Ffortsa crosses her fingers for 2022

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Charlas75 Books Challenge for 2022

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Ffortsa crosses her fingers for 2022

1ffortsa
Editado: Abr 27, 2022, 5:33 pm

Thanks to Dr. Neutron for starting us off. More later!

and this is later:

Hi again. I'm Judy. Maybe we haven't met. In 2021, I read 81 books!

As is true for most of us 75ers, I have too many unread books on my shelves, in my Kindle library, in my mind to read. I belong to two book groups, neither of which is actually CALLED a book group, so that slows down my browsing a bit. Still, that should only account for 24 titles a year. Lots of room for more.

We've been doing a lot of traveling this last half-year. It feels reckless now, but so far, so good. A family wedding, a family art installation, visits with friends (all vaccinated), several trips to art museums. The only new activity that hasn't felt reckless was walking, with two groups: Everwalk and Shorewalkers. It's great to get outside.

Wishing everyone a healthy happy 2022.

READ:


January:
1. @Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
2. ♬An Odyssey: A Father, A Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn, read by Bronson Pinchot
3. @The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
4. @10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak


February:
5. ♬1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (2014-11-18 audio) by Eric H. Cline
6. @Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown
7. ♬Immensee by Theodor Storm
8. A Deadly Cliche by Ellery Adams
9. @A Nest of Vipers by Andrea Camilleri
10. @Black River by S.M. Hulse
11. @↩The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

March:
12. @The Sky Took Him by Donis Casey
13. @The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
14. @The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith
15. @Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

April:

16. @The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
17. @Chat by Archer Mayer
18. @The Fire Dance by Helene Tursten
19. Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw
20. ♬The Jew's Beech Tree by Annette von Droste-Hülshoff
21. @The Likeness by Tana French

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

DEACCESSIONED:



Icons denote ebooks, library Wherebooks, off the shelf, etc. modified from Bianca's list
♬ audiobook
✔ off the shelf
@ e-book
✿ TIOLI
↩ reread
✗ dnf photo

2drneutron
Dic 25, 2021, 9:01 am

Glad you're back! We'll see you then.

3SqueakyChu
Dic 29, 2021, 12:02 pm

Hi Judy! Dropped a star so I won't lose touch with you. Hoping your new year is healthy, safe and happy!

4ffortsa
Dic 29, 2021, 3:42 pm

>3 SqueakyChu: Hi Madeline. Same to you. I sent that package off yesterday, but no telling when it will get to you, of course.

5Crazymamie
Dic 29, 2021, 4:24 pm

Dropping off a star, Judy, and hoping I do a better job of keeping up with the threads in 2022.

6Berly
Dic 29, 2021, 8:22 pm

ed!!

7ffortsa
Dic 30, 2021, 1:01 pm

I have some reading leftovers to deal with:

In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise by George Prochnik
The Way We Are: What Everyday Objects and Conventions Tell Us About Ourselves by Margaret Visser
Gilgamesh: A New English Version by Stephen Mitchell
The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier
A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages by Harold Bloom
Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 1 (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Marcel Proust

A few are the longer think-about-it type, one or two I might DNF. In addition, there's the book due for the downtown reading group on Tuesday, which I guess I'd better start!

8ffortsa
Dic 30, 2021, 1:03 pm

>5 Crazymamie: You and me both. I've missed so many people this year, their reading, their events, their jokes. I will attempt a better routine in the year to come.

9Familyhistorian
Dic 30, 2021, 1:37 pm

Hopefully there's more travelling in store for 2022, Judy. I miss it too. Our travel restrictions are strict here and one of the last international trips I did was to NYC in 2019.

10The_Hibernator
Dic 31, 2021, 8:28 am

Happy New Year Judy!

11PaulCranswick
Dic 31, 2021, 8:31 am



This group always helps me to read; welcome back, Judy.

12banjo123
Dic 31, 2021, 2:22 pm

Happy new year, Judy!

13jessibud2
Dic 31, 2021, 2:31 pm

Dropping a star even though I mostly lurk. Happy new year, Judy.

14ffortsa
Dic 31, 2021, 6:14 pm

It's 6PM on New Year's Even, December 31, 2021. Regrets to all the folks whose threads I couldn't keep up with last year - I'll try to do better in 2022.

It's been a frustratingly warm day in NYC - not a wisp of winter, and tomorrow, New Year's Day, is supposed to be even warmer, mid 50s. I'll be walking in Central Park with my Everwalk buddies, in the rain. Alas.

I'm starting off the year with a reading group requirement, Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon. After that, I may turn to my unfinished list, or a challenge, or a group read - so many choices! I'll keep you posted here, as always.

15FAMeulstee
Editado: Dic 31, 2021, 6:26 pm

Happy reading in 2022, Judy!

ETA We had record breaking warm weather here today.

16thornton37814
Dic 31, 2021, 11:04 pm

Hope your year is filled with good reads!

17karenmarie
Ene 1, 2022, 8:50 am

Happy New Year and happy first thread of 2022, Judy!

>7 ffortsa: Lots of ‘currently reading’ books… I abandoned 5 last October so only have 3 books and one audiobook going.

>14 ffortsa: This warm weather surely does suck. We’ve got two more days in the mid-70s, then it should get cooler, although it will still be warmer than normal.

18ffortsa
Ene 1, 2022, 2:15 pm

The walk this morning was good, a little longer than usual, and I think I wore the wrong socks, or the wrong shoes (the beat up ones that wouldn't be destroyed if it rained hard), because I'm sporting some blisters. But still, 4+ miles and over 14000 steps and it's not even 3PM yet!

I forgot to mention that I'm supposed to be reading the new(ish) translation of Crime and Punishment for March. I've wanted to reread it for some time, and a Pevear and Volokonsky translation is always welcome. I'd better get the text soon.

19Berly
Ene 1, 2022, 2:17 pm



Get new socks!! LOL

20ffortsa
Editado: Ene 1, 2022, 2:22 pm

Thanks to Karen, Lori, Anita, Shelley, Rhonda, Paul, Rachel, Meg, Kim, Mamie, Madeline (so glad you got the package), and Jim (our founder) for stopping by. Look at that, real names! Hope that's ok. It's a joy to see you here.

I'm trying a new technique vis a vis threads. I've starred all the group threads and reads, and will address the individual threads through the group list. Will this help or hurt? I have no idea. If it misses, you'll all get starred by the end of the month!

21Crazymamie
Ene 1, 2022, 2:25 pm

Excellent stepping, Judy! Sorry about the blisters.

22BLBera
Ene 1, 2022, 2:33 pm

Happy New Year, Judy. I hope 2022 is a good year for you.

23arubabookwoman
Ene 1, 2022, 3:59 pm

Hi Judy--Thanks for visiting my thread. I'm hoping to try being more communicative this year.
I'm currently planning a trip to NYC for April to visit the kids, assuming covid cooperates. Perhaps we can have a meetup then?

24alcottacre
Ene 1, 2022, 4:01 pm

Happy New Year, Judy! Looking forward to getting hit with lots of book bullets from you in 2022.

25weird_O
Ene 1, 2022, 4:02 pm

Judy! Hi. Bill here. Say hi to Jim for me.

Read on, read on.

P.S. Wonder Boys is excellent. I loved both the book and the film.

26ffortsa
Ene 1, 2022, 5:22 pm

>23 arubabookwoman: yes, yes , yes to a meet up when you get here. Let me know the dates when you have them set, just to make sure we don't sprint out of town accidentally.

Stasia, always a pleasure to see your post. Happy 2023!

Hi Bill. I'm getting into WB - it just took a while.

27jnwelch
Editado: Ene 3, 2022, 8:13 pm

Happy New Year to you and Jim, Judy!

I see A Field Guide to Getting Lost up there. I loved that one. I hope you have a good time with it.

28msf59
Ene 1, 2022, 5:24 pm

Happy New Year, Judy. Good luck with your reading year. Like Joe, I also loved A Field Guide to Getting Lost. It made my list in 2020.

29ffortsa
Ene 1, 2022, 6:00 pm

Ooh, a tandem visit from Mark and Joe. Great. I haven't gotten to you guys yet, but Happy 2022 from me to you.

30Familyhistorian
Ene 1, 2022, 6:11 pm

I just read the end of your 2021 thread and saw you read the first Laidlaw. You were wondering about Rankin's book that continues the series. The Dark Remains is a prequel to the series. I enjoyed the read and how Rankin wrote the Laidlaw character, the Glasgow criminal element and the police.

31_Zoe_
Ene 1, 2022, 6:38 pm

Happy New Year! We'll get back to NYC one day.

32ArlieS
Ene 1, 2022, 10:06 pm

>18 ffortsa: Oh! I wouldn't want the blisters, but I'm jealous of the distance you achieved. For me, one mile is an excellent day.

33AnneDC
Ene 1, 2022, 11:19 pm

Happy New Year Judy. I'm starring your thread and am making resolutions to participate more actively than I did last year. Thank you for the visit and best wishes for a wonderful 2022.

34Caroline_McElwee
Ene 2, 2022, 8:43 am

Happy new year Judy. Many hours of happy reading too.

>18 ffortsa: I can vividly remember when I read Crime and Punishment in my 20s. Long overdue a reread.

35ffortsa
Ene 2, 2022, 9:48 am

>34 Caroline_McElwee: The new translation is supposed to be much closer to the standard (Montcrieff seems to have added a lot of Victorian verbiage, as if it needed to be longer!), and also more - um - vivid, I guess. I'll see when I start it.

>33 AnneDC: Thanks, Anne. One of these days when the situation subsides, we will get down to D.C. again. Maybe we can round up some people.

>32 ArlieS: I'm determined to extend my efforts, but I think I need to research shoes and other gear.

>31 _Zoe_: That would be nice. I'd also like to get out of the city more, so perhaps we will make a trip up your way, in search of things green.

>30 Familyhistorian: Meg, thanks for the info. I'll look for it, knowing that I don't have to read up to it, so to speak.

36_Zoe_
Ene 2, 2022, 11:22 am

>35 ffortsa: Let me know when you start planning a trip up! We've definitely enjoyed having readier access to green space.

37Carmenere
Ene 2, 2022, 12:20 pm

Happy New Year and Happy Sunday, Judy! Gotcha starred and look forward to your upcoming reads.

38witchyrichy
Ene 2, 2022, 5:06 pm

Stopping by to drop a star and wish you a happy new year! I'm close to DC and would welcome a meetup! Meanwhile, I am making a similar resolution...LT is such a great opportunity to connect.

39arubabookwoman
Ene 2, 2022, 6:21 pm

I reread Crime and Punishment about 3 years ago for the first time since high school. One thing I noticed was how influential this book has been on many crime novels/writers.

40EBT1002
Ene 2, 2022, 6:41 pm

This trip to Alaska feels a bit reckless, too, Judy. I have my fingers crossed. We wore KN95s on the plane but we're interacting with a fair number of humans here in the great north.

Happiest of Happiest to you in 2022!

41RebaRelishesReading
Ene 2, 2022, 7:23 pm

>14 ffortsa: It's warm in NY because CA is hogging up all of the cold weather!

Congrats on your great walk yesterday. I need to get back at that as soon as we get home! Happy new year to you both.

42Whisper1
Ene 2, 2022, 7:29 pm

>7 ffortsa: Judy, Happy New Year! May it be happy, healthy and contain books aplenty with time to read them!

I added The Way We Are: What Everyday Objects and Conventions Tell Us About Ourselves by Margaret Visser to the tbr pile. This looks interesting, and people comment a lot about mu furniture, objects, book cases...and books, lots of books.

43Donna828
Ene 2, 2022, 7:46 pm

Happy New Year of Reading, Judy. Thank you for the visit to my thread. Like you, I tend to get lost in this big group and have to come up with a strategy to keep up with people. Right now, I am just attempting to visit those who paid me a visit. I will add others as I have time.

