Lori's (thornton37814) Cat-Filled 2020 Category Challenge - Thread 3

       

Pictures (L-R): Sherlock, Mr. B, and Barney

Welcome to my third thread for 2020. I reached 75 on the last one. I find categories don't load well after a certain point so I'm breaking some into multiple threads.

This year's theme is cats. I randomly selected the cat for each category name.

1. Maine Coon - Mysteries
2. Siamese - Historical Fiction
3. Norwegian Forest - Other Fiction & Literature
4. Persian - History & Genealogy
5. Scottish Fold - Travel
6. Ragamuffin - Food & Drink
7. American Shorthair / Tabby - Cats
8. Russian Blue - Poetry
9. Ragdoll - Juvenile/YA
10. Bengal - Other Non-Fiction

Shelter Cats = Abandoned Reads

Image credit: Circe Denyer, "Maine Coon Cat," Public Domain Pictures (https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=158855&picture=maine-coon-cat : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC0

Category 1: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

1. Facets of Death by Michael Stanley - completed 1 January 2020
2. Much Ado About Nutmeg by Sarah Fox - completed 1 January 2020
3. Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie - completed 2 January 2020
4. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 5 January 2020
5. Off the Grid by John Hunt - completed 6 January 2020
6. Doctored Evidence by Donna Leon - completed 13 January 2020
7. Death Finds a Way by Lorine McGinnis Schulze - completed 17 January 2020
8. She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge - completed 20 January 2020
9. The Asylum by Nathan Dylan Goodwin - completed 21 January 2020
10. Clue by Paul Allor and Nelson Daniel; lettered by Neil Uyetake and Gilberto Lazcano - completed 24 January 2020
11. The Witch Elm by Tana French - completed 26 January 2020
12. The St. Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre by Elisabeth Crabtree - completed 30 January 2020
13. Borrowed Crime by Laurie Cass - completed 3 February 2020
14. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill - completed 3 February 2020
15. File M for Murder by Miranda James - completed 7 February 2020
16. Nighttime Is My Time by Mary Higgins Clark - completed 7 February 2020
17. Blood from a Stone by Donna Leon - completed 13 February 2020
18. Still Waters by Viveca Sten - completed 13 February 2020
19. Death by Chocolate Frosted Doughnut by Sarah Graves - completed 15 February 2020
20. Corned Beef and Casualties by Lynn Cahoon - completed 15 February 2020

Image credit: Circe Denyer, "Maine Coon Cat," Public Domain Pictures (https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=158855&picture=maine-coon-cat : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC0

Category 1: Maine Coon (Mysteries) - Continued from above

21. Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke - completed 18 February 2020
22. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson - completed 22 February 2020
23. English Tea Murder by Leslie Meier - completed 24 February 2020
24. Hidden Depths by Ann Cleeves - completed 24 February 2020
25. British Manor Murder by Leslie Meier - completed 25 February 2020
26. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 29 February 2020
27. Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri - completed 1 March 2020
28. Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano - completed 1 March 2020
29. High Country by Nevada Barr - completed 7 March 2020
30. Final Account by Peter Robinson - completed 8 March 2020
31. Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott - completed 14 March 2020
32. Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 26 March 2020
33. The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart - completed 28 March 2020
34. Gone with the Whisker by Laurie Cass - completed 31 March 2020
35. Sugar and Vice by Eve Calder - completed 6 April 2020
36. Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 8 April 2020
37. Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay - completed 11 April 2020
38. Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh - completed 21 April 2020
39. Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon - completed 23 April 2020
40. Closed Circles by Viveca Sten - completed 24 April 2020

Image credit: Circe Denyer, "Maine Coon Cat," Public Domain Pictures (https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=158855&picture=maine-coon-cat : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC0

Category 1: Maine Coon (Mysteries) - Continued from above

41. The Lifeline by Margaret Mayhew - completed 25 April 2020
42. The Red, Red Snow by Caro Ramsay - completed 29 April 2020
43. Mousse and Murder by Elizabeth Logan - completed 9 May 2020
44. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 11 May 2020
45. A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette - completed 16 May 2020
46. Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing - completed 19 May 2020
47. Past Due for Murder by Victoria Gilbert - completed 25 May 2020
48. The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor - completed 1 Jun 2020
49. Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn - completed 5 Jun 2020
50. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 16 Jun 2020
51. Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison - completed 17 Jun 2020
52. Guiltless by Viveca Sten; translated by Marlaine Delargy - completed 21 Jun 2020
53. Careless Love by Peter Robinson - completed 27 June 2020
54. The Long Call by Ann Cleeves - completed 3 July 2020
55. The Island by Ragnar Jónasson - completed 5 July 2020
56. The House in the Woods by Mark Dawson; narrated by Simon Vance - completed 6 July 2020
57. Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 12 July 2020
58. About Face by Donna Leon - completed 9 August 2020
59. Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 9 August 2020
60. Tonight You're Dead by Viveca Sten; translated by Marlaine Delargy - completed 16 August 2020

Image credit: Circe Denyer, "Maine Coon Cat," Public Domain Pictures (https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=158855&picture=maine-coon-cat : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC0

Category 1: Maine Coon (Mysteries) - Continued from above

(For #61-80)
61. Innocent Graves by Peter Robinson - completed 25 August 2020
62. The Old Success by Martha Grimes - completed 6 September 2020
63. The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan - completed 6 September 2020
64. Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 7 September 2020
65. Murder with Cinnamon Scones by Karen Rose Smith - completed 18 September 2020
66. A Better Man by Louise Penny - completed 27 September 2020
67. Watching from the Dark by Gytha Lodge - completed 27 September 2020
68. Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews - completed 18 October 2020
69. A Question of Belief by Donna Leon - completed 22 October 2020
70. Winter of Secrets by Vicki Delany - completed 23 October 2020
71. Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 23 October 2020
72. Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon - completed 25 October 2020
73. In the Heat of the Moment by Viveca Sten - completed 28 October 2020
74. Thin Ice by Paige Shelton - completed 1 November 2020
75. Detective Stories edited by Peter Washington - completed 4 November 2020
76. Flashback by Nevada Barr - completed 21 November 2020
77. There's a Murder Afoot by Vicki Delany - completed 23 November 2020
78. Bound for Murder by Victoria Gilbert - completed 27 November 2020

Image credit: Andreas Lischa (aka webandi), "Siamese Cat," 2017, Pixabay ( https://pixabay.com/photos/cat-siamese-cat-fur-kitten-2068462/ : accessed 7 Dec 2019). Pixabay License. Free for commercial use. No attribution required.

Category 2: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

1. A Killer in King's Cove by Iona Whishaw - completed 12 January 2020
2. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro - completed 24 January 2020
3. Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit - completed 25 January 2020
4. The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch - completed 30 January 2020
5. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - completed 24 March 2020
6. Treacherous Is the Night by Anna Lee Huber - completed 6 May 2020
7. Deep River by Karl Marlantes - completed 21 May 2020
8. We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet - completed 13 June 2020
9. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson - completed 30 June 2020
10. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead - completed 1 July 2020
11. The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse - completed 7 July 2020
12. The Summer Country by Lauren Willig - completed 20 July 2020
13. When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor - completed 24 July 2020
14. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - completed 12 September 2020
15. Tidelands by Philippa Gregory - completed 5 October 2020
16. The Innocents by Michael Crummey - completed 10 October 2020
17. Dominicana by Angie Cruz - completed 13 October 2020
18. An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson - completed 20 October 2020
19. From These Broken Streets by Roland Merullo - completed 12 November 2020

Image credit: Bfe, "Norwegische Waldkatze," 2005, Wikimedia Commons ( https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Norwegian_forest_cat.jpg : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC BY-SA 3.0.

Category 3: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

1. Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler - completed 4 January 2020
2. Two Steps Forward by Suzanne Woods Fisher - completed 9 January 2020
3. Waterland by Graham Swift - completed 14 January 2020
4. Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days by Jeanette Winterson - completed 20 January 2020
5. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier - completed 22 January 2020
6. An Incomplete Obituary for Damien Stewart Wilson by Sean Rose - completed 23 January 2020
7. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare - completed 5 February 2020
8. Chocolat by Joanne Harris - completed 17 February 2020
9. Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddons - completed 5 March 2020
10. Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman - completed 23 March 2020
11. Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station by Dorothy Gilman - completed 15 April 2020
12. The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson - completed 3 May 2020
13. Macbeth by William Shakespeare - completed 14 May 2020
14. The Summer Guests by Mary Alice Monroe - completed 23 June 2020
15. An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma - completed 25 June 2020
16. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - completed 28 June 2020
17. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald - completed 28 June 2020
18. The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan - completed 4 July 2020
19. One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak - completed 16 July 2020
20. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo - completed 27 July 2020
21. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell - completed 28 August 2020
22. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson; translated by Thomas Teal - completed 7 September 2020
23. A Home for Hannah by Amy Lillard - completed 12 September 2020
24. The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson - completed 14 September 2020
25. Snowfall on Cedar Trail by Annie Rains - completed 22 September 2020
26. The Christmas Boutique by Jennifer Chiaverini - completed 30 September 2020
27. Girl by Edna O'Brien - completed 1 October 2020
28. Softly Blows the Bugle by Jan Drexler - completed 4 October 2020
29. Alpha and Omega by Harry Turtledove - completed 8 October 2020
30. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - completed 3 November 2020
31. The Timepiece by Beverly Lewis - completed 8 November 2020
32. From Sea to Stormy Sea: 17 Stories Inspired by Great American Paintings edited by Lawrence Block - completed 17 November 2020
33. The Mistletoe Matchmaker by Felicity Hayes-McCoy - completed 18 November 2020

Image credit: Magnus Brath, "Grey Persian Cat - Chilerito," 2011, Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/magnusbrath/5339239144 : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC BY 2.0.

Category 4: Persian - History & Genealogy

1. Triangle: The Fire that Changed America by David Von Drehle - completed 12 January 2020
2. Generations and Change: Genealogical Perspectives in Social History edited by Robert M. Taylor, Jr. and Ralph J. Crandall- completed 21 January 2020
3. Stepping Into Rural Wisconsin: Grandpa Charly's Life Vignettes, from Prussia to the Midwest by Edward J. Kuehn and Linda T. Ruggeri - completed 28 January 2020
4. Putting Flesh on the Bones: Bringing Your Ancestors to Life by Mark W. Swarthout - completed 9 February 2020
5. Yorkshire: A Story of Invasion, Uprising and Conflict by Paul C. Levitt - completed 14 February 2020
6. Branching Out: How to Research Your Family's History by Simon Fowler - completed 22 February 2020
7. Seasoned by Salt: A Historical Album of the Outer Banks by Rodney Barfield - completed 25 February 2020
8. The History of England: From the Reign of Henry the 4th to the Death of Charles the 1st by Jane Austen - completed 1 March 2020
9. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough - completed 3 March 2020
10. Roanoke Island: The Beginnings of English America by David Stick - completed 5 March 2020
11. The Prairie Schoolhouse by John Martin Campbell - completed 9 March 2020
12. Geography and Genealogy: Locating Personal Pasts edited by Dallen J. Timothy and Jeanne Kay Guelke - completed 10 March 2020
13. The Great Revolt of 1381 by Charles Oman - completed 12 April 2020
14. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold - completed 18 June 2020
15. Zotero for Genealogy: Harnessing the Power of Your Research by Donna Cox Baker - completed 21 August 2020
16. Ancestry Quest: How Stories from the Past Can Heal the Future by Mary Beth Sammons - completed 7 September 2020
17. The Middle Ages: A Very Short Introduction by Miri Rubin - completed 7 October 2020
18. At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson - completed 15 November 2020

Image credit: Dr. LP9339, "Sweetie, the Sweetest Scottish Fold," 2018, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sweetie_Scottish_fold.jpg : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC BY-SA 4.0.

Category 5: Scottish Fold - Travel

1. The Hidden Ways: Scotland's Forgotten Roads by Alistair Moffat - completed 16 January 2020
2. Romney Marsh: Eighth Wonder of the World by Roderick Leyland - completed 9 February 2020
3. Speaking Chileno: A Guide to Spanish from Chile by Jared Romey - completed 9 February 2020
4. Journey to the Alcarria: Travels Through the Spanish Countryside by Camilo José Cela - completed 16 February 2020
5. NC 12: Gateway to the Outer Banks by Dawson Carr - completed 4 March 2020
6. In Morocco by Edith Wharton - completed 25 April 2020
7. A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith by Timothy Egan - completed 11 October 2020

Image credit: Togle1, "Ragamuffin Kitten from Ragamuffin Cat World," 2016, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ragamuffin_kitten-GRACIE.png : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC BY-SA 4.0.

