Mamie's 2021 Madness, page 11

Late Night Thriller - Cat Reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Lucia Hefferna

Keeping this topper because I love it so much.

......

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December Reads:
108. Still Life by Sara Winman, library hardback and audiobook narrated by the author acquired in 2021, historical fiction/relationships/art/ A Room With a View - 5 stars - read this one with Mark
109. The Shortest Day by Colm Tóibín, Audiobook narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds, borrowed from Prime reading, literary fiction/short story/Irish myth - 4 stars
110. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, Kindle acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/Ireland/Covid-19 - 3.5 stars
111. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen, Audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, historical mystery, (Her Royal Spyness, book 7) - 4 stars
112. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Audiobook narrated by Hugh Grant (borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog), classic/Christmas - reread
113. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, Kindle acquired in 2021, contemporary fiction/books about books - 4 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
114. In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel by Marcel Proust, Stéphane Heuet (Adapter), Arthur Goldhammer (Translator) - GN acquired in 2018, French literature/classic - 4 stars
115. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - reread
116. 1984 THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by George Orwell, Fido Nesti (Illustrator), Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - 4 stars
117. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, translated by ?, Audiobook acquired in 2021, French literature/classic - 4 stars
118. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Audiobook narrated by Ray Porter, acquired in 2021, science fiction/space travel - 5 stars

November Reads:
100. Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve, translated by Adriana Hunter, Kindle, historical fiction/WWI/France - 5 stars - recommended by Charlotte
101. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery, (Hercule Poirot, book 35, Ariadne Oliver, book 7) - reread
103. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, translated from French by Lydia Davis, trade paperback acquired in 2018, French literature/classic (In Search of Lost Time, Volume I), shared read with Mark et al - 4.5 stars
104. The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath, Kindle acquired in 2021, historical fiction/post WWII, grief - 4 stars - Richard mentioned this on Katie's thread
105. The Wizards of Once: Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell, Audiobook narrated by David Tennant, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, children's literature/magic/witches - 4 stars
106. Possession by A. S. Byatt, Kindle acquired in 2020, historical fiction/academia - 4.5 stars
107. A Cornish Christmas by Lily Graham, Kindle acquired in 2021, contemporary romance/grief - 3.5 stars - Richard mentioned this on Katie's thread

January:
1. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth, trade paperback acquired in 2014, crime fiction (John Madden, book 1) - 4 stars
2. The Yellow Wallpaper: a graphic novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, illustrated by Sara Barkat, paperback acquired in 2020, horror - 4.5 stars
3. The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins, trade paperback acquired in 2014, literary fiction (Virago) - 4 stars
4. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos, Kindle, acquired in 2020, humor - 3.25 stars
5. The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith (Illustrator), Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator) - paperback acquired in 2013, GN, horror - 4.5 stars
6. Battle Ground by Jim Butcher, audiobook narrated by James Marsters, acquired in 2020, urban fantasy (Dresden Files, Book 17) - 4 stars
7. Medieval People by Eileen Powers, Kindle, acquired in 2020, non-fiction/social history/Middle Ages - 4.25 stars
8. Bloody January by Alan Parks, Kindle, acquired in 2020, crime fiction (Harry McCoy, book 1) - 2.5 stars
9. Paper Girls Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Cliff Chiang (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Artist), Kindle, borrowed, GN, time travel - 3.5 stars
10. The Weirdies by Michael Buckley, borrowed audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, juvenile fiction/humor - 5 stars
11. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Kindle, acquired in 2020, gothic horror - 3.5 stars
12. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls, Kindle, acquired in 2021, novella/grief - 4 stars
13. Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen, Kindle, acquired in 2020, short story/food - 4.5 stars
14. Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge, Hardback, acquired in 2021, graphic biography in verse/books about books - 5 stars

February Reads:
15. Paper Girls: Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), Jared K. Fletcher (letters), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 4 stars
16. Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, acquired in 2021, YA/historical mystery (Enola Holmes, book 1) - 4 stars
17. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Megan Backus, Kindle, acquired in 2020, novellas/grief - 2 stars
18. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Kindle, acquired in 2020, Polish fiction/animal rights - 4 stars
19. Summerwater by Sarah Moss, Kindle, acquired in 2021, contemporary fiction/linked vignettes - 4.5 stars

March Reads:
20. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, paperback (with deckled edge pages!), acquired in 2016, travel writing/Nepal/Tibet/Buddhism/grief - 4 stars
21. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourne, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical mystery (Veronica Speedwell, book 1) - 4 stars - recommended by Chelle
22. Paper Girls: Volume 3 by Brian K Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 3 stars
23. I Will Have Vengeance by Maurizio de Giovanni, translated by Anne Milano Appel, police procedural/Naples/1930s - 4 stars (Commisario Riccardi, book 1)
24. Death in August by Marco Vichi, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Kindle, acquired in 2018, police procedural/Florence (Inspector Bordelli, book 1) - 3 stars
25. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon, Kindle, acquired in 2019, police procedural/Venice (Commissario Brunetti, book 1) - 3 stars
26. Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/Florence/ just pre-WWII - 3 stars
27. West by Carys Davies, Kindle, acquired in 2020, historical fiction/western/novella - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
28. Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, translated by ?, audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classic - 3 stars

April Reads:
29. Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson, Kindle, acquired in 2021, mystery/amateur sleuth - 4 stars (Anna Treadway, book 1) - recommended by Charlotte
30. Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/infidelity/dark comedy - 3.5 stars
31. Passing by Nella Larson, hardback, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/race/1920s - 4 stars
32. Destroyer by Victor LaValle (writer), Micaela Dawn (cover art), Smith Dietrich (artist), Joana Lafuente (colorist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/sci fi/Frankenstein retelling - 4.5 stars - recommended by Roberta
33. Descender Vol. 1: Tin Stars by Jeff Lemire (author), Dustin Nguyen (artist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/space opera/AI - 5 stars - recommended by Joe
34. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal, Kindle, acquired in 2020, literary fiction/linked vignettes - 4.5 stars - recommended by Helen
35. Descender Vol. 2 by Jeff Lemire (author), Dustin Nguyen (artist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/space opera/AI - 4.5 stars - recommended by Joe
36. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, Kindle, acquired in 2019, literary fiction/Catholicism/religious persecution - 4 stars
37. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/coming of age/1930a - 3.5 stars

May Reads:
38. Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi, hardback, library book, literary fiction/mother-daughter relationships/dementia - 3 stars
39. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/relationships/infidelity/grief - 4.5 stars
40. Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion, Hardback, library book, non-fiction/essays
41. All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Kindle, acquired in 2018, sci fi/AI/space opera - reread
42. Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, Hardback, library book, sci fi/death - 4 stars
43. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding, hardback and audio narrated by Kenneth Danzinger, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classics/humor
44. Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/gothic/psychological thriller - 3.75 stars
45. Body in the Castle Well by Martin Walker, trade paperback, acquired in 2020, police procedural/France (Bruno Courrèges, book 12) - 4 stars
46. The Shooting at Chateau Rock by Martin Walker, trade paperback, acquired in 2021, police procedural/France (Bruno Courrèges, book 13) - 3.5 stars
47. The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator), Malcolm Jones Iii (Illustrator), paperback acquired in 2013, GN/horror - 3.5 stars
48. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry, Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/noir/private detective - 4.5 stars - recommended by Jennifer (mstrust)
49. The Man with the Golden Typewriter edited by Fergus Fleming, narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt, audiobook, acquired on 2018, non-fiction/letters/Ian Fleming/James Bond - 5 stars
50. Restless by William Boyd, audiobook narrated by Rosamund Pike, acquired in 2015, thriller/espionage/WWII - 4 stars - recommended by Bonnie and Donna
51. Descender Vol. 3: Singularities by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars

June Reads:
52. Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country buy Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones (illustrator/artist), borrowed, GN/horror/mythology - 3 stars
53. The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire by Molly Harper, Kindle, acquired in 2016, paranormal mystery/romance (Half Moon Hollow, book 3) - 3 stars
54. Mediterranean Mood Food by Paula See, hardback, library book, cookbook
55. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths, hardback, acquired in 2018, police procedural (Harbinder Kaur, book 1) - reread
56. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths, Kindle, acquired in 2021, police procedural (Harbinder Kaur, book 2) - 4 stars

July Reads:
57. The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths, Kindle, acquired in 2021, police procedural/forensic anthropology (Ruth Galloway, book 13) - 3.5 stars
58. The Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical fiction/WWII - 4 stars
59. Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller, hardback, library book, literary fiction/poverty/grief
60. Descender Vol. 4 Orbital Mechanics by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
61. Up in Honey's Room by Elmore Leonard, Kindle, acquired in 2021, crime fiction/WWII/humor - 3 stars
62. Dead Man in a Ditch by Luke Arnold, 2021 acquired audiobook narrated by Luke Arnold, fantasy/private detective/noir - 3.5 stars

August Reads:
63. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri, library hardback, translation, literary fiction/linked vignettes/solitude - 4 stars
64. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, acquired in 2020, classic/shipwreck/survival - 3.5 stars
65. Ankomst by Gøhril Gabrielsen, translated by Deborah Dawkin, Kindle, acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/novella - 3 stars, recommended by Helen
66. The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson, Kindle, acquired in 2021, biographical novel/journalism/Puerto Rico - 3 stars
67. A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, Kindle, acquired in 2021, Children's literature/fantasy/wizards - 4 stars - recommended by Richard
68. Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant, Kindle, acquired in 2021, novella/horror/mermaids - 4 stars
69. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, translated by ?, Kindle, acquired in 2021, linked vignettes/Marco Polo/Kublai Khan - 2.5 stars
70. Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink, Kindle, acquired in 2021, memoir/books about books - 4 stars - recommended by Helen
71. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, Audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson, classic/literary fiction/industrialism - 5 stars
72. Remake by Connie Willis, Audiobook narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, acquired in 2021, sf/Hollywood/futuristic - 4.5 stars
73. Essential Welty by Eudora Welty, Audiobook narrated by Eudora Welty, acquired in 2017, short stories/Southern fiction - 4.5 stars
74. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Kindle, acquired in 2013, crime fiction/classic - 4 stars
75. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark, library hardback, fantasy/steampunk/1912 Cairo - 4 stars
76. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Fenella Woolgar, acquired in 2013, historical fiction/alternate lives - 4.5 stars
77. Descender Vol. 5: Rise Of The Robots by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
78. Descender Vol. 6: The Machine War by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 5 stars

September Reads:
79. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warren, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/feminism - 3 stars
80. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, Audiobook narrated by Nadia May, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction/old age - 4 stars
81. The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna, library hardback, non-fiction/essays - 4.5 stars
82. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster, Audiobook narrated by Rebecca Hall, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction - 5 stars
83. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Trade Paperback acquired in 2021, non-fiction/politics/Watergate/Washington Post - 4 stars, buddy read with Susan and Birdy
84. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 4) - 4.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen
85. Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 5) (Castles Ever After, book 4) - 4 stars
86. Hickory, Dickory, Dock by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, acquired in 2012, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 29) - 3.5 stars, read this with Birdy
87. My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, library hardback, horror - 5 stars - recommended by Richard
88. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, Kindle, acquired in 2021, immigration/assimilation/feminism - 3.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen
89. Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie, trade paperback acquired forever ago, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 27, Ariadne Oliver, book 3) - reread

October Reads:
90. Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser, Audiobook narrated by Xe Sands, feminism - 3 stars
91. The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs, Audiobook narrated by George Guidall, acquired in 2018, children's literature/magic
92. Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza, translated by Thomas Bunstead, Kindle, acquired in 2021, autofiction/art history/linked vignettes - 4 stars
93. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 17, Colonel Race, book 3) - reread
94. Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe, Kindle, acquired in 2021, space opera (The Protectorate, book 1) - recommended by Jim - 4.5 stars
95. Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, horror/vampires (The Vampire Chronicles, book 1) - 4.5 stars
96. Orwell's Nose: A Pathological Biography by John Sutherland, Kindle, acquired in 2016, literary criticism/biography - 4 stars - Charlotte told me about this one
97. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Susan Jameson, crime fiction/detective (Jackson Brodie, book 1) - reread - 4.5 stars
98. The Coldest Case by Martin Walker, library hardback, crime fiction/police procedural (Bruno Courrèges, book 14) - 4 stars
99. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, audiobook narrated by Mia Farrow, horror - 4 stars

Katie’s Dirty Dozen - That’s right, folks, KAK’s reserved spot is back for a seventh year, let’s see what she hits me with this time.

