David (tapestry100)'s 75(?) 2017 Thread the First

Hi kids!

Last year I almost broke that ever elusive 125 book goal (115 books!), so I'm hoping that I'll finally be able to make it in 2017! Given that I'll probably be having quite a bit of reading time on my hands here soon, I don't see why I shouldn't be able to make it this year. No challenges again this year - I'm just reading whatever strikes my fancy. I'm going to try working on my ever-growing TBR pile - I've got far too many great books sitting on my shelves right now, just longing to be read!

I'm sincerely hoping to participate more in the group this year. Last year was challenging, as there was so much up in the air with my health and what options were available to me and what steps my doc wanted to take next (I have a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which is resulting in a bone marrow transplant sometime this year - hence all the reading time!). Now that I'm getting some more solid answers from the doc, I'm feeling a little better about things.

So, as usual, happy reading to all and I'm looking forward to a year full or great books, friends, and discussion!

What I've read in 2017

January
1. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
2. Star Wars: Han Solo by Marjorie Liu, illustrated by Mark Brooks
3. I Hate Fairyland, Vol 2: Fluff My Life by Skottie Young
4. Naughty Mabel Sees It All by Nathan Lane & Devlin Elliott, illustrated by Dan Krall
5. Star Wars: Galactic Maps: An Illustrated Atlas of the Star Wars Universe by Emil Fortune, illustrated by Tim McDonagh
6. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
7. Invincible, Vol 1: Family Matters by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker
8. Angel Catbird by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Johnnie Christmas
9. Dark Knight III: Master Race, Book 7 by Frank Miller & Brian Azzarello, illustrated by Andy Kubert
10. Smurfs, Vol 1: The Purple Smurfs by Peyo
11. Renato Jones: The One%, Season One by Kaare Kyle Andrews

February
12. Invincible, Vol 2: Eight is Enough by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker
13. Modern Masters, Vol 1: Alan Davis by Eric Nolen-Weathington
14. Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Shane Oakley
15. The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
16. Smurfs, Vol 2: The Smurfs and the Magic Flute by Peyo
17. Civil War II by Brian Michael Bendis, illustrated by David Marquez, Olivier Coipel, & Jim Cheung
18. Hounded by Kevin Hearne, narrated by Luke Daniels
19. Doctor Who: Choose the Future: Night of the Kraken by Jonathan Green

March
20. Fish Girl by David Wiesner & Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by David Wiesner
21. Empress, Book One by Mark Millar, illustrated by Stuart Immonen

April
22. Death of X by Charles Soule & Jeff Lemire, illustrated by Aaron Kuder
23. The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano
24. Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness by Howard Mackie, illustrated by John Romita, Jr & Ron Garney
25. Dark Knight III: The Master Race, Book 8 by Frank Miller & Brian Azzarello, illustrated by Andy Kubert
26. May Sarton to Valerie Knapp: Letters and Poems to a Secret Muse by May Sarton, edited by Mary Chenoweth Stratton
27. Invincible, Vol 3: Perfect Strangers by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker & Bill Crabtree
28. Invincible, Vol 4: Head of the Class by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Ryan Ottley & Bill Crabtree
29. Dr. First/Dr. Fourth/Dr. Eleventh/Dr. Twelfth by Adam Hargreaves
30. Invincible, Vol 5: The Facts of Life by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Ryan Ottley & Bill Crabtree

May
31. Spawn Origins Collection, Vol 1 by Todd McFarlane
32. Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Divya Srinivasan
33. everyone's a aliebn when ur a alienb too by jomny sun

Hi David, happy reading in 2017.

It would be great to see you more active in the coming year David as your posts are always interesting.

Welcome back!

We'd love to see more of you around this year but it's just good to know things are OK with you! Here's to a better 2017.

Hello, David! I spotted you in the introductions thread threatening (promising?) to talk about Doctor Who and other geeky delights, so I'm dropping off a star :-)

Hi David! I saw you in the introductions thread as well, and was immediately drawn to "SciFi/Fantasy". I've starred you!

Hello! I'm trying to visit more threads this year; we'll see how that goes...

Hi David! Don't know if I've been on your threads before but it turns out that we like a lot of the same books. :) I'm looking forward to seeing what you read this year.

I am part of the group.
I love being part of the group.
I love the friendships bestowed upon my by dint of my membership of this wonderful fellowship.
I love that race and creed and gender and age and sexuality and nationality make absolutely no difference to our being a valued member of the group.

Thank you for also being part of the group.

Happy New Year! (dropping a star)

Happy New Year David! Have a *

David! So happy to see you back (although I dread the BBs I know I pick up around here). Happy new year!

Good to see you, David! Wishing all the best for you this year, including, of course, happy reading!

Happy New Year to you, David!

First book of the year!



The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
5 stars

This is Carrie Fisher's memoir of her time during the filming of Star Wars Episode IV, including entries from the diaries she kept during that time that she recently discovered. I think this was the first time that Fisher really talked about her relationship with Leia, and what Leia has offered to her over the years. She also talks about her fans, and how much they mean to her and everything about the ending of the book was so much more heartbreaking given the circumstances. I was genuinely surprised by how touching her closing chapters were, in regards to her relationship with Leia and the Star Wars community as a whole.

It was a little surreal reading this so soon after both her death and her mother's, as she talks frequently about her mother in the book, as well as mentioning a couple of times, in an offhand manner, how she would like to be remembered for certain events. Perhaps it was too soon for me after her death. Not that I was ever necessarily a huge Carrie Fisher fan, but I've certainly been a Star Wars fan my whole life (I saw the original Star Wars when it was released - I was 3), so while there was never necessarily a Carrie Fisher in a my life, there has always been a Princess Leia, and it seemed to hit home a little for me. It also made me unreasonably angry that Carrie Fisher died; in a year of so many celebrity deaths, it seemed like just another death to some, but it made me angry because she overcame so much, and still had so much to do and offer to the world. So, yeah - maybe I should have put a little time in between her death and reading this book, knowing it was her last, but it seemed like the thing to do at the time. It is typically funny in that Carrie Fisher way, but equally sad given the circumstances. I fairly certain, however, that again, in that typically funny Carrie Fisher way, she would have found some way to turn her death into an appropriate epilogue to this book.

Hi, David. Just stopping by to drop a star.

I'm a fellow Whovian - been watching since the mid-1980s, when Doctor Who was on my local PBS station every Saturday night at 11 PM!

>18 tapestry100: That one is going to be my second book of the year (it's ready and waiting for me in the OverDrive app). Glad you find it a good read, even with the dash of sadness that came with it.

Hello to Anita, Paul, Jim, Leah, Katherine, Kriti, Foggi, Melissa, Rachel, Roni, Bryony, Micky, Amber, Anne, and Robin! (Hope I didn't miss anyone!) Thanks for stopping by, happy new year to one and all, and happy reading!

>19 rretzler: Whovians are always welcome around these parts! Who is your favorite Doctor? Classic Who, Four definitely, and New Who, Ten followed closely by Twelve.

>20 MickyFine: The more I thought about it after reading the book, the more impact it had on me. It's surprisingly powerful at the end, and that may only have to do with the timing of her death, but it still took me by surprise at how touching her writing can be. I've read Wishful Drinking before, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to try one of her novels this year.

#2



Star Wars: Han Solo by Marjorie Liu, illustrated by Mark Brooks
4 Stars

I believe this volume takes place shortly after Episode IV: A New Hope.

After deciding to take a break from the Rebellion and go back to being a smuggler, Han Solo is abruptly pulled back into the Rebellion by Leia with a proposal he finds hard to turn down: a chance to race the Dragon Void run, a prestigious racing competition. Of course, Leia has ulterior motives for needing Han, but all he sees is a chance at the prestige of winning this race. The race itself made me feel a little like this was a galactic version of the Hunger Games, as the race's organizers set up specific obstacles for the racers to avoid (not that this is a race to the death, but I just got the impression of that idea). There was also a little more science fiction than I'm used to with Star Wars, with the inclusion of wormholes and other dimensions, but it worked really well here. Marjorie Liu really had a grasp of the characters and handled them quite well; I had no problem hearing Han's and Leia's voices in my head. Mark Brooks' art is fantastic here and I'm hoping that Marvel utilizes him more frequently on the Star Wars titles. Overall, this is a solid addition to the Marvel portion of the Star Wars universe.

