Katiekrug Reads and Reads and Reads Some More - Part 20

CURRENTLY READING
(Kindle) (Audio)

Hi All!

For anyone new to my thread, I'm Katie: reader, wine drinker, food appreciator, shenanigan-ator, and non-sufferer of fools. I live outside New York City with my husband, "The" Wayne, our cat, Leonard, and our dog Nuala/Noodles. I work as a senior governance manager for a non-profit engineering association, which used to be fun because I got to travel and now is just a big pile of meh. I recently left my job after 16 years and am hoping to do some writing and generally live a less stressful life as a Big Tech Trophy Wife ;-)

Here's to a great, or at least an improved, new year!

Books Completed

Books Off My Shelf: 38
Books Off My Kindle: 41
Books from Audible: 15
Library Loans: 32

December
Favorite:
126. Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer (4.5 stars)
125. A Very Austen Christmas by Various Authors (2.5 stars)
124. Cut and Run by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker (audio) (4 stars)
123. The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson (audio) (4 stars)
122. Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels (4.25 stars)
121. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan (5 stars)
120. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (3.5 stars)
119. Ghosts of the Tsunami by Richard Lloyd Parry (audio) (4 stars)
118. Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb (4 stars)
117. Trashlands by Alison Stine (3.75 stars)

YTD Did Not Finish
1. Waterland by Graham Swift
2. Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanne Elden
3. The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
4. Chasing Shakespeares by Sarah Smith
5. Dear Girls by Ali Wong
6. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard
8. The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer
9. The Removed by Brandon Hobson

November
Favorite:
116. Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah (3 stars)
115. Home for Christmas by Holly Chamberlin (audio) (2.5 stars)
114. The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr. (4 stars)
113. Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony (audio) (4.5 stars)
112. The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander (3.5 stars)
111. The Office: An Oral History by Andy Greene (audio) (4 stars)
110. Faithful Place by Tana French (4.5 stars)
109. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (4 stars)
108. A State of Freedom by Neel Mukherjee (3 stars)
107. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (audio) (3.5 stars)
106. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (3 stars)
105. Matrix by Lauren Groff (5 stars)

October
Favorite:
104. Loud Mouth by Avery Flynn (audio) (3.5 stars)
103. The Round House by Louise Erdrich (4.5 stars)
102. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym (4 stars)
101. The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (audio) (4 stars)
100. 1984 by George Orwell (2.5 stars)
99. Bookmarked by Wendy Fairey (audio) (3.5 stars)
98. All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks (4.25 stars)
97. Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson (3 stars)
96. That Night by Alice McDermott (3.75 stars)
95. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (4.5 stars)

September
Favorite:
94. What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman (5 stars)
93. No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie (3.75 stars)
92. The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman (4 stars)
91. The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon (4 stars)
90. Amethyst by Lauren Royal (3 stars)
89. The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff (audio) (4.5 stars)
88. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (4.25 stars)
87. Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel by Odyr and George Orwell (4 stars)
86. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare (4.5 stars)
85. Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan (4 stars)
84. West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge (4.25 stars)
83. Home Sweet Anywhere by Lynne Martin (3.5 stars)

August
Favorite:
82. The Black God's Drums by P. Djeli Clark (4 stars)
81. Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller (4.5 stars)
80. Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly (4.5 stars)
79. Falling by T.J. Newman (4 stars)
78. I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti (4.25 stars)
77. A Burning by Megha Majumdar (5 stars)
76. Cashelmara by Susan Howatch (3.5 stars)
75. The Strawberry Hearts Diner by Carolyn Brown (audio) (3 stars)
74. Whiskey and Charlie by Annabel Smith (4 stars)
73. The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini (3 stars)
72. You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik (4.25 stars)

July
Favorite:
71. Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa (4.5 stars)
70. The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys (4 stars)
69. Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins (4 stars)
68. The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White (3 stars)
67. Becoming by Michelle Obama (audio) (4 stars)
66. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (audio) (3.5 stars)
65. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (3.5 stars)
64. The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths (3.5 stars)
63. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (4.5 stars)
62. The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn (4 stars)
61. Born in Death by J.D. Robb (3.5 stars)

June
Favorite:
60. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (3.5 stars)
59. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (3.5 stars)
58. The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman (4 stars)
57. In the Morning I'll Be Gone by Adrian McKinty (4 stars)
56. The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare (4 stars)
55. Summerwater by Sarah Moss (4 stars)
54. Outlawed by Anna North (3.5 stars)
53. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell (audio) (3.5 stars)
52. Wish You Were Here by Stewart O'Nan (4 stars)

May
Favorite:
51. Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger (4.5 stars)
50. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (4 stars)
49. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami (3.5 stars)
48. Normal People by Sally Rooney (audio) (4 stars)
47. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught (3 stars)
46. The New Yorkers by Cathleen Schine (4.25 stars)
45. How to Break a Dragon's Heart by Cressida Cowell (audio) (3.5 stars)
44. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (3 stars)
43. Darkside by Belinda Bauer (4 stars)
42. Another Kind of Life by Catherine Dunne (3 stars)
41. Eat Cake. Be Brave. by Melissa Radke (audio) (3 stars)
40. Lord the One You Love is Sick by Kasey Thornton (4.5 stars)

April
Favorite:
39. Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson (3.5 stars)
38. Stories from Suffragette City by Various Authors (3.5 stars)
37. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare (4 stars)
36. Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin (4.5 stars)
35. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie (3.5 stars)
34. The Crucible by Arthur Miller (audio) (4.5 stars)
33. The Vanishing Point by Mary Sharratt (4 stars)
32. Pride and Promiscuity by Arielle Eckstut and Dennis Ashton (2 stars)
31. Island of the Lost by Joan Druett (4 stars)
30. It's In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (4 stars)
29. The Secret River by Kate Grenville (4 stars)

March
Favorite:
28. Dodgers by Bill Beverly (4.5 stars)
27. The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe (3.5 stars)
26. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton (3 stars)
25. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (4 stars)
24. Shit, Actually by Lindy West (3.5 stars)
23. Difficult Women by Roxane Gay (4 stars)
22. Anywhere for You by Abbie Greaves (3.5 stars)
21. Fat Chance by Nick Spalding (3.5 stars)
20. Memory in Death by J.D. Robb (3.5 stars)
19. Passing by Nella Larsen (3.5 stars)
18. Love by Toni Morrison (4 stars)

February
Favorite:
17. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (4.5 stars)
16. The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy B. Tyson (4 stars)
15. The Weirdies by Michael Buckley (audio) (4.5 stars)
14. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley (4.25 stars)
13. Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke (4 stars)
12. Paradise by Toni Morrison (4.25 stars)
11. Emperor of the Air by Ethan Canin (3.5 stars)
10. When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele (4 stars)
9. Blessings by Anna Quindlen (4.5 stars)

January
Favorite:
8. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2.75 stars)
7. Triangle by David Von Drehle (4 stars)
6. New Boy by Tracy Chevalier (3.5 stars)
5. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad (audio) (4 stars)
4. Siracusa by Delia Ephron (4.5 stars)
3. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls (4 stars)
2. One By One by Ruth Ware (3.5 stars)
1. Jazz by Toni Morrison (3.75 stars)

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

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

(Anything below 2 stars is unlikely to be finished)



WELCOME!

Banner day today, as I got to eat two chocolates from my advent calendar, since I missed yesterday. YEsterdays was another dark chocolate ganache and today's was a milk chocolate "Lion of Belgium" with a thin layer of oozy caramel in the middle. NOICE.

Happy new thread, Katie! (And hooray for yummy chocolates 😋)

>8 bell7: - Thanks, Mary! I just had some mashed potatoes for lunch. Between that and the chocolates, I can't see how the day could get any better. I should probably just turn in for the night now :)

Happy new thread, Katie!

Ha! I had mashed potatoes for lunch, too!

>10 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber.

#twinning

Happy new thread, Katie.

>12 Helenliz: - Thank you, Helen!

My November monthly wrap-up:

Month in Review: November
(#s in parentheses are YTD)

Books Read: 12 (116)
Mine vs Library: 8 vs 4 (88 vs 28)

Non-US/UK Authors: 2 – Ireland and India (15 - 1 Mexico, 1 Canada, 3 Australia, 1 Morocco, 3 Ireland, 1 Finland, 1 Norway, 1 Italy, 2 India, 1 Brazil)
Own Voices: 2 (17)
New-to-me Authors: 11 (69)

Best of the month: Matrix by Lauren Groff
Worst of the month: Home for Christmas by Holly Chamberlin
DNFs: 0 (9)

Happy new thread, Katie! Chocolates and potatoes - vital food groups to be sure. Just about lunch time here too.

>15 Familyhistorian: - I hope you had something tasty for lunch, Meg!

Thanks for the new thread wishes.

Happy new one!

Thanks, Jim!

Happy Saturday, Katie! Happy new thread! I love your "favorite" book of the month. I may have to steal that. I am starting Matrix today.

>19 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! Steal away :) And woot! for Matrix!

Not much on the agenda today - I have a couple of errands to run and a bathroom to clean. And books to read of course :)

Last night, while The Wayne enjoyed our traditional frozen pizza for dinner, I had butter noodles. Blah. We watched the first of the two GBBO holiday specials and then 'Greyhound,' which stars Tom Hanks as the captain of a US destroyer escorting convoys across the North Atlantic in 1942. It was decent, but you have to have a high tolerance for a lot of "left rudder this" and "signal general quarters that"...

I got a good night's sleep last night, which was great. My jaw is always a little sore in the morning because it's a long time between ibuprofen doses, but I think everything is healing up nicely.

I am currently reading Innocent in Death and there was a shout-out to my town! Unfortunately, it was as a good place to bury a body, but whatevs. So random but fun to stumble across...

Hopefully there's more book reading time than errands and cleaning time today, Katie. And something yummy in your Advent calendar.

>23 MickyFine: - Hope so, Micky! Today's calendar treat was a "Midnight Swirl" and seems a bit hard, so I will give it to The Wayne :)

Happy new thread, Katie. Glad you're healing up well.

>25 RebaRelishesReading: - Thanks, Reba! My mouth is a bit more sore today than it was, but I wore my night guard last night for the first time since the extraction, so I'm blaming it :)

>26 katiekrug: I'll bet you're right about that. Hope it settles down now that the guard is off.

I'm a sucker for a year-long reading challenge. And for a list. I really just like the prompts as a way to help me choose my next read when I get stuck. I've done the Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge (Goodreads) for a few years now. I don't participate in the discussion on GR and I don't follow their schedule - I just try to fill all the prompts by the end of the year. (I have one more to go for this year's challenge.)

Anyway, here is the 2022 version. I'll be playing along:

TITLE
A book with a language or nationality in the title
A book with a time-related word in the title
A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name
2 books with the same word in the title
2 books with the same word in the title
A book with 22 or more letters in the title

COVER
A book with an image of a source of light on the cover
A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover
A book without a person on the cover
A book with handwriting on the cover

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy new one, Katie! I wore my new night guard for the very first time last night and cannot believe what a difference it made. I actually picked it up on Tuesday, but I was a bit intimidated by it - I did not realize how tight the fit would be, and it made me nervous because of all my crowns. I am happy to report that no one was dethroned. Hoping your mouth continues to heal rapidly, and that the bone graft takes.

>29 Crazymamie: - The Wayne was similarly amazed at what a difference his night guard made, Mamie! He really didn't think he ground his teeth that badly, but apparently he did. He's sleeping much better now.

Thanks for those good wishes!

After I posted, your list showed up - I like those prompts!

>31 Crazymamie: - Their prompts are usually a good miss of easy to fulfill with normal reading and a few ones you really have to seek something out for...

Happy new thread, Katie. I'm glad the mouth is better; maybe you'll be able to chew soon.

>33 BLBera: - I can chew a little bit on the right side, but I'm sticking to mostly soft things as instructed :)

We went out for dinner last night - I had salmon as I figured I could handle that. It was nice to have something other than soup, yogurt, and mashed potatoes :)

Then we came home and watched some Ted Lasso, which is delightful. I'm so glad we finally got around to it. I had a lovely sleep - 11:30 to 5:00, when my alarm went off so I could take my antibiotic, and then 5:15 to 8:00. I probably could have slept a bit more but I want to get some things done this morning before The Wayne and I settle in to watch our football teams battle each other this afternoon. CAN THIS MARRIAGE SURVIVE?!?!

Unsure what's on tap for dinner - maybe mac and cheese?

I'm still reading Innocent in Death and listening to Ghosts of the Tsunami.

Wiley Cash's newest novel, When Ghosts Come Home, is currently on sale for $2.99 on Kindle.

