Familyhistorian's 2024 Reading Adventure - Part 9

My name is Meg and this is a thread where I post about my reads and other adventures. I’ve been a member of the 75ers since 2013 and my personal library has grown exponentially ever since. The people around here are enablers and you are hereby warned.

This year I want to concentrate on reading the books that I own and sending them on their way. (I can hope, can’t I?) I’m placing my Little Free Library and the stats of books culled higher in the list to bring it to my attention more often.



Little Free Library

Books culled in 2024

January - 10

February - 0 (reading my own books would have allowed some to be recycled)

March - 3

April - 6

June - 5

July - 14

August - 32

September - 4

October - 8

November - 14

BLOG



I write about genealogy and history on my blog. Follow my blog posts as I embark on another year of exploring and writing about my ROOTs (the family kind). You can see my latest blog posts at: A Genealogist’s Path to History

Challenges

Reading Through Time

Quarterly

January-March 2024: Prehistoric
April-June 2024:
July-September 2024:
October-December 2024:

Monthly

January: Janus
February: Aquarius & Amethyst - Perkins Perfect Purple: How a Boy Created Color with Chemistry by Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn - DONE Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel DONE
March: Medicine & Epidemics - Medicine: A Graphic History by Jean-Noël Fabianai and Philippe Bercovici DONE
April: Characters with Disabilities - Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander DONE
May: International Labour Day - Truth in Advertising by John Kenney DONE
June: Wonders of the World
July: Vive la France
August: The Joy of Reading
September: Royal to the Bone
October: Adultery
November: Biographies & Memoirs
December: Reader’s Choice

2024 Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prize Winners – prizes off the beaten track
February: Women’s Work - Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel DONE
March: Forensic Sciences - The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science by Sandra Hempel - DONE
April: Globalization
May: Wild Wild West
June: Middle Europe
July: Insect World
August: Being Jewish
September: Essays
October: Music, more music
November: Too Small to See
December: As You Like it or Political Biography

The War Room Challenge

MONTH - BY - MONTH IN THE WAR ROOM

JANUARY - The Ancients (Greeks, Romans etc) - Taken at the Flood: The Roman Conquest of Greece by Robin Waterfield DONE
FEBRUARY - The American War of Independence - The Other New York: The American Revolution beyond New York City, 1763 - 1787 edited by Joseph S. Tiedemann and Eugene R. Fingerhut DONE
MARCH - The War of the Roses - War of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones - DONE
APRIL - Wars of Religion
MAY - The Napoleonic Wars
JUNE - The English Civil War
JULY - Colonial Wars - Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard - DONE
AUGUST - World War Two - The Second World War in the Far East by H.P. Willmott - DONE
SEPTEMBER - The American Civil War
OCTOBER - American Follies (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Gulf Wars)
NOVEMBER - World War One
DECEMBER - The Spanish Civil War
WILDCARD - Pick your own fight!

List of books for challenges

RTT

January - March quarter: Prehistoric - Before Scotland

January: Janus - The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

March: Medicine & Epidemics - Medicine: A Graphic History -DONE

April: Characters with disabilities - Blind Justice - DONE

May: International labour day - Truth in Advertising - DONE

June: The Wonders of the World - Terracotta Warriors

July: Vive la France! - All Signs Point to Paris

August: The Joy of Reading - The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators

September: Royal to the Bone - The Windsor Knot

July - September Quarter Arthurian Britain - Arthur and the Kings of Britain

Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prize Winners – prizes off the beaten track - The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley - A New York Times Notable Book and short listed for the 1994 Rhone-Poulenc Prize for Science Books

March: Forensics - Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed or
The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science - DONE

April: Globalization - A Rabble of Dead Money: The Great Crash and the Global Depression 1929-1939

May: The Wild, Wild West - Wildcat: The Untold Story of the Canadian Woman Who Became the West's Most Notorious Bandit

September: Essays - Black Ink: Literary Legends on the Peril, Power, and Pleasure of Reading and Writing

The War Room Challenge:

March: The War of the Roses - The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors - DONE

April: Wars of Religion - The Passion of Anne Hutchinson didn't read due to post about it not being about war

May: The Napoleonic Wars - An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer

September: The American Civil War - Captives in Blue: The Civil War Prisons of the Confederacy

Shared Reads

Razor's Edge with Mark - DONE

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham with Mark and crew in Nov

Books read in 2024

Books read in September 2024

1. Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
2. In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie
3. The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
4. Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose
5. The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos
6. Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
7. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
8. Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose
9. A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins
10. To Hunt a Killer by Julie Mackay and Robert Murphy
11. Deep into the Dark by P.J. Tracy
12. Come Death and High Water by Ann Cleeves
13. Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb

Books read in October 2024

1. Think Twice by Harlan Coben
2. The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews
3. Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
4. Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon
5. American Fly Girl by Susan Tate Ankeny
6. Death in the Spires by K J Charles
7. Murder at Kensington Palace by Andrea Penrose
8. Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings by Chrysta Bilton
9. Malice in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope
10. A Very Particular Murder by S.T. Haymon
11. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
12. Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews
13. The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin
14. Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday
15. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
16. Swift River by Essie Chambers
17. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
18. The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett
19. Desolation Canyon by P.J. Tracy
20. Game of Patience by Susanne Alleyn

Books acquired in 2024

Books acquired in September 2024

1. How to Draw Modern Florals by Alli Koch
2. We Hereby Refuse: Japanese Resistance to Wartime Incarceration by Frank Abe and Tamiko Namura
3. Hamlet by SparkNotes
4. A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril by Manda Collins
5. The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann
6. Shades of Red by kc dyer
7. Dead Certainties by Simon Schama
8. Present Danger by Susan Anderson

Books acquired in October 2024

1. She’s a Killer by Kirsten McDougall
2. The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel
3. The Lost Tarot by Sarah Henstra
4. all our ordinary stories by Teresa Wong
5. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
6. The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson
7. Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood
8. Woman of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan
9. Family Reservations by Liza Palmer

Happy number nine, Meg.

I hope and trust that I am not too early to intrude.

>14 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, I've almost got the welcome mat out but feel free to come in!

Happy new one, Meg. Beautiful topper. I love autumn colours.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy Sunday, Meg. Happy New Thread. I like the fall topper.