Chiming in as another big fan of Doctor #10...

>21 tapestry100: >23 scaifea: Adding my voice, as a big fan of Seven and Nine (to be contrary).

Not to be confused with Seven OF Nine, although I do rather love her, too :-)

I was thinking of reading a Carrie Fisher book for my Pop Sugar Challenge. I still might. Glad you liked it.

>21 tapestry100: It's said that you have a soft spot for your first Doctor and mine was five, but four is probably my most favorite. It's very difficult for me to pick my favorite out of the New Who - I like all of them for different reasons. I do like ten and twelve, but also nine and eleven, too! I guess it's difficult for me to pick because there are things I dislike about each of the New Who as well (except for maybe twelve). Mostly, I think it's because in New Who they were more emotionally connected with their companions, which I find I don't like. So maybe twelve is my favorite because he keeps his emotional distance. That's probably why I like Donna best as a companion!

Who is your favorite companion? New Who I would have to say mine is Donna, followed by Amy and Rory. Classic Who - I'm partial to Romana II, followed by Nyssa and Sarah Jane.

Have you read much of the Star Wars extended universe? I have only read a few, but know some of the stories and relationships as both of my sons, but especially my younger son was very into Star Wars when he was a few years younger. He wanted to know all of the relationships, so we were always on Wookiepedia looking things up. I wondered if you had read much of the extended universe, how you feel about The Force Awakens? I was disappointed that Disney didn't follow George Lucas' ideas and what had been accepted canon up to that point.

Are you a Marvel fan too?

>24 archerygirl: Ah, Seven of Nine! I was thinking of her just the other day! I was never a big fan of Classic Who Seven, but that maybe more because I didn't like Ace very much for some reason.

The only Doctor that I did NOT really like was Six - partially because I dislike that much arrogance, and partially because he replaced Five

>27 rretzler: Heh, I love Ace! She's my favourite classic companion. We clearly have different tastes, although Donna is hands down my favourite modern companion :-) I...tolerate Six, but he's my least favourite. Mostly because of his arrogance. I have a soft spot for Five because he was my first, but I think the combination of Seven and Ace came along at just the right time for me and I fell hard for them. If we'd had an Eight in 1989, odds are I would have resented him so hard because he wasn't Seven.

Although if the fate Cartmel says he'd planned for Ace had come to fruition, I might not have minded so much. Knowing my favourite companion had gone off to be a Time Lord and the Doctor needed to move onto another incarnation might have softened the blow a lot.

Chiming in as another fan of 10. Besides the obvious reason of David Tennant's face, he was also such a lovely book nerd:



I tried watching some episodes of Classic Who during the 50th anniversary and they were airing them all the time and *whispers* I got really bored. *ducks behind the sofa*

This looks like a fun thread to follow. I can never get enough Star Wars and The Doctor is right in my wheelhouse. I have scant remembrance of The 4th Doctor when I was a kid. I didn't get it and I didn't see much of it, but he was a wily character. As for new Who, I was first introduced in the remarkable 'A Christmas Carol' Christmas special. I later learned this was after the conclusion of 11's first series. I immediately went back to 9, whom I loved, and straight through to middle of series 9. 12 is not my favorite, but he's still the doctor.

>22 tapestry100: Nice review. I've already got this holding on the library list.

Love the topper pic.

My SIL has been fighting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma for 10+ years. She's amazing. She's also had a transplant but she had the stem cell rather than the bone marrow as they couldn't find a match. I think most of her success is that she simply *refuses* to give up. Don't get me wrong, it's not that she doesn't have bad moments or days when she does want to give up, but rather those times don't last long and she lifts her head up and charges down the road again, determined to get better. I wish that resilience, strength and healing for you.

#21 doctor order: 2, 11, 10, 5, 4, 9, 12, 7, 1, war, 8, 6 & 3.

>32 BBGirl55: Bryony - Interesting order! I have seen so few episodes of Two, mostly because they no longer exist, but I did enjoy them. I'm with you there on Eight - I was so starved for the Doctor when the movie came out and disappointed after I saw it. I must admit, though, that I did like the way they tied Eight into the War Doctor in the specials. I think that many of the episodes that Three was in were pretty interesting even though he as a Doctor is not my favorite.

>28 archerygirl: We may not be that different after all - I think I was somewhat cranky about Seven and Ace because Six and Peri and then Six and Mel just frustrated the heck out of me. Plus, I think by the time I started watching Seven, I could see the handwriting on the wall. Perhaps it was really John Nathan-Turner that turned me off!

>29 MickyFine: My kids are not fans of Classic Who either, and it took me years to get them to watch New Who, but they are now hooked! There is certainly a lot more "action" in New Who than Classic. Perhaps you just didn't get to see the right episodes!

>33 rretzler: I think I'd been so annoyed with Mel that Seven and Ace were a relief for me! I was also ten, and a companion who made her own explosives really appealed. At that age, I wasn't really aware that Doctor Who was wobbling. I just knew that it was sometimes hard to find and a bit irregular, and it would suddenly appear on-screen with no warning. It frustrates me that the last classic story is one that gave me such terrible nightmares I still can't watch it. JNT's style was definitely one that people either love or hate.

>29 MickyFine: New Who is definitely a different style from the classic stuff. More action, more big character and emotional arcs. It can be a hard adjustment to watch classic Who after being so used to the new series. Maybe we just need to find you the right episodes to try :-)

>26 rretzler: Technically, my first Doctor was 4, as I remember watching episodes on PBS when I was a kid, but I had no idea what was going on and felt that I'd entered the story too late, so didn't stick with it. Jump ahead, and my friends are telling me that I need to watch the New Who, and by the time I got around to it, 10 was already well into his third season so I was able to binge watch right thru. I did not feel that enamored with the show at first, but by about 3 episodes in I was fairly hooked, and when David Tennant finally arrived, I was smitten. I think I watched the entire four seasons in about 2 weeks, and it was right before Matt Smith showed up and that was such a jarring change that I almost gave up again but I stuck with and I'm glad that I did.

I haven't read much of the EU, but I've been keeping up with the new canon books and have been thoroughly enjoying those. In fact, Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray was probably my favorite book from last year.

And I'm a Marvel fan, altho I haven't been as impressed with the comics since the MCU became the focus. Basically, I'm a huge X-Men fan, but only of the comics (I loathe the movies), so it irritates me that they've been kind of pushed aside right now.

>27 rretzler: I'm not a fan of 6 either for the exact same reason

>28 archerygirl: Donna is my favorite companion as well!

>29 MickyFine: Allons-y! Another 10 fan!! (And nothing to hide about not like the Classic Who episodes - they are a little slow and corny)

>30 brodiew2: I'll be interested to see what you think of the volume

>31 Morphidae: Thank you, Morphy. This has been going on for 3 years now, and I just take each day at a time. Stories like your SIL's help inspire me to not give up either.

>32 BBGirl55: That is an interesting order - I think mine would be 10, 12, 4, 5, war, 11, 9, and then 1-3 and 6-8 in any random order

I've seen more episodes with 1, 2, 3, and 4 than I have of 5, 6, 7, so I'm actually not as familiar with the middle Doctors' companions as I should be. I've been watching Classic Who and trying to keep it in order (I get the DVDs off Netflix when they're available), so I'm hoping to get caught up on as much of the Classic Who as I can this year.

I'm tickled that I've found so many new fellow Whovians/Star Wars fans/Marvel fans so early in the year!

