Mary (Storeetllr) Reads-2021 Pt. 2

Happy June! I don't know about you, but I am so ready for summer! It's been a long, cold, lonely winter, and a short, strange spring (wet & cold one day/hot & humid the next-for about 2 weeks), but the trees are green again, and my garden is growing, so things are looking up!


We Are All a Little Bit Murderbot


I Love This Picture of Ruby and Her Mom


The Garden Tower 2021


Giant Milkweed & Marigolds in the Raised Bed


A Few Rocks I Painted for Wear Orange weekend.

June

25. Angel of the Overpass by Seanan McGuire. 4 stars. Audio. Book 3 of the Rose Marshall Ghost Roads series. Though it started out slow and, as Roni said, it's heavy on current social issues, it turned out to be a really good read that I had a hard time putting down to sleep (at 3 a.m.). I hope the end of this arc portends the beginning of the next for my favorite ghost.

26. Heart of Evil by Heather Graham. 3 stars. eBook. A bit convoluted story about a Civil War reenactment, a couple of Civil War ghosts and a psychopath who believes they're getting revenge for an ancestor who was killed at Manassas. It was okay, but I never really connected with the story or the characters.

27. Sacred Evil by Heather Graham. 3.5 stars. eBook. Someone mimicking Jack the Ripper is murdering women in Lower Manhattan. Detective Jude Crosby resists the idea it's Jack come back from the grave, or even Jack's American double Jonathan Black, who is believed to have lived in a house next to the first crime scene in present time and who murdered at least one woman back in the 1890s, but the media stories have whipped the city into a state of near hysteria, and the mayor (apparently Guiliani!) calls in the FBI's Krewe of Hunters. Whitney, a mixed race woman whose grandmother is a voodoo practitioner in New Orleans, is first of the team to arrive and first to perceive a ghost in the old house that they've been given to stay in. It's the ghost of a big dog, and, of course, it leads her to a gruesome discovery next door. I enjoyed this story most of the five I've read. I'm going to finish the next (which is last in a collection) and then take a break from this series to get on with my next reads.

28. House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. 4 stars. Audio. Wow. This is one of the weirdest YA horror novels I've ever read, and I've read some doozies. I don't usually like YA, but I decided to try this on the advice of someone. Also, I loved the cover image. Blood and flowers? Who could resist. So, anyway, it's the story of three sisters who disappeared on New Years Eve off a street in Old Edinburgh and reappeared a month later in the same place: naked, bloody, scarred, and changed, apparently unable to recall what happened to them. Now, years later, the eldest sister is a superstar model/designer, the middle sister a hard-drinking drug-using punk rock musician, and the youngest still in high school and just wanting to be quiet and studious and left alone except for her emotionally damaged mum and her odd sisters. Pretty good, except for the fact it dragged on a bit in a couple of places. Only the smallest bit of teenaged angst, and no sex or mooning over boys, so that was good. It ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, though the main story was complete enough you wouldn't have to read a sequel. If you didn't want to find out what happened to Tyler Yang and eldest sister Gray.



29. The Evil Inside by Heather Graham. 3.5 stars. eBook. This was set in Salem, MS a week or so before Halloween. A hotshot lawyer driving to the house he grew up in to decide what to do with it, how that his folks had died, almost runs into a teenaged boy, naked and covered with blood. Turns out the boy's parents, grandmother, and uncle were all victims of an ax murderer, and the boy is the main suspect. Also turns out the boy's psychiatrist is the uncle of Jenna, one of the Krewe of Hunters, and asks Jenna to investigate unofficially. Interesting background on the Puritans and the witch hysteria of the 1600s.

30. Legacy by Nora Roberts. 3.5 stars. Audio. Sweet family saga with a lot of smart, sensible, successful, decent characters and a family of psychopaths and narcissists.

31. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. 4.5 stars. Ebook. As soon as I flicked to the last page, I wanted to 1) reread it, except this time on audio and 2) write a review to say how much I enjoyed this novel. So, this time, Weir has us traveling past the Moon, past Mars, to Tai Ceti, through interstellar space at near light speed. Now, I know that's definitely not possible with our current technology, but the reason main character Ryland Grace (WHERE do authors come UP with these names?) can do this is the reason it is necessary: some thing is eating the energy of the Sun. Humans must find a way to stop this or humanity (and pretty much most other species of life on Earth) will be extinct in about 40 years, so all nations work together to get it done. (This part is told in flashbacks - I usually am not a huge fan of flashbacks, but there's a good reason for them in this story, so I was okay with it.) I didn't get some of the science (there's a lot of science) and most of the math (there's even more math), but I didn't have to understand it to enjoy the story. I mean, Grace is a scientist, so as long as HE understands it, I was good with it. Anyway, Weir tells a good doomsday tale with pretty much the right amount of character study, adventure, tension, and feels to make me happy. (I actually teared up at the end.) There's only one thing that continued to bother me throughout the story: He never used profanity once. In fact, he said things like "Dang it!" instead. I wouldn't have minded if Weir had given a reason for that, but he didn't. In fact, I don't remember any swearing in the entire book. And, if the earth-is-doomed scenario were true, I imagine there'd be a whole lot of it. I'd give this 5 stars (and might decide to do that after I reread it on audio), but I subtracted 1/2 star for the beginning which dragged a bit and the end which was a bit abrupt, tho if it were a choice between 4 and 5, I'd give it 5. Highly recommended.

32. Memory Man by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio. I've never read Baldacci before, but I think I'll continue with this series. I didn't like the reader but the story was good, so not sure whether to listen or read to the next in the series. Amos Decker is a mountain of a man. Former pro football player (one play in one season) until he was knocked down & died - twice - on the field before being brought back, his injury caused him to develop a condition resulting in a perfect memory. After he recovered, he became a cop, where he used his perfect memory to help him solve crimes. All that ended when he returned home from a stake-out to find his wife and 9 year old daughter murdered. When the book begins, he's down-and-out, almost a derelict, obese, living in a motel, plying his trade as a private detective doing small, low-paying jobs. Then a man confesses to the murder of his family, and he comes out of his stupor. It was a little far-fetched that his former captain would ask him to consult on a connected case and an FBI agent would befriend him, but supposedly he was brilliant in his time as a cop, and everybody felt sorry for him over what happened to his family.

33. The Last Mile by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio. Apparently, I've gotten used to the reader and his style didn't impinge on my enjoyment. This was another slightly farfetched adventure featuring Amos Decker. He's on his way to Quantico to join the cold-case team he's been invited to join when he hears a news story about a former football star who, after 20 years on death row, was saved at the last minute from execution for the murder of his parents by another man's confession. Decker decides the team needs to investigate this case because something just isn't right about it. I like how Decker's character is evolving, and I really like how his relationship with the members of the team and the man who'd been falsely convicted develops. Glad I "discovered" this series and plan to continue it.

34. Heart of Barkness by Spencer Quinn. 4 stars. Audio. And a little lightness to balance all the dark murdery stuff I've been reading (and still am - almost finished with Troubled Blood, which is dark in both the murdery and relationship areas). In this adventure with Chet and Bernie, Bernie's finally out of the hospital after his last case ended disastrously (for him). One of the first things he does is bring Chet to a seedy bar to see a show put on by a country singer Bernie likes whose good days of her youth and celebrity are long gone but who was once a star - before something terrible happened and she lost her way. Anyway, come for the mystery of who killed her manager/lover and stay for the fun of living for awhile in the head of one of the most endearing canines in literature.

35. Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith. 3.5 stars. Audio. I took 1/2 star off for going on so long about the same things. I mean, how many times do you need to read about Strike's and Robin's non-relationship? And the personal crisis Strike goes through is only peripheral to the mystery yet takes up a huge amount of the story. So, it could have been pared down a bit is what I'm saying. Anyway, Strike and Robin take a cold case from 20 years earlier where a doctor disappears between leaving her clinic and the bar where she was to meet her best friend which was only blocks away. Complicating matters was the fact a serial killer was operating in the area at the time, so the police were stuck on the theory she'd been taken by him. Also, the lead cop was having a psychotic break while investigating.

36. The Fix by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio. Might be the best in the series so far. In this one, Decker and the team must discover why a well-respected defense contractor killed a seemingly innocuous stranger in front of the Hoover Building and then killed himself before Armageddon is unleashed. Only things that annoyed me & resulted in me taking a half star off the rating are Jamieson's proprietary behavior toward Decker and the seemingly unsavvy FBI agents who miss clues that even I pick up on and can't seem to follow a chain of thought to a possible conclusion without being led to it by Decker. Maybe I've just watched too much Criminal Minds.

37. Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire. 4.5 stars. Audio. My favorite Wayward Children novella yet. In this one, a young girl named Regan goes through a door in the forest and ends up in the Hooflands where she meets centaurs and unicorns and kelpies and other strange and wonderful creatures and must eventually decide how to perform her role which is to save the world. I really hope we get to continue Regan's story. She might be my favorite character yet in this series.

38. Of Mutts and Men by Spencer Quinn. 4 stars. Audio. Chet and Bernie are back on the case, this time investigating the murder of a hydrologist who had wanted to hire them for reasons unknown. With Bernie's interest (some might call it obsession) in the aquifer, and his innate sense of justice which wouldn't allow him to abandon a petty criminal who'd been arrested for the murder but whom Bernie was sure hadn't done it, this was a case they had to take, even though there wasn't actually a paying client.

July

39. The Fallen by David Baldacci. 3.5 stars. Audio. Okay, I really like Amos Decker, the main character in these mystery thrillers, but the sidekick, Jamieson - too many times in this novel I wanted to slap her and tell her to grow up and stop being a whiny b-word person. Decker's essentially a good person with a brilliant and intuitive investigative mind who has a physical "disability" which causes him to be less than socially-adept. He's abrupt, he gets so focused that he doesn't hear others talking and/or ignores them, and sometimes he just gets up and leaves without saying goodbye. He's been like that from the first page of the first book. Why Jamieson acts like she's put out and offended, constantly questioning him and criticizing him and pretty much whining about his every action when that is how he was when they first met, is beyond me. Especially when he tries to accommodate her and everyone's needs for polite social behavior when he's trying to solve murders and keep her and everyone else safe from the psycho murderers is beyond me. And it just throws me out of the story because it's so damn annoying. (Rant over.) In this one, Decker goes with Jamieson to a small, dying town in Pennsylvania to visit her sister and her niece who's having her 6th birthday when the house across the way catches on fire, and he discovers two dead bodies in the house when he rushes over to put out the fire. The mystery itself was a bit convoluted, but it was an enjoyable read - or would have been if it hadn't been for the aforementioned issue I had with it.

40. Redemption by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio. Thank goodness Jamieson wasn't in this one much; it was a much needed break from her constant harping. Instead, Melvin Mars joins Decker. I really like Mars and the relationship between him and Decker. Anyway, in this one, Decker returns to his hometown to visit his daughter's grave on her birthday. While there, he's approached by a convicted mass murderer from the first case he worked on as a detective. The man's been released because he's dying of cancer with only a few weeks if not days to live. He tells Decker he wasn't guilty and asks him to reopen the investigation. Then someone murders the man, execution style, and Decker finds himself in the middle of another murder investigation, this time without the backing of the FBI or his partner Jamieson who's been called back to D.C. to work another case, all the while questioning his investigation of the original murder all those years ago. As I've come to find with all the Memory Man novels, this one is filled with improbabilities and off-the-wall scenarios, but I admit I'm hooked, mostly by the Decker character (and Mars).

