Katie's 2022 Reading Room - Part 2

CURRENTLY READING
(Audio) (Print) (Kindle)

Hello, friends! Glad to have you joining me on another year’s reading (and life) journey.

For anyone new to my thread, I’m Katie: reader, wine drinker, food appreciator, shenanigan-ator, and non-sufferer of fools. I live outside New York City with my husband, "The" Wayne, our cat, Leonard, and our dog, Nuala/Noodles. Last year, I left my job in association management to explore life as a domestic goddess. I hope to do some writing, too, but that requires discipline and motivation, neither of which has ever made a permanent home with me…

My reading varies widely - I love genre fiction (romance and crime), contemporary and historical fiction, and narrative nonfiction. I try to balance my reading in all these areas. I also use my thread as a bit of a life journal, which mostly means I talk about what I’m cooking, eating, drinking, watching, doing, and avoiding doing.

Thanks for being here!

Books Completed

Books Off My Shelf: 2
Books Off My Kindle: 1
Books from Audible/Chirp: 2
Library Loans (print/e-books/audios): 1

January
6. Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne (3.75 stars)
5. Aliens of Extraordinary Ability by Maeve Higgins (audio) (4 stars)
4. I Loved You First by Various Authors (audio) (3 stars)
3. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness by Peter Kuper (4 stars)
2. Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty (4 stars)
1. Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys (3.5 stars)

COMPLETIONS - Q1

January

February

March

Around the Year in 52 Books:

TITLE
A book with a language or nationality in the title
A book with a time-related word in the title
A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name - Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne
2 books with the same word in the title
2 books with the same word in the title
A book with 22 or more letters in the title - Aliens of Extraordinary Ability by Maeve Higgins

COVER
A book with an image of a source of light on the cover
- A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover - Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys
A book without a person on the cover - I Loved You First by Various Authors
A book with handwriting on the cover

THEME
A book that features loving LGBTQIA+ relationship
A book related to mythology
A book with a theme of food or drink
A book related to a game
A book related to Earth Day
A book related to psychology, neuroscience or the mind

SETTING
3 books set on three different continents
3 books set on three different continents
3 books set on three different continents
A book set in a small town or rural area
A fiction or nonfiction book that is set during 1900 -1950
A book set on or near a body of water
A book with an academic setting or with a teacher that plays an important role

CHARACTER
A book where the main character is a female detective or police officer
A book that involves aging, or a character in their golden years
A book with a non-human as one of the main characters
A book about a woman in STEM
A book with a main character whose name starts with A, T, or Y

GENRE
A book that involves alternate reality, alternate worlds, or alternate history
A book with gothic elements
A book from the historical fiction genre

AUTHOR & PUBLISHING
A book published in 2022
A book published at least 10 years ago
A book by a Latin American author
A book by an Asian or Pacific Islander author
A book with a Jewish character or author
A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name

GOODREADS & RECOMMENDATIONS
A book posted in the 2021 or 2022 ATY Best Book of the Month threads
- A book connected to a book you read in 2021 - Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty
A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the list
A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Goodreads

AWARDS, CHALLENGES and LISTS
A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards
A book from NPR's Book Concierge
A book from the TIME list of 100 Best YA Books of All Time

OTHER
A book connected to the phrase "Here (There) Be Dragons"
2 books related to flora and fauna
2 books related to flora and fauna
The next book in a series
A book related to one of the 22 Tarot Major Arcana cards
A book related to glass
A book related to inclement weather
- A book less than 220 pages OR more than 440 pages - Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness by Peter Kuper

My Ratings (revised, once again, as I continue the fruitless search for the perfect scale...)

2 stars = Whyyyyyy?
3 stars = Eh, ok.
4 stars = Definitely worth the time.
5 stars = Perfect *for me*

(Anything below 2 stars is unlikely to be finished)



WELCOME!

Happy new one!

>5 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, figs!

Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty

The 4th in the Sean Duffy series and maybe my favorite so far. Murder, conspiracy, geopolitics - everything comes to a head in not-so-quiet Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland in 1985. The sense of place and time is so strong in these books; any list of Dramatis Personae would have to include The Troubles. I keep reading the series, waiting for Sean to catch a break. He's so flawed and fucked up, but I can't help rooting for him.

4 stars

"But in Northern Ireland there wasn't much emotional space for subtlety or nuance."

There are two more in the series published, but rumor has it another one is coming this year. Fans of McKinty periodically hound him on Twitter about it. (He is a great Twitter follow for anyone on that platform - he interacts with fans, posts fascinating music and movie stuff, and seems like an all-around cool guy).

You've had cookies for breakfast, made a trip to the green grocer and the library, started a new thread and reviewed a book and I haven't even made it out of bed yet lol. Can't even blame it all on the time difference.

I hope the rest of your Saturday is chill.

~waves good morning~

I was going to inquire about a farmer's market in your town, but that would be the same problem as your green grocer -- good produce, but only what's seasonal. Or with your bountiful free time do something radical and go to the farmers market/green grocer first and create a meal plan around what is seasonal and looks good. :D

>8 MickyFine: - I like a good loll session in bed, Micky, but it was too damn cold in there this morning :)

The rest of the day is looking *very* relaxed, so yay for that.

>9 ELiz_M: - Morning, Liz! There is actually an excellent farmers market in a neighboring town - I just tend to forget about it in the colder months. I should make a note for next Saturday to go. It's smaller in the winter, but still pretty good. Thanks for the reminder!

I could build meals around what's at the market, but then I'd have to change my weekly schedule of when I hit the supermarket, and I have it down to the two times it seems to be least busy. But it might be worth trying for a week or two...

>7 katiekrug: It's a good thing the series is already ensconced on my TBR. That's all I'm sayin'.

I was such a good boy, had a banana and some blueberries for breakfast! And then The Urge struck and it was two oatmeal cookies for lunch. But, y'know, I *am* trying to find sixteen more pounds after the weight-loss train was a runaway.

That's how I'm sellin' it to myself, anyway.

>11 richardderus: - If I had need of gaining weight, I'd be eating cookies with all 3 meals!

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness by Peter Kuper

Most of you know, Heart of Darkness is one of my favorite books. I've read it several times since first encountering it in my AP English class in high school, and I have a collection of different editions of the book. This graphic novel adaptation is very well done; the black and white images are sometimes stark and sometimes beautifully detailed. They add to the sense of unease, discomfort, and dislocation which is so central to the story. Kuper was wise in his choices of what text to include, especially my favorite line, "We live as we dream - alone."

4 stars

>7 katiekrug: Hooray for the Adrian McKinley love. Those books are one of my favorite series, and you are right about how he captures a sense of time and place. I also love all the music references, and that the book titles are all also titles of Tom Waits' songs. I might have to read through them all this year.

Happy second thread already, Katie! I keep meaning to start the McKinty series. The graphic novel of Heart of Darkness sounds good. I will check that out.

>13 katiekrug: ooooooohhhhhhh that looks so gorgeous! What a great way to experience Heart of Darkness, it's so completely visual anyway might as well make it explicit.

We cross-posted, so I didn't see your review of the GN of Heart of Darkness - looks like one for your DD.

>14 Crazymamie: - I am determined to read the last two closer together, as I'm terrible about remembering details...

>15 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth! The GN was both good and short, which was nice :)

>16 richardderus: - It's really well done.

>17 Crazymamie: - Direct hit!

Shame about the lack of library browsing, it's a fun occupation. I suppose at least you can get the library holds, which is better than the books being stuck and not allowed at all.

Conrad is one of those authors I have never read and who scare me slightly. I'm not really sure why.

Happy second thread, Katie.


Seemed like an appropriate place to drop this off...

Happy new thread, Katie! I hope you're having a good weekend. I'm missing the Giants game for working tomorrow, and I'm...not really sorry. I'm kinda happy to see the backside of this season - on to hockey! - and looking forward to the draft? Heh.

Would your library give you a grab bag of recommendations if you told them what you like? We tried that with varying success (some patrons had us choose regularly, others never took us up on it), but I always loved getting the question, it gave me some of my "real" job back when we were curbside only. We're still in person, right now, with a mask mandate that we're only enforcing through signage.

>20 ronincats: Oh, that is completely and utterly properly placed!

>7 katiekrug: Gun Street Girl is next for me in that series. I love that it's your favorite so far.

And thanks for the tip on following McKinty on Twitter. Done.

Happy new one, Katie!

>19 Helenliz: - I do like a nice browse, though I could browse my own over-stuffed shelves....

I've never read any Conrad other than HoD...

>20 ronincats: - Snort. Perfect, Roni!

>21 bell7: - I of course totally agree about the Giants, Mary. I am not making a point of watching it.

I'm not sure if my library would do that, though I can see how it would be fun for the librarians. I have thousands of books in the house and on my Kindle, so I should really just browse my own shelves!

>22 richardderus: - :)

>23 EBT1002: - It's a great one, Ellen. You won't be disappointed.

