WitchyRichy Reads the Roots for 2024

Welcome to my thread! I am Karen Richardson, aka Witchyrichy, and this is my 10th year in the 75ers group, and in October 2024, I will celebrate my 19th year on LibraryThing. I am mostly retired from public life although I do a bit of teaching related to educational technology for a couple universities and some instructional design for a few clients. Otherwise, when I wake up on Monday mornings, I can pretty much do what I want. And, often what I want to do is read!

I live with my husband of 32 years, Bob, and Circe the cat, in a 19th century farmhouse on 18 acres in rural southeast Virginia. I could not decide on one picture so made a header: Circe the cat, sunrise over the pole barn, cardinals in the back yard, and a rainbow over the farm.

Bottle Tree Farm, as we call it, is our own little bit of paradise and came with a library for my books, which helps make up for the challenges of living in an old house (think lack of HVAC). The books also spill out into every other room of the house. My major goal this year is to read the books I already own (lots and lots of ROOTS) and start clearing the shelves a bit.

Besides reading, I garden, crochet and play music as my main hobbies. I reignited my blog last year when I retired and plan to publish more posts in 2024. My husband and I share a love for the outdoors including gardening, camping and birding.

I am looking forward, once again, to sharing my life and reading with this wonderful group of people!

Reading Now

Standing at the Edge by Joan Halifax

Daily Readings:
Circle of the Seasons by Edwin Way Teale
The SBL Study Bible

1. Featuring Twins
2. Epistolary or Diary:
3. Featuring Water
4. Written in Another Cultural Tradition
5. Current or Recent Bestsellers
6. Topic About Which You Have Specific Knowledge: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
7. Person's Name in Title
8. Ugly Cover: The Thing About Life is that One Day You'll be Dead
9. Less than 100 copies on LT: Planning Forest Life: Practical Meditations on Canoeing, Fishing, Hunting, and Bushcraft by George Washington Sears
10. "Big" or "Little" in the Title
11. Paper-based Item in Plot
12. Food or Cooking
13. Read a CAT: My Family and Other Animals
14. Author 65 or older: Planning The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
15. Short Story Collection: Bibliomysteries: Volume Two
16. POC Author
17. Three-Word Title: The Little Liar by Mitch Albom
18. Book from LT "similar library": Planning Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
19. Set in a City
20. Warriors or Mercenaries
21. Reread a Favorite Book
22. About Friendship: At Home on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
23. Set in Multiple Countries
24. Only Title and Author on Cover
25. Publication Year Ending in 24: The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry (2024)

Challenges

January:

AlphaKIT A and Y:
✅A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
✅Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown

SFF KIT: Epic Fantasy
✅Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

RandomKIT: Early Birds
✅The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society by Augusta Trobaugh

January CalendarCAT:
✅My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Burrell

British Author Challenge: Joan Aiken
✅The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

January HistoryCAT: North & South American Wars and Conflicts
✅Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green

January MysteryKIT:
✅Bibliomysteries: Volume Two by Otto Penzler

January - March

January 10

The Little Liar by Mitch Albom
Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost (audio)
A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Bell (AlphaKIT Y)
The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society by Augusta Trobaugh
Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green
Bibliomysteries: Volume Two by Otto Penzler

February 8

The Thing About Life is That One Day You'll Be Dead by David Shields
Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
At Home on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
The House Is On Fire by Rachel Beanland
Fear Itself by Walter Moseley
Endpapers by Alexander Wolff
The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

March 11

Falling in Love by Donna Leon (audio)
Follow the River by James Alexander Thom
The Butchered Man by Harriet Smart
The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson
Learning to Swim by Shayla Dugan
Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay
Fifteen Hurricanes The Changed the Carolinas by Jay Barnes
A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd
A Midlife Holiday by Cary J. Hansson (audio)

April - June

April

Bookbound by Roger Leslie Paige
A Midlife Baby by Cary J. Hansson (audio)
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence
Chesapeake Requiem: A Year With the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island by Earl Swift
A Midlife Gamble by Cary J. Hansson (audio)
The Bookseller's Secret by Michelle Gable
The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

May

The London Bookshop Affair (audio) by Louise Fein
The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz
Due or Die by Jenn McKinlay
Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz

July - September

October - December

Starred!

>10 fuzzi: Thanks! Happy new year!

Just checking that the Threadbook is pointing to the correct thread and moving my welcome back to this one!

I'm also a bit confused, Karen.
So we all use this one?

Happy new year anyway dear lady.

Happy New Year, Karen!

Hi Karen. I'm here and dropping off my star at your correct thread.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

And Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year, and thread, Karen! Many happy read this year.

Happy reading in 2024, Karen!

Hi Karen! Happy New Year and happy (correct) thread of 2024.

>1 witchyrichy: Excellent photos. I was going to say especially Circe, but they are all gorgeous. Have you ever shown us a picture of your Library? Hint, hint.

>3 witchyrichy: Earworm for the Christmas carol…

>4 witchyrichy: I’d be interested in a bingo challenge this year and this one looks like a good one. How do you mark a square as complete?

Happy New Year, Karen. I hope 2024 is a good year for you

>13 PaulCranswick: Yes, Paul. This is the one! Our internet has been wonky and I somehow managed to create two threads. Thanks for your patience and good wishes.

>19 karenmarie: I thought about posting a library picture. Have to figure out the best angle.

As for the Bingo Card, all is explained at this thread at the 2024 Category Challenge and you can find another version of the card as well: https://www.librarything.com/topic/354729

The code you copy includes a space to put in the marker numbers and you can change the color of your markers:
img src="http://www.lshelby.com/Utilities/Bingo/bingocardC.php?type=CAT2024-1&color=black&markers=1-2-3"

It's fun. I don't do a whole lot of challenges any more but the topics are general enough to match lots of possible books and helps me dig into the shelves.

>14 AMQS: Thanks! Best wishes to you!

>15 EBT1002: Happy new year! Thanks to Jim for getting it straight!

>16 Berly: Same to you! So far, so good ;-)

>17 vancouverdeb: Thanks! Looking forward to a great year of reading.

>18 FAMeulstee: Same to you! Serious about working on the ROOTs.

My first book of 2024 is for my RLBG: The Little Liar by Mitch Albom. He tells the story of four young people in Salonika, Greece, caught up in the horror of the Holocaust. Their stories diverge and intersect, narrated by the Angel of Truth, expelled from Heaven for speaking the truth about humans. Albom focuses on the the lies we tell and the reasons we tell them. Nico, the main character who connects the others, begins as a truth teller but is twisted by evil. The book had the prose style of a parable, and at one point, Albom talks about how parables are the truth dressed up so that people listen. He has written a parable for our time. It was a tough read at some point with graphic descriptions of the depravity of the Holocaust and the horrific decisions human beings were forced to make in the face of that depravity.

>22 witchyrichy: Okay, with those specific directions, I am going to give the Bingo a try! I need a motive to read off my shelves more. Thanks! : )

I did the Bingo challenge a couple years ago and it was fun. I think I'm going to resist -- staying with my promise to avoid commitments for the first six months of retirement, ha ha!

>25 Berly: Glad I could be of help. I do need to go back and make the list to go with the card so I can track the actual books. But that is just straight text.

>26 EBT1002: You are *very* smart to take time for yourself. ENJOY!

Hi, Karen. I started a wrong thread for 2024, somehow connecting it to "What Are You Reading Now" rather than the 75ers. Take heart: it all works out for the best. (Or some such malarkey. :-)) You are here and seem to have attracted visitors.

>28 weird_O: Thanks for commiserating! Fortunately, I discovered the two threads quickly enough and Jim was right there to help!

And, thanks for stopping by! Happy 2024!

A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball has been on my Kindle for some time so it definitely counts toward the ROOTs. And the Alpha Kit led me to finding a book with a Y, a somewhat unusual letter it seems.

However I ended up reading it, I thoroughly enjoyed this story of three friends who walk away from their comfortable suburban lives to buy an old farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. They commit to a year and face all sorts of obstacles from the house, the farm and their children. But they also discover the simple joys of life in the country along with a community. I am looking forward to exploring the rest of the series.

Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost was the first installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mysteries and an annual listening for me. These are classic cozy mysteries set in Mistletoe, Maine, a quaint town full of quirky characters who host tourists every Christmas who come to play Reindeer Games. Holly White and her parents run the farm and the old inn as well as the games. And, Holly gets involved in the mysteries. This one was a worthy addition to the series and seemed somewhat final. So...we shall see.

Happy New Year, Karen! I look forward to your adventures of growing on Bottletree Farm as well as your reading.

Congratulations on already finishing three books!

>32 streamsong: Thanks! Glad to see you.

The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society has some similarities to the Ladybug Farm books: single women friends living and thriving in a small town. In this case, the women have strong generational ties to the community. But, when their mentor dies and her house and land are sold, they discover that the outside world is ready to move in, in the person of a retired judge whose charm catches almost everyone off guard. Here is where the book takes a different path as two of the friends decide to take things into their own hands where the judge is concerned. I thoroughly enjoyed this dark comedy, where older women again play a strong role, showing what they can do despite their age.

This one has been lurking on my Kindle for a long time. I picked it to match the January RandomKIT: Early Birds. It had bird in the title and was, at least a little bit, about birds.

>1 witchyrichy: Great topper photos!

>2 witchyrichy: Oh my! Three books already ( I see you added a fourth on the last post). Nicely done

Happy weekend reading!

Good luck with your 2024 reading!

Happy 2024, Karen!

>34 witchyrichy: Well, that sounds like a fun read!

Happy New Year, Karen!

>34 witchyrichy: I’m really enjoying books about elderly ladies doing interesting things! Couldn’t be because I myself am an elderly lady. (Though I’ve never been much of a lady, tbh. 😂) Onto the wishlist it goes.

Hello, Karen! I'm atozgrl, AKA Irene, and I returned to LT last year after a long absence and became involved in the 75ers. I occasionally saw you around the threads last year, but I never managed to drop by your own thread. I decided I needed to remedy that, especially after I saw that you had posted a review of a book I recently finished: The little bookstore of big Stone Gap. I'm in NC, so I guess I'm not too far from where you are. I absolutely love the pictures at the top of your thread!

The Bingo looks interesting, but I've already gotten involved in so many challenges plus book clubs, and I don't want to overcommit. But I think I will go take a look.

Good luck with your goal of reading more of your own books. Here's to a year of great reading!

>40 atozgrl: Welcome to my thread! Glad to have you. I am in south central Virginia but have a love affair with SWVA. Here's an album of pictures from a trip I made in July of 2022. My husband and I went back last summer but I haven't organized those pictures. Click the picture and you'll get to see the whole album. My biggest thrill was getting to eat at Barbara Kingsolver's restaurant in Glade Spring. It closed very soon after that.



Heading to your thread right now! I like the Bingo card as it is SO open ended and can overlap with other challenges. I have no problem counting a book for two different challenges. Hope that's not against the rules!

I am caught up on threads and was inspired to do my own year-end meme. It is a wonderful way to review a year of reading.

Describe yourself: Book Lovers
Describe how you feel: Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature
Describe where you currently live: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Christmas at the Island Hotel
Your favorite form of transportation is: Murder on the Pneumatic Railway
Your favorite food is: Mystic Tea
Your favorite time of day is: The Evening and the Morning
Your best friend is: The Unsinkable Greta James
You and your friends are: Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
What's the weather like? Small Rain
You fear: A Sea of Troubles
What is the best advice you have to give?: Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer
Thought for the day: Just One Damned Thing After Another
What is life for you?: Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom
How you would like to die: At the Edge of the Orchard
Your soul's present condition: The Book of Joy
What was 2023 like for you?: The Echo of Old Books
What do you want from 2024?: The Queen of the Big Time

>41 witchyrichy: Lovely pictures, thanks for sharing! How cool that you were able to eat at Barbara Kingsolver's restaurant.

I certainly hope it isn't against the rules to count one book for more than one challenge. I used several of mine for multiple challenges last year.

Thanks for visiting my thread!

>43 atozgrl: Oh, good. I also sometimes do challenges retroactively by looking at my monthly list to see if anything matched. It's better to plan so you can share with others but I figure it counts if you do it accidentally, too.

>19 karenmarie: While I am posting pictures, here are a few shots of the library from December. The main shelves are behind the piano but there are two other smaller sets. There are also cupboards with doors below each where we keep our record and cassette tape collections from our college days. Click to see the album at flickr.

Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown was an introduction to emotions, a full range that gets beyond the "happy, sad, mad" that most people mention when asked to describe their various emotions. There are some 90 or so, grouped together in families of 5 to 10. Brown uses her extensive data sets to tease out the similarities but, more importantly, the differences between emotions like jealousy and envy or happiness and joy. Her final grouping is the most jarring as it traces how hatred can be turned into disgust which, when focused on other groups of people, leads to dehumanization. The book takes an upbeat approach with comic strips, hand illustrated charts and full page pull quotes.

I have only read one other Brown book--The Gifts of Imperfection--and I enjoyed her irreverent style of presenting her research. She is a qualitative researcher who love to tell the stories she encounters. But, she is also able to take all the data and organize it in a way that supports the bigger picture.

I have a couple other Brown books on the shelf and may move them closer to the top of the TBR.

>45 witchyrichy: I would love a library room. Alas! My little house is full of family, no spare room for books.

What a lovely library room, Karen! We live in a 1500 square foot townhouse, and one of our adult sons moved home about 4 years ago, so no library here. I have three books shelves, and then just piles of books here and there, - that sounds terrible, but it's true. But I have , knock on wood, a good memory so I can usually locate the book I want quite quickly.

>46 witchyrichy: It was one of the selling points for the old house. We don't have central heat or AC but I have a library.

>47 fuzzi: About the size of my first house. I kept books everywhere! I heard my husband laugh one day when he discovered the stash in the bathroom linen closet.

P.S. Don't think having a library solves the book issue. I still have them everywhere but at least the linen closets are now full of linens.

>49 witchyrichy: ha! I put a bookcase in the back of my bedroom "step-in" closet. It's full, books on the shelves are double-stacked.

>44 witchyrichy: I have done something similar, where I read a book for one challenge and then realized afterward that it also fit another challenge.

>45 witchyrichy: Nice! We've got bookshelves in several different rooms but none that look as good as that. Growing up, we had a piano similar to that. It was originally my grandmother's. My sister got it, as I didn't have room for it and she did.

>51 atozgrl: how nice, re: the piano. Hopefully they keep it in the family.

Love that photo of your library, Karen.

>51 atozgrl: >52 fuzzi: The piano came via a family friend who was downsizing. I make time to play it every day as I know I am fortunate to have it.

>53 AMQS: Thanks! I have started boxing up books to either sell or give away as I know I won't have this much space in our next house but somehow the shelves are still filled!

‘Morning, Karen! Happy Thursday to you.

>45 witchyrichy: Thank you! I love the pics and love your Library. I envy you the space available on almost every shelf. I keep interesting things above my shelves, too. What a wonderful room to sit down and read in.

>49 witchyrichy: You’re right – a Library does not solve the problem at all. I’ve got ~1950 of my 5689 books in my Library, the others in the Parlour, Retreat, Media Room, Kitchen, and Great Room (although that only has a couple of oversized family Bibles.) I’ve currently got 7 boxes of books, cataloged in LT with the location tag B##, upstairs in Bill’s Old Media Room, which will become something else in the next several years. Probably the Annex. *smile*

>54 witchyrichy: I have sold books to used book stores over the years for credit. Now, I either keep them if they have intrinsic value, or donate the to the Friends of the Library or the local PTA Thrift Shop.

We have Bill’s Mama’s 1970s Kawai upright piano, and none of us have any sentimental need to keep it.

Hi Karen.

>45 witchyrichy: That is a lovely room!

>51 atozgrl: Before this, I had my paternal grandmother's upright. My sister still has my maternal grandmother's upright. Not sure why both sides of the family had pianos as I don't remember anyone really playing them except my sister and me. I did donate my piano to another family.

>48 vancouverdeb: There is nothing terrible about piles of books. I have them myself beside various chairs.