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy new thread, Meg. I love the photo. The colors are amazing.

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy new thread Meg!

>1 Familyhistorian: What an inviting prospect. I do sometimes wish for a colorful fall, but not enough to accept the associated winters.

>16 Ameise1: Hi Barbara, thanks re the autumnal colour photo and the new thread wishes.

>17 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita!

>18 jessibud2: Hi Shelley and thanks!

>19 msf59: Hi Mark, it wasn't until I was setting up my new thread that I was reminded of the shared read of The Painted Veil. Is that still on for November? Thanks re the topper and the new thread.

>20 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!

>21 BLBera: Thanks Beth. It's nice to see the fall colours. Those are in a park so planted for maximum effect.

>22 richardderus: Thanks Richard!

>23 quondame: Hi Susan, thanks re the thread and the picture of fall colours. Actually, the winters here tend to be more damp than cold. We like it when the snow stays up in the mountains.

196. The London Bookshop Affair by Louise Fein



It was the ‘60s and Celia was working in an out of the way London bookshop and dreaming of a more exciting life. Not that her parents would let her do much. But then the bookshop was sold and the new owner kept her on and gave her a raise. The extra money was what she needed to take a course to get on with her life but, as she got involved with the protest movement against nuclear armament and a new man came into her life, she started to wonder what was really going on.

The London Bookshop Affair was a story of espionage, secrets and hidden pasts and Celia was easy to root for.

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy New Thread , Meg!

>29 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>30 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah!

197. Murder at Queen's Landing by Andrea Penrose



In my next read in the Wexford & Sloane series, Murder at Queen’s Landing involved the sphere of finance. Dubious dealings threatened Lord Wrexford’s friend, Sheffield, as well as Lady Cordelia and her brother, Lord Woodbridge. It was interesting learning about the world of finance in that era as well as seeing how Lady Charlotte was getting used to her elevated status and finding out how to use it to her advantage.

My Monday's are usually full of meetings and this was no exception. First there was an in-person meeting at 10:00 am followed by 2 Zoom meetings. The first one went over long so I hurried home, powered on my computer and was waiting for it to completely start up when the power went out. Not a huge surprise given how windy it was out but frustrating anyway because anything else I wanted to do involved using a computer. Of course, there was always reading but after a while I decided to walk over to the mall. They had power over there.

198. The Act of Disappearing by Nathan Gower



Julie was in a bad place, pregnant after discovering her lover was married, when she was approached by Jonathan Aster, a world renowned photographer. He had read her novel and wanted her to investigate and write about a photo of a woman with a baby jumping from a bridge. At a loose end, Julie agreed.

The Act of Disappearing was a tale of family and shady doings in small town Kentucky told in dual timelines encompassing the time of the photo and that of Julie, herself. It was well done.

199. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo



Alina grew up in obscurity, her boon companion the young boy, Mal, who grew up alongside her. Now they are older and Mal a capable soldier while Alina bumbles alongside him as a map maker. Then surprisingly, she was plucked from that life to live at court. There she comes under the spell of the Darkling but what did he want from her and was she willing to go along with it?

Shadow and Bone was a fantasy adventure which pulled this reader into the action of the narrative rooting for the good guys to win out in the end.

We were fortunate and did not lose power yesterday , Meg. An area close to us lost power for several hours though. We were ready with candles etc but luckily no problem. I'm glad Coquitlam Centre had power for you to take a break from no power. I guess a lot of areas lost power in South West BC yesterday. Today seems nice and calm. I did get out for about 3. 5 mile walk yesterday and walking into the wind was a little more effort than walking with the wind at my back.

>36 vancouverdeb: You were lucky not to be affected, Deborah. There were multiple outages when I checked the BC Hydro outage list. It's nice that today is such a contrast. Today I went to one of the parks in PoCo for a walk and there I saw the Tri-City Women's Walking Soccer Club in action. it was very odd seeing them move at a walking pace!

200. Tolkien: Lighting Up the Darkness by Duraffourg, Caracuzzo & Odone



I have never read anything by Tolkien, sacrilege I know, but found Tolkien: Lighting Up the Darkness, a graphic biography of his life, enlightening. I didn’t realize that he was one of the WWI soldier poets. But his involvement in the war explains a lot about his desire to depict other worlds. It was a moving, if ultimately sad, life story.

Tonight I hosted a meeting of my women's group. Some of our talk was about the US election and we were all on the same page and there was some concern among those with upcoming trips booked in the US.

>38 Familyhistorian: It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? The story's sad, but the art's inspired, and that made it a favorite of mine.

Hi Meg, 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

201. Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos



In the second Porter Beck mystery, Beck’s crew was once again spread thin with wildfires to be fought on top of deadly drugs taking lives in the vast Nevada territory. Then someone hacked a military drone, aimed at a cattle ranch and fired. Beck was soon investigating. It was an investigation involving a Mexican cartel and Chinese agents, and a young hacker. Shades of Mercy was a thrilling story with a lot of players.

>40 richardderus: The art added a lot to the atmosphere of the story and found the beauty in the tragedy of that war. I had no idea that his stories were grounded in such loss.

>41 mahsdad: Thanks Jeff, a good reminder that it's coming up faster than we think!

>42 Familyhistorian: I'm really glad this series speaks to you, too.

>43 Familyhistorian: It gave me a lot more tolerance for stuff I really thoroughly dislike. He invented High Fantasy as a publishing genre. (Not the literary genre, that predates him, but the publishing one has been massively successful.)

>45 richardderus: Yeah, the Porter Beck series is fast paced and fun to follow.

Which did you dislike, fantasy or graphic novels? I have always liked GNs, I grew up on comic books. I thought I didn't like fantasy but seem to have developed a tolerance. Maybe I'll even read one of Tolkien's books one of these days.

202. This Thing of Darkness by Harry Bingham



I’d almost forgotten about the Fiona Griffiths series but someone mentioned it not long ago so I borrowed This Thing of Darkness from the library. It was a strange case, this plot involving transatlantic telecom lines, but Fiona’s strange thinking made the connections that eventually brought down the perpetrator.

Checking in on the "new" thread (well, it is new to me anyway!), Meg. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

>46 Familyhistorian: I dislike sequential-art "reading" because I just do not get it. What am I meant to do? Look at the pictures or read the words? I don't get it. Fantasy isn't my general jam, but I think it's okay now...except Tolkien's prose is sludge to me. His politics were abominable, and it really, really shows.