>24 drneutron: - Thanks, Jim!

I slept rather late this morning - it's very grey and gloomy out which probably contributed to that. Last night, we had a nice dinner out and then came home to finish out season 2 of Ted Lasso. As far as I'm concerned, Nate can go straight to hell and burn there for all eternity. I will probably re-watch it all over the summer before the new season starts.

To Do:
- Not much of anything (yay!)

Menu:
- Breakfast: ?
- Lunch: ?
- Dinner: potato-leek soup with kielbasa (new recipe!)

Books:
- I didn't read any of Passion on Park Avenue yesterday, so I'll try to get a hunk of it read today
- I read one chapter in Mindful Drinking, which was about mindfulness, which is something I need to practice
- Only a little listening time, so I still have around 2 hours left in my audio (I Loved You First)

Viewing:
- Project Runway (I am now only 2 episodes behind on the current season)
- Ted Lasso (completed :( )

Morning, Katie! Potato-leek soup with kielbasa sounds most yum, so I'm hoping the recipe is a winner.

I started Mindful Drinking is the wee small hours of the morning.

>27 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! I'll share the recipe if it doesn't suck :)

I was not very good with the mindful drinking last night at dinner. Baby steps....

Baby steps is right. I'm glad that we are doing it at the same time - we can be like Ethel and Lucy. I'll be Ethel.

>29 Crazymamie: - Ha! I'll have to practice making faces and eating chocolates...

Happy new thread, Katie!

I’m sorry about the Library not allowing browsing – I immediately went to our Library’s website and don’t see anything that indicates they’re back into no-browse mode. I plan on visiting the Librarian, who’s become a friend, sometime this week. Our Librarians are heroes, IMO, in how they’ve handled the pandemic – and on top of that they were cyberhacked last year and had to cope with that, too.

>25 katiekrug: I have thousands of books in the house and on my Kindle, so I should really just browse my own shelves! Ditto. 2340 here in central NC, as a matter of fact.

>30 katiekrug: That scene was filmed at a See’s factory, just sayin’, because See’s are my favorite chocolates.

Hmmm, curious about Mindful Drinking. One thing that has increased during the pandemic is my overall alcohol intake. It's already moving back toward "normal" (i.e., pre-pandemic consumption levels) but still.

Have a great day with nothing on your to-do list, Katie!

>31 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen!

I usually only browsed at the library once a month or so. Hopefully in another month or two, we'll be back closer to normal. I read that omicron's virulence means it should peak and recede fairly quickly... Here's hoping.

I just checked my "Your Library" collection, and it stands at 6,049. That would be physical, Kindle and audio books, read and unread/unlistened to. My "To Read" collection is 4,719 and my "To Listen" collection is 408, so I have 5,127 books in my home in some form or other still to get to. I better get cracking!

It's fun to see familiar things on screen, isn't it? Two movies - The World According to Garp and Regarding Henry - were filmed, in part, at my boarding school :)

>32 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen! Yeah, my wine intake had increased, too, so I'm looking for ways to get back to a more normal-for-me level. Just thinking about it has been a help.

Thanks for the good wishes - I am excited about the lazy today!

Your first read on this thread reminded me that I should get back to McKinty's series set in Northern Ireland. Not sure how I keep dropping series but it might just have something to do with all the other tempting books.

I've heard about the anticipated short peak of Omicron cases and have my fingers crossed. Enjoy your lazy day!

At some point, we need to make a world around the plague. It will require people to recognize their pweshus widdle wibburtees aren't important in the face of a fatal disease, get vaccinated, and wear the damn mask over your stupid nose.

Then we can go back to browsing in libraries and shopping for groceries and so on.

I'm mildly intrigued by Mindful Drinking and would love to know if you find it a worthwhile read. For the last several years we've been doing Dry January in my household--mostly as a post-holiday reset/very short-term New Years resolution/proof that we can do it. It feels particularly necessary this year as pandemic drinking levels feel borderline out of control! However I've never approached it with any sense of science or health information to support it--it feels more like a challenge or dare to myself.

>26 katiekrug: 100% agree about the Ted Lasso character mentioned.

>34 Familyhistorian: - I've fallen off some series wagons, Meg, and keep meaning to get back on them. It's hard to keep up with everything for sure.

>35 richardderus: - I am not retreating back to the dark, early days of the pandemic. I am going to the grocery store and we still go out to eat, though we are very picky about where. My one concession to omicron was upgrading our masks to KN95s. I figure it's a matter of when not if one or both of us gets it, but I don't need to help it along.

>36 AnneDC: - So far, MD has given me good things to think about. The author is just a regular journalist who wanted to moderate her own drinking; she talks to some experts but she herself is not one. I think it makes the book a bit more approachable. I haven't encountered anything really mind-blowing in it, but it is helpful to have ones thoughts validated and to be reminded of certain negative consequences of drinking too much (beyond the obvious). I'll be sure to say more once I finish it. It is on sale on Kindle right now, if you're interested.

Oooh, that Ted Lasso *thing* made me SO mad. I hope that person gets hit by a bus in the season 3 opener...

The lazy day has gone according to plan so far. I did "hard boil" some eggs in the IP, and I'll shortly be starting on prep for the soup. But I've mostly just read in front of the football games on TV. The Giants lost of course.

Just taggin' you so you don't get too far out of sight...

>39 laytonwoman3rd: - Hiya, Linda!

Today sure does feel like a Monday. I didn't sleep all that well and have been awake since 5:45. Gross. We are going back to the gym this morning, which I'm not looking forward to. And that electrician who stood us up on Friday has his re-do today. In between all that, I've got a few chores to do, a phone call to make, and I hope to sit down and try to work out a plan/approach to carving out writing time in my schedule.

Last night's potato-leek soup with kielbasa was DELISH. The Wayne found it a little "one-note" which I can understand. The recipe doesn't have any seasoning except for salt and pepper at the end, which is kind of weird. Next time, I will add some garlic. And I am going to look at other potato-leek soup recipes and see if any of them incorporate herbs. I feel like it needs just a little something more. But I really liked it as made, and it was pretty easy to put together. It's from a cookbook, so not easy to cut and paste here, but if anyone is interested, I'll type up the recipe and post it.

To Do:
- gym
- laundry
- call vet

Menu:
- Breakfast: yogurt
- Lunch: leftover soup
- Dinner: linguine with fennel, garlic, and lemon

Viewing:
- 1 episode of Project Runway
- First episode of The Witcher, which I agreed to give a whirl, so The Wayne and I had something to watch together. It was... fine? I found parts of it hard to hear/understand. And why do fantasy books, shows, etc. always have to use such complicated and ridiculous names? Why is no one ever just called Jim or Mary or whatever?

Reading:
- I might finish up my current audio today, but no promises
- Didn't make much progress in Passion on Park Avenue but it's pretty good
- Plan to read the next chapter in Mindful Drinking
- I'm making my way through a small back log of issues of The Atlantic. I'm almost down to only having the most recent to read! December's issue had a great article by Anne Appelbaum about the rise of autocracy and the retreat of democratic values. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/12/the-autocrats-are-winning/6... (Not sure if The Atlantic offers a limited number of free articles or if everything is behind a pay wall but worth a try...)

It's rare that I LOL on a Monday morning, so thought I'd share:

Do you have an instant pot? We get leeks in our CSA and this is one of our favorite recipes to use them.
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-potato-leek-soup/

Sorry the soup wasn't as herb-y as you'd like it. IIRC, the classic Julia Child recipe is fairly devoid of spices, and somehow is still delicious (it does not include kielbasa). Maybe a bit of bay leaf, and chives? I've seen those ingredients listed in other recipes for leek & potato soup.

>43 japaul22: - I do have an IP, Jennifer. Thanks for the link! The seasoning in that recipe is interesting (fish sauce?!?!). I will give it a try.

>44 lauralkeet: - I'm not sure about chive, Laura, because that would be fairly close to the leek flavor. Bay leaf might work. The link Jennifer shared calls for thyme. I think I'm going to try just adding garlic first and see if that does enough...

Morning, Katie! I also did not sleep well last night - kept waking up every hour or so, which is slightly crazy making.

Please to share that soup recipe. I think I would try white pepper and garlic in addition to the salt and black pepper. I love white pepper, and I use it in my own potato soup.

>42 katiekrug: Made me laugh!

>45 katiekrug: I used soy sauce instead because we were out of fish sauce. My husband is the cook in our family, but I help out occasionally. He tells me that "umami", the taste you'd get from fish sauce, is considered a 5th "taste" now in western cooking, with sweet, sour, salty, bitter. So a lot of new recipes include an umami element for flavoring.

I myownself like herbs more than most do, so whatever the recipe recommends is usually doubled on re-making it.

>42 katiekrug: HA!! Perfect!

Just stopping by and adding my voice to an insomniac Sunday night. At least it's sunny out - those gray days make the cold much harder to take. Hope the gym goes well!

