Jess (jayde) 2020 Challenge

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Jess (jayde) 2020 Challenge

1jayde1599
Modifié : Déc 30, 2019, 3:46 pm



Hello!
My name is Jess and I am from Maine. I am a special educator and mom of two. This is my twelfth year on LT and the 75er group. I tend to lurk more than post and disappear as real life becomes busy. I read a bit of everything and have a big TBR pile I hope to tackle this year.

Here is hoping to a great reading year!

2jayde1599
Modifié : Jan 1, 2021, 12:22 am

January
1. The Alice Network - Kate Quinn - finished 1/1/20
2. The Burgess Boys - Elizabeth Strout - Jan 2-8
3. The Reader - Bernhard Schlink - January 9-14
4. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman - January 15-20
5. Slumdog Millionaire - Vikas Swarup- Jan 20-25
6. The Lumberjanes Beware the Kitten Holy - Noelle Stevenson
7. My Father's Dragon - Ruth Stiles Gannett

February
8. The Library Book - Susan Orlean
9. The Night Circus - Erin Morganstern
10. Elmer and the Dragon - Ruth Stiles Gannett
11. Circe - Madeline Miller
12. The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando 2020 - Seth Kubersky
13. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2020 - Bob Sehlinger
14. Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah
15. Bob - Wendy Maas

March
16. The Dragons of Blueland - Ruth Stiles Gannett
17. The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern
18. The Sleeper and the Spindle - Neil Gaiman/Chris Riddell
19. Friendship to the Max - Noelle Stevenson
20. A Terrible Plan - Noelle Stevenson
21. Out of Time - Noelle Stevenson
22. Band Together - Noelle Stevenson
23. Sink or Swim - Shannon Watters
24. A Birds Eye View - Shannon Watters
25. Be Frank With Me - Julia Claiborne Johnson
26. The Reason I Jump - Naoki Higashida
27. Girl in Translation - Jean Kwok
28. The Pilot’s Wife - Anita Shreve
29. O Pioneers - Willa Cather

April
30. Mortal Engines - Philip Reeve
31. The Last Full Measure - Jeff Shaara
32. The Colors of Courage - Margaret S. Creighton
33. The Civil War: Strange and Fascinating Facts - Burke Davis
34. Predator's Gold - Philip Reeve
35. Infernal Devices - Philip Reeve
36. A Darkling Plain - Philip Reeve
37. Night Flights - Philip Reeve
38. Fever Crumb - Philip Reeve
39. A Web of Air - Philip Reeve

May
40 Scrivener's Moon - Philip Reeve
41. Ex Libris - Ross King
42. Love Thy Neighbor - Peter Maass
43. Henry V - William Shakespeare
44. The Geographer's Library - Jon Fasman

June
45. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins
46. Bone: Out of Boneville - Jeff Smith
47. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Abbi Waxman
48. Things You Save in a Fire- Katherine Center
49. Monster - Walter Dean Myers
50. Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan
51. Bone: The Great Cow Race - Jeff Smith
52. Relic - Douglas Preston
53. Pumpkinheads - Rainbow Rowell

July
54. The Dam Keeper: Return from the Shadows - Robert Kondo
55. Your Students, My Students, Our Students: Rethinking Equitable and Inclusive Classrooms - Lee Ann Jung
56. Bone: Eyes of the Storm - Jeff Smith
57. Beach Read - Emily Henry
58. China Rich Girlfriend- Kevin Kwan
59. Rhett Butler’s People - Donald McCaig
60. Bone: The Dragonslayer - Jeff Smith
61. Bone: Rock Jaw - Jeff Smith
62. Less - Andrew Sean Greer
63. They Called Us Enemy - George Takei
64. A Visit From the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
65. All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
66. Through the Eyes of Hope - Lacey Buchannan

August
67. Sigh, Gone - Phuc Tran
68. March - Geraldine Brooks
69. Bone: Ghost Circles - Jeff Smith
70. Bone: Treasure Hunters - Jeff Smith
71: Bone: Crown of Horns - Jeff Smith
72. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
73. Disney's Land - Richard Snow
74. The Dutch House - Ann Patchett
75. Turtles All the Way Down - John Green
76. Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Maria Semple
77. The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate - audio
78. Reliquary - Douglas Preston

September
79. The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan
80. Agents of Shield: The Coulson Protocols - Marc Guggenheim
81. Agents of Shield: Under New Management - Marc Guggenheim
82. Street Gang - Michael Davis
83. Agents of Shield: A Man Called D.E.A.T.H - Mark Waid
84. Alanna - Tamora Pierce

October
85. In The Hand of the Goddess - Tamora Pierce
86. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - Tamora Pierce
87. Lioness Rampant - Tamora Pierce
88. The Good Neighbors: Kin - Holly Black
89. Shield: Perfect Bullets
90. Out of the Easy~ Ruta Sepetys
91. The Fountains of Silence~ Ruta Sepetys
92. Fables: Homeland - Bill Willingham
93. The Good Neighbors Volume 2: Kith - Holly Black
94. The Good Neighbors Volume 3: Kind - Holly Black

November
95. A Great and Godly Adventure - Godfrey Hodgson
96. Lumberjanes 8: Stone Cold - Shannon Watters
97. Lumberjanes Volume 9 - Kat Leyh
98. Lumberjanes Volume 10 - Kat Leyh
99. Flint and Silver- John Drake
100. Boy - Roald Dahl
101. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
102. Anxious People - Fredrick Backman
103. Cabinet of Curiosities - Preston & Child
104. When Stars are Scattered - Victoria Jamieson/Omar Mohamed
105. Other People's Houses - Abbi Waxman
106. How To Be an Antiracist - Ibram X. Kendi
107. The One and Only Bob - Katherine Applegate
108. Protector of the Small 1
109. Page Protector of the Small 2

3jayde1599
Modifié : Août 16, 2020, 1:52 pm

Here are the Pulitzer's I have read -- not many, so this is a good reference

1918 HIS FAMILY - Ernest Poole
1919 THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS - Booth Tarkington
1921 THE AGE OF INNOCENCE - Edith Wharton
1922 ALICE ADAMS - Booth Tarkington
1923 ONE OF OURS - Willa Cather
1924 THE ABLE MCLAUGHLINS - Margaret Wilson
1925 SO BIG - Edna Ferber
1926 ARROWSMITH - Sinclair Lewis
1927 EARLY AUTUMN - Louis Bromfield
1928 THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY - Thornton Wilder
1929 SCARLET SISTER MARY - Julia Peterkin
1930 LAUGHING BOY - Oliver Lafarge
1931 YEARS OF GRACE - Margaret Ayer Barnes
1932 THE GOOD EARTH - Pearl Buck
1933 THE STORE - Thomas Sigismund Stribling
1934 LAMB IN HIS BOSOM - Caroline Miller
1935 NOW IN NOVEMBER - Josephine Winslow Johnson
1936 HONEY IN THE HORN - Harold L Davis
1937 GONE WITH THE WIND - Margaret Mitchell
1938 THE LATE GEORGE APLEY - John Phillips Marquand
1939 THE YEARLING - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
1940 THE GRAPES OF WRATH - John Steinbeck
1942 IN THIS OUR LIFE - Ellen Glasgow
1943 DRAGON'S TEETH - Upton Sinclair
1944 JOURNEY IN THE DARK - Martin Flavin
1945 A BELL FOR ADANO - John Hersey
1947 ALL THE KING'S MEN - Robert Penn Warren
1948 TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC - James Michener
1949 GUARD OF HONOR - James Gould Cozzens
1950 THE WAY WEST - A.B. Guthrie
1951 THE TOWN - Conrad Richter
1952 THE CAINE MUTINY - Herman Wouk
1953 THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA - Ernest Hemingway
1955 A FABLE - William Faulkner
1956 ANDERSONVILLE - McKinlay Kantor
1958 A DEATH IN THE FAMILY - James Agee
1959 THE TRAVELS OF JAIMIE McPHEETERS - Robert Lewis Taylor
1960 ADVISE AND CONSENT - Allen Drury
1961 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - Harper Lee
1962 THE EDGE OF SADNESS - Edwin O'Connor
1963 THE REIVERS - William Faulkner
1965 THE KEEPERS OF THE HOUSE - Shirley Ann Grau
1966 THE COLLECTED STORIES OF KATHERINE ANNE PORTER - Katherine Anne Porter
1967 THE FIXER - Bernard Malamud
1968 THE CONFESSIONS OF NAT TURNER - William Styron
1969 HOUSE MADE OF DAWN - N Scott Momaday
1970 THE COLLECTED STORIES OF JEAN STAFFORD - Jean Stafford
1972 ANGLE OF REPOSE - Wallace Stegner *
1973 THE OPTIMIST'S DAUGHTER - Eudora Welty
1975 THE KILLER ANGELS - Michael Shaara
1976 HUMBOLDT'S GIFT - Saul Bellow
1978 ELBOW ROOM - James Alan McPherson
1979 THE STORIES OF JOHN CHEEVER - John Cheever
1980 THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG - Norman Mailer
1981 A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES - John Kennedy Toole
1982 RABBIT IS RICH - John Updike
1983 THE COLOR PURPLE - Alice Walker
1984 IRONWEED - William Kennedy
1985 FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Alison Lurie
1986 LONESOME DOVE - Larry McMurtry
1987 A SUMMONS TO MEMPHIS - Peter Taylor
1988 BELOVED - Toni Morrison
1989 BREATHING LESSONS - Anne Tyler
1990 THE MAMBO KINGS PLAY SONGS OF LOVE - Oscar Hijuelos
1991 RABBIT AT REST - John Updike
1992 A THOUSAND ACRES - Jane Smiley
1993 A GOOD SCENT FROM A STRANGE MOUNTAIN - Robert Olen Butler
1994 THE SHIPPING NEWS - E Annie Proulx
1995 THE STONE DIARIES - Carol Shields
1996 INDEPENDENCE DAY - Richard Ford
1997 MARTIN DRESSLER - Steven Millhauser
1998 AMERICAN PASTORAL - Philip Roth
1999 THE HOURS - Michael Cunningham
2000 INTERPRETER OF MALADIES - Jumpha Lahiri
2001 THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY - Michael Chabon
2002 EMPIRE FALLS - Richard Russo
2003 MIDDLESEX - Jeffrey Eugenides
2004 THE KNOWN WORLD - Edward P. Jones
2005 GILEAD- Marilynne Robinson
2006 MARCH - Geraldine Brooks
2007 THE ROAD - Cormac McCarthy
2008 THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO - Junot Diaz
2009 OLIVE KITTERIDGE - Elizabeth Strout
2010 TINKERS - Paul Harding
2011 A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD - Jennifer Egan
2013 ORPHAN MASTER'S SON - Adam Johnson
2014 THE GOLDFINCH - Donna Tartt
2015 ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE - Anthony Doerr
2016 THE SYMPATHIZER - Viet Thanh Nguyen
2017 THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD - Colson Whitehead
2018 LESS - Andrew Sean Greer
2019 THE OVERSTORY - Richard Powers