#3



I Hate Fairyland, Vol 2: Fluff My Life by Skottie Young
3 Stars

Picking up directly where the first volume leaves off, this volume of I Hate Fairyland, with Gert now Queen of Fairyland, and that goes about as well as you'd expect. She is eventually ousted from the throne and continues her search for a way home, dragging the unfortunate Larry along the way.

While Scottie Young's writing is still funny and his art is as madcap as ever (and Jean-Francois Beaulieu's eye-popping colors are eye-popping!), this volume was far more episodic than the previous story arc, with each issue more or less playing out the same scenario each time: Gert finds a "new" way home each issue, which of course turns out not to be a way home and then she fights her way out of the situation in the usual bloodbath, end of issue. The final issue of the collection does offer an interesting post-apocalyptic view of Fairyland, but it's actually not made clear whether the series is continuing after this volume (which there will be after a short break until the monthly series picks back up again in March), so the casual reader may be confused about whether this is actually the close of the series.

I'll be picking up the next collection of the series for sure, regardless of the slight disappointment that came with this issue, because I Hate Fairyland is still one of the most original comics that I've read in a long time.

>35 tapestry100: Another thing she did that I'm not sure everyone would want to do is go vegetarian and even raw at times - a lot of smoothies and salads. And everything is strictly organic. She is very strict about was goes into her body now. I don't know if I could have done it but she swears that it helped her get healthy.

#35 David there are alot of us here that love all thing genra related and my thread tends to go all our geek at time. # 36 oh I have that to pick up from the comic shop!

I have to admit that I've never watched classic Who, but I do enjoy the new stuff -- though I've missed chunks of it and am not current with it. I keep intending to get caught up, but I find I can't binge-watch it or I get burnt out. To be contrary, my favorite Doctor is 11 -- mostly because I saw his episodes first.

I grew up on ST:TNG (and Voyager and DS9), so a new Trek is appealing to me. I'll have to track it down. Lately I haven't been watching much TV at all, and you'd think my reading numbers would go up to reflect that, but no. What have I been doing? Wasting a lot of time playing stupid games on my phone, as far as I can tell.

Stopping through, David, to drop my star. Lovely review of the Carrie Fisher memoir at >18 tapestry100:. I've seen her interviewed on Graham Norton and a few other places. Always witty, and candid, and never boring. I, too, was saddened by her loss. I've heard good things about this memoir, so will likely have to give it a look.

Wishing you all good things for 2017!

That was a lovely review of The Princess Diarist. I think I'll read it at some point, but now is not the time for me.

My daughter Marina is a big Dr. Who fan, and I confess I've never seen any of it. My older daughter watched for a time, couldn't get over the loss of a character and gave it up in protest, and may be watching again, but Marina is steadfast!

*waves* Hiya! I saw in the Intro thread that you like sci-fi. I'm low-key planning to revamp my sci-fi reading (my sci-fi-ery has been mostly TV/movies of late), so I'm dropping my star.

*raises hand* Another big fan of Ten here.

>37 Morphidae: I don't think I could go vegetarian, but I have been making a conscious effort to watch what I eat, and I can usually tell a difference in how I feel if I start eating things that aren't necessarily "good" for me.

>38 BBGirl55: Geeks unite!

>39 foggidawn: I know EXACTLY what you mean - so much time spent playing games on the phone!! I am trying very hard to limit my time on my phone in the evenings to try to free up more time.

>40 michigantrumpet: Thanks for stopping by, Marianne!

>41 AMQS: I can commiserate with your daughter. Losing characters on Doctor Who is usually particularly hard for me, too. I grow very emotionally attached to certain characters, and when they leave the show, it makes it really hard when someone steps in to take their place.

>42 lycomayflower: Hi, Laura! Welcome to the thread!! Hopefully I'll be able to give you some good suggestions for reading this year! And Ten - **swoon** =D

#4



Naughty Mabel Sees It All by Nathan Lane & Devlin Elliott, illustrated by Dan Krall
4 Stars

Naughty Mabel makes her return with this second volume, which I found a huge improvement over her first story (Nathan Lane is such a comedy genius, and for him to resort to fart humor, regardless of how funny kids will find it, left me disappointed). This time out, Mabel is seeing things, which makes her inherent naughtiness even worse, and until her parents can figure out why she's seeing things, Mabel continues to wreak havoc. Dan Krall's illustrations are perfect once again, and I'm actually now hoping that we'll be seeing more of Mabel in the future.

#5



Star Wars: Galactic Maps: An Illustrated Atlas of the Star Wars Universe by Emil Fortune, illustrated by Tim McDonagh
4 Stars

If you are a fan of Star Wars, especially of the new interconnected canon, this book is for you. Including a timeline, a who's who of important figures in the Star Wars universe, information on the more important planets in the Star Wars galaxies, and then more detailed maps of the areas of importance on each of these planets, this books has a little bit of everything to help you map out the where/when/who of the new canon. Very informative and artistically detailed, this is an excellent addition to any Star Wars fan's library. I'm hoping that as future movies, books, and cartoons are released, they will release updated editions of this book to include the new locales. A Star Wars geek's dream!

>43 tapestry100: Yeah, it's a lifestyle choice I don't think I could make either. I could certainly make adjustments - but go full vegan (is that what they call it now?), not me.

I usually watch what I eat. In fact, for lunch today I had a steak and cheese sandwich with Italian sausage chopped up and grilled therein. I watched it until it was gone. I'm feeling *burp* fine! :)

>47 drneutron: HA! That sounds like the best way to watch what you're eating.

Who left me unattended in a bookstore? Just bought:

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls by Matt Ruff
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Only Ghosts was full price, the other two were remainders, but still. This is not working well for trying to reduce the number of unread books on my shelves!

I loved reading From the Mixed-Up Files as a child and the suck fairy didn't even touch it as an adult. You'll probably love it!

I'm with Morphy - The Konigsburg is wonderful!

>50 Morphidae: >51 scaifea: I'm looking forward to reading it!

What a week! It started with a call from my mom at 11:30 last Sunday night, on her way to the hospital. She's had complications from diabetes, and she developed an infection in the bones of her big toe on her right foot which ended up needing to be amputated, which happened Tuesday afternoon. She got to leave the hospital last night, with almost no restrictions, so that was a relief.

Today, I met with my oncologist in Detroit, and he wants to move forward with the bone marrow transplant, which will probably happen in March. It's been such a rollercoaster of emotions this week, all I want to do right now is crawl into bed and sleep the weekend away.

Oh, and my washer died this morning too, so I'll probably be out shopping for a new one this weekend between naps.

>52 tapestry100: Wow, you've really been pounded this week. Praying for you and your family.

>52 tapestry100: Ugh, that's a *week*. Praying for you and your family and hoping you get a quieter weekend with plenty of time for naps, washing machine shopping, and books.

>52 tapestry100: Wow, that's not a week, that's an entire month! Whew. I'm sorry to hear you need to go forward with the transplant. Do you have a donor or do they need to look for one?

Sending virtual hugs and prayers your direction, David.

Thinking of you, David.

Oh David, I am thinking of you. You have a lot on your plate. I hope you can get the rest you need (washing can wait), and that your mom is feeling better. Take care.

>52 tapestry100: That is a lot on your plate, David, sending good thoughts.

I've felt like a punching bag since October so I totally commiserate. Wednesday night we were pretty sure my grandfather was dying AND that my SIL was in labor and I had a little emotional explosion. I can deal with hard situations, but when they come one on top of the other it's hard to stay above water. Then, neither thing happened and I had to figure out how to spiral down from those emotions in a way that wouldn't set traps for me if they happened in the next few days.

I counted it as exercise. ;)

Hello David - Messages here are from New Person/Outlander/Stranger -

(yet, not without connections > my daughter was born at a Lansing Hospital in 1975,
her father and I, musician and potter, lived in Bath and Laingsburg until moving to Wisconsin;
at your - then - tiny East Lansing Library, I decided to read A-Z and discovered
THINGS FALL APART; much time spent at Meijer's Thrifty Acres...)

First, Congratulations on your Brave Decision to go ahead with Bone Marrow Transplant!