Category 6: Ragamuffin - Food & Drink

1. The Art of Uzbek Cooking by Lynn Visson - completed 2 January 2020
2. The Little Berlin Cookbook by Rose Marie Schulze - completed 5 January 2020
3. Laurel Mercantile Co.: Recipes & Stories (vol. 1) edited by Erin Napier - completed 7 January 2020
4. Perfect Pie and Pastry Recipes: Homemade Dessert Pies Made Easy Cookbook by Katherine Hupp - completed 3 February 2020
5. Traditional Recipes of Reunion Island by Yohann Maillot - completed 9 February 2020
6. Circle of Friends Cookbook: 25 Mac & Cheese Recipes by Gooseberry Patch - completed 22 February 2020
7. Nile Style: Egyptian Cuisine and Culture: Ancient Festivals, Significant Ceremonies, and Modern Celebrations by Amy Riolo - completed 26 March 2020
8. The Tinned Fish Cookbook by Bart Van Olphen; photographed by David Loftus; translated by Laura Vroomen - completed 8 April 2020
9. The Poetry of Good Eats by Gary Dickson - completed 6 May 2020
10. The Soup and Bread Cookbook by Beatrice Ojakangas - completed 5 July 2020
11. Kevin Belton's New Orleans Celebrations by Kevin Belton with Rhonda K. Findley; illustrated by Eugenia Uhl - completed 20 July 2020
12. Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food by Susan Marks - completed 7 November 2020

Image credit: "Orange Tabby Cat," Pxfuel (https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-ozxro : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC0 1.0.

Category 7: American Shorthair/Tabby - Cats

1. Good Mews: Inspirational Stories for Cat Lovers by Kitty Chappell - completed 23 January 2020
2. Flubby Is Not a Good Pet by J. E. Morris - completed 15 February 2020
3. Edward Lear's Cats by Edward Lear; edited by Dr. Bruess - completed 6 September 2020

Image credit: Vereskaya, "Russian Blue Male Cat," 2009, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Russian_Blue_cat.jpg : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC BY-SA 3.0.

Category 8: Russian Blue - Poetry

1. Stag's Leap by Sharon Olds - completed 27 January 2020
2. Fidelity: Poems by Grace Paley - completed 15 February 2020
3. Rainbows Are Made: Poems by Carl Sandburg - completed 26 February 2020
4. The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott - completed 6 March 2020
5. Going Back by Shelia Gaines - completed 21 April 2020
6. Eureka Mill: Poems by Ron Rash - completed 12 May 2020
7. In the Lateness of the World by Carolyn Forché - completed 30 June 2020
8. A Few Figs from Thistles: Poems and Sonnets by Edna St. Vincent Millay - completed 20 August 2020
9. Collected Poems, 1909-1962 by T. S. Eliot - completed 2 Sep 2020
10. The Best American Poetry 2020 edited by Paisley Rekdal; series editor, David Lehman - completed 7 September 2020
11. A Slice of Snow: A Book of Poems by Joan Walsh Anglund - completed 17 September 2020
12. Summer Snow: New Poems by Robert Hass - completed 4 November 2020

Image credit: Peter Jo, "Ragdoll Cat," 2018, Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/cat-animal-ragdolls-ragdoll-cat-4008189/ : accessed 7 Dec 2019). Pixabay License. Free for commercial use. No attribution required.

Category 9: Ragdoll - Juvenile & YA

1. Keep Calm and Carry On, Children by Sharon K. Mayhew - completed 6 January 2020
2. Julio Bunny Goes to the Library by Nicoletta Costa - completed 4 February 2020
3. Rosie: Stronger Than Steel by Lindsay Ward - completed 29 March 2020
4. The Wishing Tree by William Faulkner - completed 9 May 2020
5. Nana's Garden by Larissa Juliano; illustrated by Francesca de Luca - completed 21 May 2020
6. The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn - completed 8 July 2020
7. Florence and Her Fantastic Family Tree by Judy Gilliam; illustrated by Laura Addari - completed 19 August 2020
8. A Poison Tree and Other Poems compiled and illustrated by Mercer Mayer - completed 8 September 2020
9. It's Spring by Noemi Weygant - completed 9 September 2020
10. Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm - completed 8 October 2020
11. Kanahena: A Cherokee Story by Susan L. Roth - completed 16 November 2020
12. Life on Mars by Jon Agee - completed 16 November 2020
13. Fog Magic by Julia L. Sauer - completed 19 November 2020

Image credit: V. Sauvaget, "Brown Spotted Tabby Bengal Cat," 2007, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_spotted_tabby_bengal_cat.jpg : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC BY-SA 3.0.

Category 10. Bengal - Other Non-Fiction

1. Bible Personalities: A Treasury of Insights for Personal Growth and Ministry by Warren W. Wiersbe - completed 7 January 2020
2. An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus' Rhythms of Work and Rest by Alan Fadling - completed 17 January 2020
3. Be Free: Exchange Legalism for True Spirituality by Warren W. Wiersbe - completed 27 January 2020
4. Great Possessions: An Amish Farmer's Journal by David Kline - completed 28 January 2020
5. Evernote: Your Second Brain by James Keaton - completed 9 February 2020
6. Luke: The Gospel of Amazement by Michael Card - completed 17 February 2020
7. The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon - completed 21 February 2020
8. The Possibility of Prayer: Finding Stillness with God in a Restless World by John Starke - completed 27 February 2020
9. Touching the Altar: The Old Testament for Christian Worship edited by Carol M. Bechtel - completed 5 March 2020
10. Lake of the Ozarks: My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America by Bill Geist - completed 6 March 2020
11. Letters, 1796-1817 by Jane Austen; edited by R. W. Chapman - completed 14 March 2020
12. Conan Doyle, Detective: The True Crimes Investigated by the Creator of Sherlock Holmes by Peter Costello - completed 16 March 2020
13. Be Comforted by Warren W. Wiersbe - completed 19 March 2020
14. The Call to Holiness: Pursuing the Heart of God for the Love of the World by Timothy C. Tennent - completed 28 March 2020
15. The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth: And Other Curiosities from the History of Medicine by Thomas Morris - completed 29 March 2020
16. When Faith Becomes Sight by Beth Booram and David Booram - completed 7 April 2020
17. Becoming a Just Church: Cultivating Communities of God's Shalom by Adam L. Gustine - completed 17 April 2020
18. Curiosities of Crime in Edinburgh During the Last Thirty Years by James M'Levy - completed 29 April 2020
19. That Way and No Other: Following God Through Storm and Drought by Amy Carmichael; edited by Carolyn Kurtz - completed 1 May 2020
20. Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music that Made a Nation by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw - completed 16 May 2020

Image credit: V. Sauvaget, "Brown Spotted Tabby Bengal Cat," 2007, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_spotted_tabby_bengal_cat.jpg : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC BY-SA 3.0.

Category 10. Bengal - Other Non-Fiction - continued from above

21. Play Hungry: The Making of a Baseball Player by Pete Rose - completed 30 June 2020
22. American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan - completed 10 July 2020
23. Confessions by St. Augustine - completed 6 August 2020
24. Out of This World: A Journey of Healing by Mary Swander - completed 15 September 2020
25. That's My Church: The Seven Churches of Revelation by J. M. Hope - completed 22 September 2020
26. The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith - completed 3 November 2020

Image credit: Mendocino County Animal Care Service, "Shelter Cats Looking for a Home in Mendocino County," 2011, Flickr ( https://www.flickr.com/photos/animalcareservices/5371946659/in/photostream/ : accessed 7 Dec 2019). CC BY 2.0.

Shelter Cats - Abandoned Reads

1. Ribbon of Sand: The Amazing Conversion of the Ocean and the Outer Banks by John Alexander and James D. Lazell - abandoned 25 February 2020
2. A Body in the Bookshop by Helen Cox - abandoned 3 March 2020
3. Force of Nature by Jane Harper - abandoned 11 March 2020
4. Naked in Death by J. D. Robb - abandoned 23 May 2020
5. The Porpoise by Mark Haddon - abandoned 16 July 2020
6. The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste - abandoned 22 November 2020

I've never tried the BINGODOG before. I think I'll hit a lot of these during the year although one or two may be difficult for me. (I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi so the "not on earth" may be hard. However, I do think I've got a non-fiction read planned that will hit that square.) Books here will be duplicated from categories above.



1. File M for Murder by Miranda James
2. Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri
3. An Incomplete Obituary for Damien Stewart Wilson by Sean Rose
4. Sugar and Vice by Eve Calder
5. Life on Mars by Jon Agee
6. Letters, 1796-1817 by Jane Austen; edited by R. W. Chapman
7. The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch
8. Death Finds a Way by Lorine McGinnis Schulze
9. Collected Poems, 1909-1962 by T. S. Eliot
10. A Few Figs from Thistles: Poems and Sonnets by Edna St. Vincent Millay
11. Corned Beef and Casualties by Lynn Cahoon
12. Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott
13. The Art of Uzbek Cooking by Lynn Visson (GeoCAT)
14. Kanahena: A Cherokee Story by Susan L. Roth
15. Julio Bunny Goes to the Library by Nicoletta Costa
16. The Little Berlin Cookbook by Rose Marie Schulze (Berlin native)
17. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
18. A Killer in King's Cove by Iona Whishaw
19. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
20. American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan
21. The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth by Thomas Morris
22. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
23. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (Arthur Ransome's Legacy Library)
24. Much Ado About Nutmeg by Sarah Fox
25. Keep Calm and Carry On, Children by Sharon K. Mayhew (World War II evacuation of children from London)

I began the previous thread while I was on our spring break in the middle of winter. Little did I realize how much change would come a week later because of COVID-19.

I've failed miserably at recording magazine and journal reading this year. I've completed a lot, but I haven't recorded it here.

I realize I miscounted how many threads I would need here because I included those two "blank" slots, so I decided it would be a good opportunity to reflect upon changes in reading patterns because of COVID-19.

I'm finding it more difficult to concentrate on reading. I want to read something more challenging than "fluff," but I sometimes find it difficult to give literary selections the attention needed to really become engaged in it. I read a non-fiction book in the last week or so, and I really enjoyed it. I mostly have mysteries checked out, but I do have a couple more literary selections in the mix, and I'll see how those go in the next couple of weeks.

My current reads include the book for the Viveca Sten group read and one of those more literary reads (by an African author).

I'm not doing well with the CAT and KIT challenges at the moment either. I think it's just part of the general inability to concentrate. I need to fill several BINGO squares above. "Not set on earth" is probably going to be non-fiction about space exploration or visits to the moon rather than sci-fi. I have no idea what I'll use for the 1920 or 1820 category. (Feel free to make suggestions.) I haven't even begun to explore options from my birth year. I may use a children's book for the mythology/folklore category because there are so many good books to fill the category from it. I've got options for the periodic table one; I just haven't gotten around to them.

2020 Top Fiction Reads to Date (in order read)

1. Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie - 4 stars
2. Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler - 4 stars
3. Doctored Evidence by Donna Leon - 4 stars
4. Waterland by Graham Swift - 4 stars
5. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier - 4 stars
6. Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit - 4 stars
7. The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch - 4 stars
8. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson - 4 stars
9. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - 4.5 stars
10. Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers - 4 stars
11. Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers - 4 stars
12. Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay - 4 stars
13. The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson - 4 stars

I won't go through non-fiction or other literary forms at the moment; however, they'll show up in the annual compilation.

Next thread is yours!

Happy new thread, Lori. You are really racking up the reads so far this year. I love the expression on the Russian Blue Cat at >12 thornton37814: above.

>19 thornton37814: I liked the Russian blue when I found the photo.

>18 thornton37814: I haven't been doing so well with the reading either. What I have read has mostly been vintage mysteries. Partly because they don't require too much brain power and partly because they are readily available in ebook from my library. I've found I don't mind ebooks as much if they aren't too serious of literature.

My big adventures now are reopening the genealogy library and converting our biennial genealogy conference from an in-person event to a virtual event. Exciting times!

>22 casvelyn: Good luck with the conversion. What is the date you all are re-opening? Are you requiring researchers to schedule appointments (as some are)? I need to visit a couple repositories, but I'm not certain that I'm ready to do so. The cases are worse with more active cases in those counties than ever. I'm not convinced it is safe. I'm also thinking tenure track history professors are going to be busy trying to gain access before the school year resumes so it may not be easy for genealogists to feel socially-distanced and safe--particularly at the one repository where they never have enough working microform readers.

>23 thornton37814: Thank you. We reopened on the 15th by appointment only, although we are taking walk-ins if we have a spot open when they arrive. We are asking patrons to wear masks and we have half our tables and computers restricted from use. Also, half the staff comes in each day and half works remotely, trading off every other day. It's not a bad setup, but the cases here are steadily going down. I'd be more nervous about it if our cases were going up. So far we've had 2-3 people each day. The phone calls are picking up though; I think people didn't realize we could answer the phone from home.

Those non-working microfilm readers are the bane of everyone's existence. Too bad they cost so much to replace.

>24 casvelyn: In less than 3 weeks, we've gone from 26 to 92 cases in our county. We had 2 deaths, but are now at 4. Other nearby counties, including the tourist mecca Sevier, are also going up.

Happy new thread, Lori. You're doing well on your Bingo, better than me anyway. It is a strange year, and it certainly has affected my reading, too.