I envy you your travels. We have driven to CO once and made numerous trips to Kansas City from our home in Springfield, MO during these days (years) of Covid. I kind of enjoy road trips, but still don't want to get on a plane. There are so many canceled flights, not to mention the angry people in airports and on planes. I also envy your walking groups. I have a group of 3: me, my husband, and Penny, our rescue dog. We try to go twice a day but when it's cold like today (-12 degree wind chill this morning) I have trouble getting my 10,000 steps in. Are you in the LT Fitbit group? See Mamie for details...

44vivians
Editado: Ene 3, 2022, 5:54 pm

Hi Judy and happy New Year! I love hearing about your walks - hope your feet mend quickly!

45ffortsa
Ene 3, 2022, 1:49 pm

Somehow or other, I knew that I'd put down the wrong year in one of my New Year's greetings. Sure enough - and oh no, it was on Katie's thread!!! When you speak about this, and you will, be kind.

46katiekrug
Ene 3, 2022, 2:10 pm

>45 ffortsa: - If it makes you feel better, I didn't even notice!

47foggidawn
Ene 3, 2022, 2:59 pm

Happy New Year and happy new thread!

48ffortsa
Ene 6, 2022, 9:45 am

This has been a week to deal with doctors for me. Mostly standard stuff, but I'm thinking of emulating my sister somewhat and eating a more plant-based diet. I'm reluctant, but she's having great success with weight as well as her cholesterol count (not much of an issue for me). It just seems more kitchen work. If I can create a system where I'm more prepared beforehand (frozen stuff, for instance), it might work. I did have some delicious lplant-based lunches in Saratoga. I still have 20 lbs. to go to my fantasy weight, and that would make me ridiculously vain and happy.

49katiekrug
Ene 6, 2022, 10:02 am

>48 ffortsa: - I don't think doing more plant-based eating has to involve more kitchen work, Judy. If you're willing to spend a little more, you can buy washed, pre-cut fruit and veg, the IP is great for cooking dried beans and very easy...

50karenmarie
Ene 6, 2022, 10:11 am

Hi Judy!

Good luck with your weight goal and eating a more plant-based diet. My low-sodium requirement had me donating all the pantry high-sodium stuff to the local food pantry and getting frozen vegetables in, but they're languishing in the freezer in the garage. I need to clean out the freezer in the kitchen and bring those bags in!

I've been a poorly-disciplined person over the decades. If I only had 20 pounds to lose I'd be thrilled, but remember the days when I was 20 pounds overweight and the angst it caused me.

51Crazymamie
Ene 6, 2022, 10:55 am

Judy, I would echo what Katie said. I am also trying to eat a more plant based diet, and so far I am very happy with the results. Good luck with those last 20 pounds - I want for you to be ridiculously vain and happy.

52ffortsa
Ene 6, 2022, 11:16 am

Thanks, all, for the encouragement. For me it's mainly habit - I love veggies.

On another topic, I'm in a little bit of a reading funk - or maybe that's not the word. Other activities are waiting, and I'm not comfortable avoiding them by reading! I'll have a review of Wonder Boys posted soon.

And my reading is complicated just a little by my insane determination to read the New Yorkers stockpiled in my nightstand - the last of 2010. Oh, if only the burglars would come!

53Caroline_McElwee
Editado: Ene 6, 2022, 3:21 pm

>52 ffortsa: Ha, one reason I rarely buy New Yorkers!

I'm sure you will soon get a rhythm with plant based meals Judy, it is, as you say, habit. I was vegetarian for 32 years, and moved to being pescatarian about 6 years ago, though don't actually eat a lot of fish. I've just started eating vegan 3 consecutive days a week (Ayurvedic plan), to shift pounds and improve health.

And now, there are so many great cookbooks available.

54RebaRelishesReading
Ene 7, 2022, 12:23 pm

My doctor has been urging me to go to a more plant based diet for a long time but it really isn't happening. First, Hubby likes his meat and, second, I haven't found many vegetarian meals that I like much. Perhaps if y'all start talking about wonderful plant based meals I'll get inspired :)

55katiekrug
Ene 7, 2022, 12:28 pm

>54 RebaRelishesReading: - That chicken enchilada soup you like would be great without the chicken and just more black beans (or add another variety of bean), Reba!

56RebaRelishesReading
Ene 7, 2022, 12:49 pm

>55 katiekrug: Maybe...(shuffles off with sagging head)

57SqueakyChu
Ene 8, 2022, 11:31 am

Hey, all! Keep talking vegetarian meals, low sodium, lower cholesterol, and I'll stop by this thread frequently. Those are my exact goals. I know we have a Kitchen thread here in the 75ers, but I wonder if we could also have a "heart healthy" kitchen thread here...although I'm not volunteering to start or manage it. Any volunteers? I often see recipes on the kitchen thread that look so amazing, but they do not fit the way my doctor wants me or my husband to eat. Perhaps I should also post this in the kitchen thread itself? What do you think? There we could also recommend herat-healthy cookbooks (although with recipes I actually like...since the last one I bought had tons of great recipes that tasted like...nothing...after I made them). :(

Hmmm? I was just wondering... Does my request mean that we have been on LT so long that we are now the "older generation" of this website? Haha!

58ffortsa
Ene 8, 2022, 3:39 pm

1. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

I've been avoiding writing this review because I don't know that I can do it justice. When I started to read it, the central character so annoyed me that if I hadn't had to read it for book discussion I might have put it down. Glad I didn't.

Grady is a mid-life professor of literature who is simultaneously an avoider of adult behavior. He's awash in drugs, mainly but not exclusively marijuana, about to be left behind by his third wife, deeply involved with the wife of a colleague, and unable to finish a mammoth manuscript he has been promising his college friend/editor for years. Through a series of increasingly hilarious crises, he struggles to be a good lover, a good friend, a good mentor, a good son-in-law, and a good writer, all without the requisite growth that would make him less of a has-been wunderkind and more of an adult.

Chabon's language is lovely, inventive, funny, with flights of wonderful description. He tells Grady's story through the stories everyone creates about themselves, either explicitly with foreknowledge, or incidentally, as we all create our life histories. And Chabon is above all else a storyteller, playing with the distance between the public face and the private truth of those who strive toward some wild success of which they inevitably fall short. It's a work about the value of failure, as much as anything, a story that I think will reward many rereads.

59ffortsa
Editado: Ene 8, 2022, 3:54 pm

>57 SqueakyChu: Might be a good idea. I haven't been much of a cook for years, and I could use the company. Here's a salad I'm really interested in recreating, from my recent trip to the Clark Museum. Completely yummy.



60weird_O
Editado: Ene 8, 2022, 4:53 pm

>58 ffortsa: Great review, Judy. Wonder Boys is perhaps my favoritest Chabon. edited to add: And Chabon is the creator of quite a few superb-to-me novels, including ...Kavalier and Clay, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, and Moonglow. Not excluding any other Chabon writings.

61SqueakyChu
Editado: Ene 8, 2022, 9:12 pm

>>59 ffortsa: That looks great! I want to share a wonderful recipe sort of like the one above which I made this past week. I'll post it in a few minutes. In the meantime, I am going to post my "heart healthy" request in the Kitchen thread.

I'm back. Here's my recipe...

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CRANBERRY QUINOA SALAD - serves 6

3 cups butternut squash, chopped into 3/4-inch wide cubes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
3 Tbsp. toasted sunflower seeds

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp. salt, divided
black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In large bowl, toss butternut squash with olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. Arrange coated squash on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. While the squash is roasting, rinse quinoa under cold water until water runs clear. Place quinoa and water in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook partially covered until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. To assemble the salad, combine the cooked quinoa while still warm, roasted squash, cranberries, red onions, and toasted pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. For vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Toss salad with vinaigrette while warm. Season again with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm or chilled. I like it better warm. Note: The quinoa will soak up the majority of dressing while chilling.

---adapted from www.littlebroken.com's recipe by Katya
(50 mg sodium per serving)

It's low enough in sodium that you could still sprinkle an ounce of feta cheese on it without it being too heavy on sodium. It's supposed to be served chilled, but I prefer it warm. The original recipe suggests adding spinach or arugula to it as well or to substitute walnuts or pumpkin seeds for the sunflower seeds in the recipe.

62ffortsa
Ene 8, 2022, 9:07 pm

>61 SqueakyChu: Sounds excellent. I'm lucky enough not to have to watch my sodium intake, so bring on the feta! Must see if I have any quinoa in the house. I do have a ziplock bag of butternut squash in the freezer, chopped by me as an experiment, now gathering frost!

63SqueakyChu
Editado: Ene 8, 2022, 9:13 pm

>62 ffortsa: Let me know if you like it. I thought it was terrific! Quick! Use up that butternut sqaush! :D

64LizzieD
Ene 9, 2022, 12:12 am

Happy New Year, Judy! We have at least 3 concerns in common: eating a more healthful diet (I'm still having trouble after end-of-year indulgences)(butternut squash isn't that easily available around here), walking (my DH and I walk a couple of miles a day, every day), and Chabon. I just put Wonder Boys on my Kindle for $1.99. I've thumbed your review, and I'm delighted to have the book so easily. It sounds like just my thing!
I look forward to following you in the new year.

65ffortsa
Editado: Ene 9, 2022, 7:03 pm

>64 LizzieD: glad we share so much! I hope you like the Chabon as much as I did. I think it will only deepen the next time I read it.

Your supermarket doesn't have butternut squash? Well, if you are near a Trader Joe's, they have it diced and frozen. I just rearranged my limited kitchen shelves and found unsalted roasted sunflower seeds, lots of rice, a package of miracle noodles (recommended by my nutritionist - almost no calories), beans dry and in cans - heavens.

66ffortsa
Ene 11, 2022, 10:17 am

My New Yorker saga continues: For anyone interested, the September 13, 2010 issue is chock full of goodies. Of interest to me:

- an article by Peter Hessler on the history of uranium mining in Colorado, the loss of lives and towns, and the attempts to bring the industry back, (which to date has not happened)

- an article by Peter J. Boyer on the 'C Street House' where congressmen and senators who left their families in their home states created a sort of religious fraternity under the influence of Doug Coe, resulting in both friendships and invasive peer pressure (I guess they go together), and the incongruity of the idea of following Jesus while standing in the way of good government (think Jim DeMint), and how that influence continues in obvious ways today

- An review by Kelafa Sanneh of Barbara Ehrenreich's book "Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America", which relates the history of New Thought, The Law of Attraction, and the kind of thinking that Harold Hill uses to teach the band in 'The Music Man'. Sounds like a good book to read.

And so I beat on against the current of new issues.

67Donna828
Ene 13, 2022, 12:55 pm

Judy, I'll gladly trade my 3-year backlog of bimonthly Bridge magazines for your New Yorkers. I won't bore you with the titles of the articles...

I was pleasantly surprised when my book group read The Amazing Adventures ofKavalier and Clay several years ago. I was prepared to dislike a book about comic books but I ended up loving it. I learned to keep an open mind about books.

This wonderful group of LibraryThingers has also gently persuaded me to read some things out of my comfort zone with good results.

68ffortsa
Ene 13, 2022, 1:26 pm

>67 Donna828: I get the Bridge magazines as well, since I'm a member, but I rarely read them, and give up and toss them on a regular basis. Jim and I keep saying we need to take a refresher course together, so we can create a reasonable partnership (we each play bridge, but know different conventions and sometimes don't know what we are doing anyway.)

69Whisper1
Ene 14, 2022, 8:10 pm

>58 ffortsa: Hi Judy. I've added Wonder Boys to my list of those to read soon. Your description is marvelous!

70magicians_nephew
Ene 15, 2022, 3:19 pm

>66 ffortsa: It sort of makes sense if you're a congress critter and trying to fund a home back in your district and a pad in Washington, that you would buddy up and share houses with other critters in similar straits.

There were days when houses like this were places where consensus was reached between Red and Blue, but now it seems anathema to have R's and D's under one roof. Sort of sad.

