Mary's (bell7's) Reading Log in 2024 - Thread #5

Hello all, and welcome to my fifth thread of 2024. I've been participating in the 75 Book Challenge since 2010 and look forward to seeing what my 15th year in the group will bring.

Should you have missed any of my previous intros, my name is Mary and I'm a librarian in western Massachusetts. I'm part of a large family (oldest of five), single, and live in my own home.

I like to read fantasy and science fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, a smattering of mystery and romance, nonfiction about books and history and... basically, pretty widely and eclectically. I usually have some form of reading goals for the year, and I've decided that this year I want to intentionally read more globally. I'm going to focus on France and aim to read 12 books by authors from that country, plus 12 more books from other countries that are not the US, UK, or Canada. Since I typically read about 120-130 books a year, this should not be a hardship for me.

Outside of reading, I enjoy watching sports (football, hockey and tennis in particular), I dogsit as a side hustle, I knit for fun (usually gifts for friends and family), and research genealogy (as very much an amateur, but I'm learning).

Hope you'll make yourself comfortable and chat with me about books and life.

2024 Book Club Reads

One of my work responsibilities is facilitating one of our book discussions. Here's what we're reading in 2024 (we take a break for the summer):

JANUARY - Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher - COMPLETED
FEBRUARY - The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin - COMPLETED
MARCH - Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny - COMPLETED
APRIL - The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende - COMPLETED
MAY - Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder - COMPLETED
SEPTEMBER - The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
OCTOBER - The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel
NOVEMBER - The Soloist by Steve Lopez
DECEMBER - The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Top Reads of 2024 (in order read)

5 stars
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard (reread)

4.5 stars
The Tower at the Edge of the World by Victoria Goddard
The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
The Postcard by Anne Berest
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Derring-Do For Beginners by Victoria Goddard
Making It So by Patrick Stewart
Foster by Claire Keegan
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Above Ground by Clint Smith
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard
Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder

Random things I'm tracking

Bookish articles:
1. Oulipo: Freeing Literature by Tightening Its Rules
2. Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words
3. 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Awards
4. 75 Books by Women of Color to Read in 2024
5. Romantasy Books (BookRiot)
6. An interview with Moniquill Blackgoose
7. The Scandalous Legacy of Isabella Stewart Gardner
8. Nonfiction books for SFF fans
9. Tournament of Books 2024 Championship Round
10. Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2023
11. Thoughts on "Beach Reads" (CNN)
12. The Problem with Comp Titles

How to make pretty block quotes (directions from Richard):
{blockquote}TYPE OR PASTE QUOTED TEXT HERE{/blockquote} and replace the curly braces with pointy brackets.

Number of books read since keeping count on LT:
July - Dec 2008 - 65
2009 - 156 (plus over 70 graphic novels and manga volumes)
2010 - 135 (Note: in June, I started working a second part-time job for full-time hours)
2011 - 150
2012 - 108 (Note: accepted a full-time job in February)
2013 - 107
2014 - 126 (plus 8 graphic novels)
2015 - 120 (plus 6 graphic novels)
2016 - 141 (I stopped counting graphic novels separately)
2017 - 114
2018 - 105 (Note: my first full year as Assistant Director)
2019 - 116
2020 - 153
2021 - 138
2022 - 131
2023 - 180
2024 - ???

Currently reading
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr

Bible/Devotional Reading
Knowing God by Name by Mary Kassian

DNFs in 2024
1. Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson by Sally H. Jacobs
2. Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
3. Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon

June
57. Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz
56. Those Who Hold the Fire by Victoria Goddard
55. The Years by Annie Ernaux
54. A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

May
53. The Best Man by Richard Peck
52. The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
51. Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqwšəblu Lapointe
50. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
49. Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
48. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
47. Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder
46. The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard
45. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
44. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

April
43. Above Ground by Clint Smith
42. The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monae
41. The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales
40. How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
39. The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
38. Sharks in the Rivers by Ada Limon
37. The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende
36. At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard
35. Dominicana by Angie Cruz
34. With Us in the Wilderness by Lauren Chandler

March
33. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
32. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
31. And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed
30. The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
29. The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
28. The Bible
27. Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny
26. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
25. Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
24. House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
23. Foster by Claire Keegan
22. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
21. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

February
20. Making It So by Patrick Stewart
19. Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
18. The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin
17. The Casuarina Tree by W. Somerset Maugham
16. Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers
15. The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers
14. Derring-Do for Beginners by Victoria Goddard
13. The People We Keep by Allison Larkin

January
12. To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
11. The Postcard by Anne Berest
10. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
9. Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher
8. A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux
7. Big Tree by Brian Selznick
6. The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling
5. The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
4. The Pachinko Parlor by Elisa Shua Dusapin
3. In the Company of Gentlemen by Victoria Goddard
2. The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier
1. The Tower at the Edge of the World by Victoria Goddard

Global reads in 2024 (author's country of origin):
Australia - Sophie Gonzales
Canada - Victoria Goddard, Premee Mohamed
Chile - Isabel Allende
France - Herve Le Tellier, Elisa Shua Dusapin, Annie Ernaux, Anne Berest
Ireland - Claire Foster
Malaysia - Tan Twan Eng, Yangsze Choo
New Zealand - Chloe Gong
UK - W. Somerset Maugham, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Worth

All time (since 2022):


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, China, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Rough guide to my rating system:
I'm fairly generous with my star ratings - generally a four is a "like" or "would recommend" for me, while a 4.5 stars is a book I would reread. I break it down roughly like this:

1 star - Forced myself to finish it
2 stars - Dislike
2.5 stars - I really don't know if I liked it or not
3 stars - Sort of liked it; or didn't, but admired something about it despite not liking it
3.5 stars - The splitting hairs rating of less than my last 4 star book or better than my last 3
4 stars - I liked it and recommend it, but probably won't reread it except under special circumstances (ie., a book club or series reread)
4.5 stars - Excellent, ultimately a satisfying read, a title I would consider rereading
5 stars - A book that I absolutely loved, would absolutely reread, and just all-around floored me

I see it more in terms of my like or dislike of a book, rather than how good a book is. My hope is that as a reader I convey what I like or what I don't in such a way that you can still tell if you'll like a book, even if I don't. And I hope for my patrons that I can give them good recommendations for books they will like, even if it's not one I would personally choose.

