From the deep freeze into longer days - Streamsong #1

This is a recent image from the Apgar web cam in Glacier National Park.

I'm Janet.

I've been a member of LT since 2006.

I retired in the fall of 2016 from my career as a technician in an NIAID research lab. (Yes, that made Dr Anthony Fauci my ultimate boss .... way up the chain.)
I'm now enjoying all the things I never had time to do.

I live in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana along Skalkaho Creek. I'm about half way between Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks - so if you're traveling or vacationing in the area, I'd love to meet you.

What do I read? A bit of everything. I enjoy literary fiction, mysteries and the occasional feel good cozy. I'm slowly working my way through 1001 Books to Read Before You Die (actually 1300 + books since I use the combined version spreadsheet). I'm also working my way around the world in a global reading challenge. About half the books I read are non-fiction.

I belong to two in-person book clubs.

I have Appaloosa horses and raise a foal or two each year.

A wintery photo of my stallion:



Last year's only foal:

BOOKS READ 2022

✅ = Outstanding Book! ❤️ = Favorite

FIRST QUARTER

January

1. Dashing Through the Snow - Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark - 2008 - ROOT#1- acq'd 2021
2. Happiness - Aminatta Forna - 2018 - Global Reading: Sierra Leone author - library
3. Washington Black -Esi Edugyan - 2018 - Global Reading:Barbados (partial location) - library
4. Finding Chika - Mitch Alborn - 2019 - Global Reading: Haiti (partial location) - Newcomers' Book Club - library
5. Decider - Dick Francis - 1993 - library
6. World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments - Aimee Nezhukumatathil - 2020 - library
7. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern - 2011 - Reread - Library Brown Bag Book Club - library
8. The New Silk Roads: The New Asia and the Remaking of the World Order - Peter Frankopan - 2018 - Newcomers' Book Club - Global Reading - Root #2 purch 2021 - Kindle

February
9. Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done - Jon Acuff - 2017 - 10 pages a day inspirational book - Root #3 - purchased 2021 - Kindle
10. Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods - Christine Byl - 2013 - Glacier Conservancy Book Club - library
11. The President and the Frog - Carolina de Robertis - 2021 - Global Reading - library
✅ ❤️ 12. Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell - 2021 - audiobook - library/Hoopla
13. Our Malady Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Diary - Timothy Snyder - 2020 - library
14. The Man Who Climbs Trees - James Aldred - 2017 - Newcomer's book Club - library
15. Alex's Wake - Martin Goldsmith - 2014 - Library Brown Bag Book Club - purch 2022
16. Ariadne - Jennifer Saint - 2021 - library
17. The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition - Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee - 2005 - Glacier Conservancy Book CLub - library
18. Tunnels - Rutu Modan - 2020 - Asia Reading: Palestine/Israel - library

MARCH
19. A Bigger Table, Expanded Edition with Study Guide: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community - John Pavlovitz - 2020 LTER - ROOT #4
20. Five Little Indians - Michelle Good 2020 - global reading: Canada - library
21. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed - Mariana Enriquez - English translation 2021 - Global Reading: Argentina - library
22. Ines of My Soul - Isabel Allende - 2006 - Global Reading: Chile, Peru - Root #5 acquired 2016 - listened to audiobook
23. Winter: A Novel - Ali Smith - 2017 - British author - library

SECOND QUARTER

April
24. Gravel Heart - Abdulrazak Gurnah - 2017 - Global Reading: Zanzibar, Tanzania - library
25. Last Bus to Wisdom - Ivan Doig - 2016 - audiobook - re-listen for NC book club- library
26. The Devil That Danced on the Water - Aminatta Forna - 2002 - Global Reading: Sierra Leone - library
27. Fight Night - Miriam Toews - 2021 - library
28. Atomic Habits - James Clear - 2018 - library

May
29. Matrix - Lauren Groff - 2021 - library
30. The Bell in the Lake - Lars Mytting - 2020 - Global Reading: Norway - library
31. Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist - Kate Raworth - 2017 - library
32. The Woman They Could Not Silence One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear - Kate Moore - 2021 - library
33. The Paris Library - Janet Skeslien Charles - 2022 - LBB Book Club - purch 2022
34. A Journal for Jordan - Dana Canedy - 2008 - Newcomers' Book Club; purch 2022

June
35. A History of the Rain - Niall Williams - 2015 - library - Global Reading: Ireland
36. The Casual Vacancy - J. K. Rowling - 2012 - ROOT #6 acq'd 2014 - Global Reading: England
37. Land on Fire - Gary Ferguson - 2017 - Glacier Conservancy Book Club - library
38. Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive - Stephanie Land - 2020 - LBBG Book Club - Reread acq'd 2022.

THIRD QUARTER

July
39. The Weight of Night - Christine Carbo - 2017 - Glacier Conservancy Book Club - library
40. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu - Joshua Hammer - 2017 - Global Reading: Mali - library
41. The Signature of All Things - Elizabeth Gilbert - 2013 - NC Book Club - purch 2022
42. The Sentence - Lousie Erdrich - 2022 - library
43. The Cat That God Sent - Jim Kraus - 2013 - church library
44. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson - 1886 - Project Gutenberg
45. Driftless - David Rhodes - 2010 - library 4.5 stars

August
46. Three Apples Fell From the Sky- Narine Abgaryan - 2020 - Global Reading: Armenia - library
47. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon - 2004 - Reread - audiobook - acq'd 2022
48. Mickey7 - Edward Ashton - 2022 - library
49. And a Dog Called Fig: Solitude, Connection, the Writing Life - Helen Humphries - 2022 - library

**** 45 BOOKS COMPLETED IN 2022 ****

YEAR CATALOGED OR ACQUIRED
1 - pre LT
1 - 2012
1 - 2014
3 - 2021
4 - 2022
34 - library

Total ROOTS read (acquired before 2022)
5

FORMAT
5 - audiobook/Hoopla
3 - Kindle app/Gutenberg/online
35 - printed books

GENRE

- 25 - Fiction

1 - classics
1 - fantasy
1 - Christian fiction
4 - contemporary reading
13 - global reading
1 - graphic novel
4 - historical fiction
1 - horror
11 - literary fiction
2 - Montana
3 - mystery
2 - Native American/ First Nations
1 - nature
2 - noir
1 - political fiction
1 - retelling
2 - short stories


- 18 - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
2 - biography
1 - books
1 - economics
1 - environment
1 - essays
6 - history
2 - inspirational
4 - global reading
1 - medical
8 - memoir
1 - mental health
1 - music
1 - Native Americans
2 - politics
1 - self-help
1 - sustainability
3 - travel
3 - nature/outdoors
1 - women

AUTHORS

18 - Male Authors
26 - Female Authors
1 - Combination of male and female

25 - Authors who are new to me
16 - Authors read before
4 - Reread

Nationality of Author:
2 - Argentina
3 - Canada
1 - Chile
1 - Ireland
1 - Israeli
1 - Norway
1 - Sierra Leone
1 - Tanzania
1 - Uruguay
25 - US
6 - UK
1 - UK/Sierra Leone

Birthplace or residence of Author if different from nationality:

Setting of book if different than author's nationality:
1 - Barbados (partial location)
3 - France
1 - Greece
1 - Haiti (partial location)
1 - Mali
1 - Palestine (partially) - also Israel
1 - Peru, Chile, Spain

Language Book Originally Published in:
40 - English
1 - Hebrew
1 - Norwegian
1 - Salish (partially)
3 - Spanish

Original Publication Date
1 - 1886
1 - 1992
1 - 2002
1 - 2004
1 - 2007
2 - 2008
1 - 2010
1 - 2012
3 - 2013
1 - 2014
1 - 2015
1 - 2016
7 - 2017
6 - 2018
5 - 2020
9 - 2021
2 - 2022

The Global Challenge: Read five books from each of the 193 UN members plus a few additional areas. (Ongoing project over **Many** years!)

Thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/188308

COUNTRIES VISITED IN 2022

visited 13 states (5.77%)
Create your own visited map of The World

Countries new for me in 2022
Mali (Book #1) The Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu Joshua Hammer - 2017 - NF (location, US author) read 7/2022
Peru Ines of My Soul - Isabelle Allende -2007 - Fic; location - (also Chile & Spain); Chilean author - read 3/2022
TanzaniaGravel Heart - Abdulrazak Gurnah - 2017 - Global Reading: Tanzania - library
Uruguay (Book #1): The President and the Frog - Carolina De Robertis - 2021 - Fic, (Location -although unnamed, author) 2/2022

Countries Completed This Year with Five Books
Norway: Book #5. The Bell in the Lake - Lars Mytting - 2020 - (Fic, location, Norwegian author) - 5/2022

Countries previously visited - working toward 5 books
Barbados: Book 2: Washington Black - Esi Edugyan - 2018 - Fic - partial location - read 1/2022
Haiti: (Book #3) Finding Chika - Mitch Alborn - 2019 - non-fiction (partial location) - 1/19/2022
Sierra Leone (Book #2) : Happiness - Aminatta Foma - author from Sierra Leone/Uk- library - 1/2022
Sierra Leone (Book #3): The Devil That Danced on the Water - Aminatta Forna - 2002 - NF; (location, author) library

Additional books in countries already completed with 5:
Argentina The Dangers of Smoking in Bed -Mariana Enriquez - English translation 2021 - Fic/SS Author & location - library
Canada: Quebec Fight Night - Miriam Toews - 2021 - Fic, (location, author) May 2022
France Alex's Wake - Martin Goldsmith - 2014 - NF ; multiple countries/ US author - purch 2022

multiple from US/UK

ALL COUNTRIES VISITED

CUMULATIVE: 100 countries visited


visited 100 states (44.4%)
Create your own visited map of The World

REAL-LIFE BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS 2021

Newcomers Book Club
January: Finding Chika - Mitch Alborn
February: The Man Who Climbed Trees - James Aldred

Library Brown Bag Book Club :
January: The Night Circus - Erin Morgensgem - (reread)
February: Alex's Wake - Martin Goldsmith - 2014 - Purch 2022

Glacier Conservancy Book Club
January : skipped

10 BOOKS ACQUIRED 2022

3 - Read
2 - Currently Reading
5 - tbr

**Read** 1. Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way - Richard Twiss - 2015 - Sunday School Study
***Read***2. Alex's Wake: The Tragic Voyage of the St Louis - Martin Goldsmith - 2014 - Library Brown Bag Book Club; 2-5-2022
**Reading** 3. Winning at Halter - Denny Hassett - 2003
4. World War Z - Max Brooks - Bozeman Meetup 3/2022
5. Women Elders Speak - Jo Anne Salisbury Troxel - 2021 - Bozeman Meetup 3/2022
6. ***Read***How to Heal Our Divides - Brian Allain - 2021 - Sunday study
***Reading***7. On the Bus With Rosa Parks - Rita Dove -
***Read***8. A Journal for Jordan - Dana Canedy - 2008 - Newcomers' Book Club - 4/2022
***Read***9. The Paris Library - Jaet Skelslien Charles - 2022 - Library Brown Bag Book Club - Chapter One - May 2022
**Read - Bought a copy for my library**10. The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition - Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee - 2019 - Chapter One - May 2022
11.
12.
13.
14. The Land of Painted Caves: Earth's Children, Book Six by Jean M. Auel Church rummage sale
***Read***15. The Signature of All Things - Elizabeth Gilbert - 2013 - NC Book Club
16. True Free Spirit : Charles E. Morris: Cowboy Photographer of the Old West by Bill - Larson Morris, Pamela Morris

I'm **Very** far behind on reviews. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the below reviews done for last December. I'll try to work on them. Ha! Reviewing truly helps me remember more about the books I've read.

December 2021
95. Braving the Wilderness - Brene Brown - 2017 - 10 pages Acuff Read - ROOT #13 Acq'd 2017
96. Square Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars - Francesca Wade - 2021 - library
97. Disappearing Earth - Julia Phillips - 2019 - Reread for RL Book Club - library
98. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig - 2020 - library
99. Under the Udala Trees - Chinelo Okparanta - Global Reading: Nigeria - 2015 - library
100. Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law - Mary Roach - 2021 - library
101. Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers - Chester Nez - 2011 - library - audiobook

102. Be Joyful (Philippians): Even When Things Go Wrong, You Can Have Joy - Warren W. Wiersbe - 2008 - ROOT #14 - acq'd 2020
103. Once There Were Wolves - Charlotte McConaghy - 2021 - library Global reading: Scotland - 3.8
104. The Edge of the Crazies - Jamie Harrison - 1995 - library
105. You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about… -
Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar - library
106. Soundtracks - Jon Acuff - 2021 - inspirational book - Hoopla
107. The Boys of My Youth - Jo Ann Beard - 1998 - library

8 BOOKS READ IN DECEMBER: - this is not the complete update

SOURCE:
6 - library
2 - ROOT
--- acq'd 2017
--- acq'd 2020

FORMAT
1 - audiobook
7 - print books

2 - Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
1 - fantasy
2 - literary fiction
1 - mystery
2 - Global Reading

5 - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
1 - Bible Commentary
1 - biography
2 - history
1 - memoir
1 - Native Americans
1 - nature/outdoors
1 - psychology
1 - inspirational

AUTHORS

3 - Male Authors
5 - Female Authors
- Male and Female authors

5 - Authors who are new to me
2 - Authors I have previously read
1 - Rereads

COUNTRIES VISITED
1 - England
1 - Nigeria
1 - Scotland (UK)

ORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE
1 - 2008
1 - 2011
1 - 2015
1 - 2017
1 - 2019
1 - 2020
3 - 2021

These numbers include the library books that I have at home.

As of 11/1/2021 533 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2021: 522 books on MT TBR

These numbers include the library books that I have at home.

As of 01/01/2022: 530 books on physical MT TBR
As of 01/01/2021: 522 books on MT TBR

Books Read January 2022

SOURCE:
- library
1 - ROOT
--- 1 acq'd 2021

FORMAT
- audiobook
1 - print books

1 - Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

1 - mystery

- Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

AUTHORS

- Male Authors
1 - Female Authors
- Male and Female authors

- Authors who are new to me
1 - Authors I have previously read
- Rereads

COUNTRIES VISITED
1 - US

ORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE
1 - 2008

This group always helps me to read; welcome back to the group, Janet.

>1 streamsong: That is a gorgeous topper.

Happy reading in 2022, Janet!

>1 streamsong: What a great view!

>3 streamsong: Always happy to see pictures of your horses :-)

Happy new year! I agree about reviewing...it does help to solidify the book in my memory. Here's to writing more reviews in 2022 ;-) And lots more picture of your horses!

Currently Reading:

Happiness - Aminatta Forma - 2019 - library


Finish - Jon Acuff - 2017 - Kindle


The New Silk Roads: The New Asia and the Remaking of the World Order - Peter Frankopan for one of my book clubs.


Starting for the Asia book challenge:
The Essential Rumi - Jalal al-Din Rumi (Author), Coleman Barks (Translator) - ROOT 2018

>1 streamsong: Breathtaking! Happy first new thread of the new year!

Thank you, Paul, Anita and Karen! I know I'll have many great reads and many great suggestions from you three!

It's actually warmer today - we've been in the single digits for about a week, but have now warmed above freezingl it's 34 F out there today. It means more snow is coming in tonight and tomorrow, but for now I'll take it! I need to go do some outdoor chores while I have the chance but will be back to visit everyone's lovely threads later today.

Welcome back!

By the way, Mrsdrneutron and I are headed to Bozeman/Big Sky for a conference in March. Not knowing much about Montana - is a meetup feasible?

Enjoy your 2022 reads!

>1 streamsong: and >2 streamsong: I just love all those images, Janet. Way to be optimistic!

I'm dropping off my star and wishing you and yours a wonderful new year. May this one truly bring us all flowers.

Hi Janet! Happy New Year and happy first thread of 2022.

>3 streamsong: Janet, way back when, my brother in law learned how to play guitar because he loved, loved John Denver's music. Fast forward to when I was with Will at Yellowstone. When we drove to Montana one night to watch a local rodeo, in front of the mountain range was a group of people riding horses. I remarked to Will that it reminded me of John Denver's music, some of which was an accolade to the Bitteroot Mountains and Montana!

I wish you a wonderful year of health, happiness and lots of books!

>15 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita! Glacier Park is pretty special.

>17 drneutron: Hi Jim! I would love to meet you! Bozeman is about three hours from Hamilton and about another hour from Big Sky. If the weather is good, it's a pleasant drive. If the weather is ugly, it goes over one of the most challenging interstate passes in the country, Homestake Pass, which eats semi trucks during blizzards. Let me know your schedule. I would be happy to drive to meet you.

>18 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori!

>19 EBT1002: Thank you, Ellen! Ha! You should see the FB meme I had originally intended to use, about 2022 being pronounced the same way as 2020, too. Decided I needed something more hopeful.

>20 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen! Wishing you a year of good books and good health.

>21 Berly: Lovely, Kimmers. Happy New Year to you, too.

>22 Whisper1: I love that story, Linda. John Denver's lyrics may have been about Colorado, but they certainly applied to western Montana's mountains, too - "Coming home to a place I'd never been before" was my ex's favorite lyric.

>24 streamsong: I'll let you know when I get more info on the conference schedule. We'll be there March 5 - 11, and my paper's on the 7th. We're planning a snow cat tour of Yellowstone one day that week, likely Wednesday. It would be fun to do a day trip to Bozeman one of the other days, maybe we could meet then.

Happy New Year, Janet!

Hi Janet, I found you today and have starred your thread. Wishing you wonderful reading in 2022! Love the photo in >1 streamsong:!

Janet, you are starting the 2022 year of reading with some mighty fine choices.

>26 drneutron: PM'ed you, Jim. I would love to meet you and MrsDN!

>27 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe!

>28 mdoris: Thank you, Mary!

>29 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. I'm really enjoying Happiness.

2022



1.Dashing Through the Snow – Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark - 2008
- ROOT#1- acq'd 2021

Picturesque Brascombe, New Hampshire has decided to promote their quaint little town with a Christmas Festival of Joy.

But the day before the festival a group of workers from the town’s grocery store win a huge lottery payout and chaos is let loose on the town. There are swindlers, missing persons, stolen tickets, kidnappings (even some of the bad guys end up bound and gagged to be disposed of in the local lake), a missing fiancé and ties to a murder that happened eight years before in another state.