1. Siracusa by Delia Ephron
2. Blessings by Anna Quindlen
3. When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele
4. Island of the Lost by Joan Druett
5. The Plot by Jean Hand Korelitz
6. Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
7. You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik
8. A Burning by Megha Majumdar
9. I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti
10. Falling by T.J. Newman
11. Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly (Eloisa James)
12. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare read 9/2021 4.5 stars
13. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff
14. Bookmarked: Reading My Way from Hollywood to Brooklyn by Wendy W. Fairey (daughter of Sheila Graham) - go with the print version
15. The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman - linked short stories
16. What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman
17. All The Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks
18. Matrix by Lauren Groff - she gave this the full five stars

The List: (this is a list LT book bullets from this year)

1. A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill - Shannon (sturlington)
2. Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire by Alex von Tunzelmann - Susan
3. Cove by Cynan Jones - Richard - "...this is the book I wish The Old Man and the Sea had been, but was not."
4. The Riddle of the Third Mile by Colin Dexter - Jennifer (6th in the series)
5. A Lear of the Steppes by Ivan Turgenev - Paul
6. Summerwater by Sarah Moss - Caroline - "Moss communicates the dark undertow of the ordinary through a group of characters confined by weather to their cabins in a Scottish forest." (acquired 1/11/21) read Feb. 2021
7. The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell - Ellen gave this the full 5 stars
8. Sidewalks by Valeria Luiselli - Charlotte
9. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon - Judy (ffortsa)
10. The War Widow by Tara Moss - Meg
11. Blood and Oil by Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck - Susan
12. Childhood by Tove Ditlevsen - Käthe
13. A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler - Luanne (clue)
14. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls - Karen, and Richard liked this one, too (acquired 1/11/21) read Jan. 2021
14. The Bells of Old Tokyo by Anna Sherman - Charlotte - travel writing
15. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar - Mark
16. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry - Jennifer read May 2021
17. Those Who Knew by Idra Novey - Beth
18. The Steam Pig by James McClure - Kerry - crime fiction series set in apartheid-era South Africa
19. Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines - Richard
20. Harriet by Elizabeth Jenkins - Rhian
21. Unfinished Business: notes of a chronic rereader by Vivian Gornick - Charlotte
22. The Historians: Poems by Eavan Boland - Charlotte again
23. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris - Linda (laytonwoman3rd)
24. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut - Julia
25. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - because Ellen because Richard

The List, continued:

26. A World Beneath the Sands by Toby Wilkinson - Erik
27. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu - Charlotte "...really clever (and funny) way of making a powerful point about stereotypes..."
28. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell - Leslie (leslie.98)
29. Milkman by Anna Burns - Richard
30. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw - Chelle (YA)
31. The Tender Bar by J. R. Moehringer - Mark - memoir
32. Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe - Jim (acquired 1/26/21) read 10/2021
33. Mystery, Inc. by Joyce Carol Oates - Jennifer
34. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton - Jennifer (jpaul22)
35. The Man Who Walked Through Walls by Marcel Aymé - Pam
36. Telephone by Percival Everett - Kay
37. Monogamy by Sue Miller - Kay again
38. Destroyer by Victor LaValle - Roberta read April 2021
39. A Little London Scandal by Miranda Emmerson - Charlotte (this is the second in the series)
40. Written in Bone by Sue Black - Susan
41. The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville - Laura on Katie's thread!
42. A Natural History of Hell by Jeffrey Ford - Richard
43. Shooting Midnight Cowboy by Glenn Frankel - Mark
44. Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes - Helen
45. Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink - Helen again read 8/2021
46. Sicily by John Julius Norwich - Helen is on a roll!
47. The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith - because Richard said so
48. Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So - Richard again
49. Know My Name by Chantel Miller - Susan
50. The Good Lord Bird - Mark said so

The List continues:

51. The Eternal Audience of One by Rémy Ngamije - Richard
52. Lust and Forbidden Fruit Tomato Rhapsody: A Fable of Love by Adam Schell - Judy
53. The Changeling by Victor LaValle - Richard again
54. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey - VictoriaPL
55. Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente - Richard says this is a similar theme to Remake
56. Madness is Better than Defeat by Ned Beauman - Richard again
57. Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman - Richard is on a roll
58. Medusa's Web by Tim Powers - Susan (quondame)
59. Experimental Film by Lewis Jacobs - Susan (quondame) again
60. Hot Money by Dick Francis - Karen
61. Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams - Beth
62. Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins - Beth again
63. Twenty-Five to Life by R.W.W. Greene - Richard
64. Adrift by Rob Boffard
65. My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones - Richard - read 9/2021
66. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint - Beth
67. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell - Roberta
68. The Gadfly by Ethel Voynich - Richard on Karen's thread
69. Heating & Cooling: 52 micro memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly - Charlotte
70. A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell - Reba
71. Monkeewrench by P. J. Tracy - VictoriaPL
72. NEVER SILENT: ACT UP and My Life in Activism by Peter Staley - Richard
73. Dialogues with Rising Tides by Kelli Russell Agodon - Mark - poetry collection
74. Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve - Charlotte - translation - read 11/2021
75. Death at Whitewater Church by Andrea Carter - Richard

The List continues:

76. The Dancing Face by Mike Phillips - Helen
77. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, translated by Ho-Ling Wong - rabbit princess
78. Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala - Richard
79. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire - Amber
80. Conditional Citizens by Lala Lalami - Beth, essays
81. Nothing Ventured by Jeffrey Archer - Juli
82. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich - Beth
83. The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr. - Richard
84. To Cook a Bear buy Mikael Niemi - Charlotte
85. Five Tuesday in Winter by Lily King - Beth
86. The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers - Amber, and it's good on audio

This should do it - next one's yours

My goodness - I'm first?

Happy new thread!!!

Happy new one Mamie!

Happy new thread, Mamie.

>12 karenmarie: You are first, Karen!! Thank you!

>13 charl08:, >14 BLBera: Thank you, Charlotte and Beth!

*edited to fix the post numbers

Happy new one, Mamie. Love to all at the Pecan Paradisio.

So November was not a big month for my reading numbers (just 7 books), but I did have two large tomes in there - Swann's Way and Possession. I ended up really liking Possession, but it is SO long. I though it would never be finished - I read this one slowly over several months as I truly think that trying to sit and read it all at once might have killed me. There is a lot of poetry in there, and while I can admire and be impressed by the effort and skill that Byatt put into this one, I did have to be in the right mood to read the next section. The clear winner for the month was Winter Flowers, which is just gorgeous.

November Reads:
100. Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve, translated by Adriana Hunter, Kindle, historical fiction/WWI/France - 5 stars - recommended by Charlotte
101. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery, (Hercule Poirot, book 35, Ariadne Oliver, book 7) - reread
103. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, translated from French by Lydia Davis, trade paperback acquired in 2018, French literature/classic (In Search of Lost Time, Volume I), shared read with Mark et al - 4.5 stars
104. The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath, Kindle acquired in 2021, historical fiction/post WWII, grief - 4 stars - Richard mentioned this on Katie's thread
105. The Wizards of Once: Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell, Audiobook narrated by David Tennant, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, children's literature/magic/witches - 4 stars
106. Possession by A. S. Byatt, Kindle acquired in 2020, historical fiction/academia - 4.5 stars
107. A Cornish Christmas by Lily Graham, Kindle acquired in 2021, contemporary romance/grief - 3.5 stars - Richard mentioned this on Katie's thread

>16 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! Much appreciated - we send our love back to you and yours.

Happy new thread, Mamie!

I read Possession as a young teenager (13? 14?) because my sister had read it and I had a thing about proving I was as smart as she was :-P I didn't hate it, but a lot went over my head so I keep meaning to re-read it...

>17 Crazymamie: It is perhaps funny coming from me, one of the scribblers in the group, but the poetry in Possession bothered me somewhat and actually reduced my enjoyment of the novel.

>19 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Possession is brilliant - a mystery and a literary criticism and a view into academia, and what's really impressive is that Byatt wrote all of it. She invented the poets and then wrote their poetry, and they each have a distinctive style. Present day scholars/collectors following clues to solve a literary mystery. The storylines all beautifully woven together. The scope and breadth of it is staggering, but, as I mentioned before, it's very long. If I had tried to power through it, I don't think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much.

>20 PaulCranswick: That surprises me, Paul. What bothered you about it?

>17 Crazymamie: I really need to get to that one. With both you & Charlotte rating it, there's no excuse. It's been on the shelf since it arrived...

Happy new thread, Mamie.

Hi Mamie! Happy new thread, Happy Sunday too. I'm so impressed with the amount of books you've read this year. I truly aspire to, one day, be a real 75er.
Have a wonderful day :O)

Drive by hello, hugs, and hearty yo hos!

Happy new thread!

Is this your Christmas gift to all of us? It is a good one. It's been great having you back among the reading and posting. Just...uh...fabulous.

Happy new thread!

>22 Helenliz: Yes, Helen, do get to it soonish - perhaps it could be on your agenda fro the New Year. And thank you.

>23 Carmenere: Hello, Lynda! Thanks. You are a real 75er - it has nothing to do with the numbers, it's all about the heart.

>24 Morphidae: Thank you, Morphy! Hugs back!

>25 quondame: Thank you, Susan!

>26 weird_O: Your kind words are very much appreciated, Oh Weird One. Thank you. Your posts always make me smile BIG.

>27 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

Happy new thread, Mamie. I may just have to give Winter Flowers a try.

(Big day tomorrow, no?)

>21 Crazymamie: Probably that being a writer of poetry I probably got a little lost in it and then had to conclude that the poetry was actually not particularly good. I thought it distracted somewhat from the story she was otherwise telling well.

>31 PaulCranswick: I skimmed through the poetry and read "the story". For me it was the Victorian style that was the big turn-off. The motto seems to be never say in 10 lines when you can also get away with 100.

Happy new thread, Mamie!

>30 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I think you would love Winter Flowers, so I am hoping that you do give it a try.

Tuesday - the fridge comes on Tuesday, and I am practically vibrating, I am so excited. I am crossing my fingers that nothing in it is damaged. That happened to us once with a stove - the entire side of it was dented in and we had to send it back. It was slightly heart-breaking, but luckily the next one was perfect.

>31 PaulCranswick: Like Charlotte, I have to admit to skimming some of the poetry, but I admire what she was trying to do. I didn't think it distracted from the story, but I did think it could have been shortened - no need to give us the whole poem when an excerpt would do.

>32 charl08: I skimmed some of the poetry, Charlotte, and I fully agree that the story was overly long in the tooth. I read it over a long period, dipping in and out of it when I was in the mood, and it worked for me that way.

>33 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!

>32 charl08: I agree, Charlotte, that Victorian verse is generally not my bag so that didn't help!

Morning, Mamie! Happy New Thread! I hope you had a nice time with Craig yesterday. How was The Mellow Mushroom pizza? We had a good time too. Sue made a killer feast. Nice to have Jackson over for a visit. As usual he stole the show.

>37 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thank you. We did have fun yesterday - it was full of fabulous. The pizza was excellent - it's a new one called The Merry Prankster. Here's the description from their menu:

Starts with an herb aioli base layered with chicken, Italian sausage, garlic roasted red peppers, green bell peppers, mozzarella, Wisconsin aged white cheddar, and finished with an herb aioli drizzle.

Hooray for a killer feast, and for Sue preparing it for y'all. Of course Jackson stole the show - that's his job. Well done, Jackson, and well done Grandpa for sharing.

Hi Mamie!

>34 Crazymamie: Coffee joy today, fridge joy tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed for you that it’s perfect.

>38 Crazymamie: That pizza sounds wonderful. Pizza is temporarily on my can’t have list – too much sodium – but I’m hoping that after visiting the cardiologist on the 13th she’ll let me ease up a bit on the sodium since although I obviously have heart problems I have never had high blood pressure problems. Maybe one day a week of a bit of extra sodium? I’ll put on my puppy dog face and whimper a bit.

>39 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Thanks so much for those good wishes. The coffee for today is Starbucks Peppermint Mocha, which we LOVE. And the smell when it is brewing is full of fabulous.

That pizza is most YUM. Crossing my fingers that you get the easing up you want on dietary restrictions on the 13th. Puppy dog face and a bit of whimpering is a solid plan.

That pizza sounds SO good. I am looking forward to having my mouth back so I can enjoy some :)

Fingers crossed for the fridge tomorrow!

>34 Crazymamie: We bought a clothes washer from Sears, waaaay back in the day, and when the installer removed the box, it had a crease in the front. He filled out forms for us to sign, advising us to accept the cosmetic damage and take the discount. Then he tipped it back, put his knee against the crease, and just like a chiropractor making an "adjustment", pushed. Crease disappeared. But the discount didn't. Boy howdy!

Finished Ender's Game. Very Good Plus.

Picked up a short collection of Rebecca Solnit essays and read the title piece, Men Explain Things to Me. I'll read that whilst awaiting a message from my personal reading god, telling me which YA title I should take up next.

I've put Winter Flowers on my wish list -- will probably read it soonish. Excited for you about tomorrow.

Well, we have completely cleaned out the current kitchen fridge, chucked old condiments that had gotten pushed to the back, and gave it a try nice bath. Craig has moved the garage fridge and plugged it into an extension cord. Daniel and one of his friends are coming over after work to move the kitchen fridge into the garage space. Then we just have to completely clean that space in the kitchen and wait for the new one to be delivered tomorrow. It sounds so simple and easy, but it was a ton of work. BUT, it is lovely to have done such a big clean before the New Year.

>41 katiekrug: That pizza is my new favorite, Katie. SO yummy and it's also so festive looking. Sorry about the tooth extraction woes - how long did they say it would take your mouth to heal?