41. Walk the Wire by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio. I continue to enjoy this series of thrillers, mostly because I really like the protagonist, despite the improbability of much of the story and his unlikeable (to me) partner. (though she's not as annoying in this story). In this, the fifth in the series, the pair is sent to a small fracking town in Montana to investigate the gruesome but seemingly commonplace murder of a schoolteacher/part-time hooker without telling them why the Bureau is interested. From there it spirals into some really wild lines of investigation that have them dodging bullets, bombs and attempts to wreck their vehicle. Introduces a really scary but highly competent secret operative from some shadowy government agency who shows up to rescue them from overwhelming odds and whom I hope returns in subsequent books.

42. The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson. 3.5 stars. Audio. Phew! Finally finished this book about the scientists whose work on gene editing resulted in the development of CRSPR. I found parts of it a real slog and parts fascinating. (The parts that talked about the infighting and legal battles over patents were the slog for me; the parts about the scientific discoveries and the ethical questions of gene editing fascinating.) I'm really glad I finished it after having run out of time and it going back to the library when I was a few chapters from the end. Reading about the events around the Covid vaccine was very interesting, and I actually cried when Doudna reconnected with her French collaborator and they both ended up winning the Nobel Prize.

43. Tender is the Bite by Spencer Quinn. 4 stars. Audio. In this one, Chet (and Bernie) take on a case of missing persons (and a missing ferret) involving politicians, Mr. Parsons, the aforesaid ferret, a race horse in training, a nasty police detective, and a miniature golf range. Pretty good, and, of course, Chet's take on things is just hilarious.

44. Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci. 3.5 stars. Audio. A different mystery thriller series by Balducci features Atlee Pine, an FBI special agent assigned (by choice) to a single-agent office in Shattered Rock, AZ. Atlee's twin sister was abducted and probably murdered when they were six, which is likely why she chose law enforcement as a profession. Baldacci writes well, but from all I've read of his work so far, his stories are quite improbable. I like his characters tho - Amos Decker and Atlee Pine are alike in some ways, quite different in others, but both speak to me. I also like the way they gather up unlikely friends and allies without actually trying to or even wanting to.

45. A Minute to Midnight by David Baldacci. 3.5 stars. Audio. In this one, Pine and her assistant Blum return to Pine's home town in Georgia, where her sister had been taken so long ago. What she discovers shakes her to her core.

46. The Last Guard by Nalini Singh. 3.5 stars. Kindle. Advanced the story arc but I wasn't enamoured of the MFC and MMC, though it wasn't a bad story and kept me reading. I may return to increase (or decrease, I guess) the rating after I listen to it on audio. Anyway, Payal is CEO of her family's consortium, and Canto (stupid name, sorry) is the head of the Mercant family's spy network. Both are also Designation As - Anchors - and strong ones at that. Both were also severely damaged as children because apparently Designation A children have a lot of problems that make them undesirable to the Psy, and these problems appear before their Designation A status can be determined. Anyway, as often happens, they are stronger together than apart, though it takes them (well, mostly her) a long time to get there. Kaleb's (and Sahara's) got a bit part in this book, enough to make me happy, as does Valentin and the bears (and Silver's brother Arwen, who's in a relationship with Pavel, one of the bears) and, to a lesser degree, Silver. It ended on a cliffhanger, but not one that left me either panting to find out what happened next or furious that it ended on a cliffhanger, but just an fyi to those who hate cliffhangers.

47. The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. 4.5 stars. Audio. Narrated by Gaiman, it is performed by a cast including Martin Sheen (as Lucifer), Riz Ahmed, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, and Andy Serkis. I wasn't sure how well this GN would translate to an audio presentation, but it worked pretty well. Some of it was a bit much - Dr. Destiny and Cain & Abel were a bit overly dramatic, as were a couple of others, but some were spot on perfect. I loved Morpheus' voice (James McAvoy) and Death's (Kat Dennings). This first installment of the audio series The Sandman adapts volumes 1-3 of the graphic novel series (Preludes & Nocturnes, The Doll’s House, and Dream Country). I got it free from Audible and you can too through October 22, 2021.


48. Daylight by David Baldacci. 3.5 stars. Audio. Atlee has been given leave from the FBI to pursue her investigation of what happened to her sister. She and Carol Blum, her trusty assistant, go to the East Coast and end up involved in a massive cover-up involving high-ups in government. I enjoy these, but the many of the situations just seem too over-the-top.

49. First Touch by Teyla Branton. 4 stars. Kindle. Novella. Autumn Rain discovers she has a gift for psychometry at the funeral for her adopted father. Soon after, she is reading objects for people in need, including a cop looking for a little girl who's been missing for 3 days. I liked it, though it involved the abduction of children.

50. Touch of Rain by Teyla Branton. 3 stars. Kindle. Autumn is approached by the parents of a young woman gone missing and, almost at the same time, by a man searching for his sister who likewise has gone missing. Both were last seen with the charismatic leaders of a commune that begins to appear more and more like it might be a cult. I found it less compelling than the prologue novella, and also more angsty than it needed to be. I mean, this isn't a teenage girl we're talking about; Autumn is 32. It seems she spends more time obsessing over the various men in her life than the dangerous situation she finds herself in. No sex, which was a mercy, but lots of fantasizing about it. I also pinpointed the ultimate villain long before she did. I will still read the next in the series and decide if I want to continue with it.

August

51. Last Guard by Nalini Singh. 4 stars. Audio. Reread. I liked this better as an audiobook. For some reason, it read better.

52. On the Hunt by Teyla Branton. 3.5 stars. Kindle. Second in the series and I enjoyed it more than the first. In this one, the husband of Autumn's sister's neighbor goes missing, and she asks Autumn to read some of the man's possessions to try and figure out what happened. The story was a little convoluted, but it managed to hang together enough to keep me interested. (No Touchstone.)

53. Sassinak by Anne McCaffrey. 3 stars. Audio. It just kept going on and on and on. Seemed like 3 or 4 novellas strung together. Okay, but I'm not going to rush out to get the next in the series.

54. Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop. 4 stars. Audio. Reread of book 2 in The Others series.

55. Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard. 4 stars. Weird little horror story, and not a little creepy.

56. Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas. 3.5 stars. Audio. Sweet little historical romance. It would have garnered an additional half star except I kept thinking (while listening) that it was a bit bland.

57. Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop. 4 stars. Audio. Reread of book 3 in The Others series.

58. The Future Library by Peng Shepherd. 4.5 stars. eBook. Weird little horror novella. A look at the possible (probable?) future of the human race. Still thinking about it days later.

59. The Dry by Jane Harper. 3.5 stars. Audio. Mystery thriller set in Australia. Might have enjoyed it more if I'd read it, because the narrator's harsh Aussie accent was a bit much at times. Recommended by copperskye (Joanne). Interested enough to have started the second in the series.

60. Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop. Audio. Reread of 4th in The Others. Rereading series in prep for upcoming release. This one is tough going - a difficult scene resulting in the death of a character I was beginning to like a lot. Other deaths alluded to but not depicted are also hard to deal with. I did chuckle out loud a few times at various scenes. Meg and Simon are so adorable - together and separately.

61. The Crossing Places by Ellie Griffiths. 3 stars. Audio. I disliked all the characters, and didn't care much for the narrator either, so it was hard to finish it. I did, and since this is the second book I've read by Griffiths that I didn't care for, I don't suppose I'll be searching out other books by her to read.

Sept.

62. Force of Nature by Jane Harper. 3 stars. Audio. Yeah, it was okay, but I don't like the narrator and I don't like the author's style, so I don't think I'll be going on with this series.

63. Cast in Conflict by Michelle Sagara. 3 stars. Audio. Lots and lots of talking, but at least Kaylin isn't acting like an idiot the entire time. Also, I'm beginning to be annoyed at all the others who diss Kaylin all the time tho she usually saves the day in her perhaps unconventional way most of the time. I did enjoy the ending, tho it's another sort-of cliffhanger.

64. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas. 3 stars. Audio. I liked the mfc Sarah, but I just couldn't warm to the mmc Derek Craven who through most of the book was too much an alpha a-hole for my taste, and his redemption just didn't hold true.

65. Forgotten in Death by J. D. Robb. 4 stars. Audio. The beginning was a bit slow, but about 1/2 of the way through it got so good I didn't want to stop. This was mostly procedural, not a lot of our favorite secondary characters: A cameo by Nadine (by phone) but no Mavis, Leonardo, Bella, or Trina.

66. Upstaged: An Autumn Rain Mystery by Teyla Branton. 3.5 stars. Kindle.

67. Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton. 4.5 stars. Audio. (Recommended by Joanne) I wasn't sure about this when I started it, but by the end I had laughed, cried, read in fascination and horror, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. Loved S.T. and the African Grey, Dennis, the orangutan, and Cat. Thanks, Joanne!

68. Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop. 4 stars. Audio. Reread. Last in the Simon and Meg arc. I enjoyed it even more on this reread/listen.

69. Wild Country by Anne Bishop. 4 stars. Audio. Reread. I also liked this one more on reread/listen. Set in the town of Bennett and the settlement of Prairie Gold during the same period as Etched in Bone, this was sweeter, funnier, and more interesting the second time around.

70. Lake Silence by Anne Bishop. 4 stars. Audio. Reread. Book 6 of The Others series so read out of order, but this is more of a stand-alone than the others so it didn't matter. I wasn't thrilled with this the first time I read it, but, like with Wild Country, I found a lot more to enjoy the second time around.

71. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. 4 stars. Audio. Reread from 10 or 12 years ago. First in the Easy Rawlins series. In this one, set in L.A. in the early 1950s, it tells how the recently discharged WW2 veteran got into the private detective business and what he had to do to survive the racist violence black people were subjected to.

72. The Obsession by Nora Roberts. 4 stars. Audio. Pretty good romantic thriller, though I figured out who the villain was about halfway through the story and the heroine made me want to shake her once or twice. Anyway, Naomi is the daughter of a serial killer - no spoiler, we learn that in the first chapter - who discovered his last victim & saved her when she (Naomi) was only 11. She grows up running away from her past, never settling down, never allowing anyone in her life except her loving family.

73. Line of Fire by Rachel Ann Nunes aka Teyla Branton. 3.5 stars. Kindle. Fourth in the Autumn Rain romantic paranormal thriller series.

October

74. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. Audio. 4 stars. Parts of this were 3.5 star rated, and parts were 4.5 star, so it got 4 stars. The main character/first person narrator was so annoying sometimes I wanted to shake her. Part of it was the voice of the reader (the author), which was pretty annoying at times, but not all. It seemed the triggers for Elma's issues were too banal for the excessive reactions she has to them. Even the original situation that caused her issues just didn't seem to be bad enough. I mean, I share her fear of public speaking, so I know some of what she went through, but every other part of her life was pretty wonderful, and her husband was really supportive, so I just didn't connect with her at all. I also found myself furious with the male disdain for women, though I get that it was the prevalent attitude in the 1950, and the dismissive attitude of most Americans to the disaster and its forecasted aftermath, which is too much like what's happening now with Covid and climate change. I really enjoyed the other parts of the story, especially around the women and their relationship with each other, the women pilots, and the race to space.