Happy new thread, Lori! Amazing how many of us are having trouble concentrating on our recreational reading.

Happy New Thread, Lori. I'm hoping some lazy summer days on the deck will improve my reading mind.

Happy New Thread, Lori. You’ve consumed lots of mysteries this year.

Regarding Strong Poison: I might have missed something...I thought that the seance was completely controlled by Miss Climpson, and that it was pretty obvious that the “medium” was a fake.
So I’m not sure I understand why the scene bothered you...oh! Unless you hate it when duped at all?

Your cats are extremely handsome boys.

Happy new thread, Lori!

>25 thornton37814: Yikes! Makes sense in the tourist areas though. Pigeon Forge/Sevierville/Great Smoky Mountains National Park is my parents' favorite vacation spot. They were just there in February, before all this started.

>26 MissWatson: I am not sure next year will be any better.

>27 NinieB: It is indeed. I know I'm not alone.

>28 dudes22: I want a change of scene so bad. I'm used to being able to travel. It's not happening this summer.

>29 Matke: It was a "fake" seance, but I just don't like Occult elements.

>30 lkernagh: Thanks

>31 casvelyn: I'm glad they got to go before things hit. They are asking visitors to be considerate of those who live and work there. Sevier County jumped to 411 today (June 20). Two weeks ago (June 6), they were at 109. One week ago (June 13), they were at 229.

Book 134. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

Date Completed: 18 June 2020

Category: Persian (History & Genealogy)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Interesting account of the women victimized by Jack the Ripper. The author researched the subject well and created readable biographies of each women. He included documentation and used end notes. I felt the story was under-documented. Many points needed citation which lacked it. The author demonstrates that contrary to popular opinion, the women did not all practice prostitution. The author traces each victim's movements showing how they became victims. It's an interesting book, but the insufficient documentation lowers its rating.

Happy New Thread! It seems that many of us are having a hard time concentrating and reading. I have been sticking with the NetGalley requests I have won, and also reading for the CATS and KITS and BingoDOG. This has been such a strange year. We also love to travel and miss our adventures. We were in New Orleans in February before all the craziness broke forth and we had a great time there. We heard fabulous jazz music and met a lot of nice local people who were friendly and helpful (with the exception of one grumpy young man who complained loudly behind us that we were walking too slowly).

>35 LadyoftheLodge: I finished my NetGalley requests and won't allow myself to look until I catch up on other things I want to read. I'm really glad I did get a vacation in the Outer Banks (in cold weather) right before the lockdown, but I'm wanting to travel. I keep wishing I'd purchased an RV. My RAV 4 is not one intended for towing, so I'll need a new car and an RV.

Book 135. Guiltless by Viveca Sten; translated by Marlaine Delargy

Date Completed: 21 June 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mystery)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: A young woman disappeared on Sandhamn. Months later Nora's sons discover a black bag while playing. Thomas and Margit come to the island to investigate. Nora left her husband after discovering his affair with a nurse. She ran to Sandhamn since the boys were on a school break.Thomas' ex-wife returns to Stockholm and visits Thomas. The book also contains a century old story relevant to the current investigation although not immediately apparent. I didn't like the way the story ended, but since the series continues I assume the outcome will end up being favorable. I really enjoy this series and look forward to the next installment.

Book 136. The Summer Guests by Mary Alice Monroe

Date Completed: 23 June 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Monroe's books normally feature locations somewhere along the South Carolina coast. In this one, everyone is leaving the coast because a hurricane is forecast to hit. The characters share an interest in horses and are all moving inland to Tryon, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains where a friend's farm can accommodate the horses. One character "comes out." One reunites with an old friend. One couple ends up trapped on Isle of Palms when they take too long boarding up. The book simply wasn't up to the writer's usual quality. While I enjoyed revisiting characters from some previous novels, the story jumped too much, seeming to leave readers wondering when certain threads might be tied up--or if they would remain unresolved. I hope the author returns to the Charleston area for the next installment. I much prefer the beach setting for beach reads.

Book 137. An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma

Date Completed: 25 June 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Chinonso and Ndali fall in love, but her family objects to his family's poverty. Chinonso, a chicken farmer, believes a school in Cyprus offered him an opportunity to study but discovers he trusted too much when no place for him exists. He suffers hardships on Cyprus and returns to Nigeria. I found the novel difficult to read, and for me, it did not flow well. I did not enjoy the story that much. Still I see where it might work better for others.

Book 138. Careless Love by Peter Robinson

Date Completed: 27 June 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: A young female's body is found in an abandoned car along a less-traveled highway. The car contained a "police aware" sign allowing people to know it was to be hauled to a garage soon. The female's body was not there when police helped the motorist a few days earlier. The girl, determined to be a college student named Adrienne, appears to have consumed a great quantity of sleeping pills, or more specifically qualudes, choking on her own vomit. However, they know she received assistance getting behind the wheel of the car. Soon a well-dressed man is found near that incident who appears to have tumbled off the road and down into a ravine. Both incidents appear to have occurred around the same time. Banks and Winsome investigate one death while Annie and Gerry investigate the other. As they investigate, a third body's discovery in an abandoned cabin peaks their curiosity. I read this installment out of order. I read books 1-7 in the series and then this 25th one, and although Banks' team is very different from those early installments, I still found it enjoyable. I did miss some of the characters from earlier installments, and I can't wait to read those to learn more about the evolution of Banks' team.

A belated happy new thread, Lori!

>18 thornton37814: Covid19 changed our lives in so many ways. Who would have thought our reading would be affected so much.

>40 thornton37814: I too enjoy Peter Robinson's books but I have a lot to catch up on before I get to this one.

>41 VivienneR: As far as the Robinson book, we had it in the leased book program at work, and it's about time for it to go back. I decided to read it before it did. It was really strange to find a new team at the same location. I'll try to read or listen to a few in between, but I may read the one after this since we also have it at the library.

Book 139. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Date Completed: 28 June 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 5 stars

Review: Hemingway's masterpiece about an old man whose fishing trip results in a battle with a fish and sharks. The reader sympathizes with the man as he struggles for his own survival and sympathizes with the fish. Hemingway painted pictures with his words.

Book 140. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

Date Completed: 28 June 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Florence Green, a middle-aged widow, opens a bookshop in a seaside village. She encounters hardships at almost every turn. This is a brief but powerful novella. Although not the story I expected, the struggles depicted demonstrate a more realistic situation than many of the "bookshop" books on the market.

>44 thornton37814: Putting this on my WL

>45 Tess_W: Fitzgerald was the female on the British Author Challenge on the 75-group for June. I had downloaded the book to Kindle when it was $1.99 or so once. It cleared an item off my electronic stash and allowed me to participate in a fairly quick read for BAC.

>44 thornton37814: I read The Bookshop back in 2010 and loved it. I've been meaning to reread it, so thanks for the reminder!

>47 casvelyn: Enjoy your re-read!

Book 141. In the Lateness of the World by Carolyn Forché

Date Completed: 30 June 2020

Category: Russian Blue (Poetry)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: I enjoyed most of the poems in this collection. My favorites included: (1) "The Lightkeeper" (because I've always been fascinated by lighthouses), (2) "The Crossing" (reminiscent of the voyages our ancestors made across the oceans), (3) "Travel Papers" (a Holocaust poem), (4) "Exile" (another one with historical focus), (5) "Fisherman" (very Jewish tone), and (6) "The Lost Suitcase" (which, of course, was filled with books). I also enjoyed seeing how many sources of stones she found in "Museum of Stones." While many of her poems featured long lines, a few seemed to offer shorter ones--a preferred style for me. The careful word selection creates beautiful portraits for readers.

Book 142. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Date Completed: 30 June 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Cussy Mary, commonly known as "Bluet," bypasses the locals to obtain a job as a pack horse librarian. Her father, a miner, wants to see her quit the job and marry. When her husband drops dead soon afterwards, she uses herbs to abort the baby the despicable man fathered and returns to her library job. She earned her nickname because she belongs to a group of Kentuckians who suffer a genetic blood disorder that made their skin appear blue. They suffered racism just as blacks did. While JoJo Moyes' The Giver of Stars gives better coverage to the work of the librarians, this book presents an interesting story with the "blue people." I recommend both books for persons wanting a little slice of Appalachian Kentucky life.

Book 143. Play Hungry: The Making of a Baseball Player by Pete Rose

Date Completed: 30 June 2020

Category: Bengal (Other Non-Fiction)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Pete Rose describes his childhood in Cincinnati. His father encouraged his focus on sports over academics. Drafted after high school, he played in the "Bush Leagues" in the Cincinnati Reds' system. He caught the attention of coaches who promoted him past the minor leagues to the Reds. He briefly discusses his period of free agency and management. He regrets betting on baseball, but believes his punishment was greater than the crime. I was fortunate enough to live in Cincinnati where I watched him as a player-coach. I remember the night he set the record. Even in those years he and Johnny Bench were fun to watch. It's a mediocre book which doesn't spend enough time on his career in the majors and spends more time on the back story, but Reds and Rose fans may enjoy this.

>50 thornton37814: I read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek for NetGalley. I found it interesting enough to do some additional research on the genetic disorder that causes the appearance of "blue" skin coloring. (Also, my husband is from Kentucky.) The book was very thought-provoking, and showed another side of prejudice in society. I thought the way the doctors and nurses treated Cussy as a research subject was appalling.

>52 LadyoftheLodge: It was appalling. I looked up a little bit as I read the book, but I didn't thoroughly research it.

Book 144. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Date Completed: 1 July 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: This well-written book features Elwood Curtis who was sent to the "Nickel Academy," a reform school for boys where he and countless others suffered abuse at the hands of corrupt administrators. Many boys did not survive the experience. He was sent there simply because he hitch-hiked with the wrong person. His skin color caused his side to not be heard. Readers will shed tears many times throughout the book and especially at the end. Although not an easy read because of subject matter, this book deserves the Pulitzer and other recognition received.

>54 thornton37814: Have two of his books on my TBR pile...must move them up!

>55 Tess_W: It was finally time for me to do the same. I'm glad I did. I needed something a little different than a mystery. This filled that gap.

I forgot to record one. See #145 below.



Book 146. The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

Date Completed: 3 July 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Detective Matthew Venn grew up in the legalist Barum Brethren sect. Now mostly estranged from his family because he left the sect as do many persons coming of age, he lives in North Devon with his husband Jonathan who manages the Woodyard, a community center of sorts. When a man volunteering there turns up dead of a stab wound on the beach, Matthew's team investigates. When the connection to the Woodyard emerges, he considers excusing himself from the investigation but is encouraged to continue. The novel also brings awareness of Down's Syndrome through some characters of importance to the story who learn skills in the Woodyard's day program. The mystery was interesting, and I really don't have a problem with the main character's gender. What I did have a problem with was the repeated emphasis on his gender throughout the story. It felt forced, and it seemed the author/publisher was pushing an LBGTQ agenda on readers rather than being a natural part of the book. While I realize some of this was to emphasize his distance from his upbringing, it went overboard and probably turned off a lot of readers. Still the story and setting are interesting, and I'll probably give the next installment or two a try.

Book 145. Let's Go to Europe and Draw by Peggy MacNamara - completed 2 July 2020

Date Completed: 2 July 2020

Category: Scottish Fold (Travel)

Rating: 2 stars

Review: This special offering from the University of Chicago Press was created out of COVID-19 and intended to help readers appreciate European art. Unfortunately I found the drawings of European statues somewhat boring. The text did not elevate it. I'd prefer to look at photographs of the statues. I'd rather see a variety of landscapes to help me feel I've been on a virtual vacation than just statues. Download it if it continues to be free, but it's not something for which I would pay.

Note: Book #146 is above this one.

>58 thornton37814: I got the email from them and thought about downloading it, but from your review I'm glad I didn't. I didn't quite understand what it was from the description in the email.

>59 Jackie_K: It's just a bunch of drawings of statues.

>59 Jackie_K:
>60 thornton37814:

I went to d/l it and it wouldn't d/l on my new tablet! Now, I'm glad it didn't, but I still need to find out why it didn't!

>61 Tess_W: I had trouble at first because it wanted an update of some sort. Do you have a PDF reader installed on your new tablet? It's a PDF so that could be the problem.

Book 147. The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan

Date Completed: 4 July 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Liza, Maggie, and Tricia Sweeney return to Connecticut when their father, a famous author, dies. They hold a wake, and a couple of uninvited guests appear. At the lawyer's office they learn one of those guests, a girl who grew up next door, is their half-sister. Each woman is dealing with things in her own life. For Liza, it's her marriage. For Maggie, it's direction. For Tricia, it's corporate law life. The sisters need to locate their father's final manuscript which belongs to his publisher and get things in order to sell the house. They decide to spend the summer there. They learn more about their father, about their half-sister, and about themselves. I enjoyed the DNA angle to this story. I really don't think the author understands DNA matching very much because she called Serena's DNA match wtih Maggie a 99% match. That's not the correct percentage for a half-sibling match. However, the author did mostly skip specifics and just mention the match most of the time.