Second, here are the things I changed 30 years ago to survive after cancer diagnosis:

1. moved to All Organic Vegetarian to reduce effects of pesticides, herbicides, hormones, etc.

2. stayed open to my Florida Aunt's promise of the healing from her Prayer Circle
(good old Science is finally catching up with proving that this can work 'miracles')

3. ordered and thoroughly read GETTING WELL AGAIN by O. Carl Simonton and did (still do) and asked
friends to also do the powerful visualizations - his book was one of the early visualization
and healing ones, so it is a little dated (some thought the attacking cells too strong an image)

4. totally stopped alcohol except for a Dom P. Champagne on New Year's Eve and Birthday

5. cut back sugar after reading one of the super-scare books linking cancer and sugar

6. Took three LONG walks every day with my beloved dogs around the neighbor's corn fields -
now called The Healing Fields

Recently (and the newest session starts online today) reinforced daily meditation and distance
healing by listening to WINTER FEAST FOR THE SOUL which offers incredible meditations
from a variety of religions (or not) and presenters

Si, se puedes,

Marianne Jackson

David, thinking of you. That's enough bad stuff for a lifetime, never mind just within a few days. Hope things are looking up from here.

And maybe it should be a bit of a wake-up call for me. I was recently diagnosed with diabetes - I had gestational diabetes when pregnant with both of my sons. I was very disciplined then but recently have not been as disciplined as I need to be. My grandmother was also diabetic, and she had a leg amputation when she was in her 80's.

I have to agree with the rest From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler was great. It was one of my favorite books as a child. I've also been told that her book, The View from Saturday is also very good, but I haven't read it yet.

Have you read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle? If you have not, I would highly recommend it as well - another of my favorite books as a child. It maybe didn't hold up quite as much for me as an adult, but that is due more to the religious theme of the book. It's not overly religious, but I noticed it more as an adult than as a child. Still a great book, though.

Also, Raina Telgemeier is fantastic. My younger son and I have just discovered her books. If you haven't read Smile, I would recommend it too.

Have you read any of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels? We were looking for graphic novels for my younger son, and I had always intended to read Scott Pilgrim, so I picked one up. It wasn't bad - not the thing for an 11 yo boy, but I enjoyed it. I still have yet to see Edgar Wright's movie, though.

>53 drneutron:, >54 archerygirl:, >56 MickyFine:, >57 scaifea:, >58 AMQS:, >59 FAMeulstee: Thank you, everyone!

>55 Morphidae: They will be using my own marrow/stem cells for the transplant. I have been on chemo since April, and it's knocked the disease down enough that they will be able to extract stem cells from my blood and then I will go in for high dose chemo for a week which will kill off everything in my body and then they will reintroduce the stem cells back to my body and they will move back into my marrow and start producing healthy cells again. It's not a cure, but it will basically get me to a point that the disease will be manageable and by the time that I need more treatment, they will hopefully have better options.

>60 leahbird: Leah, I can appreciate that. By the end of my appt on Friday at the clinic, I'm pretty sure I had ALL THE EMOTIONS, and I seriously napped all weekend long. Hope everything has been going well for you and your family.

>61 m.belljackson: Thanks for the suggestions

>62 rretzler: It's something to be aware of! I have been pushed into pre-diabetes as a result of all the medication that I've been on, so I'm having to keep track of my sugar now too. Not fun, but necessary. I'm looking forward to The Mixed Up Files since it has come so highly recommended! I have read A Wrinkle in Time, and it is one of my favorites. I'm going to check the library for more of Telgemeier's books, and I've read the first 2 Scott Pilgrim volumes and loved them!

I ordered a couple more books this weekend, but only because I'm going to see the authors this weekend and can get them signed:

Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger
Locke & Key, Vol 6: Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodrguez
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

And I picked up Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire because I LOVED Every Heart a Doorway and have decided I needed to read more by her.

>63 tapestry100: Tough. Okay, do you have people who can visit you in isolation? If you like, I can write to you while you are in the hospital.

#6



Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
3 Stars

A cute and somewhat touching story about the bonds between sisters, told with the backdrop of Dia de los Muertos. Catrina and her family has moved to the northern coast of California so that her sister Maya, who has cystic fibrosis, has a better time breathing with the cool salty air off the ocean. Catrina does not like having to have moved away from her friends, but has done so begrudgingly for her sister. When she and Maya discover that there are ghosts in their new town, they are taught about some of the history of Dia de los Muertos and also learn a little about respecting those that have passed. I sometimes think that the explanations around Dia de los Muertos seemed maybe a little too simplistic, but that may just be me. If nothing else, it has made me want to learn a little more about the history and traditions surrounding the day.

>64 Morphidae: From what I understand, I'll be able to have people visiting whenever, just so long as they're not sick. I think I'm going to limit the number of people that can visit the first week during chemo, only because it doesn't sound like that's going to be a very comfortable week no matter what (they are telling me that I can expect "classic" chemo symptoms that week, and I just don't really want people to see me so sick). Other than that, I should be good.

Either way, I'd love to hear from you - thank you! I'll PM you my address.

I also thought I'd update everyone on Sarah (beserene). During the late summer, she had to have surgery to remove a mass from her uterus, which was benign but still had to go. (She had nicknamed it George, and we were all joking about how George was being evicted.) She taught in Ireland early in the summer and was in Virginia working on her MFA program during the middle of summer, so her summer was quite busy. She's recovered very well from the surgery, but her teaching schedule and her personal school schedule has kept her pretty busy and she's been limiting her online time, but she and I still get together every week and I've been keeping her up to date about the goings on around here with everyone on LT.

>67 tapestry100: Thanks for the update! Let her know we miss her, please.

Stopping through to add my huzzahs to The Mixed-Up Files. I read and reread that book as a youngster and dreamt of similar escapades of my own. My very first visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art was especially magical as a result.

So glad that your treatment plans are firming up. Sometimes the 'not knowing' is difficult in and of itself. My husband's family has been treating at Troy Beaumont for years and my brother at University Hospital in A2. Some excellent facilities in your neck of the woods. You are surely in good hands.

>67 tapestry100: Thank you for the update on Sarah! Let her know we miss her!

>68 drneutron: >70 leahbird: I'll be sure to let her know!

>69 michigantrumpet: I'm over at Karmanos in Detroit and I really feel like I've got excellent doctors all around me there, so that helps a lot.

And an update! Got a call from the hospital and this coming Tuesday I have the initial testing (heart, lung, kidneys) to make sure that I'm healthy enough for the procedure. Then we start moving on to the big stuff. Time to start stockpiling even more books!!

Karamos is associated with Wayne State, right? Very good hospital particularly for Cancer. When I was coming up, I think it was known as Detroit Medical Center and some people I know trained there. That's a good call to get. Sending healing thoughts your way.

>71 tapestry100: Oof! Tests and more tests, but that seems like good progress to be getting it underway. I suppose everyone's experience differs, though! My cousin with CF who had a double lung transplant a few years ago, followed by cancer caused by the transplant, was for a while perpetually feeling like she was in the midst of stepping forward without ever placing that foot down...kind of just hovering until the next call. Then you get to put your foot down (ie. go through test or procedure), and then it's time to take another step...but then you're hovering again, waiting for the green light of progress (ie. next call for the test or procedure). Fingers crossed and I'll be thinking of you next Tuesday for sure!

>72 michigantrumpet: Karmanos is attached to Detroit Medical Center. DMC is actually where I'll be for the actual transplant. I've heard nothing but good things about Karmanos/Wayne State/DMC, and I'm glad to hear more positive things about them.

>73 dk_phoenix: YES! That is -exactly- how I feel. I know we're moving forward with everything, but it's just sooooo slowwwwwwwly.

