Terri (tymfos) runs her 2014 Reading Race

Hi! Welcome to my 75 Challenge thread!

This is my primary challenge for 2014. All the books I read this year will be here.




I enjoy many different kinds of books. I'm partial to mysteries, but I read a lot of other things, too.

Feel free to comment. Part of the joy of reading is sharing the journey!

COVERS OF BOOKS I'M CURRENTLY READING
FICTION E-BOOK FICTION AUDIO FICTION

ON DECK FOR FEBRUARY:
FICTION NON-FICTION E-BOOK FICTION American Author Challenge

FIRST QUARTER BOOKS


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Books read in JANUARY (challenges fulfilled; date completed)
1. Blood Land by R. S. Guthrie e-book (2014 category Rifleman; 1/2/14)
2. A Comedy of Heirs by Rett MacPherson (1/3/14; ROOT, 2014 Honor Thy Father category)
3. 58 Degrees North: The Mysterious Sinking of the Arctic Rose by Hugo Kugiya (1/6/14; ROOT, January Joyrides)
4. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (GeoCAT, RandomCAT, unofficial alphaCAT, American Author Challenge, 2014 American Author category 1/11/14)
5. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (ROOT, MysteryCAT, 2014 Category Whodunit?1/13/14)
6. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (2014 Category Garden of Evil 1/20/14)
7. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson e-book (2014 Category still deciding; randomCAT, mysteryCAT)
8. Southern Lady, Yankee Spy by Elizabeth Varon (ROOT, 2014 Category "war"& unofficial alphaCAT)
9. North of Nowhere by Steve Hamilton (MysteryCAT 1/30/14)
10.Firewall by Henning Mankell (audio -- 2014 Garden of Evil category 1/30/14)

currently reading (and challenges they fulfill):
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Divorce Horse by Craig Johnson e-book short
The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert Parker AUDIO

also planned for this month (and any other challenges they fulfill)

abandoned:
Murder on the Mind by L. L. Bartlett. (Just not my cup of tea)
Huntress Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff (may try again later when in different mood)


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Books read in FEBRUARY

planned for the month:
definite:
As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson (2014 Category Rifleman, MysteryCAT)
The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill (ROOT, 2014 Category "Garden of Evil," MysteryCAT, unofficial AlphaCAT)
Faith Under Fire by Roger Benimoff (ROOT, 2014 Category "war," GeoCAT)
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (ROOT, American Author Challenge)

possible, but subject to change (and non-ROOTs are contingent on library availability):
Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2014 Category "Garden of Evil," MysteryCAT,)
A Necessary End by Peter Robinson
Last Car to Elysian Fields by James Lee Burke

THE POSTING FORMAT:

Title:
Author:
Genre or subject information:
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?:
Date finished:
Off the Shelf?
Category for 2014 Category Challenge:
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating:
Notes:

MY OTHER CHALLENGES:

I'm doing the 2014 Category Challenge:



http://www.librarything.com/topic/162285

And I'm doing the ROOT (Read Our Own Tomes) challenge again in 2014, "trimming" neglected books that have taken root on my TBR shelf:



http://www.librarything.com/topic/162208

So many people enjoy my thread-topper graphic for my ROOT challenge (where I focus on trimming the TBR pile), I've decided to add it here, in a somewhat smaller version:


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And I'm participating in Mark's American Author Challenge.

THE STATS: I always try to keep these kinds of stats, and I always mess them up sometime in the course of the year so that the totals don't add up properly.

total books READ 2014: 10

ROOT books -- off my (real or virtual) TBR shelf: 5

Paper books: 6
E-books: 3
Audio books: 1

Fiction: 8
Non-Fiction: 2

male author(s): 4
female author: 6
male/female team author:

US authors: 6
authors from other countries: 4
NO IDEA:

living author (as far as I know): 9
deceased author: 1
unsure:

THE SERIES I'M READING

As you can see, I'm reading a lot of series!


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RACING TO READ MY SERIES!

A. CHECKERED FLAG: Series that I'm actually caught up/finished with those which have been published!!! (as far as I know, anyway!)
Blood Detective/Nigel Barnes series by Dan Waddell (have read both)
Cork O'Connor series by William Kent Krueger. (have read all 13)
Dave Gurney series by John Verdon. (have read all three)
Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French. (have read all 4)
Elm Haven series by Dan Simmons (read both)
Fever Devilin series by Philip DePoy. (have read all seven)
Flap Tucker series by Philip DePoy (have read all 5)
Genevieve Lenard mysteries by Estelle Ryan (have read both)
Kenzie/Gennaro series by Dennis Lehane. (have read all six)
Lake Superior Mysteries by Matthew Williams. (have read all three)
Lincoln Perry series by Michael Koryta (have read all four)
Mallory series by Carol O'Connell (have read all 11)
Three Pines/Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. (have read all 9)

B. WHITE FLAG LAP -- ONE TO GO!: Series that I am reading, only one left to read that has been published (As far as I'm aware)
Christopher Miller Holiday Thrillers by Chris Grabenstein. Next up: Hell for the Holidays #2 of 2
Eden Moore series by Cherie Priest. Next: Not Flesh Nor Feathers, #3 of 3 (owned)
Rev. Claire Ferguson series by Julia Spencer Fleming. Next up: Through the Evil Days, #8 of 8 (library)
Sam Blackman series by Mark deCastrique. Next up: A Murder in Passing, #4 of 4 (wishlisted)
Samantha Kincade series by Alafair Burke. Next: Close Case, #3 of 3
Shetland Quartet by Ann Cleeves. Next up: Dead Water #5 of 5 (ordered)
Trilogy of Fog by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Next: The Watcher in the Shadows, #3 of 3

C. GREEN FLAG LAPS: Favorite Series that I am very actively reading -- not as far along
Alex McNight series by Steve Hamilton. Next up: Blood is the Sky, #5 of 10
Buryin' Barry mysteries by Mark deCastrique. Next up: Foolish Undertaking, #3 of 5 (owned)
Dave Robicheaux series by James Lee Burke. Next: Last Car to Elysian Fields, #13 of 20 (local library)
Inspector Sejir series by Karin Fossum (English Publication Order). Next: The Water's Edge, #6 of 10 (local library)
Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson. Next up: When Will There Be Good News , #3 of 4
John Cardinal series by Giles Blunt. Next up: The Delicate Storm, #2 of 6
John Ceepak series by Chris Grabenstein. Next: Rolling Thunder, #6 of 9
John Madden series by Rennie Airth. Next up: The Blood-Dimmed Tide, #2 of 4
Kurt Wallander series by Henning Mankell. Next: The Pyramid, #9 of 10
Torie O'Shea series by Rett MacPherson. Next up: A Misty Mourning, #4 of 11 (owned)
Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson. Next up: As the Crow Flies, #8 of 9 (not counting the short stories that fall in between books) CURRENTLY READING

D. YELLOW FLAG: Other series to continue, but I've slowed down for now:
Alexandra Cooper series by Linda Fairstein. Next:Hell Gate, #12 of 15 (library)
Alex Cross series by James Patterson. Next:Alex Cross' Trial, #15 of 21 (library)
Benjamin January by Barbara Hambly. Next: Sold Down the River, #4 of 12 (owned)
Bryant & May by Christopher Fowler. Next: The Water Room, #2 of 10 (CLP/FLP download)
Commissario Brunetti series by Donna Leon. Next: Death in a Strange Country, #2 of 23 (at library; I own #3)
Crumley mysteries by Ray Bradbury. Next: Graveyard for Lunatics, #2 of 3 (owned)
David Ash series by James Herbert. Next: Ghosts of Sleath, #2 of 3 (at library)
Dr. Siri series by Colin Cotterill. Next up: Anarchy and Old Dogs, #4 of 8 (owned)
Emma Fielding series by Dana Cameron. Next: Grave Consequences, #2 of 6 (download FLP)
Inspector Banks series by Peter Robinson. Next up: A Necessary End, #3 of 21
Inspector Erlendur (UK publication order) by Arnaldur Indrudason. Next: Silence of the Grave, #2 of 9 (county Library, CLP)
Inspector Ramsay by Ann Cleeves. Next: A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy, #3 of 6 (owned)
Joe Pickett mysteries by C.J. Box. Next up: Savage Run, #2 of 14 (owned)
Lamb/Holly series by Belinda Bauer. Next: Darkside, #2 of 3 (owned)
Marty Singer series by Matthew Iden, Next: Blueblood, #2 of 3 (owned)
Merrily Watkins series by Phil Rickman. Next: The Cure of Souls, #4 of 12 (owned)
Mistress of the Art of Death, by Ariana Franklin. Next: The Serpent's Tale, #2 of 4 (owned)
Simon Serralier series by Susan Hill. First up: The Risk of Darkness, #3 of 6 (just purchased)
Temperence Brennan series by Kathy Reichs. Next: Spider Bones #13 of 16 (library)
Tess Monaghan series by Laura Lippman. Next: Another Thing to Fall, #10 of 11 (library)
White House Chef series by Julie Hyzy. Next: Eggsecutive Orders, #3 of 6

E. ONE-OFF DEALS: Series I started reading out-of-order once in a while over the years as I came upon volumes:
(I'm not sure which books I've read in some of these series!)
Ballad novels by Sharyn McCrumb (ten in series)
D.D. Warren series by Lisa Gardner.
Elizabeth MacPherson series by Sharyn McCrumb
Faith Fairchild mysteries by Katherine Hall Page (I own some unread)
Harmony series by Philip Gulley (first in County Library)
Kate Shugak series by Dana Stabenow (recently went back and read #1 in series)
Michael Kelley series by Michael Harvey (read 2nd; own 1st)
Mickey Rawlings series by Tron Soos
Penn Dutch Inn mysteries by Tamar Myers (I own some unread; library has some I've not read)
Richard Christie series by Kathleen George (read 4th of 4 from library) next to read: #1 Taken (at county library, CLP)
Skip Langdon series by Julie Smith

F. START YOUR ENGINES: New-to-me series that I'm currently reading first book:

G. START-AND-PARKS: Series I started at the beginning and don't necessarily feel like going the distance with, though I may try one now and then:
Charles Lenox series by Charles Finch. Next: The September Society, #2 of 7 (CLP/FLP Download)
Claire DeWitt by Sara Gran. Next Up: Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway, #2 of 2
Death on Demand series by Carolyn Hart. Next up: Design for Murder, #2 of 23 (owned)
Emily Locke series by Rachel Brady. Next: Dead Lift, #2 of 2 (CLP download)
Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo. Next: The Redeemer (FLP download)
Home Repair is Homicide series by Sarah Graves. Next up: Triple Witch, #2 of 16
Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd. Next: Wings of Fire, #2 of 16 (library)
Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. Next: Pardonable Lies, #3 of 10 (borrowed)
Meg Langslow series by Donna Andrews. Next: No Nest for the Wicket, #7 of 16 (county library)
Ravynne Sisters Paranormal Mysteries by Merabeth James. I'm definitely skipping #2, the vampire one. Next up: A Haunting at Storm House (owned, e-book)
Stephanie Plum. Next up: Two for the Show, #2 of 19 (#20 coming out in November)
Wine Country Mysteries by Ellen Crosby: Chardonnay Charade, #2 of 6 (download FLP)

Still to be organized:
G. Non-fiction series/collections/trilogies/sets, etc, to be read in order:
The Ghosts of Virginia CURRENTLY READING VOLUME 2
The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote (Have read 2 of 3)

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Series I'm thinking of starting

A. Series to start; own (or was loaned) at least one book in series
Agent Smoky Barrett series by Cody McFadyen. First up: Shadow Man, #1 of 5 (owned)
Body Farm series by Jefferson Bass. First up: Carved in Bone, #1 of 7+ (FLP download -- own #2 e-book)
Booktown mysteries by Lorna Barrett. First up: Murder is Binding, #1 of 6 (owned)
Bruno series by Martin Walker. First up: Bruno, Chief of Police, #1 of 5 (borrowed)
Coffeehouse mysteries by Cleo Coyle. First up: On What Grounds, #1 of 11 (owned)
Det. Ellie Hatcher series by Alafair Burke. First up: Dead Connection, #1 of 4 (owned)
Emmanuel Cooper series by Malla Nunn. First up: A Beautiful Place to Die, #1 of 2 (owned)
Frank Renzi series by Susan Fleet. First up: Absolution, #1 of 3 (Kindle book)
Gin Palace Trilogy by Daniel Judson. (Own #2 in series as Kindle Book -- I understand that it's a "prequel" so may work to read first.
Hackberry Holland by James Lee Burke. First up: Lay Down my Sword and Shield, #1 of 3 (owned)
Hannah Swenson series by Joanne Fluke. First up: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, #1 of 15 (owned)
Huntress Moon/FBI thrillers by Alexandra Sokoloff. First up: Huntress Moon, #1 of 2 (Kindle book)
Inspector Alan Grant series by Josephine Tey. First up: The Man in the Queue, #1 of 6 (owned)
Inspector Matt Minogue Mysteries by John Brady. First up: A Stone of the Heart, #1 of 10 (owned)
Julie O'Hara series by Lee Hanson. First up: Castle Cay, #1 of 3 (Kindle book)
Lacey Flint series by S. J. Bolton. First up: Now you See Me, #1 of 2 (owned)
Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourn. First up: Silent in the Grave, #1 of 7 (borrowed)
Lake Champlain mysteries by William Kritlow. First up: Crimson Snow, #1 of 3 (owned)
Laszlo Kreizler series by Caleb Carr. First up: The Alienist, #1 of 2 (owned)
Loon Lake fishing mysteries, by Victoria Houston. First up: Dead Angler, #1 of 13 (owned)
Madeline Dare series by Cornelia Read. First Up: Field of Darkness, #1 of 3 (owned)
Mark Tartaglia series by Elena Forbes. First up: Die With Me, #1 of 3 (owned)
Missing Pieces mysteries by Joyce & Jim Laverne. First up: A Timely Vision, #1 of 5 (owned)
Quirke series by Benjamin Black. First up: Christine Falls, #1 of 6 (owned)
Rebecka Martinsson series by Asa Larsson. First up: Sun Storm, #1 of 4 (CLP library download; own 4th book in series)
Rosa Thorn series by Vena Cork. First up: Thorn, #1 of 3 (owned)
Shadows series by Cege Smith. First up: Edge of Shadows, #1 of 3 (Kindle book)
Sister Agnes series by Alison Joseph. First up: Sacred Hearts, #1 of 9 (own)
Tony Boudreaux Mysteries by Kent Conwell. First up: Galveston (no touchstone), #1 of ? (own 6th in series)
Underhill/Maiden series by Will Kingdom. The Cold Calling (owned)