Book 148. The Island by Ragnar Jónasson

Date Completed: 5 July 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: The first book in the Hidden Iceland series involves a case at the end of Hulda's law enforcement career. This one goes back to a case when she is fifty. Hulda investigates the death of a young woman on a remote island. At first, it appears to be an accidental death, but when the coroner finds signs of a struggle, Hulda finds herself investigating not only this incident but one from ten years earlier than solidified another officer's promotion within ranks of law enforcement. That man is now her boss, and he does not want his hasty case wrap-up called into question. It's a satisfying read with a satisfying outcome. The reader may be left with a couple questions, but they are not really central to the case. For example, what happened to the inspector who lied ten years earlier? I look forward to the next book in the series.

Book 149. The Soup and Bread Cookbook by Beatrice Ojakangas

Date Completed: 5 July 2020

Category: Ragamuffin (Food & Drink)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This cookbook, first published by Rodale Press in 2013, is now being offered in an edition from the University of Minnesota Press. All comments refer to this 2020 edition. Cookbook author Beatrice Ojakangas truly proves there is a soup (and bread) for every season in this collection of recipes. Arranged by season, the offerings run the gamut of chilled fruit soups to hearty stews. Each soup is paired with a bread. The breads run from hearty loaves to popovers to muffins to crackers. Everyone can find soups and breads in this volume to satisfy their hunger. The volume contains an index of recipes and an index by ingredients. If the volume had offered at least some illustrations, I would have given it a perfect star rating. The absence, however, weakens a cookbook in this day and age. I received an advance review copy from the publisher through Edelweiss for review purposes. The opinions are my own. I plan to purchase my own copy of this book as it seems a great way to eat lighter flavorful meals.

Book 150. The House in the Woods by Mark Dawson; narrated by Simon Vance

Date Completed: 6 July 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This enjoyable beginning to a series featuring private investigator Atticus Priest and his former boss DCI Mackenzie "Mac" Jones investigates a mass family murder on Christmas eve. Originally thought to be a murders-suicide, the gun placement and finding of a way to exit the house unnoticed shifts attention to the surviving brother. He is charged with the murder, and on the eve of his trial, his wife hires Atticus to help find something to overturn the prosecution's case. Has he been called to the case too late to find evidence? Mac's marriage suffers as a result of the hours she spends on the job. She and Atticus participated in a brief affair with one another when he worked for the police, but she doesn't want to lose her children so she's determined to keep things innocent. This first installment keeps readers guessing about what may happen in the next installment on the personal and professional fronts. The mystery kept me interested, and although I picked up on things that made me suspect what was really going on, I still enjoyed the "reveal." I look forward to the next installment. Narrator Simon Vance did a great job! I won this through LibraryThing Early Reviewers program with the expectation of an honest review.

Book 151. The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse

Date Completed: 7 July 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Set during the persecution of Huguenots by Catholics in France in the late 16th century, this novel features Minou Joubert, a bookseller's daughter and a Catholic, who falls in love with Piet Reydon, a Huguenot. Minou's sister Alis plays a role in the the story as do many others, including historical figures and figures imagined by the author. I read this at a rapid pace and found it interesting. I learned a lot about the persecution suffered by the Huguenots and the religious war between Catholic and Protestant. Family secrets, religious relics, corruption, and inquisition themes appear throughout the book. The romance feels secondary to the historical setting which is a good thing for me.

>151 LadyoftheLodge: Oooh, I might have to read that one! I have Huguenot ancestors.

>68 casvelyn: I will warn you other reviewers said the pacing was too slow for them. I think the key to reading it is to read it as rapidly as you are comfortable reading. It worked for me at a fast pace.

>67 thornton37814: That's going to be a BB for me also. I teach about the Huguenots.

>69 thornton37814: I'm actually okay with slower pacing, as long as the author isn't being repetitive or it's one of those books where the pace is so slow that nothing happens for the entire book. I also just noticed it's part of a series. Oh no!!! I will never get this TBR done! (Just kidding, I love the endless TBR.)

>70 Tess_W: Enjoy!

>71 casvelyn: Hope you enjoy it.

Book 152. The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn

Date Completed: 8 July 2020

Category: Ragdoll (Juvenile & YA)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Twelve-year-old Aggie Morton discovers a body under a piano at the dance studio. She meets a Belgian boy named Hector Perot who helps her investigate. Hector's skill lies in his deductive work. Aggie enjoys writing her thoughts down. The characters are obviously a young Agatha Christie and her detective Hercule Perot. The mystery involving Aggie is certain to draw some comparison to the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley because of the sleuth's age; however, the interests of the two sleuths run in different directions so the age is really the only similarity. The novel, intended for middle schoolers, may be a good introduction to the Poirot series. The book offers a bibliography of resources utilized in building the historical context for the story. I might read future installments. I received a copy through LibraryThing Early Reviewers program with the expectation of an honest review.

>73 thornton37814: Lucky you! I requested that one but did not get it.

>74 LadyoftheLodge: I was a little surprised I got it, but I certainly enjoyed it. I'll let a friend read it, and then I'll add it to the juvenile collection at the library since this was a real book instead of ARC.

Book 153. American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan

Date Completed: 10 July 2020

Category: Bengal (Other Non-Fiction)

Rating: 2 stars

Review: This book tells the story of serial killer Israel Keyes. Instead of beginning with the first murder and continuing until he is caught, this begins with the last victim in Alaska and shows the hunt and capture and then reveals the extent of the crime. Completely undetected for years, Keyes escaped notice by traveling. Unfortunately the book's style bored me. I'm thankful to be done with it.

Book 154. Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers

Date Completed: 12 July 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: I enjoyed the full cast audio version of this Sayers classic with Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter. The mystery centers on the murder of an artist in a Scottish town. Another artist must have committed the murder. Train tables receive quite a bit of attention. Many people criticize these, but I'm not familiar enough with them to do so. In the end each investigator comes up with his own theory, but Lord Peter, of course, solves the problem.

Book 155. One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak

Date Completed: 16 July 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Serenity, Reagan, and Lorelei discover they are half-sisters after taking a DNA test. They decide to spend the summer together in Lake Tahoe. Each has her own "man problems." They all want to know who the father is, but instead of using DNA matches to determine the father, they go through a rather convoluted method. I kept reading in hopes they'd eventually use the DNA itself to solve the problem. The DNA, while a tool to bring the women together, ended up being secondary to the women's involvement in relationships with me. This book relied a little too much promiscuity for me. In the end, I was sorry I didn't abandon it when I almost did 50 pages into the book.

Abandoned Book 5. The Porpoise by Mark Haddon

Date Abandoned: 16 July 2020

Category: Shelter Cats (Abandoned Cats)

Comments: Abandoned. There was something about the writing style of this novel which did not work for me. I might have eventually enjoyed the story line, but I think the writing style just didn't work and would have continued to bother me.

>79 thornton37814: I'm finding my reading tolerance is lower these days. On the other hand, I'm more delighted with good storytelling than usual.

I hope your sweet boys are all enjoying your extra time at home. I know mine like that their butler is always there to open the door for them and top up the food bowl.

>80 RidgewayGirl: I think Sherlock is a bit mad at me. The other two wanted to be fed around the usual time so I opened the can and repeatedly called Sherlock who ignored me. All night long he's been trying to get me to open another can. It hasn't worked. He'll learn to come when called.

ETA: There's plenty of dry food out for him. He won't starve.

Book 156. The Summer Country by Lauren Willig

Date Completed: 20 July 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: Emily Dawson's grandfather leaves her a sugar plantation in Barbados. She sails to the island along with a cousin who will manage other her grandfather's other holdings and his wife Laura. She discovers the plantation house burned to the ground but that a couple other homes including the bookkeeper's home remain. A nearby plantation survived the slave uprising of the early 19th century, escaping the fire. The story alternates between the two 19th century time periods (1812-1815 and 1854). In the intervening years, slavery ended in Barbados. Cholera rages on the island and will take someone close to her. She is able to practice her nursing skills by helping a capable island doctor. She must also come to terms with a story her grandfather did not tell her. I loved this book and the story it tells. I want to read some of the historical sources cited in the author's historical note.

>82 thornton37814: - I have enjoyed Willig's Pink Carnation series (which I still need to finish!) so very happy to see your positive review for one of her books outside of that series.

>83 lkernagh: It definitely makes me want to seek some of her other books.

>82 thornton37814: Looks good, my library has it so I'll grab it in my next curbside order.

>85 clue: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Book 157. Kevin Belton's New Orleans Celebrations by Kevin Belton with Rhonda K. Findley; illustrated by Eugenia Uhl

Date Completed: 20 July 2020

Category: Ragamuffin (Food & Drink)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: As I was channel surfing, I ran across a program featuring Kevin Belton. I wanted a recipe he featured on the show but discovered few recipes--and not the one I wanted--on the show's web site. I discovered the recipe was in this book, and since I'm a lover of New Orleans cuisine decided to order it. The book includes many classic New Orleans dishes, but it also features new takes on some and fusions of New Orleans cuisine with other cuisines for some. The book's illustrations make it appealing, and there's just enough background on New Orleans and the cuisine and culture to make it an enjoyable read.

Book 158. When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor

Date Completed: 24 July 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: When we read books about children in World War II, they often deal with the internment camps in the United States, sending children to the countryside in England, or evacuating Jewish children to other countries. Hazel Gaynor presented a fresh focus by concentrating on a group of children studying at a school sponsored by the China Inland Mission. Most children belonged to diplomats or missionaries--mostly British but some Americans and other nationalities. When Japan declared war on the United States, they were already occupying parts of China, and moved in quickly to take over the school, placing Japanese ownership signs on everything. The children were able to stay there for a short time, but were moved to another location in Chefoo. Eventually they were sent to an internment camp in Weihsien where they remained for the duration. The story is told through the eyes of one of the girls and one of the teachers. I loved this book and cried in several places. I received an advance reader's copy through LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.

Book 159. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

Date Completed: 27 July 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Evaristo broke all the writing rules your teachers drilled into you when she authored this collection of stories of women's lives. At first the style distracted me, but I kept on and managed to tolerate that aspect. I dislike vulgar language, and this novel, in places, exceeded my toleration level. The "other" are those women identifying with alternative sexual lifestyles. The characters reside in a variety of localities, and each's story loosely connects through shared experiences as women. Reading about DNA kit testing and results toward the end of the book redeemed it enough to raise it a half star. This simply wasn't a book for me. I realize its unorthodox approach to writing and telling women's stories earned it a Booker, but I simply did not enjoy it.

>89 thornton37814: What bothered me about the book was the character development. All the characters seemed to exist in order to illustrate the points the author wanted to make, instead of seeming to have lives of their own.

>90 pamelad: An excellent point. I agree with you.

Book 160. Confessions by St. Augustine

Date Completed: 6 Aug 2020

Category: Bengal (Other Non-Fiction)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: I read the Pusey translation of Augustine's Confessions about three years ago. A friend read Chadwick's version earlier this year and seemed to get more out of it, so I decided I'd like to try this one. I found Chadwick's version easier to read. Ideally this should be used as a daily devotional, reading only one or two of the smaller enumerations each day, depending on their length. (Some consist of one short paragraph.) I read large chunks on days I read it, but I suspect I would digest more of it with further reflection on the passage. Chadwick's version contained helpful textual footnotes.

>92 thornton37814: I've always wanted to read Confessions and have it on my shelf. I think the idea of reading small parts daily is a great idea!

>93 Tess_W: I think it would work well as a daily devotional. It would give you time to "digest" what he says. I want to read The City of God soon.

Book 161. About Face by Donna Leon

Date Completed: 9 August 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Although the book begins with a social outing at the in-laws in which Brunetti's seating across from a disfigured woman gives him an enjoyable evening discussing classic literature. A carabinieri officer's death brings Brunetti and a new lady officer in to investigate. By the time they arrive at the scene, a cover-up is already underway. Brunetti learns the death may be tied to another death which was in another jurisdiction. His father-in-law asks him to investigate a man who proposed a joint business deal in China. As usual, the mystery contains an environmental theme--toxic waste this time. I enjoyed listening to the book narrated by Colacci.

Book 162. Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers

Date Completed: 9 August 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Harriet Vane stumbles upon a body along the seaside but suspects it may wash out to sea before police can arrive. The inspector needs her to remain until the body can be located. Vane photographed and collected evidence before she set out to get help, knowing things could be lost. Lord Peter shows up. He, Harriet, and the inspector investigate, but, of course, Harriet and Lord Peter come up with the solution. The full-cast dramatisation by BBC Radio was quite enjoyable.

