lindapanzo's 2020 reading--first period

I'm back in the category challenge (for the 12th straight year). I'd hoped to come up with 20 categories but that's way too much so I've settled on 10 broader categories. I'm not putting a goal for each though I know I'll read more mysteries and sports books than I'll read self-help books and chunksters.

Initially, I'm thinking:

1. Mysteries
2. Sports
3. Nonfiction
4. Fiction
5. City Books
6. Sorority Books
7. Kids/YA Books
8. Kindle Singles
9. Self-Help Books
10. Chunksters (books with 400+ pages)

Category 1: Mysteries--61 books read

BOOKS READ
1. There's a Murder Afoot by Vicki Delany--finished on 1/2/20
2. Much Ado About Nutmeg by Sarah Fox--finished on 1/7/20
3. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich--finished on 1/11/20
4. Spitfire by M.L. Huie--finished on 1/14/20
5. The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams--finished on 1/20/20
6. Nemesis by Agatha Christie--finished on 1/23/20
7. Death in the Garden City by Jeanne M. Dams--finished on 1/28/20
8. A Killer Edition by Lorna Barrett--finished on 2/3/20
9. In Cold Chamomile by Joy Avon--finished on 2/7/20
10. Thread Herrings by Lea Wait--finished on 2/15/20
11. A Fatal Faberge by Ellery Adams--finished on 2/29/20
12. Death by Chocolate Frosted Doughnut by Sarah Graves--finished on 3/9/20
13. The King's Justice by Susan Elia MacNeal--finished on 3/26/20
14. Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs--finished on 4/10/20
15. Death on the Page by Essie Lang--finished on 4/18/20
16. Murder in the Storybook Cottage by Ellery Adams--finished on 4/27/20
17. Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich--finished on 5/4/20
18. Nacho Average Murder by Maddie Day--finished on 5/11/20
19. Pulp Friction by Julie Anne Lindsey--finished on 5/16/20
20. Tea & Treachery by Vicki Delany--finished on 5/25/20
21. Dusted Discoveries by Jessica Beck--finished on 5/29/20
22. Booked for Death by Victoria Gilbert--finished on 6/4/20
23. Nasty Knead by Jessica Beck--finished on 6/13/20
24. One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly--finished on 6/17/20
25. Read or Alive by Nora Page--finished on 6/20/20
26. Candy Slain Murder by Maddie Day--finished on 6/27/20
27. Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie--finished on 6/30/20
29. A Deadly Edition by Victoria Gilbert--finished on 7/4/20
30. Rigged Rising by Jessica Beck--finished on 7/5/20
31. On Deadly Tide by Elizabeth J. Duncan--finished on 7/12/20
32. A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton--finished on 7/16/20
33. A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates--finished on 7/19/20
34. The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories by Martin Gilbert--finished on 7/21/20
35. Dead Letters by Sheila Connolly--finished on 7/26/20
36. Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder by Tina Kashian -finished on 7/31/20
37. Donut Despair by Jessica Beck--finished on 8/3/20
38. Handbook for Homicide by Lorna Barrett--finished on 8/10/20
39. A Christmas Resolution by Anne Perry--finished on 8/13/20
40. Whisked Warnings by Jessica Beck--finished on 8/18/20
41. Murder with Clotted Cream by Karen Rose Smith--finished on 8/24/20
42. Baker's Burden by Jessica Beck--finished on 8/29/20
43. All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny--finished on 9/5/20
44. For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black--finished on 9/9/20
45. A Question of Betrayal by Anne Perry--finished on 9/12/20
46. Buried to the Brim by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 9/16/20
47. Anchored Inn by Karen MacInerney--finished on 9/19/20
48. The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah--finished on 10/3/20
49. Murder with Oolong Tea by Karen Rose Smith--finished on 10/11/20
50. Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 10/14/20
51. The Sign of Death by Callie Hutton-finished on 10/21/20
52. A Curious Incident by Vicki Delany--finished on 10/28/20
53. Deadly Ever After by Eva Gates--finished on 10/30/20
54. Irish Parade Murder by Leslie Meier--finished on 11/11/20
55. Black Coffee by Agatha Christie--finished on 11/13/20
56. One for the Books by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 11/19/20
57. In the Best Families by Rex Stout--finished on 11/29/20
58. An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch--finished on 12/9/20
59. Silent Night, Deadly Night by Vicki Delany--finished on 12/15/20
60. Murder Most Sweet by Laura Jensen Walker--finished on 12/21/20