I thought you'd never launch a new thread. Hoo-ray for you. Will it fill up 'til year's end. I'll bet yes. I've copied your 52-book challenge for further analysis, but I'm wary of that number of prompts.

>37 weird_O: - Nice to see you, Bill.

>28 katiekrug: You sucked me into the 52 Book Club Challenge for 2021 and I have enjoyed it and may even get close to finishing it (I'm in the forties at the moment).

Thanks for the list and I will almost certainly test myself against it in 2022.

Happy new thread!! And look at you, gearing up for 2022 challenges already. Hope the mouth heals up quickly and that the mashed potatoes never go away!

Morning, Katie! Sorry about your Giants. Our Falcons also lost. Hoping your marriage survived.

>39 PaulCranswick: - Glad you enjoy the challenge, Paul.

>40 Berly: - Thanks, Kim. I am, sadly, out of mashed potatoes. May have to get some more... :)

>41 Crazymamie: - It did survive, Mamie. Mostly because I was not expecting anything from the G-men, and they delivered the nothing burger.

After football, we ordered in dinner - I got pasta - and watched some British quiz shows. I read a bunch and have finished Innocent in Death, which was a very good entry in the series. This morning, we had a gym session. I had to adjust my routine to eliminate any jumping or overly strenuous stuff, but I managed okay. Today is Errand Day - oh joy - but that isn't as bad as Phone Call Day which is tomorrow and which I am already dreading :)

Not sure what book I'll start next. I'm taking a bunch back to the library unread because they aren't appealing to me at the moment. I'm sure I'll find something on my shelves...

Yesterday's advent calendar treat was a praline crescent, which I have saved for when my mouth can handle praline. Hopefully, today's will be something I can manage.

Good luck finding a book that appeals. I often turn to romances for that. I'm slowly doing a reread of the in death series and it feels like rediscovering them again only better.

Hi Katie, I am getting caught up here. I hope you continue to feel better and better. I had gum graft surgery some years ago and am close to being due for more. And crowns over Thanksgiving break - the permanent ones get cemented on next week. Ugh. I finally bought dental insurance through my school district because my dentist predicted many things that will come up over the years.

Congratulations on your new Tech Trophy Wife status! Woot woot! Not there yet, but a girl can dream, right? I think of the two of us, Stelios is the more likely of us to either retire or change careers.

I like your 2022 prompts but I am pretty picky about my reading, and focus on the broader challenges of reading from my own books and reading more authors of color.

Like >19 msf59: Mark, I like this idea also and may steal!

>45 Familyhistorian: - Hi Meg! I picked up a rom-com and it's hitting the spot.

>46 AMQS: - Hi Anne! Oof to the dental work. It's just so damn uncomfortable, isn't it?

I should really change my position to Domestic Goddess. Trophy Wife is not very accurate :)

I don't read to fill the prompts - I just see what fits once I've finished a book, so there's not much pressure. I've been pretty good this year about reading my own books, and I hope to continue that trend.

Today is the dreaded Phone Call Day. I only have two to make, so hopefully I can knock them out quickish. Then I plan to work on Christmas cards and some wrapping. I so love wrapping... When I was a teenager, my mom's friends would pay me $5 to wrap their gifts. I loved it. Anyway, I need to check out my wrapping supplies and see if I am short of anything.

We have trivia tonight, so no cooking. Last night we shared the leftovers from my dinner the night before, and watched several episodes of Ted Lasso. Does anyone else love that show as much as I do? It's so clever and fun and full of heart without being cheesy. Great stuff.

I started reading The Hating Game and have about 2 hours left in my audio, Ghosts of the Tsunami.

Morning, Katie!

I *hate* wrapping. And my packages show it. Very sloppy. Don't care. I do love seeing nicely-wrapped ones, though...

I have a Phone Call to make today, too. Solidarity, sister.

>49 scaifea: - *fist bump*

Morning, Katie! Good luck with the phone calls - I do not envy you that task. May it go quickly and smoothly.

Like Amber, I do not love wrapping gifts - Craig usually does the wrapping and I do the bling. I do love doing the bling.

>51 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie. I love wrapping and blinging :) I think I get it from my Granny who always made the most beautiful Christmas packages with little ornaments or pine cones or whathaveyou and gorgeous ribbons and paper... I don't go that elaborate but I do try to make them more than the usual.

Yep. I am all about the gorgeous ribbons and little things attached to the bows. Love doing that. Craig is the reverse, so it works perfectly for us.

>53 Crazymamie: - Team work makes the dream work.

‘Morning, Katie, and happy new thread!

>1 katiekrug: Ghosts of the Tsunami sounds fascinating – onto the wish list it goes.

>28 katiekrug: I’ve saved this list on the off-chance I might be inclined to work it next year.

>48 katiekrug: Good luck with the phone calls. I usually love wrapping Christmas and other presents, but so far this year haven’t gotten into the spirit of things. Perhaps later this week. Have fun with the cards and present wrapping.

I was so pleased with myself yesterday: I had a phone call to make and I just made it, right then and there. Boo-yah.

I have mixed feelings about wrapping. What I don't like is feeling pressured to get it done. This year I'm vowing to start earlier.

Sending you "you can do it!" vibes for your phone calls. I hate making them too. Hopefully today's Advent chocolate is soft enough you can use it as a reward after making the calls.

>55 karenmarie: - Hi Karen! GotT is really fascinating. I am learning a lot.

The best way to approach that challenge is to not consider it a challenge and just a fun way to help you choose books when needed.

I hope you find your Christmas spirit soon (if you want it; otherwise, tell it to go to hell ;-) )

>56 lauralkeet: - And then there's me who has been procrastinating all morning on the call :)

I hear you about feeling pressured to get the wrapping done - takes all the joy out of it...

>57 MickyFine: - Oooh, excellent idea about the chocolate, Micky. Thanks!

After a week-plus without wifi, I'm not gonna be able to go back and read everything...I gather you're doing the Goodreads books challenge for 2022? It's a pretty solid list of prompts.

Anyway. I've posted a boatload of reviews, have some more to finish polishing, and am generally so delighted not to be living in 1994 anymore that I can not speak!!

Have you watched the GBBO Holiday specials yet? Rob and I have those to watch tonight. Can not WAIT!!

*smooch*

>47 katiekrug: I'd rather be a Domestic Goddess any day :)
I wrap very tidy packages but no bling -- I love getting packages with bling but have no creativity or patience on that score
Making "business" phone calls is among my least favorite things -- I would almost rather have a root canal

>59 richardderus: - Hurrah! You're back!

We watched the first holiday special. It was okay. I always find them a bit of a letdown after a real season...

>60 RebaRelishesReading: - Nay, nay to the root canal! (I may be a tiny bit sensitive about the general dentistry topic at the moment!)

>61 katiekrug: I thought you might get the full measure of my dislike for that kind of calls :)

>61 katiekrug: *makes a leg at Katie*

I love them because they're self-contained, and Rob loves to kibitz about their choices ("how big a softball was that?!" he demanded about the bombe alaska tarts from Series 8), so we get a little more out of it than you seem to.

I'm amazed at how many reviews I got written while offline. I'm still posting them on my blog, but will get them up here relatively soon. Turns out the internet *is* a time-sink.

*smooch*

>62 RebaRelishesReading: - Oh, indeed!

>63 richardderus: - I'm glad you were able to knock out so many reads while offline. I have trouble focusing on reading when it's the *only* thing I can do...

>65 katiekrug: Ain't that the truth! But I hit it lucky...56 Days was my gateway to the post-Apocalypse. I was absolutely primed to love, love, love the next few, and (with one major disappointment) was able to.

>66 richardderus: - 56 Days is on my list to read while at the in-laws over Christmas...

I'm getting a slow start this morning... We came in 4th at trivia, so to celebrate, we stopped at a restaurant that has non-crappy wine (the pub where we do trivia is not known for its wine selection). I had a glass of Malbec, and then two glasses of frosee (I can't get the little accent thingy to work...), so I was a little tipsy when we got home. Oops. But it was fun!

Today is Errand Day - post office, pharmacy, Target, bookstore, library... What joy. I didn't make the dreaded phone call yesterday because I don't understand part of the flood inspection report and need to talk to TW about it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it :)

I did get most of our Christmas cards stuffed, addressed, and stamped so I accomplished something at least.

Still reading the same books, but I should finish up the audio while I'm in the car today. Unsure what will be next...

Well, I got exactly one errand run this morning. I was all set to knock everything out and had the most expeditious route planned in my head. And then I remembered I had to take an antibiotic at 11:00, so I came home to deal with that. And now I've lost all motivation. Ugh. Plus, I don't like going out around lunch time because I assume everyone else will be running errands on their lunch breaks. Maybe I'll just read until after 1:00 and try again?

>69 katiekrug: Sounds like the right course of action, Katie :)

>69 katiekrug: ...and now Katie is loose on the mean streets of Essex County...beware, o youth of New Jersey, the Tsundoku-Stoker is among you...

>67 katiekrug: Excellent choice. May it ensorcel you.

I...I read poetry.

YA coming-of-age coming-out poetry. Novel length. The Black Flamingo...four *sob* stars.

>70 RebaRelishesReading: - It worked out pretty well!

>71 richardderus: - I got done most of what needed getting done, and I didn't kill anyone in the process. Yay me.

I love that you gave the poetry book a chance. You're turning into such a softie...

>72 katiekrug: I'm still determined not to rot above my adamsapple until I've fully assumed room temperature.

It was a strain, though....

Not even trying to catch up, Katie, after a week away. Just dropped in to say "Happy Wednesday!"

>73 richardderus: - #richardstrong

>74 alcottacre: - *waves at Stasia*

I made pasta and meatballs for dinner tonight. I'm so tired of soft foods... I really want a nice crusty pizza...

I have my follow-up with the oral surgeon tomorrow. Hopefully, everything is healing nicely. I don't have a lot of pain, just some soreness. I think I got a little too ambitious the last few days with what I ate and how little ibuprofen I took. I also have a suture that is sticking out and driving me bonkers. I hope he can snip it or something.

Anyway, fingers crossed for a good check-up tomorrow!

Book update: I finished Ghosts of the Tsunami on audio and started The Feather Thief, a Mark recommendation :)

Morning, Katie!

Fingers crossed that the oral surgeon is happy with your healing progress today!

Sweet Thursday, Katie. Hooray for starting The Feather Thief. I really liked that one. I have Ghosts of the Tsunami saved on audio. I might get to it soon. I am just finishing up On Animals.

Morning, Katie! I have my fingers crossed for your appointment. May there be only good news and hoping that suture issue can be fixed.

‘Morning, Katie!

>58 katiekrug: I would like to have Christmas spirit, am ramping up to have Christmas spirit, but am having a hard time starting my Christmas Letter. I am curiously reluctant to share my heart attack with some of the folks I send The Letter to on my list, but realize that’s ego talking and people who care about us want to know. Blergh.

Other than that, a friend will probably bring over a small Christmas tree on Saturday – real or artificial, don’t know – and I’m surprisingly happy to know that.

>67 katiekrug: Because of Richard’s recommendation, I’m almost half-way through 56 Days. It’s quite good so far.

I hope the oral surgeon appointment goes well – lots of good healing reported and getting the suture snipped down.

>76 katiekrug: I saw this and realized I missed something BIG. Caught up now...I hope the appointment goes well! *smooch*

Nothing but pap to eat makes one with any sort of foodie-soul wretched, doesn't it. I sorry you, sweetiedarling.

>77 scaifea: - Thanks, Mamie!

>79 msf59: - I'm really enjoying The Feather Thief, Mark! I hope Ghosts works for you, too!

>80 Crazymamie: - Update below :)

>81 karenmarie: - I can understand the reticence, Karen. I'm glad you'll be getting a tree - I always find that an instant mood lifter. We decided not to do ours this year because much of the house is still at sixes and sevens, and we won't be here for the holiday itself anyway.

Thanks for the good oral surgeon wishes!

>82 richardderus: - Thanks, RD. My inability to eat what I want is very annoying...

My sutures are out! I didn't realize he'd be taking them out. When the nurse asked how I was doing, I mentioned that one was sticking out and being annoying, so when the oral surgeon checked my mouth and I felt him snipping, I thought he was just tending to that one. When he finished, I asked if they were the dissolving kind and he said, "They're in the trash can." Heh.

Still on soft foods for now and still can't use any mouthwash. I go back in another week for another check...

After the appointment, I went to Target and loaded up on wrapping stuff and a few stocking stuffers. Last night, I got all the presents wrapped to go to Texas, so now I just need to find a suitable box and get to the UPS store. I am a model of efficiency this season :)

>84 katiekrug: Yay for suturelessness, boo for pap-eating longer, and isn't amazing what time and energy one has for Life when work isn't getting the bulk of our expenditures.