‘Morning, Katie!

>41 katiekrug: Sorry you had a bad night. I had 5 hours of straight sleep, starting about 11. The befores and afters were crap, though.

>42 katiekrug: Assholes is right… however, I’ve got a housecleaner coming out on Friday. Stated goal is for him to give a quote on cleaning 4 bathrooms, mopping the hardwoods/tile downstairs and vacuuming the whole downstairs. If the quote’s reasonable, he’ll do the work on the same day. Vaccinated, boosted, and will wear a mask the whole time he’s here. What could possibly go wrong? 🙄

>46 Crazymamie: - Frequent wake-ups are the pits, Mamie. I'm sorry :(

I always forget about white pepper! I'll make a note for next time. I'll type up the recipe and post it when I'm done responding here.

>47 japaul22: - I watch a lot of cooking shows, and The Wayne loves to cook (I am getting there!) and yes, umami is totally a thing now. I mean, I guess it sort of always was but no one knew what to call it :)

>48 richardderus: - But if you double nothing, you still got nothing! I agree with you, though - I always double the garlic in recipes no matter what, and am starting to always add more seasoning than called for because I find most recipes to err on the side of blandness.

>49 vivians: - Sunday night insomina is The Worst. But also totally understandable. Blerg. I assume you still get up at o'dark thirty to go walking, crazy lady? Tomorrow morning is supposed to be arctic! The gym was... survived.

>50 karenmarie: - Sorry about the pre- and post-sleep issues, Karen. I used to be such a good sleeper, but it seems like that's a thing of the past, at least on a regular basis. *sad face*

Excellent news about the potential cleaner! Fingers crossed he arrives on time, does what he says, and isn't weird or anything. I can't wait until things are back in order around here so that I can get the cleaners back. Right now, there is just too much random stuff everywhere to make it worthwhile...

I survived the gym, though it wasn't super pretty after being away for a few weeks! I'm also mixing up my routine, so there was a lot of back and forth with Julian about weights, reps, etc. so it wasn't the most strenuous session ever. But afterwards I felt good, so I'll take that as a victory.

I've had my yogurt (lemon - my favorite!) and will shortly hop in the shower and then get started with my day.

Soup recipe coming up, Mamie!

I always make Delia's leek & potato soup. It is one of the pages that the cook book falls open on. The vegetable stock is probably the major source of flavouring - and I tend to make that with all sorts of things, bay leaves, thyme, sage, onions, peppercorns, carrots and whatever else looks like it's pickable from the garden.

edit - forgot the link: https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/root-vegetables/leek-onion-and-p...

Monday is living up to billing.

>53 Helenliz: - Thanks for that, Helen! I'm impressed by your homemade stock. The Wayne occasionally makes stock, but we mostly just buy it.

Hearty Potato Leek Soup with Kielbasa

Ingredients:
8 oz. kielbasa sausage, sliced into ½-inch rounds
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and chopped
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ¾-inch chunks
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper

1. Brown kielbasa in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until well browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate.

2. Add butter, leeks, and potatoes to empty pot and cook until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour until absorbed, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Transfer 1 ½ cups of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return to pot. Stir in kielbasa. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Katie’s Notes:
- Next time, I will add garlic when the butter, leeks, and potatoes go into the pot.
- The kielbasa I got was a pound and the bag of potatoes (I bought the pre-scrubbed, ready to steam ones) was 1.25 pounds, so I just upped the quantities of everything else as needed (I was very proud of myself for adjusting on the fly like that - made me feel like I was finally getting the hang of the whole cooking thing :) )
- Whisking in the broth when the pot is full of chunky vegetables was kind of a pain, but my whisk is flimsy so that may have been the problem.


My finished product.

...wait...no thyme, no marjoram, no herbs AT ALL?!? I thought you were funnin with me, they had like "1/4 teaspoon" and stuff! (Like homeopathic remedies, I defy anyone to detect 1/4 teaspoon of anything in a recipe. That isn't loaded with capsaicin, of course.)

>56 richardderus: - Weird, right?!?!

I mean! Like, I'd've used some caraway seed in the sausage-saute process at the least!

>42 katiekrug: LOL

>55 katiekrug: I love soup in winter and am looking for some new recipes. I have made potato leek in the past but was never crazy about it. Adding kielbasa sounds like a winner (as does garlic). So, thanks for the recipe, I've copied it to try...maybe next week since I still have some of your winner Chicken Enchilada Soup in the fridge :)

Hi, Katie!

Tomm had me watch the first episode of Witcher with him, too, and I felt the same. Meh. It's (literally) too dark and what the hell is going on with the timeline?! And where is the adorable and quippy bard sidekick that I see in the memes?! I didn't have the patience to watch another episode to even get to him. *sigh*

>58 richardderus: - Oh, that's a good idea!

>59 RebaRelishesReading: - Most potato leek soups are smooth, which I don't love in a soup. I like this "rustic" version because it's chunky. And has sausage :)

Let me know what you think when you try it!

>60 scaifea: - I will watch at least a few more episodes and see if I can get into it, even a little bit. We watch very little together because our tastes vary so much, but the promise of some comic relief from the bard made me agree to try it. So I figure I at least need to stick around to see if it does, indeed, help...

>61 katiekrug: I'll look for your reaction, then, to see if I should give it more time...

>62 scaifea: - I shall report back.

>60 scaifea:, >61 katiekrug: He shows up a few episodes in. And he does provide some comic relief, but overall it's a pretty dark story.

The first season's a mix of three timelines: Gerald's, Ciri's, and Yennifer's. They all converge at the end by the end of the first season. The problem is that they don't offer any clues that these are separate timelines...

>58 richardderus: Or fennel seeds (my potato, leek, and kale soup, made this weekend thanks to this thread, has ground fennel).

Happy New Thread, Katie!

>7 katiekrug: My local library has a couple of Adrian McKinty's books, but none in that particular series. I am not sure I want to try another series at this point now as I already have so many going. . .

>13 katiekrug: Into the BlackHole it goes!

>65 ELiz_M: Eliminating Satan's Charmin, aka "kale," would make that delightful indeed!

>64 drneutron: - Thanks for that input, Jim. I don't generally mind dark. I definitely don't like complicated for complicated's sake. I'm reserving judgment for now :)

>65 ELiz_M: - Ha! I just bought fennel seeds for the recipe I'm trying tonight. I'll keep it in mind for next time with the soup.

>66 alcottacre: - I read The Chain by McKinty and didn't love it. But the Duffy series is excellent. However, I totally get having too many series on the go!

>67 richardderus: - Snort. I can't do raw kale, but I've liked it in the couple of soups I've had it in...

Happy new thread, Katie. I will have to try the Heart of Darkness GN. Like you, I am a big fan of the original.

Hi Katie!

>55 katiekrug: I just posted a very flavorful sausage and potato soup recipe on my thread. No blenders, although there are a few more ingredients. *smile*

>70 msf59: - It's worth a look, Mark, if your library has it. I wouldn't go to great lengths to seek it out...

>71 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen! I think I have that recipe saved from a previous time you shared it. Sounds delicious, even without the leeks ;-)

Grrrr..... This electrician is now 18 minutes late with nary a call or text. I think I'm done being patient and understanding.

My daughter gave me a crockpot for Christmas, but I have yet to put it to its intended use. I am thinking about it.

I've prepared and eaten several of the Hello Fresh meals. I did...uh...eeee...yah...okay, though I skimmed over some of the dicing and mincing. I hate it when the directions don't use terms consistently and/or assume a total novice knows "conventional wisdom." Not this total novice. But I do like getting to the chase.

Meat loaf is good. I'm remembering that.

>74 weird_O: - Come on, Bill. Use the crock pot! It's the easiest thing in the world! This is a great recipe: https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-chicken-enchilada-soup/#FwsVlYx0tf3IZxOH.0...

I make it in the InstantPot but Reba makes it in her crock pot and loves it, too.

LT is doing weird things after that "fatal error" interruption of service a little while ago. Now when I hit "Post Message," the message doesn't show up. I have to refresh the page to see it. I keep thinking I'm losing messages!

>68 katiekrug: I didn't love The Chain either, Katie. And his new one looks to be very much in the same vein, which is vexing when there are more Sean Duffy stories out there waiting to be told. I've been hoarding Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly for a while hoping the next one would be published and I could read them both in short order. :-(

>77 rosalita: - I hear you, Julia, about the next Duffy. I want to read Rain Dogs soonish, so I don't forget things, but I hate the idea of finishing all the available books and having to wait...

That's disappointing about his new book. I will probably give it a try because I like him and want to support him, but my expectations will be set accordingly.

>76 katiekrug: Oh, it's not just me then. It's pretty annoying!

>78 katiekrug: Yeah, I'll grab The Island (no touchstone in LT yet) from the library as soon as it's available. I just wish it was another Duffy. Have you read any of his pre-Duffy stand-alones? I keep thinking I should try them.

