Mary's (bell7's) Reading Log in 2024 - Thread #9

Welcome to my ninth thread of the year!

Should you have missed any of my previous intros, my name is Mary and I'm a librarian in western Massachusetts. I'm part of a large family (oldest of five), single, and live in my own home.

I like to read fantasy and science fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, a smattering of mystery and romance, nonfiction about books and history and... basically, pretty widely and eclectically. I usually have some form of reading goals for the year, and I've decided that this year I want to intentionally read more globally. I'm going to focus on France and aim to read 12 books by authors from that country, plus 12 more books from other countries that are not the US, UK, or Canada. I'm currently on pace for that, and in the second half of the year, I'd like to focus more intentionally on finding books in translation.

Outside of reading, I enjoy watching sports (football, hockey and tennis in particular), I dogsit as a side hustle, I knit for fun (usually gifts for friends and family), and research genealogy (as very much an amateur, but I'm learning).

Hope you'll make yourself comfortable and chat with me about books and life.

2024 Book Club Reads

One of my work responsibilities is facilitating one of our book discussions. Here's what we're reading in 2024 (we take a break for the summer):

JANUARY - Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher - COMPLETED
FEBRUARY - The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin - COMPLETED
MARCH - Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny - COMPLETED
APRIL - The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende - COMPLETED
MAY - Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder - COMPLETED
SEPTEMBER - The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson - COMPLETED
OCTOBER - The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel - COMPLETED
NOVEMBER - The Soloist by Steve Lopez - COMPLETED
DECEMBER - The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray - COMPLETED

Top Reads of 2024 (in order read)

5 stars
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard (reread)
Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
The Shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (reread)

4.5 stars
The Tower at the Edge of the World by Victoria Goddard
The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
The Postcard by Anne Berest
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Derring-Do For Beginners by Victoria Goddard
Making It So by Patrick Stewart
Foster by Claire Keegan
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Above Ground by Clint Smith
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard (reread)
Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (reread)
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
Red Paint by Sasha LaPointe
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
The Game of Courts by Victoria Goddard
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Inciting Joy by Ross Gay
A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel
Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Sterritt
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
James by Percival Everett
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Traveller's Joy by Victoria Goddard
Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary (reread)
Erasure by Percival Everett
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander by Victoria Goddard
Company: Stories by Shannon Sanders
The New Girl by Cassandra Calin
Holes by Louis Sachar (reread)
Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary (reread)
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael. W. Twitty

Random things I'm tracking

Bookish articles:
1. Oulipo: Freeing Literature by Tightening Its Rules
2. Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words
3. 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Awards
4. 75 Books by Women of Color to Read in 2024
5. Romantasy Books (BookRiot)
6. An interview with Moniquill Blackgoose
7. The Scandalous Legacy of Isabella Stewart Gardner
8. Nonfiction books for SFF fans
9. Tournament of Books 2024 Championship Round
10. Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2023
11. Thoughts on "Beach Reads" (CNN)
12. The Problem with Comp Titles
13. LibraryJournal's 2024 Stars so Far
14. 15 Books to Read Instead of Hillbilly Elegy (BookRiot)

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

Number of books read since keeping count on LT:
July - Dec 2008 - 65
2009 - 156 (plus over 70 graphic novels and manga volumes)
2010 - 135 (Note: in June, I started working a second part-time job for full-time hours)
2011 - 150
2012 - 108 (Note: accepted a full-time job in February)
2013 - 107
2014 - 126 (plus 8 graphic novels)
2015 - 120 (plus 6 graphic novels)
2016 - 141 (I stopped counting graphic novels separately)
2017 - 114
2018 - 105 (Note: my first full year as Assistant Director)
2019 - 116
2020 - 153
2021 - 138
2022 - 131
2023 - 180
2024 - ???

Global reads in 2024 (author's country of origin):
Australia - Sophie Gonzales
Canada - Victoria Goddard, Premee Mohamed, Nalo Hopkinson, Heather Fawcett
Chile - Isabel Allende
France - Herve Le Tellier, Elisa Shua Dusapin, Annie Ernaux, Anne Berest, Christelle Dabos
Hungary - Magda Szabo
India - Salman Rushdie
Ireland - Claire Foster
Kuwait - Bothayna Al-Essa
Malaysia - Tan Twan Eng, Yangsze Choo
New Zealand - Chloe Gong, Tayi Tibble
Pakistan - Mohsin Hamid
South Africa - Trevor Noah
Spain - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
UK - W. Somerset Maugham, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Worth, Sangu Mandanna, Richard Osman

All time (since 2022):


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, China, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Currently reading
The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel
Serving Herself: the Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown

Bible/Devotional Reading

DNFs in 2024
1. Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson by Sally H. Jacobs
2. Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
3. Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon
4. How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
5. Fourteen Days edited by Margaret Atwood
6. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
7. Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi
8. The Villain's Dance by Fiston Mwanza Mujila

December
130. Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair
129. Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco
128. The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller
127. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
126. First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
125. Take Courage: A Study of Haggai by Jennifer Rothschild
124. Koshersoul by Michael W. Twitty
123. Terec and the Wild by Victoria Goddard

November
122. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
121. The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
120. The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez
119. I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
118. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
117. Aurelius (to be called) Magnus by Victoria Goddard
116. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
115. Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary

October
114. Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann
113. Holes by Louis Sachar
112. Twenty-four seconds from now by Jason Reynolds
111. A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman
110. The New Girl by Cassandra Calin
109. The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa
108. A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall
107. Katalin Street by Magda Szabo
106. Company: Stories by Shannon Sanders
105. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
104. Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander by Victoria Goddard
103. The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel
102. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
101. Continuum: French Science Fiction Short Stories edited by Annabelle Dolidon
100. Erasure by Percival Everett

September
99. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
98. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
97. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde
96. Traveller's Joy by Victoria Goddard
95. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
94. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
93. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
92. Where the Language Lives by Janet Yoder

August
91. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark
90. The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
89. James by Percival Everett
88. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
87. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
86. A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
85. The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
84. Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths
83. A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
82. Funny Story by Emily Henry
81. The Door by Magda Szabo
80. Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Steritt
79. The Barbizon by Paulina Bren

July
78. Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr
77. A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel
76. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
75. Inciting Joy by Ross Gay
74. The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
73. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
72. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
71. The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
70. The Game of Courts by Victoria Goddard
69. Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
68. Knowing God by Name by Mary Kassian

June
67. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
66. Red Paint by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe
65. Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble
64. Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
63. The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
62. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
61. Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim
60. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
59. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
58. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
57. Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz
56. Those Who Hold the Fire by Victoria Goddard
55. The Years by Annie Ernaux
54. A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

May
53. The Best Man by Richard Peck
52. The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
51. Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqwšəblu Lapointe
50. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
49. Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
48. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
47. Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder
46. The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard
45. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
44. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

April
43. Above Ground by Clint Smith
42. The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monae
41. The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales
40. How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
39. The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
38. Sharks in the Rivers by Ada Limon
37. The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende
36. At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard
35. Dominicana by Angie Cruz
34. With Us in the Wilderness by Lauren Chandler

March
33. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
32. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
31. And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed
30. The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
29. The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
28. The Bible
27. Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny
26. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
25. Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
24. House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
23. Foster by Claire Keegan
22. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
21. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

February
20. Making It So by Patrick Stewart
19. Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
18. The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin
17. The Casuarina Tree by W. Somerset Maugham
16. Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers
15. The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers
14. Derring-Do for Beginners by Victoria Goddard
13. The People We Keep by Allison Larkin

January
12. To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
11. The Postcard by Anne Berest
10. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
9. Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher
8. A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux
7. Big Tree by Brian Selznick
6. The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling
5. The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
4. The Pachinko Parlor by Elisa Shua Dusapin
3. In the Company of Gentlemen by Victoria Goddard
2. The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier
1. The Tower at the Edge of the World by Victoria Goddard

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

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

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

Welcome, welcome! Happy Saturday and happy November - the month of October went by so fast I forgot to pay my water bill 'til yesterday. Gah!

I'm taking a breath and having my coffee before I start running around as per usual. I need to drop off my recycling before I work 9-2, and then I'm getting ready for the Giants game tomorrow, where I'll be going in person and meeting up with Katie. That'll make for an extra busy weekend, but you'll be glad to know I took Monday off and expect I'll get some downtime in here and there.

>12 bell7: - See you tomorrow, Mary! Drive safely.

>12 bell7: I'm still panting from the weeks you packed into last week! New thread orisons. *smooch*

Happy Saturday, Mary. Happy New Thread. I have been enjoying your journey through the music world, circa 1960s- early 70s. Glad you liked Aretha Franklin. I am a big fan of Beggar's Banquet and Music From Big Pink. Both landmarks. I hope those books are treating you well too.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread Mary!

Happy new one, Mary!

>13 katiekrug: thanks, Katie! I made it, despite some Not Fun Driving on the way.

>14 richardderus: nice to see you, Richard! Can't promise I'll slow down any, but I will be taking some vacation days here and there in addition to the holidays. *Smooch*

>15 msf59: music and books have both been treating me well, Mark. I'm right in the middle of 1968 and am really impressed with the breadth and depth of music coming out in the late 60s. Lots of different styles and experimentation happening!

>16 foggidawn: thanks, foggi!

>17 quondame: thanks, Susan!

>18 drneutron: thanks, Jim!

Happy new thread dear Mary.

>20 PaulCranswick: thank you, Paul!

Happy new thread, Mary! I'm glad you're enjoying the late '60's music.

>22 atozgrl: thanks, Irene! Yeah, it's been a fun project so far for sure.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Mary! I hope you and Katie enjoyed the game.

I hope the game was good and your travels back home are smoother.

>24 figsfromthistle: thanks, Anita!

>25 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

>26 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

New-week *smoochings*

I'm home! Getting to the game was a breeze, I was literally 4 minutes down the road from parking, so I left the hotel at 9 a.m. (this feels ridiculous, as when we do it in a day it's usually leaving my parents' house at, like, 6) and had plenty of time to tailgate with the season ticket holder who is in the row in front of my family's seats. Katie and I met up in the seats soon before the game, watched what turned out to be a close one, but another Giants loss, alas. And then we went out to an early dinner at a Mexican place next door to the hotel.

I had a tough night's sleep, but finished Turtles All the Way Down early this morning as a result. Checking out was smooth, the drive back was much more pleasant (for those in the know, I was able to go up the Merritt Parkway instead of 84), and got in about 20 minutes ago. I'm now running out to my local library to see what is on the 3 1/2 inch floppy disks that my grandmother saved. If it is what the label says, I think it's a bunch of photos from when they sold on eBay, in which case I'm pretty sure I can toss them without starting a family uproar.

Reading: Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

Listening: I put on podcasts during the long drives, but will go back to "Music from Big Pink" by the Band now

Watching: football in the hotel last night, and I'll see if I can get Monday Night Football tonight (not all of them are streaming)

>28 richardderus: *smooch* back, Richard

Happy new thread, Mary! Glad you had a good weekend trip!

Thanks on both counts, Natalie!

Good morning! I have voted and am now working, after which I'm planning on going to the gym and making a chickpea soup for dinner. Busy busy as always.

I've been reading away and have a couple of reviews to write up, hopefully catching up on that tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest.

>33 bell7: mmmm chickpeas...love love love 'em. Coated in coarse salt/herbal blend and roasted is lethally snackworthy, so don't do that. Za'atar's the best, but ignore that entirely.

Oh look, I didn't speak at all today! How rude of me. Forgive me please.

>34 richardderus: I like chickpeas, too. The stew that I'll be making has me roast some of the chickpeas, so I top it with crunchies when I make it and it's delicious. I decided tonight I didn't feel like it, but I'm planning on making it tomorrow morning before work.

116. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Why now? It's been on my TBR list, and it fit the TIOLI challenge to read one of Anita's favorite books from 2000-2020

Aza Holmes and her friend Daisy Ramirez decide they want to get the $100,000 reward for giving information on the disappearance of a local billionaire to police. She becomes friendly with the man's son, Davis, whom she knew years ago from going to a camp for kids who had dealt with a death in the family ("Sad Camp"), and they start to become friendly. All of this is complicated by the fact that Aza's OCD and invasive thoughts are particularly difficult right now.

