Maggie's More Marvelous Books read in 2010

I can't believe I am doing this! As my 2009 number was not a passing grade at 51 out of 75. Nonetheless, friends, I enjoy the conversations here so let's do it again.

I am very glad you joined us again for 2010, Karen!

Welcome back, and good luck this year!

Thank you, thank you! If I play less games on certain other internet social sites, I may be able to read more books this year than I did last year. I am crossing my fingers and holding my thumbs. I can do that because I use my Kindle. hehehehe

found and starred! - Happy reading ;-)

Yay! You're back!!

yup, and hopefully all the time I used to spend on games I will spend on 1. exercising and 2. reading

Onwards!

*waves*
Hi!

*waves back* Hi, to you, too!

I'm trying to start a blog too. Check it out: Marvelous Maggie's Musings on blogger.com

I'll need to learn how to get a link

Simplest method: copy the URL of the target page from the address bar in your browser, then paste into a message. It'll automagically turn into a link when you hit the "Submit" button.

ok, I think I am back in the saddle again: http://marvelousmaggiesmusings.blogspot.com/

I literally forget what I've learned if I don't use it...duh...

Got yah bookmarked!

I would like to join this challenge!!

Welcome! Just make a thread and you're set. Message me on my profile page if you need more help.

Hi Maggie....*starred*

Well i'm back too, even tho so far this year i've only read 43. If at first you don't succeed... 8^)

Hi Maggie, I'm glad you're back! Good conversation is always more important than count numbers!

Yay! Glad to see you back! :o)

Maggie,

I probably shouldn't tell you this, but as someone who reads and plays those games on the other social sites, the solution is AUDIO BOOKS. I listen to a book while I play my games, then I don't feel so guilty.

**she clicks over to her other tab to continue her game, laughing gleefully, someelse is hooked too!**

heheheehe....but I have found that I don't concentrate very well on audio books. Years of school teaching made it possible for me to be surrounded by sound and still have my mind completely involved in something else; hense, audiobooks tend to flow gently in one ear and out the other without stopping in between. So I think paying more attention to one thing at a time is the ticket for me.

Maggie-Are you trying to tell us that you are not a multi-tasker? I play games on computer while watching, or rather listening to the TV. I, of course miss a lot of the visual content of the TV program. I sneak looks to find out what's going on from time to time. 8^)

Yes, I am saying I am not good at multi-tasking. I can do it, and I used to do it full-speed ahead, many multi-tasks simultaneously, but now...I really don't even want to because I know that none of the tasks are well done when my brain is splitting itself into facets. So, now, when I really want to do something....I stick to one thing at a time, focus, focus, focus! But I must make myself do it. Left to follow my inclincations...I am all over the place. Wash one dish...go put some clothes away.....etc. etc. until I don't know what it was that I wanted to do in the first place. So, maybe I've discovered "attention deficit disorder" in my retirement. It probably was always there (in my brain) but my profession took advantage of it.

OK, I know that was way more information than you want....and Vanye, I know your question was meant in jest. It is just an interesting topic to me: myself. hehehehe

My new ticker is above. Cute little doggie running through the grass should encourage my being quick about this. Think I'll go read, right now.

Yeah i know what you mean Maggie doing 2 things at once does not mean they are done well-as i said in my post i miss a lot & i can also identify w/what you said about starting too many things at once. Some times i will return to the kitchen much later to find my dishes sitting there in cold water & i have been off doing some other task having totally forgotten about those dishes i started to wash hours ago. I find myself to be alternately interesting & frustrating.
That reminds me of an article about Gen. Dwight Eisenhower in which he said when asked in an interview what person he had the most problems w/and his reply was "myself!" 8^)

Maggs!! Whoo hoo! I look forward to following your reading again.

I just got Wolf Hall and I am very excited to begin reading it. I need to finish Travel As A Political Act first.

Happy New Year! I have your thread starred too!

Got ya starred.

I am pretty excited for the new year! Woo hoo

I started a blog so I could write on and on about books. Follow me if you are inclined but I make no promises about quality.

http://marvelousmaggiesmusings.blogspot.com/

edited to say: oopps, sorry, I forgot I'd posted this link above. Oh, well, can't blow your own horn too often...I guess.

>23 maggie1944:: I must star your thread, Karen, because my counter and yours are twins. Mine is at the top of my DonnaReads thread. I spent way too much time looking through all the possibilities and then ended up with the one that resembled my dog. And he looked so cute romping through the grass. You have good taste!

Enjoy your reading of Wolf Hall. I read it in the weeks before Christmas. Speaking of multitasking...I wish I had waited until January when I could focus solely on the book. It was excellent but wasted on me because I was running around like a madwoman! I'm looking forward to your comments.

Well Maggie, I didn't accomplish my goal either so you're in good company. :) Hope your 2010 is the best year yet!

OK, first book read: Travel As A Political Act by Rick Steves was a good book for a quick read. I enjoyed his perspective on lessons he has learned as a travel writer and I am firmly in his political camp when it comes to needing to consider my place in a world context, rather than just an "American" context. I did get a bit bogged down from time to time because, frankly, it is depressing to me to think about how western civilization has caused much grief and suffering, worldwide. I don't like to be reminded of the starving people who are suffering because their way of life has been reduced by, take your pick, deforestation or drug trade or war.

