Clam Shares Books & Cheese ❂ 2024 ~ Part II ❂

A few days past time for me to start my Spring Thread.

Here's the photo I promised of my Kirk's much loved and recently lost cat, Domino. (Curled up and posing with a Godzilla plushie.) Today we took some of her fur down to the bay and set it adrift.

So far this year I have read 18 books and listened to 8, so I am at 26 books 'consumed.'

Right now I am reading Poor Things and poyums and listening to Pandora's Jar.

Happy new thread and condolences to the family on the loss of the pet.

>1 clamairy:
Domino looks beautiful. Kirk must be in bits. It is always hard.

>2 clamairy: I look forward to reading your thoughts on Poor Things.

Your consumed book count for 2024 is impressive. I hope you have many great books in your coming reads.

>3 Karlstar: Thank you.

>4 pgmcc: When they are young and it's completely unexpected the impact of their loss can be very difficult to face. But it is painful at all stages of their lives, no matter how hard we try to brace ourselves.

Thank you, Poor Things has been awesome so far. I'm just past the ½ way mark.

>1 clamairy: oh Domino is lovely. I love her big plushy feets. I hope you all have plenty of good memories to carry you.

>6 Darth-Heather: Thank you. I didn't get to spend much time with her, but she was very sweet. I'm just so sad for my son.

>1 clamairy: *hugs* for Kirk. Such a lovely kitty.

May your spring reading be joyful, renewing and abundant!

So sorry about Domino...

I hope this spring thread brings you many good books.

>1 clamairy: Loads of sympathy to Kirk about Domino. She looks a lot like our Astrid, who loves bed-warming, cuddling (and bopping hoomins), eating and purring. So even more sympathy at losing a treasured Companion.

What a beauty Domino was. I'm so sorry she's left you already. Lots of sympathy to you all.

>8 MrsLee:, >9 Alexandra_book_life:, >10 hfglen: & >11 Sakerfalcon: Many thanks.

>1 clamairy: Such a lovely photo. I'm so sorry to hear of Domino's passing.

>1 clamairy: I'm sorry Kirk lost such a regal gal. I hope he has lots of good snuggle memories to help him remember Domino.

Well, that was interesting! I decided to read this after I watched the Oscar winning (for best actress) film version a few weeks ago. The book definitely does a better (and less jarring) job of telling the tale of Bella Baxter. However, the book muddies its own waters (intentionally) by telling different versions of the same events. A lot of fun, and some very memorable bits! Here are just two:

"... poor-houses where children are divided from parents and husbands from wives—places so deliberately grim that people with a spark of self-respect spend their last few pennies on cheap gin and die of exposure in ditches rather than enter them. That is how we have organized the world’s richest industrial nation and it works very well.”

“Natives,” said Mr. Astley carefully, “are people who live on the soil where they were born, and do not want to leave it. Not many English can be regarded as natives because we have a romantic preference for other people’s soils..."

Thank you to pgmcc for the nudge to give this author a try.

I have started Drums Along the Mohawk, and have already been sucked in. It's both an era (the American Revolutionary War) and a specific location (the Mohawk River Valley in NY) that I am very interested in.

Oh boy. I don't know if I can speak rationally about Pandora's Jar. I am very thankful for the many plays of Euripides that shed light on the women of mythology, because these same women barely exist in the margins of most of the other works that have survived to this day. This audio book is read by the author, Natalie Haynes and she's awesome.

I think I would like to attempt to watch a few of the plays mentioned, but I am not sure I could get through any of them.

Thanks to Bookmarque for recommending this one.

I have already started listening to Entangled Life.

>16 clamairy:. I have a print copy of Pandora's Jar somewhere around in the living room, but haven't yet gotten around to reading it. (In part, because I am still reading one of the other titles you'd recommended. Can you slow down a bit and allow some of us the chance to catch up? I am jogging along here in my own little lane but between your BBs and those flung by pgmcc, my TBR is getting taller and taller.

>17 jillmwo: Hahaha! No promises! I have had A Thousand Ships by the same author languishing on my Kindle for ages. I believe we are all in the same boat. We have such good intentions, but not enough hours in the day. And the TBR stacks, both physical and virtual, continue to grow.

Woo hoo! I'm so glad you liked it. Usually author-read books are a no-go for me, but she did a great job. I have Divine Might on my wishlist at Audible. Similar idea, but with goddesses rather than mere mythological figures. Ha!

>16 clamairy: Pandora's Jar was really good! I've been meaning to read more by Natalie Haynes.

>19 Bookmarque: Thanks for the heads up. That looks good, too. I think I'm going to read some of her fiction soon(ish.)

>20 Alexandra_book_life: I was very impressed with the level of scholarship.

I did some Googling and apparently all of Euripides' plays are available to view on YouTube.

I found this article fascinating. I love the guy who gets fixated on one topic and reads everything he can find, both fiction and nonfiction.

Shared as a gift, so no paywall!
Super readers share their tips.
https://wapo.st/3IZ8K5y

>22 clamairy: Yes, but 350 to 400 pages PER DAY? I was looking at something today that was only 150 pages and doubted whether I'd be able to get through it this weekend. I only qualify for the minor leagues compared to your guy.

But how did you compare to the woman who mostly only did audio books?

>23 jillmwo: I was impressed that she was doing them at three times normal speed. That's how I talk when I've had too much caffeine, but I don't think my comprehension could keep up with that pace at all. I could possibly do fiction at twice normal speed, but definitely not nonfiction. LOL

Edited to add: Audible adapts the voice if you speed it up, but there have been some apps I've used in the past where the narrator starts to sound like one of the Chipmunks if you speed it up.