B. Series I'm eager to start; none owned, but at least first book available at library:
Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd. First up: A Duty to the Dead, #1 of 4 (library)
Cemetery of Forgotton Books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The Shadow of the Wind, #1 of 3 (FLP downloads)
Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron. First up: Bootlegger's Daughter, #1 of 18 (library)
DS Alex Morrow by Denise Mina. First up: Still Midnight
Guido Guerrieri series by Gianrico Carfiglio. Involuntary Witness, #1 of 4 (CLP download)
Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. First up: The Black Echo, #1 of 18 (library, library downhload)
Homer Kelley series by Jane Langton. First up: The Transcendental Murder, #1 of 18 (FLP download)
Inspector Silva series by Leighton Gage. First up: Blood of the Wicked, #1 of 4 (CLP download)
Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. First up: Killing Floor
Jack Sawyer series by Stephen King. First up: The Talisman (library, downloads)
Kathryn Dance series by Jeffery Deaver. First up: The Sleeping Doll
Lynley/Havers series by Elizabeth George. First up: A Great Deliverance (library paperback)
Matthew Shardlake series by C.J. Samson. First up: Dissolution, #1 of 5 (FLP download)
Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larsson. First up: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, #1 of 3
Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz. First up: Odd Thomas, #1 of 6 + novellas
Rizolli/Isles by Tess Gerritsen. First up: The Surgeon
Shakespeare Secret series by Jennifer Lee Carrell. First up: Interred With Their Bones
Steve Vail series by Noah Boyd. First up: The Bricklayer, #1 of 2
Strange & Quinn series by George Pelicanos. First up: Right as Rain
Tea Shop mysteries by Laura Childs. First up: Death by Darjeeling
The Sparrow series by Mary Doria Russell. First up: The Sparrow
Thora Gudmundsdottier series by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. First up: Last Rituals
Tradd Street series by Karen White. First up: The House on Tradd Street, #1 of 3
Women's Murder Club by James Patterson. First up: First to Die

G. Series to start where first book is at county library
Anna Travis series by Lynda LaPlante. First up: Above Suspicion, #1 of 7
Barker & Llewellyn series by Will Thomas. First up: Some Danger Involved, #1 of 5 (county library)
Cackleberry Club by Laura Childs. First up: Eggs in purgatory
Duncan Kincade series by Deborah Crombie. First up: A Share in Death
Evelyn James series by Elizabeth Becca. First up: Trace Evidence
Gregor Demarkian mystery by Jane Haddam. First up: Not a Creature was Stirring
Harrison Investigation series by Heather Graham. First up: Haunted (county library)
Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin. First up: Knots & Crosses, #1 of 17
Jack Daniels series by Joe Konrath. First up: Whiskey Sour
Jason Kolarich series by David Ellis. First up: The Hidden Man
Jemima Shore series by Antonia Fraser. First up: Quiet as a Nun
Joona Linna sereis by Lars Kepler. First up: The Hypnotist, #1 (only one in English so far)
LA Quartet by James Elroy. First up: The Black Dahlia
Leaphorn series by Tony Hillerman. First up: The Blessing Way
Lincoln Ryme series by Jeffery Deaver. First up: The Bone Collector
Nobody Nowhere series by Donna Williams. First up: Nobody Nowhere
Nora Gavin series by Erin Hart. First up: Haunted Ground
Ray Dudgeon series by Sean Chercover. First up: Big City, Bad Blood
Sister Agatha mysteries by Aimee Thurlo. First up: Bad Faith
Virgil Tibbs series by John Ball. First up: In the Heat of the Night, #1 of 7

C. Recommended series, not readily available:
Antique Print Mysteries by Lea Wait. Shadows at the Fair
Books by the Bay Mysteries by Ellery Adams. First up: A Killer Plot
Chief Inspecter Adamsburg by Fred Vargas. The Chalk Circle Man
Donut Shop mysteries by Jessica Beck. Glazed Murder
Emily Tempest series by Adrian Hyland. Moonlight downs
Inspector Challis by Hal Disher. The Dragon Man
Jack Frost by R.D. Wingfield. Frost at Christmas
Jack Taylor series by Ken Bruen. The Guards
Joe Faraday series by Graham Hurley. Turnstone
Joe Plantagenet by Kate Ellis. Seeking the Dead
Kyle Murchison Booth by Sarah Monette The Bone Key
Logan McRae by Stuart MacBride. Cold Granite
Matthew Bartholomew series by Susanna Gregory. A Plague on Both Your Houses
Max Tudor by G.M. Malliet. Wicked Autumn
Mike Bowditch by Paul Doiron. The Poacher's Son
Nathan Active series by Stan Jones. White sky, Black ice
Novel Ideas series by Lucy Arlington. Buried in a Book
Sam Turner mysteries by John F. Baker. Poet in the Gutter
Sigrid Harald by Margaret Maron. One Coffee With
Tom Thorne series by Mark Billingham. Sleepyhead

I reserved too many spots here at the top of the thread! So FYI, here is the info about my 2014 Category Challenge:


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I struggled to decide on a theme for this year -- or whether to even have an overall theme for my categories. I considered using the titles of hit songs from 1974 (40 years ago) as my category titles. But I think I've settled on themes loosely based on a number of famous folks born in the great state of New Jersey.

I pretty much consider myself a Pennsylvanian now, but my formative years were spent in the Garden State, and my old home has shaped my sensibilities somewhat. (Its certainly affected my musical tastes, as anyone can attest whose heard how frequently I blast Springsteen and Bon Jovi songs.) So it's my tribute to my "old" home state.

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My (very) tentative list for the American Author Challenge

January Willa Cather -- Death Comes for the Archbishop (I've wanted to read this for some time, at local library)COMPLETED
February William Faulkner -- As I Lay Dying, owned
March Cormac McCarthy -- All the Pretty Horses (I've been wanting to read another McCarthy, at local library)
April Toni Morrison -- Beloved (I really want to read this one, at local library) and/or Jazz (owned)
May Eudora Welty -- Losing Battles (at local library)
June Kurt Vonnegut substitute Thomas Wolfe - Look Homeward, Angel (owned)
July Mark Twain substitute Ernest Hemingway - For Whom the Bell Tolls (owned -- for over 20 years, about time I read it!)
August Philip Roth The Ghost Writer (owned)
September James Baldwin substitute Ray Bradbury - A Graveyard for Lunatics (for September Series & Sequels, owned)
October Edith Wharton substitute F. Paul Wilson - The Keep (for Halloween reading, owned)
November John Updike (Still deciding on selection)
December Larry Watson Let Him Go (I really want to read this, e-book available through library)

All titles subject to change. In fact, they will PROBABLY change, more than once!

OK, I think I'm getting organized now. The past week and a half has been crazy with travel. As a car passenger, I had a lot of time for reading -- not so much time for posting! So I am behind in getting started here on the boards. I may never catch up with all the threads!

I found this meme on Cheli's last thread for her 2013 Category Challenge, and thought it would be nice to do as a review of last year, since I really didn't do any kind of "Best of" list for the year:

2013 year-review meme

It's hard to give definitive answers to any of these. Lots of competition!

The book that kept me breathless: Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
The mystery that I enjoyed reading the most: Broken Harbor by Tana French
Biggest disappointment: One For the Money by Janet Evanovich. (Maybe I expected too much.)
Book that gave the most smiles/laughs: Dangerous Undertaking by Mark de Castrique (not a"funny" book -- I really didn't read any "humor" books this year -- but a serious mystery book with just the right touch of humor!)
Book I wish I'd read sooner: Annie's Ghosts Steve Luxenberg (It was on the shelf for quite a while!)
Best Recommended book: Montana, 1948 by Larry Watson (Thanks, Richard!)
The book with the most surprises: A Place of Execution by Val McDermid (Maybe not the most surprises quantity-wise, but quality-wise!)
Most thought provoking book: Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
Series book that has me wanting the next one NOW!: The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill (I ordered the next-in-series the day I finished it!)
Best Audio book: The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson, narrated by George Guidall (All the audios I've heard from that series are excellent!)
Book I am still working on: None. I actually finished up all the stuff I was reading, and started fresh January 1st -- a first for me!
Book I'm glad I finished: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

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75 Challenge Book #1 2 (Oops! I missed the first book I read. Review is below, in post #36)
Title: A Comedy of Heirs
Author: Rett Mac Pherson
Genre or subject information: genealogical mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: Torie O'Shea #3
Date finished: 1/3/13
Off the Shelf? Yes
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

These Torie O'Shea mysteries are so much fun!

As Torie is preparing for the big family reunion at her home, someone anonymously sends her an envelope with newspaper clippings about her great-grandfather's murder. Murder? She'd always been told he died in a hunting accident! Of course, she needs to know what really happened -- and help comes from an unlikely source.

There's lots of family turmoil in this one, but quite a few smiles, too. MacPherson has just the right touch of humor balanced with more serious matters. I love the way she creates and fleshes out characters (major and minor) and the genealogical angle is fun.

OK, I think I have my threads for my various challenges sort of under control now.

We spent the time since Christmas visiting relatives who didn't have wifi. I hate posting from my iPhone, and I hate asking to borrow someone else's computer. So I didn't post much over the past week and a half, though I couldn't resist chiming in on a few conversations. I certainly wasn't up to starting my new 75 Challenge thread from my iPhone! So I've thrown it together this afternoon. If you notice a few glitches, please excuse me.

Hi Terri! Glad to have found your 2014 thread. :-)

Hi, Pat! I'm glad you found me! Congrats on arriving first! You get the door prize:


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Ooh! Thanks. I never win anything.

Hey, I would have been first but the last post said that a few more were coming. So I sat and waited and waited. And then someone else jumped in. Wah wah wah.

Glad to see your thread up.

Hi, Morphy! I kind of misjudged trying to figure out how many spots to leave up front. Sorry I messed up your timing.
Just to atone, I'll offer you a runner-up door prize, and throw in a cup of java:


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Hi, Lori! I'm glad to finally have this thread going.

Marking my place for now,



and, I'll be back often. Happy New Year of Reading!

Happy New Year of reading to you, too, Linda!

Hi terri! I'm glad you're still enjoying the Torie O'Shea mysteries. It's one of my favorites!

Hi, Carrie! Now that I've had the books for a year, and they count fully toward my ROOT challenge, I plan to run through the rest of the series this year!

Oh good! nice to see you!

Hi, Kath! I'll be around to visit your thread sooner or later. Today was "get my threads in order" day, and I'm going through and starring people, but not much time left to post. Supper is burning in the kitchen!

It will be a long year Terri :) I know that I will see you sooner or later.. and this year, who knows... maybe even in person!

So happy that you're here! Dropped my star!

Terri - I had a list of (actually all) ladies not yet here and I am pleased to say I can scratch one of 'em off now.

Better tardy than never. I will endeavour to keep up as always. Have a lovely first weekend of 2014.

Kath, I'm starting with shorter threads first. Yours is getting long, but I'll get there eventually.

Hi, Mamie! I'll get to your thread eventually, too.

Hi, Paul! Have a great weekend yourself! And given how acitive your threads are, it may be a while before I catch up.

I thought I'd managed to choose books to meet all my various challenge endeavors, then realized I hadn't fit in our 75 Challenge monthly theme "January Joyrides," which I must have something for . . . somewhere . . . given my love of cars and trains . . .

*heads off to look for suitable book on the way to bed . . .*

Hi Terri! Happy New Year of reading!

Here you are, Terri! I was wondering why I couldn't locate your thread. Looking forward to another great year of following your reading!

Hi Terri and happy new year!

Hi Terri, happy new year!!

I haven't done much reading so far, just finished only one short book. It's so much extra work dealing with all the snow and dangerously frigid cold, it seems.

We've shoveled the latest blast of snow and are now settled in for a day of reading, football-watching, and Downton Abbey.

Hi, Joanne! Happy New Reading Year to you!

Hi, Lori! Sorry I was late to the party.

Hello, Diana! I stopped by your profile and see that several of your top reads last year were ones that I really enjoyed. I should definitely follow your thread this year!

Happy New Year, Linda! The really bitter cold stuff is headed our way tomorrow into Tuesday.
I'm watching football this afternoon, too, though I really don't have a team in the fight anymore.

I just realized that I missed the very first book I finished this year. (It was hardly memorable.) So the Torie O'Shea series book was actually #2.

75 Challenge Book #1
Title: Blood Land
Author: R. S. Guthrie
Genre or subject information: western mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: James Pruett #1
Date finished: 1/2/14
Off the Shelf? Yes (virtual)
My Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Notes:

Right at the beginning, the sheriff's wife is shot. There seems no doubt what happened or who did it. But there are lots of questions anyway. There are issues of land and mineral rights and gas drilling and the government.

OK, I liked the characters the way the characters were drawn in this story, and the gradual way certain information was revealed, and it was all good up to a point. The sheriff's character was a bit too changeable, but he was an alcoholic who was off and on the wagon, so that explains a lot of inconsistency.

But the ending of this story left things up in the air in a way. It just didn't explain things. There was a conspiracy -- we knew that, to some extent, most of the way through -- but there was no real understanding given of how the conspiracy worked and how far it extended. We were just supposed to accept that there was a conspiracy and so-and-so was involved (maybe among others), but there was no sense of exactly how such a thing could have been done. IMO, it was just lazy writing -- the be-all and end-all is just to say that there was a conspiracy, and no sense of how it worked and thus whether it was something that could really have been done in real life.

