Katie's Reading Life - 2020 - Part 19

Continuing my I-Wish-I-Could-Travel-Again Theme, here are a few pictures from Luxor and its environs from a trip I made in 2007. A couple of friends and I flew from Cairo after a Board meeting to Luxor, where we spent 2 days before boarding a boat to sail to Aswan. The trip was a bit of a clusterf*ck in terms of logistics, but we had an amazing time nonetheless!











(All pictures are mine)

Top to bottom:

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (it was very hot and very crowded)
Statue at the Karnak Temple Complex (we had a beautiful day for exploring and this was probably my favorite site)
One of the Colossi of Memnon (this was a brief stop but very impressive)
The souk in Luxor (not enough time was spent here, but I managed to buy two beautiful, embroidered shawls, one purple and one red which have served me well for many a formal occasion, paired with a black cocktail dress:) )
Sunrise on the Nile (I am super proud of this photo which I took from the top deck of our cruise "ship")

Welcome to my thread! I’m Katie and I’ve been with the 75ers since 2011. I live just outside New York City - in addition to reading, I love to explore the city and to travel both near and far. I’m a bit of a foodie, am trying to get more comfortable doing my own cooking, and love wine. My reading tastes are eclectic and run from acknowledged classics to super frothy romances. I can be a bit snarky and sarcastic, and I am not to everyone’s taste, which is totally okay with me :)

In addition to a couple thousand books, I live with my husband (affectionately known as The Wayne), our cat, Leonard,and our new doggo, Nuala.

I don't have any specific reading goals for this year, but I do plan to participate - at least a bit - in several challenges here and in the Category Challenge and Reading Through Time groups.
________________________________________

CURRENTLY READING

(Audio) (Kindle)

COMPLETED

Books off my shelf: 30
Books off my Kindle: 36

136. The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson (3.5 stars)
135. The Earl's Christmas Pearl by Megan Frampton (4 stars)
134. Pupcakes by Annie Noblin (audio) (3 stars)
133. Game of Secrets by Dawn Tripp (3.5 stars)
132. Gifts of Love by Kay Hooper and Lisa Kleypas (3.5 stars)
131. Friends and Strangers by J.Courtney Sullivan (4 stars)
130. The Street by Ann Petry (4 stars)
129. Naughty Brits by Various (3 stars)
128. The Last Flight by Julie Clark (4 stars)
127. More Than a Woman by Caitlin Moran (audio) (3.5 stars)
126. Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle (3.5 stars)
125. When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn (4 stars)
124. 4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie (3.5 stars)
123. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (4 stars)
122. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (3.5 stars)
121. Survivor in Death by J.D. Robb (4 stars)

DID NOT FINISH (Year to Date):

1. The Little Disturbances of Man by Grace Paley
2. The Murder of Harriet Monckton by Elizabeth Haynes
3. Handsome Boss by Lori Wilde
4. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
5. Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand
6. Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons
7. A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby by Vanessa Riley
8. Sweet Talkin' Lover by Tracey Livesay
9. A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit

COMPLETED

120. Under the Table by Stephanie Evanovich (audio) (3 stars)
119. Don't I Know You? by Karen Shepard (4 stars)
118. Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor (4 stars)
117. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (audio) (3 stars)
116. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby (4.25 stars)
115. Mr. Malcolm's List by Suzanne Allain (3.5 stars)
114. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy (4 stars)
113. Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky (2.5 stars)
112. A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez (4 stars)
111. To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters (4 stars)
110. Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott (4 stars)
109. Sea Glass by Anita Shreve (4.25 stars)
108. Happy is the Bride by Various (2.5 stars)
107. The Last Summer of Reason by Tahar Djaout (4 stars)
106. The Boy in the Field by Margot Livesey (4.25 stars)

105. To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn (4 stars)
104. The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West (audio) (3.5 stars)
103. The Outcast by Sadie Jones (4 stars)
102. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout (audio) (4 stars)
101. The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell (4 stars)
100. All Adults Here by Emma Straub (4.5 stars)
99. 500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan (audio) (3.5 stars)
98. The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (3.5 stars)
97. Dangerous Books for Girls by Maya Rodale (3.5 stars)
96. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (4.25 stars)
95. Coventry by Helen Humphreys (4.5 stars)
94. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher (4 stars)
93. The Sherbrooke Bride by Catherine Coulter (3 stars)
92. Between Two Skies by Joanne O'Sullivan (4 stars)
91. I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott (audio) (3.5 stars)

90. The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths (4 stars)
89. Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean (3.5 stars)
88. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant (4 stars)
87. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (audio) (4 stars)
86. The Dilemma by B.A. Paris (3 stars)
85. The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood (4 stars)
84. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (audio) (4.5 stars)
83. Moranthology by Caitlin Moran (audio) (4 stars)
82. The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews (3 stars)
81. Turbulence by David Szalay (4 stars)
80. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (4 stars)
79. City of Thieves by David Benioff (4.5 stars)
78. Jackaby by William Ritter (audio) (3 stars)
77. Lockdown by Peter May (3.5 stars)
76. Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (3 stars)

75. Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan (3.5 stars)
74. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (audio) (4 stars)
73. The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward et. al. (4 stars)
72. Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean (4 stars)
71. Writers & Lovers by Lily King (4.5 stars)
70. The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H. Winthrop (5 stars)
69. Lily-Josephine by Kate Saunders (3.5 stars)
68. The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves (audio) (4.5 stars)
67. An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena (3.5 stars)
66. Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon (3.5 stars)
65. Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (3 stars)
64. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris (audio) (4 stars)
63. Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles (4 stars)
62. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (audio) (4 stars)
61. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (audio) (2.5 stars)

COMPLETED

60. An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (3 stars)
59. Long Bright River by Liz Moore (5 stars)
58. Beach Read by Emily Henry (4 stars)
57. The Secret Guests by Benjamin Black (audio) (3.5 stars)
56. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (4.5 stars)
55. How to Ride a Dragon's Storm by Cressida Cowell (audio) (3.5 stars)
54. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (audio) (4.5 stars)
53. The End of October by Lawrence Wright (3.5 stars)
52. French Exit by Patrick deWitt (audio) (3.5 stars)
51. The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs by Nick Trout (3 stars)
50. Fade Away by Harlan Coben (audio) (3 stars)
49. Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie (4 stars)
48. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris (4.5 stars)
47. Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec and Andi Arndt (audio) (4 stars)
46. Smile by Roddy Doyle (audio) (4 stars)

45. Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange (3.5 stars)
44. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (4 stars)
43. A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell (audio) (3 stars)
42. I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty (4 stars)
41. Pont Neuf by Max Byrd (audio) (2 stars)
40. Beautiful Mistake by Vi Keeland (audio) (3.5 stars)
39. Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward (4 stars)
38. Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (5 stars)
37. Quarantine by John Smolens (3.5 stars)
36. Mister Monkey by Francine Prose (audio) (3.5 stars)
35. Born Round by Frank Bruni (audio) (4 stars)
34. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (4 stars)
33. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian (audio) (3 stars)
32. The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty (4 stars)
31. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (audio) (4 stars)

30. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane (audio) (4 stars)
29. Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl by Various Authors (2.5 stars)
28. Visions in Death by J.D. Robb (4 stars)
27. The Indignities of Being a Woman by Merrill Markoe & Megan Koester (audio) (4 stars)
26. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (audio) (3.5 stars)
25. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (3.5 stars)
24. Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie (audio) (3.5 stars)
23. A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert (audio) (4 stars)
22. This is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison (audio) (3.5 stars)
21. Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg (3 stars)
20. Riots I Have Known by Ryan Chapman (audio) (3.5 stars)
19. Emma by Jane Austen (audio) (4 stars)
18. Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern (4 stars)
17. Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson (3.5 stars)
16. Circe by Madeline Miller (audio) (4 stars)

COMPLETED

15. Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham (4 stars)
14. Still Waters by Viveca Sten (3 stars)
13. Corregidora by Gayl Jones (3.5 stars)
12. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (3.5 stars)
11. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (4 stars)
10. Lady Fortescue Steps Out by M.C. Beaton (audio) (3 stars)
9. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (4 stars)
8. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier (4 stars)
7. The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan (3.5 stars)
6. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (4.5 stars)
5. A Commonplace Killing by Sian Busby (4 stars)
4. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider (3.5 stars)
3. Big Girl by Kelsey Miller (audio) (4 stars)
2. Gracelin O'Malley by Ann Moore (4 stars)
1. American Royals by Katherine McGee (3.5 stars)



My Ratings (revised, once again, as I continue the fruitless search for the perfect scale...)

2 stars = below average
3 stars = average
4 stars = above average
5 stars = perfect *for me*

(Anything below 2 stars is unlikely to be finished)

Using this one again as it is so appropriate right now....

WELCOME!

Hi, Katie. Lovely new digs. I'll take one of those cookies from the last place...

>7 laytonwoman3rd: - Hi Linda! The first visitor gets all the cookies she wants!

Happy new thread!

Egypt... a place I'd dearly love to go to. Excellent and enticing photos.

Love the photos, Katie - happy new thread! I did a Nile trip with my parents when I was in college, and would love to go back. I hope I'd get more out of it this time - would read up much more on the dynasties and would be mature enough not to arrive in Cairo airport alone and IN SHORTS. What an idiot I was.

>9 karenmarie: - Egypt is wonderful, Karen. I highly recommend it - worth an entry on the bucket list :)

>10 vivians: - I would not cheap out and end up on The World's Worst Boat. Lesson learned the hard way!

Happy new one, Katie! Love the photos, especially that last one - stunning!

>12 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie!

Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle

This novel is a mosaic of three lives, with ill-fitting and jagged pieces coming together to make a whole. I liked it but did not love it. I think the shifts in time and randomness of starting points, especially with Lil's narrative, were too jarring. It also didn't help that I was distracted by political events while trying to read this, so much of the fault is mine, not the author's. I did appreciate McCorkle's focus on grief and experience and the price and burden of holding onto things and memories. Her writing is very good, smooth and clear and sometimes stunning. I've read one other work of hers - Life After Life - which I remember loving. I will continue to seek out her work.

3.5 stars

(I received this book through LT's Early Reviewers program.)

More Than a Woman by Caitlin Moran

While not as laugh-out-loud funny as some of her other work, More Than a Woman was still a good audio, combining Moran's signature humor with ruminations on everything from elder care to eating disorders to anal sex. After the initial few chapters, the topics get more serious, sometimes downright grim, and Moran's anger about the world in which she lives and which her daughters will continue to have to inhabit comes to the fore. She's never shied away from broadcasting her particular brand of feminism, but where it's often been shaded with humor, one feels here that she's grown impatient and may be ready to lead the revolution. There is a lot to think about in what she says, and more time to do so, since one isn't quite as busy wiping away tears of laughter as one might have expected at the outset.

