Norabelle414's Trilogy in One Part

Rory is also having an existential crisis.

Hello and welcome! I'm Nora. I live in Washington DC. This is my twelfth year of having my own thread in the 75ers group! Aside from books, I also love:

animals - pre-apocalypse I volunteered at Smithsonian's National Zoo
TV - scripted only, mostly science fiction and fantasy, especially anything based on a book
feminism
theater - pre-apocalypse I had season tickets to Arena Stage but I would often go to shows elsewhere as well
podcasts - especially about books
knitting, and now also cross stitch and embroidery
travel (pre-apocalypse)

You can find me on Twitter @ norabelle414

A selection of books I have finished recently:

The Diana Chronicles (Audiobook) by Tina Brown read by Rosalyn Landor - 4/5 stars
A History of Rock Creek Park: Wilderness & Washington DC by Scott Einberger - 3.5/5 stars
The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures written and illustrated by Noelle Stevenson - 3.5/5 stars
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (reread) - 4.5/5 stars
Lovecraft Country (Audiobook) by Matt Ruff, read by Kevin Kenerly - 4.5/5 stars

For a full list of books I have read this year, click here: https://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=norabelle414&collection=650221

2020 Statistics

In 2020, I read 21 books. (This is...somehow...one more than last year!)
4,763 pages, plus 1 day, 20 hours, and 22 minutes of audiobooks.
I averaged 38 days per book, 13 pages per day, 2.10 books per month.
Average book length was 226 pages.

The longest paper book was The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge at 504 pages; the longest audiobook was The Diana Chronicles at 21 hours and 21 minutes. The shortest paper book was Sanditon (unfinished draft) at 66 pages; the shortest audiobook was Strega Nona at 10 minutes.

I acquired 22 books.
I bought 13 books.
I deaccessioned 6 books.

11 (52%) of the books I read had female authors/artists (for graphic novels I am counting only the artist, not the author).
11 (52%) were marketed for adults, 5 (24%) for young adults, and 5 (24%) for children.
2 (10%) had authors/artists of color, and 2 (10%) had a main character of color.
2 (10%) had LGBTQ authors/artists, and 2 (10%) had an LGBTQ main character.
None were translated from another language.

11 books (52%) were purchased by me. 7 (33%) were checked out from the library. 1 was free. 0 books were borrowed from another person, 0 were gifts, and 2 (10%) were free early review copies.
17 books (81%) were physical books, 0 were digital, and 4 (19%) were audiobooks.

18 (86%) were prose books. 0 were plays. 3 (14%) were comics. None were poetry.
14 books (67%) were fiction, and 7 (33%) were non-fiction.

4 books (19%) were rereads. 2 books (10%) were published in 2020. 19 books (90%) were published before 2020, and 11 (52%) were published before 2010. The oldest book I read was Sanditon, written in 1817, though not published until 1925.

My best reading months were January and February, in which I finished 4 books each. My worst reading months were June and October, in which I finished 0 books.

My most-read genre was speculative fiction/science fiction/fantasy/horror, of which I read 7 books (33%). 3 (14%) books each were adventure/mystery/thriller and science nonfiction. 2 (10%) each were general fiction, historical fiction, history nonfiction, and biography/memoir.

My Top Five Books of 2020:
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Dishonorable Mention:
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero (transphobic and bad)
Scythe by Neal Schusterman (not that bad, just not for me)

Hoping it's safe to post, Nora. Expect me to be a regular around here checking on you and Rory.

>5 MickyFine: Welcome! Nothing interesting going on here.

But I'm here, and I'm sooooooooper interesting ;-)

Love the cat! Hope your 2021 reading is fantastic!

>7 katiekrug: You're welcome to try to make my thread interesting! Good luck with that :-P

>8 thornton37814: Thanks Lori!

Hope 2021 is kind to you!

Rory is adorable!

>9 norabelle414: Hmm, I think Katie and I are up to that challenge.

>10 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle!

Welcome back!

I got some books for Christmas:

The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny and The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater from a secret santa with my new internet friends
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson from my mom
She also handed down to me my grandmother's copy of The Good Housekeeping Needlecraft Encyclopedia, bought in 1947.

I've been watching:
Bridgerton
Doctor Who New Year's Special
Call the Midwife Christmas Special
Home for Christmas, season 2
I also started watching The Vampire Diaries after listening to a podcast which discussed the book and it sounded really good. I loved the first season but it goes way off the rails. I'm still watching as a background show while I do other things, but I don't really understand what's going on anymore (I just started season 5)

Now I'm rewatching seasons 1-3 of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and then watching season 4. Next up after that is Cobra Kai, season 3.

I've been playing a lot of Animal Crossing on Switch and Two Point Hospital on my computer.

I cross stitched this piece for my mom's husband. It's a map of Wisconsin with famous foods from the state: frozen custard, cheese curds, bratwurst, butterburger, PBR, cream puff, old fashioned, fried fish, cherries, and kringle. Down at the bottom are a robin, a barn, a wheat field, a pasture, a badger (it looks kind of like a cow so it can be either one), the statehouse, the Milwaukee Art Museum, a sailboat, and Lake Michigan.



I packed it up along with all of the other presents for my mom and her husband and sent them to Wisconsin on Dec 17, and they're nowhere to be found. I submitted a lost package ticket to USPS and they called to say they don't know where it is, and then closed the ticket. I'm very angry and sad.

>14 norabelle414: - Bridgerton!

I'm so sorry about the lost package. I am angry and sad for you. That cross-stitch piece is really cool.

