karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - XV

Welcome to my fifteenth thread of Twenty Twenty-one.

The Good: Family, friends, kitties, books, in constantly-rotating order. Modern medicine, too. Cardio-rehab available within a 15-minute drive.

The Bad and the Sad: The unvaccinated still ruining it for everybody who’s a responsible person and citizen. Omicron sweeping the country, although apparently it’s milder than other variants.

The Ugly: The Gang of Psychos. They’re destroying this country.

I am so glad I’m retired, and am beyond grateful that I don’t have to venture out to work to earn a living ever again. I’ve paid my dues. Every day I don’t have to get up to an alarm is a cause for celebration.

I read and am a charter member of the Redbud and Beyond Book Club, started in 1997. We haven’t met since March of last year, met July 11th and decided to ramp back up in September. However, that’s now off. I am President for our local Friends of the Library (henceforth abbreviated FoL). Things are very quiet, especially with no book sales since Fall 2019.

I have been married to Bill for 30 years and am mother to Jenna, 28, who lives in Asheville now. Bill and I live in our own little corner of paradise on 8 acres in central North Carolina USA.

We have three kitties. Inara on the left, from a 2017 Christmas picture. Zoe ‘upstairs’ and Wash ‘downstairs’ in the picture on the right.



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No theme for pictures although I do like posting ones of family members. This one is Chrismas 1979. Seated, L-R: My brother Doug, sister Laura with her daughter Heather. Standing, L-R: My mother, me, my dad, and my maternal grandmother.



My goal last year was 100 books and I exceeded it by 24. This year’s goal was 100, which I reached at the end of November. I’m still not reading much, but that’s okay.

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First and final year: With Julia’s blessing, I’ve taken over the Dick Francis Shared Read, now in its 3rd year. Here’s the link: Third Race at the LT Racetrack: a Dick Francis SHARED Read. We’ve had a good run, and it is time to end gracefully.

Every year I buy a new Lett’s Week to View Desk Diary. The first thing I do when I get it is to put in my name, address, phone number, and email address in case it needs to be returned to me, although it hasn’t gone out of the house since a meeting at the Library in February. Next, I transfer my voter registration card from last year’s to this year’s diary. I then write “God does not make bargains, but She does dispense grace.” across the top of the left inside front cover. Finally, I print out and tape in two quotes. For 2022, however, I’m also going to include this new poem, first seen on Joe Welch’s thread. I’m not fond of prose poems as a rule, but this one speaks to me.

Good bones

by Maggie Smith

Life is short, though I keep this from my children.
Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine
in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways,
a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways
I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least
fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative
estimate, though I keep this from my children.
For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird.
For every loved child, a child broken, bagged,
sunk in a lake. Life is short and the world
is at least half terrible, and for every kind
stranger, there is one who would break you,
though I keep this from my children. I am trying
to sell them the world. Any decent realtor,
walking you through a real shithole, chirps on
about good bones: This place could be beautiful,
right? You could make this place beautiful.

2021 – changed dramatically yet again in November.

books read

January
1. Washington's Farewell Address and Webster's Bunker Hill Orations, Introduction and Notes by William T. Peck 1/8/21 1/9/21 172 pages hardcover
2. Banker by Dick Francis 1/3/21 1/12/21 303 pages mass market paperback
3. Christmas Beau by Mary Balogh 1/16/21 1/18/21 224 pages mass market paperback
4. If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout 1/22/21 1/25/21186 pages hardcover
5. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths 1/25/21 1/28/21 342 pages hardcover
6. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn 1/29/21 1/30/21 438 pages trade paperback
7. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths 1/28/21 2/2/21 352 pages hardcover, Kindle

February
8. The Distant Echo by Val McDermid 2/5/21 2/10/21 450 pages mass market paperback
9. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo 2/11/21 2/12/21 353 pages trade paperback
10. Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn 1/15/21 2/15/21 373 pages hardcover
11. And Four to Go by Rex Stout 2/13/21 2/16/21 150 pages mass market paperback
12. A Promised Land by Barack Obama 11/20/20 2/17/2021 701 pages hardcover
13. Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo 2/17/21 2/19/21 322 pages trade paperback
14. We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper 2/19/21 2/23/21 433 pages trade paperback
15. The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths 2/23/21 2/26/21 359 pages hardcover
16. A Wealth of Pigeons by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin 11/25/20 2/28/21 272 pages hardcover

March
17. A Darker Domain by Val McDermid 2/26/21 3/4/21 404 pages mass market paperback
18. Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz 3/4/21 3/7/21 417 pages hardcover
19. The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly 3/7/2021 3/9/21 421 pages hardcover
20. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman 3/9/21 3/9/21 59 pages hardcover
21. Little Black Sambo and the Baby Elephant by Frank Ver Beck 3/9/21 3/9/21 57 pages hardcover
22. Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo 3/9/21 3/12/21 302 pages trade paperback
23. The Skeleton Road 3/12/21 3/17/21 404 pages hardcover
24. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 3/18/21 3/21/21 351 pages hardcover
25. Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron 3/22/21 3/23/21 261 pages hardcover
26. Southern Discomfort 3/23/21 3/27/21 241 pages hardcover
27. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 10/18/20 3/29/21 audiobook 20 hours
28. Win by Harlan Coben 3/28/21 3/29/21 371 pages hardcover
**abandoned Murder At the 42nd Street Library by Con Lehane 65 pages
29. Odds Against by Dick Francis Francis 3/30/31 3/31/21309 pages mass market paperback

April
30. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E.Schwab 3/30/21 4/5/21 444 pages hardcover
31. Fup by Jim Dodge 4/5/21 4/6/21 51 pages trade paperback 1983
**abandoned Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas 56 pages
32. Champagne for One by Rex Stout 4/9/21 4/10/21 205 pages mass market paperback
33. Plot it Yourself by Rex Stout 4/11/21 4/12/21 132 pages hardcover
34. Life of Pi by Yann Martel 4/12/21 4/15/21 325 pages trade paperback
35. Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar 4/16/21 201 pages hardcover
36. Three at Wolfe's Door by Rex Stout 4/18/21 4/19/21 184 pages hardcover
37. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman 4/19/21 4/20/21 355 pages trade paperback
38. Too Many Clients by Rex Stout 4/20/21 4/22/21 188 pages mass market paperback
39. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell 4/22/21 4/24/21 340 pages hardcover
**abandoned What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris 186 pages read
**abandoned North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett 71 pages read, rest missing

May
40. An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine 4/29/21 5/2/21 291 pages trade paperback
41. The Final Deduction by Rex Stout 5/3/21 5/5/21 188 pages mass market paperback
42. Out of Bounds by Val McDermid 5/5/21 5/7/21 421 pages trade paperback
43. The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks 5/8/21 5/13/21 418 pages hardcover
44. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller 5/13/21 5/17/21 350 pages hardcover
45. Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout 5/18/21 5/19/21 205 pages mass market paperback
46. North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett 4/30/21 5/20/21 99 pages trade paperback
47. Out of Bounds by Val McDermid 5/21/21 5/24/21 419 pages trade paperback
**abandoned yet again - sigh - Emma by Jane Austen 69 pages
48. Gambit by Rex Stout 5/25/21 5/26/21 206 pages Kindle
49. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard 5/24/21 5/29/21 295 pages hardcover

June
50. Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben 6/1/21 6/2/21 347 pages hardcover
51. The Mother Hunt by Rex Stout 6/2/21 6/4/21 213 pages mass market paperback
**abandoned Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots 150 pages
52. Still Life by Val McDermid 6/4/21 6/7/21 434 pages hardcover
53. Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh 6/7/21 6/9/21 214 pages trade paperback
54. Case Pending by Dell Shannon 6/9/21 6/12/21 215 pages trade paperback
**abandoned Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 39 pages
**abandoned Archaeology From Space by Sarak Parcak 25 pages
**abandoned Moby Dick by Herman Melville 93 pages
55. Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout 6/12/21 6/13/21 200 pages mass market paperback
56. A Right to Die by Rex Stout 6/13/21 6/15/21 194 pages mass market paperback
57. The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout 6/16/21 6/17/21 207 pages hardcover
58. Death of a Doxy by Rex Stout 6/18/21 6/19/21 155 pages mass market paperback
59. The Father Hunt by Rex Stout 6/19/21 6/20/21 182 pages hardcover 1968
60. Bonecrack by Dick Francis 6/14/21 6/20/21 240 pages mass market paperback
61. Death of a Dude by Rex Stout 6/20/21 6/26/21 200 pages mass market paperback
62. Please Pass the Guilt by Rex Stout 6/26/21 6/27/21 168 pages mass market paperback
63. A Family Affair by Rex Stout 6/27/21 6/29/21 167 pages mass market paperback
64. Death Times Three by Rex Stout 6/29/21 6/30/21 243 pages trade paperback
**abandoned The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich 58 pages