But this is not the place to get into a political argument; unless, you read Rick Steves and pay attention to his suggestion that you do not avoid difficult discussions. Read the book, you might like it, and it has some nice pictures, too.

Congratulations on getting #1 read, Karen.

Hi, Karen. Lose something?

oh, thanks for asking, but I found that it was a figment of my imagination. That's what happens if you read too many books and have to many books in your to be read piles, you know. Here it is: http://www.librarything.com/topic/81777

All is well. 1010 in 2010 thread has been started and my first book is posted.

I need to go read now.

Hi, Maggie! I added Steves's book to my wish list. Gotta support those local businesses! Plus, I like how he travels--light and on the cheap.

LOL I need to go read now too :)

I obviously am not keeping track. Probably would be irritated with how much money I spend on books.

edit on 3/20/10

OK, I need to learn to proofread my stuff. The above ticker is for tracking how many books I buy this year. I have some catching up to do because I've alread bought several.

I have finished I'll Never Be French (no matter what I do) by Mark Greenside and very much enjoyed it.

edit to fix title

Hmmm. Interesting. I'll have to look into it...

#40: It does look interesting. I will look for it.

I will throw into the inspiration that it is a quick read and very funny.

OK, you sold me on I'll Never Be French. I'll at least add it to my library wish list.

For you all who think you might like it: it was a quick and amusing read and definitely worth it, especially if you've travel in France, or live there.

I'll never make 75 if all I read is one book a month but I did complete Almost French which I really enjoyed. A young woman is invited to Paris by a handsome French man and stays. The book is about learning how to navigate the cross cultural rapids of language and social niceties. I found the author to be insightful, authentic and believable. She sounds like she enjoys continuing to live in France but also would like to spend more time in her home Australia. A good read and one which anyone who likes traveling in France would enjoy.

I finished listening to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and I enjoyed it very much. I describe it as an unusual mystery/detective story as none of the characters are exactly detectives, more modern investigators especially of the cyber type. Interesting thoughts about how much security we really have in our computers and on-line. I enjoyed some quirky and interesting characters and the Swedish environment. Lots of coffee drinking, too, which appeals to this Seattle-native.

In the end, it is a very good mystery story and very satisfying.

Speaking of books which one enjoys more if liking things Frech, I really enjoyed Ysabel, a fantasy novel, last month which is set in present day Provence... I thought the author did an absolutely fab job of combining threads of myth, history, and clashing cultures (American and French) into a lovely cohesive whole.

Thanks for mentioning this. I think I have Ysabel sitting in my mountain of TBR books. I'll have to move it up a notch or so.

The author of Ysabel has a new novel, Under Heaven. I'm second on the library list for it. It might be a while, it's still on order.

#50: Thanks for mentioning that, Lorraine. I am currently reading Kay's The Last Light of the Sun and read his Tigana last year, so I am definitely on the look out for more of his books.

>50 loosha: & 51: Wrong touchstone used there, it's Under Heaven.

Hi, Karen! It was nice to be able to meet you in person today. I see I already wishlisted the I'll Never be French book you were talking about. :-)

oh, I forgot to post that I had finished listening to Robin Hobb's Dragon Keeper (Rain Wild) which I enjoyed a great deal. I think a major reason for liking it as much as I did was because the reader had a unique accent and was able to do exotic characters very well. I was disappointed that in the end the book does not stand well by itself. Like the serial movies of old, it left me standing on the edge of a cliff, almost willing to pay for the hard back copy of book 2, which will be coming in May.

Also, as Robin Hobb lives near here I see she is doing a book signing on the day of release. I could attend.....well, we shall see.

OK, I think I need to post my ticker again and remind myself to get to reading. Unfortunately, today is sunny, and the first day of spring! I'll be outside.

Hope you had a good day outside!

It was beautiful. Bought some new plants for the yard and hopefully the weather will hold through tomorrow so I can get them into the ground. Also, went to the bookstore and bought two more audio books for my commute: The Secret Lives of Bees and Half Broke Horses. I am looking forward to listening to them.

Ah! Welcome Spring!!

Just finished listening to Half Broke Horses which is classified as a True Life Novel. This granddaughter wrote a very fun first person account of her colorful grandmother's life in east Texas and Arizona. This lady was almost fired from her school teaching job in Arizona for carrying a gun in her purse. She felt she needed to protect herself from her high school students. This was 60 or 70 years ago. Gee-Ha! This was a great read for any one who likes real descriptions of the "old west". The author read her book and her accent added to the pleasure of the listen.

Oh! I want to read that -- if you haven't read The Glass Castle by the same author, you must. It's a terrific, unbelievable read.

you are one "johnny on the spot" aren't you. I did read The Glass Castle and liked it a lot.

I already have Half Broke Horses in the BlackHole. I need to bump it up some.

I finished Shaman's Crossing and enjoyed it. I will see if the characters haunt my thoughts in the next few days and if so, then I'll probably go on to book 2 of the series by Robin Hobb.

>62 maggie1944: Is it set in the same universe as the others? I loved the assassin and fool books but hated the ship books -- go figure.

