This Just In!

Stasia (alcottacre) thought it would be fun to have a place where we can record the "treasures" that we have picked up, whether from the local library or books purchased throughout the year.

I hope everyone will share! The BlackHole needs to get bigger :)

>1 drneutron: Wow! Can I add books to Stasia's Black Hole? Great idea! LOL!

Absolutely!

>3 drneutron: Yay! At least they won't go into my own Black Hole. :D

>1 drneutron: >2 SqueakyChu: Do I get a say in the matter? Lol

>5 alcottacre: No. Jim said I could do it. ;)

>6 SqueakyChu: OK, but turn about is fair play. You add to my BlackHole and I add to yours :)

>7 alcottacre: Heh!

I got a recommendation for Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky from my friend pilgrim. I finally got a copy of it and it's very hard to put down!

Enjoyed MERCURY by Amy Jo Burns while getting an early immersion into Churchill and The Gathering Storm

for upcoming British Author Challenge. That one is both challenging and terrifying.

>7 alcottacre: People seem to do this to me all the time. Especially richardderus.

I just started The Postcard by Anne Berest- excellent so far

>10 m.belljackson: I have read the entire six volume series that Churchill wrote, Marianne, and found him to be an excellent writer. I hope you enjoy The Gathering Storm.

>11 ArlieS: Oh, don't I know it, Arlie! He hits me with BBs all the time.

>12 torontoc: I am reading that one this month too, Cyrel!

From the public library (all of these books are for January TIOLI Challenges):
The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Best of S.J. Perelman by S.J. Perelman
A War Like No Other by Victor Davis Hanson - also for the January War Literature challenge

For my personal library:
The Forgotten 500 by Gregory A. Freeman - a Christmas present from my daughter, Catey
Jane's Country Year by Malcolm Saville - a recent recommendation from Richard
Heading North by Holly M. Wendt - Early Reviewers book
The Missing File by D.A. Mishani - For TIOLI challenge this month and my "Around the World" reading
Hell Before Breakfast by Robert H. Patton - For TIOLI challenge this month

The number of books for my personal library will be falling off soon, as soon as Decembers orders are all here.

A couple of holds came in for me from the library so I brought home:
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher - for book club
Expiration Day by William Campbell Powell

Yesterday's haul from the public library:

Astérix et les Normands - personal challenge; read some French
Le fils d'Astérix - personal challenge - read some French
Le Président by Georges Simenon - personal challenge - read some French
Grimms Märchenschatz - personal challenge - read some German
Rumpelstilzchen - personal challenge - read some German
Organizing for the Rest of Us - Organizing/Decluttering support group
American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis by Adam Hochschild
We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland by Fintan O'Toole

>16 ArlieS: I’m trying to challenge myself to read a bit in French and German too! Starting with fun and (I hope) fairly easy - Tintin for French. But my German isn’t really good enough yet that I think I’d be able to read and actually understand much.
Hope it goes well for you!

>17 PawsforThought: I remember Tintin fondly, and would have brought one home if the library had had any.

My French was once good enough to simply sit and read pretty much anything accessible to a French-speaking high school graduate, though not at the pace I read English. I want that back, but at this point bandes dessinées are pretty much my fighting weight, and probably somewhat of a stretch. (I expect to get the gist without all the details rather a lot.)

My German, on the other hand, was never more than that of a fairly bright English-speaking high school student. Even with lots of pictures - I picked children's books for a reason - I'll be reading slowly and ploddingly with a dictionary in one hand, and possibly a primer of German grammar in the other. The odds of me actually finishing either of those books are negligible, but I'll probably have fun trying.

>13 alcottacre: The astronomical glaring stupidity of Britain between the Wars is painful to read.

Churchill's honesty and frankness are amazing.

Was the Gathering Storm your favorite of the series? That was an incredible reading to complete!

Today's haul from the other local public library (both were holds):

The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor - for The War Room challenge, January edition

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon

>15 bell7: >16 ArlieS: >20 ArlieS: Nice hauls!