Oh I'm so sorry to hear about the lost package. Heartbreaking especially when it contained something you put so much gorgeous work into.

Dropping a star, Nora. SO sorry about the lost package - that is so frustrating. That cross-stitch makes me smile - what a fun piece. Hoping against odds that it and the rest of your package will eventually turn up.

I have already binged all of Bridgerton. My daughter Abby and I love Sabrina and have watched the first two seasons - we probably need to rewatch those before catching up.

>14 norabelle414: I like your cross-stitch map. I need to get back to working on a project.

Happy reading in 2021, Nora!

>14 norabelle414: My sister got me a switch lite last year. Animal Crossing is fantastic.

That sucks about the lost package, I've had a few lost packages and a few stolen packages over the years and it's always so awful. I hope it shows up.

Happy New Year, Nora. I hope 2021 is a great year for you.

>13 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>15 katiekrug:, >16 MickyFine: Thanks for your condolences. I am still hoping it will come through eventually.

>17 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! I tried to make Bridgerton last longer by only watching 2 episodes at a time but that only made it last 4 days!

>18 thornton37814: Thanks Lori! I'm really enjoying having a new craft to work on while I'm stuck at home.

>19 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita!

>20 bluesalamanders: Hi blue! Do you have any other Switch games you like? I like Stardew Valley and I just bought one called Cattails which is similar to Stardew but you are a cat.

>21 BLBera: Thanks Beth!

>22 norabelle414: I haven't played much else, actually. I tried to play Firewatch, but I got so frustrated that eventually I just closed it and will probably not play again. I have Abzu, which looks amazing, but I haven't opened it yet. I'm just amazed that I've stuck with Animal Crossing for as long as I have. Usually video games hold my attention for maybe a month before I get bored, but she got me the switch in like May.

2021 reading is going to be a bit different. (If I get much reading done at all.) My local library branch is closed for the foreseeable future. There are no more library book sales, or bookstore browsing, or author talks, or book festivals. It's just me stuck in this apartment with...the books I already own?? What a concept.

I'll at least be reading the following for the book club that I run:
Mr. Hornaday's War: How a Peculiar Victorian Zookeeper Waged a Lonely Crusade for Wildlife That Changed the World by Stefan Bechtel - January
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer - March
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert - May
American Zoo: A Sociological Safari by David Grazian - July
The Zoo: The Wild and Wonderful Tale of the Founding of London Zoo, 1826-1851 by Isobel Charman - September
The Overstory: a novel by Richard Powers - November

I might try to get back into more audiobooks. I don't absorb stuff as well in audio but I can listen to them while I work or play games.

>24 bluesalamanders: I tried playing Firewatch on PC but the storyline skeeved me out.
I think the fact that Animal Crossing is in real-time makes it really playable for a long time. It rewards you for playing a little bit every day, as opposed to some games that make you want to play for hours on end until you get tired of it.

Hi Nora and welcome 2021. I'm so sorry to hear about your lost package--I hope it turns up. Fingers crossed.

I'm about to start Bridgerton. I binged the books a few years ago and liked most of them.

Happy new year and new thread, Nora!

And keep up with my friends here, Nora. Have a great 2021.

Happy New Year Nora!

>22 norabelle414: >24 bluesalamanders: >26 norabelle414: I got really into Firewatch but there for a while it was giving me some major heebie-jeebies (I am a mega wimp).

I rather loved Jenny La Clue and play the Switch editions of Clue and Carcassonne quite a bit.

>27 AnneDC: Thanks Anne!

>28 libraryperilous: Exciting! I hope you enjoy it, Diana! I have heard some people talking about differences between the book and the movie but mostly good changes, I think.

>29 PaulCranswick: Happy New Year, Paul!

>30 leahbird: Thanks Leah!

>26 norabelle414: I pushed past the uncomfortable beginning because it looked like it would be interesting game play, but I don't know what the overarching story is. Maybe I'm glad I bounced so early.

The reward for every day play for Animal Crossing only sort of works for me? I'm to the point now where I don't always bother to do what my sister and I call "chores" (visit the kiosk, find the glowy hole, shake trees, etc), but I still play most days. I think for me it's the social aspect that's most rewarding. Being able to visit other people's islands, especially friends and family, sharing if we get cool items, doing events and things together.

Hey hey! I'm so late to Animal Crossing, lol... I just got it for Christmas, but maybe someday I'll get to that point where I can visit other peoples' islands (that's a thing, right?!?!). I worry it'll take over my life, but... it just seems so fun?! I'll probably have to set a timer. Hah.

Interested to hear what you think of The Raven Boys once you read it! I won't say anything more as I don't want to bias you either way, but it's definitely one of those books that folks have A Lot of Thoughts about that swing far one way or the other.

>25 norabelle414: I'm not huge on audio either but can recommend Mythos and Heroes written and read by Stephen Fry. Greek myths are familiar enough that if I wasn't fully paying attention it wasn't the end of the world and Stephen Fry could read a phone book well.

Hi Nora! Do you not volunteer at the zoo anymore? Is it closed? Or just not needing as many volunteers?

Hi Nora! Happy New Year!

>35 The_Hibernator: I could ask the same question. But I guess its pandemic related?

Sorry to hear about the lost package. Hoping it will turn up eventually.

And your library closed as well. It's the same here, but I can still read E-books from our library. Very glad about that!

Happy new year, Nora!