>48 alcottacre: I hope your weekend is a good one, Stasia!

>49 richardderus: I don't think of the words and pictures as an either or thing and take everything in at the same time. I've always loved comic strips and comic books but when you think about it they are really just a continuation of children's early books which are heavy on pictures and light on text.

I'm a newcomer to fantasy and have only tried some of it. You know more about Tolkien's politics than I. Not knowing anything about them, I don't have an opinion.

There is another wind warning for tomorrow evening, Meg. I hope we will be lucky again in our area. Prior to the Olympics, I would see a young man walking at such a fast pace that I wanted to up to him and say, you know, you could easily break into a run or a jog and it's so much more efficient. I used to be a runner / jogger. I saw him quite often and he looked so cheerful. I realized after the Olympics that he was Evan Dunfee, an Olympic race walker, so I know what you mean.

I wish you a relaxed Sunday.

>39 Familyhistorian: The Tolkien bio sounds interesting, Meg.

>52 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, we escaped the recent weather with no outages so far. it is discouraging to look at my weather app and see days and day of rain predicted though. The early sunsets don't help either.

The walking soccer players I saw didn't move quickly at all so not really like race walkers although it would be interesting to see one of those on the trails.

>52 vancouverdeb: Thanks Barbara, I hope you had a wonderful day as well. Our weekend morphed into a long weekend because of Remembrance Day.

>54 BLBera: The Tolkien bio was an interesting one, Beth. I didn't know anything about his backstory before I read it. The art was good too.

Just saying hello as I'm making my rounds.

>58 thornton37814: Hi Lori, thanks for the visit!

I'm not entirely sure what it was about Tolkien's politics that were so objectionable. I have seen accusations of racism from his writings (were the Orcs representative of the Japanese- he saw the West as good and the East as evil) but I didn't take that from his writing. Certainly the LOTR is about the weak opposing and defeating the powerful ina sort of WW2 allegory.

He was a conservative in many ways and had some rather contradictory thinking but he was certainly against racism and imperialism. RD maybe knows or has read more about his views than I have but I haven't found much that smacks me as being immediately abhorrent and RD and myself are very similar in political outlook as far as I know.

https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2024/08/ten-points-tolkien-politics-bradl...

203. Death at the Savoy by Ron Base & Prudence Emery



It seemed like a mystery I would like so I picked up Death at the Savoy, the first of the Priscilla Tempest series. Young Priscilla, a Canadian, worked as the Savoy’s press officer, in swinging ‘60s London. There she rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous and also infamous. Constantly in trouble with her manager, she was trying to hang onto her job but when murders started happening in the hotel it got trickier especially as she had been the woman sharing drinks with the man whose body was found. Could she solve the mystery and hang on to her job at the same time?

>60 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the link and your considered opinion on Tolkien's politics or lack thereof, Paul. I have no opinion myself, not having read his works and knowing how people can read things into allegorical works. I really should give them a try one of these days.

204. Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age by Kathleen Sheppard



I already had a copy of Women in the Valley of the Kings on hold when my online book club chose it as their pick for November. As was brought up in our discussion, my interest in Egyptology came about because of Agatha Christie. Unfortunately, she was not one of the women featured in the book. The women who made the grade were mostly hands-on archaeologists. Not that they got to do the stuff that would bring fame and glory, that was the purview of the men. Nor were the women’s efforts well remunerated but it was due to the female contingent that much of the painstaking cataloguing and copying of information was done. They contributed much but didn’t get to share in the glory.

I haven't been on LT much lately. Getting a sample book submission ready to send to an agent took ages. On top of that a they had requested a synopsis, something I'd never attempted before. It was trickier than it seemed at first glance.

The submission was finally sent yesterday, but November 15 was also the deadline for an article for the BCGS journal and then there was my blog post to write which comes out on Saturday - today.

205. How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley



Daphne was a planner. When she turned 70 her plans to make friends led her to the nearby community centre to join the Senior Citizen’s Social Club. Not impressed by the people there, she was going to quit but then part of the roof caved in making saving the community centre was a reason to stay.

How to Age Disgracefully turned into a book about people of various ages banding together with a common goal. Their separate and sometimes questionable pasts resulted in a humorous tale.

206. Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau



When her youngest sister gets married, Emily, the second oldest of five girls knows that her mother will go into matchmaking overload. But arranging to have her sitting beside Mark Chan, the man her mom has been raving about, was a bit much. Besides, she and the sweater vest wearing engineer have nothing in common. (We all know where this is going, right?)

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie was a well written enemies to lovers romance, because, of course Emily plans to appease her mom by arranging for fake dates that gradually become real dates. Which means that Mark and Emily end up together but not without a bunch of family drama to enliven the proceedings.

Emily in Love, Lies and Cherry Pie was a writer and it was heartening to see how much time she spent avoiding getting words on the page. So true to life! At least in my experience.

I enjoyed the one Pooley novel I've read, so I'll have a look for this one.

>60 PaulCranswick: Anyone who pines for les jadis, racializes the evil enemies, and portrays them as agents of the FALL of the proper order of things, is deeply reactionary. It'd be wrong and disingenuous to ignore how this crap has metastasized into the readers' worldviews. It was only a contributor not a Cause, but it's powerfully effective on its cultists.

Plus it's clunky and ill-formed prose. But I seem to be alone.

>62 Familyhistorian: Tolkien was adamant that his works were not allegorical. And he insisted they were not meant to "represent" any historical groups or situations. Hard not to see it, though. And an author's intent has never prevented readers from putting their own spin on...

>60 PaulCranswick: Well I often pine for the old times, RD, but I am certainly not a reactionary merely a nostalgia mutt. It is fantasy and I think a reader will take from it what they will. I loved LOTR and I don't think it deleteriously impacted my own character except to make me a more avid reader.
I can see why you take such umbrage with it and of course you don't like the writing but I didn't get those things from my reading of it.

>64 Familyhistorian: Good luck!

>68 katiekrug: What Pooley novel did you read, Katie? I wouldn't mind reading more of her books.

>69 richardderus: Is that what he was doing? From what I have heard from other readers of the work (you're right, there are a lot of them) their interpretation was different.