>55 karenmarie: Good to see you here! I was just commenting that both sides of my family had pianos and probably got them in the 60s. It must have been a sign of middle class although neither of them were well off by any means. And, I had one growing up that my parents still have in the basement of their condominium. They both can play and do so occasionally, I think. I bought them a book of duets a few years ago but it looks unused when I got to visit.

>56 EBT1002: I do love this room. We took up the 1970s shag carpet to reveal the original hardwood floors.

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb has been on my Kindle for a very long time. The SFF KIT January challenge--Epic Fantasy--was all the encouragement I needed to read it. it definitely met the description as Hobb has created a world of magic and fantasy and mystery with "Boy," the bastard son of the King-in-waiting at the center of it. He moves into a precarious position at the court, learning to navigate with sometimes begrudging help from others. I was pulled in and wasn't sad I woke up early this. morning to finish it. It is the first of a trilogy and I hope to get to the next two sooner rather than later.

>61 witchyrichy: that was really good. The second book was really good as far as I got into it, before Real Life got in the way.

>42 witchyrichy: Nice meme answers!

>45 witchyrichy: Even nicer! My book shelves have piles of books on the floor in front of them. Closed cabinets underneath would be a handy place to hide them all.

>61 witchyrichy: Good to know!

>63 Copperskye: Thanks! It's a fun tradition. Some of the closed cupboards are housing our record and cassette tape collections, too. I think we might be able to get rid of the tapes but my husband is not ready to part with the albums. We at least own a record/tape player.

On Saturday, I attended the first of what I hope is many more meetings of some local book making enthusiasts. The women are part of the same online group that I joined and we connected via the online community. It was fun to share the different books we had made and then we spent some time creating. The co-hosts are good friends and have been doing this for awhile. They gave each of us a folder with "fodder" to use to create our paper and books.

The book I took to share is an accordion book made of wrapping paper. The covers are granny squares I crocheted with thread crochet. I have wanted to combine my love for crochet and paper and this is a start.

>65 witchyrichy: I love your book! It’s so gorgeous. And it looks like so much fun to be able to find such a creative outlet. Good job!

Karen O

>66 klobrien2: Thanks! I have always enjoyed working with paper.

>65 witchyrichy: Love the colors!! And also your Meme answers, especially:

Thought for the day: Just One Damned Thing After Another (Funny)
What is life for you?: Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom (Inspiring)

>65 witchyrichy: I love it! Very creative and I love that it combines two of your loves.

>65 witchyrichy: Beautiful accordion book, Karen. Lovely crocheted squares. Sounds like a lovely group to belong to.

Hi Karen my dear, i am late to your thread dear friend but will be visiting throughout 2024 although it may be sparse for the next few months as time seems to be my enemy at the moment. Hope all is well with you, Bob and Circe, we are fine if not a little tired with various things going on at the moment.

Sending love and hugs to you all from bot of us and Felix, dear friend.

>65 witchyrichy: Striking. Great sense of color.

>68 Berly: Thanks! I had fun with the meme this year. "Just one damned thing after another" could be an inelegant summary of many meditation teachers: it's going to happen so you might as well accept it.

>69 EBT1002: >70 vancouverdeb: >72 elorin: I found the handmade book group via social media so it isn't all bad, I guess. Ali Manning sponsors short-term challenges that got me started and then opens private membership a couple times a year. I am tired of doing everything via Zoom. Being in a room creating with others was just fun and inspiring.

>71 johnsimpson: I am glad to see you whenever you get here. I know your life has not necessarily been your own these days. We're here when you need us. I have a few threads to visit myself!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken as part of the British Author Challenge. This book is really part of the reason I look at the challenges: I had not encountered Aiken and would not have without BAC. So, thank you to the curators of these challenges.

This was an adventure series featuring two girls who encounter what I could only think of as a series of unfortunate events (all due respect to Lemony Snickett). Adults are not what they seem and they are forced to rely on their own talents and resources to save themselves and their families.

>45 witchyrichy: What a great library and music room. Between the piano and books, I would rarely need to venture anywhere else.

>77 figsfromthistle: I do enjoy this room. We keep it fairly neat as it is the "public" room so there is no urge to clean. Play and then read. I also set up the card table here to work on Lego kits. There is a working gas log so it can be warm and cozy on even the coldest days.

I have a large collection of Civil War nonfiction books but just wasn't in the mood. So, I ended up reading Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green on my Kindle. It was probably featured in one of the newsletters I received. Based on real-life people and events, Green tells the story of two well-to-do Bostonian sisters who become nurses during the war. Charlotte Waverly is based on Georgeanna Woolsey, a nursing pioneer. Green's details were authentic and gripping: she captured the horrors and challenges of providing medical care on both on and off the front lines as well as the misogyny and condescension experienced by the early nurses. Green also highlighted the economic gaps in the North by including the fictionalized character of Ruby, a poor woman in New York who struggles when her husband joins the army.

Interestingly enough, i didn't realize until maybe a third of the way through that this was "Christian" fiction. A chaplain character was introduced and the characters began to quote scripture. But, considering the time frame, that didn't seem out of character. Eventually, it got a little more obvious with a message of redemption. My suspicions were confirmed by the Acknowledgements.

Even as I write this, I am not sure it matters although there was a subplot of a woman considering an abortion but it wasn't glaringly political. I guess it's a heads up or "trigger warning" as it is called today. That being said, I enjoyed it: well-written, historical fiction.

I read My Family and Other Animals as part of the January CalendarCAT. It has been on the Kindle for a long time as part of a compendium of all three books. But, I'm counting them one at a time.

I had seen the PBS series about the Durrells and Corfu and enjoyed it. Durrell's memoir is fun: full of the curiosity and free spirit of the young boy he was and, it seemed, probably still was in his old age. I don't quite understand the propensity to capture and cage wild animals but I suppose that is how naturalists learn. Another interesting tidbit came via Wikipedia: Durrell's brother was well-known novelist Lawrence Durrell who was married and brought his wife with him to Corfu. Gerald fails to mention Nancy. Meanwhile, in his own fictional version, Durrell only mentions brother Leslie, ignoring Gerald and his mother and sister. I could only think, "Recollections may vary."

It was fun and I will eventually read the other two.

>76 witchyrichy: Oh, that sounds like a fun read!!

>80 witchyrichy: I remember seeing a lot about this book a while back. Your comments are the first I remember reading from someone I actually know and trust about books. So, maybe I'll give it a try.

>45 witchyrichy: What a great room. Your piano is beautiful. Do you play?

>80 witchyrichy: I enjoyed that one years ago, and my family watched some of the series more recently - mostly to enjoy the Greekishness of it:) Times have changed for the better with regard to learning about animals and wildlife, I hope, and Gerald Durrell was an early pioneer of conservation work, so some good came out of his early animal study.

>81 EBT1002: I hope you enjoy it! Did you watch the PBS series?

>82 BLBera: I do play and have for most of my life. In the past, I've played in church and as an accompanist but now, blessedly, just play for fun! I am working on Bach's Two-Part Inventions although am only on the first one and have been for years. I am progressing now because I have time to actually practice almost every day.

>83 AMQS: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I love his swashbuckling style and how he just becomes one with the island flora, fauna and people. I agree that he did great work, paving the way for contemporary environmentalists. I was also thinking about the various threads I see on social media of people keeping what I think of as wild animals for indoor pets, lots of groundhogs and raccoons and squirrels. I suppose if we take over their spaces, we might as well domesticate them, right? (Tongue in cheek intended).

LOL. I do deplore the caveman OOH ANIMAL MUST KILL/CATCH mentality that too many have, apologies to cavemen.

Hi Karen my dear, like all on LT, you are a good friend to me my dear, thanks for stopping by. Hope all is well with you, Bob and Circe and we both send love and hugs my dear friend.

>80 witchyrichy: Interesting how the brothers chose to recognize their siblings or not. I wonder if there was some rivalry. I have that one on the shelf. It's been there for a while. I enjoyed the PBS series but the whole cage the animals thing really got to me. I mean, what was the point? I know, times change. Thank goodness.

I do like the phrase " Recollections may vary" . So true. My two brothers are good buddies, which is great.

>87 AMQS: I am in Pennsylvania for a visit so we were treated to extensive coverage of Groundhog Dog in Gobbler's Knob. Phil, the groundhog, actually lives in a habitat in the library! Thought you would appreciate that.