And away we go with thread #5 - welcome, everyone! And happy Wednesday.

Now that I've decided not to mow my lawn until the weekend, I have some puttering around the house to do including laundry, cooking, and making a phone call or two (ugh). I'm working 12-8 and expect it's going to be mostly catch up after being out the last two days. Fortunately email shouldn't be as onerous as when it's a full week. I should also get a start on packing for dogsitting over the weekend.

Reading: Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha LaPointe and The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson

Listening: "Miles Ahead" by Miles Davis (hoping to finish this up today and start "Mingus Ah Um" by Charles Mingus)

Watching/Crafting: nothing

Happy new thread!

Happy new one, Mary!

Happy new thread, Mary!

Thanks foggi, Katie, and Jim!

Happy new thread, Mary!

Happy new thread Mary!

Happy New Thread, Mary!

Happy new thread, Mary!!

Happy new thread, Mary!

Re: last thread, I am definitely going to the National Book Festival this year, I hope you can make it!

Happy new thread, Mary. Sorry slightly later than usual to the party but I am in the middle of moving house.

Thanks, Anita, Susan, Deborah and Natalie!

>19 norabelle414: Glad to hear you're going this year! I may look at the work & my personal calendar to see about asking for the time off today. I'll keep you posted as my travel plans become more settled.

>20 PaulCranswick: Not that late, Paul, it's still within 24 hours and I'm meanwhile hopelessly behind on your thread. Hope the moving is going as smoothly as possible.

It's Thursday! I'll shortly be collecting my lunch and everything else i need for the day, as I'm going to work, my parents' for dinner and our final Bible study before our summer break.

Reading: Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha LaPointe and The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson

Listening: "Mingus Ah Um" by Charles Mingus - I'm only a few songs in, but I really like it so far

Watching/Crafting: nothing

Happy new thread, Mary! From your last thread, I was surprised to see you hadn't read The Martian Chronicles before. We had to read that in school, I think it was in Junior High. Maybe it got replaced with other things by the time you were in school.

>23 atozgrl: Well, I was homeschooled, so a lot of the books that people read for school were ones I read on my own time or never got to at all. That being said, I was usually aware of the required books and while I had heard of Fahrenheit 451 as a high schooler, I don't think The Martian Chronicles was really on my radar. So... not sure?

51. Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe
Why now? I added this one to my list after browsing the 75 Books by Women of Color book list and recently put it on hold at the library after Mark sang its praises

Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe is a Court Salish woman living in Tacoma, Washington. In these essays, she writes about her family, her history, and her concerns as a queer indigenous woman.

The essays' topics are wide-ranging and deeply personal. One is about food - becoming vegetarian, but still finding connection in the salmon ceremonies of her tribe - another about her queerness and another about her relationship with her mother. Throughout all of them, who she is in her passions and love for her people comes through loud and clear. LaPointe identifies her great-grandmother as the storyteller, but she definitely is too. I'm only sorry I didn't read her memoir Red Paint first, as that may have given me more of a clear background to place the individual essays in. 4 stars.

TGIF! So happy it's Friday... I woke up early this morning, so I've already had my coffee and breakfast. I will finish up packing for dogsitting this weekend, work 9-5, and head to the dogs from there. Dinner will be leftovers - I made a couple of meals on Wednesday morning to be almost set through the long weekend, as Monday is Memorial Day.

Tomorrow I'm coming back home to mow my lawn, and later in the day heading over to my brother and SIL's for a family cookout. The weekend is nicely balanced with plans and downtime, and I'm looking forward to a chance to hang out with the dogs and read.

Happy Friday, Mary. Happy New Thread. Ooh, Mingus Ah Um. Another masterpiece. I also really liked Thunder Songs. Enjoy your weekend.

Happy new thread!

>27 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Happy weekend! I'm really liking "Mingus Ah Um" and will have to add this and Miles Davis to my music wishlist. Have you read Red Paint yet? I'm excited to read her memoir, though kind of wish I'd read it first to give the essays more context.

>28 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel!

Discovered this article on the problem with comp titles today and thought I'd share.

I especially liked her observation, "I want to live in a world where “eccentric” and “difficult to categorize” are actually selling points, where “but where would you shelve it in a bookstore?” doesn’t have an easy answer and that’s okay."

>24 bell7: I didn't realize you had been homeschooled! That certainly could make a difference. I'm glad you finally read it and enjoyed it. I read it so long ago, I wasn't sure how well the stories held up.

>31 atozgrl: I was! I still had literature classes, my mom was very careful to follow the state requirements for each grade, but I did end up reading more short stories and poems than novels because that was what was contained in our books.

Happy Saturday! I went home this morning to mow, and one of my neighbors saw me toiling away in the long grass and took pity on me, offering to help with his rider mower. I mowed the front and edges, but he did great swaths of the backyard so what could have taken me three hours took about half that in the end. I celebrated by doing a dump run and making a bean salad to bring to a family cookout tonight.

