lindapanzo simplifies her reading for 2022--part 1

I'm back for 2022. I started doing categories back with the 999 challenge in 2009. In light of my disappointing reading totals since the pandemic hit, I just want to simplify for 2022 so only 4 categories for me in 2022.

For 2022, 107 books read in my categories. I completed all four categories with books to spare in three of the four categories.

Category 1: Mysteries--63 books read
Category 2: Sports--15 books read
Category 3: Nonfiction--11 books read
Category 4: Fiction--18 books read

Category 1: Mysteries--63 of 60 read

BOOKS READ:
1. A Fatal Twist of Lemon by Patrice Greenwood--finished on 1/8/22
2. Murder in the Park by Jeanne M. Dams--finished on 1/12/22
3. Death by the Finish Line by Alexis Morgan--finished on 1/15/22
4. Easter Bonnet Murder by Leslie Meier--finished on 1/19/22
5. Donut Hearts Homicide by Jessica Beck--finished on 1/24/22
6. The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 1/29/22
7. Front Page Murder by Joyce St. Anthony--finished on 2/4/22
8. Murder at St. Anne's by J.R. Ellis--finished on 2/9/22
9. The Norths Meet Murder by Frances and Richard Lockridge--finished on 2/15/22
10. Wedding Bell Blues by Lynn Cahoon--finished on 2/21/22
11. The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry--finished on 2/25/22
12. Death by Chocolate Chip Chip Cupcake by Sarah Graves--finished on 3/1/22
13. Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers--finished on 3/5/22
14. Cold Brew Corpse by Tara Lush--finished on 3/8/22
15. Murder Spills the Tea by Vicki Delany--finished on 3/16/22
16. Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder by Catherine Lloyd--finished on 3/19/22
17. Bound by Murder by Laura Gail Black--finished on 4/1/22
18. The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker--finished on 4/9/22
19. The Dead Cry Justice by Rosemary Simpson--finished on 4/17/22
20. Peril at Pennington Manor by Tracy Gardner--finished on 4/20/22
21. Black Diamond by Martin Walker--finished on 4/29/22
22. Death on a Deadline by Joyce St. Anthony--finished on 5/3/22
23. Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb--finished on 5/5/22
24. Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry--finished on 5/14/22
25. The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate--finished on 5/18/22
26. A Certain Darkness by Anna Lee Huber--finished on 5/24/22
27. In Too Steep by Kate Kingsbury--finished on 6/5/22
28. Calamity Town by Ellery Queen--finished on 6/15/22
29. Death in the Margins by Victoria Gilbert--finished on 7/6/22
30. The Hollywood Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal--finished on 7/17/22
31. A Deadly Deletion by Lorna Barrett--finished on 7/21/22
32, Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 7/25/22
33. Three at Wolfe's Door by Rex Stout--finished on 7/29/22
34. Clause of Death by Lorna Barrett--finished on 8/2/22
35. Hidden in the Pines by Victoria Houston--finished on 8/3/22
36. On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry--finished on 8/14/22
37. Peril at the Exposition by Nev March--finished on 8/19/22
38. Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander--finished on 8/21/22
39. A Vacation to Die For by Lynn Cahoon--finished on 8/24/22
40. Murder on the Poet's Walk by Ellery Adams--finished on 8/28/22
41. The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict--finished on 9/2/22
42. Bake Offed by Maya Corrigan--finished on 9/5/22
43. Murder at the Majestic Hotel by Clara McKenna--finished on 9/11/22
44. Four Leaf Cleaver by Maddie Day--finished on 9/20/22
45. Christmas Scarf Murder by Carlene O'Connor--finished on 9/25/22
46. A Dark and Stormy Tea by Laura Childs--finished on 9/28/22
47. The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett--finished on 10/2/22
48. Sticky Steal by Jessica Beck--finished on 10/5/22
49. A Deadly Web by Jeanne M. Dams--finished on 10/10/22
50. A Christmas Deliverance by Anne Perry--finished on 10/13/22
51. A Dark and Snowy Night by Sally Goldenbaum - finished on 10/29/22
52. The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 11/1/22
53. Jelly-Filled Justice by Jessica Beck--finished on 11/4/22
54. Death Knells and Wedding Bells by Eva Gates--finished on 11/15/22
55. A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander--finished on 11/18/22
56. Murder by the Book by Martin Edwards (ed)--finished on 11/24/22
57. Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River by Emily J. Edwards--finished on 11/29/22
58. A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny--finished on 12/5/22
59. Muffin But the Truth by Ellie Alexander--finished on 12/10/22
60. Cheddar Late Than Dead by Linda Reilly--finished on 12/14/22
61. A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril--finished on 12/21/22
62. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman--finished on 12/25/22
63. Crimson Snow by Martin Edwards--finished on 12/31/22