🎃75. The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey. 5 stars. Audio. Every time I listen to or read this novel, I love it more. And for someone who really doesn't care for zombie horror, that is saying something. Melanie is a wonderful character, and I love the way she interacts with the soldiers and Miss Justineau. And with the despicable Dr. Caldwell. Yeah, it's gory, and parts are horrifying, but the characters are an absolute delight, and the story is riveting. Now on to The Boy on the Bridge, which, while not as wonderful as this, is a satisfying prequel/sequel/contemporaneous story in itself.

🎃76. The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey. 5 stars. Audio. Like Girl, this one just keeps getting better with each reread. Set in the same world, both pre-, post-, and contemporaneous with Girl, it features a savant boy on the autism spectrum who is close to discovering a cure for the plague that has turned the world into a horror-fest of Hungries. Unlike Girl, this story features more conflict between humans than between humans and Hungries and less (but not no) gore. The ending is so beautiful & moving, I cry every time I read it.

77. A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers. 3.5 stars. Audio. I got this because someone I follow on Instagram who is a Murderbot fan suggested it for other MB fans. I almost quit a few times out of boredom, but I'm glad I didn't. It was more like a prelude, setting up the world and the characters. It's actually more novella than novel. Anyway, the ending was good, promising a more interesting story to come.

🎃78. You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann. 3.5 stars. Audio. The mental collapse of a screenwriter suffering writers block & a failing marriage - or is it? I'd have enjoyed this more if I hadn't been so worried about what was going to happen to the 3-year old child.

🎃79. A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny. 5 stars. Hardcover. October Horror. Tried to read one chapter a day. It was impossible to do. I enjoyed this pastiche/mash-up on old horror films/Lovecraftian & Jack-the-Ripper horror/Holmesian mysteries, told from the point of view of Jack's faithful hound-with-a-dark-past Snuff, with the fabulous cover art and Gahan Wilson illustrations throughout.

80. All Systems Red by Martha Wells. Every now and then, I need a little Murderbot to calm me when I'm having a difficult day.

81. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman. 3.75 stars. Audio. Not sure why, but, unlike Joanne, I didn't like this one as much as the first. I thought there was too running around and scattered action and also highly unlikely stuff going on. Also, I never quite got over Poppy. Anyway, I veered from enjoying it a lot to not wanting to start up with it again after stopping for awhile.

🎃82. Bloodless by Childs and Preston. 4 stars. Audio. I'd have given this another half star except I couldn't get past the weird science aspect of it. I mean, yes, quantum physics does have freaky theories attached to it, but - well, I won't say which of the theories has been twisted to make this creepy tale, except to say the theory IS one I've read about in non-fiction books on physics by, you know, actual physicists, but I just couldn't quite suspend belief enough to go with the use to which it had been put. Anyway, as to the story, there was a lot of Pendergast, which was good, and too much of Constance Green and Coldmoon, neither of which character I like much. And there was a Trumpesque senator from the great state of Georgia whose fate I could only applaud as being 100% deserved. Even given the things I didn't like about it, I obviously enjoyed the story, especially the real life mystery about the Oregon highjacker, and think it might be one of the strangest since Relic. Also didn't like the narrator one bit, especially with respect to Constance's voice. Talk about being annoyingly grating. And Coldmoon's voice was similarly annoying. I never thought I'd say it, but I missed Rene Aberjonois.

83. The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz. 3.5 stars. Audio. Weird and filled with horrible people, but not the horror to qualify for a Spooktober jack-o-lantern. The author is approached by a former police detective/currently private enquiry agent to write a book about him and his current case involving a strangled woman who once killed a boy in a hit-and-run and was let go by a judge and whose son is a rising Hollywood star. Written in the first person by said author who follows the great detective on his quest for the truth without being able to find out much about the man himself. I have to say, I tried to read The Magpie Murders but DNFd the book about 1/3 of the way through because I don't care for English cozies of the Golden Age vintage and didn't care enough to pick up the book again after putting it down. This one, I persevered, partly because it's not a Golden-Age English cozy and partly because I was interested to see where it was going. Also partly because of the odd convention of the author inserting himself into the story like that. It was okay, but I found both the author's and detective's characters to be annoying, and none of the other characters were much likeable. I already have the next mystery in the series and plan to listen to it to see if the characters grow on me. I also wasn't thrilled with the reader, who went from nearly shouting (gratingly) to whispering indistinctly.

Currently reading

The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. (Not quite sure what to think of this. I'm no longer a fan of Agatha Christie-ish murder mysteries, and this seems to be that kind of book. But I've heard it's good, and different, so I'm sticking with it for now.)
The Sandman, Part II. Audio adaptation. (OK, I own this so can read it anytime, but I just couldn't resist.)
Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton. (Sequel to Hollow Kingdom. Not enjoying this one as much as the first. I dislike the human. What, I wonder, does that say about me?)
Archive of the Forgotten by A. J. Hackwith. Audio. (Struggling with this one. Just not hooking me.)

Up Next

I have no idea.

On the TBR Pile:

The Only True Biography of Mae Jemison, by Sneeze, Her Cat by Dan Greenberg. E-book (Early Reviewer copy) (I MUST GET TO THIS SOON.)
Foreign Bodies by David Wishart. Kindle.

DNFs

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White. Audio. (Snagged for the title alone, but just couldn't get into it.)
Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas. Kindle. (Yawn)
The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam. Audio. (Recommended by Darryl) Hated the narrator. Hated her voice, her reading style (variously jerky, hesitant, breathy, rushed) and tone. The book itself seemed interesting so far as I got, so I'll be looking for the kindle version when I get a chance.
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard. Audio. Just couldn't get into it. The writing seemed pretentious for the subject matter.
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. Audio. (Trying to comprehend people. It's not easy.) Got distracted. I'm having problems concentrating - maybe because of my new grandchild? - and may give this another chance when I'm more settled.
The Quantum Revelation by Paul Levy. Audio. (No Touchstone? ISBN: 9781705233375). Got distracted by other books and ran out of time.
The Quantum Labyrinth by Paul Halpern. Audio. Ran out of time. Also, kind of boring.
Match Up by Lee Child. Audio - read a few of the stories but wasn't interested enough to continue
Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan. Audio. Narrator was way too perky for me. Also, not in the mood for YA. Maybe another time.
Star Eater by Kerstin Hall. Audio. Not sure why this one just didn't grab me. I gave it a good couple of hours, but when I stopped listening I just didn't want to start again. Maybe my mood and may try again later.
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison. Audio. Just not for me.
The Turn by Kim Harrison. Audio. Ditto.

Welcome!

Happy new thread! I love your Sanctuary Moon poster! And I am with you on the joyful emergence from winter. We had a very wet May here in the UK, but the last couple of days have been hot and sunny, and because of all the rain everything is lush and green. I even wore a summer dress the other day!

>7 Sakerfalcon: I've wearing tank tops the past 2 days it's been so warm. It feels like someone has thrown a switch and flipped us from winter to summer, with not much spring to speak of.

I'm here! Love your gardening pictures at the top...and Sanctuary Moon!

>7 Sakerfalcon: Thanks, Claire! How lovely that you're having fine summery weather and that everything's all lush & green! This is my favorite time of year.

>9 fuzzi: Hey, fuzzi! I was out again today between periods of rain to plant more seeds and pull some volunteer tomato seedlings that are coming up from last year's crop. I've left a few just to see how they turn out, but most are in the compost. My granddaughter helped me pull them and was disappointed when we were done. She tried to pull the lettuce and kale seedlings too but I managed to stop her in time.

>10 Storeetllr: hahaha! Send her my way, I could use help with my weeding ;)

>10 Storeetllr: I could do with one of those as well - only problem is, I'd loose her as last year's bolted veggies are almost as tall as me...

>11 fuzzi: and >12 Maddz: Haha, you'd spend more time stopping her from pulling flowers and herbs and vegetables than you'd save having her "help." But I love that she's so interested in the garden, even if I have to keep an eagle eye on her.

>13 Storeetllr: At the moment, the only things planted out are in pots with covers (apart from the herbs, no covers needed)...

>13 Storeetllr: when I was about 7 or 8 my mother gave me a 3'x3' area within her vegetable garden for my own. I grew marigolds and lots of weeds, but she turned a blind eye and I learned about gardening. Marigolds are still my favorite flower.

>14 Maddz: I love pot gardens. I mean, I love gardening in pots, not growing pot. *sigh* Anyway, I had a pot garden when I lived in Pueblo in a rented house - pots and my garden tower. It was so easy, and the plants did just fine in pots.

>15 fuzzi: What a lovely thing your mom did for you! When Ruby's a little older, that sounds like something we'll want to do for her too!

Ruby learned something new today. From a truck driver. So, here's what happened: My daughter needed to get out of the driveway to go to the grocery store, but a truck was idling in front of our house, blocking the drive. He didn't see her waiting, so I went outside carrying Ruby and motioned to him to move up a little. He made a thumbs up gesture and drove the truck forward enough so Meg could get out. When we got inside, Ruby made the thumbs up gesture and wanted to know what it meant. I said it meant "okay." She kept making it all the rest of our time together. It was so cute!

>17 Storeetllr: That's adorable! Good thing she didn't learn one of the other common hand gestures :)

>18 tardis: Haha, yes.

(She already knows the actual word for that hand gesture.)

>17 Storeetllr: aw, love it!

>17 Storeetllr: Fatntastic. As >18 tardis: said, Ruby could have learned worse things from a truck driver. :-)

>8 Maddz: Now I am feeling like a dinosaur. To me, "tank top" means a V-neck, sleeveless knitted garment, not at all appropriate to warm weather.

What do you mean by the term?

>22 -pilgrim-: Oh gosh, 1970s fashion... Often weirdly coloured polyester and worn by one's parent's generation (not that my father would have been seen dead in one).

Technically, what I was wearing to turn out the sitting room and hang out laundry is a knitted garment, being made from cotton jersey.

>23 Maddz: I had one in that era, lovingly knitted by an aunt... Perhaps that explains the vividness my recall. Plus the fact that I had just driven past a gentleman dressed in a similar style pullover, on my way home from hospital. (I had thought that fashion was dead and buried.)

>23 Maddz: >24 -pilgrim-:
My vision of a tank top matches the descriptions here; armless V-neck pullover.

>22 -pilgrim-:, >24 -pilgrim-:, >25 pgmcc: What I was wearing is a sleeveless t-shirt, low-necked (not to the point of indecency), not quite a cut-away back like a sports top. It's loosely tight-fitting, if you know what I mean. I have various for the summer weather, they vary in the amount of coverage over the shoulders and the neckline. Spaghetti straps and a low neckline are worn on the beach, sunbathing or at night, turtle-neck and wide shoulders I often wear to the office. In between styles, I do wear in public, but usually with a cover-up.

It's the sort of attire usually seen on the covers of paranormal romance novels, worn by an anorexic female wielding a honking big weapon that looks heavier than she is. The amount of bare skin on display is usually covered up by tattoos.

I thought a tank top was something used to fire the really serious book bullets.