I'm hanging out with the dogs for a bit before heading out to said cookout.

Reading: The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson

Listening: "Mingus Ah Um" by Charles Mingus

Watching: nothing (they have no TV or I would've tried last night

Crafting: I finished the duplicate stitch on the stocking last night and did some work on a baby sweater (no giftee in mind, I just like to be a few ahead). Hoping to make more progress on the embellishments over the weekend and be able to gift the stocking over the summer, especially since my cousin had a baby and I want to finish one for him before Christmas too

>33 bell7: Hooray for kindly neighbors! Bigger hooray for the cookout!

*smooch* for a lovely long weekend

>34 richardderus: *smooch* back and hope you have a wonderful weekend, Richard!

Happy Sunday! I'm in the middle of dogsitting for three very cute (including one very odd) dogs who seem to enjoy a quiet weekend as much as I do. I was out and about more than I expected to be yesterday, but today the only plan is church. I have nursery. After that, I can sit back, relax, read books and finish up the Christmas stocking I've been working on off and on for months.

Reading: The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (Kindle tells me I have a little over 3 hours left - I expect to finish this and start both a new paperback AND a new Kindle book today)

Listening: "Mingus Ah Um" and I'm borrowing "Moanin' in the Moonlight" as my next Rolling Stone listen, probably this afternoon while knitting

Watching: probably nothing - the French Open/Roland Garros is starting today, but I don't have the paid-for subscriptions needed for this particular major

Crafting: I'm on the home stretch with my niece's stocking, which is motivating me to finish up the embellishments. I have a few more sequins to sew on, then sewing up the side, weaving in the rest of the ends (from the sewing and duplicate stitch), making the loop to hang the stocking and sewing it on with jingle bells. Hoping to do that this afternoon (though that final loop may have to wait for me to run home, as I don't think I have the double-pointed needles I need with me).

52. The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
Why now? When I borrowed the e-book/audio combo from the library after doing a search on audiobooks read by Bahni Turpin, I *thought* that this book was on my TBR list. It's not. So the choice turned out to be a serendipitous pick, and my best guess is the author was familiar to me from LeVar Burton Reads.

In Saint Domingue prior to the revolution, a woman named Mer is a slave and doing her best as a healer for the people there, including her lover Tipingee, and Georgine who comes to her when she is pregnant. Georgine's baby is stillborn, but in the women's mourning for her an aspect of Ezili is born. Ezili has the ability to join her consciousness with other women, including Jeanne Duval, the mistress of Charles Baudelaire in 1840s Paris, and Thais, an enslaved Greek-Nubian prostitute in 300s Alexandria.

I enjoyed the writing and the characters, but didn't entirely get what Hopkinson was doing bringing these three narratives together. Any of them could have been expanded into a strong story of its own. Ezili - and I had to look this up while reading - is a pantheon of Vodou goddesses that show up in different aspects, so the connection to Haiti (Saint Domingue still in Mer's story) and salt (Jeanne's nickname is Lemer and Thais is also Meritet, and both the salt of the sea and the connection to the Virgin Mary come in to play) is played with throughout. Each of the stories are heartbreaking but also about the resilience and love of the three women. There's a fair amount of violence as you might expect from a book that deals with slavery, and also sex - several characters are queer, some of the sex is, well, sexy and some of it very much is not, but desire is not shied away from here. It had some interesting qualities, but even at the end I'm not entirely sure where the story was going. 3.5 stars.

>37 bell7: I've read one of Hopkinson's novels and stories from a few collections, but not this one.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, and thanks for the reminder about the French Open. I can probably watch it through a VPN on Australian tv, that's what I usually do for the tournaments. Enjoy your dogsitting - why is one of the dogs odd?

>38 quondame: I would certainly try something else by Hopkinson, Susan, so if you have any recommendations, let me know. I'm thinking maybe Skin Folk for a short story collection.

>39 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>40 ursula: Oh good, I hope you're able to watch a good amount, Ursula. I'm not invested enough to buy a month of Peacock (I'll be away the weekend of the finals anyway), but I'll follow along with my draws online to keep track of who's getting through the tournament and expect I'll follow Wimbledon a lot more (ESPN+, which I do have, covers the outer courts and let me stream the finals last year).

Ah, Milo... he's very standoffish and, like a cat, will perch at the top of the couch. When I last dogsat for them, he would make a point of NOT sitting at the same chair/couch I was (though the other two would vie for my lap). But what really makes him odd is he barks at the water bowl and must dump all his food and eat it from the floor. Just a funny and quirky dog. He's actually been tolerant of me this time around, will go outside when I call him to (last time I had to pick him up and put him outside) and deigns to sit on the same couch when I choose that seat, though he's definitely not a cuddler.

The listening report:

In the car, I've been listening to and enjoying "Mingus Ah Um" for the last several days and am not quite ready to move on to the next CD yet. I enjoy the joy and playfulness in every song, and all around like the sound a lot. I may put the CD on my Christmas/birthday wishlist. Here's what the Rolling Stone critic had to say. It comes in at #380 in the 2023 list. I'll be looking up more by Charles Mingus for sure.

I borrowed "Moanin' in the Moonlight" from Hoopla and have listened to it twice through. The sound of the blues is fine (I could hear the influence in future songs for sure), though it seems like several songs were about women doing the singer wrong which was rather meh as far as subject matter goes haha. Rolling Stone has it at #477.

I'll be picking up "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane at work tomorrow and jumping in to the 1960s albums.

Happy Memorial Day to any celebrating. I'm keeping it a quiet morning with the dogs rather than going out for any parades (I had originally thought I'd go out to a ceremony, but the one I was thinking of was actually yesterday, and I couldn't).