>19 m.belljackson: I am not sure that I had a favorite in the series, Marianne. It all makes for good reading despite Churchill's obvious biases.

>20 ArlieS: Eve sounds like an updated scientific version of the emotional blast from The Descent of Woman.

>22 quondame: I'm hoping it will be more like A Brief History of the Female Body, which I read last year.

For my personal library:

Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky - recommended by fuzzi
Life Laid Bare by Jean Hatzfield - for a War Literature challenge
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama - a recent recommendation from Tui
The Six by Loren Grush

The last 2 are January purchases, but Kerry was with me when I made them :)

38 Pratchett ebooks. I have them (or most of them) physically but I couldn't resist having them digitally. Fourth Wing. Legends & Lattes.

>24 alcottacre: woo! I hope you enjoy it!

Bear Head just arrived in the mail. I'm going to let it cool down before reading it.

I also received The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer.

>23 ArlieS: That sound interesting as well.

>25 elorin: Yep, they're all on my phone now!

Recently had a preorder from last year arrive that I had forgotten about - How Far the Light Reaches: A Life In Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler, that I've heard good reviews on.

Additionally, my out-of-state friend sent up a late Christmas package that included two books she picked out for me.
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey & In The Woods by Tana French.

Double rewards on Kindle so I bought Bookshops & Bonedust using my last reward. Looking forward to reading the whole thing, as I got a preview previously which I enjoyed and led to buying Legends & Lattes.

Nice to see everyone keeping this thread alive while I was out of town!

I picked up the following from my local library yesterday, all of which are for February TIOLI challenges:
Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf
Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall - also for my Black Studies reading
Killing England by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard - also for my War Literature reading
My Hair is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera

I went to the Powell's sale and was really good -- only got 1 book: The Wizard of Earthsea. I love LeGuin but haven't started this series yet.

Victoria Goddard's newest book The Bone Harp is out today!

>33 quondame: Thanks for the heads up, Susan!

From the public library:
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby - For one of February's TIOLI Challenges
Reborn: Journals and Notebooks, 1947-1963 by Susan Sontag - For the American Authors Challenge in February

For my personal library:
The Hunger Habit by Judson Brewer - Still working on my weight and getting healthy
Breaking the Food Seduction by Neal Barnard, M.D. - Ditto
God in Search of Man by Abraham Joshua Heschel - For my Jewish Studies reading
Random in Death by J.D. Robb - Well, of course

I don't usually post my acquisitions here, but I had to share this story.

Today I went to Powell's Books Chicago on 57th Street in Hyde Park, near the University of Chicago. It is a used bookstore and years ago was affiliated with the Powell's of Portland, but no longer.

As I was browsing I saw this book, with cover facing out, on the shelves:



I pulled it off the shelf, to get a better look at the title: It All Adds Up by Saul Bellow. But as I was looking at the photograph, I had a weird experience, because those shelves looked eerily familiar. I looked at the photo, and then looked up to my right, and saw the exact same shelves AND that big heating duct up on the ceiling, with some very similar strips hanging down!

I was in the EXACT same aisle as in the photograph! I checked with the staff, and indeed the photograph was of aisle #6 in the store and the man in the photograph is Saul Bellow. I don't know what year the photo was taken, but it was probably in the 1990s. And I was standing in just about the same place as Bellow, bending over the stacks. So, of course, I had to buy the book.....

>36 kac522: Wow! What a great story. Thanks for sharing it, Kathy.

>37 alcottacre: A tribute to "book placement"--they put the book in the exact right spot, with cover facing out (on purpose, I'm sure). It is a new book (there were several copies underneath), but it was at a discounted price, so I imagine the store bought multiple copies, just because...

I finally broke down and purchased a new copy of Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure by Menachem Kaiser. It came a week ago when I was occupied by other things. I am in no hurry to start it and so it will sit on the pile for awhile so I can read other things.

>36 kac522: What a great story! I hope It All Adds Up to a good read!

>40 quondame: Ooooh, nicely done! Actually, it should be interesting--it's a collection of essays, interviews and book reviews ranging from the 1950s to the 1990s.

