a few other threads and it always brings to mind the Up Series directed by Michael Apted, an outstanding collection of documentaries following a group of 14 British children beginning in the 1960s and then every 7 years up to 2019. Have you seen them? If not, they're available on Britbox -- best to start at the beginning.

>63 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. Real children on film might be both more interesting and easier to follow. We do have Britbox so I'll see if I can find it and give it a try.

Oh boy I really loved Light Perpetual Reba but I admit it was a bit hard to follow. The good thing is you can just move on to something else.

And I followed Laura's advice and was completely drawn in by the Up series.

Your comments on Light Perpetual are some of the first negative ones I've seen, Reba. You have tempered my expectations. :) The premise sounds like Kate Atkinson, so I am leery, but I will probably give it a try.

I read the reviews of Light Perpetual and it didn't interest me simply from reading the reviews. I thought it seemed confusing. On-the-other-hand, I really enjoyed the Up series. It is one of the few reality TV series that I have ever liked.

>65 brenzi: Bonnie you're another one whose recommendations have led me to many books I loved. Don't know why this one didn't work for me.

>66 BLBera: Beth I hope my tempering your expectations will just allow you to like it even more. Maybe it just wasn't the right time for me.

>67 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I managed to keep the characters straight by looking back to previous sections and reminding myself who they were ... it just didn't seem worth the effort I'm afraid.

It's a beautiful day today so instead of walking on my treadmill in the garage I joined Hubby on his walk in the neighborhood. Been at my desk non-stop since then. Now that the cross-stitch project is done I've started making a ShutterFly book about all of the travels we've done together for my BFF for Christmas. It has been going fine and is fun to relive it all but this afternoon it suddenly won't allow me to move/modify pictures the way it was just this morning!! So I'm going to finish here and take my book out onto the deck. (That'll show 'em...)

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce****

From the cover:

It is 1950. London is still reeling from World War II, and Margery Benson, a schoolteacher and spinster, is trying to get through life, surviving on scraps. One day, she reaches her breaking point, abandoning her job and a small existence to set out on an expedition to the other side of the world in search of her childhood obsession: an insect that may or may not exist -- the golden beetle of New Caledonia. When she advertises for an assistant to accompany her, the woman she ends up with is the last person she had in mind. Fun-loving Enid Pretty, in her tight-fitting pink suit and pom-pom sandals, seems to attract trouble wherever she goes. But together these two British women find themselves drawn into a cross-ocean adventure that exceeds all expectations and delivers something neither of them expected to find: the transformative power of friendship.

I enjoyed this improbable but amusing story and loved the author's wonderful descriptions, for example:
"She was a sweet person, but her intelligence she saved for special occasions".
"It was so much easier to have difficult conversations with Enid when she wasn't there."

Definitely worth a read imo

Over on Amber's thread there's been talk of parental pride so I will take the opportunity to exhibit some. First, if you happen to be watching the Padres vs. Phillies game tomorrow, the national anthem will be sung by my son, Major Thomas Touw of the California National Guard. He recently moved back to San Diego to take up his assignment for the next three years, teaching military history at San Diego State University (coincidently where my husband taught geography for 35 years before retiring). Tom's daughter just moved into the dorms at University of California, Merced to start her freshman year there. She's the wonderful young woman whose prom photo I posted a while back. Her brother will be starting his junior year of high school soon. He is on the swim and water polo teams and also excelling academically with a gpa of 4.68 for his sophomore year.
Those are all of my biological descendants and I'm terribly proud of all three of them and adore them as well. End of boast :)

How exciting for your son, Reba! You have every reason to be proud of him, and your grandchildren as well.

>71 RebaRelishesReading: Wow, you definitely have a lot to be proud of!!

What Laura and Amber said, Reba! That is a whole bunch of full of fabulous going on at the same time. Very happy making to hear so much good news. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you Laura, Amber and Mamie :) This is Tom's second time to sing for the Padres and yesterday they called and asked him to do God Bless America too. We got a FaceTime tour of the dorm room last night. Looks like she's all settled in :)

Hi Reba!

>53 RebaRelishesReading: Maybe I'm just grumpy these days because I'm finding it hard to like what I'm reading. Book grumpies are very specific, aren’t they? Lots of other things can be going well, or lots of other things can be going badly, but we always know when we’re just not reading what we really want to be reading.

>62 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you for the excellent review. This is a book I will assiduously avoid.

>71 RebaRelishesReading: So nice to hear about your wonderful child and grandchildren.

>71 RebaRelishesReading: How exciting for your son, Reba. You do have reason to be proud.

I spied Miss Benson's Beetle at Barnes & Noble this last summer but didn't make the purchase because nobody was talking about it. Now you have, since my local public library doesn't have a copy of it, I will have to place and ILL request for it. Thanks for the good review.

Thanks for the good-news family update, Reba!

Miss Benson's Beetle is on sale for Kindle today, but I haven't pulled the trigger... yet.

Congratulations to your very impressive family Reba. And now I'm off to pull the trigger on Miss Benson's Beetle.

>76 karenmarie: Thank you Karen. You made me feel better about my "grumps". It really was just my reading because otherwise my life is going along quite nicely at the moment.

>77 BLBera: Thank you Beth. I am proud of all of them (plus my "bonus" daughters too actually).

>78 benitastrnad: Hope you get a copy, Benita. As you saw, I liked it.

>79 katiekrug: HI Katie!! Thanks for the info on Miss Benson's Beetle Kindle sale. Did you finally give in?

>80 brenzi: Thank you Bonnie. They're a good bunch :) Hope you enjoy Miss Benson.

In Praise of Walking by Shane O'Mara**1/2

The title of this book grabbed me in a book store one day not insignificantly because I love to walk. I should have looked at it more carefully. To the extent it says anything new about walking it's in the chapter on the mechanics of walking which provided me with a lot more specific information about the brain and nervous system that I care about or am able to understand. Being a completer I finished it but I'm glad it's a fairly short book.

Congrats to your son!

>83 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda. He does have a lovely tenor voice (if I do say so myself) and has sung for them before. He was in a boys chorus from 5th-9th grade and then did a lot of musical theater (some amateur, some paid) through high school and college.

My pre-ordered copy of this year's Louise Penny arrived just before lunch. Since I hadn't started Crawdad's yet I'm going to put it aside and first see what Mr. Gamache is up to this year:)

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny*****

I'm a Louise Penny fan so it probably is no surprise that I really like this book, however, this one is definitely my favorite so far! It's set in Three Pines again and the reader gets to spend time with the familiar gang there (good start). It's also an interesting detective story but it's so much more than that.

In her acknowledgments, Ms. Penny talks about the impact of the Covid pandemic, particularly through the "theme of a contagion, which reverberates throughout the book. How crowds of decent people can be infected by a certain madness. How extraordinary delusions become popular." The main story line is that a statistician comes to Three Pines at the invitation of a friend who is Trustee of a small local college. The statistician is promoting a study she has done that concludes that because of the economic impacts of the Covid pandemic Canada will no longer be able to afford to keep the disabled, sick and/or elderly alive and should euthanize them. She is drawing large crowds of people, both pro- and con but the pro's are growing in number and enthusiasm.

A side note, is the question of what well-meaning individuals are willing to do about evils in the world. One character is a young woman, a victim of brutality in the Sudan who has been nominated for the Peace Prize. At one point she says to Gamache:

...You'll give money. I imagine you even donated to my cause. You'll serve food to the needy and collect coats for the homeless. You'll give impassioned speeches, but you won't actually life a finger to stop a tyrant. You want others to do it. You want me to do it. You're small. Feeble. A hypocrite. I think....Yes, I think you're probably a good man, at least you like to think so. Decent. But you're also faible. I, on the other hand, am not. I'm neither decent nor weak."