And somebody needs to stop me. It's the 19th of the month, and I've already bought 14 books this year. I just got The Children's Home. I'll never get around to reading anything on my shelves now if I keep buying new. It's a beautiful problem to have =D

#7



Invincible, Vol 1: Family Matters by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker
4 Stars

This was a reread for me, but it had been awhile since I'd read this and the mood struck me. I enjoyed this just as much this time as I had the first time around. I've tried Kirkman's other works, The Walking Dead, Outcast, and Haunt and they all fell flat for me, and to be honest, I'd forgotten that Kirkman had written this too, so I guess it's just his horror titles that I don't like. I thoroughly enjoy the family dynamic in Invincible, with Markus Grayson and his mom, Deborah, fully embracing knowing his dad, Nolan, is the superhero Omni-Man. When Markus' powers manifest, he decides to join his dad in crime fighting as Invincible. I think I like Deborah most of all, as her matter of fact acceptance of the danger her husband and son face on a daily basis hides the concern she actual feels for her family.

This is a quick introduction to the core and supporting cast, and the actual superhero aspect of the story is really just the backdrop to Markus' family and him discovering his powers and how he is learning to balance them with high school. I really liked the minimal line art and color palette used; it's marks a stark contrast from other superhero books and their hyper detail and layered color effects, which I think is the point. This book is a superhero book, but it's different from the rest. I'll definitely be continuing with this series.

>74 tapestry100: "...And somebody needs to stop me. It's the 19th of the month, and I've already bought 14 books this year. I just got The Children's Home. I'll never get around to reading anything on my shelves now if I keep buying new. It's a beautiful problem to have =D"

'Tis a conundrum indeed. Just put them onto the shelves and soon they'll count as ones you've gotten off the shelf!

I've been there, my friend. Happy Weekend!

>74 tapestry100: Wish we could post video pics. Think you'll appreciate this...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sJqTDaOrTg

>76 michigantrumpet: I'm going to try to keep track of them as I get them and not buy any more until I read at least 1/2 of what I've gotten so far.

>77 Morphidae: HA! I love it! It's so silly, but that is one of my favorite movies for when I need to watch something goofy.

And I got almost -no- reading done this weekend. I'm just so tired these days that I sleep most of the weekends thru. I have my day of testing at the hospital tomorrow, so I'll be taking a couple books with me.

Keeping my fingers crossed that all your testing goes well. I've been keeping up with your posting, just not having much to say myself. I was glad to hear the update on Sarah.

#8



Angel Catbird by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Johnnie Christmas
2 Stars

This is an unfortunate disappoint for me. I haven't read much of Atwood, but I'm familiar with her and her significance as an author so I was more than intrigued by the idea of a graphic novel written by her. So, imagine my disappointment in what she gave us: from her rather self-serving foreword, where in the first paragraph she reminds us that she is “an award-winning nice literary old lady” and then goes on to great lengths about her lifelong interest in comics, to the flat story that is nothing but one overused superhero trope and bad pun after another, to the lackluster art (sorry, but Johnnie Christmas' art just didn't save this enough for me), to the interjected facts about the number of cat and bird deaths in Canada, the US, and the UK that occur each year, I was shocked that this got published. I would assume that had anyone other that Margaret Atwood presented this project, it would have been shot down. This is nothing to me but a vanity project and one that I just can't see myself continuing. The only reason I can't give it 1 star is because it is Margaret Atwood, after all, and it seems sacrilegious to do so.

>80 tapestry100: Seems like others felt the same. What a shame.

>80 tapestry100: Well, THAT'S a disappointment. Big Atwood fan, A good friend went to a reading by her just a couple months ago and said it was amazing. IT was generally agreed her Handmaid's Tale was a prescient reminder for us all in these tumultuous political times.

Stockpile, stockpile, stockpile, though if you're like mot of us here you've likely got a healthy stockpile! Can I send you any?

>78 tapestry100: I hope the testings went well, David.

>81 Morphidae:, >82 michigantrumpet: I was really surprised by how little I enjoyed this. I saw her awhile back for a talk and signing when she released Hag-Seed and she is an absolutely fascinating person. I've read The Handmaid's Tale and was really taken by how prescient that book is. So, yeah - Angel Catbird totally took me by surprise.

>83 AMQS: Ha - true story. I've got MORE than enough books to get me by! And thank you for the offer, Anne, but I do think I'm good for now. =)

>84 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! Everything went very well.

>85 tapestry100: I really enjoyed Hag-Seed. My first encounter with Margaret Atwood was in my required Canadian Literature course during undergrad when I read Alias Grace (highly recommended BTW). Up until that point I'd avoided her because her reputation scared me. :P

>79 ronincats: *waving* Glad all went well.

#9



Dark Knight III: Master Race, Book 7 by Frank Miller & Brian Azzarello, illustrated by Andy Kubert
4 Stars

This continues to be a solid story for me. I do wish that each issue was a little longer, but the overall reach of the story has been a good one. It's been a slow build getting to this point, and I'm really hoping that the coming confrontation is going to be a good payoff. I've also enjoyed the small backup stories that reveal where the other heroes are right now. I'm expecting this to all come together fairly well.

Hi - have you considered writing about all you are experiencing now?

I thought about this while reading WRITING HARD STORIES.

#10



Smurfs, Vol 1: The Purple Smurfs by Peyo
4 Stars

A fun little nostalgic read for me. As a kid, I loved the cartoon and had a respectable number of the Smurf PVC figures, so when I discovered that Papercutz has been reprinting the original comics, I thought I'd pick up the first volume and have a nice little walk down memory lane. Coming at these stories as an adult, however, some things that I noticed beyond the "cute" factor: Papa Smurf is kind of an ass in these early stories, demanding that the other Smurfs in the village do his bidding at every turn, without question; the purple Smurfs may have been my earliest (altho unknown at the time) experience with zombies - the fact that the regular Smurfs aren't infected until they are bitten and then they in turn become "evil" purple Smurfs is definitely a reflection of the modern idea of the zombie; holy crap they use the word "smurf" a lot in the dialogue in these stories, almost to the point of being obnoxious. I actually found that I still enjoyed the stories, so I'm sure I'll be picking up some more of the volumes as I find them.

Clearly, 2017 is going to be the year of the graphic novel for me.

>86 MickyFine: I've been intimidated by reading her too, for much of the same reason.

>87 ronincats: **waves back** Hi!

>89 m.belljackson: I've been keeping a journal, but will probably be switching to blogging once I'm in hospital so that my friends and family can have a better idea what's going on from day to day.

>90 tapestry100: Oooh, I remember the tv cartoon version of that - the purple ones walked around shouting, "guh-nap!" Weird. I had a ton of those figurines, too.

#11



Renato Jones: The One%, Season 1 by Kaare Kyle Andrews
4 Stars

Renato Jones was born into privilege, died because of that privilege, and was reborn again through that privilege, and now he spends his time between being one of the ONES, the top 1% wealthiest people in the world, and the Freelancer, making sure that the ONES still know their place in the world. Making definite nods to Frank Miller (I'm not familiar with Andrews work, so I don't know if his artistic and writing styles are usually this influenced by Miller, but it is quite clear in this book), this first volume of Renato Jones is a hyper-stylized, hyper-violent, hyper-sensational free for all that seems eerily prescient of today's political atmosphere. The book is cleverly constructed, with fake ads throughout that mock the ridiculous over the top nature of the super rich in the book. Personally, I'm thoroughly intrigued to see where Andrews is going to take this series so will be following along for sure.

