The Read goes ever on and on...MrsLee 2022 chapter 3

I suppose since the other thread is at 152 posts, I will have a third chapter this year.

Currently Reading:
The Works of John Donne
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Of all the Gin Joints: Stumbling through Hollywood History by Mark Bailey

Ready to be continued when finished with Donne:
Invitation to the Classics by Os Guinness and Louise Cowan
Henry VI Part Three by William Shakespeare

Congrats on the new thread and enjoy Paladin of Souls. I still need to get back to re-read that one after our Curse of Chalion read last year.

Happy new thread. I hope you manage to keep sane during the hot weather.

>3 pgmcc: Heh, heh, sanity has never been one of my life goals. ;)

Happy new thread!

Don't forget to add your two cents here when your done with Paladin.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/331008

Followed the path to find your new thread! So glad you found Paladin of Souls. I enjoyed it immensely and suspect you will as well.

>5 clamairy: & >6 jillmwo: I am already loving it!

Today I have made a decision. I am giving away all my books on CDs, and all my cassette tapes, including the ones I recorded years ago off public radio called Rabbit Ears radio. Various celebrities reading lovely children's stories. They are available to listen to online if my grandson ever wishes, and I don't have a cassette player anymore! When I think of all the joy our family had listening to those stories it makes me come up, but those days are done. Also getting rid of the music CDs. Haven't listened to them in at least 7 years. When I want to hear a song, I listen online, and I am not a music fiend, I prefer quiet when I can get out now.

>8 MrsLee:
Radical!

>8 MrsLee: decluttering! I need to do the same.

There’s a group for that:

https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/17819/Discarded

>7 MrsLee: I think Paladin of souls is fantastic, so I'm glad to hear that!

Inquiring minds would like to know - how was the book on gin joints?

>13 Darth-Heather: I am slow on reading it. To be honest, it is rather depressing. Even though it has recipes and tries to keep a light tone, all the stories about the way celebrities have ruined their lives and other people's lives by thir drinking is rather a good deterrent to drinking alcohol! On the other hand, some of the tidbits about the making of movies and places in Hollywood are interesting. I think I will use it as a guide to watching some of the older movies I haven't watched yet.

I finished Of all the gin joints: stumbling through Hollywood history. The post above describes my reaction to it fairly well and may become my review.

Next up; The Greek Philosophers: from Thales to Aristotle by W.K.C. Guthrie. I have no memory of where, why or when I obtained this book, but it is short, so I will give it a try.

In the process of getting rid of my books on CD, we ended up at the library sale room. On the plus side, they wanted the CD books, on the extra plus side, I managed to bring home 10 paper books. They take up just about the same amount of room on my shelves as the CD books did. This may be why I never seem to gain any space, no matter how hard I try to read and pass along books.

"New"books for me:
A year in Province by Peter Mayle - I have enjoyed all the books I've read by this author so far. With the help of LT and Amazon, I don't think I had this book. Hurray for magic phones in our pockets.
Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph and Frances Gies - an interest of mine in case I ever get around to writing family stories.
Life in a Medieval Village same authors
Bunnicula: a rabbit-tale of mystery by Deborah and James Howe - I don't know, my husband picked this out for me. It has a sleepy sheep dog (or something like) an evil fanged bunny on the cover.
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett. I don't know that this is a first edition, but it is a 1991 published by Gollancz, with a cover very slightly worn. The cover has a gold skeleton leering with a wizard behind him. Yes, yes, I know I recently bought all the Discworld books in a set with awesome covers, but can one have to many? Really? When it was only a dollar? When I was waffling about it, my dear husband said, "If I were you, I would buy it." So I did.
The next five books are library discards. A set of the works of William Shakespeare, Henley Edition. Published by P.F. Collier & Soon in 1912. It is a set of ten, with a couple of charming illustrations in each. There were only five there. Volumes Ii, IV, VI, VIII & X. Yes, I already have a collected works of Shakespeare in one volume, and a set of the comedies, tragedies and histories from my mom. But what sold me is that the font is lovely, large and well spaced. Now I suppose I will have to find the missing volumes somehow.

>15 MrsLee: It is impossible to go to a library sale, or indeed any other kind of book sale, and come away empty handed. It's a fact of life.
I hope you enjoy your new acquisitions!

>15 MrsLee: Nice haul. And I hear ya.

>16 Sakerfalcon: Even when I had already switched to mostly reading on my Kindle I was coming home with boxes of books. I've gotten better since I moved only because all of the sale books at this library are 'out back' in their own building.

>15 MrsLee: Have you seen the BBC2 / YouTube series by Ruth Goodman and others on building and living in a medieval castle in France? I think you might enjoy it.

>18 hfglen: Ooh! I’m reading a Ruth Goodman book right now. How many lives does she have?

>19 2wonderY: Almost all of her books on LT are mirrored by BBC / YouTube videos, so maybe not so many.

>18 hfglen: Sounds like something I would like.

>15 MrsLee: My goodness! How tidy of you to manage to empty and refill exactly the right amount of shelf space. I wish I had that talent.

>15 MrsLee: I love Bunnicula! I read it as a third grader (the year it came out), and I now read it with my third graders.

>23 catzteach: That is great to hear. I look forward to reading it now.

Finished Paladin of Souls tonight. I'm going to read the group thread on this before I comment. First, because it will be easier to type on my laptop than on my phone, and second because I have to process it. This one was very close to my heart in some ways.

New book started: Hinge of Fate by Winston S. Churchill

Decided to read The Curse of Chalion again so I could check my original impressions of Ista. Also, it is a terrific story and I've forgotten some of the details.

>15 MrsLee: A pleasant surprise, I am quite enjoying the book on Greek Philosophers. The author is working from some lectures he gave to students who were not majoring in Greek, nor in philosophy, but in subjects like mathematics, history and so forth, but wanted to understand a bit about philosophy. He is trying to give an understanding of how the ancient Greeks saw the world, how they would have understood terms such as virtue and justice. Beginning there and working forward to what they have come to mean now, rather than trying to understand what the ancient Greeks meant by looking back from now to then. Does that make any sense? Because it did in my head. Anyway, I expected to trudge though this as a "learning" experience, but am finding it interesting, enlightening and engaging.

Finished The Curse of Chalion today. I think I spotted why I had so little sympathy/empathy for Ista. It is because she is so wrapped up in her curse and misery that she does nothing to prepare her children for what they must face. She blamed the gods for her son's death, but if she had taken the time to teach him about the false flattery and temptations that would present themselves, perhaps he would have had a better character to deal with court life. Having read this a second time, I realize that the author intended to convey that the curse twisted all good motives, and that Ista had been relegated to the role of the mentally deranged, so possibly was not given access to her children.

I very much enjoyed this reread, and would say that it is immersive, for the sake of the other thread going on in the pub. It is also memorable in atmosphere, although I had forgotten many of the details from reading it the first time. That might just be my memory though.

Next book up, chosen by random from my shelves, The Irreverent Mr. Mencken by Edgar Kemler. This book has my uncle's name written in it, and from the date of publication and the fact that there is ephemera from U.C. Berkeley in it, I deduce it is one he had in college and then passed along to his parents. There is a review torn from a magazine in the front also. Sadly, no indication of which magazine, but I suspect my grandmother put it there as she was an inveterate magazine and news paper article clipper. The review is not kind to this book.

I have read two chapters and I am indifferent so far. I have more interest in the times than in the man, but I will certainly give it its 50 page chance. Not too long ago I read a book on The Smart Set a publication Mencken edited in the 1920s or thereabouts.

>28 MrsLee: The review is not kind to this book.

Beautifully put. I burst out laughing when I read that.

>1 MrsLee: I responded to a review from your last thread, here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341310#7900957

>30 fuzzi: Thanks!

Last night I quit reading The Irreverent Mr. Mencken. It wasn't horrible, but I found myself doing anything but reading. I sorted my postcard collection for heaven's sake! (Not my postcards from my travels, these were left by my grandmother, mom and my husband's aunt. 2 boxes full) Anyway, here's the review I gave it. I was kinder than the magazine article review, but then I was totally unfamiliar with Mencken or his struggle.

"This is not a man whose company I would enjoy (I'm sure the feeling would be mutual), but it seems he was an important step in the history of American literature. He was outspoken against the suppression of expression in all its forms and a champion of authors who dared to write with realism and not idealism. Because of my distaste for the ideals of Mencken and what he stood for, I didn't finish the book. It was interesting to read about the progression of American literature from the early 1900s to the 1940s though."

Next book chosen at random from the TBR shelves, Pennsylvania Dutch Cookery by J. George Frederick. Thus far I am not excited. Have an idea it will be a skimmer.

>32 MrsLee:
I was looking forward to a review of your postcards.

>32 MrsLee: I hope you have no regrets.

>33 pgmcc: Ha!

>33 pgmcc: Well, I have a 6" stack of postcards from all over California, from as early as 1904, then there is the 6" stack from Arizona, many of which are flora and fauna, but the majority are of geographical interest. The also-rans are assortments from Oregon (sizable), Washington, Idaho, Montana, one from Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and Texas. Then there are the quantities from Mexico and Canada, a few from a sprinkle of eastern states, and quite a few from Hawaii. The second box are from non-North American countries, with Spain in the lead with another 6" Portugal, one from Italy, some from Greece, Jerusalem, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Finland, Denmark, Holland, Norway, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Australia. Why am I saving all these you ask?

First, because I have hopes of typing up my grandmother's travel journals, I've already done my mom's, and using these to illustrate if the photos they took which may not be adequate.

Second, I will write on them and send them to people to show them where I've never been!

>34 clamairy: I have plenty of regrets, but I'm not sure which ones you mean? About abandoning the Mencken biography? None. About starting to read it and getting half way through? None. About sorting my postcards? None. About the Pennsylvania Dutch Cookery book? Several, which I will enumerate in a review. :)

A note on RL, I had fun at work today. My manager went on Find-A- Grave and saw a lot of requests for help locating headstones in our cemetery, so he took me on a field trip and we went looking for them. Some we found and took pictures of, others didn't have headstones. The rest of my day was spent searching our computer for Civil War veterans and fixing a list we were sent by a researcher. Many of the names were incorrect or were not in our cemetery. I was doing this because another researcher asked for help in knowing what Civil War veterans made it to California and what they did there. I love these projects so much more than the balance sheet, and other yucky math stuff.

>35 MrsLee:
I love postcards. Mine are not as organised or numerous as yours, but I find it hard to think of throwing them out.

Your project sounds like a nice break from the routine.

>35 MrsLee: I love the sound of your postcard collection. I imagine the scenes illustrated are very different from the way those places look now. It would be interesting to travel round and compare.

>37 Sakerfalcon: Yes, I imagine many of them are. I do enjoy looking at them.