ETA Ok, 'hate' is a bit strong, but just a bit. I was bored by and un interested inthe plight of the characters in the ship books...

It is "soldier son" trilogy and not worth the effort according to many, many of the reviews. I will not continue with this series.

Finished The Secret Life of Bees and enjoyed it. A sweet, coming of age, story set in the southern US of A during the 1960s. The civil rights movement provides a very quiet background to the story but the main theme is the quest of a young woman to find her way in the world, leaving behind the tragedy of her mother's murder and her father's neglect and harshness. I enjoyed the exploration of the universal Mother and the musical language of the south. Definitely a pleasant read which I think many will enjoy.

I need to re-read that one. It has been a while.

I'm glad you liked it. I read it. It didn't really work for me. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't want to read it again either. Mais, c'est moi.

oui, j'ai compris! (I don't even know if that is correct, I learned my French....many many years ago). I don't think I would read it twice, either.

My French is pretty abysmal -- I couldn't say if it was wrong or right! LOL

If you meant to say "Yes, I understood." Then c'est parfait!

I really liked The Secret Life of Bees. I read it in paperback and then listened to the audiobook a couple of years later.

As the weather turns warmer, I love to read coming of age stories like that, especially ones that are set in the South. I need to start looking for this year's read...

Ah, bon!

I am really working to catch this project....

soo, here's another one, folks:




Completed the reading of His Majesty's Dragon and completely enjoyed it. Laughed at myself last night as I got all teary eyed over the death of a dragon. Really. Sixty-five years old and crying over a dragon. I reminded myself of my four year old great-nephew who cried, real tears and red faced, when he broke his perfect square piece of American cheese. After he ate it, I asked him if it tasted as good broken as it tastes when not broken. He laughed and said yes.

So, casting dignity aside - I liked this book quite well - it is well written, has a bit of English shipping lore and vocabulary, a little bit of historical context, and then very sympathetic characters. Even minor characters were written with good details.

Recommended to those who enjoy fantasy.

Sounds like a winner :)

#72: I really liked His Majesty's Dragon too - and yes, I cried over the dragon as well.

starred

Woohoo!!!! I have finished reading Wolf Hall. Oddly enough, I don't think I liked the book overly much, but I did like the main guy: Thomas Cromwell. Not as a historical character...I don't really know enough about him, for real; but, as a character in Hilary Mantel's book I found him to be very sympathetic.

I have finished listening to World War Z and can't say that I'd recommend it. Perhaps in the written format one could become more attached to the story but I felt very much as if I was half listening to a relatively boring news broadcast on the radio. My mind wandered off to more mundane matters frequently.

Hope the next one is better.

#77: I surprised myself when I enjoyed World War Z back in 2008. I think had I listened to it rather than reading it, my mind would have been wandering off too.

So what is up next Maggles?

I wrote a huge! message listing all 14 books I have in process right now (not counting my Kindle books) and then I did some stupid thing and my laptop ate my post. I am not re-doing it but it does give evidence to my attention deficit problem. Can't even stick with one book, must have 14!

I hate that. Sorry. (losing msgs.)

ETA I've gotten into the habit of copying my message in progress (or fiinished before I hit 'submit') to notepad so that I might have a fallback if something goes wonky, again...

ACK!! so sorry to hear that :P what a pia!

What a great suggestion, suslyn, if only I knew how to do that. Do you just hit Ctrl C every so often?

that would do it maggs

yeah, but I also paste it to the notepad (in the accessories if you're on windows) if it's very long. LOL and if I worked really hard on whatever I'm composing to post online I even save it too and then delete it once it's successfully transmitted. Lost too much stuff... here, FB, blogs...

Thanks, you guys, you're the best.

I finished listening to The Princes of Ireland and finished reading (actually re-reading) Bad Land. I was moderately entertained by the former and generally enjoyed the latter. I am looking forward to reading The Girl Who Played with Fire for my LibraryThing RL book group.

I doubt I am going to read any where near 75 books this year, nor even 50, nonetheless I do enjoy posting here.

a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/counter/wbvZVdM/">

I certainly hope you stick around, Karen!

Thanks.

Finished The Girl Who Played With Fire and loved, loved, loved it. Could hardly put it down to eat, and take care of children. But you know children - they will crawl all over you if you are trying to ignore them and read a book. In any case, I finished it last night in bed and went to sleep very satisfied. Only sorry book three is not available right now! I just will pick up Robin Hobb's new book, Dragon Haven, and read it. Maybe the Larsson book will be out soon.

Hi, Maggie/Karen! We have spoken to each other before, and I'm happy to find you at this friendly place. We've read at least a couple of same books this year, and I've started and put down His Majesty's Dragon. I hope to get back to it soon - lent it to a rl friend who loved it and returned it, so it's up close to the summit of Mt. Bookpile. I have now starred you, so I'll be back.

Hey Maggie-So far you are a couple of books ahead of me but I'm picking up speed-tho doubt I'll make 75 & having fun trying! I think i shall try to get Princes of Ireland-it sounds very interesting! Right now I am lost in the Middle Ages! 8^)

THe numbers don't really matter, do they? That's not why I'm here...

Bless you!