4jayde1599
Modifié : Sep 16, 2020, 3:54 pm

2020 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

A book that's published in 2020 -Beach Read
A book by a trans or nonbinary author
A book with a great first line
A book about a book club - The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics - Love Thy Neighbor- Sarajevo
A bildungsroman - Circe
The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed
A book with an upside-down image on the cover
A book with a map -My Father’s Dragon
A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club - Things You Save in a Fire-
An anthology
A book that passes the Bechdel test - The Alice Network
A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it
A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name - Pumpkinheads-Rainbow Rowell
A book about or involving social media -
A book that has a book on the cover - The Reader
A medical thriller - Reliquary
A book with a made-up language
A book set in a country beginning with "C" - China Rich Girlfriend
A book you picked because the title caught your attention - Monster
A book published the month of your birthday
A book about or by a woman in STEM
A book that won an award in 2019
A book on a subject you know nothing about
A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics-The Library Book
A book with a pun in the title-Sigh, Gone
A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins
A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character -Agents of Shield: The Coulson Protocols
A book with a bird on the cover - A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader
A book with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" in the title
A book by a WOC - The Hate U Give
A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads - Winter Garden
A book you meant to read in 2019 - The Omnivore's Dilemma
A book with a three-word title - The Night Circus
A book with a pink cover-
A Western
A book by or about a journalist- The Library Book
Read a banned book during Banned Books Week
Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

Advanced

A book written by an author in their 20s
A book with "20" or "twenty" in the title
A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement (a nod to 20/20 vision)
A book set in the 1920s
A book set in Japan, host of the 2020 Olympics
A book by an author who has written more than 20 books -
A book with more than 20 letters in its title -
A book published in the 20th century
A book from a series with more than 20 books
A book with a main character in their 20s - Crazy Rich Asians

5drneutron
Déc 30, 2019, 4:51 pm

Welcome back!

6DianaNL
Déc 31, 2019, 5:36 am

Best wishes for 2020!

7PaulCranswick
Déc 31, 2019, 9:08 am



Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

8jayde1599
Déc 31, 2019, 4:05 pm

Thanks Jim, Diana, and Paul! A Happy New Year to you as well. I love the meme Paul - those are great goals to have!

9jayde1599
Déc 31, 2019, 4:06 pm

I was trying to squeeze one more book in to 2019 but since I am only 300 pages into a 500 page book I think The Alice Network will be book 1 of 2020.

10FAMeulstee
Déc 31, 2019, 5:56 pm

Happy reading in 2020, Jess!

11BLBera
Jan 1, 2020, 10:23 am

Happy New Year, Jess. I hope 2020 is a great reading year for you.

12jayde1599
Modifié : Jan 1, 2020, 6:28 pm

Thank you Anita & Beth! Happy New Year to you as well.

13jayde1599
Jan 1, 2020, 6:30 pm

Book 1: The Alice Network - Kate Quinn

I received this for Christmas and read it for my book club this month. Overall, I enjoyed the story and think that it is great that there is a book highlighting female spies such as Louise de Bettignies.
The two female protagonists got on my nerves at times, but it was minor enough that I was able to overlook it. I liked how the story wrapped up in the end.

14Cait86
Jan 2, 2020, 8:26 am

>13 jayde1599: This one is on my reading list for January; I read The Huntress by Kate Quinn last year, and really enjoyed it, so I'm hoping I'll like The Alice Network as well. Glad you started your reading with a good first book!

15jayde1599
Jan 2, 2020, 7:01 pm

>14 Cait86:: I am glad you said you liked The Huntress. I read the excerpt in the back of The Alice a network and thought I might give it a try. I am interested in Quinn’s other work.

16Cait86
Jan 3, 2020, 11:39 am

>15 jayde1599: The Huntress started really slowly for me, and it took me about 100 pages to get into it, but it's worth it in the end. Enjoy!

17ronincats
Jan 3, 2020, 11:50 pm



Happy New Year, Jess!

18ChelleBearss
Jan 4, 2020, 12:23 am

Hope 2020 is kind to you!

19jayde1599
Jan 4, 2020, 2:54 pm

>16 Cait86:: I will keep that in mind. Thank you for the heads up!

20jayde1599
Jan 4, 2020, 2:55 pm

Thank you Roni & Chelle!

So far it is a good reading year. I am halfway through The Burgess Boys and I forgot how well Elizabeth Strout describes Maine.

21thornton37814
Jan 5, 2020, 9:14 pm

Enjoy your 2020 reading!

22jayde1599
Jan 8, 2020, 6:06 am

Thank you, Lori!

I am still plodding along with The Burgess Boys. I like it but the book is very SLOW!

23ronincats
Jan 8, 2020, 1:42 pm

Book recommendations on my thread following your comment!!

24jayde1599
Jan 8, 2020, 5:07 pm

Thanks for the recommendations, Roni!

25ronincats
Jan 8, 2020, 5:39 pm

Also, in another vein, my nephews loved the Captain Underpants books and the other books by Dav Pilkey like Dog Man as well as the Caveboy Dave books at that age.

26jayde1599
Jan 9, 2020, 5:59 pm

Thanks again, Roni. He is a big fan of Dogman. He also likes The Boxcar Children. He likes books his teacher suggests, however I am apparently not cool enough to recommend books.

27jayde1599
Jan 11, 2020, 6:56 am

Book 2: The Burgess Boys - Elizabeth Strout

This has been on my TBR shelves for some time. While this is a very slow, descriptive book, it is still enjoyable. Strout really captured the conflict among the Burgess siblings, as well as the Maine atmosphere. People in Maine really are private and internal.
While not very prevalent in the book, she also was able to capture the tension among the Somali community and small mill town community when a racist act is committed.

I remember reading about the tension in the news when something similar happened years ago.

While not as engaging as Olive Kitteridge, I still like this book

28jayde1599
Jan 11, 2020, 6:58 am

Up next from the TBR shelves is The Reader. My LO and I are also planning a library trip after dance this morning so I may find something else to distract me as well.

29jayde1599
Modifié : Jan 16, 2020, 6:28 am

Book 3:The Reader - Bernhard Schlink
I was not really sure what to expect of this book after reading the reviews. Fifteen year old Michael Berg meets older woman Hanna after she takes care of him while he was sick. Hanna is mysterious and pulls Michael in. He later crosses paths with her again during the trials of Concentration Camp guards. I overalll liked it and the book showed an interesting take on post WWII and the trials of the guards. I am not sure that I understand Hanna's reasoning for giving up a part of her life because of her secret, other than maybe to punish herself for what happened in the war?