This is much more a story of friendship and first love (not, technically, a romance, I hasten to add) than it is a mystery. Though it starts with Aza and Daisy investigating, that becomes a subplot and the emphasis is more on the fact that, unlike some well-known detectives in popular culture, Aza's OCD is not a detective superpower but actually gets in the way of, well, everything. John Green himself has OCD, and the way he describes Aza's thought spirals and compulsions is extremely intense and at times hard to read. Aza is struggling to figure out who she is not just as a teenager but also as someone struggling with mental illness - who is she apart from her thoughts, that are sometimes destructive? And there are tensions in her friendship with Aza and her budding relationship with Davis. A realistic look at mental health, the struggle with something from which you never get "better", while still being hopeful. 4.5 stars.

117. Aurelius (to be called) Magnus by Victoria Goddard
Why now? Joint read with Stasia as we read through all of Victoria Goddard's works

The back story of the emperor we met in At the Feet of the Sun. At only twenty-one, Aurelius has had successful campaigns in war for years, but now he travels to his mother's country and asks a wise man to teach him peace.

A short story that reads much like a parable, and left me wanting a lot of more Aurelius's story than the tiny glimpse we get here. 3.5 stars.

118. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
Why now? I enjoyed the first book and was eager to read the sequel when it came out.

Arthur Parnassus and Linus Baker are raising six magical kids on an island, but despite them finding happiness together, the outside world and the government agency that oversees magical people are threatening their family and the peace they have found after trauma. Arthur goes to the mainland in good faith to testify in a hearing, only to have government officials respond by coming out to the island to investigate the home he's created. Will they take away his children? And what does it mean for the new child, David, who's a yeti and unregistered?

Where the first book was heartwarming and cozy, this one had more of a bite - there's anger and fear for a community who is marginalized. And really, I can't blame the characters or the author for that response. The stakes are higher, then, and I was on tenterhooks to see what would happen next to characters I'd come to know and care about. It was just as delightful to read about all of the kids, Arthur, and Linus, and see them really come in to their own. And in the end, I was a bit surprised by the amount of hope still infused in this story of different people carving out a place to belong. 4 stars.

It's Wednesday! I work 12-8 and generally have some time in the morning to catch up on stuff, cook or clean. I'll be leaving shortly for a walk, and if I have time afterwards I'll be making chickpea stew (it was really too much to expect I'd make it after getting home after 7 last night). My priorities at work today will be to work on press releases and make a flyer for the books my book club will be reading in 2025 now that all the votes are in. I also should look over the work my intern did on Monday, since tomorrow will be primarily taken up with interviews for one of our circulation positions.

Reading: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong

Listening: "At Folsom Prison" by Johnny Cash

Watching/Crafting: nothing to report

>36 bell7: This was a great read but not one I would revisit as I found it too intense mentally and emotionally.

>40 MickyFine: yeah, I had been reading/listening before bed, but I reached a point that was so intense I needed to just finish it and find a more soothing audiobook instead.

Hi Mary, pardon me while I jump in to post a PSA for the groups 2024 Christmas Swap. I'm trying to cast a larger net to make sure as many people know about it as possible. Not everyone follows me, or might not see the Group Announcement thread. So I'm visiting a bunch of the more active groups to post a link to the group thread.

The 2024 Christmas Swap thread is live. If you or anyone who follows you are interested head on over, all the details are there. If not, no big deal, thank you for your time. :)

https://www.librarything.com/topic/365525

>42 mahsdad: I don't mind at all, Jeff. I'll try to remember to swing by myself over the next few days.

TGIF!

I didn't check in yesterday, as I had a busy day from start to finish. We had... let me see... seven interviews for an open position at the library (out of 75 applicants), with a break in the middle for lunch, so that was most of my day. And then after work, I ran a few errands before Bible study started, and by the time I got home I was just about ready for bed.

Today at work will be primarily working with my intern, probably pretty closely as we finalize some descriptions and details in the collection description she's been doing. I still have about 20 hours left with her, so I may have to find other tasks for her to finish the time she has - I expected these descriptions to take longer than they did. But she also needs very clear, step-by-step instructions when it's a complicated task and she doesn't seem to remember what to do when I give her the same task later, so it's this weird duality of her being at once fast with things I expect to take longer and slower & needing more hand-holding with things I expected to be easier.

After work, I'm hoping to get to the gym and then get dinner (I could be ambitious and cook, but I think realistically I won't).

Reading: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong and Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi

Listening: I finished up "At Folsom Prison" by Johnny Cash last night and started "Electric Ladyland" by Jimi Hendrix

>44 bell7: I've flipped I Contain Multitudes to Mt "currently reading" pile. With RFK Jr. set to rule over the science departments, it's past time to preach real science.

Hi Mary my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

>45 richardderus: What Entangled Life does for fungi and plants, I Contain Multitudes does for microbes and animal life. I am equally fascinated with what we know and what we don't know about the world we live in. (And shudder to think what happens if RFK Jr. gets his hands on any kind of national health power.)

>46 johnsimpson: Thank you, John, it's good to see you!

>47 bell7: We're heading into trouble. I'm pretty sure we're going to need a lot of luck to get through it. Hoping to make some difference with reviewing....

>44 bell7: Sounds like your intern isn't everything you'd hoped and I'm sending wishes they improve. Are they currently in a library program for a tech diploma or MLIS? (In case diplomas aren't a thing on your side of the border, here we have library technician certification which is a two year diploma you can do with no other post-secondary training).

Wishing you a restful weekend!

>48 richardderus: It is going to be a tough couple of years, for sure, and I say that as a person not in a member of one of the marginalized communities that will feel it the most :(

>49 MickyFine: Ah, we don't have a technician certificate, just the MLIS (there used to be a four-year degree, but not for a few decades now). My intern is not actually on the archives track, just taking this one course on her way towards the master's, so that might be part of it. And she's not bad, just surprising me about when she needs more help and when she can be independent. We did finish the actual project that I had put in for, so I have no complaints there.

>50 bell7: I'm glad you finished the original designated project. That's got to be a relief to get off the to do list!

Happy weekend! Today was a busy one. I had an appointment for a haircut this morning, just a trim and style, with a much more drastic change coming in my next appointment in February. I had plans with my Little (the first one who's college-age now) to meet up at noon and some time to kill, so I stopped by my parents' and visited for awhile. My brother was helping with yard work and brought the baby, so I got to see her smiles and bounce her to sleep for a morning nap. Then I went to pick up my Little, and we went to a local college that has an art museum and chrysanthemum show and had fun checking that all out.

After I brought her back home, I went home myself, got dinner and then started taking a closer look at my bed (matches the bureau that had gotten mold) and discovered that the box spring has what looks like mold stains too. UGH. So I've made up the bed upstairs and will be temporarily using a bedroom on the second floor until I can figure out furniture for the first floor room. Very annoying! I've got the laundry going and otherwise will be relaxing for the rest of the evening.

Reading: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong and Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi (still deciding about this one, I'm having trouble getting into it but only 26 pages in)

Listening: "Electric Ladyland" by Jimi Hendrix

>51 MickyFine: Yeah, it is nice to have it done! We described a collection of 15 prints that have been made from glass plate negatives, assigned subject headings, and that kind of thing. I'll give it another look (there are a handful I think I can assume were a particular year, as the family apparently took a vacation trip to Block Island and all those photos are from 1906), and then I'll be able to send it to the BPL to add to our digital collections when they're ready to upload the photos and descriptions in the Excel spreadsheet we made.

Happy newish thread, Mary! I love that your college age nibling is still your Little. That's a relationship to treasure!

>53 bell7: Sounds like a cool project!

>54 AMQS: Hi Anne! Yeah, we started getting together not long before COVID, switched to video chats for awhile, and then went back to in person when it was allowed, so we've been "matched" for some time now!

>55 MickyFine: It is! I did a little research on the family to give myself some context. The parents were born in Ireland, came to Boston and got married there, settled in the town where I work and had their two kids there. The father worked for the local private school and did various jobs around town, but apparently they were well off enough to take this vacation, which was kinda neat to piece together. We're lucky that we have a really great photographic collection in our local history, and I've worked on enough of them that my own institutional knowledge helps a lot in describing and adding notes about who people are.

Happy Veteran's/Armistice Day!

The library was closed today, and I spent the holiday at home with a brief outing for various errands. I had someone come to give my boiler its "fall tune up" and spent much of the day cooking and baking. I now have turkey and white bean soup, fish & potatoes, and sourdough bread ready for the week. The sourdough discard crackers are finishing as I type and then I'm officially done for the day. That doesn't even touch on the other tidying up I managed to fit in here and there. Needless to say, I didn't get to the mold project AT ALL. I did, however, run out to a mattress place and, while I confirmed that I could not get moldy mattresses removed, I'll probably go back next week to buy twin mattresses for the bunk beds. Oh well! I will continue to see what I can do about the mold stuff, I have at least one other person I can call to ask for a hand.

Yesterday was church, some tidying up at home, and small group. I didn't take as much of a day off as I've been trying to on Sundays, but I think overall I had a pretty good blend of plans to-do list and rest over the long weekend.

Well, I put "knit" and "read" on my to-do list, and I'm going to get to that now, I think. It's dark out and I've worked a full day.

Reading: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
I DNF'ed both Parasol Against the Axe and The Villain's Dance. Will probably start Heir by Sabaa Tahir next, but not 'til tomorrow

Listening: On my last listen through of "Odessey & oracle" by the Zombies

Sorry about the mold!! That sounds super frustrating.

Oh no! Mold is the worst. I'm having a similar problem with moths - every time I think I've gotten rid of them all I find a new place where they're hanging out.

>57 bell7: I always put "read" on every to-do list just so I can feel accomplished :-)

>58 curioussquared: For sure! I'm most likely calling some junk removal places tomorrow morning and seeing what I can do...

>59 norabelle414: Gah, sorry about the moths, Nora. The folks I used to live with had them in their cupboards off and on for awhile, they can be tough to eradicate. I put "read" and I also will add things I've already done just to check them off, too.

Happy Tuesday! I worked 9-5 today, was going to go to the gym but decided to put it off 'til tomorrow morning instead, and spent the evening knitting and watching Schitt's Creek. Tomorrow morning I'll try calling some junk removal places and see what I can do to move the bedding situation along...

Reading: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong

Listening: "Odessey & oracle" by the Zombies

Watching: Schitt's Creek

Knitting: on the last few rows of the front of the top, and then I get to sew it all together

>61 bell7: We usually put beds in a bagster. But there's more than one of us to move our beds, and they are easily taken apart so far. We'll only be replacing one more any time soon, though. D14 took a free bed because it was big, but now she's decided it's too big!

>62 The_Hibernator: the mold made it an extra step. If I were just replacing the mattress, I could get delivery and removal, but they won't do it with mold. And I had some other random items that needed to go, too. Thankfully I found a local company that came out for a quote this morning and they'll come on Saturday to take it all.

Not sure how I managed to get 60+ posts behind, Mary, but there you go.

>57 bell7: I am starting I Contain Multitudes today. It will be interesting to compare notes on that one.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

>64 alcottacre: It happens to all of us, Stasia! I'm at least 100 posts behind on a few threads. I'll look forward to your thoughts on I Contain Multitudes. It was mentioned in the acknowledgements to Turtles All the Way Down, so a very interesting follow up as it turns out.

Happy... let me see... Wednesday, it's Wednesday. Between the holiday and not posting here every morning like I usually do, my upheaval in routine is confusing me greatly. I connected with a junk removal place this morning, and they came out for an estimate. Besides the furniture, I had a small area rug and a metal frame for a twin bed that was in the basement when I bought the house, and he'll take it all for under $500 on Saturday morning, so all in all, I'm feeling very good about the progress being made. So good that I spent the morning putting up curtain rods and generally getting stuff organized in the upstairs bedrooms.

I worked 12-8 today, steadily on some things but now I couldn't tell you what it all was. I had some volunteers come in, and the evening was fairly steady with families coming in and a few folks studying.

I finished I Contain Multitudes last night and will be attempting a review sometime in the next few days.

Reading: The Soloist by Steve Lopez for book club

Listening: "Odessey & oracle", which I'm planning on returning tomorrow

Watching: I may put on another episode or two of Schitt's Creek before heading to bed

Crafting: last few rows of the main knitting of the top I'm making for myself (next steps are sewing it all up and then knitting the neckline)

I'm still here, just busy. Will have an update and hopefully review by tomorrow at the latest 🙂

>67 bell7: weekend-ahead *smooch*

Happy organizing weekend! Glad you were able to find someone to take away your unwanted stuff.