Former lottery winner Alvira Meehan and private investigator Regan Reilly arrive to help sort things out. With all the twists and turns, you know everything will turn out all right in the end, because that’s the way of this series. Good light Christmas or holiday fun.

3.5 stars

I mentioned these virtual cooking classes last year on my thread.

They help support the refugee center in Missoula. The classes feature authentic dishes and cooking techniques by immigrant and refugee chefs.

The classes are recorded if the time doesn't work for you (or if you want to refer back to techniques, etc) .

There is always a vegetarian option

"United We Eat
·
Virtual Cooking Class!!! Give the gift of experience or sign up for yourself. We will be cooking along with Chef Zohair of @zeeramt who will be teaching us Pakistani culinary secrets. Get your tickets now!!! $15 or $20 includes tip for the chef! Class will be held virtually on January 13 from 5pm-6:30 ishhh. 🌶🙌🥒🥬🌶🔪🔪 "

https://unitedweeatmt.org/pages/virtual-cooking-class

I'm very far behind on reviews, but besides reviewing the new year's books I'm going to try to catch up with reviews for December 2021.

This was another read for The Ultimate Potential Class mini challenge - read 10 pages of an inspirational or self-help book.



December 2021 Review: Book #95 Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to… - Brene Brown - 2017
- 10 pages Acuff Read
- ROOT #13 Acq'd 2017


This is a wonderful look at being brave enough to stand up for your own thoughts while respecting those around you. Some of the best summaries of this work are in her chapter titles:
- People are hard to hate Close Up – Move in.
- Speak truth to bullshit. Be civil. Hold hands with strangers,
- Strong back, Soft front, Wild heart

I love this quote she uses by Joseph Campbell: “If you see your path laid out in front of you, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take.”

I'm looking forward to reading her newest book Atlas of the Heart.

Happy New Year, Janet. I look forward to more great recommendations from you this year. I love the photos!

I hope you are loving Happiness; it was one of my favorites the year I read it.

I'm currently reading The Boat People, which I think I heard about here? It is very good, although tough to read, given our current immigration policy.

Janet, your thread always has the most awesome scenery pictures. I loved reading about the foxes in London when I read Happiness a few years ago. So atmospheric.

I look forward to following your reading this year. Hope that 2022 has lots of happiness in store for you.

>33 streamsong: I listened to a podcast Brown did with her sisters this past summer. She is so smart and funny and adding her two sisters just made it fun, like we were all chatting by the pool on a hot summer day. It was based on the only book I have read: The Gifts of Imperfection. It sounds like it has a similar message to Braving the Wilderness. Just added that and her new one to my TBR list. I also have Dare to Lead on the shelf.

>34 BLBera: Hi Beth! Happy New Year to you, too. I read The Boat People last year and thought it really eye opening. I can't remember who gave the recommendation to me - one of my Canadian friends, I think.

>35 Donna828: Hi Donna! I'm glad you found me and that you enjoyed the opening picture.

Donna and Beth, I finished Happiness last night. Such an interesting interplay of characters! I'll try to get my review done quickly.

>36 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! I would have loved to hear that podcast. I've listened to several of her TED talks, but I bet the interaction with her sisters was a joy. I'll have to see if I can find it.

I found this on Wikipedia about Happiness author Aminatta Foma:

"Aminatta Forna was born in Bellshill, Scotland, in 1964 to a Sierra Leonean father, Mohamed Forna, and a Scottish mother, Maureen Christison. When Forna was six months old the family travelled to Sierra Leone, where Mohamed Forna worked as a physician. He later became involved in politics and entered government, only to resign citing a growth in political violence and corruption. Between 1970 and 1973 he was imprisoned and declared an Amnesty Prisoner of Conscience. Mohamed Forna was hanged on charges of treason in 1975.2829 The events of Forna's childhood and her investigation into the conspiracy surrounding her father's death are the subject of the memoir The Devil That Danced on the Water. The trauma of her father's death is a contributing factor to the common theme of psychological trauma throughout many of her novels."

I think I would like to read The Devil That Danced on the Water. I know next to nothing about Sierra Leone's civil war.

>38 streamsong: Thanks for sharing that. I loved her novel, Happiness and I also know next to nothing about Sierra Leone's civil war. I'm going to see if either of my libraries has a copy of The Devil That Danced on Water.

^ SPL has only a book version (which I can't use over here in the outback of eastern Washington) and the local library doesn't have it at all. Oh well.

Hi Ellen! I'm glad you thought the info on Aminatta Forna was interesting.

I'm working on my review for Happiness and it really gave me some insights into the novel. :)

There is only one copy of The Devil That Danced on Water in our 30+ library linked system. It's located in a high school library. Oftentimes, they aren't able to send books, so I'll see if I get it or not.

I bought a copy of The Devil that Danced on Water after reading The Window Seat, which is also brilliant. I would be happy to share, but I have no idea when I will actually read it.

Thanks, Beth, that's a generous thought! It looks like I have a copy on the way, but it sounds like Ellen would be very interested.

2. Happiness – Aminatta Forna - 2018
- Global Reading: Sierra Leone writer
- library


Jean is a wildlife biologist. Her interest are the small predators that make their homes in urban environments. Her previous study concerned urban coyotes in the United States. She’s currently studying foxes in London.

Both studies drew backlash from locals who feared having wildlife in such close proximity to their pets and children. Even if Jean can show their fears are greatly exaggerated, the hatred of coyotes and foxes continue.

Her new-found career led to a breakdown in her marriage and separation from her now grown son.

And then, following foxes in the middle of the nights, she meets Atilla a psychiatrist from Ghana who is giving a keynote speech in London on the trauma that humans, especially children, endure in the middle of civil war.

Atilla is out in the night, searching for his missing nephew, who has been caught up in a false immigration sweep and living on the London streets. And then there’s Attila’s dear friend and love, lost in a world of Alzheimer’s and now dying.

What is stress? Does all stress lead to trauma? How does one move forward?

Well drawn, complex characters . Stories within stories to draw you onward.

>44 streamsong: Sounds good, Janet, added to mount TBR.

Thanks, Anita. I hope you like it!

>33 streamsong: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Janet!

>44 streamsong: That one is in the BlackHole already or I would be adding it again.

I also loved Happiness, Janet. Great comments.

Thanks for stopping by, Stasia and Beth! Stasia I hope you enjoy them both.

Beth, my copy of The Devil That Danced on Water has arrived at the library today. It will probably be a bit before I get to reading it, though.

A while back Mark recommended Miracle and Wonder with Malcom Gladwell talking to Paul Simon about how Simon composed his iconic songs. This is only available on Audible since it's an Audible original, but I was able to find it on our library's Hoopla account. This will be a 5 star listen for me. Find it if you're a fan or interested in music composition.

Another super great distraction is the PBS series The Good Karma Hospital (Blurb on box: "The love child of Call the Midwife and Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" Oh my. Apparently there are three seasons and I've just finished season 1. 5 stars for this, too.

Just so you don't think I'm off in a 5 star star frenzy, I am on my way to discuss Finding Chika by Mitch Albom with my newer book club. When I pick up a Mitch Albom, I know I'll cry, but I also always feel emotionally manipulated by them. The same is true of this story of Albom's Haitian foster daughter, dying of a brain tumor. He says on the first page that she has died, so not a spoiler.

Great reading, watching and listening going on over here!

Thanks, Mary!

I hope to get caught up eventually.

3. Washington Black – Esi Edugyan - 2018
- Global Reading: Barbados (partial location)
– library
Washington Black was born a slave on a Barbados sugar cane plantation. Even as a young child, his days under slavery were brutal.

But after the old master passed away, his master’s younger son, Titch, took an interest in Wash. Titch deemed Wash as the right ballast weight for his ‘cloud cutter’ flying machine, a lighter than air vehicle filled with hydrogen gas.

Titch is a scientific dilettante. Wash slowly develops an amazing talent illustrating Titch’s sea creatures and scientific plans.

Forced to use the cloud-cutter to attempt an escape from Barbados, they wander the world, together and separately.

I have trouble connecting the first part of the book where Wash is a slave to the second part, where he searches for his post slavery destiny. Several reviewers connect this second part with the first by saying that Wash (and even the white characters) find freedom hard to find. This just doesn’t ring true to me, since the realities of slavery don’t compare with the vagaries of searching for freedom in a non-slave life.

Still, it’s an interesting story, and I’m glad to have read it.

3.8 stars

>53 streamsong: I must get to that book soon, Janet. I bought it with intentions to read it straight away and that was a few years ago already!

>53 streamsong: I read this maybe a few years ago as a RL book group selection, don't remember details, do remember that I enjoyed the science aspect, also vaguely an interview w/ the author about the connections. It wasn't this one but something like it.

I saw you post in Club Read and was reminded that I'd intended to go looking for your thread.

>54 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I'll be interested to see what you think of Washington Black.

>55 qebo: Hi Katherine! Thanks for visiting here in the 75's. I'll look up your thread, too. You always have such interesting things to say. Thanks for looking up the interview. I'll check it out a bit later!

I am stuck in neutral, swimming in a sea of molasses right now. I don't seem to be accomplishing much in my everyday life or here visiting my LT friends.

I'm still surrounded by an ice surrounding my home, although the roads themselves are good. It means I'm limiting my outside time to just what must be done. And as Covid is spiking in this area, I'm reluctant to do much in the big world beyond. I think all this inside isolation is causing a bout of the January blues.

This was the choice of my second book club. It’s not one I would have picked up to read, as I have read Tuesdays With Morrie, The First Phone Call From Heaven and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I feel emotionally drained after reading Alborn’s books – I have cried after all three books, but always feel battered by his heavy handed emotionalism. Several of the book club members assured me that this is not the case with all his books. I won’t seek out his books, but would be open to reading another if it is chosen by a book club. Several members said they enjoyed one of his books with the writing done by the spirit of music.

It looks like two of the ones I have read were pre-Lt since they don't show up in my list. :)

The next choice of this club is The Man Who Climbs Trees which I have more hope for enjoying.



4. Finding Chika – Mitch Alborn - 2019
- Global Reading: Haiti (partial location)
- Newcomers' Book Club
– library


After the earthquake in Haiti, Mitch Alborn found himself becoming the director and financial organizer of an orphanage in Haiti.

One of the little girls, Chika, was found to have a brain tumor that no one in Haiti can help. So Mitch and his wife, bring the little girl to their home in Michigan to seek help in the United States.

Unfortunately, it’s a type of tumor where nothing can be done in the US, either, although the Alborn’s seek out many types of experimental treatments in the US and abroad.

We know from the first page that the little girl dies.

Alborn’s writing style is quite polished and I did like the device of the little girl’s ghost helping to focus the book.

I will remember details of this book because, when emotions are engaged, I remember more than from books that are strictly cerebral.

But once again, I feel emotionally battered at the end. Recommended? No. Not unless you need a good cry.

HI Janet, good to see you posting. January can be challenging with isolating weather conditions. Spring is coming.......

Sorry to hear about your January blues, Janet. Take care.

>58 mdoris: >59 BLBera: Hi Mary and Beth! Thank you for stopping in with cyberhugs.

The days are getting longer and spring is coming (eventually).

I know I just have to keep plugging away at stuff.

I have several goals that I try to accomplish each day ... but if I don't I forgive myself.

I have short term daily stuff -first of course is the horse chores, but I also try to do a bit of cleaning, cooking dinner, riding my exercise bike.

I have medium range projects - catching up on paperwork, decluttering, working on a daily planner/journal (hey, I've always hated lists, but I'm getting into this checking things off) trying to keep the kitchen table free of paper clutter, finding a trainer for the mare I bought in November.

My general decluttering is extremely slow motion. I am using this meme - but instead of removing a bag from each of these places, I only remove three items and the next day go on to the next area. It sounds very silly, but over a month, there should be about 100 items out of my house and I will start over again.

Today I am taking two boxes to donate somewhere. Although it's not as satisfying as decluttering one area completely and thoroughly, I do feel like I am making some progress



Long term goals: taxes, having house decluttered and clean enough so if Covid ever ends I am not mortified if someone drops in; selling two or three horses this year, getting barn built, perhaps making it to a horse show or two this year.

So now I'm off to get dinner going (curried pumpkin lentil soup) and listening to Miracle and Wonder which is just oh so good.

>53 streamsong: Oo, that does sound interesting. I will have to see if I can locate a copy. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Janet!

>60 streamsong: The curried pumpkin lentil soup sounds wonderful to me. Care to share the recipe?

And of course, I'd love to keep up better here on LT :) This one was, I believe, the choice for last years October Dick Francis group read. It's action packed plot hit the spot.



5. Decider – Dick Francis - 1993
-part of the 2021 Dick Francis group read
– library

Lee Morris and his five old-enough sons pack into their converted bus to take an Easter holiday road trip. Lee specializes in finding historic old ruins and converting them into modern, contemporary living. He and his family are off in search of ruins for the next project, while promising the boys some entertainment, too.

During the trip, Lee decides to attend a shareholders’ meeting for a race track that his mother had received a few shares after divorcing her abusive husband.

What Lee finds is a deeply divided family, split along the lines of continuing to operate the track or selling to a developer. The majority of the shareholders belong to his mother’s ex-husband’s family. There is not just abuse in the family, but true sociopaths lurk within. Explosions, beatings and even attempted murder are part of their arsenal to achieve their desired goals.

Lee and his boys are thrust into the middle of it, and of course are put into great danger.

Another page turning story by the master storyteller whose protagonists are always good guys, and family dynamics are often twisted out of normal realities. I believe I’ve read at least one other where the plight of a racetrack is in the balance. So while the story is original, several of the plot devices – race track plight, twisted families – are beginning to feel familiar.

Good solid 3.7 star read.

>60 streamsong: Hi Janet, those goals sound very good and you have got me thinking about goal setting!

>62 streamsong: I read this last year and enjoyed it! Lee Morris is one of those fascinating Dick Francis characters with his five sons.

>63 mdoris: Hi Mary! One of my problems is that I feel like I am drowning in things that I need to do. I certainly don't get to every goal every day but I am trying to not get bogged down in the daily to-do list and to work on some of the longer term goals.

>64 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! It was a good one, wasn't it? Did you read it along with DF read? I got so behind with them that it looks like I dropped out, but I'm continuing with the list. I know I still have Shattered to read.

I wasn't crazy about the ending of Decider. Could I have made that marital choice? Even with 6 kids?

Hi, Janet. Good reviews of Washington Black and Decider. Decider is one of my favorites by Dick Francis, in part because I’d like to live in the big barn house he describes.

I just kind of accepted the first and second half conjunction in Washington Black. I like your more thoughtful comparison and analysis.

>65 streamsong: I did do it with the Dick Francis group. And I read a bunch more DF last year. It was my "mystery" year. I thought the whole marriage piece was a fascinating sidebar. Francis keeps his mysteries interesting in that way as he constantly reminds us that they are about people. The only thing I don't like about DF is what I see as cruel and casual violence. I guess I don't live in that kind of world.

>66 jnwelch: I loved the description of the barn house and the other work he did as well!

>66 jnwelch: HI Joe - It's good to see you! That was quite a house in Decider. All I can think of though, is the cleaning ..... (not a favorite of mine as it takes me away from outdoor things and reading!!!) a huge house with the size of his family was a necessity, though. I'd love to live in a smaller, redone historic house.

I'm just about to post my review of World of Wonders. I'm sure the nudge to read this one was from you.

>67 witchyrichy: Interesting thoughts about the violence in the Dick Francis books, Karen. I am so afraid that that sort of cruelty will spill over in the current political situation and we will see more and more of it as I think the jump from verbal abuse to physical abuse is small.

Last week my RL book club discussed The Night Circus and the cruelty of the competition was a major theme there, too.

I think I'll keep on with the Dick Francis books. I'd also like to try some by his son, Felix Francis to compare them. Have you read any of them?

I love mysteries as 'palate cleansers' between more serious works.

This was on Joe’s favorite non-fiction books for 2021 and also his favorites-of-all-for-2021 lists. I knew it had to be good!

Enjoy the cover! It's not just decorative, but shows many of her Astonishments.



6. World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments - Aimee Nezhukumatathil - 2020
– library


Short essays about the absolutely astounding flora and fauna with which we share the world. Some of these were familiar to me, such as whale sharks, peacocks and fireflies. Others, including Potoos, Dancing Frogs and Vampire Squid were entirely new.

There are so many wonderful beings living just beyond the edge of our knowledge. You’ll be glad you discovered them.

She also recalls her childhood as a brown child (Indian and Phillipino) in white places.

Uplifting and written with a poet’s turn of phrase. I will be looking for more by this author and looking forward to seeking out her poetry.

4.5 stars

>62 streamsong:, >69 streamsong: I've probably read all of Dick Francis, going back to high school in the 1970s so I couldn't say which is which... and agree with >67 witchyrichy: about the violence. I tried one Felix Francis and that was the end of that; checking old threads I see this was nearly a decade ago and I'd forgotten details but remembered the negativity of my review.

Also how has a decade gone by?