Thanks for crossing your fingers for me - much appreciated!

>44 Crazymamie: - The instructions weren't super clear about how long I had to maintain the soft food diet, but I have a follow-up appointment on Thursday, so I'll ask then. The good news is, I've lost a few pounds :)

>42 weird_O: I would be much more likely to take a damage discount on a washer or dryer than on a gas stove, Bill. Hooray for your delivery guy who knew what he was doing.

I am so happy you liked Ender's Game - I really like that one. In fact, all of us here do. Very Good Plus is awesomesauce.

I have a couple of collections by Solnit including that one that I am needing to get to.Please let me know what your personal reading god advises, Oh Weird One.

>43 RebaRelishesReading: You won't regret it, Reba. I am also very excited for me about tomorrow. *grin*

>45 katiekrug: Good thinking to ask on Thursday. And when will they know if the bone graft has taken or not? Losing weight is good, although that seems like a painful way to go about it. Poor, baby. I guess at least it will be healed by Christmas. I am dreading following in your footsteps.

>47 Crazymamie: - It'll take about 4 months (!) to know if the bone graft has taken and I can get the implant. Ugh. If it doesn't, then I have to go the bridge route, but in order to do that, I have to have a root canal on a neighboring tooth re-done by an endodontist. Just in case, The Wayne elected to max out our FSA next year :-P

>48 katiekrug: Wow! Yowza to 4 months and then a possible redo on a root canal. Double crossing my fingers for you that the bone graft takes. I am wondering if my troublesome tooth could possibly be a candidate for a redo of the root canal. I did not have it done by an endodontist - my regular dentist did it. I would love it if I could just have a redo and not an extraction and then an implant. We went whole hog on our dental insurance for this coming year because of my situation and also poor Craig has to have five implants or new bridges put in. His family has this weird thing where they are missing adult teeth, so baby teeth but no adult tooth to take over when the baby tooth comes out. Craig had to have the baby teeth extracted back when we were engaged, then had braces to move teeth around - they pulled stronger teeth forward to make the anchors for the bridges, which he had done years ago, but now the bridges need redone. Dental health is slightly exhausting.

>38 Crazymamie: That Merry Prankster sounds yummy, Mamie.

How are you doing with Matrix? I am at about the 160 page mark. There are a couple slow spots but for the most part I am really enjoying it. You?

Just stopping in to say hi, Mamie. Hope the refrigerator is all you desire!

Wait. Merry Prankster? Ken Kesey? Is there mary-wanna in that pizza? No wonder it's so popular.



Jes' deliverin'...PIZZA!!!

Hoping the fridge is on its way and is everything you desire. >:-)

Morning, Mamie!

I bought a package of the Starbucks peppermint mocha coffee on a whim and LOVE it. Now I can't seem to find it in the grocery and I'm seriously thinking of trying to order some...

>50 msf59: Mark, I did not get any time to read yesterday because we were preparing for the fridge delivery. I am not very far in - 100 pages or so. I am really liking the narrative.

>51 ronincats: Hello, Roni! Thank you for those good wishes.

>52 weird_O: Bill, you crack me up! Sadly, there is no mary-wanna in that pizza.

>53 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen. We were given a delivery window of noon to 4pm, so now we wait.

>54 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I got mine at Target - I am guessing it's gonna be seasonal, so the last time I went I bought 4 bags. One of those is for Kaitlyn's stocking because I gave her a bag of it a few weeks ago, and she loves it as much as we do.

Happy Fridge Day!

>57 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>56 Crazymamie: Yeah, I should have picked up several bags at the time but I'd never had it before and wasn't sure I'd like it. Gah.

SO last night, Daniel and a friend of his came over to move our current fridge into the garage. Craig had already moved the old garage fridge out of the way. Daniel took a photo of it and has already found it a new home with one of his friends who will use it in their garage. They will pick it up later in the week, so hooray for that. Moving the current fridge out of the kitchen proved problematic as it is bigger than any of the doorways into the kitchen. We had forgotten that when the fridge came into the house it was in pieces, so the doors and drawer fronts were not attached. They had to take the stinking thing apart - it was a bit of a nightmare, but they got it done and it now resides in the garage looking very smug. I don't think it realizes it's been demoted.

On the reading front, not much has been happening, but I hope to make some progress today. I am currently listening to Heirs and Graces, which is the next one up for me in Her Royal Spyness series - so fun and I love this narrator (Katherine Kellgren, who sadly is no longer with us). My insomnia book is 56 Days which is excellent so far - pulls you right in and I love how the timeline moves backwards and forwards. In print I am reading Matrix, which is one of Katie's Dirty Dozen from this year. Still working on Why Read the Classics? - dipping in and out of this as the mood strikes.

>59 scaifea: Yep. That's what I did the first time, too. Starbucks coffee are very hit and miss for me. You can probably order it online from Target and have it shipped - they had it available last time I was placing an order.

Morning, Mamie. I have Jackson next to me. This little ray of sunshine. About 160 pages into Matrix. I should finish it tomorrow.

>55 Crazymamie: Just trying to bring a little pleasure into your humdrum life. :-)

>62 msf59: Afternoon, Mark! Hooray for Jackson time. Still have not read anything yet today - we have Griffin and are waiting on our refrigerator delivery. Hopefully later this afternoon.

>63 weird_O: Thank you kindly, Oh Weird One.

Hi Mamie!

>60 Crazymamie: Poor old fridge, getting demoted, and garage fridge getting sent to a new home completely. But new fridge will be happy living at the Pecan Paradisio.

Not even trying to catch up after a week+ away, Mamie. I just dropped by to say Happy Tuesday!

>66 alcottacre: Welcome home, Stasia! Happy Tuesday to you!

Gadzooks! That Samsung's a blinkin' PITA coming, staying, and going, isn't it. Yay for the old garage fridge having a new home already, though.

I'm crossing all crossables that you're busily loading up the pristine, perfect new LG even as I type.

*smooch*

>65 karenmarie: I almost missed you, Karen!

The poor old fridge was not pulling its weight, so it fully deserved the demotion. I am confident that the old garage fridge will be very happy in its new home.

>68 richardderus: Indeed, Richard. Can I just say how THRILLED I am to see you here?!

The new one has arrived and we are waiting for it to come up to temperature. *happy dance*

>70 Crazymamie: yay!!!

I'm a little afraid to think about it but...will the new fridge fit through the doors? Ours is deeper than the Samsung it replaced. Fortunately for us our house has wide doors and halls so it wasn't a problem but...

Anyway, can't wait until it's delivered, installed in its new home and filled with all of your yummy stuff :)

Oops...cross posted. Glad the new fridge is all installed and cooling down!! Congratulations.

It's here!! It arrived in the pouring down rain, but luckily they backed their truck up close to our garage and were able to unload within a few feet of the garage. They had to take all the doors off to get it into the kitchen - not sure why our kitchen entrances are so small. The delivery men said they have to do that all the time because they keep making the refrigerators bigger. It fits into the fridge spot perfectly - we did not go with counter depth because we wanted as much fridge as possible.

It's gorgeous, and I love that absolutely everything comes out to make keeping it all clean very easy. I cannot wait to load it up. Huge thanks to Reba for her recommendation - she even sent me a link to the product page, AND we got it on sale!

*update on our living room furniture which was originally slated for November delivery - now (hopefully) coming sometime between January 25th-February 14th. I won't hold my breath, but I will be over the moon when it does arrive.

>71 Helenliz: I concur, Helen!

>72 RebaRelishesReading: We have French doors on the front of the house, but they actually brought it in through the garage because it was pouring. They just had to take all the doors off first. They had it carried in and reassembled really quickly. It's so gorgeous. Thanks so much for all your help, Reba.

>74 Crazymamie: I'm almost as happy for you as I am for myself :) Glad it all went smoothly.

>75 RebaRelishesReading: That's so nice, Reba. I love how sleek it looks without the ice dispenser in the middle of the door. SO much more space.

>76 Crazymamie: and no water and/or ice cubes splashing around on the kitchen floor!

>73 Crazymamie: Yay!! And is it ever gorgeous...looks like something from the Enterprise's galley would.

>77 RebaRelishesReading: Yep. I am very excited about that. Plus, our ice chute kept getting blocked, and then when you would open the door, you would have a huge mess with all the ice falling everywhere. And even with a water softener and filtered water, we had calcium deposits on the drain area that were impossible to keep clean, so it did not look very nice.

>78 richardderus: Richard, it is truly stunning. I'm just gonna stare at it and smile for awhile.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Wednesday! Hooray for the new fridge. It looks beautiful. I had some quality Jackson time yesterday and Trail Watch duties to perform this AM. I haven't been getting out as much, so the exercise is welcome. I will finish up Matrix today. A good, solid read. And then I move onto A Town Called Solace. Is this on your radar?

>80 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesdaying! The new fridge is da Bomb - I cannot believe how much space it has.

Quality Jackson time sounds full of fabulous. I have not been getting out and walking much these days - I am sort of wary since The Fall. When it cools down some more, I will give it a try.

I am hoping to get back to Matrix today - all my plans for reading keep getting interrupted. Hopefully today will be nice and lazy and allow me to sit down and read for more than a few moments. I feel like we could be reading twins lately - I have both A Town Called Solace and Hench in the stacks.

'Morning, Mamie!

Congrats on the new fridge. It looks gorgeous. Have fun filling it.

I completely agree about not matching to counter depth. Ours is about 10" out from the counter.

Like reading about the new fridge. I'll be proud just to get mine clean.

Oooooh, that fridge looks so nice!!

Oh, are you Henching too, Mamie? I do hope so. Loves me some Auditor!

Merry Humpday. I must confess something: I...I read poetry.

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

>73 Crazymamie: Gorgeous, purely gorgeous. Many happy eats!

>73 Crazymamie: Congratulations on the new addition to the family, Mamie!

Good grief, I blink and you have a thread nearly 90 posts long! Your new fridge looks excellent. Sorry you haven't been reading much, but hope that changes over the next few days.

>82 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen! It is indeed full of gorgeous, and whatever non fingerprint magic they worked on the front of it is full of fabulous. And it's HUGE. Our other refrigerator was also not counter-depth, so we were used to it sticking out a bit. I was worried that the counter--depth model would be too small for my still large at home family. I mean, we LOVE our condiments, so...

>83 weird_O: Thanks, Bill - getting one completely clean is also always a reason fro celebration. When the kids were little, I used to take mine completely apart and clean everything once a month, but that has fallen to the wayside. Now it's more like twice a year.

>84 scaifea: Thank you, Amber! It's so awesomesauce - we are completely in love with it.

'Morning, Mamie!

Happy Thursday to everybody at the Pecan Paradisio.

>85 richardderus: I might, Richard - I have it in the stacks. If I can get my reading mojo to take off again, I will probably join in. I need to come read your poetry review - look at you reading poetry and liking it.



>86 quondame: Thank you, Susan! Excellent good wishes - much appreciated!

>87 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia!

>88 bell7: Right?! The new fridge helped it along, Mary. It is indeed excellent. And thanks for those good reading wishes - I am just having trouble focusing, so I have been binge-watching stuff on streaming services. We have just had a lot going on - December is like that, and so when I have down time, I just want to veg. Craig is off to visit his mom this weekend, so maybe with just the girls and I, the reading mood will make a reappearance.

>90 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Thank you. Thursday here is full if fog. I was supposed to have Mischief at the vet at 8:40am for a recheck on her dermatitis, but the fog was so thick I need up turning around and coming back home. The vet's office was very nice about it and rescheduled us for 10:30am, so I am hoping some of it burns off by then. Still thick but better than earlier out there currently.

I'm glad you were cautious and turned around. We do NOT need any accidents!

>93 karenmarie: Agreed. And especially not just for a vet recheck.

Hoping for a fogless midmorning, Mamie, and a reading-mojoful afternoon. *smooch*

>95 richardderus: Thank you, BigDaddy! Much appreciated. *smooch back*

Sweet Thursday, Mamie. I am so glad you might be joining us on Hench. The more the merrier, right? I am also enjoying The Town Called Solace. This is a quick read.

Jackson is over for a surprise visit. He is upstairs with Grandma taking a nap. ❤❤

Friday orisons, Mamie my sweet. Hoping you're all well, unitchy/flea-dipped, and glorying in your gorgeous new fridge.

Have a wonderful weekend, Mamie!

That's a pretty skookum fridge, Mamie. Is it all loaded up yet? I hope your weekend is going well and your reading mojo returned.

Hi Mamie, and happy Sunday Football to you and your clan.

>42 weird_O: Gotta love a great tech/vocational person like that. They are rare and precious.

Ender's Game is in my Top 100 of All Time!

>46 Crazymamie: I'm trying to decide on whether or not to read Winter Flowers. The reason I don't like reading "literary" books is because I find the vast majority are about miserable people being miserable. There are no hopeful much less happy for now endings. And might as well forget happily ever after. Can you send me a DM and tell me if it at least has a hopeful ending, i.e. it can be sad but there needs to be an definite "uplift" at the end, e.g. bittersweet emotions, a lesson learned, a new beginning, etc.