It left a bad taste in my mouth. I won't be reading more of this series. Not recommended.

Well, that's a bummer, Terri. Sounds like you took one for the team. Hoping your next read is much, much better.

Well, Mamie, after Blood Lands, I read the book Comedy of Heirs that I reviewed first, and that one was great. But my next e-book has already been abandoned. Murder on the Mind by L. L. Bartlett was just not my cup of tea, as I found it quite annoying. (Which means the next in the series probably won't suit me, either, though I may look at it since I already own the e-book. )

Here you are. *scrolling through lists, lists, more lists...* Happy New Year!

Hi, Katherine! I do have a thing for lists, don't I?

I need to get to bed. I spent most of the evening engrossed in the book 58 Degrees North: The Mysterious Sinking of the Arctic Rose by Hugo Kugiya. I can find some fault with the book, but have felt compelled to read on to see what was learned about the sinking in the Coast Guard inquiry. However, I still have almost 100 pages to go, and if I stay up long enough to read all that, I won't be able to function at work tomorrow.

So just a quick check-in here on my thread, and I'm off to bed. I just hope I can sleep without having read the end of the book.

Hi Terri, I am also late getting started with the 75 group as I was away visiting my family. Now we have to pay the price of trying to catch up with everybody! Looking forward to a fun 2014.

Found you!

Hi, Judy! Better late than never, right?

Hi, Carrie!

I stayed up late reading this, then picked it up as soon as I woke up this morning, and again after work.

75 Challenge Book #3
Title: 58 Degrees North: The Mysterious Sinking of the Arctic Rose
Author: Hugo Kugiya
Genre or subject information: non-fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2005
Series?: no
Date finished: 1/6/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

At about 3:30 a.m. on the morning of April 4, 2001, an automated emergency beacon (EPIRB) -- designed to activate if it was submerged in 13 feet of water -- sent an emergency signal which alerted the Coast Guard in Alaska of a possible fishing boat in trouble. This was the first hint of any trouble. The EPIRB was registered to the fishing vessel Arctic Rose .

Right away, I was hooked wanting to know what happened to this boat! She sank without an SOS or even reporting any difficulty whatsoever, in waters that were initially reported to be calm. How? Why?

Much of this book is the story of the investigation by the US Coast Guard into what went so terribly wrong on the Arctic Rose. The author also gives a lot of background about the crew of the boat (and of a fisheries observer who left the boat shortly before it sank). There are also lots of details about fishing in Alaska, and even about the history and culture of the region.

I only gave the book 3 1/2 stars because I found the organization of the information somewhat faulty. Perhaps this is partly because the author started out writing a series of newspaper articles and then expanded it into a book, continuing to follow the investigation. I found that the details of the various crew members were worked into the book in a rather odd fashion. Some details were repeated in a way that felt haphazard and even slightly confusing to me. But it was a worthwhile read.

The weather outside is frightful . . .

It's 3 degrees (Fahrenheit) out, and the wind chill is 19 below. It's snowing.

Our library has already announced that it will be closed tomorrow and my son says they told him that school will be closed, too, though I haven't seen an official announcement yet.

I am so annoyed with myself -- we were so busy at work today, I forgot to check out and take home the book I had on hold -- Death Comes for the Archbishop, for the American Authors Challenge. Now I can't get it until Wednesday. Grrrr . . . . Brrrr. . . .

Good morning! The temperature is up to minus 10 Fahrenheit here, with a wind chill of minus 39. Schools are closed, the library is closed, so I don't work today. My son is "chillin' out" for the moment (figuratively in the house, not literally outside) so I have a few moments of LT time.

I am really glad to not have to go out of the house today.

I know this extreme cold is affecting a lot of people. I hope you stay warm and safe, folks!

The president of our library board called and told the director that the library is to stay open regardless of weather. We have no homeless to worry about ( that I am aware of ). So, I suspect that we we be there for two days of a total of 10 patrons.

Lovely! Maybe the president of your library board should come staff the place him/herself.

I'm glad our directors have some common sense. The authorities are urging people to stay home if it's not absolutely essential to be out, so it makes sense to close, as we too have no homeless folks who depend on us for warmth.

Hi Terri, It is colder than usual in Georgia too, but that makes it about 7 F. Unfortunately, the heat at several of our library branches is not functioning, so their staff are helping out at branches with heat. Guess that's not unfortunate for my branch!

Here's to another year of good reads. 58 Degrees north sounds interesting.

Ardene, 7 degrees is cold anywhere, but for folks in Atlanta it must truly feel polar! I'm surprised that the libraries there -- at least the ones with heat -- stayed open and the librarians from unheated sites pitched in there.

I think all the libraries in our county and our district are closed today. Even the main District Library is listed as closed today.

I was amazed and impressed that the mail was delivered today -- and on time, too. Those Postal Service workers have my admiration. (I would say "my hat is off to them," but it's too cold for anyone to take their hats off today. . .)

ETA to add I think part of the idea of closing is that, since people are supposed to stay put inside where possible, we shouldn't be luring folks out with the temptation of wonderful books. The last time it was this cold, 20 years ago, the governor ORDERED public buildings closed except for emergency shelters and other truly "essential services" -- part of that was due to power and fuel shortage issues, as I recall. This kind of cold is hard on all the systems.

Our library was closed yesterday but open today. I've lived in my small town for forever and, for the first time I can ever remember, we had a warming center set up (ours was not at the library).

In places where the library was the warming center, they stayed open. Several Chicagoland spots lost power. I can't imagine that.

The cold is easing a bit. It's up to two degrees with a wind chill of 19 below, which feels like a heat wave after 18 below with a 45 below wind chill.

Linda, we actually made it up to 1 degree, I see. That's better than expected. Part of the problem here is that the wind is blowing the snow and making white-out conditions. In a rural area like ours, it makes it really hard to get around. Our emergency services are all volunteers, and when you get a lot of accidents, they can get overwhelmed.

Same problem here, Terri. With such a strong wind, and about 2.5 feet of snow on the ground, the roads are drifting over.

The wind seems to be finally dying down, thankfully.

You've got more snow than we do, Linda. Thankfully, we didn't get that much.

Our library was open yesterday, though they may have closed early. (I had the first shift, so I don't know what happened after I left.) The temps didn't really plunge until after I got home from work, though the snow was falling and it was horribly windy. I'm very glad my hubby was able to drive me to work and pick me up at the end of my shift. It would not have been fun to walk.

I would have had the late shift today, filling in for an absent colleague. Not a night I would have wanted to be out -- and no hubby available to drive me tonight, as he's at the hospital in a nearby town where a parishioner is having surgery.

What makes it tougher to deal with is that this was the coldest weather since 1985. There was a stretch in the late 70s/mid 80s when this was fairly commonplace.

Fortunately, unlike Christmas of 1983, this sub-zero snap lasted only 37 hours. That Christmastime cold snap lasted something like 96 hours.

Looking at the bright side, though it was brutally cold, at least the sun was out. We've also got a string of days in the 30s to look forward to, starting about Friday or so.

I can understand keeping BF open. They serve a lot of homeless, heatless folks. And they keep ot coffee going for them, all the time. I love that about them... and the staff bring cookies to serve them on special occasions, too.

We did end up closing early. There was going to be a board meeting tonight and no one but that president was going to come, they all told her HELL no! So.. we closed at 5 and rescheduled the mtg
:) haha common sense ruled the day!

Linda, Pennsylvania had a frigid stretch in the mid-1990's when it was cold like this, even a bit colder. I think it might have been January of 1994? Something like that. It was when we were living in a different county. The governor had shut down state offices and asked private non-profits and businesses to close to conserve energy, because the power grid was strained and maybe there was a heating fuel shortage? It did last longer than this deal. I was working as a church secretary -- not at my husband's church, but a larger congregation in the next town. Our newsletter was late getting out and needed collating (though it had already been copied). So I dutifully went into work, but worked with the heat turned down and no electric lights on, just putting the thing together but not using extra energy except the gasoline that got me there. FYI, you really can't collate and staple a newsletter together and put on the address labels with mittens on. Cold hands!

Kath, I'm glad common sense ruled the day!

I can understand keeping BF open. They serve a lot of homeless, heatless folks

Of course! That's why I'm kind of surprised that our district library closed. I would think they might have some folks stop in for warmth, being a more urban setting. Our little library probably would have been absolutely dead quiet.

I do hope we're open tomorrow, and that there is school. Cabin fever is setting in. It is supposed to warm up a bit.

>54 lindapanzo: Christmas of 1983 must be the year with the way below zero temperatures I remember so vividly. My family spent Christmas with my grandparents in central Indiana (near Kokomo). It's the coldest weather I've ever experienced. It was dangerous to drive because the strong winds kept blowing snowdrifts across the roads.

I remember the Christmas of '83. We didn't go anywhere and stayed cooped up at home for 4 or 5 days. Basically, everything Christmas-related was cancelled.

Terri, January of 1994 was the last really cold stretch here. There may have been a colder night than this week but not with all this snow etc.

Tomorrow, I'm heading back to work. It might be sub-zero in the morning but ought to reach the teens during the day.

Hi, Terri! Your #3 read has sucked me right in. I'm a sucker for a disaster book (or movie, come to that), so, wishlisted!

This is the coldest we've been in 18 or so years. We hit the 20s below zero with 40s below zero wind chills. We're going on three plus days of below zero temps.

Carrie and Linda, I honestly don't remember Christmas of 1983 at all. Either it's a void in my memory, or maybe the part of the country I was living in at that time wasn't affected as much.

Amber, I hope you enjoy it!

We were lucky compared to you Midwesterners. Not as much snow and it didn't last as long. We got into the 20's today, and it feels like a heat wave compared to where we were.

School was in session with a two hour delay today, and the library was open. Much better!

Oh, and I remembered to check out Death Comes for the Archbishop and read some on my lunch break, but I forgot to bring it home with me!

My cabin fever feeling is over. Went to work today and even went out to lunch. In fact, it was 16 degrees but the sun was out and there was no wind. It felt like spring.

I also finished my second book of the year, though it was a disappointing installment in a long-running favorite series. Still, I'm feeling like reading again, I think.

Don't you hate it when a series you like lets you down with a poor installment?

My car is acting up in this cold weather, so I skipped the trip to the gym that I'd planned to do tonight. I did run a quick errand in town (a few blocks away) and stopped at the library to pick up the book I forgot to bring home.

It's a little warmer yet today! We may get up close to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. I work the later shift today at the library, so this morning I'm just chillin'. I seem to have come down with a cold. It's unfortunate to have the free time and not feel much like reading. I'd call in sick to avoid spreading germs, but we are shorthanded this week with someone else out so that wouldn't be appreciated. I'll be sure to use lots of hand sanitizer.

The December ER batch was the first time in a long time that I requested but didn't get something. There was one book I really wanted, the new one by Wiley Cash. I loved his A Land More Kind Than Home.

With a fever of almost 102, I gave in and called my boss, and she arranged coverage for my shift. Nobody wants a sickie there on the job.

I am going to go take a nap.

Sorry to hear the you are under the weather, Terri. Lots of warm bevvies, a cozy blanket and plenty of sleep will hopefully see you feeling better soon.

Hope you feel better, Terri.

Very weird but, in December, for the first time in a long time, I didn't get anything from ER either. The football book I asked for was tailor-made for me, too. I was surprised. Actually, I've heard of a few people who, for the first time in forever, didn't win an ER book.

The communication also was very strange. I didn't hear that I didn't win until the new January ER books were already posted.

Sorry to hear that you're sick, Terri; feel better soon!

Terri, so sorry to hear that you are sick. Take two books, go to bed…read, relax, and recover. Two books in case the first one doesn't grab you! Seriously, it's too cold and yucky out there. Just stay home until you feel better. As always, I love the organization and time you put into your thread. I got a kick out of Arthur and D. W. in the top spot. We are getting reacquainted as my 3-year-old granddaughter loves Arthur! Wishing you a great year of reading and good health.

Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks, Judy! I camped out on the sofa with a teapot & mug and a nice blanket. It's very comforting.

Thanks, Linda. I also heard that I hadn't gotten a book after they sent the message that the new list was up.

Thanks, Darryl!

Thanks, Donna! I followed your prescription, except I curled up on the sofa instead of going to bed because our bedroom is so darn cold. I took two books, but neither was working for me because my eyes hurt, so I wound up listening to my audio book. I'm glad you're revisiting Arthur with your granddaughter. When my son was little, he had the computer game of Arthur's Reading Race, as well as the book. It was a favorite of his.

Thanks, Lori!

I don't mean to be whiny -- I'm not that sick, just feeling a little crummy. I DO NOT HAVE THE FLU. I had my flu shot this year, and I refuse to have the flu.

Just getting to find your 2014 thread Terri so happy New Year. I suspect you will have some good reading ahead for you. I'm sorry you're not feeling up to snuff. Curling up with a good book is a good cure for all that ails you. At least that's what I always think about it. This weather is enough to make anyone sick. We're going from record cold to 50s on the weekend. Geesh!

Hi Terri, Sorry to hear you're under the weather! I hope you aren't too sick to curl up with a couple of good books.

Aww,Arthur's Reading Race! My son also had an Arthur board game - "Arthur Goes to the Library" I think it was called.

Feel better soon, Terri.

Oh no! Sorry to hear that you're not feeling well - hope that changes soon!

I just reshelved a couple of Arthur books at Charlie's school library yesterday. I didn't know there were games, too... *scurries off to Amazon to look*

Hi Terri!

A belated Happy New Year! I finally catching up on threads and found yours. Here's to a great reading year!

Getting caught up on what has been a tough week weather wise and health wise for you, Terri! Take things easy this weekend if you can and give your body's immune system a chance to fully recover.

Bonnie, it has been a weird and changeable weather season so far!

Joanne, I've been doing some sporadic reading between naps. :-)

Thanks, Diana!

Amber, I haven't encountered the board games myself, but I know there used to be cute "books for computer" discs with games and activities, as well as a reading of the book.

Jess, happy reading year to you, too!

Lori, I'm definitely resting today.

