RebaRelishesReading 2023 page 2

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

For those of you I don't know, I'll introduce my self a bit. I'm a Californian by birth and have lived there much of my life but late in 2020 Hubby and I decided it was time to leave our condo in the Uptown district of San Diego and move to some place quieter and, most importantly, nearer our youngest grandchild. We have two older grandchildren who we adore but Ally is away at college and Kyle is a high school senior so they probably won't be living near us anymore even if we had stayed in San Diego. Quinn will turn four in January so we will have many years enjoying him growing up as we did the other two. So I've added Washington State to the list of places I've lived at various times in my life (California, Arizona, Connecticut, the Netherlands, England, the Netherlands, California, Ireland, California) and I'm enjoying becoming a north-westerner.

I'm a retired city planner who travels a lot (or did pre-Covid). We spent 11 summers at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York but among our recent changes we have sold our place there. We have plans to go back for two weeks in summer 2023 however :)

I read mostly fiction with a helping of biography or history thrown in. A couple of years ago I finished a personal challenge to read all of the Pulitzer Prize winning fiction and now I'm working on National Book Award fiction winners.

I recently joined a real-life book club, Women with Spines, and am excited to see what reading adventures this brings.

My ranking system:
Superb *****
Excellent ****1/2
Very good ****
Good ***1/2
Average ***
Don't bother **
Terrible *

I try to keep this in mind when I'm assigning stars but I know I'm also influenced by my current mood, etc. so don't take it too very, very seriously.
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READ IN 2023

JANUARY
1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens****
2. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver****1/2

FEBRUARY
3. The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston****
4. A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny****1/2
5. Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks****1/2
6. Violeta by Isabel Allende***
7. Horse by Geraldine Brooks*****
8. We Are the Light by Matthew Quick***
9. Zorrie by Laird Hunt****
10. Het Nieuwe Land by Eva Vriend****

MARCH
11. The Ways of My Grandmothers by Beverly Hungry Wolf ***1/2
12. A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier ****1/2
13. A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay*****
14. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward*****
15. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin****
16. The Round House by Louise Erdrich*****
17.Carnegie’s MaId by Marie Benedict****
18. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez****
19. The Centaur by John Updike****
20. Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen*****
21. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann ****

APRIL
22. The Guest Book by Sarah Blake****
23. Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank***1/2
24. Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon**
25. The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty**1/2
26. Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie*** (audio)
27. Maame by Jessica George****
28. Secrets of the Cottage by the Sea by Rebecca Alexander*** (audio)

MAY
29. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell****1/2
30. The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict***1/2 (audio)
31. Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Carissa***(audio)

and the next one belongs to YOU!

Happy new thread, Reba!

Where will your cruise be taking you?

>7 katiekrug: Hi Katie -- thank you for being first :)

Cruise will take us to Hawaii and French Polynesia -- 5 weeks of glorious freedom from laundry, cooking, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, dish washing, etc. with many sea-days to read with visits to beautiful places in-between. I am one very lucky (and grateful) lady!

It sounds lovely!

Happy new one, Reba! Your cruise sounds full of fabulous.

From your previous thread - I loved seeing the haul of audiobooks you recently acquired. Who were the narrators for Mrs. Dalloway and The Mill on the Floss? I have Mrs. Dalloway by both Juliet Stevenson and Annette Benning, and they are both very good. I have The Mill on the Floss narrated by Fiona Shaw, and I am hoping to get to it this year.

Happy new thread, Reba. Enjoy your cruise. Have you decided what books to take?

Happy new thread Reba!

>1 RebaRelishesReading: Dogs are our best invention!

>9 katiekrug: I have every expectation that it will be, Katie :)

>10 Crazymamie: Mornin' Mamie :) The Mill on the Floss is Diana Croft and Chris MacDonnell and Mrs. Dalloway is Juliet Stevenson. It's really strange because according to LT I own two paper copies of Mrs. Dalloway but neither of them is on the shelf !? Only noticed that when I added the audible version to my library.

>11 BLBera: Hi Beth! I've only chosen paperback books because of weight and volume (we have to fly to get to and from the ship) but here's the stack so far (plus I know that Holland America always has a very nice library on board)

Happy new thread! Five weeks on ship? Wow, that's quite the cruise!

Happy new thread, Reba!

>1 RebaRelishesReading: Perfect topper :-)

>8 RebaRelishesReading: Perfect way to spend 5 weeks :-)

>13 RebaRelishesReading: Perfect stack of books to take :-)

>8 RebaRelishesReading: 5 weeks! Wow. I mean, if you're going all that way you might as well but that is pretty incredible, Reba. I can't wait to hear about it. Will you be online at all during your trip or will you be taking a break from LT? And when do you leave?

Happy new thread, Reba.

>8 RebaRelishesReading: Your holiday plans have me jealous, but have a great time.

>8 RebaRelishesReading: That sounds both wonderful and well, frightening. Weeks away from my very own bed! No dogs! Ah well, I'm sure you'll have many wonderfully exciting times and some nice quiet ones as well.

>13 RebaRelishesReading: Excellent choices! the cruise sounds lovely. I have never been on one so I was surprised to hear that there is a library on board. Cool!

Happy new one :)

Five weeks! Wow! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time Reba. Looks like a great stack of books too. Zorrie is a favorite of mine and so is Let the Great World Spin.

>14 drneutron: Hi Jim. As a child I often got my parents' atlas out and planned trips in my head while looking at the maps. I've always known I would love traveling. When I was in college I went on the World Campus Afloat twice (one semester each) and found I love being at sea. Since we retired Hubby and I have travelled a lot, including some pretty long cruises. This will be right up there with the longest and I'm so looking forward to it.

>15 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. Only downside will be that I won't have my LT-fix to start the day with.

>16 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. I'm not sure how much contact I will have while we're gone. I know we won't have WiFi on the ship because it's extremely expensive and not very good. I haven't decided whether or not I'll take my laptop. If I do I will be able to post when we're in port. If I only take my tablet I certainly won't post as often or as much. I will keep track of the books I read and certainly post when we get back.

>17 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I'll do my best to comply lol

>18 quondame: I hear you about the bed, Susan but the beds we've had on Holland America Line have always been very comfortable. We don't have a dog anyway so nothing to miss there. I'm just expecting a lot of relaxation, interesting activities on board and beautiful ports to visit (we've actually been to all of these ports before except Kiribati which will be new for us).

>19 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. I imagine all ships have libraries on board but some I've seen barely warrant the name. Holland America has always had a nice, separate, quiet room stocked with a substantial number of appealing books. I always take a stack of my own for a long cruise, though, just to be sure.

>20 brenzi: Bonnie, yours is the second positive comment about Zorrie that I've had so that may be the first one I pick up. I keep thinking about you while watching the news. First that amazing blizzard and now an earthquake!! Goodness!

Wordle 598 4/6

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train, cloud, peony, apple

Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks****1/2

Winner of the 2021 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction

1957. Alice Young is a young black woman living in the only home she has ever known in rural Alabama when her mother dies. Her slightly older sister had moved to Chicago after high school and writes home about the wonderful life she has there so when the landlord demands sex when the rent is due Alice packs a small bag, scrapes together all of the money she has and goes to the bus station. Her money will only buy a ticket as far as Birmingham so she settles for that. When the bus stops in New Jessop she gets out to stretch her legs and discovers a new world where everyone is like her and there are no "colored" or "whites only" signs.

Alice's story is used to explore the complexity of the early American civil rights movement, particularly the issue of desegregation versus civil rights and safety within segregated communities.

The book captured my interest both as a story of Alice's life as well as a thought-provoking look at choices in a multi-cultural society. Made me really glad I've re-joined the Book Passage First Editions Book Club :)

Happy new thread, Reba! Your trip sounds amazing, and I LOVE your topper! So true.

>25 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. With your puppets I'm not surprised you like the topper :)

>22 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba!

Hi Reba my dear, have a wonderful trip, not jealous at all, lol.

Maame by Jessica George

My new book from Book Passage arrived today, just as I finished the first one.

>29 RebaRelishesReading: That cover is so cheerful.

>16 lauralkeet: What Laura said. 5 weeks

>30 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie -- it is isn't it? The first one had a really pretty cover and was a great book. I know nothing about this one but hope it's as good.

>31Hi Judy -- Yep, 5 whole weeks :) I love being at sea and I'm very much looking forward to his trip...

Wordle 599 3/6

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train, cloud, flail

Happy new thread, Reba. Your cruise sounds wonderful and I love that you're taking a stack of books with you. That should keep you entertained along with all the other activities on (and off) board.

>13 RebaRelishesReading: That looks like a nice selection of books, Reba. Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you Meg and Beth. It's been 6 years since we last cruised and I know we're going to enjoy it!! I have more books on my iPad if I need them ;>

Wordle 600 5/6

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train, cloud, peony, stage, state

Wordle 601 4/6

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train, peony, heavy, heady

>36 RebaRelishesReading: It's good to always be prepared! Wouldn't want to run out of reading material.

Violeta by Isabel Allende***

I've read several other Allende books and liked them a lot but this one leaves me a bit cold. It's told in the form of a letter from Violeta to her grandson relating her life from birth in the time of the
Spanish Flu epidemic (1920) to the time of Covid (2020). While Violeta definitely has a life full of adventure, challenge, love, etc. it really seems to be a vehicle with which to tell Chilean history. I'm afraid I found it rather boring...and I'm sorry because I really wanted to love it.

NEXT UP: Horse

>39 Familyhistorian: Indeed, Meg, running out of reading material while on vacation would be my worst nightmare!!

>24 RebaRelishesReading:
That's a BB! I had to add it to my growing list of books about Alabama that must be read.

I love the idea of cruises because there is no WiFI. I think of all that time available to sit in the sun, or in the shade, whichever is needed at the moment, and read. I am not wild about the other parts of cruising, but the idea of time alone with an endless horizon and books is so very appealing to me. I do like you book stack. Whenever, I go back to Kansas I have a book stack as well.