>70 laytonwoman3rd: And an author's intent has never prevented readers from putting their own spin on... Too true, Linda. Part of the reason that I have difficulty with poetry was that in grade school, teachers spent a lot of time showing how what the poets had written symbolized Calvary. I never agreed with their interpretation myself.

>71 PaulCranswick: I think you are in good company when it comes to LOTR, Paul. I've heard quite a few people think fondly back to their reading of that book.

>72 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! After sending in the sample pages, I've now realized that I need to get the rest of the manuscript into shape. I'm not sure what I'm hoping for at this point.

It looks you have done lots of enjoyable reading , Meg. Congratulations on getting a book submission and synopsis together Meg. I purchased a fun read, I hope , from Indigo a couple of days ago, The Christmas Jigsaw Murders . My current book is a sort of gothic mystery, so it's a fun read too.

>65 Familyhistorian: sounds wonderful, I've put it on my never ending library list.
I wish you a lovely Sunday.

>73 Familyhistorian: - I read Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting, which is also titled The People on Platform 5.

>78 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah. The Christmas Jigsaw Murders sounds interesting and seasonal. I wonder how jigsaws are involved. I love mysteries.

>79 Ameise1: It's great that books these days often have protagonists who are getting on in years. I hope you enjoy the read when you get to it. I a wonderful week, Barbara!

>80 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. I've actually got Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting on my library hold list. It has been there for a while because I have a bunch of book on the list that I keep pausing so they don't arrive in huge bunches.

I was hoping for a productive day today. I went to the in-person meeting of my heritage writers group and made it back home in time for a Zoom meeting of the Family History Writing Studio in which the discussion was about The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper. I left the in-person meeting early so I could make most of the Zoom meeting because The Five is a favourite of mine because of the depth I added to my knowledge of the areas of Whitechapel where Jack hunted and the lives of the women. It is an area I've spent a lot of time researching as some of my family lived in the East End at the time.

After that, I was going to watch one of the SIWC recorded sessions and then get in some writing. The power went out midway through the session. Then I when it came back I was on the phone either waiting for and talking to Telus to get my TV service back. Some much for being productive. I had candles though and was reading my book for Friday's book club by candlelight so all was not lost.

HI Meg, Crazy winds predicted for tonight. Will i feel like the 3 little pigs waiting for the house to blow down? Wondering if we will lose power too. Reading by candlelight. Oh my!

I headed for my walk today in the wild wind. At least it was not raining. Fingers crossed that we don't lose power - so far, winds aren't bad here.

>85 mdoris: Hi Mary, I hope you didn't lose power. We didn't here which was good since I already spent part of Monday evening in the dark. I noticed quite a few branches blown off trees when I ventured out today.

>86 vancouverdeb: I wasn't out in the wind when I ventured out on Tuesday. Must have just timed it right. I'm hoping that was it for the storm, but we shall see.

207. Encore in Death by J.D. Robb



The party was at the home of a well-known power couple but before the evening was done the host would be dead. But just who was the poison in the drink intended for, the host or hostess. That was one of the questions that Dallas and her team had to answer when investigating the murder in Encore in Death.

I'm way behind on the write ups for the books that I've read recently. I'm trying to take in on the SIWC sessions that were recorded and are available until the end of November. I thought I had my holds at the library paused so they'd only come in a few at a time but today there were 5 to pick up so it looks like I don't have the formula perfected yet.

208. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt



I didn’t get in on the initial buzz for Remarkably Bright Creatures but it was my book clubs pick for November. Hedging my bets, I put it on hold at two libraries but they were still too far out and the meeting was imminent so I bought the book and was glad that I read the tale of the connection between Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living in an aquarium and the people whose life stories he interacts with. It was heartwarming.

Hooray for Remarkably Bright Creatures! Such a fun book. Glad you are going to give The Painted Veil another go. I don't think you will regret it.

>74 Familyhistorian:, >71 PaulCranswick: Interpretations are like nostrils. Everybody got at least one, and you can be sure no one wants a close look at anyone else's. Tolkien's many fans have mobbed me more than once virtually and F2F, with much scorn and not a few very insulting comments. I swore off fandoms because they breed that kind of 'tude.

>75 Familyhistorian: Oh, those interpretations of poetry! I am deeply grateful not to be a child anymore. Isn't Calvary what all poetry is...pain and suffering and then you die?

Happy new week!

ETA >91 Familyhistorian: Yay for Marcellus and Tova making another friend!

>92 msf59: I was surprised by Remarkably Bright Creatures; by how good it was as well as how popular when I looked at the library hold lists. I have higher hopes for The Painted Veil now. I'll see how it goes.

>93 richardderus: Some fandoms closely police alternative opinions to those they deem acceptable. Sorry you ran afoul of them.

According to the teachers, they saw a lot of pain and suffering and dying in the poetry they taught. Couldn't see it myself.

The story of Marcellus and Tova was a happy making one (well, relatively in his case, I guess.)

209. Bookshop Cinderella by Laura Lee Guhrke



It started with a bet with obnoxious young men much his junior, the Duke of Westbourne said the young shopkeeper who had put them in their places only lacked the right clothes to attract favourable attention at a ball. That bet became the premise for Bookshop Cinderella, a fun romance set in the Victorian age.

Wall mural in a restaurant I was in recently

>97 Familyhistorian: What a great idea! Particularly like the bubbles coming out of the Gorton's fisherman's pipe.

I wonder if octopuses get drunk....

>98 richardderus: Well from the looks of that they could have more than one drink going at a time. So maybe they can.

210. A Meditation on Murder by Susan Juby



A Meditation on Murder was the second book the series featuring Buddhist butler, Helen. In it she had to deal with the frenzied and frazzled world of social media influencers, a world very remote from her own experiences. The mystery was interesting but I didn’t enjoy the read as much as the first book in the series.

My latest puzzling effort.

211. Hollywood Hustle by Jon Lindstrom



Winston Greene carved out a career as a tough man on screen, a steady not heady one but his home life wasn’t going so well. It got worse when his granddaughter 6 year-old granddaughter Amy was dropped off at his house by a man saying he had Win’s daughter. The demand for “everything he had” came later, only he was broke, just another complication in a thriller that had Win relying on friends to help him chase down any leads that would find his daughter and the kidnappers before anything really bad happened.