>79 lauralkeet: - Ha! I'm glad it's not just me!

>80 rosalita: - I haven't read anything else by him. I think Mamie read one. Or maybe it was part of a pre-Duffy series? I can't recall exactly. But she liked it!

Oh, now my messages are showing up instantly as they should. Phew.

>82 katiekrug: Good sign — Mamie has impeccable taste! I'll have to look at the library site to see if they have any.

ETA: Well, my library has all three in the Michael Forsythe series available to borrow now, so I guess I just did...

>82 katiekrug: I'm reading McKinty's Michael Forsythe series right now (it's a trilogy, all free on Audible). It's ok, and the narrator is terrific, but doesn't measure up to the Duffy series.

>84 rosalita: - I should look at my library for them, too.

>85 vivians: - And Vivian comes through with actual useful information, unlike me! I think that's the one I remember Mamie listening to.

Ooh I do hope he writes a new one. (>78 katiekrug:) I'd assumed it was The End so hadn't been checking for them.

Hi Katie, your thread is fast becoming a one stop shop! I can get book info, recipes, entertainment news and humor! I have the first few books of the Sean Duffy series so need to get started on that. I am currently just about to start Moon of the Crusted Snow which I have been looking forward to.

That soup looks fantastic to me. You could add some kale to it... And maybe your kielbasa isn't as strongly seasoned as the stuff I buy, but if I made it there would be quite a bit of garlic flavor in it from the sausage.

>76 katiekrug: Yeah, I was getting that earlier today too and just decided I needed to go do something else for a while!

Regarding kale, I do not care for it either, but I can at least tolerate baby kale. You might try that as an option.

Have you ever tried Broccoli and Kale Slaw from Trader Joe's? It's one of my main reasons for making the drive to TJ's -- absolutely love it!

>87 charl08: - He's indicated on Twitter there will be another one....

>88 DeltaQueen50: - Hi Judy! I am 99% positive you will like the Duffy series, so what are you waiting for?!?!

>89 laytonwoman3rd: - I just used run of the mill, grocery store kielbasa. I'm sure a better product would imbue more flavor.

>90 alcottacre: and >91 RebaRelishesReading: - Y'all should be talking to Richard. I don't mind kale, especially cooked. And I *can* eat it raw, I just prefer other greens.

Morning, folks. It's 16F here, climbing to a high of... 20F. Unfortunately, I have an appointment this morning, so I actually have to bundle up and go out...

The new recipe I tried last night (linguini with fennel, garlic, and lemon) turned out reasonably well. It needed more of a "sauce" or at least more of a coating on the pasta. But the fennel added a bright flavor, so the recipe is worth tinkering with.

To Do:
- follow-up appointment with oral surgeon
- reward myself with a tasty hot beverage
- electrician estimate
- laundry (didn't do it yesterday)
- Trivia Night

Menu:
- Breakfast: yogurt
- Lunch: tuna salad in a wheat pita; hard boiled egg
- Dinner: TBD

Reading:
- I read a chunk in Passion on Park Avenue which is surprisingly good
- I finished up my audio and started a new one (more on that later)
- Still making my way through Mindful Drinking

Viewing:
- Nothing; we had our weekly reading night in the rarely-used living room

Morning, Katie!

I'm seriously considering tuna salad for lunch today, too. #twins

GOod luck with the follow-up appointment - I hope it's all good news.

>94 scaifea: - I'll raise my sandwich to you before stuffing it in my pie hole!

Thanks re: the appointment. It should be fine - I'm not having any issues, other than fiddling with the gap too much, probably.

The real test will be in a few months when he checks to see if the graft has taken hold so I can get the implant...

>95 katiekrug: *snork!*

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you for the implant.

Morning, Katie! No wonder my ears were burning - I saw me up there severral times. Good memory - I did read the first book in that Michael Forsythe series (Dead I May Well Be)on audio. Not as good as the Sean Duffy books, but then it would be almost impossible to top those for me. Charlotte also loves both series. Gerard Doyle narrates both series, so all of the audios will be full of fabulous.

>88 DeltaQueen50: Judy, Katie is right - you will love Sean Duffy!

No tuna salad for me today, although I do love it. I'm thinking of making potato soup - it would be a perfect day for soup here as we finally have some cold (for Georgia) weather.

Good luck at the endodontist.

>96 scaifea: - Thanks! He was not super confident about it after looking at the x-ray before the extraction. But we'll see...

>97 Crazymamie: - I need to make a note to look up the Michael Forsythe books. I was glad to have the reminder!

Potato soup! Yum. I am, obviously, a fan.

The appointment was with the oral surgeon. My endodontist is different. I am very high maintenance ;-)

The surgeon said everything looked great. I go back on April 7 so he can take another x-ray and see if I can get the implant. It's expensive, but I'd rather have that done than a bridge. So fingers crossed...

His office is next to a Dunkies, so I treated myself to a chai latte. And there may have been a baked good purchased as well, but I don't remember.

>98 katiekrug: My bad. Good luck with the oral surgeon. I still need to get my questionable tooth looked at. I keep hoping it will calm down, but since it's been more than a year, I am guessing not. And now the appointment is over already. All righty. Crossing my fingers about the implant - that's what I would want to even though the thought of it makes me squirm a bit.

Good thinking with the faulty memory. Probably caused by the trauma of the oral surgeon and the immense cold.

>100 Crazymamie: - I have become waaaay too familiar with the various dental/mouth areas of expertise lately. But yes, you should bite (ha!) the bullet and get it looked at because it is not going to heal itself and will likely just get worse. /lecture

Yes, yes, the trauma and the cold. That's it!

It IS cold outside! Thanks for goading me into peering through the front-door sidelight at the thermometer, Katie. 15° out there. So now it is winter at last.

Thanks for the crockpot encouragement.

‘Morning, Katie! I hope the rest of your Tuesday is a good'un.

>99 katiekrug: Glad things are looking good. And yes to an implant. Bridges ruin two perfectly good teeth and still cost a lot of money. Dunkin’ Donuts… I want an apple fritter! (Sodium-wise, it’s doable. Crap- I was going to say the closest DD is 29.3 miles away, but it looks like there’s a new DD only 10.4 miles away. I shouldn’t have looked it up.)

I just finished the second Forsythe. Brutal and graphic, and yet somehow I gritted my teeth and got through it. Speaking of teeth...I have my oral surgeon appointment tomorrow. I also had a bone graft and implants (two years ago...now that's procrastination) and will finally be starting the process of getting the crowns. I am a total woos and hate this more than anything!

>102 weird_O: - Yep, pretty darn cold. I"m hoping it keeps people inside and limits the number of teams at trivia so The Wayne and I have a chance!

Please report back when you finally use your crock pot.

>103 karenmarie: - We have DDs all over the place, and I've been good about ignoring them, but it was so cold out, I really wanted something hot. And then I smelled the good stuff, and I was a goner.

Yes about the implant vs. bridge. The other reason I don't want a bridge is that one of the teeth involved will likely need to have its root canal re-done at some point, so then the bridge would have to come off and the whole thing would be annoying and complicated. GAH!

>104 vivians: - Good luck tomorrow, Vivian! I totally understand about being a wuss - me too!

I've got a few books piling up that "need" (library loans/promised/etc) to be read this month. Once finished with my current read, this is what I'll be tackling:
- These Silent Woods (I forget where I took this BB but it's due back at the library in a couple of weeks)
- Our Country Friends (another library loan - it's the WNYC book club pick for the month, so no wait line to borrow from NYPL)
- The Fell (received from Laura yesterday and headed to Ellen when I'm finished)
- North and South (I had intended this as my first read of the new year but it didn't happen; I'd still like to try to get to it this month)

>106 katiekrug: Oh, good stuff there!

>99 katiekrug: Ah, the convenient memory lapse...such a great dodge. Ask Gym Jordan.

>107 richardderus: - *grin*

I am not normally a sucker for "cute" animal stories (especially feline-related ones), but THIS is worth a read...

>93 katiekrug: Good luck with the oral surgeon today!

>106 katiekrug: Hurry up and finish The Fell! I get it after Ellen, lol.

>109 katiekrug: LOL.

>110 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia. It went fine.

I'll be reading The Fell in the next couple of weeks, I promise!

>111 MickyFine: - Crazy Canadian cats...

>109 katiekrug: Chris saw that the other day, showed it to me, and we just couldn't stop laughing. I like how at a certain point they just decided to run with it.

ETA: he actually saw it in WaPo, if you can believe it. But yours is more shareable because there's no paywall.

Sooo you may have already seen Gettleman "retired" but big Giants news today: Joe Judge was fired.

Hi Katie! I'm kinda behind but all caught up now.

>26 katiekrug: I watched season 1 of Ted Lasso and forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder on that one. I have to get to season 2 this winter.