(In the clothing category, I own a few myself. I mainly just wear them during exercise inside my own home, or when sitting out on the deck reading during the hotter months.)

>26 Maddz: Thank you for that comment, which induced me to delve into the strange world of premade paranormal romance book covers. I am now aware of the sort of garment you were referring to.

I also now have visions of you at work, clearing your garden, with shears etc. of similar weight and dimensions. :)

But there was no intent her to either pry into or criticize your sartorial choices; just a curiosity over terminology. Googling suggests that Americans use "tank top" to refer to a vest (as they use "vest" to refer to a waistcoat). But I am not a dedicated follower of fashion, so I felt I needed to catch up.

I think of a tank top as a sleeveless t-shirt, also sometimes referred to as a "wife beater", not sure why.

>29 fuzzi: Not sure I want to know why!

>29 fuzzi: Yes, that is what I would call a vest.

>30 Maddz: I think I mentally attributed it to Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire.

This is what I think of as a tank top.

Interesting article explaining where the term "wife beater" came from.

These are the tank-tops -pilgrim- and I had in mind.

>35 pgmcc: My eyes! My eyes!

>35 pgmcc: those are sweater vests! 😁

"My brain hurts!"

Ha-ha!

>33 Storeetllr: I'd call that a tank top too.
>35 pgmcc: And those are what I'd call vests. And pythons.

Love the regional language differences!

>35 pgmcc: Definitely a 'sweater vest.'

In other news (besides regional names for items of clothing):

Big congratulations to Murderbot, er, I mean, Martha Wells, who won the Nebula for best novel, Network Effect, which was one of many highly acclaimed finalists.

Well done. Murderbot!

On the vest/tank top issue I definitely pictured something like >33 Storeetllr:: I'm a tank top girl (OK, then - woman), though most often I wear black.
A vest, to me, is an undergarment. Something men has under the shirt. Or had. I more commonly associate it with my parents' generation, though I don't think my dad ever wore one.
The knitted Python-vests are called "slipover" (slipp'åver) in Sweden. Or at least they were called that back when people actually wore them: I'm thinking the 70's, now. I still see them, sometimes, on men older who want to give off an air of academia or classical music ;-)
The word is derived from slip-over, naturally. Back when a lot of imported words of English origin got that treatment. Take "tape" (adhesive tape): it got changed into "tejp", to fit Swedish pronunciation and grammar rules.
(Don't get me started on "snälltåg" - a decent/kind-hearted train - which we got from the German Schnellzug...!)

>42 Busifer: Those knitted sleeveless pullovers are old fashioned here in the UK too. You occasionally see them worn under a suit jacket in cold weather, but they tend to be plain, dark colours not the Argylle or Fair Isle knits which are rather déclassé. I recall my father wearing the smart type (probably cashmere not merino or lambswool) back in the 70s in the winter months.

>43 Maddz: I wore the Fair Isle version myself back then (aged about 10)!

Unfortunately the fashion does not seem to have died out completely around here either.

I agree with Busifer about vests. I have not seen string vests marketed for years now, but my father swore by them.

>41 Storeetllr: Wow! I own three, but the only one that I've read is the Martha Wells. Interesting. I'm going to have to go see who the other winners were.

I'm an idiot. I thought this was the Hugos you were talking about. We still have a ways to go for those.

>44 -pilgrim-: Quote from "The BeerQuest", by Jamie Revell

Valind was the eldest of Vadrus’ sons, and the one who took after his father the most. When he heard the call to take part in the BeerQuest, he immediately took up his weapons, and girded himself for the treacherous journey across the snowy wastes by putting on his string vest.

“Ah, bracing!”

I was fortunate to hear Jamie recite the story at Continuum a few years back, Valind had a Northern accent (kind of ecky thump, if you know what I mean...)

>46 Maddz: Understood.

It takes a certain sort of man to treat a string vest as outerwear. Does the name Rab C. Nesbitt mean anything to you?



I was talking about writing a Glaswegian character on my own thread recently - Rab is as Weegie as you can possibly get. :)

>47 -pilgrim-: I know the name, but have never seen the series... We watch so little TV. However, ecky thump is more Last of the Summer Wine so a bit further south.

String vests are actually warmer than the regular type in colder weather - I recall this being explained in physics classes at school. The cells trap a layer of air which warms to body heat and adds a layer of insulation. Obviously, you need to wear something on top!

>48 Maddz: No, I remember The Goodies and their "northern martial art" as well. :)

>49 -pilgrim-: I was also thinking of The Fosdyke Saga and The Cloggies.

>47 -pilgrim-: aha! So that's a string vest. I recall Right Said Fred wearing one in his Too Sexy video, didn't realize that's what it was called:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mtclwloEQ

>50 Maddz: Unfortunately I think those predate the parents getting a TV. They only gave in, reluctantly, when I reached high school.

>52 -pilgrim-: Not TV - both were long-running newpaper strips: The Fosdyke Saga in the Daily Mail, and The Cloggies in Private Eye.

>53 Maddz: Ah, thanks.

And apologies to Storeetllr for the way her thread has turned into a sartorial comparison.

>54 -pilgrim-: No worries! Happy to provide a platform. :)

June Stats:

Total Read: 14 books
Novellas: 1
Novels: 13
Nonfiction: 0

Genres:

Mysteries/Thrillers: 4
Cozy Mysteries: 2
Romance Mystery: 1
Paranormal Mysteries: 3
Horror (YA): 1
Fantasy horror: 1
Fantasy: 1
Scifi: 1

E-books: 4
Audio: 9

Ratings:

5 star: 0
4.5 star: 2
4 star: 7
3.5 star: 4
3 star: 1

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. 4.5 stars. Ebook.
Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire. 4.5 stars. Audio.
Angel of the Overpass by Seanan McGuire. 4 stars. Audio.
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. 4 stars. Audio.
Memory Man by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio.
The Last Mile by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio.
The Fix by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio.
Heart of Barkness by Spencer Quinn. 4 stars. Audio.
Of Mutts and Men by Spencer Quinn. 4 stars. Audio
Sacred Evil by Heather Graham. 3.5 stars. eBook.
The Evil Inside by Heather Graham. 3.5 stars. eBook.
Legacy by Nora Roberts. 3.5 stars. Audio.
Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith. 3.5 stars. Audio.
Heart of Evil by Heather Graham. 3 stars. eBook.

Authors:

Male: 7
Women: 6

>56 Storeetllr: Is that the result of a conscious decision against printed books, or just happenstance?

>57 -pilgrim-: More the former than the latter. I don't have any room in my tiny apartment for more books (or more anything, tbh, except, apparently, art supplies, which I continue to buy *sigh*), and I'm on a strict budget (okay, strict-ish) (see above, art supplies) now that I'm retired and on social security. Also, when the libraries closed during Covid, I got out of the habit of going there and borrowing print books. Plus, I have a hard time holding large books (wrist issues) and can't see the print in small books (eye issues), so the only printed books I will probably ever read again are graphic novels and how-to-do-art books, which I don't find fun or easy to read on a screen.

While looking at Facebook this morning, I saw the image below and was reminded of how I used to work (& later also live) 2 blocks from the main public library in downtown Los Angeles. At least once or twice a week on my lunch hour, I'd trek down the hill to see what was new on the shelves and trudge up the hill carrying an armful of heavy books. Those were the days!

>58 Storeetllr: I share wrist issues (so I usually read with book resting on something), and text size issues (and am frustrated by having to take font and size into account when selecting a book), but I find the weight of a Kindle also significant too. How do you handle that?

And: having actually been trapped without books at times (e.g. hospital admissions for emergency surgical procedures), I sympathise with that girl's approach!

>59 -pilgrim-: That's why I invested in a Kobo Forma last year. Bigger and only 5g heavier than the Kobo Libra (because it's a plastic substrate not a glass substrate). I did think the offset flange and the larger size would put rotational pressure on my wrists but it didn't. It's actually very comfortable to hold and I like having page turn buttons as I find modern touch screens somewhat unresponsive for me.

You can get tablet rests - there's the bean bag type and the pyramid type. There's also stands - I have a £1 one from Poundland (discontinued alas) which I used for my old 12" work laptop. Unfortunately, the new one is bigger - 16" - and thicker, so it's now back in use for the iPad and I'm using a proper laptop stand (with a built-in USB hub which is useful).

>59 -pilgrim-: I don't seem to have a lot of wrist issues with the Kindle Paperwhite, and when I'm at home, at least, I can rest it on a pillow if necessary. I've had heavier Kindles in the past that I think would have been a problem for me now. But you'll notice that most of my reading is audiobooks, so I'm often not holding anything.

As for emergency books, I never leave the house without the Kindle (and a portable charger, just in case), and I can listen to audiobooks on my smartphone in a pinch. I've been stuck without anything to read too, and it's pretty awful!

>61 Storeetllr: How impact resistant are Kindles? I have dropped enough mobile phones to be jumpy about carrying any more electronic goods than I have to, when I (used to be!) out and about.

>60 Maddz: I had not thought to look at the Kobo as an alternative- although the number of Kindle books that I do possess might make the migration painful.

Have you found a good pyramid-type rest? I tried hunting the one that someone here (YouKneek?) recommended, but could only find the cheap knock-offs.

>58 Storeetllr: love it!

>63 -pilgrim-: Actually, over 85% of my ebooks are from Amazon. I use Calibre to manage everything. The only problem is keeping an old version of the Kindle desktop app running to avoid KFX downloads (which are best avoided because of DRM). Check out https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=166.

I don't use the pyramid type - I use a Poundland folding ^ stand which lives in the sleeve with the Forma or a handstrap which lives on the iPad (I usually travel with both). I did not buy the expensive origami sleep cover/stand from Kobo. I found a rather nice book sleeve at a craft fair, added some press studs and a better closure loop system than the original contrasting one, all for under £15 as opposed to £40 for the official accessory.

The Forma is light enough to use without a stand - it's far lighter than the iPad, and I can read comfortably on that using the handstrap.

>62 -pilgrim-: My Kindle is in a relatively cheap cover which protects it from impacts, of which there have been a few, though I try to be careful. So far, I haven't had any problems. Kindles have a pretty good usable life, considering that many electronics don't last that long these days. I've had my Paperwhite now for about 6 years; the one I had before that lasted about 5 years before it died.

I've been thinking of replacing it with a water resistant one when they go on sale in November, but I'm not sure because the one I have works just fine and I hate to replace things just because something new & shiny comes along.

>64 fuzzi: :)

>65 Maddz: I love Calibre!

The only problem is keeping an old version of the Kindle desktop app running to avoid KFX downloads (which are best avoided because of DRM). I assume that is only a problem for ereaders that are not Kindle?

Thanks for the link to the MobileReads site. I'll check it out.

>65 Maddz: I thought Calibre only runs on desktop?

>66 Storeetllr: That sounds encouraging.

The lockdown, with consequent closure of mobile phone shops (and hence impossibility of repairs), has been very bad for my budget. I have gone through 6 phones in the past 14 months!

I fear Kindle droppage rate may be higher. It is hard enough trying to keep a phone in your hand when also manipulating a crutch, and bags dangling from crutch tend to get bashed a lot through being barged into by impatient people (which also accounts for several of the falls).

>68 Storeetllr: Yes, if you want the convenience of Amazon and the comfort of reading elsewhere.