>48 katiekrug: >49 Crazymamie: I hear that. We are still paying off Mr Morphy getting two wisdom teeth extracted. No one knew they were even there but he kept getting infections by the teeth in front of them. They finally took x-rays farther back and realized the wisdom teeth were growing toward the other teeth at a perpendicular angle like a T. The short bar across was his regular tooth then WAY deep down under the skin, the long bar up and down was his wisdom tooth. And the crown of the tooth was angled AT the other tooth, not up toward the skin.

But implants and bone grafts? Oh, h-e-double-hockey sticks no. I can't even. And a four month wait? You have my sympathies.

>73 Crazymamie: WOW. Okay. That's gorgeous.

>76 Crazymamie: Shiny.

>81 Crazymamie: >85 richardderus: >97 msf59: No, no, and no! I already have A Town Called Solace on Mount TBR Soon. I will NOT add Hench. It's not important that the MC "hero" is a temp whose "specialty" is spreadsheets. I don't find that relatable or charming AT ALL. I won't add it. I won't. I WON'T.

.

.

.

Doshgarnit!*

>91 Crazymamie: Let me know when you feel up to it and we'll get The Bookshop on the Corner started.

* I'm leaving that there because a) REALLY? I had to go Google the spelling because I knew I had done something wrong but I couldn't figure out what it was and b) I used to have a brain. Really. I did. Goshdarnit, Morphy! LOL.

Hello, Everyone! Sorry for my absence - I have been dealing with some truly awful stomach flu. Finally starting to feel better, but I lost about 5 days doing mostly not much of anything. Today, my plan is to take it slowly, and hopefully tomorrow I can get back into the routine. Poor Rae has it now, but the rest have managed to avoid it so far. Anyway, I hope not to do it again for a very long time.

On the reading front, I have gotten back my reading mojo with audiobooks, which is about all I was up for the past few days. So here's what I have finished this month so far:

December Reads:


108. Still Life by Sara Winman, library hardback and audiobook narrated by the author acquired in 2021, historical fiction/relationships/art/ A Room With a View - 5 stars - read this one with Mark

I had already mentioned reading this with Mark and absolutely loving it. The audio is amazing - Winman narrates it herself and it is full of fabulous. I do have quotes that I marked, so I will share a few once I catch up here.


109. The Shortest Day by Colm Tóibín, Audiobook narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds, borrowed from Prime reading, literary fiction/short story/Irish myth - 4 stars

If you have Amazon Prime, you can borrow the ebook and the audio, which is what I did. As always Tóibín has a way with language that creates atmosphere and sense of place. This is set during the Winter Solstice, which makes it a perfect holiday read.


110. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, Kindle acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/Ireland/Covid-19 - 4 stars

I actually snagged this in November for cheap on Kindle, and had just started reading it as my insomnia book when Richard posted a fabulous review of it. I'll just say that it pulls you in and keeps you guessing. I actually liked the shifting timelines and the changing narratives, but if you don't like that type if thing, skip this one.


111. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen, Audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, historical mystery, (Her Royal Spyness, book 7) - 4 stars

I love this historical mystery series set in 1930s England, and it is full of fabulous on audio narrated by Katherine Kellgren. This was the seventh entry in the series, and you want to read these in order to get the most out of them. I don't often do cozy mysteries, but I make an exception for these.


112. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Audiobook narrated by Hugh Grant (borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog), classic/Christmas - reread

I have big love for this story, and I listen or read it pretty much every year. This year, I decided to try the new narration by Hugh Grant since it was available for free from the Audible Plus Catalog. It's very well done, but not my favorite audio narration of the story - Neil Gaiman does a fabulous one if you can track it down, but my favorite is by Tim Curry.

>97 msf59: Mark, I will see if I get to Hench or not - I am guessing you are already done with it since I have been gone for several days. I'll come check your thread.

Hooray for Jackson time. And napping.

>98 richardderus: Friday was Not Good, Richard. That is unusual for a Friday for me, so I am willing to forgive it. This time. Finally feeling better, so there is that.

>99 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia. The weekend was not as good as I had hoped, but it's over now. Heh.

>100 Familyhistorian: Hello, Meg! The fridge is fully loaded and ready to go. Ironically, I had stomach flu starting on Friday and running through yesterday, so the fridge has not gotten a workout from me. We all love it, though, and whatever coating they put on the front of it so that it doesn't fingerprint is da Bomb.

The good part about the weekend is that it did go, and I did get my reading mojo back by mostly listening to audiobooks during The Sickness, so thanks for those good wishes.

>101 karenmarie: Hey, Karen! I watched zero football over the long lucky weekend - just did not have the headspace for it. The saving grace was that Craig had gone to visit his mom in Florida, (he left very early Friday morning, so before I got sick) so I had the bathroom all to myself. And sadly, I needed it.

Hoping your weekend was much better than mine.

Glad to see you're back. I was concerned. Have to be wrap-wrap-wrapping today so I can get a package off to NJ.

So sorry about your lost weekend, Mamie. May next weekend be doubly good to make up for it!

Glad to hear you're feeling better, Mamie. I've already got Still Life on the TBR due to Mark's warbling, and I will try hard to get to it in early 2022 before it gets lost among the 2,000 other books on the spreadsheet. (I've noticed that, generally speaking, the books I read that are on my official TBR list are usually ones I've put there in the last 12 months or so. After that, there's a much lower chance they ever get read.)

>102 Morphidae: Morphy, I think you should read Winter Flowers - the ending is very hopeful. And happy.

Agreed that dental woes are kind of a nightmare. And also expensive.

If you added A Town Called Solace to your list, then we can make it one of our reads if you want - I am looking forward to our year long project with great glee!

Doshgarnit! totally cracked me up, so I am happy that you left it as it was originally typed.

I started The Bookshop on the Corner last night, as we had talked about starting on Monday in our PM. Get to reading, girl!

Hiya, Mamie!

>103 Crazymamie: I am sorry to hear that you’ve had the stomach flu, glad that you’re feeling better.

I loved 56 Days, too. I found the shifting timelines and changing narratives a bit irritating, but still thought it an excellent read. I snagged another by Howard, Rewind, on Kindle for 99¢ plus tax the other day.

Thanks for reminding me of A Christmas Carol. I probably won’t read it, but Bill, Jenna, and I love the George C. Scott version. We don’t know when she’ll be home for Christmas yet, but that will be one of the traditional Christmas movies we’ll watch.

>106 weird_O: Thank you, Bill. I am giving myself one more day to recover and hopefully hitting the Christmas stuff tomorrow. I need to return some things that arrived damaged, and get a couple of packages ready to go. And then, I have to tackle our Christmas - will I remember where I have stashed everything this year? That is always the question, and so far the answer has always been no. Maybe this year will be the one where I magically pull everything from its remembered (this is the key) hiding spot without having to completely tear apart my bedroom and closet. It's kind of like Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football, so if you're a betting man...

Hoping Tuesday is kind to you, Oh Weird One.

>107 katiekrug: Thanks for that, Katie. Most appreciated. It really sucked, especially since Craig was gone and the girls and I had plans to do some epic movie watching and some baking.

>108 bell7: Thanks, Mary! Yes, do get to Still Life in the New Year - it's so full of fabulous. I think my reading off The List works just like yours, except for Katie's Dirty Dozen, which is easier for me to keep track of since it has a separate category in my library here. We probably miss some real gems just because they fade from the memory when new recs come along.

>110 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Feeling so much better as the day goes on - if I could just get rid of the lingering headache, I would be most pleased.

Rewind sounds creepy but also good. I just checked, and it's not on sale currently, so I'll have to add it to my Amazon Check the Library list that I keep so that I can remember they sound good and sort the titles by price. SO much of them come back on sale again if one is just patient.

My favorite movie version of A Christmas Carol is the Muppet version - A Muppet Christmas Carol. We all love that, and our tradition is for whoever gets up first on Christmas Day to put it on (the DVD is the only way to go as they cut out Belle's song in the streaming version - so STUPID), and then wait as one by one the rest of the household awakes and joins them. Love that both of our families will be watching a movie version of the story over the holiday season!

>112 Crazymamie: I love your Muppet Christmas Carol tradition, Mamie! We had a family discussion about it at Thanksgiving. My daughters love it, and my husband and I haven't seen it (I know, I know ...) Anyway, Chris was pooh-poohing it until he learned Michael Caine was in it. That changed everything and we reached unanimous agreement to watch when they're home for Christmas.

I'm glad you're recovering from the stomach bug. Don't over do it!

Muppet Christmas Carol is also my favorite version, and I watch it every Christmas Eve (part tradition and part "There's only one more sleep till Christmas"). I agree that Belle's song needs to stay, and I'm happy that I have a DVD version with it, though I do always need to remember to select the "extended" version rather than theatrical at the opening menu.

Smoochling! A Bad Weekend! I'm sad that Mmmday is better than Saturday this time.

I'm sure you've castigated gawd and given her her marching orders about not doing that to you again. Mmmdays in February are tailor-made for suchlike, as then Ma'at is preserved and Humpday is used for full recovery.

>103 Crazymamie: What a sh*ty way to spend a weekend! At least there were books. I'm glad you're feeling better and back on LT.

Oh dang! I'm so sorry you weren't feeling well, Mamie and I hope Rae recovers soon, too.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is, hands down, the very best version. Like, in an actual critically assessed sort of way. It's the truest version to the original out there, and, well, it's just quality.

The reason why they cut Belle's song (which I always used as a bathroom break, if I'm being honest), is that one of the execs at Disney at the time thought kiddos wouldn't like the break in the flow of the action. Apparently now it's being reinstated:

https://www.nme.com/news/film/lost-muppet-christmas-carol-song-found-reinstated-...

>113 lauralkeet: Hello, Laura! We were recently discussing our favorite family traditions, and Birdy said that is her favorite Christmas tradition. I'm so glad you are finally going to watch it. I predict you will absolutely love it. It's so well done, and charming and funny, and the music is awesome. Just don't stream it - get ahold of the DVD because the streaming versions are abridged, and it makes a difference.

I will heed your advice on not over doing it. I have been up and made myself lunch and cleaned it all up, and now I am exhausted, so I have come back to bed to sit a spell. I am trying not to think about everything that needs to be done. Heh.

>114 bell7: I love that you watch it on Christmas Eve, Mary - that's perfect. Sometimes we watch it then in addition to Christmas morning - just depends on our mood. I'm going to have to pay attention to the DVD prompts this year - I did not realize that you had to select which version to watch! One of the kids is always the first one up, so I have never started it except for once many years ago. The tradition started when Birdy was little, and she woke up very early and very excited (I am almost always up in the wee small hours because insomnia), anyway, she was practically vibrating with excitement, so to give her something to do while we waited for the others, I popped the movie in, and a tradition was born.

>115 richardderus: Thank you, darling. It was indeed a sadness. And yes, if only we could schedule our illnesses for when they would coordinate more conveniently with our schedules, it would be most appreciated. I castigated no one, as I know for a fact that the Universe has a sense of humor, and I sincerely do not want the sickness back again anytime soonish. Or ever. That would also be fine.

I love the Muppet Christmas Carol as well. I usually manage to fit in several viewings over the season. But I'm a bit lax - none so far this year. I also have a thing for Love Actually and Wonderful Life, all of which usually get a screening.

Sorry to hear about the stomach flu and glad you're getting over it. There is very little that makes you feel worse.

>103 Crazymamie: Sorry to hear that you have been sick, Mamie, and am glad you are now on the road to recovery. I hope Rae gets over it soon too!

>112 Crazymamie: >114 bell7: I am a fan of Muppet Christmas Carol too and it is one of the two Christmas movies I insist on watching every year!

>116 quondame: SO true, Susan! I was absolutely miserable, but I am feeling much better if still slightly exhausted by it all. And thank you.

>117 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. Rae has finally stopped vomiting, so she should be on her way to feeling better.

I agree with your assessment of The Muppet Christmas Carol completely. We quote it all year round. One of our favorites is: "Light the lamp, not the rat!"

Okay interesting about the song edit. I am laughing that you use that as a bathroom break! You need the song or when he later sings "When love is found.." it doesn't have the impact. Also that scene is so important to Scrooge's character. Don't get me started. Ha. I will be over the moon thrilled if they reinstate the scene! Off to follow that link - thanks so much!!

>119 Helenliz: Helen, I'm with you in Love, Actually, but I really dislike It's a Wonderful Life. We also love The Family Stone, While You Were Sleeping, Christmas in Connecticut, Miracle on 34th Street (the original one), and Shop Around the Corner. Last night Craig and I watched The Bishop's Wife, which is also charming (I mean, it's hard to go wrong with Cary Grant and David Niven) but not one of my absolute favorites.

So true about stomach flu. I am very thankful to be coming out the other side. I though of you this morning as I sipped my gingerbread tea.

>120 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia. So far Rae has kept some soup from lunch down today, so that is a good sign.

Okay, now you know you have to share the name of the other movie you insist on watching every year, right?!