Book 163. Tonight You're Dead by Viveca Sten; translated by Marlaine Delargy

Date Completed: 16 August 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Thomas, now reunited with his former wife following the incident concluding the previous installment, returns to work and investigates murders in the present-day which seem to be linked to Coastal Ranger training on the island of Korsö during the 1970s. A student's death while researching sociological aspects of military service prompts Thomas and Margit to investigate what went on there as a pattern involving them emerges. Laundry detergent plays a part in many of the murders. The author offers a few glimpses at Nora Linde's life as the waiting period for her divorce draws to a close. Unfortunately these feel like interruptions for readers because her importance to the story line is minimal. I enjoy this series, but this one was a little less captivating.

Book 164. Florence and Her Fantastic Family Tree by Judy Gilliam; illustrated by Laura Addari

Date Completed: 19 August 2020

Category: Ragdoll (Juvenile & YA)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Florence must create a family tree for school but her parents divorced and remarried, and now her father and his second spouse divorced and both remarried. She considers herself to have six parents and lots of siblings. While I appreciate this book is for young readers and that many people want to trace the step-relationships, the book never clarified the ancestral relationship. It's a cute book about a school assignment, but it is not one I'd give to a budding genealogist. The subject material seemed a little advanced for picture books. The illustrations were the best part of the book.

Book 165. A Few Figs from Thistles: Poems and Sonnets by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Date Completed: 20 August 2020

Category: Russian Blue (Poetry)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This small book features some of Millay's early poetry. As with most collections, the poetry appeal varies from poem to poem. This collection, originally published in 1920, was expanded when republished in 1922. The "figs" were a couple of very short poems. I enjoyed the poems from the day when rhyme mattered.

Book 166. Zotero for Genealogy: Harnessing the Power of Your Research by Donna Cox Baker

Date Completed: 21 August 2020

Category: Persian (History & Genealogy)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Donna Cox Baker offers genealogists a glimpse into the ways she uses Zotero to manage her research logs, research notes, to do lists, and digital files. She explains her simple filing system. While my system is broken out just a little more, I probably will not change the system to align with her method, and she suggests using what works for you and to use the same system for print as digital. While Zotero creates Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition citations, they do not align perfectly with genealogy's Evidence Explained style. She offers tweaks she uses to get similar data in her citations, but the order bugs me. For this reason, I probably won't use Zotero for creating more than simple book or article citations. However, I do like the power it offers in searching and indexing data on the hard drive and in linking to files on the computer and online. I feel she needed to explain the ZotFile extension a little better as I found myself still asking questions about how it worked. Baker's book offers a good introduction for genealogists, and it should help me in working with university students who wish to use it.

Book 167. Innocent Graves by Peter Robinson

Date Completed: 25 August 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: When the pastor's wife discovers a rich school girl's corpse in the cemetery, suspicion points to Owen Pierce, a teacher with a reputation for enjoying the company of his students and whose home shows a fascination with pornographic photography. Owen maintains his innocence. His attorney shatters the case. When another girl is murdered in a similar fashion, Banks and his team must examine the evidence once again. I enjoyed this story narrated by James Langton who did a wonderful job as usual.

Book 168. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Date Completed: 28 August 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 5 stars

Review: Researchers know little about William Shakespeare's family, but Maggie O'Farrell takes these sparse fragments and expertly weaves them into a beautifully written narrative based on the bard's life. The book opens with son Hamnet seeking his mother or grandmother to come to the aid of his twin Judith who fell ill with the "buboes." From here we learn the back story and return to the present. Agnes came from a family of higher social status than Will, but pregnancy provides the opportunity needed to seal the marriage. Wife Agnes, as she is called here rather than Anne, misses her husband as his career as a playwright often calls him to London. Hamnet's death brings grief to both the bard and Agnes. I don't want to say much about the ending, but it is incredible. While we don't really know the death cause for Shakespeare's son, the author used the plague based on research showing a London outbreak at the time. This powerful work should be read by most literary lovers, especially fans of the bard.

>102 thornton37814: A great review! I've seen this same book mentioned a lot lately, so on my wish list it goes!

>102 thornton37814: I've got this one on my list and look forward to it even more since I've seen your remarks. I've also got the first in the Peter Robinson series sitting here on the table.

>103 Tess_W: It's an incredible book.

>104 clue: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It is beautifully written.

Book 169. Collected Poems, 1909-1962 by T. S. Eliot

Date Completed: 2 September 2020

Category: Russian Blue (Poetry)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Featuring selections of many of T. S. Eliot's poems, this collection demonstrates the poet's versatility in topic and style. While I prefer the poems with shorter lines, others probably enjoy the longer ones. It's a great collection for those interested in reading this celebrated 20th century writer's work.

>102 thornton37814: I have yet to encounter anything less than hugely enthusiastic reviews for Hamnet. There are currently 22 people ahead of me in the library holds, so I should read it around Christmas.

>108 RidgewayGirl: I think you'll enjoy it.

Book 170. The Old Success by Martha Grimes

Date Completed: 6 September 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Years ago I enjoyed many of Martha Grimes' books featuring Richard Jury which bore the names of pubs. I decided to pick up the latest installment in the library. This book just never quite worked. I loved the island setting, but the author didn't really use it to create atmosphere. The book's focus on horses seemed to lend itself better to a different setting. Then the different threads didn't work all that well together. I figured out "whodunit" early on, but the book jumped around too much, making it difficult for readers to follow. Let's hope the author's next effort improves.

Book 171. The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan

Date Completed: 6 September 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mystery)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: I love this series featuring an elephant sidekick. Retired Inspector Chopra visits an exhibit featuring the crown jewels in a Mumbai museum. As his group visits the crown with its magnificent diamond, a series of events results in the theft of the priceless gem. A former colleague was framed for the theft. Although Chopra is not 100% convinced of the man's innocence, he decides to pursue the investigation.

Following the success of his previous case, his agency gained popularity. Finding one of his former colleagues cut by his successors, Chopra hires him to help. He assigns him to the case Poppy wishes him to investigate concerning a missing founder's bust at a school. Then Irfan's father finds him and takes him away. That story's ending will delight all of Ganesh's fans.

I love these books and listen to them on audio. I suspect I wouldn't like them half as much without Ganesh the elephant. They are pure entertainment, and in these days of COVID-19, they are exactly what I need! I look forward to the next one.

>102 thornton37814: I put a hold on Hamnet at the library but with extended loans because of the pandemic it will be a while before my name comes up.

>111 thornton37814: This series sounds intriguing, I've just added the first to my tbr list.

>112 VivienneR: I hope you enjoy both books. I'm sure the waits are really long because of book quarantines. I've been reading most books as e-books, but I snag a few real books from my library's collection occasionally so I can give my eyes a break. I've got one book on my desk at work. It's one we are withdrawing because we own the e-book, but I'd rather read the print so I'm reading it before putting it in the book sale. I've found the elephant to be just what I need for an enjoyable and somewhat humorous read during the pandemic. I've listened to the audio in both cases.

Book 172. Edward Lear's Cats by Edward Lear; edited by Dr. Bruess

Category: American Shorthair/Tabby (Cats)

Date Completed: 6 September 2020

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The illustrations by noted limerick author Edward Lear feature his cats. Many illustrations include French language, but a few toward the end contain English. Only one limerick is included. I enjoyed the illustrations, but I would not consider this an essential purchase. It might make a nice stocking stuffer for a cat lover. I received an electronic copy of the book through a GoodReads giveaway. While reviews are appreciated, they are not required.

Book 173. Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy L. Sayers

Date Completed: 7 September 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This collection featured Lord Peter Wimsey, Montague "Monty" Egg, and a couple of miscellaneous stories written by Sayers. The Lord Peter stories were the longer ones, but the Montague Egg stories, while predictable, were enjoyable. I enjoyed the two miscellaneous stories at the end. A brief biography of Sayers plus photos appears after a preview of the next book in the Lord Peter series.

Book 174. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson; translated by Thomas Teal

Date Completed: 7 September 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This series of vignettes features a girl and her grandmother on a Gulf of Finland island. While some stories include minimal action, most explore family relationships and living in an isolated setting. The short length enables one to read it in one or two sittings.

Book 175. The Best American Poetry 2020 edited by Paisley Rekdal; series editor, David Lehman

Date Completed: 7 September 2020

Category: Russian Blue (Poetry)

Rating: 2 stars

Review: About all I want to say about this book is that if this is the best American poetry offers, I'll be reading British poetry or older poetry from now on. Very few poems instilled a sense of calmness and peace. Few dealt with themes of beauty, peacefulness, the sea, flowers, birds, etc. Too much of the content was stressful, and to call some of it poetry stretches the definition. I received an advance review copy through Edelweiss. While the publisher appreciates reviews, they are not required.

Book 176. Ancestry Quest: How Stories from the Past Can Heal the Future by Mary Beth Sammons

Date Completed: 7 September 2020

Category: Persian (History & Genealogy)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Journalist Mary Beth Sammons looks at the popularity of genealogy providing insights on how it can bring a sense of completion and healing to those undertaking the quest. She cautions researchers about the high percentage of persons finding unexpected results when incorporating DNA testing into their research. Sammons interviewed several genealogists, some of them very well-known, about things they found in their research. One storyteller appears to be related to me through her Quaker Thornton line. Sammons consulted genetic genealogist Diahan Southard for insights into the field. Although the book contains a few citations, it will not win any awards for documentation, particularly since blind endnotes were utilized. The stories should make this popular as a general interest book. The inclusion of well-known genealogists' stories adds to the appeal. I received an advance review copy from the publisher through Edelweiss. Although not required, reviews are appreciated.

>116 thornton37814: This is one of the books I got for my birthday this year. I'm looking forward to it.

>119 Jackie_K: I got the book bullet from someone here on LibraryThing. I hope you enjoy it.

Book 177. A Poison Tree and Other Poems compiled and illustrated by Mercer Mayer

Date Completed: 8 September 2020

Category: Ragamuffin (Juvenile/YA)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This older collection features poems for upper elementary to lower middle school children. Many would lend themselves to discussion. It is beautifully illustrated. Some featured poets include Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, James Stephens, and Richard Wilbur.

Book 178. It's Spring by Noemi Weygant

Date Completed: 9 September 2020

Category: Ragdall (Juvenile & YA)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: At the time this book was written, this probably worked very well for teaching children about things in nature while creating an appreciation for poetry. The author enjoyed photographing things in nature and accompanying them with poetry, making presentations to photography groups (and perhaps elsewhere). The photograph colors are limited by the resolutions available in the late 1960s, limiting its usefulness today. However, this would make a great book to be reissued with new photographs so a new generation could enjoy the nature poems.

Book 179. A Home for Hannah by Amy Lillard

Date Completed: 12 September 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: After her husband dies, Hannah McLean leaves Nashville with her 14-year-old son Brandon to return to the home she left 15 years ago just outside Pontotoc, Mississippi in the Amish community. It's a mixed bag of emotions and reception. Her father remains aloof while her mother welcomes her. The most complicated relationship exists between herself and Aaron Zook. When she left Pontotoc, Aaron began dating another woman because of Hannah's brother's suggestion. Hannah never intended to be gone forever, but when she found herself pregnant, she and him dating someone else, she didn't want him to feel obligated to marry her. Instead she found someone who promised to accept the child as his own although he failed to live up to the promise. With Hannah's "Englisch" ways and concern for her son who wants modern conveniences, will she and Aaron find a way to reconcile? With deadlines to make her choice, what will she choose?

I enjoyed this novel set near the area of the country in which I grew up. It is probably a little preachier in one spot than much of today's Amish fiction, but it probably doesn't stay there long enough to offend those who want the romance without the preachiness. The novel frequently mentions the Pontotoc community's connection to the Etheridge community in Tennessee.

Book 180. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Date Completed: 12 September 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: What an incredible book from a different perspective! The 9-year-old narrator's father serves as Commandant of Auschwitz. The story begins when the family leaves its nice Berlin home to go live in a house not nearly so nice and with no playmates. From his bedroom window he sees people clothed in striped pajamas living on the other side of the fence in huts. He befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives on the other side of the fence. The author perhaps overplays childhood ignorance/innocence in the story. I find it difficult to believe the boy did not know what was going on; however, I found the story fascinating because of the perspective. Most books would use a narrator inside the camp rather than outside, and using the voice from the outside created impact here. While I want to give it 5 stars, I cannot quite do that because of the believability factor. I listened to the audio book read by Michael Maloney. It was well done, and the musical interludes were beautiful.

>123 thornton37814: I hadn't realized there was an Amish community in Mississippi.

>125 RidgewayGirl: It's a newer one. They came down from Etheridge during my lifetime.