>69 -pilgrim-: Yes, Calibre is a desktop app, but there's also something called Calibre Content Server (which I never managed to get to work). I think I would have to have my books in the cloud elsewhere - CCS doesn't seem to work with iCloud Drive. It might work with Dropbox if I ever got around to paying for it.

>70 -pilgrim-: Yikes! 6 phones! That must be a drain on your budget!

I usually keep both my phone and my Kindle in the back pockets of my jeans or tucked in my very small shoulder bag when I'm out. The last two phones I've had before the current one both ended up with cracked screens. The screen on the oldest one - an iPhone - was too badly damaged to use, but I was able to use the other one - a Samsung - for a few years with it's screen cracked. So far, I haven't damaged my new iPhone *touch wood* which is a relief because it cost more than a good laptop computer. I tend not to go out much, so there's not so many chances of my dropping it on concrete, and also I'm not on crutches. (May I ask what happened that you have to use a crutch? Is it temporary or permanent? Sorry if I'm being too intrusive - just tell me it's none of my business if I am. I just wish I could help, maybe run interference for you when you're dealing with rude impatient crowds.)

>72 Storeetllr:
I have an inherited genetic abnormality that means my collagen is different. One of the results is that anything that is made collagen (skin, muscle, tendons, organs etc.) does not heal properly. I usually get some recovery, but never back to how it was before. It is cumulative, and whittles away at me.

I have only been on double crutches since 2018, after a sequence of falls (2 overbalancing whilst trying to carry groceries whilst using single crutch (after being abandoned by travel companion) followed by another, overbalancing whilst being menaced - hypermobile joints makes recovery from being shoved awkward), but the inability to heal afterwards means that I do not expect to improve from current situation.

I used to use a shoulder bag, but the breast cancer now makes that rather a painful option.

I do try now not to go out without someone to "run interference", as you put it. But the Covid-19 restrictions, and the "advice during chemotherapy" before that (do not go out, do not have visitors), has made this a moot point for some time now.

Unfortunately, the cancer treatment does weaken me - and cause neurological spasms. So my rate of dropping things around the house has increased correspondingly. :(

I'm so sorry you've been struggling with all those health issues. Being relatively new(ish) to the Green Dragon, I hadn't known. And yes, I can see why you're reluctant to invest in a device that might crack when dropped.

Here in the U.S., there are services that will shop for your groceries for a small fee. During the height of the pandemic, I used one a few times, and it worked out great! (Usually my daughter or son-in-law did the shopping.) Do you have that sort of service where you live? Covid has changed a lot of people's lives in unexpected ways - I may never get back to going out to shop, attend events, hang out in coffee shops like I used to do.

Went to the aquarium last week. Who'd have imagined that Ruby's favorite exhibit would be the shark tank? (She made us go back to it four times.)



Closely followed by the stingray pool?


She doesn't look all that sure about it, does she?

>74 Storeetllr: Pretty well all the supermarket chains in the UK have home delivery services. While Paul's mum was at home (before she broke her wrist), we organised deliveries for her. The larger stores also offer click & collect, you order the same way but you have a time slot to turn up at your local store and you collect from the car park.

We (I) went out weekly - it was one of our times to get out of the house during the first lockdown. Besides, delivery slots were like hens teeth.

>75 Storeetllr: Oh, that's a lovely image - the epitome of curiosity outweighing the doubts that listening to horror stories raise.

>74 Storeetllr: I keep my personal life posts in a separate thread from my book reviews. Both can be lengthy, and not everyone will be interested in both. So it is quite understandable that you would not know;. I didn't expect you to.

As to such shopping services as you mention, they do exist. Unfortunately, they tend to stipulate that the client may only specify what they want in general terms (eg. "bread", not "rye bread" and so on) and can definitely not expect the shopper to check ingredient lists. Even specifying which brand of an item is prohibited. So they are not usable for anyone on a specific medical diet. It is made clear that the service is not intended for such people.

Life is frequently extremely illogical.

>74 Storeetllr: The more things change the more they stay the same! When I was a child in the '50s and a teen in the '60s, my mother used to phone her order to the grocer every week, rather more often to the butcher and considerably less often to the chemist (pharmacy) -- as indeed did most Johannesburg housewives and for all I know those in other centres too. The grocer used a van to deliver, the others employed lads on bicycles, which were common sights. With Covid, several supermarkets have revived the custom. The one we use guarantees delivery within 60 minutes, which they achieve by employing lads on motorbikes. They require the order to specify brand and package size, unlike -pilgrim-'s supplier.

>78 hfglen:, >77 -pilgrim-: You are both discussing grocery stores, rather than shopping services. They do indeed allow one to order by brand. The problems with them that I found during the early months of lockdown were
I) they were overwhelmed. A lot of the staff involved in their delivery services were part-timers who themselves qualified for the shielding categories, so they were having to reduce their services just as demand boomed. Thus you could not order your shopping for this week, but only for the weeks in advance.
II) in response to I), they introduced a minimum order size. That was a sensible way to make sure that the limited number of deliveries that they could make were those that were most profitable for them.
III) they were themselves having supply problems, and customers panic-buying off the shelves, so it was quite likely that any specific item was out of stock.

If it was not, you could not specify what you would like instead, or even say something like "meat with no spices added". Either you agreed to replacements - and that is likely to mean rye replaced with wheat, soya milk replaced with dairy etc., because the pickers are thinking more about taste than other reasons for product choice - or you choose "do not substitute", at which point I found that there were large gaps in my order.

So either I ended up paying for a lot of substitutes that I could not eat, or my order was sometimes down to half of what I had actually ordered. Sometimes that would take my order down below the minimum size, at which point my order would be cancelled automatically - and there would be nothing I could do except book another delivery slot. 3 weeks later, of course.

Likewise I could do nothing about vital omissions except wait.

So although I could TRY to use store delivery to cut down the amount that I was trying to carry, the way that it was implemented meant that I could never use it to avoid having to actually go out.

So I had to rely on strangers. (A recent move meant that I knew no one on the area.) Which had its disadvantages, since they refused to give me receipts, and just demanded that I pay the sum stated. The last straw was when they started demanding that I pay them twice over for the same shop - even though I could see the money had gone out of my account!

There has been a lot of guff on the radio and TV about neighbours "helping out those who are shielding". I wonder how many of those "helpful neighbours" were simply taking advantage of those who had no choice, as mine were?

Garden Update:

June 1: >1 Storeetllr:

July 14:
***



We've had so much rain lately that our backyard is also a mushroom factory.

>80 Storeetllr: Lovely!

>80 Storeetllr: Those look like they will be tasty.

>81 pgmcc: Thanks!

>82 -pilgrim-: The tomatoes and greens, yes, but I'm not sure about the mushrooms. They look like little fairy sculptures, don't they? (American abrupt-bulbed lepidella are inedible, according to Wikipedia.)

>80 Storeetllr: what interesting-looking mushrooms!

Great pics, but I've never seen mushrooms like that! Beautiful and a bit scary!

My tomatoes are in flower, but fruit is only just setting. My courgettes on the other hand... I don't think I will need to buy courgettes for the rest of the summer!

I stuffed one of the yellow globes Wednesday evening, and we've been eating the regular long green and smaller yellow globes. This year I put them in plant tables rather than in the veggie patch - they seem to like being off the ground. I'd purchased 4 plants early in the season and because we had a cold snap planted them in the tables and covered them with the lids.

>80 Storeetllr: Everything in your garden is bursting to life! Mushrooms are fascinating, like alien lifeforms on our planet.

>84 fuzzi: They really are otherworldly! They look pearlescent in some light.

>85 clamairy: I hear that! It's the first time I've ever seen them. They open into perfect little umbrellas. I'm waiting to see little fairies flitting around. them.

>86 Maddz: Isn't it late for tomatoes to be just setting fruit? When does your season end? Ours ended last year in early October, which was a shock to me. I'm used to the growing season extended to Thanksgiving. (In Southern Colorado, anyway. In Southern California, it was year-round. Yes, I miss those days!)

>87 Sakerfalcon: I love spring and summer for exactly that reason! As for mushrooms, I only posted a pic of the strangest one. We've got more growing. Not sure why - we didn't have so many last year, though we had about the same amount of rain.

These are Gymnopus luxurians, also inedible (but not poisonous).

>88 Storeetllr: No, they'll keep going until late September. They're outdoor toms - growing in a row of pots along the shed.

>86 Maddz: I had to use Google for 'courgettes.' Prolific, eh? I have had neighbors giving me gigantic ones in the past. I've never grown them myself. I did grow yellow squash a few times and they were also abundant, but I was eventually infested with squash beetles. :o( I grow everything organically, so was spraying daily with organic compounds resulting in minimal effect.

>90 clamairy: I had to look up courgettes, too. Zucchini! I gave up trying to grow summer squash organically here, but did consider using floating row covers to keep most of the squash borers out.

And just like 💥, half the plants in my garden tower are gone. Deer, I think. There are also rabbits, but the damage was too high up for it to be those guys. I am so bummed.

>92 Storeetllr: aw, shucks.

I've never had any deer damage, even though we live next to woods, but back on May 31st I had a visitor who enjoyed my blueberries:



Wish it were clearer, but all I had handy was my phone, camera was in the other room.

Yes. We had no deer damage last summer, though rabbits or something got in the raised bed until we got chicken wire fencing around it. I'm only guessing it was deer because all the damage was 3-4 feet up. Nice image, and usually I'd be all "aw, so cute," but right now I'm not much of a deer person.

Need more wolves.

>94 Storeetllr: I FaceTime'd with my sister last night. She lives in Minnesota, and her property backs to a refuge/wilderness area. She said they get lots of deer, and she lost her hostas and all her day lily blossoms, the deer love to eat the flowers! Her husband bought some deer repellent and so far the deer are avoiding the flower beds that have been treated.

>95 reconditereader: Seriously. I'd settle a fox or coyote.

>96 fuzzi: I'm going to Lowes tomorrow for a new kitchen faucet. I'll be checking out their repellent aisle while I'm there.

I've used Repels-All spray on my hostas and daylilies and all the other things my local deer were sampling (stonecrop, spiderwort, speedwell), and it totally does the trick. But wow, it repels humans too--don't stand downwind as you spray it!

>98 Marissa_Doyle: Haha, good advice!

Just finished the audio production of The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. Narrated by Gaiman, it's performed by a cast including Martin Sheen (as Lucifer), Riz Ahmed, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, and Andy Serkis (as Matthew) (the crow). I wasn't sure how well this GN would translate to an audio presentation, but it worked pretty well. Some of it was a bit much - Dr. Destiny and Cain & Abel were a bit overly dramatic and screechy, as were a couple of others, but some were spot on perfect. I loved Morpheus' voice (James McAvoy) and Death's (Kat Dennings). This first installment of the audio series The Sandman adapts volumes 1-3 of the graphic novel series (Preludes & Nocturnes, The Doll’s House, and Dream Country). I got it free from Audible and you can too through October 22, 2021.

