Mamie's 2020 Madness, page 8

Have you seen these Coffee and a Classic subscription boxes? Mamie want.

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December Reads:
77. The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen, audio narrated by Katherine Kellgren (Her Royal Spyness, book 6)
78. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, hardback, classic
79. Moby Dick by Herman Melville, hardback, classic
80. From the Fifteenth District: Stories by Mavis Gallant, Kindle, short stories
81. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams, Kindle, contemporary romance
82. A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders, Kindle, mystery - recommended by Charlotte
83. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher, Kindle, dystopian - Katie's Dirty Dozen
84. Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick, Kindle, non-fiction, books about books

November Reads:
71. The Bride Wore Black by Cornell Woolrich - Kindle, crime fiction
72. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - trade paperback/audio narrated by Ronald Pickup, Sean Barrett, David Timson, Jamie Parker, Jonathan Oliver, Fenella Woolgar, Joe Marsh, mystery
73. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase - Kindle, historical romance - reread
74. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn - Kindle, historical romance (The Bridgeratons, book 1) - reread
75. The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan - Kindle, disturbing fiction
76. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn - Kindle, memoir

January:

1. Cold Days by Jim Butcher - audio narrated by James Marsters (The Dresden Files, book 14)
2. Hell House by Richard Matheson - audio narrated by Ray Porter
3. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - trade paperback
4. Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee - audio narrated by Simon Bubb (Wyndham and Banerjee, book 3)
5. Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin - Kindle (Inspector Rebus, book 1)
6. The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuściński, translated by Klara Glowczewska - Kindle
7. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov - audio narrated by Scott Brick
8. Real Tigers by Mick Herron - audio narrated by Gerard Doyle (Slough House, book 3)
9. A Taste For Vengeance by Martin Walker - trade paperback (Bruno Courrèges, book 11)
10. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - audio narrated by Michael York
11. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - audio narrated by Juliet Stevenson, translation by ?
12. Spook Street by Mick Herron - audio narrated by Gerard Doyle (Slough House, book 4)
13. The Sisters by Dervla McTiernan - audio narrated by Aoife McMahon (Cormac Reilly, book 0.5)
14. The Master by Colm Tóibín - Kindle

February:
15. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - audio narrated by Anna Massey
16. The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark - Kindle
17. A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark - Kindle
18. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, translated by Clarence Brown? - Kindle
19. Dune by Frank Herbert - hardback
20. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs - Kindle (Mercy Thompson, book 9)
21. London Rules by Mick Herron - audio narrated by Gerard Doyle (Slough House, book 5)
22. And the Wind Sees All by Guðmundur Andri Thorsson, translation by Andrew Cauthery and Björg Árnadóttir - Kindle
23. Out Stealing Horses by Per Peterson, translated by Anne Borne - trade paperback
24. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - audio narrated by Martin Jarvis
25. Jane Austen at Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley - audio narrated by Ruth Redman
26. Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers - trade paperback
27. Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty - audio narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 6)

March:
28. Joe Country by Mick Herron - audio narrated by Gerard Doyle (Slough House, book 6)
29. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle - trade paperback
30. A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Harkup - Kindle
31. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo - audio narrated by Anna-Maria Nabirye
32. The Ruin by Derlva McTiernan - Kindle
33. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - audio narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal
34. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths, audio narrated by Jane McDowell (Ruth Galloway, book 1) - reread
35. The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths, audio narrated by Jane McDowell (Ruth Galloway, book 2) - reread
36. Virgin River by Robyn Carr (Virgin River, book 1) - Kindle - reread
37. Shelter Mountain by Robyn Carr (Virgin River, book 2) - Kindle - reread
38. The House at Sea's End by Ella Griffiths, narrated by Jane McDowell (Ruth Galloway, book 3)- reread

April
39. Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen - audio narrated by Katherine Kellgren (Royal Spyness, book 4)
40. A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths - audio narrated by Jane McDowell (Ruth Galloway, book 4) - reread
41. The Second Deadly Sin by Asa Larsson, translation by Laurie Thompson (Rebecka Martinsson, book 5) - Kindle
42. Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen - audio narrated by Katherine Kellgren (Royal Spyness, book 5)
43. The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke - audio narrated by Will Patton (Dave Robicheaux, book 1)
44. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - trade paperback
45. Warcross by Marie Lu - audio narrate d by Nancy Wu (Warcross, book 1)
46. The Ministry of Truth: the biography of George Orwell's 1984 by Dorian Lansky - hardback/audiobook
47. Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson

So, um...I kind of just marked books as read and did not keep track of order or anything when I fell off the threads. I am going to have to do some homework to figure out which books I have read in the interim. I do know that I have read a total of 69 books so far - very low for me for this time of year, but it is what it is.

Okay. So, I have done my homework and figured out which books I have read in my absence. Here they are listed by author since I did not keep track of which month I read them in:

Books 48 -70:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Kindle - reread
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, audiobook narrated by Jesse L. Martin, essays
Skin Game by Jim Butcher, audiobook narrated by James Marsters (The Dresden Files, book 15)
Peace Talks by Jim Butcher, audiobook narrated by James Marsters (The Dresden Files, book 16)
The Crow Trap by Anne Cleeves, Kindle (Vera Stanhope, book 1)
Telling Tales by Anne Cleeves, Kindle (Vera Stanhope, book 2)
Hidden Depths by Anne Cleeves, Kindle (Vera Stanhope, book 3)
Ubik by Philip K. Dick
Happiness by Aminatta Forna, Kindle - recommended by Beth
Howard's End by E. M. Forster, Hardback - reread
A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths, Kindle (Ruth Galloway, book 5) - reread
The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths, Kindle (Ruth Galloway, book 6) - reread
The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths, Kindle (Ruth Galloway, book 7) - reread
The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths, Kindle (Ruth Galloway, book 8) - reread
The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths, Kindle (Ruth Galloway, book 9) - reread
The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths, Kindle (Ruth Galloway, book 10)
The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths, Kindle (Ruth Galloway, book 11)
The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths, Kindle (Ruth Galloway, book 12)
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow, Kindle - recommended by Charlotte
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, Kindle - meh
The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking by Olivia Laing, Kindle, nonfiction
The Alchemist by H. P. Lovecraft, audiobook narrated by ?
Square Haunting: Five Women, Freedom and London Between the Wars by Francesca Wade, Kindle, nonfiction

*The titles in bold are the ones I was missing! Now my count adds up!!

Katie’s Dirty Dozen - That’s right, folks, KAK’s reserved spot is back for a sixth year, let’s see what she hits me with this time.

1. A Commonplace Killing by Sian Busby
2. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
3. Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson
4. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields - "It's in my top 10 of all time." (Mark's thread)
5. The Indignities of Being a Woman by Merrill Markoe and Megan Koester - audio
6. Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl - both Katie and Amber say this is their favorite Dahl
7. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
8. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
9.Long Bright River by Liz Moore
10. The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves - Katie says it's very good on audio
11. The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H. Winthrop
12. Writers and Lovers by Lily King
13. Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean
14. Turbulence by David Szalay - "This is a wonderful novella that spans the globe and the range of human emotions and connection."
15. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson - be sure to do the audio
16. The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood - good crime novel
17. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant - "...novel comprised of interlinked vignettes about the outcast citizens of Dogtown on Cape Ann, Massachusetts in the first half of the 19th century."
18. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher
19. Coventry by Helen Humphreys
20. All Adults Here by Emma Straub
21. The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell
22. The People on Privilege Hill by Jane Gardam (short stories)

There's more to go in here, but I have not been great about record keeping, so...

5

This should do it - next one's yours!

Happy new thread, Manie!

>1 Crazymamie: I hope Santa Claus sees your post :-)

>7 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! Ha! I think the boxes are so cool, but the December selections are not for me - Oliver Twist or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, both of which I have already read and do not care to reread. Some of the past boxes, though, are amazing - and I like the idea of something bookish coming in the post every month.

Happy new thread, Mamie!

Happy new thread!

>1 Crazymamie: Somebody knows what we want! (well, not that book, but book! coffee!, cookie!)

>9 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley!

>10 quondame: Thank you, Susan! Right?! Hard to go wrong with that combination.

>1 Crazymamie: That would be a great subscription box!

Happy new one :)

Happy new thread, Mamie. Didn't you just start one?? Yes to >1 Crazymamie: - that goes on the wishlist.

Happy new one, Mamie!

Off to investigate that subscription box...

Happy New Thread, Mamie! Almost to 75--you should make it easily by the end of the year.

Happy new thread, Mamie!

>1 Crazymamie: Kimmy want. : )

>4 Crazymamie: "There's more to go in here, but I have not been great about record keeping, so..." and that pretty much describes my thread this entire year!! LOL

Happy new thread.

Happy new one!

>1 Crazymamie: Well it is a good classic as far as it goes, Mamie.

Already a new thread upon your welcome return - happy new one!

Happy new thread!
I love the idea of the book & coffee subscription. I love my book subscription, it coming with coffee and cookies would just be the icing on the cake!

Happy new thread, Mamie!

>13 figsfromthistle: All of the boxes they have already done were full of fabulous, Anita. And thank you.

>14 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! I was surprised that I needed a new thread so quickly, too. Aren't those coffee and a classic boxes great?

>15 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie! I love that the subscription boxes have options - one for price, and three for content. You can choose classic literature, classic non-fiction, or children's classics.

>16 ronincats: Roni!! Hello there, dear! And thank you. I secured 75 in the wee small hours of the morning when I finished The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan. So hooray for that because several months ago I was doubting that I would get to 75 this year.

>17 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen!

>18 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Lovely to see you here! I am lusting after those boxes, and thinking that if I went with the non-fiction I would be less likely to get something I already have, and it would also encourage me to read more non-fiction. I might ask for a subscription for my birthday.