71jnwelch
Ene 15, 2022, 7:35 pm

Hi, Judy.

It must be the zeitgeist- Debbi plans to follow a more plant-based diet, too. As I tend to follow chef Debbi’s lead, I’ve been eating very healthily since the turn of the year.

72ffortsa
Ene 16, 2022, 3:29 pm

>71 jnwelch: I think it is. I've been saying 'I'm an Omnivore' for years, but it feels like the right time to change the balance.

73ffortsa
Ene 16, 2022, 3:33 pm

Oof. Today was another scheduled walk with Shorewalkers, from 33rd Street, Penn Station across to the Hudson and up the west side of Manhattan. Goal: 125th Street and a barbecue place. The cold wasn't a problem (teens to start with), but at about 96th St. I suddenly was aware of a broken blister on my ankle. By the time I got out of the beautiful Riverside Park up to Broadway and the subway home, I'd walked up to 100th St. It was beautiful on the shore, and good people to talk to, but I really need better hiking shoes.

The good news: over 14000 steps in two hours.

74jnwelch
Editado: Ene 16, 2022, 3:59 pm

Judy, are you and Jim going to the Sondheim “Assassins”? It sounds so unlikely and so good.

75RebaRelishesReading
Ene 16, 2022, 4:03 pm

>70 magicians_nephew: Indeed it is Jim

76Berly
Ene 16, 2022, 5:34 pm

>71 jnwelch: >72 ffortsa: I just purchase The Weekday Vegetarian. I can't go completely vegetarian or vegan because of all my fish and nut allergies, but I am going to try to eat less meat. I ordered the ingredients for my first dish later this week and I have already been using my existing recipes that use less meat. It fits with the Noom weight loss plan I am trying that recommends less calorie dense foods (Read more veggies). So far, down three pounds!

>73 ffortsa: Ouch! And nice job. You do need new shoes. : ) Happy Sunday!

77ffortsa
Editado: Ene 16, 2022, 5:42 pm

>74 jnwelch: We've seen it, and it was terrific. The CSC theater is so intimate that any well-done production there is wonderful, and this was no exception. Jim will undoubtedly remember more particulars than I will, but it's great. If by chance it travels to Portland, by all means go and see it. It is so newly pertinent, of course. The beginning of our madness, in a sense. Where did you read about it?

This is John Doyle's last directed play for the CSC Rep. He has actually chosen to retire (do directors ever really retire before they keel over?). So he might direct elsewhere, but at the moment they are in transition to a new Artistic director. They've had two wonderful ones in a row, so we have our fingers crossed for the future.

78magicians_nephew
Editado: Ene 17, 2022, 9:43 am

>74 jnwelch: Joe we have been waiting for this production of "Assassins" since forever. We've seen the piece a few times over the years but in an intimate space with a committed cast (and the great John Doyle directing) it really lands the message right between the eyes.

And what the message? "Everyone has the right to be HAPPY!", even if "being Happy" means pointing a gun at the President of the United States. It is a scorching portrait gallery of angry discontented people who feel that their words are not being heard and their needs are not being taken care of. Sound familiar?

There is a beautiful, soaring love ballad -- sung by "Squeaky" Fromme to Charlie Manson. Mind - - - blown. That's the kind of show this is.

And there is a so funny it's tragic scene about Sam Byk a very sad little man who tried to steal a plane during the Nixon years and launch it to crash into the White House, Gee, that could never happen? Could it?

Our genial host is Mister John Wilkes Booth. Our theme statement is made by Lee Harvey Oswald, here memorably played by the guy who played "SpongeBob Squarepants" on Broadway last season. His Oswald is a sorry doomed loser. You can't look away.

There is a song called "Something just Broke" written for the piece after the 9/11 attacks. Seems like "Something just Broke" on January 6th too. We'll have to write that verse ourselves.

Timely and so "topical" it hurts. We're glad we saw it. They may be recording it. Watch this space.

Apologies to Judy for hijacking her thread this way.

79jessibud2
Ene 16, 2022, 9:17 pm

I saw a terrific stage production of Assassins here in Toronto many years ago, I want to say something like 20 years ago, maybe even more? It was the first Sondheim I ever saw (I did see Into the Woods after that, and of course I saw West Side Story but only the film version).

After you refreshed my memory in >78 magicians_nephew:, I would really like to see it again now, through 2022 eyes. I bet it would have a totally different impact now.

80ffortsa
Ene 17, 2022, 1:17 pm

>78 magicians_nephew: Glad you did it. I told Joe you'd have good memories and comments.

81ffortsa
Editado: Ene 20, 2022, 2:08 pm

2. An Odyssey: A Father, A Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn, read by Bronson Pinchot

A few years ago, my read-aloud group read through Fagles' Odyssey, and it made me curious about this title. Mendelsohn is teaching a seminar on The Odyssey, and his elderly father asks to sit in, to refresh his memory from his high school days. For the reader, this becomes a dual text: fascinating notes about the Odyssey itself, and a wonderful meditation on fathers and sons, particularly this father and son, so different from each other. As the ancient story moves forward, the son reflects on his father's reactions as well as his own, and his students' responses, and the search for the father parallels in many ways Odysseus's journey home. Bronson Pinchot read the audiobook I listened to, and I loved every minute of it.

82ffortsa
Editado: Ene 20, 2022, 1:49 pm

Oof. 20 days in and only two books. At least they were wonderful.

I'm two-thirds of the way through Grendel again, this time for a discussion on Monday. And then there are all those leftovers, but I think I might take some time out for a mystery or two.

In that frame, general question: Has anyone read Ann Hillerman's extension of her father's Jim Chee series, and is it good?

83vivians
Ene 20, 2022, 1:59 pm

>81 ffortsa: I loved this one too, Judy, and was so sad to read that Mendelsohn's father died soon after the trip. Such a moving story.

84PaulCranswick
Ene 21, 2022, 9:39 am

Happy Birthday dear Judy. Hope the day brings everything you wish for dear lady.

85BLBera
Ene 21, 2022, 11:06 am

>81 ffortsa: This sounds great, Judy. I'll add it to my list.

I read one of the Ann Hillerman books and it was OK. I don't feel a great desire to continue.

Is it your birthday? Have a happy one, and many happy returns.

86katiekrug
Ene 21, 2022, 11:10 am

Happy Birthday, Judy!

87RebaRelishesReading
Ene 21, 2022, 1:21 pm

Adding a Happy Birthday, Judy!! You share it with my grandson :)

88ffortsa
Ene 21, 2022, 2:28 pm

Thanks for the birthday wishes. We are throwing caution to the winds and going out to dinner and to the theater tonight.

In the meantime I've treated myself to the most recent Louise Penny Three Pines mystery. Then back to finish Grendel.

89ffortsa
Ene 21, 2022, 2:55 pm

Well, I just gave up on my new way of tracking people and starred you all. At least then I can alphabetize the topics. I'm off to read a book.

90PaulCranswick
Ene 21, 2022, 8:34 pm

>89 ffortsa: Good for you, Judy.

Enjoy your dinner and theatre. Stay safe.

91ffortsa
Editado: Mar 2, 2022, 5:18 pm

I seem to have doubleposted here. All gone.

92alcottacre
Ene 22, 2022, 1:03 am

>58 ffortsa: Michael Chabon is another one of my LT discoveries. I still remember how astounded I was by The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay when I first read it.

Have a wonderful weekend, Judy!

93Caroline_McElwee
Editado: Ene 22, 2022, 6:16 am

>88 ffortsa: Belated Birthday Greetings Judy. What did you see at the theatre?

94ursula
Ene 22, 2022, 6:16 am

I guess I missed your birthday. Hope it was a good one, I think you squeak in as a fellow Capricorn?

95karenmarie
Ene 22, 2022, 12:52 pm

Belated Happy Birthday, Judy! I didn't look at my desk calendar yesterday...

I hope you had a wonderful day.

96ffortsa
Ene 22, 2022, 1:57 pm

>92 alcottacre: I'm glad you picked up on Chabon. He's really an excellent storyteller.
>93 Caroline_McElwee: Ah, not so belated. Thanks. We saw 'Skeleton Crew', a play centered on the imminent closing of a plant in Detroit, and four people it will affect. Their relationships, their secrets, their circumstances are so emblematic of America's working class, and the acting is excellent. It's opening on January 26th, and I'll try to post a review when it drops.

>94 ursula: Not quite, Ursula! Just on the cusp. Might account for much of my indecision.

>95 karenmarie: It was pretty good, Karen. We ate at a favorite restaurant, The Hourglass Cafe, named for the old habit of putting an hourglass on the table and promising theater-goers to get them out in an hour, in time for the show. The food is heavenly, and I indulged, and when they heard it was my birthday they comped us a delicious chocolate dessert. Then the play, as I mentioned above.

I have to say, about the play, that the set is fascinating and realistic, as a break-room in a factory, right down to the bulletin boards and the other signs held up with masking tape, the glass-paned wall to the factory floor, and an ingenious proscenium surround composed of crumbling factory wall and video screens. Maybe they will stream it eventually.

And then there was the audience. Broadway has always been the bastion of mostly white upper middle class audiences, but not this time. All four actors (and a dancer illustrating the acting behind that glass wall) are Black, and the audience was overwhelmingly people of color. Theater in New York has been trying for years to get more diversity in the audience, and diversity on the stage helps a lot, of course. This is a straight play, not a jukebox musical, specifically about the working class in Detroit, and there's no reason that the characters had to be Black, but they were, and I suspect most of the factory workers in Detroit are or were. So, truth on the stage. It didn't hurt that Phylicia Rashad headed the ensemble, either.

97ffortsa
Editado: Ene 22, 2022, 2:13 pm

3. The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

I ran through this latest Three Pines story with great impatience, annoyed by almost everything about it, alas. Penny has responded to her public's request for a book about the pandemic, and her story starts with the optimistic end of it by vaccination. The details of the ensuing crisis in Three Pines is overdone in many ways, as is the emotional reactions of our favorite characters (except for Ruth, of course). I only finished the book to make sure Penny didn't do something completely weird. The idea of a campaign of forced euthanasia to ensure economic revival is spurious in the extreme. I don't doubt that academics helped the CIA explore methods of torture after World War II, but for a psychiatrist to experiment on people already in psychiatric distress is terrible science and completely useless, even if torture is a realistic method of gathering intel. And the murder to be solved is so obvious, I was totally impatient to get to the end.

98ffortsa
Editado: Ene 22, 2022, 2:25 pm

We tend to marinate our subscription magazines (at least I do - Jim reads most of his right away). So I've only just read a couple of articles from the July/August issue of the Atlantic. One, on Boris Johnson, raised the possibility that he's crazy like a fox, instead of dumb as an ass. But it also discussed the need (in this case for Britons) to belong to something, to belong to a nation.

The other, by George Packer, is a long, fascinating essay on the origins and characteristics of the current political fracture in our society, and how none of the four Americas he describes is a viable basis for the nation. It's drawn from his new book, Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal.

I don't know if you need to be a subscriber to read it, but here is the link

99katiekrug
Ene 22, 2022, 3:28 pm

>96 ffortsa: - Glad to hear the positive remarks about 'Skeleton Crew', Judy. It had caught my eye.

I thought the Hourglass Cafe (and Bettibar) had closed, but now I see its under new management. Good to know the quality is still there!

100ffortsa
Ene 22, 2022, 5:02 pm

>99 katiekrug: Food is still good, but the upper floors weren't open yesterday. They are currently open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday only. Restaurants in Manhattan have been hit again by omicron.

101Berly
Ene 22, 2022, 5:09 pm

Happy belated birthday wishes! Hope you had fun out in the real world. : )

102ffortsa
Ene 22, 2022, 5:19 pm

>101 Berly: See above! We are going to a concert in the neighborhood tonight, but expect many fewer attendees than usual. If it's not comfy, we'll go home at intermission.