ROOT # 2

30jayde1599
Jan 16, 2020, 6:28 am

Yay! Snow day today which will allow the oldest one more day to rest and break a fever he has had without counting against him. I have 2 meetings to try to prep for tomorrow and because this was a bit unexpected I did not take home my folders! I think most of what I need is on google drive. I hope to get a little reading done as well.

31ChelleBearss
Jan 16, 2020, 3:54 pm

Aww hope the illness passes fast!

32alcottacre
Jan 17, 2020, 10:20 pm

>13 jayde1599: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Jess!

33jayde1599
Jan 20, 2020, 10:40 am

>31 ChelleBearss:: Thanks Chelle! Luckily, he bounced back after 2 days and was outside sledding on the snow day.

>32 alcottacre:: Hi Stasia! The Alice Network was a decent book. I give props to my bookclub for recommending this one!

34jayde1599
Jan 20, 2020, 10:42 am

After a busy weekend of dance, skiing, sledding, skating today is a rest day. I have paperwork to catch up on and it appears to be the husband's turn to be sick. After I get my work done, I hope to finish Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

35jayde1599
Jan 20, 2020, 5:12 pm

Book 4: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

This book has been on my wishlist since last year. I really enjoyed this book. Eleanor originally presents as someone with ASD. After becoming friendly with her company’s IT person, Raymond and saving elderly Sammy’s life together, Eleanor slowly begins to realize that things are not right. Her childhood memories begin to resurface and she needs to deal with that trauma to move on with her life. Recommended.

36alcottacre
Jan 20, 2020, 5:37 pm

>35 jayde1599: I already own that one. I just need to find where I put it!

37jayde1599
Jan 26, 2020, 7:35 am

Book 5: Slumdog Millionaire - Vikas Swarup

This one has been on my TBR shelf since 2011! Formerly published as Q&A, and then made into a movie. Teenage quiz show winner is arrested for cheating. A lawyer comes to his rescue and he explains how he won through a chain of interesting events in his childhood.

I have yet to see the movie, but reviews say it is good.

38humouress
Jan 28, 2020, 4:28 am

Happy new thread and happy New Year! It’s still the Chinese New Year holiday here, so that’s valid :0)

>37 jayde1599: I’ve only seen the film (I don’t think I even realised it was a book) but it’s good. Catchy theme song, too.

39jayde1599
Fév 2, 2020, 11:17 am

Hello and Happy New Year, Nina!
I think I will need to borrow the film from the library. I am not great at catching up on movies.

40jayde1599
Fév 2, 2020, 11:22 am

Book 6: The Lumberjanes - Noelle Stevenson

I thought that I would jump on the Lumberjanes bandwagon with the recent chatter on a few threads. My library had a copy of the first volume and it was decent! I liked the friendship and camp theme. I will need to see which volumes my library has copies and continue the series.

Book 7: My Father's Dragon - Ruth Stiles Gannett

I got a copy of this trilogy when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade and was quite fond of it. Now I am hoping to pass it along. I had read this book to my oldest when he was about 4 but he doesn't remember it. At 8, it is a great book that he can read independently, but he asked for it to be our bedtime story. He was definitely into this book, though it is a bit dated. We are now on to book two.

41jayde1599
Modifié : Fév 5, 2020, 5:45 pm

Book 8: The Library Book - Susan Orlean

While I saw chatter about this book on the threads last year, I only had an inkling about what the book was about when I picked it up from the library. I knew it had to do about libraries, and books, and maybe librarians....
I did like how Orlean wove together the history, true crime, and current events of the Los Angeles Central library. Coming from towns with only 1 library, it is hard to imagine a big city with over 20 branches and the operations needed to run such a machine! It makes me envy all of the options and community services a bigger library system can offer.
I also liked how she discussed how libraries are integral in the homelessness crisis. I saw this a little when I visited the main branch of the Portland, ME library.

42jayde1599
Fév 7, 2020, 11:34 am

Well the second snow (ice) day in a row has given me opportunity to make a dent in The Night Circus. I am really enjoying it so far.
Unfortunately we are at our 4th storm day so we will be in school until almost July!!

43jayde1599
Fév 12, 2020, 5:58 pm

Book 9:The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
I have had this on my wish list for ages - since it made the rounds on LT years ago. I really enjoyed this book - it was one that stuck with me days after.

Book 10:Elmer and the Dragon - Ruth Stiles Gannett
The second book in the series follows Elmer and the Dragon trying to make their way back home. They land on the island led by King Can XI who has a bad case of curiosity. Though dated, this book holds up for adventure for the juvenile crowd. After much reluctance to read it, my 8 year old is now enjoying the third book.

44jayde1599
Fév 12, 2020, 6:00 pm

Well the flu has hit my house! First the oldest, then the husband, and now the youngest. Fevers and headaches, and missing days of school!
Crossing my fingers that I remain unscathed!

45alcottacre
Fév 12, 2020, 7:13 pm

>37 jayde1599: My local library only has the film version of that one. I will have to watch it!

>40 jayde1599: Glad to see that Lumberjanes has another fan!

>43 jayde1599: I loved The Night Circus, but I think I enjoyed The Starless Sea just a little better.

>44 jayde1599: I hope the flu misses you!!

46ronincats
Fév 12, 2020, 10:01 pm

Sorry to hear about the flu--hope it misses you and that everyone recovers quickly.

47jayde1599
Fév 15, 2020, 7:57 am

Hi Stasia and Roni. Thank you for the well wishes. I think the little one is on the mend. Her fever is down and she even made it through the Valentines fun at school yesterday. She is just tired, a rare feeling for our “energizer bunny.”

>45 alcottacre:: I am on the waitlist for The Starless Sea at the library. Hopefully it will come to me soon!

48ChelleBearss
Fév 17, 2020, 8:47 am

Sorry to see you've all got the flu! Hope everyone feels better very fast!

49jayde1599
Fév 19, 2020, 6:04 pm

>48 ChelleBearss:: Thanks Chelle - we are all recovered! And I did not catch it!
We are on February break this week so I am hoping that they disinfect the classrooms at school. Every classroom had multiple students out. It was crazy - I have not seen it this bad before!

50PaulCranswick
Fév 19, 2020, 6:09 pm

Hope you all get better soon, Jess.

51jayde1599
Fév 19, 2020, 6:16 pm

Book Review Catch Up:

Book 11. Circe - Madeline Miller
I scooped this up at the library after reading all of the raves here on LT this past year. I was not sure if I would enjoy it because I have not really explored Mythology since I took classes on the subject years ago. However, this book surprised me and I was soon sucked into the story of Circe. I liked Miller's feminist take on her relationship with Odysseus and her exile.

Book 12 The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando 2020 - Seth Kubersky and
Book13. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2020 - Bob Sehlinger
Can you guess where we are headed for vacation in a few months? My sister makes fun of me, but I REALLY enjoy guide books!
Things have changed since the last time I was in Disney in 2005 and there is so much more pre-planning and advanced reservations needed. That part stresses me out because, what if we do not want to eat dinner at Crystal Palace at 5:20 on the day we visit the Magic Kingdom. I like a little more spontaneity with that part of my vacation, but unfortunately if you do not make dinner reservations - you are stuck with sub-par burgers or pizza.
I have also not been to Universal since I was 10 so that is going to be completely different. And we are all excited for Harry Potter World!

52alcottacre
Fév 19, 2020, 7:17 pm

>51 jayde1599: I still have not managed to read The Song of Achilles, let alone gotten to Circe. I really am going to have to remedy this situation :)

I hope you enjoy your vacation!

53jayde1599
Fév 20, 2020, 8:21 pm

>52 alcottacre:: I have now put The Song of Achilles on my wish list because I enjoyed Circe enough. I will get to it someday!
I just picked up The Starless Sea from the library and will begin that as soon as I finish Bob that I already had out. It is a juvenile fantasy book, so it should not take me too long!

54jayde1599
Modifié : Fév 20, 2020, 8:32 pm

Book 14: Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah

I read this for my RL book club, which seems to love Kristin Hannah books! My mom also has all of Hannah's works, so it has been nice to borrow and chat about books with her.
However, while I think Kristin Hannah is a great author, she is queen of depressing books IMO. Just when I think that the main character has hit rock bottom, or has been dealt many unfortunate, life altering events, she adds another blow.
For example in Winter Garden After all of the hardship that Anya/Vera dealt with in the war, and her post-war life, she finds the home of her love and he died just months before her arrival!! I mean, come on - give her a little break! And also, I know she had given up on life when she lost her family, but walking to the Front and giving herself to the Germans was not very plausible.
Winter Garden follows two sisters, Meredith and Nina as they attempt to find out more about their mother's past after their father passes away. This is not easy, as their mother has shut them out for most of their life. While I found Nina and Meredith a little flat, I really enjoyed mom Vera's back story of the Leningrad Siege.

Unless my book club reads another Kristin Hannah book, I may need a break for a while. Winter Garden followed The Nightingale and The Great Alone two other books that were very sad/depressing despite great writing.