>68 richardderus: weekend *smooch* back

>69 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! I'm pretty happy too :D

Happy Saturday, Mary. I enjoyed I Contain Multitudes. I like his easy writing style. Looks like more folks are joining us for Monte Cristo. I love it.

Happy Saturday!

It's been a busy couple of days - Thursdays have been work then Bible study, and we have one more meeting (the first week in December) before we take break. Yesterday was work 9-5, first with my intern and then some intensive work getting the new library events calendar up and running. Then our veterans' services agent had a going-away party, as he starts a new job for the state, and as I've discussed various history-related projects with him, I wanted to make an appearance. I ended up staying through the last group talking with various people from town, and finally got home about 8:30 when all I wanted to do was relax a bit before falling into bed.

So, here's the weekend! Today, I'm getting junk pickup sometime this morning, and I need to cook a couple of meals and make a chocolate cream pie (not from scratch - I am buying instant pudding mix and a pie crust from the grocery store today to assemble it). This afternoon, I'll head over to my brother and SIL's for the Bruins game and celebrating his birthday. I anticipate being home after dark and not wanting to do much else when I return. And tomorrow after church, I'm picking up my Little (the teen as opposed to the one in college) and we're going to a local shopping area for a couple hours in the afternoon. And then my Sunday night small group is meeting for a Thanksgiving dinner together, so I will bring the chocolate cream pie.

And that will be my very busy weekend - but as it's filled with family and socializing, I feel pretty good with that level of busyness. Things will be pretty steadily busy over the next few weeks, but I took some days off in December to get a chance to take a breath (and finish my Christmas shopping).

Reading: The Soloist by Steve Lopez and The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle Club by Helen Simonson

Listening: "Astral Weeks" by Van Morrison

>71 msf59: Glad to see you're a fan of I Contain Multitudes, Mark. His newest book, An Immense World, is on my TBR list too. I'll definitely be looking forward to our group read of The Count of Monte Cristo. I know we said January, but did we set a start time? I'm thinking I'll try to go right on January 1.

>72 bell7: It is, after all, The Holidays in just over two weeks... we'll be lucky to see you more than once a week until 2025.

*smooch*

Since I want to get cooking, I'm not reviewing I Contain Multitudes just yet, but I did want to catch up on some brief comments about what I've been listening to:

"Music from Big Pink" by the Band - hmmm, a couple of weeks after listening to this, it doesn't really stand out to me. It had a lot of a country sound and the twang is not my favorite genre. I read Brett Schewitz's review to learn that this was "the Band" that worked with Bob Dylan and this was their debut album of songs they'd been writing. #100 on the Rolling Stones (2023) top 500 albums list.

"At Folsom Prison" by Johnny Cash - as my introduction to Johnny Cash's albums (I've heard a few individual songs), this was probably a bit of an anomaly? It's a live album and at first I was less than impressed by the lyrics of the songs that seemed to be all about breaking the law or being in prison... and then I learned that it was indeed performed for a couple thousand inmates at the prison, which made a lot more sense. I like Cash's voice, and the duets with June Carter (not yet Cash) were pretty enough. The only song I added to my playlist was the last one, "Greystone Chapel", which was actually written by one of the inmates. Brett Schewitz's comments give a lot more of the background. #164 on the Rolling Stones list.

"Electric Ladyland" by the Jimi Henrix Experience - I think I've come to realize that overall Jimi Hendrix just isn't my cup of tea, as it tends more towards the electric/psychedelic. However, listening to the guitar solo on "Come on (Let the Good Times Roll)" was worth listening through the whole thing. More from Brett Schewitz. #53 on the list.

"Odessey & oracle" by the Zombies - Meh. Listened through three times (what I normally aim for before opining), so I didn't hate it, but I also wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again. I recognized "Time of the Season" as a song I'd heard before. Oh, and upon reading Brett Schewitz's review, I realized I must have heard "This Will Be Our Year" because it's in the Schitt's Creek finale (I'll have to pay attention, as I've been rewatching the show lately). #243 on the list.

I'm currently listening through "Astral Weeks" and while I can't pinpoint any favorites just yet, it seems to really hit the points of what I enjoy listening to in the overall sound.

>74 richardderus: You've hit the nail on the head, I'm afraid!

Well, both yesterday and today's plans had their moments of pivoting. Yesterday I didn't have the lemons I needed for both the dishes I wanted to make, so I ended up spending much of the morning cleaning and doing other projects instead. The junk removal folks came out in the late morning and took everything away - and I do think I made a good decision there, as when the pieces of the bed were coming out of my room and they were walking behind me while I washed dishes, I could smell the mustiness wafting from the wood.

The afternoon was spent at my brother and SIL's watching the Bruins, celebrating his birthday, eating the delicious meal my SIL made, and of course doting on the baby. She can pull herself up to standing and is very well balanced but hasn't quite taken a step yet (we're wondering if she'll be walking by Christmas). She was hilarious, playing with my parents and very excited to pet the cats (with help).

Today I was going to hang out with my Little, but we had a miscommunication about the date so it's been postponed for a couple of weeks. I went to church, came back home to cook lunch and do a few chores around the house, and I went out to buy the mattresses for the bunks and my new bed. They're doing a promotional deal where if I buy an expensive enough mattress, the base is free. The plan is to have it delivered Tuesday, though I'll check with my boss tomorrow and make sure that will work okay. And finally, I went to small group where we enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal and hanging out. I'm still getting to know folks there, as where I've been sitting is a bunch of people from my old church, so joining this particular group (led by the pastor and actually a bit on the large side) has been a stretch, but in a good way.

And now I'm home. Tomorrow I'm going to work, having a massage, meeting a friend for a walk, and going to yoga. I'll just leave the general caveat here that I'll be checking in sporadically through the end of the year :D

Reading: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

Listening: I finished "Astral Weeks" and have listened through "The White Album" once through

Watching: I haven't put it on in a bit, but I've been rewatching Schitt's Creek and am at the beginning of Season 2

Crafting: I finished the knitting and sewing together of the top for myself. The directions didn't say to block it, but I thought it would look better if I did, so it's currently being blocked. Then I just have to weave in the ends and it will be finished! I'll probably start on socks for my nephew next, as he's been asking me for a pair.

119. I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
Why now? It was a shared read for TIOLI, and serendipitously was mentioned in the acknowledgements of a book I'd just finished, Turtles All the Way Down, so I decided it would be my next e-book/audio combo

We tend to think about microbes and bacteria about the things that make us sick. But really, all of us have symbiotic relationships with bacteria, whether it be on our skin, or in our mouths. And we're not the only ones - all sorts of animals need bacteria to experience life as we know it. Yong dives into the fascinating, cutting-edge (at least, when this book was published in 2016) science of what we know, and are still wondering, about the microscopic world all around, and in, us.

This was a readable, detailed, and fascinating account. I really enjoyed learning about the wide range of things that bacteria do, whether it's helping animals digest food in various ways or training our immune systems to reject other, more harmful bacteria. Yong does a good job of showing symbiosis and the simple truth that bacteria isn't "good" or "bad", it's just surviving and replicating like any other organism. Sometimes that's in ways that is useful for animals, sometimes that's in harmful ways, and sometimes it's something more complicated. And there's a lot we don't know, or are just beginning to find out. I only had two small quibbles. One, he sometimes starts out telling you a fact, and then proceeds to either backtrack or bring up evidence to the contrary, which is fair when you're just at the beginning of testing something and experiments don't agree, but made for a confusing reading experience. Two, there are just so many facts that at the end my head was spinning and I don't think I retained much at all. That aside, I enjoyed the read immensely and appreciated the thorough footnotes. 4 stars.

120. The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez
Why now? This month's book club choice

In the early 2000s, Steve Lopez was a columnist for the L.A. Times walking the city looking for inspiration for his columns. One day, he meets a street musician who has obvious talent but is living on Skid Row and playing a violin with two strings. Intrigued, he starts talking to the man and meets Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a former Juilliard student who dropped out and eventually became homeless due to his struggles with schizophrenia. Lopez wrote the column, but also became friends with Nathaniel and invested in getting him good care and a home.

I didn't really have plans to read this book until my book club voted it as one of our 2024 reads. And because it was for book club, it was hard not to compare it to two books we've also read for book club, Rough Sleepers and Hidden Valley Road, the former about homeless people in Boston and the latter about a family in which half of the twelve kids were eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. But Lopez's book is different, more a personal story about how he became friends with Nathaniel Ayers and started learning about mental health and homelessness, and less about the systemic causes of homelessness or a diagnostic of Ayers' particular malady. I kind of found Lopez himself annoying at times, as he's impatient about getting Ayers connected to services or into a home when it's clear that Ayers isn't ready yet. He does learn and grow as the story goes on, but I almost wanted to sit down and lecture him instead of relating. The book follows about two years of their friendship, really shows how music was a constant in Ayers' life, and ends on a positive note. 3.5 stars.

It'll be interesting to see what my book club makes of this one. I have a feeling one person in particular will agree with some of my criticisms and that the others will find it inspiring, but we'll see what happens Wednesday.

A new week begins! Today will be a busy one. I'm working 9-2, and much of that will be working with my intern, who has about 20 hours left of her original 60, if I counted right. I have her researching people's names, which will probably take the rest of this week, at least. Then we'll take the info she's collected and add some of it to the "notes" field of a spreadsheet describing a collection of photos of gravestones (we're researching the people whose gravestones they are and adding some biographical or genealogical info to that field). Oh, and while I'm at work, I need to remember to talk to my boss because I'm currently planning on having the mattresses delivered tomorrow, but won't know my two-hour window 'til tonight.

I have my quarterly massage appointment after work today. I haven't noticed any particular areas of tightness this time around, but it's always a nice reset (and there's usually a place I *hadn't* noticed that needs it). After that, I'm meeting up with a friend for a walk 'til it's dark, and I'm finishing off the day with a yoga class. I'm going to bring my grocery list, but whether I stop or not will be a last-minute decision based on how tired I am. Either way, I'll need to have something for dinner, so I'm leaning towards shopping so I can buy a frozen pizza to pop in the oven when I arrive home (roughly 7-7:30).

A couple of my holds were ready for me at the library over the weekend, and the CD I have waiting for me is "First Take" by Roberta Flack - looking forward to that one!

Reading: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson and The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

Listening: radio on the way to work, Roberta Flack the rest of the day; I'm going to listen to the White Album at least once more through, but because it's a 2-disc set, I wanted to experience it that way and it's easier to do that at home rather than in the car.

Watching: I think I'll try to catch some of the Monday Night Football game tonight if I can stream it

Crafting: since my top is nearly finished (and currently soaking wet while it blocks), I'll probably start on my nephew's socks today

"First Take" by Roberta Flack

That is one of my all time favorite albums if I haven't said so already! I look forward to your, um, take on it.

>78 bell7: I have only made it a little over 100 pages into that one, but what I have read to this point I have enjoyed. I find the whole topic fascinating. I am glad to hear that it was a good read for you, Mary.

>79 bell7: Dodging that BB as I have already read it.

>80 bell7: I enjoyed Hazelbourne when I read it earlier this year, although I did have some reservations about it. I will curious to see what you make of it, Mary.

Have a marvelous Monday!

>80 bell7: I'll hope against hope your deliveries occur on time and hitch-free.

>81 kidzdoc: She has a beautiful voice, Darryl, and yes, part of the reason I was looking forward to it was your recommendation. So far (I was driving a lot, so I've listened to it once through and started a second), my favorites are "Compared to what", "The first time ever I saw your face" and "Tryin' Times". I'll listen through a total of 3 times before I make a final decision, but "The first time..." is definitely going on my playlist.

>82 alcottacre: I'll look forward to your thoughts on I Contain Multitudes, Stasia. Hazelbourne has been fine, but I'm in chapter 3 and it's still getting going... also a little slow, as she describes everything rather thoroughly. I have one of those brains that has a very fuzzy idea of what my read "looks" like, so it's largely lost on me, though I'm sure for other readers it would be immersive.

>83 richardderus: Richard, thank you for the good wishes! I got the 9-11 time slot, and I checked with my boss and my co-workers about moving things around, so I should be in good shape for them to arrive tomorrow.