Hooray for suture removal! that's progress.

Glad to hear that stitches removal went smoothly although sorry you're stuck with soft foods for a while longer. When I had my wisdom teeth out, peanut butter and banana smoothies were one of my go-to foods for a while.

Ohh! Did you not keep your stitches?!
For years my parents kept the stitches I'd had in my head (aged about 8) in a little vial that lived on the shelves in the living room. My brother was fascinated by that kind of thing, they just freaked me out. I have the scars still, that's sufficient memory jogger, thankyouverymuch.

Hooray for no more sutures! A small victory. Sorry you still have to eat soft food - that's kind of miserable, especially this time of year. And no mouthwash! I would be afraid I'd forget and use it.

Hi Katie, I'm happy to hear that you are recovering nicely from the mouth surgery. I just completed my 2021 Around the Year challenge the other day and have the 2022 challenge waiting on my next year's thread. Like you, I find the prompts help me to choose my next read as I am notoriously indecisive! Hubby and I are shortly out the door to get our booster shots which makes me happy!

>85 richardderus: - Yay! Boo! And yes, amazing :)

>86 lauralkeet: - Yup. I'm happy with progress, even if it's slow. My mouth actually feels much better now!

>87 MickyFine: - Mmm, smoothies. RIght now, though, I'm too cold to think about smoothies - the heat was off for several hours this morning while the HVAC guys did something and I've barely started to warm up!

>88 Helenliz: - LOL, Helen! If I had known they were coming out, I would have asked about seeing them. I love stuff like that :)

>89 Crazymamie: - I should probably say soft-ISH food. I'm not sticking purely to yogurt and ice cream and the like. Just nothing sharpy or crunchy or anything like that... I am missing my mouthwash, to be honest. No matter how long I brush, if I don't have that final step, my mouth doesn't feel clean. Also, I'm supposed to use it to help strengthen my enamel, so I am probably ruining more teeth...

>90 DeltaQueen50: - Hooray for your booster, Judy! I hope you and the hubby have a similar experience to ours - practically nothing except a slightly sore arm.

I just transferred the 2022 ATY prompts into a spreadsheet, so I can list some possible reads beside each one. Nerd heaven :)

>91 katiekrug: Oof, no heat is not good in December. I had my work social virtual event this morning and to give my background a festive look, I sat in front of our Christmas tree and next to the natural gas fireplace. Very cozy. I find this time of year if I get really chilled a hot bath is really the only solution. Hope you warm up soon!

>84 katiekrug: Sorry to hear that you are still on soft foods, Katie, but glad to hear that the sutures are out.

Happy Thursday!

Glad to hear that you were able to get the sutures out, though boo on still being on soft foods only. Hope the rest of your day is good!

>92 MickyFine: - I'm all toasty now, Micky :) The advantage of having to get all that new ductwork is that our heat is much more efficient now.

>93 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia. It could be worse, so I'll try not to complain about the limitations too much...

>94 bell7: - Thanks, Mary! The rest of the day was reasonably productive, so I feel entitled to a nice glass of wine now :)

Woot! No stitches!

>96 drneutron: - I feel so much better now, Jim!

Morning, all! I survived the gym and am now waiting for the coffee to re-heat so I can have another cup. I'll probably scramble some eggs for breakfast because I'm feeling ambitious.

Today's agenda includes a grocery run, mailing cards, and shipping gifts to Texas. Frozen pizza for dinner, which I may attempt to eat, or more soup. Last night I had cream of broccoli soup which was just sad. After dinner, we watched more Ted Lasso, and I went to bed early because I didn't have to stay up to take an antibiotic at 11pm. I had a lovely, long sleep with no alarm going off at 5am to tell me to take another antibiotic. It was blissful.

I might finish up The Hating Game today, but we'll see. I am also a few reviews behind, so I will try to knock out some comments on recently finished books.

>98 katiekrug: Yay for coming comments, boo for yet more pap, but WHOOPEE!!! for no more antibiotics!!

I...I do not grok The Hating Game's adulatory fanbase. It was a perfectly fine popcorn book, I suppose, though I found it dragged in places. (Lucy's sappy, Joshua's dull. Their repartee was decent.)

Anyway. Whatever I think I hope it's doing it for you. *smooch*

>99 richardderus: - It has its moments, but I agree that parts of it drag. I mostly picked it up because I want to see the Netflix (Hulu?) adaptation. I think it will probably work better on screen.

Today's advent chocolate is a pecan caramel and I am so sad that I can't have it right now. I did manage to enjoy a soft mint one the other day, but most of them are being saved for a later day... *sigh*

>101 katiekrug: Oh, that really rots on ice. I'm glad you're saving them not simply throwing them away.

>100 katiekrug: Hulu; yes.

Oh I'm so sad you've had to save most of your Advent chocolates, Katie. I have a calendar that I refill with my favourites every year (it has little pull out boxes) so I have a mix of milk and dark chocolate cream centred ones, egg nog truffles, and candy cane truffles all from Purdy's. I've been having them at lunch time during the work week so we'll see what awaits me today. :)

>103 MickyFine: I'm so sad you've had to save most of your Advent chocolates, Katie

I'm sad too but also kind of salivating over the chocolate feast you're going to have one of these days!!

>102 richardderus: - It wouldn't occur to me to throw them away! I did give one to The Wayne because I'm nice like that :)

Hulu. Got it.

>103 MickyFine: and >104 lauralkeet: - Which immediately brings to mind:

Hi Katie, yay for stitches out! Hang in there with the soft foods. When I had my gum grafts I was driven to distraction by the thought of nachos. Which are not something I really ever eat. I guess it was the idea of not being allowed. My family got so tired of my moaning they told me to stop with the nachos or they would go get some and put in the blender.

>105 katiekrug: Lucy stuffing the candies in her mouth was the picture that immediately came to mind when I saw that you are having to save up your Christmas candies, lol. I hope you take a bit more time to savor them though :)

Have a wonderful weekend, Katie!

>106 AMQS: - Hi Anne! Oooh, now I want nachos (unblended)! I will be attempting (small bites of) pizza this evening. We'll see how it goes. I need to resign myself to soft foods, as I foresee more in my future as I get this dental stuff taken care of.

>107 alcottacre: - Hi Stasia! I will definitely savor them more than Lucy, I promise :)

I hope you have a great weekend, too!

It's grey and gloomy this morning, and going to be in the 60s today. WTF?

We watched 'Love Hard' on Netflix last night, and it was adorable.

I'll be finishing up The Hating Game this morning, and after I run a couple of errands, I think I'll settle down for my annual re-read of Last Night at the Lobster.

I'm attempting to make Swedish meatballs for dinner tonight, so that should be... interesting.

>109 katiekrug: Oh yay, I'm glad you enjoyed Love Hard too! Have an excellent and cozy day reading (and making meatballs).

>110 MickyFine:, >109 katiekrug: It was cute, it was pretty, it was forgettable. All one can expect or require.

>109 katiekrug: It's sorta sticky here, with the fog. I'm pretty sanguine about it being 58° though! Enjoy Last Night.

>110 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky! I'm looking forward to a quiet day. I may even skip the errands because I am that lazy :)

>111 richardderus: - I would totally watch it again. Not immediately, but next Christmas maybe...

I always enjoy The Lobstah, as I affectionately call it. It's my favorite Christmas book.

Some brief comments on recently completed books...



Trashlands by Alison Stine

A strong entry in the "cli-fi" genre. It's set in the future, when environmental disaster has wreaked havoc on the world and plastic is the currency of choice. A woman and her community in Scrappalachia eke out an existence on the margins, all dreaming of something more. Stine built an intriguing world and people it with interesting characters.

3.75 stars



Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb

This series is always reliably entertaining, but this entry was better than average. I'm always impressed by Robb's ability to continue to develop her characters in believable ways.

4 stars



Ghosts of the Tsunami by Richard Lloyd Parry

A beautifully written and sympathetically told account of the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Parry focuses on the parents of children lost when a school was overtaken by the flood and weaves in reflections on grief, loss, and Japanese culture. A really interesting book.

4 stars

hi Katie!

Congrats on getting the stitches out. Yay for getting cards and presents done.

>114 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen!

Reading Last Night at the Lobster is a Christmas book is intriguing. I've got four or five books on the edge of the table that I want to read over the holiday. Of them, I've read only A Christmas Carol. I have it paired with The Christmas Stories in a B&N set. Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory is in the stack. Also A Rumpole Christmas and Marley, Jon Clinch's biography of Ebenezer Scrooge's late business partner. There's room for a lawbstah.

>116 weird_O: - It's a short one, Bill, so there is definitely room. Have you read it before?

Yes, I have. And it prompted me to be on the lookout for more O'Nan books. I now have 11, but only two read. Shame shame shame.

>118 weird_O: - Tsk, tsk. I still have several of his to read, but I've read a bunch and loved them all. He might be my favorite contemporary author.

>113 katiekrug: I'm so pleased you're employing the Burgoine! I'm also pleased you've been reading such good stuff.

*smooch*

>113 katiekrug: Adding Trashlands and Ghosts of the Tsunami to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendations, Katie.

Regarding the In Death series, one of the reasons that I continue to read and re-read the books is because of "Robb's ability to continue to develop her characters in believable ways."

>120 richardderus: - Ha! I wasn't intentionally employing the Burgoine, but yay me!

>121 alcottacre: - You're welcome, Stasia!

I'm so glad I listened to you and Joe and others on here all those years ago to give the In Death series a try. I didn't think it was something I would like, but I am well and truly hooked.

Morning, all. I had a rough night - was super exhausted but could not for the life of me fall asleep. Very frustrating. I think I tossed and turned for several hours and dozed a bit, but the only solid sleep I got was from about 5am to 8am. Gross.

Today should be quiet with nothing on the agenda except possibly going to a Christmas concert at a local church. I'll probably fink out as I tend to do... Swedish meatballs for dinner tonight because we ended up going out last night. I had mac and cheese - yawn. It was good, but I really wanted a steak. And I don't even like steak that much...

I did finish The Hating Game yesterday, and am almost done with my re-read of Last Night at the Lobster. I think my next read will be Fugitive Pieces which will fill a prompt to complete one of the reading challenges I've been doing.

'Morning, Katie! Sorry you had a rough night. Finking out and Swedish meatballs sound like a good Sunday to me.

I've added Last Night at the Lobster to my wish list. Haven't read anything by O'Nan before.

>124 karenmarie: - LNatL is a great introduction to O'Nan, Karen. He tends to focus on ordinary people trying to do the right thing and lead decent lives. Manny, the protagonist of Lobster, is the epitome of this. I adore the novella (obviously) and everything I've read by O'Nan (at least half a dozen of his books).

I just finished up Lobster a few minutes ago...

I've had nights like that. Instead of restful, it's exhausting. Frustrating. My sympathy and condolences.

Christmas concerts have potential, but can tip either way. I went with family to Christmas vespers in Bethlehem Thursday evening. Gets me in the mood.

>126 weird_O: - Thanks for the sympathy, Bill. Last night was much better.

We ended up skipping the concert so that I could watch the Giants lose :-P

As I mentioned to Bill, I had a much better sleep last night, thank goodness. Yesterday passed in a bit of a fog because I was so tired. But I managed to make a banana bread and TW and I collaborated on the Swedish meatballs, which turned out very nicely. After dinner, we started watching 'Invasion' on AppleTV. It's a pretty good show so far.

Once I finished Last Night at the Lobster yesterday, I started on Fugitive Pieces which I wasn't sure about at first, but I've settled in with it.

Today is the gym and then I really need to get to the UPS Store to ship Xmas gifts to Texas. I also need to stop at the post office to get international stamps. Then I'll probably wrap TW's gifts while he's working. I am leaving the gifts for the in-laws unwrapped and will take care of that when we get to Virginia next week. Taco salad for dinner tonight.

Morning, Katie!
I'm glad you got some better rest last night. Also, what time should I be there for dinner? (I will seriously be daydreaming about taco salad all day now.)

>129 scaifea: - Morning, Amber!

Dinner is usually at about 7:15 or so. I'll set an extra place...

>130 katiekrug: Me, 7:10 tonight:

Love it! And now I'll secretly be hoping all day that there's a knock on the door...

Happy Monday, notworking lady.

I'm pretty sure something interesting is happening somewhere out there in the world, but it ain't anywhere near to me.

*smooch*

>133 richardderus: - The weird thing about not working is that Mondays still feel icky and I still love Fridays.

Nothing interesting happening here, either. Which is just fine with me!

>134 katiekrug: Give it time, this will dim down in intensity as the distance from the office increases. Although if our very own Mamie is any indicator, Mmmdayphobia is a life-long condition for some.