We're supposed to get rain and thunderstorms this afternoon, and I'm thinking once I've left the dogsitting job I'll go to the gym. I've got some leftovers from this weekend and frozen meals to carry me over for a few days so I don't have to go grocery shopping just yet. A nice, quiet day by my standards. Hoping to get some good reading in, and I've finished a couple of knitting projects I'd been working on for awhile.

Reading: The Best Man by Richard Peck and I'm going to start Leaving Lucy Pear today

Listening: I listened through "Moanin' in the Moonlight" and will continue enjoying "Mingus Ah Um" in the car

Watching: nothing

Crafting: I finished the stocking yesterday and a baby sweater today

I'm thrilled that you're enjoying "Mingus Ah Um," Mary! Another album I would recommend is "Money Jungle" by Duke Ellington (1962), who leads a trio that includes Mingus on bass and Max Roach on drums. Ellington was roughly 25 years older than Mingus or Roach, but The Duke more than holds his own in this unique and highly enjoyable collaboration. (FWIW the album "Duke Ellington & John Coltrane" (1963) is also superb; Mingus doesn't appear on it, though.)

>43 bell7: Such weird weather...sticky, then rainy, then windy, then sticky again though never hotter than normal thank goodness.

Sad for all the seasonal businesses because it's a ghost town out there.

What a good run of reads I'm having, though today's isn't one I think you'd enjoy...Wednesday's, though, is a different matter. Probably a hit (heh) with your sporty self.

>44 kidzdoc: Duly adding both to the list, Darryl. Thank you!

>45 richardderus: Right? It's been a weird day here too, looking ominous all morning, and then we did get rain but the thunder stayed far away. Fortunately I came home in between showers, but I was disappointed that the gym was closed, since I couldn't walk outside. I'll keep an eye out for Wednesday's rec :)

53. The Best Man by Richard Peck
Why now? I really like Peck's historical fiction/Newbery Honors, so this one has been on my list since 2016. I've been slightly annoyed that reading off my TBR spreadsheet has been down this year, so I used a random number generator and this title was the row number it landed upon

Archer has been in two weddings, he tells us, and beginning with the first in which he has a hilarious mishap as ringbearer, and ending with the second in which he is the best man, gives us an account of his life so far between them.

Like Peck's historical fiction, this contemporary story set in Chicago has great characters, funny over-the-top moments, and a lot of heart. Archer's voice is unique and carries you along in his storytelling. His role models are his dad, his grandpa, and his Uncle Paul, and I enjoyed the relationships he has with each man. The story missed a few beats for me in its lack of direction. Archer meanders through 1-4 grade before the meat of the story, which primarily covers 5th and 6th. And he doesn't really pick up on things so the astute reader will have no problem figuring out certain things long before Archer does, such as that his Uncle Paul is gay. Finally, there are references to YouTube and a "hashtag" and such that felt a little too forced in trying to sound current. A solid read overall, but not my favorite of Peck's. 3.5 stars.

I'm not sure if it's me or the books, but I've had a rather long string of 4 and 3.5 star reads.

Good morning all, and happy Tuesday! I'm back to work today 9-5 and planning on going from there to my brothers' softball games.

Reading: Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon and A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos (getting back to my reading of French authors in translation)

Listening: I returned "Mingus Ah Um" to the library today and checked out "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane, which I'll be starting tonight; and, since I can't watch it, I've been listening to a lot of Roland Garros radio

Watching: nothing

Crafting: started on the next Christmas stocking, this one for my cousin's son

>48 bell7: I look forward to your opinion of "Giant Steps," Mary.

Are you still interested in reading Moral Man and Immoral Society together? I plan to restart reading Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic today, which precedes Moral Man and Immoral Society in my edition of Reinhold Niebuhr: Major Works on Religion and Politics from the Library of America.

>49 kidzdoc: I'm really enjoying "Giant Steps", Darryl. I haven't quite listened through the first time (I primarily listen to music in the car, so how much I listen depends on how far I've been driving), but I've liked every song so far. I am still be interested in reading Moral Man and Immoral Society together. Let me know when you're ready to go, and I'll request it from the library again. I also put a hold on the e-book version of his Major Works, so we'll see what comes in faster...

Happy New Thread Mary my dear.

>51 bell7: I'm glad that you're enjoying "Giant Steps" so far, Mary. Either it or "My Favorite Things" were the first albums I purchased by Trane, and I love both of them.

Great re: Moral Man and Immoral Society. It won't take me long to finish Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic, probably no later than this weekend, so I could start Moral Man and Immoral Society whenever it's suitable for you. I had hoped to find and start reading Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie when I went book shopping last week but the bookstore didn't have it, so I'll save it for this summer, and read The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee in June or July, along with the two books by Reinhold Niebuhr.

>52 johnsimpson: Thank you, John! Nice to see you here :)

>53 kidzdoc: Oh, in that case I'll put the hold on now and probably have Moral Man and Immoral Society ready to go next week. I hope you're able to get a copy of Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder. I'm hoping to read that at some point as well, but with my track record it will probably be next year haha.

>54 bell7: Sounds good, Mary. I'll be sure to finish Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic this week in that case.

LOL re: Knife. Both I and the bookseller in Head House Books were surprised that it was out of stock when I went there last week. I submitted a request for it from the Free Library of Philadelphia, and I'm 9th in line, which means that I might get it before Thanksgiving.

P.S. Let me know if you come back to Philadelphia anytime soon. I'm now sending my mother to an adult daycare center most days, so I'm free to meet up most weekdays from mid morning to mid afternoon, as I did with Liz from Club Read last week.