January Summary
8 books read

1. Dashing Through the Snow - Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark - 2008 - ROOT#1- acq'd 2021
2. Happiness - Aminatta Forna - 2018 - Global Reading: Sierra Leone author - library
3. Washington Black -Esi Edugyan - 2018 - Global Reading:Barbados (partial location) - library
4. Finding Chika - Mitch Alborn - 2019 - Global Reading: Haiti (partial location) - Newcomers' Book Club - library
5. Decider - Dick Francis - 1993 - library
6. World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments - Aimee Nezhukumatathil - 2020 - library
7. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstem - 2011 - Reread - Library Brown Bag Book Club - library
8. The New Silk Roads: The New Asia and the Remaking of the World Order - Peter Frankopan - 2018 - Newcomers' Book Club - Global Reading - Root #2 purch 2021 - Kindle

YEAR CATALOGED OR ACQUIRED
2 - 2021
6 - library

Total ROOTS read (acquired before 2022)
2

FORMAT
1 - Kindle app
7 - printed books

GENRE

- 5 - Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

1 - fantasy - Reread
2 - global reading
2 - literary fiction
2 - mystery

- 3 - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
1 - essays
1 - history
2 - global reading
1 - memoir
1 - nature/outdoors

AUTHORS

3 - Male Authors
5 - Female Authors
- Combination of male and female

4 - Authors who are new to me
3 - Authors read before
1 - Reread

Nationality of Author:
1 - Canada
4 - US
2 - UK/Sierra Leone

Birthplace or residence of Author if different from nationality:

Setting of book if different than author's nationality:
1 - Barbados (partial location)
1 - Haiti (partial location)

Language Book Originally Published in:
8 - English

Original Publication Date
1 - 1992
1 - 2008
4 - 2018
1 - 2020
1 - 2021

February Ongoing Statistics:

11 Books Read
9. Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done - Jon Acuff - 2017 - 10 pages a day inspirational book - Root #3 - purchased 2021 - Kindle
10. Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods - Christine Byl - 2013 - Glacier Conservancy Book Club - library
11. The President and the Frog - Carolina de Robertis - 2021 - Global Reading - Uruguay - library
✅ ❤️ 12. Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell - 2021 - audiobook - library/Hoopla
13. Our Malady Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Diary - Timothy Snyder - 2020 - library
14. The Man Who Climbs Trees - James Aldred - 2017 - Newcomer's book Club - library
15. Alex's Wake - Martin Goldsmith - 2014 - Library Brown Bag Book Club - purch 2022
16. Ariadne - Jennifer Saint - 2021 - library
17. The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition - Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee - 2005 - Glacier Conservancy Book CLub - library
18. Tunnels - Rutu Modan - 2020 - Asia Reading: Palestine/Israel - library

YEAR CATALOGED OR ACQUIRED
1 - 2021
1 - 2022
3 - library

Total ROOTS read (acquired before 2022)
1

FORMAT
1 - audiobook/Hoopla
1 - Kindle app
3 - printed books

GENRE

-1 - Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

1 - graphic novel
1 - magical realism
1 - political fiction
1 - retelling of myth

- 7 - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
2 - history
1 - inspirational
1 - medical
4 - memoir
1 - music
1 - Native Americans
1 - politics
2 - nature/outdoors
1 - travel

AUTHORS

5 - Male Authors
5 - Female Authors
1- Combination of male and female

7 - Authors who are new to me
4 - Authors read before
0 - Reread

Nationality of Author:
1 - Israeli
1 - UK
2 - US
1 - Uruguay

Birthplace or residence of Author if different from nationality:

Setting of book if different than author's nationality:
1 - Greece
1 - Palestine (partial)

Language Book Originally Published in:
8 - English
1 - Hebrew
1 - Salish (partial)
1 - ?

Original Publication Date
1 - 2004
1 - 2013
1 - 2014
2 - 2017
2 - 2020
4 - 2021

>70 streamsong: World of Wonders sounds great, and the cover is gorgeous, Janet. I'll add it to my list.

>71 qebo: Hi Katherine! That's good to know about Felix Francis's disappointing take on his father's legacy. At some point, I'll probably read one, just to say I have, but there are so many good ones to read before that.

Ha! on the decade. In checking my books before the recent RL book club I knew I had read The Night Circus when it first came out, but had no idea that it was TEN YEARS ago. Holy guacamole! Ten years! I do love keeping track of my reads here on LT.

>74 BLBera: Hi Beth! I hope you'll enjoy World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments. It's a great pick-me-up!

And isn't it wonderful to see a cover created especially for a book, instead of a stock image that you know you've seen several places!

Currently reading:



The President and the Frog by Carolina De Robertis

Still listening to:



Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon - Malcom Gladwell - this will be 5 stars!!!



Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way by Richard Twiss - church study group
along with a long overdue LTER book which seems to go along with this one:

A Bigger Table, Expanding Edition with Study Guide: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community by John Pavlovitz (also using as my 10 pages of inspirational reading/day)

Still slowly making my way through:


The Essential Rumi for the Asia challenge

I did not comment on the cooking class in >32 streamsong: . It turned out that I just watched it and did not cook along. Aloo Paratha turned out to be a potato mixture inside a sort of double pancake of flour and water and then used to scoop up curried lentils and herbed yoghurt. The chef said it was a traditional Pakistani breakfast - but as it takes over an hour to make "someone has to really love you to get up early enough to make it for breakfast". As always, even when I don't make the recipe, I enjoyed seeing the various cooking techniques the chefs use.

We had several days of really cold weather, down to 0F. I really struggle to get horse chores done in that much cold, and find it totally exhausting. Yesterday it was 6F when I got up, followed by the mid 20's by the end of the day. This morning it is in the 40's, so I did a few extra chores outside. A new storm is supposed to come in later today with rain followed by snow.

>78 streamsong: Hi Janet. I guess you have no choice when it comes to the chores for the horses. They MUST be done regardless. It sounds chilly there. Stay warm!

>78 streamsong: Aloo paratha is very tasty!

Stay warm and have a lovely weekend, Janet.

>79 mdoris: Hi Mary! I appreciate your visits so much!

Yes, the horse chores must be done. I'm keeping track of my time a bit and it usually takes me 3-4 hours a day to do the minimum: feed hay morning and night, water, daily meds for one of the oldsters, grain, included two that must have their grain rations presoaked before they can eat it. (The old guy and the mare that has a scarred esophagus from previous choking). It sounds like a lot, but I can split it over several trips outside, especially when it's very cold. The only limitation is that *all* the crew must be fed at the same time. No going in to warm up, if only half of them have been fed!

ETA: I am greatful that temps have warmed in the last few days. We've had a true chinook with huge gusts up to 45 miles per hour followed by the warmer temps.

>80 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I'd love to try the Aloo paratha. I'm being a bit careful since Christmas with my carb intake since I have type II diabetes. Too many Christmas cookies led to some eye problems! Also the chef said that the potato stuffed pancakes (for want of a better word) did not warm up well and should be eaten fresh. Living alone, I would have to make a very small batch. In the meantime, though, I will try his version of the curried lentils with the herbed yoghurt.

>81 streamsong: Hi Janet, What happens if you feed some of the horse and not all at the same time? I am just curious. I saw a video yesterday of 100s of horses at the Alberta/Montana border, I guess protesting. It was magnificent to see all the ranchers on their horses in what must be very, very cold weather. Any you get to see beautiful horses every day. Nice!

>83 mdoris: The unfed horses throw a fit. They wait patiently while I'm feeding as long as they know I'm making the rounds, but a break in the feeding causes the unfed ones to decide I am never going to feed them ever again.

Funny story: the last time a few managed to get out, I threw hay to some still in the pens, and the escapees galloping around with their tails high in the air (as they do when they are happy or excited) immediately rushed back to their pen in case they would miss out.

Not so funny story: a few years back when the haystack fell on me, I had fed half the horses. When I stood up, my leg was V shaped at the knee, but as I stood there it moved back into place enough so that using the hay cart as a walker, I could finish feeding before calling an ambulance.

I am definitely their servant.

I wonder if the protest you saw was the one called by the Canadian truckers who don't want to have to be vaccinated as they move back and forth across the US/Canadian border. I think I had heard some ranchers were joining the thousands of trucks blockading the Alberta border and Ottawa.

Hi Janet, Just as I suspected! So they are patient as long as they know their turn is imminent. Interesting! What a memory with your broken leg. Horrible! And you had to finish the feeding before an ambulance was called. Otherwise some barn bedlam I guess. Do horses fight and show their temper often?
Yes, the horses were part of the Canadian trucker protest at the border. And there was a LOT!!! of them. They want the mandates to end.

HI Mary - I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to walk on my leg if it had actually been broken. I tore two of the big ligaments that stabilize my right knee - the ACL and the MCL making my knee V towards the inside. But the third ligament on the outside of the leg held it all together and once that third ligament popped things back into alignment, it wasn't terrible painful at that point. It did get very sore later.

Almost all of my horse friends have injury stories where they finish what they are doing and drive themselves to the hospital. One extra tough lady I know tore an artery, wrapped it up, and drove 40 miles to the hospital. They wanted to take her to surgery, but she refused because her dog was in the truck in the parking lot. So they stitched her up and she drove herself home.

My horses are gentle. I just couldn't manage ornery ones being here by myself. That isn't to say that they won't spook at a bad moment or momentarily forget that I am alpha when they are in a group. The youngsters are playful and roughhouse with each other; the older horses have a very distinct pecking order. It's not uncommon for one being chased to try to hide behind me and the chaser being needed to reminded that Yes, I am alpha and they can't pick on a horse near me.

I sincerely hope that the Canadian trucker protest doesn't spread to the US. There seems to be a lot of support for them in crazier-by-the minute Montana

I listened to the audiobook of this one when it first came out about ten years ago. I recently reread it for my RL book club. The audio left me somewhat confused about events as there are frequent skips in time as well as character viewpoints. I did not even write a review, since although I enjoyed the imagery of the circus, I felt that I had not really followed the plot. Rereading the written version was much easier to follow.



7. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern - 2011
- Reread
- Library Brown Bag Book Club
– library

Two ancient magicians each choose a ward for a competition to see which of them can create the better magician. They have done so many times before and the last competition lasted for over eighty years.

In this version of the competition, the two challengers create incredibly magical rooms and experiences within a circus that only appears during the night time hours.

The contestants don’t know who their opponent is. They also are kept ignorant that it is competition to the death. But even with precautions, the young man and woman meet, and inevitably fall in love …

Wonderful magical inventive descriptions of the circus. I would attend this circus anytime and might even become one of the reveurs who compulsively who follow the circus from place to place.

The plot I found less engaging. It often seemed like a huge meringue (the circus) without enough substance to anything within. 3.6 stars.

I would not recommend the audiobook due to the frequent time and character shifts.

I listened to the audiobook of this one when it first came out in 2012. I recently reread a paper for my RL book club. The audio left me somewhat confused about events as there are frequent skips in time as well as character viewpoints. I did not even write a review, since although I enjoyed the imagery of the circus, I felt that I had not really followed the plot. Rereading the written version was much easier to follow.

>84 streamsong: I love your horse stories, Janet.

I can't imagine listening to The Night Circus; it was one I always thought I would get more from if I read it again, but I don't know that I care enough to do that.

>86 streamsong: Thank you Janet for the explanation. Of course I should have remembered about your torn ligaments as you needed rest and therapy and appointments for a long time. I too loved hearing about your horse stories and interesting to hear about your "alpha" position. I would like to know more about that. I always think of horses of being so large and powerful so it is interesting that you are the boss and respected by them. They are such gorgeous animals.

Hi Beth - Thanks for stopping by! It's always great to have you here.

Exactly how I feel about The Night Circus. I would never have reread it except for my book group. And the audio is impossible!

Hi Mary! Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you enjoy the horse stories.

Horses actually have a very complicated subtle system of body and eye language - and they actually prefer to have a leader. If you're interested, Monty Roberts and other natural horsemanship trainers have some neat videos on the phenomenon of 'join up' like here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYtTz9GtAT4

For me, my alpha position means the horses can't reach into my bubble of space without my permission. This is a real safety issue - if I'm leading another horse, they can't crowd in and cause problems. It's easy enough to control this with eye contact, and position of my hands. Occasionally, a youngster will push and need a bit more of a push or pop. And it doesn't mean that I don't get bonked from time to time; last summer I got hit in the head by a youngster spooking and hitting my head with his head. I think I had a mild concussion, but didn't realize it for a few days ...

The flip side is that the alpha (me) can reach into a lower horse's bubble at any time. They walk up to me and extend their head to get caught.

8. The New Silk Roads: The New Asia and the Remaking of the World Order - Peter Frankopan – 2018
- Newcomers' Book Club
- Global Reading - (too many countries to list - see below!)
– Kindle
- Root #2 purch 2021 -– started reading 12/2021


This was a tough read for me as I am deficient in history. It was chosen by my Newcomers’ Book Club last fall and, unfortunately took me several months to complete.

While the United States is flip-flopping from one administration to the next on foreign policy, China is creating a clear coalition built of neighboring countries and those cash-poor countries that have vital resources or hold the key to trade routes. These coalitiions are often created when China provides loans for infrastructure or resource development.

There is concern about what will happen if the countries cannot pay back these loans – will China suddenly own important infrastructure such as deep water ports, rare earth mines and airports if these poor countries default?

In the meantime, the US is not only flipflopping on foreign policy, aid provided by the US is seen as having too many strings attached. Oftentimes, sanctions are imposed against countries without consideration of the impacts this will have on their trade partners.

Clearly the author feels that the US is being out-strategized by the diplomatic policies of China under the leadership of Xi Jinping.

Luckily the index for this book is comprehensive as it lists countries, leaders, important geographical features and much more. To show the immensity of the impact, I picked out the following affected countries from the index (this is probably not an exhaustive list of every country mentioned) :

From the index: Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, India, China , Russia, Albania, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvadore, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Laos, Libya, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Nepal, Niger, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Sao Tome e Principe, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen

I'm giving this four stars, because, while I don't think I will retain much beyond than the main points of this book, it will be a useful reference to look up current events.

This review pertains to the 2020 edition. There is an earlier edition with a slightly different title that was printed before Trump was elected, which, naturally does not analyze his effects on foreign policy.

>91 streamsong: Thanks Janet and thanks for the link. i found that very interesting. I am so NOT alpha with horses, I now realize, and they can no doubt assess that in a second. The bubble of space is an interesting concept. I have never heard of this.

>92 streamsong: Wow! It sounds interesting.

Hi Janet, Just watched the video. That was really fascinating. I learned a lot! Thank you.

In the midst of the horse chores, you have been doing some great reading!

>69 streamsong: >71 qebo: I haven't read any Felix Francis books and they aren't high on the list right now.

>70 streamsong: This one is sitting on top of my pile. Glad you liked it and ready for a good read.

>93 mdoris: >95 mdoris: Hi Mary! You know how it goes. Horses are like any other living beings. Sometimes things go to plan and sometimes spring is in the air, their tails are high and I feel like a fool for posting that I have any control at all. Yay for spring!

>94 BLBera: Hi Beth! It was interesting. I don't have any background to judge the veracity of the author's conclusions, but it was an interesting, but slow read.

>96 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! Thanks for stopping in! I think you'll enjoy World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments . It's quick and upbeat.

I still have a few unread Dick Francis on Planet TBR, so I'll probably read those before trying out Felix.

So many books, so little time!

Hooray! I'm done with the January reviews and on to February. It seems like I'm reading a really mixed bag right now. Many of them I had put on my library hold list and then suspended them for several months. And now, I'm down to read them or return them unread, which I hate to do since they are often from other libraries. I don't like to disrespect my local library by making them get books in for me and then not reading them.

Yes, i think we are all really looking forward to SPRING, renewal, new chances, new growth.

Yes, Yay for spring! I have a few bulbs starting to push through. Crocus for sure - can't remember what the other one is.

I read this as part of my 10-pages-a-day inspirational read which was recommended in an online class, by author Jon Acuff.



9. Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done - Jon Acuff - 2017
- 10 pages a day inspirational book
- Root #3 - purchased 2021 – Kindle


Do you have projects that you are excited to have started, but never quite get finished? Are you further along in your life goals than you were last year at this time? Are you further along than you were last week?

From the tough middle, to the phenomenon of giving up after a ‘perfect day’, to stopping right before you meet your goal, Acuff tackles the ability to finish your projects with humor and insight.

I admit it. I am a procrastinator with many things unfinished. Jon’s inspiration, along with his encouragement to ‘do less to accomplish more’ work for me.

4 stars

And on that note, I'm still slogging slowly along with my decluttering scheme in >60 streamsong:.

I am currently on #10 - working on one drawer of one nightstand ( I did mention I am doing this slowwwwwwllllllly, right?) . And I found a treasure. When I removed the drawer, there were papers underneath it - clearly the drawer had been so full that they had been skiffed off the top to disappear beneath the drawer.

I found a letter written by my ex's father that he had written to his wife and infant son (my ex) while he was fighting WWII. The ex left 15 years ago and died several years back, but I sent the letter to my son - his grandfather passed before he was born. Such a neat piece of hidden history. By far the coolest thing my decluttering has brought to light.

>102 streamsong: HI Janet, that is a gem to find!

>70 streamsong: Adding that one to the BlackHole, Janet. Thanks for that recommendation! My local library actually has it - bonus!

>87 streamsong: I loved that one when I read it. Sorry it was not a better book for you.

>103 mdoris: Hi Mary! It was a gem to find and so much better than my other discoveries which usually end up in the trash.

The letter is on its way now to my son. In a way, I worry about it getting lost as they will have frequent moves as they finish out their graduate degrees and internships. But .... large BUT ... my daughter-in-law is an archivist so how could it go to better hands? She currently works as an archivist at Disney and was just accepted into a PhD program at the U of Florida. :)

>104 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! It's aways good to see you here!

I know you'll enjoy World of Wonders. Joe seldom steers me wrong!

I wonder if I would have enjoyed The Night Circus more if my first attempt had not been on audio. Or perhaps, it just wasn't meant to be for me ....

I'm really reading a streak of non-fiction books right now.

I just finished reading The Man Who Climbs Trees for my RLBC#2 tomorrow. Although I love trees, I was never drawn to the descriptions of this book. I found it much more interesting than I imagined. My favorite part was his story of being several hundred feet up in an Fortaleza tree in Venezuela, trying to fix a camera in a harpy eagle's nest. Mom and Dad harpy were eager to defend their lone chick, although author James Aldred was wearing body armor, he did not escape unscathed.

Next week's RLBC#1 will be discussing Alex's Wake: The Tragic Voyage of the St Louis to Flee Nazi Germany.

And I need to quickly read The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition which was a choice for the Glacier (Park) Conservancy Book Club. I've had it out almost three months which means my time is up. :(

I've just started doing Wordle. Wordle 243 5/6

This is only my second completed puzzle. Interestingly, I started the puzzle yesterday, got stuck and didn't get back to it. But it didn't count against me - it still says I have a streak of 2 going.

⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I need brain exercises. I make the craziest mistakes everyday. Yesterday, I showed up for book club an hour early. Luckily, I had a long process to get through at the bank and so did that before book club instead of afterwards. And Yay! I'm feeling good that the bank process is done. I will definitely count it as a Big Weekly Win.

Another small paperwork win:

Remember this guy, born last year with his unusual spotted tail?