Yep. The record keeping went right out the window this year. *sigh*

*edited because I got off in my counting

Morning, Mamie. Happy New Thread! I am sure you and the family are gearing up for Thanksgiving. We are keeping it very simple. Sue will make a lovely dinner and my FIL will come over. Bree will be going over to Sean's family. We were invited there too but it would be a large gathering.

>19 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte!

>20 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! I love Wuthering Heights and have read it more than once.

>21 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen! The boxes look so fun, and I love how they are packaged.

>22 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry! Lovely to see you here!

>25 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thank you. We are having our traditional meal - Craig is in charge of the turkey, and the girls and I make all the sides, so mashed potatoes and gravy, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, rice with mushrooms, dressing, roasted carrot salad (this is a new addition this year to add some healthy to all those carbs), and pumpkin buttermilk pie with a streusel topping.

Happy New Thread, Mamie and Happy Pre-Thanksgiving to you and yours!!

Hi Mamie!

Your Thanksgiving feast sounds wonderful. I'm going all out even though it will only be Bill and me and started yesterday by making pie crusts, safely resting in the freezer to be made into Pecan and Pumpkin pies later today. I already miss our daughter - she's very helpful with T-day prep but we're playing it super safe and following the CDC guidelines and so this will be the first Thanksgiving her her 27 years that she's not with us. Sigh.

Book 75 The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan - Kindle, disturbing fiction

Okay, so I started reading this one in order to avoid finding out if something bad happens to the dog in A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World. Heh. I deal with insomnia on a regular basis, so I like to have a Kindle book going that I can read in the wee small hours when sleep eludes me. The dystopian I am reading is excellent, but I worry about the dog, so I though I would switch to this to give myself a break, and the funny thing is that this was more disturbing.

This one put the funk in dysfunctional family. It centers on three teens (ages 17, 15, and 13) and their much younger brother. We are barely into the book when the father dies and then is quickly followed by the mother. The tension is already building when the mom dies, and you just know that this cannot end well. To avoid being separated, they decide to take care of the body themselves. Did I mention that these are not the smartest children? I mean, I know I read a lot of murder mysteries, but anyone with some common sense could do a better job of it. Anyway, forget about the body. There is a lot of ick in this one - too much detail (the narrator is a fifteen year old boy with a thing for his older sister, so yeah...), and as the tension builds and the story unfolds, it is all deeply unsettling. And yet I couldn't look away, so this gets three stars for McEwan's writing chops. The characters are completely unlikeable, even the 6 year old, so at least watching it all fall apart is not heart breaking.

Happy new one, Mamie! I love the color coordination in that box :)

>30 Crazymamie: - I read that one last year (I think it was last year), and um, yeah. I agree that the excellent writing is worth 3 stars but the whole thing made me want to take a shower.

>31 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! Me, too.

>32 katiekrug: Exactly. All the TMI reminded of Jonathan Franzen's writing...um...yuck.

Happy new thread, Mamie, and congrats for reading 75!

Thank you, Meg!

Congratulations on achieving the 75 reads!

>36 quondame: Thanks, Susan!

>30 Crazymamie: Congratulations on reaching 75, Mamie!

Yeah, yeah. Mamie. Seventy-Five.



I'm going to get there before turning out the light tonight.

Happy new thread, and congrats on number 75!

Happy Thanksgiving - Happy 75! especially for having such a busy year!

>38 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!

>39 weird_O: That gif cracks me up, Bill. That dog looks even more surprised than I am that I made it this year. And thank you, my friend, for all the delightful weirdness you distribute throughout the threads all year long. You are full of fabulous.

>40 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>41 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda! Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Thanksgiving! Your menu sounds wonderful. Enjoy. And congrats on hitting #75! Yah!

Morning, Mark! Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you, my friend - I am looking forward to feasting and hoping I can carve out some time for the books today, too. (See what I did there?)

Hiya Mamie, and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you at the Pecan Paradisio.

>30 Crazymamie: Congrats on book #75. What a title, and what a book. I’m going to avoid this one. Thanks for the anti-BB.

Hey, Karen - I was just over on your thread! Thank you for those Thanksgiving wishes.

Thank you! Good thinking about skipping that one. At least it was short.

I must be back - I even got spam.

>48 Crazymamie: *snork!*

I'm here for my breakfast pie, please.

>49 scaifea: *grin* Yes, ma'am. It is buttermilk pumpkin pie with streusel topping.

Congratulations on hitting 75 books, Mamie! Happy Thanksgiving!

Congrats and Happy Thanksgiving from me, too!

>51 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry! Happy Thanksgiving to you!

>52 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley!

Congratulations on your 75, Mamie!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Mamie!

AND Happy New Thread, AND Happy 75!

I hope you and the family have a lovely Thanksgiving, Mamie.

"Happy" 75th read! A rosey li'l cake should make up for the fact that you're well launched into the new thread without me. *smooch*

>54 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba!

>55 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe!

>56 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie! It's off to a good start - the only thing I can complain about is the weather which is...gross.

Happy Thanksgiving, Mamie! My sympathies re the weather. It's a typical fall day here - cold and soggy.

Hi Mamie, I also read The Cement Garden sometime in the last year, and had the very same reactions. He can write - but his subject matter left a distasteful feeling. Congrats for reaching 75, in this difficult year we are so lucky that we are able to bury ourselves in books and escape reality for short periods.

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

Hi Mamie! Happy Saturday to you.

Any buttermilk pumpkin pie with streusel topping left? I've still got pumpkin pie left because I was tricksy and diverted Bill with pecan pie. It's now officially time for my second mug of coffee and pumpkin pie for brekkie.

Morning, Mamie! Hope y'all are recovering from the holiday.

Congrats on hitting 75!

>59 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg! I am happy to report that we are getting rain that will usher in some cooler temps. Crossing my fingers that it actually happens. Still 72F today with 81% humidity, which is better than yesterday, but still...yuck. But Monday's high is supposed to be only 57F, which would be full of fabulous.

>60 DeltaQueen50: Hello, Judy! Agreed on the McEwan. And thank you - I was so pleased to make it to 75. I had a period of time this year where I just couldn't focus on reading at all - not even anxiety, really, just an inability to settle into any one thing. I am happy to be over that and back to reading multiple books and actually finishing them.

>61 PaulCranswick: Lovely thoughts, Paul. I am also thankful for this group and their support, encouragement, and caring. Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday because it is about getting together with loved ones and remembering to be thankful for what you have, good and bad because I would not want to carry anyone else's burdens.

Sort of a visual of how I'm feeling just now.

>62 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! Happy Saturday! We do have a bit of that pie left but only because the recipe made two pies - the first one is done and dusted, but there are a few pieces remaining of the second pie. *grin* Good thinking with the pie diversion. Clever, clever girl!

>63 katiekrug: Afternoon, Katie! We are recovering nicely from the holiday - it was full of fabulous. Craig's turkey was a magnificent thing, and we had all the sides done at exactly 5pm - remarkable. We followed the feasting with watching the rest of the football game and then watching While You Were Sleeping which is a family favorite. There was plenty of laughter. And wine. And gratitude.

>64 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle! Lovely to see you here.

>66 richardderus: Peckish or stuffed?

>68 Crazymamie: Yes.

*belly laugh* Me, too!

>67 Crazymamie: - 'While You Were Sleeping' is a good one! The Wayne and I just put together a list of holiday movies to refer to in the days ahead when we can't decide what to watch. Some old favorites, and some that will be new to us - including 'The Family Stone,' thanks to you :)

OH! Hoping you love The Family Stone. Let's see...Diehard, The Ref, Red, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Christmas in Connecticut, The Bishop's Wife, Miracle on 34th Street (the original), Love Actually, The Holiday, The Santa Claus...

Happy holidays. >:-)
Making note of the film reccies. I'm a massive fan of The Muppet Christmas Carol.

This is the list as it stands now. The ones in parentheses are ones we've never seen.

Christmas Vacation
The Ref
Love Actually
Elf
(The Family Stone)
Die Hard
While You Were Sleeping
A Christmas Story
(Last Christmas)
Home Alone
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (technically, Thanksgiving...)
(Holiday Affair)
(The Night Before)
(Office Christmas Party)
The Holiday
(Arthur Christmas)
Trading Places
(It Happened on 5th Avenue)
(Christmas in Connecticut)
(Mixed Nuts)
(The Shop Around the Corner)
(Just Friends)
(Deck the Halls)
(Bad Santa)
(A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas)
(Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)

Nice! I added several of those to my list. Christmas in Connecticut is one of my very favorites and we quote from it all the time. Elf is Daniel's favorite, and Rae cannot stand it - humor is hard for her.

Happy new thread, Mamie, and congrats on reaching 75 books read for the year! I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Mamie, I miss you and I have done a lousy job of following you this year.
That is all.

2021 WILL be better.

xo

Happy new thread and congrats on reaching 75, Mamie!

Will you be ready to start The Tenant of Wildfell Hall on Tuesday, or shall we schedule it for later in the month so you can finish Moby Dick?

>76 bell7: Thank you, Mary! Our Thanksgiving was full of fabulous. Now if we cab just eat our way out of the leftovers, we will be ready to tackle Christmas.

>77 EBT1002: Ellen!!! It is SO lovely to see you here! I have also done a lousy job of following you this year. Your post made me smile - I miss you, too, and you are so right that 2021 WILL be better. xo

>78 susanj67: Thank you, Susan! I will be ready on Tuesday - I am very excited about it.

Hi Mamie! Happy Sunday. Are y'all going to watch football (or, as I usually call it, foosball) today?

>75 Crazymamie: I cannot stand Will Ferrell and even had a hard time making it through his time on The Office. We watch just a few special Christmas movies – Charlie Brown Christmas, The Santa Clause, and George C. Scott’s A Christmas Carol. If Jenna comes home she and I will watch Love, Actually and It's a Wonderful Life.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Sunday. i hope you are enjoying the weekend. I am looking forward to an afternoon of books and football, although my struggling Bears will have a tough time against the Packers tonight. Sighs...

