LauraBrook tries for a Double 75 - Chapter 1

Hello to friends both old and new. Yes, you read that subject line correctly - I am trying to read 150 books this year! I surpassed that in 2013, so I'm hoping I can do it again. Thanks to lots of Graphic Novels and children's picture books, I should be able to hit that magic number.

Books read in 2014: 234



I feel so lucky to have found LibraryThing, and this group in particular. I'm so happy that I can call you all my friends. Now, if we could only have a giant LT Meet-Up, THAT would be spectacular!

Books Read

1. Beethoven's Shadow by Jonathan Biss
2. The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire
3. Tonoharu, Part 1 by Lars Martinson
4. Doctor Who: The TARDIS Inside Out by John Nathan-Turner
5. Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren
6. Sorry I Barfed On Your Bed by Jeremy Greenberg
7. Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia by Annabel Gibson
8. Around the World by Matt Phelan
9. Will & Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge
10. Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren
11. Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren
12. Test your Cat's IQ by EM Bard
13. Unforgotten by Tohby Riddle
14. Concierge Confidential by Michael Fazio
15. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
16. The What To Eat If You Have Cancer Cookbook by Maureen Keane
17. The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
18. Mousekin's Family by Edna Miller
19. We Can Fix It! by Jess Fink
20. Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who Assimilation 2, Volume 1 by Scott Tipton
21. The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz
22. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
****February****
23. Fog Island by Tomi Ungerer
24. Bearded Lady by Mara Altman
25. Essex County, Volume 1 by Jeff Lemire
26. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
27. The Woman in the Wall by Patrice Kindl
28. The Dark by Lemony Snicket
29. 29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy by Lemony Snicket
30. Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantock
31. Sabine's Notebook by Nick Bantock
32. The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock
33. Big Appetites: Tiny People in a World of Big Food by Christopher Boffoli
34. Kokeshi Kimono Book by Annelise Parot
35. The True Story of Stellina by Matteo Pericoli
36. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
37. The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
38. A Breast Cancer Alphabet by Madhulika Sikka
39. The House on the Strand by Daphne Du Maurier
40. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
41. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich
42. God Save the Queen by Kate Locke
43. Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon
44. Hansi by Ludwig Bemelmens
45. Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France by Evelyne Lever
46. The Vision Board by Joyce Schwarz
47. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
48. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
49. Artifact by Gigi Pandian
50. The Scraps Book by Lois Ehlert
51. The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker
52. The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
53. Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand
54. The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson
55. Agent Gates and the Secret Adventures of Devonton Abbey: A Parody of Downton Abbey by Camaren Subhiyah
56. Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
57. Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
58. Flotsam by David Wiesner
59. Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale
60. Streamlining Your Life: A 5-Point Plan for Uncomplicated Living by Stephanie Culp
61. The Healing Consciousness: A Doctor's Journey to Healing by Dr. Beth Baughman DuPree
62. Ask Graham by Graham Norton
63. Sheldon & Mrs. Levine, An Excruciating Correspondence by Sam Bobrick
64. Song Book by Nick Hornby
65. Naples! Recipe for Adventure #1 by Giada De Laurentiis
66. The Storybook of Legends, Ever After High #1 by Shannon Hale
67. Complete Guide to Container Gardening by Better Homes and Gardens
68. Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly by Agatha Christie
69. Naked Heat by Richard Castle
70. Month-by-Month Gardening in Wisconsin by Melinda Myers
71. 13, rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro
72. Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School by Kevin Smokler
73. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
74. The Serpent's Trail by Sue Henry
75. The Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers by Patrick Kavanaugh
76. The Giver by Lois Lowry
77. The Gryphon by Nick Bantock
78. Alexandria by Nick Bantock
79. The Morning Star by Nick Bantock
80. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
81. Hotel Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones
82. Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lives! by Richard Ned Lebow
83. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen
84. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
85. Coco All Year Round by Sloane Tanen
86. Jane in Search of a Job by Agatha Christie
87. The Azalea Assault by Alyse Carlson
****June 26****

Books Purchased Title, Author, Place Purchased, and Price

Ideally, this number will be much much less than the total number of books read, but I know that that's not likely. It'd be a nice change, but I'm not holding my breath.

1. A Writer's Diary by Virginia Woolf (Amazon) $13
2. Henrietta Sees It Through by Joyce Dennys (A) $7 (gift)
3. Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys (A) $6 (gift)
4. Love's Shadow by Ada Leverson (A) $6
5. Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker (A) $6
6. A Kid for Two Farthings by Wolf Mankowitz (A) $6
7. Henrietta's War (again) by Joyce Dennys (A) $6 (another gift)
8. Hospital Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones (A) $6
9. My Fair Captain by J L Langley (A) $5
10. The Regency Underworld by Donald A Low (A) $14
11. Late Bloomer by Erica Scott (A) $6
12. Whatever She Wants by Andrew Rosetta (A) $6
13. Beach Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones (A) $6
(had a bit of a book buying binge of titles that have long been on my wish list - plus a few gifts - in preparation for lots of extra reading time while I'm taking care of my Mom getting through cancer treatment. Today is Jan 7. Yikes - $93 is not great for 1 week.)
14. Mrs Tim of the Regiment by D.E. Stevenson (PaperbackSwap) $12
15. The Healing Conciousness: A Doctor's Journey to Healing by Beth DuPree (A-used) $9
16. Locked Rooms by Laurie R King (A-used) $5
17. Pirate King by Laurie R King (A-used) $9
18. Let's Kill Uncle by Rohan O'Grady (A) $13
19. The Brontes Went to Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson (A) $12
20. An Edwardian Summer by John Goodall (A-used) $8
21. Justice Hall by Laurie R King (A-used) $5
22. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh (A) $13
23. Rain Village by Carolyn Turgeon (A) $23
24. Look Who It Is! by Alan Carr (A) $9
25.

Totals for the year Number of books / Pages / Audiobook Time

January: 17 / 3,202 / 1 hr 57 min

Hello dear, I brought my own chair.



Happy 2014!

OMG... I'm second to a thread???? Wow!

I love Richard's chair, so I'll borrow it while he's away! ;)

Wonderful! Happy 2014 to you too, Richard.



Tina!!! So glad you made it. I'm sure he won't mind, looks like you could scootch over and share whenever he returns.

Laura - I'll second you on the giant 75er meet-up. When I get the income up to a coupla million p.a. I'll fly y'all into Kuala Lumpur for a 75er weekend. Don't see it happening this side of Christmas mind.

Happy New Year!

Hi Paul! That weekend would be FANTASTIC! So you're saying just after Christmas we should expect a first class ticket in our mailboxes? Will we ring in the New Year next year in KL? You are too kind and generous. ;)

Hi Laura, nice new thread for a new year. Hope 2014 is filled with 150 great books.

Happy New Year Laura! Hope this year brings all good things ONLY. And loads and loads of great books read from the tbr! ;-)

Laura - Don't inform the cattery of intended business in January 2015 just in case. xx

Hi Laura!

Hi Laura - good luck on the 150! I look forward to following you this year.

Happy New Year, Laura!

Welcome back! There's always the DC area meet ups, you know...

Happy New Year Laura! Hope you have a great 2014!

Found you! Love the picture of the lady relaxing in bed with a newspaper.... beautiful. Sending you heartfelt warmest wishes for a Happy New Year and a wonderful 2014, Laura!

*tackle hugs Laura* Hi friend! Happy New Year!

>2 LauraBrook: Sorry Richard but I am stealing that chair. It's just too gorgeous.

Hi Laura!

Hi Laura! So glad to be in your lovely thread here! I also *love* that chair RD.

Hi there, Laura! I'm afraid I fell behind on your threads last year, which makes me incredibly sad! But I'll try to keep up this time around, I promise. :)

Hi Laura, I'm just checking into your first 2014 thread. Looks like you are planning a very busy reading year and I am looking forward to being along for the ride!

Like Lori, I love your topper picture.

Linda, Ilana, Paul, Wilkiec, Kerry, Nora, Jim, Chell, Lori, Micky, Lori, Tam, Stephen, and Judy, thank you! Keeping up with threads is always nearly impossible this time of year, though I will make an effort a bit more this afternoon. I think I've only found 1 or 2 of your threads, which is laughable and shameful.

Glad so many of you like the picture I found! Wish I were her right now, but if we could exchange a paper or two for a book, that would be better, I think.

Book 1: Doctor Who-The TARDIS Inside Out by John Nathan-Turner

Written in the 1980's by the show's then-producer, this slim hardcover was not really what I was expecting. This book is short on words, and tends to be mostly non-information about one or two things the author remembers about each Doctor, both before and while he was working for the BBC. Disappointing, but still, it's about DW, so... 3*

Book 2: The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire

Rec'd from Mark/Joe last year, I enjoyed this dark GN. An underwater welder (surprise!) whose wife is due to have their baby any day now, seems to slip through some kind of time slip/layer while he's at work one day. He finds his father who had the same job and who disappeared when he was a young boy, and tries to get back "home" to his wife and baby, not wanting to repeat the same patterns that his father did. Interesting, and I liked reading it, but I can't say it's something I'd want to read again. Not bad, just... fine. 3*

Book 3: Beethoven's Shadow by Jonathan Biss

A just-under-2-hour audiobook that I ultimately found both dry and interesting. Biss, a well-known pianist, talks about Beethoven, his piano sonatas, and his own experience with learning and playing each sonata. I usually enjoy books written by performers about their own experience with music, looking for some kind of connection between myself and them, but this one was difficult to find anything to relate to. Yes, we don't play the same instrument, okay, but that isn't usually something that matters much. Jonathan's intended audience is most assuredly not me, and is probably some classically trained, slightly snobbish Big City type, preferably a fellow classical pianist, but again, that shouldn't matter. Ultimately, this story seemed to float above most things, and not really touch the earth, or the reader/listener at all. I had a hard time finishing it, if I'm honest. Still, it was just this side of interesting, and I can safely delete it from my computer with zero guilt. 2.6*

Book 4: Tonoharu, Part 1 by Lars Martinson

Yet another GN, this one tells the story of Daniel Wells as he begins his life as an Assistant English teacher in Japan, and his copious free time to discover both himself and his adopted country. Not terribly introspective, but an interesting look at a expat's life. Martinson's use of the same layout on (nearly) every page and typewritten script is effective at the isolating experience and samey-ness of days that can happen when you're abroad for an extended period. I'll read part 2 (and 3 and 4), but I'm not in any hurry. 3*

*******************

I know that this is just a coping mechanism, but I've bought 13 books so far this year, 2 seasons of Doctor Who on DVD, and the orders for cheap books/movies that I placed between Christmas and NYE are starting to roll in. *gulp* Kind of scary/terrifying. I'm trying not to open things that are sealed in plastic so when I'm feeling another panicky urge to BUY SOMETHING SHINY AND NEW I can open one of those instead. That was my rationale when I started the practice this past fall - so far, it hasn't worked, but I have hopes that I can step away from the computer for just a minute when I'm about to click "complete order" and look at all of the new things I haven't yet used, and that that will dissuade me. Crazy, maybe, but I've got to try it. The temperature has finally gotten close to 0 degrees after 2 days of -15 temps and -40 wind chills, the sun is out, and all of my water pipes are now functional again. I've had a nice breakfast of coffee and almond croissants (see pic below), have spent hours this morning putzing around online and rearranging piles around my messy house. Hopefully I'll get a shower soon, have some lunch, and get to cleaning up around here.



Mom Update Last Thursday she had a breast MRI in the morning (the noise was torturous) and we met with the oncologist for the first time that afternoon. He's a very nice man, intelligent and compassionate, and we both like him a lot. We are still waiting on 2 hormone receptor levels (nearly 2 weeks now) that will determine what kind and how much chemo she'll receive before having surgery, so we are still in limbo, but he did start her on an estrogen-blocker, so that's something. I could tell that the next day she was feeling better, and we've even had 1 visit and several phone calls since then where she seems like her usual self and we haven't mentioned cancer at all. !!! It's been really nice to have this little break from cancer/grief/depression, even if I know it's only very temporary. I think finally doing something active on her part, and talking to the person who is going to help heal her, has been the key. She was really not herself when we met with him, but some kind of a breakthrough must have happened overnight. Mom stayed with me that night, and I think an early bedtime, the mental significance of taking that first pill, and the distraction of her grandkids (my cats) all helped. Whatever it is, I'll take it!

Next up for us: a bone scan tomorrow that they have to sedate her for, and if nothing else comes up, we meet with the oncologist again next week to follow up.

Four books down and we're only seven days into the year. Nicely done, lady. That breakfast sure looks tasty! I'm trying not to do any online ordering at all right now, partly because I'm on my last paycheque and partly because I'm not sure what my mailing address will be in the nearish future. But it's getting increasingly hard not to pre-order season 3 of Sherlock.

As always, I'm praying for you and your mom, Laura.

Happy to hear that things seem to be progressing for your mom's treatment, and especially that her outlook about it has improved! That's such good news!

Richard Maximilian Derus, get that cup of coffee off of those books right this minute! What if you spill it???? And those are beautiful old books too that can never be replaced. Find a coffee table (that's why it's called a "coffee table") and a nice coaster before you get too settled in.
Really.

I am also lusting after your breakfast.

So glad that things seem to be heading in the right direction for your Mom! Hope it continues!

Good luck with your lofty goal (if I can do it, you can do it)!

I am glad that your Mom is feeling a little energized, I suspect that she feels better about finally getting started with treatment talks and tests being done. I am sure it's a relief to her to be able to roll up her sleeves and start the good fight.

Laura, I am glad to hear about the upswing in your mom's attitude after getting started on her treatment. Sorry to be so slow getting here--being gone for several weeks got me very far behind, especially with the new year starting up.

Happy to hear about your Mom, I hope the treatments continue to go well. ((hugs))

Maximilian! I like that. Much more posh and interesting than the real middle name.

*smooch* for better days from here on out, Laura.

>27 tloeffler: I'm in love with the Maximilian too!!! **smooches** for my new Maximilian friend!

Laura -- It's great to hear that your mom is feeling more positive. I hope you're feeling uplifted as well. I find retail / book buying therapy is a great coping mechanism for me as well. Just try not to fret about the money as the books come in. Remember that you bought them for a reason and that they are your escape from reality right now. Set some kind of limits for yourself that you can live with and stick to, and within that, allow yourself to shop away when needed. So I've coped with retail therapy a time or two, if you couldn't tell. :)

Love & prayers to you.

Great to see everything is progressing well with examining and getting treatment going for your mom, Laura! The positive attitude will help your mom immensely.

Have a wonderful weekend, Laura!

Good Evening Dear Friend

One foot in front of the other is a great way to move forward. What an incredible blessing you are to your mother, to be there for her with love!!!!

Please take good care of yourself.

What a wonderful post Linda. Wish I had said that.

Wishing you an approximation of some of the splendid words already relayed here. xx

Leaving my star here - I hit your other thread first, so there is a longer message for you over there.

Happy New Year, Laura! Got you starred. I'm glad you enjoyed Underwater Welder. Lemire is good, isn't he? You read The Complete Essex County, right? That was my first exposure to him, and I was really impressed.