For the War Room, February (American Revolution)

- American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804 by Alan Taylor
- The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson
- 1776 by David McCullough
- Scars of Independence: America's Violent Birth by Holger Hoock

From the TBR List

- Different: Gender through the eyes of a Primatologist by Frans de Waal

I probably won't read all the war room books; I gathered several from the library to give myself a choice. (And I have some more coming by inter-library loan.)

>42 ArlieS: Smart idea to get several books for the War Room, Arlie. I wish I had but I have enough to read already this month. I have read and enjoyed McCullough's book.

>43 alcottacre: 1776 is probably the one to start with then; you are the second or third person to have said good things about it.

That is an awesome story! Of course you had to buy it! : )

>44 ArlieS: Well, after all the praise heaped on it, I hope you like it, Arlie!

From the public library:
Collected Poems by Philip Larkin - still trying to like poetry, lol, so reading outside my comfort zone for one of the TIOLI challenges for this month

Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May - I believe this was a recent recommendation from Caroline

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne - This one is on the Indie list supplied by Berly and is a shared read with her as well

Oh - just catching up. I'll go and see what I've bought so far this year.

Ordered at the end of last year and delivered this month:

Penric's Labors
The Time of the Dark (Darwath Trilogy, Book 1)
The Walls of Air (Darwath Trilogy, Book 2)
The Armies of Daylight (Darwath Trilogy, Book 3)
Deathless Gods (Kencyrath)
Furysong (THE AURELIAN CYCLE)
Moonshine

Can't Hurt Me : Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds - Clean Edition (requested by my son)
The Detective : The addictive, edge-of-your-seat mystery and Sunday Times crime book of the year (requested by my husband; pre-ordered which delayed the delivery)
Le Secret de la Licorne - a Tintin book in French to (hopefully) help my younger son with language.

And I did get gifted a book on orchids by my mum but that was for Christmas, so it counts as last year.

>48 humouress: Nice, Nina! The Detective sounds really good. I will be curious to see what you think of it.

Not much for me this week, but a couple for my personal library nonetheless:

A Dangerous Country by Ron Kovic - An Early Reviewer book
The Lantern's Dance by Laurie R. King - continuing the Russell/Holmes series

>49 alcottacre: My husband said he heard about the author via an article on BBC World Service and got the first book which he really liked. He likes reading but doesn't get the time; I think I've only known him to read two or three books since we got married but he asked for the next books in the series when I asked the family (ie the boys) if they wanted me to order anything while the sale was on. I'm planning to give him The Detective for his birthday next week and I suppose I should really let him read it first :0) and meanwhile, I should read the first two books myself; the first in the series is The Waiter.

>50 alcottacre: I'm looking forward to another Russell/Holmes!

>51 humouress: In 35 1/2 years of marriage, my husband has read exactly 2 books - I am making up for him :) Unlike your hubby though, Kerry does not like to read.

>52 fuzzi: Yeah, I am hoping that the latest installment is a good one!

Not much to report about this week. I received one for my personal library, High Rising by Angela Thirkell and am picking up one from my local library today, Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers, a book that Mary (bell7) recommended.

I just picked up Kristin Lavransdatter on sale at $2.99. I've read it 2-3 times over the decades and it changed a lot as I got older.

>55 quondame: I have owned the book for years now and still not managed to read it. One of these days!

From the Public Library:
Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier - For one of the TIOLI Challenges in March
Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome - a recent recommendation by Linda (Whisper)
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith - Mark remarked on Highsmith recently, so I thought I had better check out her books! Will work for one of the TIOLI Challenges this month too :)
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut - For my "Read More Sci Fi" challenge; Will work for one of the TIOLI Challenges this month too :)
Cold Crematorium by Jozsef Debreczeni - a recent recommendation by Linda (Linda Panzo); Will work for one of the TIOLI Challenges this month too :)
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote - For the American Authors challenge in March; Will work for one of the TIOLI Challenges this month too :)

For my Personal Library:
Martin Dressler by Steven Millhauser - From PBS, for shared read with Mark and Linda P; Will work for one of the TIOLI Challenges this month too :)

Victoria Goddard just made her 2nd Greenwing & Dart Hal novelette, Traveller's Joy available. It's the walkabout. Find it on Victoria's Website

I just picked up this comic strip biography from the New Books shelf at my library:



Funny Things: A Comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz by Luca Debus and Francesco Matteuzzi (2023

Should be fun!