>80 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I was just over at your place. Definitely yes to football. Always yes to football.

Will Ferrell is hit or miss for me - I like watching Elf with Daniel because Daniel loves it so much. I can't do It's a Wonderful Life. Just no.

>81 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday. So far so good with the weekending. Books and football for me today, too. Sorry your Bears have to play the Packers tonight - I have a bit of a soft spot for the Packers, if I am honest.

Morning, Mamie!

Also not a fan of 'It's a Wonderful Life.' My favorite Christmas movie is 'The Ref.' Or maybe 'Die Hard.'

Morning, Katie! Mine is The Family Stone. Followed closely by Christmas in Connecticut. Let's see...

Craig - The Muppet Christmas Carol
Rae - tie between The Muppet Christmas Carol and The Family Stone
Daniel - Elf
Abby - While You Were Sleeping
Birdy - The Muppet Christmas Carol

We also love The Ref and Die Hard, which we watch every year.

Sunday orisons, Mamie dear.

A Christmas Story is required watching at our house on Christmas Day. My son and I saw it in the theater when he was a young thing. He'll be 47 a week before Christmas and still wants to watch it every year.

>85 richardderus: Good Sunday Morning, BigDaddy!

>86 RebaRelishesReading: That is my sister Julie's favorite, Reba. I do not love it as much as the masses, but it is funny. I love that your son still wants to watch it every year - what a lovely memory that keeps on giving.

A is For Arsenic: the Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Harkup is currently $1.99 on Kindle

I read this back in March, and this is what I had to say about it:

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie is fascinating. The author goes through each of the poisons, in alphabetical order, that Christie used in her novels, and the format is excellent. First she gives the history of the drug, and any of its derivatives. Then she explains how the drug interacts with the body. Next she discusses antidotes and detection. Finally she talks about real life cases of using it as a poison and how Christie incorporated some of these into her novels. She does reveal which poisons are used in which novels and who the victims are, but she does not spoil the endings - she never reveals the murderer or how they are caught. The exception to this is the chapter on Opium, but she warns you first and tells you where to turn to if you want to skip the spoilers - hard to argue with that! The chemistry nerd in me is loved it, but you don't have to have a background in chemistry to appreciate and understand the material presented. Definitely highly recommended.

>88 Crazymamie: ohhh, I like the look of that!

>89 Helenliz: Hello, Helen! It was very good. Christie knew her stuff because she worked as a pharmacy assistant/dispenser during WWI. The book is full of interesting info.

>90 Crazymamie: My favorite Agathadote about poisons: The medical professional who recognized the effects of a particular and unusual poison from reading one of the Dame's books: thallium from The Pale Horse.

>91 richardderus: Very cool! I love stories like that.

Congrats on reading 75 books

Morning, Mamie! Glad you have a soft spot for the Packers, (I wish I did, but I do have immense respect for Rodgers). They handily beat my lowly Bears. It was an embarrassing night. I went to bed early. Cold and breezy today, which will probably keep me indoors.

>93 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita!

>94 msf59: Morning, Mark! Your Bears are having a moment. It's such a weird year for everyone.

The rain came through last night and brought with it a bit if cold, so I am most pleased. Breezy and overcast here.

A bit of nostalgia. *smooch*

>96 richardderus: In more ways than one. I miss snow. Thank you, dearest. *smooch*

Happy New Thread a little late, Mamie, and congrats on hitting the 75 book mark!

Hi Mamie, enjoy your read of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I read it earlier this year and really liked it, probably my favorite of the Brontes' novels that I have read so far.

Congratulations on passing 75, Mamie.

>98 ronincats: Thank you, Roni! SO lovely to see you here.

>99 DeltaQueen50: Hello, Judy! That is happy making news about The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I love both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, so I am excited to read one by another Brontë.

>100 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

76. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn - Kindle, memoir - 4.5 stars

"Paddy Dillion walks from Hartland Quay to Bude - one of the most remote and difficult sections of the whole path - in a day. It had taken us three. But we survived, as we were surviving all the boulders of pain that had brought us to the path. Things that we thought we would never be able to bear were becoming less jagged, turned into round river stones by the movement of the path. It was still a heavy burden to carry, but just a little less painful to hold."

A huge thanks to Rhian for her fabulous review of this one last year which had me adding it to The List. It's every bit as good as she said it was.

The author and her husband lose their house in an investment gone wrong, but along with their house they also lose their livelihood because they used the other buildings on their farm as holiday rentals. As if this weren't enough, the husband is diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration, which is fatal. Raynor (the wife) comes up with a crazy idea that they should walk the South West Coastal Path (a distance of 630 miles). They will wild camp along the way because they cannot afford to stay at campsites. The journey will give them time to decided what to do next. And so they do. What results is a lovely bit of travel writing/memoir that is both reflective and heartening. She shares the good and the bad, the heartbreaking and the humorous, and yet it is not maudlin or self-pitying. It is one I know that I will read again. There is a follow up book titled The Wild Silence that comes out here in April of 2021 - very exciting!

"How can there be so few individuals who understand the need for people to have a space of their own? Does it take a time of crisis for us to see the plight of the homeless? Must they be escaping a war zone to be in need? As a people, can we only respond to need if we perceive it to be valid? If the homeless of our own country were gathered in a refugee camp, or rode the seas in boats of desperation, would we open our arms to them?"

>102 Crazymamie: - I have that one on my list, too. Now to just get to it!

Have a good post-Monday, Mamie!

>102 Crazymamie: My experiences during 2014 suggest to me that the overall answer to the last question is a resounding "no" and, while there are exceptions, the general response is a tepid one.

However, there's nothing to say that this will apply in every case, or at every time...the general crisis might imbue others with a sense of urgency. I sure hope so.

Congrats on the 75-Book Achievement, Mamie.

Your Thanksgiving sounds lovely. Wine and gratitude go well together. And that Buttermilk Pumpkin Pie might be one that I would eat. We had Dutch Apple Pie which was pretty delicious even if we enlisted Marie Callendar to make it for us. The six of us (we went to my son's house) decided to make this a true stress-free Thanksgiving. We ate inside but then went out in the 60-degree weather with the kids and dogs to burn off some calories.

I enjoy travel memoirs and will add The Salt Path to The List. Thanks to you and Rhian.

>102 Crazymamie: If it wasn't on my list already, I would have added it now, Mamie.
I am on the waitinglist at the library, might take a while as it is much wanted by many readers here.

'Morning, Mamie! Happy Wednesday to you and yours.

>103 katiekrug: Isn't it great how the books wait so patiently for us to get to them, Katie? Post- Monday was good. No complaints from me. We even got to turn on the heat.

>104 richardderus: It is a sadness. The author wrote about how people reacted to them when they found out they were truly homeless vs thinking that they had purposely sold their home to go on walkabout.

>105 Donna828: Thank you, Donna! It was a lovely Thanksgiving - yours sounds full of fabulous, too. The pies Abby made were so delicious - best pumpkin pie I have ever had. I love apple pie, too, but we did not serve that this year as the newest daughter is allergic to apples.

I think you will love The Salt Path when you get to it.

>106 FAMeulstee: It is worth the wait, Anita. I bookmarked a lot of things that she was describing on her journey so that I can look them up - this was my insomnia book, so most of my reading time was in the wee small hours of the morning.

>108 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Happy Wednesdaying to you!

>109 richardderus: Challenge accepted, BigDaddy!

>4 Crazymamie: - Er, Mamie? There's more than a dozen there.... LOL.

Yep, you pretty much got all my favorites :)

Happy almost-day-before-the-weekend!

>112 katiekrug: Yes, I know. You had very good aim this year.

It's gonna feel like the weekend for sure tomorrow - Craig and Rae took Thursday and Friday off in honor of Craig's birthday (which is on Saturday). A mini staycation of sorts that we will use to finally get the tree up and finish decking the house out for Christmas.

Morning, Mamie! Oooh, I love the idea of a looong weekend/mini staycation + holiday decorating! Sounds so cozy and lovely.

ETA: Oh, and Charlie and I finally got round to trying our Pumpkin Pie Blizzard recreation, and it was a huge success! And honestly, super-simple: vanilla ice cream, milk (but less than you would add for a milkshake), a healthy-sized slice of pumpkin pie, in chunks, and a handful of 'nilla wafers, chunked. Chuck it all into a blender and poof - PP Blizzard. (The 'nilla wafers are for the crunky pie crust bits, and it WORKS.)

Happy day, lady. Passing through, absorbing the movie lists (and having to consult IMDb on quite a few of the titles). Reading three books in a chaotic rotation.

>114 scaifea: Hello, Amber! I am looking forward to our decorating staycation.

Your pumpkin pie blizzard sounds most yum. Thanks for providing the instructions - we will have to give that a try just as soon as we make us some more pie. And I do have a snazzy new blender that needs to be test driven.

>115 weird_O: Happy day to you, oh Weird One. We watched Jingle Jangle the other night which wasn't bad - the plot could have been better, but I do love Forest Whitaker, so... And the sets and costumes were very fun.



Good luck with the reading in chaotic rotation. I currently have ten books going, and my method is just to pick up whichever one calls to me in the moment.

Happy Wednesday, Mamie! Chilly temps but lots of sunshine and no wind, so I got out for a nice bird stroll. I did get an Eastern Bluebird. I few of these hardy guys hang out here through the winter. One of my faves. Now, for a book-filled afternoon.

>102 Crazymamie: I’m so glad that you enjoyed The Salt Path so much Mamie!

Well, you'll see this Thursday morning, so that's good:

Oh, that’s cool!

>119 richardderus: "Like!"

Hi, Mamie.

Madame MBH loves the Die Hard movie and movies, and a couple of years ago I found her the ultimate Christmas book: A Die Hard Christmas. What could be better?