103msf59
Ene 22, 2022, 9:07 pm

It sounds like you had a nice birthday, Judy and the play sounds really good. I am a Chabon fan but have not read The Wonder Boys. I plan on doing a shared read of Moonglow later next month.

104PaulCranswick
Ene 22, 2022, 9:13 pm

>98 ffortsa: That is interesting, Judy.

I think that the Brits generally do have a good sense of belonging just as Boris does not generally have good sense.

I think his problem is one of arrogance over intelligence. Hope that his stint as Prime Minister is in its fag end days as it is simply unacceptable that he would not lead by example and then lie about not leading by example.

The UK did well in so many respects in turning out the COVID jab faster than anyone else and prevailing upon AZ not to profiteer on its distribution unlike the frankly disgraceful Pfizer and especially Moderna. (I think that the biggest scandal of all during this pandemic has been Moderna selling its doses to African countries at a higher price than it does to European ones). That said his personal behaviour has been intolerable.

105ffortsa
Ene 23, 2022, 10:12 am

>104 PaulCranswick: anyone you can think of to succeed him

106banjo123
Ene 23, 2022, 2:18 pm

>81 ffortsa:. I loved this. Did you read The Lost: A Search for Six of the Six Million? That was so good.

107ffortsa
Ene 23, 2022, 2:56 pm

>106 banjo123: I haven't read The Lost. Alas, I tend to avoid Holocost stories these days, as I assume this is (please let me know if I'm mistaken). I know I've missed lots of fine writing, but it's a little hard for me to face them. The last one I read was Sophie's Choice. very tough.

>102 ffortsa: Ha! They fooled us - no intermission at the concert! This was an all-Schubert program of violin and piano duets, the first rather sunny as I always imagine Schubert, but the second and third wonderful. I might even try to play the second one, unless it's a lot harder than it sounds! There is supposed to be a video link posted sometime today, and I'll include it here if it comes in.

108ffortsa
Ene 23, 2022, 3:52 pm

As of the first of the year, I received 593 emails from politicians, political groups, and other often hysterical political organizations. Hysteria may be warranted, but does me no good. I'm going to block them all. If I had to read even a quarter of them and respond, I would have no energy left to participate in my own life or in this democracy. Counting them took long enough!

109Donna828
Ene 23, 2022, 8:31 pm

Judy, it sounds like your birthday got celebrated in style with a play and a concert. Any new books?

110banjo123
Ene 23, 2022, 8:54 pm

>106 banjo123:. I can totally understand avoiding reading about the Holocaust. Mendelssohn spends the book investigating the fate of his great-uncle and his family, who had emigrated to the US, but then returned to Poland. It's a tough read, but really interesting, and beautifully written.

111ArlieS
Ene 24, 2022, 1:07 pm

>108 ffortsa: 593 in a single day?!? Or for the whole prior year?

And yes, I agree very much with your plan. Life is too short to let randos have a bite of my time, in often repetitious and unconvincing attempts to enroll me in thir particulr cause.

112ffortsa
Editado: Ene 24, 2022, 9:21 pm

>111 ArlieS: Not a day, but since January 1st. And of course it continues, as it is taking me a while to get my name off lists. But now I'm checking every day to pick up the strays.

>109 Donna828: We just finished discussing Grendel with our other Zoom group - I reread it for the occasion, since it's pretty short, and very interesting. Next up is 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World, and the first half of the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation of Crime and Punishment. A little light reading. I'll squeeze some other stuff in between.

113Berly
Ene 25, 2022, 11:44 pm

>108 ffortsa: 593 political emails since the beginning of the year?! Ugh! Good luck getting your name off their list.

114arubabookwoman
Ene 27, 2022, 3:09 pm

Hi Judy and belated Happy Birthday!
April trip to NYC is probably still on, but not totally certain. I will keep you advised.
I read the new George Packer book late last year, and it was quite good--does the article mention his categorization of the various factions as "Free Americans," "Smart Americans," "Real Americans" etc.? I really liked his book The Unwinding from several years ago too.

115ffortsa
Ene 28, 2022, 3:08 pm

>114 arubabookwoman: Hi, nice to hear from you! Yes, Packer's essay is essentially a compression of his book, I gather, with the categories delineated.

Do hope your trip is on for April.

116ffortsa
Editado: Ene 28, 2022, 3:15 pm

Theater alert! We saw The Alchemist, produced by the Red Bull theater, last month and loved it. They are now proposing to stream it the first two weeks of February. It was hilarious. And we can all use a laugh. Here's the link:

click here

117ffortsa
Ene 30, 2022, 4:46 pm

The snow gods weren't that angry at us here in Manhattan, NYC. Central Park measurement was 7 1/2", but the main drags around me are quite well plowed and the sidewalks pretty clear. The thermometer said COLD but when I went out in my many layers it was fine. Veggies and such were obtained from Trader Joe and the swank deli downstairs, and the fridge is bursting with stuff.

I'm 2/3 of the way through "10 Minutes 38 Seconds...", but that will only be a 4-count for January. Hm.

118ffortsa
Editado: Feb 2, 2022, 10:46 am

I've been doing the Wordle on two different platforms, one through the internet (it's the UK url) and one through the downloaded app. There are a bunch of them now - I wonder which one is the 'official' one that the Times bought, and if the purchase includes the UK site. The words on the two sites are different, so I get a double chance. Which app are others using?

119katiekrug
Feb 2, 2022, 10:54 am

>118 ffortsa: - The Wordle that the Times bought is the one on the UK url. I don't think it has an app.

120alcottacre
Editado: Feb 2, 2022, 11:27 am

>96 ffortsa: I am going to be reading Chabon's Moonglow this month for Kim's INDIEspensable group read. I hope I enjoy it as much as I have the other books of his that I have read.

>97 ffortsa: I have not yet gotten to that one. I am sorry it was not a better read for you!

>106 banjo123: That one is on my list of books to read this year.

Happy Wednesday (it is Wednesday, isn't it?), Judy!

121ffortsa
Feb 3, 2022, 3:16 pm

5. 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline

I have been listening to this book FOREVER, waiting for a big payoff, but it never happened. Cline cites every possible source of conflicting opinion at every possible moment, and ends up deciding that no one cause of the collapse of the Bronze Age was sufficient explanation, so it must be explained by complexity theory, where multiple interlocking failures occur at the same time.

Was it worth the listen? Well, first off, don't listen to the Cline recording - it's terrible. The older one, in spite of not being updated, is very easy on the ears. Second, the beginning is pretty good, and the book may have been more interesting on paper if there are good maps to follow along with and give a better sense of the geography. I give the reader highest praise for reciting the names of people and places without a hitch, including Shoopilulioomoo (I think).

The book would have been so much better if Cline could have personified the history as does Barbara Tuchman in her book on the 14th Century. This degenerates into names, approximate dates, adversarial archaologists, and other refuted and rerefuted facts. Sigh. But it's done!

122klobrien2
Feb 3, 2022, 5:14 pm

>121 ffortsa: I’ve got a paper copy of “1177 BC” home from the library, and it gets shunted to the bottom of my pile more often than I’d like. It really is a field of interest for me, so I think I’ll follow your lead and JUST GET TO IT.

Karen O

123ffortsa
Feb 4, 2022, 10:30 am

4. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak

This review is a little out of order, as I wanted to think about it after the reading book discussion. Everyone in the group really liked it, and my feelings were more nuanced.

Shafak introduces us to six misfits in Istanbul, via the final memories of one of them, Leila, whose life is truly flashing through her brain as she dies. This is not a spoiler - you learn it on the first page. The five others are the true friends who have helped her make a life in Istanbul after escaping a sad childhood, and we learn about them in the minutes and seconds her brain keeps working. Each has a different reason to be an outcast, a misfit of some sort, and each is dedicated to Leila. They are very distinctive characters and Shafak does them full justice. She also has a real knack for anchoring the story in events the reader knows from recent history, so as to say 'this happened while this was happening elsewhere'.

The story takes a turn after Leila's body is found and buried in a cemetery for the 'Companionless' - what a term! The five friends are determined to give her a more fitting burial.

My reservation about the book is its muted polemic about acceptance. Shafak ultimately presses her thesis a little too much, although I suspect in Instanbul the theme of acceptance needs to be pressed even more than in the U.S.

124ffortsa
Editado: Feb 4, 2022, 10:32 am

6. Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown

I was looking for a cozy after my previous reads, but this was not the right choice. Even more ridiculous than the previous books in the series, with long polemic and political digressions I could have done without.

125ursula
Feb 4, 2022, 11:59 pm

>123 ffortsa: ” after Leila's body is found and buried in a cemetery for the 'Companionless' - what a term!”

In Turkish the term is “kimsesiz”, which literally means “without anyone”. Out of curiosity I looked up cemeteries- I found these two news articles (in Turkish but with photos). One is about the largest kimsesizler cemetery in the country, which is in Van: https://www.sabah.com.tr/gundem/2021/08/26/turkiyenin-en-buyuk-kimsesizler-mezar...

The other is about the biggest one in Istanbul: https://haberglobal.com.tr/gundem/yalnizlarin-son-duragi-kimsesizler-mezarligi-1...

126ffortsa
Feb 5, 2022, 11:34 am

>125 ursula: Thanks so much for the pictures. The story describes them very well, but the actual views with the numbers are so sad.

127LizzieD
Feb 5, 2022, 11:52 am

Oh, Judy! This really is a belated celebration of your birthday! I can at least wish that you may continue to make the best of your new year. I do.
>65 ffortsa: I'm laughing. Our nearest Trader Joe's is 90+ miles away in the Triangle or an equal drive to Wilmington. Alas. I continue to go nowhere except Pinehurst for my eye exam/treatment.
I love to read about things that other people do and the books that they read. I'll be back!

128karenmarie
Feb 5, 2022, 1:12 pm

Hi Judy!

>96 ffortsa: Before our local theater company, Playmakers Repertory, in Chapel Hill, shut down for Covid in 2020, I had been a season ticket holder, first with my MiL, then with friend Louise, since 2012. Sadly, Louise is unable to navigate steps any more, and I’m still hunkered down. They have always been very diverse in their offerings although it is, alas, mostly a bastion of white upper middle class audiences, too. However, it’s good for the white upper middle class audiences to get to see many types of theater.

>97 ffortsa: I’m sorry this book disappointed you. I've stopped reading Louise Penny, although I have State of Terror on my shelves, her book with Hillary Clinton.

>98 ffortsa: There’s limited access if you’re not a subscriber. I don’t know the limit, but copied and pasted the article into Word to read later, at my leisure.

>107 ffortsa: Oof. Sophie’s Choice. You’re right, very tough. I read it before joining LT in 2007, as I must have gotten rid of my copy. I also watched the movie. Double oof.

>121 ffortsa: I have a trade paperback, with maps and photos, and etc. I still want to read it, but figure that I’ll probably start it and abandon it. *smile*

>123 ffortsa: I think we felt about the same. From my review in October of 2019: The end is a combination of satisfying and disappointing, as some of the subtle preachiness becomes a tad more overt.

129PaulCranswick
Feb 5, 2022, 8:28 pm

>105 ffortsa: I would prefer a Labour government but if I could pick amongst the Tories, then probably Jeremy Hunt, Tom Tugenhat or David Davis.

Have a great weekend. xx

130ffortsa
Editado: Feb 8, 2022, 6:09 pm

7. Immensee by Theodor Storm

This is the first novella in an audio compendium of 15 Great Novellas that I've had around for a while. I wasn't interested in starting another huge history tome just now, and novellas are a good size for walking. This was an interesting example of traditional 19th century German fiction, initially charming and then quite sad, dealing with life choices and mistakes.

The next one in the Audible collecction is from 1842,
The Jew's Beech Tree by Annette von Droste-Hülshoff

131ffortsa
Feb 11, 2022, 2:12 pm

44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith

DNF. Life is too short.

