Mary's (bell7's) Reads in 2022 - Thread #10

Welcome to my tenth thread of the year! Thanks for your visits, book recommendations, and general chatter.

If you've never met me, hello and welcome, my name's Mary and I live and work in western Massachusetts. I'm a librarian, a home owner, the oldest of 5, and Auntie Mimi to Mia and Matthew. I'm a fan of Giants football, Bruins hockey, and tennis. I read all sorts of fiction and nonfiction, though SFF and books about books are among my favorites. The most common genres I've read so far this year are general fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and bio/memoir, in that order. Horror is about the only genre I avoid on the whole (I am a wimp).

My 2022 reading goals:
-Read at least half books by authors of color (I'm currently at 34-35%, and working on getting it up)
-Read at least one book a month in the Asian Book Challenge (I haven't necessarily read them *in* the giving month, but I have been consistent with this)
-Read at least twelve books from countries outside of the US/UK (complete)

Rough guide to my rating system:
I'm fairly generous with my star ratings - generally a four is a "like" or "would recommend" for me, while a 4.5 stars is a book I would reread. I break it down roughly like this:

1 star - Forced myself to finish it
2 stars - Dislike
2.5 stars - I really don't know if I liked it or not
3 stars - Sort of liked it; or didn't, but admired something about it despite not liking it
3.5 stars - The splitting hairs rating of less than my last 4 star book or better than my last 3
4 stars - I liked it and recommend it, but probably won't reread it except under special circumstances (ie., a book club or series reread)
4.5 stars - Excellent, ultimately a satisfying read, a title I would consider rereading
5 stars - A book that I absolutely loved, would absolutely reread, and just all-around floored me

I see it more in terms of my like or dislike of a book, rather than how good a book is. My hope is that as a reader I convey what I like or what I don't in such a way that you can still tell if you'll like a book, even if I don't. And I hope for my patrons that I can give them good recommendations for books they will like, even if it's not one I would personally choose.

2022 Book Club Reads

For work -
January - Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri - COMPLETED
February - Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison - COMPLETED
March - Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer - COMPLETED
April - Pale Rider by Laura Spinney - COMPLETED
May - People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry - COMPLETED
Summer break
September - Caste by Isabel Wilkerson - COMPLETED
October - Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead - COMPLETED
November - The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
December - Nomadland by Jessica Bruder

The Other Book Club with my SIL and friends -
January/February - The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal - COMPLETED
April - Taste by Stanley Tucci (skipped - couldn't make the meeting)
June - The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - COMPLETED (back in December)
July - True Biz by Sara Novic - COMPLETED
September/October - Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (couldn't make the meeting, still want to read both)

Random things I'm keeping track of -
Bookish articles:
1. Books Like AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (includes a Japanese book recently translated that may make an interesting Asian Book Challenge choice)
2. Japanese Books in Translation (BookRiot)
3. New and Upcoming Must-Read Memoirs by Black Authors
4. 16 Amazing Books Set in Korea (BookRiot)

How to make pretty block quotes (directions from Richard):
{blockquote}TYPE OR PASTE QUOTED TEXT HERE{/blockquote} and replace the curly braces with pointy brackets.

Number of books read since keeping count on LT:
July - Dec 2008 - 65
2009 - 156 (plus over 70 graphic novels and manga volumes)
2010 - 135 (Note: in June, I started working a second part-time job for full-time hours)
2011 - 150
2012 - 108 (Note: accepted a full-time job in February)
2013 - 107
2014 - 126 (plus 8 Graphic Novels)
2015 - 120 (plus 6 Graphic Novels)
2016 - 141
2017 - 114
2018 - 105 (Note: my first full year as Assistant Director)
2019 - 116
2020 - 153
2021 - 138

Asian Book Challenge

JANUARY - Europe of Asia - Turkish Authors
Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk
Dare to Disappoint by Ozge Samanci
FEBRUARY - The Holy Land - Israeli & Palestinian Authors
Native: Dispatches from an Israeli-Palestinian Life by Sayed Kashua
MARCH - The Arab World - Writers from the Arab world
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran (Lebanon)
Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (Oman)
APRIL - Persia - Iranian writers
Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi
MAY - The Stans - There are 7 states all in the same region all ending in "Stan"
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan)
JUNE - The Indian Sub-Continent - Essentially authors from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam (Bangladesh)
JULY - The Asian Superpower - Chinese Authors
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamtress by Dai Sijie
1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei
AUGUST - Nippon - Japanese Authors
The Great Passage by Shion Miura
The Master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata
SEPTEMBER - Kimchi - Korean Authors
The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi
OCTOBER - INDO CHINE - Authors from Indo-China
NOVEMBER - The Malay Archipelago - Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian and Filipino Authors
Fairest: a memoir by Meredith Talusan
DECEMBER - The Asian Diaspora - Ethnic Asian writers from elsewhere
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri (she was born in the UK to parents from India and grew up in the US; this book was written in Italian and set in Italy)

Other countries I've visited in my reading:
It can get a little dicey to figure out if a book fits as a "global" read or not, so here's how I'm counting it -
-The country I'll identify is that which the book was published in or the author is from, rather than the setting of the book
-The author currently lives in their country of origin, which for my purposes is not the U.S. or U.K.
-If the work had to be translated into English, regardless of where the author is currently living
-If the author is an expatriate, they had to move in adulthood (as a college student, refugee, or any other reason), and I'll count the country of origin as where the book is "from"

Portugal - Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo
Spain - City of Mist: Stories by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Ireland - Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Trinidad and Tobago - When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
Australia - The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
South Africa - Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg (set in London)
Sweden - The Winners by Fredrik Backman
Canada - The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard (set on a fantasy world)

Currently reading
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

Bible reading/Devotionals
Jeremiah, 1 Timothy

October
110. Paper Girls, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
109. Paper Girls, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan
108. Paper Girls, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
107. Grandfather's Dance by Patricia MacLachlan
106. Lupe Wong Won't Dance by Donna Barba Higuera
105. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
104. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
103. The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin
102. The Crossover (Graphic Novel) by Kwame Alexander
101. Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook
100. Paper Girls, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan
99. Paper Girls, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
98. Paper Girls, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
97. The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

September
96. Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
95. The Master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata
94. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
93. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
92. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
91. Dear Martin by Nic Stone
90. American Street by Ibi Zoboi
89. The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi
88. Atomic Habits by James Clear

August
87. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
86. The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
85. The Great Passage by Shion Miura
84. The Winners by Fredrik Backman
83. Still Life by Sarah Winman
82. More Perfect than the Moon by Patricia MacLachlan
81. Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Seamas O'Reilly
80. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
79. Afterlife by Julia Alvarez
78. By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
77. Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (yes, a second time, this one with Mia)

July
76. Zorrie by Laird Hunt
75. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
74. Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper
73. 1000 Years of Joy and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei
72. The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison
71. When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
70. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
69. Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachlan
68. A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow
67. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

June
66. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
65. A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
64. The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam
63. Skylark by Patricia MacLachlan
62. Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg
61. Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language by Nora Ellen Groce
60. Spear by Nicola Griffith
59. The Woman All Spies Fear by Amy Butler Greenfield
58. Apple Crush by Lucy Knisley
57. Between the Lines: Stories from the Underground by Uli Beutter Cohen
56. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
55. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
54. The Kids Are Gonna Ask by Gretchen Anthony
53. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
52. Bookish People by Susan Coll

May
51. House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
50. The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
49. True Biz by Sara Novic
48. Recitatif by Toni Morrison
47. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
46. Blended by Sharon M. Draper
45. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
44. Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
43. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
42. The Guncle by Steven Rowley
41. Go to Sleep (I Miss You) by Lucy Knisley
40. Shadowshaper Legacy by Daniel Jose Older

April
39. Pale Rider by Laura Spinney
38. The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter
37. Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley
36. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
35. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
34. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi
33. The Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick

March
32. Underfoot in Show Business by Helene Hanff
31. Gallant by V.E. Schwab
30. The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty
29. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
28. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
27. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
26. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
25. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

February
24. Fairest by Meredith Telusan
23. Native: Dispatches from an Israeli-Palestinian Life by Sayed Kashua
22. When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
21. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
20. The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
19. Wow, No Thank You by Samatha Irby
18. These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett
17. Oddball: A Sarah Scribbles Collection by Sarah Andersen
16. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
15. The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal
14. Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds with artwork by Jason Griffin
13. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
12. Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues by Steven Rogers

January
11. Paperboy by Vince Vawter
10. The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker
9. Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci
8. Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi
7. City of Mists: Stories by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
6. Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk
5. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
4. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. The River of Consciousness by Oliver Sacks
2. The God of Lost Words by A.J. Hackwith
1. Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo

DNF in 2022
1. Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
2. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
3. Frontier Justice by E. Fuller Torrey
4. All About Me! by Mel Brooks
5. War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi
6. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar
7. Hello, Molly! : a memoir by Molly Shannon
8. Virgin River by Robin Carr
9. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman
10. The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe
11. Love, Chai and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma
12. Djinn City by Saad Z. Hossain

Favorite Books of 2021 -
I couldn't narrow down my top ten titles of 2021, so here's a top ten fiction and a few more categories as well:

Fiction
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Nonfiction
This Time Together by Carol Burnett
The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Nine Nasty Words by John McWhorter
Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

Graphic Novel
Umma’s Table by Yeon-Sik Hong

Poetry
The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems by Billy Collins

YA
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

Middle Grade
Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Right, Said Fred, time for that cuppa.