The Wayne and I made a list of our "must watch" Christmas movies to bring to my in-laws next week. Last year we did a month long watch of holiday films, but this year we decided not to over-do it. We are still debating a few, but so far the list includes Die Hard (hi, Amber!), Trading Places, Love Actually (I will probably watch this all by my lonesome because no one else likes it...), and Home Alone (for Charlie, our nephew). The Muppet Christmas Carol isn't on there, because we are pretty sure Charlie will insist on it himself :)

>123 katiekrug: I love that you made a list, Katie! Craig really loves Christmas movies, and each year we take turns watching some with him because none of us can watch that many every year and remain sane. He is a nutter, but he is our nutter, so...

We always watch Die Hard, too!! And Red. Sometimes The Ref. If I were going to be there, I would totally watch Love Actually with you - I have big love for that one.

We'll be watching The Ref this weekend. It is one of our very favorites, but we are pretty sure none of his family would "get" it...

Glad you are both coming out of the stomach crud. But, in truth, better this week than next...!

Feel better soon!

Hi, Mamie. So sorry to hear about the stomach flu. I sure hope the worst is behind you. I am starting Hench today, so if that is not too late, come on and join us. The more, the merrier, right?

Oh yeah- Hooray for Still Life. A very fun, shared read.

>125 katiekrug: I hear you, Katie. We would be in the same boat if we were with extended family.

>126 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley! So true.

>127 msf59: Hello, Mark! Thanks. I am feeling much better this morning - hoping by tomorrow I'll be back to my old self. I'll see what happens with Hench - if I finish my current Kindle read soonish, then I'll join in.

Agreed about Still Life - destined to be one of my best of the year reads.

Morning, Mamie. Happy Wednesday. Glad you are feeling better. Trail Watch duties today. A beautiful day here, so it should be perfect. Hench is off to a fun start. A nice change of pace for me. Just sayin'...

>129 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesdaying! Temps here are so warm it doesn't feel like Christmas to me - going to 73F today. I'm glad you have beautiful weather for your trail watching - have fun and don't fall down, please.

I am very tempted by Hench - permaybehaps I'll just dip into it for a few pages to get a feel for it.

Morning, Mamie! I'm glad you continue to improve.

It's unseasonably warm here (in the 50s), and I hate it. That is all.

Morning Mamie! Hope the stomach flu is long gone by now.
I'm doing a happy dance in honor of the arrival of your new fridge! May it serve you for many many years.
It's warm here too and it doesn't look like a white Christmas is in store for Cleveland. I'm very happy I selected by push for my snow removal contract. So far it's worked out very well, just one push in November. Yay!
I still need to watch White Christmas - it's just not Christmas without Bing and Danny singing "Sisters".

I'm feeling so much better today! I'm planning on tackling the returns that I have and finishing up my shopping for stocking stuffers. I need to pull everything from its hiding places and sort them by individual so I can make sure they look equal. I also need to do laundry. Yesterday we got a very pleasant surprise - our furniture is done being made and in transit to the delivery center! After it arrives there, we will be on the list for scheduling, and we might be able to get it delivered by New Year's Day. *happy dance* Not holding my breath, but still, it's made and moving.

Last night we watched Christmas in Connecticut, which is one of my absolute favorites - sometimes I watch this multiple times in the season. Uncle Felix and Nora crack me up - they steal the show for me, although I have big love for "The Fat Man" Sydney Greenstreet, too. It's charming and silly and great fun. Some of our favorite quotes used regularly at the Pecan Paradiso come from this one. If you haven't seen it before, and you love screwball comedies, then check this one out. After that, I lost my company because apparently bedtime is a thing, but I stayed up and watched Food Club - anyone seen this one? I hadn't seen it before but the premise ("Three life long girlfriends decide to travel to Italy together to attend a cooking course in Puglia and here they each find the opportunity to redefine themselves.") sounded good. It's a Danish film, so subtitles. I was hoping for more cooking and less angst, but it was good, and I loved the ending. Also the scenery is full of gorgeous.



On the reading front, I read several chapters in The Bookshop on the Corner, which I am reading with Morphy. It's charming so far and a perfect pick for a holiday read. On audio I started Project Hail Mary, which is narrated by Ray Porter - not very far in, but it's very good so far.

>131 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! Thank you - me, too.

I concur about the weather. It needs to be very cold and preferably snowing. All this sunshine is very exhausting.

>132 Carmenere: Morning, Lynda! I'm working on it - still not 100% but hopefully tomorrow. Rae is also feeling better today. We are all completely enamored of our new fridge, so happy dance away, my friend. And I appreciate your blessing upon it!

White Christmas is a classic. *sings* "Lord help the mister that comes between me and my sister. And Lord help the sister who comes between me and my man.

>133 Crazymamie: Imagine needing to define "catastrophe"! Truly a bygone age, and a more innocent one. I, too, love Christmas in Connecticut.

Enjoy the reads! And the watches! And the...oh, well, just enjoy your self every way you can think of to do so, because being ill during the Holidays needs reparations of *some* sort. *smooch*

‘Morning, Mamie! I hope you’re continuing to improve – Rae, too.

>123 katiekrug: and >124 Crazymamie: We love Die Hard and Red. Jenna and I love Love Actually, Bill not so much. I could probably play the sympathy card this year and get him to watch it with me, but I can watch it on my computer or on the upstairs TV just fine.

>133 Crazymamie: Yay for feeling ‘so much better’ today.

*adds Christmas in Connecticut to the list*

Sorry you were sick for your weekend with the girls, Mamie, but glad to see that you and Rae are feeling better. That must mean the new fridge is finally getting a work out.

Christmas movies. What's up with freezing out Ralphie? Jean Shepherd narrating. Flick. Scut Farkas. The "fra...geelie" Leg o' Lamp. The son-of-a-bitching Bumpuses. When Becky arrives next week, we will definitely watch it.

>135 richardderus: I love how Uncle Felix mispronounces it, and now that is how we always say it.

Thank you so much for your very kind thoughts - I will endeavor to squeeze every ounce of joy that I can from the Holidays, since they owe me and all. *smooch*

>136 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! Rae and I are feeling much better, but now Abby has it. It's horrible for her on top of her CRPs, so please keep her in your thoughts and send her some healing mojo.

Abby and I love Love Actually more than the rest of the gang here. When we watch, just whoever is in the mood joins us.

>137 katiekrug: *happy dance*

>138 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! The new fridge makes me smile BIG. And yes, it is getting a workout. I have named her Gladys because she makes me glad.

>139 weird_O: Hello, Bill. If I am honest, The Christmas Story is not a favorite of mine. It's okay and parts of it make me laugh out loud, but it can't compete with my other favorites. My sister Julie and her family LOVE it, though, so it all works out - something for every one. I hope you and Becky have an evening full of fabulous when you watch it together, Oh Weird One.

Morning, Mamie. Sweet Thursday! I remained upright yesterday, during my walk, despite the buffeting winds. Yah! I think if you take a peek at Hench, you will get hooked.

>142 msf59: Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday! Excellent work reminding upright during your walk. Good man. Okay- I will take a peek. Let's see if you are right. *grin*

Morning, All! In health news, I am back to my old self, Rae is feeling better and went back to work today, but poor Abby has it now. Please direct all positive energies towards her to give her the LT bump because stomach flu on top of CRPS is not good. I have been up since the wee small hours with her, and she is really miserable. She just laid down, so hopefully she can get some sleep in.

Yesterday I got all my errands run and even got all the Christmas stuff sorted. Slightly exhausting, but I am so happy it is done. I had to go to both the post office and UPS. At the post office, there was a line just to get into the parking lot, and then a long line inside - luckily I was just dropping stuff in the inside mail slot. The UPS, and the other hand, was completely empty, and I just walked right up to the counter with my Amazon returns. Nice. Traffic was crazy and Target was also slightly crazy, but everyone was keeping nice distances and behaving themselves. About 40% or less were wearing masks. I was actually surprised I saw as many as I did. Last night we watched Santa Letter which was okay - Craig and Rae are gluttons for trying the made for tv Christmas movies which are a very mixed bag. There are a lot of losers out there, that's for sure.

On the reading front, while I was sorting the Christmas stuff, I listened to some more of Project Hail Mary which continues to be very good. I also read some more in The Bookshop on the Corner - this is exactly the book I needed right now. It's charming and easy and fun.

Oh no, poor Abby! I hope you both get some rest today - I know how exhausting being a parent sitting up with a sick kiddo can be, and I suspect the worry doesn't diminish much with age... *hugs all around*

>145 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I am used to being awake int he wee small hours, but I hate that she is sick on top of everything else she has to deal with. It's a lot. And right - the worry does not diminish much with age. Thanks for the hugs - always appreciated. *hugs back*

I am Gladys has arrived and is making herself home in the kitchen. Yay! Soooo sorry about the flu going around. Best wishes to Rae now. Mark is right about Hench -- it's fun! And glad you are on top of the Christmas hoopla. Phew! That's a lot. Maybe I need to read The Bookshop on the Corner just to relax after all that. ; )

Hi Mamie!

>140 Crazymamie: Oh, no, so sorry that Abby has the flu. I just sent her a whole bunch of healing mojo and good wishes.

>141 Crazymamie: Gladys the Refrigerator. Yay!

>147 Berly: Hello there, Kim! Yes, Gladys rules the kitchen now. The stomach flu bug is just horrible, and we really did try to keep distant from one another and all that, but Abby and Rae still got it. Crossing my fingers that Birdy escapes it.

I need to peek into Hench, obviously. I don't know if on top of the Christmas hoopla is accurate - perhaps not completely out of touch would be better. Heh. I have everything sorted, but it still needs to be wrapped and all that. We don't put gifts out until Christmas Eve, so we tend to be late wrappers, which is sometimes stressful. I still need to purchase a few food items for the stockings, and I am still waiting for things to finish arriving, but at least it's not complete chaos.

I think you would like The Bookshop on the Corner. Just saying...

>148 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Thank you so much for that mojo and good wishes for Abby. Much appreciated.

Gladys is awesome.

Poor Abby - I hope she feels better soon!

Stay well. Stay sane. I have a two part mission today: Find juuusssst the right embellishment for my younger son, then get it packaged and mailed. So...gotta go.

Hiya Mamie me lurve. Hoping all goes better for Abby and well for all yours.

You, OTOH...

*smooch*

>151 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie. She is sleeping now, so that is a good thing.

>152 weird_O: I can't make any promises, Bill, but I will do my best. Good luck on your mission. I am so thankful that I do not have to go anywhere today.

>153 richardderus: Your post made me laugh. Thank you, Richard. *smooch back*

>141 Crazymamie: I've never named a fridge but this one definitely deserves a name. I love "Gladys" but it's taken so I'll have to think up something else :)

We'll be at my son's for Christmas so I'm pretty sure we'll be watching The Christmas Story because it's tradition and he loves it.

>122 Crazymamie: The other one is Miracle on 34th Street - the Natalie Wood version. I also insist on How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but it is not a movie :)

I hope Rae continues to get better! Sorry to hear about Abby and hope she improves rapidly!

Morning, Mamie. Happy Friday. I had a nice walk with my birding buddies yesterday, despite the cool breeze. Today, I get to spend the AM with Jackson. I am continuing to enjoy Hench.

>155 RebaRelishesReading: Can't wait to see what you name your fridge, Reba. *grin*

I love how everyone has different favorites - Daniel's is Elf.

>156 alcottacre: I have BIG love for that version of Miracle on 34th Street. And How the Grinch Stole Christmas is so great read out loud, isn't it? Have you seen the movie version featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of the Grinch? It's so full of fabulous - we all adore it.

Thank you so much for those good wishes for Rae and Abby. Rae is definitely much better, and Abby is not feeling as horrible as yesterday, although she still looks and feels awful.

>157 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Friday - love me a Friday! Have fun this morning with Jackson. I have not yet peeked into Hench - trying to get my Christmas boxes that I need to mail posted today, and we also have Griffin.

Yuletide rushing, eh what Mamie? Well...Hench will be there when you're ready.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads! *smooch*

>160 richardderus: I really want to get boxes mailed today - the post is so crazy right now. Then I can take a deep breath and relax knowing I just have us to finish up. SO hoping to peek into Hench this weekend.

Thank you for those good wishes! Hoping your weekend is full of fabulous! *smooch*

‘Morning, Mamie!

>158 Crazymamie: Not as awful as yesterday is good news for Abby. More mojo and healing wishes sent! And a gentle kiss on the forehead.

>162 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Thanks so much for the mojo and healing wishes for Abby. And a gentle kiss on the forehead is always one of the very best things. My Dad used to do that. Pure magic.

Morning, Mamie! Glad Abby is feeling a bit better, and I hope Birdy continues to escape infection. I also have a few more Christmas-related things to take care of. Top of my list is checking on stocking stuffers to make sure I have enough. I take great pride in the stocking I put together for The Wayne. I'm a bit vain about it, to be honest *grin*

>164 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! Thanks for those good thoughts. Me, too, with the stocking pride. I love doing them, and the balance of the contents is important to me. That's what I'm after today after the mailing of the boxes - the finishing bits for stocking stuffers.