So sorry about the lost package :( Adding my hope that it turns up eventually. I *think* most of my Christmas gifts finally got through, but some I sent to a town in my state about an hour north were sent in plenty of time for Christmas and arrived later than the one I sent to DC, so I think the mail was pretty screwy for a while.

I have a TV now and once I get my phone and can download a universal remote app I'm going to start watching DVDs at least. Schitt's Creek is next on my list to try binge-watching.

>32 bluesalamanders: I think it's less of the reward for playing every day for Animal Crossing and more that it *doesn't* reward playing for hours and hours on end, especially late in the game. The social aspect is also a big deal! I like that you don't have to play against anyone or even play with them against someone else, you can just kind of *hang out*

>33 dk_phoenix: Yaayyy Animal Crossing! I'm not sure how early you can start visiting people's islands; I played for a couple months before I got Nintendo Online so that I could play with other people remotely.

If anyone wants to add me as a friend my Nintendo friend code is SW-2553-2201-7536

>34 MickyFine: Alas! My library doesn't have either of those. Right now I've got Red White and Royal Blue downloaded...we'll see if I ever actually get to it.

>35 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! The zoo is closed to the public with no reopening date planned. My particular position involved interacting with the public, so it won't be coming back for a very long time since that's not a safe activity. Also, the whole volunteer coordination department was closed and the staff was laid off during the summer. So even if things are safe in the future, it will be a long road to return to the zoo.

>36 EllaTim: Hi Ella! I'm not an e-book reader but I have more than enough books here to keep me occupied!

>37 bell7: Hi Mary! I hope you like Schitt's Creek! The first season is a little rough but it just gets better and better through the show.

My friend gave me his HBO Max log-in information so I'm planning to watch some shows there after I finish Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Cobra Kai. I'll at least watch season 2 of Harley Quinn and season 2 of His Dark Materials. I've also heard good things about The Flight Attendant.

We got HBO Max because The Wayne wanted to watch.... something. I can't remember now. He enjoyed the His Dark Materials series, and what I saw of it when looking up from my book or computer, was good.

I keep meaning to give The Flight Attendant a whirl. Maybe now that I'm done with The Crown and Bridgerton...

We finished S2 of His Dark Materials on NYE and enjoyed it!

Upside to living in Canada is we have less streaming platforms so stuff that's on network specific sites in the US end up on either Netflix, Amazon, or Crave up here. So far not enough shows have gone to Crave to convince us to join but we'll see how it goes in the next couple years.

Glad you got access to HBO. :)

Happy New Year, Nora!

I'm really sorry about the lost package. I sent off a couple of packages to family in Germany weeks and weeks ago. Just checked tracking and they're both in San Francisco. Which... from where they started (Colorado) seems like the wrong way. Oh, well, out of my hands. I also sent a package to my daughter - fortunately a "nothing" package with small and not valuable things inside, and it has gone missing - likely stolen since it does show delivered. That makes me crazy. Hope yours turns up.

I like your plan to try more audiobooks - I love them! It's harder for me to read them now that my school is remote, but when I am commuting to school I always have one going.

>41 katiekrug: Watchmen, maybe? I watched that (hah) when I had a free HBO trial last year. I really enjoyed the first season of His Dark Materials! Much better than the movie adaptation. I'm interested to see how the second season deals with the second book, which is VERY different from the first

>42 curioussquared: Oh that's good to hear!

>43 MickyFine: I forgot to mention that one of the reasons I started watching The Vampire Diaries now is that in December I found out the hard way that CW shows are only on Netflix for 5 years from when they ended....and Hart of Dixie ended in 2015 *sob*

>44 AMQS: Thanks Anne! I wouldn't be worried if I had updates as to where the package was....but the only tracking updates are one from the 17th stating that I mailed it and one from the 22nd that says "in transit"

I have been having a very hard time for the past few (several) (many) weeks and so I went to bed early last night, took the morning off of work today, went for a long walk, and cleaned up some of the mess that has accumulated around my apartment. My back and legs have been suffering from lack of exercise but I feel a bit better this evening. Hopefully I can keep it up. Most of the new internet friends I have made during the pandemic are on the west coast so it's hard to go to bed at a reasonable time.

Sunday night I watched the first two episodes of The Watch, based on Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. It's enjoyable enough. I had always pictured Sam Vimes as more of a large, "lazy policeman" stereotype, but I've heard that Pratchett compared him to Clint Eastwood so that's fine. Lady Sybil I had pictured as larger and older (especially since the actor is 17 years younger than the one portraying Vimes!) but I finder very likeable. All the other characters are great. I do think the perspective is a little bit off. The thing that sets the Discworld books apart from others is that there is no reader surrogate. No one marches through Anhk-Morpork declaring that it is weird, it just is what it is and the reader can take it or leave it. The TV show portrays a human raised as a dwarf, a werewolf, a female dwarf that looks like a man, and a troll as a band of "misfits", where as the books treat them as pretty much normal. But like I said, the show is enjoyable and it's fun to see characters come to life. I hope it gets weirder as it goes on.

Yesterday I watched Elizabeth Is Missing, a movie about a woman with dementia who is searching for her missing best friend but confuses the current day with memories of her sister's disappearance as a young woman. Simple and heartbreaking. I identified most with the main character's daughter, which I guess means I'm old now.

Today I watched Wonder Woman 1984. It was very dumb and the plot made zero sense but it's by far the most filmed in DC movie I've ever watched. I had a great time yelling about all the places I recognized and all the things they got right and wrong.

Is the show portraying them as misfits in general or as unlikely members of the watch? That's what I remember from the books: that Anhk-Morpork citizens (and Vimes even at first) seemed to be a little hesitant to accept them as coppers.