I was going to report last night that my plans for reading this weekend were interrupted by three varieties of fruit being given to me yesterday which needed processing. My brother gave me a large black plastic bag full of elderberries he found while out scouting for deer. Then his wife loaded up a plastic bag with quince from their yard. Then Mark's sister gave me a bag of windfall peaches. I managed to deal with the preaches (sliced with a little sugar and lemon juice, in the fridge for cereal and ice cream), and worked until midnight plucking elderberries from the droops and cleaning them (preparing to freeze for later batches of syrup and jelly).

This morning, while getting ready for work, the other shoe fell. Or rather, I fell. Managed to give myself a great lump on the head and a very bruised arm. I have stayed home with ice, rest and ibuprofen treatments all day. Hurts quite a bit, but the symptoms do not seem to indicate more than a mild concussion. I really hate this falling business. Makes me feel stupid and vulnerable. This time my head hit the edge of a step, which was carpeted, but still rattled my bones.

Anyway, I'm still working on the fruit, but at a much slower pace. Reading, computer and TV aren't very appealing. Also, it's hard to eat because I must have bruised a muscle that connects my jaw. Hurts to open my mouth too far or bite down. Upside? Peaches and ice cream for dinner!

>39 MrsLee: sorry to hear about your fall, glad you weren't seriously injured.

>39 MrsLee: Get well soon. I am very sorry to hear about your fall.

>39 MrsLee: I'm so sorry about your tumble, but at least you have yummy fruit to enjoy. Will send good juju your way.

>39 MrsLee: Ow! Hope you recover soon.

Thank you all! I realized that audio books didn't hurt my head, so I listened to Signal Moon by Kate Quinn. Enjoyed it very much! My only quibble, and it is a small one, the female in 1942 didn't know what a television was, but regular broadcasts began in Brittan in 1936, even though they were suspended during the war, a young woman of her class would know what one was I think.

>39 MrsLee: Best wishes from me too.

What will you do with the quinces? An under-appreciated fruit.

>44 MrsLee: Those sort of details bug me too. Two recent items I’ve come across -
- A farm raised woman had never slaughtered a chicken in the 1940s and was too distressed to accomplish it.
- a Formica table was presented as a furnishing in a hovel in 1958.

So sorry for your oopsy! I tripped on the cuff of my pants this week and fell too. No head injury; just bruised all along my right side.

>45 haydninvienna: I will make jam with the quince. I love the sweet-tart flavor of them. These are not the proper fruit, they are off of a decorative variety, but still very flavorful, just tiny.

>46 2wonderY: That first example is silly! My mom was still killing her own chickens in 1970. Granted I never did personally, but it was the norm when I grew up, and the only way to get chicken on a farm when my mom was married in 1953. I don't know about the Formica table thing. Is that one because they were a luxury at that time and wouldn't be in a hovel? Sorry about your fall, too. They make one feel vulnerable. I am superwoman and can do anything, until I fall, then I feel very old.

>47 MrsLee: Right. Formica tables were first made in the 1950s, and would only have been found in upscale kitchens. The rickety old wood table (or perhaps chipped enameled top) that was discarded in favor of Formica would be the one in the hovel.

Yeah, I felt silly and vulnerable. The first is fine, the second not.

Sorry about your fall.sending healing juju your way.

All the fruit sounds spectacular! I love fresh peaches.

>44 MrsLee: I wondered about that exact thing myself, but wasn't motivated enough to Google dates.

>50 clamairy: It was one of those interruptive moments that stuck with me, but didn't make me pause the story.

Listened to Legion by Brandon Sanderson this morning. I liked it! Happily, I found a followup story he wrote in my audio library, too. It has been about 5-6 years since I've looked in my audio library, so lots of things there say finished, but I have no memory of them.

Listened to Legion: Skin Deep by Brandon Sanderson last night. The first book was 2 hours and 20ish minutes, the second 4 hours and 20ish minutes, so almost 7 hours of listening yesterday. A good day. I managed to bake bread, oatmeal cookies, and made waffles for dinner. May I just say, sourdough waffle with vanilla ice cream and fresh peaches, may be the best dinner ever. Now I need to see if there are any more "Legion" stories.

First of all >52 MrsLee: it sounds from that list of what you accomplished that you're feeling a bit better. (oatmeal cookies, waffles, etc.) so I'm glad that the fall was not completely debilitating. (Although I wouldn't underestimate long-term effect of a seemingly-slight concussion.)

I am tempted to find Legion as I like Sanderson's stuff but never think of him unless someone shakes it at me with great vigor.

>39 MrsLee: Ouch! I hope you start feeling better soon.

>53 jillmwo: & >54 Narilka: Having dealt with the consequences of underestimating the effects of a concussion before, I am giving this bump full respect. When I get up to do something, I move slow, am only up for a short time, then go rest my head and close my eyes for an hour or so. Thank you for the good wishes, I am feeling better. Happily, my new job is not stressful, nor very physical, and only 4 hours a day, so I will be able to return to work tomorrow. I'm going to have my husband drive me this week though.

>53 jillmwo: I highly recommend "Legion," it's different from his other stories in that it takes place in our world. Interesting concept. Also, the three stories are not very expensive on Kindle.

How is it that I have not read the works of Rafael Sabatini before? I LOVED Scaramouche! So much fun. Like an offspring of The Tale of Two Cities and The Count of Monte Cristo, but without the tedious bits. I think this is an author I will need in my physical library. I listened to the audio version, narrated by Simon Vance (one of my favorite narrators), which was probably a good thing, since I didn't have to worry about how to say all the French names and words. This inspired me to learn more about Italian Comedy improvisation theater, and although it didn't inspire me to learn more about the French Revolution, it did fill in some blank spaces for me. Now I need to look for some more books by this author. High adventures! By the way, I think this was a book bullet from my grandparents letters back when I transcribed them.

I have enjoyed a number of Sabatini novels, >56 MrsLee:. I'm glad that you liked Scaramouche!!

>56 MrsLee: You got me! Between the eyes, even.
(And they are all free!)

>56 MrsLee: I loved Captain Blood, am planning on reading Scaramouche in the future.

>58 clamairy: Hurray! I'm going to see if I have the others on my Kindle. This is the only one I had on Audible, but I'm not a member anymore, so I don't buy audio books much. I went through my Audible library tonight marking finished, the books I have read (using LT to confirm). I still have a good plenty I have not listened to, and I had all but forgotten them! I quit listening to audio books in about 2015 when I no longer commuted to work.

>59 fuzzi: You will love it!

Tonight I listened to a short story by Rhys Bowen which had been free: Masked Ball at Broxley. I have a couple more books by her, and although the narration is a bit bombastic and plumby, they are fun. I noted a quibble I had with Her Royal Spyness in that it borrowed characters and plot details from other authors in a way that did not feel like homage, but more like grabbing. Hopefully that does not continue. I'm actually amazed she got away with it because the Sayers contingent are very protective I have heard. I will probably listen again to refresh my memory.

>56 MrsLee: Been ten years since I read Scaramouche after previously reading Captain Blood and enjoyed both. The books differ enough from the films to make each enjoyable in their own rights too (I'd seen both movies prior to reading the novels). Glad to hear you liked it also.

>61 AHS-Wolfy: I don't think I want to see the old movies of Scaramouche I just know they would focus more on the romance than on the subtle wit.

>62 MrsLee: The romance is definitely brought to the fore but it's still a fun movie. I guess I'd class it as a bit of a guilty pleasure. As I've just seen there are a couple of adaptations I should clarify I'm talking about the one starring Stewart Granger in the lead role. Didn't know there was an earlier one directed by Rex Ingram.

>63 AHS-Wolfy: oh, but Errol Flynn!!! 🥰

One funny result of listening to Scaramouche on audio, is that now when I'm reading my book on Greek Philosophers, I "hear" it in the voice of Simon Vance. Very pleasant.

I started listening to In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen. I'm finding it tedious. I don't know if this was an early effort? The story plods. Also, I'm not sure whether the author doesn't know her characters, or doesn't trust her audience's intelligence. One character who is supposed to be a very clever fellow working for MI5 says the stupidest things and asks dumb questions of his supervisor when given a case. If I were his supervisor, I would be giving a second thought to trust him with anything, but I'm pretty sure the author framed it that way so she could explain exactly to the reader what the implications were thus far in case they missed it. It wasn't necessary and made me lose interest in that character. How can I root for someone who is a dimwit when he is supposed to be clever?

I think this may be one of my peeves with the other books I've listened to by this author. Smart characters suddenly being stupid so she can explain to the audience what is happening. Also, in the four books by her I've listened to recently, she repeats herself, in the exact same words, in descriptions of the qualities of a debutante. I won't be seeking out more of these books, I'm afraid I've read all the author has to say. On the up side, the historical bits are interesting.

>66 MrsLee:
That would throw me out of a book too. It is terrible when a book is not internally consistent.

>66 MrsLee: Oy. That doesn't sound appealing at all. I own the Kindle version of this because they were giving it away for free a few years back. It may stay unread.

>66 MrsLee: "...but I'm pretty sure the author framed it that way so she could explain exactly to the reader what the implications were thus far in case they missed it."

Ah, yes. The ever irritating, "As you know, Bob...", technique.

>69 ScoLgo: & >66 MrsLee: I've decided to save this one for when I'm a bit more senile and need those kinds of reminders. :oP

>70 clamairy: lol

>65 MrsLee: I don't know how you people do it, all those posts and not a single Bohemian Rhapsody reference! The discipline is amazing.

>72 Karlstar: Well, I did think of asking MrsLee whether she did the fandango ...

>72 Karlstar: & >73 haydninvienna: It was playing in the background of my brain the whole time.

>73 haydninvienna: Me too, just couldn't do it.
>74 clamairy: Same!

>72 Karlstar: The struggle is real. Trying to replace the brain worm every time I read or type the title.

I finished In Farliegh Field tonight. Finally. Will begin Act of Mercy by Pete Tremayne tonight or tomorrow. Still listening to audio books because I'm not quite right in the head yet and I'm being careful to save my eyes for work. I'm better, just being careful.

So far behind in reviews again. I finished The Greek Philosophers by W.K.C. Guthrie. I enjoyed it a lot. Helped me get a new appreciation of philosophy.

Began Tales of the City by Armistad Maupin.

Completed Act of Mercy. The reader was good, but stilted at some points and at others had an odd cadence. As for the story, I very much enjoyed the historical bits, but it seemed tedious at times when discussing the characters, and Fidelma seemed obtuse through most of it.

Stories like this make me appreciate how difficult it is to write a mystery which let's the reader into just enough clues so that they don't feel cheated at the end, but not enough to keep them from feeling superior to the detective. Because at the end, I want to be awed by the detective's cleverness. I want to feel that I might have been able to solve it, but have just enough misdirection so that I am surprised. I have only a handful of authors who have done that for me.