End of July stats:

Books Read (total of 12)

The Fallen by David Baldacci. 3.5 stars. Audio.
Redemption by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio.
Walk the Wire by David Baldacci. 4 stars. Audio.
The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson. 3.5 stars. Audio.
Tender is the Bite by Spencer Quinn. 4 stars. Audio.
Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci. 3.5 stars. Audio.
A Minute to Midnight by David Baldacci. 3.5 stars. Audio.
The Last Guard by Nalini Singh. 3.5 stars. Kindle.
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. 4.5 stars. Audio.
Daylight by David Baldacci. 3.5 stars. Audio.
First Touch by Teyla Branton. 4 stars. Kindle. Novella.
Touch of Rain by Teyla Branton. 3 stars. Kindle.

9 audio
3 Kindle

1 nonfiction
11 fiction, including:
6 mystery thrillers
1 cozy mytery
2 fantasy (1-supernatural/paranormal romance; 1-urban fantasy)
2 paranormal sort-of-romance

9 by male authors (total of 4 male authors)
3 by female authors (total of 2 female authors)

4.5 star - 1
4-star – 4
3.5 star - 6
3 star - 1

Ruby is adorable!

I'm glad you enjoyed Across the Green Grass Fields. I'm excited for the next one in the series, although I dearly hope we get a spider world story someday.

Thanks, Diana! I think she is, and growing more adorable every day. Of course, I may be a tiny bit biased in that. :)

I've been reading the Wayward Children series since its inception, and have enjoyed some books more than others. I think Across the Green Grass Fields is the best so far. I hope Where the Drowned Girls Go continues the upward trend. BTW, I saw that the series is in development for screen adaptation! Films, I think, though it could be TV.

Further to the tank top discussion above, Ruby has decided she only wants to wear tank tops, like her new hero - Alberto from the Disney film "Luca." I hope she finds a new hero before winter sets in.

Here she is at the park with grandma, enjoying a snack before playing on the equipment, wearing one of her tank tops.



And here's a pic of Alberto as a boy (he turns into a sea monster).

Wow! I just realized that as of a couple days ago, I've been a member of LT for 15 years! That's a LOT of books read, friends made, and discussions about books (and other things) had. Also, quite a few wonderful meet-ups!

https://www.librarything.com/profile/Storeetllr/stats/badges

>105 Storeetllr: Congratulations!

>105 Storeetllr: Happy 15th Thingaversary!

Mary! How have I missed your entire thread all this time??! I'm barely visiting my own so I guess it's not a big surprise. But it looks like I'm just in time to wish you a happy 15th Thingaversary!! Congrats!!

I loved the discussion about tank tops and vests and sweater vests. And aren't sweaters referred to as "jumpers" in the UK or do I have that wrong? A few years ago I remember using the term "wife beater" referencing a man's tank top when talking with John and Chris and they both looked at me as if I was nuts. Neither of them had ever heard it before.

And Ruby is, of course, adorable!

>108 Copperskye: Yup, a jumper is a knitted pullover top in the UK, usually with long sleeves. We also use the term sweater.

>109 Maddz: Isn't a woolly jumper a sheep crossbred with a kangaroo?

>110 haydninvienna: :))

>105 Storeetllr: Happy Thingaversary! LT is a wonderful place to be isn't it!

>110 haydninvienna: That's an old one :).

There's also woolie pullie.

Thanks, Northern Star, libraryperilous and Sakerfalcon! It is a wonderful place to be.

>108 Copperskye: Joanne! How nice of you to stop by for a visit. I know, I haven't been very good at visiting threads (including my own) either. But I have been over to visit yours a few times. I just haven't left many comments.

Also, thanks for the Thingaversary wishes and for the Ruby is adorable comment. And yes, she is. She is absolutely adorable. I wonder how adorable she's going to be after the new baby arrives in September. We're preparing her, but toddlers. I figure I'll have to smother her with even more grammie love. I already got her a present to give her when her little brother makes his appearance: a Kindle for Kids. (She loves screen, and her mom said it would be mostly for traveling in the car, so I feel okay giving it to her.) I also promised to buy her some new books when she showed me one of hers that somehow got a bit , oh, "worse for wear," shall we say?

Free fiction from Tor. "The Future Library" by Peng Shepherd.



From the Tor newsletter: More than a hundred years from now, an arborist fighting to save the last remaining forest on Earth discovers a secret about the trees—one that changes not only her life, but also the fate of our world. Inspired by the real-life “Future Library,” a long-term environmental and literary public art project currently underway in the Norwegian wilderness.

>105 Storeetllr: Congrats! Be sure to let us know what you ended up with.

Postcards from Murderbot's vacation with Tellus.



ETA


From Incorrect Murderbot Quotes.

>93 fuzzi: I had a squirrel come by and try to take my blueberries - bold as brass while I was standing on the drive a couple of feet away. It jumped onto the fence when I shouted at me, but looked very disgruntled, as if I was being mean.

Love the Murderbot quote!

>120 Sakerfalcon: I laughed when I saw it. It's so Murderbot. I can see it and ART having that exchange.

>117 clamairy: Hi, clam! Sorry, I didn't see you up there. Thanks, I have no idea what books I'll be treating myself to. I mean, 16 is a LOT of books. I'll have to spread it out over the year because I don't really buy a lot of books anymore.

>119 reading_fox: My mom puts food out for the squirrels in her yard, and they ripped her screen door trying to get more.

>118 Storeetllr: Haha, that's perfect.

>122 libraryperilous: I know, right?!? I'm saving it to use whenever anyone (on FB or Twitter) criticizes a poster/commenter for either using bad grammar or using the f-word.

My favorite squirrel story is when my sister bought a plastic horse's head, filled the snout with peanuts, and hung it from a tree branch. The idea was that the squirrel would go up through the neck to get at the nuts and look like it was dancing around wearing this giant horse's head. Well, first day it was up, they chewed through the snout and that was the end of the dancing horse idea.

ETA my favorite squirrel photo.

>122 libraryperilous:
You reminded me of this:

“Hey, where’s the party at?”

“You should never end a sentence with a preposition.”

“Okay! Where’s the party at, bitch?”

>124 pgmcc: *snerk* Walked right into that one, didn't they?

That reminds me of the time I was called out for saying "Can I go with?" Not sure, but I've been told it's a Chicago thing.

>125 Storeetllr: Good heavens, I thought that was a pure Sarf Efrican, specifically Afrikaans-speaking, construction!

>126 hfglen: I did not know that! Interesting.

>118 Storeetllr: hahahahaha!

>119 reading_fox: but it was huuuungry!

Hi, Mary.

>80 Storeetllr:. Looking good!

I also was skeptical about the graphic Sandman making for a good audio book, but all the reactions I’ve read have been very positive. Dream and Death are my favorite characters, so it bodes well that you liked their portrayals by McAvoy and Dennings. I think I know my audio for our next car trip.

Hi, Mary. Just getting caught up here. Sorry about the garden woes, yay to Ruby continuing to be adorable!

Visitors!

>128 fuzzi: That's Murderbot.

>129 jnwelch: Oh, do try it, Joe. I was skeptical at first too, but it turned out to be really enjoyable.

>130 ronincats: Hi, Roni! Yes, this was not a good year for me and gardening. Not sure why, except for the deer damage, but it might be because it was so wet and either really scorching hot or cool. Ruby, on the other hand, is growing ever more adorable - and smart and funny too - every day.

I love that you loved Hollow Kingdom and for some reason that reminded me that you had recommended Talking to the Dead which has been languishing on my shelf for a few years at least (two copies, no less!). So anyway, I started it today and fell right into it, so thanks!

Hope all is well with you and yours!

>132 Copperskye: Oh! So glad you are enjoying (I assume that's what you meant) Talking to the Dead. It's a wonderful mystery series, though we haven't had a new book for a couple of years now. I hope the author (who is a lovely man, btw, and very responsive to fans' communications) gets back to Fiona soon.

I'm doing well. Exhausted, though - I have a new grandchild as of Monday morning.


Rowan, Day 1


Rowan, Day 2 - with his grammy

He was a big boy - 9 lbs. 7 oz. and 23 inches long - and is a voracious eater. He's also got a healthy set of lungs.

>133 Storeetllr: what a blessing!

>133 Storeetllr: Congrats! He's a cutie!

>133 Storeetllr: Congratulations. He looks lovely. As you say, he is big.

>133 Storeetllr: How wonderful! Congratulations all!!

ETA: How does Ruby like being a big sister?

>133 Storeetllr: Congratulations to you and the parents!

>133 Storeetllr: Congratulations! What lovely news!

Oh, congrats! What joyful news.

Happy days! A lovely babe.

>133 Storeetllr: Congratulations (slightly belatedly)!

Congratulations!

Somewhat belated congratulations from me also!

Thanks, Fuzzi, tardis, pgmcc, Joanne, karlstar, sakerfalcon, clamairy, Mrs. Lee, haydninvienna, libraryperilous, and pilgrim. The baby is thriving, especially now that my daughter's milk has come in, and things seem to be settling down a bit after the excitement of the week. I don't know if I mentioned it, but he decided to come 4 days early, and, of course, early in the morning, so nobody got much sleep the night before (or the night after or the night after that). (BTW, we're still in the euphoria stage, so no congratulatory wishes are belated in any sense of that word.)

>137 Copperskye: Ruby loves her lil brover, so far anyway. She has been "reading" a story she made up using a book made of magnetic tiles: "Once upon a time, a little girl named Ruby had a little brother, and they all lived happily ever after. The end." (Her speech doesn't sound exactly like that, but if I tried to write it phonetically, the way she says it, nobody would be able to understand what she's trying to say.) Here's a photo of her and Rowan the first time she held him (the afternoon of the day he was born).

>145 Storeetllr: sweetness!!!

>145 Storeetllr: Aww!! How old is Ruby now? She looks like such a big girl! That’s absolutely adorable that she’s sharing her stories with him. Glad to hear that things are settling down after what I’m sure was a mad rush. Thank goodness you’re there to help!

>145 Storeetllr: Lovely picture.

Thanks, fuzzi!

Thanks, Joanne! Ruby will be 3 in January. She just started preschool, 2 mornings a week, and is loving it. I think her parents were a little startled at how easily she took to it and just ran into the school without looking back, much less crying for them. Due to Covid, the parents aren't allowed inside, though it's a cooperative preschool which normally requires parents to be involved. Anyway, my son-in-law has 6 weeks of paternity leave, so they don't need my help as much as they will once he goes back to school.

Thanks, pgmcc. I love looking at that picture.

Sept. stats

Total books read - 12

4.5 stars - 2
4 stars - 6
3.5 stars - 1
3 stars - 3

Mystery - 6
Fantasy - 5
Romance - 1

Rereads - 4

>133 Storeetllr: belated Congratulations! and >145 Storeetllr: is a very sweet picture!

When did October become one of my favorite reading months? Autumn, in general, isn't my favorite season, though it's not my least favorite (that distinction belongs to Winter), but I find myself becoming ridiculously excited about my reading plans for October, which include three of my favorite horror books: The Girl With All the Gifts, The Boy on the Bridge, and A Night in the Lonesome October.

What brought this on tonight? A Tor-dot-com article I just read about the Zelazny book, which you can read here. Oh, and it's also one of my favorite covers, along with the cover of The Sparrow.

>152 Storeetllr: Ooh, I've never seen that cover for it before - it's superb!