>58 quondame: Thank you for posting that, Susan!

>59 kac522: I have that one in the BlackHole as my local library does not have it yet. I am dying to read it as I was such a huge Peanuts fan growing up!

So, I have started buying books towards my Thingaversary in May (18 years!) I am keeping a strict count of the 19 books:

1-3: Survival, Humanity, and Society (the "After It Happened Series) by Devon C Ford - recently recommended by Tony
4: Date with Death by Julia Chapman
5: A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny - for my series reading
6: The Mummy Congress by Heather Pringle
7: Young Queens by Leah Redmond Chang - from the 2024 Women's Prize for Nonfiction list
8: Tumbleweed by Shannon Lucid - a book recommended by another book I read recently, The Six by Loren Grush
9: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher - a recent recommendation in the group but can I remember who from? Of course not!
10: The Witcher: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
11: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - I loved this book when I read it so I picked up a copy for my personal library
12: On Chapel Sands by Laura Cumming

In from PBS (books that are not purchased but paid for with credits earned):
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - for my "Read More Sci-Fi" challenge
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman - has been in the BlackHole for a while now

In from ABE Books:
Justinian's Flea by William Rosen - has been in the BlackHole for a while now and Benita recently reminded me of it

In from my local library:
The Fairacre Festival by Miss Read - a shared read with Judy for one of this month's TIOLI challenges (I have already read and returned it, lol)

>61 alcottacre: Well done Juana. I added 8 today all from the Women's Prize Longlist

I found a copy of A Place Called Freedom - Ken Follett. Featured British Author Challenge this month. I won't get it read though and I found a copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke. Already read but will put it on my shelf at my Florida home.
Cost, both free.

>62 PaulCranswick: Yay, Paul! It will be a while before I get to the Women's Prize Longlist, I am pretty sure.

>63 Kristelh: Free is always good! Nice, Kristel!

From the public library
A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow - for one of this month's TIOLI challenges
Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen - a recent recommendation from Anne (AMQS)

For my personal library

So, I have started buying books towards my Thingaversary in May (18 years!) I am keeping a strict count of the 19 books (see above for the first 12):
13. Family Papers by Sarah Abrevaya Stein - For my Jewish Studies reading
14. Wonderlands: Essays on the Life of Literature by Charles Baxter
15. The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech That Inspired a Nation by Drew D. Hansen - For my Black Studies reading
16. Einstein and the Rabbi by Naomi Levy - For my Jewish Studies reading
17. Hangman by Maya Binyam - For the Women's Prize for Fiction Long List 2024
18. 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee - For the Women's Prize for Fiction Long List 2024

For my birthday
At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard - for reading with Mary (bell7)

In from PBS (books that are not purchased but paid for with credits earned):
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters - a recent recommendation from Tony

In from ABE Books:
Ride with Me, Mariah Montana by Ivan Doig - for a shared read with Mark some time this year

>65 alcottacre: A Mirror Mended is a BB. Thanks.

Confession time. March acquisitions (so far). But they're all e-books so my shelves are safe (for the time being).

March
8- Lord Valentine's Castle (Book 1)  
9- Off Season : LT/ER  
10- Stars Beyond Realms : LT/ER  

And, as I said, I'm not keeping track of Overdrive library books.

I have borrowed several books for the April War Room challenge. I expect to read only a subset of these - perhaps 2 or 3 - depending on time availability and how they look on a closer examination.