>135 richardderus: - I think part of it is sympathy emotion for TW...

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

A friend of mine from my RL book group recommended this book to me ages ago, and I finally got around to it, thanks to the Hulu adaptation that recently dropped. I want to watch it and OF COURSE I had to read the book first because I'm not a monster.

And it was... fine. I guess? I liked the male lead but found the female one kind of annoying. And since it's told entirely from her perspective, it was a lot of kind of annoying. The plot is standard enemies-to-lovers in the work place. One thing I felt it was lacking was any sort of memorable secondary character to add some punch to the narrative. It was just Lucy and Josh for 350+ pages. Some of their banter was excellent but Lucy's endless woe-is-meing grated on my nerves after a while.

I'll watch the TV adaptation because I think it might actually work better for me on the screen than it did on the page.

3.5 stars

Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan

I will never not love this book. This is my fourth read of it and it is just as bittersweet and deeply moving as the first time. If you have not yet discovered any of O'Nan's work, which is excellent, this is a great place to start.

5 stars

>137 katiekrug: I find this is also true. Mediocre romance novels make much better films because you're not stuck with clunky writing (as often).

>137 katiekrug: This is the book that, in Pop Culture, gets the credit for "reviving the rom-com."

I am...speechless. How? Why? What?

>139 MickyFine: - That "(as often)" is key, though!

>140 richardderus: - Yeah, I don't get it. Maybe reviving it for people who aren't really clued in to the genre in general?

Welp, I've been awake since 4:30, so that's fun :-/ I stayed in bed and did the NYT crossword, started the Spelling Bee, and then used the Libby app to download my current read (which I am reading in print) to my phone so I could read a bit without disturbing The Wayne. I finally got out of bed around 6:00. There might be a nap in my future so I can be in top form for trivia tonight.

Other than a nap, today has nothing special planned - Nuala goes to day care, I need to drop books off at the library, stop in at CVS, and maybe wrap some gifts. I might go to the grocery store, but it can wait until tomorrow so I might not.

I should finish Fugitive Pieces today. Gorgeous writing (when it's not over-done) and very thought-provoking (when it's not pretentious). The audio of The Feather Thief continues to be quite good.

Morning, Katie! I am back from the abyss - truly horrible stomach flu that has finally released me from its clutches. I would not wish it on my MIL, and that is saying something.

>134 katiekrug: "The weird thing about not working is that Mondays still feel icky and I still love Fridays." Yes! Exactly.

>138 katiekrug: This was also the first O'Nan that I read, thanks to you and Ellen. I love how it unfolds, and you are so right about how O'Nan features every day life of ordinary people in all of its nakedness.

>142 katiekrug: Well aren't you the productive early morning puzzler! I need a little more caffeine before starting the crossword ...

Sounds like an excellent day aside from waking up so early, Katie. Hope you're able to get that nap in!

>142 katiekrug: We cross-posted, even though my post is so much later than yours. I had started and then kept getting interrupted by everyone here - the Pecan Paradisio is kind of crazy in the morning. Anyway, all this to say sorry about the not sleeping. Hoping you can manage a nap later - naps are awesome.

Ooof, sorry for the waking early. But afternoon naps are so wonderful!

>143 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! UGH to the stomach flu. I'm so sorry it got you.

Yay for O'Nan! I wish more people would read him.

>144 lauralkeet: - I figured since it was only a Tuesday puzzle, I'd give it a go early. I would never do that with a Friday or Saturday one...

>145 bell7: - Thanks, Mary! I've been resisting naps during the week because I feel bad napping while TW is working in the next room. But I should probably just get over it :)

>146 Crazymamie: - Naps are awesome. I'm not great at the casual nap. I need to be in jammies or something similar and under the covers for at least 2 hours...

>147 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber. We'll see if the nap happens.

>148 katiekrug: Casual naps? Um...no. I mean, why, when you can jammies and under the covers and bliss? Daniel and Craig are excellent casual nappers, but I have never mastered it.

>149 Crazymamie: - So what you're saying is, I'm in good company *grin*

>148 katiekrug: Having now solved it, I thought it was a fairly easy Tuesday puzzle. I thought of you when I got to the Jersey clue!

>151 lauralkeet: - Ha! That's my county :)

Being the Napster, I don't relate to those who can't get 20 winks on demand...and I'm also the rotten bastage who sleeps when he's tired.

Women, in general, hate me. As they generously share their feelings, I've never been in much doubt about why.

I OTOH am stuck in a book. I'm reading someone I really love's short stories and I don't like the experience. It's a conundrum. I *must* review it, they'll notice if I don't, and I haven't hit on the angle to enable me not to lie and still come out with a sense of my own integrity.

Ooof early wake ups are hard, Katie. I wish you much luck in squeezing in a nap today.

>153 richardderus: - Oh, dear about the book. That's tough. I am confident, however, that you will figure it out!

>154 MickyFine: - Thank you, Micky!

Hi Katie!

>125 katiekrug: I actually bought it, and it will be delivered Dec 17-22. I’m looking forward to it.

>127 katiekrug: Sorry about your Giants. My Panthers lost, too.

>128 katiekrug: I had a taco salad yesterday for a late lunch. Salsa is notoriously heavy on the sodium, so I measured out 5 tablespoons. Sigh. Bill’s ordered some low-sodium salsa for me and we’ll see how it tastes.

>131 scaifea: I love that movie. Jenna ‘liberated’ the DVD of it a long time ago, but I’ll see if I can find it on Amazon Prime or Netflix.

>138 katiekrug: Can’t wait for my copy to arrive!!!

>142 katiekrug: I frequently wake up after midnight and do Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, and the mini-crossword (‘cuz I’m a wimp), then go back to sleep.

>156 karenmarie: - Hi Karen!

Oh, I hope you love Lobster as much as I do. Or at least close :) It's a very quiet story, so don't go in expecting any thrills or anything.

I don't put salsa on my tacos or taco salad - we like Valentina hot sauce. It's harder to find here than in Texas, but we did find a smallish bottle at the grocery store recently and The Wayne was so excited... I dare not look at the sodium content. In general, though, if there is a low sodium alternative to things I'm buying, I go for it - chicken stock/broth, canned beans, etc. I don't really notice a difference and if I feel like something needs a little salt once served, I'm perfectly okay with adding a bit. I figure that's a better control than trusting Big Food. Heh.

I hope you got your nap in, Katie, so you can kick ass at trivia tonight!

>158 Familyhistorian: - Hi Meg and thanks! I didn't nap yesterday and we came in 9th (of 18 teams) at trivia. But we had fun, as usual.

Happy Wednesday, Katie. I wouldn't read Last Night at the Lobster every year (I seldom reread anything) but I certainly should reread it at least once. I loved it too. I have not read an O' Nan in quite some time.

Morning, all. It's bright and sunny here, and I slept reasonably well, so the day is looking good. Once again, we finished in the middle of the pack at trivia. To the shame of many 75ers, I missed a question about Harry Potter (who was his godfather?). Tsk tsk. I did get the only other bookish question right, though (about The Shining). Anyway, I had a flat bread for dinner and some wine and it was good times. We're unsure if we'll go next week, as we plan to leave early Wednesday morning for Virginia.

I got my first Christmas presents in the mail yesterday - two books from my cousin. A Lowcountry Heart by Pat Conroy and The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. I assumed the Amazon package on my doorstep was something I had ordered, so I opened it. Oops.

I did finish Fugitive Pieces yesterday and started on A Very Austen Christmas, which is four novellas featuring Austen characters around the holidays. It's pretty mediocre so far, but I didn't expect much.

Today will include some errands, including the grocery store, and some wrapping. I wasn't going to wrap the gifts for my in-laws until we got to their place next week, but I got a bug up my butt yesterday and got started so I figure I might as well finish. I'm trying a new recipe for dinner tonight - pepperoni pizza soup. We'll see how it goes.

>160 msf59: - Morning, Mark! Lobster is short enough that I don't mind re-reading it (something I usually eschew) and it's such a lovely, sad holiday story.

I try to read at least one O'Nan every year. This year I finally got to Wish You Were Here and I plan to read Emily Alone next year. I still have several of his unread on my shelf. And he has a new one coming out next year!

I can't believe I never got to Wish You Were Here, since I loved Emily Alone. I should remedy that.

>163 msf59: - It's a good one, Mark. Did you read Henry Himself?

>161 katiekrug: Oooh, pepperoni pizza soup sounds good! I have a taco soup recipe that I love, so I suspect I'd like that one, too.

>161 katiekrug: Ha! Missing Sirius Black!! Haha!!

Anyway, middle of the pack is good going. There are many trivia hounds out there, people with magpie brains and superb mental filing systems, and they're usually going to beat us mere mortals.

Pepperoni in soup? hmm I'll be very interested to see how this goes.

>165 scaifea: - I was going to make taco soup, but since we just had taco salads, I thought it might be overkill :) I'll report back on how it turns out.

>166 richardderus: - I could picture Gary Oldman in the movie but blanked on the name. I said "Lupin" :-P

We are one of the few trivia teams that is just us. Most of them have at least 5 people, so we rarely rank higher than the middle.

The soup also has red bell pepper, onion, crushed tomatoes, and cheese tortellini. And mushrooms, but I will leave those out because EW.

‘Morning, Katie!

Valentina hot sauce reminds me of El Pato Hot Sauce – no chunks of anything. Our grocery store doesn’t sell Valentina but does sell El Pato. Looks like I’m on a salsa/hot sauce mission.

>161 katiekrug: I’m in the middle of listening to the Harry Potter books again, although with not working I don’t have much opportunity to listen in the car (and I don’t listen in the house). I’m halfway through #6, Half-Blood Prince. I started #1 in May of 2020.

Oops about opening your presents, but certainly understandable.

>167 katiekrug: Well then! Red bell pepper. Yes, and of course a side of sautéed shrooms for the right-thinking adults in the room. *sniff*

I was picturing more of a french onion soup presentation, with melted mozz all over the top and crusty toasted ciabatta with garlic butter and pepperoni under it. Which, come to think on it, sounds delish.

>168 karenmarie: - Afternoon, Karen! When I stopped commuting, it was hard to find listening time. These days, it's very broken up, but I manage to listen some while walking the dog, prepping dinner, doing laundry, etc. It works pretty well, but I can only do it with certain kinds of books. Some aren't good being all chopped up :)

I've not heard of El Pato hot sauce. I'll have to take a look at the store next time.

>169 richardderus: - You can have ALL my fungi :)

That presentation sounds good. I might serve some garlic toast with the soup tonight...

The soup is in the crock pot (crockpot?) and I managed to finish listening to The Feather Thief while I threw it together. What a fascinating story! Now to find a new audio...

>171 katiekrug: "Crockpot" is my choice, and spellcheck doesn't squiggle it, so...

Take pictures of the end product? I'm curious about the soup itself.

>122 katiekrug: Katie, I have noted your praise for the In Death series. This year I finished (or at least am current on) several series so there's room to add a new one. I have never given In Death a thought, and suddenly *whoosh* it's at the top of my "start this in 2022" list. Don't let it go to your head, friend.

>172 richardderus: - Will do on the photo!

>173 lauralkeet: - I will tamp down the ego boost, Laura :) The thing to remember about the series is that it is VERY formulaic, in that each book follows almost the exact same pattern. I find this comforting when I'm in the right mood. But it's also why I spread apart my reading of them. Also, don't judge it from the first or even first couple of books. You really have to invest in the build-up of characters and relationships. The good news is, they are very fast reads, so you can whip through a few pretty easily and start to get to the good stuff!

I was supposed to have another follow-up with the oral surgeon tomorrow morning, but his office just called to cancel, as he has COVID :( He's apparently feeling fine - he went to get tested because he was notified that he had been exposed by someone. Luckily, my mouth isn't bothering me too much and things seem to be healing as they should. If anything changes, they can refer me to another doctor to take a look.

>138 katiekrug: I just bought that one recently, but have not read it yet. I will have to get to it soon, I see.

Happy Wednesday, Katie!

>174 katiekrug: Here, I'll help with the ego-tamping. I took Naked in Death out of the library, because you and a couple other readers here seem to enjoy that series so...I couldn't. I Pearl-ruled it after about 50 pages. I don't mind formulaic...I can read and re-read my Robert B. Parkers because I'm a little in love with Spenser and Hawk and Jesse Stone. So I guess I just wasn't smitten by Eve Dallas. Ah, well, there are so many others.

>176 alcottacre: - It's such a great little book, Stasia. I hope you love it!

>177 laytonwoman3rd: - Yeah, the series won't work for everyone and Laura will probably hate it LOL. But Eve develops so well as a character and the secondary cast later in the series is great, IMO.