3.5 stars

Happy new thread, Katie. Lovely photos, especially that last one. I was this close to doing that trip that you did but in the end, it didn't work out. Maybe some other lifetime....

Happy New Thread, Katie!

I enjoyed the GBBS discussion last thread. Peter and Hermine in the finals, maybe with Laura, sounds good to me. Our daughter has been coming over on the weekend and we all watch it together. Mark seemed like a mensch.

Egypt has been on my travel bucket list since childhood thanks to a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys double mystery set there that I read repeatedly as a kid. Love your pictures.

>16 jessibud2: - I'm sorry the trip didn't work out, Shelley :(

>17 jnwelch: - Thanks, Joe! Love the GBBS(O) comments!

>18 MickyFine: - I hope you get there soon, Micky. It is pretty awe-some, literally :)

Judy and I got our mitts on a "Great Courses" course by Bob Briar, who taught Egyptology when i was in college many moons ago.

Was fun to learn about the many dynasties and pharaohs and marvel at how much history has survived over the centuries to dazzle us in the here and now

Your photos are amazing.

How do you do, Miss Katie. I hope I encounter you in the pink of your health.

Your obedient servant, ma'am.

Lucky for me that I happened upon your new thread. Missed the cookies, but that's fine and fair. I'm content to simply see the sights, hear the sounds, read the words.

Journeyed to Kutztown this afternoon and observed that most of the Biden/Harris lawn signs have been removed, but the Trumpsters can't find the dumpsters.

Happy new thread!

I missed your last one. Well at least I'm here now. Happy new thread!

Great travel photos

Happy new thread, Katie. I love your photos. I've always wanted to visit Egypt.

Nice comments on Hieroglyphics; we were reading it at the same time, and I agree my reading suffered because of the election distractions.

Happy new thread, Katie. And you should be proud of that photo on the Nile. It’s beautiful. I downloaded some nature photos today to use as my zoom background and that one is as lovely as any of the professional shots!

I’ve got Hieroglyphics on the wish list thanks to you and Beth.

Happy new thread Katie. I've just been reading about Cairo (The Book of Cairo), although given the cannibals/corruption/police violence in the stories, I think I prefer the picture in your lovely photos. I'd love to go, but pretty sure that I would struggle with the heat.

Happy new thread, Katie! I'm enjoying your travel photos. This is the first batch where I have also been there -- but it was in 1965 in my case during my first semester on World Campus Afloat aka University of the Seven Seas. Wonderful memories.

Happy new thread, Katie!

Charlie's just finishing up a Social Studies unit on Ancient Egypt and Kush, so I think I'll show him your photos up top (he's pretty fascinated with Hatshepsut) and brag that my friend Katie has been there! Prepare to be envied from afar...

>20 magicians_nephew: - Thanks re: the photos, Jim! Sometimes things just align nicely, and I can get a decent shot :)

>21 richardderus: - And a good morning to you, kind sir.

>22 weird_O: - I have cookies left, so will set aside some for you, Bill!

>23 drneutron: - Thanks, Jim!

>24 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita!

>25 BLBera: - Egypt is definitely worth a visit, Beth. I'm glad I wasn't the only one distracted :)

>26 EBT1002: - Aw, thanks, Ellen! My currect virtual meeting background is the garage door and parking lot at Four Seasons Landscaping in Philadelphia. Heh.

>27 charl08: - I loathe the heat, but Egypt was worth it. I went in March and it was only really bad a couple of days. Maybe winter would work?

>28 RebaRelishesReading: - I'm jealous, Reba - I always thought those school years (or semesters) at sea sounded amazing... Maybe in my next life?

>29 scaifea: - That's awesome, Amber. Do you think I'll reach drneutron/Jim levels of coolness in Charlie's mind?

In October, I "celebrated" my 15-year anniversary at my company. For my gift, I chose a trial of Hello Fresh meal kit delivery, and last night, we gave it a whirl for the first time. I liked it - the ingredients were fresh, the recipe was easy to follow, and the finished product was tasty. And it was nice not to have a ton of ingredients left over, as they often go to waste and I feel guilty. We made pork chops with a rosemary demi-glace, roasted vegetables, and mashed potatoes. I think tonight we are doing Mediterranean chickpea bowls. If I continue to be happy with the results, I think we might sign up for a plan - it will help limit trips to the supermarket, which is good, because I am back to being slightly paranoid...

In books, I'm finishing up a collection of contemporary romance novellas that I've been interspersing between books, and then I plan to start The Street by Ann Petry for the AAC. On audio, I haven't made much progress on Pupcakes, my first holiday read of the year, so I might try to do some puzzling after work today.

It's a day care day for Nuala, so distractions and interruptions should be at a minimum, allowing me to get a solid amount of work done (fingers crossed!).

>31 katiekrug: Hm, it's possible. Maybe you'll be Egyptian Katie to his Science Jim...

>32 katiekrug: We tried Blue Apron when all this started and loved it, but then cancelled our subscription with I lost the library gig. We may start it back up now that I'm working again, because it was convenient and Charlie loved helping with the recipes.

Morning, Katie! Daniel and Kaitlyn had some kind of coupon code to try a couple of meals from Hello Fresh for cheap, and they liked both of them. they tried the salmon tacos, and some kind of bowl thing that had pickled cucumbers in it that they said was really tasty.

Good luck with getting a lot of work done today.

>33 scaifea: - Tell Charlie I can "Walk Like an Egyptian" - though I guess he probably wouldn't get the reference!

I think you should go back to Blue Apron, so I don't feel so self-indulgent about the whole thing :)

>34 Crazymamie: - HF seems very big on bowls, which is fine by me, as I tend to like them. I can't try any of their fish-y stuff, because The Wayne is a big baby. Heh.

I am also a big baby. Just saying...

>35 katiekrug: Do you seriously think that I haven't introduced my child to The Bangles?! What kind of crappy mother do you think I am!?!?

>37 scaifea: Okay, I am laughing because I was thinking the same thing - Charlie is way too cool not to catch the reference. *grin*

>36 Crazymamie: - Well, you are in good company then!

>37 scaifea: - Oh, sincere apologies, Amber!

>38 Crazymamie: - Then there is this gem: https://youtu.be/FYbavuReVF4

>39 katiekrug: Birdy, Abby, and I got a big kick out of that. And the saxophone player!!! That was a pretty elaborate set for SNL.

>40 katiekrug: Love the photo! And your hat - I want.

>41 Crazymamie: - I kept making terrible jokes about visiting his "condo made of stone-a" while we were walking around....

😂😂 Science Jim! Works for me. Though I'd love to go to Egypt, even though I can't walk like 'em at all!

By the way, we're big fans of the meal kit thing - Plated until they folded, weren't thrilled by Sun Basket, very happy with Blue Apron. It's nice to take some of the grocery shopping burden off, plus the recipes are good and the ingredients are fresh. Also on the up side, it's been helping me with portion control and nutritional balance, so I dropped a few pounds when we got back into it regularly.

>43 drneutron: - Hi Jim! Yes, I liked that the portions were controlled. It's hard to cook for just two people, and I don't love leftovers (except for things like soup, chili, etc.). I think we tend to overeat when there is a lot just sitting left in the pan/pot, so this was perfect. Yay for dropping a few pounds!

Judy and I get Hello Fresh and it has allowed us to experience a little more variety in our diet. Pork tenderloin and some of the couscous dishes have been standouts.

We like the no leftovers part of it too.

They're offering us a Thankgiving feast for two for next week - as we do not expect to be invited out to family this year we may give it a try.

Happy new thread!
Oh look at all that sunshine and warmth. November is being damp, dull, blowy and not very warm.

>39 katiekrug: Charlie is also a big fan of Steve Martin, so of course!

>40 katiekrug: You're trying to up the cool factor here, aren't you. Nicely played.

"Born in Babylonia/moved to Arizona"
hilarious lines, historically they do violence to my sensibilities.

Tut's Tomb trip! How wonderful to have that in the memory bank.

Want to feel old? ONE YEAR AGO TODAY the first case of COVID-19 emerged.

Yes, that's correct, chick-a-biddies, this decade's only been a year. Almost a quarter-million dead Americans and one incompetent, illegitimate "president" were casualties, and it's still only been one.lousy.year.

>45 magicians_nephew: - The Wayne is insisting on cooking for Thanksgiving. I'd rather order something in.... Oh, well. At least it means homemade mashed potatoes :)

>46 Helenliz: - Isn't that how November usually is!?!?

>47 scaifea: - Well, there is so little cool about me, that I have to use what little I do have!

>48 richardderus: - Ugh. A year. Unbelievable.

When I was about to order the Thanksgiving feast from HelloFresh, I discovered it was for 10-12 people, so, no. Too bad, but we will find some turkey pieces and veggies and sweet potatoes and maybe a pumpkin pie for desert. I might even make a salad. (Somehow over the last few years I stopped including salads at every dinner, and the scale tells me I need to get back to that.)

We were at Mohonk this past weekend and the food is constant. I ended up ordering appetizers instead of entrees and still came home with extra weight. Oh no. Highest number ever. Time to get real.

Happy new thread, Katie.

Lovely pictures, I will never get there, so have to do with others who do travel and tell. And with books, of course.

Morning, Katie! We are more than halfway to Friday! I finished my reread of The Duke and I, and don't laugh, but I had the plot of it completely confused with another romance novel by a different author. The only part I had remembered correctly were the Lady Whistledown parts. Good thing I reread it, huh?!

>48 richardderus: It is weird that is was one year ago. Feels like an eternity, but that's because we have been living in our own dystopian world since 2016.

>50 ffortsa: Okay, this makes no sense that they would have the box geared for 10-12 people, especially THIS year.

Humpday orisons, Katie. I'm sorry you have to face this, this bastard beast of a day without the promise of your virtual happy hour tomorrow.

Depressed yet?

>50 ffortsa: - Hi Judy! We eat a lot of salads for lunch - buy the kits, gussy them up with cucumbers and carrots and such, use homemade dressing, and top with some warm grilled chicken. Keeps me nice and full :)

Weird that HF was offering such a large Thanksgiving dinner... Especially when there normal offerings are only for two or four people.

>51 FAMeulstee: - I guess we are all armchair travellers at this point, Anita!

>52 Crazymamie: - That's so funny, Mamie! When I re-read it, I realized I didn't remember a lot of it, so it was like reading it for the first time.

>53 richardderus: - Well, with enough wine, any evening can feature happy hour, I guess. Heh. But yeah, no kibbitzing with the ladies, and not next week either because of the holiday. I guess we will have a lot to catch up on!