>88 johnsimpson: Always happy to have you stop by. I just learned that a very old friend who had moved to Tasmania has moved to the UK: she has a lovely bungalow in Teignmouth. If I can get up the courage to get back on a plane, I may just be heading your way.

>89 Copperskye: >90 vancouverdeb: I found a couple articles that address real story of the Durrells. This one from The Guardian discusses the reality behind the various books as described in The Durells of Corfu by Michael Haag, a friend of the family who also was working on a biography of Lawrence when he died in 2020. I think the latter has been completed and published.

The New York Public Library has a short article about the various books written about Corfu by the two brothers.

I had to figure out which book I owned had an "ugly" cover for the Bingo card. I ended up diving into The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead by David Shields, which has been sitting on the Kindle for a very long time. I wasn't sure I wanted to tackle it as my own parents are about the age of Shields' father. He figures largely in this odd memoir that combines details about how we are born, age and die with memories of his curmudgeonly dad. In the end, I enjoyed it although parts could be depressing if you dwell too much on the inevitable end of us all. The message I took was to do as much as you can as long as you can but try not, as many of us do, deny that inevitably. Shields comments at one point that humans often face the deaths of others but somehow believe they will not die. Interesting paradox.

After the intensity of David Shields' book on death, I needed something light so read Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler, the first book in her Benni Harper cozy mystery series. It is set on the central coast of California in a ranching community. The main character is a recently widowed young woman who runs a craft coop. She is, like most female leads in cozies, feisty and routinely clashes with the new police chief in town. It was a fun read and I did not figure out the killer before Benni did. I have at least of these on the shelf and they are available from the library so may continue with it.

Having a lovely visit in Pennsylvania with one of my oldest friends. We taught together in the late 1980s and have stayed in touch since I moved to Virginia. Just so easy and comfortable. She and her husband are both 75. Yesterday morning, we sat together in our pajamas, watching the Groundhog Day coverage, which is shown live on Pennsylvania's cable channel. SO many people there! And, as you have heard, Phil has predicted an early spring. Before you get too excited, be aware that his prognostications are more often wrong than right. Just for fun, you might want to check out this list of other February 2 animals: mostly rodents but a few oddities including a Lucy the Lobster from Manitoba. They are all leaning towards an early spring.

We watched The Holdovers last night and really enjoyed it. A quiet but powerful movie about a grumpy boarding school teacher stuck with the students who can't go home over the holidays. The movie dealt with grief and family trauma but had a hopeful message as well.

>96 witchyrichy: I just loved “The Holdovers”—such a sense of place, and lovely characters. It’s a little longer (2+ hours), but it didn’t drag at all. I’m definitely up for a rewatch, later on.

Karen O

>96 witchyrichy: So glad you’re enjoying your visit with your friend! And I for one wouldn’t mind an early spring.

It sounds like you are having a lovely visit, Karen.

>97 klobrien2: Paul Giamatti is a favorite of mine. I loved him with Laura Linney in the John Adams series and in Sideways, too. I heard an interview with him and they talked about all the atmospheric details down to the preparation H in the early shot of his bathroom.

>98 Storeetllr: I stopped for a walk along the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia and encountered flocks of robins. Another, perhaps more accurate sign.

>99 BLBera: I went from there to visit my parents as they are just an hour away. I do so love being retired.

I returned from a long visit to Pennsylvania on Thursday. After visiting with my friend, I headed west an hour or so to my parents in Cornwall, PA. I was able to celebrate Dad's 89th birthday with him on Tuesday. My older sister came up, and we had a nice lunch, a bit of shopping and then ice cream at our favorite local spot. I stayed over to take them out for a belated anniversary lunch on Wednesday.

I stay with them in the lower level of their townhouse and participate a bit in retirement community life. They were in charge of the birthday party for February held in the assistive living area. I went along and had fun chatting with the group, including a woman who had lived near Richmond and taught at a local university where I have also been a professor. I also go to chapel on Sunday afternoons and have gotten to know the chaplain. My dad runs the video streaming system for the services and sings in the choir and the men's group. I filled in with the handbell choir on Christmas Eve and will be playing with them on Easter as well.

I did one LT checkin but otherwise did not turn on my laptop. I had my Kindle and my phone but mostly just put them aside to hang out with family and friends like in the old days. It was nice to be able to text with Bob and check in on Circe the cat.

The other big difference was that I did not listen to an audiobook on the trip. I have been exploring podcasts and set up a queue on my iPhone that included history, mindfulness and religion. I'll post some titles and reviews later but by far the best one I listened to was the inaugural episode in Shankar Vedantam's new series on his Hidden Brain podcast. It's called US 2.0 and focuses on the science behind the divisiveness we are experiencing with ideas for what might be done.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow has been on my Kindle for some time and has been showing up on lots of favorite book lists. I decided to give it a go both because it met my ROOT goal but also because I am working through the New Year Kindle Challenge and it was on the Goodreads Choice Awards list. Now I know why it is on those lists: I loved it. It was quirky and nostalgic and just as you thought it was getting predictable, it surprised you. I was not a harcore gamer but dabbled, playing Pac Man and Donkey Kong at the laundromat in college and Oregon Trail with my middle schoolers. Later I explored Second Life and other virtual worlds. I still build in Minecraft now and then as I find it very relaxing. Seeing how ideas for games develop with consideration for the goals of the creator and, ultimately, the player was fascinating.

But this was much more than just a novel about video games and their creators. Gabrielle Zevin weaves present and past together in real and virtual worlds through the experiences of two main characters--Sam and Sadie, both game designers and programmers--and their mutual friend Marx, the catalyst and collaborator. We watch Sam and Sadie move through their lives both together and apart, their shared love of games often clashing with their own belief and desires.

February Challenges:

Since my goal is to read ROOTs, I am trying to limit myself to challenges that relate to books I own. For now, I'm working on AlphaKIT and my Bingo card.

AlphaKIT: F and E
Fear Itself by Walter Moseley
Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler

It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! Love that Phil lives at the library. We just booked our trip to PA for graduation in May. Traveling through Baltimore this time.

>92 witchyrichy:, Hi Karen my dear, if you get back on a plane to visit your friend in Teignmouth you will not be disappointed, Devon and this particular area has a number of lovely bookshops to pay a call to. We stayed in the area two years ago but sadly didn't get to Teignmouth but if you were to visit and we knew when with a bit of notice, we could arrange to stay in the area and meet up with you my dear friend.

>107 johnsimpson: That would be the ultimate LT meetup, I think! The old friend I visited in Pennsylvania was possibly interested in coming along. She needs to get a bit stronger after a hip replacement in order to really enjoy herself.

Donna Ball's Ladyburg Farm series is a lovely escape from the world. At Home on Ladybug Farm is the second book and follows the story of three friends--Lindsey, Bridget and Cici--as they move into the next year of life on an old farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Cici's daughter Lori joins them and we learn more about Noah, the talented young artist they have incorporated into their household. Bambi the deer is joined by sheep and pigs and, as someone who kept farm animals, I laughed out loud a few times at the shenanigans.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Last List of Mabel Beaumont so much, Karen. I loved it too. I know I got the BB for that one here in the 75's - I wonder if I got it from you ? Did you read in last fall ? I'm glad you had a great trip.

>110 vancouverdeb: You have a good memory! I listened to it in October as part of a series of reads focused on senior citizens. You might like The Lonely Hearts Book Club.

The trip was lovely if a little too long for me as I get away from my routines.

I will keep the The Lonely Hearts Book Club in mind, Karen. It looks good and like something I would enjoy . Thanks!

>106 AMQS: Enjoy yourself. Graduation already! Not sure if you have any time in Baltimore, but The Book Escape was a great bookstore. It's on Federal Hill near Inner Harbor.

I was captivated by The House Is On Fire by Rachel Beanland. Beanland tells a fictionalized version of the 1811 Richmond theater fire that killed over 70 people including the Governor and a former senator and devastated the community. She focuses her story on four people including the real life Gilbert Hunt, a slave who became a hero for saving many women as they leapt from a second story window. I was not familiar with the story. The book was recommended by a book club member and we will be discussing it on Tuesday. Beanland faces the racism and casual violence of slavery head on as she tells the story of a young slave using the fire to escape abuse and how easy it was to convince southerners that the fire was caused by slaves.