Just saw on FB that they'll no longer be holding any "Murder & Mayhem in Muskego" events. Library events are supposed to be free, apparently. Too bad.

((Hugs)) Laura!

Hey Laura!! Just stopping to say hi. Hope you are staying warm!!!

Hiya, Laura. Hope you're having a good one today, and the weather isn't too lousy.

Hello everyone - I just realized that I haven't been back for a Mom update since our oncology visit last week.

It was good! She's got the "good" kind of cancer, in that it's very treatable, and at this point (hopefully never) she DOES NOT NEED CHEMOTHERAPY!!!! We didn't even know that was a possibility, we just assumed that if you have breast cancer and are not doing a mastectomy, that chemo was sort of a requirement. Plans for the wig store and talking to friends who have been through it, preparing emotionally for it - all unnecessary! She's been taking anti-estrogen medication since our first visit (3 weeks now), and when he asked her how the tumor has changed (she hadn't been checking it), all 3 of us felt it. At first, it felt like a big, fairly hard, round mass - now, it's much smaller, it's softer, and she's nearly gone down a stage! What a huge difference!!! We're both pretty excited about it.

Now, while we're still processing some the huge relief, the past two months have started to really catch up with me. I'm weepier, and just bone-tired-exhausted most of the time. Massage work has picked up, which is good financially, but it's really a bear to get through when I'm so tapped out. Thankfully two of my appointments this week were no-shows so I could stay home and relax a little bit. And on Saturday, I'm supposed to be receiving a massage, finally, after at least 4 months of no treatment. It's going to be tough getting through it, just because I'm so overdue, and I'll probably cry on the table. Whatever, I'm just glad to be doing a small thing to take care of myself.

And, I've been reading a few books (though, sorry Joe, I haven't read The Complete Essex County yet), and I'll update that soon. For now, though, I'm just taking it easy and ignoring the housework. :)

Laura- That is great news about your Mom! Celebratory Hug!! Keep us informed.

Please read Essex County. I seldom order you around but this time, I must! It remains my favorite GN collection.

Oh, that's great news!

Great news about your mom, Laura! Now concentrate on taking care of you.

What a sigh of relief! I'm so glad your mother will be ok. I can only imagine how weary you are from worry. Hugs coming your way.

Great news about your mom, Laura!

Oh, that's *wonderful* news about your mom! I'm in tears with relief for you both!

(Also, I *love* the Minion picture! Adorable!)

How great to hear the good news for your Mom, Laura! Hope you get some time to relax and take it easy this weekend - what a roller coaster you've been on.

So glad to hear the good news, Laura! *big hug* I hope you get some down time this weekend to try and relax a bit. Sounds like you need some.

Wonderful news about your Mom, Laura!

Pleased that the news about your Mom is better than may have been feared Laura. Hugs to both of you.

Have been thinking about you and your mom. So glad to hear about the good news!!!!

Well, crap. I've been trying to sneak in a few minutes here and there over the last week to update my thread with books I've read, stats, etc, but I'm so dang tired that I can't even get to write anything here. Lurking and quick comments on others' threads is about all I've managed. And now...

My Mom got a call from the oncologist late on Monday afternoon. A test result came back (that we didn't know about so we were pretty shocked/scared) and he wanted us to come in as soon as possible this week to discuss it. We went in yesterday morning, and it's not that great of news. Mom participated in a study a few weeks ago. The study involves a third-party lab testing her already-biopsied tumor on various treatments and combinations to see what works best for a cure. It was a no-brainer to do the study as A) it didn't involve anything else on my Mom's part aside from paperwork, B) it's a personalized test for the best possible cure without any out-of-pocket expense, and C) it will help who knows how many women who have this same kind of tumor in the future. They did their part, and the test results that came back were from that lab. Her tumor is right on the border for needing chemo and not needing chemo. If she did nothing to treat it and just had surgery her 10-year recurrence is something like 29%, if she does the hormone pill (which she has been) and chemo it's 8%, etc. We discussed the numbers and outcomes with the oncologist at length and have decided to go ahead and do chemotherapy. It's not what we were hoping for, certainly (who is?!?), but it gives her the best chance for good health and non-recurrence in the long-term, and that's what we want.

This coming Monday morning she starts her treatment. She's receiving TC chemotherapy, for anyone out there who unfortunately has experience with chemo, and she'll start losing her hair 10-14 days after her first treatment. That means that in the next 5 days we need to meet with a dietitian and nurse (separately, of course) to go over plans and what's coming up, tour the treatment areas, etc; go and find/have a consultation with a wig specialist (a friend of a friend who's having a mastectomy right now, actually); meet with the lawyer to get my name on the house, cars, etc so it's one last thing to worry about; rearrange both my massage appointments/schedule, but also my library one; clean my house thoroughly; purchase and re-read a few cancer cookbooks so I can shop for groceries by Monday and have things here, in house, to cook for Mom; and oh yeah, breathe. It's making me a little crazy, to say the least, and for some reason, this, of all the things that have happened in the last 2 1/2 months, is the thing that's making me want to cry and not leave my house ever again. I have to get it together a little more in the coming days.

Right now I'm in that procrastination/ the-amount-of-things-to-do-is-so-overwhelming-that-I'm-frozen-on-the-couch-for-hours kind of place, I'm making lists like they're going out of style, and keep thinking that if I can just not move or leave the house that all of this will be an illusion and I can get back to trying to process some grief from my Dad's passing. I just made myself some breakfast and before Mom comes over to pick me up for our meeting with the nurse I need to finish my dishes, take a shower and get dressed, haul my empty garbage bin up from the alley through the snow, clean litterboxes, clean out all the garbage cans in my house, and oh yeah, try to stay calm and grounded.

I'll be back at some point later on, between appointments and jobs, to check in with all of you, and hopefully will have a chance to talk about what I've read so far too. All I want to do is lay down and take an epic nap.

{{{Laura}}}

It's all about minutiae in this process. I'm so sorry to learn that chemo will be necessary to give your mom the best statistical shot at no recurrence.

But really, a three-fold drop in probable recurrence is too huge to ignore, so I am happy for her that you've decided to pursue the option. *smooch* for a swift and simple routinizing of the process.

Hugs from me, too, Laura. Ah, too bad. But I will say that everyone we know who has gone through chemo is now doing fine. One friend didn't go the wig route but wore scarves (bandanas?) over her head and looked good.

I'll bet you're ready for an epic nap. Be sure to cut yourself a lot of slack - you've been through a lot and need to be good to yourself, too. Sending lots of positive thoughts for you and your mom.

Hi Laura, our family has been going through this with my sister who has lymphoma cancer and has been battling this since last summer. She had her last chemo treatment just before Christmas. The best advice I can give is simply be there and stay positive. You and your Mom will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Laura, I continue to pray for both you and your mom. Hang in there. *great big hugs*

((Laura and Mom))

Laura

Sending lots of love your way. I admire your courage, dedication and love toward your mother. Of course, I'm not one bit surprised!

Lots of love to you.

{{{{{Laura and Mom}}}}}

One step at a time. YOu can do it.

Oh, Laura. I'm so sorry that you and your mom are in the place that you are right now. Keeping you and her in my thoughts and sending virtually the hugs that I wish I could give you really.

We'll keep you and your mom in our prayers as well!

Thank you all so much for your kind words and support. I can't begin to tell you how much they all mean to me. I miss being here (a little normalcy would be welcome), and until I can finally get to updating what I've read this year, I've decided to copy the email updates I've been sending to my friends.

Well, there’ve been some changes in Mom’s cancer and treatment.

Late last Monday, Mom got a call from the oncologists office. Some test results came in and he needed to see her as soon as possible to discuss them. Not a great phone call to get, especially because as far as we knew and remembered, there were no outstanding results we were waiting for.

The next morning (a week ago yesterday) we went in. The test results were from the study that Mom took part in. It tested her already-biopsied tumor/lymph glands against no treatment, chemo only, chemo and hormone pill, all kinds of various situations, to see what would have the best result for her particular type of cancer. By doing the study we essentially got (free!) personalized cancer results and helped a lot of women in the future. The results showed that she has a three-fold better chance of no-recurrence in the next 10 years if she did both the hormone pill (which she’d been taking for 3 weeks with amazing results - to the point where she couldn’t find her tumor any more!) and took chemotherapy. It was our decision to make whether she did it or not, and after discussing all sorts of possibilities and outcomes, taking chemotherapy seemed like a logical choice.

Since we had to start as soon as possible, her first chemotherapy treatment was set up for the following Monday - as in two days ago. That left us with a little under a week to get things ready at home (both hers and mine), plan on how we were going to handle most possibilities of side effects and find her a wig. She’ll lose her hair in about 2 weeks. It was a lot of running, but we got it all done. Thanks to my good friend Carolyn we had a referral for a FANTASTIC wig consultation place run by her friend Robbin. She was kind, funny, knowledgable as all get out and very sweet. Both she and the salon owner couldn’t have been more outstanding and wonderful. That really helped my Mom get through the worst part about this whole chemo process.

This past Monday morning we went in for her first treatment. It took about 4 hours (she was receiving what’s called TC chemo), and aside from a small headache and a fuzzy/tired head due to all of the steroids, she was great, no problems. She’s set up to receive 4 treatments, 1 every 3 weeks. Later that night her throat started to feel sore, and she woke up that night to find her throat starting to swell and get tight, so she took a couple of Benadryl, which helped a lot. The next morning (yesterday) she called the oncologist and he had her come in a little early (she was scheduled at 11:45 for a shot that will boost her white blood cell production and case a lot of bone pain - yay). What she was having was an allergic reaction to the first drug she received, the “T” part of TC, and she’d now have AC chemo instead. Adriamycin is incredibly toxic if it gets outside of your veins and can cause cell death/skin burning so they strongly prefer that a port be surgically installed in her chest so the drug goes directly into a main vein. Mom didn’t, and doesn’t, want to have a port, but she reluctantly agreed to have it while we were in the office. The switch in drugs also means that her side effects are different - she can expect more nausea, and since the drug can cause heart damage (but probably won’t since she’ll only have a few doses of it) she needs to have an injection/fraction and an echocardiogram (and have the port installed too) before her next chemo date on March 3.

We know someone who received the same AC chemo who did not have a port and had no problems. The nurses at Wheaton had never seen a side effect from this drug before, but know that it’s possible. Mom will be calling the nurses some time this afternoon to talk to them a little more about the port procedure, and the fact that she really doesn’t want to have to have 2 more surgical procedures if she doesn’t have to, and doesn’t want more opportunities for infection as she’s already at risk. We don’t know yet if she will have the port done or not, but we have a little time to make a final decision.

It’s been a stressful week to be sure, and so far Mom will only be staying with me temporarily for the days after treatment. At some point (probably sooner than she thinks), she will move in with me full time. It will be safer for her and easier with the bathroom on the same floor as everything else, easier for me as caregiver to help her as she’ll never be far from me if she needs/wants anything, plus the cats are here and she really enjoys spending time with her grandkids.

We are both doing pretty well, though chemo brain has started to kick in a little, and I hope that at some point in the near future I’ll be able to send a less-depressing update for you guys. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, we can feel them and still need all the help we can get.

I am doing just one small thing and then another after that. It's too overwhelming to do otherwise. And, thank goodness I have Amazon Prime - there are A LOT of little things that we need doubles of, either at my parent's house or mine, and it's been such a relief to just add things to my cart one at a time, do one big check-out, and it appears at my door 2 days later. Surely I'd be more tired and crazed than I am if I had to keep running to CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc on a daily basis.

And again, more big hugs for you, Laura.

From me, too, Laura. What a challenging time you two are going through! You're handling it all beautifully.

huge, huge healthy happy chemo *whammys* for Mom AND for you

Thanks, you guys (and gal)! Mom went back home on Wednesday afternoon, and since then her shot has kicked in, giving her horrible bone pain. She's being a martyr and trying not to take Advil for it for no reason, so I had to have a very firm you're-being-an-idiot-take-the-damn-pills talk, and told her that if she didn't start taking better care of herself she'd move in with me right this very second to care for her until she's all done. I think she's been a little better since then. ;) We both know that that will happen at some point, but her home is her home and where she's most comfortable, my place being a close second. Once she's here full time I'll drop her off at her house during the day sometimes when i'm working and then pick her up when I'm done.

Today is a pajama day for me - YAAAAAY!!! There're chores to be done, as always, but I'm hoping to just do what's necessary and have some good TV/couch/nap time today. Plus, it feels like I haven't finished a book in ages, so I'd like to do that once or twice too. And, I FINALLY HAVE AN E-READER!!!!! I bought a Kindle (since I already have an Ammy Prime account), a paperwhite version. So far, I like it but I don't love it. What I DO love, though, is that I can borrow library books on it - this should certainly cut down on the amount that I bring home from work every day. So far I've spent about $10 on ebooks, but with checkouts available, I'm hoping to finally force myself to read (or at least give a shot to) the hundreds of physical books on my shelves that I'd like to read since I already own, but don't really feel like "me" any more.

I know there's a group or topic out there somewhere about good places to get free/cheap ebooks, but does anyone who's here have any that they'd recommend? A co-worker told me about BookBub, so that's what I've got right now.

Morning Laura- Thanks for the updates about your Mom. Sounds like a rough haul. Here is a HUG!
I've been listening to Eleanor & Park and I think this would be one you would love. I am also getting ready to start, for FF, Daughter of smoke and Bone. Have you read that one?

Morning, Mark! Thanks for hug! It's pretty rough, but it could be worse, so we are thankful for what we've got.

Rainbow Rowell is on my TBR-Soonish list, and I'll for sure be checking her stuff out. E&P is first on my list! Daughter of Smoke and Bone has also been on my list since Joe raved about it ages ago. Hasn't gotten to the top of the heap yet, but it's close.

I also PM'd Nancy about the Meet-up, in April. She said she would let me know.

Also, I was saving my copy of Mother, Mother for you. I thought it would make a perfect LB book. Should I send it?

Nah, just hang on to it until April - thank you! I'll be bringing some ARCs with me to see if anyone is interested in them.

Congrats on the Kindle, Laura. I liked mine but didn't love it. Now I do.

Besides the Monthly Kindle Owners Lending Library, you also get a free book each month, pick one of the four choices via Kindle First.

Enjoy it!!

Kindle Nation Daily has a zillion or two a day.

Oh and Ereader News Today, too!

So far, I am, Linda! I forgot about the Kindle First thing, will check it out.

Thanks, Richard! Just signed up/checked out both of them. This could be more dangerous than I suspected. :)

Hahahaha, chortled the evil old man with 1400 titles on his Kindle.

Just found you .... I am sorry to hear that your mom is going through all of this. It has been a very rough few months for you. I will be sending as much positive energy as I can muster whenever I can. Know that you are in my thoughts.... feel hugged!

Still keeping you and your mom in my thoughts, every day. Thanks for the update, and hang in there!

Laura, glad you were able to have a PJ day yesterday and hope it was a de-stressing day for you. Thinking of and praying for you & your mom.

Pixelofink.com is another site.

Your mother is so lucky to have you close by.
{{{{Laura}}}}

Happy Friday, Laura! Hope you and your mom are doing okay.