We had a virtual town hall meeting at work yesterday where it was confirmed (anyone with half a brain already knew) that we'd be seeing layoffs in the new year. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. I am good either way - happy to keep my job which is pretty easy, all things considered, but okay if they decide they don't need someone dedicated to the care and feeding of Board members. So we'll see.

TW and I made another Hello Fresh meal last night - bulgogi pork with lime rice and roasted carrots. Another winner. I think we are probably going to go ahead and subscribe for 3 meals a week. That, plus one takeout night a week, leaves 3 when we can still cook. It takes a lot of pressure off, which is nice.

I'll be starting The Street by Ann Petry today. I did get some listening time in last night, as The Wayne watched some weird movie I had zero interest in :)

It's cold and blustery today, and it was not fun going out to the gym, but I survived. Even better, I survived 3 sets (60 total on each side) of side plank hip abduction leg lifts. GAK! Plus some other stuff which wasn't nearly as awful :) I love my thrice weekly torture sessions....

I read The Street earlier this year - very powerful. It might have had a greater impact at the time, but I can't understand why it's not currently perceived as a seminal work in the areas of racism, poverty and oppression.

Your work-out dedication is inspiring! So great that you're sticking with it.

>55 katiekrug: Cold and blustery are good words to describe it. The Hello Fresh deliveries sound very good! I'm a fan of lime rice, though I add cilantro because yum. Dollop of sour cream and a pot of chili on top, tastes just wonderful.

Have a satisfying time reading The Street.

>56 vivians: - I read part of it in an urban sociology class in college, but apart from enjoying the reading, I don't remember much about it. I'm looking forward to revisiting it.

Thanks re: the workouts! I ordered some new black jeans from Loft that arrived yesterday - a size smaller and they fit! They have a bit of stretch in them, but still :D

>57 richardderus: - I've just chosen our meals for next week, which is half the fun if I'm being honest. I like that you can see ahead of time what all the ingredients are and what the cooking instructions are. If they are too complicated, I move on.... Heh.

I do love me some flavored rice - herbaceous, citrus, anything really...

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Like many thrillers, one has to be willing to suspend some disbelief in order for this story to work. At least with Clark's novel, the level is not outrageous. She tells the story of two women who are trying to reclaim their lives, and the chance meeting that helps them do so. Both women are given voices, one in the present and one relaying the circumstances that led her to that chance meeting at JFK. The narrative moves right along, and while the tension doesn't really build very high, the reader is carried along, trying to figure out how it's all going to work out. A solid, entertaining read.

3.5 stars

Naughty Brits by Various Authors

I bought this collection of novellas because it includes two romance authors whose work I've enjoyed. It wasn't terrible, but I think I may be getting old because I wanted more romance and less sex :)

3 stars

>60 katiekrug: Time for a genre break! I too can overdose on the subjects required to be a genre fan. The symptoms are easy to spot, you just hit the formula: "Maybe it's me, but..."

Read some political nonfiction or a book about the Johnstown Flood or something. You'll flee screaming back to your genre haunts in quicktime.

>61 richardderus: - I actually spaced this one out - reading a novella in between books. I started it back in October. I am very picky about contemporary romance. Also editing. There was a line in one of the stories about it being well after midnight in the US when the woman called her mother from London. Except it was late afternoon in London, so.... that's not how time zones work *eye roll*

>62 katiekrug: OOOoooohhhhhh, no that's totally different. Yep, that there's a standards and practices issue.

>60 katiekrug: I'm in the same party, Katie.

>63 richardderus: - I mean, really!

>64 MickyFine: - *fist bump*

‘Morning, Katie!

>33 scaifea: I was 33 in 1986, had never even heard of The Bangles, but I just watched their video and love it. The artwork in the video reminds me of an artist named Molly Legend who I commissioned to make a hieroglyphic painting in the 1980s for my dad. I just posted it on my thread in case you want to see it.

>39 katiekrug: I have watched King Tut a dozen or so times but not recently. Thanks for the laughs. “He gave his life for tourism.”

All this good press about Hello Fresh makes me curious. Bill's a meat-and-potatoes guy so I'll have to see if there are enough recipes that would work.

>66 karenmarie: - Morning, Karen! I just saw that print on your thread. What a great idea for a gift!

Do check out HelloFresh. I can't comment on the meat and potatoes issue, as I haven't paid much attention, but two of the dinners we've had so far included meat and a carb (potatoes in one, rice in the other...). They have different plans geared for different diets (vegetarian, low calorie, etc.) and priorities (quick and easy, e.g.).

Morning, Katie! Happy Thingaversary - a whole decade! And on a Pre-Friday, too.

>68 Crazymamie: - Hey, thanks, Mamie! I didn't realize it was my Thingaversary!

Ha! I saw it on the home page.

>70 Crazymamie: - Aha! I rarely look at the home page :)

I'd forgotten the Home page existed. Well, a reason to look at it now exists.

Happy Thingaversary! What eleven books will you be adding to your TBR list in celebration?

>72 richardderus: - Well, I've already purchased 18 Kindle books this month, so I am not going to plan for anymore. Though I expect I'll still add a few before the month is up!

Morning, Katie! I might have purchased 40 Kindle books this month. So far.

>74 Crazymamie: - Hmm, sounds like I need to up my game :)

Agreed.

I subscribe to eight "newsletters" with free/cheap Kindlebooks on offer.

I decline to enumerate the purchases, but I will not that my library pages on the Kindle have broken into four digits in extent.

>76 Crazymamie: - Thank you for the validation *grin*

>77 richardderus: - I get four emails a day with Kindle books on sale. I can't remember the last time I spent more that $4.99 on a Kindle book.... I also wade through the 100s of Kindle monthly deals on the first of every month, and usually come away with several then.

Survived the gym. Fridays are the hardest but also my favorite, as we do cardio circuit training.

I'm 100 pages into The Street and enjoying it. The best word I can find for it is immersive. When I pick it up, I feel like I fall right into its very specific time and place. It's an excellent distraction from the political shit show.

Today is my last day of work for 9 whole days! Very much looking forward to a staycation and some good relaxation time. TW is also taking next week off, though he is "on call" for his team, but hopefully no red-alert natural language processing emergencies will occur :-P

Last night's dinner was delivery - mixed green salad with blackened chicken breast and a 'Nico' pizza (wood-fired thin crust with pesto, fresh mozzarella, and crumbled Italian sausage). It's our new favorite pizza at our favorite pizza place. There may also have been wine.

Tonight is our last HelloFresh meal of the week - Middle Eastern chickpea bowls with pistachio rice and garlic-y white sauce. We'll snark those down while watching the latest GBBO(S).

Katie, we made HelloFresh black bean soup last night. Pretty good, although I would have liked more beans and next time we might add from a can. And it was incredibly fast to put together.

>80 ffortsa: - Good to know, Judy! We always have extra cans of black beans (and chickpeas) in the pantry. I haven't tried any HF soups (yet). Next week, we are getting a pasta, a chicken, and a pork, IIRC.

I am thinking of trying something new next year with my book selections. I've made lists of possible books for the various groups and challenges I intend to do (BingoDOG, the GR Around the Year challenge, etc.), and I am putting them into one master list. When it's time to choose a new book, I'll use a random number generator to tell me which book in the spreadsheet is up next. I expect this scheme to last approximately 6 weeks max :D

>82 katiekrug: I've used random number generators for my want to read list for years, with the caveat that if I'm not feeling that book I get to pick again. It works great for me. Hope it surprises you as a method. :)

>83 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky! I've used the LT roulette function to pick a random book, but you can't specify a collection (like To Read), so sometimes I have to do it a lot to get to a book I haven't read. I figured this method would be more efficient and focus on books I've prioritized...

Smoochling, I'm leaving this here so as not to make you dread opening Twitter:
STORIES FROM SUFFRAGETTE CITY
Edited by M. J. Rose and Fiona Davis; introduction by Kristin Hannah

Stories from Suffragette City is a collection of short stories that all take place on a single day: October 23, 1915. It's the day when tens of thousands of women marched up Fifth Avenue, demanding the right to vote in New York City. Thirteen of today's bestselling authors have taken this moment as inspiration to raise the voices of history and breathe fresh life into their struggles and triumphs.

With an introduction by Kristin Hannah and stories from Lisa Wingate, M.J. Rose, Steve Berry, Paula McLain, Katherine J. Chen, Christina Baker Kline, Jamie Ford, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Megan Chance, Alyson Richman, Chris Bohjalian, and Fiona Davis.

“Stories From Suffragette City brings the powerful, important, emotional tales of the suffrage movement alive.” —Kristin Hannah
***
I've requested from the library because it sounds *perfect* for this moment in time's reading.

>85 richardderus: - Oooh, that *does* sound good. Off to see if the library has it!

>85 richardderus: - Evil man! The library only had it on audio, so I've ordered a copy of my very own. In hardcover, no less, to celebrate my Thingaversary :)

>85 richardderus: - Well, I am not even a fan of short stories but this one sounds good. And my library does have copies of it, and apparently, no one has requested it ahead of me....

>87 katiekrug:, >88 jessibud2: *polishes nails*

Well then.

Four weeks. Max

>88 jessibud2: - Hi Shelley!

>89 richardderus: - Hi Evil One!

>90 magicians_nephew: - You're probably right, Jim :)

I'm going with three weeks.

>85 richardderus: And now I need this.

>92 Crazymamie: - O, ye of little faith!

>93 katiekrug: Hey, if it was me were talking about, I would say 1 week tops. This is because I don't like to be bossed, even by myself. I am a rebel without a pause. Heh.

>94 Crazymamie: - LOL. I'm the same way about being bossed. I think I just like putting together the lists of books because it reminds me of all the good books I have to read :)

I got email notification last night that my order from our local indie was ready to be picked up, so I went over this morning. And I may have also done some browsing and made additional Christmas purchases :)

Here are the books for the younger nephews and one niece:



And here are the books for me (Obama), my uncle (The Beauty in Breaking), my aunt (The Searcher), and my best friend (Medieval Bodies). Circe and Wilder Girls are for my older niece.



I'd already purchased my oldest nephew's Christmas presents: Summerland and Steelheart.

So a good start on holiday shopping!

>95 katiekrug: I can't think of a better reason to make a list! The problem is deciding where to cut the count off.

I get around that by planning restrictive lists. I enjoy finding categories so specific..."male authors with Slavic names who write in English"...that filling them out to, say, ten entries enables my book lust points out lacunae in my book-collecting activity.

Have a beautiful Saturday! Just superb here. Sun, chill, no wind = best kind of winter day.

>96 katiekrug: nice haul Katie!

Medieval Bodies looks really interesting - if only I didn’t have baby brain and could stay awake for more than 2 minutes when I open a book.

>97 richardderus: - My list of books for any one challenge or prompt probably averages about 10. Some I have more for and some fewer....

>98 lauralkeet: - Does it count as a haul if only one is for me? Heh.