POSSIBLES:

Category 2: Sports--15 of 15 read

BOOKS READ:
1. Hinkle Fieldhouse: Indiana's Basketball Cathedral by Eric Angevine--finished on 1/2/22
2. The Best Game You Can Name by Dave Bidini--finished on 1/5/22
3. No One Wins Alone by Mark Messier--finished on 2/1/22
4. The Big East: Inside the Most Entertaining and Influential Conference in College Basketball History by Dana O'Neil--finished on 3/12/22
5. As Fast as Her by Kendall Coyne--finished on 3/22/22
6. Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game by Rob Neyer--finished on 3/31/22
7. True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson by Kostya Kennedy--finished on 4/12/22
8. The Devil and Bobby Hull by Gare Joyce--finished on 4/22/22
9. A Day in the Bleachers by Arnold Hano--finished on 5/30/22
10. Seventeen and Oh: Miami, 1972, and the NFL's Only Perfect Season by Marshall Jon Fisher--finished on 8/11/22
11. One Life by Megan Rapinoe--finished on 8/16/22
12. Get Up, Baby!: My Seven Decades With the St. Louis Cardinals by Mike Shannon--finished on 8/29/22
13. Facing Wayne Gretzky by Brian Kennedy--finished on 9/16/22
14. Gridiron Glory: The Story of the Army-Navy Football Rivalry by Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport--finished on 10/8/22
15. Fans Have More Friends by Ben Valenta and David Sikorjak--finished on 11/19/2022

POSSIBLES:
--new Marian Hossa autobiography

Category 3: Nonfiction--11 of 10 read

BOOKS READ:
1. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May--finished on 1/9/22
2. Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing by Peter Robison--finished on 2/5/22
3. Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich by Volker Ullrich--finished on 2/17/22
4. The Cinderella Strategy: The Game Plan Behind Butler University's Rise to Prominence by Graham Honaker and Jerry Logan--finished on 4/7/22
5. Democracy's Rebirth: The View from Chicago by Dick Simpson--finished on 4/25/22
6. Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR by Lisa Napoli--finished on 5/9/22
7. Cooler by the Lake by Roger Triemstra--finished on 5/28/22
8. Barcelona The Great Enchantress by Robert Hughes--finished on 6/3/22
9. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik--finished on 6/10/22
10. Old Man on Campus by Barry J. Brownstein--finished on 7/13/22
11. Winston Churchill and the Queen by Oliver Williams--finished on 10/17/22

POSSIBLES:
--Dinners with Ruth

Category 4: Fiction--18 of 15 read

BOOKS READ:
1. Christmastime 1942: A Love Story by Linda Mahkovec--finished on 1/1/22
2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl--finished on 1/3/22
3. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin--finished on 1/17/22
4. Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin--finished on 1/23/22
5. Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim--finished on 2/11/22
6. Showdown at Yellow Butte by Louis L'Amour--finished on 5/10/22
7. Munich by Robert Harris--finished on 6/1/22
8. Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce--finished on 6/22/22
9. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan--finished on 6/24/22
10. Mrs 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico--finished on 6/26/22
11. Yours Cheerfully by A.J. Pearce--finished on 6/30/22
12. Mrs. Harris Goes to New York by Paul Gallico--finished on 7/10/22
13. Flush: A Biography by Virginia Woolf--finished on 8/6/22
14. Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah--finished on 11/7/22
15. Christmastime 1943 by Linda Mahkovec--finished on 11/21/22
16. Christmastime 1944 by Linda Mahkovec--finished on 12/1/22
17. Christmastime 1945 by Linda Mahkovec--finished on 12/7/22
18. The Twelve Topsy-Turvy Very Merry Days of Christmas by James Patterson--finished on 12/26/22

POSSIBLES:
--Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra

Welcome back and happy reading!