>153 -pilgrim-: Isn't it wonderful! I am going to look into buying a copy for my own bookshelves - much like the way I bought a copy of The Sparrow based on just the cover for it. Of course, I loved the book so much I gave away my (first copy) and then had to buy another one for myself and a few others. This is significant because I seldom actually buy books anymore, both because of budget and lack of space. Once in awhile, though, I simply MUST have a paper book on my shelves.

>152 Storeetllr: That's the picture on the dust-jacket of my hardback. My only complaint about it is the title splash covers some of the characters. I suppose that's probably true of most editions though...

In this picture, you can see both Nightwing and Needle...



I don't spend much time on Goodreads these days but there is a good discussion there that delves into who is who on the cover, ( * WARNING * - this is from a couple of years ago so is chock-full of spoilers)... GR Discussion: A Night in the Lonesome October

>154 Storeetllr: I too bought a print copy of The Sparrow after reading a borrowed library copy.

Yes, well, all of you ganging up with visual enticements and everything, I've put A Night in the Lonesome October on my wishlist.

>155 ScoLgo: >156 MrsLee: I have that book listed here on LT but it is unrated and has no review, which means I don't remember a darn thing about it, so I guess I'll give it a re-read sometime soonish.

>157 Karlstar: It deserves reading IN October.

>155 ScoLgo: Oh! I want that picture blown up and on my wall. I don't know why, but I love that cover artwork! Wouldn't it be great if there were a graphic novel of A Night in the Lonesome October? I'd have to buy it, if the artwork was as wonderful as the cover.

Thanks for the GR link. I've read it once already (last year), but I think I'll reread it again before checking out the GR discussion.

Birds of a feather! I reread The Sparrow every once in awhile. It has aged well.

>156 MrsLee: You won't be disappointed, whenever you read it, but, if you can get a copy to read in October, that would be the icing on the cake!

>157 Karlstar: What >158 -pilgrim-: said.

>159 Storeetllr: What did you think of the sequel, Children of God, (assuming you have read it)?

I too would buy a graphic novel version of ANitLO!

>161 ScoLgo: Children of God was good, but I've only reread it a couple of times. I think I incorporated the sequel so deeply into my memory of The Sparrow that when I reread it, I always have to remind myself that it's not the whole story, that things I think I remember being in the first book were really things from the second book. If that makes sense.

>145 Storeetllr:, >133 Storeetllr: Mary! I had no idea you'd set up shop here. And Baby Rowan's a complete surprise but clearly a welcome and happy one.

Thriving, all y'all, thriving away. *smooch*

Hi, Richard! Lovely to see you, and thank you for finding me. I'm not hiding, exactly, but I didn't advertise where I landed this year. I'm having a hard enough time keeping up with my own thread; the pressure of trying to keep up with you all over in the 75 group was just too much. Yes, Rowan is a happy and welcome new member of the family, though he wasn't a surprise. We had a long 9 months, a lot of it in summer, to get ready for him.

>158 -pilgrim-: >160 Storeetllr: I would but unfortunately it appears that was one of the books, along with another 12 Zelaznys, that were destroyed in the water event we had back in 2018. I'll have to pick up a new copy.

Tor is giving away a digital copy of Gideon the Ninth through the 9th of October. I haven't read it yet, though I did start it last year. I just wasn't in the mood at the time, but having a copy for the times I AM in the mood might help, and it does look properly creepily spooky for October's Horrorfest. Anyway, click here to get the free book, if you are interested.

>165 Karlstar: Oh! It must have hurt to lose those books, some of which may be hard to replace!

>167 Storeetllr: It was before our move, so it was a few dozen books I didn't have to pack, so that was a plus, but it did. I miss the old paperback copies of all of the Book of the New Sun series by Wolfe the most.

It's Thanksgiving in Canada, Mary, shall we pretend we're Canadian and have some of this scrummy-looking thing?

Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadians!

I knew Canadian Thanksgiving was in October (even spent one in Vancouver once) but hadn't noticed it was today. Again, Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

Hi, all - thanks for the Canadian Thanksgiving wishes, though I'm not from Canada (which is kind of sad, because I sure wouldn't mind that). Anyway, I haven't been online in a few days because on Saturday afternoon they took my less-than-3-week-old grandson to the ER with a high spiking fever, and they just got home about an hour ago. Apparently, it's really dangerous for a newborn, so they did a lot of traumatizing tests to find out what the problem was. (Not meningitis, which was what we all worried about, but a UTI.) They're back home now, and he's on a course of antibiotics, but I'm totally wiped after 3 days (and nights) of caring for an energetic, rambunctious 2 year old who had never been away from her mom before for longer than a few hours so you can just imagine.

>169 richardderus: Yes, let's. I would love a piece of that delicious looking thingy, and by "piece" I mean at least half of it. (I haven't had a regular meal in 3 days; for some reason, I've lost the capacity to do more than one thing at a time if that one thing is watching a 2-year old.)

>172 Storeetllr: Glad to hear the little one is on the mend!

>172 Storeetllr: Oh my, how scary! Glad to hear it wasn’t more serious than it was, but still not good. Hope everyone, including you, is soon on the mend!

>172 Storeetllr: What Karlstar said. A worrying time for you all, and an exhausting time for you.

>172 Storeetllr: I only watched my 3 month old grandson for a weekend, WITH his mom and dad there for the tricky stuff, and I was exhausted. Hope you catch up and feel rested soon, and quick healing to the babe.

>176 MrsLee: Haha, they sure do take it out of you, don't they! I love spending time with my 2-1/2 year old granddaughter, even though it is exhausting.

Just finished my relisten of The Girl With All the Gifts and started right up on The Boy on the Bridge. When I'm done with that, I'll be continuing my reread of A Night in the Lonesome October and starting Feral Creatures (thanks, Joanne, for the reccie!). What a great reading month October is shaping up to be!

Here's a great list of horror reads, still being added to by LTers. (My five choices are already there; I've changed one because I remembered another that wasn't listed by anyone else. Do you agree or disagree with my choices? What would be your choices for best horror?)

>177 Storeetllr: Thanks for pointing out the horror list, Mary. I had to add two books - Ghost Story and Heart-Shaped Box. Two of the scariest books I've read and remembered. Clearly, I find ghosts disturbing.

I haven't read any of your picks. Yet.

Have fun with Feral Creatures!

>177 Storeetllr: I am not really one for horror, certainly not the modern gross-out variety. But I have added my favourite creepy stories to the list.

My favourite is probably You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann

>179 -pilgrim-: I also enjoyed that story. Have you watched the film starring Kevin Bacon?

>178 Copperskye: I haven't read either of your scary books, Joanne. I did try Heart Shaped Box, but for some reason couldn't get into it so dnf. I will see if I can get the Straub and read it this month. The scariest book I've ever read was Salem's Lot. I was afraid to go outside at night for weeks after. I even got out my mom's rosary to wear if I simply had to leave the house even just to take out the trash. It's not on my list because someone else put it on theirs, and I wanted to add another book that wasn't already on the list. The most horrifying villain I've ever read wasn't even in a horror novel. It was Libby Hatch, a character in Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr who wrote The Alienist.

>179 -pilgrim-: There is a lot of gross-out horror around, that's true. The gross-outiest (is that a word? If not it should be!) one on my list is The Girl With All the Gifts, but it's such a wonderful book in so many other ways that I deal with the gross stuff. I'll check out the Kehlmann you mentioned.

>181 Storeetllr: Oh yes, Salem’s Lot was definitely a scary one! I’d have included it if there were more than 5 to list.

>180 ScoLgo: No, I haven't. I was aware of its existence and have been looking out for it.

How does it handle the creepiest bit of the book: the additions to the notebook pages ?

>181 Storeetllr: It is novella length, so can be read in one sitting.

>183 -pilgrim-: Sounds good. I'll look to see if I can find it at the library.

>183 -pilgrim-: As I recall, the adaptation is fairly close to the novella, including your spoiler-tagged element. My biggest disappointment with the story was how it borrowed from House of Leaves, a book that fully deserves to be on any scary book list, IMHO. Danielewski's work is also possibly the most strange - and creepiest - book I have ever read.

>184 Storeetllr: I found the e-book of You Should Have Left via Overdrive. I hope your library system offers it as well.

>185 ScoLgo: I found it and borrowed it AND read it last night! It was a creepy little story, though I kept worrying the entire way through about what would happen to the little girl. I'm not much one for untrustworthy narrator stories, but I did enjoy this one. As a sidenote, the shopkeeper could have been a bit more forthcoming, you know, though, not having traveled to Germany, I can't be sure. Still, I thank >179 -pilgrim-: for the recommendation, and I thank you for the tip about House of Leaves, which I have not read yet. It's now on my list.

I'm thinking of Spooktober as a mystery/thriller catch-up time. Horror mostly falls flat for me. Thomas Harris and William Peter Blatty didn't, but they were so horrifying I don't want to go back there!

Oh, BTW: new thread alert.

>186 Storeetllr: I really enjoyed House of Leaves but please be aware... it is by no means a normal book, (there is one section where a physical mirror is needed!). HoL is an incredibly complex work that, having only read it once, (so far), I am sure I missed quite a bit. However, the central conceit - the cause of what is going on in the house - was right up my alley.

There are also two narrators - which is part of the complicated structure - and both can be considered unreliable so, if that's not your thing... Also, not everything is spelled out for the reader. There are elements that you need to figure out by inference. If you miss them, you miss them. If you catch on, then you have a "light-bulb" moment. To be honest, I missed quite a few of those when reading but caught on by reading reviews after finishing the book.

As always, YMMV...

>187 richardderus: Spooktober is, for me, monsters and ghosties and Elder Gods and all the things that go bump in the night, but it's wonderful that here on LT, at least, each of us is allowed to choose for ourselves what we consider good reading. So you enjoy your mystery/thrillers, and I'll enjoy my horror, and we'll both be as happy as clams. If clams are actually able to be happy, because, I mean, clams. Where the heck did that saying come from, anyway?

See you at your new thread soon!

>188 ScoLgo: Would you believe neither of my libraries (including all the connected libraries) has a digital copy of House of Leaves? I haven't checked yet whether they have a physical copy; I'll do that sometime. So I better bookmark your remarks on the book in case I find a copy in future.

>189 Storeetllr: *chuckle*

My father always said clams were happy because they knew they'd end up on linguine with white wine and garlic.

>191 richardderus: Okay, now, that is a good reason to be happy, I guess, though I'd rather be the one eating that scrumptious dish than sitting on it.

>186 Storeetllr: I think the setting is actually the Austrian Alps - Kehlmann is Austrian. And certainly my experience of that region is that formal reticence is rather the norm for interaction with strangers.

And yes, I am now looking out for House of Leaves...

>190 Storeetllr: Honestly, I cannot recommend reading the kindle version. After experiencing the trade paperback, I can't imagine it would effectively translate into e-book format. House of Leaves is a book that requires flipping the pages back and forth, which I find cumbersome on the kindle. So yes, if your library offers physical copies, I highly recommend going that route.

>191 richardderus: >192 Storeetllr: I believe the full phrase is, "Happy as a clam at high water." I guess that means they are happy to be in the safe zone since predators mostly dig for clams at low tide.

>193 -pilgrim-: So it's a cultural norm, then. I haven't been to Austria either, so I didn't know, though I guessed.