I want to read more Rainbow Rowell. (She must be a child of the 60s with that name!) Right now I'm giving The Martian a try, and the new Joe Pickett mystery.

Happy-weekend *smooch*

*waves* I hope you are doing well dear.

LauraBrook sent me a short note and asked me to tell everyone that she is okay, and will visit as soon as she can. Her mom is staying with her and in treatment.Laura is understandably very busy, and tired...but wants to say hello to all. She will be in to catch everyone up soon.

hugs to you {{{{{{{{{Laura}}}}}}}}} from me

More hugs from me, Laura!

Hi everyone, and thank you. Special thanks to Kath for passing on my message! Things are... well, things are rolling along with the expected bumps and potholes.

Three weeks ago, Mom had her second chemotherapy round, but this time it was AC, Adriamycin. Initially, the oncologist wanted her to get a port put in for this type of drug since it's incredibly toxic, more than some of the others. A few of my friends and people we know have had 5-8 rounds of it through IV and didn't have any problems. (Issues can include cell/vein/skin death if it leaks out of the vein during treatment requiring a skin graft in the worst case.) Since she only had 3 treatments left we decided to try one round of AC through an IV to try and avoid 1 or 2 surgeries (both to install and remove the port) aside from her lumpectomy. She handled it okay until the last few minutes when the vein got red and irritated, but it was mixed with saline and just fine. The rest of the week she spent either sleeping in the recliner or in bed, and then she felt pretty good for the last 2 weeks. However, the vein is still puffy and red and while the oncologist and the nurses think it will heal up just fine in time, they asked us to have a consultation with a vein surgeon just to be sure. We are seeing him later this afternoon. And, because she's having this reaction and we want to preserve her veins and not cause too much damage, my Mom is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning to have a port put in. We have to be there by 6 AM (!!!!!), but she should be done and out by 10 AM, so at least that's something.

The plan from here on out is still to have 2 more treatments of chemo (AC), starting again this Monday, and then she will most likely have another breast MRI to check the lump out and then have surgery to remove any tissue that is leftover after chemo. During her follow up on Monday morning, the oncologist couldn't feel the lump at all, so that's great news. And, since it's been a couple of weeks since her chemo, her hair is starting to grow back a little. Having it shaved off (except for a short mohawk) 2 weeks ago was fairly traumatic for her, and she had all of us crying in the salon for a few minutes. But, she's adjusted to being pretty bald quite well, and she's got a great wig and a few head wrap/caps to wear when she doesn't feel like just going "naked" as she calls it. Mom will stay with me through Friday, go home for the weekend, and then be back Monday morning before chemo. She is doing pretty well, considering the completely crappy past 5 months we have had. And I'm hanging in as best as I can. Last week was really tough for me, as I think things just finally caught up with me. I spent a lot of time crying and sleeping. This week seems to be better overall.

I'm still working both at the library and doing massage (though thankfully I do not have any massage appts this week, so it's a bit of a break), and with all of Mom's appointments my library work has been either cut short (as in I start later) or I have had to take days off to accommodate doctor/specialist appointments. All of this is fine with me.

I've been reading a little bit, but it's just a few pages at a time, mostly, before I fall asleep. And it's a little difficult to read with she's watching TV and vice versa for her, since we are apparently on opposite reading schedules. But not matter. It's nice to spend time together. I've pretty much stopped sympathy shopping, or whatever you want to call it, and have just been buying things that we need or that I could use for the house. That's a VERY good thing, believe me!

Eventually I will get around to responding to people individually, get back to the threads, and post what I've been reading so far this year. I just don't know when. Hope everyone is doing well, and reading lots of great things! Lots of love to you all!!!!

Wonderful to hear from you, Laura! Mom's progress through chemo sounds like it's a lot better than your fears whispered it would be. The port for Adriamycin will make a very positive difference in her chemo experience, I feel sure.

*smooch* for your titanic efforts to keep all these balls in the air! You GO, Wonder Woman!

Good to hear from you! Glad to hear that there is a hint of light showing at the end of this long and difficult tunnel you have traveled in recent months... huge hugs for you! I am pretty sure that you need them.

Hi Laura- Thanks for checking in. Good to have the updates. Glad she is doing well, I am sorry it's been so hard on you.
Did you think you can still make the Meet-Up next month?

Adding my good wishes to the pile, Laura - thanks so much for taking the time to update us!

Glad to see you checking in, Laura, and happy to hear that things are going about as well as they can. Biggest of hugs for you.

Hope that things are still going as well as may be with your mom. But...

Happy Thingaversary! We are celebrating the day that you joined LT and became part of our group!

Dear Friend

I'm thinking of you and sending gentle hugs, prayers and all positive thoughts to you and your mother.

Me too... sending that positive energy.... hugs

More positive energy from your neighbors to the south, Laura! Sounds like good progress with your ma. Thanks for keeping us posted. Hope you're having a good weekend.

Hello, friends!

I'm doing alright, and so's Mom. Here's the short version of an update.

She was supposed to have her 3rd round of chemo on the 24th of March, but we met with the Oncologist (who couldn't feel either the lump in her breast or the one rogue lymph node!) and decided to continue with chemotherapy but to have a port put in for the remaining sessions. The following Wednesday we met with a vein specialist who said that the vein in her arm (where she received the 2nd chemo and is still red, puffy, hard, etc) is dying and that it would be fine, just to keep an eye on it. That next morning, at pre-dawn no-one-should-be-awake-and-working hours, she had her port installed. Doogie Hower, her surgeon, said it went in easily on the first try, no complications or problems, nor does he expect any.

This past Monday she had her third chemo treatment, one week later than originally scheduled, and though it was very sore hooking up and unhooking, it went very well. Since this is her third treatment, and the toxicity of this stuff builds up with time, she's still staying here with me, sleeping most of the day and night, and not really feeling up to snuff. But I know she's getting better if for no other reason than she's starting to do that nagging thing that Moms do oh so well. I'm partly glad for it and partly not. This past Thursday we met with her breast surgeon (whom we haven't seen since December 24th) and she couldn't find either lump either, so we got our loose "schedule" set up for the next couple of months. Essentially she will have her fourth/last round of chemo in 2 weeks, then 10 days-ish later have another breast MRI to see exactly how/where things have shrunk to, and then about 2 weeks after that, she will have her lumpectomy. Afterwards, depending on lab work and surgery, she will either have one more round of chemotherapy (this is unlikely) or will have an undetermined amount of radiation. And then, aside from routine tests and follow-ups, she should be done!!!

It feels good to pretty much have the end in sight, but she's still very sick. And now that she realizes that she's going to be okay, all sorts of stuff is starting to process regarding the loss of my Dad. So both of us are weepier than before, which is fine, but it certainly doesn't make you feel terribly positive for long.

So that's been my life lately! Lots of doctors and running, and not a lot of working (which is a good thing, mostly), but still more than I'd like there to be for me to really be here for Mom. I've started to read more, and I've sorely missed it. Well, at least the ability to read for more than 10 minutes together. And, as Richard pointed out to me, my Thingaversary was 2 days ago, so that means that some Book Shopping is happening!!! That's always a good thing. :)

And now my Mom is up, so I'm going to go and check on her, get breakfast started, etc. Hope you are all doing well, big huge hugs to you all, and I hope to be back later to do some updating and check out some of your threads!

Yay for seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Hugs as always for both you and your mom. :)

>99 LauraBrook: - Thanks for the update Laura! Like >100 MickyFine:, I am very happy that things are moving forward and the treatments have been working. Hugs to both you and your mom!

That's a very positive report, Laura. Sounds like the chemo is really working. Yay! I'm glad you and your mom can be together like this, and I'll bet she really appreciates your being there for her.

Thank goodness for the positives! Makes the negatives so much easier to bear. *smooch*

Thanks, Micky, Lori, Joe, and Richard! And to everyone else who lurked, too! I'm working on my "read since I last checked in with books" list, but wanted to at least stop in and leave my list of books I purchased to celebrate my Thingaversary.

1. The Actor And The Housewife by Shannon Hale
2. A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg
3. Coronation by Paul Gallico
4. The Children by Edith Wharton
5. The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
6. Midnight In Austenland by Shannon Hale
7. Taste of Home Slowcooker: 431 Hot & Hearty Classics
8. The Queen Is Dead by Kate Locke

I'm not going to lie, I've purchased a lot of other books recently, but these were ones that I could count towards my Thingaversary, so they don't really "count", you know?

Hi Laura, that looks like a great haul for you!!

My MBH is reading Austenland right now and enjoying it, Laura. I liked both it and Midnight in Austenland. As I probably mentioned, our daughter teases me about them because she thinks they're chick lit.

Apparently they blew it in making the Austenland movie. Too bad.

Thanks, Linda, it took me no time at all to get these books. I think that's a good thing, but maybe it's not. Oh, who cares, it's books!

Hi Joe! I liked both of them too, and while I'd heard only bad or "okay" things about the movie, I really enjoyed it. In fact, I'm re-reading Austenland now to see how it matches up, and so far it's sticking pretty close to the source material!

So far this morning, I'm watching Brigadoon and having coffee, ignoring the household chores that need doing. I'm working this afternoon (massaging people) and then I work all night at the library tonight, so it's okay if I'm a bit of a bum this morning. At least that's what I'm telling myself. ;)

I just wanted to say that I am thinking of you... and hoping you have more good moments than otherwise!

Just checking in, Laura, to let you know that there's another 75 er who is keeping you in her thoughts, sending energy and caring your way. All good fortune for the best possible outcome for you and Mom.

Our daughter wants a dad/daughter day to watch Austenland, so your enjoyment of the movie helps make that sound good. Her impression is the reviewers took it too seriously as a movie, when it (not that she's seen it yet) and the book are just light entertainment.

I thought the film was a lot of fun, Joe. And I'm not saying that just because J.J. Feild is in it.

Laura, I'm glad to hear about the promising report about your mom. I hope you are doing well. I missed getting to visit with you today. You are in my thoughts, friend. :)

Thank you Kath, and same to you!

Bohemima, thank you too! I feel so blessed to be so often in other people's thoughts, wishes and prayers.

Joe, keep me posted on what you and Becca thought of the movie!

Micky, thanks for backing me up. And yeah, I totally get it:

Hi Tam! I'm hanging in, and so is Mom too. I know, I missed seeing you too! Thanks.

********************

I spent most of last Saturday (the day of the Chicago meet-up) sleeping. I'd be awake for a couple of hours and then out for 3 or 4, lather, rinse, repeat. I would have most definitely fallen asleep at the wheel had I attempted to see my buddies.

This coming Saturday is the next Dewey's Read-a-Thon, where I will be doing my darndest to finish as many books as possible, avoid watching the TV that my Mom is sure to have on All The Time, and to stay awake for as long as I can.

********************

We have a few shelves at work full of ARCs from a handful of publishers. They're there for all staff to grab, read, and (theoretically) return. Don't tell, but none of mine have ever gone back once they've come through my front door! Anyways, the bottom shelf is usually just currently published books and the ARCs go untouched, ultimately ending up in the recycling bin. !!!! I KNOW!!!! It's book murder! Anyway, if anyone is interested in any of these titles (sorry that one of the pictures is a little blurry), I'll pick it up and send it your way. No reviews or obligations with these babies, you're just saving them from a horrible death.

Nice idea to have ARCs for staff! Do they come from patrons? Our system is not ARC friendly in any way. Except for BF where I used to work. Much to the dismay of the goddess of our system program
( we use millenium) BF will add anything their shelves. That pleases me.. USed books, paperbacks, ARCs... That means that they have a lot of books and great variety.

Hope life is being kinder these days

hugs

Nope, they come from publishers. Wish I could figure out what ones - the only one I know of for sure is Baker & Taylor. That is great that you can add anything to your system. We just "updated" to using Sierra at work, and I don't know if it's its own program or if it's part of a larger system. (I'm sure someone here will know.)

I wouldn't say life is being kinder, but it's status quo, so... I'll take it. Hope life is being kinder to you too. ((((HUGS))))

Hello smoochling, I greedily demanded several of these...but of course shall reimburse shipping via PayPal. *smooch* for saving the books!

Okay, they've gotten rid of a few of the "older" ones on there. I asked if they were still in the building or if they'd already been recycled and they weren't sure. My boss said she'd check on it and let me know. *shrugs* I didn't get a chance to take new pictures before I left, but I'm planning on stopping in tomorrow during the read-a-thon as an errand (and a break from/for my Mom) so I'll check on everything then.

I wonder if my boss (or whomever pulls them) would mind if I took them home at the end instead of throwing them out? Or if that's some kind of violation of something? I'll have to ask about that too.

Yeah, I didn't stop at work yesterday. I could barely stay awake until noon, so an errand was out of the question. But I do work tomorrow morning so I'll catch up on book rescuing then.

And yesterdays' read-a-thin was kind of a bust for me. It's difficult to concentrate when there's someone else living with you who's sick and needs things every half hour or so. But I did end up reading 6 books (not too exciting, they're mostly shorties), over about 9 hours, so that's something, at least.

Book 5 Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand
Fun, and I really enjoyed the illustrations. It was interesting to see how closely Emma Thompson made the Nanny McPhee movies to this, the inspiration. 3.5 stars

Book 6 The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
A fairy tale first written in 1950, with of-the-period color and black and white illustrations, I enjoyed it but wasn't blown away. Recommended for those of you who like nonsensical kinds of traditional fairy tales.

Book 7 The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker
An enjoyable 4th entry in the Bruno, Chief of Police series. I read this in 2 different ways - 1, in which I kind of skim-read and found to be alright, and 2, in which I really read, and then it was wonderful. Dipping my brain back into the town and people of St. Denis was really refreshing. This series is technically a cozy, but it doesn't quite have that same feeling that a lot of others do. The pacing is slightly different, and there are always subjects that are perhaps considered more "male" than female. Usually I'm not able to figure out whodunit ahead of time. This time I did figure out the who but not the circumstances and how it was done - and the sad way that one thing happened. I wish I could visit Bruno and St. Denis is real life. 4 stars

Book 8 Agent Gates and the Secret Adventures of Devonton Abbey by Camaren Subhiyah
A clever parody of the show, with a great mystery and plot mixed in. It's not just poking fun at the characters and their relationships, there's a new, spy twist to the scene as well. Recommended for fans of Downton Abbey, especially those that can take a joke, and/or those that enjoy espionage. 4 stars.

Book 9 The Scraps Book: Notes from a colorful life by Lois Ehlert
A colorful and curious autobiography from a local children's author, recommended for fans of her work, both young and old. 3 stars

Book 10 The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson
A sweetly simple book with wonderfully detailed black, white, and yellow illustrations. Caldecott winner. 3 stars

I can't (and can) believe that I haven't posted a book read here since January! Hopefully I can get a few more under my belt later this afternoon when Mom takes a nap in bed.

I love Bruno! St-Denis is a wonderful setting, isn't it?

Book #8 might make me read a comic book, I mean graphique nawvelle. Might! Might isn't will.

Book #10 is very pretty.

>113 LauraBrook: I especially love him because he played Henry Tilney in Northanger Abbey who is totally my Austen boyfriend. :P

Sounds like you had a relatively relaxed weekend, which I'm very glad to hear. *hugs*

Hoping you are doing okay... miss you!