132RebaRelishesReading
Feb 11, 2022, 2:16 pm

>131 ffortsa: I always enjoy McCall Smith's Ladies' No. 1 series but have not been able to "get into" his Scotland ones.

133figsfromthistle
Feb 11, 2022, 4:56 pm

Dropping in to wish you a happy weekend!

134ffortsa
Feb 13, 2022, 9:35 am

I was playing Wordle through the app and got it in TWO today, but I don't see how to share it to post.

135katiekrug
Feb 13, 2022, 9:45 am

>134 ffortsa: - Judy, are you playing through the NYT Games app? I don't even see Wordle on there, nor the Games webpage.

136ffortsa
Feb 13, 2022, 9:57 am

No, I don't think it's on the game's page yet because they promised to keep it free, at least for a while. I play twice, once through the wordle app with the square four letter icon, and once directly online, which is the one the Times owns. I achieved my remarkable success on the app. There's a stats page that pops up when you finish on the app, and it has a share button, but I thought it would share the stats and I haven't tried it yet.

137katiekrug
Feb 13, 2022, 10:05 am

Oh, so the app one is not the "famous" Wordle, it sounds like.

138ffortsa
Feb 13, 2022, 10:09 am

If by that you mean the one the Times bought, right. It works the same way, but the words are different each day from the Times. I wonder if it was licensed or just a steal.

139ffortsa
Feb 13, 2022, 10:11 am

Weather report:

Yesterday, 60F and sunny, and I racked up 8 miles of steps!
Today, 31F and snowing.

140RebaRelishesReading
Feb 13, 2022, 3:03 pm

I have the Times games subscription and Wordle doesn't show up there so I've been googling it and using the "Wordle The New York Times" response. I'm doing it on my MacAir (because I like having a keyboard for things that involve words). SO maybe I'm not seeing how to share because I'm not using an app ?

141ffortsa
Feb 14, 2022, 10:59 pm

>140 RebaRelishesReading: you and I will have to appeal to the experts on this.

142ffortsa
Feb 14, 2022, 11:08 pm

8. A Deadly Cliche by Ellery Adams

Well, I wanted a cozy, but this wasn't the one. Too many things happening all at once, and too many of equal narrative weight. Oh well.

143ffortsa
Feb 19, 2022, 8:14 pm

9. A Nest of Vipers by Andrea Camilleri

Quintessential Camilleri, complete with romantic squabbles and great food. The only minor complaint: I guessed the murderer almost immediately. But then, I knew what these books are like, and Montalbano doesn't.

144SqueakyChu
Feb 20, 2022, 6:12 pm

Just stopping by to say hi and to let you know the Bookcrossing suppliers that you seet me are in current use. I sent the plastic release bags by courier (our official BC courier is Bookcrosser 6of8) to other BC members. I'm keeping the BCID (BookCrossing identification number) labels and using them currently and well as using the stickers for outside of books. I told you they would not last long here. Thank you so much! I do hope to meet you and Jim one of these days!

145ffortsa
Feb 21, 2022, 10:10 am

>144 SqueakyChu: So glad they could be put to good use. And are off my own shelves!

Jim and I frequently talk of coming down to D.C. when the time is a little better, and we will certainly coordinate with you.

146SqueakyChu
Feb 21, 2022, 10:11 am

>145 ffortsa: I'll be here...whenever you decide to come! :D

147AnneDC
Feb 21, 2022, 11:13 am

>143 ffortsa: But then, I knew what these books are like, and Montalbano doesn't. This made me laugh! I haven't gotten to that one yet, but already I agree with your assessment.

148ffortsa
Feb 22, 2022, 5:15 pm

10. Black River by S.M. Hulse

A story of loss, in so many senses of the word, and the possibility of connection. Wesley, a former corrections officer and former fiddle player, watches his wife die of leukemia, and tries to connect with his stepson, all the while dealing with the trauma of a prison riot and the prospect of parole for the man responsible. Not a spoiler - you can learn this in the first chapter or two. But oh, how it plays out, how Hulse builds each character and the rhythm of small town Montana, gives us such close access to Wesley and others. A stellar, intimate story. Not to be missed.

149katiekrug
Feb 22, 2022, 7:42 pm

Black River is a favorite of mine. I'm glad it was a winner for you too.

150ffortsa
Feb 23, 2022, 9:30 am

Word #54 (🇺🇸) - 2/6

🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Using the app. This may never happen to me again.

151katiekrug
Editado: Feb 23, 2022, 9:38 am

>150 ffortsa: - What was the word, Judy? I think you are playing a different version from me, as my game number was 249:

Wordle 249 4/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

152ffortsa
Editado: Feb 24, 2022, 5:50 pm

>151 katiekrug: Katie, I think this one is from the Wordle app I got from the Google Play store. It has a four-tile icon. I tried the starting word the Times recommended, which is 'crate'. Everything but the t was in the right place, so a guess of 'craze' was a no-brainer.

Yesterday the Times official version took me four rows as well.

And today's, #250, took me five rows.

153ffortsa
Feb 27, 2022, 2:33 pm

Wordle 253 2/6

🟩⬛🟩🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

154Berly
Feb 27, 2022, 2:42 pm

Nicely done!! : ) Happy Sunday.

155klobrien2
Feb 27, 2022, 7:50 pm

>153 ffortsa: Wow! Good for you with your 2/6!

Karen O.

156ffortsa
Editado: Mar 2, 2022, 2:09 pm

Aye! This adulting stuff is getting complicated. I'm slowly working toward getting my bedroom painted. Today the handyman (who is wonderful but retiring at the end of May) came and fixed a leak in the bedroom wall and replastered. Sweet guy. Now I have to make decisions about curtains, blinds or shades, find a painter, get the carpet cleaned - and a whole assortment of other things, including going through the books in the bedroom bookcases. I woke up at 4am obsessing about it. By now, I should have this in hand.

But I did read a nice mystery story yesterday.
12. The Sky Took Him by Donis Casey

This series gives a slice of life in rural Oklahoma with every story, and that is both charming and sometimes a bit too much detail. This is the fourth in the series, and involves Alafair Tucker's sister's family and the new industry of OIL! It was very obvious from about the 20th page where the missing person would be found, and I had to read a lot more of the book before it occurred to our clever mystery solver. That was a real aggravation, but the book was still interesting for the variety of characters and the portrayal of a growing American region.

157ffortsa
Mar 2, 2022, 2:26 pm

A little out of order:

11. The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

I'd read this book before, but it was chosen for the downtown reading group, and I was glad for the chance to reread it, especially since I remembered so little from the last read. And that is strange, because it is a wonderful story.

A woman, Sabine, who has been the assistant to a very dashing stage magician for the last 25 years, must face his sudden death. He was gay, and had a gay lover, Phan, who died of AIDS not very long before the story starts. The magician, Parsifal, has married his assistant to make sure she inherits the substantial estate the two men have accumulated.

Sabine was hopelessly in love with Parsifal from the beginning, and while she got on with her social life, she could only love him. So it is quite a shock when her deep mourning is interrupted by news that his backstory was nothing she was told, and there is a whole side of him, his entire childhood, that she must learn and grapple with.

It's important to recognize that the book is about Sabine, The Magician's Assistant, rather than Parsifal himself, who is such a magnet for everyone. It's her story of how she gets out of the box. Wonderful.

158ffortsa
Mar 2, 2022, 2:44 pm

It's always a surprise to look at the 'what you should borrow' list and discover books you've read are not in your catalog. Some, of course, are pre-LT and if I didn't have them in my possession when I started, they won't be listed - all of Ngaio Marsh, for instance. But when I know I've read a book not 6 months ago and it's not in my LT library, it's just carelessness. Happens over and over. I think in 2021 I went through all my last-of-the-year threads and updated when necessary. Now I have to do it for 2021. Sigh.

159ffortsa
Mar 3, 2022, 9:56 am

I have an obsession about The New Yorker which has meant that I am severely behind in my reading of it. For instance, I am now scrambling to finish the last few issues of 2010, hoarding them like the Collier brothers. But I have been rewarded this morning by two articles in the October 18, 2010 issue, one on Nick Denton and Gawker, and the other on Adam Smith.

I read the Denton article because I had assiduously ignored Gawker and its spinoffs, content to know that it was savage journalism, more interested in embarrassing people than anything else. So now I've placed its founder and its history, and filled a hole in my cultural experience, which has plenty of holes in it.

The other article was ostensibly a book review, the kind the New Yorker does which mentions the book, gives some praise or not, and then takes off on the subject. Adam Gopnik takes the publication of Nicholas Phillipson's biography Adam Smith: An Enlightened LIfe as an opportunity to lay out Smith's beliefs about markets that seem to run our current economic situation, and they are beliefs that puncture justifications for the vast income inequality we see now. Greed may be good, as some people summarize from his work, but it must be accompanied by a morality that makes a good society, that establishes fair prices, that recognizes the labor that goes into everything we see and have. I've never read either of Smith's famous books, The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiment, and frankly I'm unlikely to read them unless I find a course that leads me through them, but this essay moved me.

160karenmarie
Mar 4, 2022, 9:21 am

Hi Judy!

Just catching up - good luck on getting your bedroom redecorated. I hope the decisions give you pleasure and the final result is perfect.

I have The Magician's Assistant on my shelves, one of many just waiting for the right time. Sigh.

161PaulCranswick
Mar 5, 2022, 9:19 am

Also catching up Judy. Have a lovely weekend.

162ArlieS
Mar 6, 2022, 2:05 pm

>159 ffortsa: I read both of Adam Smith's famous books relatively recently (2019), and was struck by his awareness of a lot more than he's currently given credit for.

I can't advise reading them unless you are comfortable with the language of that time; they would be a heavy slog without that, and they are still fairly meaty with that facility.

163ffortsa
Mar 6, 2022, 4:33 pm

>162 ArlieS: Thanks for the note. I don't know how patient I can be with the prose, but I might try the library and see how far I get. If it looks like a slog, I might buy a kindle version to read over time.

164ffortsa
Mar 6, 2022, 4:37 pm

13. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

I didn't want to read what I was supposed to read, and Jim suggested escaping with this old chestnut, which was a good idea. All the usual tropes are there, and it was pretty evident who the murderer was, but it was still nice to visit with Poirot and Hastings (who now seems to own a ranch and have a wife in South America - really?).

165magicians_nephew
Mar 7, 2022, 3:57 pm

The last book of the Lord Peter Wimsey series (not, alas written by DLS) had Bunter married off. I thought, where did he find the time?

166ffortsa
Mar 7, 2022, 4:03 pm

167figsfromthistle
Mar 7, 2022, 4:47 pm

>164 ffortsa: I don't believe that I have read anything by Agatha Christie. I'm thinking that I will have to change that.

Have a great week ahead

168banjo123
Mar 7, 2022, 5:07 pm

>159 ffortsa:. Glad that I am not the only one this happens to!

Good luck with the bedroom---I bet it'll be worth it when finished.

169ffortsa
Mar 8, 2022, 6:23 pm

Jim and I went to see the large exhibit for the work of Sophie Teauber-Arp, an artist much revered for her abstract geometric work and her ties to that style in craft. I was somewhat underwhelmed, mainly because - I think - most of her themes of geometric order have been so thoroughly integrated into commercial design and decor that they feel a little old hat, even as I admire the colors and the balance she achieves. But I came across a clue in an article from the New Yorker issue of October 2010, concerning the art between WWI and WWII, and a turn away from the awful carnage of the latter to a sort of neoclassicism and order, toward what the reviewer, Peter Schjeldahl, calls "a turning away from that awful reality, toward restorative myths and redemptive ideas." While Dada an Surrealism were thriving, it seems the greater society longed for a return to the classical bedrock.

Teauber-Arp seems to walk in between. She is totally dedicated to abstraction, but it's all, well, pretty. Colorful, straight-edged, repeating figures. She did a lot of work in textiles: rugs, weaving, beadwork, useful decorative bags for wealthy women. Her advocacy of abstraction is clear, but this abstract work is soothing.