July
65. The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers 7/2/21 7/7/21 307 pages hardcover
66. Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough 7/7/21 7/9/21 223 pages trade paperback
67. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 7/9/21 7/11/21 304 pages hardcover
68. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit 7/2/21 7/11/21 154 pages trade paperback
69. A Promise of Spring by Mary Balogh 7/13/21 7/15/21 183 pages mass market paperback
70. Night Film by Marisha Pessl 7/17/21 7/24/21 599 pages hardcover
**abandoned The River Between Us by Liz Fenwick 103 pages
71. Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Mary Jenkins Schwartz 7/11/21 7/30/21 356 pages hardcover

August
72. Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley 7/25/21 8/1/21 301 pages trade paperback
73. The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell 8/2/21 8/6/21
74. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz 8/6/21 8/15/21 603 pages hardcover
75. Three Doors to Death by Rex Stout 8/16/21 8/17/21 136 pages hardcover
76. Hot Money by Dick Francis 8/17/21 8/18/21 423 pages mass market paperback
77. Topper by Thorne Smith 8/19/21 8/22/21 218 pages trade paperback Kindle
78. The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi 8/15/21 8/25/21 2020 289 pages hardcover
79. Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton 8/25/21 8/29/21 349 pages hardcover
80. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie 8/29/21 8/31/21 231 pages hardcover

September
81. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz 9/1/21 9/3/21 320 pages hardcover
82. The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie 9/4/21 9/7/21 197 pages hardcover
83. Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard 8/26/21 9/9/21 304 pages hardcover
84. Murder, Culture, and Injustice 9/11/21 9/16/21 262 pages hardcover
85. The Game of Thirty by William Kotzwinkle 271 pages trade paperback
86. The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child 9/17/21 9/22/21 Kindle 629 pages mass market paperback
87. Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child 9/22/21 9/26/21 Kindle 640 pages mass market paperback
88. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling 3/30/21 9/27/21 audiobook 27 hours
89. Gone Missing by Linda Castillo 9/26/21 9/28/21 319 pages mass market paperback

October
90. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman 9/29/21 10/3/21 355 pages hardcover
91. Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child 10/3/21 10/6/21 Kindle 451 pages hardcover
92. The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child 10/6/21 10/10/21 597 pages mass market paperback
93. The Mandibles: 2027 - 2049 by Lionel Shriver 10/11/21 10/17/21 402 pages hardcover
94. The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis 10/17/21 10/23/21 Kindle 256 pages mass market paperback
95. Decider by Dick Francis 10/24/21 10/26/21 327 pages mass market paperback
96. Death at Whitewater Church by Andrea Carter 10/26/21 10/28/21 Kindle 352 pages hardcover
97. Japanese Proverbs & Traditional Phrases by Peter Pauper Press 10/29/21 10/29/21 57 pages hardcover
**abandoned The Barrakee Mystery:The Lure of the Bush by Arthur W. Upfield 13 pages
**abandoned The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child 34 pages
**abandoned American Indians by William T. Hagan 34 pages
**abandoned Cumin, Camels, and Caravans by Gary Paul Nabhan 59 pages
**abandoned White Trash by Nancy Isenberg 42 pages
**abandoned The Source by James Michener 96 pages
**abandoned Religious Literacy by Stephen Prothero 49 pages

November
98. A Perfectly Good Family by Lionel Shriver 10/29/21 11/4/21 277 pages trade paperback
99. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart 11/4/21 11/9/21 408 pages hardcover
100. The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan 11/17/21 11/27/21 375 pages trade paperback

December
101. Shattered by Dick Francis 11/28/21 12/4/21 289 pages hardcover
102. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard 12/5/21 12/11/21 312 pages hardcover, Kindle
103. If You Exist: In Search of a Reader Deep in the Future by Lillian Moats 12/11/21 12/13/21 96 pages trade paperback

Currently Reading:

The Guncle by Steven Rowley 12/19/21 326 pages hardcover 2021
Run with the Horsemen by Ferrol Sams 1/23/21 422 pages trade paperback 1982
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson 10/16/21 489 pages hardcover 2021
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling 9/29/21 audiobook 19 hours 2005

books added - 2020 was the great conjunction of adds and culls, both at 128. Keeping the adds down will probably be as easy as it was last year because of the pandemic - no Friends of the Library book sales and no trips to used book stores and thrift shops.

**I spoke too soon - a FoL book donation with me getting first dibs has put me in the hole already.**

00. Friend Jessica - Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein. Given in December, but it offsets the first cull, below, so they're in the 00. black hole.
1. Amazon - Twice Shy by Dick Francis
2. ER - Sergeant Salinger by Jerone Charyn
3. Amazon - The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer
4. Amazon - A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders
5. FoL member Marian - In the Morning I'll Be Gone by Adrian McKinty
6. FoL member Marian - The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty
7. FoL member Marian - I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty
8. FoL member Marian - Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty
9. FoL member Marian - Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty
10. FoL member Marian - Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty
11. FoL member Marian - The Death of a Joyce Scholar by Bartholomew Gill
12. FoL member Marian - Counterparts by Gonzalo Lira
13. FoL member Marian - The Hellfire Club by Jake Tapper
14. FoL member Marian - Lost Light by Michael Connelly
15. FoL member Marian - Echo Park by Michael Connelly
16. FoL member Marian - The Overlook by Michael Connelly
17. FoL member Marian - The Reversal by Michael Connelly
18. FoL member Marian - Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly
19. FoL member Marian - City of Bones by Michael Connelly
20. FoL member Marian - All Saints by Karen Palmer
21. FoL member Marian - Ripley Under Water by Patricia Highsmith
22. FoL member Marian - The Drop by Michael Connelly
23. FoL member Marian - The Dark Winter by David Mark
24. FoL member Marian - The Last Four Days of Paddy Buckley by Jeremy Massey
25. FoL member Marian - Fair Warning by Michael Connelly
26. FoL member Marian - Reversible Errors by Scott Turow
27. FoL member Marian - Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly
28. FoL member Marian - The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
29. FoL member Marian - Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
30. FoL member Marian - Death Descends on Saturn Villa by M.R.C. Kasasian
31. FoL member Marian - The naive & Sentimental Lover by John Le Carre
32. FoL member Marian - The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen
33. FoL member Marian - The Widow by Fiona Barton
34. FoL member Marian - The Looking Glass War by John Le Carre
35. FoL member Marian - The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre
36. FoL member Marian - Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty
37. FoL member Marian - The Chain by Adrian McKinty
38. FoL member Marian - The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
39. Amazon - The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
40. Kindle - The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
41. Kindle - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
42. Kindle - Legion by Brandon Sanderson
43. Mark - We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper
44. Kindle - Medieval People by Eileen Edna Power - saw it on Mamie's thread
45. Amazon - Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
46. Kindle - The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope - recommended by lauralkeet
47. Amazon - The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
48. Kindle - Theresa Marchmont or, the Maid of Honour by Mrs. Gore9
February
49. Amazon - Deacon King Kong by James McBride
50. friend Karen - the President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer
51. friend Louise - Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
52. FoL member Marian - Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo
53. FoL member Marian - Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
54. FoL member Marian - Gone Missing by Linda Castillo
55. FoL member Marian - Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo
56. FoL member Marian - The Dead Will Tell by Linda Castillo
57. FoL member Marian - After the Storm by Linda Castillo
58. FoL member Marian - Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo
59. FoL member Marian - Down a Dark Road by Linda Castillo
60. FoL member Marian - Shamed by Linda Castillo
61. Amazon - Cumin, Camels, and Carabans by Gary Paul Nabhan
62. Amazon - Drive Your Plows Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
63. Amazon - A Darker Domain by Val McDermid
64. Kindle - My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