Simple is generally good. good luck!

Nothing wrong with simple if you're enjoying your reading. Hope you have some good reading.

Good luck with your 2022 reading!

Good luck and good reading in 2022!

I'm wishing you good luck in 2022 too!

Simple is good, and it looks like all your bases are covered (had to make the obvious baseball pun :D). Have a great reading year!

A good four categories, I can see you having lots of fun filling them up!

Thanks to all the visitors. I'll start filling in some suggestions for each category. Cover all my bases!! Heh-heh.

Looks like 2022 will be similar to 2021 so, except for work (now 2 days a week in an almost vacant office and 3 days a week of working from home), watching hockey, and an occasional outing with family or friends for lunch or whatever, there'll be a lot of reading once again.

Simple can be the way to go. Have fun with your reading in 2022.

>15 hailelib: Thanks. For the first time since the pandemic hit, I've been really gung ho about reading again, at least during the past month or two.

Last year, I had my lowest reading total in nearly 30 years. Much of my reading was about COVID, what it was, how it could be treated etc. This year has been somewhat better but I spent almost all of my free time for about two months as a "vaccine hunter" for people.

I like the simple setup. Hope that the reading stacks up in 2022.

I love your simplified challenge! Sometimes that is the best!

Looking back to 2021, I managed to read 101 books, which is more my usual (after only 85 books in 2020).

Top 3 favorite works of fiction in 2021:

--State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton
--The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
--Once We Were Brothers by Richard H. Balson

Top 3 favorite works of nonfiction in 2021:

--The Fire and the Darkness: The Bombing of Dresden by Sinclair McKay
--I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel
--All In: An Autobiography by Billie Jean King

I found simplifying last year was a great push on my reading. Hope you do too!

>20 cyderry: Thanks, Cheli. I thought so too. If I had 22 categories, I'd be scrambling just to fill each. Here, I can read what I want to, pretty much.

Good luck with your 2022 reading. Taking a book bullet for I'd Rather Be Reading.

<22 Thanks. I've certainly had a good start to my reading year. To start with, I'm aiming for more non-mysteries than usual, though that's likely to balance out with time.

This Thursday, January 13th, will be my 13th Thingaversary. Naturally, I'll be partaking in the custom of obtaining that number of books, plus one.

13th Thingaversary Books:

1. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin (nonmystery fiction)--FINISHED
2. Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich by Volker Ullrich (nonfiction)--FINISHED
3. Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955 by Harald Jahner (nonfiction)
4. The Maid: A Novel by Nita Prose (mystery)
5. Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge (mystery)
6. Unguarded by Scottie Pippen (sports)
7. No One Wins Alone: A Memoir by Mark Messier (sports)--FINISHED
8. 11 in '11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa's Last Ride, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals by Benjamin Hochman (sports)
9. Memories from the Microphone: A Century of Baseball Broadcasting by Curt Smith (sports)
10. The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers by Eric Weiner (nonfiction)
11. Dressed for Freedom: The Fashionable Politics of American Feminism by Einav Rabinovitch-Fox (nonfiction)
12. The Pilot's Daughter by Meredith Jaeger (nonmystery fiction)
13. Forty Years a Giant: The Life of Horace Stoneham by Steven Treder (sports)
14. Donut Hearts Homicide by Jessica Beck (mystery)--FINISHED

Looks like you're rarin' to go!

Happy Thingaversary, I look forward to seeing what you fill your list with.

What will she choose??

>25 mstrust: Yes I am but I'll wait a few days to start.