I really am feeling better this morning -- not 100%, but much better than I felt the past two days.

Ack, I was just getting caught up with a lot of people's threads when I got sick. Now I am already hopelessly behind again.

Found and starred you, Terri!

Hi, Connie!

75 Challenge Book #4
Title: Death Comes for the Archbishop
Author: Willa Cather
Genre or subject information: historical fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1927
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 01/11/14
Off the Shelf? No, library book
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes: This book counted toward American Author Challenge, 2014 Alpha Cat, 2014 Geo Cat, and 2014 Random Cat

I loved this historical novel -- loosely based on the real-life first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, though his name had been changed -- about Roman Catholic missionary priests in the American Southwest, and the founding of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Cather's descriptions of the rugged terrain of New Mexico and Arizona were stunning. Her characterizations of the missionary bishop and vicar were complex, compelling, and believable.

Like most good novels with an historical basis, it makes me want to know what is historical and what is fictional.

Nice to see you feeling a little better, Terri and posting a nice review of Cather's book in the process.

Hope the healing process continues for the rest of the weekend.

Thanks, Paul!

Glad you liked Death Comes for the Archbishop, Terri. It's one of my favorite books and after reading everyone's comments this month, I actually want to re-read it which I generally never do.

Just a quick hello and I am stepping away and trying again to read something.. ANYTHING

Glad you're feeling better, Terri. I was trying to catch up with you a bit earlier on my Fire, and my fat fingers were losing stars and taking me to books so often that I gave it up.
Our weather is finally abating. I'll say! Yesterday we had thunder storms here and tornadoes in the central part of the state. Good grief! Today there's blue sky and temps a little closer to normal.
I need to read *Archbishop*, but when is a real question.
Anyway, I'm glad I found you before you achieved your second thread. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Terri! sorry, it took me so long to stumble over here. I am so glad you enjoyed Death Comes. It is such a terrific read. Did you get to Case Histories?
BTW- I LOVE the waving flag for the AAC. I may have to steal that idea.

Pat, it's a great one -- definitely one I might re-read someday!

Hi, Kath! Happy Reading to you -- whatever book you choose to try!

I am feeling much better today, though I still had "a frog in my throat" that made leading worship a challenge. News of the death of a friend overnight put another kind of catch in my voice, I'm afraid. I hope the froggie tones emigrate from my voice soon, as I've been asked to sing at the funeral Thursday.

I am trying to be restful this afternoon, as I think I'm still not quite 100% better. I started reading Kate Atkinson's Case Studies.

I think I'm going to at least temporarily abandon my e-book Huntress Moon. I read a bit (a few days? a week? ago) and it hasn't been calling to me to come back to it. Lately I'm not of a mind to continue reading books I'm not in the mood for. Maybe it will suit me better another time.

ETA to add Hallelujah! I was worried about running out of time to listen to my audio book, Firewall, but I was given the option to renew -- so I'll be sure to have time to finish without rushing.

LOL! I'm messing up with cross-posts here. Let me try again.

Peggy! I know all about losing posts when posing from a smaller device. Been there (with the iPhone) done that. Glad your rough weather is abating.

Hi, Mark! I just started Case Histories; so far, I've read the three initial case histories, and hope to read a little more this evening. You are welcome to the flag idea for AAC. I really enjoyed the Cather -- so glad your AAC gave me the nudge to get around to reading it.

Oh, mercy! I stayed up late reading this, then took it up again this morning as soon as my son was off to school (ignoring a million other things I should be doing before I go in to work today at noon). I'm going to be sooooo tired tonight . . .

75 Challenge Book #5
Title: Case Histories
Author: Kate Atkinson
Genre or subject information: mystery/PI
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2004
Series?: Jackson Brodie #1
Date finished: 01/13/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

I can't quite explain how this book drew me in the way it did. It felt rather disjointed, and most of the characters (with the exception of the protagonist, Jackson) were . . . pretty weird? somewhat-to-very unlikable? Vulgar at times? Somewhere on the dysfunctional continuum? I say with the exception of Jackson, but he had his own brand of dysfunctional background, his own flaws and neuroses, but I (mostly) liked him.

It was interesting watching the various elements gel into a story. I kept having to look back because of the various leaps in the narration, but it really did make sense. And I can't imagine another way to put the varied cases together into a coherent narrative. I could have done without a few details, and I wish he'd resolved one plot-line a little more clearly, but I mostly liked this book a lot and could hardly put it down.

The Jackson Brodie books just get better after this. I listened to the audio versions of #3 and #4 and they were well done.

I'm not quite ready to try to tackle that one again. I abandoned it last year. It was just the wrong book at the wrong time, I think.

Carrie, I'm glad to hear that the later ones are so good!

Lori, I have to say there were definitely some aspects that were, shall I say, a bit off-putting. But I liked the complexity, and just really needed to see how it came together and turned out.

Wow, I'm less than halfway through the month and I've managed to read 1/12 of my annual ROOT goal, finished my American Author Challenge book for the month, and finished all my 2014 Category Challenge "CATs" except half of the "unofficial AlphaCAT" (which is in progress and is yet another ROOT book). So I've given myself permission to read from the library for the rest of the month if I feel like it, and I can pretty much read whatever I want (within reason).

So I just started A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny. It was waiting for me on the library shelf today.
I still don't feel very well after getting through a full day of work, so this evening I curled up on the sofa with it, and a pot of tea nearby. Cozy.

ETA to add No, it's As the Light Gets In. I don't know why authors have to put out books with similar names in the same series. We have so many mix-ups at the library because of that!

Sorry to hear that you have lost a friend, Terri...

hugs

Thanks, Kath. I am comforted that he lived a good long life and to hear that went quite peacefully in his sleep. I do feel very sad for his widow, who is a dear, dear, lady. The death of a beloved spouse must be so hard -- the only thing harder would be the death of one's child. I slipped over to the church to practice my solo for the funeral with the church musician. It's nice to have at least this little thing I can do for the family at this time.

It seems more and more people I know are dying, or facing possibly terminal illnesses. Thoughts of my own mortality are nearer these days, and I ponder the mysteries of what lies beyond the grave. I guess I am getting old.

I know what you mean, Terri. That is a terrible by-product of getting older.

I hope all goes well with your solo.

Thanks, Connie!

I'm so sorry about your friend, Terri. I hope that your singing will be a comfort both to the family and to you.

You are in for such a treat with the other Jackson Brodie books! She takes it in very creative places.

100 Thanks, Amber!

101 Mark, I just went browsing for a library e-book with Overdrive, and managed to snare One Good Turn without having to place a hold and wait for it! How cool is that?

I notice that Free Library of Philadelphia, where I have a card, has lowered both their Overdrive checkout limit and their loan terms. I'd noticed that demand was exceeding supply for a lot of the popular items.

We have a 15 book Overdrive limit which I think is more than most people can read in the maximum 3 week loan period. I try to keep myself to no more than 3 at a time although I can read more than a book a week. I have plenty of other books on my Kindle and on my iPad as well as in print.

Wow, Lori, 15 seems really high! Last I checked, our local library (which is part of a district Overdrive system) has a 3 item limit; Philadelphia is now at 6, I think; and I'm pretty sure Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is still at 10. Out of all of them together, I rarely have more than 2 or 3 Overdrive items checked out (generally 1 e-book and 1 audio) -- maybe a couple more if I finish something quickly in a format that can't be "returned" before the loan period ends and/or if a hold becomes available while I'm reading another title and I need to check it out or lose my turn.

Our local library has a 6 item limit with a 2 week loan period. I rarely borrow more than 2 at a time because it is so easy to borrow and so many I want to read. (All of them. Lol)

92: Hmm, I've been keeping an eye on the series, not sure I'm quite ready to bite, but "could hardly put it down" is an argument in its favor.

Carrie, it is easy to borrow with Overdrive! The only hard part is the wait for some items. Hopefully, putting in a few more limits will cut down on some of the wait times for specific titles. 6 items at a time is more than I need. However, for audios, a 2-week loan can leave me rushed, because usually my time listening is limited. My current audio actually had to be renewed, and that was a bit of a nuisance -- I basically had to check it out and download it all over again, and lost my bookmark in the process. Thank heavens nobody else was waiting for it, so I could renew it.

Katherine, I'm on the second one in the series, and it's not grabbing me as quickly. But I'm just getting started.

ETA fixing dumb error

We can actually set ours to do one, two, or three week loans. I set my default to 3 weeks.

Good Morning! Death Comes to the Archbishop seems to be the book to read. I own it and it is somewhere in the house...where? Later this week I'll go on a hunting mission.

Happy Thursday. It is snowing here and the sky is grey. I hope it is sunny where you are.

Regarding your post 97, I agree with you. It is meant to be that when we are young we live for the day, not thinking about down the road. Now, as we get older, down the road becomes right down the corner.

I'm sorry for your loss Terri.

First off, a hot tip:
Today I learned through BookBub that John Verdon's Think of a Number is on sale for various e-readers (Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Sony) for $1.99 now. I read this book on a whim a couple years ago -- no LT recommendation, just thought it sounded good -- and found the premise of the mystery to be one of the more original ideas I'd seen in a long time of mystery reading. Some of the family drama didn't totally work for me, but the mystery itself was a real page-turner. (I gave it 4 stars.)

Linda, dear, thank you for your condolences. And you are so correct that "down the road becomes right down the corner" with our age, as matters of mortality are concerned.

Lori, we get to choose defaults, too. But the 21-day option has been eliminated when signed in on Philadelphia's website, and we never had it on my local library's website -- options of 7 or 14 days, only. But Carnegie in Pittsburgh still has the three options -- 7, 14, or 21 days. (They also have some really long hold lists. I wonder if they'll cut the loan terms or checkout limits eventually, too?)

ETA re: Think of a Number -- I double-checked, and my review was much as I wrote above. But there was one note I'll pass along for my more sensitive friends, for what it's worth: "Note: this book is not for those easily offended by profanity. Mind you, it's not used gratuitously; it fit with the characters and circumstances. But there was at least one phrase that made me cringe a little, and I'm not usually bothered at all by rough language."

I really should spend some time catching up people's threads here.

I should also spend some time cleaning house.

But I think I'm going to curl up with the latest Louise Penny novel and forget about "shoulds" for a while.

Great idea! I finally read Penny and I really enjoyed it!

Terri, thanks for the tip on Think of a Number. Since it's the first book in a series (another series!) I've requested it from the library instead of buying it but it definitely sounds like something I would like.

I also use the Philadelphia Free library for e-book and audiobook checkouts and had noticed that the limit was now 6 and the maximum lending period is now 2 weeks. I'm not sure when they changed. My local library has always had a checkout limit of 2 books and a maximum loan period of 2 weeks. The 2-week loan period doesn't bother me, really, but only having 6 checkout items can be tough when you suddenly vault to the top of a bunch of those long hold lists.

112 Hi, Carrie! Well, it was a great idea, but I got sidetracked by a music playlist . . . I'm in a bit of a nostalgic mood, so old songs fit more with where my brain is tonight. Plus, I cleaned the bathroom and tidied up the kitchen, so I accomplished something.

Funny, I've always liked the Penny books, and everyone is raving how extra great this latest Penny book is -- best yet -- but I'm just not getting into it. There's too much focus on the police department politics and their evildoings. I don't like that aspect of these books. I don't know much about Canadian policing, but I have trouble believing that they're that thoroughly corrupt -- and if they're not, la Penny surely is not being very nice to them by writing this way. Also, at least early on in the book, Three Pines is being portrayed as almost too perfect and magical a place. It almost feels like it's becoming a caricature of itself.

113 The 2-week loan period doesn't bother me, really, but only having 6 checkout items can be tough when you suddenly vault to the top of a bunch of those long hold lists.

Julia, that is the one time when the checkout limit can hurt. I try to limit how many holds I put on books at a time, fearing just that scenario. But sometimes the timing just works out wrong. Of course, when all those holds come available at once, the 2-week loan period becomes a problem for me. There's a limit to how much I can get through in 2 weeks, especially the audios.

I hope you enjoy Think of a Number. When I read it, I did it from a library download; as I recall, I listened to it on audio. It was a rather complex tale, but I didn't have trouble following it on audio at all. Oh, and so far there are only 3 books in the series, so not such a bad one to start.

Adding my thanks for the tip about Think of a Number, it's now safely planted on my Kindle.

Regarding post 111 -- Kudos! My mother was obsessed with cleaning and now that she is passed on, I wonder if all those hours, days, months, years of compulsive cleaning were worth it for her. She lost so much...never time for her family, her children, friends.

While I like my house to be clean, I also like to read, to take Lilly for a walk, and to visit the library.

It sounds like you are doing a lot of contemplation Terri. I continue to admire you for the lovely, insightful and caring person you are.

> 111 -116: I clean less now that the children are out of the house. It's just me and my husband. I should spend that time on reading but instead I'm hanging around to much on LT.

You're welcome, Judy! I hope you like it. It wasn't a perfect book, but I found the basic premise of the puzzle fascinating.

Hi, Linda! Thank you for the kind words. It's so sad that your mother was so compulsive about cleaning that it interfered with living.
Well, I wound up doing some housework after all, but it was while listening to favorite music, so it felt good. As for contemplation, well that's just my personality type, I guess. Sometimes I think too much, and would probably be better off thinking a little less and doing a little more.

Hi, Connie! Ah, the seasons of life and how we spend them . . .

I'm feeling a little guilty. According to the experts, I should be encouraging my son to listen mostly to contemporary music to fit in better with his friends. (For those who don't know, he has autism, so making friends is a challenge.) But, darn it, he loves the music I love! Classic rock, pop oldies, bluegrass, jazz, blues, even classical. And I find so much of the current crop of music that I hear seems, well, awful -- glorifying hard drugs and violence, belittling women, etc. Gosh I sound like the older generation when I was a kid. We had some of that, too, but now some of it is so over-the-top.

Anyway, my son knows my iTunes playlists, and at one point in our listening, he said "Here it comes!" What? "Baker Street!" I can't help but love it when my 17-year-old asks me to crank up the old Gerry Rafferty classic. "I love that sax solo," he enthuses. I cranked it up until the floor shook. Yeah!