I say with hesitation, and reserving the right to change my mind, I am really enjoying Tales of the City.

I've also begun listening to The Fellowship of the Ring as narrated by Andy Serkis. Loving it.

Very far behind on reviews and such. I have been avoiding the computer due to the head injury I had a couple of weeks ago, now it's just too hot to live, let alone compose and type a review.

This week Mark and I did our part to contribute to the economy of our town. We went to lunch, strolled downtown, bought a couple of tours for my grandson at the children's store, then went into the little independent bookstore. They have increased their inventory, and I have decreased it. Purchased:
Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig
This House of Sky also by Ivan Doig
Delicious! by Ruth Reichl
Seldom Disappointed by Tony Hillerman, a memoir.
My husband insisted I buy Bibliomysteries: Stories of crime in the world of books and bookstores, by various authors, some of whom are known to me, most are not.

About 8" are needed on my shelves to house these. I finished one book of about 1 and a half inches the other day. :/ I'm going to have to stop listening to audio books and get to reading my paper books.

The book I finished was Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. Had no idea what it was about or how it got on my shelf, ended up loving it. It could do easily have been dreary, or foul, but instead it was rather sweet. For those who don't know, it began as a newspaper column in the San Francisco Chronical. Following the lives of the residents in an apartment house in San Francisco in the late 1970s. Maupin portrays them in their everyday humanness. There are no heroics, no maudlin drama, but their humanity shines. I know there are more books about these folks, but I won't go looking for them. Only because I want to keep the simplicity and sweetness of this one. Dare I say, it is the At Home in Mitford story for those of alternative lifestyles.

>81 MrsLee: I read the first few Tales of the city series many years ago and loved the first three of them. I was less keen on book 4 and stopped reading then, but I'd like to go back to them. As you say, they could have been real downers but Maupin chose to take a different approach.

>81 MrsLee: Otto Penzler always comes up with an interesting array of stories when he assembles a compendium like Bibliomysteries. So many writers that one may have heard of but never read anything by!!!

>82 Sakerfalcon: I know the next few books include how AIDS affected some of the characters. That sounds more heartbreaking. I may pick them up someday, but I do not go looking for heartbreak.

>83 jillmwo: Good to know!

>84 MrsLee:
I do not go looking for heartbreak.

I am like you. That is why I have so many problems with the books chosen by the book club I am with. At least I have persuaded them to agree that it is alright to ignore the chosen books. :-)

I finished the three books of The Lord of the Rings, narrated by Andy Serkis. I love this audio version. Hard to imagine that all the various characters were not in the room with him reading the story. I don't know how he manages to convey a character quoting another character trying to sound like that character (for instance Pippin quoting Gandalf) but he does. Amazing. These three audio books flew by, even though they were each more than 20 hours long. Of course nothing much else got done around here. However, I think my brain is fully healed and ready to go back to reading paper/ebooks.

I guess brain injury is good for my reading quota, because I managed to finish 14 books in August. That's more than I've read in a month in years, and none of them were children's books (oh, wait, several were 2-4 hour novellas. :) Anyway, it was a good month.

The book random choice from my TBR shelves gave me this time is I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan. As you all know, I am a sucker for books of correspondence, and if that correspondence is full of humor and love, so much the better. These are. I am mildly disappointed that there is so much of Nancy telling about the letters, rather than just the letters themselves, transcribed. So far, it is photos of his letters in cursive writing, which although I am able to read, it is not easy on the eyes.

Still working on The Hinge of Fate by Churchill, and the poetry of John Donne. Enjoying both in their own way. They both share that delightful English educated way of putting someone down in such a way that the person/reader must puzzle it out for a bit. Like Bilbo at his party. ;0

John Donne is done. It was an enjoyable experience for the most part, although some of the longer poems made me impatient. Not the poet's fault, only my attention span. Also the fact that I only half understood a lot of it.

Next on my list of classical reading is Paradise Lost by John Milton, but before I attempt that, I'm going to read The Divine Comedy: Paradise by Dante. Dorothy L. Sayers didn't live to complete this one. It was finished by Barbara Reynolds. I've not finished the introduction yet, but I think it will be ok. My one problem so far is that the Penguin version I have is a terrible printing. The font is very small, blurred and dark. Hope my eyes can take it.

Somehow I've managed to be in the middle of several weighty reads. I tried to lighten it up by beginning Nothing but Wodehouse, but actually I don't feel very good and fall asleep when I try to read. Ah well, this too shall pass.

>88 MrsLee: You've definitely been on a heavy reading binge!

Doing my trick of not updating here much. I finished the book on the Regans, it was a good and interesting read. I laughed, because their loving relationship reminded me very much of my in-law's. They would be horrified at that, staunch Democrats that they were. My in-laws, not the Regans.

I'm now reading John Burrough's America, a selection of his writings as a naturalist. It is slow and meditative, but I like it.

The Wodehouse is not as engaging as I had hoped. I enjoyed the section on Jeeves, but the next one on a character named Ukridge was so painful to me that I skipped it after two stories. So far, I'm enjoying the third section on Mr. Mulliner.

Ukridge was a man without principles sponging off others and it was tedious to me.

I am to the "proof-reading" stage of the book I am making of my mother's letters. I had to share this portion of a letter from her aunt when my mom left for college. I may have shared it before, I've been working at this for over a year now, but I love it and am sharing it. Also on FB, so possibly redundant for some. It seems like some great advice to a young person beginning college and living away from home.

"You are now on your own – glorious experience – entering the adult world with an opportunity to make the most of your life. You will have a few regrets that things have changed for you but never let them interfere with your changes of growth. You will learn many new ideas – both in your contacts and in the classroom. Try to keep an open mind and don’t be too hasty to reject or accept. It takes a lot of pondering to decide which of the numerous theories of the “good life” will be of value to us personally. You are very fortunate in having parents that have given you a solid foundation on which to build. You have grown up with “intellectual curiosity” so your adjustment to thinking on a college level should not be as difficult as it is to some."

This is the rest of the letter, it seems precious to me. Sept. 1949:

"Dear Jane: Mon. Eve.
As I am writing this you are preparing to get off the train – probably pulling on your gloves – giving your nose that last minute attention. We have followed you most of the way – “now Jane is getting on the train” – “where is Jane, now, mother?” “Probably Corning” – “Jane should be going thro’ Vacaville now” etc. By the time this reaches you the excitement of this evening will be over and more splendid experiences will follow each day. We all know this is the biggest thrill of your life up to now and you are in our thoughts continually. We all love you and are giving you all the moral support we can muster (and that has unlimited qualities)."

The above portion was here, I chose to separate it because it is perfect on its own, but I chose to share the rest because it is sweet.

"The pears are still two days ahead of me but I’ll conquer them tomorrow. Sewed a few more seams on Patty’s dress, too. The big thing right now is the arrival of Dick Hemstead’s 2 rodeo horses. He turned them in last night after winning $700 on them at Cedarville. The boys are harvesting & as soon as that is done, we have cattle coming to pasture. Patty hopes there will be no bulls. At any rate we shall have to lay up more fence around the house.
Hope you have delivered my message to Grace (the aunt's sister) regarding letter writing!
Love –
Lois"

>91 MrsLee: Oh my. That is wonderful. It's like reading a novel, but the characters are people you actually knew and loved.

>92 clamairy: Yes indeed!

>91 MrsLee: love it, and I don't even know any of the characters!

>91 MrsLee:
Thank you for sharing this. I can only imagine how connected you feel to the people involved. I feel connected to them just reading it without having any familial link. I am also seeing images of Dick Hemstead's 2 rodeo horses, and I also hope there is no bull. The laying up of more fence around the house is conjuring images in my mind.

Did Grace get the message?

>91 MrsLee: Thank you for sharing that, it really is great to have such a view of a real person's life back then.

>95 pgmcc: I think she may have, because she wrote my grandma that week about my mom's arrival and how well she was coping with city life. I don't know if she wrote Lois though!

They were three sisters, all of whom my whole family holds in awe. Charlotte (my grandmother), Lois and Grace. All were full of curiosity, intelligence, humor and wisdom. No conversation with them ever felt like a waste of time. Each of them was gifted at sharing what they knew, and when the conversation was over, they had probably learned whatever you knew as well.

>91 MrsLee: Truly a family treasure. You have a wonderful heritage from which you're able to draw.

In reading The Hinge of Fate, I have come to decide that trying to understand how the British government works is a bit like trying to understand the game of cricket.

>99 MrsLee:
Based on the performance of the past decade or more it would appear the British government hasn’t quite worked that out either.

>99 MrsLee: Cricket is much easier.

>101 hfglen: Haha! I wondered if the political system in my country is as confusing to others? Is it just because it isn't something I've grown up with, or is it actually convoluted?

My naturalist book by Burrough, while interesting, is slightly disappointing. It is a compilation of one of his friend's favorite portions of his writings. She has put snippets from various essays into the same chapter with the only clue a tiny number at the end of the portion to guide you to the essay it came from. The result is a bit disjointed. I start to get interested in a theme he is developing, then the next paragraphs wander away and I never see what he was drivng at. I have to remind myself that it isn't his fault. Anyway, I don't really know if I would like to read a whole book by him, but possibly I would like to try, if only to see if he was capable of coming to a point in an essay. His writing isn't my favorite naturalist writing, but it is interesting, picturesque and lovely at times. Also a bit of dry humor, so there's that.

>102 MrsLee: It is. In my final year at high school, we hosted an American exchange student. One day he tried to explain US presidential elections to us. After 3/4 hour we were all totally lost.

>103 hfglen: The electoral college has never made sense to me.

>104 catzteach: I hear it made more sense when there were 13 states. Not sure how...

>104 catzteach: >105 clamairy: You Ladies make me feel much better!

>106 hfglen: I do understand how it works, just not why we're still using it.

>105 clamairy: I’ve heard something similar. The last few elections have been different, but when I first became a voter, by the time Oregon’s votes were counted, often the winner had already been announced, determined by the Electoral Votes, which meant the votes in Oregon didn’t matter. It was frustrating and sad. (I hope that’s not too political, if so, I’ll edit)

As MrsLee and pgmcc have noted above (and as catzteach and clamairy confirm), many of the governmental processes in both the US and the UK appear to be desperately strained under the weight of years and expectations. I'm adding them to the list of things I don't feel I quite grasp under the current set of circumstances -- medical systems, transportation systems, educational systems...

Honestly, even library and publishing systems look weird to me these days. (But, hey, how about those Mets?)

With respect to political systems and their cumbersome and archaic baggage, here's an experiment. A thought experiment, if you prefer. Form a little team or committee, at work, say, or in a social group or volunteer organization. Have maybe 7 to 10 people on it. Let the team choose a leader and then define their task, figure out how to accomplish it, and proceed to carry out their mission.