Happy new one, Mary!

>12 richardderus: Well, you never get nowhere if you're too hasty ;)
That was an entertaining little video.

>13 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

Happy number 10, Mary. First time that you have hit double digits in threads and it is great to see.

Happy new one, Mary.

>15 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. The year started off fast and shows little sign of slowing, so I'm anticipating 13ish threads will round out 2022 for me - lots of firsts!

>16 katiekrug: thanks, Katie!

Wordle 463 3/6

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So close to getting it in two! ADIEU, ADMIN, ADMIT.

Busy day today as I have church and work. I'm planning on going to early service, which gives me a bit of a gap before work where I can eat and maybe take a walk if it's not yet raining. I'll come home to leftover takeout (orange chicken and white rice) for dinner and have a quiet evening with football on in the background while reading or knitting. The Giants play Monday night, and that's when I'll actually pay attention.

I started an anthology of children's stories, Ancestor Approved, in which each story centers around a powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Each story focuses on a different character (usually a child about 10-12), and some of them encounter each other, but taken together they show a wide variety of experiences of indigenous people in the U.S. and Canada. My favorite so far is Rebecca Roanhorse's about the Rez dog.

I'm also reading The Hands of the Emperor, which is very long and it's a crapshoot if I'll actually finish it by the end of the month.

Edited to get touchstones to work

Happy Sunday, Mary. Happy New Thread! I hope your workday goes fast and smooth.

Happy new thread, Mary!

>18 bell7: Same score as me today, Mary. I was sorta-kinda wondering if they'd use your Troublesome Letter again.

Enjoy the Sundayness of it all.

You're off on a slightly new adventure I see. I'm sure it'll be a good one. I'll be following, if not contributing, Mary. :-)

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Mary!

>19 msf59: Thanks, Mark! It was pretty steady (helped that I had 100+ emails to catch up on after a couple of days off), and I'm happy to be home now :)

>20 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

>21 richardderus: I was wondering if you'd manage it in two, Richard. But sounds like I'm in good company with 3 *smooch*

>22 weird_O: Yep, time for a new thread. Thanks for following along, Bill!

>23 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>24 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!

Wordle 464 4/6

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Nice start to the day! ADIEU, CRYPT, BRING, BRISK.

Happy new thread, Mary!

Have a marvelous Monday!

>26 bell7: Same score for me! My word #3 was SKIRL but, yep!

>27 alcottacre: thanks, Stasia! Hope you had a good day, too!

>28 richardderus: ooh, haven't thought of that one, but I like it. Today's was a rougher one, but considering what I started with, I'm not unhappy.

Wordle 465 5/6

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ADIEU, CRYPT, LOWLY, HOBBY, SOGGY.

Good Tuesday morning!

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I had it off for working Sunday, and I met up with my friend and her four-year-old twins at a local playground and played with them for a few hours. The kids get really excited about getting to see me and play, so I had to push on the swing, go down the slides several times, and ride on the choo-choo truck (it was actually a fire truck, but once we got on it turned into a pumpkin tractor to drive through the fields). Bible study in the evening was good, the first in a study, and some time to visit with friends. I headed out immediately after it ended to get home and watch the Giants game. It was a tight game, and they lost, but the worst part was one of the best wide receivers got a non-contact knee injury on the last play of the game, and it looks like he's out for the season.

Today I'm back to work 12-8, so I've got the morning to - well, I haven't really decided what I'm going to do with my time yet. I'll finish my coffee and go from there.

Wordle 466 5/6

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Tricky but made it satisfying to come up with the right answer. ADIEU, CRYPT, PURLS, SPURN, USURP.

Good Humpday morning, Mary! I've been happily ensconced in a snowdrift of newsprint. *aaahhh* If your packages were objects of happy anticipation before, the newly added materials make them like cargo to a Papuan.

*smooch*

Just thought I would drop by to see how The Hands of the Emperor is going for you. I will be finishing it today and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

>30 bell7: Twin four year olds. Oooof. Sounds like you had a great time, though! When Charlie was wee and we'd go to the playground, I discovered that in my adult years I've somehow become completely terrified of going down the slides. *sigh*

>32 richardderus: Excellent, I'm glad the new addition is welcome! I haven't gotten any from my co-worker in a bit, but I'll keep posting 'em as long as you want them. *smooch*

>33 alcottacre: I have enjoyed what I've read so far, Stasia, but unfortunately I'm only about 60 pages in and in no shape to finish this month! I'll definitely touch base with you when I'm wrapping up. Happy Wednesday!

>34 scaifea: Yeah, they're bundles full of energy but they're getting to the age too where they can play together or with "friends" (kids they meet at the playground), so sometimes their mom and I get a chance to talk & catch up some. I'm not great with heights, though for whatever reason I'm okay with slides. They're just... made for slimmer hips than mine, so after awhile I get a bit of a back ache and have to beg off.

Wordle 467 3/6

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Well that was most pleasing. ADIEU, CRYPT, SCALD.

Good Thursday morning, all! I'm slowly but surely getting myself ready for a busy day at work, followed by dinner with the folks I used to live with.

Tuesday night, I came home from work with a sore throat, but I tested myself that night and again this morning, and I've been negative both times. Symptoms have been very mild, but I've been careful to stay masked at work (I have been anyways, but I took my lunch outside yesterday instead of in the break room), and resting when I get home. Yesterday was 9-5, and I had some errands in the evening. I came back to watch a couple of episodes of Psych (I have season 1 out from the library again), and went to bed early.

Today, I have a staff meeting in the morning and a phone call with the Roving Archivist who's going to work with us in the latest grant I received. I have a couple of volunteers coming in this afternoon that I'll be directing on jobs. I feel pretty good overall, just a mild sore throat and congestion. I mostly just don't want to get worse so I can make it out to the Giants game this Sunday!

96. Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Why now? First put on my radar by BookRiot's Read Harder challenge for 2022, fitting an anthology featuring diverse voices. I'm not worrying about completing that challenge this year, but still wanted to read the book.

This collection of short stories by indigenous authors all across the U.S. tell the stories of several Native children, generally between the ages of 9 and 12, who are all going to a powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The stories really showcase the depth and breadth of the experiences of Native people today. Some kids live in a tribal community, some do not. The shared space of the powwow allows some overlap in the stories, and it was fun to see a character from one pop up in the other. The quality of stories varied - none were bad, but some had the stilted sort of writing of an adult not sure how to write for kids, or someone used to novels unsure with a short story format. My favorites were "Rez Dog Rules" by Rebecca Roanhorse, in which the main character was indeed the dog, and "Bad Dog" by Joseph Bruchac, in which a boy named Wendell has an encounter with an older man who imparts some wisdom. I'll look forward to checking out some of the longer works by the authors included here. 4 stars.

I've read Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac, but I'm definitely going to have to check out some more of his works.

Edited to fix my numbering.

>38 bell7: Sounds fascinating! I like stories like these.

>37 bell7: It does sound like a good, solid day of stuff getting accomplished. I had a horrid allergy attack that turned into a cold for a week-plus, and am getting over it. Like you, I home-tested and always came up covid negative...a surprise in a place like this. I'm always masked outside my room, but some of the people here continue to refuse vaccinations for reasons I simply do not comprehend.

>36 bell7: I took 4 but was pretty darn happy it wasn't 5 considering the other word that I almost used SCALE but alpha order did me proud.

>39 richardderus: oof, hope the cold is good and gone today. I'm definitely going up and down, but I seem to feel worst in the morning and better towards the end of the day, so I'm taking that as a good sign. Four is a solid result, and was in fact mine today.

Wordle 468 4/6

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ADIEU, CRYPT, FROCK, SCORN.

TGIF! I'm out of here shortly for my work day, followed by volunteering at church and teaching something like twelve 3rd and 4th graders. Fun, yet exhausting. I'm probably sleeping in tomorrow?

I've still been fighting a cold, but it's worst in the morning after I've been lying down and everything "collects". I woke up in the middle of the night coughing and took medicine for it (I'd been taking it right before bed and forgot last night), then slept pretty well the rest of the morning 'til my alarm went off.

Tomorrow's plan is to hang out here for the morning. I'll probably try to cook some stuff to have it ready for next week. Then, if I'm feeling up to it, a friend of mine who lives about an hour away is having a harvest party, so there will be food and friends to hang out with for the afternoon/evening. I won't stay out terribly late, though, because on Sunday I'm headed to the Giants game with my brother, and I have to leave the house at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m. But it'll be worth it.

I'm currently only reading The Hands of the Emperor. I was hoping to finish it before the month was out, but that's definitely not going to happen as I have over 700 pages left. I'll write up a September in review tonight or tomorrow, I hope.

Glad to hear all is well with you, Mary, and hoping your bug hits the bricks before Sunday!