Agree: The numbers do not really matter. It is fun just keeping track.

#91: Karen, if you are anxious for book 3 in the Larsson trilogy, I ordered my copy last year from The Book Depository. I think I have had it since October. You might give them a try: www.thebookdepository.com - they offer free worldwide shipping and their prices are comparable (and in most cases, better than, Amazon's.)

I hope you stick around too ! :)

I finished Robin Hobb's Dragon Haven last night. For the first time in a long time, I stayed up until the book was completely read. Shut the book sometime after midnight and for this little old lady who normally gets in the bed at 8 pm that was something. Luckily, I am not working this week and can sleep in. Then just for fun, the doggies woke me at 5:20 ish...I thought they wanted their breakfasts....but no, there was a very small earthquake. Seismic scale of 3.something.

I don't even know which of my many, many TBR books I'm picking up next.

Maybe if there's another earthquake, one will magically fall off the shelf and it will be an omen!

Ta DA! A new ticker right here:

Sounds like a fairly drastic plan for picking a book...8^}

Your cute little white dog is running right along through that growing grass. He still looks a lot like mine!

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed The Girl Who Played With Fire. I'm going to "cheat" on the trilogy by going to see the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on Thursday. I've heard that it followed the book fairly closely.

Now I am waiting for book 3 in two different series....dragons and criminals. hum....I think I am going to read My Antonia and/or A Great and Terrible Beauty next. But I need to shut my lap top and get to it.

Still working on A Great and Terrible Beauty, its a good paperback book for the bathtub and probably won't be finished anytime soon. In the meantime, I finished reading No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub - a laugh out loud "memoir" (might actually be fiction) of a 60 year old British woman who is happy to be "old" and choosing what she'll do; no longer beholding to do what others suggest or ask her to do. She finds herself smitten by her first grandchild; dealing with the death of a dear friend; and thinking hard about just giving up on the whole idea of relationships with members of the opposite sex. I completely enjoyed it and recommend it primarily to women of "a certain age".

I also picked up Kindle versions of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and the first Winnie the Pooh book. I do love reading!

#104: No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub looks fun. Thanks for the recommendation, Karen.

Glad you think you might enjoy it.




I forgot to note that I finished listening to The Devil and the White City, another abridged audio book which I ended up wishing I had read the whole book. I think I'm not going to read the abridged books any more; go for the whole thing or none at all.

I hate, loathe and abominate abridgements! As Eric Larson is one of my favorite nonfiction authors, I would say you definitely need to read the unabridged texts of his books.

Finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and loved it. I recommend all three books to almost everyone. My one complaint is that at the very end of this third book there is an ending which is just too neat. As much of the rest of the trilogy is to be recommended because it seems so realistic it is hard to take an ending which is not so realistic. Oh, well.

OK, I also finished reading A Great and Terrible Beauty, a young adult story of growing up and learning how to choose between difficult choices in life. I was not thrilled by it, but then again I am not a young woman any more. I did like it sufficiently to finish it.

Onward.

I liked all three of Eric Larsons's books a lot...
No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub looks fun to me too :)

*waves* to karen....

#108: Going to read that one over the summer. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it, Karen!

Finished reading The Hunger Games and am thinking I want to read the next in the series. I am not an expert in young adult literature however I found this book to be unusually thought provoking. The young girl who, with her experience of hunting in the woods "outside the pale", is chosen to represent her community in a gladiator type, live or die, "game". She is written as capable, vulnerable, thoughtful, and flawed and her compatriots in the games are equally interesting characters. Many issues are raised which are relevant to modern life and this book will provide many a young adult great fodder for thought and discussion. I recommend it unhesitatingly to young and not-so-young all.

I loved The Hunger Games but I have held off on reading the second book, Catching Fire, because it ends in a cliffhanger (I hate it when authors do that!) Book 3, Mockingjay, is due out in August, so I will read the next two at that time.

Thanks for the tip. I have Catching Fire on my Kindle but I think I have enough TBR to keep me busy until August.

No problem, Karen!

Finished listening to The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and recommend it as a good quick summer read. The premise is a graduate student researching the hysteria about witches in and around Salem, Mass. who stumbles into some magical events of her own. The book combines some really interesting information about the historical events with modern perspective about magical thinking and feminism.

The author herself had a distant relative who was killed during the hysteria and I think she has done some really interesting research on the topic of power and women in the puritan colonies and some hypothetical thinking about what might have led to the killing of several people as witches.

I loved that book.. The physical book itself was beautiful to me.. it felt good in my hands, and I liked the story. double score.

Hi, Maggie! I listened to The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. The reader wasn't great, but it was a good kind of book to listen to while doing something else. I thought The Hunger Games was a really good YA book. I kept sneaking back to it when I should have been working. Happy summer!

bonniebooks, I hope you are going to read the rest of the series started with The Hunger Games. I've got book 2 waiting for me on my Kindle, and I'll be watching for the release of the 3rd.

I finished reading Majestrum for my next book group meeting. I probably would not have picked it up on my own and probably would not have finished reading it were it not for the book group. But I hate going and saying "I didn't finish it, did I miss anything important?"