There were many things in this book that made me stop and think and that I won't forget quickly.

The other day Hubby and I decided to explore another one of our local trails and came across this charming surprise. Looks like people actually use it because there were quite a few poems inside on different sizes of paper and in different handwriting. I'm not a poetry fan but I love the idea.

>86 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba! I'm on the hold list for The Madness of Crowds so I only read the first couple of sentences in your review. I'm very happy to see it's one of your favorites!!

>87 RebaRelishesReading: That is super cool. Poetry doesn't usually call to me either, but I would definitely help myself to a poem from that box just for the experience.

>88 lauralkeet: I hope you like it as much as I did, Laura. I don't think I gave anything away in the review or I would have put a "spoiler" curtain on it.

Morning, Reba! Hooray for a 5 star read! I read the first four or five books in that series but then got distracted. I did just pick up the latest Bruno book from the library - I know we share a love of Bruno.

I love the poetry box, Reba.

The new Penny sounds great. I didn't know it had been released.

Hi Reba, I'm just stopping by to say hello. I got some good BBs from scrolling through. We are having cooler weather here and I hope you are too.

>89 RebaRelishesReading: you probably didn't give anything away, Reba, but since I'll be reading it soonish I want to keep my mind clear, if that makes sense.

>90 Crazymamie: Hubby and I both enjoy Bruno so we listen to it when we are on long drives. It's fun and we especially like the description of rural French life. You might try the latest Penny. It isn't like some where you miss not having read all of the previous ones (shhh, don't tell Susan I said that).

>91 BLBera: Hi Beth! I think it was released on the 24th. I pre-order them so I get them pretty quickly.

>92 Oregonreader: Hi Jan. Yes, it's been lovely the past couple of weeks. I even broke down and did some serious gardening :) Maybe this little warming and then we'll get fall...or am I too optimistic?

>93 lauralkeet: Makes perfect sense, Laura. Enjoy!

>86 RebaRelishesReading: Woo hoo! Great to see the new Penny got 5 stars Reba. I should be starting it tomorrow.

>95 brenzi: Hope you enjoy it, Bonnie (but be prepared, it's still full of very short sentences lol)

Het Laatste Lied (The Last Song) by Nicholas Sparks (audio) ***

I like to listen to a book in Dutch every now and again so that I don't lose the language but the choice in the U.S. is limited. That said, I bought this one knowing it would be a "beach read" full of romance and tugs at the heart strings and it was. I was a little surprised at the amount of religion included, however. Still, it was a pleasant enough audio book that kept me company on the treadmill :)

>86 RebaRelishesReading: I think the link you used is not going to the right book, Reba! I was interested because a five star book is always worth exploring.

>97 RebaRelishesReading: I think that is really nice keeping up your Dutch skills

psttt. Its 'lied' not 'leid'. :))

Morning, Reba!

I've read the first Louise Penny but haven't gotten back to the series. I need to, though, because I did love that first one...

Hi Reba!

>86 RebaRelishesReading: Although I abandoned the series, I'm glad you got a 5* read.

>97 RebaRelishesReading: That is a good way to keep up your Dutch, Reba.
Is it easy to get Dutch spoken audio books for you?

I get the Penny books from the library, where I am currently #39. However, my mom also buys them, so I will read whichever copy first becomes available. :)

>98 connie53: You're right, Connie, it isn't going to the right book even though the Penny book is a choice when you hover over the link. I don't know what to do about it either :(

Since Dutch is the only foreign language I speak I don't want to lose it :) Thank you for the quiet correction.

>99 scaifea: Hi Amber. I've liked them all but some better than others (of course). This one goes to a new dimension imo and I like that.

>100 karenmarie: Hi Karen!

>101 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. It does seem to help since I otherwise pretty much never hear or read Dutch. The only place I've found to get them is from Audible and they don't have a great selection. I tried buying from a Dutch source once (you would think that would work in this digital world) but I had to have a Dutch credit card to do it :( I haven't found a way to get print books in Dutch yet but maybe some day.

>102 BLBera: Hope you like it as much as I did, Beth.

The Madness of Crowds Here's the right touchstone.

When you enter a touchstone (or edit the post it's in), it shows where it's linking to in the right column by the edit box. This one defaults to the wrong touchstone, the Charles MacKay book - but at the end of that listing is (others). Click on that and it will take you to a whole list of books that you might have meant - Louise Penny's book is third. Click on the title there and the touchstone will adjust to link to the book you picked.

Sometimes, especially for books with titles that are common words, the one you want just isn't there. In which case, go find the book, click on the title, look in the URL on the page that takes you to (Main Page), and copy the first number (not the last, that's your book, the first one which is the work). Put it in the touchstone as (left bracket)number::title of book(right bracket), and that forces the touchstone to that work.

For Penny's book - the URL I get (because I don't have the book) is https://www.librarything.com/work/26003146. The number you'd want to extract is the 26003146. If I had the book, the URL would be /work/26003146/book/(another number) - same work number, which is the point.

>104 jjmcgaffey: Thank Jennifer. I tried clicking on the correct touchstone on the right (which did come up) but it went right back to the wrong one next time I checked. I think you're telling me you've fixed it now, right?

(back a minute later) -- nope, it's still wrong.

(some time later)-- after trying to insert the number like you mention in your last paragraph I can't get anything to come up except a link to the wrong work. I give up.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens****

My BFF's real-life book club read this back when it was doing the rounds and she gave it to me. She hadn't liked it much and I didn't feel a great attraction so I added it to Mt. TBR. When I was "shopping" for my next book a few days ago I decided something along the lines of "I may as well get it over with" and chose Where the Crawdads Sing. Turned out I really liked it. It's been so talked about that I think I'll leave it at that except to say if you haven't tried it yet, give it a go!

>105 RebaRelishesReading: Did you replace "[The Madness of Crowds]" with "[26003146::The Madness of Crowds]"?

>105 RebaRelishesReading: Oh. Yes. Every time you edit the post it sets itself back to the default (unless you use the number). Which makes list posts with touchstones a real PAIN...(or, why I don't do that anymore...). But if you set it to the right touchstone and then look at the link - hover - it should show the Louise Penny - just don't edit the post.

>108 jjmcgaffey: The trouble I had with touchstoned lists of titles and authors was that once I saved them, if I went back and edited them, the authors would be replaced by the title touchstones. I had to clear the whole entry and re-enter after saving non-touchstoned text.

>109 quondame: Ugh, that's worse than I ever ran into. But yeah, touchstones are fragile...

Old Filth by Jane Gardam****

I'm not a Dickens fan and the cover quote from the New York Times that "Old Filth belongs in the Dickensian pantheon of memorable characters" did nothing make me read this book. It was, however, given to me by a friend so I read it-- and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Old Filth ("Filth=Fail In London Try Hong Kong), the main character, was born in Malaysia to an emotionally absent British governor. The book follows his life, and history, for 80 years through the Raj and much of the 20th century. Again quoting the NY Times on the book cover: "Gardam's novel is an anthology of bittersweet scenes, rendered by a novelist at the top of her form".

Well worth a read.

>111 RebaRelishesReading: The entire trilogy is worth the read, Reba, even though that first one was my favorite. And I love those Europa covers.

>112 Crazymamie: Mornin' Mamie! I didn't know it was a trilogy but now I will go looking. Thank you!

So my tech helpful friends -- does any one else have this problem? Often when I search "Your books" by title and/or by author name nothing comes up. So I think I must have missed listing the book (been known to happen lol) and go to add it only to have the system tell me it's a duplicate. Sometimes the duplicate shows up further down in the list but today there is nothing else on the "add" list but both when searching by author and by title nothing shows up.