POSSIBLES

Category 2: Sports--3 books read

BOOKS READ

1. Ten Innings at Wrigley by Kevin Cook--finished on 3/18/20
2. The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball’s Afterlife by Brad Balukjian--finished on 3/31/20
3. Lou Gehrig: The Lost Memoir by Alan D. Gaff--finished on 9/25/20

POSSIBLES

Category 3: Nonfiction--6 books read

BOOKS READ
1. The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists by Tracy Walder--finished on 3/4/20
2. Brief Points by Ross H. Mackenzie--finished on 7/1/20
3. Tennessee Statesman: Harry T. Burn: Woman Suffrage, Free Elections and a Life of Service by Tyler L. Boyd--finished on 9/23/20
4. Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo--finished on 10/23/20
5. What Unites Us by Dan Rather--finished on 11/23/20
6. Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline--finished on 11/26/20

POSSIBLES

Category 4: Fiction--8 books read
(but not mysteries)

BOOKS READ
1. Miracle at St. Andrews by James Patterson--finished on 5/17/20
2. The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner--finished on 5/22/20
3. Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe by Jodi Thomas--finished on 6/10/20
4. Plebe Summer by Henry Turowski--finished on 7/7/20
5. The Brigade by Henry Turowski--finished on 7/9/20
6. The Hundredth Night by Henry Turowski--finished on 7/10/20
7. Nightingale: London 1966 by Ben Aaronovitch--finished on 7/18/20
8. The Black Swan of Paris by Karen Robards--finished on 12/3/20

POSSIBLES

Category 5: City Books

I read quite a few books about my home area, Chicago, but I notice that I've picked up others on Paris and other cities. This is the place for them.

BOOKS READ

POSSIBLES

Category 6: Sorority Books

This can be books about sororities or, more likely, by or about someone who's been in a sorority. I just discovered that the sorority my niece just joined features some notable alums, including historian Doris Kearns Goodwin as well as authors Anne Rivers Siddon and Joan Didion.

BOOKS READ

POSSIBLES

Category 7: Kids/YA Books--2 books read

BOOKS READ

1. Fair Weather by Richard Peck--finished on 4/30/20
2. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck--finished on 12/16/20

POSSIBLES

Category 8: Kindle Singles--1 book read

BOOKS READ

1. Themes and Variations by David Sedaris--finished on 5/27/20

POSSIBLES

Category 9: Self Help Books--1 book read

BOOKS READ
1. It's Not About You: A Brief Guide to a Meaningful Life by Tom Rath--finished on 1/15/20

POSSIBLES:
--Be Amazing: Discover Your Purpose, Conquer Your Fears, and Fulfill Your Potential Discover Your Purpose, Conquer Your Fears, and Fulfill Your Potential by Paul S. Boynton
--Life's Great Question: Discover How You Contribute To The World by Tom Rath

Category 10: Chunksters (books with 400+ pages)--1 book read

BOOKS READ
1. No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War by Doris Kearns Goodwin--finished on 2/28/20

POSSIBLES

My 11th Thingaversary is coming up this Monday, January 13th so I'm in the process of getting my 12 Thingaversary books.