I finally received his registration papers this week. His official name is "True Tale" although his barn name is Story.

>109 streamsong: What a cutie.

I am so sick of this deep freeze, Janet! We had a day in the thirties on Monday, and now are back in the single digit highs for the next week! I am so ready for spring. I can't even imagine doing outdoor chores in this weather.

>109 streamsong: Yes, Janet, I remember him. Story is a nice barn name for a True Tale.
Any recent pictures? *hint*

>110 BLBera: Hi Beth! We've had a few days of teasing-ly warm weather, with highs in the 50's. A storm is moving back in again tonight and Monday and Tuesday lows are supposed to be once again hovering near 0F.

My crocus are coming up - I know they often come up through snow; I hope they can survive the next few days of ultra cold.

The secret of doing chores, is, well having to do them. That, and having many layers as well as chemical hand warmers, and multiples of everything so if anything gets slightly wet it can be changed out and dried.

The hardest part is getting out there and starting when I'm cozy warm inside.

>111 FAMeulstee: The most recent photos I have of Story are the ones I took in October when I needed to take photos of all four sides (left, right, front, back) showing all his markings for registration. He is now a furry mudball.





This one shows mom in the foreground and dad in the background. Both are before he was weaned.

Because he was born in June, he is a late colt and would have a hard time showing against those born much earlier in January, February or March.

Nevertheless, I am very proud of this guy and might give showing him at halter (leading him while his conformation and movement are judged) a whirl.

Time for another odd-ish non-fiction review. This one was a choice for the Glacier Conservancy Book Club, since part of it occurs in Glacier National Park.



10. Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods – Christine Byl - 2013
– Glacier Conservancy Book Club
- library
3.7 stars

For many students who love the outdoors and are looking for summertime seasonal work, national park and forest trail crews are often first step summer jobs.

Maintaining trail is very hard work – not only the physical shoveling, sawing and rock removal, but most trail crews hike to their work destination each day, with the exception if they are on a ‘swing’; then they hike to their destination camp there. Strings of mules led by packers may carry the heavier equipment, but the trail crews have to get in on their own power. In addition, if the trail is in the wilderness, no mechanical tools such as chain saws can be used.

Author Christine Byl found she loved the hard, physical work and the hard-fought acceptance as a woman keeping up with men doing the same job.

She spent time on crews in Glacier National Park, the coast of Alaska and eventually Denali National Park, where she now works in a more administrative capacity as well as following her career as a writer.

Her chapters not only evolve along her timeline of work, but also each one highlights a different tool such as adzes and pulaskis that those not as familiar with hand forestry may not know.

Since I live in an area where many friends have worked seasonally in forest jobs, I found this fascinating.

>113 streamsong: Hi Janet. Story is a beauty! Thanks for the pics.

>113 streamsong: I know next to nothing about horses, but that one sure is eyecatching.

>113 streamsong: How beautiful!

>70 streamsong: BB for me. That looks to be an excellent read.

Have a great weekend!

>115 mdoris: >116 qebo: >117 figsfromthistle: Mary, Katherine and Anita, thanks for the complements on the colt. He's a combination of eye- catching color and correct build.

His full sibling, my only foal of the year will be due in June.

>117 figsfromthistle: Anita, I think you'll enjoy World of Wonders. Short, quick essays full of - well - wonderment!

>113 streamsong: Thank you, Janet, Story really looks stunning.

>118 streamsong: A full sibling in 4 months, how exiting!

>120 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Thank you. I hate to anticipate too much - raising horses can be heartbreaking at times. But I am looking forward to this baby and hoping again that it will have 'indoor plumbing' (be a filly).

-2 F today 2/22/22. It's not supposed to get much above the mid teens today. It's deceptively bright and sunny outside.

I can’t remember who recommended this author, but I know my prime reason for adding this book to the library hold list was that the author is from Uruguay – the first book that I have read from this country. 😊 >6 streamsong:



11. The President and the Frog – Carolina de Robertis - 2021
- Global Reading: Uruguay
– library


Notes from the front cover: (Although neither the country nor the main character are identified, this “echoes the real-life legacy of former Uruguayan president Jose Mujica- known affectionately as El Pepe – to explore the resilience of the human spirit and what is possible when danger looms.”

...“a former guerrilla who was jailed for inciting revolution before becoming the face of justice, human rights, and selflessness for his nation. Now, as he talks to the journalist, he wonders if he should reveal the strange secret of his imprisonment: while held in brutal solitary confinement, he survived, in part, by discussing revolution, the quest for dignity, and what it means to love a country with the only creature who ever spoke back – a loudmouthed frog.”

This is a tough political novel – just the kind I need to avoid right now. But, from the beginning a journalist is interviewing the never-identified Jose Mujica of Uruguay, known as the world's poorest president. The reader therefore knows that Mujica survived imprisonment and torture, and unexpectedly, rose to the presidency.

This foreknowledge, as well as the conversations with the cynical frog, lighten the mood as Mujica reflects on his experiences. The humor made it possible for me to read his experiences and know that, he not only endured, he became a singular leader because of them.

I knew nothing about the history of Uruguay. Now I won’t forget this story.

I found this well-written, entertaining and thought-provoking.

Hi Janet!

>56 streamsong: Here I am behind, again, and hoping that a month down the road you’re not stuck in neutral. The weather this week has been absolutely brutal in Karen’s and your neck of the woods, so I hope you’re staying safe and dry and not frostbitten.

>62 streamsong: I’m so glad you read this one. It’s one of my favorites. I just love the wonderful family dynamic between Lee and his boys and the understanding he has with his wife.

>69 streamsong: I read and was disturbed by The Night Circus in January of 2012. I gave it to someone on LT, but don’t remember who.

>81 streamsong: 3-4 hours per day is a labor of love. I don’t even read 3-4 hours a day.

>86 streamsong: When Jenna was 16 she got shoved into the side of the stall by Dolly. Ouch, but didn’t think much of it. Next day we took her to summer camp, and 2 weeks later I got a phone call from her saying that she had a broken scaphoid bone in her right hand. Sigh.

>108 streamsong: yay for Wordle. I also play the NYT mini crossword, Spelling Bee, and Letter Boxed. Interesting about not finishing yesterday’s and having it not count in the statistics.

Hi Karen!

>123 karenmarie: the thing I'm learning about being stuck a bit is that, if you keep doing even very small stuff everyday, it adds up.

And naps. Lots of naps.

You're right - the Montana weather was brutal this week, with temps just below zero several days. It is now supposed to warm up. Hooray, hooray!

Decider is one of my favorite Dick Francis books. I'm glad I read it, too, even though too late to get it on the group discussion.

I bet that was shocking to not know that Jenna was injured until she went to camp. Darn horses, anyway.

I can't believe I've been raising colts for over fifty years now. And even though I swear I'm winding now, I'm thinking very hard about another mare. May go look at her later this week - long day trip.

Wordle. Well. Yesterday I just couldn't come up with it. I only came up with one vowel. Total fail. The only other word game I play is a freebie on my phone called Wordscapes. There is a weekly weekend tournament and I play just enough so I know I will win points toward my next crown.

Some days my brain just doesn't work.

>113 streamsong: We hope you keep him!

LT readers may feel a bond since he was born while we were near...

Thanks, Marianne, but I have several that born on over the last few years. I do want to keep Story, but several have to go. :(

I'm not one to hand out many five star ratings, but this is one of the rare ones!



12. Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell - 2021
- audiobook
- library/Hoopla


Malcolm Gladwell recorded conversations with Paul Simon over many months, touching on Simon’s early career as well as his later works.

I’ve always loved Paul Simon’s songs since I was a teenager in the early 70’s and Simon and Garfunkel were a team. Now I understand that Simon is also a musical and creative genius. Every chapter is enjoyable and enlightening.

The only downside I see to this book is that since it was an Audible production, it doesn’t seem to be available except through Audible. I was able to find it in my library’s Hoopla account.

13. Our Malady: Lessons in Liberty From a Hospital Diary – Timothy Snyder - 2020
– library


Another serious but short non-fiction read from author Timothy Syder, who also wrote the book On Tyranny.

Snyder had a botched diagnoses in three different hospitals (granted the first hospital was in Germany). This led to a significant oversight that very nearly led to his death. During his prolonged hospitalization he also contracted Covid at the start of the pandemic.

At the third hospital, he arrived in the company of a black female doctor who asserted rightly to the staff that Snyder was very close to death. She was dismissed, in what Snyder believes was blatant racism on the part of Emergency Room staff.

Snyder has very serious allegations against the US health care system. He makes a strong case for healthcare as a right and advocates non-commercial health care for all.


“Black women often die in childbirth and so do their babies. The mortality rate of babies borne by African American women is higher than in Albania,, Kazakhstan, China and about seventy other countries. America as a whole does worse than Belarus, the most Soviet of the post-Soviet states; and Bosnia, an awkward creation of the Yugoslav Civil war – not to mention forty other countries. “ P14

“Our system of commercial medicine, dominated by private insurance, regional groups of private hospitals and other powerful interests, looks more and more like a numbers racket. We would like to think we have health care that incidentally involves some wealth transfer; what we actually have is wealth transfer that incidentally involves some health care.” P 14

“Our malady is particular to America. We die younger than people in twenty-three European countries; we die younger than people in Asia (Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, Lebanon); we die younger than people in our hemisphere (Barbados, Costa Rica, Chile); we die younger than people in other countries with histories of British settlement (Canada, Australia, New Zealand)" P 14.

HI Janet, How are you doing? Have you got any signs of spring yet?

Hi Mary and thanks for stopping by!

I'm doing OK. Looks like I will have to add 'low salt' to my diet restrictions as, although my blood sugars are in very good shape, my kidneys are showing signs of diabetic stress. I had no idea all the complications Type ii diabetes can cause. I'll head over to the health thread and look for hints there.

The horses are shedding, the mud is deep. 40 and 50 degree temps and then cooling and more snow. A few of my spring bulbs are coming up.

>130 streamsong: Very sorry to hear Janet of the complex health challenges and the further need for modification of diet. It must also be a challenge to get the blood sugars under control so good for you! Glad that spring is happening for you but I guess you wouldn't mind if it didn't include mud and horses shedding.

Had my first spring trip to the local nursery today and I love nurseries, and plant snooping.

Hi Janet!

>130 streamsong: I’m sorry you’re going to have to add low salt to your diet restrictions. I’ve been on a low salt diet since my heart attack and have made quite a few adjustments. It’s not fun, but completely doable.

>130 streamsong: Do take good care of yourself, Janet. ((((HUGS)))))

Hey, made it to Big Sky today! Looking forward to Tuesday’s meetup. I sent contact info by PM.

Hooray for meet ups!

I loved The President and the Frog! I'm glad you liked it as well.

The Snyder book sounds like a must-read.

I posted the meetup pic on my thread - it’s also in my junk drawer. We had a wonderful time today! Thanks for spending time with us.

Just had a snoop over at Jim's thread for the meet-up picture. How fun is that to get together and then do some book shopping too. Perfect!

>131 mdoris: Hi Mary! I need to get on the ball and lose some weight as well as doing more aerobic exercise.

Nothing better than looking through spring plantings at a nursery. (hmmm wonder if anyone has thought of a plant nursery with a reading corner or a bookstore - heaven!

>132 karenmarie: Hi Karen!Yeah, low salt - sigh. I didn't try at all during my wonderful Bozeman trip and meetup with Dr N, Mrs. Dr N and your friend Karen. I must brag, though that although the first night, Karen and I ate at a wonderful Mexican restuarant, I did manage to avoid the chips and salsa. Now I will have to start being good.

>133 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I will try to do so.

>134 drneutron: >136 drneutron: Hi Jim! Thanks for the meetup invite. It was really fun. I enjoyed meeting you and Danita and hearing you talk about your work was fascinating. (Karen did an interview with Jim for the local paper where she works) Perhaps I'll see you next year!

Here is the (stolen) photo from Jim's thread.



Janet (Streamsong), Karen (karenmarie’s friend local to Bozeman), Danita (Mrsdrneutron), Jim (drneutron)

And oh, look there's my poor squished cell phone on the table that I ran over while feeding horses and didn't have time to replace before the meetup.

The weather was tough as it's been below 0 F in Big Sky and way below in Yellowstone. My friend who lives in West Yellowstone is posting -23 this morning.

I delayed returning a day as there was enough snow on one of the interstate passes that I decided to wait until the next day. It was a good decision: as I said on Jim's thread: the only problem area I encountered was that Homestake Pass was icy. As I had three snowplows ahead of me a couple miles ahead of each other on the Pass, I felt very safe driving the well-sanded Interstate -until I passed the snow plow in the very front and realized just how icy it really was.

>135 BLBera: Hi Beth! I may well have gotten the suggestion for The President and the Frog from you. Thanks! It was a good one.

Yes, Our Malady was eye-opening about the current health situation in the U.S. It's a fast but sobering read.

14. The Man Who Climbs Trees - James Aldred - 2017
- Newcomer's book Club
– library


As a teenager, author James Aldred had a mountain climbing buddy who taught him how to climb trees using mountaineering equipment. The first tree they climbed together was a California Sequoia that had been planted in a UK tree reserve

Although he didn’t make it to the top of the tree his first day, he was hooked. He practiced, practiced, practiced and spent ten years refining his techniques often as a unpaid helper in various tree climbing capacities.

Eventually he made it to the top (grin) and became a professional tree climber and photographer for such organizations as BBC and National Geographic.

He’s climbed trees in Borneo, The Congo, Costa Rico, Peru, Australia, Gabon, Papua, Venezuela and Morocco while setting up zip lines and building tree houses far above the forest floor.

Of course trees don’t exist by themselves, so he has encountered unhappy neighbors such as elephants, apes, wasps and unhappy harpy eagles (the latter while setting up a nest camera in their kapok tree in Venezuela).

He’s also had amazing encounters with people, such as the Papua Korawai tribe that helped him build a tree house and had only one steel ax and a multitude of stone axes. On the other end of the spectrum he was doing a bit of tree trimming at the palace when Queen Elizabeth was disturbed by his presence as she hadn’t been told he would be there.

Interesting and well written nature, adventure and travel wrapped into one. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would after it became a selection of our book club.

Last week was a crazy week with my fast six hour trip to Bozeman and back through snow and storm to meetup with Dr N and company and then various horse stuff happenings on my return - (sold one, one into training, possible new broodmare)

I have waaay too many books in progress at once, Since I haven't updated for a while, here is what I'm currently reading:


Ines of my Soul - Isabel Allende audiobook and ROOT started while driving for meetup


Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer - audiobook while exercising


Winter: A Novel - Ali Smith


The Dangers of Smoking in Bed - Mariana Enriquez -noir - short stories - Argentina


Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance and Revolution in Trump's America - Samhita Mukhopadhyay - current inspirational book


Rescuing the Gospel From the Cowboys - Richard Twiss - current Sunday school Bible study

and still making headway in

The Essential Rumi -

Wow, that's a LOT of books to be reading at once! You sound busy.

Hi Mary - Yes, way too many books! It's a symptom of my life right now. Too many! Too many horses, too many books partway done, too much clutter in the house.

Today I'm returning one book to the library that I started reading and did just not enjoy. I can't tell you the last time I didn't finish a book - usually I soldier through them. I'd pick it up, read a few pages, and then pick up something else, which is another reason I have so many partially read right now. I haven't mentioned the title on this thread since I'm sure someone here on LT recommended it highly.

I'm also need to return Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump. I'll get back on the list for this one. It's a popular new book and I can't renew it and haven't even started it, although I do want to read it.

I actually snuck past Jim's radar (not an easy thing to do) and bought one more book at the meetup book buying:



Women Elders Speak: Reflecting on the Pandemic - by Jo Anne Salisbury Troxel et.al

I love small press memoirs. I read the first few during the storm the night I stayed over in Bozeman. But I didn't want to add to the horrendous number of 'currently reading' books listed in >142 streamsong:. I'll pick it up again when I have finished some of the above. So far, the experiences are reflective on my own - I hope there will be differences as I read onward.

You are reading a lot of books, Janet. I am also reading Winter now, a reread for me. I think I like it more this time.

>146 BLBera: I'm enjoying Winter the most of everything I'm currently reading. It was a bit confusing at first, but now that's it's coming together, I'm enjoying the interactions.

I had told Stasia that I would read each of the quartet during the appropriate season. I'm barely making Winter.

>145 streamsong: Saw you looking at it, didn’t realize you bought it. Great!

Hi Jim - Yes, I remember you asking about it.

I love encouraging women writers and small presses.

But mostly I bought this one for the cover.

I know I've mentioned many times how much I enjoy the virtual cooking classes at United We Eat, supporting the refugee center in Missoula.

This month's Zoom class (Wednesday March 23rd at 5:30 MST)features Ukrainian chef Sophie Skripka teaching Ukrainian dishes and culture.

https://unitedweeatmt.org/products/virtual-cooking-class

Quote "Typically we offer an option to tip the chef, but Sophie has asked that all tips and other donations go via to World Central Kitchen, which is currently on the ground in Poland serving hot meals to Ukrainians fleeing war, as well as partnering with restaurants in Ukraine to help feed displaced people. Your donation will help feed Ukrainians during this desperate time.

You can donate to World Central Kitchen here https://donate.wck.org/team/412002

ETA: If you are on FB, there is a man named Steven Givot who is volunteering with World Central Kitchen - his accounts are fascinating and heartbreaking:

https://www.facebook.com/steven.givot

How the heck did I unstar your thread? Well, that major oversight is now corrected. You have some terrific books going at the moment. I loved both Winter, (the novel of course) and Braiding Sweetgrass.
I am glad to hear Story is doing well and hooray for a fine Meet Up with Jim!

Happy Sunday, Janet.

Hi Mark! I am definitely not pulling my weight visiting my friends on LT right now. I mean to rectify that! I miss all the great book talk.

I just finished the short story collection The Dangers of Smoking in Bed. Due to its noir-ness I believe it's a suggestion I probably received from you. True?

I didn't quite finish Winter spring appeared, but will try to finish it today.

I found a new-to-me 2017 Camry Hybrid at a price I can tolerate. I'm now waiting for funds to be transferred as well as having a mechanic look at it tomorrow. I've been casually watching the inflated prices for two years now, since just before the Pandemic.