>111 RebaRelishesReading: Loved this book! I do like Dickens but I didn’t find anything Dickensian about it, a bit misleading that blurb. The second and third of the trilogy were interesting as well.

I also liked Where the Crawdads Sing and Old Filth, Reba. You've had good luck with the books lately.

>114 RebaRelishesReading: Not sure...for one thing, catalog search is picky. If the title is Boy's and you search Boy or Boys, no luck (I think it'll find Boys', though), and hyphenation is worse. I did have problems a while ago searching for newly-entered books (less than 24 hours ago) - the index was getting behind. I think they fixed that at the time, but it could have come unfixed. Could either of these be the problem?

>114 RebaRelishesReading: An other cause that you can't find a book with search can be that you search in a collection, instead of the whole "All collections". That happens to me sometimes.

Hi Reba!

>106 RebaRelishesReading: I really liked it, too. I’m glad that instead of getting a meh read over with you found a 4* read.

>111 RebaRelishesReading: Your friends are giving you good ones. I read it in 2018 and the 2nd and 3rd books in 2019. Good stuff.

>112 Crazymamie: Ooh yes, Mamie, the Europa covers are marvelous.

>114 RebaRelishesReading: If I can’t find a book I am pretty sure I’ve added I search for the author instead.

>115 EllaTim:, >116 BLBera: Hi Ella and Beth. Yes I have been lucky with my books recently.

>117 jjmcgaffey:,>118 FAMeulstee:,>120 karenmarie: Thanks for the suggestions Jennifer, Anita and Karen - I do check that the title is precise although if it had been entered incorrectly the first time there might be...but then, why would the system tell me there was a duplicate in my collection? I have made the mistake of searching in the wrong "collection". In fact I've done that often enough that I'm sure to check that now. I always try the author when the title doesn't show up after a "duplicate" message and sometimes that brings it up although when I was trying to find the most recent one that the "add books" feature told me was a duplicate I got every other book by that other but not the one I was trying to add. :(

I only found out there are three in the Old Filth group when I reported here. Hope I read the first one first :) and guess I'll have to go looking for the others now.

Old Filth is the first one, Reba. They are all good, but I liked Old Filth the best. The others are The Man in the Wooden Hat and Last Friends, in that order.

BTW, if you just want to see the duplicate book - if you click on the book in the Add Books list, it will show the duplicate in the Book Information section (and you can click and go to the other version's Book Information). Unfortunately I haven't seen any way (ok, yeah, if I edit the book...but that's a pain) to see _when_ the other book was added, which is usually the clearest indicator to me whether it's a true duplicate or I entered this one twice.

I have gotten it telling me I had a duplicate when it was in fact a different volume of a series, or similar - mis-combined. The title might not be identical, then, but too close for LT's comfort.

>122 BLBera: Thanks Beth. I think I'll put them on my wish list but they may never make it to the top :)

>123 jjmcgaffey: Thanks Jennifer. I'll try to hang on to that info for the next time it happens. I do have a few books in two formats (ebook/book/audio) and I've been known to buy the same book twice :) but more often it shows me a duplicate when I'm not sure it really is. Last it was that I wanted to open the book to enter the "start reading" date and it wouldn't come up either under title or author. I thought I had just not entered it (also known to happen) so I went to "add books" only to be told it was a duplicate. That's far from the first time that has happened.

Hi Reba,
I'm slow to keep up with LT these days and not reading as much as I'd like.
I've been culling books I know I'll not re-read in an effort to remove titles that are simply dust-catching 'clutter'.

I recently traded some Jane Gardam to the bookshop where I can keep some credit funds. Old Filth and one of the sequels (The Man in the Wooden Hat) went at that time. I found Book 1 somewhat engaging but the other two not at all. I abandoned Last Friends.

A literary person would be horrified no doubt and declaim 'sacrilege'. I, of course, am not a literary type at all.

>125 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks for that opinion, Sandy. I haven't heard anyone really "rave" about the last two in the series so I may just skip them.

Hi Reba - I just looked back on your comments for Light Perpetual, and I see what you mean. I did end by liking, or at least being interested in, the characters, so it worked better for me, but generally, the kind of structure he uses is tricky.

>127 BLBera: Thanks Beth. Glad it worked better for you though.

Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams***1/2 (audio)

This is the third of a trilogy about the Schuyler sisters, Tiny, Vivian and Pepper. It started more slowly that the first two and was unusual in that Pepper wasn't the main character. That role was Annabelle Dommerich, daughter of a wealthy American woman and a French prince. Annabelle is a generation older than Pepper and takes Pepper under her wing with advice and help. The book alternates between Pepper's current situation and the story of Annabelle's youth just before and during WWII. It started slowly with lots of steamy scenes but becomes rather more interesting as Annabelle's story progresses. All by all, a good read.

In a guest editorial in the NY Times today, Margaret Renkl expresses a worry of mine very clearly:
"If there is anything this pandemic has taught us, it’s that public health is not a local matter. When hospitals in the red-state countryside close, their patients arrive in blue-city hospitals, taking up beds and lifesaving equipment and putting health care workers at risk. When people in the red states aren’t vaccinated, the virus continues to evolve, creating variants that pose a health risk to people everywhere else."

I keep hearing people say "government shouldn't meddle in a personal health decision"...but it ISN't a personal health decision. It affects us all.

>130 RebaRelishesReading: I always learned that my freedom should never invade the freedom of someone else...

>131 FAMeulstee: indeed

The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen****(audio)

The book follows two story-lines. First is Juliette, a 29 year-old English teacher who goes to Venice for a year's study at the Art
Academy in 1937. Juliette has lived a very sheltered life as an art teacher at a girls' school in the English countryside, living with her mother and resigned to the quiet life of a spinster. The second is, Carolyn, Juliette's great-niece who goes to Venice in 2011 to scatter her aunt's ashes after she has died and left a mysterious set of keys and all of her worldly goods to Carolyn. Juliette's story is the dominant one with both a clear picture of life in post-WWI England and Venice as well as the drum-beat of the coming of WWII.

Today was by far the busiest day I've had in 1 1/2 years! I went to a knitting group at 10, pickle ball lesson at 2, 3rd dose Pfizer at 3:30 and I plan to go to choir practice at 7. Life feels so real right now :)

How are your pickleball lessons going Reba?

>133 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I've read other books by this author, mainly the Her Royal Highness series. I'm adding this one to my list.

Good for you for playing pickleball. I've been looking for a place around here to play.

>135 brenzi: Hi Bonnie! Pretty well, I think...but I also think it will be a while before I show up for "beginners' drill" or to actually play a game. I need to get over there sometime mid-week and practice against a wall in a hand-ball court but it never seems to happen.

>136 Oregonreader: Hi Jan! I enjoyed the Royal Highness series too. I don't think this one is part of a series but I wouldn't mind if it was :)

The Narrowboat Summer/akaThree Women and a Boat by Anne Youngson****(audio)

Eve, an industrial engineer, has just lost her job. Sally, a teacher's aide, has just decided she doesn't want to be married any more. They meet on a tow path when trying to save a dog on a narrowboat which is owned by Anastasia who needs medical care which will be difficult, if not impossible, to arrange since she can't stay on her boat where it is, has no place to go and no one to move the boat for her. Eve and Sally agree to move the boat and Eve allows Anastasia to stay at her flat. From there the story follows the ladies as they all face the the changes they may, or may not, pursue in their lives. The reader also gets a lovely look at live on the canals of Britain and those who travel on them.