March
65. friend Jan - Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance
66. friend Jan - Dead Wrong by J.A. Jance
67. Kindle - The Decameron by Giovanni Boccacio
68. Circle City Books - Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron
69. Amazon - The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid
70. Amazon - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
71. Amazon - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
72. Amazon - Win by Harlan Coben
73. Kindle - Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
74. Sanford book store - Shooting at Loons by Margaret Maron
75. Sanford book store - Death's Half Acre by Margaret Maron
76. friend Pam Dennis - A Very English Scandal by John Preston
77. friend Pam Dennis - The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

April
78. Amazon - Too Many Clients by Rex Stout
79. Amazon - Refusal by Felix Felix Francis
80. Amazon - The Survivors - Jane Harper
81. Amazon - Blue Nights by Joan Didion
82. Amazon - e.e. cumming: the Growth of a Writer by Norman Friedman
83. found on my shelves - don't know how I acquired it - Defending Jacob by William Landay
84. Kindle - Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
85. Amazon - What Angels Fear by C. S. Harris
86. Amazon - The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
87. Amazon - Out of Bounds by Val McDermid
88. Thrift Shop - The Golem of Hollywood by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
89. Thrift Shop - Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
90. Thrift Shop - Beneath the Skin by Nicci French
91. Thrift Shop - Land of the Living by Nicci French
92. Thrift Shop - The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell
93. Thrift Shop - A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan
94. Thrift Shop - Wait Wait... I'm Not Done Yet! by Carl Kasell
95. Amazon - The Final Deduction by Rex Stout

May
96. Amazon - Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout
97. Amazon - Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander
98. Amazon - Nomadland by Jessica Bruder
99. Amazon - The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson
100. Amazon - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
101. Thrift Shop - The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
102. Thrift Shop - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
103. Thrift Shop - The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
104. Thrift Shop - Frederica by Georgette Heyer
105. Library of Congress Shop - Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh
106. Library of Congress Shop - The Silent Bullet by Arthur B. Reeve

rather than renumbering from January and February,

107. Amazon - Archaeology From Space by Sarah Parcak
108. friend Roni - Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison

109. Kindle - A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby: A Multi-Cultural Historical Regency Romance by Vanessa Riley
110. Amazon - Train by Pete Dexter
111. Amazon - Broken Ground by Val McDermid
112. Amazon - North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett - replacement for copy that mysteriously stopped at page 71 and culled
113. Kindle - The Jungle by Sinclair Lewis - Mark
114. Thrift Shop - Crisis by Felix Francis
115. Thrift Shop - Later by Stephen King
116. Friends donations reject - The Beat Book: Writings from the Beat Generation edited by Anne Waldman
117. Friends donations reject - Adventures in American Literature 1952
118. Kindle - Gambit by Rex Stout
119. Amazon - The Children of Pride by Robert Manson Myers
120. Thrift Shop - Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford
121. Thrift Shop - More Letters from Pemberly by Jane Dawkins
122. Thrift Shop - Rituals of the Season by Margaret Maron
123. Thrift Shop - Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
124. Thrift Shop - Theodore Roosevelt by Nathan Miller
125. Amazon - Still Life by Val McDermid
126. Kindle - Virginia Woolf: The Complete Works

June
127. Friend Jessica - The Love Girl and the Innocent: Victory Celebrations. Prisoners by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
128. Thrift Shop - Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
129. Thrift Shop - The Parrots by Filippo Bologna
130. Amazon - A Right to Die by Rex Stout
131. Amazon - Death Times Three by Rex Stout
132. ER - The Hawaiian Romance of Laieikawai by S.N. Hale'ole
133. Amazon - The Dead Letter by Seeley Regester
134. Amazon - I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O'Farrell
135 - 137. Kindle - first three Miss Silver mysteries by Patricia Wentworth - Grey Mask, The Case is Closed, Lonesome Road
138. Univ of Chicago Press - The Daily Jane Austen: A Year of Quotes by Jane Austen
139. Univ of Chicago Press - Socrates and the Fat Rabbis by Daniel Boyarin
140. Amazon - 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated by Eric H. Cline
141. Univ of Chicago Press - Knossos and the Prophets of Modernism by Cathy Gere
142. Univ of Chicago Press - American Indians: Fourth Edition (The Chicago History of American Civilization) by William T. Hagan
143. Univ of Chicago Press - Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn
144. Amazon - The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty
145. Univ of Chicago Press - Rattling Spears: A History of Indigenous Australian Art by Ian McLean
146. Univ of Chicago Press - Who Freed the Slaves?: The Fight over the Thirteenth Amendment by Leonard L. Richards
147. Univ of Chicago Press - Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz
148. Univ of Chicago Press - A Village with My Name: A Family History of China's Opening to the World by Scott Tong
149. Univ of Chicago Press - The Thousand-Year Flood: The Ohio-Mississippi Disaster of 1937 by David Welky
150. Amazon - The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal
151. Amazon - Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
152. Friend Tamsie - The Elements of a Home by Amy Azzarito
153. Friend Tamsie - Midland Club by Mark Spano
154. Friend Tamsie - Cats Cats Cats edited by S. Gross
155. Friend Tamsie - Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring
156. friend Tamsie - White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
157. book sale room reject - Unger's Bible Dictionary by Merrill F. Unger

July
158. friend Louise - American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson
159. Ann Sanders - The American Heritage Cookbook and illustrated History of American Eating & Drinking by editors, American Heritage
160. Ann Sanders - Trinity Treats: A Collection of Recipes by The Woman's Society of Christian Service
161. Ann Sanders - Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts by Ken Beck and Jim clark
162. Ann Sanders - Eating with Etta Cookbook Holiday Recipes by Etta L. Broaddus, R.D.
163. Ann Sanders - The Williamsburg Art of Cookery or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion by Mrs. Helen Bullock
164. Ann Sanders - Birds of North Carolina by Thomas Gilbert Pearson
165. Ann Sanders - Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius
166. Ann Sanders - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee by Warren Parker and Laura Dixon
167. Ann Sanders - Japanese Proverbs and traditional phrases by Jeff Hill
168. Ann Sanders - Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer
169. Ann Sanders - Guide To Ecclesiastical Birdwatching by LeRoy Koopman
170. Ann Sanders - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking by editors, Favorite Recipes Press
171. sister Laura - The Harbinger by Jonathan Kahn
172. Amazon - Archie meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough
173. Amazon - The Midnight Diary by Matt Haig
174. Amazon - The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
175. Amazon - Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
176. Kindle - The Plague by Albert Camus
177. Kindle - The River Between US by Liz Fenwick
178. Kindle - Summary and Key Points of What Really Happened In Wuhan: The cover-ups, the conspiracies and the classified research by Sharri Markson - by Laurie Bunger
179. Kindle - Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

August
180. Kindle - The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell - jackie_k
181. Friend Karen - The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho
182. Friend Karen - Chocolate Every Day: 85 Plant-based Recipes for Cacao Treats that Support Your Health and Well-being by Bennett Coffey
183. Friend Karen - The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook
184. Friend Karen - Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt
185. Friend Karen - The Old Contemptibles by Martha Grimes
186. Friend Karen - Stories in the Stars: An Atlas of Constellations by Susanna Hislop
187. Friend Karen - The Male Brain: A Breakthrough Understanding of How Men and Boys Think by Louann Brizendine, M.D.
188. Friend Karen - The Dangerous Ladies Affair by Marcia Muller
189. Friend Karen - Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund
190. Friend Karen - Seeking the South: Finding Inspired Regional Cuisines by Bob Newton
191. Friend Karen - I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider
192. Friend Karen - MAD About the Trump Era by Various
193. Friend Karen - The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House by Bob Woodward
194. Amazon - How the South Won the War by Heather Cox Richardson
195. Amazon - The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi
196. Kindle - Topper by Thorne Smith
197. Friend Mark - The Orphan Mother by Robert Hicks
198. Kindle - The Barrakkee Mystery by Arthur Upfield
199. Kindle - This Girl for Hire by G.G. Fickling - mentioned by magicians_nephew
200. Amazon - Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caulwell - friend Karen
201. Amazon - Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton
202. Kindle - Divine Lola: A True Story of Scandal and Celebrity by Cristina Morató