>99 lunacat: - It's a lovely book, Jenny, with nice illustrations. My BFF teaches history and I'm always looking for more obscure stuff for her.

Weird day yesterday - we ran a few errands and then had a really late lunch, after which I was tired and sniffly, so I napped on and off on the couch until about 6pm. Neither of us wanted dinner, so we just watched crappy movies that TW picked - 'John Carter' and 'Prince of Persia' - and that I only paid half attention to. I think I have acquired a cold - stuffy head, mostly. So I went to bed and tried to sleep in a bit this morning. I don't feel any worse, which is good, but I'll probably spend a quiet day with laundry and books and football.

Morning, Katie!

>96 katiekrug: I whole-heartedly approve of the Jeffers book. He's wonderful. And Circe, of course.

I hope your cold clears up quickly.

Ugh, colds. Feel better and eat soup.

Oh wait, I'm being redundant. *smooch*

I just came across the title The Beauty in Breaking, which sounds very interesting to me. And the title is wonderful, isn't it?

>40 katiekrug: So cool! I'm sure that was a great adventure.

>96 katiekrug: Nice book haul. What is Wilder Girls about? Is it based on the Little House books?

>102 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber! I love picking out picture books for the kiddos. I was drawn to the Jeffers because I know you're a fan, and you have impeccable taste :)

I hope Olivia likes Circe - some of it will go over her head (she's 15) at the moment - but she's always loved Greek mythology, so I decided to roll the dice.

Thanks re: the cold. It's not bothering me much right now, so I am trying to get stuff done, lest my energy run out by the afternoon.

>103 richardderus: - Soup does make everything better, even the stuff we don't realize is wrong... I've still got that pasta fagioli in the fridge!

>104 ffortsa: - It's a wonderful title, Judy. And it does sound very good. I hadn't heard of it until my aunt suggested it would be a good pick for my uncle. I've added it to my WL for future reading.

>105 jnwelch: - Hi Joe! That whole trip was an adventure, in both good and bad ways. One of my favorites.

Wilder Girls is a YA dystopian (I guess?). There's a boarding school, an island, and some sort of external threat/disease. I think it will be a fun read for my teenaged niece.

Hope you feel better, Katie. Your stack looks lovely, hope the recipients enjoy them. I love Jeffers' illustrations, but all the other picturebooks are new to me. I've requested the French from the library - I am 37 in the queue!

>107 charl08: - Hi Charlotte! I am feeling better, thanks. Still a little stuffy, but not too bad.

I may end up keeping the new French for myself, because I am a bit uncertain if my aunt will like it, and I feel more confident she'd like Stories from Suffragette City, which Richard recently made me aware of...

Want to see something that *won't* make you happily hungry? Okay, how about canned artichokes stuffed with canned chicken, canned peas, and heated in canned tomato chunks?

>109 richardderus: - 🤢🤢🤢

>109 richardderus: That. Is wretched. 😳

>96 katiekrug: Nice stack of books, Katie! How nice you are to give most of them away.

>111 drneutron: What the good doctor said.

Morning, Katie! Sorry about the cold - I hope you're feeling a bit better today. That's a lovely book haul - lucky relatives. I had not heard of Medieval Bodies, but it looks interesting.

It's Monday, so be careful. And suspicious.

>109 richardderus: What 1950's cookbook did that come out of?

>111 drneutron: - Agreed!

>112 Familyhistorian: - I'm generous to a fault, Meg! *snort*

>113 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! The cold is fine. Except for the occasional sniffle, I don't even notice it.

Thanks re: the books. It's almost as much fun to pick books for other people as for myself. Almost.

Monday. Right. The god news is, I am off from work. The bad news is, I am sitting at my desk because I decided I needed to respond to some emails that came in over the weekend :-/

The gym this morning didn't kill me, though Joel the Devil (what I affectionately call our trainer) tried his hardest... I am now having trouble lifting my coffee cup to my mouth because my arms are so tired. But if the gym didn't kill me, Monday won't succeed! Still, I'll be careful...

>114 laytonwoman3rd: - 'Abominations for the Home Cook'?

I posted this over on the AAC thread for this month's author (Ann Petry) but thought I'd share this bit of serendipity here. My bookish page-a-day desk calendar this morning:



I am currently reading The Street, and now need to get my hands on The Women of Brewster Place obvs.

>116 katiekrug: It's a good'un. As is her Mama Day.

I binged GBBO 11 last night. I realize how much I miss Lottie and her face-pulling antics. She was hilarious, of course, being quick-witted and acerbic, but she really shone with the physical comedy.

And Shuggie Bain. A must-read.

Lemme see here...no, that's it, that's all I got. Have a good Monday off!

>117 ELiz_M: - Mama Day is one I have on my shelf, along with Bailey's Cafe.

>118 richardderus: - You're rewatching them already?!?!

Do you know if we are going to get the holiday special with the cast of 'Derry Girls'? I really want to see that...

Noted re: Shuggie Bain. It hasn't appealed to me, but your enthusiasm is making me re-think it.

>120 katiekrug: Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you: 27 November is the drop date. Can. Not. WAIT!

And I also forgot to mention that the, erm, glorious artichoke...thing...came from The Gallery of Regrettable Food. James Lileks (of regrettable politics) has run it for nigh on 20 years and it gets more and more appalling and fun.

Enjoy the time off, babes.

Your scheme of using a number generator sounds, if you'll excuse me, harebrained. Not that I would EVER refer to you as harebrained. You would find me and kill me. And I'd deserve it, of course. Anyway, the scheme absolutely would not work for me. I don't need any help, thank you very much, in picking out a book to read that I'll quickly lose interest in. I've done a lot of that over the years, and yet I hate to give up on a book into which I've invested an hour or two.

I know. This doesn't make sense. But that's me.

>116 katiekrug: I just love those coinkidinks in my reading life. BTW, Oprah made a mini-series based on The Women of Brewster Place something like 30 years ago...I seem to remember it was pretty good.

>121 richardderus: - Oh, excellent! That's this week!!!

I should have known it was a Lileks feature. I am passingly familiar with his 'Regrettable Food' but ignorant of his politics.

>122 weird_O: - Harrumph, Bill. Now I MUST prove you wrong :) Heh.

>123 laytonwoman3rd: - I have a vague memory of the TV mini-series, Linda. I was too young to actually be interested in it, but I must have seen commercials...

I had fun trawling through my records to fill in this meme....

1. Name any book you read at any time that was published in the year you turned 18:

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

2. Name a book you have on in your TBR pile that is over 500 pages long:

My TBR is thousands of books, so I’ll go with the longest, at least as far as LT info tells me: War and Peace

3. What is the last book you read with a mostly blue cover?

Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle

4. What is the last book you didn’t finish (and why didn’t you finish it?)

A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit. I found it rather a slog.

5. What is the last book that scared the bejeebers out of you?

I don’t really get “scared” by books. Maybe a Christopher Pike novel read as a pre-teen?

6. Name the book that read either this year or last year that takes place geographically closest to where you live? How close would you estimate it was?

Fade Away by Harlan Coben. NYC is 12 miles away, plus there were a lot of scenes in my part of Northern New Jersey.

7.What were the topics of the last two nonfiction books you read?

They were both about feminism and gender roles.

8. Name a recent book you read which could be considered a popular book?

Survivor in Death by JD Robb

9. What was the last book you gave a rating of 5-stars to? And when did you read it?

The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth Winthrop. June 2020.

10. Name a book you read that led you to specifically to read another book (and what was the other book, and what was the connection)

To Sir Philip, With Love led to When He Was Wicked because it was next in a series I’m re-reading.

11. Name the author you have most recently become infatuated with.

Emma Straub

12. What is the setting of the first novel you read this year?

Washington, DC

13. What is the last book you read, fiction or nonfiction, that featured a war in some way (and what war was it)?

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. World War II.

14. What was the last book you acquired or borrowed based on an LTer’s review or casual recommendation? And who was the LTer, if you care to say.

I think I reserved The Last Flight by Julie Clark from the library due to a mention of it from Suzanne.

15. What was the last book you read that involved the future in some way?

Survivor in Death is set in the near future (~2059).

16. Name the last book you read that featured a body of water, river, marsh, or significant rainfall?

The Enchanted April is set on the Mediterranean coast of Italy.

17. What is the last book you read by an author from the Southern Hemisphere?

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (Australia)

18. What is the last book you read that you thought had a terrible cover?

Naughty Brits.

19. Who was the most recent dead author you read? And what year did they die?

Assuming this means my most recent read by a dead author - 4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie (d. 1976)

20. What was the last children’s book (not YA) you read?

How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm by Cressida Cowell
  

21. What was the name of the detective or crime-solver in the most recent crime novel you read?

Miss Jane Marple

22. What was the shortest book of any kind you’ve read so far this year?

The Last Summer of Reason by Tahar Djaout (140pp)

23. Name the last book that you struggled with (and what do you think was behind the struggle?)

A Paradise Built in Hell. I felt like i should be more engaged with it and getting more out of it than I was, so I kept plugging away at it, getting more and more frustrated.

24. What is the most recent book you added to your library here on LT?

Stories from Suffragette City

25. Name a book you read this year that had a visual component (i.e. illustrations, photos, art, comics)

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell (a map of the neighborhood)

26. What is the title and year of the oldest book you have reviewed on LT in 2020?

Emma by Jane Austen (1815)

>124 katiekrug: Tip o' the hat to you, Katie. It should be easy peasy to show me wrong. You go girl!

:-)

>124 katiekrug: Substitute "reprehensible" for "regrettable" and there you have it.

>125 katiekrug: Really?! The Sparrow?! *sob*

Interesting answers!

Morning, Katie. I hope your work week is off to a good start. I am a 100 pages into Shuggie Bain. I think this going to be a special read. I will probably get the Obama memoir on audio. I would love to have him in my ears for all those hours.

>126 weird_O: - LOL, Bill. I'll try my best!

>127 richardderus: - Is your *sob* directed at my relative youth, or at the title itself?

>128 msf59: - Morning, Mark! I am thinking of using an Audible credit on the Obama memoir, so I can alternate reading and listening...

Between you and Richard, I might be convinced to give Shuggie Bain a try!

Another plug for Shuggie Bain, especially on audio because of the accents....I loved it!

>130 vivians: - Duly noted, Vivian!

I finished The Street by Ann Petry yesterday. Ooof. I can't talk about it right now.

For something completely different, I started the first of my holiday reads - a duo of historical romance novellas with a Christmas theme. Hopefully, it will assuage some of the bitterness left by the Petry work.

>129 katiekrug: You were 18 when I was 36. Oh heavy, heavy sigh.