My first experience with canals was when by BFF and I walked the length of the Kennet and Avon in 2019. Walking at nearly the same pace as the boats we had an opportunity to chat with the people on them, sometimes several days in a row. Back home, Hubby and I discovered some programs on Prime posted by people who live full-time on narrow boats. We find them very relaxing and often watch a segment for 30 minutes or so just before going to bed. Both of these things helped me to really enjoy this book but I think it would be a good read anyway because of its treatment of human kindness and of facing change in one's life.

Here are some reviews from the web:

“Gentle and charming. A chance to think about what really matters.” Reader's Digest

“Lovely...Another heartening story about the possibility of striking out in a new direction at any age. It is also a soothing read, especially welcome in these anxious times.” ―Christian Science Monitor

“Life-affirming and funny.” Good Housekeeping

“The Narrowboat Summer, by Anne Youngson, follows three women intent on reinvention. Charming and cozy, this novel is as warm as a hearth fire.” ―Campus Circle

I'll take note of this one for when I need to relax.

>138 RebaRelishesReading: BB - got it (ebook) from my library. It sounds lovely.

Hi Beth and Jennifer -- I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (audio) ***

I had never read or listened to any of Sue Grafton's books so decided to give them a try. Started with "A" (of course). It was a pleasant enough book but not so great that I'm going to run right out and buy "B".

>138 RebaRelishesReading: I have a British friend whose family rented those type of boats for summer holidays. I think the pace and narrowness of the canal system would not appeal to me, but they loved the gentle progression and the scenery.
The book you read sounds lovely,very friendly and hopefully peaceful. I will look for it when I am not so far behind on my library loans. They're rather cascading too quickly in availability!

>143 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy. I don't really have a desire to spend time on a narrowboat but I do enjoy watching others do it :) There really is a lot more to the book than just the boating though.

>142 RebaRelishesReading:
The Sue Grafton novels aren't bad. I have read a couple of them, but they aren't my favorite either, so like you I have read a couple but am not going to the used books stores just to purchase them.

>145 benitastrnad: Hi Benita!

Hi Reba!

>121 RebaRelishesReading: I think I’m one of the few people who doesn’t use Collections.

>126 RebaRelishesReading: Re the Old Filth series, I liked the second less than the first and better than the third. But it’s all very good writing compared to some of the dreck out there.

>130 RebaRelishesReading: I agree with you and Renkl 100%. I’m not having very much sympathy for unvaccinated people who whinge about getting Covid and end up on ventilators. And the red state hospical/icu crises do impact the states with responsible citizens for sure.

>134 RebaRelishesReading: Ah, 3rd dose of Pfizer. I’m going to send my doctor a message asking about getting it – did you have to wait for the 8 months after 2nd dose I’ve been hearing about or were you able to just get it? If I have to wait 8 months, it will be the end of October. Not that I'll be out and about much. I've totally retrenched back to lockdown mentality.

>142 RebaRelishesReading: I did a Sue Grafton read/re-read in 2018. They’re pleasant and I had most of them on my shelves. I like Kinsey and her world.

>147 karenmarie: Hi Karen. I was 6 1/2 months past second dose. I went to Walgreens, filled out a form (I qualify for immune-compromised) and they gave me a shot. They only had Pfizer and I don't know how the protocol will change after yesterday's ruling (I'm well over 65 though so would still qualify).

I may go back to Sue Grafton some time but it's more likely that I will read #2 in the Old Filth series.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

It's not in my nature to DNF a book but I thought about it many times during the first 2/3 or so of this one but then was glad I hadn't given in by the end. The first part seemed to me to be nothing but the messed up lives of messed up people from messed up families along with "any excuse will do graphic sex". But at the end there is some thoughtful soul searching and choice making that made it worthwhile...I think.

I think Grafton works well on audio, Reba. I've listened to the first three so far this year. They are short and there's enough going on to keep my attention.

>149 RebaRelishesReading: Not sure about this one.

>150 BLBera: Hi Beth. I listened too #1 and will almost certainly get the audio if I go further with the series. It's not a hard "no" but not top of my list either.

As to The Paper Palace -- I'm sure you have better books waiting.

>147 karenmarie: I do use collections, but if I'm checking for a duplicate I always switch to 'all collections' just in case I misidentify the genre. I think it's the latent librarian in me.

>152 ffortsa: Love that, Judy.

Nederlandse vrienden: I'm listening to a book in Dutch and keep hearing a word that (from the context) I'm sure means "a text" but I'm not sure what I'm hearing. Is it "app-je"? And is "emailing" "eppen" in Dutch?

Hi Reba, it's about the app WhatsApp. When you text each other via mobile phone, you can use this app instead of SMS.

>155 DianaNL: Thanks Diana. I never use WhatsApp so didn't think about that but it makes sense. So when saying someone sent a message via WhatsApp you would say "hij appt" ? And if an email was sent "hij eppt"? (When I lived in NL there were was no internet so I'm not familiar with all of the "new" terminology lol)

We're off on a new NW adventure today. Meeting little grandson & Co. for apple picking this afternoon. Expecting a warm, sunny day so should be fun.

>157 RebaRelishesReading: That sounds full of fabulous, Reba! Enjoy!

>156 RebaRelishesReading: Yes to "hij appt", or hij "stuurt een appje" when someone sends a message via WhatsApp.

If he sent an email, he can say "ik mailde" or "ik heb een mail gestuurd/gemaild". Learning all new terminology is not always easy for us Dutch people either ;-)

>157 RebaRelishesReading: Oh that sounds wonderful! I hope you had a great time, Reba!

>157 RebaRelishesReading: Apple picking! Sounds nice. And even better on a nice sunny autumn day.

Those new words are difficult for us as well. They are sort of bastardized English/Dutch. First it was 'ik stuur een appje' en daarna 'ik app je even'. I've recently started apping, so it was a crash course for me as well.

>159 DianaNL:, >161 EllaTim: Thanks Diana and Ella. I was listening to the book on audio and was trying to figure out what I was hearing. He "appt" works with what I was hearing but I have no idea what the other word (that I think means to email) was -- I'll just have to use "mail" if I ever need to say that. I am amused at how Dutch seems to adapt English words for technical things -- makes sense I guess.

Yes Mamie, Diana, Amber and Ella, the apple picking was fun. It was a long (1 1/2 hours or so) beautiful drive along the Columbia River and then up into the mountains with frequent views of Mt. Hood covered with snow. We met them at a park near the orchard we picked at for a picnic lunch and then braved the crowd at the orchard to get our box (them) and bag (us) for the apples. The orchard is very big so we had lots of space once we were actually picking and everyone was having a great time so the atmosphere was perfect. Nice day!! Here's a photo of daughter, grandson and his Papa in the orchard.

Apple picking is such fun isn't it Reba? We usually go in October and I'm sure this year will be no different. Looks like you had great weather too.

>163 brenzi: Hi Bonnie. Yep, it was truly beautiful yesterday and it was fun. Hope you are as lucky as we were!

Naar de Overkant by Santa Montefiore ****1/2 (audio)
(Dutch translation from the English, Title Here and Now

internet synopsis:

Marigold has spent her life taking care of those around her, juggling family life with the running of the local shop, and being an all-round leader in her quiet yet welcoming community. When she finds herself forgetting things, everyone quickly puts it down to her age. But something about Marigold isn’t quite right, and it’s becoming harder for people to ignore.

As Marigold’s condition worses, for the first time in their lives her family must find ways to care for the woman who has always cared for them. Desperate to show their support, the local community come together to celebrate Marigold, and to show her that losing your memories doesn’t matter, when there are people who will remember them for you…

I thought this was a lovely book. The story captured my interest and I loved the characters and the little bits of wisdom scattered throughout. Lots to think about re life in general and re dealing with folks with memory issues.