Happy new thread, Mary. Your thread had me Googling some of your current reads especially The Salt Roads which has it's own Wikipedia page.

>55 kidzdoc: Ah, that's more how I read (more of last year's books than the current year's books) than how long my library system would take to get me a copy. We're very fortunate in Massachusetts with a robust library network system and sharing that goes along with it - the library where I work and where I live are part of the same network, which has easy access to requesting materials from 160 libraries in western and central Massachusetts, so I probably wouldn't have a terribly long wait for Knife, possibly a few weeks or a couple months as most. (It *can* still take months for a popular bestseller to come in, as we try to purchase extra titles due to demand but even new books can be checked out for a month before they're returned.)

I will definitely let you know if I go to Philly anytime soon. Currently my next vacation is a couple of weeks in August, and I'm hoping to get to DC for the National Book Festival and Queens for the U.S. Open (tennis). I might be able to fit a side trip to Philadelphia, and will keep you posted as my plans get more firm.

>56 Familyhistorian: That Wikipedia page was helpful to me as I read and wrote my review, Meg! Thanks for the new thread wishes :)

Happy Thursday, everyone!

I woke up early this morning, which was great for getting things ready for work and the rest of the day, but I'm sure I'll be tired when I get home. I'll be working 9-5, going to my parents' for dinner, and have Bible study tonight. Last week was supposed to be our last week, but got rescheduled to tonight instead. I'm not sure I mentioned, I'm in charge at the library for this week and next while my boss is out on vacation. She's actually working some days (there's various meetings she's a part of, and she's working Saturday), so not completely off, but day-to-day I'm the most senior staff member, which is always a little added stress. After the two weeks is up, I'm on vacation for a week (and I'll need it!).

Reading: Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon and A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

Listening: "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane (did you know Chris Raschka wrote a picture book about it? I'm going to have to bring the CD in to listen to that track while reading Raschka's book at some point) and Radio Roland Garros to get my tennis fix

Watching/Crafting: nothing over the last few days

>58 bell7: It sounds like you're going to have a good-busy day today. Enjoy it! *smooch*

>59 richardderus: It was! Good-busy (rather than crazy-busy) for the foreseeable future, in fact, though I might try to see if I can finagle a do-nothing day in June as well.

TGIF! Working today and trying to figure out what day this weekend is best for getting to the gym. I might try to go tonight and just skip triceps, 'cause those are the only muscles currently sore. I'm planning on cooking a simple shrimp scampi with orzo for dinner tonight.

Reading: A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

Listening: "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane (another jazz album I'm really enjoying)

Watching/Crafting: nothing yesterday, we'll see what tonight brings

DNF #3 Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon
I officially decided I am done with this book today. The beginning was intriguing: a teenage single mother in 1917 leaves her baby in a pear grove knowing that an Irish family comes there to steal her uncle's pears and hopes they'll take the baby - and they do. Ten years later, Lucy Pear and her family decide to make perry during Prohibition. Her "mother," Emma, gets money from quarry boss and would-be mayor, Joseph Story, and they begin an affair. Her birth mother, Bea, is a Jewish woman and in a loveless marriage with a gay man. I picked it up because it was set on Cape Ann (where I traveled to earlier this month) - and it is, in Gloucester.

I made the decision today at 144 pages in to abandon it. The locations were not the same as where I stayed so it didn't have the connection to place that I was looking for. I didn't like most of the characters. And the writing style of flitting back and forth between various characters' perspectives and telling their whole life story and what they were thinking was okay at the beginning but grated on me after awhile. Even over 140 pages in, we were introduced to a new character (Bea's cousin Julian) and suddenly the narrator was telling us what he thought of his wife and his cousin and such. It wasn't going to get more than 3, 3.5 stars and I'm kinda tired of reading in that wheelhouse, so, back to the library it goes.

>57 bell7: Your robust library system seems to get books to you and other users far more quickly than those of us who are members of the Free Library of Philadelphia. I'm glad that the system has such a large collection of books, but I don't understand what takes so long to get them. At the end of the day it's no big deal, though.

I ordered a copy of Knife from a newish indie bookshop that is in the same town as the adult daycare center I take my mother to, and it should be in sometime next week.

Day trips of moderate length (4-6 hours) to Philadelphia are definitely doable, as it usually takes 30-40 minutes to drive to Center City from my mother's adult daycare center. If my cousin is in town then I have much more flexibility.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday, Mary! Looking forward to your thoughts on A Winter's Promise -- I've been enjoying that series. Just one more to go for me.

>62 bell7: That kind of reading experience is why the Pearl Rule works so well for me. Of course you still have years and years and years to go before you get to my current 35pp requirement, but at least it's not FOREVER away.

Weekend-ahead joy!

>63 kidzdoc: Massachusetts has a very good network and sharing system, which spoils me completely. If it's not a new/popular book, I can generally get a book between 3 days to a week. I hope you're able to get to Knife soon and that it's worth the wait!

>64 curioussquared: So far so good, Natalie, though it's a slow start I'm intrigued by Ophelia and her world.

>65 richardderus: Oh yeah, I generally give myself permission not to force myself through a book if it's not working for me. The surprising thing was that I *was* liking it around page 50, but somewhere along the way I lost interest and decided not to force my way through the rest.

>66 bell7: That's happened to me a lot lately. I thought it was my climacteric kickin' in...

>67 richardderus: Always a bummer when that kind of reading malaise kicks in, whether it's us, the books, or some combination of the two. Though in the case of this book, my mom gave up on it too, so we were able to commiserate (it wasn't just me...).

Happy Sunday!