>116 Crazymamie: ...[M]y method is just to pick up whichever one calls to me in the moment. That's what I did yesterday. The next chapter in AtKM was only 50 pages, so I focused on that. Chapter VI is under 60 pages, so I'll likely continue the focus on that book. Probably with a short story or two in the Rex Stout collection I'm reading.

Have a good day, suggests The Weird One.

>102 Crazymamie: I also added this to my tbr pile when I read Rhian's excellent review. After reading how much you like it, I am not going to order it through Thriftbooks.com
>113 Crazymamie: Last weekend my grand daughter and two of her friends decorated the tree. As I age, I realize that my way isn't always the best way. And, I did not rearrange the way in which they decorated.

Happy Thursday to you.

>102 Crazymamie: That one has been on my TBR list for a while. I think it was on my radar before Rhian's review, but I still haven't made it around to reading it.

((((Mamie)))) Loved the image of you sipping coffee from a red pottery mug that you reported on my thread!

Happy Friday, Mamie! I hope y'all are enjoying your extra time with Rae and Craig and having fun decorating. Pics when you're done? (I'll show you mine, if you show me yours ;-) )

Have fun decorating!

>102 Crazymamie: I bought that one last month and you have helped bump it up the pile somewhat.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy your decorating.

Hi Crazy! I got my new computer so I can finally do some LTing.

>88 Crazymamie: Love A is for Arsenic!! I love Agatha and chemistry--great pairing.

Love all the great holiday movie suggestions. Thank you. (And Katie, too!)

>113 Crazymamie: Happy Birthday Craig!! Have fun decorating.

>127 richardderus: Thanks for that image, Ricardo. : )

SO today is off to less than a glorious start. I was awake again in the wee small hours and finally fell asleep some time around 5am only to be awakened by Craig's alarm. AT 6am. Craig was in the shower because he does not understand how to do staycation properly. I got up and walked around the bed to find his phone to turn off the stupid new age music or whatever it is that gets louder the longer it plays. Managed to stub both a toe and a finger before turning off the alarm. I'm going to let Craig live because it is his birthday AND he has gone for breakfast sandwiches. Smart man.

>117 msf59: Morning, Mark! I missed Wednesday, but Happy Saturday. The Eastern Bluebird is also one of my favorites - they are so very happy making. Did you get your afternoon with the books?

>118 SandDune: Rhian, is was just as fabulous as you said it was, so thank you for your wonderful review of it.

>119 richardderus: Oh, I love that! Thank you, BigDaddy!

>120 drneutron: Agreed, Jim.

>121 jnwelch: Too funny about the Die Hard Christmas book, Joe! I have not seen all of the movies, but I do love the first one.

>122 weird_O: Wishing you luck in finishing it up this year, Bill. I will finish it eventually, but it won't be this year as it is not calling to be currently.

I have started a story collection that is very good so far - From the Fifteenth District: Stories by Mavis Gallant.

Hoping your weekend is full of fabulous, oh Weird One!

>123 Whisper1: Hello there, Linda! Lovely to see you here! I'm hoping you did order it.

Good for you for not rearranging the decorations. Letting go of control when others do things for you is tough, isn't it? I have gotten better at it over the years, but I still struggle with it (mostly in the kitchen) at times.

Hoping that Thursday was kind to you and that your weekend is full of fabulous, dear one.

>124 thornton37814: Lori, it will be waiting for you when you are ready. It's a good one to have ready to pull from the stacks.

>125 ronincats: I'm so glad, Roni. I'm drinking from it again today. It always makes me think of you. *hugs*

>126 katiekrug: Happy Saturday, Katie! I will try to remember to take pics - we are going minimalist this year, and we are still waiting on the garland for the staircase to arrive, so it's looking kind of naked right now. I would love to see photos of your place.

>127 richardderus: Well, drat. I think your decorating skills are better than mine.

>128 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, for those good wishes. I think you will love The Salt Path when you get to it.

>129 Berly: Hello there, Kim! You have been missed! And hooray for the new computer - I need one of those.

A is for Arsenic was so fun and so interesting.

I love lists of any kind, so it was fun to compare notes on Christmas movies. We watched Holiday Affair the other night, and it was charming despite the plot being full of holes.

Thank you for those birthday wishes for Craig. Daniel and Kaitlyn are coming over tonight and we are having sloppy burgers and fries for dinner. Butterscotch biscotti for dessert.

>130 Crazymamie: Love the cat!! but so sorry about the start to your day!

Thank you, Reba! The breakfast sandwich and 2 cups of coffee have helped, but it was indeed a rough start. I'm hoping the res of the day goes better.

I'm starving and Hubby just got up so I'm seriously considering making us fried eggs on bread -- sort of a sandwich and a little bit like an uitsmijter (for our Dutch friends). Also need a big mug of tea before I start on today's packing.

I, too, hope the rest of your day goes better.

I love fried eggs on bread! Almost any kind of breakfast thing really served at any time of the day. What kind of tea are you drinking? We tried a new one from Republic of Tea that we love - Honeybush Vanilla Tumeric.

Thank you, Reba. Much appreciated.

>138 Crazymamie: ohh that does sound good. I'm a fan of the Redbush/Honeybush teas. My favourite is Rooibos Creme Caramel from Teapigs, which is just lush.

Hi Mamie!

>130 Crazymamie: Adorable kitty, by the way. And,oh my. He woke up to an alarm on a staycation? AND took a shower? Epic fail. And I’m sorry you got woken up and stubbed various digits. Wish him Happy Birthday from another of your LT friends, okay?

>130 Crazymamie: Perfect picture for the horrible start of your day. Hope it improves as the day goes on. What was Craig thinking on his staycation? He must have just been so excited by birthday thoughts. LOL. Good thing he got you breakfast.

>138 Crazymamie: My "standard" one is Vanilla Bean flavored black tea from Mighty Leaf. I make a big pot in the morning and what I don't drink hot goes into the fridge for iced tea the rest of the day.

Mamie, it sounds like you had a painful start to Saturday! I hope the sandwiches helped, and you had a good day decorating for Christmas.

>139 Helenliz: Helen, I might have gone to their website and ordered some of that tea. I had not heard of Teapigs before, so thank you.

>140 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! The rest of Craig's birthday was uneventful in a good way, so he survived. He is very bad at staycations - he thinks he needs to be up and at 'em and gets Things Done. Silly man.

>141 Berly: The rest of the day was much better, Kim. And the breakfast sammies were excellent. Craig is kind of a nutter about time off - he thinks he has to be working at something all the time or he is wasting the day. I blame his parents. His mom still works him nonstop when he goes to visit her - an endless list of chores needing to be done and very little gratitude. She is a hard woman.

>142 RebaRelishesReading: Craig loves Mighty Leaf teas, Reba. He was a tea drinker when I married him, then started drinking coffee with me for years, and now he is back to tea. He only drinks coffee on the weekends now. Good thinking with making an entire pot to enjoy throughout the day - I love it both hot and iced, too.

>143 susanj67: It was a very painful start, Susan, but luckily it got better from there. We did not get as much decorating done as we wanted as the garland for the staircase did not arrive until after Craig went back to work - hopefully we will finish it up this weekend.

Mamie, at least there is still plenty of time. Christmas has started a lot earlier this year. How is The Tenant of Wildfell Hall going? I've read up to the end of chapter 38, and I don't like the second narrative nearly as much as the first one.

I need to get started on the wrapping of things, Susan. Usually Craig wraps and I do the bling part, so I need to get him going. We might do no bows this year because Mayhem likes to eat them, so we either have to guard the gifts or not put them out until Christmas Eve if there is bling. TBH, we usually do not put them out until Christmas Eve as that was my mother's tradition, and she really loved Christmas. But I weary of storing everything, so I might break with tradition. Decisions. Decisions...

I agree with you that the second narrative is not anywhere near as enchanting as the first one. I miss Gilbert. And Helen is very stupid. I mean, why does she agree to marry someone who is so mean-spirited to her? And why does she then go through with it when it is obvious that he is cruel and self-centered? I am way behind you, but I will catch up - I'm back at chapter 26.

Hi Mamie and happy Friday to you.

My new favorite word for ribbons/bows, "bling". For the first time ever I sent packages that included presents without bling. I just taped a tag onto the package. Excepting Jenna, of course - her presents are blinged.

Hey there, Karen! I love me a Friday! And we're doing Mexican takeaway for lunch - most happy making.

Hooray for new favorite words! Usually the bling is my favorite part of the wrapping process - I love picking out the ribbon colors and little trinkets to tie into the bow. We decided this year that there is no judgement - everyone will just do what they have the energy for with the gifting.

>147 Crazymamie: We also don't put presents out until Christmas Eve. I still love seeing the surprised on their faces Christmas morning when they see everything all piled up under the tree. We only usually put presents out early if they are for extended family, but the rest of ours stay hidden

That is how we have always done it, but now that the kids are grown, I am rethinking it. I might change things up as we go forward. I am very good at hiding the gifts away so cleverly that even I don't remember where to find them. Heh.

>151 Crazymamie: That's just Half-heimer's, dear. Pay it no mind. Soon enough you won't have to.

*smooch*

Oh, dear! *smooch back*

I've been pondering whether to put out wrapped gifts under the tree or to wait until Christmas Eve. I think I'll wait, though if I put out TW's now, maybe it would remind him to actually do some shopping... Heh.

I also love doing ribbons and bows on gifts, but I'll only do them for The Wayne's, since everything else is being shipped and they would just get crushed. I do think beautiful paper with just an elegant gift tag looks nice, though. I spend way too much time trying to find the perfect match for each gift :)

This year I updated my spreadsheet with the location items were hidden. As my mother-in-law used to say, "I miss my mind."

Your mother-in-law: True for many of us.

Spreadsheet mania. Oh, good grief. It works for you. For me, I'd forget the filename. Heh.

>152 richardderus: Perfect word for an all too prevalent condition!

>155 karenmarie: Me too! I probably forgot I never had one.