A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell*****

From the book cover:

It is September 8, 1943, and fourteen-year-old Claudette Blum and her father are among the thousands of Jewish refugees scrambling over the Alps toward Italy, where they hope to find safety now that the Italians have broken from Germany and made a separate peace with the Allies. The Blums will soon discover that Italy is anything but peaceful, as it quickly becomes an open battleground for the Nazis, the Allies, Resistance fighters, Jews in hiding, and ordinary Italian civilians trying to survive.

Tracing the lives of a handful of fascinating characters--a charismatic Italian Resistance leader, a priest, an Italian rabbi's family, a disillusioned German doctor--Mary Doria Russel tells the little-known story of the vast underground effort by Italian citizens who saved the lives of 43,000 Jews during the final phase of World War II. A Thread of Grace puts a human face on history.

Mary Doris Russel is one of my favorite writers and this is an excellent example of why. I loved this book.

You're doing some great reading, Reba! I have A Thread of Grace on my shelf. I know I'll love it.

>166 RebaRelishesReading: Adding that title to The List - I have Doc and The Sparrow in the stacks.

*edited because apparently I can't read

>166 RebaRelishesReading: I've got that one on my shelves, too. I've loved everything of hers I've read so far, so I need to get to this one soon!

Hi Katie, Mamie and Amber! I always love seeing you guys pop up on my thread :) I'm pretty sure you'll love A Thread of Grace too.

This is an exciting day for me, my BFF arrives this afternoon for a two week visit :) I'm trying to get as much done as I can this morning so we'll be able to just hang out as much as possible. She will be reading The Chosen for her bookclub (a favorite of mine) and I'm well into A Town Called Solace so there will definitely be some quiet reading-together time too. We're also planning a Meryl Streep movie series for evening entertainment -- any recommendations?

Reba, have fun with your BFF! It's lovely that she also loves to read. My favorite Meryl Streep is Out of Africa, but I also love The Hours. The girls love Momma Mia. Birdy and I are wanting to watch The Post, which neither of us has seen yet. You really can't go wrong with Streep.

So many good Meryl Streep movies - I guess it depends on what genre you prefer. I love her in the campy She-Devil. And Kramer vs Kramer, where she's infuriating. Postcards from the Edge, Heartburn.... I could go on :)

>172 Crazymamie: , >173 katiekrug: So many great ideas!! We watched Out of Africa not too long ago so probably not that one. Momma Mia his fun, so maybe. I've never seen The Post or Kramer vs Kramer or Postcards from the Edge or Heartburn so all of them go on the list. "Campy" (plus the title)...maybe no She-Devil. It will partly depend on what's available on Prime or Netflix.

I agree you can hardly go wrong with Streep which is why we picked her. Last time BFF visited we did an Aubrey Hepburn series. That was great too.

BFF's booked flight was scheduled so now she's due in two hours later than originally planned. Hope this flight goes and stays on time!!

>166 RebaRelishesReading: My favorite Mary Doria Russell book, Reba. Have fun with your BFF.

>172 Crazymamie: I saw The Post in a theater - it is _great_. Rich story that I knew the bare outlines of, excellent acting all around, and...just very very good.

Morning, Reba! Audrey Hepburn is another great one - which movies did you watch?

>176 jjmcgaffey: Excellent - so good to know, thank you.

Hi Reba!

>x171 How lovely for your BFF to visit. I just looked at Streep’s filmography, and none of the films I’ve seen are easy. Or recent. All, however, are excellent. The Deer Hunter, Sophie’s Choice, Out of Africa, Ironweed. The only lightweight one I’ve seen is The Devil Wears Prada.

Thanks everyone. I is great to have her visit. We talk on the phone often and at length but it's not the same.

>175 brenzi: Hi Bonnie. I loved A Thread of Grace too (as you can see) but I think my favorite so far is The Women of Copper Country. I've also read Epitaph and Doc and liked them a lot too.

>176 jjmcgaffey: Hi Jennifer. Sounds like I need to lobby for The Post. We haven't talked about the movies yet because we weren't home until almost 7 and it was the first night so more to talk about :)

>177 Crazymamie: Right, Mamie -- what we watch? Umm...Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sabrina, Charade, and My Fair Lady (between the three of us we were able to reconstruct that list of a few months ago -- aging memories lol)

>178 karenmarie: Hi Karen. We saw The Devil Wears Prada in the cinema. It was fun but don't think we'll pick it out of the huge catalog of her work for this week. I've also seen Sophie's Choice, which I thought was very good (as I recall) but maybe something new.

I also have A Thread of Grace on my shelf. Maybe this year, if I ever find the willpower to resist those library books.

A TownCalled Solace by Mary Lawson****1/2

In a small town in northern Ontario, a family is in distress because a teenaged daughter has stormed out of the house after an argument with her mother and has disappeared. The seven year-old sister doesn't really understand what is happening because her parents aren't being honest with her in an attempt to protect her. Meanwhile, the neighbor lady has gone into hospital and asked the little girl to take care of her cat while she's away and then is gone longer than expected.

From the jacket: "By turns gripping and darkly funny, it uncovers the layers of grief and remorse and love that connect us, but shows that sometimes a new life is possible".

My records show that Laura recommended this one so "thank you Laura" I loved every minute of this book!

>181 RebaRelishesReading: I have this in the stacks, Reba - you are making me want to get to it.

>182 Crazymamie: I really think you should fish it out and read it, Mamie. You'll be glad you did :)

Uh oh, picked up several wishlist books here . . .

Apple time is fun, isn't it?

>184 sibylline: Glad to be of service, Lucy lol.

Fall is my favorite season and apple picking (my first time) added to the fun.

We had our first Meryl Streep movie last night and chose Death Becomes Her. I was a bit hesitant because I'm not a great fan of dark humor but it was very, very funny!

Glad you are having a fun visit! A Town Called Solace sounds good.

>187 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. It is very good.

A good day yesterday. In the afternoon bff and I headed into Portland for the second concert in 500+days for the Oregon Symphony. All of the pieces they did were great but the main one, Mahler's Second Symphony, was performed with the Oregon Repertory Singers and the Chorale from Portland State. It was amazing...almost overwhelming. I have rarely been so moved by a concert!!

In the evening we continued the Meryl Streep series (together with Hubby) and watched The River Wild, an exciting adventure film. Highly recommended.

This morning I'm finishing off some bread I put to rise last night and making split pea soup for the weekly visit of daughter #2 and little grandson. I'm going to be ready for a quiet afternoon with a book -- hope I can get it!!

>189 RebaRelishesReading:
I had a recent transcendent experience with classical music as well. I watched the Met Opera preform Verdi's Requim and was enthralled. Mesmerized. I was so into the music. And then at precisely 8:30 p.m. the PBS station I was watching switched to a regular Saturday night country music show. I was simply stunned. I sat in my living room with my knitting in my lap and thought there must be some kind of mistake. Who would interrupt such perfect music for that occasion? But they did. I was so angry I shut the TV off completely, but I was still thinking about the music and how perfect it was for the 20th Anniversary of September 11, 2001.

>190 benitastrnad: Verdi's requiem is one of my very favorite pieces of music. I think the transition to country music would be very, very difficult (even though I enjoy country music at the right time and place).

Last night's Meryl Streep film was Hope Springs which was described as a "gentle marital comedy". I didn't really think it was very funny but it was sweet and rather lovely.

Hey, Reba! Just waving as I go through the threads. I know I am never going to catch up.

Happy Tuesday!

>193 alcottacre: Hi Stasia -- very nice to see you :)

Tuesday night we watched Out of Africa. I've seen it three or four times now and really don't feel the need to see it again, but it is an amazing film.