Listening report:

"Astral Weeks" by Van Morrison - I think I called this my introduction to Van Morrison, and it certainly was the first album I'd listened to but, um, I did not realize that this was the same artist as "Brown-eyed Girl." This album... if very unlike that. There's a dreamlike quality to the songs and they slip from one to another in a way that made it hard for me to tell apart. I liked the overall sound - his voice, the music, which sometimes incorporated strings or horns. The one song I added to the playlist in the end was the title track "Astral Weeks." Brett Schewitz's review. #60 on the Rolling Stones 500 albums (2023) list.

>79 bell7: The plot of The Soloist sounded familiar, but I realise I'd only come across the film.

As always, I look forward to hearing what your bookgroup makes of it (but I think I will pass, as your comments sound like things I would find frustrating).

How long is your playlist now? I wondered if I should trim mine, as I seem not to hear some of the earlier ones I added (although this may just be a platform issue!)

>86 charl08: I'll try my best to remember to do a book group report. I find that I am more critical than several of the others. The more I read, the more specific I seem in get in a really "great" book.

The main playlist is up to 33 hours. And then I keep separate ones for "instrumental" and Christmas music and a few other things. But I like keeping a weird mix of everything on one hahaha. Every now and then, I'll come across one that I wonder why I put it on and take it off again. But I have free Spotify so it plays them at random and I have no control over it.

Good morning, all! The mattresses are getting delivered and set up as I type. I spent a little time this morning tidying up, which included taking care of mouse traps (I caught 3 in 2 nights), and putting up new ones.

I'm going to make my new bed, head out to work, then to go the gym from there. I didn't do a full grocery shopping last night, so I'll stop after I do my gym run. I have leftover frozen pizza that I picked up on the way back from yoga last night for dinner.

Reading: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson and The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

Listening: "The White Album" by the Beatles and "First Take" by Roberta Flack

Watching: nothing lately, I may go back to Schitt's Creek tonight or some Doctor Who

Crafting: while the top is blocking, I've started on a pair of socks for my nephew

Listening report:

"The White Album" by the Beatles - I’m pretty sure my dad almost exclusively listened to the first tape/CD when I was growing up (though he did sing "Birthday" to us frequently). I’m with him, I liked the first one better overall. So many classic songs - “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Dear Prudence,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Rocky Raccoon” and more are part of my childhood soundtrack. There’s a videorecording of me somewhere all of 3 years old singing “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” word for word, and adding a pause to the line “life goes on… bra” as if I wasn’t sure I could say the word. And I named one of my stuffed animals “Rocky Raccoon” (it is, in fact, a raccoon) after the song. So this one probably had the most nostalgia for me, though I still think “Revolver” is more to my taste as a complete album. I'll add quite a few to my playlist, however - “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Blackbird” (this might be there already? I love this song, I sing it as a lullaby to my niblings), “I Will”, and “Julia”. The last one was one I was unfamiliar with, but liked a lot. Oh, and "Yer Blues" has a reference to a Bob Dylan song, so that was fun to look for now that I know that. Brett Schewitz's review calls it a collection of solo songs, which is fair, I think. #29 on the list.

>89 bell7: Isn’t it cool when music brings on such welcome memories?! I’m going to have to listen to the White Album soon. Thanks for the impetus!

Karen O

Happy Wednesday, Mary. I enjoy following your musical journey. I don't think Astral Weeks is the right introduction to Van Morrison. That would probably be Moondance & Tupelo Honey. But you are doing this by year, right? Hooray for The White Album! One of the musical greats.

>90 klobrien2: It is, I think music is at least as much about our memories as it is a particular style. I hope you enjoy a listen through, Karen.

>91 msf59: Happy Wednesday, Mark! No, I did get the sense that Astral Weeks wasn't his typical fare from the review I read afterwards (that's one of the reasons I've been reading through those, giving me a sense of the album and maybe some historical or production notes that add context). And yeah, I'm doing it year by year through the 2023 iteration of the Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums List. The chronology useful because I get a sense of what kind of music is coming out all at the same time (the variety of 1968-69 has been impressive), but it does sometimes mean I'm listening to an album that is atypical of an artist/band or otherwise not a great introduction to their sound. The nature of the list, I think, means some of the "greatest" albums aren't the easiest listening but were very influential for their time. "The White Album" was definitely a fun listen.

Good Wednesday morning! The first night sleeping on my new mattress was a smashing success, I had the best sleep I've had in awhile and am going to be very spoiled, I think, by the thick memory foam and adjustable base. Now I just need a dresser - and between friends telling me they'd look on Buy Nothing and a quick glance at sales on Wayfair, I think I'll be in good shape very soon.

The morning plan is to cook, make a couple of phone calls, and (if I have time) work on some house projects continuing to set up the upstairs rooms. Work is 12-8, and the bulk of the time will probably be Event Calendar things (we got a new one, and it's a learning curve for all of us) and my book club this evening.

Reading: The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander and The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

Listening: "First Take" by Roberta Flack - I have a couple more albums out from the library (Abbey Road, The Stooges' self titled album) that will probably take me about a week to go through, and then it will be All Christmas Music All the Time through the month of December.

Watching: nothing last night, we'll see how I feel tomorrow

Crafting: socks for my nephew

Yay for new-mattress sleep!

*smooch*

Hooray for a new mattress! Good luck finding a dresser soon.

>94 richardderus: indeed! *Smooch*

>95 curioussquared: so, funny story. A friend of mine was looking on a local Buy Nothing group and found one, so the morning project turned into getting it and setting it up 😂 thank goodness for the gym this year helping me be strong enough to lift my half.

>84 bell7: One of my reservations about the book was the slow start, Mary. I think it does improve but YMMV.

>93 bell7: Hooray for a good night's sleep on your new mattress!

>97 alcottacre: To be honest, at already a quarter of the way in, I'm pretty "meh" about it, but I had requested the e-ARC some time ago and feel more obligated than I otherwise would to keep going so that I can write a review. But my review might end up being "couldn't finish it, found it boring" if it doesn't pick up soon.

Happy Thursday! I worked a short day today and took a few hours' personal time so my brothers and I could go to a Bruins game. I haven't been paying much attention so far this year (no TV/cable), but apparently they are bad enough that they just fired their coach. So... wish us luck, I guess? Either way, should be a good time with family, and I'm grateful for siblings that want to do fun things with me.

Tomorrow the plan is a regular 9-5 followed by the gym, though I will probably be tired enough tomorrow morning that I doubt I'll check in.

Reading: The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander (almost finished) and The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

Listening: "Abbey Road" by the Beatles

Watching/Crafting: nothing new to report

Thursday *smoochings*

*smooch* back

Happy Saturday! My weekend was going to be very busy, my plans changed, and I'm still going to be very busy.

My sister A. and her family are coming up for Thanksgiving, and since my mom's allergic, the dog and either my sister or her husband will stay overnight with me to take care of the dog. The kids will probably have a sleepover of a night each as well. So this morning, I'm doing various chores, some of which must be done before they get here (like laundry for clean sheets) and some of which would be nice to be done before they get here (like assembling a shelf for the upstairs bathroom). They'll be here Wednesday afternoon to Saturday morning, a couple of them sleeping here, but most of the daytime will, I believe, be spent at my parents' place, where we're having the big meal and watching football. Thus, a morning filled with chores.

This afternoon, I told a friend I'd meet up with her at a local seasonal craft fair. And I'd like to make a pie and get started baking bread. The pie will just be instant banana cream pudding in a store-bought graham cracker crust, so nothing to onerous.

Tomorrow, I have church and a Thanksgiving service (that the pie is for) in the evening. In between, I'll fuss about my fantasy football team and perhaps catch up on some of the chores that I didn't get to today (the Giants aren't on TV, so if I follow it at all it will be via radio). But I'll try very hard to keep that to a minimum and get some good rest and relaxation in.

Reading: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

Listening: "Abbey Road" by the Beatles (should finish this today and move on to The Stooges' self-titled album)

Watching: A few episodes of Schitt's Creek last night

Crafting: knit socks for my nephew

I've developed an expanded appreciation for the work of librarians. Why...like you, Mary. After building a new bookcase, I discovered that LT has the ability to apply call numbers (for either the decimal or the Library of Congress systems) to books you have cataloged. So here I am, trying to organize my books in the Melvil Decimal System. What a job! The current task: cataloging a tranche of oversized books I didn't catalog back in 2015 (when I signed onto LT). Few of them have bar codes.

Fun.

>103 weird_O: And do you know, even librarians consider catalogers (that is, true making-the-subject-headings, cataloging from scratch not just finding the right record and "copy cataloging") their own breed? I hope you're enjoying the organizational experience, Bill :)

>104 bell7: Miracle workers...anyone who can look at a MARC record or an LCCN and not simply wither away to dust is superhuman.

Oops, I see I forgot to write up a few things.

First up, "First Take" by Roberta Flack was really enjoyable. She has a lovely voice and I liked the music. I added "Compared to what", "The first time ever I saw your face" and "Tryin' Times" to the playlist (my first impression stuck). Brett Schewitz's review. #451 on the list - I'm rather surprised it wasn't higher.

"Abbey Road" by the Beatles - I have heard many of the songs, though again I'm most familiar with my dad's favorites. The only one I really hate is "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". I skipped it every time and it was still stuck in my head today... I guess I like the Harrison songs on here the best. "Something," "Here Comes the Sun" and "The End" go on the playlist. "Come Together" is an excellent song, but I've heard it so much, I don't feel the need to add it. There are "Paul is dead" hints on this one (and the White Album), and it's also where the band is really starting to fall out. Brett Schewitz's review shows he liked it a lot and includes some good details about the songs and production. #5 on the Rolling Stones list. I still have "Let it Be" to go, but at the moment my favorite Beatles album is "Revolver."

>105 richardderus: Indeed! I figure I'm doing well if I figure out the 100 and 250 fields, and then I leave the rest to the real professionals.

Wednesday's book group there were four of us altogether. We had a really good discussion, though. There was a lot to talk about in their friendship, about the power of music, and especially mental health and the challenges of addressing homelessness in a meaningful way. I also announced next year's book discussion choices, which of course I left at work and have forgotten some, so I won't list them here just yet. But we're reading a lot of nonfiction and a book of poetry this year, which will be a new and different experience for us.

121. The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
Why now? I've been in a weird reading mood and not picking up my normal fare, so I decided it was time to read a novel in verse that's on my TBR list - it also fit the TIOLI challenge to read a book with a negative in the title

Kofi Offin grows up in Ghana in 1860, with his parents and older brother. He goes to school where the teacher wants them to speak English instead of Twi, deals with a bullying cousin, and likes a girl named Ama. He loves to swim in the river Offin, which he is named after, but his parents always tell him to stay away from there at night.

This novel-in-verse from Kofi's point of view is excellent historical fiction. The slave trade, of course, is the Door of No Return but there's so much to Kofi's story prior to this, which is part of the brilliance of what Alexander is doing here. He's a normal 11-year-old boy dealing with challenges, and then the unthinkable happens. As you can expect when it delves into Kofi and the others captured as slaves, there is violence and references to rape that are so vague that younger children won't pick up on it. Surprisingly, it ended on a rather positive note, and left the reader with a lot to ponder. 4 stars.

>109 bell7: novel in verse
*shriek*

>110 richardderus: Yeah, and as you know, novel in verse is more of an occasional thing for me. I've been in a weird reading mood the last few weeks, so figured poetry and nonfiction might fit the bill at the moment. *shrug*

Happy Sunday! I had nursery at church today, which went well. We had nine kids altogether. One really didn't like getting dropped off, and her mom ended up staying. But the rest did good, and those I didn't already know (several of my friends with kids switched churches near when I did) are getting to know me now, which is gratifying. My big plan today was to assemble a shelf in the bathroom. I expected it to take a very long time, and I'm already finished. So now I have a few hours to rest, perhaps read and knit, before heading back out for the Thanksgiving service at church tonight. I'm bringing banana cream pie.

Reading: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

Listening: Finished "The Stooges" by the Stooges today, and now listening to my Christmas playlist on Spotify. I picked up a Christmas album by Etta James at a used bookstore earlier this year, and I'm planning on putting that on the car next. This time of year is my All Christmas Music All the Time mode, after which I'll go back to the Rolling Stones project

Watching: a couple of episodes of Schitt's Creek last night

Crafting: I finished weaving in the ends and tried on the top I've been working on. I probably should've gone with the directions for small instead of medium, as the wide neck goes off my shoulders. Oh well *shrug* maybe it'll be a gift for someone instead. Socks for my nephew now (and at least if I make them a little too big, he'll grow into them!).