>40 RebaRelishesReading: I've read several of Allende's earlier books and really enjoyed House of the Spirits and Portrait in Sepia. I read them pre-LT so I don't have any reviews to fall back on, I just know I considered myself an Allende fan. But her more recent books have fallen flat for me (the last one I read was Long Petal of the Sea). I was tempted by the gorgeous cover on Violeta, but hadn't seen much buzz about it. I think I'll just continue to admire the cover.

I liked Violetamore than you did, Reba, but I did enjoy the history.

>42 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I agree with you that sea days are the best part of cruising. I love being totally taken care of :)

>43 lauralkeet: Morning Laura. I counted my Allende books as I put this one on the shelf -- this was my 8th (although LT says I have 9 so one must be missing from the shelves or is digital) and definitely my least favorite. I should say, though, that the 28 posted reviews average 3.95 stars so others liked it much better than I did.

>44 BLBera: Hi Beth -- I'm glad you liked it better. We've travelled in Chile and I was pretty familiar with the history which probably influenced my feelings. I would still call myself an Allende fan though given how much I've liked many of her other ones.

Wordle 602 5/6

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train, peony, cloud, segue, debug After the first three words I could only think of two possibilities for the answer -- so, of course, I tried the wrong one first :)

Wordle 603 3/6

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train, inapt, giant -- sure!! think of the odd word before the common one -- duh!

Wordle 604 5/6

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train, peony, cloud, quake, usage

Horse by Geraldine Brooks*****

This book is based on the real story of a famous race horse named "Lexington" not only won races and set records while racing but sired over 500 horses many of whom became famous themselves. Brooks uses the true story of Lexington as a platform for an excellent book about race.

The main human characters in the book include:
- Jarret, a young slave on the plantation where Lexington is born in 1850,
- Thomas Scott, an itinerant painter who traveled around America painting portraits of horses in the 19th century,
- Theo son of diplomats who is working on a PhD in art history in Washington, D.C. in 2019, and
- Jess, a young Australian woman who is head of the Osteology Prep Lab at the Smithsonian Museum.

The story seamlessly weaves between the story 19th century story of Lexington and the 21st century story of Jess' discovery of a horse skeleton in the storage attic of the Smithsonian and her relationship with Theo.

What a lovely book!!

Wordle 605 X/6

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sometimes a clue would really help!! train, peony, wound, found, mound, pound

>50 RebaRelishesReading: Ack. Now I understand the comment you made on my thread!

>51 lauralkeet: And then I started today's, got three lines in and decided I don't need this today! Maybe I'll be more in the mood when we get back :)

I just noticed a little message sign up at the top right-hand corner of the screen -- clicked on it to find LT has 616 recommendations for me!!! Like I can't get into enough trouble on my own lol.

>53 RebaRelishesReading: - Yeah, I saw that yesterday and decided I could ignore all those recs! LOL.

>50 RebaRelishesReading: That was a bad one, Reba. Today's was marginally better (I actually guessed it before I ran out of lines).

I didn't merit a message about my recommendations but I clicked the "Recommendations" button - very dangerous! There are some really good ones in there.

>55 Familyhistorian: In defense of LT Recommendations, they've done a great job with this feature! I used it to get ideas for my 2023 reading. It reminded me of books I'd seen on the threads and forgotten about, as well as other less recently-published books that looked interesting. This was right around the beginning of the year, and since then they've added ways to filter the recommendations and, now, notifications when there's something new.

But it is indeed dangerous ...

>55 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. Sorry you didn't merit a link but at least you got your recommendations.

>56 lauralkeet: No need to defend, Laura. I think it's great. I just was rather overwhelmed by the number!! I did see that I could filter in various ways but, right now, I don't really need any recommendations. My TBR collection is plenty big enough and I find great ideas on the threads all of the time so I already find it hard to keep up.

I've decided to take my laptop with me even though I won't be able to connect to the net with it while away. I can, however, draft reports on my reading and then inundate you all with them when I get back :)

Be good, y'all. Do lots of reading, have lots of fun. Take care of yourself and each other (thank you Mr. Holt).

>58 RebaRelishesReading: Have fun! Enjoy your trip!

Have fun, Reba!

Have a great trip, Reba!

We'll miss you Reba but I am sure you'll have a great time and you can regale us with tales of your cruise, not to mention all of your reading. Bon voyage!

Thank you Irene, Rhonda, Katie and Laura. We've made it to San Diego, relaxing in a room overlooking San Diego Bay, Coronado, Bay Bridge, Downtown San Diego and the harbor. Spent a while on the deck enjoying the beauty before heading downstairs for a light supper in a bit. Our ship will be here in the morning (there are two others occupying the passenger terminal at the moment) and we'll board just after noon. Limited contact from then on...so be good, y'all and happy reading :)

>63 RebaRelishesReading: Have a grand voyage!

Bon voyage!!!

Reba, you are at sea by now so I’ll just wish you a safe journey. Enjoy the pampering and beautiful vistas. I’m green around the gills just thinking about an ocean voyage…and it’s not from jealousy. I have never been a good traveler because of motion sickness.

Take lots of pictures!

>63 RebaRelishesReading: Enjoy your cruise, Reba!

Safe travels, Reba! Hoping that your vacation is full of fabulous. We will miss you and cannot wait to hear all about it.

>64 quondame: Thank you Susan and Roni.

>66 Donna828: I got green from seasickness every time I got near a boat until I discovered meclazine and ginger capsules -- now I never even have a queasy moment.

>67 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita and you too Mamie!!

We arrived in Honolulu this morning on our 8th day of travel. Spent Thursday in Kona, Hawaii and then yesterday on board looking out at Lahini, Maui because the seas were so rough we decided not to ry to board the tender. We spent 2 weeks on Maui a year ago so we didn't feel too bad about missing it this time. In Honolulu we're docked so no problem getting on land.

I have been reading and recording what I read on Pages (so I won't forget) so here they are so far...

We Are the Light by Matthew Quick***

Lucas Goodgame was a high school teacher known for his ability to mentor students, especially those who were struggling with personal issues. He was very happily married to Darcy until she was killed in a mass shooting at their local movie theater. We Are the Light is written as a series of letters by Lucas to his former Jungian analyst begging the analyst to see him again. Meanwhile, he feels protected by “angel Darcy” (his wife who flies with angel wings) who visits him in his bedroom everyone night and other times when things get difficult.

The author, Matthew Quick, wrote The Silver Linings Playbook which I saw in movie version and liked a lot so I expected to like this book better than I did. It’s a poignant story of loss and trauma revealed slowly through the book but, somehow, it never really took hold for me.

Zorrie by Laird Hunt****
National Book Award Finalist

Zorrie’s parents die when she is young and she is taken in by a cold, harsh great aunt. When she’s a young woman the aunt dies leaving her destitute during the depression of the 1930’s. The book follows her life through good and bad times. It’s the story of a difficult life well lived.

Het Nieuwe Land by Eva Vriend****
Title in English: “The New Land”

The Netherlands has reclaimed five areas of land in what was once the Zuider Zee (South Sea) and is now a fresh water lake named the IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel). The first of these was a very small trial project done in 1926 followed by a larger one in 1930 which confirmed that usable land could be created by draining parts of the lake. In 1932 a dike was built across the opening to the sea and in 1942 the first polder was created in the northeast part of the former sea . The author did thorough research into the process used to determine who would be allowed to move there and investigates how fair and how successful the process was. She reviewed documents but also talked to survivors and family members of both people chosen to live in the new communities as well as those who were turned away. The last allocations of land were made in the early 1970’s..

I studied planning at the University of Utrecht in the late ’70’s and early ’80’s but never heard any discussion this process, or even that it existed. Made the book especially interesting for me in a way.

The Durrells of Corfu by Michael Haag***1/2

Before we left on our trip we watched (partly re-watched) the TV seres based on Gerald Durrell’s book My Family and Other Animals which we thoroughly enjoyed. Hubby was interested win reading Durrell’s book and while ordering a copy we came across this book about the family and decided to add it to the pile. I thoroughly enjoyed both the TV series and the book. Fun stuff.

Great to hear from you, Reba! I'm glad you're getting some good reading in.

I loved My Family and Other Animals! I didn't know there was a TV series.

Looks like you picked a good time to be away from home if the cold snap is reaching down to your area of the West Coast, Reba. I hope it is all smooth sailing ahead.

>71 banjo123: If what you liked about Durrell's book was the weird stuff his family and others got up to, you'll probably love the series - it's well done. As what I loved was the animals and how Gerry got around all the weird stuff, I found it completely boring - it's all human drama with barely a mention of the animals.

>69 RebaRelishesReading: Glad to see you got to Het nieuwe land, Reba.
The Flevopolders were the last two, that is where we live :-)

>73 jjmcgaffey:. Oh no, the animals are important!

Yeah. It's a good soap (comedy/drama) show, but it completely fails as a Gerald Durrell story, at least for me.

How nice to come home and find there have been visitors while I was gone! Thank you all.

>70 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. Thanks for stopping by. I did pretty well with my reading in spite of difficulty finding quiet places to sit.

>71 banjo123:, >73 jjmcgaffey:,>75 banjo123:,>76 jjmcgaffey: Hi Rhonda and Jennifer. We did enjoy the series -- it's a bit crazy but rather fun we thought. Hubby is now reading My Family and Other Animals and he reports there is a lot more there than in the TV series - but both are fun. Now he wants another trip to Jersey to see Gerry's zoo :)

>72 Familyhistorian: Hubby was happy to miss the storm, Meg, but I'm sorry that I won't get to enjoy real winter days for the second year in a row. I did promise him a month away every winter though (as a condition of the move) so I mustn't complain :)

>74 FAMeulstee: It was very interesting, Anita. I knew you lived there and remember that a year or so ago you walked the entire surrounding dijk :) Now I to go back and spend more time there (as I have spent very little time in the polders in the past).