>22 clamairy: That's a lot of reading! I need to cut back on my TV and computer time and read more, but unlike that one guy, I don't think I can read straight through from 4:30 to 8:30 in the morning, my vision is just not up for that. >24 clamairy: I like to watch/listen to podcasts at 1.5x, but I'm actually trying to discourage myself from doing that too much, unless the speaker is a slow talker. It is starting to feel like a bad habit. Faster than 1.5x and I feel like I'm not giving the person the right level of attention. That's just me.

>23 jillmwo: I don't think I could do that much reading every day. Maybe?

>25 Karlstar: I don't think I could sit still for for four hours unless I was sick. I can read for a couple of hours in the evening when I'm tired out, and in bed an night when I can keep my eyes open.

As far as speeding books up to squeeze more of them in goes, the listening experience for me is as much about enjoyment as accomplishment. I just tried to speed up Entangled life and it sounded choppy. I might try it again and see if it smooths out because he is a bit of a slow narrator, but I think I might find that choppiness too annoying to get past.

I look forward to reading this much when I retire. I'm between jobs right now and I can easily read for 6 hours most days. It's so sweet.

>27 reconditereader: I can do six hours total, I can't do six hours in one go. Hmmm... Let me take that back. I'm pretty sure I came very close to doing six hours straight more than once last Summer when I was getting over COVID.

I'm glad you're able to take advantage of your free time!

It's easy to do 6 hours straight. Just get a book that really grips you, start reading it before bedtime, and make sure that you have something really important happening at work the next day, like a big presentation. You'll find that you don't put the book down until it's finished, probably around 3 or 4am. Never fails.

>29 MrAndrew: Ha! Yes. Or an important DR's appointment at the crack of dawn...

I finished Drums Along the Mohawk the other day. This was a BB from ludmillalotaria, and I would like to say thank you for the reminder to read this. I enjoyed this book, though it was rough to read in places, and being almost 100 years old there is quite of bit of racism and sexism. That said, the story is still engrossing. I had no idea how difficult it was for the settlers of this area during that period. I won't get into the fact they were living on stolen land. I had no idea there was such anger felt by these predominantly German & Dutch settlers in this part of Upstate NY for the 'Yankees' in New England who were mainly of English descent. The armies they were fighting were English and Native American, and both side were guilty of horrific war crimes.

This book has been on my TBR since I was working in the Historical Room at the East Granby Public Library. The 300+ year old remains of a copper mine that was turned into a prison for the Tories and British spies during the American Revolution was located in town, and I read a history of the mine back in 2016. (It's Newgate of Connecticut, Its Origin and Early History by Richard H Phelps. At the time the mines were excavated the property was in the town of Simsbury.) I had also been down into the mine back in 2001 before they closed it for renovations. It was extremely creepy, and I had no trouble recalling the place while reading the bits in the book that take place there.

Here's a photo of the ruins of the prison on the surface as it looks today:



Here is one from underground:

>31 clamairy: My son and his wife bought a house in Simsbury. I will have to share your information with them.

>32 jillmwo: Cool! I hope they have many happy years there.

>31 clamairy: Photos of prisons send chills down my spine. Modern as well as ancient. I went to visit Alcatraz and have dark memories still. A good deterrent to leave a life of crime to others! *shudder*

>31 clamairy: Very interesting.

>34 MrsLee: just think, if you had never visited Alcatraz, your life might have taken a totally different direction. I'm thinking professional jewel thief.

>31 clamairy: Glad you found it engrossing. I know these older books can strike readers so differently. Thanks for the pics. So interesting that so much of the mine/prison ruins are still there.

>37 ludmillalotaria: If he mentioned how greasy and foul smelling the Native Americans were one more time I think my head would have exploded. Did he think all those unwashed settlers smelled good to the "Indians?" And his treatment of Nancy, who was obviously Intellectual disabled, was also a bit tough to read. Don't get me started on his descriptions of the slaves. Still, I was mostly able to get past much of that. I gave it four stars.

>36 MrAndrew: Ah the twists and turns our lives take. It was either jewel thief or assassin, but one small trip put and end to all that.

>39 MrsLee: Officially, at least.

>36 MrAndrew: & >39 MrsLee: I like the idea of jewel thievery as your hobby.

>41 clamairy: Full disclosure. I have a LOT of shiny bits and bobs of jewelry. Almost all costume though. *She said convincingly. *

And your garden has suspicious mounds.

Into the Riverlands, parts three of The Singing Hills Cycle was quite good. In fact I enjoyed it almost as much as the first book, The Empress of Salt and Fortune. Thank you Tor, for giving me the second book in this series for free, which forced me to buy and read the first one. LOL Yes, that might sound like sarcasm, but it isn't. They are good fun.

Does anyone know why Tor is no longer giving away freebeies?

I am already halfway through An Enchantment of Ravens, which came highly recommended by my daughter as a lightweight good vibe read.

>44 clamairy: This is such a nice series! I am looking forward to reading Mammoths at the Gates soon (ish).

>45 Alexandra_book_life: Me, too. I snagged that one when it was on sale, but I'm saving it for a later date.

>46 clamairy: I read both Into the Riverlands and Mammoths at the Gates a couple of weeks ago. All four novellas are delightful.

I snagged the first two when they were TOR freebies and borrowed the other two via Libby/Overdrive. I don't know what is up with TOR giveaways but I suspect they are going through some things over there, what with the name change and everything. Maybe freebies are now a thing of the past?

I borrowed the 3rd one from OverDrive as well. (I'm so thankful they have almost everything I look for.) I only paid $2.99 for the other two, but they wanted $11.99 for the 3rd book. I might snag it if it goes on sale.

I went into An Enchantment of Ravens with relatively low expectations, because it's a YA romance/fantasy, but I ended up enjoying it, despite the over-the-top bits. I like her writing style, and may give the better rated Sorcery of Thorns a shot at some point if I need a palate cleanser.

I have already finished roughly half of our own dodger 's just published book A Gentle Slope*, and I am hooked.