Well, I won't let it affect my affection for you.

hello Hecate? hi there sweetiedarling listen i need a curse set on a youthful person mm hmm the usual premature aches-and-twinges oh and the extra gym-owwies too awww you're so kind i'm happy to be your supporter mm hmm okay bye now

>133 richardderus: -

We had a decently productive day today, including getting the Christmas tree up. We bought this tree (I prefer fresh, but The Wayne likes to have a tree up for a long time during the holidays and since we usually are away for at least a week around Christmas, we went artificial several years ago) for our living room in Dallas, which had high ceilings. Our living room here has low ceilings, so we had to leave the top piece off the tree. It looks fine, and I'll probably put a bow or something up there for a topper. We'll decorate it this weekend. I think I'll look for a smaller tree in the after Christmas sales, so next year we can have one that fits in the living room, and we'll put the tall one in the family room, which has a vaulted ceiling. TMI, probably. Sorry!

We made another Hello Fresh meal for dinner - creamy chive chicken with lemon rice and apple dijon salad. It was very good, especially the sauce. I'm now trying to decide what we should watch this evening. I'm thinking 'Working Girl,' which TW has never seen, and which I love. And it's super New York-y which TW usually enjoys because he can exclaim, "I've been there!" Adorbs.

So vacation is proceeding along nicely...

Oh! And we did our liquor store run for Thanksgiving (and the day before and after). So now I have lots of wine at hand :)

Hi Katie. Hurray for a great start to the holidays! When my sister moved here she brought all her old Hello Fresh recipes and we have been doing at least one or two a week -- yum! Love the vision of your Christmas tree practically hitting the ceiling, with a bow on top. : ) And, of course, the liquor store. Sounds like you are all set.

>135 katiekrug: I'm glad you're able to keep using your "Dallas" tree, Katie. We had a super tall artificial tree at our old house, which we did not bring to this house. We had a natural tree our first two Christmases here, but returned to artificial last year because, like TW, we like to keep it up for a while. We hope to get ours up in the next couple of days.

I'm glad you have stocked the wine cellar too!

>135 katiekrug: *gulp* Tree up already?! We've only just bought an advent calendar!
I don't put ours up until 23rd December. For several reasons, one being I do always have a real tree and that way at least the needles last to 12th night. Second because our tree never went up until 23rd dec when we were kids. It was Dad's birthday and Mum's way of getting him to not work all day on his birthday was to make him put the tree up that day. And so I'm the last person on the planet to put their tree up. >;-)

Morning, Katie! We also have an artificial tree because Craig likes to leave it up forever. We usually put it up as soon as Thanksgiving is over.

Your dinner sounds yummy, and I'm hoping that you did go with Working Girl for the movie - I love that one. Now that the liquor store run has been done, you can relax and enjoy your time off.

We have an artificial tree because nothing spoils my Christmas mood like trying to put lights in the tree! We have 9' ceilings in the condo and I'm not sure what they are in the house we're moving too but we're taking the tree and hoping :)

Wine run = gooood
Tree up = a little odd...but whatever makes this awful final holiday under 45 more bearable!

*smooch*

The local supermarket is offering 20% off when you order 6 bottles of wine. It seems rude not to. Another fan of Working Girl here. I'm still walking to work in my trainers.

>136 Berly: - Hi Kim! We are holding onto some of the HelloFresh recipe cards, too, because they can easily be recreated. I just like the service for providing the exact right amount of food so we don't waste so much :)

>137 lauralkeet: - The tree will look nicer in the family room next year, but it's fine for now, I think. It has, however, become haunted, which is interesting. When you turn the lights off, they will turn themselves back on. It was slightly freaky when I came downstairs this morning!

>138 Helenliz: - The Wayne is a bit of a nut about Christmas, and likes to extend the season as much as possible... We don't normally have it up quite this early, but since we both took off work this week, it seemed like we might as well get it done. We'll decorate it this weekend.

>139 Crazymamie: - I'm afraid we did not watch 'Working Girl,' as I made the mistake of letting TW pick the genre of film and he, predictably, wanted something action-y. So we watched 'Angel Has Fallen,' which was just as terrible as the two that preceded it in the series. But it was fun to mock it :)

>140 RebaRelishesReading: - So true about the lights, Reba. I was traumatized as a child by my father yelling and cursing while stringing lights. Ugh.

>141 richardderus: - Yep, it's a tad early for the tree, but we probably would have put up by this coming weekend anyway. I am trying to be as accommodating as possible about Christmas this year, because I don't think we will be going to his family this year for it, and he's never not spent Christmas with them. And he loves Christmas. So it might be a tad bittersweet this year for him.

>142 charl08: - The wine shop we go to has a mix-and-match discount on 6 bottles of wine (or twelve). Not every bottle is eligible, but we usually manage to find enough that we want to buy :)

Those sneakers (trainers) of Melanie Griffith's are so iconic, aren't they? I used to wear sneakers to work when I commuted into DC back in the day and would hum "Let the River Run" to myself. Heh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv-0mmVnxPA&list=PLG5gOFlSr9fbu0nkizWLIujejk...

Carly Simon! The Staten Island Ferry! Harrison Ford!

(Does anyone else catch their breath a bit when there is a glimpse of the Twin Towers in older movies set in New York?)

>145 katiekrug: Yeah, it still makes me wobbly. It's so hard to believe still, 20 years later, that it's just...gone.

It was the view outside my Battery Park City apartment for so long. It was the subway stop for even longer, after I moved to Maiden Lane. Just so huge a part of my life....

ETA the hair...!!

Too bad that you didn't get to watch Working Girl, Katie. It's one of my favourites. I'm sure you can work it in sometime. Enjoy your time off!

>145 katiekrug: Love that! And yes about the Twin Towers - makes me tear up every time I see them in a background.

Like your tree, our sink has issues - Frank the faucet turns off and on at random. One night I woke up at midnight just in time to hear the faucet come on in the kitchen. Craig thinks he has the problem fixed now - I'm not holding my breath.

>145 katiekrug: Thanks for that ear worm. I will be humming it for ages now.
Could be worse.

Another artificial tree here, which will be going up this weekend. I usually aim for December 1 for decorating but Mr. Fine has a tradition of decorating the tree with his daughter every year, so they'll be doing that this weekend since she'll be here. I'm excited though as we have a new tree (I had a small 3' pre-lit tree from my apartment days and Mr. Fine has an ancient 5-6' one that is not pre-lit) that requires no light stringing. Now to figure out if it will fit where we want to put it or if it will go in our back-up location. :)

>133 richardderus: >134 katiekrug:  

>150 MickyFine: that reminds me: we started putting up the tree over Thanksgiving weekend when my youngest was in college. Her birthday is in early December so she convinced us to celebrate her birthday over Thanksgiving weekend, and somehow the tree became part of that. Now it just feels like the right timing.

>146 richardderus: - Oof. Yeah, that will definitely still have an impact.

(The hair is awesome!)

>147 Familyhistorian: - I think we are going to watch it tonight, Meg :)

>148 Crazymamie: - That is too funny about Frank, Mamie. So very odd...

>149 Helenliz: - You're welcome! Heh.

>150 MickyFine: - The pre-lit tree is so great, Micky. I miss that fresh pine tree scent, but I guess that's what candles are for, right?

>151 weird_O: - Yep, that pretty much sums it up! LOL.

>152 lauralkeet: - Hi Laura!

We stubbornly stick to live cut Christmas trees. The rule is it doesn't go up before my birthday, and it doesn't come down before Russian Christmas (which is quite widely celebrated in this area). We always put a fresh cut on the bottom of the trunk just before setting it up, and keep it well watered, and I think only one time did it dry out on us before we were through with it. Of course removing it from the house spreads needles EVERYWHERE, but that's part of the fun. After Christmas we stand it up in the little wooded lot at the edge of our property, and it usually still has most of its needles on it come springtime.

Morning, Katie! Happy Thanksgiving to you!

>154 laytonwoman3rd: - I think we would have stuck with the real tree, Linda, but for always traveling at Christmas and being away for at least a week.

>155 Crazymamie: - Happy Thanksgiving, Mamie!

Wishing all my US-based friends a safe and peaceful holiday today. Remember, the key to a happy Thanksgiving is elastic-waist pants!

*struggles into elastic-waist pants*

...that only works if they're shorts without thighs...

>159 richardderus: - Whatever one must do.... xx

Happy Thanksgiving, Katie. I actually think the key to 2020 is elastic-waist pants.... ;-)

I made an apple crisp (crumble?) yesterday, and The Wayne smoked the turkey breast (he was going to do it today but the forecast called for rain and trying to keep the smoker at temperature in the rain is a pain in the ass). Both seem to have turned out nicely. We'll find out later today :)

TW is currently making bacon for breakfast sandwiches, and then I'll be carmelizing onions and cooking sausage for my jazzed-up Stove Top stuffing. And we'll prep the vegetables for the roasted vegetable side, peel and boil potatoes for the mashers, and make gravy. I've written out a schedule to keep us on track. Aiming to eat around 5:30.

We watched Working Girl last night, and it holds up very well. Such a fun one. Even TW kind of enjoyed it. Then it was his pick, and he picked an X-Men movie, and I lasted about 30 minutes before falling asleep :)

>161 jessibud2: - Ha! Excellent point, Shelley!

Happy Thanksgiving, Katie! Hope you and the Wayne have a great time of it. Mr. Fine and I really enjoyed our Thanksgiving for two back in October - we dressed up a bit for it to make it feel special but it was also nice to immediately put on comfy pants afterward and curl up on the couch. :)

>164 MickyFine: - Thank you for the Thanksgiving wishes, Micky!

I will probably put on something nicer than my current jeans, long-sleeved tee, and sweatshirt. And I might ask TW to at least put on a collared shirt... ;-)

>165 katiekrug: Ha ha Katie, we've just been debating what to wear for dinner, and agreed we need to wear something nicer than our daily pandemic "uniform" (which sounds pretty much like what you described).

Dressing for dinner here, as well....which will mean better jeans and a casual top with neck scarf for me, a collared "Bean" shirt* for Mr. K. I may even throw on a little make-up!

*If that needs translation, one of the Moms usually gave Craig a new casual shirt from L. L. Bean for birthdays, in a colorful windowpane check or plaid pattern. He has quite an assortment of "Bean shirts", which are his go-to for dressing up one step from daily wear.

Happy Thanksgiving, Katie. It sounds like you have all the ingredients needed for a nice holiday. Also, a belated Happy Thingaversary as well.

...I found a T-shirt without holes...does that count? No way am I gettin' outta the jammy bottoms. No. Way.

Happy Thanksgiving, Katie. I hope you are having a fine holiday with the Wayne. We had a quiet meal with my FIL, and then spiced it up with watching Die Hard, which is always such a good time.

This Brit wishes to express his thanks for the warmth and friendship that has helped sustain him in this group, Katie.