And now an update. We arrived in San Diego early this morning after 8 days at sea. Hubby survived them pretty well and was even willing to admit "it wasn't too bad" lol. The Koningsdam is a big ship by my standards. I like them in the 1000-1200 passenger range and we had a full complement of 2450 passengers on this cruise -- not big by some standards like Princess cruise's 4500 passenger ship I saw advertised recently but still too big for me. It was a lovely five weeks and now we'll have three days with the San Diego son, d-i-l and the "big" grandkids before flying home on Tuesday.

Here's the rest of what I read on the ship:
The Ways of My Grandmothers by Beverly Hungry Wolf***1/2

Through a series of short essays, some by other women, Beverly Hungry Wolf, a Black-foot woman describes the traditional life of women in this Indian Nation which spans a large part of the U.S. and Canada around Glacier/Waterton National Parks. She describes traditional food preparation, teepee building, hide preparation, clothing, social norms, etc. in a charming, interesting way.

A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier****1/2

I think I bought this book on the recommendation of someone on LT but my “wish list” doesn’t reflect that and I don’t know who it was. It doesn’t really matter because I agree. However, when I picked it up and started reading it (after packing it and lugging it along on the trip) I immediately remembered having read it. I read it again anyway because it’s a darned good story about life for single-women in post WWI U.K. and a reminder that we women really diid make some progress in the 20th century.

A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay*****

Antoine, a 44 year-old father of three and divorced man still in love with his ex-wife, decides to take his sister for a weekend in a hotel where they stayed as children to celebrate her 40th birthday. The trip brings up more memories than he had expected, both good and bad. While driving she turns to share a memory that has surfaced during their trip and loses control of the car.

The book deals with Antoine’s troubled relationships with all of his family (parents, grandmother, half-sister, ex-wife, and his children) and his own image of himself. As the cover of the book says: “By turns thrilling and seductive, with a lingering effect that is bittersweet and redeeming, A Secret Kept is the story of a modern family and the invisible times that hold it together”.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward***** National Book Award Winner

Esch is 15 and has just learned she is pregnant. Her mother died giving birth to Junior, aa boy 9 years younger than Esch leaving her the only woman in a family of men, Daddy, who was devastated by his wife’s death, Randall, oldest son carrying much of the responsibility for the family and Sketch, 16 who is obsessed with his fighting pit bull. A hurricane is brewing in the Atlantic and may threaten their rural town. Parul Sehgal of the N. Y. Times Book Review is quoted as saying “it’s an old story—of family honor, revenge, disaster—and it’ a good one.

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin****

Renee, Caroline, Joe and Fiona are children when their father unexpectedly dies and their mother retreats into a two-year long withdrawal during which the children and left to fend for themselves while she spends most of her time in bed, sometimes not appearing for days at a time. Nevertheless they manage to grow up apparently healthy and successful. Renee becomes a doctor, Caroline marries young to a man who becomes a well known science professor and raises three children, Joe gets a baseball scholarship to college and then goes into banking and Fiona becomes a well known poet. The book is written in Fiona’s voice and deals with love of all kinds - parental, filial, sexual, romantic, etc. Well recommended.

The Round House by Louise Erdrich***** National Book Award Winner

As usual for Louise Erdrich, The Round House is explores human relationships of all kinds — family, friends, neighbors. The main story here involves solving and removing from a serious crime. In the beginning I was a bit put off because one person trying to solve the crime is a 13 year-old boy and it seemed to smack a little too much of The Hardy Boys of the 1950’s. Before the end, however, I could see that it was an important part of looking at human growth and the role of belief systems.

Aside from Erdrich’s typical look at life among Native American groups and of human development and connections, this book provides a very thought-provoking look at the legal systems imposed on Native American communities and their repercussions. By the end I clearly saw why it had received the National Book Award. Great book!

Carnegie’s MaId by Marie Benedict****

Clara Kelley is the oldest of three daughters of a poor Irish farmer. The famine is over but things are still difficult plus the local lord is taking away parts of the family farm because the father has engaged in activities in favor of Irish independence. As a hedge against even more dire straights if the entire farm is lost, Clara is sent to America to get a job and send money home. By good luck and some misunderstandings she become Lady’s Maid to Andrew Carnegie’s mother and gets to know the young Carnegie.

This book is more “fictionalized” than other Benedict books I have read but t’s still a fun read.

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez****
National Book Award winner

Written in the form of a letter by a woman to her long-time mentor and best friend who has just committed suicide, this book contemplates death and mourning. The author is talked into adopting her friend’s dog which adds an element of how/whether animals also mourn. It’s an interesting approach and a thoughtful, touching book.

The Centaur by John Updike****
National Book Award Winner

Quoting The Washington Post via the book cover: The Centaur is aa modern retelling of the legend of Chiron, the noblest and wisest of the centaurs, who, painfully wounded yet unable to die, gave up his immortality on behalf of Prometheus. In the retelling, Olympus becomes small-town Olinger High School; Chiron its George Caldwell, aa science teacher there; and Prometheus is Caldwell’s fifteen-year-old son, Peter. Brilliantly conflating his own remembered past with tales from Greek mythology, John Updike translates Chiron’s agonized search for relief into the incidents and accidents of three winter days spent in rural Pennsylvania in 1947. The result, said the judges of the National Book Award, is “a courageous and brilliant account of a conflict in gifts between an inarticulate American father and his highly articulate son.”quote>.

I am unfamiliar with and uninterested in mythology (sorry Amber) but the modern part of this story was most engaging and thought-provoking.

Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen*****

Cited in the paperback copy I read, this review sums it up so well that I had to share it:Life, death, love, loneliness, and grief are the building blocks of Jon Cohen’s wondrous new novel, along with nonstop action, humor and a broad cast of characters whose actions converge like a perfectly crafted jigsaw puzzle. BookPage Editors’ Pickquote>

Harry has loved trees his entire life. As an adult he works for the U. S. Forest Service in an unrewarding, paper-pushing job. His wife encourages him to quit and do something he loves, assuring him that they’ll find a way to make it work. Harry doesn’t dare take the step but then fate steps in.

I loved this book from cover to the next to the last page. Last two pages are the Epilogue which I would recommend ripping out and throwing away without even looking at it.

Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann ****
National Book Award Winner

This portrait of New York City in the 1970’s features a cast of characters from African-American streetwalkers to the heiress wife of a judge and many others in between. Much of the book is set on August 7, 1974, the day Philippe Petit walked a high wire between the two World Trade Center towers, with a description of what the characters were doing that day. It ends in October 2006 with an up-date on those characters including ways in which their lives became intertwined.

A cruise is fun but it's also good getting back to normal life. The Konsingdam was the cruise ship I was on last year when my group went to Alaska. It was pretty lively with few quite corners. A Single Thread looked familiar and, sure enough, I read it last September. Maybe it was my thread you saw it on, Reba.

>79 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. Nice to see you.

I don't think we'll be doing any more ships like the Koningsdam -- I like a more ship-like feel and a quieter time. We had a verandah this time and I thought that would be my quiet place but for the first part of the trip we had sun in the afternoon and it was much too hot and the end of the second half we had shade and it was too cold! I did enjoy it afternoons for a few days though lol.

Welcome back, Reba, I've missed you! That's an impressive amount of reading. I've only read a few of the books you mentioned, but they were winners: Salvage the Bones and The Round House. Not exactly beach reads, but excellent.

Our cruising experience is limited. We did an Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary II about 20 years ago; I'm guessing that ship is about the same size as Konigsdam. It was a memorable experience but that route is not warm and sunny by any stretch of the imagination. The pool was covered and climate-controlled so we could imagine better weather. More recently we did three cruises in the Caribbean with Windstar, all 300 passengers or less. That might be too small for you, but there's no casino or Vegas-style shows so it caters to a quieter crowd.

Enjoy your time in San Diego!

>81 lauralkeet: Missed you too!

We were docked next to a WindStar in Papeete. The "crowd" would probably appeal to me but I'm afraid I would get seasick on a ship that small. I spent two semesters on the World Campus Afloat in my undergrad years. We had about 250 students and faculty on the Seven Seas and I suffered terribly from sea sickness. Managed to keep one meal down for 2 hours on the crossing from New York to Portugal.

My favorite ship ever was Holland America Lines Prinsendam which started life as a SeaBorne then was bought by Holland America Line where we sailed with her several times before she was sold again quite a few years ago now. She carried about 750 passengers, enough to have interesting lecturers and shows but still fairly quiet.

It will be good to get home Tuesday. I wonder if the bulbs are blooming yet and what has happened with the trees.

OK - I've been reminded about wordle so decided to get back into it -- not a bad re-entry :)
Wordle 645 4/6

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train, cloud, peony, untie

>78 RebaRelishesReading: You were able to get some good reading in, Reba. Welcome back to land!

Welcome back, Reba, and I look forward to hearing about your landfalls on your trip!

Hi Beth and Roni!! So nice to see you here.

Wordle 645 4/6

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train, peony, cloud, guano -- is that really an English word?!?

Welcome home, Reba! It's so nice to have you back here. Hooray for a lovely trip, and for almost being home to your own bed. I loved your reading report - excellent job on getting so much reading in. I have several of those on my shelves. Sorry about the epilogue of Harry's Trees - I have a thing about epilogues ruining books, and I often skip them altogether.

Sounds like a lovely cruise, Reba! Impressive reading with both Demon Copperhead and David Copperfield in one month! I read Demon Copperhead in January and enjoyed it. I'm trying to a make some headway with the Women's fiction Prize Longlist right now. I read A Single Thread some years ago and very much enjoyed it. Enjoy the same line up of channels that I subscribe too. Brokenwood was veryi enjoyable!