>26 Helenliz: I look forward to seeing what I'll pick. Of last year's Thingaversary books, I've read less than half so far. Hope I do better than that this year.

>27 dudes22: Even I don't know.

It is always fun choosing.

>28 lindapanzo: - Your comment made me go take a look at my purchases from last year. I've only read one of them - Yikes!

A very happy Thingaversary to you, Linda! Enjoy selecting your assortment of books. :)

Happy Thingaversary, Linda. Have fun choosing your books!

>29 dudes22: >30 DeltaQueen50: >31 MissWatson: Thanks. I'm hoping to pick a few that could be TIOLI-related. That doesn't guarantee I'll get to them but maybe the chances will be better.

I'll probably start picking tomorrow or Wed.

Happy Thingaversary for Thursday!

Progress on my Thingaversary books. Not quite halfway through.

I tried to split them between my four 2022 categories. So I have one novel, two nonfiction works, two mysteries, and a sports book.

My thingaversary is Saturday! Happy Thingaversary!

>24 lindapanzo: When I saw Carrie added Last Train to Istanbul to one of the TIOLI Challenges I checked it out - it sounds really good and so I added it to my wishlist.

>35 majkia: Happy Thingaversary to you, too, Jean. Looks like you've got even more books to pick out.

>36 DeltaQueen50: I get a lot of book ideas from Carrie!!

>36 DeltaQueen50: >37 lindapanzo: Did I hear my name?! I hope you enjoy Last Train to Istanbul. I'm about a third of the way in, and it's still too soon to tell how well I'll end up liking it.

>24 lindapanzo: The Scottie Pippin book looks interesting! I loved watching the Bulls play back when he and MJ were playing. They made the game look artistic.

I have an ARC of Murder at Mallowan Hall that I'd like to get to soonish. I added it to this month's TIOLIs but I'm not sure I'll have time to read everything on my list. My brother and SIL are supposed to be coming next week and staying until the end of the month.

>38 cbl_tn: Another visit so soon? Wow!

Happy Thingaversary, Linda!

>38 cbl_tn: I do get a lot of book ideas from you. Your nonfiction suggestions are especially welcome as I don't follow new books in that area as much as I do for mysteries and sports books. I've been perusing a "best baseball books of 2021" list and I'd love to pick a bunch of them. I might be borrowing from local libraries or else from farther afield.

One that might interest you, which I've picked up but haven't noted on my list yet is Dressed for Freedom: The Fashionable Politics of American Feminism by Einav Rabinovitch-Fox. Sounds like a bit of a quirky NF book that I might like.

13 years ago today, when I joined LT, was much different than today. It was cold and we had a lot of snow. Well over a foot I think and, in those pre "work from home days," it was a day off and I was rummaging around online looking for a place to record my 33 years worth of reading. Initially, I thought LT would allow me to do that and I had no idea about the wonderful talk here.

>41 lindapanzo: Yes, that does sound interesting! I've added it to the WL!

Happy Thingaversary! Your book list is looking interesting so far.

All done with my Thingaversary book pick ups. Heavier on the sports books than I would've guessed and lighter on mysteries than expected.

I have added:

--5 sports books
--3 mysteries
--4 books of nonfiction
--2 books of nonmystery fiction

I'm just starting Last Train to Istanbul as a shared TIOLI read with Carrie.

>44 lindapanzo: I'll be watching to see what both you and Carrie think of Last Train to Istanbul!

Happy Thingaversary!

I'm rather late but I'll say a belated Happy Thingaversary! Nice book haul. The baseball books look interesting. I don't follow baseball these days but I was a big fan in my youth and recently dug up my old copy of The Year the Expos Almost Won the Pennant at my parents' house.

Thanks all. I had a good Thingaversary haul and, unlike last year, I've already read several of my purchases.

I may be reading quite a bit about baseball, especially if the MLB owners continue to lock out the players so that there's no spring training.

I'm off to a great reading start in 2022. Yesterday, Feb 9, I finished my 17th book. Last year, I didn't finish my 17th book til March 10th, and, in 2020, another pandemic year, I didn't hit that number until March 26th.