My 2007 Civic was still running strong, but the paint had totally failed. It's been a faithful car, and I feel somewhat bad replacing it. It got me through 100 miles a day for 6 weeks of radiation treatments when I had breast cancer ten years ago.

I've never had a Hybrid, so this will be a totally new experience. Can anyone clue me in with maintenance etc?

Retiring a favorite vehicle is hard, but getting newer technology is good.

We just got Bill a new car and a used car for Jenna. The market is crazy out here. I wouldn't be surprised if they took Jenna's totalled car and repaired it to sell again.

I've just read The Dangers of Smoking in Bed too, what did you think of it?

>106 streamsong: I always say that "not every book is for everybody," and do not worry about if my opinion differs from everyone else's - they are simply just wrong :)

Some books require several attempts at them, although you may still dislike them even after that. My most notable multiple attempt book that I still have not read is One Hundred Years of Solitude. I have tried it several times and just cannot get into it!

>154 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Yes, I've been watching the used car market since just before the Pandemic started. I'm dismayed at how much it's increased - but my Civic needed to be replaced, and so, there it is.

I bought the 2017 Camry Hybrid yesterday.

I feel almost decadent driving it.

>155 feca67: Hi feca67! It's very nice to meet you! I thought The Dangers of Smoking in Bed was well written, but it was a bit dark for my taste - or perhaps my current mood. I am intrigued by Mariana Enriquez technique of ending the story just as the main event began. Sometimes it was intriguing, sometimes I was frustrated by it.
What did you think of the author's non-endings?

Have you read any of the Akashic Noir series? I see there is one in this month's Early Reviewers list.

>159 streamsong: So true, Stasia, that not every book is for everybody.

I have never been able to complete A Hundred Years of Solitude either, although, like you I have attempted several times.

Another other-people's-favorite that I have never been able to finish is Catch 22.

>158 streamsong: I didn't really consider the stories to be missing their endings when I read them, but after you pointed it out I went back to the book and I can see what you mean. I guess I liked them the way they are, though there are a couple (Meat and the Kids Who Come Back) that obviously leave questions for the reader, but I think with this type of writing it's all about the build up, and the fateful finale is perhaps optional. I like watching those Scandi Noir type TV series, and the final episode when they catch the bad guy is usually the least interesting. Anyhow, I enjoyed the book, it was definitely a bit different, thumbs up from me.

I've not come across the Akashic Noir series - though I've read The Fuck Up which was the first book Akashic published apparently - but they look interesting, I will give them a go for sure, thanks for the tip.

>157 streamsong: Congratulations on your new (used) car, Janet.
I hope it will last at least as long as the previous one.

>160 feca67: You make some very good points about noir buildup, Sam. One of the things I like about the Akashic series is that they are short story collections by many (local to the area) authors with many different styles within a volume.

And of course, I love the Akashic international titles as I read my way around the world.

>161 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! I doubt the new car will last as long .... the more computer components, the less long they seem to last. But it's now sitting in my driveway. And I am slowly learning how to back up using the backup camera. :)

I will post a picture of it, as well as a picture of my second new ride that I also acquired this week.

Hi Janet, Ooh, a second new ride. I am thinking of the horse variety and looking forward to a pic!

>163 mdoris: Ah, you know me too well or your intuition is too good.

This is Paris (Skippa Dew Dandy), my new broodmare. She's also broke to ride, so I expect I'll give her a bit of a whirl until she is safely in foal.



I know it seems crazy. But my stallion is becoming an elder gentleman at twenty and I am 65. Last fall I decided to plan to have 2 or 3 foals next year instead of the one I usually have. It's sort of a 'now or never' thing.

What a beautiful horse!

HI Janet, Paris is a beauty! Thanks so much for sharing the picture of her. You must have so much knowledge about horses.

>165 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! Its a very cool photo of the mare - unfortunately not taken at my place (no white fences, sigh!) or by me.

>166 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. Knowledge? Hmmm. I've been doing this for 50 years but often feel like a rank beginner.

And now I'm going back to books on this thread.

>159 streamsong: I do not believe I have ever tried Catch 22. Maybe I should.

>163 mdoris: Beautiful horse!

Happy Tuesday, Janet!

>168 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia!

Good luck if you decided to try Catch 22 !

15. Alex’s Wake – Martin Goldsmith -- 2014
- Library Brown Bag Book Club
- purchased 2022
3.7 stars

Author Martin Goldsmith’s grandfather and uncle were aboard the ill-fated ship the St Louis, which embarked from Hamburg Germany heading to Havana Cuba in 1939. It carried 937 passengers, most of them Jewish refugees who believed they had the proper permits and documentation for Cuba to grant them asylum.

Unfortunately, due to the Cuban political situation, almost all were denied admittance to Cuba and the ship was sent back to Europe. Many countries including the US and Canada, denied asylum to the refugees. Eventually, they were divided among four countries with about 25% each going to the UK, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

Goldsmiths’s relatives were among those released to France. At first the pair were in resettlement camps, but once the territory was under Nazi control, they moved to prisons camps and eventually were shipped to Birkenau where they were murdered in the Nazi gas chambers.

In this account, Goldsmith follows their journey to Cuba and then step by step across Europe, visiting the sites, finding evidence of their lives in the camps and their eventual deaths.

It’s a disturbing and humbling story, made very immediate by recent refugee criseses where refugees are also often denied asylum in the US and elsewhere.

>164 streamsong: Paris is a beauty, Janet, I hope she will give you a beautiful foal next year.

>171 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Today she'll come out of quarantine where's she been since her arrival a week ago and start joining the other mares.

Today is my library book club discussion of The Rosie Project. I didn't reread it - I enjoyed it when I read it several years ago, but the stereotypes also gave me a slimy feeling.

I had decided to make a rare exception and just not go to the book club, but a talk with a friend yesterday has me rethinking this. It's interesting that part of the national conversation since the incident at the Academy Awards is that what is funny to a person outside a situation may be offensive to a person inside a situation. Then there is also the issue of an author speaking for a group they are not part of. Mansplainng, Blacksplaining, NativeAmericansplaining. Neurotypical splaining.

Am I overthinking? I did read the sequels and thought the author did a better job especially with the third book.

16. Ariadne – Jennifer Saint - 2021
– library
3.6 stars


This is a retelling of the Greek myth of Ariadne, the daughter of the king of Crete. She is most remembered for helping Theseus kill the minotaur by devising a way for him to find his way out of the Minotaur’s labyrinth by using a ball of thread.

In this version, after the famous incident, Ariadne is left abandoned on an island to die. There, however, she meets and falls in love with Dionysus, becoming his wife. Life with a god has unexpected twists and turns.

Gods, mortals, sibling rivalry, madness, heroes, war. It was an interesting retelling of the myth, but not as riveting as others I have read, such as those by Madeline Miller.

>170 streamsong: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thank you for the review, Janet.

Have a terrific day!

17. The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition – Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee - 2005
- Glacier Conservancy Book Club
– library


Although Lewis and Clark were given credit for ‘discovering’ lands and peoples during their great expedition, this book contains oral history of the people who had lived in the Bitterroot Valley for thousands of years before Lewis and Clark’s discovered the area.

It begins with describing the land and the Salsh’s symbiotic use and love for the Bitterroot Valley; – what various locations were known for in terms of resources and myth.

It then goes on to relate the oral traditions passed down by the elders of the Salish people’s first encounters with the Lewis and Clark expedition.

In all the writings commemorating the anniversary of the famous expedition, the Native point of view was left out. This is the only book rectifying the omission of that viewpoint from the Salish perspective.

This was a 5 star non-fiction read for me. I loved the descriptions of the history of the Bitterroot Valley where I live. Although I borrowed this book from the library, it’s one that I need to acquire to have a copy of my own.

>176 streamsong: Adding that one to the BlackHole too. It sounds terrific!

>176 streamsong: This sounds great, Janet. I will look for a copy.

Paris is beautiful!

Hi Janet, I had the same conundrum recently about book club. i got to page 88 and then bailed as it just was not a good book for me (confusing and not well written). I have a daughter coming from a distance on the bookclub date so she saved me for having to read further. I won't be going to the bookclub meeting! At a recent bookclub meeting though we had a good discussion that it is okay to not like a book, to not all agree and that we all view things from a different perspective.

>175 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I'd be happy to send you my copy of Alex's Wake if you'd like it.

>177 alcottacre: >178 BLBera: Beth and Stasia I really enjoyed The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition , but I wonder if it would be as fascinating to someone who doesn't live in the area. I'd be interested in your opinions if either of you do read it.

Thanks, Beth re Paris. Horses plans can so easily go wrong, but I.m looking forward to next spring!

>179 mdoris: Hi Mary! I did go to my book club to discuss The Rosie Project. The group is a bit disconcerting since the whole vibe has changed post-pandemic and the books chosen are much lighter. Nevertheless, there were probably 12 or 15 people there. One of the attendees was the mother of a non-verbal adult Asperger's son. Another had a non-verbal brother. These two, especially gave great insights into their experiences and felt the book didn't reflect the reality for many of those with Asperger's.

It was a great discussion, although I just sat and listened and didn't contribute my two cents worth.

I loved having lunch with several other people afterwards. (heart and smiley emoji's! It's so nice to gather for real conversation again!

I agree that it's OK not to enjoy the same book - but some bookclub members get a bit defensive. Sigh. I'm working on my disagreeing-but-not-being confrontational skills.

Interestingly enough, the next Sunday School Study book is called How to Heal Our Divides. The United Methodist conference is very divided over the LGBTQ+ issue - they may literally split into two different churches depending on who is welcome. I am on the side of inclusion.

>181 streamsong: Oh my to work on disagreeing-but-not-being confrontational skills I think is something the whole world needs, well it's sure something that I need! Very nice that you had a lunch and conversation together. Sounds like former times! The book How to Heal Our Divides sounds interesting. It is such a complex issue that I think would be impossible to narrow down to inclusion/exclusion. Maybe it's not about who is welcome but how categories and definitions are attempting to be redefined.

>181 streamsong: Good luck with the book club, Janet. It sounds like a large group. I am lucky with my book club. We can agree to disagree and have some of our best discussions when members disagree about books. But we have been meeting for 20 years, so that may be part of it as well.

>182 mdoris: Mary, I think that disagreeing-but-not-being confrontational is something everyone needs to work on. Unfortunately, like many other traits, the ones who need it the most won't see that they need it.

I think in many churches the LGBTQ+ people do face a binary inclusion/exclusion. Are they welcome here? Are they children of God?

>183 BLBera: Hi Beth! The book club varies from just a few people to the dozen or so we had this week. Many of us have been together for over ten years. Others are new or newer. Many of the older regulars didn't do zoom and haven't returned yet.

The large number means that some people won't get to say what they want to say, and others will dominate the conversation. It also means, however, that there is more diversity of opinion.

Next up for this club is Circe, which would also be a reread for me.

>180 streamsong: I will gladly accept it if you want to send it my way! I will PM my address to you. Thank you so much, Janet!

Unfortunately my local library does not have The Salish People - not very surprising considering I do not live in the area - but I will keep you posted if I ever get my hands on a copy.

March 2022

19. A Bigger Table, Expanded Edition with Study Guide: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community - John Pavlovitz - 2020 LTER - ROOT
20. Five Little Indians - Michelle Good 2020 - global reading: Canada - library
21. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed - Mariana Enriquez - English translation 2021 - Global Reading: Argentina - library
22. Ines of My Soul - Isabel Allende - 2006 - Global Reading: Chile, Peru - ROOT acquired 2016 - listened to audiobook
23. Winter: A Novel - Ali Smith - 2017 - British author - library
24. Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys - Richard Twiss - purchased 2022

SOURCE:
3 - library
2 - ROOT
--- 1 - acq'd 2016
--- 1 - acq'd 2020
1 - purchased 2022

FORMAT
1- audiobook
5 - print books

4 - Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
1 - historical fiction
2 - literary fiction
1 - Global Reading
1 - Native Americans/First Nations
1 - noir
1 - short stories

2 - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
2 - Bible Commentary/theology
- biography
- history
- memoir
2 - Native Americans
- nature/outdoors
- psychology
- inspirational

AUTHORS

2 - Male Authors
4 - Female Authors
- Male and Female authors

4 - Authors who are new to me
2 - Authors I have previously read
- Rereads

COUNTRIES VISITED
1 - Argentina
1- Canada
1 - Great Britain
1 - Peru (and Chile)

ORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE
1 - 2006
1 - 2015
2 - 2017
1 - 2020
1 - 2021 (English translation)

APRIL READING

SOURCE:
- library
- ROOT
- purchased 2022

FORMAT
- audiobook
- print books

- Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

- Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

AUTHORS

- Male Authors
- Female Authors
- Male and Female authors

- Authors who are new to me
- Authors I have previously read
- Rereads

COUNTRIES VISITED

ORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE

Janet, your thread is so interesting that I don’t know where to begin. I should have taken notes! Let’s start with horses. Yours are beautiful. I love the distinctive look of Story, and Paris could be a movie star. Well, they all could for that matter. Can’t wait to see the new (fingers crossed) filly due in June. You have your hands full for sure.

Now the books. You read so many interesting ones. Your thread is a dangerous place! I haven’t read The Rosie Project. It is languishing on my Kindle with many others. I do have friends with autistic grandchildren and have learned to listen and not say much about topics I haven’t experienced. My opinions can sometimes get me in trouble, especially about politics. Mum’s the word!

I have been very concerned about the schism in the Methodist Church. I joined ours in the 70s when I was in my early thirties. It’s the only church I’ve been part of. I was happy to learn that our church will remain United Methodist and will be inclusive as usual. Whew! I didn’t want to move as I am comfortable there for the most part.

I will try to stay more in the loop here. I am getting together soon with a friend who owns a second home in Missoula. She likes winters there better than summers—because of the wildfires. Her son is a banker I think. She always has fun stories and lovely pictures to share.

Hi Donna! It's so good to see you on the threads! and on my thread in particular - I missed you!

Thanks for the comps re the horses. That is such a lovely photo of Paris, isn't it! I have no idea when that was taken - but I suspect it was several years ago. As an older broodmare, her looks have changed a bit (as have my own, sigh).

"have learned to listen and not say much about topics I haven’t experienced. My opinions can sometimes get me in trouble, especially about politics. Mum’s the word!" I love this. Active listening is an important skill!

I know that our (young) pastor believes we should stay with the United Methodist church, but I have no idea how the majority of the congregation feels in this oh-so-conservative Republican state. I believe that is why our pastor has initiated the study of How to Heal our Divides; we need to be able to speak to each other.

Yes I remember you mentioning your friend with the Missoula home! I hope someday you'll visit her and we can meet each other. Jim has said he plans to attend his aerospace convention each March in Big Sky. Perhaps you need to plan a March visit with your friend ....

So far behind on my reviews - but here's the next one (the last of the reviews for a book I read in February!)

18. Tunnels – Rutu Modan - 2020
- Graphic Novel
- Asia Reading: Palestine/Israel – library


Nili is from a family of Israeli archaeologists. As a child she discovered an iconic artifact while accompanying her renowned father on a dig.

Now her father is suffering from dementia. But Nili believes that her father may have uncovered the truth about where the Ark of the Covenant is hidden – and so she returns to a site her father had previously identified but had to abandon due to the Palestinian war.

There is only one problem – the Ark lies in Palestinian territory on the other side of Israel’s protective wall. With an offbeat crew, she accesses her father’s old tunnels in the area and hopes to tunnel her way to where the Ark is hidden.

But the course of such an unlikely adventure doesn’t go smoothly. Others, including her father’s old professional/academc rival as well as Nili’s archaeologist brother would also long to be the discoverers of this treasure. Not all conflicts occur between warring countries, but also happen within professions and families.

I have enjoyed several other of Rutu Modan’s graphic novels, including my favorite Exit Wounds. She always brings something unique about conflict to the table and this one was no exception. I was a bit confused in the opening part of the book, as it felt we were dropped into the middle of the story. However, I soon got my bearings and enjoyed this offbeat archaeological adventure.

>191 streamsong: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Janet!

I'm glad you enjoyed the review, Stasia!

Another crazy week here. Friday was 70 degrees; Saturday morning we have snow. It's melting, but temps are supposed to dip down in the 20's for the next few nights. The storm was ushered in with huge wind last night - thankfully we did not lose power. That is one of my most-dreaded scenarios, since it comes with no heat and no water (I have a well).

Met with a financial advisor this week and also had a crown on a tooth. Still working on taxes. Not a red-letter week for sure, but nice to get things done.

I'm currently reading:


The Devil That Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Quest by Aminatta Forna. Definitely learning lots about the blood diamonds of Sierra Leone and her father's political story. I was inspired to read this memoir after reading Happiness by this same author. It's not a quick read, but fascinating.


Atomic Habits by James Clear - still trying to get my life more efficient and lose the chaos.


Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer - this is my audiobook while I ride my exercise bike. I can't recommend this one more highly. The audio is read by the author.


Nasty Women : Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's America by Samhita Mukhopadhyay

Oh dear - all non-fiction which probably explains why I am reading so slowly right now.

Next up - hooray! fiction! (chosen by library due date) will be Fight Night by Miriam Toews.

For those of you who have loved Braiding Sweetgrass, this image came across my FB feed this week - although it was not posted in relation to Braiding, it couldn't be a more perfect illustration of the book.

I still brag about my rare Wordle got-it-in 3, which I did today. alien trait stair

Makes up for the one earlier in the week that I failed comma.

HI Janet, The yo-yo of temperatures sounds challenging. Still cold here too. I'm about to start Braiding Sweetgrass. It is a May bookclub book and then June is a Miriam Toews. Your present reading list looks very interesting! >196 streamsong: very good illustration!

Hi Janet!

>157 streamsong: Belated congrats on buying the 2017 Camry Hybrid. I hope it’s working out well for you.

>164 streamsong: How beautiful she is.

>181 streamsong: Our book club has always been pretty good about some folks loving a book and some folks hating a book. I really came unhinged over one book, Twelve by Twelve by William Powers, in 2012, and spent a good 10 minutes explaining why I disliked it, the style, the people it portrayed, and the philosophy behind the way they were living off the grid. Nonfiction, obviously. Most folks loved it, and they didn’t kick me out of book club. *smile*

>191 streamsong: Did you turn Karen on to this one or did Karen turn you on to this one? She’s been insistent that I get it, but so far I haven’t pulled the trigger.