Ditto, Laura.

More ditto, Laura.

This is reposted from my 2014 category challenge thread, so I apologize if this is a repeat!

Here's the short version of my life since the end of April:

Mom finished her chemotherapy, and had her lumpectomy. They tested her lymph nodes in surgery and they were found to still be cancerous, so the surgeon removed 8 lymph nodes in total (it was one "bundle", better safe than sorry). That meant that Mom not only had a few chunks of her breast removed, but also had a large 7" cut on the side of her chest with a drain. That was in for 3 1/2 weeks, with me doing the draining for the first two, and then she was on her own. At her surgical follow-up, her lymph nodes/axillary area was deemed cancer-free, but there were still 2 areas in her breast that didn't have clear margins. So they waited one more week, and then Mom went in for another lumpectomy, this time it was slightly more aggressive than before, but we didn't want to have to do this again, another surgery. (Mom did have the option of having a mastectomy instead, which she was all for at first {thinking that would get her out of doing radiation - it doesn't work that way}, and then after speaking with her surgeon she decided on doing the lumpectomy again.) That was about 3 weeks ago.

Last week we met with the radiation team for the first time, and next week we go back for her initial scan. That is, assuming that her breast is done filling up with fluid. Because yeah, that's happening. Mom had over a cup of fluid drained out of her breast last week, and until that's all done, we can't move forward with anything - the radiation scan and small tattoos that she needs to do radiation properly require her breast and surrounding area to be as normal as possible. The whole radiation plan may have to get pushed back a week or two, depending on how her body is healing and recovering. And she's started Physical Therapy for her arm and lymph area, with the aim of increasing her range of motion and preventing any edema/lymphatic fluid back-up. BUT! She's doing PT and radiation on her own, which leaves me out of the running and some of the stress.

So, since my part is kind of wrapping up, and Mom is starting to realized that She Is Fine, I let my guard down and got a doozy of a round of the flu 2 weeks ago. It was both stomach and respiratory, and I still sound like Bea Arthur most of the time, but I'm working on getting back to normal. Whatever that is, I'm not quite sure, but it's a work in progress. I've started to resume some of my massage work, and I'm slowly working on getting my garden back to looking more like a garden and less like a jungle. One of the things I still have not done is catch up on posting the reading I've done so far this year, and if I can't get to it this week, it will be next week for sure. It's been so nice to catch up with you all a little and feel a little more like myself again.

Thanks for hanging in there with me, and look for some book talk soon! :)

Sending happys for the progress and whammys for health!

Strength and recovery mojo on its way

Glad your life is heading back to the normal zone. *hugs appropriate for a woman on the mend*

Thanks for the check-in, Laura! I'm glad you and your mom are doing fine.

Worry not about catching up on the threads--just join in again at the present time!! Glad your mom has come through the surgery and is in charge of her own health again, but I'm sorry to hear about your being ill in reaction to all the stress. Get well quickly, and I hope all goes well with your mom.

Oh dang, I'm sorry about the flu! Same thing happens to me once a busy/stressful time gets less so. Still keeping you and your mom in my thoughts...

Hi Laura! Thanks for the update. Glad your Mom's health has improved. Yah! Sorry, about the flu! Bummer!

Please come back and fill us in on your reading life. Hugs! We miss you!

Such a clear and well-explained report, Laura, thanks. Your Mom's lucky to have you. Sounds like things are proceeding as well as possible. I know exactly what you mean about getting the flu after the urgent situation eased; we have a knack for that in our family.

Good to hear your life is getting back to normal. Sending lots of positive thoughts your way.

Before I start this giant list of books that I've read, I scanned over my thread to refresh myself on where I left off and ended up reading everything that you wrote. I have to tell you all that your kind words, health whammies, love, and concern mean so much to me that it's hard to describe. Most days it was all I could to do sit in front of the computer, let alone type anything, and having you pop in here and on your own threads was such a nice treat for me. Having at least one area of my life seem regular meant so much to me, like I wasn't losing my mind and I wasn't alone. I can't thank you all enough for being my friends and just for being you. It chokes me up to think about you all, you mean so much to me. ((((HUGS)))) and *smooches* to each and every one of you. I love you!

Okay, ready for this? They're not necessarily in order (not that that matters too much). I'll have to break it up into a few messages so they actually load, but here goes nothing!

Book 11 Sorry I Barfed on the Bed by Jeremy Greenberg
An impluse grab at work that looked cute, about notes from naughty cats. A disappointment, nothing horrible, just not quite what I expected. 2.5 stars

Book 12 Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia by Annabel Gibson
I am a Whovian, and in trying to save a little money I check these books out from work first to see if I really want them or not. This was was okay, format was fine and the information was fine, but nothing about this one made me want to buy it. Eh. 3 stars

Book 13 Around the World by Matt Phelan
A middle-grade graphic novel about 3 people who were racing around the world at the same time. I'd heard of two of them, but not the third, and reading this made me want to learn more about each of them. 3.75 stars

Book 14 Will & Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge
I'd read her Page by Paige graphic novel last year and enjoyed it, so I picked this one up when I saw it. This one is about a girl, who's living with her Aunt after her parents' death, and one summer in high school where she befriends a troupe of actors and they put on a fair/play/exhibition of sorts. Fun and interesting, but nothing work seeking out with any kind of urgency. 3.2 stars

Books 15, 16, 17 Beautiful Stranger, Beautiful Player, and Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren
A fluffy, intending-to-be-steamy/sexy, brain candy series that's easy to digest, enjoy, and move on. Each main book (there are 3) follows a different couple and how they eventually become couples, with repeating characters throughout. There are three mini books between each main one, and they're fine too. My favorite of the series was the last "main" book, Beautiful Player. I thought it had the most realistic and honest couple. But, it's fun and fluff, and it passes the time happily enough. 3 stars each, with 4 stars for Beautiful Player.

Book 18 Test Your Cat's IQ by EM Bard
A fun little book (they have one for dogs too) that seemed fairly accurate in how they test intelligence. 3 stars

Book 19 Unforgotten by Tohby Riddle
A beautiful graphic novel about angels and spirits and their visiting earth. (At least, that's what I remember, it's been a few months.) I really liked it, and if I ever find a used copy I'll buy it. 4 stars

Book 20 Concierge Confidential by Michael Fazio
I'd had this on my Amazon wish list for years, and finally decided to check it out from work instead of buying it first. Boy, am I ever glad that I did! This was a total disappointment, and I could barely keep my mind on it. For something that's supposed to be dishy and fun, it ended up sounding braggy and whiny. Yuck. 1.2 stars

Book 21 A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
Read as a part of the 75ers American Author challenge, I enjoyed this story of a Lady and her small Western country town more than I expected to. I think I'm always surprised at how much I like Cather each time I read her. Really, she should be on my short list of classic authors to catch up on. At any rate, this was a quiet, insular old-fashioned-feeling book, and reading it made me remember what it was like to read and be totally engrossed in books the way I was when I was a teenager. A wonderful book. 4 stars

Book 22 The What to Eat if you have Cancer Cookbook by Maureen Keane
A nice book filled with information and a few recipes that actually sound appealing and that have ingredients that are fairly standard. (No running to the store for saffron and things.) It hasn't gotten a lot of use so far, but it's a great resource for what it is. 3.1 stars

Book 23 The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywait
A quirky story about how each crayon quits because they're sick of only being used for ballerinas, pumpkins, dinosaurs, etc. Fun for kids. 3.65 stars

Book 24 Mousekin's Family by Edna Miller
I think I read this (or other Mousekin books) when I was small, so it was really refreshing and restoring to read this quiet, slow little book about a mouse and his family and friends. 4 stars

Book 25 We Can Fix It! by Jess Fink
Jess goes back in her time as her current self to try and help her out of awkward and embarrassing situations with all that she's learned in her 20-odd years on Earth. Easy and funny graphic novel dealing with a lot of teens and early 20's topics. 3.8 stars

Book 26 Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who Assimilation 2, Volume 1 by Scott Tipton
A truly geeky combo graphic novel, lots of fun to read. Recommended! 4 stars

Book 27 The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz
Pretty much the same as the other cancer cookbook, only this one has less information on eating for cancer, and more recipes with why they're good for you. I prefer this one to the other, especially with how it's organized (what to eat on days of treatment, sweet things, etc). 4 stars

Book 28 Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
One of my favorite blogs in book form! She's hilarious and has a way of describing events and feelings that can be difficult for most but seem to come easily to her. Love it! 5 stars

Book 29 Fog Island by Tomi Ungerer
A pretty and dark oversized picture book about two siblings who visit the much talked-about and must-never-go-to Fog Island. 4 stars

Book 30 Bearded Lady by Mara Altman
My first Kindle single. A short and funny story about her life-long trials and travails with body hair and its removal. 4 stars

Book 31 Essex County, Volume 1 by Jeff Lemire
Recommended by Mark and Joe, two of my favorite guys. Unfortunately, this GN didn't do anything for me. 2 stars. Sorry!

Book 32 The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
Ms. Vowell is her usual smart, dry, smart and smart-ass self in this book about the pilgrims. Recommended for fans of her work. 3.4 stars

Book 33 The Woman in the Wall by Patrice Kindl
A pick for one of my book clubs, this had its moments, but overall seemed off somehow. It's a story of an extremely shy girl whose mother and sisters forget she's there (they sometimes can't even see her sitting in a chair!) because she's so quiet and unremarkable. The girl creeps into the walls of their old rambling Victorian house, eventually bumping in walls for some rooms and creating her own house-inside-the-house, taking over the attic space as well. She fashions this mostly during the night, and can get into practically any room through her small hallways and crawlspaces, making cookies and clothes for her family. She lives this way for years, until finally one of her sisters remembers and some apparent friends find her and force to "come out" at a Halloween party at her house. Odd. It sometimes seemed like I'd missed something in reading, and sometimes Ms. Kindl's descriptions of the main characters thought processes were so spot-on for how young kids and early teens can think it was eerie. 2.8 stars

Book 34 The Dark by Lemony Snicket
A great children's picture book about The Dark and how a little boy is afraid of him. The Dark eventually helps him not to be so scared of him. Cute and very Snicket-y. 4 stars

Book 35 Big Appetites: Tiny People in a World of Big Food by Christopher Boffoli
Another implies grab at work, it's a book of miniature people posed on fruits, veggies, etc. Very clever, and it must have taken absolute ages to conceive, create, and photograph everything. 4 stars



Book 36 29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy by Lemony Snicket
Eh. It's supposed to by mysterious/creepy and I just didn't get it. 2 stars

Book 37 Kokeshi Kimono Book by Annelore Parot
A bright and colorful interactive picture book featuring kimonos and kimono culture and families. 4 stars

Book 38 What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
A book club choice. I didn't like this one at all, and I don't think I "get it". 1.6 stars

Book 39 The True Story of Stellina by Matteo Pericoli
A sparsely illustrated and watercolored story about Matteo's wife finding an abandoned baby sparrow (?) in NYC, and how they nursed it and raised it as their family pet. Sweet. 3.8 stars

Books 40-45 The Griffin & Sabine trilogy and follow-up trilogy by Nick Bantock
I really like books like this, with postcards to read and envelopes to open with letters to read and fake ticket stubs, etc. An enjoyable hour or so. 3.4 stars on average, each.

Book 46 The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
In this book, Sarahs essays cover different spectrums and conundrums of being and American, and what life is like in the (formerly) 20th century. Entertaining and funny, as usual. 3.5 stars

Book 47 A Breast Cancer Alphabet by Madhulika Sikka
Received as a gift from my Uncle, this book was almost perfect. Full of short chapters/essays on each of 26 issues that cancer patients and their caregivers have to deal with, it was both reassuring, funny, insightful, and touching. Wonderful 4.8 stars

Book 48 The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
A surprisingly enjoyable, if occasionally plodding, time travel novel in Cornwall, England. 3.8 stars, and a good reminder to read more of the authors work.

Book 49 The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
A disappointment. The first half or so is just action and pointless talking, and in the end I just skimmed the rest of it. A real bummer, especially as I loved reading The Lord of the Rings 10 years ago. 2.5 stars

Book 50 Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich
Maybe it was because this book got me out of a reading slump, I don't know, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Stephanie Plum & Co. 4 stars

Book 51 God Save the Queen by Kate Locke
An impluse grab at work that quickly lead to a purchase of the trilogy, this was a fun alternate London fantasy romp with vampires, werewolves, goblins, and undead royalty. Great! 4.2 stars

Book 52 Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon
An ER win, this story about the current Earls' grandparents and their lives was entertaining enough, but for me at least, a little went a long way. 3.5 stars

Book 53 Hansi by Ludwig Bemelmens
A sweet children's story about Hansi, a young boy, who goes to spend part of the winter with his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin up high in the mountains. Full of cozy adventures and lovely illustrations. 4.3 stars

Book 54 Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France by Evelyne Lever
Meh. This fell flat for me. While some of the details were new to me, I had the overall feeling that the author really didn't like her subject, and that's not fun to read about. And, why would she write this if she despised MA? 2.4 stars

Book 55 The Vision Board by Joyce Schwarz
Trying to get a little inspiration to finish my own board, this gave me a lot of ideas, and it was really interesting to see how other people make their own boards and what they use them for. 4.2 stars

Book 56 Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
I liked this one too! 4 stars

Book 57 The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
This was my fourth attempt to read this book, and I'm glad this time finally stuck. While she was occasionally whiny and her projects didn't necessarily apply to my life specifically, I liked the book. It got me a little pumped up about changing some of my attitudes/outlooks, and that's never a bad thing. 3.5 stars

Book 58 Artifact by Gigi Pandian
The first in the series (only 2 books so far) about an archaeologist living in San Francisco. Half Indian, and a tabla player, she receives a beautiful (real!) ruby bracelet from her Ex who is on a dig in the UK. Getting help from a jewelry specialist at the library, he and she go together to the dig to get to the bottom of the story both of the bracelet, and the supposed death/murder of her Ex. I liked this book more than I expected to, and I liked the detail not only of Indian royal history/myth, but also of the archaeologists and their dig, and the history of the area they were in. I'm looking forward to book number 2! 4.4 stars

Book 59 Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
I'm not sure where I heard about this picture book, but it was nice enough for what it was. 3 stars

Book 60 Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
Another picture book, recommended from who knows where, it was a nice enough story about a girl who learns to walk on a high wire from a relative. (I think it was a relative?) 3 stars

Book 61 Flotsam by David Wiesner
Rec'd from the same place as the last 2 books, I always enjoy David's wordless, wildly colorful and varied picture books. 3.75 stars

Book 62 Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale
After seeing her speak and sign books, I requested whatever I could get my hands on and read in a reasonable time. This graphic novel for middle grades told a slightly bastardized story weaving fairy tales and mythical/legendary characters together. I like it enough, but sometimes the story didn't quite hold together for me. 2.5 stars

Book 63 Streamlining Your Life: A 5-Point Plan for Uncomplicated Living by Stephanie Culp
While this was dated and some information didn't apply to me, there were a few very helpful chapters on how to organize paperwork and sentimental objects. 3.4 stars

Book 64 The Healing Consciousness: A Doctor's journey to Healing by Dr. Beth Baughman DuPree
A breast surgeons story of her life (personal, spiritual, professional), it was so refreshing to read a book written by a medical professional who really gets energy work, spirituality, illness, and all sorts of things like that, how they go together, how current Western medicine is lacking in certain areas and excelling in others, and all related areas. Reassuring to read something that totally jibes with how my Mom, Dad, and I think. 4.6 stars

Book 65 Ask Graham by Graham Norton
I adore Graham and want to be his friend. Maybe that makes me nuts, but he's had such an interesting life (I recommend his autobiography, So Me), and has such a great sense of humor and practical and sarcastic view of things, that I don't care if it makes me nuts. I love him. This is a collection of his advice columns for The Daily Telegraph, it was sometimes very same-y, and often very funny, accurate, and honest. 4.5 stars!