September
203. Amazon - If You Exist by Lillian Moats
204. Kachergis donation - FDR's Unfinished Portrait by Elizabeth Shoumatoff
205. Kachergis donation - Five Black Lives editor Arna Bontemps
206. Kachergis donation - Gertrude Bell: The Arabian Diaries, 1913-1914 editor Rosemary O'Brien
207. Kachergis donation - Murder, Culture, and Injustice by Walter L. Hixson
208. Kachergis donation - Plain Folk and Gentry in a Slave Society by J. William Harris
209. Kachergis donation - Rose O'Neale Greenhow and the Blockade Runners by George Johnson, Jr.
210. Kachergis donation - Sally Hemings & Thomas Jefferson editors Jan Ellen Lewis & Peter S. Onuf
211. Kachergis donation - The Clerihews of Paul Horgan by Paul Horgan
212. Kachergis donation - The Man Who Wanted Seven Wives by Katie Letcher Lyle
213. Kachergis donation - Virginia Landmarks of Black History editor Calder Loth
214. FoL member Marian - Consequences by E.M. Delafield
215. FoL member Marian - The Children Who Lived in a Barn by Eleanor Graham
216. FoL member Marian - The Young Pretenders by Edith Henrietta Fowler
217. FoL member Marian - The Fortnight in September by RC Sherriff
218. Friend Karen - The Round House by Louise Erdrich
219. Friend Karen - Merry Meet by Isobel Bird
220. Friend Karen - Second Sight by Isobel Bird
221. Friend Karen - So Mote It Be by Isobel Bird
222. Friend Karen - Poems, 1923-1954 by E.E. Cummings
223. Friend Karen - The Drunken Forest by Gerald Durrell
224. Friend Karen - Great Beginnings and Endings: Opening and Closing Lines of Great Novels by Georgianne Ensign
225. Friend Karen - A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
226. Friend Karen - Love in a Green Shade: Idyllic Romances Ancient to Modern by Richard F. Hardin
227. Friend Karen - An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks
228. Friend Karen - The Basque Kitchen: Tempting Food from the Pyrenees by Gerald Hirigoyen
229. Friend Karen - Hateship, friendship, courtship, loveship, marriage : stories by Alice Munroe
230. Friend Karen - Einstein for Beginners by Joseph Schwartz
231. Friend Karen - Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
232. Friend Karen - Hillbilly Elegy : A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
233. Kindle - Welcome to Cooper by Tariq Ashkanani
234. Kindle - Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
235. Amazon - The Misadventures of Nero Wolfe:Parodies and Pastiches Featuring the Great Detective of West 35th Street by Josh Pachter
236. Amazon - The Best of Me by David Sedaris
237. Thrift Shop - The Chameleon's Shadow by Minette Walters
238. Thrift Shop - Oxymoronica by Dr. Mardy Grothe
239. Thrift Shop - Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
240. Amazon - The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

October
241. Amazon - Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
242. Thrift Shop - A Regency Christmas 6 by Mary Balogh
243. Thrift Shop - Stay Close by Harlan Coben
244. Thrift Shop - The Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
245. Kindle - The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
246. Kindle - Agatha Christie: Premium Collection by Agatha Christie
247. Kindle - Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell
248. Kindle - The Saltmarsh Murders by Gladys Mitchell
249. Amazon - The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047 by Lionel Shriver
250. Kindle - The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis
251. Amazon - The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrees by Agatha Christie
252. Amazon - The Book of William: How Shakespeare's First Folio Conquered the World by Paul Collins
253. Amazon - State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny
254. Peggy - Run With the Horsemen by Ferrol Sams
255. Amazon - A Perfectly Good Family by Lionel Shriver
256. Amazon - A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year edited by Larry Smith
257. Kindle - Death at Whitewater Church by Andrea Carter
258. Amazon - Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child
259. Preacher in Pittsboro - Lost Scriptures by Bart Ehrman
260. Preacher in Pittsboro - Archaeology Study Bible: ESV by editors at Crossway
261. Kindle - Politics and the English Language by George Orwell
262. Kindle - 11/22/63 by Stephen King
00. Lev in Glasgow by Harry Bingham - acquired in 2015 but just realized I hadn't added it to my catalog
263. Kindle - Ending by Hilma Wolitzer
264. Kindle - 30+ Classic Philosophy Book Collection: The Art of War, Poetics, The Republic, The Meditations, The Prince and others
265. Amazon - Wait Til Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin

November
266. Kindle - Freddy the Pig by Walter R. Brooks
267. FoL - Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
268. FoL - Stardust by Neil Gaiman
268. FoL - The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney
269. Amazon - The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly
270. Friend Rhoda - The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
271. Friend Rhoda - The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan
272. Friend Rhoda - The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan
273. U of Chicago Press - The Legendary Detective by John Walton
274. Amazon - Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon

December
275. Kindle - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
276. Kindle - Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard
277. Amazon - The Guncle by Steven Rowley
278. Kindle - No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull
279. Friends donation - The Ex by Alafair Burke
280. Friends donation - The Wife by Alafair Burke
281. Friends donation - The Better Sister by Alafair Burke
282. Friends donation - The Honourable Schoolboy by John Le Carré
283. Friends donation - The Devil's Share by Wallace Stroby
284. Friends donation - Cold Shot to the Heart by Wallace Stroby
285. Friends donation - Kings of Midnight by Wallace Stroby
286. Friends donation - The Heartbreak Lounge by Wallace Stroby
287. Friends donation - Some Die Nameless by Wallace Stroby
288. Friends donation - Gone 'til November by Wallace Stroby
289. Friends donation - Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks
290. Friends donation - The Good Cop by Brad Parks
291. Friends donation - Say Nothing by Brad Parks
292. Friends donation - Eyes of the Innocent by Brad Parks
293. Friends donation - The Last Act by Brad Parks
294. Friends donation - Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks
295. Friends donation - The Fraud by Brad Parks
296. Friends donation - The Player by Brad Parks
297. Friends donation - Regeneration through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600–1860 by Richard Slotkin
298. Friends donation - Buddhist Art and Ritual from Nepal and Tibet by Barbara C. Matilsky
299. Friends donation - Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham
300. Friends donation - Lanterns Across the Snow by Susan Hill
301. Friends donation - Sons by Evan Hunter
302. Friends donation - Just Watch Me by Jeffry P. Lindsay
303. Friends donation - Buffalo Girls by Larry McMurtry
304. Friends donation - Pretty Boy Floyd by Larry McMurtry
305. Friends donation - Parlor Politics : In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and a Government by Catherine Allgor
306. Friends donation - The growth of natural history in Stuart England from Gerard to the Royal Society by F. David and J.F.M Hoeniger
307. Friends donation - Schools in Tudor England by Craig R. Thompson
308. Friends donation - The Art of War and Renaissance England by J.R. Hale
309. Friends donation - The Yeoman in Tudor and Stuart England by Albert J. Schmidt
310. Friends donation - Elizabeth I and the Puritans by William Haller
311. Friends donation - Dutch influences on English culture, 1558-1625 by David W. Davies
312. Amazon - Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
313. Amazon - The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
314. Friends donation - Fables from Old French translated by Norman R. Shapiro
315. Friends donation - The Ghost by Robert Harris
316. Friends donation - The Multimillionaire Paperhanger by George P. Morrill
317. Amazon - My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

books culled - there are still quite a few books on my shelves, lurking in corners and 3 deep on the shelves, that need new homes.

00. Mi's Day by Mira Vest. Cousin Mira, published in 1947. I had two copies and gave one to my sister. I actually culled this one in December but won't go back and update 2020 statistics.