Drop by new thread in the 75's if you get time. I've not run a thread in some 3 years, but I'm back. ;-)

>86 RebaRelishesReading: Yes - in that, like so many other words, English grabbed it from another language... Quechua via Spanish, apparently. BTW, I can't see the second spoiler in your message, only the first one.

Apparently as of today, there's a new set of answers - the original list by Wardle has run out. The NYT assigned an editor for the game last November, but today was the first day one of her choices was used instead of one from the original list. So yeah, the words may be a bit different from now on.

Welcome back, and also impressed with all of your reading.

Wordle 648 6/6

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Now there's a word I use every day!! train, peony, cloud, tease, beets, beset

>87 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie. The epilogue didn't actually ruin the book -- just gave a difficult character a bit of a pass that I didn't want them to have.

>88 vancouverdeb: His Deborah. Lovely to see you. I will look you up as soon as I finish here.

>89 jjmcgaffey: Hi Jennifer. Oops, Out of the habit of doing "spoilers" and forget the slash in the one to end it -- there wasn't a second one

>90 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda. It's amazing what a lot of sea days can do for ones reading :) I didn't finish all of the books I had with me but I had taken some extras to ensure I wouldn't run out so that's OK.

I woke up at 2:30 a.m. today and couldn't get back to sleep. Finally gave up and got up a little after 5. The clocks are now reset to day light savings time and my desk is today and...I'm feeling really tired. D2 and grandson are due abut 10 and a woman to give me a quote for spring clean followed by regular help is due at 11 so I think I'm going to have to just tough it out but ...

Sorry about the lack of sleep, Reba. I hate that.

Glad you are safely home now, though!

>94 katiekrug: Hi Katie!! Thanks. It's nice to be home.

>93 RebaRelishesReading: I hate when that happens. For some reason we've been waking up earlier lately too. Not 2:30, but maybe 5ish. The weirdest part of it is, my husband is the one waking up first. In all these years I have always been the first one up, urging him out of bed, and at least for now the tables are turned.

>96 lauralkeet: I love the turn-around in your rolls. Fortunately I slept very well for 8 hours last night so all is well today -- about to leave for breakfast with friends :)

Welcome home, Reba! Your trip sounds like it was fabulous. Not to mention all the good books you've been reading!

>98 Copperskye: Hi Joanne -- it was a good trip but is also nice to be home. Thanks for stopping by!

Wordle 649 4/6

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train, peony, break, bread

Busy day today so I'm just not sitting down to do my daily computer rounds. Day started nice with breakfast with friends and a new-to-us French place with excellent crepes. Then I unpacked the 4th and final suitcase and got the laundry started before running off to JoAnn's to pick up some matching yarn for a baby blanket I'm knitting and then to the grocery store for some things I didn't bother with yesterday. I have choir practice tonight so that will be about it for today :)

Also have been meaning to mention that the bulbs I planted last year have all reappeared this year (as I was hoping they would). We have some daffodils blooming in the front yard and others daffodils and tulips budding up :)

>101 RebaRelishesReading: Ooh, I love discovering new breakfast spots. And a French one at that. Yum!

I'm glad your bulbs came back! I mean, I know they are supposed to, but I still feel a little anxious about ours every year.

If the squirrels don't find them, not only do bulbs come back but they're apt to spread. Smaller ones (hyacinth, jonquils) more than big ones like tulips - but I've gotten more than I planted by the third year a couple times. Not doing bulbs any more (they're not as fun in pots, to me) but I pretty much started with a bulb garden as a kid.

Wordle 650 5/6

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train, peony, cloud, shyer, every

I have done really well with bulbs at home in Kansas. Like Jen said - crocus and grape hyacinth will spread and keep coming back. The tulips did well for several years and then a summer drought got them. I am going to plant a bunch of peonies this coming fall. I love them and we had a bunch of them around the house. Until my mother decided that they were too hard to mow around and killed them off by mowing them. I really haven't forgiven her for that because I love peonies. (She also did that to my rhubarb as well.)

I have to say that some of my bulbs disappear each year. Mostly the tulip bulbs and I am left with a lot of daffodils. I always end up planting more tulips each year. For some reason the squirrels do not like daffodil bulbs. Here I was thinking all bulbs would taste the same ;)

Happy weekend!

>106 benitastrnad:, >107 figsfromthistle: I love peonies too but I planted several last year and none came up -- there is one thing sprouting this year where a peony was planted last year -- not sure what it is yet. I expected the daffodils to come back but I wasn't so sure about the tulips. The only ones that are "iffy" are in a half-barrel by the front door. All of the ones in the ground look really great.

I've been at my desk much of the day trying to get my financial life back into order after being ignored for 6 weeks. Bills mostly pay themselves but I haven't recorded anything while gone. Tax day is coming soon and I'm totally not ready. Such fun (not!)

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train, peony, cloud, march

I love bulbs. But I've had mixed success with them where I live now. It's mostly too warm for tulips to do well here, and lots of folks treat them as annuals because they don't come back well.

I did really well with daffodils, which I love, when I lived in Chapel Hill, but not so much here closer to Raleigh. Some of the daffodils I planted come back every year, but the fancier, more expensive ones I planted did not.

The grape hyacinths I planted were weird. They bloomed the first year, then nothing for a number of years, and I thought they'd given up, although there was some foliage I thought might be from them, so I didn't cut it back. Then they've bloomed profusely the last couple of years, so they're still going. But I don't know why they failed to bloom for so many years.

>107 figsfromthistle:
I don't know about why squirrels like tulip bulbs, but it is a known problem. In the book I just read about the White House gardens it was noted that every year the gardeners hang baskets of peanuts on the trees as squirrel food just so the squirrels won't dig up the tulip bulbs. One White House Wag called it Squirrel Appeasement.

Tulip bulbs taste good and have lots of nutritional value. During the Hunger Winter of 1944-1945 the Dutch stayed alive by eating tulip bulbs from their tulip fields. Most of the food they had grown had been confiscated and sent to Germany, so they lived off of their tulips.

Wordle 652 4/6

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train, peony, cloud, stock

>111 atozgrl: Hi Irene! I haven't planted any hyacinths. I think they're very pretty but just didn't think about it when I was buying bulbs. This is the first place I've lived in many years (previously 35 years in San Diego) where tulips and daffodils stand a chance and I'm delighted with how well they're doing. Perhaps I should add some Hyacinths and see what happens with them next year.

>112 benitastrnad: Ah yes, Benita, I have heard about the tulips of hunger winter many times. I was previously married to a Dutchman and large family had much to say about that -- nothing about them being tasty or nutritious -- just a necessary evil thanks to Germany's taking their normal food.

I started The Guest List while we were still on the ship and I'm not making much progress. Part of the problem is that there's so much to do catching up with real life after being gone for nearly 6 weeks but it's also just not really catching me (yet, at least). I have rl bookclub a week from tomorrow and haven't started reading that book yet so I really do need to get cracking!!

>112 benitastrnad: Oh wow! I had no clue that the Dutch ate tulip bulbs during the war time. Quite an interesting fact!

>112 benitastrnad: >114 RebaRelishesReading: According to those who survived on tulip bulbs they tasted bitter and wry.
I have heard that fresh tulip bulbs taste (a bit) better. The bulbs eaten at the time were not fresh at all. They came from the storages, from previous seasons, as they had not been planted because of the war. In the papers were recipes, but it was not advised to eat more than three tulip bulbs a day.

>117 FAMeulstee:. That's what I had heard from Dutch friends, the tulip bulbs were pretty awful.

>114 RebaRelishesReading: Yes to hyacinths! They smell wonderful, and the tulips and daffodils don't seem to have much scent at all.

>116 figsfromthistle: Amazing what one learns on LT, isn't it Anita :)
>117 FAMeulstee:, >118 banjo123: That corresponds with what I heard too, Anita and Rhonda
>119 quondame: OK, I'm convinced Susan. I think I'll add some Hyacinths to the mix in the fall. Maybe in the half-barrel by the door.

So, here's my Wordle for today
Wordle 653 4/6

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train, peony, cloud, flora

And the plans for the day:
- finish up at the computer
- make appointments for a hair cut and for a massage
- make reservations for flight and rental car for trip to Chautauqua in July
- go to distribution post office to see what's up with a package they're holding for me and claim there is some problem with. I suspect/hope it's my next book from the Book Passage First Editions Book Club :)
- make more progress (finish?)The Guest List
- watch SDSU beat UConnn :)

>114 RebaRelishesReading: Hi, Reba! The grape hyacinths are the little blue ones. It's very strange that the blooms were dormant for so many years before blooming profusely the last couple of years. I also planted regular hyacinths, and they bloomed well for a couple of years before petering out. They're like tulips here; they don't come back well year after year. We just don't get cold enough in the winters.

>116 figsfromthistle: That was new to me as well! We do learn a lot on LT!

>120 RebaRelishesReading: Keeping my fingers crossed for SDSU!

>120 RebaRelishesReading: Ooooh, you're going back to Chautauqua this year! Is this the first time since you moved from SD to WA? I bet you're excited.

Hello, Reba! The posts about the tulip bulbs are so interesting. Tulips are my favorite, but they do not work in the Deep South.

Hoping that Tuesday is kind to you.

>123 lauralkeet: What Laura said!

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Sometimes the starter word really helps :) train, ratio

Report on yesterday's to-do list:
-I made a massage appointment for tomorrow and left a message with my hair cutter (no response yet -- they may be closed on Monday)
- all reservations for the trip to Chautauqua have been made
- post office message was bogus (fortunately I didn't open it) and book has not arrived yet
- I made good progress on The Guest List - hope to finish it up today
- SDSU had an amazing season to make it to the Finals -- much farther than any previous year and, hopefully, the start of an exciting time for Aztec basketball

>121 atozgrl: Hi Irene. I'm familiar with the grape hyacinths but hadn't thought about them, or the bigger ones, when planting. I have a half-wine-barrel next to the front door which had tulips in it last year. There are a few left this year but I suspect the squirrels found that loose potting soil too easy to leave alone because there are a lot fewer than I planted last year. Yesterday I bought some geraniums to put in there for the summer and then I think I'll get big hyacinths (or maybe a mix of big and little) to plant this coming fall. Our winters here in the NW are pretty good for bulbs it seems.