With just a smattering of disappointments, the overall quality of my 2022 books has been outstanding.

Perhaps, even more importantly, my enthusiasm for reading is back!!

>49 lindapanzo: Congrats! That's great!!! :-)

Good to see you back!

Woohoo, glad you've gotten your reading mojo back!

>49 lindapanzo: Now that is the best kind of news!

How did it happen that I haven't been here since February?

This past week, I discovered the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die Group. I went through the list and then went through the list again with cover photos and went through my longstanding book reading records (going back to the mid 1970's).

Of the 1,315 books in all the volumes of the 1,001 books you must read before you die, sadly, I've read only 74. Thanks to a TIOLI match with the 75er group, I'm starting Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.

I'll certainly still focus on reading my usual: mysteries/sports/history. But now I'll try to throw in a book from the 1,001 lists from time to time. Maybe one per month or 3 per quarter?

Not surprisingly, there are some other Category Challenge folks in the 1001 books group.

We're now a third of the way through the year and, at this point, I've read 39 books. In the first two pandemic years, when my reading levels were pitiful, I didn't reach 39 books til early July in both 2020 and 2021.

Much improved this year. I've got my reading groove back!!

>55 lindapanzo: That's great news, Linda! Way to go!

>54 lindapanzo: I am working my way through 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die, by James Mustich, who ran the mail-order book business A Common Reader. I always looked forward to A Common Reader catalog, and I was never disappointed by anything I selected from it.

>56 cbl_tn: Carrie, in April, I read two Bruno books, The Dark Vineyard and Black Diamond. numbers 2 and 3. Black Diamond was probably my favorite one so far.

My mystery-reading friend was telling me at breakfast the other day that something in Bruno book #4, The Crowded Grave really bothered her. It's been awhile since she last read a Bruno book as a result but the fact that I'm reading them caused her to start book #4 this morning. I may start it later in the month.

>57 lindapanzo: I think Black Diamond is my favorite of all the ones I've read. I really liked it. Yes, there is a very disturbing event in The Crowded Grave. I haven't quite forgiven the author for it, although Bruno seems to have gotten past it.

>58 cbl_tn: My friend cautioned me not to read the reviews on Amazon, so I won't. I have some suspicions, though.

>55 lindapanzo: Congrats on getting back into your reading groove!

Welcome back, Linda! I've felt more stressed this year at work than many. I've spent more time cross stitching as a result, and my book numbers are down. I think I can still finish the year with 150, but I'm a little behind at the moment. I'll catch up. I'm trying to squeeze more reading in. I should finish an audiobook today, and I've got a couple things going on my Kindle. I'm glad your numbers are encouraging for you. I agree there was one thing I really hated in book 4 of the Bruno series, but I do love my visits to the region which I may never see with my own eyes through the series.

>61 thornton37814: I'm glad that you're cross stitching. Mom and I are both caregivers for my father with Alzheimer's. When I need to get away, I read. Mom reads somewhat but, after a 20-year "break," she's back to doing it and she says it really relaxes her.

I've got a couple of books going, besides a J.D. Robb book, I'm also reading Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.

>62 lindapanzo: It gets me AFK (except for when I'm watching floss tube with it)--still the cats want some snuggle time, and they can do that better when I'm on the couch and AFK.

For June's TIOLI, I proposed the following challenge: Read a book set in (or about) Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris, London, Dublin, Amsterdam, or Munich.

My (only) niece is now 21 and taking a Health Sciences/Hospital course near Madrid in May. Once that is done, she is meeting up with her BFF in Lisbon and will be travelling to the aforementioned cities for a month.

Upon her return, she'll be finalizing her applications for a Physicians' Assistant Master's program and then, after finishing her senior year of college, hopefully starting the year of coursework for her Master's in May of 2023, to be followed by a clinical year.

So proud of the woman she has become and all that she has achieved already (including doing volunteer medical work in Guatemala last summer).