One of the best things about not going anywhere for Thanksgiving was that I could wear my yoga pants and ratty old sweatshirt. Dressing up for dinner at home?! I'm both impressed and slightly horrified.

>166 lauralkeet: - I like that we basically have the same uniform, Laura!

>167 laytonwoman3rd: - My father had "Bean shirts," too, Linda! Can't go wrong with anything from there, IMO. They are my preferred vendor for turtlenecks :)

>168 DeltaQueen50: - Thank you, Judy!

>169 richardderus: - Of course it counts!

>170 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! We did have a nice holiday, thanks. And YES! to Die Hard. Such a fun movie.

>171 PaulCranswick: - Thank you, Paul.

>172 scaifea: - To each her own, Amber! I just put on a nice top and a pair of "work" pants (stretchy ones!). The Wayne is more similar to you in his thoughts on dressing up for the occasion, but he indulged me and put on a button-down shirt, which counts as *very* fancy for him. He's usually in t-shirts, and will occasionally put on a polo shirt, if I ask nicely :)

We had a lovely dinner, though by the time everything was ready, we were both pretty tired. There are plenty of leftovers! TW went to bed before 9pm, and I wasn't much later. Then I woke up at 2am when Nuala decided to bark randomly, and I couldn't go back to sleep. Worse, my mind started conjuring up worries about everything in the universe, and I got super worked up and upset and had to wake up TW to calm me down. Jeesh. I finally got back to sleep around 4:30, and then got up at 8:00 and went to the gym. I am now seriously dragging. Ugh. I've got some kitchen clean-up to do, but don't plan on doing much more than that today...

Here's our Thanksgiving table à deux:

Oh that middle-of-the-night anxiety is awful, isn't it? I usually try to listen to a sedate (non-political) podcast to get me back to sleep. It sounds like you had a delicious Thanksgiving - hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Glad to hear your Thanksgiving for two went well, Katie, and my sympathies on the middle of the night brain spiral. Mine does that a lot right before I try to fall asleep. Maybe a nap today? :)

So sorry you ended Thanksgiving with a restless night! Hope you have a calm and pleasant rest of the long weekend.

>175 katiekrug: Lovely table! And how wonderful to have such a great meal and such a great husbeast to not complain about the anxiety awakening.

Sleep early and well tonight.

>176 vivians: - Thanks, Vivian. I'll have to remember to try a podcast next time.

>177 MickyFine: - "Brain spiral" is a perfect term for it, Micky. Maybe not an official nap, but some couch/movie time during which I might just doze off... :)

>178 RebaRelishesReading: - Thanks, Reba! I hope so too :)

>179 richardderus: - Thank you, RD! And The Wayne is simply The. Best.

Aw, I hate those nighttime anxiety attacks. I'm sorry you suffered one last night, and I hope you find time for a nap this afternoon!

I had frightful dreams last night----I blame it on too much food and going to bed too early. We were both zonking by 9:00 p.m. Your table is very lovely--a simple elegance. I also like the way your tree reflects in the windows. Every year I wish I could figure out an arrangement that would allow us to put our tree in front of a window, but that's really the only place the sofa can be, unless we get rid of the piano, which ain't happenin'.

Just to set your mind at ease, Katie, we had a pretty swell Thanksgiving, despite not having the usual cast of 13 visitors. We did see and talk, via Zoom, with kids and grandkids. Cooked a chicken, sweet potatoes, broccoli, PA dutch potato filling. Didn't get pie baked, and still haven't. Maybe on the weekend. We even split a Guinness. (Whoa! Almost out of control.)

Glad you enjoyed a homecooked meal, some wine, and in a lovely setting.

Well, crud! I read the site wrong. The Holiday ep with the Derry Girls is out on the 4th, and the final dropped today.

Hi Katie, it looks like regardless of circumstances you had a lovely Thanksgiving. I probably won't put my tree up for a couple of weeks even though I have an artificial one. Pre lit because I didn't know there was another kind. Also why would there be??? Lol. We had real trees for 43 years and did the whole family thing and went out and cut down our own but the older you get the less charm this presents. Getting that thing up in the stand and then fighting with the lights---gah I'm having an anxiety attack thinking about it. Anyway, artificial it is for me.I think it took me ten minutes last year. Mia put the ornaments on. Boom....done. Simple pleasures when you get old haha.

>181 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber. I didn't really nap yesterday, but I vegged on the couch, and then had a really good sleep last night, so all's well :)

>182 laytonwoman3rd: - I had to rearrange the living room a bit to get the tree in the window, and I actually like the set-up better now, so think I'll keep it. I love seeing the tree through the window at night when I walk the dog or come back from an errand.

>183 weird_O: - I'm glad you had a swell Thanksgiving, Bill! Strange times, but we do what we must, I guess. I hope that half a Guinness didn't cause any misbehavior!

>184 richardderus: - We watched the final last night. I grew increasingly annoyed with Laura and her constant negativity. And really, after that performance, I can't believe she even made the final. I was happy with the outcome, as Amber had poisoned me against Dave!

And now I have next week to look forward to!

>185 brenzi: - I do love the ease of getting the tree up, Bonnie. I think the plan is to bring the ornaments and other decorations down from the attic today, so that should be fun.

Ah, glorious sleep! I slept like a log from about 11pm to 6am, got up to let the dog out to pee, and went back to bed until 8:15. I feel great!

Yesterday, I snuggled on the couch and watched 'The Wedding Planner' and something else I now can't remember. The Wayne made a HelloFresh dinner and we watched GBBO(S) and then the Will Ferrell/Rachel McAdams movie about Eurovision, which was pretty dumb but had moments of charm and humor.

Today we'll decorate the tree, I think, and keep taking it easy. Vacation is almost over :( Turkey and leftovers for dinner. Or maybe lunch.

Hi Katie!

>175 katiekrug: Very nice photo, all comfy and welcoming. I’m glad you had a lovely dinner. I was whupped after dinner and took a small carb/wine coma nap before dessert and coffee. I’m sorry you got super worked up and upset. I worry about things, too, especially since the euphoria of Biden/Harris has worn off and Trump has decided on a scorched earth policy before he leaves.

>187 katiekrug: Nothing like glorious sleep. I’m glad you got some good rest.

>186 katiekrug: Hi Katie! Re: the final. Much debriefing chez nous. I agree completely with your spoilery comment, although I loved Dave's approach to the final showstopper and thought he actually performed a bit better than Peter. I warmed to Dave over the course of the episode and by the end, I would actually have been okay if he won. Holiday episode drops next Friday!

>188 karenmarie: - Hi Karen! We never made it to dessert on Thursday, so I finally got to sample my apple crisp/crumble last night. With some fancy vanilla gelato. Yum!

>189 lauralkeet: - Laura, yeah, Dave wasn't as annoying as I had been finding him. Maybe all my annoyance was used up on Laura... Heh. Overall, I was glad Peter won, though. Despite him being too sweet and perfect.

The holiday special has the cast of 'Derry Girls.' I love that show. Have you watched it?

>190 katiekrug: Yes to your GBBO comments. And I haven't watched Derry Girls, Katie, although I've seen praise for it. I'll have to see if I can convince my other half to watch with me.

Happy Saturday, Katie!

>172 scaifea:"Dressing up for dinner at home?! I'm both impressed and slightly horrified." Right. We did comfort clothes, so mostly jammies.

>175 katiekrug: Sorry about the anxiety in the wee small hours of the morning. I am almost up at those hours because of insomnia. It's an other worldly time - morning but not, night but not. Glad you had The Wayne there to turn to - an anchor is a fabulous thing when you feel like you have lost your footing. Craig is that for me, too.

Your table is beautiful - I can see why you wanted to dress up a bit for it. And the tree!! So pretty right there. We bought a smaller pre-lit silver tree just for our front window this year - it's an homage to my favorite aunts who always had a silver tree.

We love Derry Girls, especially the first season which we have watched multiple times.

Hoping you Saturday is full of fabulous!

>190 katiekrug:, >191 lauralkeet: I have words: I found Dave to be irksome, but Laura's drumbeat of downer self-talk showed to me in the slapdash finish of her bakes. GREAT ideas, sound basics, craptastic finish. Peter, make no mistake, is sweet on top of steel. He honed every skill he brought to the show by *listening* to the critiques the judges gave. Dave did best when he made his showstopper about his weakest bakes...but failed to up his attention to details because he's a flapper.

So now we've got a week to wait for the Holiday editions!

>191 lauralkeet: - I hope you like it if/when you get to it, Laura. I found it very funny and sharp. The accents take a bit of getting used to, but it's worth it.

>192 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie. Middle of the night anxiety rarely hits me, but when it does, OOF. At least it was just the one night...

Thanks re: our table and the tree. I'm looking forward to decorating it, though I do sometimes think it looks just fine with only the lights :)

The first season of DG was definitely better than the 2nd, but I enjoyed both.

>193 richardderus: - Pretty much totally agree with your spoiler comments!

Ha! I always want to leave the decorations off - I love a tree with just the lights. The silver tree will be naked except for the lights.

I have a number of christmas decorations that are in the shape of christmas trees. One year I intend to have a small tree that it just decorated with christmas trees, like a seasonal fractal.

>195 Crazymamie: - We're going to get another tree in the after-Christmas sales this year, so we can have one in the living room and one in the family room (that's the living room in the picture with the tree up above). I think I might keep the living room one very simple in the future - just lights or maybe lights and, say, red glass balls or silver ornaments or something. I kind of always wanted a "themed" tree...

I like that idea - I think just silver ornaments would be beautiful. And red is my favorite color, so of course, the red glass balls would also be gorgeous.

>198 Crazymamie: - And I could change it every year! After a few years, I'd be drowning in ornaments LOL...

>193 richardderus: Well said, RD!

>200 lauralkeet:

Morning, Katie!

I read the spoilers because, although we're only halfway through watching the final, I know who wins, and first of all, HOW DARE. Second of all, HOW. DARE. Poisoned you?! Excuse me, but DAVE is annoying without any help from me.

Morning, Katie! I really need to catch up on GBBO so that I can go back through you and Amber's threads and read all the spoilers.

>199 katiekrug: *belly laugh* Yes, please. I should dearly love to follow your themes.

Hoping your Sunday is full of happy.

Happy Sunday, Katie. I am looking forward to a lazy day with books and football.

>200 lauralkeet: and >201 richardderus: - I'm glad we are all in agreement!

>202 scaifea: - Morning, Amber! I meant "poison" in the nicest possible way - you're so smart and persuasive!

>203 Crazymamie: - Yes, woman, catch up! I mean, it's not like you have anything better to do with your family or home or life in general :)

>204 msf59: - My plans are very similar, Mark! Enjoy!