>38 bell7: Adding that one to the BlackHole. I will have to see if I can locate a copy.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hiya Mary! It was 3day for me. I got four of five letters after the two words I start with, so it's not like it was a stretch.

I'm nowhere near as sick as I was. It seems just to have been a cold, since I was covid-free every test.

I got my September all trussed up and plopped on the trunk of October's Lincoln.

Happy new thread, Mary! I'm sorry you were sick. I've had a couple of mini-colds since being back to school. I test every time, but no covid so far.

Have a great weekend!

Wordle 469 6/6

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ADIEU, CRYPT, FLAME, WHALE, LEASE, LEAVE. Phew, indeed!

>42 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! Most days have been good, this morning is rough so far, so we'll see how it goes.

>43 alcottacre: Hope you're able to track down a copy, Stasia. Have a good weekend!

>44 richardderus: We swapped our three and four days, eh? Not surprised with the differences in our starting words. Glad you're on the mend. I'll swing by your thread soon and catch up on what I missed the last few days.

>45 AMQS: Thanks, Anne! Yeah, this is my second cold of the year, though the first one was a lot worse. Happy weekend!

September in review
96. Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
95. The Master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata
94. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
93. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
92. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
91. Dear Martin by Nic Stone
90. American Street by Ibi Zoboi
89. The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi
88. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Did Not Finish
None this month (12 for the year)

Books read: 9
Rereads: 0
Children's/Teen/Adult: 1/2/6
Fiction/Nonfiction/Plays/Poetry: 7/2/0/0
ABC Challenge: The Picture Bride and (a month later) The Master of Go

Because I want to awards:
Good book, glad I read it - Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
This was definitely the best book I read all month.

YTD stats -
Pages read: 27,917
Avg pages a day: 102 - went down slightly from 104 last month
Books by POC authors: 34 (35%)
DNF: 12

Thoughts:
My most common rating this month was four stars, with Caste and Dear Martin both standing ahead of the pack and getting 4.5 (the difference of that half star essentially going up from a book I would recommend to a book I would consider rereading). I'm most pleased that 7 out of the 9 books I read this month were by authors of color. I'm hoping to keep that stat up as I finish out the year strong. I would've liked to finish an additional book or two, or even reach 100 this month, but that was not to be. Still, with three months left to the year, I'm very much on target for 120-130 by the end of the year, which is pretty typical for me.

I have a great bunch of library books all stacked up and ready, including a couple of books for the ABC challenge, my two book clubs, and more. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of reading month October shapes up to be!

>48 bell7: You turned in a solid month's reading, Mary! Not forgetting you own a home, have a family, and work full-time, volunteer too much a lot, as well as run a monthly book club....

Caste is just so disheartening. I posted a link to a Christian Science Monitor article on Black Italians over on Twitter...you really should read it, quite compact and not detailed but eye-opening.

*smooch*

In case I don't get back here, have fun at the game tomorrow! I'll look for you on the TV ;-)

>49 richardderus: thanks, Richard. I thought it was a solid month overall. And thank you for the mention of the article - that was an interesting read. Sometimes we get hyper focused on our own country's race/caste issues and don't think about how it plays out other places but it's everywhere.

>50 katiekrug: thanks, Katie! We're on our way now and looking forward to it (and very happy our seats are covered!).

Wordle 470 5/6

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Took a bit, but I got there. ADIEU, CRYPT, SMITE, THINE, TWINE.

Happy Sunday! We made it to the Giants and back in record time - literally, we were back at my brother's at 7:30 and watched the end of the Packers-Patriots game before I headed home.

We tailgated with my dad's friend, then watched a tight game that the Giants won, though with a couple of concerning injuries, including both of the quarterbacks 😬. Our phone directions avoided some traffic getting out of NJ, and I am home for the night.

Tomorrow I'm off and planning on getting together with my friend and her twins (I will be dogsitting and not free the rest of the month(, then getting a massage and going to Bible study. I get to take it easy in the morning though, and I will be taking full advantage of that!

I'm glad you got to see a win! Things are looking grim, though...

Hi Mary. Hoping your Monday brings only delights, thrills, and chills without spills.

>54 katiekrug: very grim. Hardly any wide receivers unscathed and both quarterbacks injured. Saquon was literally carrying the team on his back in the end, and while we got away with it against Chicago, that's not going to be good enough against other teams.

>55 richardderus: thanks, Richard! Taking the morning slow, but I have my coffee and life is good.

Wordle 471 3/6

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Surprised myself with that one. ADIEU, CRYPT, STING.

I didn't see any of the Giants game, but I read about the qb injuries. Crikey! The regular qb with the bad ankle/foot took to the field so the players could hear the play calls through the radio in his helmet. But he lined up as a wide receiver, staying clear of the action, while the team relied on the running game. Sorry about them Bears, Mark.

>58 weird_O: Yep... lined up and stayed out of the way, while our RB took a couple of direct snaps. Jones (QB) did take a few more snaps to hand of the ball later, but he looked gimpy and so DONE with it all, even where we were sitting in the stands. I'll be watching the injury report on that this week for sure.

I feel like I haven't done Worldle or Wordle in forever. It was only Friday-Sunday though.

>60 thornton37814: I suspect I'd feel the same if I missed a few days, Lori. I was a slow adopter, but I'm keeping at it now. Speaking of...

Wordle 472 4/6

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Eliminated enough letters in the third guess that I was going to be truly perplexed if guess four was not the answer. ADIEU, CRYPT, FOULS, BOUGH.

Good Tuesday morning! This is my "Monday", and I'm going to work 12-8. I have to call and make my eye appointment (for a year out, they get booked up fast), and have a few emails and things to write, but I'm mostly taking the morning easy and reading.

I'm getting into the mean of The Hands of the Emperor and really enjoying it. It's a doorstopper at 899 pages, so I'm not quite halfway through and I've essentially already read a book. However, there's enough going on and it's pretty seamless, that it appears that the book has the length it needed and isn't bloated. I haven't started another book yet, as I've wanted to concentrate on it with my reading time and not slow myself down more.

>62 bell7: I hope your first day back to work this week goes smoothly, Mary! And glad to hear the chunkster is remaining enjoyable. :)

Happy Newish Thread, Mary!

I’m glad you’re a Giants fan, so someone I know is happy about Sunday’s game. Lots of frowns not turned upside down here in Bears country.

I’m also pleased that you appreciated Caste. Wasn’t that a good one? She’s now written two standouts, with The Warmth of Other Suns being the other.

I probably missed your comments on it - how did you like Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress? I remember thinking highly of that one way back when. Cool cover, too, with those red shoes.

Hoping it was a lovely MonTue.

*smooch*

Hi Mary. I'm stopping by to see what you are reading, and to see how you are. Congratulations on reading so many books thus far this year.

Wordle 473 5/6

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Messed up a little forgetting I'd already used a spot, but didn't hurt me in the end. ADIEU, CRYPT, SOLAR, BRASS, MARSH.

>63 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! So far so good. I had over 100 messages to catch up on Tuesday - I was only out on Monday! - but the day went pretty smoothly.

>64 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! The Bears have had a rough season. The Giants are starting 3-1 for the first time since 2011, but having both quarterbacks injured is not a great sign of how the rest of the games will go, I think. Caste was excellent, and I've moved The Warmth of Other Suns up my TBR list for sure.

And I did enjoy Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. It is short and understated, but such an interesting tale about the power of art, not just at an individual but a societal level as well. I bought it at the library book sale this summer and gave it to my youngest brother to read.

>65 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! *smooch*

>66 Whisper1: Nice to see you, Linda! I'm doing well, and thoroughly enjoying my reading this year. I hope the same for you (((hugs)))

Happy hump day! Nothing spectacular to report - it should be a very average day of work (though, yes, lots of volunteers come in today), and I want to do my grocery shopping on the way home. The rule is I don't cook - only heat, reheat or assemble - on days that I do the food shopping, so while I might tidy up some things, fold the laundry, do the dishes, I won't have a particularly strenuous evening, either.

I'll probably try to watch an episode or two of Psych while I fold the laundry and knit (I'm working on a pink scarf for a breast cancer walk later this month), and continue reading The Hands of the Emperor.

>68 bell7: I've been listening to the Bruno for this month's group read. I now automatically think of Bruno's dog when I think of Balzac! I hope the little Chinese seamstress enjoyed playing with Bruno's dog. ;-)

>70 thornton37814: I had to look it up, Lori. Is that Bruno, Chief of Police? I've put it on hold, as it sounds intriguing. Seeing as Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is also translated from French, it's entirely conceivable that the Little Seamstress would've found herself there and become friends with the dog :)

Happy Humpday's herding activities, Mary. I hope the volunteers are a good group.

>67 bell7: I got today's in three...because I got all five letters in the first two words! That's never happened to me before. All. Five. ...!!...

>72 richardderus: they are, but as usual I have to find work for them to do. I'd like to say it'll get easier when the two folks working senior tax hours finish but... The truth is, there are sixteen of them, and I was still struggling at times pre-pandemic when I had a dozen. Ha! Too great having all the letters. Today was steady as she goes, and I might go back to my other word #2 since it would have been more helpful today and yesterday.

Wordle 474 4/6

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ADIEU, CRYPT, MONTH, SLOTH.