Hollywood Hustle was so well done that I was surprised to read that it was the author’s debut.

>102 Familyhistorian: I'm glad you liked this read, Meg. I too was surprised it was a debut, since it was so accomplished.

Have a lurvely weekend-ahead's reads.

>101 Familyhistorian: I love this puzzle.

>100 Familyhistorian: This sounds like an interesting premise for a series. I will look for the first book, and maybe leave it at that.

212. Murder in Midtown by Liz Freeland



In the second book of the Louise Faulk mysteries set in NYC in the 1910’s, Murder in Midtown, our heroine applied to join the New York Police department. It was just as well that she was searching for new employment as the publishing house where she had been working burned down. The body of one of the owners found among the ashes but the fire was not the cause of his death. That left a new mystery for Louise to investigate but would her sleuthing hurt her chances of getting into the police department?

>103 richardderus: The author either was very good or had a good editor or maybe it was a combination of the two.

Have a great weekend, Richard!

>104 BLBera: I like those 500 piece puzzles especially ones with interesting pictures like that one.

The first book in the series, Mindful of Murder was really good, Beth.

213. Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History by Nellie Bowles



In a look beyond the rhetoric, the author touched on many popular social movements to find out what was really happening on the ground in Morning after the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History. It was an informative look at popular ideas, like defunding police, and how they actually turned out when people put those ideas into action.

>108 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, I hope you found this book worthwhile. I sure did! Enjoy your weekend!

214. A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn



The fifth book in the Veronica Speedwell series was A Murderous Relation. Most of the action took place in the shadier parts of London, not the best place to hang around in 1888, the year Jack the Ripper was keeping the police busy. Veronica and Stoker had an investigation of their own to follow up on, one that involved them and a member of the royal family in perilous situations. It was a fun one.

>109 mdoris: Hi Mary, I know you got a lot out of the book. It was your review that gave me the BB. I found it very interesting and it covered many events that I was not aware of.

215. Payback in Death by J.D. Robb



The 57th book in the in death series was Payback in Death. Payback in this case involved the murder of the retired captain of IAB, not the most popular department in the NYPD. But it was Webster who found him and he called in Dallas, which was the start of a case with roots into previous cases in which the captain was involved. It was a good one.

216. Stories of Women in the Middle Ages by Maria Teresa Brolis



I pulled Stories of Women in the Middle Ages off my shelves to meet a challenge. This slim volume was an easy read as the records surviving about these women were sparse. The only one among them that I recognized was Joan of Arc. Most of the women came from the region of Bergamo so it wasn’t a comprehensive view of women in different regions or countries. Still it gave an idea of how the life of women was at that time.

Yesterday was cold and wet because it was Saturday, the day I would meet up with my Coquitlam Crunch group. In honour of the season we had decided to meet for breakfast in a restaurant close to the Crunch and, weather permitting, a walk up the hill. Only the guys did the walk but we all got to catch up later at breakfast. (It has been raining on Saturday mornings for over a month now.) Of course today it is sunny.

217. Act like a Lady, Think like a Lord by Celeste Connally



In 1815 England, women had few rights their lives being supervised by the males in their families. Act like a Lady, Think like a Lord explores an extreme use of this power as Lady Petra, looks into the women disappearing from society. She was a young woman who declared her intention to remain a spinster after the death of her fiancé. As such, she too was at risk from men who could make her disappear.

It was a thought provoking mystery that explored the deplorable reality of the times when mad houses were used to get rid of troublesome women.

I love that in Death series, Meg. Is it possible she can write 100 of them, all of them good? I wouldn’t put it past her. What amazes me the most is how she keeps the quality so high, while writing her zillion other books.

There must be a tv adaptation in the works somewhere.

>97 Familyhistorian: Oh wow! Thats stunning. What a wonderful atmosphere that restaurant has!

>116 jnwelch: I'd love to see a TV adaptation of the in death series, Joe. I wonder if it would live up to our expectations though.

I only have a few books left to read in the series as it currently goes to 60 books. I've been doing a reread over the last year and a bit but I might just do another read through after giving it a rest for a while.

>117 figsfromthistle: The restaurant was in Abbotsford if you are ever out this way, Anita. The seafood was good too.

218. Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens by Andrea Penrose



Charlotte Sloane needed to put her best foot forward as she was under scrutiny as the future wife of the Earl of Wexford. She was supposed to be concentrating on the preparations for her wedding but then a botanist turned up dead in the Royal Botanic Gardens just before he delivered a talk about a groundbreaking discovery. And, despite initial appearances, the cause of death was not natural. What was more, one of her young wards witnessed something. Did the killer know there was an audience? Soon she and Wexford were off on a new investigation, which was one way to deal with prenuptial nerves in Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Hello, Meg, and Happy December! It's hard to believe 2024 is almost over!

How to Age Disgracefully has been on my radar. I'm glad to see you enjoyed it.

Our library's book reviewer found Remarkably Bright Creatures quite enjoyable "if you can suspend disbelief." The description of the book never appealed to me, but since you also found it heartwarming, I may rethink my hesitation to read it. (Though I'll probably never get to it through the hundreds of books in line ahead of it . . .)

The answer was almost my starter word

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Hi Terri, nice to see you here. How to Age Disgracefully was a fun story. I hope you like it.

I wasn’t tempted to read Remarkably Bright Creatures. It was a book club pick and I was pleasantly surprised.

>122 Familyhistorian: - Wow!

>124 jessibud2: Yeah, now I have to decide whether I should change my starter word. If I do, it would be the third time I've done that. The other two times my starter word was the actual word for the day.

Belated Congratulations on submitting your book proposal!

Your comments about the older female protagonists chimed with a book I just read: crime fiction, but two older women protagonists, with living with menopause as a theme.

I'd not been tempted by Remarkably Bright Creatures either, but you've persuaded me now.

>113 Familyhistorian: You've reminded me that I wanted to read Femina, Janina Ramirez's book on a similar topic - and get to the British Library exhibition.

I'm going to escape now before I have to add more to the wishlist!

>126 charl08: I've noticed the older protagonists in quite a few genres, Charlotte. I have a sneaking suspicion it's due to how many older readers there are out there now.

I glad I caught you with some BBs as you've done the same to me with Femina which looks very interesting.