In awesomesauce news, I have scheduled our furniture delivery for January 4th!!! SO, it won't be here by New Year's but really close. I am most pleased.

that's great news about the furniture. I look forward to seeing it in situ... Hint, hint!

>166 katiekrug: Okay, but you will find it boring. Alas, it cannot hold a candle to your full of fabulous purple Chesterfield. We went for pure comfort and wearability. One of the sofas features an extra deep seat and just one cushion to make a good napping couch. The other sofa has traditional seat size and two cushions. The chair is ginormous, and I cannot wait to claim it. On the practical side we chose neutral color and great fabric that will hold up. We have color in our other pieces of furniture - Robin's egg blue bookshelf acting as a media console, red media console acting as a table behind the sofa. I want a colorful rug and a few colorful accent pillows. I am over the moon excited because we really don't have comfortable seating for all of us at once in the living room currently.

It sounds perfect. And not boring at all.

>167 Crazymamie: Neutral ≠ boring, smoochling, and besides who sits on it decides what's boring. The Fourth of Jewel's Eye, wait no, Jan's Ossuary it is. *marks calendar*

>165 Crazymamie: Great news! It is so nice to have a date for such big purchases.

>168 katiekrug: You are so nice. We'll see when it gets here because it is all the same color - Mushroom, and I know how you feel about mushrooms. We picked the color because it is kind of between brown and grey, so could go either way depending on what you put with it.

>169 richardderus: True, I guess I just meant that it is not exciting. I am just craving comfort, so I really wanted something we could just completely snuggle into. I am so happy we could get it so soon - the scheduling thing said "Estimated delivery between January 25th and February 14th, so I was thrilled to see an appointment for Jan. 4th available when I signed in.

>170 quondame: So true, Susan. We ordered it back in August, so it will be lovely to finally meet it. I hope we like it, Heh.

Morning, Mamie!!

I think you're very smart to go with a neutral color for the seating and then spice it up with accent colors. We'll be renovating our living room at some point, and I think we may do the same.

>172 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Thank you. I cannot wait to see it in the room. And to sit in it. Heh.

It's a dank gray day here, so I came to bask in Mamiedom to get warmed and gruntled.

'Morning, Mamie!

Congrats on the furniture arriving on the 4th. It sounds wonderful. We need to get new living room furniture, but we'll start thinking about it early next year. Bill does not know this yet... *smile*

And yes to Richard's Mamiedom. Warmth and gruntlement!!

>174 richardderus: Aw. That is the best kind of compliment. Thank you, dearest. *smooch*

>175 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I am laughing that Bill does not know about the need for new living room furniture. Yet. Hoping when the time comes you can find just what you're looking for.

And thank you. So very sweet and much appreciated.

Having new furniture delivered in January will prevent its being defiled by holiday shenanigans. But delivery is epic! We Americans expect instant gratification. Having to order something, then wait...Ah say wait for it to be made and then delivered. Well!

I've been stalled here. I have NOT been instantly gratified in my quest for gift ideas for daughters-in-law. I tried to lose myself in a book yesterday, and that ploy got me through the book lickety-split. No gift ideas though.

Something will come to me.

Morning, Bill! Are you staying out of trouble? I sure hope not. True about the holiday shenanigans - it's Griffin's first Christmas, so new furniture at the same time is probably not a good idea. I am very pleased with the Jan. 4th delivery date. Also true about Americans being used to instant gratification. We ordered the furniture back in August (with a projected delivery in November), so I think we have done pretty well with the being patient. I am fine with waiting when I am expecting a wait - having to wait when you order something that is supposed to be in stock and then isn't is slightly frustrating (I'm thinking of our dishwasher), but it is what it is. This is just where we are at right now.

I am sorry you are stuck on the gifting ideas. My newest daughter made an Amazon WL, which I greatly appreciated. In-laws are trickier because you don't know what they already have. Sending you good gifting mojo, Oh Weird One.

Just reporting that Christmas is now in full swing in my little corner of the planet. As is traditional we had our work Christmas do on Friday, then I bought the tree the following morning, which involves wondering round a rather muddy field and picking which tree will be cut for me. The tree has gone up and been decorated today, while watching Muppet Christmas Carol, then Mary Poppins and next up is Love Actually.

So if you really love Christmas, come on and let it show. >:-D

>179 Helenliz: I love your post, Helen. Sounds like Christmas is a happening at your place. We have begin the wrapping, so our bedroom is currently a mess of delicious treats and fabulous gifts both wrapped and unwrapped. I am starting to feel confident that this will be the year that I actually get to sit back and just enjoy Christmas Eve. I got packages mailed, but once again no Christmas cards out this year, although I really had good intentions. I have limited wrist strength, and I feel like I have to save it for blinging out the gifts. Maybe next year - I should just start really early and make it a year long project. Heh.

Last night we watched Home Alone (Abby's pick) and Holiday Drop (Craig's pick). Craig and I also watched Berlin, I love you which is not a Christmas movie. Mickey Rourke is looking very scary theses days. Abby and I also watched Finding You - we really liked it.

Happy Sunday Mamie! I hope you are taking time to read and relax during this busy time of the year.

I send all good wishes for a wonderful 2022.

Happy week-ahead's reads, Mamie darling. The run-up to The Day should be extra delightful, what with all that bonbon-eatin' time and the utter simplicity of having Staff to do the grunt work.

*smooch*

Hiya, Mamie! I’m glad you’re liking Matrix - it’s a favorite this year for me. I got a kick out of Hench, too. I hope you have a good week leading up to Christmas.

Morning, Mamie! I hope you had a nice weekend at the Pecan Paradiso and I hope your teams won yesterday. My lowly Bears play tonight, but I will be watching. Jackson duty this AM. Yah!!

Morning, Mamie!

>181 Whisper1: Linda, thank you so much for that. I love the graphic. Not a lot of relaxing going on yet, but I have great hopes of getting there. We just have two kids left to wrap for, and then it's all done. *happy dance*

Hoping that your holidays are full of fabulous!

>182 richardderus: Thank you, dearest. Right. I can just kick back and let the Staff take care of everything. Now why didn't I think of that?! Oh, right. I don't actually have a Staff. *sob*

>183 jnwelch: Hey there, Joe! The weekend was busy but good. I need to get back to Matrix, but it will have to wait because the library wants it back. I'll get it out again after Christmas.

The front part of the week is pretty loaded, but hopefully, the end of the week will be awesome. I am really wanting some time to just sit and soak it up. I do appreciate those good wishes - hoping your week is happy making.

>184 msf59: Morning, Mark! Well, Falcons lost (of course), but Green Bay won. Good luck to your Bears tonight. And give Jackson my love.

>185 katiekrug: Morning, Katie!

Hi Mamie!

A year-long Christmas Card project gives me the shudders. I like writing them during the season, but don't like thinking about Christmas in January - October.

>188 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I'm talking about just the actual signing and addressing of them - my CT means that I have good days and bad days as far as writing goes.

...been years since I could even write...cards?! hah...

Thank goodness for typing. I can still do that! *smooch*

>190 richardderus: Morning, BigDaddy! I hear you - I'm not complaining, just acknowledging that it is what it is. And yes, thank goodness for typing! *smooch back*

So, the weather over the weekend was in the 80s - just gross. But today we are going to a high of 54F and tomorrow the high is supposed to be 48F. A gift!! I'll take it! Today the only big thing on the agenda is taking Abby to her appointment with the neurologist. I also need to make a grocery store run, and I am not certain if I will do that today or tomorrow. As I mentioned above, we have almost all of the wrapping done - just Daniel and Kaitlyn to go, so we are sitting pretty. For once. Heh.

On the reading front, I finished up The Bookshop on the Corner - exactly what I needed in this flurry of getting ready for Christmas. It was charming and fun, and I added several titles to The List. Thanks, Katie for recommending this one and to Morphy for picking it. Up next is Around the World in 80 Days - this one will take care of the last prompt in my classics challenge, which is to read a classic (at least 50 years old) where a journey is a major part of the plot narrative. Still working on everything else.

Wow, that is quite a weather turnaround! It finally got cold here, too. I looked at the weather where we'll be for Christmas, and Christmas Day is supposed to be 66F. Gross.

Hooray for almost being done with wrapping and double hooray for TBotC! I'm glad it hit the spot.

>193 katiekrug: Right?! Strange weather- we will be back into the 70s for Christmas, but I'll take the two days of cold as opposed to none.

I finished TBotC sooner than expected, as I was reading it on Kindle and was only about 80% when I came to the end of the story. The rest is a preview of another novel. Heh. And yep, it was just the right book at just the right time - gotta love when that happens.

>194 Crazymamie: The Kindle's basically the replacement for the paperback, with its "turn the page for a sample of..." and *extensive* card pages (and pages and pages...). I actually appreciate that, because all too often I'll forget about sequels and the like absent a push.

Horrors! Your Staff (aka "children") have all left you in the lurch?

>194 Crazymamie: We are having the same sort of weather here in Texas, Mamie. Cool yesterday and today, but by Christmas we are going to be at almost 80 degrees. Yuck.

The Bookshop on the Corner! I'm sure I own that one. Glad you liked it.
It's going to be almost 50F on Christmas Eve over here. We might have a bonfire even. I really don't mind not having to drive in snow and ice but it's just not normal.

>195 richardderus: True. I don't mind it, I was just surprised that I had finished the book.

Oh. Children. Um...Rae works full time, Abby has CRPS. That leaves Birdy, who is awesomesauce, but we usually don't have them wrap their own gifts. It removes the element of surprise. And no one sees the stockings until Christmas Day - I have a thing about that.

>196 alcottacre: Yep - I'm with you, Stasia. At the neurologist's office, the people in the elevator were saying how bitterly cold it was today, which made me laugh. Abby and I were in long sleeve, and everyone else was bundled up. There were scarves. And hats.

>197 Carmenere: It was a fun read, Lynda. Almost 50F sounds perfect to me. But I would want snow and ice, too. I love driving in snow but ice, not so much.

>197 Carmenere: I own The Bookshop on the Corner. Looks like I need to get it read.

>198 Crazymamie: No one I have seen here (in limited number, admittedly) has been that bundled up.

Morning, Mamie. I had a good time with Jackson yesterday morning and even read a bit of A Christmas Memory to him. My lowly Bears lost again last night. Their season is on life-support. I hope you are enjoying those current reads.

>199 alcottacre: It was kind of crazy, Stasia. I have not worn my winter coat since moving down here 9 years ago, but every year I see people in their parkas and snow gear. Even though there is never any snow here. Heh. I guess if you grew up this far South, then what feels to me like Fall would feel very cold to someone raised in the eternal heat.

>200 msf59: Morning, Mark! I love that you read some of A Christmas Memory to Jackson yesterday. That is one of my all time favorite books.

Sorry about your Bears. Our Falcons have had a terrible season. Maybe next year. Heh.

I started Hench last night, and it is cracking me up.

'Morning, Mamie, and happy Tuesday to you.

I'm sorry you haven't gotten to wear your winter coat in Georgia. Here in central NC it sometimes gets cold enough for my scarf/hat/gloves, but even then I usually only wear a mock-T with a down vest and forego the jacket.

Sorry about your Falcons, but they're one game ahead of my lowly Panthers. My secondary allegiance is the Chiefs, so although I'm not switching, I'm adding.

>202 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Happy Tuesdaying!

I have worn a vest with gloves and a hat on rare occasions when I went our walking early. It just doesn't really get cold and stay cold down here. We get a scattered handful of colder days but not an actual winter, or what I would call winter anyway.

Rae also cheers on the Chiefs. The Giants are her first love, but they no longer have Eli, so she has also adopted the Chiefs.

Happy Yule! I was going to put a blinky bright religious gif here, but decided I like my remaining teeth where they are o Grinchly one.

*smooch*

>204 richardderus: Happy Yule, BigDaddy! You made me laugh! We have learned this past year just how valuable healthy teeth are, haven't we?! *smooch back*

>205 Crazymamie: Yeup...chewing is underappreciated until one can't...

Exactly.

Wrapping and stockings are done! I have never been done this early before. Never.

>208 Crazymamie: woohoo!
Not started wrapping, but as I only have a few to do, there's plenty of time yet. >;-)

I'd gladly send you some of our cold weather, Mamie. The temperatures are below seasonal here. Isn't Hench fun?

Morning, Mamie. Happy Wednesday. I am glad you are enjoying Hench. It never flags, IMHO. Only 19F out there at the moment but I still hope to get out on the trails later.

>208 Crazymamie: That is a Happy Sheep!

Perfect segue into wishing you a Humpday as delightful as whatever that sheep is having.

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!

>209 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen. Less wrapping would be most excellent, but I'm not sure how I would manage that. I like for a fair amount of the stocking stuffers to also be wrapped, and I had too many children, so...

>210 Familyhistorian: I would happily take that cold weather, Meg. We are going back up to 75F for Christmas, which is just disgusting to this Midwest gal. And yes, Hench is very fun.

>211 msf59: Hello, Mark! I missed morning because my laptop was dead. Good to know that Hench never flags. Only 19! We are currently at 61F and so bright outside it'll make your eyes water. Bundle up for those trails.