Henghis Hapthorn is a "set-in-the-future" private detective but this author really, really likes playing with "the Queen's English" and makes up words with meanings the reader must assume or puzzle out. So Hapthorn is called a "discriminator' and he is accompanied by another internal version of himself who has a different world view and a different methodology for solving mysteries. He might be schizophrenic or just talented, it is not clear at first. He also has a familiar who helps him in many ways.

I didn't particularly like the author's language games, nor the protagonist, but I did like the familiar who is a pet just like I would like to have.

The book's plot is a relatively straight forward mystery however made complex through the weird creative language and some disorienting world building. I can see how some sci fi fans would love the author and his series. Not my cup of tea.

I hope your next read is more to your taste, Karen!

I have started Catching Fire and am enjoying it. I must just be a young adult inside this old lady body.

#124: Have you got Mockingjay on pre-order yet, Karen?

(PS - everyone knows I am just a grown up kid, so I know exactly what you mean)

I have not yet gotten it on pre-order but I expect to buy it on the Kindle and it should not prove to be difficult. I'll go wander around Amazon right now and see what I can learn.

#126: I believe the print version is due out August 9th. No idea if the Kindle version is simultaneous or not.

I checked Amazon and there was a button for "I want to read this on my Kindle" - meaning it is not now scheduled for the Kindle, but we can "lobby" for it. I certainly hope it will happen.

I am enjoying book 2 and have to be self-disciplined to not read while I should be packing for my up coming move. Need to get all my books into boxes, save for a couple dozen I am currently reading, hehehehe.

Good luck with the move, Karen!

Finished reading My Life in France which I enjoyed a great deal. Then again, I like cooking, I like France, I like knowing the little tiny bit of French that I know (so I could translate some of Julia's phrases such as "tant pis"). I am inspired to use my new kitchen to cook a bit more often and a bit better, I hope.

I bought Julia's Kitchen Wisdom today which is a very short (134 pages) with some elementary necessary ideas for cooking, from scratch of course.

#130: I will be interested in seeing what you think of Julia's Kitchen Wisdom, Karen. I read My Life in France recently too and enjoyed it for the most part.

What I've read so far strikes me that the recipes have been reduced to only the very most essential words which may be a good thing. I really won't know what I think of it Julia's Kitchen Wisdom until I use it to cook something.

Finished Catching Fire and liked it, although not as much as The Hunger Games. And I don't think I like the ending too much. It is a cliff hanger but that is not my criticism. I think the ending was just too convenient, too easy, and maybe not consistent with the whole of the book. I don't know if the third book will be able to resolve this issue.

I don't remember you saying you liked to cook--or visit France. I like to eat other people's French cooking, for sure! Hope the third installment in the S. Collins series is better for you, Karen. I enjoyed The Hunger Games. It was good escapist, teen science-fiction, but I can only suspend belief for so long--and I hate those no-ending cliff hangers in most series books.

I am a wishful cook these days. I have a terrible kitchen (soon to be moved out of!) and have just not felt up to it. Living single does not encourage great cooking, sometimes. No excuses, just the facts, ma'm.

I have discovered my love for France late in life. Having a good friend who has recently moved to France and will be staying does encourage me to think of traveling there.

So, you are right. I have not spent much time here talking about cooking or France. I love that I can discover new passions.

Living single does not encourage great cooking, sometimes.

Same here! Then I was without a refrigerator for a couple of weeks (old one died, new one was backordered), plus no car, and I kept thinking of all the things I couldn't cook and now all of a sudden wanted to.

Oops! Double posted! Now what am I gonna say? Lucky you, to have a friend to visit in France. Do you plan on going this year?

oh, bonniebooks, I wish.

I just bought a new house and have a mortgage for the first time in about 10 years. I will need to adjust my retirement income and life style to this change before I can save for a trip to France. I am hoping all this will happen soon.

Living single does not encourage great cooking, sometimes.

Good heavens, living as a married couple doesn't encourage great cooking, either. LOL. Neither my husband or I are really interested in cooking, but I think that's because it takes so long for so little payout. I need more recipes with 5 ingredients or less that take 15m or less to prepare (minus time in the oven or slow cooker or whatnot). We're also really busy people, but I hate eating frozen dinners all the time... it's just not healthy.

Now, baking, on the other hand, I love. But I have a sweet tooth (okay, a full JAW of them) so that's not much of a surprise.

If you have a cookbook to recommend that has quick, easy ideas (with uncomplicated recipes) I'm all ears! I'll be back to see what you thought of Julia's Kitchen Wisdom.

138- I have a '5 ingredients or less' cookbook which I LOVE! Usually, I have all 5 ingredients in my pantry too, so I'm not discouraged from trying a new recipe because it requires me to go to the store and pick up...capers...for instance!! :)

There is a book i have seen called A Man , A Can & a Plan which has that kind of recipes in it. Have seen them in book stores. 8^)

Well, I confess I have a couple of those kinds of cookbooks already. I still have not found myself using even them. I'll see what happens to my "inspirations" after I get the kitchen unpacked, and organized, and settled. I need to find a big pot rack...right away, first, cuz I want to hang my pots.