>156 weird_O: That's why I use search on my Mac. And tags, lots of tags.

In the days before Amazon wrapped most of my across the country gifts, I used to use this tubular ribbon from The Container Store, which was non-crushable!

>158 ronincats: That is lovely, Roni.

Happy Saturday, Mamie!

>149 Crazymamie: Sigh. I’ve eaten Mexican stay-inside of my own devising since March, but not takeaway. I hope it was wonderful.

*smooch*

>154 katiekrug: Katie, you put out some of the gifts and leave some to be surprises on Christmas morning. I'm going to wrap the Christmas jammies and put those under the tree now - no bling because Mayhem would eat it. I still haven't decided about the rest, but it isn't wrapped yet anyway, so...

I usually put bling on the smaller gifts that will go in the top of the box, and leave it off the bigger stuff in the bottom when I mail something.

>155 karenmarie: I also miss my mind, Karen. A spreadsheet is beyond me currently - never learned how to do that yet, but maybe that could be my project for the New Year.

>156 weird_O: Yep. My MiL is a piece of work, Bill, and I will not be sad when she is gone - there is no pleasing her. Ever. It's exhausting. And sad. And angry making.

Spreadsheet making is beyond me - I am in awe of those who create such wonders.

>157 quondame: *waves at Susan*

>158 ronincats: Well, that's perfect, Roni. I'm not sure I have seen that before. I love that it is non crushable.

>159 PaulCranswick: Agreed, Paul.

>160 karenmarie: Happy Saturday, Karen! It's sunny and in the 70s here, so very unwinter feeling. Eight years after moving here from Indiana, it still feels weird to me to have this kind of weather at Christmas.

The takeaway was indeed full of wonder.

>161 richardderus: You know me so well. *smooch back*

Hope you are enjoying your weekend

I may have to resort to a spreadsheet next year. I usually just write out my list of what I’ve bought for the kids but Nate reminded me that Chloe can read now and leaving my list on the counter was a very bad idea lol

So far, so good with the weekending, Chelle! Hoping your is the same.

I have always just kept it in my head, which is not a great idea. This year I kept a tiny notebook in my purse a page labeled with each person's name. Much better. I could also keep a list on my phone, but I am old school, so paper.

Would y'all spreadsheet newbies like some motivational practice? It's way too much to ask of someone not deeply familiar with how to fill in a spreadsheet to make one ex nihilo. But one can gain confidence with practice, so long as the practice is pleasurable.

Book Riot has a free, downloadable (instructions on how to do the downloading on the page you download it from!) reading spreadsheet here. Column after column of data one *can* but *need not if it's too much* collect about one's reading, already set up and ready to enter the data into. And there are places where the data is collected into summaries for you, already formula'd and just waiting for you to enter stuff.

By the end of July, you'll be very familiar with the manner in which this is done and what a positive difference it can make in your acquisition of data. I myownself am *atrocious* about noting the sources of my reads...the spreadsheet prompts me to enter a value in a special spot. I need this badly. I will, by setting a specific time of day to update my spreadsheet, make sure to actually use it. And I won't be left wondering what the hell made me buy a copy of Cow Goes Moo! anymore!

Hi Mamie, and happy Saturday.

I'll ask my granddaughter to help wrap presents tonight. She stays with me three-four days a week. She is great company/ In addition, she has a wonderful friend who is here with us often.

They forgot to put the angel on top of the tree. That will happen tonight. It is overcast and snowy like this morning. It is a blessing to have a warm house, a loving family, a dog who is quite a character, great neighbors, good friends, and lots and lots of books.

I am making a conscious effort to visit threads more often. I was MIA for a long time.

Happy Holidays.

>167 richardderus: Richard, thank you so much for that! I had seen mention of that spreadsheet somewhere (Katie's thread?) and had wondered about it. Thank you for the link and the additional info - I will definitely check it out. Setting a specific time of day to update is also an excellent idea. *smooch and a bear hug*

>168 Whisper1: Hello there, Linda! It's always so lovely to see you here. Happy Saturday to you!

That is so great that you get to spend so much time with your granddaughter and her friend - how old is she? I envy you your overcast and snowy - it does not feel like Christmas here with the warm tempts and bright sunshine. You are right about your blessings - so full of fabulous.

I need to come find your thread. I have been slowly trying to get back out and about, but I have not gotten to everyone yet. I am so happy that you are back.

Happy holidays to you, my friend.

*your image showed up after I posted - I love it!

>167 richardderus: I was wanting just such a thing for next year. A new thing to be compulsive about until I forget about it. At present I've been going to the conversations link to guess where I picked up the infection, but sometimes it's just something I googled for a challenge and no help there.

>170 quondame: *snerk* ah, the pleasures of being a superspreader

Morning, Mamie!
Spreadsheets: Charlie is taking a Technology course this semester and right now they're learning the ins and outs of Excel. I've been doing the assignments, too, because I only knew how to enter data and sort it on a very basic level, and I've learned so much! It's been fun.

Hi Mamie, and happy Sunday to you! Is it a football day at the Pecan Paradisio?

>162 Crazymamie: Spreadsheets keep me organized but aren’t for everybody. I don’t consider myself a sophisticated spreadsheet user, but had a few good co-worker teachers along the way.

My MiL is a piece of work, Bill, and I will not be sad when she is gone - there is no pleasing her. Ever. It's exhausting. And sad. And angry making. Sad that such a nasty person is in your life. I was fortunate in both of my MiLs (except for one time each, best now forgotten). My sister was as unfortunate as you in the MiL lottery, but the MiL died 3 years ago and my sister doesn't miss her one tiny bit.

You first, he said through gritted teeth.

>170 quondame:, >171 richardderus: *belly laugh*

>172 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Very cool about Charlie's course - I would be doing the same thing. And so fun to share the learning experience.

>173 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Happy Sunday. Yep - we never miss a football day here. I will watch almost any team play - I just like to watch football.

I would like to learn some spreadsheet basics because I think I would use one for reading - I think the Book Riot one will be perfect for me to practice with.

The MiL is less in my life than she used to be - she is 90 and does not travel much anymore. Thank goodness. She has taught me a very valuable lesson, though, for which I am grateful - how NOT to be a MiL.

>174 richardderus: *rubs hands together* Ever gracious. Let's start with cranberry, shall we?

UGH to the MIL issues. Mine is angry that we're not meeting up with them for Christmas and just won't let it go. *EYE ROLL*

>Sing it, Sister! Mine is holding everyone hostage for a 10:30 am Zoom meeting on Christmas Day. The girls and I have already told Craig that we are out. I'm guessing he will do it, though, which will mess up our usual routine. So. Frustrating.

>178 Crazymamie: Oh, gross. *shakes head and rolls eyes* Mine will probably insist on something like that, too, but we don't have a set routine, really, once presents are opened bright and early, so, *shrug*.

You open gifts way earlier than we do, I am guessing. I know Charlie is a morning person. We do stockings first, then break for breakfast, then gifts. And all our kids are adults now, so we like to meander through the process.

>172 scaifea: Cool. I do need to improve my Excel work - like how do I delete and add columns to that sheet >167 richardderus: offered us yesterday.

>181 quondame: Easy. In the lettered column header, there is a subtle downward-pointing arrow. Click on him. A long list of options appears, including left- and right-ward column insertions and deleting the column you're in.

BEWARE DELETING COLUMNS OR ADDING THEM.

THERE ARE FORMULAS THAT DEPEND ON THE COLUMNS BEING WHERE THEY ARE.

Don't do it, if you don't want to spend some considerable time figuring out how to unscrew the pooch. Renaming them is a lot better idea. Go down into the pretty-colored headers and click; a blue box outlines the header; type the new text in the box. Clicking away works to save the new text.

>182 richardderus: Thanks. I've been hiding the ones I don't want to be guilt tripped by. But I do want to move them, which may mess with calculations - but are there any in this sheet?

Morning, Mamie! I have returned. Back to the retirement grind. Cold here. Only 30F today. I hope all is well at the Pecan Paradiso. I am wrapping up a novel you might like, Valentine. It was also loved by Joanne and Bonnie. A terrific debut.

>181 quondame:, >182 richardderus:, >183 quondame: Fascinating. Look at me learning!

>184 msf59: Morning, Mark! Lovely to have you back safe and sound. It's 70 and VERY humid here today - rainy and windy, so kind of yuck outside.

I will await your final thoughts on Valentine.

Hiya, Mamie!

We have rainy and windy, too, although it's 58 not 70. Tonight we'll get to freezing. In the meantime coffee! reading! Christmas cards!

>180 Crazymamie: Yeah, Charlie's up at 5:30 Every. Morning. So we get an early start on Christmas. We start with stockings (after Charlie examines what Santa leaves unwrapped under the tree), then gifts. We're not very meandering about it, and to be honest, I don't know that I'll ever be. I get too excited.

Morning, Mamie! It's Monday. You know what (not) to do...

Just a note re: spreadsheets: Excel and Google Sheets are not the same thing. They do much the same thing, but getting there can be slightly different. Still, if you learn one, the other is pretty easy to pick up, so RD's advice about using the BookRiot spreadsheet to get familiar with thefunctionality is smart.

Afternoon (well it is here and that way you get to fast forward through pre-Tuesday). It's not too bad here at the moment. For a Pre-Tuesday obviously.

>183 quondame:, >185 Crazymamie: There are oodles of formulas in that spreadsheet but hiding columns won't break them.

See, Mamie? You can do this if it suits you. Nothing specially difficult about it but it is complicated in the sense that you're going to need to pay extra attention to what you're doing. The good news is that, barring a complete failure of your hard drive, you'll always have the last version (the one you modified ~10 sec before) autosaved. And absolutely nothing you can do is unfixable.

>186 karenmarie: Well now the rain has gone and the temps have dropped. Still very windy. Currently 62F and less humid - I'll take it. We're supposed to have high temps in the 50s for the next four days, and I hope we get that. It would be so full of fabulous.