219. Woman Life Freedom by Marjane Satrapi



The GN Woman Life Freedom packed a punch as it detailed the history and struggles of the people of Iran. I was aware of only a small part of the story before reading this account.

>122 Familyhistorian: A belated happy two-day, Meg!

Enjoy the week-ahead's reads.

>129 richardderus: Thanks Richard. Hope your reading week is a good one!

>120 Familyhistorian: That sounds like a great mystery!

>122 Familyhistorian: Wordle in two tries-nice!

Happy rest of the week

I have been trying to cut down on the amount of books coming in the door but there were a few this month. My November acquisitions were:

And Four to Go by Rex Stout
Lightning Strikes the Silence by Iona Whishaw
Princess of the Savoy by Ron Base & Prudence Emery
Marvel's Spider-Man - Script to Page by Marvel
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson
Cosmic Detective by Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt and David Rubin
Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara
Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II by Elyse Graham

>131 figsfromthistle: That mystery is actually the fifth book in the Wrexford and Sloane series, Anita. The first title in that series is Murder on Black Swan Lane and I have been devouring the books rapidly. I have three more to go at this point.

>132 Familyhistorian: That's a pretty restrained haul for an entire month, Meg. I salute you, restrained one.

>134 richardderus: I've been trying to keep down the numbers of new books coming in, Richard. You have to remember that these are all physical books that are taking up physical space.

Nice haul, Meg. I've read Looking for Jane as well as Lightning Strikes the Silence . Both were good reads. I posted a picture of our new adopted puppy on my thread. A havanese puppy from the Vancouver SPCA. We very fortunate to get her.

>135 Familyhistorian: Huge difference indeed. I'm still impressed!

Meg. You read many good books this year! Congratulations!

>136 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, good to see you making the rounds. It might take me a while to get to those two books, especially the Lane Winslow one as I have a few books in the series to read before that one.

I'll have to check out the new puppy!

>137 richardderus: I hope to be as impressive in December as well, Richard.

>138 Whisper1: Thanks Linda, my reading volume increased as the holds kept on coming in bunches!

220. The Painted Veil by Somerset Maughan



It took me a while to read The Painted Veil as the heroine, Kitty, annoyed me so I put the book down for a while. Then I read the reviews of the others in the group who were reading it and it sounded worthwhile. It turned out Kitty’s transformation was worth the investment of eye blinks. Thank you to everyone in the group who posted their thoughts about the book.

221. Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley



Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting was a heartwarming and sometimes humorous story about unlikely connections made between a small group of people who took the same commuter train to work. Lending each other support (even if it was sometimes reluctant aid) helped them get through some issues and grow more accepting of where each other were coming from.

Every year Port Coquitlam holds a Christmas Tree contest. This one at the library caught my eye.

222. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett



My reading has been straying more into the realm of fantasy lately. I found Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries a fun read and particularly liked the shy and awkward Emily who found herself friends in spite of herself. There was also the requisite daring adventure/rescue mission which wondered into interesting places but I wasn’t too sure about all the snow.

>144 Familyhistorian: - OMG, that is hilarious!! I'm sure the kids ALL voted it the best!

>144 Familyhistorian: That is hilarious. I bet kids loved it.

>146 jessibud2: Isn't it great Shelley? Let's hope the adults vote for it too!

>147 BLBera: I didn't see any kids admiring it, Beth, there were a few adults with smiles on their faces though.

223. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain



I had never read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before but thought that I’d better read the original before I tackled James. As it was I was still reading the classic book when the new one came up on my hold list. The older story was good but it felt like it went on for a long time at the end. I hope the new rendition is more succinct.

I went to the downtown Vancouver library today to take back some books. Had to time my visit to early afternoon but still the place was hopping. Traffic was backed up on a lot of the streets and the sidewalks were busy. I saw quite a few girls in glittery outfits. It was (and still is at this point) the second day of the Taylor Swift trifecta of concerts to end the ERAs tour.

224. London Rules by Mick Herron



How did I stay away from the Slough House books for so long? I finally picked up where I left off by borrowing London Rules. In this one the misfits of Slough House were dragged into a plot that involved a gang of Korean recruits acting on an old British playbook of how to topple a colonial country by carrying out the methodology in England itself. They meant business, at one point slaughtering people in a small English Village. Where did they get the British playbook? Why from Roderick Ho whose head (or something) was turned by his “girlfriend”, Kim.

>152 Familyhistorian: Yeah, well, we know *which* head got turned. It's a terrific series, Meg, glad you're back on the (slow) horse.

>153 richardderus: Oh yeah, strangely I think that Roddy Ho is one of my favourite characters in the series. His fantasy world is brilliant and I can think of some people who probably have the same ideas of themselves.

Once again!

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>152 Familyhistorian: I saw an interview with the actor who plays Ho in the TV series. I couldn't get over how young he was (in my head, for some reason, he was older!)

>144 Familyhistorian: Love this. I think the book "trees" some libraries do are winners for me.

>155 Familyhistorian: Excellent! Fantastic results are becoming normal around here.

>156 charl08: That sent me down a rabbit hole looking for info on the actor who plays Ho. I pictured someone shorter and heavier and, yes, a bit older but not much. I've never seen the show. Have you?

That tree definitely caught my eye!

>157 richardderus: Not really normal, Richard. I only post the good ones.

225. A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher



Cordelia was the daughter of a sorceress who would stop at nothing to get her way. She did that by making Cordelia “obedient”, a state where her mother controlled her actions and speech but not her thoughts which weren’t good in that state. It was a miserable existence but it got worse when her mother set her sights on marrying the Squire. The Squire’s sister, Hester, who thought of the woman as Doom knew that she had to fight the takeover of her home and her brother. She was supported in that goal but friends, servants and Cordelia herself in an adventurous tale called A Sorceress Comes to Call.

Hmm, I'm not sure if James is more succinct than Huckleberry Finn, Meg. I read both of them this fall. But both are fairly short books.

>161 vancouverdeb: Now that I think about it, they would both follow the same script from different points of view so I guess they would cover all the same ground. So not more succinct as you point out, Deborah.