I was busy yesterday, I went tag saling with my folks and got some clothes and baskets that I can use in the house. Afterwards, we stopped at my brother's and visited with him and his wife and the baby. She's not quite 3 months, but she's very smiley and alert, stares at you when you talk to her and sometimes babbles back. She gave me and my mom baby kisses, opening her mouth wide when we'd say "Mwah!" and then fell asleep sitting up in my dad's arms.

After that, my mom and I went clothes shopping - her with a gift card I'd given her for her birthday, me needing things like bras and a new pair of sneakers. And of course I got a couple more tops, so between that and the tag sale I have some lovely new outfits. Came home to leftover shrimp scampi for dinner and relaxed for the evening.

Today was nursery, and then I went from church to visit the friends whose dogs I'm watching in a couple of months. I ended up chatting for a couple of hours, and now have been back home for a couple of hours as well. I was going to cook, but I didn't. I'm doing the laundry, going to have leftover dinners, and have a quiet night. I haven't made bread in a bit, and put together the dough today with the hope of baking it tomorrow after work.

May
53. The Best Man by Richard Peck
52. The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
51. Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqwšəblu Lapointe
50. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
49. Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
48. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
47. Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder
46. The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard
45. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
44. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

Books read: 10
Did not finish: 1
Rereads: 1
Children's/Teen/Adult: 1/1/8
Fiction/Nonfiction/Plays/Poetry: 8/2/0/0

Because I want to awards:
At least as good to reread as read the first time - The Return of Fitzroy Angursell
Though-provoking nonfiction, just the way my book club likes 'em - Rough Sleepers

YTD stats -
Pages read:17,430
Avg pages a day: 113
Books by POC authors: 19 (36.5%)
In translation: 5 (9.6%)
DNF: 3

Thoughts: I had a slow start to my reading month, finally picking up halfway through and reading an additional 6 books. The travel and downtime at my sister's helped, and I read a couple of shorter books to end the month, which helped as well. Most of the books I read were in the 3.5-4 star range, so rather consistent that way. Only two books were by authors of color, which I'd like to start increasing even though that wasn't a specific goal of the year. And I do need to step up my reading in translation - to that end, I have a couple of books by French authors out of the library right now.

My book club takes the summer off, so I'll have complete free choice and not be working around when I want to finish the book club book. It'll be interesting to see if that affects my summer reading or not.

Good morning, all! I got up early this morning and forgot that I was working 3-8, started to go through my regular morning routine... and thankfully remembered before I headed out the door to work. I changed into hang out clothes and have been working on small little house things that are easy to let go when I'm busy, such as filling the bird feeders and emptying the dehumidifier. I've made lunch (a white bean, citrus and avocado salad that looks delicious if I do say so myself) and will bake bread in a couple of hours. The 3-8 shift is not my favorite, but it'll go by quickly. I will bring the last of the shrimp scampi for supper and will be on the circ desk 5-8 while my co-worker has a program and will be on reference.

Reading: A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

Listening: Radio Roland Garros since I don't have the streaming services it's on. I'm planning on starting "At Last!" by Etta James on the way to work today

Watching: Nothing

Crafting: Christmas stocking for my cousin's baby

>70 bell7: Good May of reading, Mary, and since you had a big brain-hole in >71 bell7: you can turbocharge June, too! Enjoy the scampi later...like everything else Italian it really tastes its best the next day.

*smooch*

>72 richardderus: The scampi was leftover from... hm, Thursday, I think so definitely time it was eaten. I snacked at work and then had it after I got home. *smooch* back

Happy... *checks notes* Tuesday, everyone! I'm a little discombobulated after working last night instead of a 9-2 shift. Today I'm working 9-5 and then going to my brothers' softball games. I may try to pick up a handful of groceries after, but it's not essentially because I don't think I'll have time to cook tomorrow anyways.

Reading: The Years by Annie Ernaux and I'll start Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr as a joint read with Darryl today

Listening: "At Last!" by Etta James - I've heard the album once through and really like her voice, though the music is definitely old-fashioned pop (I've... mostly heard the strings in old Disney movies, and the backup singers is of a particular time, too). No favorite songs yet, but we'll see what emerges after listening a couple more times through.

Watching: nothing

Crafting: hoping to pick up the stocking some this evening

>74 bell7: Bravo, Mary! I plan to read the Introduction to Moral Man and Immoral Society today, and try to read one chapter every day afterward.

I look forward to your thoughts about "At Last!" as I haven't listened to the entire album.

>75 kidzdoc: that sounds like the perfect pace to aim for, Darryl, as it does seem pretty dense.

Morning, Mary! have yourself a merry little Wednesday, if the Fates allow.

>76 bell7: Great, Mary. We don't have to be that strict, as I don't want to make it seem like a homework assignment. BTW I didn't get far into the Introduction, but I'll try to catch up today.

>77 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! *smooch*

>78 kidzdoc: Flexibility sounds good, Darryl. I'm probably reading a slightly different edition from you, so I'm not sure if there's any more introductory material that you're getting and I'm not. I read it last night after a busy day and I'm afraid my head was spinning a bit with all the quotes and ideas of the morals of an individual versus a society. I'm hoping that the coming chapters break it down a little more! I'm going to start the first chapter before heading out to work today and see how I get on.

Happy Wednesday, all! I had originally planned on mowing my lawn today, but the weather forecast for the coming days is looking a little better - rain tomorrow, but clear Friday and Saturday, so I decided to go to the gym today and mow on Friday after work. I also did a quick trip to the grocery store to have enough food to finish out the week. I'll cook dinner tomorrow while it's raining, and between that and a few prepared meals, I'm set.