Also, I read Passion on Park Avenue recently and it turned out better than I expected it to be. It is the first in a series of three books. It will be interesting to read your review.

Anyhow, enjoy the rest of the week!

Ohhhh I didn't know you were going to be reading North and South Katie. I'm planning to read it myself but probably won't get to it this month.

>113 lauralkeet: - Such a fun story. I also really liked their cats' names and nicknames...

>114 bell7: - I saw that yesterday afternoon. Not a surprise. I'm mad that Gettleman got to "retire" rather than being kicked out the door. I would have been okay with Judge getting another year, but Gettleman was awful.

>115 figsfromthistle: - Hey, figs! Yes, get back to Ted Lasso - STAT! Such a great show.

And I've been pleasantly surprised by how good PoPA is. I wasn't expecting much from a cheap Kindle purchase...

>116 brenzi: - I may not get to it this month, Bonnie. But hope springs eternal!

Eyes today. Wish me luck. *smooch*

Morning, folks! Bright and sunny here and 20F but going to 40 for a high. I'll take it!

Books:
I didn't have much reading time yesterday, but I did listen to a chunk of Aliens of Extraordinary Ability, which is very good. It's an Audible exclusive, I think, and I highly recommend it. I'm planning to do a bunch of reading today (fingers crossed!).

To Do:
- Take Nuala to the vet (flu booster shot)
- Grocery shopping

Menu:
- Breakfast: yogurt
- Lunch: tuna salad, hard boiled egg, fruit
- Dinner: picking up a dinner "kit" from a new local charcuterie shop - roast pork, onions, pickled cabbage, and brioche rolls. Yum!

Viewing:
None, as we had trivia night.

And this made me snort out loud this morning and whisper "Amen" to myself (I'd apologize for the language, but if it offends you, I'm not sure why you're on my potty-mouthed thread to begin with :-) ):

>118 richardderus: - Good luck! I *hate* eye exams.

Some good Kindle deals today (8 pages worth!): https://smile.amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A7788141011&fs=true&ref=lp_7788141011_s...

>105 katiekrug: I will share whatever comes out of my impending crockpot adventure. Unless it turns out to be yummy.

Hi Katie!

>109 katiekrug: Oh my. Two middle-aged lesbians, 3 cats, and one Vitamix box… I’m laughing so hard Bill asked me what was so funny. I’ve just sent him the link, and have a few other folks in mind to send the link to. Thanks!

>119 katiekrug: A heartily-shouted Amen!

>121 katiekrug: Thanks for sharing. I won’t get it, but The Alchemyst made me actually look up Nicholas Flamel – I can’t believe I’m such a Potter-head and didn’t realize that Flamel was a real person. Sheesh and double sheesh. If you haven’t read Furious Hours and are interested in Truman Capote or Harper Lee, this is a must have.

Morning, Katie! I like your plans for today - I am also hoping to get loads of reading done. Dinner sounds yum.

>109 katiekrug: Thanks for sharing that - we got a big laugh out of it!

>119 katiekrug: *belly laugh*

>122 weird_O: - Fair enough!

>123 karenmarie: - Morning, Karen! Glad you liked the cat story. It's a good one. I'll be one-clicking on a few of the books, including Furious Hours, I think.

>124 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie. I'm off to the supermarket soon (going to one a bit farther away to see if I like it better...) and then will settle down to read. I'm looking forward to dinner :)

Glad to give you some laughs this morning!

From the Kindle sale I linked to above, I've bought:

Code Name Helene
Amy and Isabelle (I read this ages ago and remember liking it. I think I'd like to read it again...)
Furious Hours
Sag Harbor (I'm becoming a Whitehead completist)
The Swallows

>119 katiekrug: lol

>121 katiekrug: and 30-some pages of Audible deals

>127 RebaRelishesReading: - Oh, yes, thanks for that reminder, Reba! I started looking through the offerings yesterday and then got distracted...

Grocery run done. The one I went to is not worth the extra driving, which is kind of a relief. I did, however, stop on my way there at my local indie bookstore and treated myself to one I've been eagerly waiting for.



I love the 3 novels by Attenberg that I've read (I have 2 or 3 more on my shelf to read...), and she's another good Twitter follow. She also puts out a great newsletter about writing, creating, etc. This memoir just got a good write-up in the NYT. I will get to it this month or next.

>119 katiekrug: *SNORK!*

>130 scaifea: - You're welcome.

So do you make your own tuna salad or buy it premade? I had tuna again today for lunch because I really liked it yesterday - I bought a couple of packages of Bumblebee Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt Tuna and I love it (I, world class chef, make the 'salad' by just adding a spoonful of mayo)

>132 scaifea: - I make my own. Bumblebee Solid White Albacore ONLY. I mix it with mayo, salt, and pepper and some dill. At the moment, I have a dill dip (made with Greek yogurt) on hand, so I've just been using that. And I like to have raw red onion on it, but not mixed into the salad, because it makes it watery.

That said, I had a turkey sandwich today because I was feeling too lazy to whomp up a batch of tuna salad :)

>133 katiekrug: I can see the onion-watery issue being very troublesome when using yogurt-based dips.

>121 katiekrug: ...not looking...no money...not looking...no money...

>120 katiekrug: Went better than I'd hoped! See thread.

>119 katiekrug: The charcuterie place sounds wonderful...but >129 katiekrug: suggests it did not live up to its promise...?

>134 richardderus: - Mais non! I have not picked up dinner yet from the charcuterie place. I can pick it up anytime between 5:00 and 7:00 this evening. The place not worth the extra driving was just a different supermarket than I normally go to.

>135 katiekrug: *relieved sigh* I hope this place is The Explosive Device, then!

So the cats and the vitamix story was suddenly all over Canadian media today. It was the good news story in the CBC morning headlines round up that I get on my phone.

>136 richardderus: - I will be sure to report back.

>137 MickyFine: - Good to know my influence extends north of the border :)

>109 katiekrug: The Vitamix vs cat link was hilarious.

I see I'm in with the in crowd, I've been having tuna mayo & sweetcorn sandwiches this week. One more tomorrow. The I need to be inventive about what to have for lunch again. Inventiveness being in short supply around here and ingredients limited.

>119 katiekrug: Couldn't have put it better myself.

Kindle bargain: Deadly Little Lies by Stephanie DeCarolis: When is the right time to tell your husband your life is a lie?, the come-on asks...then we cut to a rainy night, a lightning strike, and a group of wet, guilty folk...then running down the subway stairs to catch the train.

For 99¢ I was powerless to resist.

The cats and Vitamix box story was priceless and I completely agree with >119 katiekrug:! Your thread brought me lots of smiles today, Katie!

>117 katiekrug: Agreed on both counts. Though I guess my dad was annoyed by some of the play calling in the Washington game (two failed quarterback sneaks in a row?) and was very glad to see Judge go. They haven't had a coach for more than two years in awhile now, and I wonder what the lack of consistency does for the team working well together too.

>118 richardderus: Bahaha, that's funny even for a nearly-non-drinker like me.

>126 katiekrug: I read Code Name Helene a couple years ago and really liked it. Hope you enjoy your new purchases!

Hope dinner was excellent!

>139 Helenliz: - Maybe I'll finally make tuna salad today.... Glad you enjoyed the cat story!

>140 richardderus: - Evil man.

>141 Familyhistorian: - Thanks, Meg!

>142 bell7: - Yeah, I heard about the odd play-calling, but Judge didn't call plays, did he? I thought Kitchens was. Either way, it's probably good that he's gone. Clean slate and all that. I'd like a new QB, too...

Good morning! It's a near-balmy 30F here. headed into the mid-40s. A good day for Nuala to go back to daycare for the first time since before Christmas. After I run her over there, I don't have much planned...

Last night's dinner from the charcuterie place was good but not great. The pork was very tasty, but everything else (it was just some pickled cabbage and rolls) was slightly disappointing. Not sure it was worth $42... But it was something different, and I didn't have to cook, so still a win.

To Do:
- Nuala to daycare
- Corral the paper recycling for pick-up tomorrow
- Dentist appt (regular cleaning)
- Pick-up Nuala

Menu:
- Breakfast: hard-boiled egg, diced peaches
- Lunch: tuna salad? maybe? finally?
- Dinner: Amber's Chicken with Lemon and Basil (I plan to make some green beans - gross, but TW likes 'em - and Moroccan couscous to go with)

Books:
- Read a decent chunk of Passion on Park Avenue and hope to finish it today.
- Need to get back to Mindful Drinking as I haven't read any in a few days.
- Should finish up my current audio, which reminds me, I don't think I typed up any comments on my last audio...

Viewing:
- Caught up with the current season of Project Runway
- One episode of The Witcher with TW (I'm still confused but it's not bad; and the bard finally showed up)

Morning, Katie! Good luck with the dentist.

Morning, Katie!

I'll second Mamie's good wishes for the dentist. And yes to the couscous! That'll go great with the chicken! *makes note to put couscous on the grocery list for next week*

>145 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie!