*I guess it's so new that I can't use a touchstone! https://www.librarything.com/work/31909242/

>49 clamairy: I’ve enjoyed all of Rogerson’s books so far, but especially enjoyed the characters in SoT. I hope we’ll get a new Vespertine book this year! She’s one of the few newish writers that have impressed me with the elegance of her prose and storytelling.

>50 ludmillalotaria: Plus there was just enough humor in this one to keep me from rolling my eyes at the overly mushy bits. Does SoT have the same humor?

>51 clamairy:, yes, I think so. It’s been a few years since I read it. I think SoT has a better plot and balance of what the author does well. I also preferred the character dynamics in SoT to that of AEoR. I listened to SoT on audio (library book) though, so not sure if anything would strike me differently upon reading the text. The eBook is on my wishlist to buy, because I enjoyed it enough to want to own it and read again when I’m in the mood for a comfort read. Also, the author wrote a follow-up novella that I read last year which reinforced how much I enjoyed the characters and world of SoT.

>52 ludmillalotaria: Thank you. It's now on my Libby wishlist.

Seconding >52 ludmillalotaria:'s opinions on Sorcery of Thorns vs. An Enchantment of Ravens. Sorcery of Thorns also has a magical library which is always a plus in my book. I read it in print the first time and audio the second time and both were great experiences. Vespertine is also very good. I'm eagerly awaiting whatever Rogerson does next.

I finished dodger's book, The Gentle Slope. It's a solid first entry in a series. The pacing is perfect. There were so many red herrings! I am hoping main character, reporter Jakob Larson, gets fleshed out a bit more in subsequent books. I enjoyed his growing friendship with his co-worker, especially her banter.

I have already started The Morningside, which is post-apocalyptic fiction, written by the same author as The Tiger's Wife, which I adored. I am enjoying this one quite a bit so far.

I am still listening to Entangled Life, and I am not making as much progress as I should. I want to work outside, but the weather has been weird. Today I went to the beach to take a walk and the sky opened up. By the time I got home the sun was out again, so I decided to walk to the marina and the private beach I never use, and when I was about a mile from home the sky opened up again. Now the sun is blasting, but hear thunder booming. (I don't listen to audiobooks while I walk, except occasionally on the treadmill.)

>55 clamairy: I think you may have clicked on the wrong touchstone for The Morningside as the author shown is different from the one displayed for The Tiger's Wife.

Just intended as a heads-up!

>56 jillmwo: 💩 I know I had it right at one point, but I edited the post and it must have slipped back into the wrong title. Thank you for the heads up! I have fixed it.

>52 ludmillalotaria:, >54 curioussquared: I strongly agree with you both. EoR was too heavy on the romance for me (I am not a fan of insta-love but SoT was wonderful. I need to get to Vespertine, it's on my kindle but I keep forgetting it's there!

>55 clamairy: I really want to read The Morningside ; I look forward to your thoughts on it.

Hope your weather settles down. The thunderclaps sound alarming!

The Morningside was a disappointment. Don't waste your time. I gave it 3½ stars because I like her writing style, and the sense of place & time, but it just didn't deliver the goods. I like my post-apocalyptic fiction with a bit less WooWoo.

I've already started The Bone Harp, and I am having a bit of trouble getting into it. I will hang in there.

>59 clamairy: The Bone Harp is slow... I can imagine that it might put some readers off. There is magic there, though (imo, of course!). Good luck :)

>59 clamairy: Thanks for the warning re: The Morningside. If I see it in a kindle 99p deal I might grab it, but I shan't bother otherwise.

>60 Alexandra_book_life: It didn't take long. I think I'm about ¼ of the way in and I'm hooked.

>61 Sakerfalcon: It wasn't terrible, but I'm glad it was less than 300 pages.

>62 clamairy: I'm glad to hear that! :)

I finished The Bone Harp by Victoria Goddard the other day, but I just haven't had time to write about it. Plus, I was still digesting it. This is such a beautiful story. I was put off a wee bit in the beginning by some of the repetition. (Tamsin spends quite a bit a time reaching for his sword.) But I began to realize this is not just just the tale of a bard, and that bard's fall and redemption, it's also a tale told somewhat in the manner of a bard's song, with certain phrases and themes acting as refrains.

It's not perfect, and the refrains/rephrasing doesn't always work, but when it does... watch out!

Five stars from me.

I have since started reading Starling House, and the change in voice & location have been a bit of a shock. I am enjoying it, though.

I bought Entangled Life as a trade paperback on Meredy's recommendation a few years back, and my daughter was enjoying it so much she absconded with it. I snagged it as an Audible book when it was on sale. I finally got to listen to it. I did thoroughly enjoy it, although it seemed a tad slow to get going. It is read by the author and he is very soft-spoken, so it took me a bit to get used to that. It is very detailed. I now have a massive amount of respect for all of the fungi in the world, and for all of the people who study them. Thank you, Meredy!

I have started listening to Catch-22, and it is at times like this that I am very thankful that I still have excellent bladder control. It is hilarious.

>65 clamairy: I love that bookcover.

>66 MrsLee: It is very cool, isn't it?

>64 clamairy: I hope you love Starling House as much as I did!

>68 Sakerfalcon: Thank you! It's good so far. I am pretty clueless as to what is actually happening. (But I'm okay with that!)

>64 clamairy: I am very happy that you loved Bone Harp! It's such a magical book :)

>64 clamairy:. I know I have The Bone Harp on my Kindle and now that I know that you (as someone whose tastes closely correlate with my own) have ranked it that highly, I'll be moving it up in the queue. Many thanks for the feedback on it.

>71 jillmwo: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You may need to give yourself some time to adjust to the repetitive prose.

>70 Alexandra_book_life: One of the reviewers here on LibraryThing said this book was a blend of The Silmarillion and The Hobbit. (I'm paraphrasing.) I would say it's definitely leaning more towards The Silmarillion, but with characters one can, perhaps, more easily relate to.