>111 bell7: Didn't we both read one by someone Blatine at one point? Acevedo or Atta or some other "A" name? I remember liking it okay.

Week-ahead's orisons, dear lady.

>113 richardderus: oh, I love Elizabeth Acevedo! The Poet X, by chance? That's my favorite of hers, though her others (one prose and one another novel in verse) are very good.

>104 bell7: Catalogers are a different breed. I can create records for my library from existing copies in the district but from scratch?? No. Even if I were allowed:)

>110 richardderus:, >111 bell7: I LOVE novels in verse, especially for middle grade.

>104 bell7: >105 richardderus: Ha! I always wanted to be a cataloger, and was convinced by my cataloging class in library school that I thought like a cataloger. However, my first professional librarian job was Acquisitions (with some cataloging) and I eventually wound up working in computers and the systems side of things, so I never did much cataloging. I think of cataloging as fun!

>115 AMQS: yeah, I like to leave the real cataloging to the experts!

For whatever reason, poetry form seems to do something in my head where it's instantly less comprehensible. So while I have enjoyed novels in verse, it takes a particular mood for me to tackle them.

>116 atozgrl: my intro to cataloging class was enough to convince me that I am *not* a cataloger hahaha. I like shelving/organizing and don't mind the technology but, but when it really comes down to it, I want to talk to patrons about books. That is the best part of my job and doesn't happen near enough with everything else going on!

Happy Monday! I'm working 9-2, running errands, meeting a friend for a walk and going to yoga. I meant to relax yesterday, but I ended up doing a lot of cleaning and organizing with the extra motivation of my sister coming to visit. I'm not so much cleaning *for* her as I'm finding it a good reason to do a bunch of tasks I wanted to do but have been putting off for various reasons. I have a little more to do, but I'm in really good shape overall.

>109 bell7: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation.

I hope you have a marvelous Monday, Mary!

Hi, Mary. I hope your week is off to a good start.

>109 bell7:. How interesting. I may have to read that Kwame Alexander novel in verse. He has captured my attention. His anthology of contemporary back poet poems, This is the Honey, is the best poetry anthology I’ve ever read. Crossover was really good, too. Hmm.

How are you liking Hazelbourne Ladies? I enjoyed it, as I always do with Helen Simonson. The key for me with her is not to compare subsequent ones to the incomparable Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. Not every book of hers is goingbto knock me on my keister, but so what.

I’m currently enjoying the heck out of Murakami’s new one, The City and Its Uncertain Walls.

>104 bell7: My dealings will the work of catalogers are limited to puzzling about why a book is assigned to any particular class/category. For example, Ken Follet's On Wings of Eagles (a fiction) is placed in the History and Geography category. Well fine. It's organized and I can find the book when I want it. That's happiness.

>117 bell7: Yeah, we're all different, and need all of that in libraries. Of course, I was probably the more stereotypical introverted librarian, so I liked being behind the scenes. And I worked in a research library rather than a public library, so there wasn't so much talking about books with patrons. I'm sorry you don't have more opportunity to do that, but I know how libraries work, so I suppose that's inevitable. The public has no idea how much work goes on that they don't see.

>121 weird_O: I'm not familiar with that particular Follet work, but the summary on LT's work page says it's nonfiction, which is why it would have been classified with the history books. I've run into some interesting discussions about what people consider fiction/nonfiction on LT, and I'm surprised to see that there's so much difference of opinion.

>119 alcottacre: It's well worth reading, Stasia, and I hope you enjoy it!

>120 jnwelch: I liked The Crossover, Joe, but have yet to try This Is the Honey. I also really liked his picture book, The Undefeated, which was a Caldecott winner and a Newbery Honor. Alexander is a really talented writer, and I'm sure I'll read others by him.

I'm starting to get more invested in The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club. The more I read, the more I find myself picky about writing style, and this one doesn't quite fit what I look for. And you're right, we can't expect all of her books to be another Major Pettigrew. I really loved that one!

>121 weird_O: I'm not super familiar with On Wings of Eagles and I had to look it up, but it appears that this particular title is nonfiction, a bit of a departure for Mr. Follett. But yes, organized and able to find the book when you want it is exactly the right place to be.

>122 atozgrl: I'm also a pretty introverted librarian, but the library is now one of my places (I've been working at the same place for 25 years) and I can take that feeling of knowing the place to interactions with people I don't know with unexpected questions. The public has no idea how much work goes on that they don't see. Yes, that hits the nail on the head. We still have people coming in and telling us how they'd love to work somewhere quiet where they could just read all day - if only! I do enjoy both the public-facing and behind-the-scenes aspects of my job. I do sometimes think the amount of time I end up organizing the volunteers (it's grown to over 30 people coming in a week) and answering staff questions is more than I would like, but that's also the nature of the job and there always being more to do than we have time for, no?

>114 bell7: Some dim bell tolls "Fire" but nothing else bubbles up in the cauldron.

Tuesday orisons!

>124 richardderus: With the fire on high, I bet. That was the prose one, also very good.

Tuesday *smooch*

>125 bell7: I suspect I'm thinking of the X one, though I remember reading the fire one and liking it fine.

*smooch*

>123 bell7: Like Richard, I am not a big fan of poetry, but I have read Elizabeth Acevedo's books, so I am thinking that I might like this one too.

Have a terrific Tuesday, Mary!

>126 richardderus: There's also Clap When You Land and Family Lore (her adult one, that I didn't like quiet as much as the others). If you entered it into your LT library, it's not X, I don't think, as it doesn't show up that we share that one. In any case, I'm glad she's an author we overlap on. *smooch*

>127 alcottacre: I suspect you'd enjoy Kwame Alexander, Stasia. The Crossover put him on my radar when I read it for my Newbery Award/Honor reading goals.

Hi Mary. I'm stopping by to wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Hope everyone had a great Tuesday!

I overslept a little last night. Long story short, I seem to have developed an allergy to shellfish very recently, and after having some shrimp scampi last night, I took an antihistamine right before I went to bed. I woke up foggy, and the rainy weather didn't help any. So I had to kinda rush getting ready for work. I worked 9-5, decided to skip the gym, and came home to cook salmon for dinner. So far so good with just regular fish. (But I am very sad about the shellfish, I LOVE shrimp and lobster...)

Now I'm off to do the rest of the last-minute prep for my sister and her family's arrival. I have a couple of beds to make upstairs in the newly-furnished bedrooms (last Amazon order for a few items should be arriving tomorrow). I've also been trying to catch mice, and unfortunately I've been most successful in the room I am sleeping in while they're here. Ugh... But at least I have been catching them.

Reading: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson, and I think I'm going to start Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair tonight too

Listening: the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi in the car and my Christmas playlist on Spotify

Watching: I may put on some Schitt's Creek tonight

Crafting: socks for the nephew

>129 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda! A very happy Thanksgiving to you as well.

>123 bell7: Yes, it's quiet and there's nothing to do... I hear that a lot. And I always think how lucky I am that my classes plan themselves, my assignments grade themselves, my collection manages itself, new digital technologies magically install themselves in my brain when I am sleeping... People have no idea.

Happy Thanksgiving!

>132 AMQS: My hat doffs to you, Anne, and other school librarians who not only have to have the librarian degree but a teaching degree to boot and, while essential, are among the first services to be cut. Do you know the well-off town where I work has no school librarians (only volunteers, if they have a library at all) until high school? And yet if you asked, most of the town is hugely proud of their education system.

Happy (early) Thanksgiving, everyone! I'm working 8:30-4:30 today. The trustees wanted to do us a "favor" by closing at the same time as Town Hall today, which is the time Town Hall always closes but means we all have to show up a half hour early to get our full pay... but I really can't complain, as my sister's family is driving up today and I'll be out that much earlier to spend time with them.

Thus the early Thanksgiving wishes - with family here, I'm not sure how often I'll get on over the next few days. And if you're visiting this thread, please know that I count you among those I am thankful for, my fellow book enablers and support system, good friends in an ever-increasingly divided world.

Reading: I finished The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club early this morning, so I'm on the hunt for my next book(s)

Listening: Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack in the car, Christmas playlist on Spotify in the house

Watching/Crafting: I never did pick it up last night.

The beds are all made with fresh sheets, I've had my coffee & breakfast and dressed for work, so now I'll check mouse traps and do all the last-minute stuff before my sister's arrival and then head outside to scrape my car and go to work. Happy Thanksgiving and happy weekend if I don't see you before then!

Hope you have a good day at work. Have a fun visit with your sister.

>130 bell7: So sorry about the shellfish allergy! That seems to be one that frequently pops up later in life...but I also know people who have become un-allergic to shellfish after a few years so your shrimp scampi days are not necessarily over for good.

Acquiring a sensitivity to something you like stinks! I'm pretty sure it happens more often than we think.

Happy Turkey Day, Mary. xo

>123 bell7: I'm glad to hear that you enjoy both the public and the background work that you do. 30 is certainly a lot of volunteers to manage! And yes, there is certainly always more to do than there is time for. I am glad to be retired.

I'm sorry you have developed a shellfish allergy. I love shrimp too and would hate to have to give that up.

Enjoy your time with your family. Happy Thanksgiving!

I am sorry about the sudden shellfish allergy - somehow I missed it further up. I have heard of people developing allergies later in life. It's scary, and sad to think of giving up something you love.

>130 bell7: Ack, a shellfish allergy is the opposite of something to be thankful for. And if it wasn't the shellfish in the scampi it would be worse - those are pretty basic ingredients.

Dang. I checked to see if you could get shots for shellfish allergy but, alas, none exist. I'm sorry, Mary.

>130 bell7: The shellfish that I cannot eat are mussels (Hani says that is why I don't have any muscles) and cockles (she has made no comments about the latter thankfully!!).

Shellfish allergies besides we have still plenty to be thankful of, Mary, and for me coming across this special group by accident in 2011 is something I am particularly grateful for.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving holiday, my friend.

>135 figsfromthistle: Thanks much, Anita!

>136 norabelle414: Ooh, that's somewhat encouraging, Nora. I will most likely be following up with my doctor at my next annual, just to get the connection to the allergist and potentially see if there's any related allergies I should be watching out for.

>137 richardderus: It does indeed (on both counts). Hope your Thanksgiving was a good one, Richard.

>138 atozgrl: I am fortunate in having a job I generally enjoy, for sure, Irene. And yeah, I'm sad to give up shrimp. Fortunately, my sister and her husband were able to polish off my leftovers when they were visiting, so it didn't go to waste.

>139 AMQS: Yeah, it kinda stinks, but it could be a lot worse. I guess shellfish is a fairly common late-in-life acquisition, and more common in women.

>140 quondame: Indeed, Susan, it was the most likely possibility and turned out to be fairly easy to pin down with a retry a few days after my first reaction. I will follow up with my doctor, however. My mom has a plethora of allergies, shellfish included, that increase my chances of developing some (while fortunately some of it is very unlikely for me to develop, as she has mast cell disorder).

>141 kidzdoc: Aw, thanks for checking on that, Darryl! It's disappointing, for sure, but fortunately there's a lot of other delicious things I am not allergic to. I had salmon recently, so general fish is still good. I might try some seafood, but crustaceans are out for now.

>142 PaulCranswick: I think because I reacted to shrimp (crustacean side of seafood allergy) that I *may* be okay with mussels, Paul, though that's yet to be determined. Sorry about your allergy, too. (I sure hope it's not all seafood, as I find clams most delicious too...) And thank you for the Thanksgiving wishes! I'm very thankful for LT and the 75ers as well.

Shout if I missed you!

Happy Saturday! With the Thanksgiving holiday and my taking yesterday off, I feel like the weekend is already here/over and today feels like a bonus day. We had a great couple of days getting family together. My whole immediate family was able to get together for Thanksgiving, and several of us got back together yesterday to visit. The niblings were a bunch of fun. Ramona seemed to enjoy all the activity, and was delighted with a toy that Mia and Matthew had picked out for her.

I hosted the dog for my sister. She and her husband checked on her every few hours, and one of them stayed over each night to take her out. Angela is a very old beagle whose coat has gone completely white and is not exactly incontinent, but can't go very long without being let out. Anyway, each night I hosted some of the family. The first night was my sister and my niece, the next night was my brother-in-law and nephew, and last night everyone stayed with me. I gave up my room so they wouldn't have to carry the dog upstairs, and let my niece and nephew each take a turn in the trundle bed and a sleepover with me. And then last night, they had a sleepover in the bunk beds. So there's not a long to-list today, but laundry is definitely on it. The upstairs is pretty much put to rights, my second load of laundry is in, and I'm starting to get the Christmas decorations out.