Poppy and I are doing well with our teeth issues, thanks, Karen. I'll be glad to get my permanent crown on next Tuesday and not have to worry about the temporary one coming off . That's a lovely puzzle you chose for your friend, the Jane Austen puzzle. I was so delighted to open my Dickens puzzle from my brother and his wife. I really loved it! My sister in law does puzzles too, so I'll have to loan it to her soon.

>115 vancouverdeb: I have a friend who did a puzzle almost every day during COVID. I put together a 3D lighthouse that I have had for ages and enjoyed it but haven’t gone back for the flat puzzles. I tend to crochet in my spare, non-reading time.

I enjoyed Fear Itself by Walter Moseley and spending more time with Paris and Fearless and their friends and enemies. I felt a little lost as the con game revealed itself but I was discovering it along with our heroes. Moseley’s carefully crafted world plays a role as well as the deep understanding of the worth of a Black man in that world. But Paris and Fearless have carved out a place for themselves and can even use the police to their own advantage now and then. Looking forward to the third book in the series.

Endpapers: A Family Story of Books, War, Escape, and Home by Alexander Wolff was part history, part memoir, part warning. Wolff's family history is a fascinating look at the early 20th century from his ties to famous publisher Kurt Wolff, responsible for publishing Kafka and starting Pantheon Books after emigrating to the United States, and the Merck pharmaceutical company that may have supplied drugs to Hitler and certainly used slave labor supplied by the Nazis. He father, Niko, did not leave Germany with his father and served in the Wehrmacht throughout the way despite having some Jewish blood.

Wolff, who spent his career writing for Sports Illustrated, takes a journalistic approach to his family history, using primary sources including family letters to create a detailed timeline. He uses that foundation to move between the lives of his grandfather and father, weaving in the stories of other family members, both legitimate and illegitimate, who experienced both sides of the war.

I enjoyed the book with its ties to publishing and history as well as its exploration of the complexity of our personal relationships to the past.

Steve Berry's latest Cotton Mather, The Atlas Maneuver, thriller showed up on my Kindle recently. I finished it in a marathon reading session last night. Berry has a similar style to Dan Brown: some historical authenticity coupled with evil power brokers and conspiracy theories. The chapters are usually short and move between perspectives so we get into the minds of the good AND bad guys. Cotton Mather is a former special agent who retired to run a bookshop in Copenhagen. But he is often pulled into clandestine activities as favors to friends in the intelligence community. He is joined by Cassiopeia Vitt, his partner in love and action. One feature of the series is that Mather often finds himself battling the bad guys in World Heritage sites.

Berry takes on blockchain and bitcoin in this installment and I was fascinated. I did not know that El Salvador had adopted bitcoin as legal tender, something that plays a role in the story.

>199 I have something by Steve Berry on the shelves and really should get to him sometime soon.

I hope all is well, Karen.

>120 PaulCranswick: He will be quite fluffy compared to your usual reading, but I think you will appreciate how he uses historical truth and conspiracies to weave his thrillers. He also includes a human element to his characters and has created a richly complex characters in Cotton Mather.

Thanks for stopping by!

With the exception of The Last of the Mohicans, it is rare for me not to finish a book. And especially one by an author I would have claimed as a favorite who I went to hear read last year. That author? David Sedaris. I started Theft by Finding and discovered that, while I may love his writing, I am not sure I like him as a person.

He is, as I think he admits sometimes, a jerk, but the diaries led me to his essay about his sister Tiffany who committed suicide in 2013. As many have pointed out, the essay is more a celebration of the rest of the family with a bit of curiosity as to why Tiffany couldn't fit in with this mad cap bunch of rascals. I was reminded of the line in the movie The Family Stone when Meredith, who has been ostracized and ridiculed, asks Sybil and Amy, two of the primary bullies, what is so special about the family. At this point, they are laughing together, and Sybil, the mother, says, "We are all we have." I guess Tiffany threatened the veneer that the family had, wasn't willing to play along, and suffered from serious mental health issues that the family seemed incapable of accepting or adequately addressing, sending her away instead.

The book is also an argument against publishing your diaries. It is the kind of writing meant to be kept private or perhaps, perhaps, published after you and those you write about have long shuffled off this mortal coil. I have kept journals all my life and, while I have considered transcribing them, the idea of making that intensely personal work public is frightening.

I am not sure I will finish the diaries. I don't feel like I am learning anything about Sedaris or his writing process that I need to know.

Bibliomysteries: Volume Two by Otto Penzler are stories written by well-known mystery writers that feature rare books, bookshops, libraries, manuscripts, magical books, and collectors. Writers range from Joyce Carol Oates to Carolyn Hart. I don't normally read short stories but enjoyed these and found them good bedtime reading.

Happy Leap Day! We had a lovely lunch at a local seafood restaurant with some of our oldest friends. We are all retired and enjoying life. Hope to see them again soon, maybe on their boat!

I spent last weekend with old friends at Smith Mountain Lake. It was mostly billed as a games weekend, but we also checked out the bluegrass jam at a local community center, a small concrete block building at a local crossroads. Great music from a group of mainly senior citizens who called the tune and pointed to the soloists and encouraged us to sing along. Everything from guitars to mandolins to banjos to an upright bass. There were beverages and snacks and a 50/50 raffle, although everyone gives the money back to help update the building. I made a donation.

Spring is mostly here. My onion sets arrived today and need a raised bed built beside the garlic. That will be tomorrow's project.

I signed on to participate in the #100DayProject, an annual global art project that encourages participants to create art every day for 100 days. It officially began on February 18. I have been focusing on creating art that could become part of my books, experimenting with watercolor mostly along with print making. I made these three postcard-sized pieces with watercolor and acrylic. I like the third one the most and feel drawn to print making. I was thinking about grasses waving in water.

Sounds like you have been busy, Karen. Pretty looking art projects , Karen and quite a commitment at 100 days. I hope you enjoy The Book Of Days. I really did, and I'm about 125 pages into Wolf Hall , since The Book of Days grabbed my interest so much, in part to read about that period of time. Even 125 pages into Wolf Hall, I'm not entirely sure it's for me, as it quite slow going.

>125 vancouverdeb: Thanks! It's 100-dayish...some days I just watch other people paint.

I enjoyed the Mantel series but I do remember a lot of detail. I saw that Masterpiece Theater has announced they will begin filming the third part of the series, The Mirror and the Light.

I gave up on David Sedaris for now. I picked up Follow the River by James Alexander Thom, a fictional account of the life of Mary Draper Ingles who was kidnapped by and escaped from Shawnee Indians in the 1700s when Virginia was the edge of the wilderness. The book was well-researched and based on contemporary and family accounts. It was written in the style of a thriller with an edge of sensationalism reminiscent of the way the story might have been reported at the time. I have the Ingles monument and farm, which is near Radford, Virginia, marked on my state map but have yet to visit. It looks like there was some effort to create an official trail following her path with bits and pieces referenced in localities. I will add it to the list of places to explore in my home state.

The book was good if, as I said, a bit overdone and I learned about a piece of local history. The paperback came from Book No Further, the independent bookstore in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. They feature local authors and themes.

The March MysteryKIT challenge is historical mysteries. The first three books of the Northminster mystery series by Harriet Smart have been on my Kindle forever, probably coming via one of the many free ebook newsletters I have received over the years. It is set in 1840 in a small town near London. The main characters are Major Giles Vernon, the police chief, and Dr. Felix Carswell, his newly hired surgeon. The Butchered Man brings the main characters together, exploring their back stories, as well as the social norms and culture of the early Victorian age. Vernon and Carswell have their faults but are committed to their work solving crimes, this one focusing on a home for wayward girls. Since I have the next two books, I think I will continue the series and see how the somewhat volatile relationship between these two develops.