>194 streamsong: Karen mentioned that you were getting the storm first, then she was supposed to get 4”. Definitely crazy weather.

>195 streamsong: I also want to read something by Forna soon, Janet. Look forward to seeing your comments.

>198 mdoris: Hi Mary! Yes, the temps are very weird this year. We're expecting more snow today and cold temps through the middle of the week.

I predict your club will have lots to talk about with Braiding Sweetgrass. Which Miriam Toews will you be reading?

>199 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Thanks re Paris and the Camry. Both seem to be working out well. Although the one with the back up camera is taking some getting used to - I need to practice with that darn thing. I always seem to turn the wheel the wrong way when using it to back up.

I'm fascinated by people who choose to live off the grid, although I can't see myself ever choosing that lifestyle. I put Twelve by Twelve on the library hold list (and then suspended it for three months since I currently have eleven books and the PBS video series of The Jewel in the Crown checked out).

I watch randomly wathc two TV shows on the subject: Homestead Rescue and Building Off the Grid. They are two of my guilty pleasures when I can't read.

It's so cool that your book club is comfortable about disagreeing with each other.

Yes, I recommended Tunnels to Karen as I had just finished reading it before the meetup. She had just finished reading Maus, her first graphic novel. Tunnels is one that although I enjoyed, I don't have any plans of buying. She said both of you personally knew the Ark of the Covenant expert.

>200 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I think you'll like Forna. Any idea which you'll pick?

I'm currently having some eye strain problems which slow down both reading and computer time - so my comments are liable to be a while.

I received this as an LTER book almost two years ago. For some reason, I set it aside then. I’m so glad I read it as part of my ten-minutes a day inspirational reading goal.



19. A Bigger Table, Expanded Edition with Study Guide: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community – John Pavlovitz - 2020
- 2020 LTER – ROOT #3


It seems these days that many Christian churches are determined to keep out people, whether because they are LGBTQ+, for or against vaccines, or even of the wrong political persuasion. Author John Palovitz calls this the ‘Big God, Small Table’ approach.

Pavlovitz began his Christian career as a junior pastor in a large conservative church. After exploring ideas with his youth group, he was summarily fired. Instead of this being an ending, after his period of grief, he found it expanding as he became more and more inclusive and Christ focused.

He makes a wonderful case for a larger, not smaller, table. Whether you belong to a conservative church and would like to understand the more liberal Christian’s view, or you belong to a liberal church and want to read well-stated reasoning, I’d highly recommend this book. It fits well into my goals of learning multiple points of view.

>195 streamsong: I really need to get some of Forna's books read, but my local library does not have any of them. My local library does have Braiding Sweetgrass and I need to get to it soon. Thanks for the reminder!

>204 streamsong: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Janet.

Uh oh. I seem to have lost or dropped your thread from my starred list, and only realized it when hearing dire snow forecasts for your home state (among others). Here's hoping this one won't be too dismal for you and the animals.

>201 streamsong: Hi Janet, we will be reading All My Puny Sorrows which will be a re-read for me. I was very moved by that book and remember it still.

>205 alcottacre: Hi Anita! I have no doubt a Forma will come into your life, even if it's not available at the library.

Braiding Sweetgrass is outstanding. I'm only progressing very slowly in listening to it - mostly because I'm listening to it while on my exercise bike. The audio is read by the author - and I'm beginning to believe she is a somewhat slow reader. I just looked it up and can't believe it's only 400 pages since it's 12 hours of audio.Since I'm listening to it on Hoopla, I don't think I can speed up her reading. Savor and enjoy I guess.

>206 ffortsa: Hi Judy! I'm glad you found me.

The weather has been very challenging this week. Only a skiff of snow, but we've been down in the 20's as we are right now. As the horses are mostly shed off, this is really nasty. I am keeping hay in front of them continually since that is what keeps them the warmest. Challenge for sure! I'm so glad I didn't get the heaters for the waterers taken down before this hit. Temperatures are supposed to get somewhat above freezing this afternoon and next week will be back in the 60's.

>207 mdoris: Hi Mary! I haven't read All My Puny Sorrows but I will definitely keep it in mind. I will be interested to see what your book club thinks.

Between taxes and stressing over taxes and dealing with horses dealing with the cold, I have done very little reading this week. :(

Hi Janet, As of next month my bookclub will be meeting in person not on Zoom. I am now a big distance away so Zoom made attendance possible. I don't blame them for wanting to meet in person but I will not be able to report on the meetings now. I have been lucky to be able to reconnect with my book pals. Our group has been together for 43 years. Can you imagine!

Just heard that there is a new film of All My Puny Sorrows https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13588156/

Enjoy your Easter weekend!

Hi Janet: I woke up to snow this morning as well. I am so sick of the cold temps! I'm glad I don't have to work outdoors.

The Forna book is on my list as well; I picked up a copy after I read her great collection of essays, The Window Seat.

I really liked Fight Night; I'll watch for your comments.

>196 streamsong: That is lovely.

Happy Saturday, Janet. Just checking in. I haven't visited in a while. I hope all is well there. How are the horses? I also loved Braiding Sweetgrass. The Tunnels GN sounds good too. I will add it to my GN list.

>208 streamsong: I started listening to Braiding Sweetgrass this morning, Janet. It doesn't bother me that Kimmerer is a slow reader as I need the processing time when I'm listening to a book for some reason. I think I will keep it checked out the full 3 weeks (also on Hoopla) so I can take my time with it.

Thank you for calling attention to the memoir by Forna. I recently reread The Memory of Love, a fictional account of the Sierra Leone tragedy. I realized how little I knew about this rebellion and its aftermath. I will see if my library has a copy of The Devil that Danced on the Water.

Just stopping by to say hello!

>211 mdoris: Hi Mary! I'm sorry you won't be able to attend your book club anymore. Is there any possibility of them doing a combination of zoom and in person? I do attend one meeting like that, and while it isn't trouble-free (sometimes hard to hear speakers) it's better than nothing. It seems a shame to miss your 43 year old book club friendships.

I'll watch for the movie of All My Puny Sorrows.

I think I may have mentioned this before, but our nice 5-plex theater shut down during the Pandemic and has been turned into sound stages for the TV show Yellowstone, so there is not much hope of getting it back. It's a huge loss to the community - not much for kids to do here in this small town.

>212 BLBera: Hi Beth So tired of snow! That doesn't even begin to say it for me. Woke up to several inches on Easter morning, although it had mostly melted by the evening. Still, it didn't get above the mid-30's yesterday. Today it's in the 40's, so starting out better. We're 20 -30 degrees below the average temperatures for this time of year.

The ranchers in eastern Montana and North Dakota are having a wicked bad time. Some places have gotten four feet of snow - way above new born calves' heads and in some areas I fear the loss of livestock has been grim. After a few years of drought and now this, it may be the death knell for some cattle and sheep ranchers - and another blow for consumer meat prices.

I'm really behind on both reading and writing reviews. My bad. I've having some double vision and eye-strain problems (stress from weather, horses and taxes? Not eating properly due to stress?) I decided during the night to just take the extension on the taxes which puts off the deadline for a month.

Glad you liked the image in >196 streamsong:. I thought it was really special. I have a native friend on FB (they also raise Appaloosa horses) who posts the most amazing things.

Here is her Easter greeting, which I thought the best use of Peeps ever!

"From our Drum to all our family and friends, we wish you an Easter blessed with Creators love and protection!"

>213 msf59: Hi Mark! So far the horses are doing OK in the nasty weather, although taking care of them is exhausting. Among other things, I am feeding double and also not sleeping well at night worrying about them. One of those actions is much more useful to them than the other.

Tunnels was good, but my favorite graphic novel by Rutu Modan is Exit Wounds. Have you read that one?

HI Janet, I am sorry that the weather is impacting you so much. Today here it is horrible rainy and windy and so cold. What is this all about?

My pals in bookclub have bent over backwards to accommodate and did suggest continuing with some form of Zoom but I have quite a hearing loss and greatly need to view faces and know it would be a bit of a technological nightmare for the Zoom person to capture as much as possible. So I have declined their kind offer. I am never at a loss for what to read next and ideas found on L.T. sure has that covered!

Hope the stresses in your neck of the woods get better very soon.

>214 Donna828: Hi Donna! It's so good to see you! I think my problem with listening to Braiding Sweetgrass is that I am only listening to it while riding my exercise bike every other day. It's amazing, and doesn't feel slow while she is reading it, but I've had to do the three week Hoopla renew twice already. Perhaps I need to buy a print copy for myself. (Belated Easter present)

This week's bookclub is Ivan Doig's Last Bus to Wisdom I read it several years ago, and while I remember I loved it, I don't remember many of the details. I will try to listen to part of it (another Hoopla) before Wednesday. This is another one that I should buy for my permanent library.



I may finish The Devil that Danced on Water in the next few days. Not easy reading for sure!

>215 witchyrichy: Thank you for the beautiful spring card, Karen. Your weather is far ahead of mine. It gives me hope for the future!

I have a very small handful of grape hyacinths blooming that made it through the *Very *Cold *Weather.

>219 mdoris: Hi Mary! I had forgotten your challenges with your hearing. You've made a logical decision, and I know you have lots of outstanding book talk to read on this wonderful site, but I hope you can keep in touch with your longtime friends.

The weather is getting better and spring should be arriving soon.

I had tried to go off my perscription of Lorazepam for the last month or six weeks. I had been taking a very small doze to help me sleep nights, but I wondered if it was contributing to my absent-mindedness during the daytime. I have come to the conclusion that five hours of sleep a night is making me even more fuzzy-headed. Took a dose last night and had a blissful night's rest.

Wordle in 4 this morning.

Wordle 303 4/6

🟨🟩🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

alien, plait, claim, flair

I've missed several lately.

>221 streamsong: The weekend was perfect for putting bulbs in the ground and moving a few plants around. It is now rainy and cold with the potential for a frost tomorrow. I think we are in the safe zone but may put protection over my hydrangeas that have already gotten frozen out once and are coming back from the bottom.

>224 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! Another inch of snow this morning, but once again it's supposed to melt later today. What a very strange year! I had ordered some spring plants from an online source, but they've been delayed for shipment until the end of May, so I have cancelled the order and I will see what I can find locally. I'm particularly looking for deer-resistant perennials.

This was a choice for Canada reads and was long listed for the Giller award. I can’t remember where I got the suggestion for this one, but I’m sure it was one of my Canadian friends here on LT.



20. Five Little Indians – Michelle Good
- 2020 - global reading: Canada
– library


This is the story of five First Nations kids, seized by the Canadian authorities and forced to go to an Indian residential school run by Catholic missionaries on Victoria Island. Unlike some residential schools, these kids didn’t even get to go home to their families on school vacations. Instead, they remained in a culture of racism, physical, mental and emotional abuse with a side of sexual abuse thrown in.

Not all made it through the ordeal, as the surrounding graveyards attest. A few managed to escape, but found their families broken by having their children stolen from them.

The kids that lasted until they were sixteen were turned out with a bus ticket to Vancouver. Lacking any skills, they fell into the lowest unskilled jobs. Occasionally they came together for short times, but they lacked the ability to form long term bonds. One found her anger by taking part in protests.

Author Michelle Good is a member of Saskatchewan’s Red Pheasant Cree Nation and is a writer and lawyer. Her parents and grandparents had been school residents. Goode wrote this book saying it is the answer to the question “Why didn’t these kids just get over it?”

Not an easy read, but one I will remember for a long time.

Although I usually enjoy noir short stories, I think this was not the right time for me to read this. There is too much noir happening in the world.



21. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed – Mariana Enriquez - English translation 2021
- Global Reading: Argentina
– library

Argentine writer Marianne Enriquez has a deft hand with these noir stories, consisting of some horror, and some of a more paranormal bent.

One of my favorites involved street kids believed to have been killed, returning in droves as if from the dead.

Enriquez has a way of building tension and then ending the story just as the horror is set to begin. It’s an effective technique, but as almost every story follows this pattern, I personally would have enjoyed some stories using a different arc.

Hi Janet!

>202 streamsong: I forgot to mention that Twelve by Twelve is in my county.

Karen has not mentioned reading Maus to me! I read it and seem to think I recommended it to her. Maus is my second graphic novel. I hated the first, loved Maus and will get Maus II one of these fine days.

Well, yes, I also knew Vendyl Jones, through Karen. I only met him a few times and was already so NOT Christian that there were not too many things we could talk about. Now, of course, I’d have a million questions and would ruthlessly pick his mind.

>203 streamsong: I’m sorry about the eye strain problems. Take care of yourself!

>216 streamsong: Have you watched Yellowstone? Karen loves it, I watched a bit of it and was repulsed by the characters portrayed. I'm sorry your theater has been sacrificed to it. I do hope that there is at least some financial benefit that accrues to the town or county.

>222 streamsong: Good sleep is almost worth any price. I’m glad you got a good night’s sleep.

>228 karenmarie: I havent had any luck finding Twelve by Twelve, but I will keep an eye out for it.

I just recently watched a show called Mountain Mamas about real estate fixer uppers in the Bozeman area. It seemed highly unrealistic to me, but somewhat amusing.

Maus II is also outstanding. I think my first graphic novel/nonfiction was Persepolis which was wonderful and hooked me on the genre. I'd also highly recommend the March books by John Lewis. All of these titles changed the way I viewed graphic novels - although I have also read some 'just for fun' titles. Yay for LT and the wonderful peeps who introduced me to a new genre!

Very cool about Vendyl Jones. I will have to google him

I had a bad bout of double vision again last night. :( Zoom meetings seem to set it off. Perhaps no more zoom for me until I get this sorted out.

I've also watched Yellowstone, but am not a fan. I don't like the characters or the depiction of the state. The scenery is wonderful, though. It has brought a bit of a boom to businesses in the valley here, but mostly it has brought a housing crises as every nook and cranny is rented by production people. They do have the most wonderful horses on that show - many of the stallions shown are icons of the Quarter horse breed.

After a bit of conversation on one of the threads about Isabel Allende, I decided to read the one title of hers that I had residing on Planet TBR. I have previously read Daughter of Fortune, Of Love and Shadows and The Long Petal of the Sea by Allende.

I listened to this audio on my recent car trip to Bozeman.



22. Ines of My Soul – Isabel Allende - 2006
- Global Reading: Chile, Peru, Spain
- Root #4 acquired 2016 - listened to audiobook


Inez Suarez was born approximately 1507 to a poor family in Spain. She seized her destiny full heartedly. She was not content to continue to live quietly in Spain merely supporting herself after her husband Juan de Málaga left to find his fortune in the New World with the Pizzaro brothers.

Instead after several years, she set off after him, not knowing where in the Spanish new world he might be.
After discovering de Malaga had died, she became the mistress of Pedro de Valdiva'

Inez accompanied de Vadiva on his hazardous expedition south from Peru into the unknown wilderness which became known as Chile. During the trek south, she acted as a healer and also saved the expedition by her miraculous ability to find (“witch”) water in the desert.

She had a major role in the defense of their new outpost Santiago, devising a bloody plan that turned the tide of the uprising against the small force of Spaniards by thousands of Mapuche natives.

According to Wikipedia, Inez is still “seen as a symbol of a Chilean woman standing up to authority, … and as a role model to contemporary protestors against mistreatment.”

I was not familiar with the history of South America other than a mere sentence or two in my long ago high school history books. And so, Allende’s fictionalization was fascinating, though the brutal treatment of the Mapuche natives was eye-opening and saddening; they are more examples of the ‘might makes right’ against people willing to stand and fight for their land and their way of life.

I’ll definitely be reading more of Allende. Although I realize these are novelizations, I always find interesting history in them and appreciate the way she can tell a good tale, making me care about her characters. I also appreciate the strong women in her stories.

>229 streamsong: If you like Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner,

Hunt Emerson's Graphic Comic is a Classic.

>229 streamsong: Bout of double vision. Yikes Janet, what is that all about?

Janet - You've been doing such great reading. Five Little Indians and The Dangers of Smoking in Bed are now on my WL! The Allende is already there.

It's been such a cold April here as well, we're about 20 degrees colder than the climate average, in the 40s mostly. I guess it's supposed to warm up to the 50s next week. I am still wearing my winter coat and mittens in the morning!

I hope the vision issues improve.

Hi Janet!

>229 streamsong: Alas, I got rid of my copy of Twelve by Twelve a long time ago. I’m glad to know that Maus II is also outstanding.

Sorry about the bad bout of double vision last night. So scary for you. I know that you’re still relying on Zoom for some of your socializing/studies, and hope that you can get this all straightened out soon. Fingers crossed.

We agree about Yellowstone then.

Oh dear. Double vision is a worry. I hope you can find out the cause and get it fixed.

Sorry about the cold. We've been very up and down here in NYC - summer one day, winter the next. No snow, but the winter coats are still in the closet. Hope it warms up for you and the horses.

Double vision (most noticed when driving) can be caused by medications.

>231 m.belljackson: I'll look for that Marianne. I read Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner in high school, but haven't revisited it.

>232 mdoris: No idea what is causing the double vision, Mary. It comes and goes, most noticibley while watching TV or computer screens at night.

>233 BLBera: Hi Beth - thanks for stopping in! I think you'lll really like Five Little Indians. I had a more guarded reaction to The Dangers of Smoking in Bed. It will be interesting to see what you think.

>234 karenmarie: Always good to see you stop by here, Karen! Looks like a beautiful day here (finally!)

It is fun to see local places depicted in Yellowstone even if I don't watch it. A small cafe in Missoula went viral after a Yellowstone shooting happened there.

>235 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy for the good wishes on the better-weather-soon and my eye problems.

>236 m.belljackson: I did not know that about medicines, Marianne. Driving bothers me at night, but it's another possibility to check out.

Wordle in three today! I am always proud of my 3's. alien, raids, hairy
Wordle 318 3/6

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Love this New Yorker cartoon drawn by Benjamin Schwartz.

Congrats on the Wordle in 3. I love the New Yorker cartoon.