Last night BFF was off visiting some friends and we took the night off from the Meryl Streep Festival.

>195 RebaRelishesReading: I remember when it first came out. It was wonderful!

>194 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. It is nice to be seen.

>195 RebaRelishesReading: I am with both you and Lori. It is a great film!

It's an excellent film but it makes me so sad and now that I know how it ends it's worse. I really hope to never see it again.

Meanwhile...we're going to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood today and planning to come back via Hood Valley to pick some more apples (we're nearly out). Should be a fun (and possibly very chilly) outing :)

I love Out of Africa even though you are right that it is so very sad. I have never even heard of Hope Springs, but "gentle marital comedy" made me laugh out loud.

>199 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie. I'm guessing you'd like Hope Springs, it's available on Prime.

Yesterday we drove up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. It was a glorious blue-sky/puffy white cloud day and the views were amazing. BFF and I had salmon with roasted carrots and parsnip puree all covered with lemon/garlic/caper sauce. I was sorely tempted to lick my plate!!

Streep Festival film for the evening was Laundromat which it turned out we'd seen before. It's an odd film that I have a hard time liking even though I like the message about evil financial forces very much.

>200 RebaRelishesReading: I was sorely tempted to lick my plate!!

Why didn't you? I am sure your BFF would not have minded :)

>201 alcottacre: LOL

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok****1/2

Asher Lev is the son, and only child, of a Hassidic Jewish leader. He is being educated in the yeshiva school and is expected to continue on into a life reflecting the cultural and religious values of his parents. But Asher has a gift. He is obsessed with drawing to the point that he sometimes draws without realizing he's doing it and he shows promise of being a seriously talented artist. His father thinks this is an acceptable hobby but that it is foolishness and certainly not a career for his son. The book follows Asher's life into young adulthood.

In usual Potok style, the book is touching, gripping and thought provoking. Love his work and like this book a lot.

Last night and tonight we suspended the Streep Festival to watch two episodes of Brokenwood, a favorite detective series set in New Zealand. BFF leaves tomorrow so no more Meryl for the time being.

Hi Reba. Trying to visit threads I've been neglecting lately. I hope you are doing fine!

>205 connie53: I am indeed, thank you Connie. Hope you're well too.

Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper (audio) ****

I thought this was a very well done history of the Vanderbilt family in America. It was written and read by Anderson Cooper, son of Gloria Vanderbilt.

Went to Audible sale yesterday and discovered two more Royal Spyness novels I didn't know about :) I have several fun, light audio books cued up now.

Also received my copy of the new Louise Penny/Hillary Clinton novel yesterday...or, I should say, "copies" because I've managed, once again, to order two copies :( If you're going to be at the museum meet-up in Portland this Friday and would like my spare, let me know. First come, first served.

I am reading a really good historical fiction book that has surprised me. Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck. I am reading it for a real life zoom discussion group and I thought it would be a light easy read. It is, but there is lots of meat to this novel. Have you read it?

>203 RebaRelishesReading: The Chosen remains my favorite Potok, but My Name is Asher Lev is up there too.

>207 RebaRelishesReading: I have been curious about that one. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Reba!

>203 RebaRelishesReading:
Will you be reading the sequel Gift of Asher Lev? I ask because you got me with a BB and I wondered if I should just add the sequel now or wait for your review?

>209 benitastrnad: Interesting Benita. I haven't heard of that one.

>210 alcottacre: I agree, Stasia, so far The Chosen is my favorite but I love the four I've read and plan to read everything he's written.

You're welcome re the Vanderbilts. It was interesting and well read (although Anderson has a speech quirk I hadn't noticed before - he often pronounces a "t" as a "d' as in Manhadden)

>211 benitastrnad: I certainly plan to. I don't have any more Potok in house but I plan to read everything of his. I think he's wonderful.

I started the new Louise Penny/Hillary Rodham Clinton, State of Terror last night and am thoroughly enjoying it. If I had a block of time I could have read right straight through it.

There doesn't seem to be a touchstone yet.

While running errands yesterday I listened to the new Royal Spyness I came upon in the Audible sale and wished I had more errands to run :) Hope to spend some time on the treadmill this afternoon and will pick that one up then.

What a happy reading state I'm in right now :)

>212 RebaRelishesReading:
Women in the Castle takes place just after WWII and is about displaced persons and how they got that way. It also deals with the big questions of WWII - such as how people followed Hitler and didn't know what was going on. This is turning out to be a very deep novel with three major women characters that I am really liking. I am listening to this one, and the recorded version is working really well.

A great Portland area meet-up today with a viewing of Judy's (ffortsa) cousin's thought-provoking art work at the Portland Jewish Museum. Connie, the artist, presented her work and then we had time to view and absorb it and even add a few stitches if we wanted to. Afterwards a smaller group adjourned for lunch. It was the first time I was able to get together with (most of) the Portland group since moving to the area almost a year ago. Hope we can do this more often in the future.



left to right: Jim (Magician's nephew), Rhonda (Banjo123), Jan (OregonReader), Judy (ffortsa), Julie (SuziQOregon), me (RebaRelishesReading)

>215 RebaRelishesReading: What a great picture! How lovely to have such a large group of LT-75ers locally! The exhibit sounds interesting as well.

>215 RebaRelishesReading: Great meet up pic Reba!

>215 RebaRelishesReading: Jealous! I love LT meet ups!

Thank you Susan, Bonnie and Stasia. It was an interesting exhibit and a fun time.

>215 RebaRelishesReading: I have to laugh at myself in that picture, Reba. I never remember I have my sunglasses on top of my head like some special tiara. Ah well no chance the headgear blocked someone from view!

>220 ffortsa: I hadn't even noticed them, Judy. With that great smile probably no one looks at the top of your head :) Great seeing you and Jim. Hope you come to Portland often.

State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny *****

My copy of this arrived yesterday and I started reading immediately. As soon as I got home from the meet-up today I picked it up again. The plot involves three bombs that have been detonated on public buses in three European cities. Who is responsible? Why? Will there be more? I was totally grabbed by the story from the beginning and really could have read it straight through if I had had time.

Beyond the gripping plot, however, I enjoyed the book for the barely disguised real life people which were the basis for some of the characters. Finally, the book is a thought-provoking commentary on the state of American society and politics.

Very highly recommended.

>215 RebaRelishesReading: So nice to see a picture of a meetup, Reba!

>220 ffortsa: I didn't notice until I saw this message, Judy, so I went back to the picture. Still hard to see ;-)

>223 FAMeulstee:, >224 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita!

New fridge has been delivered! :) Old one, that came with the house, forever had a lake under the vegetable drawers plus didn't have a filter so the ice always tasted awful. New one is the twin of the LG I had to leave behind in San Diego and I'm thrilled to have it:) Fortunately temp outside is in the 40's this morning so the food is all sitting on the deck table and nearly as cold as it would be ini the fridge. I'm sitting where I can see it incase our local raccoons get ideas. Just saw a squirrel on the deck railing but he took a look and then went on his way.

Hi Reba, it was so great to see you again at the meet-up and thanks so much for your extra copy of State of Terror. It's set to be my next read. I'm adding Town Called Solace to my TBR list. I'm off to watch my youngest granddaughter's soccer game, well bundled up!

>226 RebaRelishesReading: - Yay for the new fridge! I CANNOT wait to replace ours... unfortunately, that timeline has been pushed back so I'll just enjoy the anticipation :)

Glad y'all had a good meet-up in Portland!

>222 RebaRelishesReading: I will have to see if my local library has a copy of that one yet. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Reba.

Happy Saturday!

A meet up! What fun. Thanks for sharing the photo.