I feel like I blink, and another day is gone. Happy Thursday! I'm working 9-5, and am only one of four professional staff in the building, so the day will go by fast, I'm sure. The only plan for the evening is to cook dinner (I've been craving shrimp etouffee, so that will probably be what I make), and we'll see how much energy I have for tidying (the last of the laundry to fold, dishes to wash...) before I watch TV or read to finish out the day.

I'm continuing to just read The Hands of the Emperor. I'm two-thirds of the way in and it just keeps getting better.

*blink* it's 2022, not 1992. Gadzooks. I understand that it's my frame of reference that's responsible for these sudden shifts in time but...!!!

>75 richardderus: 1992 is only ten years ago, right? It often is in my head, in any case 😂

It's amazing as I approach 40 how quickly a year goes by and how as it becomes a smaller and smaller percentage of my lifetime, how more quickly time seems to pass. In fact, I had a conversation with my niece (earlier this year, not long my reckoning) in which I said, "You used to say..." And she replied with almost disdain, "That's when I was five!" Which was about a year prior to our conversation, but a much smaller span of time by my reckoning than hers.

Wordle 475 5/6

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Little bit of a guessing game in the end. ADIEU, MONTH, CANDY, SANDY, DANDY.

>76 bell7: If *I* said, "that's when I was five!" it would be a serious, in fact astonishing, feat of memory (assuming it was factual)...if *you* said it, it would still be pretty darn impressive; but her? That's 15% of her life ago! Wow.

Scary, this whole "time's arrow" thing, innit?

>78 richardderus: yeah, both memory and time are somehow harder and harder to fathom as I get older.

Wordle 476 5/6

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Steady progress to the answer today. I sometimes get annoyed with fives, but this one was satisfying somehow. MONTH, ADIEU (yes, I switched them just for the heck of it), BROIL, RIGOR, VIGOR.

Happy weekend! My sister and her family are coming up for a last-minute quick weekend visit. I'm planning on heading to a fall festival in just a few short minutes, after which I'll head over to my parents to visit with family.

Tomorrow, we're planning on getting together for breakfast and the Giants, which I'll have to cut a little short to go to work 12-5, and then come back for the last bit of family time before they head home Monday morning. Monday will be... well, a fair amount of catch up on cleaning and cooking at home, but I've got things in decently good order and feel okay about leaving for the day, in any case.

Matthew has apparently been asking about knitting, and I've cast on a pair of socks that I'm working on for him, since he said he'd like a pair for Christmas. I didn't have enough of a heads up to get books out of the library to read to Mia, but I do have a craft I'd printed out, and may be able to get something good at the fall festival which, conveniently, also includes their library book sale.

I'll probably only check in tonight/tomorrow with quick replies and a Wordle, so hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, and mostly "see" you Monday!

OH and in the excitement of today's plans, I forgot to mention that I finished The Hands of the Emperor today. Superb book, five stars, and when I can get a minute to try to wrap my brain around reviewing a 899 page tome, I will do so.

Edited to fix the touchstone (sorry).

>82 bell7: FIVE!! Oh dear....

>81 bell7: *smooch* See you Monday!

>82 bell7: I have not seen it called The Hands of the Emperor before, Mary. One of my favourite pairs of books ever, and I agree with you on the five star rating.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy all the family time, Mary!

>83 richardderus: do you mean to tell me Rono didn't get you with her book bullet? Or was it the wrong touchstone throwing you off?

>84 PaulCranswick: whoops, sorry, wrong touchstone, Paul. I'll have to try the other book that comes up when I type that title, though, since you praise it so highly.

>85 MickyFine: thanks, Micky!

Wordle 477 5/6

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ADIEU, CRYPT, MOLDY, WOODY, HOWDY.

Wordle 478 5/6

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ADIEU, CRYPT, HONEY, EBONY, ENJOY. Pleased I got it in five, honestly.

ESPN is trying to convince me that the Giants beat the Green Bay Packers yesterday, and that Big Blue has a 4-1 record. Obviously that is fake news 🙄.

>89 kidzdoc: Hahahaha, Darryl, you made me laugh out loud! Both facts are indeed shocking, I admit. Even after watching the Bears game in person last week, I told my brother that I would've felt a lot better about the Giants' record so far if they hadn't had so many injuries. We were counting out weeks, thinking what could happen with the season if they lost the next two to be 3-3. I couldn't watching the 4th quarter - I had to go to work - but I was following updates on my phone in increasing disbelief as the G-men actually pulled off the win against Green Bay.

The Eagles, too, have looked excellent this year, and the NFC East is starting to look like a much stronger division than it has been in the past few years.

>90 bell7: Shocking, indeed! It's certainly believable that Dem Boyz are 4-1, but not so the records of the Giants and Eagles. Big Blue has two very impressive wins, over the Titans and (gasp) Packers, and after next week's game against the Ravens they could run off a string of wins (Jaguars, Seahawks, Texans, Lions) before they play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. The Eagles will have to play much better to beat Dem Boyz the weekend after next, and a key part of that will be getting back several injured members of their offensive line.

If you leave out Washington the NFC East is a combined 13-2. That's a long way from the performances of the members of the former NFC L(E)ast.

I bleed Eagles green (and the black and gold of the Steelers, as you can't live in Pittsburgh for four years and not be permanently infected by Steelers Fever), but my original team was the Giants, dating back to the time when I grew up in Jersey City and watched Fran Tarkenton scramble for his life while quarterbacking Big Blue in the late 1960s and early 1970s before we moved to Pennsylvania in 1974. I've been told that I could no longer root for two teams in the NFC East, and even though we live barely outside of the NYC metropolitan area I chose the Eagles, as we're considerably closer to Philadelphia (6 miles to the NE Philadelphia city line) than to NYC (~70 miles).

I look forward to seeing which book(s) by Annie Ernaux you decide to read.

97. The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
Why now? I seem to remember Roni putting this book on my radar first (a year ago, already), but apparently I didn't add it to my TBR list, and I don't know when I put the hold on at the library. So it might be Kriti's fault for comparing to to The Goblin Emperor and the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. Anyway. I tried to read it as a shared read with Stasia in August and then in September, but it took me 'til a few days ago to finish.

Cliopher Mdang left his island people behind and now works for the Emperor of the entire realm. And he's very good at his job, having made sound decisions and incredible reforms to the government while not losing sight of where he came from (not that his family would ever acknowledge that or even knows what he does). When he invites the Emperor on vacation, however, this one simple act will upend the world as he knows it.

This was a warm, cozy read of a book about a fantastic group of characters, their friendships and love for one another. It drops you right into the middle of the world, with hints of its history and Cliopher's past to figure out as the story unfolds. Though almost 900 pages long, I never tired of reading or thought there were parts that could've been tighter. No, the book is as long as it needed to be, and when it ended I wanted to keep exploring the world and learn more about all the people I'd come to love. Okay, so it's not perfect - or, rather, in a way things are too perfect on multiple levels - but it was such a fun read. I was left wanting to spend more time with this characters and in this world. 5 stars.

>91 kidzdoc: Injuries are a big question mark for the next couple of weeks, I think. The Cowboys backup quarterback has been impressive. Daniel Jones looked pretty good overall after suffering the ankle injury last week - hopefully he can stay healthy! - and the Giants' wide receivers have taken a beating, but they're hanging in much more than I thought they would the last two weeks. The Cowboys-Eagles game Sunday night will be a good one, I think. I'm hoping you're right about the possible string of Giants wins. I'll be going to the Texans and Lions game (the former with most of my family, the latter with Katie).

Your path to being an Eagles fan is an interesting one, and I concur with those that have suggested you can't really go for two teams in the same division :) My family... well, some of them moved here from New York and New Jersey, but that predates the National Football League. My dad's dad was a Giants fan before the NFL/AFL merger, so instead of switching to the Patriots because we lived in Massachusetts (as one of my dad's friend did), we just stayed classic and kept going for New York. We go for Boston teams in every other sport - a combination which is easier to find in Connecticut or New Hampshire than Massachusetts now. My mother's dad is a Patriots fan, but as she didn't care for football growing up, there was really no contest who our family cheered for on Sundays.

I've got A Man's Place on hold from the library on your recommendation, so depending on how fast the people in front of me read, I may be able to read it by the end of the year and let you know.

Happy Monday! I guess it's a holiday, but my three day weekend was last weekend so for me it's kinda a normal day-after-I-worked-a-Sunday day.

It was a pleasant, busy weekend filled with lots of family. My sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew came up for a quick weekend at my parents'. I went over Saturday afternoon/evening, and on Sunday morning we had brunch and Giants at my parents. I had to go to work 12-5, but came back to my parents to hang out some more. The kids are 7 and 5 now, and getting so big. Mia read with me and mom a couple times. Matthew was very excited about my knitting his socks, and wanted to know how knitting worked and how I put the yarn on. I'm using a self-striping yarn, and he'd get excited about every color change. I finished one while they were there (so I was able to check the fit, which was nice), and reminded Mia I'd be working on hers, too.

I missed the fourth quarter of the Giants game because I was at work, but as I mentioned above to Darryl, I was following in increasing disbelief (and joy) on my phone as they came from behind to beat the Packers. They're now 3-0 in London, and Giants social media had a field day with their Twitter posts afterwards, which was extremely entertaining.