170BLBera
Mar 9, 2022, 10:50 am

Hi Judy - The Magician's Assistant sounds great, and I do love Patchett.

I love Adam Gopnik's reviews -- and you have a great description of them -- a mention of the book and then veering off on a related subject.

171RebaRelishesReading
Mar 9, 2022, 12:58 pm

>169 ffortsa: Enjoyed the comments on Teauber-Arp, an artist I'm totally unfamiliar with (no surprise since I know very little about art). Thanks!

172ffortsa
Mar 9, 2022, 2:28 pm

>171 RebaRelishesReading: If you'd like to see some of her work, you might check out the MOMA site. I think you can see the art and hear 17 curator comments there.

173RebaRelishesReading
Mar 10, 2022, 12:44 pm

>172 ffortsa: Great idea, Judy! Thank you.

174alcottacre
Mar 10, 2022, 12:52 pm

Since I am over a month behind, I am not even trying to catch up, Judy. Just stopping by to say "Hello!"

175ffortsa
Mar 10, 2022, 5:59 pm

>174 alcottacre: I know the feeling!

176ffortsa
Mar 10, 2022, 6:02 pm

14. The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith

A delightful read, especially for nerdy me who didn't mind all the philosophical ruminations. And it's always gratifying to know another country that outlaws insider trading.

177ffortsa
Editado: Mar 17, 2022, 3:01 pm

What have I been doing this week? Well, let's see.
I've been reading Crime and Punishment. I've been seeing Oscar nominated movies: The Power of the Dog, Coda. I've been watching 'Killing Eve', fourth season.
I've been picking up a friend after a GI procedure, joining her for lunch, and availing myself of that same friend's help in selecting new curtains for the bedroom. I've collected my tax info and mailed it off to my accountant, which produced a flurry of emails back and forth.

Practicing my violin (not enough), listening to music performed live and webinars from the Economist, attending a party on Sunday postponed from New Year's Day, hosting a dinner on Tuesday, participating in an Alzheimer's screening for a drug trial I won't participate in, and helping my dear friend Alan's sister dispose of his furniture and other things, which she is in no real condition to do because of her state of mind.

I've been worrying about Ukraine, of course.

I've been walking. Not enough. But while walking I've been listening to a book titled The Dawn of Everything, which gleefully pokes fingers in the eyes of traditional anthropologists and otherwise sets me grinning. More when I've finished, of course.

And playing too many computer games on my phone, and attempting a seemingly impossible electronic jigsaw puzzle, and checking threads.

This afternoon? Practicing the violin, reading C&P, and cooking dinner. Sounds easy.

eta: I forgot I went through my smallish collection of modern first editions, mostly worth nothing, but three worth what might be a nice windfall. The rest might get donated as I read them. Hardbacks take up a lot of room.

178katiekrug
Mar 17, 2022, 3:25 pm

Sounds like a full week, Judy!

179Familyhistorian
Mar 19, 2022, 1:35 am

Looks like you're keeping busy, Judy. It's amazing how the time gets filled, isn't it?

180ffortsa
Mar 22, 2022, 4:01 pm

I have become even more convinced that disposing of things I have no need for is of paramount importance. For the last week, my friend's sister, his executor and I have been trying to figure out what to do to empty his apartment before the end of the month. We may well end up calling removers, as the time is short, and they would need to arrange COI, but we might be able to sell the mid century modern style pieces tomorrow, for at least a little money, instead of putting them out on the street. My friend left tons of smaller, less significant stuff to sort out.

It's taken a lot of energy, especially as my friend's sister is so grief-stricken, and not naturally tech-savvy, and nearly 80. She is leaving tonight for the UK, and I've made sure she is checked in with a boarding pass and all. Can you imagine an extra bag on British Airlines costs 65 pounds? 75 if you wait until you get to the airport. Anyway, another friend is taking her to the airport, and after she is safely home, the executor and I can attend to emptying the remaining things in the apartment. It will be a great relief.

181RebaRelishesReading
Mar 22, 2022, 4:40 pm

>180 ffortsa: Having been down that road recently with my sister-in-law I really feel for you. We called in a couple of people who have on-line shops and they came and bought a few hundred dollars worth each which helped pay for the company who came and hauled the rest away. Sometimes charities with shops will come and take away things they think they can sell. My heart is with you though. It's a big and emotionally difficult thing to be tasked with.

182ffortsa
Mar 23, 2022, 1:05 pm

We've had no luck with charities, which were our first choice, because we had started so late in the cycle. Everyone either has farmed out the gathering to pay services or is booked into April. On-line shops are a good idea, but I think what will happen is that, assuming the remaining furniture sells today to an auction house, the rest of the furniture is spoken for, and we will leave the building staff the rest - kitchen ware, dishes, etc. Then a broom clean and we are done.

One 'remover' offered to take everything and send us receipts for anything they give to charity shops, but there was a problem with timing, and the principals didn't want receipts for gifts in kind. Weird. But that's for them to decide.

Thanks for the sympathy. We are almost done.

183RebaRelishesReading
Mar 23, 2022, 5:33 pm

>182 ffortsa: So glad to hear you're nearly done. It's not a fun task but you seem to have handled it efficiently and rather quickly (all things considered).

184ffortsa
Mar 24, 2022, 10:02 pm

>183 RebaRelishesReading: saga continued. The auction house made us a really remarkable offer, which the executor accepted. But he will probably pay one more month of rent because he has to arrange to move things he wants, and that requires an authorized mover, and in the midst of all this his 95 year old mother passed away. He's had quite a ride, and deserves to take some time to get the rest of it done. After all, he and his sister now have another home to dismantle. Poor guy.

185ffortsa
Mar 24, 2022, 10:10 pm

Let's change the subject.

Jim and I are invited to an Oscar Party on Sunday, and of course we haven't seen even half the nominated movies, but we have seen 'Don't Look Up', 'The Power of the Dog', 'Licorice Pizza', and tonight we saw 'Dune'. I remember the original, which was awful, but this one is brilliant. Of course there has been a real jump in special effects to help it along, but the casting is perfect, the acting is really good, and I can't help hoping that part 2 comes out soon.

We may get one or even two more in before Sunday. I'd like to see 'Drive My Car', and maybe 'West Side Story', and 'Belfast'.

I finished Crime and Punishment while waiting for the guy from the auction house, and there will be a discussion on Monday evening, after which I may post some thoughts. Next reading group book up is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

186karenmarie
Mar 25, 2022, 8:31 am

Hi Judy!

>165 magicians_nephew: and >166 ffortsa: Bunter was always a ladies man. I recall Peter telling him to use his charms with the cook and maid at Urquhart’s in Strong Poison.

>177 ffortsa: Except for the bits about Ukraine and playing too many computer games on your phone, sounds like lots of good things going on. I, too, play way too many games on my cell phone.

>180 ffortsa: I’m sorry you’re going through it with your friend’s things. Saving friends and family the burden of going through my things is something I need to address.

187RebaRelishesReading
Mar 25, 2022, 11:26 am

>184 ffortsa: Glad the auction house stepped up but so very sorry about your friend's mother. Sometimes it just pours, doesn't it? I trust you won't have to be involved in the new dismantling.

An Oscar Party sounds fun, especially when you've seen many of the movies. We used to do a mini-version of that with BFF and her Hubby but we haven't seen any of the movies this year so little point.

Looking forward to your thoughts on Crime and Punishment. It's been several years since I read it but it has stuck with me more than most books.

188alcottacre
Mar 28, 2022, 11:52 pm

>185 ffortsa: I read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter back in my 20s, I think. I remember liking it, but I could not tell you why a mere 40 years later.

189ffortsa
Mar 30, 2022, 12:10 pm

>188 alcottacre: I have a lot of that problem. I know I read Crime and Punishment when I was much younger, and of course in a different translation, but while I knew the outline of the story, I did not remember the details.

Or maybe I just saw the miniseries with John Hurt.

190ffortsa
Mar 30, 2022, 12:41 pm

15. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

My reading circle took two months to read and discuss this, and the first third of the book was heavy going for me. The obsessive thoughts of a neurotic can get frustrating to read. But the rest of the text really picked up speed. The characters and situations in St. Petersburg are exquisitely detailed, and it seems the city itself is the cause of much of the ills of the people we see. Poverty, the harsh power of the social strata, lack of privacy, and the desperate situation of women outside the upper classes is shown with unblinking honesty. It is not the action at the center of the book that is important - it is the swirl of characters around Raskolnikov and his family that is the story.

191ffortsa
Abr 1, 2022, 10:12 am

A general apology to all the people whose older threads I unstarred, but I was monumentally behind as usual. I will try to live in the moment.

192ffortsa
Abr 5, 2022, 7:08 am

Oh rats. Jim and I both have the dreaded covid, so far in the guise of a bad cold or mild flu. We did think we'd been careful, but the city rules have relaxed and we have been to the theater and a concert, masked of course. Oh well.

193katiekrug
Abr 5, 2022, 7:31 am

I'm sorry to hear that, Judy. I hope it continues to be fairly mild for both of you.

194msf59
Abr 5, 2022, 7:34 am

Aw, bummer, Judy. I hope you both rebound quickly.

I would love to reread Crime and Punishment. It has been decades.

195RebaRelishesReading
Abr 5, 2022, 12:00 pm

>192 ffortsa: Sorry to hear the bug got you and hope it stays mild. If it does you get some extra immunity without being terribly sick so perhaps a reasonable trade-off.

196ffortsa
Abr 5, 2022, 4:58 pm

16. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Reading group discussion tonight on zoom if I can stay awake. Remarkable book.

197ffortsa
Abr 5, 2022, 5:10 pm

>193 katiekrug:, >194 msf59:, >195 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks for the sympathy. Our doctor ordered the new anti-viral regimen for us, and I hope that helps. It's nothing more dramatic than bad cold misery so far, but my worrywort sister reminded me that researchers are finding aftereffects I don't want any part of. So we will proceed cautiously.

198PaulCranswick
Abr 5, 2022, 5:44 pm

>192 ffortsa: Take care of yourselves Judy (and Jim) - plenty of fluids and rest.

>196 ffortsa: Yes it is a really good book.

199RebaRelishesReading
Abr 5, 2022, 6:07 pm

>197 ffortsa: Glad you're getting the anti-viral. Hope it helps and that it keeps all of those long-haul critters totally at bay.

200bell7
Abr 6, 2022, 10:53 am

Sorry to hear you and Jim got Covid, Judy. I hope the vaccine and antiviral meds do their job and it remains a mild case for you both.

201ffortsa
Abr 6, 2022, 6:32 pm

>200 bell7: thanks, Mary. It does take me back to my childhood, when I would get sick with all the childhood diseases, but with no mommy to read to me. Good thing I can read on my own.

202ArlieS
Abr 6, 2022, 9:01 pm

>192 ffortsa: I hope it stays mild for you.

203ffortsa
Abr 8, 2022, 11:03 am

>202 ArlieS: Thanks, Arlie. I think I'm finally pulling out of it, but I can't say it felt mild.

204alcottacre
Abr 8, 2022, 11:05 am

>192 ffortsa: Sorry to hear it, Judy, and I hope you both recover quickly!

Happy Friday!

205ffortsa
Editado: Abr 8, 2022, 11:09 am

Thanks for the good wishes. It's a little like my father said about the flu - there's a point at which you're afraid you won't die. Maybe not so funny these days, but yesterday was rough.

Anyway, a new mystery:

17. Chat by Archer Mayer

In which Mayer explores the problems of sexual predators in chat rooms, and vigilantes in the same space. That's along with a side story of an attack on Joe's family in retaliation for an old case. Pretty good, and Joe seems to have gotten a new love interest as well.

206alcottacre
Abr 8, 2022, 11:13 am

>205 ffortsa: I am not familiar with this series. I will have to check it out. Thanks, Judy.