I also aim to coffee, read, and Christmas cards.

>187 scaifea: Even when the kids were little we never did 5:30. Thank goodness as I am not a morning person. I am not actually human until after the first coffee. And then somedays that is questionable. I love that you also get too excited about the presents to wait - I love to meander.

>188 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! Indeed I do. Good to know about Excel vs Google - I know nothing.

>189 Helenliz: It is currently 12:30 pm here, Helen, so we are making progress with the getting on of pre-Tuesday. I am in desperate need of more coffee. AND my tea has arrived from Teapigs! I ordered the one you said you loved and also the gingerbread tea. I shall report back when I have tried them.

>190 richardderus: I am going to give it a try once I have all of the Christmas stuff out of the way. Most exciting! Thank you so much for all the info. *smooch*

>192 Crazymamie: Hurrah! I had my delivery this week. Included the gingerbread as well as the spiced pear from the christmas flavours.

I was so tempted to try the spiced pear! Have you tried it yet?

>194 Crazymamie: yup. It's nice. Smells of pear, but it's mot terribly pear on the tongue. Quite spicy and tastes warming (as well as being actually hot) if that makes any sense at all.

It does make sense. I might have to place a second order...

Hey Mamie! At your mention of Christmas cards, I’ve decided to tackle them tonight while the Browns defense tackles the Ravens.
Also, a cup of Mexican hot chocolate may be involved in the process.

>197 Carmenere: Hello, Lynda! I was just wondering who played tonight, and now I know! Good thinking to combine the Christmas cards with the game. And Mexican hot chocolate - yum.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Tuesday. It is cold here but I still plan on getting out for a solo bird walk, just haven't decided where. I highly recommend Valentine and I am picking up Jack from the library today, which of course, I will start soon.

>199 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Tuesdaying. It's only going to 57F here today, and I am thrilled. I will add Valentine to The List just on your say so - try to remember to use your power only for good.

Good morning, Mamie! It got down to 27F here overnight and is now only 34F.

>191 Crazymamie: Our rule for when Jenna was little was that she couldn’t wake us up until 6 a.m. As she’s gotten older the time’s gotten later – we’re now up to 7 a.m.! Of course, she won’t be home this Christmas so it will be a Very Weird Day, but Bill and I will probably be up 7-ish anyway. We're not doing Christmas stockings, but will have one present for each other since we just bought the computer stuff we both needed and called it Christmas in November. We'll have other presents mailed from family, too.

Bundt bread for buffets.

Genius.

*smooch*

We always used to do stockings in the morning and mess around with the stuff inside all morning. Then our big Christmas lunch, then presents in the afternoon, then Christmas tea.

I’d love for that tradition to continue but John does it differently, and now we’ll have a 6 week old baby at Christmas, who knows when I’ll be having a nap or when I’ll feel like opening presents. My main present would be a solid 3 hour snooze in the afternoon with everyone else leaving me in peace and looking after the baby, but our house isn’t very big and inevitably the dog would whine at the door to come in and nap on me, so it wouldn’t be very peaceful. I guess I’m destined to just snooze on the sofa under the baby while I make everyone run around after me ;).

Still waiting to put the presents out on Christmas Eve, but at least we don't have to get up at the crack of dawn now that my kids are grown. It will be a bit hard because my eldest is not coming over to celebrate (damn COVID) this year. We will Zoom a bit. I am hiding stuff everywhere because, with my full house, the room I was using to wrap in is now a bedroom again. LOL.

Morning, Mamie. Happy Wednesday. My feeders were really hopping yesterday but I didn't see much on my solo ramble. I enjoy getting out for exercise and fresh air, regardless.

Lots of planning for the holidays on this thread, Mamie. This Christmas will be a strange one here with no social gatherings other than virtual ones but our sales are increasing in our liquor stores.

>201 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! We are getting cooler temps, too, which I am loving. Only going to 50F today (it's 43F right now) and a low of 29F.

I am sorry that you won't be able to have Jenna home at Christmas - such a bummer. We usually end up starting closer to about 9am these days. When the kids were smaller, it was probably more like 7am. Craig and I are replacing our laptops for Christmas, so we won't be exchanging gifts, either.

>202 richardderus: Well, that is so clever - I would not have thought of baking bread in a bundt pan like that. I wonder what kind it is. *smooch back*

>203 lunacat: Jenny!!! How full of fabulous to see you here! Congratulations on the baby - most exciting. I like your old Christmas schedule - that would be right up my alley. Snoozing on the sofa under the baby while life goes on around you sounds good - I remember those days. Daniel was a November baby, so about the age of yours on his first Christmas. I loved getting up to feed him in the wee small hours and being able to turn the tree on while I did it. It felt like a magic moment. Hoping your first Christmas with your little one is everything you want it to be.

>204 Berly: Kim, we used to stay up until the kids were all in bed and then sneak them out. That was how my mom always did it, so we continued the tradition. This year I put the Christmas jammies under the tree and Abby and Rae added their wrapped gifts, and we are loving seeing the presents. We don't usually get time to appreciate seeing the wrapped packages, so we are enjoying it. No bows or ribbon though, as Mayhem would eat them. Heh. Good luck with retrieving all of your hidden presents - I usually forget where I stashed some of them and then we have a Mad Hunt for them.

>205 msf59: Hey there, Mark! We have made it to Thursday now. We have been slowly getting birds back to our feeders - we had hawks that were picking some of them off for a while, which was disturbing to say the least.

>206 Familyhistorian: Hello, Meg! A strange Christmas indeed. This part of Georgia is a weird mix of people trying hard to do the right thing and people who could care less how their behavior effects those around them. Some stores have mask requirements and others have nothing. I only go to places that require a mask, and even then sometimes you will see someone in there without one. This happened to me at the Publix yesterday. It is mind boggling. They seem to think that their choice to not wear a mask is only about them.

We used to have a sack in our room, which contained a Terry chocolate orange and an outfit, which we'd then wear on Christmas day.
Timings varied over the year. It got later in the day, that I do know. One year we all got invited to the neighbours for Christmas morning drinks, when we all got very pie-eyed and didn't get around to presents until after Christmas dinner (had at 3pm, with her Maj)

We love those Terry chocolate oranges, Helen! I just bought some of those yesterday for the stockings. Love the story - thanks for sharing.

I tried the tea you described as lush, and I love it. Lush is exactly right as it is so rich and smooth. Drinking some right now as a matter of fact. Have you tried the gingerbread tea yet?

>200 Crazymamie: That temperature sounds lovely

>201 karenmarie: That temperature sounds familiar.

>210 Crazymamie: So glad you liked the Creme caramel! I'm currently on Rooibos & Honeybush in the morning & chocolate mint in the afternoons. I'll get onto the Ginergbread in a few days. Either that or the Chocolate orange tea. Decisions, decisions... I get through about 6/7 cups of tea a day, so it won't be long.

>211 PaulCranswick: I love when the temps are in the 50s, Paul. It's lovely to be able to wear long sleeves out.

>212 Helenliz: I got Abby one of the chocolate ones for in her stocking, but I can't remember which one. I am tempted by the chocolate orange as I love those flavors together. I drink more coffee than tea usually, but I have been in a tea mood lately. So glad you mentioned your current favorite as that led me to investigate Teapigs.

Morning, Mamie! Sweet Thursday. I didn't get out for a walk yesterday due to the cold and flurries but I hope to get out today for some fresh air and exercise. I always like to hear what you see at your feeders, so let me know.

Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday. I was out and about yesterday -it was raining and kind of miserable for grocery shopping, but I loved the cooler temps.

We get house finch, purple finch, tufted titmouse, and cardinals mostly. We also have Eurasian collared doves, which the cats love to watch.

Hi Mamie! Happy Thursday to you.

I'm jealous of the Eurasian Collared Doves, have never seen one. I did hear them in California in 2017. Their call is very different than that of the Mourning Dove.

>216 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! Happy Thursday. We have two pairs of the doves, and you are right that they sound so different from Mourning Doves. Our cats are completely entertained by them.

>207 Crazymamie: It's a plain white loaf second-proved in the bundt pan in >202 richardderus:.

>218 richardderus: Oh, thanks for that. It makes such an elegant presentation.

>219 Crazymamie: I asked Rob to try it out to see if it would work for him. First issue: How big a bundt pan (how many cups) for how much dough?

He has 2-10 cup ones; we figured that a recipe for a two-pound loaf would be a wee bit too much for one and slightly scanty for two. Stay tuned.

>220 richardderus: Fascinating. I eagerly await your next report. *goes to make some popcorn*

Well, this thread has made me hungry again. I'll add chocolate orange (dark chocolate only, of course) to the shopping list.

All this Christmasy stuff going on. Excellent.

Judi and I were on the fence about doing any decorating at all, since no one is going to be visiting us. But today we drove to the grower that we've been buying from for several years and got a nice little tree, about 6 feet tall. It's standing in the dining room but it'll end up in a corner of the living room. Maybe some decorations, maybe a string or two of lights. Remains to be seen.

I have to contrive a reason to get out of the house for two or three hours, so I can pick up Judi's present at Best Buy. Curbside pickup. I can hear her now: "Where are you going? What do you have to do?" I think my line will be: "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies." And meanwhile, the books for me that our son ordered from amazon on his mother's behalf are in the Amazon carton on the sofa...tantalizing me.

I'm sure we'll have the family Zoom together. But no hugs and kisses with our kids and grands. Boo hoo. Maybe in the summer...

>223 weird_O: The Christmas cards are cheering me in this strange Christmas season. I think the tree would do the same. Next year my tree will go up before Thanksgiving so I can enjoy it longer. I usually take down on January 6 so I can enjoy the full 12 days of Christmas all the way from Christmas to Epiphany.

>222 charl08: Charlotte, the dark chocolate kind is the favorite of both Birdy and myself. Rae and Abby like the milk chocolate one.