Today's plan is to hang around the house and do some cooking and cleaning that didn't get done over the weekend. Lots of small projects, no big plans. Reading factors in that, too, of course. The Hands of the Emperor slowed down my October reading plans considerably, and I have a few graphic novels I want to read for a conversation with fellow librarians tomorrow, as well as a book club book I need to start soon. Over the weekend, I also started All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson and an ARC on my Kindle of The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin.

>94 bell7: This is a holiday? We're not Canadians. Why's it a holiday for not-Jewish people? (Sukkoth for them.)

It does explain why the vaccine people were rushed off their feet. Poor lambs. I had to confirm who I was and why I was getting a vaccine three times just to be sure I wasn't getting something unexpected. (Flu.)

>92 bell7: Huh! Blank space. How odd.

*smooch*

>95 richardderus: Yeah, it's the some random guy "found" a continent that other people had populated thousands of years before holiday. I bet my brother has Sukkoth off, though (he works for the Yiddish Book Center). I imagine it did add to the busy-ness of the vaccinations. Got my flu shot with my Covid bivalent booster a couple of weeks ago, so I'm set for awhile on both counts.

*snort* re: >92 bell7:.

>96 bell7: I'm picking up the flu because I got the covid before, when *I* thought it was the other way around. Since I get all my vaccines from CVS, they have the records, I trust them to know which needle I need to get jabbed with. If I get a double anything, better it's flu than covid!

I love their "bivalent" moniker for this round of vaccines. The little guy giving me the vaccine was adorable so I decided to make it fun by saying "waitwaitwait this'll turn me BI? take it away immediately and bring me a homovalent needle!"

I was inordinately pleased that he laughed so hard he needed to calm down before the jab.

>97 richardderus: Hahahaha, I like that. Walgreens has all my records, but same otherwise. I got both on the same day in the same arm the day before I had to work a Sunday - but fortunately, didn't have much of a reaction (flu alone usually has me feeling slightly off for 24 hours). Hope you're feeling good after the flu shot *smooch*

>92 bell7: Ooh, comparisons to Becky Chambers, you say? I still need to get to The Goblin Emperor, too, but it's on the list for before the end of the year.

Happy Monday, Mary!

>99 curioussquared: It doesn't have the same amount of humor, but I could see parallels in the way folks worked together in friendship and respect for one another. Happy Monday, Natalie!

>98 bell7: Slightly sore arm, nothing else yet. I mean, I *always* cough blood and ooze greenish slime from my eyes, so....

Hi, Mary! I lost your thread at some point, but I'm back now!

>101 richardderus: "good" is relative, I suppose, but at least side effects didn't knock you out.

>102 foggidawn: glad you found me again, foggi!

Wordle 479 3/6

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ADIEU, DIARY, VALID for a very satisfying solution.

98. Paper Girls, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Cliff Chiang
99. Paper Girls, Volume 2
100. Paper Girls, Volume 3

The morning after Halloween, Erin is on her paper route and meets Mac, KJ, and Tiff, three other girls who defend her against neighborhood bullies and seem like they could become friends. That same morning, however, they're accidentally involved in a long-running battle between time-travelling factions, and don't know who to trust.

A group of librarians meets regularly to talk about different books and genres - this was our "benchmark" title that everyone read for the very broad graphic novel fiction. Some of us read more volumes than others, though the general consensus was that we liked it, and there was some compare/contrast with Stranger Things. One librarian pointed out that all the blues and purples kept the lighting very "twilight-y" throughout. I requested volumes 4-6 from the library to see what happens next.

101. Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada, illustrated by Ko Hyung-ju

Selected as my second title for the graphic novel discussion this morning. This is a fictionalized account of Hyun Sook going to college in South Korea during an oppressive regime in 1983. She just wants to put her head down and study, avoiding all the demonstrations and protests on campus, but when she meets a group of students who are part of a banned book club, she has a political awakening and begins to get involved. Black and white illustrations, and I had a little trouble keeping the boy students straight in my head, but overall a good story and one that's sadly all the more necessary in the U.S. today.

You like Paper Girls too! Yay! *smooch*

>106 richardderus: I do! Looking forward to reading the rest of the story :)

102. The Crossover (Graphic Novel) by Kwame Alexander

One more graphic novel and then it's back to my regularly scheduled reading (specifically, I really need to start my book club book, and will do so before I go to bed tonight). This was a possible second title for this morning's discussion, but I finished it tonight. It's a graphic adaptation of The Crossover, the 2015 Newbery Award-winning novel in verse. The art is black and white with orange in the background and in the basketball, primarily focusing on the characters, the layout dictated by the poems instead of in boxed comics. I'd forgotten the story, too, so it was a neat way to revisit it.

Wordle 480 4/6

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Not bad today. ADIEU, CRYPT, COINS (oops...but it worked), IONIC.

Happy Wednesday, Mary. Just checking in after our whirlwind trip. I have added The Crossover to my list. I like having some GN recs in the bank.

ETA- Is it a GN? Or free verse?

>110 msf59: hi, Mark! This one is both - the original novel is in verse, but I read the graphic novel adaptation. It's been long enough ago that I can't tell if any of the poems from the original are missing, but I think you get all of the story either way. Hope you enjoy it!

>109 bell7: I'm really glad you got it. *smooch*

I'm glad you liked the first few volumes of Paper Girls enough to continue the series. I really loved the whole thing (as evidenced by the chunky collected volume of the whole series sitting on my bookshelf). I hope you continue to find it enjoyable.

>112 richardderus: *smooch* back. Didn't do too bad on today's either.

Wordle 481 3/6

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ADIEU, VALUE, EQUAL

>113 MickyFine: I think it was your recent read of the collected volume that I was reminded of when it was proposed as our benchmark title. I'm looking forward to seeing how the story wraps up.

I'm getting a bit of a slow start this morning. Maybe I can blame it on getting my period today - oh, which reminds me, I think awhile back I was worrying about a potential diagnosis and never updated. I was afraid I might have primary ovarian insufficiency, because I'm on the young side for experiencing perimenopausal symptoms. After going off birth control, my blood test came back with a number that didn't indicate that (and basically said I'm not in actual menopause, so yay for years ahead of occasional hot flashes?). My periods have stayed almost perfectly regular, generally 24 days apart, and easier than they've been at any point in my life to date, so I've gone ahead and stayed off birth control for now.

Anyway, all that to say I started my period today, so though I slept great, I'm a little tired and draggy this morning. I'm working 9-5, coming home, and having my pastor and his wife over for dinner. I made a lemon chicken orzo soup last night, and I'm planning on reheating it and roasting Brussels sprouts ahead of their coming for six. No other plans for the evening, so when they go home, I'll settle down with my book.

I'm reading All Boys Aren't Blue (just barely started, and hopefully digging into more after book club next week), the ARC of The World We Make on my Kindle, and Harlem Shuffle for book club. I had started Harlem Shuffle last year and had trouble following it as an e-book, so I'm mostly reading the paper book now, though I have it in multiple formats to help me get it read in time. I'm happy to say that I'm already past the place I'd stopped before and am enjoying it.

TGIF - I'm off today, so yesterday was my Friday and I am ready for both the chores and hanging out.

The morning did not start out as planned. I got up a little on the late side after having some trouble sleeping. Then I got my breakfast together and was sipping my coffee starting Wordle when my fire alarm went off and wouldn't let me reset it. A visit from the fire department later, and everything is good, they figure the line got broken by a spider or something. What fun! I do have to clean my oven, though. There's burnt stuff at the bottom from when I cooked a frozen pizza and it was smoking things up quite a bit yesterday while I roasted the vegetables for last night's dinner. So when the fire alarm went off last night, I just opened all the windows and reset it a couple of times.

Anyway. Potential plans for today include cleaning said oven, contacting the landscaping/snow removal company regarding leaf removal this fall and plowing this winter, making lentil soup with a new-to-me recipe, and reading my book club book. And tonight I have my regular volunteer thing, teaching the 3rd and 4th grade girls.

Today's Wordle:

Wordle 482 5/6

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I blame guess #4 on still being shaken up after the fire department came. ADIEU, MONTH, CROPS, WORRY, FLOOR.

103. The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin
Why now? Jemisin is one of my go-to, I will ready anything by them, authors. I really liked The City We Became, which came out last April and I bought immediately. I requested and was granted an ARC of the second in the duology.

*Free e-book ARC received from the publisher through Edelweiss Plus - thank you!*

New York City has survived its birth, and the avatars of the city as a whole and most of its boroughs are working together against R'lyeh, the Woman in White whose superiors threaten the very existence of the multiverse. But R'lyeh is still a thread, and Neek, Manny, and the others may need to convince the other, older cities to help them since the enemy is no longer playing by the rules.

Where reading the first book felt like reading about a parallel universe, there are some definite references to our world in what NYC is fighting - gentification, racism, and a Republican mayoral candidate backed by "Proud Men" and others. Though Covid is never mentioned, readers will see how the events of the past couple of years have impacted the writing of Book #2, and Jemisin is not subtle in presenting her views on the dangers the city (the U.S., in microcosm) is facing. I enjoyed seeing the avatars now confident in their powers, the personalities of the boroughs, and seeing how the story wrapped up. 4 stars.