I'm working 12-8 today. I need to run bills to Town Hall, and I want to get started on setting up for while I'm gone next week, leaving folks a list of the volunteers to expect and what they can shelve, and schedule my email away message.

Reading: The Years by Annie Ernaux and Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr

Listening: Radio Roland Garros for my tennis fix, and I'll have "At Last" back on my way to work

Watching: nothing

Crafting: I didn't pick it up yesterday, but hoping to work on the stocking some today

54. A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos
Why now? Getting back into my reading in translation, this was a popular YA fantasy translated from French and I had an ARC - so of course what I actually read was the library e-book/audio combo

Ophelia is a "reader" who can touch an object with her bare hands and get a sense of all the past owners it has had. She works at the archives on the ark of Anima, but her life is about to change. She's been betrothed to a man from the Pole ark, and when she first meets Thorn he seems about as cold as his habitation. Thrust into a world much darker than her own, Ophelia must keep all her wits about her if she's to survive to the wedding.

I didn't really know anything about this series before plunging into it, so I set out learning about the arks (separate places that can only be reached by airship) and the various motivations of the characters we meet along with Ophelia. It's written in third person, but sticks close to Ophelia's thoughts and experiences. And like much fantasy, it's deliberately paced and unfolds rather slowly as Ophelia starts without having much agency. The ending isn't so much a cliffhanger as it is left dangling in the midst of the story, so now I find myself debating how long to wait before looking for book #2. 4 stars.

Perhaps a might generous in my star rating because it was in translation? We'll see how I get on with the second book, though it'll probably be another month before I get there.

>81 bell7: I gave it an even higher rating than yours (4.5), but I wasn't able to get into the second book. I think it was just the right book at the wrong time, and hopefully I'll be in the mood for the rest of the series eventually, because I really did enjoy that first book.

>81 bell7: >82 foggidawn: I enjoyed the entire series, though I won't say it was a favorite, it was different enough to maintain interest and the developments and resolutions worked pretty well for me.

>82 foggidawn: I hope it is indeed a case of right book, wrong time, foggi, and that a second time through is a good read for you.

>83 quondame: Yes, "it was different enough to maintain interest" sums up my feelings pretty well, Susan.

Happy Thursday! Two more days 'til vacation...

I'm working 9-5 today and, as it's going to be rainy/storm tonight, making a dinner of stuffed portobello mushrooms. I was able to accomplish all I'd hoped to yesterday in getting ready for being off next week, and I'm hoping today and tomorrow goes as smoothly.

Reading: The Years by Annie Ernaux and Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr. Both are slow going, the former being a sort of collective memoir and needing some concentration, the latter very dense with long sentences and heady thoughts. I am starting chapter 2 of Moral Man and Immoral Society today and, when I can fully understand what Niebuhr is saying, I find his thoughts sensible and prescient. Today I read, "Wherever men hold unequal power in society, they will strive to maintain it. They will use whatever means are most convenient to that end and will seek to justify them by the most plausible arguments they are able to devise." Which he said back in 1932, but which certainly could be applied to society today.

Listening: "At Last!" by Etta James - starting on my third time through, with thoughts to come soon

Watching: nothing

Crafting: haven't picked up the stocking in a few days. Maybe tonight?

>85 bell7: I hope today's a smooth one for you, Mary. *smooch*

I always liked the build up to vacation. Hope it goes smoothly. Have a wonderful time off!

>86 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! The day went well, here's hoping the same today!

>87 Familyhistorian: It's a nice sort of ritual wrapping certain things up and leaving things for other people to deal with haha. The coming back is a little more difficult, compounded this time by my returning for the Monday after Summer Reading starts (oops).

Happy Friday, all! Today is my last day of being in charge at the library AND before vacation starts. Hoping all goes smoothly. I've been whittling away at things that need to be set before I leave, and should have a fairly calm day ahead of me. I am planning on cleaning off my desk, so that'll make for an interesting to-do list as I go through some piles of things that have just become background noise to me for months. The plan when I get back is to mow my lawn.

Reading: The Years by Annie Ernaux and Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr

Listening: "At Last!" by Etta James

Watching: nothing

Crafting: finished a couple of rows on the stocking yesterday

Hi Mary, unfortunately I've had a tough and unusually busy week with my mother so far, and as a result I'm only halfway through chapter I of Moral Man and Immoral Society. Hopefully this weekend will be a better and more productive one.

>85 bell7: I loved The Years but there were definitely bits of French history I had to Google to find out about.

>90 kidzdoc: hey Darryl, not to worry! I read through chapter 2 yesterday but haven't picked it up yet today and will wait till tomorrow to start chapter 3 so I don't get too far ahead of you. I hope things calm down a bit for you over the weekend.

>91 charl08: it's not even the French history, it's how much stuff happened before I was born, too. I looked up Bobby Sands this morning, I had no idea about the hunger strike during the Troubles.

Happy weekend, everyone! I didn't finish mowing my lawn last night as it clouded over and started raining. So, I finished it this morning. I'm finishing up packing, doing the dishes, taking the trash out, all the chores that are good to do before going away for a week. I'm leaving the laundry 'til next week when I get back (see, I can show restraint on my to-do list).

Reading: I have about a half hour reading left in The Years, I will make slow and steady progress in Moral Man and Immoral Society, and I'm going to read Those Who Hold the Fire by Victoria Goddard with Stasia today (maybe if I write it, I'll remember. Ha!)

Listening: The end of the Roland Garros final this morning, and I'm planning on starting The Sentence by Louise Erdrich on the drive this afternoon

Watching: nothing - maybe we'll watch something over vacation? Hmmm...