207ffortsa
Editado: Abr 8, 2022, 11:18 am

>205 ffortsa: Oh, the series is very good, but start with the first one, which I think is titled 'Open Season'. By the title I just read, it's getting a little repetitive, but for most of the series, the characters are good and the police procedural aspects are tempered by some really quirky characters. It takes place in Vermont, which means it's often snowing.

208RebaRelishesReading
Abr 8, 2022, 12:10 pm

>205 ffortsa: Oh Judy, I'm so sorry to hear you're having a rough time of it. I hope the anti-viral kicks in and you're soon back in good health.

209PaulCranswick
Abr 8, 2022, 12:27 pm

>207 ffortsa: Dropping by with tropical healing vibes, Judy. Hope you'll be fine for the weekend.

210BLBera
Abr 9, 2022, 8:32 am

I am so sorry you've gotten COVID, Judy. I hope you feel better soon and have no long-term problems. Take care.

211katiekrug
Abr 9, 2022, 9:30 am

Judy, I'm so sorry you had more than a mild version. But I'm glad to hear you may have turned the corner. Take good care of yourself!

212Caroline_McElwee
Editado: Abr 9, 2022, 2:40 pm

>192 ffortsa: Sorry to hear that Judy. Hope it remains the milder version and passes soon. Here, most people I know who have had it test positive for 10-12 days, with fatigue continuing a bit longer.

An excuse for more reading?

213banjo123
Abr 9, 2022, 3:08 pm

Oh no, hope you feel better soon!

214ffortsa
Abr 9, 2022, 3:50 pm

Oh thanks for so much sympathy and good wishes! I am feeling better, except for blocked ears and a hoarse voice. Caroline, I hope I don't test positive for that long! We are invited to a Seder on Friday and I'd hate to miss that - the chef is terrific and the usual attendees are fun.

I did read a mystery book, as cited above. Somehow I can't quite manage attention to books right now, but I've been reading the newspaper more voraciously than in a long time, and the New Yorkers, current and from my stash. An article from 2010 on tuberculosis in India had me desperate for more information. Between that and Covid, I don't understand how that population survives. (Of course, the person they start the article with is a woman with 16 children, so maybe it's just numbers.)

On a brighter note, I just read an article that Alamo Drafthouse has recaptured the stock of the famous Mondo Kim video store, and is trying to set up a browsing library as a draw to their movie theaters! I may be the only person left in this building who actually has a VHS player. And I fear most of the tapes I've kept have disintegrated beyond hope.

Books will come. Jim is proposing Hamnet for our downtown group, and we are reading the play Hearkbreak House for the uptown group - a good excuse to pull down my full set of Shaw plays. Amazon's redesign of the Kindle interface infuriates me - why does anyone think that people who read WORDS would like to see color covers rendered in black and white instead of text titles???

As you can see, my energy is returing somewhat.

Wishing all of you good reading as spring springs.

215karenmarie
Abr 9, 2022, 9:13 pm

Hi Judy!

>192 ffortsa: I was shocked to read on my thread that you and Jim have Covid. That's what I get for not visiting as often as I should. I do hope the symptoms are mild and that you recover quickly and completely SOON.

>205 ffortsa: I’m sorry you had a rough day.

>214 ffortsa: I do hope that you’re able to go to Seder, glad your energy is returning somewhat. ((hugs))

216ffortsa
Abr 10, 2022, 11:00 am

>215 karenmarie: Hi Karen. Yeah, it finally found us. We can't really trace it back, except maybe to a line we were on to get into a theater, or dinner inside a restaurant, or Jim's excursion to the gym, but at this point it doesn't matter since people have become annoyingly casual about it all. We are much better. If my ears unblock, I'll be happy.

I got way behind on your thread and was horrified to learn that Bill had taken a fall. That sort of thing can be life-changing. I'm glad he was able to get up and nothing broke.

We will probably go for PCR tests on Tuesday just to make sure we are not contagious anymore. I don't want to bring this to the table! At least one other invited guest has been struck at about the same time, so if we go, we will have a few moments of commiseration. And an ex-boyfriend of mine, who will be driving us to the occasion, always loves it when I get hoarse, because he says I sound like Lauren Bacall. Now you know why he's an ex-boyfriend.

Just as a treat, I downloaded three mysteries from the library last night. That should carry me through a couple of days! And the sun is shining, and technically I'm out of quarantine (I had to look it up). So slowly getting back to normal.

217ffortsa
Abr 10, 2022, 11:06 am

I've been taking advantage of Worldle, Yeardle, and Framed to boost my education. I don't mind using my atlas to try to figure out the first, or clues I can just about grasp and look up to point me to the answer in the second. Framed is another story. I've seen so few movies that I'm always surprised by the answer, but I like the challenge. Add that to the Times Crossword, Spelling Bee, Tiles, Acrostic, online jigsaws and my collection of Words with Friends players, and, as Madeline said, I need a 12 step program to get me off my screens. It's served me well during this !$#!$!@% covid episode.

Everyone stay well from here on out, y'hear. No more nonsense.

218weird_O
Abr 10, 2022, 11:43 am

Interesting to learn about all those games that can be played on line. I tend to stare, just at whatever. I feel a read coming on.

219Berly
Abr 11, 2022, 4:05 pm

Sorry to hear you got it, too. Hope your version is mild without long-term effects. Hang in there!

220ffortsa
Editado: Abr 12, 2022, 11:28 am

>219 Berly: Thanks. Hope your energy is up, finally. I'm left with a lot of congestion and still can't sleep flat, but otherwise ok. Pcr results tomorrow!

221alcottacre
Abr 12, 2022, 11:58 am

>207 ffortsa: I found a copy of the first book available on PBS so hopefully I will have it in hand soon.

>214 ffortsa: Happy to hear that you are feeling better!

222ffortsa
Abr 12, 2022, 11:59 am

>221 alcottacre: Oh good. I hope you enjoy the series.

223BLBera
Abr 12, 2022, 1:07 pm

Fingers crossed for your PCR test.

224RebaRelishesReading
Abr 12, 2022, 3:24 pm

Glad you're feeling better, Judy. Hope Jim is recovering too and that you both avoid any long-term issues.

225karenmarie
Abr 12, 2022, 3:50 pm

>216 ffortsa: I’ve still avoided it, and hope to continue to do so, but more and more people are going about maskless. In public I don’t do so, but I do admit that while in a Friends of the Library meeting this morning I took off the mask halfway through the meeting.

Glad you’re getting the PCR test, glad that you’re technically out of quarantine. Fingers crossed that the PCR test is negative. I’m also glad that you’ve downloaded three mysteries from the Library – yay for new books to read.

Bill’s still feeling his ankle but isn’t whining about it, thank goodness. I was raised by stoics and belittled for whining about things. I have sympathy and have expressed it, and am glad that I’m not hearing about it much anymore. I realize that I’ve been way too complaining here on LT about my stuff in recent months and am trying to dial back on it.

226ffortsa
Editado: Abr 13, 2022, 1:19 pm

I've learned stuff about PCR tests. Jim and I both tested positive, and our doctor said that was entirely normal and not to worry about it. Evidentally, the test is so sensitive that dead viral particles will result in a positive test, sometimes for months. My brother, who does GI procedures at Kaiser, says that they have stopped doing PCRs for anyone on the schedule who has had covid in the last three months, because of this kind of false positive.

Nevertheless, I called our Seder hosts and explained the results and our doctors' opinions, to give them the choice. Since we are 10 days past onset, and had the antiviral medication, and are symptom free, I feel we would be safe to others, but it's their call. I'd hate to miss it. We only see them about twice a year.

>225 karenmarie: and don't worry about complaining here. We've all had tough years and what are friends for if not to absorb the vents of life?

227SqueakyChu
Editado: Abr 14, 2022, 11:00 am

>226 ffortsa: I'm so sorry that you and Jim contracted covid. I'm glad you're both doing better. It sure puts a wrench in things.

Ou seder group is still going to Zoom this year because the covid rates in Maryland are ticking up. They are now in the daily positivity range of 3% while they had been down in the 1% range about two weeks ago. What we are doing is two families are hosting their own children and grandchildren. My family has one unvaccinated grandchild. The other family has three unvaccinated grandchildren. Both of our families decided not to invite the sister of the other host family because she is in her 70s and refuses to get vaccinated. She expressed sadness to be alone on Passover. Well. *sigh*

228ffortsa
Abr 14, 2022, 9:48 am

>227 SqueakyChu: Some people create their own problems, right? I think anyone my age who refuses vaccination is putting herself in either solitary confinement or ultimate danger. No one will escape this entirely, but at least our episode was relatively easy to get through.

The seder we generally attend has had some attrition over the years, as people move out of the area or, surprisingly, have quarrels after many years of friendship. I'm hoping the hosts see fit to understand the testing situation and invite us anyway. It's always a fun time and the food is fabulous!

229karenmarie
Abr 14, 2022, 10:17 am

‘Morning, Judy!

>226 ffortsa: You’re doing the right thing by giving your Seder hosts the choice. Thanks for understanding about the venting. LT is my only social media outlet. I abandoned FB a long time ago, and have never used any other social media.

I hope your hosts invite you anyway, too. Fingers crossed.

230alcottacre
Abr 14, 2022, 10:19 am

>227 SqueakyChu: >228 ffortsa: I am so sorry to hear that COVID is still affecting your Seder celebrations. It is such a shame.

>229 karenmarie: What Karen said! I hope you get an invite at the very least.

231SqueakyChu
Editado: Abr 14, 2022, 11:10 am

>230 alcottacre: I'm sad about not having seder with the other family (now it's three years). I have been having seders with my excluded friend and her family since I was in high school when we became friends. Her grandmother was alive at that time. Now we are the grandparents. The other family has four generations alive. The matriach in my friend's family is 98 years old and healthy! My excluded friend will be the only one who will be alone this year, but she has offered to host our Zoom. In the meantime, my husband got his second booster shot today.

Don't be too hard on the other family if they exclude you this year. Everyone tries so hard to be safe. No one knows for sure what works and what doesn't to ultimately keep us safe. I keep inviting and then uninviting friends to my house (not in large groups) depending on the covid stats for the week. We try to be gentle and understanding with each other.

232qebo
Abr 14, 2022, 11:58 am

>226 ffortsa: I'm sorry you've been through this. FWIW, my mother's skilled care facility had a COVID outbreak after most residents had been vaxxed and boosted (symptoms ranged from zero to mild). They told us the same thing, that after a positive result there's no point in another test for 3 months, and 10 days after the last new positive result they reopened to visitors and allowed residents to be out and about.

233ffortsa
Abr 14, 2022, 2:00 pm

>231 SqueakyChu: Oh no, I wouldn't dream of being hard on them. We all have to establish the level of safety we feel comfortable with. Maybe they have thought to check with their MD or Dr. Google on this. In the meantime, I plan to do the home test this evening and call them as requested tomorrow morning.

>232 qebo: Hi! Thanks for the added info, and the visit. I'm glad no one in that facility got seriously ill. Hope you are doing well. I haven't kept up, I'm afraid, and I'm sure you have house and garden posts as well as interesting reading to report.

234ffortsa
Abr 14, 2022, 2:04 pm

18. The Fire Dance by Helene Tursten

I'm not exactly on pace this year, and a lot of books are only partly read.

But this kind of police procedural is always a welcome read. Irene Huss and her chef husband and her twins are on one side of this story, and a disturbed family and serial arsonist at the other. It has a touch of neuro-atypical personalities, and a long historical arc. Nice.

235BLBera
Abr 15, 2022, 10:46 pm

>234 ffortsa: This does sound good.

I'm glad you're feeling better.

236banjo123
Abr 16, 2022, 12:55 am

Glad you are better! We do a seder every year with the same 3 families, and had to cancel this year because the hosts had an exposure. We are planning to get together next week for Matzoh Ball Soup, at any rate.