>223 weird_O: Tis the season, oh Weird One. I am happy you got a tree - if nothing else, the lovely smell of it will be full of fabulous. I myownself love a tree with just lights.

Your chosen response gave me a giggle - I hope you went with that one. Please be good and do not peek in the Amazon carton. Boo indeed to no hugs and kisses - a hug is a powerful thing, and I miss the ones my Dad used to give me. Always made me feel safe and cherished and valued and special all at the same time. If I close my eyes I can still smell his aftershave and that smell that was uniquely him.

>224 thornton37814: We always leave our tree up into January, too, Lori.

>1 Crazymamie: Thanks for the link for coffee and classics. I am so very tempted. I just may give myself a Christmas present.

I send all good wishes for a wonderful holiday!



This is an image from the collection of Gennady Spirin, one of my favorite illustrators.

>225 Crazymamie: You are welcome, Linda! Hoping you do decide to treat yourself. And thank you for those holiday wishes - most appreciated. Hoping your is full of fabulous!

I really love that image.

I think my granddaughter is going to decorate cookies with me today. :) My sister, whose granddaughter is a couple years younger than Scout, and who is a better housekeeper than I am asked me if I noticed finding sprinkles all over the house after one of our decorating sessions. :)

Reading Update:



......

...

December Reads:
77. The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen, audio narrated by Katherine Kellgren (Her Royal Spyness, book 6) - these are always fun on audio because of the talents of the late Katherine Kellgren. She makes these so delightful - they are like candy to me.

78. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, hardback, classic - this started out well and then went downhill when it got to the second narrative. Never redeemed itself for me, but I did love the writing. Jane Eyre remains my favorite by one of the Brontës so far.

79. Moby Dick by Herman Melville, hardback, classic - I love this which surprised me. Ended up giving it 4.5 stars. One I will read again.

80. From the Fifteenth District: Stories by Mavis Gallant, Kindle, short stories - these stories are all set in France around WWII. The Amazon blurb says: "Mavis Gallant has a unique talent for distilling the sense of otherness one feels abroad into something tangible and utterly understandable. In this collection, she relates the stories of those stranded in relationships, places, and even times in which they don’t belong." They are more like character studies, and I felt like I was getting a glimpse of their lives in the middle of the story. Very well done and it left me wanting more - they all felt unfinished which I think was intentional. My favorite was The Moslem Wife.

81. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams, Kindle, contemporary romance - this was fun and light, so perfect to pair with my heavier reads. I think Charlotte recommended it, so thank you, Charlotte!

*edited to correct typos

So glad you loved Moby Dick! I had to read it for high school and remember reading under the blanket at 3 in the morning because I just HAD to finish it. Then I reread it for a group discussion a few years ago. It certainly holds up.

Hi Mamie. Have a bûche de Noël!

'Morning, Mamie, and happy Sunday to you.

Congrats on finishing Moby Dick. I haven't touched it in months for a variety of reasons. Sigh.

>229 Crazymamie: I felt the same way about the Bronte. Blech. But yay for Moby Dick!!

Morning, Mamie. I hope you had a fine weekend at the Pecan Paradiso. I sure did. Books, birds, beer & Bears! I wish we had more Tufted Titmouse visiting our feeders. I have only seen them twice in the past 4-plus years.

>230 ffortsa: Judy, I was expecting it to be a bit of a slog, but it was fascinating, and the ending is excellent. My copy is full of book darts.

>231 richardderus: Mighty purty! I have never had one of those but it looks most yum. Thanks, BigDaddy! *smooch*

>232 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! Sunday was good - mostly full of lazy. And football.

If it's not calling to you, then I say leave it be until it does. And if that is never, that's okay. Too many books and too little time.

>233 scaifea: I was surprised, Amber, because I love both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, so I was expecting to at least like it. Too much religion and righteousness, and too little common sense and decency. I mean, Helen leaves her abusive husband for the sake of her son but then drags that same son right back there when the husband is ill. Really?! And she risks her own health to take care of him without any thought or concern about what will happen to her son if she dies? It really bothers me when people put "duty" before self-respect and integrity. Also when people are stupid.

And yes, HOORAY for Moby Dick!

>234 msf59: Morning, Mark! I cannot complain about my weekend. Books, cats, wine, and football. I love the tufter titmouse! They always make me smile. We have one here most days at the feeder outside our bedroom window.

Morning, Mamie (in under the wire)!

I'm trying to focus on work so I can enjoy my time off, but so far, it's not really happening. Too much holiday excitement. Or too much lazy. One or the other....

Hey there, Katie! Perhaps too much holiday excitement about being lazy? This describes me. Heh.

Hoping you conquer the work so you can focus on the fun stuff. Sending you worker bee mojo because really, one of us should be getting stuff done.

Happy Yule! And you lucky luckies are in a place where you're able to see the Great Conjunction tonight. We're clouded over, darn it.

Happy Yule! It is perfectly clear tonight - we got a very good look. The stars are gorgeous tonight, so we lucked out. Sorry you had clouds - total bummer.

It's the first in 800 years that's so close in the sky & visible, astrologically speaking a time of greatest possible change. What do y'all say let's do like they did in Pisa: Take the mistakes of the past & make them shine beautifully.

That just reminded me to go out and look at the star again. I'd been out earlier but when there was still some light in the western sky. Lovely.

Hi, Mamie! Just stopping by to say hello and see what you've been reading lately.

>239 richardderus: Richard, we've got clouds, too, and rain-turning-to-snow. No starshine.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Tuesday. We did see a pair of majestic Bald Eagles on our bird outing yesterday, but not much else. Are you busy getting things ready for Christmas?

Hi Mamie!

>240 Crazymamie: We were able to see the Great Conjunction last night too.


... and here's to a better 2021!

Morning, Mamie!

Happy everything, Mamie. Here's to good health, above all, and of course, good books.

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas and a joyous 2021!

Or in other words, Happy Christmas! And have a great New Year as well.

Crazy--Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
May 2021 bring you less need for masks, loads of peace and joy, good health and, of course, books!

Hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays Mamie!

I hope you get some of those at least, Mamie and all at the Pecan Paradisio, as we all look forward to a better 2021.

Merry Christmas, Mamie, to you and yours.

Merry Christmas, Mamie!

Merry Christmas, Mamie, to you and the Pecan Paradisio gang!

I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Christmas, Mamie!

Ho ho ho. Ha ha ha. Tee hee laughy laughy. Wheeeeee!

Holidays, don't ya know.

Wanna help me kick 202 to the curb? 2021 group is here

Oof! Sorry to be absent from my own thread again - Craig got really sick just before Christmas and is only now starting to feel better. I ended up having to do all the wrapping and holiday prep, and all of that made my carpal tunnel flare up, so...

We had a very low key holiday celebration - Christmas Eve we played Settlers of Catan (I won!!) and watched A Muppet Christmas Carol, which, as Amber says, is da Best one ever. For Christmas morning we did a breakfast board - like a charcuterie board but with all breakfast foods. Most yum! We are going to do it again next year because it was such a hit. Santa was very good to me - books, a new laptop, and wine.

I am SO ready for 2021.

>241 richardderus: I love that, Richard! "...a time of greatest possible change..." Yes, please.

>242 ronincats: Lovely indeed, Roni. We had beautifully clear skies for the viewing - so happy we got to see it.

>243 tymfos: Terri!! Hello there. SO great to see you here.

>244 msf59: Hey, Mark - yes, I was very busy with Christmas prep. I am happy it is done and dusted. Looking forward to a bit of the lazy, if I am honest.

>245 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen! I did not make it around the threads to wish every one happy, so it was lovely to see so many had stopped by here.

>246 katiekrug: Hello, Katie! *grin*

>247 jessibud2: Shelley, thank you so much for those good wishes! Wishing for you the same.

>248 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda! I love that image. Full of joy in 2021 would be awesome.

>249 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian!

>250 Berly: I love those New Year wishes, Kim. Thank you, my friend!

>251 AMQS: Thanks, Anne!

>252 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle!

>253 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne!

>254 quondame: Thanks, Susan!

>255 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>256 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen!

>257 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry!

>258 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe!

>259 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, Judy!

>260 weird_O: Your posts always make me laugh, oh Weird One. Thanks for that.

>261 drneutron: Hell, yes, Jim.

I am so so glad Craig's better now. I hope to goodness it's not going to be a problem recovery, that's just no fun for anyone.

See you in the new 2021 group?

>270 richardderus: He is so much better today, Richard, so I hope it continues in that vein.

Indeed, I will be there - I joined, I just have not set up a thread yet.

Glad Christmas went well, and hope that Craig is on the road to recovery - and didn't pass the lurgy on!

Thanks, Helen. The rest of us are feeling fine, so I think we have escaped the lurgy, thank goodness.

I have tried the gingerbread tea, and it is So Good. Of course it is, because it was a limited edition. Heh. And Abby has tried the one you recommended and loves it.

>273 Crazymamie: Ohhh Good. It took me a while to place what the gingerbread tea reminded me of and finally I twigged, it's a lot like Lebkuchen in a mug. I'm working my way through my box as well.

Helen, I had to goggle Lebkuchen, and now I want one.

Morning, Mamie. I hope you are getting some lazy time in, which includes lots and lots of reading.

Hi Mamie!

I'm sorry to hear that Craig was so sick over Christmas, glad he's much better.

Lazy is good, especially after Christmas prep and carpal tunnel flare up.

With Jenna not home for Christmas we didn't decorate at all. I only have to put away the Christmas Present Wrapping Station I had set up in my Retreat and might do that today. Or not. Lazy is good...

>275 Crazymamie: I ate as much Lebkuchen as I could when I was in what was still West Germany in 1979. So yummy.

Sorry to see sickness and pain made it to your house for Christmas! Hope everyone is on the mend!

>277 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! I'm glad Craig is getting better, too - he does not do sickness well. And he was so miserable.