>144 lauralkeet:, >177 laytonwoman3rd:, >178 katiekrug: Hmmm. Serious food for thought there. Thank you both!

>179 lauralkeet: Yes, but keep in mind that Linda is rereading Parker. Rereading. Parker. Don't get me started with my Spenser rant.

Morning, Katie! Missing Sirius Black made me laugh, but hey, you were picturing the right character. What was the question for The Shining?

>179 lauralkeet: - Happy to "help"! Ha.

>180 Crazymamie: - I've not read any Parker, so can not comment.

The Shining question had to do with the setting (The Overlook Hotel). I forget the exact wording...

The pepperoni pizza soup was not a great success. It wasn't bad, but it just seemed like tortellini in a really watery tomato sauce. I could mess with it and try to improve it, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort. I think I'll just let that recipe go...

Here's a pic, as requested by Richard:

Hm, that's too bad about the soup. But now I'm hungry for tortellini...

I had a quiet evening, as The Wayne was pretty tired so he went to zone out in his office and play computer games. I watched some British quiz shows and read. A Very Austen Christmas is pretty lame so far. It's short, so I'll probably finish it, but I look forward to something better.

Today, Nuala is off to daycare, I am off to the bookstore to buy a couple of books for the nephew, and I might stop in at Trader Joe's to see what fun things they have. I also need to stop at the liquor store to get a bottle fo fancy Scotch for The Wayne for Christmas. Then I'll come home and clean my office/guest room.

I have virtual happy hour tonight so some form of delivery for dinner.

I finished The Feather Thief on audio and haven't started a new one, as I am #1 in line to get Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews from the library. I am hoping it comes through today, but I might start something in the meantime because I hate to waste the listening time in the car...

>183 scaifea: - I love tortellini, too. My favorite preparation is just to mix in some minced garlic and good olive oil with it...

Have you ever used tortellini in a soup like this? It's one of our favorites for a super easy meal.

https://damndelicious.net/2019/01/30/creamy-tortellini-soup/

>186 japaul22: - Oh, that looks fantastic, Jennifer, thanks! I've saved the link to my recipe folder :)

>164 katiekrug: I completely forgot about Henry Himself, Katie. On the list it goes.

>181 katiekrug: I am shocked that you don't remember when Roberta and Donna and I were reading those books together - started off good but then it was all downhill from there. The ranting was excellent, though.

Hoping Blue Christmas comes in soon for you - I love that series and have reread Savannah Blues many times.

Too bad about the soup. Hoping the next recipe is a winner.

>186 japaul22: ooh that does look delicious. Bookmarked for future reference!

>188 msf59: - Happy to help!

>189 Crazymamie: - I remember y'all reading them. And ranting :)

I love Savannah Blues, too, but it's been a while. Maybe a re-read is in order...

Thanks re: the soup. They can't all be winners.

>190 lauralkeet: - Hi again!

>190 lauralkeet: What she said.

It's on my pile to reread soon - I have been wanting to do so since I mentioned it to Charlotte.

>192 Crazymamie: I heard my name...

Hi Katie! Sorry about the soup. It sounded good in theory.

>193 charl08: *grin*

>192 Crazymamie: - I need to get a copy. I think my original one was lost somewhere along the way...

>193 charl08: - All is not lost because the failure resulted in that new recipe from Jennifer to try. Silver linings!

>194 Crazymamie: - :)

>182 katiekrug: Oh dear...no, that's not one that needs futzing about with. Nay nay nay. Watery = bad. Always.

What a ghastly morning, doctor-visiting makes me grouchy. Especially when nothing needs to change. *growl*

>196 richardderus: - The Wayne suggested tinkering to thicken it up but I pointed out that then it would basically just be pasta sauce.

Ew to doctor visits. Not one of my favorite activities!

Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

Anne Michaels is a poet, and the lyrical, often breathtaking prose of this novel is evidence of her talent. Fugitive Pieces is the story of Jakob Beer, a Polish Jew rescued as a boy near the start of World War II by a Greek archaeologist. He is raised in Greece and Canada, surrounded by history and books and language. He becomes a translator and poet, always using language to examine the world around him and to understand his own history and place in the world. This is not a plot-driven novel, and in the beginning, I was unsure about finishing it. I am glad I stuck with it, as the language was its own reward. I didn't love the second part of the novel about a young man on the outskirts of Jakob's orbit. But altogether, it's a lovely book - thought-provoking and beautifully written.

4.25 stars

>198 katiekrug: That one sounds so very familiar - I think I may have read it already, but I am going to double check :)

Happy Thursday, Katie!

>198 katiekrug: hmmm book sounds okay hmmm ONOZ poet! PASS

>197 katiekrug: Just ANNOYING is all, and I really don't want to do that sort of draining hurry-up-and-wait stuff if nothing's wrong! And it wasn't! Which is good, but I'm still grumpy.

>199 alcottacre: - Happy (upcoming) Friday to you, Stasia!

>200 richardderus: - It's still a novel and not a poem, RD. You should give it a whirl :)

The Wayne is like you about doctor visits. They put him in a bad mood for the whole day, even when they occur in the morning and there is no bad news!

Morning, Katie! I can't decide about Fugitive Pieces - should I put it on your Dirty Dozen list?

>202 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! Hmm, I'm not sure about adding it to the DD. I ended up really appreciating it, but you'd have to be in a position to really slow down and savor it... I think you'd ultimately also appreciate it, so maybe add it to the list with a caveat?

We are back from the gym - our last session until January 7! Yikes. I really must force myself to get some exercise while on hiatus...

It is 60F here right now and I am offended. This same day last year, we had about 6" of snow on the ground. Grrr.

Virtual happy hour was fun last night, though we were missing two people. In the new year, we are moving it to once a month instead of twice. I enjoyed my dinner - Chicken a la Luna (Luna is the name of the restaurant we ordered from) - chicken breast with prosciutto, sauteed spinach, and fresh mozzarella in a white wine sauce, with garlic mashed potatoes. Delightful!

Today I have a bunch of random things to do around the house and I need to make a packing list so we don't forget anything next week. Dinner is frozen pizza and salad, as per usual on Fridays.

I've read the first two novellas in A Very Austen Christmas and decided to break it up with another book, so I started Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer. It's the 3rd in her Exmoor trilogy and is just as good as the first two.

On audio, I started Cut and Run which is an Audible original, tagged "A Lighthearted Black Comedy." I'm enjoying it - very fast-paced and fun. And I've laughed out loud a few times. If you have Audible, check it out!

>204 katiekrug: Come visit me. We've definitely got all the snow you could want. Of course it's currently -27C (-16F), so there's that...

Have an excellent Friday puttering!

>204 katiekrug: Loved that Bauer trilogy!

>205 MickyFine:, >204 katiekrug: a seventy-six degree temperature gradient
in December

oy we are so screwed

>205 MickyFine: - I just want some snow and *slightly* colder weather. Not a deep freeze!

>206 vivians: - It's so good!

>207 richardderus: - But we already knew that.

I have finished all my wrapping and now I'm sad, because I love wrapping. I stretched it over several days to prolong the joy, but now I am joy-less. This is why I always over-buy for Christmas - because I want more things to wrap! Must. Stay. Strong.

I had a bit of a panic earlier this afternoon when I went looking for our vaccination cards and they weren't where I thought they should be. We need them, as we are going into the city tomorrow for lunch and to see a play, and both restaurants and theaters require proof of vaccination (thank God). Anyhoo, I found them finally so all's well that ends well.

>208 katiekrug: So picky! ;)

>209 katiekrug: I don't mind wrapping but it's not my fave. I usually try to do it all in a chunk so it's done and dusted but I had to do some final wrapping today as one gift was a little late to arrive in the mail.

What play are you going to see?

>210 MickyFine: - I know, I am super picky! It's part of my charm :)

We are going to see Clyde's.

New York Times review: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/23/theater/clydes-review.html

It may be behind a paywall?

>211 katiekrug: My work library has a NYT online subscription so I was able to get at it. Looks like it'll be an interesting show. Hope you have a great time!

>212 MickyFine: - Thanks! I'll report back :)

"I love wrapping". So. Do you hire out?

>214 laytonwoman3rd: - I should! When I was a teenager, my mom's friends would pay me to wrap their gifts. It was awesome.

Morning, all! Grey and drizzly here and a bit cooler than it's been. Today is our outing in the city for lunch and a play.

Last night, The Wayne worked until about 9pm, so I was on my own for entertainment and decided to watch 'Snowbound for Christmas' on Netflix. It was delightfully terrible and cheesy.

Finders Keepers continues to be excellent, and I finished up the Audible Original "radio" play I was listening to, which was a lot of fun.

Enjoy your Saturday, friends!

Fugitive Pieces has been on my shelves for years, Katie. Maybe I'll dust it off and read it in 2022. One of my resolutions is to read more from my shelves.

>167 katiekrug: One of these days Judy and I will have to come out and be the other half of your trivia team., Bet we will win then!

>180 Crazymamie: Pitching in to say there is nothing finer than revisiting Spenser and Hawk and Susan et alia

Unless it's revisiting Nero Wolfe and Archie.

>204 katiekrug: Picking up Cut and Run on Audible. Will report back.

>211 katiekrug: We're going to try to catch Clydes on the streaming version

Morning, Katie!

>219 magicians_nephew: NOpe. Spenser is not for me, although I do love Hawk (and I can say this because I did read the first 25 books in the series). Susan I would have liked to have seen killed off. A Catskill Eagle made me want to throw the book up against the wall and watch it slide down. I know tons of people have big love for those books, but I am not one of them. Nero Wolfe and Archie, on the other hand, I will agree with you on.

>216 katiekrug: Have a great time in the city today!

I completely agree with your take on Snowbound for Christmas. I had a lot of fun making fun of it.

Have a wonderful time in the city! *smooch*

Hi Katie.

>174 katiekrug: Yay for the In Death series. I’m 3 behind. I need to acquire and then read them. By the time I do that, there will be another 2 or 3, of course.

>175 katiekrug: Yikes, your oral surgeon has COVID? Speaking of dentists, we got a Thinking of You card from our dentist and his staff – they all wrote personal notes to Bill and me. Bill went in for something or another recently and must have mentioned my heart attack. It was very thoughtful of them.

>204 katiekrug: So how is the JtD?

Have fun today!

Have a great time in The Big Apple, Katie.

Hope you enjoyed your day in the city!

I haven't managed many Christmas movies so far this year (will have to rectify that in the next week), but I did watch The Holiday the other day and enjoyed it. Trading Places came in for me at the library today, so I'm hoping I'll get to it Monday after work.

>217 BLBera: - I hope you like it, if you pick it up, Beth! I think reading off our shelves is a perpetual resolution for many of us :)

>218 magicians_nephew: - Depends how good you are at sports and (mostly pop) music :-P Those are our worst categories...

>220 magicians_nephew: - I hope you have fun with it, Jim. I'm thinking of listening to it again next week on our long drive. I think The Wayne would enjoy it.

>221 magicians_nephew: - It was pretty good, though I think I was expecting more. I'll say more in another post.

>222 Crazymamie: - Hi Mamie!

>223 MickyFine: - Yes! I love to hate-watch things :)

>224 richardderus: - Thanks, RD! We did.

>225 karenmarie: - I got my SIL hooked on In Death, and then she got my MIL to read them, so now the three of us chat happily about it when we get together. And every Christmas, I give her three more in the series. She has almost caught up to where I am with it.

That's so thoughtful of your dentist! Yes, the oral surgeon caught the vid. Poor guy. And I feel for his office staff, too, who now have to reschedule everything.

Well, JtD is no longer with us. He's not dead or anything, but he's moving to Florida to be with his boyfriend. Our new trainer is Julian, so he could technically also be JtD but he's super nice and very reserved, so I can't give him a nickname (yet). But in general, the gym is going well. I have homework over our break to draft a couple of new routines (1 strength, 1 cardio/endurance) and email them to Julian to look over and make suggestions. I'm glad because I was bored with what I had been doing. It's important to mix things up :)

>226 weird_O: - Thanks, Bill!

>227 bell7: - I hope you love Trading Places as much as I do. It's so silly and fun, but has real hear to it, too.

Eeewww. I woke up at 5:00 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, or even dozing. So I've been reading, doing the Sunday NYT crossword, and the Spelling Bee, and catching up here.

Our day yesterday was very nice, despite the crap weather. I'll rehash it in a bit, when I feel more awake :)

>229 katiekrug: How'd you like today's crossword, Katie? I thought it was kinda fun once I figured out the theme. And I beat my average, so my day is off to a pretty decent start. Hope you have a good one!