As far as I know, tulip bulbs were only eaten in Holland for one winter, known as "the hunger winter", but things were definitely tough all during the occupation. My ex-father-in-law was a leader in the underground and several of the older sons were active too so I heard some about how things were during the war (although they really didn't like to talk about it -- mostly I heard stories from the younger siblings).

Thanks for good wishes for SDSU. Even though they didn't win last night it was a huge achievement for them to get as far as they did. There's always next year :)

>123 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. We're going to Chautauqua for two weeks this summer. We sold our place there when we moved to Washington and Covid hit (both played a role in the decision). We've rented a condo there along with bff from San Diego and have timed it to go to my annual family reunion in Indiana on the way home. I doubt we'll go every year but we may go for a couple of weeks from time to time.

>124 Crazymamie: Hi Twin/Triplet :) I never bothered with bulbs in San Diego -- climate just isn't right for them. I was hoping the NW would be friendlier for them and it looks like that's going to work out.

Yes, we're pleased to be going to Chautauqua again this summer and hope Tuesday is kind to you too :)

>126 RebaRelishesReading: You may well be right about the squirrels getting your tulips. We had some bushes taken out last fall, including digging up the stumps and roots. I had one lily-of-the-valley that had survived, so I dug it up and put it in a pot before the guy came to get the bushes. Squirrels were digging in that pot all winter looking for something to eat. Fortunately my lily-of-the-valley survived.

I think you should add some hyacinths in your barrel. I had actually meant to plant some last fall after the bushes were gone but never got to it. I like having them, even though they don't last long around here.

SDSU did have a good year, and a great run in the tournament! I sure wish one of the first-time teams had taken the title. Reminds me too much of the year Duke beat Butler in the final game. Good luck to SDSU next year!

>126 RebaRelishesReading: Nice, Reba. That should be really fun. My older daughter's partner is from Jamestown NY and apparently worked at Chautauqua during high school. And sometime in the past year I read a novel set there, but for the life of me cannot remember the title. That's as close as I've been to Chautauqua LOL.

>128 lauralkeet: - Was it Wish You Were Here by Stewart O'Nan, Laura?

Hi Reba!

>129 katiekrug: yes! Thank you! I had Richard Russo in my head but knew it wasn’t him and then blanked.

Looks like everything caught up with you when you got back, Reba. It doesn't take long does it?

>127 atozgrl: Thanks for the good wishes for SDSU. I plan to get hyacinths and now I'm thinking about Lily of the Valley too!!

>128 lauralkeet: I love the CHQ connection! That place will always hold a chunk of my heart I suspect.

So I continue with "O'Nan has a couple of books set in that area -- could that have been it? As to never having been close to there -- perhaps you should change that? :)" and then found Katie's post and your response so I see you guys have it all figured out :)

I love CHQ, I'm very fond of O'Nan and especially fond of LT and the wonderful people there :) Good morning and thanks for visiting you guys :)

Wordle 655 5/6

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train, peony, cloud, chasm, smash whew! really had to work for this one!!

Slept pretty late today and soon I'll be off for a massage -- nice way to start the day except I awoke from a bad dream :(

The Guest Book by Sarah Blake****

Ogden and Kitty are a wealthy young couple with three beautiful children when tragedy strikes. Kitty is struggling to recover and the relationship is suffering when, while on vacation in Maine, Ogden spots an island with a "for sale" sign. Crockett's Island becomes the family's summer home through the generations. The story of their life on the island tracks the family and social and political changes in American life through much of the 20th century.

Wordle 656 5/6

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train, peony, heavy, meaty, leafy

Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank***1/2

Holly is 30 and living with her critical, invalid mother at the family home on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. When she graduated from college she had dreams of being a teacher at the elementary school on the island but her name has never reached the top of the list of applicants so she spends her days doing odd jobs, including a occasional day as substitute teacher, and caring for her bees and the garden. While she lives her disappointing life her sister has married a well-to-do man and moved to Ohio.

As the story is told the reader is given quite a bit of information about honey bees which is a fun bonus to a nicely done story of life as a young woman on a small island.

Wordle 657 3/6

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Ooh nice 3, Reba! Especially given your starter.

>139 lauralkeet: It was quite a turn-around from nothing to 4 letters :) It took me a while playing with my tiles to make use of the four letters but nice to have a three :)

Hubby and I both got up in the mood to go out to breakfast this morning so we headed out to a favorite for the first time since we got home. I got wild and ordered one of their huge breakfasts, almond coated French toast. It's two big slices of bread with three rashers of bacon and two eggs. I ordered the eggs hardboiled because I knew I wouldn't eat it all and ended up coming home with one slice of the (delicious) French toast, a rasher of bacon plus the two eggs. Now I have left-overs for breakfast and lunch as well as left over Chinese for dinner. :)

Hubby kept putting off doing the taxes (which was driving me crazy) so I volunteered to put software on my computer and I've now started. He's in the other room getting his income and contribution info together (that's really all either of us has to report) and then I hope to finish it up. For the 34 years of our marriage he's always done the taxes but it's getting difficult for him and he procrastinates more each year so perhaps it's time for me to take it over :(

>141 RebaRelishesReading: That breakfast sounds amazing, Reba. I haven't had a giant restaurant breakfast like that in ages, but it is one of my favorite indulgences.

I'm sorry the tax returns have become more difficult for your husband. It sounds like taking on the task was a good call and he is probably relieved. I hope it's a quick and easy job for you.

>142 lauralkeet: H Laura. Had my left-over breakfast (except for the eggs) this morning -- burned one side of the French toast :( but it still tasted pretty good :) Come visit and we'll indulge together.

I got the information in-putted for the tax return yesterday but haven't yet recovered from wha it says we owe!!! Need to go over it again today :(

Wordle 658 6/6

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Why was that so danged hard? train, cloud, peony, bleed, medle, ledge

I feel your pain, Reba! 5 for me today. I had the last letter for all of my turns but it took ages to fill in the rest.

>145 lauralkeet: Hi Laura -- it's so nice to have sympathy :)

Wordle 659 5/6

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peony, cloud, alien, haunt, snafu

Somehow I'm really struggling this week :(

Happy Easter to all who are celebrating. Have a lovely Sunday to everyone :)

Wordle 660 3/6

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OK, that was easier :) train, cloud, under

Nice! And a great way to start the day.

We're expecting D2 and little grandson soon. What with our travel and some bouts of sickness and their travel we haven't seen much of them this year. I bought him a squishy baby chick (about 12" high) for Easter (I wanted to post a photo but can't get any way I've tried to cooperate) -- I'm told he has two squishy toys and they are his current favs so I hope this is a success.

Have fun with the family, Reba! A squishy baby chick sounds like just the thing. I bet he will love it.

>152 Crazymamie: I hope so, Mamie. He is a little person with strong feelings though so he will probably either like it or want nothing to do with it -- we'll see.

Crossing my fingers that he loves it.

Thanks for cheering me on on my thread! Hope you have a great visit. : )

>155 Berly: Happy to cheer for you anytime, Kim!

Wordle 661 3/6

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train, cloud, qualm/spoiler>

At my RL bookclub meeting next month we are all to bring 2 or 3 recommendations for reading next year for the group to choose from. What do you you all recommend? (group is seven older women with fairly sophisticated tastes)

I just came across Joyce Carey's The Horse's Mouth, which I remember fondly as a hoot. If your group could use such a hoot, it might be a candidate.

>159 ffortsa: Thanks Judy. I saw that reference on your thread and wondered about it. I'll get a copy and read it for my own enjoyment first and then see what I think.

>160 RebaRelishesReading: Always a good idea. We had a few clunkers in our book groups lately, mainly because whoever recommended the book either remembered it from a LONG time ago or read just the beginning. I guess I should read this one again before I volunteer the title.

>158 RebaRelishesReading: With apologies for not remembering if you've told us, what are some of the books the group has read recently?

>162 lauralkeet: No problem -- not much to tell. This month we read Queen Bee -- the story was a beach read romance -- fun but no one was very happy with it. Since I joined the rule has been that one month we read a book assigned by that month's hostess and the next month we read whatever we want and everyone tells about their book. At the meeting Monday it was decided to go back to a system of the group selecting a book for each month based on recommendations by members -- next month's meeting will be the last before summer hiatus and we will be selecting the books for next Sept to April.

Not really an answer to your question but the best I can do I'm afraid.

Thanks Reba. Give the timeframe in which you'll be reading your selections, I wonder if you'd want to reserve a slot for a prize winner or nominee. For example, the Women's Prize shortlist is announced April 26 so you could choose one of those books, or agree to read whichever one wins (which will be announced June 14).

Hi Reba.

Line in the sand, first thread, and now this one.

>1 RebaRelishesReading: I joined LT in 2007 because I wanted to catalog my library but didn't truly appreciate the full wonder of the place until I found the 75'ers in 2012 (I think that's the year). It's a favorite part of my morning now. I also love meeting other members in person when possible. Except tht I found the 75ers in 2008, you’re describing me.

>4 RebaRelishesReading: I probably won’t ever read the Kingsolver, but I like seeing that you read both Copperfields.

I’m glad your cruise was so wonderful. Congrats, too, on all the reading you got in.

>126 RebaRelishesReading: It’s nice to see you going back to Chautauqua.

Every bulb we ever planted got taken by squirrels. And, the little rats plant black walnuts so we get volunteers that we have to continue to pay to get taken out or cut/sumps killed.