Hi Karen - Ha! I did not solve yesterday's Wordle. I had been stuck and did not realize I hadn't finished it until 11:50 pm when I was turning off the computer. Unfortunately, by that time of night, my brain was fried. I did go over to your thread and see what it was and how you got there.

Today it took five tries, but I got it (yay!)

This is the second in the Seasons quartet by Ali Smith. Although I did pick up what I thought were references to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Wikipedia assure me there are many references to Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, which I have not read.



23. Winter: A Novel – Ali Smith - 2017
- British author
– library


Sophia is elderly, living in a mostly closed off house in Cornwall. She’s not alone, though: she is followed everywhere by an unattached ghostly baby’s head with whom she communicates.

Her son Art decides he needs to visit her at Christmas, taking along his girlfriend Charlotte for his mom to meet. But Art and Charlotte have a falling out and Charlotte leaves the relationship. Art does not want to tell his mother that his relationship has failed, so he persuades an unknown Croatian girl at a bus stop that he will pay her handsomely if she will pretend to be his estranged girlfriend.

Art’s ex takes over Art’s nature blog and causes mayhem by posting really unusual information including a once-in-a-lifetime rare bird sighting in Art’s mother’s back garden.

And then we have Sophia’s estranged sister Iris, who hasn’t been in contact with her sister for decades. But when Art contacts her for help with his mother, Iris leaves her hippy commune and life of political activism to try to help.

It’s a family Christmas like no other.

Well, that was the last of the March reviews. Since I only read 5 books in April, I'm not quite as far behind as I would have been in other years when I was doing much more reading.

April
24. Gravel Heart - Abdulrazak Gurnah - 2017 - Global Reading: Zanzibar, Tanzania - library
25. Last Bus to Wisdom - Ivan Doig - 2016 - audiobook - relisten for NC book club- library
26. The Devil That Danced on the Water - Aminatta Forna - 2002 - Global Reading: Sierra Leone - library
27. Fight Night - Miriam Toews - 2021 - library
28. Atomic Habits - James Clear - 2018 - library

Monthly Template:

YEAR CATALOGED OR ACQUIRED

Total ROOTS read (acquired before 2022)

FORMAT

GENRE

- Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

- - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

AUTHORS

- Male Authors
- Female Authors
- Combination of male and female

- Authors who are new to me
- Authors read before
- Reread

Nationality of Author:

Birthplace or residence of Author if different from nationality:

Setting of book if different than author's nationality:

Language Book Originally Published in:

Original Publication Date

It's quality, not quantity, right, Janet. It looks like you had some great reads in April.

Hopelessly behind after finding you again months later. But Hi! and happy Saturday!

May ongoing statistics

1 Book Read:
29. Matrix - Lauren Groff - 2021 - library

YEAR CATALOGED OR ACQUIRED
1 - library

Total ROOTS read (acquired before 2022)
0

FORMAT
1 - print copy

GENRE

1- Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
1 - literary fiction

- - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

AUTHORS

- Male Authors
1 - Female Authors
- Combination of male and female

1 - Authors who are new to me
- Authors read before
- Reread

Nationality of Author:


Birthplace or residence of Author if different from nationality:

Setting of book if different than author's nationality:

Language Book Originally Published in:
1 - English

Original Publication Date:
1 - 2021

>243 streamsong: Hi Beth! Quality not quantity. But I do miss reading more, and will try to work more in - perhaps more audiobooks?

>244 streamsong: Hi Kim! I feel that I've been mostly MIA this action. Thanks for looking me up; I will have to check out your thread to see what you've been up to, too.

This was a first book for me by Tanzanian author Abdulrazak Gurnah, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature.

The title is based on a Shakespearean quote from Measure for Measure Act IV, scene II: “Unfit to live or die: O gravel heart!”

Like Cymbeline which I mentioned in my last review, I have not read this Shakespeare play either. (Sometimes I feel very uneducated!)



24. Gravel Heart – Abdulrazak Gurnah - 2017
- Global Reading: Tanzania
– library


Salim has grown up in Tanzania, in a rather odd family situation. His mother and father are divorced, but for no reason that Salim can discern, each day his mother cooks for his father and sends Salim to take the food to him. Salim’s father is obviously a broken man.

Salim’s mother has an ongoing affair, and subsequent marriage with a Tanzanian politico. She also has a brother, Amir, who lives with them and is also a bit of a mystery.

Uncle Amir eventually emigrates to London to a political post and gradually climbs the diplomatic ladder. After Salim finishes school, Amir invites Salim to join him so Salim can attend college in London. But Salim fails the business classes his uncle insists he take to become useful to the family and his native land. Instead, when Salim chooses to study his beloved English literature, his uncle sets him adrift.

So which identity can Salim choose? A family-less British immigrant, a student amidst expats and refugees from a variety of countries, a Tanzanian preparing to return to his home even though much of his family has fled to Zanzibar to escape political unrest?

It’s not until years later that Salim reconnects with his father. At that point, his father tells him the secret family story, mired in the politics of a post-colonial nation that broke both the man and the family.

I found this really engaging – a slightly different look at the prism of immigrants' stories, and a family mystery woven together neatly with the politics of a country I knew little about.

You are the only person I have seen read that one so far, Janet. I recently read one of his early novels and whilst it was good, I found that it was missing a little bit of something - I think he is a writer who continues to improve.

Hi Paul - Thanks for stopping in!

I chose that specific book by Abdulrazak Gurnah because it was the only one available in my library system. I'm glad that it was a good one. Your comments make it sound like it was a fortuitous choice.

I have not gone back to double check that my numbers are right, but that book, being the first by a Tanzanian author puts me at a total of 99 different countries. 100 is in my sites!

Hi Janet!

Congrats on reading authors from 99 countries, with 100 just one book away.

Thanks, Karen! I started this project 5 years ago. I'm moving slowly, reading what I want (or more likely what is due back at the library next). I do perk up my ears when someone mentions a book with an international author. There are 186 countries in the original challenge, although I have also added a few more: Antarctica, Greenland, Martinique, The Palestinian Authority, South Sudan, and I think I will add Puerto Rico. Although they aren't members of the UN, they all have very different cultures from the motherland(s) they 'belong' to.

One of the books I'm really enjoying right now is The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting of Norway. This will be the fifth Norwegian book and it will make the 25th country I have 'completed' with five books.

Congrats on nearing books read from 100 countries! Gravel Heart does sound good. Luckily, it's already on my WL. :)

Hi Beth! Thanks for stopping in! I always enjoy your comments.

Bit of a cheat here, since this review was written in 2016 when I first read the book. I reread it for the April NC RL book club and only changed a few words in my review.



25. Last Bus to Wisdom - Ivan Doig - 2016
- audiobook
- re-listen for NC book club- library


Eleven year old Donny Cameron has seen more than his share of bad luck. Orphaned when both his parents were killed in a car crash, he lives with his beloved grandmother who cooks for a Montana ranch. But she needs an operation that will require months of recuperation and hospital care. Told that there is no place for him on the ranch, Donny is put on a Greyhound Bus to spend the summer with his grandmother's sister with whom his grandmother doesn't get along and whom Donny has never met.

Things go awry and the great aunt determines to ship Donny back to Montana to a foster home. Happily, though, this is the last straw for his great-aunt's husband who runs away with Donny and their adventures begin.

This is Ivan Doig's last book and has become one of my favorites. Once again he wonderfully captures the flavor of Montana gone by as well as a boy growing into a man. There is lots of humor, a good story and an almost-happy-ending for many.

I wrote this over on Karenmarie's thread. I think Wordle is fun, but I enjoy seeing the different problem solving stragegies. Karenmarie and I are on totally opposite ends of the solving spectrums.

"I think the problem solving strategies are fascinating. We've heard about different learning strategies, love languages and personality types like Enneagram. I think problem solving is also individualized - just not as recognized yet.

As it turned out, I did go back to that day's Wordle and solved it immediately.

I think my brain churns along when I am not actively concentrating. It's definitely different than yours (Karenmarie's) and there are probably other styles of problem solving, too.

A month or two ago, I was drifting off for a nap when out of nowhere my brain shouted the answer to that day's unsolved Wordle - literally as I was difting off, my brain shouted "it's BLACK! The Wordle answer is BLACK!

Today's Wordle was the exception as I powered through in 5 without pausing: alien, gourd, imply, hippy, tipsy
Wordle 328 5/6"

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Back from a great weekend in Spokane, where I finally got to see the play Hamilton. (I cried).

What a wonder to be able to attend plays and concerts again!

I had too much packed into the two and a half days, so I didn't make it to any bookstores. :(

I saw a friend who moved to a retirement apartment in Spokane and also stopped to see a long time horse buddy - one of my longest friends that I met in high school.

I'm also sorry that Ellen's schedule didn't work out so we could do a meetup. But I guess that makes more to do next time I make it over the hill (about four and a half hours and two mountain passes to Spokane)

26. The Devil That Danced on the Water – Aminatta Forma - 2002
- Global Reading: Sierra Leone
– library


Aminatta’s Scottish mother met her Sierra Leonean future husband Mohamed Forna while he was a medical student studying in Britain. He’d always planned to return to his native land to help his fellow countrymen.
And with wife and small children in tow, he did exactly that. But he soon found that healing the bodies of his countrymen was not enough. And so, as colonialism was ending in Sierra Leone, he threw his political fortunes in with the All People’s Congress (APC) led by Sjaka Stevens.

Forma served as Minister of Finance in Stevens’s new government. However, the new government was plagued by political coups and disention, and quickly devolved into corruption and violence. Forma resigned in protest. He soon became an outspoken critic of Stevens’ plan to form an autocratic one party government.
Eventually Forma was arrested on false charges, imprisoned, tortured, and convicted by false testimony of other torture victims. He was tried, condemned and executed.

This is the story that his daughter Aminatta tells of returning to Sierra Leone decades later and trying to put together the pieces of her father’s life. It’s a story of reconciling her childhood memories with a story of corruption and lies during a failed attempt at democracy.

I found this memoir well written and page turning. Besides being an insightful look at a post colonial African nation, it also has lessons for current democracies as they struggle to preserve their freedoms.

This sounds excellent; I've loved all the books I've read by Forna and look forward to this one.

>260 BLBera: I enjoyed it Beth, as well as learning so much.

I was happy to see your thread in The Global Reading Challenge.

Yesterday was RLBC #2 and a discussion of Dana Canedy's A Journal for Jordan, a memoir about her fiance and his death in Iraq, soon after their son was born.

The author is a very interesting woman, having worked for over twenty years at the Washington Post, winning a Pulitzer Prize and later becoming administrator for the Pulitzer. Most recently she has been named the first African American to head a major publishing imprint (a division of Simon and Schuster).

The book itself I found a little pedantic (haven't read the last third yet) - high romance and grief. I'd love to read either a biography or autobiography and learn more about this iconic woman.

This came through FB today and is exactly the way I solve problems - especially Wordle!



Wordle in 5 today, which seems to be my new non-spectacular normal.

Wordle 337 5/6

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alien, gourd, tones, honey, money

Hi Janet, it is always good catching up with your reading and busy life. I’m glad you got to see Hamilton. I could watch it on TV but very much want to see it onstage first. I hope I don’t have to wait too long before it comes to Southwest Missouri.

>242 streamsong: Great review of Winter. “It’s a family Christmas like no other.” So true. I’ve read the quartet. It want to read them again in succession so I can make the connections better. I also loved The Last Bus to Wisdom and look forward to reading The Devil that Danced on the Water based on your earlier comments and your review.

I try to squeeze in some audio books to bolster my numbers. I am slowly and lovingly making my way through Braiding Sweetgrass read by the author. It is heading for a 5-star rating. It does my heart good that you are enjoying my No. 1 book from 2020, The Bell in the Lake. I am looking forward to the sequel coming out this fall.

Hi Donna; Thanks for posting - it's lovely to see you here.

I'm still listening to Braiding Sweetgrass, too. It's my exercise bike audio, so it's coming along slowly. BUT I am loving it. And perhaps that is the way it is supposed to be slowly savored. I didn't know there was going to be a sequel - that is one to keep an eye out for!

The Bell in the Lake is one of my favorite fiction for the year. The newer book club that I've joined chooses books every few months, and I will suggest it to them for this next round of books. I think it's suggest a unique story, I had never heard of the Norwegian stave churches and was intrigued by the combination of old Norse symbols and the 'newer' Christianity when they were built, hundreds of years ago. Two hearty thumbs up!

Once more I have too many books going right now:


The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles for book club this week.


The Woman They Could Not Silence: by Kate Moore about a woman sentenced to an insane asylum in the mid 1800's for having views at odds with her husband's religious beliefs. I believe this was recommended by mdoris.


Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist by Kate Raworth. I've never read an economy book nor taken a class in my life. But this one about how to make the economy more equitable in order to avoid crashing it altogether is interesting.

I have several more going, but these are the ones I hope to finish quickly this week.

.

>265 streamsong: HI Janet,
I loved the Bell in the Lake too. My husband's grandparents came from Norway and he has always really liked the look of the stave churches inside and out. We moved a few years ago and did a renovation on a very dilapidated house but in an area where husband had free range roamed as a kid and asked that the exterior have a look of the stave churches, kind of plain, wood and they got the colour right too. Mytting also wrote a non fiction book on wood stacking Norwegian Wood that is marvelous

Hi Mary! I can't remember if you've shown a photo of your house, but now, knowing about stave churches, I'd love to see it.

Norwegian Wood sounds good. Thank you for the rec.

I had really enjoyed Miriam Toews book Women Talking and so was happy to read her newest.

27. Fight Night – Miriam Toews - 2021
– library


We meet the precocious and unrepentant Swiv, suspended from school for fighting. Although in the beginning she is a bit of a mystery, as the novel progresses, she is referred to a girl, often mistaken as a boy, and she calculates her age in months which makes her approximately nine years old.

Her mother is an actress who returned from a European gig pregnant, leading to the departure of her father. Swiv’s mom doesn’t have much time for Swiv, leaving her to the care of her unquenchable but frail 80 plus year old grandmother.

Swiv spends her time at home with her grandmother, accomplishing the unique homeschooling lessons her grandmother assigns as well as holding the family together with mundane tasks such as cleaning and gathering her grandmother’s constantly spilled pills off the kitchen floor.

At first I though this book entirely strange and wondered why I continued reading it. But in the end, I was captured by the humor, strength and loyalty of these three generations of fiercely independent and feisty women.

Families come in many shapes and sizes.

For me, the original and fearless Swiv is reminiscent of Harper Lee's iconic character Scout, updated to a new generation.

I posted a picture on my thread of the house so if you would like to have a peek you can go visit. Interesting if you think it has the stave church influence. We hope it does!

>260 BLBera: I am also a BIG fan of Miriam Toews books. Great review above!

Thanks, Mary, I did go look and I definitely see the influence by the stave churches. I have never heard of them (blush) before reading The Bell in the Lake.

Thanks re the review. I have read Fight Night and Women Talking by Toews. What else would you recommend by Toews?

>271 streamsong: Hi Janet, I have read 6 of Miriam Toews books All My Puny Sorrows, A Complicated Kindness Women Talking Fight Night Swing Low (non fiction) and The Flying Troutmans. The only one that did not grab me was The Flying Troutmans. Like Women Talking, which you are familiar with, her books are about very difficult subjects and extremely personal too. She has been through much tragedy in her life but manages to be able to write with such perception about these times and about the religious background of her upbringing. I admire her tremendously and think she is a gifted writer.

>272 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I will definitely read more of Miriam Toews based on the two I have read. She's a Canadian treasure for sure!

I loved both The Flying Troutmans and All My Puny Sorrows, Janet. Toews writes movingly about depression in both these books.

Great comments on Fight Night. I enjoyed Swiv as well.

>274 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. Depression can be a hard topic for me, since I battle it, too.

Thanks for the comments on Fight Night. Swiv is worth the read if anyone is on the fence about giving it a try!

As I have mentioned before, last fall I took an online course from Jon Acuff as I felt I wasn’t making significant progress towards my big goals. This book is one of my inspirational morning reads to help me focus on accomplishing more each day. Ha! Although I am learning to prioritize a bit more and working hard to make even the tiniest of progress on the big goals each day, I am beginning to realize that I just plain have too much on my plate. Simplify!



28. Atomic Habits – James Clear - 2018
– library

Habits are action that we do without thinking. They can be good – flossing teeth before bedtime for example – or bad – being triggered to snack while watching evening television.

The premise of this book is to progressively make good habits easy to accomplish and bad habits harder to do. There are some thought-provoking ideas. I especially like the technique of habit chaining – adding one additional habit to my usual bedtime or morning routine, for example.

I found it a useful read; small changes can definitely add up.

3.6 stars

Hi Janet!

>257 streamsong: Learning about how a friend’s thought processes work is always beneficial, right?

>258 streamsong: I’m listening to Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the source and inspiration for Hamilton. We’ll see if I’m interested in seeing the play after I finish the book. I’ve also decided to read The Federalist.

>263 streamsong: I recognize the background processing that goes on in our brains, and it benefits me more times than it doesn’t. Wordle’s another matter, of course. *smile*

>266 streamsong: Ugh. The word doughnut makes me ill right now – I’m in the donut/doughnut hole on prescriptions, although will be out by July at the latest. It’s a terrible thing.

>276 streamsong: I can attest to small habits adding up from my last 6 months of major upheaval. I like the idea of habit chaining, hadn’t specifically thought about it, and appreciate your mentioning it.

>276 streamsong: Hmm. I'm not usually a fan of self-help, but this sounds like it might be useful. I'll have to search it out.

>277 karenmarie: Hi Karen!

I think the learning/solving problems style is fascinating. I wonder if different problem solving styles are covered in teachers' university curriculum. I don't remember it being brought up when I was in school or when my kids were in school.

Right now I have 4 of the 5 letters for Wordle -- every one in the wrong place. I seem to have hit a wall and will let it soak.

Ha! on the word doughnut. My new license plate for the my new-to-me car happens to be DNT900. I am using it as a prompt about the possible calories in donuts. :)

I don't think I will have to worry about the Medicare Donut hole as I have very good BCBS secondary insurance.
Diabetic medicines (even the non-insulin types for Type II diabetes) are insanely expensive and I am ever-so-grateful to have good coverage.