During my lifetime, I've travelled to all of these places, except for Spain and Portugal, but, in June, besides following her online photo albums, I'm hoping to read a book set in each of these cities in June. I've got lots of books set (or about) London and Paris but slim pickings for the two Spanish cities and Lisbon.

PLANNED READS:

Madrid: Errant in Iberia by Ben Curtis
Barcelona: Barcelona the Great Enchantress by Robert Hughes--FINISHED on 6/3/22
Lisbon: Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939-45 (Lisbon) by Neill Lochery
Paris: Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
London: Smallbone Deceased - by Michael Gilbert
Dublin: A Dublin Student Doctor by Patrick Taylor
Amsterdam: Death By Windmill by Jennifer S. Alderson
Munich: Munich by Robert Harris--FINISHED ON 6/1/22

What a wonderful trip your niece is going to have! I don't know of any books set in Spain that I can recommend but I did just pick up a book set in Lisbon for my Kindle, City of Spies by Mara Timon is a WW II espionage novel. It sounds good but I haven't read it yet. Here in Canada it is offered at the low price of 99 cents.

>65 DeltaQueen50: Her HS senior year class trip was to Ecuador and the Galopagos Islands and then last year, her medical volunteering trip was to Guatemala. Now, it's the trip of a lifetime, though she was disappointed that they had to drop Brussels and Geneva from their list.

I've enjoyed the pictures of the town she's in and also Madrid but really looking forward to the photos of the travel portions of the trip.

I've got my 8 planned city reads for June done up in #64. I still might switch out my chosen London and Paris books depending on my mood. We'll see. The Robert Harris book is a library loan on Kindle. While I'd probably be able to renew it, I'll likely start with that one.

Nice going finding one per city. I hope you enjoy your virtual visiting!

>64 lindapanzo: Sound like a great trip!

Recommending Pereira Maintains by Antonio Tabucchi for Lisbon. It's set in the 1930s.

>68 Helenliz: I thought the travels started Monday but her last day of class was today. So I can get cracking on the books today.

>69 pamelad: Thanks for the suggestion. That one sounds good too. I'll look into it.

I've now finished 2 of my 8 "niece vacation books." Munch and Barcelona. She and her friend are in Barcelona and I've finished my short book on the culture and history of Barcelona. Next up, they're on to Paris and my reading will likely go there next, too. The Greater Journey by David McCullough most likely.

My niece is now halfway through the travel portion of her trip. She and her friend arrived in London yesterday, staying in Kensington til Monday or Tuesday, I think.

Of the 8 cities, I've finished 3 books, including books on Munich, Barcelona, and now Paris. Next up, perhaps, will be Patrick Taylor's A Dublin Student Doctor. We'll see about whether I can read books this month on all 7 cities. I may go for the remaining 3 vacation cities, Dublin, London, and Amsterdam, and then see where I stand at that point.

Lots of uncertainty and worry in recent days. Elderly mother has a skin lesion on her face. It was biopsied and, thankfully, turned out to be basel cell carcinoma, the slow growing kind, and not a melanoma. We met several doctors who would do the two aspects of surgery, the Mohs procedure and then the plastic surgeon who would close it a few days later (this second part would have to be in the OR, not in the office, because she's on warfarin.

One last step was getting clearance from her primary care doc. She tentatively gave her OK pending blood test results. Well, she frantically called yesterday to say her office was calling the other two surgeons to cancel the surgeries. Mom is badly anemic and is getting blood infusions (transfusions?) today. These will be a stop gap measure. She should feel better but they also need to try to get to the bottom as to why.

>73 lindapanzo: So sorry to hear about your mom! I hope the anemia is resolved soon and that she will be able to have the surgeries before too long.

>73 lindapanzo: Sorry to hear of your mother's difficulties, Linda. Hope everything gets resolved soon.

>73 lindapanzo: Sorry to read about your mom. I know quite a few people who have had to put off a procedure for similar reasons lately.

>73 lindapanzo: I'm 75 and became badly anemic. Never did find a cause, just took iron for a year or so, now off the iron. We'll see if I get anemic again.