>146 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber! When you do the chicken in the IP, how long do you set it for? I was thinking 10 minutes should be plenty, since I've done chicken breasts from frozen in my enchilada soup in about 12 minutes...?

*drool* couscous lemon-basil chicken *drool*

Well, we all know it's plain, saltless, fatless, pleasure-free rice for Miss Piggy over here. I must say that I *do* feel better and *have* gained 3lb I needed to gain. So it works. But it is So. Deeply. Dreary.

Unlike the lovely sunshiney day you've got to go do stuff in!

>148 richardderus: - I am unclear on why you are having to only eat rice... Explain?

My dentist appointment just got moved earlier, so I should probably get my butt in gear...

Run! RUN!

I was overmedicated for thyroid issues for a while, lost too much weight, and to gain it back am pound-packing for a month. It's working!

>147 katiekrug: I always way over cook stuff in the IP, I think, but also? It always comes out fall-apart tender, so...? Anyway, I do 6 breasts (not frozen) for 30 minutes, but yeah, you could prolly do 10-12.

>150 richardderus: - But why only rice?!?!

>151 scaifea: - Thanks. Mine always shreds nice and easily. And I'm only doing 3 or 4 breasts, so I'll try 10 and they can always go back for more time if needed.

>152 katiekrug: More usable carbs...not like processed wheat, since even though it's a processed grain it's still the entire grain itself. Kasha was also offered; after gagging, I declined. It's the FATLESSNESS that hurts! But apparently, based on results, it's workin'.

>153 richardderus: - Well, I'm glad it's working...

The phrase "nutrient-dense enriched rice" will never, ever sound enticing to me, but I am very pleased with the results.

Quit procrastinating! Get ready!

'Morning, Katie! I bet Nuala will be happy to see her doggy friends again.

>119 katiekrug: :)

I need to read Jamie Attenberg. I have one of her books on my shelves...Maybe this year.

>155 richardderus: - *gag*

I am ready! I'm just waiting around now to go...

>156 karenmarie: - She was pretty excited as soon as I said "play time" to her before getting her into the car (always an adventure, because she can't/won't jump into the back seat, but will put her paws up on it so then I have to boost all 60+ pounds of her the rest of the way... I should get a set of those steps for her).

>157 BLBera: - I've loved the 3 Attenbergs I've read, Beth - The Middlesteins, Saint Mazie, and All Grown Up. I have three more on my shelf, plus this memoir now. I think you'll like her.

Gulping down the rest of my coffee, then brushing my teeth, and heading to the dentist. Later, skaters!

>55 katiekrug: Another winner Katie!! We had this for dinner last night with crusty rolls on the side and it was a hit with both of us :)

>160 RebaRelishesReading: - I'm so glad you liked it, Reba! I assume you added garlic?

Welp, the Saga of My Teeth continues. I need a root canal in another tooth. *sob* It's 3 teeth right in a row (bottom left) that are causing all these problems, and they all had work done on them ages ago when I was in Dallas with really shitty dental insurance so went to a cut-rate dental "chain". Ugh. So now everything that was done way back then is falling apart and needs to be fixed. The good news is, the dentist said all my other teeth were good :)

>162 katiekrug: Ah, capitalist medicine. The gift that keeps on giving.

I so sorry, you.

>163 richardderus: - Thanks. I'm feeling very sorry for myself :-P

>162 katiekrug: Oh no Katie, that's no fun. I'm sorry you have to go through this.

I Loved You First by Various Authors

This was a collection of 3 novellas about second-chance love. I enjoyed the first two most; the last one was less successful and then annoyed the ever-loving hell out of me.

3 stars

"Take Two" by Suzanne Enoch
A movie star relies on her former fiance/current assistant to bail her out of trouble and to always be there for her. But what happens when he eventually decides he wants all or nothing from her? Cute, unoffensive, perfectly fine.

"Pasties and Poor Decisions" by Molly Harper
This was my favorite of the three. A woman returns to her tiny hometown after her rich husband abandons her in favor of their pilates instructor. It's full of cliches, but Harper has a sense of humor, and I appreciated the flourishes of the ridiculous in this one.

"Last Chance Motel" by Karen Hawkins
This one was pretty meh for most of it. My biggest problem was that the male lead was a douche for most of it and I was rooting against him. And then there were ghosts? Okay. But at the end, the author includes my least favorite phrase in the English language ("Happy wife, happy life") and I screeched and almost threw my phone across the room.

>165 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura. a regular old root canal wouldn't bother me normally, but I think I was traumatized by the tooth extraction and now I'm freaking out. Also, I am tired of spending money on boring shit like teeth (though, to look on the bright side, our dental insurance is *excellent* - it's the principle of the thing!).

>126 katiekrug: Nice haul, Katie! I have not read a single one of those, lol.

Happy Thursday!

Aliens of Extraordinary Ability by Maeve Higgins and Shaina Feinberg

I really enjoyed this Audible Original about (fictional) immigrants in New York City. Some are seeking asylum, some are DREAM-ers, some are hoping to get work visas... It covers the gamut and tells these stories with empathy and humor. It's produced like a radio play, with a full cast rather than a narrator just reading a work, and sound effects; this really enhanced the experience, as each story has a unique voice and everything felt more immediate.

4 stars

>168 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia!

I'm not surprised you're feeling sorry for yourself. Nothing worse than having to pay someone to inflict pain.

>161 katiekrug: Actually I didn't even think about adding garlic. I intentionally didn't add herbs because we aren't generally that fond of them (more spice people, we), didn't add garlic and loved the soup just as it came. The sausage I had was fairly garlicky though.

>169 katiekrug: This sounds really good, Katie. I'll look for it.

Sorry about the dental woes, but hooray for good insurance.

>171 Helenliz: - Exactly!

>172 RebaRelishesReading: - Well, I'm glad it worked so well for you!

>173 BLBera: - I hope you like the audio, if you get to it, Beth.

And thanks for the sympathy.

I've never had to have much dental work, thankfully. And I'm not terribly averse to visiting the dentist. But the very idea of having anyone's face in my face right now gives me the heebie jeebies. You are brave beyond imagining, in my book, Katie.

Well, crap. I'm sorry that you have to have a root canal and I totally get the tooth pulling thing coloring your dread, but the good news is that, at least in my experience, root canals are WAY better and less traumatic than pullings. And if it's a redo, then that may be even easier! I hope you can line up an excellent treat as a reward after.

>175 laytonwoman3rd: - The face in my face doesn't bother me at all, Linda. The hygienist and dentist were both double-masked and had face shields, and every room has some sort of super-duper HEPA filter.

>176 scaifea: - Oh, for sure a root canal is way better! I keep telling myself that. It's not a re-do - the tooth had a crown for a reason I no longer remember, but not a root canal. So the crown will come off, the root canal will be done, and then I'll have a temporary crown until it's determined if I can get the implant or have to do a bridge for the tooth that was extracted (or rather, for the gap left by it). A re-do root canal is, apparently, harder than an initial one. I might have to have one done on the back tooth and that would necessitate the endodontist. My regular dentist does normal root canals. I have quite an oral health team...

Happy Friday, friends! We'll be off to the gym shortly. I'm making Fridays my hard-core (for me) cardio day, so we'll see how it goes.

We ended up going out last night. I got a salad (chicken caesar) and an appetizer (broccoli johnnycake with cheddar cheese sauce and fried onions - weird but tasty) and a nice Malbec, which I sipped mindfully :)

To Do:
- gym
- email electrician to get the ball rolling; the estimate was decent and the guy was great
- THAT'S IT!

Menu:
- Breakfast: yogurt or a hard-boiled egg and fruit
- Lunch: tuna salad with cucumber and red onion in a whole wheat pita
- Dinner: Amber's Chicken with Lemon and Basil

Books:
- I started Mr. Flood's Last Resort (alternative title: The Hoarder) on audio. I will pretty much listen to anything that's read in an Irish accent, I think.
- Since I have very little on my To Do list today, I am planning to finish both Passion on Park Avenue and Mindful Drinking. The latter isn't very long but it's taking me a while to read because I am taking notes.

Viewing:
- I randomly watched the pilot episode of '30 Rock' yesterday afternoon while sitting at my desk. Still so funny.
- After dinner, I watched a few episodes of 'Sex Lives of College Girls'

Woot for the chicken! I hope you both enjoy it.

I'm so enjoying our 30 Rock rewatch; Tomm and Charlie both insist that I *am* Liz Lemon. I'm...okay with that.

>179 scaifea: - Please invite me over the next time you buy out a hot dog vendor's inventory :)

Hi Katie!

>158 katiekrug: You’re getting additional weight training, getting Nuala into the car.

>162 katiekrug: Oh, oh, I’m so sorry that the Saga continues.