Book 66 Sheldon & Mrs Levine, An Excruciating Correspondence by Sam Bobrick
This parody of the Griffin & Sabine books was funny enough, and this mother-son duo are terrible for each other and perfectly matched at the same time. Received as a gift, or I'd have already gotten rid of it. 2.3 stars

Book 67 Songbook by Nick Hornby (sorry, can't seem to find the right touchstone)
This collection of songs that were or are important to him was varied and interesting, and there were more songs there that I hadn't heard of than I was comfortable with. If I can find a nice used copy, I'll look for one that has an accompanying CD so I can listen as I read. 3.7 stars

Book 68 Naples! Recipe for Adventure by Giada De Laurentiis
I'm trying to find some new series for two of my friends little girls, and this one popped up during my search. While I don't necessarily go nuts over the author (my Mom and I call her Big Head because her head is ENORMOUS compared to her tiny little girl body), I liked this story of a brother and sister who somehow magically find themselves in Naples, while their travel-happy Aunt tells them about her time there, and how to make an authentic pizza. Cute, and appropriate for middle-grade-school age readers, this was a nice start to a series that I think my girlies will enjoy. It's certainly unlike any other books out there that I know about! 3 stars

Book 69 Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale
The start to a series by Ms. Hale (again, I found out about this at her talk/signing), it treads the same territory (children of famous fairy tale characters) as the (much better) School for Good and Evil series by Soman Chainani. The book itself was nice enough to read with pink and purple colored illustrated edges throughout, and some crossed-out and handwritten notes in it. It would be perfect for young girls, I think. And for this 36-year-old, it was fun enough, but it seemed to create new, girly territory that I wasn't always 100% with and behind. Again, I much prefer the series by Soman Chainani, as that has a darker, twister storyline that seemed to follow a little closer to the source material. But, this was good too. 3 stars

Book 70 Complete Guide to Container Gardening by Better Homes & Gardens
An excellent reference for container gardening, and I really liked the new and unusual plans for different types of planters. 5 stars

Book 71 Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly by Agatha Christie
A typically lovely little Poirot murder mystery. 3.6 stars

Book 72 Naked Heat by Richard Castle
The second on the series, it's like reading a slightly extended version of the Castle TV show. Murder mystery fluff. 3.4 stars

Book 73 Month-by-Month Gardening in Wisconsin by Melinda Myers
Another excellent reference resource to have. Broken up into types of plants, and then by months, it's a lot of information, but it's all good! 4.3 stars

Book 74 13, rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro
A disappointment, and it was my choice for one of my book clubs! While I usually groove on books like this, with photographs of the objects that are talked about in the story, and things based on fact, I just could not get into this book. The story shifted from first- to third- to second-person, was told very unsympathetically, and ended up being about nothing in the end. Plus, it seemed like the author hated this woman, the experience of writing this book, and I constantly found myself wondering if I had missed entire chapters of story because things just didn't make sense. Nope, it just wasn't that well-written, in my opinion. 1 star

Book 75 Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School by Kevin Smokler
Another impulse grab at work, this book made me want to reread some books again - most shockingly, The Catcher in the Rye, which I'd previously sworn off ever touching again! Great for what it is, but I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend it or not. 3 stars

Book 76 The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Another book club pick. So long-winded I wondered if he'd ever get a point about anything. I "get" why it's a classic, but it was a giant miss for me. 1.5 stars

Book 77 The Serpent's Trail by Sue Henry
The start to what sounded like a pleasant-enough cozy series, I just couldn't get into it easily. Skimming is what got me through, well, that and the fact that my Mom and some of her friends enjoy the series. It's nice to give a series of books a pass, though. Really, what I didn't like was the writing. It was fine, and I've most certainly read worse, but it seemed like every other sentence went on for 2 phrases or 10 words too many. It kept pulling me out of the story and it was incredibly annoying. 2 stars

Book 78 The Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers by Patrick Kavanaugh
This is incorrectly titled - it should be The Christian Lives of Some Composers instead. Too heavy-handed with Jesus and each composer was equally effusive about JC. It seemed like the author (who is a conductor and teacher of a Christian orchestra and symphony, I found out too late) was grasping at straws to show how much each of these people loved them some Son of God. Even composers who are well-known as Jewish were apparently Christian. Who knew?!? This book was very disappointing and very very much Not For Me. I'm sure it's great for some people, but they are certainly not me. 1 star (I also want to say that while I know some of these listed composers were very religious, it just seemed to overly strongly geared to show how much they LOVED Jesus it was very off-putting, like these guys could hardly eat or think about anything else. I'm pretty sure some of them worried about finding enough food to eat and things like that from time to time.)

Book 79 The Giver by Lois Lowry
I have no idea how I'd never read this before! I regret not getting my hands on it when it was first published, as I would've been about the same age as Jonas, and probably would have like it even more than I do now. 4.5 stars

Book 80 The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
What originally took me 5 months to get into, I ended up really liking. It only took 70 + pages! A wonderful story, that was surprisingly more fluffy than I expected, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series sooner than later. 3.9 stars

Book 81 Hotel Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Originally purchased due to my enjoyment of the TV show, I think I waited to long to read it, and found it a let-down. I much preferred the more recent Heads in Beds that treads the same water, though that is less gossipy than Babylon. Fine enough, mindlessly name-dropping fluff. 2.2 stars

Book 82 Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lives! by Richard Ned Lebow
Another ER win, I have to say that I'm glad I didn't spend any hard-earned shekels on this. The author knows his stuff, and it's well-organized and well-though-out, but it wasn't an easy read. (Not all reads should be easy, but it was difficult to follow any kind of a narrative for this non-fiction book.) Just okay. 2.5 stars

Book 83 Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen
One of my favorite series, set in 1930's England. Our Lady, Georgiana is sent by her Grandmother, the Queen, to help a young Australian man who has newly learned of his relation to an Earl and who needs some education in the ways of the British Upper Classes. A murder or two, her friend and boyfriend show up, laughs are had, mistakes are made, and the bad guy gets it in the end. Lovely. 4 stars

Book 84 The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
I've finally gotten around to this series, and I think I liked this book so much because I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the awesome Tim Curry. Lots of bad things happen to these three orphans, that's for sure, and I don't think I could've enjoyed myself listening to their misery any more than I did. Plus, I started listening to it at work, and it was a great way to keep me awake while I paper clipped hundreds of coupons together. Oof. 4 stars

Book 85 Coco All Year Round by Sloane Tanen
I'd no idea that Sloane has written a few picture books starring her chick dioramas! Read while checking in books at work, it was colorful, funny, and fun. 3.75 stars

Book 86 Jane in Search of a Job by Agatha Christie
A short story about Jane, well, looking for a job, and finding one. She ends up getting hired to impersonate a Grand Duchess, and after she's drugged and kidnapped in the process, she finds out that she wasn't hired by who she thought she was. Sweet and short. 3.5 stars

Book 87 The Azalea Assault by Alyse Carlson
What a stinker! And, yet another series I can cross off of my list! What sounded like a fine-enough start to a cozy series (set in Roanoke, VA, and dealing with the gardening world) left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The set-up, secondary characters, and setting were fine enough, but the reveal (which didn't make sense), the actions of some of the characters (ridiculous in a bad way), and Good Lord, the main character, were just awful! Camellia (AKA Cami) seemed fine enough at first, but her butt-insky nature, outrageous assumptions in how people should treat her and what they should tell her, and how she treated everyone around her (especially her supposed best friend and boyfriend) was so snotty, underhanded, childish, stupid, and mean, it was unbelievable. How did this woman ever get through life, let alone find anyone who'd want to hang around for more than an hour or two? Just ridiculous, and it felt about 50 pages too long at least, that I threw the book across the room when I was finished. It was so frustrating, and I only finished out of spite. 0.2 stars.

I did try to read the second in this series, but only because I'd already checked it out, and I'd read that the author had a new editor. It was nearly as bad 20 pages in, so I promptly returned it. P.U., what a stinker!

##### And, I'm done! That took longer than I expected, but I'm really glad to have this task behind me. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but it was a project! I hope you all had a good weekend, and that you have a great start to the week!

EIGHTY-SEVEN BOOKS!! And it's still June! That's a terrific achievement, Laura, and with all the rest of the tsurres in your life it's amazing.

Holy Moly, look at all of those books!!

Also, The Day the Crayons Quit is one of Charlie's and my absolute favorites. Love it.

Wow, that is a wonderful run of books, Laura! You go girl! Sorry, the Lemire failed to tickle your fancy. It still remains one of my top GNs. Hope you had a good weekend.

Congrats on seriously blowing past 75!

Wow, that's a lot of books, Laura! As Jim said, congrats on seriously blowing past 75, with the year only half over.

I've got Unforgotten on my WL, so I'm glad to see your positive reaction to it. Sorry, Essex County did nothing for you. Maybe it's a guy book, with the hockey-playing and so on?

I'm looking forward to reading Stephanie Plum #20, so your positive reaction is good to hear on that one, too. I think #21 comes out soon.

I've become a big Willa Cather fan, and haven't read Lost Lady, so I'll look for that one.

Isn't The Giver a knockout? The movie comes out soon, I think. My MBH is reading the three that follow, and I'm going to try to do the same.

Hope it's a good week for you!

Congrats on reaching the magic number! I admit to skimming but I did not know that Graham Norton wrote an advice column. I really like his show and I can only imagine the content of the column.

*tosses confetti*

I'm hosting a very casual Readathon this weekend - come and join us! 4th of July Readathon Feel free to spread the word!

141> It surprises the heck out of me, Richard, I can only chalk it up to children's books. It doesn't make any kind of sense, especially when I think about the months where I could barely read a page before I fell asleep. And thanks for the reminder of the word "tsurres" - I'd forgotten about it, and it's such a great word. *smooch* for you!

142> I know, Amber, it's crazy! I've just checked out The Cloud Spinner which I believe was a rec to Joe over on his thread - it looks so pretty!

143> Hiya, Mark! Quite alright on the Lemire, it just wasn't for me. No worries, you certainly do your fair share of damage to my TBR!

144> Thanks, Jim! I was beginning to think I wouldn't make it this year - looks like I was wrong!

145> Essex County did seem fairly "guy-ish" to me, but I like hockey and "guy" things too, so... I don't know, it just seemed to talk about a life experience that I just couldn't connect to.

#21 is already out, and hopefully I'll get my hands on a copy this week. I know some find them repetitive and have given up, and maybe they are repetitive, but I still really enjoy them.

I think you'll like Lost Lady - what did you read for the American Author challenge? I can't pull it out of my memory banks.

I'd forgotten all about the Giver movie, but I'll have to see if I can rustle up a friend to see it with me. I'd like to continue with the series too, but I'll have to shoehorn it in (to borrow a Mark-ism).

Week so far is good, hope yours is the same!

146> Thanks for the congrats, Micky! I'd've skimmed it too, that's a lot to read through. I wasn't aware of Graham's advice column either, but when I was browsing around on Amazon UK, there it was! I've just seen that he has another memoir coming out in October (in the States, may be earlier in Canada), so I'm going to have to pre-order it. His show is great, and I'm so glad that it's a chat show that they actually air on TV here! I think it's the only one, which seriously bums me out. If it wasn't for AcornTV on my Roku, I don't know how I'd ever see QI!

Holy moly !!!! Thats a lotta books! Well done and hooray :)

>147 LauraBrook: I read The Professor's House for Cather for the AAC, Laura. It was okay - the middle part of the book, set in New Mexico as I recall, was terrific, but the framing beginning and end were sub-par for me. My favorites of hers are My Antonia and O Pioneers, with Death Comes for the Archbishop close behind.

Yeah, The Giver is going to be a sad 'un, but the cast looks topnotch. We just saw The Fault in Our Stars, a tear-jerker, and it was wonderful, fabulous, wonderful.

Oh, you'll love The Cloud Spinner, I think!

Just wishing you a Happy Independence day :)

Happy 4th, Laura! Happy Reading!

Amber (you were right about Cloud Spinner!), Joe, Kath, Mark, and everyone else - Happy Fourth of July!

Hi Laura... I had lost you for a while, but I've just had a marathon of catching up on your thread, so I'm all up to speed now.

I'm so glad your mom has you by her side during all of this. I'll bet you are pretty exhausted all the time. Don't forget to take care of yourself too.

And congrats on surpassing 75!!

Tina, no worries - do you have a thread this year? I couldn't find one, and I keep forgetting to just ask you. Yes, I am exhausted nearly constantly, and anything "extra" added into my day seems nearly insurmountable, but I'm keepin' on. :) Working on the taking care of myself thing, but that's always ongoing.

According to goodreads (not my favorite place, but it's easy to quickly update what I've read) I've got 107 books under my belt so far this year. That means that I have some serious catching up to do here and on my category challenge thread. But that's what the weekend is for. Or avoiding doing "productive" things like finally going through my junk mail to mail sure there isn't any "real" mail that got stuck in there, or doing the dishes (why does this task NEVER go away?!?!), or doing laundry for work, or insert adultish house and life care here. ;)

In other news, my kitties are a couple of years overdue for a general checkup. They each have one out of the ordinary thing (Chico needs his teeth cleaned and Sweetpea has a cyst near her spine/hip that doesn't bother her but it's there), but otherwise they're in pretty good shape for 11 year-olds. One of the deterrents for them going to the vet is that they Hate car rides, and it's 20 minutes each direction, not to mention the fiasco that is getting them into their cages. They're stressed, my Mom and I are stressed, and the entire afternoon/evening is shot at least. My good friend, Carolyn, recently transferred her cat to a mobile vet and she and kitty love her. (I don't have a price list, but I guess it's not that different from taking them in.) I just heard back from the vet and she could see me starting early next week, and she should be able to do everything except for a larger dental clean.

Here's my dilemma. I'm fully planning on transferring my cats to her care (I just have to take them to my driveway), I trust her (she's been a vet for decades and I have yet to find one even moderately average review for her anywhere online), so it's a done deal. But, here's the thing. I suspect that Chico will have to go a "regular" vet to have his teeth done since he'll probably need to be knocked out. Do I take him to the old vet, that's under different ownership, and who I like better than the old one? Or do I try someone that this new vet refers me to? Price isn't really an issue, but renewing/reminding the old vet about these two is giving me agita, and I'd just be taking him in there for this one procedure. I feel so guilty about not taking them there as it is, but these cats are so stressed about the car ride and everything that I'd feel like a real asshole doing that to them. If the old vet were closer, again this would not be an issue, and 20 minutes each way is not the end of the world. But... AAAAARRRGGGHHH I'm making myself crazy here. Any input/advice/head-slapping will be much appreciated.