I'd forgotten about that show and really want to watch it! What service is it on?

>45 norabelle414: When I watched Hart of Dixie the first time I had to use a VPN to switch, which country I appeared to be in. Eventually I just caved and bought the show digitally on iTunes.

>46 norabelle414: Sending hugs for the rough time. I've tried both Yoga with Adriene (on YouTube) and Crunch Live (which has a free 90-day trial for their web videos) to do exercise at home and liked both.

Sorry to see that you’ve been having a hard time lately

I second Micky’s suggestion of Yoga with Adriane. I love that her stuff is completely free!
Beachbody has some decent home workouts as well but the online is a fee. Some libraries have to cds though

Happy New Year! Every year I'm impressed by your statistics about the previous year's reading, and I think how nice it would be to track that information, and every year I never actually bother to do it.

Re. The Vampire Diaries—have you read any of L.J. Smith's books? They were some of my absolute favourites around the ages of 12-14.

In terms of book acquisitions, my local library and my local bookstore (B&N) are still fully open—along with my local indoor dining. I wish the state would start making some effort to contain the virus again.

I'm sorry you've been having a hard time :(

Oh, I didn't realize the Watch show had come out! I'm excited to try it.

Echoing sympathy for tough times! I have also done some Yoga with Adriene for pandemic exercise, though I can't do too much yoga because I have recurring wrist issues. My go-to home exercise has been (no joke) the Zumba game available on Switch. I feel ridiculous but it's really fun. Also workouts through the FitOn app -- I have no idea how they can offer so much content for free, but they do and I'm not asking too many questions.

I hope you feel a bit better soon, Nora. It sounds like being able to stretch out your muscles helped a bit.

Hope you are taking care of yourself today, Nora. What a mess.

Hopefully you are doing better soon, Nora!

>46 norabelle414: WW84 was terrible. Nice to know there was at least one way to watch it and be entertained!

Hope you're doing ok.

>46 norabelle414: "but it's by far the most filmed in DC movie I've ever watched."

It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize that you meant the city of DC and not DC Comics..... hahaha

I haven't brought myself to watch WW84 yet. I just can't take the disappointment right now.

I went into WW84 with very, very low expectations (maybe no expectations?) and enjoyed it mostly because I love Pedro Pascal a lot.

>47 scaifea: It portrays them as misfits in society, such that joining The Watch was the only option they had available. They were all hand-picked by Vimes as a found family. It's a trope that's very familiar on TV, and one that I enjoy (see: Legends of Tomorrow), but a different vibe from the books.
It's on BBC America in the US.

>48 MickyFine: I'll find another show to comfort-watch, I'm sure, but I'll miss Hart of Dixie!

>49 ChelleBearss: Home workouts are really not for me! I need to be able to get out of my small apartment and stretch my legs. I'm used to walking around all day long as I go about my business, but now I have to make a concerted effort to get up and go outside and walk with no particular purpose and that's not something I'm good at.

>50 _Zoe_: I have a pretty nice spreadsheet, such that I can enter the information from LibraryThing (either as I go or taking a few minutes at the end of the year) and everything gets calculated for me. It's not a lot of work, thankfully!

>51 curioussquared: The Watch is better than I thought it would be! A lot of people were dragging it based on the trailer but I think it's fine.

I can't do much yoga at home, due to back and hip problems. I have occasionally been able to do some with an in-person instructor who can help fix my posture, but that's not going to be happening for awhile! In normal times my exercise is the ~25k steps I take per day, but that's a LOT of loops around my couch.

>52 libraryperilous: Thanks Diana! It did help a lot, I just have to make myself do it.

>53 Ape: Thanks Stephen! It's heartbreaking to know that the security theater I've been expected to put up with my whole life is casually tossed aside for a bunch of violent white supremacists. But physically I am okay.

>54 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel! I've gone on a walk every day since Monday and my legs and back feel much better.

>55 bluesalamanders:, >56 leahbird:, >57 curioussquared: I think it's very important that women, too, be the stars of terrible, stupid superhero movies that make zero sense, just like men have been for decades ;-)

1. Mr. Hornaday's War: How a Peculiar Victorian Zookeeper Waged a Lonely Crusade for Wildlife that Changed the World by Stefan Bechtel

William Hornaday was first a hunter. But he saw what hunting did to the American Bison in just a few short years - from herds in the tens of thousands in the 1870s to near extinction by 1886. He wanted to preserve the species of the world, first by hunting them for taxidermy displays (at the time the only way for laypeople to see real animals), then by founding the National Zoo and the Bronx Zoo with explicit missions of conservation, and lastly by waging a stubborn war of words against anyone who stood in the way of his goals.

A great and concise (from one person's perspective) history of the conservation movement in the United States, particularly the founding of the first few public zoos, and the intersection of this movement with Darwin's new theory of evolution. The storytelling is a little lopsided, with more than half the book about four long hunting expeditions over 10 years, less than a quarter about 6 years spent founding the National Zoo and Bronx Zoo, and the final section skimming over the remaining 30 years he spent fighting for animal conservation. It's very well researched, but mostly sourced from Hornaday's own (extensive) writing. I don't think anything in it is particularly untrue, but I would be interested to see other people's perspective of the same events, particularly the people he was fighting with. There is also only one photo in the whole book, even though I've seen photos of the events in the book in Smithsonian museums and various zoos. It's a slim book and would definitely benefit from them. Overall, very recommended for anyone interested in conservation, though those queasy about hunting could skip to chapter 13.

Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ (4/5)

Yay! Glad to see your first official read of the year was one you enjoyed!

>59 norabelle414: That is certainly true. I just wish it was a stupid superhero movie that I enjoyed, instead of one that I hated.

Happy new(ish) thread! Sorry to hear about the lost package. Glad you're getting out for walks.

Hi Nora. Thanks for stopping by my thread. Rory does have a bit of a 'cat in crisis' look on his face up top. that or, "Did you have to wake me up" look. ;-)

I do enjoy Call the Midwife, but it is one of the shows I watch when the other half is busy. He watched one episode and that was enough for him. Love the cross-stitch. Sad to read that you parcel has gone missing. Here is hoping they find it and it makes it to its destination. I get that the postal and courier systems are overworked since the pandemic and increased online purchasing, but they have had more then a few months to: 1) hire more staff, and 2) fix their parcel tracking systems. I purchased a pair of ankle rain boots during the Boxing Week sales. According to Purolator's online tracking, the parcel made it from Ontario to the sorting facility here in town by January 7th, and today still shows as being at the sorting facility, estimated delivery date "Unavailable". Ironically, my neighbour found the parcel in our building's lobby on Sunday afternoon and brought it up to me, so yah, there is still work to be done by the parcel companies.

Sorry to see that things are rough. Here is hoping that the suggestions mentioned above have been helping you. I find walking and the fresh air of being outdoors helps me cope with things and glad to see that you have been getting some walking in.

Can't remember if you have Disney+ but just dropping by to say I watched the first two episodes of WandaVision yesterday and really enjoyed them.

Hope you're keeping well. *hugs*

>61 MickyFine: Thanks Micky!

>62 bluesalamanders: Agreed.

>63 foggidawn: Thanks foggi! Update on the package in a moment.

>64 lkernagh: Yes, that is Rory's "ennui" face!
Unfortunately there has been a hiring freeze on the US Postal Service for several years, and many of the upgrades and improvements that were scheduled were postponed or cancelled right before the election in November. But more on that in a moment!

>65 MickyFine: I don't have Disney+ at the moment but I will probably subscribe for a month after the whole season of WandaVision has released. It looks good!

My mom's Christmas presents were finally delivered on the 16th! Almost a month since I mailed them. A little anti-climactic but they seemed to enjoy them. In addition to the Wisconsin cross stitch from >14 norabelle414: I gave them another cross stitch piece, some seeds my mom had asked for and a seedling planter tray, a copy of The 99% Invisible City by Roman Mars and a copy of What It's Like to Be a Bird by David Sibley.

My mom's neighbor's dog wears a snood so my mom has decided that her dog needs a snood as well (he does not), so I'm knitting one for her now.

I've been watching:
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - I rewatched the previous seasons and then watched the current season. It was good but I don't blame them for ending it before it could get boring
Cobra Kai season 3 - Still good! I have never seen whatever Karate Kid sequel this season had flashbacks of, but that didn't matter for the storyline.
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist - season 2 is good so far! Harvey Guillian is on it! They did a song from Oliver!! I miss Lauren Graham but I've heard she'll be back at some point
Trickster - an imported show from Canada about an Indigenous teenager who uncovers some mysterious magic in his family. Good!
Miss Scarlet and the Duke - A sassy lady becomes a detective in Victorian London. Inject it directly into my veins, thanks.
All Creatures Great and Small - the new remake. So gentle and soothing!
Batwoman - The new season is fine. The new batwoman is good.
Call Me Kat - a US remake of the British show Miranda. Mayim Bialik is no Miranda Hart, and the show does not really work. But it's got real cats on it and that's enough to keep me watching.
Mr. Mayor - what if an incompetent rich old man won public office?? How wacky would that be?? Not wacky, just terrifying. Not even Ted Danson can save a show that thinks its main character is noble for standing up to disabled people who want to use plastic straws. This has been in development for many years, and was originally supposed to be a 30 Rock sequel with Alec Baldwin in the starring role. Which explains why I don't like it.
Call Your Mother - a sitcom about a retired single woman who picks up and moves to LA to be close to her adult children. Nothing interesting here.

Ooh, Miss Scarlet and the Duke and All Creatures Great and Small sound v interesting!

I hope you're feeling better, Nora. I'm glad the exercise helped a bit.

what if an incompetent rich old man won public office?? How wacky would that be?? Not wacky, just terrifying.

Did ... did no one think of how this would feel after living through it for four years at the federal level??!?!?!?

Anyway, does the show feature a host of enabling supporting characters who say things like, "What's the downside for humoring him?" That would give it some extra verisimilitude!

>69 norabelle414: It's kind of like what extremely (stupidly) optimistic people thought Trump was going to be like in the beginning? "LOL he's going to be so bad at this" instead of "he's a racist monster and serial sexual assaulter who is going to ruin lives and get people killed".
Though to be fair I only watched 1.5 episodes, it could get better.
I think they probably just put this show on because they don't have much else to air at the moment.

2. Poems to See By: A Comic Artist Interprets Great Poetry illustrated by Julian Peters

Talented artist Julian Peters interprets and illustrates 24 different poems by a variety of poets.

I enjoyed this so much! Peters is an incredibly talented artist in many different styles, and used everything from abstract to watercolor to anime to view these classic poems in a different way. It really made me think about them in a way I hadn't before. I also tend to skim over poetry but the comic-like format made me take my time. I'm definitely going to keep this early review copy in my permanent collection. I think it would make a great gift.

Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ♥ (4.5/5)

Trickster is based on Son of a Trickster, so you might like that also.

So glad your cross-stitch wasn't permanently lost!

I was looking at upcoming release dates and it looks like Disney+ is going to go straight from releasing episodes of WandaVision (scheduled to go until early March) to Falcon and the Winter Soldier right after (and I think Loki after that). I think they're working pretty hard to get those Marvel fans signed up for more than one month.

>71 MickyFine: Ooh, thank you!

A few more thoughts:

I'm listening to the audiobook of Red, White, and Royal Blue and oof has that book not aged well. Sure the president is competent, but she's still got her adult kids wayyyy too involved in the presidency (AND her re-election campaign! at the same time!)
But the romance is good and it's easy enough to overlook the iffy parts.

Here's a video of the inauguration fireworks from my apartment: https://twitter.com/norabelle414/status/1352089380001865732

I had something else to mention but I don't remember what it was so I'll be back.

I'm very glad your package found its way to the intended recipients! One of the Christmas cards I mailed to a friend took a month to travel the 75 miles between us, so yeah, things are not working well, postally, at present.

Mail delivery is taking forever. I ordered a used book from an Amazon 3rd party about a month ago. It's been sitting in Union, NJ ever since December 28. I contacted the 3rd party seller only because the tracking had disappeared from my USPS dashboard (although I could view its progress if I just went to track a package or looked at Amazon), just inquiring if they knew a way to get it reinstated or if they could see what was happening. They refunded my money. I didn't really intend for them to do that because I know the problems we've had with USPS lately--and it was not this dealer's fault. I'll see if it eventually shows up.

>74 foggidawn:, >75 thornton37814: The woman who was my contact at the post office in Wisconsin kept offering to contact the buyer or seller to let them know that the delays were postal related and not my fault. I was happy to give her a laugh when I told her the package was for my mom and I'm pretty sure she knows I'm not a scammer.

>14 norabelle414: Are you a fan of the streamers Outside Xtra, perchance? I only ask because one of the gals plays Two-Point Hospital and is fun to watch, and they do Animal Crossing too :) I yearn for a Switch of my own... We've been playing the 3DS version of AC, but I want to interact with my pals' on their islands!

I'm glad your mom's gift finally arrived!

One of these days I'll probably check out Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist, and I'll be watching your thread to see if Trickster continues to be good. Other than that, nothing's really jumping out at me as a must watch. I'm busily watching Season 4 of Schitt's Creek now.

>70 norabelle414: That is a great idea, Nora.

3. Red, White and Royal Blue (Audiobook) by Casey McQuiston, read by Ramon de Ocampo

21-year-old Alex Claremont-Diaz is the charismatic, type-A, half-Hispanic son of the first female President of the United States. Stoic, standoffish Prince Henry is the second-born grandson of the Queen of England. The two do not get along at all, but after a minor diplomatic incident involving a squished wedding cake, they have to pretend to be best friends for appearances' sake. Spending forced time together makes them appreciate each other more, and they become real friends. Friends who text each other late at night, and think about each other all day, and contrive ways to spend more and more time together...

Though published in 2019, this book is solidly grounded in the Obama era. It's supposed to be cute that the adult son of the President is schmoozing with members of Congress to promote his mother's agenda, and then on top of that is given a high-level job on her reelection campaign. We've just lived through four years of this, though, and it's very much not cute. There's a reason "surly presidential kid who just wants to be normal" is the prevailing trope, and that's because it's much closer to the truth. This almost comes up at one point when President Claremont finds out that Alex and Henry are romantically involved, and scrambles to make sure they have not used any unauthorized funds to meet up. It's just a passing mention, not any in depth thought about which funds he is or is not allowed to use. First family funds? Unofficial congressional liaison for the president funds? Campaign official funds? This is why we don't do this.

World-building aside, the romance, the writing, and the secondary characters are VERY good. Everyone is extremely likeable and the closest thing to a villain in the story is the Queen of England (lol). Definitely kept me turning the page (or in this case hitting "play" on the audiobook). I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from McQuiston, though hopefully not related to government.

The audiobook narrator was also great, even with the British and Mexican-American Spanish accents. President Claremont's Texas accent was a bit much. It was a nice touch to have an Hispanic narrator for an Hispanic POV character, even though he doesn't have any noticeable accent.

Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ (4/5)

>80 norabelle414: I loved this too much to be super critical of the government stuff. I think I've read it twice now? McQuiston has a queer time loop romance coming out in May or June and I'm excited!

Just dropping by to say I miss you.

Hi Nora! Hope you are well!

Hi Nora! Hope you're doing ok.

Pretty late finding your thread this year but coincidentally I also read Red, White & Royal Blue this month and enjoyed it. I didn't pick up on the issues with government/politics so much from a US perspective but I did have some 'hmm' moments about some of the British implications. And the fact they got outed by someone leaking emails from a private server really made me wince. I still can't find that funny after what happened in 2016.

>81 curioussquared: Yes, I'm looking forward to it too (and relieved there's no politics this time)!

Nora! I'm going to make a totally-for-real-and-definitely-not-temporary effort to return to Librarything, and as such I request you do the same! :P

I thought you would like to know that both Mia and Matthew adore the cicadas, would regularly pick them up and hold them with no fear, put them in the cicada "house" (plastic bug container) or ask if we wanted to hold them. We would see what color their eyes were - apparently they once saw one with white/very light green eyes, but we only ever got orange or red. One of their friends came over to play and left because Matthew kept putting cicadas on him. He was totally flummoxed as to why this might be a problem: "But they don't bite or sting."