Comes out November 1.

Given your description I trust that your day will markedly improve after its inauspicious start, Mary!

Nice review of The World We Make. N.K. Jemisin is an author I was hoping to get to this year, but I'll add her to my priority list for 2023.

I hope the cleaning went smoothly and time with the kiddos was a delight. More chill or busier day tomorrow?

>119 kidzdoc: Eh, the smoke detector kept going off intermittently throughout the day and I finally called the non-emergency line at 11 p.m. where the on-call guy came and took a look. I thought they'd put in new detectors when I'd bought the house in late 2020, but the actual date on them was 2016 so it was nearing the end of its life. He was able to deactivate it (there wasn't a way to take the batteries out), and I'll replace it on Monday. He said the fire dept could come out during regular hours to help me install it, if need be. So all's well that ends well, at least.

I do hope you enjoy N.K. Jemisin's works when you get to them. My favorite is her Broken Earth trilogy that begins with The Fifth Season. I like SFF in general, and really enjoyed what she did with the narrative form in the first book especially.

>120 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! It was a good, productive day at home, including a nice walk to the cemetery, and the evening with the kids was a blast as always. Busier day to today, but in part that's why I was so focused on getting cleaning and stuff done yesterday.

Happy Saturday! I'm off to a Ren Faire today with a group of friends and very much looking forward to it! I'll be getting picked up in about 20 minutes to carpool, and one of my brothers is going, too. I bought a fairly cheap outfit online (and got what I paid for), but I'll be dressed up and can take a look at what vendors have on offer if I decide to beef up my costume haha.

Sunday will be church and work, followed by the ladies from my Bible study coming over for a game night. Monday I'm off, and my brothers asked if I'd like to go to the Bruins game with them. So my weekend plans are pretty booked, but should be a great time.

Wordle 483 X/6

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Too many options, ran out of room. ADIEU, MONTH, BATCH, PATCH, HATCH, BATCH, and should've gone with my other second word. Oh well.

I also got skunked on Wordle today. Solidarity, sister.

Sounds like a great weekend ahead for you, Mary. Bummer about the Wordle skunking. I pulled off a 4 but I know that was definitely luck.

>124 katiekrug: *fist bump* hey, if I miss Wordle but the Giants win the next day, I'll take it.

>125 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! It was a lot of fun, but exhausting. I ended up sleeping in today, though as always I have more than enough errands to fill my time.

Wordle 485 4/6

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I did Wordle yesterday cause my streak is 2 but for the life of me I can't remember. Today's was solid. ADIEU, CRYPT, SPITE, STEIN.

>123 bell7: That one got me as well.

Happy week-ahead's reads, Mary! Good stuff on today's Wordle.

>128 foggidawn: here's to a renewed streak, foggi!

>129 richardderus: thanks, Richard! I'm closing in on the end of my book club book despite the busy weekend.

Wordle 486 4/6

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ADIEU, CRYPT, FEINT, EXIST. Steady progress to win in four is always satisfying.

You got me with >38 bell7: Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids. Interesting review, and a subject I'm very interested in.

And I'm glad to know The World We Made is coming out soon. I enjoyed The City We Became and, like you totally loved The Broken Earth Trilogy .

Stuck on Wordle today. Hopefully my brain cells will kick back in after the puzzle soaks in the back of my mind for a while.

>131 bell7: 'Twas a three fer me todee.

I have reached a Momentous Conclusion:
Horror makes me giggle, for the most part, because actual regular people scare me more than dreamt-up monsters.

So much for #Spooktober!

>132 streamsong: Oh good, I'm glad you enjoy both, Janet, and that Wordle finally cooperated with you!

>133 richardderus: Congrats on Wordle-in-three, Richard. Though I agree with the sentiment, I have a very good imagination (especially in the dark) and will remain horror-avoidant for awhile yet myself ;) I owe you a thread visit, and I'm hoping to catch up on several tomorrow morning. *smooch*

Wordle 487 4/6

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Fun one today. ADIEU, UNITS, QUILL, QUIRK.

>135 bell7: It took me 4 today, too. I wish I'd've had my coffee before I started the game!

Humpday *smooch*

Good morning! It feels like it's been awhile since I've really sat down to do much more besides respond to posts or post my Wordle score, so buckle down for a quick weekend recap and what I'm planning on doing today.

The weekend was really fun, and as usual went along speedily. On Friday, I got a bunch of chores done, and then had my Friday night volunteering at church. Saturday, the entire day was taking up going to a Renaissance Faire out in eastern Mass. with a bunch of friends, and we had a ball. We all dressed up, went to various shows and looked at vendors. I discovered that one of my friends has very similar taste in tea, and we pitched in to buy a bunch of loose leaf tea. I almost bought leather bracers, but decided to save those for a later time, and bought myself a skirt to start making a more elaborate costume for next year (I bought a very basic one on Amazon for cheap, and I got what I paid for, so now I'm thinking about what I can do in the future).

Sunday I had nursery, church, and work. I followed the Giants game on my phone and was very excited to see another come-from-behind win. They are, shockingly, 5-1 and having a great season so far for a "rebuild" year.

Monday was a day off since I worked on Saturday. I had some errands to run in the morning, made lentil soup, and then went to the Bruins game with my brothers.

Yesterday was back to work, 12-8. I slept in and didn't do much other than read my book club book before getting ready for work. Today is also 12-8, though I'm hoping to do a little bit more in the morning. I'd like to catch up on the threads a bit, maybe take a walk, and read All Boys Aren't Blue.

>136 richardderus: *smooch* back

The Ren Faire sounds like so much fun. I'm glad you had a great time and I hope that we'll someday get a pic of your costume when it's completed. :)

Happy Wednesday, Mary. Sounds like your week is off to a good start. I wanted to mention- I started The Crossover because of your recommendation. I think the GN format is working out perfectly.

>139 MickyFine: I added a few things to my Amazon wishlist and there are leather bracers I want to get from a seller on Etsy...not sure when the outfit(s) will be complete as I'll be spreading out those purchases but yes, when I do have one I'll share a photo 😊

>140 msf59: oh excellent, Mark, I'm glad I was able to put it on your radar. I really like Kwame Alexander's books.

Wordle 488 5/6

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So many options... ADIEU, DIRGE, DEBIT, DEVIL, DENIM.

Good Thursday morning! We had a great time at book club yesterday discussing Harlem Shuffle. There were three of my regulars, one woman who had come once before, and a new-to-us friend of hers for a total of five. Altogether I was pleased by that, and believe the newer two may decide to come back - I hope so, anyway!

Well, we were a little divided on the book, and one woman said she only got 100 pages in (but by the end of the discussion, she said she would try to finish it after all). We had a lot to say about Carney and his situation, and the various types of corruption - that accepted by society and that which is not, and which is "worse" - displayed in the book, as well as the race riots in New York in 1964 as depicted in the book and what has/hasn't changed since.

Today after work, I start a dogsitting job for the folks with the labs. I believe they're leaving me four, so that'll keep me walking!

I'm currently reading All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson and Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn as a DRC on my Kindle. Both are excellent reads so far.

>143 bell7: Happy Thursday, Mary. Yay for lab-sitting...as a breed they tend toward sunnier personalities than most.

Enjoying the current reads is a great treat! *smooch*

>142 bell7: I had the advantage on one letter properly placed plus three others correct so it was 3day for me.

Happy Thursday Mary!

>143 bell7: Ooh, everyone on BookTok would be drooling over your Bloodmarked ARC. I want to get to Legendborn soon!

>144 richardderus: Lol yeah sometimes Wordle is the luck of the first guess or two. Labs are sunny and energetic, for sure! I'm usually pretty tired by the time I'm done, but they're sweet dogs too. Hope your current reads are treating you well, too.

>145 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie! I was pretty happy to be granted access. I'm reading it pretty close to the release date - Nov. 8 - but should still get it finished a little before it comes out. You have a treat ahead of you with Legendborn!

104. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Why now? This month's book club read - and if we hadn't selected, I wanted to read it anyway, as I really like both The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys

Ray Carney is only slightly crooked: he owns a furniture shop in Harlem and dreams of moving to a nice apartment with his wife and kids, and only occasionally has "gently used" items in his store into whose provenance he does not ask. Then his cousin Freddie asks him to be the fence for a big heist a buddy of his is planning, getting Carney deeper into the seedier side of town.

The book is structured in three parts: 1959, 1961, and 1964. Each of these has pivotal events in Carney's life, and - the final third in particular - New York City. The city Whitehead paints is detailed and rich, and we get to know the Black neighborhoods and question whether Carney's crime is really any worse than what other, more "upstanding" citizens are perpetrating at the same time. I didn't love every minute of reading it, but on reflecting and discussing it with my book club, I do believe it's the kind of book that - like one of Whitehead's earlier books, The Underground Railroad - would reward rereading because when you already know the plot and what will happen to the characters, you can then concentrate on the details, the language, and the other elements that make one of Whitehead's stories so special. 4.5 stars.

The first in what his website says will be a trilogy, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.