If the people in your old vet's office are at all worth their salt, they'll be happy that you've found a good solution to your cats' stress at being driven to their office, and be more concerned with the general well-being of the animals instead of with keeping/losing your business. So, no, don't feel guilty about it, I say.

I second Amber. Good vets just care about doing the best thing for the animal.

Third. So I vote for someone the new vet refers you to.

Thanks, guys. That's what I'll do! :)

I echo what they^ said. It is not your vet's choice where you take your pet or why. I worked for a vet for years.... it is common and no problem.. just sayin'

Uffda, haven't been here in FAR too long!

Mini Life Update: Mom is currently done with all cancer treatment, having finished her radiation two weeks ago. We "celebrated" by spending a few days in the UP with our cousins, which was by turns nice, irritating, peaceful, and annoying. But it was still nice to get away. I'm starting to adjust once again to my new "normal" life, and pondering a job change so I can earn, perhaps, an actual living for the amount of hours that I work. That means I'm just starting to look into getting a Masters in Library Science degree. So some googling is happening on that front. Cats are good, I've taken off the next couple of days to give myself a little break, and am currently doing a marathon laundry session and listening to the latest BBC Music magazine CD.

Here's Mom on our way back home on Saturday - Stephenson is her maiden name, so we were surprised to see a small town with the name!



I've been reading quite a bit (though never enough, don't think that's possible) and hope to update that portion of my threads in the near future.

How have all of you been? How's your reading going so far?

Nice to see you back, Laura! How great to have your mom done with radiation treatments, and that's such a good photo of her. I'm glad to see they've named that town after her; :-) much deserved after all the health-related tsuris.

We got to do a lot of reading while traveling, and I finally read Cloud Atlas, which was as good as advertised. The book-shopping in London was most excellent, and I'm now enjoying one of my purchases, Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami.

Looking forward to hearing about what you've been reading. A Masters in Library Science sounds like a great idea.

An MLS! Wow. My mind boggles before such a commitment of brain cells to organization.

Sending happy hugs and smooches for mom's chemo success!

Thanks, Joe! She looks pretty darned good, especially for being almost 71 years old! She says it's the fat that smooths out whatever wrinkles she would normally have. ;) Thank God we both have a sense of humor. Book shopping in London sounds wonderfully financially dangerous, and after your talking about it, I may have to add Cloud Atlas back onto my TBR heap.

I know, Richard, I don't know if my poor addled brain can take all of that organization and learning. Yikes. I can barely recall plots of books I *adored*, let alone a whole bunch of acronyms and systems. Again - yikes.

Nice to "see" you and glad things are looking up for you and your mom :)

Hi Laura, great to see things are going well for you and your Mom.

*tackle hug* Hi Laura! You're welcome to pick my brain on library related things if you want.

Hi Laura! Thanks for stopping by and giving us a RL update. Glad your Mom is done with her treatments. Hooray! Love the photo of her too!

Great pic of your Mom, Laura. Hope she continues to do well.

71?! Wow, your mom does *not* look that age! Also, she's lovely. Also, it's good to hear from you!

I agree, no way your mom looks her age.

So glad to hear the good news on your mother!

Best of luck deciding on the MLS too... I found the degree absolutely worth it, though I went straight from full-time undergrad to full-time grad so it wasn't a "going back to school" deal for me. Many of my fellow students were going back for a job change / second degree and working full-time, many with families to boot! I had so much respect for them putting that effort into it - one of the reasons I did it straightaway is that I knew once I was done school I would never go back for another degree! (I might for fun, but that's different...)

Have a great weekend, Laura! Hope it's filled with relaxation and good books.

Hello, everyone! Thanks for stopping by. I'll be posting up a storm in a few minutes here - just realized that I only updated one of my threads with what I've read the last couple of months, so I'll be copying and pasting away. :)

Plans for the weekend - try and get rid of this bad cold I woke up with, maybe work tomorrow morning (though that seems very unlikely now), lots of laundry, catch up on TV shows and books. I'm already getting excited about Dewey's Read-a-Thon in a couple of weeks, and am working on getting the house cleaned up a little more so there's less to do the night before I start reading (and therefore, less to distract myself with during the Thon).

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Alright people, let's get this book review catch-up started! I missed using my "old" ticker by a day or two so I had to make up a new one - blerg.



Book 88 Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
A book club pick (not mine), I had a hard time getting into this story. I enjoyed the world-building and the dragons, but couldn't connect to the main character. 3 stars

Book 89 The Incredible Book-Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers
Jeffers is quickly becoming a favorite children's author for me. This story about a boy who nibbles, chew, chomps, and inhales any book he can find is quite charming. 4 stars

Book 90 Doctor Who: The Vault by Marcus Hearn
A Whovian Geek must-have! 4 stars

Book 91 The Cloud Spinner by Michael Catchpool
This story of a boy who learns how to spin clouds into cloth is totally made excellent by the wonderfully colorful illustrations. A great reading pleasure! 4 stars

Book 92 Where Is Coco Going? by Sloane Tanen
This time Coco travels around the world. Charming and cute. 3 stars

Book 93 This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
Don't remember anything about this book, but I apparently liked it since I gave it 3.5 stars!

Book 94 The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
Book #2 in the Poirot series finds Hercule and Hastings investigating a body found, yes, on the links of a golf course, though it seemed to me that the focus was on the people in the neighboring great house, and was only bookended by the whodunit. 3 stars

Book 95 The Trail of Lost Time by R.A. Montgomery
A typical Choose Your Own Adventure book, in which I inevitably died about 10 times and lived once. 3 stars

Books 96 & 97 Paris! and Hong Kong! by Giada de Laurentiis
Books 2 and 3 in the middle-grade Recipe for Adventure series fell a little flat for me. 2 stars each.

Book 98 Secret Lives of Great Authors by Robert Schnakenberg
The perfect book to pick up and set down a lot, some of these stories are more well-known (and salacious) than others. 3 stars - and I recommend that you read it in good lighting since some of the typeface is white with a lighter-colored box around it.

Book 99 Hatched!: The Big Push from Pregnancy to Motherhood by Sloane Tanen
Funnier than the previous two Coco books I'd read, I purchased this as a shower gift for a friend. I think it's great for that! 4 stars

Book 100 Appetite for Detention by Sloane Tanen
Ah, the horrible times and funny (now, at least) misadventures of being in high school. Now even better in fake-chick form! 3.5 stars

Book 101 Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
Simply put, this is Story Crack. Darn you, Richard! 6 stars

Book 102 A Tramp in Berlin: New Mark Twain stories and an Account of his Adventures in the German Capitol During the Belle Epoque of 1891-1892 (phew, what a title!) by Mark Twain and Andreas Austilat
An ER win, this slim volume has got to be the authority on Twain's time in Berlin. Covering every aspect of the time, we read about the history of certain things in Berlin (like the street system), and then get historical and current photos of the areas, and at the end of the chapter was a newly translated article that Twain wrote. Phew! 4 stars

Book 103 The Orphanage of Miracles by Amy Neftzger
Another ER win, this story of a young boy in an orphanage that "grows" miracles was really delightful, if the ultimate message ended up a bit heavy-handed near the end. I'm looking forward to the next in the series. 3.75 stars

Book 104 Roar of a Snore by Marsha Diane Arnold
Cute story of a little boy investigating where this mysteriously loud snore is coming from! 3 stars

Book 105 Dirty Gert by Tedd Arnold
This sweet story about a girl who loves to play in the dirt and eventually becomes a tree is all about individuality and being yourself. Yay! 4 stars

Book 106 Once Upon a Banana by Jennifer Armstrong
This wordless story, illustrated by the great David Small, reminded me of a big, complicated Family Circus cartoon that follows Jeffrey on his adventures of the day. 3.5 stars

Book 107 Stop That Pickle! by Peter Armour
This tale of a pickle on the run (to prevent being eaten) was cute and a breeze to read on my break at work. 3 stars

Book 108 The Mouse Who Saved Egypt by Karim Airawi
Another book I don't remember anything about, but I did give it 3 stars, so it must've been decent, at least

Book 109 Graduates in Wonderland: The International Misadventures of Two (Almost) Adults by Jessica Pan and Rachel Kapelke-Dale
Yet another ER win, and one of my favorite reads of the year! A modern-day version of another favorite book, Dear Exile by Hilary Liftin and Kate Montgomery, this all-email book was a breeze, totally consuming the 2 days it took me to read, and made me a lifelong fan of both of these girls. It took me right back to the first couple of years after college. 5 stars

Book 110 President Taft is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett
A funny and historical picture book, I picked it up since Taft is an inside-joke between a few of my friends, and ended up really enjoying myself! I'd only heard about Taft's epically enormous bathtub but didn't really know anything about it. And now I do! 4 stars

Book 111 Alive and Well: Into the New Millennium with Edgar Cayce's Health Care Wisdom, Volume 1 by Bette S. Margolis
Very interesting and mostly accurate, as Cayce usually is, this was a very good read. 4 stars

Book 112 Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
I know some are tired of Stephanie's misadventures, but not this chubby gal! Loved this book, and had some good laugh-out-loud moments. A great distraction from the suckage of life. 4 stars

Book 113 Rheinsberg: A Storybook for Lovers by Kurt Tucholsky
Another ER win (I know!), this slim and charming book of how two lovers spend their weekend away, was nostalgic and light and funny. Wonderful, and I'm glad it was finally translated into English! 4 stars

Book 114 The Inspired Home: Nests of Creatives by Kim Ficaro
Kind of disappointing, this was a mostly minimalist house tour, and only a couple of the homes included were warm and quirky like the one on the cover. I'd say skip it. 2.5 stars

Book 115 Moon Sworn by Keri Arthur
Another page turner by Ms. Arthur, and an exciting and slightly bittersweet ending to this paranormal series. 4 stars

Book 116 Aimless Love: New and Selected Poems by Billy Collins
Wow. Just wow. A top poet for me, and a new discovery thanks to timely LT and in-person friends! 4.5 stars

Book 117 The Midnight Library by Kazuno Kohara
Really charming story of a library open at night only, and the little girl and woodland creatures who love it! 4 stars

Book 118 Borderlands by Brian McGilloway
A Classics book club pick, this mystery set on the Irish border was harsher and more upsetting than I thought it would be. Also, the main character was unsympathetic and kind of a jerk, missing some obvious clues and mistakes. A series I won't be continuing with unless someone is enthusiastic about the rest of it! 2.5 stars

Book 119 The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
This collection of illustrations by Harris Burdick for books that were never published features only a caption. Van Allsburg found out about this guy and put this together. Fun and unusual! 3 stars

Book 120 Delilah D. at the Library by Jeanne Willis
Cute story of a little girl who claims to be the queen of a mysterious land no one has heard of, Delilah get the librarian and her fellow kids to help her try and find it in books! 4 stars

Book 121 The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg
This picture book fell a little flat for me, with the main guy as being kind of a jerk who got what he deserved. Beautifully illustrated, though. 3 stars

Book 122 Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan
Great. Wonderful. Typical Tan! 4 stars

Book 123 Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh
The GN the movie is based on, the bittersweet story of two young girls in love was interesting but seemed to lack the depth I was expecting. 3 stars

Book 124 The Graves Family by Patricia Polacco
Fun and spooky, perfect for fall! 3.5 stars

Book 125 The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook by Shaun Tan
A short collection of photos and collages of Shaun's work. Interesting to see his mind at work. 3 stars

Book 126 Crimes By Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side by Charlaine Harris and others
Don't remember the Sookieverse short story in here, but I'm sure it was fine. 3 stars

Book 127 What It Is by Lynda Barry
Though her work doesn't really speak to me, this was creatively-sparking and unusual. The more I think about it, the more I like this guide to writing and creativity. 4 stars

Book 128 Home Improvement: Undead Edition by Charlaine Harris and others
A short story involving Tara, Sookie, and a nanny. 3.5 stars

Book 129 Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
I read a few of these stories on the recommendation of a friend (they were some of her favorite scary/creepy stories of all time) and I didn't find them scary or intriguing. I'm beginning to think that "typical" King stuff is not for me. 2.3 stars

Book 130 Gardening in Miniature by Janit Calvo
If I had any extra money/space/time, this book about miniature gardening would create a seeeeeerious fun problem for me! 4 stars

Book 131 Little Monster's Counting Book by Mercer Mayer
A childhood favorite! 5 stars

Book 132 The Graves Family Goes Camping by Patricia Polacco
The spooky family (and a pre-Harry Potter camping scene) head off to an unmapped lake for some summer fun and end up with a voracious dragon on their hands! 3 stars

Book 133 Kids Are Weird: And Other Observations From Parenthood by Jeffrey Brown
A quick graphic novel read that I picked up on a whim at work, it was cute but not as funny as I'd expected. 3 stars

Book 134 Blessing the Boats by Lucille Clifton
Not a fan of Clifton's work, but nothing bad here either. It was just...there. 2 stars

Book 135 A Taste of True Blood: A Fangbanger's Guide by Leah Wilson
A collection of essays on all things True Blood, they were all well-thought-out and well written, but two were particular favorites that had me laughing out loud! 3.2 stars

Book 136 Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen
Ahh, Lady Georgie and her mother cross the pond on a big boat and end up in Hollywood! Excellent fun, as expected. Do I have to wait another year for another installment?!??? 4 stars

Book 137 Pirate Vishnu by Gigi Pandian
The second in the Jaya Jones series, this story wasn't quite as page-turning as the first, but it was still good. Involving Jaya's Great-Uncle (or Great Great?) who seemingly left a treasure map in 1905 San Francisco, Jaya needs to find out if it's real or not, find out why the now-dead-man gave it to her, and if it's really for SF or for the North of India! A real adventure! 3.5 stars

Book 138 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The new TV series starting up was the push I finally needed to read this nose-breaker. Fluffier than I expected, and boy howdy, was it long, but it was good, and I look forward to book #2 - but not for a little while! 4 stars

Book 139 The Game of Boxes by Catherine Barnett
Another kind-of miss of a book of poetry, just didn't speak to me. 2.3 stars

Books 140-148, all short story collections featuring one story in each by Charlaine Harris. Strange Brew, My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, Must Love Hellhounds, Down These Strange Streets, Games Creatures Play, An Apple for Teacher, Death's Excellent Vacation, and Dead of Night
All fine, some better than others, averaging 3 stars

Book 149 Barbie Dream Closet by Kristen Depken
Just felt like reading this after checking it in at work, and it was ridiculous and silly, but still fun. 3 stars

Book 150 Lizzy Bennet's Diary by Marcia Williams
Written for younger readers, not quite young adult, this sweet and charming book tells the Pride and Prejudice story from Lizzy's point of view, filled with letters to unfold and read, charming watercolors, and flaps to lift, this book is firmly on my wish list. 4.5 stars, and recommended for all Austen fans!