*Edited to fix the touchstones

>212 richardderus: Indeed, Richard. I have big love for that sheep. And that is an excellent good wish - thank you kindly. *smooch*

>213 drneutron: Most exciting!!! Thanks, Jim! Happy Holidays to you!

>208 Crazymamie: I did my wrapping this morning - although the kittens trying to help me out did not work very well. I had already shipped out the kid's presents, so it was just Kerry's. However, since I hate wrapping presents, it was an ordeal.

Happy Wednesday, Mamie!

I can't imagine why kittens helping you to wrap would not be...um...helpful, Stasia. *grin* I don't love wrapping, either, but I love doing the bows and the bling on them. Craig does most of our wrapping, thank goodness. I'm glad your ordeal is over - good woman. I cannot wait to see what new games might be appearing at you house over the holidays.

Happy Wednesdaying to you!

Santa's coming, Santa's coming. Woo woooooo.

I'm pretty read. Sounds like you is too.

Since you inspired it, you should go look at my theme choice for 2022.

>218 weird_O: Yep. I am ready! The only thing missing is some cold weather, which I am not getting, so be sure to soak some of yours up for me, Oh Weird One.

>219 richardderus: Ima coming!

>217 Crazymamie: New Christmas games at my house: Project L, Meadow, and Great Western Trail (Second Edition). I know because I bought them all.

Speaking of games, I am going to start a boardgaming thread in the 2022 group so that those of us of who enjoy boardgaming as well as books have a place to discuss them. I will not be starting it until closer to the new year though.

>221 alcottacre: I am not familiar with any of those!

The board gaming thread sounds fun - excellent idea! I will be sure to look for it after the New Year.

>208 Crazymamie: Me too!! I'm done wrapping!! Usually it's a late night Christmas Eve, but not this year...I can sit back and relax with some wine....

>221 alcottacre: I just bought Avocado Smash Party for my niece because she loves avocados. I saw it at Annie Bloom's Books today (where I was shopping for my FIL) and just grabbed it for her. No idea what the game is!! LOL.

>222 Crazymamie: I am hopeful that you will join in frequently on the board gaming thread, Mamie.

>223 Berly: You can always check Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com) to see about a game, Kim!

Just catching up Mamie and pointing out that you have passed 3,000 posts on your threads again this year. Pretty good going since RL has intruded on the lives of so many of us this year.

>223 Berly: Same! Every year my goal is to finish before Christmas Eve, so that I can sit back and enjoy the day, but it had never happened until now.

We bought a couple of games as Christmas gifts, but I can't mention them yet because sometimes the girls read my thread.

>224 alcottacre: One of our goals for the New Year is to play more games, Stasia, so hopefully I will have more to contribute than just picking up good game ideas.

>225 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. Yeah, I was not as active here this year as I would have liked to be. Hoping next year will be better.

Morning, Mamie. Sweet Thursday. I watched The Shop Around the Corner last night. I had not seen it in many years. What a great movie. I also mentioned this to Amber-- Of course, I am a huge fan of Jimmy Stewart but I always like seeing Frank Morgan too, who played Mr. Matuschek. If you remember, he played the Great Oz, in The Wizard of Oz, among many other memorable roles.

Good luck today, getting any last-minute Christmas tasks done.

>227 msf59: Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday! We love that movie and also YOu've Got Mail, which is an homage to that movie. And yes, I remember Frank Morgan.

Thanks, but I am already finished with everything for Christmas, so I can just soak up today and tomorrow and please myownself. All that's left is to cook Christmas Day breakfast. And to put the gifts and stockings out, which we don't do until late Christmas Eve.

That sounds perfect, Mamie. Get plenty of reading in.

Will do, Mark!

Holly-jolly Thursday, it's the best day of the week! *smooch*

>231 richardderus: Today is the best day of the week? I guess I better attempt to make it super full of fabulous, then, so that Friday and Saturday have a fighting chance. *smooch back*

>232 Crazymamie: It's an "eat-sour-cream-from-the-pot" kind of fabulousness.

I'm on it!

Morning, Mamie! I'm on my second cup of coffee (peppermint mocha! Did I mention that the grocery store restocked and I bought 5 bags?) and enjoying my No Plans Day so far!

Morning, Amber! Hooray for the peppermint mocha - that stuff is SO good. Just the smell of it brewing is ridiculous. It's excellent with a spoon of hot chocolate in it, too. That's what we are going to brew for Christmas Day.

>235 scaifea: and >236 Crazymamie: - I meant to mention that thanks to you both and your earlier conversation about the peppermint mocha coffee, I saw some at Target and picked up a bag for TW's stocking. Peppermint mocha is his favorite seasonal flavor.

Morning, Mamie! Enjoy your stress-free Christmas lead-up!

Just dropping by to say "Happy Thursday, Mamie!"

>237 katiekrug: OH! I hope he loves it - it really yum. And like I was saying to Amber, the SMELL! So full of fabulous.

Thank you, Katie! To add to my merriment, Abby is also having a really good day today. AND she had one yesterday! This makes me want to cry it's so good.

>238 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia! Happy Thursdaying to you!

‘Morning, Mamie!

>208 Crazymamie: Congrats!

>217 Crazymamie: I love the wrapping, hate putting on the bows and bling. This year, between pandemic and health, I haven’t wrapped a single present. And at least for this year, that’s a good thing, although I might break down and wrap a pair of sox I bought for Jenna.

>240 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Thank you!

Follow your heart, Karen. Literally. Every year is different - we have had years where we put the tree up but only put the lights on. If I had to do the decorating on my own, most years would be minimal just because I don't enjoy that particular task. Luckily for me, Rae and Craig love doing it, so they usually do the bulk of it. I do most of the shopping and choosing of gifts, and Craig does most of the wrapping. My advice to you for this year would be to do what brings you joy and skip the rest - the best gift you can give your family is to take good care of you.

>236 Crazymamie: Oh, that's brilliant!! Will absolutely add the cocoa next time. How did I not think of that?!

>237 katiekrug: Oh YAY! I hope he loves it! (He will, because Mamie's right - the smell alone is amazing.)

>242 scaifea: It's also really great spiked, but I know you don't do alcohol much, but it's something to keep in mind for when the in-laws are visiting.

Hi Mamie. Don't know why but I saw these and thought of you! ;-)

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a57149/santa-hat-pancakes-re...

>243 Crazymamie: *SNORK!!* *licks pencil to make a note*

>244 jessibud2: Shelley, those are adorable! Too late for this year, as I am not braving the market again this close to Christmas just for strawberries, but I am putting them on the list for next year. Thank you for sharing!

>245 scaifea: I got your back, Amber.

>239 Crazymamie: Hoo-Ray for Abby. So glad she's getting some relief. Two good days in a row.

Nice to read too that you and all the other LTers who relish holiday flavors and aromas are basking in said flavors and aromas.

I've got my wrapping completed, and right now I'm basking in the wrapping performed by my daughter.

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

>247 weird_O: Thank you, Bill! Yes, two days in a row is a very big deal. I am over the moon happy.

Basking is an excellent word for it- I am currently drinking some gingerbread tea and eating Molasses cookies that newest daughter made. SO good, and an excellent combination, I might add.

Woot! for the completed wrapping. Love that you are now basking in your daughter doing the wrapping. I bask in Craig doing the wrapping all the time. Heh. Although this year I actually did some of it myownself. A Christmas miracle!

>248 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian. Those wishes look so much more sophisticated in Welsh.

Mamie! Merry Christmas to you and your family! May it be joyous and peaceful!

>250 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda. Wishing the same to you and yours.

I don't mind wrapping and brought everything south pre-wrapped so have been done for couple of weeks. But when I say "wrap" I mean put paper around and tie on some crinkle ribbon...no imagination or skill or desire to do bling (even though I think it's beautiful and very special when someone else does it).

A couple of weeks?! My hero! The bling is my very favorite part, so that's why I do it. I totally did not do it when the kids were little. Back then, just getting everything wrapped was a minor miracle.

Morning, Mamie! Have a wonderful holiday with the family.

Morning, Mamie! I'm having a cup of Peppermint Mocha - with HoCho! - and it's amazing! You've changed my life for the better.

>254 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thank you. Hoping your holiday is also full of wonder.

>255 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I am so thrilled to have changed your life for the better. *grin* It's decadent, isn't it?!

RIP Joan Didion

This is a sadness. I love her writing. She speaks to me. There is an excellent documentary about her called The Center Will Not Hold, which I highly recommend if you are interested.

I spent a chuck of yesterday setting up my 2022 threads - one in this group and one over in the Category Challenge group. I am excited about all the possibilities that a new year brings. Hoping it will be a better one for all of us. This morning feels like magic - Abby is having another good day. Three in a row! She is in the kitchen baking cookies, which are making the house smell wonderful. Birdy is cutting out snowflakes, which has something to do with her Christmas gift to all of us. She was very pleased with herself and came running in here so she could tell me, Look Mom, this isn't horrible! She cracks me up. There is Christmas music playing and it's one of my favorite albums - A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Craig and Rae are at work, but they are only seeing sick patients today, and will close up when everyone has been seen. Lunch is our usual Mexican takeaway.

Hoping that all of you have a Christmas Eve that is peaceful and fun and helps you to soak up the season. May your holidays be full of fabulous.

Hi Mamie!

>241 Crazymamie: Thank you for those encouraging words. I’ve pretty much let go of the guilt, fortunately.

>258 Crazymamie: I’m glad to hear that Abby is having another good day and that it’s three in a row. Christmas music, Christmas smells, all the family home earlier than usual. Can’t ask for much more, eh?

Merry Christmas Eve, Mamie! It's so lovely to hear that Abby is having another good day.

We are also having Mexican for lunch today. I'll think of you while I stuff my face ;-)

Morning, Karen! So true - I can't ask for much more. Abby is having her own Christmas miracle, and it is so great to see her up and about and so happy. It makes me tear up it is so wonderful.

Glad that you have let go of the guilt. I have loved so much getting to know you better this year, and I am looking forward to continuing our friendship in 2022.

>260 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie! Abby is grinning from ear to ear - her face is gonna be tired tonight.

And I will think of you as I stuff my face. We are practically Ethel and Lucy.

>258 Crazymamie: That earworm settled in this morning and hasn't let go since. It is the perfect soundtrack isn't it?

*smooch*

>263 richardderus: Yeppers. *smooch back*

>258 Crazymamie: Your day sounds so wonderful, Mamie, and YAY for Abby having a trio of good days!!!

>265 scaifea: It's been so fun and relaxing so far, Amber. Lovely not to have anything that has to be done today. And Abby having a third good day in a row is making me giddy with happiness.

Happy Christmas Whoop-de-Do. Thumbs up to Abby. Thumbs up to Craig and Rae offering care to ailing youngins on the eve of great joy. Bless the caregivers. Cheers to the food workers and snowflake makers, too.

We had a dusting of snow overnight. It's disappeared fo course. But nice while it lasted.

Sounds like you're having a warm and wonderful Christmas Eve, Mamie. So glad for all of you. Here's to day 5 for Abby!

Have a lovely holiday, Mamie and all at the Pecan Paradisio.

Happy Holidays Mamie!

Morning, Mamie. Happy Sunday. I hope you had a lovely Christmas, at the Pecan Paradiso. We were over at Sean's family yesterday and had a nice time. Of course, Jack was there and that always enlivens the surroundings. Enjoy your final day of this festive weekend.

>267 weird_O: Thank you of the abundance of thumbs and cheers and blessings, Oh Weird One! A dusting of snow sounds lovely - sorry it disappeared overnight. We always loved a white Christmas back in Indiana. Down here, the most we can hope for is overcast, but we did not get that. it was bright and sunny and 76F on Christmas Day.

>268 ronincats: Thank you, Roni!

>269 RebaRelishesReading: It was indeed full of wonder, Reba. Alas, Abby did not get an extension of her good days, but three in a row is a new record, so we are very thankful that she got that.

>270 mahsdad:, >271 PaulCranswick:, >272 quondame: Thank you, Jeff, Paul and Susan!

>273 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday! Our Christmas was lovely for the most part - poor Abby reached back for something and managed to dislocate her shoulder, and Craig had to put it back in place, so that was not fun. I bet you had a lot of fun with Jackson and the gang. How wonderful that Sean's family extended an invitation for you and Sue to join them.

‘Morning, Mamie!

>274 Crazymamie: I’m sorry Abby only had 3 days in a row and hope she can start building to a new record tomorrow. For today, special prayers and healing mojo for her.

>275 Crazymamie: And a dislocated shoulder on top of her CRPS. Poor darlin’. I’m glad her dad was able to put it back in place and you all avoided a trip to the ER.

>276 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! 3 days in a row was full of fabulous - usually she gets one here and there, so 3 all together was very happy making. Thank you so much for the special prayers and healing mojo. Very much appreciated.

Yeah, what happened is she reached backwards and the ligament popped out of place which caused her should to dislocate. Her ligaments in that arm move A LOT - it's weird and very scary and painful. We were so thankful that Craig could put it back into place and that we had her pain management drugs on hand, so she could take something right away. She is so awesome about it all, and I am amazed by her each and every day. CRPS means that she cannot ice it ever - icing can cause CRPS to spread, so she avoids it. She is better today but sore.