>141 RebaRelishesReading: Taxes. So stressful, sorry you’re probably going to have to take over. We have a drawer in Bill’s home office that anything tax related gets shoved into so at least everything’s in one place. We pay for someone to do them for us.

>151 RebaRelishesReading: When I was little, we called those types of critters stuffed animals. PC became soft animals before Jenna was born, so that’s what we call them. Squishy toys is more pleasing.

BTW, I had left knee replacement surgery March 9th. Still in PT, have been given permission to drive, and will most likely graduate to a cane this week or the next. Is my memory correct that you got both knees done at the same time? If so, I salute you, because even one has been ... interesting.

Wordle 662 4/6

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I tried #4 mostly to learn more about letter placement and was somewhat surprised to find it was "the" word :)
train, peony, major, borax

>164 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. Women's Prize shortlist is a great idea. The only time constraint is that some members use the library and it's difficult if the book is too new. Another reads everything on Kindle so book needs to be available in e format. Picking one from an April shortlist shouldn't be a problem. Pulitzers are announced in April too (I think) and since I always read that winner I could include it.

>165 karenmarie: Hi Karen. I had to laugh at the idea of squirrels "paying" for their bulbs with a walnut. I do see a squirrel in the yard from time to time but so far they haven't done much damage.

I'm happy tot announce that I spent the afternoon on the taxes yesterday and finished them up. Hubby and I went over them and then we tried to e-file but couldn't find last year's return (his filing system is a mystery to me...and to him too I think) to get 2021 adjusted gross income so we printed it off and he is now off to the P.O. to mail it. So.very.glad.to.have.that.done!!

The stuffed animal/soft animal I got Quinn has a new kind of filling that feels very different than the fiber-filled ones I'm used to. It feels more "squishy" to me so I called it that even though I don't think it's the proper name.

Sounds like your knee replacement is going according to schedule. Yes...the first couple of months are NOT fun and I assume doing both at once is more difficult because you don't have an un-operated one to use. I'm still awfully glad I did it and got it over with in one go :) Keep up your PT, it's ever so important -- and good luck with your recovery.

drive-by *smooch*

>165 karenmarie: I never got the memo - I still call shaped plush over filling stuffed animals. Stuffies for short. Becky liked and likes them much more than I ever did.

Stuffies, plushies, I hadn't seen "soft animals" before. I've seen (and felt) weird little pillows with very soft...bead? filling, and stretchy "skin" so they bulge up in weird directions when you squeeze them. I hadn't seen any in animal shape, though - does that sound like your squishies?

Congratulations on getting the taxes done, Reba. I know sitting idly by was becoming stressful. Will you tackle the filing system next? 😆

>168 richardderus: right back atcha, Richard

>169 quondame:, Hi Susan I don't know wha they're called but these are a new kind I've only seen in the pas year or so.

>170 jjmcgaffey: What you're describing sounds like it, Jennifer

>171 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura -- yes it felt great and no, no plans to take on his filing system although I may try to redirect some things into MY system. I worked my way through college as a secretary and still have some strong, old-fashioned notions of how filing should be done :)

Wordle 663 4/6

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traini aorta, karat, carat/spoiler>

>172 RebaRelishesReading: Filing should be done so that documents can be easily found by anyone who needs them. SDC sold itself to Burroughs by claiming to have self-indexing system. That was somewhat of a misrepresentation. In fact, a total lie.

Self-indexing if you know exactly what words to search for? That is, perfectly transparent to the designer and pretty much useless for anyone else? I've run into those far too often...

>175 jjmcgaffey: It was content indexing. I'm not sure of the specifics but the idea was to optically scan documents and the text files would be processed so the non-filler words would be all be searchable. That phrases have meaning beyond the words and that optically scanning in the 1980's wasn't all that and that frankly our management wasn't all that honest, well. My desktop MAC does lots better searching my documents for content.

Happy Friday, Reba!

Craig files paperwork by laying stacks of things in different places, which is very crazy making. We currently have a lot of stacks going since his mother's death a year ago because she had some kind of portfolio that got divided up among her four children. I need to inquire further so that I can create actual files to house all of the new paperwork.

Hoping that your weekend is full of fabulous!

>177 Crazymamie: - Craig's filing system sounds like mine *blinks*

I keep telling myself I will organize and get the paperwork under control, but no. We recently rolled over all our various retirement and investment funds and the amount of paperwork is crazy-making.

Good morning, Reba!

>178 katiekrug: Oh, dear! The problem is not just the stacks of paper but also that he often needs to find a specific piece of paper and then he has to go through all of the piles to find it. He is trying to combine the accounts/funds, but it is not quick or easy, so...

>179 Crazymamie: - It's a pain in the ass, is what it is. And then you find out you inherited something from your weird uncle that you were supposed to be taking annual distributions from but you didn't know that because how could you and now you have to pay some absurd penalty, but do not have to go to jail which was my er someone's worry... :-P

>180 katiekrug: Your post made me laugh out loud. Yes! This. Exactly.

>181 Crazymamie: - :)

Wordle 664 4/6

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>174 quondame:, >176 quondame: Hi Susan -- I agree that's the goal but not so easily done with paper files.

>175 jjmcgaffey: True, Jennifer. I can't even imagine trying the with paper files.

>177 Crazymamie: That's pretty much the opposite of Hubby's "system" which is to put everything into an accordion file by month -- possibly helpful if you're trying to list cash flow by time period -- no so much for figuring out expenditures by category. Hope you have a wonderful weekend too, Mamie, and that you get a handle on those stacks. We had a similar situation after Hubby's sister died. He had a hard time finding what the accountant wanted in order to file the estate taxes (not completed yet and she died almost two years ago!)
>179 Crazymamie: Yup, Mamie. I know what you mean.

>178 katiekrug: I'm beginning to think all paperwork, especially when it has to be used to complete some government form, is crazy-making, Katie. Good luck! >180 katiekrug: Yikes -- good luck!

Wordle 665 3/6

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I have had mixed success with my book club suggestions. But I recently read Jamie Ford's Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet; which I think would be awesome for a book group. Also I recommend Molly Gloss's Jump-off Creek.

>186 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda. I read Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet when it first came out and loved it. I agree it would make a great pick and I'll keep it in mind. I'm not familiar with Jump-off Creek but I'll check it out -- for myself if not for the club :)

Food share :) Last Christmas we were shopping for stocking stuffers at a store called World Market and I picked up some of their dry soup packets. Last night I made the Potato and Corn Chowder. I added some of the left-over Easter ham and a small can of corn extra but otherwise just followed the directions and it was really, really good. If it tempts you and you don't have a World Market near you, they're on line.

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Once again, looking for the placement of the four letter I knew I stumbled onto the answer :)
train, peony, cloud, dwelt

>188 RebaRelishesReading: I'm glad the soup was a success Reba! I'd heard of World Market but I pictured them as more of a Pier 1 type of store and didn't realize they sold food. We have one not far from here which I may need to check out one of these days.

They have a lot of furniture and bric-a-brac - as you say, Pier 1 style stuff (I think it's better quality but as I can't afford it I haven't looked closely). However, what I go for is the food. Lots of English imports (tea, candy bars...), genuine Asian noodles (not American semi-replicas), heck if you want weird-flavored potato chips they've got them. Decent prices, too. The scone mixes work well. Lovely lot of jams and preserves. And - yeah, lots of tasty stuff.

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train, cloud, peony, whisk, whigs, whiff Whew!!

>190 lauralkeet: >191 jjmcgaffey: Hi Laura and Jennifer. Yep -- what Jennifer said :) I also got some hand cream that I really like and which comes in a glass jar instead of plastic. I found it at the store in San Diego Christmas 2021. Tried to find it in our store here summer 2022, no luck, then again in San Diego, no luck, so I went on-line and there it was -- well stocked up now :) Their imported foods are fun and make good stocking stuffers -- for our family anyway. We've tried two of the soup mixes now and really liked both.

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train, cloud, pound, mound, bound, found --and there were three more I could have tried!! color me annoyed!!

D1 is traveling in Germany with her fella at the moment. Got the following message yesterday.

"So, I sent postcards out a while ago but it doesn't sound like they've arrived. Frank and I are having a great time in Germany. Right now we're in Bensheim. Will send pics when we return. Hope you're all doing well. Also, Frank and I are engaged now."

We had such a laugh -- this is so very like her

Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon**
National Book Award winner

I did not like this book. I did not like the characters. I did not like the setting. I did not like the story. I finished it because that's what I do :(

>194 RebaRelishesReading: I was where you were at the end of 3. I had 4 letters that could be IT and only three guesses so I blew the fourth guess on a word containing three of the four letters. It turned out to be the other letter, so I got it in 5.

>195 RebaRelishesReading: - Oh, that's priceless!

>195 RebaRelishesReading: that's pretty funny, Reba. Were you surprised at the news or expecting it at some point?

>197 ronincats: good strategy Roni -- I felt like I was just flailing around. Not a lot better today but I did at least get it in 5

>198 katiekrug: Katie - It's "so her" that it really made me laugh

>199 lauralkeet: Good question, Laura. She's never been married, or engaged or even in a very serious relationship before and she's 54 so....
However, they've been together for three or four years and do seem well suited to each other. He had been care-giver for his mother and after she passed away a few months ago he moved in with D1 so we were sort of getting used to him as her partner. D2 texted me to ask if I'd seen the email and I hadn't because it had gone to spam (I suppose because it didn't recognize the server in Germany). D2 said something about the news in it and I immediately guessed which surprised her. Can't wait until they get home and we see what, of any, wedding plans they have .

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I have two titles for books for your book club.

1. Fiction - German Wife by Kelly Rimmer - this one is set in Huntsville, Al and is about the German scientists that came to the U.S. The book generated lots of discussion with my book club. I was surprised by that because I didn't think the book was that "deep." However, it turned out that few people in the group knew about Operation Paperclip so the main topic of the book was of great interest.