Wordle 489 6/6

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Phew, indeed! ADIEU, MONTH, SCORE, FROZE, GROPE, GROVE.

Dropping in to say hello!

>147 bell7: I have not read that one yet however, I quite enjoyed The Underground railroad. I shall add this on my list

Have a fantastic weekend!

>148 bell7: Me, too! AND Karen! What happened to us today?!

It's a perfect fall day and I hope you're having the same up there. How's the leaf-change coming?

>149 figsfromthistle: hi, Anita! I hope you enjoy Harlem Shuffle when you get to it. I admire Whitehead's ability to write such different books over the course of his career.

>150 richardderus: oh how odd for all three of us to struggle similarly! The leaves are probably just past peak but still beautiful, and it's a crisp fall day today. I woke up to temps in the 40s and it'll be 66 for a high today. Gotta love it!

Wordle 490 3/6

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Pretty proud of myself today. ADIEU, SHIED, SPIEL.

>152 bell7: I was a 4by today. Interesting word choice, no?

>151 bell7: Being on the seashore, and the whole of Long ISLAND being moderated by its effects, we're barely beginning to color up. It's headed for an upper-sixties finish for the day but that is absolutely perfectly fine by me.

>153 richardderus: I like the word! I was certainly helped out but the letters I got in the right place, too. I'm slightly jealous of your late fall colors. They're often gorgeous here, but peaking in mid-October means November is so very brown.

Phew, okay! Finally sitting down for another day-in-review.

Thursday night, I started dogsitting for four labs. The owners texted me at work to say it would be later in the evening and not to come over straight from work, so I went home and got some things done, packed up all the food, etc., and then headed over when they told me they were ready. I was able to watch the rest of Bruins game, walked the dogs, and went to bed.

Friday, I got up early to walk the dogs, went to work and volunteering, came back and tried to hang out for a bit, but ultimately after about a half hour or so, I walked the dogs and again went to bed. Oh, I should mention the volunteering went really well. I had both my adult helpers call out sick and had subs, but one of them was someone who has been volunteering 20+ years and is basically the head of the program for this age group (grades 3-6 as opposed to the younger kids). She complemented me afterwards saying I was doing a great job and the the kids were obviously loved. I know I don't always do things exactly like she would (basically some times are more chaotic), so it was extra nice to hear.

I slept in 'til close to 9 a.m. this morning.
So far, I have walked the dogs, stopped at home for deodorant, which I'd forgotten, and more food, and then done a quick grocery shopping. I'm now back, have had lunch, and I'm planning on watching the Bruins game while also giving the dogs their midday walk. The afternoon should be as quiet as it can be with four labs before dinner for all of us, and more walks.

They get walked four times a day, and I do them all separately, so for reference said walks can take anywhere from a half hour to an hour or more, depending on how quickly they go to the bathroom.

>155 bell7: Good GRAVY!! The four of them all together does sound like a too-much-of-a-good-thing walk, but all separately...! Well, you're earning your keep for sure and certain.

>154 bell7: One of the delights of getting old is how deeply I feel the fleeting and beautiful moments that I once found less intense. Fall color lasts a blink...but what a beautiful blink.

>156 richardderus: enough of them eat sticks and pine needles and crap, that it's too much for me to watch and make sure they don't if I have more than one at a time. Though I believe the owners will walk two at a time.

I like that phrase, "a beautiful blink". I do try to take the time to enjoy such pleasures as the leaves turning, and often find myself wishing I could slow time down just a bit.

105. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
Why now? I've made it a goal to read the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021, and this was one of them - I got it out of the library right around Banned Books Week in September but am only just finishing it up now

George M. Johnson reflects on growing up a closeted gay Black boy, telling stories of his family, school, and going to college. Through it all, he encourages teens to be themselves, find a strong support group, and learn from his mistakes.

This was one of the top 10 most banned books in 2021. It's a memoir of a young man not much younger than me, whose formative experiences were very different from my own. I enjoy reading that kind of thing. It's not written to me - it's meant for young people, and he writes directly to them, often addressing advice to teens at the end of a chapter. He writes matter-of-factly about sexual abuse he experienced and sexual encounters in college. Johnson's young enough that he can remember and reflect on his mixed feelings about his identity and the awkwardness of coming out, and his love for his family really shines through. Probably my favorite part to read was his letters to different family members: his Nanny, his father, mother, and trans cousin Hope among them. Definitely recommended for high school and college age readers with an interest in memoirs. 4 stars.

>155 bell7: Your dogs use deodorant, Mary? (only kidding).

Have a splendid and fragrant weekend. xx

>159 PaulCranswick: hahaha only sometimes, Paul. Hope you're having a good weekend as well.

Wordle 491 X/6

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Hmph. ADIEU, MONTH, MURKY, MUGGY, MUZZY, MUSSY.

>161 bell7: Oh dear. If it's any comfort whatsoever, guessing-game day is a major irritation to almost all of us.

*smooch* for a happier Sunday

>162 richardderus: Yeah, the guessing games are my least favorite. I admit, though, the word didn't even occur to me I think, like many of us, I'm prone to look at the letters I haven't used yet to come up with guesses, so while double letters occurred to me, I wasn't even looking in the direction of the "M" for the three.

Oh well, the Giants won, so a happier Sunday it is!

Busy day today, with dog walking in the morning, church, and work. I missed watching the Giants game but followed along on my phone (it was a slow day). Whew! They sure do like to win in the last seconds this year, and I hadn't realized how close the final play was until I just saw some highlights during halftime of the 4 p.m. game.

I'm off to walk the dogs again and get myself some dinner. I'll probably have football on the TV while I read for a bit this evening. Since I finished All Boys Aren't Blue, I've started Lupe Wong Won't Dance, which I'm hoping won't take me long, as it's already overdue. Oops...

>163 bell7: Happy Giants victory!! (I seldom have the occasion to say that....)

>165 richardderus: it's been more frequent this year than in years past! I'd hardly say they've been good, either, but they've been scrappy.

Wordle 492 2/6

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Quite the comeback after yesterday (and quite a bit of luck). ADIEU, FAULT.

>167 bell7: It was a 4day for me, which is *just*fine* as a streak-extender.

>166 bell7: It's sad when teams winning who usually don't are the harbingers of worldwide disaster. The Phillies will be in the Series this year...every time this has happened, there has been a worldwide depression.

Batten the hatches.

I've had lots of 5s in my Wordling lately. Alas.

Glad to hear the dogs are keeping you at a good level of busy and everything else is ticking along well.

>168 richardderus: honestly, the three-fours are nice because at least then I feel like some skill is involved. Though I'd obviously rather a 2 than an X.

I think I saw a tweet with that Phillies fact. 😬

>169 MickyFine: at least you've been keeping your streak going! I started with over 100 and haven't got anywhere close that since 😂 The dogs are good girls-and-boy and quite energetic, but at least I've kinda eased into it a little. We'll see how I do by the end of the week, though my boss knows I may run late when I'm scheduled in at 9.

Wordle 493 5/6

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Rough start, but got it in the end. ADIEU, MONTH, SORRY, FOLLY, FOGGY.

106. Lupe Wong Won't Dance by Donna Barba Higuera
Why now? I added the book to my TBR list after reading The Last Cuentista, the Newbery award winner, earlier this year and wanted to check out the author's other book

Lupe Wong is of Chinese and Mexican heritage, the first string pitcher on her 7th grade baseball team, and determined to be the first woman pitcher in the major leagues. Her uncle has told her that if she gets straight As, he'll introduce her to Fu Li, a pitcher she's looked up to and of the same mixed heritage as she. But this PE quarter may throw off all her grand plans, because they're doing a unit on square dancing.

Joining Lupe are a great cast of characters, family and friends, who support her, misunderstand her, and have back stories in their own right that readers occasionally see through Lupe's first-person narration or in conversations with her. Lupe is young, and sometimes makes mistakes with her friends Niles and Andy, seeing things narrowly through her own point of view and using them to her own ends. And she's still mourning the passing of her father. I found myself, as an adult reader, sometimes irritated with her inability to see outside of herself, but I think a child reader would sympathize more and that it was a realistic. Lupe grows over the course of the novel: she's always fiery and taking up causes, but exactly how she does that - especially in relation to square dancing - shifts from a demand to stop it because she doesn't want to do it to a more nuanced acknowledgement of the good and the bad of it, and a desire to be more inclusive in general. 4 stars.

>171 bell7: I got it in 3! Your Troublesome Letter plus our weather, well...yay!

>173 richardderus: I am even more impressed now that I saw what you started with. My brain went in different directions, obviously, but hey, I got it!

Yesterday was a day off, but of course I found plenty to do. After walking the dogs, I went over to my parents for a morning visit and to drop off part of the birthday gift for my grandfather that's from the whole family. I stayed until I had to come back and walk the dogs midday, then had a few hours to kill before getting dinner and heading to Bible study, followed by the final walk of the night.

Today was work, bookended with dog walks. I slept in a little and took a lazy morning. I started Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner as my paper book, and I'm still reading my DRC of Bloodmarked. Work was 12-8, so the dog walker came and gave the dogs dinner, too. After getting back tonight, I was able to kinda sorta watch some of the Bruins, and now that the game is over, I'm taking the dogs for their final walks of the night and heading to bed myself.