Book 181. The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson

Date Completed: 14 September 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Emma Daley wants to spend Christmas somewhere besides with her friend Gillian's family in Arizona this Christmas. Gillian persuades her to join them on a house swap adventure in Colorado. Songwriter West Prescott's family is the Colorado family heading to Arizona. When he realizes he left unpublished lyrics in plain sight, he heads back to the house to retrieve them, intending to rejoin his family. Unable to get another flight out because of a snowstorm, he heads to the caretaker's cottage he turned into a studio to spend the night. He decides to retrieve something from his jeep when he Gillian catches him. To avoid telling her who he really is, he says he is the caretaker. He finds himself drawn to Emma when he meets her later that evening. He offers to teach her to ski the next day. She finds he's a really good ski instructor. Not realizing he owns the house, Emma worries that West's over-familiarity with his boss' things might get him in trouble. What happens when they figure out who he really is? Will Emma and West get together or will the lie keep them apart? I found this book slow in starting, but once the main plot began shaping, it moved along nicely. The author kind of left Gillian's parents out once the action really began, but she gave them too big of a role in the earlier portion of the book. This is definitely a mixed bag. It might be a nice plot for a Hallmark Christmas movie if the first portion was re-written--although I must admit that except for a mention of Christmas shopping, this book could happen any time in winter. I received an advance copy through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.

Book 182. Out of This World: A Journey of Healing by Mary Swander

Date Completed: 15 September 2020

Category: Bengal (Other Non-Fiction)

Rating: 2 stars

Review: While I realized the author was not Amish and simply residing in an Amish community, I expected this book to to include more on the Amish community since that was the first subject heading. Instead the book fits the memoir category and only mentions the Amish incidentally as she interacts with them. The author discusses her decision to move from a California city back to her native Iowa. She purchased the former Fairview School as her residence and planted her own organic garden because of allergies to pesticides and such. The book may interest those who wish to "get back to nature." If readers seek an account of living among the Amish with the focus on the neighbors instead of the author, skip this one.

Book 183. A Slice of Snow: A Book of Poems by Joan Walsh Anglund

Date Completed: 17 September 2020

Category: Russian Blue (Poetry)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The untitled poems in this collection often seem like quotations or statements written in verse. They are brief, ranging from a couple lines to about a dozen at most. Each poem is accompanied by tiny illustrations on the opposite page. Some appeal more than others.

Book 184. Murder with Cinnamon Scones by Karen Rose Smith

Date Completed: 18 September 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: When gallery owner Reese Masemer's corpse turns up by the covered bridge, Daisy's friend Tessa becomes the chief suspect. She'd been dating the man, and some say the couple fought recently. It all happens when Willow Creek's businesses host a quilting event. Although it offers a predictable cozy plot, it provides a few moments of escapism for readers who want to indulge in a cup of tea, tasty treats, and a little spot of murder.

Book 185. Snowfall on Cedar Trail by Annie Rains

Date Completed: 22 September 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Halona, a single mom and florist, struggles to give her speechless son the support he needs. He used to speak, but following his father's death, he quit doing so. Halona finds herself making more trips to the principal's office than she would like. She enrolls him in the Mentor Match program where he is paired with the local police chief Alex Baker. The police chief wants nothing more than to solve the case involving his father's murder. Meanwhile Alex shows professional concern for another woman suffering at the hands of her husband. Snowfall on Cedar Trail offers a pleasant Christmas love story. This review applies only to this story, and not to the bonus story. I received a copy through GoodReads Giveaways. Although terms do not require reviews, they are appreciated.

Book 186. That's My Church: The Seven Churches of Revelation by J. M. Hope

Date Completed: 22 September 2020

Category: Bengal (Other Non-Fiction)

Rating: 1 star

Review: Readers wanting to learn more about the seven churches of Asia Minor would be better served by obtaining a readable commentary or a devotional commentary by someone such as Warren Wiersbe than by this incoherent book. The writing did not flow, and the insights were shallow. I received this through GoodReads giveaway. Although reviews are not required, they are appreciated.

Book 187. A Better Man by Louise Penny

Date Completed: 27 September 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: As Jean-Guy prepares to leave for France, Armand Gamache returns from his leave of absence. Jean-Guy is temporarily his boss. The demoted Armand is slated to return to his old job as head of homicide. Two less known officers play important roles in this story--Lysette Cloutier, who was recruited to major crimes because of her ability to track the money, and Bob Cameron, a former hockey player. Lysette's goddaughter Vivienne has gone missing. They suspect her abusive husband played a role in the disappearance. At the same time, much of Quebec, including Three Pines, is under threat of a major flood event. Most officers are diverted to flood control and management. Isabelle Lacoste, although technically still on medical leave, returns to help investigate the case. We know someone is lying, but who is it? Will they get the right man or woman? Will the charges stick? I enjoyed the installment, and I hope I get to the current installment soon so I'm no longer "one behind."

>133 thornton37814: I keep myself one book behind on this series on purpose, so I always have something to look forward to ;) Should have read this one when I was at my parents' place in August, though. Not looking likely that I'll be able to get back anytime soon.

>134 rabbitprincess: I'm not really sure when I got behind, but I generally read the previous one when the new one comes out, it seems. I think it's because we have other people on staff who want to read it as soon as it comes out so rather than hogging it, I let them. Then something shiny and new catches my attention -- or someone else has it checked out when I'm ready to read it. I know Louise Penny and Deborah Crombie books are always solid reads for me.

Book 188. Watching from the Dark by Gytha Lodge

Date Completed: 27 September 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Aidan spies on his "girlfriend" through a Skype vulnerability. He gets a little more than he expected when he witnesses her murder although he cannot see the suspect. It puts him in a precarious situation. He phones an anonymous tip, but the police soon determine who called. He becomes a suspect in the case because his testimony does not add up. The author does a good job with character development, and others may find the mystery more appealing than I did. The alternating viewpoints between the deceased's past and the present investigation did not work for me. I tire quickly of that overused technique, particularly when it could come out in other ways during the investigation. I received an advance uncorrected proof months ago through GoodReads. While reviews are appreciated, they are not required.

Book 189. The Christmas Boutique by Jennifer Chiaverini

Date Completed: 30 September 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This 2019 Christmas installment in the Elm Creek Quilts series shows the quilters preparing for the town's Christmas boutique which benefits the food pantry. Originally scheduled for the church hall, the church sustained water damage due to frozen pipes. It is moved to Sylvia's retreat. A little Christmas reconciliation occurs within the narrative. Each long chapter is told from the perspective of a different woman. The book gave a lot of back story with little forward progress. Still it was a pleasant enough read. The series tends to be quite formulaic. The same story is often repeated. I tired of these a long time ago and got behind on the series. I skipped many intervening installments, but I still felt I had not missed a beat.

>137 thornton37814: - I follow this series only because I quilt. I too am finding some of the stories being somewhat repetitious. Sylvia's history shows up in multiple stories.

>138 dudes22: Definitely. I like the quilting part too. However, I will space out any I try to "fill in" from the missing ones.

Book 190. Girl by Edna O'Brien

Date Completed: 1 October 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Captors take Maryam and several friends from their schools to the jungle wilds where the men rape the girls and force them to convert to Islam. Maryam becomes pregnant, giving birth to Babby. When opportunity presents itself in the form of camp bombing, Maryam flees with Babby, eventually returning to her prior home. The author depicts the violence and sympathizes with the girls, but she also presents Maryam as someone with the strength and courage to overcome. In the end, Maryam and Babby find a new life. The novel arose from interviews of survivors of the 2014 Boko Haram kidnappings. Although short, the novel's subject matter makes reading difficult due to the situation's horrors.

Book 191. Softly Blows the Bugle by Jan Drexler

Date Completed: 4 October 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Left a Civil War widow, Elizabeth returns home to her Amish family. Her brother who served during the war, mainly as a medic, brings home a crippled Confederate soldier Aaron he'd met in the hospital. The soldier, while not Amish, bore the surname Zook. He doesn't know much about them, but they feel certain he may be related. Meanwhile a man calling himself Solomon Mast turns up, moving onto a nearby farm. Solomon is determined to rush Elizabeth into marriage so he can get the land her late husband left. However, Aaron recognizes him from Virginia and knows he is an imposter. Lots going on here. The story itself is predictable but pleasant. The writing bothers me. Editors left too many sentences beginning with "And" -- something those of a certain age learned not to do. The must unforgiveable error occurs near the end of the book when the Mississippi lawyer brings out a birth certificate for the boy he brings for Elizabeth to rear. Sorry! Birth certificates did not exist in Civil War and Reconstruction era Mississippi. I received an advance reading copy through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.

>141 thornton37814: The kind of error you have in the spoiler drives me nuts!

>142 NinieB: Yes. It's a bad one.

>133 thornton37814: I have the latest book next up on my reading stack and am looking forward to it. I've heard good reviews so far.

>137 thornton37814: I've not read any books in this series, but that cover image is so inviting!

>133 thornton37814: I have the latest book next up on my reading stack and am looking forward to it. I've heard good reviews so far.

>137 thornton37814: I've not read any books in this series, but that cover image is so inviting!

>144 mathgirl40: >145 mathgirl40: I'm sure you'll enjoy the Penny book. The cover on the other is inviting, but the series gets tiring because the plots don't vary much.

Book 192. Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

Date Completed: 5 October 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Set in the years immediately prior to Cromwell's rule through Charles II's reinstatement as King, Tidelands focuses on residents of the island of Fairmile, particularly Alinor Reekie and her family. We see the remnants of the system of lords and their servile tenants. Alinor's husband left about a year prior to the book's beginning, and she's doing her best to support her two children with her midwife practice and through various jobs, mostly involving distilling herbs, milking cows, and other farm duties for the local miller's family. Her husband's accusations of her "magic" led many persons to be suspicious about where she obtained her cures. The resident lord, a papist, hired a man posing as a teacher, but working as a spy for the king, to tutor his son. He extended an invitation to Alinor's son to study with his son and to be his son's companion until he went to university. Too much sex outside the bonds of matrimony occurs for my taste, but it is central to the plot. I found the historical elements interesting, but I had a love-hate relationship with the story itself. The ending ruined the book for me. It seemed abrupt, leaving too much for future installments. While I want to know the resolutions, I'm not sure I want to wade through another installment this long to discover them. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Louise Beasley who did a capable job.

Book 193. The Middle Ages: A Very Short Introduction by Miri Rubin

Date Completed: 7 October 2020

Category: Persian (History and Genealogy)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: My expectations and the book's content did not align. My interest was more in a chronological overview of the period with political divisions, important peoples, and information on the lives of everyday persons. While the book began to address some of the latter toward the book's conclusion, the text mainly looked at broad themes from the period rather than providing the information I wanted to acquaint myself before moving to other books dealing with specific aspects. Others may enjoy it more than I did, but I was disappointed.

Book 194. Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

Date Completed: 8 October 2020

Category: Ragdoll (Juvenile & YA)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Beans and his gang live in Key West during the Great Depression. He's learned that adults lie. His unemployed father is often gone seeking work, and his mother takes in laundry to help make ends meet. Beans often works for "Winky" who always cheats him. The town's buildings are in need of facelifts, and the economy is so poor, garbage service is no longer available. There's just a bad-smelling garbage dump. One day a man saying he's working for the president rolls into town. He plans to turn Key West into a tourist destination. I'll leave the rest of the story for you to find out. It's a great piece of historical fiction for young readers. They'll enjoy the gang and their marble-playing and perhaps learn a little about the Great Depression and the Works Progress Administration in the process. I listened to the audiobook read by Kirby Heyborne and found it a perfect way to enjoy the book.

Book 195. Alpha and Omega by Harry Turtledove

Date Completed: 8 October 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This book explores the question "What if the Bible is true about the end times?" In the book's opening pages, a red heifer is found in Arkansas and brought to Jerusalem where the 3rd temple is being built. Missing for centuries, the Ark of the Covenant has been located. The book includes Jewish, Islamic, and Christian characters, and various reactions to the drama unfolding before their eyes occurs. Who is the antichrist? Some scoff the rapture hasn't occurred yet. It's an interesting exploration of the theme by a mainstream author, but in the end, it fell a little short.

>149 thornton37814: Did you read Turtle in Paradise? Beans is introduced in that book, which is one of my all-time faves.

>151 LadyoftheLodge: I did not although I do have it on Kindle unread. I'll have to find try to put it in the mix.

Book 196. The Innocents by Michael Crummey

Date Completed: 10 October 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: Evered and Ada, orphaned when their mother and father die within a couple weeks of one another, find themselves surviving the harsh northern Newfoundland winters. Evered assumes his father's job working as a fisherman for a man who supplies them with the other staples needed. Their only contact with the outside world generally comes when the supply ship comes twice a year. This is an incredible story, and Crummey tells it in a manner the evokes the time and place.

>153 thornton37814: I was hoping to read The Innocents this month although I don't know if I'll manage to fit it in. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it.

When it arrived in the library following its release, I knew I wanted to read it. It was reinforced when the chair of our English department raved about it after he read it. Then I saw someone else on here raving about it last month. It came up somewhere in the next 3 books to read to read from the library so I checked it out. I don't always read those books in order, but I am pretty diligent about getting to anything that might be returned to the publisher. After reading this one, I'm pretty sure I'll do all I can to keep it in the library's permanent collection.

>153 thornton37814: My library has it so I'll pick it in a few weeks, it sounds great!

>153 thornton37814: I have some Crummey on my tbr shelf. I need to pull it down and read it!

>156 clue: I hope you enjoy it.

>157 RidgewayGirl: I'm sure you'll love it if it's anything like this volume.