>139 BookAngel_a:: But you *need* capers! They last forever in the refrigerator. And how else can you make "Pasta Puttanesca" which is the easiest, fastest sauce to make and absolutely one of my favorite meals? And, by the way, 5 ingredients or less, too! Canned tomatoes, garlic, capers, red pepper flakes, Kalamata olives. I like adding fresh cilantro too, but not necessary. Cook the garlic for a few minutes, add the smooshed tomatoes and everything else, let simmer for 10-15 minutes and you're done! If you have some fresh noodles cooking at the same time, you're eating in 15 minutes--yum!

Just stopping by to check in.. see how things are going for you :)

142- Lol! That sounds delicious, actually. When I wrote the post in 139, I was searching for an ingredient that I don't currently have on hand...so I chose capers!

I flashed back in my mind to a time when a friend and I were making an ethnic dish for a high school class. We were at the store by ourselves, shopping for the ingredients, and we couldn't find capers..in fact, we didn't even know what they were. We got in trouble at the store because at the time they had a 'no cell phone' policy (apparently cell phone signals messed up some of their equipment) and we were on the phone with my mom asking "What are CAPERS??" We asked a school aged store employee and she didn't know either.
With my mother's help we eventually located them.

>142 bonniebooks:: That sounds pretty darn good! I might have to try it... once I actually figure out what capers are...

>144 BookAngel_a:: See? I still don't know what they are... LOL.

mckait - hi, I'm doing good. Still in the midst of moving out of old house and into new house, with a great kitchen. Save a small problem or two. New house's cupboards are those really shallow ones which will not hold larger plates...hint, hint, hing (portion size! smaller plates are better). But also, the shelves are hard to change the height and right now they are so short, shelf to shelf, that it is hard to put my tall glasses in there. Much work to be done but I promise I will keep reading.

I am supposed to be reading Spies of the Balkans for my book group and mistakenly started reading The Spies of Warsaw by the same author, both on my Kindle. So, last night I recognized my error and began the correct book. I'll go back and finish the Warsaw book later.

I have completed Spies of the Balkans and have begun reading My Antonia for the following month's read in my book group. I also am reading One Square Inch of Silence of after a discussion with Old Sarge about quietness and how uncomfortable many are in a quiet moment. I am captivated by Gordon Hampton's quest for quiet in this modern world, and support his idea of enforcing a "no fly zone" over national parks so that people may experience no cars, no airplanes, no trains, etc.

BTW, I loved Spies of the the Balkans and recommend it to any who enjoy a good WWII story.

#147: I love good WWII books, so I will look for Spies of the Balkans. Thanks for the recommendation, Karen.

I sure do enjoy your enthusiasm!! :)

PS are you gonna post pics? I love seeing spaces, new and old :)

I have some pictures but have not yet put them up on Flickr and picked out some to show here. But I did find time to finish reading Mockingjay. I am still mulling over what I think but I can say I was not all that happy with the third book. But clearly it is a great conversation starter.

Did she end up with the person she should have ended up with, or is "should have ended up with" a myth, any way? Did I like the ending? Did I think the political solution in the end was a good thing, or was this culture in just as much trouble as it ever was? Will the protagonist be able to pursue her own talents and interests?

Well, I'll see if I can write a real book review and post it in my profile sometime. But don't hold your breath.

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I finished reading My Antonia and loved, loved, loved it. I am sure that it is a book only some of us will like but it reminded me so much of when I was younger and the adults in my life were busy sharing their knowledge of local history. We drove a lot around in Idaho stopping at every "historical marker" and every site of an Indian battle that the driver knew about. We also stopped at many a small town Catholic church and looked at all the wonderful stained glass windows and small community cemeteries.

None of the above actually is a part of Cather's book but her vivid descriptions of pioneer life in the mid-west, and the wonderful environment, gave me excuse to revisit my knowledge of local history and environments. She also writes a good story of a young man growing up in a small community and his bonds to the kids he knew. The book spans probably four or five decades in these people's lives. It does not have a traditional "happily ever after" kind of an ending, Cather was wise to end it on a "just like life" note.

Good book! Vivid and believable characters and settings. The book is not plot driven but has a realistic story which does carry the reader along and makes one want to finish the book. And, did I mention, beautiful descriptions of the country.

So, this is where I stand:

Hi, Maggie! I'm a great fan of *Antonia* too. Everything about it seems just right to me.
I really stopped by to point you to the TIOLI thread for October. Those whipper-snappers born in 1947 are trying to decide who's the oldest. Ha! For some reason (encroaching senility?) my post claiming 1944 didn't appear and I haven't taken time to try again.

#154: My Antonia is my favorite of Cather's books too, Karen. I am glad to see you enjoyed it!

156: Peggy, my mum was born in 1944 too, so that's not allowed to be considered old.

I love My Antonia but am also really enjoying The Song of the Lark, a much longer novel about a girl training to be a singer and also of her growing up.

One aspect of what I love about these books are the odd details that tell us stuff about social history that is often overlooked or forgotten. Certain opponents of breastfeeding anywhere other than the toilet when out and about claim women never did it in the past - Cather's novel published 95 years ago refers to women on a train falling asleep nursing and not doing up their dresses.

I also love My Antonia. I've read it several times and have bought several copies to give to friends. It's definitely in my all time Top Ten list!