Maybe he could introduce that kind of music to his friends. He might find that more folks than he realizes like that kind of stuff (typed as I'm listening to my Milk Carton Boys Pandora station). I found that especially among guitar-playing friends of my son's that good quality acoustic guitar music was pretty well received - Andy McKee, Nickel Creek, Old Crow Medicine Show, Gillian Welsh, etc.

*waves* Hi, Terri. Glad I could finally stop in and catch up with you. the activity level on all the threads is almost manic this year! (Isn't it grand?)

Terri> The 70s had the best music--all the horns and stuff! I had trouble with one of the early Gamache books that dealt with the politics of the Surete;however, I enjoyed the latest one although I was worried about whether or not I would when I saw it coming in the story line. Certainly the end of the previous installment let us realize there would be that element in this one. I expect I was better prepared for it.

I'm sorry you're not enjoying A Trick of the Light more Terri. It was one of my favorites (4.5 stars) so I hope it improves for you. Keep in mind that Penny is developing a plot line that continues over several books. It's not the latest Penny book though. That would be How the Light Gets In.

Here's to enjoying life over cleaning:-)

120 Hi, Jim! (oops! I had the wrong name there for a while. Senior moment!) Thanks for your perspective on the music issue.

121 Hi, Linda! I was prepared, too, but I still don't like it. Perhaps I'm overdosing on internal strife among cops -- the Kurt Wallander mystery I'm listening to now has lots of conflict among the police force members. I prefer when the cops fight the bad guys, not each other.

122 Bonnie, I keep getting those two titles mixed up. It's How The Light Gets In that I'm reading now.

ETA to correctly direct my response for post 119 to Jim, the beloved and highly-respected founder of our lovely group here!

Remember all the griping about my new washer and dryer from Lowes? Well, add another gripe. They rejected my rebate application. They clearly promoted the washer and dryer as qualifying for the appliance rebate, then when I sent in the paperwork, they said no.

I called and talked to someone in Customer Care. He doesn't understand why it was rejected, but I have to wait until Monday to talk to someone in the rebate office. He's sure it was just a mistake and they'll straighten it out. We shall see.

(This is the news I came home to at 11 p.m. after driving home for an hour in the snow tonight after a meeting. Today has just been a really crazy day from start to finish. The day started with my son asking me to sign a class registration form for next year that he's had for a week and a half and which had to be in today -- and I barely had time to look at it.)

Grrr I hate it when stupid issues await you as you walk in the door. To have it happen at that time of the night is even worse ... I hope it sorts out easily. AS for the school aer.. I imagine you can renege on that if you choose? Kids..sigh. I work today, and hope the time goes by quickly.
( hah!)

Anyway.. that's all I've got...

That's really annoying, Terri. I hope it will sort out monday. Just a pity you have to wait so long to know for sure.

About the school thing: so typical. That's why our school has decided not to let important news or invitations be delivered by the students. We send them either as a letter or by email.

Not a good start to your weekend for sure, Terri! I hope everything is looking up from here on.

125 Kath, it wasn't the homecoming I wanted. But that's life. And hubby did have a bottle of port and two wine glasses ready upon arrival (which was more the homecoming I was looking forward to.) As for the school schedule, it can be re-negotiated if needs be. I'm planning to call the guidance counselor next week for a chat.

I sure hope you feel better soon. Isn't there any way you can get some time off to get better?

126 Thanks, Connie. Yes, the waiting until Monday part is most aggravating. Why is it that this kind of news always arrives after business hours on a Friday? Our school does some things via letter and/or e-mail -- failure notices, for one. And they have an automated phone notification system for some matters. But overall it's rather inconsistent.

127 Julia, today is better. I made pancakes for breakfast, and am just relaxing mostly this morning and trying to catch up on LT. I am SO FAR BEHIND on so many threads!!!

Reading Lori's (lkernagh) thread, she had this Retreat's Book Bingo thing she's trying promoted by Random House. I just may try it for 2014.



I'm not sure how to define "a book at the bottom of your to be read pile." Maybe pull one from the bottom shelf of the TBR bookcase?

A book with more than 500 pages
A Forgotten Classic
A book that became a movie
A book published this year
A book with a number in the title 58 Degrees North by Hugo Kugiya
A book written by someone under Thirty
A book with non-human characters
A Funny book
A book by a female author Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
A book with a mystery A Comedy of Heirs by Rett MacPherson
A book with a one-word title
A book of short stories
FREE SQUARE
A book set on a different continent
A book of non-fiction Southern Lady, Yankee Spy by Elizabeth R. Varon
The first book by a favorite author
A book you heard about online
A best-selling book
A book based on a true story
A book at the bottom of your to-be-read pile
A book your friend loves
A book that scares you
A book that is more than 10 years old
The second book in a series One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
A book with a blue cover Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

All caught up here, Terri, and sounds like you have had a rough time of it lately. Hoping that the rebate thing gets cleared up in your favor - I hate when stuff like that happens.

The music - I think that what we like to listen to is such an intrinsic part of who we are, and it is tied to our emotions. I say let your son listen to what he wants to and don't try to push him in other directions. SO cool that you share music - that's a language all by itself and we both know how precious those types of connections are where the conversation flows both ways without an effort by one or both of you. Grasp it to your heart, turn that music up and revel in it.

Wishing for you a weekend full of fabulous, dear!

Ohh, about the music: My son Jeroen (30) and I (60) share the same love for Soul and R&B. I 'made' him listen to it when he was a baby. Okay, I just had the radio on and he was playing in the playpen. He just grew up with that kind of music. And now we still share that love. He lets me listen to new singers and groups by making cd's for me called 'Songs for mama part 1" and so on. I have about 20 of them. But I discoverd Macklemore before him, yes I did.

Perhaps the future will let your son discover other music. I know it is different because your son is autistic. And I know that some of the music of today is gross and nasty and with to much sex in it. But there is some beautifull music.

The big hit in holland is a song that has the hartbeat of a unborn baby as backbeat. One of our news readers was about 7 months pregnant and she had this tape with her to let her co-workers at the radio hear her baby. There was a singer songwriter there and he wrote beautifull lyrics and used this tape.

Its called: 'Take your time girl' by Niels Geusebroek and it's on You tube!

Thanks, Mamie! A fabulous weekend to you, too, friend!

Connie, I enjoy your perspective on sharing music with your son. I wasn't familiar with the song you describe that's currently a hit in Holland. That sounds neat!

My apologies to Jim. For a while, I had the wrong name on my response to him a few posts back. I am having more of these little mental lapses lately -- mixing up names, leaving home without things I need, and generally forgetting things. It's starting to worry me a bit.

Today I did some snow shoveling and some reading and a bit of LT-ing. Not the most productive day of my life, but I needed a little break.

It's called 'getting older' and I share the same lapses with you, Terri.

I have to search for a word frequently. Or forget why I went upstairs in the first place. I think it's just one of those things.

I notice myself having those lapses as well. I know they are a sign of age but I also find that I have more lapses when I am trying to juggle too many things at once, because I doing one thing and my mind is thinking about something else entirely. I am currently reading Mindfulness for Busy People which takes the reader through exercises to help them live in the moment and calm down some of their busyness.

Sorry about the days of irritation Terri but at least you have the late and often undervalued Gerry Rafferty. There are a couple of other tracks on the album that spawned Baker Street; "Whatever's Written in Your Heart" and "Right Down the Line" that I can listen too over and over.

Hope your Sunday is better! xx

Hi, Connie, Meg, & Paul!

Connie, I do know about getting older. I also know that my dad and a majority of his many siblings developed Alzheimer's as they aged -- one quite young, actually. It does make me a bit extra sensitive to those lapses.

Meg, you're quite right about the effect of juggling things on the memory. That book you're reading sounds like one I should look at.

Paul, those are good ones, too! Thanks for good wishes, and I'm sure Sunday will be fine. (Today wasn't bad, either.)

Terri, I smiled at your comment that contemplation is a part of who you are and that you think a lot. I also fit those categories. Years ago a dated a man whom I liked very much. He was smart and made me laugh. All was going well until he told me time and time again that "I think too much!" The relationship fizzled after that.

I'd like to ease up a bit on my over analyzing, still, I accept it as who I am and won't change it.

I hope your weekend is a good one. I agree with you 100% regarding the music of today. When I head the words blasting out of a speaker "Kill the bitch!" "Kill the bitch!" I was angry at what this culture is accepting. How very different from "I Only Have Eyes For You, or "Catch a Falling Star and Put It in Your Pocket!"

That's exactly the kind of music I'm talking about that scares me so much.

Linda, sometimes it's hard to be a person who thinks a lot in a culture where too many people don't seem to really think much at all -- it seems like the person who shouts the loudest wins the day. Or there are those whose thinking is so twisted as to seem mindless, as with those who plot mass violence.

Yes, I get angry, too, at what this culture is accepting.

Terri, working with college age students, there are those who are incredibly with it..They are kind, sensitive and other directed. But, increasingly by far those thinkers, are in the minority. Why should people think when there is no time to do so. Bombardment by cell phones, texting, facebook, all do not lend to a life of contemplation.

I'm happy I'm old. I would not want to be younger in today's society. I do have grave concerns for my grandchildren.

Terri, the Alzheimer in your family might frighten me too. I did not know that, but that makes a difference of course. My MIL had problems too and now I'm a bit worried about my husband. So I understand your worries.

Yes, I get angry, too, at what this culture is accepting. ditto

I was really concerned about my memory lapses as well until I spoke to my doctor about them. She said the difference between having a memory lapse and dementia/Alzheimer's is the difference between losing your keys and forgetting how to drive or not remembering what you had to eat yesterday and forgetting to eat at all (more than just a meal but rather for days at a time.)

So I adjust. Instead of a monthly calendar with little squares, I got a weekly calendar with big squares. Instead of putting a name and time down, I also put down what it's for and where it is. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at the name and time and simply couldn't remember what it was for!

Also, if I want to remember ANYTHING, even the littlest thing, I write it down. I'm so grateful I won that iPad. I call it my brain!

Very good advice, Morphy! I will start doing that too!

Yep, I have a daily To Do sheet that I made in Microsoft Word, and I print up 30 at a time. Every night, I pull out a new sheet, look through it, mark off the items I won't need to do the next day, make additions from my calendar of any extra things I need to remember/do, and then it sits in a central location in the house (my desk) where I can check it regularly throughout the day. It has separate tables for regular monthly, weekly and daily chores, and a table left blank for me to write in any other items that come up. If I didn't have that, there are so many things I'd forget to do on a daily basis, such as make sure Charlie takes his vitamins, and I cross things off the list once I've done them, or I'll wonder later in the day if I've done it yet that day (I do this so that Charlie doesn't accidentally get two doses of vitamins - or three! - in a day). My memory is really that bad. It has been for years, and I'm only in my 30's! I pity Tomm when I get old and senile! Ha!

Hello! Linda, Connie, Kath, Morphy and Amber. So glad to see you've visited since I was here last.

Linda, I wouldn't want to be young now, either.

Connie, sorry to hear about your MIL. I hope your husband never has the same problem.

Kath, how are you feeling today? Any better?

Morphy, I've heard that type of analogy. My mom was told that normal aging is forgetting phone numbers; Alzheimer's is forgetting what the phone is for. I do a lot of jotting of notes these days to remember . . . then I lose track of the notes.

Amber, that sounds like a very organized way to do things. I'd need to keep it in my pocket, though, or I'd forget what I was marking off before I got to the list! Long ago, I went to a pill box for each family member with compartments for each day of the week, so we could keep track of medicine taken.

OK, I've checked off two items on my to-do list for today. I called the Lowe's rebate center, and the gentleman said they would reprocess my rebate, that it should have gone through. So we shall see.

Another call dealing with a medical matter, born of insurance that makes us use one hospital lab when my son's autism specialist is with another hospital system. They do not communicate well with each other, and I'm stuck in the middle.

I stayed up late finishing How the Light Gets In. I don't like it much better now that I've read it all than I did earlier in my reading.

75 Challenge Book #6
Title: How the Light Gets In
Author: Louise Penny
Genre or subject information: Village mystery / police procedural / semi-cozy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series?: Inspector Gamache / Three Pines #9
Date finished: 1/20/14
Off the Shelf? no, library book
My Rating: 2.75 stars. I keep changing this -- as low as 2.5, as high as 3.
Notes:

I know a lot of people loved this book, and I am probably going to be hung in effigy from the library rafters for my review. So be it. I just found so much about this book that did not make sense, that seemed unrealistic, that was confusing and contradictory.

First the plus: Three Pines is back front-and-center, with it's quirky cast of residents. And we get to see some more facets of the crew. Another plus: Peter is still absent. That's a plus, IMO. There is still snappy dialogue and wonderful wordplay -- though not as many of those turn-of-phrase moments that used to set my eyes sparkling in earlier Penny works. And, despite a plot that strains credulity pretty much beyond its breaking point, she managed to keep me up late reading to see how it turns out.

Now my gripes: Has Penny decided to change genres and write fantasy? The whole premise of the big "plot" that has dominated the series for lo these many installments is, IMO, RUBBISH. From what we learn in this installment, it is totally unrealistic; I can't believe that people sophisticated enough to carry out all this subterfuge could have such a hare-brained plot. Now it's not enough for Gamache to solve crimes -- he's got to save the country. (O Canada, Gamache stands on guard for thee!) It's just way too over-the-top for me -- and an insult to Canada, to boot. Remind me to never go there -- it's not safe to travel their highways, apparently, at least in Quebec.

The ostensible mystery-du-jour of dead Marie-Margaret isn't much better. It makes no sense how Gamache gets from point A to point B. I can't make sense of the quints' life story as pieces of it emerge -- they find something, and it contradicts something else they've found out. None of it ever makes sense to me. And how does Gamache come up with these ideas of his, anyway. Is he psychic?