Does it go smoothly and produce a successful result? Was there any conflict, any vying for leadership, any contradictory interpretations of the goal? Does everyone agree on the ends and means? Does everyone fulfill their designated roles? Does the outcome solve the problem or fulfill the purpose of the team?

I think many of us don't have to imagine this because at one time or another we've been part of such a task force and seen how it works.

When I think about how hard it can be to perform just a small assignment with a small group of no more than a dozen people, with everybody still friends when it's over, it's utterly amazing that anything can get done on the scale of local government, never mind a country of more than 300 million. And that's without even figuring in hidden agendas, corrupt influences, outside pressures, and weak or incompetent actors, as well as the weight of outdated rules and traditions. You have to wonder how it functions at all.

Not a political post.

The USA is a republic, NOT a democracy.

As I understand it, the electoral college is used to prevent one or two highly populated states from imposing their views on the other 48. In a true democracy comprised of three foxes and two chickens, the foxes can vote and always win what's for dinner. The electoral college is set up to prevent that.

>110 Meredy: Excellent point. This is one of the things I appreciate about reading the Churchill books. He shows what went on behind the scenes to enable things to move forward, how others disagreed and how the parties managed to work things out for the most part, not with the idea that everyone agreed or was happy, but to get an end result.

>111 fuzzi: That is how I understand it as well.

My reading at the moment is a slow thing. I manage one chapter in Churchill's book, most days one canto in Dante along with the notes, and sometimes a chapter in Wodehouse. Also a page or two in the naturalist book. When I finish one of these, I must pick something light and fun. I am enjoying each of the books I'm reading, but they are not light or fun.

In the evening, my brain has been too sluggish to concentrate on reading and I've been watching some shows on the Sundown channel on Prime. The "Ipcress Files" was very good! Now I'm watching a New Zealand mystery series which I think I like, two episodes in and its pretty dark, but I do like the actors and of course the setting. New Zealand is a source of several mystery series I have enjoyed very much.

I tried some of what was described as "acerbic" humor, or "dark" humor series, but neither of them appealed. The premise was set upon a fairly innocent and naive character surrounded by people who look down on them. I'm sure if I stuck with the show it would have the simple character triumphing, but I don't enjoy the setup.

>105 clamairy: I believe the idea was originally to prevent the Presidential election from being run in only the 3 or 4 large cities, candidates would only have to campaign in the cities, not the towns and countryside. That only applies after the 12th amendment, previous to that it was a complete mess.

Hmmm, I was casting around for a new series to watch, having come to the end of "Under" (filmed in New Zealand, and very good, except for a couple of bozo decisions by the main characters, made to enhance the drama, I'm sure, but really stupid).

I landed on a paranormal detective show filmed in South Africa called, "Dead Places." Possibly not the wisest choice to make as the last show I watch before bed. I very much enjoyed the first episode.

Reading is on the back burner at the moment. I'm expecting company for the weekend and trying to get everything in order, which I guess means that my mind won't focus on reading.

>112 MrsLee: If you're making plans about cleaning the house for company, I'm not surprised that your brain won't settle. There's always one more thing to add to the list.

I find that if the topic or text is a challenging one (such as your reading of Dante and accompanying footnotes) then I have to do that reading early in the day. Bedtime reading would be perhaps the Wodehouse you mention.

My husband and I appear to have exhausted the options found in Britbox and Acorn, so I have to ask where you are finding your South African detective show??

>115 jillmwo: On the Sundance channel on Amazon Prime. If you try it, I highly recommend The Ipcress Files. A modern mini-series remake of the movie. Nice suspense and spy goodness.

Wodehouse gets my mealtimes, the others work into the afternoon as best they can. I work in the mornings from 8-12. I get up at 5 so I can spend an hour or hour and a half on the book I'm making of mom's letters. Lately I don't seem to be able to read later than 5 p.m.

>116 MrsLee: You're amazing. I don't think I would wake up at 5am to read. I do spend the first 30 minutes of my day in bed (due to med requirements) and I may read during that 30-45 minutes (usually between 6am and 7am) but at 5am, my brain is just not fully there. How many hours of sleep do you get each night (generally speaking)?

>113 Karlstar: Yup, I knew that. It doesn't seem to be serving quite that purpose anymore.

And it looks like MrsLee wants to move on, and I'm happy to do that.

>117 jillmwo: When I'm being a good girl, I go to bed at 9. As to how much sleep, well, I count all the time I'm in bed, which includes tossing and turning in the night. That's why I quit wearing my fitbit to bed. It depressed me because I would wake up thinking I'd had a good night's sleep, and it would say I only had 5 hours.

>118 clamairy: ;)

I managed one chapter in each of my books today. Here are three lines from Paradie, Canto XIII which I love.
"All that which dies and that which dieth not
Is naught but splendor of the Idea that knows
The Father's Love whereby It is begot."

I would like that on my gravestone, but it would cost a lot for all those letters!

I think I love Psmith almost as much as Lord Peter Wimsy. Enjoying Leave it to Psmith so much. I keep laughing outloud and I haven't done that for a long time in my reading.

Finished Nothing but Wodehouse early this morning before the company was awake. I love Psmith so much I went and found the other books featuring him on Amazon. All of them available on Kindle for free. I don't know the quality of them though.

>121 MrsLee:
While my wife has read a lot of Wodehouse and we have many of the books in the house I have not read any yet. Those books are a pleasure I have ahead of me.

>120 MrsLee: I haven't tried any of the Psmith books. I should add them to the ever-growing wishlist. I think most of us could use a good laugh at the moment.

I began reading Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard, part of the Obsidian and Blood trilogy, an Aztec noir fantasy. How's that for a specific genre?

This was reviewed, not a glowing review as I recall, by someone in the group. I bought it before that on the basis of the clobber image. :) I don't hate it so far, but neither is it compelling me to read it. Tepid at this point.

>124 MrsLee: I actually really enjoyed this trilogy, but I agree that the first book is a bit of a slow starter. And some of my enjoyment may come from the simple fact of it's exotic setting and main character. I hope it gets better for you, but if not, I don't recommend moving on to the next book - it's much the same.

>125 Darth-Heather: Good to know!

>124 MrsLee: >126 MrsLee: I think it may have been -pilgrim- that was touting this one. I ended up reading it on her recommendation. By the end, I thought it was pretty good - but I have not yet gone on to read the sequels. Make of that what you will...

>127 ScoLgo: I was thinking that as well. I will have to go scouting in her reading threads.

>124 MrsLee:, >125 Darth-Heather: I've read and enjoyed this trilogy. The setting is unique and I appreciated that the author didn't give her characters C21st attitudes that would have clashed with the historical background. I was underwhelmed when I read the first book, but it stayed in my mind and forced me to reread it, after which I enjoyed it a lot more and went on to read the other two books.

>129 Sakerfalcon: More people than I remember have read it! Thank you. I lost my reading energy for a few days, but will get back to it soon.

Finished Servant of the Underworld last night. I was under-whelmed. Although the setting was very interesting, the main character was a whiney, self-absorbed dummy most of the book. In spite of some of the characters mentioning that they had made a joke, or were kidding, it felt more like they were doing that passive-aggressive thing of saying something mean or nasty and then pretending they were joking. Also, they didn't feel like peoples of an ancient world, although that would be a tall order for an author considering how little source material there is for the time she was writing about.

Having said all that, the book and times it was set in were intestinal (ok, my phone chose that word. I was trying for interesting, but there were a lot of intestines mentioned) enough that I would try one more. It seemed that the author was trying to resolve some of the main character's ineffectual traits by the end of the book.

Next easy read (head cold makes me want to avoid the heavy stuff) is The Final Game by Caimh McDonnell. I trust this author to amuse me.

Guess I didn't mention that I finished The Hinge of Fate. One does not exactly enjoy such a book, but I did find it interesting and seasoned with Churchill's wit.

>131 MrsLee:
I like your phone’s choice of "intestinal" to describe a book.

I have just finished The Final Game. I found it very funny. It is just the thing for a relaxing read when you do not want to be burdened by heavy ideas.

One of my brothers took my advice and started reading A Man With One of Those Faces. He loved it has started reading the subsequent books in the trilogy.

>132 pgmcc: Acapellalypse. Nuff said.

Finished The Final Game tonight. I think I must review my will. Surely it could be more fun. Sadly, I don't have much money to make it worthwhile, and I actually think the world of all my relatives so that puts a damper on things.

I finished only three books in October. I am enjoying my reading though. Still working on Dante's Paradise and John Burrough's nature writing.

I just spun the random wheel of fate to determine my next read (I only read one canto a day in the Dante, and small portions of the nature book each day) and it chose As the Romans Do by Alan Epstein. It is about an American family's Italian Odyssey. Since it came free to me via my father-in-law, I shall cast it on the waters if it doesn't amuse. Not literally. I would never do that. *looks both ways to see if the watchmen are watching*

>131 MrsLee: hope your head cold is better.

>136 fuzzi: Thank you! It never really developed after that one day of feeling bad.

As the Romans do is interesting, but not immersive. It has been relegated to a one chapter a day book.

Instead I am reading for fun mysteries by Hugh Pentecost. Pierre Chambrun is the "detective." He is the ultimate hotel manager. I enjoy these mysteries because the main characters have a bit of fun to them, they are comforting in the way that the Nero Wolfe novels are. The set remains the same. Also, if my experience is anything to go by, the actual running of the hotel and the things that go on within it are quite realistic, but on a grander scale than the little one I ran.
I read The Shape of Fear yesterday and today began The Evil that Men Do.

>138 MrsLee: I've never read any Hugh Pentecost. What do I need to know?

>138 MrsLee: I'll be watching for your thoughts on The Evil that Men Do, Brunner is one of the authors I read a long time ago and sometimes wonder if I need to re-visit.

>139 Meredy: He started writing these mysteries in 1963. They take place in the top hotel in NYC (fictional). They are very, can't think of word, set in a pattern. Same staff, but the guests change. Like the Nero Wolfe mysteries, the attitudes reflect the times, although the main character, Chambrun, like Wolfe, has a broader point of view. His sidekick is not the sassy Archie, but a more serious young man.
I can usually figure out who the killer is, but not early, and not easily. The author is good at red herrings, but I think he plays fair with clues. He wrote until 1988, but I've only read the first three in the series recently.

>140 Karlstar: I fixed the touchstones, sorry!

I decided to begin The 36-Hour Day. A book on how to be a caregiver of someone with dementia. I bought this to better understand what my brother is going through with his wife, but I wish I had read it when caring for my mother. She did not have an advanced stage of dementia, but as I read this I realize that she probably had more than we knew at the time. Also my mother-in-law.