Oh no, I didn't know that icing is bad for CRPS. I'm doubly sorry - I was envisioning her with an ice pack. Boo, hiss.

Yep. CRPS sucks.

>277 Crazymamie: Ouch.completely in awe of folk handling this kind of pain. I am not a good patient. Hope better days are coming.

>281 Crazymamie: Thank you, Charlotte. I am also in awe of how well Abby handles it all.

Among the many benefits of having a doctor in the house...but what a rotten way to end a streak. My saddest *smooch* to Abby.

*sigh* Chronic pain is a misery!

>282 richardderus: True. and yes, it was a total bummer. Abby is sitting right beside me so I have passed your comments to Abby, who is most appreciative. She says she feels blessed for the three days she got. *smooch back from both of us*

I am sorry to hear that Abby is having problems with her shoulder. I am glad to hear that Craig was able to pop it back into place. I know from personal experience how painful dislocated joints can be.

I hope you and yours have a lovely Sunday, Mamie!

Stasia, Abby has CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), and so has ongoing issues with that arm. The dislocation was most unfortunate. Sad making. It was so fortunate that Craig was able to put it back into place. Today she is felling better, but she is still very sore.

Thank you for those good wishes. Most appreciated. Hoping your Sunday is lazy and relaxing. And full of happy.

Dang! Best wishes to Abby and her shoulder. Hope you are enjoying the leftovers and a relaxing post-holiday day. These were our ornaments this year, in case you need a laugh (or missed my thread topper)!

I'm late to the game for holiday wishes but I will say an early Happy New Year to you and yours, Mamie, and may 2022 bring an end of pain to Abby!

>287 jessibud2: Shelley, thank you so much for those good wishes. Hoping the New Year also delivers much happiness to you.

>285 Crazymamie: I can relate to having ongoing issues with an arm although I doubt my right arm is as problematic for me as Abby's is for her. Glad to hear she is feeling better today.

So very sorry about Abby's arm! Glad to hear you had good holidays anyway.

>286 Berly: Kim, I somehow missed you last night. My apologies. Thank you for those good wishes for Abby. Yesterday was lovely and lazy except for the fact that the upstair HVAC went out. Craig cannot figure out what is wrong, so he has a call into Justin, our cooling/heating guy.

I love your family ornaments for this year!

>289 alcottacre: I know you absolutely can relate, Stasia. Abby has not been dealing with hers for as long as you have been dealing with yours. She says it is even sorer today, which makes sense to me as often these things take a full 24 hours to catch up with you.

>290 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. It is what it is, but the mom in me wants so badly to fix it. Our holidays were full of fabulous - everyone was a very thoughtful and generous gifter, so we made out like bandits. Among other things, Daniel and Kaitlyn gave me this:

Morning, Mamie! Sorry to hear about Abby and her shoulder. I am sure she is sore but hopefully feeling better. Bummer about the HVAC. Always something, right? I hope the week improves as it goes along.

Here is my Christmas book haul:

The World of Raymond Chandler in his Own Words by Raymond Chandler
The Common Reader by Virginia Wolfe
The Crystal Spirit: a Study of George Orwell by George Woodcock
The Shadows of Men by Air Mukherjee
Taste by Stanley Tucci

I also got Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald edited by Jackson R. Bryerand, Cathy W. Barks on Kindle.

>292 msf59: Morning, Mark! Abby is feeling better than Christmas Day but worse than yesterday - she'll get there. You are so right that it is always something. And with the HVAC, at least it's not summer. Temps here this week are in the high 70s. And thank you for those good wishes.

>293 Crazymamie: Oooh, excellent haul, Mamie!! I do love Stanley Tucci, so I'm particularly interested to see what you think of that one.

Gentle hugs for Abby (and for momma). I hope she has a string of better days heading her way.

>295 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Me, too, with the Stanley Tucci love.

Thanks so much for the good wishes and the hugs. Much appreciated.

>293 Crazymamie: Oh my! What a glorious haul that is. I hope you'll love Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda a lot. So much revealed in those simple salutations....

Frabjous week-ahead's reads, Mamie me lurve.

>297 richardderus: I was immensely pleased with my Christmas books - I love reading letters and as you know I have a thing about F. Scott Fitzgerald, so I am sure to love the the book.

Thank you, kindly, good sir! Wishing for you the same. *smooch*

>291 Crazymamie: I thought you might enjoy my ornaments. LOL. Good luck with the HVAC....

>293 Crazymamie: Excellent stack of books which I am sure you will enjoy. : )

>293 Crazymamie: Excellent Christmas book haul.

>299 Berly: Yep - love them! And thank you.

>300 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen. I was MOST pleased.

Hi Mamie!

Congrats on the beautiful bowl and excellent book haul.

Sorry about the HVAC, but if it has to happen, at least this is the right time of year in the deep South.

>302 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! Thank you. Exactly right about the HVAC. Not a big deal at this time of the year.

I'm assuming that Jenna has arrived and you are making with happy. Enjoy!

>293 Crazymamie: Excellent haul! I have not read anything by Tucci, so I am looking forward to your thoughts when you read Taste : My Life Through Food.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Morning, Mamie! Happy Tuesday. Nice Christmas book haul! We are getting snow today. Our first measurable snow since last winter. A good day to stay in and read.

>304 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! I also have not read anything by Tucci - I am excited to get to it.

>305 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Tuesdaying. Thank you - I love my book haul. Finally after many years of never receiving books for presents, I am getting them! I just had to wait for the kids to grow up. Heh.

I am so jealous of your snow. How full of wonder! The best kind of day to stay in and read. Preferably next to a window so you can watch it come down. Enjoy, my friend.

114. In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel by Marcel Proust, Stéphane Heuet (Adapter), Arthur Goldhammer (Translator) - GN acquired in 2018, French literature/classic - 4 stars

I was impressed with how well done this is - breaking down Swann's Way to fit into GN format cannot have been easy. This does not capture the ethereal quality of reading Proust's writing, but it does do a very descent job of conveying the story. There is a gorgeous map, a glossary, and a character tree in addition to the actual story.

>293 Crazymamie: Nice haul, Mamie!

>307 Crazymamie: That looks cool!

Tell Abby that a fellow arm sufferer is sending her gentle ((hugs))

>308 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! The GN surprised me with how much it was able to capture from the book.

Abby is sitting right here, and I have given her your message. Very much appreciated.

>307 Crazymamie: Oh my heck! What an excellent idea, and why has this not taken the entire world by storm?!

*smooch*

>309 Crazymamie: I read the first book of Proust's series years ago and the GN sounds like a great way to help myself remember it before I move on to book 2 - assuming I can find a copy that has larger type than the first book does!

>310 richardderus: Right?! And the'er done the next two volumes as well. *smooch back*

>311 alcottacre: It would be perfect for that. Crossing my fingers you can find book 2 in larger print. I'm definitely going to be reading book 2 sometime in the New Year.

>312 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. I have gone ahead and ordered the graphic novel and I hope to get to book 2 next year as well.

>313 alcottacre: You are welcome, Stasia. Most exciting!

Hello Mamie, and Happy Christmas/Nearly New Years!I have caught up with this thread, and wow, you have had an eventful December! Glad you are fully recovered, hope Abby is on the way to feeling good, too, and cool new furniture and appliances! And awesome book haul! Our Christmas celebration got sidetracked when my mom got sick (she's tested negative and we think it's just a nasty cold/cough my SIL brought from Germany) gut since we want to open gifts together, I am staring at some unwrapped books which I would love to open!

>307 Crazymamie: Proust in a GN? Now there's a concept! I am intrigued. : )

>315 AMQS: Hello there, Anne! So lovely to see you here. It's been kind of a crazy year, so December fit right in with the rest of it, luckily December was mostly the good kind of crazy. Oh, dear to still waiting to open gifts! When do you think you will be able to open them?

>316 Berly: Right?! But it works - granted, it's a big GN.

Morning, Mamie! A Swann's Way GN? That is very cool. I wonder if they will do the rest of the books that way? Other than a library run, I might just hang out at home with the books.

>318 msf59: Morning, Mark! Yeppers - they have done the first three so far, and I am hopeful for the rest. No running for me today. Craig got a flat tire that can't be repaired just before Christmas, and his appointment for new tires is not until Friday, so he has been driving my car.

Hi Mamie!

And now tires on top of HVAC and etc? My goodness.

Morning, Karen! I forgot to mention that the HVAC magically started working again - Craig has no idea what was up with that. Anyway, it's working for now. What was weird about the tires was that no one had the ones that Craig needs for his car, so we had to wait.

>321 Crazymamie: Machinery *never* fixes itself. Get it looked at anyway or the Mmmday Meanie will infest it the first 95° day and cause it to implode.

*shudder*

>322 richardderus: Yep - completely agree, and we are still on with Justin, but he is currently on vacation, so when he gets back.

.

115. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - reread (my newest addition, this was the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition)
116. 1984 THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by George Orwell, Fido Nesti (Illustrator), Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - 4 stars

I read these in tandem so that I could compare the GN with the original text. I have read Nineteen Eighty-Four before, and I think it is brilliant. Not the most exciting book to read, but what Orwell presents is so spot on. I wondered how the GN would deal with presenting the book within the book, and the answer is it doesn't. The GN goes from graphic format to full pages of text with one smaller illustration per page. Sounds like cheating, but it is effective, and I don't know how you would encapsulate the text without diminishing it. Anyway, I thought it was well done - read the print version to get the full onslaught, but the GN is a great entry if you want to get a feel for the novel without reading the full text or if you are wanting to revisit it.

117. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, translated by ?, Audiobook narrated by Patrick Tull, acquired in 2021, French literature/classic - 4 stars

This was delightful - I can't believe it has taken me so long to get to it. It also completes the very last prompt in my classics challenge, so hooray for that. Patrick Tull does an excellent job with the narration. Audible is not great with providing information about the translator, so I have no idea who it was, which is annoying. My very first Jules Verne, but it will not be my last.

>325 Crazymamie: - Will that be your final read of the year, Mamie, or are you hoping to finish any more before the clock runs out?

>326 katiekrug: I was just over at your place, Katie! I am hoping to finish up Project Hail Mary on audio, which is excellent so far. My insomnia read is Hench, but I don't know if I will finish it in time.

>327 Crazymamie: Oh, that's rough. I'm in the full-throated "HENCH HENCH HENCH!! read Hench!" camp but I don't approve of Morpheus skipping Pecan Paradiso.

It's a puzzlement.

*smooch*

>328 richardderus: You can safely go with the former since insomnia is my constant companion. I get a lot of my reading done at 3am. And Hench is the perfect insomnia book because I am always excited to see what happens next - I'm about 60% of the way through. *smooch back*

>329 Crazymamie: It was almost, almost my 6-stars-of-five read this year. But some longueurs towards the end just would not get forgotten.

Morpheus and I clearly need to...chat.

>330 richardderus: Oh, dear! We'll see where it lands with me.

Feel free to chat with Morpheus on my behalf.

>325 Crazymamie: I love Jules Verne! I really need to do re-reads of all of his stuff, which I consider to be classics. Probably my favorite is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Happy New Year, Mamie!

>332 alcottacre: That one is on my list to get to, Stasia.

Happy New Year!

>333 Crazymamie: If you want to do a shared read of it, just let me know when, Mamie, and I will gladly read along.

Thanks!

>334 alcottacre: I will take you up on that! Not January, but let me get back to you.

Hi Mamie!

>321 Crazymamie: Ah, the HVAC and FM, right? fucking magic

>332 alcottacre: and >333 Crazymamie: I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in February of 2008. I read the US Naval Institute Press edition, published in 1993, and if you don’t already have a copy of the book, I strongly recommend getting this one.

>336 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! More true than you know, actually about the FM because yesterday the upstairs one went out again, and it took the downstairs one with it. And yesterday it was in the 80s and 80 something percent humidity, so not tragic but slightly painful overnight. Craig and Rae started they vacation days today, and Craig now has both HVACs up and running again. My hero! And they were tow totally different problems - the upstairs one could not drain, apparently, (I know nothing about HVAC so had no idea they needed to drain), and the downstairs one blew a fuse. Luckily our HVAC guy left us with extra fuses, just in case. He said it rarely ever happens, but it can. Thank you, Justin, for training my husband in the mysteries of the heating/cooling world.

Thanks for that recommendation - making a note of it because I do not have a copy yet.

>324 Crazymamie: Thanks for your reviews of the tandem GN reads. They have been added to the wishlist. I have enjoyed the GN adaptions that I have read. This may be an unpopular opinion, but the GN was the only way I could get through A Game of Thrones.

>338 jayde1599: You are welcome, Jess! No judgement here, I say whatever works for you is good.

Happy Friday, Mamie! Looking forward to following you next year. Always a joy to visit here. Happy New Year.

>340 Carmenere: Happy Friday, Lynda! Thank you so much for the kind words. happy New Year to you!

Happy New Year, my dear, and all the best to the denizens of the Pecan Paradisio in 2022!

>342 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen! Happy New Year to you!

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, Mamie.

>344 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! Happy New Year to you!