Hopefully your mom will feel a lot better, after the iron kicked in I certainly felt tons better.

Yikes! Your poor mom. I hope they're able to sort out the anemia and that she's feeling better soon.

Adding sympathies re the recent issues with your mom. If she has to take iron, just know (in case the doctor doesn't mention it) that is can be very hard on the stomach. When I first had to take it, I was told to take Vitamin C with it, to help with absorption. It was still hard on my stomach and then my cousin told me of something that the doctor never mentioned: there is a natural product called Easy Iron (there are other brand names to it; the natural health food stores should be helpful in this) that is much easier on the stomach and doesn't require Vit C. Anyhow, just keep it in mind.

Thanks for all the good wishes.

Mom had her infusion of two units of blood today. It took so long that they gave her lunch!! She was gone from 7:15 til about 2:30.

She said she felt a bit better almost right away, which was a relief. On Fri, they will repeat the blood work to see how she responded.

It's usually pretty hectic here and she seemed happy to have comfy pillows in a quiet, comfortable place while reading her book and having someone bring her lunch.

>79 jessibud2: Thanks for the reminder. I remember having to take high doses of iron and having to make sure I took vitamin C with it. I know that, because she takes Warfarin, she can't take a multivitamin as vitamin K is off limits.

Well, after 6 weeks in Europe, my niece returns from Europe on Friday. She'll be back home, after a brief visit with friends in Indy, on Sunday. What a whirlwind tour!!

This month, I read books set in London, Paris, Barcelona, and Munich. I'm currently reading Mrs 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico right now. I also enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce so much that I'm hoping to read the second book in the series next week, Yours Cheerfully. This one is also set in London.

Next month, I think it'll be back to Net Galley books for me as they've really accumulated this month.

Best wishes to your mom that everything works out fine!

>81 lindapanzo: Glad you enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird! I really liked that one as well. The sequel is good too!

I'm glad everything went well for your mom!

>73 lindapanzo: A friend just had a BCC removed from his nose. Like your mum he's on blood-thinning medication (Pradaxa) which he had to suspend a few days before surgery. A bit of post-op bleeding has worried him, although the surgeon says everything's OK. I hope the surgeries go well for your mum and that the anaemia problem is resolved.

>80 lindapanzo: I hope the test results today were good for your mom. More unsolicited advice: in contrast to vitamin C, avoid tannins (red wine, coffee, tea, etc) when taking iron supplements because they can interfere with uptake. I got hereditary hemochromatosis, the opposite of anemia, so I've head to learn all about iron metabolism.

>81 lindapanzo: Sounds like your niece has had an amazing experience! And I am interested in all you folks doing the European capitols reads. Not something that I would come up with.

This has been a horrific holiday with the mass shooting in nearby Highland Park, IL at the 4th of July parade. Nearby to my work, at least but close enough, even to home, as a place I've visited often. Where a friend lives just a couple blocks away. It's horrible. Six dead so far with dozens wounded.

Five hours later, so far, and the gunman is still on the loose.

If you're not safe in that city, you're not safe anywhere.

>87 lindapanzo: I'm so sorry, Linda. I haven't had the news on today so I hadn't heard about that. Sending thoughts and prayers your way.

>87 lindapanzo: I was glad to hear they caught him (or at least a suspect) last night.

>89 thornton37814: Yes, it sounds like they are building quite a case against him. He committed the crimes dressed as a woman and, with that disguise, was able to mingle with the crowds and get away.

We've managed to hear from all but two current/former co-workers who live in Highland Park. One was away and the other was at the parade but managed to escape when everyone started running. My manager also wrote that, as far as the company knows, no co-workers were killed, shot, or injured in the attack.

Such a terrible thing. My heart goes out to the victims, their families and loved ones.

>90 lindapanzo: Sad.

One of my favorite books from the first half of 2022 was Paul Gallico's Mrs Harris Goes to Paris. Fortunately, I was able to finish it before the upcoming movie is released on July 15th. And yes, I'm going to see the movie at a theater this weekend. I should add, too, that I hadn't been to the local theater in 2-3 years but now realized that I'm eligible for the "Young at Heart" admission rate plus discounted popcorn.