Finished The Evil that men do by Hugh Pentecost. One of the poems of reading these is that they are not long! This one had a very doubtful resolution at the end (I don't think it would hold up in court) but I will close my eyes and imagine there is justice in the world.

>141 MrsLee: Thanks! (Were you thinking of "formularized"?) Is the order important? Should I just start with the first?

You set me onto the Harry Dresden series, which I enjoyed right up until it started jumping sharks, so I think I may assume we'd have similar tastes with this series too.

>143 Meredy: So far as I can tell, order is not important. The "formula" or details of the hotel and repeat characters have been repeated in each book. The last one I finished increased my respect for the views of the author. It had a very real discussion of the difficulties for a man of color holding a successful career amongst the white majority, but it went beyond the prejudices and into how difficult it can be for both sides to have real relationships with each other because of all the underlying mines of thought on both sides. Hard for me to describe, but I thought it was handled very well in the story.

I'm now reading The Golden Trap, by Pentecost, but am wondering about shark jumping in the Dresden Files and if I need to go for a reread. I don't remember sharks.

>144 MrsLee: :o) I think you're joking, but just in case:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/jump-the-shark

>145 clamairy: I was joking, because I understood from the context what Meredy meant, but I don't recall hearing that phrase before. Thank you.

>146 MrsLee: I realize that link I posted doesn't explain the origin of the expression, so I'm adding that:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark

>147 clamairy:
And the video evidence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs9M1m-dpgM

I finished The Golden Trap by Hugh Pentecost. I enjoyed it.

I had plans to tell everyone about the lovely weekend to the coast my husband and I had, but now I am tired and on my chair with a blanket, a cup of tea and my kitty. The only device at hand is my phone, which is not fun to post with, and I want to tell you about the books I bought instead of describing the ocean waves smashing into the rocks, the towering silence of the Redwood trees and the majesty of the snowclad mountains in the sunset. Photos on FB if you want to look there. Many of you already have.

We found an antique and used bookstore in Crescent City. There were shelves and shelves of books, not terribly organized. They now have twenty fewer than they did before. I consider it a service, because they had boxes and boxes which they hadn't unpacked because they didn't have room. The lady that owned the place was the sort of unique individual which makes shopping in a used bookstore fun. 'Nuff said.

I was nearly out of available data, so I couldn't look at my LT account. Managed to come home with six duplicates, but they are mostly better copies than those I had at home and now I have some quality books to stick in Little Free Libraries around town. All of the books were either $1 or $2.

Duplicate copies:
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather- unread, paperback, but cleaner and nicer than my hardcover. Haven't decided which to keep.
Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King - read, nice hardcover with jacket.
The Summer of the Danes by Ellis Peters-read, nice hardcover with jacket.
The Potter's Field by Ellis Peters- read, nice hardcover with jacket.
Brother Cadfael's Penance by Ellis Peters-read, hardcover with lovely jacket.
Three Aces by Rex Stout -read, nice hardcover with jacket.

New to me:
The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher-hardcover
T. S. Elliot Collected Poems 1909-1962-hardcover discarded library book
The Sharing Knife Legacy: vol 2 by Lois McMaster Bujold- nice hardcover with jacket. I have volume 1, haven't read either yet.
The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë by Daphne du Maurier- shoddy paperback.
Swan Song by Edmund Crispin- shoddy paperback.
Silver Spire by Robert Goldsborough- nice paperback.
A North Quartet by Frances & Richard Lockridge- hardcover with jacket.
Aquired Tastes by Peter Mayle- hardcover with jacket.
Killer Dolphin by Ngaio Marsh- hardcover.
Last Ditch by Ngaio Marsh- hardcover with jacket.
The Faded Sun: Shon' Jir by C.J. Cherryh- hardcover with jacket
Kesrith by C.J. Cherryh-hardcover with jacket
The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh-hardcover with jacket.
The Savage Garden by Mark Mills- paperback.

Only the last three are by authors I haven't read before.

What a nice haul!

>149 MrsLee:
Sounds like a great trip, and there were books.

>149 MrsLee: That's a great buying trip!

>149 MrsLee: What a great haul of books! And your photos are stunning. Glad you had such a good time.

>149 MrsLee: Lucky you! That’s a great haul. Please let us know how you get on with Swan Song—I’ve read a couple of the Crispins but not (I think) that one, and I have an idea that they get a bit sloppy after the first ones. And you get to read Four Quartets, if you haven’t already.

>149 MrsLee: I am experiencing a remarkable bout of envy. What a haul! And you have such good selections! The Pride of Chanur is a great one to start with, if you've not read any of her work before! And The North Quartet has a fun husband-and-wife team.

I'm glad you had such a lovely time over the weekend!!

>155 jillmwo: >149 MrsLee: I agree on The Pride of Chanur, it remains my favorite Cherryh, well, along with Chanur Homecoming (book #4).

Thanks all. That was our first time on a trip since covid struck the world. We enjoyed every moment of it.

>154 haydninvienna: I looked at the book hoping it had the Old Possums Cats in it, but it doesn't. Then I thought why not get it anyway? I like poetry and I'm not very familiar with Elliot's other poems.

>155 jillmwo: & >156 fuzzi: I've been meaning to read one of the Chanur books for some time. Finding that these are not doorstop books was a big motivator to take the plunge.

Last night I finished Deccie Must Die by Caimh McDonnell. I began it on the trip. Sigh, now I have to wait for a McDonnell infusion until some new books are released.

>158 MrsLee:
I have recently taken delivery of Deccie Must Die on my Kindle. A treat to look forward to.

Also, The Family Jewels, The Dublin Trilogy, Book 7, is a new book due out on December 15th, so not too much time to wait.

>159 pgmcc: A month. A whole month!

>160 MrsLee: Be brave. It will not be long. Comfort yourself with the company of the new books you acquired on your trip away. They may be no substitute for a McGarry related novel, but they might help dull the pain somewhat.

>157 MrsLee: Evidently the editor of the Collected Poems didn’t regard Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats as poetry. Silly.

A big accomplishment for me, I finished my mom's book of letters tonight! I am now taking orders from family and plan to order tomorrow. Might have them by Christmas! 327 pages, $20.00 each. I am very pleased with lulu press for making this so easy to do and affordable.

So I am without a project for the moment. Think I will stay that way until after the holidays. Or maybe not. There are all those diaries and letters from my grandmother about various trips she took waiting to be organized, topped, photos added and so forth. Also so so many photos from my husband's side of the family to scan.

>163 MrsLee:
Your family history projects are brilliant. Well done.
You deserve a little break, if for no other reason than to mark the completion of the project.
Colour me very impressed.

>164 pgmcc: Thank you. :)

I finished As the Romans Do this evening. At first it was pretty slow going. I dipped in and out. Since it is a love story about a city it isn't compelling like a fiction. It grew on me though. Rome is not likely to be a place I will ever be able to visit, but I now can see it through the author's eyes of love. He tries to help the reader gain an understanding of the culture and the people as much as the place.
I enjoyed this by the end.
I have looked at this author's other books and they are not my area of interest, so it is unlikely I will read more by him.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about people in the world.

It’s so cool how you have all that family history and memorabilia. What a blessing. And it’s pretty awesome that you put it all in a format to share with your family.

>166 catzteach: It is a blessing to have all this material to work with. The best part? I got a text last night from a nephew who was reading the book of his great-grandparent's letters to each other. He said he was blown away by the quality of their writing. He asked, "Does anyone write like this anymore? Does anyone even think in this way?" He didn't mean that they were old fashioned, he meant the careful way they used words to express their feelings. We had a good conversation about how and why things have changed. That is exactly why I'm making these books! :)

My goal today was to get some sewing and mending done. My husband calls my mending pile the twilight zone ever since he found a rather large cobweb over it and the chair it was sitting on. Anyway, I thought I would listen to an audio book while I worked on it and that worked pretty well. I finished the mending!

The book I started is called The Ocean Liner by Marius Gabriel. I don't remember adding this to my library and can't really see why I did. Not really my thing. It isn't horrible, so I will probably finish it at some point.

>167 MrsLee: Letter writing is a lost art form.

>168 MrsLee: I can relate. My sewing room is a mess right now. I shudder to think what I’ll find when I finally get a chance to get in there and clean it in a couple of weeks.

I finished John Burroughs' America tonight. It was well worth the read just for the chapter called, "The soil in Ferment." Oddly enough, the best part of that chapter was what he wrote about the ocean. I don't think I've ever read a more loving description of the sea. Far from being cloying, every section has me saying, "Yes that!" Burroughs writing takes you on walks with him through the woods. Very escapist.

Next read is Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather. Been wanting to read this for a long time.

>168 MrsLee: You (and The Liner, which I have out of the library right now) remind me of a Pretoria friend who once tried valiantly to convince me that an ocean cruise was the best holiday ever. No George, for a fully-fledged introvert it would be hell on earth. Being cooped up with 1000 people I don't want to get to know for days on end, and every moment planned by someone else with no thought of my needs? No ways! I'd be happy to wander around a cruise liner in Durban harbour for an hour or two, but if I need to travel far, much better to accept one bad night's sleep as the price of getting there in a reasonable length of time!

>171 hfglen: You and my husband are in the same boat. ;) I was treated to a cruise when I was 16 and it was heaven on earth to this little farm girl. My aunt booked a cruise to the Caribbean and she took her mother, son and myself. We hardly ever saw my aunt except at dinner and shore excursions. She was holed up in her room studying to pass the bar exam (she passed). Her son (11) and mother mostly stayed together leaving me to wander on my own. I got into way more potential trouble than I should have, but not as much as was possible.

I had booked an Alaskan cruise with my sister and that was the year Covid hit. We haven't really the heart or desire to do so again. I must say though, that in my experience, you can be as involved and outgoing as you want to, or you can opt out and pick quiet places on board to read a book. You don't have to go go go all the time.

>171 hfglen: >172 MrsLee: I would join Hugh and Mr Lee in that boat, for exactly the reasons Hugh gives.

I'm going to stop reading The Ocean Liner. I am finding it tortuous and slow. Weird thing is, I don't think the writing is bad, but nothing seems to happen very slowly. The celebrities which are featured are not very appealing characters, nor is anyone else. The one or two characters who might be someone I could cheer for are surrounded by very negative harsh folks. Honestly, by chapter 12 I found myself rooting for the U- boat. YMMV. I am sick, so that may be coloring my view.

>163 MrsLee: Congratulations on a significant achievement. Just bringing it to completion is more than most of us could have done.

If I might ask, what did you learn from your mother's history, and what did you learn from the project itself?

>172 MrsLee: >173 haydninvienna: Why do I keep hearing these lines from South Pacific (it was South Pacific, wasn't it?) in the back of my mind:

"We joined the Navy / To see the world
And what did we see? / We saw the sea.
And the Atlantic isn't romantic
And the Pacific isn't terrific
And the sea's / Not what it's cracked up to be!"