Then there are the changeable characters. Yes, I know addiction causes radical changes in people, so that accounts for one that readers of the series already know about. But some of the transitions we see in some folks here just aren't convincing to me.

I can't begin to flesh out my complaints without a mountain of spoilers -- I may have done so already, but I've tried to phrase things to leave the mystery intact. Not that I'd recommend that anyone read it. I am so horribly disappointed by this melodramatic drivel. If I'd gotten this plot from an unknown author, I would NOT have finished it; I only kept going because I already feel I have a relationship with these characters.

Maybe one of our Canadian LTers can tell me -- can things really be as corrupt as she portrays up there? I'd be willing to be corrected on this score.

They really need to get it so all medical systems talk to each other. It works really well within my medical system. Every doctor and hospital has access to my records. It's really nice since I have a large prescription list. But once you go out of the system, forget it.

Terri, I don't think anyone is going to want to hang you in effigy for expressing your viewpoint about a book. I liked the latest Penny book but I did mention a few "flaws" in it when I wrote about it. I tend to read them with a wide open mind and try not to worry about the bits that don't make sense to me.

I have completely given up trying to check out e-books using Overdrive. I don't want to be on a waiting list! Our library is also in a system called Hoopla which has been a great source for checking out audiobooks. No wait time.

148 Morphy, I agree -- medical systems are like so many other systems (computer systems, etc.) that cant seem to create any sort of compatibility.
It's not only a hassle, in some situations it could be dangerous.

149 Donna, I never heard of Hoopla. Our library does have another system for audios called OneClick, which seems to operate without waiting lists, but I find it harder to use and it has restrictions on where you can listen to books -- no good for travel, at least if you follow the Terms of Service.

Ooh, our library board president loaned me her copy of The Round House by Louise Erdrich. I've heard that this is very good indeed.

I spent a good part of this evening reading The Round House. It is very good!

Terri, I really liked The Round House last year. I have yet to read a Louise Erdrich book I didn't like.

restrictions on where you can listen to books - That seems odd...what kind of restrictions?

I mean to read some more Erdrich this year; I've left her alone far too long, and have several of her books on my TBR piles. I agree with Julia, I've never read one of hers that disappointed me.

152 This is my first Erdrich, and I'm loving it, Julia!

153 Linda, this loosely paraphrased from the Terms & Conditions:

It says it can be accessed via an authorized device connected via ain IP network owned by you or your library in your private residence or on your library's premesis. Residence means a private residential dwelling unit or individual office -- not a hotel room, motel room, hospital room, restaurant, barracks, etc.

Go figure. I e-mailed to ask them why, and they said they just wanted to make sure it was for personal use only, but this restriction goes way beyond that purpose.

ETA to comply with terms that don't permit me to post exactly what they say.

I love Erdrich, but last year I set that one aside... it was too disturbing for me at the time. I will read it...but not sure when.

Terri.. NONE of our board members are readers. None use the library in any capacity. Well.. one brings her grandson to some programs..... she is sweet and elderly and I am quite fond of her.. but none of them read.

Kath, I see many of our board members in the library on a regular basis. When we had a book discussion group, several were regular participants.

I can't imagine why someone who didn't read would even want to be on a library board. ?????

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW. COLD, COLDER, GETTING EVEN COLDER.

School is closed. Library is closed. I don't usually work Tuesdays anyway, but I would have had a couple hours tonight if we'd been open.

Terri.. I Know.. I know. Do not get it. But then, a co-worker hasn't read a book since the Jan Karon books came out years ago... from what I understand... so? go figure. Clearly, she cares nothing for books... she doesn't have that "care" for books that readers do. I don't know why she's there... I find life baffling at times...

And yes.. cold.

Thank heavens, all our staff members are readers of one kind or another -- some prefer mostly fiction of various types, some prefer mostly non-fiction, some are free-range readers like me, but we all like to read.

>154 tymfos: So restrictive they won't even let you quote their Terms of Service??? I think I'll ignore their existence!

159 re: 154 > Actually, what I mean to say is that I had originally cut-and-pasted the terms from their website, but then I saw in the terms you're not allowed to do that to material from their site. I suppose quoting (as opposed to cutting-and-pasting) would be OK.

I'm suspecting their insistence on not using their site from hotels, etc., is that public wifi networks aren't very secure and they're worried about pirating? Just a guess.

I went out to shovel snow, and heard a loud "mew!" A young cat / older kitten came hurtling toward me. He attached himself to me, running underfoot and grabbing at the snow shovel so that I had to quit shoveling because I accidentally hit the poor thing! I petted it, in apology, and . . . I think it fell in love with me. Anyway, I could not get it out from underfoot, and when I went in the house, it tried to follow me. I told it to go home, as it looked quite domesticated, but it hung out on my porch all afternoon, occasionally pawing at the door. Then as it started to get dark and the temperature dropped, he started launching himself at the front window, and banging against the door. Well, I don't know who its people are, or if they left him, or what, but I couldn't leave him out there in the cold all night begging to come in -- it's going to get below zero tonight!

Hubby is quite allergic, and was wary. My son has asthma, so I didn't know how that would go. But it would break my heart if I found him frozen to death in the morning, so hubby finally relented.

I invited the kitty into the house. Not having a cat, I resorted to emergency rations of a can of tuna and a saucer of milk, and water. Once he started to settle, I headed out to the store for cat food and cat litter (and a bowl and a cat toy) -- I figured it was wishful thinking that he'd be litter-box trained, but as soon as I set up the litter box, he pawed a space in it and did his business!

I am going to put an ad in the paper and make up "Found" flyers with his photo:



He is a very nice kitty. He seems healthy, if a bit thin. He's obviously been somebody's pet, and been cared for and trained in the past. If I can't find his owner soon, I shall have to get him to a vet to be checked out, but he seems fine.

ETA to make photo bigger

That's a sweet story about the kitten, Terri, and you're a good person for taking him in. Hope you can find the owner easily but in the meantime he seems like a good companion.

Thanks, Pat! He's a sweet little guy. I just wonder who his folks are? Cats usually can find their way home if they just wander away -- you hear these stories about animals that find their way home from many miles away -- but he showed no sign of wanting to go anywhere but here.

He's hardly stopped purring since he came into the house. My son seems to really love him. I hope he doesn't get too attached to the critter and then we find the owner.

What a sweet kitty! I'm glad he found you to shelter him during this cold winter weather. I hope you're able to reunite him with his family soon.

What an adorable kitty! And good of you to take him in from the weather.

Carrie and Katherine, he's adorable. It's been funny to watch my husband's reaction. First he suggested letting the cat stay in the basement (it's warm down there with the boiler), and then he agreed to shutting him in the bathroom. But when he saw that the cat was litter box trained, he's pretty much given him free run of the house except the bedrooms. And we've already agreed that if the owner can't be located, we're NOT taking him to the shelter. The "no kill" shelter closed up, and the Humane Society shelter is overcrowded and having to put down animals, I've heard.

Kitty got me out of bed this morning with insistent meowing, and was so underfoot that I could barely get to the kitchen to get the cat food. Then, still doing an agitated dance, he dove for the bag of fresh litter, so I changed his litter box (which the cat really uses). Kitty continued to dance under my feet until I stopped and gave lots of cuddles and affection, like a child who needs reassurance.

I am so glad I brought Kitty in, though. Right now it's 5 below, and the wind chill is 21 below. If he'd stayed outside, he'd be a catsickle.

I made posters with the cat's picture. I don't know enough about cats to give a good description for a print ad. Is that stripe pattern what they call "tabby"?

Good on you Terri.... and yes he is a tabby. Not quite red, maybe gold / yellow tabby. No suprise he is using the box. You made my day by rescuing the baby...

It's been fun having him around, Kath. He obviously loves people.

Well, he came to you for a reason..

:)

Well, back to work and school today -- though school has a two hour delay. I hope the kitty will be OK while we are all out. I will leave food and water.

Kitty will be just fine.. :)

Terri has a new kitty! He's a handsome fellow, and a lucky one, too, for finding you.

Aw, I love that kitty rescue story, Terri! Good for you!

Awwww.... pretty kitty!

Good job, Terri!

What a lovely story, Terri, and he is a beautiful cat. Are you going to give him a name or just wait in case someone claims him?

I love the kitty story Terri and I'm flabbergasted by the audio book story with the limitations you described. Scratches head...

173 Kitty was fine, Kath. Of course, I came home and found him on the dining room table, where we're trying to teach him not to be. But no big deal.

174 Julia, he's very handsome.

175 Mamie, I didn't have much choice -- I didn't want to wake up to frozen cat on the porch!

176 We'll see how well I do as a kitty carer, Cee. I know little about this. We tended a stray when I was very young, but he was a big ol' outdoor tom cat that just wandered in and out of our lives with total independence. This little guy wants a home.

177 Judy, I'm holding off until we see if someone claims him . . . but I've started thinking.

177 Bonnie, this cat claimed me. Absolute truth that people don't adopt cats, cats adopt people.

The regional daily newspaper offers a free 3-line 3-day classified ad for found pets, so that will start tomorrow. I've put fliers up around town -- the library, bank, drugstore, medical supply, dollar store, hardware store, insurance agency, gym, auto supply, supermarket, and the local veterinarian's office. It's hard to go anywhere in town without seeing kitty's little face and, in Ariel Bold 72-point type, FOUND with pertinent information below. I did a door-to-door on our block, with few responses -- either not home or just not answering the door to the crazy woman toting a cat photo around.

I was directed to one lady in an apartment down the street who supposedly knows most of the cats in the neighborhood, but she wasn't home. I'm reluctant to go over there at night. I'll try tomorrow morning and take a note to leave if she's not there.

What a sweet little face! He is a lucky boy to have found you.

What a cute kitty! I'll bet you have mixed feelings. It'll be great if he just got lost hunting and his owner finds him, but I'll bet you'd love to have him - except for the allergy issues. :( He definitely chose you. Lady save me!!! Either that, or he knew you were the type to keep tuna on hand for a hungry cat.

He is sweet looking, Carrie! As for his luck, we shall see.

I was worried about my son getting attached to the cat, and then the owner claiming it. No. He's anxious about whether we might keep the cat. He likes the cat as a visitor, but is not sure he wants it as a permanent member of the family. We are telling him "wait and see" that we will take it day by day. However, uncertainty is not something he deals with very well.

I got Kitty these little mouse toys -- not with catnip, he's hyper enough without that. He bats that thing around and chases it like it was alive. He tends to get rather wild when it's time to feed him -- I think he was hungry for a while before I took him in. Hopefully, he'll settle when he sees he's getting fed regularly.

I think whoever trained him to use the litter box used treats as an incentive. He usually makes a point of using the litter box when I'm around to notice, then looks at me pointedly like he expects something. I give him praise, of course, but I got some cat treats to give him. I don't know if that's the right thing to do, but I sure want to encourage him to use that litter box!

Katie, I do have mixed feelings. I never planned on having a pet, and I'm not sure I would have chosen a cat as opposed to a dog. But I am enjoying having him around. My husband is actually getting fond of him, and his allergies aren't bothering him too much. I think hubby has more trouble with the really long-haired cats.

What a cute cat, Terri. No surprise he is litter trained. Not much training to do with most cats. You just put them in the litter once and that pretty well does the trick.

That easy? Hmmm . . . wish kids were that easy to toilet train . . .

Yeah..it really is pretty much that easy. Cats are easy and loving. Mine will ( usually) come when I call them, meet me at the door when I come home and array themselves around the room I settle in. They are lots of fun, loyal, and sweet. AND much easier to provide for when you take short trips. I know your family likes to do that. Most times they can be left alone for a few days, no problem. I like to have someone check in and scoop.. but a single cat would have less ... to scoop... so really a few days alone are fine.

Chiming in to say, aww! what an adorable cat! And good on you for taking him in! If he was that starved, both for food and attention, I'm not sure that I'm rooting for the owners to show up...

Kath, that's nice to know about being able to leave them a few days.

If he was that starved, both for food and attention, I'm not sure that I'm rooting for the owners to show up...

Amber, I'm wanting to think maybe he got lost and the owners are frantically worrying where their cat has been . . . but really doubt that's the case.

I'm going to take him to the vet to get him checked out. Not sure where to go. I don't really know who is good. There is one that is local, which would be convenient, and they were nice about displaying the flier.

I did meet a lady at the dollar store who is looking for a missing cat. But that cat is black & white, old, and missing one eye. Definitely not this kitty.

If he was that starved, both for food and attention, I'm not sure that I'm rooting for the owners to show up...

That is just the way I feel... Does anyone at work have a pet? Or a neighbor? Most any vet is okay for a routine visit. Afterwards you can think about a different one if you feel the need....

I'm so happy that he found you.

A family that area last summer from another state lost one of their cats at a rest area during the move. The cat somehow got out of their vehicle and they weren't able to locate it. They finally just had to leave without it. They were devastated. Maybe something similar happened to your kitty - it got away from a family who was traveling during the holidays.

Kath, it might be one of those scenarios like Cindy describes in msg. 190, where the owner isn't so much at fault. Anyway, I decided to go with the local vet for now. And they have a pet carrier I can borrow to transport Kitty. Right now, I'm just keeping it simple.

Cindy, that's one of the kinds of scenarios I imagine . . . of course, if the little guy is from far away, the odds of its people seeing my ads or fliers is minimal.

We adopted a kitten from a litter of barn cats this fall, Terri, and there was absolutely no box training required, other than confining the kitten to a small room with the box in it for a few hours when we brought it home. My brother had been trying to get us to take one of his barn kittens (they have several litters a year) ever since we lost our last dog a year ago. This one, he said, was meant to be a house cat and he finally convinced us. We hadn't had a cat ourselves in nearly 35 years, and the last one was something of a beast. But Molly makes us smile and laugh, and she's the most affectionate little thing...if your little guy ends up keeping you, it could be the best thing that's happened to your household in a while! We do continue to confine her to one room at night, and when there's no one else home. She doesn't seem to mind that at all.