226. Voices of the Dead by Ambrose Parry



It took me a little longer than usual to get into the fourth book of the series featuring Will Raven and Sarah. This story strayed into theatrical world involving séances and mesmerism. Studying the latter for its medical properties, Sarah hoped that she would be able to advance in her career by its use. But could she trust the man she who was training her? It seemed that he was becoming more theatrical rather than elevating the practice of mesmerism in the eyes of the medical profession. As usual, the social lives and concerns of historic Edinburgh informed the narrative of the story giving depth to the background and providing fodder for the unfolding mystery in Voices of the Dead.

Lately I've had some car issues. Somewhere I picked up a nail in one of my tires, a pain but probably a result of all the construction going on around here. Unfortunately the tire needs to be replaced but I can't get a replacement until sometimes in January when new stock comes in. As long as I keep putting air in the tire I can drive but that is getting old quickly.

227. The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar



Johanna van Gogh had a hard life but it was her efforts that brought the masterpieces of her brother in law, Vincent van Gogh, to prominence. In The Secret Life of Sunflowers Johanna’s story was interspersed with that of a modern day woman discovering the diary of Johanna Bonger who married Vincent’s brother Theo. As the author said in her endnote, she added the lighter modern day tale to relieve the hardship of Johanna’s tale and it did help with the heavy lifting of the historical narrative.

There was a strong wind storm here today and it was also the Christmas lunch for PoCo Heritage. I walked over because I of my car issue and the wind was strong, sometimes so strong that leaves and branches were raining down. On one path there was a tree trunk lying across the pavement which I had to walk over. When I got to the venue, one of the other diners was looking at all the power outages on her phone. Happily the power didn't go out during lunch so we all got fed and all were able to pay. (That's pretty dependant on electricity these days.)

I walked home after lunch and found out my power was out but I'd only been in the door a few minutes when it came on again so my timing today was pretty good.

>165 Familyhistorian:- I had not heard of this one, Meg. I own (but have not yet read) Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick and Mrs. Van Gogh by Caroline Cauchi, both on this same subject. Did you like the one you just read? It's sometimes interesting to read about the same subject from different perspectives, even when they are fictional. Maybe especially when they are fictional!

>167 jessibud2: I did like the book I read, Shelley. I hadn't heard of the other books on the subject of Van Gogh but then I wasn't the one who knew about The Secret Life of Sunflowers as it was a book club pick.

>165 Familyhistorian: Seems like a reasonable approach to take to such a grim story...what a hand she was dealt! And what a huge success she made of it, good on her. I'm grateful she didn't just sit down and wait for the inevitable.

Enjoy your week-ahead's reads between tire-airings.

>169 richardderus: The lighter story did help getting through the story, Richard. Some people's lives were just so hard it makes me wonder what kept them going.

I hope your week ahead is full of good reads!

>166 Familyhistorian: That sounds like some strong weather! Glad your plans weren't too affected by it.

We were fortunate yesterday and did not lose power, Meg. I was out in Ladner as well, for a birthday party, and all was well there too. That seems wrong that you can't a get a new tire until January.

Meg, I had a nail in my tire last summer. Fortunately, they were able to extract it and just patched it without need for a replacement. Surely they could patch your tire until the replacement comes in. Don't you have a spare tire in the trunk?

>171 charl08: The winds were strong so I didn't take the wooded path by the river. Probably a good thing because I was close to there and heard a large crash, likely another tree coming down.

>172 vancouverdeb: It seems to have been Surrey and the Coquitlam area that had most of the outages, Deborah. Mostly trees coming down on hydro wires. You were lucky not to be affected.

I was not too thrilled that no tires were available either. It's because they are all weather tires and my car is older and smaller so they only make so many for the year.

>173 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, yeah mostly they are able to fix your tire when there is a nail in it but this one is too close to the edge of the tire for that to work. The spares that they have in cars these days aren't full tires. They are small tires (like donuts) and can only be driven on for 15k.

>176 Familyhistorian: - I never knew that. Luckily, I never had to use mine.

>177 jessibud2: I knew that before I had to use mine, Shelley, but that's because I worked for an auto insurer in the claims department and saw a lot of damaged vehicles.

I'm trying to catch up on threads.

>115 Familyhistorian: You hit me with a book bullet here.

>120 Familyhistorian: I love that series. I'll get to that one eventually.

>179 thornton37814: I'm slowly working my way through the threads too, Lori. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord was a good one. I hope you like it. I'm currently waiting for the next one in the series. My library has it on order. As for the Wexford and Sloane series, I really like them and I have the next one set to go as soon as I finish the book I'm currently reading.

228. James by Percival Everett



I had to read James with all the buzz it was getting here on LT. At first it was slow going for me because it had so many echoes of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which I had just read through for the first time but then it got interesting because of the separate and much more dangerous things happening when Huck wasn’t there. I thought the time with the minstrel show really stood out as a strange and scary episode which could have gone south so easily.

Yes, I would not be thrilled about the tire issue either. Dave is not thrilled right now, as the brand new Toyota Corolla Cross has serpentine belt that was put on incorrectly. He smelled some burning and discovered that yesterday. Called Toyata and the first appointment available to replace is Jan 8 2025. Dave is not sure it hold on that long. They said he drop off the car for a day prior to the appointment and they might or might now be able to fix that day. That doesn't sit well with either of us. At least he a retired aircraft mechanic, so he knows how to keep any eye on it.

>182 vancouverdeb: That's pretty bad that you already have an issue with the new vehicle, Deborah. I hope it sees you through until it can be fixed. This is not a great time of year for getting things like that fixed. It's also not a great time of year to be dealing with a tire with a slow leak either. I keep waiting for breaks in the weather so I don't get rained on too much while crouching down in the gas station lot.

Solstice cheer, Meg!

>184 richardderus: Ooh, nice! Thanks Richard.

Yes, I can understand being careful while driving with that leaky tire. I was out walking Muffin in the rain this afternoon. It was not bad, I had my gortex jacket and rain pants on , and my more or less waterproof shoes on. Muffin wore her stylish yellow rain coat. Dave is watching the serpentine belt and always takes his phone with his, so he can me should he have problem. I hope not. We won't drive far in that vehicle until the belt is fixed . Muffin is bit funny and not yet a year old. Here and there she nips the back of my calf or heel as if to herd me along. I tell her "NO" and we stop walking and I stare up into the sky. We always seem to get dogs that are characters!