My 12 Thingaversary Books

1. The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell
2. The Seine: The River that Made Paris by Elaine Sciolino
3. Buried to the Brim by Jenn McKinlay
4. Nemesis by Agatha Christie
5. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
6. The Butler Way by David Woods
7. Be Amazing: Discover Your Purpose, Conquer Your Fears, and Fulfill Your Potential Discover Your Purpose, Conquer Your Fears, and Fulfill Your Potential by Paul S. Boynton
8. Information hunters : when librarians, soldiers, and spies banded together in World War II Europe by Kathy Peiss
9. Heartbreak Hotel by Anne Rivers Siddons
10. Tightrope by Nicholas D. Kristof
11.
12.

Welcome back, Linda! Looks like a good selection of categories. Looking forward to seeing all the cities you'll explore, in particular :)

Hi Linda, great to see you here for another year. Good luck with your 2020 challenges.

>13 rabbitprincess: >14 DeltaQueen50: Nice to see you guys here. Can't believe I forgot to set up a thread here til so far into the New Year!!

During the intermission of the Blackhawks game,just finished Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum book Tricky Twenty-Two involving a college, a frat, and a crazed professor who wanted to infect people with bubonic plague. Hadn't read an Evanovich since 2015 and I enjoyed it. I get tired of them when I read them too often.

Good to have you back here. Happy reading!

Welcome back, Linda!

Good luck with your 2020 reading!

Thanks for stopping by. Nice to be back for 2020.

My current reads include a Net Galley, a post WW2 spy mystery that is the first in a new series. Spitfire: A Livy Nash Mystery by M.L. Huie. Also dabbling in Mobituaries by Mo Rocca. This is one where I'll probably read a bit every day. Hope I can finish before it's due back to the library.

I noticed your name on my Home page today-- happy Thingaversary!

>21 pammab: Thanks. Can't believe it's been 11 years. I had a snow day from work and was looking for a place to catalog my books. All the pleasant book chat and new friends were an added bonus.

>20 lindapanzo: My library ordered Spitfire. I hope it's a good one! And happy Thingaversary!

>20 lindapanzo: Spitfire reminds me a bit of the Susan Elia MacNeal books, but without the close historical connection to famous people (so far).

Dropping my star! Looks like a good Thingaversary haul so far!

>25 thornton37814: Hi Lori, thanks for stopping by. So far so good on the Thingaversary haul but I've got plenty more to get.

My college freshman niece got into her second choice sorority over the weekend. The one that boasts alums such as historian Doris Kearns Goodwin (a favorite of mine) plus Joan Didion and Anne Rivers Siddon, too.

>26 lindapanzo: That's great!

Completed my 12 Thingaversary book purchases. Looking forward to reading them. In fact, I've already finished one of them.

My 12 Thingaversary Books

1. The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell
2. The Seine: The River that Made Paris by Elaine Sciolino
3. Buried to the Brim by Jenn McKinlay
4. Nemesis by Agatha Christie--READ
5. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
6. The Butler Way by David Woods
7. Be Amazing: Discover Your Purpose, Conquer Your Fears, and Fulfill Your Potential Discover Your Purpose, Conquer Your Fears, and Fulfill Your Potential by Paul S. Boynton
8. Information hunters : when librarians, soldiers, and spies banded together in World War II Europe by Kathy Peiss
9. Heartbreak Hotel by Anne Rivers Siddons
10. Tightrope by Nicholas D. Kristof
11. Navy Baby by Debbie Macomber
12. Working by Robert A. Caro

I'm adding my star. I was wondering why I had missed you earlier til I saw the post that you started late. And Happy Thingaversary! My 11th was Jan 6th. Burt I haven't done my books yet. I think I'll wait for a bit.

>28 lindapanzo: Wow, great haul! I'll be interested to see what you think of The Women of the Copper Country, since I absolutely loved Doc and Epitaph!

Happy thingaversary! You've got some very tempting titles in your haul!

Happy Thingaversary, Linda!

>29 dudes22: >30 christina_reads: >31 MissWatson: >32 DeltaQueen50: Wow, visitors!! Thanks for stopping by.

>30 christina_reads: I loved Doc, too but haven't gotten around to any of her others yet. This one is set in the UP of Michigan.