Crafting: worked a bit on the Christmas stocking last night and I'm bringing it with me on vacation; we'll see if I get to it or not

>92 bell7: That sounds good, Mary. I'll try to finish Chapters I and II today, and Chapters III and IV tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

>93 bell7: I'm not sure when I first heard about the hunger strikers, as they were before my time also.
I do remember being very struck by hearing about the dirty protests, I think that must have been as part of a university course though. In terms of actual memory, all I can pull out is the government censoring the Sinn Fein spokesperson on the news (his words had to be spoken by an actor instead) which was weird.
One of the things I liked about Ernaux's book was getting a sense of what was and wasn't important to her - I liked that she didn't (seem to) make up knowing / caring about everything, even when retrospectively it seems like she isn't that impressed with her 'past self'.

>95 kidzdoc: I'm even more behind than I thought I'd be over the weekend, Darryl, but I'm hoping to finish up chapter 3 today.

>96 charl08: That's true, she looks at everything including herself with a critical eye, and it's interesting to see what strikes her, what she was reading and watching and thinking about it, even when I don't really have a frame of reference for it. It makes me wonder what my own litany of what "we" were watching and listening to, etc. would look like in my own generation, and what would be familiar to younger folks and what would be completely passe.

Happy Monday, everyone! Yesterday turned out to be an unplanned day off the computer completely. I spent a lazy day with family at our AirBNB - turns out we rented out a whole large bed & breakfast on the lake, and it's been fun just hanging out and enjoying everyone. We got an NBC Sports broadcast set up so I was able to watch the men's final of Roland Garros, and I very much enjoyed the high-quality match between Alcaraz and Zverez - especially since Alcaraz won! Several of us took afternoon naps (I did not), and we didn't go anywhere. I had happy hour, and had cheese and carrots & hummus, as well as a couple of mocktails. Then my brother and SIL made us a delicious dinner of sausage and peppers, tortellini salad and a green salad. We'll be enjoying leftovers for lunch, I think.

One of my mom's cousins lives nearby and will be joining us for today's happy hour and dinner. I have dinner tonight, and I'm planning on making a potato salad, and grilling turkey burgers and corn on the cob.

Reading: Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr and Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz

Listening: playlists from my SIL's Spotify

Watching: Roland Garros final yesterday

Crafting: haven't broken out the knitting, though I did bring a Christmas stocking I'm working on

>98 bell7: Sounds like a wonderful, relaxing time!

>98 bell7: I spent a lazy day with family at our AirBNB - turns out we rented out a whole large bed & breakfast on the lake, and it's been fun just hanging out and enjoying everyone.

What a great way to spend a Sunday! I hope you have a marvelous Monday on top of it!

>97 bell7: That makes two of us, Mary. I'm only halfway through chapter 2, and although I'd love to finish chapter 3 today that may be a stretch. I'm definitely struggling with it, but I definitely want to finish it.

Sounds like a lovely Sunday, Mary!

Morning, Mary. Finally checking in. I have been dealing with LT issues, which has prevented me to visit certain threads. I hope I resolve this soon. Those books treating you well? Still listening to jazz? I am still making my way through my CD collection (mostly the rock & pop I own). Still in the latter part of the "C"s. 😁

The feeders have been eerily quiet for several weeks. Waiting for the cicadas to move on, to get things back to normal.

Did I miss where you were on vacation?

It sounds like a lovely time!

>99 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi, it was!

>100 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! We've had a good week

>101 kidzdoc: I'm late getting back to you, Darryl, so as you know I'm good with us pausing for now and getting back to it. I got partway through chapter 4 and while I may not start over from the beginning, I'll definitely re-start chapter 4 so I can follow the argument fully. I showed my dad the book (he's the only person on this trip who might find it intriguing), and he did seem interested but also agreed it was incredibly dense.

>102 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!

>103 msf59: Hey Mark, on this trip I've been mostly listening to other peoples' playlists, but I finished with "At Last!" by Etta James and will be getting back to the next albums on the Rolling Stones 500 list. I hope the bird feeders get back to normal and the cicadas move on. We didn't get them in my neck of the woods this time around.

>104 katiekrug: I'm not sure if I mentioned much, Katie, but we've been on Great Sacandaga lake for the week. We had thought of going out and doing "stuff" but ended up staying at home and just enjoying each others' company, reading, playing games, doing a puzzle and relaxing. Basically what happens when a family of introverts gets together hahaha. I was pleased to see all of my siblings brought at least one book.

Happy Friday, all! I've been relaxing all week and busy with family time. My middle sister and her family were only here on Wednesday and Thursday, and on Thursday my dad and I went back to Massachusetts for a memorial service. It was nice to see that extended family, too, and hear some of the stories from my paternal grandmother's side of the family (I never knew either of my dad's parents, so getting those stories is really fun).

We check out tomorrow at 10 and then I think I'm going to try to get to a graduation party. Sunday is back to normal with church, maybe a gym run, and getting groceries for the week.

Reading: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna and an e-book to be determined

Listening: various family's music picks

Watching: occasionally some of the hockey or basketball when other people have it on

Crafting: never did get the knitting out

Hiya Mary! No knitting? Who ARE you?! Where's our craftarincess Mary?! We'll find you, Mary, and restore you to life, liberty, and the pursuit of the perfect purl!!

Oh, and go look at what I got:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/361362#8555914

>107 richardderus: excellent timing, Richard! I was just saying hello on your thread. I'm sure I'll get it out at home, but I've got color work going in a Christmas stocking and it was just too much trouble with everyone around.

Have a wonderful weekend, Mary!

>109 alcottacre: Thanks so much, Stasia!