Book 197. A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith by Timothy Egan

Date Completed: 11 October 2020

Category: Scottish Fold (Travel)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: After his mother's death, Timothy Egan decided to pay tribute to his Catholic upbringing by taking a pilgrimage from Canterbury to Rome. The three-month journey visited many "holy sites" where monastics, popes, and saints trod. I enjoyed reading about the events that took place at the stops along his journey. Maps prefaced each section of his journey. It's a wonderful travelogue but is probably a little too Catholic-focused for this Southern Baptist who would have enjoyed a few more Reformation sites. (Martin Luther did receive treatment.)

Book 198. Dominicana by Angie Cruz

Date Completed: 13 October 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Ana, a native of the Dominican Republic, marries an older Juan Ruiz, a Dominican living in New York, with the goal of eventually bringing her family to live in the United States. The abusive Juan doesn't love her. He just wants her family's property. His younger brother Cesar resides with them. After Juan returns to the Dominican Republic to protect his property during a Revolution, Cesar gives the pregnant Ana more freedom. She takes English classes from a nun. She finds ways to earn a little money. She learns to navigate the city. What will happen when Juan returns? Will her family make it to New York? I did not enjoy this book. I really wish the author had provided more on the revolution in the Dominican Republic. Although I lived in this era, I was young, and I don't remember it. I did not like the brothers--well at least the main two, Juan and Cesar. I'm sure others loved it a bit more than me, but I did not enjoy the book's violence.

>160 thornton37814: I started this, then put it aside because it was so sad. Maybe later, when the pandemic is over. Too much reality,

>161 pamelad: That may have been part of the problem, but I just didn't like the male characters.

Book 199. Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

Date Completed: 18 October 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Meg helped her grandfather plan his owl convention just before Christmas. A snowstorm threatens to keep the entire convention snowbound over the holidays, and then a well-known but not well-liked owl expert dies under suspicious circumstances during the banquet. Fortunately Meg's father, the medical examiner, witnesses the incident, and a deputy is staying at the inn because his vehicle got stuck. Suspects abound. Even Meg's own grandfather possessed a motive. It's a fun Christmas mystery. In the story set in 2019, they propose holding another conference in 2020 a little earlier in the season--perhaps in September or October, but definitely before Thanksgiving. Obviously the author had no clue of what things would be like in 2020. I wonder how they enjoyed their Zoom conference?

I love the Donna Andrews novels. This one is a BB for me.

>153 thornton37814: Thank you for the prompt to read The Innocents by Michael Crummey, it was wonderful.

>163 thornton37814: This looks like a fun Christmas mystery. Adding it to the list.

>165 VivienneR: Her bird-oriented stories are usually fun. It's a series that I've read completely out of order. I still have many to read.

Book 200. An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson

Date Completed: 20 October 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Something about the writing style of this book made it difficult for me to follow the plot. Mystery author Josephine Tey plays a role in the mystery although Archie Penrose, the detective, figures more prominently. The mystery set in London's theatrical world focuses on the death of a woman who rode the train with Tey but never made it off. A key figure in the play's production also meets his demise soon afterward. I didn't find the novel very engaging, and I doubt I'll read others in the series. I like Tey's novels, but I'm not a fan of Upson's work.

>167 thornton37814: I also found the plot a little hard to follow. Looking back at my review from 2017, I had an overall positive impression, but I haven't felt compelled to pick up any more books in the series since then!

>163 thornton37814: "I wonder how they enjoyed their Zoom conference?" Too funny!

I've also enjoyed the few I've read in Donna Andrew's bird themed mysteries. I've got to keep them in mind next time I need something light.

>168 christina_reads: I'm glad it wasn't just me then.

>169 markon: Well, you know, I just couldn't help but think about that. Everything has moved to Zoom (or a similar platform).

Book 201. A Question of Belief by Donna Leon

Date Completed: 22 October 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Vacation time looms on the horizon as Brunetti begins on unofficial investigation into the way Vianello's aunt spends her child's inheritance. Court postponements also captivate his attention when a friend informs him about a noticed irregularity. He finds these a welcome diversion from the lack of cases leading up to vacation and knows their unofficial status makes them easy to drop. He looks forward to escaping the Venice heat in a mountain setting, but before he reaches his destination, he receives a call. A murder connected to the court date irregularities occurred. Vianello also returns from his vacation to assist. Everyone describes the victim as "a good man," but someone hated him enough to commit murder. Is the motive work-related or linked to his personal life? It's another great installment in the series with David Colacci doing the narration.

Book 202. Winter of Secrets by Vicki Delany

Date Completed: 23 October 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Now past her probationary period, Constable Molly Smith finds herself spending Christmas eve/Christmas morning with Constable Dave Evans overseeing the removal of a vehicle from the rushing shallow cold waters of the river. A few days later, she finds herself accompanying Sergeant John Winters to the morgue when the autopsy shows one of the drowned men died at least 24 hours before the accident. The two young men were part of a group staying at a local bed and breakfast while enjoying the powdery slopes of the local ski resort. Molly often finds her mom Lucky whose friend owns the bed and breakfast present when she arrives to question suspects. A local sixteen-year-old girl from an unfortunate family thought she would marry one of those men. Meanwhile a man who threatened Molly's friend and whom Molly arrested comes back to town, having been paroled for good behavior. I love this series in the audiobook format, narrated by Carrington MacDuffie. It provides pleasant escapism in the enjoyable setting of Trafalgar, a British Columbia resort community.

Book 203. Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers

Date Completed: 23 October 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Lord Peter goes undercover at an advertising agency to investigate an irregular death, but he also discovers a drug ring in the process. He nearly slips up with his cover a few times. The office staff provides interesting characters. I just don't like the series that much. Although this is one of the better installments, Bunter is largely absent, and I really enjoy his character.

Book 204. Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon

Date Completed: 25 October 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: When an old woman dies of a heart attack in her home, something feels off to Commissario Guido Brunetti when he visits the scene. The coroner finds evidence the woman had been grasped from the front and that she was possibly shaken. The autopsy is conclusive she died of heart attack and that she hit her head on a nearby radiator when she fell. Still Brunetti feels compelled to unofficially investigate. He finds the woman, a retired teacher, volunteered at a Catholic home for seniors. In his search of the apartment following her death, he found unopened packages of cheap women's lingerie in multiple sizes. He finds a cause for this in the investigation, and this leads to a further thread of investigation. This is not the strongest installment in the series, and Brunetti seems to feel guilt for some of the things Signorina Elettra does and that he asks her to do which skirt the law. I enjoyed listening to the installment read by David Colacci even if it wasn't a favorite in terms of plot.

Book 205. In the Heat of the Moment by Viveca Sten

Date Completed: 28 October 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Midsummer weekend on Sandhamn includes a lot of teenage partying. Jonas' daughter stays out past her curfew, and he spends the entire night searching for her. One girl loses the rest of her party and is finally joined by one in the shelter to wait until parents can come. But worst of all, one boy is found dead with a head wound caused by the repeated bashing of a stone against his head. The deceased's father vows revenge on the person who killed his son. Thomas and Margit investigate along with the help of other team members. The author seems to be using similar elements to previous books in this book. Unfortunately it makes the plot seem a little stale.

Book 206. Thin Ice by Paige Shelton

Date Completed: 1 November 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Author Beth Rivers who writes as Elizabeth Fairchild escaped from a van after being kidnapped by a crazed fan. Although her doctor wishes she would stay in St. Louis, Beth gets out of town, heading for rural Alaska. She finds the boutique hotel she booked actually serves as a halfway house for petty thieves. She poses as someone who fell off a horse in Denver although the local law enforcement knows the truth. Just before her arrival, a local woman's suspicious death sends Donner, a park ranger, to meet her plane while the police chief investigates the crime scene. Beth's experience working in her grandfather's police station becomes valuable to Gril, who needs someone with mathematical calculations concerning the forensic evidence. Gril also asks her to revive the local newspaper which ceased print when its previous owner died. This town that attracts people running from their pasts provides a pleasant setting for this standalone set up in a manner it might lead to a pleasant series.

Book 207. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Date Completed: 3 November 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: This classic adventure story featuring pirates and treasure continues to delight today's readers and listeners. Jasper Britton's narration was so well done I felt I listened to a full-cast narration instead of a single performer. Five audio versions were available to me through my libraries, and I listened to the samples of each, settling on this one, and I'm so glad I did.

Book 208. The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith

Date Completed: 3 November 2020

Category: Bengal (Other Fiction & Non-Fiction)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This classic work on God's grace remains relevant to today's reader.

Book 209. Summer Snow: New Poems by Robert Hass

Date Completed: 4 November 2020

Category: Russian Blue (Poetry)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: I enjoyed some of the poems in this collection, but many failed to resonate with me. It includes a few prose selections which are not mentioned in the book's subtitle. While Hass writes some poetry with shorter lines, making the poems easier to read, many feature almost page-width lines. I preferred the ones with shorter widths, and I preferred ones with topics that didn't seem like his daily journal written in poetic form.

Book 210. Detective Stories edited by Peter Washington

Date Completed: 4 November 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Peter Washington compiled an outstanding collection of detective stories in this volume. He roughly arranged stories from newest to oldest. I read this for our book club at work where we typically read one or two short stories per week and complete it in a semester. We began the collection back in January, reading the first selection. At that point we decided we would rather read them in reverse order--oldest to newest--so we could see the influence older authors might have on the newer ones. Of course, the book club was interrupted by COVID-19, so we did not resume our read until fall semester. We then did not meet in person, but on Zoom. We enjoyed the collection.

Stories included were "The Takamoku Joseki" by Sara Paretsky, "Window of Opportunity" by Ian Rankin, "People Don't Do Such Things" by Ruth Rendell, "Inspector Ghote and the Miracle Baby" by H. R. F. Keating, "Mademoiselle Berthe and Her Lover" by Georges Simonon, "Death and the Compass" by J. L. Borges, "Leg Man" by Erle Stanley Gardner, "I'll Be Waiting" by Raymond Chandler, "The Gatewood Caper" by Dashiell Hammett, "The Blue Geranium" by Agatha Christie, "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell, "The Blue Cross" by G. K. Chesterton, "Silver Blaze" by Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Stolen Cigar Case" by Bret Harte, "Long Looked-for, Come at Last" by James McLevy, and "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe.

If you are looking for a great selection of detective stories, I highly recommend this collection. It features a nice binding and a ribbon bookmark. It is not available on Kindle or other electronic formats.

Book 211. Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food by Susan Marks

Date Completed: 7 November 2020

Category: Ragamuffin (Food & Drink)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Born out of an advertising campaign for Gold Medal flour, Betty Crocker and the women who portrayed her over the years became a staple in the American household. In the early days, women responding to the radio broadcasts received a wooden recipe box with recipes. When the great depression hit, Betty Crocker helped women economize. During the war years, she showed women how to make the most of their rations. I found myself wanting to ask my deceased mother about her memories of the earlier incarnations of Betty Crocker. While my mom always used Gold Medal flour, I wondered why many of her recipes called for Duncan Hines yellow cake mix rather than Betty Crocker. I remember asking her once why she used Duncan Hines instead of Betty Crocker, but she didn't really have a good answer. Duncan Hines came later than Betty Crocker though. It's still an interesting culinary and social history read, focusing mainly on my mother's era.

The first cookbook I got (from my mother) was a Betty Crocker with a red cover published in 1976 (about the time I went out on my own). I still have it and still use it. One of the things that I find most interesting is the chapter "Special Helps" at the end with odd tidbits you never see in cookbooks now. I still use it.

Betty Crocker is a favourite in our house too. My other half just used it yesterday to make an apple pie, and the chocolate snack cake recipe is immensely popular with his coworkers.

And my mum always gets out the Betty Crocker Cooky Book at Christmas time!

My mother's early 1960s Betty Crocker has the Yorkshire Pudding recipe without which Christmas dinner is not complete. (It also included a couple of pages about Caroline Kennedy's birthday party at the White House.)

I now have my grandmother's from much earlier. I have solid evidence that her favorite part of the cookbook was the baking pages.

>182 dudes22: It's interesting to see how Betty Crocker evolved over the years.

>183 rabbitprincess: I think I really began using Betty Crocker most when it developed the Super Moist line. I really liked the mixes including pudding.

>184 NinieB: I suspect the baking pages are often the most utilized pages--at least in the Southern States. Unless we're making a casserole, we often don't need recipe books for what we are making otherwise.

>182 dudes22: I've got the 1976 edition too. I have a bookcase where my family room and kitchen intersect and have my cookbooks there. It's not unusual at all for a visitor to spy the books and say that they or someone they know has the Betty Crocker book.

>183 rabbitprincess: I have the cooky book too. I gave it to my grandmother for Christmas when I had my first after school job (at the public library). She loved to make cakes and when she unwrapped the cooky book she looked at it, handed it right back to me, and said she didn't make cookies! It was a good purchase though, I've used it for many years.