Good luck with your move! A stressful time for sure with so many changes and decisions to make. You talked about your kitchen, but we're all dying to know if you have room for lots of books!

ETA: I'm one of those 1947 'whippersnappers' that Peggy refers to, but my husband was born in '44.

Hmmm... I have something by Cather here, I think *wanders off to see if she can find it*

I loved The Collector by John Fowles. I slowly became captivated by the two main characters and their behavior and mentality. the Collector is a young man who collects butterflies and then because he has won a sizeable amount of money gets the idea to collect a pretty girl. I'll not tell you more but I do consider Fowles to be a master writer and I was very firmly hooked by this creepy mystery. A perfect read for October nights.

#161: I read that one years ago and it was creepy enough that I do not ever want to read it again :)

Me too. I was on quite a Fowles tear for about a year and read everything that I could get my hands on. It's been so long ago that I can hardly remember even the broad outlines. If I reread one, it will probably be Daniel Martin.

I finished a quick sweet read of Jacqueline Sheehan's Lost & Found, a relatively short book of the love of a dog for its companions. The main character loses her husband due to a heart attack at a very early age, flees her life as she is overcome with grief, and learns to deal with reality again while solving a mystery on a small island off the coast of Maine. I liked the book as it did have some complexity in the characters and the mystery was not too awful. I read it in one Sunday afternoon when it was just what I needed.

Now I need to go read some kids books to pump up my numbers a bit.

>164 maggie1944: LOL The original Gertrude Chandler Warner Box Car books would be my choice :)

Well, I did find one childrens book which I love: Owl Eyes by Frieda Gates and Yoshi Miyake. It is all about the Creator making the animals by first asking them how they would like to be. The Owl continuously interferes trying to tell the Creator that he knows better and in the end the Creator has to demonstrate to the Owl what consequences his interference has. If you want to know why the owl's eyes are so round and so big, read the book.

Woo hoo. I've hit 30! At 37.5 I can claim 50% which might be a good expectation for this year.




I just read Magical World of Unicorns - a lovely book of illustrations of unicorns, with a few well chosen quotations. For example, "Do you know, I always thought unicorns were fabulous monsters, too? I never saw one alive before! 'Well, now that we have seen each other,' said the Unicorn, 'if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you.'" from Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll, 1946.

I enjoyed it and would share it with children who still have a believe in magic.

Congrats on hitting 30, Karen!

Nice reviews!

Ok, here's a review for a book I read for my book group which meets tonite. I made the deadline! This will be book #31.




Enjoyable, thought provoking but a little bit dated, this book was read for my book group. I am looking forward to talking about it but I don't know if I would have finished reading it were I "on my own". Richard Feynman is certainly an unique character, and probably a fine scientist. He certainly does a good job toward the end of the book explaining what integrity in the field of science must look like and he clearly has no patience with people who fudge their research to assure funding, or curry favor. I enjoyed reading some of the "inside" stuff about the famous labs developing the atomic bomb at the end of world war two; also, the experiments he conducted on himself in sensory deprivation tanks were interesting. For the most part he avoiding talking about physics which I would not, or could not understand.

One chapter he devoted to criticism of text books chosen for elementary schools and I would love to have an argument with him about some of his criticisms. He apparently would like for the rigors of science to be introduced to the grade school children and I am just not sure he understands developmental psychology and how challenging that might be for public schools to fund. But I can't carry on a one sided argument here. There were a couple of other points at which I wanted to argue with him which is why I consider the book to be thought provoking. In general it was an enjoyable and informative read.

#171: I do not mean to be picky, Karen, but could you tell me what the name of the book is? I have already read one of Feynman's books, Six Easy Pieces, but that does not sound like it.

oooops, so sorry. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman

Not so picky, my friend. A reasonable expectation.....

#173: Ah! As expected, I have not read that one, although I know it is in the BlackHole. Thanks!

I completed Agatha Christie's Autobiography and really enjoyed it. I found a few anachronisms which jolted my liberal sensibilities a bit much but I survived to love the book. I don't know if I will go on a kick of reading Christie mysteries, but I might.

She definitely had an interesting life having married an archaeologist for a second husband and spent years at digs in Iraq and other "middle eastern" locales. All she needed was sturdy table so she could write. She also seemed genuinely surprised to have so much success with writing novels, writing plays, and so forth. She says she never considered herself as a professional writer as she was just trying to entertain.

Well, her mysteries and plays certainly have the reputation of being entertaining but I found her autobiography to be so, also.

Sounds good! I'm going to have to check it out.

I will check it out as well. Thanks for the recommendation.

Have a great Thanksgiving, Karen!

A very nice Thanksgiving was had; and, I've got three kids books to claim:




One fish two fish red fish blue fish, New Tricks I Can Do, and A Fly Went By

I am not imagining getting any where near the 75 but I can sure put on some steam and get a few more books completed before the year is over.

maybe next year I'll start a thread for people who want to read 24+ some for 2011.... (-:

Yeah, Maggie! that sounds like a goal I would manage as that is about what I have done so far this year. 8^)

I too am nowhere near the 75 mark but decided to join anyway since I have so many great books on my tbr pile. It's been many years since I've read an Agatha Christie mystery, and I'm very intrigued about her autobiography. There goes one more for my wishlist, thanks for the recommendation!