>175 Meredy: One thing was that I was able to see my mother as a woman, instead of just "mom." Another was being able to fill in the bits and pieces of memory and stories with context. To read about my dad planning and building their house when he was 22 years old blew my mind. I always knew he built the house, but never realized how young he was.

As for the project itself, sometimes I wonder whether it is worth all the time spent, then I get a comment from one family member or another about what they are reading and discovering in the books (such as post >167 MrsLee:) and I realize that they may have far reaching effects as different ones decide to sit and read.

Now there's my Thanksgiving derailed. Tested positive for covid this morning. My manager tested positve on Thursday, and a coworker decided to test after I got my positive result. He is also positive. There is only one other who hasn't tested, but he went home sick Friday so I'm betting he has it.

Hopefully our manager will be able to return to work Monday, otherwise the cemetery will be closed. There is one burial scheduled for Wednesday, so that's good.

>178 MrsLee: Oh dear. Best wishes and get well soon. Can you have a late Thanksgiving in a fortnight or so?

>178 MrsLee: Sorry to hear that, I hope you recover soon!

>178 MrsLee: oh man! Sorry you are sick. I hope the symptoms are mild and you recover quickly. Bummer time of year to be sick with Covid. :(

>177 MrsLee: I also wanted to say, having not had a relationship with either sets of grandparents and not knowing any of my extended family, I would love a resource like what you are putting together. Such a treasure!!

>179 haydninvienna: Thank you. My daughter is going to see if she can get some time off in December to come visit then. What makes me sad is that I now have all these days off before the holiday and can't have the party.

Thank you all for the good health wishes. So far it isn't any worse than a cold or flu. I'm doing all the things. Rest, fluids, chicken soup, elderberry syrup, hot teas, and steaming with oregano oil. Also vitamins, etc. It's our 39th anniversary today, but but much celebrating.

>182 catzteach: I am blessed that my mother and grandmother preserved so much of this history for us. I have diaries from my great- great grandfather when he came across the plains in a covered wagon and other remembrances mom and grandma got from their grandparents before it was too late. Blessed indeed.

>178 MrsLee: Oh jeez! What a disappointment when you're hoping to see family. (((Hugs))) Hope you can bounce back quickly.

>178 MrsLee:
Get well soon. Sorry to hear you have tested positive. I hope the symptoms are not too severe and that you do not have too much discomfort or misery.

>178 MrsLee: Yikes! Feel better soon.

>178 MrsLee: Loads of sympathy! May it be very mild, and clear up soon.

>178 MrsLee: Wishing you a swift recovery and a joyful time when you are able to get together with family.

Thank you all for the well wishes. I know they are having an effect in my heart, if not in my lungs.

I managed to finish The Divine Comedy III: Paradise by Dante yesterday.
Why did I read this set of books? I don't have any of the scholarly background to really appreciate what Dante has done in his poetry. Yet, I enjoyed reading it, especially with Sayers and Reynolds notes to explain. Purgatory and Paradise have even better insight into the way people in Dante's time viewed religious life and themes than Hell did. It's so easy to impose our thinking on older stories and authors if we haven't read their own thoughts and tried to understand them. I may or may not agree with the theology in these books, but if I want to understand the people of those times, I need to know that they, for the most part, did.
Another reason I wanted to read them is that they are referenced in so many other books, and Dante references many other authors in his work too. Like a big jigsaw puzzle.
The third reason, and mainly why I continued, is I found them entertaining, interesting and a good read. Choosing to read no more than one Canto a day was a good decision for me. More than that and my brain wandered.

>189 MrsLee: One canto a day seems like a very good pace. I'm glad you enjoyed them. I never have read Paradiso, I should get around to it someday.

>190 Karlstar: The visual imagery in it is grand.

Hope you are feeling better.

>157 MrsLee: have you taken the Chanur plunge yet?

No. Not yet. Still clearing the decks. I have to be in the right sort of mood to commit myself to plunging into a new world.

>189 MrsLee: I think it's useful wisdom to take works like this in bite-sized chunks as you did with one canto per day Otherwise, it's like eating too much all at once of a really rich or over-sized dessert. Digestion becomes an issue.

There have been a number of people reading poetry lately here in the pub. Maybe there's something going around. **invisible Cheshire Cat grin**

I do hope you're feeling more like your normal self.

>194 jillmwo: Not back to normal yet, but no worse.

I find myself having to hold back on three classics I want to read for that same reason. I like to read chewy books, but reading more than two at a time doesn't work for my head, and I usually have to throw something lighter into the mix so I have something to read when I need a break. At the moment, I can barely read the one lighter book I have going, so I won't be starting another until I'm better.

I subscribed to the Masterpiece channel on Amazon for now to get me through. So far I've watched:
Magpie Murders. Only one season and rather devastating that there isn't more because it is very much unsolved. I like the lady "detective" who is an editor chasing a missing chapter of a dead author. This flashes back and forth between her efforts and the mystery story in the book which is set in the 50s. A bit confusing at first, then I really began to enjoy the ways they scenes segue together.

"Around the World in 80 Days" starting David Tennant as Phileas Fogg. This is an updated version which tones down our friends upon Imperialism, sexism, racism and classism. I approve, because the sense of adventure is still wonderful. Very fun.

"Astrid" a French murder series featuring a female detective and her colleague who is autistic. Not only is the way the autism is handled interesting and well done, but the mysteries/ crimes are unique and complicated.

>195 MrsLee: I think I liked Magpie Murders better as a book, although the adaptation was fun. I enjoyed the David Tennant Around the World as well, although I never read the original. (It's somewhere here in the house, but undoubtedly buried.) I've not seen the Astrid program at all (spouse doesn't like taking in information through subtitles on screen.)

>196 jillmwo: I read Around the World in 80 Days to my children when we were homeschooling. We had a big map and followed the story on it, learning about the countries as we read. I don't remember the sorry in specifics, only that it was fun. I'm considering a reread. My youngest has no memory of the story, when I mentioned the series to him he said, "David Tennant would be a great host for something like that." I realized he thought it was a documentary. Now I want to see that documentary.

I am watching Astrid on my own because my husband also doesn't care for subtitles. I was worried it would be a bit much for my brain at the moment, but it works.

I finished Death Comes for the Archbishop this morning at 2:30 a.m. Last night was odd. I was sleepy, but when I got into bed, wide awake. I finally gave up trying at about 2 and got up to read. Still had trouble sleeping after that, but oddly enough, I feel a corner has been turned and I'm on the mend.

Today I begin two books.
The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean by Paula Wolfert - one of the books from my friend who died two years ago.

The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh - I will satisfy myself as to whether or not this will be a beloved new author for me as she is for many of you. I was wondering how to pronounce her name and looked her up on Wikipedia. Is it "cherry" other "chur" whenever I've seen it I read in my head "chur" or "cher" but I see her brother's last name is "Cherry" so now I don't know.

>197 MrsLee: Caroline Cherryh's birth surname is Cherry. The ending 'h' was added at the suggestion of her publisher. I believe it had something to do with making it sound less like the nom de plume of a romance author or something...

I hope you enjoy the Chanur books. I have not read those yet but plan to in 2023. If you like her writing, I suggest picking up Kutath before embarking on The Faded Sun, as it is a single story told over the course of three books.

>198 ScoLgo: Thank you!

>197 MrsLee: Michael Palin went around the world in 80 days for a BBC series about 20 years ago. They also published a book of the diary he kept during the journey, which is hilarious. I highly recommend both if you can find them.

Death comes for the archbishop is my favourite Cather novel. It took me a long time to get around to reading it because I thought it would be dull and depressing. Instead it's one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.

I hope you enjoy the Chanur book!

>200 Sakerfalcon: I did end up enjoying it very much, although it was not at all the story I expected. I don't know why I thought it would be amusing and sarcastic, more of a Trollope type of story. It ended up being heartwarming and lovely. Her portrayal of the southwest and the people who lived there is sympathetic to the point that I had to keep checking the date it was written. It was refreshing to see the two male Catholic officials shown not as demons, but as men who cared deeply. When I looked up the history of the actual bishop, it seems the story was true to his record.

>201 MrsLee: I think it’s upstairs on my shelf, but not one I’ve read before. Must dig it out now.

>197 MrsLee:
It is good to hear you may be on the mend.

My introduction to Willa Cather was Song of the Lark. Read it years ago, but it was heartfelt. I've never summoned up the wherewithal to tackle Death Comes for the Archbishop but -- if both you MrsLee and you Sakerfalcon recommend it -- I will have to track it down.

And yes, it's nice to hear that you think you've turned the corner on recovery!

>204 jillmwo: I think you would like it. The only other book of hers I've read is O' Pioneers, which I also loved.

I'm having a hard time getting into The Pride of Chanur. It isn't anything wrong with book or writing style; I guess this isn't my kind of story. I have read and enjoyed some sci-fi, but perhaps I need less serious stories. I can see why others like it, but it isn't doing it for me. I will finish because it's short, but not very motivated to pick it up.

>197 MrsLee: >200 Sakerfalcon: I think that's a hit!

Are you feeling more human yet? I know we chatted a smidge on Facebook, but then everything was drowned out in my head by the Thanksgiving Frenzy.

>207 clamairy: Thanks for asking. I tested negative today, but am a lot more tired and headache ridden than I thought I would be at this stage. Oh well. I am going to work tomorrow, with the plan that if I get miserable I will come home. That being said, I feel a bit better each day and am sleeping better at night.Gah. Hope this does me for a few more years. I used to get this kind of flu/ cold virus (the way it felt) several times a year when I worked with young children. Don't know how I did it.

I baled on The Pride of Chanur. I got half way through and it was all I could do to pick up the book and read it. Skipped to the end and worked out the main details. Guess these are not for me.

I'm going to start Junipero Serra by Agnes Repplier. It fits the theme of the book by Willa Cather I recently finished.

>208 MrsLee: Oh, I'm sorry you're still dragging a bit. Only a few of the young people I know bounced back quickly from this. Everyone else felt badly for a while. (I've still managed to avoid it so far. Being an antisocial gremlin has its perks.)

>208 MrsLee:
Good to hear you tested negative. Be kind to yourself. The bug appears to hit people in different ways. Tiredness seems to linger for a while with some people.

I hope you get totally clear of it soon.

>210 pgmcc: Thank you. I blame you for my unsettling dreams last night. I began reading The Complete Ghost Stories by M.R. James last night. I read one before bed, "Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book," and I woke after my first sleep with those troubling dreams. I laughed at myself for reading Ghost stories right before bed, but the story hit the spot and I enjoyed it. I'm not a big fan of horror/ghost stories, but between you, Dorothy L. Sayers, and the M.R. James appreciation group on Facebook, I decided these must be read.