I want to live in Starling House, but only after the end of this book. I did love this, though I felt parts of it were exhausting to read. I want to read something set in the current time where people get normal amounts of sleep. Well, done Alix E. Harrow! Sakerfalcon mentioned that the setting reminded her of Demon Copperhead, and I see it now. It isn't just that it's the American South, it's that it is an area ravaged by poverty and kept down by greed and people who look the other way.

I have read some amazing fantasy by young women the last few years. It pleases me greatly.

I picked up Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow, by Henry Louis Gates, Jr (the host of the PBS series Finding Your Roots, which I LOVE!) but I started getting depressed. I might have to do that one as an audio book. I have started Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon.

>73 clamairy: How strong is the horror in Starling House? It’s a genre I mostly avoid; but I love Harrow’s other work.

>74 2wonderY: There really isn't much. There's a lot of tension and buildup, but no real gore. (Thankfully.) Can you borrow it from the library and just return it if you're not enjoying it?

>75 clamairy: Yes, it’s on Libby. Thanks!

>73 clamairy: So glad you enjoyed this! I love a "weird house" story and this was a great one. I have it on kindle but will probably buy it in print because I liked it that much.

>77 Sakerfalcon: I love sentient houses. There's one in A Discovery of Witches and it was the best part of the book.

>78 clamairy: I agree! I hated that book but the house section was actually enjoyable!

>79 Sakerfalcon: I didn't hate it. I loved the wine and the Oxford bits, but I found the sexual tension to be quite tedious.

It was just too much romance for me. My tolerance is low.

>81 Sakerfalcon: Mine has plummeted, to be honest.

>78 clamairy: Is that the one with a yoga practicing vampire? If so, I couldn’t finish it; though there were interesting tropes.

>83 2wonderY: I don't remember the yoga. I must have blocked it. He did drink quite a lot of wine!

Yes, yoga was in there, but only once I think.

I only made it about ⅓ of the way through Catch-22. I realize it was written over half a century ago, but the overt sexism was too much for me. It might not have bothered me so much if I read it 40 years ago, but now it had my head spinning. I returned it to Overdrive and started listening to an Audible copy of A Room with a View. This is much more my speed. I loved the movie version of this, and I think I may have read it 30+ years ago. I'll have to check my book log later.

I finished A Room with a View and Where the Lost Wander and started reading Penric's Demon and listening to Pride and Prejudice.

I'm crunched for time (and mojo) but I will be back to talk about the books next week. My kids are coming tomorrow, and I'm very excited to see them both.

>87 clamairy: Did you know there are two film versions of A Room With a View?

Here are my notes about the strengths and weaknesses of each:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/213115#5415167

>87 clamairy:
Have a great time with your young ones.

>86 clamairy: I've had Catch-22 on the back end of my TBR pile for a long time, sounds like it isn't worth it to move it up.

>87 clamairy: Did you enjoy Room with a View? It was briefly mentioned in the book on the Edwardian period I am reading and I remember enjoying a movie of it, but no recollection of what it was about. Was thinking about reading the book. I seem to be on an Edwardian theme at the moment, when I'm not in Montana with trappers and natives.

>88 2wonderY: There's actually three versions, but one is a miniseries. I plan to rewatch the Maggie Smith one next week. They're newer movie doesn't seem to have very good ratings on IMDb.

>89 pgmcc: Thank you.

>90 Karlstar: You might not have an issue. The humor was wonderful, but it was a bit repetitive. It also kept hopping around in time. I may watch the movie version at some point.

>91 MrsLee: I did enjoy it!* I had a different perspective on Lucy this time around. I've discovered that (right now at least) I'm much happier reading books set in the time before cell phones and even before electricity. The Amy Harmon book I read was about the Oregon trail. I don't know if I could embrace reading nonfiction about that, but I enjoyed that one quite a bit as well.

*I'm pretty sure it's included free if you have an Audible account. Otherwise, it's available to borrow through Libby as both an e-book or an audiobook.

>93 clamairy: That might be my next read then. LT tells me that I have a paperback of it, if I can just find it on my shelves at home. :/

>94 MrsLee: There was quite a bit of snobbery, but it is written in such a way as to poke fun at it.

>95 clamairy:
That sounds like Anthony Trollope’s approach.

>93 clamairy: & >90 Karlstar:
I have to concede that Catch 22 could be described as one of my guilty pleasures. I first read it many decades ago. It is a book that if I am rearranging my shelves and I come across it I would have opened it at any page and lost an hour reading from that point onwards. It is the opposite of politically correct and when I have read any of it recently I have cringed.
Setting aside the non-PC elements it is very amusing and I loved the chapter that explained how Major Major Major Major could buy eggs at 5c, sell them at 3c and make a profit. It is a master class in micro-economics. The section that explains how Major Major Major Major’s name came about is also amusing.

I was disappointed with the film version, but then the book would be very difficult to film at all, so fair-dos to them for trying. By the way, it is my strong conviction that if you watch the film without having read the book you will not have a clue about what is going on in the film.

By the way, it has s very strong anti-war message and the ending in the book really brings this across. I am almost inclined to dig it out and reread it. My original copy is still about but last time I saw it I was amazed that it held together at all.

.

I am pairing A Room with a View and Pride and Prejudice because, although I never noticed it before, they are somewhat similar stories. In both a young woman falls in love with a man who is not her social equal, and people around them attempt to keep them apart. I enjoyed them both a bit more this time around. Although I will admit I found Lucy slightly ditzy, I had to remind myself how young she is. And Mrs. Bennet is simply an idiot. (And not even a well meaning idiot.) These two books were published roughly 95 years apart. Lucy has the opposite problem that Elizabeth faces. She is attracted to a man with less social standing, while Elizabeth is getting attached to a very wealthy man indeed. (Oddly they mention early on that Lucy's father was not quite upper class, but he built a lovely house in a good area and everyone assumed he was.) This was my second time through the E. M. Forrester and my third (at least) trek through the Austen. I was definitely less impressed with Mr. Bennett this time around. As always, Elizabeth's quick wit is the best part of the tale for me.