Anyway, thought you would enjoy that. Mia's still scared of most bugs but cicadas are amazing to her, and every bit as cool every day we were there as when they first appeared this year.

Hope you and Rory are keeping well, Nora.

Has the zoo restarted their volunteer program yet? I know my work library is slowly starting to get volunteers back in the roles they filled prior to the pandemic shutdowns/layoffs.

We're fine as can be, thanks.

The zoo will not be returning volunteers to the park until at least the spring. We were told this was a Smithsonian decision, but all of the other Smithsonian museums, which are indoors, have already returned their volunteers. The zoo is also attempting to disband the volunteer advocacy group that I am on the board of, and a number of us (myself included) are likely to quit because of that. It's been very stressful and demoralizing, which is one of the reasons I haven't been on this thread much.

Now that all of my family are vaccinated, they are having a great time going on international vacations and attending indoor parties. I am not. (going on vacations, that is. I am, of course, vaccinated.) I am planning to take the train to Wisconsin to visit my mom for Thanksgiving, the first time I will be away from home for more than a few hours since before the pandemic, and the first time I will get to wake up without my work computer staring at me. However my tickets are fully refundable in case things start to get worse and I don't feel comfortable going.

I am starting to ease back into going to indoor public events, no more than once every two weeks, provided that they require masks and proof of vaccination, and have socially-distant seating. Last month I went to Arena Stage to see a play. Last week I went to see Sutton Foster discuss her new book Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life with Linda Holmes (I got a copy, of course). Next week I'm going to see Hadestown at the Kennedy Center.

My sister-in-law is pregnant and I'll have a niece in December or January. I've been knitting hats and a baby blanket (below) and am working on my first sweater. If anyone has any favorite baby knitting patterns let me know!



My only reading comes from the zoo volunteer book club that I am still running (for now...), and also a podcast that I listen to that used to be about something else but is now about romance novels. I have been reading along whenever I can get the audiobook from the library. I feel weird about rating/reviewing the books because I don't really like them, they are just something to have on 1.2x speed in the background while I go about my day. I'll write about them here eventually, since there are some I like less than others, but I might not post the ratings or reviews on the actual book pages.

>88 norabelle414: Oh I'm sorry to hear about the zoo volunteer mess. *hugs*

Crossing my fingers now that case numbers both where you are and in Wisconsin remain on the low side so that you can get in your Thanksgiving visit.

I hope you love Hadestown. I got to see it when they were workshopping it in Edmonton prior to their Broadway debut, which was a pretty cool experience. I also love the soundtrack.

Congrats on getting to be an aunt! I think it's a pretty sweet gig. Sadly no knitting patterns to offer though as I only do crochet.

Whether you make appearances here or around the threads, I'm always pleased to see you, friend.

Stopping by to say "Hello," Nora. Congratulations on the new niece or nephew!

Hey Nora, sorry to hear about the issues with going back to volunteering at the zoo :(

The baby blanket looks great - congrats on becoming an aunt! I agree with Micky, it's a pretty special thing. And, also as Micky says better than I could, it's always nice to see you here or on other threads.

Oh, and one of my favorite baby sweater patterns is here. I've made it several times and it tends to be my go-to now. I also like these booties.

>88 norabelle414: That's an amazing looking baby blanket!

Sorry to hear about the volunteering issues - that really sucks. :-(

Hi Nora!

I started relistening to the Jacky Faber series last week and it made me think of you for recommending it and getting my hooked on good audiobooks. So thanks! ;)

Thanks Micky and Stasia and Mary and Heather and Leah!

I got my booster shot yesterday (I originally got Johnson & Johnson) as well as my flu shot and my 10-year Tdap. I'm working election day next week, and dog-sitting my nephew the following weekend while my brother and sister-in-law are out of town.

I've been going into the office once a week on Tuesdays, but no one else is. It's nice to be able to use a real monitor and sit at a work desk and leave the house.

I'm currently listening to The Overstory by Richard Powers for the zoo book club I lead. My local library branch reopened in July and I've checked books out but haven't read any of them.

>94 norabelle414: I hope you are enjoying The Overstory. I loved it when I read it.

Congrats on getting the booster and flu shots done!

>94 norabelle414: I'm back to full-time WFH right now as we've had a case spike here since September. We were in the office part-time over the summer and while I still prefer the WFH life (sweatpants!) it was nice to use my standing desk and have dual monitors rather than my at-home set up of a work laptop and my personal laptop.

Hopefully one of those library books eventually tempts you to crack it open but ear reading is also awesome!

Oh I definitely crack them open! And then my eyes glaze over.

>97 norabelle414: Fingers crossed the funk passes.

Leaving for Wisconsin for 10 days on Monday afternoon. Feeling very anxious about it. Rory is getting picked up tomorrow, the first time he's going to the cat-sitter's house since January 2020 (and that was only 2 days). I have a couple maintenance issues that I'm hoping can get fixed while I'm gone, so I'm also tidying my apartment which has become a bit of a mess. Going to the store tomorrow morning because I just found out I have jock itch (ew!). Monday I have to finish up a few work things before I leave, then it's 17 hours on the train to Chicago and almost two weeks without my work computer.