55jayde1599
Modifié : Fév 22, 2020, 7:21 pm

Book 15: Bob- Wendy Maas

A children’s fantasy book about a little girl who returns to Australia not remembering her visit from five years before. She finds a creature named Bob who waited five years for her, and they set off to find where Bob came from.

56PaulCranswick
Fév 23, 2020, 8:39 pm

>54 jayde1599: The Queen of Depressing Books

That is a recommendation of sorts - I think, Jess!

57jayde1599
Mar 18, 2020, 11:08 am

March
16. The Dragons of Blueland - Ruth Stiles Gannett
This was O's bed time book - the last of the Dragons of Blueland trilogy. While it is a bit dated, it still has great adventure for beginner readers.

17. The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern
The much anticipated new book by Morgenstern. While the language is descriptive, I felt the plot was slow at times. While I definitely enjoyed this book, I think The Night Circus held my attention better.

18. The Sleeper and the Spindle - Neil Gaiman/Chris Riddell
An impulse graphic novel find at the library finds a mash up of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Enjoyable.

19. Friendship to the Max - Noelle Stevenson
20. A Terrible Plan - Noelle Stevenson
21. Out of Time - Noelle Stevenson
22. Band Together - Noelle Stevenson
23. Sink or Swim - Shannon Watters
24. A Birds Eye View - Shannon Watters
My library picked up books 2-7 at my request! This series is a nice distraction from everything that has been going on!

58jayde1599
Mar 18, 2020, 11:11 am

So my school is closed for the next two weeks - at least. The superintendent mentioned it could be longer. So now I am trying to figure out remote learning with my students and home-school my own children!! It has been an interesting balance. Packing up the remote learning packets on Monday was a very weird experience. Nothing I have ever seen before. It felt like the close of school for the summer but with such uncertainty. The school is now locked and no one is allowed to enter for the next 2 weeks!

59jayde1599
Mar 22, 2020, 5:14 pm

Book 25: Be Frank With Me - Julia Claiborne Johnson
This was for my real life book club. We were supposed to meet this week, but that is canceled. We may Zoom or Google Hangout a meeting - it won't be the same. We picked this because it sounded like a light read. Alice, a publisher's assistant goes to Los Angelas to help a bankrupt famous writer with whatever she needs to get her latest book written. Alice becomes, cook, housekeeper, and nanny to 9 year old Frank - who dresses like a 1930's actor. Frank is a quirky child, who soon wins over Alice. It was okay - I just felt the plot didn't go anywhere.

Book 26: The Reason I Jump - Naoki Higashida
I was going to wait until April to read this book, written by a 13 year old boy with Autism. However, I needed a light read. As a special education teacher, who works with an ASD population, I had a great appreciation for this book. I could see many of my students in Naoki's descriptions.

60jayde1599
Mar 25, 2020, 4:15 pm

Book 27: Girl in Translation - Jean Kwok
This was a great read about an 11 year old who came to the US from Hong Kong and strived to make a better life for herself and her mother.

61humouress
Mar 28, 2020, 5:40 am

Just dropping by Jess. I hope you get to go on holiday or they honour your bookings if stay at home orders are still in place.

62jayde1599
Mar 29, 2020, 9:21 am

Unfortunately, we had to cancel our Disney/Universal trip for April. While Universal is supposedly going to re-open 4/19 (our first day there), there is just too much chance and unknown. We are trying to figure out when we will be able to go again. We are tossing around summer (sooo hot) and Thanksgiving break (crowded). Who knows...

63jayde1599
Mar 29, 2020, 9:23 am

Book 28:The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve
Eh - this one was okay. It has been on my TBR shelf for a long time. It was slow going and a little dated - I do not know much about the IRA and fighting, though I do remember it from when I was in school. I probably will not read the rest of the quartet.

64jayde1599
Mar 30, 2020, 2:42 pm

Book 29: O Pioneers - Willa Cather
I enjoyed this book about life on the frontier. Cather is a descriptive writer and there reader can feel how difficult the time period was.

65LibraryLover23
Mar 31, 2020, 3:52 pm

>64 jayde1599: I love Cather's writing, she's one of my favorites. Sorry to hear you had to cancel your trip plans. It's terrible how uncertain everything is right now.

66PaulCranswick
Avr 5, 2020, 8:48 am

Have a lovely, peaceful, safe and healthy weekend, Jess.

67jayde1599
Avr 6, 2020, 2:00 pm

Hi Paul

We did have a nice weekend. The sun finally came out. We are feeling cooped up but are trying to make the most of it!

68jayde1599
Avr 6, 2020, 2:31 pm

Book 30: Mortal Engines - Philip Reeve

I bought this for my husband over a year ago because he wanted to see the movie. I read it first!
I did not think that I would enjoy this because I am picky about the dystopia that I read. However, I really enjoyed this book. It is set in the future, where cities roll around the Earth, gobbling upper lesser cities and towns. Londoner, Tom gets thrown into the outer world with Hester Shaw and begins to realize that maybe what he has been told may not be true.

69PaulCranswick
Avr 12, 2020, 7:48 am



I wanted my message this year to be fairly universal in a time we all should be pulling together, whatever our beliefs. Happy Celebration, Happy Sunday, Jess.

70jayde1599
Avr 13, 2020, 8:33 am

>69 PaulCranswick:: Thank you, Paul. It was a nice, relaxing day spent watching the littles with their Easter gifts and sitting outside by the fire.

71jayde1599
Avr 13, 2020, 8:39 am

Book 31: The Last Full Measure - Jeff Shaara

I have a few Civil War books sitting on the TBR shelves, so I started with this one. I don't think it is as good as Killer Angels, which I read about 10 years ago. Maybe because I am more familiar with the battle of Gettysburg than the later battles of the war. It was an interesting reading about General Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
DH and I spent a week around DC, Gettysburg, and the surrounding battlefield National Monuments some years ago. We toured Arlington House, Antietam, Monacacy, Gettysburg, and a few others. I would like to go back when the kids are older and touch upon the monuments further south and west that we did not go to.

Currently Reading The Colors of Courage by Margaret Creighton. This book looks more at the German Immigrants fighting for the Union, Women, and African Americans who helped in the battle of Gettysburg. After a slow start, it is picking up and becoming an interesting read.

72jayde1599
Avr 15, 2020, 10:05 am

Book 32: The Colors of Courage - Margaret S. Creighton

This book explores the battle of Gettysburg from the view of German immigrants fighting for the Union, women, and African Americans. The introduction and beginning were slow to get into, but once the author began to explore personal accounts of the minorities in battle it got better.

73jayde1599
Avr 16, 2020, 1:59 pm



I saw this photo on facebook and got a kick out of it. These librarians were very creative!

74ronincats
Avr 18, 2020, 9:59 pm

How is the distance teaching going? This is so hard for many special education students, isn't it? Stay safe!

75jayde1599
Avr 20, 2020, 4:52 pm

>74 ronincats:: Hi Roni! Distance Learning is going ok. It has been very difficult for the families that I work with, as their children have some complex needs. However, we have said just try your best! Our school opted for Choice Boards - where we gave a menu of learning activities for each subject and asked that students do a number of choices each day. At the point before April Break we were just maintaining skills. Now going forward, we are going to try to advance learning - as best we can. We are a grades K-2 school - so students still need a level of parental support. Students will receive new choice boards each week until June. They are trying to push up our end date because the state is waiving the number of required days of school.

Trying to balance my online teaching and spending soo much time in front of the computer, as well as home-schooling my own two kids has been more exhausting than being in the classroom!

76jayde1599
Avr 20, 2020, 5:05 pm

Book 33: The Civil War: Strange and Fascinating Facts - Burke Davis
My husband had this book on his shelves that he gave me to read while I was on a Civil War kick. The book is a bit dated (early 1980's) and while there were some interesting facts - much of the details about naval skirmishes bored me. Those were not the facts I was interested in reading. I did learn much about how the Civil War turned modern warfare.

Book 34 Predator's Gold - Philip Reeve
Now that I am over all of my Civil War books that I had on the TBR shelves - it is time to get into the Mortal Engines series. After reading Mortal Engines earlier this year, I bought the box set. Now I have 7 more books to get through! Predator's Gold takes place two years after Mortal Engine's ends. Hester and Tom are together and join up on the traction city of Anchorage. However, there is no peace for the couple and after a rift, Hester sets into motion a plan that will change her life. While Reeve has developed an amazing world, his character development falls a little flat.

Book35 Infernal Devices - Philip Reeve
The third book in the series takes place 16 years later. Again - super engaging plot and amazing world building, but the characters and their behavior just made me upset. Although the character's were frustrating, the series is still entertaining enough to continue on.

77jayde1599
Avr 22, 2020, 5:59 pm

Taking Amber’s cue and going through a board game per day with the kiddos. They are both at different ages so we are dividing the game days up for Miss A (4 years) and Mr. O (8).

Today O and I played Shut the Box. It is a great numbers/math game. It can be quick or long depending on how many rounds you want to go. We played until O won.