I am currently listening to one of The Great Courses, Classics of British Literature
by John Sutherland.

Where the Lost Wander is set along the Oregon Trail before the Civil War. The story is based on the author's husband's great great I might be missing one or two greats) grandfather (who was half Native American) and his wife and their adventures on their journey West. It's a very tale brutal is places. There are many members of the wagon train buried along the road. I enjoy her writing style quite a bit. I think this is the 4th book of Amy Harmon's that I have read.

Penric's Demon was wonderful. Just a bit lighter in tone that the other two books I've read set in this world. I planned to keep going but OverDrive only has the audio books for the rest of the series, and that isn't what I was looking for right now. Luckily The Familiar dropped like magic onto my Kindle (via OverDrive) and I'm almost halfway though that.

Sorry I haven't been around. My kids were here last weekend, and then my allergies started acting up. I took ⅓ of a Zyrtec a few nights in a row and it turned me into a Zombie. I had too much brain fog to post or read posts. I will do my best to catch up on everything I missed.

>98 clamairy: >99 clamairy: I hope you are feeling better now! And I am glad to see more good books in this thread :)

>100 Alexandra_book_life: I do feel mostly better, thank you. I'm taking Claritin. So far so good. At one point during Mother's Day weekend my nose was running so much that I was afraid I had gotten a case of COVID. But I had just been driving around with my car windows open while breathing in tree pollen.

>99 clamairy: So you're a book zombie now? Maybe a reading zombie? You consume books instead of brains? Where do I sign up for this?

Seriously, I hope the clairitin works, it is my preferred allergy medicine. Thanks for reminding me about the Penric books, I really need to get to those soon.

>102 Karlstar: A fellow sufferer! I took Claritin successfully for years, but I think at some point it just stopped working for me because I'd probably been taking it for too long. I was taking ¼ of an Allegra, and that was working okay, until those also stopped working. Then I was taking ⅓ of a Zyrtec, until I read somewhere just how unhealthy taking some of these medications every day can be. :o( I've gone for over a year without needing any antihistamine. But the last week has been spectacularly bad for me. I think Claritin is definitely the perfect choice for right now. Hopefully I can wean myself off it again at some point.

Part of me is just fine with being a book zombie, but not much was getting done.

>103 clamairy: There's a couple of months I can stop taking an antihistamine, but only a couple. When it gets bad, I add an Aleve-D in too, those things are amazing for clearing up the congestion.

I see you don't have Zyzal on your list. I do not recommend it, I had horrible dreams.

Thanks for the heads-up. I had to Google it. I see it's similar to Zyrtec but that there's something extra thrown in there.

I'm usually okay from November until April. One year at the end of December I was having a lot of trouble, as were several of my family members, and realized that it was the decorative evergreens I had on my table.

You become a zombie with 1/3 of a Zyrtec? I take four of them a day because of my hives. I am so glad they don’t do that to me!

>106 catzteach: Four? I had built up a tolerance to them at one point and could take a whole one. But I decided that if a third of one made me feel that bad I shouldn't be taking it at all.

I knew nothing at all about The Familiar going into it, beside the author's name. Leigh Bardugo has not failed me yet! This one is set during the Spanish Inquisition and involves magic and, to some extent, the fear of using it, but mainly the fear of being to discovered to be something other than what one appears to be. I got so sucked into this one I lost track of time.

I've already started The Longitude of Grief. I went to a book launch for this a few days ago, and so far I am enjoying it. Looks like I'm the only person on LibraryThing with a copy so far! Let's hope that changes.

>108 clamairy: Your first touchstone needs corrected.

I want to recommend the gel capsules available at Dollar General, red for daytime, green for nighttime. They have been life changing for my battles with allergies. They are reliable symptom suppressors and keep me from bronchitis and a months long hacking cough.

>109 2wonderY: Thanks for heads-up on the touchstone.

Do you mean generic DayQuil and NyQuil in the capsules? Or is this something else?

>110 clamairy: Yes, I think that’s it. It’s got an antihistamine and a cough suppressant. I’m sometimes able to take just one gelcap instead of the two recommended and it’s enough. Like last night; and I slept so well.

>108 clamairy: The Familiar is tempting. I've been circling around it, seeing reviews everywhere. I was disappointed by Shadow and Bone, so I don't quite trust this author (yet?)

>112 Alexandra_book_life: Have you read Ninth House or Hell Bent or the Six of Crows duology?

>113 clamairy: None of the above :) I bounced off Shadow and Bone too hard, I suppose. Would you recommend?

>114 Alexandra_book_life: Are you one of those people who likes to wait until the series is complete before you start it? Then you should wait on Ninth House. I really enjoyed Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. Can you borrow the first one so that if it doesn't suit you there's no loss?

>115 clamairy: Not usually, no. I don't mind waiting for the next book in a series :) I can check whether any of the libraries close by have it, and see how it goes.

>116 Alexandra_book_life: I borrow ebooks for my Kindle. I'm not sure if that's an option for you.

>108 clamairy: I haven't read any Bardugo novels yet, but I did enjoy the Shadow and Bone tv series, mostly.

>118 Karlstar: I started watching that, but they tried to combine two different book series and I didn't love that.

>117 clamairy: The library ebooks around here are not in Kindle format. But there are other ways to read them!

I tried Ninth House and DNF. Not sure why it didn't work for me.

>120 Alexandra_book_life: Yes, sometimes I run into a different format that my Kindle can't support. I can read them on my tablet, but I don't enjoy doing that. It's much heavier and it glows. LOL

>121 littlegeek: I understand. Life is too short to force yourself to read stuff you aren't enjoying.