>167 katiekrug: Even with excellent dental insurance, the fact of having to go and get painful things done is awful. My Bill just had a new crown and needs another new crown this year, so he's not a happy camper, either.

>169 katiekrug: When I saw the title I thought it was SF…

>168 alcottacre: Yum to your dinner, a smile at sipping your Malbec mindfully. That reminds me that I’m going to plan on having a wee glass of Shirah with dinner tonight.

>178 katiekrug: *tasting broccoli johnnycake in my mind* That sounds a lot weirder than it actually is, but it *does* sound weird.

Happy Fri. I'm staring longingly at my roommate's junk food....

>181 karenmarie: - Morning, Karen! Yes, Nuala is an integral part of my exercise regimen *grin*

Thanks re: the dental saga and yes, you're right about even with insurance, it being Not Fun. My sympathy to Bill.

Ha! I also thought it was SF when I first saw it at Audible. I'm glad I looked more closely, because it was really good!

I hope you enjoy your wine tonight :)

>182 richardderus: - It was definitely interesting, that johnnycake. The cheese sauce was delicious. I couldn't finish the whole thing - it was the size of a dinner plate! So I ate the crispy edges...

Stay. Away. From. The. Junk. Food.

xx

The gym was good today. On the drive over, I decided to ask Julian about my plan to do one day of strength training and one day of cardio (we are only going twice a week now). I was thinking one day of strength stuff wasn't going to make a huge difference and since I can do cardio on my own, maybe I should make both days with him strength days? He said one day was better than nothing, but yes, if I can (and will!) do the cardio on my own, then it would be better to use my time in the gym on the stuff I need equipment for. So I did more weights and really liked some of the new exercises he gave me. And I am determined to be better about getting my cardio in on my own. I'm going to move the few exercise things I have (some light weights, a mat, etc) down to the empty basement where I'll have room to move.

ETA: Wow, what a boring post. Apologies!

>183 katiekrug: I ate blueberries.

*sigh*

>185 richardderus: - There, there. Blueberries are delicious, though not currently in season, so maybe a little less scrummy than usual.

>186 katiekrug: They were fine, fat, big huckleberry-sized ones from Skagway. They were not salty or fatty.

I want salty, fatty treats! *waaahhh*

>184 katiekrug: Not boring at all to me; although mine’s reactive instead of proactive, I’m doing cardio and strength training, too. Brava to you for doing it proactively.

>187 richardderus: - aAlty, fatty treats are my favorite, so I feel your pain!

>188 karenmarie: - I find the strength stuff boring. I prefer to move and get sweaty and out of breath, but I know the strength training is important. So I suck it up. *martyred sigh*

The Wayne is weird and only likes strength training. He is actually doing a power lifting program - he likes it, I think it looks like a snooze-fest.

>189 katiekrug: Men like visible, trackable results, not "I feel so much better" ones. Strength is testable!

Knowing your endless venerative adoration of The Fungus, I thought this BookRiot piece would amuse and entertain: https://bookriot.com/mushrooms-in-horror/

I've found strength training to be much more pleasant when a trainer is guiding me through it. I also think I work harder under those circumstances. I've felt less effective doing strength training on my own, but I can handle the cardio. As long as I'm motivated. Heh.

>190 richardderus: - SO I can't just say TW is a weirdo? Hmph.

*shudder* at the fungi...

>191 lauralkeet: - I'm trying to think of how to best motivate myself to actually workout at home. I may resort to buying myself gifts after every x number of home workouts...

The Millions Most Anticipated Books of the First Half of 2022

This list always added way too many books to my WL, so now I mostly just skim it for authors I like so I can make a note that they have a new book coming out.

>192 katiekrug: No, you can totally say TW is a weirdo.

>180 katiekrug: *snork!* Will do!

>194 drneutron: Traitor.

>193 katiekrug: From that list, I'll vouch personally for High-Risk Homosexual, Boys Come First (to which title my sister snorted, "usually") and Young Mungo (only halfway done with that one but it's as good as Shuggie Bain was!) on the gay side; Violets on the Korean side; and The Invisible Things on the SF side.

>194 drneutron: - Ha! Excellent.

>195 scaifea: - *grin* Nothing better than a dirty dog!

>196 richardderus: - There was not much on the list I was interested in, tbh, Richard. I appreciate your highlighting some.

Good (cold!) morning, friends! It's 11F here, rocketing up to a high of 24. We were going to go to the farmers market, but I don't really relish walking around while my face freezes off, so I think not. My goal is to rearrange my meal planning to focus on what good produce I can get at the market, since the supermarkets haven't been very reliable and a lot of what they do have is sad looking. I might head down to the green grocers later this morning to see if I can find inspiration there, otherwise I'll just make do with whatever I can find at Shoprite.

I made Amber's chicken with basil and lemon last night, and it turned out pretty well. My basil was not as fragrant as it could have been, so I didn't get a lot of that flavor, and I overcooked the chicken a bit in the IP, but it shredded nicely. I served it with Moroccan couscous and green beans. The Wayne declared it a winner.

To Do:
- clean up foyer
- clean up attic landing, with goal of getting a reading nook up there
- grocery shopping

Menu:
- Breakfast: it's National Bagel Day, which is basically a state holiday in New Jersey, so I'm hoping to talk TW into picking up a couple on his way home from an appointment he has this morning
- Lunch: unsure.
- Dinner: Frozen pizza and salad

Books:
- I finished the romance novel I was reading and have now started These Silent Woods. I can't remember where I heard about this one. I'm only a few pages in, but I think it'll be good.
- I am determined to finish Mindful Drinking today this weekend.
- I had very little audio time yesterday, so I might work on a jigsaw puzzle today to make some progress in Mr. Flood's Last Resort.

Viewing:
- An episode of 'Sex Lives of College Girls' while I waited for dinner to cook.
- TW and I watched Sing after dinner. Very cute.

Aw, I'm sorry the recipe wasn't 100% a winner. It makes sense that the basil is a big part of it working, though. If you try it again, I hope you get more basily basil.

The basil issue was entirely my fault. The only basil I could find at the supermarket had roots and dirt squares for replanting and was in a plastic sleeve. I just popped it in the fridge when I got home; when I took it out last night, I actually read the sleeve and it said very clearly not to refrigerate. Oops.

But it was still a winner! The Wayne would eat chicken every day if he could, and he was quite happy snarfing down a pile of shredded chicken :)

Oops indeed on refrigerating the basil! But lesson learned, so next iteration will come out peak.

Happy wanderings, wherever they may take you.

>201 richardderus: - Happy Saturday to you, sir. *smooch*

Hi Katie!

>198 katiekrug: Yay for starting to clear the attic landing for your reading nook.

>169 katiekrug: I really regret - sometimes - that i was born past the heyday or radio drama. Some of it is better than better and moving and evocative the ways sounds trigger a memory even more than s visual cue would.

I did some radio drama in college - really enjoyed it - and listen to Carleton Morse "I Love A Mystery" over and over.

Hats off to Audible for bringing this lovely art form back to life!

I've watched a couple of episodes of "Sex Lives of College Girls" -- remembering how much i liked "The Mindy Project" way back when. Some times I think the writing is better than the acting - some times I think the acting is better than the writing - but it hasn't caught fire with me yet. Aside from curiosity about the story line about Leighton, I might let this one drop.

>203 karenmarie: - Yes, it was a nice thought but didn't actually happen :-P

>204 magicians_nephew: - Jim, I totally agree about SLoCG. It's not great, though I do find a lot of the writing sharp and I really like the Bela character and think that actress is excellent. But it's entertaining in a soap opera-y kind of way and so good when I want something mindless. You might like the series The Wayne and I started (and finished!) last night. Details below.

So yesterday did not go as planned. I was in a bit of a mental funk, unable to start on anything or get anything productive accomplished, so I let The Wayne talk me into going with him to run some errands. We hit the always exciting Microcenter, Lowe's, and Ikea. I found a good new reading light for my bedside table at Ikea but then the line to check out was so stupidly long, we decided to just go. Another day...

It was nice to get out of the house, even though it was f-f-f-freezing. We then got an early dinner out, during which I confessed I didn't really enjoy The Witcher, and we agreed to find something else to watch together. Enter 'Vigil.' We'd seen a trailer for the limited series at some point while perusing the offerings on Peacock. It mixes British crime drama with military and geopoolitical thriller. It's only 6 hour-long episodes. And we watched every single one last night because we couldn't stop. Finally toddled off to bed at 2:00am. So, if you're looking for something good to watch....

To Do:
- grocery shopping
- tidy up foyer
- watch football

Menu:
- Brunch: hoping The Wayne will agree to go out
- Dinner: chili

Books:
- I got zero reading done yesterday

Viewing:
- Vigil (the entire series)

Endorsement of Vigil is duly noted.

Hoping you'll get that brunch out!

>206 katiekrug: My, my, you were in a funk. I hope you’re feeling more the thing today. Can the Ikea lamp be ordered online?