Other than that, my parents may come over for a visit, but it's a pretty low key day of knitting and tidying and relaxing.

Reading: Koshersoul by Michael Twitty

Listening: "Christmas" by Mannheim Steamroller - which may be on repeat in the car for awhile yet, as I discovered this morning that I have no idea where the binder with the rest of my CDs went. Maybe back to Maryland with my sister?

Watching: last night we put on "Frosty the Snowman" and the OG "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

Crafting: socks for my nephew - I turned the heel for the first sock this morning and I'm working on the gusset/foot now. I had my niece pick out what I'm making for her next, and she chose a little rabbit made out of an off-white yarn.

>144 bell7: You're welcome, Mary. It is certainly some consolation that you can still eat fish!

>147 kidzdoc: Yes! So far the only reaction has been to shrimp, but I'm going to avoid crustaceans in general until I can get an allergy test. My mom has both a mast cell disorder and oral allergy syndrome, so she reacts very strongly to a lot of things. I have never had that bad of a reaction, but instant hives on my face was enough to decide to take it easy for a bit and try not to develop any related allergies in the meantime.

122. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
Why now? A bit of an attempt to read some of the books I've requested as ARCs over the years. I loved Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and have read Simonson's subsequent books hoping for another hit.

Constance is spending the summer at a hotel in Hazelbourne-by-sea as the helper of Mrs. Fog, the mother of the rich woman who was schoolgirl friends with Constance's mother. It's just after World War 1, the influenza has been impacting their society, and Constance meets Poppy, a unconventional young woman of means who rides motorcycles in trousers and makes a club for her friends. Poppy's brother, Harris, is back from the war and dealing with depression and an amputated leg. He, too, finds that the world has certain expectations of him, and for quite separate reasons both he and Constance are having trouble finding employment.

The book took awhile to get going, though eventually I was interested enough in learning what would happen to the characters to keep reading 'til the end. I liked Constance, Poppy, and Harris and loved to hate some of the other characters for their snootyness. Some of the class distinctions was lost on me as an American reader, and I found a plot point that turned on the same extremely irritating, in fact. But the main challenge was that the book tried to do too much - there were the women who had to work during the war but were now being put back in their place, the men coming back from war and needing jobs or who were injured so badly they were convalescing, and the German immigrants in England who were treated with suspicion. As a result, it felt both too long and like none of the points were explored as thoroughly as they could have been. It was fine, just didn't quite gel for me. 3.5 stars.

November in review
122. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
121. The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
120. The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez
119. I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
118. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
117. Aurelius (to be called) Magnus by Victoria Goddard
116. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
115. Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary

Books read: 8
Did not finish: 2
Rereads: 1
Children's/Teen/Adult: 1/2/5
Fiction/Nonfiction/Plays/Poetry: 6/2/0/0

Because I want to awards:
Rather comforting in a stressful time - Somewhere Beyond the Sea
That was fun, but more about this character, please - Aurelius (to be called) Magnus
Had to stay up late to finish - Turtles All the Way Down

YTD stats -
Pages read: 37,163
Avg pages a day: 110.9
Books by POC authors: 43 (35.54%)
In translation: 14 (12.39%)
DNF: 8

Thoughts: Well, I found myself in a weird reading mood and not really able to concentrate on things that were too taxing. So two books were DNFed, I read some poetry and nonfiction, and surprisingly enough only finished two additional books after my book club book (usually there's more, sometimes as much as half of my month's reading). Eight books read ties this year's low along with September and February. And I was perhaps a bit stingy with stars, only giving 4.5 ("a book I would reread") to the first two books of the year - and the Ramona book was a reread. Ah well... here we go to December and hopefully finishing out the year strong.

>148 bell7: Right, Mary. Hives on face can be associated with anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction. Other signs are swelling of the lips, tongue, and, most concerning, the upper airway, which can be a medical emergency. These reactions tend to get worse with repeated exposure to the allergen, so you may want to ask your primary care physician to prescribe you an Epi-Pen, an injectable form of epinephrine that can at least temporarily keep anaphylaxis from occurring or getting worse; you would still need to go to an ER or urgent care center if you did use it, as some people need more than one dose of epinephrine or adjunct medications such as IV or oral steroids or another antihistamine, such as Benadryl, and in some cases the reaction is severe enough to require hospital admission (I took care of dozens of kids who required hospitalization for anaphylaxis, so this is bread and butter for me).

Actually there is now at least one generic version of injectable epinephrine, as Epi-Pens cost hundreds of dollars, or at least they did when I was practicing. I would always prescribe a twin pack of injectable epinephrine when the patient was ready to be discharged, and request the generic substitute on the prescription.

>151 kidzdoc: Hmmm, I think I'm glad I didn't realize it was that serious of a reaction when it was happening, then. Thankfully, I didn't get the swelling of the upper airway, which my mom has experienced quite a bit (and yes, she has an Epi-Pen). But I'll definitely follow up with my PCP at my next appointment. I appreciate all the info!

Happy December and happy Monday! I'm going to try to keep this short, as I need to finish getting ready for work and scrape the frost off my car. It's currently 18 degrees Fahrenheit and I'm not ready for this after an unseasonably warm November.

Yesterday was church, I got together with my Little for the first time in awhile (this is the younger one of the two I see from time to time, as they never officially closed the match for the one now in college), and then had small group at my pastor's house. Small group is now done for the year, giving me a little extra time on Sundays.

Today I'm working 9-2 and the main thing is going to be making sure the circ desk is covered while someone's out sick and making sure my intern has enough to do - there's 12 hours left, today, Friday and next Monday, and then we're done for the semester. I'm not planning on hosting an intern next semester just to give me a bit of a break.

After work, I'm meeting a friend to go for a walk, have yoga in the evening (starting a new six-week session), and am planning on doing a grocery shopping on the way home. Phew!

Reading: Koshersoul by Michael W. Twitty, Serving Herself: The Life of Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown and Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair - I also am planning on at least starting Terec and the Wild tonight to continue my joint reads with Stasia

Listening: "Noel" by Josh Groban

Watching: Saturday night was "It's a Wonderful Life", last night was "The Holiday" as I start my holiday-themed movie watching

Crafting: one sock is just about complete (I need to weave in the ends) and I have started on the second

>153 bell7: A Certain Someone sent me a package of temptations that arrived to taunt and torment me. That Certain Someone knows who she is. I hope she is aware of the magnitude of her wickedness in inciting biblioconcupiscence in the flat-of-wallet.

>154 richardderus: Who, me? *blinks innocently*

Happy Tuesday. I'm working 9-5, going to the gym after a week off, and making a new-to-me eggplant and couscous dish tonight. I've decided that, in a pinch, I can eat a bagel and cream cheese for actual dinner if I'm starving when I get home, and then the dish will be make-ahead lunch for tomorrow.

I read Terec and the Wild after all my events yesterday, and really should start my book club book The First Ladies soon...

Reading: Koshersoul by Michael W. Twitty, Serving Herself: The Life of Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown and Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair

Listening: "Noel" by Josh Groban, and I'll probably move on to a new CD today

Watching/Crafting: nothing yesterday, but I'll likely watch a holiday film and knit my nephew's socks in front of it tonight

>156 bell7: "eat a bagel for dinner because I'm too hungry to cook, then cook the full meal afterward and eat it another day" is my whole meal plan :-)

>156 bell7: I will be curious to see your thoughts on Terec and the Wild, Mary.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

>157 norabelle414: I do a lot of my cooking ahead of time, whether it's Wednesday mornings or Saturday during the day, because most days I'm getting home at 7 p.m. or later and don't want to cook then.

>158 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! I still have to carve out a little time to write something up, hopefully soon...

>156 bell7: I'm looking forward to your efforts coming from Twitty's smorgasbord. Vicarious living, since it needs a kitchen to make 'em...enjoy them for me!

>160 richardderus: I finished the prose portion on my Kindle last night only to find that nearly half of the book was recipes... so I've got the paper book wending its way to me to browse the recipes and select a few to try. I don't expect I'll read them all word-for-word, but I'll at least look at what he's got. I do enjoy his take on history and fusion in cooking and life.

>161 bell7: He interests me as a cook, and of course as a popularizer of history as regards food. I'm always interested in what people ate and why they ate it.

*smooch*

>161 bell7: When there is text I want to extract on my Kindle, I highlight it and then upload the notes. The hind half of the book is probably too much, but a choice recipe or two would work.

>162 richardderus: The Cooking Gene put him on my radar, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for more of his work.

>163 quondame: I don't like how recipes are formatted on a Kindle at all, which is why I'm switching to paper. I find it much easier to browse in book form instead of looking over multiple pages at the size I need the text on the Kindle. The formatting of recipes also means that while it looks on my Kindle as if I have read only 58%, I suspect it may be a little more than that if the recipes are each about a page long instead of spreading over multiple ones like they do on my Kindle. But I should find out next week.

Happy Friday!

I started bread dough this morning before work, which was 9-5. There was a lot going on today, the biggest thing being wrapping things up with my intern. Her last hours are Monday, but I'm off, so I not only worked with her on a couple of projects today, I had to make sure she had enough to keep going without me on Monday. She more than completed the project I had in mind, so while it was sometimes a lot of work on my part, I can't complain about the finished product. After work, I did a quick grocery shopping and had dinner.

Reading: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson and Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair

Listening: "The Lost Christmas Eve" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Watching: Tonight's movie was the Patrick Stewart version of "A Christmas Carol"

Crafting: I turned the heel on the second sock, but unfortunately broke a needle and have to grab another one from the stash in the sun room before I can continue

I had planned on getting back to the gym this week, but it hasn't happened. Maybe next week?

123. Terec and the Wild by Victoria Goddard
Why now? Continuing my joint reads with Stasia through Victoria Goddard's works

Terec's wild magic is getting more and more out of control, and the magic of the empire of Astandalas doesn't play nice with it. when he starts having nightmares that his fire burns down his house, Terec knows it's time to venture outside the empire.

This short story gives us just a hint of the story of Terec, the man who was Conju's first love. It's a little bit of an episodic adventure as he ventures closer and closer to the edge of the empire, which gave it slightly odd pacing and structure, and as much as I enjoyed getting to know Terec, I wanted more and will look forward to reading the sequel. 4 stars.

124. Koshersoul: the faith and food journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty
Why now? I enjoyed The Cooking Gene and had this on my TBR list as a result - I tried to read it for the November TIOLI challenge to read a book about the American Jewish experience, but didn't finish it in time

Michael W. Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene, turns his attention from Southern cooking and genealogy to his experience as an African American Jew and how his experience cooking has been a fusion of his identities.

It's really hard to describe Twitty's work because he takes all sorts of elements - food, history, identity, culture, his experiences as an African American, his experiences as a converted Jew, and his experiences as an African American Jew - and blends it into a memoir as unique as the food on his table. When I reviewed The Cooking Gene, I said, "it's sprawling, dense, thoughtful and chock full of information. I enjoyed it and was challenged by it in equal measure." Koshersoul is similar, while focusing more on Twitty's faith and conversations he's had with other Jews. In fact, Twitty includes not just conversations he's had but other people's experiences and stories, too. Instead of a single person's memoir, you get a multifaceted picture of the intersection of identities many African American Jews experience - and, of course, the food they eat. As a non-Jew myself, I found it a really fascinating window into the culture, and would love to some day pull up a chair and sit at Twitty's table. 4.5 stars.

As I mentioned earlier, I haven't read through every recipe. I will skim the recipes in the paper book when it comes in from the library, and will probably try a recipe or two. I may update the review at that point, but wanted to write up something while the content was still fresh.

Just a quick note to let you all know I'm alive and kicking. I'm on my way to watch the 2-10 Giants play the New Orleans Saints for my last in-person game of the season. I've taken a couple of days off later this weeks to finish my Christmas shopping and expect I'll also catch up on reading & posting on threads, as well as book reading and reviews. I'm finished with my latest Bible study and my book club book isn't far behind.

I'm glad to hear your intern finished the project you were hoping to get assistance with, that's exciting.

Hope your weekend has been treating you well!