I hope you stick with the group next year regardless of how many you read this one, Karen :)

OK, one more book to claim:




I finished The Woman I Was Born To Be by Susan Boyle today while staying in bed with a routine cold. I enjoyed it and it was a quick, easy read. Her autobiography was very straight-forward, which I believe she is also, and enjoyable. She did suffer some slight brain damage when she was born and so has suffered and dealt with being slightly different for her entire life. Her family gave her a good grounding and it is heart-warming to see her enjoy the benefits of her gift of voice. It is clear that she does work hard to be professional and do her best and so I appreciate her accomplishments, all the more.

#182: I would not mind reading that one. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Karen. I did not realize that Boyle had written a book.

A quick read of a young adult book: The Sisters Grimm, Book One, The Fairy Tale Detectives. A clever premise, the author created two orphan sisters who after a couple of bad years are placed with a very odd woman, who claims to be their grandmother. This crazy woman starts talking like Fairy Tale Characters are real and that there is a giant in the neighborhood wrecking houses.

I think the author did a great job of pulling in Nursery Rhyme characters and stories as well as alluding, and hinting, about some of the more classic myths. Puck is one character who shows up and behaves quite in character and helps add depth and humor to a story which could be too simple.

I recommend this book to loves of myth, lovers of children, and those who recommend books to children; as well as, everyone else who likes a quick good read.

#184: I read that first book in the series. I need to read more of the books. Maybe next year. . .Thanks for the reminder, Karen.

Woo hoo! I've hit 50%. With good luck I should be able to beat last years accomplishment of 51%. Heheheh

Last night I finished Listening is an Act of Love about the StoryCorps. Many moving accounts and very uplifting.

Congrats on hitting 50%, Karen! I hope you do beat last year's accomplishment :)

Yay! I hit 40 books! I am celebrating everything at this point.

I finished reading an interesting, and informative, book on Islamic women. I recommend it highly.

Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks. I was particularly impressed by Brooks ability to not be unrelentingly negative and critical. She does a good job of finding the good in the Islamic system as well as pointing out the, oh so many, ways in which women are victimized!

Bravo! Keep it up. I'm going to try by hook or by crook to get to 50. Wish me luck!

Best of Luck!

#188: I have not yet read that one by Brooks although it has been in the BlackHole for a while now. Thanks for the reminder, Karen.

Congrats on hitting 40!

Well, well, well

I finished reading a book of short stories that has been sitting around waiting forever for me to pick it up.

Isaac Asimov's Magical Worlds of Fantasy Faeries

And I liked it.

And now I have finished 41 books in 2010. I don't know if I'll do more this year but I've enjoyed keeping track.

one more!

I finished Hogfather last night for my 42nd book in 2010.

This year is almost done.

---and so am I. Just stopping in to say, "Happy New Year, Karen!"

Thanks! Ok, I'm challenging myself to a quick and "dirty" finish to this year's reading. I picked out 7 books from my nephew's messy bookcase and I intend on reading all these before midnight, December 31, 2010. And I intend on finding one additional book between now and then...so my final number will be 50!

I know I'm being silly. But I am doing it because I can!
ha!

1. Beverly Cleary's Ramona Forever
2. Walt Morey's Gentle Ben
3. C.S. Forester's The Barbary Pirates
4. Rob Kidd's Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow: The Siren Song
5. Jude Watson's Star Wars Episode I Queen Amidala
6. Dana Lyons's Cows with Guns
7. Clement C. Moore's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

OK. I'm off to read now....

Finished reading Cows With Guns and highly recommend it. Don't know if you can still get copies with the CD but it was originally a very funny song. It's all about Cow Tse-Tongue who decided becoming a piece of ground meat was not for him!

Now I've finished a version of Clement C. Moore's 'Twas The Night Before Christmas which included an explanation of how the Coca Cola's Santa Claus became the image most Americans think of when they think of Santa. Also the book included an explanation of Mr. Moore's writing of the original poem.

I do love the poem, it is very evocative.

Completed the Scholastic publisher's book for Star Wars: the Journal of Queen Amidala. Pfft, potooooeeee...what writing.

I am sorry the youngsters who love Star Wars have to read this drivel. The story is fine, well suited to be made into a movie or a TV episode, but the writing is so pedestrian it made me think it needed to be tossed out.

But it did give me one more book to count. Onwards....

Crossing fingers that you reach 50, Karen!

Ok! I have completed my "sub-goal" of 50 books read in 2010. Below I've listed five books that I have read aloud to my 5 year old nephew over the last year.




1. The Tale of Peter Rabbit retold from the original story by Beatrix Potter and 2. The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin an original and authorized edition with new color reproductions by F. Warne & Co.

Additionally, we read Walt Disney versions of 3. Eeyore Loses his Tail Again, 4. Pooh's Spring-Cleaning Mystery and 5. Piglet has the Sniffles.

Ta DA!

Woot! Congratulations!

Well done!! Onward to more and maybe better books in the new year! :)
Wishing you good things in the year to come..

Congratulations Karen. I look forward to seeing what you read next year.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Karen!