Agreed about the lazy. I would actually love to take down all the Christmas today and box it up and be done with 2020, but Craig likes it up through the New Year. His parents were very stingy with the happy, so I like him to have it, and leaving the decor up is such a small thing.

The Lebkuchen sounds right up my alley.

>278 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. We are indeed on the mend, so that is good.

>275 Crazymamie: I wait each year for Trader Joe's to release the Lebkuchen. They are only found after Thanksgiving and are gone by Christmas. I have 1 left. Just one sad Lebkuchen. Tomorrow there will be none.

Okay, I don't know Lebkuchen but my fantasy is to retire in 7 months and move to a town with a Trader Joe's, and work there 15-20 hours a week. I would love engaging with the customers and I would relish the TJs treats I could bring home every week. I doubt I would lose weight. LOL.

Our Christmas was quite, too. We made cinnamon rolls from scratch (delicious!! -- and we added pecans) and then had Tuscan Beef Stew for dinner. I'm looking forward to retirement partly because P and I have realized that we enjoy cooking and/or baking together.

Books? I finished and loved The Eighth Detective and I'm listening to Memorial Drive which is excellent.

Happy New Year, my friend!!

Lubkuchen? What have I been missing out on? And now I have to wait a whole year to find out? Dang it! : ) Hope Craig is all better by now and I am also leaving up the decoration until this weekend. I always had them down by the 30th, because that's my oldest laughers's Bday and I wanted her day to be special and separate, but since she has her own house now, I can leave them up a bit!!

I'm so glad that Craig is feeling better!

Tomm is the same way with decorations - he wants them up for this whole week. I'm cringing (having to look at them all week makes my Christmas-New Year's annual Sadness Slump exponentially worse), but, like Craig, he had so little of the happy as a kid that I suffer in silence.

Drat! Sorry to read Craig was sick for Christmas but on the bright side he should be in tip top shape for New Year celebrations.

Otherwise, your Christmas sounds delightful.

I asked Will when he'd like to take down the tree and maybe because he likes to procrastinate for maybe he simply likes it, he said wait till after New Years. It doesn't matter to me one way or the other but since it signifies home rather than college life, I understand.

Hi Mamie!

I hope things are going well at the Pecan Paradisio today, and that there are still lots of Christmas goodies to eat and drink.

>275 Crazymamie: You cannot have just one lebkuchen. A plateful is rarely enough.

>280 quondame: That is a tragic tale, Susan. I would weep for you except that I have no Lebkuchen. None. *sob*

>281 EBT1002: Hello, Ellen! So lovely to see you here - I have been lousy about keeping up with the threads this year. Hoping to do MUCH better in 2021. I love your fantasy - it sounds perfect. I have never been to a Trader Joe's but it's on my bucket list. The closest one to us is in Florida, so it will have to wait until after the pandemic.

Your cinnamon rolls sound full of fabulous - you know how I feel about pecans! I have never made them from scratch - we just use Pillsbury because we are lazy. And Tuscan beef stew! That sounds delish. How lovely that you have discovered that you and P like to bake/cook together. I do not enjoy doing either of those with Craig because he is a wild man in the kitchen, makes a huge mess, and is completely unpredictable about where he will step next which make for a great comedy routine but not for any kind of harmony in food prep. Abby and I, however, love to work together in the kitchen.

I have The Eighth Detective on The List thanks to Charlotte, but sounds like I need to bump it up. And I'm adding Memorial Drive to the Audible WL - thanks for that.

I thank you kindly for those good wishes and for your charming and thoughtful post. Wishing you happy, too, my friend.

>282 Berly: My thoughts exactly, Kim. Maybe my the time it is available again we will both be able to visit a Trader Joe's.

Craig is all better now, thank you. We are looking forward to a quiet incoming of the New Year. I love that you always had the decorations down so that your daughter got to have her own special day. One of my sisters has a December 21st birthday, but she always loved all the Christmas stuff and that she got to have Christmas and birthday so close together. My sister Julie, however, has a December 6th birthday and woe to the person who presents a birthday gift in Christmas wrapping paper. Heh. Craig's is on December 5th, and he does not care about the choice of paper so long as there is a gift.

>283 scaifea: Me, too, Amber. I don't have a slump, but I do like getting the house back, and I really do not like all the putting of things away, so I am thrilled when it is over. Until then, I dread the undoing of it all.

>284 Carmenere: Yep - he is feeling so much better, and he is off today through Sunday, so it's nice for him to be able to enjoy the time off instead of being ill. You are right that except for that, Christmas was lovely.

Good for you letting Will choose. I do like reading by the light from the tree in the wee small hours of the morning, so there is that.

>285 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! We did a good job of stretching out the Christmas goodies. We are doing takeaway appetizers from local restaurants this year to help support their businesses, which will free up my time for indulging in lazy pursuits. *grin*

>286 quondame: Oh, dear. So like potato chips, then, or french fries.

Reading Update:



......

...

82. A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders, Kindle, mystery - recommended by Charlotte - This was a light and fun murder mystery that is the first in a series. I don't usually read contemporary cozy mysteries, but this one was lively and full of humor.

83. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher, Kindle, dystopian - Katie's Dirty Dozen - Okay, I ended up loving this despite my worrying about the dogs in the story. It is beautifully rendered, and the ending surprised me. This is not just a dystopian but also a book about books, as the boy in the title loves to read and shares his thoughts on what he has read throughout the story. There is a truly fabulous treat if you read the author's note "On dogs and other stories..." at the end of the book. He tells you about the dog that he based the one in the story on and also about the dog he had as a child. He was 22 years old when the dog that he got for his 5th birthday died, and he shares this:

"My dad was not of a generation of men who spoke easily about emotions, but I still have the letter he wrote to me at the time. In unexpectedly moving language, he said that if you were lucky, you got several great dogs in a lifetime, but you were guaranteed at least two great ones: the one you grew up with, and the one you watch your child or children grow up with.... he was trying to tell me that the end of something wasn't always a permanent end but could eventually be the start of something new and different. But the real point of the letter was not the point of what he was saying, but the fact that he was saying it at all; it was the first time I looked up and realized that there was a whole unexpected emotional story going on beneath my father's habitually gruff and somewhat stormy exterior, which I had, until then, been blind to.

And maybe because I was studying literature and was for the first time acknowledging to myself that I wanted to be a writer and so was thinking about stories as something I wanted to make rather than consume, I now think that letter made me realize two important things: firstly that character reveals itself as much by what is not said as by what is, and secondly that character reveals a lot about itself by the timing of that moment when what has not been said is finally voiced. That unexpectedness, those contradictions between light and shade, all the inner conflicts at odds with the outer appearance are what make characters really sing in our minds."

Look at me squeezing one more in!


84. Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick, Kindle, non-fiction, books about books

This was good. Pretty much a love letter from Philbrick to Melville about why he loves Moby-Dick, but with truly great insights. I don't know that it would convince you to read Moby-Dick, but it is a brilliant follow-up to reading the iconic novel. It's full of spoilers, so don't read this first if you want to be surprised. *grin*

#83 Oh nonononono

All dogs live forever, and they really do go live on big big farms far away.

#84 Spoilers for a book 170 years old? Really?! *sigh*

Dear Richard,

Both dogs in the story come out just fine. Birdy had to look it up for me so that I could continue to read the story. Horrible things happen to people, okay, but NOT the dogs, dammit.

Mme ma très chere amie Mamie: Yeah, well, who cares about people as long as the dogs are okay!

Ever thine own, Me

*smooch*

>289 Crazymamie: Yes, but gingery sweet and a bit like somebody re-imagined fruitcake right, just a tooth of fruit in each bite and the impression on the mouth of the icing and meringue wafer on the bottom almost recalls shrimp chips.

Time to take out the trash!

>287 Crazymamie: I do not enjoy doing either of those with Craig because he is a wild man in the kitchen, makes a huge mess, and is completely unpredictable about where he will step next which make for a great comedy routine but not for any kind of harmony in food prep. Abby and I, however, love to work together in the kitchen.

This is Tomm, exactly (and Charlie and I together, exactly)! Ha!

>296 quondame: Susan, you are a food poet. They sound decadent.

>297 weird_O: Most excellent, Bill. I did not even have to take it to the dump myself.

>298 scaifea:

So glad you ended up liking the Fletcher as much as I did! The ending also surprised me.

'Morning, Mamie!

My Bill is not a kitchen guy at all, which means that I'm in total and sole control except for the microwave and the fact that he does dishes and empties the dishwasher more than occasionally. I prefer it that way, to tell you the truth. Jenna and I get along great in the kitchen, though, and I miss that she wasn't here to help this year.

I hope you have a wonderful NYE with your family.

>300 katiekrug: It was full of fabulous, Katie. I am so happy that I finished it - one I will reread down the road.

>301 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I can cook o bake with any of the kids in the kitchen, and things run very smoothly, but if you add Craig to the equation, then BOOM baby. We just try to get out of his way if he takes possession and try not to sigh about the mess. He is much better outside with the grill, although he is still kind of a nut. Heh.

I bet you do miss that Jenna was not there to cook and bake with this year. I am sorry for that. I love hanging in the kitchen with any of the kids. Hoping you get that back in 2021.

Thank you for those good wishes. Hoping yours is filled with hope.

For 2021: “Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.”
— Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, 1987

Amen, brother.

Mamie

As the year turns, friendship continues

((((Mamie))))

>305 PaulCranswick:, >306 quondame:, >307 ronincats: Thank you Paul, Susan, and Roni! See you over in 2021!!

Morning, Mamie. Happy Saturday. We have snow & ice here, so I might just hang at home with the books and peek out at the feeders now and then. They have been bustling.

Morning, Mark! Happy Saturday! Sounds like an excellent plan. Our feeders have been busy lately, too. I am also doing the lazy today even though, alas, there is no snow in sight here.

Happy new year, Mamie!! Looking forward to following life in Pecan Paradiso again this year.

Happy New Year, Reba! You can find my new thread here: Mamie's 2021 Madness