>230 lauralkeet: - It was a fun one! I also enjoyed the Spelling Bee, which I completed! *preens* I don't know why some SBs are more fun than others, but I guess I just like certain letter combinations more than others.

Re-cap of yesterday:

We dropped Nuala off at daycare and then drove to the train station. Once we got into the city, we decided to walk rather than take the subway, since it was barely drizzling and was chilly but not cold-cold. And we had time to kill, since we wanted a pub lunch and most of them in the general area we were headed didn't open until noon. We stopped to get coffee to kill more time and then went to The Mean Fiddler on 47th Street, where I had mediocre fish and chips that were saved by excellent mushy peas.

After a leisurely lunch, we walked a few blocks to the theater to see 'Clyde's.' We had great seats (first row center mezzanine, on the aisle). The play was good - very funny in parts - but given all the rave reviews, I expected a bit more. It wasn't very subtle - the themes and message about second chances, redemption, criminal justice, etc. are important but I felt like the playwright (Lynn Nottage, a two-time Pulitzer winner) didn't trust the audience to "get it" without being beaten over the head a bit. That said, the acting was good - there were two standouts for me: Edmund Donovan gave a well-nuanced performance as a recently released convict and Kara Young brought an amazing energy and attitude to the stage.

We perfectly timed our train back and before picking up Nuala, we stopped at a favorite restaurant for a glass of wine. Once Nuala was home and fed and walked, we headed to an Italian tapas and wine bar for dinner, where I had an excellent small plate of spaghetti carbonara and an apple tostada with vanilla gelato for dessert. Then we came home and watched the Christmas episode of Ted Lasso and had spiked hot chocolate.

A very nice Saturday indeed.

Also worth noting: compared to when we were in the city a couple of months ago, waaaayy more people were wearing masks while outside (including us). And I was really impressed by the number of mobile vaccination and testing sites the city has set up - excellent outreach that seemed to be paying off, as they all had lines of people waiting to be vaxxed/boosted/tested.

Hi Katie!

>232 katiekrug: Sounds like a perfect day although sorry Clyde’s left you expecting a bit more.

>233 katiekrug: This is why NY will always feel like home to me.

>232 katiekrug: Reservations about being smacked in the face with a cold cod aside, it sounds like a delight of a day.

>234 karenmarie: - It was a great day, Karen! Especially nice to get a change of scenery...

>235 richardderus: - I was trying to figure out why seeing the lines and mobile sites made me happy, and I think it's because it shows people doing their best to protect not only themselves but their community. Without lots of testing, things will never get under control. It's so much more useful to make it easy for people to do it than to pretend like you can make people just stay inside for months on end. Or, as in some places, pretend like nothing is wrong and just try to pray it away (I'm looking at you red states...).

We were surprised to see long lines of people outside the mobile testing sites - i mean down the block and around the corner.

Not sure what that means - new concerns about new strains, or just people wanting to get tested before heading home for the holidays.

Pretending things like highly contagious viruses aren't real is stupid. And fatal.

Excellent day!

>231 katiekrug: I thought it was fun too, although I didn't know what to do in the app with the squares that had little icons in them. So I left them blank, but then realized the app thought I wasn't done yet. Cost me a few seconds, that ...

>232 katiekrug: Sounds like a lovely day out.

>233 katiekrug: That's really good to hear, Katie. But I'm not surprised. NYC seems to have had their act together from Day 1. I admit at the start of the pandemic I was really nervous about my daughters living there, but was quickly disabused of that notion when I saw their approach to testing. There was (probably still is) a strong "testing culture" that encouraged people to get tested as often as they feel necessary. The mobile sites are a brilliant development.

Hi, Katie. You probably are the one who convinced me to read Last Night at the Lobster, and I’m glad you did. It’s good to hear it holds up so well in re-reading.

I’m amazed by that J.D. Robb “in Death” series. First it’s the longest series I know by a single author (more than 50 books). Second, she manages to keep the quality high and the stories always interesting. Some are more impactful than others, but I’ve never felt it slumped. Finally, we know the author is Nora Roberts. How in the world does she write so many successful books.

All this talk of puzzles at 5 a.m. makes me feel so normal! Sometimes I wake up before 1am and can't start the new SB yet - grump. I did like the symbols in the puzzle, and also didn't realize I had to rebus them with type until the very end, when the puzzle gods went silent.

Katie, if you are planning or want to plan to be in NYC again soon, two very strong recs: The Jasper Johns exhibit at the Whitney, and the current production of 'Assassins' at the CSC rep. We saw the latter today and even though we have seen the play several times already, this one blew us away.

>237 magicians_nephew: - Probably some of both, Jim.

>238 richardderus: - Yup.

>239 Helenliz: - Indeed!

>240 lauralkeet: - Same about the "cookie" squares, Laura. I love little twists like that.

And yes about the "testing culture." In many ways, the US is way behind the curve on this, but at least some places have their shit together...

>241 jnwelch: - I think it's easier to turn out books like that when they follow a formula. And you've probably noticed she re-uses some language/descriptions in practically every book. I still love 'em, but I don't think they require the effort other books do.

>242 ffortsa: - I had tried to get tickets to 'Assassins' when Jim mentioned it to me a while back and no tickets were to be had. I should look again.

To be honest, though, Saturday was probably our last foray into the city for a while, thanks to omicron. I was already a bit nervous and things are going to get worse before they get better...

We had a very quiet day yesterday, mostly puttering and watching football. The Wayne's team won, mine lost (because of course they did), and then we went out to dinner, because we have very little in the house and I refuse to buy groceries before we leave :) I had a delicious French onion soup for dinner, which hit the spot because it was cold out. Finally!

Today will be busy with laundry, errands, list-making, etc. in anticipation of leaving early Wednesday morning. I also need to fit in a pedicure today or tomorrow and get to the bakery to procure Italian cookies and the all-important rye bread for Christmas Eve (Krug family tradition is kielbasa, sauerkraut, and rye bread for dinner on CE).

For dinner, I'm trying two things I got at Trader Joe's last week - Thai chili veggie burgers and cauliflower fried rice. We are trying to do meatless Monday more often, at least for dinner. We'll probably have turkey sandwiches for lunch :-P

In books, I'm still very much enjoying Finders Keepers and have just started Blue Christmas on audio.

ETA: After getting home from dinner, we watched The Ref, which remains in my top 5 Christmas movies. So, so good!

>244 katiekrug: Football commiserations (not that I expected any better either).
One of my co-workers was just telling me about The Ref, too. I won't get to it this year, but I'll have to add it to next year's list of possibilities.

>244 katiekrug: We are trying to do meatless Monday more often, at least for dinner. We'll probably have turkey sandwiches for lunch :-P

...well, domesticated turkeys are too stupid to mate by themselves, so I think they count as vegetative matter.

I love the Krugmeal, and would eat it as often as is possible. Have an excellent visit! *smooch*

>245 bell7: - The Ref is great, but you have to have a high tolerance for black humor and bad words. Which, obviously, I do *grin*

>246 richardderus: - Ha! Good point about the turkey.

I very much love our Christmas Eve meal. It's hearty and easy and speaks to part of their family heritage :)

You guys! I have been to the Promised Land and am back to tell you about it. It's a specialty cheese shop (Van Hook Cheese & Grocery) around the corner from Nuala's daycare, and we ducked in after dropping her off to check it out. We walked out after 15 minutes, $145 poorer, but in possession of three different kinds of wondrous cheese (they let you sample as many as you want!!!), some pâté, a ghost pepper pepperoni, and loukanika (Greek salami), plus some fancy stocking stuffers for the in-laws (boutique hot sauce for BIL, Swedish soap for MIL who is half-Swedish, and fancy Belgian truffles for SIL). And when it's not the holiday rush, they sell grilled cheese sandwiches at lunch time. I wonder if I could get a job there... The staff was lovely and helpful and patient with all my questions, so I'd probably be a bad fit. Heh.

Anyway, I love discovering new little shops like that. I can't wait to have an excuse to go back.

Oh! And they offer cheese classes! The next Cheese 101 class is sold out, but I am going to join their mailing list, so I learn about the next one available.

Hi, I'm Katie, and I love cheese.

Here is part of the cheese case:

>248 katiekrug: I am so jealous!! How full of fabulous is that?!

what the hell does one do at a "Cheese Class"?

>249 Crazymamie: - When you come visit, I will take you :) (Note I'm not even bothering with "if." It WILL happen!)

>250 magicians_nephew: - LOL, Jim. You learn about cheese, of course! Like a wine tasting.

>248 katiekrug: that is awesome. A cheese seller you can trust is an excellent find. My usual soft cheese was out, so I asked her what I would like if I usually have the Finn and now have a round of something that promises to be appropriately gooey.

I so fancy the idea of a cheese class. I would hope that it does not involve spitting cheese out. (Note - not that I have ever done that at a wine tasting either).

>248 katiekrug: Wow. Just wow. That is an amazing find. Philly's Reading Terminal Market had an excellent cheese shop (but yours is more excellent, I think). I haven't gone cheese-hunting here yet.

>248 katiekrug: I love discovering new little shops like that.

Me too! It is so gratifying to find hole in the wall places like that.

Oooh, the cheese shop sounds lovely.

Oooh yay to wonderful cheese shops! Makes me miss Wisconsin...

I LOVE The Ref!! *sigh*

>252 Helenliz: - Me neither with the spitting out, Helen *grin*

I've discovered they are doing a Valentine's Day cheese event, which I think also involves chocolate. I am going to buy two tickets, and if The Wayne refuses to go, I'll just find myself another Valentine. *looks eastward to England*

>253 lauralkeet: - I bet you'll find amazing cheese out there, Laura. Perfect pairing for all that wine!

>254 alcottacre: - This place is overrun with them, Stasia. It's an embarrassment of riches for sure. But I'm not complaining!

>255 MickyFine: - I should have taken a picture of the shop itself - it's pretty and bright and was decorated so nicely for the holidays. It almost felt a little too fancy for the likes of me...

>256 scaifea: - You can't go wrong with good cheese... I know I'm preaching to the choir.

Is The Ref in your holiday film rotation?

ABUELO RUPERTO!! Rob knows I love sheep's-milk cheeses so he brought some of that for me last year. Seeing the name again I recognized it after just remembering that so so delicious rich, creamy tang.

>257 katiekrug: It's not in the rotation right now, mostly because it's been a little too...rough for Charlie, although I suspect it would be fine this year (but I...forgot about it). Next year!

>258 richardderus: - Making a note to try that one next time! This time around, we got a "Womanchego" (heh), a gouda, and a Bierdeckel (one we'd not heard of but TW wanted to try because it involved beer... and the sample was DELISH).

>259 scaifea: - Fair enough :)

I guess I should start a new thread soon? Or is it late enough in the year to just let this one go on...? It would be totally fine, but I fear that spate of individual holiday greetings posted on every dang thread, a trend that this Grinch finds kind of annoying. Post your message on your thread - your friends will see it, I promise! And you'll save the rest of us from having to see the same thing over and over and over and over....

(I probably just pissed a bunch of people off, didn't I?)

I'll stand with you on this one and folks can be pissed at both of us. Drives me bananas. I agree: just post it on your own thread and have done.

>262 scaifea: - Solidarity, sister!

I'm joining your club, Katie and Amber!

You know, if folks wanted to put their greetings somewhere other than their own thread, someone could just start a thread specifically for people to post them all in one place...

ETA: That way heathens like ourselves, who don't appreciate such spreading of goodwill, can just avoid that thread!

>264 MickyFine: - YASSS, Micky!

*three-way fist bump*

>265 scaifea: - Okay, but if that happens, I'm starting a separate thread for snarky greetings :)

"I fear that spate of individual holiday greetings posted on every dang thread, a trend that this Grinch finds kind of annoying. Post your message on your thread - your friends will see it, I promise! And you'll save the rest of us from having to see the same thing over and over and over and over.... "

>261 katiekrug:, >262 scaifea:, >264 MickyFine: Add me to the membership scroll, please. And that goes for all the Happy New Year stuff (especially fireworks gifs) on the new 2022 threads as well. (Are we a movement yet?)

>267 laytonwoman3rd: - Our movement is the Joy-Less Club ;-)

ETA: I kid, I kid! I have lots of joy and holiday spirit. But I don't need 100 unread messages on other threads saying the same thing.

>266 katiekrug: *snork!* I'm okay with that.

>267 laytonwoman3rd: HAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!

>268 katiekrug: No, no. I will have the joy (if I can manage it). I just don't need the frippery on my thread to spark it.

>268 katiekrug: - Done.

>269 scaifea: - We cross-posted as I was editing. I too will have the joy!

hahahahaha! Grinches of the world, unite! I'm in your corner. Your corner sounds like the fun one to be in.
Please start a snarky greetings thread, it'll be the most fun we'll have had in ages.