While reading it, I kept picturing Angela Lansbury in the title role and, lo and behold, about 30 years ago, she starred in an earlier version of the movie.

>93 lindapanzo: excellent popcorn discount. Enjoy the cinema trip.

Well, July was my slowest reading month of the year so far. Only 7 books read last month.

Still, not that bad. Not nearly as low as some months in 2020 and 2021. During those pandemic years, I had some months where I read only 2 books.

August is sure to be a better month, at least in terms of reading.

>95 lindapanzo: Here's to August being a better reading month!

>96 cbl_tn: It's certainly turning out that way!!

Just finished the first in a long-running cozy series I'd somehow overlooked. I read the first Bakeshop book, Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander.

>97 lindapanzo: I've read the fifth in the craft brewing one by Alexander and liked it. There was also a short story that featured both series that I read. I want to start the bake shop series and go back to the first in the craft brewing one.

>98 thornton37814: I'm planning to start on the craft brewing book, too. The first few Bakeshop and at least the first craft brewing one are available on Kindle Unlimited.

It's been a tough few weeks. Dad, who is in advanced stage dementia, was rushed to the hospital via rescue squad two weeks ago today and, since then, he's been in the hospital and then in a rehab facility. Mom and I have been looking at memory care and are hoping to get him moved in by the end of the week.

What a sad, exhausting time this has all been.

So sorry to hear about your dad. Take care!

I'm sorry to hear that, Linda. That's a hard thing to have to do. My prayers will be for your family.

So sorry to hear of your family troubles, Linda. Dealing with aged parents can be heartbreaking, but I bet your Mom is so thankful to have you helping her at this difficult time.

I'm really sorry to hear of your dad's health problems. I know, it's scary and exhausting for the family. Good wishes to you.

Thinking of you and your family ❤️

We moved Dad into memory care on Friday and he seems to be adjusting very well.

Dad is starting his second week in memory care and, for Mom and me, things are starting to calm down. I hope that continues and yes, I'm starting to read again. Thank goodness.

He seems to be adapting well to his new environment.

I'm glad that things are working out, Linda. Hopefully this will bring peace of mind to your family.

>108 DeltaQueen50: Things are moving along well and we, and probably he, have settled into a routine.

As for my reading, I've now met my reading goals for the year in 3 or my 4 categories--sports, nonfiction, and fiction. Now I just need to read 5 more mysteries this year.

>109 lindapanzo: Good to hear, Linda. Seeing your Dad settling in is good for both you and your Mom. Hopefully you will get some quality reading time over your Thanksgiving.

>109 lindapanzo: Glad to hear that your Dad is doing well. Good luck with completing your goals for the year!

>110 DeltaQueen50: >111 mathgirl40: Thanks!!

Except among a few close friends, I hadn't been talking about this much at work, but now I have. It is a relief to talk about it. So many others have said that they've gone through the same thing.

Finished all of my 2022 goals now for all of my categories. Hurray!!

>113 lindapanzo: Excellent - that's got to feel good.

>113 lindapanzo: - That's great, Linda! Wish I could say the same.

>114 Helenliz: >115 dudes22: Thanks. In the past, once I finished the goal, I'd start on the following year but I think I'll hold off. Might start reading a longer book for the start of 2023, though.

>113 lindapanzo: Congrats! That must be a very pleasant feeling!

>113 lindapanzo: Awesome!

Merry Christmas to all. With the snow, the wind gusts up to 50+ mph, and the wind chills of 30 below or worse, we are staying home, inside, for the next few days. Thank goodness it's not more snow (just 4 to 6 inches, which is way down from the original forecast).

A great time to watch holiday movies, read, and relax.

I hope you had a good Christmas, and are now able to go outside!

>120 mstrust: Yes I did though we stayed in due to the 40 below windchills.

Now it's close to 60 degrees here, one of the biggest temperature turnarounds ever, here.