I downloaded The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley from Project Gutenberg. Published in 1919, it featured bookseller Roger Mifflin, owner of The Haunted Bookshop (haunted not by ghosts but great literature) in Brooklyn. Mifflin was featured in Morley's previous novel, Parnassus on Wheels, which is now on my TBR list. Audrey Gilbert stops by the store hoping to get Mifflin to buy advertising. While there, he meets Mifflin's newest employee, Titania Chapman, the daughter of Gilbert's boss. Chapman, who knows Mifflin well, has asked him to introduce Titania to the bookselling trade. Add Mifflin's long suffering wife and their dog Bock and you have the setting for a mystery centered, not surprisingly, on a book. Morley's style is often funny and ironic with one liners that take a moment to register.

>127 witchyrichy: I absolutely loved that book, and have a couple more of Thom's works, CHUNKSTERS, waiting on my shelves for uninterrupted time to read.

I love your art projects, Karen. I wish you were my neighbor, so we could do stuff together!

>118 witchyrichy: Endpapers sounds like one I would like.

>129 witchyrichy: That one caught my eye, Karen. I will look out for it in the second hand shops when I get back to Blighty.

>130 fuzzi: Good to know! I will add those to my own TBR list.

>131 BLBera: Thanks! It would be fun. I have really enjoyed being part of the art group and we have decided to meet once a month. It's ironic as I never thought of myself as an artist. I figured I'd be in a writing group!

Having read a lot about the Holocaust, this was a different perspective and added some sense of understanding of the German people themselves.

>132 PaulCranswick: Enjoy! I am going to explore more of his work as suggested by >130 fuzzi: fuzzi.

Thanks to everyone who kept the thread warm! I have been busy.

The last ten days have been busy at least by my semi-retired, winter hibernation habits.

The handmade book group met on a Saturday and we had fun sharing our work and then making an easy, no-sew book. Lots of inspiration from these women.

I did a poster session at a regional ed tech conference, demonstrating Scrappy Circuits. They were created by two people as a challenge to make a STEM project for less than $2. It uses a tea light, cardboard, clips, and aluminum foil to create electrical circuits. I enjoyed seeing old edtech friends and showing off my inventions. Here's the basic circuit and switch:



In my free time, I played with my gel printing plate. I haven't posted any photos yet but will soon.

And then, gardening season began! One of my flower beds was really in need of a makeover. The mondo grass, vinca vine and wire grass had taken over. I dug everything up, added lots of compost and am in the process of returning the plants. Here's the before picture:



For your enjoyment, some pictures from the farm as we move from late winter to early spring. Lots of rain means fording streams on my walks. And life is very yellow these days from daffodils to forsythia. Click on the picture to see the full album.



I have been reading a bit and will post reviews soon along with visiting threads!

>136 witchyrichy: lovely photos!

The Scrappy Circuits look interesting, Karen. Great pictures of your farm!

>136 witchyrichy: I always enjoy this time of the year. Gardens and colours of grass and trees change daily.

>138 vancouverdeb: They are fun and a cheap easy way to review concepts related to electricity. I will be teaching groups of fifth graders how to do them in early April! Should be a hoot!

I LOVE this time of year on the farm as every day brings something new.

>139 figsfromthistle: Exactly! When I lost Major last year, I largely stopped taking daily walks around the farm. Besides missing being outsides, I also felt very disconnected from the natural world around me. I have started back again, trying to take at least one walk a day. With Major, it was usually two 30-minute walk/smells pretty much every day unless it was actively precipitating. I am enjoying watching spring come.

Tennis AND figure skating in the same week! Watching Andy Murray right now. As a fellow hip replacement survivor, I always cheer him on.

Fortunately, I also have some last-minute data entry work to do for a friend before a conference next week that is a perfect, pretty mindless activity to do while watching both.

My friend--who was also my dissertation advisor--has been collecting research related to an ed tech framework called TPACK, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Probably TMI but it basically suggests that the best way to use technology in the classroom is to make sure you are connecting it to what and how you are teaching rather than just bolting it on. There has been an impressive amount of research done about the framework as well as using it as a lens, which is what I did for my dissertation. My friend retired and lost her graduate student so I stepped in as a volunteer and have probably entered 2000 or so articles, books, chapters, and dissertations including the very earliest work and now the latest. It has been fascinating to see the wide range of studies, many coming from Asia, especially Indonesia. Here's a link if you are interested.

I am also reading: an early reviewer copy of Bookbound and Other Stories by Roger Leslie Paige. I don't read a lot of short stories so haven't kept up with the genre, so to speak, but am finding the stories fascinating and fun to read. Paige has a freewheeling, sometimes stream of consciousness style that I am enjoying. I followed up Isaac's Storm about the 1900 Galveston hurricane with Fifteen Hurricanes That Changed the Carolinas that I picked up during our December trip to the Outer Banks.

>142 witchyrichy: You sound busy, Karen.

I would take some of your rain. After a dry summer and no snow this winter, the area farmers are going to be in bad shape unless we have a wet spring.

>143 BLBera: Sorry to hear that. One HUGE lesson I learned on the farm is how little control we have over the most essential element of farming: the weather. I am grateful to be able to engage in the work without relying on it for my living. Everything here is early this year and I worry about a late freeze.

And, it's a good busy, really, although I am ready to take a break on the database work. I have a few personal projects to pursue.

I received Learning to Swim as part of the early reviewer group. It was a lovely story of three generations of women who come together when matriarch's health problems require extra help. Her daughter Gabrielle is escaping a bad marriage and towing Juniper, her own middle school aged daughter, along. Ida was an Olympic swimmer who now struggles to breathe without the help of oxygen but can't quite quit smoking and resents being invaded by her uptight daughter. The theme of learning to swim moves throughout the story as the mother ends up teaching her daughter to swim while the grandmother looks on. I enjoyed the way Shayla Dugan moved between the three perspectives.

It was a wonderfully told story. I received an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

>142 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! I'm glad you said something about the figure skating. I knew Worlds would be sometime this month, but didn't know when, and I've been so busy since my husband's knee surgery at the beginning of the month that I wasn't looking for it. Normally something comes across the news feed on my phone, but nada this month. I might have missed a bunch of the skating if I hadn't seen your post the other day. As it was, I did miss the women's short program competition. And wow--mind blown on the men's final last night! Anyway, thanks for mentioning it!

>146 atozgrl: You are welcome! Glad to find a fellow enthusiast. I have loved skating all my life, growing up with Peggy Fleming as an idol. Even skated a little but just on the local pond.

I’m watching the replay of the exhibition right now. I access figure skating through Peacock and they give you 24 hours to replay.

The men’s final was AMAZING! And Isabeau Levito did a nice job as well. I hope both she and Ilia keep their obvious love of the sport as they get older.

I am traveling to Pennsylvania tomorrow to spend the holiday with my parents. I will be there long enough that I am considering taking my laptop. But, moving forward, I am trying to move towards using my iPad more. It means, however, if I am going to blog or post anything of length to LT, I need a real keyboard. It works fine for typing but I am not sure about links. Here is the test:

Link to my blog using keyboard

Link to my blog using laptop

So...the issue is the quotation marks. Just checked the faithful Google and turned off smart punctuation. Heading back to iPad to test.

Here we go:

Link to blog using "dumb" punctuation

I was going to delete this post but will leave it here in case it can help others. To make a link on your iPad, go to the keyboard setting and turn off smart punctuation. Now, back to Paul's thread to make the link!

>148 witchyrichy: my laptop has been sitting for over a year, unused. I use my iPad for most of my LT time, with occasional assistance from my desktop at work.

And I use my iPhone almost exclusively because my laptop is old and slow and drives me crazy. My iPhone is the bigger one, so, though it’s a bit clunky to hold, it is easier to read than the regular sized one. TBH, I’m trying to cut down on online use, but I’m not being very successful. Since I don’t watch TV, it’s how I get the news, and with all that’s going on these days, it’s pretty compulsive.

Have a safe trip and a good visit with your folks!

>147 witchyrichy: Yes, I am definitely an enthusiast. I have also loved skating for a long time, but I just missed Peggy Fleming. I didn't really start paying attention to sports until 1969, and I was a huge fan of Janet Lynn when I started to watch skating. I never did any skating myself.

I do have access to Peacock right now--it's free for us this year with our cable subscription. But I didn't have time to go back and watch the sessions I missed. I also miss hearing Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski, and Johnny Weir when I watch the Peacock coverage.