1. Lost Light by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
2. The Overlook by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
3. Echo Park by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
4. Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
5. City of Bones by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
6. The Drop by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
7. The Reversal by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
8. The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
9. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn - won't read any more of the series
10. Field Gray by Philip Kerr - won't read the series - for Peggy
11. For the Time Being by Annie Dillard - for Richard
12. I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming
13. The Brass Go-Between by Ross Thomas
14. Voss by Patrick White
15. The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
16. Straight On Till Morning by Mary S. Lovell
17. Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas
18. Field Gray by Philip Kerr
10. Champagne for One by Rex Stout
20. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H. G. Parry
21. What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris blech
22. North Carolina as Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett - missing pages

bye-bye J.A. Vance!

23. Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance
24. Cold Betrayal by J. A. Jance
25. Cruel Intent by J. A. Jance
26. Day of the Dead by J. A. Jance
27. Dead Wrong by J. A. Jance
28. Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance
29. Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance I do not know why I had two copies. bad inventory control. *smile*
30. Failure to Appear by J. A. Jance
31. Injustice for All by J. A. Jance
32. Left for Dead by J. A. Jance
33. Partner in Crime by J. A. Jance
34. Remains of Innocence by J. A. Jance
35. Second Watch by J. A. Jance
36. Taking the Fifth by J. A. Jance
37. Trial by Fury by J. A. Jance
38. Until Proven Guilty by J. A. Jance
39. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - will never, ever read this trilogy
40. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - ditto
41. The Mirror & The Light by Hilary Mantel - ditto
42. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots - nope. Not my cuppa.
43. Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal - duplicate
44. The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich - urp. Boring.
45. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
46. Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi
47. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville by Shelby Foote, audiobook missing disc 7
48. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote - don't like narrator, and because disc 8 is missing can't continue with vol 1 anyway

bye-bye Judith McNaught and Anne Rice!

49. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
50. Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught
51. Every Breath You Take by Judith McNaught
52. Once and Always by Judith McNaught
53. Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught
54. Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught
55. Until You by Judith McNaught
56. Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
57. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
58. Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice
59. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
60. The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
61. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
62. Violin by Anne Rice
63. The Capture o the Earl of Glencrae by Stephanie Laurens
64. Chocolate Every Day: 85 Plant-based Recipes for Cacao Treats that Support Your Health and Well-being by Bennett Coffey - will never use and my sister is vegan
65. The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi - I don't have an overwhelming need to keep it
66. Almost a Crime by Penny Vincenzi
67. The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - too ratty to read, borrowed e-copy from Library
68. For the second time: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
69. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust - lovely old copy, just too hard to read
70. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim
71. Forget Me Not and Beautiful Dreamer by Elizabeth Lowell
72. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking - I was only keeping it to find disgusting recipes

Statistics Through October 31

97 books read
26 of them on my shelves before 01/01/2021 and not rereads
18 books abandoned, 1301 pages abandoned
29950 pages read
47 audiobook hours
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 99
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 309

Book of the month: The Mandibles: A Family 2029-2047 by Lionel Shriver

Books By Month
January 6 books, 1665 pages
February 10 books, 3790 pages
March 13 books, 3609 pages
April 10 books, 2426 pages
May 10 books, 2894 pages
June 15 books, 3379 pages
July 7 books, 2165 pages
August 9 books, 2982 pages
September 9 books, 2942 pages
October 8 books, 2797 pages - 7 books recorded as abandoned, 327 pages

Author
Male 60%
Female 40%

Living 61%
Dead 39%

US Born 65%
Foreign Born 35%

Platform
Hardcover 45%
Trade Pback 20%
Mass Market 23%
Audiobook 2%
e-Book 10%

Source
My Library 85%
Library 11%
Other 4%

Misc
ARC/ER 1%
Re-read 19%
Series 59%

Fiction 90%
NonFiction 10%

New to Me Authors 36

Author Birth Country
England 21%
Germany 1%
Ireland 2%
Jordan 1%
Scotland 7%
Spain 1%
US 65%
Wales 2%

Original Decade Published
1890s 1%
1910s 1%
1920s 2%
1930s 2%
1950s 6%
1960s 18%
1970s 3%
1980s 4%
1990s 7%
2000s 14%
2010s 22%
2020s 20%

Category
Adventure 2%
Biography 0%
Chrestomathy 0%
Contemporary Fiction 7%
Fantasy 10%
Historical Fiction 4%
Humor 1%
Informational Nonfiction 9%
Memoir 1%
Mystery 37%
Poetry 1%
Science Fiction 0%
Suspense 0%
Thriller 27%


Book Acquisition Date
2007 - Joined LT, added 1853 books 15
2008 1
2009 1
2010 1
2012 2
2016 4
2017 2
2018 8
2019 2
2020 6
2021 41
borrowed from friends 3
Library 11

Rating
2.5 - Average 1
3 - Good 6
3.5 - Very Good 25
4 - Excellent 48
4.5 - Stunning 17

3.88 - YTD Average

October’s Lightning Round

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman 9/29/21 10/3/21

Such a fun book. All the accolades are true, it is in turn a story about our intrepid Thursday Murder Club – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim – and two separate crimes that must be solved, bad guys dealt with, and justice done. Pretty much flawless, with consistent characters, witty dialog, and deep truths about love, aging, and life in general screaming off each page.

Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child 10/3/21 10/6/21

This is a solid entry in the series with strong action, intricate and tight plotlines, and good characterization.

The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child 10/6/21 10/10/21

The third in the Diogenes trilogy. Diogenes is Pendergast’s brother, who has sworn to destroy him for reasons unknown. Pendergast is in a high security prison awaiting trial, his allies work on breaking him out – excellent action there – and the story ends shockingly, thousands of miles away from New York.

The Mandibles: 2027 - 2049 by Lionel Shriver 10/11/21 10/17/22

Shriver identifies this as ‘acid satire’. I consider contemporary fiction to be plausible, and since this presents such a horrific future I originally thought it science fiction. Being incurably optimistic, I don’t want to consider the future Shriver writes so convincingly about - that everything Bill and I ever worked for would be wiped out in an instant and we’d probably become homeless to a band of marauding house thieves. This is an amazingly scary and marvelous book, full of loving and vicious characterizations, with unflinching takes on truth and human nature. If even one-tenth of what happens to the Mandibles happens here in the US in my lifetime… well, I shudder to think about that kind of future.

The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis 10/17/21 10/23/21

Excellent start to a promising series. An archaeological dig’s discoveries reveal a murder that helps solve a present day crime. Well-wrought and vivid characters, a finely paced plot, and a great police procedural.

Death at Whitewater Church by Andrea Carter 10/26/21 10/28/21

A very good start to a new series for me, with Benedicta “Ben” O’Keefe living in a very small town in Ireland after fleeing a family tragedy 6 years earlier. She’s a solicitor and the surveying of a property for sale leads to the discovery of a skeleton. A local family’s eldest son’s disappearance on his wedding years earlier, the erratic behavior of his younger brother, and various and sundry interesting characters and small town situations make this quite enjoyable. Thank goodness I like P.D. James – Amazon tells me Perfect for fans of Louise Penny, PD James, and Donna Leon, otherwise I’d have to boycott it.

124 books read

1 Masterpiece
19 Stunning
67 Excellent
20 Very Good
12 Good
4 Average
1 Bad
0 Very Bad
0 Don't Bother
0 Anathema

Best Fiction
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Beastly Tales From Here and There by Vikram Seth
The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver
Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

Best Nonfiction
Abraham Lincoln: Mystic Chords of Memory edited by Larry Shapiro
Dr. Seuss Goes to War by Richard H. Minear
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Top five overall for the LT Top Five Books of 2020 list:

Mrs. Caliban
How to Be an Antiracist
In the Heart of the Sea
The Standing Chandelier
Dr. Seuss Goes to War

Still crack me up...

…

Welcome! Next message is yours.

...maybe I'll just leave 'em packed...

Merry Christmas, Karen. Happy last thread! :-)

>10 richardderus: Heh. *smooch*

>11 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley, times two.

Happy New thread, Karen. Looking forward to seeing your Best of 2021 list. I am making the final touches on mine.

Happy new thread, Karen and . . .




I hope you have a wonderful day! Take good care of yourself!!

Happy new thread!

And Merry Christmas ditto!