Echoing others, litter training is pretty much a matter of plopping the kitten in the box. I leave my cats completely alone for two or three nights with extra food and water; beyond that, I get someone to drop in every couple of days to check, and I’ve gone away for two weeks or more without trouble. Cats would much rather be home alone than in a kennel. For an initial checkup, which vet doesn’t much matter so you may as well go to the one that’s convenient and this’ll give you an opportunity to decide whether you want to keep going there. Cats are pretty simple, annual checkups and shots, until they’re in their teens and begin to age, but it’s nice to have a vet nearby in case of emergency. Especially with a kitten, random rambunctiousness is perfectly normal; they’ll suddenly go tearing around like a wild thing and you’ll have no idea why. Up to six months or so, be careful with electrical cords, especially moving cords (e.g. while ironing) because kittens will chew.

After years working at a vet clinic and in rescuing pets from various situations.. including just seeing them dumped out of cars, I'm a bit more jaded than Cindy... comes with the territory when you rescue.
Sorry. I have just seen too much ...

Either way, a home is what the kitty needs now. Have I mentioned that I now have a 5th ? I don't see him ever leaving, he's happy here. They are all getting along like siblings... meaning mostly great with moments of drama :)

Never a dull moment here.

I love the cat story and I love the cat! He's absolutly beautiful. You did a good thing, Terri

Eh, as far as "any vet will do" is concerned, I would disagree. Most cats dislike vets for various reasons. Call around and see if you can find a "cat friendly" vet. They aren't all that common but if you can find one that would be ideal. They have things like cats only waiting rooms and cats only examination rooms. Our vet even had separate "quiet" kenneling with kitty pheromones and bird feeders outside the cat examination rooms.

192 Linda, I'd rather be confining Kitty a bit at night and when out, but our house doesn't lend itself to it. We can keep him out of our bedrooms, which we want to keep allergen-free as much as possible, but the rest of the house is very open except for the bathrooms. The downstairs bath is just closet-sized, and there are logistical reasons for not shutting kitty into the upstairs bathroom at night. ;)

193 Well, Kitty has been fine as far as the litter box. I imagine this guy is over six months old -- actually, as I spend more time with him, I think he's older than I initially judged. But he did go for the cord of the fiber-optic snowman on my desk, not biting so much, but batting -- the cord hangs down in front of my desk to a power strip. (I moved Mr. SnowGlow for now.) He's starting to climb and come close to knocking breakable things, though he seems surprisingly careful most of the time.

194 Maybe you're more of a realist than I am, Kath. I'm more used to hearing about pets being abandoned in the countryside -- a lot folks we know have tended to animals that people abandoned near their farms. But my husband just pointed out an article in a newspaper we were getting ready to recycle, about a whole brood of cats that were abandoned in the county seat, and were living behind a fast-food restaurant. Concerned residents pitched in to rescue them. And a neighbor told us about a family that moved from our neighborhood and left their pets a few years ago.

Glad to see your home has accommodated a 5th kitty, Kath. You are amazing, tending so many fur-kids. I am feeling rather stressed with the one right now.

Connie, thanks. I sure think he's a beauty! But I just did what had to be done -- Kitty wouldn't accept no for an answer! This is a real adventure for me.

The big thing is getting my son comfortable with the change. He's been an only child all his life, and never even had to share me with a fur-kid before. I think I got preoccupied with the cat and maybe didn't pay my son as much attention for a day or so. He says he's not noticing any extra allergy issues, though -- and he accepted blame for one messy spill that he easily could have blamed on the cat. Me, I need to go take an allergy pill.

Morphy, in our rural area, I seriously doubt that any of our vets have any of the amenities you mention. (We often must drive many miles to see people specialists!) Most vets here probably spend as much time with livestock as with pets. But thanks for the suggestion!

I just want to add that I really appreciate everyone's encouragement and support regarding the new fur-kid in our midst. This is so unexpected and new to me, it's nice to have all these kind and helpful words from my LT friends!


glitter-graphics.com

197:
not biting so much, but batting
Keep an eye out. Mine bat at the string cords of window blinds, and sometimes chew on the ends. If it moves, it's prey.
abandoned near their farms
Two of my cats came from just such a situation.

Call on me if you need some reassurance :)

( A neighbor who is careless about her dogs lives in her uncles home across the street-ish from me. She once left for a 2 year sojourn in Florida and left her kitties behind. My last dog /jess was mortally injured when she went to run after one of those cats. Not the cats fault.. Jess ran to the end of her run, way too quickly ( momentarily feeling her oats? ) and died in my arms some time later after of a neck/ back injury ). I tried everything to save her. It was a rough time, as I lost several cats around that time, too.

Remember, I also had 4 kids ( in five years ) and I can tell you this, cats are much smaller and generally much less expensive and frustrating. Four or five are more than average, but when they need a home and I have one to give? I thought I was done with my 4 though. Just goes to show, life can stll surprise you.

Kitties are good climbers and love to explore, in general they are careful and can dance among dainty doo dads with ease. Until they decide to see what happens when they push one over. Also, they are hard wired to chase long skinny things ( like mouse tails and ribbon) so beware of string and ribbon and cords. Most kitties don't chew cords, some do. wind them and bind them to discourage this . You're doing great so far!

I keep my guest rooms as cat free zones.. but the kitties sleep down her, often with me. They are smart and learn quickly. He looks 6-8 months to me in the pic. neuter him sooner rather than later.

I'm just catching up. I'm glad that the cat has found a good "home." I was lucky Brumley took to the litter box easily when I got him. I didn't have to bribe him with treats, and I don't think that I would have done that in training him. I would just make sure that the cat isn't going to skip the litter box if you aren't there to provide the treat/bribe.

I will watch, Katherine!

Kath, sorry to hear about your negligent neighbor, and what happened to Jess. Thanks for all the advice and support. I plan to address the neutering issue when we see the vet next Tuesday. I seriously don't think anyone is going to claim the little guy.

Lori, he's not looking to me for approval or treats or whatever now when he uses the litter box. I'm not sure what that was about earlier. Maybe he just wanted to make sure I approved of where he was going?

My husband is warming up to the idea of keeping the cat -- and I've offered to let him choose the name. He is fond of Wagnerian opera, especially the Ring Cycle, and wants to name him Siegfried. I will call him Sig for short -- the name of my favorite Captain on the show Deadliest Catch, which seems appropriate because Sig likes seafood!

My son seems to be tolerating the idea of keeping Sig around.

Sig looks mighty comfy there on the sofa!

You are doing an excellent job as his Mom. (btw, do we know he's a he?) Glad the rest of the family is making an effort to accept the little guy.

Lots of good advice above ;-)

He is a sweetie!

Hi Terri....just finally getting going with 2014 posts and threads. It looks like you have found a wonderful new friend. They just had a piece on our evening news tonite saying that up here in Maine we are the most cat friendly state in the nation. 46% of our homes have cats. We sure would be less happy without our guy. And this orange one reminds me so much of the first one we adopted when we lived in Japan...he just showed up on our doorstep in the pouring down rain, and who were we to leave him outside to drown?

Now on to books....did you finish the Round House? I'm thinking of choosing that one for our book club sometime this spring---what do you think?

That is just the sweetest photo, Terri!

204 (btw, do we know he's a he?)
Cee, I'm embarrassed to say I'm not totally sure . . . but I think his nether parts look male . . . is that dumb or what to not be sure? The vet will be able to settle the issue. We go Tuesday afternoon.

205 Thanks, Lori!

206 he just showed up on our doorstep in the pouring down rain,
Tina, Sig showed up on our doorstep in the blinding snow, so similar story . . . :)
I haven't had time to finish The Round House but so far, I think it would make an excellent book for discussion.

207 Thanks Mamie!

What a lovely kitty. You made the right choice. Amen! And, smiles to you.

I like the name. Sig sounds strong!

I would bet on male just from his coloring... so Sig sounds like a perfect name. He is going to be a bold and strong beauty one day :)

Absolutely gorgeous photo. I thought it was a painting.

209 Smiles right back at you, Linda!

210 Thanks, Connie!

211 I do believe he will be, Kath.

213 Thanks, Morphy!

Have a great day!

What a contented puss! I think he picked the right porch to take shelter in.

So nice to see another picture of Sig! He looks like he doesn't have a care in the world.

You've named him? You're doomed. :-)

214 I'm glad he chose us, Linda!

215 Here's another one, Pat. When I turned on the washing machine, it startled him and he jumped into the nearest "shelter," but then had to see what was making that noise:



216 Yeah, we're doomed, Katherine! ;-P

How precious! I think he's a keeper!

Sig is probably male. Ginger cats are predominantly male and calico cats are predominantly female. It's a genetic thing. Our Sally is a sweet little calico.

Ohhhhh, I absolutly adore him!

Ohmygosh, he's so cute!! That look on his face is hilarious!

218 Yup, Carrie!

219 I didn't know that about the genetics of the coloring, Meg. Interesting!

220 Connie, we've already gotten quite fond of him.

221 Amber, he is a funny little guy!

The weather was so lousy, church was cancelled this morning. Some time for reading!

My feelings for this book may be influenced a bit by the fact that I had to rush a bit to finish it before the library loan expired, as it couldn't be renewed. I really wanted to be focusing on my other books.

75 Challenge Book #7
Title: One Good Turn
Author: Kate Atkinson
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Series?: Jackson Brodie #2
Date finished: 1/26/14
Off the Shelf? no, library download
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

This story all kicks off with a road rage incident witnessed by Jackson in front of the theater in Edinburgh where his lover Julia is rehearsing for some experimental theater thing. The whole thing becomes quite convoluted, involving an insane man in a blue Honda, a mysterious man who is the victim of the road rage, a writer named Martin, a crooked developer and his wife, some Russian women, and a woman detective.

I didn't like this one as much as the first one in the series. It seemed a bit implausible, though at least that fact was acknowledged in the book itself -- at one point Jackson wondered if he was on Candid Camera! Also, there was a lot of extraneous detail about the daydreams of Martin the writer and the ruminations of Gloria the developer's wife that I found simply confusing and didn't care one bit about -- though the mystery in Martin's past was kind of interesting.

I really didn't care for the ending, which held one final surprise I didn't anticipate at all.

Interesting observation about the Kate Atkinson book. I too often have the same feeling when I'm reading her stuff. I often wonder around muddled in the middle, but can't put them down because I have to know how they finish (and I LOVE Jackson Brodie). I have marked that I gave this one 4 stars, and I ear-read it, but can't seem to find anyplace that I reviewed it. Must dump this one back onto the read again pile.

One Good Turn was probably my least favorite Jackson Brodie. It was extremely convoluted and I wasn't entirely sure what was going on most of the time, until it all got tied up at the end. The next one's quite good, as I recall.

Tina, I kind of felt muddled in the middle of Case Histories, but it drew me in much more quickly and easily than One Good Turn did.

Julia, I'm glad to hear that the next one is very good. I do think I'll take a break from the series for a while before I try it. I think I generally don't do well reading series books back-to-back-to-back. I get tired of the style, need more variety.

Hi Terri- Finally stumbled my way over here. How are you? Sorry, you were not more enamored with One Good Turn. I remember loving that one but I spaced them out quite a bit. Maybe even a year or more.
Hope all is well.

ETA- I've been meaning to get to Erdrich forever! She always gets lost in the void.

I think spreading them out a bit is a very good idea, Terri.

Oh my goodness! What a personality Sig has!
His expression is priceless ;-)

How could you not fall for that little guy???

I know I'm in the minority, but I was not enamored of Case Histories... so I guess I'm glad I didn't continue.

227 Hi, Mark! All is well here. I'm glad to be able to get back to the Erdrich now.

227, 228 Mark and Julia, I seriously think it would have been better if I'd spaced the Atkinson books out. She has an unusual style; I think perhaps it's better enjoyed in small doses. I still gave it a 3.5, which from me is a decent rating.

229 Cee, he does have quite the personality. Sorry you didn't like Case Histories -- that one did grab me.

I've finished off another book I've had in progress for a while:

75 Challenge Book #8
Title: Southern Lady, Yankee Spy
Author: Elizabeth R. Varon
Genre or subject information: the life of Elizabeth Van Lew, Union agent in Richmond during the Civil War
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2003
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 1/26/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

Elizabeth Van Lew was the daughter of a prominent Richmond, Virginia family. During the Civil War she not only took it upon herself (at great risk) to befriend Union soldiers imprisoned by the Confederates, and even to help in escapes, but she also served as central figure in an intelligence ring which funneled information to Union officers. She continued her unorthodox life after the war, serving as Postmaster of Richmond under the Grant administration. But her post was subject to the politics and prejudices of the day.

The subject matter of this book was interesting. It was well organized and well documented, with sufficient endnotes. I found the writing a little dry, perhaps, but overall well done. The author does a good job of disabusing the reader of some common misconceptions of Van Lew, put forth by those who knew her late in life and commonly disseminated in both non-fiction and literary representations of her work, but not supported by the evidence dating back to her wartime contributions.

Getting caught up here after a couple of weeks of the LT grid. Sorry to learn about the loss of your friend, Terri.

Wow on having an Overdrive limit of 15 books. I think ours is set at 5 downloads (each for a max of 3 week loan period which is what I have mine set at) and five holds at any given time, which is way more than I can handle.

They rejected my rebate application. Can they do that?!

Yay for Reading Bingo! Terri, at least right now, that the card is filling itself based on my current reads... easy peasey! Just wait until I get to December and discover I have five squares still to fill in.

Can't speak to the corruption question although I will say that provincial and even municipal politics have their interesting elements. I am sure there is some, otherwise our press wouldn't have as much fun as they do reporting on politics. Stuff that happens back east seems like it is happening in a completely different country from me, the distance is so vast.

Awe, kitty! Could the owners have moved away and left him behind? Sad to think that would happen on purpose but it wouldn't be the first time. My Dad was, ironically enough, the one who would bring home stray cats found at work sites, etc and of course, we would just fawn all over the cats. Good thing it is January.... that little bundle of loveable fur could be a tree climber, including indoor holiday trees. ;-) Sig seems very happy in your home, Terri!