>227 Oregonreader: Great to see you and hope you enjoy the book. It and Town Called Solace are each wonderful in its own way.

>228 katiekrug: Too bad new fridge has to wait. I'm delighted to have mine. I was great to get together with the Portland group again.

>222 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Stasia. I imagine they will get it in. I had preordered and only got mine three days ago so it may be a bit for the library -- not sure how those things work.

>230 BLBera: It was fun Beth. Nice of Judy and Jim to come to town and be the stimulus for us to do it.

>215 RebaRelishesReading: So glad you guys had fun! I missed being there as you know. Next time! And maybe I can still go see the art display....

>222 RebaRelishesReading: Sounds like a good one.

>226 RebaRelishesReading: Hurray for new fridge!!

Hi Reba! It was great to see you at the meet-up, and thanks for posting the picture. Hopefully we will get another meet up soon.

Looks like a great meetup, and congrats on the new fridge!

Hi Kim, Rhonda and Ronnie! So nice to see you all here. Let's do have another meet-up before too long and, Roni, why don't you join us? :)

I'm thrilled to have my new fridge. I loved it's twin that I had to leave in San Diego so I know I'll love this one.

Finally, yes the Penny/Clinton book is excellent. I could hardly bear to put it down, even to go to the meet-up.

WhenGod Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman ****

A well-reviewed story about a brother and sister starting with childhood and then skipping to young adulthood. It covers both their personal lives as well as current events of the 21st century. A pleasant read.

Love and Death Among the Cheetahs by Rhys Bowen (audio)****

I was delighted to discover two more Royal Spyness novels when looking through the Audible sale last week. In this one Georgiana and Darcy go to Keyna on their honeymoon and, of course, there is a death for them to resolve.

Morning, Reba! Hooray for the new fridge. Most exciting.

>215 RebaRelishesReading: Great photo - thanks for sharing!

>236 RebaRelishesReading: I liked this one, as well. My favorite by her is Tin Man - it's excellent.

>236 RebaRelishesReading: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Reba!

>237 RebaRelishesReading: I am so behind on that series it is not even funny! I really need to catch up.

Happy Wednesday, Reba!

I really liked When God Was a Rabbit and, like Mamie, adored Tin Man. I am looking forward to getting my hands on her newest novel.

I want to read When God was a Rabbit Reba because I also loved Tin Man and her new one Still Life.

Great meet up picture, Reba. Also good to know you enjoyed State of Terror. I picked that book up at Costco yesterday.

I have read through #10 of the Royal Spyness books, Reba. It looks like the local library has all the rest. If I ever get through the 5 books I already have checked out, I shall have to resume.

Once COVID dies down, Reba, I shall be there.

>238 Crazymamie: Mornin' Mamie :) My phone was used for the photo which made me the designated sharer. When I went to put When God Was A Rabbit on the shelf I discovered I had already read Tin Man. Don't remember a thing about it. Maybe that means I'm due for a re-read, except I rarely do that...

>239 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. It's a good and fairly quick read so you'll be glad you did I think. I had read (actually listened to) all of the Royal Spyness books there were a while ago and assumed the wedding meant the end of them but was delighted to find two new ones now. They are perfect for listening to while driving or knitting or walking on the treadmill or cooking :)

>240 katiekrug: Hi Katie. Nice to see you. I've already posted my best wishes for your last day and your future, freer life but I'll repeat them here to double them.

>241 brenzi: Hi Bonnie. I will probably read Still Life after I get a little more of Mt. TBR read. I'm actually making a little progress on that.

>242 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. I hope you like State of Terror as much as I did!!

>243 ronincats: Hi Roni. I always enjoy Georgiana and Darcy :) and ... one more reason to look forward to Covid getting under control.

It's nearly 4:00 am. I went to bed at 11 but couldn't get to sleep so have been up about two hours now. Glad there's nothing on my calendar for tomorrow because I may spend it in bed. We got our flu shots (big dose) this morning and I have friends who were really sick afterwards. I don't feel sick, just can't sleep :(

>245 RebaRelishesReading: Sorry you can't sleep, Reba. I hope you got some sleep by now.

>245 RebaRelishesReading: Sorry you can't sleep, Reba. I have insomnia intermittently, and it is terrible. I hope you can rest today.

I also enjoyed When God Was a Rabbit and look forward to other words by Winman. I am not doing so well with books from my shelves; those shiny new library books distract me!

>245 RebaRelishesReading: Sorry about the no sleeping, Reba. That happens to me all the time as insomnia is my constant companion. If you had been here, we could have had a party at 4am because Abby, Birdy and I were all wide awake. Hoping you can snag a nap later.

>241 brenzi: I have not read Still Life - how did I miss that one? Thanks, Bonnie!

Thanks for the sympathy Anita, Beth and Mamie!! i may have gotten 2 hours sleep last night but really don't feel bad today. We'll see how this afternoon goes.

>245 RebaRelishesReading: Bummer.

Reba, I'm in the middle of State of Terror and see what you meant when you said it was a page turner.

I'm adding Still Life to my list, which is getting huge. Time to make more time to read!

>250 quondame: Thank you Susan. I'm happy to report, however, that I slept extremely well last night :)

>251 Oregonreader: Sounds like you're enjoying State of Terror, Jan. Glad to hear it!

I'm guessing you're talking about Still Life by Byatt and not Penny's first book Still Life. I'll be interested to hear how you like it.

Sounds like you are getting some real wet weather in that area, Reba. Stay safe.

Sorry about the insomnia Reba. I have occasional nights where I've laid awake but luckily I usually sleep pretty well.

>253 ronincats: Hi, Roni! The really stormy area is the coast we're just getting some nice rain. Enough nice rain that our new tree can be "dug" and planted in our front yard. :)

>254 brenzi: Hi Bonnie. I usually sleep really well too. I wonder if my insomnia was a result of my flu shot that morning. If so, it's the only reaction I had but it was certainly strange for me to have such a sleepless night.

The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen ***1/2 (audio)

In this, the most recent Royal Spyness book I've found, Darcy is away on assignment and Georgiana goes to Cornwall with her friend Belinda to see a "property" that Belinda has inherited from her grandmother. The two end up staying in a grand house now owned by two childhood friends of hers from when she used to spend summers in the area with her grandmother. A typically fun tale in my favorite "beach read" series.

Love and Death Among the Cheetahs by Rhys Bowen***1/2 (audio)

I went to post The Last Mrs. Summers and discovered I had never posted this one which I read last week. (I did read them in order, SusanJ, honest I did!)

In this Royal Spyness, Darcy and Georgianna are in Kenya on their honeymoon when a suspicious death occurs (fancy that!) and they help to solve it.

Hi Reba!

>203 RebaRelishesReading: I read My Name is Asher Lev in my 20s and remember being deeply moved by it.

>207 RebaRelishesReading: I have The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss on my shelves and should really try to get to it one of these days. The family fascinates me.

>212 RebaRelishesReading: a speech quirk I hadn't noticed before - he often pronounces a "t" as a "d' as in Manhadden) My daughter, like may North Carolinians, says “im-por'-Dant” instead of “im-por'-Tant” or, as I do, "im-por'-tnt", with a glottal stop. I tease her a lot about saying it incorrectly. I think she got it from school.

>213 RebaRelishesReading: State of Terror is on my shelves, just waiting. Maybe next. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. And, >222 RebaRelishesReading: 5 stars. Definitely up next. Yay for the happy reading state.

>215 RebaRelishesReading: Very nice, and thanks for labeling with first names and LT user names.

>216 quondame: Nice to have a new fridge – we’re waiting on a new hot water heater. They’ll be here within 30 minutes or so. I’ve hated every refrigerator we’ve had in this house for some reason – I think this one is #4 in 23 years. I’m hoping it breaks next year so I can get a shiny new one.