>122 clamairy:. "much heavier and it glows." Oh, sweetie. That's not a tablet. You're trying to read something off of kryptonite.

>123 jillmwo: 🤣

>123 jillmwo: Good one 🤣

>108 clamairy: Just bought The Familiar the other day. I’ll sit down with it in the summer when I can spend all day reading it. :D I’m a huge fan of hers!

Could be plutonium.

I went to a book launch about 10 days ago for The Longitude of Grief, writen by a locally grown poet who decided to write a novel. I enjoyed his writing style, but like so many fiction books these days this one is dark, and there were more than a few passages that had my skin crawling. The saving grace for me is that it's set here (although he changed the name of the town), and several scenes take place at the bar in one of my favorite local restaurants. I will definitely read more by this young man, but I won't be recommending it to many people. I gave it four stars. Dark can be good, I just tend not to seek it out much these days.

I started reading Cold Comfort Farm, but I only made it about 20% of the way in before I bailed. The beginning was set in London and was quite humorous, but the farm was all doom & gloom and written in dialect, and I realized I was not in the mood. I am back to Witchmark, which I had started right before that Leigh Bardugo book popped onto my kindle.

And here is the poor delicious pig from Saturday's festivities.

Sometimes it's good to be reminded that you're eating a living thing, it would seem. (I don't eat a lot of mammal these days anyway.) He weighed about 40 lbs. (18 Kgs.)

>129 clamairy: Looking at the pig: wow.

>128 clamairy: With regard to Cold Comfort Farm, I had the same problem with it. I know it's viewed as riotously funny, but it might be one of those instances where (at least for me) British humor doesn't translate well.

>130 jillmwo: It is on so many of the "Books You Must Read" lists that I felt badly giving up. I might try it as an audio at some point. I am slightly dyslexic, so reading dialect can be quite burdensome.

>131 clamairy: That might be a good strategy. The mawkish attitudes of the extended family are supposed to be laughable, not dreary. And it does come out right in the end.

>129 clamairy: Wow, great job whoever cooked it.

>128 clamairy: >130 jillmwo: Thanks for your thoughts on that one.

>128 clamairy: Cold Comfort Farm started good, but just became so elitist to me. Those dumb hicks. Ugh.

>129 clamairy: Wow. (I agree, it's a good reminder.)

>133 Karlstar: It came already roasted from a specialty shop, thankfully. My brother was stressed out enough about carving it up.

>134 littlegeek: I hear ya.

>136 clamairy: I have been to a couple pig roasts - your brother definitely had the hard job. Roasting it isn't too bad; we have a butcher shop that rents the smoker unit with the pig already trussed inside - you just attach it to your tow hitch and lug it home, then attach the propane tank and wait for 6-8 hours. But then getting the scorching hot and heavy skewer with pig attached out of the unit wasn't easy, and then yes the carving. I don't like working with foods that have a face on. We just stick with large roasts instead.

>137 Darth-Heather: "I don't like working with foods that have a face on." I feel the same. If I was left to hunt and forage on my own I would probably be living on shellfish. As much as I complain about the deer eating my plants I don't think I could kill one. I certainly have gotten attached to the turkeys that come into my yard, so they would be off limits as well. LOL I guess if I was hungry enough, or I had children to feed it would be a very different story.

That said, I thanked the piglet for giving its life (unwillingly, I realize) so we could celebrate. It was delicious. I can't imagine what it's like to deal with when it's fresh off the spit!

I started reading My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me by Caleb Carr couple of days ago. It's the last thing he wrote before he passed away. In fact it was only published last month. It's beautifully written, but I'm having a lot of trouble making myself pick it up. I think I may try revisiting it as an audiobook at a later date.

Right now I'm having plumbing issues with my kitchen sink drain. And I'm hoping walls don't have to be ripped out to fix it. Someone was here for several hours yesterday using the smallest snake they use. I'm hoping that today they will try the medium one. Wish me luck.

>139 clamairy: Best of luck on that. I seem fated to spend several thousand a year on plumbing. Next year’s project is already on the list.

>139 clamairy: Best of luck!

Ya know, it's been awhile since there was any cheese in this thread. Perhaps today you should sit with a glass of wine and some good cheese.

>139 clamairy:. Ah, yes, the agony of needing to invite in the plumbers. My very real sympathies, clam!!!

>140 2wonderY:, >141 MrsLee: & >142 jillmwo: It's fixed!!! The medium snake did the job. I can wait at least a little longer before the sheetrock and cabinets get ripped out in the basement, so the 60 year old metal pipe can be replaced with plastic.

I had some nice aged gruyere for lunch, MrsLee.

>143 clamairy: Very happy to hear that :)

Your lunch sounded lovely!

>143 clamairy: Did I see you chasing that wheel of cheese down Cooper’s Hill?

>145 2wonderY: Ha! I watched a 9-minute video of a compilation of all of this year's races yesterday. I was hooting the entire time. You all know how much I love cheese, but even in my prime I would never have risked my neck for something I could buy. I do love watching it, though!

>143 clamairy:
Gruyere! My favourite cheese.

Glad your plumbing got fixed!

.143 Good news, glad it wasn't more extensive.

I'm sharing this as a gift, so there is no paywall.

And here's an excerpt so you can decide if you want to take the time to read it.

To reread a beloved book after a long time away is always a great risk. If it falls flat on second reading, a feeling of grief descends, as though you’d lost a beloved human and not simply a specific arrangement of words that once mattered to you for some reason you may no longer remember. To lose a book in this way feels of a kind with losing a friend.

I Reread a Book That Changed My Life, but I’d Changed, Too by Margaret Renkl
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/opinion/rereading-beloved-books.html?unlocked...

Actually, I like this sentence from that piece:

Part of the pleasure of rereading a dear old book is the chance to remember who I was when I first read it and to take my own measure by standing inside its light once more.

>150 clamairy: Interesting, thanks for sharing.