I agree, Isabeau Levito was good too, as well as Chock and Bates. But the men's final was truly mind-blowing. Nathan Chen blew my mind a few years back when he did a routine with all those quads. But Ilia Malinin even surpassed that. I never thought what he did was possible. It was truly amazing!

I hope you are having a wonderful visit with your family!

I hope you are enjoying your visit with your parents, Karen . I'm not going anywhere, except to my sister and her husband's place for Easter. I think there will about 13 family members in total, so we should have a great time.

>144 witchyrichy: We are also having an early spring here, Karen. The first months of 2024 all have been warmer that ever before. Lasttwo years were dry, this year more than enough rain.

>148 witchyrichy: I hope you are having a good time with your parents.
I still only have, and work with, a laptop ;-)

>149 fuzzi: >150 Storeetllr: How do you input into your devices? The onscreen keyboard? Voice? External keyboard? I need the latter although I have been experimenting with voice input.

>151 atozgrl: I usually watch the bits and pieces of sessions I missed. I agree, though, it's not the same without Gannon, Lipinsi and Weir. Fun fact: Johnny Weir was born in Chester County and grew up in southern Lancaster County, both part of my old stomping grounds.

>152 vancouverdeb: >153 FAMeulstee: I had a lovely visit with my parents. I went up early to practice with the retirement community bell choir as I was filling in for a missing member. It went fine although I did better in the rehearsals. We played at the retirement community's afternoon service, held in a lovely, historic chapel on the campus of the community.

>155 witchyrichy: Interesting that you have that connection with Johnny Weir. For me, it's Terry Gannon, because I still remember watching him play for the NC State Wolfpack basketball team. Especially their Cinderella run to the national championship in 1983.

>157 atozgrl: Very cool! He seems like a nice man with a wonderful family and provides a perfect foil to Tara and Johnny.

Well, gardening season has arrived along with the hummingbirds. I put feeders out on April 1n and we saw your first bird the next day. It's always a male.

For now, I am working on flower beds. My plan was to just clean up a bed of irises and daylilies, but somehow I ended up digging up the whole thing. It was an old, established bed, and the plants were being overwhelmed with wire grass. Bob brought a few loads of lovely compost with the tractor. I am taking a break and watching tennis but plan to go back and replant everything. I *hope* the irises will settle in and bloom this year.

Meanwhile, I have a few books to review and am hoping to get around to threads at some point. Thanks to those who visit!

I received an Early Reviewer copy of Bookbound and Other Stories by Roger Leslie Paige in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I am still not completely sure what I think about this book of short stories. I do feel like I sometimes missed the joke, or the twist, especially since I don't read chess notation. Yet, despite that, I found the book fascinating, often turning to the Internet to fact check. For instance, Chopin did play chess and Duchamp did give up art for that venerated game. Paige is, not surprisingly, a chess player and has published books of his chess games.

The stories were quirky, often rambling affairs written in first person, those narrators never completely trustworthy. Paige quoted diaries, often in French, only sometimes providing the translations. I have basic French but was glad for the Kindle translation tool just to check my understanding. He has also written several volumes of short stories available via Amazon. In those, he describes the stories as "a mixture of the serious, lightly comic and ‘reportage’ type story." That works for this collection as well. I am still thinking about some of the stories, always a mark of good writing. I may explore a few of the other collections.

It has been a very busy week in the life of a supposedly semi-retired person. I am having fun and making a little money so it's all good. But, suddenly all that lovely free time is being eaten up by work. I do not seem to have any sense of work/life balance: if there is work, I will do it if only to get it done.

On Tuesday, I worked with three classes of fifth graders to make scrappy circuits at elementary school near Richmond. So, I packed up 90 kits and spent Monday in a hotel in order to be close by the school. I don't mind a hotel room night now and then and then Starbucks in the morning. And did I mention the Total Wine store?

And, I was a little nervous as I haven't ever done it with kids, but it was so so much fun! They were wonderful and engaged and their teachers jumped right in to help. There were moments of chaos but it was because the kids were helping each other and experimenting with what they could do with the simple circuits and all had something to say! I have been invited back to next year and already have ideas for changing it up to introduce more experimentation time.

Meanwhile, I also got started on a consulting contract for the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault to create an online version of the state's certification course. It is a tight deadline so I spent Thursday working an eight-hour day, something I haven't done for awhile. It has been a learning experience for me in how to manipulate Canvas, the learning management system, to do what we want. As usual, I am working harder than the client and I will have a lull next week while they prep the next materials.

The good news is I have been reading and listening to books so there are reviews to come. Right now, I am reading what has to be one of the most unusual books I have engaged with for awhile: The Book That Wouldn't Burn. It is fantasy, something I don't read a lot of, but it also just sort of dumps you into the ongoing story, leaving you to figure it out, much like the characters. I am fascinated and ready to settle in for a Friday afternoon read.

The bad news is that I have not had the energy to do much else besides including checking LibraryThing. Thread browsing is on my list for the weekend.

That does sound like a pretty full week, Karen.

Enjoy a weekend of complete leisure!

>162 PaulCranswick: Thank, Paul, for stopping by. We did have a lovely weekend: I made a book out of some of the gel print collages I created, and we sat on the dock at our property watching turtles, eagles, ospreys and herons. I was also happy to see Tsitsipas win the Monte Carlo tennis final although it was a bad call that got him into the match.

>159 witchyrichy: I have irises that haven't bloomed in years, so I've created a new bed for them that should provide more sun.

It gets pretty hot here in eastern NC, and when I was refreshing my ideas about planting irises it was mentioned that in hotter areas the "roots" should be 1" below the soil level, not poking out. Interesting.

>164 fuzzi: Irises, like mop-head hydrangeas, seem to have minds of their own. I have some beautiful bearded irises that have been in the same spot for years and bloom very reliably. Their roots are way below the ground. I have reseated all of these with the corms sitting on the dirt. A few of the transplanted ones have actually bloomed. And, I need to get out and water: after a rainy winter, we are in a dry spell. Aah...gardening season has begun.

Book reviews to come but first a lovely life update: when I was still working, I didn't get too involved in the community other than the library book group. But with semi-retirement came some free time and I was invited to be part of the strength training group called the Legends that meet in the gym in the next town, just a few minutes down the road. I have been going since March and LOVE it. Rhonda, the leader, has assembled sometimes almost 35 people, mostly women, who show up three times a week to lift weights, do balance work and generally move our bodies. I am one of the youngest in the room with many of them in their 80s and at least one lovely women who is 91. She was the local piano teacher and is the quintessential Southern lady, showing up in coordinated outfits, full makeup and jewelry.

They welcomed me in with open arms and we have fun getting stronger. I can modify to make things a bit harder as needed with heavier weights and standing for some exercises while others sit. It is just cool to be with these folks, reminds me of going to the retirement community with my parents. The class is free due to community donations to which I have also contributed.

The gym is just down the street from our local grocery store so I often stop in on Fridays after class along with many of my fellow Legends. I have gotten to know the checkout girl and today ran into a book group member who was coming in as I was checking out. We all chatted, mostly about the upcoming farmer's market/plant sale.

After 13 years, I have become part of the community and it feels good.

Three books with similar themes:



My husband and I visited Galveston and toured the local museum that told the story of the 1900 hurricane that is the deadliest storm in US history with almost 10,000 people perishing. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson tells the story of the storm with the focus on Isaac Cline, the chief of the weather bureau who thought he was able to predict hurricanes. His arrogance led to the disaster including death of his own family members. Larson's journalistic style is perfect this book as he focuses on different people and how they survived or didn't as the storm rolled over the island.



From there, I picked up Fifteen Hurricanes that Changed the Carolinas by Jay Barnes, a recent purchase from a trip to the Outer Banks. As the title suggests, Barnes chronicles 15 hurricanes that swept over North and South Carolina, digging into the details of their devastation and what they meant at the time and for the historical record, particularly as we consider climate change. The details tended to bog down after the 10th storm or so but Barnes had done his homework in terms of deaths, property damage and so forth. We are able to see how forecasting becomes more precise but how other factors continue to impact who survives and who doesn't.