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Karen! 124 books read. Wow.

Happy new one, Karen. x

Happy last thread of 2021, Karen!

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. I hope you had a lovely Christmas. We were over at Sean's family yesterday and had a nice time. Of course, Jack was there and that always enlivens the surroundings. We are visiting with friends this afternoon, but I plan on squeezing in a solo walk beforehand. Our weather remains mild. It was 54F for Christmas Eve.

>13 msf59: Hi Mark, and thank you. I’m trying to find a good meme and failing. I stole yours from last year but don’t want to do that this year. I think I’ve got something boring but serviceable picked out. Of course, I've got 'til January 1...

>14 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia! Love the gif. We had a quiet day and I didn’t indulge in either too much sugar or salt. How’s that for progress?

We watched a very strange movie with Benedict Cumberbatch about Louis Wain, an illustrator from England in the late 1800s. He popularized cat images but had a very sad life. Progress of his cats from normal to reflective of his schizophrenia.



>15 quondame: Thank you twice, Susan!

>16 drneutron: Thank you, Jim.

>17 EllaTim: Hi Ella, and thanks. 124 was from last year. This year, if I’m lucky, I’ll get to 104 or 105.

>18 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>19 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. I did debate about starting a new one, but too many days left and some people have a hard time loading really long threads.

>20 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Sunday to you. We had a nice and quiet one, thank you. I hope yours was good at Sean’s parents. Gotta follow the kid, right? *smile*

Enjoy the time with your friends and your solo walk. It’s way too warm here, too. 56F now, going to 73F. Great for the propane bill, though.

…
We’re going to brave the grocery store today to lay in supplies for Jenna’s visit, but right now it’s coffee, a bit of LT, and perhaps a bit of reading.

Morning, Karen! It's way too warm here, too. Yesterday was 76F and today is going to 74F. Most yuck. But at least today is overcast, so if you ignore the temps, it feels more like December.

'Morning, Mamie! Ugh to the heat. Seriously yuck.

I can't wear my down vest, my favorite piece of winter clothing. But I'll wear long sleeves because the store is always freezing.

Good luck shopping for food, Karen. I think you said Jenna would be arriving today, so that's good. Have a swell time with her.

Yay for Jenna visiting! I know you're looking forward her being there for several days.

>1 karenmarie: Those pants. My God, my dad had a pair almost exactly like them. It must have been a Sears catalog thing. Great family photo. Plus, I do absolutely love those Franklin stoves. Great cat pics.

>21 karenmarie: Speaking of cat pics, looking at those Wain paintings is like one of those puzzles where you try to figure out the pattern and what's next. Crushingly sad. I also have a hard time looking at paintings by van Gogh. Would you recommend the movie? I like Cumberbatch as an actor but I never got that about him being a sex symbol. Not a sex symbol, but you know who I can't take my eyes off of? Rosamund Pike. There's something about her that is absolutely hypnotic. Have you seen the movie I Care a Lot? If not you, Bill, and Jenna should definitely watch it together. Great fun, and a very dark comedy.

>21 karenmarie: ...nightmare fodder...all of it....

Happy Jenna-visiting time!

>21 karenmarie: We had a quiet day and I didn’t indulge in either too much sugar or salt. How’s that for progress?

Sounds like good progress to me! I hope you have a lovely Sunday, Karen!

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

Hi Karen my dear, Happy New Thread my dear friend.

I'm late to the game for holiday wishes but I will say an early Happy New Year to you and the family, Karen.

Morning, Karen. We had a nice day yesterday. Visited friends and played cards. My Bears surprisingly pulled off a win yesterday, in the final minutes and that was out their talented rookie QB. Sorry about your Panthers but the Bucs are very good team. Doing Trail Watch duties this AM. Still mild...

Morning, Karen! Our Falcons actually won yesterday.

>24 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. The grocery store had everything except raw horseradish – I had to buy horseradish sauce. And I got the last bottle of that, as it was. Jenna’s coming today, arriving between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m.

>25 SomeGuyInVirginia: Pretty ugly pants, eh, Larry? We were a Sears family. Thanks re the photo. This stove’s propane, but it replaced a wood-burning stove that was the exact same model. We even have a remote control for it.

I guardedly recommend The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, only because his life seems to have been quite depressing in some ways. He’s definitely not a sex symbol here. Haven’t seem I Care a Lot, thanks for the recommendation. Looks like something we’d like.

>26 richardderus: I remember seeing this series of illustrations a long time ago – perhaps in a Time-Life Science series – showing the progression of schizophrenia. Thanks! I’m waiting for a call from Jenna any minute now – it takes her about 3.5 hours to get here.

>27 alcottacre: Our Sunday was productive and good. Grocery shopping, vacuuming, a shower – all paced – plus football and puttering.

>28 Berly: Hi Kim! Clever ornaments! So glad you had a merry time.

>29 johnsimpson: Hi John and thank you.

>31 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Glad you had a nice Sunday. Congrats to your Bears, boo hiss to my Panthers. We watched the Chiefs demolish the Steelers. The Chiefs are my backup team and they made up for the Panthers. I hope Trail Watch goes well.

I’ve got a male Downy, house finches, cardinals, and Carolina Chickadees visiting the feeders.

…
Rehab, then home just in time to get settled before Jenna gets here. She’s got a key and the code to the garage doors, but it’s nicer if we’re here to greet her.

Hi Karen, Thanks for dropping by. As always I enjoy your comments and book reviews, even when we ATD! Best wishes for a continuing recovery and healthy, bookish year to come.

>32 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Congrats to your Falcons yesterday.

>34 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! You're welcome, and thank you for the kind thoughts.

Goodness...I forgot there were some mossbacks clinging to the rocks back here.

Hi Horrible...how's life back there in olden tymes?

>36 richardderus: Hehe. When I was in college I flew into Salt Lake City and the guy sitting next to me told me in his captain's voice, 'Welcome to Salt Lake. The local weather is overcast and freezing and the time is 1950.'

>37 SomeGuyInVirginia: It's 1980 there now, so that scans. They've actually *met* gay people. We're still going to Hell, but they will dish up some Jell-O salad for the road!

Aren't they tolerant.

Morning, Karen. Happy Tuesday! How is rehab going? We are getting snow today. Our first measurable snow since last winter. They are predicting 2-4 inches. A good day to stay in and read.

Morning, Karen! Hope rehab yesterday was good. And I know you are enjoying having Jenna hope - the best kind of medicine. And magic.

Glad to see you enjoying Jenna, Karen! (I say so since you're not hanging around here.)

>25 SomeGuyInVirginia: Larry, I hope you've been watching *Wheel of Time*. R. Pike is mesmerizing. Daniel Henney is something else!!!!!!!

Happy Tuesday, Karen! I hope you are having a wonderful time with Jenna.

Hi Karen, happy new thread. I hope you are having a wonderful visit with Jenna. Christmas here was delayed by snow which was our first white Christmas in 13 years. It and cold weather are sticking around and we're heartily sick of them by now. The weather is strange all over.

Hi friends! Yesterday was ‘Christmas’ with Jenna, and we stayed busy and had such a good time and then I was so whupped that I never came back to the Sunroom!

>36 richardderus: Hiya, RD!

>37 SomeGuyInVirginia: I would imagine, unfortunately, that there’s still a major aspect of 1950 to SLC, as long as white male church elders have their way.

>38 richardderus: Okay, ‘met’ gay people.

>39 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, a day late! Rehab was a challenge again on Monday because I bumped the pace again to get my heart rate 20 beats above my starting heart rate. I asked one of the therapists what the goal was and she said 30 minutes of 20-or-above, and that would require about 45 minutes on the treadmill to warm up and cool down but still give 30 minutes. Sigh. We’ll see what they say. So far they’re happy with my 30 minutes and my pushing myself every 2nd or 3rd visit. Yay for snow. I wish we had snow, but we’re in the 70s still and again.

>40 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Jenna’s home and it’s quite wonderful. Definitely good medicine and magic.

>41 LizzieD: Yes, we had a wonderful Christmas. And since we stayed in the house and isolated, as it were, we were able to bring Christmas to the day. It was quite surprising, actually, but it definitely felt like Christmas. We watched A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott on Monday, 'Christmas Eve', and yesterday we watched the Jim Carrey How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Die Hard.