>167 bell7: I loved Twitty's book Koshersoul. This was my review of it. I had borrowed it from my local public library. I grabbed it as soon as I saw it on their shelf. I love borrowing new cookbooks from our library. :D

>168 bell7: Oh dear...not a great day to go watch 'em. Sorry dear lady.

>166 bell7: Victoria is once more doing Advent snippets!
An interesting bit of Rhodin post Fall, pre-HOTE nosing out a bit of trouble, and another of Aya looking for the Mdang party in Gorjo City. There is always a Mdang party in Gorjo City if you know which auntie to ask.

Hi, Mary. Just checking in. I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. Enjoy your holiday music and movies. I don't do much of either these days. Yep, I am a typical Grinch. Maybe when Jack gets a little older...

>169 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I had a slightly extended weekend because I took today off for traveling - back to work tomorrow!

>170 SqueakyChu: I really enjoyed your review, Madeline, thanks for sharing. I like his writing and thought process a lot.

>171 richardderus: Yeah, it wasn't the greatest game by a pretty bad team. It came down to a final drive, though, which is better than I'd expected. Ah well - it's my last of the season, so moving on to next year!

>172 quondame: Is that something you need to be signed up for, Susan? I'm not seeing anything on her website.

>173 msf59: Nice to see you, Mark! I had a really nice Thanksgiving and hope you did, too. I do very much enjoy holiday music and movies - I even have a couple days off specifically to be able to finish Christmas shopping and sending cards without feeling rushed. I might like the holiday a bit *too* much hahaha.

Happy Monday! We traveled home from the Giants game today, and fortunately didn't run into any traffic. I got back in the afternoon in time to take a walk with a friend, then hung out in a local library until it was time for my yoga class.

Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed - and with my own pillow! (the hotel kept it for me for a month...) - again.

Reading: Serving Herself: the Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown and Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair

Listening: Finished up with "The Lost Christmas Eve" and going to try a new album tomorrow

Watching: just football the last couple of days

Crafting: I didn't pick up the socks, but I'm on to the foot of the second in the pair. Will probably next get to it on Wednesday.

>174 bell7: She announces updates daily on the HOTE Support Group Discord server
on the #nine-worlds-with-vitoria channel.
Anyone can join and there's a discord discount for buying the books from her website, paper or e-book.

>176 quondame: Ah, gotcha. I won't be joining Discord at this point, but I'll keep it in mind if I ever do. Thanks!

Happy Wednesday! I had my book discussion today, and it went really well though there were only 3 of us. We overall liked the book. Two of us were more critical than the other (I think we like more in-depth historical fiction than this was), and all said they'd like to read a biography - in particular of Mary McLeod Bethune.

The last couple of days have been busy. Yesterday I worked, went to my parents' for dinner and had our final Bible study meeting (moved from Thursday) of the year. I got home at bedtime. This morning, the big item on my to-do list was making a soup, and I did it before leaving for work 12-8. Besides book club, I scheduled a monthly email I write, sent the final evaluation of my intern in, and planned for next year's Cookbook Club (I'm in the interim person in charge of that until we fill one last part-time position). I gave the circ folks a list of volunteers to expect over the next couple of days - because I am off!

The next two days, I have probably too long of a to-do list while I spend some time at home and on errands. But it'll be fun errands: I'll be finishing my Christmas shopping and getting everything wrapped and mailed, writing Christmas cards, etc. I have some other home chores on the list, but we'll see if I get to them or not. And the other thing I really want to do tomorrow is get to the gym for the fist time since before Thanksgiving.

Looks like you are even busier than usual, Mary, but at least it sounds like it is happy busy. Well, except for the shellfish allergy.

>175 bell7: I love that sports are the great leveller - there is no prejudice in a tennis ball or a golf ball or in a swimming pool or a running track (well once those things are open to all of us anyway). Sports can make us genuinely colour blind in that the entire nation will get behind its sporting heroes irrespective of whether they are black, brown, white or any colours in between whether they are rich or poor or gay or straight or any other classification one can come up with.

How many youngsters of my generation grew up idolizing Muhammad Ali or George Foreman, or Evonne Goolagong or later Daley Thompson, Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods or the Williams sisters. Did lovers of sports ever pick their allegiances based on race (nationality maybe).

In life we have a long way to go until people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, sexualities, genders and so on can live together in perfect harmony but sports is a path to lead us there.

>179 Familyhistorian: Yes, Meg, things are busy as ever! Having today and tomorrow off will help, though. I've got some Christmas cards to write and wrapping to do tonight and tomorrow, so all fun things :D

>180 PaulCranswick: Well, that's the idealistic hope, Paul, but it's not always true at least in the U.S. Integration was a huge deal, and people did (do) go against someone because of the color of their skin. I'm most familiar with American football as far as that's concerned, and while there have been great strides made, it's still fairly unusual for example to have a Black quarterback or coach, though many of the other position players are Black.

I really appreciate Reggie Jackson's sharing of his experience (there's a lead up with questions about Willie Mays, his description starts at about 5:00 minutes in). Certainly things have improved, but experiences like that are still in living memory and there's still a lot of improvement that can still be done.

>181 bell7: We're about to backslide on many many fronts...I hate this more than anything else. I hope your erranding's mostly done and you can get some relaxation in. *smooch*

>182 richardderus: Sadly, I agree with you.

And thank you, I have had a good balance of relaxation and errands I wanted to do, I think. I was hoping some of the Christmas gifts I purchased would have arrived in the mail today, but the box has been delayed, so I have more yet to do, but I'm nearly there. Fortunately I enjoy wrapping.

>183 bell7: Wrapping is very zen for me, as well. Or it was back when my hands worked better. Oh the fun of picking the ribbon, the decoration, the card...premade or handcrafted...it was always so absorbing.

Enjoy for us both, Mary!

Sounds like a very productive extra long weekend is in progress for you, Mary. Fingers crossed your package arrives soon so you can finish that last bit of wrapping.

>184 richardderus: I'll do my best, Richard! I did a little more wrapping today, as I'm planning on mailing what I can on Wednesday whether or not the rest of the gifts arrive.

>185 MickyFine: Still waiting, unfortunately...
But it was a good long weekend!

Well... it was return to work day, and fortunately I was able to feel mostly caught up by the time I left this afternoon.

The last four days were fun. I spent some time resting at home, but also went out and about to finish holiday shopping and crossed a bunch of things off the to-do list. On Saturday, my mom and I spent the day out in the Berkshires and capped it off with "Winterlights" at Naumkeag, which was a lovely walk through the grounds of one of the Trustees properties, with all sorts of lights and decorations up. So much fun! Sunday was my brother R's birthday, and after church and hanging out with my Little for a bit, I met up with him and some family members to celebrate and watch the terrible Giants lose again.

Today after work, I met up with a friend for a walk and then since I had time to kill before my yoga class, I stopped at a library where I worked over a decade ago (that's so weird to type) and browsed some of their genealogy collection. I am specifically looking to track down the exact house that the family lived in in 1910 (there are/were five houses on the street, and it was unnumbered on the records I've found). I didn't find that, but I did find street listings of when they'd moved to another nearby town, and I'll have plenty to follow up on seeing if I can track down photos of the houses or information about where they worked. One of my relatives, for example, worked for the local paper and it would be fascinating to find out more about that if I can.

Reading: Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown, Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair, and Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco

Listening: My Christmas playlist on Spotify

Watching: various Christmas movies over the last few days, including "An American Christmas Carol" and "The Best Man Holiday" (I just looked the latter up and learned it was a sequel, no wonder the beginning was so hard to follow... it was pretty good though)

Crafting: I finished both the socks and the little rabbit my niece asked me to knit, so both will be shipped along with their Christmas gifts

125. Take Courage: A Study of Haggai by Jennifer Rothschild

Our Bible study used this book and DVD series in our latest meetings. The seven-week study is solid and I found several days of homework that were relevant to my life right now. A few felt a little stretched, making the study long enough. And she has a tendency to ask questions with blanks to fill in only to answer it again in the next paragraph. Overall, though it's one I would recommend and do again.

126. The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Why now? Book club book

The author team that wrote The Personal Librarian returns in this story that imagines the friendship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and First Lady of the Struggle Mary McLeod Bethune.

Covering a couple of decades from when these women met to just after Franklin Delano Roosevelt's death, the book primarily focuses on the relationship and doesn't delve into any one issue or historical moment in depth. Told in alternating narratives from Eleanor Roosevelt to Mary McLeod Bethune and back again, with several months in between and several flashbacks filling in events in between, the story skims the surface as a result. At the end I was somewhat confused about what we know happened and what was simply imagined. The authors, for example, explain that many of the conversations they have Eleanor and Mary have about race are actually based on conversations they themselves have had. Still, I'm glad I read it and have a greater appreciation for some of the groundwork that happened before the Civil Rights movement in 1960s through the work of Mary McLeod Bethune and influence of Eleanor Roosevelt. 3.5 stars.

I don't really get on with Marie Benedict's books as a rule. She's super popular at my library and in general, but I prefer a meatier historical fiction or biography personally.

127. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

My annual reread this year was via audiobook read by Simon Vance while I was wrapping gifts and knitting on Thursday night.

128. The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C. L. Miller
Why now? I'm feeling motivated to read some of the ARCs I've requested over the last couple of years, and I could borrow the audiobook from the library to pair with the e-book

*Free e-book ARC made available by the publisher through Edelweiss Plus - thank you!*

Freya's Aunt Carole contacts her when their old friend Arthur, an antiques dealer with whom Freya had a falling out, dies. The police say he was an old man who just fell down the stairs, but Carole is convinced he was murdered. Then a letter is given to them, and Freya and Carole realize Arthur left them clues before his demise, leading Freya back into the antiques world that she had intended to leave behind forever.

Author Cara Miller is the daughter of Judith Miller who wrote the famous antique guide. It shows in her descriptions of pieces; unfortunately, the antiques (and details about the black market for them) was the best part of the book. This is a first novel and it shows. The characters were never really fleshed out, and the plot kinda moves along as Freya stumbles from one potential clue to another randomly. Much of the story is Freya's first-person narration, but we occasionally get other characters' points of view in third person. But this doesn't really give the reader any additional clues, and like some of the golden age mysteries, the big reveal is helped along by information Freya figures out but the reader isn't privy to. 3 stars.

>189 bell7: I read this a while back and thought it was a nice cozy mystery and a solid debut. I wonder how the second in the series is.....

>189 bell7: I think that trope...the sudden revelation we-the-reader don't share...might annoy me the most of all possible tyro-used tropes.

xo, and thanks for the card!

>190 figsfromthistle: I'm glad it was one that hit the spot for you, Anita. It certainly found enough of an audience to have a continued series, but it wasn't for me in the end.

>191 richardderus: Yeah, I'm not a fan as a general rule. *smooches* and you're welcome.

Yesterday I went to work and the gym. Today I spent the morning getting some cooking, wrapping, and mailing done and am working 12-8. I'm whittling away at various to-do items for work, home, and Christmas each day. I'm still waiting on a rather large online order that's been in transit to me for over a week now, showing up each day that it should arrive... that day. I mailed out what I could of my holiday packages today and asked them to look into it. The supervisor there sent out an email for me hoping to track it down.

Tomorrow I'm working 9-5, planning on making a beet and pumpkin seed salad as a side to the fish I broiled today, and am joining in a Zoom holiday party with my local genealogy group. I haven't attended a meeting in several months so I'm looking forward to it. And on Friday, I'm hoping to get one last gym run in before the holiday craziness. Whew!

Reading: same three titles, though I'm almost done with Deaf Utopia and should have a review soon

Listening: WOW Christmas (a collection of Christian artists singing Christmas songs in 2 CDs)

Watching: last night I sort of watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, but mostly I was starting knitting a pair of socks and the combination of the cable pattern I chose and the sock weight (rather than heftier, easier-to-work with) yarn meant I didn't really pay attention - which of course, meant I missed a lot because I didn't see all the visual gags

Crafting: as mentioned, I started a pair of socks. These are probably for me, with yarn that I bought from a local supplier a couple of years ago.

Favorites of the year:

Fiction
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Foster by Claire Keegan
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
James by Percival Everett
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
The Postcard by Anne Berest

Nonfiction
Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder
Red Paint by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Inciting Joy by Ross Gay

Poetry
Above Ground by Clint Smith

129. Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco
Why now? After finishing The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder, I decided to read & review another ARC that's been on my Kindle, this one for two years

*Free e-book ARC made available by the publisher through Edelweiss Plus - thank you!*

Deaf activist and reality TV star Nyle DiMarco writes his memoir, describing growing up Deaf as the son of Deaf parents and learning & loving ASL, going to Deaf school, and eventually starring on both America's Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars.