My first reading month of the new year has focused mainly on cozies, including a number of Net Galley books I must read.

In February, hoping to get to Doris Kearns Goodwin's No Ordinary Time, plus, as recommended by Mark, I'd like to fit in Spying on the South, Tony Horwitz's last book, the one he was on tour promoting when he died last spring. Along with even more Net Galley books.

One book I snagged from Net Galley is not a cozy, The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner, which is not due out til May. Fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are thought to be the target audience for this one. I was actually surprised I got that one because, not surprisingly, I'm probably pigeonholed as a cozy and sports book lover, which I am, but they had a "read it now" on the Jenner book, which I spotted, so I quickly jumped in with both feet.

>33 lindapanzo: Ooh, The Jane Austen Society is on my TBR list, so I'm excited to see what you think of it!

Yay, The Women of the Copper Country! I have that out from the library now.

>34 christina_reads: I'll certainly post what I thought of it. I liked Guernsey so I expect I'll like The Jane Austen Society too. In the meantime, I need to quit asking for Net Galley books. However, when a publisher who rarely OK's my requests sends me an email inviting me to let me read a Net Galley copy of a book I might find of interest, I thought it only right to take them up on their offer (same publisher, I think, as the Jane Austen book).

>35 rabbitprincess: I definitely have to get to that one. I follow her on FB and remember being excited about it when it first came out.

As of now, I'm wrapped up in reading the Horwitz book, Spying on the South.

Speaking of following on FB, I follow Louise Penny, who just provided the title and publication date for her next Gamache mystery. The 16th book in the series will be called All the Devils Are Here and it's due out on September 1st. That is one series I read on the day the new book is published. Usually reading with several RL friends. Then one friend and I go out to lunch to discuss and another pair of friends and I go out to brunch to discuss.

Haven't posted here in quite awhile but I am having a great reading month, in quality, though definitely not in quantity. I am reading, but thoroughly enjoying a chunkster, Doris Kearns Goodwin's No Ordinary Time, about World War 2 on the American Home Front, with an emphasis on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Alas, when I read something like this, I jot down so many other topics/book ideas to read about. I definitely need to read more about Winston Churchill.

>37 lindapanzo: I love reading during that time period and I also need to read more on Churchill.

The good news: The predicted 15 inches of snow didn't materialize. In fact, we may not get any snow whatsoever.

The bad news: I've come down with a nasty cold and don't feel like doing anything but sleeping.

I have managed to squeeze in some time for No Ordinary Time.

>38 Tess_W: The new Erik Larson book, The Splendid and the Vile, about Churchill during the war, came out today. That one is at the top of my TBR list, though after a chunkster like No Ordinary Time, I think I'll want to read some lighter, fluffier books for awhile.

>39 lindapanzo: Is that the same snow that Ontario is supposed to be getting tomorrow night into Thursday? I hope it doesn't materialize here either!

Rest up and feel better soon :)

>41 rabbitprincess: Probably so. Halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago was suppose to be in the cross hairs but it missed us way to the south so it could be coming up to Ontario.

Thanks. I'm sleeping a lot and feel better each time.

I've finally, at long last, finished the outstanding, but chunkster-like book, No Ordinary Time but now I think I need some lighter fare for awhile. That was quite a book. Today, I was sitting at my desk, eating my lunch, and sobbing that FDR died.

Hope everyone is staying healthy. I had a scheduled day off today to get some errands done before we went to the Chicago Blackhawks game tonight. Of course that was cancelled. The governor of Illinois has banned all groups of 250 or more so my local stage performance of Grease on Sunday is cancelled. Life Catholic Masses are cancelled. All of my symphonies and everything else for the next 6 weeks, cancelled too.

A co-worker knew I was off today and forwarded the "the building will be closed indefinitely starting Monday" message. Looks like I won't be leaving home much for the duration. With no sports, probably hardly any TV watching for me. You'd think I'd be reading more but, so far, mostly keeping in touch with friends and family in the U.S. and elsewhere.