I'm not sure yet exactly what books I'm bringing with me, except that I have Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube and Pumpkinheads out from the library so probably those and two YA LTER books I need to review. And maybe the Sutton Foster memoir I got last month and A Closed and Common Orbit? It's tempting to bring a lot of books in case I actually start to read again, but I don't want to lug them around if I'm not going to read them (and my mom and her husband certainly have many I can borrow if I do speed through the ones I've got)

The January book for the book club I run is All Creatures Great and Small, which I have read before (and am watching the TV show of course) but I don't currently have a copy (I used to but it was in extremely poor condition so I ditched it)

Netflix shows I'm downloading for the train: Another Life season 2, Pretty Smart season 1, Locke & Key season 2

>99 norabelle414: Pumpkinheads is excellent, Nora, so definitely take that one with you! A Closed and Common Orbit is also very good.

Have a wonderful trip!

I hope the trip goes super smoothly, Nora!

A Thanksgiving to Friends (Lighting the Way)

In difficult times
a friend is there to light the way
to lighten the load,
to show the path,
to smooth the road

At the darkest hour
a friend, with a word of truth
points to light
and the encroaching dawn
is in the plainest sight.

Nora, to a friend in books and more this Thanksgiving

Thanks Stasia, Micky, and Paul!

I am back, everything went fine. The little roomette on the train was very nice and I felt very safe, highly recommend. They did turn the heat way up at night so I was too sweaty and didn't sleep great but that might be more of a personal preference thing. It was nice to be able to close my door and take my mask off, at the very least.

It got dark quickly after I left DC but the sun rose somewhere around Toledo and the ride through Indiana was lovely, even though I was on the southwest side of the train and couldn't see the lake. I got into Chicago around 9am CT and hopped on another (basically empty, since it was Tuesday) train to Milwaukee and my mom met me at the train station there. During the pandemic she moved to a nice-sized town about 30 minutes north of Milwaukee, and this was the first time I had been there. We went to loads of cute coffee shops and other stores and cheese factories and walked on the beach and in several nature preserves. In addition to the expected shorebirds I saw migrating sandhill cranes and a barred owl and a snowy owl.

I took to suddenly living with other people better than I thought I would after almost 2 years of essentially zero in-person human contact. My mom's husband's son and his girlfriend, who are about my age, were also there for a couple days at Thanksgiving. My mom was very kind and nurturing and it was so nice to have someone else feed me, etc. Would have been nicer if she had been like that at any point before I was 25 but whatever. She has so much more energy and motivation than I do so I have just been vegging out and catching up on Animal Crossing since I got home on Friday.

My mom and her husband are coming out here the weekend of Dec 11 to have an early Christmas so there's not so much stress around my sister-in-law's due date. My niece is still due on Dec 28 and everything is going fine but she might need to be delivered a week early because she's in a weird position. Just playing it by ear at this point! I'll be dog sitting while they are in the hospital so am on standby. I'll also be cat-sitting for my friend (who kept Rory while I was away) from Dec 24 to Jan 3, but I'm hoping I can just have the cat over to my apartment since I haven't had any bad interactions with my neighbor in more than a year.

I did read all of Pumpkinheads on the train, and a small chunk of Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube. I'm not loving the writing but it's short and readable enough so I'll try to finish it. In preparation for next year's book club I bought All Creatures Great and Small, The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments, Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, and How Animals Grieve. My mom also gave me her copy of One Came Home that she just finished reading.

Glad you had a good trip! I haven't traveled much by train, but it sounds pleasant.

Glad everything went smoothly, and traveling by train in a roomette sounds like the best possible way to travel!

Sounds like a wonderful trip, Nora. I'm so envious of the better train network you have in the US. While it is possible to take the train across Canada (and it's on my travel bucket list to do someday), it's pretty pricey and basically only goes through major provincial capitals.

Hope you have a great visit with your family when they come to see you and that your niece shifts position to make things easier for your SIL.

If you have Amazon Prime, there's a seasonal Rainbow Rowell short story available for free featuring Reagan from Fangirl. I'm saving it for when I finish the newest Outlander chunkster.

Have a lovely holiday, Nora.

Sorry I haven't been posting! Just not much to say.

My niece Adelaide was born on Dec 23. She, of course, has her own LibraryThing account at AddyL . I dog-sat at my brother's house from Dec 23 to 27. I successfully had my friend's cat at my apartment from Dec 21 to Jan 3 with zero comment from my neighbors. It was a very quiet Christmas.

My mom got me The Colouring Book of Edinburgh and Vanishing Fleece: Adventures in American Wool for Christmas. My brother and sister-in-law got me Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and my dad got me We Are Our Mothers' Daughters by Cokie Roberts. I got myself A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird by Rosemary Mosco.

>108 norabelle414: Nora sighting! Yay!

Congrats on your new niece! I find aunt-hood delightful and hope you have an equally great experience.

Thanks for the well-wishes Foggi, Stephen, Micky, and Paul!

>106 MickyFine: Most trains in the US outside of the northeast are very unpleasant and expensive. It's mostly just coincidence that the trip between DC and Chicago is one of the few nice ones. Even on the same route, if someone wanted to get on the train anywhere west of West Virginia they would have to get on in the middle of the night.

Coincidentally, my mom wants us to take the overnight train to Canada at some point, which is literally impossible. (The two Amtrak routes that go to Toronto and Montreal leave New York early in the morning and arrive in the afternoon/evening). I've been trying to convince her we should fly to Montreal and take the overnight VIA to Halifax instead. I doubt it will ever happen but we've been looking into it. She somehow finds planning trips during a global pandemic relaxing, which I definitely do not.

ETA: >109 MickyFine: Thanks again Micky :-)

I have a new thread for the new year, finally! I kind of forgot that I hadn't made one already, whoops!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/339413