I may have used the wrong term in my review of Atomic Habits. When I posted my review, I saw other reviewers called it 'habit stacking' rather than 'habit chains'. I have dry eyes and I am trying to stack a habit of eye drops after washing my hands after every bathroom trip.

>278 BLBera: Hi Beth- I'm not usually a fan of self help books, either. I buy them, read a chapter and that's that. But this one does have some useful ideas I'll be interested to see if you read it. I think it might work well on an audiobook.

I do find that ten minutes of so called inspirational self help type reading in the morning, and filling out my journal of what I hope to accomplish during the day is very helpful in giving me focus. My son is ADHD and I've always wondered if I have a form of it, too.

On Thursday, my RL longtime book club met and discussed The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. It was based on real events and real people based around the American Library in Paris during the WWII Nazi occupation.

I started the book out slowly and only was about half done with it for the discussion. I really sold myself short by not finishing this one until last night. I enjoyed this more with every page. Fascinating chapter of history.

Today, a friend and I are traveling to Missoula to see the new Downton Abbey movie in theater. It's one of those theaters where food is served. Neither of us have ever been. So we are doing dinner and Downton. Small adventure - our movie theater here in Hamilton closed during the Pandemic.

Im also working on details for a horse sale. I am so stressed out by this. I think he will be going to an amazing home, but this guy is one of my heart horses. He's going too far for me to be able to easily buy him back if he doesn't work out for them. No more details until it's truly a done deal.

Good luck Janet with the sale of your horse. It must be very difficult to part with them.

>282 streamsong: That is not easy, Janet, to sell a heart horse. I hope it works out well. (((hugs)))

The Paris Library does sound good, Janet.

Good luck with your horse sale. It must be hard.

>283 mdoris: >284 FAMeulstee: >285 BLBera: Hi Mary, Anita and Beth! Yes it's always hard to sell a horse as I fall in love with each one. The stress from this sale is that we don't quite have a meeting of the minds as she is having trouble arranging transport, and I am in a bad place being short on hay with little available until the first cutting end of June.

This guy:


whom some of you may remember as a foal four years ago.



No Downton movie yesterday as my friend wasn't feeling quite up to it. We'll try next week.

>285 BLBera: Hi Beth As I said in >281 streamsong: I liked The Paris Library more and more as I read further. Fascinating hidden chapter of WWII history based on real people and real events.

Physical TBR Collection as of 6/1/2022 : 521
Physical TBR Collection as of 1/1/2022: 530

May Reads Still off my usual pace, but six is better than I have been doing. Unfortunately none are yet reviewed. ALTHOUGH I did finish all the April reviews.

6 Books Read in May
29. Matrix - Lauren Groff - 2021 - library
30. The Bell in the Lake - Lars Mytting - 2020 - Global Reading: Norway - library
31. Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist - Kate Raworth - 2017 - library
32. The Woman They Could Not Silence One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear - Kate Moore - 2021 - library
33. The Paris Library - Janet Skeslien Charles - 2022 - LBB Book Club - purch 2022
34. A Journal for Jordan - Dana Canedy - 2008 - Newcomers' Book Club; purch 2022

YEAR CATALOGED OR ACQUIRED
2 - acquired 2022
4 - library

0 Total ROOTS read (acquired before 2022)

FORMAT
6 print

GENRE

3 - Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
2 - global reading
1 - historical fiction
2 - literary fiction

3 - Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
1 - biography
1 - economics
1 - memoir

AUTHORS

1 - Male Authors
5 - Female Authors

5 - Authors who are new to me
1 - Authors read before
0 - Reread

Nationality of Author:
1- Norway

Birthplace or residence of Author if different from nationality:

Setting of book if different than author's nationality:
1 - France

Language Book Originally Published in:
5 - English
1 - Norwegian

Original Publication Date
1 - 2008
1 - 2017
1 - 2020
2 - 2021
1 - 2022

>286 streamsong: Yes, Janet, I remember him. He has matured beautifully, very nice patern!

>286 streamsong: What a beautiful horse Janet. i can see how it would be very hard to part with him.

>288 streamsong: Excellent stats!

Aw gee, selling a heart horse. I'm glad it's going to a good home, but I can feel your pain. I hope you can work out the details quickly so the little (well, not so little anymore) guy doesn't go hungry!

I haven't been to a movie at all during Covid. I'm kind of interested in Downton Abbey. And then there's the new Top Gun that several of my friends have raved about...and Elvis is coming. I may have to get up my courage and go to the theater. I don't like the ones that serve meals. Too distracting. I don't even want to munch on popcorn...

Caught up. How did I not star your thread?

Or maybe the LT Gremlins unstarred it? I've had that happen before.

Glad to be back, and see you're okay.

>289 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita.

>290 mdoris: Thank you, Mary

>291 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. I have not finished a single book yet this month. :( Way too much horse drama.

I am currently enjoying History of the Rain , and a nonfiction book recommended by the Glacier (Park) Conservancy called Land on Fire. Both are hugely overdue from the library, so perhaps I'll try to get them done this weekend.

Hi Janet!

I hope the horse sale goes well.

Bill and I haven't gone out to see a movie in a theater since way before Covid - in fact, I can't even remember the last one we saw in a theater. I hope you can go with your friend soon.

My RL book club has started up again. May's meeting, outside at a local park, was quite successful. June's, set for the 9th, has been delayed because the hostess's family in the big house on her property all have Covid, she lives in the slave-times kitchen converted to small house since and has tested negative, but is delaying 'til the 16th. I won't go, even though it's supposed to be outdoors because I don't think there will be total all-clears by next Thursday and frankly I started and immediately abandoned The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. Richard told me how to return a Kindle book within 7 days, so I at least got my money back.

I'm sorry about the dry eyes and all the eye drops. Keep taking care of yourself!!

>292 Donna828: Hi Donna! I may have given the wrong impression - no one would go hungry here. The old west cowboy tradition is that the horse eats before the cowboy. All of us are on the round side.

Nevertheless, the horse is sold and arrived at his new home.

The Downton movie was wonderful. Laughter and a few tears choked back. I liked it much better than the previous movie.

It was my first movie since pre-Covid, too. I've mentioned that the local theater, while closed down, does do some outdoor drive-in movies on the weekend. I think it would be fun to see either the new Top Gun or the new Jurrassic Park movie on a really big screen.

>293 fuzzi: Good to see you, Lor! Thanks for checking in!

You sound busy Janet! Hope all is well with your beautiful horse settled into his new home.

I am a big Niall Williams fan and must read more (all) of his books.

Dare ended up going to a very upscale home in Scottsdale, Arizona, where his new owner owns a farm and boarding facility. Scottsdale is outside of Phoenix, and for my international friends, is known for a luxurious lifestyle. My brother lives in Tempe, which is quite close, so perhaps I will see Dare again when I visit my brother. (or if you are skeptical perhaps I'll see my brother when I go to see Dare - works either way).

It was 50 degrees here in Montana the night before Dare left. It was 113 in Scottsdale when Dare arrived. But it's the sort of facility where Dare has fans and misters to keep him cool, so I hope he adjusts well. He went there in a rather deluxe shipping trailer, in a box stall with AC.

Bit of drama (well, actually lots maybe) this past week, but all's well that ends well.



Dare in his new digs, shortly after arriving.

A friend said Dare probably thinks he died and went to heaven. With that sort of heat, he may think he went the other way.

Great to read about Dare's travel story and whether it will be heaven or hell!

>298 streamsong: That is a big difference in temperature for Dare, Janet.
Seeing him on the photo, it looks like he found a good place.

>295 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Dare ended up in a good place and had a nice safe trip. I'm sure all my worrying and insomnia made a difference. Ah well. That's me.

I hope you feel comfortable enough to go to a movie or other outing soon. I don't blame you a bit for avoiding the Covid outbreak at your book club. One of the men in my church passed from Covid this week, although he did have several pre-existing conditions, the Covid seems to have been the final straw. Keep taking care of yourself - it's not over, yet.

>297 mdoris: >299 mdoris: Hi Mary! I'm enjoying the writing in The History of Rain very much. What else have you read by Niall Williams that you liked?

>300 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Yes, I was really worried about the temperature difference, but he seems to be doing OK with the help of fans etc. The high country in places like nearby Glacier Park may get two feet of snow this week. While it's not unusual to have a bit of snow in June, two feet is incredible. I hope all the visitors from other states (and countries!) pay attention before they head off hiking.

And now I'm back off to the church to pick up a really nice garden cart that was a leftover from yesterday's rummage sale. They only wanted $20 for it, so people really missed the boat. Yay me!

HI Janet, Church rummage sales are the BEST! I have things acquired and when I use them it is a big smile day! Love the idea of giving them a new home!

I have read 4 of Niall Williams books and none have disappointed. This is Happiness may be my favorite but the writing is so good in them all! Also have read The Fall of LIght and Four Letters of Love as well as History of the Rain. I have read the LT reviews of his work and most really think his books are good. Donna is also a fan!

Will you get reports concerning Dare for a while?

I have been MIA for a bit - too much spring work, and still a bit of depression. June continued to be wet and chilly which didn't help. We're finally having days in the 80's this week.

I finished The History of Rain. There were a couple of wonderful wonderful twists at the end and I definitely enjoyed Niall Williams' turn of a phrase. I will look for more, especially This is Happiness since you recommend it, Mary.

The buyer continues to post updates on Dare, whom she has renamed Poet, sometimes calling him American Poet so she may plan to to change his registered name besides his barn name. Either way, he looks good and I'm tickled she's given him a literary type name.

Wordle in six today. alien, gourd, shore, overt, metro, retro Skin of my teeth!

Hi Janet, You sound busy. Take care!

>304 streamsong: Hi Janet, Welcome Back. I also am experiencing instances of long times between posts. I hope the days with 80's temps help your bit of depression. Thinking of you and sending lots of good wishes!!!
I wish you people who make you happy.

>305 mdoris: Thank you, Mary. I'm not so much busy as stuck in neutral.

However, I'm coming to believe that LT is my happy place. I think if I spend more time here, I will accomplish more during the day instead of less. :)

>306 Whisper1: Thank you for the beautiful card, Linda. I'm a Leo, so it's a wonderful image of the summer to come!

Today is RL book club, discussing Maid by Stephanie Land. It's a reread for me - there's a local connection since Missoula and the University of Montana are just down the road. The cleaning job she describes are absolutely disgusting - she has more of a stomach than I do to clean up other people's pigpen bathrooms.

It's staggering that the working poor can need seven types of assistance to keep afloat.It's yet another problem that seems overwhelming in this era of divided politics and the reluctance of the 'other' party to spend money on social programs.

Today I'm joining the current century and having broadband cable internet installed. I haven't been able to do satellite internet due to the high number of trees surrounding my place. I've been using a Verizon hotspot - which is fairly expensive; especially as I run out of internet before the end of each billing period, even though I don't watch movies or TV shows with it.

Hi Janet.

Well. American Poet is a great name, Poet for short.

I've read several books about the working poor and am still staggered that our country doesn't make it easy for people to have a dignified life without a college degree or inherited wealth. Jenna's coming home to regroup in 11 days. She feels like a failure, which I just hate. She was making $18/hour and still couldn't afford to live in Asheville NC because of the rent. She finally threw in the towel when, after a year, her rent got raised 10% a month. She was already mostly broke every month as it was.

Congrats on broadband cable internet. Another problem for too many people, no access to good internet at home, either because they're rural - like you and me - or because of expense and lack of coverage in 'poor' demographics. Sigh.

>271 streamsong: >272 mdoris: I haven't read Miriam Toews but have The Flying Troutmans on the TBR pile. May move it closer to the top.

Glad American Poet is doing well.

Congrats on broadband! We struggled along with DSL and a mifi for a decade but now have access to 5G. Seems to be working well.

Sending lots of good energy your way. Getting into nature is my go to therapy.

>309 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Happy 4th!

I'm sorry that Jenna is having a tough time making a living. The cost of living here in the Bitterroot Valley has also become outrageous, although there are many jobs going a begging without being filled, they do not support the cost of paying rent here, either.

I didn't have time to search out a ROKU after my BB was installed. It will be high on the list this next week. Yay!

>310 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! It's sooooo good to have you stop in! Saying goobye to horses is the hardest. :( Poet seems to have landed in a really good situation.

Due to the extremely cold weird weather in May and June, I have not been out to the mountains at all. I must remedy that soon!

>311 streamsong: My husband’s cousin trained seeing eye dogs. I knew it wasn’t for me as I don’t think I could take the heartache even though I knew it was for a very good cause.

Hi Janet. Glad the transition went so well with Dare the Poet. : ) Hope you are enjoying summer and some good reads. Be well.

>312 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! Thanks for stopping by. My son has suggested that I foster litters of puppies for support dog positions. And while having a litter of Golden Retrievers live with me for a while sounds like a lot of fun, I agree that giving them up would be the hard part.

>313 Berly: Hi Kim - Thanks for stopping by and the good wishes.

I mentioned somewhere above that depression was creeping up on me. Last week I had an adjustment of my medicine and I am already feeling so much better, although I must say the new dosage is also making me feel quite spacey and my thinking is very scattered and not quite linear.

Suddenly, though, I am enjoying books and reading again, after a slow slide downwards into very little reading. In June I finished only four books for a new record low and didn't write a single review. It's like the old chestnut of boiling a frog by starting out with the frog in cold water and the frog not noticing that conditions are getting worse.

i realized I was enjoying reading again when I finished the third book The Weight of Night in Christine Carbo's mystery series set in Glacier National Park for the Glacier Conservancy Book Club and enjoyed both the book and the discussion. Woot!

I'm currently enjoying The Sentence by Louise Edrich and one for an in-person book club, The Signature of All Things.

I'm embarrassed to say I haven't finished Braiding Sweetgrass which I listen to while I ride my exercise bike. That means I am not exercising the way I need. It was mentioned in Erdrich's book as her protagonist works in a bookstore specializing in Indigenous books.

And finally, in the car I'm listening to The Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu. It will be my first book (non-fiction)
that I have read for Mali in my global challenge. >6 streamsong:

Discussing books has been one of my pleasures, so I hope to get a new thread started soon and be back on form.

I hope the change in meds works, Janet, and you are able to get back to the things you love.

Hi Janet, very nice to see you posting again and hoping that you will be feeling much better very soon. Yes the reading takes a punch down when things go a bit sideways and life gets demanding but sounds like you are back to some great books!

>316 BLBera: Thanks, Beth and thanks for stopping by.
One of the books I finished in June was Night Waking which you had sent me. Loved it! Thank you, again. Sarah Moss is becoming one of my favorite authors.

>317 mdoris: Thanks, Mary and thanks for stopping by. Things are indeed going better - now I just have to catch up with everything in RL that I had neglected - mostly outdoor maintenance sort of things.

In fact, tonight I am going to be attending a class for 'Women and Power Tools' at the local home center. I definitely could use more skill in this area. I am very uneducated in the eastiest/best way to fix even minor things.

Hi Janet, I hope you will like Helen Humphreys.You are in for a treat if you read some of her books I hope! . I have read 10 of her books and loved them all.

Good for you for doing the course on power tools. A long time ago I did a night school course to make some very simple bathroom shelves just to learn how to use hand tools. I am not wired for this! But I was so proud of my wobbly shelves. I wonder what happened to them!

>319 mdoris: Mary, The Frozen Thames is my favorite book written by Helen Humphreys. It was a book I did not want to end. It is a gem!

You already know how to do more things than I do. The power tools class sounds really interesting to me, but I doubt it would be easy to find here in NYC, where the ones I've found are more for urban homesteaders. Jim and I had enough trouble putting down our cleaned bedroom rug yesterday, no tools required!

I'm glad the new meds seem to be working. There was a dismal article yesterday about how SSRIs may be hooey, but they will have to drag them from my cold dead hands. Much better with them.

Night Waking is still my favorite Moss, Janet. I'm glad you liked it.

Hi Janet, How are things in your neck of the woods? Hope you are enjoying summer and getting lots of books read. How did you like The Sentence? Wondering if I should read it!

>318 streamsong: that class would definitely interest me!

>319 mdoris: Hi Mary! I just finished And a dog Called Fig by Helen Humphries. Her memoir of her life in writing wasn't probably the best place to start her catalog. I did love the stories about the dogs, both her own and other writers famous dogs. I don't think I would want a Vizsla - I don't think I could put up with the biting, although I admired her patience in getting through the puppy stages.

>320 Whisper1: Linda, I'll lhave to try The Frozen Thames. I've seen other people here on LT also mention in highly.

>321 ffortsa: Hi Judy _ The power tool class was interesting. Mostly I have my Dad's old power tools. The newer ones are much lighter, often battery operated instead of the power cord. The presenter said the old tools from 40-50 years ago are much better made and I should keep them, even if I replace some of them with lighter weight tools.

>322 BLBera: Night Waking was wonderful, Beth. Thank you so much for sending it. I read on one of your threads that you don't usually pass on books you love .... so would you like it back? I enjoyed your marginalia and added a bit of my own.

>233 BLBera: I really, really liked The Sentence Mary. Parts of it were hard to read as they dealt with the pandemic and also George Floyd's death.

Some people disliked the first chapter - but it's the sort of offbeat Native humor one often hears. Just laugh your way through it.

And during my disappearing act I attended (one session in person and the rest on Zoom) a writing symposium called The James Welch Native Writers gathering in Missoula The one in-person session I attended was the one given by Erdrich. She had donated signed copies of the Sentence for everyone attending - but they arrived a day late, and I decided not to make the drive back to get one. :( I'll probably regret that, although I think if I contacted her bookstore, I could order a copy.

James Welch passed away several years ago. His wife, Lois, who was head of the Missoula Creative Writing Department for many years talked lovingly of him. His writing is known as the beginning of what is called 'The Indian Renaissance' where Indians tell their own stories in books.

Photo of Lois Welch holding a portrait of her husband James done by Pikani Artist John Isaiah Pepion for the festival

Many other very interesting writers talked - including Tommy Orange the author of There, There who read a major spoiler involving There There.

>324 fuzzi: The class was fun, Lor. I think they will do some more where we will make a small project with power tools. If so, I'll probably be there.

>327 streamsong: This sounds fabulous, Janet.

And no, I don't need Night Waking back. I'm glad you enjoyed my comments. I do tend to mark up books, an old grad school habit.

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