Book 151 A Week in Summer by Maeve Binchy
A typical Binchy short story, delightful and realistically heart-warming fluff. 3 stars

Book 152 Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
Poirot #3 is a collection of short stories that were instantly familiar to me thanks to the outstanding TV show with David Suchet. 3.5 stars

Book 153 The Burning of Bridget Cleary by Angela Bourke
I've owned this book for 15 years, "saving" it for the "right time". This was my book club pick for one of my groups, and it was disappointing miss. So well researched and chock full of information as to be nearly unreadable, I ended up skimming the last half and savoring the photos, and getting more out of the wikipedia page for Bridget Cleary than I did this whole book. So save yourself some money and shelf space and do that instead. 2 stars

Book 154 I Murdered My Library by Linda Grant
A book bullet from Suz (chatterbox), this was a thoughtful Kindle short about the place books have in our lives, and what culling the herd can do to a person. Close to home, and cringe-inducing in spots, but still a great read. 4 stars

Books 155-166 by Charlaine Harris - Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, Definitely Dead, All Together Dead, From Dead to Worse, Dead in the Family, Dead and Gone, A Touch of Dead, Dead Reckoning, and Deadlocked
Don't know what kept me from diving into the deep end of the Sookie Stackhouse series before, but book #2 must've been "right place, right time" for me, and I devoured each and every one. 4 stars each, though I have to say that I enjoyed the earlier books better. I'm currently reading the final Sookie book now and I'm making myself read it slowly so I can savor it.

I'm glad you liked Aimless Love! Try his collection, Sailing Alone Around the Room when you get a chance. Lots of gems in it.

Jodi Taylor! Yes! Richard got me hooked on that series.

I've been looking at Lizzie Bennet's Diary, and I've been undecided. You convinced me. Onto the WL it goes.

There's a Youtube video series with a similar (or the same?) name. Is this connected to it?

Any and all Billy Collins is firmly on my radar, will bump Saling Alone Around the Room (what a great title!) to the top of the list. Thanks for the rec!

I suspect Richard got most of us with that particular BB.

It's a sweet little book, I suspect you'll like it.

No, not connected. Well, no more connected than any other adaptation of P&P. There is a book based on the youtube series that was recently published, though - just to be extra confusing. The one based on the youtube spells her name as "Lizzie" and the book I read spells it "Lizzy". Does that help or hurt matters? Haven't gotten started on the youtube series yet myself, though it's only a matter of time.

Wow, that's a major update, Laura! Lots of good reading, it looks like.

>182 LauraBrook: Thanks, Laura. Yes, that helps. I'll check out both.

Hope you have a great weekend!

>182 LauraBrook: Dude, you need to watch Lizzie Bennet. And you're lucky because you don't have to wait for video releases like I did.

Also, holy cow, Batman, you've read a lot lately. My book total is super sad this year.

>183 ronincats: Hi Roni! It has been mostly good reading, and I'm very thankful for that. Usually it's a question of time rather than quality, but it's been a decent year for both, I'd say.

>184 jnwelch: Hope you're having a great weekend yourself, Joe! (Sorry it's a couple of weekends later!)

>185 MickyFine: Dude, I know, I sooooo need to watch Lizzie Bennet. And Emma Approved, too. I stink. Your book total isn't super sad - you've been reading some awesome stuff, and that trumps numbers IMHO. Plus, Tumblr! Soooo wonderfully addictive. :)

Today is Dewey's October Read-a-Thon, so I've been up and at it since 7AM today. I'll try and stop by here a couple of times and leave updates, but no promises. My Mom is coming over for awhile to help me with some fall yard cleanup, and I'm taking care of my neighbors' cat too, so that's already a couple of breaks in my day coming up. So far I've just been listening to an audiobook (The Bone Season), and it's so good that I want to keep on listening, but I know that I should save some of it (even though there's 11 hours left) and read a book-book during the day. On the plus side, it's looking to be a cloudy, slightly rainy day today, so I shouldn't feel too guilty about spending most of the day reading on the couch. :)

Hi Laura, thanks so much for your lovely PM. I wish you a fantastic weekend, too.

>186 LauraBrook: Never too late, Laura. So far, so good. Enjoy the read-a-thon!

So how did the thon end up going? Read all the books?

Laura, I wish you a fantastic weekend.

*waving* at Laura

Happy Saturday, Laura! Hope everything is going well. I see you are getting plenty of reading in. Yah!

Hi everyone!

The readathon was pretty much a success. I read 5 books, but only 1 of them was a book for adults (i.e. no pictures), and I read/listened to 2 more that I didn't finish. I fell asleep for a few hours in the early morning but was up to see the end in real time - that hasn't happened for awhile! The bad thing was that I went back to bed around 8 and didn't wake up until 1:30 - I was supposed to be at a CPR renewal class at 1:00! Oh well, I'll find another one.

I need to come back here and update what I've read recently. It seems like I hardly get any reading done in a day (sometimes I don't read at all!), but the numbers keep climbing. :) Still looking for that dream job where I get paid to read all day. So far no luck. ;)

I had to work today, which would've been okay if a) there had been any real work to do, and b) if all of our resident whackos didn't spend the whole (4 hour) day there! I spent my time shelf reading out of the eyesight of one of our main weirdos (he kept moving around, so I had to be stealthy and do the same), dodging a younger man with some kind of mental issues who keeps talking to at me about high school and how much fun he had and how it wasn't that long ago, another man who seems to have some version of Tourette's and can be fairly aggressive, and another homeless lady who is very nice but will just T-A-L-K to you if you so much as make eye contact with her. They're all friendly enough 95% of the time, and I'm happy to say hello or good morning or answer a quick question, but I can't spend time standing and being talked at. Plus, one of the head librarians was on the information desk today and she is Mean and blames employees for doing things that they're either not responsible for/aren't aware of, or for talking to patrons for trying to politely refer them to the correct person/department for assistance. Ugh. It was only 4 hours, but it felt like longer.

I'm halfway through a 10-day working streak. Ugh! And, I don't know if it's the weather or what, but I'm sleeping 10 hours a night and could keep sleeping for hours more if I didn't have to be somewhere. It's crazy! I'm just going to roll with it as much as I can, though, as I'm sure it'll pass.

Currently watching, Movies

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" because I feel like I have to to keep up with these movies. I didn't really like the book, but anything with Richard Armitage and Martin Freeman in it can't be bad, right?

Currently watching, TV

Jane the Virgin - this is so good! The pacing/narrator reminds me of Ugly Betty and Pushing Daisies.

Cristela - cute, fairly generic comedy, good, but not great.

Marry Me - I LOVE this show! So much like Happy Endings, one of my all-time favorites - I still miss it!

Coming Up, TV

Need to finish season 3 of "Game of Thrones", I'm only two episodes in.

The current season of "Inspector Lewis"

"Coal House"

>193 LauraBrook: I was skeptical about Jane the Virgin because it could go so wrong, but I really like it. It totally does feel like a telenovela.
I'm also liking Cristela more than I expected. I like how she deals with being Latina AND feminism, not just one or the other. I hate her brother-in-law though.
I knew I would like Marry Me because I love Casey Wilson (it does feel like Happy Endings Part II, doesn't it??) and it does not disappoint! I'm really glad that Ken Marino gets to be a romantic lead.

Are you going to watch Eliza Coupe's new show, Benched? It premieres tomorrow, I think.

I liked Jane the Virgin, too. I'm going to try to talk my wife into giving it a try.

Laura, I wish you a lovely weekend.

Hi Laura, hope you're doing well and reading lots.

Morning Laura! Are you working today? I hope not. Yes, I think you will like Bird Box and also my current read, The Monsters of Templeton might just be your cuppa.

Happy reading!

194> Hi Nora! I agree, Cristela's brother-in-law is terrible. I missed the first 10 minutes of the first episode - did I miss why he's such an ass and hates Cris so much? Haven't watched the newest Jane episode yet, I'm saving that for tonight. No reason, just am. Same for the last two episodes of Marry Me. I still miss Happy Endings, hardcore. Suh sad! I did watch Benched, and liked it - what did you think?

Also, I can't help it - every time I see Ken Marino, I think of when he was the boyfriend with the extra toe on Will & Grace. Anyone else? No? Just me? Okay.

195> Joe, any luck yet?

196> Thanks, Barbara! I hope you're having a lovely weekend yourself. I'm currently working on a cold that started on Friday night. So far I'm taking Wellness Formula (a homeopathic tincture) in orange juice and some Sambucol tablets. Anything else I should be taking? Primarily it's a sore throat, post-nasal drip, runny nose, slight fever, with a little muscle soreness. I refuse to accept that this could be turning into some kind of a mild flu - I just had one a couple of months ago. Ugh!

197> Hi Linda. So far, so okay-ish. See above for cold info (not that you wanted to know), and I'm hoping (and needing) to read a lot more today. I've got both book clubs this week and I'm at the beginning of both books.

198> Hi Mark! No work for me today, I somehow managed to get both yesterday and today off - two days in a row! What am I, an heiress?!? After your raving about Templeton and a few other LTers reviews, I regret getting rid of my copy last year. Don't worry, I'm on the lookout for a replacement copy! And, I think there's an ARC of Bird Box at work, so I'm hoping to snag that this week.

Happy reading to you too!

Well, since Friday was Halloween, we could wear costumes at the library. I did an informal poll of some librarians and pages on Thursday and no one was planning on dressing up. So, ever paranoid that I'll look like a dummy, I panicked on Friday morning, googled easy last-minute costumes, and "put it on" when I got to work after I saw a few people dressed up. Anyone want to guess what I was?

I would drink tea of fresh ginger, lime and honey. When I get fever that tea helps most. For the sore throat I would gurggle with sage and for the cough I make a syrop of ognion and candine.

Get well soon.

I tried but cannot guess the costume. I hope you are feeling better and have managed to gain control over your cold. I have been a bit run down lately - bad sleeping patterns and too many things on my plate - and sure enough, I started getting a sore throat last night and had a bit of a stuffed head this morning. I on the citrus and lemon ginger honey tea route and lots of rest so hopefully I will be able to stop this before it turns into a full blown cold.

>199 LauraBrook: There's no explanation as to why Cristela's brother-in-law is a jerk, just that he's a grouch and doesn't like Cristela and her mom living in their house, or something. I don't think it's anything specific. So far he hasn't been quite so bad as he was in the first episode.

Jane the Virgin is turning out to be lovely brain candy. Enjoy it!

I liked Benched a lot! I feel like I'm just following the cast of Happy Endings around the tv universe, and I'm okay with that.

I think Ken Marino is way more attractive now at 46 than he was when he was younger.

Re: Your Halloween costume, pumpkin pie? Cutie pie?

Life of Pi? Actually I think Nora got it with pumpkin pie!

Hi Laura!

>200 Ameise1: Well, I have ginger tea here, so I'll make some of that and add honey and lime. For the sage, do you gargle with the minced herb in water? Or the essential oil? Sage or clary sage?

>201 lkernagh: Ugh, Lori, I'm sorry to hear you're feeling this cold too! Mine is a combo of lots of running around and working for 10 days straight, plus the library is a germ factory. You can only wash your hands so many times an hour before it starts to look like you've got an issue of some kind, and as much as I try not to touch my face or myself at all, you can't help when people do things like sneeze directly on you when you walk past. Yes, that happened. Gross. I've been doing a whole lot of nothing (just some light reading and lots of TV/movie watching), and am feeling a bit better, but I can't tell yet if I'll be "better" enough to work tomorrow morning. I'm guessing "no" so far.

>202 norabelle414: Glad to hear I didn't miss anything. You'd think he'd be nicer since Cris and her mom are basically taking care of the kids and feeding the entire family every day. Oh well.

I'm totally following the HE cast around, and it's wonderful! Adding Coach to New Girl and Peter to Mindy Project were both pluses in my book.

I agree, Ken is cuter now than when he was younger. Fo' sho'!

*Ding ding ding ding* Nora got it - I was pumpkin pi!

>203 DeltaQueen50: You're right, she did, Judy. Hi!

Yah, for 2 days off!! You deserve it, my friend. And yah, for Pumpkin Pi, you can't beat it!

Hope you can find that copy of Bird Box.

Pumpkin Pi - Love it!

As for the cold, If I don't kick it before Tuesday, I will be calling in sick. No sense passing on the cold to my co-workers. ;-)

I make a very strong brew of fresh sage because we've got a lot in our garden.

Nice pumpkin pi costume, Laura! I did talk Madame MBH into trying Jane the Virgin, but our schedule's been too full for her to watch the first one so we can watch the second together. Should be possible now.

>205 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I stayed home today to give myself another day to rest up and stop the runny nose/constant coughing thing. But I did go out and see the chiropractor and got an LBG treatment this afternoon with my Mom, so that should help move things along. And I got a couple more supplements that should help too, so it was a good thing. :)

>206 lkernagh: I agree, Lori, no sense passing it along. Every time I think I"m okay, I end up getting sick again after awhile anyways, so... yeah. Take care of yourself!

>207 Ameise1: Okay, thanks for the info. My garden is done for the year since we've had too many overnight freezes, so I'll improvise with something. Maybe just a drop of essential oil in some hot water will do the trick.

>208 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! Hope she likes it. I'm watching last week's episode now, and it makes me with it was on every night instead of just once a week. I really like it!

Hope you are feeling better!

>209 LauraBrook: She watched and loved the first Jane the Virgin episode last night (said Jane is adorable), so we're off and running.

Laura, I hope you feel better. Wishing you a gorgeous weekend.

Thanks, Roni, I am! I'm finally coughing a lot less, which is a relief both for me and for my clients and co-workers. Ugh.

Oh, that makes me so happy, Joe! I treated myself to Monday's episode while I had lunch this afternoon. It makes me want to watch Ugly Betty again.

Hi Barbara, I am feeling better. Thank you! I wish you a gorgeous weekend too - though maybe I should say "warm and gorgeous" since it is winter, after all. :)

I don't know how I do this, but I always do it - stay away from LT for a week! Not good, and please know that I think and talk about you all all the time. I just can't seem to get my butt in front of my computer! I'm planning on catching up tomorrow when I have off. For now, tonight I have my annual Chestnut Roasting party. I've been spending the whole day stressing out about it, paralyzed with fear at the sheer amount of work to be done (mostly cleaning/organizing), getting groceries, making espresso brownies (not great), and stocking up on candles. My friends are coming over at 7:00, so in the next hour and 45 minutes I need to: vacuum, sweep the kitchen floor, remove the books from and collapse the card table, remove the books from the dining room table, set the dining room table, set up my fireplace, and do a last-minute sweep for any errant paperwork/things. Seems like I should have plenty of time, right? Well, I keep changing my iTunes songs, getting distracted by my cats, and doing things like starting to sort and store my already-read books into bins for the basement. ?!? Helpful? Not so much. But oh well, that's how I roll.

Currently listening to "Why" by Annie Lennox. I always forget how much I like her.

Hi Laura! I hope you have an R & R weekend planned. It sounds like you could use it. Glad you are in for the Swap!

Nothing inspires housework like having guests over :-)

>214 msf59: Hiya Mark! It's mostly R&R. I'm looking forward to tomorrow especially - it's going to be LT, catching up on TV shows, and trying to read 2 library books that are due on Monday with holds. Good times!