Here's my complete haul:

- Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence by Karen Armstrong
- The Great Arab Conquests: How The Spread Of Islam Changed The World We Live In by Hugh Kennedy
- Crusaders: The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands by Dan Jones
- Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World by Roger Crowley
- The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Peter H. Wilson
- The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017 by Rashid Khalidi
- Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East by Kim Ghattas

>68 ArlieS:
I read Empires of the Sea last year and liked it. It was instructive about naval battles and how they were fought at that time as well has giving short biographies of the major players.

I also have Black Wave in my collection and I really should get to that sometime soon.

>68 ArlieS: I will be reading The Thirty Years War by Peter H. Wilson in April for the War Room challenge. I figure it is probably going to take all month!

Library books in this week include (all but one are for April TIOLI challenges):

Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure by Menachem Kaiser - also for my Jewish Studies reading

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud - a recent recommendation from Nina

Fairy Tale by Stephen King - it will be interesting to see how I get on with this one since I am not a Stephen King fan, lol

Heretic Queen: Queen Elizabeth I and the Wars of Religion by Susan Ronald - for April's War Room challenge (not for TIOLI currently)

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

I ordered Jingo in mass market paperback and bought the first two Penric and Desdemona novels on Kindle.

>72 elorin: Nice!

>71 alcottacre:
I have Plunder on my shelves and will read it someday. It sounds really interesting.

>74 benitastrnad: I will let you know once I have it read, Benita :)

>71 alcottacre: I caught another episode of the Netflix adaptation of Lockwood & Co. last night, which took me up to the end of the first book. You and it remind me that I ought to get the next book.

And I should also go back and check out the TIOLI challenges.

>76 humouress: Please do check out the TIOLI Challenges, Nina! I love to see people joining in and potentially posting their own challenges :)

What I purchase I announce at the group "What Did YOU Buy Today?", the only group I have consistently contributed to during my time here at LT.

But here's what I got from the library today (I tsundoku library materials, too, BTW):
* Carrot Cake Murder DVD from Hallmark; possibly based on Joanne Fluke's writing (or possibly not, because Hallmark)
* Ruined by Sarah Vaughn, which I think I came across on LT
* Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon; seen as a NR on my library feed
* The Last of the Seven by Steven Hartov; seen a while back in my bookstore
* Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man by Violet Marsh; seen in my bookstore
* The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming; possibly an LT recommendation
* Why Shoot a Butler by Georgette Heyer, whose historical romances I love
* Writing Brave and Free by Ted Kooser & Steve Cox, because Kooser is my favorite modern poet
* The Paper Solution by Lisa Woodruff; from a database search for "records retention"
* The Child in You by Stefanie Stahl; probably from library database searching
* Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before by Dr. Julie Smith; probably from my library feed
* Death in Early America by Margaret M. Coffin (no kidding); from back when I actually scanned stacks
* The Bone and Sinew of the Land by Anna-Lisa Cox; ditto
and
* The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America by Jeffrey Rosen; seen on my NR library feed

>78 ReneeMarie: Nice! I just finished reading Heyer's Cotillion about 10 days ago :)

>71 alcottacre: I recall reading The Good Earth and its sequel Sons, but it was a really long time ago. I don't remember much.

>80 fuzzi: I doubt I will read beyond The Good Earth, fuzzi. I know there are at least 2 sequels though.

I stopped at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore and grabbed 10 recorded books on CD in a short amount of time. The cost ? $1.00. It seems that the library doesn't want their recorded books on CD and is dumping most of them. I inquired as to why and was told that nobody can use CD's anymore because they don't have CD players. What? I don't have a hand-held computer on which to download those overpriced digital recorded books that are driving library budgets into the ground. I only have a CD player - in my car. I also have a Bose radio at home that has a CD player which I use to listen to recorded books in the house.

I think this library policy is an example of a clack-brained idea. It is elitist. It assumes that most people have access to all the latest electronic gadgets and gizmos. The woman who told me about this who was manning the cash register at the bookstore said that she doesn't have a CD. I asked about in her car and she said no. I told her I did. She said, "You must have an old car." Mine is a 2017. When I asked her about her car she said she was driving a 2019. I felt like saying "you must be rich."