2. Nonfiction - Lady in Gold by Anne-Marie O'Connor - this one is about the controversy regarding stolen, or looted Nazi art. Lots and lots to talk about with this book.

>196 RebaRelishesReading: A thorough-going dismissal of the book. Too bad about the waste of reading time.

>202 benitastrnad: Thank you Benita. I'm not familiar with either of them but may be interested even if the club isn't.

>203 richardderus: Thanks Richard. A saner person would just have stopped reading ...

I would like to return this Wednesday and exchange it for a better one. Which window do I need?

>200 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks for elaborating on D1's news, Reba. I can see why it would have been a surprise, but also why it seems like a perfectly logical next step.

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>206 lauralkeet: Indeed, Laura.

>205 RebaRelishesReading: - Oh, dear. I hope Thursday is treating you better!

Hello, Reba! I hope that Thursday is behaving better than Wednesday for you. Birdy says if you do locate that window (>205 RebaRelishesReading:), please post the GPS coordinates.

>188 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks for the tip about World Market - I'm going to check it out.

>195 RebaRelishesReading: This made me laugh out loud! Congratulations to your daughter! This made me think of the letters my mom used to send me in college - I used to read them out loud in the dorm because everyone got such a kick out of them. My favorite was when she sent me news of my sister Nora who was working at Arby's at the time - "Nora has lost five pounds and also her diamond in the meat at work."

>196 RebaRelishesReading: Your review made me laugh. I also love where the touchstone goes. Like Richard, I am sorry that you cannot get your reading time back. Hoping your next book is full of fabulous.

Thank you Katie and Mamie (and Birdy). I never did find the window, unfortunately, but Thursday and Friday have been OK :)
Hubby and I woke up at about the same time this morning (unusual) and decided to go to a favorite spot for breakfast. Just as we left home we got a very sweet text from our wonderful, loving, delightful (I could go on...she's a gem) granddaughter. So the day has been off to a great start.

Hope Nora found her diamond.

I didn't notice the touchstone issue. I wonder if that one is any better. At least I got to check off another National Book Award winner.

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Eliminated so many consonants I was able to solve it in 4 :)
train, speak, cloud, kayak

Have a good one, everyone!

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I made some progress with The Rabbit Hutch yesterday. It's another National Book Award winner I'm not crazy about but it's better than Lord of Misrule anyway.

I wasn't sure what to think about The Rabbit Hutch either, Reba.

Congratulations to your daughter.

Love the way your daughters engagement announcement seemed like an after thought, Reba. Have a great week!

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Thank you Beth and Meg! They'll be home on Thursday and I'm anxious to hear what their plans are.

As to The Rabbit Hutch...



This one was marginally better than Lord of Misrule but it still didn't do much for me. It's the story of a dying town in Indiana and a group of struggling people who live in a building cheaply built as affordable housing for lower income people given the name La Lapiniere in French (to give it some class) but generally referred to by its English translation, The Rabbit Hutch. The story could have been interesting but it was presented in such an odd way, and included some extreme behaviors, that I really couldn't relate to it. **1/2

I'm about to give up on my self-imposed goal of reading all of the winners of the National Book Award.

>217 RebaRelishesReading: Well, that's that for the Rabbit Hutch. I've read nothing before this that made me more than moderate curiosity, and your review is damningly similar to stories I dislike a lot. It seems to me that the author uses extreme behavior as an "ornament" so it feels gratuitous not organic to the story.

May the next one be a glorious Technicolor dream of perfection.

>218 richardderus: Thank you, Richard. I'm due a good read I think :)

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We had a nice day yesterday. Short visit from D2 and family then a beautiful concert by the Vancouver Symphony featuring a cello solo that was simply amazing to watch -- how can he move that fast?!?

Big event today is a visit from Stanley Steamer to clean our ducts (we really know how to kick up our heels, don't you think?)

>221 RebaRelishesReading:
My big event of the day was cleaning out one little flower bed. I don't know why I did it, because I don't plan on planting much in it. I suspect that I will be gone most of the summer and won't be able to find anybody to take care of it for me. I am thinking that I will put in herbs, marigolds, and maybe begonias because they pretty much take care of themselves. It is in the front of the house, and I don't want people to think the house is abandoned.

>222 benitastrnad: Those sound like things bees would love too which is good for the future :)

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train, peony, boxer, cover, mower, joker

CARP! I've got a nasty cold. I've tested twice (as things got progressively worse over the past couple of days) so am confident it isn't Covid but, actually, I'm much sicker than I was when I had C last Christmas!! It's been several years since I actually had a cold so I shouldn't complain ... but I'm going to anyway. Poor me :(

Ugh, I'm so sorry you're not feeling well, Reba. And wasn't today's Wordle annoying? 6 for me as well.

>225 RebaRelishesReading: Several of my friends missed our Saturday outing because of severe, multi week, colds that never tested positive for COVID. Then there is a rumor of a COVID that the tests don't catch.... Well, it's been 3 days and so far (knock, knock) no cold symptoms.

>225 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I'm sorry to hear you're sick. I am just getting over a cold that mostly settled in my lungs. Today is the first day in two weeks that I feel mostly normal again. I hope it doesn't take as long for you to recover!

That lovely Wordle today. It was the same as one of the first ones I worked on where I had the same three letters you had by the third line. That last time, I never did get it. I had multiple tries, and needed a seventh line, because the only thing that still fit with the letters I had left was the answer that day. That time the word was FOYER. This time I got it in 5, with one of the same guesses I made the last time. There are just too many words that fit that pattern.

Get well soon!

Sorry Reba!! I hope you are feeling better soon. And I am also sorry the book sucked, but I loved your review and laughed out loud!! >196 RebaRelishesReading: Lord of Misrule. And the flowers in your front bed sound perfect. No abandoned home here. Nope. Hope tomorrow is better for you.

Hope you feel better soon!

>225 RebaRelishesReading: Hiss boo on the cold, Reba. The damned coronavirus is ever -present. It's been with us for millennia and ain't going away soon. The mild version that makes a cold actually feels worse to me since COVID came along. Recover soon and completely.

Hi Reba, Congrats on your daughter's big news! I loved your review of The Lord of Misrule. I feel so much better now about giving it away, mostly unread.

Hope you're soon feeling better!

Wordle 676 4/6

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train, cloud, retro, metro

>225 RebaRelishesReading: Poor you, Reba. I hope you feel better soon xx

>226 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. Thank you for the sympathy. I feel a bit better this morning. I got a fairly good night's sleep and my cough is "more productive" (is that too descriptive to say out-loud?). Still have a scratchy throat, head ache and can't stray too far from the Kleenex box though.

Yes, Wordle is often annoying lately, imo. I have recently started sharing results with my wonderful granddaughter so that makes it worth doing :)

>227 quondame: Hi Susan. I'm still on week-one and feeling a bit better today so I hope this isn't going to be multi-week (and I hope it isn't a new variety of Covid -- ick, what a thought!)

>228 atozgrl: Thank you, Irene -- although I'm not thrilled by the thought this may hang on for two weeks!!

>229 Berly: Glad you enjoyed the review of Lord of Misrule Kim. I felt better after that bit of venting.

>230 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. I do feel marginally better today -- still not great though and still don't feel like I should be around others...which does give me an excuse not to do the airport run tomorrow...but then...

>231 richardderus: and thanks to you too Richard. I'm crediting my long period without a cold for the severity of this one and hope it means I won't have another one for a long time after this :) We'll see.

>232 Copperskye: Hi Joanne -- I'm neurotic and always feel compelled to finish books I start -- in this case that was especially true because I've set a goal to read all of the National Book Award winners and Lord of Misrule is one (heaven knows why but it is). Actually the next one I read, The Rabbit Hutch wasn't all that much better and, if this keeps up, I may abandon that goal. Thanks for the health wish -- I feel a bit better this morning (but not a lot).

>234 DianaNL: Hi Diana -- you posted while I was answering the rest of my mail -- thanks for your good wishes.

It's so very nice to wake up to all of these nice messages -- almost makes it worth getting sick lol.

Wordle 677 4/6

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train, peony, folio, logic

Maame by Jessica George****

Maddie is a 25 year-old Londoner born in Ghana. She is the primary care-giver for her father who is bedridden with Parkinson's Disease. Her mother spends every other year back inn Ghana and her brother is living life as a man about town. Neither provides any support for her, instead they make constant demands. Maddie is struggling with her career, with her love-life and with life in general. The book has some quirks to the writing style that didn't do much for me but overall I thought it was very good.

>238 RebaRelishesReading: I have heard good things about this one. I'll add it to my library list.

>239 BLBera: Hope you like it Beth :)

Wordle 678 5/6

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least, train, fairy, cigar, circa

I'm narrowing down the books I'm going to present to my RL bookclub as possible choices for the coming year (we're each supposed to "nominate" 2-4 books). Thank you all for your input. I'm definitely going to include The Chosen by Chaim Potok and the Women of Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell (thank you Bonnie) - both books I've read mini the past and loved. I'm leaning toward An Immense World by Ed Yong (thank you Kim) as a non-fiction option and I've ordered a copy of The Marriage Portrait to read to be sure before I include it as a current short-listed best seller. The meeting is a week from Monday and I'm anxious/curious to see what gets chosen for the year.

I can’t wait to see your book club schedule Reba. I hope some of your recs are accepted but if all of the selections are comparable to those, you’ll be in for some great reading.

>242 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! From the reminder email I received this morning I surmise the process is going to be for the group to choose one of each member's suggestions and then the discussion will be led by the person who suggested the book -- so, by default one of mine will be chosen. The Marriage Portrait arrived yesterday so as soon as I finish my "morning computer stuff" I'm going to start it. We meet a week from Monday and I'll post a list of the books selected. I'm looking forward to seeing what the others come up with.