>42 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Oh yes. And yesterday we had a mission – but it’s a long story that I’ll try to condense. In 1980 friend Karen in Montana and I each bought a ~ 10” x 15” reprint of a 1896 prurient calendar – a snickering men-kind of thing (not our glorious men here! I hasten to add) with young women in deshabille holding kittens in front of their crotches - pussies in front of pussies, in other words. Karen stupidly gave hers away in the early 2000s and mentioned that fact to me about 6-8 months ago, forgetting that I’d bought one too. She was ecstatic that I had bought one too and has been badgering me to have Jenna look for it for the same 6-8 months now. I thought it was in the attic. I promised Jenna well over a year ago that I wouldn’t go up the dangerous steps to the attic, and this is the first time there’s been enough time for us to carve out an hour or two to look for it.

We found it yesterday, but not in the attic. It was in the second dormer Jenna crawled in to look for it. So now I need to get it copied and send a copy off to Karen. She doesn’t know we found it yet, because I’ll hear about it every time we talk. *smile* So, yes, fun with Jenna.

>43 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, and thank you. Wow, yay for the Christmas snow, sorry you’re tired of the snow and cold weather.

…
Coffee, chatting with Jenna and Bill. I thought I should at least come visit my own thread this morning before heading to rehab – I’ll try to visit a few threads before I have to start getting ready for rehab.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. Glad rehab is going well. I decided to stay off the trails today. Other than a library run, I might just hang out at home with the books. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Morning, Karen! Sounds like Christmas with Jenna was full of fabulous. Happy making. Hoping rehab goes well for you today and does not take too much of a toll.

Have a good rehab day, and what a pleasure it is to be with The Kid! A few more days, even!

*smooch*

Die Hard is the greatest Christmas movie of all time! Okay not really. I'd probably give that to It's a Wonderful Life just because, but my personal favorite is Home Alone. Probably the only movie I've seen more than five times. Once, at work, in a meeting before a meeting I argued that it was one of the great American classic films. My arguments did not sway.

How is rehab addressing your knee pain?

Well that sounds like a wonderful Christmas! Enjoy the kid let while you have her. And nice job on upping the rehab!

BIG SMILE!

I'm glad you had a great Christmas Karen. My daughter and children (male twins aged 18, and Zoe who followed them 13 months behind.)

They left this morning. My pain levels curtailed a lot. But, I am glad I was able to get the house ready and clean before they arrived.

Happy New Year to you, with special wishes for continued recovery from your heart attack.

>45 msf59: Good afternoon, Mark! Happy Wednesday back at’cha. Home with books is not a bad idea at all. I approve 100%

>46 Crazymamie: Oh it was, Mamie! Rehab today was productive – I kept it at the same pace as I’d upped it to last time but did that pace for 20 minutes or so. *pats myself on the back* Then I drove back past our house from rehab to the town we live in to pick up prescriptions and take out – junk food for Bill and grilled chicken salads for me and Jenna. I ate half of my salad for lunch, had some apples with caramel after, then started baking Pecan Puffs for Jenna’s romantic interest’s cookie box and a late Christmas present for friend/neighbor Louise. I’ll save a couple for Bill, too… and NOW I’m whupped!

>47 richardderus: Yes, the kidlet time is wonderful. *smooch*

>48 SomeGuyInVirginia: Jenna and I love It’s a Wonderful Life, but Bill, not so much. We probably won’t have time to watch it before she leaves Friday a.m., but that’s okay – we’ve been having a great visit and Christmas holiday.

The rehab is probably aggravating it, although today I’d kept up on the pain meds from overnight – not letting them lapse, so to speak, before starting them over again, and so far so good.

>49 Berly: It was, Kim! Every time Jenna wants to talk on the phone or text or actually visit, I’m appreciative. I want this romance to work out, in which case I’ll get less of her time, but it will be in a good cause – her happiness. Thanks re the rehab. I learned to do that in the 1980s when I went to the gym – a little bit of an increase not every time but every other time.

>50 LizzieD: Hi Aunt P.A.! Your rehab girl is coming along…

>51 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. I’m glad you had the company of your daughter and children for Christmas, glad that your pain levels are curtailed. I got the house under control before Jenna visited, too – I can relate to wanting it done. Happy New Year to you, and thank you for special wishes re my heart attack.

…
Pecan Puffs first baking sheet are out of the oven, rolled in powdered sugar the first time, and the second baking sheet are in the oven. I’m going to read a bit – Jenna’s visiting a college friend and will be back in a while. Bill’s hanging out in the living room. A few minutes of Karen time are called for…

>52 karenmarie: Pecan Puffs sound wonderful - which would be great if I liked pecans. Sady, I do not. I could not have the powdered sugar anyway. I am a sad Stasia.

>48 SomeGuyInVirginia: I ended up watching the Star Wars trilogy with the kids in the lead-up to and on Christmas! Well, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, anyway. And then The Force Awakens, just for me :) (mainly as I'd call Kylo Ren the best villain since Darth Vadar).

I actually watched Die Hard for the first time ever last week as well. I enjoyed it! (I guess at the time of its release I had avoided it due to my friend's boyfriends all liking it, and I didn't really like them much.)

Oh, and #257 from your last thread....someone came and took out 75 bags of books??! Wow, that is a clear out.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I plan on getting out this AM, despite the cold. I don't like being stuck inside for more than a couple of days. Not sure when I will see Jackson. Bree had a cold, (tested negative) and I have had a slight one myself. We are supposed to hang out with them NYE, but we have to wait and see. This Covid threat seems to loom everywhere.

>52 karenmarie:

>53 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I’m sorry that pecans and powdered sugar are on the No For Stasia list. 😥

>54 LovingLit: My husband and daughter are serious Star Wars fans, Megan. Glad you liked Die Hard.

Yes, the books were from 2 donations to the Friends that I kept at my house – I’m President of the Friends AND on the book sale team. We did not and do not have room for newly donated books at the Library. We were just getting ready to hold our Spring 2020 sale when the Library abruptly closed on March 17th, so we were already full-to-capacity with sorted and categorized donations. We haven’t accepted donations since then, but the two donations at the house were special donations. I was regretting keeping them, but am now glad I did since they’re out of the house but still part of our donations.

>55 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday to you, too. Whew! Glad Bree’s negative, sad that she has a cold, and sad that you have a cold, too. We went back into hibernation mode in August with Delta and are even more hunkered down with Omicron/Delta. Back to last winter’s mess and numbers.

>56 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry! Yes, I’m a tad worn out. Jenna and I started sugar cookies. The dough is resting in the refrigerator. I’m going to get ready for rehab early and show her how to roll out the first batch. She can do the rest.

She may or may not be home when I return. Today’s her day with her romantic interest. She’ll get back late-ish tonight then leave tomorrow 9ish so she can work second shift tomorrow.

>57 karenmarie: Sounds like a pretty good day all around, Horrible. *smooch*

It's been a good day so far, RDear! Cookie baking successful, rehab a bit tough but I met my goal of 30 minutes on the treadmill and even in creased the pace by .1 to 1.3. Heart rate is supposed to be 20 points above resting and I was there more than 15 minutes today. Of course, with the busy week with Jenna and rehab 3 x this week, I'm beyond whupped. I took a 2 hour nap after Jenna left to go see her romantic interest, just got up a bit ago to work on my first thread of 2022 and come here and then out and about on LT.

*smooch*

>59 karenmarie: Sounds like a good day, Karen, and congratulations of meeting the 30-minute goal on the treadmill!

Thanks, Stasia!

I'm nothing if not stubborn, which is what I told one of the Rehab Therapists today. Quitting before the 30 minutes was up would have been an admission of defeat. Monday may only be at the same pace, but I'll still maintain the 30 minute regimen.

Karen, I really overdid it getting ready, baking and cooking, then entertaining them. It was way too much and I need to learn to take better care of myself.

I continue to keep you in my prayers and hope your healing process is providing the strength you need. I send lots of good wishes.

>61 karenmarie: You'll make a complete recovery...your body's too scared of you to shilly-shally!