What did I purchase for that $1.00.

Caliban's War by James Corey
Abaddon's Gate by James Corey
Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr
Boar Island by Nevada Barr
Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva
Cellist by Daniel Silva
Order by Daniel Silva
New Girl by Daniel Silva
Other Woman by Daniel Silva
House of Spies by Daniel Silva

There are more of the Gabriel Allon series there but I needed to come home to check which ones I already have. I will go back tomorrow and purchase more of them. I love listening to mysteries in the car. They have several of the Greg Iles Penn Cage behemoth's there and I will get those tomorrow as well.

The Golden Mole by Katherine Rundell. I am a sucker for bestiaries and this is a wonderful example. Each chapter features an animal (most endangered, some not) and goes through its history of interactions with humans, its behaviour and other fascinating details. I never really comment on the books I read as objects, but this one (the hardback version at least) it a beautiful object with pages sprayed in gold and a detailed illustration in shades of grey and gold at the start of each chapter. I have read about half of the book so far and it is a delight.

>82 benitastrnad: I occasionally still get asked for *cassettes* at the bookstore. But I had a male customer today looking for exercise books, & when I also pointed him at our small selection of fitness DVDs, he told me he doesn't own a DVD player. Of course, he was only in his teens or just barely out of them.

>82 benitastrnad: Wow! Nice haul, Benita. I still have a ton of audiobooks that are on cassette tapes - and yes, I have a player to play them on - as well as ones on CD. I have a CD player as well.

>83 meanderer: That one sounds cool, Tony! I look forward to seeing your final thoughts on it.

For my birthday, my daughter Catey bought me She Who Became the Sun, which we did not realize was the first book of a duology so, of course, I had to buy the second book - and I could not just buy one book, could I?

From Book Outlet, I got He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan (the second book of the duology), All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay, The Birth House by Ami McKay, Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery (I loved her The Soul of an Octopus), and Collected Essex County by Jeff Lemire.

In addition, I had pre-ordered Table for Two by Amor Towles at the end of 2023 and it finally arrived this week. I have one other pre-order that should be showing up later this month.

>86 alcottacre: I really like Guy Gavriel Kay.

I got back started on the World of the Five Gods by Lois McMaster Bujold and was buying the Penric and Desdemona novellas one at a time on Amazon. I caved and just bought the rest of the series today:
The Prisoner of Limnos
The Orphans of Raspay
The Physicians of Vilnoc
The Assassins of Thasalon
Knot of Shadows
Demon Daughter

>88 elorin: Nice! That ought to keep you busy for a while!

In March I purchased 28-Day Fast Start by Gin Stephens. I am on my third week and I am feeling so much better. Amazing. Do you need this book? Maybe not. I found it to be a way to get inspired which often helps me. I haven't kept up with the journaling and the inspirational reads but I got what I wanted from it, so it's a win-win.

I go to the library once a week, on Monday. Today I brought home:
* Decluttering for Dummies by Jane Stoller, from a library database search
* Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana K. White, because I liked her Decluttering at the Speed of Life
* In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work by Kerry Hannon, because I dream about looking for another job
* Great Pajama Jobs: Your Guide to Working from Home by Kerry Hannon because ditto
* It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn because the idea of emotional history being encoded in your family's genes & your cells is fascinating
* She Shall Have Murder by Delano Ames because I love '30s/'40s screwball mysteries and I saw this in a couple of people's libraries here
* Civil to Strangers: and Other Writings by Barbara Pym because a thread here reminded me of her
* The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee & SJ Rozan, seen in the new release feed from my library
* The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel because I saw it in the bookstore and it sounded quirky

I bought three books from Barnes & Noble yesterday. All three of them are for gifts so they won't be staying around my house for long.
Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye - for a high school graduation gift. It is one of the greatest romance novels ever written and as such is a suitable gift for a girl's high school graduation. I always give this one as my high school graduation gift for girls. I can't wait to hear what this particular girl thinks of it.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr - This was one of my best of the year fiction books of 2022. A friend is retiring and moving away at the end of this month. She loves to read, and this BIG book will keep her occupied for awhile.