We got our tree decorated last night after a delicious dinner of Chinese delivery (crispy spicy szechuan beef for me, veggie lo mein and pork dumplings to share). I also got out the Christmas decorations I haven't seen since we moved from Dallas, so that was fun. I've put them all out on a table so I can see what I have, and will start putting them around the house today, I think.

Adorably, The Wayne decided our family room mantle needed some decoration, so he put up a faux pine garland and attached bows and ornaments to it. It looks so nice! It's kind of a crummy, skimpy garland, so I'll look for a nicer one for next year... I'm going to have to start a list of all the things to look for in the after-holiday sales...

Then we watched a new-to-us Christmas movie - A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, which actually turned out to be pretty funny. We've never seen the other H&K movies so some references were lost on us, but we still enjoyed it. Totally ridiculous and outrageous.

Today will be quiet as we gear up to go back to work tomorrow. Blerg.

Oh, right. Books.

I haven't had any listening time, so nothing to report there. But I'm enjoying Friends and Strangers, which is a bit lightweight, but not completely, and is very readable and engaging.

I saw on Mamie’s thread that you’ve never seen The Shop Around the Corner! Hopefully you’ll rectify that this Christmas as it’s a fabulous film. One of Stewart’s best IMO.

^^^What she said.

Happy Sunday's anxiety-ratcheting! Oh boy, back to work and how.

Smooches,
Retired Old Bastard with the Mean Streak

>208 lunacat: - I'm sort of surprised I haven't seen it before, Jenny! I do wonder if maybe I did when I was younger, as my mother loved old films. Anyway, I am looking forward to it :)

>209 richardderus: - Thank you, dear ;-)

It sounds like you had a nice relaxing vacation. Vacation time always goes by quickly, doesn't it?

May your first day back from vacation go by quickly :)

>211 figsfromthistle: - Thank you, Anita! All good wishes accepted :)

Gross. It's cold and rainy here, which made it hard to get out of bed. Good thing we have the dog to get us up or I suspect we would have slept right through our training session. Now I am girding my loins to open up my work email and see what hell awaits me...

Morning, Katie! We have that same weather, though I expect that our "cold" is much warmer than yours. I am thrilled for any bit of cold that we get, so I'll take it.

It's Monday, so good luck with that work email. Ugh.

The Street by Ann Petry

Linda (laytonwoman) wrote an excellent review of this novel that perfectly captures my feelings about it, too: https://www.librarything.com/topic/322523#7328310.

I'm very glad I read it, and some of the writing was incredibly powerful, but the cop-out of an ending bothered me a lot.

4 stars

>214 Crazymamie: - My phone says it's 52F here now, but I don't believe it. Maybe high 40s...

Yeah, I should know better than to return to work on a Monday. Bad planning on my part!

It's the dank, nasty, sludgy feel to the air that makes me miserable.

>217 richardderus: - I was shocked to see our outside thermometer read 62 a few minutes ago. The damp makes me feel so cold.

And we now have a small pond in our backyard. Luckily, the river stayed inside its banks (just barely)...

Adding another vote for watching The Shop Around the Corner. The weird damp 60s rain is hitting here too, and we have a wind advisory through 3 a.m. to boot. Also... the Giants are on top of the division? How did that happen? (I couldn't watch the game yesterday, but I streamed the radio broadcast and it sounded...ugly. I kept waiting for them to find a way to lose.)

>219 bell7: - I'm trying to be excited about the Giants, but really, it's just embarrassing. I also was convinced they'd find a way to lose. It was a good football day here, though, since The Wayne's Dolphins also won :)

What wind? I keep hearing about it but am not even close to experiencing it. The soup just plops down from the skies, mixes with the sludgy humid "air" and everything gets danker.

>215 katiekrug: Aren't you kind?

Too late to say happy new thread, but at least I am caught up, Katie. Your thingaversary is on my birthday, btw.

>221 richardderus: - We had some pretty big gusts here...

>222 laytonwoman3rd: - Also lazy :)

>223 ronincats: - Hi Roni!

Morning, Katie! It's December! Let's tell 2020 how we feel about it before we send it packing:

>225 Crazymamie: - LOL! How about a swift kick in the rear?

This year's NPR Book Concierge is up! If you've never perused, it's a lot of fun...

https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2020

>227 katiekrug: Many good ideas at The Guardian for 2020's Best-ofs, too: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/28/best-books-of-2020/

>219 bell7: if you going to watch "The Shop Around the Corner" why not go all in and watch "She Loves Me" The musical version which Public Broadcasting is offering all over the place this month

>228 richardderus: - I love lists!

>229 magicians_nephew: - I've not heard of that one, Jim. I'll have to look for it.

>227 katiekrug:, >228 richardderus: OH YEAH .... I do love me some book lists. Thank you Katie & RD!

>231 lauralkeet: - Happy to spread the joy, Laura!

Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan

I've not read any of Sullivan's previous novels and only picked this one up as a library loan on a whim. It's an engaging and highly readable (well-written, well-paced, good character development) tale of motherhood, class, privilege, and "adulting." I think the author wanted to write An Important Book, and while she touches on some themes that are worth digging into and examining, I have a feeling the lightness of the narrative - that readability - will make this one easily dismissed and quickly forgotten by a lot of people. Because "hard" equals "worthy" to many readers. Not me, though! I appreciate Sullivan's deftness in creating complex characters with flaws and baggage without resorting to stereotypes or reducing them to one-dimensional figures. And her examination of privilege as not just about wealth but about access and opportunities is well-done and certainly timely.

4 stars

Well, here's to differences, you liked that one a lot more than I did. I've read a couple of hers and but they just don't resonate...oh well, so much more out there!!!

>234 vivians: - Vive la différence!

>233 katiekrug: ...I have a feeling the lightness of the narrative - that readability - will make this one easily dismissed and quickly forgotten by a lot of people. Because "hard" equals "worthy" to many readers.

Well said, and debunked. On balance, though, it doesn't sound like it's one I'll rush out to get.

>236 richardderus: - No, I don't think it would be your cuppa...

November Re-Cap

(YTD in parentheses)

Books: 8 (132)

Pages read: 2376 (30,829)
Audio time: 11:31 (308h 54m)

Print: 1 (27)
Kindle: 6 (64)
Audio: 1 (41)

Library: 3 (44)
Mine (pre-2020): 2 (61)
Mine (2020): 3 (21)

Fiction: 7 (104)
- General/Popular: 1 (21)
- Literary: 1 (20)
- Historical: 0 (18)
- Romance: 3 (21)
- Crime/Thriller: 1 (20)
- Juvenile/YA: 0 (9)
- Classics: 1 (6)
- Speculative: 0 (3)
Nonfiction: 1 (14)
Re-reads: 1 (9)

Female: 8 (99)
Male: 0 (36)
Mixed Anthology: 0 (1)

Own Voices: 1 (11)

US/UK authors: 8 (107)
Other countries: 0 (11) (Ireland x3, Canada x3, Sweden x2, Australia, Japan, Algeria)

Date of Publication:

New (2019-2020): 5 (44)
2010-2018: 0 (40)
2000-2009: 1 (28)
1990s: 1 (6)
1980s: 0 (0)
1950-1979: 0 (8)
1900-1949: 1 (5)
19th c.: 0 (1)

Not a stellar reading month, but not surprising given election-related distractions. Which may also explain why most of my reading was on the lighter side...

Are you planning to have all the Bridgertons read by Christmas, Katie? I'm trying to decide whether to shoehorn in the last two to this year.

Hi Katie! Just passin' through.

Hi Katie! Just passin' through.

Hi Katie! Just passin' through.

>239 MickyFine: - I don't think so, Micky. Gregory and Hyacinth are very small in the promotional materials, so I don't think I'll miss anything by not getting to their stories. I also read that the first (hopefully of several!) season mostly follows just the first book.

>240 karenmarie: - Hi Karen!

>241 karenmarie: - Hi again!

>242 richardderus: - Hi Richard, you old copycat you ;)

Morning, Katie! I finally went back through your threads so I could update your Dirty Dozen. You have hit me with quite a few so far.

>244 Crazymamie: - I shall trot over to your place to see what made the list!

>227 katiekrug: and >228 richardderus: More books. (moan)

>246 ffortsa: - You're welcome!

>246 ffortsa: Heh. My aim is true, I'm glad to see.

I'm another fan of the NPR book concierge, Katie.

>238 katiekrug: Great month of reading Katie. I'm looking forward to getting the Moran from the library.

>248 richardderus: - Morning, RD!

>249 BLBera: - I love playing with the filters, Beth. I'm such a nerd.

>250 charl08: - Thanks, Charlotte. I liked the Moran, though not as much as How To Be a Woman or Moranthology...

Happy Thursday, folks! No gym this morning and Nuala is off at day care, so hopefully I can get lots of work done!

I made dinner last night - a HelloFresh meal that was okay. I won't get it again. Chili Lime Pork with Zesty Rice and Cucumber-Peanut Salad. The Wayne wasn't feeling great (head cold) so I was on my own in cooking it. I didn't burn the house down, so that's a win.

We've finally jumped on the bandwagon and started watching Schitt's Creek, and I love it. We had watched the first episode a while back and weren't enamored, but my BFF told me to try again, and now I'm hooked. We are almost done with the first season.

Tonight is an "emergency" happy hour because we haven't had one in several weeks, and a couple of the regulars are feeling pretty overwhelmed with work and down about the holidays. I suggested we have an hour long session tonight for anyone who could make it, just to say hi and vent as needed. Then next week, we'll have our usual hours-long chin wag with the whole group :)

In book news, I am almost finished with my audio and with my current Kindle read. Not sure what's next...

>252 katiekrug: The first few episodes of Schitt's Creek are pretty rough but it only gets better and better starting with season 2

>253 norabelle414: - I'm already loving it, so can't wait to see how it gets better!

>252 katiekrug: What a great idea, an emergency happy hour! I love that. And it should really help, that safe-place-vent is one of life's great pleasures.

Other than that, it's sunshiney and cold which is just about perfect for my personal mood. I hope you're enjoying the same.

>255 richardderus: - I am lucky to have several safe places to vent, including LT *grin*

I enjoyed the sunshine through the window, though I wish it had warmed me up a bit...

Game of Secrets by Dawn Tripp

This novel tells the story of two families in a small seaside town in New England whose histories are intertwined.It moves back and forth in time, primarily between 1962 and 2004, and moves among a few points of view. The writing is lovely in places, but the constant shifts were jarring, and I get annoyed by books where I feel like I have to pay very close attention to the character and date headers at the start of each chapter. It takes me out of the flow of the narrative. Here, each chapter is like a shard in a kaleidoscope, shifting the picture and the reader's understanding, and the eventual pattern that emerges is less whole and more fragmented than I would have liked. I struggled a bit to understand what was being revealed, and I'm still not entirely sure I got it all. As I said, though, the writing is excellent (for the most part), which doesn't surprise me, as Tripp wrote a favorite novel of mine, Georgia about the artist, Georgia O'Keeffe.