>245 RebaRelishesReading: Glad you got your flu shot, sorry it gave you insomnia.

Morning, Reba! You are reminding me that I need to get back to that Royal Spyness series - those are so fun on audio, although I'm going to be sad when I run out of the ones narrated by Katherine Kellgren.

>258 karenmarie: Whew Karen -- that was quite a catch up!! Most interesting the North Carolinians pronounce "t" as "d". I wonder where Mr. Cooper got it.

Good luck with new fridge. I just love mine and was so sorry to leave its twin behind in San Diego that I'm actually glad the one that came with the house was leaking and gave me an excuse to replace it :)

>259 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! There's a Christmas one I see on Audible but beyond that I think I'm out again. They are fun indeed :)

The book I'm "reading with my eyes" right now (The Good Lord Bird) really isn't grabbing me so progress is slow :( Not helped by a lot of "desk stuff" I'm having to do right now. If I get a lot done today maybe I can get some solid reading time tomorrow and finish it so I can move on.

I have a copy of Tin Man on the way to me as it has been in the BlackHole for forever now.

>261 RebaRelishesReading: I hope you get your reading time tomorrow, Reba!

>262 alcottacre: Thank you Stasia. I hope so too but not so sure it will happen.

I have moved Good Lord Bird to my bedside table as I am thinking that I will get to it soon. I have been reading some very good historical fiction lately and thought this one would be another good one. Maybe not?

>261 RebaRelishesReading: I can tell you The Good Lord Bird audio is excellent Reba.

>264 benitastrnad:, >265 brenzi: Hi Benita and Bonnie. I think the problem is more wrong book for right now than that there's a problem with the book. I know a fair amount about John Brown so there isn't much suspense to the story for me and somehow it just isn't capturing me. That said, I'm over half way through and will finish (but then I am a finisher, always hopeful that the thing that will make me love it is on the next page, so...)

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride***1/2

This is the story of John Brown told from the perspective of a fictional young slave who finds himself traveling with Brown's "army" during the Kansas raids and up to the attack on the armory in Harper's Ferry. It gives a good overview of Brown and his campaign but I was pretty familiar with the story and it didn't add much.

>267 RebaRelishesReading: I am much less familiar with the story, Reba, and hope to read this one soon.

>267 RebaRelishesReading:
Have you read Cloudsplitter? That is a huge fictionalized biography of John Brown. I have wanted to read this book Good Lord Bird because of the references to Kansas and to see how closely it follows the terrain.

>268 PaulCranswick: The broad story of Good Lord Bird is accurate history as far as we know it I believe. "Little Onion", the character from which the story is told, is pure fiction but compelling. An excellent story to read if you want to know more about John Brown.

>269 benitastrnad: No, I haven't read Cloudsplitter and I think I'll skip it. I really don't feel the need for any more John Brown, interesting character though he was.

We were supposed to have a visit from little grandson this morning. It's been a while because he's going through the first-year-in-preschool-get-to-know-all-of-the-viruses phase of life. He had ear infections over the weekend but was all well for Halloween but...sick again today. Just as well because I have a bit of a drippy nose and scratchy throat myself today and wouldn't want to give that to him. Oh well, best laid plans...

>271 RebaRelishesReading: I hope your grandson recovers soon, Reba. Have a great week - and feel better soon yourself!

Reba, you posted on my thread today, and I thought hey wait a minute, what's happened to Reba's thread? Well of course it's been here all along and I must have fat-fingered it into red-x oblivion. And it took me far too long to realize it. I'm so sorry! I have no hope of catching up so I'll just start fresh here.

>272 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia. He seems to bounce right back so I imagine he'll be fine, maybe even for (pre)school tomorrow. My nose and throat seem to be getting better as the day goes on so perhaps it will be gone tomorrow too :)

>273 lauralkeet: Glad you found me again, Laura.

>271 RebaRelishesReading: Oh that's too bad Reba. We were just discussing how the kids around here, including my grandkids, aren't having colds or viruses and it must be because they wear masks. I don't know but I know they haven't been sick....so far.

>275 brenzi: Hi Bonnie. These are little guys -- Quinn his 3 and I think the class is 3 & 4 year olds. They have mostly been kept at home with very little contact with non-family until they started school (true for Quinn at least) and now they're finding the usual cold, ear infection, etc. things that pre-schoolers often get. I hope he'll build his immune system and not catch everything he gets near before long :)

>271 RebaRelishesReading: Boy are those not the fun years. Until I learned to use a syringe to administer antibiotics to Becky she was pretty much non-stop infections from the first daycare at 18mo.
I do hope your health and grandson's and schedule all sync up soonest.

Morning, Reba! I hope you are feeling better today and that your grandson makes a quick recovery - I remember those days. Rae also has a cold, and it is a nasty one - she is home sick today which she never does. (She was negative for Covid, though so yeah for that.)

Hi Reba!

>271 RebaRelishesReading: Ah yes, the get-every-thing in preschool phase. I remember it well. Sorry you’re both under the weather

>277 quondame:, >278 Crazymamie:, >279 karenmarie: Thank you for the sympathy and good wishes Susan, Mamie and Karen. I feel OK this morning and think I will make it for my pickle ball lesson this afternoon. Haven't had a report on Quinn yet but so far he has bounced back quickly, just catches something quickly afterwards too :(

Reba, I finished State of Terror and really enjoyed it. Stayed up late one night to finish it.

I have a 4 year old grandson who just started pre-school and has already caught the sniffles. He had to go home and wait to be Covid tested. He was negative of course. But if he has to do that every time, I wonder how much school he will miss. It must be tough on the teachers, having to monitor each child.

Working as a school librarian in a preK-12 school back in the 1980's taught me the value of the Flu shot. There is nothing on the planet as germ laden as a 3rd grader!

I got the flu three times in one year in the middle 80's and after that I got a flu shot every year.

>281 Oregonreader: Quinn will be 4 in January. He seems to miss at least one day a week with various drips, coughs, sore throats, etc. He has now had 5 Covid tests (all negative).

Glad you enjoyed State of Terror. As you know, I thought it was great!

>282 benitastrnad: We get flu shots every year too -- I see no reason to get sick if there's a vaccine to protect me.

Amanda's Wedding by Jenny Colgan**1/2 (audio)

Typical romance. It was good to knit and garden to but would have been rather tiresome if I had not been semi-distracted I think.

Hi Reba - I hope you feel better - I remember those early school years when it seemed like the kids had constant colds, etc. I hope you get to see your grandson soonish. I know I see less of my granddaughter now that school has started, and I really miss her.

>285 BLBera: Hi Beth. We managed a visit yesterday afternoon. He was a bit tired after being at school from 9-1 but that just made for a more restful visit for all of us :) I'm fine -- it was just a one-day off-day for me.

>284 RebaRelishesReading: I think I will give that one a pass.

I hope you and your grandson continue to improve. Happy Thursday, Reba!

>287 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. Thanks, I think we're both quite well now. Unless you want some mindless diversion from something, you're quite right to leave that one alone.

Hi Reba ~ simply heading over for a visit, dropping a line as I skim by to catch up. I'm avoiding book bullets as best I can (my TBR pile is intimidatingly high).

>289 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! Thanks for stopping by :) I fully understand about TBR piles growing out of control.

>288 RebaRelishesReading: I am glad to hear it! And as far as mindless diversion goes, no thanks - at least not right now. I have too much mindful diversion going on right now. I am reading some really good stuff!

Happy Friday, Reba!

>291 alcottacre: Happy Friday to you too Stasia. Have a good weekend too, OK?