>150 clamairy: Very nice, have you read A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek? Because it kinda sounds like a book I might like.

>153 MrsLee: I read it in graduate school and I absolutely adored it. I still own my crappy little yellowed paperback copy, with my notes scribbled in it. I think I want to listen to it the next time around. See if you can borrow the Kindle version to test it out.

>152 Karlstar: You're most welcome.

>154 clamairy: Thank you, that was a clever way to sneak in a book bullet. Referring us to an article about rereading books. Don't think I didn't notice. ;)

>153 MrsLee: Chiming in to say it was a favorite of mine from college times as well. Funny, I too hold on to my tattered copy from then; even though I have purchased a nicer, fresh copy.

>155 MrsLee: I'll be completely honest, that was really not my intent. My intent was to encourage people to reread their own personal favorites.

>156 2wonderY: Thank you for the backup!

>155 MrsLee:
clamairy is crafty that way. She even recruited a collaborator to help hammer home the BB.

>157 clamairy: I used to reread a lot more than I do now. The author of that article mentioned that as she aged the pressure of reading "all the new books" kept her from rereading. I think that is happening to me as well. Only, mine are not new books, they are books I've inherited and hand selected over the years as "possibly interesting" and now I want to find out yay or nay. I miss my rereads though. May have to try reading one a month, that is if my current ability to read holds up. For awhile there I was lucky to read one book a month.

>158 pgmcc: Yes, I think if we count the people in the article, that's 5 recommendations now. A well-crafted onslaught.

>159 MrsLee: I've started listening to some of my favorites and saving my eyeballs for things that I am reading for the first time. So far it's worked out quite well. My house is full of books I've bought (or brought home) and never read. So it goes...

>161 clamairy: A house full of books has so much... potential.

>151 jillmwo: Yes, that's a wonderful bit. Sorry, for some reason I missed your post earlier.

>162 ScoLgo: I just don't read much paper anymore. But they serve the purpose of reminding me to download a digital copy! :o)

I listened to the audio book of In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife written by Sebastian Junger of The Perfect Storm fame. He almost died on the operating table after a medical emergency a coupe of years ago and had an NDE, or Near Death Experience. He looks into multiple explanations for what occurred. Fascinating stuff! 5 stars from me.



I also finished one of The Great Courses Classics of British Literature taught/narrated by John Sutherland. I enjoyed this one immensely, too, and have added a few more authors to my book bucket list. 4½ stars from me.

I finished off Witchmark by C. L. Polk which was a freebie from Tor back in 2022. Nice world-building in this steampunk fantasy. My only complaint was that sexual tension got a bit wearisome, but it was still a good read. 4 stars from me.

>164 clamairy: Seriously, you can't end a post by saying that you have added a few authors to your TBR list without letting us know which ones Sutherland suggested that you thought might appeal to your mood. I mean, are we talking Gaskell or Dickens or Bulwer-Lytton?

>166 jillmwo: Sorry about that. Definitely more Gaskell and George Elliot I want to listen to The Canterbury Tales. I read much of it in grad school, but I think I would benefit from hearing it because I remember very little. I want to read a more of Thomas Hardy's books as well. (I believe I've only read five.) And Henry James... I've only ever read A Portrait of a Lady.

>167 clamairy: I tried (as a freshman in college) to read A Portrait of a Lady and never, NEVER made it through. As a result, I personally believe James might be over-rated or it may be that I am hopeless middle-brow in my tastes... (Did you know that novels by Frances Hodgson Burnett outsold Henry James during their lives? He resented it immensely.)

That said, if you ever want to spend time with something by Mrs. Gaskell, I will read happily right alongside you.

>168 jillmwo: I really enjoyed The Portrait of a Lady. Maybe you were too young to appreciate it? He is a bit wordy, but who wasn't in those days? I will be sure to let you know when I am ready to start a Gaskell.

>165 clamairy: I agree. Also, the climax was given short shrift. A page or two, perhaps?

>170 2wonderY: Yes, it did seem a bit rushed. The sequels have lower ratings than the first book. I will probably keep going, but not right away.

I started reading The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale by Robert Louis Stevenson and I bailed out at around the 15% point. I may try it again as an audio when I can get over my distaste for how truly despicable the master is, and how much crap his younger brother goes through. I think I'm going to pick up a murder mystery instead.

Oh boy. Talk about timely. Democracy Awakening was published last Fall, I believe. Everyone needs this information. I can't give you much of a summation because of the rules of the pub, but if you come across this, read it. Heather Cox Richardson is a professor specializing in the Reconstruction period after the US Civil war.

I need something light after this, so I am going to try Crazy Rich Asians.

>173 clamairy: I haven't read this one, but I follow Richardson on Facebook where she posts commentary on political goings-ons. She is so smart and so incisive.

>174 curioussquared: Yes, she is. I dearly wish people with her insight would run for public office.

>165 clamairy: I enjoyed Witchmark a lot. It was pushed heavily on tor.com and I thought it looked too cutesy and romantic for me, but then they gave it away free as an ebook so I read it. It was a pleasant surprise to find there was a substantial (and quite dark) plot, and the romantic tension, while prominent, didn't override the plot. I enjoyed the two sequels, and also Polk's standalone The midnight bargain.

I read a lot of Henry James as a student, and beyond. What Maisie knew is my favourite, but The golden bowl I would happily shred and use to line my cat's litter tray. In general I far prefer Edith Wharton's treatment of the themes.

>176 Sakerfalcon: Yes, I'm a huge Wharton fan. Even her depressing stuff like The House of Mirth and Ethan Fromme are engrossing and beautifully written. I've read some of Henry James's novellas, including the one you mentioned, and enjoyed them, but I did not love The Turn of the Screw. I think I read it after I had read too many books that were a rip off of that story. I think I might try to tackle The Bostonians as an audiobook.