I've arranged to telework for at least the next week. By then I expect we'll have been told to telework full time if possible.

>45 rabbitprincess: My sister has to telework for 30 days. She works in Chicago's Loop, aka the downtown area. They're even reporting which Loop offices have had positive-tested employees. Things could get out of hand faster there with people on the same trains, same elevators etc.

If I don't touch the stairs' handrail or the doorknob on the outside door or the restroom door, I wouldn't have much contact with anything that anyone has touched. But there could be some odd lurking place such as on the photocopier. I drive to work and while I often go out to lunch, I could bring a lunch and eat at my desk.

Even so, social distancing or whatever you call it could really save the day. Since I had pneumonia 2+ years ago, I'm probably in a higher risk category with lung issues.

Stay healthy, Linda! I am just thankful that both my husband and I do enjoy reading so staying home with a book is a treat not a punishment!

>47 DeltaQueen50: We haven't heard much about Canada, Judy, but hope you are well. About all we've heard is that your prime minister's wife tested positive. Seems like when Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson tested positive while in Australia, that finally put a public face on the virus here. That and cancelling all the sports. People are taking it a lot more seriously now.

I can't imagine being home with no sports for a month and not being a reader. I'd be bored to death.

After 9/11, I put on MeTV and watched 1960's comedies quite often. I will probably do the same now.

>48 lindapanzo: The virus has taken hold here with my province, B.C. having the second most cases (73 cases as of today) in Canada. We are following the all the advice re washing hands and social distancing. Events are being cancelled and I find it so strange to think of no hockey, no basketball and no baseball - heck, even the Masters Golf Tournament has been cancelled! Thanks heavens for books and Netflicks!

>49 DeltaQueen50: I think the state of Illinois is now up to 64 cases, including the first ones, today, involving people outside of the Chicago area. My suburban Chicago county has 2 cases (out of a population of about 700,000).

ETA: Uh oh, just saw that we now have 66 cases after they've verified two people downstate near the state Capitol. One of them, a woman visiting from Florida, is in critical condition and other one is recuperating at home.

>48 lindapanzo: We still have professional sports being played so they can televise them. But my boys' basketball has been suspended, stil waiting to hear about footy.
Australia has just shut the borders from midnight tonight. Anyone entering Australia will need to self isolate.
But schools are still open, for the moment, unless there has been a case found in the school community.
I hope everyone is keeping safe and well.

Since Linda brought it up, my husband mentioned that Hanks is now stuck on an island with Wilson again.

Yesterday's update brought it up to 32 in Tennessee. The statistics on the Tennessee Dept. of Health's website are updated at 3 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m. Central) each day.

In light of the disastrous rollout of the new travel restrictions at O'Hare, I fear that our number of cases will soar. Outrageous that federal customs officials/CDC allowed incoming international passengers to stand in line for 8 to 10 hours to get in through customs (not all of them young and healthy either). If any American coming into O'Hare from Europe was sick, they probably all are now, in light of how tightly packed the lines were. I'm no expert but methinks they should've held people on their planes until they were ready for processing instead of letting passengers from dozens of inbound international flights to congregate together.

What a mess!! Not only Chicagoland residents but people driving through my county and others to go home to Wisconsin. People driving to Indiana, Michigan, and elsewhere in the Midwest, or even flying anywhere in the U.S. Having thousands of potentially sick people in one place for such a long period is almost criminal.

I'm also embarrassed for my fellow Americans (including someone close to me) who were blaming the governor. Do they not know that Customs and Border Patrol is a federal agency? I've never gotten an Illinois passport, have you? No one has ever stopped me, as I cross the Wisconsin line, to see my passport.

Did some things for elderly parents this morning and now I can finally settle in to read.

Heard from my friend in northern Italy. She said they're going on week 4 and she is personally heartbroken that Easter services have been cancelled. She says she feels fortunate that she lives in a small mountain town because she can go for a walk outside, albeit by herself.