I am not sure what A will choose - she has been on a Don’t Break the Ice kick. It drives me bonkers that there is more work to set it up than to actually play!!

78jayde1599
Avr 23, 2020, 9:38 am

Book 36. A Darkling Plain - Philip Reeve
The last book in the Mortal Engines Quartet wrapped up the storylines nicely. Characters whose behaviors in previous books were unimaginable redeemed themselves in this book (looking at Hester Shaw). I think this was the perfect ending. Now on to the prequels....

79jayde1599
Avr 24, 2020, 8:30 am

Book 37. Night Flights - Philip Reeve

This was a book of three short stories with Mortal Engines character Anna Fang as the lead. Good companion book.

80PaulCranswick
Avr 25, 2020, 1:01 am

>77 jayde1599: I wanted to try a variation on that theme and asked my daughter Belle to help me with a 1000 piece jigsaw of Venice. She looked at me as if I was from Alpha Centauri!

Have a peaceful and relaxing weekend, Jess.

81jayde1599
Avr 25, 2020, 8:52 am

Hi Paul!

I completed a 500 piece puzzle earlier this year with O. He complained through most of it and I ended up doing most of it solo. I think A will be good at puzzles when she is older. She likes the kid versions - but has the attention span of a 4 year old so we do things in short spurts. I need to get one of those puzzle keeper things you can roll up that saves the puzzle until it is finished because we do t have the surface space to leave one out with A bouncing around.

O and I played Tenzi the other day. I liked it but he was upset that I was winning. You need to be able to scan 10 die and keep rolling until they all have the same number of pips. He just was not able to scan and roll fast enough.

Miss A chose to have a Halloween party yesterday. We broke out a few decorations and used face paint to enhance a Troll costume. We then watched a “scary” movie - Pinocchio!
She now wants to have a Christmas party... We may Cycle through all of the major holidays this month in quarantine.

82PaulCranswick
Avr 25, 2020, 9:03 am

>81 jayde1599: Sounds like a hoot at your place, Jess!

83jayde1599
Modifié : Avr 27, 2020, 12:28 pm

>82 PaulCranswick:: We are trying to make things fun - especially since we had to cancel our vacation to Disney World that should have been last week.
Last night was a stay at home hibachi. Messy but yummy and a fun experience.

84jayde1599
Modifié : Avr 27, 2020, 1:11 pm

Book 38 Fever Crumb - Philip Reeve

The First book in the Mortal Engines prequel began slowly. Set thousands of years before Mortal Engines, London has just rid itself of mutant humans, the Scrivens. It is still a static city and in disarray. Fever Crumb is a thirteen year old girl who is a member of the Order of Engineers - thus devoid of emotions or anything that is not practical. She is summoned by an archeologist, Kit Solent. As London is about to be invaded by a moving kingdom, Fever needs to figure out who she is and what her future will hold.
This is the beginning of the origin story for Stalker Grike.

85jayde1599
Mai 5, 2020, 12:56 pm

Book 39 A Web of Air - Philip Reeve

Book 40 Scrivener's Moon - Philip Reeve

These are the last 2 books in the Fever Crumb trilogy which are the prequels to Mortal Engines. While I did not enjoy these as much as the Mortal Engines quartet, they still make decent steampunk reads. I just feel that Fever is just not a likable character and seems to ruin things that she comes across. I am finally done the Philip Reeve box set.

86jayde1599
Modifié : Mai 7, 2020, 8:56 pm



I was a little bored so I rearranged the books on my TBR shelves to be read by date obtained. The earliest books that I have recorded are from 2009, so I am going to give those a go.There are a couple of big chunksters in there. We will see how this goes. I am currently reading Ex Libris by Ross King. The reviews on LT and Good Reads are not that great, but so far I am enjoying it. 1600's England is not typically my go to era to read, so I am hoping that it sustains my attention.

87PaulCranswick
Mai 10, 2020, 1:01 pm

88jayde1599
Mai 10, 2020, 1:41 pm

>87 PaulCranswick:. Thank You Paul!

It was a nice day indeed. Breakfast in bed - a la Berenstain Bears style. Empanandas from our favorite cafe. And lots of reading time. It was too chilly to hang outside but we worked in the yard a bit.

89humouress
Mai 10, 2020, 3:50 pm

I'm glad you're hanging in there. My kids can't wait to go back to school, for once! Whenever that may be.

I'm planning on doing a jigsaw and I'd also like to play some board games while the boys are at home but I'm trying to get through some other projects first. Some of those involve the boys; we had a photo pixelised so we could put together a mosaic as a gift for my parents and it's almost finished except for a couple of squares that I would like the kids to do (since I did most of the rest of it) and there's a large Diamond Dotz picture that my youngest absolutely had to have and we really should finish it before it gets too dusty to stick. :0)

I see you have some of Irene Radford's books in your pile; let me know what you think.

90jayde1599
Mai 11, 2020, 9:14 am

Hi Nina

I hope you had a nice Mother's Day as well. My kid's can't wait to go back to school too, but it will not be happening this school year. We will officially be done on June 5th - but it is distance learning until then.

How are those Diamond Dotz pictures?

I am a little hesitant to begin the Radford books because the reviews do not look that great. I had picked them up at a library sale last year but they have been sitting on the shelves since.

91jayde1599
Modifié : Mai 11, 2020, 9:22 am

Book 41 Ex Libris - Ross King. *Touchtones not working this morning

This book sat on my TBR shelves for years. The book itself did not have great reviews on LT or Goodreads. However, it was a good story - although maybe a hundred pages too long. Set in 1660 Europe, it follows a book seller Isaac Inchbold as he is called to find a rare book. There is a parallel story set years earlier. There are a lot of references to writings from Constantinople and other obscure works that I had to Google to understand. I found it interesting how important text was at the time and how the religious conflicts between Protestant and Catholic really stifled the academic knowledge that the world was on the brink of exposing. Galileo was mentioned frequently in this book. This is not really a time period that I am super familiar with so I was worried that it would not hold my attention. However that was not true. Good book.

92jayde1599
Mai 18, 2020, 9:37 am

Book 42 Love Thy Neighbor - Peter Maass

This book had been sitting on my TBR shelf the longest - since 2009! I can not remember where I picked it up but I think I recall someone gave it to me to read.

This book is about the war in Bosnia. I was 12-15 years old during this war, so I recall hearing about it on the news and such, but did not really understand the scope of the war.
Peter Maass does a great job of explaining how the war got started. He is not impartial and favors the Bosnian side (rightly so). It is difficult to comprehend how genocide happens in the modern world, and that Yugoslavia and Bosnia were multinational countries up until the war. That Muslims in Bosnia thought of themselves as Bosnians first. Although this happened almost 30 years ago, I see many parallels in the world today. Leaders turning blind eyes towards atrocities, ignoring facts from the media (Fake News), etc.
Although not the easiest book to read during a pandemic, I found this informative and it hame searching more about the Bosnian war to fill in the gaps.

93jayde1599
Mai 20, 2020, 9:03 am

Book 43 Henry V - William Shakespeare

This just reconfirms to me that I am not a Shakespeare fan (hides head). I just can not get into it. I attempted this because it was next on the TBR shelf - added in May 2009, from my husband's recommendation.

94PaulCranswick
Mai 24, 2020, 7:53 pm

I am celebrating the end of Ramadan, Jess, a time of thanks and forgiveness and I want to say my thanks to all my LT friends for helping keep me somewhat sane these last few years.

95humouress
Mai 27, 2020, 1:44 pm

>90 jayde1599: Hah! I seem to be doing most of the Diamond Dotz and my son occasionally joins in as a favour to me.

I suspect some of those reviews on the Radford books are mine *ducks head guiltily*

I must say, it's very disciplined of you to keep working at your TBR pile. I tend to get distracted and mine grows instead. It's getting dangerous to walk past my bedside table; it's a good thing it's on the side furthest from the door.

96jayde1599
Mai 28, 2020, 1:10 pm

>94 PaulCranswick:. Happy Ramandan, Paul. LT has been a nice escape from RL and the people in the 75 group have been a welcoming and friendly bunch!

>95 humouress:. I did see your reviews, Nina! Part of the reason that I have not jumped to them! It has helped that the library has been closed the last 3 months. I am trying not to buy new books until I can attempt to get through some of these ones that have been here 11 years! I am stalling on my current one The Geographer's Library - I have made it far enough that I don't want to Pearl rule it yet, and it has an interesting concept but the execution has not been the easiest to get through. That and I have been swamped in meetings and school work and my own kids work. One more week of that and I should be more free to read.

97humouress
Mai 28, 2020, 4:17 pm

>96 jayde1599: Oops. I was planning on comparing notes to see if I was justified or if I'd just had a bad reading day.

One of my kids (the 11 year old) goes back on Monday so I'll have to start school pick-ups again, which will cut into my reading time. (They go to the same school but they're staggering which years are in school at one time so my 16 year old will have another couple of weeks of home learning.)