>215 norabelle414: Preach it, Nora! I got everything by 7:00, and my friends are running late. First snowfall of the year = people driving veeery slowly.

Currently I'm listening to a Sing It! playlist and screwing around here while waiting. I should be prepping the fire as that's the one thing I haven't done yet. But oh well. It's not like they're going to walk in the door and we're going to immediately start the chestnuts or anything. Here's hoping I hear them come in so I can stop singing my brains out in time.

Hi Laura, enjoy your chestnut roasting party!!

I recall roasted chestnuts in downtown Chicago. I love the holidays downtown.

Hope you're feeling better. Your Mom, too.

Hope the party was delightful and you're having a very chill day today.

I forgot you had another thread, Laura! I'm sorry I never stopped by sooner. :( But skimming through, I read you weren't feeling so hot, but you're on the mend. I guess you won't need a sexy doc visit then, huh? ;)

I totally fell behind on your thread, dear Laura, but I'm here now and I must say that the picture from Big Appetites look fascinating, and I'll definitely be checking my library for it soon. :)

Laura, I wish you a lovely weekend.

Hi, everyone. It's been a lot of working and running around since my last update. And my Mom and I successfully got through the first anniversary of my Dad's passing and her birthday.

But, we got more bad news on my Mom's birthday. My Uncle, who lives in Alaska, has been in the hospital for a week. The short version is he is a bigger alcoholic than anyone really knew about - so bad that his cirrhosis is out of control, he can no longer walk/use his legs because his brain is so fried from alcohol, and also because of that he has the mental capacity of a 7 year old. It's so sad and angering and frustrating and sad again, because he was such a smart, brilliant man, who lived one hell of an adventurous life up there. He's very well-known in his line of work for all that he did for the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, and had a wonderfully quirky and dry sense of humor. He's definitely his mother's son, though, as both suffered from alcoholism and a pretty hefty Jekyll & Hyde syndrome when drinking. Both were wonderful, kind, funny, creative, loving, open people when sober. It's those things my Mom and I are working on remembering now. His long-time friend and neighbor, Mary, has been the supportive voice of reason for almost 40 years, and she's the one who is now dealing with the giant heaping mess that he's left behind. She's remaining positive that he will be able to regain some more brain usage and the use of his legs and that he'll eventually be able to move to a long-term care facility. No one thinks he'll be able to live on his own at home again. Mom and I are praying that he just leaves his body in the night, quickly, easily and painlessly, so whatever that is left of him doesn't have to suffer any more. We are both mourning the loss of this wonderful family member, even though he's still physically on this planet. So awful.

And here I was, thinking that maybe eventually this time of year wouldn't be so bad for me - looks like that's not the case.

I'm still reading, or at least trying to, as much as I can. I fear that I just collapse on the couch to sleep or stare blankly at PBS for an hour or two a lot of the time. And that's okay, I've just got to get through this, and more importantly, get my Mom through this. It's her baby brother, so it's hardest for her.

Sara, I'm glad to see you over here! I keep forgetting to go and find your thread, I'm writing a note for myself now.

Stephen, I hope your library system has it! It was very interesting, and very well done, a lot of fun to look at!

Thanks Barbara, I'm hoping you're having a lovely weekend yourself!

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear your news. What a terrible situation, to have someone still physically around and yet mentally gone. My grandfather was the same, although not due to the same reasons.

I hope, as you are, that he can slip away quietly into the darkness and it will be over for you all. It seems a great injustice, that we do that service to our animals and yet we can't put our fellow beings out of their misery. I know there are a million reasons why it doesn't happen and the fear of people taking advantage for all kinds of different reasons, but in this day and age there must be a way to make things better for people.

How wonderful that there is someone like Mary there for him and helping organise things though.

Thanks, Luna. You're spot-on, there should be some way to treat our fellows humans with the respect and love that we do our animals. We are SO THANKFUL for Mary. If she wasn't there, one of us (i.e., me) would have to move up there short-term and live in a hotel, to deal with all of this stuff. The middle of Alaska in winter? Given a choice, I'll pass. I'd like to see some sunlight every now and then. At any rate, I'll mostly likely be going up in springtime to help her out with his houses, cleaning them up and out. It's going to be a looooong project, for sure.

Laura, I'm so sorry to hear about your family problem. I hope you can memorize all the good thing. Keeping you in my thoughts and sending a lot of positive vibes.

Thank you, Barbara. We keep coming back to all of the good stuff, mostly because that's what we saw when we visited with him. It's a big loss. I will take any and all good thoughts anyone has to send my way. Been so stressed this week that sometimes my vision get a little "off", or I get a wave of exhaustion and my arms just give out and I drop whatever I'm carrying. Thankfully I can sense it just before it happens so I can usually get to a table or surface to put things down. Not good. And it's no wonder that I've got a lot more wrinkles than I did a year ago!

{{{{{Laura}}}}}

Roni, thank you, I needed that!

And, did I mention that my car is also actively dying? We fixed the brakes so it's safe to drive for awhile, but it's on its' last legs. So now in all of my spare time I get to go car shopping! Yay?

Sorry, to hear about your Uncle, Laura! What a bummer!

Hope you are having a good weekend. I think you will like the Giant's House and also my current read, Gracefully Grayson, which Joe also recently warbled about.

Hugs!

Thanks, Mark, it is. It's awful all the way around.

Weekend is busy with work and stress about my Uncle, and consequently, my Mom. She's taking this VERY hard. Actually, she just pulled up! Surprise visit! I'll be heading to work soon, so we'll see what's going on. I'm just looking forward to about 6pm on Wednesday - two days off in a row!

Hugs to you too - hope your weekend is the same, I'll have to go and check your thread soon. :)

>222 LauraBrook: I know I already posted this on your other thread, but I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle. Again, many hugs and sending good vibes your way! :)

:D Not to worry about the thread. You've got a lot of important stuff going on right now. When you get around to it, it's here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/182174 .

Oh Laura. The biggest of hugs for you and yours. It's been a tough year for you.

Laura

I am so sorry to learn of the sadness of the loss of your beloved Uncle. What a year you have had.

I send love and gentle hugs.

Laura, I wish you a wonderful weekend.

Thanks, everyone. :) As of a week ago, he's in a long term care facility, and in town, too, thankfully. He will move to a different facility in the spring - some long-time friends of his own their own place, so once a bed opens up in the spring (a resident is moving to the lower 48), he'll transfer over there. They're looking forward to having him stay with them, and hopefully he'll remember who they are and they can talk about old times a little. He's still not walking (either can't or won't, no one knows), and he's confused a lot, but he's on the earth. That's good, I suppose. (I don't mean to sound awful or mean, but what kind of quality of life has he got now? I don't know, it's just so sad and terrible.)

The plan is still for me to go up once the roads aren't so iced over all the time, to help Mary, visit with Uncle Rob, clean out the country house and maybe his house a little too. And I do mean actual cleaning, not just getting rid of things to the proper place (garbage, recycling, donation, etc).

I haven't been reading much lately, just falling asleep instead, but I can feel a big reading binge coming on. I'd like to update what I've read since the last update here (too long ago), but I'm hoping to finish up my Christmas shopping today so I don't have to face the crowds on Saturday. In that case, I should probably step away from LT, pull out my trusty list, and hop in the shower! Hah! We'll see if that actually happens or not. I'm enjoying drinking coffee in pajamas too much right now to be motivated. :)

I'm glad things are working out for your uncle, though I do understand what you mean about quality of life. I wish the best for him! :) And for you guys, too. It must be quite an emotional strain.

Now go do that Christmas shopping! ;)

Laura, I wish you alovely weekend and Merry Christmas.

Laura, it's Chrismas Eve's eve, and so I am starting the rounds of wishing my 75er friends the merriest of Christmases or whatever the solstice celebration of their choice is.

Happy Holidays, Laura!

Merry Christmas, Laura!!

Doing the rounds with a festive Connie to wish you a very Merry Christmas full of joy, love and books.

Merry Christmas Laura!

Thanks Sara, Barbara, Roni, Amber, Linda, Luna, and Chelle, and a very Merry belated Christmas to you all! I found myself feeling not quite right during the day of the 24th, and by the time Mom and I got home from our friends house at 9pm, it was a full-on flu. Yay? Ugh. I'm just glad that today I'm feeling better and can get online and maybe do something around the house aside from hold the couch down. Mom, thank God for her, stayed through yesterday to make sure I didn't fall down in the hallway and break my nose, brought me tea and water when requested, and put up with me randomly snoring on the couch for hours at a time. So thankful for her! Our plans for Chinese food on Christmas Day did not happen, obviously, so we'll do it in a couple of weeks once things are back to normal.

I received some very lovely books for Christmas!

From Mark's Xmas Swap I received One Hundred Ways For A Cat To Train Its Human by Celia Haddon, The Waves by Virginia Woolf, and Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music by Stephen Fry, from Lunacat!

From LT's SantaThing I received London by Edward Rutherford, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth Arnim, and Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman, from pmarshall!

From my favorite eight-year-old, Chloe, I received Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I've promised her I'd read it soon so we could talk about it. She's SO excited to talk about a book with me. :)

From her Mom, my dear friend Joy, I received What Would Jane Do? by Potter Style.

And, though she doesn't know it, my Mom bought me Realms of the Earth Angels by Doreen Virtue, Longbourn by Jo Baker, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan, and The Marseille Caper by Petery Mayle. If I happen to get any of these as doubles, I'm happy to give them away here. I'll keep you guys posted.

Happy Saturday, Laura! Sorry to hear about the flu. Bummer. Hope you are feeling a bit better now.

Love all the gift books. Some nice titles in there.

Thanks Mark, and Happy Saturday to you! I know, the flu is going around big time up here. In fact, my Mom had it for a week last week, then I had it for 4 days, and now that she's home, she's sick again. But it's not the same flu I had, it's the one she had before. Weird! I am feeling better, but that could also be due to the Advil I've been taking. That, and the fact that as soon as I get too tired to do anything I immediately lay down for awhile. :)

I'm very happy with my Christmas book haul too! :)

Laura, I wish you a lovely weekend and hope that you won't get the flu again.

Laura, I wish you a lovely weekend and hope that you won't get the flu again.

Sorry to hear you had the flu at a most inconvenient time, Laura. Hoping each day is an improvement for you.

Happy Holidays, Laura! Hope you're feeling better. Wonder is . . . wonderful. How great that you'll be discussing it with your favorite 8 year old. Can't wait to hear what you think of it.

I'm a big Longbourn fan. Hope you like that one, too.

May all your wishes come true.

Thanks everyone, and a Happy New Year to you all! I made it til 11:55 last night and woke up at 1:30 in the morning. Party animal, that's me! Wanted to update my books read for 2014 before creating my 2015 75er thread.

Here goes...

Books 167-173 Cozy Classics: Moby Dick, War & Peace, Oliver Twist, Jane Eyre, Les Miserables, Pride & Prejudice, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
A beautiful collection of felt figures retelling classic stories in beautifully photographed settings. Maybe sounds weird, but they're really lovely. 4 stars each

Book 174 Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time, Volume 3 3 stars

Book 175 Lily Dale by Christine Wicker, 4 stars

Book 176 What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman, 4 stars

Book 177 Chester 5000 XYV by Jess Fink, 4 stars

Book 178 The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny, 5 stars

Book 179 Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny, 4 stars

Book 180 The Exile by Diana Gabaldon, 3 stars

Book 181 Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi, 4 stars

Book 182 Jane Goes Batty by Michael Thomas Ford, 3 stars

Book 183 Why Grizzly Bears Should Wear Underpants by The Oatmeal, 3 stars

Book 184 The Journey by Sarah Stewart 4 stars

Book 185 Ghost Hunting by Jason Hawes, 3 stars

Book 186 Life Below Stairs by Alison Maloney, 3 stars

Book 187 The English Country House: The Grand Tour by Gervase Jackson-Stops, 4 stars

Book 188 Grandville by Bryan Talbot, 4 stars

Book 189 GI Brides by Duncan Barrett, 3 stars

Book 190 The Cruise of the Vanadis by Edith Wharton, 2 stars

Book 191 The Arctic Marauder by Jacques Tardi, 4 stars

Book 192 Pride & Prejudice: A BabyLit Counting Primer by Jennifer Adams, 4 stars

Book 193 Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran, 4 stars

Book 194 Anna Karenina: A Babylit Fashion Primer by Jennifer Adams, 4 stars

Book 195 Firefly July by Paul B. Janeczko, 4 stars

Book 196 The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec: The Eiffel Tower Demon & Pterror over Paris by Jacquis Tardi, 3 stars

Book 197 The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat, 5 stars

Book 198 Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham, 3 stars

Books 199-201 Zen Shorts, Zen Ghosts, and Hi, Koo! by Jon J. Muth, 4, 5, and 4 stars

Book 202 Captured by Beverly Jenkins, 3 stars

Book 203 Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell, 4 stars

Book 204 & 205 Journey and Quest by Aaron Becker, 5 stars each

Book 206 A Library Book for Bear by Bonny Becker, 4 stars

Book 207 Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty, 4 stars

Book 208 Julia's House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke, 4 stars, nearly 5

Book 209 Sparky! by Jenny Offill, 4 stars

Book 210 The Girl & The Bicycle by Mark Pett, 3 stars

Book 211 Maple by Lori Nichols, 3 stars

Book 212 Here Comes the Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood, 3 stars

Book 213 The Pigeon Needs A Bath! by Mo Willems, 4 stars

Book 214 I Work At A Public Library by Gina Sheridan, 3 stars

Book 215 The Best American Comics 2014 by Scott McCloud, 3 stars

Book 216 Sam and Dave Dig A Hole by Mac Barnett, 3 stars

Book 217 A Timely Vision by Joyce and Jim Lavene, 3.5 stars

Book 218 How to Mix Colors by Parramon Editorial Team, 3 stars

Book 219 Once Upon An Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers, 4 stars

Book 220 The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak, 3 stars

Book 221 Handcrafted Christmas by Susan Waggoner, 3 stars

Book 222 Sweet Spot Guide to Home Style by Desha Peacock, 4 stars

Book 223 Yes Please by Amy Poehler, 4 stars

Book 224 Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, 3 stars

Book 225 A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, 2 stars

Book 226 The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, 3 stars

Book 227 Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss, 5 stars

Book 228 Flea Market Fabulous by Lara Spencer, 4 stars

Book 229 Maybelle the Cable Car by Virginia Lee Burton, 4 stars

Book 230 Choo Choo by Virginia Lee Burton, 4 stars

Book 231 The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie, 4 stars

Book 232 Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy, 2 stars

Book 233 What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool, 4 stars

Book 234 Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie 4 stars

All in all, not a bad total for the year! Here's hoping I can at least get to 200 in 2015!

Holy (bleepin') crap! That's a lot of books! :D And I love the titles of some of them, especially What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding. Thanks for the list! I'll definitely be looking for some recs. Happy New Year, btw! :)

I think you'd really like that book, Sara. She's very funny and dry!

I probably would like it, thanks! :) I just checked our catalog and we do have a copy of it, but it's in ebook format. Hmm, I might still read it, even though I'll probably download it and then forget about it.