3.5 stars

My next read will be The Kindest Lie, an Early Reviewers book scheduled for publication in February.

Way to go for getting to an ER book in advance of its release. I am terrible at that.

>257 katiekrug: That technique can feel disorganized instead of intentional, used to make a point about the story and/or the characters. So frustrating! Takes a good idea down a bad road.

Le sigh

>259 MickyFine: - I am usually pretty terrible about getting my ERs read in a timely manner, Micky. I'm trying to be better :)

>260 richardderus: - Le sigh, indeed. At least it wasn't terrible...

Virtual happy hour last night was good and only lasted 90 minutes. I think it helped all of us.

I'm about 50 pages into The Kindest Lie, and it's good so far.

I should finish up Pupcakes on audio today, and then I'll start a holiday-themed pick, I think.

Okay, off to the gym!

Hurrah for happy hour and the gym.
Although surely the gym the morning after happy hour is a scheduling error...

>257 katiekrug: "I get annoyed by books where I feel like I have to pay very close attention to the character and date headers at the start of each chapter." -- so I do so agree with you Katie!!

>263 Helenliz: - I limited myself to two glasses of wine last night, Helen. As I've learned that lesson. Several times. :-/

>264 RebaRelishesReading: - Hi, Reba! Shouldn't you be packing?!!? ;-)

>265 katiekrug: Probably :)

Actually we've been doing packing every day for three or so weeks now (I haven't been counting but it's been a long time) so we're in pretty good shape. Today, tomorrow and Sunday left with only clothes and travel gear left to do in the bedroom/bathroom, cleaning "stuff" over the washer/dryer and then, on Sunday, the kitchen (gasp! shudder! but then I have actually cleared two cupboards in there already so I'm telling myself what's left isn't that bad).

I should probably start a new thread, but I only want to make one more for this year, so I'm going to let this one go a little longer.

Plus, I need to figure out my next travel photos...

I'm a little verschmeckeled like >263 Helenliz: about that bit of schedule-making, but hey there's no good bad time to go to the gym.

Pupcakes. Haw.

>266 RebaRelishesReading: - I've been so impressed with your discipline in culling and packing, Reba. When we moved from Texas, and then when we moved from our rental to this house, we had packers, so it was easy to ignore the need to pare down. And both times I regretted the laziness upon having to unpack...

>268 richardderus: - Well, can't be avoided, really. HH is always a Thursday, and we have a standing M-W-F session schedule with Joel the Devil at the gym. The only saving grace is that on Fridays, we go half an hour later...

>269 katiekrug: I'm telling myself that unpacking won't be so hard because we're moving to a bigger place with A LOT more storage. Hope I'm right :)

>268 richardderus:, >270 katiekrug: - And I absolutely won't miss a Friday, because it's cardio circuit day, which I love. Monday is arm/upper body day and Wednesday is leg day. They are fine, but kind of boring. Fridays are always different, with 4 or 5 sets of 3 or 4 different exercises that we do twice with no break. Keeps the heart rate up and works up a sweat. I feel I get my money's worth :)

>271 RebaRelishesReading: - This house has a ton of storage and I LOVE IT. Even when I can't find things :)

>271 RebaRelishesReading: Or you find, 10 years after moving, that you still have a few boxes still not unpacked...

>273 katiekrug: There's probably some that you haven't even found yet. Just, you know, saying :-)

Forgot to inquire: Christmas Bake-Off?

ZOMG

Hi Katie. I love the NPR Book Concierge, they offer such a great variety of books. I've been drooling over it both here and over at Beth's thread as well.

>274 Helenliz: - We still have lots of boxes not yet unpacked, though it's not 10 years on (yet). Mostly stuff of The Wayne's he doesn't know what to do with. I suggested Goodwill donations :)

>275 susanj67: - Ha! You never know... I do think I've found all the nooks and crannies, but we'll see.

>276 richardderus: - We watched the first, non-Derry Girls episode. I hate cake pops, but I really want a sausage roll now....

>277 DeltaQueen50: - There is great variety, which I love. The other end-of-year lists are usually just "Fiction" and "Nonfiction." So boring! :D

Last night, we ordered Italian (chicken francese, my favorite!) and watched an episode of the GBBO(S) holiday special. We'll watch the second episode tonight, I think. Then we randomly picked a movie from our Christmas movie list, so watched The Night Before - or part of it. I ended up falling asleep, so The Wayne turned it off and we'll finish it up tonight. It was pretty funny, I was just super tired :)

Rainy this morning. I plan for a quiet weekend with laundry and Christmas cards the only things on the to do list. And reading!

Pupcakes by Annie England Noblin

This was fine. It's about a recently divorced woman starting over and learning what she really wants out of life. The best part was the dogs.

3 stars

I'm glad to know you're no cake-popper, they're absurd little things. And dry. Still craving sausage roll, as well. I loved seeing Tom get his architect on...and they left in his string of frustrated swearing!

But the Derry Girls episode is also a lot of fun. Siobhan is her character. I mean...she *is* her character.

>279 katiekrug: Last night Hani was away tending her sick father in Johor and Belle was at her friend's house plus I wanted to give Erni the night off.....oh and I'm in quarantine. So I ordered Kyran and I Thai food. Scrumptious fish fillets in basil leaves, green chicken curry, pineapple rice and phad thai. Wonderful.

>281 richardderus: - We watched it last night, RD, and it was *delightful.* You are so right about Siobhan. I also enjoyed Jamie-Lee - she cracked me up.

>282 PaulCranswick: - Sounds delicious, Paul!

Last night, we finished watching The Night Before which may be a new favorite holiday movie - funny and irreverent but with some (non-cheesy) heart.

We also watched an episode of 'The Crown' and one of 'Schitt's Creek.'

I also started a historical romance holiday novella because my current read, The Kindest Lie, isn't really fitting my mood at the moment. I'll continue with it, but needed a break.

Should be another quiet day here today. Same old, same old...

Loved Schitts Creek too Katiie and like you I had watched one episode a long time ago and it took a second try to get hooked. Perfect for the time we're going through.

Hi Katie!

I'm glad you're loving Schitt's Creek. We'll probably rewatch it sometime next year - right now we're into a rewatch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and are up to season 6. We still need to get to The Queen's Gambit.

>285 brenzi: - I'm so glad we gave it another try, Bonnie! So funny.

>286 karenmarie: - The Queen's Gambit is also on our list, Karen. We'll probably start it when we finish The Crown.

It's the antithesis of a frothy rom-com, Katie, but please add Mank to your film rotation on Netflix. It's very much a story we need to hear, and also a fun excursion into movie history.

...I say "fun"...not in the chuckle-a-minute sense...more in a "there's nothing new under the sun" kind of way.

>288 richardderus: - Added to the queue!

Yesterday was a good day at Casa Krug with both our football teams winning - mine in an upset over Seattle (sorry, Ellen)! Then we had a tasty dinner of chicken with chickpeas and couscous.

I finished up our Christmas cards and did a bunch of wrapping, so that's all in good shape. I just need to buy a few gift cards, and stocking stuff, and I'll be all done. And get gifts shipped to Texas and Virginia...

Today was arm day at the gym and Joel the Devil complimented me on my progress *preen* :)

The Wayne has the day off (monthly wellness day for the whole company, lucky bastard) but I'll be toiling away. I am thinking of taking tomorrow off to get the last Christmas stuff done so I don't have to deal with as many other people as on the weekend.

>288 richardderus: There was an interesting article in the New York Times today about "Mank" and it's revisionist take on the "who wrote Citizen Kane" discussion.

Who Wrote Citizen Kane? It's no Mystery

>291 magicians_nephew: Interesting article! Thanks for the link.

>290 katiekrug: How wonderful all the Twits get to spend a day without tweeting! *grumble* Now if they'd take away 45's account for good, term used advisedly....

>291 magicians_nephew: - Hi Jim!

>292 richardderus: - They're called Tweeps. I sometimes slip and say "Twerps." Heh.

Last night, we watched The Shop Around the Corner, first time for both of us! It was charming and will be a permanent entry on our Christmas movie list, I think. Before the film, The Wayne made Firecracker Meatballs with jasmine rice and roasted green beans (HelloFresh), and it was DELISH. My new favorite, I think.

I'm taking this afternoon off to run Christmas errands and hopefully get stuff shipped. We'll see how much I actually get done...

I should finish up The Kindest Lie today, too.

Such exciting doings in my life... *eye roll*

>294 katiekrug: I think there's a modern re-make with Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan, call ed You've Got Mail.

>295 Helenliz: - Yup - I saw that ages ago. I'll probably re-watch it sometime soon...

>294 katiekrug: I'm so glad y'all were charmed by The Shop Around the Corner! I think it's an underrated and understated classic Holiday movie.

Have fun stormin' the castle Post Office.

>297 richardderus: - It was unexpectedly (at least to me) funny, too!

I didn't get anything shipped, but I've got all the supplies. But now I'm thinking about it, it would make more sense to send everything to my aunt, since all the family in Texas is within about 8 miles of each other... I was originally planning to send three different packages. D'oh!

>298 katiekrug: There is never, ever a time when having extra shipping stuff is a bad thing, so still all good.

And kudos for thinking of it *now* not in line at the P.O.

I think - dare I say it? - that I have completed all my Christmas shopping, including stocking stuffers. Go me!

My favorite purchase may be this t-shirt I bought for The Wayne, who collects (and wears!) funny t-shirts:



I got his in red.

>299 richardderus: - Very true on both counts!

>300 katiekrug:

>300 katiekrug: I like it!

>300 katiekrug: Great shirt and congrats on being done shopping!

In case you missed it with all your errand doing, BookRiot dropped their 2021 Read Log spreadsheet today, which if I remember correctly you use. :)

Morning, Katie!

Oh, The Shop Around the Corner is one of my all-time favorite movies, Christmas or otherwise. I'm so glad you liked it!

>302 richardderus:, >303 Helenliz: - I thought it would find an appreciative audience here...

>304 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky! I used it last year but not this one. I might give it a whirl again in 2021 because I'm a sucker for a spreadsheet :)

>305 scaifea: - Are there people who *don't* like it?!!? So charming it is.

Off to set up the new thread!

ETA - New thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/327089

>306 katiekrug: Charlie doesn't like it. Because it's in B&W and he doesn't cotton to B&W movies. *eye roll*

>308 scaifea: Well, OK...the kid has to have some little flaw...

>309 laytonwoman3rd: *snork!* True.

>308 scaifea: - Ugh, I thought I had responded to this, but I think I forgot in the midst of starting the new thread. I was going to say that Charlie is still young, a not-fully-formed person so it doesn't count that he doesn't like it ;-)

>311 katiekrug: *Snork!* Excellent point!