>51 JayneCM: I think our only televised sports are things like Baggo and darts. I've heard that many stations are broadcasting old games.

>52 dudes22: I've heard that comment too.

>53 thornton37814: Governor Pritzker has been holding a press conference each afternoon giving updated totals. I guess he is furious that, despite the ban on large groups, St Patricks Day revelers got together at bars. New rule limiting bars to no more than 100 people at a time, I think.

Last I heard we're still at 66 with two in Lake County still. (I was curious and our latest population is 700,000 in the county.)

Hope you're all still hanging in there.

I'm working at home, of course, day 3. Really trying to keep in touch every day with co-workers and also family and friends. Even so, I feel very worried and blue about this all. Every day, must watch TV is Governor Pritzker's 3 pm press conference to see how Illinois is doing. Up by 128 today, from 160 to 288. My own county is now up to 22. On Monday, we had 2.

I've had a terrible time concentrating but finally finished my first "at home book," the one about the wild 23-22 Cubs/Phillies game in 1979.

>55 lindapanzo: Right there with you on the worry and blue-ness, Linda. I had to stop watching the news -- it was grinding me down. I check websites about twice a day at most, on breaks at work. Reading text feels more manageable than being bombarded with sounds and visuals.

>56 rabbitprincess: It's seems strange. A few days ago, politics and the upcoming baseball season were about the only newsy things I cared for. Then I was all-in on virus news. Now I just want to rest.

Bought some ice cream, bananas, and chocolate syrup and made a banana split tonight. That and the walk across the street in the rain to get the mail were the highlights of the day. Oh wait, the highlight was hearing my cousin being interviewed at length on Wisconsin Public Radio.

>55 lindapanzo: It's a strange time. And hard to believe everything is closed. Yesterday my neighbours texted asking if they could come and visit us with their grandchildren. Self-isolation wasn't on my mind and it didn't occur to me that was the reason for their asking. I told them to come on over and put the coffee on. Later I thought that was probably a mistake. I'll come up with an excuse if it happens again.

ETA: Banana splits would definitely cheer me up!

Hi Linda, this self-isolation is no picnic that's for sure! I am also having difficulty with concentrating on my reading but at the same time too much news is too depressing. I need to find the right balance so I am aware but not obsessed. Take care of yourself.

>59 DeltaQueen50: - I agree with you, Judy. I find that because it's ever-evolving, I'm afraid I might miss something important. But I try not to obsess too much. I think I might go through my books one day and do a purge of some that I don't think I will read.

>58 VivienneR: They did cheer me up. Since I'm not out and about all that much, trying not to eat as much.

>59 DeltaQueen50: I finally finished my book last night and got a good night's sleep last night. Felt better today.
Sad numbers here today, though. Three additional deaths (for a total of 4 in Illinois) and a whole bunch of new cases, taking us from 288 to 422. Plus a big jump in my county. We're now up to 38, including a staffer at the junior college a few miles away.

>60 dudes22: I try to look only when the governor has his afternoon press conference. He doesn't usually mention my county, though I think we're third in the state in total cases, but then I look to the county health department's email with the updated total which usually comes in about 4 pm.

I've started reading the Susan Elia MacNeal WW2 mystery, The King's Justice.

I saw the Me-TV schedule today. It's westerns day!! I got to thinking that westerns would totally take my mind off of things. Westerns day on Me-TV. Have Gun Will Travel, Maverick, Wagon Train, Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Rawhide, The Rifleman.

Also looked through my supply of Kindle westerns. A couple of years ago, I absolutely loved Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove so I think I might soon start his Streets of Laredo.

>62 lindapanzo: Ooh, that sounds like an excellent lineup. I've been getting back into M*A*S*H, which I have on DVD.

>62 lindapanzo: Loved all those westerns when I was a teen!

Oh happy day!!! Just heard that my public library is reopening a week from today, June 29th. Face coverings and social distancing are mandatory and only a limited number of people allowed inside at any given time. No in-person library sessions, no in-library newspapers, no public seating areas, among other things. But it's a nice start!!