>272 Helenliz: - We are turning into quite the girl gang! I love it.

Can I join the Grinch club? PLEASE?! because I feel exactly as seemingly everyone here does, about holiday greetings on threads.

I think we *are* a movement now. Solidarity!

*sarts shopping for Xmas & New Year's glittery animated gifs with sappy religious messages*

>275 richardderus: Phoney, you---'cause I remember you kindly heeded my request for no hoppity gifs on my thread last year.

...sorry, what was that?

OH, man! I am late to the party, but I am in. And I'm with Helen - can we have the snarky greetings thread, please?

I'm in too! Although I doubt this movement will stop any of the dedicated souls.

Snarky, funny greetings are something else again, but yes, on their own thread.

>261 katiekrug: Hi Katie, add me to the Grinch list but I have to admit I find the 'Happy new thread" posts also really tiresome and feed consuming but that's me of the very limited posting habits lol.

There. I said it.

I'm in!

>274 lauralkeet: - WOOT! I had a feeling you might like to join, Laura :)

>275 richardderus: - Grreeeaaattt..... xx

>276 laytonwoman3rd: and >277 richardderus: - Ruh roh.

>278 Crazymamie: - Yes! We got Mamie! I'm going to be out of town so might not be able to do a snarky thread. But feel free to leave some here!

>279 ffortsa: - I know it won't stop the trend, but at least I've made my position clear so no one will expect any from me.

>280 brenzi: - Yeah, the new thread posts can be a bit much. The only thing that prevents them from annoying me as much is that they are spread throughout the group and don't appear on every thread all at the same time :)

>281 RebaRelishesReading: - Welcome, Reba!

I need to put in another plug for 'Ted Lasso,' my new favorite TV show. Episode 5 of season 2 is a lovely gift for rom-com movie lovers, and just so funny and full of heart. I like this analysis from Linda Holmes of NPR:

"Did the show need anything quite this winky and literal, quoting quite so many lines? Probably not. But Ted Lasso has always been more about what feels good than what's necessary. And there's something about a sports story, which comes from a genre often treated as inherently masculine, acknowledging the debt it owes to romantic comedy, the genre most often treated as inherently feminine (both of these characterizations are imaginary, of course), that brings something lovely to the table."

Anyway, if you haven't, y'all should watch it. I'm glad we finally subscribed to AppleTV, even though I hate Apple on principle :)

Another busy day here today: Nuala goes back to daycare, where she'll also get a bath and nail clipping, and I get to go to the excellent bakery down the road for rye bread and cookies and probably other things we don't need. Then I'm getting a pedicure. In between all of this will be laundry, as I didn't get much done yesterday, and then packing. Ugh. I hate packing. I have a nice long list of everything NOT to forget :) I used to be good at packing when I was traveling a lot, but I am sadly out of practice.

We are going to trivia tonight, so that's dinner sorted. And then hopefully we'll be on the road tomorrow morning no later than 8am (with a stop at the bagel place to procure fresh Jersey bagels for the rest of the family who probably don't appreciate their superiority). I probably won't be back to check in until Thursday, but I'll try to keep up with threads on my phone in the car.

Good luck with the packing and I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip!

Is Nuala going with you?

Morning, Katie! I am going to check out Ted Lasso as we got three months free Apple TV with our new phones, and I just activated the offer.

Good luck with all of your errands today - may they go quickly and smoothly. I was planning on errands, but it is pouring here, so maybe not. We'll see.

>284 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber! Yes, Nuala AND Leonard are coming with us. Part of the reason Nuala has two days in a row at daycare is to try to make her exhausted so she'll sleep a lot in the car :)

>285 Crazymamie: - Errands in the rain are The Worst, so my sympathies if you decide you need to go out.

I hope you love Ted Lasso (and I'm pretty sure you will)! Also good is 'Invasion.' In case you need more to watch. Heh.

OH, thanks for that! One of the errands is the grocery store, and I really hate going there in the rain because it's impossible to get things back in your car without everything getting wet.

>287 Crazymamie: - Might I suggest some of those reusable bags that have the zipper tops? They are for refrigerated items, but anything can go in them, though some larger items won't fit and may still get wet...

The "Happy new thread" thing always seemed, to me, to be expected. I always feel a bit stoopid saying just that though.

>289 Helenliz: - I'm making it a New Year's resolution to not do it anymore, or to at least add some other comment to it...

>288 katiekrug: Good idea - I don't have any of those, but I should look into them because it rains a lot down here.

>289 Helenliz: Same.

>286 katiekrug: Ope, I can't believe I forgot to mention Leonard! (Sorry, Leonard!) I wish our dogs didn't get vomitty in cars. *sigh*

>291 Crazymamie: - They do come in handy. When I remember to bring them :-P

>292 scaifea: - We've been lucky with our dogs so far. Louis was a road warrior, as we always brought him with us on our Christmas trips from Dallas to Miami. Nuala has made the trip to Virginia once and did okay. She seemed more perplexed by the whole thing than anything else.

>290 katiekrug: I am so with you on that. Funny- at first, I thought people were getting tired of saying Happy New Thread! LOL.

Have a great trip, Katie and a wonderful holiday!

>290 katiekrug: Joining you on that one. Always good to set at least 1 NYR that I stand a chance of succeeding at!

>294 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! I don't see the new thread greetings abating...

Thanks for the good wishes!

>295 Helenliz: - Exactly! All the others will fall by the wayside by mid-January :D

Hey, hey, hey. Happy old thread!

The problem with NOT saying "happy new thread" with or without ormolu and gilt on it is that the thread then doesn't appear in one's "Your Posts" forum sort. Belonging to this group, the only way I don't simply give up and go into hermit mode is to keep the filter set to threads I've posted in.

I realize it doesn't have a lot of nutritional value but it does prevent insanity...and not everything can get a star or it's just as bad as "Your Groups."

I really, really tried to find something utterly Thomas-Kinkade-Painter-of-Light-y to post here but I'm already losing weight I don't want to and the unswallowing was getting troublesome. So Katie's dodged at least *that* bullet.

For now.

Safe journey Katie!

Fresh baked bakery rye bread is as close to heaven as i ever expect to get.

and warm from the oven of course.

>297 weird_O: - Hi Bill :)

>298 richardderus: - That's a good point, Richard. I only follow the threads I've starred, so that didn't occur to me.

And HOW did you know I loathe and abhor Thomas Kinkade?!?!?

>299 magicians_nephew: - My aunt and uncle always used to bring the good NY rye to our house when they came for Thanksgiving. It's fun to continue the tradition, even if for a different reason.

>300 katiekrug: ...there's someone who *doesn't* loathe and abhor Thomas Kinkade Painter of Light? I do not entirely believe this...

>300 katiekrug: - Somebody must be buying that schlock!

>302 katiekrug: I've just assumed that people who buy it are, well, goofin' on someone. If I had unlimited money I'd send you a 24x36 original just to be mean, f/ex. Imagining the shock, the horror, the absolute revulsion...and the inability to justify burning $500,000 of schlock...heh

My eville knows no bounds.

>303 richardderus: - This why we are friends.

Wow, I go away *one day* and miss the grinchiness, the happy new thread discussion, and almost - just almost - missed joining in the Thomas Kinkade hating. Lucky I managed to get in the last one. Is it just me or are all of them really creepy - in a Grimm's fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel witch's cottage kinda way?

>305 drneutron: Is it just me or are all of them really creepy - in a Grimm's fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel witch's cottage kinda way?
...on 2 tabs of acid...

>305 drneutron: - Well, that'll teach you to leave for even a day, Jim!

>306 richardderus: - A-yup.

Hi Katie!

>299 magicians_nephew: Fresh baked bakery rye bread is as close to heaven as i ever expect to get. And mine has to be seeded!

>300 katiekrug: I only follow threads I’ve starred, too.

>301 richardderus: Alas, and as much as I love her, my sister loves Thomas Kinkade. All her taste is in her mouth.

>308 karenmarie: What taste?!

>307 katiekrug: Drive safe, arrive alive, and know that I'm staring mournfully at my krautless sausage-free crockpot as you gobble down The Krug Dinner. *sniff*

Just spreading the news on some of the more active threads...

There's this new thing I made... https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23588/75-Books-Challenge-for-2022

Happy holidays!

Hi All! We finally made it to my in-laws yesterday after an annoying drive. No matter what route we take and what time we go, it sucks. I think we just need to reconcile ourselves to that... Anyway, we're here and it was slightly chaotic yesterday as the dog and cat got acclimated, Nuala met her new best friend, Mavis (a beagle mix puppy the in-laws adopted a few months ago), and The Wayne and I tried to stay awake. Today should be better after a good night's sleep. TW has to run some mysterious "errands" (translation: last minute gift buying) so I'll just chill here with LT and my books.

I'm off to join the 2022 group but probably won't start a thread until I get home next week and have a nice big monitor and better computer set-up.

Glad you arrived safely, Katie, and sorry about the annoying. Have fun!

>313 Crazymamie: I'm with Mamie - I'm glad you got there safely!

>312 katiekrug: Enjoy the festivities! Nuala and Mavis...even the names sound like Thelma and Louise reprised...I hope they're at least herdable. xo

>312 katiekrug: Well, I hope the visit was worth the trip! Glad you arrived safely despite the annoying drive.

Glad you arrived safely. Have a lovely time.

Glad you've arrived, and hope you're able to catch up on sleep and enjoy any and all festivities.

Glad you made it safe. Have a lovely cozy and quiet day!

Or in other words: Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Glad you're at your Christmas destination. Holiday travel is a pain but the payoff is usually worth it. Hope yours is delightful.

Hi Katie. I'm doing some late-year-check-ins. Glad you are safely at your holiday destination. I hope TW has a successful gift-purchasing trip (mostly, that he gets you something you like!).

I added my name after yours on the list for Vivian's copy of The Fell that is launching its national tour.

>248 katiekrug: That place looks amazing! It reminds me a bit of a cheese shop we visited in Pienza, Italy in 2007. I still remember it viscerally. P had to leave after a few minutes as she found the smell overwhelming. And a Cheese 101 class sounds like tremendous fun!

Best to you and TW and the furkidz in 2022.

>313 Crazymamie: and >314 scaifea: - Thank you, Mamie and Amber!

>315 richardderus: - They are about as herdable as a couple of cats, RD :-P But so cute! I will try to get a picture of them together.

>316 alcottacre: - We are having a very nice time, Stasia, thanks.

>317 Helenliz: - Thanks, Helen!

>318 bell7: - Had a pretty good sleep last night, Mary, and hope for more of the same tonight. Nuala can jump up into this bed (ours at home is too high for her) so we are having to negotiate space :)

>319 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky. The day was a bit busier than I anticipated, as The Wayne wanted me to go with him because he wanted to get some things for other people. But also for me. So we'd walk around a store, I'd note things that would make good stocking stuffers, and then I'd go wait outside while he actually shopped. And then we had to make an emergency stop at the grocery store, which is not a great idea in the late afternoon of the day before Christmas Eve *eye roll* Still, we had a good time and he is slowly relaxing from a lot of work tension and stress he's been experiencing.

>320 SandDune: and >321 RebaRelishesReading: - Thank you, Rhian and Reba.

>322 EBT1002: - Thank you for the new year wishes, Ellen. I wish the same for you and P!

I think The Wayne already got my main gift(s) so he really just needed to get some stocking stuff, and I'm still "teaching" him about what makes a good stocking :)

I've made a note about The Fell!

Merry Christmas Eve, Friends! As promised, I've collected a few snarky greetings just for you guys, my loyal readers who "get" me :) I hope you all enjoy the holiday!

And to all a god night!

>326 katiekrug: *snerk*

Hi Katie!

>312 katiekrug: Glad you arrived safe and sound. Have a wonderful time.

>324 katiekrug: Yaaasss quane

>325 katiekrug: *snerk*

>326 katiekrug: HA!! I adore this one.

Lol. Hope you're having an excellent Christmas Eve full of sass. *hugs*

>326 katiekrug: is my favorite! Let the snark begin!

>331 Crazymamie: Mine too! Thanks for the laughs, Katie.

WOOT!

*dances out of the room singing "Have a Snarky Snarky Christmas"...*

Loving the snarky seasons greetings. Same back at ya.

Hi, Katie!

I love visiting your thread, and I'm happy to say that I am now caught up here! Yay!
And I, too, love Last Night at the Lobster and Ted Lasso! My husband and I have watched both seasons, at least two times. It's so well done, funny, sad, heart-warming and uplifting. Wow, I guess I do like that show!

Merry Christmas and have a wonderful new year!

Karen O.