>211 MrsLee:
His stories are very stylish. My favourite is The Mezzotint.

>208 MrsLee: well, not everyone can like every book. Thanks for trying.

I despise books that others laud, so...

Read another ghost story by M. R. James last night. "Lost Hearts" so far these are great campfire scary stories.

Also, in the book I'm reading about Junípero Serra, the author referred to Death Comes for the Archbishop. :)

I realized today that I have a closet in the den which I could make into a secret library/reading room (tiny) with a bookcase which opens to hide the entrance. Now if I only had the skills or money to make it happen.

>215 MrsLee:
That sounds perfect. Every bibliophile’s dream.

>215 MrsLee: That sounds so perfect. I believe you can make this happen!

>215 MrsLee: Sounds like a great spot, I hope you get to make it happen!

I'm going to grumble here. Feel free to move along. Had to come home from work yesterday and stay home today. I am weak and dizzy. Most of the head and chest symptoms are gone, but zero energy. I'm hoping if I rest a few more days I can kick this thing. I have things to do, dammit! Also, finding it very difficult to focus on reading or even watching a movie. Scrolling way to much on FB, but that seems to be about the level of my concentration.

>219 MrsLee:
Get well soon. It sounds like you need to find some comfort and just relax with something that does not require too much brain power. When I was on painkillers for a few months in 2017 I found I could not read, but could relax watching either NCIS or one of the programmes watching customs people across the world at airports and harbours. Total untaxing.

We are sending you healing hugs and wishing you well.

>219 MrsLee: Hope you are feeling better soon, maybe some rest this weekend will help.

>219 MrsLee: Get well soon!

Oh that's the pits lady. Curl up and be as lazy as you need to be to get your strength back.

>219 MrsLee: that sounds about par for the course, as much of a drag as that is. I had it in October and did get over most of the symptoms after two weeks but the bouts of fatigue came and went for another two or so weeks. After that I did manage to rebound, and I hope it will be the same for you. The worst part is just being patient with it, which is really hard.

Thank you all for the encouragement.

>224 Darth-Heather: I needed to hear that, patience with healing is difficult.

>219 MrsLee: It's a wicked bug that you're dealing with. As >224 Darth-Heather: says, Take care of yourself and recognize that sometimes recovery just takes a while. (((Hugs)))

>219 MrsLee: I'm so sorry, but I'm not surprised. I will send some good mojo your way. I hear that gin is very medicinal, but it might not be the best option in this case.

>227 clamairy: Haha, right now I'm drinking copious amounts of tea, but perhaps by Christmas I might try something ginnish as a restorative.

>219 MrsLee: So sorry you haven’t kicked this bug yet. When I had it back in July, I watched all the Avenger movies in chronological order. Got through almost all of them.

>219 MrsLee: Sorry to know you're still battling the covid. It does seem to take some folks a while to come all the way back. They say if you try to rush it, it takes longer. Wishing you good recovery.

>219 MrsLee: Sending healing wishes to you. I hope that a few days rest will send the virus packing.

There is something to be said for near-sightedness. Every morning I wake up with a baby T-rex in my room.

The light on my alarm comes on dimly at first, when I roll over and look at my rubber tree plant it looks like the skeleton of a little T-rex. Until I put my glasses on. Makes me happy.

I finished The 36 Hour Day which I would highly recommend to anyone who knows someone who has dementia. It is huge, but one can read only those sections which one needs/wants to.

Began The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel. I think I'm gonna like this one.

Slowly, slowly working through other reads. Still don't have a lot of focus, but things are getting better.

I've begun a new project for my family history. I thought it was going to be my grandmother's trips, but turns out it is a family recipe book. I have both my grandmothers' handwritten recipe books from the early days of their marriage. I will be scanning the recipes, typing them, cooking some of them and taking photos. I will also add my mother's, sister's and my own. For the last three, I'm only doing the family favorites. The dishes everyone asks for.

>234 MrsLee: Sounds like a great project.

>234 MrsLee:
As always, your family projects leave me in awe.

>234 MrsLee: That sounds like the perfect project for you!

>234 MrsLee: You have the best family! Those memories are precious. And the legacy you are creating and leaving for the littles yet to come. Priceless.

Thanks everyone for the cheerleading!

>234 MrsLee: How awesome! I hope we get detailed accounts of how the best ones turn out!

>240 clamairy: I tried one last night from my grandma Nora's book, she was not actually known for her great cooking, but she got a lot of farm hands fed every morning and noon. I made pimento cheese spread. Tillamook sharp cheddar, 1 can pimento, one can evaporated milk. I added a pinch of Cayenne pepper. We liked it! She made a lot of sandwiches for group meetings, ladies teas, etc. My husband used it for grilled cheese sandwich.

>241 MrsLee: Now that you mention it my mom used to buy some sort of pimento cheese spread in a small glass jar when I was little. I loved it. I just assumed it was cream cheese based, but sharp cheddar sounds better. I'm glad you both like it.

>242 clamairy: The recipe only said 1 lb. grated cheese. The cheddar was what I had one lb. of. Might be fun to try others. I think pimento cheese is a favorite of those in the southern states?

Here's what I'm dealing with when I make these recipes. The instructions for Grandma Nora's Gingerbread, for example.

2 eggs, two heaping tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup sugar, cream together, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup syrup, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger and a little salt, leave oven door open 10 minutes then bake.

That's it! No temperature (she used a wood fired oven), no times, sketchy amounts. So I'm going to compare to a gingerbread recipe I like from The New England Yankee Cookbook and get amounts, baking temp., time, etc. and write my experience and recommendation, along with some photos, at the bottom.

This is the cover of my mom's book.
Sorry about the lopsided photo.

>243 MrsLee: That's an amazing experience -- transforming an older approach to baking into one more comfortable for modern bakers. I was following the recipe just fine and mentally comparing it to one I use and then realized that your recipe uses syrup. Mine uses robust molasses. Do you suppose your grandmother's syrup might be something like dark molasses? Or would she have been using maple syrup (or something else)?

>245 jillmwo: I wondered about that, she would not have had easy access to maple syrup, so I'm thinking it was possibly syrup she made with sugar, browning it, or molasses. I plan to use molasses.

When I was young there was very little my mom bought from the store. She made maple syrup by cooking sugar and adding maple flavoring. Grandma was cooking from this recipe about 40 years before that.

>245 jillmwo: >246 MrsLee: Some of the older recipes my mom used called for corn syrup. (Especially WWII era recipes.) Take pics of the cookies, please.

>244 MrsLee:
Fantastic. Well done.

>248 pgmcc: Thank you!

I began listening to The Hobbit, narrated by Andy Serkis yesterday. I like it.

I managed to finish 13 books in November. Finally cataloged and reviewed. Whew. Two of those were DNF, several were books I had begun a month or two ago and got to the end of in November.

Not back to my good focus yet, so I read a little every day. I'll be lucky to finish 3 books this month.

>246 MrsLee: my mom used maple syrup extract and added it to sugar water. It tasted very much like the real stuff.

>243 MrsLee: I'm going to look up my mother's excellent gingerbread recipe for your comparison. It's the one and only baked recipe I know of that's made in a 4-quart saucepan instead of a mixing bowl. We always had gingerbread served warm and with lavish amounts of freshly whipped cream on top.

>252 Meredy: :drooling:

>252 Meredy: Sounds lovely!

>252 Meredy: That sounds intriguing! Can you share more details? (Not that I have a four quart saucepan immediately to hand...)

Just a note, for any of you who wish to follow my cooking book saga, I am writing the posts in the Cookbooker's group.

I began The Little Minister by James M. Barrie last night. Well, I read two pages. Couldn't track at all. Not sure if that's the author or my brain at the moment. I will try again, but The Family Jewels by Caimh McDonnell is beckoning to me.

>256 MrsLee:
If I were you I would go with The Family Jewels.

I will be popping over to The Cookbookers group to watch your progress.

>256 MrsLee: With regard to your family recipes, I just encountered a link to this article over on AllRecipes with helpful indicators as to what some of the vintage measurements might actually mean for modern cooks: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-translate-vintage-recipes/ You will have already worked out much of this through trial and error, but I thought it might be nice to have something as a brief reference.

>256 MrsLee: I recall reading The Little Minister as a teen, after seeing the movie version with Katherine Hepburn. I do remember liking it.

>258 jillmwo: Thank you, I was familiar with the terms she referenced. The guideline on oven temperature is short of helpful, kind of a big range though. I have been known to use one of grandma's teacups to measure when a teacup was called for. :)

>259 fuzzi: Good to know!

Indeed I will post the recipe.

Gingerbread Recipe

My mother’s recipe probably came from a women's magazine or maybe from a molasses bottle sometime in the 1940's or 1950s. Brer Rabbit molasses was and is the household standard. She used to make it with dark, but I use light. It has just a bit of a bite to it, so be generous with the whipped cream.

Brer Rabbit Gingerbread
(saucepan method)

½ cup (1 stick) margarine or butter*
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
2½ cups flour (sifted)
1½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp. cloves (go light)
¼ to ½ tsp. salt (go light)
1 cup light molasses**
1 cup (or less) boiling hot water

1. Melt shortening in 3 or 4 quart pan over low heat. Remove from heat, cool slightly.
2. Add sugar and egg, beat well.
3. Combine molasses and hot water, add spices to flour.
4. Add dry and wet ingredients alternately, beating in between.

Fills 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan or equivalent. (Original recipe doesn’t say grease and flour pan first, but I do.)
Moderate oven, 350°, around 50–60 min. (Test with toothpick in center. Should pull away from edges.) -->I check at ~45 min.

Serve with whipped cream topping. (½ pint of heavy cream, 1 tbsp. white sugar, ½ tsp. vanilla)

_________________
* Mother's recipe says “or shortening.”
** Her recipe says “dark molasses.”

>262 Meredy: Looks lovely.

>262 Meredy: Oh my... I might try this and grate some fresh ginger in there.

One thing I'd mention: when I see other varieties of gingerbread, it's usually a light-colored cake with what we commonly understand as "pumpkin spices." This is deeper, darker, and richer, neither cake nor bread-bread, more like an analog to cornbread.

>264 clamairy: That could be lovely. Never tried it. I'd be wary of overgingering it, though, because it does have a certain sharpness already with the ground spices.

>262 Meredy: I can do that!

>256 MrsLee: I haven’t read The Little Minister, though it’s on Mount TBR. I have read a handful of Barrie’s less known works and have always found them charming and elegantly phrased.

For instance, this is the start of Echoes of the War:
“Three nice old ladies and a criminal, who is even nicer, are discussing the war over a cup of tea. The criminal, who is the hostess, calls it a dish of tea, which shows that she comes from Caledonia, but that is not her crime.”