January 2017 Recap



The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
Star Wars: Han Solo by Marjorie Liu, illustrated by Mark Brooks
I Hate Fairyland, Vol 2: Fluff My Life by Skottie Young
Naughty Mabel Sees It All by Nathan Lane & Devlin Elliott, illustrated by Dan Krall
Star Wars: Galactic Maps: An Illustrated Atlas of the Star Wars Universe by Emil Fortune, illustrated by Tim McDonagh
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
Invincible, Vol 1: Family Matters by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker
Angel Catbird, Vol 1 by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Johnnie Christmas
Dark Knight III: The Master Race, Book 7 by Frank Miller & Brian Azzarello, illsutrated by Andy Kubert
Smurfs, Vol 1: The Purple Smurfs by Peyo
Renato Jones: The One%, Season 1 by Kaare Kyle Andrews

Top Book of the Month
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

January 2017

Number of books read: 11
Number of pages: 1,360

Number of books acquired: 25
Number of those books read: 5

I can tell that this is going to be the year of the graphic novel for me, given that of the 11 books I read in January, 9 of those are graphic novels and 1 is a children's picture book. I don't actually have a problem with this right now. With everything going on in my life, I'm reading what I want and I have no guilt about it whatsoever. Top book for the month by far is Carrie Fisher's The Princess Diarist, chronically her time during the filming of the first Star Wars movie. It was bittersweet reading, with her passing just a couple of days before I read the book; I thought it would be good timing for me, but it actually just made me all the more sad for her passing. The biggest disappointment for me was Margaret Atwood's Angel Catbird, her first foray into graphic novels. Weighed down by terrible puns and overused super hero tropes, I'm truly surprised that a writer of her caliber would produce something so lackluster and forgettable.

YEAR TOTALS

Number of books read: 11
Number of pages: 1,360

Number of books acquired: 25
Number of those books read: 5

Way to go! And your book count is YOUR book count.

I'm all for reading what you want and counting it how you count it. My count is up this month because I read several play scripts, and I'm okay with that.

I count children's books and I count 1,100 page doorstops. It all averages out in the end.

Agreed. Also all the covers are so pretty.

>95 ronincats:, >96 foggidawn:, >97 Morphidae:, >98 MickyFine: - Thanks, awesome people! I just remember a couple years ago, somebody gave me crap about counting basically anything other than novels as "real" books, and it just always stuck with me and always makes me feel like I need to justify what I read and how I count it. (Nobody on here - just an acquaintance I had that frequented my local Indie.)

>98 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I thought it looked cool grouping them together like that. =)

#12 - First book for February!



Invincible, Vol 2: Eight is Enough by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker
4 Stars

This story continues to impress me; with some great humor, well paced action, and some genuine mystery added in for good measure, this volume is definitely all about later plots. While the first volume, Family Matters, set up the core characters for Invincible, this volume is clearly set up as starting points for future story lines, so while it doesn't actually seem like much happens here, it just makes me want to continue reading so I can see how all these plot threads play out. Cory Walker's art and Bill Crabtree's colors are top notch again; I really like the minimal line art and coloring. The inclusion of different artists working on the introduction of additional characters to the book was a nice touch too, helping each character stand out a little while having the briefest of introductions. On to the third volume!

>100 tapestry100: I like that the titles riff on 80s/90s sit coms. :)

#13



Modern Masters, Vol 1: Alan Davis by Eric Nolen-Weathington
3 Stars

A nice volume about comic book artist Alan Davis, who has been a favorite of mine since I first encountered his art in Uncanny X-Men back in the late 80s. Including an interview with Davis, the book is also filled with sketches, finished art, previously unseen art, a look at the artists that have influenced Davis over the years, as well as interviews with some of Davis' contemporaries. If you're a fan of the history of comic books and want a firsthand look into the life and influences of Alan Davis, this is the perfect book for you.

Hello Friend. Please know my thoughts, prayers and love are with you.

Thinking of you, David.

And, yes, never let anyone else tell you how to count your reads. What a humbug. They are all 'real'!

Be well, my friend!

#14



The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
5 Stars

I'm not really sure what to say about Alexander Chee's novel The Queen of the Night other than it is magnificent. A sprawling, epic tale that put me in mind of Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha, we follow Paris Opera sensation Lilliet Berne as she recounts her life from her humble beginnings as an orphaned American child, who tried to make her way to Europe to the only family she new of after the death of her family and ended up being swept up by one circumstance after another into the spectacle that was the Second French Empire. We follow her life from her time with a traveling circus, to becoming a prostitute in one of Paris' more prestigious whorehouses, to her time as a dresser for Empress Eugénie de Montijo at the Tuileries, until she finally makes her debut at the French Opera. Through this tale, she is trying to discover who might know of her secrets, as each time she took on a new role, she also cast off her old life and name and reinvented herself at each turn, trying to finally free herself from her own past and come into the life that she wants for herself.

Chee seems to have thoroughly researched his setting for Lillet's journey, and his writing is strong and precise. Lilliet's life is quite an adventure, but it never seems to be dull, and I never felt like I was wishing that her tale would hurry along. I listened to the audio version, and Lisa Flanagan's narration is spot on; she truly became the voice of Lilliet for me. The only thing that I added to my own listening of the book that I think could possibly benefit other readers is that I listened to selections of the operas and other musical pieces that are mentioned in the book, to add that next level of enjoyment to the story.

Chee is an extraordinary storyteller and I'll definitely be reading more by him in the future.

>105 tapestry100: Excellent review. I loved the suggesting of listening to musical excerpts as you read. Nicely done!

How did you come across this book?

>103 Whisper1:, >104 michigantrumpet: Hello, darlings! Thanks for stopping by!

>106 michigantrumpet: The cover caught my eye in the bookstore one day, and then Audible had it as part of a two-for-one sale not that long ago, so I downloaded it.

#15



Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire by Neil Gaiman, adapted by Shane Oakley
2 Stars

Basically one long run on joke about all the tropes found in every Gothic tale ever told, this is the weakest of Dark Horse's Gaiman adaptations. I haven't read the original story this was adapted from, so I'm not sure if this is worse/better or if it's Gaiman's story or Oakley's adaptation, but I quickly found myself skimming thru just to get to the end, and when you're reading something only 48 pages long and you start skimming when you're only half way thru...

>108 tapestry100: Having read some 19th century gothic novels, the title made me smirk. I might track down the original story.

>109 MickyFine: Unfortunately, the title is the only redeeming factor for this book...

I got bored this weekend...

Nice look!

>108 tapestry100: I started skimming halfway through the title.

>111 tapestry100: Whoa! How bored were you? LOL!

>111 tapestry100: Woot! I love it!!

>111 tapestry100: Now you need glasses in the same color ;-)

Love it! I have glasses that color. Unfortunately, my hair has purple streaked into it. Fortunately, I have glasses that color too!

>111 tapestry100: Awesome!

>112 Deedledee: Thanks, Dee!

>113 Morphidae: *snort* The title is definitely a mouthful! And actually I'd been wanting this for a while, so I just decided this weekend was the weekend to do it!

>114 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>115 FAMeulstee: Anita, I was thinking the same thing. I may have to order a couple pair so that I can accessorize.

>116 ronincats: =) I guess I will need to get frames in different colors!

>117 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I think so too. =D

Update time! I got the call from Karmanos yesterday that I am approved for transplant!!

After waiting almost a year for this to happen, it's all happening RIGHT NOW. Next Tuesday, I go to Karmanos to have more blood work done, meet with my transplant team, and sign my 30 pages of consent forms. Two days later I go back to Karmanos for my first of 5 shots of zarxio, which will vastly increase my white blood cell and stem cell growth in my marrow. The following Monday I go back to Karmanos for an 8-10 hour process of extracting my stem cells, which is a 1-3 day event, depending on how many cells they can extract each session. Friday, I meet with my oncologist here in Lansing. Then the following Monday I go back again to Karmanos for one more meeting with my transplant team and they will place a picc line in my arm, as the port in my chest is not large enough for the stem cells, and then within a day or two after that I will be admitted to hospital for at least 4 weeks, then back home for another 2 months or more after that.

After that, get ready. David 2.0 is going to kick some ass!

So... If I'm quiet around here for a while, don't take it personally. The first week in hospital is going to be tough - I will be on 5 different chemos for 6 days in a row, and I know for a fact that it is going to take a lot out of me, as one of them is the chemo that I'm wildly allergic to, so it's going to be a slow going process.

Congratulations with the approval and good luck with all of this, it sounds like a hard time ahead of you...
I hope to see David 2.0 back here in some time.

That's some procedure! We'll be sending supportive and healing thoughts your way, David, and waiting to hear on your results.