98jayde1599
Mai 31, 2020, 6:10 pm

>97 humouress:: That is a good idea to stagger school times. I am on a committee at school to brainstorm options for our fall return. We have three choices: 1. Back to the New Normal following CDC guidelines. 2. Hybrid Model (some distance learning/some in-person learning and 3. Continue and upgrade Distance Learning
I am on the Hybrid Model - which has been somewhat of a challenge to plan out. It will be interesting to see what the CDC and Governor/ DOE suggest for re-opening schools. Right now many of the guidelines seem difficult for young learners - such as wearing masks all day, limited play time, no cafeteria, small cohorts... I am not sure what to make of it!

Book 44 The Geographer's Library - Jon Fasman

This one has been on the TBR shelf since June 2009. I think I picked it up at a Bargain store. This is a book that suffered from a Great idea, but Poor execution. The premise of the book is that in the 1100's 15 artifacts were stolen from a Geographer's Library - all relating to Alchemy. Back in the present, a young college grad working at a small town paper begins to explore the death of an old college professor from Estonia. The book toggles back and forth between the two plot lines -- but not in a great way. The present day story was interesting enough where I did not give up on the book - but it took too long to get through. Now I understand why it was at the Bargain Store!

99jayde1599
Juin 3, 2020, 4:35 pm

I have The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes on deck, but it has been a crazy week trying to wrap up the last of Distance Learning. I am hoping things settle down next week and I can get some reading in.

My youngest is going to an Eco Camp 2 days/week. She is excited. Her brother went there for camp and Pre-K a few years back. It was a tough decision but we needed to weigh her Social-Emotional well-being with that of COVID. She is a social butterfly who has suffered from DL. The camp has a nice outline of safety measures put in place where we feel comfortable that this is a good choice for her.

Her introvert brother is fine staying home with some socially distanced play-dates with pals. The rec camp he has attended the last few years is not doing field trips this year and is just staying on site with 50 kids. He was not psyched about that and we figured there are families who need the spot for child care more than we do. The outdoor camp we were going to send him to is not opening this summer. So he has Camp Mom.

100PaulCranswick
Juin 7, 2020, 10:20 pm

>99 jayde1599: Haven't heard of that one, Jess, but it seems somehow suitable for the present.

101jayde1599
Juin 10, 2020, 11:47 am

>100 PaulCranswick:: Hi Paul! TBoSaS is the new Hunger Games prequel.

Book 45:The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins
This is a prequel to the series that gives the backstory to President Snow. It takes place 10 years after the war and the start of the Hunger Games. The Snow family dynasty has fallen. Corialanus Snow needs to be driven to pass the Academy and get into University. The reader can see how Snow began to unravel and became the tyrant he is in the Hunger Games.

Book 46 Bone: Out of Boneville - Jeff Smith
This is the beginning of the Bone graphic novels. I have been meaning to read this for years and finally am getting around to it after a found book 1 at a bookstore going to business sale.

102Whisper1
Juin 10, 2020, 12:13 pm

Hi Jess. I apologize for my lack of visiting your thread. Time is spent working on projects and hiring people to help me. Fortunately, I was able to obtain a home equity loan at a 2 percent interest rate! This allows me to have new carpeting installed, the outside deck painted, and I paid off a few high interest credit cards. It feels empowering to make these changes.

Good luck to your daughter and camp. I also am an extrovert, and the three-month necessary quarantine was doable because of books and lots of reading. I hope all is well with you.

I vow to get back to posting as I've been MIA for a long time.

103jayde1599
Juin 10, 2020, 1:56 pm

>102 Whisper1:: Hi Linda! I am glad to "see" you around here! I have been lurking, but not posting much. I am glad you are able to get a lot of projects done and paying off some cards! That must feel great. We have started many home projects here and are slowly DIYing finishing our basement to give the kids extra rec space, and some landscaping projects.
Sometimes I wish we are not going the DIY route and can just "call the guy" so it is done faster, but my husband is feeling accomplished at framing the basement himself. The guy will come for the dry wall and electric, I think. I just wish things could be quicker.

The kids and I made a fairy garden and a teepee to grow morning glories/string beans. I am hoping the teepee works out.
We also ordered an above ground pool and have had to clear some trees and level land. It was supposed to be delivered today but I just got an email that it is backordered! So disappointing

104jayde1599
Juin 11, 2020, 12:27 pm

Today the youngest and I made Thunder Cake from the book Thunder Cake - by Patricia Polacco.
Although the thunder has not started yet, it is a wet and rainy day. We are waiting for the cake to cool and then we will frost it. The secret ingredient is tomato puree - so I am a little skeptical of this cake.

105humouress
Juin 20, 2020, 10:34 am

The kids, having complained about home learning, complained about campus when they first went back. They didn’t have the stamina to climb the stairs or last the whole school day without a nap (!) but they’re getting back into groove slowly. They’ve had to wear mask in school except for P.E. lessons but they did get to go out for breaks; naturally my boys played things like tag and football (soccer). 8-O

Singapore has eased some restrictions as of this week so when they go back for the next term it’ll be back to normal schedule - but with social distancing. I wonder how they’ll manage that?

106PaulCranswick
Juin 28, 2020, 2:50 pm

Soccer has started back in the UK and my club is closing in on promotion back to the Premier League after 16 years but playing to empty stadiums. I little bit bizarre actually.

107jayde1599
Juil 2, 2020, 12:14 pm

Hello Nina & Paul

>105 humouress:: How did your boys tolerate wearing masks to school? That is on the table right now. I am not sure how that will work with the younger students and my students in special education...

They have canceled all of our youth sports. My son was disappointed in missing baseball and flag football.

Maine was doing well with a low number of cases. We have recently spiked up again - but still relatively low compared with the rest of the US. Summer tourist season has made an impact - even though the state has a quarantine rule for tourists. I do not think many are following that guideline.

108jayde1599
Modifié : Juil 2, 2020, 12:44 pm

I have been MIA again - so here is a brief over view of the books I have read

Book 47 - The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Abbi Waxman-- I am not really into rom-com but this was on my GR wishlist from some friends. I really enjoyed this book! Witty and fun.

Book 48- Things You Save in a Fire - Katherine Center -- Another GR wishlist - this one was not bad. I like the lead female firefighter.

Book 49- Monster - Walter Dean Myers -- I had already read this book years ago and gave it 3 stars. Reading it again now during the Black Lives Matter was added a greater understanding and meaning.

Book 50- Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan -- Another fun rom-com. I guess that is what I am in the mood for lately during these stressful times. I watched the movie afterwards and did not like how they changed things from the book.

Book 51- Bone: The Great Cow Race - Jeff Smith -- This is a fun graphic novel. Trying to read through the series

Book 52- Relic - Douglas Preston -- I have had three of the Preston/Child books on my shelves forever, but I needed to get the first one from the library. They finally had a brand new copy. I have issues with dirty, smelly library books...

Book 53- Pumpkinheads - Rainbow Rowell -- I picked this up from a local bookstore that is going out of business, after all of the love here in the 75er group.

Book 54- The Dam Keeper Return from the Shadows - Robert Kondo -- I picked this up from the library because the illustrations were amazing - not realizing that it is book 3 in the series. I was a little confused at first, but now I need to hunt down the first two graphic novels.

Book 55- Your Students, My Students, Our Students - Lee Ann Jung -- I began this book months ago when distance learning began as my "Professional Development" read. Seeing that sped paperwork kept me more busy than reading PD books, I am just getting around to finishing it.

Book 56- Bone: Eyes of the Storm - Jeff Smith -- Continuing this graphic novel. Like Rom-coms, GNs seem to be keeping my attention better than lengthier books that require more brain power.

109jayde1599
Juil 2, 2020, 12:55 pm



Thought I would add a photo to brighten up this thread. We went camping right on the ocean this past weekend. The first day was fantastic. That night it downpoured and had thunder/lightning. Waking up to a puddle in our tent after being up all night with the lightning was enough for me. We packed up early. It is not that bad because the campground is only about 40 minutes from home so we can make another go at it.

110PaulCranswick
Juil 4, 2020, 11:28 pm

In this difficult year with an unprecedented pandemic and where the ills of the past intrude sadly upon the present there must still be room for positivity. Be rightly proud of your country. To all my American friends, enjoy your 4th of July weekend.

111jayde1599
Juil 9, 2020, 3:27 pm

>110 PaulCranswick:: Thank you for stopping by, Paul. We had a good, low-key 4th of July with a Maine Lobster bake that included steamers and corn on the cob, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

112jayde1599
Juil 9, 2020, 3:35 pm

Book 57 Beach Read - Emily Henry
I read this for my book club who wanted something light to read. This is supposed to be a Rom-Com, but I just could not connect with the characters - especially the protagonist who I found whiny.