I’m going to make chili today, too, and we’re also going to watch football. We're not going out, though, because it's sleeting now and will transition to freezing rain in a while.

>207 richardderus: - Not looking good. TW is still asleep, and I need to get to the grocery store...

>208 karenmarie: - I am feeling better, thanks, Karen! I can order it online but their shipping fees are stupid. We have two Ikeas within 20 miles of us, so we'll just go another time - and maybe to the one that I don't think will get as busy.

Yay for chili and football! Ugh to the weather!

>209 katiekrug: Re the light---can you order it on-line for in-store pickup? I usually find that line is shorter than the regular checkouts (although I have no experience with Ikea specifically.)

>210 laytonwoman3rd: - I could, but then I'd lose the fun of wandering around and buying other stuff I don't need :)

No brunch, but I did whomp up some egg salad for the first time in AGES and was reminded how much I like it. Put it in a whole wheat pita pocket with some butter lettuce - delicious!

>211 katiekrug: Well, ok, then. If you want to have FUN with it.

MMmmmm....egg salad. Too late for lunch today, but soon.

How do you make yours, Linda? I just use a bit of mayo and some dijon mustard, plus black pepper.

>211 katiekrug: "I could, but then I'd lose the fun of wandering around and buying other stuff I don't need"

Hear! Hear!

>215 magicians_nephew: - :)

Oof - grey and rainy here. It was so hard to get out of bed this morning... We got a bit of snow yesterday evening, but the temperature kept going up so it just turned to rain. It's so icky and I have to go out to the gym and I don't wanna!

Yesterday was a super lazy day - lots of reading and watching football. The Wayne made chili, so we had that for dinner. I went into bed fairly early and read for a bit.

To Do:
- gym
- random chores
- tidy up foyer

Menu:
- Breakfast: yogurt
- Lunch: turkey sandwich and salad
- Dinner: reservation at a favorite restaurant to try the menu of the new restaurant they are opening this spring

Books/Reading:
- These Silent Woods is very good so far
- I didn't do any listening, nor did I pick up Mindful Drinking so that will be prioritized today
- I finished up another issue of The Atlantic, so I only have one issue left until I'm caught up!

Viewing:
- football, the highlight of which was seeing the Cowboys screw themselves over.
- 60 Minutes segment on who betrayed Anne Frank's family to the Nazis

>217 katiekrug: That dinner sounds most intriguing. I hope you're going to give us a full report!

Happy new-week's reads.

>217 katiekrug:60 Minutes segment on who betrayed Anne Frank's family to the Nazis

Wow talk about a cold case!

We record "60 Minutes" every week don't watch it as often as we probably should.

>218 richardderus: - Here is the menu:

>219 magicians_nephew: - I don't watch it much, which is weird since they do interesting stuff. I only tuned into this because I saw an ad for it during the football game that aired before it.

>220 katiekrug: Gorgeous...what the hell is "leche de tigre" given that mammary juice from a major felid is off the table? (One hopes.)

I hope it's as delicious as it could possibly be.

Morning, Katie!

You've reminded me that I love egg salad, too. I should make some soon. My parents actually have it on toast for breakfast, which sounds a little weird at first, but it *is* eggs and toast, and it's super convenient, since she makes up a batch that lasts a few days at a time.

Interesting restaurant menu, Katie. It would definitely be fun to "preview" the new restaurant. I'm looking forward to hearing about the experience.

>222 richardderus: - It's a spicy marinade for ceviche. H/t to Top Chef for that little piece of trivia :)

I will be sure to report back!

>223 scaifea: - I don't think egg salad on toast for breakfast is weird at all. I have been known to slice a hard-boiled egg and put it on a piece of buttered toast for breakfast.

>224 lauralkeet: - It's such an interesting menu, isn't it? The "mother" restaurant had an amazing ramen dish on their menu this summer and now have a more seasonal one on their current menu. I am torn about what to get - I'll probably think about it most of the day!

The gym was good. The Wayne had a doctor's appointment, so it was just me and Julian. He gave me a whole new strength routine, so now I have two full ones for the two days a week we see him. And then I'll do the cardio stuff on my own. No, really. I will. I swear!

TW has the day off for MLK Day, so I'm hoping to rope him into helping me move some stuff around on our main floor to make it slightly less chaotic. I know I've mentioned that we have a ton of "stuff" out of place from the flood. We don't want to put it back downstairs, because we need to have all the finishing work done there, so we'd just have to move it again. But I need to get things tidier up here before it drives me insane.

>214 katiekrug: Egg salad....I like a little old-fashioned yellow mustard in mine. Salt and pepper, mayo...not too sloppy. Sometimes a tiny bit of chopped green onion. Pretty basic. And I grate the eggs on the coarsest plane of my box grater.

>227 laytonwoman3rd: - Sounds like we both like to keep it simple. The box grater! I never thought of that. I use my egg cutter, slice one way, turn the egg 90 degrees and slice again.

Hi, Katie.

You’re way too far along with this thread for me to say Happy New one.😀

You hit me with a Tv bullet with “Vigil”. Although I do like the Witcher, that sounds good. I just finished the most excellent “Maid” with Andie Macdowell and her daughter.

>229 jnwelch: - Ha! No worries, Joe.

'Maid' is on my list of things to watch. I hope you like 'Vigil' - we thought it was really well done.

Hi Katie!

>209 katiekrug: Two Ikeas within 20 miles. You’re lucky. The only Ikea in NC is in Charlotte, 3 hours away. I went there once to get Jenna some bookcases. It’s just amazing. I checked their shipping fees on those bookcases but they were one and a half times the cost of the bookcases, so I understand.

>212 katiekrug: I bought some pita pockets the other day without any idea of what I’d put in them. Egg salad would be perfect!

>214 katiekrug: You’ll be disgusted at my egg salad recipe – chopped hard-boiled eggs and Miracle Whip.

>228 katiekrug: I do the same with my egg cutter.

>231 karenmarie: - I have been making all my sandwiches in a pita pocket lately - egg salad, tuna salad, turkey... TW likes rolls for his sandwiches, but they're more carbs than I want to eat.

Not disgusted - I'll just bring my own to the picnic :)

ETA: It's an embarrassment of riches here, as far as Ikea goes. There are 2 in New Jersey, both in our part of the state, and 3 in New York (Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island), all of which are within a reasonably easy drive.

I'm also pretty plain jane when it comes to egg salad: eggs, Hellman's, dash of salt and pepper.

I hope your shifting of stuff makes things more livable for you. Mr. Fine and I are debating at what point we want to do a furniture reshuffle now that his daughter has moved out a bunch of her stuff. I want to paint her room before we move things but Mr. Fine HATES painting so he wants to skip that step. I see painting that room solo in my future. *shrug*

I doubt my egg salad recipe will be popular but I'll share its anyway -- diced hard-boiled eggs (lightly salted), mayo, diced celery (I like some crunch) and a little sweet pickle relish. I seriously dislike mustard in any form so NONE of that thank you.

>233 MickyFine: - I'm with Mr. Fine on this one, Micky. I loathe painting! All our walls are a very boring off-white, and I am okay with that. I will (Eventually) jazz them up with art and photos. I would have already because God knows I have enough, but I have commitment issues related to hanging things...

>234 RebaRelishesReading: - Well, you can keep that nasty relish and I'll keep my DELICIOUS mustard *grin* This reminds me of when I was growing up and my mother would make tuna salad with canned tuna and mayo and then divide it into 4 separate bowls to doctor them all individually because we all liked it different.

>235 katiekrug: :)

Fork-squished eggs, mayo, pepper, curry powder, capers, diced onion. My all-time fave-rave eggy sal. Or, if grainy brown moutarde is about, that with dill relish plus mayo and pepper.

This is one time where the kind of pepper used can change the whole dish. Freshly ground black pepper doesn't go well with moutarde, but the commercial sneezing powder does; long pepper is *glorious* with curry; grains of paradise and mayo are scrummy all on their own as egg salad ingredimentes.

Ah, food.

I think I'll start a new thread since I've got some time...

>235 katiekrug: Off-white I could live with (and is in fact the colour I'd probably like to re-do our room in). This room is a pale pink, which isn't terrible but I also don't love it as a colour for a guest room/home gym. Plus there's some nail holes and nicks in the walls from the previous owners who I'm pretty sure used it as a teen bedroom and I'd like to patch/cover those.

Have you tried 3M strips for hanging things? Might help with your commitment issues if there's no holes going along with the hanging of things.

>237 richardderus: - Ooh, I am going to try curry powder next time. Curried chicken salad is my favorite...

>239 MickyFine: - Oh, god. Pink. Yes, paint, ASAP! (My bedroom as a kid was Laura Ashley rose pink and moss green.... Whaaaaat?)

I need to see if I can find Command hooks or strips (? what are these strips?) that would work. The hooks I use a lot would be too bulky....

New thread!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/338853#n7727664