>111 tapestry100: What a complete smile! That makes me very happy.

>118 tapestry100: Wahoo! This makes me over-the-top happy! So glad that you've been approved and things are moving ahead. Such very good news. If I'm reading it correctly, you start about March 1st?

Sending all the healing karmic waves possible your way!

Congrats on the approval! I'll be sending lots of good thoughts your way over the next month.

>118 tapestry100: Yes, when my SIL went in for her transplant, it was the second or third week before she felt like communicating with anyone. We'll be here waiting and rooting for you!

Do you have a support team who can take care of you at home? From what I remember, it can't be just one person 24x7. My SIL had to have at least 2 and preferably 3. Which was hard as her hospital was hours away from her home and she had to spend her 2 months within 30 minutes of the hospital. I hope that's not the case with you. But you probably know all this stuff.

David 2.0 is going to be twice as awesome!

WOOT!!! Big high fives and lots of gentle hugs. You got this!! And what Morphy said - we'll be here rooting and waiting for you!

Your blue beard looks AWESOME!

I'm so happy that you've got the green light on your transplant. It sounds like a hard road but one that holds a lot of promise. You've got lots of people here that will be sending you a ton of healing thoughts and we'll look forward to the blossoming of David 2.0!

Oh, wow, David, I'm so glad you are strong enough to go ahead with this major next step to getting you healthy for the long term! You know we'll be backing you all the way!

Good luck David! That sounds like great news. We'll all be here waiting for your full recovery.

>111 tapestry100: Looking good!

>118 tapestry100: WONDERFUL NEWS, DAVID! How are you feeling now?

David - Many of us are thinking about you every day
and sending only The Best for strength
and a positive outcome! Peace to you.

Hi kids!

I know it's been quite some time since I posted an update, but I'm happy to report the transplant was a success and I'm home and doing well. The entire process knocked me out of commission from March 8-April 5 (29 days for those counting!). I have to admit, without a doubt, this was the worst experience of my entire life, but in the end it'll have been worth it. I had originally been discharged on March 30, but a mere two hours after getting home, I spiked a fever and the hospital insisted I come right back and they kept me until last Wednesday. While everything was a success, it appears my body is taking its time regrouping my white blood cells and whatnot, so I still need to be very careful. I'll be off work until June, which will give me lots of time for reading, as I was too sick to even read while in hospital.

My sister is here from Maine taking care of me, as I'm not supposed to be alone yet, and she has been a miracle worker. She's been cooking for me, and has all of my medications set out every day, and gets me out of the house each day to start building up my strength again. I have to wear a mask when out as my immune system is still so weak, so we go out in the early afternoon when most people are still at work.

I hope everyone here is doing well! I'm going to try to catch up on threads as I can, but a month's worth is quite the reading challenge on its own!

Hugs and happy reading to everyone!!

Sorry the experience was such an ordeal, David, but couldn't be happier at its success!! And kudos to your sister for being such a wonderful support. Thanks for letting us know.

>131 tapestry100: Glad the procedure was successful and that you're starting to feel a little better. Sending all the well wishes. Hugs!

> 131 tapestry100

What Great News for you and Everyone who has hoped for this success!

>131 tapestry100: Happy to see a note from you, David, sorry you had such a hard time.
I hope it is all upward from now on and glad your sister takes care of you.

Oh, congrats on being home and it all being a success!! Wishing a speedy recovery for you.

Wow, sounds rough, but I'm glad you're home!

I've been thinking of you and glad to hear it all went well, albeit slowly. Welcome back!!

Rest up and get your strength. Dr who is finally back again this weekend. Along with the new spin off series right behind it.

So glad you are home and starting to mend! Take it easy and know we're thinking of you.

David, I am sorry to hear about your ill health, but I am glad to hear that your transplant was a success. Hopefully you are on the upswing now!!

Hope you are mending well and getting some good reading done, David.

Glad to hear that the transplant was successful - it sounds like things are looking up!

Have you been enjoying the new season of Doctor Who? I wish Nardole took a more active role - I like him better than Bill!

Wishing you a splendid weekend, David.

Oh, look! It's been well over another month and I haven't been stopping by my thread... Recovery has been a long haul, BUT things are still getting better all the time. My numbers have continued to improve, if at a snail's pace, and another bit of good news is that my blood sugar levels have normalized, mostly due to the drastic weight loss, but I'm not considered pre-diabetic anymore, so I'll take what I can get. I'm still off of work until the end of the month (I have been working from home tho), and I go back to the hospital in Detroit the end of next month to start talking about what comes next (immunizations, another bone marrow biopsy, etc). I still haven't gotten nearly as much reading done as I thought I would have at this point, but alas, it is what it is at this point. It seems I'm having trouble concentrating on reading anything other than graphic novels, but I'm slowly getting my reading mojo back!

Thank you to everyone that stopped by in the last month. This group is simply amazing.

In some fun news, I've been able to attend two signings the last two nights. Last night I got to see Steve Hamilton for the release of his new book, Exit Strategy, and tonight I met Paula Hawkins for the release of her newest, Into the Water. Both events were held at my two favorite local Indies, so it was a pretty good time overall each night.

I have read a couple of great books, too. Anybody here read Invincible by Robert Kirkman? I don't like his The Walking Dead (comic or TV show) or Outcast (haven't seen the show), and I couldn't even finish Haunt, so I was -really- surprised that I even gave Incredible a try, and I'm already 8 volumes into the collected editions. The story is fantastic (the whole family dynamic with the main characters trying to balance superhero life with regular life is great) and I even like the art. This is one that I'll be sticking with for a while - given that there are currently 24 volumes in the series, I've got a good amount of reading to look forward to! I also reviewed a couple of books for my blog:



The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano



Emmaline Beaumont's mother has passed away. Unfortunately, Emmaline's father has become fixated with building a machine that will bring Emmaline's mother's ghost back, and in doing so, he himself has forgotten about the living in his obsession with the dead, so in many ways Emmaline has lost both of her parents. The only people she can confide in are twins Gully and Oliver, her best friends in school. Yet for of their understanding and patience, Gully and Oliver are unable to fully understand Emmaline's loss as they have never lost someone so close to them as Emmaline's mother was to her. Her father's machine, however, may actually work, and it is then that Emmaline must decide whether the cost of operating the machine is worth the price paid, and will the twins help her in her decision, regardless of what that decision is?

Lauren DeStefano has created a beautiful and poignant story that I feel would be an important book for anyone to read who has recently (or not so recently) lost someone very close to them. DeStefano has a keen ability to cut to the quick of the emotions of loss and what that can feel like, especially for someone too young to have have lost a loved one. Her characters are not cliché and their feelings are quite real, and the story she has created feels honest and important. That's the best way I can describe it. A fan of her YA series The Chemical Garden Trilogy and The Interment Chronicles, I have not yet read her other two middle grade books, The Curious Tale of the In-Between and The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart, and I think I'll be needing to rectify that soon.

I received a print ARC of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.



everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too by jomny sun



I have never heard of Jomny Sun, nor his twitter feed, @jonnysun, and after having read everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too, I feel like I've been missing out on something fairly amazing. everyone's a aliebn opens with the alien Jomny being dropped off on Earth, to study the planet and what it means to be an earthling. Never feeling like a part of his people, Jomny at first feels lost on Earth, but as he learns what it means to be an earthling thru his encounters with a varied cast of characters, he actually discovers what it means to be human instead, and begins to finally feel like he has found his place in the universe.

This is one of those rare treats of a book for me that reminds me how you can be fooled by a book, and in a beautiful way. Remarkably told thru the sparsest of illustrations and text, everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too has an emotional impact I was not expecting. The illustrations and text are so basic, I initially thought I was just reading a cute little story about an alien on Earth and his misadventures, but what Jonathan Sun provides is actually a guide to the ups and downs of all human emotion, and it is surprisingly powerful. I enjoyed it so much, I immediately flipped back to the beginning as soon as I finished and read the whole thing again. I think this would be a perfect book for anyone who is having a hard time finding their place in the world; if Jomny can do it, any of us can.