>194 ScoLgo: Thanks. When/if I decide to read it, I'll go for the dead-tree format.

"Happy as a clam at high water" does make more sense, though I still like Richard's father's take on it.

So, my plan was to read one chapter of A Night in the Lonesome October per day. How is that going? you ask.

>196 Storeetllr: Heh. Not quite so easy to pace yourself, huh?

>197 richardderus: *sigh* I finished it.

I know, I know, but I couldn't help it. I actually did well until October 15, reading one chapter a day. Then, on Oct. 15, I read a few chapters, made myself stop for a couple of days, then yesterday powered through most of the rest. Today I read from Chapter 28 to the end.

No, I'm not very good at pacing myself.

>196 Storeetllr: Well, it is a reread, right? I'm still on schedule, but it's easier after multiple readings to wait for best parts because you can anticipate.

Hope the baby is doing well and bouncing back quickly from that fever. Now THAT is really scary!

>199 ronincats: Only a reread? Hah! A good quarter my books are rereads, and I have trouble going slow with some of them too. Also, this was only the second time I'd read Lonesome October, so... Maybe, next Spooktober (thanks for the appellation, Richard!), I'll be able to restrain myself and do the one-chapter-a-day thing with it.

Yes, thanks, Roni, baby's fine, except the antibiotics he's still taking apparently are rough on his little tummy.

>200 Storeetllr: de rien, ma amie

*smooch*

>191 richardderus: Bwahaha! That is one of my favorite meals!

Talk about a spray of bullets for A Night in the Lonesome October. I'm just afraid it won't be available until November!

>202 clamairy: How could it not be?

>188 ScoLgo:
I used three bookmarks when I was reading House of Leaves. I enjoyed the novelty of the book but did feel it was just a bit too long for the content. He did send me on a couple of red herring wild goose chases. I have not felt inclined to read any more of his works. That could be because I was left exhausted having read the first one. The copy I had was the original big format, so reading it was not just a mental exercise, it was also a physical workout.

I see there is a Kindle version of the book. I cannot imagine it having the same impact as the physical book. As I said, I used three bookmarks: one to follow the main thread; another to follow the second thread; a third to keep track of the footnotes. One could not describe it as a traditional, linear story. :-)

>195 Storeetllr: I like Richard's father's take on it better as well! ;)

>200 Storeetllr: There are 11 days left in the month. Plenty of time for another re-read...

>202 clamairy: I hope you manage to get the book soon and that you enjoy the story.

>204 pgmcc: Agreed. At 705 pages, (662 pages excluding the index), House of Leaves is a LARGE trade paperback and can be cumbersome to handle, (it is actually sized like a hardback, though the binding is TB). That being said, the physical layout is something the e-version cannot possibly convey.

I too used multiple bookmarks and found the book to be a dense and hefty read; depending on length, density of prose, and on how many other reads I have going at once, most novels take me anywhere from a day or two up to a week to get through. I began reading HoL on September 23, 2019 and didn't finish until November 17. I then gave it to a friend but I don't think it's agreeing with him as he still has not finished it... oh well, it's not a book that works for everyone. I bought myself another copy to re-read at some point as I want to go through it again to try & pick up on all the clues I missed the first time.

Well, my friend, you absolutely got me with A Night in the Lonesome October. First it was just the cover, and then I got intrigued about reading one chapter a night in October. I tried to talk myself out of it, even ordered and then cancelled, but a next day delivery finally won me over. And, it's such a quick read, I caught up to today, and so tonight I will read Oct 20, and then one chapter an evening. It is much fun, by the way, and so thank you!!

House of Leaves is a whole other thing. I've had a copy for years, picked up at a library sale a while back. Chris read it and loved it when he was in HS and has tried to talk me into reading it. Every year around this time, I pick it up (it's the hefty paperback sized like a hardcover version) and leaf through it, and...I just can't. It's just so dense and odd. I can't even picture it as an ebook. Maybe next year.

>201 richardderus: Mwah!

>202 clamairy: Based on your concern, I returned my copy of Lonesome October to the library yesterday. Along with the handpainted bookmark shown in >196 Storeetllr:. I hope you can get it to read for Spooktober. It's really a lot of fun.

>205 ScoLgo: :)

>206 Copperskye: Oh, yay! I hope you continue to enjoy it. Good for you for holding to the one chapter a day plan.

My two raisons d'etre.


Baby's 1-month picture with his Big Sister

>209 Storeetllr: *baaawww* such a punkin pweshus!

>209 Storeetllr: Beautiful. Next month we hope to visit our one month old grandson and his big sister in Cincinnati.

>211 pgmcc: Aw, that's wonderful! Congratulations! How far do you have to travel? Will you post a pic on your thread? I have to say, being a grandma (or "Mimi" as my granddaughter calls me) is one of the best things that I've ever experienced.

>210 richardderus: ❤️

Who wouldn't want to find one of these toy robot velociraptors in the bathtub?


I know what I'm getting (myself) for Christmas!

Honestly, the things you find on Instagram.

>213 Storeetllr: So cool!! I don't have a bathtub or I'd for sure get one too. (Shower stalls aren't nearly as good for this.)

>214 richardderus: It doesn't only go in the tub. It hides behind chairs, in closets, under tables, like that. I don't have a tub either, I just thought that picture was fun. Here's another:

Anybody else doing the Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Hunt? I found them all, and it was a lovely way to lose 3 hours! I won a Badge, got entered in the contest for some swag, and got hit by a BB too, so not a total waste. Anyway, it was cold and cloudy today and I didn't sleep well last night, so I wasn't planning on doing anything special today.

Here's a picture I took today of Nickel playing with her new toy/trying to get at the almonds I stuck inside. (As soon as she saw me taking her photo, she stopped playing and started preening on a perch. Brat.)

>216 Storeetllr: Some of us are, there's a thread for it! I have not done nearly as well as you.

>212 Storeetllr: We have to travel from Ireland, so several thousand miles.

Watch my thread for a picture in the next few days.

E.T.A.: Here is the picture post: https://www.librarything.com/topic/335692#7635936

I did finish up the hunt today, with some help from the Talk thread on it. I got 5 right off, 3 more with a little hunting, and then followed the extra clues for the rest.

Still doing my annual reread of A Night in the Lonesome October. Yesterday was my only reluctant to read day, so that's past now and I can move on to the final week.

Love the photo of your grands. How is Ruby adjusting?

>217 Karlstar: I haven't gone to that thread yet. Yesterday, I had to get off the darn computer and accomplish something besides play online before it was time for bed. I had a really hard time with most of the clues, but the hint thread helped.

>218 pgmcc: Wow! That's quite a ways to travel. But so worth it, I bet, to get to see your grands. I went to your thread - adorable photo! Have fun with your family. How long are you staying?

>219 ronincats: You did better than me, Roni. I had a lot of trouble with all but a couple of the clues. So happy there was a hint thread or I wouldn't have gotten even half of them.

I'm so impressed with your restraint. I simply could not read one chapter a day. Glad you are over your day of reading reluctance. I hate those, but fortunately they usually pass quickly.

Ruby is great with the baby - she loves him so much. She has been a bit wild(er than usual) though. Misses having 100% of her mom's time and attention, I think. Luckily, she apparently hasn't connected that with the baby. Yet. Once her dad goes back to work and it's only her mom, that may change. I'll have to be up there a lot more then to take some of the pressure off.

Currently reading three books:

The Man Who Died Twice, which is the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series. It started out slow for me, and I was upset with one of the murders, but otherwise it's hilarious.

The Sandman, Act II, which is the audio adaptation of the graphic novel. It's pretty awesome, which you wouldn't think it would be. I enjoyed the first "act," but this one's even better. Now I want to reread the graphic novels. I hope I can get copies from my local library, because I'm not driving into the City to get them from the NYPL.

Feral Creatures, the sequel to The Hollow Kingdom. I'm not getting into it as quickly as I did the first book, but then I've been distracted by the other two books I'm listening to.

I don't like this time of year. Yes, the leaves are very pretty (until you have to rake them up), and it's nice not to be sweltering in mosquito-infested, sauna-like weather, but fall is just the prelude for what's on the way soon - snow, ice, wind, freezing temps. Ugh. One pleasant part of winter prep is bringing the indoor plants back in after their summer vacation out on the back patio. My apartment is not the brightest place in which I've ever lived, so having a bunch of plants around makes things seem lighter., even if they block a lot of the light from my already inadequate windows. Here's my living room window area, now a mini-greenhouse. The space under it where I'll put the lemon tree, lavender, rosemary, and pineapple sage, which I hope to keep growing over the winter with the help of a grow-light. Fingers crossed!

>220 Storeetllr:
We plan to arrive mid-November and leave at the end of November. It will be our first experience of Thanksgiving in the USA.

>222 pgmcc: Oh, that's just lovely! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time! I wish I lived closer to Ohio - we could have a meet up.

Happy Halloween!


Picture my daughter posted on Instagram

I can't believe it's the last day of October! Our trees here in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York are still mostly green, just beginning to turn colors, and I'm still living back in May. I don't understand how this sort of thing happens. A trick of quantum physics perhaps? TP=(AxP+F) (time passing equals age as effected by perception and fatigue)? I actually read an article about it, though I made up the (silly) equation myself.

October Stats:

Unless I finish another book today, which isn't likely, I read 10 books in October.

Audio - 9
DTB - 1
Kindle - 0

Fiction - 10
Non-fiction - 0

Rereads - 4
Original reads - 6

SF/SciFi - 3 (possibly 4)
🎃Horror - 5 (possibly 4)
Mystery - 2 (possibly 3)

5 star - 4
4 star - 2
3.5 star - 4

>221 Storeetllr: Have you over-wintered rosemary and sage in the house before? I've had mixed luck with rosemary, I kept one plant alive for multiple years, but I can't really say it was happy about it.

>224 Storeetllr: Precious!!! What an adorable Minnie!

We haven't had a hard freeze yet (tonight, maybe) so I still have big pots of geraniums and other annuals flowering (but not exactly flourishing). The herbs I grow on my back steps (basil, parsley, and rosemary mostly) are on my kitchen floor now. We'll see how long they last. The cat keeps chewing on anything green and then throws it up so I have limited patience. We had a very pretty fall here since we haven't had much cold or any snow.

>226 Karlstar: Oh, yes. In years past, I've overwintered rosemary, lavender, pineapple sage, and geraniums. No, they weren't happy either, but they were alive at the end of winter and perked back up when I put them outside. Some lasted years that way; others one or two years. It's going to be hard to overwinter the herbs and lemon tree this year because I have limited light, but I do have a "day" light that I'm going to use and hope for the best.

>227 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne! Good luck overwintering the herbs. It's difficult to succeed with houseplants when you have a cat like that. My daughter's cat isn't interested in her plants (the toddler, on the other hand...) but I've had cats like that. All you can do is make sure none of the houseplants are poisonous to pets and hope something's left of them come spring. If it gets bad, maybe you can try overwintering them in the garage. It's astonishing how much cold some plants can take!

Hope you all had a fun Halloween!


Goofy (Dad), Minnie (Ruby), Mickey (Rowan), and Clarabelle (Mama) - costumes chosen by Ruby

Meet you on the other side, er, I mean, hope to see you soon on my next thread.