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Happy weekend ahead's reads, Reba! Good fortune in getting your picks into the book club rotation.

>245 richardderus: Happy weekend to you too kind Sir (and also for the book wishes).

Secrets of the Cottage by the Sea by Rebecca Alexander*** (audio)

A sweet, predictable rom com set on a small island off the coast of Great Britain. It's written with chapters alternating between the 1940's and '50's and current time. A good Audible to knit to when not feeling great :)

>243 RebaRelishesReading: That's a good way to manage the book selection and discussion-leading. Thanks for the explanation.

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>248 lauralkeet: I think it's a good combination which will allow everyone to have a turn (having to?) lead the discussion. I started The Marriage Portrait yesterday afternoon and I'm pretty sure that will be my third choice. I can have four so now the question remains whether I will add An Immense World to the selection or just leave it at three. I like the idea of adding a non-fiction to the mix and it's a fascinating book but I'm not too sure how a discussion would go. BFF's book club in San Diego read it last month and she said they all loved it.

Our weather has gone totally bonkers -- fortunately we aren't dealing with the dangerous stuff so many of you in the east are having but the temps are all over the place. Last Monday the high was 57 degrees then Friday it was 88. Yesterday was somewhere in the 70's and this morning it's 55 outside. I guess it's a good time to be sick and stuck inside!

Hope you feel better soon, Reba! The weather is bonkers.

I will be interested to hear how your book selection goes. Our new book group is a little bit struggling with the book selection process.

>252 banjo123: Our meeting is a week from tomorrow. I'll report :)

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Our weather has been looney toons, too. I guess it's reaching even the thickest and most in denial of people that climate change is real and happening now around us.

I hope so anyway.

Happy New Sunday Reba!

>255 richardderus: I certainly hope so too, Richard. Hope your new Sunday is great too.

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Wordle 683 5/6

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Not quite sure what's going to happen today. About a week ago I talked to a cleaner recommended by a neighbor and we agreed she would come today. She asked me to text her my address, which I did along with asking her what time I could expect her. I haven't heard a peep back from her. I should go and get dressed "in case" but I don't know what to expect.

Hmm, that's odd Reba. I hope it works out!

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell****1/2

In 1560 the daughter of the Duke of Tuscany is married to the Duke of Ferrara. At first he seems charming and loving but as time passes she sees more of a dark side to her husband. This is the story of her life as Duchess of Ferrara.

>260 lauralkeet: HI Laura. I called her and we had a nice chat. She mentioned that she had responded to my question so I'm guessing it went to spam (or the texting equivalent). She seems very nice and is here now with her crew of three. Hope this will work out because it's been along time since I've had a cleaner :)

>262 RebaRelishesReading: After a rough start, that sounds promising. I haven't had a cleaner since pre-pandemic. Right now we're managing okay on our own but I know a service would do a better job.

>263 lauralkeet: yeah, cleaners do make things easier (and cleaner!). I've had one only sporadically since my usual housekeeper couldn't get into the building (long story, covid-related). But I have a cleaner scheduled for the day of our first book circle meeting in our apartment, and I'm hoping that my former housekeeper can get back to work soon. Even though we live in a three-room apartment!

Hi Laura and Judy -- A team of four arrived a little before 4 yesterday and left a little before 6 leaving a sparkling house behind!! We're now scheduled for every other week. Going forward I think it's going to be the same leader with two others rather than 3. Book club is meeting here on Monday and i would be excited that the house will be so clean except little grandson is due on Saturday so heaven knows what shape the place will be in when he leaves!

I have had cleaners in the past when I was working, some very long term. But in more recent years I've had a hard time finding and/or keeping anyone due to moves (ours) or them stopping cleaning in lieu of office jobs. I hope this one can last longer.

Meanwhile, this morning:
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On that happy note, I'm off to my massage appointment :)

My cleaner just left, and it's a lovely feeling to not have housework hanging over one's head. I always walk around the house after she leaves feeling happy :)

I feel spoiled... housekeeping comes every day. I mostly care about the bathroom, being two men sharing it. Luckily they scrub and disinfect without my participation or supervision. I love this aspect of assisted living... not so mad for the other people. C'est la vie.

Happy Thursday!

Hi Katie and Richard -- you're describing my feeling today very well :) It's very nice to have the house so well cleaned and not have a back-ache as a result :)

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The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict***1/2 audio

I have found the Mitford family interesting since I first learned about them. How can so many wildly different people all belong to one family? I have read a couple of non-fiction account of them but still enjoyed this fictionalized version which, as I find most of Benedict's work, doesn't seem to stray far from reality.

>270 RebaRelishesReading: I enjoy Benedict's writing. I think you liked this one slightly more than I did.

Happy weekend!

>271 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita -- I think my enjoyment was mostly a result of my fascination with the Milford's. What a crazy bunch!! I do generally like Benedict's books though.

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>270 RebaRelishesReading:
I also like the historical fiction of Melanie Benjamin for the same reason.

That's great that you've found a good cleaner! We've had them in the past, when we were both working, and it's sure nice to come home to a clean house.

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>274 benitastrnad: I'll have to keep her in mind. I've never read anything her.

>275 banjo123: I'm very happy, Rhonda!! I'll probably be home while they clean (I spent this time answering questions and otherwise trying to stay out of the way) but "sure is nice" describes it exactly :)

We had a super busy but very nice day today. We had lunch with friends and then travelled about 1 1/2 hours south to an Abby that is on top of a hill in the Willamette Valley. The day, which was forecast for rain, turned into a (fairly) warm, sunny day and the view from the Abby was beautiful in every direction. We went there to go to a vocal concert which was amazing. The singing was fantastic and the acoustics of the chapel were excellent. A musician in our crowd said it was the best vocal concert she had ever heard. The town at the bottom of the hill obviously has a German history (judging by the architecture, names of things and the fact that they have a big October fest each year). After the concert we stopped at a sausage factory/restaurant and sat outside feasting on sausages, spaetzle, potato salad, beer and German wines. Got home about 8:30 exhausted but very happy from a great day out with friends.

>278 RebaRelishesReading: Your Sunday sounds like it was great fun, Reba. I hope your week ahead is just as full delights.

*smooch*

>278 RebaRelishesReading: That sounds like a wonderful day.

Many churches are built with great attention to acoustics, especially the ones built before microphones. We often go to classical music concerts at churches here in New York, and have never been disappointed in the sound.

>279 richardderus: It was Richard. Thank you but I don't think the week will be quite that full of delights, although it looks like it will be perfectly nice :) Hope yours is too.

>280 ffortsa: Hi Judy. I don't think this one was built before microphones but it is modeled on traditional churches and is not only beautiful but has the great acoustics. There was a soprano (or more than one?) in this choir who could hit the most crystal clear high note and then hold them forever...amazinig!!

Sounds like a lovely day!

>282 katiekrug: Truly was Katie!

Now I'm getting ready to host rl book club at noon. Looking forward to that too :)

>278 RebaRelishesReading: That all sounds wonderful! And a truly German meal--it's making me hungry.

Have a great week!

>284 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene.

So I mentioned a while ago that I needed to propose a few books to my RL bookclub from which they would select one to read for the coming year. I ended up proposing some old favorites (in case they hadn't read them) and a new one:
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Beckman (because there's a movie out now),
The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell and The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell.
Marriage Portrait was eliminated because several had already read it but the others all sparked interest. Then I mentioned An Immense World by Ed Yong saying I thought it might be a bit much as a book club book but thought some might like to know about it anyway. Somewhat to my surprise, they jumped on An Immense World and that's the selection for "my" month!! So thank you Kim for making me aware of the book, which is indeed amazing!!

Those are great book club nominees, Reba, and the final selection is one I've been eyeing from afar. Just haven't gotten to it.

Hi Laura. I loved exploring your farm map this morning. What an eden you guys are making there!

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>288 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I saw this yesterday and forgot to comment. Thank you so much for your feedback, that's very kind of you not to mention motivating!

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Wonderful that you’ve found a cleaner, Reba. Sounds like your book club pick is an interesting one. I hope that you are over your cold.

>293 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. Yes, I'm delighted to have found a cleaner!! It's been years but I've gotten busy (and old) so i think it's warranted. I'm not sure how An Immense World is going to work as a book club pick but it's a great book so at least I think everyone will enjoy reading it.

Katie -- I finally found a copy of Last Night at the Lobster -- plan to read it sometime soon and I'll think of you as I do.

I got four new books today including Trust (to stay up to date with the Pulitzer winners) and The Lamplighters for June book club meeting. I started The Winners yesterday and hope to finish it before starting any of the new ones but it's a chunk so we'll see.

LOB-STAH!!!!

>294 RebaRelishesReading: I enjoyed Last Night at the Lobster as well, although I do not think I could approach Katie's love for the book :)

Have a fantastic Friday, Reba!

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>295 katiekrug: Say it that way, Katie, and you make me hungry!!

>296 alcottacre: We'll see where I fit on the scale, Stacia :)

Knitting group in the morning, sewing buntings for Babies in Need (a local charity) in the afternoon, choir practice in the evening -- Not ONE WORD read yesterday!!! I should be at home all day today and hope to make up for that a bit. The Winners is waiting!!

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Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa*** (audio)

I bought this because it is set on the Isle of Man, of which have fond memories. it's a fun murder mystery -- perfect for listening to while sewing (which is what I did)

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>302 RebaRelishesReading: Aunt Bessie is exactly suited to that level of engagement, Reba, you have hit her appeal on the head. Perfect accompaniment for otherwise mindless wasted time. Xarissa has been at the self publishing game for ten years and so offers the books free every other Friday, in alpha order. This Friday it's AUNT BESSIE JOINS for free on ye olde Kindle.

>304 richardderus: Thanks for the tip Richard -- I'll try to remember to grab that one.

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Crikey! 306 - that really crept up on me. Definitely time for a new thread