Book 58 China Rich Girlfriend- Kevin Kwan
Now here is a rom-com book series that I am thoroughly enjoying! I find Kwan's writing funny, and engaging. I am being sucked into the life of the ultra rich Asian circle that I had no idea existed. It is like reading a gossip magazine, but better.

Book 59 Rhett Butler’s People - Donald McCaig
I have had this one on my TBR shelf FOREVER. It starts out slow and kind of drags and with the BLM movement, seems kind of scandalous reading about Antebellum in the South. I enjoyed Gone With the Wind and Scarlett, and this one does pick up towards the end, but did not grab me.

Book 60 Bone: The Dragonslayer - Jeff Smith
Book 61 Bone: Rock Jaw - Jeff Smith
Along with the Crazy Rich Asians, I have been sucked into the Bone graphic novels. I am not sure what took me so long to get into this series, but I like it - and right now mindless reading is what I need.

113jayde1599
Juil 15, 2020, 12:18 pm

Book 62. Less - Andrew Sean Greer

I am attempting to read more Pulitzer winners. I borrowed this from the library since The Overstory is checked out and has a wait. This one just did not grab me and I am not sure why. I did not care for the writing, but I did enjoy the premise of the story. There were some good quotes about life and love that caught my attention, but overall this one was a meh for me.

114PaulCranswick
Juil 15, 2020, 12:26 pm

>113 jayde1599: I have that one on the shelves, Jess, but it isn't really calling to me much. Your review won't help a jot!

115jayde1599
Juil 20, 2020, 12:29 pm

Book 63: They Called Us Enemy - George Takei
I have enjoyed expanding my graphic novel reading this year. This one was a great look into the Japanese interment camps during WWII. This is one part of WWII that I am less familiar.

Book 64: A Visit From the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
Continuing on with the Pulitzer list - not sure if this one was quite up my alley either. The writing was well, but the characters were unlikable and I did not like how the story jumped around. I did like the chapter done in Power Point though!

116jayde1599
Juil 20, 2020, 12:31 pm

>114 PaulCranswick:: Hi Paul! I seem to be striking out on the Pulitzer winners lately. A Visit From he Goon Squad was not my cuppa tea either. Oh well -- I have three more Pulitzers out from the library. I will see if I can get into them within the next few weeks.

117jayde1599
Août 3, 2020, 4:03 pm

65. All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
~ Another Pulitzer - I definitely liked this one. My only qualm was how the author jumped around in the timeline, which made it a little difficult to follow. This story would have worked with a linear time line just as well.

66. Through the Eyes of Hope - Lacey Buchannan
~ A memoir following a viral youtube video that Lacey posted about her son, who was born blind and with a significant cleft.
Really nice insight.

67. Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In - Phuc Tran
This was a great memoir following Tran's life as an immigrant from the Vietnam in the 1970's, and moving to a small town in PA. He linked his experiences to literary works. Highly recommended

118ronincats
Août 11, 2020, 9:08 pm

Glad to see that some reading is getting done. I'm guessing that summer camp went okay with your daughter.

119jayde1599
Août 16, 2020, 1:48 pm

>118 ronincats:: Hello, Roni! It has been a good reading year.
Summer camp went really well with for my daughter. She loved it and was outside most of the day. Luckily, Maine has had fairly low numbers with COVID and we have felt fairly safe sending her. The "Going-back-to school plan" is a childcare nightmare though! Even though our state is green, our district is using a Hybrid model (2 days in person, 2 days remote, 1 cleaning day) as the building can not maintain she distance for all students to go every day. Since I work with the special education population, I am required to be in school all 4 days. I am thankful that my husband will be able to help out with DL and that her camp is offering to have Kindergarten and 1st graders go the days that they are not in school.
Unfortunately, this is going to impact many families.

120jayde1599
Août 16, 2020, 6:27 pm

68. March - Geraldine Brooks
Finally - a Pulitzer that I actually enjoyed! I do not know what I was expecting when I picked this up without reading the dust jacket, but not about the patriarch of the Little Women. I read Little Women as a preteen and while I enjoyed it, I was not enamored with it. I did like this take on Mr. March and the Civil War.

69. Bone: Ghost Circles - Jeff Smith
70. Bone: Treasure Hunters - Jeff Smith
71: Bone: Crown of Horns - Jeff Smith
Finishing up the Bone graphic novels - this series was entertaining, but the ending was a bit anticlimactic.

72. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
What a fantastic book! There have been many reviews on this, so I will not rehash the book, but with BLM this book resonates with me. As a white woman living in Maine and having grown up in the suburbs of MA, I have very limited experience with racial inequality. My BIL is from Brazil, but is very dark skinned - as are his children. We took my nephew camping this past week in Northern Maine and there were times he said he felt awkward because he was the darkest skinned person at the campground. He felt that people thought he may be adopted and not related to us. Racial tension is something that he will/may experience where my son will not - and this is something I think about as the two are very close.

121jayde1599
Sep 6, 2020, 8:33 am

Back to school time means I tend to disappear in real life. I have read quite a few more books this month that I will add soon. We are trying to soak up what remains of summer!

122jayde1599
Sep 30, 2020, 8:10 am

I have a minute to catch up!

73. Disney's Land - Richard Snow
- An Okay history of Disney World/Land and how it came to be.

74. The Dutch House - Ann Patchett
I found this book strange and not quite sure what the point of morning the house.

75. Turtles All the Way Down - John Green
I enjoyed this YA book that covers mental illness.

76. Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Maria Semple
A quirky story of a mother and daughter.

77. The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate - audio
We listened to this as a family on a long car ride before watching the Disney + movie. I liked the book better! (of course).

78. Reliquary - Douglas Preston
I am enjoying these medical/historical thrillers by the Preston/Childs team.

September
79. The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan
I began this last year and stalled. I picked it up this summer and was intrigued by the research that Pollan did on factory farms versus small, local farms.

80. Agents of Shield: The Coulson Protocols - Marc Guggenheim
81. Agents of Shield: Under New Management - Marc Guggenheim
Comic that are related to the TV series. Not bad - and I liked the tie-ins with Marvel Movie characters.

82. Street Gang - Michael Davis
I have had this on my TBR pile for 11 years!! And it should have stayed there (I was warned in 2011 by a member of the 75ers). The author goes in to too much detail - great grandparents of some of the founders. The interesting section that covers the characters is not until the 2nd half of the book.

83. Agents of Shield: A Man Called D.E.A.T.H - Mark Waid

84. Alanna - Tamora Pierce - This is the first time that I have read this middle grade fantasy series with the protagonist a female. Albeit one who dresses up as a boy to become a knight, but not a bad start.

123jayde1599
Modifié : Oct 23, 2020, 6:27 am

A quick summary of my reading. Now that the crazy school year has begun, my reading has been leaning more towards graphic novels and YA fantasy - easy reads that I can get lost - in my attempt to relax at night.
I am also slowly going through The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus that I have had in my TBR shelves for years. The dialect is a bit hard for me to follow, but for the most part the stories make sense.

124drneutron
Sep 30, 2020, 6:35 pm

Congrats on blowing way past the goal!

125FAMeulstee
Oct 2, 2020, 3:57 pm

>122 jayde1599: Congratulations on reaching 75 in August, Jess!

126jayde1599
Oct 14, 2020, 3:35 pm

Thank you Jim & Anita! With COVID preventing much of our summer travel and schools closing in spring, I have had more reading time! I am hoping to hit 100 this year! Granted, I am mostly reading graphic novels and YA since school started last month. I think it counts though

127jayde1599
Oct 14, 2020, 3:38 pm

85. In The Hand of the Goddess - Tamora Pierce
86. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - Tamora Pierce
87. Lioness Rampant - Tamora Pierce
While I thought Alanna was a good YA fantasy novel that was different from the more modern ones out there, I thought the rest of the series was so-so. I have more books by Pierce that I may try soon.

88. The Good Neighbors: Kin - Holly Black
This graphic novel caught my eye at the library. I have enjoyed Black's novels, and this one was just as good. It appears that my library is missing book 2 but has book 3. I will have to try to find book 2 somewhere!

128jayde1599
Oct 23, 2020, 6:27 am

89. Shield: Perfect Bullets - another AoS graphic novel. This one aligned with the show a bit more closely.

90. Out of the Easy ~ Ruta Sepetys

91. The Fountains of Silence ~ Ruta Sepetys

I really enjoyed both Sepetys novels. She is a fantastic historical fiction/YA author. She describes herself as a transitional author bridging YA and adult novels. I can see that because the themes of her books are intense, the writing is brings you there, but she stays in a “safe” zone. Nothing is too graphic, even though the innuendo is there.

129jayde1599
Oct 27, 2020, 10:54 am

92. Fables: Homeland - Bill
I had begun reading the Fables graphic novels years ago. I think it has been too big of a gap in time because I had difficulty remembering what had happened in the first 5 books.