237ffortsa
Abr 16, 2022, 5:38 pm

>236 banjo123: Oh, so sorry about the cancellation. We did go to our friends' for Seder, although I must say it was long and boring and no one really discussed anything of any depth. Very old Haggadahs of varying translations, and everything dragged. I might have to make my own seder next year, and invite people who like to pull things apart.

Here's a serious question that has nothing to do with Seder.

How many of you still use paper checks? And put them in the mail? We've been having some very frustrating fraud on one of our accounts, and I went down to talk to my banker at Chase to see what their recommendations on security are. I was really surprised to learn that the U.S. and Britain are the only countries that really use paper checks anymore! I have one or two payments that must be made by check - no electronic transfer available - and I've become concerned about exposure. The banker suggested that if I couldn't get my landlord (for one) to accept Zelle or Paypal, I should go through the process of asking the bank to write the check, which would hide all my personal information and account data.

It's nerve-wracking to have personal bank accounts attacked in this way, of course. But I never dreamed we were so backward compared to the rest of the world.

Your thoughts and experiences would be welcome.

238banjo123
Abr 16, 2022, 5:44 pm

Wow! No checks? We don't write them often, but I still do now and then.

239torontoc
Abr 16, 2022, 10:53 pm

I still use cheques! Most of my family use electronic money transfer from one account to the other but there have been problems with that in Canada.

240FAMeulstee
Abr 17, 2022, 9:18 am

>237 ffortsa: For some years we have no paper checks anymore. We have to do all our banking online. In the last phase of the transfer to paper free we could put all relevant info from the paper check on the online payment.

At first they also required a smart phone to get the code for entrance to your bank account. But many customers didn't have such a device (including me). Then I got a small device to use instead. For payments you have to scan a QR-code, and you get a seven digit entrance number back to verify.

241katiekrug
Abr 17, 2022, 9:29 am

We still have paper checks but use them very rarely. I think the only semi-regular check I write is to our landscapers. I'd change companies but the head guy is my neighbor's BIL so I feel kind of stuck :)

242RebaRelishesReading
Abr 17, 2022, 11:29 am

Ditto most of the above. We have his, mine and our checking accounts and the main time we use checks is to transfer money from my account (at B of A) to ours (at Chase). Every now and then someone doing work at the house will prefer a check to credit card but otherwise it's all electronic transfer or credit card.

243ffortsa
Abr 18, 2022, 3:11 pm

Thanks for all this confirmation. How dependent we have become on electronic methods, which were supposed to be scary, when what is really scary is the old-fashioned thievery.

244ffortsa
Abr 18, 2022, 3:36 pm

>240 FAMeulstee: I've often wondered how difficult the world must be for those who don't have at least the simplest of smart phones. A dedicated device makes sense.

245Whisper1
Abr 19, 2022, 3:33 am

I'm simply stopping by to say hello. I've been out of touch with so many. I hope you and Jim are well.

246ffortsa
Editado: Abr 27, 2022, 5:24 pm

19. Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw

To be discussed tomorrow evening.

ETA: Our group pretty much agreed that a) it's a readable play (Shaw had some trouble getting some of his more caustic plays on stage, and then there was WWI to consider). b) It shows the upper classes of Shaw's time, the landed gentry, the horsey set, as totally unequipped to confront the coming World War, or much of anything else that was to come in the 20th century. In many ways, they have lost the art of what Captain Shotover called 'navigation' - and I'm afraid that many in our current society have done the same.
Do we know what is around the corner? And will we be able to meet it? What would Shaw say today?

20. ♬The Jew's Beech Tree by Annette von Droste-Hülshoff

I listened to this story, included in a compendium of 15 famous novellas, but I can't say I enjoyed it much. It is based on true events in Europe, but I didn't find it held my interest, and I only finished it because I was walking and didn't want to choose something else to listen to.

247ffortsa
Abr 27, 2022, 5:30 pm

I envy those of you who have houses and walls and walls of books, but we have definitely run out of space. Confronting a pedestal bookcase of hard-cover modern first editions worth about the paper they were printed on, I bit that bullet and contributed 35 of them to a nearby thrift shop. There are a few more, but that's all Jim and I could wheel over there at one time.

They haven't left my list. But many of them were never read - isn't there a Japanese word for that? - and I left them on my 'to read' list even though I marked them 'deaccessioned'. There were also a few turkeys I was keeping out of sheer inertia. And now I have a little space to display my various objets. Pictures later!

248ffortsa
Abr 27, 2022, 5:39 pm

21. The Likeness by Tana French

Second in the Dublin Murder Squad series, and maybe just a little less believable. Cassie Maddox is convinced to go undercover, impersonating a murder victim who looks so like her that her colleagues think it IS her at first. But can her uncanny impersonation reveal the killer? And what temptations will she face? Interesting for a near-Stockholm syndrome plot.

249SqueakyChu
Editado: Abr 27, 2022, 7:40 pm

>247 ffortsa: The term you're looking for is tsundoku.

250Berly
Abr 28, 2022, 12:16 am

I still write a check or two, but they are few and far between. I am a fan of Zelle or paying online.

And I am a fan of Tana French. I know I read that one, but now sure how far I am in the series....

Hope you continue to feel better!

251BLBera
Abr 28, 2022, 9:59 am

>248 ffortsa: I read the first in this series and really liked it. I need to continue.

252karenmarie
Abr 28, 2022, 10:47 am

Hi Judy!

>237 ffortsa: Interesting that you did go to Seder but found it long and boring. Creating your own Seder next year might be much more exciting.

I was invited to a Seder by some Christian friends in the early 1980s, and was excited to go. However, it was a Messianic Jewish Seder and I was fuming by the end. Worse, there were two Seders at this huge hotel that night, one Reform and one Messianic, and a very sweet old Jewish couple came to the wrong one and by the time they had figured it out didn’t want to disrupt it or disrupt the Jewish Seder they had wanted to attend. They were visibly upset pretty much the entire time and I felt worse for them than for myself.

>237 ffortsa: Late to the party, but we use paper checks to pay
  1. our Spectrum bill, although I could probably put that online
  2. a Ford Credit bill until they get rid of one vehicle/loan which we don’t have any more and put the correct one online
  3. our slash-and-burn gardener who I wish Bill would get rid of
  4. Friends of the Library book sales to save the Friends the credit card fee
  5. the plumber and the tractor repair business when we need them because they mail paper invoices after the fact
  6. various gifts to family for birthdays and weddings and etc. I just wrote one yesterday to my nephew and his new wife.
  7. my house cleaner when I'm not organized enough to get cash ahead of time
Probably more than you want to know. Everything else, including groceries, pharmacy, car gas, take out and eating out, etc., and all other recurring payments are drafted out of our checking account. Your landlord is probably not willing to absorb the transaction fees.

>248 ffortsa: Hmm. I’ve had this one on my shelves since 2009. I started it but was put off by its not being the exact same set of police. I should get back to it.

253SandDune
Abr 28, 2022, 2:30 pm

>237 ffortsa: Hardly anyone in the U.K. uses cheques any more. I can’t remember the last time I wrote one - several years ago probably. Regular bills to larger companies are usually paid by direct debit (it’s obligatory for any sort of loan or financing) and it’s pretty much always the cheapest way to pay. Smaller companies (for work around the house etc) will take credit card or direct bank transfer. Retailers stopped accepting cheques years and years ago and no one gets paid in cheques any more. (I used to run payroll on my last job - payment by cheque was definitely not an option). I used to regularly pay cheques to Jacob’s primary school, for school lunches and trips and things but that was 11 years ago (schools have pretty much all gone on line as regards payments these days). The last people I used to pay by cheque were the cleaner and window cleaner but both of those changed to preferring direct bank payments some time ago as well.
I’ve pretty much given up with cash as well. We’ve both noticed that we don’t bother getting cash out before a trip anymore as it’s so unusual to find somewhere that won’t take a card.

254ffortsa
Abr 28, 2022, 3:38 pm

>253 SandDune: Ah, I still use cash, usually for vices like playing the lottery, and sometimes for street people. My landlord has an account at a nearby bank, and on Friday I plan to waltz over there with a paper check and just deposit it to the corporate account. I've had the same checking account (it should now be called a transaction account, don't you think?) for almost 50 years, and I don't want to have to memorize another number!

>248 ffortsa: You know, the first book is so focused on Rob, I'd forgotten about Cassie until I reread my review.

>252 karenmarie: a Messianic Seder??? That reminds me of an evangelical pastor who invited all the Jewish kids in the area to a water park event, at which he baptized them! No, thanks! I would have been fuming too. In fact, I would have left.

That sounds like a lot of checks these days. My bank is pretty good about facilitating paying all sorts of people online, as long as their bank is set up for it. My rent check will be delivered by hand. I'd love to save some of my payees the credit card fees, but some don't offer the opportunity unless it's some sort of recurring bill.

>249 SqueakyChu: Yep, that's the word. Thanks. Everyone I know is getting rid of things. Maybe my friends are just in my general age bracket, or maybe the commercialized world is just getting to us more. I'm about to toss some very old compendiums of sheet music that I used maybe 60 years ago, and will definitely not be going back to. They are falling apart anyway.

And really, my visual attention span is shrinking. I would rather have fewer things and a feeling of more space. Except for the threat of the WWBF (we remember that threat, right?), there's really no point in keeping things that are not either favorites or physically beautiful. But it will be a slow process. Of course.

255RebaRelishesReading
Abr 29, 2022, 11:47 am

Ah yes, cash...I remember that. After Covid started in early 2019 I only went to the ATM once until I got into a dispute with Venmo a couple of months ago and can't send my granddaughter money at college any more except by cash through the mail (yikes!!). I am going to look into Zelle and see if that will work though. No one wants cash any more though which is fine with me and the only check I write each month is to Hubby for my share of the household expenses. We deposit it into our joint account (at a different bank) using the phone so the check never actually leaves our house.

256alcottacre
Abr 29, 2022, 12:31 pm

>231 SqueakyChu: I am sorry to hear that COVID is still wreaking havoc with everyone's holidays! I understand the need for caution though, especially with 98-year-old matriarchs.

>234 ffortsa: I will have to look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Judy. As far as being off pace for the year, you can borrow some of my reads if you like :) I will not tell anyone, promise.

Have a fantastic Friday!

257magicians_nephew
Editado: Abr 30, 2022, 2:45 pm

If i get everything sorted the only check I will be writing is to Judy once a month for my share of the household bills. That will be a change for me - i liked the check register as a quick reference guide to what i have spent - but it has been brought home to me quite forcefully that checks through the mail are no longer a secure means of payment.

When I was a younger man I got deep into a hole with a credit card company by paying everything with the credit card and not keeping track of it. But I am older and wiser now - I hope.

258Whisper1
Abr 29, 2022, 6:08 pm

Hello Judy, great that you got rid of so many books! Like you, I too am giving away a lot these days. I am making hard choices, and those I've had for awhile and bought on a whim but know I won't ever read, and flying out the door. Grand daughter Kayla helps carry the boxes in and out. It is a good feeling to down size.

259RebaRelishesReading
Abr 30, 2022, 12:27 pm

>255 RebaRelishesReading:, >257 magicians_nephew: See if your banks (yours and Judy's) are with Zelle. It's a long list so I imagine they are. I did a trial transfer of $10 to Hubby yesterday and it was so easy I am going to use it to transfer my share of household expenses in lieu of checks (which like you were the only one I wrote each month) in the future.

260ffortsa
Abr 30, 2022, 9:58 pm

>259 RebaRelishesReading: I pay almost everything through either automatic payments or Zelle, but to my surprise, some banks like my landlord's aren't set up for it yet, and wire transfers often incur a significant fee at the point of origin. Sometime soon, smaller institutions will catch up, I hope.

261ffortsa
mayo 1, 2022, 9:14 am

It's May Day, and time for a new thread
Este tema fue continuado por Ffortsa crosses her fingers for 2022 part 2.