Tomorrow will be pretty busy. I have a roving archivist coming for a site visit tomorrow, and a staff meeting in the afternoon. I'm hoping to stop at home to get a few things, like coffee and my absentee ballot, then cooking in the evening between dog walks.

Happy Wednesday, Mary. Once again, thanks for putting The Crossover on my radar. I really enjoyed the GN version. Glad to hear how much you liked Harlem Shuffle. It turned out to be just an okay read for me and I am a big fan of Whitehead. Oh, well...Good luck with the rest of the work week.

>176 msf59: glad to hear The Crossover was a winner for you, Mark. Kwame Alexander had at least one more book in that format, and if you beat me to it you'll have to let me know how it goes! I was mixed about Harlem Shuffle right after I read it, but the discussion helped elevate my eating. Will you read the next in the series or stick to other Whiteheads?

Edited to get touchstones to work

Wordle 494 5/6

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Slow and steady for another five day: ADIEU, MONTH, SPOUT, CLOUT, FLOUT.

>178 bell7: The same last-two, but in slots 3 & 4. Streaks alive, we're hot on the Wordleing!

*smooch* for a smooth-though-busy day.

I love the mental image I conjure of a roving archivist. I picture someone with a blazer with elbow patches and big stacks of acid-free boxes. LOL. I hope your chat with them is helpful and the dogs continue to be good company.

>179 richardderus: I always get a kick out of seeing the different paths; interesting that we went in a similar vein today. *smooch*

>180 MickyFine: teehee, I like your mental picture. The guy who came seemed like he could've been at home in elbow-patched blazers, though he wasn't wearing any today. We met, I told him what our biggest needs were - archives management, how to do finding aids, prioritizing projects, and volunteer projects - and he'll write up a report and send it to me in about a month. It will be useful, I think. He was very complementary in what we've done so far, too, which was nice.

Wordle 495 3/6

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I went with the right second word choice today. ADIEU, CRYPT, CARRY.

>182 bell7: Hiya Mary! It was 3day for me, too. Very satisfying.

>181 bell7: Oh nice! It's always pleasant to hear from an expert in the field that you're doing a solid job.

>182 bell7: 3 for me too although there was a lot of luck involved.

>183 richardderus: Isn't it just? My most common result is four, followed by five, and both are fine in terms of feeling like I used some skill in figuring it out, but there's something nice about the blend of luck and skill (in varying degrees) in a three.

>184 MickyFine: Yeah, it's been encouraging since I've really learned all this stuff on the job - I've become an expert on our collection, but I am not on archives in general. Yay for another 3day!

107. Grandfather's Dance by Patricia MacLachlan
Why now? Finishing my read through the Sarah, Plain and Tall series with the fifth and final

Cassie is a little older now and Jack - John Jacob after his grandfather and father - is toddling not far behind. She describes her own thoughts on marriage and growing up, as well as the special relationship young Jack has with Grandfather as the family prepares for Anna's wedding and visiting family.

This bittersweet book is a fitting end to the series that began with Sarah, Plain and Tall. Anna and Caleb are all grown up, and Cassie and Jack meet the aunts and William for the first time. The event I kept expecting to happen didn't until the final pages. A lovely family story that I found as charming as Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark. 4.5 stars.

108. Paper Girls, Volume 4
109. Paper Girls, Volume 5
110. Paper Girls, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Cliff Chiang

KJ, Mac, Erin and Tiff continue their adventures trying to get back to their own time in 1988, with help from their future selves and clones. I got a little confused by what could and couldn't be changed in time and all the moving pieces, but it was a fun story.

Edited to add - my spreadsheet for my 2022 reading has a place to put if the author/artist is person of color or not. Since there's six volumes and the author is white but the illustrator is Asian American, I split the difference and gave three of these a note that the author/artist is a person of color.

Wordle 496 5/6

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ADIEU, CRYPT, FLAME, GLEAN, SNEAK.

>188 bell7: I got 4 of 5 letters from AEONS today, so it was a doddle for me.

>186 bell7: I haven't read that one yet. I'm glad it fit in with the rest of Sarah, Plain and Tall's storyverse.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, Mary! *smooch*

>187 bell7: Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed the rest of the series. :)

>190 richardderus: Yeah, the starting words make quite a difference, don't they? The Sarah, Plain and Tall books are something special, I think, and I like how the spare style provides a richness in rereading as an adult and don't talk down to kids while being a good story all at the same time. One of these days I'll try one of MacLachlan's non-Sarah books.

>191 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! Happy weekend!

Happy weekend!

Yesterday was busy as you may have noticed from my lack of posting here. I went to work then straight to my church volunteering, and had a blast with kids on a Carnival Night, both dressing up in fun costumes and playing games for an extended period of time. It was hectic but fun, and the kids in my class didn't want to go home at the end. I get a bit of a break next week, as we're having a staff potluck and planning meeting instead of the regular session.

Today I'm staying with the dogs and no dog walker in the middle of the day, so I'm working my plans around their walks. I'll leave soon for the morning dog walks, try to take them again around noon, and then go to my grandfather's to celebrate his birthday with family. I've also got to run home and pick up a key because I've got a second job over the weekend, feeding the dog tonight and giving him a walk tomorrow morning. I may not check in on Sunday until late, as I've got a booked day right up to the Giants game.

Wordle 497 4/6

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I surprised myself getting it in four. ADIEU, PINES, FILER, LIBEL.

Hi Mary! I'm just cruising the threads, trying to back into the swing of things.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow's game!

>194 bell7: I took the same route as you. Only my guess #3 doesn't appear on your list and it should be there but not on mine.

Mercury must be anterograde.

>193 bell7: *puff*puff*puff* This is how I know you're way younger than me. ONE day like that and I'd be in traction and under sedation.

happy too-busy Saturday *smooch*

Busy as always, Mary. I took yesterday as a flexi day after a couple of busy weeks and feel like I'm just coming up for air.

Your Papergirls author attribution sounds like a sensible workaround. When it gets to more than two authors I pretty much give up though!

Hope the archivist has some helpful suggestions, congrats on the positive feedback so far.

>195 katiekrug: Nice to see you, Katie! It's the first game since the Monday night one that's on my local TV channels, so fingers crossed it's a good one and we get to see more of the second half of the season!

>196 richardderus: Too funny about your guess #3. Would you believe it hasn't even occurred to me as a word to try? I... yeah. I exhaust myself occasionally and plan do-nothing days to make up for it. Today and tomorrow are gonna be especially hectic and tiring, and then I'm working on Halloween, but I have the late afternoon and evening off which will help. Next Saturday I start a job for dogs that don't need to be walked, and I'm only working 4 days that week (Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday), so I'll have a little more downtime built in.

>197 charl08: Hi, Charlotte! See my note to Richard above on slightly more relaxed days to come! I can relate to that feeling and have definitely taken a day or two off just to feel caught up and/or relaxed. In fact, I may have to look at December and see about taking some personal days. Thanks re: the archivist and Paper Girls attribution. I find it's hard with multiple authors and also it's complicated sometimes? Like, how do I categorize Middle Eastern authors, light-skinned Latine authors, mixed race authors and not, you know, become an arbiter of who is "white" or not? Anyway, all that to say while I'm still tracking and will track next year, I think I'll take away my percentage goal and just use it as a general gauge of continuing to diversify my reading.

Wordle 498 6/6

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I just finished it today and I cheated by looking for hints before using my final guess. ADIEU, MONTH, PARTS, CATTY, FLAGS (just to eliminate some letters), WALTZ. It did indeed lead me on a merry dance.

Well. It's been quite the day already.

I got up a little on the early side with one of the dogs barking to go out, and since the puppy hadn't pooped last night before bed, I did let them out and got their breakfasts together. I got walks finished up by 8, got myself coffee and breakfast at Dunkin and went to the other dog I checked in on last night to give him his trip outside. I ate breakfast, started Wordle and left to go do nursery. After nursery and church, I was on my way to a house where I was going to see the dogs again before sitting for them next week... and my car died. Completely stalled out in the middle of the road. I could get it to turn over, but not actually move, had to put it in neutral and a nice woman stopped her car to help me push it into the breakdown lane to get it out of traffic. So, called AAA and called my parents, had a tow and got a ride back to the dogs I'm watching right now.

The place I left the car is closed, but I had an appointment tomorrow morning for a power steering leak anyways. I'll call them tomorrow to let them know about the new problem. What fun, eh?

So that puts tomorrow completely up in the air, which is stressful and frustrating. But I'm back to the dogs, and called the folks that I was supposed to meet up with today to let them know I'd need to reschedule and would be in touch. My boss knows I'm not going to make it in for 9 a.m. tomorrow, and yeah, I'll just have to play the day by ear.

Giants should be on in about 20 minutes, I'm ready with my knitting and expect I'll finish my nephew's socks today.

I'm about halfway through Bloodmarked and Crying for H Mart, and am enjoying both. It's a toss up if I'll finish either or both before the end of the month, but if I don't work tomorrow, I will likely finish at least one, despite the active dogs.

Time for a new thread, I think.