Finally, I just finished Chesapeake Requiem: A Year With the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island by Earl Swift. Swift, a journalist with ties to the Hampton Roads area, spent time in 2015-2016 on Tangier Island, one of the few remaining islands in the Chesapeake Bay. We learn about the long history of the people who live on the island, their deep religious beliefs and their strong ties to life both living besides and working on the water. I had forgotten that Donald Trump called the mayor, already a climate change denier, and assured him that, despite the evidence of his own eyes, his island would be just fine. What they had hoped for was for a wall (!) of their own to hold back the bay and that Trump would cut through all the read tape to make it happen before nature took its course. Our local news station did a special report last fall that brings Swift's reporting up to date.

I found a couple Charles Todd mysteries at the retirement community thrift shop. The mother/son writing duo has created Bess Crawford, a nurse in WWI. She moves between France and England on transport ships and the mysteries often span both countries. The mysteries are often tied to the war, and Todd explores topics including PTSD. Her father is a retired military leader who knows everyone and approves of his daughter's decision to go to war. Her mother has a quiet patient demeanor honed by years as a military commander's wife, mainly in India.

She is, like most female sleuths, feisty and self-confident. She also often treads pretty far over the boundaries set for women in the early 20th century. She shares a flat with three other women, all nurses, who come and go from France on odd schedules. They are guarded by a formidable landlady who does not allow any men to get beyond foyer of the building.

Her father's lifelong adjutant keeps an eye on her, discouraging her curiosity but also understanding and stepping in when she gets in trouble.

I read the first two back to back: Duty to the Dead and An Impartial Witness. I like to do that with a series I like to get the characters more embedded as there can be longer gaps between series. I have wondered about choosing a series and just binge reading it this summer.

I plan to continue the series and check out the other one Charles Todd has written.

My road trip to Pennsylvania over Easter provided the opportunity to listen to audiobooks both in the car and on walks on the rail trail that runs behind their house. Hoopla suggested A Midlife Holiday by Cary J. Hansson. It is the first of a trilogy of books that focus on three women, lifelong friends, as they turn 50 and begin to consider past and future choices. The story takes place mostly in Cyprus where the three of them go for a week's vacation. Caro is the single, childless, professionally successful friend who harbors a secret she only shares with Kay, a teacher wondering what is going to happen to her special needs son. Helen, perhaps the most well developed character of the three, seems to be a happy homemaker with an adventuresome husband and two children well on their way in the world. Caro fears Helen's reaction to her secret but Helen discovers it anyway. In the explosion that follows, Hansson explores the complexity of long-term friendships in a serious but sometimes very funny way. Caro and Helen don't kiss and make up. Meanwhile, Helen has her own secret that leads to a consideration of long-term marriages and provides some comedy as well.

I particularly enjoyed how Hansson included a woman who worked at the hotel as an extra part of the group. We learned about her own life and saw her connections to the women, especially Kay, grow over the days.

I finished the second book, A Midlife Baby and am just getting into the third, A Midlife Gamble. Beware: Hansson is the queen of the cliffhanger and the books move seamlessly into each other. I am enjoying the audio as the narrator seems to capture the personalities of the three women in the voices she has chosen.

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn was my RLBG book for April. We all loved it: historical fiction with a thriller element that kept me turning the pages. Mila Pavlichenko is a history nerd working on her dissertation when the war comes. Turns out she has the heart and the skill to be a sniper. The story moves between the eastern front as the Germans overrun the Soviets in the early part of the war and a visit that Pavlichenko, called Lady Death, made with other Soviets to the US to convince FDR to enter the war in Europe. We also learn about the friendship that developed between Eleanor Roosevelt and Pavlichenko. In the midst of the history, Quinn creates the fictional story of a threat on FDR's life designed to frame Lady Death. Excellent book. I also loved The Rose Code and will be seeking out more Quinn!

Wow, it sounds like you have some very interesting and worthwhile work on the go, Karen and you've been busy! You've been reading a lot too.

>171 vancouverdeb: Maybe slightly busier than I'd like but I'm having fun. I have always found time for reading, at least a few pages before bed, or an afternoon on the porch.

The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence has to be one of the most fascinating, sometimes frustrating, books I have read for a long time. Set mostly in a vast library near a large city, the plot brings together people who live and work in the library at different times in history but whose lives cross and recross with a book forming the center of connections. I was a little frustrated with the mechanism perhaps of how those lines crossed. But, I have already started the second book in the series. It started with an overview of the first book and realized I understood more than I thoughts. And, I am seeing the way the author connects the plot lines more clearly.

I picked it up as part of the Kindle challenge for this go round: read the start of a new series from their list. I'll try anything with book or library in the title.

>161 witchyrichy: You do sound super busy, Karen, but with interesting activities. It's nice when that happens.

>167 witchyrichy: The storm/coastal books sound fascinating. The only one I've heard of is Isaac's Storm.

>168 witchyrichy: I've read some of the Bess Crawford series and like them. I don't think they're quite as good as Maisie Dobbs, but I have continued the series sporadically. There were a couple of weak ones, but I guess you get that in any series.

>173 witchyrichy: This one sounds interesting.

Hooray for your strength training group!

>165 witchyrichy: thanks for your insight. I still haven't gotten them transplanted. I spent a couple hours last weekend cutting down half a mulberry tree. It had a large branch threatening my shed.

>175 fuzzi: I have another iris bed I want to dig up so checked with the experts and was surprised to discover that you should dig them up every 3-5 years and do so in late July/early August, at least where I am. They evidently don't mind being transplanted in the heat of the summer. The question is whether I am willing to brave the heat to transplant them in the summer!

My gardening was accompanied by the third book in the Midlife Trilogy by Cary J. Hansson. I thought it was the best of the three. In the Midlife Gamble, the three friends along with a new friend from Cyprus head to Las Vegas to fulfill Kay's lifelong dream. This one really focused on Kay but Hansson does a great job of balancing the perspectives of all the women. I am sorry for it to end and wondered if Hansson could create the next version where the women turn 60. I listened to the books and the narrator really captured all three women as well as the auxiliary characters.

Since I didn't have enough books at home to read, I picked up two books at the library when I was there for book group.

The Bookseller's Secret by Michelle Gable told the story of Nancy Mitford's work at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in London in 1942. Mitford was one of the infamous Mitford sisters. I knew the name but not the family history and Gable did a good job of weaving in the stories as part of her tale.

We move between 1942 and present day as Katie, a writer and Nancy Mitford lover, escapes her chaotic life and ends up at Heywood Hill in search of an elusive manuscript and connection with a mysterious man.

I loved it and have added Mitford's trilogy to my Kindle and will read one of the many books about the sisters.

>166 witchyrichy: I am glad that you have found a community that feels like home. Bonus that it is one focused on health and strength.

I really want to get more involved with my community and forge new friendships. Now I just have to find a group that makes me feel excited to be involved in!

>170 witchyrichy: I do enjoy Quinn's writing. I believe the first book I read by her was The Huntress.

Hope you have a good week ahead.

>176 witchyrichy: I prepared a bed for the irises, and monarda. I transplanted them both last weekend, and they've already perked up. I also planted four extra irises on the corner of my front porch gardens.

Why not prepare the bed now, and transplant later? I knew my iris plants weren't going to bloom, so I got them moved before the heat hit.

>180 fuzzi: Very much offline these days. I plan to reset the irises back in their current bed. They just need raised up and I want to pull out the wire grass.

Well, I am not sure where the first two weeks of May have gone! I joined the local exercise group in March so that gets me out of the house three days a week. We do strength training and balance work and, at 62, I am probably the youngest person in the room.

Certainly plenty of gardening: beans, cucumbers, onions, garlic, tomatoes and peppers are all thriving. My last major crop is corn and it goes in tomorrow. I will do a few squash plants and maybe another go of green beans in a couple weeks. The flower gardens are coming together nicely. I was surprised by some milkweed and a banana that I was sure had died. But, the *big* news is that the mop-head hydrangeas are going to bloom! I wrapped them with burlap to protect the old growth and my hard work paid off as they were protected from late frosts that have killed them back in the spring. There are a few blossoms out already, but the best is yet to come! Pictures are coming.

I went to Pennsylvania for Mother's Day and attended a music festival in which my father's men's group was singing. My sister was able to join us, and it was nice to have us all together.

I have been reading a bit and will post some reviews. I hope to stop by a few threads as well.