231 Hi, Lori! I understand about catching up.

I was amazed that any library would allow 15 items out on Overdrive. Our local library's Overdrive limit is 3, Philadelphia's is now 6 (down from 10), and I think Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's limit of 10 is quite generous. Between the 3 library memberships, I have way more than enough access. I do like the 21-day time period at Carnegie. Two weeks at the other libraries is a little tight -- especially for audios -- as so often the items can't be renewed.

Well, I called about the rebate and they are reprocessing it. We'll see what happens.

I thought about the Christmas Tree thing, and am glad he arrived after the tree was down. We shall see about next year.

WHen you Overdrive audios expire, if you do want to renew it, DON't delete the entry on your Overdrive console. When the book becomes available again, instead of having to dowload all the files again, it will just see that you have it there, and just download a new license, opening up the files (and hopefully recognizing your bookmarks!).

Some kitties never bother trees.. most of mine don't... And he will be grown by then. You know.. you rescuing this baby has made me smile more than anything has in a long time. Thank you for that.

Thanks for the Overdrive tips, Tina! I do most of my borrowing & listening/reading directly via the iPhone app, rather than downloading on the computer to transfer. Does the same process apply with renewal?

Kath, I'm glad to have given you some smiles via my new fur kid! :)

Not sure about the iPhone app for Overdrive, but it wouldn't hurt to try it!

I use the Overdrive app on my iPod Touch and it works a treat for the e-books. Audiobooks have to downloaded to a computer and then transferred over - something to do with the file sizes and the length of time it takes to download them. I have noticed that when the e-book loan period has expired, when I go to read the book, it won't and asks me to delete it so do. Don't know if the idea of keeping the book and renewing it through the system works.

Ah....my observations about renewing and files staying onboard only applies to audio books. When you want to renew (i.e. download again), you should delete the first file before re-downloading. Not hard if you're an ebook fan, but some people find it more trouble than they want to endure.

Well Terri, it looks like you've been adopted by a very lovely little kitty! Congratulations- you should feel very honored!

When we got our kitten last year we set up one of our bathrooms as a safe room for her at night or when we were out and couldn't keep half an eye on her - until we knew she wouldn't get into too much trouble roaming the house by herself. She had her litter pan, food, water, toys, and a bed and didn't mind it at all.

236, 237,238 Tina & Lori, it's not that big a deal to me to download again. And when I did it, much to my surprise, it really did pick up where I'd left off listening to the loan the first time. E-books download even quicker. With the iPhone, it does download direct via the app into the phone for either format. I just can't do the WMA ones on iPhone. The bigger issue is when someone else is waiting and I can't renew, which was the case with the last e-book. And the iPhone cuts off the use of the file right to the minute of when it expires! But I usually can get through titles in time.

239 Joanne, I wish I could figure out a "safe room" for Sig. Our downstairs powder room is not only way too small (the actual floor space not taken up by fixtures is less than 2x4 feet) it also has no heat except what comes into it from outside the room when the door is open. We don't dare keep the door closed all night in this weather or the pipes will freeze -- and not too comfy for kitty, either! The upstairs bath is a little bigger, but not much -- I don't know where we'd put a litter box that we wouldn't step in it, let alone a bed and food and toys. What would be nice would be a door on the laundry room . . . but the heat doesn't work very well in there, either; most of the heat comes in from the kitchen. The good news is Kitty really hasn't been getting into much mischief.

I'm glad to hear Sig isn't a mischief maker! Our little Boomer was a trouble maker for several months before she finally settled down. Have fun!

I have never done a "safe kitty room" or crate for a dog.. I am more a clear the decks and cross my fingers kinda gal. So far so good. All, stringy, thready, ( sewing baskets, knitting etc ) things need to be stowed. Having a cat tree helps if you have a kitty who likes heights, even a small one ( Amazon is cheaper than Petsmart) and just sort of baby-proof. That really should do it for you :)

It will all be fine :)

Not much mischief, Joanne. I do need to train him to stay "down" when we're cooking. He wants to put his nose into everything -- not good, and I fear he does not understand that stove is HOT when cooking! Also, he does like to claw at the (cheap) lace curtains sometimes. And he gets a little aggressive when he decides it's time for me to feed him.

Kath, I'm already looking at cat trees. As soon as we get the official "all clear" from the vet that he's healthy and safe to keep, I plan to order one via Amazon. I also want to ask the vet how big he expects Sig to grow. Some of the trees had reviews that said they'd only work for small cats. I want one that will still work when he's grown.

I'm not sure how to handle the blind cords -- they are already hard for me to reach. The cat is a better climber than I am.

Today schools and library are closed. We have the vet appointment this afternoon.

OK, Sig got a clean bill of health from the vet. The visit actually went very smoothly. He had his first round of shots, and we have an appointment next month to have him neutered and for him to get his booster shots.

Great. The kitchen sink is backed up. I'm wondering if the drain is frozen. If so, is it just the kitchen or will this be an issue for the whole house? I've noticed no other balky drains, but is the kitchen one closest to the outgo, and maybe was used the most today when I was cooking?

ETA to add OK, drain is open now. Leaking, but open.

Yay for Sig's clean bill of health and Boo on the drain situation.

Thanks, Lori! I can deal with a leaky sink drain much more easily than one that doesn't work at all, so things are looking up!

Sig is very lethargic tonight. The vet said that the one shot (I think it was the distemper vaccine) could make him that way for a while -- just to call if it lasted more than 24 hours. He is napping in his new pet bed. He was sleepy enough that it was easy to put on his new collar, with the little tag showing that he's had his rabies vaccine.

It's great to hear that all went well at the vets. I hope Sig perks up by tomorrow.

Thanks, Carrie!

Sig is just lovely, Terri!

I happened to see this one ;-)

I am so much enjoying following the Sig saga - so nice to hear that he's settling in, that he got a good report from the vet and that he's getting a cat tower! Lucky kitty.

>250 wilkiec:: *snork!*

250 Love it, Diana!

251 Thanks, Amber!

I picked up an inexpensive cat bed at the dollar store, and he's really taken to it. He was curled up in it when I came downstairs this morning. But he hates his new collar, and has already wormed his way out of it once. We needed to make it snugger.

We are still stuck in bitterly cold weather. Schools and library are closed yet again. I was seeing on the TV about Atlanta, where they weren't prepared for snow and all those kids got stuck not able to get home, some of them spending the night on their school bus. That's awful!

Cats don't like collars. I eventually gave up on one for Brumley.

I can't say I blame them -- sometimes I find that even necklaces that I've chosen to wear become uncomfortable after a while!

Ditch the collar. IMO Keep him in, and he won't need it. You can have him chipped at his next vet visit. Cats hate collars and they are chokey :(

OMG!! You have all the challenges! I love challenges, but I get sidetracked and don't finish them, so I cut myself off from most of them this year - I'm going to have to challenge vicariously through your thread methinks :)

255 OK, maybe I will, Kath.

256 I probably have too many challenge things going. At some point it will seem too much like work, and I'll probably ditch half the challenges I'm trying to do.

I admire the fact that you even consider the challenges! Finishing them is not what matters :)

I just stumble along and cover my eyes if I see a challenge or a list... :P

I'm happy that Sig got a clear bill of health! Yeah!

258 Kath, the challenges help when I look helplessly at my shelves and the library's shelves and think, "what should I read next?" I am not good at making decisions, so sometimes the challenges give me guidance in choosing.

259 Thanks, Connie!

The kitty stuff I've ordered from Amazon is starting to arrive. Today we got his carrier, so his next trip to the vet will be in style, not in a cardboard carrier from the vet. There's something about putting him in a cardboard box that just doesn't seem quite right -- though he's been playing with the box the carrier was sent in! He's actually been making friends with with the carrier, so to speak, wandering in and sitting and checking it out. The cat tree is predicted to arrive tomorrow.

I finished my e-book reading while eating lunch.

75 Challenge Book #9
Title: North of Nowhere E-BOOK
Author: Steve Hamilton
Genre or subject information: mystery/detective story
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Series?: Alex McKnight #4
Date finished: 1/30/14
Off the Shelf? no, library download
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

Alex McKnight has retired from his recent PI work after his last disastrous case, but is drawn back into criminal investigation when a poker night out goes horribly wrong -- a home invasion by armed men interrupts the game. Pretty soon two of Alex's friends are implicated as accomplices, and the victim decides Alex must have been in on it, too. Things get nasty in a hurry.

I really enjoy this series set on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They are relatively short books, quick reads, but generally a good story with lots of action and twists and turns of plot. The locale is always an intrinsic part of the story -- you couldn't just plop these mysteries down in another part of the country and make them work. This time the story takes place in summer, but the weather is always a part of the tale -- it's impossible even to enjoy the lovely summer weather without comparison with the inevitably harsh UP winters. I enjoy reading about Alex, the retired Detroit cop and reluctant private investigator with a bullet lodged near his heart. He is tough but likable, and his partner in the PI business, Leon, has also grown on me.

Hi Terri:I'm glad you are still enjoying the Alex McKnight series, I'm reading Winter of The Wolf Moon and wasn't sure if I needed yet another series, but I am enjoying it immensely and have The Hunting Wind all set to go very soon.

Lisa, The Hunting Wind was probably my least favorite of the four I've read so far, but it's still pretty good.

I'm happy to see that I have the next one, Blood is the Sky, on my TBR shelf!

Advice: If you are buying an e-reader, do NOT buy a Sony! I have had nothing but trouble with mine, and since the last software update, it is totally worthless. I cannot sync books onto it, and their website was no help at all.

What a nightmare, Terri. I would hate to have something serious go wrong with my Kobo Touch; the few times it's frozen and I've had to reset it I was almost in a panic, thinking of all those books trapped inside it. The books I got from Kobo wouldn't be hard to replace, but I've sideloaded many books I got through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Project Gutenberg and I hate the thought of having to round them all back up again. I hope the Sony folks wake up and give you some actual customer service soon!

I finished my audio book while cleaning the kitchen after the rest of the family was in bed.

75 Challenge Book #10
Title: Firewall AUDIO
Author: Henning Mankell
Genre or subject information: Police Procedural / "Scandi-crime"
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1998; English trans. 2002
Series?: Kurt Wallander #8
Date finished: 1/30/14
Off the Shelf? no, library download
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

A man dies in the street. Across town, two teenage girls murder a taxi driver. From this start of seemingly unrelated events, a tale begins to unfold.

I'll be honest and say I had a hard time understanding exactly how all the pieces fit together. I also got frustrated with the office politics of the police. I'm a bit weary of Wallander feeling downtrodden. Overall, it was a pretty good story, but I may take a break from the series for a while. I've read a lot of these in a fairly short time.

I'd like to think that this book was implausible -- but is it? The details may be, but the overall subject is timely. The vulnerabilities of our our world's modern inter-related systems is something most of us are somewhat aware of now. It was a newer issue when this book was written, but is more timely than ever now.

Terri, I have a Sony Pocket Reader I've been using for several years. I rarely use the Reader interface, though. I sync everything throgh Adobe Digital Editions. It works better for me brcause I get most of my ebooks from free sources like Project Gutenburg. It doesn't automatically sync. I have to drag and drop onto the ereader, but it's not a time-consuming process.

Oh fun! I'm glad your kitty stuff is arriving! Also, very glad to see that he is liking his carrier! Smart of you to let him do that, as it makes life easier. Your thread has been a bright spot in my day lately, seeing how you are making a nice cozy home for kitty. And I know how happy you will be!

Carrie, I don't know how to sync with Adobe Digital Editions; the library downloads open the Sony software and go into that as soon as they are downloaded.. Also, as soon as I connect the e-reader to the computer, it activates the Sony software and automatically tries to sync -- and it's in that sync that the whole system freezes up and you can't do anything with it except shut the computer down.

Kath, I'm glad you're enjoying my cat tales. The cat tree arrived today, and we had fun putting it together. I enticed Sig onto the various levels with cat treats to get him to try it out. So far, he doesn't seem too excited about it. He'd rather sit on the kitchen table and scratch at me when I work at the sink. :( Both the table sitting and the scratching at me are habits I'd like to discourage. Any suggestions? He also wants to climb the stairway banister, and took quite a leap from almost ceiling-high today (and we have high ceilings). Yowza! He landed on his feet. Amazing. Scared me to death! This morning he was walking the upstairs hall banister like a little tightrope walker -- definitely made me nervous.

His new litter box also arrived (to replace the "disposable" one we got from the supermarket as a temporary measure), and he took right to it with no problem.

Oh, I cannot keep up with the threads! Today I'm pretty worthless at reading anything, because I've been to the eye doctor and he put those drops in my eyes and everything is blurry . . .

I don't know if I've tried library downloads with my Sony reader. I've only checked out a handful of ebooks from the library, and I can't remember if I checked any out before I got my iPad Mini. On the rare occasions that the library has what I'm looking for in ebook format, I use the Overdrive app on my iPad to check it out.

I think I set my Reader software to sync manually because I wanted to use Adobe Digital Editions instead. I don't know if I've downloaded the latest update. If I haven't, I'll try to remember not to do it!

Might want to enjoy Mankell while you can...

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/swedish-crime-novelist-mankell-can...

271 Carrie, I can't figure out how to set the software to not sync. I guess I am pretty useless at technology. For what it's worth, I do a lot of e-reading on my phone with the Overdrive app. But sometimes it's nice to save the phone battery for . . . phone calls . . . imagine . . .

272 Morphy that's sad news!

More cat stuff: Sig curled up in his new cat tree. I guess maybe he likes it.

Sig looks as snug as a cat in a hat, Terri!

Terri, The story of Sig and how he found a loving home, is so heartwarming. Animals are miracles. They change us...They make us softer, kinder somehow. I watch Will with Lilly and I am amazed at the love they share.

When we lost Simon, Will said "NO more dogs!" And, now two years later, Lilly opened his heart.

The recent photo of Sig in his play house is precious.

:)

Thanks, Julia and Linda!

I am starting a new thread for February. Give me a little while and I'll be up and running!

I've enjoyed our conversations on this thread very much! But it's time for a NEW THREAD:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/168655


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