I received a print ARC of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.

That's great news about your recovery! I'm hoping (and cheering you on) for more good news during that next Detroit trip.

I'm three volumes into Invincible, and yeah, it's really good!

Glad to see you as always and happy there have been a few good reads in there. :)

Dear Precious David. I think of you every day and say prayers into the universe, telling the powers that be that you are one of the nicest, loving, kind humans I know, and therefore, please be kind to my friend and surround him with love and healing.

Take care of yourself and know you are loved.

David, so glad to get the update and hear that things are going well!

Glad to hear that you are getting better. One step at a time! We discovered graphic novels, or I should say my younger son discovered them for us, and we've been reading a lot more of them since we discovered that he is dyslexic. The two that you've reviewed sound very intriguing to me, I'm going to have to check them out. My husband has recently started reading the Walking Dead after watching the show - personally, I don't care for it either, so I leave him to it.

Amber, Jim, Micky, Linda, Roni, and Robin - thank you all for stopping by! I'm back to work now (starting my third week), and it's been exhausting getting back into the swing of things, but I'm feeling pretty good about it. My coworkers have been very understanding and have worked with me on the days that I couldn't quite make it the full day. The only frustrating part has been that the entire time I was home, I barely felt like reading, and the week before I started back to work, all I wanted to do was read! I've been forcing to make time for it tho, and have been discovering some more great books lately!

>149 drneutron: Keep reading Invincible, Jim. I'm still enjoying it immensely!

Anyone going to ALA? I'm seriously giving some thought to going on just Saturday. I probably still shouldn't be around large crowds, but I think I'm going to throw caution to the wind for a day and brave it.

Here's some highlights of what I've been reading:

The Call of the Wild by Jack London - Somehow this got past me in middle/high school, so I decided to give it a read and am glad I did. I'm also glad that I read it as an adult, because I'm fairly sure my younger self would not have appreciated the nuances of the story as well.

Snotgirl Vol 1: Green Hair, Don't Care - A bizarre story from the writer behind Scott Pilgrim, following the life of a fashionblogger that takes a turn for the bizarre. Or it's just her new allergy medication - it's hard to tell.

The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne - A great psychological thriller, where most of the psychology deals with the protagonist's childhood as she recollects what it was like living life as the daughter of a kidnapped girl and the father who kidnapped her.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire - McGuire continues her fantasy series that began with Every Heart a Doorway. If you haven't read either of these books, I'd highly recommend them. They are both beautifully written portal fantasies, but are written more for adults than children.

A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman - A novella that seems to fall somewhere between coming-of-age fantasy and horror. I won't lie, I'm not even sure that I understood what this book is about, but it's so well written that I don't care that I don't understand what it means.

The Wicked + the Divine, Vol 5: Imperial Phase Part I - The Wicked + the Divine continues to be one of my favorite comic series coming out of Image Comics right now, and this 5th volume of the collected editions does not disappoint.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - I feel like I may be on of the last people to have gotten around to reading this dystopian scifi thriller, but I'm glad I finally listened to it (I downloaded it off of Audible). While Cline's necessity to drop some 80s reference (however obscure) in what seems like every other paragraph started to feel a little forced by the end, it was still a rollicking good story, and any 80s kid will completely dig this.

>154 tapestry100: There's an LT meetup planned for ALA: https://www.librarything.com/topic/257588

Oh, good, I was hoping someone knew where the meetup thread was and I hope you can make it, David. I, unfortunately, am too far away...

>154 tapestry100: You're not the last one to read Ready Player One, David. The Boyfriend just loaned it to me to read so I'll be picking it up after my current read.

>154 tapestry100: You're not the last to read Ready Player One - it's been on Mount TBR for ages and I keep not getting to it. Soon! I loved Down Among the Sticks and Bones, too, possibly even more than Every Heart a Doorway, which I didn't expect.

I've got the McGuire series on my list - hope to get to it soon. And I'm glad you liked RPO! It was one of my faves.

>154 tapestry100: I just read RPO last year and loved it. My brother-in-law read it at the same time, and we convinced my husband to read it as well.

This is a time of year when I as a non-American ponder over what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for this group and its ability to keep me sane during topsy-turvy times.

I am thankful that you are part of this group.

I am thankful for this opportunity to say thank you.

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

Dear David, best wishes to you and yours at Christmas!

Wishing you all good things this holiday season and beyond.

Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for the holiday greetings! My sister drove to MI from ME to spend the holiday here with me and is here until next Tuesday. I'm not quite comfortable with the idea of travel yet, but I'm getting there.

The good news is my numbers are all improving, slowly but surely; it would appear that the transplant was a success! It's been a weird second half of 2017 (other than the usual state of the country/world!) - trying to readjust my life port-transplant. I find myself at turns either doing too little by habit because I haven't been able to do much for so many years now, or doing too much as I feel more like myself all the time, but I forget that I'm still recovering and end up forcing myself to take several steps back. It's a awkward balance sometimes, and one that has kept me offline for the most part. I'm sure I've missed much here in the 75, and I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to get caught up - Paul, how many threads have you ended up with this year?!

There's been other good things going on as well. I'm seeing someone for the first time in longer than I care to admit. His name is Brian and we have so much in common, including a couple of friends, it's a wonder that we hadn't met earlier. He's not much of a reader, which seems weird to me that I'm dating a non-reader, but I think I can get him to come around. ;-)

I hope that you all have had a wonderful holiday filled with friends, family, and loved ones and that you have a happy and safe new year!

David

Great to hear from you, David, and hurrah for the new relationship as well as the improving health!

Congrats on the improved health and the new fella. ;)

Hoping we'll see more of you next year!

So glad to hear things are still looking up for you David! And congrats on the new relationship. I'm in that longer-than-I-care-to-admit space myself so it's nice to hear there is hope. ;) Many wishes for continuing health and happiness!

David, happy to hear that things are going well for you. And happy to hear about your new relationship!

That all sounds great David! Best wishes that 2018 turns out even greater for you.

Here's my final recap of reading for 2017 - not my most stellar year, but I had a bit on my plate and I'm now looking forward to a great reading year in 2018! Come over to my '18 thread and join in on the fun: https://www.librarything.com/topic/279189

Total Books Read: 86
• January - 11
• February - 7
• March - 2
• April - 10
• May - 7
• June - 17
• July - 5
• August - 9
• September - 2
• October - 6
• November - 7
• December - 3

Favorites of 2017
• January - The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
• February - The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
• March - Fish Girl by David Wiesner & Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by David Wiesner
• April - The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano
• May - everyone's a aliebn when ur a alienb too by jomny sun
• June - Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
• July - Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
• August - Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard
• September - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R. R. Martin
• October - Behind You: One-Shot Horror Stories by Brian Coldrick
• November - Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson
• December - Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea! by Ben Clanton

Total Pages Read: 15,726
• January - 1360
• February - 1552
• March - 400
• April - 1376
• May - 1128
• June - 3201
• July - 1488
• August - 1514
• September - 432
• October - 1493
• November - 1494
• December - 288

Ratings
• 0 - 0
• 1 - 0
• 2 - 3
• 3 - 18
• 4 - 52
• 5 - 13

Genres Read
• Children's - 5
• Fantasy - 4
• Fiction - 4
• Graphic Novel - 55
• Horror - 3
• Humor - 1
• Manga - 1
• Memoir - 3
• Middle Grade Fantasy - 2
• Middle Grade SciFi - 2
• Science Fiction - 5
• Urban Fantasy - 1

Author Genders Read
• Male - 69
• Female - 17

Publication Years
• 1903 - 1
• 1997 - 1
• 2001 - 1
• 2004 - 1
• 2005 - 2
• 2006 - 2
• 2007 - 2
• 2009 - 1
• 2010 - 2
• 2011 - 1
• 2012 - 1
• 2013 - 1
• 2014 - 1
• 2015 - 4
• 2016 - 18
• 2017 - 47