>186 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, driving with a leaky tire isn't the issue, it's crouching there in the rain filling the tire with air. There are no awnings over the machine for inflating tires.

Muffin sounds like quite a character! It seems like she is training you as much as you are training her. Good luck with keeping the vehicle going until it can be repaired. Good thing you weren't planning a driving trip for the holidays.

229. The Dead Pass by Colin Bateman



In The Dead Pass, Dan Starkey was hired to find a missing man, Billy the Bear, by his worried mother. Only things weren’t that straight forward as the mother, Moira, had been involved in the troubles. Added to that were a new age religion with Starkey worried about the young messiah, Christine and, to counter that proud bunch, a dial in sex scheme that Billy had run but was now being taken over by other forces. All of this and Starkey out of his element in Derry made for a confusing though interesting investigation.

230. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett



When his step mother found a way to poison Wendell, use of his magic drained him and brought him close to death. It was up to Emily to find out how to bring about a cure, even if that meant finding a way into his realm and going there herself.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands once again found Emily and Wendell as well as other, not necessarily helpful, people in a group staying in a dwelling on a field trip. Working on another book this time, Emily was distracted from her task by the life or death crisis as well as by a legendary lost couple. It was another fun read in the series.

My latest puzzle

I had a lot of things to do today. One of which was to send some emails out to the people I wasn't able to sent Christmas Cards out to because of the mail strike but the deadline for the article for my genealogy society's newsletter was today as well and I wanted to get that done first. At 4:00 pm, I was in the middle of the article when the power went out. It came on four hours later.

At least the flashlight I bought this month was powerful enough to read by.

Merry Christmas, Meg. What are your holiday plans?

I wish you and your loved ones a happy and blessed festive season.

Nadolig Llawen, Happy Christmas and Happy Holidays!

>190 Familyhistorian: Lovely puzzle, Meg! Tomorrow, another day of wind and rain and potential power outages. So far we have been lucky , but I'll have flashlights and candles a the ready tomorrow . Muffin has separation anxiety, so we cannot leave by herself yet - will probably take several months , so I am heading to a Christmas eve family thing this evening and Dave is off to Christmas dinner tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

>192 msf59: Not much planned for the holidays, Mark. I went to the Nutcracker last Saturday and my son will share a holiday meal with me.

>193 Ameise1: >194 SandDune: >195 johnsimpson: Thanks for the holiday greetings Barbara, Rhian and John! All the best of the season to you.

>196 vancouverdeb: I had a new flashlight to try out when the power went out yesterday, Deborah. London Drugs has some really good ones. We've had lots of power outages here lately and I hope there isn't a repeat tomorrow. I was surprised by the sunshine today but then I didn't see the weather forecast or the news last night.

Too bad that you and Dave will have to split the festivities between you. It will be nice when Muffin is okay to leave on her own.

231. Toil and Trouble by Mairghread Scott & Kelly & Nichole Matthews



The GN, Toil and Trouble, was a retelling of the story of MacBeth from the point of view of the witches. It was an interesting interpretation. I also found that, if reduced to reading by flashlight, GNs are a good choice.

>201 Whisper1: Thanks Linda. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Some of the Christmas light display at Lafarge Lake







The first two are of the scene in daylight (no, I don't know who the little guy in the shot is but I think he's hassling the ducks). The last picture is of the sinking ship all lit up at night (there are a lot of lights on the far shore of the lake.)

Thinking of you at this time, Meg.

>204 PaulCranswick: I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Paul. Any chance of getting together in person with family in 2025?

232. Cirque du Slay by Rob Osler



The second book in the Hayden & Friends mystery series was as much fun as the first. In Cirque du Slay Hayden and Hollister were investigating the murder of the artistic director of an upscale circus because their friend, Sarah Lee, was the main suspect. There were new allies involved this time as Sarah needed a defense attorney who turned out to be a Hayden look-a-like. This, of course, helped the humorous plot along and the plot also saw positive developments in Hayden’s personal life.

>205 Familyhistorian: I must do, Meg! Christmas dinner alone isn't all it is cracked up to be.

233. Traitors, Cannibals, Highlanders, & Vikings by Carolyn Jean Nicholson





The author’s ancestral background is a varied one which came together in the Maritimes. To tell those forebears’ stories and to tie them together, she placed a younger version of herself as a character in each of the narratives. That device allowed her to give explanations of the historical context in a way that could resonate with modern day readers.

I enjoyed Traitors, Cannibals, Highlanders, & Vikings and was able to find pointers for my own research in the region. I was also interested to see that the publishing house for this book, Somewhat Grumpy Press, is based in Halifax and thank them for sending me this ER book.

>207 PaulCranswick: I'm with you on the Christmas dinner alone, Paul. One does tend to get used to it though.

234. Lady Violet Holds a Baby by Grace Burrowes



The mystery in Lady Violet Holds a Baby didn’t involve murder, in this story it was kidnapping. Someone was taking the little girls who had come for a family gathering at the estate of Violet’s father. It was meant to be a happy occasion celebrating the christening of the next heir to the estate, Violet’s brother’s male child. Instead, there was friction between the attendees forcing Violet to think about where she fit in the family of her birth and where she wanted her future to lie.

I'm kinda lonely over here....

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

>211 drneutron: Hi Doc, I was just checking yesterday to see if the new year was set up yet. Thanks for the heads up!

235. The Black Echo by Michael Connelly



I’m not sure whose thread I got the nudge from to finally pick up the first of the Harry Bosch novels, The Black Echo. The action harks back to Bosch’s time in Vietnam as the first body was found in a tunnel and he was one of the troops who went down the tunnels when he was in combat. So was the dead man he found in the tunnel. Knowing the man helped Bosch unravel the mystery of what was going on and who was behind the crimes in this first episode of the Bosch series.

Hi Meg! I've been MIA on most threads this year, but hope to do better next year.

>213 Familyhistorian: Love the Harry Bosch series, hope you decide to continue with it.

>213 Familyhistorian: That was me, I've read it mid November.

>214 karenmarie: Hi Karen, I know that missing in action feeling. I haven't kept up with the threads very well myself. Let's hope we both do better this coming year!

>215 Ameise1: Ah ha, thanks for the nudge, Barbara.

Looks lovely at LaFarge Lake, Meg.