Evicted by Matthew Desmond - A friend and his wife are retiring and moving away. He likes to read nonfiction political books, so I thought this one would be perfect for him.

>82 benitastrnad: I have a CD and a cassette player in my Highlander. Oh, it's a 2007, I must be poor.

What bothers me is that the public library is using public funds for public resources, and not researching what the public uses.

>92 benitastrnad: Wow! Those are some great titles, Benita!

I love reading travel books. Especially those about hiking and walking. I went to the library last night and came home with the following titles.
Real Life of the Parthenon by Patricia Vigderman
Stones of Aran: Pilgrimage by Tim Robinson
Singular Pilgrim: Travels on Sacred Ground by Rosemary Mahoney
On Glory Roads: A Pilgrim's Book About Pilgrimage by Eleanor Munro
Sacred Roads: Adventures from the Pilgrimage Trail by Nicholas Shrady

These should keep me busy for awhile with something I love.

Whoops, forgot to check in on Monday with my library booty. I brought home (& may or may not read anytime soon):

* Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night by Jón Kalman Stefánsson
* In Search of Anne Bronte by Nick Holland
* The Saboteur: The Aristocrat Who Became France's Most Daring Anti-Nazi Commando by Paul Kix
* Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat by Giles Milton
* Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point by Stephen Levitsky & Daniel Ziblatt
* Elsie and Mairi Go To War: Two Extraordinary Women on the Western Front by Diane Atkinson
* The Happy Inbox: How To Have a Stress-Free Relationship with Your Email and Overcome Your Communication Clutter by Maura Thomas
* Why Smart People Hurt: A Guide for the Bright, the Sensitive, and the Creative by Eric Maisel
* Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces that Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health by Anupam B. Jena

Plus 3 CDs and 3 DVDs.

>96 ReneeMarie: score!

>95 benitastrnad: >96 ReneeMarie: Wow! Lots of great reading there!

So from my local library, I got in Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi, whose Persepolis books I very much enjoyed reading - they were some of the earliest graphic novels that I read.

For my personal library, my recent acquisitions include:
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card - this one came from PBS. It was a recent recommendation from Jordan
The Children of Dynmouth by William Trevor - this was on Paul's list of his all-time favorite fiction reads
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay - I had received the follow up book not realizing it was a follow up book. That book, All the Seas of the World, was on the Canada Reads longlist for 2023.

If Monday, then library.

* The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
* The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford
* Thriving Life: How To Live Your Best Life No Matter the Cards You're Dealt by Laura Berg
* Take Control of Your Diabetes Risk by John Whyte
* Your Absence Is Darkness by Jón Kalman Stefánsson
* Death and Fromage by Ian Moore
* Samsung Galaxy S21 for Dummies by Bill Hughes
* The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk
* As Gods Among Men: A History of the Rich in the West by Guido Alfani

>99 alcottacre: I liked Speaker for the Dead.

Hellloooo Monday!

Library haul:
* Reasons Not To Worry: How To Be Stoic in Chaotic Times by Brigid Delaney
* Exercise Is Medicine: How Physical Activity Boosts Health and Slows Aging by Judy Foreman
* Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides by Geoffrey L. Cohen
* The Little Book of Life Skills: Deal with Dinner, Manage Your Email, Make a Graceful Exit, and 152 Other Expert Tricks by Erin Zammett Ruddy
* House Love: A Joyful Guide to Cleaning, Organizing, and Loving the Home You're In by Patric Richardson w/Karin B. Miller
* Mightier than the Sword by Tom Holt
* Don't You Know There's a War On? By Avi
* Charlie Thorne and the Royal Society by Stuart Gibbs
* Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick
* The Swallows' Flight by Hilary McKay
* A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley

Plus "Sky+Med" S2 and CDs by Bleachers, Karol G, Luis Fonsi, & Ozuna

Some of you are responsible for some of these. You know who you are.

>102 ReneeMarie: It wasn't me!!

Nice haul, ReneeMarie!