Hi Katie - enjoy the family celebrations! Merry Christmas and safe travels coming home.

Have a lovely holiday, Katie

Enjoy your Christmas trip, Katie. It's good the dogs are getting along! I'm going to wait to post for 2022 on the 1st, at which point I'll need to read a zillion early threads, of course. I'll see you then.

Hi All - Thanks for visiting, even when I wasn't!

We had a very nice Christmas. The Nephew cleaned up, of course, but I didn't do too badly either. I got several bookish gifts, including The Sentence and Harlem Shuffle, as well as some fun things. The Wayne got me tickets to see Billy Joel at MSG in June, so I'm super excited for that.

The Wayne made Christmas dinner (roast beef, brussels sprouts with bacon and balsamic, and mashed potatoes) which none of us did justice to because we had cheese and charcuterie while we watched him cook. Heh. While my BIL and SIL were putting The Nephew to bed, I turned on Pride & Prejudice and fast forwarded to all the good parts :)

Today should be a quiet day, other than the walk/bear hunt I promised to take The Nephew on. I guess I'll be spending some time on LT wading through holiday images and gifs ;-) IYKYK. Not sure what's for dinner or on tap for viewing this evening...

I hope you all had a lovely holiday - or a lovely Saturday if you don't celebrate Christmas.

Enjoy the bear hunt and - if push comes to shove - I hope you can run faster than The Nephew should you encounter said bear.

Your Christmas sounds full of fabulous, Katie! I was laughing that you all filled up on the charcuterie tray and so could not do justice to TW's awesome sounding meal. That sounds exactly like what we would do.

Hooray for Pride and Prejudice and fast forwarding to all the good parts. Have fun on your bear hunt - now I want to read that book.

A pleasant holiday from the sound of it, and leftovers are a goddesssend when it comes to feeding the troops.

Sounds lovely, Katie!

These were our family ornaments this year and, despite COVID, a merry time was had by all. It sounds like the same is true for your holiday, so here's to next year!!

Glad to hear you had such a lovely Christmas and wishing you safe travels back home. I just finished What is Left the Daughter on your recommendation and absolutely loved it. I've read Bird Artist and will go invsearch of others. Thanks - a real treasure!

Hoping that all is well, good times only are being had, and your fondest wishes have come true.

Hi again. Sorry to be absent from my thread! We will be going home tomorrow, so I hope to get caught up and start my 2022 thread on Thursday :)

Safe travels back!!

Hope you've had a lovely time and have a safe journey home with The Wayne and the fur babies.

Safe journeys, Katie! I cannot wait to see what you are up to on your 2022 thread.

Hello, friends! I am home now and SO looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight :) Our trip back was uneventful, which is all one can ask for when navigating the NE corridor during the holidays...

I am not going to respond individually to everyone - I'm sorry, but I don't have it in me :)

To summarize our visit to Virginia: The Nephew is awesome and thinks his Uncle Wayne and Aunt Kiki are awesome, which is all I ask for ;-) We spent lots of time playing with and reading to and hanging out with him. At dinner last night, he turned to TW and said, "You're a good chef" which was hilarious. TW's contribution to the meal had been his special garlic bread (the ONLY garlic bread that Charlie will eat. Heh.).

We watched some holiday movies but not Love, Actually or Trading Places, so I think those two are on tap for New Years Eve.

I got a lot of one-on-one time with my SIL (TW's little sister) and that was great. We have a fun time together. She is struggling having her mother living with them, so we talked about that a lot. The Wayne and I need to get our shit together so we can have the MIL come visit us, I think...

Nuala was SUCH a good girl with the twin terrors of the 4-year old nephew and a 9-month old beagle mix puppy. So patient and good-tempered. She got lots of treats. I think she is almost as happy as I am to be home :)

I did practically no reading, which is weird. I did make good headway in my 5 issue back log of The Atlantic, so I am going to finish that up and count it as a nonfiction book, so there.

I'll be setting up my thread in the 2022 group tomorrow and catching up with everyone over there. I'll still check in here, though, until 1 January.

And now I'm off to watch some Ted Lasso and then off to bed! G'night!

Welcome home, Katie! Sounds like an excellent trip.

I'm glad you're home safe, and that Nuala didn't turn into Cujo around the kids. Sleep thee well tonight!

>354 lauralkeet: and >355 richardderus: - Thanks, Laura and Richard!

Laura, I hope we can meet up some time when I'm down there. At a winery, perhaps?!?!?!

That would be a blast Katie!

Welcome home and yay for a safe trip!

Tomm and I have Love Actually on the menu for tonight.

>357 lauralkeet: - I looked at a map and you are farther away from where my in-laws are than I thought, but I'm sure we could find somewhere in-between :)

>358 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber! You needn't share Everything about your evening you know... Oh, you meant the film. Of course you did. *blinks*

>359 katiekrug: *snork!*

It's nice to be back into my routine this morning, even if I have a pile of laundry, a ton of organizing, food shopping, etc. to get through today.

Last night, we watched an episode each of Ted Lasso and Invasion. Both good shows. We have decided to do an "audit" of our streaming services because we have a ridiculous number right now. I think we'll probably get rid of Sling, at least, because we can get live TV through Hulu now. Anyway, that's a project for another day.

Unsure what's on the menu tonight - I'll probably just pick up something easy at the store. I've settled on the NYE menu, so need to check the pantry for what I need and make a list for the store.

In book news, when I left for Virginia last week, I had a Christmas audio and Kindle book going and now neither interest me, so I think I'm going to put them aside and start fresh. I've decided on North and South as my first read of the new year, and I'll start it today. Not sure about an audio, but I want to get back to doing jigsaw puzzles, so I hope to have more listening time.

>360 scaifea: - *grin*

Glad you had a safe trip home.

>361 katiekrug: Excellent choice of book to start the new year. We have the last of the turkey leftovers for tea tonight (that goodness) and I'm thinking pizza for tomorrow night.

>359 katiekrug: *snort*

>363 Helenliz: - Pizza is never the wrong choice!

Glad you made it back home safely, Katie! Hopefully settling back in and dealing with the laundry goes smoothly!

I hope you enjoy North and South and if you haven't seen it, I HIGHLY recommend the miniseries with Richard Armitage. *swoon*

>365 MickyFine: ^^^what she said *swoon*

>365 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky! Laundry is almost done, groceries have been bought, and I just have a couple of more things to do and then I plan to settle in here at my desk and get my LT life in order :)

I am most definitely planning to watch the miniseries!

>366 richardderus: - I mean, if he can make RD swoon, how can I NOT watch?!?

I have 4 books finished in December that I haven't reviewed or commented on. I think it's time for a Lightning Round (h/t to Mark)!



The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

This was a great nonfiction read about the theft of hundreds of rare bird skins and feathers. Johnson skillfully interweaves some history and personal experience into the story. Very well done on audio. 4 stars



Cut and Run by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker

A great tale about a pair of best friends who harvest kidneys for a Midwestern crime boss. The various voice actors were great, including Meg Ryan as The Narrator. I laughed out loud several times. 4 stars



A Very Austen Christmas by Various Authors

Some day I will learn to not buy Austen fan fiction because it's cheap on Kindle. 2.5 stars



Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer

An excellent conclusion to the Exmoor trilogy. Bauer is one of the best crime fiction writers I've encountered, and I am glad to have several more of her books still to read, plus whatever she publishes in the future. Note: it is important to read this trilogy in order. The first book is Blacklands, followed by Darkside. 4.5 stars

I keep meaning to read Belinda Bauer. Is this trilogy a good starting point?

>369 japaul22: - Blacklands was the first of hers I read, and it is excellent, so yes, I think it's a good starting point. This trilogy can be very dark, so fair warning...

Welcome home, Katie! Sounds like it was full of fabulous - especially Charlie. And I am thrilled you are reading North an South - I read that one earlier this year and loved it. Mickey and Richard are right about that miniseries.

>368 katiekrug: I have Cut and Run in the stacks! I need to get back to Bauer - the first one in that trilogy was so good - it was the very first BB that you hit me with.

>368 katiekrug: re: Austen...that will be "never."

The same way I will stop going for free m/m books on Kindle because FREE!

Tsundoku. A real malady, if not affliction.

>371 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie. Charlie was great, except when he wasn't :) But mostly he was. I'm excited to finally get to N&S. Judy (DeltaQueen) just posted a very positive review of it a few days ago, too.

I think you'll enjoy Cut & Run. It's silly and fun. And short, which I appreciate in an audio. Do get back to Bauer - she is so good. I had forgotten that Blacklands was my first "hit" with you!

>372 richardderus: - So true... Speaking of which - not free, but I just bought The Charm Offensive for $2.99 in today's Kindle sale. Not sure if it would be of interest, but thought I'd mention it :)

>373 katiekrug: Yes indeed. I purchased same. I'm always a sucker for enemies-to-lovers.

>374 richardderus: - Excellent!

My thread in the 2022 group is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338010.

>368 katiekrug: The Feather Thief and Finders Keepers are already in the BlackHole. I am adding Cut and Run just because it sounds fun.

Glad you made it home safely!

>377 alcottacre: - Hi Stasia - just FYI, C&R is only available from Audible. Not sure you do audio books? Anyhoo, if you do, it's well worth a credit.

I had a lovely sleep-in this morning which was much needed. I'm now enjoying my hazelnut coffee and planning my day, which involves some cooking, some cleaning, some card playing, some movie watching, etc.

In a few minutes, I'll get my tuchus in gear and go put together the lentil soup I've got planned. A bit later, I'll make the "dough" for the falafel I'm attempting - it needs to chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours. It's an air fryer recipe, and I don't expect them to be as good as real falafel, but I'm hoping the flavor will be there to assuage my craving. The last component of our NYE feast is our traditional pigs-in-blankets, which TW is in charge of. Last year, we had to buy frozen ones because we couldn't find Lil' Smokies anywhere, but this year we are back to the "correct" preparation of Lil Smokies rolled in Pillsbury crescent roll dough :)

Later this afternoon, we'll probably play some cards, and then our evening viewing will be headlined by Trading Places, one of my favorite movies, holiday or not. I might put on Love, Actually while I'm in the kitchen so I can listen with one ear and go watch the bits I like.

Last night, after frozen pizza and salad, we watched Finch with Tom Hanks (meh) and several episodes of Invasion (bonkers) to finish the season.

Morning, Katie!

Oooh, I love little smokies in crescent dough!

Hi Katie!

Glad to hear that you had a good Christmas.

>341 katiekrug: I hope you appreciate that I did NOT put a holiday image and gif on your thread…

>376 katiekrug: See you there tomorrow.

>379 katiekrug: so what are your p-i-bs? Ours are a chipolata sausage wrapped in streaky bacon and cooked in the oven. I always make my own - it's part of the ritual of Christmas, along with almost chopping my fingers off trying to dice a swede (a separate story entirely).

However, there are times when I am open to new ideas and anything involving sausages is usually worth an explore.

>380 scaifea: - They are The Best, especially dipped in a mustard-ketchup mixture :)

>381 karenmarie: - Ha! Thanks, Karen. Much appreciated *grin*

>382 Helenliz: - Our p-i-bs are little hot dog like thingies (Lil Smokies), rolled in crescent roll dough, and baked in the oven. They look like this:



Here's a "recipe": https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/mini-crescent-dogs/e8abc84e-8a0e-42d6-ae7e-23b...

Happy New Year! We watch Love Actually every year as well. Two or three years ago Jo and I were in our local deli and it was playing on a big screen above the register. She whispered to me " I don't think that's really appropriate given the steamy parts" which of course I hadn't remembered. RIght on cue, there's Martin Freeman, boinking away. Just adds to our enjoyment each year.

>378 katiekrug: Thanks for letting me know, Katie. I do audiobooks, so I will probably get to it at some point.

Happy New Year!

Forget your stresses and strains
As the old year wanes;
All that now remains
Is to bring you good cheer
With wine, liquor or beer
And wish you a special new year.

Happy New Year, Katie.

Happy New Year, all.

This thread is officially closed!

I lied; December wrap-up below.

Month in Review: December
(#s in parentheses are YTD)

Books Read: 10 (126)
Mine vs Library: 7 vs 3 (95 vs 31)

Non-US/UK Authors: 2 – Canada and Australia (17 - 1 Mexico, 2 Canada, 4 Australia, 1 Morocco, 3 Ireland, 1 Finland, 1 Norway, 1 Italy, 2 India, 1 Brazil)
Own Voices: 0 (17)
New-to-me Authors: 7 (76)

Best of the month: Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
Worst of the month: A Very Austen Christmas by Various Authors
DNFs: 2 (11)

>388 katiekrug: Nice wrap up, Katie! I have Last Night at the Lobster set aside to read this month.