130jayde1599
Nov 2, 2020, 5:23 pm

93. A Great and Godly Adventure - Godfrey Hodgson

A non-fiction book about the Puritans and the myth of the first Thanksgiving. I thought that this would be dry and boring -- but surprisingly it was not!! There is a lot of information about pre-colonial America, Native Americans, and reformation in England. However, it is not a slog and I found it quite interesting.
Not bad considering that I really have the attention for graphic novels and YA fiction at the moment.

131humouress
Nov 4, 2020, 1:32 am

Hi Jess! I've been a bit desultory in my presence around the threads recently. Belated congratulations on your 75!

>107 jayde1599: I'm sure you've found out already about mask wearing. My kids still have to wear masks to school although I get the impression their school mates are getting more slack about keeping to the rule. I know my youngest has his nose outside his mask when I pick them up in the afternoons - I'm guessing/ hoping he wears it properly in school itself. Myself, I'm getting used to having the mask on when I'm out in public, enough so I can almost forget it's on - initially looking down to step onto escalators or dig around in my handbag was a nuisance because I couldn't see past the mask but I seem to have overcome that now. Touch wood. Sports are back on with limited numbers. My sons play football (soccer) but only 5 players are allowed and they have to take the usual precautions getting to and from the field.

I read Crazy, Rich Asians a while back before the film came out - but I haven't managed to watch that yet. Much like rich, crazy people the world over it bears no relation to day to day life in Singapore but it tickled me the way the grandmother's house was located in the book. I've been up that road (behind the Botanic Gardens) and it did used to have the dilapidated gate posts leading to nowhere. I drove up there the other day and it's now the coach entrance for the Gardens.

I remember reading the Alanna books and enjoying them, but I was closer to the target age then.

132jayde1599
Nov 4, 2020, 8:17 am

Hi Nina! I have mostly been lurking the threads on my phone at night. I don't spend too much fun time on my laptop because I have been on it most of the day for work. Our school was recently closed for 2 weeks due to a COVID outbreak. 4 cases in our school and the CDC said that was enough to shut down. I appreciate the safety measures, but remote learning is difficult for my students.

I love that you got to drive down the Botanic Garden roads. That personal connection is always fun to read in books!

I may have been too old to appreciate the Alanna books - I bet I would have really enjoyed them if I read them when I was younger. I have two more series by Pierce on my TBR shelves that I hope to get too soon.

133jayde1599
Nov 10, 2020, 10:06 am

94. The Good Neighbors #2: Kith - Holly Black
95. The Good Neighbors #3: Kind - Holly Black

96. Lumberjanes 8: Stone Cold - Shannon Watters
97. Lumberjanes Volume 9 - Kat Leyh
98. Lumberjanes Volume 10 - Kat Leyh

Since we are back to remote learning for 2 weeks because of a COVID outbreak at school, time and attention for anything greater than a graphic novel has been difficult.

I started reading Flint and Silver back in October and after a slow start, I am beginning to really enjoy it. It is a prequel to Treasure Island written by John Drake - who was definitely a fan of TI. Although the content is gritty - Pirates - it is a well thought out novel that gives homage to the original. I read TI as a kid and probably need to go back for a re-read after this to jog my memory of it.

134jayde1599
Nov 12, 2020, 10:32 am

99. Flint and Silver - John Drake
It started off slow and I almost gave up but then it picked up to be a great adventure book. See comments above.

100. Boy Roald Dahl
I do love Dahl's works and have read most of them. We have begun to introduce them to my children - We read BFG with my son a few years ago. We will soon read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory although they are afraid of the Oompa Loompas in the movies!

This has been my first time reaching 100 books since I began recording in my reading log! I thank the extra time at home this year for that

135PaulCranswick
Nov 14, 2020, 11:15 pm

Congratulations for reaching 100 books for the first time, Jess!

I usually do make the number but failed to do so in 2018 and 2019 for the first time (officially my doldrum years!) and am pleased to have reversed that trend this year too.

I don't know how I managed to somehow miss your thread for the last couple of months - not intentionally I can assure you.

Have a lovely weekend in autumnal Maine.

136humouress
Nov 15, 2020, 6:00 am

Congratulations on your century!

137jayde1599
Nov 15, 2020, 8:18 pm

Thanks Paul and Nina. I do t think I would have made it to 100 without the stack of graphic novels this year. But once school started back up it was more difficult to focus on text.

138PaulCranswick
Nov 26, 2020, 10:42 pm



This Brit wishes to express his thanks for the warmth and friendship that has helped sustain him in this group, Jess.

139jayde1599
Nov 30, 2020, 3:38 pm

Thank you, Paul!

140jayde1599
Nov 30, 2020, 3:43 pm

101. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek - Kim Michele Richardson
This book has made the rounds on LT and GR and I thought I would give it a try after being on the Library wait list for a while. I did enjoy it - even though it could be gritty - that was the time period and location I suspect. Recommended.

102. Anxious People - Fredrick Backman
Backman has yet to disappoint me. His newest title about a bank robbery/hijack gone wrong has all the right components and twists. One of the memorable reads of the year.

103. Cabinet of Curiosities - Preston & Child
The third in the Pendergast series - which I am really enjoying as a good distraction read. These thrillers are scientific enough that I can get through the brief bits of horror and gore. I had bought books 6 and 7 unknowing that it was part of a series - and one that should be read in order. So I am slowly taking them out from the library in order to catch up to the ones I own.

141jayde1599
Nov 30, 2020, 3:46 pm

That should round out November's reads. We are remote this week due to families traveling for Thanksgiving in order to curb any potential spread. The unpredictability of when we are in-person to when we go remote is dizzying and has been hard for the students. Just when we get in to a routine either way - it is time to switch again. The extra work of being remote has slowed my reading down a bit. I am hoping to get to a nice even number of 110 books by the end of the year. I think I can read 7 books this month! Right now I have When Stars are Scattered on deck so that will be a good start to the month.

142PaulCranswick
Déc 5, 2020, 11:08 am

>141 jayde1599: I'm curbing potential spread too at the moment. There has been an outbreak on my Lot 91 KLCC site with 25 of our team positive testing. I somehow tested negative but will have to "work" from home for a fortnight.

Have a good weekend, Jess.

143jayde1599
Déc 8, 2020, 6:27 pm

>142 PaulCranswick:: That is good that you are negative, Paul!

So far, I have had 3 COVID tests - all negative. I ended up having a sinus infection that was causing similar symptoms as COVID. Luckily, all the students and staff in my room have remained negative as well. I work with a special education population that includes some severe needs and behavior, so we are not always able to maintain 6 feet apart. We have extra PPE as needed, and plenty of hand sanitizer and soap! Here's to a healthy holiday season!

144jayde1599
Modifié : Avr 23, 2021, 9:41 pm

104. When Stars are Scattered - Victoria Jamieson/Omar Mohamed
105. Other People's Houses - Abbi Waxman

145humouress
Déc 24, 2020, 4:15 am

>137 jayde1599: I'm noticing a lot of GNs around the LT threads, especially this year. I tried The Sandman by Neil Gaiman with the thought of introducing my kids to it and trying to increase my older son's reading but I've decided I won't be doing that. I did get Paper Girls since we watched Stranger Things together during lockdown and that may be alright for this mum to pass on to her kids. And I'm planning on borrowing Giant Days from the library since that has been getting good press on LT and I might introduce my niece to it, since she started uni this year.

146PaulCranswick
Déc 25, 2020, 11:11 am



I hope you get some of those at least, Jess, as we all look forward to a better 2021.

147humouress
Déc 25, 2020, 12:06 pm



Wishing you and yours the very best of the season.

148jayde1599
Déc 26, 2020, 6:26 am

>145 humouress: Hi Nina - I will need to check out Paper Girls as we liked Stranger Things and Giant Days has been on my list.

>146 PaulCranswick:: Happy Holidays to you as well, Paul! It was a nice day here yesterday

>147 humouress:: I love the Sandmen - Happy Holidays to your family as well!

149humouress
Déc 26, 2020, 7:49 am

I just borrowed and read the first Giant Days, volume 1 and enjoyed it.

I'm glad you like the sandmen - snowmen wouldn't stand a chance here and beach & sea is always a winner.

150jayde1599
Déc 26, 2020, 10:03 am

>149 humouress: Here in Maine we had about 18” of snow until Christmas Eve when we got torrential rains that cleared it all away. Today it is a bright and sunny 30• F
Sunny - yet deceivingly cold.

151PaulCranswick
Jan 1, 2021, 12:14 am



Jess

As the year turns, friendship continues

152jayde1599
Jan 1, 2021, 7:40 am

Thanks Paul!
I rounded out the year with 109 books read. Here are the ones I finished up this week:

106. How To Be an Antiracist - Ibram X. Kendi
107. The One and Only Bob - Katherine Applegate
108. Protector of the Small 1 Tamora Pierce
109. Page Protector of the Small 2 - Tamora Pierce

Cheers to 2021! Now time to move to my new thread.