Gee, I didn't realize it's been so long since I was last on my own thread. Yikes!! After a slow start in the early stages of the pandemic, when I wasn't reading much, I've long been back to normal, reading wise, thankfully.

>65 lindapanzo: Glad you'll have access to books!

>65 lindapanzo: I'm glad to hear your reading has gone back to normal! Enjoy being back in the library :)

That's great news!

>66 thornton37814: Me, too, Lori. I have about a dozen on reserve but since they're lending only books from my library and not those from other suburban libraries, it's a longer wait. It'll be nice to go in, even if I don't check anything out.

>67 rabbitprincess: Thanks. I'm very excited about it. Still pretty cautious about the outside dining or, as of this Friday, limited inside dining.

>68 dudes22: It sure is. Mine tends to be the middle of the pack when it comes to these things so I'm surprised that we are one of the earlier ones around here to reopen.

>69 lindapanzo: Yeah, I'm not ready for patio or restaurant dining either, even though that may be the thing I miss most: going out for dinner with friends.

>70 rabbitprincess: On Father's Day, my sister and 17-year old nephew came here for a visit. The nephew and I went to pick up pizza and we sat out on the patio and ate, which was nice. I feel so much better after visiting with family members outside my daily usuals.

The nephew got his driver's license last week and so had plenty to talk about.

We went out to eat last Fri for the first time thinking we would be outside, but turning out to be inside. There was quite a bit of distance between tables. But what really impressed me is I was sitting facing the front door and the hostess was constantly sanitizing the counter, door and handles. And the whole of the glass door not just near the handle. Made me feel a little bit less anxious. And the meal was really good too.

>72 dudes22: On Tuesday, we finally sat outside at a restaurant for breakfast (not just a quick meal). Did so again yesterday with a close friend. On a hot day, dining in a shady spot is wonderful.

One of the best baseball authors died last month. His obit was in the NY Times today.

I've read about 5 or 6 of his dozen books on baseball. Likely his most famous baseball book is his bio of Hank Aaron, I had a Hammer. I could've sworn I've read it but it's not showing up for me so maybe it was before I kept track of the books I read.

One of the best!!

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2020/06/10/former-enquirer-sportswriter-...

>74 lindapanzo: I noticed that last month. I guess I should have told you then. Because of the Cincinnati slant, I didn't know if you'd be interested.

>75 thornton37814: I would've thought that Ron Kaplan's Baseball Book Blog would've addressed it but, if he did, I missed it. Odd that it took so long for the NY Times to get the obit in.

Looking back, I've read his Bleachers: A Summer in Wrigley Field, as well as Stranger to the Game: The Autobiography of Bob Gibson, Sixty Feet, Six Inches: A Hall of Fame Pitcher & a Hall of Fame Hitter, and Long Shot, which was about Mike Piazza.

>77 thornton37814: I get updates from several Cincinnati news media outlets in my FB feed so that's why I'd seen it.

Wow, I haven't been here in awhile. My reading pace has declined again, somewhat, once baseball and hockey resumed.

Happiness is reading the latest book by your favorite author and thinking it's the best book she's ever written. Louise Penny and her new book, All the Devils Are Here.

>78 lindapanzo: Glad you are enjoying, baseball, hockey, and reading!

I've just started my thread in the 2021 category challenge with my new categories for 2021. This is at: https://www.librarything.com/topic/327345

In 2021, besides getting back to normal reading habits, I'd also like to get involved again with the group's CATs and KITs. I've rarely done that the past year or two.

>78 lindapanzo: I too thought this latest Louise Penny is one of her best!

Looking forward to seeing you over at the 2021 forum. I'm trying to hold off on starting my own thread there I get my 2020 reading and backlog of reviews completed!

Glad to hear you have opened your 2021 thread, Linda. I will be visiting you soon over there!

>81 mathgirl40: >82 DeltaQueen50: I am eager to be more active in the 2021 category challenge than I was this year.