>268 2wonderY: Er, with the greatest respect, it looks as if your Echoes of the War touchstone points to the wrong book.

>269 hfglen: Thanks! Fixed.

>262 Meredy: I always use dark molasses myself. Thank you for posting!!

>268 2wonderY: The beginning of this was so convoluted with antiquated phrasing I found it very hard to track. This may be a symptom of my brain at the moment, and not Barrie's writing. A bit further in it is easier, but at the moment I've no desire to pick up anything to read. I'm probably going to set it aside until after the holidays and give in to my desire to read The Family Jewels which is waiting for me on the Kindle. Life is very busy at the moment and my brain isn't working well among other things, so I won't force something which I might otherwise find enjoyable in different circumstances.

>272 MrsLee:
but at the moment I've no desire to pick up anything to read.

I have a lot of sympathy for you, but when I got to this point I thought, "Oh dear! MrsLee is not even up for reading the Dublin Trilogy book that is waiting for her."

Then I read on and realised that MrsLee has the right idea. The Family Jewels will feature in my near reading future.

My daughter and her family are currently in the air, just south of Greenland. They will be here in a few hours. We still have some things to do to get ready. :-) Busy, busy, busy!

Keep well!

>273 pgmcc: May you have a lovely holiday visit with your family.

I haven't even started the McCollum book. :( I received a notice in my email this morning that my pre-order for his 3rd book in the Stranger Times series has been canceled. I wonder what's up with that?

>274 MrsLee:
I just checked my order on .co.uk and it still appears fine. It is indicating a release date of 9th February, 2023.

It is curious that they cancelled your order without letting you know.

>275 pgmcc: Technically, they did let me know, they just didn't let me know why. I looked at Amazon and all I can see is the Audible version. I wonder if the is a legality/rights issue?

Since Amazon US doesn't seem to have access to it any more for the Kindle, I went to Book Depository and purchased the hardcover. Then, because I already have The Stranger Times in hardcover, I went ahead and bought This Charming Man in hardcover too. Better for the author, I hope.

Husband made me open a gift early, it is a lovely edition of Aesop's Fables. I thought I had that, but if I did, I can't find it now. He bought it because he wanted to read it, lol. He says if you buy your spouse a gift that you would like, at least you will get some joy out of it if they don't. He knows he's pretty safe when he buys me books.

>277 MrsLee:
That is beautiful.

I know I have bought my wife many books…that I would like to read.
:-)

>277 MrsLee: and >278 pgmcc: I have found that such a practice can enhance marital harmony upon occasion.

Merry Christmas, my dear MrsLee and pgmcc!!

>279 jillmwo: Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you as well! Also to all those who celebrate something in the pub, Happy Hallow Days, Festive Festivus and Joy to all.

I read "The Residence at Whitminster" by M.R. James today. One of his many ghost stories. I gotta say, I really want to open that press and bureau drawers. Also, I took the trouble to look up what is meant by a "press" and it isn't at all what I thought it was. I always thought it was something that pressed men's trousers.

>281 MrsLee:
Interesting local usage of “press” and “cupboard”. Growing up in Belfast we called a cupboard a cupboard. There were some people who called it a press, but we paid no heed to them. :-)

When I moved to The South I discovered that most people call a cupboard a “press” and the word “cupboard” was seldom heard.

I am glad to hear you are into the M. R. James stories.

>282 pgmcc: Interesting. I don't quite know what that same furniture has been called in America, possibly the same, but I've never had or seen one in the family. The closest I have is probably called a secretary or writing desk. It has drawers, then a desk area with cubby holes and drawers, the writing surface folds closed to cover this when not in use. It has a lock, but I didn't inherit the key. Happily it is unlocked. Mine also has shelves above this area with glass doors.

Now I really want a large press which I can leave locked for my heirs with an ominous note kept with the key.

I began reading The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood on Christmas eve. I can see why it made such a splash with ladies way back when it first came out. It is a book I can enjoy reading, but I probably won't get overly invested in the characters. I'm not too far in, so maybe the author will fix that. The main character, Siddah, is entirely off-putting to me. She finally gets a cherished scrapbook album from her mother and starts randomly flipping to pages instead of beginning at the beginning. I mean, who does that?!

My sweetheart found a copy of Where the Crawdads Sing at a Little Free Library yesterday. He knew I had wanted to read it before even glimpsing the movie. This is a book which has been highly recommended to me by a wide variety of women. Some women who don't read much, others who do. Some older, some younger. I have never wanted to commit to it at a cost because I've found that often I don't enjoy books that a lot of women do enjoy. For instance, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which is only "meh" for me. Anyway, now I have the crawdad book I will start reading it as soon as I finish the meh book. Hopefully today or tomorrow.

I know this is your old thread, but OMG I love this -

Now I really want a large press which I can leave locked for my heirs with an ominous note kept with the key.

And want to be left something similar by my family. Hilarious!

>283 MrsLee:

From your description I understand the above piece of furniture is like yours. I would call this a desk with shelving with glass doors. Some people would call it an escritoire with press. Press here usually refers to a cupboard with doors. The top part of the unit would be called a press.

My father had a desk like the one below. We called it his desk, but I would suggest escritoire would be the term used in polite company... or an auction house.

>285 Bookmarque: LOL, I intend to post in this thread until the New Year anyway. Some things must be said this year.

>286 pgmcc: That to photo is similar to mine, which I will now call a secretary (because I can neither pronounce or spell the French word) with press! Thank you. I wonder if I could get a working key for it?

>287 MrsLee: Okay, now I really am befuddled in my thinking. I thought a clothes press was something more like a massive wooden chest. (Kind of like a lady's domestic hope chest of the 19th century.) You and pgmcc are talking about cupboards with shelves and/or desks... I need help.

>288 jillmwo:
My understanding of a "press" in the furniture sense, is a cupboard that may or may not have shelves, and may or may not have drawers. There would be similarities between a press and a wardrobe, but a wardrobe is likely to be more refined and polished and found in a bedroom or dressing room, while a press could be of any timber, may be a bit rough or polished, and would more likely be found in an office or school-room environment. A press would normally be free standing, but the example of MrsLee's Desk with Press would qualify.

As stated above, I have seen regional usages of press, cupboard, cabinet, etc... within Ireland, so I would not be surprised to find many different interpretations of the word "press" when we expand the geographic area under consideration.

Let us be part of the movement to give every word multiple meanings that have no bearing on their original meaning and accelerate the rate of misinterpretation and misunderstanding that is apparently so popular in The World today. Let us press on with The Great Confusion. Without a great confusion we cannot have a great enlightenment.

>288 jillmwo: I found my message information by searching: press, furniture, antique. Or something like that.

>289 pgmcc: As always, you are clear as mud and if I had any doubts about your real profession, that post calling for obfuscation has removed them.

Read "An Episode in the Cathedral" by M.R. James. I think I just read a love story of ghouls. He leaves a lot to our own imagination.

Finished The Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. A lot of navel gazing and characters I couldn't identify with very well. I guess I have my sweet, kind, easy natured and nurturing mother to thank for that. Don't get me wrong, it was a good story, apart from all the introspection of Siddah. It wasn't very enjoyable for me though, and I don't see why all the accolades say it is funny. Pathetic would be my word for the sadness and sorrow evoked by it.

I began Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, and it is going down better.

Finished Where the Crawdads Sing. This was a beautiful tale. It had the flavor of a modern Girl of the Limberlost although it's been a couple of decades since I read that. Some of the themes were very similar to the Ya-Ya book, but I could breathe in this book. I enjoyed it in spite of a lot of it being very sad. I loved that her reading primer was A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. That is the first book I read which made me fall in love with naturalist writings.

>291 MrsLee: I enjoyed that one, too. I thought the writing and the atmosphere were wonderful, even if I felt the story had many elements of fantasy. (Would she really have survived alone all those years? Would she still have all (any) of her teeth? LOL) I haven't paid any attention to the movie being made.

>293 clamairy: Definitely a fictional story! But the swamp setting was mesmerizing. The story felt more like a legend than something the author was asking us to believe could happen.

I've begun reading Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe. I confess, I chose to read it now because it looks like I can finish it in one day and pad my numbers for the year. It is cute.

>293 clamairy: I enjoyed Crawdads as well. I have yet to watch the movie, though.

>294 MrsLee: Ah, Bunnicula. One of my favorites when I was a kid. I was reading it aloud a couple of years ago to my class and realized I read it the year it was published: I was in the third grade.

>295 catzteach: I enjoyed it, but I really liked the end of the book where James Howe told the story of how and when it came about, and how his wife died. Sad, but very real, solid, and loving.

I began The Gilded Nightmare by Hugh Pentecost. Not sure if I will finish it before midnight, since I have a lot of cooking to do and possibly family to entertain, but if I don't, at least I will take a page from jillmwo's book and have a good book finished first in the New Year!

I did finish The Gilded Nightmare, it was satisfactory, although there seems to be a theme of women who cry wolf about men. At least the author makes it clear that his characters do not tolerate actual sexual abuse of women. Chauvinistic, but not abusive. It is the 1970s. Anyway, I enjoyed the read. I was annoyed that the author seemed to be beating a horse to death about the good and youthful looks of a 40 year old woman, but it turned out to be pertinent to the story.

I rounded out my total number of books read by cataloguing and reviewing 5 children's books I had bought for my grandson, but never entered here. :)

Without further ado, here are my totals:
Year End Counts:
Mystery: 22
Fantasy: 18
Fiction: 24
Western: 1
Graphic Novel: 0
Drama: 4
Children: 6
eBook: 18
Audio: 14
Short Stories: 12
Novella: 0 (I may have called some of my reads in this category short stories.
Scifi: 4
Comics: 0
Humor: 1
Poetry: 4
Pamphlet: 0
YA: 3
Cookbook: 4
Reread: 9
DNF: 9
Fiction: 66
Nonfiction: 34
Total: 100

Ratings:
Loved it, will probably reread, definitely keep***** 16
Liked it lots, will recommend, possibly keep to loan**** 30
Liked it, will probably not keep *** 39
Didn't like it, but others might** 14
Hated it, probably didn't finish, would like to shred* 1

Stats:
100 books read, 66 fiction, 34 nonfiction
63 by men, 31 by women, 06 combined male and female, 0 Anonymous
45 by authors I’ve never read before
68 physical books, 14 audio, 18 ebooks
Oldest writing was by Dante Alighieri, Paradise (1312), oldest physical book from 1915 (Return of Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs).
Oldest illustrations Return of Tarzan (1915) by J. Allen St. John

Not counting ebooks, audio books or rereads
Books Retained After Reading: 37
Books Rehomed: 25

Average date of original book published: 1948
Average date of book I read published: 1995
Median date of original book published: 1985
Median date of book I read published: 2006
Mode date of original book published: 2021
Mode date of book I read published: 2021