We are all connected through Betty Crocker which was one of my first cookbooks as well. It also was the first cookbook I bought for each of my daughters when they were leaving home. My copy is very well thumbed and the front cover is now missing but I still use it regularly. I just checked the publishing date of my book and it is 1968.

>185 thornton37814: My Betty Crocker is pulled out mainly for baked goods.

>186 clue: At tonight's book club, I think Carrie (cbl_tn) had the oldest copy of the cookbook. She had a first edition, third printing (1950). My mom never owned it, and I don't have a copy either. Someone at the club mentioned that the Christmas cookie book is one of her favorite cookbooks.

>187 DeltaQueen50: I have the Better Homes and Garden one, and there's a Good Housekeeping one from the 1950s in mom's cookbooks that I own.

>188 RidgewayGirl: I think with the connection to Gold Medal Flour and Bisquick, baking is probably the strength of the cookbooks. She did teach women how to be frugal during rationing times, but I think my mom's family was too poor to even purchase those "frivolous box mixes" back then.

Book 212. The Timepiece by Beverly Lewis - completed 8 November 2020

Date Completed: 8 November 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Although Earnest grew up in a church similar to the Amish, he didn't join until after his divorce. Twenty years after his marriage to Rhoda, his past caught up with him, and he just served 6 weeks under the bann because of his sin. Imagine his surprise when Adeline shows up claiming to be a daughter from that first marriage--a daughter he never knew existed. She always assumed her stepfather was her father, so she was surprised to read about it in her mother's diary. She sought Earnest. While it is clear from the beginning Adeline loves worldly things too much to become Amish, her time spent with her Amish family will leave a mark upon her life. Earnest's other daughter Sylvia questions her relationship with her fiancée, Titus, when he seems more interested in outward appearances than on them. Sylvia decides to postpone joining the church until she feels forgiveness in her heart toward Titus and toward his family's treatment of her father during his bann. The book shows Adeline's desire to find what she is missing, and Sylvia's struggles to find the true meaning of love. I enjoyed this book that appears to be a revisit of a family the author wrote about in a previous book. Someday I hope to find the earlier book and see this family at an earlier period in time.

>189 thornton37814: I still consider using a box mix or pre-made pie crust to be cheating.

>191 RidgewayGirl: I almost always use Pillsbury crusts to save time. I occasionally make my own.

I made a cake for work once and was lavishly praised for it... but most of the credit had to go to Betty Crocker' Super Moist box cake mix! That said, I replaced the water in the box cake recipe with milk, and I made the icing from scratch. Homemade icing tastes so much better in my opinion -- worth the clouds of icing sugar I invariably unleash on the kitchen.

>193 rabbitprincess: My mom (and I) actually began using SuperMoist when it came out when she used a boxed mix when we cheated and used a box.

>193 rabbitprincess: - You can also add an extra egg and replace the oil with melted butter for a richer tasting cake. I've been experimenting with recipes that use cake mix as a beginning for cookies. Also pudding and Jello. I like the Jello ones because not only are they easy but the cookies are tinted. Using cherry and lime flavored gives me red and green for Christmas. And kids don't really care if I started from scratch.

>195 dudes22: Interesting.

>195 dudes22: Every birthday in my childhood was celebrated with a cake that involved a box of yellow cake mix, a box of Jello (red flavor) and a box of Cool Whip.

>197 RidgewayGirl: I hope you like Cool Whip better than I do. I think it is "nasty." I don't mind real whipped topping, but I don't like the taste of Cool Whip.

Had to take one of my fur boys to the vet this morning. He was holding an eye closed, and although there was no discharge, I was concerned. The vet says he suffered trauma, but there is no abrasion or ulcer--mainly swelling. Just a little bit of conjunctivitis. We're guessing a brother sneaked up on him when he wasn't quite on guard. I'm attempting to put the cream in his eye three times a day. I had the vet do it the first time. I think I got more on his fur than in his eye this last time, but hopefully I'll do better before bedtime.

Ouch! Hope his eye is better soon.

>195 dudes22: My son uses chocolate box mix and uses strong black coffee as the liquid. He tops it with the generic brand of Nutella. It's good, better than mine.

ETA: Sorry you hear your boys have been roughhousing, leaving one injured. Hope all is well again soon. Putting cream in his eye must be fun. Did you get any on the walls?

Your poor baby! Are you withholding his name to spare him embarrassment?

>201 VivienneR: Whoa, I've got to have to try the chocolate, coffee, Nutella cake!

>200 rabbitprincess: Thanks

>201 VivienneR: I asked the vet how I was supposed to get cream into a cat's eye. She laughed. She did suggest wrapping the cat in a towel or blanket, and that's about the only way I'm successful in getting it in.

>202 RidgewayGirl: It's Barney. I just didn't know whether anyone knew their names well enough.

>203 clue: It does sound good, doesn't it?

>204 thornton37814: Wrapping a cat up, burrito-style, has a calming effect, too. We have to take Homer to the vet this way because he freaks out in the crate. It's so funny because by the time we unroll him on the examination table, he's so mellow he can barely move.

>205 RidgewayGirl: The vet tech told me that Barney was really good in the office--so much better than most cats. I'm sure it was a little traumatic that I couldn't go in with him. I'm usually the one holding him for check-ups.

Book 213. From These Broken Streets by Roland Merullo

Date Completed: 12 November 2020

Category: Siamese (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Set in World War II Naples, an archivist (Giuseppe) comes up with a plan to aid the Allies. He and Lucia, a secretary, go underground with the aid of of her father, risking much, to help overthrown Fascist and Nazi regimes. Unfortunately the novel started far too slowly and failed to draw me until the last 50 to 75 pages. I'd hoped for a more engaging read set in a the Italian theater of the war about which I knew little.

>206 thornton37814: Yeah, I've been putting off taking our new guy in (he was fixed and got his rabies vaccine when he was still a feral) because I don't know how he'll do without me there.

>208 RidgewayGirl: I don't know what the "than most cats" part of the statement implies, but Barney really is a sweet cat. He's not particularly fond of strangers, but he's been around the vets and vet techs enough that he probably recognizes at least some of them. I know Dr. Neas who saw him plays with the cats when they board there, so that probably helps. (The first time she saw them as "doctor," she immediately recognized my boys and was so excited to see them again. They'd boarded there a couple of times by then.)

Book 214. At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

Date Completed: 15 November 2020

Category: Persian (History & Genealogy

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Bill Bryson's book is not really quite what I expected. His social history of England uses the setting of a home and its spaces or features to explore various topics relevant to the lives of those who once lived in these houses. He explores epidemiology (quite appropriate in 2020 with the pandemic), gardens, electricity, sewage, slavery, finances, education, and much more in the volume. The book lacks citation footnotes (even of the blind end note variety); however, it includes a nice bibliography. Some footnotes with further explanations do appear at the bottom of some pages, usually linked by an asterisk. The volume's size intimidates casual readers, but the author's engaging style will win most over, particularly if they approach the book a chapter per day.

>210 thornton37814: This was a chunkster in audio! I ended up stopping with 4 discs left to go. But I would like to read it again, because it was interesting. My mum has an illustrated edition that looks very nice.

>211 rabbitprincess: The edition I used was not illustrated, but I'm sure that would make it an even larger chunkster.

>210 thornton37814: - I have this and am looking forward to getting to it at some point.

>213 dudes22: Hope you enjoy it.

Book 215. Kanahena: A Cherokee Story by Susan L. Roth

Date Completed: 16 November 2020

Category: Ragdoll (Juvenile & YA)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This picture book shares a grandmother's Cherokee story to a young girl about a terrapin and possum who eat persimmons. A wolf comes along eating the persimmons, but ends up choking on a large one. The terrapin uses the wolves ears to eat kanahena, a type of cornmeal mush eaten by the Cherokee. Word spreads among the wolves about terrapin's new eating utensils. They come to put an end to terrapin, but he tricks them. The tale ends with several versions of terrapin's eventual fate, presenting an opportunity for the young child to decide which he thinks happened. Cute story with illustrations that will appeal to some and not to others but which convey the Cherokee theme well.

Book 216. Life on Mars by Jon Agee

Date Completed: 16 November 2020

Category: Ragdoll (Juvenile & YA)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: A child lands on Mars seeking life. He takes along cupcakes to share. He sees nothing but dirt all around him. He finally spots one sign of life. This book is all about the illustrations. We see not only the narrator's story but the reality of the situation as well. Great book for beginning readers or as a read aloud for younger children.

Book 217. From Sea to Stormy Sea: 17 Stories Inspired by Great American Paintings edited by Lawrence Block

Date Completed: 17 November 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction and Literature)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Out of the seventeen stories, I enjoyed about four of them. Some of the stories seemed to correlate with the painting providing inspiration very little. My favorites were "Silver at Lakeside" by Warren Moore, "On Little Terry Road" by Tom Franklin, "A Matter of Options" by Gary Phillips, and "Baptism in Kansas" by Sara Paretsky.

I am getting into the cookbook discussion very late here--but I do have the 1976 edition of Betty Crocker and it is falling apart! This was my very first cookbook when I moved into my first apartment and got my first teaching job. I still use this cookbook, as well as the cookie book.

Book 218. The Mistletoe Matchmaker by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

Date Completed: 18 November 2020

Category: Norwegian Forest (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Cassie Fitzgerald's father immigrated from Ireland to Canada. He's never returned to visit his parents. Finally they come over one year, and Cassie returns to Ireland with them. Christmas approaches on the Finfarrin Peninsula. While the characters from previous installments appear in this installment, one does not need to read the series in order for this Christmas installment. The plot is more about village life than anything else. It's somewhat lackluster--not really drawing one in to the place and not really giving a true sense of Christmas.

Book 219. Fog Magic by Julia L. Sauer

Date Completed: 19 November 2020

Category: Ragdoll (Juvenile & YA)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This Newbury honor book tells the story of a fog-obsessed girl living in Nova Scotia. While others see the fog as an economic hardship, Greta loves it. She ventures "over the mountain" into a land of imaginary friends or a time from the past to a fishing village whose stories she's heard told. She finds a young girl with whom she shares adventures. The language and style remind me of the way my mom told stories. Published in my mom's childhood, this book may have been one she read and cherished. This book should keep even today's young reader's interested in its tale.

Book 220. Flashback by Nevada Barr

Date Completed: 21 November 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mystery)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Anna Pigeon leaves her assignment on the Natchez Trace Parkway to temporarily fill the shoes as Chief Ranger at Dry Tortugas National Park off the coast of Key West. The ranger there is on medical leave as others question his sanity. Anna receives a packet of letters written by an ancestor who accompanied her husband to Fort Jefferson during the Civil War, the main feature of the national park. The present story involves a boat explosion, the injury of the other law enforcement ranger, dives to learn more about the boat and its potential business, and more. The past story dealing with the Lincoln Conspirators imprisoned in Fort Jefferson is told completely through the letters. Each story could stand on its own--and probably should have. I love historical fiction, but I read Nevada Barr's work for Anna's story and found myself tiring of the endless letters. They occupied far too much of the story, and I found myself asking whether her ancestor would have written such long letters. While I enjoyed both stories, they didn't really work that well together. This is more of a 3.25 star read than a 3.0, but it's not quite up to a 3.5 one so I'm rounding down. I listened to the audio book narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.

Abandoned Book 6. The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste

Date Abandoned: 22 November 2020

Category: Shelter Cats (Abandoned Books)

Comments: I wanted to like this book based on the Italian invasion of Ethiopia during World War II, but I just could not get into the story. I finally gave up trying.

Book 221. There's a Murder Afoot by Vicki Delany

Date Completed: 23 November 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mystery)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Gemma Doyle, a London native now residing in New London on Cape Cod, returns home to attend a Sherlock Holmes conference. Her father's presence by the side of his estranged brother-in-law leads an incompetent DI with a grudge against his former colleague to arrest him. Gemma's father was hit over the head by the real party, and he doesn't remember how he ended up in the room. Several Americans came with Gemma, including Jayne and Ryan. Gamma's sister Philippa's high-ranking governmental connections prove useful. I have not read previous installments, but I want to go back and read them so I can understand the allusions and back story a bit better. I suspect knowing it would enhance my enjoyment. It's still a solid mystery, and I look forward to going back and catching up.

Well, if I'm going to forget I read a book earlier this year, at least it was a slim volume of poetry!



I won't count it a second time since it is the same year, but I re-read In the Lateness of the World by Carolyn Forché today.

Book 222. Bound for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

Date Completed: 27 November 2020

Category: Maine Coon (Mysteries)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: When an old corpse's remains turn up on a farm that once housed a hippie commune, Amy Webber helps the police with a bit of research and helps the farm's owners warn old commune members. Of course, she ends up asking questions of her own which endanger her. She's also making wedding plans with Richard and helping with Sunny's mayoral campaign. While there are several obvious clues pointing to the responsible person, the author incorporates enough red herrings to make it interesting, even for those who are not fooled by them. It failed to captivate the reader as some books do, making it easy to put down after reading a few chapters.