*smooch*

Keep it up Karen! We're all rooting for you!

Morning, Karen. Sue is sick, tested negative but Matt tested positive and so did his girlfriend. Fortunately, he is spending a few days over at her place. This really stinks! Hoping I might be able to see Jackson on Sunday, but we will have to see. I am going to get out on a walk this AM. A snowstorm arrives tomorrow. Oh, joy!

Oh, yeah- Happy New Year!

Morning, Karen! Somehow I forgot whose thread I was on and posted to Mark and then realized my mistake. I miss my mind.

Hoping New Year's Eve is exactly what you want it to be.

Happy new year. Before you go find out for yourself, you should know that my thread's already over 100 posts, so start by reading the list of reviews in https://www.librarything.com/topic/337711#7687008 then just skip on over to the bottom. No sense making yourself nuts.

*smooch*

>62 Whisper1: Hi Linda. I can absolutely relate to overdoing it. It’s your family and you love them and want to do for them. However, I hope that taking care of Linda will be your primary goal in 2022, especially with your new pain management regimen.

Thank you for your prayers and good wishes. I’m working on getting and being better.

>63 richardderus: Hi RD! Damn right – except for a couple of extra cookies yesterday, I’ve been Very Good about what I need to do. *smooch*

>64 The_Hibernator: Rachel? Rachel!! Hi, my dear. Good to see you out and about. Thank you. (running over to Rachel’s thread for a quick post!)

>65 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark. I’m sorry Sue is sick, hope she’s dodged Covid. Poor Matt and his girlfriend, I hope they have no or very minor symptoms. What a sucky New Year’s Eve for you. Enjoy your walk, hope it brings you joy. And blech to the 4-6” of snow that weather.gov is saying you’re going to get tomorrow.

Happy New Year to you, too!

>66 Crazymamie: ‘Morning, Mamie! I’ve done that some times – started posting to the wrong thread. I’ve gotten to the point of hovering over the tab I’m on to see where I am! Bill's Step-mother Kay, one of my MiLs, used that phrase - "I miss my mind."

Thank you. Bill and I are going to be quiet little mice and I know I’ll probably conk out by 11 at the latest. I might cook some lemon pepper chicken and experiment with homemade sweet potato fries for dinner, but right now even that sounds like too much.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful New Year’s Eve, too.

(Stasia, the baked potato/air fryer russet fries will happen, promise!)

>67 richardderus: Thank you, RD, and thanks for the warning and Plan for Reading Richard’s First Thread of 2022!

*smooch*

…
Jenna left about 20 minutes ago, pretty late, actually, and may get to work late, but at this point she doesn’t mind – she’s given notice and has a new job starting January 12th as an office admin for a family-owned-30+ years-in-business insurance company in Asheville.

I’m going to hang out on LT for a while, then see if I can get the power-reading mojo going to finish another book today. If I do great, if not, oh, well!

Wishing you a restful day at the turn of the year. I make lots of air fryer sweet potato fries and have found that a brief dusting of cornstarch really helps with a crunchy exterior, if that is your desire. And I do two cooks: one at a lower temperature (370 deg or so) for 10 - 15 minutes, then at a high temperature (400 deg) for a few minutes to get that crunch I am looking for but with a lovely cooked interior.

I also use my french fry cutter to get standard fries. Putting the potatoes in the microwave for a minute or two to soften them up makes them easier to cut through the cutter.

Hi Karen, and thank you!

I'll use all your hints for the sweet potato fries.

Hi Karen! Have a nice evening with your family. We are early here, will spend the evening at the nursing home with our friends. So I’m wishing you



And all the best in 2022

Morning, Karen. The Book Steward™ scored one last time in 2021. At a family birthday celebration, I was presented a carton of books. "See if you want any of these." So I sat beside the carton with my laptop (what? Don't you take your laptop to birthday parties?) and checked them out. I'll be adding 9 books to the holdings.

I know. It's shameful.

Glad to read you are crushing that rehab stuff. Kudos to Jenna on scoring a new and better job.

Happy New Year!

Enjoy your quiet New Year's Eve with Bill, Karen.

Over here Frank left for work, we said "See you next year" to eachother when he went ;-)
I will be hanging around at LT, and starting my first 2022 thread. I usually go to bed around 01:00, and will try to do so, hoping the fireworks (despite the fireworks ban this year) won't be bad anymore at that time.

Hi Karen and Happy end of 2021!

I'm glad the rehab is going well and that you enjoyed your time with Jenna.

I should finish one more book - maybe even two - before the new year baby squalls. It's very cold here - single digits and expected to go into the minuses tonight, so other than the horse chores, I will be inside. I'll try to get my new thread up today, too.

But if none of that happens - oh well - a nap sounds wonderful, too. It's exhausting being outside in this cold to do chores!

>71 EllaTim: Hi Ella! Thank you. Happy New Year and all the best in 2022 to you, too.

>72 weird_O: Hiya, Bill! You are so lucky to get to look through a box of books and take what you wanted. I just saw all the newbies on your thread, just didn’t post. Thanks re rehab, thanks on Jenna’s behalf. Happy New Year!

>73 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Happy New Year!

>74 streamsong: Hi Janet, and the same to you.

Things have been going well given all the foof since the middle of November. We had a wonderful time with Jenna. Good luck on the last book or two of the year.

Brrr! Karen’s worried about her feral kitties – the previously-domesticated mommy kitty loves to come in, and Karen’s gotten the little girl kitty to come in, but the boy is stubborn and cries a lot when mom and sister are in the warmth.

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/5d/02/5d029540654e5a9636b45767a774368422f7345_v5.jpg 3x">

Happy New Year, dearest Karen that I know! Amen to your wish that 2022 may offer vast improvements for all of us - and especially for 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, Karen.

>76 johnsimpson: Thank you, John!

>77 LizzieD: Thank you, my dear Peggy!

>78 PaulCranswick: I love the image and sentiment, Paul! Thank you.

Insomnia reared its ugly head. I haven't been downstairs at this hour in a very long time.

Off to create my first thread of 2022!

Happy New Year, Karen. I will see you on your new thread. Heading out for a bird walk with a group. It might be the last time I get out for a few days.

Quick reply about Karen's feral kitties.

Do you remember Bob the huge Manx feral I adopted this summer? Well, with regular feeding he's done nothing but put on more pounds.He's very friendly, and also moved indoors with this week's frigid temps. Honestly, when I'm reading in my recliner, he stretches from below my calves to close to my face. I've never met such a large cat. When he jumps up, the recliner swivels; it's like having a baby elephant land on me.

Cree, my used to be feral, who weighs in at about 7 pounds is terrified of him. My vet thinks Cree must have been the runt of a litter -he's at the opposite end of the cat size spectrum. Poor Cree. Can you imagine someone moving into your home that outweighs you three times over and comes at you growling and flashing knives?

Actually, it's mostly peaceful. Bob backs off quickly with me yelling No! No! No!

Hope Karen's kitties do OK. They say this stretch of below normal temps is supposed to last through mid January.

And oh yes! Happy New Year!

>80 msf59: Hi Mark! I hope your bird walk goes well, and yes! my new thread for 2022 is up.

>81 streamsong: I do remember Bob. I'm amazed that he's gotten even bigger. Poor Cree, but I'm glad to hear that Bob backs off when you yell No! No! No!

Karen has decided to buy a heated little house, grumbling about the cost, but worried about the boy kitty - something like this: Toozey Heated Cat House for Winter, Indoor/Outdoor Cat House Weatherproof with Heated Cat Bed, Providing Safe Feral Cat House for Cats or Small Dog, Easy to Assemble Cat Shelter.

She's a softie, after all.

I'll have to look into that cat house (ha!). Thanks for posting it.

You're welcome, Janet!

I'll have to ask her if she's gotten it yet.

edited to add: She is going to order it today from our conversation last night.

In and out.......... It's bedtime, and I'm ready.

GOOD for Karen and the kitties!

I look forward to hearing that you're back in your reading mode. Wish I were.

Hi dear Peggy!

I'm sorry you're not in a reading mode.

Here's my first thread of 2022: Glad to be here in 2022