Love the comment about lining the litter box with The Golden Bowl. I felt that way about my experience with Ulysses. 🤣

I'm going to have to fix half of these touchstones on my PC... 😑

I finished off A Steep Price yesterday evening. I read it on both ferry trips, and while I was wide awake in my hotel room. I enjoy the Tracy Crosswhite series by Robert Dugoni, and I have gotten somewhat attached to many of the characters. These books are great as palate cleansers. There is nowhere near as much humor as there was in the Ruth Galloway series, though. I guess it's not fair to compare these series. They are both whodunits, but that's about all they have in common.

Last night my OverDrive copy of Long Island by Colm Tóibín was finally ready to download, so I have started that. Excellent so far.

Sorry I haven't been around much. I've had a bunch of social engagements, and in between those I have been gardening like crazy. I am still transplanting and planting, and I am not done yet. (Though I am getting close.)

I finished two audiobooks.



I have owned Crazy Rich Asians for three yeas, so I decided it was high time to give it a listen. Very funny, and truly eye-opening. I think this would be a great beach read.



Birds by the Shore: Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast was written almost 30 years ago, so some of the info is dated. Jennifer Ackerman does her best to bring it up-to-date in the Introduction, but I think footnotes might have been a better option. Still, this is a very good audiobook.

I thoroughly enjoyed Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín when I read it back in 2012. This sequel is almost as good. You really need to read the first book before you read this, or it will definitely not be as satisfying. I love the way this man writes. He takes ordinary situations and makes them stunning.

If you read the first book you'll remember that in the 1950s Eilis gets shipped off to America to make a new life when in fact she really has no desire to leave Ireland. In Brooklyn she gets swept off her feet by a nice plumber and gets married quickly without telling any of her family back in Ireland. Summoned home for her older sister's funeral she decides to stay a while and falls in love with Jimmy Farrell. Everyone thinks they will wed until someone else visiting from America drops the bomb that Eilis is indeed already wed, breaking Jimmy's heart.

Fast forward to the 1990 and Eilis is having trouble with Tony, so she heads to Ireland for the Summer for her mother's 80th birthday. There are many complications, not the least of them is that Jimmy is still single.

I gave this one 4½ stars.

I have already started Mammoths at the Gates.

I promise to come back and catch up on everyone's threads later in the week.

>179 clamairy: I'm not done planting yet either. What have you been planting?

>181 Karlstar: Herbs, tomatoes and a bunch of flowering plants, including a native wisteria. I went to a native perennial sale at my local Audubon chapter. And I've been moving stuff around. Yesterday I transplanted about 40 morning glories.
What about you?

>179 clamairy: migrating birds replaced by migrating plastic bottles?

>183 MrAndrew: That's definitely an issue. And invasive species, too.

>182 clamairy: I transplanted about 40 morning glories.

My mind boggles. I planted one seed packet years ago and now I spend much of my gardening time pulling them out of everywhere. I love them, but they want to smother my lilac, lime tree, and anything else they can get away with. They are much preferred to the stupid sweet pea though. One day in the future, archeologists will be digging and find my house, myself, my husband and cats wrapped and mummified by sweet pea vines.

>182 clamairy: Tomatoes, peppers, annuals, basil and I STILL have to get to planting the gladiolus bulbs. That's going to be a problem, mostly because I'm going to have to squeeze them into places where there really isn't room.

>185 MrsLee: Neither morning glories nor sweet pea are perennial here, have to start all over every spring. I haven't grown sweet peas in a few years though.

>185 MrsLee: & >186 Karlstar:

I hear you. They had reseeded themselves from last year. The problem was they were all growing in a clump and I wanted them spread out and they are still only about 6 inches tall. I did toss a few of the teeny less healthy looking ones. But I love them so much that I tried to save as many as I could. They are taking up a space around 20 to 25 ft long on my patio with seven different trellises behind them. In another couple of months they will be the perfect screen from nosy people walking to and from the beach. 🤣

I have the same problem finding room for stuff. I still want to plant some arugula, but I'm going to have to transplant a lot of chocolate mint to make room for it. And I have three packages of dormant bulbs from Costco to plant

>187 clamairy: Sounds awesome! I just wish it wasn't quite this hot. I squeezed in 2 bags of the glads, still have one left to go.

I finished Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo the other day, but didn't have time to post it. Loved it! It might be tied for first place with the first book as my favorite of the Singing Hills books so far.



And I just finished A Feast for Starving Stone by Beth Cato which is the second book in the Chefs of the Five Gods series. Quite good! What an imaginative magic system.

I think The Seventh Bride is up next. And it's time to start a new thread. :o)

>189 clamairy: I don't think I liked it quite as well as the first, but I definitely enjoyed it. I see there is a fifth one now, which I've just put on hold.

>186 Karlstar: Would you like some seeds for perennial peas? They don’t have an odor, but they faithfully grow back in the same spots every year; and I think it’s from overwintered roots. The flowers are just as pretty and prolific.

>191 2wonderY: That is good of you to offer, but I am out of space. I've had to squeeze glad bulbs into to really tight spots and yesterday I was playing garden twister trying to get to a spot to put in one marguerite I picked up because plants were buy one get one free...

>190 Jim53: Good to see you posting! I saw the fifth one was out but decided I would wait a while.

>192 Karlstar: Ha! Been there! I think I'm giving up. I have one bag of bulbs left and I think I might just toss them in one spot and then thin them if they actually come up. Most of the dormant stuff I've planted is not doing anything yet. Keeping my fingers crossed. The morning glories are a wonder to behold.

>189 clamairy: Mammoths at the Gates was so good! I gave the book to my mom and my husband too - neither of them had read the other novellas in the series, but it didn't matter in this case. They loved it :)

>189 clamairy:. I quite agree with that ranking of the Nghi Vo novellas. I loved The Empress of Salt and Fortune because I did not see the ending coming at all, but I enjoyed Mammoths at the Gates almost as much!