I'm probably one of the few readers who picked this up with absolutely no idea who Nyle DiMarco was but wanting to read a book that talked about Deaf culture. As a result, I'm not really the intended reader for this book, where DiMarco takes pains to describe the history of Deaf culture and education, and how it impacted his life. That part was somewhat repetitive to me. But, I enjoyed reading about his life, growing up with his twin Nico and older brother Neal, the wonderful relationship he had with his mom and extended family, and eventually his experiences on ANTM and DWTS, and his realization that he wasn't, in his words "100 percent straight". A few years younger than me, DiMarco is impassioned in his advocacy and has used his platform as an actor, model and producer to highlight the Deaf experience. If you're curious about Deaf culture and don't have any background in it, this is a good starting point. 4 stars.

One story that really stood out to me was how he described learning to dance for Dancing With the Stars without being able to hear the music - he memorized not only the steps but also the timing. It's actually pretty incredible to watch the dances they performed with that in mind.

TGIF! I keep thinking there's another workday in the week, but I'm off tomorrow and looking forward to doing some baking and visiting a friend.

I spent much of the day at work making some long-needed updates to our binder at the desk with various procedures and cheat sheets written out. I'm also working on going through our "shelf talkers" that I've printed out and use to put books face out in the stacks. Anything I've displayed this year, I flip over and don't check in the catalog, but anything that I didn't put on display, I check in the catalog and make sure we still own it. I've probably tossed a dozen cards and got through the N's for the author's last name. Then I was on the desk for the last hour - it was super quiet, and probably will be through the new year.

I stopped at the gym on the way home and was surprised by how many people were still there in snow flurries. Friday night isn't a hugely busy time, however, and I was able to go through all the repetitions on the machines I wanted without waiting long for anything. It was a good workout tonight, and I went home feeling good.

Now I'm listening to Christmas music and contemplating what to do with my time before bed. It's really too late to start a movie, but I might knit a little before reading in bed and calling it a night.

Reading: Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown, Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair, and Glass Universe by Dava Sobel

Listening: A Mannheim Steamroller CD and my Christmas Spotify playlist

Watching: nothing tonight

Crafting: knitting a pair of socks for myself

Solstice cheer, Mary!

>197 richardderus: Happy Solstice, Richard! Looking forward to it getting lighter just a little earlier each day as I get out of work.

Happy Saturday, everyone!
I spent the morning doing some baking and baking prep. I made the dough for the regular sourdough white bread that I make often. Sourdough discard crackers are made, to bring to our Christmas Eve get together, and I made the batter for Ginger Molasses Cookies that I'll finish baking tomorrow (I substituted yogurt for the egg, so my mother should be able to have them). I also want to bake peanut butter blossoms, my personal favorite, but as my mother is allergic even to the smell, those will be saved for a get together where she's not present.

The birds are happy that I put out new sunflower seeds and suet. I've been getting steady customers, but had left it empty the last couple of days rather than fill it in the dark.

I'm going to relax with a book for a bit now, and then head out to visit a friend and see her house for the first time.

Oh, and the dogsitting job was canceled - it's for a sad reason for the family (health of a loved one), but I'm rather relieved to be able to stay home and not try to juggle family visits and Christmas gifts with staying at someone else's house

Reading: Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown, Cannibalby Safiya Sinclair, and Glass Universe by Dava Sobel

Listening: A Mannheim Steamroller CD - I'll switch it out today for Trans-Siberian Orchestra again

Watching: depends on when I get home from my visit, but maybe "Arthur Christmas" from the library

Crafting: knitting a pair of socks for myself

I thought that image was cool...that display idea is one I think I might try once Old Stuff shuffles off because a flat space is easy enough to come by even though I have no room for a tree.

>200 richardderus: It is really cool. If you do the same, I'd love to see a photo of how it comes out.

Just dropping by to send you holiday greetings. Since we will be leaving town early Monday, and I don't expect that I will be on LT again until after the new year, I thought I would go ahead and send them now. I wish you a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year. Have a wonderful time with your family!

Sorry to hear about the reason for your dogsitting cancelation, but glad to hear it will make your holiday celebrations much smoother!

>202 atozgrl: Thank you, Irene! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and happy new year!

>203 MickyFine: Exactly how I feel, Micky!

Happy Sunday! I keep thinking tomorrow's Christmas Eve, but no, one more day in between. Today was church, then grocery shopping along with everyone else in the area, and spending time at home. My parents came over for a visit, and after they left, I baked cookies and made granola. And I'm beat, so I'll probably eat some of the granola for dinner, watch a movie and call it a night.

>181 bell7: I certainly agree with the living memory of rampant and pretty open racism in sport. I distinctly remember the disgusting "monkey" noise chants when black footballers had the ball in England.

I am proud that my club, Leeds United, pioneered the promotion of black and coloured players in the game in England - the first coloured player to play football for England was Paul Reaney in 1969. Our captain the last time we made the European Cup Semi-Finals was Lucas Radebe the hero of South Africa and adopted Yorkshireman.

I am interested to see you closing in on 2,000 posts on your threads in 2024 and running top ten.

>206 PaulCranswick: Hey Paul, there's definitely some ugly examples out there. It's nice to see improvements, but I can definitely say there's still some work to be done in the sports I watch. One thing that's been especially interesting in reading about Althea Gibson is realizing how much of the timeline overlaps what was in The Personal Librarian - I'm not sure I would've considered her being a contemporary of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune otherwise.

I hadn't realized I was so close to 2,000 posts this year. I didn't quite make it to my posting numbers of last year, but have certainly had enough activity here that it's about all I can do to stay caught up on my own thread!

130. Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair
Why now? Ever since I read Safiya Sinclair's memoir earlier this year, I've been meaning to read a collection of her poetry, and have finally done so

I think by and large I am not smart enough for this particular poetry collection. I've mentioned before, I have a hard time with understanding something as soon as it's put in poetical form, so the poetry I do tend to like is fairly straightforward and has a playfulness and facility with language that I enjoy - like Billy Collins, for example.

Safiya Sinclair definitely has a facility with language, and on top of that she's using The Tempest and the Caliban figure to great effect, exploring how blackness is othered, and challenging assumptions.

The poem I liked the best was "Notes on the State of Virginia, II", much of which was about confronting the history of racism at college campuses, and its subsequent erasure:

All year we learn that chainsaw hymnal, outside the Lawn,
another excavation--slave quarters found concealed
in the student dorms; buried rooms choked, sounds
bricked off. Two centuries' thorns may break sudden bloom.
What can we say? No one speaks of it. I dream pristine.
And skirting the caution tape instead, we clasp hands
with each other in complicity.

Oof. For me, this was the most accessible poem. Her descriptions are often visceral and challenging like this, I just didn't always follow what she was talking about like I could do here. Most of the poems were just completely over my head, and I felt like I needed a Q and A with the author or a college class to wrap my poor, prose-addled brain around it. Don't get me wrong, it's me, not her. If you like poetry, I invite you to check it out and see if you can glean more than I did.

>208 bell7: Well this is post 1,995.

Our reading numbers are closely in step again at least.

Merry Christmas, Mary. I haven't seen you around the threads lately so I wanted to check in. I hope you have a wonderful holiday with the family. I am so glad we were able to Meet Up in September. Such a good time. Looking forward to our shared read of Monte Cristo.

>209 PaulCranswick: too funny how that seems to happen year to year, Paul, no matter if one of us is "ahead" at any point or not.

>210 msf59: nice to see you, Mark! There's are a couple of threads I try to check in on regularly, yours among them, but don't always post or have time to read through thoroughly. So thanks for stopping by! It was great to meet up in September, and I'm looking forward to reading The Count of Monte Cristo in January. Looks like there will be a fair number of us reading together, too.

Happy Tuesday! I'm excited for Christmas Eve and all the family celebrations that kick off today - but first, I'm working 'til noon. It was snowing when we drove in today, so it's even quieter than I might have expected. I think we've had about 10 people in 2 hours?

Anyway, the rest of the day is full of fun things. I'm stopping at a friend's house to drop of her Christmas gift, and I got an email notification that my last package of gifts that has been in transit for 2 weeks has arrived. So I'll stop home, finish my wrapping, mail out a package or two that are now going to be New Year's gifts, and then spend the late afternoon and evening with family. While I wrap, I'll plan on watching Muppet Christmas Carol as is my own personal Christmas Eve tradition.

Reading: Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown and Glass Universe by Dava Sobel

Listening: I listened through highlights of the Nutcracker over the weekend and have now switched back to a Mannheim Steamroller CD

Watching: Muppet Christmas Carol

Crafting: knitting socks

Winslow and all of us wish you a very happy holidays!

Thinking of you at this time, Mary.

And beyond 2,000 posts.

>213 AMQS: Thank you, Anne!

>214 johnsimpson: Merry Christmas, John!

>215 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! It sure has been a busy year :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to those celebrating the holidays today!

I'm off shortly to celebrate Christmas with my family. My sister and I are having breakfast at my parents', and we're having dinner at my brother and SIL's. All but my middle sister and her family are here, and it's my niece R's first Christmas (though not her first presents for it, as my SIL's family did Christmas with her last weekend).

Christmas Eve at my brother and SIL's was really fun last night. R is very social and likes having a party. She was especially interested in my brother's girlfriend's son (he's nearly 9), and thought it was really funny to "get" him, where one of us would bring her close to him and she'd reach out and touch the back of his head. He got a couple of gifts last night, since he's off to celebrate Christmas with his dad's family today. R "opened" one gift last night from her parents, but halfway through was rather disinterested and toddled over to climb up on the massive box that held the Nerf gun my brother and SIL had got for him. So that might be a clue for how confusing today might go with her gifts hahaha. But I think she'll kind of catch the excitement of all of us, even if she mostly delights in the wrapping paper.

I send all good wishes for a bright holiday and a wonderful New Year!

>218 Whisper1: Thank you kindly, Linda! Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you!

I'm kinda lonely over here....

https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/24622/75-Books-Challenge-for-2025

>220 drneutron: thanks, Jim! I've joined the group and will start a thread soon.

Happy Friday! Today I'm working 9-5 and then headed over to my parents to spend some time with my sister while she's visiting. The weekend is shaping up to be a busy one, but I'm hoping to get a few things checked off the to-do list so I don't feel entirely overwhelmed when I get back to work next week. And I'd like to start my 2025 thread, too. The New Years' holiday in the middle of the week next week will be very welcome.

Reading: Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown and Glass Universe by Dava Sobel

Listening: "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" by Neil Young, continuing my listen through the Rollings Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list

Watching: I sort of put on some of the Bears/Seahawks game, but didn't really watch it

Crafting: didn't pick up the socks yesterday either

>222 bell7: I will be curious to see what you think of Glass Universe, Mary. I loved Sobel's Longitude when I read it years ago.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season! Looking forward to more Victoria Goddard in 2025!

>222 bell7: I'm glad you're fairly mellow for the change-of-group time. It's always nice to have time to do the detail work at a stress-free pace.

>223 alcottacre: I'm enjoying it, Stasia, though it was probably a mistake on my part to be reading two nonfiction titles at the same time. Both end up feeling slow! But I'm hoping to make some progress in the Althea Gibson biography over the weekend, and would like to finish both by the end of the year.

>224 richardderus: I confess, I don't have time right now to be otherwise haha. I like to take my time setting up my threads, and if I don't get to it over the weekend, there will be time on Wednesday.

Happy Saturday! I slept in a little this morning and then spent much of the morning on tidying up around the house and making a run to the dump. We celebrated my brother and sister's birthdays while she is visiting, and now I'm calling it a quiet night reading and watching football.

Reading: Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson by Ashley Brown and The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel

Listening: Finished "Hot Buttered Soul" by Isaac Hayes today and started "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society" by the Kinks

Watching: football - the end of the Denver/Cincinnati came was bonkers

Crafting: I might get out my knitting tomorrow?

>226 bell7: Hi, Mary! I love "Hot Buttered Soul," which is one of my favorite albums of the late 1960s.

I agree; that Denver/Cincinnati game was bonkers. I'm glad that the Bengals came back and won after their place kicker botched the field goal which should have won the game. They might be one of those dangerous teams if they manage to sneak into the playoffs.